Chapter one
"Damn, you're late, Midoriya," Mina cursed her partner that had yet to appear in the front courtyard of the dorms. She shouldn't be nagging on the boy though, he had played so hard in the welcome work out yesterday that he passed out at the end and a couple boys had to drag him up to his dorm and toss him into bed. He had played harder than anyone else in the new Junior class, including Mina, and had managed to impress a few of the Senior and Varsity players that were running the U.A. Tennis Academy Welcome Work Out. She was actually glad that she had picked the loner out of the crowd to be her doubles partner when everyone arrived at the school yesterday. However, because he passed out when he did, they missed out on participating in any of the initial ranking matches and were thus placed as unranked.
Mina had stuck a note under his door letting him know to meet her in front of the dorms at eight o'clock in the morning, go to breakfast, do some training together at the training courts, and maybe play a few practice matches against other unranked players. But now it was eight thirty and the boy had yet to show his face. At this rate, the cafeteria was going to be packed by the time they got there and all the good food would be eaten.
Mina would not consider herself to be the weirdest girl in the world, and definitely not the weirdest in school full of zealous tennis advocates, but she did have her unique quirks. She was attractive and pretty damned cute, not that would admit to such a description, but the amount of love confessions that she had received back in Secondary School made it pretty obvious. She had fair skin that some would say looked a little pink if they looked at it, but it was probably just a reflection off her unruly, short pink hair. Her pink sports tank top and black skirt fit perfectly for a tennis player with her broad build, good bust, and average height; not too tight to suffocate her, not too loose to be revealing, not too long to prevent her from running on the court, and not too short as too be skimpy.
"Since you can't bother to meet me then I'll come an' drag your ass out of bed!" Mina fumed as she stormed back into the dorm building. Up three flights of stairs and down two hallways, she found herself standing in front of the socially awkward boy's door. "You awake in there, Midoriya?" she raised her voice while knocking. He didn't look like the kind of boy that would sleep in super late, granted he hand spent a lot of energy yesterday and had knocked his noggin when he collapsed. She really hoped he wasn't dead. "If you don't answer me in the next fifteen seconds, I'm gonna come in and make ya answer!"
She waited several seconds like she promised, then took the door knob and opened the door up (she thanked the heavens that it was unlocked) to reveal a dark dorm room. Turning the light on, she found a neat and orderly room that was decked out with tons of pro tennis memorabilia, particularly focused on Toshinori Yagi, the greatest tennis player in the world. "Damn, Midoriya, you really are a fanboy," she commented as she took in all the sights. The only things that stood out of order were Izuku's work out clothes from yesterday that were strewn everywhere and the chiselled form of Izuku Midoriya situated in a heap on his bed wearing only his boxers, which were ironically patterned with tennis rackets, and still asleep.
The pink athlete felt her heart leap, as well as another twinge within her, at the sight of the toned, muscular form of her partner. He was obviously a nerd, so it was surprising that he would be this fit, but it did explain how he was able to work as hard and as long as he did yesterday. They were both eighteen, as were most first year students at U.A., but Izuku seemed to be on a whole different level with his strength. While she was a speed and technique player, she was certain that the boy was a power and defence player. They matched perfectly for a doubles team, each of them picking up where the other lacked.
"They literally stripped him and tossed him into bed," she scoffed, "Never trust boys with a task like this. I'll be a good friend and clean up this mess for you before I rudely awaken you from your beauty sleep." She swiftly found and picked up all the misplaced articles of clothing scattered about the room and placed them in the boy's dirty laundry hamper, then rearranged his running shoes and comfy shoes neatly by the door. "Alright, that should do it," she surveyed her work with accomplishment. "Now to wake his sleepy ass up."
~Power Tour~
Izuku was having a dream, and a very vivid one at that. He was dreaming about being a hero in training at a school for heroes with a super power that he had inherited from the world's greatest hero that oddly looked like his tennis teacher, Toshinori Yagi the world's greatest tennis player. There was also this pink girl that could generate and use acid as a power that was his partner throughout the dream. The greatest hero in this dream, named All Might, not only gave his power to Izuku but also trained him into peak physical condition and taught him how to be a pro hero. It was exactly like how Toshinori found Izuku, a pitiful tennis player despite how popular the sport was worldwide, in his last year of secondary school, offered to teach the boy how to play the sport properly, and trained him relentlessly for the whole year until the boy was in peak physical condition and an adept player.
It was a weirdly vivid dream. But it had its good parts, like his growing relationship with the beautiful pink heroine. Before it could get any better though, he was suddenly ripped out of the dream and back into reality by a girl's yelling voice.
"GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT OF BED BEFORE I DRAG YOU DOWN TO THE LAKE AND TOSS YOU IN FOR A SWIM!" raged some wild beast that decided to interrupt his dream right before he could kiss the pink heroine, his first kiss ever.
He nearly jumped three feet into the air at the wake up and landed down hard on the bed. With groggy eyes, he peaked at his aggressor only to find a girl that looked like the pink heroine, except her skin was only slightly tinged pink, she didn't have horns, and she didn't have black sclera, but she was very cute, had golden irises, and her hair was pink. This was getting weird, was this a dream within a dream or was he starting to see things.
"Alright, sleepy head, let's check your brain to see if it's still working. Do you remember who you are?" the girl asked, placing her hands on her hips. Damn, she looked amazing in her tennis outfit, but who was she?
He nodded. Check, Izuku Midoriya, socially awkward eighteen-year-old that didn't learn to play tennis properly until last year and was too dumbstruck by how beautiful this girl was to come up with a verbal reply.
"Okay, good! Now, do you remember who I am?" she inquired.
He really had no idea, "Er… Ah… Are you the dorm manager's daughter?" he asked innocently.
She facepalmed with a great sigh at his reply, "No, dumbass, I'm your doubles partner, Mina Ashido. We signed up to be partners at the Welcome Work Out yesterday. You really hit your noggin when you passed out."
The memories from yesterday were starting to return. First, there was the move into the dorms, the campus was flooded with students and parents as the Junior and Senior classes moved into the main dorms and the Varsity and Pro classes were moving into their separate dorms (The Pro class had already graduated from U.A. but remained in order to train for World Championships, the Olympics, and other national and international tournaments). Then there was the meet and greet where they met the coaches and other staff members. The rookie coaches were then tasked with taking the first-year students and touring the campus, showing them the cafeteria, training grounds, Junior courts, Senior courts, Varsity stadium, track field, work out gyms, faculty building, headmaster's office, school council room, and infirmary. After lunch, there was the Welcome Work Out. Izuku's former friend, Bakugo, scared off anyone that would have wanted to be his partner by harassing him for still trying to play tennis. But one person ignored all that Bakugo had said about him, she approached him as everyone else started to pair off and asked to be his partner.
It had to be a serious offer. While partnerships could be broken off if something bad happened between the two involved, they were permanent choices they would have to stick to for the next three years at U.A., learning, training, and bonding as a team. Ninety percent of the doubles partnerships formed at the academy went on to become professional teams and several academy-based teams had gone on to win in the Olympics because of how well they worked together. It shocked Izuku that a girl, let alone a cute one at that, would ask to be his partner because, though it's only correlation, there have been several accounts of male-female partnerships turning into romances. And who would want that with Izuku? He was just a quirky teenage boy that dreamed to big about being the greatest tennis player ever like his idol and mentor, Toshinori Yagi.
"Judging by the expression on your face, I would guess that it's all coming back now. Welcome back to the world of the non-amnesiacs," Mina joked. Izuku then realised that he was sitting in front of her in only his boxers. Panicking, he rushed frantically to find something to cover himself. "Don't worry too much, I'll let you get dressed, Deku-kun," she giggled at his rush, "That is what your 'friend' Bakugo called you, right? It seems fitting after seeing how hard you worked yesterday. It feels like you're saying 'I can do it.' Can I call you 'Deku?'"
"Deku is fine!" He babbled through a blush that enveloped his whole face.
"Hehehe, alright, Deku," she giggled again. She just knew that they were going to do well as a team. "Get yourself dressed and meet me in the courtyard out front!" and she left with a wink that only caused the boy to blush even darker.
~Power Tour~
"Where is everyone?" Izuku asked aloud after taking a good look at the first floor of the cafeteria. He had noticed something was up when he couldn't find anyone on the path there after joining up with Mina, but now his suspicions were confirmed. The cafeteria was a cosy location despite being meant to fit hundreds of students, boasting booths, soothing lighting, and a buffet line for service with friendly staff.
"We were late in getting out, there should be hundreds of people here," Mina added in agreement. What could happen that would distract the student population from breakfast?
Their questions drew the attention of the cafeteria manager, a brunette woman in a cook's outfit, "There's been a challenge, apparently. A bunch of people in masks came to the school yesterday and challenged the senior coaches, including Alex!" she called from behind the buffet line.
"Yeah," joined a portly man, "They defeated all the coaches yesterday and they were planning to face Alex this morning. Everyone rushed off to the Varsity stadium when they heard the news."
"They're facing Alex? He's the best tennis player the school has produced in the last decade! He won the Island Open four times in a row and won two gold medals at the Olympics last year! What kind of idiot would challenge him to a match of tennis?" she confronted the two cafeteria staff members.
"We don't know, they were all wearing masks," the woman shrugged, "But the match started over an hour ago so it should be almost over."
"Damn, the Varsity stadium is on the other side of the river," Mina cursed. "But we can make it if we run as fast as possible! Come on, Deku! We have a beat down to watch!"
"But breakfast?" Izuku pleaded, but they fell on deaf ears as his partner grabbed him by the hand and pulled him back out the front door in a sprint that could have landed them in the Olympics.
They ran down the paved path past the Senior training grounds and its orange clay courts, but there was no one there getting some early training. They took a sharp right turn before they could reach the Junior courts and the general training grounds towards the only bridge on campus that spanned the massive river dividing the campus that fed into the lake. The first-year's pamphlet said that the lake was open to the students for canoeing, swimming and fishing on weekends and the Midsummer Festival would have aquatic events there, but most of the time students were limited to the shoreline for relaxation, picnics and dates. Not that Izuku ever thought about using the lake for that purpose.
They had just crossed the bridge and had nearly arrived at another intersection when a group of voices stopped them in their tracks before they could even see who it was. "I can't believe it!" one voice called out, obviously coming in their direction. Without hesitation, Mina pulled him behind a bush before they could be spotted. This is wrong, she wants to eavesdrop on them, he thought but what cam next changed his mind. "I can't believe that they actually beat Alex! Just who are they?" the same voice added with anger. Both Izuku and his partner peaked around the bush to see two general coaches, one male and one female, and a female secretary standing at the four-way intersection.
"I don't know, but they had the nerve to waltz right into the headmaster's office right after the match with Alex in tow like they were invited!" the female coach snarled in frustration.
"I brought some juice but Alex blocked the door and wouldn't let me see inside," the secretary said with a saddened tone.
""Very fishy!"" the two coaches answered in unison.
"Do you think those masked players came here just to beat Alex at Tennis?" the secretary spoke again. Mina turned to Izuku and nodded to show her agreement silently. It seemed pretty obvious that her guess was pretty accurate.
"Kevin and the others were all former rivals of Alex but they didn't recognise any of them at first," the male coach pondered aloud.
"So, they weren't from Union or Factory or any of the other academies at the Island Open?" the female coach inquired.
"If they are good enough to beat Alex, then why wouldn't they compete in the Island Opening?" the secretary added onto the pile of unanswered questions that the two hiding students had as well.
""Even fishier!"" the two coaches declared in unison again, this was getting weird.
"Who are they, really? And why aren't the senior coaches more concerned about this?" the secretary mounted more questions. Mina seemed to be getting upset with all the inquiries popping up without answers.
The coaches were stumped for a moment, then the male one seemed to have a lightbulb moment, "After the match, Kevin was upset that Alex was getting all friendly with them. Then Alex started talking to him…" he trailed off.
"Yeah, what ever he said to Kevin, he backed down right away immediately," the female coach continued, gazing off at the gym. "But what did he say?"
"I'm willing to bet money that he told Kevin who they were, and Kevin told Mark and Emily. Coach Shota Aizawa from the Pro class didn't seem surprised by their victory, either, so he must know as well," the male coach concluded with triumph.
"Then we should go ask them, I saw them go the gym to oversee the completion of the special construction project Alex started last term." The female coach joyfully jumped in the direction of the gym.
"The headmaster has some stuff for me to do, so don't skip any of the details when you tell me later," the secretary requested. The two coaches nodded before rushing off on the left path of the intersection towards the gym while the remaining girl headed back to the faculty building.
With the three speakers out of sight, the two students stepped out from behind the bush and into the intersection. "Damn, we missed the match. I don't know about you, but I want to find out who the masked players are that would come all the way out here just to beat Alex," Mina asserted
"I agree, but we'll only get caught if we try to listen in on them at the gym," Izuku countered. "We should go and find the headmaster to ask him." He normally did not like to pry into matters like this, but it seemed to important not to try and find out who beat the academy's best coach and player.
"Alrighty, Deku~" she flirted with a wink before cheerfully skipping off in the direction of the faculty building with her partner pacing her with a jog. The impressive building was straight ahead from the bridge and separated the campus from the main gate as well as it connected to the infirmary.
Once inside, they found the administrative staff hard at work with all the beginning of term paperwork that needed to be documented and filed away. None bothered to pay any attention to the two students that headed straight for the stairs to the second floor and the headmaster's office, but they stopped by the glass front door at the sight of their target standing by the front gate. Izuku silently pointed him out and led his partner out of the building.
Unsurprisingly, Headmaster Nezu, a short, stocky middle-aged man with white hair and a mysterious scar over his left eye, was accompanied by Coach Alex, an equally short man with black hair and wearing a backwards baseball cap. It surprised Izuku that such short people could be amazing tennis player that both had victories at various championships and tournaments under their belts. They were both standing at the gate, gazing out to the road as though they had just saw someone off. Mina's face turned to a frown beside her green-haired partner as she realised that the masked players were already gone, and Izuku could sympathise with her disappointment.
Headmaster Nezu was the first one to notice their presence when they stopped a few metres from the gate. "Ah, you must be Izuku Midoriya, a new friend of mine told me all about you, I look forward to seeing your performance in the future. And his partner, Mina Ashido, you were a little spitfire on the courts yesterday at the Welcome Work Out. I'm certain you two will do well together!"
""Thank you very much, headmaster,"" they both voiced with appreciation.
Alex, at hearing their names, finally turned around to face them, and he genuinely looked happy about their meeting. But his face turned to concern once he noticed Mina's expression, "What's wrong, Mina? You seem kind of down," the U.A. champion observed.
"More like 'let down' if you ask me," the headmaster corrected. The two students sweat dropped realising that their plan had been immediately discovered by the incredibly intelligent man.
"What do you mean?" the somewhat oblivious Alex queried.
"Well, it's obvious that they are here to find out who the masked players are too," the headmaster ousted the plan.
"Sorry guys, they already left," the champion turned back to the gate with a down expression on his own face. "I was so happy they came to visit me. I thought I'd never get to see them again, but they came back to see me. I feel like the happiest guy ever."
"I know how Alex feels," the headmaster nodded as he turned back to the gate. "Now that I've met them, I feel like I'm the second happiest guy ever."
Mina felt the anger welling up inside her, she usually never got angry but these two were upsetting her by skirting around the topic. "So tell us, please! Who are they?" she fumed at the two older men, her voice elevated to show her irritation.
They both seemed surprised by what she said and Izuku couldn't believe that she was yelling at staff members. "You mean that you did not recognise them?"
"We wouldn't have been able to even if we had seen them! Not with those damned masks!" she snapped back at them. "I find it hard to believe that they would be famous enough to recognise with masks on."
"Mina, calm down," Izuku tried to ease the tension, which seemed to work with softening her expression.
"You couldn't even tell by the way they played?" Alex asked. Now they were starting to annoy Izuku, not that he would ever act out on his irritation.
"No shit, did you not hear me? We didn't get to see them! Why do you think we're asking!? Just who are they?" Mina exploded again, causing everyone to jump a little out of shock.
"I'd love to tell you…" the headmaster started to diffuse the situation, "But that would not be right, not when you think about their position."
"Huh? Why not?" Mina asked, her anger suddenly gone.
"If they didn't care who knew who they were, then would they have even worn the masks in the first place?" the headmaster frowned. Both the students shook their heads and returned to calmer but slightly defeated expressions.
"They were worried that a panic would ensue if people found out who they were," Alex added, saddened by the fact he had to put down his students.
Mina looked downright depressed because of the covert scolding she had just received from the two. Izuku did not feel much better seeing his partner in such a state, and he wished he knew what to do to cheer her up after their defeat.
"It pains me to see those sad faces of yours, but I still cannot tell you who they are," the headmaster tried to console them, but Alex took the lead in solving the problem.
"I can let you guys in on a way where you can find out on your own! Will that cheer you up?" he smiled brightly.
Izuku already liked the plan, he actually preferred working hard to earn something on his own without handouts, and a nod from his partner told him that she agreed. "I think that will work for us, sir," he conformed, speaking for the first time in the conversation.
Alex smiled even brighter, "They want to face the best of us, and if you can make it to the Island Open Tournament and win first place in your first year then you will be one step closer, you will have already surpassed me if you do so. Step number two is to win first place in the Japanese-American Doubles Championship in two years. The next Olympics are in three years, if you both win gold in the tennis singles and mixed doubles, then you will be ready to play against them."
The two students could only gape at the long list of what seemed like impossible tasks. Sure, they had come to the school dreaming of being the best tennis players that they could become, and this did not diminish those dreams, but doing all of this in the three years that were meant to be spent learning. But Izuku knew that there was nothing holding them back except their own effort, and that didn't stop him from completing Toshinori's hellish training regime dubbed the 'All-American Dream Regime.'
"We better take their advice and get ready ourselves, there's not a lot of time and we're going to be very busy" Alex turned to the Headmaster.
"Ah yes, it's already the end of April and the Island Open is at the end of the summer and we got a lot of work to do if we're going stand a chance against Empire Academy and Factory Academy," Nezu sighed heavily at the prospect of planning a new strategy to stave off U.A.'s ever-growing rivals.
The two teachers approached their students, they both had high hopes for them and wished that their training methods could stoke the flames within the two rising stars into blazing bonfires that can craft them into the greatest tennis team and players. "It's going to be tough from here on," Alex started with his signature smirk. "Train hard every day and sleep well every night, so you'll be ready for it, all right?"
Mina and Izuku both nodded in thanks for the advice as the teachers headed back to the faculty building with quickened pace, leaving the two young adults alone to contemplate their future. "What the hell just happened," Mina broke the silence, taking a few steps towards the building.
"I think we just got issued the challenge of a lifetime," Izuku exasperated loudly. They had a lot of training to do and so little time to get themselves tournament ready.
"So, we have to win all those just to find out who those masked players are and to play against them? Do you think we can do it, partner?" she asked, the desperation for reassurance evident in her stark, golden eyes.
"Well, I do believe we came to this academy for the purpose of becoming the best tennis players ever," Izuku smirked mirthfully.
"Alright, smartass," Mina punched him playfully in the shoulder.
"Ow!" he mocked the cry. "We can do it, we just need to train a shitload to make the perfect team as well work on our personal skills. But yes, we can do."
Mina smiled gleefully before enveloping her partner in a tight hug, he was the best partner she could hope for and possibly the best friend ever, though she wasn't going to perm freeze him with the title of friend even if it was a bit hopeful. "That better not just be lip service," she pulled away from the hug but kept her hands on his shoulders. "Heh… I'm not sure what's all going on, but at least we have a goal now, even if it is pretty out there. Let's do our best from now on!"
He was ready to take on the challenge and prove to the academy… no, prove to the world that he and Mina made the perfect team and that they were the best tennis players ever. All he could do was nod and grin in agreement as he was not exactly sure what would be appropriate to say in the situation. Luckily, his partner's growling stomach saved him from his social awkwardness induced fickle with its mighty war cry of hunger.
"Fuck!" the pink-haired athlete cried with wide, horror filled eyes. "I never got to eat! I'm sooooo hungry!" she practically went limp in his arms in overexaggerated hunger pains and spasms. He couldn't lie, she was too damned cute. And in the snap of a moment she was on her feet again and running back to the building like a bowling down an alley that would knock any pins down that would dare to interfere with its mission. To be fair, Izuku could feel his own stomach running dangerously on empty since he had not eaten since lunch yesterday, so he quickly followed suit and dashed after his cute partner. "Hurry, Deku! There might still be some food left if we hurry!"
"You're the one that said we had to see the match that we missed anyway!" he scolded jokingly after her.
~Power Tour~
It was almost ten at night when they returned to the dorms, the cooler spring night chilling their sweat soaked skin and the streetlamps casting a beautiful ominousness over the courtyard. The courtyard itself was relatively plain except the perfect brick pattern and the two benches flanking the edges along with two warp pipes that looked like they came straight out of a Nintendo game. Mina led them into the open space, dragging her feet just as much as the green-haired athlete. After a quick breakfast, they had hit the training grounds running, quite literally, spending the full day focusing on training physical strength rather than any on the courts.
"I'm so fucking tired, yet we did so little real training," Mina complained, but it didn't bother Izuku after all the work that they had done.
"Physical training is just as important as technical training because you can't run around a court without good stamina," he pointed out wearily. He had set them on a routine just as difficult as his normal ones with Toshinori had been, so it was understandable that someone not used to them would have trouble.
"Oh you are so smart, my Deku, that's why you make the perfect match for me. Well, that and a few other things, like how you do wonders for my eyes and make my heart jump with joy every time I see you," she mumbled. Izuku realised that she was utterly delirious with exhaustion, so she was speaking so honestly because she didn't comprehend the full extent of the fact that she was speaking aloud. Almost like she was drunk.
"Alright, Mina, we should get you to bed, it's quite late," he tried to guide her to the door despite his own exhaustion induced weakness.
Mina giggled at his prodding and proceeded to wrap her arms around his body, "Heh, to bed, my darling partner! Tomorrow is a big day! The coaches are going to open those special training machines, I wonder what they are?"
"I haven't a clue, but the sooner we get to sleep the sooner we'll see what they are. Now come on! To bed!" he urged her the door. As much of a hassle as this was becoming, he could not leave her to find her own way to her room and risk her getting hurt. It took fifteen minutes of bumbling and wobbling up four flights of stairs and down a few halls before they reached her door.
"Thank you, Deku," she mumbled as she opened the door to reveal a pinkly decorated room.
"Anything for you, my partner," he replied tiredly. He barely noticed that he was no longer flinching at the name.
"You know what?" Mina leaned up against the threshold. "You are the best and I think I like you, like 'really' like you. I'm glad I picked you out of the crowd to be my partner."
Izuku blushed profusely at her truth-filled comment, "I think I like you too and I'm so happy that you choose me. We have a big day tomorrow and a bright future ahead, get some sleep so you can enjoy it."
"Good night, Deku," she hugged him again before heading inside.
"Good night, Mina," he closed the door behind her.
His mind was a swirl trying to comprehend all that had happened that day as he made his way back to his own room, but there was too much for his tired brain to handle it all. All that mattered was that coming to U.A. was the best decision ever and he was having the time of his life with the greatest partner and friend that he ever had. His mind blissfully fell into sleep just as he fell onto his bed with his thoughts focused on the future and what it had in store for himself and Mina.
A/N: This story was honestly, in the greatest moment of irony, an idea that came to me in the shower yesterday after I posted a new chapter for Elemental Hero. Don't worry, I won't forget that story. The game that this story is a crossover with, Mario Tennis Power Tour, is probably my favourite game for the Game Boy Advance and in my top ten all time favourites. Not to mention it was one of my first games (I didn't start gaming until I was seven). To answer a few questions: Do I enjoy tennis? Why yes, yes I do. Am I good at it? Hell no. I am also opening this story for character submissions. If you want to enter a character, comment their name and a brief description and I will try to fit them into the story as well as recognise you in the author's note. The ranking system for U.A. will be described next chapter, so don't worry if you feel a bit confused. Ask questions and I will answer with a pm. leave a review to let me know how you felt about it! Follow/favourite the story if you liked it! Until Next time!
~Grandmaster Robin~