The quirk gym was quiet at this hour—just after sunrise.
High ceilings, reinforced walls, and scattered metal obstacles filled the indoor arena.
A perfect testing ground.
Kamui Woods stepped through the sliding doors wearing lightweight practice gear.
His expression showed a mix of curiosity and determination.
Waiting near the center of the gym was the ‘representative’
The same tall, stiff man in the navy suit.
Same sunglasses.
Same wrapped cloth hiding the lower half of his face.
He waved once—slowly, mechanically.
“Good morning, Nishiya-san,” he said in a perfectly even tone.
“We are prepared to begin.”
Kamui bowed respectfully.
“Thank you again. I’m excited to try some of these techniques in an actual environment”
The representative nodded with a jerky motion
Inside the earpiece hidden beneath the cloth, Shinso whispered:
“Okay… we’re ready”
And kilometers away, Denki and Shinso were once again in the hospital room, the laptop pulled close to them.
Shinso’s eyes glowed faint purple as he leaned back into the pillows.
“Alright, Kaminari” he muttered.
“You better use that brain and not make me sound dumb”
Denki just grinned.
“Don’t worry, I got this”
Test 1: Oaks-Sligshot trial
The suited representative raised a hand stiffly.
“First technique…Oaks–Sligshot. Proceed with the first attempt”
Kamui nodded as wooden tendrils creaked from his arms.
“Remember—your branches have natural elasticity,” Denki explained through the relay.
“Use shorter, tighter extensions. Less pulling yourself manually and more snapping yourself back like a rubber band”
Kamui inhaled deeply, aimed upward, and launched a branch like a taut whip.
It snapped onto a high beam.
He stretched the branch outward, controlling the tension like a coiled spring.
He felt the wood reach the edge of its elasticity—
—and it snapped forward
WHOOSH
Kamui shot upward like a rocket.
Much faster than he intended.
He nearly slammed into the ceiling before twisting midair, redirecting himself into a rolling crouch on a nearby platform.
The representative didn’t react at all.
Denki, on the other hand, was clamping a hand over his mouth to avoid laughing into the mic in the quiet gym.
Kamui stared down at his hands, then the distance he’d crossed.
“That… almost felt like flight. And that was just one compressed shot. If I could chain this…”
He imagined slingshotting through city blocks, picking up speed with every launch.
Faster response times.
Sharper turns.
He could cover whole districts in seconds.
Shinso mumbled, “Alright… that was kinda cool”
Denki checked the security camera feed recording the whole trial.
“Oh, we are so putting that on the website”
Test 2: Rapid Slingshot movement
“Next” the representative said “Travel across this area using repeated swinging, using the slingshot technique to make sharp turns and increase your speed”
Kamui nodded and launched himself upward, using the earlier technique with more control.
He made quick adjustments midair, wrapping branches around beams, releasing, snapping forward—each slingshot faster than the last.
But then the problem became clear
His reaction time wasn’t keeping up
Denki and Shinso noticed this but keep quiet.
Wanting to see the limits of the soon to be pro hero.
Kamui pushed himself through 3 more slingshots until the speed overwhelmed him.
Splatting face first onto the wall and slowly sliding down like dripping paint.
(Good thing he still wore his helmet at least) Denki thought.
(But hey, at least we know his current max speed…before he crashes)
“Let’s stop here and proceed to the next text” the representative nodded stiffly
Kamui woods got back up walking towards the representative with a little wobble
Test 3: Ironwood defense
“Now” the representative continued “let’s begin the attempt of creating the ironwood shield”
Kamui looked confused “is this the one involving….hardened bark? To be used like armor?”
Denki typed onto his laptop—> Shinso read it into the mic—> the puppet repeats it.
“Correct, but that is only one way of using this technique. Once you’re able to increase the density and strength of the wood your quirk creates, multiple doors will open for you”
He never thought of densifying or strengthen the wood he created.
Whenever it burned, snapped or had been sliced, his first instinct was simply to regrow more.
“You would be able to form armor around you against villain attacks” the representative explained.
“You could create barriers of highly condensed wood to protect civilians or block falling structures. Even stabilizing some small buildings that would have normally been to much for you to handle”
Kanji’s eyes widened at the possibilities he could accomplish with his quirk.
Alas he was no Mori Mori no Mi user or Hashirama Senju.
He wouldn’t be shaking the earth or throwing massive and powerful attacks those 2 were able to do.
Not with his current training, Denki doubts whatever training Kamui woods does he would be able to reach that type of power.
Maybe if he awakened his quirk?
Or if Denki super— no to risky.
Kamui Woods inhaled, letting wooden plates begin forming along his arms.
They looked similar to his usual bark ‘armor’—thin, flexible
But not dense
The representative’s voice spoke giving instructions
“Begin density enhancement. Focus your quirk output not on size or shape… but on compression”
Denki’s words filtered through Shinso’s sleep-deprived monotone:
“Think of it like condensing three trees worth of wood into the shape of one shield. Less outward growth—more internal force.”
Kamui blinked.
That…
was very different from how he normally used his quirk.
Still, he planted his feet and concentrated
Wood gathered along his arm, curling outward into a circular shield.
It thickened—slowly.
The surface darkened, tightening until the shield felt surprisingly heavy even while attached to him.
Kamui raised it experimentally.
It felt solid.
Like hitting a hardwood floor instead of old bark.
A 4ft tall and 2ft wide medieval wooden shield.
Hard as iron
The representative tilted his head “Test integrity. Prepare for impact.”
Kamui straightened “Impact? From what—?”
A beep echoed from across the gym
Kamui turned— just in time to see a metal cannon roll out from behind a crate
“…Wait. Is that—?”
BOOM
A round shot straight at him
Kamui yelped and snapped the Ironwood Shield upward—
CRACK—THUD
The shot bounced off the shield, sending Kamui skidding backwards about 3 meters.
Kamui stared at his shield in stunned silence, it was full of cracks and a big dent in the middle but it still held
“Was… was that a cannon?”
Kilometers way, Denki pumped both fists in the air.
“Yes! It worked! I knew renting the prop-cannon was worth it—”
Shinso stared at him “You rented what?”
“It’s technically for quirk testing” Denki whispered.
“Probably”
Kamui was still gaping at the shield “This is… incredible” he breathed out.
The representative nodded stiffly “Durability needs to be improved. Repair it and we’ll beginning secondary test”
Kamui snapped his attention back.
“Secondary—?”
VMMMMMM—WHIRR
A heavy industrial saw—one meant for cutting metal—lowered from the ceiling rig.
The kind of metal construction heroes used to test strength quirks.
Kamui paled “…You didn’t”
The representative simply pointed
“Raise shield”
Kamui gulped, braced his feet, and lifted the Ironwood Shield.
Repairing it and added a little more wood to it.
The saw made contact
SKRRRRRRRK—SKRRRRK—SKKKK
Sparks flew
The wood didn’t split
The saw strained—then jammed
Kamui gasped.
“It didn’t even—! My quirk… can resist this?”
Denki was banging the desk in excitement
“YES! YES! IRONWOOD IS REAL!”
Shinso rubbed his eyes “I can’t believe I’m seeing tank a cannon and a saw blade before breakfast”
“This… changes everything,” he whispered
He didn’t have long to marvel
“Don’t get too excited, we’ll check again with a saw blade made specifically for cutting through wood”the representative said “Final durability assessment, prepare for multiple high-impact projectile”
Kamui blinked rapidly “High-impact what—?”
A panel in the wall opened and multiple tube shaped holes popped out 1 by 1 pointing straight at Kamui woods.
A MRL: -multiple rocket launchers-
Kamui’s soul left his body “That looks like something I would never want to be in front off”
Denki -through Shinso- “Don’t worry! Probably won’t kill you! Maybe!”
Before Kamui could run—
THOOM—FWIP
Multiple rockets shot toward him like a meteor
Instinct took over.
Kamui reinforced the shield mid-raise, layering additional Ironwood continuously.
Not wanting to take even the slightest chance it would brake, even using his quirk to plant his entire body to the ground like an immovable Irontree.
The projectile slammed into the shield
KRRRSHH—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM
The entire gym shook
Kamui held strong, gritting his teeth he poured more wood into the shield with every impact he felt.
Smoke drifted around him, slowly covering his vision but he didn’t stop until the last rocket exploded
Denki and Shinso leaned closer to the screen, waiting until the smoke clear to see if the hero was still alive.
Once the smoke cleared they no longer saw a medium sized Ironwood shield being held by Kamui woods but an entire Ironwood wall.
No cracks
No splinters
Just faint burn mark layered over the top
Kamui pulled the wood back into his arms and stared at the hole in the wall as it sealed itself—like it hadn’t just unleashed hell on him
“…I didn’t know I could do that” he breathed
The representative started walking towards him “Your quirk is capable of more than you realize. With proper technique—its potential multiplies”
Kamui eyes were shining
“This… this could save lives. I could save so many more people with a technique like this”
Kilometers way, Shinso let out a long exhale
“He’s actually buying it”
Denki grinned like a mad scientist
“We’re not scamming him—we’re making him stronger. This is good for him!”
Shinso raised an eyebrow”And the cannon?”
“It was on sale”
Shinso sighed
Back in the gym, Kamui straightened, renewed purpose in his stance.
“Let’s keep going. What’s next?”
The representative nodded with that eerie stiffness, and they continued for another hour.
Only when Shinso’s head started to hurt and his control began to waver did the representative excuse himself for the day.
But not before Kamui sent over the agreed-upon payment for the analysis and in-person consultation
¥180,000 (a little less than $1,200 USD)
Denki stared blissfully at the amount in his—the company’s—account, a bit of drool escaping his mouth.
“Stop staring and come back to reality. Visiting hours will be over soon” Shinso called out
“Oh! Yeah, you’re right. Don’t worry, Shinso—you’ll be better in no time. I’ll also set aside some cash for you until you get your own bank account. As payment for the help and for the future help I’ll probably ask for” Denki said while packing up his things.
“You mean unless bribing me with more coffee and cats stops working? But it’s cool. You need the money more than me” Shinso responded, staring at the ceiling.
Denki stopped packing and looked toward Shinso.
Why would he refuse money we just worked so hard to get?
he wondered
“Don’t look at me like an idiot. I know you’re only doing this because you need money… a lot of it. And you’ve already been helping me so much with training, improving my quirk, and being a friend who believes in me and my dreams”
“Even this crazy company can still be considered training for me. Whatever crazy idea you have planned in the future while you keep jumping schools, I’ll show you I can become a great hero once we meet again in U.A.” Shinso smirked, trying not to let the small sadness show—knowing Denki would leave one day and he’d go back to being alone.
As if reading his thoughts, Denki let out a smug smile.
“Is the sleep-deprived cat going to miss me when I leave? Don’t worry, I’ll only be a call or text away if you need someone to talk to. Don’t you also have Broccoli’s—Green Knight’s—number?”
An annoyed, embarrassed look crossed Shinso’s face at Denki’s first comment, but he shook his head.
“I do, and I have him saved as ‘🥦 brainiac’ but I only talk to him through text. He said he’s not comfortable talking on the phone. I know he’s not scared of my quirk—even knowing I could take control over calls—since he gave ideas on how to improve it”
Denki let out a sigh (Izuku is still worried he’ll fall into a muttering spree and make Hitoshi not want to be friends with him)
“Don’t worry about it. He’s just shy and overly worried. He’s in a similar position as you are with school. Not a lot of people are willing to interact with him—let alone talk to him”
Shinso raised an eyebrow.
“What? Are you adopting strays at every school and bringing them back to health?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that. But his dream is to become a hero too, and I couldn’t resist helping. Just give him time to come around, he’ll definitely become someone you’ll have to watch out for when we get to U.A.”
Shinso let out a content sigh, then immediately grew serious
“And what will you do with the commands you had me put into Tree Man?”
“Nothing bad, I assure you. Just one repeat command so that whenever your connection to him starts to weaken, you can brainwash him again—continuously improving your quirk. As for the other two, those are just little favors I want him to do for me. One will probably be used when he debuts… the other…”
Looking to his left, out the window, Denki placed his hand on his chin like he was contemplating the meaning of life
“Well, it won’t be used anytime soon. We’re still a few years off. It will just be my guarantee in case he gets too strong and messes up an important event”
Before Shinso could ask more, a nurse opened the door and informed Denki that visiting hours were over and he should take his leave
Walking out of the hospital after saying goodbye to Shinso, Denki thought over his plans and what he would be doing next
(I’ve solved my money problem, Shinso is getting stronger at a steady pace, and I’ve also gotten to test my experimental boost—though it still needs adjustments. No problem. Now I only need to convince my ‘parents’ about the money I’m making… and the next school transfer)