Rule #56b: We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future

Next up were Ojiro and Sato who had spent their work studies with Shishido the Lion Hero; number 13 on the hero charts.

"We're using a flurry of attacks" Sato explained as he simply punched his way through the robots, weaving in and out of his teammates own movements.

Ojiro's tail whipped overhead, just barely scraping through loose hair as it smashed through what remained. "And predicting enemy moves!"

Then there was Jiro and Shoji who had worked with Gang Orca the Killer Whale Hero; number 12 on the hero charts.

Instead of demolishing the robots head-on as others had done, they were put to work in hunting them down. Between Jiro's earjack and Shoji's dupli-arms, they made quick work of the task and with the added bonus of making it look quite easy, despite the fact that they were not organic in nature. "Our search skills have improved!" Jiro declared when it was there turn to go.

"And we can now track down all manner of things!" Shoji added as they located their missing quarry.

Mineta, Kaminari and Sero showed off the teamwork skills that they were learning from the twenty-third hero: Mt Lady and, in turn, The Lurkers team which she was a part of with Kamui Woods and Edgeshot.

A multitude of little purple balls glued themselves to the robots they were flung at—and even though Mineta made sure to keep back & out of range—they did a good job of holding the mechanical beasts in place. At least, long enough for Sero to wrap up any wayward limbs and for the electric blonde to step in and charge the hoard with targeted charges.

"That's some quick and efficient teamwork, for ya!"

Iida and Mina went next. They had been working with the People's Hero, Manual; number 222 on the hero charts.

"RECIPRO: EXTEND!" Iida bellowed as he shot an engine-powered kick through the uppermost levels of the robots. "A loose approach is needed—"

"—To counter all of their attacks!" Mina ended as she somersaulted over her training partner and doused the impending robots in acid. The gel-like substance that coated her was thick and gooey, but it was clear just how dangerous it truly was when it melted through all that it touched. "Max viscosity: Acid Man!"

"Humans are…scary!" The robots whined as they died, powering down and flickering out of life.

"And that's a wrap!" Mina cheered, shaking off the excess acid before she twirled over to where Kirishima stood. "Wanna know a secret about Acid Man? I got the idea from your Unbreakable!"

"Huh?" Kirishima's ears flushed a little before a wide smile burst across his lips at his friend's little nod to his own ultimate move. "Nice!"

Then there was Koda who had studied under, Wash the Laundry Hero and number eight on the hero charts.

As for Koda, his showcase was a little less flashy and a little more about self improvement. As (arguably) the quietest student in the class, he had been working on his self-confidence and projecting his voice. Something which was shown as he commanded the hard-of-hearing pigeons to confuse the flock whilst an army of rats chewed through the wiring.

"Clearer communication!"

Then there was Tokoyami who had studied with the number two hero, Hawks.

Next up was Tokoyami who showcased how he and Dark Shadow were starting to work together instead of apart. On paper, he was supposed to be working under Hawks—as he had interned at the number two's agency—but he had unfortunately been handed off to one of his sidekicks as the avian hero was "away on important business" for the time being. Toru still felt guilty at knowing she had more or less stolen Tokoyami's hero because she—and the infiltration—were the "important business" he had to attend.

In any case, it seemed that the raven was doing well with the sidekicks because he mowed through the robots without a care in the world and a hard head that had been reinforced by Dark Shadow.

Kirishima had gone back to work with Fatgum the BMI Hero and number 58 on the hero charts, just as he had done during the internships and his Unbreakable was looking as sharp as ever. Pun intended.

Much like with Ojiro & Sato, there didn't seem to be much thought given to the showcase as the redhead simply put his head down, sharpened his features and charged. Although, he could hold his ultimate move for much longer now and he didn't immediately pass out afterwards, so silver linings and all that.

"Make my opponent lose the will to fight, super quick!"

Ochako & Tsu were up next, showcasing what they had been learning under Ryukyu the Dragoon Hero; number 10 on the hero charts.

Their work studies, they were told, was all about focusing on teamwork and decisiveness. Something that was clearly evident in the way the two went about attacking the robots. Ochako moved first as she launched herself into the air and then Tsu followed and used her tongue to redirect the gravity girl in sharper angles that she could not make herself. Still, they got to see the new Uravity Wrist in action, so it wasn't all bad.

Momo followed. She had been working under Majestic the Magic Hero.

Calculation & efficiency was Momo's deal. Unlike previous times when she had to know the make-up of something to create it, this time around she was focusing on the number of things made and how useful they could be in any given situation. Which, sadly, meant no cannons this time around; although she did whip out several sticks of dynamite that still packed quite the punch.

And finally there was the big three: Bakugou, Midoriya and Todoroki. They had been working with Endeavor the Flame Hero; the number one hero and it was clear from their moves what they had learnt.

As Todoroki took the lead to force the robots apart with attacks that had clearly increased in their speedy withdrawals. To Bakugou, who took to the air and pushed himself beyond his limits even in the cold weather that nipped at his extremities. And finally Midoriya, who swept up behind them to clean up the shrapnel left behind and entrap them in that black whip-thing that had given him trouble only weeks prior. It was clear that they had gained quite some experience in the field, which was a good thing because theory could only do so much.

"Hey, Bakubro!" Kirishima greeted the explosive blonde as the three returned to their classmates and the official clean-up crew arrived. "Are you good with fighting when it's cold out, now?"

"I used condensed shots!" Bakugou turned to the redhead, "Cause winter's crap!"

"Sounds like someone's got performance issues!" Mina snickered to Toru.

The invisible girl, who was still high on their combo move, cackled joyfully at the innuendo even as it wrought the blonde's attention and she was forced to flee. "Why're you chasing me? I didn't say it!"

"Wha-! Toru!" Mina whined in petulant betrayal as Bakugou halted in his pursuit of the albino and immediately turned to charge after the pinkette, "I thought you were on my side!"

Huffing slightly, the albino trotted back over to the group. "All's fair in love and war!"

"Wow, Todoroki!" Momo gushed as a slight flush decorated her cheeks. Her crush on the boy was exactly the most subtlest of things; then again, neither was Jiro's on her. "Your quirk's gotten hotter, colder and faster now!"

"I dunno" Todoroki shrugged, "I'm still not able to catch up to Endeavour, though"

"Ooh! Someone's in lo~ve!" Mina sang as she hurried past the red-cheeked girl.

"Shut up, Mina!" Momo hissed as the pinkette passed by.

Finally, Mina latched onto Kirishima in the hopes that Bakugou would halt his chase if his friend was in the way; or more specifically, used as a meat shield. "Save me, Kiri!"

"Whoa! Hey!" Kirishima stumbled at the sudden extra weight, only to find himself tumbling to the ground when Bakugou charged at them like an angered bull. Not that he was truly angry with either of them, but he wasn't exactly one known for quitting whilst he was head.

Off to the side, Mineta had gone to greet Midoriya. "Looks like you can use that dark energy stuff, now"

"Yeah!" Midoriya proudly beamed, "I'm sorry it was a pain, earlier"

"It's all good"

"For real, man!" Sero agreed as he & Kaminari joined the pair. "Get any better and you'll make my quirk obsolete!"

"Oh, that reminds me!" Midoriya then turned to the girls as he shielded his stomach from anymore "friendly blows" from the grape boy. "Uraraka!"

The gravity girl turned at the sound of her name. "Hm?"

"I was able to gain control of Black Whip thanks to you!" Midoriya bowing in thanks, flushing as he did so. "Thank you so much!"

"Hehe! Oh please!" Ochako giggled, patting him on the back as she tried to ignore her own heated cheeks. "That's ancient history, okay? Plus, look—! Seeing you inspired me to have these wires put in my costume! There nothing compared to something like Sero & his tape, but still, I made that experience something useful and I think that both of us are better because of it!"

Midoriya raised from his bow and met her proffered fist with his own in a gentle fist bump. "Yeah, I agree!"

"Okay!" Bakugou groaned from the pile on the floor in the background, "Enough of this mushy crap!"

"Aw!" Mina cooed, unable to help herself. "Are you feeling left out, Bakugou? C'me 'ere"

Bakugou squirmed fruitlessly at the bottom of the pile as Mina wrapped her arms around both him & Kirishima. "Wha—! G'off!"

Later that night, it was decided that the best way to welcome in the new school year was with a potluck; nice & warm to stave off the winter chill. Although, it was clear from some responses that they didn't exactly know what a potluck entailed. Like Momo, who thought that it was a dish—singular—where you could anything into it, like tea leaves. It was a good thing that Ochako was able to dissuade her from that particular venture because Toru wasn't exactly sure how good pizza would taste with tea leaves on top.

"What were you guys doing out so late?" Sero needled Midoriya & Bakugou as they returned to find preparation for dinner in full swing.

"Please tell us you weren't fighting each other, again!" Mina agreed.

"Tch! 'Course not!" Bakugou scowled from the doorway.

"What's going on?" Kirishima asked from the kitchen.

"The House Arrest Boys are late, again" Sero replied.

"You guys better hurry up and lend a hand" Kaminari called as he passed, a tray of bacon-wrapped sausages in his hand. "Otherwise it's no meat for you"

"Uh, right!" Midoriya chirped, "I'm on it!"

"Really?" Bakugou snarled as he stalked over to the kitchen, leaving the greenette to help with setting out the plates. "You think you can take meat away from me, Sparky? I'll murder you!"

"Eehhh…" Sero sighed.

"He's a total villain" Kaminari agreed, shoulders drooping slightly at the declaration.

"Least we know they're not in trouble, this time" Toru hummed, leg bouncing rapidly as she worked.

"Yeah, this time" Mina giggled.

"The sooner you help, the sooner you eat!" Kirishima skipped over to the explosive blonde with a bright smile on his face. Anyone else might've balked at the expression on the blonde, Kirishima was not one to waver and soon enough, Bakugou had settled in to help with the preparation. Though, he wasn't exactly pleased with what had been done so far.

"What fool cut the spring onions?!" He demanded, pulling out a string of accordion-like pieces.

Todoroki, completely unbothered or just uncaring, replied. "I did"

"You shamed your sister!" Bakugou retorted.

"Huh" Toru mused as she slathered another pizza base with tomato paste, "I didn't know Todoroki had a sister"

"Yeah, me neither" Mina hummed, "Wonder if she's got the half 'n half like him?"

"What? Like the other way?"

"Or horizontally, maybe?"

"What? Like a weird bowl cut? Or like it was dip-dyed?"

"Dip dyed seems cooler. Can you imagine having a permanently-stained bowl cut in your hair?"

"Eurgh! That's horrifying!"

"What's wrong with a bowl cut?" Mineta asked, peering over the edge of the table.

Mina & Toru looked at him like he'd asked what colour was the sky. "It's a bowl cut"

"Yeah, that doesn't explain anything"

"Whatever" Mina sighed.

"Boys just don't get it" Toru reassured her in sympathy.

"It's hair!"

"Damn it!" Bakugou snarled from the kitchen as he sliced through the rest of the spring onions with precision.

Todoroki hovered over the blonde's shoulder as he watched him easily slice the green stalks into short, sharp chunks. "Wow, you're really good at this"

"No" Bakugou huffed, "You're just really bad at it, you idiot!"

Thankfully, with two extra helping hands, it didn't take long for dinner to be served. And before they knew it, all the plates were loaded onto the coffee tables which had been shoved together and seats drawn up around the meal. Claiming a seat between Aoyama & Ochako, Toru cradled her cup of juice in her hand as Iida stood front and center with a bright smile on his lips. She hoped he wouldn't take too long with his speech because it all smelt so good and she was hungry.

"Now, friends!" Iida toasted them, "The long-awaited Work Study Exchange & Starting the Term Off with a Bang hot pot party, is ready to begin! Let's eat up!"

"Yeah! Woohoo!"

"Ah! No, no, no!" Toru reached for the closest dish just as Aoyama, too, reached for the label. "Not just yet, that's still a little raw!"

"Mon amis!" Aoyama teased, "You wouldn't be hiding the best bits for yourself, now would you?"

"Me? Why I'd never do that!" Toru retorted in kind, even as she fished out a partly crunchy piece of pork.

"Kiri, slow down!" Mina scolded from the floor as she scooted closer to the table. "You're gonna choke!"

"Mm!" Kirishima hummed around stuffed cheeks. "There's nothing like a hot pot when it's cold outside!"

"And, hey, by the time it warm's up again we'll be starting off our second year!" Jiro commented as she filled up her bowl.

"Time sure does fly" Tsu hummed.

"What a crazy bunch of months!" Ochako agreed. "Just think! We'll be upperclassmen!"

"But we won't be able to see much of the newbies, though" Sato reminded them. "Hero students can't join clubs"

"Aw! But we'll get some promising heroes-to-be joining our club!" Said Toru.

"Our club, ribbit?" Tsu puzzled.

"The Hero club, of course!"

"Calm down!" Iida called from across the table, "Don't get ahead of yourself, now! We still have about three more months to go! And don't forget that the finals are just over the horizon—!"

"—Stop talking, Iida!" Mineta scowled, "You're ruining the food!"

"But words can't change the taste" Todoroki pointed out, oblivious to what the grape-haired boy actually meant.

"You!" He growled, "How is someone like you so popular with the ladies, still so dense?!"

"Oh man, Mineta, it sounds to me like you're concerned you won't pass!" Jiro giggled.

"Ugh! Shut up!"

"Don't sweat it!" Kaminari called over the class' giggles, "I'm kinda worried too, Mineta!"

"Midoriya, can you pass the ponzu, please?" Tokoyami nudged the greenette who seemed to be away with the fairies. "Midoriya? The ponzu?"

"Oh! Sorry!" The greenette eventually shook himself free. "Here you go!"

"My thanks"

Sometimes, Toru mused as she glanced about at her happy classmates. I'm suddenly overwhelmed with this new reality and I can't believe how quickly my life has changed. From assassin to hero, hated to loved, weak to powerful; it truly is discombobulating. If you'd have told me last year, that this is where I'd have ended up, I probably would've laughed in your face. But now, it's strange not to think that this is where my life would go.

I wish we could stay in this moment forever.

PARANORMAL LIBERATION FRONT STATUS REPORT
UA LEGACIES

HERO: TWINKLING STAR

Showcase was successful.

Powerful legacies to watch for: Todoroki Shoto [Quirk: Half fire, half ice]
Bakugou Katsuki [Quirk: Explosion]
Midoriya Izuku [Quirk: Black Whip]
Hagakure Toru [Quirk: Prism]
Aoyama Yuga [Quirk: Navel Laser]

Useful Legacies: Yaoyorozu Momo [Quirk: Creation]
Koda Koji [Quirk: Anivoice]
Tokoyami Fumikage [Quirk: Dark Shadow]