It was early in the afternoon as Ryoko made her way down the streets of Musutafu, heading towards her green-haired pseudo-sibling's school. As she normally did, Ryoko moved with both hands behind her head with her trusted spaceship, Ryo-Ohki, resting peacefully upon the top of her head. And while her gaze was more focused on the nearly cloudless blue sky above her, Ryoko weaved her way through the crowd almost effortlessly all with a smile on her face.
As she walked by an appliance store with functioning display tv's, Ryoko noticed out of the corner of her eye that another villain attack was going on. Briefly she glanced at the screen, more interested in where the fight was taking place than the action itself. Thankfully, it was happening at the opposite side of the city where she had plans with Izuku today. And even if it did, Ryoko wasn't about to let it stop her. If she had to teleport them to Ice Jet's in order to get that special ice-cream sundae that was only available until five today then she would do it!
Then, as she walked past the shop, a thought came to mind that caused Ryoko to chuckle a bit. "Wow, guess I've gone native," she said aloud, more to herself than anyone else. But then again, she really shouldn't have been surprised. It had been nearly a year now since Ryoko crashed- landed on this backwards planet in the middle of the boonies. Almost ten months of living on this rock, interacting with a race of people whose genetics seemed like they were constantly run through a blender. Ten months of living in one place, not having to worry about those idiots from Galaxy Police stumbling upon her latest hideout or worrying that the gang she was crashing with was going to turn her in for the bounty. And somehow, without her noticing until now, everything just sort of clicked into place. Things that had once been strange on this rock, she could look at without batting an eye. She felt oddly comfortable here, feeling more at home and more at peace than she ever did on the planet she actually grew up on.
And she had the Midoriya's to thank for all of that.
Thinking about the Midoriya's, especially the one who had become her honorary little brother, caused her to grin a bit as she continued to make her way to his school. It seemed odd to her that this was the first time that she was doing this, going to his school to pick him up. Honestly, she would have thought walking home with a gorgeous woman such as herself would make him the envy of all the other male, and perhaps a few of the female students. Then again, she hated schools in general so going there was never high up on her list of priorities. That and Izuku had asked her not to.
Today, however, she was making an exception. Why? Because tomorrow was the big day. The day they had been training for since she had used that device on Izuku: the U.A. entrance exam. She had done everything in her power to get Izuku ready for this. He still hadn't awoken all of his newfound abilities, but what he did have she had made sure that he knew how to make the most of them. No longer was he that frail, skinny child but a fairly built fighter who could bust more than a few heads. Heck, she had even managed to weasel in some additional training on his study days!
An almost wicked grin appeared on Ryoko's face, nearly laughing aloud at her own brilliance. It had started off so innocently, waiting for Izuku to finish studying to suggest that they watch some hero footage online. She recalled how her honorary brother's eyes sparkled at that, moving to his laptop to pull up an All Might video. Ryoko had watched them for several of the study days, listening to Izuku gushing over them before asking to see someone else. Someone who didn't end the fight so quickly. Thankfully, Izuku hadn't been bothered by this as he pulled up a video that had been posted early that day featuring some speedy hero in armor. As they watched, Izuku went over everything he knew about this hero, whose name Ryoko barely registered, with great detail but paused when she asked about the villain. Thankfully it was only a moment before Izuku began to focus more on speed-boy's opponent, watching the video and quickly deducing how his quirk worked. Nodding to the green-haired teen, Ryoko then asked how he would have defeated the same villain using his powers. The scene before her became priceless as Izuku brought a hand to his chin, tapping it as he looked at the screen intently all while mumbling to himself. It took several minutes, but Izuku came up with a strategy that used some of the powers he didn't yet have. It sounded good so Ryoko then asked to see another video only to repeat the process.
Thus began Izuku's 'homework'. Whenever Izuku had time after studying, Ryoko would put his mind to work studying the villains. Having him think about their strengths, their weaknesses, the way they moved, and so forth while trying to find a way of dealing with the situation. She even began asking Izuku to take the surrounding area into consideration and if he could use that to his benefit. Soon, a new series of notebooks began appearing on his shelves: 'Notable Villains and How to Defeat Them'. Like with his hero notebooks, Izuku analyzed them to the finest detail as he sketched them, listed their quirks, any special moves that they might have or show be wary about, and finally how best to go about defeating them. Ryoko also noted that her potential future partner was careful not to get lazy with this new research. When sneaking a peek into them, she noticed that while he did draw comparisons to villains and heroes who had similar quirks, he would make note of what he could tell what made their quirks different. Those slight differences, he noted, could impact how to defeat them. What worked for one villain might not work for another.
This 'homework' was something that Ryoko herself had done before, though not to the same level of detail as Izuku. Whenever a notable bounty hunter made the scenes, Ryoko did her best to get at least some info from the bars which space pirates liked to frequent. Things like what sort of ships they used, choice of weapons, strategies they liked to implement. That sort of stuff. Information of this kind made it easy to outwit or just beat the ever living crap out of them…save one. Naturally she never bothered doing the same for any of the officers within the Galaxy Police since the organization was nothing more than a joke in her eyes. Everything there was standard, by the books, making it easier for people like her to evade.
So, in short, Ryoko felt like Izuku was more than ready for this exam. Tonight, there would be no training at all. She would take him out to get that dessert before giving him words of encouragement…followed by the promise that his real training was just around the corner! Like hell she was going to trust this fancy school alone to make Izuku the best hero/partner! What did they know about-
"Don't you dare think about showing up at the exams, you useless Deku!" came a loud, angry voice that filled the air around the space pirate. As Ryo-Ohki covered her large ears with her paws, Ryoko made a face. Something about that voice simply grated on her nerves, making her instantly dislike the source without ever seeing it.
Seconds later, Ryoko turned the corner to see something that just confirmed her utter contempt for the voice. Standing there in front of the school's fence was an ashen blonde teen with red eyes wearing the same uniform that Izuku wore. There was a scowl on his face, showing off his teeth, with one of his hands held open palmed by his side with small explosions going off right above the skin. His other hand was stretched forward, pinning a clearly panicked Izuku against the alley wall.
"K-K-Kacchan," stammered Izuku, sweating as he gripped the bars behind him.
"Don't you dare look down on me Deku!" yelled the blonde, the hand holding Izuku thrusting forward so that it pinned the green-haired teen harder against the metal behind him. "Don't even think you have a chance at upstaging me nerd! I told you and the rest of the losers here that I'm going to be the only one at that this shitty school to get into U.A. Having someone like you even being there will just end up polluting my victory! All the others get it but you. So perhaps I'll need to-" The blonde brat stopped, his head turning to look at Ryoko as if finally noticing her for the first time. That or he finally heard the hissing sound Ryo-Ohki was making on her head. She could feel her trusted spaceship's nails digging into her scalp, her body tense as she got into a pouncing position with her fur standing on end.
This boy looked at the two of them with a scowl, his body language telling Ryoko that he was going to tell them to fuck off. Only, as her yellow slit eyes locked onto his own red orbs, he stopped himself. For a long time, the two just stood there with the blonde being the first to break eye contact. With a 'pht' sound, the kid looked away from her before releasing Izuku and moving towards Ryoko with both his hands in his pockets. Ryoko watched him as he moved, wondering if he was doing this because he recognized that a much larger, much more dangerous predator stood before him ready to pounce…or if he was worried about something silly like her calling the authorities. Perhaps he was worried that, if she did, it might hurt his chances at getting into his dream school. Not that she would, seeing as how if he had made a move to seriously hurt her partner, Ryoko would have pulled out her blade to remove both those hands before firmly implanting one of the crystal spikes of Ryo-Ohki's travel form right up his ass.
Then, she would get serious.
"Just remember what I said Deku," said the blonde after he had passed Ryoko. "If I see you at the exam, I'll fucking murder you. And no shitty passerby will be there to save your worthless ass!"
And with that, the angry explosive blonde stormed off leaving behind Ryoko as she looked at a very embarrassed looking Izuku.
-x-
"Come in," said Principal Nezu, as he heard a knock on his door. The bear-mouse-dog hybrid calmly reached for his tea cup, sipping the hot liquid as the door opened to reveal what most would call a skeletal man. The man looked like he was nothing but skin tightly woven around his very bones while wearing an oversized orange pinstripe suit on top of his small frame. His chin looked sharp, making those who saw him for the first time wonder if he could use it to stab people. His blonde hair looked ragged and unkempt, with two bangs hanging limply on either side of him. But the most striking thing about this man were his eyes: blue orbs which seemed to glow deep within his sunken eyes. Those eyes, however, were not glowing as brightly as they were the last time Nezu had seen him.
"Sorry for interrupting you out of the blue like this," the man said. Nezu nearly paused in the middle of his drink, taken aback by the tone in the man's voice. There was a distinct lack of energy that it once held when they had spoken many months prior. What's more, Nezu watched as the man walked into his office, his back slightly hunched over. Whatever it was, his guest was not here for a mere social call or to bring good news. Holding back a sigh while also hiding his frown behind the teacup, Nezu decided to play the role of a good host to one of his former charges until he was ready to say what was on his mind.
"It's no trouble All Might," said Nezu, his voice and features as upbeat as possible. As he set down his teacup, the white animal gestured to one of the chairs placed in front of his desk. "I was just finishing up going over tomorrow's entrance exam. Power Loader was here a little while ago to inform me that all of the robots for the exam are in tip top shape and have been strategically placed within the testing grounds. He has also confirmed that the Zero-Pointers will be ready to put on a good show. I do look forward to your input on all our hopeful students as you will be teaching some of them."
"Actually, that's sort of what I need to talk to you about," said All Might. As he spoke his hands, which had been resting on his legs as he looked downward, suddenly began gripping tightly at the fabric. "I…I've decided that I won't be teaching here at U.A."
"Oh my," said Nezu politely, his dark eyes examining the man before him. "Well, it certainly is your decision. Though I will admit that it is a little disappointing as many of the staff were excited that you were joining us. And with the school year just around the corner."
"I-I sorry Principal Nezu," replied All Might, lowering his head even more. And, while Nezu couldn't see it himself, he was positive that the blonde had his eyes closed. "I didn't mean to drop this on you at the last moment. Truth is I've been wrestling with this decision for a while now. I just…I just knew I needed to make up my mind before you announced to the press that I would be teaching here."
"Yes, that would have been quite the nightmare for all of us," agreed Nezu with a nod of his head. "Thank you for being considerate of that. But, while I will respect your decision, I believe that I am owed an explanation. When I first offered you the chance to teach here, you were very enthusiastic at the prospect. I have to wonder what could have made you have second thoughts for so long…"
All Might let out a sigh as he slowly raised his head enough to look the animalistic principal in the eyes. "Your right, an explanation is in order," he said with another heavy sigh. He then folded his hands together, resting his chin on the very top. "It happened shortly after I arrived in Musutafu. I was just going about my day when I spotted a robbery."
"And you couldn't help but get involved," said Nezu, closing his eyes while his mind went to work. Various pieces of information were coming to the forefront of his mind, putting them together like puzzle pieces. "I believe you are referring to the sludge villain robbery."
All Might's head lifted up from his hands, hacking blood in surprise. "H-How did you know…I checked the papers and the web. I was…I was never mentioned when he robbed…"
Nezu left out a small chuckle. "While that is true, a few people spotted the sludge villain as he made his getaway, posting the pictures they took on social media. But a few people took pictures of a blurry figure taking off after it, claiming that it was All Might. Normally I don't take much stock in such things as they usually turn out to be photoshopped in order to get more followers. However, seeing as I knew you were in town gave it a bit more weight."
All Might seemed to look all the more dejected as Nezu finished his explanation. "Then, if you know that part, then you know he got away. He made his way down into the sewers and, like a damn rookie, I got lost. By the time I finally found his trail…he was already long gone when my time limit expired."
"All Might, please don't tell me you are giving up teaching here just because you let one villain slip through your fingers?" asked Nezu gently, though in truth he knew now what was really bothering the Pillar of Justice. What had happened afterwards. As such, he leaned to the side, opening a drawer on his desk and flipping through the numerous folders within.
"Not at first," admitted All Might as Nezu continued to skim through the files. Giving his former student time to get this all off his chest. "To be honest, I was more disappointed in myself that I had allowed him to get away. Yeah I beat myself up a little, but decided to just do better next time. Then a few days later I was reading the news about a young middle schooler who had survived out in the wilderness for a couple of days, having escaped the clutches of a villain. I didn't think much of it at the time…until I read his description of the villain." All Might's hands flew to his head, his thin fingers pressing down into his messy hair. The man's teeth clenched tightly, drawing a bit of blood that dripped onto his suit. "It was the sludge villain! The very same one I had failed to stop! I read how that villain came out of the sewer and forced himself onto the young man before taking him out into the woods to escape. The boy admitted how scared he was, how he couldn't breathe and then finally passed out. He went through all that because I got lost in that damn sewer! Because of this damned timed limit! And it's only going to get worse from now on!"
All Might paused for a moment, taking in deep breaths before wiping away the blood from his lips. "Mirai was right, I should have been focusing on finding myself a successor to pass on my quirk. I should have retired long ago. I told myself and everyone else around me that I had to keep doing this, to preserve society by continuing to be the Symbol of Peace. But, after this, lately I've been wondering if that was just a convenient lie I've been telling myself. That I just didn't want to pass down this quirk. To going back to how I used to be."
While All Might was saying this, Nezu had found the folder he had been looking for. Silently, the bear-dog creature placed it on the desk before turning it so that it faced All Might. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I believe that you are shouldering more of the burden than you should."
"But if I had just-" began All Might, standing up so fast that he knocked back the chair he had been sitting on before being interrupted by a bloody geyser erupting from his mouth.
"All Might, while it is true that you are the Number One Hero in Japan as well as the world's Symbol of Peace, you must not forget that you are still only human," said Nezu gently. "So many of the public views heroes, especially the higher ranking ones, as being so far above them that they might be akin to gods. But the sad truth of the matter is that we are flawed, we make mistakes." Nezu paused for a moment to look up at the still standing All Might. "Tell me, were you ever made aware that this sludge villain could take over a person's body?"
"Well, to be honest, no," replied All Might, sitting back down in his chair. His voice was a bit calmer now as he brought a hand back to his chin as if he were now deep in thought. "I had never even heard of that guy before. The only thing I knew for certain was what I saw on the streets. Figured the most he could do was turn into something more like water. That's how he managed to get into the sewers in the first place, he slipped in through the small holes and cracks." The slender man then slowly lowered his hand, placing it back on his knee. "But, even if I didn't know what his quirk could do or that he would find someone like that student, the fact remains that I'm getting weaker. I should be spending all of my time and energy finding the right person to pass this great gift onto."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" asked Nezu.
All Might scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, when I finally made up my mind about all this I gave Mirai a call. Told him he was right and that I should have been looking for a successor this entire time. We talked for a while and he brought up a few of his former interns and students who did the work study under him. He seemed really fond of this one kid who is currently working under him. Said he has the right attitude. Thought I'd check him out and, well, pass down One For All. I had also considered Melissa Shield as she could bring her tech to the game, but I really don't want her to be put in this kind of dangerous life."
Nezu let out a little hum. "All Might, please don't take this the wrong way, but it sounds like you are rushing this due to your own guilt." This statement by the principal caused the pro-hero's eyes to widen. "That if someone else were to now possess One For All, that it might lessen the burden that you are now feeling."
"But my condition!" shouted All Might, droplets of blood flying out of his mouth. "Because of it, I couldn't even protect one child! How can I ever hope to protect an entire class!? I need to pass on this quirk so that there will be a new Symbol of Peace and Justice!"
"Isn't that why you originally decided to become a teacher here at U.A.?" asked Nezu, his words startling All Might. "You are certainly in your right to look into the young lad that your former sidekick speaks so highly of. In fact, I would highly recommend it if only to help mend the rift between the both of you. With that said, the former wielder of One For All chose you with the greatest of care. It would be a disservice to her memory if you did not do the same. If you become a teacher at this school, you will be able to get a firsthand account of many additional candidates. People that Mirai has never met. Furthermore," continued Nezu, finally opening the folder to reveal a file as well as a picture of a certain green haired student, "that kidnapping was not the end of Izuku Midoriya's story."
All Might looked down at the file, his blue eyes staring down at the nervous green ones in the picture. "Y-You mean he's…" The man's words trailed off from there, slowly reaching to take hold of the file and bring it closer to himself.
"He's a fascinating young man," said Nezu, pouring himself a new cup of tea. "Most civilians who go through something like what he did would never wish to come near a true villain ever again. Yet here he is, not letting that tragedy hold him back." Nezu then paused to take a sip of his drink, sighing loudly after pulling the cup away from his lips. "Tell me, have you sought the boy out? Asked for his forgiveness?"
"No," said All Might, staring at the picture with a small smile. "He'd probably tell me it wasn't my fault." As he said this, All Might seemed to sit up just a bit straighter. The light in his eyes seemed to return, as if he were feeling more at ease.
Nezu chuckled at that. "Yes. And he would be right to say that." Nezu then set down the teacup. "However, if you are still feeling guilty about it, I'm willing to help you make it up to the young man. All you would need to do is to recommend young Midoriya and, should he fail in tomorrow's exam, we could hold a special recommendation exam just for him. Of course, that will be just for appearances sake and we will have to remove one of the other students. But if it's for you…" Nezu let the offer hang as he looked at All Might who was now looking over at Nezu with his mouth hanging open.
"That," began the slender man, looking from the principal to the photo in his hands then back to the principal. "That seems…I-I don't feel right about doing something like that. I don't know his skills, what his quirk can do. Heck, I don't even know what kind of person he is! How can I just recommend someone like that?"
Nezu smiled softly as he lowered his head as he took his teacup back into his paw, glad to see that All Might was thinking rationally once more. "Well, if you want to get an idea of Midoriya's quirk and how he uses it, you could always sit with the teaching staff as we watch the mock battles. That way you can keep an eye on him as well as the rest of the student hopefuls. Who knows, he might get in on his own merits." The dog-bear-mouse creature then took a long sip of his tea. "With that said, I believe there is a far superior way for you to make it up to him. I believe that this young man would appreciate it far more if he were taught by you, guided by the Number One Hero. You know the old saying, 'Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime'. All Might, don't just give him an experience that will last three years. Give that young man the skills he will need moving on into the future. If you can teach him to protect not only himself but also how to best prevent something like what happened to him from happening to others, then I believe you will have truly made it up to him. Who knows? Perhaps this young man might be the one to inherit your quirk. Him or one of the other fine students learning along with him."
A moment of silence passed between the pair before All Might looked up from the file. Nezu felt himself smile, hidden behind the teacup at the change in the man before him. The light in All Might's eyes was brighter now, his shoulders raised up a bit instead of slumping. It was as if a massive burden had been lifted, his passion reignited. Yes, this was the All Might that Nezu had spoken to months ago back when he had first suggested the job of teaching here at U.A.
"Well then," said All Might with a laugh. "Let's see if young Midoriya has what it takes to get into U.A." All Might then looked down at the document, appearing ready to hand it back to Nezu…only to pause as a thoughtful look appeared in his gaze. He began to stare at the file, bringing a hand up to his chin. This behavior confused Nezu as it looked like the man was trying to figure out a complicated puzzle only to find that one of the pieces didn't belong.
"Is something the matter?" asked Nezu, generally curious. At his words, All Might jumped a little in his seat as he was no doubt clearly startled by the principal's words.
"Oh, it's, ah, nothing," said All Might as he took the hand that was on his chin, bringing it around to scratch the back of his head. "I just thought…Well it was a while ago, so my memory of this must be a little cloudy. But I could have sworn that the article said that young Midoriya was quirkless. Must have been mistaken."
-x-
At the same time, Izuku sat within the chilled building of Ice Jet's Ice Cream Parlor: a franchise that belonged to a former pro ice themed hero who had his heyday about a decade before All Might first made the scene. He sat there with his head down, a large bowl of ice cream with fudge brownies positioned around the rim of the bowl in front of him, while Ryoko sat across the table eating her own ice cream like a starving animal. Next to her was Ryo-Ohki as she enjoyed the carrot flavored ice cream that this place, for some strange reason, sold.
As the green haired teen sat there, his cheeks burned with shame at what Ryoko had walked in on at the school. He could tell by her unnatural silence as they walked to their destination that she was disappointed in him. How could she not be after all the training they had gone through, his lack of progress in her powers? Seeing Izuku like that, just standing there as Kacchan screamed in his face, was probably the final nail in his coffin. No doubt this was going to be his last meal before she took back her powers.
"So," said Ryoko, snapping Izuku away from his thoughts, causing him to look at her with a start. He could see that she was finished with her treat, still holding her spoon between her fingers as she pointed it at Izuku. Ryo-Ohki had also finished hers and was now laying on her back, her stomach bloated slightly. "Mind telling me who that kid was?"
"K-Kacchan?" stammered Izuku. Ryoko raised an eyebrow before gesturing with the spoon for him to continue. "I mean, his name is Bakugo. Katsuki Bakugo. And, well, he's an old friend of mine."
"An old friend huh?" replied Ryoko, a dubious look on her face. "Now, unless this is a weird earth custom, friends don't usually threaten each other like that." She then let out a sigh. "Be honest with me."
"No! H-He really is an old friend!" said Izuku quickly and loudly, the action surprising him so much that his hands flew towards his mouth to cover it. As Ryoko continued to give him a questioning look, Izuku slowly lowered his hands while his face flushed a deeper shade of red. "We…we grew up together. Kacchan was always so fearless, so sure of himself that all the kids in the neighborhood followed him. He was even the one who gave me the nickname: Deku. Sure it means 'useless', but compared to him I guess it made sense. He's still as confident as ever, gets good grades without really having to try, family is well off, has a powerful quirk…"
"Oh, so he's a princess," said Ryoko, her tone much lighter now as she leaned forward with her spoon to take some of Izuku's ice cream.
"…You mean prince, right?" asked Izuku.
"Nope! He's a princess," repeated Ryoko as Izuku dropped his spoon.
"W-W-What?!" Izuku yelled, hands waving above his head wildly as he looked around half expecting Kacchan to come flying through the doorway and begin yelling. Honestly, Izuku was surprised that they weren't thrown out given how he was acting.
"Yep, a princess," said Ryoko, stealing another bite of Izuku's ice cream. "Someone who was born with all the power they could ever want. Doesn't matter if it's physical, political, or even just being stinking rich they have it in spades! Someone who feels like they are entitled to everything they want just because. And when something doesn't go their way, they feel like they have the right to make a scene! Yelling at the top of their lungs and demanding that things go the way they want it to before getting violent. Trust me, I saw, and heard, enough of that brat to get an idea of him. You just sort of filled in the blanks." She then let out a sigh as she leaned back in her seat. "You know, when I was little, I used to get bullied by a princess."
Izuku, unable to stop himself, snorted loudly as he too leaned back in his seat. He didn't mean to upset her, but it was hard to imagine Ryoko at any age getting bullied.
"I'm serious!" said Ryoko as she placed her free hand over her chest, her tone scandalized. "And it was from a real princess too. A witch who goes by the name Princess Ayeka." Ryoko then brought her hands together, looking up at the ceiling as her eyes gained a slightly misty look to them. "I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was at this one festival on a planet bordering the Jurai Empire. We were poor so I had to handle a stall, then one day that wicked girl just walked up and started insulting it. I was so young and helpless that all I could do was sit there, taking insult after insult until she just toppled the stall over. Then, as I lay there crying and trying to salvage whatever it was that I could find, she walked away laughing loudly in that annoying way that will haunt me until my dying day." As a tear formed in Ryoko's eye, both Izuku and Ryo-Ohki gave her a deadpan expression. While it was possible that something like that might have happened to Ryoko, since there was a chance that she hadn't always been so…confrontational, the story just kept her in too good of a light. Ensuring that she was the victim as well as completely blameless.
"She just did…that to you. Just you?" asked Izuku.
"Hey, what can I tell ya?" replied Ryoko with a shrug. "I had the cheapest looking stall there, made with wood that I salvaged from the local trash. Plus most of the stuff I was trying to sell were knock-offs. Guess it offended her." She then let out another sigh. "And it wouldn't be the last time I had to deal with that arrogant princess."
"…And you never got back at her?" asked Izuku.
The smirk that Ryoko gave would have put the devil himself to shame. "Never said I didn't." Izuku blinked at that before a small smile appeared on his face. Ok, that he could believe.
Sighing, Izuku finally dipped his spoon into the ice cream. "So, you're not disappointed in me?" he asked before taking his first bite.
"Well, that depends," replied Ryoko as she crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes fixed on Izuku in a serious manner. "Are you going to do what that loud mouthed princess wants? Or are you going to stick it to him?"
"Well, I don't want to but…," Izuku's words trailed off as he looked away, fully aware that Ryoko's gaze was narrowing at him. The green-haired teen allowed his spoon to fall into the cold, yet now melting treat before holding up the hand that had first fired that finger blast at his ceiling. "I'm…worried that I'm going to fail. Even after ten months of both you and my mom helping me, all I have to show for it is flying a foot off the ground and this finger beam. I just know I'm going to fail and let the both of you down. T-That you're going to regret everything you've done for me."
Lowering his head again, Izuku began to move the spoon in his hand around and around in the semi-liquid that had been his ice cream. There he had said it. Ten months of all that hard work: learning how to fight while making his body as fit as possible were the only true accomplishments he had. But, despite all of Ryoko's help trying to help him understand how to access her other abilities, he still had only managed to awaken the two. Even those were pitiful when compared to Ryoko. He still couldn't figure out what this mental limit was that Ryoko said was keeping his flying down. As for his finger beam, he could fire it faster than before, but his aim still needed a little work.
"Izuku," said Ryoko, pulling the teen from his thoughts. "I think you don't fully realize just how much you have accomplished. When we first started, you were this stringy thing that could barely even keep up with me. Now we're trading blows! You're barely even winded even after I knock you down ten times when you're giving it your all. That's no small feet. Not to mention the progress you've made with those powers of yours. You're firing those finger beams much faster than when you started and your aim isn't half bad for a beginner." She then paused for a moment. "What I'm trying to say is that I've had these powers my whole life. For you to make this much progress in ten months is nothing to sneeze at."
Then, Izuku felt an arm wrap around his shoulders, startling him. "Let me let you in on a little secret," said Ryoko, whom Izuku just realized teleported next to him. The tone she was using now had both strength and reassurance within it, one that brokered no interruptions. "I have never regretted any decision I have ever made in my life. Not a one. Do you know why? Because everyone of them were decisions I choose. Sure, I might not be happy about the outcome, but I never regret the fact that I made them. Now, tell me, what do you want to do?"
Izuku opened his mouth, ready to tell his surrogate sister that of course he wanted to do the exam before going over all the reasons why it would be a bad idea…but found no sound coming from his mouth. Slowly blinking his eyes, Izuku allowed the words that Ryoko had told him to sink in. What would he regret more? Going to the exam, trying his best, only to make a fool of himself? Or just not showing up, giving up right when the goal was within reach. The fear, the doubt he had felt from before seemed to be pushed away as he began to think about it like that. This was his dream and, if he was going to fail either way, he would rather do it while going down in a blaze of glory rather than limping away in a whimper!
"I want to take the exam," said Izuku firmly, earning a soft smile from Ryoko who placed a hand in his hair before ruffling it.
"That's the spirit!" said Ryoko, back in her normal tone. "I want you to come into space with me, but I also don't want my future partner to have any of those pesky regrets when you get there. So, we'll take as long as you need to get this hero thing out of your system! Even if that means you skipping a year of school to train and take that damned exam over again, transferring to a different school, or whatever else the damned rules say then we'll do it. Or not! We could just shout 'screw the rules' and just do the hero thing without a pesky education or license or whatever. Or I could just sneak into the school and make it so that you pass."
"L-Let's not!" stammered Izuku, looking around to make sure no one heard that. At the same time, Ryoko let out a loud laugh before taking Izuku's ice cream for herself.
"Fine, fine," she said, scooping up a massive spoonful of ice cream and quickly eating it. "But just know that whatever we do, we'll be having fun along the way! Just like all great space pirates do!" As Ryoko ate another massive bite of ice cream, she gave Izuku a side glance. Her eyes seemed to glow a bit as she then pointed the spoon right at Izuku's face. "Now, relax and forget about that blonde idiot. Don't let what he said get you down because he's absolutely wrong."
"Ah," was all Izuku could say as he looked at the spoon as the remains of the ice cream still on it dripped onto the seat to Ryoko.
Ryoko frowned as she got a bit closer to Izuku's face, ensuring that he couldn't look anywhere else. "Look here, I saw something inside you that made me want to take you off this planet in the middle of nowhere into space with me. Something that Baka-go doesn't. To me, you are a priceless treasure hidden on this rock that I have put time and effort into shining to make you the envy of the universe." As she spoke, Izuku's face turned scarlet at the compliment, having never heard anyone before say anything like that to him. "And, just so you know, the only way you will ever let me down is if you let all that power go to waste. But we both know you're not going to do that, right?"
"Right," said Izuku, giving Ryoko a genuine smile as the woman pulled away.
"Good. Now, as the most feared space pirate, I am commandeering your ice cream!" With that said, Ryoko went back to eating Izuku's treat. Though the teen didn't mind. He felt better about himself thanks to this little pep talk, too good to worry about something so small.
So, as Ryoko began to finish his bowl loudly, Izuku pulled out his phone and looked up an article he had been reading. As he began scrolling through it, Ryo-Ohki hopped over to where he was sitting, jumping onto his shoulder. The cabbit then poked his cheek with her paw, meowing at him a few times before pointing to the screen.
"Oh this," said Izuku, doing his best to interpret what the small fuzzy animal was saying. At a nod from Ryo-Ohki, Izuku scrolled back up to the top of the article. "Well, it's about a weird crime wave that's been happening all over the world. One that has all the heroes stumped. Someone, or some group, has been going around stealing entire fields of carrots!" At the mention of this, Ryoko began to gag on a brownie she just ate while Ryo-Ohki fell to the ground.
