Green Tea Rescue

by ss3dj

When Midoriya Izuku was 4 his quirk finally manifested. The doctor named it psychokinesis, but his friend Bakugou Katsuki called it worthless. For the next 10 years, Izuku would grow up bullied and isolated. Then, when a new student named Uraraka Ochako transfers into his class the last year of jr high, everything changes. Rated M for eventual themes.

18. The Eternal Struggle and Pregame Warm-Up

"But do you both have to go?" Eri asked as she looked between Izuku and Ochako, both dressed and ready for their first day back to school.

Izuku knelt down and patted Eri on the head, "Now Eri, we talked about this last night, didn't we?"

Eri pouted, but nodded. "You said you have to go to school to be heroes."

"That's right."

Eri waved her arms around as she thought up an argument to make them stay. "But you are already heroes! So you can stay here!"

Both Izuku and Ochako felt their hearts clench at Eri's words. Seeing the two waver, Inko walked up behind Eri and put her hands on her shoulder, "Eri, you said you'd be brave for them when they had to go. You even gave Ochako a pinky promise when she had to leave last night."

"I know…"

Ochako smiled down at Eri, "Besides, you're going to get to see your room get all set up. And later Mrs. Midoriya is gonna take you to buy some new clothes so you won't have to wear these anymore. That's going to be so much fun."

Eri looked down at the oversized shirt she was wearing, that almost reached her ankles. On the front was plastered the huge smiling face of All Might, "Izuku picked this out for me though…"

"Oh I know. But you'll get pretty clothes that actually fit. And not," Ochako pulled at one of the sleeves, "this."

Izuku gave Ochako a side eye, "Hey…"

Eri nodded, "Okay, I'll be good, but you'll both be back soon, right?"

"We'll be back before dinner," Ochako said with a smile.

With that settled, they waved goodby to Inko and Eri and hurried on their way. As they walked down the stairs, Izuku finally asked, "Hey, what's wrong with the shirt I gave Eri? She needed something to sleep in."

Ochako sighed, "You gave her an All Might shirt, Deku."

"But she looks cute in it!"

Rubbing her brow, Ochako could only shake her head at the obliviousness coming from Izuku, "Deku...it is too early in the morning for me to try and explain everything to you right now. Let's just put a pin in this, okay?"

Deku you have...some worrying ideas on what cute is.

---

When they made it to class, they found the class in the middle of a discussion over the news coverage of the attack.

"I still can't get over how cool All Might was."

"I'm so disappointed. When the news showed off our class, I didn't stand out at all!"

"But...you're invisible."

"That's besides the point!"

"Come on. They talked about you a lot, though. Like how you were able to get All Might's help and call the teachers."

"But they didn't use one good picture of me!"

"Again...you're invisible."

Ejirou turned and was the first to notice the two coming in. "Oh hey. Midoriya, you're looking good."

When several students turned to look at him, Izuku blushed. "Yeah, I'm back to normal."

Momo sighed, "That's a relief. You were so hurt; you had us all worried."

"I'm glad you were able to recover, Midoriya," Fumikage said.

"No kidding! All of a sudden you just ran off and next thing I see-" Mina shuddered at the memory- "not cool."

Izuku bowed, "I'm sorry for worrying you two."

Mina waved him off, "It's fine. At least you had a nice long weekend to get better. Though, just recovering must have been boring."

Izuku laughed as he took his seat, "Um boring would...not be the word I'd use to describe my break."

Hitoshi looked at him funny. "Weird way to say you hung out with your friends."

Ochako leaned on Izuku's desk as she said, "That's not what he's talking about."

Himiko stared at Izuku intently, "wait what are you two talking about? You didn't do something else did you? What happened after our game day?"

Soon the whole class was giving the two their undivided attention. Even Katsuki, who had been making it a point not to even look at Izuku had turned to look over his shoulder. Taking out his phone, Izuku pulled up a picture of Eri, and began to explain everything that had happened the day after the USJ attack.

---

"Holy crap dude, do you just not have normal days?" Denki asked.

Katsuki had a deep frown as he turned back around in his seat, doing his best to ignore the class as they reacted to Izuku's news.

"Normally, you get the kid a lot later after the first dat…" Minoru trailed off when he felt Himiko's eyes drill into the back of his head. He didn't have to look to know she had her hand on something sharp.

"So how long is she going to be staying with you?" Jirou asked.

"Um we're not really sure. At least until her case is solved, I guess."

"You and your mother are so responsible, Midoriya! Once again you have demonstrated a talent for helping people. We should all look to copy your example," Tenya said with his usual exuberance.

"Are the police going to help you all pay for the things she's going to need?"

"Oh, All Might's," Izuku started saying, completely missing the warning look coming from Ochako that he probably shouldn't mention this part, "going to take care of that."

While Ochako groaned into her hand, everyone else's jaws dropped, "Wait? All Might's helping you?"

"How'd you manage that?"

"Wait, didn't you say he helped you get Eri to the police station? How'd he know you needed help?"

"It sounds like you have his number," Shouto said as he watched Izuku intently.

The class looked from Shouto to Izuku, who went a little pale and made a show of not looking at anyone. Himiko caught on instantly. "Holy crap, you have his number don't you."

"Er…"

"Holy crap."

"How?"

"Can I have it?"

"NO!" Izuku screamed. "No he gave it to me because...of the attack! He was worried I might have made myself a target of the League because of...what I did."

"You mean when you flew and punched that Shigaraki guy in face when he was about to attack All Might, kero?"

"Um yeah...because of that."

Katsuki grumbled and didn't bother to turn around to say, "You're a fucking idiot, Deku."

While Ochako and Himiko glared at him, Tenya turned the focus back to the situation with Eri, "Your...questionable action aside, if you or your mother need any help with the young girl, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Totally! We'd love to help!"

"Does she need anything? Toys or clothes, maybe? I could make some for her," Momo offered.

Izuku smiled. "That's very kind of all of you. Mom is actually going to take her shopping today, so after that I'll let you all know."

"Oh, OH! Tell her to send more pictures of her. She's just so cute!" Mina asked while the rest of the girls nodded happily.

"I will. I'll ask mom to send some pictures. Oh, maybe she'll send some of the cute clothes I picked out for Eri to try."

Ochako blinked while Tsuyu and Himiko looked at eachother. A few of the other girls shared the concerned looks as well as they thought over what Izuku had just said.

"Deku... what do you mean your mom is getting clothes for Eri that you picked out?"

"Well after you left last night, me and Mom looked through the things Eri was sent with and I thought she'd like something cute to wear. So I went online and found some really cute clothes for her to get when they go shopping."

Tsuyu tilted her head to the side, as she tried to imagine Izuku having the fashion sense to even know what cute was. Leaning over and asking softly so that Izuku wouldn't hear, "Does Midoriya know how to shop for a little girl?"

Ochako and Himiko both thought of the boy in front of them, and while they both had strong feelings for him, they had both also seen his room, and all the All Might merch he had. Twin looks of horror fell over them as they shared a look.

"Deku...what kind of cute clothes are you thinking about?"

"Well Wookiees sells these cute pink All M-!"

"NOPE!" Came the twin cries from Ochako and Himiko while Tsuyu croaked in distress. The rest of the other girls and some of the boys also shook their heads.

"Eh? What's wrong?"

Izuku was ignored however as Ochako ripped out her phone and began to frantically scroll through her contacts. Tenya frowned and pointed at her, "Uraraka! Class will be starting soon. It is most inappropriate for you to-!"

The death glare that Ochako gave him shut him up instantly. Putting the phone to her ear, Ochako tapped her foot impatiently as it rang. After a few rings though, she got an answer.

"Mrs. Midoriya? Hi!...Yes everythings fine...No, no the school isn't getting attacked again."

That got a few chuckles from the class.

"You see, Deku-" Ochako made sure to glare at Izuku- "said he picked out some clothes for Eri and-"

Himiko leaned over Ochako's shoulder, "Don't buy them!"

"-Yeah, what Toga said...When were you planning on going?...You weren't going to go until after lunch?...Okay great! I'll send you some clothes to look for before then…Oh by the way, were all the clothes Deku picked out All Might themed?...Yep that's what I thought. Thanks, Mrs. Midoriya. Talk to you later. Bye!"

Hanging up her phone, Ochako sighed in relief as she returned to her seat, "Crisis averted."

A chorus of cheers from the female students greeted her. Izuku slumped into his chair, grumbling, "No one here has any taste. I can pick out good clothes."

Before any could point out the obvious that someone wearing a tie like him and thought it was fine had no clue about fashion, Tenya banged on his desk, "Everyone! Class is about to start. Please return to your seats at once!"

---

With everyone back in their seat, Himiko leaned back in her as she twirled a pencil between her fingers, "So who's going to be teaching us today, anyway?"

Momo rubbed her chin as she thought about that, "Well Aizawa sensei will still be recovering from his injuries so I suppose we can-"

The door to the classroom slid open and Aizawa walked into the room. Looking more like a halloween mummy than a teacher. His face was completely covered in bandages and both his arms were in slings.

"Good morning," came his muffled greeting to everyone.

After a moment, the classroom exploded in shock and surprise with people wondering why he was in class and not still in recovery. Tenya shot to his feet, "Sir, should you be up so soon?"

"I'm alright."

Himiko rolled her eyes, "yeah because you're the definition of 'alght.'"

"You all should be less concerned about my well being and more focus on the fight you all have ahead of you."

"Fight?"

"Wait what?"

"It's not more villains, right?!"

Even with his face covered in bandages, Aizawa was still able to give the class a look that got them all to settle down. Satisfied that they were back under control he continued, "In two weeks the U.A. Sports Festival will take place."

The was a beat before most of the class erupted again, this time in celebration at the news of something normal. While they started celebrating though, a few raised their hands in concern. Tsuyu frowned as she asked, "Is it safe to have the sports festival so soon after the attack? Aren't the teachers worried about a second attack?"

Mashirao nodded in agreement, "Wouldn't a venue like this be the perfect target for the villains?"

Eijirou crossed his arms as he thought about that, "but the sports festival normally has so many heroes who come to watch. It'd be crazy to attack it."

"You could say the same thing about attacking U.A., and they did that," Jirou countered.

"Apparently," Aizawa said, cutting off the students, "the Hero Public Safety Commission thinks that U.A. needs to show the world that our ability to function normally has not been hindered at all by the recent attack."

Himiko rolled her eyes, "Translation: They want the world to think everything is fine and that there's no need to think that the heroes have gotten weak or that the villains have gotten stronger."

"More or less, that's correct. The U.A. Sports Festival can not be an event that gets cancelled because of a few villains. That being said, we will have five times as much security this year, so I don't want you all worrying about that. You all will be kept safe. What you all need to be concerned with is not security, but making the most of your big chance. Our Sports Festival is one of the biggest events of the year; not only will the people of the world be watching you, but all the top heroes as well."

There was an almost physical shift in the class at that last part. They all knew what Aizawa meant when he said that. If the top heroes were watching, that means that they were also scouting out talent. If they were able to impress the heroes watching, it would improve their chances of joining a good hero agency for internships, and after graduation, as a sidekick. While many do fall into the trap of letting that become their permanent position in the heroing world, there are others that will use that as a stepping stone into becoming independent and a top hero later on. In many ways, the path to becoming a pro hero started with the Sports Festival.

Aizawa could tell his students knew all this. "Don't forget, you will only have three chances to use the Sports Festival to help make yourself known to the world and improve your chances of becoming pro heroes. There is only one event a year. If you mess it up, you don't get a do over and you have to live with the consequences. So don't slack off."

---

When the bell for lunch period rang, people started to exit the class room. Though it was difficult to do since the hallway was filled with students that stopped and stared at them.

"That's the class that got attacked?"

"I can't believe some of them didn't die."

"They don't look that tough."

"That's right, my class is much stronger than this bunch; we're going to crush them under our ack-!"

"Stop spouting nonsense. And don't go picking fights either. You'll embarrass our class."

Izuku and his friends grouped up and pushed through the crowd. Making their way down the hall to eat. Himiko, however, was giving one of their group a very strange look.

"Oka,y so I'm just going to get it out in the open and say it. Ochako, can you tone down the whole aura you got going on? You look like a psychopath."

Which coming from me is saying something...

"I'm just fired up is all!" Ochako declared proudly.

"You look like you're about to go super or something. Maybe save it for when you're training or the actual event," Hitoshi added dryly.

"Keep and eye out for gold hair, kero."

Ochako huffed and picked up her pace, ignoring the three. Tenya came to her defence. "The sports festival is a chance for us to advance as heroes. How can you all not be fired up?"

"I am excited," came Hitoshi's even and monotone reply, which got him a few worried stares.

"Wow, yeah. You're like a frat boy or something with all that energy you're giving off," Himiko teased, "But moving on to other important things. I think I speak for everyone when I ask, when can we meet Eri?!"

Izuku rubbed his chin as he thought about that, "Oh well, I'll talk with mom about that. She's really um… skittish and timid. She'll probably want to wait a bit while she gets settled in before she meets new people."

"That is very responsible. You are taking your role to look over her very seriously," Tenya said with a smile.

Tsuyu hummed at that, "When she's ready for visitors, maybe I could bring my little sister with me, so she could have someone to play with."

Izuku's eyes practically glowed with excitement at the idea, "Tsu, that's such a great idea. I'm sure she would love that!"

Ochako agreed, "Oh, we have to make sure to get tons of pictures of her playing! It'll be so cute."

Turning a corner, Izuku was about to ask what his friends were planning to do for training for the festival, "So what do you all think-"

"AH! Young Midoriya! There you are!"

When All Might's sudden scream made the group jump in surprise. They all turned around to see All Might peeking out from around a corner in the hallway, pointing right at Izuku.

"All-All Might?"

Izuku stuttered, confused as to why All Might had just singled him out like that. All Might then held up a ridiculously small bento, compared to his size, and asked, "Would you like to have lunch with me?"

Pointing to himself, to confirm he had heard right, the rest of the group was too shocked to even try to guess what was going on. Ochako however was able to keep herself together, and asked, "You want to have lunch with Deku?"

Ochako had to admit she was curious. Normally if there was something to discuss, she was included too. It was rare that only Izuku was pulled aside. All Might hearing the questioning tone in Ochako's voice, nodded, "Yes, I wish to talk with Young Midoriya about certain...things…"

"Things? Is Midoriya in trouble?" Tenya asked.

All Mights shook his head, "Ah, no no. Nothing like that. I wanted to make sure he's recovering, and to talk to him about his actions during the recent...unpleasantness."

At least it's a believable lie, Ochako thought.

After spending so much time with the hero, she had learned quite a few of his tells, so she could tell he was leaving something out. Fortunately, no one else caught on and believed All Might's story.

"Are you going to tell him he acted like a fucking idiot during the attack?"

Himiko's blunt question made Izuku wince. He winced harder when he saw everyone nodding in agreement.

"You know what, that is an excellent idea, Toga," Ochako said as she gave Izuku and All Might a look.

Et tu, brute? I wonder if this is how Caesar felt when he got stabbed in the back?

Not wanting to give everyone a chance to get anymore stabs in, Izuku hurried over to All Might and followed him to his office. Soon after, everyone else went on their way to the cafeteria, with none of them noticing that Shouto had watched the whole exchange from just down the hall.

Reaching the lounge, Izuku took a seat while All Might sat in front of him on a couch, letting out a sigh as he returned to his shrunken form, "Would you like some tea?"

After Izuku nodded, All Might filled a little teapot with hot water from a heated pitcher he had sitting on the table between them. Filling a cup, he handed it to Izuku who smiled and gave a quick thanks.

"So, Young Midoriya. How are you feeling? It's been a few days now since you sustained those...heavy injuries."

Izuku looked down at his arm and flexed it, "I was a little stiff after Recovery Girl healed me, but I'm back to 100%."

"That's good to hear. Things were a little busy over the weekend that I wasn't able to ask you directly sooner. I apologize."

Before Izuku could let him know that it was alright, a mischievous smirk formed on All Might's face, "Though, maybe I didn't really need to ask. Considering the very next day, you were out on the town on a date. Very bold, Young Midoriya."

Izuku's face went red and his hands flew up, waving around frantically, "Wait! It's not like that at all!"

"Relax, young man. U.A. doesn't have the same rules as some other hero schools. You are more than welcome to go on dates with pretty girls if you want, even if they are your classmates."

With his hands now covering his face, Izuku curled up in his seat, "All Might, please! Uraraka being beautiful has nothing to do with why we were spending the day together! We're friends! Please don't make it seem so weird and scandalous!"

All Might laughed as he waved Izuku's worries away, "Come on, my boy. I was just teasing you. And for the record, if you think something like that sounds scandalous, you are not ready for what tabloids can say."

I'll also cut you a break and not bring up that you changed pretty to beautiful, Young Midoriya.

"Moving on, how is Little Eri settling in?"

Izuku was very grateful for the subject change. "She seemed like she was okay. It took a little convincing for her to let Ochako go home, and to let us go to school, but I'm sure she'll be fine with Mom right now."

"I'm sure your mother will be able to keep the girl happy until you return. Oh, and let her know that I'll have the funds wired to her by tomorrow for all of Eri's expenses."

"I will."

"Good. Good."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about All Might? Eri and my injuries?"

All Might took a sip of his tea, "Part of it. I also wanted to discuss the upcoming Sports Festival with you, and it's importance."

Izuku straightened as All Might's voice took a slightly more serious note. Izuku took a second to consider what All Might had said. "I'm aware that the Sports Festival is more than just a game for the students. Everyone watches it, including heroes that we in the heroics classes need to impress to help us get internships and work studies."

"That is a part of it, yes. But it's not just heroes that watch. You can bet that villains will also be watching. Wanting to see what the future generation of heroes are going to be like." All Might sighed as he put his cup down. "The same villains that will be watching you may be becoming more aware that my time is coming to a close."

"All Might?"

"Soon, I'm going to have to retire. It's an unavoidable fact that I've been faced with for years, and unfortunately after my battle with the Nomu, my time left has gotten shorter."

Izuku looked down at his hands as guilt started to swell up in his heart.

If I had only just-

WHACK!

All Might's hand came down, and smacked Izuku on top of his head. While it wasn't a hard hit, it was enough to break Izuku out of his thoughts, and made him look up at All Might, who had a gentle smile on his face. "I know that look. You were about to start blaming yourself, weren't you?"

"Um…"

"I told you before. My condition is a result of my own actions, not yours, so cut it out."

"Yes sir," Izuku quickly replied.

"And no crying!"

"But I wasn't crying!"

"Kid, you cry at the drop of a hat."

Both broke into a small laugh. All Might took a sip of his tea, and continued the point he had left off from.

"I can only sustain my muscle form for a little over an hour now. With such a short time, I won't be able to be out there for much longer. Working at the school is a good way to delay it; but soon it's going to be noticeable, and there will be people who will want to capitalize. That is why this Sports Festival is so important. U.A. must show that the future is still bright by showing the world the next generation of heroes. And…" All Might fixed his gaze onto Izuku, "...It's the perfect time for you to show the world who you are."

Izuku jumped in his seat, "show the world...who I am?"

"That's right. I want you to stand up in front of the world and tell them 'I am here.' Your goal is to become the next number one hero right?"

"Y-yes! Yes it is!"

"To be the next great hero, you have to stand out. This event is the perfect chance for you to do just that. For you Young Midoriya, this is your first great chance to show the world just who you are, and what you are capable of. To show the world who is going to be the next number one."

Izuku could feel his heart start to race as All Might's words hit home. This really was a rare opportunity for him to leave an impression on the world. He was only going to have a chance to compete in three sports festivals before he graduated, and he had to make sure to make every one of them count. Izuku looked All Might right in the eye as he said, "I won't let you down All Might. I'll go out there and make sure to make you proud."

All Might smiled, glad to see the determination and fire in Izuku's eyes, "Excellent, Young Midoriya. I know you'll do great."

All Might was taking another sip of his tea when Izuku asked, "All Might? Why...why are you just talking to me about this?"

"And not Young Uraraka?"

Izuku nodded. It was a fair question all things considered. He and Ochako had trained under him for some time.

"I do plan on giving Young Uraraka some words of encouragement. As her teacher and trainer, I want her to achieve as much as she possibly can. She, like you, is my protégé. But there is something that you must remember, Young Midoriya. You are the one that is going to inherit One for All. You are the one I picked to surpass me. So there will be times that I must push you harder than I would her. To push you further."

Izuku frowned, but didn't dispute All Might's point. While he didn't like the idea, he couldn't argue with All Might's logic. He had a responsibility to make sure he was ready to take up the torch when All Might passed it, and hearing All Might talk about the fact his time as a hero was coming to an end, Izuku knew he had to be ready all the sooner.

"I understand, All Might."

"That's good. Of course that doesn't mean she's off the hook completely. You can expect me to put her through the ringer every chance I can get in my class. Besides, that girl has started to show a disturbing lax disposition around me. I may have been a little too nice with her."

Izuku laughed and All Might joined him.

"Well, why don't we finish our lunches. I think that covers everything I needed to talk to you about."

---

A couple of days later, class 1-A was having their next heroics lesson. Today however it was basic prep and training for the upcoming sports festival, though All Might had suggested that they go ahead and wear their costumes to continue to get used to them. Almost everyone else had changed and made their way to the training grounds. Izuku, however, was walking in the opposite direction that his classmates had left.

"Hey Izuku, where you goin'?"

Startled, Izuku turned to find Himiko and Ochako walking up behind him in their costumes, while he was in his gym uniform, "Oh hey, guys. I'm surprised you aren't already out training."

Ochako blushed and quickly threw out, "Oh well...it takes longer to put on our costumes than the gym stuff, so we're a little behind, I guess."

Himiko nodded, "yeah, what she said."

Neither Ochako nor Himiko wanted Izuku to know they had been waiting just around the corner for him to leave the boys' locker room so they could walk with him to practice.

"And you haven't answered my question, you know," Himiko added.

"Oh, right. Well, I wanted to meet up with the support department today. They sent me a text saying they were going to repair my costume after it..um..kinda got destroyed last week."

An awkward silence fell over the three as they each recalled how the costume had been left blood stained and in tatters. Izuku, not wanting to dwell on it quickly continued, "Anyway! They recommended that I get it upgraded, so I was going to use this period to talk to them about it. All Might already gave me the okay to use the class time to get it done. Better to have it ironed out so it can be ready as quickly as possible."

"Oh, that's great, Deku." Ochako said with a smile. While she had liked Izuku's old costume, and the fact that Inko had helped make it gave it great sentimental appeal., last week's incident really showed that he needed a costume that was professionally made. "So I guess we'll-!"

While Ochako was ready to part ways with Izuku, since the support department was in the opposite direction of the practice field, Himiko clearly had different plans as she quickly moved from Ochako's side and took a place right next to Izuku as he was getting ready to set off.

"So what kind of upgrades are you going to request?"

Izuku stammered over his words, still not used to just how close Himiko would get to him. Ochako frowned briefly before she too moved to Izuku's other side.

"Yeah, I'm curious as well. You going to go with a whole new look?"

Himiko and Ochako's eyes met, exchanging cold, challenging, glares with each other before turning their attention back to Izuku.

"I, um…" Being sandwiched tightly between two girls was bad enough for Izuku. Add onto that the fact that they were both in their costumes- which, depending on who you asked, were snug in just the right places. Izuku could also feel that strange tension between the two. So the combo of being close to two very pretty girls- two very dangerous heroes in training, that he was also sure he never wanted to piss off- left Izuku in a tricky situation. Does he point out that they are pretty close to him and that he was going in the opposite direction they should be going, and risk setting something off? Or does he just roll with it and deal with the less explosive consequences that might pop up with them being late to practice.

"...Actually, I want to make sure they keep to the original look as much as possible."

Izuku went with the option that wouldn't get him stabbed and floated into space.

Probably.

One of these days I need to figure out what's making these two so tense around each other sometimes.

Hums of approval came from both Ochako and Himiko, "That's good. Honestly, after seeing how cute you looked in your first costume, I can't imagine you in anything else, Izuku."

Himiko pressed herself against Izuku's arm as they walked down the hallway. Izuku stuttered while he tried to tell them some of his ideas for his 'beta' costume. While distracted, Ochako discreetly reached behind Izuku's back, and jammed a thumb into Himiko's side. Forcing her to separate herself from Izuku. Himiko rubbed her side, while shooting Ochako a death glare and slapping her hand away.

"...I was also going to ask if they had anything that might be able to help with the headaches I get if I overuse my quirk," Izuku continued on, oblivious to the war waging behind him. Ochako, scoffed and rolled her eyes at the idea, playfully adding, "Right. Because that's something you need, Mr. Doesn't-Know-How-To-Hold-Back. Lets dampen the part of your Quirk that's supposed to keep you from hurting yourself. What you really need is something that makes your head hurt more to make you stop."

"You mean like how you deal with your nausea?" was Izuku's quick, slightly frosty reply.

Himiko whistled, "You're gonna need some ice for that burn."

Ochako instinctively reached up and touched the band around her neck before holding up both her hands, "Okay, okay. Fair point. I'm just saying, you tend to ignore yourself whenever you feel it's inconvenient for you."

Izuku's face softened, "I'm not-"

"I swear to god, Deku, if you finish that sentence after all the nosebleeds I've had to clean up, I'm going to kick your butt."

This time it was Izuku who held up his hands in surrender. "I got it. Message received."

Ochako was kind enough to drop the subject and the three continued down the hall until they reached a large metal door with a sign over it that read "Development Studio". Ochako raised an eyebrow looking at the heavy duty door, "Thing looks like it could hold up after a bomb blast."

Himiko grunted, "You'd think so."

Both Izuku and Ochako looked over at her.

"What do you mean, Toga?" Izuku asked.

"There are a bunch of weirdos in there, and I swear stuff is always either exploding, catching fire, or melting. Sometimes it's all at the same time... Also," Himiko narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward, examining the door, "this is a new door."

"From the start of school?" Izuku asked as he also leaned in some to look.

"From last night."

Silence fell over the three as Izuku began to sweat a little, "Um, maybe I don't have to give them any input on how they upgrade my costume."

Ochako waved him off and reached for the door, "Oh come on, Deku. You're getting scared over nothing."

As she pulled the door open however a loud scream ripped through the air catching all three off guard.

"LOOK OUT!"

None of them had time to react as something rocketed out of the room right into Izuku, sending the poor green boy tumbling down the hall until he came to a stop, flat on his back and not sure where he was anymore.

"DEKU!"

"IZUKU!"

Both chased after Izuku, to make sure he was alright, but came to a stop when they saw what had slammed into him. Or to be more precise, who had slammed into him.

Groaning, Izuku opened his eyes, but with everything still spinning, he immediately closed them to give his brain a chance to get its bearings. While he lay on the hard floor, he felt a weight laying over him, keeping him pressed down. There was also something pleasantly soft pressing up against his collar.

"Ow ow ow ow. I thought I was going to go splat against a wall. Thanks for catching me."

Wait, the weight is talking?

Izuku then realized two things very quickly. One, the thing that was on top of him was a person. Two, the person, judging by the voice, was a girl. Even with his head still rattled, Izuku was able to add those two points together and realized that there was a girl laying on top of him. This revelation was more than enough to get him out of his stupor. Snapping his eyes open, Izuku craned his head up to see if they were alright.

"Are you okaaaaa….."

Looking up, Izuku trailed off as he got a completely unobstructed view at just what had been pressed against him.

Those are….those are….those are boobs….those are boobs! Don't look! Don't look!...I'M STILL LOOKING! So...big... STOP LOOKING!

The girl's breasts were pressed tightly against Izuku's upper chest, making her exposed clevage much more pronounced from Izuku's point of view.

When Izuku had trailed off, the girl frowned, "Hey, you okay? You're going all red," and pushed herself up onto her hand so that she could get a look at Izuku's face. Unfortunately, when she did, her cleavage now hung right in front of Izuku's face, making it very obvious to the stunned boy that the girl was not wearing a bra under her loose-fitting tank top. While the girl looked down at Izuku, wondering why he had gone so red, and Izuku was left a stunned and stupefied mess, Ochako and Himiko arrived and saw exactly what Izuku was seeing.

"Ex-excuse me!" While Ochako tried to stay calm, internally, her mind was going into overdrive.

Again!? How is this happening again!? Another girl just came out of nowhere and landed on Deku. And she STILL HAS HER BOOBS IN HIS FACE!

Himiko was in the same boat, as she tried not to let herself default to, 'stab big-boobed pink-haired girl,' and instead focus on how she was going to get the girl off Izuku as quickly as possible. Before she could think of a way that wouldn't get her in trouble with all the teachers, someone came rushing out of the studio. A skinny man with a large, yellow excavator claw mask covering his whole head yelled, "Hatsume! Are you still alive!?"

The pink-haired girl, Mei, looked over her shoulder and flashed the man a thumbs up, "Yup, I'm just fine, Power Loader sensei!" Twisting around, she pulled herself up, much to the relief of the other three. Though, this was short lived, as she unceremoniously sat right back down on top of Izuku's lap as she started to unstrap the large metallic boots she was wearing, "Though it looks like you were right. I overclocked my hover soles too much. Whoops." She tapped at some of the scorch marks that marred the bright silver metal.

"WILL YOU GET OFF IZUKU ALREADY!"

Mei blinked as she looked over at Himiko, then down at Izuku, "Oh, you're still down there?"

Is this girl for real!?

Power Loader was initially relieved that his student was unhurt. Now that he was clear of the smoke and could see the current situation, however, he switched gears to make sure she stayed that way, "Hatsume, please get off the student and go put those things away."

Mei saluted and hopped up, "Yes, sir!"

With her off, Izuku was free for Himiko and Ochako to rush to his aid and help him up.

"Are you okay, Deku?" Ochako asked as she looked him over. Izuku nodded as he dusted himself off.

Himiko crossed her arms and grumbled, "The nerve of that bi...girl. Just sitting on and rubbing on you like that. It's like she had no respect for your personal boundaries."

Ochako's neck almost physically creaked as she turned to look at Himiko in disbelief that those words had come from her mouth. Himiko tilted her head to the side, and blinked a few times at the look Ochako was giving her, "What? What?"

With Mei now going back into the studio, Power Loader turned his attention back to Izuku, "You're Midoriya right? All Might told me you would be coming by...though I was just expecting you." Power Loader looked over at Ochako, who rubbed the back of her head bashfully, and Himiko, who just shrugged.

"They were just curious about the costume upgrades I wanted to have done today, sir." Izuku said quickly, not wanting the two to be in trouble for coming with him. Power Loader waved him off, "it's fine, but they should probably be headed back to their cl-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as Mei rushed back out of the studio, "Wait! Costume upgrades! Is this the boy you told me about, Power Loader sensei!?"

"Er, yes."

Mei zeroed in on Izuku and, before anyone could say anything, grabbed the poor confused boy and dragged him into the shop, "Excellent! I've been waiting all day to meet you! So you're the boy I'm going to make so many cute babies with!"

It took only a few moments before those words hit Ochako and Himiko and they rushed after Mei.

"THE HELL YOU ARE! IZUKU IS MINE! GIVE HIM BACK RIGHT NOW!"

"THAT'S RIGHT YOU CAN'T JU...Wait, what did you just say, Toga!?"

It took a great deal of effort on Power Loader's part to get everyone calmed back down. Explaining that Mei called her invention her babies had helped keep the two from jumping the unsuspecting inventor. With everyone now ready to listen, he calmly explained the situation to the three as he handed Izuku a small metal briefcase.

"Okay, first things first. Midoriya, here's your repaired costume back. Like our message said, it's completely fixed and as good as new."

Izuku took the case and opened it, running his hands over the bright green fabric. "Thank you, sir. My Mom worked really hard to make this for me. I'd hate it if it had been completely destroyed."

"Midoriya, while I respect that the costume has great sentimental value to you, I'm also happy you agreed to an upgraded costume. Which I suppose I should explain how this is going to work. Normally costumes for students are made by support companies that U.A. has partnerships with. We can do minor tinkering here, but anything major has to be done by the company that originally made the costume. Your costume however wasn't made by a company, so we have a unique situation I'd like to take advantage of."

"A unique situation?"

"Yes. Instead of sending your new design out to one of the companies, I'd like to have it made in-house so to speak. This would give us a lot more freedom to be able to work on it and upgrade it as you progress in your studies."

"Would..would you be working on my costume, Power Loader?"

He shook his head, "Not me personally, though I will be overseeing and giving everything final approval. No, the person that would be working with you would be Hatsume."

Mei waved happily, ignoring the concerned and confused looks she was getting, "Looking forward to it!"

Himiko cut in, "Wait, you want to give the responsibility of making and maintaining Izuku's costume to her? She's a student too right? And a first year?"

Ochako nodded, "Wouldn't it be better for Deku to have someone with more...experience make his costume?"

"Those are valid concerns, but students in the support department are eventually assigned student costumes to work on as part of year long projects. It's a common thing that helps them get ready for the work they will be doing if they are hired by an agency that specializes in costume work. True, it's normally a third year assignment but," Power Loader spoke up a little to cut off the objection he could see coming from the two girls, "Hatsume has demonstrated, in just her first week, a talent that I have not seen in a very long time. The sheer amount of inventions and gear she has put together is staggering."

Ochako and Himiko glanced over at the pair of large boots that were still smoking in the corner of the room.

Power Loader hurried on, knowing exactly what they were looking at, "That's why I want to capitalize on this chance to work on a costume and not have to worry about dealing with permissions and red tape like we would if this was a costume made by one of the companies."

Izuku could understand where Power Loader was coming from. If his costume was made in-house, the support department would have free range to do whatever they felt was needed, and it also made sense that the students would work on the costumes of the students in the hero course. And if Hatsume was as good as Power Loader seemed to think she was, having her work on something like this early also made perfect sense.

"Oh course the final decision is up to you. You are free to request that we send your design out if you feel more comfortable with that…"

Izuku shook his head, "No, I think this is fine."

Turning, Izuku bowed towards Mei, "I'll be in your care, Hatsume. I look forward to working with you."

Mei clapped. "Excellent! I can't wait to get started. I'll just need to take some measurements, and then we can get to work."

"Measur-EEK!"

Izuku was startled when Mei rushed over to him and began running her hands all over his chest and stomach. Ochako sputtered as once again Izuku's personal space was invaded by another eccentric girl, "HATSUME! Wha- what are you doing!?

"I'm just touching his body. Hmm yes, yes. Much more solid than you'd think in those baggy gym uniforms. Not bad."

Himiko's patience finally snapped, "I'm stabbing her! I'm stabbing her right in her stupid face!"

Power Loader hurriedly began ushering out the two while Mei continued getting Izuku's measurements. "You two have a class to get to. You're both already late as it is. I'll let All Might know you were here so you don't get in trouble, but you two do need to go now."

They relented in the end and let Power Loader take them out of the studio. As he began closing the door, however, a noise came from Izuku that neither Himiko nor Ochako had ever heard before. Some kind of cross between an eep and a moan. Both girls turned and saw that Izuku looked like his soul had escaped from his body as Mei was no longer feeling around his top, but was now crouched down and feeling up and down his legs, "Whoops sorry about that. Have to get your inseam and wasn't expecting that to be there. Hmm yep, everything down here is nice and firm too. Not bad at all."

Power Loader slammed the door shut, gulping nervously as he locked it tight. The looks on those girl's faces had sent shivers down his spine.

Himiko and Ochako were both seething, but after a few failed attempts to open the door, they walked to their class. When they finally reached the practice field, All Might, who had been told to expect the two, could see that they were both in no mood for pleasantries, so he simply pointed them in the direction of a group of practice dummies. The resulting carnage that followed made the pro wonder just what had happened to piss them off so much. Though perhaps it was best he kept his nose out of it. This was a situation he could tell would get it cut off.

---

With only a couple of days left before the sports festival, everyone in the school was doing everything they could to prepare. Many of the students, especially those in the heroics classes made sure to take advantage of the numerous gyms that were on campus after their normal classes were finished. The gym that members of class 1-A was using was very impressive. There were plenty of weights and equipment. In the center, there were many training mats that were perfect for sparring practice and around the perimeter there was an oval track, which had become the resting place for the Dekusquad, after finishing Tenya's endurance training. Which had ended up being a 10 kilometer sprint.

Hitoshi groaned as he lay on his back, looking over at Tenya with an annoyed eye, "I should have known your idea of training was going to involve running."

Himiko, who was crumpled into a pile of limbs and sweat, also shared in Hitoshi's annoyance. "I swear...I'm sticking...something into you tailpipes."

Tenya, who was still standing, pointed down at the two, "This only proves my point. While you two may be physically fit, you haven't done anything to improve your long term abilities. What would you do if you had to respond to a crisis on the other side of the city?"

"DRIVE!" Came the two's simultaneous response.

While Tenya continued to berate the two, Tsuyu was talking with Izuku and Ochako. While the three were just as sweaty as their friends, they at least were still able to remain on their feet.

"You two look like you've done runs like that before, kero"

Izuku and Ochako shared a quick look before Ochako nodded, "Yeah, when we were training for the entrance exam, Mr. Yagi had us do a lot of running."

"Towards the end, he started making us have to carry heavy stuff on our backs." Izuku shuddered as he recalled all the piggyback rides he had been made to give his favorite hero.

"Really? How much?"

"I had to carry a safe once," Ochako said as she remembered how much fun that had been.

"Wow," Tsuyu said before adding, "No wonder you have such great legs."

"Tsu!" Ochako gasped and gave her friend a playful shove.

Izuku counted his blessings that Ochako had been distracted, or he was sure she would have noticed him almost having to physically grab his own head to stop himself from nodding in agreement.

An explosion from the center of the center of the gym cut off any further conversation as they all watched as Eijirou sailed through the air and crashed into a wall, smashing it and sending a web of cracks in all directions. Eijirou still had his arms up in front of himself, his hardened skin protecting himself from the brunt of the explosion, though his gym uniform was more burnt ash than actual clothing.

Dazed, he shook his head, "Damn, you don't hold back, do you?"

From the epicenter of the explosion, Katsuki cracked his knuckles, "Fuck no I don't. And next time don't go talking so much shit. You can 'take my explosions,' are you fucking serious?"

While a few other students helped get Eijirou out of the wall, everyone else took that as a cue that it was time to call it a day. Plus no one wanted to have to be the one to explain to Aizawa why the gym was going to have to be repaired.

Again.

With everyone packing up their things, Tsuyu turned to Izuku and asked, "Did you have a chance to speak with your mom about setting up the play date with Eri and my little sister?"

"Oh yeah. Eri's really started to open up recently so she thinks that it should be fine to bring your sister over. How about just after the-"

"Oi! Deku! Where the fuck are you going? You and I need to have a talk. Get your worthless ass over here. Now!"

For Izuku, a car crash would have been less jarring than suddenly realizing what Katsuki had just said, or more like, demanded.

"Eh!?"

Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Don't 'eh' me. Get the fuck over here."

He paused for a second, and looked past Izuku without bothering to hide his contempt, "We don't need the cheer squad. Get lost."

Momentarily confused, Izuku glanced behind himself and was startled to find that his friends had quickly closed ranks around him. Ochako crossed her arms as she glared at Katsuki, "What do you want, Bakugou?"

"Are you deaf, on top of being a dumb fucking bitch? I said-"

"Kacchan!" Izuku's eye's hardened as he raised his voice, cutting Katsuki off sharply, "Don't."

Katsuki brow twitched in agitation, and he was visibly seething but he didn't say anything else. Giving Izuku a chance to turn and look at his friends, "Guys, it's okay."

"So you actually want to be left alone with the literal ticking time bomb?" Hitoshi asked, not bothering to keep his voice low so Katuski couldn't hear him.

"Guys…"

"I could just stab him for you," Himiko added, shockingly casually.

"What!? NO!"

This time, Katsuki did speak up, "You want to have a go, Bun Bitch!? It'd be over in a second!"

Himiko smirked evily, "We talking about fighting or fucking? Cause both cases apply to you, you quick shot, needle di-"

"Toga please!" Izuku was quickly beginning to worry that there was actually going to be a fight at this rate. While Ochako had and does stand up to Katsuki on a regular basis, even she doesn't go so far as to sink to his level on language and threats of violence. At least that he was fully aware of.

Tsuyu tapped her chin as she looked from Himiko to Katsuki, "You do remember what she did to those villains last week right? She's very good at stabbing."

"Are you forgetting what I did to those villains? Besides Bun Bitch doesn't have her knives now, does she?"

Himiko put her hands in her pockets and mumbled to herself, "How much you wanna bet on that?"

Everything was starting to boil over as Izuku waved his arms frantically, "Everyone please! Don't start fighting!"

"I agree with Midoriya," Tenya added sternly, "This kind of conduct, and foul language is unbecoming of us. Threats of violence and fornication," Himiko snorted, "is best left to thugs and ruffians...Besides, the use of weapons is unneeded. A good swift kick to the back of the head will solve any issues."

Everyone looked at Tenya after that.

"Guys, it's alright. I can handle this."

"Deku… if that's what you want," The look on Ochako's face made it clear that this was definitely not what she wanted. Did she want Izuku to be able to stand up to Katsuki? Yes. Had she perhaps had one or two dreams of Prince Izuku throwing a certain unnamed blond barbarian into a dungun? Oh absolutely. But did she want his first few times standing up to Katsuki to be alone and inside the other teens blast range? That was a big no. Unfortunately for Ochako, she could see in Izuku's eyes that this was something he was going to be stubborn over, and arguing may very well make the whole situation worse

"Alright," Ochako sighed, "Alright. We'll leave."

"We will?" Himiko asked.

"Guess we are," Hitoshi confirmed, "I guess if things go bad, we'll just follow the smoke, huh."

"Come on, guys; nothing is going to happen."

"Midoriya, do you want to try and say that again, but actually look like you believe it, kero?"

With not much else to say, the group turned and walked out the door, leaving Katsuki and Izuku alone in the gym.

"Fucking finally. Out of all the extras in our fucking class, how'd you end up surrounded by not just some of the most annoying ones, but by one of the craziest bitches I've ever seen? If you want something that's going to cut your dick off, go find a blender or something. And thats on top of fucking Round Face who just loves being around you. What the fuck?"

"Don't," Izuku started as he turned around, "talk about my friends like that Kacchan."

"We're not here to make friends, Deku."

"Then why have you been hangin around Kirishima so much recently?"

If Izuku wasn't so on edge, he would have been more than a little proud with himself that he actually got Katsuki to close his mouth. At least for a few seconds.

"Kacchan, what do you want?"

"What do I want? What I want, is to know what in the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Um...training for the sports fes-"

"Oh shut the fuck up," Katsuki growled as he marched into Izuku's face, "I'm asking you, what are you doing!? It's not that hard."

The combo of the sudden closeness, and the raw emotions coming from Katsuki momentarily threw Izuku for a loop. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before closing it shut as he thought about Katsuki's question.

What am I doing? I'm in a gym training for the Sports Festival. Unless he's talking more broad? I'm in U.A. to…

"I'm here to become a hero."

"Bullshit," Katsuki spat. "There's no way in hell that's why you're here."

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"If you were actually trying to become a hero, you wouldn't be spending all this time playing Papa Bear to some kid you picked off the street: shopping for clothes, setting up play dates- are you fucking stupid?"

For a moment. For a very brief moment, Izuku's Quirk flared up. Weights hanging in their stands creaked as Izuku reached out and grabbed everything he could near him. However, a heartbeat later, Izuku replayed the words Katsuki had just said and came to the conclusion that Katsuki had not called Eri stupid. Just what he was doing for her. Which wasn't really better, or less horrible, but it at least wasn't worth a dumbbell to the head.

Almost wasn't worth a dumbbell to the head.

"Kacchan," Izuku started to ask slowly, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing, and that's my whole god damned point, you shitty nerd. You got into U.A. Woopty-fucking-do! Now that you're here though, you sure as hell aren't trying to be a hero."

Izuku had tried not to raise his voice too much; he didn't want to get into a shouting match. Now,though, he was starting to forget that, "Are you crazy? I've been to all the classes, I do all the assignments. I'm here getting ready for an event that's going to put me in front of hundreds, if not thousands of heroes in the hopes that I'll get an internship and work study offers. Everything I've done is to try and become a hero!"

"Bullshit. You aren't here to become a hero. You're here to die like one."

All of Izuku's anger, all his pent up frustration vanished in an instant- replaced with a cold pit in his stomach and a vast sea of confusion.

I...what?

"Kacchan, I don't…"

"Shut. The fuck. Up."

Izuku's teeth clicked as he shut his mouth with a snap.

"First you try and fight a fucking villain a year ago.

Izuku shuddered at the memory of the Sludge Villain that had almost killed the two of them.

"Then try to kill yourself in the practical test."

Izuku blinked in shock, but Katsuki cut him off before he could ask how he knew about that, "I overheard you and your friends talking about it after that dumb test Aizawa Sensei gave us."

Oh right, Kacchan was waiting for me...

"Then you decide to stick your nose into my fucking fight and almost got you damned head caved in, on top of fucking drowning."

"But-"

"AND THEN you go and throw yourself at that fucking Shigiraki bitch. For fuck's sakes Deku if you want to kill yourself, there are easier ways to do it. At the very least don't do it in front of people who might decide to risk their own lives trying to save your sorry ass."

Izuku's swift reply came out far, far, more cold than he had planned."So what? Would you rather I do it your way and go take a swan dive off a building?"

Katsuki then did something Izuku didn't think he'd ever seen before in all the years he had known him. Katsuki actually flinched, and then looked away. The motion was so foreign, so alien to Izuku, he almost didn't believe he actually saw it. The look on Katsuki's face too was also so strange to see. If Izuku didn't know better, he would have sworn that Katsuki looked...

"Fucking...Why the fuck do you still remember that shit?"

His words were quiet, for Katsuki, and almost didn't have any edge to them. Izuku also wasn't sure if he was even supposed to have heard them.

"Kacchan, I'm not here to get myself killed. I want to become a hero. Why do you think-"

Any further questions though were cut off as Katuki's bad mood returned and he turned back to look right at Izuku, "Fine, you don't want to die. Then let me get to the point. You're weak and you're an idiot. And here's the kicker, you being so weak, and being such a fucking idiot, almost got Round Face and Bun Bitch killed."

"I…"

"Did you have any kind of plan when you got involved in my fight?"

"...No."

"Did you actually think that Round Face was just going to let you toss her out of the fight like that? While you were still in danger?"

Izuku wasn't able to reply to that. In hindsight it wasn't that surprising she rushed back. He'd have done the exact same thing.

"You were stupid to get involved, and you were too weak to do anything. So not only did you almost die, but you almost got some of your friends killed too. Congratulations, you're a colossal fuck up. And you know what really pisses me off. Instead of trying to get stronger, you're wasting your time doing bull shit that's distracting you from your own fucking goal."

"You mean...Eri?"

"On top of everything else, YES! You found a lost, abused kid. You then did the right thing taking her to the cops. That should have been it but no. No, you go and take her home. And time that you should be spending getting stronger to face those villains that you better believe are going to come back one day, you're wasting on worthless bullshit. Focus on making yourself strong so you don't end up dead, or getting your merry-band-of-bumb-asses killed along with you. Because dammit just because I'm the only one who has a shot of actually becoming a fucking hero in this damned class, doesn't mean I'm going to risk my neck the next time you decide to get yourself fucked. So get your shit together, and stop worrying about being everyone's friend."

Having said his piece, Katsuki turned and started to walk away. He got a few paces when Izuku spoke up, "I'm going to get stronger Kacchan."

Katsuki stopped and turned to look back, and found a determined looking Izuku staring right back at him, "I'm going to get stronger. I want to be like All Might. He is the kind of hero I want to be like, so I have to be strong. I'll become strong so that I can be kind. I'll become strong enough to look after my family, my friends, and everyone that needs help. So Kacchan, I will become stronger than even you."

Narrowing his eyes, Katsuki stared down Izuku, but the other boy didn't back down, "You think you're going to surpass me?"

"The only way I'm getting to that number one spot is past you."

Both boys just stared at each other before Katsuki twisted on his heel and left the gym, his final words echoing in the empty room, "You'll have to go fucking through me, you little shit."

The door slammed shut and Izuku let out a long sigh, "That's what I figured, Kacchan."

Izuku stood in the empty gym for a few more moments as he collected himself and tried to figure out just what that whole thing had been about. As close as he could figure, it was almost like Katsuki in some strange, angry, roundabout way had been worried about him.

"Pfft, ha ha ha ha!"

While he was still laughing at the absurd idea, Izuku turned and left out of the door behind him.

Kacchan worried about me? Wow, I'll need to tell Uraraka that one. She'll get a good laugh out of it. I mean it's kinda sad that the idea is so insane, but there's not much I can do. I mean I could cry...Oh no, please don't actually start crying.

As Izuku tried to force himself not to fall into the old habit, he pushed open the door to the hallway, and was surprised when it hit something.

"AHH!"

"OUCH!"

"I told you this was a bad-!"

Opening the door fully, Izuku was shocked to see all his friends sprawled out on the floor, "Um guys? What?"

"WE WEREN'T SPYING!" Ochako screamed as she scrambled back to her feet.

Himiko groaned into her hand, "First rule about spying. Don't say you weren't spying."

"Shouldn't that be, 'don't get caught spying?'" Hitoshi asked as he dusted himself off.

"Wise ass."

"Wait, were you guys actually spying on me?"

Tenya bowed deeply, "I am truly sorry! I have no excuse for our actions."

"We were just worried is all, kero."

"But Midoriya, what you said at the end. That was truly inspirational." Tenya added, wiping a tear from his eye.

Izuku blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "You heard that?"

"We did, Deku."

If they heard that then…

"Um… Did you hear anything else?"

When, no one could look him in the eye right away, he started to sweat. When he looked over at Ochako and saw her giving him a very apologetic look, he knew what was coming next. Even if he hoped that they had missed it.

"Izuku," Himiko started. The fact that she seemed to be taking her time with what she was saying did not fill Izuku with much hope. "What did you mean when you said 'would you rather I do it your way and go take a swan dive off a building?'"

Crap. Now just think for a second. You can still salvage thi-

"BakugouhastreatedDekulikecompletecrapeversincetheywerelittlekids! He'syelledathim, andabusedhimbecausehethoughtsincehehadabetterQuirkitmadehimabovebeinganormalperson! !"

The avalanche of words that came tumbling out of Ochako only stopped when she slapped a hand over her mouth, forcing herself to shut up. Hitoshi rubbed his ears and shook his head, "Okay, do you want to try that again? And this time, maybe space out your words a bit?"

"Oh she doesn't need to, I heard every word." While Himiko started to look really scary, Izuku frantically tried to get control of the situation.

"Okay, just wait a second. Let me explain."

"Midoriya, when you said that you had a complicated history with Bakugou. Did you mean that he's been a bully for…" Tenya glanced over at Ochako who added, years, "...for years? That's he's been emotional and physically abusive and has even told you to commit sucicide?"

"Um, something like that. Look, can I please explain?"

The desperation in Izuku's voice and the almost puppy dog pleading look he had was enough to bring everyone under control and give Izuku the chance to talk.

"Okay, first things first. Tsu, you weren't here when I said this, but the first day of school I told everyone that Kacchan and I did have a history, but since it's a new year, and we're at a new school, I didn't want to drag up it up."

Tsuyu nodded, "That seems like an understatement."

"No kidding," Hitoshi muttered.

"I also asked that everyone left it at that. Not to pry and make it into a bigger deal than it needed to be." Izuku let his eyes fall on everyone, "And you all agreed."

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hold on just one second!" Himiko screamed as she raised her hands to stop Izuku in his tracks, "You are not seriously trying to make us drop this right? You can't be?"

Himiko turned to Ochako, "He can't be serious!?"

Ochako groaned as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Do you remember how the end of that conversation went?"

Himiko stared blankly at Ochako for a few moments before her jaw dropped as she recalled that Izuku had made Ochako promise to drop the subject too, "Oh...Fuck."

"Yep."

"To be fair Uraraka, you also broke that promise-" Izuku started but stopped when she pointed at him, "You hush! It was out in the open already."

Izuku crossed his arms over his chest, "I could have made something up!"

Tenya frowned, "Midoriya, lying to your friends is not very heroic."

"He's right, kero."

As everyone nodded, Izuku deflated, "I didn't mean…"

"Look, none of us are mad at you. Just explain to us why you want this dropped. At least that way we'll know what you want to do, and maybe even help you with it. You know, like how friends are supposed to act," Hitoshi offered kindly.

"Okay. That's fair. So... here's the thing. Kacchan and I used to be friends when we were really little, but as we got older and we got our Quirks, everyone would praise him because his was so much better than everyone else's. Our classmates and teachers would always just put him on a pedestal and treat him so differently than anyone else. They all could see that he was going to do great things when he got older. I guess because he got away with so much and he knew he was better than everyone else he started to get...meaner as he got older, and I was his favorite target. I tried to stand up to hima few times but because I was so weak I ended up getting beatenup every time. Worse though, is that he acted like it was an insult that I even tried. Since I was so weak, I should have just kept my head down. Jr. High was when it was at its worst. Honestly, if Uraraka hadn't shown up I might have…"

As Izuku trailed off, Ochako recalled what she had read in his hero notebook. If not for Uraraka I might never have gotten the chance I have now. I'd probably have taken Kacchan's advice already. She could feel her blood start to boil.

I really fucking hate that peice of shit.

Izuku shook his head as he continued, "...Anyway. I suppose there are a couple of reasons why I don't want other people involved in this. Honestly I don't want anyone getting in trouble trying to do anything to fix this. If any of you actually tried to confront Kacchan over this, it'd probably just end in a fight, and that will just make you trying to become heroes all the more harder if you're dealing with a punishment. I don't think U.A. wants its hero students fighting each other outside of class."

Himiko noticed that Izuku had looked at her when he had said that. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Mostly because he was right on the money, though there was no way he knew to what extreme she was willing to go. She had been ready, as soon as she realized just what Kastuki had done, to go find the boy and at a minimum beat the boy into a bloody twitching pulp. Now hearing what Katsuki's actions might have led to, even if Izuku wouldn't actually say it, she was past just wanting to hurt him. At worst, she envisioned herself gutting him and letting him die holding his own entrails.

Ah crap, I'm gonna have to talk about this to Midnight. Stupid rules about me and violence against other students.

"And what's the other reason Midoriya, kero?"

"It's selfish but I want to be the one that settles things with Kacchan. I think that, unless it's me, I'll never feel like this whole thing is done."

"And how do you plan on doing that, Deku?"

"I need to prove to myself, and to him, that I'm not someone that's worthless. I need to beat him in a way that leaves no doubt. And...I'm pretty sure I have a way to do that."

There was a pause before Ochako put it together. "The Sports Festival! You want to use the Sports Festival to prove you've surpassed him."

Izuku nodded, "Yeah. That's the plan at least."

"And if he doesn't recognize it?" Tenya asked.

"Then that's on him. It'll be settled for me, and I'll move on and focus on more important things."

Ochako caught the double meaning in Izuku's words. With his explanation over, everyone else looked at each other as they each thought about what he had said. It didn't take long before a unanimous agreement was reached between everyone.

"Very well, Midoriya," Tenya said, "We'll respect your wishes here. If you want to try and settle this between the two of you, and you want to use the Sports Festival as your means, we won't interfere."

"Tha-" Izuku started but Tenya silenced him by holding up a hand, "However, I think I speak for everyone when I say we will not stand by and let him abuse you in any way. He may have been able to get away with that kind of behavior before, but he will not now. If he tries anything, we will step in."

A chorus of agreements echoed Tenya's statement and Izuku could feel their resolve. His friends were going to be there for him, even if he didn't want to ask for their help. It was a very overwhelming feeling, "I understand. Thank you everyone."

---

It had taken some time, but after several days, Hari Kurono finally felt it was safe to enter the lower levels of the base. As he walked down the sterile white halls, everything looked like it was in perfect order. Everything was clean and unmarked, but he knew that just the past night, this was not the case. These walls were shattered and dripping with blood and gore from the rampage their leader Kai Chisaki had been running on those he deemed responsible for their current predicament.

Every watchman or guard that was on duty when Eri had escaped had been brought inside and left to the mercy of the yakuza leader. The man had taken his time, ripping them apart, and then putting them back together, just so he could kill them again, and again. He had been doing this for a very long time, but now he had finally gotten it out of his system.

Hari found the man known as Overhaul standing in the center of one of the labs. He stood motionless at the entrance and only entered when his leader motioned him in.

"Any word?"

"Unfortunately not. None of our contacts have seen her and we don't have enough pull within enough police departments to check their records."

Kai sighed, as he found a chair and took a seat, "There was a time when the yakuza had so much more influence than we do now. We used to have the police eating out of the palm of our hands. Now? Now we're lucky to even get scraps."

"So what do we do now? Without Eri…"

"Without her we only have a limited number of bullets we can sell and have tested. I have some material left over from my last session with her but we'll have to ration it. I want to save as much as possible in case I make a breakthrough in my research."

Hari bowed, "I'll make sure the bullets are sold to clients that will give us the most data. We can't afford to cast such a wide net right now."

Kai nodded in agreement, "Good. And see how high you can up the price. We need to make up the difference now that we aren't going to be able to sell as many bullets as before. At least in the short term…"

"Short term? Does that mean you have an idea on how to locate the girl?"

"Yeah. I want you to start spreading the word that anyone that brings us good information about Eri's location, or the girl herself will get a substantial reward. Doesn't have to be with just our normal contacts. I want this spread as far as you can. Just be careful that the heroes and police don't get wind of it. I don't want them to know we're looking for her and have that lead them to us."

"I'll make sure it gets done."

Kai leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "Good. That girl is the key to our success. I want her back. I don't care what it takes."

I'll get her back, and I'll make damned sure whoever's keeping her from me pays.

---

It was finally the morning of the sports festival, and Ochako's jaw was on the ground. She, Izuku, Eri and Inko had been sitting at the table, enjoying breakfast when there came a knock at the door. When Inko left to go answer it, Ochako hadn't thought much of it. So when Inko came back, with All Might and her parents, she was left speechless.

Speechless up until she started screaming, "Mom!? Dad!?"

Mr. Uraraka opened his arms as Ochako rushed to give her parents a hug, "Easy there, kiddo. You're gonna break me in half."

Even though he was just as surprised to see Ochako's parents, Izuku couldn't help but start to tear up seeing Ochako get so excited to see them. Eri squirmed in his lap as she tried to get away, "Mrs. Midoriya, Izuku is crying again. I'm getting soaked."

Inko chuckled as she helped Eri get away before she ended up drenched.

Ochako, now over her initial shock at seeing her parents had so many questions for them, "What are you guys doing here? How'd you get here? Did something happen? Is everything okay? What-"

Mrs. Uraraka patted Ochako's head as she calmed her daughter down, "Nothing's wrong, dear. We just came to watch you compete in the festival."

Ochako looked up at them in shock, "Wait you guys came to watch me? But you have a T.V.? Why would you need to come here? The ticket price alone is like…"

Ochako trailed off as she started trying to figure out just how much it would cost to come here, but stopped when her dad just grinned and said, "Well we had to come down here so we could get into the stadium."

"Into the...Wait? Wait, you bought tickets to watch the sports festival!? But those are so-"

"Actually Young Uraraka, I happened to get some box tickets from work and I thought it would be nice if your parents joined Inko me and Eri for the day."

Mr. Uraraka smiled, "there was no way we'd miss the chance to watch you on your big day."

"This is so awesome!" Ochako cheered.

Izuku looked over at Eri sitting in his mother's lap, "Are you excited to get to go to the Sports Festival too, Eri?"

"I'll get to watch Izuku and Ochako play games?"

"Yep."

"Then I'm super excited!" Eri balled up her hands and waved them over her head as she cheered.

Izku smiled, "And there are lots of foods that you'll get to try. You're going to have so much fun."

"Food?"

"Yep, I'm sure there will be lots of treats and candies too."

"Really!?" Eri started to bounce a little in Inko's lap as she got more and more excited.

---

As everyone in class sat around, waiting for the call to enter the arena, Izuku was doing his best not to freak out as the weight of the day's upcoming event felt like it was starting to crush him. He could hear some of his fellow classmates talking about what they thought the events were going to be. Some were just focused on making sure they were ready for anything and didn't much care what they had to face, like Ochako sitting next to him. Then there were some that didn't look bothered at all. Katsuki was sitting silently by himself and Himiko was humming to herself on the other side of the table.

"Hey, Deku?"

Izuku looked up to see Ochako looking at him seriously, "Yeah, Uraraka?"

"We're probably going to end up competing against each other today, aren't we?"

It wasn't a question. One way or another, they were going to have to go up against each other today. Be it during the first two rounds sport challenges, or the final round in the tournament. While there had been many things Izuku had been thinking about today- needing to make a good impression on the world, using this day as an opportunity to finally move past Katsuki and making sure he made All Might proud- The fact that he and Ochako were not going to be together today had been something he had gone out of his way not to think about. Which in hindsight might not have been the wisest idea he had ever had. Leaving the issue to be unresolved until a few minutes until the sports festival was going to start, did not leave him a lot of time to come to terms with the idea.

"Yeah, I guess we probably will at some point."

For a few seconds neither of them said anything. They were both so used to working together at this point that working against each other was an unsettling thought. Izuku felt a pain in his chest, he knew that for Ochako, this day boiled down to a great chance to further her goal of helping her family. Ochako also felt her insides twist- Izuku had a responsibility that no one else here knew about, and he wanted today to be a chance to settle some serious problems. That they could end up being the reasons why their friend's hopes and goals didn't happen was not a pleasant thought for either. However, while the idea of getting in the way of their friends goals was distasteful, the thought of not accomplishing their own goals was even more unpalatable. They had to make the most of this day.

Just like everyone else in class.

Just like everyone else in the school.

They both understood that.

So in the end it was simple. Today, sooner or later, one way or another, they were going to be enemies.

So in the end, it came down to something simple.

Was their friendship strong enough to deal with today?

Did they respect each other enough to make the other earn their goal?

Of course it was, and of course they did.

"Uraraka," Izuku started to say. Turning in his chair so that he could face her, "If, if we do end up facing each other, I'm not going to hold back. I came here to win today."

Ochako turned and faced Izuku, her face an exact mirror of his. Jaw set, and eyes filled with determination, "Same here Deku. I'm going to go out there and win. I won't let anyone stop me, even you."

Both looked at each other, and slowly twin smiles formed on their faces that matched their determination. Izuku held out his hand, which Ochako took in a very firm handshake that Izuku returned in kind. When they both let go, they swore that some kind of weight had been lifted off their hearts. Everything else was still pushing down on them, but this singular worry wasn't part of it anymore.

"Besides," Izuku added with a small chuckle, "If it did hold back, you'd kick my butt."

"During or after the festival?"

"Both."

"Damn right."

Izuku's eyes bulged and he started to laugh, "Wow, you must be really in the zone. I don't think I've ever heard you curse before."

Ochako made a small eep, while ignoring the looks that both Himiko and Hitoshi were giving her. When Izuku wasn't looking, she put a finger to her lips to shush them both.

Neither of you say a fucking thing! Or I swear you're both going to the moon!

The door to the waiting room opened and Tenya stuck his head in, "Everyone we will be leaving soon for the opening ceremony. Please get ready!"

As everyone started to get up and get ready, Izuku was not prepared when someone called his name.

"Midoriya."

Turning around, Izuku was shocked to find Shouto standing in front of him. His cold eyes practically pierced into him. A few other students stopped to see what was happening. Ochako and Himiko glanced between the two, while Katsuki looked over his shoulder. It was rare for Shouto to speak, period. Much less to someone else in the class.

"Todoroki? Did you need something?"

Izuku tried not to show how unnerved he was. The look in Shouto's eyes was unsettling.

"You have a strong Quirk, and you've been trained very well. However, I still think rationally, that I'm stronger than you."

Now everyone in the room was paying attention.

"You told us yourself that your quirk doesn't work on people. You said that it amplifies the issues you have when you use it, so by your own admission, your Quirk has flaws. I can use my Quirk against a person without issue. That gives me the advantage."

"I-I guess you could see it that way." Izuku wasn't sure how to respond to this. He hadn't ever talked to the other boy before, so suddenly having a conversation like this was leaving him very confused.

What exactly is he trying to say to me?

"But despite these flaws, you've got the attention of All Might, don't you?"

Izuku went stiff, "I...wha…?"

"He clearly has some interest in you, but I'm not going to pry into that. What matters is that he is interested in you. That's why I'm going to beat you."

"Holy crap, did the best in class just make a declaration of war?"

"Wow Midoriya has got Todoroki as an enemy. Sucks to be him."

"Technically, aren't we all enemies?"

"Yeah, but he's gunning for Midoriya."

"I see frozen vegetables in the future."

While most of the class was still shocked, a few frowned at Shouto. Hitoshi moved over to put himself between Izuku and Shouto, "Why are you picking a fight now when we're about to start?"

"Yeah man," Eijirou added, "That's not the right way to do it at all."

Shouto shrugged them off and walked away, "I'm not here to make friends. So why does it matter if I don't do it the right way."

"Todoroki, wait." Izuku called out to the other boy, "I don't know why you think I have some connection to All Might, or why that makes you think you have to beat me, but don't forget that everyone here is aiming to win. And don't think for one second that I'm not going to give it everything I have. You may have a powerful Quirk, but that doesn't guarantee that you'll aren't the only one that's strong."

Soon the call came for the class to make their way to the arena. As they walked down the hall, Izuku couldn't help but wonder just why Shouto had made the connection between himself and All Might.

"I mean it's not that hard," Tsuyu said, "He pulled you aside for lunch, and he's helping you with Eri."

"But," Ochako quickly countered, "That's only because Deku got hurt so bad during the attack. He was just making sure he recovered and was checking up on him. It's all coincidental."

"You two were trained by someone that works at his agency too," Hitoshi added.

"Again, thats a coincidence!"

"Yeah? How many coincidences does it take before something is just a fact?" Himiko asked.

Izuku waved her off, "Come on Toga. A fact? It's more like a conspiracy theory. There's nothing going on between my and All Might.

"Uh-huh." Himiko trailed off, not hiding the fact she wasn't completely convinced.

"What I wonder is, why does the fact that Tordorki thinks you have a connection with All Might, make him want to beat you so badly?" Tenya wondered.

"Maybe since his dad is the number two hero, he feels he has to beat you because All Might as the current number one has his eye on you, kero. A stand in for All Might's son."

Any further discussion on the topic soon became too hard. As they got closer to the large entrance the noise from the crowd outside drowned out everyone's voice.

---

On several giant monitors hanging above the stands, Present Mic popped onto the screen, "HEY! Are you all ready!?"

A loud cheer from the crowd made the hero smile brightly, "EXCELLENT! It's time for this year's high school festival you all know and love to get started! The first year students are about to take the stage! Give them all a loud welcome!"

From the high box suite seat, Eri watched the crowd cheer while sitting in Inko lap, "Look! Look there are so many people!"

"That's right. Everyone loves to watch the sports festival."

Eri's eyes lit up, "And they're all here to watch Izuku and Ochako too!?"

All Might smirked from his chair, "That's right."

"YAY!"

Mr. and Mrs. Uraraka laughed at the excited little girl. Mrs. Uraraka reached over and handed Eri another caramel apple, which Eri happily took. "You are such a little cutie."

Another loud roar from the crowd drew the group's attention as down below, long lines of students began to enter the arena. Eri looked down then up towards the giant screen looking for Ochako and Izuku.

Present Mic's voice echoed over everyone, "First up, we have class 1-A! These young warriors are the ones that overcame a villainous attack! If there was anyone to watch for, it would be this group of rising stars!"

Cameras panned over the group until Eri let out a little cheer when they passed over Izuku and Ochako, "There they are!"

While Eri cheered, Mr. Uraraka put a hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh, "That poor boy looks like he's a little freaked out."

All Might nodded. "Being in front of such a large crowd can be… intimidating."

Mrs. Uraraka elbowed her husband in the side, "you be nice."

More classes were called out, though some of the students in them were a little put off that their class' intro was not as flashy as the first one was. Soon, all the students were grouped up in the middle of the stage, ready to begin the festival. They were soon joined by the judge of the event, Midnight. Getting up on the stage, she looked over the group of students and smiled, looking forward to the show they were about to put on. Raising her hand up, she brought it and her whip down with a loud crack, calling for quiet from the crowd and the gathered students. Himiko couldn't help but groan at some of the looks a lot of the boys and some of the girls were giving Midnight, but at least they weren't as bad as some of the cat calls she heard from the stands.

Of course she's the freaking judge today. Just great.

"Today, before the first round is selected, we will have the speech from the student representing the first years. He placed first in the entrance practical exam with a total score of 109! Midoriya Izuku of class 1-A! Come up and give your opening speech!"

Izuku blinked, not sure he had just heard right, wait what?

"Oh Deku, I didn't know you were going to be giving a...speech...Deku?" Ochako had started off excited, but that was quickly drowned out when she turned and looked at Izuku. Who looked just about ready to die.

"Deku? What's wrong?"

Up above in the box suites, while Inko waited excitedly to hear her son give his speech, All Might was doing everything in his power not to freak out.

Oh my god. Oh my god I forgot to tell him about the speech. I was supposed to tell him when we had lunch weeks ago! HOW COULD I FORGET!?

"Toshinori, I had no idea Izuku was going to have to give a speech today. Something like that would normally make him so nervous and a wreck for days. But I never saw him freaked out. My little boy must be growing up faster than I thought."

All Might didn't trust himself to say anything at the moment. So he just smiled and nodded.

And prayed that if Izuku figured out he had forgotten he would be able to forgive him by the end of the day, or that Ochako didn't find out about this at all. Because she would kill him.

Notes:

And here we are folks! Its time for the Sports Festival! I can not believe I'm finally here. It only took over 250k words and a year and change . I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter and you are all looking forward to what comes next. Like Izuku's speech. You know, sometimes I think I'm a little bit to mean to the poor boy. Then I remember whats to come and laugh. I'd like to leave a big thank you to everyone that have been leaving me such nice comments! Love you all so much!

A big thank you to my beta reader Tmalasia! Thanks for adding all those commas!

As always, If you liked what you read, or you have some critiques, please feel free to leave a comment or review!