Finally adding notes. Sorry, I just needed time to recover my spoons. This has been a productive month for fis for me, with 5 updates so far. I just need to wait on my art partner/ artner's art and this will truly feel complete.

So, man...what even is the main ship in this? I tease a lot here. Ultimately, however, I mostly hint at Minakabe. It really does have potential in my eyes and rivals to lovers is a cute trope I need to do more with. Plus, I got to write a different type of battle here. Apologies for my corny ass rhymes. Big Daddy Kane I am not.

Still, I really wanted to do something fun and creative in terms of premise that felt true to Mina and doesn't get done often (or maybe it does. I am behind after all). I put some love into this, as I do with all my creative endeavors. I hope it translated well to the page.

It all started during a scheduled training session with class 2-1 from Ketsubutsu Academy and class 1-A from UA. The training exercise was set up by Ms. Joke and Aizawa as a way to test their students and for Ms. Joke to ask her former colleague out to dinner.

Mina Ashido had been having a blast getting to interact with other students and see what they could do. She wasn't a nerd about quirks like Midoriya, but it was still pretty cool in her book.

"You UA kids are no joke. A year behind us and already steady competition. Too bad this isn't a rap battle. I could probably school you all then." Makabe chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Mina never really expected to have a rivalry. She tried to be friends with people more often than not, and while the prospect of a rivalry was enticing (as was the prospect of romance blossoming from it), it just wasn't that high of a priority. She was focused on her hero studies, which unfortunately included typical subjects like math. Still, at least she lived on campus and got to hang out with her friends in her off hours.

"Not so fast, baldy boy blue! What makes you think you can beat any of us in a rap battle?"

"Ashido, please. It's literally not worth it. The guy didn't insult us as heroes. Who cares if he can rap?"

"As UA's resident b-girl I must throw down. Besides, as two wise men once said, when people throw shade? Diss 'em with rap! Makabe, I challenge you to a rap battle. I will reserve the venue. You and I are going to spit rhymes and I will barry you in lyrics. I hope you are ready to be caged, because I am going to drop bars all around you, son."

"Ashido, was it? That won't be necessary. I didn't mean to come off as rude."

"Very well, Pinky. I humbly accept your challenge, but fair warning, I won't lose. We will freestyle, you and me. 7 minutes each. FIrst one to choke loses. Whoever wins 3 rounds will be the champion. Loser owes the winner a favor."

"SOunds reasonable. I will make out a list of ideas for what you can do~" Mina winked and stuck out her tongue. Toteki was done with the entire thing, and Tatami was intrigued. It sounded unnecessary but fun. Shindou pretended to be polite but was hoping to psyche his opponents out.

"No need, Yo. I got this. I look forward to our battle, Ashido."

Mina stared nervously, wondering if she had put her foot in her mouth. Was she too competitive? She was always a sporty girl, but a firm believer in fairplay. Still, the blue boy's seemingly innocuous statement lit a fire in her belly and she was feeling heated. Besides, it might be fun.

Mina couldn't believe it. She had challenged an upperclassman from another school to a rap battle. She was more of a breakdancer but she loved hip-hop culture in general and would sometimes write little raps when doing English homework. Math made her head hurt but at least with English and similar subjects, she could have fun messing around. She still couldn't believe she got Midoriya to beatbox for her. He certainly was filled with surprises. If she wasn't certain he and Uraraka had a thing for each other, she would ask him out, but the hoe code presides over all. Besides, she had never done romance before and, while it was lots of fun to think and talk about, she wasn't sure if she could or would ever follow through.

Makabe was kind of scary but also undeniably attractive. Mina never thought bald guys could be hot but she was willing to admit to a mistake. She made them often enough. Oh god, was she looking at his but when he walked away? It hadn't dawned on her until after the fact. She blushed deeply and felt a deep seated embarrassment that was not characteristic of her. More than her just ogling a cute older guy's butt was the fact that she might have bitten off more than she could chew. She needed help and was not too proud to admit it.

She went to Jirou. Jirou was one of her closest friends and knew so much about music and rhythm. Like Midoriya, she took detailed notes on the subject, so she seemed like a good fit. If she was busy, she could always go to Midoriya. Sure enough, Jirou answered, her hair messy and kind of cute. Mina cursed her bisexuality and remembered that she was here for a reason. Some would ask for help tactfully, or sprinkle it into conversation.

Mina waved her arms excitedly and asked her punk friend point blank. "Can you help me prepare for a rap battle? I need your music magic to help me dunk on a sucker."

"Oh, hi, Mina. Nice to see you too. What's up?" The purple-haired girl sassed.

X

Mina poured over several books till her head hurt. She wasn't dumb but her intelligence was more physical/ calisthenic. She had the music in her, albeit not like Jirou did. However she knew her way around a rhythm. Perhaps she should have just conceded. She did kind of make this bed for herself.

She could try writing down rhymes, but what she needed was to work on improvisation. If only it came as easily as it should have for her. Spontaneity was a word she had trouble spelling but no problem embodying normally.

"Ugh. I need some inspiration. I should watch some freestyle vids and listen to some of my dad's old albums he gave me." she sighed.

After a couple hours, the girl remembered she had actual homework to do and placed her head in her hands, letting out a long whine.

The pink girl stared at the ceiling. Maybe if she looked at it long enough, she could find motivation to do her assignments and the inspiration she needed to roast that Ketsubutsu boy.

"Not gonna let my senpai be in the spotlight. Not this time."

She looked back towards her homework. She kind of wanted to work on her rhyming skills more. She was stuck on English right now, so maybe if she kept up with that, inspiration would strike. There had to be some practical application, she thought, aside from communicating with english-speakers of course.

"Maybe I can get more help with this. My homework too."Mina grabbed her phone and started texting. Maybe Momo could help. SHe was an excellent tutor. Then Mina remembered she was on a date with Kendo from 1B and decided not to be a bother. Maybe Iida? No, he would be a stick in the mud and she would be unable to stop giggling. Maybe Midoriya and Jirou could. They were friends of hers and she had grown closer to both.

Midoriya could help with both her homework and the raps, as he has before. Mina typed out a group text and sat at her desk, doing what she could of her homework. She didn't have that much to do. It was just stuff like "phrasal verbs" that gave her an issue.

X

Having finished her homework, Mina skipped towards the elevator and headed to Jirou's room. Midoriya was already there and Jirou was getting a special guest or two to help. Mina wondered who it could be, most likely someone from band A, but it also could have been someone from class B. Both classes had become more chummy as of late, which she could appreciate.

The pink girl knocked on the door and didn't have to wait long for it to open. Jirou answered, offering a relaxed smile.

"Come on in, we're about to start." the punk girl responded.

Mina sat on Jirou's bed, surprised that Bakugou had agreed to help. She supposed that after the culture festival that the blonde loudmouth and resident grump had learned to play nicer with others, at least just a little bit. Unfortunately, he kept going too hard on the drums, when they needed more of a hiphop beat and not hard rock jams. It felt like hours as Jirou and Midoriya tried to rein in Bakugou's ego but eventually, he reached a tempo that Mina was able to work with. Jirou stood by on base, providing a tasty baseline to help warm Mina up.

"Ok, so Midoriya has a series of large cards with words on them and you have to rap about each word for 2 minutes until he flips to the next card. Can you do this?"

"Wait, is there a stopwatch? Who's going to hold it?" Midoriya chimed in. Mina merely chimed in with a "yeah!". It was a very good point. Tooru came in with a stopwatch and sat on the bed with Mina.

"Yo! I hope this party isn't too crowded~" the lively invisible girl cheered, taking a seat next to Mina. The two girls smiled at each other, excited to get this going.

Mina tripped over herself several times, laughing at first, but soon growing frustrated. SHe thought it would come easier to her. Was she nervous? Was that tripping her up? Was it because Makabe was a year older, or perhaps because he was from another school so she didn't know him as well and she feared letting herself down. Maybe she feared letting her school down. No, that was ridiculous. Maybe it was because she didn't want to look foolish in front of a cute boy. Wait, did she just admit he was cute? "Dammit, stop thirsting, girl." she told herself.

Izuku walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a reassuring smile. He seemed a lot less awkward around girls now, so she had to work a little harder to get him flustered, or maybe just mention Uraraka.

Was he always this buff? Dang, no wonder Uraraka was crushing. Mina shook her head before she fell too. Why was she surrounded by cute people? The curse of being bisexual she supposed.

"You can do this, Ashido. You're one of the most confident and energetic people I know. Yeah, it can be scary, worrying that you bit off more than you can chew, but if it makes you happy, you will find a way to pull through."

Mina grinned, placing a hand on Izuku's shoulder in return. "Thanks, Midori. You really know just the right words. Hopefully I can find them too." She was tempted to flirt, make him blush. However, it felt like a jerk move. She would keep it to herself.

"Can you two fuzzheads stop fucking flirting? You're making me sick. Get back to your rap thing!" Bakugou spat, causing both Mina and Midoriya to blush as they looked at each other. They glared at the other boy, with Tooru chiming in as well.

"Wow, no need to be so mean, Bakugou!"

"Shut up, invisible! We're here to help Raccoon eyes, not play grabass. I can just have ears here to play the drums. They're hers anyway."

X

The day arrived. Mina was nervous but determined. SHe had faced actual villains before, been head to head with some of her toughest classmates, and gained her provisional license. She could do this. She was Pinky, the alien queen. She could spit acid and rhymes.

She took a sharp breath, feeling a swarm of butterflies in her stomach, or moths. It was hard to tell. Either way, she exhaled, then took a few other breaths in order to calm herself.

"You got this, Ashido. You'll make that bald pretty-boy eat his words. And then he'll choke on yours"

Mina had also memorized a dance routine to accentuate her lyrics. She looked to Midoriya and Jirou, who had been some of her biggest helpers in this.

"Flow like your acid, burn like it too. Let the rhythm flow through you."she repeated to herself, remembering the jam sessions she had with Jirou, and the flash cards Izuku held up in order to test her observational and improvisational skills.

Mina felt her muscles burn and her spirit burn even brighter, harsher than fire, harsher than acid. Her soul was ablaze and she was determined to give this her all, no after what. She felt sweat drip off her brow as she kept going, taking a break to guzzle some water. She had to have had to have refilled her water bottle several times and she was grateful that rap wasn't super physically strenuous, as well as the fact that her deodorant was made for acidic sweat. She was also grateful for her tank top as she didn't want pit stains in front of her friends.

"Woo! That was intense, right, Midoriya?" Midoriya?" Ashido asked, noticing her green friend freeze up and blush. She was confused at first, but couldn't help but smirk mischievously, trying to hide her own blush. "You like my enthusiasm that much, huh? SHould Ochako be jealous?" the girl teased before getting a jab from Jirou's jacks. "OWIE!"

"Stop flirting with Midoriya. You're here to practice for the thing you got yourself into."

"Stop being mean! Jeez. Why are you so red faced? Are you jealous of me or Midoriya?" the pink girl pouted before barely ducking another jab. The practice session went on for hours until the friends parted ways to go to bed.

X

Mina ran a status report on herself. Her arms were heavy. Her knees were weak, and her arms were heavy. She had fortunately not vomited up any hypothetical pasta her mother had prepared, especially since she had mostly downed red bull and hotpot 3 hours earlier.

Was she nervous? Was she pumped up? She felt like a mix of the two and so much more. Ashidos never backed down from a challenge, especially not ones they created for themselves.

The music kicked in, Mina felt herself come alive, like the beats were in her head. No, they were all around her, in and out splashing like acid against the canvas of her mind. She suddenly felt very secure, as if she had been worried over nothing.

"Ok let's set the record straight because I will annihilate the weak ass rhymes that you're about to propagate. Slam! I kick down the gate! Bam! Now it's way too late! My words they flow like acid and they're melting faces, ain't that great? But first let's break it down, you big blue clown. The queen is here, crystal clear, it's I who'll wear the crown. In acid you will drown as I sweep you away. Roll up into town, just to frown as I sweep your rhymes away."

"You might be spitting acid, but I am spitting fire. I don't think it's clicking but things are looking dire. If this is your best then it's time to retire. I roll up, go hard, smooth out like jello, tried to give you an out and be a nice fellow. I tried to be mellow, give you a chance, but it's time to bring the heat so go ahead in dance. It's all you're really good at, since your rhymes just spin in circles like a broken record baby run your mouth until you're purple. If this is what UA's best then I would have switched schools. Now I don't like to rock the boat but this is a ship of fools. "

Her blood was boiling and her heart was racing. She couldn't tell if she wanted to smooch this boy or make him cry to his mama. Maybe both. Was this what Kirishima was always on about: the hotblooded romance of a heated rivalry? It was a bit too sweaty for her tastes but the adrenaline and the thumping of the bassline were changing her mind just a little.

"Senpai, Senpai, where do I begin? This has to be a freebie. Are you trying to win? It's like… you're tossing softballs, like I'm not worth your time. Not worth the rhymes. It just feels like a crime. "I'm Shikkui Makabe and I'm here to say" is what you might as well spit next cuz your bars are cliche, passe, go away, sashe off the stage because i'm about to drop bars around you this is now your cage so wring your little hands, roll roll roll some rubber bands because everything from you's a stretch now do you understand? Mr. SMith needs to go back to Washington or so I've been told. You spin some good rhymes I guess but I spin pure gold. SO here's a pinky promise, it might be kinda bold. Everyone from UA put your hands together. Give a clap to my raps cuz I'm tough as leather but smooth as lace, my flow is ace. Sucker MC's vanish without a trace. Alien Queen about to get mean, acid as green as you are with envy and I shine as bright as your head sheen. A certified rap machine, this pink cowgirl of bebop, flowing rocksteady , I end with a mic drop but here is something that is totally true. Something else will drop and it's going to be you."

Mina walked off the stage, feeling triumphant, having always wanted to do that. However, she was a bit too hasty in her assessment, as Makabe picked up the mic and proceeded to warm up. If this was a video game, then Mina had not defeated Makabe. She had merely unlocked his next health bar, and she was all out of mana.

"Your celebration, I fear, was premature. You're better than I thought but still so cocksure. I think you should be careful with other people's things: both the mic and the crown, because I am still King? Alien Queen? I see no such thing. You're no Ellen Ripley, how does that sting? Believe it or not, your rhymes aren't so hot. Drain the color from your face if that's all that you got. Your rhymes weren;t that weak. I have to commend you but your knees surely are and it's time to send you back to UA, cuz this is my venue. Mr Smith is hungry and you're on the menu. CHew you up, spit you out, cut my teeth without a doubt. GOing super saiyan 4 and this is our final bout so don't get too footloose, putting baby in the corner. You tried, you failed. Just remember...I warned ya. SOme of those references seemed above you, as if you reading them from a cue. So let Mr Smith tell you what to do: wave those pretty little fingers and say toodle oo. You may be the alien but I am the predator, spitting these rhymes as corrupt as a senator, apex legend that has you AFK, got more Game than an arcade, what else can I say. Oh wait, I know what: Have a nice day.

At that point the beat cut out but Makabe kept going. "The beat may be gone but the beatdown's still going. I want this to sink in, pink un. Don't stop growing. You have some potential, you got the right stuff but today in the end...it wasn't enough. Class is dismissed, don't be so dismayed, but I'm sending your shattered ego back to UA." And with that, the mic dropped once more, this time more impactful than the last. Mina was unable to close her eyes. They were as wide as dinner plates. She really had been outmatched. It was just a silly competition, but she had done it for the honor of her friends.

With an exhale and a frustrated gesture, the girl relented. "Damn, Makabe. You really are in , Ashido. Just not as good as me. Sorry if that sounds cocky. This is just a hobby I am really passionate about, you know?" the blue boy gently laughed, rubbing the back of his bald head. "I do hear you are good at breakdancing, so if you want… I thought about putting a crew together in the future. Like for hero team-ups but also...like dancing, rapping, art. That sort of thing...if you're interested."

Mina had to ponder it. The boy seemed so confident, yet understanding. There was a subtle vulnerability there that Mina could recognize from being able to read body language, as well as from her extensive collection of romance manga she kept under her bed. Not that she was into Makabe, per se...but if he asked her out on a date, she probably wouldn't have refused.

"I'll think about it...if you can beat me in a dance off next week!"

Izuku and Jirou grabbed Mina by the arms, dragging her away while she flailed and whined. SHe supposed she was being a bit too competitive, but she couldn't help herself. She was having fun. Besides, while Makabe was a bit different from the kind of guy she was into, she couldn't help but notice he was handsome and passionate.

"Hey, Ashido!" Makabe spoke up louder, in a way most people would find uncharacteristic had they not seen the fire in his belly, or how he had spit it all over the stage. "Make it a month or two from now and it's a deal."

Mina shot out a thumbs up as she winked at the young man from a rival school, finding herself smiling inside and out. While her loss had stung, she would always go back to the drawing board. It wasn't like her future was on the line, or that she would be put in remedial classes for freestyling. It was fun to share her passions with others, whether it be with her classmates or with students from other schools. If they were cute, even better. Makabe definitely had that "Hot but also cool" factor Todoroki had, but less literal. She was also convinced Todoroki didn't harbor feelings for everyone. At first she imagined him and Momo, then maybe he and Midoriya. Now however, she was pretty sure he wasn't really into anyone. She could relate sometimes, having liked the idea of falling in love but not sure if she ever would.

"Hey, chill. Your girl is fine. You can put her down." Makabe approached, taking out his phone. "I need her digits if we want to organize this again. Plus, she put up a good fight. What do you say, Ashido. How about a selfie with your senpai."

"That's corny as hell but sure. I want to remember the face of the guy I cream in a dance competition later." Mina stuck her tongue out and whipped her phone out, taking a few photos of herself with the hardening hero-in-training: Mr. Smith. As they parted ways, some playful trash talking was averted as Mina was once more dragged towards the bus by Midoriya and Jirou. The trio took their seats and wound down from the excitement of the event. It was a much needed reprieve from all the chaos in the world, Mina had to admit, even if she did that, she couldn't help but smile and wave goodbye to Ketsubutsu.

X

The bus started up as Aizawa jumped into the driver's seat without looking back, ignoring the very audible flirtations of Ms. Joke. Mina thought about what an odd yet strangely fitting pair the two could be, but she stopped as she was reminded that shipping your teachers is weird. She would just have to write it in her sanrio journal instead.

Mina reclined in her seat, looking out the window as Ketsubutsu faded into the background, the sun starting to set on another day. She slid the headphones out of her ita bag, pink with a heart-shaped window and animal print fabric for the pins to fit pink girl looked at her phone and smiled as she looked at the selfie she had taken with Makabe, cementing their friendship. Her cheeks flushed as she thought about the boy, scrolling past his number.

"Get it together, girl. There are more important things than that. Besides, there are cuties at UA too." The girl reminded herself. She thought of Kirishima, then Midoriya, then Jirou and Hadou and Uraraka. Her face started heating up when she realized what a disaster she was being. Shaking her head, the girl pulled up the playlist she had listened to to prepare for her rap battle. She settled into her seat and dozed off with a grin, knowing that she had won where it really counted. The beats echoed in her head and the lights flashed in her soul. She might have crushed on people now and then but the rhythm and the beat were her first loves. Her favorite track came on and she felt her heart come to life again. She tapped her feet and sang quietly along, trying to avoid lectures from Iida or Momo.

Her phone vibrated to life as well, with a text from Makabe. Mina rolled her eyes but smiled at the contents, a link that she could open up on her phone and the following message.

"It's Makabe, AKA the Talented Mr. SMith. Thought I would give you some material to study, i.e. my mixtape. Feel free to rate it. I swear it's not a scam. Just thought you might like it."

Mina giggled and placed her phone in her bag, close enough where the wire was slack. She would humor her senpai and give it a listen. SHe always appreciated new music, though probably not as much as her punk pal. Besides, next time, that boy would regret accepting a challenge from her twice in a row, let alone giving her more ammunition to use against him.. That was a pinky promise.