The Hunter-Hero ( Rewrite )

Who-

Three swift punches struck Izuku around his guard. Fuzan launched the fourth hit, striking Izuku in the jaw. His vision bounced around between the black spots, and his brain rattled around, but Izuku was used to these punches. Combing his Nen with most of his body kept him stuck on his feet. Except, the goal was to push Fuzan into a corner. How is Izuku supposed to corner both an experienced fighter and a master Nen user? How many techniques Fuzan has under his belt? Nonetheless, it had to be done.

In hand-to-hand combat, Izuku will lose, no matter how many years of practice and experience. Fuzan will win in that category. There are many little trinkets in the beach dump to push the scale towards himself, even if it's a little boost: roasting metal plates, long rods with eroded edges, sharp nails, and bolts. Any combination of these objects could help him. Izuku thought too long as Fuzan was on the attack once more.

A massive right hook is accelerating at a rate faster than his eyes could let him view. Izuku kicked backward, throwing a blanket of hot sand. His back crashes into a pile of loose metals as Fuzans fist bolts over Izuku's head by seven inches. Weirdly, Fuzan smiles. As soon as Izuku escaped, he leaped away from Fuzan.  A wing of shrapnel flies in Fuzan's direction. In a single motion, his master catches all the metal in one hand. Izuku stood from the sand, holding metal in each hand and pocket. His master was intrigued. What was the boy attempting? The Nen from Izuku's body stretched to each object on his person.  Fuzan refrained from pushing offensively; Izuku may have a plan.

Both took the opposite step from one another: one going left and the other going right, circling one another. The steel mask of Fuzan never seemed to have a chink. There was a single thud landing between the two opponents. As Fuzan looked down to see what it was, a rusted rod flew at his head. Fuzan's head swished right before reaching over his head to grab the same object that landed between Izuku and him, a makeshift knife. Two more thuds landed near, but Fuzan didn't dare to move his eyes from Izuku. Izuku smiled as a cloud of makeshift knives appeared above his master. Izuku cries as he throws a bucket of sand at Fuzan as well. Izuku's next attack was three more rusty rods rocketing at him from behind. A check like in chess.

All projectiles weren't lagging, but they weren't fast either. When did Izuku—no, he had time to plan. Wished I hit Izuku a little harder than before, Fuzan thought. While most sides had something deadly charging him, Fuzan wasn't checkmated just yet. He lifted a single finger before a small ball of Nen left a tip. The ball expanded quickly, becoming an umbrella blocking all of Izuku's attacks. Fuzan let out a sigh, "That's enough for today."

"Wait, why?" Izuku complained. He drops a bar of scrap that Izuku would use to begin his next attack.

"Why not? I reflected on every attack you made, and If we continued, I was going to bring the fight to close quarters, which won't turn out great for you." His words made Izuku's teeth grind.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know you, Izuku Midoriya. For the past four months, I made sure I knew your habits. Your personality. While your attack never connected, this significantly improved from a month ago, when you charged headfirst without thought." Fuzan disperses the web, dropping the objects into the sand, "You're not strong, but you make up for it by using anything around you and your surroundings to bring yourself closer to your opponent's level."

Two months, that's how long Izuku had his Nen. While he hasn't learned many of Nen's different techniques, Izuku thinks he has the fundamentals committed to memory. The setting sun clasps both in orange lighting, signifying the end of today's training. Izuku's body twitches out of exhaustion and irritation from his injuries. Izuku bows to his teacher before shouting a thank you to him as he returns home. Fuzan watches the boy leave his view before throwing away his calm aura to a more frightening blue hue. Fuzan didn't like playing house, but if he wanted to keep his fun, then Fuzan had to continue. Until the zenith of Izuku's training, Fuzan has to make sure Izuku learns more and more about Nen. Izuku's only reason for learning Nen is to become a hero; what would happen if he didn't make it through U.A.'s exam? Will Izuku give up? If that's the case, then Fuzan would have to start over. He has time to spare.

"Damn it, why did I pick such a wild card?" Fuzan exclaims, "It's okay; that boy trusts me and thinks of me as his earned miracle. I could convince him to keep trying." Fuzan was still not pleased by his answer, but why? He knew but didn't want to think of them as an actual threat. "What if they find him?"

The route from home to the beach and back wasn't lengthy, yet it takes a lot from Izuku. It would be dark by the time Izuku arrived back home. His mother knew he would be late and might as well take it slow after a long day's work. He heard there was a new All Might-themed arcade game only a few streets from his house. Maybe it's worth checking it out since the arcade is on the way. Izuku loved the thought of playing the new All Might game. It'll be nice to have a new school hang out to himself, down the busy street packed full of racing cars, hurrying, trying their way home. Izuku had to cross the major crossroad (the one with a dozen neon ad signs illuminating the side of the building, watching over everything.

After several lefts and intersections, there was the arcade with All Might shouting, "We're open!" Izuku smiled and went to the front window. Except it was closed—according to the time availability paper sitting on the front door—what a bummer. It wasn't like Izuku had any extra money to spend. It was probably a sign from above telling him to focus on Nen before anything else if he wanted to follow and achieve his dreams.

Only a few more streets to go. In the part of town, Izuku lived in; workers had been home forever ago; before that, busy-goers were downtown. Nen shrouds Izuku in warmth like a baby hugged by a mother's love. Even as the moon rose, dozens roamed the streets, pushing past anyone and everyone desperately trying to go home. The tsunami of cars is gone leaving a few ugly trucks working overtime and the occasional hero leaping roof to roof on his nightly patrol. Nice to know that Izuku was safe. But the wails of police sirens roaring down the highway far away didn't feel protected. It was more like moping the side of a pool. Sure you could clean the random puddles, but they will become dirty again.

How come Izuku hasn't arrived home yet? Traversing the longer way home regularly takes this long? The short answer is no. There is a menacing aura lurking beyond yonder, so faint but noticeable. It has been following Izuku since the arcade. Fuzan and Izuku weren't the only Nen users in his part of Tokyo. Maybe that wasn't the terrifying part. If there were users other than Fuzan and Izuku, wouldn't Fuzan already know? Izuku understands the minimum powers of his teacher, and if Izuku could noticed the can't aura lurking behind, then Fuzan could see them like a spy camera.

Izuku can't let it be known that he knows they're following him. Not having all the information is a more significant pain than Izuku thought. He didn't know how many potential enemies there were. Their aura proficiency, different abilities, and their unknown quirks were a major threat.

They're closer than before, slowly creeping up at least half a block behind Izuku. It didn't matter. Izuku is almost at a bus stop in front of a police station. He doubts they were the kind of people who would have their covers blown for some kid. There are tons of heroes near the station, always coming and going, dropping off the criminal they've captured.

Izuku blinked and saw a completely different landscape than a second ago. No large parking lot with paint stripping away due to weather. No big blue sign that says POLICE or a beeping radio antenna bigger than the station. Only a dark warehouse with massive piles of wooden boxes stacked to the left of Izuku, as a single light bulb illuminating his surroundings. The area was there in full force, trying to smother Izuku with its dark intentions. Izuku releases considerable amounts to combat the hurricane of aura before it all halts—disappears suddenly.

"Izuku Midoriya," a deep voice calls from behind, "Do not resist."