Angel: I know the title is weird, but with the actual episode name being so long there was no way I would make all of it fit, so I had to shorten it.
Got a question of what other powers Izuka could unlock. I will say that with Black Hole, there will be something new in season 5. Anything else, can't say much! The same person also asked when Bakugo and Izuka will confess to each other. When I said slow burn in season 1, I meant VERY. SLOW XD I wasn't joking when I said this back in season 1 either, guys. This is the longest build-up I've ever written for a relationship hands down. Other romances I've written would've long confessed to each other at this point since we're over 100 chapters in.
Could Izuka create an entire universe? Hmmm, interesting question. I'd say it's possible. However, I feel like she's gotten better with her control that she wouldn't accidentally make one, or just get like...super angry enough for that to happen. If she gets very emotional, Black Hole would not be the first thing to come to mind that she'd use. And no, this is not the 'something new' with Black Hole I'm hinting at, because she's mainly combat-based. Sure, she could send a villain to another universe or something, but...yeah, no. I think she's more comfortable only using herself with Black Hole.
"It's coming," Mr. Aizawa told Class 1-A once class started. "The School Festival."
"Normal school stuff!" Mostly everyone cheered upon hearing it; they hadn't done normal school stuff together in a while, so it was refreshing for them. Especially since some of them had gone through work-studies.
"But your class still needs to participate with some kind of original programming. And before I take my nap, Mido." She flinched upon her name being called, looking up. "If you don't participate, then you could face expulsion. Your unwillingness to socialize with others is something we've talked about before, remember? And I wanna see you front and center," He narrowed his eyes at her. "So don't think I won't be watching."
"Ack...!" She froze in place, her mouth open. "Wait, what?!" She got onto her feet in a panic.
"Interesting..." Tenya murmured as he was intrigued by the video Shoto showed them. "Singing and dancing, huh?"
"Well, if we're talking about music..." Toru looked towards a particular person, earning a sharp gasp from Kyoka. She then got looks from everyone.
"Uh...what?" She blushed in embarrassment.
"You can play so many instruments!" Denki smiled widely at her. "You're freakin' awesome!"
"...Well, after what you've all said..." Kyoka spoke up, getting their attention. "If I didn't do it...it wouldn't be rockin' at all," She blushed while looking up.
"Yaaay..." Izuka pumped a hesitant fist and Momo patted her back.
"Mr. Aizawa!" The twins ran up to their teacher.
"Do you think Eri could leave the hospital? Just for one day, I mean," Izuku suggested to him.
"We'll be by her side the whole time," Izuka glanced back at Eri.
"Please say yes," Izuku then gestured to the little girl.
"Let her go to the UA Festival!" The twins said in unison.
A video played and Gentle's signature music came from it. All Might appeared in a pose. "All Might, the Symbol of Peace. His is a face known round the world. Like this virile vigilante, many a hero will no doubt be recorded in the history books thanks to their notable exploits." Then, a silhouette of All for One appeared. "Of course, one must not forget the legendary All for One. Destro, the commander of the Meta Liberation Army, and the peerless thief, Oji Harima. These so-called villains have likewise found a notoriety that will ensure their names are never forgotten. Before the legislative system of superhuman society worked in absolutes—back when the distinction between 'hero' and 'villain was still vague—there was chaos." La Brava was watching the video in awe, her eyes glistening. "But there was freedom. That's right," Gentle then walked up to the camera. "It was a raw, unfettered freedom not unlike that of the Anglaise! Lovely to see you, dear viewers. May I delight you with a smashing new adventure? Yes! Tis I, Gentle! Gentle Criminal, at your service!"
La Brava let out a squeal while blushing. "So good! That was wonderful, my Gentle! Ohh! You couldn't be more talented!" She then fell backwards onto the floor, acting like a fangirl while wiggling around and laughing.
"La Brava," Gentle approached her from behind. "Has the upload been completed?"
She looked up and then got onto her knees. "Yep! You bet it has! The account was deleted again, but don't worry, I reuploaded everything," She gestured to the computer. "Starting with your debut video! You remember that one? It had me swooning. More exhilarating than a cup of coffee!"
He was holding a teapot, cup, and saucer while standing in their home. He let out a joyous laugh. "I'd expect nothing less from you, dear girl!" He then poured the tea. "Exceptional work, as alwa—ouch!" He ended up pouring too much and it got onto his glove. He blew at his hand and then put the tea to his lips. "Right, then. Shall we discuss the finer points of today's shoot?" La Brava was gushing while looking up at him, her eyes full of love. "After finishing this cup...elegantly savoring each and every sip."
Tis I, Gentle! Gentle Criminal! I upload cinematic snapshots of deeds that some would consider heinous. But my darlings, do not jump to conclusions. I am not committing crimes at random. For example, I recently robbed J-Store, the largest convenience store chain in the nation. A veritable corporate behemoth. Their best-selling item is Fluffy Pudding. But hark, viewers! This maniacal market is suspected of mislabeling said dessert and forging its expiration date! Naturally, the company feigned ignorance, and it began to look as though no one would be punished for these deeds. Catching on, my loves?
He rubbed his chin while La Brava gleefully walked beside him.
Yes! I reprimand those who behave in an ungentlemanly way. I am the modern-day 'gentleman thief.'
La Brava then looked up in annoyance. "Ugh, this is so frustrating!" She gritted her teeth a little.
"Whatever do you mean, dear girl?" He asked rather innocently, wondering why she was being like this.
"The J-Store video should be racking up views," She looked up at him with a deep frown. "But it's barely being watched! People on the internet have no taste! Someone as charming as you are should go viral!"
"Ha, ha, ha!" He simply laughed it off. "If you always blame others, then you will never live up to your fullest potential, La Brava," He pointed down at his partner.
"But it just isn't fair!" She whined while jumping up and down, waving her arms. "You've been putting out villainous internet videos for a good six years now, and what've you got to show for it?! Nothing! Then suddenly, this Stain guy steals all the glory with a video of his stupid life story! And he didn't even upload the darn thing himself! Now when people mention villains, they're talking about the League of Villains, and they're mean and gloomy! Nothing like you!"
She just felt like he deserved as much recognition as Stain or the League of Villains since he had been around for much longer than them. And because she was very devoted to him and wanted to see him succeed.
"You are absolutely correct," Gentle admitted to her, a bit disappointed himself. "Extreme and violent actions do seem to fascinate the barbaric masses. It goes against the fiber of my being. However..." He jumped up into the sky, and she followed. Both of them did a small flip to land on the rooftop of a building. "It's true that these foul fiends have momentum. All of the videos concerning them have over 10,000 comments of varying natures, while the scant notes on my own videos are far from encouraging."
His so-called 'exploits' are so lame.
Doesn't look like J-Store lost anything.
His crapiness stresses me out.
He should really ramp things up.
Show us La Brava!
He laughed again, as he had gotten countless comments like that in the past 6 years. But it never once bothered him. "But I refuse to be gutted by these impertinent comments, La Brava! Why, do you ask? Because my next plan will surpass all expectations!"
She squealed while recording him, a hand on her cheek. "I never doubted you for a second, Gentle! Let's hear it then, what's your next plan?"
"Grand displays and great works of art always question the current times," He declared while looking out to the city. "I'll target the place that's responsible for this age of heroes. Soon, everyone will know my name."
Mashirao turned towards someone with a smile. "Still making up classes from your work study?"
"Yeah!" Eijiro waved to him along with Izuku.
"Yeah, sorry," He frowned a little.
"Aw, there's no need to apologize. We'll handle the School Festival prep while you catch up," The blond smiled towards the two.
"We have like so many decisions to make about costumes and choreography," Mina smiled towards Mezo, Denki, Kyoka, and Katsuki. Classes were over, so everyone was heading back to their dorm buildings.
"What music do you think the rest of the school would enjoy?" Mezo asked her curiously.
"We should do whatever's trendy," Denki looked the most excited. "Right, Jiro?"
"Mm..." She looked up ahead in thought.
"Hey, did ya hear?" Katsuki overheard someone, looking over to the voice. "Class 1-A from the hero course is doing a concert." He came to a stop as he saw two students from general studies: Chikuchi Togeike and Tsutsutaka Agoyamato. Both of them looked at Katsuki in disapproval. "And it's for us."
General Studies.
Chikuchi looked at him in annoyance. "Oh my god, talk about egotistical. Do they think we're like dying to see them do some kind of dumb performance? Izuka Midoriya herself shouldn't even be in that class ever since that picture got out."
Katsuki's eyes slowly widened as this was the first time he was hearing about it.
"Well, yeah. We all know they're clueless. That Midoriya girl is the worst of them all, though. She's useless to them as it is. What did they do after getting attacked by villains? They went to a summer camp, where of course, they got attacked again. We all know how that turned out. And we have to put up with the repercussions of their stupidity and the girl's incompetence even though it was their fault," Tsutsutaka sneered and Katsuki gave them both a death glare, snarling. Not only was it very apparent now that some students wanted nothing to do with the class, but now they were involving Izuka—again.
What picture are they talking about? Katsuki pulled up his phone and searched Izuka's name. Once he saw it, he gasped sharply, gritting his teeth.
"The School Festival is a month away!" Tenya announced to everyone that could show up to the meeting once they were back in the dorms' common room. "We don't have much time. We should start making decisions right now."
"Mm..." Izuka glanced away uncomfortably.
"First, we need to pick out a song, right?" Toru asked everyone else. "What should we do?" Katsuki was turned away from everyone else and Izuka looked at him in confusion. He had been like that ever since they returned, and he wouldn't talk either, so she was leaving him alone for now until he had calmed down.
"I don't know much about popular music," Mashirao rubbed the back of his neck. "So I'll leave that up to you guys."
"Same," Mezo agreed with the boy.
"If we're doing this for everyone, shouldn't it be a song that most people know so that they could dance and sing along with us?" Denki then pointed out.
Kyoka tapped her forehead in thought from the back. "It's gotta be somethin' with a good beat!" Hanta suggested to them.
"Yeah, so we can get down!" Mina exclaimed with excitement in her voice.
"With those things in mind," Kyoka started off, turning away. "I think I know what would make sense. A hardcore four-on-the-floor club song. It'll be like a rave-meets-rock show. As for dance music, EDM would probably be the most popular. But you guys wanna play instruments, right?"
Everyone looked at her in confusion, as they had no idea what she was talking about. Izuka just gave a small smile. "Wow, you really do know your stuff, Jiro!"
"Thanks..." Kyoka murmured in a bit of embarrassment. "Anyone play bass or drums or anything?" It was then utter silence while Izuka sagged her arms, not wanting to do this whatsoever. "Maybe Mido could play one?"
"That's even worse than having to be up front for the whole thing..." She mumbled since she didn't know how to actually play one. Art was more her hobby, not music. And it would take a while just to even learn from scratch...
"Maybe dancing?" Denki suggested to the girl, rubbing his chin. "You did learn pretty quickly from Ashido."
Hearing that, she flinched and turned away. "Well, it was nice being in UA!" Izuka walked off towards the elevator and Shoto grabbed her arm.
"Come on, Mido, you're not doing that." He dragged her off gently towards the others. As he did so, Katsuki let out a small growl towards the two. Shoto then turned to her. "You wanna stay in school and be a hero, right?"
She removed her arm gently with a small frown. "If I have to perform in front of people or be expelled, which one do you honestly think I'm going with?"
"Wow, she really doesn't wanna perform, does she...?" Toru asked the girl a bit sheepishly.
"Well, she is comfortable around us," Momo pointed out in thought, hugging herself. "But not a crowd of people. Which does sometimes contrast with her desire to be a hero..." She gave a nervous smile; she sometimes wondered if it crossed the girl's mind that to be a hero, that public presence wasn't exactly a minimum requirement...or maybe she was ignoring it for a long while.
"It won't be that bad!" Hanta tried to encourage the girl. "Just imagine us instead of the crowd."
She sagged her shoulders in dismay. "That's way too much to imagine when we have 20 other people here compared to hundreds..."
Hanta laughed awkwardly while rubbing his neck. Trying to imagine them in a crowd of probably a lot of students would be a big ask...
"Okay, we'll come back to that..." Kyoka rubbed the back of her neck after seeing this from Izuka. "Well, I'd say that drums are the backbone of any band. I'd take on the responsibility myself but honestly, I main the guitar, not percussion. Teaching a beginner to play an instrument while practicing myself would be impossible to do in just one month."
Another reason for me NOT to play one Izuka put a hand over her face. I don't wanna do that to Jiro.
Denki then brightened up as he realized something. "Hey!" He turned to someone in particular. "Didn't you accidentally admit your parents made you take music classes when you were a kid? Right, Mido?"
Izuka blinked in realization as she looked towards Katsuki. "Huh?" He blinked as everyone else was staring at him.
"Well...yeah, he did," Izuka coughed a bit awkwardly that she forgot. "Izuku was kind of jealous, but he used to beg him to play something. I always took art classes, so sometimes I used to see him walking across the street..."
The students all murmured in excitement towards Katsuki. "What? Really?!" Mina gushed with a smile.
"Awesome!" Hanta held up a drumstick. "Take a seat and show us what you've got."
"In your dreams, moron," Katsuki turned away in annoyance. Izuka gave a tired expression as she knew he'd say no...
"Right," Hanta had a teasing look on his face. "I bet the drums are too hard for ya."
That sparked something in the blond as he wanted to prove Hanta wrong. Once Katsuki took the drumsticks, he tapped the cymbals and drums a few times, his shoes off as he hit the bottom drum. He stopped after a few seconds.
"Well?"
Everyone looked towards him in awe for his demonstration. "That...was killer!" Kyoka was the most shocked towards him.
"He's so good," Minoru looked a little bit jealous.
"Who'd have known that you've got talents?!" Mina grinned widely towards him.
"That's it, Bakugo's gotta be our drummer!" Denki smiled towards his friend.
"Ohhh!" Izuka's eyes shined a little and then clapped with a small smile. "That was great, Katsuki! You're really good!"
He flinched in shock from the compliment and then turned away, a light blush on his face. He attempted to cover it up by moving his arm to his face. The boy then scoffed as he calmed down, turning away with his hands in his pockets. "No way am I making a fool of myself up on that stage."
"Bakugo, come on!" Kyoka ran after him. "Do it! If we rock this, everyone'll have a great time!"
"Yeah, and we'll be helping them out a lot!" Izuka stopped at her side.
"Don't you get what's gonna happen?" He retorted back, taking both of them by surprise. "I'll spell it out for you. We're doing this because we wanna to let the other courses blow off some steam, right? But we're the ones who caused their stress to begin with. So we're just trying to make ourselves feel better." He then finally faced them, looking pissed. "This is gonna seem like a slap in the face from the people they can't stand!"
Neither of them had anything to say, since they didn't even think about it...but he was right, unfortunately. Everyone was going to take it in a way that seemed like the hero course was looking down on them...and that wasn't what they wanted at all.
"Don't be rude!" Toru huffed towards him. "We're just trying to help!"
"Yeah, that kinda thinking is what I'm talking about!" He yelled back at her.
"I see. Perhaps he's right," Tenya looked towards Momo in worry. "Did we think this through enough?"
"You didn't help us decide what to do, so you can't complain now," Shoto pointed out, since Katsuki was sleeping when they decided.
"Doesn't all this make you mad?" Katsuki argued back, hands in his pockets. "It's not like we wanted villains to show up and ruin things for everybody. Why do we have to be so concerned about how these weaklings feel? Stop trying to get on their good side! We're not here to make friends, we're here to fight!"
"Katsuki!" Izuka interjected and sighed, frowning. "I know that to you, they're extras, but they make up UA, not just you too, you know. Where's all this even coming from?" She deduced that this explained his earlier behavior and why he didn't want to say anything to her about it.
He then gave her a small glare. "Because those stupid rumors about you are getting worse."
"Huh?" She blinked in confusion at him. Momo and Tenya were instantly concerned hearing him. "What are you talking about?" Her reaction told him that she hadn't seen the picture.
"Umm…I think I have a guess," Denki held out his phone, revealing a picture of Izuka as a villain. And there was even a headline that said 'Callista the hero, more like League of Villains material.'
"What?!" Momo exclaimed as she looked at it, frowning in disapproval.
"Who would do such a thing?!" Tenya gritted his teeth angrily while Izuka looked at the phone wide-eyed, her face full of dread. The rumors back before the Sports Festival had died down up until this point, and now she had to be in the same situation right before the School Festival...
I can't believe we're walking the halls with a villain!
Is she allied with the League of Villains behind our backs?
She should be kicked out of UA.
Izuka Midoriya doesn't belong with heroes!
Why haven't the teachers expelled her yet?
She honestly doesn't stand a chance.
"I can't believe they're saying all of this!" Mina glared at the phone.
"Don't they know that she's not with the League?" Shoto looked angry at the comments.
"The account leads to a virus, so no one can trace it," Denki frowned a little. "Why are they going for Mido so hard?!"
"Because in the minds of those who believe she has no Quirk…they think that she'll defect into villainy," Tenya adjusted his glasses while Izuka turned away, hands on her hips. "Or perhaps they associate her in the same category as Bakugo just like the League did. It's unforgivable of any U.A. student!"
Momo looked towards her best friend sadly. "Mido..." She murmured, getting everyone's attention as they looked upset for Izuka. Katsuki, Shoto, and Momo were anticipating what she had to say the most.
The girl looked up towards the ceiling, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She dealt with this before, and she could do it again. Granted, it was still something she didn't want to do by being up on stage, and she didn't want to go through with it. But she was honestly really tired of people doubting her when she had her own goals to focus on. Back then, she was more vulnerable to the rumors because she was scared...but she had grown a lot since the first wave.
With that, she turned back around to them, eyes closed. "Look...we're in the most well-known school for heroics, so obviously people out there don't realize that they're not right. You know, what I've done may not fix any problems they have with me. But at the end of the day, I don't care because I have my friends and my brother who believe me," She gestured to everyone, who all blinked at her in surprise. "And that's all I need, so whatever they say, we shouldn't let it get to us. And you know what, they're just mad because they don't realize that the villains are the ones who keep going after us! So what if we have a terrible record with keeping them away?" She gestured towards the window, looking just as mad as Katsuki. "I am sick and tired of people who think that I can't be a hero, and you hear these stuck-up people from UA jumping onto me like it's something to hold onto. And guess what, that is not what a true U.A. student does!" She pointed towards the ground. "If a student is gonna be here, they need to fight to represent their paths in their own futures, not criticize us for situations that we can't control!"
After her heated speech, she panted while staring at them and then it was utter silence in the room. The Izuka back then wouldn't have said any of that now, and they just had to commend her for being so strong about it. And it was easily the most mad they had ever seen her—even topping when she found out about Himiko Toga at the provisional license exam.
"…That was the most hottest thing I've ever heard," Denki and Minoru murmured in awe, drooling. Mashirao shook his head towards them in silence and Izuka blinked as the others didn't react still.
"Oh…I'm sorry, that just came out of me, I don't know if I should've admitted that," She rubbed her neck awkwardly; everything was just bottled up into her, but she felt weirdly good admitting all of that. "But you get what I'm saying, right?"
"Hah," Katsuki smirked a little at her; he felt like she was consoling him like how he did for her before the Sports Festival in a weird way. Hearing her talk like that made his anger go away because she wasn't affected by it. Especially considering he was the only one in the room who knew that All for One wanted to ensure she wouldn't become a hero. "Hell yeah! That's the Izuka we need to see," He ruffled the top of her head, to her shock. "If we're gonna put on a show, then we can't hold anything back like she said! Let's murder everyone in UA with killer music!" Katsuki declared to the others.
"Bakugo!" The others cheered while Izuka looked up at him, lightly blushing.
"Your reasoning is scary, but if you'll do it, who cares?!" Toru screamed and then hugged Izuka. "You managed to convince him, Mido!"
"Don't ignore the other part, and she didn't convince me to do anything!" Katsuki yelled towards the crowd.
"Yeah, yeah, tough guy. We know," Mina waved it off.
"I get it, you weren't being serious."
"I'm always serious!" Katsuki shouted at Denki.
Shoto and Tenya both smiled at Izuka, since they knew that she was the reason Katsuki even changed his mind. If she hadn't said what she said, she probably wouldn't have been able to convince him otherwise. The girl was smiling towards the others comforting her about the rumors.
"If you need anything, Mido, just talk to us," Mashirao offered the girl.
"Yes, we'll make sure that picture gets taken down right away," Momo nodded sharply at her.
"Yeah, and we'll all report those comments, even if it takes forever!" Toru waved her arms.
"I'm really okay, but I appreciate it," She said softly to them.
"So that's it," Shoto then realized something.
"Stay back...Deku!" Katsuki almost pleaded, his eyes wide.
"Little brother...I know this will be hard for you to do, but...please don't come after us..." Izuka squeezed her eyes shut, shedding a small tear.
"Perhaps we should make this more interesting." Suddenly, All for One moved his tentacle-like limbs towards the five students. Izuka gasped sharply as she froze in place. He had grabbed her by the waist and legs. He then pulled her away from the four and she gasped sharply as she looked up at them, releasing Katsuki and Izuku. The four watched with open mouths as she fell backwards, unable to stop moving.
"At the summer training camp, Bakugo and Mido were kidnapped by the villains. And when she got caught by one of them...he was the first to go after her," Shoto started off while Katsuki was talking to everyone.
"And ever since then, he's been carrying that burden with him," Tenya guessed, his eyes softening at Izuka. He imagined that Katsuki felt some guilt at not being able to get Izuka back in order to prevent her from fighting...
"Isn't this awesome, Jiro?!" Toru hugged her happily.
"Yeah," Kyoka smiled with a nod. "I promise. I'll do my best," She declared with a small smirk.
"Hey Gentle, will you tell me now?" La Brava begged the villain as they looked towards the crescent moon. "What's our next move going to be? I'm dying to know your brilliant plan!"
"If history repeats itself, as it is want to do, next month there will be a festival at a certain school with unrivalled security," He announced while she was recording. "An institution from where many of the most regaled heroes hail."
"Oh, don't tell me!" She smiled in recognition. "Yes! I know the place!"
He then let out a laugh, turning towards the camera. "If I show I'm capable of sneaking past their defenses, then I'm sure it will be a headline-worthy caper. Mark my words."
"This might help," Momo spoke up to the class. "As part of my classical education, I've studied the piano since I was just a little girl. I'd be happy to play in the band if you need me."
"Aw, yeah!" Mina smiled towards her. "Momo'll totally rock those keyboards!"
"I mean, we've gotta have someone on synth for the dance music. I think you'd be perfect for the gig!" Kyoka agreed with the girls.
"Then I'll do my best!" Momo hummed while pumping her fists.
"Aww, I wanted all the girls to get together for a big choreo number," Mina whined at this. "But you'll still look cute up on stage."
"Bass is my specialty, so now we just need guitars and vocals," Kyoka explained with a grin.
"Okay," Mashirao walked up to them curiously. "So does that mean everybody else'll be dancing?"
"Uh...if that's so, Mido, are you going to be playing an instrument or dancing?" Momo gave a nervous smile towards her. Mainly because she knew that the question was still asking Izuka to do something she wasn't comfortable with...
"Neither," Izuka groaned while pinching her nose.
"Mr. Aizawa was very clear on the criteria for you, Mido!" Tenya popped up to remind her. "You have to participate in some way or face expulsion from a school as exemplary as UA! You can't disobey our teacher."
"Well, we could find another role for her that'll suit Mido and satisfy Mr. Aizawa," Shoto suggested, getting their attention. "But she would still have to be noticeable."
"I don't get the big deal of you being so terrified," Katsuki huffed towards Izuka. "So what if there's too many people? We're gonna beat everyone with sound! And they'll all be watching!"
She froze at the thought, her eyes swirling a bit. "Watching...?"
"Dude, I think you just made it worse..." Denki sighed a little, shaking his head slowly.
"How is she supposed to participate like Mr. Aizawa wants if she gets like this just from mentioning it?" Kyoka wondered while twirling one of her earphone jacks, staring at the girl.
"Hmm...I got it!" Mina smiled eagerly, holding up a finger. "We'll have her be a dancing mascot!"
"Huh?" Izuka blinked at her in bewilderment. "A mascot...?"
"Oh, I get it!" Toru jumped up a little. "We can get her a special costume to wear with a big head, that way she won't stick out too much!"
"And I can help her out with a routine so Mr. Aizawa will know it's her!" Mina gestured to the girl. "She'll look super cute!"
"I still have to dance though!" Izuka protested towards them.
"Hmm..." Tenya rubbed his chin in thought. "I'm not really sure this is enough to get the audience excited or please Mr. Aizawa."
Shoto turned to him. "In that video I showed you earlier-"
"We've gotta have special effects!" Mina announced while twirling around.
"Exactly," The white/red haired boy agreed with her.
"Special effects?" Hanta blinked in confusion.
Mina pulled up the video to show them. "This is what I'm talkin' about. See, they use sparks and streamers and a disco ball to fire everyone up!" She showed the exact same effects from the concert. "We gotta be extra to set the right mood!"
"Ooh, let's pull out all the stops and make it look like an explosion of lights, you guys!" Toru gushed in excitement.
"With our Quirks, we can totally do that!" Mina smiled widely towards her.
"We're puttin' this party on in the gym, is that right?" Rikido turned to Tenya curiously. Izuka sagged her shoulders, wishing that she didn't hear that.
"Uh-huh. Mr. Aizawa has already made the arrangements for us," He smiled towards the boy.
"Hold up! How's this for an idea? Uraraka makes Todoroki and Kirishima float. And then Kirishima chops away at Todoroki's ice and sends it flying! Then, Aoyama can be a mirror ball, and the light twinkling off him and the ice will make it look like it's raining stardust! And—and we can call them Team Snowmen!"
"This was because of the team-up talk, huh?" Izuka smiled a little knowingly.
"Ha ha!" Minoru laughed while picturing it. "A human shaved-ice machine!"
"It's like the team-ups we were talking about before!" Denki gave a wide smile.
"You want moi to be a disco ball?" Yuga glanced over to them. "I was born to do this!"
"You'll be great, it's what you want to do, right?" Izuka pointed out to him.
"I can see it," Momo smiled in approval. "The gym will look spectacular."
"Agreed!" Tenya smiled as well. "This is just what we all needed."
"We'll have to have a crew working behind the scenes to pull this off though," Toru reminded the pink-skinned girl.
"Hey, you guys," Eijiro spoke up as he, Ochaco, Izuku, and Tsuyu had just arrived. They all smiled towards their classmates.
"Sorry we're showing up so late," Izuku gave them a small smile.
"We finally made up the classes we missed during our work studies, and now we can help out for real!" Ochaco gave a relieved and happy smile.
"Ribbit..."
The class then updated them on what their current plans were, and about what was being said about Izuka. "I see," Tsuyu looked away, a finger on her cheek. "So we've decided to go with rave rock club music for our performance?"
Eijiro and Ochaco were more skeptical, though. "Having Jiro on the bass and Yaoyorozu on keyboards makes sense for sure, but..." He started off with a small frown.
"Bakugo on the drums is kind of, uh, how do I put it...?" Ochaco trailed off a little.
"Shocking!" Toru finished for her.
"You got a problem with me?!" Katsuki shouted towards the trio, who all shook their heads rapidly.
"Oh, come on, don't get mad at them, you're still pissed about those stupid rumors," Izuka gave him a blank look, hands on her hips.
"I'm really sorry that they haven't eased up on you," Ochaco gave her a small frown.
"I can't believe they're not backing off," Izuku had an angry frown on his face.
"Thanks, but they can say what they want," Izuka waved it off, completely unfazed.
"Question," Tsuyu spoke up curiously. "Who'll be singing? Isn't that the most important thing?"
"Well, we haven't figured that part out yet," Kyoka held up a nervous hand.
"Huh? Doesn't it have to be you, Jiro?" Ochaco couldn't help but wonder.
"Uh!" Kyoka flinched; showing off her music was already pushing it for her...
"Lead singers get all the chicks," Minoru offered for perverted reasons. "I could do it!"
"Just imagine a singing disco ball," Yuga also wanted to sing. "C'est magnifique!"
"Guys!" Eijiro grinned, pointing to himself. "Not to brag, but I'm a pretty awesome singer! Tough guy captain of the ship~" He then sang into a microphone. "Stand up tall~! Cuz you are the manliest-"
"Yeah, that's not the right genre," Ochaco told him anxiously.
Minoru was yelling himself, and it wasn't even lyrics, they couldn't understand what he was saying. "And that's just yelling," Mina pointed out and then Yuga sang in a falsetto, which was definitely not the right fit.
"Oh, boy," Toru looked over to Kyoka. "I'm with Ochaco. It's gotta be you, Jiro! When you were teaching us how to play instruments in your room, your singing was super cool!" Izuku and Ochaco both smiled as they nodded in agreement. "I know you'll bring the house down!"
"Come on. It wasn't that great. Maybe we-"
"Hey look, a mic!" Toru put it in front of her face.
"We just laid our souls bare for them and they're ignoring us?!" Minoru was very disappointed to say the least. "Can Jiro really be that good? Ugh. I mean, come on!"
"Don't be shy," Eijiro encouraged with a small smile. "Show us those pipes! We wanna hear ya sing something!"
She nervously stood in front of the microphone as she prepared herself. Everyone waited as she took a deep breath.
You know everyone...wants to sparkle
Minoru felt like he was hearing an angel. Yuga admitted defeat immediately after hearing her. Eijiro gave a big smile towards her.
Like the stars in the night sky
Everyone else stared at her in shock to hear her voice.
In this wonderous place filled with all the dreams
I've been wishing for, waiting for the chance...
She then opened her eyes, waiting for what they had to say. "My ears are so happy!" Ochaco cheered while Eijiro, Yuga, and Minoru were all on the ground in defeat.
"You have such a sultry voice!" Mina complimented her classmate.
"I told you!" Toru pointed out to everyone.
"Alright!" Tenya smiled, holding up an arm. "I'd call this a unanimous decision!"
"Well..." Kyoka blushed in embarrassment. "Let's set that aside then."
"Oh, Izuka, what about you?" Izuku turned to his sister with a small smile. "You used to sing to me as a kid, remember?"
"Uh!" She blinked as some of the classmates looked at her in surprise. She then looked away, squeezing her eyes shut in embarrassment. "You were never supposed to tell people that...!" Katsuki stared at her for the longest time, though. He personally couldn't see someone who used to be so timid and mannered singing.
"Oh! Sorry!" Izuku laughed sheepishly that he gave it away. "But you did have a beautiful voice, though," He gave a warm smile at his sister. "That's what calmed me down when I'd get scared or I was sad."
"Aww, that's so cute!" Ochaco gushed, though it didn't make Izuka feel any better.
"Mmmmmm," She glared at Izuku a bit.
"Even better!" Mina smiled happily at the girl. "She can reveal herself as a singer on stage as a surprise when she sings along with Jiro!"
"Eh?!" Izuka whipped around to her in disbelief. "What?! How does that make sense? I'll die of embarrassment and shame alone!"
"Don't you wanna keep attending this school?" Tsuyu tilted her head, a finger on her chin.
"Of course I do, but I can't do this..." Izuka's eyes saddened a little.
"Not alone, Mido! You'll see. Once you're on that stage, you'll be able to stay at UA with us!" Momo gestured to herself with a small smile.
"Where's the Izuka I know doesn't back down from a challenge?" Katsuki narrowed his eyes as he approached.
She stared at everyone and then gave a defeated sigh. As much as she kept trying to avoid it, she had to accept that she had to be up on the stage. And...well, she shouldn't be scared after everything she went through. "...Okay," She admitted to the class.
"Can we hear something from you now actually?" Mina wondered as she put headphones over Izuka's ears.
"Nope. No way," She looked away as she tore off the headphones and then tossed them into Kyoka's hands. "Not happening."
"Well, you need to practice, don't you?" Denki pointed out with a knowing smile.
"Mmm," She gave a slightly annoyed look at the argument. Today was gonna be the death of her... "Jiro, can I have the laptop for a second, please?" She turned to the girl, but her eyes were closed.
"Oh, sure thing," Kyoka agreed and brought it over. Izuka opened it and typed in something. She took a deep breath once she found what she wanted and then pressed play on the laptop. Music started to play as she opened her mouth.
A smile will find our way, my love
Everyone's eyes widened at her soft and controlled voice, her eyes closed so she wouldn't have to look.
You've taught me that life can be revived
Izuku himself gave a big smile to hear her singing for the first time in years.
With a smiling face, the meaning of my destiny can be changed
Katsuki clamped his mouth shut, blushing as he looked away. He didn't think that he would hear her like this ever...
For your love
She opened her eyes and then pressed pause. "...That was beautiful!" Momo sniffed a little, eyes shaking.
"The voice of an angel...!" Minoru cried out happily.
"You have to sing now!" Denki grinned widely, pumping a fist.
"Please sing for the festival!" Mina popped up next to him eagerly, and she looked a bit overwhelmed. Which didn't go unnoticed by Tenya.
"Shouldn't we ask Mido for her opinion?"
"Mm..." She gave a hesitant frown. "It's gonna be scary and hard for me...The amount of people I'd have to face looking at me makes me wanna hide thinking about it. But...I'll do it if it means having fun with my friends! If Jiro's gonna show everyone what she can do, then I'll sing with her!" She pumped her fists eagerly, most of them gasping happily.
"Yay!" Ochaco hugged her neck happily. "It's gonna be fun, you'll see!"
"Yes, you'll do great with hard work!" Momo smiled with a blush on her face.
"Oh, you're gonna face your fear!" Izuku hugged his sister happily and she looked away bashfully from the attention.
"Another unanimous decision!" Tenya waved an arm towards Izuka.
"Now," Kyoka changed the subject. "We need guitars! I'm thinking two!"
"Oh, yeah!" Denki raised his hand eagerly. "Pick me! It's so cool to play instruments!"
"Let me strum!" Minoru shouted at a second chance to try and get fangirls.
"I'd just break the strings," Eijiro gave a deadpanned look; his hardening could activate and damage the guitar...
"Don't you dare volunteer unless you're gonna kill it, dimwit," Katsuki gave Denki a small glare.
"Yeah, I totally will!" Denki exclaimed and then played a riff to prove it. "The guitar is the star of every rock band!"
Minoru tried to play himself, but his hand couldn't reach the strings. He then squeezed his eyes shut, crying as he ran away from the instrument. "My fingers won't reach because of my character design!" He screamed in dismay.
"I wanna be on the dance crew!" Rikido volunteered to Mashirao and Hanta.
"Me too!" Mashirao smiled, gesturing to himself. "I can move pretty well with my tail."
"And I can use my tape to help with the special effects," Hanta offered to the two.
They heard another riff, turning around to see Fumikage playing. "It's like that riff is speaking directly to my heart," Eijiro could almost cry while watching.
"You can play?" Mezo looked at his friend in shock, as he didn't know until now. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I put down the axe when I was bested by the F chord," Fumikage revealed, looking down at the guitar.
The F chord is a roadblock for many beginners learning to play guitar!
Fumikage then turned around to Minoru in the corner. He was still bitter about not being able to play. "Mineta, if you can't play for yourself, then I will strum for you as well."
"Do whatever you want, damn it," The short boy was hugging himself with tears in his eyes. "This is so stupid. Let's get this festival over with. I hope all your nails break off!"
"Mineta~!" Mina sung a little while standing behind him. "Will you be part of the dance team if I can get a harem together?"
"The School Festival can't come soon enough!" He looked much happier while still crying. Katsuki stared at the two while gritting his teeth. As long as Minoru could keep his hands to himself, he'll go along with it...
"Oh, oh, oh!" Mina rushed over to Izuka with the computer. "Mido, I just thought of something! You can make fireworks and stuff like that, right? That's for sure gonna please Mr. Aizawa in special effects!" She showed a video of a fireworks show.
"Y-Yes!" Izuka agreed eagerly at the girl in realization since she made fireworks during her special class once. "I'll make the prettiest fireworks and sparkles ever!"
And so, a little after one in the morning...
And some more ideas tossed around for me...
"That's it!" Tenya announced once all of the roles were chosen. "Everybody's role in the festival has been decided! We've got the band team!" The band team was Katsuki, Momo, Denki, Fumikage, and Kyoka. "And the effects team!" This team was Koji, Eijiro, Hanta, Shoto, and Yuga. "And the dance team!" This team was the biggest consisting Mezo, Minoru, Mashirao, Ochaco, Mina, Toru, Tsuyu, Izuku, Tenya, and Yuga. "And then we have Mido as our special mascot, doing singing for the band team, her own special effects, and her own dance!"
"Special mascot..." Izuka murmured in awe as she felt like she had a vital role like everyone else now, and that it was sure to get Mr. Aizawa to see her.
"Does that mean...a special outfit?" Minoru drooled a little happily.
"HELL NO!" Katsuki screamed at him, causing the shorter boy to yelp and fall to the ground.
"That would be way too much..." Izuka agreed tiredly; plus, she wouldn't feel comfortable in one anyway if it was too...cute for a certain student's taste.
"Rest up, guys!" Tenya told the rest of the class. "Starting tomorrow, we're hard at work!"
"Yeah!"
The next morning, the twins met up with Toshinori in the teachers' lounge. "I heard what you guys are doing for the Festival. Some kind of live performance combined with a dance party? That sounds like a good time. And I heard from Mr. Aizawa that you're gonna be singing?" Toshinori blinked in surprise at the girl. "Really?"
"I'm the special mascot!" She pumped her fists, smoke coming from her nose as she looked determined. "And I'll do my best! Just don't tell Mr. Aizawa so that we can keep it a surprise!"
He gave her a small smile. "I'm sure you will."
"Yeah," Izuku smiled up at him while Izuka grinned with a small giggle from his praise. "It'll take a lot of work to pull off, but that's one of the things we're looking forward to!"
"Well," Toshinori then put down his cup. "I did wanna start off by saying I saw that picture and comments about Mido. Made me sick," He gritted his teeth a little. "Principal Nezu is working on getting it taken down and the account blocked."
"I'm not even worried. It's not like I'm not used to it, so I'll be fine," Izuka gave him a small smile and he blinked, giving a proud look for her being mature about it. He was expecting her to be way more upset than she looked right now.
"Alright then. With that in mind, why did you want to meet?" He put down his cup. "Heh. It feels like it's been forever since we had a chance to sit down and talk, just the three of us."
Izuku paused while holding his cup of green tea. "...During my work study..." Toshinori looked up attentively. "I was able to fight using 20 percent of One for All. It took a toll on my body...and I could only use it for a short period of time. But even at that level, I couldn't win. In fact, if Eri hadn't been there, I probably would have ended up dead."
"I was able to fight with a new power up of sorts," Izuka blinked at her own tea. "I was reaching my limits, so I was close to not being able to use my arms anymore...my body felt like it was on fire. Even then, I had no clue what to do...if Eri hadn't used her Quirk on me, I would've ended up being a lot worse than I did."
Izuku continued looking at his tea in a bit of terror. "We couldn't do anything to counter Chisaki's long-distance attacks. We've tried to think of a solution...but I don't know how I should fight in my current state when I still can't use a hundred percent of my strength. I have to figure out something new."
"And I need to figure out how I can still improve. That power-up isn't going to be easy to unlock again, not without straining my body..." Izuka sighed, putting down her own cup. The only reason she was able to use it was because of Eri...
"Sounds like you're both at a dead end," Toshinori guessed after listening.
"That's right..." Izuku frowned deeply at their mentor.
"There's only one thing I can suggest. You need your own long-distance attack, Young Midoriya. While you, Young Mido, need to let yourself grow on your own. Don't think about anyone else's power," He told them with a serious expression.
"Uh!" Izuku rubbed his chin in thought. "I wish I could harness enough power to pull off moves like you could, All Might! But I'm not good enough yet."
"And I wish I could stop worrying about my limit, but sometimes I just think about how others use their own Quirks compared to my own..." Izuka rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.
"I've been thinking about your progress. Analyzing the various ways you've both grown." They both looked at him wide-eyed. "And I have an idea. But I think we should take this outside. Go change into your gym clothes, both of you. I'll meet you out there."
Once the twins were in their gym clothes, they were in the forested area outside of the school. "You want me to use 20 percent here?"
"And for me to just start using my abilities without thinking?" Izuka raised a confused eyebrow.
"Right!" Toshinori pumped up a fist. "Just go Full Cowling and nuts!"
"But...like I was saying earlier, when I'm at 20 percent, it puts a lot of strain on my body and I end up not being able to move well," Izuku pointed out, annoying Toshinori a little.
"And I can't just start using all of my powers at once, I'll reach my limit quicker," Izuka looked at her hands, annoying their mentor further.
"That's why we're working hard to strengthen up right now."
"So?!" He shouted towards the both of them. "Forget that and just do it!"
"Uh! Yes, sir!" They both agreed, the two sliding a foot. Izuka bent down while he got into a stance.
One for All: Full Cowling...20 percent.
Alright...let's do this Izuka took a deep breath as energy came from Izuku, a bunch of it everywhere. Izuka's arm then caught on fire as she was using her Jupiter Wind, her Comet Punch/Burst, Mercury Blast, and Uranus Orbit all at once from her body. Toshinori waited for something as his hair was blowing. The twins grunted while trying to keep this up.
"Now stay at these levels and attack as though an enemy was in front of you," He directed his students. Izuku jumped up first, swinging his leg. Izuka leaped into the air, culminating all of her powers into one sphere. She then threw it at a tree, both of them causing a huge explosion. The two looked up in awe from the amount of wind, ice, fire, and water around them.
The wind pressure...
All of that and I'm not even hurt... Izuka looked at her arm as the flames went away.
"I was going to teach you this once you were able to use 15 percent without thinking about it," Toshinori called out to Izuku. "But it sounds like you need the lesson now. And I was thinking about how Mido should be using that limit instead of fighting it." He watched as the two landed. "If you didn't figure this out in that last fight, you must have been concentrating really hard on your defense. You didn't realize...you have the power to weaponize wind pressure without breaking yourself. And Young Mido can gather up that limit to shoot it out in order to prevent her muscles getting too damaged. "
The two grunted as Izuka kneeled, her arm throbbing only a little. "But wait," Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to stand. "It still feels like it's too much."
"Yeah, my arm still hurts..." Izuka winced a little.
"Let's take a look at the stages your training has gone through for Young Midoriya. First, use One for All at a 100 percent on one part of your body." Which he did during the Quirk Assessment Test on the first day of school. "Second, control the percentage you use on one part of your body." Izuku did this during the USJ Incident against the Nomu. "Third, control the percentage you continuously use on your whole body." That was what Gran Torino taught him during internships. "Fourth, use Shoot Style, which utilizes your legs rather than your weaker arms." Of course, Izuku did this before the provisional license exam to save Toshinori. "Fifth, raise your control from 5 percent to 8 percent," He did this during his fight with Katsuki at Ground Beta. "Finally, sixth. Use up to 20 percent for a short amount of time, even if it's past your limit." The twins looked at him wide-eyed after remembering when Izuku hit all those marks. "And now, for today's lesson: how I used One for All!"
"You weren't continuously putting out 100 percent of your power, were you?" Izuku cut in this time. Toshinori let out an embarrassed grunt. Izuka looked at him apologetically, rubbing the back of her neck. "If All Might was always at a 100 percent, his every move would create shockwaves and cause disaster everywhere he went. It doesn't make sense to constantly be at full power. Since I can't hold 20 percent for very long, I should combine the second and sixth lessons I learned. I'll control the percentage on one body part, and raise it to 20 percent for a split second! A focused blast! That could work!"
Izuka looked at him while her brain felt like it was melting. "I'm impressed but also still a little confused..."
"For Young Mido. The first step was to show what her power could do. Second-"
"No, I got it," She raised her hand, her eyes shaking. "Don't break my brain please..."
"Right. Easy to say, but you must be able to push past your normal limit in an instant," Toshinori reminded the both of them. That requires a higher level of control than you've used so far. Which means I have a question for you, Midoriya Twins. What part of your body do you think you can move with the most precision?"
Izuku looked at his hand and then showed three fingers. Izuka looked at herself and held out her arm, pointing to a wrist. "That's right. Practice controlling One for All and the limits of Galaxy using your fingers and your wrists for these moves. Pick any ability you want, Mido."
One for All: Full Cowling at 8 percent Izuku powered up first, twitching a little.
Okay...I'll pick Comet Burst since it requires a throw Izuka narrowed her eyes as her flames appeared from her wrist.
And then, at the moment of the attack...boost to 20 percent Izuku pinched his fingers together.
And then, at the moment where it builds up...keep at it until release! Izuka willed herself, and then Izuku shot out an attack of wind pressure at rapid speed. Izuka yelled as she jumped up and threw a big Comet Burst, setting the same tree Izuku set on fire. She landed and then used her Uranus Orbit to cool off the tree. Izuku grunted while holding his wrist, shaking. Izuka bit her lip in pain as some tiny flames still remained from the left arm.
"You won't get the hang of it right away, so be sure to keep at it, okay?" Toshinori told the two of them. The twins glanced back at him with a smile.
"Thanks for the advice, sir! I've got it. I know what I have to do now."
"Yeah, thank you! With this, I can still fight and I don't need to hold back!" Izuka hummed a little.
Toshinori hummed with a sharp nod, and they looked at their hands.
Once I master controlling my power...I can go beyond, to the next stage! Izuku clenched a fist.
Without holding back...using my limit to an advantage...I can be stronger! Izuka grinned happily at this new development.
"Okay, this is it!" Mirio announced while standing in front of UA with Mr. Aizawa. "Don't worry, Eri. Everyone's nice here, I promise!" Eri looked towards the school, her hair more straightened now instead of messy. She also had on a new outfit. "Welcome to UA High School!"
Another video was starting up, and showed the logo for Gentle. "Gentle Video!" He held up a stained cup of tea. "Dearest viewers, do you drink different types of tea for different occasions? Whenever I'm preparing my personal kettle, I select a tea that correlates to the size of my current job, This particular fine blend is called Royal Flush. Whatever could that name imply, I wonder."
"That your discriminating taste sets you apart from the rest of the world?" La Brava asked off screen.
"Be sure to stay tuned," Gentle implored once the camera was back on him. "My next video will be an alarm bell, not just to my ever-faithful viewers, but to all of society. Try to contain your anticipation till then."
La Brava let out another squeal after hearing this.
Angel: The song Izuka sang was My Destiny from Sonic 06, not my own.