….
More than a week passed–
And during that time, Toya stopped using his quirk entirely.
Was it out of fear?
Well, maybe… but it was also just the most practical and sane choice.
The math was simple:
Using his quirk meant incinerating the few healthy blood cells he had left. With Leukemia ravaging his marrow, his body couldn't replace what the fire destroyed.
Right… Since Toya already seemed to be aware of his condition the older Hero's came clean about his situation. Even the blood cancer arising in the bone marrow.
Anyway, from that he understood the seriousness of the situation, and couldn't help but wonder?
Did the Toya in the show have the same problem? If so… how did he survive that? He was sure Toya only joined 'League Of Villains' only when the plot began and survived on his own until then.
So how?
…well, he couldn't be knowing? Or this might be something that hadn't happened in the show at all. So, he can't possibly scrap the idea that this might be an alternative universe. That would be his end.
Again. He can't be certain of any of it.
All he knows is that using his quirk meant to manually accelerate the cancer, inviting the internal hemorrhaging to finish what the Sekoto Peak fire had started.
So no quirk.
Instead, he focused on physical training.
A lot of it.
His routine was straightforward.
Run until his legs give out, rest until he can stand, then run again - repeat this until the sun goes down, and then do it again the next day.
The other crucial part was making sure his body is getting enough nutrients, and protein to not give up on him.
So… he consumed food like his life depended on it… which, technically, it did.
Unfortunately, this led to Gran Torino's sudden triple inflation of his minimal grocery bills. Wishlist, not like he is poor, but Toya sure has to bear him grumbling.
Initially, Gran Torino himself didn't know what to make of Toya's actions at first.
On the first day, when he had found Toya doing laps around the block at dawn, he had tried to talk him out of it.
Alas, the kid had just looked at him and said. "I am not dying in bed, old man."
After that, Gran Torino stopped trying to convince him.
The kid's determination was something his old eyes cannot ignore…. They are stubborn, bright and absolutely refuse to dim.
Coming to Sun Breathing technique, Toya had attempted it a few more times over the week.
But he had learned his lesson.
He never pushed past two seconds.
The moment he felt his lungs start to seize, he stopped, let his body recover, then tried again later.
Nevertheless, even those brief two-second bursts left him feeling like he had been hit by a truck, but at least he wasn't coughing up blood anymore.
Indeed. Small victories.
….
A month had passed.
It was after breakfast in the morning when Toya made his decision.
He had just finished clearing the table, wiping it down with a dish towel, when he turned to Gran Torino and said:
"Old man... Is there any chance of me becoming a Hero?"
Gran Torino froze mid-sip of his tea.
For several long seconds, he just stared at Toya in complete silence.
He was beyond surprised.
Shocked, even.
After hearing Toya's story, the training - Gran Torino had been certain this kid would hate everything about Hero work.
In fact, he still hadn't told Toya that he himself was a former Pro Hero. Partly because it hadn't come up, and also because he wasn't sure how the kid would react.
More than that, there had been a small, dark corner of Gran Torino's heart that worried him…
Maybe Toya was too far gone. And the resentment and pain had twisted something inside him beyond repair.
…and one day the kid might cross a line he couldn't come back from.
But here he was. Asking about becoming a Hero?
Seeing the silence stretch, Toya shrugged. "Yeah, I thought so. It isn't possi—"
"Bahahaha!" Gran Torino's laugh burst out suddenly, loud and genuine.
His face split into a wide grin. "Who do you think I am, brat? I've got more connections than you realize! Getting you a Hero license? That will be a piece of cake!"
He was genuinely happy.
Moved, even.
This kid, after everything he had been through, after being abandoned and burned and left for dead…. still wanted to help people and to be a Hero.
Gran Torino wanted to help him, give him that chance.
Then reality hit him like cold water.
…the kid didn't have many days left.
What was the point of…
You fool! He shook his head sharply, pushing the thought away.
He had seen Toya this past month. The kid had meant what he said about not planning to die. So Gran Torino had to believe it too. Had to act like there was a future worth planning for.
What Gran Torino didn't know was that Toya's reasons for wanting to become a Hero had nothing to do with heroism.
….
The process turned out to be both simple and complicated.
The main issue was Toya's age.
Physically he was sixteen, but subtract the three years in a coma and legally he was thirteen.
That created paperwork problems.
But Gran Torino just scuffed at that.
The kid was mature beyond his years. Maybe even genius-level when it came to practical problem-solving and situational awareness.
So they went through a mental age assessment test.
Toya passed with flying colors. The examiner had even commented that his cognitive development was closer to eighteen than thirteen.
After that came the new identity.
Toya had been firm about one thing: he didn't want to use his old name anymore…. Including his last name.
He wanted to create a new identity, and it was also because he wanted to avoid any confrontation with the Todoroki household.
Anyway–
He chose 'Dabi' as his first name:
'It means cremation', while it was also the same name, the original Toya has gone with.
Then with a slight smirk he said - and took 'Torino' from Gran Torino's real name: Sorahiko Torino.
Gran Torino had tried to hide it, but Toya caught the way his eyes got a little wet when he heard that.
The old man had turned away quickly, coughing and muttering something about dust. Alas, Recovery Girl, who had been present for the documentation process, had no such restraint.
"Oh my, Sorahiko! Are those tears? How touching! Should I get you a tissue?"
"Shut up, Chiyo."
"I didn't know you had such a soft heart under all that grumpiness!"
"I said shut up!"
Toya wisely chose not to comment, though he couldn't quite hide his smile.
….
Then came the school placement.
Gran Torino, being an ex U.A. teacher himself, pulled though his connections, and got Toya into the U.A. High School on a recommendation.
His reputation within Hero society was apparently no joke.
But it wasn't for the Hero course. It was a Support course instead.
Toya, now Dabi, didn't complain.
Beggars couldn't be choosers, and honestly it made sense.
Ever since his decision to stop using his quirk unless absolutely necessary, he couldn't exactly fight anyway.
For now, his only focus was improving his physical condition enough to use [Sun Breathing] properly, and to fill up that percentage bar and unlock the next evolution path.
And most importantly… he needs to make sure he doesn't override his lifespan - which the system is calculating so damn accurately.
====
[BREATH OF THE SUN] - 4/100%
| LIFE SPAN LEFT: 52 DAYS
====
….
Yep. Everything else was secondary.
Literally, if he had done nothing the past month, he should have had only 39 days left (69 - 30 = 39) in his life span.
Instead, he sits at 52 days.
It was only possible because of the increase of 4% in [Breath of the Sun], and even then–
He had only managed to 'buy back' 13 days of life, while moving closer to his death.
…..
A Year Later.
…..
A full year has passed since the boy formerly known as Toya Todoroki entered U.A. under the new name Dabi.
To the other students in the Support Course, he is a quiet, scarred enigma who just exists.
But to Gran and Chiyo, he is a medical miracle sustained by sheer, stubborn willpower.
The past whole year, Dabi's life has narrowed down to a singular, monastic cycle:
Run. Train. Eat. Rest. Repeat.
His only goal was to increase the seconds he could hold [Sun Breathing] technique, and in return increase his life span.
Obviously, the initial progression was soul-crushing.
When he began, he could only sustain the specific, lung-burning rhythm of [Sun Breathing] for a mere two seconds before his scorched ribs felt like they were collapsing.
By the end of the first month, he had pushed it to seventy seconds - a milestone that brought his progress to 4%.
But the discipline of a year has changed everything.
Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into a sustained flow.
He has finally mastered the ability to maintain the breath for one continuous hour of high-intensity training.
====
[BREATH OF THE SUN] - 48/100%
| Life Span Left - 412 Days
====
And due to this, despite 365 days passing from the time he woke up in this world–
Dabi hasn't just survived. He has pushed the Reaper back.
By hitting the 48% threshold, his cellular regeneration has reached a point where he 'earns' nearly two days of life for every one day lived, provided he maintains his breathing regimen.
….
[Yamanashi Prefecture | Gran Torino's House]
It was late afternoon when Dabi finished his run for the day and reached home, drenched in sweat.
One could observe the changes in his body over the past year.
He had filled out - not bulky, but lean and defined.
The burns had healed somewhat under Recovery Girl's repeated treatments, leaving behind faded scars and discolored patches that were easier to look at than the raw, stapled grafts had been.
He pushed open the door. "I'm back."
Silence.
The house was empty.
"Where did the old man go without saying anything?"
After showering and changing into clean clothes, he wandered into the living room and flicked on the TV more out of habit than actual interest.
Then he froze.
A news channel was showing aerial footage of what looked like a warzone, buildings reduced to rubble.
Smoke rising from multiple locations. The reporter's voice was shrill with barely-controlled panic.
["–unprecedented villain attack in Kamino Ward! The villain known as Toxic Chainsaw has–"]
Toya listened to the reporter's words.
His eyes were locked on the screen, on the massive figure standing in the center of the destruction.
All Might.
And fighting him, barely visible through the smoke and debris, another figure.
The camera couldn't get a clear shot but Toya knew who it was.
All For One.
"Does that mean the old man is there too?"
The words had barely left his mouth before his legs were already moving.
He was out the door before the reporter could finish her sentence.
If he is right, then there is a 90-kilometer stretch between Yamanashi and Yokohama - and since the accident happened the public transport will be cut off for a while.
Meaning his only choice would be by running. And that's what he did–
He ran. He channeled. He locked his lungs into the [Sun Breathing] rhythm.
====
[BREATH OF THE SUN] - 48/100%
====
Usually, a run of this distance would trigger his leukemia, causing his nose to bleed and his lungs to seize. But the oxygen saturation was so high it felt like his blood was gold, keeping the cancer at bay by sheer pressure.
====
| Life Span Left - 412 Days
====
Also–
He might have to actually sacrifice a good bunch of his life span. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if it had fallen to half by the time he reached the battlefield.
His choice didn't make sense.
The battle would probably already be over by the time he would get there, and even if he made it in time, what could he do? He would be useless.
Or even less than useless…. a liability.
But his legs kept pumping. His breath came in steady, controlled bursts, the rhythm of [Sun Breathing] helping him maintain speed without burning out.
He didn't know why he was running.
Only that he had to.
….
.
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
[Author: Mass Releasing the first 7 chapters!!]