The attempt to familiarize himself with Magnolia, to somehow normalize his alien existence through mundane observation, had soured into a familiar brew of frustration and restlessness. The quiet streets, the peaceful riverbanks, the bustling marketplaces – they all felt like a badly fitting suit, constricting and irritating. Katsuki Bakugo was not made for idle wandering or quiet contemplation, not when his blood thrummed with the unspent energy of his Quirk and the newly awakened power of his 'Explode' magic.
"Screw this," he muttered under his breath, turning abruptly away from the distant, inviting lights of the Fairy Tail guild hall. His apartment, with its four confining walls, held no appeal. What he needed was space, a place where he could unleash his power without restraint, without worrying about collateral damage to quaint shops or startled townsfolk. He needed to train, to hone the terrifying new dimensions of his abilities.
His mind, always quick to identify strategic opportunities, latched onto an idea. The Bisca River was one thing, but he remembered passing a larger body of water on one of his high-speed flights – Lake Sciliora, a vast, deep lake nestled in the foothills some distance west of Magnolia. It was relatively isolated, surrounded by forests and rocky terrain. Perfect.
"Lakeside it is," he decided, a predatory glint returning to his crimson eyes. The prospect of intense, self-directed training was a far more appealing way to spend the remainder of the day than moping around town. "Time to practice some serious aerial combat. And if that gets boring…" A savage grin stretched his lips. "Heh. Underwater combat. Thanks to this magic bullshit, that might actually be doable now." The thought of propelling himself through water with controlled explosions, of fighting in an entirely new threedimensional environment, was a tantalizing challenge.
He didn't waste any more time. He found a relatively secluded spot on the outskirts of Magnolia, away from prying eyes, and with a now familiar roar of "Explode: Incinerate - Turbo Cluster!", he launched himself into the evening sky. The azure-tinged blasts from his palms cut a fiery swathe against the deepening twilight as he rocketed westwards, towards the distant gleam of Lake Sciliora.
Unbeknownst to Katsuki, his abrupt departure from the vicinity of the guild hall, and indeed his recent pattern of volatile behavior, had not gone entirely unnoticed or unaddressed. Earlier that afternoon, after Mirajane had spoken with Makarov about Katsuki's evident distress, the Guild Master had quietly summoned Team Natsu – Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet, and their Exceed companions, Happy and Carla.
They had gathered in Makarov's office, the mood unusually subdued. Makarov, his expression grave, relayed Mirajane's concerns.
"Our newest member, Katsuki Bakugo, is clearly carrying a heavy burden," Makarov had explained, his voice low. "Mira believes he is in significant emotional pain, though he masks it with aggression and by throwing himself into relentless combat. He's pushing himself to dangerous limits, and while he's incredibly powerful, such a path, untempered, can lead to self-destruction or worse."
Natsu had bristled, his fists clenching. "Pain? If he's hurting, why doesn't he just say so? We could help him! Or I could fight him! Fighting always makes me feel better!"
Lucy had sighed. "Natsu, I don't think 'fighting him' is the kind of help Master Makarov is suggesting. Mirajane-san said he's pushing people away."
"Indeed," Makarov affirmed. "He's fiercely independent and seems to equate any offer of help or concern with weakness. Directly approaching him will likely backfire. However, as members of Fairy Tail, we cannot simply stand by while one of our own, however new or… abrasive… is clearly struggling."
Erza, her expression serious, had spoken up. "What do you propose, Master?"
Makarov looked at each of them in turn. "I want you to keep an eye on him. Discreetly. From a distance. Do not engage him unless absolutely necessary, or unless he appears to be in genuine, immediate peril that he cannot handle himself – though given his power, that seems unlikely. Your purpose is not to interfere, but to observe. To be a silent safety net, if you will." He paused. "And perhaps, if an opportunity arises, a natural opportunity, not a forced one, you might find a way to… connect. To show him, through action rather than words, what it means to be part of Fairy Tail. But that is a secondary concern. Primarily, ensure he doesn't drive himself off a cliff, literally or figuratively."
Gray had scoffed. "So, we're babysitting the angry blond porcupine? Great." Despite his words, there was a reluctant understanding in his eyes. Fairy Tail looked after its own, even the ones who made it incredibly difficult.
"Consider it a reconnaissance mission, Gray," Erza had said, a stern edge to her voice. "Understanding a new comrade's strengths, weaknesses, and temperament is strategically vital."
And so, as Katsuki Bakugo soared towards Lake Sciliora, intent on a solitary, explosive training session, he was unknowingly being shadowed. Team Natsu, utilizing a combination of Happy and Carla's flight, Natsu's enhanced senses, and their collective experience in stealthy approaches (when they weren't actively causing chaos), maintained a careful, distant pursuit. They were intrigued, wary, and bound by their Master's orders and the unspoken code of their guild. They were about to witness firsthand just what Katsuki Bakugo did when he thought no one was watching.
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Lake Sciliora spread out beneath Katsuki like a vast, dark mirror, its surface undisturbed in the fading light. The surrounding forests were dense and silent, the rocky outcrops along the shore providing ample privacy. This was the perfect training ground. He landed on a wide, flat ledge overlooking the water, the impact of his arrival sending a few loose pebbles skittering into the depths.
For a moment, he just stood there, drinking in the isolation, the sheer scale of the place. Then, with a guttural yell that was pure, unadulterated release, he launched himself back into the air, not to travel, but to fight. He began a series of complex aerial maneuvers, pushing his "Explode: Incinerate - Turbo Cluster" to its limits. He twisted, turned, executed barrel rolls and impossibly tight loops, each movement punctuated by precisely controlled azure blasts from his palms and, increasingly, from the soles of his feet. His new clothes held up admirably, flexing with his movements, resisting the intense heat.
He imagined opponents, phantom enemies swarming him from all directions, and met them with a furious barrage of incinerating explosions. He practiced transitioning from rapid aerial dashes into devastating stationary blasts, then back into evasive maneuvers. The surface of the lake below roiled and steamed from the stray energy and superheated air.
Then, an idea struck him, a test of the fundamental differences between his Quirk and his new magic. His nitroglycerin-like sweat, the product of his Quirk, was notoriously volatile and difficult to control when wet. Water could dampen its effectiveness, make ignition unreliable. But his 'Explode' magic… that was different. It was an internal energy, not a physiological secretion.
"Alright, magic bullshit," he snarled, a manic grin spreading across his face, "let's see how you like a little bath!"
He angled himself downwards and, with a final, powerful blast, plunged directly into the cold, dark waters of Lake Sciliora. The impact was a shock, the sudden chill a stark contrast to the searing heat of his explosions. He sank beneath the surface, the world around him becoming a murky, silent green.
For a moment, he just floated there, suspended in the alien environment. Then, he focused, drawing upon his 'Explode' magic. He extended a palm, and with a mental command, willed an explosion.
WHOOMPH!
Even underwater, the blast was potent. A rapidly expanding bubble of superheated gas and concussive force erupted from his hand, sending a shockwave through the water that buffeted him and stirred up silt from the lakebed. The water around the explosion flashed into steam for an instant before being reabsorbed. It wasn't as overtly fiery as his aerial blasts, naturally, but the destructive power was undeniable. And crucially, it had worked. Flawlessly.
"Holy FUCKING shit!" The words were garbled, lost in a torrent of bubbles as he broke the surface, gasping but triumphant. "My magic is BONKERS! If my Quirk can't handle being splashed by water, my magic CAN! Fuck YEAH!"
He laughed, a harsh, barking sound of pure exhilaration. This opened up entirely new tactical possibilities. Underwater combat, traversing aquatic environments, ambushing targets from below… The limitations imposed by his Quirk's interaction with water were now largely irrelevant if he chose to rely on his magic.
Energized by this discovery, he began to experiment further. He practiced propelling himself through the water with controlled underwater blasts, finding it surprisingly efficient, if a bit disorienting at first. He imagined fighting aquatic beasts, adapting his movements, his attacks, to the denser medium.
His mind, always whirring with combat applications, then drifted to another area of development. Deku. That damn nerd's "Shoot Style," his adaptation of All Might's power into kicks to save his arms. Katsuki had always internally scoffed at it, at the idea of copying someone else, at the sheer nerdiness of naming fighting styles. But… the utility of powerful, explosive kicks, especially for mobility and close-quarters combat when his hands might be otherwise occupied, was undeniable. He wouldn't ever admit it, not to a living soul, but the underlying principle had merit.
He wouldn't call it "Shoot Style," that was Deku's pathetic moniker. He'd make it his own. His "Cluster Style," a series of rapid, focused explosions primarily delivered through kicks, augmenting his already formidable hand-to-hand skills.
He launched himself out of the water with a powerful leg-thrust, magic-fueled explosions erupting from the soles of his boots, and hovered in the air above the lake. He began to practice, a series of savage, spinning kicks, each one accompanied by a sharp, concussive blast, sometimes from the heel, sometimes from the instep, sometimes a full, explosive sweep. It was raw, unrefined, but the potential was there.
Then, another idea sparked. A ranged attack, using the same leg-based explosive principle. He focused his 'Explode' magic into the edge of his boot, channeling it into a sharp, blade-like concentration of energy. With a powerful, sweeping side kick aimed at the empty air above the lake, he released it.
"Cluster Style: Lit Fuse!" he roared.
A crescent-shaped wave of pure, incandescent explosive energy, crackling and hissing like a burning fuse, shot out from his foot. It flew across the surface of the lake for a good fifty meters before detonating with a spectacular waterspout, sending a plume of water and steam high into the air. It wasn't as powerful as a full Howitzer Impact, but it was fast, unexpected, and had decent range. It looked, indeed, like a giant, burning fuse arcing through the air before its payload ignited.
"Heh. Not bad," he conceded to himself, a flicker of grim pride in his eyes.
He spent the next hour alternating between aerial maneuvers, underwater propulsion tests, and refining his new "Cluster Style" kicks and the "Lit Fuse" attack. The surface of Lake Sciliora was churned into a chaotic froth, steam rising in plumes, the air filled with the constant roar of his explosions. He was a whirlwind of destructive energy, pushing his body and his newfound powers to their absolute limits, carving new techniques out of raw instinct and brutal repetition.
When he finally paused, hovering above the ravaged lake as the last vestiges of twilight faded into true night, he was exhausted, but in a way that felt clean, satisfying. The earlier hollowness had been filled, at least temporarily, by the fierce joy of discovery and the tangible evidence of his own evolving strength.
"Underwater jobs," he panted, a wide, feral grin splitting his face. "Bring 'em on, you damn fish-faced freaks!" He was ready for anything this world could throw at him now. Or so he believed.
Hidden in the dense tree line on the far side of Lake Sciliora, Team Natsu watched the entire spectacle with a mixture of stunned silence and barely suppressed awe. They had seen Katsuki's power before, but this… this was different. This was him training, experimenting, pushing himself with a terrifying, almost obsessive intensity.
Natsu's jaw was practically on the ground, his usual boisterousness replaced by wide-eyed wonder. "Whoa… Did you see that? He was fighting underwater! With explosions! And those kicks! BAM! BOOM!"
Lucy was pale. "He's… he's like a natural disaster in human form. The entire lake looks like it's boiling." She shivered, despite the warm night. "And did you hear him? 'Cluster Style'? He's naming his attacks now?"
Gray, for once, had no sarcastic comment. He just watched, his arms crossed, a thoughtful, almost troubled expression on his face. "That blue fire… and the sheer variety of his attacks. He's not just strong, he's adapting. Evolving. Fast."
Erza's expression was unreadable, her gaze fixed on the distant, solitary figure of Katsuki hovering above the lake. She noted the raw power, the innovative techniques, the sheer, indomitable will. She also noted the undercurrent of desperation, the almost frantic energy with which he threw himself into his training.
"He's forging himself into a weapon," she said softly, her voice barely audible above the distant rumble of Katsuki's final explosions. "But against what enemy, I wonder?"
Happy, perched on Natsu's head, just shivered and whispered, "He's scary… but also kinda cool!" Carla, beside Lucy, sniffed disdainfully but her eyes betrayed a flicker of grudging respect.
They had been sent to observe, to be a safety net. But watching Katsuki Bakugo train was like watching a volcano in perpetual eruption. There was little they could do but bear witness to the awesome, terrifying display of his power, and wonder what it truly meant for him, and for Fairy Tail.