"Star!"

Cathleen Bate looks up, moving some of her long blonde locks out of her face. She's in the gym at her squad's little base. It's less of a Hero Agency and more of a military compound, but she knew what she was getting into when she joined the government's training program rather than a Hero School.

Approaching her is one of her brothers in arms. Aaron Stone. As sturdy as his name. A good six-and-a-half feet tall. Built like a house, but aren't they all? Hair cropped short like the rest of her brothers to fit his jet helmet. She grins at him as he gets close, letting her weight fall to the floor with a heavy thoom. Aaron snorts at her subtle theatrics.

"Acting like a 3,000-pound weight is a light exercise again?" Aaron says. "I didn't know we had anyone touring the base today."

"We don't," Cathleen says, picking her up her towel from the bench and wiping her brow.

"Gotta admit, that was pretty funny," says Aaron. A lot of people give Cathleen shit for being a Pro Hero and a woman. The plateau in her strength some years back got her no small amount of derision. A lot of other Pro Heroes were dismissive when they heard she just wasn't getting any stronger. Some came by to see what kind of 'ramshackle shed she calls a gym' she has, if she remembers Blazing Sun's words right. She told him he was just in time for her warmups and asked him to pass her a dumbbell. He'd damn-near shit himself when he pulled his arm trying to pick it up.

Those rumors died out a few months after that incident, when she officially broke into the top 50 Heroes in America. Not bad for her fifth year.

"Yeah," she grins. "But it's still not enough. Not like him."

"Didn't we tell you?" Aaron says. "Don't sweat it so much. You're already a freakin' monster, Star." He reaches up to playfully flicks her forehead. "Stop comparing yourself to All Might." Cathleen snorts.

"Well, the next Number One Hero of America should keep her eye on the other top Heroes, right?" she says with a smirk. Aaron chuckles.

"Well, I did come here for something," he says, holding up a clipboard with some papers on it. "Report from the docs. Something from the standard check-ups. You know the drill." Cathleen nods. It's standard practice to have doctors give Pro Heroes a once over after any battle. Make sure there's no lingering Quirk effects or unnoticed injuries. "One of the gang is showing signs of stress and fatigue. Reduced reaction times. It's… acceptable right now, but only just. If it keeps up, could be trouble in the field." Cathleen nods slowly.

"He planning on taking a break?" she asks. "We've got vacation days to burn." Aaron shakes his head with a disappointed sigh.

"Seems practically opposed to the idea." He holds his hand vertically and moves it ahead, miming rushing ahead. "Just focused on progress."

"That's no good." Cathleen takes a swig of water from her bottle. She keeps the cool liquid in her throat, letting it freshen how dry it feels. "Running full steam ahead like that with no breaks is bound to burn him out." She sighs. "I hate doing it, but I might have to order him to take time off. Who is it?" Aaron looks down at his papers.

"Cathleen Bate," he reads off. Her mouth opens slightly as her brow raises. She has never felt pride and frustration in equal measures for the same person before. Did he just—

Aaron's grin takes on a smug aura as he reads her features. He pats her reassuringly on the shoulder.

"Vacation days to burn, right Star?" he says.

"You little shit!" she grins before giving way to full laughter. "Damn, Aaron, when did you get so slick?"

"Learned from the best, ma'am," he says. "Any destinations in mind? Or just gonna lounge for a bit?" Cathleen recomposes herself. A lazy smile takes root.

"Yeah," she says. "Yeah, I think I know somewhere I've been wanting to visit."

Cathleen's plane touches down in Tokyo at 2150 local time. She already knows that jet lag is going to be a bitch, so she grabs her suitcase and takes a room at the nearest hotel. One of those chain pop-up places. The kind that all look the same no matter what the damn logo says.

It's weird that no one recognizes her. True, her long hair is straight and loose down her back instead of up in her signature eight tufts, but in the States it would take much more to go around unnoticed. She's also pretty obviously American, so she expects to stick out like a sore thumb. Lucky her, Quirks have made it much more common to have blue eyes and blonde hair—even if hers is dyed.

Cathleen hasn't packed too much. This is supposed to be a vacation. Semi-mandatory vacation, but vacation all the same. Yeah, she's got a suitcase about five feet tall, but it's mostly just clothes. She sighs quietly under her breath, a fond smile dancing across her lips. I can't believe Aaron managed to wrangle a whole month of vacation out of me.

"Just one room for the night, please," Cathleen tells the guy behind the counter in the hotel lobby. She'll find a hotel to stay at once she's when she's at her actual destination.

It's a decent sleep, and it does the job of getting her internal clock on track with local time. After eating breakfast and turning her key back in, she makes her way to the train station. It's more than a little commute to go between prefectures, but hey, what's another few hours cooped up in public transport the morning after a plane flight?

Finally, finally, the train reaches her stop. Cathleen breathes in the fresh air as she steps out onto the train platform. She's never actually been to Mustafu before. It's embarrassing, really, that she's never seen the place that homes her master's Alma Mater. She's pretty sure that she won't be allowed in to tour UA High School, but she has to at least take a look at the place for herself. Besides, this city, these sights and sounds… these are what he saw when he was still a student. Cathleen wants to see it all for herself.

Her stomach rumbles and she laughs quietly to herself. If only I could New Order myself not to be hungry. Alas, I must interact with the economy like the peasantry. Or, civilians, in this case. Cathleen is hardly licensed for Quirk use outside of the States. It would be very embarrassing to explain to Agpar that she caused an international incident because she didn't feel like just buying food.

Well, if Aaron and the brothers are going to twist her arm and send her out on vacation, she may as well get a room at the fanciest damn hotel in Mustafu. Despite her rumbling stomach, she makes that her first priority. She doesn't feel like lugging this massive suitcase with her everywhere. Besides, she doubts any restaurant would let her give it its own seat.

She's not particularly surprised to discover that her hotel is located only a few blocks away from UA. The school is probably a tourist destination at this point. Another reason why she doesn't think she'll be seeing the inside anytime soon. At least her room has a good view of the school. But right now, all she cares about is that she can hand off her luggage to a polite worker who will take it up to her room for her.

She declines eating at the hotel's restaurant for the time being. Not that it looks bad. On the contrary, Cathleen's not sure she's seen a place so nice in her life. But she just ate hotel food for breakfast, and she'd like to stretch her legs some more. Besides, it's probably what she's going to have for dinner.

Obviously, Cathleen doesn't have any particular knowledge of Mustafu's layout. Researching and emulating a Pro Hero can only tell you so much about the places they've been. And yeah, as a kid she used to pull up maps of places All Might had stayed for long periods of time and imagine what a day in his life there was like. But childhood daydreams do not personal experience make. So Cathleen pulls up the maps app on her phone and searches all nearby restaurants. Any international chains she dismisses instantly. I can get WcDonalds back in the States! I didn't come to Japan to eat the same burgers I can get every other street corner!

A local place catches her eye. The Hana Café, it's called. It's a breakfast and lunch only place, the kind that close up at 1500 at the latest. Apparently, they're pretty popular with the locals. From the images her phone has, it looks like a small, family-owned place. Not too far away either. Cathleen hums to herself. The shortest route goes right around the edge of a local park. She shrugs. It's a vacation, damn it! she can spend time at a park if she wants to!

The park is actually pretty quiet. It's 1300, just about, and it's a weekend. Cathleen had been expecting all kinds of sounds from roughhousing little tykes, but there's hardly anyone in the park today. It could just be that she's adapted to different weather and to the locals it's miserable outside. She's pretty sure it's warmer than normal for late July in Japan, but she could be wrong. Her vacation plans are pretty last-minute, after all.

It's been a long time since Cathleen has just… stopped and smelled the roses really. Which, to be fair, is why Aaron pulled his shit and got her to finally take some time off for herself. And she has to admit he had a point. The park is just lovely. Birds are chirping and singing up in the trees. All the plant life is a bright, vibrant green. And there are some really beautiful flowers lining the inside of the sidewalk, making a nice ring around the park itself. And there's a wonderful breeze. All in all, it's a gorgeous day outside. And Cathleen is happy to just soak it all in.

Something moves in the corner of her eye. Years of training and experience kick in, even during her time off, and she snaps to attention. It's a small kid, maybe four years old. His vibrant green hair curls around his round face. His large eyes are open wide and shining bright. The little rascal isn't paying too much attention to where he's going, wrapped up in pretending that his All Might action figure is flying. He's even making adorable little 'chooo' noises with his mouth like the wind whistling.

She moves a hand to catch him before he can run face-first into her leg. And Cathleen is hardly slender. She's seven feet of 100% Pure American Beef. Poor thing would've broken his nose.

"—Oomf!" the kid says as he bumps into her.

"Careful there, kiddo," says Cathleen. She's fluent in Japanese – learned it because of All Might, of course. But she might be a little rusty. And even she can hear her American accent. The boy takes two steps back so he can look up at her. His eyes blow open, his mouth forming a perfect 'o' shape.

"Izuku!" someone calls in the distance. The boy twitches as though he wants to turn to look but can't tear his eyes off of Cathleen. She smiles at him, and he beams back. "Izuku! There you are!" The boy—Izuku, Cathleen presumes—is scooped into the arms of a woman. He wastes no time squirming his way closer to her while keeping his toy safe. The woman is lacking her son's freckles, but there's no mistaking her eyes and hair. It's the same bright green shade as the boy's, and there's a subtle roundness to her face that the boy's baby fat accentuates on himself. She smiles awkwardly at Cathleen and her heart flutters. "Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am. I shouldn't have let him run off so far on his own—" Cathleen holds up a hand.

"It was no problem," she says. "Just glad he's okay."

"Mom," the boy whispers reverently. "That's Star and Stripe!" Cathleen freezes. Her hair is down and casual. She's in her civvies. There's no way some toddler should've been able to recognize her from a casual encounter on the street. And yet this kid…

The woman blinks at her son. Izuku bounces in her arms, threatening to fall.

"Star and Stripe!" he says. "She's one of the bestest Heroes in America! And, and, she's All Might's, uh, pro—prahtah—"

"Protégé," Cathleen says. The boy smiles wide at her.

"Protégé! Mom, that's All Might's protégé!" he says to the woman. She gapes, turning to Cathleen, then back to her son, then back to Cathleen again. Cathleen snorts.

"Oh—Oh, I'm so sorry, Ms. Hero!" the woman says, bowing.

"None of that now," says Cathleen. "I'm on vacation, so I'm just Bate Cathleen right now." She makes sure to introduce herself with her last name first. "Like I said, I'm just glad the kid's okay." Cathleen itches at her cheek as she smiles. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting someone so young to recognize me." She shifts her eyes to meet the kid's. "You're a real Hero buff, huh?"

"Heroes are just the coolest!" the boy says, waving his arms and nearly smacking his mother in the face. He pulls himself in and smiles apologetically at her. "I wanna be a Hero someday! Just like All Might!" Cathleen smiles softly at the little kid. He's just so precious! His mom sighs affectionately.

"His Quirk hasn't come in yet," she says. "He only just turned four, but I'm still a little worried."

"Well if he's smart enough to see through my clever disguise, I'm sure he'll be a great Hero," Cathleen says with a cheeky smile. The woman seems to melt a little a little at Cathleen's words. Suddenly, she straightens out and bows again.

"Oh, Ms. Bate! I'm so sorry! I never introduced myself!" She lowers Izuku back down to the sidewalk. Izuku looks about five seconds away from vibrating into another reality. "My name is Midoriya Inko, and this here is my son, Izuku."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Cathleen says. Her stomach chooses that moment to rumble again, and Cathleen laughs awkwardly. Ms. Midoriya smiles warmly.

"Have you been in Mustafu long?" she asks. Cathleen shakes her head.

"No, I got here maybe an hour ago," she says. Ms. Midoriya nods slowly, humming.

"There's a small café nearby," she says hesitantly, as if expecting Cathleen to shut her down hard. "It's quite good. We were on our way there, actually… Would you like to come with us, Ms. Bate?"

"Is it the Hana Café by any chance?" Cathleen asks. Ms. Midoriya blinks several times, raising a hand to her chest.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I was actually heading there myself," she admits. "And I would appreciate the company."

"Mom, we're getting lunch with Star and Stripe," says Izuku, tugging lightly on his mother's dress.

"Keep it up and you might get an autograph too," Cathleen says. Izuku sucks in a breath.

"Really?"

"Really, kid," she smiles warmly at the boy.

The Hana Café is just as quaint as she'd been expecting. A small white building with a simple patio adorned with wooden beams overhead. Potted plants hang down from the crisscrossing planks, each filled with small, bright blossoms. Cathleen opens the door and a small bell rings overhead. The interior is just as cozy as the outside. The furniture shows signs of wear and use but the place is clearly well maintained. The white paint on the wooden tables peels in some places. Other tables have much fresher coats of paint. Small flowerboxes line each windowsill. There's a faint scent of lavender. Speakers in the ceiling quietly play a local radio station.

"A table for three, please," Ms. Midoriya says to the young man behind the counter. His eyes flick up to Cathleen and then back to Ms. Midoriya.

"Trading up I see, Midoriya," he says with a wink. Ms. Midoriya turns bright red and sputters.

"We just met," says Cathleen diplomatically. The young man nods with a knowing gleam to his eye. While Ms. Midoriya recollects herself, Cathleen scans over the menu and places her own order. Little Midoriya pipes up and excitedly gives his own order.

By this point, Ms. Midoriya has calmed down and just says, "The usual, please." He nods and moves away to give their order to the kitchen. Ms. Midoriya guides her son and Cathleen over to one of the tables to wait. Cathleen looks a bit out of place with her height and build compared to the furniture. Ms. Midoriya makes a valiant effort to disguise her laughter as a coughing fit. Cathleen politely pretends to believe her.

"Can I ask you what he meant?" she asks after a few moments. "About trading up?" Ms. Midoriya's face turns cold.

"It's a low bar," she murmurs so quietly Cathleen is sure she didn't intend to be heard. Louder, she says, "Izuku's father… wasn't a very good man. He… walked out on me right before I discovered I was pregnant. All of my friends warned me he was bad news, and I think a part of me always knew… but…" she sighs wistfully, "He looked good in a tux."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Cathleen says. Ms. Midoriya smiles, ruffling her son's hair.

"It wasn't all bad. Izuku here is the light of my life, and I'm forever grateful to have him."

"Mom!" Izuku hisses. "You're embarrassing me in front of Star and Stripe!"

"You can just call me Bate, kid," Cathleen says warmly. "I'm on vacation, remember?" Izuku nods vigorously.

"Thank—thank you, Ms. Bate!"

Somewhere around this point, their food arrives. Cathleen understands the appeal of the Hana Café as soon as she looks at her bowl. It looks straight out of a food magazine, or one of those cooking shows with professional chefs. She takes a cautious bite. Her eyes widen. If anything, it tastes even better than it looks. She nearly chokes on her first mouthful. After swallowing, she looks up at Ms. Midoriya.

"This is the best thing I've ever had," she says. "How is this hiding at somewhere like this?"

"Mustafu is full of pleasant surprises," Ms. Midoriya says.

"Like you?" says Cathleen before she can stop herself. There's a long pause as both Cathleen and Ms. Midoriya slowly turn very red. Cathleen takes another bite to avoid having to speak and dig herself deeper.

"W—well look at me," Ms. Midoriya says, "I met a foreign Pro Hero today!"

"And I met a future foreign Pro Hero," Cathleen says, nodding at Little Midoriya.

"You think so?" Izuku says. "What if I—what if I'm Quirkless?" Cathleen sits back in her chair, tapping a finger against her chin.

"Don't think I've heard of a Quirkless Pro Hero," she says. "So I guess that would mean I met a trailblazing future Pro Hero."

"'Trailblazing?'" Izuku parrots. "What's that?"

"Means that you're doing something new," Cathleen says. "You know, like 'blazing a trail?'"

"Ooh…" Izuku says, smile tugging at his lips.

"You really think so?" says Ms. Midoriya. "Won't it be dangerous?" Cathleen shrugs.

"Well, yeah," she says. "But Heroics is dangerous for everyone. It'd be different dangers, but if he has the training he'd be just fine." No one in her squad is Quirkless, but not all of them have combat capable Quirks. And one of them only has a minor mutation. If it didn't affect his appearance in such an obvious way, he'd probably be considered Quirkless. But there's no one she'd trust more to watch her back than her brothers.

"I hope my Quirk is something cool like yours!" Izuku says. Cathleen smiles down at him.

"I bet you'll have a really cool Quirk, kid."

It turns out that Ms. Midoriya works freelance, and therefore sets her own schedule. She has the whole day just for her and Izuku. And that's how lunch with the Midoriyas turns into a several-hour tour of the Mustafu area. From local landmarks to different shops of all kinds. Cathleen doesn't know when exactly it turned into an impromptu shopping spree, but she doesn't regret her dozen-and-a-half bags of local goodies. Wonder if All Might ever did anything like this? Cathleen can't keep a lazy grin off her face.

Eventually, the sun starts to set, and Ms. Midoriya is clearly worn out. Little Midoriya is barely keeping himself awake, yawing and rubbing his eyes. Cathleen's used to carrying heavy weights and endurance training, so she's probably got another, say, 72 hours straight of shopping in her, but she can recognize her companions' limits. There's also the fact that they haven't actually had dinner.

"I've had a great time today, Ms. Midoriya," Cathleen says, "But I think we might have to part ways here. Else Izuku here might fall asleep in the middle of the sidewalk."

"Oh dear," Ms. Midoriya chuckles. "That would be unfortunate."

"'m not tired," protests Izuku, stifling a yawn.

"Of course not, kid," Cathleen says. She crouches down and stage whispers. "It's actually your mom that's tired, but she doesn't want to admit it. She needs to go home and have dinner. Can you take care of her for me?" Izuku nods, face serious.

"Of course, Ms. Bate!"

"Good kid," she says, lightly ruffling his hair. She stands up and manages a quick wink at Ms. Midoriya, who chuckles at her light manipulation.

"How long will you be in Mustafu?" Ms. Midoriya asks.

"I've got a month of vacation," Cathleen says. "And this is technically day two. So just under four weeks, then I go back to Tokyo for my flight."

"Maybe we can do this again before you go," Ms. Midoriya says with a sly smile. Cathleen laughs quietly.

"It's a date!" she says. Cathleen chooses that moment to turn her head so she can keep an eye on the bags she's carrying as she adjusts their position, missing Ms. Midoriya's fierce blush entirely.

"Until then, Ms. Bate," Ms. Midoriya says.

Cathleen smiles, waving as the Midoriyas head off back to their apartment. Once they're out of sight, she takes her own leave and returns to her rather lavish hotel. But after the simple places Ms. Midoriya showed her today, something about the over-the-top fancy just isn't doing it for her anymore. Cathleen tuts under her breath as she deposits her shopping bags in her room right next to her suitcase. Once she's arranged them somewhat, she rolls her shoulders and heads back down to the ground floor. Time to see how good the dining here is.