AN: Ricardo Valencia - While the early part of the school year was very close to canon, things are starting to break away the further we go, so the confrontation between the two may very well change!
Chaoscontrol85 - They've got another month and change before finals and then camp, so plenty of time for everyone to start getting upgrades.
As Izuku stepped out of his bedroom to help with breakfast, he saw Himiko coming out of her room at the same time. Unlike her normal attire when she spends time with her friends, she was dressed up, wearing a crimson turtleneck and a black skirt, holding makeup in her hands.
"You know, for spending an afternoon with the girls, you're going all-out Himi," Izuku observed, a sly smile appearing on his face. "Looking to impress Emily?"
"Shut up!" Himiko closed the distance between them and threw an elbow jab, which Izuku casually blocked. "You're just jealous because Ochako's not a boy, so you can't invite her along to your thing!"
Izuku felt his face turning red as he tried to think of a response, causing Himiko to laugh. Claiming victory, she spun around and left him standing there as she entered the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
Walking to the kitchen, he pulled out plates and set the table. He had just finished up when he heard the door to the bathroom open again, and Himiko skipped down the hallway toward the rest of her family.
"You look good Himi." Inko complimented her. "I hope you have a good time with Emily today."
Himiko felt herself blushing as she glanced at Izuku, who smiled at her. "Thanks! We're going to be hanging out with some of Izu's classmates, but we plan on spending some time together afterward."
"You two have fun!" Inko said, looking proudly at her daughter. "Just call if you're going to be late, ok? We don't want to worry about you again."
"I will," Himiko said before she glared daggers at her brother, who simply continued smiling at her. On one hand, she was proud of him for finally returning some of her teasing, but on the other hand, it was a low blow bringing their mom into it.
Once they finished breakfast Izuku and Himiko said their goodbyes and left for the train station, speculating on what their friends had in mind for the day. Given Tenya's rather uptight nature and his upbringing, Izuku was a little worried to discover what he thought was a normal activity for a group of high school students. Himiko, on the other hand, wasn't too worried about what Ochako and Tsuyu had planned.
When they finally reached the train station, he hugged his sister and said goodbye before she ran toward a platform to catch her train. Izuku turned toward a different platform and left to catch his own train.
When Izuku stepped out of the train station, he saw Tenya already waiting, dressed in a golf shirt and a relaxed pair of slacks. Izuku saw that he was reading something on his phone, but as he approached his friend quickly snapped to attention.
"Midoriya! Just on time!"
"Have you been waiting long?"
"Not at all! Besides, Todoroki isn't here yet either."
"That's true," Izuku admitted. "So what's the plan?"
"I have several destinations in mind, followed by some free time before our dinner reservation!" Tenya proudly declared.
"You got a dinner reservation?"
"Indeed!" Tenya smiled. "There is an excellent sushi restaurant nearby, and I wanted to make sure Todoroki had the best experience possible, so I called ahead to ensure we could eat dinner there!"
"Sounds good," Izuku said with a forced smile as he realized Tenya's definition of a relaxing weekend is vastly different from his own experiences. Even if most of his experience over the last year and a half came from following Himiko's lead and spending time with her friend group, this felt like overkill.
The two talked for a few minutes until Shoto arrived. As he approached the pair, he looked out of his element, as if he was waiting for instructions.
"And he has arrived!" Tenya announced.
"So now what?" Shoto asked.
"First up, we are going to visit the local batting cages!"
"Batting cages?" Izuku asked in confusion.
"Yes!" Tenya adjusted his glasses. "They are an excellent warm-up to start your day!"
"Warm-up? I thought we were hanging out, not training?" Shoto asked.
"We are!" Tenya opened his palm and tapped his cast with it. "This is an excellent way to start our day! And for you." Tenya motioned to Izuku "It also will give your arm a nice workout now that the wound has been taken care of."
"But what about you?" Izuku asked, motioning to his arm still in a cast.
"Don't worry about me!" Tenya said. "Today is more for Shoto! I am simply here to facilitate that!"
"It does sound interesting." Shoto agreed before turning to Izuku. "Let's try it out."
"Sure." Izuku agreed, deciding not to question Tenya further. "Lead the way."
Tenya began walking, and the other two followed him as he led them through the streets to an indoor sports center. After speaking with the clerk, he was offered two baseball bats. Stepping aside, Tenya motioned for the two to retrieve the bats, before he led the pair into a courtyard with several batting cages set up and walked to their assigned stall.
"Here we are!" Tenya said.
"So how does this work?" Shoto asked, examining the bat.
"Simple!" Tenya pointed to a square box on the ground. "You stand in that box, and then that machine there." He pointed to the ball launcher. "Will fire baseballs at you to hit. Your goal is to aim for the targets behind the machine." He pointed to the two paper targets hanging on the net. "And see how many times you can hit the target. Then once the launcher is empty, you will switch with Midoriya and it will be his turn to try."
"Seems simple enough," Shoto said as he stepped into the box while Tenya walked over to the machine and set it up.
"Ready?" Tenya called.
"Yes."
"Begin!" Tenya pressed the button to activate the machine and then dashed out of the way as the timer counted down before it started firing baseballs in Shoto's direction.
Shoto swung the bat at the first baseball and was too early, the ball sailing past him before he could readjust himself. The second baseball he swung too late, and missed a second time. Steeling himself, he watched the third baseball come in carefully, and swung his bat, hitting the baseball with a loud crack and sending it flying into the net. Having found the correct timing, he began to adjust his aim, coming closer and closer to the targets, before the launcher buzzed, announcing that it was empty.
"You're improving quickly!" Izuku encouraged as he stepped forward.
"Indeed! You'll be a pro by the time we're done for sure!"
"A pro, huh?" Shoto asked as he watched Tenya gather the baseballs and insert them into the launcher.
"Is something wrong?" Izuku asked.
"No." Shoto shook his head. "I've just been thinking about a lot of things recently."
"Anything you want to talk about?"
"Maybe later," Shoto admitted. "First, you need to see if you can beat me." He said, the ghost of a smile appearing on his face as he stepped out of the box, making way for Izuku.
With a confident smile, Izuku stepped into the box and took several practice swings. His shoulder felt stiff, the muscle tissue that was healed thanks to Recovery Girl still tense. He heard the buzz as the first baseball was fired, and found his swing was too slow. It took three more swings before he was able to compensate for his shoulder properly, and after that, he too found himself consistently hitting the ball. With each crack he watched the ball go flying into the net, inching closer to the target, and with the final ball, he hit the target.
"That's one point for Midoriya!" Tenya announced as he began gathering balls.
"I see. So I'm behind you in this as well." Shoto said as he stepped forward. "You have a surprising amount of skills."
"I'm surprised your aim isn't better," Izuku admitted, earning him a harsh glare from Shoto. "I-I mean, you practice with your quirk, right? My ranged capabilities are much less focused and more of 'point in the general direction and unleash a large blast of air.'"
"You're right," Shoto admitted. "But this is different." Shoto examined the bat. "When I use my quirk, it is an extension of myself. But wielding a baseball bat requires a different set of skills."
"I'm sure you'll get it this time." Izuku encouraged. "You were getting close last time!"
"I'm not going to let myself fall behind," Shoto said as he stepped back into the zone.
Shoto began hitting the next set of baseballs and about halfway through struck the target. Izuku cheered him on but he didn't even acknowledge it, and simply focused on trying to hit the target more consistently. The two traded off back and forth, alternating taking turns in the batting cage while Tenya constantly refilled the machine and offered encouragement to his friend and classmate.
As they were nearing the end of the rental period, Tenya began gathering the baseballs one final time, resetting the machine for the next person before joining the others. "So, what do you think?"
"I like it," Shoto said, a small smile on his face. "It was more enjoyable than my typical training."
"Yeah!" Izuku agreed. "It sounded weird at first, but it actually felt good!"
"See! I told you it is the perfect start to a day!" Tenya said with a huge smile on his face.
"Are we doing another physical activity after this?" Shoto asked.
"No! Next, I wish to challenge your mind!"
A short while later, the three walked into an internet cafe, where there was a coffee shop set up on one side of the store, which made way to three rows of computers further back.
"What are we doing here?" Shoto asked curiously.
"We are going to play games, of course!" Tenya announced.
Once again Tenya talked to the clerk and rented three computers for several hours before he led the group to the machines in the far corner.
"So how does this work?" Shoto asked as he sat down in front of the middle machine.
"It's simple!" Tenya logged in with the credentials provided and navigated to a folder full of links. "I'm going to show you how to use video games to pass the time!"
"I never knew you played computer games," Izuku said.
"Surprising, isn't it?" Tenya said with a smile on his face. "I will admit, for the longest time I had considered such games to be a waste of time and energy, but then Tensei introduced me to the wonderful genre of strategy games!"
"Strategy Games?" Shoto asked.
"Indeed!" Tenya leaned over and selected the icon for a game called Age of the Shogun. "Such games help you develop strategic thinking, managing resources, and executing short- and long-term plans!"
Tenya started the game up and started a new game. "Now this game is simple! You can plan and execute your moves without worrying about the computer responding until you are done! So we can take it slowly."
Izuku simply looked at the screen and saw the many buttons and options on the screen, and already felt intimidated by what was about to happen. As he watched, Tenya tried to explain all of the buttons on the screen, bringing up multiple different panels filled with numbers and information. He then went into a different menu explaining how to develop his towns and cities, before he went on to explain unit movement around the map.
"As you can see, it's extremely simple!" Tenya concluded proudly.
"A-are you sure about that?" Izuku asked. He prided himself on his quick thinking, but after half an hour, he felt like he only understood about half of what Tenya explained.
"Unfortunately, I agree with Midoriya," Shoto said, maintaining a neutral expression on his face.
"But-!" Tenya began to protest.
"How about we try something else?" Izuku asked quickly, cutting off his friend. Quickly grabbing the mouse, he closed the current game and began looking through what other games were installed on the computer. His eyes lit up when he saw Fantasy Age: The Dark Storm was installed and quickly clicked the icon. "This is the newest game in the series! I haven't even had a chance to pick it up yet!"
"What is this?" Shoto asked curiously.
"This is a Role-Playing Game," Izuku explained. "You create a fantasy persona that starts from humble beginnings, but ends up going on a grand adventure to save the world!"
"How does that work?"
"Well, first we create your character. Think of this as your digital avatar in the game." Izuku explained as he launched the game and brought up the character creator. "There's a lot of options, but since we're limited on time, let's do something simple."
With Shoto's help, they created a character that looked similar to Shoto without his scar, a wizard from a noble family who sought to find his way in the world. After they watched the introduction video Shoto found himself in control of his character for the first time. "Now what do I do?"
"You use these keys to move around." Izuku gestured to the keyboard. "And then your mouse to look around. When you want to interact with someone or something you just click on it, and then when you get into your first fight the game will explain how that works."
"I see." Shoto then turned toward the screen and began playing.
Izuku and Tenya watched for a few minutes to ensure that Shoto was enjoying himself before they sat down at their computers. Tenya loaded up a science fiction strategy game and began conquering the galaxy while Izuku loaded up Hero Warriors XI. Selecting All Might, he began to play the game, where his goal was to punch his way through hundreds of low-level minions trying to find the villains scattered around the city trying to commit crimes.
It was mindless fun and a bit of a guilty pleasure, but Izuku had to admit that he loved the game series. As he was playing it, he found himself enjoying it even more than usual. Having been in several very real combat situations, the mindless simplicity of beating up minions just felt good.
If only reality worked this way, but alas, it was only a video game.
As their time began to run out, Izuku and Tenya both ended their sessions and looked over at Shoto.
"Wait, you're still in the tutorial area?" Izuku asked in surprise.
"Is that a problem?"
"Normally the tutorial shouldn't take this long to complete." Tenya pointed out.
"There was so much to do." Shoto shrugged as he opened his character page, causing the two of them to gasp. Despite being in the tutorial area, he was already well above the level when you were expected to advance the story, and equipped with reasonable gear. "I just kept finding people to talk to and they kept sending me on quests."
"Well, I think it's safe to say that this was a success!" Tenya exclaimed.
"Indeed." Shoto put his hand to his chin as he looked at his character sprite. "Can we go buy this game? I think I'd like to play it more at home."
"Of course!" Izuku lit up. "There's a shop a few blocks away that specializes in all sorts of games! It's practically next to a hero store!"
"You were planning on going to a hero merchandise store?"
"Of course! I don't go to this one often, their prices are on the high side, but they tend to have things I can't get at my usual shop." Izuku began to explain enthusiastically.
"Well then, Midoriya I guess it's your turn to lead the way!" Tenya exclaimed.
The three walked down several streets to reach the main part of the shopping district, where Izuku led the pair to the electronics store. After examining the map at the entrance, Shoto took the lead as he led the pair through the store to their computer games. Inside, they found the display and Shoto picked up a copy of Fantasy Age, as well as several earlier games from the series.
As he stared at the small pile of boxes in his hands, he realized something very important. "Oh."
"What's wrong?" Tenya asked.
"Our computers at home don't have a disk drive," Shoto explained. "Where do I buy one of those?"
"Ehehe." Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I think they should have them over there." He pointed toward a sign labeled Computer Hardware.
"Lead the way then."
A few minutes later they found an optical drive for Shoto, and they paid for the items before leaving the store. Once outside, Izuku pointed to a red-and-blue storefront near the end of the street.
"There's our next stop!"
They crossed the street and entered the shop, and Shoto was immediately assailed by bright colors. The store was filled with costumes, shirts, action figures, and more for a wide range of heroes, their costumes creating a collage of bright colors that overwhelmed the normally stoic boy. By the time he had recovered, Izuku had already taken off, disappearing down the aisles in search of elusive All Might merchandise, leaving him alone with Tenya.
"You've never been in this type of store before?"
"No." Shoto shook his head. "I never saw the point."
"You didn't want to see how people saw your father?"
"Why would I want to do that?" Shoto asked curiously. "He put in the work to become the number two hero and has solved the most number of cases in Japan. What else matters?"
Tenya opened his mouth to say something, before he closed it, a firm line forming on his lips. "Ok! We must rectify this situation! Follow me!" Tenya led Shoto down another aisle and stopped in front of a small section dedicated to Ingenium. Currently, the section was mostly empty, with only a few erasers and notepads left for sale.
"Why is it so empty?"
"This often happens when a hero is injured or retires," Izuku said from behind the pair, startling them. As they turned, he was holding a large box containing an All Might action figure. "Considering what happened to him, you have collectors and fans buying everything they can, because it may be their last chance to support their favorite hero."
"People really feel that way about heroes?"
"Yes!" Tenya had a look of pride on his face. "Even though Tensei was never in the top ten, the people of Hosu loved him."
"I see." Shoto looked down the aisle and saw many other heroes, each with small sections dedicated to themselves, from upcoming heroes such as Kamui Woods to established heroes such as the members of the Wild Wild Pussycats. "Where is the Endeavor merchandise?"
"This way."
Izuku led the pair to another aisle dedicated exclusively to the top ten heroes. Shoto found himself impressed that Endeavor's merchandise took up almost a third of the aisle alone. "People like my father this much?"
"Mhmm," Izuku nodded. "As the number two hero, he has his fans. Even if he isn't as approachable as All Might is."
Shoto knew exactly what Izuku was talking about as he walked through the section, seeing action figures, coffee mugs, t-shirts, and more. It was honestly more than he was expecting, and he wasn't sure what to think. All he could think about was the strict training that he had endured for years, but on his internship, he had started to feel something different from his father.
He picked up an action figure of his father and opened the flap of the box, seeing a hole cut into the plastic, with the words 'Try me!' written next to it. Reaching into the box, he pressed the button, only to see the toy's flames light up, and he heard his father's voice as he yelled "Prominence Burn!"
Putting the item down, Shoto turned toward the two. "Thank you for bringing me here."
"Thank you?" Tenya asked in confusion.
"Yes." Shoto looked at the merchandise surrounding them. "I'm happy, knowing this is how some people see my father."
After dinner, the three walked back to the train station.
"Thank you for today," Shoto said. He looked down at the bag of games in my hand. "I had fun."
"I'm glad," Izuku replied.
"Indeed! If you ever want to spend your free time you need only ask!"
"Really?" Shoto seemed surprised by that.
"Yeah! That's what friends are for, right?"
"Friends…" Shoto had a distant look on his face before he smiled. "I like the sound of that."
"Next time we'll have to bring the others along," Izuku suggested.
"If that sister of yours doesn't terrify Yaoyorozu away!" Tenya exclaimed.
"Himi isn't that bad!" Izuku protested.
"Midoriya, your sister is terrifying," Shoto explained.
"See! Even Todoroki-"
"Once she masters her quirk, she could easily be in the top ten. Perhaps she might make a good rival for Momo. After all, they both require some preparation to maximize the flexibility of their quirk…" Shoto began musing to himself, causing Tenya to stutter and Izuku to laugh nervously.
"I don't think Momo's as interested in rivalries as you are," Izuku explained. "Besides, Himi already has her thing with Yuki, and that's probably the closest she's willing to get to having an actual rival."
"If you say so, Midoriya." Shoto looked almost disappointed as he said that.
They arrived at the train station and stopped at the entrance.
"Gentlemen, I declare our day a success!"
"Yeah!"
"Thank you again," Shoto said. "I will see both of you tomorrow."
"See you then!"
As they split up, Izuku couldn't keep the smile off his face. It's only been a few weeks, but it felt like Shoto had already come a long way from their confrontation at the sports festival.
AN: Sorry for the delay! This week has been rough, and this chapter took longer to write than I would have liked as a result.