In the coming weeks, preparations needed to be made, for several things. For the students, it was the School Festival. But for Gentle, it was something else entirely, a chance to really make a name for himself as one of the most dastardly villains on the face of the Earth.
A video was seen playing, with an image of All Might popping up, Gentle's voice coming across.
"All Might, the Symbol of Peace. His is the face known all around the world. Like this keen-eyed vigilante, many heroes will no doubt be recorded in the history books, thanks to their notable exploits."
Villains began appearing on the screen as well.
"Of course one must not forget the legendary All for One. Destro, the commander of the Meta Liberation Army. Magneto, leader of The Brotherhood. And the peerless thief, Ouji Harima. These so-called villains have found their own notoriety to ensure their names are never forgotten. Indeed there was once a vague line between hero and villain, ensuring that chaos roamed the streets."
This video had gone on, while a familiar woman sucking on a lollipop and watching from her Smartphone. "Geez, is this what so-called villains do nowadays? What a drag." She placed the video away and went to find her sunglasses clad boss.
She wasn't the only one viewing. La Brava was also watching the video, the girl in awe of her personal hero reveling in his knowledge of heroes and villains, past.
"Allow me to entertain you, dear viewers, this is Gentle. Gentle Criminal at your service."
"So good! That was wonderful my Gentle! You couldn't be more talented!" La Brava cheered as she fell over and wiggled in excitement.
Seconds later, the real Gentle had appeared, getting her attention. "La Brava, has the new video been uploaded?"
"You bet it has!" La Brava confirmed. "The account was deleted again, but I reuploaded everything, starting with your debut video! Do you remember that one? It had me swooning! More exhilarating than a cup of coffee!"
"Haha, I expect nothing less from you dear girl," Gentle said, pouring some tea into a cup from a large distance. "Excellent work as-YOUCH!"
Having spilt some tea on his hand, Gentle took a moment to tend to the burn, he focused more on the task at hand.
"Right then, shall we discuss the finer points of today's shoot?" Gentle said, holding his cup as La Brava once again swooned. "After finishing this cup. Elegantly savoring each and every sip."
Incoming Narration. "Tis I! Gentle! Gentle Criminal! I upload cinematic snapshots of deeds one might consider heinous. But my darlings, please do not jump to conclusions. I do not commit crimes at random. For example, I recently robbed J Store, the largest store chain in the nation, a corporate behemoth. Their best selling item is Fluffy Pudding. But hark dear viewers. This maniacal market is suspected of mislabeling this desert, and forging its expiration date! Naturally, the company feigned ignorance, and it would appear that none shall be punished for these deeds. Catching on my loves? Yes, I reprimand those who behave in an ungentlemanly way. I am the modern day Gentleman Thief."
Gentle and La Brava were out in public, trying to consider their next point of action. While Gentle was optimistically planning his actions, La Brava was much more vocally irritated.
"This is so frustrating!" La Brava shouted.
"Whatever do you mean dear girl?" Gentle asked.
"The J Store Video should be racking up views, but it's barely being watched!" La Brava ranted. "I swear, people on the internet have no taste! Someone like you should go viral!"
"My dear girl, if you always blame others, you will never live up to your full potential," Gentle said. "Don't tell me you are still bothered by the Equestrian Girl? She is of a different media, nothing compared to what we do."
"It's not just her though, you should be top among villain videos, you've been doing them for six years!" La Brava shouted, throwing a bit of a tantrum. "Then suddenly that stupid Stain guy gets a popular video that's all about his stupid life story. And he didn't even upload the stupid thing himself! Now when people talk about villains, they're talking about The Brotherhood, or the League of Villains, and they're all mean and gloomy! They're nothing like you!"
"You are absolutely correct," Gentle said, unaware that La Brava's rant started to attract the attention of a nearby woman. "Extreme and violent actions do seem to fascinate the barbaric masses. It goes against the fiber of my being."
"It's that guy again...he looks goofier up close," the woman said.
However..." Gentle leapt into the air, with La Brava following as they landed on a roof, taking the woman by surprise. "It's true that these foul beings have momentum. Their videos have over ten thousand comments while the scant notes of my videos are far from encouraging."
"So silly," La Brava said.
"But I refuse to be gutted by these repugnant comments La Brava!" Gentle declared. "Why do you ask? Because my next plan will surpass all expectations."
"Aw, I never lost faith in you for a second Gentle, what's your next plan?" La Brava asked.
"Grand displays and great works of art always question the current times," Gentle said. "I"ll target the place responsible for this age of heroes. Soon everyone will know my name."
The woman, revealing herself to be Juri, had leapt up to the roof's side, listening in on the conversation as she grabbed her phone. "Hey, Wesker, I think I may have found some potential recruits. They don't look that capable, but at the very least, they can make for some useful pawns."
At UA High School, Jiro was seen walking out the school, joined by Mina, Shouji and Denki with Bakugo in the background.
"Oh man, the Festival's coming, and we have so many decisions to make!" Mina said. "We have to think about costumes, and choreography!"
"What type of music do you think the rest of the school will enjoy?" Shouji asked.
"Let's just do whatever's trendy," Kaminari said. "Don't you think so Jiro?"
As Bakugo walked along, he overheard some General Studies students talking nearby, including a big-haired male student. "Hey, did you hear? Class 1-A from the Hero Course is doing a concert, apparently for us."
Despite the words, Bakugo could hear the obvious sarcasm as a girl near the student chimed in, "Oh my God, talk about egotistical. Do they honestly believe we're interested in any performance of theirs?"
"Yeah, we all know they're clueless," the guy said. "What did they do after getting attacked by villains? They went to a summer camp, where of course, they got attacked again. We all know how that turned out. And we have to put up with the repercussions of their stupidity, even though it was their fault."
Bakugo grumbled in annoyance as he continued on his way, the words of the students ringing in his head.
Later at the dorms, Tenya took a moment to speak to the class, getting their input for what's to come.
"The School Festival is only a month away," Tenya said. "We don't have much time, we need to make decisions right now."
"We have to pick out a song right?" Toru asked. "Which one should we do?"
"I'm not up to date with popular music, so I'll leave this to you guys," Oujiro said.
"Same here," Shouji added.
"If we're going to do this for everyone, shouldn't it be one everyone knows so that they can dance and sing along with us?" Kaminari suggested.
"It's gotta be something with a good beat," Sero said.
"Yeah! So we can boogie down!" Mina said.
"A good song has a proper mix of rhythm and meaning," Flurry said.
"With those things in mind, I think I know what will make sense," Jiro said. "A hardcore four on the floor club song. It will be like a rave meets rock show. As for dance music, ADM would be the most popular, but you guys wanna play instruments, right?"
"Huh?" the class asked, each of them confused and worried.
"Does anyone play like, Bass, or Drums?" Jiro asked, no response given. "Wow, not even you Flurry?"
"Well, Rainbow Dash taught me a little, one time me, Mayday, Rina and Frankie were considering forming a band if the hero world didn't work out," Flurry said.
"A band?" Sero asked. "Why?"
"Well I did like music growing up, it's a big part of Equestria's culture," Flurry said. "And Uncle Peter is best friends with a drummer, who also doubles as a hero. But once we all got accepted into UA, we kind of put that on hold."
"Who's the drummer if I may ask?" Jiro asked.
"Ghost Spider," Flurry said. "When she's not fighting crime, she's a drummer. She along with a girl named Mary Jane Watson do band stuff from time to time. Of course Mary Jane has so many responsibilities. Being a model, an actress, a seamstress, she even got into reporting."
"Talk about multi-talented," Sero said.
"Point is, Gwen knows a lot about drums, and has let me and Mayday use her set," Flurry said. "She says being a drummer is fun, you get to go wild."
"Drums are the backbone of any band," Jiro said. "I'd do it myself, but I'm mostly a guitarist. Teaching beginners while practicing myself is impossible to do in one month."
"Wait, I know," Kaminari turned to Bakugo. "Yo Kacchan, didn't you accidentally admit once that your parents made you take music classes as a kid?"
"Whoa really?" Sero asked. "Come show us what you got!"
"In your dreams, moron," Bakugo said, turning away from the class.
"Ha, I bet the drums are just too hard for you," Sero taunted.
Not too long later, Bakugo effortlessly began playing the drums, much to the amazement of his classmates, none of them expecting that from the angry boy.
"Well?" Bakugo asked.
Everyone glanced in disbelief, amazed by Bakugo's drumming skills.
"That was legit!" Jiro commented, the girl was just as astounded as her classmates.
"Wow, Gwen would be proud," Flurry said.
"Bakugo's gotta be our drummer!" Kaminari exclaimed.
"Please, I'm not making a fool of myself on stage," Bakugo said, walking away from the drum set.
"Wait, Bakugo, come on!" Jiro called. "If you perform like you did, everyone will have a good time!"
"Don't you understand what's happening?" Bakugo asked. "Look, I'll spell it out for you. We're only doing this to let the other courses blow off some steam, right? Well we're the ones who caused that stress to begin with, so we're basically trying to make ourselves feel better." Bakugo then glared at the students. "This is going to feel like a kick in the nuts from the people they can't stand!"
"What are you talking about?" Flurry asked. "Stuff like this makes people happy!"
"You wouldn't get it, you're still stuck in your Equestrian Girl dream world," Bakugo said.
"Hey don't be rude to Flurry! Or any of us!" Toru shouted. "We're all just trying to help!"
"That's the kind of thing I'm talking about!" Bakugo scolded.
"Hm...I see," Tenya said. "I think he's got a point. Did we think this through?"
"Of course we did!" Flurry shouted. "All of us agreed that music was a good idea, we're giving everyone a free concert without half-baking it! Katsuki's just being his usual grumpy self! He's probably the last person to care about other students."
"Please don't start with that," Tenya said. "The last thing we need to do now is needlessly quarrel amongst ourselves."
"I do understand her criticism though," Shoto said, turning his attention to Bakugo. "You didn't even bother trying to help us pick an idea, so you can't complain now."
"Heh..." Flurry grinned ear to ear at Bakugo.
"Doesn't this make you mad? It's not our fault that villains showed up and ruined things for everybody," Bakugo said. "Why should we be concerned about the feelings of these weaklings? Stop trying to get on their good side. We're not here to make friends, we're here to fight. So if we want to put on a show, then we can't hold anything back! We'll obliterate everyone at UA with the best concert!"
Everyone started cheering, happy that Bakugo was willing to take part in this.
"What you said was scary violent but if you'll play, then let's do it!" Toru said.
"Don't ignore my other parts!" Bakugo shouted.
"Yeah, yeah, tough guy," Mina teased.
"We get it, you weren't being serious," Sero said.
"I'm always serious!" Bakugo insisted.
Flurry rubbed her head in annoyance, "That guy needs to make up his freaking mind."
"Honestly, I think I get it now," Shoto said, taking Flurry by surprise. "At the training camp, Bakugo was the one who got kidnapped."
"He's been carrying that burden ever since," Tenya said.
"How'd you two get that from his pointless rambling?" Flurry asked. "I swear, it's like when it comes to Katsuki, everyone just loses part of their brain."
"Why would you say something like that?" Tenya asked.
"He can't make up his mind, he speaks whatever and suddenly we're all on the same side," Flurry said. "He goes from shaming us for doing something nice then deciding he's going to go all out with it."
"He's just not good at expressing himself," Shoto said.
"Whatever, it doesn't give him the right to be rude," Flurry said. "But if he's going to make himself useful then I guess something good came out of this nonsense."
"Flurry, sometimes people have their own way of showing care," Tenya said. "I will admit that Bakugo is very crude, and he should be mindful of how he words things. But perhaps some positive reinforcement can help."
"We tried being nice, even Izuku is nice to him, despite how much of a bully he tends to be," Flurry said. "I think he needs to learn some consequences. Then again, if getting taken hostage by villains or nearly dying isn't enough, then that boy's a lost cause."
"Honestly, you'd be surprised," Shoto said. "I do get your worries. Bakugo does show some inconsistencies, but I understand his drive."
"...This is silly," Flurry said. "But I'll go along with it for now."
"Flurry," Jiro said, getting her attention. "If I recall, you also mentioned having some musical talent, think you can help?"
"I'd be more than happy to," Flurry said. "Alright, let's get planning."
That night, Gentle and La Brava were seen on a rooftop once again, the girl filming her ally, and eager for the next part of his plan.
"So, tell me Gentle, what's our next move going to be, huh!?" La Brava excitedly asked. "I'm dying to know your brilliant plan!"
"If history repeats itself, as it is one to do, next month there will be a certain school with top of the line security," Gentle said. "An institution of which many of the regaled heroes hail."
"Oh don't tell me...yes!" La Brava said. "I know the place!"
Gentle let out a triumphant laugh as he sinisterly faced the camera. "If I show that I am worthy of surpassing their security, then it is sure to be a headline worthy caper! Mark my words!"
Unknown to the two, Juri was observing from behind a shed of a nearby building. "So, you really want to take a chance with those two?"
"I suppose it is worth the effort," Came Wesker's voice, the man looking out as well. "Even something as basic as a pawn can be useful if played correctly."
"Small-time guys like that tend to be desperate," Juri said. "We'll give it some time and then make our move."
Back in the UA Dorms, everyone is seen making more preparations regarding the festival.
"If I may," Momo began. "As part of my classical education, I have played the piano since I was a little girl. I can play in the band if you need me to."
"Oh yeah! You can totally rock those keyboards, Momo!" Mina encouraged.
"It's great for dance floor music," Jiro said. "You'd be perfect for this gig."
"Then I'll do my best," Momo said.
"Aw, I wanted all the girls together for a big choreo number!" Mina lamented. "But you'll look super cute on stage."
"Bass is my specialty," Jiro said. "That means we just need guitar and vocals."
"I can do vocals, I have a great singing voice," Flurry said. "It's in my genes, I am Equestrian after all."
"That depends, do you specialize in all types of music?" Jiro asked.
"Of course, I can even throw down a rap," Flurry said, doing her version of a gangster pose. "I've been in New York enough times to gain an understanding of Hip Hop culture."
"Wait, so does that mean that everyone else is dancing?" Oujiro asked.
"This may not be enough to get the audience excited," Tenya said.
"In that video I showed you earlier..." Shoto began.
"We gotta have special effects" Mina unintentionally finished.
"Exactly," Shoto said.
"Special effects?" Sero asked.
"Like this!" Mina said, showing off a screen on a laptop. "Sparks, streamers and even a disco ball to fire everyone up! We gotta be extra to set the right mood!"
"Let's pull out all the stops to make it an explosion of light!" Toru said.
"We can totally do that!" Mina said.
"Hey, we're putting this party out in the gym, right?" Sato asked.
"Correct, Mr. Aizawa has even made the proper arrangements for us," Tenya said.
"Hey, how's this for an idea?" Mina began as she began to mentally visualize it. "Uraraka makes Todoroki and Kirishima float. Then Kirishima totally chips away at Torodoki's ice and sends it flying! Then Aoyama can be a mirror ball. The light twinkling off him and the ice will make it look like it's raining stardust. And...and...we can call them Team Snowmen!"
"Ha, a human shaped ice machine," Mineta said.
"It's like the team ups we were talking about before," Kaminari said.
"You want moi to be a disco ball?" Aoyama asked, before putting on his signature smile. "I was born to do this!"
"This gym is going to look spectacular!" Momo said.
"Yes, this is just what we all needed," Tenya said.
"We'll need a crew to pull this off though," Toru said.
"I bet UA can supply us with one," Flurry said. "If not, we'll do it ourselves."
"Hey you guys," Came Kirishima's voice. The boy was seen at the door with a few other students.
"Sorry we're showing up so late," Izuku said.
"We finally finished making up the classes we missed during our work study," Ochako said.
"It sucked," Mayday added. "But we're here now at least."
"Ribbit..." Tsuyu said, the girl was feeling exhausted as well.
"These kids sure worked hard," Peter said, coming in from behind. "Man, UA's workload is tough though, even I couldn't believe it. And I'm an alumni."
"Classes sure have gotten tougher," Twilight said. "Still, you kids look like you're planning something. I don't suppose it's about that concert you're planning, is it?"
"Concert?" Izuku asked.
"Oh totally, we're going to perform a Rave Show," Mina said. "Kyoka's rocking the bass, Momo's on the keyboard, and Bakugo's on the drums! We just need a guitarist and-"
"Whoa, back up," Mayday asked. "Who's on the drums?"
"Bakugo is," Mina said, gesturing to the boy.
"...Uh..." Mayday said.
"Don't look at me like that," Bakugo angrily lamented as he turned away in annoyance.
"So, Rave Rock Club Music for our performance?" Tsuyu asked.
"I get Jiro on the Bass, and Yaoyorozu on the keyboard," Kirishima said.
"But Bakugo on the drums?" Ochako asked. "That's kind of..."
"Shocking?" Toru finished.
"You got a problem with me!?" Bakugo shouted, with Ochako, Kirishima and Tsuyu shaking their heads.
"I think it's funny," Mayday said. "Can't wait to see you on the drums, Katsuki. Maybe Gwen will come by and be nice enough to give you some tips."
"I don't need tips!" Bakugo shouted. "My stupid parents made me practice this since I was a kid, I already have all the lessons I need!"
"Doesn't hurt to learn a bit more," Peter said. "Still, a concert huh? Music is a powerful tool."
"Have you done concerts, Peter?" Mina asked.
"Well, I've helped once or twice," Peter said, feeling awkward. "I'm not the rockstar type. Johnny is. He once sang a love song."
"Is that the one where he would activate his powers while singing?" Mayday asked.
"He'd do what?" Ochako asked.
"So you know how when The Human Torch activates his powers, he says 'Flame On'?" Peter asked.
"Oh yeah, it's his signature catchphrase," Izuku said.
"Well he did some love song for a girl and he would Flame On in the middle of it while singing it too," Peter said. "He's like, 'Flame on, and on, and on, and on, and on', while standing on stage while on fire."
"That's so cool of him," Mayday said. "But wait, some girl? Didn't he sing that for Rainbow Dash?"
"He says he did, but I am pretty sure he sang it for some girl named Melinda," Peter said. "Then he sang it for Rainbow Dash and probably just replaced some words."
"No way, Johnny's not that scummy to recycle a song like that," Mayday said. "It's totally for Rainbow Dash."
"I don't remember, my memory's a bit hazy," Peter said. "Point is, that's how Johnny handled it."
"Point is, it's great when a hero can sing," Twilight said. "Music can be very influential, so sung by a hero, the meaning of lyrics can really change."
"As long as we don't get a repeat of what Mina did," Peter said.
"Huh? What did I do?" Mina asked.
"Uh, sorry, not you Mina Ashido, I meant a girl named Mina Mongoose," Peter said. "She's a Mobian, like Amy. She sang a song once, criticizing her government and the heroes there, and things got bad."
"Dang, what happened to her after that?" Kirishima asked.
"Well since it was the work of a villain that caused the people's reactions, she got off easy," Peter said. "Of course I still say she had a right to be worried given the security they used in the Crown City. Which includes a highly advanced AI who runs just about everything."
"That does sound kind of alarming," Ochako asked. "How advanced is this AI?"
"Well she's smart enough to act like an actual person," Peter said. "She's really nice though, but very loyal to her Queen. Not that Queen Sally is bad, but she's a bit emotionally irrational at times."
"Well, her husband did ditch her," Mayday said.
"Let's not get into this again," Twilight said. "Just keep the lyrics in mind. A powerful voice can send a strong message."
"Wait, who's singing?" Tsuyu asked. "Isn't that the most important thing?"
"I can handle that part," Flurry said.
"Wait, Flurry?" Ochako asked. "I expected it to be Jiro."
"Uh..." Jiro said in worry.
"You know, thinking about it, I should probably do it," Mineta said. "Lead singers usually get the chicks."
"He's not wrong," Peter said.
"Let me do it, I can be a singing disco ball," Aoyama said.
"A singing what now?" Mayday asked.
"Not to brag, but I can sing pretty good myself," Kirishima said, then proceeded to grab a mic as he sang his own song. "Tough guy captain of the ship, stand up tall! You are the manliest!"
"I don't think that's the right genre," Ochako awkwardly said.
Mineta began yacking, much to everyone's confusion.
"That's not even singing," Ochako commented.
Yuga tried singing in a high pitched opera voice, but it came off sounding like he was dying instead.
"Remind me never to go to karaoke night with you kids," Peter quipped.
"Maybe Todoroki can sing?" Sero asked. "He can sing The Human Torch's Flame On song, he can even do the same effects."
"I don't think so," Shoto said.
"Worth a shot," Sero said.
"I'm right here, at your door, I won't leave, I want more," Mayday rapped. "What's up danger?"
"Uh. Mayday?" Ochako said.
"What's up danger!?" Mayday shouted. Seconds later she took a look around, feeling a little embarrassed, "Sorry, got way too into it."
"That's not bad, but we're not doing a rap," Mina said. "We need to make good use of these instruments."
"Love is in Bloom. A beautiful Bride, a Handsome Groom," Flurry sang, getting everyone's attention. "Two hearts, becoming one. A bond that cannot be undone."
"...Not gonna lie, that was pretty," Kaminari said.
"Thanks, this is the song that Auntie Twilight sang at my parents' wedding," Flurry said.
"You did so well with it, Flurry," Twilight said.
"It's cute, but it needs more oomph," Mina said. "We're doing a Rave Show after all."
"I can kick it up," Flurry said. "There's another great one called Winter Wrap Up."
"But it's Winter now," Sero said.
"Technically, it's fall, not winter," Flurry said.
"Still Flurry, that's more of a Spring song," Twilight said.
"Well, I can do Pinkie Pie's Smile Song," Flurry said. "Or Rainbow Dash's Break Free song. Even Rarity has a song about Generosity."
"Flurry, it's sweet that you want to help, but maybe Jiro should handle it," Ochako said. "Equestrian songs are great but might be too cutesy for now."
"Cutesy?" Flurry asked. "Ochako, have you even heard an Equestrian song?"
"Well, Rainbow Dash did sing at the Sports Festival," Ochako said. "And I remember that Pinkie Pie sang that Smile Song after the USJ Invasion to bring our spirits up. Just the other day, I overheard Twilight singing 'A true, true friend, helps a friend in need'. Which I really liked, helps that Twilight has such a pretty voice."
"Aw, thanks..." Twilight said, blushing a bit from the compliment.
"So I am familiar with some songs from your country," Ochako said. "Like I said, pretty songs, but not needed."
"We're just scratching the surface," Flurry said. "Not everything Equestrian is cutesy."
"But even Mayday has admitted that Equestria is too cutesy of a culture at times," Ochako said. "Your Nation's Animal is a Pony. That's about as cutesy as it gets."
"So? Isn't cutesy stuff popular in Japan?" Flurry asked. "I see cutesy stuff all the time in different shops."
"It still may not be what we need," Ochako said. "Jiro may have a better idea of what to do."
"I'm with Ochako too, Kyoka," Toru said. "If anyone's gonna sing, it's gotta be you. When you were playing the instruments in your room, your singing was so cool. I know you'll bring the house down."
"Uh...I don't know," Jiro said.
"Here, practice on this mic," Toru said, handing it over to Kyoka.
"Wow, we just laid our souls out and no one seems to care," Mineta said. "Is Jiro even that great?"
"Minoru, your singing sucks, so you don't get to talk," Mayday said.
"Hey!" Mineta argued.
"Don't be so shy, Jiro," Kirishima encouraged. "Show us those pipes! Let us hear you sing something!"
Jiro still seemed a bit shy, the girl glancing in Twilight's direction.
"You can do it, Koyka," Twilight reassured.
Embracing Twilight's words of encouragement, Jiro took a breath and began singing. "You know everyone...wants to Sparkle...Like the stars, in the...night sky...in this wondrous place, filled with all the dreams. I've been wiiiiishing for, waaaaaiting for, the chance..."
Jiro opened her eyes, and could see just how blown away Mineta, Aoyama and Kirishima were, the rest of her classmates speechless as even Twilight and Peter seemed pleased by her vocals.
Within moments all of them were cheering while Mineta, Aoyama and Kirishima had fully passed out from how amazing it was.
"Aw, Jiro looked so happy!" Mina cheered. "I knew you could do it! Such a soothing voice!"
"Alright, I call this a unanimous decision," Tenya said.
"Your voice was so pretty!" Twilight shouted, taking Jiro's hand in hers as her eyes sparkled like her namesake. "I can't believe you've been hiding such a talent from us, Kyoka! You shouldn't be so shy about it, you have the voice of an angel!"
"Uh...are you sure you're not exaggerating?" Jiro asked.
"Of course not! Your song was beautiful," Twilight said. "I can't wait to hear more of your amazing singing!" Twilight had a realization. "Wait, does Rainbow Dash know?"
"Uh, kind of, she let me use her guitar once and I sang one of the Rainboom's songs," Jiro said. "She liked my rendition of 'Awesome as I wanna be'."
"Wow, she did?" Peter asked. "Considering Rainbow Dash wrote that song to stroke her own ego, it's funny hearing that she liked your cover."
"Come on, Rainbow Dash hasn't had an ego in years," Twilight said.
"To be fair, she did make me and Kaminari look bad during the Practical Exams, and seemed to enjoy doing so," Mina said.
"Point is..." Twilight began, trying to move the conversation along. "I'm happy you have this talent, Kyoka. You're going to make a lot of students happy with your performance."
"Thank you Twilight..." Jiro said, trying her best to brush it off as she took a few steps back from Twilight. "That aside, there's still more planning to do. First, we need guitars. Preferably two players."
"Pick me!" Kaminari volunteered. "Playing instruments is super cool!"
"Add me to that!" Mineta said.
"I'd just break the strings," Kirishima lamented.
"Don't you dare volunteer unless you're going to totally kill it, dimwit," Bakugo warned.
"Dude, I totally will!" Kaminari said, then grabbed a guitar and started playing it. "The guitar is the star of every rock band!"
Mineta tried playing a guitar, but unfortunately he could barely hold it, and his arms were not long enough to reach the strings. "My fingers can't reach because of my character design!"
"I wanna be on the dance crew," Sato said.
"Same, I can move pretty well with my tail," Oujiro said.
"I can use my tape to help with the special effects," Sero said.
Suddenly they heard someone playing a guitar. Everyone turned their attention to Tokoyami, the Dark Shadow user jamming on a blue guitar.
"That's impressive Fumikage," Twilight said.
"Yeah, since when do you play guitar?" Peter asked.
"I have had experience," Tokoyami said. "But my progress halted when I faced off against the F-Chord, and lost."
"Makes sense, the F-Chord is a pain to figure out at first," Twilight said.
Tokoyami turned to his tiny classmate, "Mineta, if you can't play for yourself, then I will play on your behalf."
"Do whatever you want, dammit!" Mineta lamented. "This is stupid, let's just get this festival over with. I hope all your nails break off."
"Kid, you're in High School, not Elementary," Peter said. "Build a bridge and get over it."
"Peter!" Twilight scolded, then focused on the pouty Mineta. "Don't pay him any mind Minoru, there must be something you can do. I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"I got this Mama Sparkle," Mina said, taking Twilight by surprise with the nickname. "Hey Mineta, if I can get a harem together, would you join us on the dance floor?"
"...The Festival can't come soon enough," Mineta happily stated.
"When in doubt, use the horniness as a weapon," Peter said.
"PETER!" Twilight scolded.
"Hey it works," Peter said. "Give a guy some cute girls, he will feel like a King."
"So what about the rest?" Mayday asked. "We still have a few more things to figure out."
"I have some plans, but I do want to hear everyone out first," Jiro said.
"Okay, just try not to take too long," Twilight said. "It's getting late, and it's a school night."
"Do not worry Twilight," Tenya reassured. "I will ensure this moves along swiftly."
Hours later at 1:00 am.
"Alright, we have decided everyone's role in the Festival!" Tenya said as he turned to a group containing Jiro, Momo, Kaminari, Tokoyami and Bakugo. "The band team!" He turned to Koda, Shoto, Aoyama, Kirishima, Sero and Shoto. "The Special Effects Team!" He turned to everyone else. "And the dance team!"
"Hey! Keep it down!" Peni shouted from the other room. "I'm trying to sleep!"
"Huh...I totally forgot she was here," Kaminari said.
"Also, isn't she on the second floor?" Mayday asked.
"Peni's been working hard on her inventions," Peter said. "It's how it usually is with Peni. She's hyper focused on what she does and barely makes time for others."
"Gee...wonder who that reminds me of?" Twilight asked.
"You of all people should not be judging me about that," Peter commented.
"But still, it is late, and you are being a bit loud," Twilight said. "Luckily Benjy hasn't woken up."
"He's one sound sleeper," Peter said.
"Regardless, you kids should be getting to bed too," Twilight said, the girl yawning right afterwards. "I need some sleep myself."
"We appreciate you two staying up and helping us out with this," Ochako said, bowing to her mentor.
"It's in my blood, I am of a nocturnal species after all," Peter said.
"That's right, most spiders are nocturnal by nature," Momo said.
"Actually I was talking about New Yorkers, but spiders work too," Peter said.
"Oh, that makes sense too," Ochako said. "New York is the City that Never Sleeps."
"Right on the mark," Peter said. "But this ain't New York, so get your butts to bed already."
"I am in full agreement with Spider-Man," Tenya said. "Come on, we must get our rest."
The following day at the Teacher's Lounge, All Might is seen drinking some coffee while speaking with Izuku and Mayday. "I heard about what you guys are doing for the Festival. Something about a Live Performance. That sounds like a good time."
"Yeah, it will take some work to pull off though," Izuku said. "It's something I'm looking forward to."
"I just wish I got to play the drums, but I missed my chance because of those annoying make-up classes," Mayday said.
"Schoolwork takes priority, Young Mayday," All Might said. "That being said, why did you want to meet, Young Midoriya?"
"I'm curious myself, you even invited me," Mayday said.
"I kind of wanted Peter here too, but he's off patrolling. That and he's off to check on Eri," Izuku said. "It has to do with One for All."
"Oh, hoping to enlighten daddy more on something?" Mayday asked.
"That and I needed to relay something to All Might too," Izuku glanced at his mentor. "Will you hear me out?"
"Of course, that's why I'm here," All Might said.
"Well, during my Work Study, I was able to use twenty percent of my power," Izuku said. "It took a toll on my body, but it still wasn't enough to win. Part of me worried that I was even getting in Peter's way, and if Eri weren't there, I'd be completely useless."
"You weren't in the way." Mayday said. "You did your part to help."
"I had to rely on Eri's power, and Peter was actually very furious with that," Izuku said.
"Aizawa did warn me about that," All Might said. "Funny since when Peter was young, he'd do the same thing. But he usually got chewed out by Tony Stark or someone in authority. I guess over the years he came to understand why."
"I understand why daddy was upset, but technically Izuku did help Eri feel like less of a freak," Mayday said. "He proved her powers were useful. Daddy overreacted a bit when he got mad at Izuku."
"Truth be told, I wasn't too happy about it myself," All Might admitted. "I do understand why Young Midoriya did it though. It was a tough situation, so I won't completely fault him. At least no one got hurt."
"Aside from Chisaki, but he deserved it," Mayday said. "I didn't even feel bad when Shigaraki and his gang of losers dealt a critical blow."
"That is not a proper thing to say, young lady," All Might warned.
"Hey, you can't deny he didn't have it coming," Mayday said. "Not after what he did to Eri, and what he did to my family's home. I'm glad Izuku got to hit that badass blow that knocked Chisaki the hell out."
"Honestly, I was lucky with that hit," Izuku said. "That entire fight, I couldn't even get close to Chisaki. I tried to think of a solution, but I have a lot of difficulty fighting in my current state. I need to figure out something new."
"Sounds like you're at a dead end," All Might said.
"Sensei, with all due respect, that's not what Izuku needs to hear," Mayday said.
"No, he's right," Izuku said. "That's why I need to figure out how to improve."
"My suggestion is coming up with your own long distance attack," All Might said.
"Honestly, I wish I could do the moves you do, All Might," Izuku said. "But I'm just not good enough yet."
"Geez Izuku, try to have some self confidence," Mayday said. "You've gotten so much better since I met you."
"She's right," All Might said. "At the start of the school year, you could barely fight without injuring yourself. I know you got hurt against Chisaki, but it wasn't the usual way."
"So, do you know a way to help Izuku?" Mayday asked.
"I might have an idea," All Might said. "Come on, let's take this outside. Change into your gym clothes."
Outside the UA Main Building in the Forested Area, All Might was gathered by Izuku with Mayday observing his training.
"So...you want me to use twenty percent here?" Izuku asked.
"Right! Just go Full Cowling!" All Might encouraged.
"But, remember what I said earlier," Izuku said. "When I use twenty percent, I put strain on my body and I end up not being able to move well. That's why I'm working hard to strengthen up."
SO!?" All Might shouted. "Just forget that and just do it!"
"Geez sensei, you need to lay off the caffeine!" Mayday said.
"My caffeine intake is fine!" All Might said. "Young Midoriya! Quit dawdling and do it!"
"Uh, if you say so," Izuku said, as he began to power up. "One for All: Full Cowling! Twenty Percent!"
A bunch of electric energy began to surround Izuku, the boy struggling to maintain his power.
"He's so amazing..." Mayday admired.
"Now stay at this level and attack as if an enemy is in front of you!" All Might instructed.
Izuku did as told, and leapt into the air to throw one of his shoot style kicks. In doing so, he created a strong gust of wind that took down some trees. "The wind pressure!"
"I was going to teach you this when you could use fifteen percent on instinct," All Might said. "But it sounds like you need the lesson now. Honestly if you didn't notice this during your fight, you must have been too focused on defense. You didn't realize that you can weaponize wind pressure without breaking yourself."
"Whoa, kind of like the Sports Festival," Mayday recalled, thinking back to his fight against Shoto. "Granted he messed his fingers up but...hey, you alright Izuku!?"
Izuku seemed to be in physical pain, "I'm fine, but this still feels like too much."
"Let's take a look at the stages your training has put you through," All Might said. "First, you used one hundred percent of All for One on one part of your body. Second, you control the percentage on one part of your body. Third, control the percentage on your whole body. Fourth, shoot style, which focuses on your legs rather than your weaker arms. Fifth, you raised your control from five percent to eight percent."
"Hooray for exposition," Mayday quipped. "Should be worth noting that daddy trained him a little in hand to hand combat."
"He mostly taught me some defensive moves," Izuku said. "He focused on offense more when training Uraraka."
"That defense thing makes sense, probably another reason you focused heavily on that when fighting Chisaki," All Might said. "But, that aside, your final step is using twenty percent for a short amount of time, even if it's past your limit."
"Responsibly of course," Mayday added.
"Now, for today's lesson, how I used One for All!" All Might said.
"You weren't continuously putting out one hundred percent of your power, were you?" Izuku asked, much to All Might's disappointment as the man hoped to make a grand reveal. "If All Might were always at One Hundred Percent, he would create disasters everywhere he went. It doesn't make sense to always be at full power! Since I can't hold twenty percent for long, I should combine the second and more recent lessons I learned. I'll focus my percentage on one body part, and raise its percentage in a split second. A focused blast, that could work!"
"He's so smart..." Mayday mentally swooned, a lovestruck look on the girl's face.
"Easy to say, but you must be ready to push past your normal limit in an instant," All Might said. "That requires a higher level of control than you've used so far. So I have a question for you, Young Midoriya. What part of your body can you move with the most precision? I'll give you a hint, think of your current mentor."
Izuku held up his hand, placing his fingers in a manner similar to Peter activating his webbing.
"That's right, practice controlling One for All using your fingers for this move," All Might said.
"One for All: Full Cowling at eight percent," Izuku began to charge up. "Then, at the moment of the attack! Boost to twenty percent!"
Izuku used his abilities to send a wind attack at a tree, knocking it over.
"Awesome job, Izuku!" Mayday cheered.
"Wind attacks are a great weapon for strength users," All Might said. "The Incredible Hulk is known for his legendary Thunderclap technique. The shockwave that puts off can even outdo the strongest hurricanes."
"From a green monster to a green cutie," Mayday said. "The power of wind at its finest."
"A chance to be compared to The Hulk?" Izuku asked. "That's a strong legacy to live up to."
"Just know that you won't get this right away," All Might said. "Keep training until you fully understand it."
"Thanks, I know what I have to do now," Izuku said.
"This type of thing isn't easy to master, even Superman struggled," All Might said. "But it's vital."
"I know what I have to do then, to reach the next stage," Izuku thought to himself, relishing this new information.
"Hey, All Might," Mayday said, getting the man's attention. "This whole controlling your power, you mentioned Superman does it. But don't we know a certain other alien who can? One who specializes in martial arts? Who knows what it's like to not break yourself as you fight?"
"I know exactly who you mean," All Might said, thinking of the Saiyan Warrior Goku, who was currently out doing his own training on the point of a tall log. "I think he might want to see Young Midoriya as well."
Later on the way to the Hospital, Peter was seen on a video call, the hero looking really worried. "Are you absolutely sure that everything's alright on Mobius?"
"We're fine, Peter," Amy said, the girl standing in front of her home. "We're in a bit of trouble but it's nothing we can't handle."
"This seems like more than a 'bit'," Peter said. "I can make time, I'm just a Warp Ring away."
"We'll keep that in mind," Amy reassured as Sally was seen walking behind her. "We'll come to you if it gets too bad, but for now, just let us handle it."
"I will," Peter said, then took note of the Queen. "Hey there Sal!"
"Huh?" Sally turned to Amy, and the video call. "Oh...hi."
"Do you want to talk to Peter?" Amy asked.
"It's fine, I don't want to bother him," Sally said. "Besides, I think Sonia wants me to herself today."
"She can share," Amy said.
"It's fine, catch you later Sally," Peter said as the Chipmunk awkwardly waved goodbye and left. Peter's concern only grew, "You're confident that she'll be alright?"
"I'm working on it," Amy said.
"Also, is she at your house?" Peter asked.
"Yeah," Amy said.
"So...all those pictures...? And that flower?" Peter asked.
"Don't worry, I always make sure she's comfortable when she's visiting," Amy said. "Sonic hates when I do that, since you know how stubborn he can be."
"Yeah..." Peter awkwardly said. "Well, hopefully things simmer down soon. There's a Festival in UA in a few weeks, it'd be great if you can come. Eraser Head did say heroes were welcome and you're technically licensed on Earth."
"I'll think about it," Amy said.
"Also the kids are going to be doing a concert," Peter said. "Mayday and Flurry are going to dancing on the floor with Izuku, Ochako and Tsuyu."
"Oh! That's so great!" Amy said. "What about Momo?"
"Keyboard, she's going to rock," Peter said. "Those kids just need practice."
"Maybe later we can ask Mina for some tips," Amy said.
"Sure, assuming I didn't worry those kids with that story about her 'I'll Save Myself' song," Peter said.
"Oh my, I actually remember that!" Amy said.
"Honestly, I still feel like she had reason to worry," Peter said. "Nicole's been hacked before, but Sally seemed to stubborn to listen."
"Believe me, at this point she probably wishes she listened to a lot of people much more than she has," Amy said. "That's the thing about heroics and stuff. People need to feel safe, and some heroes have a big influence."
"That's something I did want to warn them about," Peter said. "They're doing this concert because they blame themselves for a lot of the bad things that happened to UA."
"That's sweet of them to care," Amy said. "A good song might be what those other students need. To this day, I still say one of my favorite hero songs is one you're all too familiar with."
"Amy, don't," Peter said.
"I believe it goes, 'Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can'," Amy sang.
"Amy..." Peter grew embarrassed.
"~Spins a web, any size. Catches thieves, just like flies~" Amy sang. "Look out! Here comes the Spider-Man."
Peter's face was completely red, "Geez, I'm flattered that I have a song, but it seems like too much. Glad they're not singing that at the concert."
"Hey, if anyone deserves their own concert, it's you," Amy said.
"Well Amy, I got one thing to say to you," Peter said. "Sweet, sweet, you're so sweet."
"Aw, thanks," Amy said, then heard something break. "Sonia!"
"Wasn't me!" Sonia called.
"That girl..." Amy lamented. "I gotta go Peter. Tell those kids their hearts are in the right place, and so long as love guides them then-" Something else broke. "SONIA ROSE!"
"It was the Wind!" Sonia called.
"Yeah, a little blue wind," Peter quipped.
"Just tell those kids to follow their hearts, because love is a big part of being a hero," Amy said. "And there's different ways of spreading love!"
"You got it, Ames," Peter said.
"Uh, Sonic hates when you call me that," Amy said.
"Aw, is he gonna cry about it?" Peter teased.
"Got a dance to go with that bullying, Parker?" Amy teased back. "I'll see you around, I got an adorable little girl to scold."
"Tell Sonia I love her," Peter said.
"Will do, bye-bye," Amy said, hanging up.
As Peter placed his phone away, he came across another surprise that was just leaving the Hospital. "Didn't expect to see you two."
In front of him were agents Leon Kennedy and Chun-Li.
"Hi Peter, we stopped by to check on Eri," Chun-Li said. "At the very least, make sure she's still there."
"What does that mean?" Peter asked. "Why wouldn't she be?"
"You should know why Peter," Leon said. "As it stands, that girl is still a ward of the state.
"Yeah, she is, but I'm planning to adopt her," Peter said.
"Well you never know," Chun-Li said.
"That girl has a strong quirk, and after what I went through with Sherry after Raccoon City, I needed to be sure that this girl would be safe too," Leon said. "Technically, this case is closed on my end, but I just need to be sure."
"Chris, Jill, Carlos, Cammy and Guile feel the same way," Chun-Li said.
"I suppose I don't blame you for being worried, and I appreciate that you're making sure nothing screwy happens," Peter said. "Right now though, Eri is under complete protection under UA High School. They're not going to let anything happen to her."
"That's good, and we'll be here to protect her too," Chun-Li said. "You have my word."
"Same, I still have some business in Japan, so I'll be flying in and out from the states," Leon said.
"Sounds like a lot of Jet Lag," Peter said. "Hope you're getting good miles on those plane rides."
"I'm a close friend of Black Widow, I don't take a regular plane," Leon said. "Not that it matters to me."
"Well I appreciate you both stopping by," Peter said. "I gotta check on Eri too. If things go well, she should be able to leave the Hospital, and even attend UA's School Festival."
"Oh! the UA Festival!?" Chun-Li asked. "Sounds fun."
"I heard a rumor that it was being canceled," Leon said.
"Yeah, I think it almost was," Peter said. "But it's on, and Class A is going to perform a musical number for the school. You should hear the lead singer, she's amazing."
"I'd like to attend," Chun-Li said. "Maybe Leon can come too."
"I'm not a festival guy," Leon said.
"Plus, it's a limited entry type thing," Peter said. "As far as I know, regular civilians can't even attend. Kind of bogus since I think Class A is going to nail it with the concert, but whatever."
"Well I think I can get in somehow, I am an alumni," Chun-Li said. "Plus, Ken's a shareholder for UA I believe, so he might get me some clearance."
"That'd be great," Peter said. "And Leon, if you're able to come, you totally should."
"I'll think about it." Leon said. "Anyway, I won't keep you from Eri."
"We actually ran into Eraser Head in there," Chun-Li said.
"Wait, he's here?" Peter asked. "Guess he left UA early. I gotta go and see."
"That blonde kid is with him, the one who lost his quirk," Leon said.
"Sounds like Mirio," Peter said. "I gotta go see, thanks for coming by."
"Bye Peter," Chun-Li said as she and Leon waved Peter off. "It's always a treat to see Peter."
"He's taking good care of that girl," Leon said. "It can't be easy for Eri, given what she had to grow up with. Girls like that need all the attention they can get."
"Yeah, we're both more than familiar with helping out young girls," Chun-Li said.
"Right..." Leon said, getting ready to leave. Suddenly he got an alert on his phone. "Huh? What's this?"
They saw something that said 'Gentle Video', the two proceeded to play it.
"My dear viewers, do you know what this overflowing tea cup symbolizes? I always pour a certain amount of tea to correlate with the job I am going to do," Gentle's face appeared on screen. "Can you guess what it is? I am going to do something that will change the scope of heroics, and it will happen quite soon my dears."
"I've seen this guy a few times, he commits robberies and posts the videos online," Leon said.
"What a creep, why would he do something like that?" Chun-Li asked.
"I don't know, but I guess it's something we should look into if we're here," Leon said.
"Maybe, it could help if..." Chun-Li noticed something else. "Hey! Sunset Shimmer uploaded a new video too!"
"Wow really?" Leon asked. "Sweet, let's check it out."
The moment they pressed play, the two heard the girl immediately shouting, "THIS STUPID GAME!"
"Oh this should be fun," Leon said.
Chun-Li giggled to herself, "Yeah, hilarious."
In the hospital, Peter had gone up to Eri's room where Aizawa and Mirio were waiting. In the room was Eri herself, the girl relieved to see a man she's grown to love. "Peter!"
"Hey kid," Peter walked over to bring her into a hug. "Feeling better?"
"A little," Eri said.
"She's making a great recovery," Aizawa said. "Soon, she won't need to stay here."
"That's amazing," Peter said, breaking off his hug. "You hear that Eri? You're going to be free soon."
"And...be with you?" Eri asked.
"Absolutely," Peter said.
"It gets even better," Mirio said. "Eri just may get a nice little preview sooner than later of UA."
"Wait, really?" Peter asked. "How soon?"
"Let's talk about the details," Aizawa said.
Eri looked confused, but something told her that she was in for an exciting time, and it would start sooner than she expected.