Angel: Not everyone hates Izuka, not every single opinion is the same for the record. Anyway, Izuka is the main target, not Izuku. So some people could extend that to him, but they don't because he wasn't in the photo. Rumors haven't been about him. It's basically the second wave of what she went through before the Sports Festival. And even if people did start to hate him, Izuka's opinion on it would be the same. Does Izuka have names for her other powers that were missed? I mean, not really at the top of my head that we have seen so far. But her star flying ability, there's not really a name for it. It's the most similar to when Bakugo uses his explosions to fly, but he doesn't have an official name for that.

Izuka practicing dancing as if it were an ultimate move-NOPE! Nope, no, no, no, uh-uh. I respectfully refuse to talk about this, because I've already discussed this twice on chapters 69 and 81 I believe. I'm not getting into this again, and it's getting uncomfortable repeating it if I have to emphasis the reason. I will punch my computer screen if I have to keep talking about this. It's not that I don't care, it's just that this is another 'topic that should not be mentioned' like with Dark Callista.

Anyway, will Izuka's Quirk act out during Joint Training because of Izuku? Yes, and no. Not the same exact way as him since she doesn't have One for All. Is Aoyama the one who started rumors and stole Izuka's pen? Maybe, maybe not, who can really say.

Today is Saturday, which means that Kacchan, Izuka, and Todoroki don't have to go to provisional license training!

Which was a relief on me, because I have a lot of practicing to do, both mentally and with all the teams for the School Festival!

So, since we've got everyone together...we're all working on our upcoming performance.

Kyoka laid out the song on the wall, smiling. She was surrounded by the band team and Izuka, who was wearing roller skates. "Now," She turned around with a small smile. "Let's jam!"

"Murder them with music!" Katsuki shouted as they started practicing. After about 15 minutes, a timer went off for Izuka, everyone except Katsuki nodding at her. She smiled a bit and then roller skated off to go meet with the special effects team.

"Perfect," Hanta smiled while looking at the computer, working with the others as Izuka slid to a stop, looking over his shoulder. "That's gonna look super cool! Let's go see what the dance team says!"

"I'm not sure we've got enough people to pull something like this off," Eijiro pointed out, hands behind his neck.

"Mm, maybe we can spare a person?" Izuka rubbed her chin in thought.

"Oh hey, we had an idea about your fireworks," Eijiro looked up at the girl. "Maybe you could throw in a logo or something!"

"That shouldn't be too hard," She smiled while Hanta used his computer to show her a visual as an example.

After another 15 minutes, she roller bladed outside to meet with the dance team, jumping over the stairs and sliding safely with her heel. "Loosen up, Midoriya!" Mina ordered while they were practicing. "You've got to be precise, but flexible! Just because its called a lock doesn't mean you should be so rigid. So get that body moving! Mido, you need some moves that'll help you stand out, so don't follow their routine and come up with something! Those roller blades will get you feeling looser!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Izuka saluted to her.

Mina jumped up and spun around to demonstrate. "And then end with a pop!"

"Pop!" Izuku, Tsuyu, Tenya, and Toru exclaimed in unison while posing.

"Have you been looking up dance moves you can pull off like I suggested?" Mina pointed at Izuka, who nodded with steam coming from her nostrils. "Alright, show us what you've got!"

Mirio smiled while Izuka was demonstrating a move with a stick to pose as a microphone. He was hiding behind a bush while the dance team kept practicing. "Looks like no one has noticed me yet," He gave a big grin. "I'll swoop in and hit 'em with a can't-miss gag that'll crack 'em up before they know what's what!" He then gave a shocked look as he was immediately seen by Izuku.

"Oh, hey Togata!" He waved to his friend.

"Togata?!" Izuka yelped while putting down the stick, looking a little embarrassed as she turned around to him.

Mirio gave the twins a blank look for exposing him. The twins, Tsuyu, and Ochaco were very confused before he stuck his butt out from the bush. Eri was standing nearby him.

"Eri!" The twins, Tsuyu, and Ochaco exclaimed happily upon seeing her.

"Hey, guys! I brought a peach for ya!" Mirio joked at the group.

Oh...so we ruined the joke for him Izuka rubbed the back of her neck a bit awkwardly.

"Eri!" Izuku exclaimed as he and the others ran up to them. Mr. Aizawa was standing behind the bush.

"Hi, Deku," Eri greeted him first.

"Eri," Izuka skated up with a small smile, bending down a bit with her hands on her knees. "It's so nice to see you again."

"Mido..." Eri murmured in a bit of awe.

"Wait, don't tell me you've got a secret kid!" Mashirao exclaimed towards Mr. Aizawa.

"That dress looks great on you," Tsuyu complimented with a smile.

"You are precious!" Ochaco gushed towards the little girl.

"They're right, you look adorable, and your hair is so nice," Izuka examined her straight hair, since the last time Eri saw them, she had messier hair.

"Midoriya, Mido," Mr. Aizawa spoke up, and the twins both turned towards him. "Finally got permission from the principal." Mirio crawled out of the bush.

"That's a good idea," Principal Nezu agreed after they talked it out. "But you'll have to be careful. The poor girl has been separated from normal society for an awfully long time. I'm afraid the whole experience could overwhelm her. She'll be thrown into a new setting that she's completely unfamiliar with. I suggest..."

Mirio dusted himself off as he had leaves almost everywhere. "In order to avoid additional stress, we're letting Eri explore the campus before the festival," Mr. Aizawa explained what Principal Nezu told him.

"Well, hello!" Tenya smiled while walking up to her. "You must be Eri, from the work study! Very nice to meet you. I'm Ida."

"Mineta!" Minoru waved a hand. "Hey there! Man, you're gonna be a looker, aren't ya?"

Izuka gasped in disbelief for that comment; it was both inappropriate and a horrible first impression. "MINETA!" She screamed while punching him hard in the head, everyone except Mr. Aizawa looking at her wide-eyed. "You will behave yourself, she's 6 and has been through enough torture to last a lifetime!"

Mr. Aizawa decided that he'd let her handle his most-perverted student instead of doing it himself.

"I'm sorry!" He cried out in pain, and was left shaking on the ground. Izuka huffed while wiping her hands. Minoru blushed to himself from the hard hit as he found it attractive since the girl rarely got mad. "Still hot..."

"Katsuki!" Izuka turned around to the building.

"NO!" Minoru shouted as he was dragged away by Katsuki seconds later.

Eri hid towards Mirio, shocking the others. "Oh, right," Mirio realized it wasn't because of what she saw, but because of the new people. "She's kind of shy."

"That's perfectly okay! After all, our own Mido used to be just like her until she became more comfortable with us," Tenya gestured to the shorter girl. Eri turned to her wide-eyed.

"You were like me...?"

"I still kinda am..." Izuka admitted to her a bit awkwardly. "But I'm working on that to be a better person."

"Let's start the tour," Mirio smiled towards Eri, looking towards the others. "I wanna show her as much of the school as I can so she knows what we do here. You wanna come too, Midoriya and Mido?"

The two gasped and then nodded in agreement. "Yes!" They both answered in unison.

The door suddenly opened. "Dance team!" Eijiro called out and it was then that Izuka remembered she still had some practice with the other two teams to go through. "New idea. Uh? It's Eri!" Eijiro recognized her as he ran up. "Oh wait, we were never actually introduced, were we?" He bent down to her with a smile.

"Okay crew, why don't we grab a little break?" Mina smiled while raising a hand. "It's tea time!"

"I've gotta tell the others I'll be out for a little while. Oh, Kirishima, I'll be back later if the special effects team need me," Izuka turned towards Eijiro and he nodded in understanding.

"I get it! I'll tell them myself, you've been working really hard today anyway," He offered, earning a small smile in return from her. If anything, after Katsuki had to beat up Minoru, it was probably for the best Eijiro tell him since he was probably pissed off...

"Can I see a painting of yours?" Eri looked up curiously at Izuka while they walked through the school hallways. The three students were in their UA uniforms, but Izuka was still roller blading because she needed the mobility practice. And some people were whispering when she went past them to talk about her...

"Hmm," Izuka rubbed her chin in thought. "Maybe after the festival, I can bring in something for you to see. Or you can watch me paint someday. But I'll definitely work on that," She gave the girl a knowing wink.

"I can?" Eri gasped a little in excitement.

"Of course," Izuka gave her a warm smile. "I don't mind at all. Most of the school knows anyway..."

"It may be a weekend day, but since the students live here in the dorms, there are still a ton of people running around campus helping to prepare for the festival," Mirio smiled as he looked up ahead. Eri was clutching onto his blazer, which he didn't seem to mind.

"Hey, it's Togata!" A business course student recognized the blond.

"Whoa!" Another student next to him looked at Eri wide-eyed. "Who's that?! Don't tell me your temporary leave from school was because you have a kid now!" Eri got closer to Mirio shyly, the boy just giving a small smile and hum. "Dude, you gotta say something! Now I feel like it's for real!"

"All jokes aside, here," The other student held out a flyer. "Class 1 is putting on an awesome lecture, so make sure you check it out! You too, guys," He then flinched as he saw Izuka, gulping a little. "Uhh...maybe you should sit it out..."

"Ugh," She groaned knowingly, a hand over her face. It was because of the rumors again...

"What's that about?" Mirio frowned in disapproval.

"It's not really something I can discuss right now," Izuka waved her hands rapidly; she didn't want to upset Eri, and it made sense Mirio didn't hear about the rumors. They started during his leave from school, so he hadn't heard about what was being said until now.

"Uh-huh..." He gave her a slightly suspicious look and then took the flyer. "I'll think about it."

"I won't," Izuku narrowed his eyes in annoyance towards the student, who felt awkward. "Nice flyer, though."

"I know them, they're not usually like that," Mirio was a bit put off by their behavior as soon as they saw Izuka. "Did I miss something?"

Eri looked up at Izuka, wondering what was happening and the teenager looked between the two awkwardly. "This isn't about me, this is Eri's tour. Let's just continue and forget about it," She gave Izuku a pointed look to not say anything right now. He flinched and then frowned deeply.

This is so unfair, and yet I have to deal with it so I don't end up making Eri sad...this is supposed to be more positive, but it's hard to do it when my sister's presence is starting to get everyone else talking...

The four then walked outside, as the entrance was being decorated and prepared by students as well. "Can you toss me a nail?" One of them called out, and some turned to stare at Izuka as she skated by. Mirio blinked towards them in confusion.

It's like they have it out for Mido or something.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, wait! Don't cover that with a poster!"

"Everyone's super busy even though it's still a month away," Izuku pointed out, blinking as he saw two girls glaring towards Izuka. He then gave an annoyed grunt, taking a deep breath. Eri looked up at Izuka curiously.

"Oh, def, you gotta try and outdo last year," Mirio smiled towards the twins. "And it takes a lot of work to pull off something Plus Ultra."

Suddenly, a big head made out of bone appeared in front of them, startling the twins and Eri. "Sorry!" Tetsutetsu was revealed to be holding it. "Hey! It's the Midoriyas from Class A!"

"Why am I not surprised, huh?" Neito appeared from behind with a smug look. "You're walkin' around like you've got nothing to do while we're all hustling. And if it isn't the devious Izuka Midoriya daring to show her face around here!"

"Back off, dude," Tetsutetsu gave him an annoyed look while Izuku wasn't too pleased either. "She really stepped up during camp, you know?" Plus, he knew that she was friends with Eijiro, so he considered her a good person just based off of that.

"Eri, are you okay?" Izuku looked down at the girl in concern.

"I thought it was that dragon from before," She explained with a small frown.

"You saw a dragon?" Izuku blinked in confusion. "Oh!" He realized that only one hero was connected to a dragon. "You're talking about Ryukyu."

"She's not meant to be scary, she's a hero too," Izuka told the girl with a small smile.

"So you're both just gonna ignore me?" Neito sneered towards the twins. "Talk about rude. I heard Class A is doing a concert or something for us. That's so cute. But to put it bluntly, Class B's stellar performance is gonna make you wish you hadn't even shown up and that you didn't apply to this school!" He pointed a finger at Izuka's face, and she smacked it away. "We're doing Romeo and Juliet and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Return of the King. It's a completely original play written by us. A super spectacular fantasy epic!" The twins, Mirio, and Eri were stunned as they didn't know what to say to this. Neito then looked a bit more crazed. "You should make sure you come prepared. Bring a hankie to wipe the tears from your eyes when you realize how superior we are and then we'll crush Izuka Midoriya! At least I don't have to worry about the little mouse outshining us or her boyfriend punching me!"

The green-haired girl was annoyed and then very confused. "Ah?" She then blushed as she realized who he was talking about. "Wait, Katsuki?! He's not my boyfriend!" She protested while waving her hands rapidly.

"You and Bakugo, huh?" Mirio blinked at the girl curiously. "You know, now that I think about it, he doesn't seem like your type."

"He assaulted me for just stating the facts when he knows it's true! Especially since some new evidence has come about only proving my point!" He then cackled as Izuka stared at him blankly. She would apologize for Katsuki punching him, but she honestly kind of wanted to do it herself right about now. And so did Izuku for that matter as he snarled towards Neito.

Yosetsu then swung a stick to knock out Neito, to the shock of the others. Izuku even covered Eri's eyes so she wouldn't have to witness it. "He's even nastier than usual today," Izuku murmured in disbelief, Mirio turning to the twins.

"What was he talking about?"

"I'll tell you later..." She sighed, hands on her hips as she stared down Neito. "Something tells me he's never gonna let this go, huh?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, guys," Yosetsu apologized for his classmate. "Kendo isn't around, so there's no one to keep him in line. But I'm telling her what he said, no one from our class believes that dumb photo," He turned towards Izuka.

"Thank you," She gave him a sigh of relief.

"What's a boyfriend?" Eri looked up at the older girl. "Is that boy he mentioned really that important to you?"

The girl was literally frozen in place from the question. "Uhh..." Izuka darted her eyes around awkwardly after recollecting herself. She had no idea how to answer the question, because...she actually couldn't come up with an answer. Important and Katsuki was...complicated to explain, to say the least. But it was definitely not to the point of him...being her boyfriend. She then closed her eyes sheepishly. "Maybe wait until you're older for that kinda stuff. Like waaaaaaaay older..."

"That's weird," Izuku looked around for Itsuka, since she usually smacked Neito when he was too much. "The two of them typically show up as a set."

"He was in remedial classes at camp though, so no...?" Izuka looked up in thought. "Wasn't there a side plot where she teamed up with Tetsutetsu or something like that?"

Yosetsu placed the unconscious Neito over his shoulder, ignoring her questions. "Well, she's off prepping for the beauty pageant right now, so."

"Beauty what?!" Izuku flinched in surprise, since Itsuka wasn't typically concerned about her looks. He imagined her more as a tomboy if anything.

"It's kinda funny," Yosetsu laughed a little. "She didn't even mean to enter."

"Monoma was still right, though," Tetsutetsu grinned towards them. "About our hard work, not about Mido, can I call you that?"

"Sure thing, though he can't," Izuka pointed towards Neito.

"Cool! I'll tell my other classmates to do that too. We're pullin' out all the stops," Tetsutetsu then left to catch up with his classmates.

"Sorry 'bout that, Eri," Mirio smiled down at the little girl. "UA's great. But every place has its downside, I guess." She blinked in confusion while he just chuckled, even though she didn't know what that meant.

"Mr. Aizawa didn't say anything about there being some kinda beauty pageant," Izuku pointed out and Izuka looked away knowingly.

"Take a guess why he didn't."

"...Oh," He gave a semi-terrified look; Mr. Aizawa would've unleashed a very thirsty Minoru on the girls...

"Well, it's too late to enter," Mirio informed the twins. "But you know who's really gunning hard to win it this time?"

"No idea," He blinked in confusion, since they didn't know who was participating.

"Last year's runner-up! The Big Three's best girl, Nejire Hado!" Mirio announced as Nejire was in a dress, showing off her body. She gasped as she saw Eri, who looked up at her in awe. Izuka was also surprised by her appearance as well.

"Hey, hey! What's Eri doing here?" She floated over to them. "Hey girl! Why ya here? For funsies?"

"We should put Nejire in something that skews cute instead of sexy," Her best friend held up a purple dress.

"Yeah, that cost her last year," Another classmate commented towards her.

Izuku turned away while blushing since Nejire's...attributes were very noticeable from the start. "You've got a flashy Quirk and you're so nice! And your body's so bou...bou..." He struggled to say or think what he thought because it was very distracting for him to look at Nejire.

"He means balanced," Mirio interjected for him, thankfully.

Maybe it's better if I don't tell Ochaco about that, or I can just ease into it... Izuka sweat dropped a little from her brother's behavior.

"But even with all that, you were still only runner-up?!" Izuku finished while squeezing his eyes shut.

"Yeah, listen to this," Nejire got closer, shifting her focus onto the topic rather than his stumbling. "Are you listening? Every year, I lose to the same girl! She's just too amazing. The beauty pageant queen, Bibimi Kenranzaki, from support course Class 3-G!"

"She sounds incredible," Izuku commented, and the girl herself was...a lot to take in, that was for sure.

"This year's pageant is stacked," Tamaki spoke up while approaching them. "Kendo gained some underground fans thanks to that commercial, so she's a real contender. And of course, Hado won't be holding back. Just thinking about performing in front of all those people...it sounds like a nightmare." He then kneeled while holding his stomach. "Imagining it makes me nauseous..."

Izuka turned a little pale at the reminder of the concert and that was then he noticed her. "Mido!" He yelped, blushing a bit to see her and coughed. "It's...nice to see you again!"

"Hi..." She gave him a weak smile. Ever since he said he liked her, they hadn't interacted much. The amount of work that they had to do right after work-studies was a big factor, but it was still a big moment that neither of them could forget.

"I honestly wish...that we had met in different circumstances...because then I would've felt the same way," She confessed with a tearful smile. "But...I'm sorry. I don't return your feelings...you're a great friend, Amajiki. I won't pretend you're not. I just...don't wanna hurt you by dragging this out. I understand if you don't wanna be my friend after today..."

Tamaki could tell by the way she was telling him that her heart was geared towards someone else. He didn't want to take that away from her at all. All he wanted...was for her to be happy and safe. "...No. I understand why, Izuka. All I wanted was for you to be honest with me..."

She honestly didn't know how to interact with him a little after that. She knew that getting over his feelings would take time, but...would he really still want to be friends with her after that? It had been a few weeks, so she hoped that they could go back to the way they were.

"...Am-"

"Hey, hey! You should've entered too, Mido!" Nejire encouraged while floating over to her, interrupting the girl before she could speak. "After all, you're so small and cute like a panda or maybe a puppy!"

Izuka cringed a bit; that would make things worse since she already had to participate in the band. "Thank you, but I have my hands full already with what our class is doing..." She admitted while scratching her cheek.

"Maybe her boyfriend will cheer her on," Eri pointed out quietly and Izuka fell to the ground in disbelief hearing that.

"Ohhh, you've got a boyfriend?!" Nejire smiled while looking down at the girl in excitement. "Why didn't you tell me? Oh, spill, spill, spill!"

"No, I don't..." Izuka groaned while standing up, blushing in thorough embarrassment. Although she was glad that they were talking about this rather than the stupid rumors. Tamaki blinked at this, knowing that she had someone she liked, but nothing had happened between them. Even if she was dating someone...he would still support her, because she tried to help him when they met, and he had to return the favor.

"Stop asking that kinda stuff, you're making her uncomfortable," Tamaki spoke up from his spot.

"Alright," Nejire smiled a little and floated towards her friend. Izuka let out a huge sigh of relief. "At first, the only reason I entered was because Yuyu told me to, but turns out, it's lots of fun!" She held her best friend's shoulders happily. "I wanna crush it! That's why this year, I'll definitely come in first! It's my last chance!"

"You can do it," Mirio encouraged while pumping a fist. Tamaki gave her a small nod. Eri just stared at Nejire, feeling almost the same way about her that she felt about Izuka.

"Moving on!" Mirio announced as they reached the Development Studio. "Next we'll show you..." Support students were hard at work making support items. "The support course!" He covered his ears from the loud noises. "All the grades are working together to put on an extra-awesome exhibition of their work!"

"I can't wait to see!" Izuku smiled happily while he looked up ahead. "I hear it's a highlight every year!"

"Yeah, it already looks impressive!" Izuka grinned towards the students.

"Yes," Mei Hatsume popped up behind them, covered in soot. "The School Festival is the support course's time to shine!"

The two gasped as they turned around to see her. "Hatsume! Wait. Whoa!" The two looked up to see a giant mech behind her.

"That's my super-cute baby number 202!" She smiled widely, gesturing behind her.

Izuku laughed nervously, hoping that it would not explode. "Think you might have some grease on you," He pointed out and she blinked before laughing it off.

"Ha! I'm filthy, but I can't waste time bathing," She rubbed the back of her neck.

"What?" Izuku blinked in utter confusion.

"That's dedication," Mirio complimented her drive.

"Well, people work so hard sometimes that they don't stop for anything," Izuka hummed, hands behind her back.

"Even though we showed off some items at the Sports Festival, we took a backseat to the heroes," Mei explained to the four, turning towards her invention. "But...this time the contraptions we've come up will be given the spotlight they deserve! Which means lots of big companies and buyers can get up close and personal with my work! I need to make sure they're perfect so they don't embarrass me!"

Izuku hummed as he could understand what Izuka was saying now. That people at UA didn't want to give people a good time, the other courses wanted their time to shine as well just like the hero course got to.

"How did the iron soles and tungsten gear work out for you two, by the way?" Mei wondered to the twins. "If there's anything else you need, please let me know!"

"We will. Thank-" They heard rattling, looking up as Mei's mech gave off smoke and then exploded.

"Baby?!" She shouted in dismay as a student ran over to them.

"Ah! Not again, Hatsume! Ah, where's the extinguisher?"

"Sorry. We should run!" Izuku ran and then pushed Eri away. "Don't worry, Eri."

"This is normal for Hatsume, but dangerous for you," Izuka gave a sheepish smile.

"Kay," She murmured while looking up ahead.

Students were still hard at work getting things ready by the time their tour was over. Although some of the looks still persisted on Izuka...she ignored it, but it was getting Izuku really mad now. "Welp, that's pretty much all of UA," Mirio announced while they were having lunch with Eri.

"Pretty cool, but also kind of nerve-wrecking," Izuka admitted sheepishly while sitting across from the little girl.

"That's right," Izuku smiled towards the girl. "So, what do you think about our school, Eri?"

She moved away her cup, having some juice. "I, uh...I'm not sure." The three laughed nervously from her answer, since it was definitely a lot to take in... "But...I can see how hard everyone is working on the Festival. And I do wanna know how it all turns out," She confessed to the three, blushing a little.

The three smiled towards each other.

"And I wanna see Mido's paintings...she seems like she really likes doing it," Eri looked up at the shocked girl.

"I do," Izuka gave her a small smile.

"But sometimes today, you seemed really upset...am I making you sad?" Eri frowned a little and the boys gasped. Izuka's eyes widened in horror that Eri was blaming herself for her being annoyed by the rumors.

"No, of course not! Don't worry about it, you could never make me upset," Izuka gave her a small smile.

"But you looked like something bad happened..."

Izuka wanted to cry from how Eri cared and then looked away. "...Look, Eri-"

"It sounds like our special visitor is getting excited," They looked over to see Principal Nezu having lunch with Midnight. The teacher looked a bit put off by how fast he was eating some cheese...

"Principal Nezu! Ms. Midnight! Hello!" Izuku greeted the both of them.

"I didn't know you two were here!" Izuka blinked in shock at the two.

"It seems like we made the right choice," Principal Nezu wiped his mouth.

That was a lot of cheese Izuku stared at him in bewilderment.

"Know what?" He turned to the four with a smile. "I'm excited for everything too. I love seeing so many students joining together and having fun, all in the hopes that their peers will have a good time. Speaking of students, we're handling anyone that has been vocal about Izuka's enrollment in UA so that we can deal with them accordingly!"

"Oh, um, thank you," Izuka nervously responded as she forgot that he was handling the situation...

"It's shameful to think that some of them treat you like you're a villain because of baseless evidence," He crossed his arms angrily. "So just leave it to us, Mido. I've already archived the account to hand over to the police."

"Huh? People think you're a bad person...?" Eri frowned sadly towards Izuka, who winced.

"Uh, let's not talk about that here," Izuku changed the subject, Mirio blinking in utter confusion.

"Now, if we could just get the police to understand that..." Midnight murmured before having a spoonful of her food.

"Now, now, Kayama," Principal Nezu tried to assure her. "Anyway, I hope your hearts burst with happiness when the day rolls around," He got onto his feet, walking past them, thinking about what the police said.

"You must cancel this festival," The police chief informed, having a meeting with Principal Nezu.

"I can't believe the head of the police himself is paying me a visit."

"Villains are becoming more daring and our heroes are losing confidence," The man explained; it wasn't that he hated UA, but they were more of a target nowadays thanks to the League. "If something were to happen to UA again, we might not be able to recover."

"I understand that. However-"

"Listen," The police chief interrupted in a thin tone. "You're putting everyone here at risk."

Principal Nezu got out of his chair, walking around his desk. "I firmly believe that because of the trying times we're living in, the students need an event like this. We'll make sure it's safe. Please let us continue," He then bowed his head respectfully. "We can't let the future look any bleaker than it already does..."

Midnight then got onto her feet. "I'll spare you all the gory details...but the principal fought hard for you. As a result, security will be heavier than in past years. Just know. If an alarm sounds, even if it's a false one, we'll have to shut down and evacuate. Those were the terms the police agreed upon."

"That's strict," Izuku gave a nervous look as it was a lot of pressure.

"Of course, to keep that from happening, we're also beefing up our defensive measures," She smiled towards them to lighten the mood. "We even let Hound Dog off his leash to patrol."

"You did?!" He heard that Hound Dog had...opinions when the semester started about him and Katsuki fighting.

"Oh yes. Did you know Class A's performance is causing quite a stir in the faculty lounge? They're all rooting for Mido to do well! You'd better make it pleasurable," She walked away teasingly and Izuka whined in embarrassment. At least the faculty weren't believing the rumors...

"Right!" Izuku grinned widely towards her.

"Thanks..." Izuka waved wearily at the teacher as she walked away.

"Deku? Mido?" Eri asked the both of them curiously. "What performance?"

"We're doing a big live concert! I'm on the dance team! And I'm gonna do my best to make it fun for you and everybody else," He smiled towards the little girl. "So be sure you come watch!"

"Oh, you're gonna go on stage, Mido?" Mirio turned to the green-haired teen in a bit of surprise and then smiled brightly. "From what I hear, that doesn't tend to be something you would do."

"It's really not," She answered a bit wearily. "But I do have a role. It's a surprise, so I can't tell you," She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"Oh come on!" Mirio whined a bit at her. "You can't just tell me that and then say it's a surprise! Come on, you can say it."

"NO!" Izuka insisted to him with a pout.

"Sorry, you two," Izuku got onto his feet, looking at Izuka. "Our break is almost over. We're off."

"Okay!" Mirio pumped a fist as Izuka got onto her feet, gaining her balance. "Just so you know, I'm lookin' forward to seeing you get down too!"

"Thaaaanks," Izuka sagged her shoulders in dismay, waving as she skated off. Izuku ran after her and Eri stared towards Izuka in particular. She could tell that the girl was going through something and wanted to help her...

"Lemillion...? Can you help me with something?"

"Sure thing!" He smiled down at her.

And then...a week later, it happened.

"Midoriya," Mina started off in their classroom. "I've got bad news," She announced as Rikido, Mashirao, Tsuyu, and Mezo looked upset for him. "You're fired from the dance team!" She placed a hand on his shoulder.

The twins yelped, looking at her in alarm.

Mina stared at their faces and realized that she was a bit rude. "Oops, maybe that sounded a little harsh," She then took off the suit and sunglasses she was wearing. "You've been scouted by another team! You'll be on special effects now."

It didn't make things better though... "It has to be me?" Izuku murmured as he didn't know why. "I already told Eri that I'd be dancing..."

"They wanna make it so Aoyama swung around enough that the whole room's lit up!" Mina revealed with a small smile as Yuga approached.

"I'm pretty sure everyone's gonna be able to see him."

"Do you really have to pull him out specifically?" Izuka couldn't help but wonder.

"But we don't have a fly system in the gym, so they want someone with a power Quirk to move him by hand," Mina explained, as Izuku would be pulling Yuga in the air. He couldn't even speak as he realized now why him, but he couldn't disappoint Eri either...

"At the beginning of the performance, I shall transform from a dancer into a disco ball. It's the perfect job for moi," Yuga rubbed his chin, sparkling. "Say you'll help us!"

"So I'll be behind the scenes, where people can't see me..." Izuku looked towards the ground in a bit of disappointment.

"Honestly, lucky," Izuka muttered as she wished they could switch places.

Eijiro stood in front of the two, clasping his hands. "Sorry, it'll waste the dance practice you put in. But can you please help us out with this? We don't want people to lose interest."

Izuka narrowed her eyes a bit, crossing her arms.

"We've got to come up with something better, you guys," Hanta explained to the others. "When Aoyama turns into a disco ball, it'll only be interesting to watch for a minute or two. Right? I don't think anyone will even care after the initial shock."

"Wait, I know!" Koji held up a finger. "What if he flies around? We can swing him over the audience's heads!"

The three flinched in surprise from the suggestion. "Yeah, that's it!" Eijiro agreed with this plan.

"Great idea, Koda!"

Izuku looked down in thought, his sister glancing up at him. "If I can dance while doing it, I won't have lied to Eri," He rubbed the back of his neck. "Even if it was an accident. It's my duty to help how I can. I'll do it!" He smiled towards the others.

"I'm sure we can find a perfect time during the song to help Aoyama," Izuka gestured to her brother. "That way he won't have wasted his dance practice and he can keep his promise to her. If he needs help, I can catch him up on the missed steps since I've been watching your practice for a while now during my own." She and the dancers rehearsed in the same area, so she had witnessed their moves. "So I'll help by talking to the band in finding the right time for him to step away," The girl then turned to them in a threatening way. "If you try to make him disappoint Eri again though, I won't be so compromising next time..."

"Right! We're sorry!" Most of them exclaimed nervously at her.

"Nice!" Eijiro wrapped an arm around the twins once Izuka calmed down. "I knew you wouldn't let us down, man!"

"Merci beaucoup!" Yuga smiled towards the two. Izuka gave them a small smile.

"Mido!" They heard a voice, turning to see Mirio in the doorway holding a vase that had various flowers in it. She blinked in confusion towards them, Katsuki flinching as he straightened up and stared at the boy.

"Togata! What are you doing here?" Izuku wondered as the blond approached.

"Just got a little present from a peach to someone!" He handed Izuka the vase and she looked at them in surprise.

"Whoa, really?" Izuku blinked in alarm as he realized who Mirio meant.

"Wait, these are from Eri?" She questioned and then deduced that Eri must've picked them from how the stems looked like they were pulled.

"We found out about what people have been saying about you, so she totally wanted to cheer you up! You didn't have to hide anything, you know? Eri trusts you and wants you to be happy as her friend!" Mirio grinned, hands on his hips.

"Oh..." Izuka's eyes glistened a little and then smiled happily. "I love them! That's so sweet of her that I honestly feel bad for not telling her..."

"That's so nice of her, and she barely even knows you!" Eijiro commented as Tsuyu placed a finger on her chin.

"She noticed it and wanted to surprise you?" She gave a small smile.

Katsuki stared at the girl as she talked with the others, and noted that she was definitely tired from all the work that she had to do. But it was things like this that kept her going...he kinda wished that she didn't have to deal with rumors on top of that, but he knew her at this point. Although he was gonna tell off all those people who left the hate comments online later...

We have practice and meetings like this after class every day.

I have to manage my time a lot because I'm technically on all three teams as the special mascot doing my own singing, dancing, and special effects.

We won't have much free time until the festival is over. And so, I try to train hard when I get the chance.

All of my practice leaves me exhausted by morning, so I've had to combine my training with my provisional license classes. That means I've had to put my training with All Might on hold for now. And I couldn't paint either, but I can be patient.

It was early morning as Izuku was practicing One for All outside. Izuka wasn't with him because she was getting ready for classes. Izuku grunted in a bit of pain while Toshinori watched him. "It's still hard for you to shoot consecutively or while moving around." Izuku looked at his hand as part of a finger was broken. "Ah, that'll be a nasty bruise. Here, you can ice it with this," He held out a rag to him.

"Thanks," He took it gratefully. "I'm trying to exercise so much more control than I've had to in the past," He frowned a little towards his injured hand. "Is there a trick to it or something that I might be missing?"

"No idea," Toshinori answered innocently, earning a nervous expression in return. "To be honest, I was able to use 100 percent of One for All pretty much right away...I can only reiterate the advice I gave you in the beginning. To create an image in your head. The egg, remember? Keep working and focus on how it feels when you're successful! I think all you can do is repeat those ste-" Blood then spurted from his mouth.

"You haven't done that in a while!" Izuku yelped towards him, spreading his feet apart. Even though we both started out Quirkless, there's a huge difference between us. Izuku powered up while concentrating. All Might really is a natural-born hero, through and through. There's no doubt about it.

Something shined from up ahead, revealing to be a drone of sorts. Toshinori turned around and caught it with no problem. Izuku looked up in surprise as Mei came running over. "Whoopsie! But nice catch!"

"Hatsume? What are-"

"Sorry, I sometimes test..." She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, but Izuku was still baffled by her being here.

Wait, isn't this bad? To be seen out here with him?

"Don't worry about it," Toshinori handed the device back to her.

"Thanks for snagging it!" She smiled up at him gratefully. "This sweetie's a mini third eye I'm working on."

And she's not interested in me at all... Izuku stared at her; now he knew how Ochaco felt before the cavalry battle. At least he didn't have to worry about Mei telling anyone...

"Oh yeah," Mei whipped over to him and he looked away. "Midoriya! About those new items you asked me for the other day. I had babies that could do something similar, so I'm rejiggering them right now! Once the application goes through, I'll get them to you right away!"

"Hold on," He blinked at her in alarm. "I thought you needed to wait until after the School Festiva-"

She then got closer to him and he moved his head to the side. "Please, every artist tinkers when they're on a break! And since I've got a base already, they'll be done soon!"

"Oh, ow, thanks," He smiled happily at her. "You're the greatest!"

The drone then flew off again and she chased after it. "Huh? Where are you going, baby? Wait for Mama!"

"A pair of new items, huh?" Toshinori asked him curiously.

"Yup," Izuku answered while turning around. "There's something I think could help harness this wind pressure move. The other one is a surprise."

"Ah, I see. I tried something like that in the past too."

"All Might, you used a support item?!" Izuku exclaimed, since he didn't remember the former Symbol of Peace using one to his knowledge. "How did I not know that?"

"Well, yeah," He looked away in a bit of embarrassment. "But it was too bulky to be functional, even though it was designed to use with only 20 to 30 percent of my power. It would've been fine if I used mid-to-long range attacks for the most part, but since I was more of a short-range brawler, I kept breaking it." He then turned into his muscle form, as that was why he broke it. His hero form ended up being too much for it. "I got rid of the tech and carried on with nothing but my own strapping body!"

"Haven't seen that form in a while," Izuku gushed, as he saw it after the Kamino Incident when Izuka was in the hospital.

Toshinori appeared just a few seconds later, spewing some more blood. "That said, reinforcing your power with new gear could be smart. Just make sure you don't rely on it too much. Is your sister doing the same?"

"She said no and that she'll be fine without it if she just keeps practicing," Izuku stated while rubbing her chin.

"Some people aren't able to hold their own after losing an item, so it's probably in her mindset," Toshinori pointed out, as he was speaking from experience. "I've seen way too many heroes fall into that trap."

"Right!" Izuku agreed as he would keep it in mind.

Toshinori smiled with a small hum. "Now then. Let's get back to that visualization!"

"Aw. This feels just like old times! Too bad Izuka couldn't join us today for it to really feel nostalgic..."

"Eh, I think she'll be okay. Speaking of which, I heard about the principal is doing about the rumors...it makes me mad knowing that students out there think she's really someone they can't trust anymore..." Toshinori looked annoyed bringing it up. "How's she holding up?"

"She's more worried about the concert than what they're saying," Izuku gave a small smile. "Apparently she went into a rant about it...I wish I could've seen it for myself. She's really brave for not letting it to get to her."

Toshinori blinked and then smiled, knowing that Izuka had a support system of lots of people who believed in her. That was more than enough for someone like her...

Soon, it was nighttime, and Katsuki was walking past the special effects team. "You're rushing, bastard! Follow my tempo!" He shouted at Denki, gritting his teeth.

"But you keep throwing in new breakdowns—it's so confusing," Denki argued back while Koji, Shoto, and Hanta were having some tea.

"Jiro," Momo looked up at her while pouring some tea. "It's almost like you were born to teach. For a beginner like Kaminari to be able to learn chord progressions in just a week is impressive. And for Mido to be able to control her voice like you do."

"It's okay, I guess," Kyoka remarked and then smelled something, smiling. "Anyway, today's tea smells really good!"

"I'm glad you noticed!" Momo beamed towards the girl. "Mother sent me this rare type that can be impossible to find," She then held up the can, smiling. "It's a tea called Gold Tips Imperial. Oh! Everyone, please enjoy a cup if you'd like."

"No idea what that is, but thanks!" Toru called out to her.

"No idea what that is, but it sounds boujie!" Mina agreed with the girl as Izuka approached them, yawning.

"It sounds like you need this the most!" Momo smiled towards her friend. "You've been working really hard, Mido!"

"Well, I do feel like I've been run over multiple times," She murmured while taking a cup.

"Yo, Izuka," Katsuki approached the girl and she turned around. "How's the mascot stuff?"

"It's honestly kinda nerve-wracking," She confessed with shaking eyes, taking a deep breath. "But I've been getting better at my moves and the special effects. I had to show the team how it works for me so that they can time it with Aoyama."

"How are you feeling?" Mina asked a bit excitedly while walking over. "Happy? Terrified? Maybe both?"

"Oh, I'm definitely terrified," Izuka's eyes widened a bit in fear. "But also a little excited? I think it's because I know I have you guys with me."

Some of them smiled at her. Ochaco looked up ahead as she continued talking to her classmates. She gave them a small smile, grateful that they had accepted her the way she adapted. I'm so happy for her. She's been through a lot...

Izuku was sitting on the couch, muttering to himself. "All Might had an item, All Might had an item, All Might had an item. I'm such a failure for not knowing about it!" He was looking at his phone while Izuka and Ochaco approached.

"Hey Deku, aren't you going to try some of Momo's yummy tea?" The brunette asked and then both of them saw him going stir-crazy over All Might using an item. The both of them yelped as he was obsessed with scrolling through his phone.

"If I keep looking, I'll definitely find something, I have to!"

"Oh, I know what's going on," Izuka turned to Ochaco knowingly. "If he's being like this, it has something to do with All Might."

As Izuku was scrolling, he accidentally pressed a video. "Shoot! I didn't mean to play that."

"Gentle Video. Dearest viewers," It was the same video about Gentle talking about tea. "Do you drink different types of tea for different occasions? Whenever I'm preparing my personal kettle..."

"A video about tea?" Ochaco wondered and he yelped, not having noticed the girls until now. "Perfect! Here," She smiled while offering him Momo's.

"Oh yeah, thanks."

"Huh, Momo hasn't mentioned this guy before if it's about tea," Izuka murmured as she took a seat to Izuku's left. Momo loved tea, so she either hadn't seen it before, or she just didn't know about it. Then again, she didn't know anyone who would go looking for tea videos...

"I pressed it by accident," Izuku told his sister as they both watched.

"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?" The three heard La Brava's voice off screen.

"Be sure to stay tuned. My next video is an alarm, not just to my faithful viewers, but to all of society. Try to contain your anticipation until then," The video ended there.

"That was short," Ochaco stared at Izuku in confusion.

"It's Gentle," Izuku furrowed his eyebrows a bit.

"Who?" Izuka raised an eyebrow, glancing over to Ochaco.

"Is he famous?" Ochaco questioned and saw some of the comments. "People don't seem to like him very much."

Izuka flinched from that statement, giving a disappointed look. I have something in common with this guy?

"I only kind of know who he is," Izuku confessed to the both of them. "He's a villain who's known for causing trouble and recording it."

"Oh," The brunette blinked in realization.

"Oh yeah, I remember now, you mentioned him once to me," Izuka looked up in thought. When he told her about him though, she didn't bother checking him out.

"It's kind of nuts that he's been putting out videos for years now but hasn't been caught yet. I wonder what he's planning next..." Izuku murmured and Izuka hummed a little, wondering if they really had to worry...

Gentle groaned while pinching his nose, looking at the computer. "Poor Gentle," La Brava popped up nearby, feeling upset for him. "You've been working so hard that you've skipped tea breaks for a week! Are you alright?"

"Yes," He sighed while leaning back in his chair. She then ran off towards the doorway. "La Brava. Recently, heroes have begun to fall out of favor with the public. Their feckless actions have bred distrust from the masses. It's obvious these so-called do-gooders are ill-prepared for complications." She came back with a fresh cup of tea for him. "They don't seem to comprehend the crisis they're in," As he was writing, she put down the tea. "If they did, they wouldn't dream of putting on a School Festival in these most harrowing of times."

"Yeah, but Gentle, I don't know how I feel about involving these innocent children in all of this, you know?" La Brava pointed out to him, since they hadn't involved themselves with UA until now. So she didn't understand why to bring them into it...

He stared at her for a couple of seconds and then laughed out loud. "My dear, this scheme of mine is merely a wake-up call. Following my masterful incursion, the future heroes will be encouraged to grow stronger!"

"Your plan is going to inspire youthful minds?" She smiled up at him. "You're so cool, Gentle!" She fell backwards onto the floor while fangirling once again.

"Now, let us go over the route we'll take to invade! Open the Criminal Folder!" He attempted to do so with the computer mouse and then paused. "...It won't open."

"Oh, sorry," La Brava got onto her feet. "I locked it for protection. Just right-click there."

"This path has the fewest number of hero agencies and the least traffic. At five o'clock the morning of, we will make for a side road here."

"Why not just use your Quirk instead?" La Brava pointed out to Gentle, since that way led to a narrow space.

"It would be unwise given there are heroes who patrol the skies. After a jaunt, we'll stroll through a lovely park. Once we're on the other side, we'll almost be there. If we move carefully to avoid drawing attention, it should take us 60 to 65 minutes at the most," He relayed to his partner with a smile. "And then...! I'm delighted by this part. See this old house standing in the shadow of a hardware store?"

"Yes," She answered, as the house itself was overgrown with moss.

"It's actually a charming cafe!"

"You're not going to have your tea outside as usual?" She realized while looking at the computer. "That's risky!"

"The owner is passing 70 and barely managing to keep his business open. It's a shame," Gentle frowned a little, since he loved cafes. "No one notices that it's anything more than an old home, and there are only five or six regulars. But La Brava, there is no question. I must drink there. Because this cafe carries the most lauded of tea leaves. The elusive Gold Tips Imperial!" She gasped while looking up at him wide-eyed. "Don't you think it's fitting for the grand caper we're about to pull off?" He winked while having a sip of his tea.

"Of course!" She answered without hesitation.

"And because of the owner's advanced age, it opens early, at 7 AM. We can enjoy 90 minutes of tea time if we get there when the doors open."

"This is way more research than you usually do," La Brava blinked; out of the two of them, she was usually the move tech-savvy one. So he usually allowed her to do the research.

"After that, we go back to the side street and pass the construction site where we'll find a slightly sloping mountain surrounded by forest. Once we climb that...we will arrive at UA. Most likely, we'll have to deal with Hound Dog, who excels at sniffing out intruders. Once we get to the forest, we must rub dirt and leaves over our bodies to hide our scent from the mongrel. And as for the school. There is a sensored security system called the UA Barrier that's nigh impenetrable and covers the entirety of the campus."

"And that's where my job comes in, right Gentle?" La Brava smiled while holding up a key. "I'll infiltrate UA's internal network and secretly disable the sensors! Because, not to brag, but I'm a highly skilled master hacker!"

"I truly have the most wonderful partner imaginable," He looked out the window, glancing over to the woman. "My dear, I am forever grateful to have you at my side."

"Oh stop, Gentle!" She twirled around happily. "Anything you need! You know I love you!"

He then placed his hand on top of her head, stopping her in place. She looked up in confusion. "La Brava. I do mean it," He emphasized softly to her. "When I first began...I learned how to upload my videos. But technology oft eludes me. Alas, there were few views, and the rare comments I did get were harsh."

"It's only received 56 views!" He lamented while looking at the comments, saying that it was the worst video and that it was boring. "And it's already been uploaded for over a month..."

The doorbell rang and he glanced back in confusion.

"That doorbell signaled the end of my melancholy days."

He opened up the door to see Manami Aiba looking up at him. "I'm sorry, I...I hacked into your account to get your address," She confessed, wearing a backpack. She blushed while looking up at him. "I'm a fan...I can help you carve your name into history! May I?"

He opened his mouth in shock.

"It was you! My first admirer," And from then on, they were a team. "To be honest, I had my misgivings. I was terrified that I was being too careless. But then...when we began plotting, recording, and editing as one, the views on my videos began to increase!" He had gone from 56 to over 30,000, even though the comments were still pretty bad. La Brava had tears in her eyes while looking at him, happy on the inside he was saying this to her. "La Brava! I am betting my soul and my prized mustache on this audacious festival scheme! For the world, for society, for my courageous dream, and to honor the feelings you have for me."

She looked at him wide-eyed, her tears streaming down her face. A blush appeared on her face as she reached out to hug him happily. "Gentle!" She cried out as they both fell towards the ground.

"My La Brava!"

"Oh! I love you, my Gentle Criminal!" She shouted while crying tears of happiness.

"I love you too, darling girl!" He smiled while listening to her cry. "I'll make certain nothing stops me. No matter what. We will succeed!"