The New Hero Generation

Chapter 4-New Beginnings

The training room at Might Tower was mostly for show. Though it housed massive equipment meant for All Might, the hero himself rarely used it, except during press tours or to impress guests. Heavy-duty machines, far too dangerous for the sidekicks or employees, stood idle, their surfaces gathering dust that was wiped clean by janitors on a bi-weekly schedule.

Over time, the other staff members had grown weary of navigating the towering, intimidating equipment just to reach their own, much less impressive machines. Several complaints flew around the offices that it felt like a constant reminder of their limitations. In response, management had drafted a plan to have the floor below revamped into a more practical gym for the rest of the building's employees. All Might was happy to sign off on it.

As a result, the original training room remained eerily quiet and empty most of the week-visited only briefly by the janitors, who spent no more than an hour or two tidying up. But this desolate floor had one perfect use: it was the ideal place for Izuku's training.

Who was currently staring at the nearest monster of a machine with stars in his eyes.

A Leg Press machine, that towered above him, it's sheer size intimidating, but what drew his attention was the lack of weights normally seen on such machines. Instead the entire mechanism was essentially an oddly angled hydraulic press that pushed back against the leg movement of the user. Nearby the seat was a control panel with different ranges of weights.

At first Izuku was a bit confused that the numbers were so low. Until he realized that the units being used were metric tons instead of pounds or kilograms.

Just as he fully processed that, a gruff voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Quit gawking at the machine. You'll be using it soon enough once that quirk of yours kicks in."

"O-Oh, hello sir!" Izuku greeted, turning to elderly man. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Why wouldn't I be here?" the old man replied, deadpan. "Did you think you'd escape my training now that you've got a quirk? Ha!" He barked out a laugh, his sinister grin sending a chill down Izuku's spine. "The real work starts now, kid."

Before Izuku could respond, another voice cut through the room.

"Relax, you old geezer," Recovery Girl reprimanded as she entered, her grandmotherly voice firm. Sir Nighteye followed behind her, his expression deadly serious, which was something Izuku was told was not unusual.

"No need to scare the poor boy half to death," she continued, giving Izuku a reassuring look. She carried a small bag that resembled a first-aid kit. "Don't worry, Izuku. I'll be keeping an eye on you, and him. We need to make sure your body adjusts to your quirk properly before any intense training."

Gran Torino huffed. "Always spoiling my fun." He then turned his gaze up toward Sir Nighteye. "So, Stringbean, where's the meathaed? He's supposed to be here already."

Sir Nighteye didn't miss a beat, taking the rude nickname in stride. "All Might is likely still at UA, finishing up his briefing with Nezu. How long he's delayed depends on how much Nezu feels like talking today."

Izuku listened as he looked around the room, noting the amount of All Might memorabilia that was kept at random points in the room. It was more like an All Might collection showcase than a private gym.

As he considered what they said, he realized it made sense. After All Might's dramatic speech at the press conference, Nezu had started explaining the changes UA would be making. The press didn't get many details, just the overall picture, but from the little Izuku could piece together, it sounded like things were about to get wild.