if I may...why a fridge?
About three days later, Toshinori knocked on the apartment door of the Midoriya's. From inside, he could hear the sounds of shuffling, a loud thud,
“Ow…”
‘There's izuku.’ he thought, and then an exaggerated sigh, followed by soft giggles that made him tilt his head in curiosity.
‘And Inko.’
“Mom, it’s not funny…”
“It is a bit,” came Inko’s amused reply, her tone carrying that familiar warmth only a mother could muster.
There was another sigh, heavier this time, before the door swung open to reveal a very disheveled Izuku. Her wild green curls were sticking up in various directions, as if she’d just woken up, or lost a battle with a blanket. She was wearing an oversized shirt that had ‘When in Doubt, Blame a Man’ written on it in red letters, paired with black basketball shorts and a mismatched pair of socks. One bright red with Elmo’s face, the other plain gray. She blinked up at him, her face half-squinted in the telltale haze of someone who hadn’t fully woken up. For a second, it looked as though she was trying to determine if he was real or a hallucination caused by lack of sleep. Then her eyes widened in recognition.
“Oh. It’s you.” She stepped aside, gesturing vaguely for him to enter.
“Not that I care or anything,” she began, scratching her head in confusion as she shut the door behind him, “but why are you here?”
Toshinori chuckled softly, watching as she led him into the kitchen where Inko was already preparing breakfast. The faint smell of miso soup and freshly brewed tea lingered in the air, wrapping him in a sense of homeliness he hadn’t felt in years. Izuku leaned down to press a kiss to her mother’s cheek, before moving to help set the table. Her movements were brisk but purposeful, a sign of the manners Inko had instilled in her from a young age. She stacked plates and utensils with practiced ease, pausing only to glance at Toshinori, who was still standing awkwardly near the doorway.
“So…?” Izuku pressed, raising an eyebrow as she placed a stack of bowls onto the table. “Why are you here?” Toshinori scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious under her unwavering gaze. It was remarkable how much presence this girl had, even while standing at just 5'5" and wearing mismatched socks. He cleared his throat, straightening his posture in an attempt to regain some authority.
“I’m here to take you to your training,” he said, his voice steady. “We need to get started as soon as possible if you’re going to inherit my power.” Izuku blinked, her hands pausing mid-motion as she set the last plate down. She stared at him for a moment, her expression a mix of curiosity and mild surprise. “Training? Like, right now? I thought–?!”
“Izuku,” Inko chided gently, giving her daughter a knowing look. “You knew this.”
Izuku looked at her, her eyebrows furrowing. “Nu uh,”
“Yu huh.” her mother responded in the same tone. Izuku thought back to a few days ago when Toshinori was here. He did in fact tell her they were starting today. Her memory was just shit.
“Oh yeah…” she said looking back at the man who was staring at her mother. With furrowed brows izuku redirected his attention. “I'll go change real quick, where are we going?” she moved to go down the hall to her room.
“The beach,” he replied simply.
“The beach?” Her expression shifted to one of disbelief. “The beach that polluted? That beach?”
Toshinori’s lips quirked into a small smile. “That's the one.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, clearly suspicious, but eventually she didn't really give a fuck, worse case scenario she drowns herself. “Alright, whatever you say…” Inko cleared her throat, drawing their attention.
“Before you go, eat something.” Izuku nodded, as she went to change first. Now in a plain white shirt and her basketball shorts. She sat down and grabbed a bowl of soup, muttering under her breath about how good it smelled. Toshinori chuckled quietly,
…
An hour later, because they walked. Izuku stood at the edge of the beach, her arms crossed as she took in the scene before her. The morning sun reflected off the water, casting a golden glow across the waves. It would’ve been a beautiful sight—if not for the mountains of trash that loomed all over. Rusted appliances, discarded tires, broken furniture, and literally fucking anything were piled high, creating what could only be described as a shit hole.
Izuku turned to Toshinori, her expression deadpan but also slight fear.
“Please don't say what I Think you're gonna say.” she said, he ignored her and laughed as he began walking down to the beach. She groaned and followed begrudgingly.
Toshinori chuckled, already down in the sand moving closer towards the trash heaps. “This is where you’ll train. You’re going to clean the left side of the beach.”
Her jaw dropped. “You’re joking, right? Tell me you’re joking.”
“Nope,” Toshinori said flatly, before turning and casually heading down toward the trash pile, as if he hadn’t just sentenced her to some form of torture. Izuku exhaled sharply through her nose, trying to steady her emotions. There was no backing down now, was there? She glanced at the trash mountain again. She had been expecting something intense, but this? This was…different. Not at all what she was prepared for.
“This doesn’t seem so bad,” she muttered under her breath, trying to convince herself as she trudged forward to follow him. "It’s fine. Just a little cleaning…not a big deal.” Her voice cracked slightly, as if even her brain couldn’t believe what was happening.
…
It was. It was a very big deal. It was so bad. Worse than what she was thinking. Why the fuck was she dragging a fridge right now. The sand beneath her feet was soft, and every step she took felt heavier than the last. She had been dragging the fridge for what felt like an eternity. She gritted her teeth as she pulled, trying to ignore the stabs of pain in her muscles and the sweat that clung to her skin. The fridge was rusted and heavy, awkwardly dragging along the sand as she desperately tried to get it to move. Toshinori was on top of the damn thing. She was really debating drowning herself. Who trains like this.
"Oh, how do you train?" Izuku muttered sarcastically to herself, trying to lighten the situation with humor as she heaved again, her body sinking deeper into the sand. “Oh, y’know. Just moving fridges. What’s the big deal?”
“What in the actual fuck are you talking about?” She muttered to herself, her sarcasm barely masking the exhaustion creeping through her limbs.
“I don’t know, man,” she said, half laughing at how surreal the situation had become.
It’s not weird she's coping. As she ran through this scenario, She dug her feet in the sand and pulled. The fridge was making her want to scream. She dug her feet into the sand, trying to get some leverage as she shifted her stance and pulled the fridge backward. The sun was beating down on her, making her skin burn and her head swim with dizziness. She had no idea how much longer she could keep this up. She groaned as her legs gave out for a second. She fell backwards groaning. Toshinori moved his attention from his phone to the girl below him, she rubbed her face roughly before sitting up.
Toshinori glanced up from his phone, peering down at her. “Tired already?”
“If I may…Why a fridge? This is like 8,000 pounds with you on top of it.” she said exasperatedly. She paused thinking over her sentence.
“Not in a mean way. You look great for 7,000 pounds.” she said, holding her hands up. Toshinori only laughed, he jumped down from the fridge taking a picture of the girl, showing it to her, she stared at her own sweaty face glaring into the camera.
“Nah, I've lost weight, so I'm down to 560 these days. In this form at least.” he said laughing heartily she sighed.
“Great, much better.” she rolled her eyes subtly, getting up fully now. “Why do you have me dragging trash across the beach, anyway?” she cracked her back before looking at him.
He laughed, showing her the picture again. “Take a look at yourself. You're not ready for my power.” her brows furrowed.
Hello? what the hell was that supposed to mean? K new plan. She’s gonna drown him when he isn't expecting it.
“My quirk has a very heavy backlash. Your body isn't ready. It needs to be prepared to wield it. If not your limbs could explode and detach.”
Oh. How lovely. Drowning will have to wait I guess.
Her lips thinned as she nodded getting up. Dusty her hands of sand. She watched as he effortlessly crushed the fridge “ I did a little online research yesterday. Turns out this part of the beach used to be beautiful,” he carried it to the pile blocking the shoreline. Moving shit out of the way so you could see the ocean. “But it's been a total mess. for the last few years.”
That's right. Because of the ocean currents, anything that's dropped in The water ends up here. People take advantage of that when they're illegally dumping their trash. Now, all the locals avoid this place. God she hated people. They ruined everything. Izuku stood there, her gaze fixed on Toshinori’s effortless movements as he tossed the fridge onto the ever-growing trash pile. Her body was sore, her muscles aching in ways she hadn’t imagined were possible, but it was the frustration that gnawed at her the most.
Toshinori, seemingly oblivious to her inner thoughts, turned and flashed her a grin. “I know. It’s a shame. But you know what? This beach is a reflection of the power you’ll wield. It’s beautiful, untamed, but full of chaos and destruction. That’s what it’s going to take to handle my quirk.”
Izuku’s eyes narrowed, her thoughts still simmering on the waste around her. “So, you want me to clean up this trash to get ready for that?”
“Not just clean it up,” Toshinori corrected, “You’re going to have to find a way to control it. My power is as unpredictable as the waves. It comes in fast, hard, and without warning, and if you’re not prepared, it’ll tear you apart.”
She bit her lip, feeling a swell of frustration rise in her chest. “And if I can’t move a fridge, what makes you think I can do all of that?” She gestured to the pile of debris with a frustrated flick of her hand.
Toshinori’s gaze softened. “You’re stronger than you think, Izuku. But you’re not going to unlock that strength in one day. This is about endurance. About your mind overcoming your body’s limits.” She exhaled sharply, looking out at the ocean again. Her mind kept drifting back to the idea of her body literally breaking apart. She had no idea what that would feel like, but it sounded terrifying. And no matter how much her body screamed at her to stop, she knew he was right. She had to keep pushing forward. If she wanted to protect those she loved, she had to get stronger.
She turned to Toshinori, her jaw set with determination. “Your right…Ok. Let’s keep going.” The next few hours were a blur of frustration and sweat. She dragged tires, hauled broken furniture, and fought the urge to collapse at every turn. Her arms felt like they were made of lead, her lungs burning with each shallow breath. Yet, she pressed on, her body moving almost on autopilot as she tried to block out the ache of her muscles and the rising frustration that built with every new pile of trash she found. It felt never ending.
“Let's end here for today.” toshinori said. And she almost cried with joy, as she dropped to catch her breath. At the pace she was moving Toshinori believed she would be able to take the quirk earlier than he had planned. Which meant they could practice it before the exam.