"Now!" Shouted Midoriya. Thalia, who had been crouching at a line carved into the ground by Eijirou- whom she called by his first name by insistence from the boy himself- raced forward, her powerful kangaroo hindquarters launching her forward. Beside her, Iida sped forward.
Iida, however, was just barely faster, as always. He finished the hundred meters in a few seconds, bursting through Sero's tape. Thalia, however, was panting once she shapeshifted back.
After a week, she had come up with several new forms to frequent, and she went on runs with Eijirou and Bakugo along the coastline in her dog form and worked out in her gorilla form, shapeshifting as she exercised to exercise different muscles- and some that didn't exist on her human body, yet somehow, she felt the soreness anyways. Her and the boys would meet up for training a few more times, which allowed her to get closer to the two of them, coming to see them as her friends. She also got her Uncle Toshi to sign her permissions to use U.A.'s pool to swim a few laps. All of that had increased her muscle tone as well as her stamina- and gave her extra swim practice outside her quirkless swim team.
"Wow, you two! Tenya just barely beat you at 2.19 seconds, while Thalia's just ten milliseconds behind her at 2.29 seconds! You both have to be the fastest in the class!" Ochako exclaimed, giving Thalia a side hug. The girl returned it tiredly.
"Thanks, where's my coffee?" Thalia asked immediately, looking around her, her hair whipping around her.
"Right here, stupid lamb." The gallon jug of iced coffee came hurtling at her at an alarming speed that she had just barely enough time to react to and catch in her chest. The force caused her to slide back a little, and her muscles screamed from the sudden movement. Thalia looked up with a glare at the very reason she had been ignoring her funny emotions lately, who was walking toward her slowly.
"We're making so much progress, and it's only been a week! We're gonna be so ready for the Sports Festival!" Hagakure exclaimed, jumping up and down. Ojiro, her new friend, stood by her side, sweatdropping with a nervous smile.
"Thanks, firecracker." Thalia muttered as she straightened and opened the already half-empty tank, gulping it down.
"What's your time?" Bakugo asked her, arms crossed.
"2.29 seconds." Thalia stated, wiping an escaped drop of brown liquid off of her face. Bakugo nodded.
"Mine's faster." He grinned madly. Thalia looked at him with a bemused look, but was distracted by Sero's shout and her friend's name.
"Yo, Kirishima, are you sure!?" Thalia heard Sero shout. She stood up straight, looking toward the direction she heard his voice come from. It was the base of a tall building not too far away. He was looking up, his expression concerned. At the top was a grinning Eijirou in his P.E. clothing.
"Yeah, dude! I got this!" He shouted, his pointy smile reaching his ears. Thalia paled. With a shout, he leapt off, crossing his arms in an X formation. The light glinted off his skin as he hardened it right as he hit the ground with a crash. Everyone was quiet. Thalia's eyes were wide, her jaw hung open. The smoke cleared when Eijirou stood up abruptly, still hardened.
"Yyeeeaaaah!" He shouted, still hardened, his hands in the air. Thalia couldn't help but laugh.
"Wow, Eijirou! That was impressive!" Thalia shouted. Bakugo followed her when she walked over and held her hand out. Eijirou returned her high-five with a grin.
"Thanks, Thalia!" he said excitedly, his bright red eyes laying bare his fired-up mood.
"On a first-name basis, huh?" Sero teased, crossing his arms. Thalia turned to him him a sly look.
"What, jealous, Hanta?" The girl rebutted with a smile. Sero blushed, looking away with a frown. Thalia and Eijirou laughed at his reaction. When she walked back to Ochako, Midoriya and Iida, Ochako gave her a smug look.
"You got the hots for Kirishima?" Ochako teased with a smirk. Thalia would normally get flustered at such an accusation, but she kept her expression neutral and shook her head.
"Nah. I think he's my first real guy friend. I've never really been able to make friends with a dude without him getting feelings or just being weird." Thalia stated. Ochako, surprised but pleased with her response, just smiled, walking closer to her.
"Yeah, the boys in this class aren't all super weird, for once." Ochako agreed, glancing at Iida and Midoriya.
"You're my number one best friend, don't forget that." Thalia looked down at Ochako, who looked up at her with a grin.
"How could I forget?"
It was Monday, April 20th. Thalia had celebrated her birthday the weekend before with her family, Ochako, Eijirou and Momo, having a simple dinner and sleepover. Ochako had given her a framed picture of the two of them, the frame decorated by her. It was her favorite, and it hung next to her bed.
But her day was over- it was Bakugo's now, and her and Eijirou had spent some of her birthday planning his day. Hopefully, it would go as planned.
The day begins, and Thalia notices Midoriya attempt to give Bakugo a card- but he explodes it in his hand. The girl exchanged worried glances with Eijirou, hoping he wouldn't do that with their cards. She gave Midoriya a sad look, and he weakly gave her a thumbs-up. The class had noticed that it was Bakugo's birthday, and tried to be all smiley about it, but he pushed them away. In fact, he seemed like he was in an oddly bad mood the whole day.
The afternoon came, and the Eijirou and Thalia had planned a little something- they were going to pretend they were just training and that they had no idea it was Bakugo's birthday. They were practically shaking with excitement. However, they were able to keep their cool as they walked to Thalia's house with Bakugo. They headed straight for Thalia's room once they entered. Both hers and Bakugo's mothers were getting things together downstairs, and they weren't supposed to train until Thalia received a coded text from her mother. They tossed their backpacks on the ground, and Eijirou crashed onto the newly-hung hammock in the corner of her room, opposite to her bed, with a sigh. Trjegul and Bygul greeted the two boys, tails up, mews spilling from their mouths. Bygul joined Eijirou on the hammock, curling up under his armpit.
"Today was kinda tiring, wasn't it?" Eijirou said, smiling as he pet Bygul. Thalia agreed- training had been pretty intense that day.
"Y'all brought your workout clothes, right?" Thalia asked them.
"Yes, of course I did!" Bakugo snapped, causing Trjegul to jump and move away from him. Thalia didn't even blink, used to it by now, and didn't banter back- he surely wasn't in the mood for it.
Maybe he was mad because they acted clueless- it must've hurt him that his closest friends at U.A. didn't know about his birthday, despite everyone else acting on it- not that he would ever admit that. Or maybe a past year that ruined his experience with birthdays..?
"...Yea, yeah, I did." Eijirou said cautiously, his gaze on the seething boy on front of him, looking from him to Thalia and back, his eyes wide, sending the mental message that he was a little uncomfortable with the energy. Thalia did her best to disperse it.
"Let's get homework out of the way first, then start training." She suggested. Bakugo only grunted in response, and Eijirou sent her a thumbs up.
Homework went by fast- they didn't have much at all, seeing as the whole school was focused on training for the Sports Festival. They got changed into their tank tops and sweats and Thalia was in her special training outfit- the same outfit type as the stormy one, but this time it showed a cyan starry night with shiny golden stripes. She'd gotten the text from her mother, meaning that they were hiding and ready for them to walk by.
There were sheets hanging from the gazebo, obscuring everything and everyone inside, which in Thalia's opinion, didn't look very natural, but Bakugo walked right past it. Thank Odin he's focused on something else right now.
"Go!" Shouted Eijirou, the three of them in their usual formation.
Bakugo immediately raced toward Thalia and punched her hard on the side of her face. She let out a cry of anger and surprise. That was aggressive- more than usual. Quickly, she distanced herself from Bakugo and shifted into a lion. She jumped in his direction, but he slid under her and let out a rather powerful explosion right under her stomach. She roared in pain, and shifted back as she landed. She clutched her stomach, sending him a glare as she winced, a spike of burn pain feeling like a bellyflop into water.
"You never learn, do you?" Bakugo shouted scornfully. It was true- she'd fallen for the pounce-and-slide-under-and-get-exploded-in-the-stomach maneuver every spar they had. He couldn't revel in his success, because Eijirou drop-kicked him, rendering them both on their sides on the ground.
"Haha!" Eijirou laughed triumphantly, though as soon as he got up, he was blasted down on his back again. Bakugo sent him another explosion to keep him down and ran at her, teeth bared. Damn, he's got it out for us today, huh?
Thalia only growled in response and shouted as she shapeshifted into her version of a gray dire wolf and ran at him again, this time taking the lower. Bakugo must've predicted that, because he launched himself into the air, doing a flip, and blasted her back. She let out a bark/cry as Bakugo landed. Quickly, Thalia got up and raced toward Bakugo and pounced on him. He let out a cry of anger as she put her weight on his back, his face against the ground. He growled, trying his best to aim an explosion at her.
Before she reached in with the fake bite that would defeat him, she debated letting him win. If she did, Bakugo would be pissed off, believing he didn't rightfully win since she didn't give it her all. However, he'd be in a pretty bad mood- a worse mood- if he lost. So, vowing to never ever tell him, she pretended an explosion hit her leg, and weakened the weight on his back with a cry.
Bakugo, thank the Fates, didn't seem to notice her fake move and smirked evilly, and raised his elbows, propelling him off the ground and throwing her off and on her back. She let out a shrill cry as she landed hard, actually hurting her spine a bit. Bakugo stomped toward her, and sent an explosion right on front of her face, a malevolent grin splitting his lips.
Thalia felt the explosion suck all the moisture out of her mouth and throat, and she let out a hoarse cry as a harsh burning sensation rattled her whole head and throat.
She shifted back, laying on her side, coughing and wheezing. That hit harder than she thought it would. Bakugo suddenly stopped attacking, his eyes wide. Taking deep breaths she shook off her discomfort, she faced him, relaxing her posture.
"Looks like you win." She croaked.
"Uh. I'm... Uh, oops?" Bakugo still struggled to apologize when he hit someone a little too hard, and it sounded so awkward coming out of his mouth, but held out a hand to help her.
"Great effort." Thalia half-mocked him as she took his hand and stood up.
"Damn, explosion right in the face can't have felt good. You okay, Thalia?" Eijirou asked, smacking her shoulder. Thalia nodded.
"I'm fine, really. I'm tougher than you give me credit for, dynamite. Being on the receiving end of your explosions this whole time has given me the ability to build up a little resilience. Another successful match!" Thalia punched Bakugo's shoulder lightly. He looked like he really did feel pretty bad for that nasty hit. "Hey, let's have a couple snacks before we keep going. I don't know about you, but I could use some water." She joked lightly, facing Bakugo with a smile. He blinked, as if shocked by what she'd said, but scoffed.
"Yeah, whatever. Sure." He muttered. When they got to the deck, he frowned at the gazebo.
"Hey, what's up with this?" He asked, pointing at the tin that covered all the openings. Thalia and Eijirou exchanged excited glances.
"Oh, nothing... Why don't you look?" She asked, a smirk pulling at her lips. Bakugo gave her a strange look, but obeyed. As he approached the sheets, they were knocked down, revealing Mitsuki and Ljufvina who were grinning like idiots, pulling some party poppers. Bakugo looked... shocked, to say the least.
"Happy birthday, Katsuki-chan!" The two women shouted, posing next to the poles of the outdoor dining room, presenting the platter of Diablo Brownie Bites Thalia had made before school, the few gifts and cards, and the pretty lanterns and lights illuminating the table. It was silent. Bakugo just stared at the birthday setup, speechless. He slowly turned to Thalia and Eijirou.
"You guys... You remembered my birthday?" He muttered, sounding a little out of character. Arya stepped on front of Bakugo, grabbing his wrists and lifting them slightly. They locked eyes.
"How could I forget your birthday? It's the day after mine." Thalia replied, hands on her hips.
"Plus, we're friends. Friends remember each others' birthdays." Eijirou added. Bakugo's arms went limp, and he looked back down.
"I'm gonna say this once, and only once, so open your damn ears." He muttered. Everyone tensed as they prepared themselves for his next words. Little did they know, nothing could. "Thank you." He muttered. The four pretty much burst out in tears. Bakugo offered Eijirou and Thalia one of his very, very rare, genuine, small smiles. Though it was temporary, Thalia knew she would never forget it.
That evening was amazing.
"Bakugo, I know you're not super fond of cakes and stuff like that, but I made these before school, can you at least try one?" Begged Thalia, referring to her diablo bites.
"Who said I don't like cakes?" Bakugo looked down at them, and reluctantly, took a bite. He froze, his eyes wide. "Oh my god..." He breathed. He shoved the rest in. Thalia's entire being lit up, and Bakugo blushed, though she couldn't tell if it was because of the spice or not.
"Hey, Dragomir. Where the hell'd you learn to bake?" Bakugo asked the pale lavender-haired girl. Thalia blushed a little, looking away.
"W- well, I bake in my spare time, sometimes. I have a sweet tooth." Thalia admitted, properly hydrated enough so she didn't sound like a frog.
"It's... decent." He muttered. The others laughed, and Mitsuki punched his shoulder playfully, giving him a look that seemed to set him off, and a screaming match quickly ensued. The other three watched, laughing.
Later at night, Bakugo finally looked at his gifts and cards.
"Ooh! Open mine!" Exclaimed Thalia.
"No! Open mine first!" Eijirou protested. Before the argument could escalate, Bakugo took Thalia's gift and card.
"Hey!" Eijirou whined. Thalia sent him a smug smirk.
Thalia had gotten him a pair of white, orange and green designer high-tops with thick, green laces. Bakugo looked pretty shocked.
"These are so-" Bakugo stopped himself. "These are cool, or whatever." Bakugo opened the card, and a few thousand yen fell out. Arya, however, stopped Bakugo before he could open the whole card.
"I-It's super long, you might wanna wait until you get home to read it." Arya said bashfully. Bakugo raised an eyebrow and put the card down, the 5,000 yen placed neatly on top.
Eijiro had gotten him a 10,000 yen PSX (PlayStation ten) gift card as well as a nice happy birthday note.
"You're welcome, I saved up for that." Eijirou said, putting his hands behind his back.
"One-up much?" Thalia accused Eijirou teasingly. He just scoffed playfully at her.
"I thought you were supposed to be the rich one?" Eijirou teased.
"Those shoes were 90,000 yen!" Thalia shot back.
"You spent 90,000 yen on those shoes!?" Everyone chorused at her, shocked. Thalia blushed as her mother reprimanded her, and Bakugo looked like his soul left his body.
"It was birthday money!" Thalia tried to defend herself.
"You spent your birthday money on a present for someone else!?" Bakugo exclaimed, aghast. Thalia crossed her arms.
"Well, I had to get you something to replace those ugly brown shoes you wear." Thalia stuck her tongue out at him. Mitsuki snorted.
"You did all of us a huge favor, actually. We've been trying to ditch those shoes for years. I keep telling you, they're too small for you."
Bakugo just couldn't process that Thalia had spent almost a hundred thousand yen on him. Out of her birthday money, for that matter. Given how her mother was chastising her, that was a little much, even for their well-off family.
That stupid lamb. Maybe I should make sure she doesn't empty her damn coffers for any random kid she meets.
That night, before Bakugo went to sleep, he opened Thalia's card. He noticed that she wrote in all lowercase- something that would normally bother him, but for some reason, it didn't.
hey. i know we've known each other for like .2, but i think you're pretty cool. you may act like a bitch, but honestly that's what makes you... well, you. people always tell each other to be quiet, shut up, be invisible. at least, that's all i heard growing up. but being friends with someone like you makes me not want to shut up. and i'm sure you'll be the message to people in bad situations that they shouldn't shut up, and that they should be loud, just like you. you would've been my favorite as a kid. never stop being yourself. shoot for the moon. happy weed day. 420 blaze it.
also, happy birthday.
or whatever.
-stupid lamb
Bakugo stared down at the card, his eyebrows risen, eyes wide. He didn't know what to think. Putting a hand on his cheek, he felt heat. I would've been her favorite, huh? Bakugo put the card down on his side table and laid on his side, mind filled with lavender as he fell asleep.
The days that passed felt so short now that it was finally the morning of the Festival. The training and her constant swimming had toned Thalia considerably, her arms being just as toned as the rest of her body now that she'd exercised them equally- courtesy of Bakugo and his screaming though they only trained together two or three days after his birthday. She'd also trained a few times with Ochako and Momo, sometimes Iida and Midoriya would join. They would often go out to eat after, either Thalia, Iida or Momo paying for them all, by their insistence.
Thalia felt prepared. Iced coffee in hand, in her school uniform and her backpack on her back. Her ashy lavender hair swished as she looked back at Ljufvina, who was standing behind her excitedly.
"You got this, Thalia! Crush them all! Remember, all of us will be in the stands! Try and find us!" She exclaimed, practically jumping for joy.
"Ma, you're not even the one participating and you're more excited than I am." Thalia joked. Her phone buzzed against her thigh.
"I know," Ljufvina breathed, stars in her eyes, "but I remember so clearly being in your place. It was so incredibly fun. Oh! You got your speech memorized?" Ljufvina prompted.
Thalia was doing the student pledge- she had come first in the Entrance Exam. She nodded.
"I have to go. Bakugo's gonna lose his mind if I'm not there soon, and I'm almost late." Thalia laughed.
"Okay, go!" Ljufvina ushered her out quickly. Thalia ran with her skateboard, giving herself a head start, and threw it on the ground, hopping on and increasing her already high speed. While she skated, she looked at her texts.
lord explosion murder
hurry up u dumb lamb!
Thalia looked at Bakugo's message with a deadpan expression. What a gentleman. She left him on read and continued skating toward the station. When she got there, she saw Bakugo and Eijirou getting up and boarding the train that had just arrived.
"Guys, wait! Eijirou! Bakugo!" She shouted. They both turned their heads, and their eyebrows relaxed, Eijirou's expression turning into a grin and waved. Thalia stepped off her skateboard, and slammed her foot on the end of the skateboard, seeing if she could catch it and look cool like she'd seen people do, but she just hit herself in the face with the back wheel, right under where her horn stopped. She cried out with surprise, and Eijirou and Bakugo burst out laughing, along with a couple of bystanders.
Thalia blushed and picked up her skateboard off the ground, rubbing her cheek, not a fan of the odd sensation.
"Ugh, so embarrassing..." She grumbled as she joined her two friends at the door of the train. They all went inside, the boys still laughing at her. "Guys, that's not funny!" Thalia snapped as she sat down in between them in a mostly empty bench by the door, holding her skateboard vertically between spread legs. They inhaled deeply, grins still attached to their faces.
"That was fuckin' hilarious. I'm never letting you forget that." Bakugo cackled with a grin. Thalia gave him a look.
"Oh, just like that time you fell asleep on my hammock with my cats?" Thalia shot back, smiling mischievously. Bakugo's grin disappeared, and he glared at her.
"You deleted that picture, right!?" He growled. Thalia smirked.
"Oh, of course! Of course I did." She said whimsically. Bakugo clenched his jaw and was about to lash out at her. Eijirou, however, easily distracted, looked down at where her skateboard was standing.
"Yo, Thalia. When'd you get that?" He asked, pointing at the dirty penny board. Bakugo looked down at her skateboard as well.
"Oh, I've had it for a few years. I've been getting to school and back with it." Thalia informed them gleefully. Eijirou's face lit up.
"Wow, that's so cool! You gotta let me try!" He exclaimed. Thalia gave him an uneasy smile.
"Sure, why not?" She agreed. "Just be careful, it's easy to fall off and scrape your knee or elbow."
The train stopped, and the trio got off. Thalia placed her skateboard on the ground, and Eijirou reluctantly got on, regretting his decision. To keep it moving, Thalia put a hand on his back and lightly pushed him forward, causing him to move his limbs around wildly.
"Dude, I didn't realize how tiny this thing is." He said shakily, his stance awkward.
"That's what she said." Bakugo said with a cackle.
"Everything looks tiny compared to your gigantic feet, Eijirou. Here, do it like this." Thalia placed her feet the way she did when skating- sideways, with her toes and heels hanging off.
"Hey, I think I'm getting it- Woah!" Eijirou had just gotten the confidence to move forward when Bakugo shoved him off.
"We're wasting time, let's go, losers!" Bakugo snapped, a little on edge due to the time.
"Fair enough." Eijirou rubbed his thigh as he stood up. Thalia slotted her skateboard in a holster attached to her backpack and they continued on.
Approaching the school, she heard loud voices and fireworks. She looked up to see the colorful poofs above the school ahead of them, and looked down to see a huge crowd of reporters crowding the gate. The three stopped in their tracks.
"Oh jeez. I feel so much luckier that we don't have to go past 'em like last time. Now where's the waiting room..?" Eijirou trailed off, looking around.
"Aw man, I was totally hoping I could wear my costume!" Mina whined, looking glumly down at her P.E. outfit. Ojiro, who was stretching beside Mina, smiled at her.
"At least everyone'll be in uniforms. That'll keep things fair, right?" He said optimistically.
"Makes it harder to stick out, though." Thalia muttered, giving Ojiro her gaze as she stretched her legs. Ojiro glanced at Thalia, who was pacing next to Midoriya and Bakugo. Now that she was in the waiting room, her nervousness had skyrocketed.
"Well, you don't have to try all that hard to stick out, Dragomir." He responded calmly. "You've got a flashy quirk. And horns."
"Oh, wait!" Said Midoriya said from her left, raising a finger. "You can't really do much in your P.E. uniform, can you?" she asked, his eyes sympathetic. Thalia paused her pacing and looked at Midoriya.
"Actually, I sent in a request, and I got a special outfit- it's just like my hero costume, but it looks like the P.E. uniform. I can shapeshift into anything I want with this." Thalia explained as she returned to her nervous pacing.
"Dragomir, will you stop with the pacing? Yer making me dizzy." Bakugo mumbled angrily. Thalia whipped around to face him- though he had only turned his head partially. She stopped briefly and was about to snap, but the door to the waiting room opened. Thalia felt a rocket launch from her stomach and explode in her chest- it was Iida.
"Everyone, get your game faces on! We're entering the arena soon!" The class rep shouted. Thalia squeaked, finally stopping her pacing.
"Dude, I think all that coffee is working against you." Eijirou stated, looking at her comically shaky form.
"Midoriya." Todoroki called out Midoriya, who looked up as he approached him, an unreadable expression on his face and a hand in his pocket.
"Hey, Todoroki. What's up?" Asked Midoriya nervously. The class stilled, silent, and watched the exchange. It was rare that Todoroki spoke, much more rare for him to speak without being spoken to first. "From an objective standpoint, I think it's fairly clear that I'm stronger than you." Thalia felt let down by the stupid sentence that came from Todoroki's mouth. Ochako put a gentle hand on her shoulder, sensing her contempt, giving her a look that said 'it's their business'. Thalia frowned and pursed her lips, but took her silent advice.
Midoriya winced at his words.
"Uh- um, yeah" He said, unsure of what his point was and a little put down by it. Todoroki lowered his chin.
"However, you've got All Might in your corner, helping you out." Midoriya flinched, and Thalia gritted her teeth. Oh, so he's making an assumption and believing it true. She thought, narrowing her eyes. "I'm not here to pry about what's going on between you two. But know that I will beat you." Thalia almost groaned out loud, putting her hand on her cheek, rolling her eyes again. Midoriya, however, took it seriously, gasping in fear.
"Oh, what's with all these declarations of war lately?" Asked Kaminari, amused.
"I don't know, but it's childish as fuck." Thalia growled. She watched Eijirou get out of his seat and put his hand on Todoroki's shoulder.
"Yeah, what's the big deal? Why're you pickin' a fight all of the sudden?" He asked. "And right before we get started..." He trailed off when Todoroki shouldered his hand away. Eijirou raised his eyebrows at the move.
"We're not here to be each other's friends." Todoroki said scornfully. Thalia frowned, suspecting that there was something else behind this act out at this point. He turned around and walked toward the door. "Don't forget, this isn't a team effort."
"Wait a sec, Todoroki." Midoriya said lowly. He stopped in his tracks, turning around halfway. "I dunno what's going through your head, or why you think you'd need to tell me that you'll beat me. And yeah, of course, you're better than me. In fact, you probably have way more potential than almost anyone in the hero course. That's why you got in so easily."
"Midoriya, maybe you're being a little hard on yourself. And us." Eijirou said, putting his hands up.
"No kidding." Thalia growled, making Midoriya flinch.
"No. He's right, you guys." Midoriya contradicted their words, displeasing Thalia, but he continued. "All the other courses- they're coming for us with everything they've got." He lowered his previously raised fists. "We're all gonna have to fight to stand out." He said the last part quieter. Thalia slacked her muscles. Todoroki completely faced Midoriya. "And I'll be aiming for the top, too." He said the last part with an intensity Thalia didn't know he had in him. Todoroki's expression hadn't changed.
"Fine." He said stonily. Thalia heard Bakugo scoff quietly beside her, and she had to agree with his sentiment.
Thalia let out a long groan of annoyance, shattering the intense atmosphere.
"God, that was annoying. The next person who declares war like that's getting fuckin' slapped." Thalia muttered. She glared at Bakugo when she said that. He scoffed again and looked away. Todoroki raised his eyebrows at her, as did some of the class. Thalia put a hand on Midoriya's shoulder, sending him a glare as he turned around. He put his arms close to his chest, making a panicked 'eep!' at her knife-filled gaze.
"Also, Midoriya," Thalia began, honeying her voice before dropping the sweet tone, "don't put us down like that to prove a point. Especially me."
Bakugo gave Thalia an incredulous look. Light blush dusted his cheeks, but he didn't realize it, though some others noticed.
"HEY! Make some noise, you rabid sports fans!" Shouted Present Mic on the Jumbo-tron. Contrary to the Entrance Exam orientation, he got screams in return. "Get those cameras prepped, media hordes! This year, we're bringing you some of the hottest performances in Sports Festival history, guaranteed! I've only got one question before we start this show: ARE YOU READY!?"
Thalia was trying- unsuccessfully- to modulate her breathing as she walked out the tunnel to the millions of eyes and cameras. Ochako and Mina had helped her out with the braids she had neglected to do in the morning, and because Mina had super dexterous fingers, they looked crisp and clean on the sides of her head. On top, Ochako had done a Dutch braid that went all the way down. Her hair stuck out in some places, and the braid fell to her waist. They would fall out when she shapeshifted, but she wanted it to look nice for the speech she was so nervous about. Present Mic's voice from the distance certainly wasn't helping her. She looked down at her hands- and they were shaking. She suddenly felt a hand smack one of her horns, earning a yelp, snapping her out of her trance- Bakugo walked beside her.
"Pull yourself together, you stupid lamb. 'Ts not like we're walking to death row." He grumbled. Thalia was about to say something, when she realized that Bakugo had actually helped her, and the anxiousness buzzing in her chest eased. She huffed.
"Yeah, I guess we're not." Thalia responded.
"Let me hear ya scream as our students make their way to the main stage!" Thalia heard Present Mic announcing. Cheering from thousands of people reached her ears.
"Welcome back to the U.A. Sports Festival! Where up-and-coming heroes leave everything on the field as they fight for the chance to achieve worldwide fame and celebrity! The first group are no strangers to the spotlight! You know them for withstanding a villain attack- the dazzling students lighting up your TVs with solid-gold skills. The hero course students of class 1-A!"
The outside light was bright, and she squinted her eyes. It was the perfect temperature, the heat from the sun's rays contradicting the spring's coolness. Once her eyes were adjusted, she saw the source of the cheering. She expected fear to rattle her spine, but instead, she felt adrenaline course through her veins. A huge smile crossed her face, and she gently laughed as they walked toward the middle of the field, raising her fist for all to see.
"Wow, there's so many people." Thalia said through a laugh. She immediately looked for her family in the stands, but there were so many people, she had no idea where to look. Antlers, antlers, antlers... There were actually a lot more antlers up there than she expected there to be.
"What happened to your scaredy-cat-ness?" Asked Bakugo bluntly. Thalia nudged his arm.
"Someone helped me out." She responded, her skin a bit rosy as she smiled. Bakugo's eyes widened slightly before he whipped his head away.
"Present Mic sure did talk us up a lot." Said Eijirou. "Kinda makes me nervous. How ya feelin' guys?" An evil smirk crossed Bakugo's face, and Thalia flinched when she noticed.
"Oh, I'm not worried. Makes me wanna win this thing more." He growled. Thalia laughed.
"That's the spirit, dynamite!" She said, letting his energy infect her.
"They haven't been getting nearly as much screentime, but this next group is still chock full of talent! Welcome, hero course class 1-B! Next up, general studies classes C, D and E! Support classes F, G and H! And finally, business classes I, J and K! Give it up for all of U.A.'s first year contestants!" Present Mic exclaimed. Hundreds of other students came out of the openings in the stadium.
Thalia widened her eyes as the sheer number of contestants made itself clear.
"Wow, holy shit." Thalia muttered.
"Yeah, right?" Eijirou agreed. "I kinda understand why you were nervous."
They all gathered on the center of the stadium, standing in a square on front of Midnight, who was standing on a suspended wooden floor. She raised her tassel.
"Now, the introductory speech!" Midnight announced.
"Uh, someone should talk to Midnight-san about what she's wearing." Eijirou said.
"Yeah, that costume should come with a warning." Kaminari agreed.
"Is that really appropriate apparel for a high school game?" said Tokoyami.
Normally, Thalia would've scolded them for being horny teenagers- but she was paper-white and shaking like a leaf. Eijirou looked behind him and sweatdropped at Thalia's state. He sent her an encouraging smile.
"C'mon, Thalia. You've got this!" Eijirou said supportively. Kaminari sent her a thumbs-up.
"Yeah man, this is nothing! You can transform into a dragon! You got this!" He exclaimed. Thalia sent them both crooked smiles, scratching the back of her neck.
"Silence, everyone!" Midnight shouted. She whipped her tassel. The stadium fell silent.
"And for the student pledge, Dragomir Thalia!" Midnight shouted. Thalia heard loud cheering, but it was extra loud right ahead of her. She finally noticed it- the massive banner that had 'DRAGOMIR' painted on it, with cute little drawings obviously done by her little sister, Elmla. Thalia took several deep breaths, feeling relieved that her family was here and in sight, and to the surprise of everyone around her, she shapeshifted into her dire wolf form. Thankfully, her P.E. uniform shapeshifted around her, and there was a slit at the bottom of her tailbone- just like in her training and hero costumes- that allowed her tail to slip through.
This will definitely piss off my dad. She chuckled to herself, which turned into a sigh. Give me strength, Thor. Please.
Standing taller than a few of her classmates, she calmly stepped forward, her worry melting away as she felt confident in this form. She stepped up the stairs, standing as tall as Midnight's hip. Thalia heard some of the mutters throughout the stadium.
"Nice choice, Dragomir." Midnight's compliment made a chunk of Thalia's nervousness go away, and she looked at the teacher with wide, starry eyes.
"Thanks, Midnight-san." She smiled.
"There's a wolf student in U.A.?"
"What the hell..."
"Who let a wolf into U.A.?"
Thalia took a deep breath and stood before the microphone, her ears folded.
"To start off, I'm not just a wolf. I'm a shapeshifter, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a student in U.A.'s hero course." The stadium was silent again at Thalia's words. Quiet. Everything was quiet. The only sound was her. She batted her tail on the ground lightly. Her anxiety was no longer a constant feeling against her chest.
"As a student in U.A.'s hero course, I, and many others behind me, pledge to give it our all in this competition. Because giving any less would be an insult to all those that believed in us and all those that came before us. We owe ourselves to those that died without a name. We're not taking this course just for the fame and prestige. We're training under and alongside only the best so we can one day serve those that need our defenses to live a happy life. Because defending your smile is our job." Thalia shapeshifted back to her normal form, resulting in a few gasps of awe. Thalia clutched her fist right above her chest. "And it's my job, too. So today, we hope to prove to you that we have the potential to become legendary heroes. To prove that we can go above and beyond. And as our school's motto says, plus ultra!" Thalia raised her fist, and to her surprise, so did everyone else, and a resounding cheer filled the stadium.
"Well said, Thalia." Said Midnight approvingly, a small smile on her face and a hand on her hip. Thalia sent her a bright smile.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, I was so terrified." She breathed.
"You had no reason to be. You nailed that." Midnight said, ruffling Thalia's bangs. She faced her classmates who were all encouragingly clapping for her. Even Bakugo was smiling slightly at her. For some reason, it mattered more to her than the whole stadium of applauding people. Thalia stepped down and rejoined her class.
"Wow, Thalia! That was amazing!" Eijirou exclaimed excitedly.
"I'm so proud of you, Thalia!" Said Ochako, giving the taller girl a tight hug. Thalia grinned and hugged her back. Mina hugged her from behind, and Thalia wrapped an arm around her.
"Thalia, that was amazing and so badass! The wolf was such a good idea!" Mina squealed.
"Great speech, Dragomir!" Said Iida, giving her an approving thumbs-up.
"Yeah, Dragomir!" Kaminari exclaimed.
"That was awesome!" Exclaimed Sero, giving her a thumbs-up.
"Good job, Dragomir! That was so cool!" Exclaimed Midoriya. Thalia felt like melting at all this attention she was getting. She loved her friends.
"What a way to kickstart the Sports Festival! Well said, Dragomir!" exclaimed Present Mic. A sound that sounded suspiciously close to the sound a starting up laser tag game sounded reverberated throughout the stadium, halting everyone's gushing over Thalia.
"Without further ado, it's time for us to get started!" Midnight exclaimed, catching everyone's attention.
"U.A. really doesn't believe in letting us catch a breath, huh?" Ochako muttered, letting go of Thalia.
"This is where you begin feeling the pain! The first fateful game of the festival!" Midnight raised her tassel as a hologram appeared behind her. There was a spinning slot machine-type box on the screen. "What could it be?" Asked Midnight rhetorically as the slot spun and spun until it stopped. "Ta-da!" Midnight shouted as it stopped on the words "Obstacle Course". Thalia tensed. She would be useful in this, seeing as she could shapeshift.
"An obstacle course, huh?" Muttered Bakugo. He leaned toward Thalia. "Wanna bet on who'll make it to the end first?" He asked with a wicked grin. Thalia matched it, and punched his shoulder.
"I'm in. 2k yen?"
"You're on!" Bakugo shouted.
"Hey, I want in!" Eijirou butted in.
"Bet!" Thalia, Bakugo and Eijirou shared a wicked atmosphere.
"All eleven classes will participate in this treacherous contest. The track is four kilometers around the outside of the stadium." Midnight announced. She raised her tassel. "I don't wanna restrain anyone, at least in this game." Thalia blushed as she licked her lips. "As long as you don't leave the course, you're free to do whatever your heart desires! Now then, take your places, contestants." Midnight exclaimed, the crowd erupting in cheers.
FINALLY IN THE SPORTS FESTIVAL ARC CAN I GET AN AMEN
i'm also 1000% for sure including all the OVAs and movies in this. i'm positive of their places in the timeline and i'm super excited !
reviews
TheSmartOne: Hello I'm back and I have 2 new animal facts 1 of witch is
An extinct species
1 A terror birds beak could break concrete fact it is theorized that it had insane stamina since some from America actually came from south America using the joined land masses it frossed South America to the north and it was terrifying
2 a coconut crabs pincirs bring larger crabs and most claw crushing crustacean to shame
i will absolutely keep those in mind thank you again my friend, i hope you come back i want more animal facts
M: Love this! Good chapter! Happy to see her and Kirishima celebrate Bakugou's birthday! Love her speech! Looking forward to the next chapter!
thank you so much M, i hope you see the edits and enjoy them just as much :)
edited 11•10•21
edited 11•21•24
word count: 7,154