Chapter 25 – I don’t train you. I teach you.
Midoriya's new home is a prefabricated complex built behind the UA's main building, near a small patch of trees. Thanks to the Professional Hero and teacher, Cementos, the construction time was incredibly fast. Very spartan in appearance and clearly designed to be easily dismantled in the future, it fully reflects Izuku's needs. Moreover, not far away, Principal Nezu has begun construction of the school's official dormitory.
The interior includes a kitchen, dining room, living room, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms, all within a two-story building that can comfortably accommodate Izuku.
When Izuku brought Melissa into the house to change, his mother welcomed the girl with kindness and tears, thanking her for becoming Izuku's friend. Of course, Izuku wanted to explain the real reason he brought Melissa home, but he didn't want to destroy his mother's hopes, so... he remained silent.
After telling Melissa to change into something more comfortable, Izuku came out, taking off his jacket and tie and rolling up his sleeves. While waiting, he sat with his legs crossed, took the vial given to him by the Emperor, which he always keeps around his neck, and, holding it in his hands, closed his eyes to begin meditating. Unbeknownst to him or knowingly, the golden contents of that vial shone slightly brighter.
Izuku's thoughts, which had been a constantly moving sea, became a perfectly still, clear lake.
Melissa Shield. Father and mother are currently unknown. Adopted niece of Toshinori Yagi, aka All-Might. Current holder of the One For All hereditary quirk. Slightly above average height, fairly developed muscular physique, but currently insufficient for the use of One For All. Insufficient training? What did the previous training consist of? Insufficient data. One For All. Power up Quirk. Upgrade type: raw energy storage. Energy... adjustable? For personal theory, it is possible. Were the previous holders Quirkless? Unknown. Is the energy generated automatically, or is it finished?
In his meditative state, analyses, information, solutions, questions, theories, and training approaches were processed at a frightening speed. In his superhuman mind, thousands of mnemonic pieces of information were processed in seconds, whereas a normal person would probably have needed at least twenty minutes.
By the time Melissa reached him after ten minutes, Izuku had essentially decided what to focus on in the girl's training, based on the information and assumptions he had at the moment. When he opened his eyes, Melissa was standing in front of him, her hair styled in a high ponytail and wearing the UA student tracksuit.
«You could tell me you were ready to start.» Izuku said calmly, standing up
«You seemed focused, and I didn't want to interrupt you.»
«In a meditative state, to be precise.» he said, putting the vial back around his neck «But even then, I am able to perceive everything around me. Now let's get to the serious stuff.» he finished by taking the dust off his pants.
Melissa stiffened as Izuku's deep green eyes stared into hers, his expression neutral yet probing, as if he were exposing her soul.
«I've decided how to train you, but first...» Izuku said, waving her index finger closer. «Attack me.»
«...Huh?»
«You heard right. Attack me.» he repeated to confirm «Ah, and don't use your Quirk.»
«But why?»
«I was asked to train you. But if giving you physical exercises was enough, then I wouldn't be of any use,» he said, beginning to explain «So, I'm not just going to exercise physically. I intend to teach you. But what I teach you will depend on what you show me now. Now enough chit-chat and attack me as you see fit.»
Though slightly confused, Melissa nodded positively and appeared to strike a relaxed boxing pose. Already, seeing the guard inviting his opponent to strike her in the face, Izuku felt the urge to sigh, but he held back.
Melissa charged him and tried to hit him in various ways, mainly using boxing and kicking combinations, just to compensate for the long distance. Izuku let her do it, using only his left hand to absentmindedly deflect the blows, while his eyes analysed every single movement and pose of Melissa.
She didn't have a real martial arts master. She's not even a beginner. Has she seen any videos? It's possible, but the presumption isn't as reliable as emulating video moves. Her stamina... needs improvement. It's only been 104 seconds, and she's already showing signs of tiredness and rapid breathing. Very good eyes: they can see the openings I deliberately leave. She also seems patient and able to keep calm, but it's too early to tell. Izuku was analysing Melissa in his head, noticing what potential lay within her. Now let's see the theory.
«Okay. That's enough.» Izuku said
Melissa immediately relaxed and placed her hands on her knees. Her laboured breathing began to regularise.
«What did you see when you attacked me?»
«Your guard is perfect. I couldn't penetrate it. There were openings, but they seemed too strange to be carelessness.» she said between gasps «If you had wanted to hit me, I certainly couldn't have done anything.»
«Excellent.» Izuku said, smiling, satisfied
At that single word, Melissa came to smile. A sarcastic smile, but also a sincere one, because, although it might seem like the statement of a narcissist who wanted to be complimented, the sincerity of the compliment could be felt in the background.
«Now, in these two weeks, we will focus on three points.» he began by raising his index finger «The first one is about your Quirk. The description of All-Might is clear, but if we have to wait until you're strong enough to make the most of it, we don't know how long that will take. My theory is that the output of this energy could be regulated voluntarily. So, part of the training will focus on energy control and dosing. For this, I will teach you meditation and concentration.»
Melissa nodded at Izuku's statement, agreeing that his theory might have value, since she hadn't even thought about it.
«The second is about your body.» he resumed, raising his second finger «You have some muscle, but your stamina leaves a lot to be desired. We will focus on exercises that are more geared towards improving endurance than muscle strength.»
«But, if I don't increase my strength-»
«There's no point in getting stronger if then fatigue prevents you from continuing to fight.» Izuku interrupted her «Even when you're able to use 100% of One For All, it doesn't necessarily take just one hit to end the fight. You must be prepared to endure even prolonged clashes.»
«...Okay.»
«The third and final point will be technique.» he said, raising his third finger. «Honestly, you don't know how to fight. Right now, you could easily fight in a fight between kids, but forget about having any chance against an expert.»"
«Well, I've always spent my time between books. And when Uncle All-Might made me that offer, he caught me off guard.» Melissa said, shyly scratching her cheek «So, what do you want to do about this?»
«The real reason I told you to attack me and the subsequent analysis I asked you about what you saw during the short sparring, helped me understand which Ka'tha are best suited for you.»
«Ka- Ka'tha?» she asked in disbelief, the word alien.
«The martial art practised solely by the Adeptus Custodes.» Izuku began, explaining, «Obviously, I won't teach you everything. After all, we're talking about twelve different styles, and it took me centuries to master them all. Anyway, looking back at our little exchange, I concluded that, given your characteristics, I can teach you two styles. You'll definitely never master them in two weeks, and I don't even know if you'll be able to do that in your entire life. However, I see no reason not to teach you.»
«What would these styles be?» Melissa asked curiously and with some impatience
«Conservai and Rendax.» Izuku named them «And luckily for you, I specialise in the former. But also know that, in order to master them, it is not only physical skill that is necessary, but also knowledge and mental fortitude.»
«But you didn't say they were martial arts?»
«Who said martial arts are just physical?» Izuku asked, chuckling «If your body is the sword used to slash your opponent, your brain is the hand that wields it. If you don't know where to hit, how can you hope to win a fight?»
Melissa's silence was eloquent. Izuku ducked and stared into her eyes. Melissa felt a shiver run down her spine, but she didn't look away.
«Now listen carefully.» he began seriously «You have a good analytical head and are able to see what others might not notice. That's why I think Conservai and Rendax are right for you. Conservai teaches that in the brutal elimination of adversaries, you must not lose sight of the overall strategic framework. Rendax, on the other hand, teaches you to seek out your opponent's weaknesses and exploit them to win, and to take down everything greater than yourself.»
These descriptions imply that the mind plays an important role in applying the two martial Ka'tha. They have strong physical applications, but the mind must be able to recognise, analyse, and see what is around it. Styles perfectly suited to Melissa, as she has always been praised for her inventiveness and intelligence. Additionally, Rendax has another function that aligns with its current state with the Quirk: concentrating forces into a single point and delivering a lethal blow.
«Now, shall we get started?» asked Izuku with a smile that gave Melissa the shivers.