Izuku aimed a punch at my head, green lightning flickering in his eyes. With a quick duck, I slid under his fist and lunged forward. We slammed together onto the ground, and in seconds I was scrambling onto his stomach, hands reaching for his throat. Izuku's eyes widened in panic, and in an instant he attempted to shove me off. Snatching his wrist, I spun around on his chest and fell back, lifting my hips up slowly in a textbook-perfect armbar. Izuku slapped my arm, tapping out, so I relinquished my grip and rolled backwards onto my feet.
I offered my hand to help him up. "Hey, Izuku… uh, what fighting styles have you been trained in?" I asked curiously. I hadn't seen Izuku use more than a few classic kicks and punches, along with one judo throw, and was somewhat concerned. With a strength-enhancing quirk like his, hand-to-hand combat was a priority, but I didn't think Izuku had too many moves under his belt.
"Styles?" Izuku said, sounding surprised, and my heart sank. "W-well, All Might trained me in boxing, since that's what he uses, b-but that's about it," he elaborated nervously.
I tried to keep from wincing, but I didn't do a very good job. Izuku wilted. "It's not a bad thing!" I assured him. "It's just - just that All Might has really good control over his strength quirk and all, so it's easier for him to use one style," I said. "You could do better if you learned different styles, and stuff… like, more mobile fighting, if that makes sense?" I paused, trying to phrase my explanation properly. I didn't want to insult him. "I just noticed that you did a lot better after your apprenticeship, when you started using your strength for speed and agility and stuff, and if you had a fighting style to compliment that…"
"I could do better?" Izuku finished, and I nodded rapidly. He sighed, looking down at the ground thoughtfully. "I guess I could ask All Might, but I don't know if he mastered anything other than boxing, so it could be a bust…" he began to mutter. "Maybe Gran Torino? No, he's too far away… who could I ask? It's unlikely, but I could-"
"Hey, uh, Izuku?" I interrupted. "I've been doing daily training sessions with Shinsou, to prep him for next semester," I said. "If you'd like, you could just drop in. It'd be good for Shinsou to spar with someone other than me anyways, plus I'm already teaching him what Mister Aizawa showed me."
Izuku brightened instantly. "That could work!" he cheered, grinning at me. "Thanks Ichigo."
I smiled. "No problem," I said. "Considering how often we get in trouble, helping you helps me." I giggled at how fast Izuku's face heated up. He knew I was right though!
I stood between Bakugo and Shouto nervously in the same empty classroom as yesterday. None of us were comfortable enough to sit. Monoma was lingering off to the side again, per usual, but at least no one was arguing. I was feeling fairly apprehensive for our final trial. The last trial had been more of a mental strain than a physical one, and I was fully prepared for the rug to be pulled out from under my feet during the final test. It would be just like Mister Aizawa to "save the best for last." I shuddered, imagining his sadistic grin. Yep, perfectly in character.
The classroom door slid open, cutting through the tense silence. Mister Aizawa stepped into the classroom, familiar headsets in his hands. My balance shifted defensively automatically, and Mister Aizawa eyed me knowingly. "So, it's time for your last test: the Trial of Leadership," Mister Aizawa began. "I'm sure these look familiar," he said, holding up the headsets. Everyone nodded, no one wanting to be the first to speak. "Good," Mister Aizawa said. "This time around, they are all capable of communicating together. As for your test, consider this your redemption round." He gestured to the door, which snapped open with perfect timing, and in stepped the Pussy Cats. Pixie-bob wiggled her pawed fingers invitingly, eyes glimmering evilly, and a chill ran down my spine.
"Hey kittens! Ready to retake your exams?" Ragdoll asked cheerfully, bending over at a fourty-five degree angle and staring at me with wide yellow eyes. I barely kept from choking on my own spit.
"R-retake the final exams?" I repeated, stunned.
"What the fuck," Bakugo added flatly.
Mister Aizawa laid the headsets on an empty desk. "It won't be for any credit, of course," he explained. "Your final trial will be very similar to your exams. It will be your team versus your teachers, with the same rules: handcuffing your opponent eliminates them, if you escape to the end you win, if the timer runs out you lose. You'll have thirty minutes to make it from this building to cliff we first arrived at," he paused, allowing us to digest the information. I created a mental map of the terrain based on his description, reversing the visual I'd seen from the bus. It was quite a distance to cover. "There will be slightly different stakes from last time, however; if you pass this, you will be fully redeemed in the eyes of the Hero Course. This means all of your privileges will be returned - like participating in the test of courage tomorrow." I straightened up at that. Although I wasn't one for scary games, I definitely wanted to have fun with my friends. "If you fail, you'll have both dish and cooking duty for every meal until we leave. Clear?"
"Yes, Mister Aizawa," I murmured in unison with the others, spine stiff.
"Then you'll have fifteen minutes to prepare yourselves for the test. I'll come and guide you to the testing grounds when times up," he said, shuffling out the door. Ragdoll offered me a cheerful grin before skipping out behind Mister Aizawa. The door slid shut as soon as the teachers exited.
Immediately Bakugo stormed the headset table. "Have a damn headset," he barked, tossing one at each of us. I barely managed to regain my bearings long enough to catch mine, startled after the introduction to our test. "So, first we have to pick a fucking leader," Bakugo said, hanging his headset around his neck. "Who wants to be in charge of this shit-show?"
There was a short pause, and then I took a deep breath. I raised my hand timidly. "Uh, it might be best if I lead," I suggested, swallowing thickly. Although I didn't want to volunteer to be "in charge of this shitshow" (Bakago's words, not mine), I knew I was the best option. Bakugo, Monoma, and Shouto would all resist each others orders, so I was the only one with a chance of coordinating everyone. I had learned my lesson from the past trials.
Bakugo glanced at me appraisingly, and then huffed. "Then have at it," he grumbled, waving his hand dismissively and falling backwards into a chair, slinging his legs over the table.
I inhaled, adjusting the headset around my neck. "Okay. We need a plan next. I think I have a basic idea, but it needs some…" I swallowed. "Refining." There was a long pause after that announcement.
"Speak the fuck up," Bakugo urged impatiently.
I flinched at the aggressiveness of his tone. "Ah, I was thinking, um, since there's a lake nearby that extends most of the way to the cliffside, we could use that instead. Since they wouldn't expect that." I fiddled with the tips of my scarf, looking up at the ceiling in thought. "Shouto could make a raft with his ice, and then Bakago could use explosions to move it. It'd buy us a few minutes of interrupted travel, at least."
Shouto nodded. "I can do that."
Bakugo snorted. "If I'm the only one workin', that raft won't be going any damn where," he criticized, jerking his thumb towards Monoma. "He can help."
I blinked in shock. "Sorry… did you just suggest Monoma copy your quirk?" I repeated in astoundment. The blonde had vehemently protested everytime Monoma so much as looked in his general direction, and now he was offering to let him copy his quirk? What the heck?! Monoma looked just as stunned as I did, although he tried to cover it up the second I noticed.
"Are you hard of fucking hearing?" Bakugo growled, slamming his hand against the desk top. "No, I think he should swim and push the damn iceberg. What do you fucking think, Ichimi?"
I shook my head, trying to dispel my shock. I had experienced stranger things than Bakugo be cooperative, I told myself, although this definitely was towards the top of my list. "Right, nevermind then. Okay, so we sneak over to the lake and have Shouto make a raft, and then Monoma and Bakago can act as engines. I'll stand watch, since the Pussy Cats will probably figure out our plan pretty quick…"
The rough, icy raft floated through the water quietly. From the middle of the triangular iceberg, I watched the passing shores of the lake with vigilance. At the "stern" of our makeshift ice-boat, Shouto stood with his hands in his pockets, sending out the occasional wave of ice to maintain the raft's integrity. At the two back corners of the boat, Bakugo and Monoma kneeled with their hands below the water, muffling the sound of the explosions they were using to propel the boat forward. We'd only been afloat for a few minutes, and there had yet to be any sign of the Pussy Cats.
I reached up to tuck a loose hair fluttering in the wind behind my ear with irritation. "We're making good progress," I mumbled, eyes roving over the forest's edge. I could hear birds singing and frogs croaking, a comforting sound. "This is faster than I thought it would be."
Bakugo glanced up from over his shoulder, hands shoved in the bubbling water. "Don't fuckin' jinx it, Ichimi," he barked.
Monoma scoffed, smirking. "The great Bakago is superstitious now?" he mocked, leering menacingly. I shivered at the unholy light in his eyes. We seriously needed to either train that out of him or have him use it as a battle tactic against villains. It was downright evil looking.
"OI SHUT-" Bakugo began to roar, shoulders rising defensively. I wanted to interrupt him, but was beat by Shouto instead.
"You're going to alert the teachers," he intersected calmly, voice never raising above his usual low tones. Bakugo shut his mouth abruptly, but steam visibly poured out of his ears as he stared at Monoma darkly. I winced, turning again to the woods to avoid thinking about how Bakugo was going to attempt to avenge himself after the test. I was definitely going to be held responsible for that mess.
Suddenly, I realized it was silent. No frogs, no birds, definite trouble. My eyes widened, and I turned towards the rustling tree tops a few hundred feet ahead. "Uh oh," I muttered, before looking towards Bakugo and Monoma. "They've caught on. Full steam ahead!" I barely caught the edge of Bakugo's smirk and Monoma's sneer before there was an audibly loud boom and the iceberg shot forward haphazardly.
At the same time, four dirt dragons broke free of the treeline, rising into the air. I could see each of the Pussy Cats riding their own dragon, and they made an immediate beeline for our icy raft. I met Ragdoll's wild eyes for an instant before the wind buffeted my face as the raft bounced forward again. My vision shot down towards the back end of the raft, where I could see stress fractures forming as Bakugo and Monoma steadily catapulted the iceberg forward in bursts.
"We're breaking up!" I hollered, feeling the ice shake under my feet. Even as Shouto created another thick wave of ice to keep the raft intact for a little bit longer, the dragons separated into a diamond formation with Tiger in the front. I narrowed my eyes as I saw Pixie-bob focusing into the distance. She was definitely using her quirk, which meant more monsters were on the way.
Shouto raised his arm as the dragons flew over us for their first sweep, using a burst of flames to ward them off. Ragdoll laughed crazily as the dragons turned around for another go. I narrowed my eyes, realizing it was the teachers' goal to either land on the raft with us or wreck it entirely. I lowered myself down, and then slipped on water. My eyes widened as I landed on my back, the air temporarily knocked out of me.
"Damn it, Half n' Half!" Bakugo snarled, glancing back at Shouto with burning eyes. "You're melting the fucking ice-dingy, watch it!"
Shouto didn't move his eyes from the teachers as I scrambled to my knees. "If you would prefer, I could just let them land," he quipped flatly, raising his arm to wield another blast of fire.
"Oh fuck off," Bakugo growled, using another explosion to rocket the raft further. The cliff was growing closer, but my anxiety made me focused on the sound of cracking and the shaking of the iceberg beneath me.
The dragons turned for their third circle, and I watched their motion cautiously. Shouto already had his arm raised, ice crackling at his feet as he tried to repair the raft once more. When Ragdoll pointed downwards, I realized something was wrong, remembering her quirk, Search. She had to be the strategist of the team, which meant -
When Shouto used his flames this time, three of the dragons pulled away. The third twirled midair before rising, and a blurry figure rocketed down at an angle, crashing onto the raft. My eyes widened when Tiger landed in a fighting position in front of me, the ice cracking under his feet.
Then he slipped.
The pro let out a grunt as he fell backwards, and I lunged forward in desperation. The water from the melting iceberg wasn't a good sign, but at least it kept the teachers from safely boarding. I hadn't accounted for that. Straddling Tiger's chest, I reached for his neck, determined to use a choke and distract him for at least a short bit. Tiger beat me to it, however; it only took him one hand to send me flying. I reacted immediately, curling my legs around him arm to keep myself from being flung into the water, but instead I got slammed into the ice. The impact stunned my enough to loosen my grip, and by the time I rolled to my feet, Tiger was already turning towards Shouto.
It was, admittedly, not one of my smartest plans. I tackled the back of Tiger's legs, sending him crashing backwards, and on top of me. When the easily-four-times-my-size man landed on my back, I felt my soul rise out of me for a moment. He rolled sideways, and we were in yet another scramble. I tried to lock one of his ankles, but Tiger managed to kick his way out, clipping my chin. I spun out, and barely managed to stop myself from going over the edge. Pushing myself up, I tried to keep from slipping backwards when two boots appeared in my line of view. I raised my head.
Tiger stood over me, looking impressed. "Good job, Kurosaki," he said, lifting a foot to kick me into the water. "But not good eno-!" He was cut off by the sound of a bomb, which sent him flying over my head. Where Tiger once stood was Bakugo, smoking palms outstretched.
"Shut up already," he grumbled, lowering his arms. When I stared at him flatly, he glared. "Oi, what the fuck are you doing down there?! Get up already!" He opened his mouth to continue berating me, but it appeared the iceberg had had enough. With a loud crack, it split into two pieces, each tilting precariously to tip our teenage crew into the water.
Fortunately, I'd planned for this. Bakugo's hand was gripping my collar and swinging me around before the iceberg could even finish halving, and by the time my arms were wrapped around his shoulders, we were already in the air. Off to the right, I could see Monoma carrying Shouto in a similar manner into the sky, and having a much harder time of it if the cussing meant anything. Shouto was clinging onto Monoma's ankles, looking dead inside as he was tossed about in the air while Monoma tried to fly with extra weight.
"Bakago! You were supposed to take Shouto!" I yelled into my mic, air whipping around me and making it hard to judge volume.
Bakugo grit his teeth. "DON'T FUCKING SCREECH IN MY EARS, ICHIMI!" He yelled, making me cringe instead. "AND THERE WASN'T EXACTLY TIME FOR A DAMN SWITCH-FUCKING-ROO! BE GRATEFUL I DIDN'T LEAVE YOU SWIMMING WITH THE FISHES!"
Although I was sorely tempted to comment that at least the fishes would be polite while I drowned, I decided that paying attention to the Pussy Cats quickly approaching armada was more important than winning the argument. The dirt dragons were swiftly catching up, and I could already see Monoma and Shouto lagging behind, the less experienced flier unable to handle the heavy weight. Glancing forward over Bakugo's shoulder, I judged the distance between us and the shoreline. We'd lose both Shouto and Monoma if we tried to make it all the way to the cliff's edge, but if this was like the final…
"Everyone, land at the treeline!" I commanded loudly, hoping Monoma or Shouto were paying attention to their headsets.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO FUCKING YELL!" Bakugo lambasted, but he adjusted his trajectory. I prepared for a rough landing, judging that I would have about fifteen seconds between Monoma's arrival and the Pussy Cats attack.
Bakugo's feet hit the ground, and I was immediately thrown off his back. I flipped midair, ignoring my sore muscles in favor of landing in a crouch. The jerk. He glared at me, prepared to make demands, but I was focused on Shouto and Monoma.
"Shouto! Put up a wall, high as you can!" I ordered, before spinning back around. "Bakugo, I need you to head for the exit gate. Only one of us has to make it!"
"Fuck that!" He cussed, seething. "I'll help more here!" To punctuate his statement, his palms exploded angrily.
Above, I heard the sound of ice breaking, and knew that the Pussy Cats were attempting to shatter their way through the wall. It wouldn't last forever.
"Bakago, can't you just lis-!" I tried frustratedly, only to be cut off by the sound of running feet. My head whipped around as I watched Monoma go running for the cliff, hands extended behind him. Dual explosions sent him rocketing into the air as he flew off.
"YOU CLASS A KIDS LOVE TO WASTE TIME!" he yelled as he vanished into the distance.
I grinned despite the tension. "He actually listened!" I said in happy surprise, spinning back around to face the dirt wall as another slam echoed, this time higher in the air.
Shouto and Bakugo moved to my sides, facing the barrier. "We need to buy time," Shouto said, adding more ice to the wall. "They're going to fly over eventually."
Bakugo grunted in agreement, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Give him three minutes at that pace," he estimated. I decided to believe him, since he knew his quirk better than I did. My mind scrambled to come up with a plan, knowing that holding the conjoined Pussy Cats back from following Monoma wouldn't be easy.
"Shouto, set the forest behind us on fire," I decided. "We may not be going that way, but if the flames are high enough they won't either." Shouto nodded, turning around as I looked to Bakugo. "We'll need to ground them quickly. Think you can wreck their rides?" I asked, already trying to think several steps ahead.
Bakugo smirked, adjusting his stance for take off. "Any other stupid questions?" he answered, and I found myself grinning back.
"Nah," I responded. "If you can manage that, I can handle them on the ground," I teased, and then ducked Bakugo's swat. "Hey, that's friendly fire!" I complained.
"You kittens should pay more attention," A new voice scolded, sounding fairly odd without any real sound. My head shot upwards towards the top of the wall. Mandalay smiled down at us, her three companions at her sides. Ragdoll wiggled her fingers at us as Mandalay's voice echoed in our heads. "If you have time to play, we must not be doing our jobs right!"
There was a solid second where the Pussy Cats got to look cool, standing posed over the top of the artificial glacier while the sun shined from behind their backs. Then, Bakugo let out a screech of fury and flew at their faces, and I scrambled backwards to Shouto's side. He clearly finished up setting the treeline aflame.
"We might get in trouble for that, you know," he pointed out prudently.
"It'll be worth it if we pass," I declared. "When they hit the ground, I need you to separate Pixie-bob from the rest. She's the only ranged one and the worst melee fighter. I'll pin her, you freeze her, and we'll take it one-on-one from there." Shouto hummed in agreement, and the both of us watched Bakugo fly about haphazardly, sending dirt soaring through the air and dragons crashing to the ground. I could hear the occasional scream of rage that signaled Bakugo was doing well.
Finally, the first dragon came crashing to the earth. Lo and behold, t'was Pixie-bob, looking very startled as she landed in a roll from her very dismembered dragon. I was on her in seconds, wrapping my legs around her neck and slamming her against the ground. The crackle of ice signaled her imprisonment. I didn't have time to celebrate my successful tactics, however; the other Pussy Cats were already dropping down to rescue their comrade.
Shouto immediately started shooting waves of ice at Mandalay, herding her away from Tiger and towards the forest. I approved of this decision, given how unsuited Mandalay was for battling his quirk (not that I could think of anyone who was really suited to battling Shouto). Before Tiger could follow after her to help, Bakugo came dropping out of the sky like a deranged, bomb-carrying eagle and set an explosion off in his face. The two quickly tore off towards the lake, Bakugo employing very similar tactics as he did in the USJ. I observed his bouncing around, using explosions to maneuver, and kept an eye on Shouto and Mandalay, when a very heavy weight slammed into my side.
I instinctively spun around to face my opponent, arms bracing against their side. Ragdoll grinned at me, uneven eyes lighting up. "It's like Mandalay said," she chirped, swinging her leg over to straddle me. "Pay attention, kitten!" I arched my back, pushing up on my toes and rolling to the side so I was on top instead. If she wanted a hand to hand fight, she'd get one.
From there on, Ragdoll and I tumbled about, both trying to get the upper-hand as Bakugo's explosions and Todoroki's fire crackled in the background. Although I was more skilled in ground-fighting, Ragdoll's quirk allowed her to spot every opening I had, and neither of us could manage to actually pin the other. When I finally managed to get atop her chest, arms wrapping around her shoulders in preparation for a choke, I was elated. Sweat pouring down my face, I grit my teeth and slid my fingers into my sleeve-
A loud horn sounded off. Ragdoll and I both froze, and I could see Bakugo plummet to the earth off to the side, Tiger lowering his arms. I stood up off of Ragdoll and offered her my hand. Helping her to her feet, I turned my eyes to the cliff, as if somehow I'd be able to see Monoma there. My fingers crossed, hoping that Monoma had made it and not that the time had run out. I had lost track of how long it had been during the battle.
"Everyone, the test is now over," Mister Aizawa's tired voice droned over the headsets. "Bakugo, Todoroki, Kurosaki and Monoma…" he paused, intentionally allowing the tension to build. I knew it was purposeful since he'd told me before he'd found it funny, the bully. I clenched my fists, muscles tightening in anticipation.
"... Pass."
I grinned. "YES!" I cheered, pumping my fist. I spun around towards Shouto and darted forward. He was still standing there frozen when I spun to a stop in front of him, bouncing with excitement. "We did it! We did it!" I chanted happily.
Shouto looked down at me, startled. "We did," he agreed dully, not sounding excited at all. I deflated.
"Stop acting like an idiot, Ichimi," Bakugo huffed, and I turned around to face him angrily. "It's not a fucking surprise we passed."
Suddenly, a new voice cut in over the headsets. "Actually, I passed," Monoma leered, sounding utterly victorious. "Class B saved the day!"
I couldn't help but laugh.
A Really, Really Long Mailbox
Okay, I'm sorry its been so long since I last updated. I've had a really difficult semester and lacked time to write, but to make up for previous deadtime I will be updating three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) until Winter Break ends, where I will have to adjust according to my workload. Thank you to everyone who commented, I organized my responses alphabetically by your guys usernames. My apologies for some of the long ones, there was a lot to respond to.
Alex Fones: You have left many different comments, so I shall do my best to respond to them all. It may come across as an unorganized stream of consciousness, I didn't intend to imitate William Faulkner, I am sorry. Starting now: Ichigo's quirk is a pretty long story, but I needed a way to weaponize a healing quirk, and I wondered "what if she could, like, regrow limbs immediately. She'd be a human tank, and then if she shared it it'd be awesome," and then realized "wow that's strong okay how do we stop her from spamming that" and thought, "what if it hurt. A lot." And so Ichigo got a quirk with backlash. Ichigo did live in a box for a while, it actually isn't unheard of for runaways to fake their home addresses and continue to attend school. It's difficult, but not impossible. Essentially, she takes an address she knows (like a random house) and puts that down on her application form. Then, she goes to the mailbox before the people that live there can see and collects her letter of acceptance. As long as there are no home visits, no one will ever know she doesn't actually live there. Ichigo will offer a more in depth explanation in the future. Izuku drops being vice president half-way through the year and Momo takes the position. It happens off-screen somewhere around the time Izuku realizes Ichigo knew that Aizawa planned on using the President and Vice President as paperwork slaves. At the USJ, Thirteen's murder of the villains will eventually have meaning, I did consider the repercussions of that actually (MUAHAHA, I won't tell you what though). The Sports Festival was probably one of the few times Ichigo will ever be seriously, long term and obviously angry at one of her friends. She's usually pretty forgiving, but sometimes she blows things out of proportion due to her past affect her perception of reality. Ichigo is a very unrealiable narrator. Michi is very cute, she has a future in this story, she will reappear. I don't create OCs often, but when I do, you better bet I make the most of them. The Sports Festival is a major stepping stone in Bakugo and Ichigo's relationship, since they have more in common than either realize and have great potential as friends. Ichigo will definitely one day be standing there explaining how she got stuck with "Hime-Hime" as her alias. Like most things about herself though, she'll learn to embrace it in the future though as well. Aizawa is the bestTM. Glad you appreciated the groups I made for the test, I stressed about those for weeks. Aizawa is the biggest, pettiest bully to ever roam Japan, and it shows in everything he does. Thank you for enjoying the story, and I hope you continue to do so. And thank you for commenting, its what motivates me to write :) I'll need that since I'll be updating thrice a week now.
castielris: Yeah... they're not doing too badly, I suppose. As well as they can. Bakugo and Monoma will always be "like that", but I think its part of their charm. As for why Ichigo is blushing around Shouto, there are two interpretations. One, Ichigo isn't used to recieving compliments - especially from him - so they affect her since she's easily embarrassed. Or two, she has a crush. It's up to the readers' interpretation, since I don't think about romance while writing. I'm oblivious in real life, and that translates into my writing. As I've previously stated, I never intended to set up any of the ships that have formed, they just kind of... happened. So Bakugo and Ichigo still have a chance, I'll probably go with popular opinion and what seems right at the end of all of this.
Emocean: Whoo boy, you have said much and I haven't updated in a while. Okay. To begin: thank you. I was a bit aggrieved when I wrote that first author's note, but I'm glad you appreciated my sarcasm. Second: I like to explain things. I can ramble for hours on various, relatively unconnected topics, so I tend to include explanations if I feel them necessary or someone asks (as you've probably noticed). I like understanding character psychology when reading, so I include those notes out of personal preference. Third: I use both the anime and manga (although I follow the manga mostly, yeah) to write because sometimes I must copy lines and it is hard :( This story is semi-AU, as you've probably noticed, so it will continue to depart more and more from the canon story line as the changes Ichigo has made build up. I am a major proponent of the butterfly affect, so it appears in most of my stories. And now for your final note: I'm glad you like Ichigo. I tried to make her as real as possible when creating her, she honestly took the longest amount of time to plan when I first had this idea. In many ways she writes herself, so I'm happy she comes across as organic. I've heard mixed things about the stuttering, but I created that feature so there would be a physical reflection of Ichigo's anxiety in her character. Her dialouge was a mess because she was a mess, and as she became more mentally organized her stutter slowly disappeared and her speech cleaned up. To answer your question about Ichigo's backstory (see chapters 28-31), she finally ran away because she tried to get her grandmother help, and Koharu - the woman she'd been relying on and saw as her only friend/ally in the world - lied to her about it and basically screwed her over. Ichigo'd had enough. The truth about her situation may come out sooner than you think ;) If you've read the manga, you can probably guess when since Ichigo's missing a certain something(s). Ichigo is very mature for her age, but a lot of her insecurities keep her from seeing that. As she grows as a person, she will begin to recognize her own worth and improve as a result. That's why she failed the finals - as you said, she needed that to grow. She need to learn to lose, which is something many highly intelligent children (like Ichigo) never learn to manage. Seriously, there's a bunch of psychological studies on gifted kids, it's fascination. Anyways, you are very right. Ichigo was most of the missing link between the second and third tests. The other's did become more cooperative, but she was the big distinction, as this chapter pointed out. You will have to find out about the invasion and who is the target next chapter, but you are right, Bakugo not recieving first place will effect his kidnapping. As I've previously stated, this story is Semi-AU, so it will depart more and more from canon as it grows. Many of the same arcs will still exist, but I may put spins on them or add new ones. Some may end up being removed depending on what happens. Character arcs will flow differently, but for STS!Bakugo, he experiences more growth during the summer camp than canon!Bakugo because of the trials. This will change his character arc quite a bit, since I have plans for him. As for Ichigo's involvement - it may not exactly be how you think. After all, there are other main characters with knacks for getting themselves in trouble. Lastly, about Ichigo's goal (see chapters 9 and 31), she wants to be a hero because one, she doesn't want to ever be forgotten after her childhood trauma, and two, she wants to use her fame and fortune to create an organization to help kids in emotionally/physically abusive homes who feel they have no way out. Basically she wants to prevent there ever being anyone like her ever again. And I think that covers everything!
kalandrawow: Okay, so this comment actually made my day when I read this, thank you. I put a lot of thought into Ichigo's character design, and I'm glad you appreciated her stutter because I put way more effort into that than I think anyone realized, so thank you. Ichigo's reflection functions as a physical reflection of her own internal anxiety, so there's a connection between her chaotic dialouge and chaotic mind. As she grows more confident and mentally organized, her stutter slowly disappears, which is why even now when she's flustered the stutter reappears. She hasn't finished growing yet. Thank you so much for this because I have put a lot of thought into it, and you had me physically grinning for an hour when you pointed it out. I hope you continue to enjoy the fic, since I will now be returning to regular updates Mon-Wed-Fri.
Myherogal22: Thank you! I'm back now, so you can expect a lot more chapters soon. I maintain an update schedule, and to make up for my absence I'll be updating every Mon-Wed-Fri until the end of Winter Break. I'll adjust from there accordingly based on my work-load. Thanks again! :D
Naruffoku: Okay, so let me just say watching your comments slowly become more and more positive as you read the story was very amusing for me. I'm glad you appreciated this story, since it has been my first fic and I did put a lot of thought into it. I honestly plan to go back at some point and rewrite those opening chapters, since I feel I've improved in my writing since then and could probably update those a bit. About Ichigo's name: you are very right that she is very much a wreck and nothing like Ichigo from Bleach. That was acutally intentional, because Ichigo sees Bleach!Ichigo as an ideal and wants to be confident like him, which is why she borrowed his name. And yes, BNHA does occur in a century from now, but considering that its been stated that technological development stalled entirely after the entrance of quirks, I don't think its too much of a stretch to believe that entertainment might've been put on pause as well. I mean, somehow flip-phones still exist since Ochako has one, so it could work. I know I still haven't fixed that Shinji mistake in chapter 3, I don't why. People keep pointing it out and I keep saying, "wow, better go fix that" and then nothing happens. I'm awful, I know. It would be more accurate to physics if that happened, I actually didn't consider that. I will add that to my list (I have one, seriously) of things to correct when I rewrite the beginning arcs. Bakugo is not necessarily alright with her calling him Bakago, but he calls other people stupid nicknames 24/7 and she's already proven that exploding her face doesn't wrok, so I think he's just rolling with it. Ichigo can be excited and still stutter because at that point in the story (chapter 12) she is in constant turmoil whenever she's arround people. So even though she's happy and around her friends, she's still anxious 24/7 and so she stutters. It takes a lot of concentration and therapy to end a stutter, if its possible. Someone people never do. I plan to tie up Ichigo's backstory more later on, the reason I left it unfinished for now is because this story isn't even close to over. "Hirohime" was the name Ichigo had planned to go with actually. "Himehime" was mostly a joke she'd intended to correct via paperwork later on, except the Hero Killer Incident crushed said opportunity. Thank you, I'm glad you read it all the way through and gave the story time to develop. I wouldn't go so far as to say anyone who struggles with quadratics is dumb (since a sucky teacher can really screw you over) but it is pretty easy. Thank you, I'm glad you stuck around long enough to see and appreciate Ichigo's character development, and I hope you continue to appreciate it in the future!
Nightwing: Thank you! I'm super happy you consider this one of the best BNHA OC-Insert stories you've read, I've put a lot of effort into it. You probably didn't have to wait as long as everyone else for an update, since this is only about two weeks after you commented, but I hope you continue to enjoy the story and know I'll be updating frequently now!
Prince: Bakugo, Monoma, and Todoroki all have one thing in common - they are terribly abrasive. Honestly, I leave a lot of open ended areas in this story, because it's from Ichigo's perspective and therefore I can only tell what she experiences. So was Izuku muttering about Shouchigo? They world will never know, but you are free to interpret as you wish :)
Rae Kid: Thank you so much, you have no idea how much that means to me. I always stress about my characters being organic and avoiding Sues, so it always makes me happy to hear someone say Ichigo seems geniune. Things will blow up in Ichigo's face eventually, since a) we need drama and b) I am of the opinion no one can keep secrets forever. I LOVE changing the plot, and I plan to continue to do so, so thank you! I'm glad you think I've done well with this fic! And I can understand you perfectly, it always frustrates me when characters don't change stories. Even the smallest of conversations can have major effects, nothing makes me drop a story faster than when nothing changes. And I do intend to finish the soulmate AU! I am halfway done, but as I said earlier... this semester has been hard. But I will finish it! I will! (eventually)
Sheridan111000: The Shouchigo ship has kidnapped yet another poor soul. And thank you, I hope you continue to enjoy the story now that I will be back on my update schedule!