I don't have a witty introduction so let's just get the show on the road.

Reviews(I'm just going to answer some question):

• There were some questions about the place of bending in this world. I don't want to get into details on that because that will be a huge plot point further on. I will say that in MY canon a person CAN'T have both bending and a quirk.

• In case you mistook the dream scene from the last chapter: IZUKU DID NOT CONTACT KORRA. He merely saw one of Korra's memories.

• As for other Avatar characters showing up... There will be flashbacks to that, probably. Korra's meeting with Izuku had already been set in stone. As for other characters... I do want to bring Koh again... Though I still have nowhere to put him in.

• The general history of what happened to the animal hybrids will be revealed in the book's finale.

• About the Deku&Kacchan team-up. There are plans.

• Izuku WILL face the question of whether he is needed in the world of quirks. It won't just be a one-time thing either.

• Scouter45: Thanks for the heads up, I fixed that. Though now I can't get THAT image out of my head.

I'm really happy that people like the direction I took Hisashi in this fic, doing things as original as possible was one of the goals I set up for myself with this. Which brings me to what I did to Bakugou.

It's RRRRREEEEAAAAAALLLLLYYYYY hard to write this guy and I can tell you I'm not that happy with how I handled him so far. But I did want to focus more on the Izuku-Chima dynamic in this book so luckily, the damage was minimal.

With any luck, Bakugou's arc will begin in book 2.

Legend:

"Speech"

'thoughts'

Narration

^Flashback^

Disclaimer:

This work of fan-fiction was created out of appreciation towards the source material.

I don't get any sort of monetary gain from writing this fic and it is solely done as a hobby and the want to share my creative vision with others.

I don't own anything except for any characters that I have created.

'Boku no Hero Academia' is owned by Shueisha, studio Bones, Shonen Jump, Viz Media, Funimation, and Kohei Horikoshi.

'Avatar the Last Airbender' and 'Avatar the Legend of Korra' are owned by Vaicon, Nickelodeon, Brian Konietzko and Michael Dante Dimartino.

Please support the official releases of all these amazing series.

Also in case you didn't notice, I have a new story! Don't worry, about 95% of my writing efforts are still one this story. It's just something I write when I have writer's block.

The story is comprised of one-shots and ideas I had about this story that didn't make the cut, unfortunately. It's also a good way to practice comedy!

土

BOOK ONE:

EARTH

CHAPTER SEVEN:

FOUNDATIONS

Izuku hardly remembered a time when he was as comfortable as he was now. Cuddled between his warm blanket and soft mattress, the boy smiled blissfully while he was half-conscious.

It wasn't like the boy was sleep deprived or anything, mind you, it was more like the slumber he found himself in was particularly pleasant today. He was completely content with the notion of staying in bed all day, warped in warmth and softness, and curled in on himself in his sanctuary.

And he would have likely stayed in bed if not for the soothing glow of his nightlight being replaced with a harsh, blinding one.

"Gooood Morning, sleepy head~!" Inko sang to her usually hyperactive son who, in contrast to his description, groaned tiredly and covered his face with his blanket.

"Hmmm…" The boy tiredly hummed before croaking through the sheets "I don't wanna get uuuuuup…".

The mother only giggled at her son's reaction, remembering the times when she was in his shoes. "You're the one who asked me to wake you up, silly! Don't you remember?"

Another tired groan left the boy's mouth, irked a bit at yesterday's him. He did ask her to wake him up despite having no preschool today. But he was so comfy in his bed that he didn't want to get up.

Entering the room and going towards the covered window, Inko soon parted the curtains to reveal the gentle morning sun of the early spring. 'Such a beautiful day…' The matriarch turned and smiled at the lump under the blanket that was her son. "You aren't going to make me drag you out of bed, are you?"

In return, the boy's grip on the blanket tightened, clearly not willing to move.

"Very well, then." Inko signed as she stood atop his bed and unceremoniously took the piece of fabric away from her son. No matter how tightly he might have grasped it, a five-year-old was no match for a grown woman in terms of strength.

And so, Izuku's form was revealed from its blankety covers.

The boy had gotten a little taller in the course of the past eight months, according to the marker signs on the door frame. His hair had grown longer and messier as well, now more untamable then ever being in his 'bed-hair' state.

After one final attempt to cover his eyes, the boy relented and began stretching, starting to wake up. "I already made breakfast." Satisfied that her son was waking up, Inko made her way out of the room "I'll be waiting for you at the table".

A quick change of clothes from his pajamas later saw the boy running out of his room, his usual energy beginning to return.

"Good to see you're up, sweetie." Inko greeted her son "Could you help me set the table up?"

Nodding in confirmation, Izuku set out to work, and before long: Both mother and son were seated on the table with an assortment of food that caused the latter to drool.

Inko had made a traditional breakfast that included some of the boy's favorite foods: miso soup, nori seaweed, steamed rice, and grilled fish. With an "Itadakimasu!" from Izuku, the Midoriyas dug in.

Both hummed and moaned in delight at the delicious food, Inko was particularly enjoying her fish which was slightly charred (just like she likes it) while Izuku repeatedly put chunks of rice on his nori or dipped the seaweed into his soup.

Inko almost burst out laughing as her son managed to make a very poorly constructed sushi from his fish, rice, and nori before he ate it all in one massive gulp. Ever since she could remember, her son held quite a unique fondness towards seafood with algae and seaweed being a favorite.

To be honest, it was kind of strange. Most kids who favored seafood were more likely to be fonder of stuff like fish, shrimp, or even octopus and squid… But her son visibly held a soft spot for underwater plants, having a small smile on his face whenever he got the chance to eat it.

If Inko didn't know any better, she would say Izuku almost looked like he felt… Nostalgic…?

"Hey now!" Inko chastised her son "You're eating too fast!"

The five-year-old stopped eating and stared innocently at his mother and with a still-full mouth said: "O'ory b'ob!"

That did it for Inko as she started to uncontrollably laugh out loud due to her son's actions who just continued to stare at her, bemused.

"That was delicious, mom!" Izuku complimented his mother with delight clear on his face.

"Thank you, sweetie!" Inko clapped her hands together, inwardly squealing at how adorable her son was " Do you want to take the left-overs to your friends?"

"Hmm-hmm!" Nodding in confirmation the boy bolted towards his room and quickly returned with a woven picnic basket, handing it over to his mom.

The basket was nothing special, just your run of the mill wicker basket that you didn't even know you had. Though that wouldn't be the case in terms of this light-brown basket.

The thing had been in use almost daily for over eight months now, bringing with it an assortment of treats for Izuku and his friends to share while they hung out.

Today saw the basket filled with the usual assortment of goods: Bento boxes filled with steamed rice, the grilled salmon from breakfast, and vegetables; a handful of fruits and finally, Inko's magnum opus: honey-flavored melon pan.

The Midoriya matriarch had to stop herself from indulging whenever she made that treat. As delicious as it was, it didn't really contribute to her diet.

"I'm sure your friends are going to be very happy today, Izuku!" Nevertheless, that didn't stop her from letting her son have it. Oh, how she envied her son for being young and capable of eating almost anything.

The slightest hint of an apprehensive flinch ran through the boy's face at the word 'friends'. Though, Izuku tried to camouflage his discomfort with a somewhat forced smile " Me too!"

Having the basket filled to the brim, adding just one more thing, the younger of the two greenettes took it in his hands in made his way out. "Thanks, mom! I'll be back soon!"

"Have fun sweetie!" Inko waved back.

By this point, the pedestrians of the streets of Musutafu became familiar with the image of Izuku running on the sidewalks with a basket in hand, especially during vacation days. While none could argue the sheer adorableness of the five-year-old carrying the basket-like an excited puppy, that did not stop their questions about the act.

None of them knew where he went almost every day with the basket, nor did they know why. Not that any of them bothered to figure it out, they had other things to do, after all.

The boy in question was currently walking in silence in his usual path, his expression somewhat glum.

^ Inko shot a beaming smile towards her son from behind the basket "I'm sure your friends are going to be very happy today, Izuku!"^

'Friends…' Izuku signed.

He felt bad about lying to his mother like that, he really did. But discretion was key in his situation, he wasn't allowed to act rashly. For his sake.

You see… All this food was not for Izuku's friends to eat while they all played together…

Everything about that story was false.

Because there were no friends to play with, nor to share food with.

All this food was for himself and Chima, and it was for no one else.

It was a cover story he came up with a few days after moved away from his home. He needed to bring him food somehow, and he didn't exactly have many sources to draw from. So a simple story of 'Going to play with my friends' was enough for him to set up a basket of food for Chima.

So far, the story was bought every time Izuku had used it. Thankful that his mother didn't delve deeper into how the social circles in his kindergarten operated.

Things in kindergarten had reached a sort of a stale if he was honest. Izuku was in relatively good terms with most kids there but he couldn't exactly call them 'friends' so to speak.

The first couple of weeks were great, don't get him wrong. After the other kids calmed down and forgot about him ruining the field trip, they warmed up to him at last. Having the social barrier of quirklessness rid of allowed him to at list talk to them. But he soon found out that that was mostly it.

Truth be told, his interests just didn't align with those of the other kids. He was a quirk&hero nerd, through and through. And while the other kids could hold a conversation with him for a while about it, it soon got old.

It was hard to build friendships when you didn't have a common interest to build upon. He didn't share some of his classmate's interests in TV shows, seeing as he didn't have one. He also definitely didn't share a passion with any of the girls.

The only ones who had as much of an interest in heroes as himself were in Kacchan's group, but that was a whole other bag of worms.

-8 months ago:

"Kacchan!" Smiling, Izuku innocently waved the blonde's group as he approached them. He had been looking for them all day, too bad that it took him so long. "I wanted to talk to you!" With an unfaltering enthusiasm, the earth-manipulator strode forward to meet with the trio.

Having reached his targets, Izuku outstretched his hand and beamed a smile at them. "Can we hang out?" To the greenette's surprise, however, his smile wasn't reflected. Instead, scowls, sneers, and glares were all he received from the trio of kids as Kacchan batted his hand away.

"What the heck are you talking about, Deku?" Kacchan growled.

Izuku flinched, the nickname leaving a bad taste in his mouth as his smile faded, 'What is going on? Why does Kacchan still call me Deku?' "Why are you calling me Deku?" he asked with confidence that he had no idea he had, "I'm not quirkless anymore, stop it!"

A tick mark appeared on Kacchan's face "YOU THINK YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT TO DO?!" He barked, his load volume urging to greenette to cover his ears. "YOU THINK THAT HAVING A QUIRK MAKES YOU BETTER THAN ME?!"

"Huh?" Izuku flinched again, the yelling only adding to his growing stress.

"I've seen that stupid smile on your face all day, Deku! Did it feel good? DID IT FEEL GOOD TO LOOK DOWN ON ME LIKE THAT?!"

The forest-haired boy was visibly shaking now, fear creeping up on him with every word Kacchan uttered. "I-I don't understand!" He stuttered "I-I d-didn't look down on you, K-Kacchan!"

"THE HELL YOU DID!"The explosion-user screamed, even his lackeys flinching at his volume "You can't lie to me Deku!"

"W-w-what a-are you t-t-talking about K-Kacchan?! I never lied to you!" Izuku stepped back with fright.

Kacchan's glare hardened, tiny explosions dancing in his palms. "HERE YOU GO LYING AGAIN! JUST LIKE YOU'VE BEEN DOING FOR MONTHS!"

Kacchan panted hard, his breath lost from all his yelling. "You haven't changed at all…" the blonde croaked, "You are still the same Deku as ever…"

-Present:

Izuku shuddered at the memory. Things got physical after that and the two of them had been on bad terms ever since. So much so that his mother had made him promise to keep his distance from the boy. Something that he reluctantly agreed to.

But in the end, he decided it was for the best. Having human friends meant he had to juggle his time between them and Chima.

And that was a no go.

So he just played his part as the quiet kid, playing around with some of them from time to time until he could go home and meet Chima again.

The boy pushed the memories aside as the border to his destination was finally in view. Hastening his pace and shooting forward the boy only slowed a bit to appreciate the entrance to the stronghold.

Before the boy stood tall a forested park, it's shimmering green leaves a stark contrast to the dull grays and browns of the buildings. It was the same park as the one he had his first falling out with Kacchan almost a year ago, though these days the thought was pushed away from the boy's mind.

A shining smile on his face, the green-headed five-year-old stepped into the tree's shade with no hesitation whatsoever. Not that there was a reason to be worried. After all, at this point, Izuku probably knew this place better than he did his own home.

It was the only place he could be himself with no worries or repercussions, a haven for him to be who he is and do what he wants to.

It was the place he shared wonderful memories with his best (and only) friend, who lived here ever since the two met eight months ago…

"Chima!" Izuku called out excitedly when a familiar sight reached his eyes. The boy had reached his destination. Hidden away from the world by trees and shrubbery was a small, forested hill, the place Chima called home.

Not even a second later and the Badgermole in question jumped out of a small cave within the rocky base of the hill and ran at top speeds at Izuku.

A sound that could've been interpreted as an excited bark or a delighted squeal made its way out of Chima's mouth as he jumped on top of the boy, commencing his usual greeting.

"Hahaha! Chima! That tickles!" Izuku struggled to stand, an act that proved useless seeing as a giant animal was pinning him down and licking his face, showering him. Yielding to the Badgermole, Izuku simply raised his hands and cupped Chima's snout in a greeting hug "I missed you too, Chima."

It seemed that time has forgotten to pass over the young Badgermole cub during the period he knew Izuku. Chima stood taller than before, sporting an increase in both size and playfulness. His teeth and claws grew as well, to the point one wouldn't think that not too long ago they were just cute little tacks. Little tufts of white fur also begun appearing around his brown snout, resembling freckles, something that Izuku noticed and made him think that they matched.

While the change wasn't that spectacular, seeing as he got maybe 10% bigger, it was still there. Chima clearly acted like it was a big deal when Izuku was around, not to mention the fact that with every single day he needed more and more sustenance for himself.

Luckily, not only he got Izuku feeding him, but he also scavenges around for food around the park. One wouldn't think it, but the place was brimming with food, more than enough for Chima's needs.

And even if that wasn't enough… He could always steal food from that ridiculously loud blonde boy who comes to the park occasionally… It was pretty funny seeing his reactions…

But Izuku didn't need to know that last part.

"Are you done, Chima?" Izuku asked as he scratched Chima behind his ear, one of his many weak spots.

Nodding, the young Badgermole got up and freed the boy who wasted no time and placed the basket he brought with him to the side. Rummaging through the basket's contents for a while, the boy let out a victorious cry when he pulled out what appeared to be a football (A.N- soccer ball for any Americans that are reading this).

"You're going down today, Chima!" he smirked.

Izuku and Chima stood across from one another in the open field in complete silence. Both human and animal held each other's gaze and didn't dare to move a muscle before it was time.

Right in the middle of the duo stood the ball Izuku brought with him, resting on the ground and unmoving. Behind Chima, the entrance to the cave he called home was guarded ferociously as was done to the space behind the boy, marked by two lone tree trunks.

A single drop of sweat ran down Izuku's forehead, agitating him as it went down his face and enticing him to get out of his stance to wipe it off. Nevertheless, he didn't waver. Staying in his stance with his arms angled like blades at his sides, Izuku only dug his bare feet deeper into the ground, refusing to be caught off guard.

It has been a few months since he started to learn from Chima, and by this point, Izuku learned a thing or two.

One of which, and amongst the first things he was taught, was that rushing things was a dumb move. His quirk just wasn't built for speed, and it certainly wasn't suited for taking the initiative in a fight.

It was a lesson he learned the hard way when he tried stealing the ball from right under Chima's nose on their first-ever game of 'Earthball' as they called it, a mistake he didn't make twice.

When it came to his and Chima's quirk, patience was the key. After all, a rockslide wouldn't be triggered just out of anywhere. It was the earth's retaliation to something else.

So he waited. And waited. And waited some more. To the point that his green headband and tank-top were drenched from sweat that came solely from his exposure to sunlight.

-Recommended music: Avatar: rise of the phoenix king, Agni Kai remake-

They stayed in the standstill for a while longer, gauging each other out and not daring to move a muscle. Then, like a lightning strike from the clear blue sky, Chima acted and launched the ball towards himself with an earth catapult.

Sending the ball forward, Izuku now faced a hurtling synthetic-rubber ball heading his way. Narrowing his eye, the boy stomped the ground and caught the ball with a well-timed block of earth.

With precise and rigid movement, Izuku sent the ball right back at Chima, staying rooted on the ground and never lifting his feet too high.

Sensing the ball's trajectory, Chima charged straight ahead and swiped the ball away with his paw, sending it in an angle so it would pass around Izuku.

"Oh no, you don't!" Before the ball got the chance to get out of his field of vision, Izuku summoned forth an earth column with a devastating double-palm strike, launching the ball into the air.

Chima was left unaware of the ball's position in midair as it sailed right above him. Nonetheless, having become familiar with this particular strategy, Chima retained his cool as he summoned an earth wall to cover his gate, only to immediately send it back towards the ground once it reached its' full height.

Chima huffed at the boy as the ball rolled away from his gate, having made contact with the brief barrier the cub constructed.

"Hehehe…" Izuku laughed as he scratched his nape, "Sorry, Chima. But that move always worked on you best."

Unamused, Chima resumed the game by launching the ball back at his friend.

Intercepting it, Izuku retaliated by doing the same. The two continued to send the ball back and forth between them, so much so that the ball appeared to be in a giant pinball machine. Using a combination of low kicks and palm and elbow strikes, Izuku kept up with Chima as much as he could, trying to remain focused on the ball all the while.

The stalemate continued for a while longer, both sides getting farther away from the other in order to find an opening. Izuku was the one to find it. Chima was at the far right of the field, overextending in an effort to break the standstill. Without hesitation, the boy kicked the ball to the left, away from Chima and at a column that, upon hitting it, would ricochet the ball towards the goal.

Heart dropping, Chima made a mad dash at the ball, Managing to swipe it back at Izuku at the last second before it made its rebound.

Now overextended on the left side of the field, Chima did not receive a second to catch his breath before Izuku did the exact same thing he just did, only this time, he sent it rightward. The Badgermole ran again, desperate to intercept the ball and diving after it, only to have it sent away from him again after he managed to do so.

Chima was locked in a catch 22. Izuku kept the pressure. Every time Chima was on one side of the arena, he sent the ball in the other direction. The poor Badgermole was left with nothing to do but run from side to side across the field, diving desperately after the ball in an effort to keep the game on.

Chima needed to break out. If this kept on going then it would only be a matter of time until he missed and lost.

It was time to try a new strategy.

So he took a breath to relax. And when the ball was launched by Izuku yet again, he didn't run after it. Instead, Chima slammed his paws into the ground and formed a column in the ball's planned trajectory.

Ricocheting off the first earthen column as Izuku had planned, the boy let out an excited cry and thrust his fist into the air. Only the have his heart drop when he saw the ball rebounded to the side by the second one, bringing it to the feet of an awaiting Chima.

Smirking in victory, Chima moved the ball around his paws in a taunt before catching it between his teeth. Scratching the ground with his claws like a bull waiting to charge, the Badgermole declared a challenge.

Izuku gulped as he widened his stance, he knew where this was going.

Charging forward, Chima tried to tackle the boy who dug his feet into the ground, leaving trenches in it as he was pushed backward. The power struggle was futile. While Izuku refused to give up, that did not stop Chima from pushing them both through the gate, the ball still in his mouth.

-End song-

"NOOOO!" Izuku screamed and fell to his knees.

Hauling in victory, Chima ran in a circle around a skulking Izuku. Lifting his head, Izuku revealed puffed cheeks and a pouting face, "Chimmmmaaaa! You cheated! It's called 'Earthball'! Not 'RamintoIzukuball!"

Chima had the audacity the act innocent donning an expression that just radiated 'Really?! You can't?! Well, there was no rule against it, so I still win!'

With a loud groan, Izuku buried his face in the dirt before beginning to laugh at the situation, "How about round two? But you can't use this trick again!"

A few hours later saw an exhausted Izuku collapse on the floor, taking in gulps of air as greedily as he usually ate Katsudon.

While catching his breath, Izuku took the time to look over himself after the game. He would've sighed if he could. He was drenched in sweat and smeared with dirt, something that usually happened to him when he spent time with Chima.

Something soft and wet grazed his cheek and refocused the boy on his companion. Chima was standing next to him with his snout mere centimeters from his head and the ball they used to play held in his mouth.

"I'm fine, Chima" The boy reassured as he stood up and stretched. "I think that's enough earthball for today."

Chima nodded in agreement. Their 'playdates' didn't always involve them playing earthball, but it was pretty common for them to do so. Other than that, they played things like tag; hide-and-seek(With Chima as the undefeated Champion), or just plain practiced with their quirks.

*Grrr…* The gurgling sound that came from Izuku and Chima's stomaches simultaneously startled them both before Izuku let out a laugh. "Looks like we are both hungry."

Sitting beneath the shade of a tree, Izuku remerged through the basket he brought with him before pulling out a paper plate and some of the grilled salmon his mother made.

Chima dug into the fish with haste, contempt as Izuku pulled up what appeared to be a round-ish bun with a sparkling golden glaze decorating its' top. Biting into the Melon pan, Izuku let out a squeal of delight as the white and creamy filling that had golden streaks in it oozed out of the hole he made and smeared itself all over his face.

The creamy and chill filling reminded the boy of ice cream while the tangent of honey gave the treat all the sweetness it needed. The dough that wrapped the pastry up was just as fluffy as it was in the morning, sogginess nowhere in sight.

There was a reason that it was Izuku's and Chima's favorite dessert.

Rummaging through the basket again, Izuku pulled up not a new dish to eat but a bright green notebook with a picture of a mountain drawn on the cover. The boy turned the notebook around in his hands and a smile graced his cream-covered lips when he read the title that was written in vibrant golden letters.

'Earthbending analysis for the future Vol. 1'

That's right, an entire notebook dedicated to nothing but his quirk. It had everything Izuku knew: From the different stances he learned, a list of all his moves, and theories about what more he could do with his quirk. Even Chima had a chapter dedicated to him, seeing as they both had the same quirk.

Opening the notebook, Izuku found an empty page and began to write frivolously into it, mumbling to himself about all the things he learned today with Chima.

After a couple of minutes of writing, Izuku's eyelids started to become heavy and he let out a small yawn, being soon followed by a yawn from Chima.

So, with full bellies and exhausted from their earlier earthball tournament, the duo slowly drifted off to their slumber, leaning on each other as they closed their eyes.

Izuku Midoriya

Quirk: Earthbending

Description: Izuku is capable of controlling the earth around him with his movements, a quirk that he seems to share with Chima.

Appearance: Though he has gotten slightly taller in the months since the forest incident, Izuku is still short for his age. He's main features such as his hair and freckles remained the same, but the boy had become slightly more athletic then he used to be, at least for his age.

Affiliation: None.

Age: 5.

Birthday: 15/7.

Height: 82.2 cm.

Favorite food: Katsudon.

Favorite thing: Chima.

Tidbit:

Izuku came up with the game of Earthball after he had a dream about kids using his quirk to play a similar looking game.

The rules are simple. Much like soccer, there are two gates that each of the teams must score into to gain points. The difference is that the main method of moving the ball is with Earthbending. By using earth columns, catapults, blocks, ramps, or anything that strikes their fancy.

The use of earth walls is almost entirely forbidden. You can summon one, but unless you get rid of it the second it reaches its' full height, it's considered a foul.

A sickly-sweet scent had awoken a Badgermole cub up from its peaceful slumber in the cave he called home. Getting up and stretching, the youngling soon noticed that he wasn't alone in the cave, he shared it with two others.

He purred in content, snuggling deeper into his parents, and letting their warmth enveloped him like a hug.

The sweet smell only intensified with time and the cub began felling groggier and groggier with it. With every second he became more tired, his muscles ached and asked him to lay down. The scent was calming as if saying 'There is nothing wrong here… just sleep…'

The scene around him changed and he found himself in front of an unknown figure. His voice was deep and alien "Hello there, little guy…" It spoke in an amused but reserved tone as if anticipating something.

The cloying scent now enveloped everything around him as the figure laid something down in front of him "C'mon little guy…" The figure spoke again, the slightest bit of eagerness tracing his voice "Come here and eat…"

The cub got closer and closer, not noticing the figure stepping away from him as he neared his prize. He sniffed at it excitedly, the scent was mesmerizing for his senses, his grogginess reached unfathomably new heights as every fiber of his being danced with sluggish joy.

Then that scent was gone, replaced by the stench of ash and fire.

Unimaginable pain throbbed through the cub's body as he felt something warping around himself after it hit him forcefully, sending him flying. He only managed to let out a high-pitched yelp of pain before he hit the ground. Hard.

"Hehehehe…" The cub heard the voice of the figure as he held his aching head in between his paws. That warmth of the voice was no longer pleasant. Instead, it was excruciatingly scorching; searing the cub's eardrums with every syllable uttered.

"We got ourselves quite the catch, boys!" The scary man cackled with glee. The cub was whimpering in fear as he felt an uncomfortable heat build-up near his face and heard more footsteps approaching where he was.

"He would do nicely, Dontcha thi-"

*SMACK! *

Something loud had tackled into the figure that produced the heat near his head, sending it flying and crashing into the hard ground with a thud.

"RRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRR!"

Two bloodcurdling roars echoed out simultaneously, so loud that the ground itself appeared to be quivering in terror.

"GGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The sound of screaming began to accompany the roars, though whether its' origin came from fear or pain was uncertain.

The cub heard the sickening smack of rocks and boulders crashing onto living flesh and bones; the roar of unbearably hot flames; an unfamiliar whooshing sound that did nothing to elevate any of its worries and fears…

Then, he heard that same voice from before shouting in rage in the background:

"PUT A MUZZLE ON THESE THINGS!"

And finally, after an eternity of hearing nothing but carnage, he heard two massive crashes; followed by whimpers.

That was the last thing Chima heard before his grip on the scene was finally broken.

With a startled yelp, Chima shot up from his position on the ground, waking up Izuku who has been leaning on him. "Whoa!" Izuku shrieked in surprise before he fell on his side and turned to look at Chima.

It was clear the Badgermole had seen better days, he was shaking in evident fear, and his breathing ragged. "Chima…?" Izuku carefully approached the Badgermole and gently rubbed his forehead with his hand.

Jolting at the contact, Chima turned to look at Izuku with a frightened expression that gave way to relief once he recognized the boy.

"You had a bad dream, Chima?" Izuku drew circles on Chima's forehead with his hand, trying to calm him down like his mother did when he had nightmares.

Chima only nodded weakly before leaning into Izuku's touch and placing his head on the boy's lap. Chima continued shaking in fear, however, and Izuku noticed that every couple of seconds Chima let out choked gasps, his shoulders jumping with each breath.

Chima was sobbing.

Izuku warped his arms around Chima's neck in a hug and whispered to him gently "It's okay Chima… It was just a dream…".

In truth, Izuku wasn't sure it was. This wasn't the first time Chima had a nightmare like that, nor will it be the last. The boy didn't know what made Chima so scared, his only guess was that it was about humans.

Chima's fear of humans was something he wondered about. He guessed that he had a bad history with other humans, but he couldn't be sure. Whatever past haunted Chima, Izuku could only hope that one day Chima would get over it; Though he did want to know more about it. Did Chima had a family? Does he miss them? Do they miss them?

They stayed huddled in place for about half-an-hour before Chima calmed down and lifted his head from his position on Izuku's lap. "Do you feel better?"

Chima nodded as Izuku gently rubbed his tears away "You want to go back to sleep?".

Giving a nod in confirmation, Chima rested his head on Izuku's lap again with the boy's arms still around him.

The two fell asleep again shortly after.

The days flew by and soon became weeks, which turned to months. During which time, Izuku visited Chima daily. The two would spend hours playing games, eating together, sleeping in the shades of the trees, and whatever came to their minds. His social interaction with other kids his age remained scarce, but at this point, he hadn't minded. He was having more fun with Chima than he ever had with them anyway.

Today, Izuku held an extra cheer in his step as he walked towards the park, his entire demeanor just radiating happiness. His sixth birthday was just a few days away and the mere thought of it made him want to jump around in joy. His father will be coming to visit, something he learned only the night before but didn't stop him from being more eager than ever. He couldn't wait to show him what he learned from Chima! Not to mention that presents were awaiting him in the future.

Upon reaching their usual meeting spot, Izuku discarded his shoes and wasted no time and called out for his friend "Chima! I'm here!".

Only to get no response in return.

"Chima? Where are you?" The boy looked left and right, up and down, but there was no sign of the Badgermole. 'Where is he?'

Izuku was puzzled. Usually, it only took Chima seconds to reach him after he called out. Something was up. The boy's gaze landed on the cave he saw Chima emerging out off many times before, 'Maybe he's sleeping in there?'.

Stepping forward and into the cave, Izuku took in the familiar sight. The entrance did not do the place justice. The small hole opened up to reveal that almost the entirety of the hill had been hollowed out by Chima. A large stack of hay and weeds was situated near one of the walls, acting as a makeshift bed as well as the only semblance of furniture.

The boy actually spent the majority of the past winter here with Chima. They couldn't exactly play outside with all the snow and rain going on.

What Izuku did not remember, was the tunnel at the far reaches of the cave.

Okay, that was a lie. He did remember it. He even helped dig it out in the winter, though it was much deeper than before. Last time it was here he could still see its end if he squinted hard enough. That wasn't the case anymore. The tunnel had no end in sight; like Chima had put up a black screen over it.

Chima's been busy it seems.

"Chimaaaaaa!" He called. "Are you in there?!"

"in there...?!"

"in there...?!"

"in there...?!"

No response.

Izuku huffed. It was too deep for Chima to hear him, he would need to come to him. So putting a hesitant leg forward, Izuku walked into it in search of his friend, going past the area he helped dig out rather quickly. The way down the cave was not a straight one, it swished and turned, ascended and descended; soon enough no light made it through, and the boy was plunged into Egyptian darkness.

Despite this, Izuku continued moving forward, using the walls of the cave to guide him forward 'How can Chima see anything here?' The boy wondered until he remembered a certain detail and caught his mistake. 'Wait, Chima can't see at all…' Izuku hummed in concentration, the complete stillness of the cave providing an ideal place to let his thoughts wander. 'But he always knows where everything is… maybe's that part of his quirk?'

Izuku continued to walk deeper into the cave, the only sound to accompany him was the sound of his mumbling as he did what he does best: Quirk analysis. "Maybe-Chima-has-a-super-sense! Like-hearing-or-smelling! Or-it-could-be-like-what-those-bats-did-on-that-nature-show-me-and-mom-saw-once! *Mutter-mutter-mutter*"

Izuku was diving deeper and deeper into his rant when a thought crossed his mind and made him stop on the spot. 'Chima's quirk is a lot like mine…' The boy realized 'Maybe… I can do it too?'

A giddy smile showed up on the boy's face as the theory was put into words, 'I NEED to learn this from Chima.'

*Trip! *

"Whoa!"

Izuku yelped in surprise as he stumbled on a stray rock, luckily catching himself with his hands before his relationship with the ground became TOO intimate. The boy stayed on the ground in a daze, his hands still gripping it and his bare legs digging into it as he caught his breath. 'That was close…'

*Rumble…Thump_thump!*

Izuku perked up as a familiar feeling ran through his limbs, the earth's vibrations.

It wasn't uncommon for this sort of thing to happen, as the months came and went and Izuku's abilities improved, he found it easier and easier to connect with the earth. Truthfully, it wasn't perfect. While he could control it most of the time, there were instances the connection was formed without Izuku's consent, like when he was emotional or deep in thought.

He wouldn't call it a pleasant surprise, so the speak, it still showed him he was nowhere near the goal of mastering his quirk. Not to mention the connection with the earth was maayyyybe responsible for a broken window or two. But he wouldn't call it unpleasant, either. For some reason, whenever he's quirk was active, he always felt… Comforted? He wasn't sure how to describe it other than that it felt right to him.

So he may have let a smile grace his lips. At the end of the day, only he will know for sure in this darkness. Izuku signed as he let the vibrations course through his body, a reminder of his quirk, friend, and future as a hero, all represented by a single sensation.

Though he couldn't shake off the feeling something was off. The forest-headed boy scrunched up his brow as he realized what it was. For the first time to the boy, the chaotic and illogical vibrations that coursed through him weren't the same pandemonium he was used to. Sure, it was still here, continuing to rumble in its usual disarray, but it wasn't alone. Something new joined that topsy turvy, something Izuku never felt before. It was a weak and slow thumping, barely noticeable amidst the usual chaos; But it was distinct enough for the boy to differentiate between the two, like the way you can hear one instrument over the entire orchestra.

'Weird…' Izuku hummed before he stood up and continued on his way, the world waits for no one like his father likes to say.

So he kept walking, still using the cave's walls as his guide forward. As time went by and the farther he got, Izuku noticed another peculiarity in his surroundings. A sound he was all too familiar with greeted him once he reached a certain depth, the sound of earth smashing against earth.

*Bam! *

Naturally, the sounds Izuku heard only intensified as he neared their source, causing him the pause briefly once he noticed its frequency was reminiscent of the vibrations he felt earlier, but only briefly.

*BAM! *

'That was close!' Izuku flinched a bit as the ground weakly shook, causing him to stumble. Shaking his head to refocus himself, the boy soon went forward and came face to face with a wall of fur.

Literally.

Recoiling from the crash, Izuku was pushed backward and yelped as he landed on the ground with a thud. Alerting the one he tackled to his presence had he not felt him from the impact.

Izuku made no effort to get up from his sitting position as he heard the shuffling of feet in front. Instead, he opted to greet the one he was looking for.

"Chima! I found you!" The happiness in Izuku's voice was not lost on the Badgermole's ears as he licked his companion's face in his usual greeting."Hehehehe…" The boy giggled as he hugged Chima back before a thought crossed his mind and his curiosity went to the top of his priority list.

"Say, Chima…" Izuku broke the hug and turned his head to look around, a futile effort in this darkness but the gesture was involuntary "What are you doing here? I thought we only dug here because we didn't have anything else to do in the winter."

In response, Chima only stretched and let out a low, but excited, hum to acknowledge the boy. While to most, it seemed as though the Badgermole had ignored the boy's question; To Izuku, who had become quite adept at reading his friend, the message was clear.

'Just wait and see…'

Whatever it was, Chima was sure excited about it. And from the way the Badgermole held himself, Izuku was sure that he would get his answer soon.

Chima turned away from him and stabbed his paws into the cave wall before him, taking out chunks of earth from it as his hind paws compressed loose rocks into the ground.

"You need any help? It would be faster if I joined you." The greenette couldn't stop himself from asking, there was no way to stop that part of his personality.

The boy felt a whish of wind grazing his face, a sign he came to associate with Chima wagging his tail more animatedly. He smiled like he always did when he could help someone and stepped forward, standing side by side with the Badgermole.

Thrusting his hands into the rock, Izuku wriggled his fingers in it, listening to the cracks forming before he cupped his hands and pushed outwards, taking some earth away with him.

They both entered a rhythmic trance of digging, stabbing into the earth, and taking some out. Both worked hard and diligently on their task, not minding when dust and dirt dirtied their clothes or fur in the process.

The physical toll took its hold on the boy, his breathing became ragged and his face was sweaty from all the digging. Nevertheless, he refused to let himself stop just yet, 'A hero won't give up!' he told himself.

Thrusting his hands into the wall one more time, Izuku widened his eyes when instead of digging into the wall, they dug through it. The cold air on the other side of the wall grazed gently against Izuku's fingertips as a wide smile formed on his face "We made it! Chima, we made it!"

Izuku and Chima continued to dig in a new fervor, taking away chunks of earth with each thrust of their limbs. However, confusion soon took its hold on the boy when he noticed the lack of light coming from the ever-widening hole they made, 'It can't be night already…'

Soon enough, the hole was big enough for Chima to go through and the two made their way past it.

What greeted them was something Izuku could've never expected. A cool breeze flowed through the air as Izuku darted his head from right to left. He still couldn't see anything, not a spec of light was visible in the space he was in. Izuku was confused. It felt like he was outside, so there had to be some sort of light, but there was nothing. The boy wandered a bit, trying to make sense of things when he hit a stone wall.

"Ow! Izuku rubbed his head and let his hand graze over the cold surface. He felt around it, trying to find where it ended so he could go around it, but no matter how far he went, the wall was still there.

"What is this place, Chima?"

"Chima...?"

"Chima...?"

"Chima...?"

Izuku asked aloud and shivered a bit when he heard his echo repeat what he said over and over. He got a response a few ways behind where he was; the Badgermole cub hummed softly, clearly content with being here.

The boy walked back towards Chima as he donned his 'thinking face' and cupped his chin in his hands. 'So there's a big wall behind me… and I and Chima came out from that cave…after going downward for the last thirty minutes...' Izuku slowly came to a halt when realization dawned on him.

'No way…'

The duo was located inside a gargantuan cave. Its' worm-like shape stretching so far that the boy couldn't comprehend how large it truly was while also wide and tall enough that Godzillo would likely be able to walk through it with no problem.

The boy gaped in awe. "This is amazing!" he let out a shout and giggled when he heard his echo in the cave, this time not afraid. "You knew about this, Chima… right?"

The Badgremole hummed in confirmation before he suddenly perked up in alert.

*R-R-R-R-Rumble...*

Izuku's eyes widened as the ground began to shake violently around him. Stumbling in place, he waved his hands around in an effort to find something to latch onto for support, soon finding it in Chima. "W-what's going on?!" The boy nervously asked. The thought of an earthquake soon crossed his mind and his heart sank as a nightmarish scenario played in his head.

*BOOM!*

Before another thought could cross Izuku's mind, the deafening smash of blown up earth and stone coursed through the cave and caused his already sunk heart to go deeper. Particles of dust hitched a ride with the natural airflow of the cave, agitating the boy's eyes and forcing him to squeeze them shut.

*Thump! *

*Thump! *

*Thump! *

Still clutching on to Chima for dear life, Izuku let out shaky and terrified gasps as he heard thundering footsteps heading their way. Each alone probably belonging to something much larger than Chima himself.

As these footsteps came mere meters away from the duo and Izuku prepared for the inevitable… They stopped.

The boy blinked both in confusion and to relieve the prickling dust in his eyes as he felt a rush of hot air ruffling his hair.

*Hummmmm*

A low hum vibrated through the air, a kind Izuku knew all too well.

He heard it almost every day from Chima.

But something was off.

For one, Chima himself wasn't humming at the moment, Izuku would've felt his body vibrate if that was the case. Secondly, the hum sounded different. It was deeper and louder than the ones Chima produced.

"What's going on, Chima?" Izuku finally found the courage to raise his voice and addressed his friend, wanting to find some familiarity in the situation.

Now with his focus on his friend, the boy noticed that his companion was pretty relaxed considering the situation. His breath wasn't irregular, he wasn't shaking, and he even seemed kind of happy, considering Izuku could feel he was wagging his tail.

Then another hum was heard by the boy, containing a curious glint that Izuku was sure he heard before from his friend. That sound was the final piece of the puzzle Izuku needed to realize what was going on and his eyes widened.

If there was any light, one could see the boy's eyes shine in wonder.

Before Izuku stood more of Chima's kind.

Adult Badgermoles.

Just one more chapter before the book's finale!