"Excuse me."
With a bow, Mina walked into the temporary office Recovery Girl had set up inside the stadium. She closed the door, shoulders slumped. Her eyes wandered everywhere except where the nurse sat. "I… need some treatment…?"
The older woman swiveled in her chair, staring at her. "Well, you wouldn't be here if you didn't."
Mina shrunk into herself, trying to play it off with a laugh. "Ha ha… yeah."
"Come on, sit down on the stool right over there."
She nodded, sitting down on a chair that was far too low for her to be comfortable in. 'Guess this is the kinda stuff you go through when you're as tiny as Recovery Girl…'
"Without even looking at you professionally, I can tell that your right arm has had a rough day." Mina heard small taps coming from behind, approaching her. "What happened, eh? Was it during the obstacle race?"
"Y-yeah…" The girl bashfully admitted.
"Mhm. You've got bruises all over." She hummed, grabbing the girl's arm and pressing down on different spots, mostly eliciting varying reactions of pain. "Let me guess, you went and used all you could with One for All?"
"Yeah I-" Mina tensed up, recalling the feeling of her bones cracking and shattering in her limb. "I really pushed too far…"
"I'm surprised nothing seems to be broken though. Did that Shimano kid help you?"
Mina nodded. "He did, actually… Do you know him?"
"He's been doing some after school studying with me on how to properly heal injuries." She reached for Mina's hand, pressing down on it, immediately causing the girl to yelp. "Guess he still has a long way to go, though."
"He still helped a ton, hah…" Mina meekly forced out, trying to make small talk wherever she could.
"Something on your mind?" The nurse asked absentmindedly, looking over the cut on her back. "Someone nicked you here."
She was glad the nurse was behind her, her expression would give everything away. "It was a 1-B student… And I'm fine, why?"
"Well, you're usually a pretty peppy and chatty girl." Mina felt something wet touch her cut, causing her to hiss with the following burning sensation. "I know enough people like you to know that they don't stop talking unless they're thinking about something."
"It's… it's fine, really. Not something you can help with, I think."
"Well, maybe I can help." A voice boomed from behind the door.
Opening it, Toshinori stood there in his skeletal form, walking in with a smile. "I am here… Checking up on my student." He laughed at his own joke, "I figured I'd find you here. I was hoping to talk to you."
'Oh thank goodness.' Mina relaxed, anything to not have to talk about Todoroki, or her family.
"Yeah, uh… What happened back there?" She asked. "Towards the end of the Cavalry Battle, I felt… Like I was burning up, like an actual fire was started inside of me? And not really in a good way.
"Next thing I know though, it feels like… I can feel Midoriya and Tokage's bodies? Like I am them? And they kinda just exploded…?" Mina trailed off, knowing how vague her description was. "And now I just have this- this really annoying pain in the top of my head that won't go away."
Toshinori put a hand to his chin while Mina whined due to Recovery Girl's disinfection process.
"Well, the burning sensation I can say for sure was One for All spreading throughout your entire body. You've been using a low percentage for long enough that when push came to shove, your body regulated itself to what I assume is the safe limit on its own…" He paused, closing his eyes and nodding. "And provided you a taste of how it feels to use it all over your body instead of limiting it to two limbs."
"Can't say it felt great… Ack- That one really hurt!" Mina complained.
"Not my fault you got gunk in your wounds!" Recovery Girl fired back.
"As for the latter part… I don't know."
Mina blinked, staring at him. "You don't know?"
He shook his head. "I've never experienced something like that in my life, Young Ashido. In all my 40 years of using One for All."
"Then… Did it change with me? Is that even a thing?"
"As far as I know? No." He looked at her, a deep in thought mind behind his crystal blue eyes. "It obviously grows stronger with every holder, but aside from that, I've never heard of it behaving unexpectedly."
The girl sighed. Internally, the older man winced. "If it helps, I think I might have a clue as to what it did to you and your teammates." Toshinori added.
Mina perked up at that, straightening out her back. "Really? What do you think it did?"
"Well, I like to think that combined with the classes she's taken with me, as well as today's events, I have a pretty good idea of young Tokage's limitations…" He grabbed his phone, showing off a video he'd recorded of the cavalry battle. "Not to say her quirk is bad, far from it, she just isn't the quickest at the moment. Which is why her final burst of speed surprised me at first."
"And… it happened right when I-"
"Felt Midoriya and Tokage's essences. I think that's what you felt when you say you felt like them." He hummed, placing his phone back in his pocket. "You somehow enhanced her, and most likely young Midoriya too. Can you recall what you were feeling at that moment? Emotionally, I mean."
"I…" Mina hesitated as Recovery Girl finished wrapping protective tape around her arm and torso, not seeing the small handheld infrared thermometer she was using. "I was desperate. I finally felt like I was amounting to something, but when an actual challenge appeared, unless I went all out, I could barely compete at all. I… above all else, I wanted to be useful, I guess."
"And…?" He nudged her along.
She sighed, looking away. "And I wanted to win! It wasn't the most selfless feeling, ok?!"
"Sometimes being 'selfish' to help yourself is how you help others, dearie." Recovery Girl patted her shoulder, walking back to her computer. "And besides, being too selfless is a really bad thing! Right, Toshinori?"
The older man shrunk where he sat, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't help but feel like that advice wasn't just for her."
"That's because it wasn't!" She huffed, making the student laugh. "Alright Ashido, you're all set. The compression bandage around your right arm should help prevent further serious injuries if you don't push yourself too hard, and your cuts have pretty much closed up."
"Oh, thanks!" She got up, giving both adults a bow. "I gotta get going now, my friends must be worried."
"Don't let us keep you waiting then, go on." He waved her off, the girl walking away with a small smile.
Waiting for Mina to get a good distance away, Recovery Girl shook her head. "I don't like the sound of what she's been saying."
"What do you mean?" Toshinori asked, getting ready to leave himself.
"Well, besides the fact I'm pretty sure the issue she was talking about wasn't One for All related, when it comes to that, the burning sensation she described… It doesn't sound normal. Not like how One for All would normally feel like anyway. The girl was practically burning up when I examined her." She took out a thermometer gun she'd used to measure her temperature. "38° Celsius, pushing to 39. She should have been at 37 at most."
"...I'll be truthful, it isn't." He put his hands together, trying to think. "If it's causing her that kind of physical backlash…
"It's possible I cultivated One for All for too long."
"MINAAAA-"
Walking in the halls, Mina whipped her head around and was immediately pulled into a tackle hug by her father. "Lil' star! I was looking for you all over, I was so worried when I couldn't find you anywhere!" Katsuta squeezed tighter and tighter, "Your old man can't take that kind of scare!"
"Dad-" She gasped out. "Daddy, p-plea-"
"Oh shoot!" He put her down, the girl coughing and wheezing. "So sorry, I was just so worried after how the cavalry battle ended, I thought you were seriously hurt or something."
She took a deep breath. "No no, 'm fine… Jeez dad, did you hug villains this hard back when you were still patrolling the streets?" She sighed, moreso endeared rather than truly annoyed. "Also, I have a phone? You could have just called, y'know."
"Oh… I might have forgotten about that detail." He admitted. "Anyway, I don't imagine you've eaten lunch yet, so if you want, I can chat until we get to the cafeteria and then I'll get off your case!"
The two began to walk together. Mina rubbed her uninjured arm, "Actually… could I eat lunch with you?"
"Wha-? I mean, sure, but why? Is something wrong?"
"No, not at all!" She lied. "It's just- we only eat lunch together during the weekends, you know. I eat lunch with those goobers almost every day. That's all!"
"Well if that's the case, your old man won't deny you of that at all! Can't say I disagree with the reasoning anyways." He laughed, patting her on the back. "You know, I expected more people to recognize me, but I guess since I was a licensed hero for only a year or two, I didn't get any long term fame huh?"
"Is that so bad, daddy?" She tilted her head, smiling. "Did you become an attention hog when I wasn't looking~?"
"Hey!" He bit back halfheartedly, his cheeks flushed purple. "Just something I noticed, that's all."
"Just teasing, just teasing~."
The two eventually reached the cafeteria, grabbing a tray with food and sitting down on an individual table, lunching and chatting on and off as they ate Nattō together. For a few minutes, she felt levity in her again, something much needed after the conversation she had experienced. A much needed brief respite.
A few tables away, Midoriya sat with Iida, Ochako, Kaminari and now Setsuna, a new addition to their little group. He was eating his usual favorite, Katsudon. Try as he might though, he couldn't really enjoy his meal freely. And from quick glances over at his green haired friend, he could tell she was in the same boat as him.
He looked at the table Mina was sitting at for what he guessed was too long, because Kaminari turned to see what he was staring at. "Ayo, is that Ashido?" He squinted his eyes. "Who's that she's sitting with?"
Setsuna floated her eye up. "Dunno. It ain't anyone I know, that's for sure."
"Can we not do this? As students of U.A, we shouldn't be staring so much at other people, that is highly inadequate!" Iida added, huffing.
Midoriya raised an eyebrow. "But you're also staring, Iida…"
"I- Well- I don't want Ashido to be in bad company, that is all. However…" He stroked his chin. "Judging from the way she seems to be interacting with that man, the familiarity she seems to possess with him, and seeing as both are eating very similar dishes…'
"You can see that from here?" Kaminari squinted even harder. "What if he's her sugar da-"
He received a slap upside the head from a disembodied hand. "You might need glasses, dude." Setsuna responded.
Ignoring Kaminari's comment, Iida continued. "I believe he is either her father, or a trusted guardian of hers! Which means-" He looked back at their table, clearing his throat. "It is not necessary for us to snoop on their business. That would be incredibly inconsiderate of us as friends."
Midoriya felt guilt tug at his heart at what Iida said. He nodded all the same.
"Yeah, can't say I disagree…" Setsuna said, popping her eye back in to continue eating her Okonomiyaki. She looked up, noticing that Ochako had been the only one to not speak up during that small incident. "You doing alright Uraraka? You're a bit quiet for someone who was so pumped up for this festival."
She jumped in her seat, broken out of her absentminded food poking. "Ah-! It's just… Well, I didn't make the cut for the final event. Bakugou took my headband almost immediately..." She squirmed in her seat, her gaze wandering upwards. "I was really looking forward to getting all of the pros' attention, you know…"
"We still have another two sports festivals after this one." Midoriya added, trying his best to be encouraging. "I think it's fine to be disappointed, but you have to remind yourself of what's ahead too. It's pretty important to do that, I think!"
The girl smiled weakly, but sighed, slumping her shoulders. "You guys wouldn't get it… I need this kind of attention sooner rather than later…"
"And why's that?" Setsuna asked, taking a sip of her water.
Kaminari nodded, taking a bite of his hamburger and speaking with his mouth partially full. "What they said, is there something super important that needs a pro to notice you right away?"
"I…" She shrunk in her seat, groaning. "...Promise not to tell people? It's… a little embarrassing for me to admit."
"Of course." Iida put a hand on her shoulder. "If there is something you wish to not leave this group, then it will not."
"Yep yep! I swear on my great smile!" Kaminari cheered, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "...So if someone ends up knowing, you know it was him."
"HEY!"
The exchange got a laugh out of Ochako. She regained her composure and explained her situation in depth. How her family had always been on the very lower end when it came to wealthiness. She hesitated to say she was truly and utterly poor, but from the others' perspective, that didn't matter all that much.
Her family business being a construction company, she had always wanted to help her parents out with her quirk. But quirk regulation laws prevented that. Which all culminated in her wanting to become a hero to give her parents an easy going life.
"Which is why I need a pro to notice me sooner rather than later." Her city accent had begun to slip, giving way to what they assumed was her natural one. She trailed circles on the table, supporting her head with her other hand. "I… just really wanna help them. And failin' right at the second event really didn't help at all. Like I said, I don't expect y'all to get it… Plus, it's a bit selfish of me, in some ways."
"Selfish?" Iida shook his head. "I think wanting others to have a better life is anything but selfish. It may be your own family, but by the time you have a license, you'll be able to be independent too. It won't be an obligation, but a conscious choice of yours."
"You really… think that?" Ochako perked up.
"That-" Kaminari sniffled, nodding vigorously. "Is such an emotional story! Uraraka, I had no idea! You could have said something sooner."
"I'm not as close to you, but I ain't gonna judge you for wanting to help your folks, y'know." Setsuna chuckled. "Sure is a more solid reason for being a pro than most people have nowadays."
"Sorry if I'm being insensitive, but is that why sometimes you'd put away leftover lunch in containers?" Midoriya asked.
At his question, Ochako's face flushed red. "Ya noticed that?!"
"I-I, uh…" He began to sweat, Kaminari seemed to be giving him the stink eye, something akin to 'this is an unspoken rule deal'. "...It's hard not to notice, sorry."
"W-well… Yeah. That's why I do it." She admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "Food here is a lot cheaper and healthier than most restaurants close to my apartment."
"I see. That makes sense, Lunch Rush's quirk 'Food Production' allows him to create large quantities of food provided he has the lipids for it, which means that the price and nutrition end up being better by virtue of being more controlled and in higher supply. It makes sense that someone like him would be faculty in a school aimed to create the next gene-"
Setsuna smacked him upside the head playfully, giggling. "Dude. Chill."
"...Sorry." He apologized bashfully. "But I don't judge you for doing that at all, Uraraka."
"For what it's worth, I apologize for not noticing your circumstances earlier." Iida added. "I know it might feel like a blow to your pride, but should an emergency arise, don't hesitate to ask me for some help. My family would understand readily."
Kaminari gave her a thumbs up. "Same here!"
"My family is… not as wealthy as the others' here, I imagine, but if you need some other kind of help, I would be glad to offer it." Midoriya smiled.
"I'm in the same boat. My folks are a little stingy, but I can always help in other ways!" Setsuna smiled with her sharp teeth. "Admitting you need help is nothing to be ashamed of."
Ochako had begun to tear up, sniffling. "I'll… I'll keep that in mind."
From there, the table had naturally taken on a much lighter atmosphere. And yet, for Midoriya and Setsuna, even as they laughed and talked, their thoughts went back to the conversation they'd dropped in on…
And so did Mina's thoughts. She'd finished her lunch, and now was just making small talk with her dad, telling him how U.A is for her, telling him about her friends, how her quirk's going… and yet, all these topics made her mind wander back to what Todoroki said.
"...Hey, dad?" She suddenly asked, her tone a lot more serious. "Can I ask you something?"
"Well, you just did!" He responded, still feeling chipper.
"...Another two questions?"
"Shoot!"
"I…" She hesitated. The extroverted behavior she had with him, one of the people she trusted the most, all but gone. "If… there was a classmate you knew was having family troubles, really serious ones, but they didn't ask for help, what would you do?"
Katsuta's demeanor grew more serious. He hummed, appearing to be deep in thought.
"Well, if it's something that serious, I'm afraid they themselves would need to come forward to officials to open an investigation. It would be the quickest and most sure fire way of dealing with it"
He tapped his finger on the table, appearing to notice how Mina had deflated at that. "It doesn't mean you can't be there for them though! Helping out someone by being there for them, letting them vent, guiding them through some issues, why, I think that's even a part of your resumé as a hero, hah!"
She perked up, smiling. "You think so? I mean, we're not particularly close, they just… let it out, I think I just happened to be someone that they could do that to in a convenient way."
"Yep, I definitely do. But-" He added, "-you won't be able to do much about the legal side, and that's just something you'll have to learn to cope with. Besides that, make sure you don't overdo it, okay lil' star?"
"You're their friend, not their therapist." He ruffled her hair, noticing two little bumps. "Say, have your little horn stubs gotten more prominent?"
"Huh?" She pushed his head off her head, tracing her fingers along her scalp. "Seems so… I guess that means we'll both have horns our hair hides!"
"We'll be horn buds, hah!" Katsuta laughed. "Get it, cause, we're family, and our horns are super small?"
Mina giggled, punching him lightly. "That was terrible, dad."
He chuckled along with her, sighing and patting his stomach. His face lit up, a sign Mina knew meant he had an idea. "Say, why don't you introduce me to your friends? You talk about them so much, I'd be honored to meet that Midoriya fella especially! Seems like a good one, that boy."
"Well…" While she didn't want to talk to them, in case they caught on that there was something wrong, she relented. "I don't see a problem, yeah!"
'Besides, with him there, they'll probably be too busy to notice.'
The two put away their trays at the designated spot and walked over to her friends' table. On the way there, she realized that not only had her friends seen her getting closer, but Midoriya and Setsuna were staring particularly hard…
She tried not to think about it.
Kaminari piped up, grinning. "Ashido! Didn't think you'd come over after all!"
"Heya!" She answered, smiling back. "I wasn't really planning to, but he decided he wanted to be introduced to everyone, so…" She nudged her dad with her elbow, giving him a cue.
"Well hello there, youngins!" Katsuta waved, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm Ashido Katsuta, I'm this little star's father!"
"Dad!" She flushed red, stomping her foot. "Did you have to use the nickname in front of them?!"
"Pff-" Kaminari and Setsuna stifled a laugh. "I mean with your hair, it certainly fits." She added.
Mina blinked, groaning. "Oh great, I'm never living that down."
"Come on, it's not that bad!" Her father insisted.
Setsuna nodded. "Yeah, it's cute!"
Katsuta ruffled her hair, turning to the teens. "So, let me see if I can guess all of your names from what she said…"
"She talks about us?" Ochako asked, surprised.
"I mean, it's practically all she talks about, haha! Now, let's see…" While Mina's face grew even redder, her father looked over the table. "Very strong green hair, must be Midori… Sharp teeth, lively, Tokage… Pink eyes, Uraraka… Tallest one, you're Iida for sure… Yellow all over, Kaminari, right?"
The group sat silent, Mina curling into herself in shame. "I mean, did I get any of those wrong?"
"No, actually, but…" Midoriya smiled, a red tint in his cheeks. "Midori, huh?"
"Sharp teeth, ey." She used her hand to poke Mina, smiling from ear to ear. "Guess you like my grin, don't ya?"
Uraraka looked at herself in her fliphone's reflection. "First time someone's said anything about my eyes, actually."
Iida shrunk into himself, shoulders slumping. "Is my height really my most notable trait…?"
"And all I get is that I'm yellow?!" Kaminari whined, mock(?) crying.
"I think one's missing though… a black haired fellow, I'd met him before… Kirishima! Did he not come?" Katsuta asked. Upon seeing the different expressions of soreness his daughter's friends wore, he hissed. "Ok, sore spot, got it."
Trying to move past it, Katsuta hummed, pleased with what he was seeing. "Well, you all seem like a good bunch! I should get going though, I might lose my place in the stands. Take it e-"
"Wait!" Midoriya yelled abruptly, standing up from his seat.
Everyone in a 10 meter radius looked at him, even Mina had uncurled to look at him. He began to sweat, "I-I, uh…" His eyes darted, suddenly widening. He produced a notebook from his back pocket. 'Autograph collection' was written on it. A pen sat in the coils.
"You're- you're a hero, right? M-May I-I…?"
Kaminari and Ochako burst out laughing, while Iida and Katsuta both let out a sigh of relief. "For sure, little guy! I gotta warn ya though…" He took the notebook, writing 'ДLIΞИ ҜIИG' on it (ALIEN KING for those with screen readers). "I'm only one on paper, had to hang up the coat a while ago."
"R-right…" He and Setsuna exchanged weirdly concerned glances. This didn't go unnoticed by Mina. They were starting to bother her.
He handed the student his notebook. "I'm off for real now! Take it easy fellas." He walked away with a giddy stride, bouncing as he went.
Mina let out an awkward laugh, pulling aside a chair for her. "How'd you figure he was a hero, Midoriya?" Kaminari asked.
The rest of the table looked at him with varying degrees of disbelief. "What? What are y'all looking at me like that for?!" He asked, throwing up his arms.
They all laughed and resumed their talk. Mina chimed in where she could, being caught up on Ochako's situation by Iida. They teased her with her dad's nickname, they exchanged plans for after the festival. But the way Midoriya and Setsuna were so quiet, the way both either seemed to avoid looking her way or looked at her when they thought she wasn't looking…
She was starting to get a bit too familiar with the sensation.
Lunch had passed, and Midnight introduced the final event. A classic one on one fight, nothing more, nothing less. The rules were standard, ten second limit on being incapacitated, knock out, or ring out. For fairness, anyone who might be able to fly would have their airborne movement count as one, should most of their body leave the ring.
Along with that, Ojiro and Shoda, two members of Shinsou's team, had dropped out due to feeling that they hadn't earned their place among their peers. Their honesty was applauded, even if only out of pity.
Tetsutetsu had been allowed to replace one of them, being the team leader of one of the runner-up teams, despite their points being taken at the last second.
"With two spots still being open, we'll randomly select two participants from the previous event!" Midnight shouted, cracking her whip. A hologram screen spun two lists of names like a roulette wheel.
'Tokoyami Fumikage'.
'Uraraka Ochako'.
"And there you have it! And now, to scramble all of the contestant's names!"
"Darkness rises again!" Tokoyami proclaimed proudly.
As the would-be fighters' names bounced around in the hologram screen, Setsuna nudged Ochako. "Hey, you got in after all. Lucky you!"
She nodded, a weak smile on her face. "Yeah, right… Lucky. Doesn't really prove anything though…"
She tried to say something in response, but shut her mouth, shaking her head.
Mina watched this go down and pursed her lips. This wasn't how she imagined her first Sports Festival going at all. Now she had to deal with a boy with troubles that hit far too close to home, her childhood friend that was keeping her away…
"Here is the line up!" Midnight's voice snapped her out of it.
The hologram displayed who would fight who for the first round, as follows:
Tokage Setsuna
VS.
Tokoyami Fumikage
Hatsume Mei
VS.
Kaminari Denki
Ashido Mina
VS.
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
Yaoyorozu Momo
VS.
Todoroki Shouto
Midoriya Izuku
VS.
Sero Hanta
Kirishima Eijirou
VS.
Shinso Hitoshi
Bakugou Katsuki
VS.
Yuuga Aoyama
lida Tenya
VS.
Uraraka Ochako
More than one person in the group of students blanched as they saw their line-ups, and Mina was one of them. 'Tetsutetsu?! I have to fight HIM of all people?!' She craned her neck in his direction, meeting his literally steely stare. She whipped her head back. 'And if I win that… I'm fighting Todoroki in the second round…'
To say the pressure was on would be the understatement of the century. She was going to be fighting the boy who hard countered her, and if she somehow won that, she'd need to fight Todoroki.
'...And I'll win.' She clenched her fists. 'Because too much is on the line for All-Might… for me!'
She took a deep breath, calming herself. She looked around. Iida and Ochako seemed to be discussing the fact they'd be up against each other, that Mei girl was buttering up Kaminari. 'Something super easy to do…' And Bakugou hadn't stuck around to even finish listening to Midnight.
"Bring your best game, Harbinger of the Dinosaurs!" Tokoyami shouted, butting heads with Setsuna, both being surprisingly the same height, despite the very different builds they had. "I will show you the power of the strength the dark has cultivated inside of me!"
The girl was clearly holding back her biggest guffaw yet, trying to play along. "W-We'll- snrkt - we'll see about that, Abyss Walker!"
"Abyss Walker…" He repeated back to her, astonished.
"If I win the first round, I might have to fight…" Midoriya trailed off.
"Now, setting aside the tournament for a bit, here are some activities for the rest to partake in and enjoy yourselves with while we make the proper preparations!"
The students that would be participating in the event for the most part filed out. Mina saw this as an opportunity, noticing that both Midoriya and Setsuna were walking together side by side, away from the others.
She followed after them. She seemed to be doing a lot of that today. As soon as they were far enough away from the sounds of chatter and cheer, the two stopped first.
"You can talk to us if you want to, you know." Setsuna said, turning around with Midoriya. "No need to stalk us."
"I…" She felt a tinge of guilt in her heart, but she shook her head. "You guys have been acting weird ever since the Cavalry Battle ended. Is something wrong? Midori, Tokage? Did what happened at the end make you two worried? Or like, tired?
"You two have been giving each other these like… glances, and you've been staring at me all the time. Did… Did I do something wrong? Did I scare you…?" She asked, looking away, her lips pursed into a frown as she rubbed her good arm.
"What? No, goodness no." Setsuna reassured, putting on a smile.
Midoriya nodded, visibly less composed. "Y-yeah, you didn't do anything bad, really. I actually planned to ask you eventually about that whole-whole… thing, but it wasn't on my mind for the moment."
"Then why?"
Setsuna hummed. "I mean, I am pretty tired from the Cavalry Battle, I bet Midoriya feels the same, right? And we were just a bit surprised you seemed to have energy still, that's all."
"R-right! That-that's what it is!" He shakily agreed. "The-there's nothing more to it, we were just uh, just a bit worried for you."
Mina could see Setsuna's expression harden. That remarkably neutral-to-happy face was probably great for any other situation, but in this kind of situation, with Midoriya's visible anxiety, it made the whole situation all the more obvious. There was something they weren't telling her.
"You are feeling energetic, right?" Setsuna added, overtaking Midoriya. "Don't want you to be all tired and sleepy for the main event, heh."
She sighed, shaking her head. "If… you two don't wanna tell me, that's fine. You could've just said that though…"
With a turn on her heels, Mina had fully resigned herself by this point that the friends she'd worked so hard to make would start drifting away from her. She'd been dumb to want them to make friends with someone like her, she was imposing, overwhelming, awkward all in the wrong ways.
Who would want to socialize with someone like her? Maybe if she was the only option there, but she was surrounded by remarkable people. Even people she could sympathize with, she just made an enemy out of. Why did she bother?
Holding back a sniffle, she was about to turn the corner…
"Wait!"
Only to be stopped by Midoriya's voice.
She turned around, trying her best to not show that she was getting close to her limit. It might not have been working.
"I…" Midoriya started, biting his lip. "It's just…"
Setsuna put a hand to his shoulder. "You sure you wanna do this, dude?"
"How can I not?!" He interjected, shaking his shoulder away from her. "If I don't tell her, I don't know what'll happen. Knowing what I know, what we know, I can't just say nothing. I tried, I really did, I figured it'd be better for her, but, but…
"Turning their cheek when someone's troubled, that's not what a hero does. That's not what All-Might does."
"Midoriya…?" Mina blinked.
"Well, no turning back now…" Setsuna sighed, a small grin on her face. "Not that I can disagree with that reasoning though. You're something else, man."
"To tell you the truth, there is something that's on our minds, Ashi." The two walked closer. Setsuna seemed to be handling it better, but Midoriya looked a little more out of his depth. "You see, when Todoroki guided you away from the main stadium, we got really worried. He seemed really… weird. And especially tense.
"Combined with his war declaration, we agreed that it might be better to do a bit of snooping. If things went south, we'd step in. If they didn't, we would just walk away, we wouldn't say a word, get me?" She continued. "We didn't want you to think we're pitying or babying you. We were just concerned."
Mina's back straightened like a rod, her sadness giving way to dread. "Then you two…?"
"Everything." Midoriya answered.
"I…"
"L-let me just- Before you say any-" He took a deep breath. "This doesn't change anything about our friendship. Or anything like that. But I hope you know that I-I do see you as someone. You're a good person, you try really hard all the time, you're really determined…"
"Which is why I never thought about how growing up like that must have affected you. You're really strong! More than just someone, I can see that you're someone who's been trying really hard, I've even considered trying harder because of you. You go out of your way to do everything you can with what you have, that's not just something anyone does."
Setsuna laughed quietly. "Way to steal my thunder."
"Sorry, I just had a lot to-"
She cut him off with a wave. "We've only known each other for what, a month? A month and a half? But on the first day, you showed a lotta guts and energy. We hit it off immediately! It almost feels like I've known you for a good while. And when you told me of how you saved your classmates with no hesitation? People you didn't really know, who probably didn't care about you? Or how you were the one to spur Yaomomo into action?"
She pulled Mina closer, letting go and poking her in the forehead. "You're a real piece of work, one I'm really glad to know. The Ashido I saw didn't let things like jitters or outside problems do her in! You helped out a ton of people already, can you give us a chance to help you out too?"
Both her and Midoriya extended a fist. "Just 'cause people couldn't see your qualities, it doesn't mean that they aren't there. When I said I'd be all ears for your trouble, girl, I meant it."
"Same here Ashido." Izuku smiled. "You're our friend. And you're anything but useless. You made a pretty big impression on us, there isn't a need to leave now, right?"
Mina had been put into a trance for a few moments. She didn't know what to even say to that. One moment she was feeling like everything she thought was fine wasn't, and now here her newer friends were, sticking by her. Even as she showed off things she'd rather keep really personal. Things that weren't pretty. An insecure side of herself.
She brought her hand up and pushed her fist against theirs. The tears that had been forming in her eyes dried up, replaced by a feeling of gratitude. A grin spread across her face. Shaky, but genuine. "You two know how to make a girl feel special, you know that?"
"Aw what the heck, bring it in, you two." Setsuna grabbed their wrists, pulling the two into a double hug.
Izuku struggled initially, relenting. He flushed red, smiling. "I-isn't this a bit much…? I think I can't breathe…"
"Nuh uh. We just moved up from friends to good friends, great friends even! And great friends don't get to get off the Tokage hug train!"
"That-that so?" He wheezed out.
"I can't say I dislike it though!" Mina added.
"See? She gets it."
She laughed, letting out a relieved breath. "Thanks, you two. I needed that more than you two think."
Before they knew it, Setsuna had split from them as the time for the first match had arrived, which just so happened to be hers. Not that she minded at all, in fact, this was perfect!
'Time to show off.' She gleefully thought.
She knew she wasn't the strongest of the recommended students, nor the flashiest, but damn it if she was gonna let herself end up be just another side character. She was the protagonist of her own story, and she'd prove it!
With a stride, she stepped up to the ring. Her opponent stood opposite her. Tokoyami. They shared the same height, but whatever Setsuna had in snark and good looks, he had in muscles.
The boy was Ripped with a capital R. Thankfully though, he was a melee brawler. She had better luck dealing with those.
She looked at the stands and saw her classmates and friends. Izuku and Mina waved at her, making her wave back with joy.
While Midnight explained some additional rules (which were obvious to anyone with a brain…), the girl thought back to the people she'd proudly proclaimed as her good friends.
She'd met both just over a month ago, and yet in that time, both had shown they were amazing people. Izuku had a drive to help everyone, one that would even get him into trouble. But he never hesitated. With his spirit, he was more than qualified to be a hero, and she really liked that about him! He was daring, had a good head on his shoulders and had some confidence behind his more introverted nature.
Mina was also something else. She was cheerful, just like her, but in a subtler way. But when she got going, she really got going. From having the guts to always be the first one to take action against villains, to taking every shot to secure her win, she was a wild card. One moment she was laughing, even a bit flustered, the next she was throwing her teammates around.
It was exciting! She was fun to tease, and to top it off, both were adorable in very similar ways.
'Yeah, I hit the jackpot…'
Mic's voice boomed from the speakers in the arena, causing her to snap back to reality. "Without further ado, joined by the best co-host, Eraserhead-"
"You dragged me into this."
"-it's time for our first match! To my left, the excitable, the living tower of Jenga, one of the recommended students, Tokage Setsuna!"
At her teacher's creative introduction, the crowd cheered and giggled. She waved all around, grinning as wide as she could for them.
"And to my right, a land bird you don't wanna mess with, 70 kilos of pure muscle forged from hard work, with a quirk that makes him a tough nut to crack, Tokoyami Fumikage!"
The crowd cheered, though in a lesser volume. If she had to guess, her being a recommended student helped hype up the crowd.
"WHO WILL COME OUT ON TOP?! THE BEAUTY, OR THE BIRD OF PREY?! RRRRRREADY?! BEGIN!"
Setsuna ran in alongside her opponent, neither missing a step. She shot out a hand that went wide, completely missing him. He didn't even pay attention to it. Good.
The moment the two got within melee range of one another, they began to exchange blows and she realized that despite his quirk being hardening, he wasn't using it all over his body at the moment, even if it would make him impervious to any attack from her.
'He probably can't keep up full body hardening for very long, for whatever reason… still, outlasting him, or trying to, would be too risky… Or he's just underestimating me.' She thought, throwing a punch that hit a hardened forearm. 'Either way, I just have to end this before he starts going full berserker on me!''
He barely missed a jab on her, grazing her cheek. She returned it by punching with her right arm, drawing attention to it while her left arm detached itself and shoulder tackled his abdomen!
He doubled over, his opponent responding with a knee to the forehead, snapping his head backwards from the force with a satisfying sound, letting her know that he'd be dazed.
She grabbed him with her right arm and began to pull him around, his feet struggling to make sure he'd remain upright with the blow he'd just taken.
Letting him go mid spin, he was tossed around and sent stumbling towards the edge! He spun and spun, and mere centimeters away from crossing the border, stomped down with a hardened foot to stop himself.
"TOKAGE GAINS THE ADVANTAGE WITH SOME DIRTY FIGHTING!" Mic screamed out. She felt the faintest hint of guilt in her heart.
"Tokage is a specialist quirk user. If she doesn't fight 'dirty', she would be at a big disadvantage." Aizawa retorted. "She's a lot like me in that regard. She's showing us that her quirk wasn't the only reason she was recommended."
And at her teacher's praise, she couldn't help but smile.
"Hah… hah… what absolute madness, opening a fight with such heavy blows..." He panted out. His stance was unstable. The sign of a concussion, and opportunity. He was facing the ring still, and when he lifted one leg up to take a step out…
She used the hand she'd sent out earlier to pull him out of the ring for good!
"THAT IS NOT HAPPENING!"
Only for him to throw himself forward with a yell. The combined forces ripped his shirt apart, leaving only his purple tank top beneath.
"You always find a way to rip something off dramatically, huh…?" She quipped with a sweat. Though she tried not to show it, she realized just how bad this actually was for her.
She didn't have any kind of solid offense, any kind of way to penetrate his guard. She had to come up with something-
"AGH!" She felt a sharp pain in her left hand. She looked at Tokoyami, and saw that he had grabbed it with his own hardened hand, and begun to squeeze it. She yelped out, in an impulsive decision, she ran at him. She knew he was baiting her to make the first move, but she didn't exactly have the pain tolerance to just withstand her hands' bones being potentially crushed!
"Got you!" He let go when he got close, grabbing her with both arms- his entire body let out a cracking sound, and his almost blunt beak turned into something resembling a hawk's beak- he had hardened his whole body!
He immediately drove her to the defensive; she was forced to duck, split apart, weave every blow she could, and for every two hits she avoided, one got her good. Mainly hits to her core, her abdomen.
'This guy realized I can't split myself up that much if I'm wearing the gym uniform, crap!'
Another blow dodged, and another received. Her head had been successful in avoiding all concussive blows, but he was charging her like a wild beast, aiming for whatever body part he could strike!
Her torso ached, and they were approaching the edge of the ring. This time, she was the one with her back to it. If she didn't come up with something, she'd be taken out in the first round of the tournament…
"Screw that!"
Using both hands, even if it hurt, she grabbed both of the boy's forearms! "Sorry bud, but I have some pride riding on the line here, you know!"
An idea popped up and a toothy grin extended across her face. With it, her two pinky fingers shot out from her hands towards his eyes!
He flinched, closing his eyes instinctively as they prodded his eyelids. But he had done exactly what she wanted him to do, her aim was never to hurt them, not by a long shot.
She just needed him to not see her for a few moments, that's all!
Distracted, Tokoyami couldn't see Setsuna splitting away from her arms, letting her quirk do the heavy lifting as she circled around his whole body, getting up into the air. She flew higher and higher, and once satisfied with her distance, she let herself drop towards him!
"Improvised Special Move:" She shouted as her descent made her gain more and more speed! "DINO METEOR!"
Just before she made contact, she pulled with her detached arms! The boy, having already been pushing back as if she'd been there, was caught off guard, his entire weight now shifted onto nothing but air. And before he could even react to that, Setsuna dropped her entire body weight on his back kicking off of it, hitting him with a flying drop kick!
"Ring out!" Midnight yelled out over the intercom with her mounted microphone, as Tokoyami went skidding across the ground and outside the ring, earning a wave of cheers from the crowd. "With a crafty plan, Tokage advances to the next round!"
She returned her body parts to herself once she landed back first onto the ground, really glad she'd been drilled in the basics of a proper falling form from a young age, otherwise, that could have been ugly.
"Phew!" Getting up and wiping the sweat off her forehead with her undershirt, she approached the downed Tokoyami with an extended hand. "Seriously man, you had me on the ropes there. If I was just a little slower in coming up with that plan, I was done for. Good game!"
He groaned, rolling on the ground to face her. He grabbed her hand, hoisting himself up with enough strength to almost bring her down with him.
"Impressive improvisation, Tokage. You used a person's natural propensity to flinch when their eyes are threatened to fully catch me off guard."
"So, in simpler terms," She gave him a pair of finger guns. "I outplayed ya!"
The two fighters left the ring, but Mina's eyes just sparkled. "That was so cool! I was sure that Tokoyami would win in the end! Tokage was on the ropes, but then suddenly she just went all over the place, pow'd him right in the back and won!"
"I gotta admit, if I were in her place, I don't think I would have come up with that plan. Maybe something else, but hers was super clever." Izuku commented, smiling. "Tokage's really good, huh?"
Iida agreed. "Being a recommended student, it's only natural that she would be!"
"Man, is there anything she can't do?" Ochako added, her wide eyes showing that she too was impressed by the turn around.
Mina stopped marvelling at the mental play for play of the fight she had going and hummed. "Well, if Tokoyami wasn't just swinging wildly, I think she couldn't have won. Like, she's lucky that he's not really… perceptive?"
"Yeah… I'm not sure how this would have turned out if he noticed that she was panicking when her first plan failed." Izuku put a hand to his chin. "That seems to be a habit of hers…"
Mina nodded. "She doesn't keep a cool head when one of her plans goes poorly, right? It takes her a while for her to regain her composure and think of something."
"Is that so…" Iida noted.
"Huh, I… hadn't noticed that, actually." Ochako admitted. "Guess I should work on being more perceptive too."
"Yeah yeah, I know I panic!" Setsuna suddenly piped up, having walked back. Her timing being right when her friends were pointing out her flaws couldn't be any more embarrassing for them. She sat down and leaned back on her seat. "But hey, I won, so that doesn't matter."
"Right… Just try to work on that." Izuku responded. "Still, that was a really nice match!"
Iida nodded. "One day, you must let me spar with you. I feel as though it would be good practice for us both!"
"Dodging a guy who's got speed on his side? Sounds like fun! I'm in."
"I think I've seen that move done somewhere before…" Ochako pondered, snapping her fingers. "Right! Aerial Wonder did something similar during his last match, right?"
Setsuna blinked, nodding. "He sure did. You watch wrestling too?"
"Of course, it's really fun!"
"Sick!" Setsuna smiled, and looked around. "Say, where's Kaminari?"
"Oh, his match is up next. He's going up against that… Hatsume girl." Mina commented.
"Oh he's fighting a girl? Man.
He's done for."
Everyone around her agreed, even Iida had to admit, Kaminari would most definitely end up falling to a female opponent, either due to misjudgement of strength, or simple manipulation.
5 minutes later, the match between the two started and immediately devolved into Kaminari willingly showing off Mei's support items. While the entirety of 1-A felt second hand embarrassment from being associated with him, and 1-B snickered from their corner, Mina got up from her seat.
"Huh?" Izuku looked at her, "Aren't you going to stay and watch the match?"
"Well… I'm not really interested in seeing Kaminari end up humiliating himself. So no, I'll just go to the preparation room and try to… think of something to do against Tetsutetsu."
"If you want, we could help you come up with something, on the house." Setsuna winked.
Mina felt a slight blush come on, and shook her head. "I can't go depending on other people's plans all the time. Thanks for the offer though! I'll see you all after the match."
With a smile, she waved her friends off and walked into the hallways.
Time to come up with a strategy to outdo pure steel.