Hey everybody! Hope you enjoyed the somewhat lighter chapter last week! This one should have a bit more going for it!
I really am excited for you to check you what's coming up. Aside from adapting the canon material, I'm really going to be going all in with the original content I've come up with. Not just for the rest of this season, but for seasons beyond. I've already got some great ideas thought up for Season 5.
But you'll see those in due time. Anyways, time for us to get back to it! Welcome back to "Through the Rough"!
THROUGH THE ROUGH
Homura didn't know what to make of the current situation. After watching Shoto fail to impress the kids at all, she heard Camie suggest that the group use their Quirks to try and win them over. However, that suggestion only led to the kids themselves deciding to start a fight with their peers.
'Are these guys really having this much trouble with a bunch of kids?' Mic inquired inwardly, having every bit of humaneness in him left not to say that out loud. It was chaotic for certain. The children were showing just how strong their individual powers were in comparison to the student heroes.
"Is this really okay for them to do…?" Homura wondered aloud with worry in her voice.
"Don't worry, Young Kogetsu," All Might reassured, getting her attention, "Your classmates are more than capable of handling something like this," he affirmed. Nevertheless, it was concerning. Seiji had even ventured into the arena to color commentate alongside Mic, mentioning how as generations passed, powers were capable of mixing and evolving, eventually growing out of everyone's control.
"Quirk Singularity Doomsday," he said, "That's what they call this theory," he noted, "It's especially dangerous when it comes to the likes of Ether-types, as one can manifest them in many different ways," he pointed out additionally, making Homura perk up, "These kids make me fearful that this may be our future…" he finished grimly.
'Shoto…' the Soul Blade Quirk user uttered inwardly in worry. Fortunately, the group below was able to withstand the children's assault.
"Pretty bold of them to attack without hesitation like that…" Katsuki grumbled out with a grin, "I'm almost impressed…" he added.
"They know that we're hero trainees, so they likely feel that they don't need to hold back against us," Shoto noted.
"It's so sad…" a trembling Inasa uttered with tears pricking his eyes, "I just wanna be their friend at this point, even if it's not for training…" he admitted aloud. The kids were surprised by how unfazed the hero hopefuls were. They tried to take them on again, only to wind up being lifted into the air by the wind releasing from the Whirlwind Quirk user.
"Yoarashi…" Homura uttered in surprise.
"You kids are amazing, I'll give you that!" he exclaimed in a complimentary tone, "Thing is… there's more to being a hero than just power!" he pointed out passionately, "Here I go!" he yelled.
"Let's do this," Shoto advised of the group.
"Ugh, it's so lame we can't do this outside…" Camie muttered, blowing out a multicolored smoke from her lips up into the air, "Huh, whatevs…" she sighed out. Her illusory mist created an aurora-like illusion up above. Shoto went ahead and created an icy slide, using the remnants of the children's Quirks to help create such a massive structure. With Inasa lifting the kids up, he lowered them onto the slide, allowing them to slide down and have fun while marveling the illusory scene around them.
"It's amazing…" Homura admitted as her eyes sparkled.
"Indeed it is," All Might agreed. He then looked over to Endeavor, who watched as his son showed off a flame to help warm up some of the children who were feeling cold from going down his icy slide. "So, why is it important to be the strongest?" he asked of the Flame Hero, "I'm sure you have a reason, Endeavor," he noted encouragingly.
OPENING
Insert "Fleeting Lullaby" by Ado
A spotlight shines upon a stage, where Kyoka, Rebecca, Momo and Homura are. Kyoka wields her bass, Rebecca's sitting at the drums, Momo readies her hands to play the keyboard, and Homura grips her electric guitar tightly. As Kyoka starts signing, more lights flash on, revealing the rest of Class 1-A as they're about to perform.
We cut to Shoto and Katsuki struggling with the provisional license course as Homura watches on alongside All Might and Endeavor. She glances toward the Flame Hero curiously, while a memory of Valkyrie crosses her mind. In the meantime, we get images of Madame Kurenai with her cronies, Garrot, Baku, and Nino; the latter of which appearing reluctant. There's also a shot of the current Shining Star Heroes, who're standing in front of the safe door found at the Hassaikai headquarters.
There's another scene of the League of Villains lurking in the shadows, with Dabi taking note of a particular news broadcast on a TV. Elsewhere, Shura finds himself being confronted by the Oceans 6. He sneers as he readies his Quirk, but is suddenly stopped when Nero appears behind him and slams his head into the ground. He goes through a flashback of his own where as a young boy, he was crying in the corner.
Next up, we see Izuku and Rebecca hopping around in pursuit of Gentle Criminal and La Brava as they bounce about on the way to U.A. Already there is Eri, who's with Mirio and the others who were a part of the raid mission. They and the rest of Class 1-A are about to perform as they head off to the stage inside Gym Gamma.
We go through several scenes of the class in separate groups, with Katsuki and Eijiro arguing over the special effects as the others sigh, Mina practicing the dancing with the class, especially Shiki as Ochaco watches on with a blank jealous stare, and Kyoka, Momo and Homura tuning their respective instruments. The Earphone Jack Quirk user worriedly looks at the clock, hoping that Izuku and Rebecca can make it in time.
As the opening winds down, we see shots of Deadend Crow, God Acnoella, Poseidon Nero, Saintfire Nox, Elsie Crimson, and finally, Tomura Shigaraki. We also get to see the lineup of the top ten pro heroes of Japan: Eraser, Kamui Woods, Crust, Holy, Mirko, Justice, Edgeshot, Hawks, and Endeavor. As the ceremony goes on, an ominous figure watches on curiously.
The song concludes with Izuku and Rebecca holding hands as they run ahead with smiles on their faces, heading for what they hope is a bright future.
END OPENING
After everything was cleared up and the class was dismissed for the day, Homura stood outside, staring up at the dusk sky. She was glad to have come, even if her initial intentions weren't fulfilled just yet. Seeing Shoto do well was enough to make her smile. Even seeing Katsuki act nice with kids was good, too.
"I see…" All Might said, talking with one of Shiketsu's teachers alongside Seiji, Mic, and Endeavor, "We'll do everything we can to help in your investigation," he promised.
"Thank you very much," the Shiketsu teacher said gratefully with a bow.
"No prob!" the Voice Hero responded as he grinned.
"Do you believe the League of Villains may have something to do with this?" Homura inquired of All Might as she approached, getting his attention.
"That may be the case," he replied, "Considering how Young Utsushimi doesn't recall the events of the initial exam, it's possible that there was a doppelganger in her place…" he explained.
"A doppelganger…" the Soul Blade Quirk user repeated in shock.
"Considering the circumstances, our schools will likely be working more closely," Seiji pointed out, chiming into the conversation, "It may lead to joint trainings between us someday," he added.
"Oh," Homura said, "I look forward to that opportunity," she said with a polite bow. At that moment, Shoto, Katsuki, Inasa and Camie came out from the training center's front doors, seeing the group gathered before them. The Whirlwind Quirk user smiled upon spotting the long-haired girl standing alongside her teachers.
"Hey Kogetsu!" he called out, jogging over to her, "It's been a while, hasn't it?" he remarked in greeting.
"It certainly feels that way," the Soul Blade Quirk user responded, "You look well," she pointed out. Shoto approached, narrowing his eyes. He couldn't place it, but that uncomfortable feeling in his stomach was building up again.
"Shoto…" his father uttered, getting his attention as he saw the new number one hero standing in front of him, "Long time, no see…" he remarked, "You've changed quite a bit since last time…" he noted, reaching out to him.
"Not interested," the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user said, smacking his hand away. He tensed up for a moment, while everyone looked on in surprise. Homura could feel the tension between the two, glancing back and forth at them worriedly.
"Shoto…" he uttered, closing his extremity into a fist, "I'm… proud of you," he said. Now it was the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user's turn to tense up with frustration. He didn't appreciate his father trying to be chummy with him, especially after all this time. "So from here on out, I'll endeavor to be a hero that you can be proud of, too," he decided, "Not just as someone who'll be number one…" he continued, "but as your father as well," he finished firmly. Another brief silence passed before Shoto looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You do what you want…" he grumbled out. It was quite surprising to see the Flame Hero with such a softer demeanor. Inasa was most shocked. So much so that he had to punch himself to see if he was just dreaming. He wasn't, but he did end up making his nose and mouth bleed, astonishing both Camie and Homura.
"ENDEAVOR!" he bellowed as he approached the Hellflame Quirk user, getting his attention, "I'll be rooting for you!" he promised of him.
"Thank you, young man," he responded gratefully, "You're bleeding quite a bit there…" he pointed out. The Soul Blade Quirk user couldn't help but smile a little. It was good to see the change in everyone's demeanor. And now it was her turn. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Endeavor, sir," she began, causing him to look over at her, "You may remember me as Miss Mirko's intern from the past spring," she noted, "I had the intention of working under her again for the fall, but she declined to bring me along," she pointed out as Shoto watched on curiously, "I see and admire your conviction, as well as being someone who my previous teacher could respect," she mentioned, "Therefore…" she kept going, bowing her head, "would you please allow me to intern under you when the opportunity next arises?" she requested, much to everyone's surprise.
"Homura…" the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user uttered out.
'So that's what she was hoping to do in the end…' All Might realized, letting off a small smile. The Flame Hero stared at the Soul Blade Quirk user for a moment, wondering how best to respond. When his son would officially get licensed, he would want to exclusively train him. But seeing how hopeful his classmate was, he couldn't refuse her.
"Very well," he finally answered, causing her to perk up, "You'll be joining Shoto with me when you're ready," he affirmed. Homura eyes sparkled before she smiled.
"Thank you very much, sir!" she replied gratefully.
"Wow, that's awesome, Kogetsu!" Inasa complimented as he walked over to her, taking her left hand into his two as she blinked in surprise, "You'll get to train with the number one hero!" he pointed out.
"Um, yes, it's very exciting…" she concurred, blushing a little.
"Hey," Shoto said upon approaching, putting his left hand onto the Soul Blade Quirk user's shoulder.
"Shoto…" she uttered in surprise. Inasa looked back and forth between the two U.A. students in confusion for a moment, blinking in realization.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" he apologized, immediately backing away, "I didn't realize things were like that between you two!" he pointed out sheepishly. The Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user blinked.
"Like what?" he questioned, quite confused.
"Tch…" Katsuki scoffed in annoyance from afar.
'How dense can you be, Icy Hot…?' he wondered inwardly. Endeavor looked on at his son and smiled. Both were changing for the better. And as such, both would endeavor on.
X
September went by pretty quickly. The students involved in both the work studies and provisional license training had a lot to catch up on in class. Izuku was working as hard as he could. In the wake of Nighteye's funeral, the work studies were suspended, so the chance to catch up with everyone else was critical.
"This equation shouldn't be that difficult to solve," Ectoplasm pointed out as he wrote on the chalkboard, "You need to calculate the definite integral in this instance," he told the students in the classroom, stepping aside for them to read the equation.
'Not difficult to solve, my ass!' Weisz remarked inwardly, grimacing upon seeing the equation with exponents, parentheses, fractions, logs, and even more. He and a lot of others gave up almost immediately. Denki and Shiki's heads were steaming with confusion as they tried to process the information.
"Oh man…" Rebecca uttered, not sure where to really start. Almost everyone was having trouble, including Momo of all people. But some were working as hard as they could. That was the case for Izuku, who scribbled frantically to try and calculate the equation. He then raised his left hand.
"Midoriya!" Ectoplasm called out.
"One-o-seven over fourteen!" he exclaimed.
"That's incorrect," the Clones Quirk user responded, much to his dismay as Katsuki chuckled in front of him, "Yaoyorozu?" he said upon noticing the class deputy raise her hand.
"One-o-seven over twenty-eight," she answered.
"Correct," Ectoplasm confirmed. Izuku rubbed his head in confusion, wondering where he went wrong as he checked his calculations.
"Pretty close, dude," Minoru noted, "You just missed it by a hair," he pointed out.
"Yeah…" the One For All inheritor agreed, letting out a sigh. He was still glad that he at least attempted to solve the equation, and Rebecca could admire that as well, smiling at him from afar.
"You were really into it back there, huh?" Ochaco inquired of Izuku later as lunch had rolled around, gathered with Tenya, Weisz, and Homura.
"I can applaud the effort you're putting into your studies with," the Engine Quirk user noted with a pump of his right fist, "Perhaps some lunch'll help recharge that working mind of yours," he suggested.
"Yeah, sounds good," Izuku agreed.
"I'm surprised Rebecca isn't with you at the moment," Homura noted aloud.
"I think she wanted to ask Yaoyorozu for some pointers on that last math question," the One For All inheritor replied, "Pretty sure Shiki went with her, too," he mentioned. Ochaco gave off a blank smile and stare.
"Oh… Shiki's with Yaomomo again, huh?" she presumed.
"Are you alright, Uraraka?" Tenya asked, "Your expression is… um…" he tried to say, unsure of what to make of the Zero Gravity Quirk user's face.
"Oh yeah, I'm totally fine!" she quickly reassured.
'So she's fallen for Shiki, huh?' Weisz noted inwardly, slouching with frustration.
"We should go and meet up with them at the cafeteria," Homura advised of the group.
"Yeah, I'm star—!" All of a sudden, Izuku found a slice of cheese being placed into his mouth by none other than Yuga, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"Here, have some cheese," he offered. The One For All inheritor didn't realize that this strange occurrence would lead to something more later. In the cafeteria, Rebecca was scribbling through her notebook, trying to understand Momo's process to solving Ectoplasm's equation.
"So by combining the two parentheses into one value, it's much easier to calculate…" the Creation Quirk user pointed out to her classmate.
"Yeah, I think I'm getting it…" she replied, concentrating as best she could. She still had a bit to catch up on in class thanks to the work studies, but it was helpful to have someone like the class deputy giving her pointers. "And so you add up all these fractions and…" she continued, tapping the keys of her calculator, "a hundred-seven over twenty-eight!" she exclaimed, smiling upon figuring out the problem.
"Well done!" Momo complimented, clapping her hands, "Knowing how difficult Ectoplasm has been this semester with mathematics, we can only expect for things to get tougher," she admitted, drinking her cup of tea.
"Yeah, I get what you mean," Rebecca agreed, taking a bite of her meat bun, "If we wanna be the best heroes we can be, we need to learn to apply ourselves, too," she mentioned on, making the Creation Quirk user nod.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" she realized, "Shiki, have you solved the equation yet?" she asked the Satan Gravity Quirk user, who was sitting across from her alongside Mina and Denki. His head was practically steaming as it was up against his notebooks on the table.
"I don't get it…" he whined out.
"Ah!" Momo yelped, "Oh dear…" she uttered worriedly.
"It's okay, Yaomomo," Mina assured, "Shiki here's just got a lot to process…" she pointed out.
"Can't believe he's actually dumber than me…" Denki admitted aloud, only to suddenly take a chop to the head from the Creation Quirk user, "OW!" he yelped out, "I-I didn't mean it like that!" he stammered out pleadingly as he grabbed his head. Rebecca giggled sheepishly. As she notebook and calculator back into her bag, she couldn't help but overhear a commotion nearby.
"You're kidding! They let another villain back onto campus?!" someone yelled near the entrance, causing everyone to look over, spotting a group of students appearing to surround someone.
"What's going on over there?" Mina wondered as she stood up.
"Wait… isn't that…?" Momo started to guess, slightly widening her eyes. Being denied his entry into the cafeteria was none other than Kris, who stood alongside Kleene and some of their classmates.
"It was bad enough that your sister came back to UA after what she did…" one tall general studies student noted, "but now you're back, too?!" he inquired angrily, "I heard about all those you kidnapped, you sick bastard!" he yelled into the Wind Rage Quirk user's face. He didn't flinch, standing his ground.
"Hey, back the hell up!" Setsuna shouted, stepping in between the two, "Jinn was being used by all those creeps, just like Kleene was!" she proclaimed.
"Oh, what a rich story!" a female student chimed in, getting their attentions, "What, did he promise you and the girls something special if you 'sucked up' to him?" she teased in question.
"I bet that's what's going on with his sister, too!" another girl inferred, giggling cheekily. As the murmuring of taunting and ridiculing spread, Shiki caught wind of it, glancing over.
"Knock it off already!" Nirengeki yelled.
"Yeah, we just wanna get lunch!" Sen pointed out, "If you got a problem with our classmates, then fine," he said, "but we're not gonna let you get away with calling them names!" he proclaimed.
"E-Exactly…" Shihai agreed with a stutter, while some of the others nodded.
"Oh really?" the tall student inquired as he smirked, "Heroes aren't supposed to attack innocents, right?!" he questioned, spraying a wad of spit onto Kris' left cheek to everyone's shock.
"Hey!" Setsuna yelled angrily. However, the Wind Rage Quirk user gestured for her to stand down.
"This is what I deserve, Tokage," he said, "Don't get involved, please…" he pleaded.
"Brother…" Kleene uttered worriedly, while the rest of Class B could only watch as the students of the other courses laughed at them.
"If you're not gonna fight back, then I guess you wouldn't mind taking a punch, you monster!" the tall student yelled, rearing his right arm back as he closed his right hand into a fist.
"Ah!" some of the girls gasped.
"Kris!" Rebecca exclaimed from afar, seeing the general studies' student's fist thrust out to his face, even as he didn't bother to flinch. All of a sudden though, a hand caught the extremity just a mere foot away from striking him. It was Shiki, who glared at the boy along with the group amongst him.
"H-Hey, let go!" he stammered out, trying to break free of the Satan Gravity Quirk user's grip.
"…Don't laugh at my friends," he insisted firmly in response. Without warning, everyone in front of him fell onto the ground in an instant, much to everyone's shock.
"Wh-What the hell?!" one young man yelped.
"I… can't get up!" a girl pointed out, struggling to even lift her head.
"Everything's just… heavy!" someone else added. Those watching from afar were awed by the scene. The tall student managed to sit up, only to look at Shiki and gasp upon recognizing him.
"Y…You're… the guy that won the Sports Festival…" he stammered out, sweating bullets as the Satan Gravity Quirk user glowered down at him. In that moment, he let his green markings disappear, allowing for the group of general studies to get back onto their feet.
"WE'RE SORRY!" they exclaimed apologetically, hurrying off.
"Granbell…" Kris uttered out.
"You guys okay?" Shiki asked of the Class B students as he turned to face them.
"Fine now," Nirengeki answered with a nod.
"Yeah, thanks for that," Setsuna added gratefully, "I was ready to start throwing hands…" she admitted sheepishly.
"Heh!" the Satan Gravity Quirk user chuckled, "It's no problem at all!" he assured, "I just love helping my friends is all!" he pointed out, grinning widely. Kris blinked in surprise upon hearing that, while Kleene giggled. Even after all that had happened, there were people like Shiki willing to treat them with kindness and give them a second chance. Rebecca looked on with a smile.
"Shiki's really amazing, isn't he?" she noted aloud.
"It makes sense," Denki chimed in, "He is the grandson of the late Demon King Hero, Ziggy," he pointed out.
"And he's such a sweet guy, too," Mina added as she put her hands onto her cheeks, letting out a sigh, "Don't you think so too, Yaomomo?" she inquired of the Creation Quirk user. However, she blinked in surprise to find that the class deputy was now steaming herself with a reddened face, covering it with both of her hands as she turned away. Rebecca gave her a smile. With everything that had happened recently, it was nice to see people like Shiki helping to encourage to defend others that shared dreams of being heroes.
X
"What makes you so special?"
"Nothin'. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn."
"Man, I wish we got more action with him in the suit…" Eijiro admitted, sitting on the couch with Hanta and Rikido that evening in the Heights Alliance building common space, watching another superhero movie with the rest of the class. This time, it was Captain America: The First Avenger that took the big screen.
"It's weird, but the action's actually kinda weak here…" the Tape Quirk user pointed out, "I mean, it's better than Thor…" he corrected.
"Hey…" Denki muttered out.
"Guys, shh!" Toru shushed, causing the boys to silence themselves. Izuku sat next to his girlfriend as they enjoyed the film continuing, with the lead character Steve Rogers putting together a plan to stop the regime known as Hydra under the notorious Red Skull. So much had happened throughout the film, and the One For All inheritor couldn't help but put himself in the shoes of the superhero.
Being granted power because of his character and actions, Steve was using it however he could to help bring an end to a war that could've destroyed a whole nation. And though he lost many people in the process of that goal, including his best friend and the doctor who provided him his power, his compassionate heart never wavered. He fought on to the point where he and the Red Skull fought aboard the airship on a set course for America.
At that moment, Izuku felt a pair of eyes looking at him curiously. He glanced over to see Yuga staring, much to his discomfort. Their earlier interaction before lunch was particularly strange. And this was starting to get stranger.
After the Red Skull's defeat, Steve had no choice but to send the airship into the icy water below, freezing up with it to preserve the safety of all, thus saving the world. It wasn't until over 70 years later that he was brought back, only to find himself in a future that he didn't even recognize. Luckily, Nick Fury arrived, ready to help him catch up.
"You gonna be alright?" he asked of the hero.
"Yeah… I just… I had a date," he answered after a moment. With that, the credits rolled.
"Awww…" Mina whined, "He never got to dance with Peggy…" she realized, slouching in her seat.
"It's so sad…!" Shiki whimpered out, sniffling all the while.
"Would ya quit crying over every little thing, Shiki?" Weisz insisted.
"Let him express himself!" Ochaco and Momo shouted simultaneously in response, only to end up looking to each other in surprise, blushing a bright red.
"Alright, geez…" the Machina Maker Quirk user muttered, folding his arms behind his head.
"So what'll the next movie be, Rebecca?" Tsuyu asked curiously.
"You'll see!" the Cat Leaper Quirk user assured in response with a wink. By the time the end credits scene came around, there was a preview for the next movie, featuring the heroes that had been featured in the previous films altogether. It was titled: The Avengers.
"Ooh, they're all coming together?!" Mina inquired excitedly.
"But… I didn't see Hulk's actor there…" Rikido pointed out.
"Pretty sure they did a recast…" Eijiro confirmed in reply.
"A team-up between heroes…" Shoto noted aloud.
"It sounds rather exciting," Homura mentioned with a grin.
"And I'm sure you're all gonna love it!" Rebecca affirmed as she got to her feet, turning off the TV before putting the remote onto the coffee table, "But for now, let's wait until the end of the week," she advised, "I only thought we could have a movie night since it was just under a couple hours," she pointed out.
"We appreciate it, Bluegarden!" Eijiro assured with a toothy smile, "Well, goodnight, guys!" he called out, heading off to the elevator. After too long, everyone was in their rooms. Some were doing some last-minute studying for things tomorrow, while others went right to bed. As soon as Izuku finished his note-taking, he tucked himself away under his covers, falling fast asleep.
His pleasant dreams were disturbed later however, when Yuga was just lurking outside of his dorm on the balcony. He appeared to be watching the One For All inheritor intently, right before setting up something. As he left, Izuku woke up with widened eyes.
He had no idea why the Navel Laser Quirk user was even on the balcony at all. Why didn't he knock on his door if he wanted to come in? What was the point of being so creepy? As he got up from his bed, Izuku tried to calm down. He walked over to the glass door, pulling aside the curtains.
'I'm sure there's a logical…' His thoughts halted the moment he laid eyes upon what Yuga had left him. It was an array of cheese aboard a placemat spelling out 'I know'. 'CHEESE?!' the One For All inheritor screamed inwardly in horror.
The next day rolled around, with Rebecca setting her book bag down at her desk in the classroom. A worried expression crossed her face. She knew her boyfriend was usually a few minutes behind her when it came to getting to class, but this was pushing it.
"Hey, Becca!" Mina called out, getting her attention as she saw her alongside Tsuyu and Kyoka at the former's desk, "You got a sec?" she questioned curiously.
"Uh, sure," the Cat Leaper Quirk user replied, walking over, "What's up?" she asked.
"Well, I was wondering what everyone's gonna be up to for Halloween!" the Acid Quirk user answered with a wide grin, "I think it'd be super fun to see everyone in costumes, ya know?" she noted.
"We already wear costumes all the time…" Kyoka pointed out.
"And besides, I doubt the teachers are planning on doing something for that," Tsuyu mentioned, causing Mina to puff her cheeks in frustration.
"You guys are no fun…" she grumbled.
'Halloween, huh?' Rebecca said to herself, remembering all the times she went trick-or-treating with Izuku when they were kids, remembering the one time she convinced him to go out as Tiger. She giggled at the memory. It would be nice to do something like that again. At that moment, she finally spotted her boyfriend coming in.
"Hey, Izu!" she called out, jogging over to him. However, she noticed something off. There were evident dark circles around his eyes.
"Oh, Rebecca…" he greeted, "Good morning…" he remarked aloud tiredly.
"Izu…" his girlfriend uttered out. Clearly, he hadn't gotten enough sleep. And she was worried as to why.
"Surprise," Yuga's voice chimed in between the pair, causing them to look over to see him at his desk.
"H-Hey Aoyama…" Izuku greeted with a nervous stutter, which Rebecca immediately caught wind of. Something was going on between the two of them. And whatever it was made her boyfriend lose sleep.
As class went on for the day, she would notice him looking over at the Navel Laser Quirk user. She wasn't sure whether or not to pry into things, but there were red flags waving in her mind. Once it was time for lunch, she looked over again to see the One For All inheritor fidgeting in his seat.
"Alright class, today we'll continue working on your ultimate moves," Cementoss told the group from Gym Gamma, who were dressed in their hero costumes, "Focus on refinement if you've attained two, or work to harness a secondary ability," he advised of them, "Incidentally, I believe both Steiner and Bluegarden have achieved their Overdrives," he pointed out.
"Whoa, seriously?!" Rikido inquired in shock.
"That's awesome!" Denki complimented, "You both gotta show us!" he insisted of the pair.
"Uh, I can't really do anything with mine just yet, teach…" Weisz admitted, much to his classmates' surprise, "It kinda works in tandem with Arsenal and… well…" he started to explain, showing that his right wrist was barren.
"You don't have your armor?" Minoru inquired.
"Must've gotten pretty messed up from that raid, huh?" Hanta presumed.
"Yeah…" the Machina Maker Quirk user replied, remembering his near-death experience against the members of the Hassaikai and Ganoff. He clenched his fists tightly.
'Next time, I'll take them down without needing Arsenal at all…' he affirmed inwardly.
"Guess that means you've got the floor, Bluegarden," Cementoss confirmed to the Cat Leaper Quirk user, getting her attention.
"Okay then…" she uttered, stepping forward and taking a deep breath. It felt weird with so many eyes on her, expecting something amazing.
'I can't draw too much suspicion, so I'll focus on using just what I can with my Quirk in Overdrive…' she decided inwardly, letting her glowing blue markings shine and expand, altering her appearance as everyone watched on in awe.
"Whoa…" Ochaco uttered out of amazement.
"Well, whaddaya think?" the Cat Leaper Quirk user asked as she turned to the rest of her classmates.
"It looks awesome!" Mina complimented.
"Definitely fitting for the Fast Cat Hero!" Hanta added as he lifted his visor up to get a better look.
"You kinda look like a cat version of Mirko!" Tsuyu mentioned cheekily. Rebecca giggled from the comments, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. At one point, she never really considered being a hero. And now, it had brought her all this joy.
"Those exquisite thighs are on perfect display…" Minoru commented as he was drooling a little.
"And that leotard really shows off that ass…" Weisz added, blushing as steam puffed out from his nostrils. Without warning, a pair of earphone jacks plugged into their necks. They suddenly found themselves bombarded by sound waves, toppling over onto their backs. Kyoka stood over them.
"Sorry, just practicing my ultimate move," she apologized with a shrug.
"Thanks, Kyoka," Rebecca said gratefully as she smiled. The Earphone Jack Quirk user blushed at the expression, hiding her face with her jacket's collar.
"N-No problem…" she stammered out.
"Why don't you go ahead and show us your enhanced abilities with Overdrive?" Cementoss suggested of Rebecca.
"Right! Sure!" she responded, taking a ready stance. She then dashed forward to everyone's surprise. It was rather instantaneous, seeing her run up the cement wall. Izuku was amazed. It didn't seem like she was tapping into One For All. And she wasn't. She was just going with the flow of her Quirk, leaping around like an actual cat. The smile on her face was infectious. But inwardly, she was wondering about the implications of the hidden power she possessed.
'If I still have One For All… that means the other universe… without Izu... or me...' she started to infer through her thoughts, taking another great leap from one concrete pillar to another that Cementoss formed, 'I wonder what'll happen to it…' she said to herself. However, she shook off those negative thoughts as she leapt up, raising her right leg.
"Aoneko…" she began bellowing, "AXE!" she exclaimed, slamming it hard against the ground to everyone's surprise. She smirked cheekily for a few moments, especially upon seeing the cracks that her impact had formed. But then it was offset as a sudden pain started kicking in. "OWOWOWOWOWOWOW!" she repeated in agony, grabbing her leg and rolling around.
"Did you just break your foot or something?!" Hanta immediately asked in shock.
"Rebecca!" Izuku exclaimed as he, Kyoka and Shiki ran over.
"Are you okay?!" the Earphone Jack Quirk user inquired in concern.
"Ergh… ow…" Rebecca grumbled as she sat up, "Yeah… just give me a sec…" she responded, closing her eyes to concentrate. After a moment, she flexed her toes and bent her knee. "Hah…" she sighed with relief, "There we go…" she affirmed.
"Wait, you can self-heal?!" Denki questioned emphatically.
"That's like a super broken video game power!" Rikido pointed out.
"How… did you even do that?" Kyoka asked with shaking eyes.
"It's kinda like how I've used Reverse," the Cat Leaper Quirk user answered, "I don't travel back in time to undo something, but I do undo any damage my body received," she explained, getting up, "But it's not like it's something I can do whenever I want…" she mentioned, transforming back to normal, "My Overdrive only lasts for little over a minute," she noted.
"Still, that is quite impressive," Cementoss commented, "You can do quite a lot with that power, Bluegarden," he pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Thank you, Mister Cementoss!" she responded gratefully. As training continued for the rest of the class, the Cat Leaper Quirk user took notice of Izuku helping lead a seemingly sick Yuga away. She couldn't help but get a whiff of a very foul stench, causing her to plug her nose with her fingers reflexively.
As it turned out, the Navel Laser Quirk user had been empathizing with her boyfriend, as their Quirks seemingly couldn't be handled by their bodies with the effects they provided. Rebecca smiled at the fact that the One For All inheritor was getting along with someone else in their class. And that chipper attitude was what he would need for something that lied ahead…
ENDING
Insert "Shikisai" by Yama
Opens with Rebecca waking up for the day in her dorm room, tiredly crawling out of her bed. She makes it to the bathroom, only to widen her eyes with terror at the sight of how messy her hair is. Luckily, a comb is passed to her from Tsuyu, who she thanks.
Later that morning, Rebecca enjoys her breakfast before being given a cup of tea made by Momo. What follows is her going over to play a video game with Mina and Toru on the Switch before they have to go class. It rains on the way, though Rebecca forgot her umbrella. Thankfully, Mezo comes over, using his patagia to shield her from raindrops.
In the classroom, she talks with both Tenya and Shoto about studying, asking them for pointers. As Shota walks in to start class, she scurries back to her seat, only to find a note there. She opens it up and smiles to see that it's from Izuku, who she shoots a smile toward.
In the afternoon during lunch, Kyoka saves her a seat in the cafeteria. She's also kind enough to shoo away a pesky Minoru, though he was only making sure Rebecca didn't touch a piece of gum left under the table. As the class returns from lunch, the Cat Leaper Quirk user trips by accident, only to end up caught by Mashirao's tail. The two of them share a smile and then a laugh.
During hero training, Rebecca gets the chance to spar against Ochaco, Hanta, and Homura. She weaves past the Zero Gravity Quirk user, evades the tape of Hanta, and then closes in to land a kick on the crossed blades of Homura, who cracks a grin. The four of them continue as All Might, Witch and Shota watch on.
Yuga later offers Rebecca some cheese as a snack, which she happily accepts. She also goes the development studio with Weisz and Denki, as the three of them are met with an explosion as a dirtied Mei laughs sheepishly. With a long day nearly done, Rebecca returns to the dorms to find Koji there with his bunny in hand, allowing her to pet it warmly. She then goes over to Rikido, asking him about a favor.
Once dinner's over, Rebecca puts on an apron and starts baking, whisking eggs and mixing flour with water. Fumikage and Eijiro watch on curiously with intrigue, followed by Katsuki approaching. He takes a taste of the batter to Rebecca's shock and anger, only for her to realize that she almost missed adding some vanilla. After a little while, she pulls out a baking sheet from the oven with several cookies upon it, decorating them for Halloween.
As the class goes ahead and partakes in her baked goods, the Cat Leaper Quirk goes over and offers Izuku a treat in the shape of a heart. He smiles and blushes, eagerly eating it. Afterwards, the whole class gets themselves ready for a movie night. Shiki floats over with a bowl of popcorn and other snacks, landing on the couch between Ochaco and Momo. With the remote in her hand, Rebecca presses the play button… and the screen goes black.
END ENDING
Well, that's another chapter in the books! I really enjoy doing the slice-of-life stuff for this story, and it's gonna be even crazier come the next few chapters! Hope you're all excited for what's ahead!
See you later! And thanks for reading!