I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.


Mineta struck at the tree in front of him rhythmically, imaging it as the enemy he must defeat.

It was currently the Monday afternoon following the events of their internship and he was left with a lot to think about. After Mineta, Midoriya, and Mirio regrouped with Nighteye and Bubble Girl and shared their knowledge with them... Nighteye had called Midoriya and Mineta out on their rash attempt to save Eri. And while the things he said made sense, 'you can't rescue someone with thoughts/willpower alone' and 'rushing things would only make things worse'…

Everything still left a bad taste in Mineta's mouth.

Then there was the matter between he and Midoriya. Whist they were still able to keep things from getting too awkward… Neither of them could bring up the incident with Overhaul and Eri. It was just too complicated. But Mineta could tell the whole thing was eating away at his partner… Since it was doing the same to him…

Eri's fear was still very much present in the shorter boy's left hand. And no matter what he did, Mineta couldn't shake it off. But then again… How could he possibly forget? He let her go. He allowed her to go back to whatever cruelty Overhaul has planned for her. He made a promise he isn't sure he could keep.

He gave Eri hope… Along with the baggage that came with it…

The next strike bit into the tree a little deeper than before. Taking that as a sign to take a break, Mineta stepped away from his arboreal target. And the sight he saw before him was both disturbing yet appropriate…

Since the sun was setting directly behind him, its light had casted his shadow onto the tree in front of him. And it had perfectly lined up with all the marks Mineta made with his strikes. Head, chest, knees, eyes, throat… He had struck each and every one in accordance to Shifu's training. By all accounts, this dark figure should've been dead…

Mineta should've been dead…

Yet here he was, standing before his unflinching shadow, looking for answers.

"What am I even doing anymore?" Mineta asked out loud, hitting his head against the tree.

"I've been asking myself the same thing."

The shorter boy turned around and there stood Midoriya. He had this melancholic smile on his face though… It was almost like he reverted back to his middle school self. But then again, Mineta felt similar right about now. The loss of one little girl just reminded them of just how powerless they really were…

"Still… Something tells me you're taking this a bit harder than I am…" Midoriya asked as he walked up to the tree Mineta was striking.

"Well yeah… Thanks to this guy, little Eri's still trapped with that bird faced bastard..." Mineta replied as he pointed his baton at his shadow. Midoriya looked over at the tree and stared at the darkened shape. His green eyes sadly then looked over to his own shadow, which was being casted onto another tree. Midoriya frowned as he began silently walking over to it, causing Mineta to raise an eyebrow.

And in an instant, the sparks of One for All began to surround Midoriya's body. He then punched the tree where his shadow fell, leaving a sizable mark on the trunk. While it was rather sudden and rather uncharacteristic for Midoriya, Mineta wasn't surprised. They were partners after all…

"And thanks to this guy… You were forced to make that choice…" Midoriya said.

Mineta didn't say anything as the light of One for All faded from his partner's body. The two of them stood in silence as the wind picked up around them. But even as the leaves rustled and the clouds rolled by, neither of them said a word. The shorter boy looked to his baton, hoping to draw some courage from it. However, even with all the bravery in the world, he still didn't have the words to say.

They were both at a loss…

"… I had a talk with All Might before I came here." Midoriya said suddenly.

"What did you guys talk about?" Mineta asked.

"About Eri-chan... About Nighteye… And I was surprised by what he said. Even though he would always try to save as many people as he could… All Might said the way Eri-chan acted would've made him hesitate too, mostly because of Overhaul. That guy, despite being forced into a situation, had complete control over it. And once a Villain is in that position, even Pros are rendered powerless…" Midoriya replied with an unnaturally detached tone.

And that sort of reaction was understandable, since anything All Might says would have immense weight to them. Especially whenever the Symbol of Peace backed those words with the years of experience he has… There was no doubt that, sometime in the past, the Symbol of Peace experienced what they just went through. And whatever it was, it must've been devastated him…

However, the shorter boy could feel a 'but' coming on.

"But… As long as we can still fight, as long as there's still hope, the chance to turn the tables will come. It's how All Might beat All for One… And it'll be how we rescue Eri-chan. Overhaul clearly needs her for something important, so he won't be getting rid of her anytime soon. So until the time to strike comes, we need to become stronger." Midoriya said, looking over to his friend with shining eyes.

But despite that, Mineta could still feel a sliver of doubt in his heart. There were just too many what ifs, making it feel like they were against Muscular again. Sure, they'll train to get stronger… But would their growth outpace the enemy's? It was hard to tell since they still had no idea what Overhaul is capable of. And that unknown is stopping Mineta from moving his feet like usual…

"I don't know Midoriya… There's just too much we don't know…" Mineta replied, casting his eyes to the ground.

"Then we learn what we can. And didn't Fenghuang say 'to find ourselves, we must leave the comfort and conformity of our lives'? Do you think she'd let the unknown scare her?" Midoriya replied. Memories of the Radiant Wing's lessons flowed through Mineta's mind. And with each, that sliver of doubt was pushed out until Mineta's confidence returned.

"No, it wouldn't… Then you'll have my back?"

"Always, it's our greatest strength and something even All Might wishes he still had." Midoriya replied. The shorter boy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow to that last sentence. Then he remembered all the times the Number One Hero mentioned his ruined friendship with someone. Combined that with the fact that Nighteye was All Might's former sidekick…

"What did All Might tell you about Nighteye?" Mineta asked. The hopeful look in Midoriya's eyes became wistful, his smile turning into a frown. The green haired boy then slowly pointed between himself and the shorter boy. It was an odd action. However, considering all that's happened, Mineta was able to easily decipher it.

"You asked him how his relationship with Nighteye fell apart, didn't you?"

"I wanted to understand why there's a chasm between them, understand how such a bond could break… So that we could avoid suffering the same fate… We've already been through it once and that's more than enough for me. Things don't feel right without you at my back." Midoriya answered. Mineta reflexively smiled to that. So he felt that way too.

"Ditto, that was by far the worst experience of my life… But at least we got over it. What happened on All Might and Nighteye's end?"

Midoriya stayed quiet as he carefully looked around, no doubt trying to see if anyone else was around. Mineta, more subtly than his partner, also examined his surroundings. And upon the two of them confirming that they were alone, they faced one another again. Though not before Mineta noticed how anxious and uncertain Midoriya was…

"They fought over the same thing we did… All Might, he just received the injury that made him the way he is today. And Nighteye wanted him to retire as the legend he is and find a successor. But you know how All Might is; he doesn't disagree with finding a successor… But he refuses retire, not while there was still work to be done."

"Then it was exactly like us... Though why did we come to an understanding and they couldn't?" Mineta asked, thinking about it the possible differences between the two pairs. Midoriya didn't answer, almost as though he was waiting for his friend to somehow piece this together. But after going through all the common factors and coming up with nothing… That left Mineta with the more specific ones.

And he asked about the most obvious one first…

"Was it about who should receive One for All?" Mineta asked with a frown. That would lead to some pretty big arguments, especially if they were adamant about their candidates. And something told the shorter boy that Nighteye's choice was Mirio given how the man favored him… But now's not the time to bring that up. They had something else to deal with.

"Not exactly… But it certainly didn't help their broken relationship either. It's actually Nighteye's Quirk that caused the problem. Apparently, he could use it to see the future." Midoriya replied.

Mineta's eyes shot out as his brows went skyward. I'm sorry, his Quirk does what!? However, as if to confirm this silent question, Midoriya simply gave a solemn nod. The shorter boy blinked at his partner. How on Earth was he supposed to respond to that?

"… What did Nighteye see?" Mineta asked after a long moment of thought. It's best not to think too hard on how Quirks work... It took another moment for Midoriya to answer. But after mustering his courage, he spoke the uneasy truth.

"All Might will die soon…"

The wind blew by ominously as Mineta allowed the words echoed in his head. Their Symbol of Peace… The Greatest Hero their generation has ever known… Was going to die? It was obvious that people will die one day. Even legends like All Might and All for One couldn't outrun death forever. But knowing the exact time of your death was a different story…

Once more, Fenghuang was right. The world of Heroics is far grimmer than most would admit…

"According to All Might, the future Nighteye sees is unchangeable… So no matter what we do, it won't be enough to save him… And though All Might told me he doesn't plan on dying yet and I promised him that I'd change his fate… I don't know if I can or if it's already too late… I mean, isn't changing something unchangeable impossible?" Midoriya said, looking down as he clenched his fist.

"Nothing is impossible." Mineta answered boldly. The green haired boy's eyes snapped back to his friend and saw the burning resolve within Mineta's eyes. If there was a time where Shifu's teachings had power, it would be now. And the shorter boy didn't get through his fight with Stain just to hear nonsense like that.

"Midoriya, change is the nature of the world. No matter what happens, something will always be different each and every day. And with a little understanding, diligence, and patience, we could guide that change towards something better. So if Nighteye said that the future is already set… I'll tell him 'bullshit, you've just given up'."

"Mineta-kun!"

"But am I wrong? The only reason a bad future happens is because you didn't do enough to stop it in the present. Because what matters isn't whether or not we could see the future, but having the power to make a choice in the present. That's how we made it this far you know… Instead of letting people push us somewhere we didn't like, we decided our own future." Mineta replied, the flames in his heart burning brighter than ever before.

Midoriya stood there and simply stared at his friend. But despite how much time was starting to pass, Mineta was able to hold up his resolve. This was a hill he was not moving from. Though as more time passed, the shorter boy began to feel his will weaken. Did… Did his words not get through?

However, before long, Midoriya's smile returned to his face. And with that, the tension finally left Mineta's body.

"We really do go against the grain, don't we?" Midoriya asked.

"Yeah we do. Now, what do you say partner, you ready to save All Might's life?" Mineta asked, holding out his left hand. Midoriya, without hesitation, took the shorter boy's hand with his own. But while Mineta was still able to feel his partner's anxiousness… He decided to let it slide. You can't get rid of all of your doubts in one shot after all…

His daily meditations were a testament to that.

"How on Earth do you say something like that so confidently?" Midoriya asked as they broke their handshake.

"It's because I've faced worse right here." Mineta answered, pointing his baton at his shadow. Midoriya looked at the darkened shape then at his own shadow. And once he finished studying them, his green eyes met Mineta's eyes again.

"Then shall we work on making them better?"

"Partner, you've just read my mind."


And that has been Chapter 101.

I'm currently in the middle of rewriting things, so I don't have much to say this week.

So...

Until Next Time. T1.