Well, that was quick! Thanks to your support, we're finally getting into Season 2 of "Through the Rough"! Expect a lot of fun action and an original arc sprinkled in for what's going to be 50 chapters!
Really appreciate all your support, and I'm hoping we can power through this season maybe before the end of March! It's thanks to you all that I'm able to get these chapters out as quickly as I am. So without further delay, let's get started!
"Given the situation, I do wonder if there are others involved in this matter..." Witch said while having her hand upon her chin, narrowing her eyes underneath her helmet as she and the other U.A. teachers were discussing the events of what occurred at the U.S.J., "That Sibir man Weisz had informed us of was once a member of Drakken Joe's forces, one of the Oracion Seis Villains," she explained, "This Tomura Shigaraki..." she continued, "If he's working with a member of the Seis, he may very well be within their ranks..." she pointed out.
"That's true," Snipe agreed, crossing his arms over his chest, "But the fact is, Joe's been off the radar for years," he noted, "Same with ones like Elsie Crimson and Poseidon Nero," he mentioned.
"Is it possible that this Shigaraki's planning on becoming one of the Seis?" Midnight inquired.
"If that were truly the case, Madam Nemuri," Witch began, causing her to perk up in surprise as she blushed, "then it'd be prudent to assume that he is looking to rule over this country," she pointed out, "And considering his actions against you and the others, Sir Toshinori," she kept going, making All Might narrow his eyes curiously, "I have a feeling that this man will be a great threat to this hero society if we're to let him continue to roam free..." she admitted ominously. Everyone looked to her in concern, seeing how troubled she appeared.
"Another thing to add..." Present Mic chimed in, getting everyone's attention as they turned to him, "what should we do about Steiner?" he asked, "He and that Sibir guy used to be pretty close, right?" he questioned on.
"Hmm..." Nezu hummed out, "A very good point, Yamada," he said, "I think for this case, one of the teachers should counsel him for the time being," he insisted of his faculty.
"I'd be happy to take on that role," Witch decided, getting his attention, "Sir Weisz needs to share what he knows," she noted, "Hopefully, it will give him some peace as well..." she added as she lowered her head for a moment.
"Yeah..." All Might agreed, looking down in thought. Though the students of Class 1-A had endured the villains' attack, there was still some lingering damage they faced. And in time, there would be more...
"Come on...!" Rebecca grunted out, wearing a sky blue hoodie with cat ears as she held a video game controller in her hands. Sitting beside her and also holding a controller was Izuku. They were placing a racing game as Inko was setting the dinner table in the background. Happy nuzzled against her right leg, making her giggle.
"Looks like it's gonna be a close one..." Izuku noted, tensing his shoulders as he concentrated on the screen.
"Yeah..." Rebecca agreed as she smirked cheekily. The two teenagers leaned forward as their respective characters neared the finish line. And the one who made it first was... "YES!" the Leaper Quirk user exclaimed delightedly, throwing her hands up into the air happily, while Izuku slouched his head.
"You only won because I couldn't really use my left hand..." he claimed, puffing his cheeks out.
"Oh, do I hear someone being sour that he lost to Miss Aoneko?" Rebecca guessed teasingly as she leaned toward her best friend, nudging his shoulder with hers, "And here I thought your rivalry was with Kacchan..." she remarked with a smirk, "Huh? Huh?" she repeated, making him laugh as he blushed a little. Looking over to them, Inko smiled.
"Kids, time for dinner!" she called out, getting their attentions. Moments later, they were at the table enjoying the katsudon and scallions prepared for them, all while Happy chewed on cat food in the background.
"Mmm~!" Rebecca moaned happily as she chewed on a piece of gyoza, "This is so good, Missus Midoriya!" she complimented after swallowing.
"Oh, I know already how much you love my cooking!" Inko pointed out with a smile, "Izuku does, too!" she mentioned, looking over to her son. He blushed as he blinked in surprise, chuckling sheepishly. The Leaper Quirk user grinned at him before continuing her meal. Once they were finished, they helped wash the dishes. Rebecca put her Switch and Happy's cleaned food bowl into her backpack, zipping it up.
"Hey, uh... Rebecca?" Izuku said, getting her attention as she glanced back over at her best friend, who rubbed his left arm gingerly, "You mind if we talk for a bit in my room?" he asked her. She blinked in surprise.
"Uh, sure," she replied. Inko was humming a tune to herself until she overheard the door to her son's room close. While she'd normally not make any sort of fuss over Izuku and Rebecca being alone in the same room together, something was alarming her now. The Leaper Quirk user was a very attractive young girl, and her best friend was a strong, growing boy. She started to foam at the mouth a little as a few impure thoughts crossed her mind.
"Huh..." Izuku exhaled as he sat down upon his desk.
"Still a bit overwhelmed after everything that happened, huh?" Rebecca guessed while sitting down on her best friend's bed.
"Yeah, pretty much..." he admitted in reply, "And you predicted a lot of what happened..." he mentioned, causing her to blink in surprise.
"Well... that was a really bizarre coincidence..." she noted, recalling how true her nightmare had been. The only difference was the outcome. "I'm glad we're alive," she said with a smile.
"So am I," Izuku agreed, smiling back. However, his expression shifted back into a serious expression as he stared down at the floor. Rebecca noticed, blinking worriedly.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Even though we saved All Might from getting killed..." he began, closing his right hand into a fist, "I still feel like a failure for not being able to use this power he granted to me properly," he confessed, "At least... not in a way that won't break my body in the process..." he added.
"Hmm..." the Leaper Quirk user hummed in thought, wanting to help however she could as she put her hand onto her chin, "Well, what does it feel like?" she asked him, causing him to perk up out of surprise, "I mean, there's gotta some sensation before you're about to... uh... smash something, right?" she inferred.
"Yeah," Izuku replied, putting his hands onto his knees, "It's like an egg about to explode in a microwave," he told her. A blank expression came across Rebecca's face.
"Do you need me to tell you just how lame that sounds?" she muttered in question.
"I-It was all I could think of when All Might asked!" he stammered back, "Anyway..." he continued, holding out his right fist, "I feel the power surge through my body like the microwave heating the egg up," he told her, "And when I release it-"
"The egg explodes," Rebecca finished for him, "I think I get the analogy, as lame as it sounds..." she noted, causing him to frown a little as she giggled, "But you know," she continued, "it kinda sounds like an Ether-Type Quirk in a way," she pointed out.
"An Ether-Type?" Izuku repeated curiously as he blinked in surprise, "How?" he asked.
"Most kids with Ether-Type Quirks develop Ether lines like these randomly around their whole bodies," the Leaper Quirk user explained to him while showing off her wing-like markings upon her legs, "They start around age three and take about a year to develop before forming into an actual Quirk," she mentioned.
"The energy flows throughout your body..." Izuku realized, putting his hand onto his chin.
"Yeah," Rebecca confirmed, "Sometimes, the Ether-Type Quirk can be inherited like how Shiki got it from his grandpa or Homura from-" She stopped talking upon seeing Izuku stand up from his seat and clench his fists together. "Wh-What are you doing?" the Leaper Quirk user stuttered in question.
"I think I get it..." her best friend said, "When it comes to Ether-Type Quirks, you use them at a specific part of your body, like how you use Leaper at your legs or Granbell using his Satan Gravity around his arms," he told Rebecca, "I've used One For All like your powers," he pointed out, "but maybe I need to do the opposite..." he suggested, narrowing his eyes in thought.
"W-Wait a second!" the Leaper Quirk user stammered out as she shot up to her feet, "What if you break your entire body?!" she asked frantically, growing all the more nervous as she remembered the One For All inheritor's previous injuries.
"I'm not gonna move a muscle," he promised to her, "I just wanna test and see if this could work..." he said. Nonetheless, Rebecca was still really nervous. With a deep breath, Izuku let the power of his Quirk surge throughout his entire body, not bothering to limit it to just one part. Red, vein-like lines coursed about him as the Leaper Quirk user looked on in awe. After a moment, his body and eyes started to glow with a green, bio-electric aura.
"Whoa..." Rebecca uttered out in amazement, "How... do you feel?" she asked her best friend. He slowly let the power he had released die down back to normal, as the sparks of green electricity faded. A small smile came across his face.
"I think I took the first step I needed to," he concluded firmly, "Thanks, Rebecca," he said in gratitude. She slightly widened her eyes before smiling.
"No problem, Izuku," she replied.
Trotting down the U.A. halls with his bag slung over his right shoulder, Weisz exhaled a deep sigh. He had been requested to come in early for counseling with Witch. Honestly, he would've preferred to skip it entirely. But he felt as if the school would make the request mandatory if he did refuse. And from today's conversation, he wanted to...
FLASHBACK
"Were you and Sibir close, Sir Weisz?" Witch asked the Machina Maker Quirk user, who lied upon the sofa and closed his eyes.
"Yeah, he was kinda like my brother..." he grumbled in reply.
"And did he ever mention anything in regards to what he did in his free time?" the Shining Star Hero questioned on curiously.
"Is this supposed to be a therapy session or an interrogation?" Weisz questioned as she glanced over at her. She blinked in surprise before lowering her head ashamedly.
"I apologize, Sir Weisz," she said, "Much of what happened at the USJ is being linked to other criminal organizations that could've possibly been involved," she told him, "I'm sure you've heard of the Oracion Seis Villains, yes?" she inquired.
"...Yeah," he confirmed, folding his arms over his chest as he looked away, "I know Sibir worked for one of 'em, but I thought he was going straight..." he mentioned as Witch listened on carefully, "And then... the USJ happened," he concluded, "Sorry, but I don't have anything else for you..." he apologized to the Shining Star Hero.
"It's alright," she assured to him with a small smile, "Thank you for telling me," she said in gratitude.
"He once told me if anyone could make something possible, it'd be me..." Weisz mentioned as Witch blinked in surprise, "You think that could be true?" he asked the counselor. She took a moment to think about what he was saying before smiling.
"It'll be up to you, Sir Weisz," she told him, letting out a giggle.
END FLASHBACK
Deciding to not act like such a downer, the Machina Maker Quirk user approached the classroom door and slid it open. Already, everyone was in their seats in preparation for the day ahead. Spotting him from afar, Eijiro shot up from his seat.
"Hey, Steiner!" he called out, getting his attention as he saw the Hardening Quirk user jog over to him, "You doing okay, man?" he asked out of concern. Surprised that he was genuinely worried, Weisz let off a grin.
"Yeah... thanks," he responded with gratitude, "Gonna keep working with one thing at a time," he decided as he grinned. Eijiro flashed his own smile back. Everyone took their seats, surprised to find the heavily bandaged Shota coming in to be their homeroom teacher.
'I would've thought he'd be out for at least a while...' Rebecca admitted inwardly, 'Guess it goes to show how resilient UA teachers are...' she pointed out through her thoughts. The injured Erasure Hero then went on to explain about the upcoming U.A. Sports Festival in two weeks time. Despite some concerns from the class considering that they just endured a villain attack, Shota assured them that this event wasn't one that couldn't be cancelled.
"If you wanna go pro one day, then you better not slack off on your training," he advised of his students.
"Yes, sir!" most of them responded, with Izuku being somewhat lost in thought. After the class was dismissed, everyone was starting to get psyched over competing in the festival.
"Man, I'm pumped for these games!" Eijiro exclaimed.
"Yeah, same!" Hanta agreed with a pump of his fist.
"It'll be a good chance for us to show off all that we got," Weisz chimed in, getting their attentions, "And aside from that, I think we're gonna really be in the spotlight after the USJ attack..." he mentioned.
"Oh yeah, good thinking!" Rikido complimented in response.
"Huh..." a pigtailed Rebecca exhaled, "I'm honestly a little nervous about this whole thing..." she admitted, "The Sports Festival's supposed to be one of the most famous events around the country..." she noted aloud.
"I shall not say, but I am a little nervous myself..." Homura chimed in, followed by putting her left hand over her mouth sheepishly as she blushed. Everyone had varying reactions to the upcoming event. And mostly, they seemed quite normal.
"EVERYONE, I'M GONNA DO MY BEST!" Ochaco exclaimed as she pumped her right fist up fiercely.
"O-Ochaco?" Rebecca stuttered out in surprise.
"Uraraka... what happened to your face?" Izuku asked with concern in his tone, noticing how serious she seemed.
"Seriously, you're normally like the most laid-back girl ever..." Mina pointed out, quite confused as well. Mineta blushed upon thinking of something.
"PMS-" Tsuyu's tongue whapping him upside the head, followed by a kick to the face from Rebecca instantly silenced him.
"Perv..." the Leaper Quirk user muttered, folding her arms underneath her chest.
"I SAID I'M GONNA DO MY BEST!" Ochaco declared again with her fist still raised.
"YEAH! ME TOO!" Shiki echoed in agreement, posing like her. Everyone was somewhat amused and glad to see how enthusiastic their classmates were. Though it did get Izuku to think about both of the gravity Quirk users. Why did they come to U.A. in the first place?
"Uh, for the money?" Izuku questioned after getting to hear what Ochaco had to say about her reason to come to the school, "You wanna be a hero so you can get rich?" he asked on to the Zero Gravity Quirk user, who was rubbing the back of her head nervously.
"If we're cutting to the chase, then yeah..." she replied. She apologized to her friends, though they assured her that a goal to make a living for herself wasn't a bad one. Even so, she did feel the need to tell them why.
Her parents owned a construction company, but couldn't get any work, so they were flat broke. Izuku noted that if she were to get licensed, she could help bring costs down quite a lot. And she boisterously agreed. However... her family wanted her to chase her own dreams.
"I'm gonna be a pro, join a good agency and make a lot of money," she vowed, clutching her skirt tightly in her hands, "Then I'll give my parents an easier life," she declared. Izuku, Tenya and Rebecca were all somewhat surprised. Though their reactions paled in comparison to the tears pouring down Shiki's face.
"That's... so noble!" he exclaimed, lunging out and hugging Ochaco as she yelped in shock, "I'm happy you've got a great goal to be a hero, Ochaco!" he whimpered out while sniffling.
"Uh, th-thanks..." she stuttered in response, chuckling a little.
"That reminds me..." Rebecca chimed in, getting their attentions, "Why do you wanna be a hero, Shiki?" she asked the Satan Gravity Quirk user.
"Oh, to make lots of friends!" he answered to her surprise, "Grandpa always told me that having lots of friends would help make me both a better person and better hero," he recalled, glancing up in thought, "Right now, I'm gonna make a hundred friends first!" he vowed, "And after that, I'll make a thousand more!" he added in promise. Everyone seemed shocked by his goal. It seemed... childish. But it definitely sounded noble enough to make Ochaco smile.
"Well, I'm glad to help with that, Shiki," she said as she hugged him. He teared up again.
"Thank you, Ochaco!" he sobbed out. She giggled sheepishly, blushing a little. Afterwards, All Might suddenly arrived, offering Izuku the chance to eat lunch with him. He agreed, allowing the others to head off to the cafeteria.
"I wonder what All Might wanted with Deku..." the Zero Gravity Quirk user as she, Tenya, Rebecca and Shiki were waiting in line to get their food.
"I heard that Midoriya and Bluegarden were trying to save him from the villains during the USJ attack," the Engine Quirk user noted in reply, "Also, do you remember what Asui said on the bus?" he questioned.
"Oh, that whole thing about Izuku's power being like All Might's?" Rebecca guessed, chiming into the conversation, "I guess he just wants to find a way to help him use it better..." she inferred, trying to steer the subject away.
"How lucky for Midoriya then!" Tenya exclaimed. Unbeknownst to the group, listening to the conversation ahead of them was Shoto, who glanced back curiously. As the pieces were starting to be put into place, so too were the hurdles Class 1-A would have to overcome.
And thus begins a brand new season! When I posted this story on Ao3, I got a few suggestions for story elements and character decisions. Ultimately, it's up to me to decide what I do with the story, but I appreciate their suggestions, and you'll get to see them here with Izuku taking the first steps necessary to controlling his power.
I'm super excited for you all to get to see the Sports Festival Arc. I remember that I fell off my Miles Morales AU after that a while back. But rest assured, I'm not falling off of this story until it's totally complete! Thanks for your support as always!