Opening his eyes Nick fought back the pounding headache that thrummed through his head to the beat of his heart. Every breath felt like sand drawn into his lungs as the bright lights above him washed away all detail from what he could see. Nothing but a blurry whitewashed scene greeted his eyes as he cracked them open.
Putting his hand on his chest he was about to heal himself but felt that he had no energy, even just moving his hand to his chest felt like he was heaving a lead bar.
Groaning he heard the thump of heavy footsteps approaching wherever he was laying. The voice of Kendo sounded through the dull buzz in his ears as he made out the words faintly as his mind cleared. "You awake little man?" His voice was upbeat. "You surprised me in the ring there. I didn't expect you to have such an odd quirk or hard body." His voice contained an edge of curiosity.
Groaning to himself he hoped that no one but Kendo had noticed the oddities during their fight, after all, he didn't want his quirk to be knowledge to the underground. If he was aiming to be a Hero so that he could move the events in the plot then he would have to, not have a track record of underground fight clubs. That and his parents would be livid.
Hearing a clank of something being put down on the bedside table he slowly pushed his body up into a sitting position. Kendo helped him move as he said. "I really did a number on you eh? Here, this should help your body recover."
Looking at it he saw that it was a bowl of some kind of slop but he didn't care, if he could eat it then he could use it to recover himself. Keeping an eye on Kendo he took the bowl and after grazing it with his finger he didn't find any additives or poison. It was mostly just water and oats with additional nutrients and supplements.
Taking a bite it tasted terrible but he started to scoff it down. Soon the entire bowl disappeared as Kendo just pulled a chair over. The metal legs scrapped against the stone tiles as he sat himself down. Leaning forward elbows on his knees as he waited for Nick to finish eating.
Finally finishing his meal he sighed and restored his body, the wave of quirk making his skin ripple as his control diminished from his sore head. The actual reconstruction of his jaw and ribs was visible for just a moment. Sighing to himself he felt the relief was over him in an instant. His body relaxed back as Kendo spoke up. "Alright then kid, if I am gonna coach you your gonna have to tell me what your quirk is. And give me back the strength you took if you can."
Sighing Nick turned so that his legs were hanging off the edge of the bed as he saw that he was in some type of med bay. About ten beds in total in the room. He and Kendo were alone. Looking back at his 'coach' he bit his lip as Kendo raised his hands. "Just the basics kid. Nothing more is needed."
"Fine… I can heal myself and grow my muscle mass from taking others." It was all the truth, it just left out a lot of the other details. He assumed Kendo would be able to link this all back to the real him when he started the hero course but nothing could be done about that now. He would get Kendo to promise to keep it all a secret, from what he had seen he assumed he was the kind of guy that would be alright with that.
Nodding his head Kendo knew that a lot was being left out as he continued the conversation, "can you heal my muscles then and give me back the lost weight? I am feeling sickly." His tone was a bit more serious.
Nodding his head Nick replied, "just get me a shit ton of gruel. And don't tell anyone about my quirk please." His tone was a bit more pleading. Just nodding Kendo stood up and they made their way to the kitchen and promptly reconstructed a few bags of oats.
---
He was making progress, Kendo was a good guide for what to do and what not to do. Each mistake he made was quickly punished. His bullet punches were fast. Faster than Nick could follow when he was going full power. But luckily for Nick, Kendo was trying to train him, not kill him. Kendo's style was full of movement and based on sheer battle instinct and reflex. Kendo didn't think as he fought, he just threw punches faster than could be followed.
That was what he was trying to hammer into Nick, by the time Nick was done thinking and making a plan he would already be beaten, he needed to just act, let his body dodge. Kendo kept himself at a speed that was just barely able to keep up with by a hair's breadth forcing Nick to adapt and change as he dodged and blocked endless showers of punches that left welts and bruises covering his arms, head and chest. Acting on instinct.
Backing away Nick was left panting as he stared at the man in front of him. His breath hitched in his chest as he tried to take in deep breaths of air. His lungs rattled with the effort as he got ready for Kendo's next wave but it never came.
Lowering his arms Kendo said, "heal little man. Take ten then we continue." Going and sitting down on the bleachers he downed a bottle of water.
Nodding his thanks Nick also downed water as he reached his hands into a bag of oats and pulled them into his body, the wave of cream-coloured dust flowing into his skin as he felt his energy restore and the bruises fade. It was mostly for the energy since restoring broken bones and healing bruises just required him to reconstruct the body back to the state it was before it was hurt, all the matter was still in his body just injured. Healing larger wounds however took outside matter to convert back into his body.
He had been training for a few months now. He was coming down to Osaka every weekend to get lessons and guidance from Kendo while keeping the appearance that he was studying under his father's connections. Which he was he was just also making sure to enjoy his 'free time' exploring the city.
"Alright back on your feet little man! You're doing better but you still have no hope of beating me!" Kendo's voice called out as he got up and walked back into the middle of the room. Sighing Nick also stood up as he walked into the room. Just because he was healing didn't mean this all wasn't mentally draining. But he wouldn't give in now. No matter how many times he had his jaw or arms shattered. He was here to learn.
--- 4 years Later ---
Nick woke early, rising just before the sun so that he could watch it rise from the beak of the small mountain that sat outside the bounds of the city close to his house. The small run took him up to the summit that was barely tall enough to be called a mountain but tall enough that he could see over the city as the sun washed the streets in a golden glow. Despite being able to reconstruct his muscles Nick still kept up a rigorous exercise routine.
It had been a few years since he started training with Kendo. He was thirteen now, almost fourteen. The plot of the anime should be starting soon. By the end of the year, the sludge villain incident should have happened and Midoriya should obtain One for All in time for the entrance exam. An exam that he was planning to apply for as soon as he turned fourteen.
He had thought long and hard about being a Hero and he didn't see much other option, he wanted to be involved in the plot and he didn't want to be hunted by the law. Simple, go do some Hero training and he would have no trouble following both those conditions.
Honestly, he was fairly confident in the rate that his abilities were growing. He had major advantages compared to other people, his maturity and knowledge levels were well above what they were meant to be during his early teens. Second was his quirk also had boosted maturity since he stole it from Kai who was around nineteen. So that meant that he had years of growth on it already. Which was amazing, he just needed to focus on controlling that abnormal output. Something he had already made strides in.
In terms of fighting ability, Kendo was still using him as a punching bag. He joined Kendo before some of his fights since the man liked him and he was good to warm up with, after all when he spared with Nick neither of them had to take breaks and they could be at peak condition after they were done.
The supplier then disliked him though. He didn't know why Kendo wanted so much more oats since the orders had just about doubled to keep up with the energy that both Kendo and Nick used when they fought. That and healing all the injuries that they suffered during the fight as well. The thought made him chuckle, it seemed like such a dumb thing but he was someone that Nick was growing fond of.
He had a problem one that he didn't like to admit, he was looking at the people in this world as if they were… characters, not people. Despite being able to see that they were real. Despite laughing and fighting with Kendo he didn't feel that he was growing any closer. He was stopping himself from doing so after all. Not that it was a problem when it came to Kendo, although it was when it came to his parents.
Finishing his run back down the mountain he swung the door of the house open quietly as he peeked inside. His parents were still both asleep, after all the sun had just risen a moment ago. His dad would be up soon to either head off to work or start on blueprints in the workshop. His mum was going out with friends later as well so she would be busy getting ready.
Getting cleaned up quickly from his run he went down the steps as quietly as he could before heading to the kitchen and taking out some flour and eggs. Getting ready to start making pancakes. He would fry up some bacon for his dad as well, he didn't personally understand bacon and pancakes together but whatever, his dad liked it.
He had been having some trouble over the past couple of years, ever since his parents had done their best to support him when they found out he was smarter than normal, he had been questioning things. He had been trying to grow closer to them and see them as his real parents, after all, he shared his experiences and emotions with them, he had laughed with his mum as his dad messed something up. He had almost cried with joy when he was given his first birthday present.
He hadn't had a good family back in his old life. He didn't think about it much anymore to be honest, his old life that is. It was like his brain had blocked those memories in the back of his mind, hell he couldn't even remember what his old name was, he was pretty sure it was Nicklaus but that was just because he couldn't remember being called anything else anymore.
When his mum and dad had gotten him his first birthday present, a proper one not just the random toys you get for kids but something he wanted. He had cried… it was odd just thinking about it but he had. When he was six and had started to display interest in biology his parents had bought him the most up to date books on the subject that they could find and even got some notes from one of his dad's colleagues. It was just books but his parents had shown interest in what he wanted and had done their best to help him. And it had warmed his heart.
It didn't matter his age, he loved them as family, it was hard to see them as his parents since he was practically the same age as them in terms of mentality. But he saw them as family, and he loved them. He was trying to do his best to stop seeing them as characters but as family, he just didn't want it to be the case when he got into a school that he wouldn't be able to see his classmates as friends. He would do his best though.
Finishing breakfast as his dad came downstairs he laughed at his appearance. "Seriously dad, I don't know why mum calls you handsome with that bird's nest you call hair." His voice lightly mocking as he motioned behind him to the served plates of pancakes and coffee that were sitting there waiting for his dad.
Waving his hand dismissively Mark walked over to the counter and responded. "Yeah yeah, I'll get a haircut soon." His voice was a tired drool that came from his mouth.
Smiling fondly Nick shot back enjoying the one sided banter, "not even a thank you?"
"I'll thank you when you pay for the food as well." His father's voice shot back from the kitchen table, although it was shortly followed by a, "thank you though son."
Smiling a bit brighter at that he finished serving his own plate. He would be catching the train to Osaka soon enough to practice with Kendo. The big guy wanted to get him into the ring but Nicklaus was refusing adamantly. He wanted to learn to fight. As much as he enjoyed battling Kendo he wanted to stay out of the limelight for now.
He didn't know how All for One would react to Kai disappearing but a piece like that disappearing of the game board wasn't something that would just pass under the radar of people that liked to keep tabs on things. So he would be trying to stay out of the way of big shots for now. At least until All for One revealed himself.
Sighing at the thought he brushed a hand back through his hair as he thought about it. God this was complicated. Knowledge was power… but it was also a double edge sword. He would need to make sure no one ever found out about it, not even his family, not even his friends. He would always have to keep those cards close to his chest.
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Updated the chapter to better suit the direction that this book is now going! I will be releasing more chapters as soon as I can. I plan to get a least two done today so look forward to them!
Thanks for all the support and advice that has been offered to me. And thank you to CallmeCyrus0409 for the advice on relationships in fanfics. I hope that I can improve that aspect as well.