MHA: Thorny Path of a Pro-Hero

The following weeks unexpectedly showed that, apparently, I enjoy teaching others.

At least, when it comes to cute superhero girls.

Together with Yui, we dissected the details of using her quirk, conducted experiments with it, came up with new ways to apply it, reluctantly discarded impossible options, analyzed the actions of well-known heroes with similar powers, and based on that, devised suitable tactics for her…

The most interesting moment was when I asked her to enlarge a can of peach tea. Yui did it without any problems.

Then, slightly straining and gripping it (the can, of course, what did you think?), I turned the container upside down.

And the tea was unfinished.

Liquid poured out of the can onto the ground.

A lot of it.

More than there was in the can before enlarging it.

Then I just sat down on the bench - we were still in the same park - and for a couple of minutes, I stared blankly into space, ignoring Kodai's questions. Yui even started to worry.

In short, you get it, right? She can increase the size of any liquids! That is, it sounds inaccurate; it would be more correct to say in volume, but that's exactly the point - this isn't some damn hydrokinesis, "water magic" (which can at least be explained, perhaps by portals to other dimensions, just as Hulk's powers were explained in the comics), no, this is literally increasing the SIZE of the liquid! Creating more of something out of something. And tea is not even an "object"!

How the hell does this even work? What happens to this liquid afterwards?! What if someone drinks it? What if the molecules of this liquid are absorbed in the intestines and enter the bloodstream?! And this puddle, by the way, is evaporating under the sun right now, and we're breathing these…

At that point, I snapped out of it, pulled Yui aside, and made her cancel everything.

The puddle shrank…

Well, at least we didn't cause any irreparable harm. "There's no danger that such water could be swallowed. Such large molecules simply won't pass through the channels in the cells…" I thought then.

And I was completely wrong.

Later, in a laboratory of a quirk research center where we were allowed in, I examined a sample of "Yui-fied" water under an electron microscope and was, damn it, forced to accept the fact that... no, she does NOT increase the size of atoms and molecules.

Even worse!

No, she fills the space between atoms with some kind of incomprehensible, inert bullshit, retaining almost all physical and chemical properties, as if there had been no impact at all. But at the same time, some of these properties, such as density, weight, melting point, and corrosion resistance, increase proportionally with size.

Strange, mind-bending, but a fact.

Okay, it's still not the strangest quirk in this world.

Specifically, at that time with the puddle, there was no danger, so my thoughts gradually shifted to the practical application of her quirk.

If Yui can maintain the size change of objects for a long time and without significant energy expenditure, she wouldn't need any "fire trucks" in her pocket - just carry, say, a dozen small water spheres with her.

If there's a fire, Yui comes. Yui enlarges the water sphere, it bursts over the fire, the fire is extinguished, Yui cancels the enlargement, and, I assume, all the water, dirt, and steam just… disappear.

Mind-blowing.

We also conducted quirk endurance training right during class. Specifically, the practice of consciously, or even more accurately, habitually subconsciously maintaining an activated quirk. For as long as she has the strength and concentration.

For example… for part of the school hour (ideally the whole hour, but she was far from that level), let's say, in Yui's personal locker, there was an ordinary ballpoint pen leaning against the wall.

Only it was the size of a full-blown missile.

Such endurance training should eventually allow her to do what I described to her in our first "lesson" - carrying fire engines and motorcycles in her pocket. The girl has every chance to become one of the most versatile heroes…

Yui was getting tired but making progress.

As for me, sitting at the opposite end of the class, I gave her a thumbs-up for encouragement, and I secretly tried to train my own "enhancement" as well. However, this was getting difficult, as a fully enhanced strike at that point had far exceeded the limits of what was possible even for the strongest strike of an ordinary, albeit trained, person. In a school classroom, it couldn't be used unnoticed.

I had to focus on precision - the most accurate hits, the most localized, the weakest…

In this manner, almost a month passed.

Perhaps the reason was that I hadn't really interacted with anyone for a long time…

Yes, of course, there was the tailed one, but Mashirao didn't count. Despite the shared sparring, attention to martial arts, and friendly rivalry, we had very different interests. To be more precise, I wasn't even sure he had any interests, the geek. And we only met in the dojo, and he wasn't keen on going out anywhere else.

Or maybe it was because I had been gathering information on powerful quirk users, analyzing them, and accumulating various techniques and strategies for years… and I could finally share these developments with someone…

In any case, I got carried away.

It got to the point where I almost started neglecting my own quirk training, not making much progress in integrating "explosive" enhancements into my jumps - which, by the way, caused me to lose yet another fight against the tailed and jumpy mutt… I mean, my sparring partner Mashirao… because I simply couldn't manage to break the distance.

Frustrating.

I realized that something needed to change.

Despite what I had previously told Yui about self-defense and close combat, I honestly didn't think it was necessary for her to seriously dedicate herself to studying martial arts as much as I had to.

But it's not because her quirk is better suited for a "support" specialization and she has no chance in close combat. No, no, no, none of that defeatist nonsense!

The reason is quite the opposite - in most cases (if we're not talking about the strongest heroes or villains beyond categories), with decent general preparation, one touch from Kodai would be enough to defeat - or at least delay the enemy and buy herself a few seconds. No matter how strong the enemy is. Yui is literally capable of enlarging - or shrinking - anything! A belt, jeans, shoes, a phone, a piece of gum, a wristwatch, a backpack, a hoodie, glasses… a supervillain's costume.

Yui might just become the most terrifying prankster in history - any criminal or hero would have to fear that in a confrontation with her, they could instantly turn into a little boy wearing their dad's pajamas! Metaphorically speaking, of course - her quirk doesn't work on living organisms.

And continuing to analyze her quirk… just imagine how some Bakugo in my future would easily defeat her… if one of his massive bracers - if I remember correctly, in the series, they looked like fragmentation grenades - suddenly became the size of a table, while the other shrank to the size of a matchbox, tearing his arm apart…

Though, it's too early for Yui to think about such bloody techniques.

Returning to her future combat tactics: the actual ability to fight is something she needs only to some extent. There's no need to teach her how to throw punches, or to do throws, or to break out of holds, or to block properly (because she'll likely use her quirk for these tasks as well).

Though, of course, it wouldn't hurt.

But they'll drill her on that in practice at U.A.

What she really needs, though, is, first, the ability to maintain distance, second, the ability to see when an opponent is open, and third, the ability to control her surroundings to spot all suitable targets for using her quirk.

And, of course, good physical condition, with the right stance and the ability to move properly. But that's a given.

I already got her into running - though, of course, she did this not in the dark of night, but after school and our "lessons." She might not have minded running laps around the city with me, but I still got up several hours earlier and after my run, headed to training to beat the face of one fluffy jumper… I mean, my partner Mashirao. Besides, we have different paces.

And, by the way, I came up with a weapon for her.

Two, actually. One for close combat and one for long-range…

In light of all this, after thinking it over, I decided to stop wasting time on her… just kidding! Or maybe not?.. In general, I decided to send her to the same dojo that I had attended before the "Jade Lion." But not to Toga-sensei, and not to the dojo for judokas or Muay Thai practitioners, but one specializing specifically in her future weapon. Basic training and a sense of the opponent can be provided at almost any place, but this particular type of cold weaponry, I believe, teaches control of space like no other.

At the same time, she'll get used to fights and opponents, won't be such a shy girl now. And she won't be an insecure hero - in the future.

So, after arranging with the master of the karate dojo, entirely dedicated to a certain type of "kobudo" - that is, the art of handling various cold weapons, supposedly dating back to Shaolin monks - I took Yui after classes and dragged her there.

Our conversation went something like this:

"Yui, do you want to become a hero?"

"Yes…"

"Do you want to be cool and dangerous?"

"Yes!"

"Follow me."

"Where to?"

"I won't say."

"Okay, Niren…"

End of conversation.

I forgot to mention - we now call each other by our first names, without any honorifics. In Japan, this is considered a sign of close relationships… however, I don't think it's to the same extent as in the Land of the Rising Sun in my world. I believe that in the anime, even the barely acquainted U.A. students constantly called each other by their first names… when they were yelling these names across the area, eager to beat up their fellow fighters and find out who's the best.

Honestly, I didn't even notice this transition. It was fun to talk to Yui.

Although, maybe I'm just missing out on being a top-tier teacher.

And yeah: after that conversation in the park, Yui seemed to get fixated - she started hanging on my every word and almost unquestioningly obeying. Of course, I noticed this, and it did concern me… I'm not a moral degenerate. However, I didn't see a big problem: everything I was giving her was beneficial to her, and she knew it, especially since in most "tasks," I tried to let her figure out the right answer herself, even if a bit later.

And she'll have time to learn to be independent and strong.

Of course, as I mentioned to Yui earlier, the most important thing in the hero profession is that she learns to think for herself. So, without naming the final destination, I laid out the main arguments in favor of training in general and, specifically, these trainings and with this weapon while we were on our way to the dojo. So she could try to reach the same conclusion on her own and guess what type of weapon I had chosen.

In short, I set up a surprise for the girl.

Yui's quirk can allow her, as I've said, to put the opponent in a very disadvantageous position, depriving them of balance and even injuring them. But that's if she attacks the opponent with her quirk. For that, she needs to be able to close the distance at the critical moment. That is, to have control over the distance.

But what if she uses her quirk on what she's holding in her own hands?

Imagine what a complex and unpredictable opponent could emerge from a person who wields some sort of long, thin weapon… expertly handles this weapon…

And at any moment, almost instantly, can change the length and weight of this item?

I'll answer myself: a very unpleasant opponent.

When we reached the small building where a branch of "kobudo" was located on the second floor in our city, I went ahead of Yui and, proud of myself, ceremoniously gestured to the sign, showing the surprised girl the weapon she would be studying for the next three years:

A staff.

To be more precise, a wooden fighting staff. Or "bo." Or "kon." Or… "gun"? So, are these all names for the same thing, or is there some difference?.. I was a complete amateur when it came to fighting with weapons; I was always more interested in hand-to-hand combat, and even Mashirao wasn't very knowledgeable in these details.

Well, I hope Yui will tell us later.

In any case, after a few experiments with Kodai's quirk, I became convinced that the shape and proportions of any objects she enlarges remain constant. The only thing subject to change is the density and weight of the object.

Therefore, if she uses such a staff in battle… or just carries ordinary pencils with her… she'll be able to knock out opponents, literally, from several meters away. Almost absolute control of the space around her, with a maximum attack distance of several meters! And the farther the opponent is, the stronger and, literally, the heavier the blow will be!

Can you imagine? Some thief runs out of a store - and then Yui, who might be standing on the opposite side of the street, takes him down with a mighty swing of her… stick.

And you can throw such a staff…

Perhaps it would have been better to choose a spear or something similar, but… we're heroes, right? So let's leave potentially lethal weapons out of the picture.

In all other respects, I think this will become her most versatile weapon - which, if necessary, can easily be replaced by almost any available item. Which means she'll always be armed and ready, with less chance of being caught off guard…

Of course, learning such an unconventional and even unparalleled fighting style will be difficult for her. And I think there's a good chance that at first, she'll probably crush herself with such a large pencil. But… I believe in her. She's smart, unexpectedly persistent, and quickly grasps everything I give her. She'll manage.

So let her be.

Honestly, if Yui wasn't twelve years old and if she weren't so… proper, righteous, and quiet, I would definitely have joked about "pole dancing." Alas, I have to endure.

For now. I hope in the future I'll be able to make up for all these years of forced inability to tease those around me.

So, we entered this wonderful establishment where a quiet girl would be taught how to beat people with a stick. The local master, a skinny bearded old man almost the height of a child (whom I would never want to face in the ring), assessed Yui's potential and agreed to teach her, and then…

A Problem arose.

Yui Kodai didn't have the money for the training. And it wasn't because her family was poor or she was an orphan… but because her parents wouldn't pay for something like this.

"Wait, hold on," I closed my eyes and pressed on my temples, trying to reset. "Let's go over this in more detail, from the beginning."

Yui hesitated and fidgeted on the bench by the outer wall of the dojo where we had sat down.

I frowned:

"Yui. I don't want to pry into your family matters; I understand that it's personal, but… I, like, took on your professional training at your own request. I'm investing time in your education, I expect diligence from you, and I certainly expect that your parents… or guardians… understand that their child's path to becoming a hero requires far greater investments from their side. First and foremost - financial ones."

She took a shaky breath:

"I-I understand, Niren, I'm sorry. I'll explain…"

I patted her shoulder reassuringly:

"You don't have to rush. We can find a quieter place if needed, or…"

"No, it's okay."

I nodded and prepared to listen.