Chapter 62: Closer

Konichiwa great readers! I am delighted to be handing you another chapter for this month and open the doors to our great escape from reality. Thank you all so much for the support, every time I'm told my stories are enjoyed I gush with strength and motivation.

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CHAPTER 62: CLOSER

As Izuku dashed out of bed that morning, earlier than his regular wake-up routine. He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement coursing through his veins. He tripped over his feet putting on his pants, and had to go back in to grab his water bottle after making it down the hall, but he was out of his dorm room in less than ten minutes. He also remembered to send a response message to a text he had received that morning saying 'I'll be waiting outside the dorm building. Don't eat anything heavy or you'll puke' 

Izuku loved analyzing quirks, throughout his life as a quirkless person he became even more infatuated with other people's powers. Perhaps it was the one way he thought he could hold onto his dream of being a hero. Like someone watching the sky every night to observe the stars, in hopes that one of them would fall to them. 

Then he was finally given his chance, and he was determined not to lose it. He would do whatever it took to get stronger, to live up to the expectations he accepted in receiving his power. So he was ecstatic when Sakura agreed to help him with training. Even though their class rep had kept her distance from everyone, she was always there to help them in a pinch. Izuku realized she was very engaging when making sure everyone else was safe. And she was by far the best student to come to for advice for training if her own ability didn't speak for itself.

As he arrived in front of Heights Alliance, he found Sakura waiting for him outside, in their gym clothes.

"Am I late?" he asked breathlessly, his chest heaving with exertion.

"No, right on time. Come on let's go,"

Sakura took off in a sprint. Izuku could only stare for a moment before snapping out of his daze and following her lead.

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After a hearty, and quick-paced run, they arrived at one of UA's simulation grounds, the forest area out further into the mountains. It was still the early hour. Sakura didn't seem to mind the lack of light.

Izuku hadn't been able to keep pace with Sakura in their run until he resorted to activating One for All to boost his speed. To get to this ground, they would usually take the shuttle. Of course that wasn't available this time of the morning and Sakura was using this as a warm-up for them.

"There are closer training grounds," Izuku panted softly.

Sakura stretched out her arms, warming her muscles, "That's the city and town areas. I don't want to risk damaging them," It made sense to train in a controlled environment, away from the bustling cityscape with their types of powers. "Besides, this place is more in my element,"

Izuku didn't know what she meant by that, but he had a feeling it was one of those questions Sakura might not be willing to elaborate.

Before diving into their training regimen, Sakura paused to discuss Izuku's quirk. "So, how are you fighting right now? Are you still going with punches?"

Izuku shook his head, "Actually I've updated my fighting style before the licensing exam," He held out his fists, showing off his crooked hand, "I was thinking about what you told me during training camp, and I've started to incorporate kicks into my fighting,"

"I see," Sakura folded her arms, "Gives your hands a break at least from that power. How is that working out for you now?"

"A lot better than I hoped," Izuku said.

"It's important to review your current abilities to identify areas for improvement," she explained. "Whether it's shoring up weaknesses or capitalizing on strengths, you can't build something from nothing."

Izuku nodded in understanding. He was taken aback when Sakura approached him and started pressing her fingers into his legs.

"W-Wh-What!?" Izuku couldn't help but feel a surge of vulnerability. Sakura's boldness caught him off guard as she assessed his physical condition with a critical eye.

"Your body is pretty tough, but you're still not as flexible as you could be," Sakura observed, her brow furrowing in thought.

"Is that bad?" Izuku asked, a hint of concern creeping into his voice. "I have to focus on building up my body strength and muscle. It's the only way I can handle the power of my quirk."

"That makes sense...Okay, let's get started," Sakura moved away from Izuku to the opposite side. The forest suddenly felt thicker to Izuku, and he felt his body become like stone. He stood at attention, shoulders squared, eyes focused. Sakura, a few paces away, gracefully executed a series of quick stretches.

"I'm going to attack you now," she announced matter-of-factly.

"What?" Izuku exclaimed, his surprise evident.

"We're going to spar now, Izuku and your job is to make sure I don't hit you. So dodge like you're life depends on it," Sakura instructed with a smile that made him even more nervous.

"Wait, if it's a spar, does that mean I can attack you as well?" Izuku sought clarification.

"Sure, if you can get that far first,"

Izuku activated his quirk waiting for his opponent to make her move but he didn't see it coming. In an instant, Sakura vanished from his sight. A flicker of movement caught his attention below as he saw a shadow beneath him growing, he looked up as Sakura descended rapidly, her leg poised for a powerful strike. Before Izuku could react, her foot connected with his head, and he found himself kissing the forest floor.

"See, that's why I told you to dodge," Sakura remarked, her tone light but instructive.

Groaning, Izuku rubbed his head, a dull ache settling in. He realized that Sakura had held back, sparing him the full force of her strength. If she hadn't, he mused, he would likely have been knocked out cold.

"That was such an obvious attack, so why didn't you move?"

Izuku nodded, as he rubbed the sore spot on his head. "It seemed so obvious that I..."

"You were stuck in your head," Sakura interjected, pointing to her temple. "Over-analysis. It's your biggest strength and weakness. Don't be doubtful in a fight; that's the first reason you could slip up."

 "Right, I'll keep that in mind."

Sakura motioned for him to resume his fighting stance, and Izuku complied, readying himself for the next round. Sakura advanced, keeping herself squarely within Izuku's line of vision. She launched into a rapid series of punches, giving Izuku a clear view of her movements and allowing him the opportunity to react.

Watching Sakura's movements intently, Izuku focused on predicting her next move. He anticipated her attacks, shifting his position to dodge each blow. Despite his efforts, a few strikes still managed to connect, prompting Sakura to emphasize her point.

"Look at my movements to determine my next move, and react accordingly,"

 Again Izuku was in awe of Sakura's fighting skills, she had trained with him during the camp. She told him back then that he wasn't very flexible, and she was able to easily predict his movements because they were more limited than he imagined. But he took that as his chance to grow and work on his fighting style.

All Might had even told Izuku that he was trying too hard to mimic him. And that was becoming counterproductive in his development.

Just because he had the same power as the hero, didn't mean he had to follow the path he walked by tracing his footprints, there was simply too big a difference in the stride that hindered him.

Izuku attempted to counter with an attack, but before he could even draw back his leg, Sakura delivered a punch to his ribs, throwing him off balance and forcing him to resume the dance with her leading.

"You've improved," Sakura remarked calmly as she pressed Izuku further into the forest, her movements fluid and controlled. "Learning to use your legs along with your fists, but it's not enough."

Izuku gritted his teeth, struggling to keep up with Sakura's relentless assault. With each strike, he analyzed her movements, searching for any patterns or weaknesses he could exploit. But she was too well versed in the art of combat, and she was able to counter anything he came up with.

"To win in battle, you have to be able to pick up your opponent's fighting patterns," Sakura continued, her voice unwavering even as she launched another series of attacks. "What are their dominant hand and foot? Are there any clear blind spots? How can I use the environment against them!?"

As Sakura swung her leg in a sweeping arc, executing a 360-degree turn, Izuku instinctively backed away. However, his foot caught on an unseen tree branch, sending him tumbling backward. He landed on his back with a thud, the wind knocked out of him, before sliding down an incline concealed by the forest undergrowth.

He could hear Sakura snorting as her plan had worked too well. She rushed to Izuku's side. "Are you okay?" she asked, offering him a hand up.

"Yeah…" Izuku mumbled, letting Sakura pull him back to his feet. He started picking some twigs from his hair.

"Good, because we're going again,"

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..

..

The sparring had lasted over two hours until the sun was full in the sky and it was time to return. Sakura walked away without a bead of sweat on her chin, while Izuku could hardly pull air into his lungs, as the task was almost too painful.

"Not bad," Sakura complimented, her emerald eyes assessing Izuku. "Your reaction time's improving."

"Thanks," Izuku panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Sakura could sense that something was bothering Izuku, "What's wrong?" she inquired.

"No-nothing," Izuku stammered, attempting to deflect.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I can't help you train if you aren't honest with me."

"It's just... I really want to grow my strength so that I can handle my power as well as you do,"

"So you want to be able to release the full strength of your power without hurting your body?" Sakura clarified.

Izuku nodded. "Sakura, how can you do that? I mean, when it comes to physical strength and your body it's well..."

He wasn't sure he should be scrutinizing her body that openly, or she may become hostile.

"My body doesn't suit it, I know," Sakura interrupted, anticipating his question. "But there's a reason for that. Our powers don't function the same way as you might think."

Sakura had to admit there were similarities, in terms of training the body to handle that power, but she wasn't going to overindulge in an explanation.

"In terms of control, however," Sakura continued as she walked towards a tree, effortlessly pulling off a branch. She held it out towards Izuku, and he watched in awe as the branch began to sprout leaves, vibrant and green like those of spring.

"I'd say our 'quirks' are similar, we need to have immense control to use them. But you need to be able to use your power as easily as breathing. Or," Izuku watched as the leaves began to turn brown and fell from the branch, and the branch began to lose its life, withering and falling out of Sakura's hand. The message was received.

"I don't know if I have that kind of control," Izuku admitted.

"Every time I throw a punch," Sakura began.

"Huh?" Izuku queried.

"Every time I throw a punch, every time I use my healing, I have to keep precise control of my ability."

"But how can I do that?"

"For starters, meditate," Sakura suggested.

"What?"

"Meditation is a powerful tool in learning self-discipline and control. It teaches you to calm your mind, and that's also an asset in combat. You can handle strength-building on your own. We can have training twice a week," Sakura proposed.

While Izuku absorbed this new aspect of his training, Sakura pondered her own agenda. She needed to balance her training sessions with Izuku, and her responsibility towards Eri, who was starting to entertain the idea of training her quirk. It was going to take more therapy sessions that would hopefully help her come to terms with her quirk. Eri had developed a resentment for her power that needed to be unwoven. Otherwise, training could be fruitless. Shouta said that there would be teachers supervising that of course, but Eri might want her around for the first few sessions.

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"We're going to have a school Festival, "As Shouta announced the upcoming school festival in his usual blunt manner, Sakura observed the varying reactions of her classmates. Excitement filled the room, with most students practically bursting from their seats at the prospect of the event. 

Sakura just assumed that the concept of a school festival meant another event that would be happening at school. like the sports festival. What was being done during said event she had no idea.

Eijiro stood from his seat and asked, "Is this alright to have the festival? Villains are flourishing right now"

It was the events of the internship that had turned Eijiro's perspective around. He had been so excited for the sports festival even after dealing with the USJ attack. Now behaving as if they were in a normal school routine was hard for him. 

"You're opinion is reasonable but UA isn't just about the hero program," Shouta explained, as he zipped himself up into his yellow sleeping bag. "The school festival is for the other courses."

So Shouta was referring to the general, support, and business studies classes.

"It doesn't get as much attention as the sports festival, but it is still an important event for them. And there are those who are feeling stressed by the current conditions of the dorm system that started because of the hero course."

'That feels like a direct hit to me.' Sakura couldn't help thinking. But it didn't make sense that they were being so cautious over this. This world had heroes and villains dwelling for a long time, and it was as if they couldn't function. Were things so linear that they didn't know how to continue living day to day when scales were tipping?

It actually worried Sakura to see how fragile this world really was.

"Unlike most years, this year the festival will be just for the school. Every class has to participate in something, you need to decide that today." Afterward, Shouta leaned against the wall and fell asleep on the spot.

As the responsibility of leading the rest of the homeroom class fell upon Sakura and Momo, they took charge, deciding to approach the task with a collaborative brainstorming session. Sakura grabbed a piece of chalk, ready to jot down every idea that came their way.

"We should just get all the ideas out there and then sort through them," Momo suggested to her. "What do you think would be an appropriate activity?"

"I don't even know what kind of things they do at these festivals," Sakura admitted.

"Okay, everyone, raise your hands if you have an idea," Momo called out, prompting a flurry of eager hands shooting up across the classroom.

They began at the front of the class, working their way around as students offered suggestions. Denki proposed a maid cafe to which Mineta had to add something inappropriate that got him strung up in a sack by Tsuyu. Ochaco suggested a mochi shop, and Eijiro wanted an arm wrestling tournament and everyone just continued from there. As the ideas flowed, Sakura started to grasp the essence of what this festival entailed. However, some suggestions were stranger than others and less conventional, like Izuku's hero quiz and Katsuki's death match.

"Eri would enjoy this," Sakura mused. Eri was focusing most days on her classes and homework, it kept her occupied but it was good to get some more play time for her. They hadn't done anything since going to Sanrio land.

However, some suggestions were less conventional, like Izuku's hero quiz and Katsuki's death match. By the end of the brainstorming session, the chalkboard was filled with a myriad of ideas.

Momo suggested they start by eliminating the impossible, inappropriate, and confusing ideas. But Sakura was still unclear on what exactly constituted appropriate for this festival.

"Sakura-san, haven't you heard of a cultural festival?" Momo asked.

"I was home schooled. So what's something that we can all manage to do as a class? Something that isn't typical for us either?"

As the class debated and discussed various ideas, the atmosphere grew increasingly rowdy while everyone tried talking over each other. They considered combining different food ideas but that idea was argued against. Tenya was continuously trying to get his classmates to quiet down so they could have a proper discussion, but his voice fell on deaf ears.

Soon they realized the clashes in their preferences made it unfeasible to reach a consensus.

Before they knew it, the bell signaling the end of homeroom had rung. Shouta stirred from his nap, informing them that if they didn't come up with an idea by tomorrow, they would be facing a public lecture.

And the only consensus was that no one wanted to do a class during the festival.

IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!

Sakura and Katsuki have another unpleasant encounter and not with each other?

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