Finding Resolve

by The Forsaken Raven

After the sludge villain incident, All Might never finds is Izuku, who has to live with the fact that his dream is officially over. He starts a YouTube channel and goes viral for his quirk analysis videos. He's still able to help people, but he's not completely satisfied. Two aspiring heroes help in find the thing that'd he'd lost when All Might killed his dream. One-shot.

Hey there! Hi there! Ho there! I managed to finish the one shot and I think I'm pretty happy with it. It ended up being longer and a little different from my original vision for it. I actually made this because of some in the Jaded Discord, Powerball_Wiz posted about the premise of a YouTube quirk analysis Izuku and gave the idea for the 'You used your quirk for what?!" bit. Hopefully they like it! Hopefully you like it!

TW: mentions of bullying, brief mention of torture, self-hate, bigotry, and the mention of suicide that we see in canon

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It started off on a whim, as a way to keep from his notes being destroyed by the bullies at school.

It started off as just a way to capture all of his thoughts when his pen couldn't keep up with his mouth during one of his signature mutterstorms.

It just started off as a way for him to work on his stuttering problem.

Now, oh but now, it's grown into something unimaginable, something wide-ranging. His stupid videos had earned his channel (Mutterstorm) millions of views…all because people liked when he talked about quirks and even found him funny! Him! Dumb ol' Deku, muttering Deku, useless Deku, quirkless Deku, stalker Deku, take a swan dive off a roof Deku!

Those thoughts never really did stop, no matter how many people gave him praise, no matter how many people liked, commented, and subscribed…even donated! His word provides a significant boost in popularity for the heroes he's analyzed, meaning that a good part of the general public hung on his every word! However, he couldn't deprogram nearly a decade and a half of conditioning and learned behavior. He could always feel that part of him clawing at him, dragging him down to be submerged in voices that echoed violently in his head.

But things are different now.

Ever since Present Mic talked about Izuku's videos on his podcast, his quirk analysis videos started blowing up…poor choice of words, considering he started all of this because Kacch…because Katsuki blew up his notebook. Anyway, after Present Mic's shoutout, he became something of an overnight celebrity. Everyone in his high school knew about his videos and the reactions were rather mixed.

He felt more comfortable with the beatings over the fake kindness people had shown him; the classmates who showed him that fake kindness always ended up wanting something from him, wanted to use him. The taste of bitterness tainted Izuku's school days, lamenting the fact that no one bothered talking to him like that before, no one bothered trying to save him before, no one tried treating him like a goshdarn human being before!

Now, he felt like some caged zoo animal at a circus, forced to perform like some dancing monkey.

Despite this sentiment, he was doing his videos for himself, for people who needed his help and who genuinely loved his videos. Speaking of people he's helped, one of the segments he enjoyed the most was getting random people to come on his show, all to analyze their quirk and give them advice on how to improve. He'd always meet up with people over a discord call, but, today, he has a meeting with someone in person; they were going to meet up at a quirk gym that wanted him to review their facilities, so it was a good neutral ground for meeting a stranger from the internet. The guy seemed genuinely nice too, but wasn't the most confident about his quirk.

Izuku could see the brilliance of his quirk, its elegance lying in its simplicity. The quirk was plenty flashy to Izuku; if this guy pushed his quirk to higher heights, he'd be a hero that'd never waiver, he'd be the hero that'd never break, he'd be the ultimate hero that could shield others from harm.

The school bell takes him out of his idle thoughts, making him realize he just daydreamed through his last period. It's not like the teachers cared; as long as he kept his grades average and didn't cause a disturbance in class, he was ignored and that suited him just fine nowadays.

As Izuku begins packing his things, an all too friendly voice calls out to him "Yo, Deku! You free? Some of us were gonna hit up an arcade or something. You wanna come with?"

Izuku sighs internally, identifying his classmate as one of the people who only wanted something out of him. He keeps the annoyance off his face before giving his excuse, "Sorry, Yamada, but I can't. I already have plans."

Yamada keeps his friendly facade up, "Ah, no worries, friend. Maybe some of us could tag along?"

Izuku couldn't believe Yamada's audacity to try and invite himself along, but wasn't surprised by this point. This kind of song and dance happened way too often for his liking. People always tried to get on his good side and/or try to invade his private life, something he'd desperately keep away from Aldera High and anyone in it.

"Sorry, it's not something I can invite people along to, but I hope your arcade visit is fun," Izuku barely manages to keep up his smile, already counting down the days until he graduates…Graduates to a future that he had little hope in. Ever since the sludge villain incident, he had lost all hope of being a hero. Oddly enough, his desire to be a hero, in spite of his quirklessness, was what started his whole notebook series, the origin of his YouTube channel. He was no longer doing this for himself, but for others and that was enough for him…or at least that's what he told himself.

Like All Might said, he was looking at his dreams realistically and was considering a career as a quirk counselor or something similar. He also heard that analysts made a decent amount of money in quite a few sectors involved with hero work and criminology, but he needed to do more research on non-hero college programs. He knew that U.A. offered quite a few, but he'd need to stop sandbagging his grades to have a shot at getting into anywhere decent, not that his teachers would allow it.

If only he could've been born with a quirk.

Bad thoughts for later.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he gives his goodbye to his classmate and heads out to the train station. On the way, he messages Kirishima to give him a heads up.

Mutterstorm#1507: "Hey, Kirishima! I'm headed to the train station now, I should be at the quirk gym in around 2.5 hours. I'll message you again when I'm half an hour away to give you a bit of a heads up"

CrimsonSpirit#1610: "Thanks, bro! I appreciate it! ^_^ Thanks again for doing this for me, I'm so totally stoked, dude! I mean, of all the people you could've done this for, you picked me!"

Izuku smiles at Kirishima's eagerness; it felt nice being genuinely thanked and it certainly felt nice that his opinion was actually valued.

Mutterstorm#1507: "No problem! I'm looking forward to meeting you and sharing what I've managed to compile on your quirk :)"

CrimsonSpirit#1610: "Me too, bro! See ya soon and hope ya have a good train ride!"

Mutterstorm#1507: "Thanks, see you soon!"

With his current social obligation completed, he gives a small sigh of relief now that his social anxiety is soothed. He puts in his headphones and continues his walk to the station, managing to find a seat on the train when he gets there. Preparing for a longer journey and wanting to be efficient with his time, he starts working on his homework, managing to finish a majority of it by the time he arrives at his station in Chiba. He shoots a message to Kirishima before putting in the address to the gym into his phone's GPS, starting to walk towards their meetup place.

Kirishima was so totally hyped for this! He'd told all his friends that he'd be getting to meet the one and only Mutterstorm and they all practically begged him to bring them along, especially Ashido. Ashido had been bugging him about it for well over a week, trying to trade as many favors as she could to try and tag along, but Kirishima didn't want to be rude to Mutterstorm.

Mutterstorm seemed a bit jumpy, at least some of his earlier content showed that he was quite shy and had some confidence problems…hell, whenever a fan compliments him, he spends a good amount of time trying to downplay his awesomeness, like it makes him uncomfortable to just simply receive a compliment. Quite a few of his fans took to complimenting him as often as possible because his initial reactions were kind of cute and it'd help him build a bit of confidence…hell, Kirishima was one of those fans, but he didn't want to overwhelm him. This meetup would be the first in-person meetup for Mutterstorm, so Kirishima didn't want to overwhelm the poor kid.

Speaking of age, it was mind blowing how young Mutterstorm was. People initially thought he was in college and just had a baby face, but he's the same age as Kirishima and already making a name for himself! If he wants to go into heroics, he'd definitely have a leg up with how popular he is, but he seems rather unconfident about his quirk. Most people think he has some sort of analysis quirk, but he always dodges the question when it comes up and tries to joke around it. It actually became something of a meme in his fanbase; people would ask him about his quirk and he would reply with something blatantly untrue.

Flashback to a Livestream:

Mutterstorm's stream was going rather well. He was providing commentary about one of Mt. Lady's fights, specifically about ways she could reduce collateral damage from her quirk.

GodofPopcorn: Oh yeah, one of her fights ended up putting her through the office building I work at. It still hasn't been fixed :(

MtLadyFeetLover69: I want her to step on me

Thunderclapper21: It's like that really old movie, Pacific Rim. A lot of the Yeagers placed care on where exactly the stepped whenever they had to fight

SlasherChickFlick: Why are we talking about her? She's a glory hog who stole the spotlight from Kamui.

Sdifndseiq2894721: Message Deleted

TiamatDidNothingWrong: Woah, Mutterstorm's really into it, he's not even paying attention to her ass.

ColdHank: That ass tho

BadGuitar: That ass tho KEKW

SuckMyUnit69: That ass tho

BaconMaster283: That ass tho

Izuku sees the string of comments and can't help but chuckle a little bit, a bit of blush adorning his cheeks, "I was actually there at her debut, she really flaunted her butt to the paparazzi. It really provided her a boost to her debut and took the discussion away from the collateral of that fight. She weaponized her body quite well, similar to how Midnight does it, but no one can match her when it comes to that.

BreathotheMild: Oh yeah, I remember all those pictures, lol

VaporeonTho: Dangerous bringing up midnight here

MtLadyFeetLover69: I want Midnight to step on me

VorpalCup: Same tho

ColdHank: Same tho

SuckMyUnity69: Same tho

(A flood of "Same tho" messages)

VaporeonTho: See what I mean? …but same tho

MutterMeTimbers: KEKW You'd think with an analysis quirk, he'd see that coming a mile away.

Nat20VibeCheck: Hell, we all saw that coming and we don't have analysis quirks OMEGALUL

ProfessorPhoenix: Same tho

CrimsonSpirit: Same tho

CrosswordEnthusiast: Same tho

AlienQueen2099: Same tho

Seeing an out from talking about Midnight and all her glory, Izuku latches onto the comment about his quirk, adopting a small playful smile, "Oh, don't worry, I don't have an analysis quirk, I have a gigantification quirk. I'm unfortunately stuck at a big size permanently."

McRibbed4Pleasure: Oh, I call bullshit!

Codename1313: Ugh, not this again

SpaghettiTacoTime: KEKW Then why does everything in your room look normal compared to you?

BulletTime98: Yo, imagine being stuck like that though. Forget banging your head into a doorway, you wouldn't be able to fit your pinkie toe through a doorway.

Fyuytvdber3434656: Message Deleted

DarthFatherDay: Nah, maybe it's some sort of optical illusion or something, the kid is clearly lying and tryin to not let us worry about his gigantism.

IDrawExodia4Head: "Nah, it's gotta be an analysis quirk. Mutter's said he's been taking notes like this since he was a kid. Either he's a genius or he's got an analysis quirk.

"No no, really. Everything in my room's been scaled for me, but there was some jerk who tried climbing up my beanstalk to try and get into my home."

Coldhank: Genius or not, the lil dude's is wicked smart.

McRibbed4Pleasure: Imagine the electric bill lmao

VorpalCup: That poor chair

PoorUnfortunateSoul23 (Mod): Yo Mutter, we got a video for you. Some dude with a fortification quirk is going to drive you nuts

Izuku's interest rises; fortification quirks were a goldmine of people hurting themselves in funny ways or doing similar inadvisable things just because they could take it. He immediately pulls up Discord, going into the fanmade discord and checking the #Video-Entry channel. He puts the video up on his stream before giving his typical rundown.

"Okay, so Soul says we have an entry from the user…RealSteel4219. As usual, I refuse to watch anyone seriously hurt themselves because I don't want to encourage that kind of escalatory behavior. So with that done, let's see what happens."

Izuku presses play on the video and sees a teen boy with gray hair appear with branches and leaves surrounding him.

CrimsonSpirit: Dude looks manly!

VaporeonTho: You think everyone looks manly, KEKW

Codename1313: My vote's for another nutshot gone awry

GiveMeChocolate61: WTF is up with his eyes?

The gray haired teen gives a vibrant smile to the camera, showing off his sharp teeth, "Yo! I thought it'd be cool to show Mutterstorm and the community one of the ways I used to train. We're in our local park and we climbed up the biggest tree we could find."

The camera pans around to show their local park, panning down to show that they were dozens of feet up and giving quite a few watchers a potent sense of vertigo.

Izumi smiles softly, knowing exactly where this was going,"Oh, looks like you're going to lose that bet, Codename."

The camera pans back to the teen before he starts talking again, "Anyways, I'm Tetsutestu TetsuTetsu, no I didn't sutter, but you guys will know me as RealSteel4219, and this is Jackass!"

Without further ado, Tetsutetsu turns on his quirk, seemingly coating his entire body in metal. Now that captures Izuku's interest, causing him to start a mutterstorm as Tetsutetsu yeets himself out of the tree, "Oh, that's interesting. I wonder if the metal is just skin deep or it turns his entire body into a metallic substance. It's probably his entire body, a fall like that would hurt internal organs, unless the fortification went beyond his metal. I wonder how he'd handle heat, he'd probably be able to withstand a good amount. Quirks like these usually come with strength enhancement, I wonder how far his strength goes. What sort of dietary needs does his quirk need, if they need any? Does he need an iron rich diet? Combat style would be close quarters, support items for range would be useful. Or maybe something that could aid in his mobility."

The mutterstorm caused him to miss the point of impact, but he perked back up when he heard the sound of the crash in his headphones. His chat was spamming one of his emotes that looks like a hurricane, causing him to blush and apologize out of habit.

AlienQueen2099: He's way too precious, we must protecc the cinnamon roll!

CrimsonSpirit: Protecc

ColdHank: Protecc

(A see of "Protecc" messages and spamming of Izuku's storm emote)

Izuku manages to keep most of his composure, turning his attention back to the video and rewinding to rewatch the impact again. He flinches at the impact, but sighs with relief when he sees Tetsutetsu get back up and wave to the camera, completely unharmed by the large drop.

"You did WHAT to train your quirk?" he plays it up a little for his audience, pinching the bridge of his nose before acting a little exasperated, "Just throwing yourself out of a tree just because you can survive it? Your fortification types really are a different breed, but I call you all crazy! Not to mention you threw yourself off like it was nothing! How many times have you done something like this?"

SneaSnake42: Uh oh, Dad's mad

ColderHankathan: MonkaS Dad's gonna ground RealSteel.

SpaghettiTacoTime: Fort quirk users really are crazy, holy crap. You think this guy wants to be a hero?

SpiralStriker2: Lmao, 'Jackass', what century is this dude from? OMEGALUL

SapphicVibes005: I mean, the dude's name is Real Steel, isn't that like a vintage movie from the 2000's or something?

SpidersilkArmor: Is this the part where we say quirk responsibly? Cuz I think that RealSteel might need it KEKW

Izuku chuckles from the last comment, "Indeed, Quirk responsibly, people. You've only got one body, unless your quirk clones yourself."

Izuku settles into the comfortable rhythm, a sense of shallow happiness washing over him as he takes a step back to look at his current position in life. Sure, school sucked big time, but he was able to connect with, help, and entertain people on a bigger scale than he was used to. He was only seventeen, but he had started something that could propel him far in life. Maybe he could do some good for the forgotten people of society…people like himself.

End flashback

Kirishima paces from the excitement, waiting outside of the quirk gym and trying to keep his excitement at bay. He was pretty sure Ashido had tried to tail him, but, luckily, he was able to lose the nimble girl. He'd apologize later, maybe get Mutterstorm to sign an autograph or something! His thoughts were broken by a message from Izuku, telling Kirishima that he was walking up to the gym now.

Kirishima immediately put his head on a swivel, seeing that familiar fluffy bush of green hair and smiling wider than he ever has. Izuku has headphones in and is typing away on his phone, giving his mother an update just to let her know he was safe.

"OOOOIII!" Kirishima was rapidly waving, starting to run up to the minor celebrity with unbridled energy.

Izuku looks up from his phone and stiffens slightly from the overwhelming brightness that is Kirishima…damn social anxiety. Izuku does his best to give a shy smile, taking in the sight of one of his viewers. His long black hair looks great on him and he is pretty muscular too. His bright smile is quite sharp in the most literal sense, not to mention pretty cute. Izuku's cheeks dust slightly red at that thought, but he manages to push those thoughts down and prepare for the conversation.

"Yo, Mutterstorm! It's good to finally meet you! I've been waiting all week for this and I'm so totally stoked! …Oh, right! I'm Kirishima Eijirou, but you can call me by my screenname if that makes it easier for you," he gives a short bow and starts to take in more about Izuku.

Sure, he'd seen him on through a screen before, but this is the first time he realizes how short and skinny Mutterstorm is. Mutterstorm's cute freckles also stand out a bit more in person, but so does his shyness. He doesn't seem to have the same flair like when he's on camera, where he looks so much more comfortable, and that makes Kirishima a little sad for him.

"O-Oh, r-right," Izuku cringes from his stuttering, trying to beat back that habit as much as he can, "I can give m-my family n-name at least. I'm M-Midoriya, it's a pleasure to m-meet you, but j-just call me b-by my username, p-please."

Izuku gives a polite bow, introducing himself rather formally and causing Kirishima to smile and pat his shoulder, "Dude, it's alright, you don't need to be so formal around me. I just wanna have fun with this and I wanna make sure you're having fun too!"

Izuku rubs the back of his head and looks down at his feet, a small smile adorning his face. Kirishima already seems pretty nice, genuinely so, and he's doing his best to make sure Izuku is comfortable. Even if Izuku was putting him in his videos, part of him knew that he'd act this way even if Izuku wasn't famous…or at least that's what he hopes.

"O-Okay, Kirishima, so what d-do-"

Their conversation was cut off by a pair of pink hands wrapping around Kirishima's head, blocking his vision from behind. Izuku is caught off guard from another stranger, one who seems rather comfortable with Kirishima. Mischief is shining through in her smile and her eyes make Izuku's heart skip a beat. She is a rather striking figure that has just as much unbridled energy that Kirishima has. Oh, and she's vibrant pink, something quite hard to miss.

"Kiri~, guess who," even her voice drips with mischief, paired so wonderfully with the energetic exuberance that surges from her voice.

Kirishima stiffens slightly from the contact, but he easily recognizes the voice and can't help but internally facepalm. Ashido followed him! All of his efforts were in vain as Ashido proved to be more sneaky than he was observant; he just hoped that Mutterstorm wouldn't be too upset with this sudden inclusion…not that he had a mean bone in his body, Mutterstorm really seemed like a people pleaser and he didn't want to take advantage of that. Kirishima sighs, removes the hands from his face and turns around to look at his friend.

"Ashido-" his voice was slightly low with warning, but Ashido is completely unapologetic and pushes through the conversation.

"Thought you could give me the good ol' slip, huh?" Ashido's smile is blinding, clearly having the time of her life..

Kirishima sighs and looks back to Izuku with an apologetic look, rubbing the back of his head and looking a little hesitant, "Sorry, she's a friend. She's been dying to meet you and she kinda tailed me. I promise I didn't bring her here on purpose, sorry if this is a little much."

Izuku can see that Kirishima is blaming himself to some degree and he finds it rather sweet that he cares about Izuku's comfort; that alone gets Izuku to relax a little bit because Kirishima called Ahsido his friend. Anyone that Kirishima calls a friend would likely be nice too, at least that what Izuku hopes is the case.

"I-It's okay, K-Kirishima," he starts fumbling with his hands as he hesitantly looks towards his feet, showing a bit of his anxiety about the situation.

"Gah! He's so cute!" Ahsido blurts out, causing Izuku's face to flush quite red.

While he is only partially used to his stream chat giving him compliments, he is certainly not used to getting compliments in person, much less being called cute by a girl!

Seeing a bit of his discomfort, Kirishima just taps Ahsido on her shoulder and gives her a somewhat stern look, silently telling her to back off a little bit.

"Oh? What? I can't call the cute boy cute, Kiri? Or did you forget I'm a card carrying member of the Mutterstorm Protection Squad?!"

Oh…yeah…that. Izuku remembered seeing that part of his fan made discord, where the people in the channel made it part of their mission to get him used to compliments and to help raise his self-esteem. They also had some sort of blood feud going with the Mutterstorm Corruption Squad, who wanted to get Izuku to cuss on stream, something he's never done because 'He's too pure for this world, so we need to turn the cinnamon roll into a sin-namon roll'. Truthfully, it was kind of depressing to know so many people could see his lack of confidence, but it was kind of nice that people cared. He eventually just decided to shelve those thoughts away and revisit them later, but it looks like it came to visit him instead.

Kirishima sighs and gives an apologetic look to Izuku, "Sorry, she's friendly, but she'll tease you a lot if you leave yourself open. She does it to a lot of people."

Ashido fake pouts and crosses her arms, looking away in a huff, "Well, see if I ever tease you ever again, ya big jerk," Ahsido couldn't keep the smile off her face long enough, causing her usual mischievous smile to creep back onto her face with a giggle.

Izuku couldn't help but smile softly as the two friends interacted; it was rather clear that these two were rather comfortable in each other's presence. While Izuku wasn't really looking forward to the teasing…a big part of him didn't necessarily hate it.

"I-It's f-fine, really…If she's f-friends with y-you, Kirishima, I-I don't mind…Oh, I-I'm Midoriya, i-it's nice to meet y-you," Izuku gives a polite bow towards the pink girl, who couldn't help but giggle at the display.

"You don't have to be formal with me," she walks in front of Izuku and starts playfully ruffling his hair, "I'm Ahsido Mina, or AlienQueen2099, and I'm so glad I get to meet ya! Sorry for following Kiri, but I just had to meet ya!"

Izuku isn't used to being touched in a positive or friendly way, which makes him stiffen from the contact. However, he finds that he quite likes it and a hunger unlocks inside of him, a hunger he never knew he possessed.

He needs more.

The ruffling causes him to smile softly, but it quickly widens as he starts laughing. Kirishima and Ashido are drawn in by the soulfulness of his laugh, stricken by just how adorable and freeing it sounds. Kirishima decides to let up on Ashido, thinking that this might be a good thing that she decided to invite herself to their meetup. If anyone could get someone in a good mood, it was certainly her…she's one of a kind, after all.

After Mina is done jostling greenie, she decides to ask a few questions, "Soooo, do you need a camerawoman or something? I can totally help out for crashing your meeting! You're analyzing Kiri's quirk, right?"

"Hm? Oh, um, s-sure. I was j-just going to s-set it u-up on a-a tripod, b-but that'd h-help a lot, A-Ashido. Thanks!" Izuku's shy smile grew wider as he maintained eye contact with Ashido, blushing slightly from just staring into her gorgeous eyes, "I, um, y-yeah. I-I've sent him s-some questions o-over the week, b-but left some u-unasked to get a g-good live r-reaction and t-thought process. B-but I'm a-also doing a g-gym review of this p-place too."

Kirishima lets out an excited noise from the last part, "That's pretty awesome, bro! You got quirk gyms chomping at the chain to get you to review their stuff!"

Izuku instinctively tries to downplay his own status, not wanting to sound arrogant and make his new acquaintances mad at him, "N-No, i-it's just…w-w-well-"

He's cut off by Ashido making a buzzing noise and crossing her arms, "No no no! No negativity today, Mutterstorm! You're totally awesome and I'll accept no other response! Your content helps a lot of people and I can't wait to see how you help Kiri!"

Kirishima couldn't help but be impressed by Mina…ever since that event where he couldn't overcome his own cowardice and fear, he had started paying more attention to Ashido. She is a force of nature and a born hero, bright like the sun and braver than anyone he's ever met. Izuku initially flinches from Ashido's insistence, but a small smile creeps onto his face as he slowly begins to accept Ashido's words. With just one action, Kirishima saw Ashido push back on some of that negativity that was consuming Izuku and he couldn't help but swoon…at the same time, he has to face his own inaction again, but he had sworn he'd never back down ever again!

"Bro, I'm with her on this. You're pretty awesome and wicked smart. Maybe I'm biased, seeing as you're going to help me, but I promise I'll never let your advice go to waste," he makes a fist, clenching it hard to show his resolve and taps his heart, "I'll get into U.A. and you'll be able to hold your head high!"

Izuku was awestruck…that resolve, that charisma, that willingness to help someone like him…it reminds him a little of All Might and that causes him to blush hard. His ears turn red as he can barely look Kirishima in the eye, not when that look of resolve is so hot!

Ashido found a small bit of purple blush coming to her cheeks too, but she handles it much better. She's also distracted by the way Izuku reacts and uses every fiber of her being to stop herself from squealing out loud. Did Izuku have a crush on Kiri?! He totally does! Oh, this was going to be a good day, "See, Kiri thinks you're the best!"

Kirishima blushes slightly from Ashido's teasing and corrects her, but Ashido just keeps her usual cheshire grin adorned on her face, "We think you're the best."

"...Thanks," was all Izuku could say, a vibrant smile plastered on his face as he stares down at the ground, definitely not able to meet either of their gazes.

"No prob, bro! So, where are we gonna set up? I'm so totally stoked to start!"

"O-Oh, well, t-the g-gym owner said w-we c-could set up i-in one of their p-private r-rooms, w-where they usually r-run some exercise c-classes. W-We s-should have a c-couple of hours t-to film, which sh-should be more th-than enough t-to get what w-we need. Afterwards I-I'll be reviewing th-the facilities a-and interviewing the owner, s-some of the staff, and s-some random g-gym goers."

After Izuku explains what his plans were, they newly formed trio heads inside, finding a clean looking, bright interior with rows and rows of various machines. Some of the machines were truly massive and bulky, being able to accommodate users with fairly strong strength quirks. The gym seemed to specialize in helping people with power or endurance type quirks; they even had a pretty neat punch machine, an incredibly durable machine that could measure the strength of one's strike. The gym even put up a leaderboard for it!

Izuku briefly met the owner of the gym before being shown to an empty room with a wood patterned floor and a row of mirrors. The owner and some of the employees carried in a small table and three chairs before leaving them alone and allowing Izuku to set up. Izuku pulls out a couple of wireless mic packs from his backpack and hooks them up to both himself and Kirishima, syncing them to his phone and setting up his phone on a tripod.

"Okay, that should do it…A-Ashido, I might n-need a close up o-of Kirishima's quirk, so y-you'll need to make s-sure the focus i-is okay."

As Izuku explains, Ashido just nods along happily, "Oh, yeah, that'll be easy! Just work your magic, cutie!"

Izuku starts sputtering from being called cute again, his face exploding in a blush that makes Ashido giggle…Izuku is really starting to like that adorable giggle, even if it makes him like this.

Kirishima couldn't help but chuckle at the interaction, already used to Ashido's usual antics, "Don't break the guy that's trying to help me, Ashido."

Ashido simply rolls her eyes and adorns her usual cheshire grin, deciding to just sit back for now. Izuku busies himself by putting two chairs in front of the camera, sitting in his chair as he starts to get into his usual mindset. He breathes in and out audibly a few times, channeling every bit of charisma he can and becoming Mutterstorm. Opening his eyes and forcibly suppressing his anxiety. He gives a nod to Ashido and she presses record on his phone.

Mutterstorm leans back comfortably in his seat and waves to the camera, "Hey, everyone! I've got a familiar segment for everyone, but it's clear that I'm not using my usual setup," Izuku's voice was clearer and his smile seemed genuinely happy and vibrant. The stutter is completely gone from his voice as he focuses on the excitement of the situation: getting to analyze a quirk! Kirishima and Ashido are much more familiar with this side of Izuku and found themselves pulled into his pace, getting a little hyped up that they could be involved in his next video.

"I'm here at Zenkai Boost Quirk Gym in Chiba and you're going to be seeing a review of this place later, but I'm here for my quirk analysis segment with an in person gues,t for the first time on my channel! I'd like to introduce you to Kirishima, but some of you may know him as CrimsonSpirit! Tell us a little about yourself."

Kirishima gives a sharp smile to the camera, waving animatedly, "Hey, guys! Like Mutterstorm said, I'm Kirisima Eijirou! I like things that are manly and Crimson Riot is my favorite hero! I hope to be a hero like him someday! I'm shooting for U.A.!"

Izuku perks up quite a bit at the mention of the lesser known hero, "Oh, so that's what your username references. Not many people know about the chivalrous hero, but he's really cool and challenges what quirks are considered 'useful' or 'powerful'."

The smile Izuku gives makes Kirishima's heart skip a beat…no one had ever even heard of Crimson Riot before, but here was Izuku so wholeheartedly complimenting the pinnacle of hero he wants to emulate! A slight blush adorns Kirishima's cheeks and that doesn't escape Ashido's watchful gaze and she truly struggles staying silent behind the camera.

"Y-Yeah, bro! Crimson Riot is my inspiration! I want to be like him someday; he was part of what gave me confidence in my quirk, even if it's kinda weak and not very flashy," Kirishima's smile turns slightly hesitant as he looks away from Izuku, but Izuku manages to pull him back into the light.

Izuku's head slightly tilts like a confused puppy, "But your quirk is awesome, Kirishima, but it's like a muscle you need to work. Quite a few fortification quirks that start off weak need to be worked out like a muscle. Crimson Riot's quirk was like that too and your quirk seems pretty similar to his. Oh, for our viewers, could you explain your quirk, Kirishima?"

No one had ever reassured Kirishima like this; everyone had thought that his quirk was weak…hell, even he thought his own quirk was weak.. However, Izuku was here just flipping so many of his preconceived notions on their head.

"Well, alright. My quirk is called hardening," Kirishima flexes his arm and his quirk activates, his fist looking like it was made of rock, "It gives a slight strength boost and a slight fortification, but I can only do it on a small area," Kirishima forces his quirk to expand up to the middle of his bicep, showing the area that he could harden at one time…but Mutter, what do you mean about working out the quirk? I've done a lot of training typical for fortification quirks like mine, but this is the hardest I can get it and the most I can make it cover."

Izuku was glad he was able to get Kirishima's quirk in advance, as he was able to prepare some material for this question! Izuku pulls his backpack over and pulls out one of his signature notebooks 'Hero Analysis for the Future' and flips to his most recent pages.

"Well, I remember you mentioned that when I first asked you about your quirk, so I was able to pull a few studies about fortification quirks. For fortification quirks that've shown notable improvement, 96.2% required some sort of physical workout, like iron body training or standard strength training and conditioning. 18.6% required a change in diet, which either includes an intake of a specific food or food item or a general increase in calories. 5.1% required high amounts of various energies from thermal to electrical. And 3.2% required an increase in mental fortitude. There were other required factors that are under 1%, but I'll send them to you later and you can run through the list to see what works. Now, that last 3.2% is probably the most interesting aspect of this because it's one of the only mental factors on the list. Not only that, but those 3.2% initially had lower average physicals than the rest of their field, but showed the highest amount of growth and higher average physicals after improvement," Izuku looked up from his notes to see Ashido desperately trying to hold in her laughter, covering her mouth tight as to not let any giggles.

Izuku looks over to Kirishima and he looks completely lost, like a blue screening computer struggling to keep up, and he figures it out; he probably muttered that entire thing…well, at least it made good content.

"Um…bro, could you, like, go over that again but a little slower? I could only pick up like every third word, but seeing one our mutterstorms in person was pretty cool!"

Kirishima's shy smile made Izuku feel comfortable about his mutterings…at least they didn't think it was creepy and stalkerish.

Izuku apologies, bashfully rubbing the back of his head, before repeating what he just said and adding on, "The parameters of your quirk and your physical numbers were pretty in line with the starting average of the 3.2% users' physical numbers, so I think that may be the trigger for your quirk to get much stronger…I know this could be a sensitive subject, so you don't need to answer and I can cut it out of the final video if you end up feeling uncomfortable about it later…and I don't mean any offensive when I ask this, but do you think your will or resolve is on the weaker side?"

At that question, Kirishima falters slightly and he looks at Ashido, remembering the incident with that giant villain that happened a few weeks ago. He had been a coward and let his fear overwhelm him, while Ashido had conquered her fear and showed an intelligence to direct the situation away from their classmates.

She moved and he didn't.

Ashido sees the look in Kirishima's eyes and it was easy to see the regret in them, causing her own smile to fade and her eyes to soften. While they weren't the closest of friends by any means, she had seen him apologize for his inaction and show a fiery spirit to improve himself, a rarity for most people. Izuku starts acting a bit more nervous, noticing the bit of tension that entered the room, but before he could say anything about it, Kirishima takes both of his hands and slaps his face with both of them, surprising the hell out of the others in the room.

He breathes in and out slowly, gaining a small smile as he looks back to Izuku, "Yeah…yeah, but it's a little bit of a story that doesn't paint me in the best light…basically, some of my classmates were being harassed by a villain. I wanted to help, to step up and be a hero for them, but my feet wouldn't move…I was scared and acted like a coward….They might've died if it wasn't for her, she was a hero that day," Kirishima pointed to Ashido and Ashido's cheeks exploded in a purple blush from the sudden praise, "Ashido directed the villain elsewhere and was able to solve the situation without violence," Kirishima looks up towards the ceiling, some energy starting to get back in his voice as he spreads his arms out wide, "She was so manly and everything I wished I could be, but I realized that my resolve was too weak…After seeing an interview with Crimson Riot, the one where he talks about weak quirks in heroics, I resolved myself to become a hero, regardless of my weak quirk…I wanted to be more like him…and more like Ashido. I just need to apply myself and I'll make it…it's still a relatively new thing for me."

Izuku was awestruck by the heroic spirit shining from the depths of Kirishima's soul. The vulnerability he was showing was alluring in its own right, but the other occupants couldn't help but think how beautiful this moment was. Ashido was a hot mess, her cheeks flushing a noticeable purple from the Kiri pouring his heart out. No one had ever said anything like that about her before, she had never been someone's inspiration…at least not since her mom. She was the light for someone and was compared to an awesome hero, fulfilling a dream she had since childhood; not everyone was the biggest fan of people with mutant quirks and Ashido had experienced her own share of discrimination and trauma because of it. She decided to combat all the hate she experienced with joy and love and here she was, seeing the payoff for her own heroic resolve staring at her like she was the hottest thing since sliced bread.

"Wow…that's quite the story Kirishima, I can see where you're coming from and Ashido is pretty awesome. If you've already resolved to be more like her and Crimson Riot, you should keep your focus on your resolve and your quirk could start seeing improvements. It'll be more likely to improve if you activate it regularly and keep training your quirk," Izuku is able to steer the conversation back onto the topic of his quirk, but he finds himself feeling impressed by both Ashido and Kirishima; their heroic spirit was something beautiful and he knows that they'd be great heroes some day.

Kirishima's smile returns to its usual vibrancy as he relaxes back into his chair, "I'll definitely do it, bro. I already promised you that it'd get into U.A., so I don't intend for your hard work to go to waste…honestly, being on the receiving end of this is kinda intense, you did all this research for me?"

Izuku, again, tilts his head in confusion, "Well, yeah, it was fun."

Oh this sweet summer child…Kirishima knew that this is the reason why he's in the Mutterstorm Protectio Squad; he's just so stinkin' precious! Ashido was having similar feelings, but she wanted to corrupt the pure cinnamon roll…he was just too damn cute for his own good! Curse her having to be the camerawoman, she wants to tease the poor boy!

"Oh…well, thanks bro, it's much appreciated!"

Izuku's smile returns to its usual radiance, "Of course! Oh, I also have some other studies about fortification quirks similar to yours. It took a bit to sift through the data but I think I've been able to compile some good information about how you can change your diet to better aid your quirk!"

For the next half hour, Izuku is able to thoroughly review and help Kirishima with his quirk, who was just barely keeping his head above water keeping up with Izuku. While a lot of it was a little technical, Izuku made the parts he could easily understand. In the end, Kirishima walks away with a good game plan for improving his quirk and a new understanding of his quirk.

With the recording finished, Ashido was practically bouncing around, "Ugh! It was so hard being quiet for so long! I was gonna burst if you kept going any longer!"

Kirishima couldn't help but laugh at the girl's plight, "You were the one to crash the party, Ashido."

"Quiet you," Ashido playfully glared at Kirishima, conveniently ignoring the consequences of her own actions.

Rolling his eyes, Kirishima gets up from his seat and stretches his back with a small groan, "I gotta use the bathroom real quick…Ashido, don't break him too much while I'm gone. I'll be back!"

"No promises, Kiri~," Ashido says in a singsong voice, her usual mischievous grin adorning her face and causing Izuku to pale. Oh, he is so screwed.

Kirishima's absence was certainly something Izuku didn't need, as he was now alone with a girl that liked to tease him…but it didn't feel so bad to be on the receiving end of her antics. He'd been on the receiving end of quite a few pranks from the girls in his class, but this felt nothing like that. Ashido's teasing felt light and benign, lacking the fangs of malice that had repeatedly scarred him.

"Hmmmmm…I'll be nice, for now…but only because you helped Kiri get back into a good mood, Mutter!"

Izuku is able to take a small breath of relief, but finds himself a little concerned about the second part of what she just said, "Oh, um, A-Ashido. What do you m-mean by that? Does it have to do with th-the villain incident that he mentioned?"

While Izuku's stutter came back, it definitely wasn't as prevalent and that made Ashido happy that he could be a bit more comfortable around her.

Ashido nods, gaining a hesitant look as she delves into more personal territory, "Yeah…I mean, I'm kinda the reason why he got so down about himself, but I'm glad I can be someone's inspiration; I've wanted to be a hero and others' inspiration since I was little, so it feels nice that he sees me like that."

A smaller, more serene smile finds its way onto her face as she thinks about Kiri, feeling her heart swell ever so slightly. He really was one of a kind and so direct about himself.

Izuku returns the small smile with his own, slightly bitter smile, understanding the sentiment all too well, "I guess I-I know how you feel. I-I've wanted to be like A-All Might since…well, I-I can't really remember a t-time when I didn't want to be like h-him. Being able to s-save others with a smile w-was a dream of mine and he was the entire reason why I-I wanted to be a hero, even if it was unrealistic,' Izuku could feel the all too fresh memories wash over him, where All Might told him to give up and be realistic…and he had done so, but was he truly happy?

Shaking off the sour memories, he pushes through the topic and focuses back on Ashido, "Who was your inspiration?"

Ashido didn't like the look in Izuku's eye; it was clear that he had some bad feelings around his ability to be a hero, which confused her a little. If his quirk was some analytical quirk, he could easily make that work, even if he wasn't like All Might…did he want to be a combat hero that badly? Maybe his quirk was something weak and couldn't be improved? For now, any questions about him are shelved and it was her turn to open up a little.

Ashido remembers what it was like to be hated for no other reason than the color of her skin. She has a quirk with mutant properties, something that a lot of those with an old school mentality couldn't stand. Bigots saw her as a monster, as unevolved, as something less than and she was confronted by that reality at quite the young age of eight years old.

Her father had been tortured to death by some asshole hate group.

Her father had been stolen away from her for reasons she couldn't fully comprehend at the time, all because he had bull horns, all because he had a 'physical abnormality' in an era where people could shoot lasers from their eyes and level skyscrapers with a punch. Ashido had overheard her mother talking with the police and was absolutely devastated that someone had taken her Daddy away for such a stupid reason. Depression had been prevalent in the Ashido household, especially with her mom. Her mom couldn't even get out of bed most days and her entire family was in danger of facing homelessness, but she happened upon the words of the Smile Hero, Ms. Joke.

With an uncharacteristic seriousness, Ms. Joke gave a response to the question 'How can you stay so happy all the time?'

"I'm not happy all the time, there are times when even I can't find a reason to laugh; people are capable of truly vile things and I've had a hand in stopping some of the worst of these cases. However, All Might has taught us that smiling is important in dealing with all the evil that thrashes about in this world. Laughter is the best medicine, after all! Beyond that, smiling is something that helps inspire hope and hope is something everyone desperately needs. Surprisingly enough, villains are one of the main reasons why I want to smile…and no, not all villains. The villains that I truly smile for are the ones who want to change their ways; I help sponsor and work with a villain and criminal rehabilitation program. While our criminal justice system tries its best, its focus is more on punishing criminals instead of reforming them. A little kindness and trust go a long way to breaking learned habits and behaviors…some of them just didn't know anything more than the violence or hate they grew up with, so I smile to give them a catalyst for change. Smiling is something anyone can do and it's better than any quirk I can think of!"

Those words from Ms. Joke had struck a deep chord with Ashido and she resolved herself from that moment onward. She began to smile for her family and did all she could to break her mama out of her depressive funk. She used whatever joke she could find, as many hugs as she could muster, and as much help from her siblings to think up new ideas…and she was eventually successful. She heard her mom laugh hysterically for the first time in weeks; while nothing had truly healed quite yet, it was a wonderful start.

Ever since then, Ashido became a shining beacon to those around her, providing sunshine and smiles to everyone who interacted with her. She had even stopped quite a few bullying attempts with the power of dancing!

Ashido's serene smile widens softly, gaining a complex emotion that Izuku couldn't quite decipher, "Ms. Joke is my inspiration; she's the entire reason why I can smile the way I do, because I want to help people and make them feel good! More than that, I want to be the kind of hero that can even save villains…I don't know how much you know about mutant discrimination, but it can get pretty nasty. I've had my fair share of interactions with people who've had problems with me because of how my quirk makes me look…you think they'd be more scared of the acid emitting part of my quirk…I actually lost my dad because of those bigots," Ashido couldn't explain why she was getting so personal with Izuku…maybe it just felt like he could truly understand? Maybe he experienced pain like hers? It was hard to say, but Ashido had no intention of stopping.

"It was some mutant hating group that got him…part of me wants to see them all dead, but another part of me wants to see them reformed. Ms. Joke does villain rehabilitation, ya know, and I just think that's so frickin' cool. A lot of heroes just stop the effort after they beat the bad guys up, but she's been able to help reform so many people…even some former bigots…I think I'd like to do the same, ya know? She's kinda also the reason why I was able to help my mom; she was really depressed after dad died, like she shut herself in her room for weeks. I told as many jokes and probably really annoyed my mom with the amount of tight hugs I gave her, but she got better and it felt really good to help her like that…it's also kind of the reason why I dance too! Whenever I dance for my mama, she'd have the biggest smile on her face, so I just kind of kept with it…and it turns out, a lot of other people like dancing too! It's a great way to connect with people and express yourself!"

For the second time today, Izuku is awestruck; his heart skips a beat when he sees Ashido's usual vibrant smile return to her face and he can't help but blush. At the same time, Izuku was feeling…inadequate…was this how Kirishima felt when he saw Ashido step up where he couldn't? Ashido was able to take the pain life threw at her and turned it into a positive…Izuku tried to do the same, but deep down, he knew he wanted more. He endured the hate for so long and ended up getting partially swallowed by it…this whole Mutterstorm thing was just a half-measure, a continuation of his dream that he had promised to give up, something that All Might had told him to give up! True, Izuku was doing this to help people, but his own origins about it were little more than a child's dream.

There were other skills he could've cultivated in his pursuit to being a hero and his own skinny body was proof of that. An untrained and unrefined body is not cut out for heroics…all he had was his mind, but he was nowhere near the intellect of Mr. Principal or Sir Nighteye. All Might had even told him to be more realistic and he was throwing away what little chance he had to be a hero! True, All Might said becoming a hero without a quirk is impossible, but he just couldn't let his childish dream go!

Izuku sighs heavily and leans back in his chair, relaxing back, looking up at the ceiling, and letting go of so much of the weight he'd been carrying, "You're amazing, Ashido; I can't help but admire your spirit and I know you'll be among the best heroes. In your pain, you turned to creation and creativity and that's nothing short of stunning…I can't say I did the same. I guess I know what it's like to be discriminated against too; I'm quirkless," Izuku didn't know why he was so comfortable releasing all of this to her, but maybe it's because she opened up…maybe it's because he needs genuine human connection or maybe it's because he thinks she'll understand.

"Despite that, I've always wanted to be a hero. It's why I started doing all of this analysis stuff back when I was first diagnosed. Admittedly, it's a skill that could serve me well with on a hero adjacent career, but I didn't want any of that. I wanted to be a hero from the bottom of my heart, but I guess I never really took it as seriously as I should've. I never even physically trained myself…maybe a big part of me knew I could never do it. I guess I'm a little stubborn though; no matter how many times my classmates hit me or yelled at me, I just couldn't let go of my dream. No one's ever said I could become a hero, so I guess I've always believed it, especially after All Might said the same."

That bombshell just shattered Ashido's view of Mutterstorm. She can't help but stare as her mind tries to catch up to the fact that Mutterstorm, the analyst extraordinaire, is quirkless and still able to get compliments from heroes in the industry, like Present Mic. Not only that, but it sounds like he was facing abuse from a lot of people and that is simply not okay. Even within this, he found a way to compliment Ashido in a way that she'd never heard before and a compliment that strikes at the very core of who she is. More than that, he said that he admires her like Kiri does; he believes in her! After she bore part of herself to him, he did the same in return, so she was going to support him too, dammit! All Might's opinion be damned! He could at least try and see what happens!

Ashido pushes down a blush and walks over to where Izuku is sitting, squatting down and gently laying a hand on the back of Izuku's hand. Izuku, for his part, breaks out in a heavy blush from the physical contact, but the look of concern on her face keeps him rooted. Her hand is so soft and Midoriya was drawn into those striking eyes of hers, not able to escape their pull.

It was like a siren's call.

"Midoriya, I'm so sorry you went through all that, but you're awesome too…you know that, right? Not many people can do this kind of thing, hell, you even got an endorsement from Present Mic! Even if none of that is true, you don't deserve any of that abuse being thrown your way. I'm sorry that we both had to go stuff like that…but I know you can push through it too. Don't let anyone else decide your worth, Midoriya. Okay? And ya know what? Screw what All Might thinks! You have to at least try, if you really want to be a hero! Only you can decide if you can be a hero or not! You're helping Kiri, so we'll help you too! Even if it's impossible, we can face it together and kick ass or die trying!"

Izuku was speechless.

She basically said 'Fuck what All Might thinks' and that was something that shatters part of his brain. She took the worldview that was forced upon him and tore it apart with the power of hope. Even if it could be seen as a foolish hope, he still wants to try. He still needs to be a hero! She even offered to help him and that was the most mind boggling thing about this whole interaction; Ashido didn't treat him like he's subhuman. Ashido treats him like a friend, like a person deserving of kindness, and he's a bit overwhelmed by all of this. Izuku's eyes become watery as he struggles to hold everything in, to hide that part of him that's never been okay, to hide the little quirkless boy that just wanted to be like everyone else.

One sob.

One sob is all it takes for the dam to burst and the tears begin to flow. No matter how many times he wipes his eyes, they wouldn't stop. He just wants to hide away from the world, he doesn't want to let anyone see him like this, let her see him like this. He can't handle the judgment, the snickers, the anything! He needs to get out of here, he needs to breathe…but then he feels a potent warmth.

Ashido freaks out slightly when he sees Izuku suddenly start crying, and crying hard at that. Suddenly, he wasn't Mutterstorm anymore, he was just some quirkless kid trying to fight against the entire world that chewed him up and spit him out…and that broke Ashido's heart. Without thinking, she pulls him into a hug and tries to soothe the poor boy, but he tenses from the contact. All the tensity quickly ebbs away as she feels his skinny arms wrap around her and hold her desperately, craving the contact and sinking into the warmth that's acting as his only lifeline.

No one had ever done something like this for him. No one had bothered to listen to his plights and he never really felt comfortable sharing them with anyone, not even his own mother. He couldn't help but open up to her, the girl who had bared part of herself for him to see and he couldn't help but do the same. They were able to be vulnerable with one another and that was truly a blessing for Izuku. Even if it was indirectly, Mina implied that there was a possibility of him being a hero and that was more than anyone had ever given him.

He's eventually able to pull himself together, noticing just how much he's pressing himself up against her and his face explodes in a blush. "A-A-Ashido! I-I'm sorry, I-"

Ashido simply shushes him, letting him go so he could see her usual vibrant smile, "It's okay, Midoriya, we all need a good cry sometimes! I'm just glad I could help!"

Wiping any stray tears from his face, he returns the smile with a shy one of his own, "Thanks, Ashido…"

A comfortable silence hangs in the air as Ashido settles back into her chair, allowing Ashido to review what the hell just happened and Izuku to bask in this new warm feeling that had enveloped his soul. Ashido felt her heart stirring slightly, finding her gaze occasionally enraptured by the green bean she just hugged…she'd never been in love before, barely even had a crush…yet she had to wonder, was her heart beating quicker because she felt something for him? She barely even knows him personally, but she was finding herself quite curious about him. At the very least, she knew she wants to get to know him better and helping him train would certainly do that!

Her thoughts were broken by Kirishima coming back into the room, "Yo! Guys! The bathrooms are so wicked! The toilets talk to you when you use the bidet!"

Ashido breaks out into hysterical laughter, any scrap of the previous tension in her body fading from the absurdity of whatever the hell just left Kirishima's lips. Izuku soon joins her, his previous emotional state making everything feel more amplified. Once the group calmed down, they help Izuku with filming the gym and his interviews, having quite the awesome time together…Izuku couldn't remember the last time he was able to hang out with friends like this…hell, Izuku could barely remember the last time he laughed so much! He felt like he didn't deserve this, but he couldn't stop enjoying his time with both Kirishima and Ashido.

He felt the need to do more for them.

Izuku had asked the owner of the gym for a favor, but said he was willing to pay if necessary; he asked for a premium membership for Kirishima and the owner was more than happy to give Izuku that for free. Izuku thanked him profusely and promised to show off every good part of his gym to his viewers. On top of that, he asked if he knew any quirk gyms that specialized in handling people with strong emitter quirks and was given a couple of nearby recommendations. Izuku couldn't thank the man enough.

Izuku walks out of the gym and the sun had already set, the street lights illuminating the area around them. He needs to say goodbye to the waiting pair of friends he made today, quite sorrowful that he had to leave so soon…but Ashido promised that she would help him, so she'd at least see her again, hopefully.

"Um, hey guys…I sorta h-have good news," Izuku starts, but is immediately cut off by Ashido and her excitement.

"Oo oo oo, what is it, Midori?!"

"M-Midori?!" Izuku could only explain in confusion, as the last time someone gave him a nickname…well, Deku didn't really have the nicest ring to it.

Ashido giggles and nods, her usual cheshire grin adorning her face, "Yup, you're our friend now and we're going to help you train. I told Kiri a little about you needing help with building up your body. With our powers combined, you'll see sick gains in no time!"

"Yeah, bro! I got you, homie! You've already done so much for me and I know I need to return the favor. We can all shoot for U.A. together and be manly heroes!" Kirishima thumps his chest with his hardening quirk, showing off his fighting spirit, his resolve to help his friend.

Izuku has to hold back tears again as he smiles widely…his face was starting to hurt from all the smiling he was doing today, but he had no desire to stop.

He has friends…actual friends…friends as in the plural of friend.

"You…you guys are really nice…t-thank you. N-No one's ever been this nice to me before…it's a-actually kind of w-why I called in some favors…I s-sort of got a premium membership for you for this gym, K-Kirishima."

"...Bro…" was all Kirishima could say, completely stunlocked by what Izuku just gave him. That was quite an expensive favor to call in! This quirk gym certainly wasn't cheap.

Ashido nudges Kirishima's shoulder before, deciding to tease him, "The least you could do is thank the cutie, maybe take him out to a nice dinner sometime!"

Izuku blushes from that comment but moves past it the best he can, not that he was opposed to that, "W-Well, I-I sort of asked a-about other gyms in the area…y-you said your quirk i-is an acid emitter, right? Well t-there are a f-few gyms that the owner recommended…a-and I'm going t-to reach out t-to them and see i-if I can do a r-review of their g-gym for a membership for you, A-Ashido."

"...Bro…" Ashido was similarly stunlocked like Kirishima, feeling quite blessed to have met Midori…she was sooo glad she decided to crash the party and meet him!

However, it was Kirishima's turn to tease Ashido back, "You know, you can at least thank him, maybe take him out to a nice movie or something?"

It was Ashido's turn to blush, but it is quickly replaced with boisterous laughter that infects the rest of the group. Everyone laughs heartily at the interaction, finding a level of comfort in each other that didn't happen quite often for any of them, at least not this potently.. After the laughter settled down, there were wide smiles all around, but goodbyes needed to be said.

"Bro, thanks for everything," Kirishima puts his fist out for a fistbump and it's returned eagerly, "I promise we'll get into U.A. together! I'll see you soon, dude!"

Ashido says goodbye next, pulling the poor boy into a tight hug, "Seriously, thank you, for everything…you're really amazing, so don't forget that."

Izuku's blush exploded once more, leaving him a sputtering mess and not noticing the item that Ashido was able to slip into his pocket…a little too distracted by the boobs pressing against his chest and the warm voice in his ear. Ashido quickly separates from him and giggles from the way he looks…it was so easy to make him blush…and he is really really cute like this!

Izuku is barely able to pull himself together to say goodbye, "You guys are s-so awesome…thank you f-for today. I c-can't remember th-the last time I had s-so much fun with anyone…and thanks for w-wanting to help me w-with the whole hero thing…I-I'll see you guys soon!"

Wide smiles were had all around after a fate changing day, even after all the teens had separated. Izuku in particular couldn't stop smiling on his train ride home, thinking back to the day he had just had…he was really thankful he had done this whole Mutterstorm thing. His thoughts go back to Ashido, specifically how she turned her pain into something positive and he thinks about how All Might says he can still help people without being a hero…he could do something more for his community without being a hero, so he starts thinking of charities he could volunteer at…or maybe he could do a few charity streams while he was at it…but that all still felt like like too little. He needs something, something more to satiate his heroic spirit and his mind turns to Takoba Municipal Beach Park. It was a beach somewhat near his home that had trash piling up for a multitude of reasons and all involved in maintaining the area had been ignoring it quite spectacularly. The state of the beach has caused people to stay away from the area and the surrounding businesses to decline, yet no one had done anything, not even the governing body responsible for it.

He resolves himself right then and there to clean up the entirety of Takoba Municipal Beach Park and do right by his community…all to be more like her, more like the girl who had soothed him and given him so much hope. Moving all that trash is going to be a good workout after all!

Part of the way home, he sticks his hand into his pocket and feels a piece of paper press up against his hand. He doesn't remember pocketing any paper, so he pulls it out to look at it and instantly blushes when he sees it. It's a note with a phone number, a discord username, and a purple lipstick print on it, followed by a "Message me sometime, cutie".

This girl was either going to be the death of him or the best thing to ever happen to him, maybe both. Either way, he had much to look forward to in the near future.

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To those who were hoping for HHDM to be updated, it looks like it might be a little delayed. Sorry! I have chapter 4 written out, but not edited, and I haven't started on chapter 5 yet. I'm not going to rush to finish it by this weekend, so it will most likely be delayed because I like having a chapter in the bank when I post. Anyway, I hope you liked my little one shot here!

Stay hydrated, y'all!