ProjectIceman: Yup, and I have a plan for the Naval combat army.

UEIS HQ

Chiba, Japan

"Alright, milady. You did well." Ochako squints her eyes as she projects her mana towards the wounds, her hand covered in a green aura. Virgo can be seen floating next to her, analyzing the scene and keeping an eye on Ochako's mana flow.

Ever since Virgo was summoned, Ochako has learned how to heal thanks to Virgo's [Serene Grace] , a magic that allows the user to use the mana flows in nature and provides healing and cleansing towards the targets they desire. It also acts as a buff that increases the proficiency of the healing and a slight durability buff to prevent getting injured.

"Steady..." Ochako watches as the patient's injuries slowly close before they completely disappear. Ochako lets out a sigh of relief as she lets go of her skill while Virgo claps enthusiastically.

"Well done, milady! You have improved a lot since you learned how to use my magic!" Virgo says as Ochako lets out a nervous chuckle.

"I thought I'd mess up..." Ochako admits as Vitgo snorts.

"I doubt it. If you're capable of keeping Leo's [Flame of Courage] in check, then [Serene Grace] will be much easier. Leo's flame was never meant to be controlled, so a lot of users always made a similar mistake and paid the price. You need to guide them, just like how we use [Serene Grace] , and one slip-up could cause a mess, literally." Virgo explains.

"Ah..." Ochako nodded as the patient left. Ochako looks at her co-worker, Lulu, who smiles at her warmly.

"Just like Virgo-san said, you did well, Ochako." Ochako laughs nervously. "I'm serious, healing magic isn't as easy as people might assume. Guiding your mana to others to heal isn't a task you can do by just doing it, and keeping it at a steady pace is even more difficult."

"You know, the more you guys say it, the more it sounds like controlling." Ochako deadpanned.

"People always misunderstood that. The difference is that one is a gentle nudge while the other is a violent force." Virgo explains as Lulu nods.

"Out of context, it might be the same, but both are two different things," Lulu says with an amused smile as Ochako groans.

"You guys made it sound so easy, and Izu made it look easy!" Ochako complains with a pout. "Speaking of Izu, does the system help him with it?"

"It does. But, if you're mana-sensitive like me, you can feel the kindness in the mana he radiates. The reason why it's easy for him is because even in his subconscious, he maintains his gentle nature." Lulu says. "It made him easy to guide the mana that it could be taken as total control."

"Oh..." Ochako says, a bit hurt by the implication. Does that mean Izuku was too kind that Mana favors him, but she isn't? Does her goal seem too selfish? Lulu noticed Ochako's expression and panicked a bit.

"T-that doesn't mean you're not kind, Ochako! It's more of a subconscious thought! A perfect example is whenever you keep beating yourself up despite not doing anything wrong! That can be seen as somewhat violent force, because why beat yourself up when you're innocent?" Lulu explains as Ochako can't help but flinch at the words. "Yes, Ochako, I do notice you tend to beat yourself up, believing yourself as a selfish individual just for wanting to earn money for your parents."

"H-how..." Ochako utters.

"Being mana-sensitive tends to help me read people's emotions radiate through their mana, mostly subconscious emotions," Lulu explains. "Listen, you should stop beating yourself up. You are right, you are selfish, but that's okay. Being selfish isn't a bad thing. Truthfully, Izuku can be somewhat selfish, doing whatever it takes to never lose his friends, and he notices that. You need to accept some things are not just plain good or bad."

"...I-I suppose..." Ochako mutters.

"I understand your struggles, especially the negative feelings towards yourself. Not the same, but you get my point." Lulu explains. "My advice? Accept yourself, good and bad. Understand that you are not flawless, but also understand you are not fully flawed. Find a balance between those two."

"I...I understand...I hope so..." Ochako comments before bowing at Lulu. "Thanks for your lesson, Lulu-sensei."

"Just call me Lulu, no need for honorifics." Lulu chuckles.

"B-but, you're my elder!" Ochako says as Lulu merely smiles at her. Ochako understood and left, and Virgo followed behind her.

"I wish more people in this organization are like her instead of only consisting of battle maniacs..." Lulu sighs tiredly.

Meanwhile, Ochako can be seen walking away with Virgo floating next to her.

"I still have a lot to learn, do I?" Ochako mutters.

"You do, mana isn't something you can learn in short amount of time. Even after living for so long, I still find out more about mana." Virgo says as Ochako nods.

"Well, that's just made me more motivated." Ochako says as Virgo cheers.

"That's the spirit!" Virgo exclaims.

With Eijirou

"Hah!" Eijirou let out a powerful blow towards Godzillo, who merely dodged out of the way before delivering a punch on his own, sending Eijirou flying for a few feet. Eijirou regains his footing before using his tail to launch a wind blade and another with his feet.

Godzillo snorts and tanks it, merely snorts at the attack. Eijirou grins before he goes all four and starts rushing towards the giant lizard man. Godzillo tries to attack with his tail, but Eijirou merely rolls away before he sweeps Godzillo's leg with a wind-enhanced low kick before delivering a double wind-enhanced punch, sending Godzilla back a few feet away.

"You've improved a lot, brat," Godzillo snorts as Eijirou grins.

"I learn from the best of the best!" Eijirou brags before delivering multiple air cannons toward Godzillo. Said the lizard man, slamming his tail to nullify the wind before his body glows red, causing Eijirou to gulp, remembering Izuku explaining how Godzillo's quirk works.

"Godzillo's quirk allows him to do whatever a kaiju monster does, specifically the one from the pre-quirk era and the one famous for its iconic existence. But, unlike the kaiju, Godzillo breathes magnesium flames. He can also enhance his strength and breath attacks with his super moves, Salamander, where he increases his body's metabolism by burning his body to enhance his physical abilities, which is deadly if not for his unique physiology. Now that he has magic, I have no idea how powerful he got."

"I guess I gotta find out myself." Eijirou mutters with a nervous grin as he saw his mentor's dorsal fins elongated and turns bright red, his yellow eyes change into ruby red, lava pours out of his body, and the tip of his tail looks like a spear made of obsidian. "...Izu-bro, your info is so outdated."

"No, you didn't bother to gather info for yourself." Godzillo comments before he points his tail toward Eijirou and emits a powerful laser blast, which Eijirou barely dodges.

"Lasers!?!" Eijirou panics as he runs away from a continuous blast of lasers. He even starts running on the wall, but Godzillo is undeterred as he continues to blast more lasers. Eijirou growls before he stops and jumps towards Godzillo, using Hardening on his claws and enhancing them with wind magic before delivering a blow at Godzillo's cheek, drawing blood. Before Eijirou could register what happened, Godzillo blasted him away using his flames and buried him deep on the wall, creating a Wereliger-sized crater.

"Well done, brat. But, I hope you won't be as reckless as now because there will be times you'll encounter opponents who can pierce through your tough hides." Godzillo says, seeing the crater covered in dust. He was taken aback when he saw Eijirou emerge from the crater unharmed; his hardened back turned to normal, and his stripes glowed blue.

"I...can do this all day," Eijirou says with a feral grin as he takes a step before the blue glow disappears, and he faceplants, letting out a muffled groan. Godzillo blinks owlishly at the scene before letting out a laugh. Eijirou was glad his mentor wasn't able to see his embarrassed blush because it was a huge blow to his pride.

"Somebody kill me...while my dignity is still intact," Eijirou mutters as he returns to his human form, covering his face.

"Bah, don't worry too much. I did the same thing back when I was your age." Godzillo chuckles before lifting Eijirou off the ground. "Besides, you should be happy, tanking my breath when I activate Salamander isn't something easy to pull."

"It took everything for me to even endure it." Eijirou groans.

"You only train with us for how long? 9 months? And compared to your early days when you could only let yourself be thrown around like a ragdoll, this is a massive improvement. Just because your friend has a hack that increases his growth doesn't mean you're growing slowly." Godzillo says as he flicks Eijirou's forehead. "Be proud, brat. Because you'll surpass me in no time!"

"T-thanks..." Eijirou says with a nervous grin.

"Oh, you guys are done." Both of them turn around to see Ochako walking towards them. "Congrats on landing a hit at Godzillo-sensei."

"Hey, Ochako." Eijirou greets her.

"Hey, Eijirou," Ochako replies in amusement. "Now, get over here and let me heal your ass."

"You're a lifesaver," Eijirou says with a grin before he grunts in pain when Godzillo drops him. This earns a whack from Ochako using her Celestial Gold Staff.

"Please don't drop the patient," Ochako says with a sweet smile. Godzillo tries to hide his fear of the girl, reminding him of a certain lizard woman.

'What did you teach this girl, Lulu-chan!!??' Godzillo thought in panic before he cleared his throat. "F-fine..." With that, he walks away. Ochako sighs before she activates [Serene Grace] on Eijirou, slowly healing the boy's wound.

"So, how's the lesson?" Eijirou asks as Ochako sighs.

"Mentally exhausted," Ochako says.

"But, it's worth it, right?" Eijirou asks.

"Well, duh. Especially if you two keep being reckless." Ochako says in a dry tone. "I get you two to have insane durability and regenerations, but if you two won't stop getting injured, I rather if you two got emergency healing."

"Hehe...sorry," Eijirou mutters sheepishly.

"I wonder how Izu's doing in the current dungeon?" Ochako sighs as she pouts. "I wish he would ask if we want to tag along."

"Well, we were busy training. Izu-bro hates disturbing us when we're training, so he does it alone. Besides, he has Igris with him." Eijirou comments.

"Not to mention, he's the Shadow Monarch, a measly dungeon will not kill him," Leo says as he pops out of nowhere. "Greetings, fellow feline."

"I wish you would stop calling me that..." Eijirou mutters as Ochako giggles.

"I think it's cute," Ochako says as she scratches Leo's chin, earning a small purr from the spirit.

"Hey, don't hog all of our summoner's attention for yourself!!!" Taurus pops out of thin air and pulls Leo away.

"Get your dirty hooves off my beautiful mane, you brute!" Leo exclaims in annoyance.

"No!" Taurus and Leo growl at each other before they start fighting, and a comical cloud of dust appears around them. Eijirou chuckles nervously while Ochako merely facepalms at the scene.

Later

Cafe

"Oh, my gosh! He's so cute!!!"

Ochako saw Kuro on Izuku's head and started squealing before she grabbed Kuro and hugged him. Kuro is at first confused, but he ends up melting from Ochako's warm hug.

Unknown to Izuku and Ochako, when Izuku brings him back alive and shows him kindness, he gets attached to Izuku, and his childlike mind starts to see Izuku as his father. When Ochako displays the same amount of kindness towards the little Tengu, he also imprints Ochako as his new mother.

"I wasn't expecting a dungeon full of Tengu," Eijirou says as he sips his protein smoothie while petting Kuro, earning a happy chirp from the young bird.

"I was a bit surprised as well. But then again, the Red Dungeon I entered before was full of Kappas." Izuku says as he drinks his boba tea.

"How was the dungeon?" Ochako asks.

"A bit annoying, but not that hard," Izuku says. "Especially with how the boss leads their army to death whenever possible. I mean, forcing them to charge ahead every time? That's just dumb!"

"Sounds like someone I knew." Both boys flinch before looking away.

"A-anyways...it wasn't a hard battle. And I encounter something horrifying in the dungeon...a slaughtered village led by the boss dungeon itself..." Both kids turn pale upon hearing those words. Of all the things they expect, this isn't one of them.

"...i-is Kuro...?" Ochako mutters.

"Yeah...he was terrified, alright. When I want to set him free," Kuro flinched. "He was terrified by the idea. Igris explains that he's afraid to die again..."

"Oh, god..." Eijirou mutters in horror as Ochako gasps before hugging Kuro again.

"Yeah, I can't set him free. So, he's joining my Shadow Army." Izuku says as Ochako sighs.

"Is...there anything else? I would like to stop talking about that..." Ochako says as Izuku nods.

"Well, we found a shrine in the deepest part of the dungeon. And I found this." Izuku opens his inventory and pulls out a dungeon key. "A dungeon key leads to an S-Rank dungeon in Might's Tower."

"...I'm sorry, a what to what!?" Ochako asks in disbelief.

"Like I said, an S-Rank Dungeon in Might's Tower," Izuku says as Ochako shakes her head.

"Yeah, what I mean is that how is there a dungeon there!?! I mean, we have no reports about it!" Ochako exclaims.

"This type of dungeon functions very differently since it was created by the System if I'm correct," Izuku explains. "It will remain undetected as long as no one opens the dungeon with a key, and the monster will remain locked inside that dungeon."

"Truly!?" Ochako asks.

"...not exactly, it was just a speculation," Izuku admits sheepishly, causing Ochako's vein to pop and she starts to grab Izuku's collar before she violently shakes Izuku. Eijirou tried to calm her down as Izuku was very dizzy.

Meanwhile, Leo and Taurus pouting as they can be seen sitting near the window while chewing their food. Virgo saw this and couldn't help but sweatdrop.

"Don't tell me you two are jealous of a child gaining your summoner's attention?" Virgo asks incredulously.

"Says who!?" Both yell in unison before going back to pouting and chewing their food. Virgo's eyes twitch before facepalming.

"Give me a break already. I understand that we Celestial Spirits crave attention after being isolated from the mortal realm for millennia, but this is a bit much." Virgo says with a sweatdrop, but it seems that her fellow spirits refuse to listen, causing her to facepalm.

Meanwhile, Ochako has done shaking Izuku as Eijirou pats his best friend's back in sympathy. Izuku's eyes turn into a comical swirl before he shakes his head, snapping out of the confusion.

"Are you planning to raid the dungeon again? This is going to be different, your first S-Rank dungeon and they're no joke." Ochako says in concern as Izuku nods.

"I know, but there's another feature about this dungeon. We can go back in any time." Izuku says as both of his friends perked up. "So, I plan to attempt once to see how difficult it is. Like a trial run. If it's very difficult, I'll withdraw."

"Still..." Eijirou mutters.

"If this doesn't convince you, I plan to ask you guys to come with me," Izuku says, surprising them. "I wanted to bring you guys to some dungeon raids these few weeks, but it seems that you guys have always been busy anytime I try to ask, so I decided to go alone."

"Izu..." Ochako can't help but feel guilty. Eijirou did point this out, but hearing it from Izuku himself made her feel even more guilty. "Sorry about that, we...we don't mind you brought us to dungeon raids with you."

"R-really?" Izuku asks in a hopeful tone. "B-but, won't I stop you from training? To get stronger?"

"Izu, we may need to gain more strength through rigorous training, but we might also need experiences as well," Ochako says as Eijirou nods.

"Yeah, bro, what's the point of the training if we will never use it ever?" Eijirou exclaims as Izuku laughs sheepishly.

"I...guess I forgot experience is the best teacher," Izuku says as they both chuckle. "So, you guys want to come with me?"

"Sure! We should go and check the dungeon out. Maybe it'll help us breeze through the UA exams in a few days!" Ochako says excitedly.

"Yeah! We are gonna curbstomps the competition!" Eijirou cheers.

"Let's hope you guys didn't forget to study for written exams as well," Izuku says as they both freeze before they lower their heads in shame.

"Even with your tutor...I am still not confident on the written exam..." Ochako mutters.

"Me too...and I have been tutored by you longer than her!" Eijirou wails as they comically tear up. Izuku could only sweatdrop as he watched the comical scene.

"Guys, please. I have tested you guys; I bet you guys will pass." Izuku tries to reassure them, but nothing works as they stay in tears. Kuro watches the scene in confusion, tilting his head while wondering what they are doing. Igris emerges from the shadow and forces Kuro to look the other way.

"Don't look, child. This isn't a scene you can watch. We don't want you to repeat their actions. It's too shameful." Igris comments as Kuro lets out a confused chirp.

"Igris, instead of shaming my friend, help me!" Izuku exclaims.

"Apologies, my lord. I would prefer keeping your child safe while you take care of these two, what do you call them in current society? Oh, yeah, dumbasses." Igris comments. He once tried to help Izuku tutor his friends with their academic lessons, but he found that it was more frustrating than he expected due to their inability to understand his explanation, so he gave up and begged Izuku that he couldn't handle them.

"So not helping, Igris!!!" Izuku yells before he panics as his friends cry louder.

Just a normal day for the Trinity.

To be continued