Quirks and magic

Chapter 12: The Eye of Agamotto

A/N: I name dropped a character in the last chapter named Master Minoru. She is a Marvel character, but she has no familial relation with Mineta. Minoru is Mineta's first name, and in this case Minoru is the surname for the character I used. If I confused anyone then I apologize.

After getting hurled to the ground for what had to be the thousandth time that week, Izuku wasn't feeling like he'd made a good first impression on the other practitioners whatsoever. Not that he was feeling bogged down by thoughts of inadequacy, he just...really wasn't expecting the training regimen that Strange and Wong had thrown at him. Or rather, the training regimen that was currently throwing him around the courtyard like a certified ragdoll.

Pure. Physical. Conditioning. Without magic, to boot.

And Master Minoru always made sure to pair him with the same training partner each and every time: that green, lumbering behemoth, Rintrah.

Izuku's brain fried the first time he'd been introduced to his sparring partner. Rintrah, unlike the other trainees, didn't look human in the slightest. Hell, he was hardly humanoid! He was a bull of a figure, literally: large and brawny, cloven feet, covered in coarse, green fur, and with a bull's head, complete with horns. Rintrah looked like a minotaur straight out of ancient mythology, and Izuku was expected to go toe-to-toe with this guy!

"Puny Green, meet Big Green!" Rintrah roared as he charged toward Izuku, who futilely tried to evade his massive, grappling hands (which were easily the size of his head, Izuku noted!) which twirled him through the air like a skinny twig before dropping him unceremoniously onto the stone tile below.

"I yield...!" Izuku cried out as he clutched his aching abdomen.

"Respite!" Master Minoru called out, and all the other partnered up trainees present ceased their physical sparring, walking and talking amongst one another as the slender, silver-robed master helped Izuku to his feet.

"Not bad, Izuku," She said, patting him on the back as Rintrah approached. "You've lasted a little bit longer and longer against Rintrah with each session. Master Strange said you had a never-give-up attitude, but even I'm impressed!"

Izuku's cheeks dusted a bit red at what he thought was undeserved praise, although it also felt nice knowing that Strange was essentially bragging about him to the other Masters.

"But I haven't even managed to land a single blow against him...!" Izuku said with more than a hint of frustration. "And my hands...well, it's more than a little difficult to throw a proper punch."

"Then don't throw a punch," Master Minoru said knowingly before skipping off to speak with the other students, leaving a slightly confused Izuku to ponder her words.

"You rush too much," Rintrah bellowed in his low voice as he sat beside Izuku, who was rubbing his sore side. "You are new to magic, correct?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku muttered. "I've only had roughly a year of training with Master Strange."

"Use of magic can be exhilarating, this I know for fact," Rintrah continued with his heavily accented voice. "Magic is tool for sorcerer. Is source of power for sorcerer. You are also frustrated at being forbidden to use magic all week."

"Was it that obvious?" Izuku blinked, surprised that the hulking Rintrah seemed able to pick up on his frustrations so easily. Izuku always did his best to not make such emotions evident.

Rintrah nodded and exhaled through his flared nostrils. "This no doubt why Masters started you here. You know how powerful tool magic can be, but you know little of most important tool of all."

"The most important tool of all?" Izuku repeated. "What would that be?"

"This," Rintrah spoke as he gave Izuku a hard poke against the boy's chest. "Body is most important tool of all."