Welcome back, everyone! After what's felt like a long time since getting to work on this story, I'm officially back to continue writing what I hope will be a great adaptation of Season 5! I will say, I'm hoping that you won't mind me going on hiatus again at some point, since I have other AU stories in mind to work with.

But I'll save that for another time. When last we left off, Class A took the lead as Homura's team defeated Kris', putting them up 2-1! However, we're only halfway through the matches, and it's still anyone's game! So who's gonna come out on top?

Let's find out!

THROUGH THE ROUGH

"Humans are far too fragile," one of the U.A. bots commented as it helped carry the unconscious Class B students off with others, "Machines like us are much more efficient," it affirmed.

"Agreed," one of the others responded as they passed by Witch and Midnight.

"Wasn't there a robot uprising at one point in the school's history?" the latter inquired of the former.

"I believe so…" she answered unsurely.

"Brother!" Kleene cried out as she and Setsuna hurried over to Kris, who was being carried off on a stretcher, with his severed prosthetics beside him. He batted his eyes open to see them, letting off a smile.

"Guess I lost, huh?" he assumed.

"Yeah…" the Lizard Tail Splitter Quirk user confirmed with a nod, "Still, you knocked Kogetsu around pretty good beforehand," she pointed out, "But since everyone else on your team was already down and out when you fell…" she continued, lowering her head slightly.

"That's the true power of an Ether-type, I suppose…" Kris noted, "Then again, I should've kept myself in check," he admitted, causing his sister to blink in surprise.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You remember the Sports Festival, don't you?" her brother inquired back, making her blink in surprise as she recalled losing to the Soul Blade Quirk user. She let out a chuckle.

"Brother…" she uttered, "that's so petty…" she pointed out, though she smiled. He grinned back.

"Well, you get that pretty face of yours fixed up quick," Setsuna insisted, "Wouldn't want you missing your sis kickin' ass out there, right?" she inferred, granting him a kiss to his cheek as he blushed a little.

"Th-Thanks, Tokage…" he stammered gratefully, making her giggle before he was wheeled away by the bots.

"Owowowowow!" Toru exclaimed repeatedly as she limped over with Rikido holding her right arm around his shoulders.

"Geez…" Eijiro said, "You guys really got put through the wringer…" he noted aloud.

"No thanks to how strong Rutherford was…" the Sugar Rush Quirk user responded with a grimace, "Shoda was tough, too…" he mentioned. Getting wheeled away was an unconscious Minoru, who passed by the returning figures of Weisz and Momo.

"Damn, we already missed the third match?" the former inquired.

"But it looks as if we won!" the latter realized, pointing over to the big screen, which showed that the Class A team was labeled as victorious. The Machina Maker Quirk user cracked a grin.

"Nice going, guys," he complimented. Groaning as her eyes fluttered open, Homura looked up at the partly cloudy sky.

"Homura!" Shoto's voice called out as she glanced over to see him approach, just as she stopped.

"Oh… Shoto…" she weakly said, "I'm sorry…" she apologized to his confusion, "Since I need to recover, I might not be able to see your match…" she pointed out.

"It's alright," the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user assured, putting his left hand atop hers, "You were amazing out there," he complimented. His classmate smiled.

"Please stand aside, weak human," one of the robots instructed, "We must take this weakened human to be healed," it confirmed, wheeling off the tired Homura as she let out a deep breath. Shoto watched on, smiling all the while.

"AW, HELL YEAH!" Sister exclaimed into the microphone she held, "Just like that, Class A's got a two-one lead over those Class B babies!" she noted excitedly, "And they only got lucky in that last match thanks to some crap timing…" she mentioned with a dismissive wave of her right hand.

"Why you…!" Sekijiro growled through his own microphone, while both All Might and Shota sighed.

"Shouldn't she be helping Recovery Girl with everyone who got injured…?" the latter presumed.

"I think that's a lost cause at this point, Aizawa…" the former responded.

"In any case, Class B did have a good plan at first, luring away the strongest of the Class A team to deal with her after combating her teammates," Hermit explained over the loudspeakers, "Their only flaw was underestimating everyone's strength aside from Homura," she added, "And though Class A did win, most of the victory was brought about thanks to her," she mentioned further, "Aside from some efforts by Toru, Rikido, and Minoru, they didn't nearly contribute to the win as much as Homura," she told the others.

"Hey, whose side are you on, anyway?!" Sister shouted angrily in question, causing her fellow Shining Star Hero to sigh yet again.

"So it's almost time for our match…" Mezo noted to Tenya and Mashirao.

"Indeed," the class representative confirmed, "Looking at the Class B team we'll be facing, I'm not too concerned about Tsunotori or Tetsutetsu," he pointed out quietly as he looked over at the opposing team, "but I'm worried as to how well we'll do against someone like Honenuki…" he admitted.

"There's also Rutherford to worry about," the Tail Quirk user mentioned, "I heard she learned how to use Overdrive like her brother did," he added on.

"In that case, we'll need to plan ahead quickly," Mezo insisted, "Todoroki!" he called out, getting the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user's attention.

"Coming," he responded as he jogged over.

"So it'll be Todoroki in the next round, huh?" Togaru commented from afar.

"I don't like the odds, even if they've got Honenuki with them…" Kojiro admitted worriedly.

"Don't fret, boys," Setsuna assured as she approached, "Besides, they got Kleeney with 'em," she mentioned with a confident grin.

"Alright, it's time for the fourth match!" Sister declared with a pump of her right fist.

"Can you please just go to the infirmary already…?" Hermit requested out of annoyance. Both teams of Class A and Class B stood to attention, heading to their respective bases as they left the viewing section.

"Good luck, guys!" Rebecca called out to her classmates.

"Do your best!" Izuku added. Shoto let off a little smile as he glanced back and waved. Inwardly, he was contemplating his path forward from here on out. Thinking back to the training his father had drilled into him since his childhood, he wondered if he would become as strong as he was, much like when he had defeated that Nomu in Kyushu. Would his flames be stronger, much like how Homura's blades were?

Only time would tell.

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

"Ya know, people always treat me like I'm some hardheaded moron without a clue…" Tetsutetsu complained as tapped the pipework at his team's basecamp with his fists, "But I got accepted into UA just like you guys," he pointed out, "It's not like I rush into things without thinking about the endgame…" he mentioned.

"I had heard what you had done at the summer camp to stop Mustard, the gas villain," Kleene noted, getting his attention, "Rushing in isn't a bad thing," she affirmed with a smile.

"See, you get it!" the Steel Quirk user concluded, flashing a bright smile.

"But why are you so worked up about that?" Pony inquired as she tilted her head.

"We got an unbalanced team here!" Tetsutetsu answered, "None of us are really scouts, and they've got Shoji!" he noted to the group, "If we try for a surprise attack, we'll just get ourselves picked off!" he affirmed.

"That's true…" the Horn Cannon Quirk user admitted.

"We do have a plan, though," Kleene noted, "All we have to do is—"

"I know exactly what we should do!" Tetsutetsu declared, becoming clad in steel. His female classmates blinked in surprise. "We're gonna level this place!" he decided, bashing through the pipework and buildings with his fists.

"No, that's a bad idea!" both girls shouted at him.

"Mister Vlad said to keep damage to a minimum!" Kleene pointed out seriously, while Juzo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Smashy-smashy, smash, smash, SMASH!" Tetsutetsu's voice echoed from the loudspeakers as he continued to clobber anything in his path. His teacher watched him continue to rampage upon the big screen.

"Okay… maybe I should start screaming in the kid's face from now on…" he concluded as he sweated with embarrassment, while Sister cackled heartily behind him.

"Why would he just go ahead and give away his team's position?" Rebecca wondered aloud, "It makes no sense…" she noted.

"I don't think that's why he did it…" her boyfriend said to her surprise, "Compared to our class' team, Class B doesn't have someone to scout for them," he pointed out, "So rather than let Shoji and the others get the drop on them, Tetsutetsu's leading them straight to where he and his team are," he explained.

"I guess that makes sense…" Ochaco admitted upon overhearing.

"Still sounds dumb, though…" Mina remarked with her hands at her hips.

"This is a fight to the death! A brawl for the ages!" the Steel Quirk user declared while continuing to break through his surroundings.

"Wait!" Kleene yelled, "Aside from the fact that you're leading them right to us, they've got Shoto on their team!" she pointed out, "We can't just rush into a fight!" she shouted.

"Well, we can work with this, I guess," Juzo admitted.

"Juzo, don't just take his side…" the Wind Snatch Quirk user insisted as she sighed.

"Yeah, you're being way too flex for that dumb-brained metalhead!" Pony exclaimed in frustration with a country accent.

"Pony, you can't say things like that!" Kleene yelled, "See what you're making her say, Tetsutetsu?!" she shouted on to her rambunctious teammate.

"Tetsutetsu doesn't mean any harm," Juzo affirmed, getting the girls' attentions, "In fact, his approach plays to our strengths," he pointed out.

"That's not helping, Juzo…" the Wind Snatch Quirk user complained as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of her head.

"Hahahaha!" Tetsutetsu laughed heartily, "Bring it on, ya villains!" he challenged. From afar, the quartet of Shoto, Tenya, Mezo and Mashirao were listening on to the destruction.

"Sound's getting louder," the Dupli-Arms Quirk user pointed out, "Based on the reverberations, he's probably destroying their surroundings," he added.

"Well, he's a good brawler," Shoto noted, "They're intending on fighting us head-on," he concluded.

"If that's the case, I welcome it," Mashirao stated, taking on a ready stance, "Makes it easier for us to deal with them," he added confidently.

"Agreed," the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user affirmed.

"All right!" Tenya exclaimed as he planted his feet down, running forward to lead his teammates, "Let's go, Team Four!" he called out.

X

"I'm surprised to see you on duty," Enji admitted to Feather as she had arrived to assist him with subduing a villain downtown, "I figured that support item of yours would take at least a month to have repaired," he pointed out, folding his arms over his chest as the I.U.A. Hero approached.

"The Racer Feather is complex, but our agency's equipped with state of the art support teams for each of us," she noted in reply, "At most, repairs take about a week or so," she mentioned.

"Hm," the Flame Hero huffed curiously.

"Your vision hasn't been affected from the battle?" the Eye of Venus Quirk user inquired.

"No, it's fine," Enji assured as a response, "I take it that you're not just here to check up on me, yes?" he assumed, making Feather tense up slightly, "Is it about the Dark Stars?" he questioned on.

"Yes," the I.U.A. Hero answered with a nod, "Though we questioned the three villains that we apprehended upon Nabu Island, none of them knew about what those androids really were," she explained, "With that, we're also needing to consider if other androids exist, such as the Shining Star Heroes," she mentioned on.

"Valkyrie was one of them, too…" Enji remembered, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"Though her body was recovered, law enforcement still hasn't found who killed her in the first place," Feather pointed out.

"I know who," the Flame Hero confirmed to her surprise, "It was obvious at the time based on the description of the attack," he recalled, letting the flames around his face die down, "Burns that were crimson red…" he said, "No doubt her work…" he muttered as he clenched his fists.

"She hasn't ever shown herself since that day," the Eye of Venus Quirk user noted, "Are you certain you could find her?" she inquired of her fellow hero.

"I feel obligated to," he responded to her confusion, "Let me know if you uncover anything else about the League," he advised as he pulled out his phone.

"Understood," Feather replied, deploying her pack's wings as she rocketed off into the air.

"Didn't realize the IUA was getting more invested in finding the League…" one of the Flame Hero's sidekicks noted as he approached.

"After the Nomu attack in Kyushu, I'm sure they're all wary of their movements," another pointed out, "Should we get in contact with them to see if they've got any new info, sir?" he inquired of Enji, who was focused on his phone. He had finally gotten his youngest son's contact information, having sent him messages about wanting to talk. Shoto had seen them, but hadn't replied. His father wanted to teach him and couldn't stand to be ignored any longer.

"SHOTTTTOOOOOOO!" he bellowed as his flames spewed to life around him.

"Oh…" Kido uttered in realization.

"Geez, this Shoto shouting's getting worse by the day…" Onima pointed out exasperatedly, "Isn't his kid supposed to be in class right now?" he inquired of his fellow sidekick. Back at Ground Gamma, the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user let out a sudden sneeze.

"Are you okay?" Tenya asked upon overhearing while running alongside him and their teammates, "I didn't think you ever got sick…" he admitted.

"It's nothing," Shoto affirmed as he rubbed his nose, "Just a random sneeze," he presumed.

"We're almost there," Mashirao noted as he came to a stop ahead of the group, enticing them to come to a halt as well, "Are we all good with the plan?" he inquired of his teammates.

"Yeah," Mezo responded, while Shoto and Tenya nodded.

"Let's spread out, team!" the Engine Quirk user instructed, enticing the group to separate in preparation.

"Make it count, Todoroki," Mezo remarked over to Shoto, who gave off a determined expression. In the meantime, Tetsutetsu was continuing to bash through the pipework while laughing like a maniac. Kleene looked rather exasperated with him.

"Honestly, I thought he was going to think things through for a second…" she admitted as she slouched a little.

"The other team's not gonna show up just 'cause your making a racket!" Pony shouted toward the Steel Quirk user, who continued breaking apart his surroundings, "They could think it's a trap!" she pointed out.

"No," Juzo suddenly said while crouched upon some of the pipework, getting the attentions of his female teammates, "I'd head this way if I were them," he affirmed as he stood up, "Get Shoji to figure out what's going on, then have Todoroki unleash a powerful attack…" he noted on, "If I thought the other team was standing around in the open…" he continued. All of a sudden, a wave of ice rushed in and ambushed the quartet of Class B students.

"Ah… ah…" Tetsutetsu gasped out, shuddering from the freezing temperature as patches of ice had formed along his steel-clad skin.

"Whoa, that was close!" Pony yelped, standing upon a pair of horns that were floating over the ice.

"Yeah…" Kleene agreed, hovering beside her thanks to a torrent of wind at her feet.

'Juzo was right,' she noted to herself, 'Mezo figured out our location, followed by Shoto unleashing the ice wave…' she pointed out inwardly, spotting the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user standing afar.

"Hey, you girls see the others yet?!" the shivering Tetsutetsu asked as he bashed aside more of the ice surrounding him.

"No!" Kleene responded, "They must be hiding wherever the ice didn't hit!" she presumed as she looked around. Those of Class A were lurking in the pipework, ready to ambush their foes. They had assumed that with the ice covering the ground, Juzo's Quirk wouldn't be of any use. All they had to do know was apprehend him and the others in one fell swoop. Blue flames expelled from Tenya's mufflers.

"Recipro Burst!" he exclaimed as he dashed onto the scene, aiming to go after the Softening Quirk user first. But all of a sudden, the surrounding pipework and ice started to seemingly melt. "What?!" the Engine Quirk user yelped out in shock, having stepped upon the softening surfaces as he lost his footing.

"Blasting ice like that's pretty cheap," Juzo pointed out to his foes, "Though, if you'd been coldhearted and used your fire, we wouldn't be able to do anything," he mentioned further.

"That was good thinking, Juzo!" Kleene complimented as she floated down alongside Pony, "Now they'll have to be careful about where they move," she realized. The Softening Quirk user shot his teammates a thumbs-up in response. Being one of the four Hero Course students who was admitted on recommendations, it was only natural that he'd have a strong sense of skill.

"He must've activated his Quirk the second he saw the ice coming…" Mashirao concluded as he ran along the pipework, "Guess that's to be expected from someone who got recommended to UA…" he added to himself. However, as he was making his retreat, he landed upon some softened pipework, falling down in a yelp.

"Gotcha'," Juzo remarked, "I softened a bunch of random stuff around here, so you'd be smart to watch your step from now on," he told his foe.

"Class B does an excellent job of brushing off Todoroki's area attack!" Sekijiro noted over the loudspeakers, "Now it's time to strike back!" he affirmed confidently, grinning toward a seething Sister.

"Come on, Class A!" she roared into her microphone, "Get that wannabe and the rest of them!" she insisted loudly.

"Huh…" Hermit sighed in frustration again.

"Okay, I'll take care of Mashirao!" Kleene decided as she flew out at the Tail Quirk user. He blinked in surprise, throwing up his extra limb to block off the rush of wind that suddenly came his way. However, the gust suddenly pulled his tail down, leaving him wide open to take a straight punch from the Wind Snatch Quirk user to his face, sending him flying back.

"Ooh!" Weisz winced out, "That looked like it hurt…" he noted with a grimace.

"She used her wind to remove his best means of defense…" Momo pointed out, placing her right hand onto her chin, "Rutherford's quite skilled…" she mentioned.

"Ojiro!" Tenya cried out as he attempted to run over to assist his teammate. However, the pipework he stepped on gave way, having gotten softened thanks to Juzo. "Ah, again?!" he exclaimed, falling into the gloopy ice right in front of the Softening Quirk user.

"Your legs are only as strong as what you're standing on," he remarked, "The ground beneath the ice is also soft," he added on, "You're a little difficult to deal with, so I'll just leave you in the muck for now," he decided.

"You're trying to keep us from working as a team…?" Tenya grunted in question. "You fiend!" he shouted, "Your wickedness knows no bounds!" he yelled on.

"He really gets into character…" Hitoshi pointed out.

"Yeah…" Laguna agreed, followed by sharing a look with the Brainwashing Quirk user, turning away awkwardly.

"It's going to be hard for them to get around now," Izuku noted as he stood alongside Ochaco and Rebecca, "Class B's team might not have anyone good at reconnaissance, but as long they've got their opponents trapped in one place, it's no longer a disadvantage," he explained further.

"And with Shoto's ice off the table, he can only fight back with his flames…" his girlfriend mentioned, "That's not gonna be easy, especially when he'd risk getting Tenya or the others caught in the crossfire…" she added on.

"All that's left is for our class to overwhelm them," Neito commented with a chuckle, much to the chagrin of some Class A students. Back on the battlefield, Mashirao was trying to jump away from Kleene, only for her wind to pull him back toward her, allowing her to land a punch to his stomach. He grimaced momentarily, steeling himself.

'Her punches aren't especially strong, but the added momentum makes them really hurt…' he noted to himself, trying to smack her aside with his tail. However, she had a gust wrap around it, sending him flying away before he landed and slid to a halt on the pipework. 'And she can redirect counterattacks…' he added inwardly, clenching his fists, 'She's way more skilled than what we saw at the Sports Fest…' he realized as he grimaced. Meanwhile, Shoto was just as frustrated. His own Quirk was now rendered half as useful. If he couldn't utilize it to the best of his ability, then what would he do? Before he could think of what to do next, a pair of familiar horns flew past him, catching Mezo and carrying him away in a yelp.

"Shoji!" the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user cried out.

"Figured y'all were keepin' Shoji in the back to scout!" Pony remarked as she fired off another pair of horns from her head, wrapping them around the patagia of the Dupli-Arms Quirk user to keep him from prying the other two free. Once he was far enough away, the Horn Cannon Quirk user fired off another pair from her head. "Tetsutetsu!" she cried out, having her horns take hold of the Steel Quirk user, who clad himself beforehand.

"Horn Dash… HAMMMER!" he roared, smashing through the ice before taking hold of Shoto, who grimaced, "Man, that ice is really freakin' cold!" he pointed out, "Feels like my brain's getting all frosty!" he admitted on, continuing to push his foe back, "If we weren't on top of things, you'd have frozen my steel solid!" he added, "But now that we're in a hand-to-hand fight, you don't stand a chance!" he proclaimed fiercely, throwing the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user down hard onto the ground.

"Man's been paying attention…" Eijiro noted from the viewing section, "He's doing exactly what Mister Aizawa said I should've done in our match…" he mentioned over to Denki.

"Uh, I doubt he was thinking all that much…" he argued in response. Everyone on the field for Class A was in a power struggle. Kleene was easily parrying and countering any of Mashirao's attacks, Pony had Mezo pinned to the pipework with her horns, and Shoto was left to deal with Tetsutetsu.

"Ergh… curse you…!" Tenya grunted from the now hardened ice that surrounded his body, save for his head that was still sticking out, "You are evil incarnate!" he shouted.

"Sorry 'bout that," Juzo apologized as he stood up, "Doesn't Recipro have a time limit?" he inquired of his foe, "Not so smart to use it right away…" he remarked on, walking off, "I'm gonna go help Tetsutetsu," he decided. Under his helmet, Tenya grinned

"A time limit?" he repeated, "That was a while ago, Mudman," he pointed out, causing his opponent to stop and look back at him, "Ingenium will rush anywhere at any time!" he declared as the ice around him started to crack, with smoke puffing out, "That's what these legs are for!" he affirmed fiercely, "They won't be constrained!" he yelled. All of a sudden, the ice blasted apart around him in a rush of wind, much to Juzo's shock. "You see?" his foe said, tearing through the ice as his body was re-emerging, "New style… RECIPRO TURBO!" he bellowed out as he charged ahead.

"Seriously?!" the Softening Quirk user exclaimed in shock.

"I've raised Recipro's horsepower while lowering fuel consumption!" his opponent pointed out, "For ten minutes… no one can stop me!" he declared as he burst free from the ice, with flames spewing from his upgraded mufflers.

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

Man, it's good to be back to this story. Though if you're reading this, the last chapter came out last week. I was on a brief hiatus from this story because of some constraints when it came to my Omni Force series, so I focused on that for a little over a month before returning. But things have gone well!

Better than I could've hoped, in fact. With what's ahead, I'm expecting to have this arc completed before we're halfway through 2023, along with some setup going into the next few arcs. I'm really looking forward to what you'll think of them.

But that's all for now! Thanks for reading, everyone!