Momo Makes a Splash

Momo collapsed onto her bed as tears fell from her pained eyes. It finally happened. After all these years, she finally blew up at her mother...and it hurt worse than she had imagined. There was no way she could face her again after that. She'd probably get disowned for sure, and why wouldn't she? Momo had failed at the Sports Festival, her Internship, and the cross school exercise. Who would want a failure of a daughter like her? She then felt someone sit next to her and she buried her tear stained face into her pillow.

"Are you doing alright, my heart?", asked Ishiro as he patted Momo on her back gently. "I've humiliated my mother and let years worth anger out on her, of course I'm not alright", sighed Momo as she wiped away her tears. "That would do it", said Ishiro, "But she wasn't aware of what happened." "How could she not be?", sighed Momo, "She cares more about that monster than me, and she's right to do so. The same way she's right to love Setsuna like a daughter". "Oh, come now", said Ishiro, "Your mother may be all-loving for those girls, but she holds you close to her heart. Momo, look at me".

Momo gazed up at her father as she felt tears once again welling up in her puffy, red eyes. "You are your mother's first, last, and only daughter", said Ishiro, "In spite of your feelings on the matter, I see a great of her in you. I see her spirit, her undying will to help those who need it. But I can also see a hatred in your heart unique in our family only to you, and your mother and I are sorry you've had to live with it for so long." "It's…fine", said Momo, "I deserve it. All of it". "No, you do not", said Ishiro, "You took on All Might's power, a legacy of heroism that now resides within you". "I wasn't worthy", said Momo. "We both know that isn't true", said Ishiro, "All Might chose you because he saw your potential for greatness and your inner strength. The anxiety that has taken hold of you would destroy a lesser person, but you keep trying your best. Just like your mother". "Maybe that's a mistake", sighed Momo, "I can't be who they need me to be". "I still believe in you", said Ishiro, "Whatever choice you make from here on out, I'll still support you. No matter what". Momo yawned and almost instantly fell asleep, muttering her thanks before drifting into unconsciousness. Ishiro just chuckled before pulling a blanket over his daughter.

When he exited the room quietly, he found Midnight standing patiently outside. "Poor girl is out like a light", Ishiro chuckled. "Maybe she's right to be angry", said Midnight, "I mean, I'll admit that I haven't been the best at paying attention to the little details, but I think she might have been bullied before coming to UA". "I think that might be a given", said Ishiro sadly, "The sort of self-loathing that Momo feels is not something one is born with, after all". "So, how do we address it?", asked Midnight. "While I fear it might be too late to confront any of the kids from her middle school", said Ishiro, "There are still ways to help her. Momo mentioned wanting to speak with a Henry Forest at school after retuning from I-Island". "That should be easy", said Midnight, "He works with Nezu at the school. I'll call him first thing in the morning and schedule a meeting between him and Momo while I do my art class".

"Perfect", said Ishiro, "I think you two need some space for a moment". "How long will that moment last?", asked Midnight. "Hopefully long enough", said Ishiro, "At least until things are made right by both of you". "Here's hoping that will be soon", sighed Midnight, "I don't know if this is just a phase or if Peaches is going through something we won't be able to save her from". "You forget something, my dearest love", said Ishiro as he took her hand, "You're my R-Rated Heroine. You can save anyone if you have the strength of mind to do it". Midnight's sullen face was broken by her usual smile as confidence flowed through her body. "You know I will save her", she said with a smirk, "It would be simply naughty if I didn't".

Unknown to them, Momo had just begun another nightmare. Instead of the usual laughing figures, Momo's bloody hands held her mother's empty Hero Costume as she looked up to a pile of skulls, on top of which stood Bakugo, laughing maniacally as he held Ochako by the throat. "Number One, at last", he roared, "Second to no one, and I have you to thank for it, Ponytail!" He then fired off an explosion, sending Ochako's body flying away as her skull landed on the pile. Momo then heard the angry cries of injured civilians, blaming her for the monster becoming the Number One Hero. She looked to Izuku, only to see a large gorilla skeleton where his body was. "They all died because of you", said something in the crowd.

Suddenly, Momo found herself on the edge of a tall skyscraper, surrounded by voices screaming at her. Her heartbeat increased as the ledge gets further away from the ground, the voices calling for her to join them below. Before Momo could think, black tendrils pulled her away from the ledge and into a dark room. She couldn't see anything, but felt at ease all the same. "Thank goodness you got her in time", said a gruff voice, "If she had listened to those voices…" "I'm surprised you even care about these sort of things, Kudo", said another man, unseen, "You're all about survival of the fittest". "She used your Meta Ability to haul a giant gorilla up a cliff", said Kudo, "She's more than fit". "She's also the most troubled we've had in our number yet", said one more voice, this time an unseen woman, "The nightmares are getting more intense".

Momo was unable to find where the voices were coming from, but their concerned voices were enough for her to try to get up. "Don't", said a voice, "You need to rest. The nightmare we pulled you from would have prevented that and fractured your mind further". Momo then felt an invisible hand on her shoulder. "You needn't face this pain in your heart alone", the woman said, "Don't make the same mistake as Toshi did before you". "Yeah, Number Eight always did like to travel the lonesome trail", said the gruff voice, "Just keep your friends close, alright?" "I'm more worried about her reaching Singularity this early", said the other man. "One thing at a time", said Kudo.

Before she could make heads or tails of the voices and their conversation, Momo was jolted awake by her alarm clock. Already, the early details of the nightmare had been forgotten, replaced by the strange conversation she was witness to. What had they meant by reaching Singularity? There was only one person she knew who could help to answer this question, if he was even at school today. Oh, right, her mother would be there as well. Momo felt guilty pangs in her hungry stomach as she trudged downstairs to grab breakfast, fully expecting Midnight to be waiting. Instead, she found her father eating his toast alone at the table. "Morning, sweetie", he said, "Your mother had to take off early to take care of something". "You don't need to lie to me", sighed Momo, "I know why she's not here". "Well, she did also say she didn't trust your Homeroom Teacher to handle this", said her father, "Not that I blame her. Aizawa is an ass, if you'll pardon my tongue. Just trust me when I say you'll find what she has done today to be rather...pleasant".

As it would turn out, when she got to UA later that morning, Momo found that her father was right. Kyoka was there, surrounded by Toru, Tsuyu, Kaminari, Mina, Kirishima, Ochako, and Izuku. "Hey, Yaomomo, you doing alright?", asked Kyoka. "I should be asking you the same", smiled Momo warmly. "I'm fine, no thanks to Bomb Butt over there", said Kyoka as she shot a glare at a nonchalant Bakugo, "The doctors gave me a clean bill of health. My folks were worried about the cost, but someone already paid for the treatment this morning. I've been told to take it easy for a bit, but I should be fine by the time Finals roll around". "How wonderful", said Momo softly. "You guys are the best, by the way", said Kyoka as she held up a card in the shape of a guitar, "I can't believe got this as fast as you did". "We were worried about you", said Eri.

"Thanks, kiddo", said Kyoka, "You're my hero". Eri blushed as a chorus of awws filled the air. Momo took her seat, still reeling from her outburst from the night before as well as the strange dream. Mina noticed this and nodded to the others. "Yaomomo, we also got you this", said Izuku as he placed something on the desk. Momo glanced at it and then again. It was a sympathy card featuring a picture of a gorilla climbing a tree. The caption said: "If you do your beast, you'll reach for the Heavens. Your troop believes in you". Momo opened the card to find signatures from all of her classmates, bar Kaminari, Mineta and Bakugo, each with a message about their belief in her. Once again, Momo felt tears well up her eyes as she held the card close. "Thank you", she wept.

Once Homeroom was over(and Momo couldn't help but notice that Aizawa Sensei said little about Bakugo injuring Kyoka the day before), it was time for Art Class. Momo steeled herself for the inevitable, only to be stopped on the way to class by no less than Henry Forest. "You must be Miss Yaoyorozu", he said, "I'm Henry Forest, assistant to Hound Dog. How do you do?" "I'm quite alright, though I fear I may be late", said Momo. "I wouldn't worry about that", said Henry, "You've been granted an exemption for today so we could talk with one another. It won't count against your attendance, I promise". "Very well", said Momo, "Are we to discuss my...feelings here?" "Nah, it's too public", said Henry, "Let's step into my office". He lead Momo into a spare book storage room in the school library.

"Looks like I win the bet this time, Thomas", laughed Henry as he closed the blinds. "What bet?", asked Momo. "Oh, it's just a petty matter", said Henry as he took a seat in front of her, "I saw Vice-Principal Fulcrum some distance away from us, but let's not get into that. Now, I feel the need to disclose that it was your mother who set up this meeting, as well as the fact that I know why we are having this meeting". Momo went pale. "I know it can be upsetting to unload negative feelings on someone all at once, doubly so if the person in question is a parent", said Henry, "Would it be alright if I asked why you lost your temper?"

"I had a bad day", said Momo, "I felt that I reached my lowest point since the Sports Festival and somehow reached even lower than that. I shouldn't feel that sort of anger towards Mother, but every time I think she understands me a little better, she does something reckless or just plain forgets I'm there. I know it's not her fault, but I still feel hurt whenever someone is praised for being the next version of her, whilst I'm derided for the same reasons". "You feel jealous of those people you mentioned?", asked Henry. "Immensely so", said Momo, "My cousin was the worst culprit. She was friends with everyone, while I fully expected to be rejected simply for being Midnight's daughter."

"I suppose this is silly to ask, but were you bullied before coming to UA?", asked Henry. "For as long as I could remember", sighed Momo, "I was called every horrible thing those children could think of. I've even heard some of the same things from other UA students after the Sports Festival, and perhaps they're right about me being useless or being good only for fanservice". "I find that hard to believe", said Henry, "I've read the USJ reports. You were one of the reasons the Green Gorilla was able to beat that Nomu thing, and don't forget about I-Island. The world saw you and All Might stand up to a terrible evil. That's more than strength, that's heroism". "What kind of Hero explodes on their own mother?", Momo asked dejectedly. "One who is in touch with their own humanity", said Henry, "You may not know this, but Ruby Rose herself was in the same position you are now".

Momo perked up at those words. "What?", she asked. "Oh, yes", said Henry, "Thomas told me some time back that she felt the weight of her failure for every mission. That weight piles on until the person under it snaps, which is what happened to her. Fortunately, she had her friends to look out for her in the same way she looked out for them. From what I hear, she's doing a lot better now than she was back then. That's the lesson I want you to take away from this. No matter what, if you help to build people up and make them stronger, they will do the same for you." "Even if I fail them?", asked Momo, "Even if I fall?" "As an old friend once told me", said Henry, "The reason we fall is so we may learn to pick ourselves back up. All we need is a helping hand and a faithful heart". Momo sat back and thought about those words. It didn't take long for her thoughts to drift to her card and a problem she noticed just yesterday. "May I borrow a pen?", she asked.

Some time later, as Izuku had finished sparring with Kirishima, Eri ran over to him. "Yaomomo wants you to read this, please", she said. Izuku tossed Kirishima aside and looked over the note, which read: "Meet me after class at Gym Delta. Come as the Green Gorilla, it's important." "Oh boy, a love note", whispered Mina ecstatically. "It's not", said Monkey as Izuku's face changed, "She wants us big and hairy, and wow, that came out wrong!" "Yeah, maybe let me handle this", said Izuku as his face changed back, "I guess this might be another sparring session for the two of us". "Is that what they call it now?", asked Thomas.

Just then, an explosion was heard and Mineta was seen flying across the room! "I'm not even going to ask what you did to warrant that", said Thomas, "By the way, Bakugo, technical fowl for using your Quirk during a spar". "What!?", snarled Bakugo, "How do you expect us to be Heroes if we can't use our Quirks!?" "The same way other Heroes do", said Thomas, "By training to overcome your shortfalls". Bakugo scowled as Thomas smiled. "Let's go one round", he said, "Should you win, Quirks for all. If I, however, win, you do three rounds against three other students, without using your Quirk". "You're on", snarled Bakugo as he charged forward, only for Thomas to flip him over onto the mat! "Glad to see my plan worked...again", smiled Thomas, "Just be glad I wasn't a Villain, 'cause you wouldn't be able to walk. Kirishima, Jirou, Shoji, take him". Bakugo growled angrily as the three squared up. Barely a minute later, he was lying in a heap on the ground. "You still owe me two more rounds", said Thomas, "The rest of you are dismissed".

Later on, the Green Gorilla transformed and made his way down the hall into Gym Delta, where Momo was waiting by the large swimming pool. "I know this may be unorthodox", she said, "But you need to overcome your fear of water. I'm going to teach you how to swim in this form, now come on". She leaped into the water with a strong splash, sending water onto the dry concrete.

Cue Song: Waterfall from King Kong(1976) by John Barry

The Green Gorilla reached out with a single finger and placed it into the water before pulling back nervously. "It's OK", said Momo as she wrapped her arms around the Green Gorilla's finger, "Just take baby steps. I'll guide you". She then pulled the Green Gorilla into the water, allowing the ape to step in the shallow end of the pool. Momo noticed how the Green Gorilla nervously shook as he waded through the water. "Look at that, you're already pulling it off", said Momo. The Green Gorilla let out a low hum as he stepped further into the water, letting it reach up to the lower end of his chest. "I'm going to lead you into the deep end now, so don't be nervous", said Momo as she swam over a few feet.

"Now", she said, "When you can't feel you feet touch the bottom, just repeat after me. I'll show you how to tread water". The ape nodded as he plodded through the water. "Remember, wave your arms like this while kicking you legs beneath you", said Momo as she spread her arms through the water. The Green Gorilla watched her demonstration and followed as best he could, using his long arms to propel himself upward as his short legs kicked beneath him. "Now try this", said Momo as she performed a breaststroke, using her arms to push herself above the water before diving down and doing it again. The Green Gorilla managed to catch up to her with just one breaststroke, probably due to his massive size. "Don't forget to use your legs", said Momo, "They are you best asset in the water". Momo then swam forward, further out into the deep end of the pool. "Can you do that?', she asked.

The Green Gorilla propelled himself through the water with his long arms, circling around Momo as she giggled and dodged his splashes. The ape hooted happily as he swam back to the shallow end of the pool, using his large hands to splash water over his emerald fur. Momo swam up beside him and climbed onto his shoulder. "We need to do this more often", said Momo, "I think you're a natural at this". The Green Gorilla grunted before sitting down in the water and letting Momo slide off his shoulder. "Come on, I'll race you", she called, "Unless you're scared I'll make a monkey out of you". That got the Green Gorilla moving. Momo decided to channel a little of One for All's energy as she sped ahead of the Green Gorilla, who was using his newly practiced breaststroke to keep up. They touched one end of the pool at the same time and hurried to the other end, laughing all the while. The Green Gorilla was just happy to see Momo smile again.

To Be Continued…

Gorilla Fact: Gorillas, like other apes such as chimpanzees, can't swim in deep water due to lacking the fat reserves needed for bouncy like humans have. This is why a lot of gorilla exhibits in zoos are surrounded by moats. At least one troop of gorillas was observed using sticks to measure the depth of water before crossing a shallow river, though they mainly accomplished this via wading through the water, not by swimming.