Dante quickly moved all of his stuff into the small back room of the shop. His first impressions of the room were that it wasn't much, just a sofa, a small table and a single window that barely let any light in. But it was leagues better than sleeping outside. No more freezing nights and no more worrying about getting jumped in his sleep.
And before he knew it, the whole day had passed and the clock read 6PM
He stretched, cracking his neck before heading out to Kaijin's gym.
…
The streets were busy, the all too familiar city noise filling the air as Dante made his way to the alley that lead to the gym. The deeper into the alley he went, the fewer people were around, the sounds of traffic all faded into the background until all that remained was the distant echo of shouts, grunts and the rhythmic pounding of fists against bags.
When he stepped inside, once again the air was thick with sweat and blood. The usual guys were there. They all shared being scarred, muscular and completely focused on their training in common.
Dante had barely taken two steps inside before Kazuya spotted him, like he was just waiting for him.
"Yo, Dante!"
The sheer volume almost made him regret even coming, but he was sure that whatever Kaijin had cooked up for him would be worth it.
Kazuya marched over, grinning ear to ear. "Took you long enough! You're late!"
Dante raised an eyebrow. "The gym opened like 20 minutes ago, and we never even agreed to a specific time?"
"Eh, doesn't matter. You're still late," Kazuya shot back. "C'mon, Kaijin has a little surprise for you."
Dante smiled, "Oh really? I better go see him then."
"Yup, follow me!" Kazuya grinned.
Kazuya quickly dragged Dante to Kaijin's office. Even though he could've just gone there himself…
The middle aged man was already waiting, a few neatly stacked papers infront of him.
"You're here right on time," Kaijin muttered without looking up.
"Ah, that's good then." Dante said, throwing a glare at Kazuya, who just grinned.
Kaijin finally looked up at him, scanning Dante before sliding the papers over to Dante's end of the table.
"Here," he said. "Your full training plan."
Dante looked at the papers for a second before flipping through the first few pages, scanning the details Kaijin had put together. The workout plan alone looked brutal.
Physical Training Plan :
- Morning Routine : 5km run (increase intensity over time), agility ladder drills and explosive sprint intervals.
- Strength Training : Focus on full body compound movements like squats, deadlifts, overhead presses along with bodyweight exercises like planche push ups, muscle ups and pistol squats.
- Endurance and Conditioning : High-intensity circuit training incorporating burpees, kettlebell swings and sandbag carries to simulate real combat fatigue.
- Flexibility and Mobility : Dynamic stretching, joint mobility drills and unconventional movement training like crawling patters, rolling techniques and animalistic motions to enhance unpredictability in combat.
Dante raised an eyebrow while reading that last part. "The hell? You want me moving like a damn animal?"
Kaijin just gave Dante a small smirk. "You already fight with your natural instincts. I'm just refining it. Plus, I think your quirk would benefit from fluid, unrestricted motion. Rigidity will kill you in a real fight."
Dante looked back at the page, and he saw what he imagined was his workout schedule.
Monday : Strength and Power Development
Main focus : building raw strength and explosive power for striking and mobility.
- Warm up : 10 minute jump rope, dynamic stretching and agility drills.
- Main workout :
• Squats - 5x5 (very heavy)
• Deadlifts - 4x6
• Overhead Dumbbell Press - 4x6
• Weighted Pull Ups - 4x10
• Weighted Dips - 4x12
• Core work - Hanging leg raises, ab wheel rollouts ( 3 sets of each )
• Combat training : Focus fully on explosive striking and clinch control.
Tuesday : Speed, Agility and Endurance
Main focus : Enhancing reaction time, footwork and cardiovascular endurance.
Warm up : Sprint drills, Ladder drills and reaction based footwork exercises.
- Main workout :
• Interval Sprints - 10x100m
• Agility Drills - 5 rounds of cone drills & Quick direction changes
• Plyometric Training - Box jumps, Broad jumps and Single leg hops (3 sets each)
• Circuit Training - Battle ropes, Sled pushes and Tire flips ( Extreme Intensity )
• Combat Training : Focus on evasive manoeuvres, Counters and Endurance based sparring.
Dante skimmed through the rest, Wednesday was fully focused on Combat training, Thiirsday was a Strength and Combat hybrid day, Friday was a Quirk Mastery and Experimental training, Saturday was a full combat simulation ?! And Sunday was finally a Recovery day, only having to do some light yoga.
Dante stared at the paper. "Are you trying to kill me?"
Kaijin smirked. "If you can survive this, you'll be stronger than you have ever imagined, whatever you'll need that for."
Dante just hummed and then flipped to the next page and his face lit up.
Custom Martial Art : Integrated Close Combat System (ICCS)
A fusion of everything Dante knows already along with adaptive combat techniques, modified to work with Dante's unique physiology and quirk.
Coreprinciples:
1. Maximum Damage with Minimal Effort : every strike and movement should be efficient, no wasted energy and no excessive flourishes.
2. Continuous Offense : Instead of just trading blows, focus on overwhelming the enemy with relentless, calculated aggression.
3. Adaptation and Fluidity : Utalize his quirk to create unpredictable angles and change approaches in the middle of combat.
Key Techniques :
- Hardening Strikes : Cover fists, elbows and knees with solidified sludge before impact to maximise damage.
- Sludge Hook and Recoil : Extend an arm mid swing and then harden it just before impact for a devastating long range punch.
- Limb Disruption : Instead of traditional regular parries, use sludge to latch onto an enemy's limb and either pull them off balance or deliver a counter attack.
- Low Angle Sweeps : Utilise fluidity to drop low and sweep an opponents legs using a sludge formed blade edge on legs.
- Hybrid Defensive Counters : Instead of simply blocking, absorb impact by partially liquefying and reforming instantly.
Dante smirked at the page, these ideas were crazy. "This is great…"
Kaijin nodded. "That is only the basics though. I've also mapped out progression, your fighting style will probably evolve as your control improves."
Dante flipped the page again.
Quirk Training and Efficiency Improvements
Issue : Excessive calorie consumption due to inefficient transformations.
Solution :
1. PrecisionShapingDrill- Instead of vague sludge formations, practice shaping his quirk into precise objects : claws, bladed objects and even just tools, anything he can see.
2. Instant Hardening - Reduce the delay between liquefying and hardening; work towards near instantaneous shifting.
3. Refined Movement - Limit unnecessary mass expansion! Every transformation should serve a clear purpose.
4. Extended Sensory Training - Develop the antennae technique further, using these antenna as a secondary vision system.
5. Energy Conversion Training - Experimeng with how long he can hold certain forms before exhaustion and adjust strategies accordingly.
Dante tapped the paper. "Hmm, this one is very interesting. It's like you know more about my quirk than I do…"
Kaijin leaned forward. "Your sludge is more than just an extension of your body, it can also be an extension of your senses. You've already noticed it before and even developed a new technique thanks to it. If you refine this, I doubt you would be caught off guard even with your eyes closed."
Dante already knew this, but hearing it again and from Kaijin's mouth got him all riled up again.
He closed the papers and set them on the desk, stretching his neck. "Damn. This is detailed."
Kaijin leaned back. "If you follow this plan, you'll go from surviving to dominating. I can promise you that."
Dante struggled a smile. "Well then… I suppose it's time to get started on the physical training and sparring while I'm here…"
Dante slowly turned his head to Kazuya, who had been surprisingly quiet this whole time.
That very Kazuya was grinning mischievously in the corner of the room while staring at Dante.
Dante felt a chill run down his spine.
"Oh come on Dante, I'm sure it will be fun." Kazuya said while cracking his knuckles.
Dante looked at Kaijin for help, but Kaijin just smiled at him.
Crap.
…
…
Dante stepped out of the gym, his whole body feeling as if he had been hit by a truck, twice. Every movement felt sluggish and his muscles were on fire. Kaijin's training was no joke, and it was Monday, that was one of the harder days. And he'd barely even managed to do that.
Then, to add salt to the wound, his stomach growled loudly. Painfully reminding him that he hadn't eaten since before training. 'Damn, I should eat… now.'
He scanned the street, eyes darting between dimly lit stores and closing restaurants. Then, like a beacon of hope, he spotted a hotdog stand as the vendor was about to pack up. The vendor, and older guy with a stained apron, was stacking trays when Dante rushed over.
"Hey! You still selling?"
The man glanced at him, then at the half packed cart. "Hmph, just in time. I was about to close, kid."
Dante reached into his bag, then pulled out a worn all-might themed wallet, thumbing through the cash he had kindly borrowed from Bakugo all those weeks ago. "I'll take… uh, three. Please."
The vendor raised a brow. "You sure? These things are huge."
"Trust me, sir. I could eat at least ten right now." Dante said, already handing over the money.
The vendor just chuckled and quickly slapped together three hotdogs, piling them high with mustard, relish and crispy onions. As soon as they were in his hands, Dante devoured him like a starving wolf, barely taking the time to chew.
The vendor whistled. "Didn't think you had it in you, you eat like you're running from death itself!"
Dante just grunted between chomps, wiping his greasy mouth with the back of his hand. "Sure feels like it sometimes."
Once his hunger was temporarily sated, he stretched his sore limbs and started the walk back to the convenience store. The walk felt like forever thanks to his body being heavy from exhaustion, but the idea of that comfy sofa waiting for him kept him pushing forward.
By the time he had arrived back, the store was already dark, the old man had long locked up for the night. Dante slipped through the back entrance, using his key to get in before locking up fully. He threw his hoodie to the side before collapsing onto the sofa.
The second his head hit the cushion, he was out like a light.
Partly because of the training from today, but mainly because he'd been sleeping on solid ground for so long.