Chapter Text
"After Goku made such a suggestion to Izuku, the latter was so shocked that he froze in place, processing everything that had just happened. He processed it slowly because it was simply too much information.
After a few seconds, Izuku finally managed to fully process everything that had happened.
“Me… a disciple? Does that mean you’ll teach me martial arts, how to fight, and things like that?” Midoriya asked in utter disbelief, unable to believe what was standing before him.
A huge opportunity to fulfill his dream.
“I won’t just teach you how to fight, but also techniques and abilities that go far beyond your understanding and beyond human comprehension—abilities humanity left behind and forgot a very long time ago. I’ll also help you break the human limit within yourself.” Goku said while rubbing the back of his head with his right hand, greatly astonishing Midoriya.
“W-Wait! Hold on a second!” Midoriya exclaimed in shock, stopping Goku. “I believe everything you showed me, however…! It’s just too hard to believe! It sounds like a lie, even though I saw your memories. But I’ve never heard of powers that exist within human beings besides quirks, and it’s never even been brought up for debate. Why? Is it because it sounds too fantastical? Powers like that only exist in cartoons or movies, and things like that have never been seen before. Besides, on YouTube there are always clickbait videos claiming you can get powers, but one way or another you end up on porn sites or Yande.re lolita sections. In the first place…” Midoriya muttered nonstop, while Goku looked genuinely frightened, as if he thought Midoriya was about to summon a demon or something.
“Hey, are you okay? Are you sick?” Goku asked worriedly, making Midoriya snap out of it.
“S-Sorry! It’s a bad habit of mine! You can continue now, Mr. Son.” Midoriya said, deeply embarrassed.
“First of all, don’t call me mister, just call me Goku.” Goku said while awkwardly making a robotic knife-hand motion through the air, slightly embarrassing Midoriya. “Second, I never lie! I swear! Besides, I don’t even know how to lie, because people always find out the truth no matter how much I try to hide it. And honestly, I think lying is ugly.” Goku added defensively.
“Goku, why? Why are you helping me?” Midoriya asked, confused and somewhat ashamed.
“Besides the simple fact that I want to thank you, you remind me a lot of my son Gohan.” Goku said, surprising Midoriya.
“Your son? Gohan?” Midoriya asked in shock.
“Yeah. You see, my son is a little less shy, nervous, and fearful than you, but even so, you have an aura very similar to his. Besides, if I let you enter my memories, then I also saw yours, and I can tell you’ve had it pretty rough, Izuku.” Goku said sadly for Midoriya, surprising him. “And you also reminded me of myself.” Goku added, astonishing Midoriya again.
“M-Me?” Midoriya asked in surprise.
Goku nodded.
“Yeah, we both had a hard past, though I didn’t feel it as deeply as it affected you. You were destined to fail at your dream because you were born without a quirk.” Goku said sadly for Midoriya, causing him to lower his head. But then a smile appeared on Goku’s face. “To fail like me, for being low-class.” Goku commented, shocking Midoriya, who slowly raised his head with a faint sparkle in his eyes to look at the confident smile Goku was giving him. “But… if there’s another thing we have in common, it’s that we never gave up, even when the odds were against us. You worked hard the entire time. You’re just a normal kid obsessed with heroes and without any powers, but you gave it your all and saved me like one!” Goku exclaimed, clenching his right fist tightly, astonishing Midoriya. “And I guarantee that with the powers I’m going to teach you, you’ll be able to fulfill your dream.” Goku said, making Midoriya feel the urge to cry again. “W-Wait! Please don’t cry again!” Goku said nervously, but before he could continue, Midoriya interrupted him.
“I’m not crying, these are just tears of happiness.” Midoriya said as he wiped away the tears forming in his eyes.
“Alright, Midoriya, what do you say? Do you want to become the hero you’ve always longed to be, or stay the way you are now?” Goku asked with a determined smile, extending his hand toward him.
Seeing this, Midoriya was startled, but after thinking deeply about it, he became a little serious as he stared at Goku’s hand.
“He said so many things just to encourage me… he even showed me his secrets…” Midoriya thought to himself.
Midoriya timidly looked up at Goku, meeting his eyes while keeping his gaze slightly lowered.
“Should I…?” Midoriya looked at the hand.
You should give up.
I’m sorry, Izuku. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!
You’re beneath even tertiary characters in my story! You don’t have a quirk! You’re quirkless! You don’t even have a weak power like stretching your fingers! You… you have nothing!
How do you plan to stand where I stand?
Despite everything people had said to him, he never gave up. Midoriya slowly raised his hand to shake Goku’s and accept the help he was offering.
But then he remembered something that made him consider rejecting the idea of trying again.
Without a quirk, you can’t be a hero!
Deku means “useless.”
If he accepted this, he would probably have problems with his mother. Inko did not agree with the idea of him continuing his dream of entering U.A. and becoming a hero, and trying had only brought him trouble with her and with everyone and everything around him. Remembering this, Midoriya lowered his hand slightly, hesitating.
I can’t tell you that you can become a hero while being quirkless.
Even he had said it—the man who turns the impossible into miracles. Just how impossible was his dream for even him to say it wasn’t possible?
Goku, who watched Midoriya hesitate, kept his hand extended. He knew Midoriya was unsure, and he couldn’t force him to accept it. But he kept it there in case he decided to take it.
After all, it was his decision.
“I want to keep chasing this, but I don’t want to suffer anymore. I don’t want more scoldings, more beatings, more insults, more humiliation, more discouraging words, more problems—I don’t want any of it anymore. I don’t care if I gain superhuman abilities and become as strong as or stronger than Kacchan. I don’t care if this lets me get into U.A. and become the hero I always dreamed of being. I don’t want to suffer anymore. I’ve already reached my limit. I can’t do this anymore. My mind shuts down just thinking about it. If I do this, I’ll have a serious problem with Mom, and the problems at school will continue. The best flowers are watered with patience, but I’ve had too much patience already. The only thing I want now is to give up, even if I’m capable of achieving it with this opportunity right in front of me. That’s all I want. It’s time to turn the page. This was a horrible chapter of my life, and all I want is to move past it. I can’t keep doing this. I just can’t anymore. I’ve already reached my limit. I don’t have the strength or motivation left to keep chasing something that hurt me so much for ten years, even when it’s right in front of me and I finally have the chance to achieve it.” Midoriya thought to himself as he made his decision. “I…” Midoriya said, catching Goku’s attention.
“Hm?” Goku asked, raising one eyebrow.
Midoriya had to admit he still had doubts about this, but even if it guaranteed him strength and entry into U.A., he would still have problems with his mother. He didn’t think he could endure another argument with her. He felt like even her smallest scolding could kill him.
Less than 1% of applicants get into U.A.! We’re talking decimals!
And remember to train hard! Especially your quirk! Otherwise you’ll be completely useless against villains!
Pffft! Seriously? Deku?
Deku…
Someone who only knows how to study can’t get into the hero course!
That rule doesn’t exist anymore! There’s no precedent…
You’re only saying that because it’ll never happen!
Seriously?! Deku?!
It’s impossible for you! You’re useless!
Deku?! No way! He can’t do it!
You can’t do it!
You’re beneath tertiary characters! You don’t have a quirk! You don’t even have a weak quirk like stretching your fingers! You… have nothing!
Face the fact that you can’t do it!
How do you plan to stand where I stand?
What the hell can you even do? You don’t have any quirk! You’re quirkless! Becoming a hero was never within your reach! What the hell can you even do? You don’t have any quirk! You’re quirkless! Becoming a hero was never within your reach! You never could, can’t now, and never will be able to do it!
So… forget about taking the U.A. entrance exam, you nerd!
Please don’t take this the wrong way.
I’m saying this for your own good, so you don’t end up even more disappointed when you realize you can’t do it.
Becoming a hero and entering U.A. was never, isn’t now, and never will be within your reach no matter how hard you train. Even if you trained for a thousand years, you’d never equal those with quirks. You’ll only end up hurting yourself when reality hits you.
Chase reality and what’s within your reach—what you actually can do—and I’ll chase reality and what’s within my reach: becoming the number one hero. Something that’s not within your reach. Something you can’t achieve no matter how hard you try.
Stop hurting yourself. Stop blindly chasing the same lie you’ve pursued for the last ten years. Otherwise, you’ll only hurt yourself even more, and that would be even more unhealthy than it already is.
Accept that you can’t do it.
Come on, at least say something!
Don’t say that. It’s obvious he can’t do it. He’s so pathetic he can’t even face reality while being in his third year of middle school!
If you want to help people, you could become a police officer. Villains and people mock them, but it’s still a respectable job.
Many top-ranked heroes have stories from their school days, and do you know what they all have in common?
No…
They had quirks.
And what do you think that means?
That I can’t do it…
Exactly.
By the way, I forgot there’s a quick method that can be really effective if you want to become a hero that badly. Take a swan dive off the roof and pray with all your might that you’ll reincarnate with a quirk in your next life!
Good-for-nothing Deku!
I’m sorry, but you should give up. You can’t do it, kid.
I’m sorry, Izuku. I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! You can’t do it…!
Young man, we professionals risk our lives.
I can’t tell you that you can become a hero without a quirk.
There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, but you need to be realistic, young man.
Without a quirk, you can’t be a hero!
Deku means “useless.”
Can someone quirkless like me… really become a hero like you?
As he remembered those words, he also remembered the faces of the people who had spoken them.
He didn’t have the strength to keep chasing this dream anymore, even if he knew he could now achieve it. He wanted nothing to do with this dream anymore. He didn’t have the strength to continue—not after everything that had happened. He didn’t care if it would work. He simply didn’t want to pursue something that had hurt him every single day for ten years.
All 3,650 days of those ten years had been suffering.
“I… don’t think…” Midoriya stammered, his voice trembling with insecurity and nervousness, revealing his doubts. “I don’t think I can…” Midoriya tried to say something.
Do it.
However, Midoriya stopped speaking as he suddenly remembered something that had happened days ago, leaving him stunned.
You know, Midoriya?
Yeah?
I haven’t stopped thinking about that nickname, “Deku.”
Remembering this, Midoriya widened his eyes, a faint sparkle appearing in them as he recalled a certain brown-haired girl and her words.
And what about it?
Even though for your acquaintance Kacchan it means “useless,” I can’t stop thinking it has a positive vibe to it.
It feels like it’s shouting, “Do your best!” Because it sounds like the Japanese phrase, “You can do it!”
The images of his mother, Bakugou, and everyone else alongside their cruel words vanished as he remembered Uraraka and what she had said—especially those words.
For some reason, he suddenly felt confident in making the opposite choice from the one he had originally intended to make. He no longer saw any reason to refuse, strongly feeling the support of that girl and her words.
“Could there…?” Midoriya asked himself, suddenly feeling confident and inspired for some reason as he searched desperately for any reason to reject the once-in-a-lifetime offer before him—or rather, the never-before-in-a-lifetime offer. “There has to be one…” Midoriya searched inside his mind for any reason to refuse.
It sounds like standing firm and persevering even through the hardest and most impossible moments, committing yourself to finishing the task with all the effort you can give.
Even when someone thinks they can’t go on anymore—no, more than that—even when they truly can’t, don’t want to, or don’t have enough energy left, they still overcome it.
Those words motivated him so much that he completely forgot why he had been about to reject the offer, and even if he remembered, those words would take away all the weight he himself had given it.
Midoriya moved his eyes to Goku’s hand, which remained extended toward him, tempting him as if silently telling him to take it and that it would lead him to where he wanted to be.
“Of course not…” Midoriya answered himself as he raised his eyes to look at Goku. “There’s no reason for me to refuse!” Midoriya declared while clenching his fists tightly.
Thanks to her, he could no longer see any reason to reject it. She had given him the push he needed to make his decision and inspired him to continue pursuing his dream.
Midoriya sighed, closing his eyes as he remembered something else.
It reminds me of that poem, “Be Not Defeated by the Rain,” you know?
That poem went like this…
“Be not defeated by the rain,
Nor let the wind
prove your better,
Succumb not to the snows of winter,
Nor be overcome
by the heat
of summer.
Be strong in body.”
Midoriya opened his eyes and looked at Goku’s hand.
One last try wouldn’t hurt that much… right? After all, the last attempt is always the decisive one.
Without hesitating even for a moment, and fueled by the confidence Uraraka’s words had awakened within him, Izuku quickly grabbed Goku’s hand, wrapping his fingers tightly around his.
“Yes! I’ll do it! I promise I’ll work hard!” Midoriya declared with a face full of determination.
“You sure took your time answering. Honestly, for a moment I thought you were going to reject the offer, but it’s fine. It’s understandable.” Goku exclaimed with a smile. “And I’ll take this opportunity to make you less of a crybaby.” Goku thought to himself, hiding that little intention."
"Ten days after what had happened between Izuku and Goku, and after the latter had been discharged from the hospital, the first thing they did was go to the Midoriya household to speak with Inko.
Just as he had done with Izuku, Goku showed Inko his memories.
Inko, on the other hand, was completely shocked. She didn’t know how to react. For a moment, she thought he might just be someone trying to take advantage of them, but…
There was one detail: everything felt far too real and natural.
“Mr. Goku, is everything you showed me real?” Inko asked, still feeling very distrustful toward the man.
She truly didn’t know how to react.
“Please, call me Goku, Mrs. Midoriya. And yes, everything I showed you is real.” Goku confirmed with a polite and confident smile.
“Sir, if my son becomes your disciple, he’ll be able to fulfill his dream, right?” Inko asked very seriously while staring at the floor.
“Yes, ma’am.” Goku replied with a nod.
Izuku could only watch the situation nervously, though he tried not to show it. What gave him a bad feeling was that his mother was asking so many questions.
Of course, she was a mother. She had to make sure this wasn’t some stranger trying to take advantage of her and her son by giving the latter false hope.
“Izuku, you still haven’t given up, have you?” Inko asked, gripping her skirt tightly as she raised her head to look at her son with a gaze full of seriousness and even anger.
“M-Mom, I…” Midoriya tried to say something, but his mother interrupted him.
“I won’t say anything against it.” Inko interrupted, greatly shocking everyone present.
“Huh?” Goku and Izuku asked in surprise.
“As a mother, I tried to stop you from becoming a hero because I didn’t want you to get hurt even more than you already were. I couldn’t bear another moment like that, because a quirkless person can’t be a hero, and even if they could, it would still be an extremely dangerous job for them. I suppose I failed while trying to protect you.” Inko said while lowering her gaze to the floor, disappointed, sad, and frustrated with herself.
“M-Mom, I…” Izuku tried to say something again, but his mother interrupted him once more.
“If you want to become a hero that badly, then I won’t oppose it anymore, because now you finally have a chance to become one. Even though I’m still not completely sure about this, it doesn’t matter how much I fight it—a mother unconsciously supports her child so they can be happy. I’ll support you and trust Goku, but if I see something I don’t like, I’ll put a stop to all of this.” Inko accepted and warned very seriously. “Please, Goku, take good care of my son and guide him properly. I’m entrusting him to you.” Inko bowed respectfully to Goku.
“Yes, don’t worry, Mrs. Midoriya.” Goku reassured her with a confident smile.
Afterward, both Goku and Izuku went to a beach filled with trash to begin their training. Izuku asked Goku if it was really okay for him to start training so soon after leaving the hospital, and Goku reassured him by saying yes, because he loved training.
Goku first wanted to verify Izuku’s physical capabilities, and with the help of a stopwatch he checked how many seconds it took Izuku to run fifty meters. The result came out to around 6.1 seconds, while he was only able to lift a thirty-kilogram rock with tremendous effort.
After checking Izuku’s limits, they went somewhere specific to begin training.
It was an area surrounded by apartment buildings, and on the street there was a cargo truck parked on the side of the road loaded with crates of milk. Standing beside the truck were Goku and Izuku, the latter wearing his light teal-green uniform with white stripes.
“Alright, Izuku, now that I’ve seen your limits, we can begin the real training. Tell me, are you ready?” Goku asked with a smile and his fists on his hips.
“Yes!” Izuku answered, nodding firmly with determination.
“Good, Izuku! That’s the spirit. Since I’m not a very strict teacher, your first task will be delivering these fifty milk crates into this apartment building.” Goku pointed toward the building beside him with his thumb.
“It doesn’t sound that hard. If I carry them three at a time, maybe it’ll only take me around tw—” Izuku began muttering as usual, but he was interrupted.
“You’ll carry them one at a time, and you’ll only use the stairs.” Goku interrupted upon hearing Izuku’s muttering.
Hearing this, Izuku froze in complete shock, staring blankly as though he couldn’t believe what Goku had just said. He swallowed so much saliva it felt like a rock lodged in his throat, looking utterly nervous and terrified.
“That’s insane! The building has at least five floors, and you expect me to go up and down the stairs on foot?!” Izuku protested nervously.
“You’re wrong, Izuku. I don’t think you understood me correctly. I’m not asking you to walk—I want you to run.” Goku said with a terrifying smile and gleaming eyes.
A bead of sweat slid down Izuku’s neck as he looked at Goku’s malicious, almost devilish grin, making him gulp nervously.
Izuku grabbed a milk crate from the truck and started running into the building with it.
“This can’t be, Master! You’re way too strict!” Izuku shouted in complaint as he entered the apartment building.
After an hour of intense back-and-forth carrying milk crates through the building, Izuku finally finished his task. He sat on the floor with his back against the wall, resting and breathing heavily through his mouth.
“This can’t be real… Am I seriously going to do this every day for a whole year? I can’t even imagine how I’m supposed to survive this. Please, may the gods protect me…” Izuku panted with great difficulty.
“Alright, Izuku, I think that’ll be enough for now. Rest for about five minutes, because next we have to head to the outskirts of the city to help someone cultivate their land.” Goku said with a smile, greatly shocking Izuku.
“Seriously?!” Izuku asked, feeling overwhelmed by everything he was being forced to do.
“Yes, and we’ll also be doing this for the next five months.” Goku added with a smile.
Izuku looked utterly stunned and incredulous, but eventually he sighed in exhaustion at what awaited him, as though mentally preparing himself.
“Looks like this won’t be easy… but I expected that already…” Midoriya said as he leaned his head against the wall, closed his eyes, and began reflecting.
At that moment, Midoriya remembered Uraraka’s words from the day they met, right before they parted ways.
It feels like it’s shouting “Do your best!”
Because it sounds like the Japanese phrase “You can do it!”
It reminds me of that poem, “Be Not Defeated by the Rain,” you know?
It sounds like standing firm and persevering even through the hardest and most impossible moments, committing yourself to finishing the task with all the effort you can give.
Even when someone thinks they can’t go on anymore—no, more than that—even when they truly can’t, don’t want to, or don’t have enough energy left, they still overcome it.
Midoriya swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple moving as he blinked a few times and reflected on those words.
“I always compare those words to the Copernican Revolution.” Midoriya thought while closing his eyes. “The Copernican Revolution was the scientific revolution in Western Europe where people stopped using a geocentric system to describe the movements of the planets and instead adopted a heliocentric one. And it goes beyond that—it also meant a new way of understanding nature through scientific thought and laid the foundation for the Scientific Revolution and many other things. But in short, what I’m trying to say is that the Copernican Revolution represented a radical change in the world of that time in every aspect. We can still clearly see its influence on society today, and in philosophy it’s used as a metaphor for a radical shift.” Midoriya told himself thoughtfully. “If I want to survive this training and enter U.A., I need to apply that metaphor of radical change to Deku. I need to stop associating Deku with ‘useless’ and instead associate it with ‘You can do it!’ and someone capable of overcoming anyone—even All Might. I need to stop thinking of myself and seeing myself as useless and instead see myself as someone capable of doing anything. That’s why I associate the Copernican Revolution with Deku—because Uraraka radically changed the perspective I had of ‘Deku,’ from a useless nobody into someone capable of anything. I need to apply that radical change.” Midoriya said to himself while slowly kneeling down. “If I keep thinking of myself and seeing myself as useless, I’ll never get into U.A.—or accomplish anything at all.” Midoriya thought as he placed a hand on his knee, trying to push himself up with great difficulty. “To plagiarize the saying of a philosopher, if I want to walk the safest path toward strength—though not the easiest one—I need to do the same thing Nicolaus Copernicus did in astronomy. Instead of searching for answers and hypotheses to explain celestial movements using a flawed theory like geocentrism, I need to create my own theory to explain them. If I keep seeing myself as useless, I’ll never get into U.A., just like Copernicus couldn’t explain celestial movement through the geocentric model. So I need to radically change the image I have of Deku, from ‘useless’ to ‘You can do it!’ It’s similar to what Kant believed. The Enlightenment scientist and philosopher Immanuel Kant believed that we can only obtain true universal and necessary knowledge if the object depends on thought in order to be understood—not the other way around. If thought depended entirely on the object, it would be equivalent to simply imagining things by looking at them. What he meant is that in order to discover something, you need equations or reasoning to reach that conclusion, not pure imagination. It’s like believing rain exists because God is peeing instead of because water vapor condenses into droplets inside clouds and falls. Kacchan did the same thing with ‘Deku’—he simply declared it meant ‘useless’ based on appearances and without thinking deeply about it. But I can turn things around and change its meaning from ‘useless’ into ‘You can do it!’ if, through hard work, I prove that I’m not useless and actually the opposite. And to reach that conclusion, even if it sounds contradictory, I need to think that way before I get there. Using an analogy, my training will be the equation—the means I’ll use to prove it.” Midoriya finished reflecting as he finally managed to stand up with enormous difficulty. “If I want to enter U.A. and become stronger, instead of thinking I’m just useless, I need to believe I’m capable of achieving anything I set my mind to if I want to survive this training.” Midoriya concluded in a reflection that could only be described as an absolute philosophical brain-melt. “But please, Master Goku, teach me everything you know.” Izuku pleaded, lifting his gaze and opening his eyes with tremendous determination despite being completely exhausted, something Goku liked very much.
“Alright, Izuku! That’s the spirit!” Goku exclaimed happily, pleased to see Izuku giving it his all. And for the next five months, Izuku began carrying out Master Roshi’s training under Goku’s guidance and supervision. Then, after completing that training, Izuku would begin learning about Ki, its basic principles, and how to use it.
Midoriya was on the beach doing push-ups on the sand. He was so sweaty, exhausted, and out of breath from all the push-ups he had done that he was breathing entirely through his mouth, practically begging for even a single drop of water. His arms hurt terribly, his eyes were swollen and irritated, showing he had cried from the pain caused by training, and even his hair and clothes were literally soaked with sweat, as though someone had dumped a bucket of water over him. In fact, he didn’t even know how he was still doing push-ups—his arms hurt too much, especially his biceps. From the distance, Goku sat on a set of stairs, watching his disciple perform the exercise.
“T-Two hundred ninety-eight… t-two hundred ninety-nine… a-and three hundred… t-three hundred one…” Midoriya tried to continue counting, but he was interrupted.
Midoriya suddenly lost all strength and collapsed onto the ground, unable to stop himself. He remained sprawled on the sand for several seconds as his body demanded—no, desperately begged—for rest.
Midoriya began crying bitterly and uncontrollably after collapsing, fully aware of what that meant.
Seeing Izuku collapse, Goku walked toward him while Izuku forced himself back into the push-up position, already knowing what he had to do.
Goku crouched down and struck Izuku’s arms lightly with a stick, checking how much strength remained in them. He quickly realized they trembled easily under the impact.
“If those arms don’t become stronger, then it means it’s still not enough.” Goku said seriously while looking at Izuku. “Now remember what I said—again!” Goku ordered as he walked back toward the stairs.
And Midoriya, doing what had already become a habit, used the brunette girl’s words to motivate himself once more.
It feels like it’s shouting “Do your best!”
Because it sounds like the Japanese phrase “You can do it!”
It reminds me of that poem, “Be Not Defeated by the Rain,” you know?
It sounds like standing firm and persevering even through the hardest and most impossible moments, committing yourself to finishing the task with all the effort you can give.
Even when someone thinks they can’t go on anymore—no, more than that—even when they truly can’t, don’t want to, or don’t have enough energy left, they still overcome it.
“O-One… t-two…” Midoriya muttered as he resumed doing push-ups.
He had no idea how many times he had fallen already, but this wouldn’t end until he completed all twelve thousand push-ups.
(:::)
After a while of doing countless push-ups, Midoriya reached the point where his eyes began crying on their own from the pain in his arms. He couldn’t hold back his tears anymore. His nose started bleeding on its own, and a thin trickle of blood even ran from one of his ears.
“T-Two hundred… t-two hundred one… t-two hundr—” Izuku tried to speak, but was interrupted.
Izuku was about to collapse again, but something stopped him.
It feels like it’s shouting “Do your best!”
Because it sounds like the Japanese phrase “You can do it!”
It reminds me of that poem, “Be Not Defeated by the Rain,” you know?
It sounds like standing firm and persevering even through the hardest and most impossible moments, committing yourself to finishing the task with all the effort you can give.
Even when someone thinks they can’t go on anymore—no, more than that—even when they truly can’t, don’t want to, or don’t have enough energy left, they still overcome it.
Remembering those words, Midoriya felt his willpower and determination—worn down by the brutal training—suddenly reconstruct themselves in an almost unnatural, illogical, impossible way. Thanks to that, he managed not to collapse. Izuku was doing everything in his power not to fall; it was literally a superhuman effort.
“D-Don’t fall… don’t fall… p-please don’t fall…” Midoriya whimpered in a shaky, broken voice, crying from the pain while blood dripped from his nose onto the sand.
Goku paid closer attention to what was happening to his disciple.
“He’s going to collapse again.” Goku muttered as he slightly frowned.
Midoriya began crying even harder while his eyebrows curled upward and he bit his lower lip, desperately trying to suppress a scream of pain.
It looked like he was being tortured, and like anyone being tortured, he wanted to beg for mercy, rest, and relief.
“I-If you f-fall… y-you’ll h-have t-to d-do i-it a-all o-over a-again… a-all f-from t-the b-beginning…!” Midoriya stammered, so exhausted he could barely speak and had to force himself inhumanly just to say the words. “A-And i-it’ll b-be w-worse…! M-Much, m-much w-worse…!” Izuku said while barely holding back a scream of agony.
Izuku slightly raised his head and saw his master watching him seriously with the stick resting on his shoulder, simply waiting for the moment he collapsed.
Midoriya tightly shut his eyes while tears streamed down his freckled cheeks in resignation, recalling once again the words he had already engraved completely into his memory from motivating himself with them so many times.
It feels like it’s shouting “Do your best!”
Because it sounds like the Japanese phrase “You can do it!”
It reminds me of that poem, “Be Not Defeated by the Rain,” you know?
It sounds like standing firm and persevering even through the hardest and most impossible moments, committing yourself to finishing the task with all the effort you can give.
Even when someone thinks they can’t go on anymore—no, more than that—even when they truly can’t, don’t want to, or don’t have enough energy left, they still overcome it.
Izuku had no idea how he managed to recover himself, but remembering those words allowed him to do so, and he continued doing push-ups.
“T-Two hundred two… t-two hundred three…” Midoriya counted as he continued the exercise.
Seeing this, Goku was surprised because he had been completely certain Izuku would collapse from exhaustion and pain. However, he decided not to dwell on it for now and instead ask him about it later so as not to interrupt the training. Seeing Midoriya continue the push-ups, Goku adjusted himself on the stairs and waited for his disciple either to finish them or collapse again.
“He pushes himself way too hard.” Goku thought while watching Izuku continue his endless push-ups.
In the end, after that moment—and without failing again, something that had already happened before—Izuku finally managed to complete all the push-ups."
After a harsh training session, near Dagobah Beach, Izuku could be seen sitting on a chair with unusually tall legs. Meanwhile, Goku was ordering hot dogs from a food truck right behind those chairs, which were placed around a table.
“Two hot dogs, please. Mine with cheese sauce, and the other one with avocado.” Goku ordered with a smile.
Meanwhile, as a break, Izuku sat on one of the tall chairs watching online news on his phone.
“In just a few months, the entrance exams for U.A. High School will take place, and here a young student will give us his testimony,” the reporter said while bringing the microphone closer to the brown-haired boy standing there. “How do you feel now that the U.A. entrance exam is approaching?” the man asked with a smile.
“Terrible. I haven’t studied at all, and I haven’t even trained my quirk, so I don’t think I’ll be able to get into U.A.” the boy answered with a smile that clearly hid fear, anxiety, and nervousness.
“What an optimist. At least he has a quirk. No matter how weak it is, he still has one.” Midoriya thought.
Goku came back carrying the hot dogs, thanking the man at the cart before sitting down on one of the tall chairs while Izuku turned off his phone to eat.
“Here you go, Izuku. Enjoy your meal.” Goku said while handing him the hot dog, calmly beginning to eat his own. In truth, he wasn’t very hungry, but he still wanted to eat. “Let’s rest for a bit so we can digest the food before continuing training. You’ve worked really hard these past few months, and a little peace and quiet never hurt anyone, right Izuku? That’s what the infallible Master Roshi recommends.” Goku said as he turned to look at his disciple, who was already almost halfway through his hot dog. “Looks like someone really was hungry…” Goku commented with a sweat drop sliding down the back of his neck. “I wonder if there are Saiyans in this universe, because Izuku is definitely one of them…” Goku laughed internally.
Izuku realized what his master had said and quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“S-Sorry, Master!” Izuku exclaimed, embarrassed and ashamed.
“Hahahaha! Don’t worry, Izuku! Everyone gets hungry!” Goku laughed loudly.
“About what you said earlier, you’re right. A little peace and quiet never hurts anyone.” Izuku said with a smile while looking up at the sky, because he had always dreamed of shining above those skies as the number one hero. Looking at the sky filled him with strange feelings of nostalgia.
“Hey, Izuku.” Goku said while turning toward his disciple.
“Yes, Master? What is it?” Izuku asked as he turned to look at him.
“Do you think a lot of kids will apply to U.A. this year?” Goku asked curiously while observing his disciple.
“Of course. Only the strongest kids are capable of entering that school. To give you an idea, only one out of every three hundred students gets into U.A. each year. Forty students are accepted and then divided into classes of twenty.” Midoriya explained while looking back at the sky with determination in his eyes.
“It really sounds exciting. It’s one of the biggest goals of your life, right?” Goku asked, causing Midoriya to smile determinedly while continuing to stare at the sky.
“Yes!” Midoriya exclaimed while turning to look at his master.
“It’s good to have goals, Izuku. Never stop setting goals for yourself to motivate yourself to become greater.” Goku said with a smile full of determination. “So while you’re preparing, there are other people preparing to get into U.A. too, right?” Goku asked while looking at the sky.
“Yes!” Izuku answered enthusiastically.
“It reminds me a lot of the World Martial Arts Tournament, except instead of one winner there are several. The best martial artists all enter, and only one person can win the tournament.” Goku said with a nostalgic smile, remembering his childhood days competing in martial arts tournaments.
“I see…” Midoriya replied while also looking up at the sky.
“By the way, Izuku, I want to ask you something. I just want to understand a few things better.” Goku said while looking at Izuku.
“Yeah?” Izuku asked curiously.
“I want to know why there are so many foreign soldiers around here.” Goku said, remembering having seen soldiers in light-brown uniforms walking along the beach—and not just there, but everywhere. “Is there some kind of war going on?” Goku asked with some uncertainty.
“Oh, are you talking about the American soldiers?” Izuku asked while wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Well, during World War II—the biggest military conflict in human history—the United States detonated weapons never seen before over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those weapons quickly became the most powerful and deadliest weapons in the world: nuclear bombs. The psychological damage those bombs caused was so severe that after the war, nobody wanted anything to do with the Japanese imperial military anymore. People feared those bombs with all their hearts and hated the United States because of them. On top of that, after China’s rapid military rise and because Japanese trade ships had to pass through dangerous maritime routes around the Horn of Africa and Southeast Asia—areas filled with modern pirates—and because the security of those routes depended mostly on the United States, Russia, Europe, India, and China, Japan found itself in a difficult situation. China was already a geopolitical rival and historical enemy, so relying on them for protection was uncomfortable. Several American presidents even threatened to withdraw their military forces—roughly fifty to sixty thousand soldiers—from Japan. That forced Japan to seek a stronger navy, but constitutionally they weren’t allowed to maintain a traditional military because of their history of invasions, war crimes, human experimentation for military and scientific purposes, and countless other atrocities. Sure, a constitutional reform could’ve solved it, but many people opposed it because they still felt shame and guilt over the past. Meanwhile, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces would’ve been practically useless against a military power like China. So decades ago, a Japanese prime minister used his excellent relationship with an American president to join ASPITO, a collective security alliance similar to NATO whose purpose is to confront China and guarantee the internal and external security of its members. Almost all of Southeast Asia and India joined ASPITO because they don’t have good relations with China. In the end, the move worked out. Politicians and generals from the U.S. still threaten withdrawal sometimes, but it never goes beyond empty talk. With the current geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China, having a close ally right next to China is too valuable to give up. Japan is to the U.S. what Cuba once was to the Soviet Union: a strategic point for spying on its greatest enemy. The same applies to Taiwan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and even India. Years ago, this wasn’t necessary. Europe was demilitarizing and barely investing in defense despite repeated warnings from American presidents. But then China rose enough to rival the United States for global hegemony, replacing Russia as the main concern. Everything changed permanently when Russia invaded Ukraine and Donald Trump was elected president for a second time. The West had assumed future wars would only be against terrorists or insurgents—groups that couldn’t truly challenge Western dominance. But they became complacent and naïve. Many countries had reduced their militaries so much that they barely had functioning weapons, vehicles, or equipment to defend themselves. So with tensions rising between the West and China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and others—with the United States leading the West and China leading the opposing bloc—Europe was forced to rearm. At the same time, underdeveloped regions like Latin America and Africa experienced major economic growth either because they aligned themselves with China or because the U.S. invested in them to keep them from falling under Chinese influence. Before that, the U.S. preferred those regions to remain underdeveloped in order to maintain dominance and prevent them from gaining the means to oppose them. And because the United States failed to stop countries like Iran and North Korea from continuing nuclear programs, rival nations such as South Korea and Saudi Arabia decided they needed nuclear weapons too, ignoring treaties in the process. Nowadays many countries—even some in Latin America—possess nuclear weapons despite international agreements banning them. Then, thanks to advances in nuclear energy and technology, antimatter bombs were developed. If nuclear bombs are world-ending weapons, antimatter bombs are interstellar war weapons—meant to be used only against hostile alien civilizations beyond our solar system. At least that’s the official justification, though obviously no one trusts that they’d only ever be used for that. After that, the world experienced endless crises and wars. North Korea nearly started a war with South Korea and Japan. India, China, and Pakistan experienced a huge crisis in Kashmir five years ago. Iran and Saudi Arabia fought a war that nearly escalated into nuclear conflict before an armistice stopped it. NATO nearly collapsed after Morocco invaded Spain and the United States, the United Kingdom, and France tried to provide Spain with as little support as possible because Morocco was more strategically important to them. That caused enormous distrust within NATO because if major members ignore Article 5 whenever it’s inconvenient, then what’s the point of the alliance? Some countries almost left NATO entirely and considered aligning themselves with China instead. In the end, the U.S., United Kingdom, and France were forced to intervene properly, Spain won the war and took territory from Morocco, and NATO survived—but the damage remained. There’s a lot more, too. Still, nowadays there are very few global crises because All Might would immediately stop any war. Personally, I considered joining the military because the training there is unbelievably harsh physically, mentally, and emotionally—even harsher than U.A.’s training. After completing military service, you can get a hero license. In fact, Star and Stripe, America’s number one hero, never attended a hero academy like U.A.; she joined the military first and later took a course to earn her license legally. But I decided against it because I want to save people, not kill them. Even if I joined only to become stronger and protect people, I still wouldn’t feel comfortable or true to my dream. I think I’d suffer a lot there, so I chose not to do it. Though if I fail the U.A. exam and my options become limited, I won’t completely rule it out.” Izuku explained.
“I’d also like you to tell me a little more about that hero called All Might. Why is he considered the strongest hero in the world?” Goku asked curiously and somewhat confused.
“It’s simple, Master Goku.” Izuku answered while looking at the sky. “There’s a title called the ‘Symbol of Peace,’ and All Might carries it. Not only is he known as the number one hero, Japan’s flagship hero, and the Symbol of Peace, but also as the most powerful hero in history. All Might is so powerful that whenever there are villains too difficult to handle or natural disasters too catastrophic to stop, people call him. For example, over thirty years ago in New Mexico, the Valles Caldera supervolcano erupted. Everyone believed it was the end of the world because there’s no way to stop a volcanic winter. Nobody would’ve been able to breathe through the ash clouds, crops and water would’ve been contaminated, the global temperature would’ve dropped drastically, and the sky would’ve been blocked so plants couldn’t even photosynthesize. Millions died, and North America was devastated. But then there was All Might. The United States called him, and without hesitation he arrived and used a Texas Smash to launch the ash cloud into space, saving the world. Thanks to him humanity survived, and although millions still died, that number was tiny compared to what could’ve happened. North America eventually rebuilt thanks to its economies and international aid, though the scars remain obvious. They say even 1% of All Might’s power is infinitely stronger than the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. If he wanted to, he could split entire oceans apart. During tsunamis or volcanic eruptions, it’s normal to see All Might traveling at incredible speeds and stopping them with shockwaves generated purely from air pressure. He only uses a microscopic fraction of 1% of his full power when moving or fighting criminals, and even then he restrains himself immensely to avoid killing anyone. Nobody has ever seen a full 1% of his power, but people believe witnessing it would drive someone insane. All Might is the purest pinnacle of strength. He has enough power to destroy the entire world in the blink of an eye if he wanted to. Literally everyone would die before they could even react. It wouldn’t matter if every cinematic universe, every comic, every anime and manga universe, and every fictional world imaginable joined together, multiplied infinitely, and trained forever—they still couldn’t do anything against All Might. He would erase them while using only a tiny fraction of 1% of his power, and he wouldn’t even realize they were trying to challenge him. Of course, that’s ignoring absurdly overpowered things like Marvel’s Infinity Stones. You don’t even need fiction to see gods or beings of unimaginable power because in real life someone already exists with strength people believe is infinite, and that’s All Might. In fact, many people think someone like him shouldn’t even exist. No matter how absurdly powerful a character you imagine is, that character would still simply be All Might. That’s why All Might became globally famous from the very beginning and inspired heroes all around the world. He inspired Star and Stripe to become a hero, Crust openly said All Might inspired him, and even Endeavor trained his entire life trying to surpass him. Once I heard a Catholic bishop say: ‘Religion isn’t about believing in an all-powerful God who created us. That’s a misunderstanding. Belief in God is what unites an entire people or nation beneath one banner, sustained by a faith capable of moving and breaking borders in pursuit of the common good.’ That’s what All Might is. He unites the entire world through hope beneath a single banner. He not only deters villains and criminals, but even nations that might threaten Japan. According to Japanese law, even heroes can go to war if necessary. All Might perfectly embodies the image of God: omnipotent, nearly omnipresent, infinitely kind, benevolent, humane, generous, gentle, honest, righteous, hopeful, humble, and heroic. All Might is the one who most resembles the image of God—no, not resembles it. He literally is God.” Midoriya declared with immense reverence toward All Might.
Goku was surprised by the sheer respect in his disciple’s words. At that moment, he understood that All Might wasn’t just any fish in the sea—he was the biggest one.
“All Might… his power is infinite, huh…?” Goku repeated in his mind. “I’d really like to see his full power.” Goku wondered internally.
Afterward, Izuku talked about Hawks and Best Jeanist as well, but the hero who had captured Goku’s attention the most was definitely All Might. Once they finished eating and resting long enough to digest the food, they stood up to continue training.
“Alright, if more people are preparing to enter U.A., then we need to train even harder than them. Are you ready, Izuku?” Goku asked with a determined smile as he stood up.
Izuku quickly wiped his mouth and stood up as well, turning toward Goku.
“Yes!” Midoriya exclaimed with a face full of determination.
“Then let’s go!” Goku shouted."
"After a hard day of training, Midoriya was resting on the beach, sitting atop a pile of trash while the sun set. Taking advantage of the break at the end of training, he was drawing in his Hero Analysis for the Future notebook the hero costume he had designed when he was very little and still liked, modifying it so it would resemble the outfit his master used to wear as a child rather than All Might’s costume. He held the notebook on his lap while comfortably sketching different drafts of his suit.
Clearly, he didn’t want to wear the exact same outfit Goku wore. He was simply taking inspiration from him just like he had once done with All Might when designing his hero costume. He wanted a hero suit similar to the martial arts uniform his master usually wore and that represented him, but he also wanted it to have its own style.
‘Damn it, I can’t decide between these suits. Master Goku’s outfit is really cool, I want my hero costume to look like his, but I also want it to have my own style...’ Midoriya said while drawing a suit that mixed his first hero costume from the original story with the blue martial arts outfit Goku wore at the beginning of Dragon Ball, though with Goku’s iconic hair strands on the mask, the ones that never stood up even when he transformed into Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan Blue, and Ultra Instinct, except for Super Saiyan 2, Super Saiyan 3, and Super Saiyan 4.
At that moment, Midoriya was startled when he heard someone land beside him, and when he turned around he was even more surprised to see that it was Goku, who had gone out to buy an ice cream for his disciple so he could enjoy his break.
‘Here.’ Goku said with a smile, handing the ice cream to his disciple.
‘Y-Yeah, thanks.’ Midoriya thanked him while setting the notebook and pencil aside and taking the ice cream. ‘Are you sure you don’t want any?’ Midoriya asked, feeling a little bad that he was the only one eating ice cream while his master wasn’t.
‘No thanks.’ Goku replied as he sat on top of the refrigerator Midoriya was sitting on.
‘Alright...’ Midoriya answered somewhat awkwardly as he licked the chocolate ice cream Goku had bought him.
Goku stayed silent while looking at the sunset, while Midoriya ate the ice cream and watched the sunset as well, both enjoying the breeze in the area that signaled the temperature was dropping and that night was approaching.
‘This is a pretty nice and peaceful world.’ Goku thought to himself while silently watching the sunset and seeing the sun disappear behind the city buildings. ‘Though I’d appreciate it if there were flying cars and Capsule Corporation signs around, but instead there are ads for a company called Tesla...’ Goku thought as a drop of sweat slid down his face while looking at a billboard with a very old man who had mixed European and Asian features.
However, Goku suddenly noticed Midoriya’s notebook from the corner of his eye, and turning toward it, he pointed at Midoriya’s drawings.
‘What’s this, Izuku?’ Goku asked, pointing at the hero costumes Midoriya had drawn with curiosity.
Seeing this, Midoriya was so startled that he choked on his ice cream, swallowing a big chunk of chocolate ice cream whole and causing himself to cough a little while suffering a brief brain freeze from the cold. Recovering quickly, Midoriya shut the notebook while keeping a finger on the page so he wouldn’t lose his place.
‘It’s my thirteenth Hero Analysis for the Future notebook.’ Midoriya explained, surprising and confusing Goku.
‘Hero Analysis for the Future?’ Goku asked, clearly surprised to hear that as he picked up the notebook.
‘Yeah, it’s one of the many notebooks where I analyze the quirks, abilities, and techniques of all the people around me that I find interesting, especially pro heroes. I started writing it after finding out I was diagnosed quirkless. I spent entire days wandering through the internet searching for pro heroes, and I analyzed them in this notebook along with their quirks, abilities, and techniques. I also considered famous ancient warriors like the Vikings and strategies that were used in ancient times to win battles. Like the Persians and the cats with the Egyptians.’ Midoriya explained while showing several pages of the notebook to his master, stopping at the page dedicated to Kamui Woods along with a drawing of him.
‘Kamui Woods, the best hero for minimizing damage, he’s amazing!’ Goku quickly read the page Midoriya had dedicated to Kamui Woods in his analysis notebook.
Goku flipped through a couple pages and found a gigantic signature that spread across two pages. It said “All Might” in huge letters, and beside the word “All” there was a pair of sunglasses that looked really cool. Seeing that page, Goku flipped back several pages until he reached the page dedicated to Mount Lady, which had a drawing of her in the center.
‘Turning giant, huh? She can increase her size up to twenty meters. She also seems very popular and has a powerful quirk, but considering the damage to the city if she goes all out with that, should the use of her quirk be limited? No, but if she can control her size...’ Goku quickly read the page dedicated to Mount Lady in Midoriya’s analysis notebook.
However, he abruptly stopped when he read something that caught his attention.
‘“She’s insanely sexy!”’ Goku read out loud, causing Midoriya to blush intensely in embarrassment. ‘Even the most innocent people have deep perversions.’ Goku thought, genuinely surprised to read that in Izuku’s notebook, considering he seemed like the most innocent person Goku had met in that world.
Goku turned to Midoriya with a mischievous grin while the embarrassed Midoriya quickly turned the page and pointed at the costume sketches with his finger.
‘Those are my hero costumes.’ Midoriya replied sheepishly, surprising Goku.
‘Hero costumes?’ Goku asked as he looked at him, clearly surprised.
‘Yeah!’ Midoriya answered enthusiastically while nodding, his embarrassment fading away. ‘They’re costumes they usually ask us to have when we enter our first year, and I designed these when I was much younger, but I wanted to modify them so they’d resemble the outfits you used to wear, or still wear.’ Midoriya explained somewhat embarrassed.
‘Wow.’ Goku exclaimed, surprised to see that Izuku was taking inspiration from him and appreciating the outfits he had designed. ‘Although I like this one better, I’d like to have a suit like this.’ Goku murmured while looking at one of the costumes Midoriya had drawn and pointing at it with his finger. It looked very similar to the outfit Goku wore in the original story at the end of Dragon Ball Z, during the Resurrection of Frieza saga and the Universe 6 and 7 Tournament arc in Dragon Ball Super, when he had already become a true master.
‘I like this one more.’ Midoriya pointed at a suit that was basically a fusion between Goku’s first outfit and his first hero costume from the original story. ‘I didn’t want to modify it too much. I wanted it to keep some of its original traits. After all, I drew this suit while thinking about All Might, the one who gave me this dream of becoming a hero. If I want to become a hero, I think my suit should have similarities to All Might.’ Midoriya said while looking at the muzzle-like mask that resembled a smile.
Hearing that, Goku was surprised, but he smiled upon realizing that, after all, Izuku still admired that man.
‘Looks like that person has influenced a lot of people in this world.’ Goku thought as he looked toward the city, remembering the countless times he had seen something related to him—documentaries, interviews, advertisements, toys, and clothes. ‘For that to happen, he must be a pretty amazing person. I’d like to meet him.’ Goku thought while enjoying the breeze.
‘I don’t know what my life would be like without All Might.’ Midoriya said while smiling at the sun, and Goku glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
‘Maybe staying here forever wouldn’t be so bad after all.’ Goku thought to himself as he looked at the sun, which was about to fully disappear. ‘Though I won’t be able to go fishing with Gohan anymore...’ Goku frowned while scrunching his face at the thought.
The next day, continuing their training, Midoriya was sent flying at high speed into some rocks after being struck by Goku. The latter stood in his fighting stance while watching the place where Izuku had crashed, seeing a thick cloud of smoke.
‘What’s wrong, Izuku? Is that all the strength you’ve got?’ Goku asked with a grin while maintaining his fighting pose.
The cloud of smoke dispersed, revealing Midoriya emerging from the pile of rocks, slowly standing up and limping heavily.
‘No!’ Izuku answered with difficulty as he limped. ‘Not yet! A little more! I can still keep going a little more!’ Izuku shouted while hopping on his right foot, while the ankle of his other foot was broken.
Izuku tried to raise his left arm, but he couldn’t—it was broken. His right hand was broken too, and the ankle of his right foot was injured. Feeling cornered and helpless, Izuku suddenly felt something in his stomach, as though something were pressing inside him and demanding to be released through his mouth. It wasn’t vomit or anything like that—he knew it. So he lifted his head and let out a loud scream, while a white aura of energy emerged from his feet and spread across his entire body, completely enveloping him, greatly surprising and delighting Goku.
After releasing whatever needed to come out, Izuku lowered his head while panting heavily from exhaustion, but then he lifted it again to see the surprised face of his master. With a face full of determination, he forced himself into a very poor fighting stance due to his injuries.
‘Well done, Izuku! You can finally release your ki!’ Goku praised proudly with a smile.
Hearing that, Midoriya was shocked, and upon realizing it, he stared in awe at the energy aura surrounding his body, raising his hands and seeing them covered in that power.
‘Master, all this power flowing through me and surrounding my entire body... is this my ki?’ Izuku asked in amazement while raising his broken hand covered in the aura.
‘Yeah! We release our ki to become even stronger!’ Goku explained while looking at the astonished Izuku. ‘Now that you can release your ki, I can finally teach you some techniques, like the Kamehameha.’ Goku said, shocking Izuku.
‘The Kamehameha?’ Midoriya repeated in surprise.
‘Yeah, it’s a technique that concentrates a massive amount of energy and fires it like a cannon.’ Goku explained with a smile.
‘Like a cannon?’ Izuku asked, astonished by that description.
‘Yep! Just watch!’ Goku answered as he walked toward the sea and stood facing it.
‘Ka...!’ Goku shouted while placing his hands at his waist. ‘Me...!’ Goku shouted as he formed a sphere of energy. ‘Ha...!’ Goku yelled while powering up the sphere, making it larger and brighter. ‘Me...!’ Goku shouted as he prepared to launch it.
‘Amazing...’ Izuku murmured in awe as he watched such a strange and incredible technique with his own eyes—the signature move of his master—and felt the enormous concentration of energy.
‘Ha!’ Goku shouted as he unleashed the attack.
Midoriya stared in shock as an enormous concentration of energy shot across the sea, violently disturbing the water. Rising higher and higher, it pierced through the peak of a mountain before striking the sky, creating a massive explosion and dispersing a thick cloud of smoke.
‘I-It’s incredible...’ Midoriya said, utterly stunned by what he had seen.
‘Oops, sorry. I think I overdid it.’ Goku apologized while scratching the back of his head and turning toward Izuku. ‘If you don’t want the same thing to happen to you, you’ll have to be more careful, because since the Kamehameha is a concentration of a huge amount of energy, it’s really easy to put too much power into it and end up running out of ki after the attack.’ Goku warned while pointing with his thumb at the mountain behind him that no longer had a peak.
‘I see... it’s like a cellphone. If you use an app that consumes too much energy, you’ll run out of battery afterward.’ Izuku thought, somewhat surprised.
‘Izuku, how long until the U.A. entrance exam?’ Goku asked with a smile.
‘Hmm.’ Midoriya thought for a moment while raising his head. ‘We’ve been training for ten months, so I think around two more months.’ Midoriya replied while lowering his head to look at his master.
‘Good. During those two months, you’ll try to master the Kamehameha. Do you think you can do it?’ Goku asked with a smile filled with determination and pride for how far his disciple had come, though he also challenged him with his gaze.
Midoriya was surprised to hear that, but he closed his eyes while remembering everything that had happened so far—how far he had come, everything he had experienced, and everything he still had left to live through and improve upon.
It feels like it’s shouting “Do your best!”
Because it sounds like the Japanese phrase “You can do it!”
It reminds me of that poem, “Be Not Defeated by the Rain,” you know?
It sounds like standing firm and persevering even through the hardest and most impossible moments, committing yourself to finishing the task with all the effort you can give.
Even when someone thinks they can’t go on anymore—no, more than that—even when they truly can’t, don’t want to, or don’t have enough energy left, they still overcome it.
After remembering all the words that had motivated him, Midoriya clenched the toes of his left foot with all his strength, feeling a strange and powerful surge of determination.
‘Of course I can.’ Izuku answered as he raised his head and opened his eyes, looking at Goku with a face full of determination. ‘I’ll master it, I’ll get into U.A., and not only will I become the greatest hero on the planet, but I’ll also become the strongest hero in history!’ Izuku declared with a face burning with determination. ‘That’ll be my way of making Master Goku as proud of me as possible, and proving how far I’ve come after so much effort, even though it was supposed to be impossible for me to achieve it.’ Izuku thought, remembering all the moments he had shared with Goku up to now.
‘That’s the spirit! Never lose sight of your dreams, and before you know it, they’ll come true! If you want to become the greatest hero the world has ever seen, you must train not only your strength, but also your heart!’ Goku declared with a determined expression.
However, interrupting the moment between master and disciple, something that sounded like the roar of an intimidating beast suddenly echoed through the area, followed by another, less intimidating roar.
Goku burst into laughter when he realized the sound wasn’t the roar of a beast at all, but Izuku’s stomach demanding food while Izuku lowered his head in embarrassment.
‘I think we should take another break. Honestly, I’m hungry too. How about we go to that hot dog stand from the other day?’ Goku asked with a small smile.
‘Y-Yeah.’ Izuku nodded nervously and with great embarrassment. ‘Damn it, since when did my stomach start demanding food like that?’ Izuku wondered to himself while squeezing his eyes shut in shame. ‘That was one of the things I wasn’t supposed to learn from Master Goku.’ Izuku thought while dying of embarrassment as Goku laughed hysterically at his disciple’s reaction.”