A/N: I know Pride Month isn't until June, but I figured we were long overdue for a story that deals with LGTBQ issues considering how Todoroki had some difficulty adjusting to life as a girl. Besides, why can't every month be Pride Month?

Also, today is my mom's birthday, and I want to dedicate this chapter to her because I feel like without her, I wouldn't be the kind, loving person I am today.

Lunchtime rolled around again at UA, and as usual, Todoroki was sitting with Deku. However, he couldn't help but notice that she was merely poking at her zaru soba with her chopsticks:

"Shoko, you've barely touched your food. Is something wrong?"

"Sort of. I'm just really anxious at the moment."

"May I ask why?"

"So, as we both know, the fact that I revealed that I'm really a girl has caused a real commotion around UA, so much so that I got called down to Principal Nezu's office. He's so proud of me that he recommended that I take part as a guest speaker at the Japan Pride Conference this year."

Deku smiled. "Hey, that's great!" His look turned more serious. "Why are you anxious about it, though?"

"See, the thing is…I'm not gay, so I have no clue why he wants me to speak there."

Deku placed a hand on Todoroki's shoulder. "You don't necessarily have to be a lesbian, bisexual, pansexual or anything like that. I mean, your experiences could be an invaluable inspiration to the transgender community and people who struggle with gender identity."

Todoroki paused briefly. Then, she stroked her chin.

"Actually, you're right. I should go, shouldn't I?"

Deku smiled. "Definitely!"

Todoroki smiled as well.

A month later, the Japan Pride Conference was being held at the Tokyo International Forum. Built on the site of the old City Hall, it had a total of eight halls for events, plus restaurants, shops and other facilities. Not only were members of Japan's LGBTQ community in attendance, but members of the LGBTQ community around the world, and the center was practically packed. Todoroki would be speaking in Hall B7, and Deku was waiting off one side of the stage that had been erected. A few guests came before Todoroki, who was introduced by Kenshin Yamauchi, president of the Tokyo Prefectural Pride Committee:

"Thank you, everyone! Our next guest is the youngest daughter of Japan's #1 hero, and she has come here to speak about her experiences with her gender identity. Without further ado, please welcome…Shoko Todoroki!"

The audience cheered, and despite having butterflies in her stomach, Todoroki stepped up to the podium as Yamauchi stepped back. She then delivered her speech:

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Shoko Todoroki. I'm a student at UA High School in Musutafu, training to become a pro hero. I'm here today because for the longest time, I was forced to pretend to be somebody I wasn't, and I'm still dealing with the aftermath today.

See, when I was born, my father conceived me as the ultimate weapon, a hero to surpass the legendary All Might. However, he was hugely disappointed that his ultimate weapon turned out to be a girl, so from the moment he started training me, he forced me to present as a boy, giving me a boy's haircut and dressing me up in boy's clothes. In my early days of school, I felt like I didn't fit in with the other students because they tried to give me boys' toys to play with and they felt wrong to me, but I couldn't play with dolls or anything like that because my father would've killed me if he found out. Puberty was probably the worst time in my life, because not only did my father force me to bind my quickly-developing breasts, but I couldn't express my attraction to boys, so I spent every night crying myself to sleep.

Things changed when I got into UA, where I ended up meeting my boyfriend. At first, I was genuinely afraid of him because I didn't want to upset my father by being friendly to him, but then the Sports Festival came, and I ended up facing my boyfriend during the battle tournament, where he gave me six very powerful words: "It's yours! Your Quirk, not his!" In that moment, I realized that not only did I not have to hold back the Fire half of my Quirk because of the hatred I held for my father, but I also realized that I didn't have to pretend to be a boy anymore.

My boyfriend ended up being the first person I told about my true identity. I remembered crying not only because I felt like a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders, but also because he just made me so genuinely happy to be alive and because his words meant so much to me. I was really scared about telling anybody else in my class, but my boyfriend did his best to encourage me, and it was such a huge relief when I got up in front of them and showed my true colors. The best part of this whole thing was when all the girls in my class came up to me and told me how proud of me they were, especially a girl whom I considered to be my best friend, and…" Todoroki began tearing up and gently pushed her hands forward. "Please excuse me for a moment."

Todoroki pulled a tissue from her cleavage, dried her eyes, blew her nose and held the tissue against her face briefly. The crowd gave her a collective "awww", suitably touched by her display of emotion. At one point, her gaze rested on Deku, who was smiling at her. He nodded at her, and she nodded back, which gave her the courage to keep going with her spiel:

"So anyways, I feel much better about myself now, but sometimes, being a girl feels weird to me. Whenever I put on makeup, for example, I find myself wondering why any girl would put herself through this, but I do it anyways because I like it when people tell me how beautiful I look. I just want anyone here who's struggling with gender identity – trans, nonbinary and such – to know that it's OK to feel whatever you feel in regards to your struggles. Coming to terms with one's identity takes different amounts of time for everyone, and I feel so happy knowing that I'm not alone in my struggle. I hope my story can give you hope, too. Thank you."

The standing ovation that Todoroki got was akin to the rumbling of ten thousand freight trains. Despite never having received such adoration before, she nevertheless smiled and put her hands over her heart, knowing that she was a person to be loved rather than a weapon to be feared.

After Todoroki's speech, Deku came up to her:

"Shoko, that was great! You should be proud of yourself for standing up and making a difference for other people!"

Todoroki smiled. "Believe me, I am." She rubbed the back of her head. "To be honest, I felt a little ashamed about crying in front of all those people, but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, too."

Deku put a hand on Todoroki's shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with crying! That's what's part of being a person is about!"

"Come here, Deku!"

Todoroki gave Deku another hug and kiss. No matter how many times she kissed him, he still felt quite warm and tingly.

"Hey, Todoroki!"

Todoroki turned around to see who'd addressed her: a thin young woman of average height who had rainbow-colored hair that mostly covered the right side of her head. She wore a black tank top, a black pleated skirt and black Doc Martens.

"Can I help you?" asked Todoroki.

"My name is Samantha Traverson, and I just want to say that your speech really meant A LOT to me. When I was growing up, I felt really alone, and some of your experiences reminded me what I went through as a trans woman."

Todoroki smiled. "Well, I'm glad I could have a positive impact on you, and I'm really proud of you for staying strong despite the difficulties you faced!"

"Awww, thank you!"

Traverson gave Todoroki a big hug, which she gladly returned. Deku smiled, because even if Todoroki still felt weird about being a girl, he knew that she at least could stand up and be a positive force for change in this world.

"Deku! Todoroki! Glad to see you!"

Deku turned, and Todoroki broke away from the hug when they heard that familiar voice…

"Hey Uraraka!" said Deku. "How's it going?"

"Well, it's going really well considering I really enjoyed Todoroki's speech! I've never suffered from gender identity issues, but hearing that made me feel more comfortable about identifying as a lesbian!"

Todoroki smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, Uraraka. And please, call me Shoko."

Uraraka giggled. "Will do! By the way, I hope you don't mind, but I taped your whole speech so I could show the rest of the class!"

Todoroki put her hand on Uraraka's shoulder. "Not at all! If this can inspire anyone else in our class who's part of the community, then by all means do so!"

"Thank you, Shoko!"

"No, thank you, Uraraka!"

Todoroki gave Uraraka a big hug, which the latter gladly returned. Deku kept smiling, genuinely proud of how far Todoroki had come and also knowing that she was going to be a great hero in more ways than one.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.