Chapter Text
Heart and Ki
Chapter 12
“Am I supposed to swim while dragging this?” Izuku asked, staring at the heavy float.
Up until now, the only swimming restriction had been using the refrigerator as an anchor. But now that it no longer served to slow him down, Goku modified the exercise. It consisted of swimming side to side in an arc around the beach. The rope was still tied to him to prevent drifting into deep water, but the weighted float added an extra layer of difficulty.
He was no longer swimming with the weighted clothing.
“We’ll start with twenty laps. We’ll increase the number depending on your performance. The float has twenty kilos of drag.”
Izuku swallowed. He remembered his master saying that the real training would begin once he could move the refrigerator. He never expected it to reach these limits.
It took him quite a while, especially to learn how to read the guidance of the rope anchored to land. It would slow him down whenever he felt too much tension, or too little.
“Good work.” The sun was already beginning to touch the horizon. “You finished just in time for one last training session today.”
“One last training session?” It was already late, so the idea of continuing surprised him.
To his student’s surprise, Goku leaped high into the air and threw a long stake about ten meters offshore. It embedded itself perfectly, standing upright and protruding above the waves.
Goku returned to shore, standing beside Izuku.
“Your next objective is to use your ki to part the waves and strike the post." He said, pointing at the target.
“Strike the post?” Izuku repeated. “Part the water?”
“This, along with your new meditation training, will be long-term goals. I don’t expect you to achieve them in the first few weeks, or even the first few months. But it’s a good way to build control. As your control increases, your power will grow evenly as well.”
Seeing the doubt on the boy’s face, he demonstrated once more.
“Like this!”
Casually, he extended his right palm, the tips of his fingers aimed at the post.
From Izuku’s perspective, it was barely more than a quiet exhale. Then, a straight white light fired from the glowing palm. The water was split cleanly in two, exposing the sand beneath all the way to the post.
The post itself didn’t even move.
“That’s your goal, Izuku. I don’t expect the same strength. Just that you reach it.”
Izuku felt like a fish trying to breathe out of water. He had just witnessed one of the most controlled displays of power since meeting his master. Of course, there had been flight and Instant Transmission, enormous leaps, demonstrations of overwhelming strength, and even transformations.
But this was the first truly clear example of ki manipulation he had ever seen.
And his master had just told him it was possible.
Gathering his determination, Izuku mimicked the motion.
The result was clearly disappointing. There was no light, no reaction, no discharge, no movement. It was discouraging, especially because he couldn’t even replicate the effect he had produced upon waking that day.
“This is the first step." Goku said, giving him an encouraging pat on the back. “Come on. You need concentration.”
“Concentration." He repeated. “Like the meditation training.” Izuku remembered that this had been the first method his master used to teach him how to manifest ki voluntarily.
Goku watched the boy, absorbed in his thoughts. He let him reach his own conclusions. It was clear he was thinking about something important.
“But it wasn’t just concentration. It wasn’t simply emptying my mind." he thought, recalling that sensation. “It was a calm that came from my heart.”
Because at that moment after awakening, he hadn’t been expecting anything in return. No expectations of success. Forgetting, even if only by accident, he had also forgotten the worries that disturbed his heart, and in turn, his mind.
“I need to be calm. Really calm." Izuku told himself as he closed his eyes.
Goku’s eyes widened when he heard him. He had never told him that directly. He wanted Izuku to progress further in his training before introducing those fundamentals. There was no point in saying something he might not understand yet, something that would only create more anxiety.
But now, he had figured it out on his own.
Izuku extended his hand again, prepared the motion, and released the attack. Or at least, there was some reaction. A small light shot forward, no longer than the length of a sewing needle.
It was very little, but it was undeniably progress.
Heart and Ki
It had become a tradition twice a month on Saturdays, though there were times when Goku couldn’t transport him due to unforeseen events. When that happened, he would make it up the following weekend.
A tradition?
Meditation training, at least four hours long, combined with maintaining his usual physical training, wherever he happened to be. If he was in the land of heroes, Izuku would focus on meditating atop a mast or in his usual spot at the park. If he was in his master’s land, he would meditate inside the dark cave, named as such by Goku himself.
What made this training interesting were the random events that could occur inside the cave, unaware that they had been prepared by his master.
Sometimes it was small stones striking his head, much like the paper balls other students used to throw at him.
Krillin kept his presence hidden by using small, sudden spikes of energy, watching young Midoriya train atop his usual rock. Carefully, without much force, he tossed a tiny stone, no bigger than a marble, toward the boy.
It struck him right on the forehead.
“Mr. Popo made it sound easy." the retired monk muttered, trying to follow Goku’s request.
Other times, it was jets of water from the nearby lake. Izuku never understood where the waves came from.
A simple hand gesture was enough to send a massive surge of water crashing toward him, while the student still couldn’t comprehend its origin.
Tien Shinhan watched from afar, motionless and focused. The master of the Crane School observed the young man with surprise at his old rival’s discovery. He might lack confidence in himself, but not in his goal. As someone who had founded a new Crane School, people like Izuku were fascinating to him.
Of course, he was now under the Turtle School’s care, but that only made the three-eyed man smile. Rivals were always useful for pushing one’s own students further.
“Today for you, Goku. Tomorrow for me.”
Sometimes it was simply a distant shout of unknown origin, or a feint from afar, as if something other than a common animal were moving through the darkness.
Izuku kept his eyes closed, but it was difficult with so many strange noises, like something crawling through the cave. Perhaps a snake, or another reptile.
Hidden in the darkness, Piccolo extended his arms, creating echoes throughout the cavern, keeping the young student on edge. The idea was for him to sink into meditation while remaining aware of his surroundings.
So far, the progress had been minimal.
“It’s counterintuitive." The Namekian thought, remembering how long ago the half of Kami that resided within him had taught this to Mr. Popo.
That was why Goku always turned to him first for help with this kind of training. Kami might not have been the first to develop the technique, but he was among the best at using it.
Piccolo couldn’t deny that.
“Haa!” He shouted, once again snapping the boy out of his meditation.
Heart and Ki
Unlike the twenty kilos, adapting to forty kilos was not easy. Even after two months, all the training he had previously mastered became a struggle again. He had come very close to Goku reducing the weight back to twenty kilos.
But Izuku’s stubbornness was stronger, though it came with sacrifices.
He had to go back to using only two balls in the irregular-wall table tennis drills, as well as two normal balls for the hands-and-feet training. In the hammer training, where he had managed to advance one level, he had to return to the previous stage. Even the weighted swimming drills were at risk of being canceled.
But he managed to convince Goku to let him keep the forty kilos.
At the end of one day, Izuku watched his master depart. His strength felt depleted. Ki projection training was the hardest part of the day, which was why it was always done last.
Now he sat for a few minutes, watching the sun disappear beyond the horizon.
That was his signal to return.
The problem?
Izuku struck a small microwave he hadn’t seen in the darkness. Barefoot, and with only the unconscious reinforcement of ki, it wasn’t enough to spare his little toe from the full pain of the impact.
“Ow!” he complained repeatedly, hopping on his uninjured right foot.
That was when he looked again at the mess on the beach. Standing before the garbage that had accumulated over the six months of serious training, he had already grown used to the sight.
“This is wrong." he scolded himself.
This was one of the places where he had spent the most time over the past three years, and until now, aside from the first week of training, he had never questioned its condition.
An idea came to him.
Still exhausted, with his ki nearly drained and his entire body aching, he felt that he had to do something.
“I hope Mom doesn’t get mad if I get home half an hour later every day." he said to himself. Without thinking further, he picked up the microwave and began stacking it with other discarded objects.
“The Dagobah Beach Restoration Project begins." he declared firmly, ignoring the figurative screams of his muscles begging for rest.
Heart and Ki
In three months, the progress was undeniable.
He increased the difficulty level of the training drone to Grade Three while maintaining the hammer’s weight. He increased the weight of his table tennis paddles from five kilos to ten kilos. He doubled the drag weight while swimming from twenty kilos to forty kilos. And, of course, he managed to triple the distance of his ki projection.
But there were no changes to his routine.
Only improvements in efficiency.
And now, he was back at Mount Paozu, standing in the very cave where his trial had once failed.
Now, however, he was stronger. He had prepared himself thoroughly. His advanced meditation had progressed slightly. The first few days, the initial seconds he could endure standing atop that post had turned into minutes, and now he was close to reaching a full continuous hour.
He could only assume that his mind had grown stronger.
“Good luck, Izuku." His master wished him sincerely.
No weighted clothing. No food. No water.
Izuku nodded.
“This time, I’ll succeed, Master." He said with determination.
“Remember everything you’ve learned so far. This will test everything you’ve learned, about ki, and about yourself.”
Izuku wondered why his master was being so serious. Of course, they were also against the clock if he wanted to complete this trial. In about six weeks, the U.A. entrance exam would begin. There wouldn’t be enough training time to repeat this exercise.
Otherwise, it would have to be postponed indefinitely.
Resolved, Izuku walked into the cave while Goku stayed behind, watching him. Even when the darkness swallowed him whole, his master’s trained senses could still perceive him.
He remained there for several moments.
“Truly… good luck, Izuku.”
Heart and Ki
First hours…
Meditation helped him perceive the passage of time correctly. The last time he had been sealed in total darkness, it had nearly stripped him of his sense of reality.
Now his steps were steady. He wasn’t running, nor rushing, just firm, with a consistent rhythm.
He remembered the training he had done in that cave alongside his master. The darkness was the same, but knowing that his master had been meditating beside him had helped immensely. Even during solo training, it was comforting to know the exit was only a few meters away. Though the distractions and unknown attacks were frustrating, they also gave him a sense of company.
This was different. Total isolation. From all life, sound, and stimulus. Even stepping out of meditation for a moment could make him lose his sense of touch and trigger hallucinations.
But because of that, he was confident.
The past few months had not been in vain.
Third day…
The end of the first day had been relatively simple, but by the second, the situation had begun to change.
Meditating while hungry and thirsty was difficult. He could feel desperation knocking at the door of his mind, waiting for any moment of weakness to drag him into the same despair as last time.
“Of course, a Quirkless loser wouldn’t be able to go any further…”
Izuku’s horror became real when he saw Bakugo standing just a few steps away. Clear as day. As if he had always been there.
“No, no, I have a Quirk now. It’s something I’m creating myself." he denied quickly, falling straight into the trap.
Fear, frustration, and anger surged as he engaged in the conversation, causing him to forget his meditative state entirely. His own mind had become his enemy, attacking his greatest vulnerability.
Izuku even stopped walking.
“That’s not a Quirk." The imaginary Bakugo mocked.
“Not like the others, but it’s something I built myself, and I’ll be a hero. All with the strength and abilities I create." He asserted.
“That’s what you tell yourself, but in the end you’ll just be a freak with something different from a Quirk. Always a freak, without one, and now with something else. Different package, same label.”
Several explosions were hurled in his direction, meant to punish him.
Izuku’s breathing quickened.
Fear and doubt clashed against his determination and mental strength. The greatest terror of his mind, the one that had haunted him even in his dreams, was seizing its chance to manifest again.
“Maybe you should’ve jumped. Having another Quirk in another life would be better than what you are now." it insisted mockingly.
Izuku fell to his knees, clutching his chest. It hurt, along with his hungry, thirsty stomach. The willpower he had accumulated over so long was weakening, and with it, his ki.
“What if I’m discovered? What was I thinking?” he berated himself.
The Katsuki Bakugo in his mind took the opportunity to step closer, gripping his shoulder. Like a snake, he began whispering his hatred.
“That’s right. You’re nothing but a freak. Quirkless, with something abnormal instead. You should give up and return to mediocrity. That’s what you deserve.”
A chill ran down Izuku’s spine.
But doubt was a double-edged sword. Just as one voice urged him to give up, another called out to him. It was the voice that had pushed him forward until now, not for others, not for approval, but for himself.
“And is that all?” It was Goku’s voice, standing opposite of Katsuki. “Are you really going to let these three years mean nothing?”
Because that was his desire.
He could feel the weight of nearly three years of training. From a frail weakling to someone above the human average, and even awakening what he had desperately needed. His mother now supported him fully. And not just her. Along the way, many people had joined that sea of potential.
And most importantly…
For months now, Bakugo hadn’t bothered him. He hadn’t even spoken to him. Izuku had always noticed his quick glances, the constant simmering anger, as if he wanted to approach him, but he never did. He never confronted him about what had happened during the incident.
“What is Kacchan doing here?” He questioned for the first time.
That question alone made him remember the how, when, and where.
He wasn’t on his world. Katsuki wasn’t even in the same solar system.
“I’m training… the cave!” He realized.
The illusions faded, and with them, his connection to reality returned. The hardness of the damp floor, its texture, the weight of his body. He hadn’t felt this heavy in months, so bound by gravity.
“Focus on your breathing." He commanded himself, recalling his master’s repeated instruction.
The change was immediate.
His connection to ki returned after being severed by fear, as if a blindfold had been ripped away.
It was overwhelming, like stepping out of darkness into light. From his perspective, it was as if he could feel and perceive everything. Not seeing exactly, but becoming spatially aware of where he was.
But the first thing he felt was something above him. At a distance. Like a sun radiating light, so intense that the shock forced him to his knees again.
It was an immense, overpowering sensation.
“What is this? Who is it?”
Then came several more of those “suns" scattered across the planet. He couldn’t sense the rest, only the strongest ones. The pressure of their presence was so great that he lost concentration and fell out of that strange trance.
The cave returned to its usual darkness as he exited that unique, seemingly fleeting state.
He tried to meditate again, but he could no longer access it.
Isolation, intense emotions, and other factors had unlocked something only momentarily. A brief glimpse into a far larger world, one that was still far beyond his reach.
Recovering from that strange experience, he noticed that while the sensation itself was gone, what had once been difficult to access now came more naturally. Meditation felt easier. Hunger was easier to ignore. He no longer felt as exhausted, starved, or thirsty.
Taking advantage of this second wind, he continued forward. He didn’t know whether this change was permanent, but he had to focus every effort on reaching the goal.
Heart and Ki
Step.
Step.
Step.
His entire body felt heavy. Each part weighed him down as if he were wearing weighted clothing for miles. He had to lean forward just to make moving easier.
He didn’t even have the strength to lift his arms and brace himself against the cave walls.
But something changed.
Days of battling hallucinations and negative thoughts had worn him down. Even sleep offered no rest. He had tried sleeping at the end of the third day, but it only left him more exhausted, wasting what little energy he had.
And now, before him, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
This time, it was both literal and figurative.
He tried to quicken his pace, but his body resisted every movement, battered by extreme exhaustion.
The light grew larger and larger.
Fresh air flooded his senses.
Finally, he emerged, and to his great fortune, it was night.
“Good work, Izuku." a gentle, unmistakably proud voice said.
It shouldn’t have surprised him, but seeing his master waiting at the exit truly did.
“Six and a half days." Goku informed him. “I almost went in after you a couple of times, but I could feel your determination through your ki.”
That was the moment Izuku’s strength finally gave out. Goku intercepted him before he could collapse.
“Eat, Izuku." He said, holding out a Senzu Bean. “You’ll be as good as new in just a moment.”
Izuku no longer had the strength to speak, so he simply nodded.
Two, three chews and then he swallowed.
In less than a second, he felt alert again. As if his body had remembered how to breathe.
“Master! I did it!” The student said with pure joy. “It was hard, and I really thought I was going to die.”
Goku was about to respond, but Izuku cut in as he stood back up.
“But I know you were watching me." He added, not pleased by that realization. “And something strange happened. I saw… or felt? I don’t know. But something happened where I saw a huge sun; Sun? Star? ... above my head. And I felt others across the planet. Not as big, but…”
That was when Izuku remembered he needed to breathe.
“Easy, I understand." Goku replied, already used to his student’s rushed babbling. “From what you’re telling me, what you felt at that moment was ki. My ki, and my friends’.”
“T-t-that was ki?” He didn’t know whether to feel scared or amazed.
“I told my friends to keep their ki elevated in case something happened to you, as a form of training. I did that during your time in the cave to try to stimulate your senses, but it seems you only managed it today.”
Izuku swallowed hard, trying to process the information. Immediately, all those strange events during his meditation made sense. It had been their way of silently announcing their presence, partially manifesting their combat power.
Goku let him think again, but judging by the expression on his student’s face, he had run into a mental loop.
“Come on. I know your energy’s been restored thanks to the bean, but it won’t heal mental strain. You need to rest for the next few days. Too much training will only be counterproductive.”
Heart and Ki
The following week was spent resting with light training, mostly so he could spend the holidays with his mother back at their apartment. Still, the change brought on by that training was evident. He felt lighter and ot just in body, but in mind and spirit as well.
As if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Not only that, training itself had become significantly easier. His mental and physical strength had increased, or at least his perception of what he believed his inner strength to be.
His ki felt easier to handle. Upon returning to his regular training, he was now able to lightly strike the stake his master had planted in the beach using ki. He still couldn’t part all the water, but it was remarkable progress.
With that behind him, his cleanup project had been a success. In just three months, he had managed to clean the beach with daily sessions lasting only thirty to forty minutes. Passing through the area during afternoon training had become a sight to behold, letting him catch part of the sunset.
Heart and Ki
By then, ten months of advanced training had passed, and to date, Goku had never taught him martial arts. Izuku never questioned it, trusting that the subject would be addressed eventually. With each training session, the purpose behind his doubts slowly faded away.
Ten months passed, and Izuku was now one day away from the U.A. entrance exam.
And yet, here they were. Where it all began, outside Goku’s house on Mount Paozu. It was midday, with a beautiful clear sky. A gentle countryside breeze relaxed everyone present.
His mother and he had been invited. Goku, Chi-Chi, Goten, Gohan, Videl, Krillin, and Master Roshi were all there.
“Ten months have passed since we started advanced training, and three years since we began training overall." Goku said cheerfully. “There’s still a lot more I could teach you, but I’ve already taught you everything basic about ki and physical training. From here on, what comes next is improving the foundations you already have.”
Those weren’t the words Izuku and Inko had been expecting.
The others remained silent.
The Midoriya family knew they were at the deadline, right before the entrance exam, and they were certain Goku knew it too, but they hadn’t expected something like a ceremony.
“Take off the weighted clothes." the Saiyan asked.
Still trying to understand what was happening, Izuku complied. Shirt off, wrist and ankle weights removed. Master Roshi wore a knowing smile, while Krillin couldn’t help but grin broadly.
“Now jump with all your strength.”
Izuku and his mother looked at each other, unsure. Inko nodded, deciding to trust her son’s teacher once more. To date, he had never broken his word. Her son responded with a firm nod.
He bent his knees.
And jumped.
To Inko, her son vanished.
It wasn’t until she noticed everyone else tilting their heads upward that she realized where to look. High in the sky, they were all staring at a tiny dot.
For Izuku, it felt as though the earth had suddenly fallen away. He was easily three times higher than a skyscraper.
From the ground, Inko began to hear her son’s screams, not of joy, but of sheer panic. Far beyond terminal velocity, Izuku was plummeting toward the earth without slowing.
“Someone do something!” She screamed in terror.
“Relax, he’ll be fine." Goku assured her.
Much to her surprise, it was Chi-Chi who looked at her calmly.
“I know there are many things I disagree with my husband about." she said, “but when it comes to training results, he knows what he’s doing.”
Izuku’s mother wanted to scream, to protest, but the fall was faster than she expected. The thunderous crash as Izuku struck the ground was enough to make her soul leave her body.
Chi-Chi stepped closer, gripping the other mother’s shoulders firmly, trying to reassure her.
“Please look. Your son is safe.”
She was afraid to look, terrified of what she might find in the crater that had formed. Dust had been kicked up everywhere. But soon, she noticed a figure emerging from the cloud.
It was Izuku, completely covered in dust, but seemingly unharmed. At most, he looked disoriented.
His mother didn’t hesitate; she rushed to him, checking for injuries, searching desperately for any sign of harm.
There was nothing.
Her son was whole. Perfectly fine.
“I’m okay, Mom. I just screamed from the scare. It hurt when I landed, but I didn’t get injured." he said quickly. “I didn’t exactly land very gracefully either.”
She kept examining him, insisting on finding some evidence of damage. All she found was dust.
“How?” Inko asked, the obvious question.
“Izuku is already instinctively protected by his ki. I know you’ll be worried when he begins hero training, but this was to show you that his training didn’t just give him an ability meant for attacking, but also for defending himself. And if he keeps training, he’ll only grow stronger.”
Goku then turned his attention to the still-dazed Izuku.
“Your strength, speed, reflexes, and endurance have increased far beyond that of an ordinary human." He said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I’ve taught you everything basic. From here on, you need to continue your training on your own.”
Izuku absorbed his master’s words. First, he looked at him. Then at his mother. Finally, at his hands, analyzing what had just happened.
Yes, he had trained for years and felt his growth along the way, but he had never truly stopped to consider how far he’d come.
It wasn’t until that jump that reality finally set in.
Then Izuku noticed everyone applauding him. Even his mother joined in.
All of them, in one way or another, even if only slightly, had been involved in his growth.
In the past, he had cried often. Almost always because of something bad. Learning he wouldn’t have a Quirk. The frustration of middle school. The helplessness of being an outcast among his peers.
He could only remember crying tears of joy three times in his life.
When Goku acknowledged his dream.
When he reconciled with his mother.
And now.
His mother hugged him immediately, crying alongside him.
Already accustomed to Inko’s personality, the others let the Midoriyas cry as long as they needed, which wasn’t a short time.
“Thank you for this, Goku." Inko said, finally composing herself.
“Thank you, Master!” Izuku replied with a deep ninety-degree bow. “I promise I won’t disappoint you.”
Goku smiled.
“Well, I guess that wraps things up for today." He said openly. “But there’s one more detail.”
It was Gohan who placed several sets of clothes on the ground, next to the ones Izuku had removed earlier.
“These are future training outfits so you can keep training." the earth-raised Saiyan announced. “Sixty, eighty, and one hundred kilos. I don’t expect you to use all three, but given your recent progress, I consider you ready to use the sixty-kilo one.”
Izuku swallowed hard, nervous once again.
“I’ll also come evaluate you during your next vacation. That should be when you finish the trimester, right?”
Once again, he swallowed.
Heart and Ki
One written exam later, Izuku Midoriya stood outside Testing Area Eight. The exam had been somewhat difficult, especially having to sit next to Katsuki Bakugo, but he was confident he had passed with a sufficient score.
Now he had another problem.
A very serious one.
He swallowed nervously, realizing his oversight.
In three years of intense training under his master, there was one detail he had never bothered to address.
One very important detail.
His hands trembled with fear.
Son Goku had never taught him how to fight.
Izuku's Power Level: 85.