Quick Author's Note:
If anybody here is a follower of my other stories, "Effecting Fate" or "Victims of Fate", I'd like to apologize... I said in the last chapter of "A Hero's Blessing" that they would be the next chapters I'd work on. Unfortunately, my muse is determined to make a liar out of me. And that is my fault. I am slow at writing, and it's harder than you'd think to jump from story to story. I have great respect for those who are able to do so. But that's enough of that - Onto the chapter!
Izuku's POV
Takoba Municipal Beach (more commonly known as Dagobah Beach by locals) was, perhaps, the perfect example of how bad things could get when no effort was made to maintain something.
Izuku had seen pictures of it with Momo when they had been scouting ideas, and he vaguely remembered looking over it one time when he had to walk past it, but it was another thing to see it up close.
How did it get this bad?!
All around him, Izuku could see literal mountains of trash. Junked cars, refrigerators, and televisions were easily seen littering the landscape amongst piles of indistinguishable rubbish.
It might take more than one day for this to happen… and wait, was that a fox?
Looks like they had to worry about local wildlife as well.
Shaking his head, Izuku glanced back at where everybody else was mingling, some more cautiously than others.
At least the two classes were getting along well.
Iida could be seen talking with a large boy with shaggy fur and glasses, Kirishima looked like he was challenging a guy with an insect mutation before Uraraka separated the two. Fumikage appeared to be in deep conversation with a guy with pitch black skin and a girl with white hair, Ojiro seemed to have gravitated towards a guy with shoulder length black hair, and Momo and Jiro were talking with Kendo and another girl.
Then there was Ashido and Hagakure, who had managed to gather up most of the others who were hanging back and were getting them to participate.
"Hah! it looks like despite being the ones to propose the idea, Class B has more dedicated students!"
Izuku looked over to see Monoma walking over, his emotions smug. Doing a quick headcount, Izuku confirmed that there were more Class B than Class A.
By one member, sure, but still. If Monoma wanted to be happy about that, who was Izuku to criticize?
"H-hey Monoma," Izuku greeted the other boy nervously. "I-I'm glad so many decided to come!"
Seriously, Izuku had no idea what he would have done if only one or two people had shown up to help.
And some of the ones that didn't come said they would try to come later! Tsu had to babysit her siblings for a bit, and Sato's younger sister had a music festival he needed to be at, but had said they'd be free later!
True, others like Todoroki and Kacchan had straight out said they wouldn't. But the fact that half the class had come kept Izuku's spirits up.
Monoma smirked imperiously. "Of course! Not that we need to have more people than your class. We'll show that Class 1-B can clean up far more trash than Class 1-A!"
Monoma's prideful emotions seemed to falter when Izuku just nodded. "You guys probably will." He agreed easily.
"Huh?" Monoma looked confused at Izuku's admission. Which caused Izuku to become confused as well. Was he confused that Izuku reached the same conclusion as he did?
"W-well, I d-don't know everybody's quirks in your class," Izuku began cautiously. "B-but in ours, Uraraka is the most useful in this situation, and you'd be able to copy it. Kirishima and Tokoyami's quirk will also be able to do a lot, but most other quirks probably won't be very applicable."
Jiro's and Hagakure's quirks were extremely useful, just not in this particular context. Ashido could use her acid to break stuff apart if need be, but he didn't think that would help all that much. Once they got a good bit cleared, then maybe Iida's speed would come in handy, but it would still be limited on the sand. Momo's quirk remained - in his mind - one of the most powerful quirks he had heard of, but UA was providing all the supplies and equipment they would need for this.
Of course, once Sato got here then he'd be a huge help. Super strength was one of the most versatile quirks that existed for a reason.
Unless Class 1-B was full of combat only quirks, there was a good chance they'd be able to do more than Class 1-A.
That's what Monoma had meant. Right?
Monoma blinked a couple times, staring at Izuku for several moments, and for a moment Izuku was worried that the other boy was weirded out by his mumbling before the other boy managed to recover. "O-of course! I'm simply impressed you came to the same conclusion as myself. That is exactly the reason!"
Izuku breathed a quick sigh of relief for not alienating a potential friend. Never mind that he hadn't manage to drive anybody away since he came to UA, he was well aware it could happen at the drop of a hat.
Monoma continued with a smirk, "Regardless, I think you'll find that of Class B refuse to be outshone by the lesser class once more."
Once more?
Monoma gave a deadpan look at Izuku's confusion, "Surely one as intelligent as you has seen it, especially with the upcoming Sports Festival. How everybody is talking about your class. The benefits that brings?"
"Ah," Izuku flinched at the reminder. "I w-wouldn't call what happened at USJ a benefit exactly…"
He felt a small surge of regret from Monoma.
"Ah, well, regardless of intent, you can't deny the advantages." Monoma continued brusquely.
"I-I've been trying to avoid thinking about that." Izuku admitted with a forced smile.
Normally the first years didn't receive that much attention. They weren't expected to have learned much with only a month of training under their belt. Instead, the attention would go to the second and third years.
This year would not be normal..
"First with the son of Endeavor in your class, there would have been plenty of attention already." Monoma explained with a wave. "But after… Current events, such attention would only increase, would you not agree?"
"B-but it will also help you, won't it?" Izuku pointed out, eager to get the attention off of himself.
After all, people wouldn't likely know the difference between the two classes. They would only care about the 'first year' part. Right?
Monoma smirked. "Of course! We might be at a disadvantage, but we will not simply roll over! While the audience might come to see you, we will show them how our class is the superior one!"
Izuku managed a smile at Monoma's enthusiasm. "I look forward to seeing what you guys can do! And we'll do our best as well."
Monoma's emotions faltered once more. Was he expecting Izuku to respond differently?
"Hmph, I suppose I should have realized you'd be more like this." Monoma mused. "After all, to those cast in a supporting role, to see the main cast shine is our job, isn't it?"
Huh?
That was an odd way of looking at it… Not 'incorrect' per se, but it felt off.
"Monoma -" he began, only to be interrupted as one of UA's large vans drove up, gaining everybody's attention.
Ok. A conversation for another day.
Izuku and Momo immediately began to walk up, but both were caught off guard when the passenger door was yanked open and a pink blur shot out, just as Snipe came out of the driver's side.
"Ooh! Look at all the materials! I can make so many babies with these!" A girl around their age stared at the piles of junk with awe in her eyes, her entire body shaking with excitement.
Seriously, Izuku could sense waves of excitement coming off of the girl.
They turned as another bus drove up with Powerloader coming out. With them came several more students and another adult.
Izuku slowed down in confusion as he saw the new guy. Tall and lanky with blonde hair, the man was practically skeletal. Izuku was positive that he's never seen him before, but there was something about the tone of his emotions…
Had he felt it somewhere in UA before?
"G'morning students," the Western Hero called out as he walked up to them. "Glad to see so many of you out here today."
He gave a wave to the other teacher and students. "We decided to bring Power Loader and some of the students from Class 1-C here to assist. In the future, these folks will be the ones to take care of suit modifications and repairs, so it'll pay to get to know them."
Powerloader gave a small wave before grabbing the pink haired girl's shoulder, preventing her from running into the piles of garbage.
Snipe gestured to the other man that came with them. "This here's Toshinori Yagi."
The odd man gave them a nod with a small smile, "I doubt you guys have seen me - I just, ah, help around the school where I can. But it's a pleasure to meet you all." He ended with a small bow.
Snipe walked around to the back of one of the vans and opened the back to reveal a full assortment of boots, gloves, masks, and other equipment.
"All right pardners, listen up!" The Western Hero called out, immediately getting everybody's attention. "I'd like to thank all of you for voluntarily setting this sort of thing up. We usually don't see that sort of initiative till a student's second or third year. Now, that bein' said, there is a list of precautions we have to go through to avoid any accidents. We've got first aid kits with us, but we don't want to need to use them if we can avoid it. And with this much junk, the chance of infection is extremely high. So let's not take chances, ya hear?"
He waited till everybody nodded in agreement before continuing.
"Now, a lot of this stuff will be just trash, but if you think something can be recycled, you can talk with Powerloader or one of the Support Class. It'll be their job to determine what all can be salvaged, and if so we'll be transportin' it back to UA."
"Quirks are allowed. But just cause ya can use em doesn't mean ya should - in some cases, it'll make the work harder. While we do encourage creativity, if you're going to do something new, make sure ya talk to either Power Loader or myself. We all want this place cleaned, but our main goal at the end of the day is to have zero accidents. Everybody got that?"
After everybody nodded in understanding, Snipe gave a light chuckle. "Well, with that behind us, let's see what all we can do to make this beach livable again, shall we?"
As everybody cheered and got to work, nobody saw the fox patiently watching from one of the vehicles.
The first hurdle had been surprisingly hard to figure out. With so much to work on, where did they even start?
At first several students wanted to try making it into a competition between classes, which Momo and Kendo quickly shot down, and Izuku eventually managed to talk Monoma down.
Even then, it took about an hour before they were able to establish a proper rhythm.
Uraraka was positively invaluable, as was Kodai - one of the Class B students, both able to make it possible to move the larger pieces like refrigerators and vehicles with ease. Yanagi, another class B student, would then use her telekinesis to whisk it over to one of the dumpsters.
Monoma would copy whichever quirk was most useful at the time, going wherever he was needed. While Kirishima, Tokoyami's Dark Shadow, and Hiryu Rin would grab an armful of junk, their quirks allowing them to ignore any potential damage.
Meanwhile, the rest of the students focused on the remaining garbage, of which there was a lot.
It was after a couple hours of this that Izuku discovered what thousands of teenagers throughout time have learned - regardless of the intentions, community service was boring.
"Uuugh." Kaminari groaned as he threw the latest box into the dumpster. "Midoriyaaaa, can't you give me one of your butterfly boosts or something?"
Before Izuku could reply, Kaminari let out a yelp as Jiro poked him with her jacks. "C'mon taser brain, don't tell me you're throwing in the towel already." She teased as she walked by with her own load. Her words lost some sting as it was clear she was tiring as well.
"No!" He protested without much conviction. "I mean, all of us are getting tired, right? And if Midoriya can give us a boost, then…" he trailed off while looking at the butterflies that had taken up residence in the shade of one of the school vans.
The little traitors had left after only a half an hour of work, and were content to just sit back and watch out of the sun. Nooroo had flown off as well, though Izuku was sure he was nearby watching.
Izuku gave an apologetic smile. "S-sorry Kaminari, my quirk relies on emotion. The stronger the emotion the better."
Izuku yelped as the large body of Shishida came up, a tire under his arm. "That's an intriguing restriction, but I suppose something is required to make a connection with the other person, correct?" Shishida mused.
Izuku gave a quick nod, "y-yep, that's r-right." He managed.
It was a partial lie. Izuku could still make people Champions. But the less emotion there was, the weaker the Champion would be. Still, he had a reason for the misdirect.
Izuku couldn't use the Miraculous all the time (nor would he want to condemn Nooroo to that). So he needed to come up with a reason why he couldn't make somebody a Champion at any given time.
It wasn't perfect. But it would do for now.
"J-just think of it as an extension to All-Mights fitness class." Izuku said encouragingly to Kaminari.
Kaminari let out another dramatic groan, but Shishida looked at Izuku curiously. "He's doing that for you guys as well?" He asked.
Izuku tilted his head, "I guess? I mean, it's mostly been P.E., with a few simulations thrown in, right? Why would it be different?"
It had taken Izuku by surprise at first when All-Might had worked with each of them to create a custom nutrition and exercise plan. His classes after that consisted of sparring and exercise, usually with a simulation, like the battle trials on that first day or rescue training, at the end of the week.
Shishida shrugged. "We were unsure if you guys were receiving special treatment." He admitted bluntly.
"Oh." Izuku wasn't quite sure what to make of that… "I mean, it makes sense that they would want to work through the basics with us, right? So we'll be able to apply ourselves better in simulations, and eventually in actual missions."
Izuku appreciated the lessons at least. Nooroo gave him several advantages, but strength wasn't really one of them.
'A butterfly shouldn't be a combatant.' Izuku could practically hear Nooroo say. Which, he understood… But he should still be prepared if it actually happened, right?
Ok, he was still working on endurance and strength training. Even now, his muscles burning after moving so much trash, Izuku liked to think he had been managing more than he might have the previous month. But even if he wasn't, he was quite happy with his progress.
Kirishima and Kamakiri chose that moment to charge by - Kamakiri with an air conditioner, and Kirishima with a small refrigerator. Both huffing in exertion, yet clearly still having a competition with each other.
Izuku managed a weak laugh. "S-some of us are more physically fit than others." He admitted faintly.
Shishida chuckled, "it's a shame our Tetsutetsu couldn't make it today - I think I might have paid money to see his reaction to meeting your Kirishima there."
"Really?" That was a Class 1-B member he wasn't aware of. "W-why is that?" Izuku asked.
Shishida stared at Kirishima for a moment longer, watching as Power Loader threw water bottles at the two of them and ordered them to hydrate.
"They are, you could say, a bit similar." The beast-like boy said with a smirk before nodding at the two of them respectfully. "Thank you for your time." before lumbering away with the tire.
"C-c'mon Kaminari," Izuku encouraged the still exhausted boy. "Just another thirty minutes until lunch. P-plus Ultra, right?"
Kaminari let out another groan before striking his fist in the air.
"Plus Ultra." He agreed weakly before starting up once more.
Thirty minutes later, when Mr. Yagi came back with several pizzas, Izuku couldn't even blame Kaminari for the amount of relief he was exuding.
Momo's POV
"Is that my younger brother I see?"
Momo, as well as everybody else, looked up to see a beaming man in a tracksuit jog up to where they were enjoying their lunch.
Said man practically teleported to Iida's side and sat down with a broad smile. "I have come to embarrass you horribly little brother!"
"Tensei!" From the look on Iida's face, Momo figured that to be a doomed venture. Iida looked overjoyed at the sudden intrusion. "I didn't realize you were coming!"
"I was just jogging nearby and thought I heard your voice. What a coincidence this was!"
"Didn't I tell you where we would be -?"
"Like I said, an amazing coincidence!" Tensei replied cheerfully. "Totally unexpected. But now that I'm here, why don't you introduce me to your classmates?"
"Of course!" Iida stood up, "everybody, this is my brother, Iida Tensei. Also known as the Pro-Hero Ingenium! And this is my Class President and Vice-President, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu!"
Huh. Momo hadn't realized Iida was related to a Pro-Hero. Based on everybody's reaction, neither had they. But she couldn't deny the family resemblance.
Next to her, Izuku looked like he was arguing with himself. If she was right, he was probably debating on whether to ask for an autograph right now, or later.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Ingenium said cheerfully as he reached for a slice of pizza. "I've heard good things about all of - ouch!"
Ingenium pouted at Snipe, who had slapped his hand.
"Lunch is provided for the students." Snipe drawled while giving a pointed look.
"Hey, I used to be a student!" Ingenium protested, though she could see he was resisting a smile.
"Yep. Which means that you used to get free pizza." Snipe nodded. "Now you're a functioning member of society and have your own job. Which means you can buy your own pizza."
"Oh c'mon, it's not like you're gonna miss one slice." Ingenium needled as his hand slowly reached over once more, only to move back as Snipe flicked a pebble at his hand.
Powerloader let out a scoff. "Just one slice? I can't recall a single instance where you only had 'one slice'."
Ingenium placed a hand on his chest in mock offense, "I'll have you know I've matured since then. Tenya will back me up, right bro?"
Iida blinked, "my brother is indeed a sterling example of a Pro-Hero, a guideline that everybody should strive for."
"Sure," Powerloader shrugged, "but does he still wolf down half a pizza before everybody else has finished one piece?"
"I, er, that is…"
Iida grimaced, clearly struggling to come up with something to say, and Ingenium looked at him in exaggerated dismay. "Tenya!"
It was so… Odd. Seeing Pro-Heroes in such a relaxed setting. Momo couldn't help but laugh a little at the display.
After a little bit of teasing his brother, Ingenium turned to the rest of the classes. "So! How's everybody feeling about the Sport's Festival in a week?"
Oh dear.
Momo grimaced as certain students perked up.
It was probably inevitable for the question to come up, what with the event coming up so soon. But it was also one of the more volatile questions that could have been asked.
Monoma immediately straightened. "Obviously Class 1-B is more than prepared for it." He boasted with a smirk. "Just wait, I assure you the top contenders in the end will be us!"
"Oh yeah?" Uraraka challenged, her expression becoming more intense as she focused on the other student. "That's what you think! We're going to crush you!"
Momo sighed at the scene. She had done this in class as well. Kirishima might be a bad influence on poor Uraraka…
That, or the girl was far more competitive than Momo had realized.
Speaking of Kirishima, he and Kamikiri both looked at each other, clearly about to jump in and back up their respective classes.
Momo turned to Ingenium with an apologetic smile as the argument devolved further. "I think both classes have been doing their best to ensure they are as prepared as they can be." She replied diplomatically.
If nothing else, Momo felt that she and Izuku were prepared. Independent study with Tikki aside, she and Izuku had spent a decent chunk of their time training in addition to their regular get-togethers. Occasionally they'd invite their other friends like Uraraka, Iida, Jiro, or Kirishima to join in.
Ingenium gave a smirk as he gestured to the argument, "I guess Kan is still at it?" He smirked.
Momo blinked. "Kan?"
"Sorry, you might know him as Vlad King." Ingenium expounded while leaning back. "He was super big about making rivalries during school. Always went on how competition encouraged growth and stuff."
Yep. Momo sighed. That sounded like what Monoma's been doing.
"Which it does I guess, if it's not taken too far." Ingenium shrugged. "I've always preferred more of a teamwork approach myself. But I heard Kan got hired at UA as a teacher, sooo..."
"That makes sense," Izuku commented at her side, brow furrowed. "You hold the record for having the most sidekicks as part of your agency, don't you?"
Ingenium let out a laugh, "guilty as charged." He said cheerfully. "Rivalry is good and all, but if it passes the point where you're starting to insult or out down your rival I think you're losing more than you're gaining."
Momo glanced over to where the argument had finally begun to die down to see Monoma smirk from his position at the tables only to be glared at from several other people.
"I think that perhaps we might be a bit past that." Momo noted tiredly as Izuku began to protest.
"Eh, you guys are young, you'll figure out a good balance in time." Ingenium reassured them, his hand slowly reaching to another slice of pizza. With Snipe's and Powerloader's attention diverted, he grabbed one with a victorious look -
Only for a multi-tailed creature - a fox - to leap in close and snatch the pizza from him before running away with the slice in its mouth.
Ingenium looked at the creature, his mouth open in shock. "Hey! That was mine!"
Both classes burst out laughing as Ingenium began to chase after the fox, only for it to get away by dancing between the piles of junk.
Momo covered her mouth to cover her own laughs at the sight. She suspected Ingenium was hamming up the performance a bit, but at the same time it was clear he hadn't expected the sudden theft.
Momo leaned over to ask Izuku about it when she saw his expression.
"What's wrong?" Momo asked quietly.
"I-it's nothing." Izuku hesitated, "j-just… Most animals don't have fully developed emotions… B-but the fox did."
"Oh." Momo blinked at the information. "Perhaps it has a quirk that makes it more intelligent, much like Principal Nezu."
It would certainly explain the tails.
Izuku looked torn about something before nodding. "That could be it." He murmured.
Eventually Ingenium gave up the chase, and in sympathy the class allowed him to have a couple slices as well. The rest of the lunch was spent in amusement from listening to Ingenium tell stories of either his own time at school or various tales of him and his sidekicks.
Soon lunch was over, and they were back to work. It went much as it had before, save for the arrival of Tsuyu, who began to spearhead efforts to clean the waterfront now that they had cleared a path to it.
The larger appliances and junk had by this point been taken out. This just left a lot of the piles of smaller pieces of junk.
They had split into groups of four. Currently, Momo was working with Kyoka to fill wheelbarrows, while Iida's and Shishida's job was to empty the wheelbarrows at the dumpsters and come back.
Not far from them, Momo could see Izuku doing the same while working with Kirishima, a girl with vines for hair whose name she is pretty sure was Shiozaki, and Ingenium, who had cheerfully proclaimed he had some more free time on his hand to tell stories.
A cough brought her out of her thoughts to see Mr. Yagi coming up with his own shovel.
"Do you mind if I work with you for a while, young Yoayorozu? Young Jiro?" He asked politely.
"Of course not." Momo replied, while Kyoka shook her head. The teachers had been pulling their weight alongside the students all day, though they tended to move amongst the students. Powerloader was the exception - not usually participating in the cleanup, but with the Support Class discussing what to salvage.
It didn't take long before they were working in comfortable silence, with the occasional grunt of exertion. It was only after several minutes that Mr. Yagi spoke up.
"So I hear you were one of the ones that spearheaded this little project." He brought up curiously.
Momo gave a small shrug. "It was a joint proposal between Izuku and myself, yes." She tilted her head towards Izuku, who was talking excitedly with Ingenium about something.
Mr. Yagi made a contemplative noise. "Well, I think it's a very impressive decision." He gave her a smile, "not many people choose to do this stuff nowadays. Which I've always thought was a real shame."
"I doubt that this is that unusual. Snipe did say that the upperclassmen at least do stuff like this." Momo asked while trying to hide a blush.
Mr Yagi waggled his hand back and forth in a so-so gesture. "They do, but they are usually provided with incentives of some sort. Extra credit if you will. But as you grow older, you'll find that life just gets busier and busier. It gets harder to do something as simple as cleaning a beach for no other reason than you want to."
"Wait," Kyoka gave a piercing look at the thin man. "We get extra credit for doing this?!" She looked at Momo with an accusing look. "Why weren't we told of this?"
Momo had her own look of confusion. "I didn't read that anywhere."
And now she was a bit put off. She and Izuku had read as much as they could before they proposed this sort of project.
Mr. Yagi gave a low chuckle. "It's not something you'll read about. Much like the rescue points from the Entrance Exam, the school wants to see who will take the initiative without the thought of reward."
Ah. Momo remembered Izuku telling her about the Entrance Exam, and how he got in on those Rescue Points. It sounded quite different from the exam she took as a recommended student.
Iida came up with his wheelbarrow and heard the last bit. "I see. As expected of UA, to test our character in such a way."
"But if it's supposed to be secret, I can't help but wonder why you would disclose such a thing." Shishida mused while looking at the teacher.
Mr. Yagi just let out a shrug. "It's probably one of the worst kept secrets in the school." He remarked dryly. "Give it a few months and I guarantee you'll have heard about it a dozen times over from your senpais. The school can't exactly keep it a secret when they give the extra credit. People talk, and before you know it everybody knows that if you need a small boost in your grades you should participate in something like this."
"I see." Iida frowned. "That seems slightly underhanded of them."
"Is it?" Mr. Yagi gave Iida a smile, "I suppose it might seem that way, but I've never been one to disparage when people do a good thing, regardless of the thought behind it. Take this beach for example - even if everybody was here for the extra credit, they still helped the community. The beach would still be cleaned, and that's hardly a bad thing, is it?"
"I, well, no." Iida admitted with a frown.
"Ulterior motive or not, they are doing good work." Mr. Yagi explained as he took a moment to fill the next wheelbarrow. "There are a lot of heroes like that out there who are in it for the money or fame. But so long as they are out there helping others, I still consider it a net positive."
"I see." Iida nodded in understanding. "I suppose that that makes sense."
"Of course, that's why I appreciate seeing young people taking the initiative without being aware of that little detail." Mr. Yagi continued, giving each of them a smile. "I think it says good things about your characters. And I just wanted to make sure I said, thank you."
"Ah, you're welcome." Momo replied , blushing as it came out more awkwardly than she intended. She didn't think it was as big a deal as he was making, but she felt the need to say something.
Mr. Yagi let out a short laugh, "there I go making the conversation deeper than it needs to be." He murmured good naturedly. "Let's just focus on cleaning, shall we? With a bit of effort, we might be able to get things done before dinner, don't you think?"
Momo breathed a bit easier as the conversation turned to lighter topics. Praise like that, genuine yet from people she didn't know, felt a bit odd. And while she knew it was something she'd have to get used to after graduation, that was a fair distance in the future.
Still, Momo couldn't say it wasn't appreciated. She and Izuku hadn't put that much thought into this project - it would be performing a service to the community while providing a way to get to know the other hero class. But it was clear that others appreciated it more than she had thought.
Momo had the brief mental image of Tikki giving her a soft smile.
'Even if something doesn't seem like a big deal to you, there are definitely people who it can mean the world to.' The Kwami had told her just that morning.
It was nice, getting thanked for something she had accomplished with her own hands.
Toshinori Yagi's POV
Toshinori Yagi, in his skinny form, looked at all of the students with pride.
It was late afternoon by the time they all had finished, and they might have been exhausted, but it was done, and the students were cheering at their success.
This project would probably have taken a year for a single person. But bringing in almost twenty super powered teens and a couple teachers had helped speed things up dramatically.
It was a shame that Thirteen hadn't been able to make it - this was normally the sort of thing that she loved to do, and her quirk was certainly invaluable for the effort.
His heart warmed as he looked at the waterfront. In his mind's eye, he saw a younger version of himself walking along the beach at the side of his mentor.
This beach had always had a special place in his heart as the place he'd meet up with Nana, his teacher. When he had first returned from America, this had been one of the first places he had come to, and he had been dismayed to see the place had fallen into disrepair. The following years only exacerbated the issue.
Toshinori should have done something then, but he was always so busy…
He had been overjoyed to hear that some students wished to clean the place up, and had leaped at the chance to assist. As it was to be an all day event, he decided to come not as All-Might, but as Toshinori Yagi - a former hero agency manager turned teaching assistant at UA.
It would have gone much faster had he used his quirk of course, but he felt it would have detracted from the student's goal a bit.
It also gave him the opportunity to interact with the students themselves! To see such young students willing to sacrifice their weekend for something as boring as cleaning a beach was inspiring!
Perhaps one of them…?
Toshinori shook his head. He had been giving serious thought on who should receive his quirk. If he was to do it this way, he intended to do it right.
Sir Nighteye had done an amazing job training Mirio. But… he had reservations. Not with Mirio per se - the boy was an absolute delight, and would one day make an amazing hero, with or without One-For-All. No, his reservations revolved around the third years in general.
Receiving One-For-All would not only increase their strength, but it would supercharge their quirk as well. While this didn't initially seem like a downside, third year students had already experienced plenty of exposure through multiple Sports Festivals and their work studies. It would be extremely difficult to explain how their quirk 'evolved' so to speak.
And that wasn't even accounting for all the extra work they'd need to retrain themselves!
Learning a whole new quirk, in addition to getting a handle on their own supercharged quirk, was not going to be a simple endeavor. To students that were about to graduate, or were already doing hero work in the form of work studies?
On one hand, that would be unfair to the students. On the other, it would be dangerous in the field.
Toshinori hadn't disregarded Sir Nighteye's advice entirely. He wouldn't dismiss immediately. But for now, he was focusing his attention on the first years. Those who had little to no exposure yet, and had plenty of time to learn…
But, as he watched the students celebrate their victory, Toshinori decided that that was a thought for another day.
There would be time for such deliberations later. For now, this time was theirs.
? POV
The nine-tailed fox looked on in curiosity as most students talked contently amongst themselves, a few having to leave but most staying to chat.
It was a touching scene. She had enjoyed spying on them throughout the day as they worked.
The fox licked her lips. The pizza had been a nice treat as well. It had been some time since she had had some. Stolen pizza always tasted better.
"Aha, I thought I'd find you here."
The fox turned to see a man walk up with a smile. He was an older man, with dark skin and hair that retained its darkness despite his age. His eyes shone with humor that belied his expression. Despite his age, he held himself well and confidently.
And at the moment, he was staring at the fox expectantly.
There was a shimmer in the air, a twist in reality, and the fox blurred as it swiftly merged into a woman of the same age as the man. Her reddish-brown hair had faded with age, but her eyes remained as vibrant as they had in her youth.
"Let me guess, Wayzz ratted me out?" She asked with a pout. "It's been over a century, you'd think he'd get over it."
The man chuckled and shook his head. "After using a forbidden ritual to defy death? I think he'll take a bit longer than a century to get over something like that, Alya."
Alya Cesaire smirked confidently, "I told him. It was either that or leave you alone for who knows how many years. And I've read enough stories to know how that would go." She stood up and moved closer, her words soft yet stern. "'Till death do us part', Nino. I'm not leaving you till you're ready to go as well."
Nino looked at his wife fondly, "and I don't regret a single moment." He assured her. "I'm just saying that Wayzz will hold this grudge for a while."
Alya shrugged. "The details of that ritual are between Trixx and myself. And last I checked, Trixx didn't mind me performing it at all."
Nino rolled his eyes. "Considering Trixx declared you her favorite pup after she found out you did it, you're good. I still don't think I've ever seen her as proud as she was then."
"See?" Alya looked triumphantly at him. "Besides, I already gave up Fox Miraculous, didn't I? Wayzz doesn't have a leg to stand on."
Nino just laughed and sat down on the bench, pulling her down next to him as he gestured to the remaining students. "So what do you think?" He prompted.
She frowned slightly as she folded her arms. "They're different than I expected." She delayed.
Nino raised an eyebrow at that and simply waited.
Alya let out a small huff at his expression. "Yes, I knew the girl wasn't going to be like Marinette. I know wielders of the same Miraculous can be different. I know I shouldn't expect them to be the same. I just… Guess I was just thinking there would be similarities."
Yes, Alya would easily admit that she was a bit biased. But then again, Tikki had been Marinette's Kwami. Alya was allowed to be biased.
Nino let out a hum as he thought about what to say. "There are similarities if you know where to look. They both have an appreciation for baked goods for example." He chuckled as Alya slapped his shoulder.
"You know what I mean." She scolded him.
"I do. And yes, they are different. Not all methods of creation are similar - remind me to tell you what Wayzz has told me about Hippolyta or King Arthur one of these days. Tikki will claim them if asked, but they were some of her more trying weilders." Alya snickered at the thought. She'd have to try to swipe the Fox Miraculous so she could ask Trixx about that personally.
"But I have no doubt that Yaoyorozu will prove herself worthy. I have no regrets giving Tikki to her." Nino finished, ignorant to her planned theft. "But that's not your main concern, is it?
She scowled at Nino. He'd gotten way too perceptive in his old age. "Did you have to give away the Butterfly? You know - and I'm sure you remember how much damage it did before!"
In terms of power, the Butterfly was one of the weaker of the Miraculous (if any could truly be called 'weak'). But the fact that it could empower people remotely, that it could remain in the shadows and still cause untold chaos…
Truth be told, Alya still wasn't convinced that the Butterfly wasn't responsible for the existence of Quirks. It might not even have been Nooroo's fault, but Gabriel had performed all sorts of (failed) rituals on the Miraculous before taking up the title of Hawkmoth.
"Have to? No." Nino promptly responded. "Want to? Yes. Tikki might be required for this. But as the most adaptive Miraculous, I believe Nooroo is truly the best choice in this instance. And honestly, he deserves a good wielder more than most."
Well, she couldn't exactly argue against that. Gabriel had been as bad a wielder as you could get.
"Do you still intend to introduce yourself?" She asked instead.
Nino sighed. "Yes. They weren't supposed to have met the Cat yet. I had hoped it wouldn't happen till after they graduated to be honest. After they had been trained. But now that they have, and without knowing why it happened, it would be irresponsible for me to not."
She nodded in approval. They both had the deepest respect for Master Fu. But they also thought he made several mistakes.
Mistakes neither wanted to make.
"I'll wait till after the Sport's Festival." Nino informed her. "They don't need the distraction from that."
That would work.
Alya watched as the remnants of the classes left the beach, and with a small smile she stood up gracefully, pulling a surprised Nino with her.
"They went through all the trouble of cleaning the beach," she commented with a smile, "do you remember our wedding?"
Nino's expression melted into a soft expression. "We don't have any music." He replied, though he followed her onto the sand.
"Are you telling me you can't remember the music Mr. DJ?" Alya said with a teasing smile.
"Not at all." They stopped in the middle of the beach and Nino gave a small bow. "May I have this dance Miss. Lahiffe?"
"You may," Alya granted imperiously, taking his hand.
The future was never certain, and they still didn't know who had the Black Cat Miraculous, nor how strong they were. But for now, as they had had for the last 200 years, they had each other.
Later on, pictures would be taken to show the beach had been cleared by volunteers, and the scene of an older couple dancing on the newly cleaned beach made for a very cute picture.
Author's Note:
I'll keep this Author's Note small. Thank you all for staying around for another chapter of 'My Miraculous Academia'. Hopefully it was enjoyable to all of you!
Also, small disclaimer - the scene with Ingenium was kinda stolen from another story. 'Danger First', by Marsalias. I truly loved that particular interaction, and I wanted to include a version of it here. I couldn't figure out how the best way would be to change it enough to make it my own, so I decided the best option would be to simply give credit to the original story here.
As usual, I'd like to thank those who are currently supporting me on pa tr eon; Adam Costello, cameron ngo, Jacob, TheHydra77, Marcus Jamieson, and Amphidsf. I'm truly grateful to them for being willing to provide support. For anybody that is interested or would like to support me, the link to that page is P a treon . com (slash) shdowstep. (remove the spaces).
To those of you who celebrate Independence Day, I hope you have a good Fourth of July! And I'll see you in the next chapter, whichever story that is!