(Important Note underlined at the end.)
"Wow, last night was a huge success!"
"I know! And did you see the video that Divine made? It looked like a movie!"
Syrra and Syrro gushed about their first performance since coming to this world. Their master had somehow gotten a plot of land and in the months leading up to their aunt's school year the Troupe had been launching a massive advertising campaign. Divine had made videos online and her latest one had over a million views already. Everyone in the Troupe was doing their part, including the two Grimmsteeds. They didn't do anything big behind the scenes other than moving things around, but their cute looks and getups were good for another thing; Giving out flyers. Internet advertisement was good for circulation, but having people on the ground made it seem more personable… or at least that's what Divine told them.
Syrra skipped along while her sister followed at a more subdued pace. That was their dynamic, as it always had been. Syrra was upbeat and open. Syrro was more serious and closed off. Other than their personalities there were only two ways to tell them apart. Syrra has eyes the color of rich wine and her combed hair was parted on the right. Syrro had eyes the color of fresh blood and her combed hair was parted on the left. Other than that they were identical in every way.
The two spent their morning handing out flyers, and it had been going really well! Nobody had outright refused them, or more accurately nobody had outright refused Syrra…
"Would you like to take a flyer?" Syrro asked a pedestrian that walked past them, face neutral.
"Hm?" The man turned to face them.
"We're envoys of the Grimm Troupe, your attendance would be very welcome and appreciated." She pushed the flyer towards him, causing the man to take a step back.
"Hey, if this is some kind of cult I'm not interested." The man said nervously. Syrro tilted her head, face not changing in the slightest. Syrra, seeing the man's nervousness, came to the rescue.
"It's not a cult, silly~ it's a performance! We're handing out flyers, our group's called the Grimm Troupe and we're doing performances all week at eight o'clock! You don't have to go, but we'd really appreciate it if you did." The peppy Grimmsteed folded her hands together with a friendly smile, wine eyes twinkling. "If you can't make it, could you at least spread the word?"
The man smiled and took her flyer. "I can't say no to that face now can I? Hell, why not! The Grimm Troupe you said? I'll tell my coworkers about it, maybe we'll go as a group!" The man gave them a wave as he continued on his way.
Syrro pouted, "why doesn't anybody ever say no to you? Every other person runs in fear when I ask…"
"Hm? Oh that's easy! You just gotta smile like this." To prove her point Syrra put her fingers on the corners of her mouth and smiled. Syrro blinked and tilted her head. After a few more seconds of the demonstration Syrra's gaze moved past her twin. "Hello sir, may we borrow a moment of your time?" Syrro turned around. Wearing the boy's version of their auntie's uniform was a well-built boy with spiky red hair and sharp teeth.
"Huh? Sure! What's goin' on?" He replied with a friendly smile.
"We're part of a band of traveling entertainers and we're handing out flyers for our performance! We'd love it if you stopped by." Syrra said, holding out a flyer.
The boy took it and looked it over. "What, like a circus?" He asked, an excited grin appearing on his face.
"In a way, yes. Though we don't have animals." Syrro added, narrowing her eyes. "Do you go to UA?" She asked after a moment.
"Yeah, how'd you tell?" The boy responded, somewhat confused.
"Our aunt goes there, the uniform's almost identical." The serious twin pointed out.
"It is?" Syrra tilted her head.
Syrro deadpanned at her sister. "Don't tell me you forgot already… you saw the uniform yesterday!" Syrra gave an embarrassed laugh.
"Your aunt's a UA student? That's awesome, is she part of the hero course? Maybe I know her!"
"She is!" Syrra bounced. "Her name is Myla, she has long white hair and—"
"Oh yeah!" The boy exclaimed, "she has long white hair and orange eyes, yeah? We're in the same class!" Syrra's sudden grin, ironically, could light up the sun. Even Syrro had a twinkle in her eyes at the new information.
"So you're becoming a hero too? That's so cool!"
"I know right? I'm actually on my way to class right now, I'll tell her that her nieces said hi!"
"Thank you so much! And we hope to see you sometime this week!" The two Grimmsteeds waved at him as he resumed his walk to UA. Eventually Syrra's grin subsided. "How about him?"
Syrro put her hands on her hips and frowned. "… No… He's not the one."
"I know, too nice. He has a good heart…" Syrra sighed.
"We have all the time in the world now, but… The Ritual will happen. It's just a matter of time before we find the right one."
"We chose the wrong spot to perform, the area's too nice. Too many heroes… Maybe we can tell Grimm to move the Troupe to a high crime area?"
"In Japan? Thanks to All Might those places are almost nonexistent. Villains still attack, but…" Syrro shook her head.
"That cute knight looked like he might've. But then he went and tried to kill Auntie… Grimm was furious, and well." The peppy Grimmsteed gestured all around them. "Here we are."
"So we need someone with single minded determination, someone who doesn't shrink away at the prospect of killing…" Syrro huffed. "Good luck finding someone like that around here."
"Can we just ask Auntie to find someone? All she'd have to do is look for the right Dream!"
"She'd never do it, she hates the Master. If she knew what we were doing… The fallout of their fight would probably be the end of Japan… If not the whole world…"
Syrra tilted her head as they walked. "But… didn't the Master put a shackle on her?"
"Yes, he did, and that only alienated her even more. Besides… She'll find a way around it, you know she will. If her plan to be a hero works then her power's gonna skyrocket."
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't figure it out?" Syrro scoffed. "Auntie's power is directly linked to worship. Without it she's far more powerful than a human, but Grimm has one up on her. People… believe in heroes. If she becomes a popular hero and people give her hero worship…"
"Then she'll be restored to her full power. Man," Syrra complained. "What a mess!"
"Don't get me wrong, I love Auntie… We're family, and I know that she cares about us too… But despite our master's nonchalance both of them know exactly what their place is… The Dark will flee the Light, and the Light will give chase. It's been their dynamic for eons. They're siblings but it's in their nature to be rivals…"
"I just wish we could be a family. I don't like it when our family fights…"
Syrro gave her sister a small smile. "Don't get too down, remember, you have a big part in tonight's performance."
"Oh yeah! Oh I'm so excited!" Syrro's soft smile didn't disappear as her energetic sister began rambling. The two sisters didn't have a large part to play in the Grimm Troupe as a whole. They were Grimmsteeds, all they really did was get the Troupe to where it needed to go. But they were together, and they had a semblance of a family. For them, that was enough.
The fallen goddess of dreams sneezed, drawing the attention of her new pink friend. "Hey you're not getting sick, are you?"
"Of course not! I would never fall prey to such a thing." Myla scoffed, opening the door to their home room. Most everybody was there minus a few stragglers still eating in the cafeteria, but the class still had a few minutes before it was supposed to start so they probably had enough time to get back.
"Just looking out for ya, plus I don't wanna catch anything on the second day, who knows what's gonna happen! Yesterday was horrible!" Mina lamented.
Myla sighed, "honestly… As Mr. Aizawa said, it was a rational deception." She grumbled, still annoyed that she wasn't able to detect his lie. "I highly doubt we'll have any major surprises going forwards."
"Hey Myla! Why didn't you tell me you had nieces in a circus?" A spiky redhead yelled, jogging up to them.
The goddess blinked. "Because outside of introducing ourselves as a class yesterday I've never talked to you?"
"Harsh! But true. Regardless, that's totally awesome! You knew they were performing right?"
"I assumed they would be…" She muttered, trying to keep her temper in check.
"What's this about a circus?" Mina asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
"Myla's nieces are in a circus, they're performing all week!" Kirishima
"What?! That's totally awesome!" Mina cheered, hopping up and down.
"I know right!" The goddess just sighed.
"What's this about a circus?" The blonde boy from yesterday asked. His name was… Kamin…iri? Kaminari!
"There's a circus in town, Myla's nieces are a part of it, they were handing out flyers near the school!"
"Hey, that's totally rad!"
Mina pumped her fist. "I know, let's all go together! It'll be a class bonding exercise!" Kaminari, Kirishima, and a few nearby students all gave their own excited replies. A singular glyph escaped the corner of Myla's eye.
Finally, the cord snapped. "Feel free to waste your time, but I'd rather do anything else…"
"What, why?" Mina asked, shock all over her face, and maybe a tiny bit of hurt. Internally the goddess cringed at herself.
Sighing, she looked at the pink girl. She didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of The Radiance's feelings towards the Nightmare King. "Your idea is sound, my anger isn't for you… The Grimm Troupe is headed by my brother." The shocked faces turned to surprise.
"Are you…" Kristina started. "Are you not on good terms with your family?"
Myla crossed her arms under her chest, blatantly ignoring the perverted dreams of the purple… thing nearby. "Grimm is an egotistical narcissist who cares only for himself. The Troupe exists only to further his own goals."
Kaminari laughed slightly, "yeah no offense but have you ever heard of the phrase "pot meet kettle?"" The goddess shot the boy a withering glare, causing him to hide behind a girl with headphone jacks coming from her ears. "Please don't hurt me!"
Once again Myla sighed. "I may not be the most pleasant person but I will never lie about who I am. Grimm hides behind a charming smile and false promises." Just talking about her bastard brother made her blood boil. Especially considering the red blight of a glyph resting within her. Taking a breath she calmed herself. "My nieces hold none of my ire. They are pleasant and kind girls who do anything they can for their family."
The goddess gave a small, rare, genuine smile to Mina and the others. "If you do decide to go to the show, none of you will hold my ire either. I just refuse to be anywhere near that bastard unless absolutely necessary… The sole good thing I can say about him is that his shows are apparently spectacular." With her parting words she left to find her seat, exchanging glares with the blond boy who sat behind her.
Before she could even grab a pencil she was hit by an overwhelming wave of power. She gasped as the door to the room slammed open, revealing a mountain dressed in red with a blue cape. "I AM HERE! Coming through the door like a normal person!" A Higher Being?! His presence was suffocating to the point that she gave a pulse of her own power so she could breathe. Every instinct she had was screaming at her to attack, two Higher Beings in one place would lead to a fight. But… The man didn't even react. Was… Was he not able to sense the presence of her Dream? No… Her human body utterly concealed her presence. She was fine, as long as she didn't do anything to reveal herself the man wouldn't be able to oust her!
The rest of the class did not share her anxiousness though.
"I can't believe it's really All Might!"
"So he really is a teacher! This year's gonna be totally awesome!"
"Hey look! Is he wearing his Silver Age costume?"
"All Might?" She whispered, listening intently to her classmates. Any and all information would be crucial to her survival. Knowledge was Power, after all. Right now she didn't know if this Higher Being was going to be hostile or neutral, so she'd keep playing the role of a student!
All Might, the Number 1 Hero placed his fists on his hips and addressed the class. "Welcome to the most important class at U.A. High! Think of it as "Heroing 101." Here you will learn the basics of being a Pro, and what it means to fight in the name of good!" The man flexed before showing them all a card with the word "Battle!" on it. "Let's get into it, today's lesson will pull no punches!"
The reaction across the class was varied, but mostly positive. The mantis in human form behind her was absolutely ecstatic. The Radiance was more curious than anything. She was more than confident in her abilities and her experience, but she had also learned the hard way what happens when you underestimate an opponent. It was a lesson she would not repeat.
"But one of the key points of being a hero is looking good!" At his prompt a wall opened up with cases numbered 1 to 20. "These were designed for you based on your Quirk Registration Forms and the requests you sent in before the school year started!" Now the entire class was ecstatic, with cheers erupting across the entire room. "Get yourselves suited up! And meet me at Training Ground Beta!"
Myla looked at herself in the mirror. The rest of the girls were busy chatting and praising each other over their costume designs. And honestly it was understandable, or at the very least she could see how it would be understandable. Humans didn't have an exoskeleton, so they needed exterior clothing to protect themselves against the elements. For some reason or another this resulted in monetization and trends known as "fashion." Even the bugs of Hallownest had something similar; with colored cloaks made of Weaver Silk or polish to make themselves shinier. She never understood the purpose. She still didn't. But nevertheless it was a requirement, and if she was to stand out she had to design something worthy of the Goddess of Light and Dreams. In her opinion, she did rather well.
Her entire body was covered by a form fitting satin body-glove colored matte silver and embroidered with her glyphs scattered about. The material was soft, but it was reinforced with carbon fiber and spider silk; a mixture that she had designed herself. It was inspired by their teacher's scarf, only it was thinner, lighter, and had much higher durability. Around her shoulders and covering the majority of her body was a gray and white cloak designed to resemble moth wings. It was made of the same material as her body-glove and had special inserts that could turn it into a sort of haori connected to her arms. In fact the entire cloak could be separated into four sections if needed. When connected she could use her Quirk without giving away what she was actually doing. In testing she managed to fling out a wave of spikes, completely concealed until they left the 'sleeve.'
She looked at her arms. She trusted the strength of her costume, but she didn't take any chances. Around her wrists were two lightweight metal gauntlets, and resembling her Actual Form her legs were covered in a layer of the same metal, all the way down to her boots. To finish it all off she had a ring of white fur around the 'neck' of her cloak, and a familiar three-pointed tiara sat on her head.
"Wow, you really doubled down on the moth aesthetic you got going!" Mina said from her left. Her pink friend was dressed in a skin-tight turquoise and purple camouflage bodysuit with a sleeveless tan vest. She also had fur around her collar, making the goddess smile a bit. A white mask covered her eyes. Their outfits were actually somewhat similar, though Mina's was cut a bit lower than her own. Her eyes were drawn to the calf-high purple boots, which must've had her quirk in mind, though Myla wasn't exactly an expert in fashion.
"Believe it or not it wasn't entirely intentional… The cloak was going to be a bit different but my nieces wanted to give their input. I'm finding that my aesthetic is a cruel joke, but the final result is acceptable enough," she sighed, toying with the soft cloak.
"Are you kidding? You look awesome! It's like you're some moth princess from a fairytale!" Mina shouted, circling around the goddess.
"If you say so, Mina. You look good as well, your outfit suits you." She didn't understand the design choice in the slightest, but the girl was certainly happy about it. As a group the girls left their changing room, meeting up with the boys minus one and walking the short trek to where their teacher told them to meet. As they stepped through the gates she heard his booming voice.
"They say the clothes make the Pro's, young ladies and gentlemen, and lo and behold you are the proof! Take this to heart! From now on you are all HEROES IN TRAINING!" The costumes were incredibly varied. Myla saw a suit of knight's armor, a martial arts uniform, massive explosive looking gauntlets, no one costume was the same. All Might gave a proud smirk, "This is getting me all revved up! You all look so cool! Now. Shall we get started, ya buncha newbies?" The goddess heard running footsteps behind them. She turned around in curiosity and barely kept her jaw from dropping. Midoriya was covered head to toe in a green suit with an artificial grin and long ears. It looked… Turning back to their teacher she sweatdropped. Unknowingly to both of them, the Symbol of Peace and the Goddess of Light had simultaneous thoughts. "Can you be any more obvious?!"
"Now that you're all ready and looking good, it's time for combat training—"
"Sir!" Iida interrupted, holding a hand up. This looked familiar… "This is the fake city from our entrance exam. Does that mean we'll be conducting urban battles again?" In his defense it was a valid question, though their teacher was probably going to explain everything.
"Not quite, young Iida. I'm going to be moving you guys two steps ahead!" He told them, holding up two fingers. "Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside and in the streets. However, statistically speaking run-ins with the most dastardly evil-doers take place indoors. Think about it! Backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows." Ever so slightly The Radiance bowed her head in shame. That last part was most certainly true. After she had been defeated by the Pale Light she undermined him without showing herself. They pieced together that she was behind the Infection, and she didn't have a physical form, but she definitely worked in secret back then… "For this training exercise you'll be split into teams of Heroes and Villains and fight two-on-two indoor battles!"
A girl in a green outfit put a finger on her chin and spoke up, "isn't this a little advanced?"
"The best training is what you get on the battlefield! Remember though, this time you can't just punch a robot, you'll be dealing with actual people!" All Might opened his mouth to continue to speak but it wasn't to be.
"Sir, will you be deciding the ones who win?"
"How much can we hurt the other team?"
"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?"
"Will you be splitting up based on chance or comparative skill?"
"SILENCE!" But this time the voice wasn't All Might's. All eyes turned to her in shock, amazed that she could yell that loud. Outwardly she was frowning lightly, inwardly she was fuming! This man was this world's version of a Higher Being! Did they not understand that?! He would tell them everything they needed to know, he had chosen to impart his wisdom onto them specifically! It was shameful! "If you stop blabbering, our teacher will tell us exactly what is going to happen."
"Y-Yes, thank you Miss Grimm!" The goddess grit her teeth, making the few who knew her naming preference snicker to themselves. Regardless, the class could continue as it was supposed to! And then their teacher took out a small booklet and began reading from it, and Myla's hopes were cast to the wind. He was reading a script. A Higher Being was reading a script… In her own well of disappointment she vaguely heard the man tell them about the scenario. The villains would be hiding and protecting a 'nooklyer' missile in their hideout. In order for the Heroes to win they had to recover it or capture the villains. The villains just had to play keep away until the timer ran out. All Might pulled out a box from somewhere. "Time's limited, and we'll choose teams by drawing lots!"
"Isn't there a better way?" Iida asked.
Midoriya looked to his new friend, "Think about it! Pros often have to team up with heroes from different Agencies on the spot, so maybe that's the reason we're seeing that here!"
"Yes, I see." Iida bowed at the waist. "Forgive my rudeness."
"No sweat. Let's draw! Come one at a time!"
Myla blinked. That actually made a lot of sense. She was somewhat surprised that humans were good enough to work together like that. This species continued to surprise her every day she lived among them. And so the students all reached into the box one by one until it was her turn. She plucked a piece of paper out at random, unfolding it to see a bold I. She held it aloft, but nobody called out for her to join so her partner had not been assigned yet. Eventually the last person drew his card, a blond boy with a very large tail wearing white martial arts robes. He pulled his card and held it up, looking around until she waved him over. He smiled and jogged over.
"Hey! I'm Mashirao Ojiro, call me Ojiro. You're Grimm, right? Nice to meet ya." He held out a hand.
She took it after a second, remembering that shaking an appendage was a form of greeting. "Please call me Myla, I'm not exactly fond of my last name. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Likewise!"
All Might called their attention when everyone found their teammates. "The first two teams to fight are," he paused for unnecessary dramatic effect before pulling out two spheres. "These guys!" Teams D and A. "Team A will be the heroes, Team D will be the villains! Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch."
A class responded with a unified "Yes Sir!"
"Team A and Team D! Your time starts now! Let's begin the indoor combat training!"
In the observation room the rest of the students gathered in front of an array of screens. They were mostly talking with each other, strategizing and planning, but there were a number staring at the screen in anticipation. Myla was doing a mix of the two. Midoriya was probably the human she was the most invested in, even more so now. His presence was almost identical to All Might's and she couldn't figure out why. Were they related? They didn't feel like family to her, and they looked nothing alike. She wanted to sit the two of them down and go through their minds, find out exactly what was going on, but she couldn't… All Might was a Higher Being, or at least this world's version of one. As she was now; shackled and stuck in this human body, she might not be able to overpower him. And Midoriya? She was invested in him and his dream. Out of everybody she had met so far his dream burned the brightest, and that led her to her last reason.
She wasn't The Radiance that destroyed Hallownest anymore…
She wasn't consumed by rage. Midoriya dreamed of being a Hero, and she absolutely refused to rip that Dream away from him. Everybody here in fact. Everybody dreamed of being a Hero. It painted a picture of swirling colors and brightness that only she could see. It was beautiful. Myla Grimm was curious about Midoriya, but she was patient enough for the secret to reveal itself to her. Now and again it might need some coaxing, but meddling with humans wasn't something she was above doing if it helped her achieve her goals.
"So how do you think we should go about this?" Ojiro asked her, looking at the screens as Midoriya and Uraraka crept through the halls of the lair.
"I excel at ranged combat, though this may limit that… And it really depends on if we're heroes or villains. What are your strengths?" She turned away from the screens. Nothing interesting was happening yet.
"Well I'm a close range fighter. I'm experienced in a variety of martial arts and my tail is really strong. I'm awful when it comes to ranged combat though, I got nothin'."
"Hm." She brought a hand to her chin. "Depending on the opponent I can be dangerous in close quarters as well. At the very least I can change the flow of battle to suit you. I can hopefully allow you to engage the opponent more suited to you while engaging the other. If the battle allows for it I may even be able to assist you." Realistically she'd probably be able to take both of her opponents on at once, but again, while she was confident in her abilities she wasn't going to underestimate anyone. "If we can stay flexible enough to control the flow of battle we should be fine regardless of who we face."
"Sounds like you're going for an elastic defense, I like it!" Ojiro said, nodding in approval.
All of a sudden Bakugo burst from around the corner, throwing an explosion at the heroes. Multiple students let out gasps of surprise and even she had to wince at the sudden wave of killing intent radiating off of the boy.
"He almost got the jump on them!"
"A sneak attack, Bakugo? What kind of man pulls a cheap trick like that?!" Kirishima yelled in anger.
"It's a viable strategy! He's playing the part and acting like any true villain would." All Might defended, taking notes for their performance.
Bakugo threw out another explosion, but before it could ignite Midoriya caught him by the arm and threw him over his shoulder. The class let out excited and surprised murmurs and a small smile came to her own face. Midoriya was doing well so far, and the mantis got put in his place. But that wasn't the only reason she was smiling. Midoriya was radiating fear, but it was being held back by a surprising amount of determination. He wasn't going to back down, he was standing his ground and making his Dream a reality. Bakugo though? Bakugo was overflowing with hatred. In that moment, Midoriya must have said something that set off the exploding blonde, because the goddess was hit by one of the strongest waves of hatred she had ever felt.
The Radiance gasped, eyes wide.
"I DO NOT FEAR YOU, ANCIENT ENEMY!"
Bakugo's face reflected what hers would've been if she had been human back then. Midoriya and Uraraka split up with Bakugo chasing after the former. The class made comments about him and the battle but she ignored it. All she paid attention to were the two boys chasing each other around the lair. His hatred was so familiar to her, it was almost exactly the same. That drive to utterly destroy your enemy, to remove the affront to your existence… Why was that hatred in somebody so young?
She ignored the developing battle between Iida and Uraraka, as Bakugo had just found Midoriya. The two exchanged words before Bakugo suddenly raised his arm at Midoriya, grabbing a small pin protruding from his gauntlet. His look was downright murderous. All Might said something into a microphone but it was drowned out by the ringing in her own ears.
"THE LIGHT CANNOT BE CONSUMED!"
Bakugo pulled the pin and shot a concentrated explosion from his gauntlet, mirroring her own attacks in a way. When the smoke cleared he approached Midoriya, a crazed and sickening glee radiating from his mind. She was close to shaking. Was this how she appeared to Hallownest? Was this the way everyone viewed her back then? She had been so consumed by rage and a desire for revenge that… How had she let herself pervert her Being that much? And this boy was walking the same path as her! Didn't he realize what it would cost him?!
"Bakugo, use that stored up power again and I'll stop the fight! Your team will lose. To employ such a strong attack indoors is inviting the destruction of the lair you're supposed to be protecting! That's a poor strategy, whether you're a hero or a villain. The penalty would be a massive loss of points." All Might's voice ripped her from her memories and a sudden bout of clarity entered her mind. She steadied herself, all of that was in the past. She had set out to better herself, to be the goddess that people could worship again. Even if his hatred was familiar to her, she wouldn't let it distract her again.
Even so, what followed next was hard to watch. Bakugo systematically toyed with Midoriya, the boy didn't even have a chance to fight back. "Bakugo has an impressive level of battle-instinct," she said aloud, "to be able to attack and strategize at the same time shows an extreme level of control over his ability." Bakugo grabbed Midoriya by the arm and spun around, throwing him over his shoulder and slamming him into the ground.
"This is hard to watch," Mina whined, "All he has to do is wrap tape around him, not kill him!"
"Bakugo's certainly acting like a villain," a boy with the head of a bird said.
Kaminari scratched behind his ear nervously, "I thought Midoriya was pretty amazing at the start of the fight, but he's completely outmatched when it comes to raw combat power. Not to mention Bakugo seems like a natural." Midoriya crawled away before standing up and running.
"He's running away."
"Not very manly, but he doesn't have a choice. Unless he's got some kind of plan, I mean it's possible, but…"
"In a battle of strength versus strength, the stronger opponent will win every single time," she said aloud, drawing eyes to herself. "Midoriya knows he's outmatched, Bakugo knows it as well. That's why he's taking his time instead of ending this, he wants to show he's superior. But he's missing a crucial aspect of fighting. When victory is assured, that is when you're most likely to make a mistake."
"You really think he can win?" She looked at the boy who spoke to her and blinked in surprise. Half of his body was completely covered in ice.
She shook off the surprise and responded. "I believe so. He just has to as well." She nodded at the screen, Midoriya was cornered at the edge of the wall with Bakugo advancing. At the same time both of them charged each other, Bakugo readying an explosion and Midoriya radiating that same power as yesterday. He was finally using his power! She watched in excitement, this was the source of her curiosity.
Nobody else though shared her excitement. "They're gonna kill each other! Sir!" She sensed All Might's hesitance. He better not stop this! Not at the climax! But just as he gave the order to stop Midoriya enacted some kind of plan and it caused him to stop.
"Uraraka now!" Just as Bakugo hit him with an explosion Midoriya changed the direction of his explosion… to directly above him! In that brief moment he had a flashback.
"You followed your dream." The moth-like girl said after a few moments.
"Huh?" He asked, causing the girl to smile at him.
"You told me that you've always wanted to be a hero like All Might. And now here you are, at U.A."
"Y-Yeah… Though it may not be for long." He mumbled anxiously.
Myla sighed, "don't underestimate the power of a Dream. They can propel you to phenomenal lengths, fill you with the strength to overcome any challenge, and give you hope in the darkest of times.
He had seen her power and the level of control she exerted over it. From their short few conversations he could tell that she was smart and incredibly insightful. She may be somewhat cold, but he could tell that she was a good person. He just knew it! If someone that amazing believed in him, if All Might believed in him, then he had to do this!
Every floor of the building above him was demolished as a hole opened straight to the sky. Even through the pain of the massive explosion Bakugo hit him with coupled with his now broken arm he still heard Uraraka yell in joy as she touched the weapon. They had won!
"This was your plan from the very beginning, wasn't it?!" Bakugo seethed. "You were playing me this entire time you bastard!"
"I wasn't… going to use it…" He managed to say, whimpering from the pain. "I just can't control it… My body can't handle the backlash of my power yet… Mr. Aizawa said I'd be useless, but this was all that I could think of…"
"So control is your issue…" She said, lost in thought. "I have a similar problem to yours… My ability is powered by a substance called Essence. But the more I use it, the more it produces a… byproduct. That byproduct isn't compatible with the human body and I could get really sick."
As he began walking, Myla called out to him, "Midoriya." He turned to look at her, face ashen. She gave him a determined look. "Let your Dream give you power."
He stared at Bakugo, "This was the only chance I had at winning. The only chance of making my Dream a reality!"
As Midoriya began to fall to the ground he heard All Might speak over the radio. "The Hero Team WINS!" He managed to smile before darkness took him.
Back in the observation room the class was gathered with the exception of Midoriya. "Despite the results of this exercise, the MVP of this match is young Iida!" The whole class let out a collective gasp, Iida more than anyone.
"Shouldn't it be one of the heroes instead? Since they were the winners?" The girl in green asked.
"Hm? A valid question! Why didn't I choose one of those two? Who has a guess?!"
"Sir! I can tell you why." The girl with the long ponytail and a revealing costume raised her hand. "Iida embraces this challenge. He was the only one who truly adapted to his assigned role. I'll explain; Baku's judgment was clouded by a personal grudge against Midoriya. As you pointed out earlier, launching a large-scale attack indoors was a very foolish move. It could've been disastrous. Similarly, Midoriya's plan was also poorly thought out, considering the amount of damage he received. He rendered himself helpless, not smart if his gambit didn't work. As for Uraraka? She let her guard down mid-battle and was far too reckless given the hypothetical stakes. If she treated the weapon as if it were real, she never would've risked using such an imprecise move." The entire class as well as the two Higher Beings were completely gobsmacked. "Iida was the only one fully prepared for his opponent's arrival. He had a strategy and never lost sight of his mission to protect the dummy weapon, even if he was foiled in the end." Iida held a hand over his heart as if he had been given everything he ever wanted. "Technically the hero team won, yes, but they took advantage of the fact that this was training. They didn't respect the spirit of the trial.
All Might struggled to come up with a response, Yes… Well… You may have overlooked a few things, Iida could've relaxed a little, but otherwise… You nailed it!"
"One should always start with the basics and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning. That's the only true way to become a Top Hero." The girl finished off.
All Might stood in front of the two podiums again labeled with Villains and Heroes. "Now then! Let's blow this joint, time to move on to the next match! Think about everything we saw and discussed as you tackle this training for yourself! The next teams are… Team B and Team I!" The Radiance smiled.
"Match Two! Team B will be our heroes! And Team I will be our villains!"
The Radiance let a wave of calm wash over her in preparation for the battle. Ojiro was stretching his arms and readying his body. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the guy with the ice on his body has a power involving ice. I'm not sure what the other guy's deal is. What do you think?"
She hummed. "Control over ice perhaps? It may be best to leave him to me. I say we let them make the first move and react from there. If they both go in we take the fight to them, if only one does we hit them one at a time."
"Ok, but how will you know when they enter the building?" Ojiro asked, curious.
"Hm? Oh, I can sense their smells." She gestured to her head and wiggled her antennae.
"A-Ah, actually that makes a lot of sense!" Ojiro laughed. She gave a small smile in return. In truth she could sense their Dreams, she'd know exactly where they were at all times.
Suddenly All Might yelled through the speakers. "Look alive kids! Show us you're the embodiment of good! Or evil!"
Her antennae twitched and her eyes widened in shock. "Don't move!"
"What?!" Ojiro shouted in alarm. His feet and ankles were suddenly encased in a warm golden barrier.
"I need you to trust me!" Myla shouted, erecting a similar barrier around herself. Moments later the entire room was covered in a layer of ice. The ice tickled his shins but the barrier stopped the worst of it. The barrier disappeared and he kicked the ice off.
He looked at the small dome of ice. "Myla! Ya good?" The room was silent for a moment before the small dome of ice glowed orange and exploded. Myla stood holding an arm out. She lowered it and chuckled.
"You're that confident, huh? This is gonna be fun!"
And done! This was pretty overdue but I've been pretty busy with my other stories and life in general. So I made this one a bit longer to make up for it! Still left you guys on a cliff-hanger though, I'm just evil like that~
Why is the Grimm Troupe looking for someone? What are they hoping to accomplish with the ritual in Japan of all places? And who lit the lantern? Also Syrra and Syrro are precious. Expect more of them in the future.
I had a lot of fun thinking about The Radiance's costume design and I think I did a pretty good job. Unfortunately I'm awful at art so I can't do a drawing of it but I think my favorite part about her design is the moth cloak. Could this have any reference to the Mothwing Cloak from Hollow Knight?~ We'll See~
And she's getting more and more curious about Midoriya and All Might? It still isn't clear if having a goddess's interest is a good or a bad thing yet, and they aren't even aware of it yet~
Regardless I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Like always I have a lot of fun writing her character. And now for something that got out of control. This story has exploded in popularity, at least in my eyes. Well over a hundred follows and favorites with 4 chapters? That's insane to me. I usually answer comments every 5 chapters, but… There's 34 of you… So I think I'm changing my policy to answering any new comments at the end of each chapter to avoid something like this again. And like always, sometimes multiple comments say basically the same thing, so if there are a couple of comments like that I lob them all into one response.
To everyone who wrote a comment saying how much they enjoy this story, how they love the idea, or that they can't wait for the next chapter: Thank you so much for the support! Most if not all comments give me the drive to keep this story going, but you guys contribute the most. This wouldn't be a thing without you, so from the bottom of my heart thank you!
~~~~~IMPORTANT~~~~~
To everyone asking me to update the chapter, or asking me when I can update the chapter next, this is important and I'll be pointing this out. At the end of every story I write, you'll see: "Next Story in the Rotation: Whatever." I write all of my stories in a rotation, and unless I get genuinely stumped that rotation will not break. You can check the status on what I'm working on by looking at my profile and the latest chapter of the latest story I've posted. For anyone interested in this story alone, this is what you should know.
Mariana, The Abyssal hero! —
Absolute Radiance —
The Dragon and the Fox —
Repeat.
I won't compromise on this, as this is the best way for me to make sure every story gets the attention it deserves. So before you write a comment asking me when a chapter is going to be updated, check the rotation and you'll get an idea. I'm not angry or annoyed either! I just want to make it easier for you guys to know when this story will be updated, and it's placement in the rotation. Thanks for reading!
Deeznutthebest: Your name is awesome, and I absolutely will incorporate her boss roar into this story.
NightmareKnight1: Hey! I'm glad you like Mariana as well! And I agree that Hollow Knight doesn't get the representation it deserves when it comes to this sight. I'm also trying to make longer chapters but my sweet spot is around 5,000 words.
Noire12: I'm glad you enjoy the concept! She obviously isn't a student, though that may make an amusing omake. And as it's revealed, because of his power The Radiance thinks that All Might is a Higher Being, because in her mind those are the only beings capable of holding that kind of power. I won't spoil what the deal actually is there, but that's how she views it at the moment.
FriendlyShadows: I'm glad you enjoy the portrayal! She has morals, but she definitely has a goddess complex. And I will make it clear that she will be in that character throughout this story. As I said in the last chapter, she's acting human, but her mindset hasn't changed outside of her restored morality. And even that's kinda skewed~ I haven't decided if there's going to be a pairing yet, but you bring up valid points~
Fleyja Yuki: That's actually something funny I could do. I'm pretty sure that in a draft somewhere she calls spiders "Little Weavers."
Kykkoman4: Yeah, yeah… It's fun, but… So much money gone…
DeathlyJazzHands55: I'm glad you enjoy this! And Grimm and The Radiance will definitely act like gods. Believe me I have plans to show that~
Darkromdemon: Humiliated? A bit, and yes it's rather therapeutic. Don't worry though, this won't turn into a Bakugo bashing fic. He will receive an appropriate amount of humiliation.
Clagann: The Void? Maybe, as I have a possible plan involving something else from Hollow Knight. The Godseekers probably won't make it, but they may be mentioned.
Supreme Failure: I have a funny scene in mind for the two, but it won't be for awhile~ Regarding Todoroki, that probably won't happen the way you're thinking, but something similar is planned.
Well that was almost a thousand words of announcements… Going forwards I'm doing the new policy, it'll be easier for everyone.
Next Story in the Rotation: The Dragon and the Fox
Thank you all for reading and I'll see you next time!~
