"There she is! Our courageous hero!" Mina greeted warmly as Mallory stepped out of the hospital, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight. She flushed as the doors slid shut behind her.

"Er, hi, guys."

Toru threw her arms around her, catching Mallory off guard and causing her to take a step backwards. "I'm so glad you're okay! It was so scary to see Cementoss carry you outside."

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she somewhat awkwardly held Toru in return. She hadn't even thought about who might have helped her after escaping the fire zone. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make anyone worry. I'll have to thank him later."

Toru released her, and Tsuyu hugged her next. "Don't worry about it. I'm just happy you weren't hurt too bad," she croaked.

"You and Midoriya-san had it the worst," Momo added with a worried frown. "I was really shocked to learn you were hurt. Are you sure you're all better now?"

Mallory nodded with a smile. To hear everyone's concern warmed her from head to toe, better than any sun could. "I have to take it easy for a little bit because of my concussion, but I'm fine otherwise. Oh, and I have to watch what I eat. I bit my tongue pretty bad."

Tsuyu croaked nervously; it seemed she was bothered by the thought of a damaged tongue. "Maybe you should see Recovery Girl tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I planned on it." She tried to keep the tone light, but her smile faded. "But today, I want to know what happened."

The girls exchanged glances before Momo addressed her solemnly. "Right. Well, Ashido-san said there's a cafe down the street. Let's talk there."

Soon, everyone was sitting at a booth with teas and cakes, and for a moment Mallory marveled at how normal the world seemed. People were going about their days happily, unscathed by the terror the students of 1-A had experienced just yesterday. Even her classmates seemed relatively calm and cheery in the face of what transpired, and it was inspiring in a way. Mallory wanted to be able to learn, grow, and smile as easily as they seemed to. It would be necessary if she wanted to be a hero.

"So," she said after a moment, stirring her iced tea idly with a straw, "what did I miss?"

The girls told her in hushed tones, occasionally quieting down when catching a curious patron's eye: the so-called Nomu that even All Might struggled to defeat, Thirteen's and Mr. Aizawa's injuries, their experiences fighting villains in various zones, and how Izuku had fared.

"Ochaco-chan told me that Midoriya-kun was able to leave the nurse's office last night," Tsuyu concluded when everyone had finished relaying their stories. "As far as students go, I think you were hurt the worst."

Mallory stirred the straw in her tea absentmindedly. It was half empty, but she had lost her appetite for more. "I'm not too sure about that. I didn't break any bones like he did. Maybe I was taken to the hospital because no one could tell what condition I was in."

"All Might went to see Recovery Girl, too. You and Ojiro-kun were the only ones that were sent to the hospital. I wonder why?" Toru mused. "Did you see Ojiro-kun while you were there?"

Mallory nodded. "I saw him in there yesterday, but I didn't think to ask why they decided to take him in. I gave him a gas mask, so it's not like he had any internal injuries." She shrugged, and their curiosity subsided.

"Well, it doesn't matter. What's important is that everyone's okay," Momo said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

There was a pause, and Mallory laid her arms across the table and sighed. She couldn't find any words. The world seemed so different to her now, after only a day. She turned over the events in her mind, wondering what she could have done differently, wondering how to process what happened, wondering what would happen when she came home.

But most of all, she wondered about the villains: who they were, what they were after, and was the school even safe now? Were her classmates going to be okay? Was it risky to be out in their uniforms now? She didn't want to get hurt. She didn't want her friends to get hurt. If something like this happened again, how could she protect them?

"Excuse me, could you turn up the volume?" a customer at the bar across from the girls asked, and the barista complied. Mallory looked up at the TV, and everyone turned at the realization that it was the news, talking about what had happened.

Even though she had experienced the attack first hand, it felt surreal to be told just how many villains there were, and that they were part of an organization called the League of Villains. She hoped most of the members were arrested at USJ, and that investigators could find the rest quickly enough. She didn't want to worry about villains at the very beginning of her hero training.

The group left shortly after that, and Mallory figured that everyone else was feeling the weight of yesterday more firmly on their shoulders after hearing the news. They said their goodbyes and separated. Despite the pleasant day and the streets filled with people, Mallory felt uneasy as she trudged home. She couldn't even begin to think of what school would be like the next day, or any of the days to come. How was the school going to respond? Who would take Mr. Aizawa's and Thirteen's places? The uncertainty felt like a rock in her head, heavy and painful.

It was going to be a long day.

The next day, she could hear the buzz of excited chatter even before she opened the door, and when she did, there was a pause as every head turned towards her - it looked like she was one of the last to arrive. Despite being familiar with everyone by now, the attention still made her blush.

"Mallory-chan!" Ochaco cried, running to her side. She clasped her hands together and eyed her worriedly. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alright."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just went to see Recovery Girl and she fixed me up," she replied, scratching her head idly. As she looked to the side, she spotted Izuku at his desk. Their eyes met, and she walked over to him.

"Hey, Midoriya-kun! I heard you were hurt. Are you okay?" She couldn't see any injuries on him, but she knew that didn't mean he was fine. To her relief, he nodded.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine! Just broke some bones again, haha…." He trailed off and looked away, hopefully because he realized how absurd that sounded.

Mallory's eyes widened, but before she could ask more questions, he interjected. "Anyway, I'm glad you weren't hurt too bad! Uraraka-san told me what happened when I left the nurse's office that night, and I was pretty worried."

Well, she was still bothered by the adverse effects of his Quirk, but she could tell he didn't want to talk about it, so she decided to drop the subject. Besides, she was quite touched to hear him voice his concern.

"Ojiro told us all about it," Hanta said, sauntering over. "You're the only student that put some real villains in the hospital! That's pretty amazing."

Mallory cringed. Judging by his smile, he didn't mean any harm. She had become adept at picking up sarcasm or maliciousness after years as the notorious "Stinker Tinker" in school, and she didn't detect any of that in his tone and body language. Maybe she was supposed to take it as a compliment, high praise for her skill and Quirk, but it left a bittersweet taste in her mouth. Being held in a positive light for once was dazzling, but to hear that because she hurt people was disheartening.

Fortunately, Tenya spared her from searching for a meaningful reply as he called everyone to their seats. As she sat, she overheard Mina ask Tsuyu who she thought would be their homeroom teacher for now, a curious sentiment that Mallory shared. Their wonders were put to rest when Mr. Aizawa, wrapped head to toe in bandages, stepped into the room.

Mallory was speechless. The girls had told her about his extensive injuries, so he was the last person she expected to see. Tenya asked if he was okay, but she doubted that. In fact, she came close to voicing a protest regarding his presence, but he spoke first, warning of a fast approaching event that left the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

"The sports festival!" the class cried at once, making her jump. Everyone burst into excited and nervous chatter while she was left stiff in her seat. She knew about it, of course. When she first expressed an interest in becoming a hero to her tutor, Mrs. Maki had showed her the U.A Sports Festival. It was an amazing spectacle, and she watched it diligently over the years ever since, and even dug up some old footage online.

But she hadn't given much thought about it since her enrollment - she had been too focused on preparing for the entrance exam and worrying about the curriculum to consider it. Yet now, just after a villain attack, the school was preparing for its most important event, and Mallory felt left behind. She wasn't even remotely ready! How was she supposed to stand out for watching pros when her Quirk wasn't flashy at all?

She spent the rest of her classes unfocused. Mallory had no choice but to trust Mr. Aizawa's promise that they wouldn't be attacked again, so that wasn't such a major concern to her. It was the festival itself that made her anxious now. What if the events were similar to the mock test, leaving her to fall behind and struggle? What if the events were even less suited for her Quirk aside from being out in the open? What if she was passed over by the pros because she had no opportunity to truly shine?

Why did the path to heroism have to be so difficult?

Mallory wasn't able to collect her thoughts until the lunch bell rang. "Oh," she muttered in mild surprise as Cementoss exited the classroom. She quickly stood up and made her way out the rear door to stop him.

"Mr. Cementoss," she called just as he walked past, and he stopped to look at her quizzically. Realizing she had addressed him in English, she corrected herself. "Er, I mean, Sensei." She did have a bad habit of talking to her tutor the same way.

"Yes?" he asked, dismissing her mistake.

"Well, I...I just wanted to thank you. I was told it was you that carried me to the ambulance the other day, so thank you." She bowed humbly, and he turned to face her straight on, holding up his hand.

"There's no need for thanks. It's what a hero does, after all," he said with a smile...at least, she thought that was a smile. It was kind of hard to tell when his face was a literal block.

"I know, but I'm really grateful anyway, so thank you."

He chuckled. "I guess I'll just have to accept if you're so persistent. You're welcome. Work hard for the sports festival, okay?"

At the reminder of that impending day, her face fell. "Er, yeah. I'll try my best."

"You're not excited?"

She clasped her hands together nervously. "I'm worried about it," she admitted. "I'd be embarrassed if I didn't do well despite being in the hero training program for such a well-known school, and I don't think my Quirk is well suited for it."

Cementoss rubbed his - well, the flat space under his mouth - thoughtfully. "Hm, yes, your Quirk is a bit troublesome, isn't it? Gas, right?"

She nodded, and he smiled kindly again. "I don't think you should worry so much when you're only a first year. Take this chance to learn how to use it for the next two years. And if you'd like, you can submit a request to bring your support equipment with you."

She perked up. "Wait, really?" Mallory tried to think back to the sports festivals she had seen prior, but she couldn't recall a particular person using a support item. None of the top three students ever did, anyway.

"Stop by the main office after school and fill out the form. I'd be happy to process the request myself, if you have one."

Mallory was amazed at her luck. The strength of her Quirk was solely dependent on what she produced with it. A deadly gas only needed the strength of her lungs to be effective, but that was out of the question. But if she could use her tank, then she could release a larger, more concentrated amount of gas, such as the isoflurane she used to knock out Eijiro. It would give her an edge for sure.

"You don't think pros would think I'm weaker for needing it?" she asked hopefully, and he shook his head.

"Not at all. There's nothing wrong with using equipment. Heroes use them for all kinds of reasons: to fine tune their Quirks, to strengthen them, or even to contain or weaken them. I think raising that question might be good for you if you're worried about not standing out enough." Cementoss winked, and Mallory stood a little taller, bolstered by his encouragement.

"Then I'll take your suggestion to heart. Thank you, Mr. Cementoss!" She bowed again, completely unaware that she had messed up addressing him again, and he waved before walking away.

She heard the door open, and turned to see Tsuyu and Mina peering at her curiously. "What was that about?" Tsuyu asked.

Mallory put a hand to her chest, and felt her heart pounding. She was still nervous in a lot of ways. She wasn't the most athletic, and she could count on there being challenges she couldn't tackle with her Quirk, extra equipment or not. It would be humiliating if she scored a low placement and was overlooked by pro heroes when she was being taught by All Might himself. She wasn't even sure where to begin in terms of training.

But she would think of something. She had to, or else she wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

"I was just asking about the sports festival." Mallory smiled. "Let's go to lunch. I'm hungry."

AN: It's time for season two! How exciting! I hope everyone has been enjoying the story thus far. I worry that she isn't doing enough sometimes, but she's just supposed to be another one of Izuku's classmates...for now, at least. :) Please let me know what you think!

By the way, Mallory has a habit of not using 'sensei.' She always wants to address everyone as Miss, Missus, Mister, Doctor, sir, ma'am, etc. (Ie instead of 'Aizawa Sensei' she calls him 'Mr. Aizawa.') It's kind of hard to convey that in words, but I hope that clears it up!

Go beyond!

PLUS ULTRA!