Ember Sunblaze: I'm so happy we've finally gotten to this chapter. This is when it all starts to take place for the mission. I can not wait to move forward from here on out. I hope you all love this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it ^_^

Author's Note:

1. From here on out, the girls will be addressing each other by their first names. This is to show how close they are with one another.

2. There will be another Author's Note at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 9: The Girls

"Hello ladies and adoring fans! I'm sure by now you are wondering where our main guy is? The hero who dwarves all the others of Class 1-A in both wit, intelligence and charisma? Never fear for after a long anticipated wait…I HAVE ARRIVED!"

With great gusto, Mineta burst forth from his hiding spot amongst the boulders, clad in a pair of dark purple swim trunks. In his hand he proudly held a sticky pop off as he continued his monologue in true superhero fashion.

"Where was I, you ask? Well let me tell you, I was not wasting my time participating in some shounen style B-class volleyball game. No, this guy is above cheap jumping boob shots. I've matured to a more sophisticated lust that can not be tamed with mere high school cleavage. I'm here for the real deal. The epiphany of every young man's fantasy!"

Mineta jumped upon a boulder, striking a pose as ocean waves smashed along the sides of the rock majestically. "That's right! With these waves as my ally and my quirk as my weapon, I, Minoru Mineta, will get a full shot of the girls withtheir goods unraveled before me! Muhahahaha!"

Eyes now slightly crazed, he continued with his narrative in an excited rush. "How you may ask? I've got it all planned out! As soon as I learned about us coming to the beach, I knew this was my moment to finally draw up my plan." He pulled out a notebook similar to Midoriyas, except for the X-rated stickers plastered all across the cover, along with very suspicious looking smudge marks. "I've had this baby planned out since junior high!" He flipped it open, revealing a very detailed sketch of what looked like a giant fish.

"See this? This is me surrounded by my pop offs in what I like to call Operation: "Go Fish!" Not only do my pop offs act as a disguise, but it also leaves me enough air to stay underwater for at least 10 minutes! Not bad huh? But how does this help me get those girl's tops off? Guess you'll just have to wait and see…Muhahahah! Oh crap!"

Mineta cursed as he spotted Todoroki making his way over. Quick as could be he popped some spheres from his head and jumped over the edge of the boulder, clinging to the side like a crab. Luckily for him, Todoroki was focused on the old man fishing farther down the rocky outcrop and passed Mineta without notice. The tiny teen sighed, dropping into the water with a silent plop to begin his mission.

Todoroki paused, glancing around him. Once again he thought he had heard a sound, "The beach seems to be full of mysterious noises." Taking one more look at his surroundings, he continued his way towards the solitary figure hunched over a boulder at the water's edge.

As he got closer it became clear the man in question was rather elderly, both a thick beard and thick eyebrows almost obscuring his heavily wrinkled face. It was also clear that he was completely asleep, his fishing rod resting lightly between his knees. Todoroki stood over him, not quite sure of his next move.

"Should I wake him up? Or would that be too rude?" After all, it's not like there was an emergency underfoot. But there were students out there that were missing and if this man had any information available, it would be one step closer to discovering the truth of the abductions. As Todoroki wrestled with this internal turmoil, a silver lining presented itself with a tug on the man's fishing reel. It was just the push he needed.

"Um, sir? Your fishing line." When he continued to snore, Todoroki decided to try a different approach. Forming a small ice cube in his hand, he quietly dropped it into the man's collar.

"Achoo!" The elder man sneezed, snapping awake. He tilted his large straw hat upward, surprised to find a young teen standing before him. "Ehh…? Who might you be?"

"Your line sir." Todoroki repeated, pointing at the jiggling reel.

"Eh? Oh…lookie that." With wrinkling hands that shook slightly, he slowly started reeling in the line. However, by the time it reached the surface, all that was left of the bait was a small crab stubborning clinging on.

"Looks like we got a big one!" The old man chuckled, taking the wiggling crab and holding it out to Todoroki. "Here ye go. Did you want it? Fresh protein!"

"Um, thank you." Todoroki replied, carefully taking the crab while attempting to keep his fingers from being pinched. "I'm actually here to ask you a few questions."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes. As you are probably aware, a fair number of students have gone missing on this beach."

Todoroki watched the elder tying a new lure onto his line, his expression unchanged. He continued. "Do you come to this area often to fish?"

"Hmmm? A fair amount I suppose." He answered, tossing the line back in the water.

"Have you noticed anything odd or unusual?"

The man seemed to ponder this question as he turned to Todoroki. "Hrmm…did you know your hair is two different colors?"

"I'm well aware of this fact." Todoroki answered in a slightly bitter tone.

"Oh…then no nothing else unusual then." He tilted his hat down, seeming to be done with the conversation.

Todoroki sighed, feeling let down at the lack of progress. "Seems this mission isn't going to be that easy to crack." He turned away but paused as the elder suddenly said.

"Though perhaps….I do think the sea has been singing more than usual." He mused, giving his rod a flick.

Todoroki blinked, confused. "Singing?" he repeated, squatting next to the man. "Can you give more details?"

Without turning away from the water, the elderly man replied. "Anyone who's ever lived by the ocean knows that it has its own melody. A tune that rises and falls like the waves." He chuckled. "It's what keeps old men like us coming back day in and day out." His chuckles were soon replaced with a hacking cough that left his mustache quivering. "Cough! Cough! But as of late, I feel like that melody has become more prominent."

A melody? The ocean singing? It was all too abstract for Todoroki to follow. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I understand…"

But Todoroki's comment was lost on the old man, who continued to cough. He reached over for a thermos and began to pour, only to find it empty. "Oh dear…looks like I'm out of tea." He got up, passing Todoroki his fishing pole. "Mind watching that for me? Need to grab more…."

"Sir, I really can't…" But the old man was already hopping from boulder to boulder, in a way that seemed unnatural for a man of his age. Left alone with a fishing pole, a lure box, and an empty bucket, Todoroki felt himself wondering what he was supposed to do.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to wait here. At least until Midoriya shows up." With the decision made, Todoroki made himself comfortable on the boulder. From this viewpoint, he could see the open ocean along with the long stretch of beach where the rest of the class were located. He could see a group of classmates working together to construct some kind of sand castle. Though the actual design seemed far off from what a normal person would consider a castle.

"I wonder if they are having fun?" Todoroki found himself wondering aloud. He looked down at the reel in his hand. "Why does this feel so nostalgic?" It was then he remembered. He had been fishing before. A long time ago, on one of the training trips to the beach with Endeavor. Though it wasn't a training trip. At least not one he was accustomed to….

Flashback

"Shoto! Stop fidgeting!"

A four-year old Todoroki instantly straightened his back, trying to stifle a yawn. He sat stiffly on an old pier alongside his father, the famous pro hero Endeavor, the dark waves lapping beneath them as the early morning sky started to turn a light gray with the rising sun. Endeavor, was clad in civilian clothes, including a dark green vest that was adored with fishing accessories. A long, elegant looking fishing rod rested in his hands.

"Aren't we here at the beach for hero training?" Shoto tentatively asked, sensing his father was in a foul mood. Though he didn't particularly like training, it beat being alone with his dad, with his butt aching from sitting on the cold wood of the pier.

To his surprise, his father didn't seem cross at the question. He seemed to anticipate it. "Shoto, this may not look like it, but what we are doing is hero training."

Shoto glanced down at his blue and red All Might themed kid's fishing rod. "Hero's need to fish?"

"No." Endeavor answered, reeling his line in to change out his lure. "But, hero's do need patience."

Todoroki watched as his father opened his bait box, his hands meticulously attaching an antique lure in a way similar to one performing a delicate surgery. To Todoroki, it was quite different from the loud and often violent father he was accustomed to. Throwing the line back in water, his father explained.

"Fishing is an activity enjoyed by men for generations, for good reason. It requires reasoning and observation, being able to pinpoint the best areas fish would gather. Patience and endurance is also key, for despite all the preparation and knowledge one can have on the matter, nothing can change the fact that you can't force a fish to bite."

Shoto listened quietly, feeling a hint of bitterness at these words. "He has no problem forcing me to train all the time though." Even at such a young age Shoto knew his father's greatest desire was for him to one day become powerful enough to beat the number one pro hero, All Might. A role Shoto was not particularly interested in. Shoto glanced up and was surprised to find Endeavor's gaze upon him as if his father was reading his thoughts.

It was at that moment the sun finally broke over the horizon, basking the water's surface with sparkling new light. Endeavor turned away from his son, focusing down at his line bobbing in the waves. "These qualities: observation, endurance, patience…they are skills hero's need to succeed. More often than not, I find patience is the quality I tend to lack."

Shoto blinked, surprised at his father's confession, his bitterness momentarily forgotten as he listened to his father lament. "I find that in times when I start to lose myself in impatience, coming here to fish helps. It's a reminder that some things can't be rushed." Shoto thought for a moment he saw his father send a glare down at his All Might fishing pole as he spoke these words.

"So does that mean today we're just going to sit here and fish?" Shoto asked.

"Yes." Endeavor answered determinedly. "Sit here and think about what it means to be a hero while we patiently wait for mother nature to come forth and offer her bounty. Even if it takes all day."

"Oh…but I have to use the bathroom." Shoto admitted.

"Hero's should learn how to hold their bladders!" His father yelled, flames bursting forth from his brows and mustache, causing the young boy to almost drop his rod in surprise. Just as quickly as it happened, the flames were extinguished, his father holding the bridge of his nose while quietly muttering. "Patience…Patience…Patience…"

Once it was clear his anger was once again under control, the flame hero held out his hand to his son. "Come, I'll show you where the restrooms are."

Though still slightly fazed from the outburst, the young Shoto still clung to his father's much bigger hand. The warmth of it felt good in the early morning chill and Shot couldn't help but smile as his father pulled him along the beach.

Todoroki awoke from his reminiscing with the sea breeze blowing at his hair. He absently swept away his bangs, setting the rod down next to him as his mind wandered. "So I guess even my father and I did activities like."

The memory had felt so obscure, so distant, that he had almost forgotten such an event had taken place between him and Endeavor. At that age, Todoroki had only just brushed the surface of his father's obsession with him mastering his flame quirk. An obsession that over the years would lead to hardship and violence, completely destroying any sort of bond the two may have had.

But that memory….that memory had shown that Endeavor did have a vulnerable side. A side to him that he fully shared with his son perhaps in an attempt to bond? Todoroki didn't know and didn't particularly care. Whatever relationship he had had with Endeavor in the past was strictly in the past. Nothing could change the events that had occurred between now and then.

Todoroki glanced down at the fishing rod, memories of sitting at that pier with his father still lingering. He picked it back up, letting it rest lightly on his knee. The sea breeze once again ruffled his hair and this time, he closed his eyes, listening to the lull of the waves as he went back to that place so long ago.

For even if it was a memory of his Father, it wasn't exactly a bad memory.

As Todoroki found himself bound to the whims of an elderly stranger and his forgotten childhood memories, another boy of class 1-A was busy making his escape away from the boulders and into calmer waters. Waters where a certain bunch of girls were busy frolicing in the waves. Mineta smirked from within his makeshift "pop-off submarine", nicknamed the SS Grapedrop.

He was proud that when carefully secured together, his little pop offs were very much water resistant, not allowing any water to leak through. The only downside had been the weight factor. His pop offs, for the most part, were very light and tended to float in water. For his plan to function correctly, he had to secure himself with a weighted belt so that he could at least skim several feet under the water's surface. From this position, his outline would look very similar to that of a shark.

He still had to move manually, his limbs coming downward to do the dog paddle to move forward. It was exhausting but Mineta had known this was coming and had prepared. For the days following the beach trip announcement, he had spent almost every day training his body by doing laps around the school pool.

"Now is no time to grow weak. Not when so much is at stake!" Mineta thought, sweat pouring down as he paddled towards his targets. By that, he meant naked boobs shots of the girls who had tantalized his dreams since the day he had walked through the doors of U.A. Those said girls were quite unaware of the miniscule perv slowly making his way towards them. Instead they were far too busy focusing on the more important things in life…like taking down villains!

"FREEZE INVISODILE!"

At the sound of her improvised villain name, Toru jumped behind Momo and Mina shot a well aimed jet of water from her newly created super soaker water gun. Instead of hitting "Invisodile", an innocent Momo was hit instead, soaking her face in water.

"MINA!" Momo coughed, wiping salt water from her eyes, as Toru giggled from behind.

"Invisodile strikes again!" Toru announced in her most malicious voice (which really wasn't very malicious but no one had the heart to tell her).

"You fiend!" Mina called dramatically while pumping her gun for another attack.

Sensing the upcoming attack, Toru frantically pleaded with Momo. "Momo! Momo! Can you please make me a water gun too? Invisodile needs to make her counter attack!"

"Don't do it! Momo! Don't turn to the dark side!" Mina yelled quickly, wading over and trying to aim her gun at Toru, who still was finding sanctuary behind Momo.

"It's not dark! It's invisible!" Tohu corrected her as she quickly waded the opposite way. The two girls began a carousel routine around the rather harassed Momo.

"Girls….I really think this game is getting a little out of hand!" She shot a silent plea for back up to Kyoka, who floated peacefully in the middle of a pink inflatable tube as she watched the performance. She stuck up her hand.

"Question? Is your quirk being invisible or being a crocodile?"

"I'm a crocodile with the quirk of invisibility!"

"That….sounds terrifying."

"I know, right!?" A sudden blast of water in the invisible girl's face halted any further reply. Mina held up her prized weapon in victory.

"Eat that bile, Invisodile!" Mina cheered, jiggling her body in a happy victory dance. Her dance was interrupted as Toru rose from the water and leapt at Mina.

"Invisodile will eat your flesh! Nom! Nom! Nom!" The two girls toppled into the water in a roar of giggles, splashing their two innocent bystanders.

Momo gave a weary sigh, moving aside her wet bangs. "You two are really quite a handful."

Mina and Toru, who were both locked together in hand to hand tussle, stopped and turned towards their friend with mischievous grins. Mina sauntered over, golden eyes twinkling. "Oh so sorry we're suuuuuch a handful!"

Toru sauntered over to Momo's other side, sandwiching her between her and Mina. "Yeeeeeaaah, you should just leave us and go back to your precious Todoroki!"

Momo's head swiveled from Mina to Toru, feeling completely trapped. "Kyoka! Help me here!"

"Sorry you kind of walked into that one." Kyoka said with a grin.

"Come on Momo, just admit it already!" Toru demanded, fingers tickling Momo's exposed side. Mina backed her up with her own set of tickles on her other side.

"Yeah! Admit you want to feel a bit of that hot and cold!"

"HAHAHAA Girls quit it! HAHAAH! I told you it's not like that! KYOKA STOP THEM!" Momo shrilled, completely desperate now as she continued to be tortured by the two.

But instead, her best friend decided to add fuel to the flames as she casually commented. " I don't know…you two did seem kind of close back there."

"I say they weren't close enough!" Mina exclaimed, throwing her arms over Momo's shoulders. "This is what you SHOULD have been doing!" She went behind Momo, pressing her chest against her back as she seductively bent over to grab Momo's arm.

"Oh no, no Todoroki. For an underarm serve, your arm needs to be in thiiiis position." Mina said in her most alluring Momo-like voice as she moved Momo's arm while purposely pushing her plump breasts against Momo's back.

"IN WHAT WORLD DOES A SCENARIO LIKE THIS HAPPEN!?" Momo shrilled, as the girls busted out in a fit of giggles. Momo cleared her throat, trying to bring order from the mayhem that was starting to erupt around her.

"Now girls, enough with this nonsense. I hold no special feelings for Todoroki. I merely show high respect for his academic and physical accomplishments both in and out of the classroom. Nothing! More!" She finished firmly.

"Hmmhmmm, respect is what you call it." Kyoka replied with a knowing grin.

Momo averted her gaze, cheeks flushed. "Yes…respect!"

"Well….I for one also respect Todoroki." Toru added brightly. "I respect his eyes….his face….his muscles!" Even Momo couldn't help but join in the laughter that followed this statement. Toru continued. "Todoroki would have been a much better partner to have than stupid Bakugo!"

"Umm…you do realize Todoroki wasn't even able to serve the ball, right?" Kyoka pointed out.

"Nope! Todoroki still would have been better." Toru answered without hesitation. "Bakugo is just a big meanie!"

"It's okay Toru, my partner wasn't Mr. Prince charming either." Kyoka kindly reassured the invisible girl.

"I see you're still upset about the incident with Kaminari." Momo gently prodded. Kyoka looked like she wanted to sink into her inner tube. "I understand how you would feel embarrassed. But as a referee during your game I must say that in Kaminari's defense, it did look to me like a complete accident."

"Yeah! I definitely saw him trip over one of my acid holes!" Mina said, "Total accident! A happy accident for him, I must say!" She added with a playful wink at Kyoka.

The music loving teen merely turned away with a pout. "He didn't seem too happy to me." She replied in an almost inaudible voice. Luckily all the girls were quite sharp eared when it came to gossip and instantly picked up the tone. Kyoka's eyes widened in horror as a cat-like grin spread upon Mina's face.

"Oooohhh I see how it is." Mina purred, inching closer to a now anxious Kyoka. "You're not mad at what he did, you're mad at what he said!" Before Kyoka could escape, Mina had already dashed over, clinging to the side of Kyoka's inner tube. "Spill it! What did he say!"

"No way!" Kyoka tugged her tube out of Mina's grasp and began paddling, with Mina close at her heels.

"You can't escape me!"

"Cut it out Mina! I'm not saying anything!"

"Wow, I didn't know Kyoka was such a fast swimmer!" Toru commented, as she and Momo watched the chase.

"Kyoka really walked into that one." Momo said with an amused shake of her head as she mirrored Kyoka's own words. With a gentler tone she called out to her best friend. "Really Kyoka, if there is anything troubling you, please do share with us!"

"Yeah! We're your friends!" Toru added cheerily. "I'm sure whatever is bothering you is something we've all experienced before!"

Kyoka halted, giving them a sullen glance as she eyed their rather fleshed out chest area. "I seriously doubt that!"

"Got you!" Mina declared, grabbing a hold of Kyoka's inner tube. She sighed, slinking down in the water in defeat.

"Fine!" Kyoka growled, cheeks flushing angrily as she muttered. "If you all must know! That stupid Kaminari said….he said… the "T" word!"

Mina blinked, confused. "T-word?" She glanced back at Momo and Toru and found they too were lost.

"Tits?" Toru suggested, causing Momo to gasp next to her.

"Toru!"

"Oh, wait! How about… tantalizing?"

"Toru!"

"I don't see you coming up with suggestions!"

During this exchange, Kyoka seemed to grow redder and redder with each guess before she decided enough was enough. With her head practically submerged in the water, Kyoka quietly mumbled, "Tiny."

"Uh?" Mina asked, cupping her ear. "What did you say?"

"HE SAID TINY!" Kyoka practically shouted, making her three friends jump back in surprise.

"Ohhhh!" The three uttered in unison as understanding sunk in. Ever the optimist, Mina was the first to recover from this blow, giving Kyoka a hearty pat on the back.

"Aww Come on! Don't let stupid Kaminari get you down!"

"Yeah! He probably meant tiny as in cute!" Toru added cheerfully.

Momo nodded, clasping palms together meaningfully. "Yes, please don't fret. You're absolutely perfect the way you are, Kyoka!"

"Uh, thanks?" Kyoka muttered, trying to hide a bashful smile at her friend's encouragement. The moment came to an abrupt end as Mina came up from behind Kyoka with a mischievous smirk and fingers wiggling in anticipation.

"You know Kyoka, if you're still worried, I know something that's supposed to help breasts grow bigger!"

"Mina, don't you dare!" Kyoka warned, already knowing that look.

"It's fondling time!" Mina said, pouncing forwards. But Kyoka was too quick, ducking under her tube and escaping just as Mina fell on top.

With lightning reflexes Kyoka emerged from the water, earphone jacks zipping out and tapping Mina's body in a frenzy. "I swear you're worse than Mineta!" she teased, as Mina howled in laughter, squirming as the Kyoka's mini attack tickled her sides.

"Hahah! No fair! Hahaha Kaminari got to touch them!" Mina said between giggles. Kyoka's only response was to intensify her attack.

"That's right, Kyoka! Avenge Invisodile!" Toru cheered enthusiastically at the two.

Momo smiled at the sight, cheered that her friend seemed to be in a better mood. She turned at the sound of splashes and found to her surprise Ochako wading up to the group. She was about to call a greeting but paused, noticing that something seemed amiss with their friend. Before she could voice her concern, Toru also noticed Ochako approaching.

"Ochako! You're here!" Toru exclaimed loudly, causing Kyoka to pause her attack on Mina. She, along with the rest of the girls, waded up to their friend.

"What are you doing here?" Mina asked, teasingly nudging Ochako with her elbow. "Thought you were hanging out with Midoriya!"

"Oh well, you know…" Ochako said, rubbing the back of her head as she fidgeted. "He had stuff to do, I had stuff to do…Like hang with you all!"

"You didn't have to worry about us!" Kyoka reassured her. "We're totally fine with you hanging out with Midoriya for a while."

"Yeah! You two seemed to be having such a good time! You didn't even notice us leaving! To tell the truth, I'm pretty jealous!" Toru added in a cheerful tone.

Momo watched Ochako's passive reactions to these remarks, before quietly asking. "Did something happen between you and Midoriya?"

This question silenced the group, with Ochako glancing around uncomfortably before putting on a strained smile. "What? No! Everything is fine!"

"Are you sure?" Momo replied, not looking convinced.

"Of course!" Ochako said, waving her hands in front of her dismissively. However, her cheerful demeanor began to chip away as other girls started to look suspiciously at her as well. "Well…maybe not…" She admitted, sheepishly.

"Really? What happened?" Kyoka asked with a hint of surprise.

"It's really nothing…" Ochako explained how she and Midoriya had separated for a bit, with her going to talk with Aoyama and check around for Tsuyu. When she heard from Iida that Tsuyu was patrolling the waters, she had decided to ask Midiorya to swim with her. A dark cloud seemed to hang over the teen as she finished her story. "But for some reason he declined and even seemed angry about it." She replayed the scene in her mind, the tone he had used. It seemed very odd.

"Really?" Mina exclaimed, shocked.

"What kind of guy refuses an invite from a girl?!" Toru fumed. "I swear that boy has too much All Might in his brain!"

"It is quite odd." Momo agreed, thinking of how close the two usually were. "And he didn't give a reason why?"

Ochako shook her head. "No, but…" She hesitated, slumping into the water miserably. "...but I'm worried I might have made him mad at me."

"Why would you think that?" Momo asked.

Ochako clutched her arm, unable to get Midoriya's response out of her mind. "I'm not sure, I've just never heard him sound like that before. It was almost like Bakugo was answering me instead of Deku."

"Eww, that is scary." Toru commented.

"That's so weird." Kyoka added, crossing her arms dubiously. "This all seems pretty unusual for Midoriya. Don't cha think?"

As the girls all muttered agreements, Momo stood silently thinking. "Perhaps he declined your invitation due to external reasons that have nothing to do with you?" She ventured, hoping to cheer up the defeated looking Ochako. "Maybe something was making him uncomfortable, thus the change in tone? Something he couldn't tell you about?"

"Yeah, like a boner!" Toru added brightly.

"Toru!" Momo snapped, blushing at the suggestion.

"What? That's a thing!" Toru exclaimed indignantly, as Mina and Kyoka both tried to suppress their giggles. "Trust me! Being invisible means no one ever checks to see if I'm looking so I see everything in the classroom!"

Momo held the bridge of her nose, clearly wishing Toru had not shared this tidbit of information. "Anyway…" She continued, putting on a bright smile for Ochako as she finished her motherly pep talk. " I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. Remember, Midoriya and you are friends. I doubt that's going to change."

"Yeah!" Mina said, wiping away tears of mirth. "You and him are like…super close!"

Ochako smiled. "Yeah…I guess so!"

"Hey! I have an idea!" Toru exclaimed, jumping up and down in the water. "Since we're all here. How about we look around for Tsuyu? Ochako said she's patrolling the waters right?"

"She's been doing that for a while, hasn't she?" Momo wondered aloud. "I hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she's fine!" Mina replied. "I mean, we all have tracking devices on right?" She said, pointing to her own device, hooked to her bikini top. "If any of us wander too far off, I'm sure Sensei would know."

"Guess that's true?" Kyoka agreed, as all the girls glanced down at their own tracking devices that were hooked on to their bikini tops.

"I'm sure Tsuyu will join us when she's ready." Ochako confidently stated. "She's probably just focusing on watching over the class. You know how protective she can be!"

"She is very reliable." Momo agreed with a nod.

"Awww but I really wanted to share this gossip with everyone here!" Mina despaired, flinging herself onto Kyoka's forgotten water tube. The girls all exchanged a look.

"What gossip?" Ochako asked curiously.

Mina grinned, knowing she had them hooked. "Ohhh you know….gossip concerning class 1-B's class trip!"

"You mean their trip to Hokkaido?" Kyota asked. At the same time they were told they would be heading to Okinawa, Class 1-B had been told they would be sent to the Hokkaido region. As far as they knew, Class 1-B had just arrived at their ski resort destination around the same time Class 1-A had landed in Okinawa.

"Question? Is their trip really a class trip or a secret mission like ours?" Toru asked.

"Seems to me like it's just a normal trip for them." Mina replied with a nonchalant shrug. "When I texted Kendo in the changing rooms earlier they were already up on the slopes skiing."

"Must be nice…" Toru replied wistfully.

"Anyway!" Mina said with a dismissive wave. "That's not important! What's important is the other news Kendo texted me…..SHE GOT CONFESSED TOO!" Mina announced with uncontrollable glee.

"No way!" Kyoka exclaimed, as the girls all gave a unified gasp. "By who?"

"Tetsutetsu!" Mina replied instantly, completely relishing the juicy bit of gossip.

"Oh, the Kirishima clone!" Toru stated.

"Well? What did she say?!" Ochako pressed excitedly.

"She doesn't know, yet." Mina answered with a sigh, as if the burden of not knowing was too much to bear. "From what she said in the text, it was totally out of the blue for her and she doesn't know how she feels yet. I believe her text went something like…blahblahblah…I admire him greatly…blahblahblah…but need to focus on being a hero….blahblahblah Woe is me! Or something like that!" Mina finished with an annoyed shrug as she plopped onto the tube. "Geez why can't she just make up her mind?"

"Some things can't be rushed Mina." Momo chided her gently. "Especially if it really was a surprise confession."

"But aren't all confessions a surprise?" Kyoka ventured.

"Not if everyone knows it's going to happen!" Mina said with a sly glance at Ochako, who instantly stiffened.

Twirling a strand of her brunette hair, Ochako quietly said. "I can understand her wanting to focus on school. Becoming a pro hero is tough as it is, adding other obligations to the mix would seem kind of overwhelming." She glanced at her friends. "Don't you think?"

"That is a fair point." Momo agreed with a knowing nod. "As students of U.A. It's our duty to put our education as our top priority."

"Yeah…studying and doing hero training is already pretty straining." Kyota had to agree. "Adding any other distractions to the mix might be a bit much."

"Lately it's been hard to even find time to get all my beauty sleep in." Toru added with a yawn.

As the girls conversed on the difficulties dating would bring to their already hectic schedules, Mina's fists tightened at her side, her temper boiling. Lifting herself onto a shocked Toru's shoulders, the "Alien Queen" used her height advantage to get all their attention.

"I can not believe what I am hearing!" Mina called out, halting the girl's conversations as she placed a hand on her chest. "Are we not girls? Do we not have needs? Desires? Do you not want any excitement in your young teenage lives?"

The other girls shared a glance with Kyoka reluctantly raising her hand. "Uhh…we're literally in a school that trains heroes…I don't think we have to worry about excitement."

Mina groaned, gesturing around dramatically "Not that excitement! The kind of excitement that leaves your heart going Doki! Doki! The kind that leaves you yearning for the touch of another! A hand to hold! A lip to kiss! A…"

"Please keep this G-rated." Momo warned.

"My point is that we're only in high school once! Just because we're training to be heroes doesn't mean we can't have a little romance! Don't you think it would be exciting to have a love confession happen right here in 1-A?!" Mina gushed, hearts practically bursting from her.

"I…guess so." Ochako agreed, rather hesitantly. "But who in the class would do that?"

Mina smirked. "I'm glad you asked Ochako! Because you're looking at her! ME!" She declared proudly.

"EHHHHHHH?" The girls all screamed at the same time.

"WHAT?" Toru exclaimed, knocking Mina off her shoulders in shock.

Mina splashed down and emerged from the water with all four girls crowding around her as they demanded to know who she was planning to confess to. She blinked, pleasantly surprised at their reactions. She held up her hands, trying to quell the onslaught of questions. "Woah! Woah! Chill everyone!"

"CHILL?!" Momo exclaimed. "How can we chill when you so suddenly declare an interest in one of our classmates?"

"Yeah! With all the pricking and prodding you do in our love lives I think we deserve some answers!" Kyoka said, earphone jacks raised up in a threatening manner.

"It's playback time, Invisodile style!"

"So spill!" Ochako demanded, as the other's parroted her. "WHO DO YOU LIKE?!"

"Okay! Okay! Geez, I was going to tell ya'll!" Mina said with a rather nervous chuckle. "I've decided I'm going to confess to Kirishima." The girls stared at her mouths agape as she continued. "And it's going to be on this class trip! I figured it wouldn't be a school trip without some sort of confession, right?" The girls were still silent, trying to process this info.

Ochako was the first to speak. "But Mina! When did this happen?! During last summer's training camp you said you didn't have anyone in the class you liked!" (see author's note)

"Well….that was a year ago." Mina replied with a slight pout. "A lot has happened since then."

"Oh, like what?!" Toru asked excitedly, wanting to hear all the juicy bits.

"Yes, enlighten us on this enchanting development." Momo urged, who was surprisingly a sucker for romance stories.

Mina scratched her chin, suddenly looking rather embarrassed. "It's really nothing special that happened. Just one day I realized I had feelings for him that were more than just friends. That's all!"

"THAT CAN'T JUST BE ALL!" Toru yelled, grabbing Mina in a choke hold. "You're leaving something out! I know it!"

"Woah Toru, chill!" Kyoka said, eyes widening at the crazed girl.

"Yeah, it's fine if she doesn't want to tell us…." Ochako added, not quite sure of what to do in a situation like this.

"Okay! Okay!" Mina cried, face turning dark shade of pink as she gave in. "It happened last fall! Right after the rescue mission to save Eri!" Toru's hold on her neck loosened as Mina confessed. "After the rest of the class was told what had happened, I decided to go and visit Kirishima in the hospital." The girls were taken aback by the shadow that seemed to cross Mina's normally happy-go-lucky face. "I don't know how to explain it…but when I saw him all beaten up and then hearing about what he went through…I felt something in me break and all I could think about was returning to U.A without him there. It wasn't a good thought." Her hands moved to her chest, her lips curving into a soft smile as she continued. "Then when he did finally walk back through the classroom door, with that big goofy grin of his, that's when my heart went doki doki and I knew. I knew I loved him."

She glanced up and the smile instantly vanished as she took in all her friends literally bawling their eyes out at her tale. "What the hell?"

"I'm sorry, Mina." Momo apologized tearfully. "That was just so beautiful!"

"Wahwhahwah! So romantic!" Toru sobbed.

"I'm not crying…it's just salt in my eyes." Kyoka grumbled, rubbing at them furiously.

"I'm just really happy for you!" Ochako said, also wiping away tears.

Mina gaped. "Pull yourselves together! You are all acting like I'm getting married. I haven't even confessed to the guy yet!" Once the girls had calmed down, they clambered around Mina to ask for more details about how and when she was going to confess.

Unbeknownst to them, a lurking shadow beneath the water had been slowly circling around them as they gossiped. Mineta had been waiting and listening, quietly coming close and letting loose the tiniest of pop offs to stick to the back of the girls bikini tops as they floated in the water. With the girls so absorbed in each other's personal lives, it had been a rather easy feat. Now that the traps were set, it was time to set everything into motion.

"So are you going to sneak away or make a public confession?" Toru asked.

"Hmmm? Sneaking away would be pretty romantic, but a public confession sounds totally up my alley!" Mina answered with a laugh.

"No way in hell I would ever do a public confession." Kyoka said, shuttering. "That just sounds way too embarrassing."

"Uhh, girls?" Ochako interrupted, glancing down at the water. "I thought I felt something brush my leg."

"Maybe a fish?" Momo suggested.

"Or seaweed?" Kyoka added.

Ochako squinted, trying to see through the rather dark water. "Hmm, not sure. Can't really see much." She was interrupted by a frightful squeal from Toru.

"Eeep! Something definitely touched my leg!"

"Toru, please calm down. It's probably just a fish." Momo again suggested.

"Or is it?" Mina piped up, completely blocking Momo out. "Have you seen those videos of drones flying over people at the beach who had no idea they were swimming right next to giant sharks!"

"A shark?!" Ochako gasped.

Momo shot Mina a no nonsense look. "Mina please! Sharks? We're not exactly in deep water here….EEEP! IT TOUCHED ME TOO!" She shrieked, composure completely breaking down. Instantly the girls formed a circle with their backs turned towards each other as they faced the open water, their attention focused on any ominous shadows lurking in their depths.

"Should we call for Sensei?" Kyoka whispered.

"Not unless we know for sure we're in danger." Momo whispered back, eyes searching the water's surface.

"Imagine how mad he would be if we called a false alarm." Toru added.

"Let's just keep our eyes peeled." Ochako suggested. As if on cue, she spotted a dark sphere-like object pop out of the water. "Hey, what's that?"

"I see something over there!" Toru also called out, pointing at a similar dark shape.

"Ahh, I think I saw a shadow in the water!" Kyoka exclaimed, taking a cautious step back as the other girls followed suit. Their inner fear caused them to unconsciously move into a tighter circle. Suddenly the spheres were popping out all around them along with a dark shadow that seemed to be circling them.

"Get closer! And don't touch those things!" Momo quickly advised. As they moved inwards, their backs touched, blocking any further movements. It was at that moment, the dark shadow stopped circling and instantly zoomed towards them at top speed.

"Scatter!" Ochako yelled in panic. However, the girls found they couldn't. It was as if a sticky substance was binding their backs together.

"What is this?" Mina exclaimed, trying to peek over her shoulder but found it impossible to see.

"Just pull!" Kyoka demanded as the shadow came ever closer.

Growing frantic, the girls each tugged in opposite directions, trying desperately to get free as the shadow came almost upon them. Suddenly they were free, their bodies falling forward with a loud crash into the water. They emerged almost instantly, coughing up saltwater as they tried to get their bearings. It was then they all noticed one teensy, tiny thing.

They were now topless.

Before they could even comprehend what was going on, they each heard the unmistakable sound of a picture being taken.

"GET DOWN!" Momo shrieked, plunging herself back into the water. They needed no second bidding, the other girls already ducking everything below their neckline into the ocean.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Toru wailed, clutching herself in embarrassment. "Is this kind of sick joke?! SENS–" Mina quickly covered Toru's mouth before she could call out for the teacher.

"Shhhh! What are you doing! Do you want everyone to know we don't have our tops on!?" Mina hissed.

"First things first!" Ochaco said, quickly interrupting them. " We need to find out where that shadow thing went!" She said, scanning the water. It was a lot harder to do in this angle, their chins practically skimming the surface.

"Finding our tops should be first!" Toru argued.

"Finding whoever took our picture should be first!" Kyoka exclaimed, mortified at the thought.

"Girls, I'm pretty sure they're all connected." Momo said, pointing to where their tops floated in the water. Now that they were free, they could see that the thing connecting their tops had been several little purple pop offs. Even now they were still connected, floating on the surface like a very color shaped water flower.

"Those spheres…they couldn't be?" Kyoka growled, eyes narrowing dangerously. In answer they turned just in time to see the shadow slinking away from them. "No, you don't!" Kyoka yelled, her ear jack zooming forward and managing to connect to the creature. They watched as it gave a violent jerk, its head breaching the surface as her attack sent waves of painful vibrations coursing through it. Then, to their amazement, the creature seemed to fall apart before their eyes. Little purple spheres floating away in the waves, leaving one guilty looking Mineta behind.

"Oh, hi girls!" He nervously chuckled, trying to look innocent as he attempted to hide something behind his back. His innocent look was tapered by the trail of blood dripping from his nose. "What have you been up to? Hehehe?"

"MINETA!" The girls growled, rushing forward angrily.

"Wait, don't!" Mineta warned, revealing the water proof smart phone in his hand. "Move any closer and I'll…I'll send this picture of you all topless to the guy's group chat!" The girls froze in place, glowering at him.

"You wouldn't!" Mina seethed.

Mineta gave a crazed grin, like a man who was already on the edge of insanity. "Don't try me! Here's the deal! You all let me go and I'll delete this photo and we forget this ever happened. But if you don't, I'll instantly send this photo to all the guy's in Class 1-A!"

"Using blackmail is pretty low for someone trying to become a hero." Ochako commented darkly.

Mineta scoffed. "Oh please! You want to talk about low! You girls are the lowest of the bunch, always going after the top boys in the class. Well let's see you all show your faces to your crushes after they get a look at this photo!" He held his phone up, just so they could see their own embarrassed images looking back at them. His thumb hovered near the send button of what was clearly some sort of group message board.

"You do realize if you send that, all the boys will have evidence of what you've done." Momo explained, trying to be reasonable. "You'll most likely get expelled."

"True." Mineta admitted. "But what would you rather? See me get expelled or have all your crushes see you exposed?"

It was a Mexican standoff. The girls glanced at each other, trying to decide what to do. The right thing to do was to turn Mineta in and let him get the punishment he rightfully deserved. But the idea of having all the boys in the class see their nakes breasts was too humiliating to think about.

Seeing that he now had the upper hand, Mineta felt himself glowering in victory. Sure, in both scenarios the picture would eventually have to be deleted and taken away from him. But was it worth it to get a glimpse of topless breasts and have the girls squirming under his power. "Oh yes…So worth it!" He thought, flushing in success. "Maybe while they're deciding, I'll take one last quick peek." He turned the phone around so he could see the screen, but then realized there was no phone.

"Wow, the specs on this picture are really high quality." Toru's voice spoke from behind him.

He gasped, paling as he turned and saw his phone floating in the air behind him as if an invisible hand was holding it. "Haga…Hagakure!"

"Oh no, I'm not Hagakure." Toru answered, voice dropping several octaves as she replied sinisterly. "I'm Invisodile and I'm going to….. KILL YOU!"

Mineta ducked under the water as the invisible girl dove after him, barely missing him. He emerged in a panic as he found the other girls trying to surround him. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn all!" He cursed, quickly weaving around them before he could be surrounded.

"After him!" Mina ordered, trying to catch up to the escaping fiend.

"Girls, wait!" Momo called out, panicking. "Let me at least make you all new tops first!"

"No time!" Mina replied, already racing ahead. "We can't let that slimeball get away!"

"Oh goodness!" Momo sighed, quickly following after them.

"Hey, Aizawa? Why has no one taken any of our students yet?" Midnight absently asked, flipping through a beauty magazine while she laid suntanning and licking a popsicle.

Aizawa ran his fingers through his shaggy hair, not looking up from his laptop screen as he answered. "If we knew the answer to that, we wouldn't even be here right now."

Midnight gave a dramatic sigh. "Oh, why do stakeout missions have to be soooo boring? What I wouldn't give to be frolicking out in the sand like our students. Enjoying the waves! Enticing young boys with my swim wear…oh to be young again!"

Loud female squeals were heard from across the water and Aizawa stood up, frustrated. "Damn, why do teenage girls have to be so loud? This is the fifth time I've had to check on them!" He fished out his binoculars and zoomed in on the girls of 1-A. To his relief and annoyance they seemed to just be gossiping….loudly.

Midnight laughed. "Come on, Aizawa! You work with teenage girls all day. Even you should be able to tell the difference between squeals of delight compared to screams of Oh my god! I'm about to be attacked !"

"Not really. It all sounds the same to me. Loud and unnecessary."

"We girls have to be loud. It's how we scare away the men not brave enough to make a move." When Aizawa failed to comment, she added. "That was a joke…ever heard of one?"

"I think the joke here is how much food you can eat." Aizawa muttered, shooting a glare at her popsicle. "You've already had two sodas, a passion fruit shaved ice cup, a bag of chips, and now a popsicle. At your age, shouldn't you be watching what you eat…"

He was unable to finish that thought as Midnight violently jammed the popsicle into his mouth. "Congrats, Aizawa. You received an indirect kiss from Midnight. Many fanboys would gladly give away their left kidney for one of those." She crossed her arms haughtily, glancing at the ocean. "Oh looks like the girls are on the move. Swimming pretty fast by the looks of it."

Throwing the popsicle to the ground, he grabbed his binoculars. It was true, the girls were swimming, rather oddly though, with only their heads coming above the water. And it seemed like they were chasing after someone.

"Isn't that Mineta?" Midnight asked, her sharp gaze just barely spying the purple bobs associated with the embodiment of lust.

"I'm guess he's done something stupid to the girls again." Aizawa commented dryly.

"Should we intervene?" Midnight asked, amused at the chase. "They look pretty mad."

Aizawa set down his binoculars, not looking concerned. "Nah. Whatever they do to him he probably deserves it. We have bigger fish to fry right now."

"True, true." Midnight agreed, returning to her suntanning. Both teachers failed to notice the computer screen, where the girls' blinking dots were still in place and unmoving.

"I'M GOING TO GET YOU YOU LITTLE PURPLE ZIT MONSTER PERV!"

"Come on! Can't you girls just take a joke!" Mineta cried, gasping as he tried to out swim the pack of females following him. Despite his week of intense training, even he couldn't out swim the power of pure, angry, hormonal vengeance that fueled the girls forward. Even more scary was the pink hair demon that lead the pack, her yellow eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Damn it! I can't let this end! Not when I'm still a virgin!" Mineta wailed, muscles aching as he felt his body drain of energy. "Please! Anyone! Please help me!"

"GOT YOU!" Mina cried triumphantly, her hand clamping down on top of Mineta's head. The boy had suddenly gone motionless, as if all the fight had left him. Almost immediately, Mineta's body was suddenly pulled under water. Mina's victory grin changed to one of surprise as she too began to get pulled, Mineta's sticky pop off quirk keeping her hand firmly in place on his head.

"Mina!" Ochaco gasped, quickly grabbing Mina's arm in a desperate attempt to keep her up.

"Ochako!" Kyoka grabbed Ochako as she too began to go under. Toru then grabbed Kyoka and lastly, Momo grabbed Toru. But it was no use. In less than five seconds the chain of girls, along with Mineta had quickly and quietly been pulled under the waves and into the dark depths of the ocean

Author's Note: This part is a reference to a conversation between Class 1-A and Class 1-B in one of the stories in My Hero Academia: School Briefs Volume 2.

Ember Sunblaze: So what did ya'll think? Please! Please leave a review of your thoughts! ^_^