The snow is melting…GOOD.
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
"W-what do you mean she's gone?" Ochako asked.
"She's not in the tent. There's just like…a big hole melted through the opposite side of her tent." Jirou said, her voice shaky. "I think she ran off!"
The teachers shared a look. "Alright, then…we're going to have to pause this activity and go and find her." Blake said.
"She might be still on the mountain!" Kaminari said.
"Kid's right. It took us all day to walk up this mountain. No way she'd be far. Maybe if we hurry, we could catch up with her."
"We beg you, please allow us to assist in the search!" Iida replied, coming forward. "She is our friend, and we don't want her to be alone."
Yang looked over at Iida, and then back at the others. They knew these kids were probably having freakouts to the Bakugou incident again, but this time- they could actually do something. "As long as you can guarantee that there won't be too much hassle, you can come. Split into groups and pair up with the other teachers!" Yang demanded, and the kids followed suit.
In Rook's group was Ojiro, Koda, Izuku and Sero. In Yang's group was Kaminari, Jiro, Ochako, Tsu and Kirishima. In Blake's group was Momo, Shinsou, Hagakure and Yuga. And in Ren's group was Alan, Tokoyami, Iida, Shoto and Shoji.
Ochako clenched her fists as she looked around her surroundings. Don't worry, Mina- we'll be there for you this time!
A small trail of destruction was all that was left in Mina's wake, but not out of malicious intent but out of conflicting feelings. One of the most prominent of which was fear.
The underlying thing that always causes people to act out is fear.
Whether it's fear of not being understood, fear of the unknown, or fear of something we can't even understand. Fear has always caused a lot of problems for people, and it's even worse in a world like this one, where everyone has quirks. The battle at camp made Mina's fear even stronger.
She could only walk.
Walk…
Walk…
And walk some more.
Have you ever smelt burnt flesh? It stays in your nose forever. Take one piece of burnt beef. Throw in the smell of burnt hair. Add the smell and taste of coagulated blood, which is like metal. Add the sharp smell of melted and burned plastic, and you're getting pretty close to how it smells.
Burned flesh hits you in every way at once. It's awful to look at. The smell makes me feel sick. It takes a while for the taste to go away. With Mineta's hair having a "smoky grape flavor" and his hair looking like it was melting, Mina was horrified. And the screams! Oh, God- Mineta was good at screaming, but this time it felt otherworldly.
Mina was messed up, but who in her circle of 'girlfriends' would understand what she saw?
And honestly how could they?
To everyone else, she was supposed to be the one that looked out for everyone else, the one who could easily end a fight as quickly as it began and yet here she was trifling over these feelings because of someone that, yes whilst she hated, she also couldn't stop thinking about just in that very moment.
How the fuck could she have let this happen?
It should have been her that got hit by that Nomu, not him.
SHE should be the one who's practically on the verge of quitting the hero course over this kind of injury.
Little did Mina realize that most of the ground around her had practically become mulch as the acid spilling across her form had started to slowly but surely take on a more coagulated and humanoid-looking shape. Almost like a protective barrier that started to move with her.
Acid spilled onto trees, the grass, all of it…and it started to wither and die.
The sizzle of wood only reminded her of that burning smell…
And yet, she found herself suddenly stopping as she stared across the distance and saw someone. She'd hoped that it was someone that had just come to find her and yet…
She saw the sparks of electricity crackling off the figures hands and immediately felt her heart stop for a few seconds.
Guess it was time to settle this, huh?
The air felt much more still as Yang's group quickly started to make their way down the mountain toward the forest-filled areas of USJ. The blonde bruiser couldn't help but feel that sense of familiarity with this entire situation - these kids had been messed up and she wasn't sure how the hell she could really help.
The best she could do was at least guide them in the right direction…
Ochako seemed to share a similar tense feeling as she found her mind swimming with thoughts and possibilities. What if Mina had suddenly decided to try and act out of anger, what if she lost it and started to attack them? What if…they'd have to do something they couldn't come back from?
Oddly enough, Ochako's thoughts were pushed aside by Kaminari of all people putting his hand onto her shoulder.
"Look, I'm not sure how this is going to go, but... I'm going to need you to work with me on this, OK?"
Even though he spoke quietly, Ochako seemed to sense that he was about to try to do something that he himself might later regret.
"I'm gonna try to find her by myself. I need you to keep the others away from where I'm going so we can figure out what's going on, because...damn, I really messed this up." Kaminari clenched his fists as sparks of energy began to intermittently fly from them.
"Are you kidding? You know that you could get-" Ochako's voice started to get louder, but she was cut off.
"Yeah. I know."
With those words, Kaminari looked much more tense and serious than he usually did. She knew that if this didn't go well, it could mean the end of Kaminari's time at UA as a whole, and maybe even Mina's as well.
"OK, ok, I trust you." Ochako smiled softly and quickly pointed in the direction of a part of the forest.
"I believe she could be down there!" Ochako yelled as Yang, Momo, and Jirou began to glance around, the earphone jack heroine hastily withdrawing her jacks from the ground and nodding.
"Yes, it sounds like footsteps are coming from that direction. It must be her."
"Okay, guys, let's start going in that direction and try to calm her down if we can. If anything goes wrong, I'll step in to protect your guys." Yang said this as she quickly started to move down the mountain. At the same time, Kaminari quickly ran from the back of the group toward the steam and smoke, which could be seen clearly.
He only had one shot to make this work.
If he didn't? Well it'd be over.
It was time to double down.
Yuga Aoyoma learned that regret is a strong emotion. He only started to feel free a few days ago. Now that Mr. One was no longer in charge, he could stand tall. The prick should be left to rot in Tartarus for as long as possible. The stress in his mind had gone away, so he could sleep well.
Then it all came out at once, every bit of pain. Yuga was scared of his hidden second power because it looked like the rivets that All for One used to fight All Might. Regrets that Bakugou couldn't be saved. Some unhappiness about the fact that not just one, but two students have left their class. In fact, the domino effect was bad enough to make his classmates fight with each other.
And it was his fault. Because he sold out his class.
When you feel regret, you feel empty and numb in a way that you can't even describe. Because how you feel when they tell you no is stronger than what they say. You are left alone to pick up all of your broken pieces and realize, for the millionth time, that you never deserved to be in this place.
Regret can make you lose confidence and self-respect to the point where you feel sorry for yourself. Regrets are hard to forget, and they can leave an emotional scar that never fully heals. They make it hard to trust your judgment and plan for the future. They are like an alarm clock for your feelings, waking you up to the fact that you will never get those moments back.
Chances to do...the things that matter.
With the people you wished you could have fought with.
And they're gone because of you. They're hurting because of you.
And while they're blaming themselves or each other, no one bothers to look at you. The real source of the problem.
All. Your. Fault.
So, Yuga hid his real feelings by putting on an ugly mask with a false smile. And what about those demonic fingers? Don't show them off; tuck them into your formal gloves instead. It doesn't matter what you do, they will just shrug and dismiss you. Like always.
All. Your. Fault.
Be happy that momma and poppa are fine now. But be haunted by the fact that Bakugou's poor parents will forever remember the sight of their child sitting in a hospital bed, dead eyed and lost for words, with a stump where their arm used to be.
All. Your. Fault.
I t ' s a l l y o u r t. A l l y o u r t. A l l y o u r t. A l l y o u r t. A l l y o u r t. A l l y o u r t. A l l y o u r t. A l l y o u r -
"Hey, Yuga." Tooru said, shaking Yuga out of his pity party. "You good?"
"Why should I not be?" Yuga said, putting on his 'can't stop sparkling' performance.
"Oh, okay." Tooru said. "Hey, uh…thanks again for carrying me to safety at the camp. I was kinda…asleep, so I couldn't thank you back then."
"Not a problem~" Yuga winked, putting a finger to his chin.
Tooru stared straight through him. "Okay, stop talking nonsense. I know what's happening."
Yuga was about to explode into a myriad of emotions. He wanted to cry and beg for forgiveness right then, but he held himself together. Somehow.
"What does that mean?" Yuga inquired while feigning guilt.
"You're...just as messed up right now as any other kid in Class 1-A." Tooru guessed. "And right now you're trying to act clueless to make people not worry."
Yuga breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, no one knew his secret.
…but it would help to have some things off his chest.
"Tooru," Yuga said, letting his true self shine through for a moment. "Be honest- if you found out someone did something truly awful…would you ever forgive them?"
"Depends on what it was." Tooru replied.
"...well, I have…some regrets of my own." Yuga said. "And yesterday, I felt so carefree. Seeing All Might take down that villain made it feel like these…invisible shackles on society were broken, and could usher in a new wave of peace." Yuga looked down at his hand, and closed his eyes.
"What did you do?" Tooru asked, tilting her head.
"I…"
Yuga could tell her, right now. He could speak his truth, and let all the blame shift towards him. If Kaminari and Mina were mad at each other, then maybe their rage would shift towards him.
But, he selfishly didn't want to make momma and poppa hurt. They looked so happy yesterday morning, like they had just been let free from jail. If he told the school everything…what would happen to them?
Yuga gulped, as he lied through his teeth.
"I…hid in the bushes while everyone fought. I could hear them screaming for help, and I just…cowered." Yuga said. "And…I had to wonder, if I-"
"Don't think like that." Tooru scolded him. "Regret is pointless. You can never get time back. So, don't think about what has already happened. It's pointless and impossible to fix previous mistakes, especially when things around you are out of control. So, you can either sit around and feel mopey…or you can work past them."
Yuga was touched by that sentiment.
"I know you felt bad for just sitting there... But look at how messed up everyone was at the end of the night. I don't think it's wrong that you wanted to stay safe." Tooru went on. "But...that feeling welling up inside you, that regret—are you going to let it swell up or let it shrivel up and die and carry on?"
Yuga looked down at his gloves, and back up at Hagakure, and then at his classmates.
While it was true that he doomed them all, multiple times…
That was his secret to bear. His scar.
And everything from here on out would have to make up for it.
"I'll do whatever it takes…to continue." Yuga said, in a serious tone.
"That's the spirit!" Tooru said, lightly punching his arm. Yuga let out a light chuckle before looking up at the ceiling. They had erected a "dome theater" similar to those seen in planetariums, and fake stars were shining down on the students below.
I'm like the projection. Yuga thought. A phony star that demands to be taken seriously. Luminous despite its false status. Yuga tightened his grip.
I promise- I'll become a real star. And I'll shine bright, and show All for One…that he'll never have a hold on me again.
And Yuga would keep that promise forever.
Mina was actually surprised things turned out this way. She took a step back in surprise, burning away at more of the ground. The only light she saw from the darkened treeline were those occasional sparks of electricity. Each time, there was just enough light to see Kaminari's face illuminated, almost villainously.
"So...we're actually throwing punches this time?" Mina asked, trying to hide her disbelief at it. Yeah, they almost came to blows before, when Aizawa stopped them, but she wouldn't have taken it too far. At least, that's what she liked to think about that scenario, that she had enough restraint to not seriously hurt him. But now their Quirks were involved. Her's was acting weirdly, burning everything around here as if she was making too much acid and the excess was overflowing. That layer of acid that was covering her wasn't anywhere near her eyes and face, but it had crept up her arms and legs to the point where they were almost completely enveloped.
And then there was Kaminari. Even with the weird acid-barrier, his sparks might just break through it entirely, rendering any defenses it provided pointless.
"There's no other way at this point," Kaminari said. "And since you can't even stand talking to me right now..." Kaminari's eyes sparked with determination.
"It has to be this way." There was a hint of regret in his voice.
"Fine...fine then!" Mina yelled, getting into a fighting stance. She was just as hesitant as Kaminari, but she hid it well, given the flurry of emotions she was dealing with right now.
Kaminari remained calm. If this is the only way I can break through to you, then be it. I can't promise that this won't hurt- both physically and emotionally!
Knowing Kaminari was at a disadvantage at range, Mina started things off. With a quick motion of her arm, she threw out a barrage of acid globs towards the shocking hero-to-be. Kaminari leapt out of the way, letting the globs splatter against the nearest tree. With the unstable strength of her Quirk, the projectiles ate through the tree's bark in seconds, bringing it down with a thud.
Ok, trying to just keep me at a distance right now. If that's not symbolic of what's going on, Kaminari thought to himself as he started running from tree to tree, using them as disposable cover. Each time, Mina's acid projectiles quickly ate through the wood and brought the tree down, but Kaminari was gone before they thudded to the ground.
Gotta get in close somehow... the hero-to-be wondered how he could even do that. Taking a straight shot for her would be asking for a face full of acid.
I need something to channel my electricity into- like, a coin or something! And I need to time it right. Kaminari said, digging through his pocket. Just his luck- a few spare change he left in his pockets.
I have 6 'rounds'- better make them count! Kaminari said, as he rushed into battle.
Wait what?! Mina mentally asked, What the hell are you doing?! The pink hero-in-training balled her acid-coated hand into a fist and punched the ground. The attack was something she wasn't even sure would work, but it did, sending waves of acid in all directions. Kaminari made sure to jump out the way of one of the acid waves and charged up some volts. He took one of the spare coins and flipped it into the air. Mina caught sight of it and raised a brow, but before she could even speculate, Kaminari took aim and fired off a single electric bolt that bounced off the coin. Mina audibly gasped and jumped out of the way, rolling on the ground and avoiding the bolt that crashed into the ground.
Kaminari breathed heavily. Okay, it works. But now she's gonna be trying to melt all of them before I can even fire. Kaminari though.
"Mina, seriously! You know this is a stupid fight!" Kaminari yelled out. "It's gonna be a one hit knock out if any of us get hit by the other's attacks!"
"Wait, so you started this fight and now you're saying it's stupid?!" Mina yelled, "Hypocritical much?!"
"Ok, yeah, I get how that sounds but-!" Kaminari didn't finish. An entire fist of acid flew at him through the air, but he was able to dodge out of the way and let the projectile fly into the treeline.
"Look! I overreacted! I was upset! I got upset that everyone was disrespecting him after he risked his life for us-!" Kaminari said the wrong thing.
Mina grit her teeth when she heard that and screamed, honestly maybe a little too loud. She brought her hands together as the acid coating finally covered her eyes and the rest of her face. She slammed them down into the ground and caused acidic geysers to erupt all around them.
What did I say?! I was trying to- Kaminari mentally panicked, before all the pieces clicked, ...oh my god. Is...is that it?
"Mina- listen. You can talk about this with us! You don't have to face whatever you're dealing with alone!" Kaminari yelled.
"IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME, DAMN IT!" Mina yelled, her voice somewhat warbled thanks to the acidic armor around her.
Kaminari's eyes widened as he heard that. "...Mina..." He said, clenching his fists.
Damn it, Mina...don't think like that! Kaminari thought. I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt.
"It should've been ME, Kaminari! I just...I just stood there and watched it happen! I saw how bad it was first hand!" Mina yelled, tears forming in her eyes, "I saw him take the hit, I heard him scream in pain!"
"Don't think like that! Then we'd all be feeling guilty that WE couldn't do anything!" Kaminari yelled.
"How many of us were actually awake during the training camp? Huh? How many of us have the easy excuse to say 'I got hit by that gas villain's Quirk' and they didn't have to see any of what happened?!" Mina was shaking now, her acidic protection warbling as well, like it was losing cohesion.
Kaminari couldn't answer that honestly. She's gonna hurt herself more if she continues- and who knows how dangerous that acid thing around her body is?
"I keep pushing mentions of Mineta away because I always flashback to him getting hit! To...to the Nomu!" Mina closed her eyes in a mixture of fear, anger, and frustration.
"That's...not healthy." Kaminari said, as he watched her fear, anger and frustration manifest- the acid around her body grew larger and larger.
Her quirk is feeding on this negative emotion! Kaminari said. On her most toxic emotions...
"I KNOW it's not healthy!" Mina admitted, "But who'd understand?!
"WE WOULD!" Kaminari said. "You're not alone in your pain, damn it! Deku and the others got injured trying to save Bakugou, and he's in the same boat as Mineta right now!"
"Kaminari, I'm the one who-"
"What, you're the one who always needs to look out for everyone else?" Kaminari finished, taking the acid-user off guard, "Mina, that's not just a one-way thing! It never was! You look out for the class, sure, but you know that everyone on this trip looks out for you too! But we're not telepathic! Even if its just one person you tell, that's all you need! The Alien Queen I know wouldn't keep this bottled up and hidden away from the others!"
"Alien...Queen?" Mina asked, kinda surprised he used her original idea for a codename(and to this day, the one she liked more. Seriously, Alien Queen just sounded badass.)
"I know what you're feeling- I'm messed up too, especially since I just saw one of my closest friends get maimed!" Kaminari said. "And I need help as much as you do!"
Mina just stared at Kaminari and found herself starting to clench her eyes shut, she didn't know where the hell this sudden pep-talk was coming from but she could feel herself wanting to just lash out even more. She knew this was unhealthy and she knew that this was something she couldn't just let go easily...
But why, why was he starting to try and get her to calm down about this?
At this point she knew that she was being selfish by even getting mad about this at all, what right did she have to compare her own situation to someone like Bakugou, or Mineta, or any of them...
She was just meant to be the one that smiled all the time...
"If you wanna strike me down, fine! If you wanna talk, fine! It's your decision-! Just think about who else would be involved in it." Kaminari said. "We're Class 1-A. We've been the most targeted class in UA history, but we haven't let that stop us before, have we!?"
"Those times were different!" Mina yelled back as she just started to clench her fists even harder; "You don't get it do you..."
"We're not the pros! Yet we just threw ourselves at danger without even thinking and look where it got us?! We're lucky to be alive and right now we're just expected to make up for what happened?! We're supposed to just look at everyone and say that we're OK?" Mina's acid was starting to bubble up just that bit more before she suddenly launched it out, the arm having extended like a whip.
"HOW CAN YOU EVEN THINK WE'RE OK AFTER ANY OF THIS?!"
"I KNOW WE'RE NOT OKAY!" Kaminari yelled, dodging the acid whip. The whip melted the ground around him- Mina was seriously dangerous right now. That acid could probably melt one of his arms clean off rather than cause some light burns.
"THEN WHY? Why can't you just stop trying to be the savior here?" Mina yelled as she kept throwing up more and more acid. Her eyes were even starting to tear up because of the acid. It seemed like every liquid in her body was being used to make this strong acidic mixture.
"I'm not trying to be your savior! I'm trying to be your shoulder to cry on!" Kaminari said. "I'm not the hero you need- I barely know anything at this damn school, but I know when a friend needs to just CRY!"
Mina found herself stopping as she started to look up at Kaminari, eyes practically flooded with a mixture of her own acid and tears as she felt her body almost slumping over.
"Come on, Mina. J-just let it all out." Kaminari said, voice shaky. "Because God knows I'm gonna cry too if don't start-"
The ground started sizzling, and Mina could feel her body just...letting it all out. Grass, boulders, and trees all began to slowly dissolve in an enormous puddle of leaking acid that threatened to engulf even Kaminari.
Her acid could probably melt the entire mountain if she wanted- how potent did her emotions make it!? Kaminari thought.
Mina just started to clench her hands on the ground before letting out a loud scream of pain. All of her pent-up feelings were finally coming out.
Kaminari stopped for a moment and let her let out that primal, horrible scream she had been holding back since...maybe the camp? Maybe even before. It was a terrible sound, but one that was needed.
The scream itself was heard all over USJ, and it seemed like all the groups had been made aware of the two people. Mina kept pounding the ground with her fist as she tried to get angry, but all that came out were tears.
Kaminari walked over slowly, his eyes fixed on Mina.
I can't imagine how it must be to live a happy life, and then suddenly deal with your first tragedy out of nowhere. Kaminari thought. Mina's always smiling, always joking...you'd never expect an emotional reaction like this.
But...
The happiest people always have the saddest smile.
As Mina kept crying, she finally just looked up at Kaminari, her eyes red from crying. She tried to say something, but she just...couldn't come up with anything. She coughed as she felt her breath leaving her.
Kaminari got down on his knees and gave her a hug that was as soft and warm as he could make it. I'm not a perfect hero, student, or anything else, but I can still be a good friend, right?
Mina's crying stopped for a second, but then it started up again just as quickly. She held on as tight as she could. Even when she heard footsteps behind them, she didn't want to let go.
"There they are! Kaminari found Mina!" Momo yelled.
"Woah, check out the area..." Tooru said, looking at the melted area around the duo.
Ochako had to walk slowly up to the two of them because she was almost in shock. Mina's quirk had caused so much damage, but Kaminari seemed to be fine.
"It's okay, it's okay- we've got professionals who can help now..." Kaminari whispered, as Yang walked over.
"I was wondering where he was...looks like he found her and made up." Yang thought aloud.
"You... Are you both OK?" Jirou asked as she slowly leaned back a little and Yang quickly started to help Mina up. Kaminari let go of Mina because it looked like the alien queen heroine had actually passed out from being so tired.
"She'll be all right. She only needs to sleep."
"M-mrs. Xiao Long..." Mina muttered. "I-is Mr. Ren up for a 'drop in' appointment? Like, right now?"
Yang took a deep breath. "Let's see what we can do."
At least it seemed like things were a little bit better, but it would take a while for things to feel normal again. At least Ochako knew that no matter how someone looks on the outside, there is always something more going on...
The rest of the night was quiet. Some kids sat with Mina by the campfire for support while she talked with Mr. Ren. Kaminari was the closest to her, and might've stayed by her side the entire night.
Whilst it was all happening, Ochako decided to at least take a moment to herself as well, everything that had happened was weighing on her mind and she admittedly did feel a bit of that guilt well up inside of her. She felt like she needed to do better, not just for herself but for everyone else at UA.
"This has been an intense night..." Iida admitted. "More intense than any of us realized. Thank goodness both of them are okay."
"Yeah." Ochako said, looking at Mina from afar. It was strange to think how all of them ended up here. Where did the domino start to fall? During the internships? The exams? Or was it always meant to happen?
"You...You think maybe this was meant to happen?" Ochako asked as she started to worry a little more about how this bad thing seemed to bring the group together.
Izuku sighed. "I don't know, honestly." He looked down at his hand. "But...I'm inclined to agree. My dad always said your plans determine your future. I don't know what will happen to us, but I do know one thing: Focus on what is amazing, beautiful, uplifting, and happy. What you have...now."
Ochako, Iida and Izuku stood there for a few moments.
"...hey. Can I ask you guys something...really important?" Ochako asked.
"What is it?"
"...promise me," Ochako said, taking a deep breath. "That...we'll never fight like that."
"I mean, well, we can hope that we don't fight like that." Iida added as he started to look down at his hands and clasped them together before taking a breath, "But there may come a time when we are challenged in a way that will test our bond."
"I know that, but...I just want to have some comfort knowing we'll make it through." Ochako said. "I've been worried about everyone recently, and I was worried this was just going to tear apart the class."
"I mean, it's not silly to be worried... I'd even say they're justified." Iida said as he turned back to look at Ochako, "But we've been through worse."
"And I want us to always get back up, know what I mean?" Ochako gave a shrug. "I know it's a pipe dream, but...yeah."
Izuku gave a small smile and said, "Well, I'm going to have to say that no matter what... I'm glad we're all safe.
"We have a lot to figure out—new abilities, new feelings, and new relationships—but Class 1-A hasn't been down for long, has it?" Iida smiled.
"You're right about that!" Ochako raised her hands and smiled as she did so. Even if they had to go through hard times, they would come back stronger than ever.
Iida yawned. "Now- we should probably get some rest. I'm feeling exhausted right now..."
The three of them started walking over to say goodnight to the others, but someone stopped Ochako as she was walking back to her tent to get some sleep.
"Hey."
Ochako looked over to see Shinsou, arms crossed and standing alone. She raised an eyebrow. "...hey?"
"So. You managed to sort that whole thing out?" Shinsou asked as he seemed less concerned and more just...ambivalent
"Yeah. Everything's good now, I think. I don't imagine Mina's gonna be 100% for a while, but...yeah." Ochako rubbed the back of her head. "Listen, sorry again that you got involved in all this mess."
"Eh, at this point, it will stop them from fighting with each other. Now do me a favor." Shinsou then looked at Ochako and said, "Never involve me in any of this crap again."
"...I dunno if I can promise you that." Ochako admitted. "We're...a lot."
"Then I'll force you all to not get involved with this shit." Shinsou warned.
"Listen. We JUST had someone who acted distant and stand-offish get maimed." Ochako frowned. "We're not gonna sit back and watch you do the same. Mostly out of fear."
"Look, that's why I'm saying now, involve me, and I'll stop this." Shinsou shouted, folding his arms hastily.
"You literally just helped Mina- we'd probably still be beating around the bushes if not for you." Ochako said.
"Not on my own volition." Shinsou said, before getting a little more annoyed. He wasn't going to get into this kind of mushy talk.
Ochako was feeling a little annoyed. "I know you just said, 'I didn't come to make friends,' but see how you feel about that by the end of the year."
"Fine." Shinsou said, "You did good," and then quickly moved on, but not before he let out a soft sigh.
Ochako took a deep breath as he watched him walk back to his tent. Next task: get Shinsou to stop being a loner.
Izuku thought his night was over. A good dose of sleep would help him stave off the hunger, right? Well, he was wrong.
Izuku "woke up" in the realm of vestiges. But this one seemed more compact and smaller. The manor was now just a single hallway with a door at the end. Izuku walked toward it because he was interested in what it could be.
I'm here for a reason. Izuku thought. Maybe Yoichi wants to talk again, or the user of Blackwhip needs to have a chat with me. I do need advice on how to really use it…I don't know where to start…
As Izuku opened the door, he was greeted with an unexpected sight- All Might, laying in a bed…with that one woman he saw earlier, right by his side. She was a beautiful buff woman with a tough personality. She had fair skin and a small mole on the right side of her bottom lip. Her eyes were sharp and smart, and her eyelashes were long. Her hair was dark and straight, and it was kept shoulder-length, except for a bunch of short bangs that hung over her forehead. She wore a black blazer and matching black pants, a white button up shirt, a red belt and white Converse shoes.
All Might poked his head up from his bed, eyes wide with shock. "Y-young Midoriya?"
"A-all Might!" Izuku gasped, running over. He was relieved to see his mentor again- it felt like it had been too long. "H-how? Why are you here?"
"The excess energy from using so many of our built up quirks at once allowed for him to manifest, albeit temporarily." The woman explained. "So, while he's 'burning' it off…we've been watching over him."
"That explains the coma." Izuku hummed.
All Might's eyes widened. "I'm in a coma!? I just thought I was in a really deep sleep!"
"You've been in a coma for a little over a week now." Izuku explained.
All Might chuckled. "I…I guess I lost track of time…but, can you blame me?"
The woman laughed. "You always did have that nasty habit, Toshinori."
"Young Midoriya, I thought I would never say this. I'd like you to meet the Floating Hero, Skyward- my mentor." All Might was beaming as he introduced his teacher.
"But please, call me Nana. It's nice to meet you properly, Midoriya." Nana held out her hand, and Izuku shook it. Wow, she had a good grip.
"I-it's nice to meet you too, ma'am." Izuku said.
"So, how is it out there?" All Might asked. "I'm guessing it's pretty bad."
"Crime's been skyrocketing since you went into a coma."
"Figures…" All Might said. "World saw me get knocked down, and no one's really sure if I'll get back up." Izuku flinched at that. "...for now, at least."
"So, what exactly happened to make All Might use all those quirks?" Izuku asked.
"Simple. The relit flames of All for One recognized our…'brother'." Nana explained. "So, we had to step in to make sure that if we went down…then so did he."
"Mutually destroyed destruction." All Might said.
"...is it gonna be…gone after you wake up?" Izuku asked.
"Hm?" All Might said.
"Your sliver of One for All. Is it gone?" Izuku asked. "For real?"
All Might closed his eyes. "...yeah. After this, I'm back to being quirkless." All Might leaned back. "And you have to take the reins."
Izuku took a deep breath. "...I know."
Nana placed a reassuring hand on Izuku's shoulder. "You've shown remarkable strength and resilience, young Midoriya. Toshinori made the right choice in passing One for All to you."
All Might gave Izuku a sincere look. "I have faith in you, kid. I thought you'd be turning on the waterworks by now-"
Teardrops suddenly hit the ground.
"There it is." All Might said.
"S-sorry. I've been trying to avoid the…end of the age of All Might talk until now, but…" Izuku wiped some tears from his eyes.
Nana chuckled softly. "Even heroes cry. It's a sign of strength, not weakness."
"I know, I know, but…it's over. The age of All Might-" Izuku said. "And I know I talked about it with Uraraka, but…I just can't help but feel so scared for what comes next. My class just had a massive freak out, and I barely contributed to help end that conflict- I don't even know if I can handle the whole WORLD freaking out! I…I…"
Izuku looked down. "I'm just…a kid."
All Might wanted to say something…but, maybe it was better to hear the words from someone just as, if not more, comforting. Nana placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Fear is a part of growing up, Midoriya. It's precisely during these moments of fear that we discover our true strength…I know this kid did." Nana gave Toshinori a warm smile. "Fear isn't the end…it's the fuel for what comes next. Heroes always face their fears head-on and rise above them…"
Her smile fell a bit.
"It's what I did."
"How do you…live with that fear, though?" Izuku asked. "With it constantly lingering in the back of your head?"
"You can't ignore it. Fear will always catch up to you, morbid as it sounds." Nana explained. "But who's to say that fear won't be…lessened when it does?"
Izuku raised an eyebrow.
"You have the one thing none of us…really had back when we first got it. Allies." Nana said. "All Might was much older when he finally found a group he could trust, but you have that ready resource today. Please- talk with someone. Don't release it all on the battlefield. You may find it empowering, but…you'll feel nothing after you do."
The world around them started to fade. Nana looked to All Might, who was slowly…vanishing.
"Oh, no…" All Might huffed.
"What? What's going on?" Izuku asked.
"He's finally waking up. Guess your presence might be a huge 'power drain' or something." Nana guessed. "Probably because you're 'stronger' than him."
"I thought I'd have more time…" All Might huffed. "I haven't even told you about the other kids."
Nana chuckled, and walked over to Toshinori. "To have another conversation with you is still something I hadn't expected. Maybe…one day, you can." As the world around them continued to fade, Nana turned to Izuku. "You've got this, Midoriya. Face the challenges with that determined spirit of yours. And don't forget, we're all cheering for you from the sidelines."
Izuku's vision blurred.
And then he woke up.
Sitting up, Izuku took a moment to collect his thoughts. The words of encouragement from All Might and Nana reverberated in his mind.
"...I'm next."
The next few months would start his journey towards being the number one hero.
A few days after the whole incident with Mina, things had calmed down within Class 1-A's dorms. Mina was feeling more and more like herself, but with a bit of a more 'demure' nature. She was talking to people, sure, but not in that 'hand waving frantically' sort of Mina fashion.
She'd seen Ren a few times that week, and while he said 'more meetings does not equal faster recovery time', it did help her in opening up with others. Ochako was happy to see Mina smile again- it felt like a ray of sunshine after a torrential downpour.
Mina and Kaminari were trying to fix their friendship one step at a time, starting with less important things like talking and making jokes. It was almost like starting over, but Kaminari didn't mind because he was the one who started the fight in the first place. So while it wasn't 100%, it was…maybe a 40%.
(Kind of like their more recent english grades, ay yooooooooooo)
But, Class 1-A was still on shaky footing, and there was one more elephant in the room everyone had to ultimately confront.
"So, this is where he lives now, huh?" Sero said, looking up at the Reed Business Alliance house. It looked identical to their apartment building, save for more of a 'sleek' look. Hideously modern.
"Looks nice," Iida said. "Probably better looking than ours."
"I bet the business geeks figured out a way to pay Cementoss to remodel it and make it stand out more." Jirou smirked.
"Sounds like them," Ochako giggled, as she looked up at the building. Everything having to do with heroes, from establishing hero agencies to influencing public opinion, fell within the jurisdiction of the Management course. They even provided hands-on instruction in business management and financing for startups. It is likely that recent grads will find work as public relations or marketing professionals representing famous people. Because heroes often work as independent contractors, it's possible that they use people who have degrees in Management to publicize them and their businesses.
Mineta chose a good course, Ochako thought. He'll be set for any job with a degree from UA. He might have landed a cushy job before we're even aligned with as a sidekick or have our own Pro Hero office.
Ochako once considered the business course- But she didn't want to fall into the traps of the course, either. One big reason was that economics required a lot of abstract thinking. This is hard to learn, and most people don't learn it before college. When you start to think about things in a more general way, you start to see that a lot of assumptions make sense. After that, tbecause political discussions are so important to students, they often have an idea of what is right based on what they think about politics. Again, it's not easy to get people to put aside their own ideas and look at things in a logical way.
…plus she wasn't the greatest at math.
Mina looked up at the building and winced a bit. Not because she thought it was bad, but part of her still stung with the memories of Mineta taking the hit. If anything, she was worried about having a flashback or something. Was she overreacting? Maybe. But she calmed down when she felt both Tooru and Kaminari put a hand on her shoulders.
"Hey, it'll be fine," Kaminari reassured.
"I have no idea what to say to him. I want to show so many different feelings, but..." Mina inhaled deeply. "God."
"Mina, we'll be here for you. And we'll be ready for whatever comes, "Iida said, as they walked in.
...as soon as they walked in, they saw a group of girls sitting around someone eating lunch at a table. They couldn't get enough of him.
"What happened after that?" One girl asked.
"I just knew when I saw that chainsaw being swung around wildly..." A voice said. "I was the only one who could save the situation. Everyone in my class was so scared..."
...You're KIDDING. Ochako thought.
"...Mineta?" Mina blinked, eyes wide in surprise. Jirou almost turned around and walked away right then and there, less out of not wanting to be there and more out of sheer disbelief. She had to be hallucinating that, right? Shoji stopped her with one of his Dupli-Arms and turned her back around again.
"This doesn't feel real," Jirou whispered.
"I know," Shoji said, "but it'd be rude to walk away now."
"When I saw the light, I thought that was the end- but then I turned to God herself and said, 'No. I can't be done yet.'" Mineta said coolly. "And after some self reflection, I decided to not send myself into the flames anymore- I decided to join the REAL Heroes- the management course."
"Uh...Mineta?" Izuku spoke up, interrupting the former Hero student's speech.
Mineta perked up. "Oh! Hey guys! Ladies, can you leave me alone for a few minutes? My friends from my old 'stomping ground' are here."
"Okay! Bye, Mineta~" One of the girls said, as they all left.
Ochako rolled her eyes, but she did notice something different about Mineta. He had some patches of 'redness' around his face and body, probably from the burns he suffered.
"What..the hell was that?" Kaminari asked.
"Oh them? They just wanted to hear how I wound up over here, no big deal," Mineta explained, no doubt trying to humble-brag.
Everyone in class gave Mineta a weird look. So while we were having emotional turmoil, he was just feeding everyone here a lie? They thought simultaneously.
"So, what's up?" Mineta asked. "Why are you guys here?"
"Well...we...wanted to check in," Izuku said, wondering how, and even if he should mention about not knowing about his injuries.
"...makes sense. You guys must've been so caught up with Bakugou that I fell through the cracks, kind of." Mineta guessed.
"Uh," Mina murmured softly, trying to avoid eye contact with Mineta right now.
"It's all good. I'm sorry if my sudden departure caused any confusion." Mineta said. "I thought to myself, "I'm always running away!" But what if I don't do it this time? What if, for once, life gave me a break and let me emerge victorious? I take a lot of blows from life, and I'm just not built for the hero's journey. Even if I didn't try to run this time, I still got messed up."
"So, you left because...you got screwed too many times." Mina said.
"Yeah, pretty much." Mineta shrugged.
Mineta chuckled to himself, but felt the strange and alien stares of Class 1-A on his body. Mineta blinked.
"Uh, you guys good?"
"...Mineta?" Mina spoke up, gathering up her courage, "We're sorry. I'm sorry...I saw you get hit a-and..."
"Hey, I'm fine, aren't I?" Mineta said. "Sure, I got singed, but I'm cool now! I'm here. So, none of us are that unlucky."
"But…nobody else knew until Kaminari brought it up..." Mina said.
Mineta blinked. "Ah." Mineta sat there for a moment. "Well, whatevs! I'm used to it."
"What...whatevs?" Jirou asked, "That...that's it?"
"Yeah."
"…so, no issues whatsoever. No mental issues?" Izuku asked.
"Nah, I'm well-adjusted." Mineta shrugged. "What, were you guys messed up by what happened to me?"
"Wh-" Mina gasped, trying to actually just...formulate a proper response. "You're...you're fine?"
"Yeah! I…I mean, I still peel sometimes, but-" Mineta said. Everyone gagged as they heard that.
"Listen, Mineta- we just went through a GIANT emotional episode, spurred by YOU." Kaminari said.
"Oh!" Mineta said. "Well, that sucks."
The class stared once again. We literally just spent DAYS talking about this whole situation, and you're telling me that he's not all that interested?
"Are you like. ACTUALLY SERIOUS?! I literally had to sign myself up for therapy because of you!" Mina yelled.
"How the hell aren't you AFFECTED by all of this?! YOU JUST LEFT THE HERO COURSE! AFTER A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE!" Kaminari yelled.
"Well, I'm not bothered." Mineta shrugged.
"BUT WE ARE!"
Some of the other students in the management class had looked at what was going on. Mina felt that acid starting to bubble up inside of her again…Kaminari quickly put his hand on Mina's shoulder to try to calm her down, but he also gave Mineta a slight glare.
"Look, I don't know if you realize that what happened to you caused half of the things that happened. But don't you think you're a little, I don't know, dense?" Kaminari argued.
"Huh? I mean, what are you going to do, stick something in my eye?" Mineta looked at Jirou and continued, "Will you slap me with your tongue? Or do you want to try to call me out? Like, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you guys are making a big deal out of nothing. I mean, you guys didn't like me to begin with, so why does it matter what I think of you?" Mineta explained as he simply crossed one leg over the other and shrugged. "I got burned, but I'm getting over it. If you're going to keep this for so long, maybe you should have dropped it."
"…Mineta, half those things that happened to you were because you were a creep?" Tsu said flatly. "And then you sorta guilt tripped us with this whole 'quitting the hero course' with no explanation thing, and now you're acting like you saved the day…"
"Yeah, it was Monoma from Class 1-B who went ham on that Nomu. Not you." Kaminari said.
"Yeah, but don't they know that." Mineta added as he gave Kaminari a quick glance. "The first rule of management is that you do everything you can to get ahead. If I have to tell a few little white lies to get where I want to go, I'll do it gladly." When he talked about what the management course was like, he seemed...weirdly articulate and clear.
"And it's not like you like Monoma either? He's the one who wants to beat you all up so much that it's ridiculous. At least I have a goal that isn't as hard."
"I don't like what the management course has done to your ego, dude." Kaminari said.
"Yeah, you turned into a pint sized Gordon Gekko." Tooru frowned.
"Sue me if I'm allowed to be at least a little arrogant." Mineta added as he gave the others a quick glance.
"Hey, since you're gonna point out OUR flaws, how about we poke holes in yours?" Jirou offered.
"Oh, sure, you want to say I'm a pervert or that my quirk isn't as interesting as some of yours? How I'm a coward and a bunch of other useless stuff?" Mineta added, rolling his eyes. "I've already mentioned that I can get over things like this. Some of you can't control your feelings, and that's not my fault."
"…what the actual fuck is wrong with you?" Ochako said, breaking the tension. Mineta even looked a bit shocked by her sudden F-bomb.
"Hey, I'm just saying!" Mineta frowned. "You guys have your issues, and I don't have any. So, whatever!"
"No, no, no...You know what? I've been kinda quiet until now, but I think I got a good idea on what to say." Ochako added as she just walked up to Mineta and outright grabbed him by the scruff of his collar.
The class wanted to pull Ochako back, but they wanted to see her snap for a minute.
"Just because your stupid face stayed back and didn't get involved in what WE went through doesn't excuse our trauma." Ochako frowned. "I had my arm nearly sliced off by that same Nomu. Iida had his mufflers ripped out. Deku fought a fucking villain that could withstand his full power! Tokoyami lost control of his powers because a villain nearly ate Shoji! And later that night, a bunch of other students were nearly kidnapped! So, PLEASE! Shame us for being rude to you because you were a FUCKING pervert at every corner of the way!"
Still, Mineta just looked at her with that same smirk and said a simple sentence that almost drove her crazy. "But you survived. Don't come crying to me about it unless you want to drop the Hero Course or the pros leave you. Because now? You're talking, but I can't comprehend a thing."
"Okay, now's maybe not a good time to be holding Mineta-" Izuku said.
"What? You're going to try to make things worse for me? Think about how it will look if you beat up someone who has been burned." Mineta spoke, even though he was scared as fuck about what was going to happen. He had to keep up appearances, though.
He was no longer a coward.
So why did Ochako still sense some weird sense of fear in his eye? He didn't have the nicest eyes of anyone in Class 1-A, nor the most expressive- I mean, how could you be expressive with just black pupils. But his eyes told a story of their own.
She just didn't want to read it.
Ochako set him down, and took a deep breath.
"You're right." Ochako said. "I can't beat him up."
Mineta grinned smugly.
"But I can sure as hell curse him out for being a slimy, stupid, dense MOTHERFUCK-"
And what followed was literally 3 minutes of a stream of horrible expletives from Ochako. Everyone was so shocked and amused that they didn't know whether to stop or record.
I forgot her parents worked in construction! Iida thought. Of course she has no issue with words like these!
That's…a colorful word… Izuku thought, face red.
It's like Bakugou never left. Todoroki hummed.
Mineta just let all of those swears roll off his back. He was almost ready to say something, but couldn't because of the wave of swears.
"AND YEAH! THAT'S WHAT I THINK OF YOU, YOUR PERVERTED DREAMS, AND YOUR COWARDICE!" Ochako ended. "DAMN IT! We came here to be nice, but—GOD!"
Everyone was staring at Ochako now.
"You done?" Tsu just sort of looked to Ochako before seeing her breathe for a moment.
"Yeah, I'm…I'm good. God, I feel like I just turned into Rath for a second…" Ochako said, as she let Mina take center stage.
"I kind of thought I could give you the benefit of the doubt. So what? I was wrong to even think that you might get a little respect..." Mina answered, then crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well, I wasn't serious. I was just joking! I need to do well in the management course if I want to go far." Mineta laughed in a worried way.
"Oh, no, no, no! You're not getting out of this, pal." Mina started to actively move forward, actually putting her hands out and cracking her knuckles.
"Wooooooah, keep it easy there, Pinky…" Mineta said, backing away. "I-I mean, didn't you JUST say you were feeling sorry for me?"
"Yeah? Did I say that guys?" Mina then looked back to the others.
"No, not really." Kaminari said, looking at his phone.
"Not at all." Momo was looking away.
"I...I don't care enough." Iida covered his face with his hand.
"Alright. Time for me to let out a bit of pent up frustration." Mina exclaimed as she just quickly gripped Mineta and started to pull him away from the group
"Is this gonna get her in trouble?" Izuku asked.
"I mean, maybe. But it's kinda needed right now." Todoroki said. "Mineta is infuriating."
By the time Mineta came back with Mina, he had already apologized to everyone for acting like a jerk and lying about what happened at camp.
"I'm sorry for being a dickhead, and your words have given me a lot to think about as a person and as a future businessman," Mineta said, swaying in the wind like a leaf. Everyone kept looking at Mina.
"What'd you do?" Ochako asked.
"Acidman," Mina said as she started to adjust herself a little more before stretching her arms and starting to smile a little.
Acidman? Kaminari thought. Is that what she's calling that giant ooze thing that was around her body?
"Y-you guys can leave now," Mineta said, his spirit crushed. "I'm going to go to my room now..."
"Okay. Oh! And by the way, we'll send you some stuff. Even after what's happened, you deserve something from each of us," Mina said with a small grin. "Now get out of here." As Mineta ran away, Mina took a big breath. "For some reason, I was hoping he'd be a downer. Then it'd be easier to deal with."
Kaminari was scolding himself for this by holding his face in his hand. Earlier, he stood up for Mineta and almost split the class in two, but the little jerk just shrugged it off like nothing happened.
"I am so sorry," Kaminari said, muffled before moving his hand away, "The nerve he had to just...just brush us off until you scared him! I...gah!"
"It's fine. We didn't expect it either, Kaminari." Todoroki said.
"Please tell me you at least slapped him once," Kaminari turned to the pink hero-to-be.
"Nah. Acidman was enough. You should've seen his face when he saw the tiles start to melt a bit," Mina answered.
"Let's just go back to our apartment before we get any more weird looks," Iida said. "Hopefully no one reports this..."