Hey, all! Sorry about the unannounced hiatus, the military life has a funny way of replacing hobbies with training exercises. However, I'm back for now and am excited to continue the story! :)

Droplets of dew clung to sharp blades of grass, twinkling like distant stars. Golden rays of a fresh sun filtered through the vibrant green foliage overhead. The girl's crimson locks burned with cool fury in the morning light. She inhaled, allowing the pleasant air to swirl in her lungs for a few moments before exhaling through her nose. She adjusted her grip on the spear in her clawed hands, pulling it closer and orienting it across her body. Then, she lunged forward, the weapon exploding outwards and pointing into the open air in a flash of blue. A simple, yet effective fighting style: to lure your opponent into believing you were going on the defensive, only to rapidly retaliate as they move in to capitalize on a perceived advantage. A more observant enemy would be less likely to fall for the trap, but the average hooligan would find themselves on the wrong end of her spear more often than not.

She scolded herself with a frustrated grunt as she brought the spear back to her side. Too much energy behind the attack, yet again.

Undyne observed the spear resting in her hand, her gaze attached to it's glowing pointed tip. She scowled as she allowed the weapon to dematerialize. She would have to dedicate another thirty minutes solely on form, she decided. With the sun finally peaking above the horizon, however, personal training would have to wait. Another dull day at school beckoned.

Swinging her arm in an aggressive arc, she swiped a water bottle resting atop a bargain outdoor plastic table. Undyne thrust the drinking apparatus between her lips, draining half the contents within a couple of gulps. Finally, she unceremoniously removed the orange cap and dumped the bottle's remaining contents onto her head, sighing with relief as the cool liquid slid down her face.

Of all the spars she'd ever partaken in, the one she'd never been able to win was that against summer. The unrelenting heat and the pervasive humidity were the closest thing she had to a natural predator. She frowned as she peaked at the rising sun with a hand over her brow. If that damned orb of hell fire had already managed to spit out this much heat in such a short amount of time, she was quite sure that she'd become a fried McSlonalds Fish Burger on her way back from school.

She turned and walked across the grassy lawn, turning onto a sidewalk that led back to her apartment building. She hated that the nearest patch of dirt was four stories down from where she slept. It was like the world was conspiring against her ability to properly train. After a jogging up a few flights stairs and down a narrow strip of concrete, she at last reentered her abode, being sure to close the door as quickly as possible. AC in the summer was a resource more valuable than gold.

As she turned a corner to head back up to her room, a particularly adolescent squeak grabbed her attention. A sly grin spread across her face as she moved to investigate. As she entered the dimly lit living room, her eyes widened as they fell upon the small and sweaty figure lying prone on the carpet where a coffee table used to be. His breathing was ragged and horse, and even in the relative darkness Undyne could see his shoulder and bicep muscles tremble.

"Ten... I got ten that time." Izuku said weakly, earning a chuckle from the grinning Undyne. His head bolted towards the source of the noise, eyes wide as saucers as he stared meekly.

With a harrumph, Undyne began, "Oh, so you're still trying to outpace your ol' sis, huh? You wanna see who's really stronger?" Undyne drove her fist into her opposite open palm, the thunderous clap getting a yelp out of the green haired boy still sprawled across the floor.

"N-no, Undyne, I'd rather not get knocked out... again." Izuku said, shakily rising to his feet.

Undyne's grin evaporated, replaced by an indignant scowl as she retorted, "That was well over a year ago, and it was only one time!"

Staring at his feet, Izuku said, "If by, 'a year ago', you meant a month ago, then yeah, I guess."

Undyne burst into laughter, striding over the where the young boy stood and giving him a light punch in the shoulder. While Izuku nursed the impact area, Undyne continued, saying, "Nah, I'm just kidding. I'm just really glad to that you're working out! What'cha training for?"

Izuku kept his eyes trained on the ground as he fidgeted with his fingers, "N-nothing in particular. Just sticking with the plan."

Undyne raised an eyebrow at that, a suspicious "hmm" escaping her mouth as she leaned in closer. Izuku blinked for a few moments before panic erupted across his features. Waving both of his hands in front of him, he clarified, "My personal fitness plan, that is. I gotta get into shape sometime, you know?" Undyne eyed her brother again, now rather unsure of the cause of the sweat beading across his brow. Just before it seemed that Izuku would choke on his own anxiety, Undyne let out another hearty laugh, saying,

"Whatever! If my little bro wants to get stronger, then you'd better believe that I'm all for it! I'd be more than happy to train you myself, if you'd like."

Izuku shook his head, finally meeting Undyne's eyes as he replied, "That's alright, Undyne. This is something I'd like to work on by myself. Thanks for the offer, though."

Undyne's smile shrunk just a bit as she turned to face the stairway, shrugging her shoulders as she strode away. As she ascended the stairs to her room, she began to ponder on how strange Izuku had been acting over the past few days since their encounter with All Might. He'd consistently woken up before her, for quite a change, and come home far later. She wondered if his sudden change in behavior had anything to do with whatever conversation he and the pro hero exchanged in her absence that day. Perhaps All Might had given him such powerful words of encouragement that he was now trying to become a hero through exercise and determination alone. She chuckled at the image of her brother transformed into some gigantic over-buff mountain of muscle with no Quirk to his name running around and stopping villains.

Regardless of his reasons, Izuku was trying to better himself, and for Undyne, that was more than enough.

"Damn, Izu, where did that appetite come from?"

Undyne stared at the once filled bowl of shrimp ramen with a mixture of admiration and surprise. Had it been a couple of weeks ago, her little brother wouldn't have tried eating that much food in a day, much less in practically one gulp. With determination exploding from his face, the boy raised the empty bowl to an equally perplexed mother. She gingerly refilled the dish, and Izuku resumed his feast.

Undyne shot her mother a look, one which the short lady reciprocated. Undyne supposed that his body needed extra fuel, after all that exercise. Still, it was more than a little bit vexing to see her little brother striving towards a goal that she couldn't fully understand.

"Izuku," She began, making sure to look the green haired teen in the eyes.

"Yeah?" His reply was muffled by a mouthful of savory noodles, that which he swiftly slurped down.

With a sigh, Undyne broke her gaze. "You just keep at it, little buddy."

With a nod, her brother dug back into his meal, and Undyne stared at the tiny shrimp resting atop hers. She'd need to eat up as well. After all, the upcoming Entrance Exam for U.A. High was not going to be an easy one. She knew that only the best of the best even got a chance to apply, and she could only hope that her application was convincing enough for the headmaster to consider giving her a shot. Her grades could be a lot better, but she had both her Quirk and the months of training left until the event.

Her brother, however, only had the latter.

"Wake up, idiot."

The sleeping boy turned away from the source of the command with a grumble, stuffing his face into the All-Might themed body pillow at the head of his bed. Undyne sighed. Looks like we're doing this the hard way.

"NGAAAAA!"

With a roar, she lunged at her brother, scooping him up in her arms. Izuku flailed his arms wildly, trying to find an escape, but it was too late. With one last mighty grunt, Undyne suplexed the boy back onto his bed, just because she could. Quite used the maneuver but no less annoyed, Izuku scratched his forehead as he recovered, glaring at his sister with baggy eyes.

"What the heck was that for?" He asked, his voice laced with exhaustion.

Undyne grinned toothily, exclaiming, "I need you to help me train!"

Izuku rubbed his eyes again, "You need my help?"

"Sure do, little buddy. Now, come on!" Undyne took hold of Izuku's wrist in a vice grip and dragged him out of his room. A few closed doors and steep flights of stairs later, and the duo found themselves on a patch of grass just outside their apartment. Izuku grimaced at the full moon still hanging in the sky.

"Undyne, it's so early, and we've got school today..."

"Too bad!" Undyne cut him off as she tossed a spear in his direction. Visibly shaken, Izuku scrambled to grab hold of the glowing cerulean object. He held the weapon gingerly in his hands as he shot his smiling sister a glare and said, "Undyne, sparring with me doesn't really count as training. For either of us."

The fish lady flipped her hair back before readying a spear of her own, adopting a neutral fighting stance. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out what you're trying to do. What you want to become. So, then, come at me! All that training better not be for nothing." Undyne said as she pointed her spear towards the boy.

Izuku rolled his eyes as he replied, "I haven't really been training for combat, Undyne. That aside, shouldn't you be focusing on the Entrance Exam?"

Without warning, Undyne lunged forward with her spear. Frantically, Izuku leapt to his left to avoid the hit, colliding with the cool earth with a thump. With a groan, Izuku rose shakily to his feet, his glare only deepening as he eyed his sister. Undyne stared him down, the fire in her gut only growing stronger with every passing moment.

"I have been, for my entire life. I've put my all into developing my Quirk. I've learned from the pros, fought with my peers, and even stood up to a villain." Undyne stared at the grassy ground, pausing for a moment before continuing,

"You did, too. You have the same resolve, the same passion, the same drive. What am I saying? To be honest, you've probably got me beat in all those areas. I've never known someone who's wanted to be a hero as much as you."

Undyne gestured to her spear with a grimace, "And for all that, what has the universe given you in return? Nothing. You've got no Quirk. Your only real advantage over anyone else is your mind. Don't let that go to your head, though. It's just the truth."

Undyne thought she saw something flash across Izuku's face for a brief moment. An emotion like... guilt? A trick of the light, she reasoned.

"I still remember what All Might said. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it." Undyne looked up towards the moon as a smile crept across her features.

"He said that you could become a hero. You know how badly I want to believe him?"

She felt a calloused hand grasp her shoulder. Looking down, she saw a mop of green hair sparkling in the twilight.

"Undyne. I know I look crazy. I know that it seems like what I'm doing is for nothing. I know that better than anyone."

A pair of emerald eyes twinkling with tears met her own.

"I also know that I want to become a hero. I'm going to give all I've got in pursuit of that dream, no matter the odds. And... I think I could use some additional help."

With a silver twinkle in her eye, Undyne smiled back.

"Then let's train!"