Author's Note: *Gapes at the number of reviews for this story* OK...wow...seriously. What the heck? Congratulations guys, you have officially broken the record for the largest number of reviews for a first chapter in one of my stories.

You like it that much? OK. I'll post this chapter now then.

Regarding a couple of people saying that having Hamon as a Quirk rather than something that anyone can use and learn...not everyone can learn Hamon, otherwise Speedwagon would have learned it, rather being a one-man cheering squad for Jonathan and Joseph.

As to people asking about Jojo posing and vampires...well, let's just see where this takes us, hmm? I will say that at least one vampire will show up, but he will NOT be Dio Brando or any of the vampires from the Jojoverse.

Enjoy!

"Kacchan!" - Speech

'Shitty Deku!' - Thoughts

"I AM HERE!" - All Might Speech

"Detroit Smash!" - Special Technique Usage

Beta'd by BigCC

Chapter 2: Golden Radiance of Hamon

The Next Week

Therapist's Office, Musutafu

"Well, Bakugō-san, I've finished your son's initial prognosis and I've got some good news and bad news." the therapist stated calmly. He was a bald man, whose own Quirk had guided him to his current career. [Empathic Perception] allowed him to perceive the emotional state of anyone within a certain range who he could see clearly, viewing them in a similar way that others perceive colour.

"Just give it to me straight, sensei." Bakugō Mitsuki said, bracing herself. Sitting in the seat beside her, Katsuki was scowling and pouting at having to go through this bullshit.

"I am afraid that your son has a classic, albeit severe, case of an Inferiority/Superiority Complex." the therapist said bluntly. "Children, particularly those as young as yours are easily influenced by their surroundings. The constant praise and accolades he received from both his teachers and peers for his 'powerful Quirk' have led to him developing a rather swollen opinion of himself. The fact that the teachers and authority figures in his life outside yourself have never sought to interfere with his actions or provide any negative reinforcement for his more volatile behaviour only reinforced this opinion and helped set in a belief that it was his right."

Mitsuki glared down at her son for a moment before taking a deep breath and returning her attention back to the doctor.

"Go on." she said tightly.

The psychologist merely nodded, looking down at the notes. "The other half of the issue, the inferiority complex, is a bit trickier and harder to root out and is deeply rooted in his relationship with one of his classmates you mentioned earlier, a Midoriya Izuku-kun. The best I could find was something that occurred shortly after his Quirk emerged and his superiority complex started to develop. A common syndrome in superiority complexes is a refusal to accept aid and to even see any attempts to offer it as an insult. A few months ago Katsuki-kun suffered a fall while 'adventuring' through the park. While the other children simply stood back and watched, Midoriya-kun quickly moved to help him up. For Katsuki-kun's burgeoning superiority complex, instead of an offer to help, this was perceived as an insult and even as Midoriya mocking him."

"So all this started over something so...?! Brat!" Mitsuki growled at her son. "You are one sorry little shit, you know that?!"

"Screw you, hag!" Katsuki shot back immediately.

"Settle down please, both of you." the therapist stated sternly, causing both blondes to quiet down. "As I was saying, Katsuki-kun's emotions regarding Midoriya-kun's are quite tangled, mixing anger, respect, admiration, rage, and a host of other emotions that I can only began to make a guess at understanding. The end result, however is that Midoriya-kun became something of an avatar for Katsuki-kun's doubts and insecurities about himself, resulting in his harsh treatment regarding the boy in an attempt to expunge them."

The doctor then offered a kind smile to Mitsuki. "Luckily, Katsuki-kun is still young enough that his superiority complex should still be relatively easy to treat, and once we get to the root of the matter, his inferiority complex should likewise be easily treated. However, I can only do so much in my office, and in cases like these it is far too easy for the patient to backslide without regular reinforcement. I would advise you to speak to Katsuki's new teachers and make them aware that they need to be particularly diligent in keeping an eye on Katsuki-kun's behaviour and the need to be strict with their punishments if he acts out. I would also advise for you to randomly check to make certain they are not enabling him rather than following your wishes."

"Oh, you can be certain of that." Mitsuki said coldly. "I will be making sure that this brat toes the line or else I'll be sending him to the strictest school I can find to instil some discipline into him."

Katsuki had a horrible sense of foreboding about that.

As the mother and son duo prepared to leave, the therapist spoke to Katsuki directly, his voice kind but very firm.

"Katsuki, you are angry at me and everyone. You don't see why we're getting on your back about this, correct?"

"So?" the [Explosion] user growled out through grit teeth.

"You must understand this, if nothing else: acting as you have will only harm your dream of becoming a hero." the man sat back in his chair and regarded the truculent boy. "Slightly stricter regulations are being hashed together in the Diet regarding who is permitted to gain a Hero License or even enter a Hero Course at some of the more prestigious schools. Hero Course applicants will have their histories and backgrounds more thoroughly examined and those with a history of negative behaviour and bullying, as you have shown, will have a much harder time gaining acceptance."

That hit Katsuki like a sledgehammer; he couldn't even start to believe or understand how his actions would hurt his chances of accomplishing his dreams. His eyes went wide and he started to clench his hands, a part of him wanting nothing more than to let his Quirk go off to vent his frustrations, but he forced the urge down. The old hag had been cracking down on him even more than usual for using his Quirk recklessly ever since he'd been transferred out of Dantouin.

"You see Katsuki, your Quirk is indeed strong, and I can see how it could be a great tool to combat villains." the man continued gravely. "But at the moment, villains are not the enemy you need to face, not the hurdle you need to overcome. For now, you must learn to conquer yourself instead."

"...huh?" the dandelion-haired boy looked at the older man in confusion.

"Your aggression and attitude are now the biggest roadblocks on your quest to be a hero." the man tried to explain in terms the boy could understood. "Every single report about you from Dantouin Preschool is about your Quirk and your abilities and future. Not a single word is mentioned about you as a person. The reason behind that is sadly simple; your behaviour does not reflect that of a hero. So long as this remains the case, even if you become a hero, you will never reach the Top Ten, never mind the Number One position."

Katsuki was struck dumb by that statement. He mechanically followed his mother out of the room, his mind churning in thought about everything he had been told, with all of it clashing with his own self-image and pride.

Monday the Next Week

Principal's Office, Kore Ria Kindergarten

"I see." the principal of the Kore Ria Kindergarten, Sakuran Akari, nodded seriously. She was an old woman, approaching retirement age, but she was still fit as a fiddle. More importantly to the worried mother sitting opposite of her, she was a firm proponent of equal rights who didn't give a damn about what Quirks people had, just that they sat down and didn't kick up a fuss. "I've heard a few bad rumours about Dantouin Preschool and their principal in particular, but for them to go this far…it beggars belief."

"I wasn't exactly happy to hear of it myself." Inko said as she cuddled her son to her side. "The sheer nerve of them, treating my baby boy like that...!"

"Trust me Midoriya-san, I'm a mother and a grandmother myself, were I in your shoes my reactions would mirror your own." the principal nodded sympathetically. It was a sad state in her opinion when educators, particularly those of young children, were more interested in pandering to a select few in hopes of small sliver of recognition later on rather than properly guiding their young charges. "I can assure you that in my Kindergarten it doesn't matter if you're the next Endeavour or All Might or even Quirkless, all kids are treated under the same ethos: firm but fair. I have a zero tolerance policy for Quirkism in particular and bullying in general."

Quirkism, or the Quirk Supremacist belief, was something which had reared its head several times over the past two and a half centuries since the Quirk Factor had begun to manifest itself. Those who believed in it advocated the right for any Quirk user to freely use their Quirk as they please. Those who followed these tenets were heavily discriminatory against those with 'weak' Quirks (though the definition of weak varied among branches) and the Quirkless in particular, citing them as crippled at best and a genetic throwback and aberration at worse.

Then there were the host of other Quirk-based bigotries that were bandied about alongside the Quirkist slogan: Anti-Mutation bigotry, Pro-Emitter favouritism, Villainous/Heroic Quirk discrimination.

Despite how far humanity had come in other areas since the rise of the Quirk Era, bigotry was still alive and well, even if it wore a new face. It was a thought that often saddened the old woman when she thought about it.

"That is very good to hear, Sakuran-san." Inko said firmly. "I sincerely hope that my boy doesn't come home with bruises and the like, at least not without some form of explanation from you."

"Rest assured, any form of harm to a student is looked into extensively. While we understand that children can be a bit rough at times, that is no excuse to be lack in our duties." Sakuran assured her. "One of the teachers has a Quirk called [Replay Vision], which allows her to look into the past of anyone she's touching. It only goes back about ten minutes, but that's more than enough for most instances of suspected bullying or harassment."

Letting out a breath of relief, Inko nodded. "Thank you. I'll leave my boy with his teacher...who is?"

"That would be Mitsuhide Rena-sensei." the Principal supplied with a small smile. "She's very good with children who have had a hard time with bullies. You'd be surprised how many parents come here after finding out their children have been bullied."

Minutes Later

Classroom, Kore Ria Kindergarten

"Alright everyone, I'm here to introduce a new friend to you all today." the teacher said with a smile. Mitsuhide Rena was a pretty young woman in her twenties, with red eyes and blue hair. Her Quirk was a Mutation-type called [Four Arms] and literally gave her an extra set of arms coming out of her shoulders. She had one set folded away behind her back and her right main arm on Izuku's shoulder. "This is Midoriya Izuku-kun. He's transferred in today due to problems at his previous school. Try to get along with him, OK? Introduce yourself, Izuku-kun."

"I-I'm...Midoriya Izuku." the little green-haired boy bowed quickly. "N-Nice to meet you all?"

A chorus of greetings came back at him, the faces of his new classmates curious about him.

"Now, I'm going to go over the rules of the class for everyone, both to introduce Izuku-kun to them, and to remind all of you of them as well." Rena said, addressing the class as a whole. "First, there is to be no Quirk usage in the classroom at all. That is to be restricted to the playground. Second, in the case that you do use your Quirk in the playground, it is to be a demonstration only; you are not to direct your Quirk towards another student, nor are you to use them on the school buildings or equipment. For those of you with mutation Quirks such as mine, while using any extra limbs or whatnot is allowed, anything else falls under the same rules and you have to be to use them carefully so as not to hurt anyone.

"As for punishments...accidentally using your Quirk to harm another student or a teacher will result in your parents being called and you will be put in the time-out corner for the day. Deliberately using your Quirk to harm someone else, staff or student, will result in a week's suspension and a meeting between your parents and school staff to determine your future at this school going forward. We give second chances, but never third ones."

Izuku was looking up at the teacher with more than a little awe. 'The old sensei never said anything about that kind of stuff before.'

"And of course, it goes without saying that words are a big part of bullying as well." the teacher eyed her students carefully. "Any insults toward one of your classmates whether it's because of their Quirk, lack of one, appearance, or anything else will see you spending the rest of the day in the timeout corner. Does everyone understand me?"

"Yes, sensei!" the class sang at her.

"Good. Now let's get started, shall we?" Rena clapped her primary hands together. "Izuku-kun, go and sit next to Jirō-chan there."

The kid in question was a purple-haired girl wearing a striped dress. She also had a pair of dangling things coming from her ears...as in they were literally a part of her earlobes. She had a bored expression on her face, but still nodded to him with a small smile that disappeared quickly as she turned her attention back to the lesson.

Izuku paid attention too, but he kept fidgeting and looking around nervously. He wasn't used to everyone...well, not trying to sneer, jeer or otherwise look at him like he was something nasty they had just trodden on. It was, to not put too fine a point on it, freaking him out a bit.

It got to the point that at lunch, Rena held him back to talk to him. Once she got a good understanding of why he had been twitching and looking nervous as if he'd had ants in his pants, she'd offered the boy a gentle smile (while silently vowing to do everything in her power to have the Quirkist assholes responsible for his previous treatment blacklisted) and promised that he had nothing to be afraid of.

She honestly hoped the boy got acclimated to his new environment quickly. No four-year-old should be such a nervous, twitchy little thing.

In the Playground

Izuku walked along the playground before settling himself in small hidden corner away from the other students. He'd become good at finding out of the way places to avoid the other kids over the past six months. It had worked out well…most of the time…unless Kacchan was intent on 'practising his Quirk.' Kacchan was really smart and hard to hide from, so nowhere was safe from him when he was in a mood.

He knew that the sensei said that he didn't have to hide anymore; the sensei had been really nice and promised no one would pick on him again. But some habits were hard to break, and honestly he was still feeling so itchy and twitchy from class that he really didn't want to deal with so many other people right now.

"Yo." a slightly flat voice suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts, making Izuku yelp in shock and look up. It was that girl he'd sat next to in class...Jirō-san, wasn't it?

"Whatcha doing way over here?" she asked curiously.

"O-Oh...j-just...what I do at lunch." Izuku stuttered out. "I-I...was k-kinda bullied at my...old school, s-so...going somewhere to hide a-at lunch is...kinda a habit."

"Oh...that sucks." the purplette frowned. "I got picked on too, because of my Quirk making me look weird. That was before my parents transferred me here."

"Your Quirk? The dangly things on your ears?" the boy asked curiously, his stutter falling away as he focused on his favourite subject.

"Uh-huh. My Quirk's called [Earphone Jack]." Jirō offered, both cord-like extensions lifting slightly without her touching them. "It's a pretty cool Mutation Quirk that lets me use these jacks to listen in on things. I think the Quirk doc said they could also act as amplifiers to send my heartbeat into things."

"That's awesome! Why would anyone bully you for that?" Izuku asked in disbelief. "Your Quirk's so cool!"

"I didn't tell anyone what it did, and they all assumed it was a weak one." the girl looked unimpressed by her former classmates' idiocy. "I coulda just ignored them, but my Mum found out and transferred me out to here about four months ago."

"My mum says kids are cruel." Izuku frowned.

"That's what my Dad said too." Jirō nodded. "What about you? What's your Quirk?"

"Mine's an Emitter type called [Hamon]!" the boy said happily. He really loved his Quirk. "Watch."

Stilling in his body in a way that was becoming easier and easier, Izuku began to slow his breathing into the now-familiar rhythmic pattern, Izuku was once again covered in the golden energy of his Quirk, with Jirō looking on in slight awe.

"That looks so wicked!" she laughed out. "What does it do?"

"It acts like a shield, protecting my body! It also makes me stronger, faster and heals me if I'm hurt!" Izuku answered happily, stopping his breathing and allowing the small amount of energy he'd gathered to dissipate, causing the aura to quickly fade. "It can even heal other people too, but I dunno how that works yet."

"Dude, that's an awesome Quirk!" Jirō's eyes were wide at that. Those were just the basic uses of his Quirk; she knew enough about Quirks to know if one had diverse basic abilities, there were often uses, abilities and subtle nuances of the Quirk that would only be discovered through time and experimentation. Her own was a good example, as was Izuku's.

The green-haired boy chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head shyly. "Y-yeah...it is pretty cool. The Quirk Counsellor told my Mum that I should learn martial arts, because my Quirk only activates and starts generating energy if I breathe in a special way. She's looking into local dojo's for me."

Jirō blinked. "So you wanna be a hero?"

"Just like All Might!" Izuku confirmed eagerly. His eyes were practically glowing with determination and excited that was more almost as bright as the light of his Quirk. "What about you?"

"I wanna be a hero, yeah." the purplette said with a nod before the chime signalling the end of lunch rang. "We'd better get back; Rena-sensei gets ticked off if the class isn't back by the second chime."

Nodding, Izuku followed the girl back to the classroom, feeling warm inside. He had, for the first time in over six months, maybe-possibly made a friend. On top of not being bullied and/or ignored by the majority of the class, that made today the best day of kindergarten/preschool he'd ever had.

He could get used to this.

After School

Kitchen, Midoriya Home

Inko smiled as Izuku chatted with her about the new friend he had made today, a girl called Jirō Kyōka. It warmed her heart to see him already making friends on the first day of his new school. It added a lot of justification to her decision to send him to Kore Ria Kindergarten rather than any of the other preschools and kindergartens in the area, even if it was a tad more expensive than Dantouin had been.

The older Midoriya repressed a frown as she recalled the phone call with Hisashi last week about the need for him to send more money over from his pay check. She knew how much money he made, and she also knew how much he sent to her per month, and there was a very noticeable gap between the two figures, especially considering his company paid for room and board while he was working overseas in America. She had, after an hour long phone call, managed to persuade him to up the amount by a sizeable amount, but it had left a sour taste in her mouth afterwards.

Hiashi hadn't had any kind of say in the matter about the money; it was legally required that a child get the best support and resources to learn how to use their Quirk safely, and it wasn't as if Izuku had a Quirk that fired nuclear fallout energy every time he sneezed; it was, in fact, a fairly simple Quirk to train and use. Unless Izuku was going to hit someone, it seemed that the energy it generated was content to simply protect his body, enhance his muscles, and heal him, so the amount of extra money needed for the new school and for membership at a dojo was more than reasonable.

Hiashi was just being an ass for the sake of being an ass. She sometimes wondered why she'd married the man in the first place, but her precious baby always kept her from regretting it

"Izuku, I've been looking around for a good place to have you learn martial arts, as the Quirk Counsellor advised me to." she said to her baby boy after dinner. "And I think I've found one that is suitable for you."

"Really?!" Izuku squeaked adorably, eyes shining.

"Yes, we'll go and see if they'll be willing to take you on this weekend." the older Midoriya said as she ruffled her son's hair fondly. "By all accounts, this should be a good place to train in using your Quirk, but I want you to promise me that you'll be careful and tell me if anything happens, OK?"

"I promise, Mummy!" Izuku promised immediately, making Inko squee inside at how earnest and adorable her son was. By the time he was in highschool, she was certain that he'd be fending the girls off with a stick. Grandchildren were something that Inko was so looking forward to.

"Off you go and wash your hands and face and I'll set the computer up so you can watch your favourite video." she told Izuku fondly. her son squeaked an affirmative and tore out of the room to go as she asked, leaving her to shake her head in amusement. She swore that Izuku had added over a million views to that first video of All Might's heroics just by himself.

Saturday

Office, Enryū Dojo

"Huh...so this is the kid?" a large man peered down at Izuku. He was heavily muscled, mostly due to his Quirk [Bulk Up]. It was a passive one that greatly increased the speed that his muscles healed from damage and fatigue while also accelerating muscle growth without impairing his muscle's flexibility. He was Bushi Masuo, the main owner of this dojo. With his buzz-cut and squashed nose, the man made for quite the intimidating sight!

"Y-Yes." Inko said, somewhat intimidated by the man, who was about half again her height, even sitting down as he was, and at least thrice her mass in pure muscle.

"H-Hi...?" Izuku squeaked as he looked up (and up) at the giant of a man.

"So I got the docs from the Counsellor about your boy here." he said without further ado. "Afraid I can't do much for the kid myself, since my speciality is in Karate, but it looks like he'd be a good fit for my wife. She specializes in Tai Chi and is an expert in both the combat and meditative aspects. Given his Quirk's reliance on breathing and the effects it can cause, she basically told me to take a hike and let her teach him."

"That's very nice of her..." Inko said with a nod.

"Now, just so you know, basic training is mostly focused around meditation, physical exercise, stretches, and some basic kata. Not as exciting as actually learning to kick butt, but you gotta learn to walk before you can start to run." Masuo offered Izuku with a kind smile. "That includes Quirk usage; you'll need to learn the basics without using your Quirk before you can start trying to use them in combination. Follow me so far kid?"

"Um...my Quirk kinda-sorta activates all on its own whenever I breath rhythmically." Izuku offered with a slight frown. "I-Is that a problem?"

Raising an eyebrow, the dojo master shook his head slightly. "Nah, Quirks activating involuntarily or in response to some specific action are actually pretty common, particularly when you're still young and learning control. Still, it's a bit of a surprise that something as simple as breathing in a certain way would activate it. Hmm, could be a mental trigger or something that registers a change in breathing…" the man trailed off in thought for a moment before shaking his head as he heard footsteps approaching his office. "Anyway, my wife will be able to get a better read on it than me and that's probably her now."

The door opened and a petite woman walked in. she was only a couple of inches taller than Inko, but was svelte and lithe, with a long ponytail of lustrous black hair running down her back and bobbing just above her ankles. She was dressed in a Chinese style tangzhuang jacket, kung fu pants and shoes. She had an open, friendly face and a button nose. The only intimidating thing about her was the lack of sclera in her eyes, leaving them covered in her emerald green irises.

"Kanzashi! Here's the boy you were eager to see." Bushi Masuo greeted his wife and business partner with a broad grin, gesturing at Izuku.

"So I can see, dear." Bushi Kanzashi smiled in amusement at her husband before turning to look at Izuku. "So you're Izuku-kun, eh? I hear tell that you have a pretty cool Quirk."

Izuku blushed and fidgeted in place, still unused to the fact that he had a Quirk and that it was indeed pretty cool. Kanzashi suppressed a giggle at how cute the boy was.

"Now don't be modest." she chided him instead. "While getting a big head is a bad thing for anybody, one should always acknowledge their own strengths as well; otherwise you'll never get stronger."

A Quirk user, or any warrior in Bushi Kanzashi's mind, had to constantly walk a fine line between ego and modesty. Too much ego and not enough modesty led to false pride, hubris and arrogance, while too much modesty and not enough ego led to a lack of confidence and self-doubts that would only hinder their growth. A true warrior had to balance both, confident enough to know their own strength, but humble enough to admit their weaknesses and still be willing to grow. It was a delicate balance, but one an aspiring hero (which the counsellor had mentioned Izuku aspired to be) would need to find if they wanted to be great.

"Y-yeah...my Quirk's...pretty cool?" Izuku offered questioningly. "Wanna see it?"

"If it isn't going to destroy the office, sure." the female martial artist replied with a small smile and a nod.

So Izuku let himself fall into the breathing pattern he'd been rapidly growing accustomed to, calmly breathing in and out in a controlled rhythm and causing his golden aura to once again flare to life. He was well-aware of the two martial artists watching with rapt attention, but was able to force down his nervousness as he focused on his breathing.

"Hmm, I can see why your Quirk Counsellor thought that Tai Chi would be advantageous to your Quirk." Kanzashi said after a moment. "Breathing control is an important aspect in all forms of martial arts, both armed and unarmed, and it only gets more important as one advances, but neigong and qigong breathing exercises are a fundamental aspect of Tai Chi, regardless of whether you use the exercise version or the combat version. Once you've master those, I can see that your Quirk will definitely be viable in combat. I will take you on as my student, Midoriya Izuku. Masuo dear, please fill out the paperwork."

"Yes, honey." the big man beamed at his petite wife. "Should I give them the discount?"

"Definitely. I'm teaching because I want to, not to make money." the black-haired woman replied before turning to Inko and explaining, "Personal students are something I take seriously, but I rarely find anyone worth teaching. For those I do find worth it, I half their lesson fees as thanks."

"Oh...that's very good of you. Are you sure...?" Inko asked uncertainly.

"No worries, this place has enough students paying full fees to keep us in the black easily." Kanzashi waved a hand negligently. "Now, we'd better find Izuku-kun here a gi to wear...oh, you will have to pay for his gi, I am afraid."

"That's fine, I budgeted for that." the older Midoriya said with a nod before looking down at her son, who was still maintaining his Quirk. "Izuku, you can stop now. Go with Bushi-sensei and she'll find a gi for you while I handle the boring paperwork."

"OK, Mummy." Izuku nodded obediently and the golden glow faded as he let go of his rhythmic breathing. He followed Kanzashi out of the door.

"He's a good kid." Masuo said approvingly.

"He's my baby boy." Inko said with pride. "He has a bad habit of keeping anything he thinks might worry me to himself though, so you may want to watch out for that."

"Like I said, he's a good kid. He obviously loves you to bits." Masuo grinned at her as he pulled out the registration form for his dojo. "The wife and I haven't decided to have kids yet, but if and when we do, I hope our kid likes us as much as Izuku-kun there likes you."

Quite flustered by the praise (like mother like son), Inko grabbed a pen and started filling out the forms.

With Izuku

"So, how does that fit?" Kanzashi-sensei (as she insisted on him calling her, considering both she and her husband taught classes it prevented confusion) asked.

Experimentally moving, Izuku nodded. "It's comfy and loose, but it doesn't feel like it'll slip or get in the way."

"Good. Nice that we found one that fits on the second try." the woman nodded with a smile. "Now, Izuku-kun, I read in the Quirk Counsellor's notes that your Quirk, [Hamon], acts as a shield against blows, heals you if you're hurt and enhances your physical condition...that is, makes you hit harder, using that golden energy. Is that about right?"

"Hai, sensei." Izuku bobbed his head obediently.

"I think getting a baseline of what you can do with it." Kanzashi mused. "Show me how you form a fist."

Bemused by the sudden direction of the conversation, Izuku obeyed.

"Huh...not bad for a beginner, you don't make the thumb-under-the-fingers mistake that a lot of people make before being corrected or finding out painfully." she nodded approvingly. "Right, follow me, Izuku-kun."

Kanzashi-sensei led him to the dojo proper, which was empty at that moment. Izuku was curious about it, so he asked.

"Ah, that's because most of our lessons usually take place after school hours on the weekdays." she replied as she hunted about in a cupboard. "Any lessons on the weekend take place in the afternoon or evening depending on the age of the student in question, which leaves us the mornings for paperwork and other things. Now, where did I...? Aha, there you are!"

With a triumphant expression on her face, Kanzashi pulled out a human-shaped doll of some kind. It looked like a special-order pillow filled with straw or something. She also pulled out a stand to hang it from.

"This is one of the things we use to let new students get a good idea of their punching power." she explained as she assembled the stand and set it on the floor. She then hung the doll from it where it 'stood' suspended. While she was doing this Masuo and Inko had entered the room and were observing them.

"OK Izuku-kun. I want you to punch this dummy twice in the target area." Kanzashi directed him, indicating the bullseye painted onto the dummy. "Once with your regular strength and once with your Quirk. That'll give me a good baseline of your physical abilities."

"OK, sensei." Izuku nodded obediently. Drawing one tiny fist back, he threw it in a fairly good punch (for an untrained kid) at the centre of the bullseye, making the dummy rock back slightly, but it was well within expected range for a four and a half year old.

"Not bad." Masuo nodded. "A bit sloppy and uncoordinated, but you've got better control than most first-timers I've seen."

"OK, good first try, Izuku-kun." Kanzashi said approvingly. "Now use your Quirk."

Nodding, the green-haired boy started the rhythmic breathing that activated his Quirk. Izuku was a very smart boy for his age, and he'd figured out an important aspect of his Quirk: if he attacked as he breathed out, the resulting attack with his body and Quirk would be that much stronger.

"Haaaaaa~!" Izuku let out a breath as he slammed a strong punch into the dummy, the golden aura around his fist flaring brightly in response. As soon as the blow landed, the golden energy pulsed powerfully.

BANG!

In an instant, the dummy was ripped from its tethers and flew back into the wall, where it exploded into clumps of fabric and straw that scattered themselves all over the dojo floor.

Masuo and Kanzashi blinked in stupefaction at this sight. While ripping the dummy off its tethers wasn't that uncommon for a kid with a modestly powerful strength-boosting Quirk, most kids were at least twice his age before they could accomplish it. For a four-year-old whose Quirk had only been active for a month to be strong enough to cause it to explode like that was something neither had expected.

"Well now." Kanzashi said mildly. "I do believe we have a good idea of how powerful your Quirk can be, Izuku-kun. Was that the best strike you have?"

"H-Hai..." Izuku replied in shock. He was so embarrassed that he'd broken something on his very first day! "S-Sorry about the d-dummy..."

"Eh, don't worry about it kid, those things aren't exactly made to last." Masuo offered with a shrug. "We go through at least one a week in our senior classes, they're made to take a beating and then bust. Part of learning control is learning how to hit 'em without breaking them. Don't worry, we don't charge people for their replacement either, it's part of the fee."

The dojo masters stifled grins at how relieved Izuku looked at that news. He really was a good boy. Then they noticed a worried expression on Inko's face.

"Mrs Midoriya, I can promise you that Izuku-kun is in good hands." Kanzashi said reassuringly to the worried mother. "The [Hamon] Quirk is powerful and it will definitely require great control to be used properly, but that is one thing that Tai Chi is quite good at teaching. I can promise you that, given time and training, Izuku will be able to strike a dummy like that with his Quirk on without doing any serious damage."

Inko relaxed at that and bowed slightly. "Thank you. Please teach Izuku well."

Bushi Kanzashi bowed in return. "I will do so."

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Next Chapter: A Rival Appears!

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