Aizawa has been given bed rest for the rest of the day, and isn't expected to work tomorrow until mid-day where he's to meet his class before their surprise hero training. But just because he's home and laying in his bed, doesn't mean he isn't still working. He looks over some emails on an All Might themed laptop he got for a joke Christmas gift last year, and realizes that not even hard liquor can save him this year.
Usagiyama apparently got detention today from Midnight after she "attempted to assault another student" and after failing in her initial attempt, then tried again when Shinso (because of course it's Shinso, Aizawa can already feel the crease in his brow), makes some comment to Yaoyorozu regarding her 'strong, heroic' quirk and 'holier than thou' attitude. Shouta sighs then he re-reads the email, then sighs again. All of this during what was supposed to be rescue training. He can't tell if the headache he's feeling is from stress or a lingering concussion, but he hopes it's the latter.
"You keep sighing like that, you're gonna deflate like a balloon!" His girlfriend Emi says while bringing him some painkillers and water. "Why are you still working, Shou? Didn't I say that you should focus on bed rest?" She is in her hero costume, and looks like she's just returned home while he slept.
Shouta tries to glare at her, but due to having half his face still covered, it just makes her laugh. He can't find it in him to keep up his miserable façade when she's in such a mood, so he just looks away so she can't see the ghost of a smile teasing his face as he hears her laughter.
"I can't afford to stop." He says, looking out the closed, somewhat tinted window of their apartment. "I have those hellions to watch and look after."
Emi's laughter dies down and she removes his laptop, gives him the pills and looks over the email. "Ouch, doesn't look fun, hun."
"It isn't. Shinso is a textbook problem child. He is not fit at all, he tries to coast along on his quirk and he seems to be very... vocal on his disdain for 'heroic' quirks, as he calls them." Shouta downs the water and the pill. "Honestly, had it not been the only other option is a pervert, I wouldn't have even included him. He's very irrational."
"So what are you gonna do about it?"
"Honestly... this will probably play itself out. It's a lesson he will have to learn on his own or he'll be removed and replaced by the Sports Festival." Aizawa drawls, "There's not much I could do."
"Even if you wanted to?" Emi asks innocently. She knows Shouta won't actually do anything, but she can't grill him on this one because she somewhat understands. Years of resentment doesn't just go away in a single conversation, after all.
"Even if I wanted to," he confirms. "What's likely going to happen is that he's going to get a rather rude awakening sooner or later in regards to his quirk and it's going to force him to realize that no single quirk is the answer to everything. And if that doesn't work? Well, I'm sure I can operate with 19 students."
Izuku is panting like a dog. With the Sports Festival on the horizon, he has started doing some extra training to be as ready as possible. All Might had already entrusted him with a goal; an ideal to stand on, and Izuku is fully committed to work towards it, Plus Ultra style. That's how he finds himself in a junkyard in the wee hours of the morning, sweating like a pig with small bruises on his hands and ankles. He doesn't waver, though he wants to, and continues on his training.
Denjin Renki awakens from its slumber, ready and willing to strike, and Izuku feels calmer when hearing its low hum. Then he exerts his ki to the highest it can go, and as it flares, so does his green electricity, and the humming turns into loud chirping. He points his palms towards a tower of trash and metal objects and pulls. Objects come flying at him at high speeds and with varying sizes, and with a single thought, Denjin Renki deactivates, leaving its user to the mercy of the projectiles. He closes his eyes and calls upon Mind's Eye, keeping it open just long enough that his body reflexively dodges the first collection of screws and nails. With his technique on 'cool down', he reactivates Denjin Renki, but is a hair too slow to stop the metal, and is hit fairly hard by a small nut in the side. It breaks his concentration and Denjin Renki slips.
"Can't say I understand the choice, but I respect the determination, maggot."
Izuku is surprised to hear a voice over his shoulder and he leaps up on reflex. When his head snaps around, he is met by a very intimidating sight. A tall man stands before him, wearing a white military button shirt, with dark blue emblems on each side. He is also, weirdly enough, wearing a matching dark blue tie, dark blue military pants with a black belt and black combat boots. His hair is his most distinguishing feature however, as it's blond and stands up in a particularly tall flat top. There are a pair of sports sunglasses tucked into the collar of his shirt and despite his words earlier, he looks displeased.
"Wh - who are you?" Izuku asks shakily, while assuming the Shotokan stance. Though he was tired and weary, this man's ki was off the charts, so he needed to be ready for anything.
The man regards him with a scowl, which only highlights his lack of eyebrows. "At ease, private!" He barks. "I am a friend of Ryu and Ken and they sent me to look for one 'Izuku Midoriya.' Something about this private needing some training." Izuku's body goes straight and stiff at the mention of Ryu and Ken. It makes sense, somewhat, as to how he had ki and could find him, but he seemed so out of place.
"Um - uh, sir - "
"My name is Guile, Private!" Guile barks and Izuku's hands drop to his side and he stands tall.
"Yes, sir! Guile, uh, sir. I'm confused."
"Confused about what?"
Izuku wants to visibly show his confusion by gesturing to everything about this, but he feels like if he moves, Guile will punish him. So he clears his throat. "Why are you here, sir?"
"For training, boy! Did you not hear me?! Drop and give me 20 now!"
Izuku fumbles on his way down to the floor and Guile walks over to him, straight and with his arms behind his back. It reminds him of Iida. Izuku would comment on it if he wasn't terrified right now.
"Good form, private! Looks like this won't be a total waste of my time after all." Izuku finishes his push ups and gets back to his feet, albeit slowly. "Now, no more need for talk. Let's do this!"
"Let's do wh - "
Izuku snaps his mouth shut when Guile lunges at him with a weird boxer's stance. He expects speed, but Guile is faster than he assumed, and because of him making the fatal mistake of not just automatically assuming violence like Ken and Ryu taught him, he pays for it. Guile gets close, far too close, and Izuku instinctively throws a punch. Guile ducks, but it looks awkward, more like a direct crouch, before he literally explodes upwards and backflips, kicking Izuku in the chin as he does so. His legs leave a visible flash of light as he kicks, and Izuku is as blind as he is in pain.
Guile lands with the grace of a bird and looks over as Izuku's body is literally lifted off of the ground several meters and he lands in a groaning pile of dirt and grime.
"You have to be faster than that, private!" Guile berates. "Ryu told me a lot about your training, so I expect nothing but the best from you!"
Izuku is seeing stars, but slowly, ever so slowly, rises to his feet. It's shaky, and he's clearly in no condition to fight, but Izuku Midoriya is no one, if not someone who pushes further, even when his body says no.
Guile looks at him, then puts his sunglasses on. "At ease, soldier. We will continue tomorrow at this exact location at 0600 hours." He turns to leave, but he hears footsteps and sees that Izuku is taking steps forward.
"I - I can continue, Guile, sir! I promise!" Izuku's voice is strained and there is a bruise already developing on his chin.
"I said at ease, boy!" Guile is louder this time, and Izuku flinches. "Recklessness will get you nowhere on the battlefield! Learn when to stop and when to go!" The sun is slowly starting to raise and they reflect off of Guile's glasses in such a way that forces Izuku to look away. "Call your ride and get out of here! You have until the sun fully rises or you drop and give me another 20!"
"Guile did this!?"
When All Might got a call from Midoriya this morning and explained that he was in need of medical attention, he assumed the worst. Midoriya is strong, very strong and he knows that he'd even give pros in the top 500 a serious fight, if not outright beat some of them, so imagine his surprise when he got the call. He didn't waste a single second in buffing up and leaping to his location, and when he arrived and saw the boy sitting on the sidewalk outside of a junkyard looking as though he just got mugged, he felt rage bubbling to the surface. Then Midoriya explained the situation, and he understood.
"That's what he said his name was, yeah." Izuku says, nursing his chin.
"Tall, muscular, weird hair? Calls people private or some other military term?"
"Uh, yeah?"
All Might just deflates and then laughs. He pulls out his phone and presses two buttons. It barely rings once. "Guile! Old friend!"
Izuku is dumbfounded.
"Yeah, it has been a while. But can I ask a question? Why did you beat up my student?" Silence. "Oh, indeed. Understandable. Tomorrow? Isn't that a bit much since the boy has school? I agree that training should be difficult but - ... Oh, I'm understanding now. So anyway, what made you fly out to Japan? Looking for a guy named 'Bernstein', no can't say I'm familiar with him. Well anyway, I'll join you guys tomorrow if I'm free. I'm interested in seeing how you plan on training the boy."
Then All Might hangs up and Izuku just stares at him. There's an awkward silence as Izuku just looks into Toshinori's shadowed eyes until the man clears his throat.
"Y - yeah, Midoriya?"
"You know that guy!? How!?" Izuku says a bit louder than he should've, and thus winces as the pain spikes in his jaw.
"Oh, me and Guile go way back." Toshinori stares off fondly. "I met him while training in the States on a Military base. Guy's stupidly strong. Has some weird light quirk. It's nice to see him still up and about."
As interesting as that was, Izuku really could feel himself starting to drool due to pain, so he kindly reminds All Might to take him to Recovery Girl.
"Again, maggot! And you better try this time or you'll be doing suicides until your legs fall off!"
The next day, before the sun fully rises and classes start. Training is something Izuku always likes to do, having developed something of an addiction to the thought and actions of improvement through hard work and as such, he always puts his best foot forward. Of course, some aspects are better than others. As much as he would like to be here and only work on Denjin Renki and his magnetism, he can't and he knows he shouldn't. And so here he is, struggling to get back to his feet from the cold, unforgiving dirt and tearing off his dirty, damp tank top from his person for a bit of extra relief from the heat his body is producing.
Guile stands there, tall and proud, in fully green military fatigues, face somewhat red and a few beads of sweat dripping from his brow, but completely untouched. The teen wishes he could be anything remotely close to that, but the ache in his ribs, jaw and shoulders is awful. He'll need Recovery Girl after this, and is thankful that All Might is off to the side with his phone at the ready.
"Did you not hear me, maggot!?" Guile loses his patience and Izuku forces himself on. He can imagine it'll only be much, much worse if he keeps the man waiting.
He can use Denjin if he so desires, but Guile has not so subtly told him that fire will be met with fire, so he chooses against it. He shifts into the loose, bouncy Shotokan stance that his body is very familiar with, left foot forward, right foot back and arms near his middle, but ready to spring up at a moment's notice. Guile's guard is always raised and he stands still, his hair somehow being completely unmoving even as sweat passes through.
He dashes forward, leading with a Hadoken in order to bait something of a reaction while trying to focus on his balance and finding openings. He throws a medium jab as the Hadoken dissipates a meter before its target; it was a distraction that Guile unfortunately doesn't fall for. Instead, the man sways to the side, avoiding the punch and scoffing.
Izuku is normally not one to feel frustrated, but at this moment, he grits his teeth and growls. The boy presses forward with a series of jabs, hooks, crosses and kicks with increasing intensity and alternation of tempo and power trying to find something, anything that even vaguely resembles an opening. Each and everyone of his attempts is either dodged, blocked, or parried and with each failure, Guile berates him or makes a sound of discontent.
Honestly, Izuku respects Guile. The man is skilled nearly to the point of disbelief and he'd even say he is around the same level as Ryu-sensei and Ken-sensei and that is not praise he gives lightly. He clearly has decades of real world experience and understands ki which is already invaluable. But the green-haired teen doesn't understand at all why the man has to so harshly lambast him at every possible turn and put him down when he makes a mistake. It's maddening, and he so desperately wants to call upon the Power of Nothingness or Denjin Renki or both just to prove the man wrong. But he is much too flustered to even attempt to clear his mind to attempt the former and the latter would only make things worse, so he bears with it.
As much as he wants to wipe that disapproving scowl off of Guile's face, he doesn't bend to his emotions. Ryu-sensei and Ken-sensei taught him better. And he understands that it would be a great way to get someone hurt, and considering that the only two people around here are Guile, a man who could probably (and he only says probably to sooth his ego. Denjin Renki is strong and there's a lot of metal, but he's not stupid) kick his ass at a drop of a dime, and All Might, the current Symbol of Peace and Number 1 Hero, that someone will likely just be him.
So instead of acting like a petulant child, Izuku bides his time, and does what he does best and starts to think and analyze the situation. He stays light on his feet, moving with the fluidity of the wind trying to cut off any potential movement points for the man, who's not attacking him for the moment, to teach him some lesson on how to deal with opponents he has to approach since taking the initiative is not Izuku's strong suit. He is too used to fighting against the hyper-offense of Ryoya and too reliant on Mind's Eye to remain on the defensive that he neglects his offense and Guile is showing him that rather brutally.
"Are you even trying to hit me, maggot?" Guile spits. "All you've done is flail around and waste my time! And you're supposed to be the Symbol for the Quirkless!? What makes you think I'll accept a boy like you being a symbol for a man like me!"
At the mention of his dreams, Izuku doesn't, or possibly can't, take any more of it. He loses his composure and throws a punch that's both way too high, and way too overextended; overall sloppy and lacking form. Guile sees it and scoffs, already moving to counter. But then Izuku uses ki to dramatically increase his speed and attack power and sweeps Guile's legs as hard as he can. With the man slightly off balance, Izuku slams into him and takes them both to the ground, trying to pin him.
It fails, of course. Guile is bigger and most certainly stronger than him, too. And also, annoyingly, a supremely talented All-American wrestler. Izuku is put in a chokehold long before he even realizes he's not in advantage anymore, and is gasping for breath. Then Guile mercifully releases him and he drops to the ground.
Panting, Izuku forces himself to his feet, assuming the Shotokan stance, ready to go again. But something is off. Guile is smirking. That, in itself, is so unexpected that Izuku nearly drops his guard. The man, in the very brief time Izuku has known him, has never shown a single emotion outside of vague discontent and militant discipline, but now he looks somewhat satisfied. That's enough to give Izuku a pause.
"You finally get it, maggot." Guile says, walking over to Izuku and placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. "That's what you should be doing in a fight."
"Feinting more?" Izuku tilts his head in confusion. Feints are very important to his skill set, and one of the first things he was taught. Sure, he only ever uses it against hyper-offensive fighters, but he knows it's a good skill to have.
Guile does something between a laugh and a snort. "No, not that. Your tackle was good. Not perfect, but pretty good. Most people would probably expect to just fall over when their legs are swept, not get speared by a hundred and what? Forty? Fifty pound teenager. What were you thinking when you did that?"
"Uh, nothing really. I just wanted to hit you."
Guile actually snorts this time. "Good. You keep trying to fight like this is a video game. You're coming directly at me and trying to use the same moves over and over. I may not be the best at Shotokan or really understand it, but even I know that Ryu and Ken didn't teach you that. Why are you just charging forward?
Izuku stops to think. He feels like a bit of a hypocrite since that's the same thing he told Uraraka. He doesn't know why he does it, but it's given him something to think about.
"Anyway, you need to work on that."
"Using more baits?" He thought he already used a lot as is, but evidently, he is wrong.
"Bait-and-switch, fake-out, feint, whatever. All the same deal." Guile then makes a gesture over to All Might and Izuku looks over. Which is a mistake. A hard knee slams into his side with a loud smack and he hits the ground wheezing.
"I thought Ryu and Ken would've gone over it, but I guess they didn't or you just don't remember." Guile's face returns to his neutral, somewhat displeased expression. "The best attacks are the ones you don't see coming, and the hardest hits are the ones you aren't ready for."
Izuku is given a ride back home before school starts, and All Might and Guile take a long drive through-out the city to catch up.
"So, what really brings you here?"
Guile is taking throwing back bottles of water like their nothing, burps and then answers. "Like I said, I was on leave for a bit and wanted to visit some old friends. But then they told me something happened in Korea, so I took a flight there instead of here first." He explains. "When I got to Korea, apparently there was some big tournament held by the Mishima's and some guy called Bernstein. But it was something of a trap since someone made an attempt on one of the Mishima's life. The Oni was there too, but I didn't stay long enough to get a full briefing."
All Might drives quietly and ponders the words. "So the US has reason to believe that Bernstein is in Japan? Why not contact the Japanese Ministry of Defense if that's the case?"
"They did, but we feel like there's something amiss there. They were weirdly relaxed about someone like him being in the country. Almost to the point of complacency."
"So they sent some troops here?"
"No," Guile shakes his head. "We aren't allowed to just do that. International laws and the like. So as far as I know," Guile leans in and his voice drops to a whisper. All Might is confused as to why he does that since he knows his truck is sound proof. "They just sent some CIA chick here to check it out. Some woman with reddish-pink here. Kinda stupid to have such an identifying trait on a secret agent if you ask me, but it is what it is."
All Might can somewhat agree, but in this day and age of quirks, appearances can be changed at the drop of a hat, and reddish-pink hair sounds about as normal as most people can be. "We can talk more about it on the way to Might Tower. I might have some people who can help with that."
Ryoya's days are mostly boring, but he finds little to complain about. He wakes up, does his morning hygienic routine, gets into a ten minute argument with his cat and rabbit about why they don't pay bills, yet continue to eat his food, and goes about his day. When he gets to school, he takes his seat in silence and just waits for the day to begin. People don't talk to him, and he doesn't talk to people, and he is mostly fine with that.
He has heard whispers due to his enhanced hearing that people think he's arrogant because he's from the Hero Course, and more than a few people have made their disdain for him known, having felt personally wronged by the fact that he blew a chance that some people worked very hard for. They complain about their weak quirks and how privileged Ryoya is to have made it at all, but he ignores them entirely. As easy as it would be to simply raise a hand and light the room ablaze, he doesn't bother.
He does however make his grievances known when he speaks to Midnight after homeroom ends, and then again to Hound-Dog for their mandatory sessions. Midnight seems genuinely upset at it and vows to look into it, while Hound-Dog reassures him and is happy he didn't resort to violence.
Then his day is complete and he is preparing to leave. The course he chose to take up, Investigations, doesn't have a lot to cover, so he leaves the school way before most other classes, and as such, doesn't wait for Izuku to be done.
He does, however, feel his phone vibrate on the way out. It's a text from an unknown number.
Unknown: Hey pretty boy
Unknown: This is Rumi
Ryoya stares at the message for a while, completely confused. How did she get his number? He never gave it to her and she never asked. Questions for later.
Harushi R.: Hello, Bunny-san. I almost didn't know it was you with the white rabbit icon.
Bunny-san: Cheeky bastard, aren't ya? What're you doing right now?
Harushi R.: Going to the dojo to exercise then go home.
Bunny-san: I thought you said the dojo was closed!
Harushi R.: It is, I have a key.
Bunny-san: And you didn't tell me!? :(
Harushi R.: Was I supposed to?
Bunny-san: Yes! :(
Harushi R.: Oh.
Bunny-san: :( Know what, we're not doing this again. I'm coming to the dojo when school's over.
Harushi R. is typing...
Bunny-san: If you ask me why, I'm going to kick your ass
Ryoya looks down at his screen and snorts. He still wants to ask why, but he doesn't doubt she'd actually kick his ass if the opportunity arose. So he just agrees and continues.
When Rumi arrives at the dojo, she pauses before entering, suddenly feeling a surge of anxiety bubble up. She is wearing her teal, Killer-Bee tracksuit and sneakers, making it clear that she's hear for a workout and some training and nothing else. This is the first time she's seen him since the USJ when he was beaten to high hell, and she doesn't know how she'd react when she sees him.
Lately, he's been popping up on her mind more frequently, and she chalks it up to some of bubblegum's teasing. But when she caught herself staring out in the distance and then turning her head back to his desk, only to see that purple-haired fuck, she comes to a realization.
It frightens her, and she doesn't know what to do about it. So by default, she steels her nerves and goes on.
The doors of the dojo are flung open and Rumi marches in. Only to immediately come to a stop and gawk at the sight.
Ryoya is sitting in the center of the room, completely still and in a meditative position. He is completely shirtless for some reason, drenched in sweat and is surrounded by his black, wispy ki. They circle around him like small fireflies, coming out of his whole body, from his abs to chest, to arms starting black and drifting upwards lazily like a snowflake before bursting into flames. He doesn't seem to know she's there, since he doesn't flinch as she gets closer, and she is so enamored at the sight, she nearly trips over nothing. Even the sound of her stumbling doesn't seem to get his attention, so she, in an act of deviance, takes out her phone and snaps several pictures, making sure to capture as much eye candy as possible. Ryoya's obviously built like a warrior and she's enjoying it.
Then, without warning, he and the entire room erupt in flames. She jumps back in freight and makes a sound of surprise. The flames move like they're alive, dancing like ribbons in the wind before being slowly pulled towards the center of the room; the center of Ryoya. His entire body starts to glow a faint orange, then shifts to blue as the energy is transferred through-out his extremities, and she finally catches onto what he's doing. Is this what Heat Rush looked like prior to his mastery? Is he going back to the basics?
Her questions are cut short when Ryoya's eyes snap open and he exhales, letting out a small wave of fire as he does so. "Hello, Bunny-san." He says in the same lazy, yet oddly soothing drawl. It makes her stomach feel weird, but she ignores it.
"Dude..." She is genuinely at a loss for words for what she had just witnessed, so she just says the first thing that comes to mind. "Your hair is different."
Ryoya snorts and reaches up, tugging on some red strands. "Yeah, it is."
"Your teeth are different, too. And your eyes."
"What would I do without your impeccable observation, Bunny-san?"
Rumi looks at him weirdly before scowling. Inwardly, she's happy that he seems fine, but of course she wouldn't let him know that. She'd never hear the end of it. "Oi! I was just saying!" She defends with a pout and crosses her arms.
Ryoya snorts again and Rumi could just imagine he's doing this on purpose. "Anyway, how's class been?"
Rumi groans and allows herself to relax. "Shitty. The new guy is a total prick and the worse part? He's weak as shit!" She wildly and eagerly flails around as if it's supposed to emphasize her point. "He has the nerve to talk shit and when I go to kick his ass, he folds! Like tin foil! What's up with that!?"
"Well, I'm glad that the 'random violence' quota hasn't gone down since I got removed."
"Shut up. He deserves it!" Rumi gives Ryoya a dirty look and he lazily raises his hands in submission. She gets a great look at his physique from here and has to physically turn her body to stop staring. " He has some stick up his ass about 'heroic' quirks. Called out High Class about it."
Ryoya's eye twitched. "Oh?"
Rumi didn't think it was possible to feel such danger from a single word. "Yeah, said some dumb shit. But anyway, that's beside the point. Why did you get removed?" Her sudden change of the topic nearly gives him whiplash.
"USJ." He says simply. "Villains. It was either you or them, and I chose them."
Rumi immediately understands what he means and... doesn't know how to feel.
"Don't worry about it." He says, seemingly senses her inner turmoil. "What's done is done. You're fine, and I'm okay. That's all that matters."
"Are you really okay though?" He can see her eyes drifting to his hair and his eyes and lingering on his face; studying it in detail.
Ryoya, not wanting to ruin the light mood, snorts. Her red eyes follow him as he moves across the room and towards a shelf with two bells connected with a string on it. "Why don't you find out?" He challenges with a smirk. His fangs are visible and catches the light and Rumi feels a chill run down her spine. Fuck, maybe the realization she came to was true after all. She was so, so very screwed.
"Are you challenging me?" Because if he is, she's ready.
"The bell won't get itself, will it?"
With that, Rumi rockets across the room. Ryoya has never actually done this with anyone besides Izuku, so he isn't prepared for how quick Rumi can move from a standing position. He is impressed and before he knows it, she is directly in front of him, arms extended and ready to grab. He jumps back and begins to move himself and he can hear Rumi swear as she passes him, hit the wall, then immediately spring back. Ryoya falls backwards, letting her soar over him and the look of surprise on her face when she does so makes him chuckle. She hits the other side of the room and lands in a roll then spins, leaping after the bells once more. Ryoya kicks himself off the ground, but doesn't do it quick enough and Rumi lands on him.
She snatches the bells and looks at him with a feral smile. "Mine!" She says, her voice is just a bit different than Ryoya is used to. She sounds lighter, more feminine and excited. He actually smiles in return.
"Then you better start moving before I grab them back."
Rumi uncharacteristically giggles as she hops up and off of Ryoya, using her hands to push against his chest as she does so to buy herself a bit more time. Ryoya gets to his feet and tracks the girl across the room.
He charges after her. Rumi moves the second he does, but still squeaks at his speed burst, he reaches for her, using his longer reach and quicker pace to his advantage, but each time he does, she uses her smaller frame and rabbit physiology to bound to the side and veer off in a different direction. Ryoya is pretty good at changing directions on a dime, but predicting her movement patterns is tricky.
"So you can use your quirk, huh?" Ryoya calls. "Do I have anything I could use?"
"Ha! Pretty boy needs some kind of advantage over little, ole me!?" Rumi is grinning manically, once again diving out of his way.
"Figured as much, Bunny-san."
The unspoken words are clear. No Heat Rush, no ki. They both know that if he calls upon it, this would be over in an instant but that defeats the purpose of this particular game. If he wants the bells, he'll have to do it himself. He doesn't mind one bit.
In the end, he does get the bells back due to a particularly good prediction of Rumi feigning right and going left. He ends up tackling her and they both sprawl out on the ground, panting and laughing.
"By the way," she says, laying spread eagle on the ground with her top unzipped and her white, sweating tank-top exposed. "We are gonna push back the little ice cream thing until after the Sports Festival."
He raises a brow at this, and she elaborates.
"I'd rather you take me there as a celebratory thing after I win the Festival." She beams at him, and he snorts.
"Confident, are we? You know I'm participating too, right?"
"You think I haven't been looking up ways to beat you?"
"I'm flattered that you take me for that big of a threat."
She reaches over and playfully swats at him. "Smart ass." She says, but there's no real bite to her words. Then they both sit up. Ryoya is breathing slightly heavier than he usually is, which given his outlandish endurance, he may as well be panting. Rumi, having had a bit of time to compose herself, pants way more openly than he does. She's looking at him, up and down and says the first thing that comes to mind. "I'm glad you're okay."
"I'm glad you're okay, too."
Five words. Five words was all it took for Rumi to confirm her suspicions. She had a crush. And she had no idea what to do with this information.
A/N:There we go. The chapter break before the Sports Festival. Showing a bit of training, a bit of lore, a bit of fluff. As for why Guile doesn't mention Ryoya, well, it'll be addressed down the line.
As always, thanks for reading. I appreciate all the support, honestly. Today marks the two month birthday of this fic, and we're made a lot of progress. So if you ever want to talk to me directly about the story, listen to me complain about fighting game characters (Steve, Gill) or just meme about Street Fighter and stuff, join Jade's Discord. I'll be there. discord .gg /pkmgFzUkBu
Solbandgus: Oh most definitely. Chun-Li understands that Bison should be the main focus here, since none of them know about AFO.
Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro: Shinso has burned some bridges yeah, but it's completely within his character to do that. He resents people with strong quirks and actively wants to spite them, so him making a comment about the 'quirkless' kid, is mostly out of pettiness since Ryoya got in and he didn't. He is the replacement.
Monster King: Thank you.
Ryuujin96: Thank you, and yeah. It was a long time coming. He has to learn to start relying on others. The Ryo/Momo scene was really fun to write since it puts a lot into perspective. They were once a thing, but her parents talked her out of it since he, to them, is not worthy of her since he's quirkless. Of course, he was her first love, so the feelings still linger and she does regret it but they both understand what happened. Maybe they'll reconcile now that she admits her regrets.
Marbled Gold: Yep, I've been planning on revealing that info for a while. Momo and Ryo have a interesting history together, that's for sure. I explained it more in the comment above, but yeah. Sometimes, it just be like that. Regret is a bitch, isn't it?
NinjaFang1331: Thank you.
