A/N: Good morning, everybody! Back on Fridays once again for this new chapter, and this one is actually fairly decently sized. Of course, this IS all entirely original material for the Sports Festival, so I suppose that's a contributing factor. But, in comparison to last week's "Origin" chapter for Shoto, this Origin will be told from TWO point of views to make one whole. But before we get into that… I just now realized that, unlike the Autobots, I never formally gave either Kaida or her brother any voices. So, I suppose there's no better time to do that than now, so…

Kentaro Kiryu is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. And…

Kaida Kiryu is voiced by Barbara Dunkelman

So, with those two cast, let's get on with the show! This is…

Chapter 33: Kaida Kiryu: Origin

…..

"Sorry for the extended wait on this one, folks. Our trusted colleague, Cementoss, is nearly done getting the field back in ship shape and we'll be back at ya in a little bit."

Izuku and Shoto both felt a little bad about that. They were the ones responsible for nearly destroying the whole field, and thus felt like they were wasting people's time with having to wait so long. Nevertheless, both boys were sitting at the edges of their hospital beds, waiting with anticipation for the match to begin. But for Izuku, the silent waiting was starting to make him a little antsy. He knew that Shoto wasn't exactly the most social butterfly either… but there WAS a topic on his mind that he was eager to know more about.

"H-Hey, Todoroki?"

"Hm? Yeah, what's up?"

The Quirk Inheritor craned his head around, facing his classmate. "I-I was just wondering… you and Kiryu seem to be really friendly with one another, so… how DID you meet back in junior high?" The question made Shoto's eyebrows raise up, which made Izuku start to backpedal. "E-Er, I mean, that is, i-if you don't mind answering. You don't have to if you don't—"

"Actually, I don't mind." Shoto assured, giving the greenette a nod. "In fact, after our rather… eventful battle, I think I owe you at least something, so explaining my past with Kaida seems suitable." That made Izuku's smile return as Shoto's sights went up, recalling the day that he and the Sauro-Parts user first met. "Well, let's see… it was three years ago now. We had both started middle school, but neither of us were in the same class." His lips curled into a soft grimace. "And… well, my start wasn't too smooth. I was a late bloomer; shorter than the rest of the kids and my voice hadn't settled in yet. For the first couple of weeks, people in my grade or even upperclassmen would tease me about it. But then, when they had me cornered one day… that's when Kaida entered the picture…"

…..

~Mandalor Junior High, Three Years Ago~

Shoto was kicking himself for receiving such rotten luck. It was before the first bell and already these guys were coming at him, snickering with conceiving intent. Normally, he didn't pay these guys much mind. After all, no amount of teasing could compare to what his dad did to him. But today… these guys decided to get more involved. One of them that he didn't see initially actually snuck up on him and swiped his backpack, holding it up high so that he couldn't reach. "GAH! Really?! You guys really have nothing better to do?"

"Ha! Why wouldn't we, shrimpy?" One of the boys smirked as they all tossed the backpack between one another. "After all, what's better than watchin' you play Ring Around the Rosie with your backpack? Hahaha!"

"And if you like this, don't worry, there's gonna be LOTS more to come!" another cackled.

"This seriously isn't funny!" Shoto growled. "You call this pathetic excuse of a game "amusing"? Please, people like you aren't worth the time of day!"

All of the boys suddenly stopped when they heard that, the lead one scowling down at Shoto as his fist transformed into one made of bricks. "The HELL did you just say, punk?!"

That very second, Shoto became far more nervous. This was NOT good. "H-Hey, we're not allowed to use our Quirks on school grounds—GAH!" With a forceful punch, the monochromatic boy was sent hurtling back into a nearby dumpster, before his backpack was thrown straight into his gut to add to the blow.

"Oh-ho, little big man wants to be a goodie-two-shoes, eh?" The leader popped his neck, his friends getting ready to add onto the punishment. "Well guess what, we don't care where we use our Quirks. Why SHOULD heroes be the only ones to use 'em in public, eh? Doesn't seem fair." Shoto tried to get up, but quickly found that he was surrounded. "Now, how's about we teach YOU a lesson in—" CLANG! "H-Huh, what the—AAH!"

The group of punks all screamed after Shoto felt the dumpster rattle against his back… which immediately clued him in to the presence of someone else. He spun around and looked up… seeing a rather imposing figure standing on top of the lid. They were taller than anyone there, standing at six feet in height. Their form was cast in shadow, though the glare of her eyes made it apparent that she was NOT happy. "HEY! What the hell's goin' on around here?!"

"O-Oh god, it's HER!" one of the punks shouted. "The monster of Class 1-C!"

"L-Let's get outta here!" And just like that, all of the boys took off, with exception of the leader.

The brick-fisted boy whipped around, his expression clearly panicked as he yelled after them; "HEY! S-Stop! Come back! Don't leave me along with—" SMACK! "GYAH!"

From the top of the dumpster, the girl came down with a hard kick to his back, making him stumble and topple onto the pavement. "GET OUTTA HERE!" the grey-skinned, dark-haired girl bellowed. "And don't EVER pick on him again, you hear me?!"

"L-Loud and clear!" the punk screamed as he ran off, his pants now twenty percent wetter than they had been just a second ago. "MOMMY!"

The girl smirked and placed a hand on her hip. "Heh, that'll show 'em. They'll think twice about bullying you agai—huh?" The moment she turned around, she saw Shoto curled up and staring up at her, his eyes wide with awe and shock. Immediately, the young girl realized what she did wrong and went to apologize. "O-Oh my gosh, I'm SO sorry! I-I didn't mean to—"

"That was… amazing."

Shoto's words were enough to snap her out of it. "…Uh, sorry?"

"You! That! It was amazing!" Shoto stood up, wearing a soft yet excited smile. "You just swooped in from out of nowhere and chased them off!" He saw her school uniform and asked; "D-Do you really go here? He said that you're in Class 1-C, right?"

The girl blinked in surprise before her smile returned, bringing herself back up and jerking a thumb toward herself. "Yep, that's right! I'm Kaida Kiryu, by the way."

"I-I'm Shoto Todoroki, I'm in Class 1-D." Even as the tension of the moment passed, however, Shoto couldn't help but be astonished by the girl's height. "Um… has anyone told you that you're pretty tall for a middle schooler?"

Kaida held back a laugh, resulting in a snort as she covered her mouth. "Pheh, yeah, all the time. …Though to be honest, it's pretty much always been like that." She glanced off to the side, and Shoto saw a new sadness in her eyes. "In fact, back in grade school, my height was one of the things that I myself got bullied for… among other things."

The boy's mouth fell open, completely stunned. THIS girl… got bullied? "Wow… I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Kaida replied, her smile returning tenfold. "Believe me, grade school sucked, but after a year off and getting my confidence boosted, I honestly feel a lot better about myself." She flexed her arm, pulling her sleeve back to show off some muscle. "Helps that I got in shape during that time, too."

A sigh escaped Shoto's lips, one of both awe and self-dissapointment. "Ah, man… you're so lucky." He lowered his gaze to the ground. "I think I'm younger than pretty much everyone here, and because of that, I'm smaller, too…"

"Oh, well how old ARE you?"

"…Twelve."

That made Kaida's eyebrows snap up. "Woah, skipped a grade or two?" Shoto sheepishly nodded before she stepped closer to him, abruptly comparing her height to his. "Hm, well, four feet IS about the size someone your age should be, but don't worry!" She sent a wink down at him. "You'll shoot up like a weed in no time, I'm sure of it."

Before Shoto could say anything else, both of them were graced with the sound of the school bell ringing, setting in a panic for both of them. "Oh no, we're late!"

"Ah! Crap, uh… meet me at lunch? Rooftop maybe?"

"A-Are you serious?!" Shoto said with a slight blush.

"Heh, of course!" Kaida began running off, headed toward her class. "I'm not about to let a new friend off the hook that easily!"

…..

Shoto couldn't help but smile as the happy memory passed through his mind. "And from that day forward, things were pretty great, all things considered. Mandalor Junior High went from a place of torment to a place where I could finally escape my father." He glanced over to Izuku, who was completely entranced by the story at this point.

"And then you told her about your dad, too, right?" he asked.

But the Half and Half user shook his head. "No, that didn't happen until around the end of summer vacation. But… there WAS something that happened before summer that I definitely should mention…"

…..

Kaida and Shoto were walking through the streets of Tokyo, the duo having decided to spend their free day together before they wouldn't see each other for the next month. "I still have no clue why I can't come over to your house in the summer, Todoroki." Kaida mentioned as they started their trek through the busy crosswalk. "I mean, your family can't be THAT bad, can they?"

The boy's expression darkened at that. 'No… just my dad.' He forced his smile back as he waved her off. "O-Oh, trust me, you wouldn't wanna be there. I've got a lot of training to do if I'm going to make it into U.A."

"Hah, man… it's so cool that you know you wanna get into that school." Kaida rested her hands behind her head, setting her gaze to the sky. "I've got no idea if I wanna be a hero or not. I mean, I respect that my bro wants to be one, but still…"

"Honestly, I think you'd make a great hero, Kiryu." Shoto vouched. "I mean, with a Quirk like yours, you'd be pretty popular, and very versatile."

That managed to make Kaida blush a little, giving Shoto a little whap to the shoulder. "O-Oh, stop it! You're only saying that because I'm like a dinosaur… huh?" Just as they made it to the other side of the sidewalk, the sounds of screaming greeted their ears… and then…

BOOOM!

The teens gasped at the sight above, watching as the top of a skyscraper exploded right in front of them. All around, citizens began screaming and running for their lives, with police officers already on the scene to direct them to safety. Shoto, remembering his training, grabbed Kaida by the hand to lead her away. "Kiryu, come on! We've gotta get outta—" BOOM!

Before either of them could move, however, another explosion happened on a lower level of the building, and from there, a massive individual appeared. The second he landed in front of them, they could tell that he was a villain, one with an almost perfectly spherical body. And, from his dark outer shell and the fuse sticking out of his head, he resembled a cartoonish bomb with arms and legs. He had a big mouth and blank white eyes, which only added to his creepiness. "WOAH-HOHO! Whadda we got here?!"

"A-A-A villain!" Kaida screamed, clutching to Shoto as he glared at the bomb man.

"Get away from us!" he shouted.

The bomb man just brushed them off. "Oh, but I don't think I will! See, I'm gonna need some hostages if I wanna get what I want…" The fuse on top of his head suddenly lit up by itself, the villain's smirk increasing. "So I think that you two'll make a PERFECT—GAK!"

GYAAAAAAOOOOOORRR!

Kaida and Shoto were forced to cover their ears as a loud roar suddenly echoed throughout the area. The roar was accompanied by a massive, armored claw that grabbed the bomb villain and slammed him down face-first into the pavement, instantly knocking him out cold. The two children dared to glance up… and what they saw made their jaws drop. There, looming over both of them… was a massive dragon. It had large, scaley, grey wings, and the scales on her hands, feet and tail matched perfectly. However, most of its thick hide near its head was actually skin-colored, and it seemed to wear a long red dress… which was all it took to see that this dragon was female.

The dragon craned her neck down, bringing her head near both of them. "Are you kids okay?"

"Uh… yeah." Shoto answered, all while Kaida stared at the dragon woman in awe.

"Oh, thank goodness…" In a move that served to shock both teens, the dragon slowly began transforming back into a regular woman, the armor on her claw moving over her blonde hair to make a stylish headpiece. The tall, slender, and rather beautiful heroine smiled kindly to both of them, all while reporters and police began to surround them all. "I'm grateful to hear that. Though you both should be much more careful."

Shoto gasped in realization. "W-Wait, I know you! You're the Dragon Hero, Ryukyu!"

"R… R-Ryukyu…" Kaida mumbled, feeling a bit of heat rising to her cheeks.

"Hmhm, that's right, you certainly know your heroes, young man." Ryukyu confirmed, raising her arm to lead the two away. "But both of you might want to make yourself scarce. This IS a crime scene after all."

With a prompt bow, Shoto was more than happy to follow that advice. "O-Of course, thank you again. C'mon, Kiryu, we should… huh?"

Kaida, however, stayed put where she was. In fact, she began to slowly walk up to Ryukyu in a stunted fashion, before giving her a stiff bow of her own. "Th-Th-Thank you f-for saving us, M-Miss Ryukyu! I-I appreciate it!"

Ryukyu's smile widened a little bit, finding the girl in front of her to be rather charming. "Oh, it's no problem at all, young lady. Now go, trust me, you don't want to be here for long."

"R-Right, got it." In truth, Kaida so desperately wanted to stay and talk with the heroine more… but she knew it wasn't to be. "Thank you very much again. B-Bye…" With that, the two teens rushed off down the sidewalk, and once they were a fair distance away, Kaida took a deep breath, wearing a shaky smile. "…You know what? I think being a hero might actually not be such a bad idea for me."

Despite himself, Shoto couldn't help but smirk knowingly. "Oh, really? What COULD have made your mind up? Your new crush, perhaps?"

"H-HEY! It is NOT like that, Todoroki!" Kaida's blush deepened despite herself. "I just have a lot of admiration for her hero work, that's it!" She set her sights back down the road, where she saw Ryukyu giving a short interview with the press. "And someday… I wanna be just like her."

…..

"Wow, Ryukyu, huh?" Izuku grinned, finding the whole story very exciting. "Man, I had no idea that she idolized her. She's a great hero to look up to."

Shoto nodded. "Yeah, and when she made the Top Ten not soon after, her obsession only grew. I always thought it had to do with the fact that they both have mutation-type Quirks, and the fact that they're both "reptilian" in nature also helps, but…" He gave a shrug. "In all honesty, I think Kaida's been hoping that, if she does well enough in the Festival, then maybe Ryukyu would try and scout her out."

That caught Izuku's attention. "Does she want her to be her mentor?"

"Hm, more than likely. Kaida's always wanted to learn how to transform into a complete dinosaur." Shoto extended a hand in a claw gesture. "And since Ryukyu can, well, become a dragon, I'm pretty sure Kaida think she can help her with that."

"I see. Hah, wow, there was so much about Kiryu I had no idea about." Izuku scratched his face sheepishly. "Some friend I am…"

But Shoto shook his head. "Ah, don't worry about it. Besides, you've already got a group of eight or nine MORE friends, so it must be hard to keep track." As Izuku blushed at that, Shoto's mind went back to another certain memory. "Meanwhile, Kaida was pretty much my only friend in junior high… and about a year after that incident, and after I told her about my father, I decided to let her know my appreciation."

…..

In his second year, to say that Shoto shot up would be an understatement. Now five and a half feet tall with much more room to grow, he felt a lot more confident in himself than at the start of his middle school experience. …Though his only friend was still Kaida. He didn't really have that much time to make other friends considering his father's "rigorous training schedule", so he figured it'd be best to just stick with Kaida. As a result, he gave everyone else the cold shoulder… including girls who would often pine after him and his now sharpened looks. Was that a dumb decision? Maybe… but considering he was holding a gift for his one friend who WAS a girl, it was probably best to leave dating for later on.

The thought threatened to make Shoto blush, having wrestled with them well over summer break ever since he FOUND the gift. Did he LIKE Kaida in that way, or was she still just his best friend? Did he even WANT to risk that relationship by taking it a step further, or was he getting way too ahead of himself? 'I mean, we've basically been attatched at the hip for a year and a half now, so I doubt much would change…' He glanced down to the small box in his hand. '…But still…'

"Woah, is that HER?" Shoto stopped near the school gate, where a bunch of first year girls were very audibly commenting on someone. And that someone… was Kaida. "The Monster of Class 2-C?"

"Pretty sure, girl." Another one confirmed. "Man, she's just as jacked and scary-looking as everyone says." Her words served to make Shoto tighten his grip on his backpack strap.

A third girl tilted her head. "Man, if it weren't for the skirt, you'd swear she's a guy. The gnarly hair and grey skin REALLY don't help her case, hehehe…"

Shoto was about to confront them himself… when Kaida caught wind first. "Uh, hey, I can HEAR you, ya know? You aren't exactly making yourselves subtle over here."

The lead girl, a blonde who had obviously dyed her hair, rolled her eyes. "Psh, well, what if we WANTED you to hear us?" Her cronies folded their arms over their chests with similar smirks. "Hah, and how is it that YOU look like a punk more than I do? Lemme guess, you're a sports team reject, right?"

Kaida simply scoffed. "Hmph, please, I've dealt with your kind before. Words like that don't bug me anymore."

"Well, I—"

"Hey!" Shoto finally spoke up, butting into the conversation. "Perhaps show a bit more respect to your senior, eh? Here I thought it was common courtesy to show upperclassmen your respect."

The trio were left silent, surprised that a surprisingly hot guy was coming to her aid. "W-Well, I… it was just… ugh! Fine, killjoy." She turned her nose up and snapped her fingers, her cronies dutifully following her. "Enjoy your roid-rage girlfriend, pretty boy. Come on, ladies, let's go."

Shoto was about to go after them, only for Kaida to place a hand on his shoulder. "Shoto, let them go. They're not worth it."

"…They shouldn't say stuff like that to you." The boy growled.

But once again, Kaida shrugged it off. "Ah, not the WORST thing I've been called, if you remember. Pretty sure I shared that extensively with ya." It was then that Kaida got a good look at her best friend, her smile widening as she noticed how tall he was. "Woah! Dude, you shot UP over summer break!" She winked and nudged him in the side. "See? What'd I tell ya? Nothing to worry about."

The Half and Half user coughed into his hand, curtly nodding to her. "Hm, well yeah. When you're pretty much training non-stop, that'll happen."

Kaida's eyes narrowed. "Your dad's not going too far, right?"

"Hah, no. He sees me as his "masterpiece", remember? He doesn't hurt me."

"I swear, one day, I'm GONNA get dirt on him."

"Yeah, good luck with that… also, did YOU get taller?"

That made the girl shrink down a bit, trying to hide that fact. "Ah, hehe… yeah… six and a half feet now. Don't know when I'll stop."

Shoto rolled his eyes. "I swear, those dinosaur genes are doing SOMETHING to you." But then, he brought up the box in his hand, his smile returning. "But speaking of which, I… I-I actually found something over summer break… and I was reminded of you, so—"

Kaida's hand went to her mouth, letting out a faux gasp. "AH! Shoto, did you get me a present?" She winked again and poked him in the cheek as she reached for the box. "You sly dog, you."

"Joke all you want, but I actually think you're gonna like it." Shoto countered, hoping his scar was enough to hide the red in his cheeks.

"Uh-huh, well, thank you either way." Kaida absentmindedly began opening the box. "I honestly don't care what it is, so long as it's a gift from—AAH! NO WAY!" Her jaw dropped the moment she saw what it was… a dinosaur horn. Specifically, the front horn of a Triceratops. Of course, it wasn't the genuine article, but she was left stunned by just how much it LOOKED real. She stared at her best friend with wide eyes, shouting; "SHOTO! Where the hell did you find this?!"

With his hand on his neck, Shoto explained; "Well, my sister, brother and I took a trip to the museum in Tokyo, and they had some of these on display." He glanced off to the side. "So, I thought of you. I'm guessing that you like it—oof!"

Absolutely nothing could've prepared Shoto for what happened next. Kaida… was hugging him. Needless to say, he froze up, and he was very glad that she couldn't see his completely red face. "I LOVE it! Ooh, Shoto, you know EXACTLY what I like!" She put the necklace on immediately, wearing a beaming smile all the while. "I'll NEVER lose it. I promise, this'll be my good luck charm forever."

…..

"And she never has." Shoto sighed.

Izuku was both rather surprised… and a little confused. "Wow, Todoroki, sounds like you two are pretty close… though I don't think I've ever seen her wear it around school."

"She usually keeps it in her pocket during school." The Half and Half user explained. "Once she gets out for the day, she puts it on."

"Ah, makes sense." Izuku nodded before sending a sly grin toward his new comrade. "So… I take it that you and her have only gotten closer since then, huh?" Shoto raised a questioning brow at that. "Well, it's just that, after hearing that story, it sounds like Kiryu wanted to come to U.A. more than just because her brother went here, you know?"

Shoto quickly turned away, mumbling; "Th-That's… hah, I honestly don't know." His attention was directed toward the television, where the battlefield was nearly ready. "No matter what happens between us in the future… I just know that I'm really glad to have met her and just be her friend."

…..

Little did Shoto know that a certain someone was also recalling the same memory as him. As she stood in the entry tunnel waiting for her match to start, Kaida was staring down at the horn in her hand, the same one that Shoto gave her. Her own lucky charm. It had been a year and a half ago, but even if it hadn't been that long, she still knew that she'd forever keep it as her personal keepsake. She closed her hand and brought it up near her cheek. "Alright, semifinals time. No pressure… I can do this…"

"Man, and I thought you kicked that habit of talking to yourself."

"AAH!" Kaida yelped and spun around, bringing her hand down in a chop… onto her brother's head. "K-KENTARO?! What the hell?!"

"Gya-ouch!" Kentaro rubbed his head, feeling a new lump beginning to form under his hair. "Wow, gee, thanks for the warm welcome, sis. Much appreciated."

Kaida didn't find his sarcasm too funny, though. "Well, what the heck did you expect?! Ya snuck up on me and expected me to say "Oh, hiya, big bro! Didn't see ya there!"." She scowled and crossed her arms. "You know it's not a good idea to sneak up on me…"

Kentaro sighed and agreed. "Duly noted… sorry."

The grey-skinned girl gave her brother a light jab in the arm. "Well, don't sweat it, I guess. Just keep the surprises to a minimum, please." She peered over her shoulder toward the battlefield, which was nearly repaired. "Bad enough that I've got nerves going into this match…"

"Hm, I see." Kentaro rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, truth be told, I cam here to wish ya good luck, and I've got a feeling you'll need all of it." He furrowed his brow toward the tunnel exit. "That Bakugo kid… he's a monster."

"Yeah… in more ways than one."

That took Kentaro aback a little. "Huh? W-What d'ya mean by that?"

"Aniki… about Bakugo…" Kaida craned her head down, her usual cheerful demeanor instead replaced by one of uncertainty and slight discomfort. "He… he reminds me a lot of… back in the day, you know? From before we moved back to Japan." She hugged her arms as she continued, with Kentaro's eyes widening immediately. "I do my best to stand up for my classmates, but… he's just a giant asshole to everyone."

Kentaro's brows furrowed seriously. "I see… has he been hurting anyone?"

"No, he's just loud, obnoxious and he calls people stupid names. Outside of training practice, he doesn't really get physical with anyone." Kaida glanced off to the side. "I mean, he tolerates a FEW of my classmates, but… everyone else, he just doesn't give a shit about. I don't expect him to CARE about all of us, but it'd be nice for him to use our actual NAMES and not refer to us with insults."

Kentaro let out a; "Harumph" and crossed his arms with a disapproving grimace. "As far as I'm concerned, calling people names is bad enough. Have you gone to any of the teachers about this?"

"…"

"…Good god, Kaida."

"I wanted to try and see if I handle it on my OWN, okay?!" Kaida thrust her arms toward the exit. "Listen, I was planning to confront Bakugo about it out there, so—"

Kentaro stepped toward her firmly. "And you thought that aggravating him during COMBAT was a good idea?!"

"It's the ONLY way Bakugo can understand ANYTHING!" Kaida snapped back. "He doesn't get anything through that thick skull of his unless it's through conflict." She balled her fist, gritting her teeth. "Don't get me wrong, I don't wanna do this, but if it's what I have do to leave an impact and tell him to stop doing what he's doing, then so be it."

The elder Kiryu sighed and facepalmed. "I thought we HAD this discussion six years ago; you HAVE to go to an adult when things like this happen. You can't solve everything by yourself." He reached a hand out, placing it firmly yet assuredly on her shoulder. "It's obvious that you remember that, so why haven't you told anyone yet?"

Kaida let out a short breath, her shoulders slumping as she hung her head low. "…Kentaro, I want to be a hero. I'm just… I'm afraid of what the teachers will think of me if a hero in training goes to them to report one of her fellow classmates. I don't even have any proof—"

"Other than the words of your other classmates?" Kentaro cut her off, taking her by surprise. "Also, if you're afraid of them seeing you as weak, you've got another thing coming. Just because you're training to become a hero doesn't mean you can't ask for help sometimes, especially FROM other heroes." His hand went up to cup her cheek gently. "You should remember that, Kady, otherwise you'll be making more mistakes like this."

"But Mr. Aizawa—"

"Has terrible teaching methods." Kentaro deadpanned. "I thought Present Mic made that clear earlier…" He folded his arms in disapproval. "The fact that Aizawa applied that ass-backwards logic about Bakugo in that match with Uraraka kind of proves my point, too. He's got good intentions, but in the end, he's the type to throw you to the wolves and say: "go improve yourself"." He held up a finger and added; "Now, go to any OTHER teacher, or heck, even Principal Nezu, and that's a different story. They'll help you, Kaida, I promise."

As she listened, Kaida could feel her eyes beginning to well up with tears, only now realizing that she had made the wrong decision by waiting so long to say something. "I-I… I…" Her hands flew up to her face and she roared in agony and frustration. "GYAAAAH! STUPID! I'm so FREAKING STUPID!" Kaida slammed a hand so hard into the wall it cracked, but she didn't really care about the pain so much. "Goddammit, I screwed up so freaking bad!"

"Yeah, ya did." Kentaro confirmed, taking her bleeding fist and bringing it into his hands. "But that's all part of the learning experience here at U.A. You're gonna make mistakes, kiddo, so get used to it. Best thing to do is to LEARN from those mistakes."

Kaida sniffled, wiping at her eyes as she clenched her teeth. "Snf… at this rate… how could I even start getting CLOSE to being like… her?"

"Heh, Kaida, if that idol of yours were here right now, I think she'd tell you the exact same thing." Kentaro reassured. "Trust me, being one of the Top 10 heroes CAN'T be easy for her, so there's no doubt she's made her fair share of mistakes." He pulled her into a big, brotherly hug. "Hell, I'm still making mistakes, too, so you're not alone."

He felt her nod against his chest. "R-Right…"

"And don't be afraid to ask for help, from your teachers OR your friends." Kentaro pulled her head up to give her a wink. "After all, you've got 'em for a reason."

"Hm… right." Kaida breathed deeply, collecting her thoughts. "So… what do I do now?"

With a knowing smile, Kentaro set his sights out toward the battlefield. "Well… it seems like they're almost done fixing everything up." He pointed outside, wearing a smirk. "And last I checked, you're going up against the source of ALL these problems, so how about letting off some steam, eh?"

That made Kaida let out a short chuckle. "Hah… yeah, fair point…"

"Alright, alright, party people!" Present Mic shouted, garnering their attention. "I've just been informed that, after a hearty game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, our first finalist is gonna be Izuku Midoriya!" The roar of the crowd was thunderous, but not enough to muffle the teacher's voice. "Man, am I glad we don't gotta do anymore arm-wrestling. BUT, with that outta the way, let's get to our last semi-final match!"

Kaida could feel her heart begin thumping against her chest, her pulse pounding in her ears. "Hah, well… here goes." She smiled to her brother one final time before making her way out. "And thanks for the advice, Kentaro… I'll try not to be so bull-headed about asking for help in the future."

"Good to know." Kentaro winked. "Now go kick that guy's ass for me, eh?"

…..

It wasn't long before both competitors were making their way to the ring, with the support of the fans at their backs. "Coming in from the West side, he's literally been blowing away the competition, but this probably has to be his biggest challenge yet! It's Katsuki Bakugo from Class 1-A! Versus… rolling in from the East, it's the paleolithic behemoth who knows how to dish out some hard-hitting attacks! Also from Class 1-A; Kaida Kiryu!"

Up in the stands, the students of Class 1-A and the Autobots watched as the two competitors took to the field, both wearing fairly similar scowls. "Hoo, man, so intense." Denki muttered, feeling a bit of sweat trickling down his forehead. "Glad I'm not in between THOSE two."

"I feel ya, man." Eijiro nodded. "We all know how Kiryu and Bakugo have been at each other's throats basically since the year started…"

Ochako nervously rubbed two fingers together, bringing her knees close to her chest. "I have absolutely no idea who's gonna win this. Their Quirks are both so strong…"

Kyoka furrowed her brow, subconsciously twirling one of her jacks around her finger. "Yeah, well, I know who I'm rooting for."

"Yeah, no doubt about it." Jeff echoed his friend's sentiments. "That Bakugo kid's got a mean streak the size of Polyhex. Somethin' tells me a good ol' slice o' humble pie would do him some good." He craned his head over to his leader, who was holding his chin in thought. "What d'you think, Prime? Think Kaida's got a good chance?"

"Perhaps, though considering that both of them have been on a proverbial tear, I wouldn't rule out Bakugo either." Orion furrowed his brow, contemplating the potential outcome. "Kaida's Quirk works best for short-range attacks; claw swipes, tail slaps, big impacts, etcetera. Meanwhile, Bakugo's Quirk is more versatile with long range AND close-quarters, being able to launch explosions from anywhere."

Sadie and Brian both pursed their lips, the latter glaring down at the ashen blonde. "So that means that Bakugo has a disadvantage." Sadie concluded.

"Hm, though Kaida is able to make up for her short comings thanks to her movement options." Stella pointed out. "Her Raptor Legs allow her to traverse at much greater speed than normal, plus her Pterodactyl Wings allow for flight. So, with any luck, she'd be able to avoid Bakugo's blasts and then go in for a hard hit."

Sid leaned forward, giving her a deadpan stare. "Uh, yeah, but I think you're forgettin' that Bakugo's able to propel himself through the air with those blasts of his, too. He'd be after her in a nano-second."

Sonny couldn't help but shake in anticipation. "Either way, we've got two pretty powerful opponents here. It's gonna be a fierce battle, no doubt about it."

"Ready… BEGIN!"

The moment Present Mic gave the word, Kaida and Katsuki… did nothing. Both of them were still in their combat-ready stances for a good few seconds after the match started, as if they were waiting for one another to make the first move. '…Does he expect me to go first?' Kaida asked herself.

Katsuki let out a low grumble. 'C'mon, Lizard Lips, make a move…'

Instead, however, Kaida decided to take advantage of the unexpected waiting game. "Gotta admit, never really saw you as a "wait and see" kinda person, Bakugo." Kaida cracked her neck and knuckles to loosen herself up. "Doesn't really FEEL like you…"

"Hmph, gimme a break. I know you, Scale Belly." Bakugo narrowed his eyes. "I've been keeping my eye on you throughout this whole Festival. I've seen that you've got LOTS of options up your sleeves, so I'm keeping my eyes sharp."

"Huh… that actually makes a bit of sense." Without warning, an absolutely enormous, whip-like tail came bursting out from Kaida's rear and she twisted herself around, lashing it at her opponent. "But you're STILL gonna lose! Apatosaurus Tail!"

Katsuki's eyes opened wide at the incoming attack. 'There it is!' Aiming his hands down, the Explosion user blasted himself straight up into the air, avoiding the tail as it came swinging at him. "Not today!" BOOOOM! He then thrusted his hand out and sent another explosion at Kaida, who went to get out of the way.

"Raptor Legs!"

"Ha! Called it!" Putting his hand straight behind him, Bakugo began expelling several small blasts from his palms to propel himself forward, chasing after the fleeing Sauro-Parts user. In no time, he found himself directly above her head, leading him to swing and arm down and yell; "DIE!" BOOOM!

"GAH!" Kaida leapt at the last second, but was still blown away by the sheer force of the blast, making her tumble along the floor. She slid to a halt just before the ring line, and she wasted no time trying to get away from it. "Pterodactyl Wings!" With her arms transformed, Kaida jumped and took to the sky, where she glared down at Katsuki. "You're not holding back… good."

Bakugo smirked back, small crackles dancing along his palms in anticipation. "Hah, why the hell wouldn't I? I've been waiting for this!"

Kaida narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"C'mon, don't play dumb! You an' I've been on a collision course for WEEKS now!" BOOM! With another blast, Bakugo sent himself flying again, soaring up to meet Kaida in midair. He made to grab at her, but she flew up to avoid him… only for Katsuki to cling onto her leg at the last moment and drag her down. "With us buttin' heads in class all the time, how could we NOT be?!"

"Agh! …You're right." Kaida swung her legs as she fell, kicking Bakugo right in the face and forcing him to let go. She rolled into a landing herself and exchanged her wings for her Raptor Claws, looming over the blonde with a scowl. "I HAVE been expecting this to happen… but I was hoping that it wouldn't." With a loud cry, she brought a claw down, only for Katsuki to dodge-roll away. That wouldn't stop Kaida from pursuing him, though. "Unfortunately, talking to you like a normal person won't leave any sort of impression on you, so if I've gotta fight you to get my point across, then so be it!"

"Hah, what point?!" Bakugo sent out a blast at Kaida, but she leapt straight into the air after bringing out her Tyrannosaurs Legs. "What, do you think you're the class' big sister or somethin'? Get off your high horse!"

Kaida was baffled as she landed in front of him. "H-Huh?! That's not what I mean!"

Bakugo just rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, since day one, you've been doting on everyone and tryin' to stand up for 'em whenever I so much as speak."

"Well, yeah, because you're a big fat JERK!" Kaida pointed at him. "You think that this entire school—no—the entire WORLD revolves around you, when it doesn't! The fact that you don't call anyone by their actual NAME shows just how much you lack respect for us."

"…Kirishima. Uraraka." Bakugo furrowed his brows at her. "Kiryu."

That made Kaida pause, blinking in surprise. That was the first time he hadn't called her either "Lizard Lips" or "Scale Belly", and it was throwing her off. "W-Wait, what?"

"Listen, I ain't good with names, that's true." Bakugo balled a fist and widened his stance, ready to keep fighting. "But you made a good point earlier; I DO understand things better when fighting… including names. So if you wanna leave an impact on me and earn SOME bit of respect, then quick yer yapping and start FIGHTING, Kiryu!"

If anything, though, that just made Kaida tighten her fist. "Well… if that's true…" Without warning, Kaida brought out her Apatosaurus tail and swung it, blindsiding Katsuki with her quick attack. The blonde was sent flying across the ring again and Kaida was in hot pursuit, her T-Rex Legs and Raptor Claws at the ready. "Then why the HELL do you keep picking on Midoriya specifically?! You've known each other longer than any of us, so what the hell did he ever do to you?!"

Bakugo snarled as he stood up, knowing that topic would be coming up eventually. "That's none of YOUR BUSINESS!" BOOOM! With an underhanded throw, Bakugo sent out a blast that tore up the field quite a bit, sending fire and debris Kaida's way. "That shit's between me an' Deku, understand?!"

Kaida, now sporting a few scrapes and cuts, continued her way through the smoke to slash at Bakugo, leaving a long cut across his chest. "No, I don't! But I want to help my friend, so don't think for a second I'll just leave it alone!"

"GAAAAAH!" Bakugo clutched his chest, feeling the blood trickle from his new wound. It wasn't very deep, but it still stung. He'd have to be careful going forward with his attacks. 'Any bad strain could open it even more.' Katsuki raised his hand, sending out several blasts all at once. "I said, it's NOT your problem! Deku and I'll settle it in the finals ourselves, so just go down, ya FREAK OF NATURE!"

In that moment… everything paused for Kaida, to the point where even she stopped. Unfortunately, this resulted in her getting hit dead-on by the explosions, causing her to get sent flying away once again. Her Sauro-Parts changed back to her normal limbs as she crashed to the floor, hitting her head in the process. But even then, only one word stuck with her as she briefly lost consciousness…

Freak.

…..

~America, Four Years Ago~

"Wow, take a look over there, girls! It's the freak!"

"I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times; her Quirk did her dirty."

"Wouldn't wanna be a Mutie like her, that's for sure."

Twelve-year-old Kaida Kiryu felt utterly miserable about herself. Every day, it was the same thing; "freak" this and "ugly" that. Unfortunately, she couldn't change that. Her Quirk gave her the grey, bumpy skin texture they were talking about, and to her, it just wasn't fair. It was always the same group of girls, too, the really pretty and very vain ones who liked to flaunt the money their parents had on every part of themselves. Ever since her parents had moved to Texas for a multi-year excavation project, she had been the butt of many insults at her grade school, her being one of the only kids there with a mutant Quirk.

No matter how many times she heard it… the pain of their words never stopped. She had no idea how a group of SIXTH-GRADERS could be so cruel, and they never even waited until she was out of earshot either. "Grey, bumpy skin, sharp teeth and probably THE worst hair I've ever seen." One of the girls said in the corner of their classroom with a smirk. "And you're SURE she's our age?"

"Pretty sure… though her being a pudgy bean pole would fool anyone."

…Once again, they were right. Kaida was five feet, four inches tall, a height that no normal sixth-grader would be. And she never considered herself all that in shape, either. 'Darn it…' she thought to herself, clutching her backpack as she left the room at the final bell. 'I NEED to get in shape before middle school…'

"Her life must SUCK." said another girl. "Psh, betcha that skin's hereditary, too."

…The fact that her family was being insulted on her behalf only made her feel worse. 'I can't take it anymore…' she thought to herself. 'I should just go curl up and die somewhere—' BUMP! "AH!"

Kaida doubled back after she accidentally ran into someone, too caught up in her own thoughts to pay attention. "Hey! Watch it!" It was a young boy, who was surrounded by a group of his own pals in the hall way. He was smaller than her, but that didn't stop his clenched teeth and thick southern accent from intimidating her. "Whaddya think yer doin', ya freak o' nature?!"

"I-I'm… s-sorry." Kaida winced as she shrunk back toward the classroom. "I-I was just—"

"Just tryin' ta git in my way?! HUH?!"

Kaida covered her head and closed her eyes, her voice cracking in fear. "N-NO! That's not it at all, I—"

The boy stamped his foot. "Listen here, girlie! People with Quirks like yers ain't appreciated 'round these parts! Muties like you'd be better off with the know-it-all city folk where ya belong!"

"Haha! Tell 'er, boy!" The girls had come out of the classroom, cornering Kaida in the hallway. Unfortunately, there were no teachers around, so no one would be able to break it up. Kaida was trapped in a vice with no way to escape. "Go an' cry to your poor mama and dada like a good little mutant girl! MAYBE they can scrounge up enough pennies to get you on a bus outta here!"

"M-My parents aren't poor! They're archeologists!" Kaida tried to argue, her eyes welling up with tears at this point.

The boy simply scoffed while his pals all laughed. "HA! Big whoop, they study the bones that get ground up to become the oil that MY dad makes! Ya'll might as well just LIVE in a museum!"

"Or better yet, go back to Japan where you came from." The girl said as her cronies followed her lead as well. "Tell All Might that Star and Stripe is running CIRCLES around what he's doing over there!"

Kaida clenched her teeth at that. "Shut up! All Might's amazing!"

"Please, everyone knows HE'S runnin' outta steam." The boy smirked, not noticing the footsteps of someone approaching from behind. "By the time that geezer's gone, Star an' Stripe's gonna be the NEW Symbol of Peace." He scowled at Kaida, approaching her with a raised fist. "Now, am I gonna have to get rough with ya again, or are you gonna take a hint? LEAVE now an' never come ba—"

"Hey!" The kids all stopped as their heads snapped up, with Kaida gasping at the familiar voice. There, standing behind the bragging boy, stood a muscular, normal-looking young man, about sixteen years old. With his arms crossed over his chest, he bellowed; "What the hell is going on here?!"

If anything, the boy just seemed to brighten up. "Oh, heya man! Check it;" He pointed over to the whimpering yet hopeful Kaida. "We were just 'bout to give this chick a message she ain't gonna—"

"B-Big Bro! You're here!"

And instantly, a cold chill went through the other kids all at once. Kaida… had just called him… her big brother. He didn't have grey skin, though. In fact, he was tanned a brilliant bronze. The unimpressed scowl seemed to only solidify that. "Y-Yer… her brother?"

"Yes." Kentaro snapped his fingers and, from around the corner, three teachers appeared, both of them looking rather upset. "And you all are busted." Within moments, every child there was being pulled by their arms, or even by their ears, toward the principal's office, all aside from Kaida. The girl fell to her knees, in complete disbelief over what had happened. Kentaro and the one remaining teacher went over, the former kneeling and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you okay, Kady?"

As it all settled in, Kaida felt herself begin to lose her composure, breaking down into tears and clutching onto her brother's shoulders. "AAAAHH! ANIKI!" She felt his arms close around her as she sobbed into his chest, nearly drenching his shirt. "W-Where did you come from?! H-How did you—"

"I figured it out." Kentaro stated, reaching down to cup her cheek and using his thumb to dry her tears. "Every day when we'd go home, I'd always notice how sad you were. And when you started locking yourself in your room, I knew something must've been up."

The girl was left nearly speechless. "I-I… I didn't—"

"KAIDA?!" The siblings craned their heads around just in time to see their parents come sprinting around the corner, both of them very concerned. A woman with long, dark hair and pointed teeth knelt down at her daugher's side, while a man with brown hair and grey skin wasn't far behind. "Oh, my little girl!" Kaida's mother practically engulfed her daughter in a hug, thankful that she was alright. "Thank god, you're safe!"

"M-Mom? Daddy?" Kaida muttered. "Where did YOU come from?!"

"We were here the whole time, sweetheart." Kaida's father replied. "Kentaro had us staking out the whole situation. The moment he told us and the teachers about what he thought was happening, we thought it necessary to catch those kids in the act." He craned his head up to the teacher. "Thank you for allowing this, by the way."

The teacher nodded back. "My pleasure. This school does NOT tolerate bullying of any sort. …The fact that this went unnoticed for so long is absolutely shameful on our part, though I have a feeling that certain teachers might've letting the students get away with it." He placed a hand over his chest, bowing to Kaida. "Rest assured, as vice principal of this school, I'll do my best to weed out those responsible. But Miss Kiryu… why didn't you come to anyone beforehand?"

Kaida felt a knot in her stomach forming, knowing exactly why. "B-Because… because of the dig." The answer took her parents and brother by surprise as she nuzzled her head against her mother's arm. "I… I know how much this dig means to you guys. It's the biggest one you've ever done and… I-I didn't want to ruin it. So I put up with it…"

"…For how long?" Kentaro asked.

"…Two years."

At that point, the mother was beginning to cry as well, gripping her child by the shoulders so she could meet her eyes. "Kaida, baby, I want you to listen to me and I want you to listen good; this NEVER should've happened. The dig meant a lot to me and your father, yes, but YOU mean SO much more to us than that."

"Exactly." Kaida's dad agreed without question, bringing his whole family in for a group hug. "You should've told us sooner, because we could've either DEALT with it sooner or have you transferred to a different school."

Kaida could feel herself trembling when she heard that. "You… y-you mean that? It was THAT simple?!" She received multiple nods, but if anything, that only tightened the knot in her gut. She threw her head back, belting out a loud scream as she kept crying. "GYAAAAH! GOSH DANG IT! I'm so FREAKING STUPID!"

"You are NOT stupid, Kaida." Her mother reassured, hugging her tightly again. "You just didn't think things through. But you should NEVER be afraid to ask someone for help."

"I-I'm s-s-sorry!" Kaida wept, her lips quivering. "I-I just… th-they said people l-like me w-weren't welcome a-and I th-thought the teachers would s-say the same…"

"Ugh, well, they're part of the more… unsavory families in this community." The vice principal sneered. "People who have rather disgusting beliefs on people with mutation Quirks." With a serious gaze, he addressed the family; "It's really unfortunate, but for your sake, Miss Kiryu, I think it'd be best if you DID transfer. Once their families catch wind of what happened today, they will NOT be happy."

The Kiryu patriarch nodded in agreement. "Right, of course we will. Besides, our dig will be concluding in a few months, anyways." He knelt down and placed a hand on his daughter's back, rubbing it comfortingly. "Now come on, Kaida, we're going to pick Kiki up from kindergarten and then we're going home."

Kaida gulped, trying to ease herself. "B-But… where will I go? The year's almost over…"

Her mother smiled brightly at her. "Oh, that's not going to be an issue, sweetie. We'll be moving back to Japan once the dig is over, and by April of next year, we'll have you in a nice, no-bullying tolerated middle school."

"…Mom, that's almost a full year away."

"Don't worry, sis." Kentaro winked, jerking a thumb to himself. "The same goes for me, too, so until then, the world is our oyster! Whatever ya wanna do, let's do it!"

The young girl almost couldn't believe it. Almost a full year away from school… it was too good to be true. 'No lessons, no homework… no bullying…' She glanced down to her hand, reflecting on everything she had put up with over the past two years… before clenching it into a fist. She COULD just slack off for the whole year… but she had OTHER plans. 'No, I won't let this opportunity go to waste! I'm going to work out, get stronger, and then when I enter junior high, I'm going to make SURE that there's no bullying at my new school!' She furrowed her brow up at her big brother and said; "Train me. You want to become a hero, right, Aniki? Please, let me in on your workout regimen. I wanna get stronger so maybe I can have more confidence!"

"Ah, now that's not a bad idea!" Kaida's father approved, nodding to his son. "After all, you'll be applying for U.A. soon, so now would be the perfect time to spend with your sister before then."

Kentaro was quick to agree as well. "Oh, heck yeah! Sounds good, dad." He offered Kaida a fist. "Alright, so from here on, we're gonna be doin' some serious training! You ready, sis?"

"Yes!" Kaida bumped his fist back. "Let's do it!"

However, even as they left the school, Kaida could still hear some awful things being whispered about her… and it all lead back to that one word;

Freak.

…..

~Present Day~

'…No. Not anymore!'

Kaida's eyes snapped open the moment she heard; "Kaida Kiryu has been—huh?" Midnight stopped in midsentence as Kaida shot back up to her feet, the girl gasping, breathing hard and quickly. "False alarm! Resume the match!"

"HA! Great!" Bakugo said with a wicked grin. "I was hopin' it wouldn't be that easy to take you out!"

Up in the stands, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, man, that was a scary few seconds." Kyoka placed a hand over her chest. "I was worried that Kaida was out of the game."

"Hm, indeed, but she's tough." Momo smiled as she glanced over to Mina, who grinned right back. "After all, we've experienced that first hand."

"For better… or for worse." Mina added, placing a hand over her bandaged stomach. "But hey, she's back in it! Let's GO, Kaida!"

Orion, however, could see that the Sauro-Parts user was far from one-hundred percent. Her breathing was erratic, almost as if she had been shocked out of her stupor by something. He wasn't certain what that something was, but judging by the cold sweat running down her face, it must've been fairly impactful to do so. 'Perhaps a memory assisted her in regaining consciousness?' Either way, he knew that Kaida's performance would be affected going forward…

Bakugo, meanwhile, was laughing at the prospect of the fight continuing. "Hahaha! I knew this'd be a hell of a match." He walked up to her with his hand out, his palms sparking with excitement. C'mon, Lizard Lips, it's time we put on a REAL show!"

"…Take it back."

"H-Huh? What're you—"

"I said TAKE IT BACK!" With incredible speed that even Bakugo was surprised by, Kaida whipped herself around and brought out her Apatosaurus tail again, blindsiding the ashen blonde once more. But instead of trying to send him out of bounds, she brought him straight down to the ground near her feet, where she then brought her Tyrannosaurus Legs back out to stomp right on his back. "You… you called me a freak. I should've known…"

With wide eyes, Bakugo tried to wriggle his hands free. "K-Kiryu, wait, I—"

"It doesn't matter if you suck at names or not, bullying is STILL bullying!" Kaida screamed, glaring down as she applied more pressure. "I've had to deal with that bullshit for three years STRAIGHT! …I can only imagine what it was like for Midoriya to put up with it from YOU for longer! You've probably said even WORSE stuff to him, right?!"

"You're STILL on this?!" Bakugo slipped his hands down flat against the concreate, ready to blow the area around them sky high. "Try worrying about YOURSELF for a change!" BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Kaida yelped as multiple explosions blew up around them, forcing her off of Bakugo's back while pieces of debris hit her and hindered her vision. Once explosion in particular was able to rip open a gaping hole in her pants, taking off one of her pockets… the same one that held her good luck charm. Kaida went sprawling to the floor, and a few seconds later, she saw her necklace do the same. "Ah! N-No…" She reached out to grasp the horn… only for a larger piece of debris to come straight down and…

CRACK!

All at once, everything stopped for Kaida. Her heart dropped down into her feet at the sight of the gift her best friend had given her… getting crushed in an instant. Her mouth hung open, staring in disbelief as tears began forming in the corners of her eyes. In a wave of pain and agony, she hung her head and began crying silently, all while hiding her face in her hands.

…And all while Bakugo kept egging her on. "Oh, for god's sake, what NOW?! You're freaking CRYING?! This is a competition, and you're acting like it's the end of the world because somethin' got broke?!" He pounded his fist into his palm, an explosion bursting from it. "You can buy another one after we're done, now GET UP so I can beat you!"

"…You…" Kaida stopped weeping, her voice filled with a new amount of venom that she didn't know she was able to have. In that moment, she hated him, and she'd resolve to do everything in her power to BEAT him… and make him regret everything. She got up and spun around, hearing Bakugo gasp as he saw her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Kaida was completely incensed. She would make him pay. "BAKUGOOO—OOOAAAAARR!"

"W-What the—HOLY SHIT!"

The crowd's reaction was very much the same as they saw Kaida's entire body begin to change shape, becoming several times bigger within seconds, ripping through her gym clothes. Thankfully, the black jumper she wore underneath to accommodate her Quirk managed to stay on… but only barely. She was forced down onto all fours, her legs becoming thick and strong as her fingers and toes retracted to become stubbier. A massive tail grew out from her rear, and along her back, a row of short yet thick spikes grew out from her spine to the base of her tail. Her hair withdrew into her skull as it fanned out into a large frill that was also lined with short spikes, all while her face elongated with a beaked mouth. Finally, from her nose and forehead, three deadly horns grew out; two long, one shorter.

With a massive bellow that shook the entire stadium, in Kaida's place was now a massive Triceratops, both one and the same. The prehistoric beast's roar was directed straight at Bakugo, but everyone in attendance was left shaken to their core. "Oh… OH MY GOD!" Present Mic screamed. "Kaida just transformed into a TRICERATOPS! WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS!"

…..

Up in the stands, Class 1-A and the Autobots were almost completely speechless as to what just happened. The most anyone could say was Kyoka whispering; "Holy Shit." under her breath. "W-What… just… happened?"

"My guess?" Jeff piped up. "Bakugo ended up pushin' one too many buttons. My assessment?" He pointed down to the ashen blonde. "That boy gon' die."

…..

Izuku and Shoto were left in very much the same state as everyone else. Even Recovery Girl was at a loss for words as they all watched… though thankfully, Merissa wasn't. "WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?!" The Sector Seven agent whipped her head toward Izuku in astonishment. "Could she DO that before?!"

"No… this is the first time." Izuku answered breathlessly.

"She did it…" Shoto whispered with a slight chuckle. "Hah, she really did it. Give him hell, Kaid—wait…" The moment he saw Kaida's eyes on the screen, Shoto's demeanor went from exhilarated to concern, the boy slowly getting up from his bed before making a mad sprint for the door. "Hold on, something's not right!"

Recovery Girl reached out and yelled; "Young man! Just where do you think you're going?!"

"Todoroki!" Izuku called after him as well, but to no avail. He was gone straight out the door.

…..

Back in the entry tunnel, Kentaro was on the verge of both freaking out and breaking into tears. His little sister… had finally transformed into a complete dinosaur. "AAAAH! YEEEEESS!" He threw his head back in a bout of extreme laughter while holding back his tears, not letting go of this excited feeling for a second. "WAY TO GO, KADY! Big Bro's SO proud of you—" GRAOOON! But then, Kaida's roar made him stop abruptly, leaving him with an uneasy feeling. He narrowed his sights at his Ceratopsian sister as she reared her head up… and saw that her eyes were completely white and hazed over. "…Oh god, something's wrong."

Bakugo, however, was ecstatic at the sight. "HAHAHA! YES! Finally, you've stopped holdin' back! Just what I was waiting for!" He crouched down, getting ready for another attack. "Well then, come at me—KIRYU!" BOOM! The blond shot himself up at a diagonal angle so that he was just above the Trike's head, before sending another, powerful explosion straight into her face. If anything, this only served to make the beast even angrier as she charged straight through the blast and went to meet Bakugo as he landed. "Yeah, that's right, get over here! Catch me if ya can!"

"What in the world is Bakugo doing?!" Present Mic hollered in panic. "He actually WANTS her to follow him?! Those horns could freakin' GORE him, man!"

As Orion watched from the stands, he couldn't help but agree with the teacher's assessment. "He's correct. If Bakugo makes one wrong move, he could get seriously hurt."

Momo craned her head up to him, raising a hand. "W-Well, I doubt that Kaida would do anything to HURT Bakugo, Optimus. Of course, this match IS more personal, but…"

"Unfortunately, I don't think young Kaida is in full control of her actions, Momo." Orion shook his head, his expression one of concern as he watched the dinosaur's movements. "Her actions are unclear, erratic. I'm uncertain what happened to Kaida, but I think her Quirk is going out of control at the moment."

"I must agree." Tokoyami concurred, bringing everyone's attention to him. "With her emotions running high, I think that might've been what triggered this transformation. It's very similar to what happens when my Dark Shadow is exposed to too much darkness." He raised his head slightly as Bakugo made a move toward the edge of the arena. "Hm, look there!"

Down below, the Explosion user had successfully gotten toward the other side of the field, waiting as the Triceratops charged at him with her horns aimed straight for him. "Perfect, come to papa…" Right as the Trike was within ten feet of him, Bakugo aimed his hands down and propelled himself into the air once more, leaving behind a trail of smoke and fire that engulfed the beast. She charged straight through… and fell off the battlefield, out of bounds.

"K-Kiryu has fallen out of the field!" Midnight announced, still coming to grips with what she was seeing while Bakugo landed. "The winner of the match is Bakugo—OH MY GOD!"

GYAAAOOORR!

Despite the rough landing, however, the Triceratops stood right back up and went for the stairs, charging back in and going for Bakugo once more. "W-Wha—AH! AAAAH!" Katsuki let out a very rare scream of fear as he was chased down by the once-friendly girl, forced to try and run for cover. "Kiryu, the hell has gotten into you?! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"Stop this at once, young lady!" Cementoss leapt onto the field, placing his hands down to take control of it. He erected a large wall between Kaida and Bakugo, causing her to ram into that instead of the blond. "Alright, now let's calm down and—"GRAAOOON!Rather than follow the advice, Kaida simply began charging for the two teachers instead, making Cementoss' eyes widen. "…Oh dear, now WE'RE the targets. Midnight?!"

Kentaro watched in horror as Midnight went to rip her costume again, though he knew it was gonna be a fifty-fifty chance of working. 'Midnight's Quirk doesn't work as good on women as it does men. So… I think I might need to…'

"Kentaro!"

Ice Age whipped his head around the moment he heard his name, and a bright, hopeful smile came to him when he saw who it was. "Shoto! Oh, thank god, you came at just the right time."

"I… I did?"

With a nod, the hero set his focus back out to where the action was… and saw that Midnight's attempt went south. Now she, Cementoss AND Bakugo were all being pursued by the Triceratops, and Present Mic was calling for security at the same time. "You're Kaida's best friend. There's no doubt in my mind that you'll be able to calm her down."

Shoto pursed his lips warily. "Well, yeah, but how? We need to get her to STOP first."

Kentaro popped a few muscles in his neck and began doing some stretches and squats, loosening himself up. "Yep, and that's where I come in…" He took a deep breath, slapped himself on both cheeks… and began chanting to hype himself up. "COME ON! MA-MA-MAMMOTH! COME ON! MA-MA-MAMMOTH!"

"Uh… what're you—woah!" Without warning, the young hero dashed out… and what happened next left Shoto quite astonished.

When he exited the tunnel, Kentaro's whole body, his hero costume included, began growing in size and mass, with thick, brown hair growing out of every follicle in his body. His hands and feet became massive padded feet, his legs now long and quite powerful. His ears grew big and flappy while his nose elongated into a huge trunk. Finally, two of his teeth grew out into a pair of dynamic, curved tusks, which glistened in the sun. Everyone in the stadium were greeted by the sound of a loud trumpet before Kentaro announced his arrival;

"Kyodai na kiba mostu riku no BOSS!" The Pleistocene Hero reared up on his hindlegs, stomping forcefully on the ground. "MAMMOTH!" The huge, prehistoric elephant went thundering into the field as the spectators watched, raising his trunk as he added; "Hanakkara Climax da ze!"

Shoto was both stunned and confused. "Was that… a reference to something? Gah, never mind, gotta save Kaida!"

"SOMEONE STOP THIS CRAZY THING!" Bakugo screamed as he and the teachers were still being chased down… but thankfully, that didn't last very long. WAAAAAOOOOON! The loud trumpet took them off guard, as did the powerful WHAM just a few seconds later. All three of them fell to the grass and spun around, their jaws falling open when they saw that the Wooly Mammoth had charged into Kaida, scooping her up with his tusks to slam her into the stadium wall.

"Ultimate Attack; Hissatsu Dosudosu Taosu MAMMOTH!" With a quick jerk of his head, Kentaro wrenched Kaida up and tossed her away, a feat of strength that left her tumbling across the grass and into the opposite wall. Kentaro quickly pinned her down with his tusks and called for the Half and Half user. "Shoto! GO!"

"Right!" Shoto slid down next to Kaida, who was thankfully still in a bit of a daze. "Kaida? Kaida, come on, snap out of it!" He reached up and gently caressed the Trike's thick hide near her cheek, hoping to sooth her. Kentaro began doing the same with his trunk along her back and belly as well. "It's okay. It's me, Shoto… Kentaro and I are here for you."

The Triceratops blinked slowly as her breathing slowed down, recognizing the voice that was whispering to her. Before long, Kaida's eyes rolled back forward and the deep bellowed became tired groans, her form starting to revert back to normal. When she was fully back to being human, Kaida's eyes shut immediately, drifting deep into unconsciousness.

"Hah… thank god." Shoto breathed out.

Kentaro followed suit, returning to his human form while keeping his hand on his sister. "You got that right… thank god her suit held up, though."

"Wait… Kentaro?" the hero moved his head around to see Midnight and Cementoss approaching, all while Bakugo hung back. "I… wasn't expecting you to—"

"Miss Midnight, she's my little sister." Ice Age stated as he picked Kaida up, holding her securely in his arms. "The moment I saw what happened, I knew I had to help her. Truth be told, something similair happened to me when I first transformed like that…" He gave them a single nod. "Now, I'll be taking her to the nurse's office."

"You'd best, thank you." Midnight affirmed before realizing something. "Oh, wait, just a moment." She dashed over back to the field and began searching through the rubble, leaving the others a bit perplexed. But the moment she said; "Ah-ha!", they saw what she was searching for. "Here, she dropped this."

Shoto's eyebrows rose up immediately. It was the necklace he had given her. It was slightly cracked, but somehow, it had remained intact. When Midnight came over, he reached his hand out for her to give him the trinket, making sure to hold it gently yet securely. "Oh… thank you. She'll be very glad to see this is okay."

"Hm, I'm sure. After all, I think that's what triggered this whole mess. Now, get her inside, quickly."

…..

Kaida awoke with a start, inhaling sharply as a wave of different sensations hit her all at once. She wasn't on the harsh floor of the battlefield anymore, instead feeling a firm mattress below. And when she realized she wasn't in her gym clothes anymore either, that sent her into high alert and made her snap right up straight. "AH! W-What the—Where—How did I—"

"Woah, Kaida!" She felt a comforting hand settle on her shoulder and push her back down, where she saw her brother, along with Shoto, Midoriya, Recovery Girl and Merissa all staring down at her in concern. "Relax, everything's okay." Kentaro soothed.

"You had us all incredibly worried, dearie." Recovery Girl added with a soft smile.

Merissa nodded, a feeling of relief washing over her. "Yeah, thankfully your injuries only extended to minor cuts and bruises, but even then…"

The grey-skinned girl blinked, still perplexed as to what was happening. "I-I don't understand. …What happened?" She reached for her head, trying to remember. "All I remember was I was really angry at Bakugo and then… nothing."

"Wait, you don't remember all that?" Izuku asked.

Kaida raised a brow. "Remember what? Did… oh god, I didn't do anything embarrassing like slip and K.O. myself, did I?"

"N-No, nothing like that." Shoto reassured. "But um… you did give the audience something to remember." If anything, that made Kaida even more worried, which led Shoto to grab the remote for the TV. "It's probably best that you see it for yourself…"

And so, that's exactly what they did. Everyone sat in silence as Kaida watched herself go on her rampage, the girl both astonished… and incredibly mortified. "I… I TRANSFORMED?!" She stared down at her hands in fear and amazement. "I finally changed into a full dinosaur… but I don't even remember it or how it… wait." Kaida's gasped in horror as she recalled; "W-Wait! I… I remember that I was angry at Bakugo because… n-no…"

Izuku tilted his head, seeing her mood change. "W-What's the matter, Kiryu?"

Hesitantly, Kaida moved her head up to Shoto, her eyes filled with sadness. "Shoto, I… I'm sorry. I couldn't keep my promise. The tooth you gave me… i-it got—"

"Oh, you mean this?" Shoto, with a warm smile, pulled the charm out from his pocket, making Kaida gasp again. "Just barely a crack in it. Pretty sure these are made out of some pretty hard stuff, so—"

"AAAAH!" Kaida cried as she shot up again and put her arms around Shoto in a soul-crushing hug, her hand reaching into his to secure her charm. "IT'S OKAY! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! Shoto, I KNEW it was good luck!" Even when she let go of the boy, it was clear that he wasn't going to stop blushing. They could practically see the steam wafting from his face, it was so hot. Kaida laced the necklace around her neck, breathing a sigh of relief. "There, back where it belongs… though I can't say it brought me much luck THIS time. Guess I'm out of the competition, and no doubt I probably blew my chance with any agencies."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, dearie." Recovery Girl contested. "After all, Quirks like yours can often go out of control, especially at such a young age. So, any understanding hero would be able to help you gain control over it, I'm sure."

Kaida's eyes moved down, still feeling uncertain. "Well, maybe, but… huh?" All of a sudden, they all heard the doorknob click open, and from there, a surprising group of people entered the office. Orion Pax, All Might Principal Nezu, and Aizawa all entered, the three of them all visibly concerned. "O-Oh… hello, everybody."

"Greetings, Miss Kiryu." Nezu raised his little paw, wearing his usual grin. "I hope you are doing well after what happened."

The girl wore a sheepish smile, her hand going to her neck. "Well… I'm alright physically if that's what you mean. Emotionally… that's a different story."

"I'll bet." All Might concurred. "That was quite the ordeal to go through. But please, don't feel bad. Accidents happen, and that's exactly what this was."

Orion and Aizawa both approached her bed, the former's tone quite solemn. "Indeed. However, the other reason we have come here is because I suspect that there was something specific that caused this accident." The Autobot leader approached Kaida's bedside, bowing his head. "Young Kaida, I realize that sharing something like this will be rather hard, but…"

"We would like to know exactly why you were so mad with Bakugo down there." Aizawa finished, also gravely stern yet understanding. "Whatever happened, it's obvious that if it made you THAT mad, it can't be good. If it's something serious, then the teachers have to know about it. So please, if there's anything you're willing to share, tell us now, if you would."

Kaida, Izuku and Shoto all stared at the adults for a couple seconds before the Sauro-Parts user took a deep breath, glancing between the two boys. In their eyes, she could see that she had their support, with Izuku even giving a reluctant nod. "I think… it might be for the best to tell them now." he said.

"Right." Kaida agreed, her gaze meeting the four adults. "Okay… here's what happened."

…..

A/N: Phew! Well, that was quite the experience! So, we got to see the origin of Kaida Kiryu from the perspective of both herself AND Shoto, expanding upon how they met and why Kaida doesn't tolerate bullies. Seems like quite the negative experience to be sure, a rare case in where people with mutant Quirks aren't too welcome in certain places. It was touched on more recently in the manga with Shoji's backstory, but turns out that Kaida had to go through some of that herself, unfortunately. Plus, we also got quite the expansion on her and her brother's relationship as well, along with another brief look at her parents after their cameo appearance in the previous arc.

However, while Midoriya helped to bring about Todoroki's fire in the last chapter in a positive way… in contrast, Bakugo ended up helping Kaida to achieve complete dinosaur transformation with HER Quirk… in probably the worst way possible. What a way to derail an entire match, even though Bakugo still ended up winning. Thankfully, with Kentaro's Mammoth-sized assistance (see if YOU can guess what he was referencing with his battle cries!), Shoto was able to help calm Kaida down… though now, it seems that the teachers want to have some specifics on what Bakugo did. Hm… wonder how THIS will end. Well, either way, Izuku and Bakugo ARE going to be meeting in the finals. Which means…

And now, the preview! After telling the teachers everything she knows, they agree that some action must be taken with Bakugo. Of course, what that is remains to be seen, but that will have to come after the festival. Before the final match can begin, though, Tenya receives some frightening news about his brother, which leads him to leave early with Strongarm. But still, the game must still go on, so Next Time; Climax! Midoriya vs Bakugo! Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll catch you all next time! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!