So… Season 5. In all honesty, this was probably the most controversial season, mainly due to the direction that it was taken in the anime as opposed to how it originally went in the manga. I'll say this, I'm going to be writing this as if we're following the story naturally. So we're going by the manga for this.
With that out of the way, I'm really excited to be getting into this season. Aside from the canon material, there's a future original arc I'm planning that's going to be amazing. Some things are going to be a little different for this season, so be sure to keep on your toes when reading.
That's it for now! Enjoy!
THROUGH THE ROUGH
"You're not alone…" That voice echoed in Izuku's head for what felt like the longest time. Ever since he had that dream where he witnessed the creation of One For All, he had been left wondering what the first user had meant with his words. His eyes opened slowly as he found himself lying in bed, though not his own. He felt a weight shift onto his left shoulder, enticing him to look over and smile. Nuzzling against him contently in her sleep was Rebecca. He sighed, lying back down and holding her warmly.
They had finally returned to U.A. after their work recommendation project on Nabu Island, now spending a nice weekend together before heading back to class. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Izuku flinched in surprise, muffling his own yelp.
"Heyo, Rebecca!" Toru's voice greeted from the other side of the door, "You up for some breakfast?" she inquired curiously.
"We're cooking today!" Mina added excitedly. The One For All inheritor grimaced, hoping that they wouldn't try to enter the room. Unfortunately, he could see the door handle start to twist. Outside the room though, Kyoka wrapped her cable-like earlobes around the wrists of her classmates, pulling them away.
"Sorry 'bout that, Rebecca!" she called out apologetically, "We'll meet you downstairs!" she yelled, walking off while pulling Toru and Mina along in yelps.
"Huh…?" the Cat Leaper Quirk user uttered as she was stirred awake, rubbing her tired eyes. Her boyfriend sighed with relief. If anything, he was thankful that Kyoka could be a trusted confidant in their relationship. A little while, the two of them were downstairs, enjoying a hearty breakfast together.
"Good morning, everyone!" Tenya greeted, dressed in his gym clothes as he was about to go out for a jog.
"Hey Iida!" Ochaco responded with a smile, "Back to the usual, huh?" she presumed.
"But of course!" the Engine Quirk user responded, "From what I hear, we're heading back into the fire starting tomorrow!" he pointed out to the surprise of his classmates, "Be prepared for anything, Class A!" he advised before speeding out of the dorm.
"Guy can't take a second to relax a little…" Weisz grumbled out, sipping his water.
"Does anybody know what tomorrow's class is gonna be like?" Minoru wondered aloud.
"From the sound of it, it'll be a joint training session with Class B," Momo answered.
"Oh yeah, they brought that up before the start of the semester…" Eijiro recalled.
"Wonder how much they've improved since the Sports Festival…" Denki said curiously.
"I hope Kleene and Kris are doing well," Tsuyu chimed in while finishing her breakfast.
"Didn't they go abroad for their own project?" Ochaco inquired of her classmates.
"Wait, really?" Mina said out of surprise. In the meantime, Izuku ate his rice contently. There were a few persons of interest he was wondering about himself. For one was Hitoshi, who he had seen with Shota on multiple occasions in between classes. From how it seemed, he was getting ready to be enrolled in the Hero Course track.
And then, there was Laguna. Between his sudden return to U.A. under Goodwin's request and the fact that he didn't seem to have any ties to his other classmates, it was hard to determine what his purpose was. The faculty was keeping a close eye on him, but that didn't alleviate the worries of many. Knowing how students reacted to the likes of Kleene and Kris coming back to school, it wasn't hard to believe that the Tears Lover Quirk was under the same kind of scrutiny.
"Are we still gonna do a movie night?" Toru inquired, causing him to perk up.
"Oh yeah!" Rebecca responded, "We gotta finish Phase Two after all!" she pointed out with a smile.
"I can't believe there's so many movies…" Mina admitted with a sigh, "But if it means getting to see more handsome guys in awesome costumes, it's totally worth it…" she affirmed, putting her hands onto her cheeks. The Cat Leaper Quirk user giggled.
"Well, I hope you'll like the next one then!" she remarked, while her boyfriend grinned. Just then, a figure passed by the couple, elbowing Rebecca as she yelped in surprise. "Ah, hey—!" She stopped herself as she saw that it was Katsuki, who sat himself down at a table with his breakfast, going ahead and eating his food. She blinked in surprise, wondering what was going on with him. Izuku looked over as well, having an idea as to what his rival was thinking about. But he decided to keep mum on the topic, finishing his rice.
OPENING
Insert "Kizuna no Kiseki" by MAN WITH A MISSION X Milet
Starts with Class 1-A walking out onto Ground Gamma, dressed in their winter costumes. They discuss amongst themselves what they're hoping to work on for the end of the year, with Izuku leading the way alongside Rebecca. However, they stop as they spot their opponents of Class B, as some of them wave to the group. Neito cackles madly at the sight of them, only to end up chopped in the neck by Itsuka.
What follows is a shot of Laguna, who thinks back to being a part of Oasis with Goodwin and his other friends. He also sees a blurry figure with long, dark hair, only to witness her fade away as he reaches out to her. He opens his eyes, widening them to find Hitoshi there with his new scarf and support item.
We get to see the Shining Star Heroes with brand new costumes, who are gathered with Shota, Sekijiro, Nemuri, and All Might, as they're about to watch the training matches commence. In round one, Rebecca is grouped up with Eijiro, Denki, Tsuyu, and Hitoshi, leading the charge against their opponents as she draws her Happy Blasters and fires. Laguna and Hitoshi come face-to-face, with the former looking rather anxious compared to normal.
The second round features Weisz equipping his Arsenal Mark II armor, using it to defend himself from the onomatopoeias shot towards him by Manga. Meanwhile, Momo finds herself struggling against the likes of Itsuka, whereas Fumikage and Yuga can't seem to overcome the combination of Kinoko and Shihai. As the match continues, Izuku furiously writes down notes on Class B, while Rebecca looks at him and smiles.
In the third round, Homura clashes her energy blades against Kris' wind. The two of them stare each other down determinedly, rushing forward and enveloping themselves in bursts of red and green light respectively before colliding. The fourth round features Kleene using her wind to pull in the likes of Tenya, Mezo, and Mashirao, as the latter of the trio starts getting sucked in. However, he's saved by Shoto as he fires a blast of flames toward the Wind Snatch Quirk user. She dodges, letting off a little grin.
For the fifth round, we see Shiki and Katsuki standing back-to-back as they're surrounded by the multiple pieces of Setsuna's body. The former of the two assumes his Overdrive form, stamping the ground to make the pieces fall instantaneously, followed by the latter firing off a multitude of explosions. From afar, we see Kyoka and Hanta hanging back, glad that they're letting the muscle of their group handle their foes.
Finally, the sixth match features a team of Izuku, Ochaco, Koji, and Mina. The One For All inheritor shoots his girlfriend a reassuring thumbs-up as he enters the stage, making her giggle. However, her expression shifts into one of fear as she witnesses the mass of black energy tendrils that suddenly start rampaging about.
Meanwhile, we go through various scenes of Endeavor, Hawks, Mirko, the I.U.A. Heroes, and many others, including the League of Villains as both Tomura and Shura are standing in the shadows of All For One and Nero respectively. The song winds down, closing out with a picture of Class A gathered together for their joint training session.
END OPENING
"So… that's how we're going to manage things?" Sekijiro presumed of Shota inside the faculty offices, gathered with All Might, Nezu, and Midnight.
"Basically," the Erasure Quirk user responded, "Between the facts that you have an unequal number of students, along with Husert needing to catch up with most of them, it's only fair," he told his fellow homeroom teacher.
"Based upon how well Shinso does, we'll be able to place him in your class to even things out," the principal added assuredly.
"So if all goes well, Classes A and B will have twenty-four students each," All Might concluded with his hands at his hips.
"We'll have to hope Shinso does well though…" Midnight chimed in with a giggle. Just then, the door slid open.
"Pardon the intrusion," a familiar voice said, enticing those inside to turn around, blinking in surprise. They smiled to see Witch there, now dressed in a strapless leotard with purple markings, a cape, long gloves, boots, and a horned helmet. "I was hoping to attend the discussion on Sir Hitoshi's enrollment," she pointed out as she approached.
"Witch, it's good to see you moving about…" All Might noted with relief in his tone.
"And my, what a change in costume…" Midnight added curiously with her right hand upon her chin, "Care to explain why?" she inquired with a grin.
"A change of pace," Witch replied, "After everything that happened, along with our secret to the world being revealed," she continued, removing her helmet to reveal her face, "I think it's best to press on in these times," she affirmed.
"That's a good sentiment, Regret," Shota commented.
"So, Sir Hitoshi will be joining Class B?" the Sorcery Quirk user inquired of Sekijiro, getting his attention.
"Depending on the results of tomorrow's training session, yes," he answered, "Although, there's something else that's bothering me…" he admitted to the surprise of his colleagues, "Husert was Shinso's classmate in the General Studies Course, right?" he questioned of the group.
"He was only there because of Drakken Joe," All Might pointed out, narrowing his eyes.
"Still, it's not implausible to think that they might share a bond," Midnight noted, "Should we ask them in advance?" she presumed.
"That isn't necessary, Kayama," Nezu chimed in, causing everyone to look over at him, "We should trust our students to work out their own issues," he advised, "Whether or not Husert and Shinso were on friendly terms shouldn't matter for the moment," he mentioned, "If something happens, we'll deal with it appropriately," he declared.
"Huh…" Shota exhaled, "Very well," he said, "We'll see how it goes tomorrow," he decided. The day went on normally, with nothing eventful occurring. Those of Class 1-A ate dinner and washed themselves up, followed by gathering together for their next movie, being titled: Avengers: Age of Ultron.
"Shit!" Tony cursed as he had just rammed into a force field.
"Language!" Steve yelled through their communication link with the other Avengers. Most of the students giggled, enjoying the popcorn and drinks they had available. Rebecca smiled, leaning against her boyfriend as they watched the movie. The Avengers were attacking a Hydra base in a country called Sokovia, as they had somehow retrieved Loki's scepter from the last time they had teamed up. Though they were successfully able to get to it, something happened as Tony found himself seeing a vision of his colleagues dying, leaving the Earth defenseless to enemy forces. With that, an idea had formed in his head as he grabbed the scepter, with the title to follow.
"That was a fun start!" Eijiro noted excitedly.
"So… what's Ultron?" Denki inquired.
"You'll see!" Rebecca assured with a wink. As the movie continued, with the Avengers returning to their base of operations, the doors to the dorm opened, with a pair of figures entering.
"Oh, movie night on a school night?" Sister's voice noted, getting the students' attentions as they turned to see her and Hermit there. Both of them had new costumes, with the former now wearing a nun's habit that showed off her shoulders and cleavage, while the latter now had her hair in twin tails, having her own shoulders exposed while wearing a new set of headphones and other equipment.
"Hey guys!" Mina cried out in greeting.
"Love the new looks!" Toru complimented.
"Sister's boobs look like they're gonna pop out any second…" Minoru noted excitedly as he and Weisz were drooling. However, they both fell victim to Kyoka's earphone jacks jabbing against their necks, bombarding them with sound waves as they fell to the floor.
"So, you guys are watching the Ultron movie?" Hermit guessed as she approached, peeking over at the screen.
"Yeah, you know it?" Hanta assumed in reply.
"Hmm… maybe," the Master Code Quirk user responded vaguely with a grin, "It's one of my favorites, so I hope you like it!" she remarked to the class.
"I'm sure they will!" Rebecca affirmed confidently.
"Don't go staying up too late, though," Sister advised, "Got a big day tomorrow," she mentioned seriously.
"Right!" most of the class responded. The movie continued, with Tony and Bruce working together with the scepter to try and harness its energy to create a form of artificial intelligence, which would be called Ultron. The reason they were trying to make it was so that they could have machines capable of performing protective duties all across the world.
However, it ended up being smarter than they expected. Dangerously so. Ultron attacked the Avengers in the midst of their party, stealing the scepter back while also downloading all sorts of information on the team. He returned to Sokovia, gaining a new, more powerful body.
"Uh… is anyone else getting déjà vu a little?" Denki inquired of his classmates. Toru and Mashirao nodded meekly. Together, with the new characters, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, Ultron was planning to wipe out the Avengers. Meanwhile, they had to figure out what their foe was planning.
After uncovering more details surrounding Ultron's whereabouts, the team headed to South Africa to confront him, as he was in the midst of obtaining vibranium to use as part of his plan. The Avengers fought back against him and the Maximoff twins, only to end up with most of them hypnotized due to Wanda's powers, making them see warped visions of their pasts and futures. She tried to do the same with Clint, but he managed to catch her by surprise before she could. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to stop her from warping the Hulk's mind, causing him to go out on a rampage in the nearby city.
That left Tony as the only one able to deal with him, with the rest of the team unable to regain themselves. Luckily, he had a huge, armored suit to place on over his own, allowing him to face down the green beast. Weisz's eyes widened and sparkled at the sight of the armor.
"That something you could do, Steiner?" Denki inquired curiously with a grin.
"It'd be pretty cool!" Eijiro added. The class watched as Tony and the Hulk battled, with the former replacing any broken pieces of armor with new pieces sent his way. After what was an intense ordeal, he was finally able to subdue the green beast, having to send him crashing through a collapsing building to do so.
"Yikes…" Hanta said with a grimace. From there, the Avengers had to take refuge. They wound up staying at what was actually Clint's home with his wife and two kids.
"Banner and I were doing research…" Tony told Steve later as they were chopping wood.
"That would affect the team…" the super-soldier presumed.
"That would end the team!" the billionaire genius shouted, "Isn't that the why we fight, so we can end the fight, so we can go home?!" he questioned vehemently, only for Steve to respond by splitting apart a log with his bare hands.
"Wow," Mina and Toru uttered simultaneously. Hearing that message, Izuku couldn't help but think of himself and Katsuki. The conflicting ideals Steve and Tony had were similar to theirs. The Avengers managed to bring themselves together and find out what Ultron was up to, heading to Korea to stop him from obtaining what would be a new, more powerful body. Though they succeeded in stopping him while also taking away his prize, with Wanda and Pietro switching sides, Natasha was captured by the villainous android.
Afterwards, those that remained gathered at Avengers Tower, with Tony attempting to put his own A.I. program into whatever Ultron's new body would've been, in order for it to fight alongside the team. Steve tried stopping him with the others, but Thor then arrived, using his lightning to bring the synthezoid to life, which was known as Vision.
"Sorry," he apologized after gaining an outfit for himself, along with a long yellow cape, "That was… odd," he admitted. Everyone was wary of him, because he was basically a part of Ultron. He needed to prove that he was on their side, that he was worthy. And the best way to do that… was him lifting Thor's hammer.
"WHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?!" Mina, Denki, Eijiro, and Toru exclaimed in shock.
"So that means he's worthy, huh?" Mashirao presumed.
"Well, he was Tony's AI…" Rikido pointed out. The final battle was to take place in Sokovia, where Ultron had set up a vibranium-powered weapon, which when activated, would send a huge chunk of the country up into the sky. The plan for the Avengers was to evacuate all the people before it was too late, but Ultron managed to trigger his device early. And there were also his android minions that his foes had to face.
The battle was difficult, especially with trying to get the remaining citizens to safety. By some miracle, a Helicarrier had arrived under Nick Fury's command, using transports to help the people get away from the floating landmass. The plan became to evacuate everyone and then destroy the chunk of rock before Ultron could have it drop down onto the ground like a meteor, which would result in a global-level extinction. And so, the Avengers all came together to fight against him at the center of the landmass, as he gathered all his forces to face them.
"How could you possibly hope to stop this?" he asked of them.
"Like the old man said…" Tony began, looking over to Steve, "Together," he declared. With Hulk's mighty roar, the Avengers fought off their foes, even besting Ultron. They also had to make certain that none of his drones left intact, as just one of them could be a way out for their foe. Between getting the last of the Sokovian people to safety and preparing themselves to destroy the landmass before it could potentially crash into the Earth, the Avengers were pressed for time. And things got worse as Ultron managed to take their Quinjet, using it to not only separate Hulk from Natasha, but also kill Pietro, who sacrificed himself to save Clint.
"You didn't see that coming…?" he presumed weakly before falling over dead onto the ground. His death was emphasized by Wanda's show of grief, as she cried out with dismay, destroying more drones trying to head for the device. Some of the students teared up a little, with Mina sniffling.
As Hulk went ahead and commandeered the Quinjet from Ultron, throwing him out back onto Sokovia, one of the remaining drones managed to activate the device, sending the landmass hurdling towards the ground. Luckily, Tony and Thor were able to work together to destroy it, while Vision retrieved Wanda, who had finished off the villainous android herself. And like that, the movie was nearly over. But some questions still remained.
"So we've seen those other Infinity Stone things, yeah?" Hanta inquired.
"Seems like it's all building up to something big…" Eijiro noted in response.
"The Tesseract's one, the Aether's another stone, then that purple one which could kill planets…" Toru listed off.
"And now there's the Mind Stone, which the Vision has," Tsuyu pointed out.
"I wonder what the others are…" Ochaco said curiously. The film finally ended with the Avengers having new recruits seen from prior movies. Along with that, as the credits rolled, there was a tease for the next film, with the same purple alien seen before, known as Thanos.
"Fine…" he uttered as he reached into a chamber to put on a large, golden gauntlet, "I'll do it myself…" he declared. With that, the movie was over.
"Wow, that was fun!" Shiki exclaimed.
"Kinda reminded me of what we went through on Nabu Island…" Denki confessed, "I mean, robots could take over the world…" he pointed out.
"Aren't the robots UA uses acting like that, too?" Mina inquired curiously.
"Oh yeah, you're right…" Weisz remembered, "Then again, they're not nearly as scary as those guys," he pointed out, folding his arms back behind his head.
"Well, I suppose we should all prepare ourselves for bed," Tenya decided, standing up from his seat, "Remember, tomorrow's our joint training session with Class B!" he pointed out seriously, "Let's get some good rest and be ready for anything!" he insisted firmly.
"Right!" his classmates responded. They all went to bed without so much as a fuss, with Izuku falling fast asleep right away. Though as he did, he didn't realize the changes his body was about to go through…
X
Dressed in U.A. gym clothes for the colder weather, Hitoshi walked through the school halls in the morning, looking down in thought. He was following Shota, who glanced back at him every few seconds. Along with his gym uniform, he also had a detachable, mask-like device at his neck, beneath a scarf that was similar to the Erasure Quirk user's.
"Are you nervous?" he asked of the messy-haired teen, causing him to perk up.
"…A little, I guess…" he admitted in reply, "But that's not really what I'm thinking about right now," he confessed further, "Laguna's gonna be part of this training, right?" he presumed, making the teacher blink in surprise.
"Yeah, he will be," he confirmed in reply. The Brainwashing Quirk user clenched his fists. "Don't let that cloud your judgement," Shota advised, "As of this moment, he's a student at UA," he pointed out.
"Right…" Hitoshi said, narrowing his eyes in deep thought.
"Woohoo!" Mina exclaimed as she had on a brand new waistcoat over her costume, which was slightly longer and had sleeves down to her elbows. A large hexagonal patch with a purple letter 'P' was stitched onto the shoulder of each sleeve. The fur lining her collar was also thicker and wider, reaching her chin, and was joined in the center by two clasps instead of being undone like the rest of her jacket. "We finally get to show off our winter costumes!" she noted from the locker room she and her classmates were getting dressed in.
"I can't believe it's already December…" Tsuyu admitted, now having a ring around her neck with two yellow bubble-shaped objects just above her shoulders. Her goggles were newly fitted with a visor so she could wear them more comfortably. The inside of her suit was lined with insulation, while the markings upon it were also slightly different, in that the two lines only started just below her chest rather than from the top of her suit, and she had two rounder markings on her chest.
"Well, we all have to be ready to adjust when possible," Momo pointed out, wearing a long high-collared red cape over her costume and a ring going around her neck with a large gemstone at her throat, "Some of us do perform better under certain conditions, like heat or cold," she noted.
"Speaking of which…" Kyoka chimed in, "You sure you're okay going out like usual, Hagakure?" she inquired of the Invisibility Quirk user, whose hero costume was practically the same.
"Oh, totally!" she responded, flashing a pair of peace signs, "Hot or cold, I'm always ready for anything!" she proclaimed.
"Huh…" Homura exhaled as she shut her locker door.
"Oh yeah, Kogetsu's probably gonna have a field day when it comes to winter!" Mina pointed out, getting her attention.
"She is like the opposite of Tsu when it comes to temperature…" Toru commented.
"That very well may be the case," Homura admitted in reply, "Either way, I'm looking forward to the training today," she affirmed, closing her left hand into a fist with a smile. Rebecca was zipping up a brand new fleece jacket over her costume, which had 'AONEKO' stitched on the back in gold. Her Happy Blasters were set into her holsters as she took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Whatcha' nervous for?" Ochaco wondered aloud, getting her attention.
"Uh, just trying to plan things out," she responded, "Ever since I got my Overdrive, I've been relying on it a lot more than everyone else," she pointed out, closing her left hand into a fist, "Obviously, I've been up against a lot of tough villains, so it's only natural I'd wanna use it…" she mentioned, "But I wanna make sure I don't need to always use it against a villain," she declared, "That's what training's for, right?" she presumed, earning a nod in response from the Zero Gravity Quirk user.
"Alright, ladies!" Mina exclaimed, "Time to get going!" she declared excitedly.
"Yeah!" her female classmates exclaimed in agreement. After a little while, they gathered at Ground Gamma with the rest of the class. Spotting her boyfriend, Rebecca waved hello with a smile. To her surprise though, he didn't wave back, seemingly lost in his own world as he stared at his right hand.
"Izu?" she uttered, jogging over to him, "Hey, what's up?" she asked, getting his attention.
"Oh, Rebecca," he greeted, "Uh… it's… a little complicated…" he admitted to her confusion, "I had another dream about the predecessors last night…" he whispered, causing her to blink in shock, "Nothing else happened, but…" he continued, looking back at his hand as he closed it into a fist, "Something does feel a bit off…" he admitted.
"Izu…" his girlfriend said worriedly.
"Everyone's definitely adapted to the environment lately!" Tenya pointed out proudly, getting their attentions.
"I'm surprised you lasted through the summer in all that gear…" Rikido commented as he sheepishly scratched at his cheek. Rebecca then spotted Katsuki walking over with Eijiro and Denki. The Explosion Quirk user's winter costume consisted of a large jacket with a high collar rather than the usual tank top, though it kept the same design.
"Kacchan upgraded for winter too, huh?" Izuku noted.
"Huh?!" his rival grunted upon overhearing, "If you got something to say, then say it to my face, nerd!" he shouted angrily, "WHILE I'M BLASTING YOURS!" he bellowed in addition.
"Sheesh…" Rebecca muttered.
"How does your new costume work?" her boyfriend inquired excitedly of his rival, "Do your gauntlets come with a heat generator?" he questioned on, "Since your sweat glands are used as weapons, it's a really smart modification to combat the cold! I'm impressed!" he complimented.
"STOP PRAISING MY SUIT!" the Explosion Quirk user roared back.
"Oh, give it a rest…" Rebecca grumbled, "You act like it's the end of the world every time he talks to you…" she mentioned in exasperation. Katsuki scoffed, walking away. "Huh…" she sighed, "Well, he's changing… a little…" she admitted with a roll of her eyes.
"He's better than before at least," Izuku noted with a grin.
"You two upgraded yourselves, didn't you?" Mashirao inquired as he approached the couple, getting their attentions, "Aside from Bluegarden's Overdrive, you've both gotten some new support items…" he pointed out.
"Yeah, we really had to change things up order to start being able to use ranged attacks," the One For All inheritor noted in response, "These gloves are gonna be incredibly handy," he mentioned.
"You do that air bullet thing like back at the USJ?" Minoru presumed in remembrance, "Didn't that totally wreck your fingers?" he inquired on.
"Don't forget, Izu's gotten a much better handle on his Quirk lately," Rebecca affirmed in response, winking to her boyfriend, "There's nothing to worry about, right?" she presumed of him.
"Yeah," he responded assuredly with a simple nod.
"Look who we have here…" a familiar voice chimed in, getting the class' attention, "Relaxed and full of yourselves as always…" he pointed out.
"Oh, great…" Weisz grumbled out.
"There you are!" Eijiro exclaimed as he punched his left hand excitedly, "We've been looking forward to this!" he pointed out.
"Ha!" the familiar voice laughed as a large group was approaching, "Is that so?" he inquired, "I'm not sure why…" he commented on, "There's no way you stand a chance against us in this exercise…" he mentioned. Leading Class B up to their rival class was none other than Neito. "Come on, Class A!" he yelled, "Let's see who's best once and for all!" he challenged.
"As always, Monoma's as high-strung as usual…" Tsuyu noted with a finger upon her right cheek. Meanwhile, Rebecca jogged over with a smile.
"Kleene! Kris!" she called out, causing the Rutherford siblings to perk up.
"Oh, Rebecca!" the Wind Snatch Quirk user greeted, giving her friend a kind hug, "It's so good to see you!" she noted happily, "I heard things went pretty crazy on that island you were sent to…" she mentioned.
"Yeah, but we worked it out," the Cat Leaper Quirk user affirmed, giggling a little. Neito looked on at the pair in surprise. In the meantime, Kris went over to Izuku.
"Midoriya, how are you?" he inquired of him.
"Doing fine," he replied, "And you can call me Deku, if you want," he offered to the Wind Rage Quirk user's surprise, "It's only fair since you let me call you Jinn," he pointed out. Kris chuckled.
"Yeah, I'd say that's fair," he affirmed.
"Hey, quit fraternizing with the enemy already!" Neito shouted to the Rutherford siblings, clearing his throat before pulling out a sheet of paper, "You might wanna take a close look at this survey!" he advised of the Class A students, "I took it at the festival, and it's enlightening!" he mentioned emphatically, "I asked what was better: Class A's pathetic attempt at being rockstars, or Class B's obviously superior play!" he pointed out, "Oh, what's this? We won by two whole votes?!" he exclaimed on, "You guys have been hogging the spotlight ever since we started school, but you're campus trash!" he bellowed out.
"Seriously?" Eijiro said as he held onto the piece of paper, "Did we mess up somewhere during that concert?" he wondered aloud.
"That's kind of a bummer…" Hanta admitted, "Especially for you, Jiro…" he mentioned to the Earphone Jack Quirk user.
"Oh please…" she grumbled with a roll of her eyes, "What bothers me is the idiot trying to make it seem like we're not popular for that concert…" she noted, looking over to Neito, who was cackling wildly.
"And now finally, it's Class A versus Class B!" he yelled, "Our first joint combat training!" he added vehemently, "You're fini—!"
"Stop it," a familiar voice chimed in as a hand came onto his shoulder, causing him to immediately silence himself. He turned and yelped in surprise to see Laguna there. Itsuka, who had been approaching, was quite surprised to see the Tears Lover Quirk user. So were their classmates.
"Laguna…" Rebecca uttered. Nervously, Neito stepped away.
"Uh… hey, Husert…" he greeted, "I was just… ya know… hyping us up…" he claimed, only to earn a sigh from the Tears Lover Quirk user.
"I'm not going to be a part of your stupid grudge with the other class," he affirmed, "That said, I'm not going to be holding back against any of you, either," he mentioned firmly to those of Class A, who tensed up. Kyoka clenched her fists, while Katsuki growled. Rebecca seemed somewhat anxious. She knew that Laguna was under more supervision from the teachers, so he wouldn't go trying anything. But that didn't make her less nervous, especially as she remembered his Quirk.
'Just how much stronger is he now?' she wondered inwardly.
"Good, you're all here," another voice chimed in, belonging to Sekijiro as he arrived with Shota, Witch, Hermit, and Sister, "We're going to be having a special participant for today's exercises," he told the students.
"Please try not to embarrass yourselves…" the Erasure Quirk user insisted.
"Who's going to be joining us?" Momo wondered aloud.
"I'll pulverize 'em!" Katsuki proclaimed.
"Is it a babe?" Denki inquired curiously.
"We'll do our best, whoever it is!" Eijiro and Tetsutetsu declared simultaneously.
"This person in particular is interested in switching over to the Hero Course," Witch pointed out, causing Izuku and Laguna to perk up in surprise, hearing the footsteps of an approaching figure, "Some of you may remember him from the Sports Festival," she mentioned. The One For All inheritor gasped in surprise, along with a few others. Meanwhile, the Tears Lover Quirk user's eyes widened.
"No…" he uttered out.
"From General Studies Class C, Hitoshi Shinso," Witch introduced, gesturing toward the Brainwashing Quirk user.
"Wow, no way!" Rebecca exclaimed, "I kinda figured you were getting involved after seeing you around with Mister Aizawa," she noted, "but I didn't think you'd be here this soon!" she admitted excitedly.
"Hm," Hitoshi huffed. Meanwhile, Laguna's eyes were shaking with disbelief. He expected there to be a lot of adversity for him to face with being brought back onto the hero track. But seeing his former classmate… he realized just what kind of challenge he was about to face.
X
"He's hoping to be involved with you on the Hero Course, so please treat him like you would any classmate," Shota requested of the students.
"So that means he's not officially in yet, right?" Shiki presumed, earning a nod from Tenya.
"I remember you mentioned that from the Sports Festival," Izuku noted to Hitoshi, while Mashirao was still trembling beside him in shock. He seemed a little uneasy.
"Is that one of Mister Aizawa's capture scarves?" Manga inquired.
"His mask looks special, too!" Kinoko mentioned.
"Welcome to the fight!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed in greeting. Laguna turned away, clenching his fists in frustration.
'Is this supposed to be some kind of sick joke…?' he grumbled to himself.
"You got brainwashed by Shinso at Sports Festival, didn't you, Midoriya?" Minoru questioned of Izuku, getting his attention, "And you broke out of it, too…" he mentioned.
"Yeah… that was kind of an accident, though…" the One For All inheritor admitted in reply. He then remembered something. The first he ever got a glimpse of the vestiges was when he was brainwashed by Hitoshi. And now, he was starting to connect more with them. Was it all just a coincidence? Or was there a reason?
"Sir Hitoshi, why don't you say a few words to introduce yourself?" Witch suggested of the Brainwashing Quirk user. He looked back on his past for a moment, where he recalled how people would say how useful his power would be, but in more villainous ways than good.
"I'm Hitoshi Shinso," he introduced, "I already faced some of you as opponents during the Sports Festival," he mentioned, "But we're not friends just because we fought before," he added seriously, "I don't subscribe to that sort of sportsmanship," he affirmed on, "We're still competing to be the best," he pointed out, "And I'm already countless steps behind," he continued as everyone listened on, "I need to prove myself," he stated, while Izuku remembered their battle back in the Sports Festival, "One day, I'll become a proper hero," he declared, "Then I can use my power to help citizens in need," he assured on, "All of you are hurdles I must overcome," he said, "I'm not here in search of friends…" he added further, making the One For All inheritor grin, "Thanks for having me," he finished. With that, he received a round of applause from the hero course students, save for a few.
"Whoa, he's so serious…" Ochaco pointed out.
"Kinda reminds me of the early versions of Todoroki and Kogetsu…" Hanta commented.
"Really?" both of them said simultaneously, followed by looking at each other in surprise.
"So cool…!" Shiki exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes, he's serious…" Fumikage agreed.
"I like this guy," Neito admitted with his right hand upon his chin.
"Okay, we oughta' get this thing started," Sister decided, stepping forward. She placed down a pair of boxes, each labeled 'LOTS' with the letter 'A' on one, and 'B' on the other.
"Today's exercise will be team battles between Class A and Class B here in sections of Ground Gamma!" Sekijiro declared to the students, "You'll grouped in teams of four, which means there'll be six matches!" he affirmed on.
"Additionally, Sir Hitoshi will be participating in two matches," Witch chimed in, "Once with Class A and another with Class B," she mentioned on.
"Wait just a moment…" Jurota said, getting her attention, "Won't we still have an uneven number of students for Class B?" he inquired.
"That's why another lucky student's getting the opportunity to compete in two matches himself," Sister responded.
"And it's already been decided that it'll be you, Husert," Sekijiro mentioned, causing the Tears Lover Quirk user to perk up in shock, "Aside from the fact that you just returned to the classroom, we know you're behind in training like Shinso," he told him, making him grimace with frustration.
"So if Laguna's participating twice, that evens it all out…" Rebecca realized.
"And from the way Mister Vlad King put it, it sounds fair to have him be that one in particular," Tsuyu added.
"Wait, so Shinso's going to be joining one of the four-person teams in two separate matches?" Toru questioned, "Isn't that unfair for the other team in that case?" she inquired on.
"It's more of a disadvantage for the team with an inexperienced person like Shinso in this case," Hermit responded, "No offense to you, Shinso," she added sheepishly to the Brainwashing Quirk user.
"None taken," he assured in reply.
"The scenario for the exercise is that your team is a hero agency looking to capture a villainous organization," Witch explained to the students, "If you capture all of your opponents, or have more captured than the opposing team before time runs out, then you'll win," she told them.
"Once you put an opponent in a cell, they're out for the match," Sister added, "And each cell's essentially a base camp for your team," she mentioned on, "So you'll start there," she confirmed further with a smirk.
"What about the five-person teams?" Mina chimed in, "Do all of them have to get captured for a loss?" she inquired further.
"No, if four people are placed in a single cell, it'll count as a loss," Hermit replied, sticking up four of her fingers.
"You're kidding me…" Katsuki grumbled out, "You're making us haul around deadweight?!" he inquired angrily.
"Hey, don't be mean about it…" Denki insisted.
"For real…" Rebecca muttered with a sigh.
"It's fine," Hitoshi assured, "He makes a fair point," he admitted.
"Ah, your understanding just makes us look like a bunch of jerks!" Denki pointed out.
"Now it's time to draw lots, kiddos," Sister advised, "Careful though…" she mentioned, "You might end up on a team you don't wanna be on…" she pointed out deviously.
'Glad to see Sister back to her usual self…' Rebecca admitted inwardly as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of her head, 'In fact, Hermit and Witch seem just fine, too…' she mentioned through her thoughts, 'Does everyone know the truth about them now?' she wondered to herself. The lots were drawn.
1st Battle: Class A – Tsuyu Asui, Denki Kaminari, Eijiro Kirishima, & Rebecca Bluegarden VS Class B – Jurota Shishida, Laguna Husert, Hiryu Rin, & Ibara Shiozaki
2nd Battle: Class A – Weisz Steiner, Momo Yaoyorozu, Fumikage Tokoyami, & Yuga Aoyama VS Class B – Itsuka Kendo, Kinoko Komori, Manga Fukidashi, & Shihai Kuroiro
3rd Battle: Class A – Minoru Mineta, Rikido Sato, Homura Kogetsu, & Toru Hagakure VS Class B – Kosei Tsubaraba, Kris Rutherford, Sen Kaibara, & Nirengeki Shoda
4th Battle: Class A – Shoto Todoroki, Tenya Iida, Mashirao Ojiro, & Mezo Shoji VS Class B – Pony Tsunotori, Kleene Rutherford, Juzo Honenuki, & Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
5th Battle: Class A – Katsuki Bakugo, Kyoka Jiro, Hanta Sero, & Shiki Granbell VS Class B – Setsuna Tokage, Kojiro Bondo, Togaru Kamikiri, & Yosetsu Awase
6th Battle: Class A – Izuku Midoriya, Ochaco Uraraka, Mina Ashido, & Koji Koda VS Class B – Neito Monoma, Laguna Husert, Reiko Yanagi, & Yui Kodai
'So the two battles I'm in feature me going up against Bluegarden and then her boyfriend?' Laguna noted to himself, letting out a scoff, 'I can't tell if I have the worst luck, or they're just damn lucky…' he muttered inwardly.
"Your turn, Shinso," Sekijiro offered to the Brainwashing Quirk user, "You'll be joining one team from each class," he pointed out. Hitoshi reached into the boxes, pulling out a pair of balls. The red one was labeled with a '1', while the blue one had '6'. Laguna's eyes widened as he noticed.
"So you'll be joining Class A in the very first match," Witch noted.
"And having a lot of time to recover before the final one with Class B!" Sister mentioned with a chuckle, "Lucky you," she remarked.
"Yeah, I guess so," Hitoshi responded. Meanwhile, Laguna clenched his fists as he looked down in frustration. He was going to have to face the Brainwashing Quirk user in the first match, then team up with him in the last one. He inwardly cursed his bad luck. Rebecca noticed how conflicted he seemed, giving off a concerned look.
"Let's have some fun out there, man!" Eijiro insisted of Hitoshi as he approached the Class A team he'd be joining.
"Could you tell us any more details about your Quirk?" Tsuyu requested.
"You kinda seem like a guy who's popular with the ladies, am I right?" Denki presumed.
"Thanks for having me," Hitoshi said politely. A hand then came onto his right shoulder as he turned to see Rebecca there with a smile on her face.
"We're looking forward to working with you," she affirmed. He blinked in surprise, glancing off to the side sheepishly as he put his mask on.
"It'll be you and Shinso's first fight since the Sports Festival, right Deku?" Ochaco presumed of the One For All inheritor, getting his attention.
"Mm-hmm," he responded with a nod. He still had questions about the vestiges and why they were suddenly able to now speak with him. But for now… "I can't wait to see how he fights!" he exclaimed as he grabbed his notebook and mechanical pencil, ready to write as many new notes as possible.
"Uh, where'd you pull that out from?" Ochaco inquired curiously.
"Hey, Midoriya!" Eijiro called out, getting their attentions, "Don't you worry, we'll make sure Rebecca's a-okay on our team!" he vowed with a thumbs-up. The One For All inheritor cracked a little smile.
"I don't doubt that…" he affirmed in reply, "But I'm sure she'll do her best, too!" he added confidently. Hearing that, his girlfriend giggled. She and her teammates went to prepare themselves at their base camp, while their opponents did the same. Everyone else stayed at the viewing section, ready to watch the battle unfold.
"Fighters, take your marks!" Sekijiro exclaimed into the microphone he held.
"You're really into this, huh?" Shota noted.
"AND BEGIN!" the Blood Control Quirk user yelled, followed by the horn sounding off. For the first few minutes, it was quiet.
"We have a pretty good idea of the other team's Quirks and how they could work together," a camouflaged Tsuyu noted while crawling upon a building.
"That doesn't mean we're in the clear," Rebecca pointed out, "They probably figured out the same thing with us," she mentioned to her teammates.
"So let's try to stay close together," the Frog Quirk user advised, "There's safety in numbers, after all," she added.
"Good point," her pigtailed friend agreed.
"Wouldn't it be better if I separated from the group and fired off a million volts?" Denki inquired as he approached.
"Yeah, but what if you got caught beforehand?" Eijiro questioned back, "You'd have no backup…" he noted.
"And we really don't need you going dumb on us in the first few minutes…" Rebecca grumbled on.
"Aw, don't say that!" Denki insisted in frustration, "But anyways, I bet you're nervous about taking on Husert," he pointed out, making her blink in surprise "I mean…" he continued, "he was part of the team that kidnapped you…" he recalled. Memories of the forest camp attack flooded Rebecca's head. She trembled for a moment, but then steeled herself.
"Laguna's probably going to try and make us get all teary in order to immobilize us," she noted, "So we need to watch out for that and restrain him," she pointed out seriously, "Since his Quirk's an Ether-type, that means it'll get disrupted if his limbs are bound," she explained.
"I can do that," Hitoshi affirmed confidently to her surprise, "The rest of you should worry about the others, like Shiozaki," he pointed out.
"Right," Tsuyu agreed, "And they're going to be wary of us," she mentioned, "Not just Kaminari, but Shinso, too," she affirmed on.
"And since Rebecca's got Overdrive, she's got a target on her back," Eijiro added, making the Cat Leaper Quirk user tense up. Ever since she obtained her Overdrive, she always wound up relying on it to finish a battle. She took a deep breath.
"I'm only gonna use Overdrive as a last resort," she confirmed to her teammates, "Besides, we don't know if Laguna has his yet," she mentioned.
"Good point…" Eijiro agreed, "So, should we go after Shiozaki first?" he inquired, "I figure she's gonna be the biggest problem after Husert," he told his teammates.
"Okay, then let's—" All of a sudden, Jurota came barreling in, grabbing both Tsuyu and Eijiro.
"Meet my Roaring Rage!" he bellowed, knocking the pair away and sending them crashing into the nearby buildings.
"Tsu! Eijiro!" Rebecca cried out. She quickly drew both of her Happy Blasters, aiming them at the Beast Quirk user. However, he was hardly intimidated.
"Seems going for the direct approach was the right call!" he proclaimed excitedly, "We figured you were planning on using Kaminari as your main force of attack, so we strategized accordingly…" he told his foes.
"Oh crap…" Denki muttered out. Suddenly, Rebecca felt water spread at her feet.
"Shoot!" she yelped, followed by getting washed away by a sudden wave of water.
"Rebecca, no!" Denki exclaimed.
"Tears Wave," a familiar voice said, getting his and Hitoshi's attentions as they saw Laguna walk out, standing alongside Jurota, "None of your Quirks are useful for recon, so it's only natural that you'd be found out first," he pointed out, "We'll end this here and now," he declared, "So do me a favor and cry already…" he insisted as his markings shined a bright blue.
"Aw, dammit…" Denki muttered out.
"Take them down, Shishida!" Laguna's voice commanded… though it didn't come from him.
"You got it!" the Beast Quirk user replied, only to suddenly stop moving.
"Wh-What?!" Laguna stammered, looking over to Hitoshi in shock.
"Nice! You got him!" Denki exclaimed with a thumbs-up. Sitting up against the building she had gotten washed into, Rebecca grinned.
'Way to go, Hitoshi…' she complimented inwardly, getting back onto her feet, 'I bet they didn't see that coming…' she mentioned to herself.
"Vocal Modulator… Persona Chords," the Brainwashing Quirk user said, adjusting his mask's plates ever so slightly with the twist of its dial.
ENDING
Insert "Footprints" by the peggies
Opens with Izuku receiving a notification on his phone. He picks it up and looks at it while seated on his bed, while Rebecca sits up beside him and yawns. He smiles, showing her what he just read. She beams after a moment, nodding to him.
The two of them head downstairs together, seeing groups of their classmates heading out together for the day. They smile at each other, holding hands as they leave the dorm. We see Shiki walking on a sidewalk with Momo, calling for her to hurry after him as he hurries off towards a set of stores. Meanwhile, Tsuyu and Ochaco meet up with Kleene and Kris at a supermarket, talking happily with them. Fumikage's checking apples with Dark Shadow, only to see Laguna doing the same.
Elsewhere in the store, we see Katsuki checking some bottles of hot sauce, while Weisz and Minoru are browsing some adult magazines. Homura's eyes sparkle at the sight the Valkyrie-brand energy drinks, which she buys a lot of to the shock of Kyoka, Mina, and Toru. Izuku and Rebecca arrive, having a shopping list on hand. They nod to each other, splitting up with their classmates to gather what they need.
Izuku grabs packets of noodles and rice, while Rebecca gets pork, bok choy, panko bread crumbs, and other ingredients. She's joined by Rikido, who advises her on what specifically she should look for. Meanwhile, Izuku goes to gather up birthday candles with Koji and Shoto, who both grab jars of frosting and sprinkles.
The couple checks out of the store with everything they need, returning to U.A. later that night. With help, they put the ingredients together to make a great feast, along with a birthday cake intended for Tenya. He's touched, tearing up at how kind his classmates are. He blows out the candles, celebrating amongst his friends as they laugh. The song winds down, with the class happily enjoying themselves through the night, hoping for many more great ones to come…
END ENDING
And we're finally at the start of the Joint Training Arc! I gotta say, coming up with the teams this time around was a lot of fun. Aside from trying to stay away from doing the same things over and over, such as putting couples or potential pairs on the same teams or in the same battles. That's why Rebecca's not with Izuku this time around.
Anyways, that's it for now! Next week, we'll see how the first match turns out! Thanks for reading! And have a Merry Christmas!