Wide Perspectives

With a bid of safety from their classmates, the trio of Izuku, Ochaco, and Tenya exited the dorms to begin the short walk to UA's front gate, from which point they'd brave the outside world, free of nearby pro hero teachers and significant security measures. With everything going on lately, Deku really hoped for a nice day with his friends; or at least one free of confrontation. Heck, last time he'd gone out for a simple supply run he'd had to deal with Gentle.

Izuku found himself mentally stressing each phase of their trip to Kiyashi Ward, eyes darting rapidly towards any alleyway, each corner, and every nook where a villain may spontaneously emerge from. With everyone bundled up in their winter outfits, it became even harder to distinguish who may be approaching, with some even having their hoods up, nothing but icy breath being expelled to prove a face was underneath.

With his paranoid levels of observation, it came as a shock that the boy still managed to run into someone while Iida and Uraraka were distracted with some conversation, the two only noticing their friend's misstep when his rear end met the ground. As they were about to rush in to help him, the other victim, who'd remained on his feet, had already reached out a hand to help him up. Izuku accepted the offer with thanks and was pulled to his feet, then bowed in apology for his carelessness. The man waved it off as no harm, then continued down the street in the opposite direction.

Following this brief hiccup, Ochaco insisted Izuku walk between her and Iida, which, as a pleasant side effect, drew him into their conversations and had him let go of his worries about the potential dangers around them. By the time the trio reached the shopping mall, they all shared a collective mood of excitement, admiring the bustling aura of cheer and enjoyment that the mass of civilians there exerted.

"So, what should we look for?" Izuku asked his friends, casually scanning the various shops. Uraraka skipped in front of her companions and held up her mitted hands.

"I've been meaning to get some kind of gloves for my hero costume. With winter coming around it'd be nice to not get frostbite while dealing with our exercises and all." Izuku brightened at the notion, his mind's quirk-studious gears accelerating in thought.

"Oh, right! Since you have to have your finger pads exposed to work you can't really have anything on your hands. But you know, I'll bet Hatsume could easily- huh!?"

"There's a shop, let's go!" Ochaco interrupted, already shoving Midoriya towards the intended location, a task she made look easy even without the use of her quirk. Iida followed without argument.

For the next hour or so, the three hopped between several clothing stores, Uraraka looking for something compatible with her costume and abilities while her friends either helped or spotted some extra cold season attire they themselves could use. Eventually she found what she was looking for, some fingerless gloves that actually conducted heat as opposed to venting it. As the friends exited their most recent stop, Ochaco sighed, giving a small pout.

"There's one more thing to envy Todoroki for. Summer or winter, he doesn't have to worry about the temperature." Izuku and Iida chuckled in amusement at the observation, making their way past crowds of other shoppers. Getting over it quickly, Uraraka clapped her hands together and smiled at her friends. "Sorry that took so long, guys. Let's go find what you two need." Izuku patted his backpack.

"I already got a few coats. I wasn't actually looking for anything, I just wanted to come along." He turned to his other friend. "What about you, Iida?" The Engine user adjusted his glasses before nodding.

"Ah, yes. I believe there was store specializing in more mechanical-based quirks on the other side of the mall. I could use some more carbon cleaner to ensure my enhanced mufflers don't suffer unnecessary buildup." Izuku pondered for a moment, then brightened much as he did earlier.

"Wait, I saw some of that laying around the support lab. I'll bet if we help her out a little, Hatsume will give you some without having to buy- eh?!" He was again cut off as Tenya firmly yanked him by the collar and began dragging him briskly to their destination.

"A strong hero must know when to balance support with independence, Midoriya! We cannot rely on others indefinitely, hence we may be at a loss when cornered on our own!"

"Yeah!" chirped Uraraka beside him, not in the least concerned with Izuku's predicament. The One For All inheritor groaned in defeat, simply submitting to his friends' dismissal.

Iida took an unusually long time deciding between the dozen or so brands of cleaner available at the shop once they'd found it. While he extensively questioned the clearly overwhelmed employee in front of him on the details of each type, Izuku and Ochaco spent the time marveling and poking at all the unique gear around the place. When they finally walked out, all three felt a deep satisfaction at the purchases they'd made. With that done…

"Let's have some fun!" Ochaco cheered with a jump, earning her nods of approval from her two companions.

"Sounds like a good idea to me…"

The sudden female voice, quite close to Izuku and Iida's ears, caused the two to flinch and swing around to see who had intruded on their gathering. Upon sighting the culprit, all three friends could hardly believe their eyes.

"Here to lend a helping paw!"

"Stunningly cute and catlike!"

"Wild, wild Pussycats! (Half-off version)" {wait, what?}

While the three UA students were momentarily shocked, many of the mall goers around them blinked in befuddlement, clearly having trouble recognizing the posing pair that had just introduced themselves. Amidst murmurs of contemplation, realization seemed to dawn, especially when the three kids responded to the unexpected display.

"No way, Pixie Bob and Ragdoll!" Izuku exclaimed with shimmering eyes.

"What a pleasant surprise this is," Iida concurred.

"You think they do that every single time they run into someone?" Uraraka questioned with a tilt of the head.

They gave the crowd a moment to cheer for the now identified pros, who waved back in appreciation. A minute later, as the flow of shoppers resumed, the pair of ladies returned their attention to the hero hopefuls before them.

"What a treat to see you kittens again so soon," Pixie Bob exclaimed, before stepping in front of Izuku and Tenya in a flash. "Especially you pair of impressive boys…" Before the students could get too uncomfortable, Ragdoll yanked her teammate back, her massive grin not fading in the slightest. However, she was quick to rush in afterwards and playfully pull at the trio's cheeks and pat their heads.

"Absolutely! Looks like we won't be spending the rest of the day bored out of our minds!" Izuku rubbed his cheek as he blinked at the enthusiastic rescue heroes.

"Speaking of which, why are you two out here anyway?" Pixie Bob, apparently having calmed down, motioned down to herself, while Ragdoll struck a pose one would see in a magazine.

"Oh just some winter shopping. We happened to be in town taking care of some business, then figured we'd use our free time here." Ragdoll nodded vigorously, then was quickly in Uraraka's face, eyes wider than she'd think possible.

"You were planning to have some fun too, right? The why don't we all head over to the arcade just down the way?" Despite the intrusion on her personal space, Ochaco, and by extension Izuku, quickly showed their awe at the opportunity, which the greenette voiced with his renowned hero love.

"We get to casually hang out with pro heroes outside of duty?! This is so cool!" While he and Uraraka were psyching out, Iida raised an eyebrow at his two friends and the unrelenting Ragdoll.

"Not that I object to the company, but are two grown adults really content with playing ga-"

An almost crushing hand on Tenya's shoulder, along with Pixie Bob's menacing aura and misleading grin, silenced the Engine user in a flash.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked with a hidden edge. "Can my true inner self not enjoy a good round of air hockey with the rest of you?" Iida gulped, waving his hands in front of him desperately.

"O-Of course not! It is truly heartening to see our hardworking pros can still enjoy pastimes of the youth! Let us be off!" he finished with a firm hand chop in the right direction. Ragdoll squealed with delight and ran ahead, followed closely by a more composed Pixie Bob. As Tenya let out a breath, Ochaco nudged his side.

"Nice save, Iida," she teased.

Not long after meeting, the three students and pair of heroes immersed themselves in the gaming corner of the shopping mall, enjoying both the solitary games as well as the competitive ones, with various combinations of the five taking turns at the leaderboard. To the UA students' surprise, Ragdoll destroyed them at every turn. No matter the controls, apparatus, or genre, the hyperactive feline-themed hero was unmatched in any of the machines they eyed in the arcade. Pixie Bob had in fact given them a fair warning when they'd arrived, but they simply mistook it as competitive spirit.

Even when a handicap was suggested, the team of Izuku and Ochaco were still left with a crushing defeat at the air hockey table against the solo Ragdoll, who could only laugh afterwards as she watched the two struggle to move their now aching arms. Iida wasn't spared any humiliation either, thinking he had the edge in DDR with his highly adept legs. His friends didn't have the chance to remind him of how stiff his dancing was, letting him see for himself as his opponent pulled off breakdancing that would put Mina to shame.

Despite the unsurmountable challenge that was Ragdoll, everyone had fun in the end, picking out some prizes with their winnings before finally exiting into the mall proper. The two pros insisted on treating the students to lunch, as thanks for spending time with them. They chatted idly about various topics, both heroic and otherwise, even as they at last headed out of the mall entirely, the sun just grazing the rooftops on its way down. Now strolling along the sidewalks, the group's conversations had died down, as they made their way towards the station Pixie Bob and Ragdoll would be using to get home.

As they passed another block, several massive screens fixed to a building's side were seen playing the news, with much of the populace in the area watching closely. Izuku and the others instantly felt a drop in the pleasantry their day had brought, recognizing the broadcast as another take of the mysterious quirkless anomaly. Pixie Bob noticed the three student's mood shift out of the corner of her eye, frowning herself as she eyed the televised coverage.

"So you guys have seen it, huh?" They nodded slowly. The Earth Flow user folded her arms as they walked, her normally playful aura falling into a more professional stoicism. "It's been shaking up the hero sector quite a bit. I'm sure your teachers have been trying to downplay it as best they can." Another nod.

"It's tragic to see so many children realizing they'll never have a power of their own," Iida mused sadly. He then seemed to stiffen, glancing over to Ragdoll. "Of course, I can't imagine having one your entire life only to have it taken." The largely unaffected woman on Pixie Bob's other side gave an offhanded shrug, still grinning widely.

"It's not that big a deal. With or without it, I still rely on 'cat combat' whenever the chips were down," she informed, throwing a few feline punches into the air before her. "So long as I can still help out the team with finding people in trouble, my Search won't be missed too badly." The UA students smiled admiringly at the positively-inclined pro, none more so than Izuku, who was reminiscing in his own thoughts, eyes drifting to the sidewalk.

Seeing Ragdoll, and of course Togata, bounce back from losing their quirks, it's really amazing. I held strong without one for so long, but they kept on going even after being left quirkless, after putting in so much work.

Izuku smiled fondly at the idea that maybe one day, one of those kids affected by whatever had happened may be the next successor to One For All. After all, meeting All Might showed him that practically anything was possible in the current world, so long as one had the will to act.

Quirkless isn't powerless.

"Yeah, you're right, Deku," Uraraka's voice cut in.

Izuku's eyes shot back up, seeing his two friends and the Pussycats all looking at him with smiling faces. Realizing he'd said that out loud, the boy chuckled nervously, still not quite adept at being the center of attention. As he struggled to get the subtle red out of his face, Pixie Bob threw her head up and placed her hands behind her neck, groaning.

"Why is it so hard to find someone thoughtful like you out in the pro world? You kids are so lucky to still be in high school, tossed together with a bunch of impressive specimens who are perfectly datable…" Iida and Izuku said nothing, too nervous to trigger another attempt to 'claim' them. Ochaco however, eyed the woman curiously.

"But Pixie Bob, we're way too busy training to be heroes like you to have time for that." At this, the blonde woman locked an eye on the young girl, still casually holding her head back.

"Oh? Are you guys training right now?" Ochaco flinched, not expecting such a reply.

"Well… no."

"Is your guys' dorm a nonstop gym where you're constantly pulling muscles and blasting quirks all over the place? No TV? Games? Chilling out on the couch?"

"No, but-"

"Is ol' Eraserhead filling even your days off from classes with extra work?"

"Sometimes! To be fair…" Pixie Bob shrugged, but Uraraka seemed to be firing back on autopilot. "Okay, yeah, we have time to ourselves, but we could be distracting each other from our growth." The blonde seemed to consider this argument, then glanced over at Izuku.

"Midoriya." The boy jerked to attention at being called out directly to such a conversation. "You're a smart kid, what's your take on this?" The ninth holder stuttered for a moment, looking away and twiddling his fingers.

"Um, I uh, don't think I'm the best person to ask." Pixie Bob continued looking at him expectantly however, making it clear the question wasn't optional. Izuku briefly pursed his lips together, trying to push aside the awkwardness of discussing relationships and give an honest opinion. Ochaco and Iida waited with apt attention. "Well, if you think about it this way, pretty much everyone in our class has friends to turn to or who give them support, and that's basically what a significant other is; someone you can talk to about anything and who will support you in everything you do." He locked his fingers together. "If there's someone you really connected with, or get along with really well, and get those… feelings, I don't really see how it'd be a bad thing to get together. In the long run it would be a lot easier than trying to find a partner while you're busy with hero work." Iida hummed in agreement, while Ochaco was stuck staring at the One For All inheritor.

"An excellent case, Midoriya. Father would occasionally speak of the difficulty of finding a partner once you were already out in the hero world. Establishing the roots of a relationship while still in school is quite advantageous, provided, as Uraraka said, they don't interfere with your studies." Pixie Bob winked while holding up a finger.

"Spot on, kitties." Ochaco had been glancing between the three as they'd deconstructed the merits of her concern. Her mind was tilting a bit, snagging onto existing difficulty with her own feelings. In that moment however, she still clung to her conclusion, eyeing Izuku.

"But Deku, you…" She paused. "…for instance, you're trying so hard to live up to someone like All Might. You're always working so hard, worrying about how you'll get stronger." Izuku frowned, feeling her point, but then an image of his talk with Eri flashed through his mind. Ochaco was surprised when he suddenly smiled.

"Yeah, but, it's not just for me." His friend's deep brown eyes widened. "I have people I want to work hard for, not just myself. You and Iida, I can't fall behind you guys, same goes for Kacchan. In the same way, I want us to be able to protect each other, with all the villains running around. And for Eri, I want to gain more control of my quirk, so she might be able to find a way to do the same. And All Might too, I have to show him I can be the greatest hero, just like he showed the world. Even my mom is counting on me to stay safe and be cool hero. If I had someone special, that'd just be one more person I'd want to work hard for, and I'm sure they'd want to do the same."

He took a moment to pause, collect himself from that minor speech, unaware of the awe Ochaco had in her eyes. The silence seemed to kick his nerves back into gear, as he suddenly started jittering and waved his hands in front of him. "N-n-not that that's really gonna happen! I mean, I'm not that interesting of a person or anything, just some fanboy who can't tame his own quirk."

Ragdoll suddenly burst in between Izuku and Uraraka, teasingly poking at his arm, grin at full volume. "Oh come now! What about that pink-haired girl from the Sports Festival? She seemed to be all over you, now don't you agree?"

Everyone luckily missed Ochaco's eye twitch.

"O-Oh no!" Izuku insisted, shaking his head, though a blush had managed to infiltrate his freckled cheeks. "Hatsume is a good friend! She just appreciates that we test all her inventions."

"More like safety test," Iida muttered. Now Pixie Bob had somehow popped up on Izuku's other side, locking one arm around his neck as her free hand furiously dug at his messy hair.

"She's right though, girls love the adorable smart guy who knows how to throw a punch!" Izuku was clearly feeling overwhelmed with both woman badgering him, which Iida was quick to notice as he began angularly flailing his arms around.

"Pixie Bob, Ragdoll, please! I must ask that you release Midoriya before he faints! Off duty or not, such pestering behavior is unfit of a prestigious hero team such as yours!" While the four of them were gradually attracting attention, in the form of confused onlookers from both sides of the street, Ochaco was left to solitarily ponder the discussion they had just had.

She'd never heard Izuku speak like that before. Granted, the topic had never come up, as usually he trailed on about some hero or other. It occurred to her that he'd always made time for his friends, or, on the extreme side of the scale, gone out of his way to help them, ignoring such consequences as broken bones or expulsions. Would there be any doubt he'd make time for a girl who stood out among the rest? Ochaco's face heated up.

Would he even think of me like that?

She shook her head to throw the thought out. He was always happy spending time with her, but that didn't mean anything unusual. Iida was commonly with them anyway, so it could just be his enjoyment at having two friends always nearby. Maybe it was different in the past.

Uraraka stopped.

His past. She didn't know much about it. Izuku never talked about it. That felt… odd. The Zero Gravity user slapped her cheeks, trying to force the red out. She was still dealing with a storm of thoughts on the matter, but, at the very least, she believed first she'd need to understand her friend more. The more complicated matters could come afterward. With that resolution set, she took a deep breath and stepped over, helping Iida pull the two rambunctious Pussycats off her crush.

I am so sorry, everyone! I got hit by a bunch of stressful things recently, delaying this update by over a week. I do hope this chapter can at least partially make up for it. On that note, it seems to be going well so far. I'm so grateful for each and every view!

Guest: That's what I'm going for, thanks!

Sentinel07: Yeah, whenever I start a story, I start it right up to the most recent plot point. And of course I love catching the eye of shippers!

L1ightsTheWay: ...I think you just gave me an idea. I love input like this! I can't count the times it has evolved something I'm writing.

HankFlamion18: Hey, good to see you again! Yes, I do so enjoy throwing the problem right in your face immediately! That said, I appreciate knowing I'm holding up.

Axlexington: Of course! I do my best to balance fluff, action, and story progression.

Brave2000: Nothing pleases me more to hear.

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for any comments/reviews!

next chapter: Glimpse of Dust