I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.


"What is Bakugou-san doing out there?" Yaoyorozu asked nervously as a cold sweat crept down her face. Mineta didn't know how to answer that, he was too busy trying to comprehend what he's seeing. Ever since the third inning started, it's been one disaster after another. All of 1B's batters since Kuroiro were able to hit Bakugou's third pitch, having finally adjusted to the speed and random aim. And because of that that, 1B gained a three point lead over 1A.

Worse still was the fact that Hiryu, Pony, and Kendo were all waiting for Tetsutetsu to bring them home. 1A was in a literal corner and Bakugou still has no intention of giving up the mound.

"This is not like you... What's causing you to act even more stubborn and selfish than usual?" Mineta wondered, racking his brain for an answer. But as the pressure continued to mount, not helped by Monoma's taunting, a different light began to reflect off of Bakugou's eyes. Instead of throwing the ball out to brute force his way out…

He formed a 'T' with his hands and shouted at the top of his lungs "Time out".

Coach Yamamoto confirmed this before the explosive blonde ordered 1A to huddle together. And with a sigh of relief, Mineta rushed over as Yaoyorozu quickly followed. The many different eyes of the class stared at Bakugou, his sharp eyes dancing between his classmates. And when his gaze locked with Mineta's, the shorter boy could finally see the true depths of his frustration.

"Kacchan…" Midoriya began before Bakugou raised a single finger in his direction.

"I know I made a mess. I know I've caused this shitty situation. And I know I won't be able to clean it myself. So don't. Rub it. In."

"Then are you…?" Kirishima asked, gesturing to Mineta. The explosive blonde solemnly nodded before tossing the ball to Mineta. And as the shorter boy held it, he heard the most encouraging words Bakugou could possibly say.

"Fuck them up Rat Bitch."

"They won't know what'll hit them." Mineta replied as he tightly gripped the ball. The air surrounding 1A became a lot lighter now that their best pitcher was on field. But before anyone could cheer, Midoriya brought up something that was also on the shorter boy's mind… The truth behind Monoma's strange pitching.

"Since we're together, I want to talk about Monoma-kun's pitching. Did anyone notice how his balls have set pattern to them?"

"I did. The first goes somewhere in the lower third. The second goes somewhere in the middle. And the third goes somewhere up top. And each pitch is the same for each person, so it wasn't that hard to figure out." Todoroki replied, raising his hand slightly. The batters of 1A began mulling over those words, especially those who couldn't get a hit off of Monoma yet. But as they all look back up, Mineta could see the determination burning in their eyes.

"It'll still be hard, considering how small a baseball… But we'll do our best to close the gap." Ojiro said with a nod.

"And if we need to, we could always switch our players around! We'll beat 1B with our very best!" Uraraka cheered, pumping her fist. But despite this bright declaration, the unanswered question began to creep back into their minds. And as eyes danced between Mineta and Midoriya, it became obvious as to what it was.

"Let's go everyone; I'm sure 1B has waited long enough." The green haired boy said. With a flash of his encouraging smile, 1A soon regained enough heart to scatter and left the pitcher's mound to Mineta. And once Coach Yamamoto confirmed the change in 1A's pitcher, along with Aoyama swapping with Yaoyorozu, the game continued.

First, Mineta examined the different runners that were already on the bases. Each one carefully eyed him as they stood ready to run. Mineta then turned to Tetsutetsu on home plate, his bat ready to swing. But his eyes then moved just fractions from him and focused on Midoriya. His partner didn't have his mitt up, but his eyes shined brighter than normal. It was as though he was saying…

"Let's go, Mineta-kun!"

The shorter boy just nodded with furrowed brows, readying his pitch. He then began going through the motions he became so familiar with. However, when he began moving, Mineta heard Sugino's words run through his mind. And to those words, Mineta's form slowly began adjusting itself to bring out more power.

Mineta stepped forward with conviction. His hips turned with sharpness. And his arm slung forward with the weight of his emotions.

The baseball left his finger tips and sailed down towards home plate, following a straight path. Tetsutetsu began to swing, his bat perfectly on a collision course with the baseball. But without warning, the baseball's course changed, dipping before traveling to the right, allowing the ball to miss the bat and land right in Midoriya's mitt.

"Strike!"

Mineta almost smirked as he saw Tetsutetsu blink in confusion, almost wondering how the ball changed course. But the shorter boy's focus returned when Midoriya threw the ball back. The steel haired boy then took a deep breath before readying his batting stance. His eyes were more focused than ever. Not that Mineta actually noticed; since he was too busy listening to the silent words of his partner.

"No matter how long it's been, you never get rusty."

"Someone won't let me." Mineta thought with a nod, readying his pitch.

Once more did Mineta's body go through the motions again, his body further adjusting to Sugino's instructions. The ball soon left his fingers with a little more speed than the last, travelling straight before sinking dramatically near home. As such, Tetsutetsu couldn't complete his swing and took the ball looking.

"Strike two!"

Midoriya returned the ball as Tetsutetsu took another deep breath, his eyes becoming even more focused. Mineta concentrated too, choosing the last of the pitches to overcome the first of three hurdles. At least, that was the idea until Mineta heard the next of Midoriya's words. And it almost caused the shorter boy to breakdown crying.

"Tonight… Let's play some catch… And talk for a while…"

"Of course… Partner…"

Mineta threw out his next pitch, his body finalizing Sugino's adjustments. The baseball was practically fired from the shorter boy's fingertips as it sailed towards home. But unlike before, the ball didn't sink but sharply cut to the right. This change allowed Tetsutetsu to hit the ball, but not without problems. He jammed the hit, sending it back towards the pitcher's mound bouncing.

Mineta placed his glove in the ball's path, snagging it as Tetsutetsu ran. The shorter boy then hurled it to Midoriya, who caught it and stepped onto home plate. The green haired boy then threw it to Sero on third, catching it despite flinching to the force of the throw. The tape slinger then threw the ball to Tokoyami who made it to second. And when the ball hit his glove, it was a fraction of a second before Kendo made it.

Hiryu, who ran for home… Pony, who ran for third… And Kendo, who ran for second… Were all declared 'out' by each of the umpires on those bases.

As the dust settled, as Mineta let out the heaviest sigh, 1A and 1B could only blink in disbelief at what just happened. And truthfully, the shorter boy could hardly believe what just occurred either. A triple play, after all, wasn't a common sight.

"That was kick ass!" Kaminari shouted with a cheer. 1A's fielders were about to swarm around Mineta and Midoriya for a job well done, but Iida cut them off. And good thing he did, otherwise they'd look like idiots should they somehow lose this match.

"I understand your excitement, but let's not get ahead of ourselves! We must first catch up before beginning any celebrating." Iida said, performing his usual gestures.

"Oh come on Pres, we just got out of a pretty sticky situation. I think we could afford one or two hurrahs." Kirishima replied as he hung off of Midoriya's shoulders. Iida opened his mouth to protest, but paused as a thought occurred to him. And knowing him, Mineta was certain he was about to attribute those words to some aspect of being a Hero.

"… How could I have been so blind? Maintaining morale through the toughest of circumstances is part of being a Hero too! Even the smallest of victories could bring us the hope and will to charge forth against the unrelenting forces of evil! So cheer away my friends! Show 1B that we haven't despaired yet!"

"… Sorry Iida-kun, but you just killed the mood for it. Things are not as fun if you're commanded to do it." Uraraka commented, scratching at the back of her head. But while Mineta watched Iida have a small breakdown, he turned to notice Midoriya talking Mina and Ojiro through Monoma's pitches. And once he was finished, the former went out to bat with a spring in her step while the latter began doing some image training.

That was when Midoriya turned to face Mineta.

The shorter boy flinched and almost reflexively turned away. But with their conversation dwelling within his mind, Mineta forced himself to stand his ground. And looking more carefully, Mineta found that Midoriya was doing all he could to stop running as well. The duo stepped forward and came face to face for the first time in a while…

"I'm sorry you had to join the game during such a pinch Mineta-kun… But thank you for helping us out. That triple play wouldn't have been so smooth without you." Midoriya apologized with a nod. The shorter boy raised an eyebrow to that, what was he apologizing for? Midoriya and the others were only doing what they could to mitigate Bakugou's screw ups.

"You're giving me too much credit man, I just played my part and everyone played theirs."

"Still, your presence on field was welcoming. Every time Bakugou threw the ball, I tense up and wonder whether or not 1B will get a hit. Your pitches, on the other hand, were calm and controlled, perfect for slipping past the opposition." Tokoyami replied, shaking his head.

"I'll say… But, uh, could you give us a 'head's up' the next time you plan on giving 1B the hit? I was worried our secret weapon was a bust when Tetsutetsu hit that third throw." Sero said, scratching at the back of his head. Mineta flinched to that. Thinking back, maybe it wasn't so smart to do that triple play without warning…

"Sorry… I should've done that before Mineta-kun stepped in… I'll think of something before we take to the field again." Midoriya replied with a sheepish nod.

"Whatever the case, I'm just glad nothing has changed too much between you and Mineta-san. Plenty of us were worried recent events might've irreversibly damaged your relationship." Yaoyorozu commented with a careful smile. Mineta turned his eyes to his partner, soaking in the atmosphere that slowly grew heavier. But despite this shift in mood, Midoriya stood against it with bright eyes and a straight back.

"Thank you for your concern, everyone… But our bond isn't so weak that a bad argument could break it. A single night can't undo the laughter we've shared. It can't undo the tears we've shed. And it certainly can't undo the promises we've made over three long years. Mineta-kun's my partner, and nothing will ever change that."

Mineta didn't pay attention to what were his classmate's reaction to that was. He was too busy keeping his own tears from leaking out of his eyes. Even though he should know this, the shorter boy could help but reflect on the memories he shared with Midoriya. Despite all the good and all the bad they've been through, the two remained by each other's side. So what if they've gotten into an argument?

It's just another notch in their long standing friendship.

"God damn Midoriya… Where was that last week? We could've fixed things the moment we saw each other." Mineta asked as he wiped at his eyes.

"I only thought of all that yesterday… Sorry…" Midoriya answered, unable to look at his friend.

"No worries partner, I couldn't think of everything I wanted to say. But that ends tonight. So for now…" Mineta replied before facing his classmates who were all staring at them expectedly.

"Let's win this game. We'll be counting on you guys!" He continued before bowing to all of them. And as expected from their words, the air around 1A began to feel much more energized. Mineta stood back up and was met with the fire within their classmate's eyes. But strangely enough, the only one who wasn't expressing any visible emotion at the moment was Bakugou.

Instead, he was just staring at Mineta and Midoriya with furrowed brows…

But before Mineta could make any sense of the explosive blonde, he heard Coach Yamamoto call for the field change. So leaving behind this, Mineta stepped out onto the field with his fellow defenders. Though unlike before, his steps now held a far greater purpose than before. For Class 1A's sake, he was going to get them through this game. For Midoriya's sake, Mineta was going to pitch like he never pitched before.

And so the game continued. 1A ended that last inning with another point to their name, making the score 4 to 2. The gap wasn't too wide, but that was no reason to get indifferent. Mineta, along with Midoriya's hand signals to the others, were able to get through without giving 1B a single base. As for 1A's offense, they've gotten used to Monoma's pitches and gotten two more points off of him.

Now, entering the fifth and final inning, 1A and 1B's scores were tied.

"Okay… Just get through this and leave it to our batters…" Mineta thought as he took a deep breath. However, instead of seeing Shishida take the plate, it was Monoma who stood at the ready. The shorter boy raised an eyebrow before he heard what the arrogant blonde was shouting at him.

"I'll show you that your pitches are nothing! They'll be nothing before my superior batting skill!"

That was when Mineta remembered what Monoma did earlier to Kouda… Yeah, this was the moment to bury him. The shorter boy, with a glint in his eye, signaled to Midoriya the plan for this pitch, who acknowledged with a nod. So, channeling his fury into his forms, Mineta went through the motions while gripping the ball in a special way.

The baseball soon sailed through the air… But as anyone could see, it was heading straight for Monoma's face. The arrogant blonde's eyes widened as the ball quickly closed in on him. But just as it was centimeters from collision, the ball swiftly and sharply broke away from him and safely hit Midoriya's mitt. So that was the Scythe…

And based on how stiff and perplexed Monoma was, Mineta could tell he threw it correctly.

"Ball!" Coach Yamamoto shouted.

"W-Wait! That clearly hit me!" Monoma argued, turning to the coach as he snapped out of his daze.

"If it had, you'd be in the ground."

"… Don't you mean on–?"

"No, IN."

"No matter! I'll hit the next one!" Monoma boasted as he readied his bat again. Mineta just blankly stared at the guy before throwing a slurve, a forkball, and a fastball. A taste of his own medicine if you will… And as Mineta expected, the arrogant blonde couldn't hit a single one. Not only were the shorter boy's throws faster, their trajectories were much sharper compared to Monoma's.

Honenuki took the plate next, ignoring the raving Monoma to his own devices. But instead of focusing on him, Mineta focused on Midoriya's hand signal. With his left hand, he stuck his thumb out before pointing it upwards. He then retracted his thumb and extended his index.

Those were his signals for where the ball would go… The ball will fly upwards towards first base.

The shorter boy nodded and threw out a rather straight looking cutter towards the outside. And when Honenuki swung, the ball broke in an odd way. It collided with the upper half of the bat much sooner than the batter expected and popped it towards Kaminari. In response to this, the electric blonde took two steps forward and held his glove out before the ball safely landed into it.

Honenuki stopped his run and began to drag his feet back to 1B's dugout. Hiryu took to the plate next and readied his stance. The guy was serious like Tetsutetsu but, based on previous innings Hiryu batted, he had better kinetic vision. So Mineta began thinking about the tricky pitches he knows. The shorter boy gripped his ball in a peculiar way before throwing it.

The baseball didn't spin that much in the air, causing it to fly unstably through the air. As the ball was halfway to home plate, it began to settle on a set path and landed straight in Midoriya's mitt. Hiryu just blinked, his eyes reflecting the sight he just saw. Yeah… A knuckleball would do that to first timers…

Mineta readied his next pitch, a two-seam fast ball. And like the other ball, Hiryu failed to connect his swing as the ball 'dodged' the bat at the last moment. The shorter boy had to hold his smirk back as he watched Hiryu try to maintain his composure. However, the moment he stared down Mineta with a killer glare, the shorter boy knew he was finished. The pitch came out and Hiryu swung with all he got…

Only for the ball to come a second AFTER his swing finished.

"Batter out! Change field!" Coach Yamamoto shouted. Mineta let out a sigh of relief as 1A let out a cheer, the changeup worked. Now all he had to do was hope the batters could get at least one point out of 1B.

"Good work out there everyone! Especially with that catch Kaminari-kun." Uraraka said as the fielders returned to the dugout.

"I was surprised. I honestly thought he would fumble it." Jirou replied with an amused smile.

"Oh please, I'd have to be brain dead to miss that! But seriously, thanks for making it easy dude." Kaminari laughed before turning to Mineta.

"It's nothing man, just doing my job." The shorter boy said as he iced his shoulder.

"Now it's just our up to our batters to overcome 1B's defense. Though given how Midoriya's next…" Shouji began as 1A watched Uraraka get to first base. Mineta could only silently nod as he watched his partner ready his bat. Monoma, brows completely furrowed, threw out a fastball, breaking his pattern. But since this was Midoriya, he was able to hit it.

However, because of the change in pattern, he couldn't get a perfect hit. But that still didn't stop Midoriya and Uraraka from sprinting like rabid shoppers during a clearance sale. The baseball landed in the outfield close to second base, causing 1B to scramble for the ball. The lethargic looking Reiko hurled the ball to second just as Uraraka slid onto the base.

"Safe!"

Mineta heard an audible exhale around him, a reasonable reaction given how close they were to winning. But until someone hits a double and Uraraka makes it back to home, things weren't close to being over. Iida took to the plate once more, the sun, again, reflecting off of his glasses ominously. He couldn't hit a single ball since the start of the game… So it was understandable that their class president was feeling a bit useless.

Monoma now had this intense aura around him. And if looks could kill, this guy would be Medusa right about now. He threw out a forkball first, to which Iida missed. 1A continued to cheer on him on as the arrogant blonde threw out a slurve, only for Iida to miss. But when Monoma threw out that fastball…

A metallic ring sounded out and Uraraka, Midoriya, and Iida took off running. The ball just barely landed in the outfield, giving all three enough to time to take each of the bases. Mineta blinked as he saw the situation that 1A was once in now plaguing 1B. And within his heart, he knew it was over since Monoma didn't have what it takes to overcome this. Not while he still has three batters to out…

That was when Mineta noticed who the next batter was… Instead of Mina, Bakugou was standing at the ready at Home plate.

"Huh? Why's he there?" Mineta asked to no one in particular.

"Bakugou asked me to switch out. He probably wants to give that Monoma a taste of his own medicine. You know, like what he did to you?" Mina answered as she made a throwing motion. The shorter boy could only furrow his brows to that before narrowing his eyes on Bakugou. Really? Was now the time to get into a dick measuring contest with 1B?

Then again… That's what the two Hero classes have been doing since the Sports Festival…

"Still, it's Bakugou, he'll get us the point. He'll probably even send the ball into the stratosphere." Kirishima said with a toothy grin.

"That sounds like something he'll do." Todoroki commented. A profound silence soon took hold of the diamond as Monoma and Bakugou stared each other down. A strong breeze blew by as the standoff continued, building the tension even more.

Suddenly, Monoma threw out the first of his three pitches, a slurve to box 6. However, Bakugou didn't react to it and allow the ball to pass him. Strike one.

Monoma then threw out a fastball to box 2. And like before, Bakugou didn't even blink. He just continuously kept glaring at his opponent with his sharp red eyes. Strike two.

The last pitch was a forkball to box 9… That was when Mineta saw the subtle change in Bakugou's grip and stance. In a blink of an eye, the explosive blonde swung in the perfect arc and struck the ball in the perfect place.

A metallic ring echoed across the field as all eyes were locked onto the ball, even the fielders and runners weren't moving. The palm sized ball just kept going and going... Until the ball hit the chain link fence on the other end of the field.

All at once, the tension snapped for 1A.

"A home run! He really got a home run!" Kirishima cheered. 1A quickly began rushing out to meet up with the runners. Mineta, being the small one, elected to hang back to avoid getting crushed. Or at least that was the plan until Shouji picked him up and carried him on his shoulder. Well, he supposed this was a team effort, so he should be part of the celebration mob.

Uraraka was met with open arms by the girls. Midoriya was met with pats on the back by the guys. Iida was met with cheers by the class he leads. And when Bakugou got back…

"Get off of me!" He screamed as he was swarmed by 1A.

"You won the game for us! So deal!" Hagakure shouted with a noticeable grin. And as the explosive blonde continued to kick and scream against the crowd, Mineta could only smile at this blessed mess of a class. That was until he heard Midoriya speak with Shouji.

"Shouji-kun, do you mind if I carry Mineta for a bit?"

"Of course." The multi-armed giant replied as he carefully handed the shorter boy off. And like all the times Mineta rode his partner, he hung off of Midoriya's back like the gremlin he was.

"Not bad for our first game with everyone." Midoriya said as he continued to watch Bakugou get mobbed.

"Eh. We could've gone without Bakugou's weird ass behavior. At least he shaped up at the end of it all." Mineta replied before Bakugou let out an explosion to finally disperse the crowd.

"So you noticed it too?" Midoriya asked.

"How could I not? I've known him as long as I've known you."

"Yeah, Kacchan's a complicated mess… Though I suppose both of us shouldn't be talking–" Midoriya began before Mineta finished that thought for him.

"Since we're a mess too? Yeah… But that ends tonight, right partner?" He asked. The shorter boy then heard the roaring answer that left the lips of his gentle smile.

"Right. Tonight, the best Hero Duo returns to UA."


And that has been Chapter 87!

Not bad for an attempt at a different genre, but there are things that could use some work. However, I'm a little too tired to think about that right now.

More importantly... We're finally at the point where Mineta and Midoriya could finally start talking about the nonsense that got them here. So do look forward to that when the next update rolls around.

I've got nothing else to talk about, so...

Until Next Time. T1.