My Hero Academia : Twin Heroes S3
Somewhere Else
Kazan entered the abandoned warehouse with a quiet expression. He wore a large trench coat that covered his entire body. He looked around the warehouse and squinted his eyes. Old memories attempted to surface through his mind, making him scoff. He flared his nostrils and stepped forward, refusing to think of the past. He had a reason for being here. A very big one.
He stood in the center of the warehouse, unzipping his trench coat. He reached his hand inside and grabbed hold of a heavy weapon, pulling out a sledgehammer. He squeezed the handle in his grip and stared down at the floor, remembering the exact spot.
He raised the hammer above his head and swung down, slamming it into the concrete. With a solid thud, the concrete surface cracked open. Shards of concrete flew everywhere around the warehouse.
Kazan fell to his knees and dropped the sledgehammer onto the ground, hearing it clatter. He stared at the point of impact and smirked, seeing darkness beyond the concrete floor. He exposed a hole in the concrete, containing one single duffle bag.
"Perfect." Kazan whispered, chuckling at his good fortune. The bag he buried months ago was still safe. He reached his hand towards the duffle bag and pulled it out, dropping it on the concrete.
"Going somewhere with that?" A voice called out to him, getting Kazan's attention. Kazan's eyes opened wide, recognizing the voice. He'd heard it before. Long ago. He shook his head and chuckled, looking up at the warehouse entrance with a smirk. Turns out, there was an old memory he didn't mind hearing. A figure stood in front of the door, wearing an orange unbuttoned shirt with a white v-neck underneath. She had red hair and large lips that smiled at the sight of a long lost friend.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Kazan?" The voice questioned with a smile.
"Yes. It has, Magne." Kazan smiled, standing up to full height.
Midoriya Residence - Present
"Now that our first semester and trip to I-Island is over, me and my classmates are out for summer vacation." Ami narrated.
Ami stared into the bathroom mirror with a blank smile. She just finished brushing her teeth and splashed her face with water.
"Perfect." Ami whispered, combing her hair into the proper place. She exited the bathroom and entered the hallway, spotting the door to her room. She looked to her left and lowered her eyes, noticing Izuku's door was slightly open. She heard another voice coming from inside his room and got curious, sneakily approaching the door. She stood at the door and stared into the room, spotting Izuku listening to their favorite All Might video online.
"Fear not, Citizens. Hope has arrived!" All Might said, standing atop a destroyed train with several bodies hanging over his arms and shoulders, "Because I am here!" All Might announced, flashing the camera with a perfect smile. Ami stared at the video playing on Izuku's monitor with a glimmer of awe. She and Izuku loved watching that video ever since they were toddlers.
"Watching that video, huh?" Ami thought, rolling her eyes in amusement.
"My brother, Izuku Midoriya, was born quirkless. But, last year, the world's Number One Hero blessed him with a quirk: One For All. A power passed down from generation to generation. Now he goes to UA High alongside me and our childhood friend, Kacchan." Ami narrated.
Knock. Knock.
The sound of the front door could be heard from down the hall, getting Ami and Izuku's attention. Ami raised her head up and stepped away from Izuku's door, avoiding getting noticed by Izuku.
"I've got it." Ami said, walking towards the front door. She wondered who could be knocking at the door and peeked through the peephole, spotting two familiar classmates. She raised her eyebrow at them and opened the door, making eye contact with Kaminari and Mineta.
"Heyo, Midoriya." Kaminari grinned, waving at Ami.
"Sup." Mineta nodded, acting cool.
"Oh. Kaminari. Mineta. I didn't know you were back from the island?" Ami said, smiling at them in surprise.
"I didn't know they knew where I lived, either?" Ami thought, keeping that thought to herself.
"What're you doing here?" Ami asked, prompting Kaminari to start nodding.
"Is Izuku around?" Kaminari inquired, glancing behind Ami to see inside.
"We wanted to see him." Mineta explained, causing Ami to raise her eyebrow at them in slight suspicion.
"Why, though?" Ami thought. She looked at the two and shrugged, answering the question.
"Yeah, he's here." She answered, honestly. She closed the door slightly and turned her head back, making eye contact with Izuku in the hallway. He looked at Ami with curiosity, wondering who it was at the door.
"It's Kaminari and Mineta." Ami whispered, catching Izuku by surprise.
"They're asking for you, Izzy." Ami mentioned, receiving a nod from Izuku. He stepped forward and approached the front door with a passing nod. Ami stepped away from the door and let Izuku hold the door.
"Hey, guys, what's up?" Izuku asked, swinging the door back open with a smile. Ami stepped away from the front door and hid in the kitchen, leaning on the wall and listening.
"Come to the pool with us." Mineta suggested, announcing his invitation for Izuku.
"The pool?" Izuku repeated, surprised by the invitation.
"Yeah. Some fun before the training camp." Kaminari explained, nodding his head in quick succession.
"We'll get in some solid laps." Mineta cut in, giving Izuku a thumbs up. Izuku stared at them and blinked a couple times.
"Sure, I'd love to come." Izuku replied, blinking back into reality. Kaminari and Mineta both smiled at his answer.
"Awesome." Kaminari said, nodding victoriously. Just then, Izuku paused and squinted his eyes at them with slight suspicion.
"Hey, wait. You're not asking me to come because you want my sister to go, too, right?" Izuku asked, causing the duo to glance at each other in silence. Kaminari and Mineta entered a near perfect state of telepathy, understanding exactly what was being said in each other's minds.
"Should we abort?" Kaminari questioned, subtly narrowing his eyes.
"No. Think of something." Mineta replied, assuming Kaminari was thinking of surrendering. Kaminari looked back at Izuku with a smile, shaking his head.
"Course not. This is a total no-girls-allowed situation." Kaminari explained, receiving a nod from Mineta.
"Yeah, boys only." Mineta said in agreement.
"Oh. Does that mean everyone else is coming, too?" Izuku asked, making Kaminari and Mineta go silent again. They glanced at each other with the subtlest of expressions and felt sweat drip down their foreheads.
"...Uh huh." Kaminari hesitated, nodding his head in confirmation. Mineta looked at him with wide eyes, going unnoticed by Izuku.
"Okay, then. I'll get ready right now." Izuku stated.
"Right on. See you at school!" Kaminari smiled, waving goodbye at Izuku. Kaminari and Mineta quickly turned around, leaving the scene with blank expressions. Once they were on the street, Mineta sighed and snapped his fingers in frustration.
"Dang it. Why did you say yes?" Mineta complained, holding his head with both hands.
"What else was I supposed to say?" Kaminari replied, raising his shoulders in confusion.
"Anything but yes." Mineta answered, shaking his head, "Ugh. Now we have to invite everybody else in the class." He whined.
"Don't worry, Mineta. Even if all the guys show up or not. That doesn't change anything. The girls will still be there in all their swimsuit glory." Kaminari smiled, staring up at the sky with a fist clenched.
"You're right. I can't wait to see those skimpy suits." Mineta said, drooling at the thought.
"I'll burn the sight into my brain!" Kaminari exclaimed.
UA High - The Pool
"Oh, hey. Hi, Mineta." Tsu said, doing some stretches.
"I didn't know you guys would be here." Jirou said, following along with Tsu. The girls stared at Mineta with blank expressions, leaning their bodies towards the right. Ami stood between Jirou and Hagakure, stretching along with the other girls. They were all dressed in the same school swim uniform, disappointing poor Kaminari.
"I can't believe there's not a single bikini…Foiled again." Kaminari frowned, closing his eyes and sniffling. The paradise he pictured in his head was ruined.
"Hey, you know what, these are pretty hot, too." Mineta said, appearing to glow with approval. The paradise he pictured in his head was saved. Kaminari opened his eyes and stared at him in disgust.
"Have some standards, dude." He whispered, loud enough for only Mineta to hear. Across the pool, Ami and Jirou stared at Kaminari and Mineta with narrowed eyes, holding in their frustration. They were satisfied with Kaminari's reaction, but Mineta still looked happy, disappointing the two girls.
"Why must you be this way, Mineta?" Ami thought, sighing in disappointment.
"Kaminari. Mineta. Nice work. I'm proud of you for suggesting more training. You're an asset to our class. Let me thank you." Iida said, approaching the duo with a proud smile. Kaminari and Mineta looked at Iida with fright, watching as he stretched his arms out towards them. They sat on the floor with fear as Iida's shadow casted over them.
"Now don't just sit there. It's time to come sweat with us." Iida smiled, grabbing hold of them. They squirmed and struggled in his grasp, unable to break free. They were carried over to the rest of the guys, making them whimper.
"Thanks, Iida." Ami thought, looking at Mineta's fear with satisfaction. Ami watched the boys with curiosity, wondering what Iida had planned for them. From what Izuku had told her, Kaminari and Mineta invited the guys to use the pool for endurance training. Clearly, they had ulterior motives. Thankfully, the guys weren't as depraved as they were.
She had informed the girls about the boys coming to the pool with them, so they weren't surprised when they showed up.
Although there was one person she was surprised to see at the pool. Bakugo and Kirishima arrived shortly before Mineta and Kaminari, surprising Ami. She didn't expect Bakugo would show up to another class hangout. She stared at him with a smile, feeling a faint blush form on her face. He was shirtless, giving her a glimpse at his physique. She blinked a few times and quickly looked away just in time to avoid Bakugo's gaze. He also looked at Habanero with a skipped heartbeat. Ami took a deep breath and composed herself.
The sight of him distracted her a bit. The last time she physically saw him was back on I-Island. When they watched fireworks together…Her heart beated faster at the memory. It was all Melissa's fault she was like this.
"That's when I figured it was probably because you like him." Melissa giggled.
"Why'd you have to say that?" Ami thought, wincing at the memory. Staring at Bakugo had become unexpectedly more tedious. Now, everytime she looked at him she felt her feelings mess with her thoughts. It didn't help that Bakugo was shirtless. That was probably the most shocking part of her newfound feelings. She didn't realize how attractive he looked before, especially his face whenever he didn't have his normal death glare on it.
"Relax, Ami. All the other boys are shirtless. Just get used to it." Ami thought, waving at the guys. They all waved back at her with smiles, except for Todoroki, but that was normal. Getting used to it, her blush disappeared much to her relief. She decided to follow along with what the girls were doing and started doing some stretches, leading us back to the present.
"So, girls, what should we do?" Momo asked, clasping her hands together.
"How bout a round of volleyball?" Mina suggested, receiving nods of agreement from the rest of the girls.
"That sounds fun." Tsu admitted, nodding.
"Let's do it!" Hagakure exclaimed, bouncing up and down.
"Yeah." Ami nodded, raising her fists in excitement.
"Then it's settled." Momo smiled, activating her quirk. She pulled a volleyball out of her elbow and held it in her hand. Momo was the first to enter the pool, followed shortly by Mina and Ochaco. Ami dropped to the floor and sat on the edge of the pool, dipping her feet into the water. She stared at the pool with a smile, ready to join the fun. However, as she stared down at the reflection of the sky in the pool, a memory made her stomach churn. She lowered her eyes and frowned, feeling her shoulders tense up all of a sudden. She stared at the pool and watched as an orange glow lit up the surface in front of her. Bubbles filled the surface and steam came rising out of the water.
Ami clenched her hands and gripped the edge of the pool, staring at the glow. A figure struggled within the orange glow, revealing to be its source. Ami felt a chill go down her spine as she stared at the figure. It was drowning. No. She knew who it was down there.
She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw, feeling the world fade away around her. Suddenly, she was in the pool, struggling to reach the surface. Above the pool, a large feline glared down at her with a sadistic smile. Its roar echoed through her mind. Its tail wrapped around her throat, keeping her trapped in the water. Flames pushed out of her mouth in an attempt to fight back, but the water extinguished it. She was drowning. She struggled and let go of the tail as a taller figure appeared above the Nomu. She felt the grip around her throat loosen up as the world turned black, followed by the pained cries of the injured Nomu.
"You okay, Ami?" Jirou asked, snapping Ami out of her thoughts. Ami blinked her eyes open and quietly gasped, unclenching her jaw. She glanced at Jirou standing above her left shoulder with a look of concern.
"You looked like you were panicking for a second there." Jirou asked. Ami looked at her then back at the pool, seeing nothing in the water. The orange glow wasn't there anymore. She sighed and took a deep breath, nodding at Jirou with relief.
"I'm fine. Thanks." Ami assured, smiling at her with confidence. Jirou stared at her smile and relaxed, accepting her assurance. She nodded and sat on the edge with Ami, separating from the ledge and entering the water. Ami stared at the pool and swallowed her saliva.
"I guess I still have some fears left over." Ami thought, gripping the ledge. She took another deep breath and sighed, gently moving forward. She kept her hands on the ledge as her body entered the pool, keeping calm.
"It's not here anymore. It can't hurt you. You can do this." Ami thought, letting go of the edge. She dipped into the water and focused, quickly floating to the surface with a gasp for air. She felt her hair get wet and looked around, making eye contact with the rest of the girls in the pool. She swam over to them with an excited smile, pushing past her temporary fear. Plus Ultra.
UA Interior - The Second Floor
Unbeknownst to the class, another student watched them play around from inside the building. He looked down at them with a signature look of superiority, laughing maniacally to himself. The most twisted smile was on his face as he stared at Class 1-A.
"Haha. Instead of planning for the summer camp, Class 1-A's wasting time having fun in the pool? What a bunch of imbeciles. Class 1-B will surpass them in no time if all they wanna do is goof off! Hahaha." Monoma laughed, watching them from the second floor windows.
"Monoma, what are you doing?" Kendo asked, appearing beside Monoma. Monoma heard her voice and flinched, getting startled.
"Kendo?" Monoma questioned, not expecting to see her here. Kendo stood beside him with arms folded, glancing out at the window with curiosity. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw what Monoma was looking at. A group of girls were playing around in the school pool. Kendo looked closer and quickly recognized who the girls were.
"Is he peeping on the 1-A girls?" Kendo thought, feeling her face turn slightly pale with concern. She watched the girls play around with a volleyball and slowly turned to face Monoma with a blank stare of judgment. From her angle, the boys were just out of sight. Monoma also knew this and faced Kendo, sensing she was getting the wrong idea. She closed her eyes and sighed in disappointment, activating her quirk much to Monoma's dismay.
Smack
"It's not like that, Kendo, really…" Monoma muttered, getting dragged away by the orange haired girl.
"Just leave them be, Monoma." Kendo said, not caring what he was doing. She walked across the hall and turned a corner, dragging Monoma with her.
Pool
"Get ready for it! Serve!" Ochaco exclaimed, hitting the ball with a laugh.
"Mine!" Mina laughed, hitting the ball back.
"Ribbit." Tsu said, smacking the ball with her tongue.
"Hmph." Jirou said, passing the ball to Ami with her earphone jack.
"Got it!" Ami exclaimed, hitting the ball upwards with her wrists.
"Set!" Yaoyorozu said, smacking the ball with both hands.
"All right, everyone! Let's take a 15-minute breather. I brought these for everyone." Iida said, placing a red box on the ground. He opened the box with a smile, revealing cold sodas mixed with ice inside.
"Please, drink up!" Iida announced, receiving praise from the boys. Off to the side, Mineta and Kaminari stared at the girls with envy. Their focus caught the attention of Bakugo, who had a soda in his hands and glared at them in silence.
"Why do the girls get to play around instead?" Kaminari asked, watching the girls play volleyball.
"They got permission to use the pool, so they can goof off. Can you believe it?" Mineta responded, causing Kaminari to face him with a glare.
"You idiot. Why did you make our application for endurance training?" He complained, blaming Mineta.
"Sure, blame me, but I didn't hear you make any suggestions." Mineta argued, glaring back at Kaminari. He wasn't done talking yet and continued with his complaints.
"It's your fault everyone's here anyway. It could've been just the two of us and all the girls to ourselves. But, no, you had to make it "convincing," and invite Midoriya!" Mineta whined, making Kaminari frown. Bakugo listened to their argument and flared his nostrils in annoyance.
"Of course that's why those idiots wanted to use the pool." Bakugo thought, growling at them in annoyance. He knew something was fishy about the pool invitation once he found out it was Pipsqueak and Duracell's idea. Of course it was for his perversion. What else would it be for? As he glared at the two idiots with hatred, Habanero came to his mind. When he got to the pool, he noticed Habanero was wearing the school swim uniform. A completely normal uniform that couldn't possibly be appealing to anyone. Or so he thought. He saw the way the Pipsqueak looked at the girls and felt his eye twitch. He continued to growl in frustration, squeezing the soda can in his hand.
Todoroki stared at Bakugo, taking notice of his pissed off face. He approached the explosive blonde as he crushed his own soda for seemingly no apparent reason, confusing Todoroki.
"You crushed your soda." Todoroki pointed out, looking at the crushed can in Bakugo's hand. Bakugo could only look at him and growl.
"Mind your own business, IcyHot!" Bakugo snarled, walking away in anger. Todoroki stayed silent, watching Bakugo stomp away with narrowed eyes. He watched as the explosive blonde made occasional glances towards Mineta and at Izuku's sister. He also stared at Ami, thinking of something in his mind.
Across the pool, the girls hoisted themselves out of the water. They were tired from playing volleyball in the water and caught their breaths on land. Ami activated her quirk and warmed herself up, keeping her flames in her mouth.
"Woo. That was so much fun!" Hagakure praised, clapping her hands together.
"Let's take a break for a little bit." Yoayorozu suggested, receiving nods of agreement.
"Right." The girls agreed in unison. Ami stretched her arms outward and relaxed, cranking her neck left-and-right in satisfaction. She sighed softly and looked over at the boys. Kaminari and Mineta appeared dead inside as they laid on the floor, making her smirk a bit. She stared at Iida's icebox and walked over to the box. She wanted her own soda. She opened the icebox and knelt down, bending on one knee and grabbing a soda out of the box. As she did so, a shadow hovered over her, catching her by surprise. She frowned slightly and turned a tiny bit red, looking up to see Bakugo staring down at her. Her eyes travelled up his body before making eye contact with his eyes, further adding to her blush by seeing Bakugo's chest in close range. Melissa's words echoed through her head again at that moment.
"That's when I figured it was probably because you like him." Melissa giggled, causing Ami to blink several times. She internally gasped and quickly looked back down at the icebox in embarrassment.
"H-Hi, Kacchan." Ami said, shyly. Bakugo stared at her and noticed the expression on her face, making his heart beat faster. He saw the look of embarrassment on her face before looking away from him, causing him to raise his eyebrow at her in confusion. He assumed he caught Habanero by surprise. He did abruptly show up in front of her after all. He didn't even know she was over here. He flared his nostrils and narrowed his eyes, reaching his hand out.
"Hand me one, Habanero." He asked, causing Ami to glance at Bakugo's hand. She looked at his stretched out hand and felt her heart beat faster. She blinked and composed herself, grabbing another soda can out of the icebox.
"Sure. Here you go." Ami said, reaching her hand towards his. He grabbed the soda and felt his skin touch her hand, sending a chill down his spine. Ami felt a chill as well and kept her face pointed downward, finding it so much harder to look at Bakugo. He grabbed the soda and took it from Habanero's hand, making his heart skip. Something felt off about touching her. It wasn't at all like when he touched her during combat situations. This interaction felt far more intimate, causing him to gulp.
"T-thanks." Bakugo said, awkwardly. Ami heard his thanks and flinched, looking up at him with wide eyes. She got a glimpse of his chest again while looking up at him and remembered she was still crouched on the floor. She quickly stood up and folded her arms, squeezing the soda can in her other hand.
"You're welcome, Kacchan." Ami said, smiling shyly. Bakugo looked at her and felt his heart skip a beat again. Her shy smile distracted him from even wondering why she was acting this way in the first place. Seeing her up close, he noticed her hair was still wet while the rest of her body was dry. She must have used her quirk. His eyes widened once more as he realized he was looking at her a little too long. She looked cute in the uniform. But, then again, when did she not look cute? He blinked a couple times and flared his nostrils, opening the soda in his hand.
"So, anything new?" Bakugo asked, sparking a conversation. He hoped it would clear his mind from his awkward feelings.
"Huh?" Ami questioned, internally looking at him in surprise. She heard the question and quickly reset her brain, answering the question.
"N-nothing much. Things have been pretty calm since I-Island." Ami said, stuttering slightly. She took a sip of her soda and relaxed, feeling the awkwardness disappear.
"Well, except when Mom saw her dress…" Ami mentioned, recalling the reaction from her mother's face.
Past
"I'm so sorry!" Ami apologized, dropping to her hands and knees in front of her mother in shame. She begged for forgiveness while Inko stared at the damaged dress. She held the dress up above her head and stared at it in her arms, shaking with tears.
"You're safe, Sweetie. That's all that matters…" Inko assured, bawling her eyes out. It didn't look like that was all that mattered.
"I met your father in this dress…" Inko cried, sniffling a lot. Ami felt even more guilty hearing those words, frowning intensely in shame.
"That just makes it worse!" Ami stated, feeling so much worse.
Present
Bakugo heard the story from Habanero and looked at her with squinted eyes, cringing slightly.
"That bad, huh?" He questioned, receiving a sad sigh from Habanero.
"Yeah, she didn't take it too well…" Ami frowned, shaking her head in shame.
"I feel so bad I'm almost glad we're going to summer camp soon." Ami admitted. Her mother hid it well but she could tell she was grumpy about the desecration of her favorite dress. Apparently the cost to have it stitched back up would be a pretty penny, making her feel more guilty.
"Hmph." Bakugo smirked, flaring his nostrils in amusement.
"Hey, you two." Iida said, approaching them with a smile. Ami and Bakugo heard Iida and looked to their left, making eye contact. He stared at them with a big smile on his face while Izuku followed behind him.
"What is it, Four Eyes?" Bakugo asked, glaring at Iida. Iida chose to ignore the insulting nickname and raised his hand up in a chopping motion.
"Up for some friendly competition?" Iida asked, catching Bakugo's interest. Ami raised her eyebrow at Iida and tilted her head.
"What kind?" Ami questioned.
Police Station
Tsukauchi stood in the center of the room while All Might sat in a chair. He read over the reports sprawled across the table in front of him as Tsukauchi summed up the events.
"UA High School was attacked by the League of Villains during a rescue training session. It would come to be referred to as the USJ incident." Tsukauchi said, making All Might frown.
"Shortly after, A second Nomu attacked the prison bus and freed the villain with a teleportation quirk, Kurogiri. Another prisoner, Kazan Takayama, was also set free from the second Nomu. We can only assume Kazan is with the League now." Tsukauchi summarized, making All Might narrow his eyes.
He stared at the report of Kazan and read the details. The report featured a list of crimes the villain had committed, making him grimace. The villain was a deadly criminal. It gave him so much relief that Ami was able to defeat him in the USJ. He continued to read the report and noticed who was responsible for his previous arrest.
Himself. That was odd. He didn't remember defeating him four years ago. He read the dates for when it happened and winced. It made sense how he could forget now. He took Kazan down shortly after defeating All For One and just before Toxic Chainsaw. Compared to them, Kazan wasn't anything.
"Then there were the attacks by the Hero Killer Stain and the League of Villains in Hosu City, in what became known as the Hosu Incident. Concurrently, the second Nomu returned with its sights set on capturing a young boy at the Quirk Museum. Fortunately, the monster was taken down by the Health Syndicate." Tsukauchi added, causing All Might to clench his fist in silence. He remembered what Ami said had happened in the Museum. He was frightened to learn she had died before coming back to life.
"And just a few days ago, Tomura Shigaraki, previously thought to be the leader of the League of Villains, cornered Izuku Midoriya at Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall." Tsukauchi added, also making All Might tense up.
"And, very recently, All For One confirmed his return with the villain attack on I-Island. The League hasn't made another move since." Tsukauchi summarized, finishing the report. All Might sighed and shook his head, knowing there was more to come.
"They're hiding somewhere in the shadows. It's only a matter of time before All For One strikes again." All Might said, receiving a nod from the detective.
"Likely, yes. The police and heroes are looking for their hideout as we speak. We're gathering as much information as possible. When we find them, All Might. I want your help." Tsukauchi asked, receiving a nod.
"I won't disappoint you, Tsukauchi." All Might assured, making Tsukauchi appear relieved. Against a returning threat like All For One, All Might's help would be surely needed. He stared at All Might with hesitation. There was another piece of information he left out of the I-Island report.
"Somehow, through some unknown method, Wolfram was able to get his hands on multiple quirks and lose them in a single day." Wyvern stated, sending a large amount of fear through Tsukauchi. The detective kept the information secret. He wanted to tell All Might, but it was too early. They had absolutely nothing in their reports that could explain how it was possible. Nothing they could start off from. It was a complete dead end. With that said, he stared at All Might with a determined nod. He'd get to the bottom of this mystery, eventually. He was sure of it.
UA High - Pool
Yaoyorozu blew on a whistle, starting the race. Iida and Izuku had come up with a fun way to train by turning the pooltime into a competition. It seemed like such a great idea that even the girls took part in it. Izuku hoped making it a competition would help improve his control of One For All by adding stakes. He wanted to improve by winning. A philosophy he adopted from Bakugo himself. Bakugo was more than happy to destroy the competition.
When the whistle went off, Bakugo blasted the air with his hands. He flew past his classmates and quickly reached the opposite end of the pool in seconds, much to the annoyance of everyone.
"How was that, you sidekicks!" Bakugo yelled, pointing at the extras with pride.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sero complained, raising his hands.
"You didn't even touch the water!" Kirishima complained.
"It's called freestyle swimming!" Bakugo roared back, denying the cheating allegations.
"More like freestyle flying!" Ami stated, shaking her head with a grin. Bakugo heard her and scoffed, flaring his nostrils in defiance.
The next set of challengers walked to the pool, ready to start swimming. Todoroki stared at his reflection in the pool and narrowed his eyes. He raised his right hand forward and activated his quirk, inspired by Bakugo. Ice shot off his hand as soon as Yaoyorozu blew the whistle. He slid forward on his ice and effortlessly reached the opposite end of the pool in seconds. Stepping off the ice he stared back at the other challengers with a blank stare.
"I won." He celebrated with zero emotion.
"You're supposed to be swimming!" Kaminari and Mineta said at the same time. Ami stared at the frozen section of the pool and grinned, holding in her laughter.
"Look what you did." Ami teased, glancing at Bakugo to her left. Bakugo glared at Habanero and gritted his teeth, flaring his nostrils.
The last group got in their positions at the front of the pool. Izuku stared at the finish line with a look of determination, hearing words of encouragement from Ami.
"Leave them in dust, Izzy." Ami encouraged, patting Izuku on the shoulder. Izuku looked at her with an appreciative nod as she stepped away from the final group. He looked around at his opponents, Iida, Shoji, and Ojiro, tensing his muscles. He took a deep breath and activated One For All throughout his whole body. When Yaoyorozu blew the whistle, he set off in the water at extreme speeds. Ojiro and Shoji were quickly left behind in his wake. The power of Izuku's swimming was disturbing the water around them, slowing them down by quite a bit. Inspired by Bakugo and Todoroki, Iida zoomed across the pool's surface with recipro burst. The two were neck-and-neck towards the finish line, but Izuku had proven superior. Izuku placed his hand on the finish line, winning the race.
"Alright! Way to go, Izuku!" Ami celebrated, throwing her fist in the air.
"Even the Class Rep followed your technique." Ami grinned, glancing at Bakugo.
"And he still lost." Bakugo smirked in amusement. No one could freestyle like him.
"You beat me. Good work." Iida smiled, stepping out of the pool with Izuku's help.
"You were amazing out there, too, Iida." Izuku praised, shaking hands with the Class Rep.
"Todoroki, Midoriya, Bakugo, since you three won, you get to fight for first place. Understand?" Iida announced, receiving nods from the trio.
'Got it." Izuku replied. Bakugo flared his nostrils and glared at IcyHot, gritting his teeth.
"Hear that, IcyHot? You better not hold back on me or else!" Bakugo demanded, receiving an empty stare from Todoroki.
"I won't." Todoroki said, nodding solemnly.
"You, too, Deku. Fight to win." Bakugo gritted, receiving a nod from Izuku.
"I will." Izuku promised, showing off a determined face.
"Then the 50-meter freestyle final race will now begin!" Iida announced, sending everyone rushing to their positions.
"Blow 'em away, Bakugo!" Kirishima exclaimed, showing support to the explosive blonde.
"Don't kill the other swimmers!" Kaminari teased, smirking in amusement.
"You got this, Todoroki!" Sero said, switching sides against Bakugo.
"You can do it, Deku!" Ochaco exclaimed.
"Show them what you can do, Izzy!" Ami exclaimed, smiling proudly at Izuku.
"Do your best, everyone!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed, taking no sides.
"Now, on your marks." Iida said, beginning the countdown. As he counted down, the final trio stared at the end goal with determination and confidence.
"A single blast is all it'll take." Bakugo thought, popping off small explosions in his hands.
"I'll slide past them." Todoroki thought, preparing his right side.
"I can win this with One For All." Izuku thought, activating his quirk throughout his body.
"Get set!" Iida announced, blowing the whistle soon after. The trio jumped forward with serious expressions. However, their powers immediately turned off without permission, confusing them. The trio fell into the pool, losing all momentum inside them. The students looked at the trio in confusion, wondering what went wrong.
"What happened?" Kaminari questioned.
"Why aren't they using their quirks?" Sero asked.
"It's 5pm." Aizawa said, standing at the entrance to the pool. The class turned immediately towards Aizawa and stood up straight.
"Your authorized pool time is officially over. Hurry up and go home." Aizawa ordered, causing some of the students to whine.
"Come on, just one second!" Kaminari whined.
"We were finally getting to the good part!" Sero complained.
"Are you questioning me?" Aizawa asked, making his hair stand up with a piercing glare.
"Not at all, Mr. Aizawa, Sir." The students replied, following orders.
Afternoon
"Too bad, Mr. Aizawa, showed up." Tsu said, stepping out of the locker room with Ochaco, Ami, and Mina.
"Yeah, I was looking forward to watching Deku win." Ochaco pouted.
"Me, too." Ami agreed, sighing in disappointment.
"I was rooting for Todoroki." Mina said, looking down the hall to her left, "Hey, speak of the devil." Mina said, getting everyone's attention.
"Excuse me." Todoroki said, standing in front of the girls with his hands in his pockets.
"Huh?" Ochaco mumbled.
"Todoroki?" Ami questioned, looking at Todoroki in surprise.
"Before you leave, Midoriya. I'd like a word." Todoroki said, causing Ami to raise her eyebrow at him.
"Okay. Sure thing." Ami responded, receiving a nod from Todoroki. He turned around and walked off, leaving the girls behind to speculate.
"Ooo. What was that about?" Mina smirked, putting her hand on Ami's shoulder deviously. Ami didn't catch the look on Mina's face and simply shrugged her shoulders in confusion.
"I don't know…" Ami admitted, tilting her head slightly. She wondered what Todoroki wanted and separated from the girls, heading towards the direction Todoroki left.
Around School Grounds
Ami stared at Todoroki with a slightly nervous expression, placing her hands behind her back and fidgeting with her fingers. Todoroki stared at her in silence with a straight face. Ami looked around in confusion, unsure of what to say.
"So, you brought me here. Now what?" Ami asked, looking around awkwardly. She wondered what Todoroki had brought her here for. Todoroki made eye contact with her and folded his arms, lightening up his stare.
"I realize we haven't had a proper conversation together. Compared to everyone in the class, I've talked to you the least." Todoroki stated, starting off the conversation. Ami raised her eyebrow at his statement and thought about it. Other than fighting together against the Mantis, she couldn't think of any moment of conversation between each other. At least a conversation that was more than two sentences.
"Yeah, that's true." Ami agreed, nodding in confirmation. He was right about that. Even he noticed. It wasn't like she didn't want to talk with him. She still needed to thank him for saving Izuku and Iida.
"That's why I want to have a conversation now before we head to the summer camp. I have some things I want to clear up with you." Todoroki admitted, surprising Ami.
"Like what?" She asked, getting an ominous feeling. Todoroki nodded and looked away from her, squinting his eyes as he continued.
"I've been thinking a lot about you lately. Watching the way you behave and act around others. You're very considerate. And easy to talk to. But you also know when to be serious. And when it's time to take action. Because of that, I have a lot of respect for you." Todoroki admitted, causing Ami to tilt her head in surprise.
"Uh…" Ami said, letting her voice trail off. For a split second, she got goosebumps. Her heart skipped a beat at his words, confusing her.
"What is he saying? Does he like me? Wait, is that what this is? Is he confessing?" Ami thought, jumping to conclusions. Her heart skipped a beat but it wasn't out of love, she was more panicked than anything else. She wasn't ready for this kind of thing. She only just realized what being in love feels like. She clenched her fists behind her back, feeling a sudden rise of anxiety.
"You're not at all the person I judged you as." Todoroki said, causing Ami to pause.
"Wait, huh?" Ami questioned, feeling her worst fear fade away in an instant. Okay this wasn't a confession. The goosebumps vanished as she mentally sighed in relief. She then stared at him in confusion, realizing the phrasing of his words.
"Wait, judged you as?" Ami repeated, tilting her head to the side.
"Hold on a minute. What are you talking about?" She asked, staring questionably at him. Todoroki looked away from her after hearing the question, appearing hesitant. Ami never saw that kind of look on Todoroki before.
"There's a reason I've been avoiding you." Todoroki stated, causing Ami's eyes to widen.
"He's been avoiding me?" Ami thought in confusion. She could believe that, but why?
"It's taken a while for me to say something to you about it. But after I-Island, I finally realized I was comfortable enough to talk to you." Todoroki explained, surprising Ami. He looked at her with guilt plainly on his face, catching Ami by surprise. She'd never seen him look so ashamed before.
"I owe you an apology." Todoroki said, bowing his head down.
"For avoiding me?" Ami questioned. She wasn't expecting to hear him apologize to her. She wasn't expecting him to reveal that he was avoiding her either. She considered the possibilities and realized there was only one reason why someone would avoid someone.
"I never liked you." Todoroki stated, bluntly.
"Oh." Ami said, realizing what he said, "Oh…" Ami repeated, frowning at his words. Well that made sense. Why else would you avoid someone? Ami looked down at the floor, squeezing her hands together behind her back. She felt a wave of sadness flow through her. It hurt to hear that from him even though they weren't even friends.
"I'm sorry." Ami frowned, confusing Todoroki.
"Why are you apologizing?" Todoroki asked, receiving a shrug in response.
"Reflex, I guess. I mean, this whole semester we never talked to each other at all. I've been meaning to talk to you about what happened in Hosu, but I never got around to it. I guess subconsciously I've been avoiding you, too." Ami said, keeping her frown.
"I see." Todoroki nodded, understanding her.
"Ever since getting to know your brother, I've been reevaluating how I talk to others. Despite getting off on the wrong foot, he still reached out to me. Even though there would be no benefit to helping me out, he didn't hesitate to help me with my issues. He's an extremely invasive person." Todoroki stated, making Ami chuckle for just a second.
"Yeah, that's Izuku for ya." Ami grinned, nodding in agreement.
"His words cut deep. That's why I'm talking to you now. How could I continue to avoid the sister of someone I consider a friend?" Todoroki said, making Ami smile.
"I think I get it now. It's not that you didn't like me, it's just that you didn't want to make friends with anyone, right?" Ami guessed.
"Actually…it was only you I didn't like." Todoroki clarified, metaphorically stabbing Ami in the heart.
"Ouch." Ami thought, wincing at him in response.
"When I first saw you, I was reminded of my father." Todoroki admitted, causing Ami's eyes to widen with shock.
"What? I reminded him of Endeavor? Me?" Ami thought in disbelief. She remembered how intimidating it was to be standing in front of Endeavor at the Sports Festival. He had a terrifying presence built into him that freaked her out from the start. To even be compared to him was upsetting to her.
"On the first day of class, you passed me in the Fitness Test by using your flames to propel yourself to the finish line. You beat me with fire and melted my ice. Losing to you, a person who wields fire much like my father. It frustrated me." Todoroki admitted, keeping a cold stare as he looked down at the floor. Ami looked at him with a frown, feeling a bit guilty. She understood why that would upset him. It wasn't like she knew about his past, either. She didn't even know Todoroki was Endeavor's son yet. She could see why using her flames the way she did left a bad impression on him.
"Because of your flames, I knew immediately that I wanted absolutely nothing to do with you. But that later proved to be meaningless once we entered the Sports Festival." Todoroki said, causing Ami to remember the race. She remembered lighting the tunnel on fire at the start of the race and getting ahead of everyone. She flinched at the memory of Todoroki's intense cold glare aimed at her. It was after he took down the zero pointers and let them come crashing down near her. It was the coldest glare she had ever received. One that made it very clear that she needed to stay away from the cold teen. Despite that, she pressed on. She had declared war on him before the race began.
"In the Cavalry Battle, I was so preoccupied with what your brother was doing, I wasn't prepared to deal with you. So, when you appeared and ate the flames off my arm, flames I didn't even realize I had spawned, it shocked me." Todoroki recalled, making Ami reminisce.
"Then you and your brother capitalized on my refusal to use my left side and took advantage of me. You melted my ice like it was nothing and before I could stop Dark Shadow, you had the gall to have Tsu grab my left arm with her tongue. All because you knew I wouldn't burn her. You embarrassed me so easily, it made me angry." Todoroki admitted, remembering the last moments of the match.
"I had expected you to be a problem in the Sports Festival. I hoped Kaminari's electrocution would finish you off like all the rest, but you proved otherwise. And I underestimated your brother, too. Because of that, I had a talk with him after the match. I told him things about my past. Things I'm sure you're already aware of." Todoroki said, looking back at Ami.
"Yeah…" Ami nodded, awkwardly. She remembered everything Todoroki said to Izuku while she and Bakugo spied on them from around the corner. Hearing about his past made her feel terrible about not liking him. Especially after learning about how he got his scar.
"I didn't think much of that conversation with your brother. But, in our match, he brought it up in a way I wasn't expecting." Todoroki said, remembering Izuku's exact words.
Past
"Listen to me. I think I get it." Izuku said, softly. His low voice echoed through Todoroki's head.
"I know a girl who used to hide half her power once. An accident happened when her quirk manifested. And it…It changed her. I wanted to do something. Make her see her power wasn't something to fear. But I never could for the longest time." Izuku admitted. Todoroki remembered the frown on his face as well as the massive guilt piling on Izuku's shoulders. He talked like he was letting out a big secret off his chest, confusing the cold teen.
"But, eventually, she realized what she was doing wasn't right. And when she saw a friend in danger, she ran towards him and used her power without giving it a second thought. Because of that, she's been all the better for it!" Izuku shouted, confusing Todoroki. He didn't understand who or what he was talking about at that moment. Because of his ignorance, he continued his assault. Despite his injuries, Izuku pressed on.
"Listen. We're all giving it our all… to try and win. To make our dreams into a reality. To become number one! You think you can win with half your strength?" Izuku blurted out, frustrating Todoroki.
"There's no way I can know what you've gone through, or why you're even here. Your life has been so much different than mine or hers, but right now. Stop screwing around!" Izuku shouted, surprising him once more. Todoroki saw the anger in Izuku's eyes. It wasn't something he had seen before, maybe once in the USJ?
"If you wanna reject your father, fine, but you don't have the right to be Number One if you aren't going to use your full power!" He yelled.
"It's yours! Your quirk, not his!" Izuku shouted, snapping Todoroki back to the present. He clenched his fists at the memory, remembering the feelings those words had stirred up within him. They were the most inspiring words he had heard in a long time. It was as if All Might himself had possessed Izuku at that moment.
Present
Ami listened to his words and clenched her own fists, remembering what Izuku had told her after his match with Todoroki. The focal point of his frustrations with Todoroki had all stemmed from her. His inability to help her at her most vulnerable had upset him for a long time. Seeing it happen again with Todoroki had completely set Izuku off.
"When he said those things to me, I didn't understand who he was referring to at first. It wasn't until my match with Bakugo, that I learned the truth." Todoroki stated, remembering his fight with Bakugo.
Past
"Deku was right to think of her when fighting you." Bakugo blurted, confusing Todoroki, "Except you're a helluva lot worse than her!" He yelled.
"I don't even know who you're talking about." Todoroki replied, receiving a confused look from Bakugo.
"Huh?" Bakugo said, appearing dumbfounded. Todoroki watched Bakugo flare his nostrils and scoff at him as if he had said something incredibly stupid.
"Are you kidding me, IcyHot? Do you seriously not know?" Bakugo questioned, receiving a nod from him. Bakugo reared his head back and felt his eye twitch at Todoroki's obliviousness.
"Deku was talking about his sister, you dumbass!" He shouted, revealing the truth to Todoroki.
Present
"When I heard Izuku's words, I didn't think they were about you. It was in the back of my head, sure, but I didn't believe it. It went against my opinion of you. You used your quirk so freely. As if you weren't concerned with it at all." Todoroki admitted, making Ami frown.
"But I was wrong. You were like me once. You rejected your power. It may not have been for the same reason, but our paths were similar." Todoroki said, causing Ami's eyes to widen at him. The way he said those words triggered her own memory. It was exactly how she thought of him after learning about his past.
"His life and his reasons are entirely different from mine, but…it's similar." Ami thought, recalling her exact words.
"He saw it too, now, huh?" Ami thought, feeling like the two had finally found some common ground. Todoroki looked at Ami's face and formed a tiny frown, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders.
"I'm sorry. My resentment towards my father led me to discriminate against you even though you had done nothing wrong to me. I've let my experience cloud my judgment for too long." Todoroki apologized, bowing his head in shame.
"Your brother's been a good friend to me. I know now you don't deserve my scorn." He finished. Ami looked at him in stunned silence, feeling a smile form on her lips. His apology struck a chord within her, making tears well up in her eyes. She sniffled a bit and nodded, accepting his apology.
"You know, the reason I also avoided you was because of how you talked to Izzy." Ami admitted, causing Todoroki to lift his head up and stare at her.
"From an objective standpoint. I think it's fairly clear that I'm stronger than you. We're not here to be each other's friends. Don't forget. This isn't a team effort." Todoroki said, echoing through Ami's mind.
"Compared to all the things I've heard people say about Izuku, your words weren't so bad. But they affected me anyway. Because of that, I didn't like you, either." Ami admitted, making Todoroki nod. That was understandable.
"But, Izuku's different from me. He has a way of looking past all the insults and attacks directed at him. He looks past all of a person's flaws and focuses on the parts they keep hidden. Their true selves. It's why he continues to be friends with Bakugo and why, I'm sure, he's friends with you." Ami said, making Todoroki lower his eyes. He was pretty cold to him and the rest of his class, but he warmed up to everybody. Just like he warmed up to his own flames. All because of Izuku. She was right about him.
"I hold grudges worse than Izzy. But, you saved his life. And Iida's, too. He told me what really happened in Hosu." Ami stated, clenching her fists with a tear falling down her eye. Todoroki looked at the sadness in her eyes and felt sympathetic, listening to Ami talk with remorse.
"I had no idea he was in Hosu. And I wanted to see him so badly that night. I never saw his call for help, but you did. I'm so grateful that you did." Ami said, choking out her words. She brought her hands forward and wiped the tears off her face, sniffling a lot.
"He's alive because of you. Thank you, Todoroki." Ami said, bowing her head at him in appreciation. She folded her arms together and continued to sniffle. Todoroki looked at her vulnerable state with sympathy, accepting her thanks.
"I only did what anyone else would have done. You're welcome." Todoroki replied, listening to her cries. He figured she needed to let it out all before anything else could be said. He stood there for a couple minutes as Ami tried her best to stop crying. Ami had to admit it was awfully strange how much this was making her cry. If she had to guess, it was probably because of the threat of unknowingly losing her brother during the worst night of her life. Eventually, she stopped crying and recovered from her tears, composing herself and staring at Todoroki with a straight face.
"So, what happens now?" Todoroki asked, making Ami smile. She stepped forward and reached her hand out to him, smiling warmly at the cold teen. Todoroki was caught off guard by her forwardness, raising his head up a bit.
"No more avoiding each other. Let's just restart. Hi, I'm Ami. Ami Midoriya. Izuku's twin sister." Ami said, reintroducing herself. Todoroki looked at her in confusion, not really understanding the concept of a restart. He already knew who she was. He mentally shrugged and went along with it, reaching his hand towards Ami.
"... I'm..Shoto. Shoto Todoroki. I'm Izuku's friend." Todoroki said, introducing himself with a handshake.
"It's nice to meet you, Todoroki. Let's be friends." Ami smiled, shaking his hand with a solid grip.
"I agree." Todoroki said, smiling softly at Ami. Ami looked at the smile on his face and felt normal. In the very back of her head, she feared what shaking his hand and seeing a smile on his face would do to her. Would that change anything? Would the feeling she felt when Bakugo accepted her friendship manifest in him as well? It almost made her hesitant to shake his hand, but she initiated it anyway. At that moment, she felt nothing strong. There was no raised heart rate or skipping of any kind, dispelling any fear of some kind of attachment. Todoroki was now her friend. And he would always be that for her.
"After everything that happened to us in our first semester of UA. This moment between me and Todoroki felt like a conclusion to all of it. We survived terrible attacks, trained and studied hard, and finally, formed valuable friendships. Now, we could finally look forward to summer camp. It felt like things were beginning to look up for us, however…" Ami narrated.
League of Villains Hideout - Location Unknown
"...The same could be applied for the villains hiding in the shadows." Ami narrated.
"The Master is good. I tried so hard to find out where those idiots were going, and he figured it out in an instant." Shigaraki muttered, stacking up a pile of playing cards into a pyramid, "Guess he really showed me up." He stated, completing the pyramid.
"It was worth having a team on standby, then, wasn't it? Tomura Shigaraki." Kurogiri said, watching Shigaraki from behind the bar.
"Hmph. I guess." Shigaraki said. A knock at the door grabbed their attention. They watched it open slightly and saw smoke pour out from the door. They knew immediately who it was hiding behind the door.
"I heard back from the union today. You can expect a delivery tomorrow. It was thrown together quickly, so it might not look like much. But quality is guaranteed." Giran said, stepping inside with a cigarette in his hand. Kurogiri nodded at him in approval, appreciative of his help.
"I must apologize for making such an unreasonable request." Kurogiri said, making Giran grin. It was no problem for him since he was already paid. He huffed out a cloud of smoke and grinned at Shigaraki.
"Tell me, Shigaraki. Do you know why the union accepted this outlandish order of yours?" Giran asked. Shigaraki looked at him and accidently touched a card on the bottom of the pyramid. The card quickly disintegrated, causing the pyramid to come tumbling down.
"Cause everyone's got high expectations of you. If the League of Villains steps into the light, then the scum hiding in the sidelines will follow suit." Giran said with a big grin.
"And if that happens, it means brokers like me will be rolling in hungry new customers. Crime pays." He added, stretching his cigarette hand out.
"Oh, yes. You're gonna be so busy, you won't be able to keep up." Shigaraki said, causing Giran to chuckle.
"Hehehe. I'm looking forward to that." He said, placing the cigarette on his lips, "Anyway, thanks." Giran waved, closing the door behind him. Shigaraki stared down at the pile of cards on the table, grinning sadistically.
"The board is set with my pawns and their prey. Finally. Time for the real game to begin." Shigaraki grinned.
The Next Day
"Now that you've finished your first semester at UA High, it's time for summer vacation to officially begin." Aizawa said.
"However. Don't think these will be months of rest for you heroes-in-the-making. At this camp, we'll push you to go beyond your limits. You're aiming to become, Plus Ultra!"
"Yes, Sir!" The class exclaimed in unison.
"I'm so psyched. I've been looking forward to this camp all semester, Deku!" Ochaco said, getting close to Izuku with a gleeful smile. Izuku looked at her close-range-smile and gulped, turning red a bit at her close proximity.
"Yeah, It's definitely close, huh?" Izuku agreed, keeping his eyes aimed at the clouds with an unusual smile.
"Is something the matter?" Ochaco asked, noticing Izuku's changed behavior. Izuku held his breath and brushed her question off with a light wave.
"Oh, nothing. I'm just a little hot is all!" Izuku stated, calmly taking one step away from Ochaco. His face was still slightly red from her sudden closeness. Ochaco looked at him in confusion before her own thoughts betrayed her. Aoyama's face entered her mind at that moment, recalling the words he said to her during their fight with Thirteen. Her face instantly turned red, causing her to rapidly retreat from Izuku's position.
"Let's hear it for camp!" Ochaco exclaimed, starting a celebratory chant.
"Camp! Camp! Camp!" Ochaco clapped, joined by an excited Kaminari and Mina. Izuku looked at Ochaco with a confused face, feeling his blush disappear. From the side, Ami looked at Izuku's face and giggled to herself, hiding her mouth with her hand. As she composed herself, she began to think about Ochaco's behavior towards Izuku and frowned.
"I shouldn't be giggling at Ochaco anymore." Ami thought, feeling bad for her. She didn't know how long Ochaco had been this way, but clearly she was in the same boat as her now. She glanced at Bakugo across the way from her and frowned, playing with her fingers in silence.
"I heard some of Class A is taking extra courses. Does that mean they actually failed the final exams? That must be so embarrassing. Especially since you're supposed to be so much better than my class. All of you must be wallowing in shame!" Monoma exclaimed, laughing at their expense. Class 1-A glared at him with disapproving stares. Kirishima, Mina, and Sero, looked at him with harsher glares. They remembered going up against him in the Cavalry Battle. Bakugo was especially pissed to see him again. He hated him then, he hated him now. Before he could react to the blonde's teasing, a girl appeared next to him.
Smack
A smack to the back of the neck instantly shut Monoma up, sending him tumbling to the floor. Class 1-A looked at the familiar orange-haired girl with appreciation, watching as she stared at Monoma with disapproval. She bent down and grabbed him by the collar, dragging his body across the floor. She waved at Class 1-A with a smile, practically begging not to associate her class with Monoma's personality.
"Don't mind him!" Kendo said, returning to class.
"Monoma's scary." One of the class B girl's said, keeping her hands flopped forward. Class 1-A stared at the arrival of Class 1-B, making eye contact with each other with different expressions. Some were silent, some were amused, and some were sizing up the competition. Only one student was thinking dirty thoughts, however.
Mineta ogled at the girls of Class B, memorizing their pretty faces with perfect scrutiny. He stopped at the sight of a familiar greenette. He looked at her green hair and toothy grin with a skipped heartbeat, feeling a familiar sensation go through him. He gasped and immediately turned around, finding Ami in the crowd.
"Check it out, Ami." Mineta said, getting Ami's attention. She looked at Mineta and followed where his finger was pointing, spotting a green haired girl mixed in with the other 1-B students. Ami squinted her eyes at the girl, recognizing her from the Sports Festival.
"It's your clone." Mineta said, pointing her out in recognition. Ami looked at him in disapproval and shook her head in response.
"We do not look alike." Ami replied, narrowing her eyebrows at Mineta. The greenette looked at Ami and noticed she was looking at her, prompting her to wave at Ami.
"Hiya." She greeted, getting Ami and Mineta's attention with a friendly wave. Mineta looked at her with hearts in his eyes, believing she was saying hi to him.
"Oh, hello." Ami said, waving back at the greenette. Ami's clone stepped away from Class B and approached with a toothy grin, giving Ami a full view of her razor sharp teeth.
"Nice to see you outside of the Sports Festival. I guess now we're not technically rivals." She grinned, nodding at Ami in acknowledgment.
"Right. It's nice to meet you. I'm Ami Midoriya." Ami smiled, extending her hand out.
"Setsuna Tokage." Setsuna said, introducing herself. She grabbed hold of Ami's hand and didn't move at all, confusing Ami. Ami looked down at Setsuna's hand in silence, doing all the handshaking. As she shook Setsuna's hand, however, it quite literally snapped off her wrist. Ami gasped and felt her face turn blue at the sight of Setsuna's severed hand still in her grip.
"Huh?" Ami thought, panicking at the severed hand. Her stomach churned at the sight of the hand, causing her heart to skip a beat. Mineta saw Ami snap Setsuna's hand off and turned a ghostly pale, letting his jaw hit the floor in shock.
"Oh my God, I took her hand off!" Ami thought, panicking internally at the realization. She looked up at Setsuna's face with panic and immediately noticed the amused look on her face.
"Hehe. Gotcha." Setsuna smirked, giggling at Ami. Ami looked at her giggling face and felt her eye twitch slightly.
"Wh-huh?" Ami muttered, noticing the lack of pain on Setsuna's face. She felt the severed hand squeeze her own, making her jump in fear. She looked back down at the severed hand and remembered the Cavalry Battle, instantly realizing Setsuna's quirk.
"That's right. Her hand comes off." Ami thought, calming down.
"I'm surprised you forgot I could do that. Since I stole that headband from you." Setsuna teased, snickering to herself. Ami let go of the floating hand and watched as it reattached to Setsuna's wrist without any issue, creeping Ami out a bit.
"Yeah…" Ami said, hiding her uncomfortable frown.
"Anyways, It's nice to meet you. You're way taller than I expected." Setsuna said, confusing Ami. They were both at eye level? She's the same height as she is. Ami looked down at Setsuna's legs and noticed her feet were on the ground, but the rest of her was detached. Setsuna's body hovered just a few inches above her detached feet, matching height with Ami.
"Oh." Ami thought, realizing she was using her quirk. Setsuna snickered again and hovered down, reattaching to her feet.
"I like doing that to people. It always throws them off when I meet them." Setsuna laughed, putting her hand behind her head. Ami smiled at her in amusement, understanding her sense of humor.
"She's kinda funny." Ami thought, feeling a giggle coming out. The more Ami got a look of her, the more she found it hard to believe they could pass as one another.
"See, Mineta. I don't know what you're talking about?" Ami thought, internally shaking her head.
"Midoriya." A voice spoke up from within Class B. Setsuna turned her head to her left and smiled at the approaching greenette. Ami heard her last name and peeked over Setsuna's shoulder, recognizing the approaching girl with a smile.
"Shiozaki." Ami exclaimed. Setsuna grinned at the vine girl and stepped away, giving the two some space. Shiozaki looked at Ami with a smile, clasping her hands together and bowing in respect.
"It's a blessing to see you again, Ami." Shiozaki said, smiling with her eyes closed.
"It's good to see you again, too. Feels like it was a semester ago since we last talked." Ami laughed, rubbing the back of her head.
"Mhm. To think we're going to be training together at the same camp. The lord works in mysterious ways." Shiozaki nodded, entering a prayer. Setsuna smirked and leaned on Shiozaki's shoulder with her arm, catching Shiozaki by surprise.
"Ibara told me all about how you helped her in the entrance exam." Setsuna said, reminding Ami of how she met Ibara.
"Oh, yeah. It was no problem at all." Ami smiled, brushing it off with a wave of her hand.
"I'm still very grateful for your mercy." Shiozaki nodded, smiling happily.
"I would have done the same if I was there. I got into UA through recommendation." Setsuna revealed, causing Ami to raise her eye at her in surprise.
"Really? Wow, that's just like Yao-Momo and Todoroki. You must be really smart." Ami praised, making Setsuna beam with pride.
"Thanks." Setsuna said, appreciating the comment.
"Time to get on the bus!" Kendo hollered, getting Class B's attention.
"Okay." Class B replied.
"Guess I'll see you there?" Ami questioned, receiving a nod from Shiozaki.
"Mhm." Shiozaki replied, nodding her head.
"Seeya at camp, Ami!" Setsuna said, turning around and waving goodbye at Ami. Shiozaki waved at Ami before glancing to her right, noticing the familiar purple teen. She recognized him and tensed her shoulders, looking at him like she had seen a huge cockroach. His perverted stare and drool coming out of his mouth only fueled her temporary disgust.
"Hi." Mineta said, staring at her with interest. He couldn't believe his luck. He stood next to three different greenette beauties. She stared at him and hid the shiver she felt move down her spine, frowning ever so slightly. She gulped and instantly composed herself, exuding an aura of calmness. She made one last bow at Ami before turning away, ignoring the purple teen.
"Hmph." She hummed, closing her eyes and sticking her nose up in the air. She turned away without any delay, leaving Mineta behind with a devastated face.
"What was that for?" Mineta pouted, feeling rejected.
"Do you really need to ask?" Ami asked, shaking her head at Mineta, "You did beat her in the Sports Festival. Remember?" Ami said, reminding him of his victory.
"Oh, right." Mineta said, cheering up at the memory.
"The girls of Class A and Class B. It's like a buffet of bombshells!" Mineta muttered, feeling drool escape his mouth.
"Mineta…" Ami said, grabbing his shoulder. Mineta felt her warm touch and noticed smoke coming off her hand, causing his eyes to shrink to the size of pins. He glanced up at her face and saw smoke spewing out of her closed lips. He shrunk at the sight of her menacing glare.
"Behave." She warned, giving him the chills.
"Yes, Ma'am…" He nodded, following her orders.
"Attention, Class A! Our bus is here! Everyone line up in seating order!" Iida said, getting Class A's attention.
The Bus
"Here's the deal. We'll be on this bus about an hour before our first stop." Aizawa explained, turning his head back to the class.
"Make sure you stay focused." He warned, falling on deaf ears.
"Why aren't we blasting some music?" Kaminari asked. Everyone was talking and messing around with each other, destroying all hope of silence from Aizawa.
"No one should be standing! That is a safety hazard! Please stay seated!" Iida demanded, standing out of his seat.
"Why do I bother?" Aizawa thought, placing his head back on his seat.
"Well, I guess this is the only time they'll have to fool around." Aizawa thought, letting their outbursts slide. It wouldn't be long before that would all change.
"Do not open that window!" Iida demanded.
An Hour Later
"Let me through I gotta go pee!" Mineta exclaimed, zooming out of the bus. Class 1-A stepped out of the bus and stretched their muscles. An hour of sitting on the bus had worn them out. They looked around the bus stop in confusion, noticing there was nothing around.
"Not much of a bus stop, huh?" Kaminari questioned, looking around.
"No. And where's Class B?" Jirou asked, looking around.
"You don't really think we stopped here just so you could stretch your legs, do you?" Aizawa asked, looking at the class with a solemn expression. Mineta zoomed up in front of him with a pleading look, holding his pants with his hands.
"Please, Sir, the toilet." Mineta begged. Class 1-A looked at Aizawa in confusion, taking notice of the teacher's wording. Just then, a black car arrived at the bus stop. Everyone looked at the car in confusion, watching two middle-aged women step out of the vehicle.
"Your feline fantasies are here. Say, Meow-!" The hero dressed in red said.
"Purrfectly cute and catlike girls!" the hero dressed in blue said.
"You can call us, the Wild, Wild Pussycats!" The hero duo exclaimed, striking a purrfect cat-like pose. Off to the side, a kid stepped out of the vehicle with a grumpy face. Ochaco, Jirou, and Ami stared at the duo with a blank expression, caught off guard by the hero greeting.
"These are the pro heroes you'll be working with at the summer training camp." Aizawa said. Ami looked at the hero duo with recognition, remembering who the cat women were. Before she could speak, Izuku geeked out for everyone to hear.
"Mandalay and Pixie-Bob! They're part of a four-person hero team who specialize in mountain rescues! The pussycats were founded when we were kids, like forever ago!" Izuku exclaimed, causing the hero duo to gasp at the mention of their age.
"This marks their 12th year working as a-" Izuku said, getting interrupted by a cat-paw glove grabbing hold of his entire face. Ami looked at the blue catgirl in shock, gasping lightly at her speed. She reached Izuku and grabbed him before she could even blink.
"I'm pretty sure your math is off! I'm 18 at heart." Pixie-Bob grinned, menacingly.
"That's so sad." Kaminari and Kirishima muttered.
"Don't point out women's ages, Izzy." Ami thought, facepalming at his predicament.
"Understood!" Izuku said, muffled by Pixie-Bob's glove. Aizawa rolled his eyes at Deku's unintentionally rude comment and sighed. He stood up straight and glanced at the young boy hanging around the car with hands in his pockets.
"Everyone, say hello." Aizawa ordered, squinting his eyes at the child's grumpy face.
"Hello! Nice to meet you!" The class said, doing nothing to change the boy's expression. He narrowed his eyes and looked away from the class, flaring his nostrils in silence.
"We own this whole stretch of land out here. Everything you can see." Mandalay said, pointing at a building in the distance, "The summer camp you'll be staying at is there at the base of the mountain." She pointed out. The class looked beyond the cliff and stared at the building in the distance with squinted eyes.
"That's far!" The class exclaimed.
"Uh. Then why did we stop all the way up here instead?" Ochaco asked, feeling a growing sense of dread form in her stomach.
"I'm afraid we both know the answer to that." Tsu said, understanding where this was going.
"I don't think I wanna be here anymore." Ami frowned, getting a nervous feeling.
"Um. Back on the bus. Quick, let's go." Sero whimpered, stepping back in discomfort.
"Great idea. Load up." Kaminari agreed, feeling impending unease.
"The current time is 9:30 in the morning. If you're fast about it, you might make it there by noon." Mandalay smirked. The tail on her costume wiggled with excitement.
"No way. Guys!" Kirishima panicked.
"Holy crap!" Mina said, realizing what was happening.
"Save yourselves!" Kirishima exclaimed, causing the class to sprint back towards the bus in panic.
"Kitties who don't make it there by 12:30 won't get any lunch." Mandalay announced, watching the students scream.
"You should have guessed, students." Aizawa said, watching Pixie-Bob land in front of the school bus. The class stared at her menacing grin with panic as she slammed her paws into the dirt.
"The training camp has already begun." Aizawa announced. Pixie-Bob activated her quirk, causing the dirt beneath the students to liquify. The class was instantly consumed in a landslide, dragging them off the cliff with panic.
"What the heck!" Ochaco exclaimed, trapped in an air pocket as dirt surrounded her.
"She must be controlling the ground!" Izuku explained. The class landed at the bottom of the cliff with a thud. They all squirmed to their feet and looked around at their surroundings. They gulped at the forest ahead of them and looked up at the cliff they fell from.
"Good news! Since this is private land, you can use your quirks as much as you want to. You've got three full hours. You should be able to make it to the facility in that time." Mandalay shouted, grinning mischievously at them. The class didn't like the look of that grin one bit.
"That is, if you can get through The Beast's Forest." She said, causing the students to tense up.
"Beast's Forest?" Ami questioned, clenching her fists anxiously.
"That sounds like a name right out of a fantasy game." Kaminari said, staring at the dense forest.
"Why do we keep falling for Aizawa's little tricks?" Jirou asked, standing on her hands and knees.
"I guess there's no use complaining. Might as well get going." Kirishima frowned, rubbing the back of his head. Mineta quickly zoomed away from the class, entering the forest.
"I held it. Didn't spring a single leak. Now to find a secluded spot." Mineta thought, squirming behind a tree. At that moment, a paw slammed into the ground in front of him. His eyes widened at the sight of the giant beast. The monster snarled and sniffed the air, looking down at Mineta with a hissing sound. The monster was huge. Like a bear-sloth hybrid with teeth sticking out of its mouth like a boar. Mineta gasped at the monster and relieved himself, no longer needing to use the bathroom.
"Grah!" the Monster roared, scaring the entire class.
"What the heck is that thing!?" Ami exclaimed, watching as it raised its paw into the air.
"Please calm yourself my giant friend. You don't wanna hurt them!" Koda shouted, running towards the monster with worry. Ami gasped as the monster swiped its paw downwards towards Mineta. Thankfully, Izuku jumped in the way and grabbed hold of Mineta. He escaped with Mineta as the monster's claws dug into the ground where Mineta once stood. Ami sighed in relief and gritted her teeth, activating her quirk alongside everyone else. Several glowing eyes popped up inside the dense forest, prompting everyone to ready themselves for a fight.
"Koda's power lets him control animals, but these aren't animals. It's a mud monster!" Ami thought, noticing the monster's muddy body.
"That's Pixie-Bob's quirk!" Ami thought, recognizing the blue catgirl's power.
Author's Notes:
Hello, everyone! Happy 4th anniversary to Twin Heroes! Yippee! You're probably shocked to see how short today's chapter was. Season 3 is off to a great start. I think my goal for this season is to make things shorter. Knowing how that often goes, though, I'm pretty sure I'll end up posting another really long chapter. Till then, you have this one.
This chapter is so short, I almost see no point in summarizing it. Since this episode was mostly recap there was a lot of stuff for me to skip. That shortened the runtime of this chapter by a lot! This chapter begins with an expansion of an earlier scene with Kazan from S2 Chapter 25. In this scene we're introduced to one of the new villains, Magne. Surprise! Kazan and Magne know each other from a past event that I will eventually explain.
After that, the episode plays out like normal only without any recaps. The set up leading up to the pool scene is a bit different, too. I got rid of Aizawa and Vlad's quirk recap and the part where they get permission for the pool. It basically still happened the exact same way so there was no point in keeping it.
The big change to the pool scene was having Bakugo there from the start. I admit, him being there from the start was mainly added so I could give Ami time to look at him in a new light. Just like how Bakugo realized he found Ami attractive. Now Ami finds Bakugo attractive in return. Ami and Bakugo continue to get more moments together, only their interactions are far more awkward now. Both have feelings for the other, but they don't think the other does.
Not only do Ami and Bakugo get more moments here, I also mixed in new scenes. Monoma appears earlier in the chapter spying on Class 1-A. Then Kendo appears and gets the wrong idea. This scene was mainly added cuz I thought it would be funny. Since I cut out another scene with Kendo and Monoma in season 2, I thought I would give them this little bit of screentime.
The important part of the pool scene, at least for me, was to give Ami a bad flashback. The last time Ami was in a pool she died so I thought it made sense to have her be slightly hesitant to go in. Ami thinks about Ravage and panics. Thankfully, Jirou snapped her out of it. In the end, she's able to overcome her temporary fear and have fun with the girls.
After that we cut to All Might and Tsukauchi recap. This scene, the flashback with Ravage, and the talk with Todoroki later, was pretty much the only recaps I wanted in the chapter. Just to remind people of past events involving Ami and the investigation. I didn't want to recap anything that Ami didn't play a part in as that would waste more time. Because of that, I rushed through the rest of the pool scene.
All to get to the most important part of the chapter. Ami and Todoroki finally get a scene together that doesn't end instantly. It was fun coming up with an in-universe explanation for why Todoroki and Ami had no interaction for 2 whole seasons. I always wanted Ami and Todoroki to have a moment where they really get to talk to each other about things.
This is why I'm happy Todoroki wasn't voted on at all as Ami's romance option. This scene would have been completely impossible if Todoroki had been the love interest instead of Bakugo. I wanted Ami's friendship with Todoroki to be one that started from avoiding each other in the beginning. Todoroki avoided her because he saw Endeavor whenever she used her flames. Ami avoided him because of how he acted towards Izuku and others. While Todoroki did it on purpose, Ami was actually avoiding him by accident.
Todoroki is an interesting character. Out of everyone in the class, he's probably the hardest for me to write about. The problem with Todoroki is his story is irrelevant to Ami's story. What I mean by that is because the story is focused on Ami and a little bit of Bakugo, Todoroki has even less importance to the story. His background doesn't add anything to Ami's story which is why I've mostly cut everything about him.
That probably sounds like I don't like Todoroki but he's actually on my top 10 Mha characters list. The main purpose of this scene is to give Ami and Todoroki a moment to start their friendship. I said it before, but if Todoroki had been the most voted romance option I would have just not added romance at all. This might be controversial, but I don't see Todoroki getting with anyone at this point. Even if you add an OC to ship him with, I just don't think it could work out. The issues with his family and with Endeavor are just too important to Todoroki's story. I just can't see any room for a romance of any kind in there. I think Todoroki can be romantic and can find love, but just not within the timeline of the series. Compared to Bakugo, his issues are monumentally easier to resolve. That's why, for me at least, Bakugo is a pretty good candidate to romance with and still have it fit into the overall story. But, anyways, yeah, I always planned to have Todoroki reveal to Ami that he never liked her because of her quirk.
After that, we cut into Season 3 Episode 2's time. Since this episode ended up very short I decided to include the first eight minutes of Episode 2 into the chapter. Instead of keeping the focus on Izuku in this scene, I focused on having Ami get a chance to reunite with Ibara Shiozaki. I also had her meet the other green girl in 1-B: Setsuna Tokage. Just like how I gave Setsuna a moment in the Cavalry Battle, I gave her another moment here. Look forward to more Ibara and Setsuna in the future since I plan to give them bigger roles to play in the summer camp. Other than that, this episode now ends after the mud monster makes his appearance.
And that's pretty much it this chapter. I'm actually really happy the chapter ended up being so short. Welcome to Season 3, tell me what you think about the chapter! If you see any mistakes, grammatical errors, or continuity issues, please let me know. I eagerly await what you write about in your reviews. Till then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thanks for reading and have a good day!
Next Chapter:
Class 1-A fights some mud monsters.