Notes: Well, here with a chapter again... later and much shorter than planned. Unfortunately, when you have four nieces under the age of 4 years old running and playing at your house... sometimes they start hitting keys on your computer... which may somehow delete about 5 pages of content...

guess it's preparing me for when my first kid is born. what can you do?

Anyway... hope you enjoy and have some news in the end!

Walking through the crowd with everyone, Katara chuckled as everyone kept making comments about her performance on stage earlier in the day, going from praising how awesome she looked to questions of where that idea of a dance came from. Looking beside herself, she smiled as Shoto walked with her, noticing the small smile he was also wearing. "Someone is looking happy today." She said, receiving a chuckle from him.

"I had no idea you could do something so spectacular, Katara," He said, "It was… more than just a dance you did. That… looked like a work of art you performed."

Katara chuckled at his explanation. "Well, it's bending. And bending is an art if you think about it." She sighed as she thought back to the time she wore a similar outfit, calling herself the Painted Lady. "I wanted to show what I could show from my home as beautiful."

"You certainly accomplished that," Shoto responded. "It's obvious I wasn't the only one thinking that there."

A small smirk spread across the waterbenders face as she looked down to her arms, and the first place trophy she was carrying. "I guess it did look really good."

Once the competitors were finished, voting took place from all the students in attendance. It wasn't too much of a shock that whoever was competing pretty much got their class vote, so they had to hope they could persuade enough of the other students that they deserved the votes more than others. When they were all tallied up, while she did want to beat that arrogant blonde girl, Katara herself was actually surprised to find out she would be the one receiving the most votes. Ibara happily congratulated her fellow first year, herself somewhat happy she didn't win due to how embarrassed she felt even being on stage.

For Nejire, Katara did feel some sympathy for. She heard from Uraraka that the third year had been the runner up for the last two years, so this technically was her last chance to claim the first place spot. Nejire however smiled just as happily as she normally did, congratulating the waterbenders win. Apparently, she didn't specifically want first place itself… She simply wanted to beat the arrogant Bibimi after all this time. So getting second place to Katara was just as good as winning for her. So it ended up being quite the successful day for everyone here.

"Water moves were so cool!"

Katara looked down to the voice to the side, laughing as Eri spun in a circle impersonating her routine. What made her even happier was the bright smile across the child's face. Just the simple expression changed the girl who looked terrified of anything, to one who found enjoyment in everything. "You liked watching my show, Eri?" Katara asked, earning another excited spin.

"The water went woosh!" Eri exclaimed as she swung her arms out, throwing them over her head. "It got cold, then ice was so pretty."

"Thank you," Katara happily beamed at the girl. "I'm glad you liked it so much."

Eri stopped as her mind began working, a small sparkle in her eye. "So… pretty." She turned and pointed at Momo in the group. "Pretty like her!"

Both Momo and Izuku were surprised at first by the comment, before laughing at Katara's confusion. "She… was asking what pretty meant. Somehow… I was an example." Momo bashfully answered.

Looking back to Katara, Eri tilted her head as she thought. "So… she's pretty too."

Katara blushed at the comment before laughing, looking over to the awkward face on Izuku before Momo laughed and shook her head. "Yes, she is pretty, too." she answered, making Izuku sigh in relief.

'Glad I didn't have to answer that…' He said internally, taking a drink of water to cool himself down.

Eri meanwhile simply looked back and forth between Katara and Momo, her young mind curious and wandering. "Midoriya, who is more pretty?"

PFFFT!

The question caused a spray of water from a startled Izuku, followed by the open mouths of everyone who heard. "WH-what?!" he coughed out, wiping his mouth.

"Alright, this is going to be good." Kirishima snickered, cracking open a soda.

While she knew Eri didn't mean anything, Momo couldn't help but raise her eyebrow at Izuku playfully. "Yeah, who is prettier?" she asked.

Laughing awkwardly, Izuku rubbed his head as he blushed. "I… I think that Momo is prettier, Eri."

Eri however tilted her head in confusion, pointing back at Katara. "You chose her in show. That mean you think she is pretty?"

Now Izuku's face burned red in embarrassment, sweat falling down his brow from the laughs from the people around, and the friendly, but stern look Momo was giving him. "I… I uhh. N-no i mean…"

"Aw, you think I'm that pretty, Midoriya?" Katara teased, playfully winking his way.

"I mean you're certainly pretty but in a platonic way as you're in a relationship with Todoroki and I am with Momo so saying you're pretty is for the competition so I have to be respectful and say while you are attractive it is strictly as friends but don't think I am saying you're not pretty it's just I think Momo is the prettiest thing ever but don't be insulted since I think you are very pretty but I am speaking of the performance with the water and the dance that was so exotic and very engaging but It wasn't-GAH!"

"That's enough for now…" Momo laughed as she yanked his ear, her eye twitching at his muttering.

"I think you guys broke him." Tsu chirped as Izuku seemed to struggle breathing for a moment.

Katara simply laughed at the situation before looking over to Shoto beside her, seeing his face scrunched up in a mix of confusion and frustration. "What's that look for?"

"Midoriya said Yaoyorozu is prettier than you…" he shook his head. "How could he say something so foolish?"

"I'm not even going to get into this…" Katara bluntly muttered as she gave a playful shove to Shoto, continuing to walk as the smell of food was catching her attention. "That smells great. Anyone else hungry?"

"Starving!" Mina shouted in agreement as she took off ahead with her arms up. "I am so down for some Gyoza!"

"Hey, get in line for me, please!" Kaminari yelled after her.

Laughing, Katara pulled Shoto alongside herself as they walked with everyone else toward the many food stands set up through the campus. She and everyone spread out as they eyed the many tents, ranging from rice bowls to cotton candy stands. The waterbender was drawn to the fried chicken bowls, quickly buying one and quickly eating a few of the pieces. Perhaps it was the fact she was so hungry she was savoring it so much, or maybe it was just the fact this was the first day in quite some time she was simply enjoying the day with nothing else on her mind. She couldn't help but look up to the clouds above.

"I think we have a good day ahead of us."

After they had done both their concert performance and beauty pageant, the class A students had the freedom to enjoy everything else that was on display from the rest of the school. Many of the events were far different than the plays they did themselves or watched done by class B. many of the things they saw were more interactive, including an obstacle course that kept many in the class entertained for quite some time. Bakugo made sure to brag about his defeat of Kirishima, while Tsu was humble in her easy defeat of Tokoyami.

Katara had a friendly challenge with Kendo next, the redhead eager to get some kind of win against her previous friendly rival. And thankful for the contest being no quirks… or bending per say, it was a bit more fair today.

"Looks like it's time to see who wins today." Kendo grinned as she cracked her neck. "I'm not going easy, either."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Katara responded, stretching her arms to loosen up before getting into position. "Let's do it, then."

As the buzzer went off, they both sprinted through the course, jumping across the bars before running across balance beams. They were neck and neck as they ran through the path hurdling over the barriers, but as they got to the rope climb towards the end, Kendo picked up a few steps before leaping up and hitting the finish buzzer barely a second faster than the waterbender. "Woohoo!" Kendo yelled out, wiping at her forehead. "Man, that was a close one."

"Yeah… good job there." Katara chuckled between breaths, giving a high five to her opponent as they walked off the stage. Unbeknownst to them and the others simply whistling and talking over who they thought would've won, Bakugo unknowingly had a small smirk form across his face.

After a few more attempting their turns at the obstacle course, some split up to see what else was available here at the school. Mina and a few others went through the horror house set up, and Tenya led a few who were very curious about the tech show being headlined by Mei Hatsume and others wanting to sell their inventions. As the group began breaking off, Katara looked over towards the setting sun in the distance, noticing the other random stalls set up by many other classes. Grabbing Shoto's hand, she led him towards the bustling area, simply browsing through many of the different things the other students made.

Going between the small dance stages or the many other food booths on display, Katara was enjoying just watching everything going by her. The happy and warm energy coming from everyone around was making her own mood brighten, happily thanking any of the different people coming by and congratulating her on her performance in the pageant. While she grew annoyed by a few of the comments of boys about how hot she was, she got a kick out of Shoto's ice crawling up his arm in anger causing them to panic and run. She simply gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and he was calm after that, taking a breath and following alongside her. Other than that, she noticed even his mood had come up from before, a small smile across his face as they continued on.

As the day began coming to a close, the classmates began putting their things away, most of the food sold out or simply everyone being full and not wanting more. Katara had grabbed a bag of caramel corn and was happily snacking on it, the sweet taste and crunchy kernels making her mouth water. She and Shoto soon came up to Izuku, Momo and a few others towards the exit, seemingly standing before Aizawa, Mirio and Eri. It seemed they were saying their goodbyes, and not wanting to miss the cute little girl, she quickly sped up her walk and joined the group of classmates. "Hey, what's happening here?" She playfully asked.

"It's time for Eri to head back now," Aizawa answered, tilting his head curiously at the waterbender. "I come to find you didn't participate in the class performance."

Katara sighed before shrugging. "I know you said it was supposed to be everyone involved, but they all insisted that I could join another activity since they had the concert covered."

"Yeah, we kinda pushed it on her soooo…" Mina muttered, "Yeah."

"But we had it covered, sir!" Tenya interjected, "All of us performed at our best and allowed Katara to represent our class in the pageant despite my initial disagreement to the idea!"

While Aizawa was confused by the groans coming after Tenya's remarks, he simply huffed out and scratched his cheek. "Well, you all did participate in the festival, so technically you followed my request. I guess we don't need to do an extra lecture for you all."

With a few sighs of relief coming from everyone, Katara chuckled before turning towards Eri below her, the little girl's eyes nearly sparkling from the candy apple she was enjoying. "Hey. I hope you had a lot of fun today watching everything we did."

"Mhm!" Eri answered as she gave another lick to the candy she was holding, "Music so loud and fun! Water dance was pretty, too!"

Laughing, Katara gave a warm smile back to the girl. "Well, I'm glad you really liked it."

"She kept talking about it through the day," Mirio laughed as well. "Congrats on your win. Nejire was very impressed by your act as well!"

"Thanks. I still feel somewhat bad since this is her last year to win it." Katara admitted, only making Mirio laugh again.

"Are you kidding? She was ecstatic when we talked! She actually is excited to see how good you could do in your performances coming up in the next two years."

While surprised at first, Katara smiled and nodded back. "Well, next time you see her, tell her I appreciate the support." she turned her attention back to Eri. "Alright Eri. look like this is goodbye for now. I hope to see you more soon."

"Mhm!" Eri happily nodded before turning and running over towards Aizawa and Mirio walking away. The excited child made sure to turn and wave to everyone once more, those bright and now happy eyes making everyone's hearts melt.

Sighing, Katara turned to Izuku to see him still beaming with joy. "I can see now why you wanted her to smile."

"Yeah," Izuku answered, exhaling in success. "After knowing what she experienced, it feels like I conquered a mountain today seeing her actually finding joy in life now. That's exactly what I see is worth fighting for."

Hearing his words made Momo smile brightly, knowing what he was saying was from his heart. "I understand why you were so frustrated for those weeks before you were able to rescue her. I'm glad you finally got through all that and see what you accomplished."

"Yeah… sorry about that." Izuku admitted. "I didn't mean to take my frustration out at school. Thanks for being so patient during that time."

"Don't be sorry for that. It was all part of being a hero." Momo said as she rubbed his shoulder.

"Yeah, but there's something I'm curious about," Katara asked as she rubbed her chin.

"What?" Izuku asked, just before blushing hard as Katara leaned forward slightly and batted her eyes at him.

"Do you think I'm really pretty, Midoriya?"

Izuku's face burned deep red at the teasing gesture before tensing up to the squeeze of momo's gaze over his soul.

The next Day

Nezu sat inside his office as he went over the many files stacked up from yesterday, going through the different events that his students had made for the cultural festival. He couldn't help but chuckle as he stored the many different and unique things the kids came up with this year, making sure to save their creativity. "The wonders of children's minds. It just shows what they can come up with those imaginations."

After a moment, his phone beside him rang, reaching over and pushing the answer button. "Yes?"

"She's coming up, just so you know." Ectoplasm grunted, making Nezu chuckle.

"Thank you for the heads up. I'm ready for her." Nezu clicked it off and pushed his files aside, clearing the desk for the woman coming up. "I hope she's enjoyed it so far." he said to himself, smiling as the door swung open revealing the rabbit hero coming in.

"What the hell is up with clone boy? He's making it seem like a nuke dropped on this school." Mirko huffed out as she walked in the office, using her foot to spin the opposing chair in front of her. "I was late two days in a row, big whoop."

"It is considered rude when you get a new job and don't show up on time in normal work spaces," Nezu commented, "And you did ignore my calls yesterday."

"Hey, let's clear something up," Mirko growled as she plopped down in the chair. "I appreciate the cash flow for a security gig you gave me. Was it kind of a BS job? Yeah, and yet I certainly won't complain. But I made it perfectly clear when I said yes; I wouldn't just stop doing my hero work on the streets. I got caught up chasing down several gangs this morning and yesterday I took down fourteen different crooks before noon. So yeah, I came into school a couple hours late each day."

"Oh I'm not worried about that. I understand your goals at wanting to still face villains," Nezu shrugged. "The others are just eager to make sure the students are kept safe."

"Then why did cloney act like it was the end of the school when I pulled up just now?" she clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Oh he didn't mean anything by it." Nezu waved his hands playfully. "Other than a villain being apprehended yesterday, everything went smoothly."

Hearing that did make Mirko's scowl fall away, sitting up in her seat. "Wait, what?"

"Just a villain who was attempting to come in and disrupt the festival. He was taken care of before you arrived."

"And you all didn't mention this?" Mirko growled, "I did also say if there was an actual threat you should call me and I'll come and kick their ass."

"And I would have. Thankfully he was more of a nuisance and didn't actually want to cause harm to anyone. Apparently he was only interested in causing mischief for notoriety. By the time we discovered the problem itself, he had already been subdued by one of the students singlehandedly."

Huffing out, Mirko clicked her tongue and cracked her neck. "Fine, I guess if a kid whipped him, he mustn't have been that big of a deal."

"I mean, if Midoriya had to try to stop him, he must've been surprisingly formidable." Nezu said to himself as he pulled up a sheet looking at the suspect. "Such a shame… he actually wasn't even a villain. He was just someone who didn't get the right chances in life."

"Wait, Midoriya?" Mirko tilted her head at the name. She had heard that name several times in different instances, thinking back to that press conference she joined after the hunters. "That kid who worked with Ryukyu and the others?"

"Yes. In fact he's a classmate of your intern Bakugo. He's truly worked hard to get to the top of his class alongside everyone else."

Mirko's mind began thinking back about the press conference she forcefully attended. She remembered how Ryukyu had said if it wasn't for Midoriya being there, they wouldn't have had a chance at getting through their raid had they gone themselves. She knew that the dragon hero was probably a little more humble than she herself was, but she certainly wasn't no slouch when it came to power. She had also heard how the dragon woman had not only her top intern there, there were other older students there who were supposedly the next big ones graduating next year. If with all of them, it was this other first year kid who was the one saving the day for everyone.

"Sounds kind of similar to what that water girl you got here." Mirko muttered out.

Nezu chuckled, knowing a few more details about Izuku that made him so special. "I guess you can say that. They certainly are both truly determined to be the best that they are. Bakugo has had several instances where he's shown his determination to be at their level as well."

Hearing that made Mirko laugh internally, knowing all too well how stubborn Bakugo was at getting to be the best hero in the world. While it certainly made her laugh, she would be a fool if she said she didn't see something special in someone's potential. Bakugo was certainly one to watch; as much as he and she pushed at each other's buttons, she could see he was just getting started. The same was for that girl Katara. There was something special about her, other than the crazy secrets she had learned about her. She could see there was an actual hero in that girl, and she could still grow stronger.

And supposedly this Midoriya kid was just as impactful as Katara. If not more so.

"Sounds like you got your handful with this class. Can't remember seeing so many promising newbies at once. Especially from a single class." she commented, kicking her feet up on the desk… just before a ruler smacked her on the top of her leg. "OW! What the hell?!"

"I just had this polished, if you mind." Nezu smiled as he set the ruler back on the desktop. "But yes, I am impressed with how determined Aizawa's class is."

Mirko clasped her hands behind her head as she sighed in amusement. "Well, you got your hands full keeping these newbies entertained. Soon they may actually be-

She stopped when her mind clicked, making her eyes widen. "Hey Nezu… how often do you test your students?"

"Pardon?" Nezu asked. "As in academics or… physical tests?"

"A real physical test." Mirko asked, leaning back up. "Letting one of you guys give them a run for their money."

Nezu laughed at her idea, remembering their tests they gave to the students close to half a year ago. "We have given them one of those sometime back. They have certainly grown a lot since then."

A large grin spread across the rabbit hero's face, reaching forward and cracking her knuckles. She'd been still wanting to pay back Katara for her act in the cave back then, and now hearing of these other kids here in their class she was growing curious to see what they could do. "You think it's possible to set something like that up again?"

Notes: Well well well, the end of the cultural festival is here, also revealing our winner of the beauty pageant!

And Mirko is planning something for herself? what shall that be, hmm?

With this, it pretty much wraps up season 4 of the anime timeline. yes, I know the hero ranking portion is next, but there is no more hood nomu for this portion, meaning other things have changed as well. As you see, many things in the story are changing now from canon, including what kind of things come when and where.

and while i had big things planned for a christmas chapter to release by christmas... well time got the best of me. so I plan to do my huge portions of the story of that for ch. 100. be ready for that one. we are almost there!

And a new manga page is published on my deviant art as well. link in my profile! (I plan on doing a different section of my story as manga. if you have suggestions, PM me your thoughts on which one should be done!)

once again, if any of you are able to help with donating to help with the creation of more art and manga, the go fund me is always open.

Now we get to the serious stuff in the fic!

Till next time!