Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia/Boku No Hero Academia, or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A couple that will go down in legend

Chapter thirty-eight: An unexpected interruption

Izuku was exhausted as he, along with most of the rest of his class, returned to the Heights Alliance dorm building for the evening. They had to get as much rest as possible, given that they, along with all of 1-B and the Big Three, had to face off against the team of ten that the party from Royal Woods High, a high school visiting from the United States, brought with them to take part in the team battle event between the two schools.

When news was first given to all of the U.A. students that were put onto the team that all fifty-three of them were slated to fight the team of ten that the opposing school was bringing along, a good number of them all questioned the apparent overkill. But when Aizawa showed them a video clip he recorded on his smartphone while he was visiting Ketsubutsu, they all understood the need to have as many numbers on the U.A. team as possible. Izuku most of all, given what all he learned on the subject in question.

The team representing Royal Woods High has a Sacred Heritage quirk user.

With what Izuku had learned when he first started looking into the subject of those quirks, as well as what he and some of his classmates had experienced firsthand because of Mineta during a recent field trip that their class took to the States, the green-eyed boy had every reason to believe that, even with all of the training that he and the other first years had done as of late both under the Big Three and Pixie-Bob, he and the rest of the U.A. team were still going into a battle that they had no realistic shot of winning.

As Izuku sat at a dining table on the ground floor of Heights Alliance, accompanied by Tenya and Todoroki, the three of them were approached by Uraraka and Tsuyu, the latter of which was talking on her smartphone to someone. "…Yes, mom, I understand," the frog girl said into the phone as she was apparently talking to her mother, "I'll let you and the rest of the family know when the team battle event my school's taking part in is over. Also, I'm glad to hear Samidare is doing much better now kero."

The frog girl said good-bye before ending the call and putting her phone back into her pocket. After she did that, Tsuyu and Uraraka both joined the three boys that were sitting at the table; the way that both girls sat down made it clear that Izuku, Todoroki and Tenya weren't the only ones that were thoroughly exhausted. The two girls looked at their friends a bit nervously before the silence was broken by Uraraka. "So, boys, the big team battle event is tomorrow." Looking a bit nervous, the gravity girl asked, "You boys think that the fifty-three of us can do it?"

"So long as that girl with the Sacred Heritage quirk is the only person that we have to worry about," Tenya began to remark, "I'm starting to think that we may actually have a shot at scoring a win here." Looking around at the others who sat with him, the class 1-A rep added, "Provided, of course, that nothing unexpected pops up."

"Hey Tsuyu, quick question," Todoroki began, "I'm just curious, but what were you talking to your mother about just now?"

Tsuyu turned her attention to the dual natured-quirk boy, a look of mildly piqued surprise on her face. "Oh, I was just telling her about how I was going to take part in the team battle event tomorrow, and that she reassured me when I had expressed worry about our team's prospects of actually winning kero."

The others sitting at the table with the frog girl all nodded in understanding. They themselves all had their doubts about actually winning tomorrow, even though everyone that they knew had taken the time to reassure them. Even Inko, when Izuku called her and told her how he was very worried, told Izuku that he had it in him to do things that were nothing short of fantastic, and that she believed in her 'little cinnamon roll' as she called him during the call in question.

Izuku could only hope that, by this time tomorrow, things wouldn't have gotten too bad.

Aizawa, accompanied by his two foster kids Shinso and Eri, plus Shinso's girlfriend Sakaki, walked into a traditional ramen shop, one that was very much similar to another ramen shop that is located in a certain village somewhere. "I'm surprised that you allowed Sakaki to come along with us, dad," Shinso remarked as he and the others entered the restaurant, a hint of surprise in his otherwise stoic tone.

"Well she's been a good influence on you," the underground hero remarked, a hint of sly amusement in his tone, "And given how much of an impact she's had as of late, I figured that it wouldn't hurt to let her come along." Looking ahead into the ramen shop, Aizawa added in his usual gruff manner, "It also helps that you offered to pay for her meal so that I won't have to."

"Hitoshi," Eri began in a curious tone as she looked up at the brainwasher while pointing to Sakaki, "Why do you like this girl so much?"

Shinso, caught off guard by the surprise question from the little horned girl (Aizawa and Sakaki were likewise surprised as well), sputtered a bit before he gave an answer. "Well Eri, I happen to find Sakaki really cute, what with her ears and her tail and all. She's also really pretty overall." The next question that Eri, who didn't know any better because she's a little kid mind you, decided to ask made the two teens as well as Aizawa take pause.

"Do you think she's pretty because she's really squishy?"

"Uhh…" Shinso said, at a bit of a loss over what to say, given what he knew Eri was trying to ask. He wasn't the only one who looked to be at a loss either; both Aizawa and Sakaki, the latter blushing somewhat out of embarrassment, both looked like they did not know exactly what to say at the moment, although Aizawa looked like he knew that he had to go over something with Eri when he and Shinso got her home. "…That's not exactly why I find Sakaki pretty, Eri," Shinso said, "But it's by no means something that I object to."

Eri looked like she understood what her foster brother said, and Sakaki was still blushing a bit, although now she looked a bit thankful that her boyfriend said that he didn't mind the fact that she was on the heavier side of things. Aizawa nodded once in approval, glad to see his foster son did not discriminate on appearance. Eri, who still looked like she was thinking about something that was on her mind, asked another question that caught the teens and Aizawa by surprise.

"Would I be pretty if I was really squishy?"

"There's no need for that, Eri," Aizawa said right away, intending to nip that problem in the bud as soon as possible. The party of four continued to go on into the ramen shop, stepping into the warm, inviting atmosphere of the traditionally Japanese dining place. It was when Aizawa and the others entered the ramen shop, the door closing behind them, that the underground hero saw someone whose presence in Japan caught him by surprise.

Looking over to the dining counter, Aizawa spotted Aggro Ace, sitting next to the white-haired boy who Aizawa recognized as Aggro's protégé, Lincoln Loud. The two of them were clearly grabbing a bit of dinner out, speaking to one another in English with the clear intent of keeping their conversation secret. "…What the hell are they doing here in Japan?" Aizawa said aloud but more to himself than anything else as he walked over to them, the teens and Eri following him.

…

"(I still can't believe that we're actually here in Japan, Aggro-sensei,)" Lincoln remarked in English as he ate some of his bowl of true Japanese ramen, not any of that cheap instant stuff that you can get in the store.

The Samurai Hero nodded once in agreement with his protégé. "(I'm still a bit surprised by it myself, Lincoln-kun,)" Aggro began, "(After all, Japan is the land where my late father was born and raised, the land that I claim half of my heritage from. When Principal Butterbean and Carol had me meet them over in Butterbean's office and told me about the trip to Japan, and that they wanted me to be part of the party that went, well…)" Aggro chuckled a bit before he remarked, "(…How could I say no?)"

"(I'm just wondering this, but why did you ask for the condition that I be brought along on the trip as well?)" the white-haired boy asked.

Aggro closed his eyes, breathed in and out through his nose. "(…Well you're fluent in Japanese, so you could serve as a translator.)" Turning to face his protégé fully, Aggro said, "(But my main reason for asking you to come along is because this trip, due to its nature, will be an invaluable learning experience for you. Not only will it help in sharpening your language skills, but all that you can gleam from watching the battles between quirked persons will serve you well in your own work as a-")

"Sengoku," a voice familiar to Aggro called out in Japanese, cutting Aggro off and making both him and Lincoln turn to see Aizawa standing there, accompanied by two teens and a little girl, none of which either of the two guys from the States recognized. It was clear that it was Aizawa who had spoken up.

"Ah, you're that teacher fellow from the field trip that visited Royal Woods a while ago," Aggro said as he changed what language he spoke in. A look of guilty remorse entered the Samurai Hero's expression as he said, "I hope that those seven boys that I roughed up are doing better. I still feel bad over how I lost my temper on them because they held me back from pursuing that pervert who fondled Leni-chan's rear end."

Aizawa held up a hand in a gesture meant to cut off argument, giving off an air that showed he understood where Aggro was coming from. "Well with all that you did to atone for your actions, as well as how the boys are all okay, we all decided to just let it be water under the bridge." Lowering his hand, Aizawa added, "I also had Mineta punished for his actions during the field trip, although circumstances made it so that I couldn't carry out my original idea for how I had wanted to punish him."

Aggro, as well as Lincoln, nodded in understanding. After the nodding, Aggro gestured to Shinso, Sakaki and Eri. "…Are these other students of yours, Aizawa?"

"Shinso and Sakaki are, yes," the underground hero replied as he gestured to the teens in the appropriate order. Pointing to Shinso and Eri in that order next, Aizawa continued, "Also, Shinso as well as Eri here are my foster kids."

Lincoln nodded to Aizawa's party as he said, "It's great to meet you all."

Eri, with an excited look on her face, looked up at the two guys from America. "So you two from the States know papa from before? That's awesome! Oh, why are you here in Japan?"

"My guess," Shinso began as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Is that they're here as part of the party from Royal Woods. Both of them clearly speak Japanese, so they're probably here to serve as translators for their English-only party members."

"Yeah, Aggro-sensei and I are the only ones in our party who speak Japanese," Lincoln confirmed after he finished his mouthful of ramen.

Aizawa nodded once in understanding. "Well the students on the U.A. team are a bit nervous about their match against your school's team tomorrow. But Principal Nezu has every confidence that the brats on U.A.'s team will give the team that your school brought here a run for their money." Giving off the slightest bit of a smirk, the underground hero added, "I hope that your school's team is prepared for some serious competition."

Aggro, with a hint of knowing amusement on his face, merely replied, "I'm looking forward to the show." Lincoln said nothing, although he did nod once in a manner to show that he agreed fully with his master.

The underground hero prepared to lead his party away to a booth so they could all sit down and finally order dinner. After the party of four had sat down at a booth, Lincoln turned to face Aggro and spoke to him in English as a waitress came up to Aizawa's booth. "(I saw Mr. Aizawa over at Ketsubutsu the day that your sister Amy had her exhibition battle there, Aggro-sensei.)"

"(Oh?)" Aggro replied, the knowing hint of amusement thick in his tone, "(You think that the good people at U.A. are trying to engage in a bit of espionage to learn of the Royal Woods High team's roster ahead of time?)"

"(I don't think so,)" the white-haired boy said, "(Given that I got it that Mr. Aizawa was there because that Ms. Joke lady had invited him. The look on his face that I saw when I overheard it that he was going to watch the exhibition match told me that he didn't expect to be presented with an opportunity to gleam a bit of info on your school's team.)"

Aggro turned forward to face where his meal sat on the counter in the ramen shop, his eyes closed in a calm expression as he considered his protégé's words. "(…Do you know if Aizawa learned of anyone else on the Royal Woods High team aside from Amy, Lincoln-kun?)"

Lincoln gently shook his head in the negative. "(From what I was able to pick up on, Amy is the only person on your school's team that Mr. Aizawa is aware of, Aggro-sensei.)" The white-haired boy snuck a quick glance in the direction of Aizawa's table, where Aizawa and Shinso sat opposite of Sakaki and Eri. All four of them were talking to one another, distracted. Lincoln turned his attention back to Aggro. "(As far as I know, he has no idea about the rest of the roster for Royal Woods High's team.)"

"(That's good,)" Aggro replied simply as he proceeded to eat the rest of his meal. Lincoln, taking the cue, turned his attention to his ramen and proceeded to finish it off. The two guys from the States ate in silence for the rest of their time in the ramen shop. When they were both done, Aggro paid for the meal (he had some Japanese currency with him) and, after he and Lincoln had both thanked the ramen shop's cook for the meal, they took their leave, making a beeline for the hotel that they and the rest of the Royal Woods party was staying at while they were in Japan.

The following morning over at the dorms at U.A., Izuku and the others in 1-A were all awoken at the crack of dawn by someone banging a metal ladle against the bottom of a frying pan. "I ain't get no sleep 'cause of y'all," Mina's voice sang loudly outside of Izuku's dorm room, "Now you all get no sleep 'cause of me!"

Izuku looked to the All Might-themed alarm clock on his nightstand, saw the time, and grumbled in an annoyed tone as he walked to his dorm room's door and opened it, walking out to see Mina dance her way down the hall as Tokoyami, Aoyama and Mineta were all awoken in a similar manner. Once she saw that the boys had all awoken, the pink-skinned girl, who was wearing her hero outfit, had stopped whatever it was that she was doing.

"Mina, would you care to explain why you decided to wake us all up at so ungodly an hour," Tokoyami grumbled in an annoyed tone, "And in such a manner, to boot?" Dark Shadow popped out, rested on Tokoyami's left shoulder, and rubbed its eyes in a manner that people who just woke up and are still tired tend to do.

Mina casually dropped the items she banged together on the floor as she said to the boys, "We all have to meet up with the Big Three down in the main area of our dorm building. The guys over in 1-B are being brought over as well." Mina said that she could give the boys five minutes to suit up in their hero outfits before she would return and do what she did to wake them up in the first place. Getting the cue, Izuku and the others in his hall proceeded to go about getting ready for the day.

None of them could predict what the day had in store for them.

"Alright, gang," Nejire said as she, along with Mirio and Tamaki, stood in front of the combined fifty students of 1-A and 1-B, "Today is the day that the lot of us all take part in the official team battle event against the visiting team from Royal Woods High."

"Our main objective in the team battle event, naturally, is to come up with some method of taking out that girl with the crazy earth manipulation quirk," Tamaki said to the first years, "But that does not mean we should ignore the rest of her team. That being said, we need to divert some resources to taking out the other nine members of the Royal Woods High team while the rest of us all tackle that crazy strong monster."

Tapping his right fist into the palm of his left hand, Mirio remarked, "The others here and I figure that nine of us will focus on the other nine while the remaining forty-four of us all do whatever they can think of to try and take that girl out." The blonde boy of the Big Three crossed his arms over his chest as he said, "Since you first years are the only ones who have experience in facing someone with a massive earth manipulation quirk, me, Tamaki and Nejire will be among the nine on our team to focus on the other nine members of the opposing team."

The first years all nodded and murmured amongst one another in agreement with what their sempai had just said. Since six of their number would have to be diverted temporarily to help the Big Three deal with Amy's teammates, the first years all talked over what to do to accomplish that goal before they all resumed trying to defeat Amy herself, as well as who among them to send with the Big Three to help them with their task.

"I think that the best course of action is to take out the other nine as quickly as possible," Yaoyorozu said, "And since we don't exactly have the luxury of knowing who the other nine members of the Royal Woods High team are, our best bet at this point is to just throw as much power at them as quickly as possible, giving them no time to gather themselves and form a plan to fight back."

"Ooh, Bakugo has lots of power," Pony remarked as she raised a hand, "He can take out one of that earth quirk girl's teammates in next to flat!" The explosive teen, hearing his girlfriend speak highly of his power in such a manner, could not help but let off an amused smirk.

Yaoyorozu nodded once in agreement as she pointed at the half-American girl in a commending manner. Looking around at the other first years while the Big Three were talking to each other, Yaoyorozu asked, "Does anyone else have any ideas on who to volunteer to join the Big Three's temporary team?"

Akuma raised a hand as he said, "If it's dishing out as much power as possible and as quickly as possible that you want, then let me take a crack at it." The Satanist of U.A. gave off a bit of a self-amused smirk as he added, "I'm not much of one to brag, but I do have quite a bit of firepower at my disposal."

Ibara, unamused by her satanic classmate's acting, crossed her arms over her chest, turned her head to look away, and scowled. "…The devil does have a point." Turning her attention to the wealthy girl of 1-A, Ibara remarked, "You may also want to consider your classmate Todoroki, as he can use both fire and ice powers. And he has displayed quite a bit of power in the past, so he should be able to back up the Big Three, Bakugo and Akuma."

"That sounds fair," Reiko said, nodding in agreement with her devout Christian classmate. After a bit more conversing amongst themselves, the fifty-three U.A. students ended up picking Artemis, Kaminari and Eunice to be the other three members who will join the Big Three, Akuma, Bakugo and Todoroki as the group of nine to focus on taking out the other nine students on the Royal Woods High team. With the special squad picked to deal with Amy's teammates, the U.A. students took care of waking themselves up a bit more before the team battle event.

…

As the students went about trying to wake up more, which mostly involved getting breakfast for most of them, Bakugo was at the one island table counter in the kitchen area, eating breakfast with Kirishima, Kaminari and Sero, although all that the explosive teen was really having was a mug of coffee. As the four boys talked over the morning meal, they heard a girl call out to them. Looking up, Bakugo and the boys of his squad saw the trio of Itsuka, Pony and Kinoko come walking over to talk to them.

"Hey, Bakugo," Pony began, "Itsuka and I wanted to speak with your red-haired friend about something."

A look of piqued curiosity appeared on Bakugo's face when he heard his girlfriend's request. "What the hell did Kirishima do?"

Itsuka, as she gently shook her head, let out a mild sigh as she said, "It's actually more along the lines of something that Kirishima did not do." Turning her attention to the hardening quirk boy, the class 1-B rep gave him a serious look. "Even though what those stupid Gen Ed course second year girls did a short while ago was not how she wanted you to learn about it, it does not change the fact that Kinoko is indeed in love with you, and you have yet to tell her anything in response." Itsuka crossed her arms over her chest while keeping her gaze on Kirishima, all the while Kinoko looked to the floor in an embarrassed manner. "Kirishima, why haven't you given Kinoko an answer yet?"

The red-haired teen had a mildly troubled look on his face, a sign that he was somewhat embarrassed. "…To be honest, the idea of a girl actually liking me is something completely new to me," Kirishima began, getting surprised looks out of Itsuka, Pony and (especially) Kinoko. "I didn't really think that it would have actually happen to me period," Kirishima went on, "But then it suddenly did. Don't get me wrong, I don't object to a girl liking me, it's just that I was by no means ever expecting it to happen. So when it actually did, it caught me by surprise so much that I'm still trying to process it."

"Yeah, our bud here hasn't exactly been the luckiest dude in the world when it comes to finding someone who would like him," Kaminari explained, "So when it got out that your mushroom friend here has the hots for him, it took him by surprise."

Itsuka, as well as Pony and Kinoko to an extent, seemed to understand how Kirishima was feeling on the matter. Gesturing to the boys, Itsuka said, "Well, do you at least know if you'd agree to be with her, Kirishima?"

"With all due respect, please don't force an answer out of him right now." The three 1-B girls all turned to look at Sero when he had spoken up. "We have all just woke up, and we're all trying to prep ourselves for some big ass battle that's running a fair shot of steamrolling all of us anyway. Kirishima's got enough on his plate as it is."

The three 1-B girls, Kinoko especially, looked a bit disappointed that Kirishima wasn't going to give an answer to the subject of if he'd give dating Kinoko a shot or not. However, something that the hardening quirk boy said next did a really great job at lifting their spirits, getting the three of them, Kinoko especially, to all turn their attention to him.

"But like I said, I don't object to the idea." Standing up from where he sat at the table, Kirishima said, "I don't object, but since this is still something new to me, I still need a bit of time to process it." He turned his attention to class 1-B's mushroom girl, gave her a serious look of consideration. "Can you wait until after all of us have taken care of the team battle event today, Kinoko?" Kirishima asked, "I'll have an answer for you then."

Kinoko's heart skipped a beat since her crush just told her that he'll have an answer for her soon. The main reason why the mushroom girl was so excited was judging by both the tone and words of the crimson spiked-haired boy in class 1-A, he's liable to give her an answer that would send her over the moon with happiness. Somewhat sheepishly since she was talking to Kirishima after all, Kinoko nodded briskly in the affirmative.

Clapping his hands together, Kaminari said, "Ooh, this reminds me." With the boys and the 1-B girls all looking at him, Kaminari went on, "I think that I may try to give things with Kyoka a shot again." Bakugo, Kirishima and Sero congratulated their electric quirk friend, glad to see that he had recovered enough from the last time he tried to start something special with the rock music lover to give things in that field another go. Kaminari, crossing his arms over his chest as he wore a serious look of annoyance, added, "Provided, of course, that Mineta is nowhere near us when I try asking Kyoka if she'd be up to it."

"The girls and I can tie Mineta up and throw him into a closet somewhere, if that helps," Itsuka said as she gestured to herself, Pony and Kinoko, both of which nodded in agreement. When Pony said that she would kick Mineta in his 'family heirlooms' if he tried anything, the others laughed in amusement. Bakugo especially, as he found the way that his girlfriend had just put kicking the infamous pervert in his balls to be a fresh and hilarious twist.

The 1-B girls, having gotten what they came for and then some, took their leave, allowing Bakugo and the boys of his squad to finish their breakfast in peace. Sure, the daunting team battle event still loomed ominously over the heads of everyone in class 1-A, class 1-B and the Big Three, especially since Royal Woods High was bringing a Sacred Heritage quirk user along as a part of their roster.

…But hearing what the boys all said did a fair bit to lift the spirits of the 1-B girls. Kinoko felt especially as if her spirit was soaring, given that not only was her crush going to give her an answer, but all the signs she observed told her that it was going to be the answer that she wanted, the answer that she dreamed of. If what Kinoko was believing was true, then it wouldn't even matter to her if the (very) likely event of U.A. losing the team battle event to Royal Woods High later today ends up coming to pass.

She would be getting a 'yes' from the crimson spiked-haired boy.

Later, after everyone for the U.A. team had woken up sufficiently, they all made their way to the Sports Festival Stadium. From what Nejire said to everyone as they all made their way over, the stage that was set up for everyone to fight on during the Sports Festival itself had been cleared away, leaving nothing but a big, wide open space. The entirety of the arena would also be sealed off, so as to prevent excess from fired quirk attacks from leaking out to potentially cause harm to anyone that had come to watch the team battle event.

The large group was in the lobby of the stadium, before they entered the arena itself. As they all waited around in their hero costumes, the fifty-three members of the U.A. team all heard Aizawa's voice call out to them. Looking over, all of them saw Aizawa, along with Sekijiro and Hizashi walk up to them. The underground hero gestured to all of them before he spoke to give them some words of encouragement.

"Well, brats," Aizawa began, "Today is the day. You all will be facing off against the team of ten that Royal Woods High brought with them." Crossing his arms over his chest, Aizawa gently shook his head, letting out a troubled sigh. "…All I can do at this point is to tell you brats to all do your best. It would be amazing if you actually won, but there's no shame in losing a fair fight to a stronger op-"

"Excuse me, Mr. Aizawa!" a random and fairly young sounding male voice called out, making the teachers and some of the students turn to see Lincoln come walking over. The white-haired boy was accompanied by a single late-teens girl; she was blonde, and dressed like a certain green-haired succubus from a certain fighting game series. Gesturing to the girl that was with him, Lincoln said, "This is Carol Pingrey. She's the captain of the team that will be representing Royal Woods High in the team battle event."

Giving the two Americans a curious look, Aizawa said, "And she's here because…?"

Gesturing to Carol, Lincoln explained, "She wanted to formally meet with whoever is the captain of the U.A. team and exchange pleasantries in a show of good sportsmanship. You know, wish one another good luck and all."

The teachers turned around to face the U.A. team, with Hizashi saying, "Ooh, which one of you all is the captain for the team?" The fifty-three U.A. students all looked a bit surprised, a sign that none of them had even thought of who to elect as the captain of their school's team for the team battle event. The whole lot of them got into a big group huddle, there was some discussion thrown around, and after a few brief moments the huddle broke. Nejire and Tamaki pushed Mirio forward while saying that the blonde boy was the team captain for the U.A. team, having been elected to the position by pretty much everyone else on the team.

Seeing that he was representing his school's team, Mirio stepped forward and held his hand out to Carol. "I hope that your team is ready for some serious competition," the blonde boy said, "Because U.A. is Japan's top hero high school, so there's no way that we'll be going down easy. You better give it your all." Lincoln spoke to Carol in English before she spoke herself in the same language as she reached out and accepted Mirio's handshake.

"Carol said that she believes she speaks for the whole of Royal Woods High's team when she says that all of them are looking forward to it," Lincoln translated. With pleasantries exchanged, Carol and Lincoln took their leave, allowing the U.A. team and the three U.A. teachers be. When the Americans had left, Mirio turned to face everyone else.

Nejire had a serious look on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "So that girl dressed like Morrigan is the captain of the Royal Woods High team. So now we know who two out of the ten members of the opposing team are."

The other members of the Big Three nodded in agreement, with Tamaki saying, "Since she's the leading member of the opposing team, we may want to prioritize taking her out. You know, so as to take out the opposing team's command structure." Mirio and Nejire, as well as some of the first years, nodded in agreement

"Either way, you all better get out into the arena," Hizashi advised the U.A. team, "You should not keep our opponents waiting." The U.A. team all nodded in the affirmative, with the senseis all leading them out so that they could face their destiny.

The fifty-three members of the U.A. team stood as a group on one far end of the Sports Festival Stadium arena, looking at the far end opposite of them as that's where the team for Royal Woods High would be coming out of. Many of the first years, all of them dreading having to face off against a team that was most likely going to beat them anyway; even Tamaki, one of the Big Three, had his doubts about U.A. pulling off a win today. But Nejire, turning to face the others on the U.A. team, wore a look of fierce determination as she addressed all of her fellow U.A. team members.

"Come on, everyone, look alive!" Nejire declared, "Sure, our opponents are bringing a Sacred Heritage quirk user with them, but we knew of that ahead of time, and we prepped a lot for it specifically. I'm certain that, if we stick to our plan, we'll pull of a win here that will send all of Japan into an excited-"

Nejire was cut off when the crowds that were all seated in the bleachers surrounding the arena of the Sports Festival Stadium went wild with excitement, prompting Nejire and the rest of the U.A. team to all turn around. As such, they saw the ten members of the Royal Woods High team, all dressed in their hero costumes, come out from one of the doorways at the far opposite end of the arena. Carol, the captain of the team, was not only in front of her school's team, but she was also approximately in the center.

Right away, the first years spotted Amy Ace, the girl that had the Sacred Heritage quirk, somewhere off to the side of the Royal Woods High party, talking to a girl with fair skin, a beauty mark under one of her eyes, her long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a white robe that had light blue trim. The girl that Amy walked with looked dressed like a White Mage-type of character from a video game.

There was also another girl, this one blonde and looking to be of an age comparable to Carol; this girl was dressed like a lady vampire from a certain video game where a hero learned the language of dragons. It was Uraraka who spotted that Luna Loud girl in the Royal Woods High party, having recognized her as one of the girls who helped to save her from some would-be killers back when class 1-A had their field trip to the States. Luna was chatting with the girl who walked next to her, a blonde girl with a streak of blue in her hair.

A fuller-bodied Hispanic girl who looked to be about as old as Carol walked behind where Amy and the White Mage-looking girl walked. None of the U.A. team members could get anything on that girl, but then again when the remaining three persons on Royal Woods High's team started to be recognized, that fuller-bodied Hispanic girl became the last of all of their worries, given that those who were more knowledgeable on the matter knew that things were way too heavily slanted against their favor.

All of class 1-B aside from the new boys in their number recognized the blonde girl dressed like a Viking as the girl who lost her temper and nearly attacked them had they not run away before she was ready to strike. Izuku and his classmates who were screwed over due to Mineta's antics during their class's field trip all recognized the samurai-looking fellow as Aggro, the guy that the infamous pervert had led into attacking all seven of them. And while the desperado-looking guy who walked next to Aggro did not ring any bells for any on the U.A. team, some of those among their number could just feel an aura of raw power radiate from him, power comparable to what was radiating off of Aggro, Amy and the Viking girl.

Up in the bleachers, in the VIP section where a lot of U.A.'s teachers sat, many of the teachers all felt their hearts drop infinitely. "You…you cannot be serious…" Aizawa said, looking like he had just seen some infinite horror. The underground hero gently shook his head, his eyes as wide as they could possibly go. "…This is sheer insanity. The Royal Woods High team didn't bring one Sacred Heritage quirk user with them." Sekijiro, Hizashi and some of the others turned to face Aizawa when they heard him gulp nervously.

"They brought four."

"What?!" Hizashi exclaimed, "That's totally insane! If I didn't know any better, I'd say that the Americans actually want to straight up kill our students!"

Toshinori, from where he sat in the VIP section with the other U.A. teachers, paled as he looked down into the arena, down where the U.A. team stood. The former Symbol of Peace looked to where Izuku stood among the group. Toshinori gulped nervously as he also came to realize that his green-haired protégé was facing not just one, but four opponents of such a level that any of them acting on their own could very easily beat even the current top ten of Japan's pro heroes in a ten on one bout.

The gaunt-faced man sighed in a resigned tone, already knowing full well how the team battle event was going to turn out. "…Well, Enji," Toshinori thought grimly as he considered the current number one pro hero Endeavor, "It looks like you'll be getting your wish after all." As he looked down where Aggro, the Samurai Hero: Sengoku, stood with the rest of the Royal Woods High team, before turning his attention to where Todoroki stood among the U.A. team, Toshinori thought, "Your youngest son will get to test his fire against the golden flames of Amaterasu."

Nemuri, from where she was in the announcer's booth with Hound Dog, announced over the arena speaker, "Alright, everyone! Today is the day that all of us have been waiting for!" Even the eighteen only hero recognized that there was more than what everyone at U.A. had been expecting out of the Royal Woods High team, could tell beyond a shadow of a doubt what the end result of the team battle event would be, before said battle even took place.

Even so, Nemuri knew that she and Hound Dog had a job to do, and she would not let anything get in the way of her doing that job. "This team battle event will be between the home team, U.A. High School, and the team from Royal Woods High, visiting Japan all the way from Royal Woods, Michigan over in the United States! Are all of you ready to see the future heroes of Japan take part in their greatest battle yet?"

The crowds cheered wildly, their excitement being taken up to a fever pitch. Down in the arena, many of the U.A. team members gulped nervously as they looked over to the members of the Royal Woods High team. The girl they recognized as Amy was already holding her staff, but that Viking girl also had a golf club, and Aggro had one of his bokken out, a reddish-brown wood number that had faux-leather wrap at the one end serving as a hilt, and said faux leather wrap had red threading. Izuku also saw that Aggro looked to be talking to the rest of his school's team; given that Nemuri-sensei was announcing in Japanese, the Samurai Hero was probably taking care of translating things for the others on his team who didn't speak Japanese.

"Is everyone ready?!" Nemuri announced from the announcer's booth, "Because the team battle event between U.A. and Royal Woods High is about to commence! Okay, students! On the count of three, be ready to give it your all!" Izuku saw Aggro say something to his other teammates, and right away some of them assumed stances showing that they would charge straight ahead at a moment's notice, with the Viking girl looking especially eager for battle. "One," Nemuri called out, "Two-"

*BOOOOOOOOM*

*THWOOOOOOM*

Everything stopped short when the explosions coming from outside of the Sports Festival Stadium caught their attention. From over the edge of the top of the stadium, a number of people within could see large columns of smoke rise up into the skies above from a good distance away. Right away, many of the spectators who came to see the team battle event started to panic; some of the students that were setting up to fight each other, U.A. and Royal Woods High alike, were also alarmed by the sudden interruption that was clearly no sign of something friendly.

Nemuri and Hound Dog, both of which had to leave the announcer's booth to see what was going on, looked up and saw the columns of black smoke that rose up to choke the skies above. "What the hell is going on here?!" Hound Dog exclaimed. Right when Nemuri and Hound Dog were met up by Aizawa, Sekijiro and Hizashi, the five of them were greeted by the pro hero Hawks when he landed right down in the stands next to them. The rattled, wide-eyed look of alarm on the number two hero's face was a sign to the U.A. teachers that something bad was going down.

"The city's being attacked by the Paranormal Liberation Front!" Hawks exclaimed as more of the pro heroes who worked as teachers at U.A. started to gather around, "They came out in full force in a clear effort to take over the city!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down a cycle there, Hawks," Snipe remarked as he got the number two hero to try and take it easy as he got up from where he sat next to Toshinori. Gesturing to Hawks, the marksman hero asked, "Now then partner, what in tarnation is going on here exactly?"

Hawks breathed in and out a few times, clearly trying to calm himself. "…Like I said, the Paranormal Liberation Front has come out in full force to attack the city in a bid to take all of it over." Gently shaking his head, Hawks said, "If any of you thought that the monster attack from a while ago was insane, then you clearly have not seen how many numbers are commanded by the villains running the Front."

Scoffing incredulously, Sekijiro said, "Pfft, it can't be all that bad. I mean, it's not like-"

"There are over one-hundred thousand villains attacking the city right now," Hawks interrupted, his tone serious, "And all of them are fighting side by side, united under the banner of the Front." All of the pro heroes talking to the current number two went wide-eyed with alarm, having clearly heard what Hawks said despite how everyone else in the stands were panicking in an effort to get out of the stadium and somewhere safe.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Aizawa had a look of grimness on his face. "…I got it that an epic attack involving the villains was going to occur at some point, but I got it that we had a four month time limit." Turning to look at Hawks, the underground hero said, "That was only two months ago, so the villains are attacking two months early."

Hawks gently shook his head, a look of guilt on his face. "That Re-Destro fellow was able to come up with enough excuses to convince the Front's grand commander, that Shigaraki fellow, to move things up ahead of their schedule."

Toshinori looked as if he was dealing with a mix of emotions; the grandson of his mentor Nana, who had been lured into villainy by that most unforgivable bastard All For One, was now not only in command of a massive army of villains, but was now as he and everyone in the arena spoke leading said army in an attack on the city. The former Symbol of Peace truly wished at that moment that he still had some of his power left.

The heroes were going to need all the help that they could get in saving the city from the attacking villains.

TO BE CONTINUED…

END, CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Author's notes;

So yeah, in case any of you were wondering, I wasn't actually going to have the U.A. students' fight against the Royal Woods High team take place, but rather have their fated battle interrupted before the first hit was even thrown. What I actually had planned was for the heroes-yes, all of them-to fight side by side with not just one another but all manner of allies to repel the Paranormal Liberation Front in what I am hoping to make into the biggest battle in this story not just to date, but for the rest of its entirety until it eventually comes to a close (a close that won't be happening anytime soon, in case any of you were wondering). Also, since the big fight with the PLF is happening two months early here than it does in the series proper, you can expect a lot of things to be different.

The next chapter will be the first of a mini-arc that will take up the rest of the 'Team battle' arc. Now, considering what will be happening over the next couple of chapters, I figured that it was best if I said this now; starting from the next chapter and going on for the rest of the 'Team battle arc', there are going to be a LOT of deaths. Named character deaths. It's something that comes with the territory when a large army of villains decides to attack a city with the intent of taking it over/fighting the heroes who defend it.

Sure, a good number of the attacking villains are on the chopping block, with one of them at the end of this arc meeting his (yes, it will be a male villain) end because of something that will tie heavily to one of the arcs that will be following this one. After all, the villains, even with their vast, overwhelming numbers, can't expect to pull off a stunt like attacking the city and come out of things in the end without a scratch. But that doesn't mean some of the heroes, as well as some of their allies, will emerge unscathed either.

You have been warned.