Morning walks of shame part 2. The class begins working on their super moves. Suri and Izuku make a trip to the support department and Suri makes a phone call she should have done a long time ago.
Suri was smiling like she was drunk.
Why?
Because she had a nice big mug full of coffee warming her up and doing its job to clear out the morning grogginess in her. And in such a delicious way too. Some classic roast, caramel macchiato creamer, and some copious amounts of sugar made for the sweet, toasty taste that she was happily sipping. She was sipping it and smiling like a goofball with her happy ass perched on the countertop because Atiena had filled in the memories from last night. Memories of her and Mina together after Suri had passed out. While she slept in the mind forest, her beast half and her girlfriend had gone another round before they too passed out. One, the memories were wonderful, two, waking up snuggled into Mina was perfect. She'd relished the sleepy view she'd gotten before leaving her room of seeing the pinkette peacefully sleeping washed in the fairy lighting.
As she hummed and sipped her coffee happily, her grin grew wider. Aside from the delicious smell of coffee, her eyes trailed to the stairs and filled with joy as she found the translucent features of Tooru and a sleepy Izuku right behind her. Tooru, of course, was draped, quite literally, in Izuku's shirt.
And Izuku?
Well he was wearing Tooru's tank top from the night before.
And oh boy was it tight!
Suri snorted and began giggling as two of her three mates made their way towards her. Izuku was still half asleep as he grabbed a coffee mug and began pouring himself a glass. All the while, Tooru came to Suri and collapsed, laying her head in Suri's lap and yawning.
"Morning, my loves," Suri smiled and freed her left hand from her mug and moved it to begin softly petting Tooru. As her fingers twirled and drifted through her silky hair, her eyes drank in Izuku wearing the tank top that did little to contain his chiseled figure. "You two sleep okay?"
"Mmmhmm," Tooru hummed happily.
"Y-Yeah," Izuku smiled and nodded sheepishly after he took his first sip of his own coffee. "Yeah, I uh- we slept pretty good."
Suri giggled as she heard Izuku emphasize the two of them. It was cute and endearing of him.
"What about you?" he asked, his gaze moving from where Suri idly played with Tooru's hair up to her eyes.
"Fan-tastic," She giggled in response and took a long sip. Then she met Izuku's eyes with a sly, devilish glint. "I take it last night went great? You look hot in Tooru's clothes by the way."
Izuku choked on his coffee as his eyes went wide and he looked down, finally noticing what he was wearing. It made Tooru lift her head from Suri's lap, noticing for the first time as well and then began snorting and snickering. Izuku's flustering was only made worse by their invisible girlfriend's next choice words.
"Looks like I'm gonna have to lock my closet. Thieving hunky Izu."
As Tooru and Suri giggled at Izuku flustering and then trying to wash his embarrassment down with a giant swig of scalding hot coffee, their attention was drawn behind them. There was an unmistakable click of a door, and then a creaking floorboard or two as someone tried to sneak from the front door, through the common room, and then stopped dead in their tracks. The nervous chuckling that followed only made Suri grin wide enough to bare fangs as she took in the sight of a very disheveled and very quickly dressed Kirishima.
"Early morning workout?" Suri questioned with a smirk.
"Y-Yeah! Hehe, yeah, I was… out for some late night training and lost track of time. Ya know, gotta get even more ripped and manly."
"You know your shirt's on backwards, right?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"So… did ya have fun?" Suri began snickering as Kirishima's cheeks flushed as red as his hair.
"I umm," he chuckled nervously and started to grin like the giant doofus he was. Then his eyes met Izuku and his expression became befuddled. "Isn't that…" His eyes then fell on Tooru who was wearing a shirt that was obviously way too big for her and had kanji reading 'shirt' across the chest. Only one person would wear stupid shirts like that. "Hey, at least I have my own clothes on, right?"
And to that, the group began snickering and laughing at not only the very true comment made by the redhead, but the flailing made by Izuku that immediately followed. Kirishima did have a point though. But Suri bet that there was sure to be a time when that wouldn't be the case.
"As I mentioned yesterday," Aizawa stated firmly as he addressed the class. "Our primary goal now is to get you your provisional licenses."
"Yes sir," everyone in class responded in gest.
"Hero licenses are crucially tied to saving lives, so a potential hero has to be properly qualified for such a responsibility. So naturally, the test is extremely difficult," he continued. "Even for provisional licenses we only see a fifty percent success rate."
"Shit, even the provisionals are rough, huh?" Suri grumbled and pursed her lips.
"That's why, starting today each of you needs to come up with at least two-"
"Ultimate Moves!"
Midnight burst through the door with a delighted grin, followed closely by Cementoss and Ectoplasm behind her. The realization of what was just said hit the class like a ton of bricks. The realization turned from shock to pure excitement that no one could hold in.
"Ultimate moves!" Everyone cheered in unison.
"These are your finishers, your most unique techniques," Ectoplasm stated.
Yes! Finishing moves!
"Internalize these moves. Make them your own until they're unparalleled," Cementoss continued. "Combat is all about finding and making use of your particular strengths."
Strengths! Yeah, Suri had plenty of strengths!
"Your ultimate moves symbolize who you are," Midnight added on. "Pro heroes who don't have an ultimate move set are a dying breed. You need a way that sets you apart from your peers!"
Now that she thought about it, The Wave of Dominance was her dad's finisher. It was the ultimate move of pure domineering intimidation. His flashiness was all about showing off and being the ultimate man's man. It fit him perfectly.
So what could Suri do? What set her apart?
"Let's move forward with a more detailed explanation and a practical demonstration," Aizawa stated. "Go get changed into your costumes and meet at Gym Gamma."
"Yes, sir!"
As everyone got up and retrieved their hero costumes, Suri became lost in thought.
That thought?
What the hell kind of finishing move could a lycanthrope have? Aside from inhuman strength and speed, what else did she have? Was speed alone enough for a super move? Strength? Fighting style wise, she was a glorified street brawler. She didn't have a whip like Grandma Kuroyashi, then again, the old woman was able to physically manifest her metaphysical energy into it. She knew she had the potential of physically manifesting. That day of meditation in the garden proved that when she brought Atiena into the real world. There was the whole Spark in the Stars thing too. But she had no idea how to trigger that without that massive amount of power from Grandma that helped get her there. Then, on top of that, there was the whole energy sharing thing she'd done a couple times. Could that be something? But how do those put opponents away? That didn't seem right. If those were super moves then they were more support based than anything. Going by gaming standards, she'd always thought of herself as either a tank or a DPS character, not a support character. If that be the case should her finishers be defensive based? If she went off of basketball instead of First Person Shooter games then yeah, she was more of a defensive juggernaut. Then again, being a hand to hand fighter, why not go that route? She could do something like that. Maybe pull out some mixed martial arts or do the whole pro wrestling thing?
"Suri!"
Having her name suddenly screamed made the beast girl startle back to reality. Reality where the ground was rapidly coming at her. She hit the ground with a loud plop and a surprised squeal as she tripped over herself. Then she realized what made her trip as she found her skirt wrapped around one foot and clinging to the opposite knee. When she looked up she was met with the sight of her girlfriends now standing over her - unapologetically naked - with looks of both humor and concern in their eyes. Beyond them were an equally nude Momo, Ochako, Jirou, and Tsu. She thought she might have died and gone to heaven if not for Tsu speaking her mind in that next second.
"I thought you were just dating Midoriya. Now you're becoming him?"
"Becoming?" Suri questioned curiously.
"You've been muttering like he does this entire time," Jirou answered.
"Oh."
Suri's cheeks began to flush.
"Personally, I think the pro wrestling thing would be super cool," Ochako announced excitedly. She did a pose where she flexed and the bouncing that came with it was almost enough to make Suri drool.
"You need help up, sweetie," Mina asked, her smile widening.
Suri simply grumbled and reached up to let her girlfriends take hold of her arms. They hoisted her up back to her feet and then supported her as she untangled her skirt. Once it was off, she quickly stripped, joining the girls in their level of dress before she turned and stared at her case. She grumbled again and folded her arms tightly as her brow furrowed into a frustrated scowl.
"I think these last 24 hours are the most flustered I've seen you," Momo stated as she pulled her leotard up her hips. "I know we all heard what you were mumbling and you're not alone in your struggles."
"I think we all are," Tooru added.
"Don't you worry, honey," Mina said with an excited tone before playfully punching Suri in the shoulder. "You'll figure something out. And Yaomomo is right, you're not alone. Like, ever!"
That made Suri smile. Eternally grateful to her mates and friends for their support. And Mina was right, she wasn't alone. If there was one person fretting over ultimate moves more than Suri, it was Izuku. He looked lost more than ever as he watched everyone get to work and get a head start on anything at all. It didn't help that Aizawa had said they had all but ten days to come up with two moves to have ready at the provisional exams. It put an immense amount of pressure on everyone and they were feeling it day one.
Suri passed the time getting out of her own head by doing the same thing Izuku was doing and watching everyone else. She mostly watched Tooru and Mina in the end and held a small smile as she did so. Most of the smile was from watching Mina show Ectoplasm what she had in mind for a super move which was a giant tidal wave of acid. What made it even more amusing was the fact that she happily called out 'sploosh' as she threw the giant wave of liquid. It made Suri begin to giggle because of innuendo her mind latched onto the gesture.
Then her eyes focused on Tooru. She watched as she did some sort of breathing exercise as she hyper focused on herself. To Suri it seemed like she was trying to build energy or something and she was beginning to strain. Was she holding her breath? Whatever she was doing it was causing the space around her to sparkle in a way. Just when it seemed like something might happen Tooru gasped and doubled over. Suri watched the invisible girl grit her teeth and heard her growl with frustration before getting back to her feet and starting over.
Then she remembered what Tooru had done at the training camp. Whatever she'd done had made a loud popping sound and suddenly Gemini had been blinded. It had to have been something she'd been working on in secret and still hadn't yet quite got the hang of what she was doing. Which meant the attack on Gemini was a total fluke and if it hadn't worked when it did? She might not be standing here now. The thought of Tooru dead made Suri's fists ball up tight enough to pinch the skin of her palms with her nails.
The anger at the thought however, did nothing to solve her problem in the here and now. Her thoughts from earlier came back full force and she replayed the idea that maybe she was supposed to be a support hero after all. Then again, if anyone could help her figure her thoughts out, it was Izuku. She needed to bounce ideas off of her boyfriend and maybe, just maybe, she could help him out too.
"All Might?" Izuku said quietly as their teacher came towards Izuku and Suri who had been approaching the greenette.
"You're still trying to emulate me. I told you before, you've gotta make your own way and show everyone who you are," he said briefly, moving on before Izuku could really get a chance to say anything at all. "Ah, Suri."
Suri was still questioning All Might's comment to his protege when she got whiplash turning her attention back to her uncle. She stumbled over a response at first and hadn't even gotten a word out before he started talking again.
"I haven't seen you working on anything either. You must have a lot on your mind, kid."
"Y-Yeah," Suri answered quickly, still stumbling over herself for some reason. She took a deep breath and tried collecting herself before trying again. "I'm trying to get stronger as fast as I can but… there's a lot of questions in my head that I can't seem to answer."
"Hah, you're chasing shadows, young lady. Go at your own pace, ya know?"
He chuckled and quickly moved on past Suri before she could question him or answer him further. Instead, by the time she turned around to ask him what he meant, he was already talking to Kirishima and giving him his own personal advice.
"Chasing shadows, huh?" Suri muttered to herself. She turned her attention back towards Izuku who had the same confused and semi frustrated expression she did. She took a deep breath and gave her boyfriend a small smile. "Hey hot stuff, you doing okay?"
"Huh? Oh! Yeah, I'm umm… gucci," he responded, shaking himself out of his daze.
Suri blinked and stared at Izuku for a long moment before she snorted and began laughing hysterically. She almost doubled over from how hard she began laughing. Because of course, hearing him try to use her own slang, and having such a shy and unsure delivery just made him unbearably adorable. Still, the fact he'd tried made her heart thud against her chest.
"Gods, Izuku," Suri chortled, trying her hardest to get herself to shut up.
"I-It wasn't… Sorry, I said it wrong, didn't I?" he nervously scratched at his chin and looked away, his cheeks flush with embarrassment.
"No. You used it in the right context," Suri assured him and gave him a warm smile. "Just with a phrase like that, it's about the delivery, ya know?"
He seemed to think about that for a moment, peering down hard into the ground while his hand cradled his chin. It was the pose he took a nanosecond before he started going on his long worded tangents. Suri shook her head with a smile and reached out to ruffle her hand in his hair to bring him back to reality.
"Don't overthink it, hun. You'll get it eventually," she encouraged before her smile dropped. She looked into Izuku's eyes with a questioning glance. "So what did Uncle Toshi mean by you're still trying to emulate him?"
"I'm not sure exactly," he admitted and then looked at his arms again. Suri noticed that he'd done that same thing at least a few times now. "A-Anyway, I've been thinking of making adjustments to my costume so I'm gonna head over to the support course building."
"Want some company?" Suri smirked softly. "I've been thinking of something for myself too."
To that Izuku happily nodded his approval. As they left, they managed to walk by both of their shared girlfriends, informing them of where they were headed. Mina was happy to keep working on her super moves while Tooru was a little more hesitant. She ended up staying in the end and had an even more determined expression on her face. The invisible girl was dead set on getting better and stronger than ever. The spark of determination and confidence made Suri swoon a little as they left.
Speaking of swooning.
Suri's chest fluttered and she couldn't hold back the smile that crept onto her lips as she felt Izuku take her hand. The intermittent squeezing they gave each other as they walked made that thrum in her chest all the more prominent. It was the same feeling she had when she started dating Tooru and Mina. Even after the few months they'd been dating, Suri still got butterflies quite often. She couldn't remember a time she'd felt this strongly for three people, even in her previous polycules. It made her feel like all of her relationships up until this point had been incredibly one sided and she'd been too blind to see it.
Watching Izuku as they walked didn't do anything to quell those butterflies. And now that they were closer to the support course building her eyes darted from place to place. The urge to drag Izuku off of the walking path and kiss him was making her burn up from the inside. Every corner, every nook and cranny between buildings, every large tree or large shrub was beckoning to her. Like a constant call of 'over here' and 'have him pin you against the wall here' that she had to quickly shake out of her head. The motion made Izuku look at her with concern.
"Suri? Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Suri quickly answered before clearing her throat and trying again. "Yeah, I'm good. Just a lot on my mind."
"I know what you mean," Izuku responded quietly. "Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what All Might said."
"Is that why we came here then?" Suri asked as the two of them walked the hallways of the support course building before getting to the door of the workshop.
"More to take my mind off of it for now. In the meantime I need a way to protect my arms," he responded with a determined glare. "I'm thinking about braces or something for now. Oh! And I might do some extra bodybuilding as well to help strengthen my body for One For All. I'm hoping that might help with Ultimate Moves. I've gotta work harder to keep up with everyone."
"And I've gotta work harder than that," Suri smirked, giving the greenette a playful jab to his shoulder. "I'm not sure what chasing shadows means. But on the bright side, Atiena and I found my dad's old throne. It's still got a massive amount of power to it so if I can get it consecrated to me, I should have a big boost coming my way. And then," Suri looked down with a determined yet sort of neutral expression. "I can protect everyone."
"Oh! Hey Deku! Hi Suri!"
Both teens looked up and smiled as they found Ochako headed their way with Iida in tow.
"We were wondering where you two went! Here for costume mods?"
"Oh, hey Ochako!"
BOOM
Suri and Izuku were thrown back to the floor as the door exploded in front of them. Leaving the two of them in a massive amount of pain and shock after suddenly meeting the floor so quickly. A door being blown to bits and crashing into them, burying them in debris didn't help either. Suri and Izuku both groaned, Suri's ears were ringing from the explosion. She briefly heard the muffled cries of Ochako and Iida in that distant telephone sort of voice. She heard another voice as well but couldn't recognize it. It sounded close, like they were behind them where the door used to be. They sounded like they were scolding someone.
Then Suri felt weight shift on her and stifled a groan as she clearly felt someone grabbing her breasts. Whoever was grabbing her tits at a time like this was going to get a beatdown. Suri strained to sit up as she heard a sickly sweet voice that was clearly insane above her and when her eyes finally opened…
Boobs.
"Heh heh! Where'd you two come from?"
"Hatsume?!"
The pink dreadlocked girl was sprawled out on top of Suri and Izuku, her hands firmly placed on their chests as she lifted herself up from the explosion. Ochako and Iida rushed to their sides and eventually were able to get Suri, Izuku, and Hatsume upright. Though it took a while for the golden eyed girl, who's irises looked like crosshairs, to remove her hands from the other teens. That said, both Suri and Izuku were still having a hard time picking where their eyes wanted to stare. Because as pretty as her eyes were? Boobs.
Izuku's brain was broken from them. Suri almost salivated over the massive amounts of cleavage shoved in their faces. An idle squeeze on Suri's own ample bosom snapped her attention momentarily and she looked down to where a gloved hand held her. Suri cleared her throat and gave the support course girl a pleasant smile, eventually getting her attention.
"Honey, ya know, I don't mind being felt up by a cute girl and all but… you should ask first."
"Huh?" Hatsume blinked and then followed Suri's eyes down to where she still held onto the beast girl. She giggled with a crazed rasp and pulled her hands back and gave Suri a wide, maniacal smile. "Heh heh. Oops!"
"Sorry about the unexpected explosion! It's been a while," she stated matter of factly, but with an excited edge in her voice. She got up and dusted herself off, letting Suri and Izuku have room to get up and dust off as well. "Oh! You guys are from the hero course… uh… what were your names again?"
"I'm Suri Kuroyashi," the beast girl answered as her eyes poured over the girl completely.
"I-Izuku M-Midoriya."
"I'm Tenya Iida and that explosion was completely uncalled for! We have safety protocols for a reason and to ignore them is completely-"
"Well anyway, I gotta get back to working on my babies."
This girl.
"Wait," Izuku quickly shouted as she started heading back into the workshop like the exploding door never happened. "I was hoping to talk to Mr. Power Loader about revising my costume."
"Costume remodeling?" Hatsume froze and sudden;y appeared in front of Izuku with blinding speed and a face lit with delight and excitement. "Color me intrigued!"
"Hatsume," grumbled the small statured man behind her. His massive helmet resembled the bucket of a construction excavator, making him look almost monstrous in appearance. His large hands with claws perfect for digging didn't dissuade from the monster kind of vibe either. "It's fine that you basically live in the shop now, thanks to the dorms, but if you keep wreaking havoc like this, I'm going to ban you for life."
He sighed then and turned his attention to the hero course students standing in the destroyed doorway of the shop.
"Eraser gave me the heads up that his kids might be coming by for costume modifications while you were working on Ultimate Moves. Come on in," he stated, and gave them a small tour of the support course workshop.
The rest of the day was an absolute nightmare. Between having to fight Mei Hatsume off of Izuku when she started groping and feeling up Izuku - which was totally Suri's job - and having to fight the pink haired gremlin off of herself. Like, gods, she was handsier than Tooru! Then having support item after support item shoved on them and tried out on them, most of which were more dangerous than most weapons. Izuku somehow finally managed to get his costume upgrades ordered. Suri had stared dumbfoundedly when, at some point in all of the chaos, Izuku had figured out what he needed to do and what he needed to work on. He had started bulldozing Iida with a million questions and having him teach him techniques for movesets based on legs and kicking.
And Iida hadn't been the only one he cornered and had teaching him.
After school, Suri and Mina spent the next few hours before dinner teaching him different exercises to work on his agility, footwork, and kicking technique. Mina coached him on dance moves and routines that would help him move faster and helped with his lower body coordination. It had been fun watching the two of them together and it helped Izuku understand Mina's passion for dancing. And of course, like with most things, he picked up a lot of the movements quickly and was able to replicate them after a relatively short time. On top of Mina teaching him how to dance, Suri taught him several kickboxing and mixed martial arts kicks and leg routines. He had been dead set on transitioning from hands and punches almost completely to legs and kicks.
Then Suri realized what he was doing.
All of his moves. Everything he'd been up until this point was trying to be a carbon copy of All Might. His initial costume was an emulation of All Might. All of his moves were smashes and he tried to go at everything with the same brute force and shear power just like All Might. She replayed what Uncle Toshi had said to Izuku over and over again and then watched him begin to transform into a completely different monster.
Deku was becoming… Deku.
Not an All Might clone or wannabe. Just. Deku.
You're still chasing shadows.
That thought replayed in her head over and over again. Even through coaching Izuku, through dinner at the dorms, and after. She was completely elsewhere in her head. Her mates knew it when she had been zoned out and in a completely different world even as they were curled up on the couch together. She hadn't paid any attention to the movie and was barely aware that the four of them were huddled together for the movie. Then a thought from months ago played over in her head. She remembered the first time she'd pulled out her hero costume and thought about how similar it had been to her dad's. Then she remembered using the Wave of Dominance for the first time. Her dad's move. How she sought out to be the most powerful queen she could be as young as she was. Again, trying to chase at her dad's legacy.
Chasing.
Chasing his legacy. His power.
When the movie ended, she quickly kissed Izuku, Tooru, and Mina and excused herself. She'd let the three of them have some fun because it was well deserved after the work they'd already begun to put in. And she knew they would have fun if Mina had any say in the matter. Which, obviously, she did.
Suri, on the other hand, made her way outside and into the forest behind the dorms, taking her time to stroll and really take in her surroundings. She ran her fingertips along every tree and wild growth she passed until finally it broke and she was back in the clearing. Suri walked slowly towards the massive stone perch, her fingers grazing over the tall grass before reaching the throne. Her fingers danced and moved all along the stone surface, really taking in the feel and sight of it all. She let herself bathe in the moonlight, the night air, and the soft flow of magic and power radiating throughout the clearing. The feel of power coursing through her made her body fill with heat and excitement and she let that power fill her. This time, instead of the sensuous touches like the night before had been, the energy felt gentle and warm. It felt like home. A place she could relax, meditate, and feel safe.
And speaking of home.
Suri pulled out her phone and, for the first time since November, called the one person she'd both ran from and was chasing after. The person she could have and should have called months ago.
"Hey, Pupkit," he answered groggily, like he'd just woken up. Which he probably had.
"Hi, daddy," Suri answered softly. She had meant to sound more confident and make herself bigger than she was. Like she was a queen speaking to fellow royalty. But hearing his voice and being surrounded by the traces of his power made her feel safe, like it was okay to be small and vulnerable. Like she was his daughter again. "I um… I got your message from Principal Nezu."
"Oh yeah?" He answered, his voice perking up a little then.
"Yeah," Suri chuckled and sighed, looking up towards the moon. "I'm… I had no idea a place like this was here at UA. I knew the campus sorta felt like home for some reason but I dunno if I woulda figured it out if you hadn't left me a clue."
"Nah, sweetie," Alpha snickered on the other end of the line. "You woulda figured it out. You've got a good head on you. Ya know, thanks to your momma and all."
Suri snickered and shook her head.
"So what's up, baby girl? Everything good at the dorms?"
"Yeah," Suri quickly answered, warding off the concern in her dad's voice. "No, our first night was great. Bit of an adjustment being so close to school now so we don't gotta head out so early. We started classes again so it's kinda back to normal-ish. We're taking our provisionals in ten days."
"Provisionals? Already," her dad asked with surprise. "Shouta said they were soon but I didn't think that soon. You nervous about 'em?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," Suri smirked nervously. "Mr. Aizawa wants us to come up with two ultimate moves in less than two weeks! Shit's moving faster than expected and I'm… I'm questioning whether I'm ready for everything."
"Okay, baby, what's up? Something's bugging you big time if you gotta call your old man of all people" Alpha snickered and joked.
"Hey," Suri pouted, defensively. "What if I just needed to hear your voice again?"
"Yeah, somethin's definitely fuckin' with you."
"Pfft, fuck you too, jerk," Suri snorted and laughed.
"There's my girl," her dad laughed. After a moment of shared laughter he took a deep breath and settled back into the phone. "So things are coming at you too fast. Isn't that what you wanted though? I mean, sweetie, you've always been the kinda girl that goes and gets what you want as fast as you can get it."
"That's a long way of saying I'm demanding," Suri scoffed.
"Not demanding. Tenacious," he corrected. "What I mean is; you don't wait around. You've always taken things on faster than anyone, whether you've been ready or not. You're driven and as stubborn as me and your momma. But that's never fazed you before. So, baby, I gotta ask again; what's goin on?"
Suri took a deep breath and it became shuddering as she let down her guard and completely opened up.
"H-How… I need more power. How do I protect and save everyone? Is this… if I take over this place, have it consecrated to me, is it…. Will it be enough?"
"Baby…"
"I thought I was powerful, I mean I know I'm more powerful than almost anyone my age but… I have to be able to do more. I have to be able to act and know I'll come out on top once I get my provisional. I know bigger, stronger enemies are going to be coming my way. Gemini's still out there. Shigaraki. I… I died. Daddy, if Koda and Mina weren't there when they were and… I'd be dead! And so would all my friends! And that, fuck, all of that would have been my fault. I need to be stronger than I am now because I need to protect them. I've wanted to be as powerful as you and uncle All Might for so long. Powerful enough to protect and save everyone! How? How can I save people, protect people, be a hero when… w-when I can't even save myself?"
"Pupkit," Alpha spoke softly, listening as his daughter broke down and sobbed into the phone. He let her cry for a long moment, softly coaxing her through her breakdown. It was a few minutes at least until he felt comfortable to really say anything. "Baby, you wanna know a secret? Somethin' I learned from my pops?"
Suri nodded while sniffling back the tears, realized her dad couldn't see her, and weakly gave him an okay.
"A king is nothing without his people. The people by your side are the ones that elevate you to that position, without them, it's just a word. I wouldn't have made it as far as I have or become as strong as I have without my people. Our clan, the people of our city, our family and friends, those are the ones that gave me all of the opportunity. You've understood that better than most. Better than me," he stated in a caring yet decidedly dad kind of tone.
"But how can I put them in danger like I did?" Suri shot back. "I'm supposed to protect them!"
"Sweetie, aren't they trying to become heroes just like you are?"
"Y-Yeah-"
"Then have some faith in them. They're just as capable as you are. They're by your side because they've made sure they're strong enough to be there. You want to protect them and you'll always make damn sure you make it back to them. But who protects you?"
Suri froze, any retort she was ready to fire back at her dad gone in a fraction of a second. She thought hard about what he said. Then she remembered overhearing Ochako say something along the same lines in between classes.
"All through highschool, me and Toshinori were a team. We backed each other on everything and that's how he became my brother. We elevated each other, even during the shitty times. After UA, it was Toshi, David, and I. When pops called me home and wanted me to take over as Ulfric; Toshinori and David backed me every step of the way. Aside from your mothers, your Uncle Toshi has had my back for over forty years. I'm a king because he believed I was worthy of becoming one," he explained, letting the admiration for his best friend come through. "Why did you start calling yourself a queen?"
"Because of Tooru," Suri answered quietly, a small smile curling on her lips just from saying her invisible girlfriend's name. Then a question dug itself from the back of her mind. "Speaking of Uncle Toshi, he said something to me today that I haven't been able to figure out."
"Oh? And what's that?"
"Me and Izuku were struggling to figure out where to even start on super moves. He told Izuku that he was emulating him too much and by the time today was over Green Bean was overhauling his entire move set. Me… I'm stuck. When I think about what I can do? I don't feel like I've got anything to really develop into a finisher or anything like that. And then trying to figure out what Uncle Toshi meant by chasing shadows? My brain is fried and I just want to cry or scream. Probably both."
"Chasing shadows, huh?" Alpha said to himself inquisitively.
"How did you come up with the Wave of Dominance? Why don't you have any moves other than that? How do I get as strong as you so I don't have to worry about this bullshit?"
Alpha began laughing then. The laughter made Suri growl into the phone and her eyes narrowed harshly. She was about to rip into her dad, berate him, and call him every insult she could think of when he cut her off again.
"Pupkit, I know you ain't that dense, right?" he chuckled happily.
"Gee, thanks, dad," Suri snarled back.
"Baby, lemme ask you; why do you want to become a hero?"
"I... " Suri paused and really thought about an answer. It was a short moment before she started answering carefully. "I've always wanted to help people. Between you and All Might, I've always watched how happy you two make people and how much you help make people's lives better. I mean you totally sucked at the dad thing the last couple of years but really… I guess I wanted to become a hero because of… you."
The moment it left her mouth, Suri froze. She was left dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open as the answer came to her like a freight truck. How had she not figured it out?
"See? There's your answer, baby girl," Alpha chuckled again. "Me and Toshi may be a big reason why you're going down the path you are. But we're not the only reason. We weren't the ones who pushed you to jump in front of a bus were we?"
"No."
"That was the day you decided your future. So, I'mma ask again; what made you do it?"
"My feet moved before I could even think," Suri spoke quietly, remembering the incident almost seven years ago to the day. "We were waiting to get on the bus to go to school. A bunch of the boys had brought balls because it was PE day and one of them chased theirs into the middle of Main Street. He went between cars, that commuter bus didn't see him, and had no way to stop in time so…"
"You saved that boy's life. Acted faster than even I could have," he continued, praising Suri for her actions from the past. "Baby, you think you're living in my shadow and All Might's shadow but you're not. You're your own woman, your own hero. You keep asking how to become as strong as me but you should be asking how to get stronger than that. Girl, you've got a fire burnin' inside you but you're so focussed on lighting the path behind me and not in front of you. Our ancestors laid the groundwork for us to walk along, with each generation adding a new layer to make that path stronger, sturdier, easier for those that follow. My pops built on the base passed down to him, then I added to it with my own strength and wisdom, and now Mathias will add to it in his own way. If I paved the way for Ulfric to become his own king then you, sweet girl, you've got your own path to set out on. So tell me, what kind of hero do you want to be?"
And just like that, Suri had the answer to everything. Her mind refocused and a fire of excitement and joy began raging inside her. That fire scorched her fears and insecurities and burnt them into ash. And now, she had a vivid clarity just like Izuku had had earlier that day. Now all she had to do was catch up to her boyfriend and help push and encourage their girlfriends. Though she did feel dumb for not catching on so much sooner. Hell, she had already said what kind of hero she wanted to be back when they made their hero names. She wanted people to see her eyes and feel safe and wanted to put the fear of the gods into villains.
Her confidence was completely restored.
Just one more thing to do.
"I want to be a hero that can protect and save people. I want people to look into my eyes and know peace and safety and I want the villains that would hurt them to fear me and think twice about their actions. I want to protect my friends. I want to help people and make a difference in their lives for the better."
"That's my girl," Alpha said proudly, Suri could practically hear the big smile he was wearing on the other end of the phone.
"Thanks, daddy," Suri said with a happy chirp in her own voice. "Anyway, I gotta get to work. I love you."
"Love you too, sweetheart," he replied and just like that, the phone clicked.
Now that that phone call was over she had thoughts racing through her head. If the prevailing thoughts were to win out, she'd be seeing Mei Hatsume first thing in the morning. But the prevailing thoughts also had their own hang ups to work out. She needed to make one more phone call. She quickly brought up her contacts and hit the number, only having to wait a single ring before the phone picked up.
"Hey Grandma, do you got a sec? I have a question," Suri said in a quick, cheerful tone. "Actually two. First, how do you manifest your metaphysical energy into your whip? And two... why a whip?"