Toshi almost lost control of his steering wheel as he swerved a bit on the road.
"Whoa-hey!" Katara held onto the hand-gripper on the car door as she felt like she was being tossed around a little bit in the truck.
Once Toshi got control of the wheel, he blabbered out as he glanced at her flabbergasted. "UA!?"
Katara, recovering from the truck's near derailment, looked back at him in confusion. "Um...y-yeah?"
Toshi looked at her for a second, until he remembered that he was still driving. Looking back at the road in front of him, he drove up to a traffic light as it shined red, signaling them to stop, which Toshinori did.
Katara looked at him, still confused about his reaction. "Um…"
Toshinori turned his head back to Katara. "So, uh...UA, huh?"
"...Yes?"
"...Wow. Um...that's a, uh...pretty prestigious school."
"Uh, yeah...I heard it is…"
"..."
The traffic light turned blue.
As they drove back to Toshi's home, Katara sat there in silence along with her semi-surrogate caretaker being quiet as well.
As soon as they reached the small driveway to Toshi's home, and as soon as he parked his truck and shut it off, the frail man turned to Katara and said, "Well...I think you should go for it."
"Oh," Katara turned her head to Toshi with a blink. "Uh...okay."
"Yeah." Toshi nodded. "Just, uh...don't think it'll be a walk in the park."
"Um...okay…"
"I mean, not only will they test you and your ability to save people when using your powers- I mean, uh, bending, for good, but you need the education as well."
"Oh, uh, yeah, I, um, I know...I learned photosynthesis today."
"Ah! Well, great! That's a start!" Toshi said with a smile.
"Heh, yeah…" Katara sat there as she was left to think things over. She then asked Toshi, "Which Hero school did you go to, Toshi?"
"Oh, well...actually, I went to UA myself."
Katara's eyes widened a bit at that. "Really? You went to UA?"
"Oh, yeah. It was...really hard stuff...but it was quite meaningful and informative. The teachers back then were a little rough on ya, but they knew what they were doing...but they weren't really all that bad."
"Oh...so...this was when you had your quirk that Nana passed on to you?" Katara asked.
Toshinori explained a little bit of his Quirk to her yesterday when she asked him about it. It was...quite interesting. He didn't say everything about it, but it's supposed to enhance one's unique Quirk significantly...or in Toshi's case, his...physical strength? He didn't go too much into that, but honestly, with someone who hasn't used a Quirk, it was an impressive feat on its own.
However, that was in his prime, from what she gathered from him.
"Yep! Had to learn the ropes of Heroism and try to regulate my Quirk...again, it wasn't easy."
"Hmm...I bet it wasn't…"
They sat in the truck for a moment before Toshinori eventually spoke again.
"...Katara, can I tell you something? It involves UA."
"Huh?" Katara looked up at Toshi, "Uh...okay."
"...Now before I tell you this, I don't want you to tell anyone this as well, cause...I don't want the press to catch wind of this."
"Press?"
"The news."
"Oh. Uh...okay. What, um...what is it, Toshi?"
"...I'm gonna teach there."
Katara blinked at that. "What? Really?"
"Yes." Toshi nodded. "I was asked for the job from someone who knows my secret as well."
"Someone also knows your secret?" Katara raised a brow. "How many people know your secret?"
"Um...well, there's Naomasa, and...well, I guess I'll say that another member of the faculty knows as well. She's the nurse there, her name's Recovery Girl. And as for the person who asked me for the job, that would be the Principal of UA."
"Oh...so...three people know who you really are?" Katara asked, almost a little incredulously.
"Yeah...that might sound like a lot, but they're very good at keeping secrets." Toshi paused for a second. "...Just so I can be reassured, you didn't say anything about who I really was at your school, did you?"
Katara gave him a deadpan stare.
"...Heh. Just wondering." Toshi said sheepishly with a sweatdrop.
"..." Katara just rolled her eyes, "No, Toshi, I didn't. You don't have to worry about that. I know how to keep secrets as well."
"Ah! Good! I mean, I never doubted you, I just, uh...I can never be too careful, you know?"
Katara snorted. "I guess I can see why you would be a little cautious." She then went back to the topic at hand. "So you're teaching at UA, huh?" she smirked. "That just makes me all the more motivated to go now."
Toshi chuckles. "Yeah, me and my big mouth..." Toshi gave Katara a somewhat serious look. "But...are you sure? I mean, I'm not trying to change your mind, it's just...the entrance exams from what I remembered were pretty brutal."
"Oh, well...what do you do in the entrance exams?"
"Well, for one thing, you take a written test...believe it or not, that's the easy part."
"Uh...alright then. What else?"
"Oh, uh, weeelll...you have to destroy some robots to earn some points...in a fake, but realistic model of a city, which would be the REAL test site...there are a lot of robots in this test site, by the way."
"Um, okay. Robots...the artificial beings, you mean?"
"Yep! The ones that are made of metal. BUT! This, though, what we're driving in, is an au-to-mo-bil-e. We operate it. Robots are totally different. They move on their own, programmed to do one thing...or...two, or...three things...just know that robots move on their own, okay?"
"...Okay." Katara said with a bewildered look on her face.
"Right! Okay then, so...you have to destroy each of these robots to gain points. Oh! There are also rescue points! Those are gained when you help out anyone in need, whether the person is simulated or real. And those real people would be the other examiners that are trying to get in, just so you know. So, whoever has the highest points or did the best performance of rescuing for the judges to see, they will be accepted into UA."
"Oh...well, that doesn't sound so hard."
"...It doesn't?" Now Toshi blinked.
"Toshi, I dealt with a lot of obstacles in my world. To a sexist Water Tribe Chief, to a crazed Fire Nation Princess, to a corrupted Earth Kingdom capital city, to hordes of Fire Nation armies, to huge Spirits, to an invasion, and to listening to my older brother's complaining. I think I can handle some robots and a test." Katara said with a smirk, arms crossed in a cocky way, and her eyebrow raised cheekily.
"...Uh...okay then," Toshi said with another blink.
Katara chuckled. "Don't worry, Toshi, I'm more mature than you think."
"Uh, heh...yeah…" Toshi smiled a little bit at the waterbender, until it went down as he asked somberly, "You really had to grow up quickly back in your world, huh?"
Looking down at her lap with a small frown, Katara mumbled, "Yeah…"
"Hmm…" Toshi lowered his gaze as well, this time downward to his steering wheel. "...It can be a scary feeling."
"...Yeah…"
They sat there in silence again, until Katara broke it by asking, "So...did you take the job offer because you really want to teach kids on how to be a Hero, or...?"
Toshi turned his head at the girl. "Oh, well…" he glanced at the windshield for a moment.
...Should I tell her? thought Toshinori.
He doesn't know if he should tell her that he was actually looking for a successor to obtain One For All. He may have told her that his Quirk was passed down to him by Nana, but he didn't tell her that he could do that as well when the Quirk was acquired. Heck, he didn't even tell her that the Quirk is called One For All, and how there were more successors before Nana...
Hm...I probably shouldn't. Not that I don't trust her, it's just...well, there's no need for me to tell her everything about One For All at this moment...
"...Toshi?" Katara asked him, wondering why he was silent.
Toshi jumped in his seat, "Oh!" He turned his head back at the girl. "Uh, sorry! I-I mean...well, yeah, I guess I just want to teach kids on how to be a Hero, really...there's really nothing more for me to say on that, honestly."
"Oh...okay," Katara nodded at that. "...So, the next school year starts somewhere around April, right? Which it's, um...early next year in your world?"
"Oh yeah! The beginning of April! That's when I'll start my teaching job at UA as well!"
"Okay," Katara looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hm...well, I guess I need to get serious on my education then."
The thin man smiled at the waterbender. "Heh, now that's the spirit! As the saying goes, 'Knowledge is Power!'" He opens the driver's door. "Say, do you have any homework? I could, uh, help you with some of it if you, well...want me to."
Katara smiled kindly at Toshinori. "You know what? That would be great."
Roughly a month has passed and it was August. Katara was getting the hang of everything that's in the school system of Japan, and was actually doing quite well learning a lot of things, such as Japanese history, the scientific basics, mathematics, and as well as learning another language called 'English'. She was a natural genius, or that is to say, a fast learner. She has to thank the family genes for that. At times, Katara hung out with Ochako after school, going to the McDonalds (which Katara recognized from the golden arches), going shopping for a new attire to hanging out with other friends of Uraraka's.
They even discussed different kinds of Heroes and what kind of occupations they do, from Thirteen (Ochako's favorite Hero), Kamui Woods, to Mount Lady. Katara also learned quite a lot about other Heroes and their Quirks, from what they can do to what they can't do. For instance, Kamui Woods's weakness is, of course, fire, while Mount Lady couldn't squeeze through buildings or else she would cause property damage to the buildings around her.
Katara was even beginning to see that Hero work was...well, a lot of work from the sounds of it. From keeping the peace to constantly rescuing people from emergencies or villains, she began to see why some Heroes would want to get paid for doing this kind of stuff.
It was all very fascinating for Katara as she learns more and more about the world she's currently living in...
...Although, Katara really wonders what Toshi is doing in these 'police meetings' that he says he's always attending. She doesn't know too much about this police system that goes on in this advanced and modern world, but she would think Toshi, or even All Might, wouldn't be able to keep going to these meetings for so long if he has to do Hero work. He said that he was doing some work for Tsukauchi and the police force, but even then, if he was using his All Might form to do so, as he won't reveal his true form to the other officers, then that would lower his limit on using it...right?
Either way, he must really have an effect on this police force.
Middle of Autumn, Beginning of October
"Bye! I'll see you later, Katara!" Ochako said with a smile as she waved back to the waterbender as she power-walked away in the distance.
"See ya around, Ochako!" Katara said with a smile and a wave as well. She went her separate way down the sidewalk, passing streets, businesses, homes, and cafes, going through her daily route back to Toshi's home...to her home now, to be precise.
Home...she never thought she would call Toshi's place her own home now...
As she kept walking, backpack strapped onto her back and still wearing her school uniform, she stopped at an intersection and waited until the crosswalk sign light saying "STOP" turned into the "WALK" symbol.
She learned a bit about interacting, using, and operating some of the technology around here with flying colors. She got used to the phone she has, finding different apps for her interest, and using the feature on it known as "texting", and has been using a laptop to research things for her homework, as well as info on the world she's living in. She even has been using modern kitchen appliances on how to cook certain things, even using the stove and the microwave!
She also watches TV at times to see what kind of 'plays' (or movies and TV programming as it's called here) people tend to view. Mostly, she liked some of the romance-comedies, the action movies where they include a strong female character fighting the bad guys (although, she did like watching the guys fight the bad guys as well in these movies), and the occasional animated movies that come on. For the animated movies, there were different types of animation, and she really wondered why there were so many animated styles, such as CG animation and as Toshi called anime and cartoons '2D animation'. She did enjoy all of them, but the CG animated movies make things look a little too real-looking for her. She mostly prefers the 2D style of animation, as it was labeled as 'old school animation' by Toshi. Currently, the anime Katara was watching was called One Piece, which used quality old-school animation and storytelling.
As soon as the crosswalk light sign changed, Katara walked across the street with the rest of the bystanders. When she reached the other intersection, she stopped and looked to her left.
There were more lined-up shops, businesses, and other cafes on each side of the street, but could make out a beach in the distance.
She always thought about going to the beach to practice her waterbending, but couldn't because of the regulations of not using ones' 'Quirk' out in public…
Which is so unfair. It was bending, not a Quirk!
Either way, she didn't get to practice her bending all that much...she feels like she's getting a little rusty with it, honestly...
"...Hmm…" Katara stood there in thought.
Maybe...
...She can make a little detour before going home.
Before she could turn to her left and go up the street though, Katara got her phone out and told Toshi that she'll be a little later (she said she was gonna sight-see around the city). He replied back, telling her to be careful and come home around four, which Katara couldn't help but smile fondly at Toshi's parental demeanor. She kind of wished she had that when she was little…
Katara's smile went down just a bit.
Dad couldn't help it. He had a war to go to…
Sighing, she nodded and replied to Toshi to confirm that she will be home at that time. She then went up the sidewalk of the street to the beach up ahead.
As she passed blocks and businesses and came up to the road where the beach is on the other side of it, she realized something...
"...Oh...this is the same beach I came out of," Katara muttered, her tone a little surprised.
It was still littered with junk and trash around the area, along with the scrap metal and other used appliances, such as stoves, refrigerators, microwaves, and other electronics. There were even some cars and trucks laid to waste on the beach!
Frowning at the misuse of this recreational area, Katara crossed the street and went to the sandy shore.
Maneuvering through the junk that was on the beach, Katara eventually came up to the ocean, the small waves rushing up to her penny loafers. She looked out over the distance of the sea, watching the seagulls fly above the vast waters as the ocean water sparkled pristinely.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the beach air...and the junk that surrounded her. Her nose crinkled and she opened her eyes. Looking around the debris that was gathered here, she surveyed the area around her.
"...Why would anyone dump their trash here?" Katara mumbled to herself. She remembered it being close to night when she arrived on this world and seeing a lot of the junk on the beach…
...Actually, as she stood there on the shore, she noticed the whole beach looked a little...more spread out than usual?
Like, it was more...open?
...
...Has someone been cleaning up this beach recently?
Katara shook her head. Well, I didn't fully grasp everything that was around me at the time. She looked down at the waves that were coming up to the shore.
She pursed her lips in thought.
I...could try to practice my bending a bit...I mean, there's no one here...hopefully. Besides, the piles of metal junk here would obscure me...yeah, I'll just do a little bit of my bending for maybe…
Katara got her phone out and looked at the time.
3:00 PM
"...Maybe thirty minutes." Katara said to herself.
So with her backpack on and still in her school uniform, she got in a waterbender stance and began to pull and push her hands at the waves that were coming onto the sandy shore.
A Little While Ago...
Man, I hate lying to my mom in text...actually, doing that is a lot easier. At least I don't have to lie to her face.
Midoriya Izuku was walking over to the beach that's assigned by All Might for him to do community service. As of now, though, he decided to try to do some extra training today, a little more than usual in the workout plan. Plus Ultra! was the motto, after all. He went straight there after school, even before Katsuki could utter a word to him.
Well, either way, I can't let All Might down. If I'm gonna be a successor to him and get a Quirk, I need to do...this completely grueling workout plan...or whatever he calls it. Great American Plan? If that's true, then Americans push themselves way too much.
As soon as Izuku arrived at the beach, which he took a shortcut to enter from the left side of it, he took a deep breath. Scrap metal was right in front of him, and he has to do the agonizing and almost impossible task of cleaning up the whole beach...in the span of ten months.
Granted, he got some progress done...he thinks. Everything on the sandy shore looked...better, he would say…
But it wasn't good enough.
He had to clean everything up.
Sighing, Izuku's posture slumped as he mumbled, "Okay...let's get this over with."
And so, the messy broccoli green-haired boy took a deep breath, and unbutton his school uniform shirt, took it off, fold it, and rest it on an old freezer. He began pulling an old radiator with a rope from behind him for several minutes, trying to summon every strength that he has to even make it budge.
I know I'm over-pushing myself here...but I have to make All Might see that I can do it! To obtain his Quirk! This could be the only chance!
Izuku kept pulling the radiator, feeling his shoulders about to give in from the weight he was pulling. As soon as he and the radiator moved at least two inches, something in his peripheral vision caught him off guard.
"Huh?" Izuku stopped pulling for a moment to turn to his right.
From what he could make through the piles of kitchen appliances, rusted metal, and other junk around here, there was a silhouette passing by each of them.
"...Someone's here?" Izuku asked himself in curiosity.
Untieing the rope around himself, he went over to where this mysterious figure was going. Making sure he wasn't seen, he hid behind several metal objects and appliances, even behind a couple of cars.
As soon as he was near the ocean, he hid behind an old refrigerator and peeked around it.
It was a brown-haired and tanned-skinned girl in her school uniform, and she was...doing some weird motions and gestures.
Izuku blushed a bit.
Wow. She's pretty...
But back to what the girl was doing, she seemed to be pushing and pulling her hands out in front of her...rather gracefully, he might add.
And then...the water from the waves of the ocean were going up.
Izuku's eyes widened in shock.
The water...was being controlled? He looked at the girl again and saw that she was pulling the water away from its source. She then moved her hands fluidly around as the water was following its movements.
The water was being controlled by her!
Whoa...is that her Quirk? Izuku wondered.
But as soon as the girl moved around and let the water swirl around her, she looked at where Izuku was...
Her eyes widened at the single audience member that was viewing her. She dropped the water and it splashed on the sand.
Izuku jumped as he squeaked, and tried to hide behind the refrigerator. "I-I-I'm sorry! I just, uh, I just thought no one was here on this beach! I-I-I mean, I, uh, d-don't mind me, I'm just-I mean, no! I, uh, I-I-I-I-"
"Whoa, hey, um, calm down there," the girl told him as she approached Izuku, "I, uh, didn't mean to startle you."
Oh crap! She's coming this way! What do I do!? Izuku thought in a panic. I never spoke to a girl before! I mean, well, not all by myself! And she's pretty too! Oh man, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I-
"Uh...are you alright?" the girl asked him as she's now in front of him.
Izuku, who was looking down at the ground, now looked up and froze as he was slightly up-close to the girl.
"AH!" Izuku jumped, blushing up a storm as he put his hands up in order to defend himself from whatever.
OH CRAP, SHE'S EVEN CUTER UP CLOSE!
"Whoa there, buddy." The girl said in reassurance with her hands raised to calm Izuku down. "Calm down. Uh, what's...your, um, name?"
"..."
Did...Did she ask for my name? ...OH! M-My name! Y-Yeah! Uh-
"I-It's Izu-zuku…"
...I just told my first name to this pretty girl. Why did I do that? WHY DID I DO THAT!? What will she think?! I'm not hitting on her or anything, I just wasn't thinking! Oh shit!
"Oh, uh, alright. My-"
"I MEAN, IT'S MIDORIYA!"
...
"...Oh. Uh...okay…" the girl said hesitantly as she looked at him in perplexment. "So...which one...is it?"
"...Oh." Izuku, feeling embarrassed, placed a hand on the back of his head as he rubbed it. "Um...w-well, my, uh...my last name is Midoriya. Izu-...Izuku is my first name..."
"Oh...well, um...my name is Katara. That's my…"
...
Wait, should I tell him my supposed surname? I mean, I just barely know this guy, and...well, he acted kind of weird back there... Katara thought. I probably should...oh! But I'm supposed to say the last name first! Oh man! Uuugh...well, what's done is done. I might as well just go along with it.
"...uh, that's my name, Katara!" Katara said with a sheepish smile.
"Oh, uh...o-okay." Izuku smiled hesitantly as he nodded.
Well, great job, Izuku. You probably made her uncomfortable...no, there's no 'probably', I think I pretty much made her super cautious of me. Ugh, stupid! And this is the first time in a very long time that I'm actually talking to a pretty girl!
...No one said anything for a second...
"...So...Izu-I mean, uh, Midoriya, um...what are you doing on this junky beach?" Katara asked Izuku.
"Oh!" Izuku froze for a second. "Um...w-well…"
Oh, crap, crap! I can't tell her what I'm really doing here! All Might told me not to say anything about this on him training me and getting a Quirk and...shit! I can't tell her any of that! But I don't l want to look like a freak or anything! She might think I was staring at her or something! Oh crap, crap, crap! What do I say!?
Katara looked at him expectantly, while raising an eyebrow at him.
...I mean, I could just say that I'm training...without including All Might helping me with the training, that is. And I could tell her that I'm...trying to get into UA...oh hell, why not? I mean, I already made a stupid impression on myself, so it's not like she'll think I'm amazing or anything. I mean, I don't have a Quirk yet...hopefully…
He glanced at Katara...who's starting to have an uncomfortable expression on her face, shifting in place and looking like she's finding a way out of this.
...Oh shit. Maybe I should say something now...aw, man. Yeah, just get it over with...
"I'm…"
Katara looked at Izuku with a blink.
"...I'm training for when I go to UA."
Katara looked...surprised, her eyes wide and her mouth forming an 'o'.
Well, that's expected. Now she'll ask me for my Quirk, which...I don't have...shit, I have to think up a Quirk! I can't say that I'm Quirkless, unless she just wants to laugh and ridicule me.
"I, uh-"
"Wow, you too?" Katara said in surprise.
"...Eh?" Izuku now blinked at Katara. "Wait...you're going to UA too?"
Katara smiled in excitement. "Yeah. I was just here to get my-um...uh-" She looked a little embarrassed as she cleared her throat. "My, uh, 'Quirk' working over here."
"Oh…" Izuku looked at the seawater coming up the shore as it shrunk back into the ocean. "Oh. So...that's your Quirk? Water manipulation?"
"Yeah! Water manipulation! But, uh...I just, um...call it 'bending'." Katara said with what hoped to be a nonchalant shrug.
"Bending?" Izuku said, intrigued. He then put a hand to his chin. "Huh...bending. I guess it makes sense, since it's 'bending' the water to its will. The term 'bending' could also mean she could bend the molecules, thus the water, since it doesn't have a firm shape as well as being a formless mass, could probably move in every direction freely. But could it also mean that she could attract the molecules by some sort of form of outlet, or does it-murmur murmur murmur murmur..."
Izuku kept on murmuring, which Katara looked on, baffled.
"...Um..." Katara blinked. "Uh...are you okay?"
"-and maybe-huh?" Izuku looked up and blinked as well. "...Oh!" Eyes widened slightly, he began to stutter again, "U-U-U-Uh, I-I'm, um, I'm so sorry! I, uh, I-I tend to do that! I-I mean, I analyze Quirks! Wait-I mean, I-I just like Quirks! I mean...uh…"
Still blinking at the young man, Katara just looked at him like he grew a second head.
...Whoa. This guy has some serious anxiety problems. Katara thought with a frown filled with pity. She decided to calm him down by saying, "Hey, it's okay. Really. I'm glad that my, um, 'Quirk' interests you."
"...You are?" Izuku asked in shock.
"Well, yeah." Katara said with a kind smile. "Hey, if you're planning to go to UA, then what's your Quirk?
"Uh...well, I…"
Hoo boy. Moment of truth here… Izuku frowned, looking dejected. "I…" He sighed, "...I don't have a Quirk."
Katara's smile turned into a confused frown. "You don't?"
"Yeah...I know, I probably should give up at this point, huh?" Izuku said with his head low.
Blinking at his dejected statement, Katara looked at the boy with shock. "What?"
"I mean...I know I'm Quirkless, but...I…" Izuku gave a determined frown, "...I don't care. Someone...someone told me that I can be a Hero...and I'm gonna follow through with that. I'm gonna get to UA and learn from the best, and I'm gonna prove to everyone that I can be a great Hero!"
Katara looked at Izuku for a moment, her gaze slightly in awe. She had heard from Toshi that some of the people who were Quirkless weren't once at all looked over in society. While she found that to be downright horrible and cold, he said that that was the sad reality. Either way, Katara was glad that her brother wasn't here. He'd have the worst time in this world.
Buty to see this boy, Izuku, shrug off the comments from others about a Quirkless person couldn't be a Hero...
Wow...he doesn't have a Quirk...he's...almost like Toshi. Yet, he's still going...even without a Quirk...that's…
"...Wow...that's really admirable," Katara said to him.
"...I-I'm sorry?" Izuku said looked up from the sand to Katara, his expression looking quite surprised. Out of all the things he was expecting for people to react to what he said, he wasn't expecting that.
Katara smiled warmly. "Yeah. That's very commendable. I say go for it. And if that someone told you can do it, then you should."
"...Oh...um...t-thanks..." Izuku said, dumbfounded. Did someone else...just told him he should live out his long-life dream?
Is she...is she messing with me?
He looks at the girl and sees that her eyes sparkle a sincerity, a warm sincerity that told him that she meant every word.
"...Wow...I…"
Someone else...believes I can do it. I mean, I just met this girl, but…
"...Do you...really think can I be a Hero? Even if it's someone as Quirkless as me?" Izuku asked her.
Katara tilted her head and looked at him puzzled. "Well, yeah. It doesn't matter if you're Quirkless or not, you can still be a Hero."
Izuku just stared at Katara...his vision was getting blurry, and he soon realized that his eyes were watering...
Upon seeing Izuku tearing up, Katara frowned in concern. "Hey, are you alright?"
"...Yeah...I'm…" Izuku wiped his eyes with his arm sleeve as he sniffled, "I...I'm just...happy someone else said this to me." He said with a happy but shaky smile, tears running down his face.
The waterbender's expression turned into shock upon hearing this. "No one...told you can be a Hero?"
The boy looked down as he smiled in melancholy. "No..." He left it at that.
Katara frowned. She couldn't believe the careless cruelty that some people could say or do in this world when they don't have a Quirk. It was quite disturbing, to say the least...
"...Well prove those people wrong." Katara said to Izuku firmly.
Izuku looked up and blinked at her dumbly.
Katara smiled. "Prove them that you can be a Hero."
The dark green-haired boy just stared at the pretty tanned girl...until he smiled back, this time in determination. He then nodded and said to her, "I will! I promise I will!"
"Then I'll keep that promise," Katara said with the same smile and a nod. "I think it was a good thing I came over here today."
Nodding to that, Izuku's smile turned soft. "Yeah...I'm glad you did." He chuckled. "It certainly motivated me a lot more."
Upon seeing that this beach was Izuku's training ground, Katara then said, "So, you train here?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm, um...training my body to be a little fit. I mean, I train in other places, but this is usually the main one. I'm, uh, I'm basically trying to clean up this beach."
"Wait, clean all this up?" Katara asked incredulously.
"Yeah...heh, I know, it's pretty daunting, but...I want to prove to that 'someone' I can do it."
Katara couldn't help but smile at the resolution in his tone. Although she was worried about how he was going to clean this all up, but she didn't want to discourage him. Instead, she just said, "Well, if you think you can do it, then go on ahead and do it."
Izuku nodded with a grin. "I will!"
Katara smiled widely as well. She feels like she has to keep encouraging him though...whether he makes it or not, she has to get his hopes up. Because she firmly believes this Izuku character can be a Hero. In a world where you have to have a Quirk to succeed, she wants this kid to have confidence in himself, to beat the odds, and to go beyond the distance.
"And..." She thought of what to say next. "...Just believe you can. Find that power in you to surpass expectations. As All Might would say, Plus Ultra!."
Now Izuku looked at her gobsmacked, "Wait, are you an All Might fan?"
Blinking at that, Katara was going to correct herself, but thought of Toshi…
"...Yeah. I guess you can say that." Katara said with a smile.
"...Wow...that's awesome!" Izuku said with a wide-eyed ecstatic look. "Which of his movies do you like!?"
"Oh, uh...movies...um, well…" Katara thought up something quick. "The...one where there are a lot of...bad guys?" she answered lamely.
Izuku chuckled. "Yeah, that one was intense."
...Wha? Katara blinked. I...okay...
"I honestly thought they were going to kill All Might in that one, but it ended on such an epic note. That iteration of him was really human, and it just goes to show that no matter what kind of super power you have, we're just human beings inside. Also, the villain was really good at his role, he just radiates evil-"
As Izuku kept talkig about the movie, Katara just decided to stand there and keep listening, not only to make him feel better, but to hear what kind of movie he was describing.
About five minutes in, Izuku finished by saying, "-and man, when the All Might actor shouted 'Plus Ultra!' at the end, it gave me goosebumps!" Izuku sighed, having said all of his take. "...Oh! Uh, sorry, I've been talking about that movie too much, heh. What do you like about it?"
"Uh…" Katara stood there, feeling a little embarrassed that she listened without saying anything about the movie. "I...basically like the part where...All Might gave the villain his 'just desserts'."
Izuku chuckled. "Yeah. That villain had it coming."
Katara chuckled as well, feeling relieved that she didn't have to explain more on why she did 'liked' it. It was then she blinked and remembered something, "Oh! The time!" she dug her phone out of her skirt pocket and looked at it.
3:30 PM
The waterbender winced. "Oh man. Uh, sorry, Midoriya, I, uh, gotta go."
"Oh, uh, okay." Izuku said, a little disappointed.
"Yeah, sorry, my uncle gave me a curfew. But still, remember what I said! You can do it, I know you can! Plus Ultra!" Katara said with a grin.
Izuku smiled back, feeling even more rejuvenated, "Plus Ultra!"
Katara giggled and began to walk away with a wave, "Bye, Midoriya! I hope we see each other again! Good luck to you!"
"U-Uh, yeah! M-Me too! I mean, uh, g-good luck you too!" Izuku said with a smile as he waved at her also. "Bye, Katara!"
"Bye, Midoriya!" Katara said as she rushed out of the beach and onto city streets.
Izuku kept waving as he had a smile on his face...until he froze. He blushed as he realized something.
Wait...I just...talked to a girl…
...Never had Izuku been so happy before in his whole life.
Wow. He's certainly an eccentric guy...I mean, he sounds nice, but he really has a big stuttering problem...and he seems very anxious. Katara thought as she walked along the streets back to her home. Either way, I really mean it. I hope he gets in…
Katara looked down as she walked, thinking about how no one ever told Izuku that he could be a Hero.
...I mean...no one? Not even his parents? How can anyone say that to a kid? ...I can't even think about it.
Her eyes narrowed as she can't help but really feel for Izuku...
...I think the reason why he's so anxious was because he was either verbally abused or…
She shook her head, not thinking about it any longer.
Before she could look up to see her way, she knocked into someone's shoulder.
"Ah!" Katara yelped, "Oh, uh, sorry!"
The person she bumped into looked like a tall teenage guy who was wearing a gray hoodie, with the hood up, blue jeans, and some sneakers.
"Oh. Don't worry about it." mumbled the teenage guy's voice. As soon as he turned his face to Katara, she froze.
...Zuko?
The guy glanced at her, but he stared at her for a second. Clearing his throat, he went back his way on the sidewalk.
...No...that was...someone different...his hair was...two colors?
Katara stood there a little baffled as she blinked, but shook her head and just decided to keep walking back to her home.
...That was interesting... She thought as she made her way to Toshi's home.
The guy who Katara bumped into kept walking to whatever his destination was…
...however, he couldn't help but briefly think about that girl…
...She was pretty cute. He thought with a red blush on his face, his expression stoic.
"Toshi! I'm home!" Katara said as she entered the house.
Upon not hearing Toshi's welcome, she called again, "Toshi?"
It was then she saw the TV was on, and that there was a news story that a villain was taking a family hostage. She put this piece of information together and came to one conclusion.
Katara frowned, "Oh Toshi...I hope you don't overuse your limit again." She remembered cleaning up blood off the floor when Toshi coughed some up after using his All Might form so much.
When that spectacle happened, she felt a little queasy...not only for the amount of blood, but she had to think of the possibility to 'bend' it…
She shivered at that thought. Katara just cleaned it with a towel and washed it in the washer(which she proudly knows how to operate). Toshi even asked her why she couldn't just bend the blood after it was all said and done, since it had water in it. Katara's answer was, "I didn't really think about it at the time."
Sighing at the possibility that she might have to clean up blood again from Toshi, aka All Might, she went to the couch and rest her backpack on the cushion. She sat on the right side of it and proceed to get her stuff out of the backpack. While doing so, she thought briefly back at that boy named Izuku...or Midoriya, as calling them by their last name was the formal thing in Japan.
I hope he goes beyond everyone's expectations...
Nodding to that, she got her homework out and placed it on the coffee table.
Honestly, she really didn't care if she was accepted into UA or not, but she had to do something in this world...
Although, she wouldn't be lying if she said that she was a little excited to see what else is in store for her in this world.
I do miss them, though... Katara thought a little regretfully.
She soon got to doing her homework…
...But couldn't help think about that other guy that looked like...Zuko.
...I wonder who that guy was? Katara thought curiously.
With that, she continued to study…
- (End of Chapter) -
(Author's Notes)
And here is chapter seven! Wow, what a meeting, am I right? XD
Next chapter, we FINALLY get to the Entrance Exams! ;) So hold on tight everyone, cause we are gonna continue onward! ^_^
I kind of went ahead though and posted this without it being betaed...I hope my betas won't get mad at me for that. Please forgive me! D8 I just want to post this bad boy right now and stuff! ^^;
Oh! Also, I change my mind about trying to make ten chapters in a row. I'm just gonna make five. I was really stretching it when I said I was gonna write ten. ^^;
But as usual, please tell me what you all think! Leave a review, follow, and a fave! I really do hope you all liked this chapter! 8D
Until then, I'll see you all later! Keep on rocking, everybody! ;)
-TSP