The Emperor's Dragon

Practice Buddies

The air was fresh and clear. It was cold but Izuku didn't mind that as he swooped through it. Flying was the best! He was just sorry that he didn't get much opportunity to do it but he'd managed to convince Kurogiri that he needed to practice and the warp gate had transported him here. Here was Lake Saroma, in northern Hokkaido, which meant that it was rather isolated. It meant he could practice without fear of being seen.

He created a platform and just let himself glide through the air, closing his eyes to feel the breeze on his face. It was nice.

It would be nicer if his Dad could have come but he'd had to decline. Izuku formed a fist. Dad had explained that he had other things to do but Izuku knew why. His injuries! They were healed. They had been healed for a year or so, but they were confining. The Heroes had hurt him so much and Izuku missed the opportunities they had to be together, practicing his quirks. It wasn't fair!

He screamed. It felt good and Izuku flipped in the air, his eyes narrowing as he activated Night Cat and he screamed again, diving towards the water. As he neared it, he levelled out and shot a jet of flame towards the water, strafing it. Steam hissed and billowed in his wake, swallowing the noise from his scream but it quickly dissipated as it mixed with the cold air.

Izuku pulled up, shooting into the air again.

"That's amazing!"

The voice was so unexpected that Izuku almost lost control of his quirk! He spun in the air, and found himself face to face with a young man, who was similarly floating in the air.

"Opp!" He said and Izuku felt a burst of air boost him as he stablised himself.

"Hi!" The young man said with a friendly grin. He held out one hand. "I'm Inasa Yoarashi," he introduced himself. He had dark brown hair and black eyes.

Izuku blinked. This was not what he expected. There wasn't meant to be anyone around. But there was. He smiled because it didn't appear as if Inasa was here to enforce quirk usage laws. If anything, he got the impression that Inasa was out practicing as well. "I'm Izuku Chui," he gave his name, taking Inasa's hand.

They shook and Izuku could tell from the movement that Inasa was strong. "What's your quirk? It's fantastic!" Inasa gushed.

For a moment Izuku panicked. He couldn't say that he had multiple quirks but what could he say that explained flight and fire breathing? And Kurogiri always told him he couldn't go out in public with green hair and eyes. What colour were they now? From the corner of his eye Izuku could see that his hair at least was white but if he'd used Night Cat, he knew his eyes were green. It would have to be good enough.

"Is it some sort of transformation quirk?" Inasa asked.

He nodded. That was probably the safest explanation.

"It's amazing! You can breathe fire and fly! That's so great."

"Only if I can get the timing right," Izuku countered. "Your quirk is-" he paused, remembering the burst of air that he'd felt earlier. Inasa's quirk wasn't just flight. "Some sort of air control?" he asked.

"Good pick up!" Inasa praised. "My quirk is named Whirlwind. I can control the air around me!"

"That's awesome!" Izuku gushed. It really was. Initially it seemed as if it was the same as Caeli Imperium but it was completely different. There were so many great quirks in the world. "How far can you extend the effect?" He asked.

"A bit," Inasa said with a grin. "That's why I'm here, to practice," he added with a laugh.

Izuku shared the laugh. "Me too!"