Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Art:

Story cover art V1

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Story cover art V2

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Sora

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Yuu

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Sora's middle school uniform

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Sora's UA uniform

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Sora's gym uniform

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Yuu's middle school uniform

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Yuu's UA uniform

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Yuu's gym uniform

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Kyubi

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AN:
Just thought why not start with introducing the main characters' appearance first.
(All arts belong to me)
(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)

This Chapter will be updated from time to time (like when a new character appears and their different outfits) so make sure to check it (^‿^)

Chapter Text

In a society where superpower became a norm of everyday life. Where villains used their gifts for evil, causing fear of them everywhere. Where heroes had so much on their plates they hardly got home... It was hard to notice the cries of a young boy over his balloon drifting far away of reach.

Naturally, in a world where everyone is at the risk of a villain's attack, such thing would not catch even the briefest glimpse of passersby. They have grown accustom to more urgent and dangerous incidents which revolved around fire, destructive power and crazy fights between heroes and villains.

The cries of the small child were drowned within the mumbles of the crowd about their favorite heroes and the latest incident, which featured the number one hero, All Might, saving two middle schoolers from a slime villain.

As the balloon flew higher, the kid's wailing stifled as he realized it could not be retrieved. " We will buy another one." His mother tried to cheer him up.

In a world filled with heroes and villains, such trivial things are almost invisible. It doesn't mean much, even if someone stepped to help, it wouldn't mean anything in such world. However...

The boy's cries died completely and his eyes widened in awe at the falling white feathers. A shadow was casted on them as its owner soared above their heads. Not before long, a girl flew down, smiling broadly from ear to ear and in her hand she grasped the thread of the red balloon. " Once you let go, it can't be retrieved. Hold on tight to it alright."

It doesn't mean anything, it doesn't have any glory to it nor will entice anyone's attention. Still, the grin the boy had given to her was more than enough. " Thank you miss."

She smiled in return. She had snow white short hair that was dyed electric blue from the inside. A silvery light ring hovering inches above her head. Her red eyes glinted happily at the kid and her snowy large wings folded themselves so not to bother other passersby.

She waved at the boy as he walked among the crowd along with his mother, her wings slowly shrinking and squeezing into her back again through the slits on her uniform as if they didn't exist. " You're doing it again."

She whirled around, facing a black haired girl who was hunched over, apparently trying to catch her breath having run all the way there while holding another backpack.

" Apologies." The white haired girl scratched the back of her head. " I just rushed over. Thanks for bringing my bag."

She grabbed her cyan bag and slid one hinge over her shoulder. " That's how you're, Sora, always dashing over to offer help." The black haired girl pulled herself up and rolled her eyes.

She was wearing the same uniform as Sora, a pink one piece. Her long black hair was held up in a half moon bun with few strands standing out of it. Her emerald green eyes were shining from behind oval half rimmed black glasses.

" Yumei too, I heard you helped Yuu with those bullies the other day." Both of them started trudging down the path toward their favorite café. " He was really thankful."

" It was nothing." She waved nonchalantly. " Seijin-kun is your childhood friend right? A friend of yours is... A friend of mine I guess."

" Yumei you're so nice!"

" You think all the people around you are nice don't you!" Yumei sighed. " You shouldn't let your guard down, you know. If you're aiming to be a hero, it's rather inconvenient to presume everyone is an ally." She casted a side glance at the white head who blushed and scratched her cheek. " You're acting like a five year old child."

" So... So sorry."

The black haired girl sighed deeply at her friend. " That's why you need me by your side. I'll always be there to correct you." Hearing that, Sora's face beamed again and nodded at her.

It wasn't before long that they hit the threshold of the café. Taking their accustomed spot by the window, Sora ordered a cup of juice while Yumei a black coffee. " How can you drink it? For me I can't even take a sip."

Yumei shrugged. " It comes naturally to me, guess you're really a kid." Sora sweat dropped at that. Everything about her seemed like a kid for real. She was shorter than other girls her age, more or less a human bullet of energy who didn't stop and had a pretty short temper to  add. All of that meant that it became common for her classmates to treat her as the class' child. " Geez, I'll have to babysit you for so long I guess. I doubt you will survive by yourself in UA."

" Right, Yumei, you too are planning to enter UA." She edged to the end of her chair as to get closer.

" Yeah, I've confidence in my grades, so I don't think the written exam will be any trouble. However..." The waiter came along with their orders which they took thankfully.

" You're worried about your Quirk, right?" The other girl closed her eyes and nodded before supping from her coffee. Sora blinked at her as she sucked on her straw. " You know, that hero, the one who could erase people's Quirks... What was his name again?"

" Eraser Head." Yumei answered, trying her best not to facepalm herself. Despite aiming to be a hero, her friend's knowledge of heroes is very limited.

" Right! He is an UA alumnus! His Quirk resembles yours so much so I'm sure you can do it!"

Yumei's face lit with a smile at her friend's encouraging words. That's too a part of who you're. " Well, there is a long way between me and Eraser Head, but I will try my best. Thanks for encouraging me, Sora." The white haired girl's smile broadened even more.

Yumei however, had a bothered look as she glanced through the window. " Nee..." Sora attention was drawn from her juice to Yumei. " Seijin-kun, is he really intending to apply to UA too?"

" Ah! Yuu is determined to get in! It was his dream since childhood! Frankly, he was the one who spurred me!"

Yumei sighed deeply upon hearing that. " You're his childhood friend, so he may listen to you rather than me." Her eyes met with Sora's red ones. " For his own good, tell him to give up on the entrance exam."...

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The sun was about to set when the purple haired boy stepped out of the building, taking his usual path back home at a slow pace. His purple eyes were casted down, he didn't want to meet other people's eyes. He wasn't good with dealing with them, and he definitely didn't want to meet that look they cast upon him when seeing his baggy eyes and chalk white face.

His feet dragged when he reached the park. Out of the path home he grew to hate, that was the only place he liked, and wished it was his home. Since it was sunset the park was deserted, or so it should have been. There was the creaking of the old swing. Upon second look, he could see someone there. A white haired girl swaying slightly while her eyes fixed on the orange sky.

She looked back at the park entrance and her face beamed. " Yuu!" She called out loud, pushing herself off the swing and grabbing her backpack on her rush to him. " Already finished with the extra classes?"

The boy nodded his head, a small smile finally was drawn on his face. " Alright then, let's head home together." They strolled up the hill, chatting about yesterday's news.

" Did you hear, it seems All Might is here in Musutafu!"

" You're talking about yesterday's incident, I've heard of it. The two Middle schoolers."

" They say before All Might rushed to save them, one of them rushed off to help his captured friend. That's very brave of him."

" Um... It's... But it was kind of reckless too. It may have caused trouble to the heroes."

" Can you blame him. His friend was in danger." She folded her arms and huffed tiredly. " What's wrong with you people? I mean, of course if you're in danger, I would jump to help you regardless of anything. You're the same too, right?"

Purple eyes met the red ones, and they stayed like that. They were the only eyes that didn't pity or scorn him, they were the only eyes that brightened upon seeing him, they were unlike the rest. " If you were in danger, Sora, I would throw my life away for you."

The white head cackled nervously. " Well, that's too much, I better be careful then. Still..." She grinned from ear to ear. " Your feelings got across, Yuu."

They stopped in front of a two floor house. " The lights are on, seems they're early tonight. Well then, see you tomorrow, Sora." He pushed the fence door open but stopped when the girl by his side didn't move or say anything.

" Nee, Yuu..." Her look went down for the first time and Yuu turned back, concerned about the sudden change in her expression.

" Is something wrong?"

" Listen, about UA. You're applying, right?" His eyes narrowed at her words, and for a moment, she thought she saw shadow casting itself upon his face. However , the glimmer of his eyes brightened as he looked up again.

" I'm."

She breathed in relief and her smile grew bigger than ever. " Alright then, let's do our best. Together." He nodded his head and it seemed to satisfy her. " See you tomorrow, and tell Whisper I said hi!" With her big smile, she waved at him and continued running up the hill towards her house perching on the very top.

He kept watching over her till she rounded the corner and then, with a shaky exhale and heavy steps he entered the house. " I'm home." He didn't receive so much of a reply or a 'welcome home'. Walking through the hall, he glimpsed his father swiping through TV channels and news while his mother was visible through the kitchen's doorframe preparing their dinner. It seemed like they didn't even notice his arrival.

He resumed his walk, up the stairs and to the very last room on the left, far away from his parents'. He entered his room. " You're late!" A voice shouted from nowhere making him jump in fear. Soon, an egg like white head phased through the ceiling. " I thought you said you will be early!"

" Can't help it... Needed to finish some work in the extra classes." He was still shaking. The head dropped down, revealing a glowing ghost like creature glaring down at the purple head. " ... Sora said hi by the way."

" Sora? It's been a while since I've seen her in person. Why don't you take me with you to school?" The translucent body closed on to the boy, wrapping itself around him which send chills running down his spine. " We used to hang out together in elementary, why can't we do the same now? I promise I will hide properly."

" I-I can't , we're prohibited from using our quirks, which means I can't bring you with me...And... the last time I sneaked you in, you ended up flooding the second floor and I got a long scolding..." He pointed out, however, his lips were quivering at how close the ghost was.

" Hmph, damn it. Anyway, you shouldn't show your fear you know! No spirit would respect you like that!" He yelled out in his ear, making Yuu jump to the side, forgetting for a second whisper was wrapped around his shoulders.

" I can't help it... I'm not good around your lot..." A tick appeared on Whisper's forehead, displeased with his answer.

" You damn idiot! I don't care if you don't bear us or not! This is your Quirk and you can't turn it off! Be weak, and even the spirits you made contracts with would betray you! Have I made myself clear!"

"Sir.. yes sir..." His voice was shaky and weak, angering Whisper more.

" I didn't hear you!"

" Sir! Yes sir!" Poor Yuu was tearing up by then.

Whisper backed his face away and folded his tiny arms. " There is still a lot you need to learn. We have loads of work to do if we want to get you to UA."

The boy looked at the stack of materials he needed to study before the entrance exam. 10 months didn't seem anything near enough for him. " I can't help with your studies, even back in my life I was at the bottom of my class. Still, I can help you with your Quirk training. Be thankful!"

" It's not like I've asked for-"

" Huh?!"

" Sir! Yes sir!"...

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Musutafu  Middle School

" Everyone, I'm sure you've probably heard this a lot by now, but you're all third years, means it's time you take responsibility for yourselves and take your future into consideration." The blonde teacher stated cheerfully with her usual smile. Her brown eyes quickly scanned all of her students before continuing.

" I presume all of you are opting for the hero course. As much of a noble profession it's, my job as a teacher is to guide you. You should consider your capabilities and take what you're able to do into account, not anyone can be a hero."

At that, Yuu received a kick from the pupil sitting behind him. " Heard that Seijin, she is talking about you." He did his best to ignore him.

" There are Quirks that may shine on other fields. I'll hand prints of your future plans now. You know that once you write something down you can't change it. Take a moment and think of what you want to be careful. We teachers are here to help you choose your path."

She passed the prints to the pupils sitting on the first tables and they passed it on. When it reached Yumei, she quickly grabbed a pen and wrote UA at the very top.

" Hakuja-san, are you sure?"

" And with a pen, you can't change it later on!"

" It's fine." Yumei stated. " There is no need to change, it's something I decided since long."

Sora's eyes widened in amazement at her friend. " Yumei is really confident. Even I can't bring myself to write it down immediately, right, Yuu?"

The purple head snapped upon being called. " Uh... Um, yeah..." He mumbled. Under his folded arms, written clearly with a pen, UA was the top choice of his list...

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F ew Months Later

" And rest." With those words, Sora breathed out as she saluted and turned to the older woman, bowing to her.

" Thanks, Grandma."

The woman had medium-length silver-white hair held up in a high ponytail, bright azure blue eyes and a golden halo ring like Sora floating a few inches over her head. However, she strangely didn't seem that much old. " It's only four months before the entrance exam, right?" Grabbing two towels and throwing one at her grandchild, she questioned. " If we keep with the Karate lessons you will be ready for the practical exam. What about the written exam though? Are you studying well?"

" I'm. Either with Yumei or Yuu. But I think I will invite Yuu over for the coming months to study more together. Yumei wants to focus more on her training and I don't want to bother her any longer."

" Please do. Yuu-kun is always welcome in our house." She freed her hair, letting it cascade down her back. " How's his training going?"

" He said Whisper is taking care of him, though he seemed shaken..." She sweat dropped. " Seems his training takes place at dark in haunted places."

" That's rough." She smiled nervously. " Guess it can't be helped with that Quirk of his." She glanced over at the young girl who was wiping away her sweat. " Dear..."

Sora blinked and looked up at her grandmother, slightly startled at the concerned look she was giving her. " Is this really what you want, going to UA?"

There was a moment of silence, a moment where everything seemed to stop. Every other sound seemed to fade away, only a faint cry from a memory was heard within Sora's mind.

" I will be a hero and find the truth myself !"

Her fists tightened around the ends of the towel. " It's, Grandma." She smiled confidently at her grandmother. " I've turned in the papers, there is no going back now. Plus, that's what I really want to do."

She took a moment to carefully eye the girl. She was confident and hadn't the slightest weft of doubt. This Girl... Is really like you. She smiled gently. " Alright then, both you and Yuu-kun, do your best to get in, alright."

" Hai!"...

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The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Everyone gathered their things and drifted through the door in pairs or groups, chatting about their upcoming entrance exams.

" Yuu!" Before he knew it, an excited Sora swept down on his desk. " The entrance exam is nearing, we need to work harder! Grandma promised to make us Curry tonight so we gotta double our work!"

" Oh, right. We covered most of the materials we have, we can make it."

" That's the spirit!" She gave him a thump up. " Anyway, you'll come at 7pm, right? You said Whisper is giving you a break today."

Yuu sweat dropped, facing backwards. " Seems he gave up on me..."

" Don't say that! Whisper is not the kind of ghost to give up on something!" She gave him a slap on the back, however, it was too much for Yuu that he almost chocked. " Anyway, I'll head home first then. Still need to practice with grandma." She punched the air, startling him.

"Ok then, see you around 7pm."

" See you!"

She rushed past the door. It was just then that Yuu realized Yumei was still there. She casted him a glare to which he gulped. Its intensity, though for a second, made him shudder. She soon took her leave as well.

The purple head stood up, grasping his wrist tightly as if trying to stop shaking. " I'm not... Giving up on this one thing."

He grabbed his bag and left the classroom as well, trudging through the hall in a peculiar way, zigzagging in his tread and mumbling to himself.

This, was how Yuu's everyday life went. Seeing him acting like that made people either wary of him, or scorn and bully him. Though knowledge of his Quirk clarified things for his classmates, they still liked to pick on him.

" Ouch!" He bumped into someone and fell down. " Sorry..."

" Watch out wher- oh, it's you Seijin. Seems telling you to watch out wouldn't work." A chorus of laughter followed. It was three of his usual bullies.

" S-Sorry..." He repeated, hoping they would ignore him. It was around time bullies stopped picking on others and focused on their entrance exams, right? He may get away this time.

Except, it wasn't the case.

" You know, you would live longer if you just look ahead instead of looking down at your feet."

" Don't say that, you know his Quirk right? He is just afraid to meet some terrifying ghost's eyes or something."

It wasn't wrong. He wanted to avoid interaction with them the most possible he could.

" Man, he has no future."

" No one would want a hero who would get scared away by an unseen ghost!"

Behind his back, Yuu's hands balled into fists. It's alright... Don't answer to them...

" And to think he applied to UA!"

You got used to those insults... Don't let them piss you off...

" Can someone like you be a hero?!"

" Humanity will perish if that even happened!"

Don't mind them...

" Hey, are you ignoring me?"

" I... I said.. I'm sorry..." He looked further down. It's true that he feared those ghosts that only he could see... But more than ghosts, he feared the monsters called humans that shunned and scorned him whenever he went, for nothing but being what he was.

" Tsk! Guess we have to teach him a lesson!"

" Yeah! Make it so he can never go to UA!"

" Ha! Good idea!"

The bulkier one reached for the shoe locker behind him and touched it, and in a moment, his arm was the same material and color as it.

" You will be thankful for us later, for we're saving you the shame and humiliation of failing in front of all those elite!" He made for the punch and Yuu quickly held his arms in front of his face to protect himself. However, the contact didn't happen.

Daring to open one eye, he glimpsed his attacker bound in glowing blond hair strings. Quickly looking behind him, their homeroom teacher was standing not far from them, her hair free of her usual bun and restricting the bully. " Furuyu-kun, using your Quirk in the school is prohibited. I'm afraid I'll have to report this to the principal."

She pulled back her hair when she made sure the other boy's intention of harming was totally lost in the worry for what he heard. " But! Sensei! It's almost the end of the year! If this goes in my record!"

" Then you should have thought better of it before attacking Seijin-kun! Apologize immediately!" All three boys mumbled a remorseless apology to Yuu who finally pulled himself up. " We will discuss your punishment tomorrow with the principal." With that, they were send home.

" Thank you, Sensei." He bowed gratefully to the woman as she pulled her hair back into her bun.

" That was my obligation as a teacher. More importantly." She squinted at him as he eyed her with a puzzled air. " Us teachers are given the duty of guiding and admonishing you in your choices. Not only based on your Quirks and grades, but also based on your behavior and personalities." She paused and inhaled deeply, carefully picking her next words. " Seijin Yuu-kun, do you really want to be a hero?"

He didn't answer, he stood there, most interested in the ground. It was the same look, the same look of disregard and pity he received from everyone else.

" It's no good, the kid has the same Quirk as your brother."

" Tsk, he will be another failure in the family. I have to look after my useless brother and now I have him too."

" You understand, little brother. Your quirk is nothing good, you inherited both our parents' Quirks but still, you're useless. You're a failure."

" What a weirdo."

" Stay away from him kids."

" No one would want a hero who would get scared away by an unseen ghost!"

" I'm scared! I don't want such Quirk at all!"

All those words pilled in his memories broke free and overwhelmed his mind. It was all he could not to give under their weight then and there. However, a voice rose above all the rest which were insulting him, so gentle and delicate, it said...

" Amazing! So you can see what others can't right! You can even talk to them! Can you befriend them?! How do they look? I wanna see some too! Man, your Quirk is so amazing!"

It was like a dazzling light that pushed back all of his darkness. It was his reason to live, it was his reason to work hard... It was the reason he wanted to become a hero. " I'm. And I will become a hero who can protect what he holds dear."

He fiddled with his fingers, his eyes didn't go up to meet those of his teacher, he didn't want to see her pitying him. " I know I still have a long path to go... I frankly don't have the confidence like Hakuja-san that I will get in... Yet, I have a reason to not give up and try my best... I know all of you think my Quirk isn't good enough... But, someone is cheering for me... I have to become a hero, for their sake too..."

Upon a second look, the teacher sighed. " You may not have the skills or confidence, but you do really have the resolve don't you. Though we're meant to guide you, still, the student's will comes first. Then from now on, I will cheer for you too."

His head snapped up in surprise at that. This kid knows his condition better than anyone else. If he is that determined, then it'll be rude to pity him after he came this far. " For the sake of the one supporting you, you better become a hero they can depend on." In a flurry of emotions, tears welled up in Yuu's eyes and he hastily wiped them on his sleeve.

" H-Hai..."...

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Four Months Later

It was a rough four months for all of them; finishing off their final exams, training and studying for the entrance exam, they hardly had any time to sleep a wink. All three of them kept working hard till the very last minute. And finally, the long awaited day had come..

Sora's jaws dropped in amazement at the glorious building perching in front of her. From afar, it seemed to be made of glass. The gates were fully open, welcoming the students coming to take the entrance exam. It was packed with people with different uniforms.

" As expected of UA that boasts the best education in the country. Everyone from every notch and cranny are aiming for its hero course." Yumei stated solemnly, balancing her glasses.

" It really is the best school anyone can dream of attending! We must get in! Yumei, Yuu, let's do our best!" Sora said looking at both people on her sides, however, Yuu was standing with his back facing the entrance, shaking.

" So many people... I didn't think there will be that much here... This is terrifying..."

Whisper, who had wrapped himself around Yuu's shoulders shook his head tiredly. " This kid..."

Sora sweat dropped while Yumei merely sighed. She checked on her watch." It's 9:05. We better hurry to our written exam halls."

" Come on Yuu!" She was tugging on his uniform to pull him to the door.

" I can't, my legs are getting sluggish..."

" Then I'll drag you there!"

" I hope you won't mind me getting there first. I need to take in the environment to calm my nerves." Announced Yumei.

" Sure, go ahead." Said Sora before embarking on pulling Yuu again, who now was hiding his face behind his hands as though he was a criminal fearing to be spotted.

" This is the worst..."

" Get yourself together! Do you intend to take the exam like this!" Whisper shouted at him, making him snap in fear and stand straight. " Where is your answer soldier!"

" Sir! Yes sir!"

" Geez... Well, guess as long as Whisper is around it will work somehow." Sora smiled before her attention was caught by a curly green head standing still and smiling to himself oddly.

" What's that guy doing?" Even Whisper was at a loss of words seeing him. " Had his nerves betrayed him or something?"

Sora walked off and waved her hand in front of him. " You. Hey you." It took a moment for him to snap out of the trance he was in. " Are you alright? You're not having a breakdown or something?"

The boy shook his head rather violently. " Oh. Okay I guess. I suggest you hurry up then, there is no much time left." This time he nodded vigorously and strolled to the doors stiffly.

Whisper's body extended as his face was now by Sora's side. " Is it me, or is this school attracting strange guys?" Sora's eyes however were fixed on the boy.

Whisper's body squeezed back to normal as Yuu approached her. " Sora..."

" Hey Yuu, don't you think there is something wrong with that guy?"

" Something wrong?" Yuu's eyes followed hers and they widened almost immediately. " What... In the world..."

" So I'm not mistaken it. This is strange."

Whisper kept swiping his eyes between the two of them. The eyes of the Angel and those of the Spiritual Link user, what are they seeing? Either way... " Do you think it's time to stop and daydream, soldiers!?"

" No! Sir!" Both saluted him immediately.

" Good! Now go and ace that written exam!"

" Sir! Yes Sir!"...

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Meanwhile With
Midoriya

I talked to two girls in a row!!!...

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AN:

I've been wanting to publish this for a while now and finally, it's out! Hope you like it all!

Also, thank you to  LyrissaArtemick  for helping me with picking names for this story. (I really need to learn Japanese TwT)

Anyway, Enjoy! This story will be updated weekly so look forward to more of it!

Please consider leaving comments, they are most welcome and they would make my day ^w^

And thank you for reading!

( •̀ ω •́ )y

Chapter Text

The written exam went by rather quickly. Before she knew it, Sora had to pass her paper along with the rest in the long hall. It was the first time in two hours that the hall was filled with noise again for the two hours of exam were in utter silence.

" That was hard... I've left the last two questions." She turned back to her two friends during the short break they had.

" Finished it all half an hour early." Yumei shrugged.

" I finished it at the last moment." Yuu stated, crouching down by their side, which enticed curious glances from the other students around them.

" Because you were shaking the whole time!" Whisper shouted.

" That ghost behind me... She was breathing down my neck..." He shuddered further, making the white ghost sigh.

" Anyway, why are you crouching down like that?" Yumei glanced down at him.

" I... I feel safe like this..."

" Safe?"

" You see, because he can see ghosts and Yokais, doesn't mean they're tangible for him." She elaborated. " However, it seems when we phase through them they get very angry. We can't see or hear them but for him..."

" So he wants to avoid getting yelled at."

" Precisely." Continued Whisper. " So he huddles on himself to avoid them the most he could."

" So that's the kind of worlds you're in."

" It's the worst..." He buried his head in his knees this time.

" Listen! Don't you dare getting all gloomy now! We still have the practical exam!" Yuu snapped at Whisper's yell and shot up on his feet. Just at that moment, a ball of fire manifested by his right side. " Oh, they're coming already. It's about time."

Yumei checked her watch. " We should head to the amphitheater." She led them through the halls of UA to the dark circular room. Sidling along the chairs, they found themselves a place and settled down.

One row beneath them, Yuu and Sora saw as the boy from earlier came and sat down with another blond boy. It seemed that they were from the same school.

No longer than they had settled that the lights went on, illuminating Present Mic on the rostrum with UA emblem glistening on the screen behind him. " For all you examinee listeners tuning in, welcome to my show today! Everybody say 'hey'!"

He was met by utter silence. " What a refined response. Then I'll quickly present to you the rundown on the practical exam! Are you ready? Yeah!" Nothing so much of whisper was heard.

" Is he trying to make a show of the exam orientation. Not professional." Whisper sighed.

" I think it's kind of him to try and lift our spirits." Sora smiled.

" I didn't know there was a show included..."

" Certainly it isn't. It's just Present Mic acting as he pleases." Yumei leaned her head on her hand. She looked at the curly head beneath them who was squealing at the hero. " Can't believe they allow such people to apply as well. They're not taking the hero course seriously."

" Eh?" Sora blinked at those words coming from her friend.

" I bet most , if not all, of them are just applying because they liked heroes since childhood. But not all of them are ready to bear the load that comes with it. The hardship, the pain, the pressure and the losses. They're not ready to take that much." Yumei seemed more serious than Sora had ever seen her.

" As it says in the application requirements," They once again focused on Mic. " you listeners will be conducting ten-minute mock urban battles after this!"

The screen behind him elaborated more about the test as he spoke." You can bring whatever you want with you. After the presentation, you'll head to the specified battle center, okay? Okay?!"

There was a wave of silence again as they all checked their papers. " Eh! We're on different places?" She casted a look at the two by her sides. " I'm in D."

" I'm C." Said Yumei as she held her paper up. " They want to make us depend on ourselves. No helping each other."

" F." Yuu gulped. " Sounds like a bad omen."

" F for Failures. That's how you'll be if you don't put your heart in this." Whisper stated.

" I don't think I have the heart anymore."

Whisper's body tightened around Yuu, almost strangling him. " What's with that now!" And he embarked in a long lecture.

" Three different types of faux villains are stationed in each battle center." The screen showed a small city along with three giant shadows each labeled with its allocated points. " You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty."

The scene changed to that of a game as Present Mic's avatar walked through the game and defeated the villains, earning points. " Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your Quirks to earn points by immobilizing the faux villains. Of course, attacking other examinees and any other unheroic actions are prohibited!" The blond hero wagged his finger at them.

" May I ask a question?" A rather bulky boy shot up with his hand raised high.

" Okay!"

A pitch of light was casted upon him, revealing him. He was quite tall, with blue hair perfectly combed and a pair of half rimmed rectangular glasses. " On the printout, there are four types of villains. If that is a misprint, then UA, the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake. We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be molded into exemplary heroes."

" Hee!" Sora blinked in surprise. " He really is a serious kid." She whispered to Yumei.

The blue haired male whirled over, pointing his finger at the green haired boy. " In addition, you over there with the curly hair. You've been muttering this whole time. It's distracting!"

" I'm sorry..." The curly haired boy mumbled through his hands.

" You too!" His finger now pointed at Yuu and Whisper who was still lecturing him. " I have no idea what that thing is. But if you have something to sort then do it elsewhere! Also, shut that glowing fire of yours!" There was two balls of blue fire hovering by  either sides of Yuu by then.

" You!" Whisper forgot about Yuu and was about to launch on him if it wasn't for the purple head wrapping his arms around his large head and restricting him.

" I'm... I'm sorry... I'll keep him calm... As for the fire... Sorry... I can't do much about it..."

This didn't seem to please him. " If you're here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately!"

Very strict. Sora though.

" Okay, okay. Examinee number 7111. Thanks for the great message." Mic managed to pacify him. A forth shadow then appeared on the screen. However, much to everyone's bewilderment, it was labeled 0 points. " The fourth type of villain is worth zero points. That guy's an obstacle, so to speak. There is one in every battle center, an obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. It's not impossible to defeat, but there's no reason to defeat it, either."

The game scene appeared again, though with Present Mic running away from the villain this time. " I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it."

" Thank you very much! Please excuse the interruption!" The boy bowed and settled down.

" He is definitely from an elite school." Yumei commented.

" I see... It's like the obstacles you avoid in videos games, huh?"

" The whole thing is like a video game."

" That's all from me!" Said Present Mic. " Finally, I'll give you listeners a present, our school motto! The hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said: ' A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortune.' Go beyond,  Plus Ultra!" The motto flashed with large letters across the screen.

There was no reaction from anyone so far. Only Sora was clapping her hands. " Sora?"

" Well, no body answered to him so I felt sorry about that. He is doing his best to cheer us up right."

" Now, everyone, good luck suffering!"

Yuu gulped. " Did he just say... 'Suffering'?"

Yumei glanced over at the white haired girl. " You were saying?"

She chuckled awkwardly. " My bad."...

________________

They first went to change. Once Yuu stepped out of the changing room in black pants, blue short sleeved t-shirt and white and green sneakers, he had three blue flares flattering around him. That seemed to catch Yumei's attention, who was the first to get out of the girls' changing room. She was in a white and green track suits, pink sneakers and a kusarigama was attached to her suit.

" Sora isn't done yet?" Whisper asked, always wrapped around the boy.

" She will be done in a few seconds." Emerald eyes narrowed at the boy in front of her. " You really are stubborn. Didn't I tell you to give up? Do you want to always drag her back?" She flung her hand at the changing room.

Yuu's look dropped. " I don't want... That's why I'm here."

" Nonsense." She folded her arms. " If you really cared for her you should have known where to stop. I'm saying this because I want the best for her. I'm just glad we were assigned to different battle centers." With that, she strolled away from him.

Whisper seemed taken aback by that. " Did something happen between you two?" Yuu didn't say anything, merely looking down and his bang covered his upper face...

________________

The buckets of water dropped down as their holders froze in place.  Yumei  sighed as she put on her glasses again and casted a look at the boy on the ground who reached for his soaked notes. Her eyes narrowed at him.

" It's no use."

His eyes snapped wide open at those words.

" Putting aside your Quirk,  you  yourself can't do it. You can't be a hero."

He looked up at her, slightly stunned. For someone who just saved him from the bullies who were saying the same thing moments ago,  he didn't see it coming.

" You want to go to UA too, right?  Seijin-kun , you better not."

His hands tightened in fists.

" You will just drag Sora's feet like this. She will have to look after you again and again. If you keep sticking around her, you won't allow her to get stronger. You're nothing but a burden to her."

His lips quivered. " I... I may not be strong... That's why I want to get there... That's why..."

" You're selfish! Don't you care about Sora's future!"

" I do!" That was probably the only time she heard him raise his voice. " I really do... That's why, I want to be able to be of help to her... That's why..."

" What someone like you can do! Huh! Getting picked on everyday! Can't even defend yourself! Sora had always stepped in to help you! She would always do! But you! You can't do anything for her!"

She pointed her finger at him as if accusing him. " Can you help her! Can you support her when she is down! Can you correct her when she is wrong! You can't do anything! You've been always in her shadow! You will always be!"

She took in a breath, trying to calm herself down. She didn't expect to burst out at him. She had seen both of them up close, and she definitely couldn't stand him. For her, he wasn't any better than those weakling trudging behind the strong to keep themselves safe. " I fail to see why she would stick around you all the time, even if you're childhood friends."

Seeing that he had no reply to her, she whirled around to leave. " Just, do her a favor and stop holding her back. Sora deserves more. For her sake, don't apply to UA. She will end up helping you in the entrance exam as well."

She started strolling away, yet stopped on her tracks and casted one last look at the boy who pulled himself up. " I won't..."

Her eyes narrowed. " Selfish..."...

_______________

Yuu's hands balled till his knuckles went white in color. " I will definitely get into UA."

" That's the spirit kid!" Whisper slapped him on the back.

" Ah! Yuu, Whisper!" Sora came out of the changing room, clad in a white hoodie vest with short sleeves, beneath the knee black bike shorts and cyan sneakers.

She waved and ran off to them. " Glad you're here. I can wish you good luck." She casted a look around but didn't see her other friend. " Guess Yumei just went ahead right? Well, our rides are awaiting us. We need to hurry. Good luck again."

He nodded. " Good luck to you too."

She then hurried off towards the bus with the letter D printed on it...

________________

She stood along fifty other people in front of a large metallic gate. " So... So large. Are the other ones the same size at this. Just how much territory UA has?"

Everyone around her where mumbling or trying to calm themselves down. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. But she shook her head as if trying to shake away some bad thoughts. " Get yourself together, Shirogane Sora! You decided to become a hero! So give it your best shot!"

" Huh! What's that?"

" A blimp?"

" It's!"

Everyone glanced up the sky upon hearing that. True for that, a blimp with the school emblem was floating overhead. It has a screen attached to it, one that was broadcasting Present Mic's picture. " Okay, start!" He yelled.

" Eh?"

" What's wrong? There are no countdowns in real fights! Run, run! The die has been cast, you know!"

Everyone immediately rushed through the gates and fanned within the routes of the city.

" This is bad, I was late to react." Before she knew it, she heard smashing noises and glimpsed pieces of robot armors flying up. " They're already starting! Guess I have to go for it then!"

Wings started growing out of her back. Just as she kicked the ground and flew upward, she was just in time to avoid a 2 point robot's attack. " That was close!"

She flapped her large wings and dropped with a neck breaking speed on the robot, with a single kick aiming at the torso, she managed to break it, earning her first points. If it's robots, then they don't have auras. I can't predict their moves. Also...

She looked at the other examinees in that place. That robot stood still and focused on me even after I flew out of its reach. It could have gone for any other moving target. Which means...

She smirked widely as she realized it, soaring ahead at a high speed and passing by each robot she could encounter. After a minute or so, her guess was proven right as a bunch of them kept chasing after her. " A lock on system, huh? So you guys won't leave me alone until either of us is over."

With a quick beat of her wings, she was flying in the other direction, back towards the robots. All it took is a punch and a kick as she sped through them and she already had 14 points.

" Oi! For real!"

" How did she!"

" Watch out!" Both boys didn't realize the 3 point sneaking behind them. But in a split second she was already in front of them. They couldn't see her, only the strong wind issued by her as she passed them. With a round house kick, she took down the 3 point.

" Incredible strength!"

" This is no human thing!"

She merely breathed out.

" Eh? Didn't she just take down our prey!"

" You did that on purpose!"

Upon hearing that, a tick manifested on her head. She whirled to face them with an annoyed smile. " You know, I just saved you guys. I could have gone and earned myself another 10 points by now."

They didn't have the words to retort. " Well then, good luck with the rest." She flew away and rested on a high roof, trying to search for more robots. " Yumei would have said I was being stupid."

" Six minutes and two seconds left!" Present Mic announced.

" Man, now I've done it. Because I rushed to help them I've missed my chance. Now most robots should have locked on someone." She glanced over her shoulder and back at her white wings. " And I can't use those for a long time. I've gotta catch up." She spread her wings to fly and find more robots, however, her eyes caught something.

It was an orange haired girl with a mob of robots on her tail. It seemed like she managed to figure out the same thing as Sora, so she tried to lure as many of them. However, Sora could see it was too much for her. And the girl was sprinting down a nearby alley with a dead end. It wasn't like she could see it from her spot, but once reaching the end she will be cornered.

" That's bad!" Sora's first thoughts were to save her. But before she would do so, Yumei's words rang in her ears. " You're always rushing over."

She stopped and thought of it. Yumei would have said that it wasn't time to worry about others. Now her points weren't near what others had earned and half the time had passed. Most of the robots were littered on the ground by then. Her wings will be out of order soon. And if she helps her, she will be out.

That was the logical way of thinking, yet...

Just at that moment the whole city trembled. Smoke erupted from the other side of the field." That's..." Her red eyes widened as she saw what was coming. It was a gigantic robot, even by passing through the street it caused glass to shatter. " No one said it was this huge!" She complained.

Even being that far from it, she could see it clearly. One punch from it causing a vigour wind that pushed some of the examinees of their feet. Most of them were  rushing away from it, not wanting to get caught.

" I should go there. The  confusion is a chance for me." Still, her eyes darted back to the girl she saw from earlier. And as predicted, she was cornered.

" I want to be a hero and find the truth myself!"

" You're always rushing over!"

Her eyes wondered in between the 0 point and the girl. What are you doing, Sora! More than UA! What was it that you wanted!

" Be it as trivial or plain as people may see it. But we should always-"

"Reach out for those in front of us!" Sora zoomed through the air, reaching to the whereabout of the other examine. " Hand up!" Upon hearing that, green eyes narrowed as she held her hand high. Sora swept down, grasped it and hurriedly rushed upwards away from the swarm.

" Th- Thank you..." The girl said, looking down at the robots standing still down there. Sora immediately knew it. " Don't tell me, you're still at 0 point!"

" I thought I could handle them after gathering many. Didn't expect to get cornered." The girl was frustrated with herself. Sora casted a look at the giant robot. It was miles away from them.

" They're coming after us!" Sora's eyes snapped back. True, the mob of bots were on their tail.

" They won't leave us alone!" With the lock on system, it was all but impossible to escape.

" Less than two minutes left!" Sora gritted her teeth as she racked her brain for some idea to get them out of that dilemma.

" Are you okay? Can you still fight?"

The girl's fist magnified in response. " Ah! I wasn't hurt! Lower the attitude! I will deal with them!"

Sora did as she was told and the other female swung her gigantic hand around, thrashing away the robots. " Yosh!"

" Be careful!"

Some of them clung to her hand, pulling her towards the ground, she struggled to get free but their weight together was much for her. Albeit Sora wouldn't let go of her easily. " How persistent for robots!"

She dug through her pockets and pulled a few throwing knifes, throwing them at the ones clinging on the giant hand and forcing them back.

There was another tremor, closer this time, and a wave of wind. Sora managed to hold still in front of it. But debris were thrown off by the strong gale  and headed their way. " No you're not!"

She used her giant hand as a shield, all the thrown debris came ramming into it, which made her wince in pain. When the wind died, both girls were panting heavily. At that moment, they could see it clearly, the large form of the 0 point. It turned around towards them and its visors glistened.

" One minute left!"

" Oi... Does this mean..."

" It locked us on!" Sora quickly zoomed as far away as she could from the robot.

" Let go of me! I will slow you down!"

" No you're not! We're getting out of this together!"

The 0 point was still following after them, stretching its hand as to capture them. Sora was doing her best to keep a safe distance. This is bad! I'm nearing my limit!

She glanced down at the girl holding to her hand. It's not the right time to think about that! Be it whatever it be, I'm saving her! No matter how I'll-

" Time's up!"

Just when the giant hand almost, almost closed around them, the sound of a siren blared through the whole place. The huge robot stopped inches from them. Both girls dropped to the ground, tired and shaken. " We're saved."

In a few minutes, they were all talking about what they had done, how much points they gained and commenting on each other Quirks.

" Thanks for helping me out there. " The orange head smiled at Sora who scratched the back of her head nervously.

" It was nothing, really. And you saved me back then from the flying debris."

" But if you hadn't come I would have been caught up in there and probably got run over by the 0 point. Thank you again...uh?"

" Ah, Shirogane Sora."

" I see. I'm Kendo Itsuka."

" Kendo-san, thank you for today."

" Okay, good work!" They heard thudding approaching them. Looking back, an old lady leaning on what seemed like a large syringe. Her hair pulled up into a netted bun and secured with a smaller syringe. " Good work, good work! Have some gummies. You too."

" That's..."

" Recovery Girl, UA's nurse." Kendo elaborated. " She must have been roaming around all centers healing injured people. It must be tough for her."

" Why would they make such dangerous test in the first place."

" Here you too." Kendo snapped when Recovery Girl offered her some gummy bears. " And you too. You must be tired after that hard work. "

" Thanks." She said taking her gummies.

" Well, seems no one here is in need of a kiss. Thankfully. You all did well. You can all go home and get some rest then."

With that, their entrance exam has ended...

________________

" Yuu!" She waved at him as soon as he reached the main gate along with Whisper. She was waiting there with Yumei who, more or less, seemed displeased. " Then, how did you do? How much points you got? I had 17!"

" I... I had 12..." He looked down.

" Think we should wait for the results to come." Yumei shrugged.

" Even if, there were those who had above 30. I doubt Yuu has any chance. " He looked down at the boy. " That's why I told you, you should leave him be!"

" I... I couldn't..."

" Enough!" Sora piped in. " You know what? We're all tired and hungry. So let's go back home and rest well. We did our best after all, nothing to feel sorry about."

" She has a point." Muttered the ghost.

" Then let's go." Said Yumei as she walked ahead of them back to the station...

________________

" So? When the results are coming up?"

The purple head blinked as it was unusual for his parents to address him on the dining table. " ... In one week."

" And you really think UA will take someone like you? I bet you didn't do well in the entrance exam."

His mother's words made it hard for him to swallow the mouthful of rice he just had. " I don't know."

" Well, there is always still some other options. I can have my friends find you a part time job first." His father stated nonchalantly.

" I didn't give up..."

" Huh? What do you mean?"

" Thanks for the meal." He placed down the chopsticks and left behind a half full plate...

If I just... Left him...

________________

  "Run, run! The die has been cast, you know!"

By the time he snapped out of it, everyone had already advanced.

" What are you doing?" A voice called out as one of his three flames dropped down and enlarged. Soon he was riding a large white fox with nine tails that manifested out of the blue fire. " You will be left behind!"

(Kyubi)

The fox rushed at full speed, jumping overhead the rest of the examinees and taking down one of the robots under its weight. " Nice way to go Kyubi! Now we have 3 points!" Whisper cheered.

" Focus, Yuu. We need to work together." The fox reared her head at the boy. " You're my master, I can't do much without you."

Yuu nodded as he held on to Kyubi. " Everyone are trying to gather points hastily... But... We need to get ahead of them..."

" How?" Whisper closed in to him.

" We should focus on the 3 points." He pointed at a bunch of robot ahead of them. " If we take as much of them as we could..."

" I see... We can take the lead."

" Good thinking soldier!" Whisper slapped his back, almost knocking him out.

" Hold on tightly!" She rushed  ahead, taking another 3 points as she used it as a stepping stone. "Fox Tail Inferno!" Each of her tails had a blue fire at its end before she discharged them at the faux villain, earning another 3 points.

" Cool! We're taking the lead!" Whisper was shaking Yuu ecstatically.

" It's not... But, we can save our energy more this way... With Kyubi's speed, it should be easy..."

" We better hurry before the others embark in battle as well." She bounced from one wall to another in the search for their target. Whisper as well was whirling around in order to glimpse one.

" There! By the convenient store!" He pointed at a 3 points chasing after a girl. Kyubi nimbly changed her direction and dropped on it, smashing it under her weight.

" Way to go! Let's keep this spirit! To the next one!"

Kyubi quickly rushed away, jumping from one roof to another.

" Six minutes and two seconds left!"

" This quickly! Hurry up Kyubi! And Yuu too! Use your eyes more soldier!" The ghost was whirling Yuu's head around to look for more targets. However, what he saw was something else.

" Kyubi! Get back!" He yelled. Kyubi immediately backed just as what seemed like a huge ball of rubber zoomed  through where they were. The ball was bouncing around in between the buildings, gaining more speed and power.

Upon second look, Yuu could see it was no ball, but a human huddled on themselves like one. Whisper seemed to notice that too. "  What's that! Didn't this guy hear that it's prohibited to attack other examinees !" They could see that they were bumping robots and humans all along.

" Something must be wrong with them... Kyubi... Please get closer!"

Kyubi was slightly surprised by that. Whisper was enraged. " Listen! It's not time to worry about others now! If we don't hurry with gathering points we will be disqualified!"

" I have to agree with Whisper, Yuu."

Yuu pursed his lips as the ghost shouted. " If you lose your time here, you won't be able to get to UA! They must have some...extra plans to deal with things like this! Let's leave it to the UA team!"

Yuu truly didn't want to lose his time. Losing the chance to get into UA means losing everything. He didn't want to imagine the satisfied smirks on his parents' faces when he returns home defeated.

Meanwhile, the person rampaging down the street plunged into the glass windows, breaking them and bouncing off. Yuu's eyes widened when he spotted threads of red coming out of their body.

" And I will become a hero who can protect what he holds dear."

" Kyubi... Go after them..."

" Yuu!"

His lips quivered slightly. " If I can't act to help the one in front of me now... How can I ever... Protect those close to me."

" Nonsense! This is nonsense!" Whisper's translucent white face was shifting to red. " Are you sacrificing your own dream! This way you won't really be able to protect anything!"

" Even though..."

" What someone like you could do?"

" Please... Kyubi..."

Kyubi stayed silent, as if making sure of his resolve. " Your stamina will be over soon. Then I will dissipate. You won't be able to earn anymore points."

" It's fine... Just..."

A rumble was heard nearby, Whisper twisted his ghostly body so he could get a glimpse of what was happening. " 0 point ! 0 point is right behind us!"

Kyubi's head reared one more time, checking her master's expression before finally nodding. " Hold tight!"

She jumped from the roof top just as the 0 point grasped it for support. She dived down at a high speed and did a summersault midair to lend properly then sprinted down the route, catching up with the human bouncing ball.

" Yuu! At this speed I can't catch up!"   Trembling as he was, Yuu hunched over, his purple eyes shining brightly as he poured from his energy onto her. Kyubi's speed increased as she managed to follow the other examinee.

" Hey you!" The purple head shouted through the wind. " Slow down!"

" I can't!" By the voice it was pretty obvious the person was a boy. " Get away before you're hurt!"

" Less than two minutes left!"

Yuu had to duck his head as the other boy unintentionally bounced towards him. " Can't he turn off his quirk?" Whispered questioned.

" It seems his Quirk makes him as flexible as rubber." Kyubi explained. " If he shut it down at that speed, he will..."

She felt Yuu's grasp tighten on her fur. " Then... we have to stop him."

" It's impossible! With those random moves!" Whisper shouted, wondering if he was the only one being logical there. " And we're not out of the 0 point range yet! It could come for us!"

" All the more reason to help him."

" Yuu..."

" You can do it... Kyubi... With your speed..."

" One minute left!"

The white fox nodded.

" Then I will pour my very last onto you... Please save him..."

Feeling the energy surging through her, Kyubi's speed increased, she overtook the other boy and sprinted ahead of him. " I will!"

She skidded to a halt and bolted back, with her momentous increased speed and power, leaping on the rubber like boy, she managed to pin him down into the ground, causing a crack due to the force. If the boy's body wasn't rubber back then, it would have smashed under the force. " Did I overdo it?"

" Time's up!"

The sound of a siren lingered in the area. Kyubi sighed and looked down at the boy on the ground. It seems he was knocked out. By the look of it, his body was back to normal. He had few wounds from his rampaging but other than that, he was unharmed.

She looked back at the boy who passed out on her back, but still clenching tightly to her. " This is what you wanted, right, Yuu?"

Her body was becoming transparent by the second. Now that her master was out of stamina, she could no longer hold a physical form. Gently she lowered and laid him on the ground. " I will leave the rest for you Whisper."

The ghost nodded before she was completely gone...

_________________

Yuu shut the door of his room and slumped face down on his bed. He was still tired and beaten up from the test. Even Recovery Girl couldn't do much for him seeing his stamina was almost drained. " You're an idiot. You know."

Whisper's head phased through the ceiling, upside down with a deep scoul. An irritated air visible all around him. " I know..." Yuu sighed, burying his head in the pillow further. " If I just left him... I could have passed... But..." He closed his eyes. "... I don't regret it..."

And he drifted away to sleep...

Chapter Text

The week went by in the blink of an eye. During it, Sora was trying to drown her worries with her Karate lessons with her grandmother.

Yuu embarked on studying almost immediately while skimming through other possible hero courses.

News of Yumei however were as much as none. She didn't just avoid Yuu after the exam but also Sora. Even in school, she would reach the classroom a few moments before their teacher, leave it right away after the bell, and vanish into thin air during recess and lunch break. So any contact with her was almost impossible.

They weighed the few left days until their letters come home trying to avoid thinking about that very subject, albeit failing. All they could think about was how they would be refused due to their fail in the practical exam. Even the nearing of their graduation ceremony wasn't enough to take their minds from that.

That very day, Sora had just finished a training session with her grandmother and headed straight to the kitchen for a gulp of water. " You're getting better. I have nothing to teach you anymore." The older woman complemented her from the door way, wiping away her sweat.

" You're exaggerating." She opened her water bottle. " I still can't catch up with your moves."

" Well, that's experience. But I'm serious, I can no longer teach you anything new, Sora." She elaborated as she walked down the hallway and to the front door.

" Experience, huh? I need to get more experience myself, to become a hero..." Her eyes narrowed at that thought. Would she be able to become one though?

" Sora!" Her grandmother called from the front door. " Sora hurry up!"

Sora rushed down the hall, hitting her toe on the table leg but she didn't even bother about that. All she wanted was to reach her grandma as soon as possible.

Her heart was throbbing rapidly in her chest. She had a feeling... No, she was sure what it was. When she reached her, her grandmother whirled around, slightly stunned as she held a white envelope with UA's symbol embroidered on its red seal. " It's here."

She knew it. With a shaky hand, she received the envelope from the older woman. It was heavy and puffed. Standing there in the hallway and staring down at the symbole, two feelings where fighting over her, curiosity for what it was inside, and dread of the inevitable failing news she was getting.

A gentle hand was deposited on her shoulder, pulling her out of her trance. Her grandmother smiled at her gently. " You can read it in your room if you want."

Sora however shook her head. " You've helped me a lot grandma, you deserve to know what's inside as much as me."

They shifted to the living room. Sitting down to the table, Sora took in a shaky breath and unsealed the envelope with a shaking hand. What first came to sight was a circular device.

She flipped the letter on her hand, retrieving a paper and the small device. " That..." Her grandmother too didn't have the slightest idea what the device might be.

As soon as Sora set it on the table, it issued a dim light, one that revealed a rectangular projection. " So it's a projector."

" This is annoying, I don't get why we should film these videos every year. They should know I hate these kind of things." The man on the record didn't seem to realize it even started. He had messy long black hair that hung over his half closed tired eyes. The bottom of his face was hardly visible because of some kind of scarf he was wearing.

A hand appeared on the corner of the projection, miming something to the black haired man. " It already started? Well, there is no use hitting around the bush then. Let's cut to the chase. Shirogane Sora, although you barely passed the written exam, you scored 17 points on the practical one. Unfortunately that wasn't enough to pass."

The white head gulped and her fists tightened in frustrating. Her grandmother stroked her back for comfort.

" Or so you would think." She snapped up and stared and the video, bewilderment apparent on her face. The man scratched his cheek. " Well, I have to explain first. Your exam was not graded on villain points only."

" Eh?"

" It's not rational for a hero course to turn a blind eye on those who choose to do the right thing, saving others at any costs. That's exactly the foundation of this job. How can we ignora those with potential." Her eyes widened in expectancy. " Rescue points, points given by a panel of judges who were watching everything that was happening. Shirogane Sora, with 17 villain points and 45 rescue points, you're 7th in rank. Meaning you secured your place in UA. You passed."

Tears welled up in Sora's eyes. Her hand clapped around her mouth to hold back a gasp. Her grandmother hugged her tightly, all proud and happy that tears fled her eyes as well.

The man smiled widely, it was the first she had seen the bottom half of his face. " From now on, this is your hero academia."

And the record stopped. Sora sat there, gasping and wiping her tears. " I've done it... Grandma... I've done it..."

" Well done, Sora." She petted her head. " Now, you're on the start of becoming a hero. You should hold yourself together."

Sora looked back, eyes and nose red, but the smile wider than ever it was. " Yeah."

________________

Yuu was looking through the mail. A facture, a post card from his brother, another facture... His eyes landed on a certain puffed envelope. They widened and he promptly tossed the rest of the mail on the counter before tearing up the stairs and back to his room. He slammed the door shut behind him and leaned back on it, gaping his mouth at the letter.

" What's with the noise! I was trying to nap!" Whisper's head phased through the ceiling, his eyes half closed and all irritated at being awakened by the rushed footsteps and the door's slam.

" It's here... Whisper... The UA letter..."

At that, all traces of sleep flew off Whisper's eyes. " Really, open it up!" He flew next to the boy.

" Should I..." He gulped, as though he was holding a bomb set to explode any moment soon. " ... I mean... I know I've failed the practical exam..."

" Stop being all gloomy and open it up! I wanna see what's in there!" He pulled and squashed the boy's jaws, making him wince in pain.

" Alright... Alright..." He tore the envelope from one side and retrieved the contents. " A video projector?" His brow rose upward at the small machine. He sat by the desk and deposited it, to which it activated, projecting a video of Present Mic.

" Yo! Welcome, male listener! It's time we reveal your test results!"

" Present Mic?!"

" Ah, that loudly lunatic." Whisper was rather annoyed at the sight of the blond man.

"  Seijin  Yuu, I'm glad to inform you that you were one of the few who aced the written exam!"

" Eh! Me?!"

" You've always been the smart boy." Whisper shrugged.

" However, your performance in the practical exam wasn't that good! With 12 villain points, you could not make it to the bigger stage!" He wagged a finger at the camera.

" As I thought..." His eyes were casted down. What was I waiting for? I knew I was behind the rest.

" Yet, you did!"

" What!" Whisper's jaw literally dropped to the ground at that. If Yuu could do the same, he would have.

" UA is full of surprises, listener, even from this moment! Rescue points!" He said spreading his arms dramatically. " You've been given points on your heroic and selfless actions! Seijin Yuu, in addition to your 12 villain points, you've earned 52 rescue points, making you 6th in rank! You've passed!"

" You hear that! You hear that Yuu! You passed! You did it!" Whisper was beside himself, shaking the boy vigorously.

Giant droplets of tears fell upon Yuu's hands. He couldn't believe it. He made it, to his dream school. Memories of all the hard work he had done, of all the insults and disdain he received from his peers and family rushed before him, yet, he felt a strange satisfaction when he recalled all of it. To think his efforts would pay off, he was overflown with all kind of emotions. " I... I did my best..." He said wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

Whisper smiled proudly at him. " You did. And now all that hard work of yours is giving its fruit." He looked back at the projection.

" Now, this is the beginning of your own show! Welcome, to your hero academia!"

The boy sniffed, still moping his tears. " Thank you..."...

________________

" Yuu!" That afternoon, Sora passed by his house. " did you get it? Did you get it? How did you do?"

" Sora..." His eyes became moist and bursted in tears he had almost drowned her. " I did it... I got in..."

" I knew you would do it! Glad for you!"

" Shut those tabs!" Whisper wringed his neck, forcing him to stop crying before turning to the white head. " And then... What about Yumei..."

Sora fiddled around with her fingers.

________________

" You didn't get in!? But I thought you said you did well!"

She clenched her hand around the paper she had received earlier.

" I didn't see that coming... The rescue points... And the villain points I got weren't near enough..."

" It can't be... Yumei..."

" It's fine. I had prepared for the worst case scenario. I had the feeling that 34 villain points weren't enough after all." Her eyes glanced down at the application paper for  Shiketsu . " I will forge a new path for myself. You don't have to worry about me."

" But..."

A gentle smile manifested on her lips. " You're such a gentle and kind person, Sora. You deserve to shine on the highest stage. Do your best."

And she ended the call...

________________

Yuu's swing stopped as he glanced over at Sora. " So... That's what she said..."

Sora looked up as she continued to rock on hers. " She aced the written exam. Well, it's expected from the top of our class. But... Her Quirk wasn't any help for the practical test. She scored 34 points while depending on her own skills and the weapon she had brought with her. It was admirable yet, she didn't concern herself with anyone else, so her rescue points were 0. She couldn't pass."

Yuu looked down. Although he wasn't on the best of terms with her, but she did deserve to get in. She had worked hard too, he had seen it. She managed that hard mock battle only depending on her physical strength and judgment.

" For some reason... I feel I don't deserve it now..." He so much as fainted as soon as he saved the boy with the rubber Quirk.

" Don't say that!" Sora jumped off her swing. " It's frustrating that... Despite all what she had done, she didn't get in. But you too worked hard."

" And you chose to sacrifice all of that to save someone in need! You've earned that fair and square!"

" Whisper is right! Plus, I don't think Yumei would want to hear that!"

Yuu bit on his bottom lip. He had the feeling that he should work even harder than before, so he could really earn it.

" Yuu." He looked up at the white head standing in front of him. She extended a hand at him and smiled broadly. " Let's be heroes together, Yuu."

He took a moment before a smile was drawn on his face and nodded, taking her hand. Just like that day years ago.

________________

They both walked out the gem along with their class, clad in their uniforms, a flower clipped onto the right side of their chests and their diplomas in hand.

Sora's grandmother was among the rest of the parents, clapping and wiping a tear from her face. Seeing her, Sora waved happily. With her height among the rest of the students, she really seemed like a child.

Yuu on the other hand was craning his neck around, trying to glimpse even the shadow of his parents from in between the sea of students. However, they weren't there. They didn't bring themselves to come to his graduation ceremony.

Yumei watched over him from the back of the row. And when they disassembled, each talking with their families or their juniors, she approached him when he was all alone. " Congratulations on making it to UA."

That seemed to take him by surprise. He stuttered a 'thank you' and rubbed the back of his head, not knowing what else to do. Yumei solely sighed. " You should fix that confidence issue of yours. You've got into UA. You want to be of help to Sora. So you better start doing so."

Yuu's eyes wondered around as he tried to ask. " Ano... Hakuja-san..."

" She was my hero." Yumei stated, having figured out what he wanted to say. " Back in elementary, and because of my family situation, I was picked on, just because dad left us. Rumors spread among kids, that we had drove him to his limit and that forced him to leave. I was left all alone. At some point, I started believing those words as well. Until the day Sora approached me. She was the one who pulled me up. Despite being in different classes, she was spending her breaks with me. Even when I said I wanted to become a hero to support my mother, she never judged me, on the contrary, she encouraged me."

She looked up at Yuu. " I want her to be as she is. The hero who can help everyone. So, you better not hold her back."

Yuu's hands clenched around his diploma. " I won't."

She inspected him carefully. " So you know, I hate selfish people the most."

" I had enough. I want to live my own life freely."

Her dad's last words rang as clear as the school's bell in her ears. " You better support her." She bowed and left to find her mother.

Yuu looked after her as she walked away. " We're alike... Huh..."...

________________

" Yuu! Hurry up! We're gonna be late!" She called from the front gate of his house.

" Right there!" He looked back at the hall. " I'm off." Still, no response.

He walked out and met with the girl outside, both now wearing their UA uniforms. Yuu had Whisper wrapped around his shoulders in addition. " It really suits you!"

" You... You think so..." He scratched the back of his head.

She nodded with her eyes sparkling before she performed a twirl in front of him. " What do you think of mine?"

" You look gorgeous."

The smile on her face broadened. " Soldiers! You'll be late! Run!" They were cut by Whisper shouting at them, his head triple it's normal size.

" Crap! Let's hurry!" She grasped Yuu's wrist, tagging him as she ran to the station.

" Hold on! Sora!"

" Yuu!" She looked back at him and grinned from ear to ear. " This is our first step to becoming heroes!"

Yuu's eyes widened slightly before he finally smiling back and nodding. " Yeah."

Chapter Text

Sora gaped at the large door on which was painted '1-A'. That was their classroom door. " I didn't know UA's doors are that large!"

" Is it for accessibility purposes?" Yuu wondered.

Whisper sweat dropped. " This UA is just getting weirder."

" I'm excited to meet our new classmates! Aren't you?" Her hand rested on the handle. " Hope they're all nice."

" Wait... Sora..."

He was late. She pushed the door open and walked in. " Good morning everyone!"

Everyone turned back to her. Half the class was there already. Yuu's eyes met with a certain glasses wearing boy and he quickly stepped back into the hall. " We're in the same class as that boy..." He gulped, remembering the entrance exam day.

" What's wrong, Yuu?" Sora approached him, concerned.

" You two!" Yuu flinched as the blue haired male walked to them. " UA students should always arrive ten minutes early!"

" Ten minutes! I've never heard of such rule!" Whisper complained, still irritated with the other guy.

" Sorry, we kind of lost our way on the school ground. It's frankly huge." Sora scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

" I see. Well then, it couldn't be helped. I shall show you around if you still don't know your way." He said, waving his hands up and down in a robotic way.

" Really! Thanks!"

" We're classmates after all. We should help each other."

" Surprisingly he is a kind person." Whisper commented in bewilderment.

" I'm from Somei Private Academy, Iida Tenya."

" Hoo! Somei? That famous one! You must be smart!" Sora marveled.

" And rich." Whisper murmured.

" I'm Shirogane Sora from Musutafu Junior high. And this is my friend." She pointed back at Yuu trying to utter a word.

" I... I'm Seijin Yuu... From Musutafu Junior high too..." He tried avoiding eye contact with the male. Maybe he wouldn't recognize him. It was a fat chance given Whisper's existence.

" I'm sorry about the other day." Yuu blinked. He didn't expect an apology right then. " I may have misjudged you too."

Too?

" Hope we can work together for the rest of the year."

" We're in your hands there, Iida-ku-"

"Get away. You're blocking the door." Someone bumped their shoulder into hers on their way in. It was a blond boy with crimson eyes. From the split second glimpse she got of him, he seemed angry at something.

He walked to one of the seats and slumped down, crossing his legs on the table. " Wha... What are you doing!" Iida walked over at him in a rather robotic gait. " This is a disrespect!"

" He is really strict..." Yuu sweat dropped.

" But he seems kind and dependable. Glad to have him as a classmate." Sora smiled before she scanned the class. " Let's resume our seats as well." When she checked the blackboard, there was no seating chart. " Yay! We could pick what seats we want!"

She took the last seat on the left side, while Yuu sat behind a black haired girl who had her hair pulled up high in a ponytail. " Huh, was she there in the entrance exam? I don't recall seeing her?" Whisper asked.

" Maybe she got in through recommendation. 4 out of 44 students in UA are. The other 40 are chosen from the entrance exam." Yuu whispered back to him.

" 40! Geez, you're lucky you got in!"

They watched as the bicker between the blond boy and Iida continued on. It only stopped when the curly haired guy from the entrance exam, who was called Midoriya, walked in, making Iida turn to him. His appearance disturbed Sora and Yuu for a moment. They couldn't overlook the wrong feeling about him.

Sora considered seriously walking to him when a brunette girl joined him and Iida, and they could see her brandishing around her fist. " This place really attracts weirdos." Whisper grunted at the idea of passing a whole year there.

Sora's eyes went in the direction of the blond boy from earlier, he seemed even more irritated if that was possible.

Suddenly the noise at the door faded. At first glance, Sora thought she saw a giant yellow worm laid by the doorway. Upon second look, it was someone in a sleeping bag. Once they stepped out, she recognized the teacher on her recorded letter. " I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota. Nice to meet you."

How she could hear him was beyond her. His voice was so sleepy and weak to reach the end of the class, even for her super hearing. Everyone else seemed shocked to know he was their homeroom teacher, seeing how haggard he looked.

" It's kind of sudden, but put this on and go out onto the field." He said taking out a track suit from his sleeping bag. Does he keep ones for the whole class in there?!

The rest of the class blinked in utter surprise...

________________

" A Quirk assessment test?!" They questioned upon reaching the ground.

" What about the entrance ceremony? The orientation?" The brunette asked.

" If you're going to become a hero, you don't have time for such leisurely events." Aizawa murmured, not bothering to look at them. " UA's selling point is how unrestricted its school traditions are. That's also how the teachers run their classes."

Sora gulped, she could feel a dangerous aura around him. He was up to something. She could tell. Everyone, uneasy as they were, listened on to him. " You kids have been doing these since junior high, too, right? Physical fitness tests where you weren't allowed to use your Quirks."

Yuu's face went blue. " Fitness... Tests..."

" You weren't good with them since elementary, right." Whisper shook his head with a defeated sigh.

" The country still uses averages taken from results from students not using their Quirks. It's not rational. Well, the Ministry of Education is procrastinating. " Aizawa elaborated. " Bakugo, you finished at the top of the practical exam, right?"

The blond snapped at being addressed all of a sudden. " In Junior high, what was your best result for the softball throw?"

"67 meters."

" Then, try doing it with your Quirk." He threw a ball with blue lining to him. The blond took his spot. " You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle. Hurry up. Give it all you've got."

Bakugo stretched his arm. " Then, well..." He took his stance and threw the ball high with a fierce explosion. " Die!"

Sora's eyes widened in awe while Yuu took several steps backwards. " Know your own maximum first. That's the most rational way to form the foundation of a hero." He said holding his smartphone to show them Bakugo's record. It was 705.2 meters. It earned excited gasps and murmurs from the rest of the class.

"705 meters? Seriously?"

" What's this? It looks fun!"

" We can use our Quirks as much as we want! As expected from the hero course!"

" It definitely isn't..." Yuu wasn't fond of the whole thing.

Whisper stretched his arms. " Well, seems my role has come."

" This is even a worse idea!"

" 'It looks fun', huh?" Something about the air around their teacher changed. " You have three years to become a hero. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time?"

He had a rather mischievous smirk. " All right. Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential and will be punished with expulsion."

" Huh?!"

Yuu's face went starch white in color. Whisper smiled widely as he kept jabbing at the purple head. " You'll need my help."

" We're free to do what we want about the circumstances of our students." He held up his hair so his dark eyes were much visible. " Welcome to UA's hero course."

" Last will be expelled! But it's the first day of school!" The brunette haired girl tried to resonate with him. " No, even if it wasn't the first day of school, this is too unfair!"

" Natural disasters, big accidents, and selfish villains. Calamities whose time or place can't be predicted. Japan is covered with unfairness." Hearing those words, Sora's hands clenched. Memories of the past came to life in the back of her mind.

" But how!? All of a sudden? Wasn't there anything you could do? Can't you do anything now?!"

She had known of the unfairness of the world. Of that unpredictable threat.

" Heroes are the ones who reverse those situations. If you wanted to go to talk with your friends at Mickey D's after school, too bad. For the next three years, UA will do all it can to give you one hardship after another. Go beyond. Plus Ultra. Overcome it with all you've got." He waved his finger at them as if inviting them to impress him.

Sora's eyes narrowed in determination while Yuu gulped. However, he wasn't giving up on UA. Not now.

Everyone had surely made their unwavering resolve clear. " All right, demonstration is over. The real thing starts now."...

________________

Test 1

50 meter dash

" Cool! This is one of my specialities!" Whisper was whirling around his arm as if warming up. Sora was watching the rest as they raced. So far, all of their quirks seemed amazing. Especially Iida's. " You're fast! 3.04 is an amazing record!"

" Well, that was quite an easy test for me. I need harder obstacles! Plus Ultra!"

" Why is he that hyped?" Whisper wondered.

A few of their classmates underwent the test before Midoriya stepped up." Look, it's Midoriya-kun's turn." Everyone looked back at him.

" His opponent..." Sora looked at the blond by his side. Still irritated.

" That delinquent." Said whisper.

" Can't disagree." Iida sighed.

Midoriya seemed worried. When the signal sounded, Bakugo was already ahead of the other male. Midoriya seemed to struggle till he reached the finish line. " He isn't using his Quirk?"

Iida narrowed his eyes. " It seems he can't."

Sora and Yuu blinked at him but their attention was drawn by Aizawa. " Shirogane, Seijin, your turn."

Sora and Yuu took their places on the support. Whisper grinned broadly while wringing his arms. " It's been years since I took over you."

" Please... Don't go overboard..." Yuu begged.

" Shut up soldier!" He forced Yuu's mouth open and slipped through it. In less than a second, the atmosphere around Yuu changed. He looked up with a wide smirk, no more looking tense." Being able to feel again is good!"

" Ho! So you're getting serious! I should as well!" Her large white wings shot out of her back.

" This is their Quirks..." Iida inspected them carefully.

" Wings and... What's that with the boy?" The brunette, now known as Uraraka, inclined her head.

" We should know once they're finished."

" On your mark. Get set." And there was the signal. It was a split second, all that was left behind was dust as both bolted forward.

"5.07"

"5.15"

Were their records. " Tsk! Couldn't beat you today either!" Yuu looked back at his friend as she landed.

" It was a close call though." Sora comforted him.

Shirogane Sora. Quirk: Angel! What's that you say? She has superior strength, speed and stamina to humans. And as you saw, she can grow wings.

Seijin  Yuu. Quirk: Spiritual Link! He can see and interact with all spiritual forms.  Yokais , ghosts, souls... In addition, he can share his energy with them and vise versa. But if he gives too much he will faint.

" Both of you, well done!" Iida and Uraraka approached them. " Your Quirks are quite amazing too!"

" You think so?" Sora blushed while rubbing the back of her head.

" Well, of course!" Yuu smirked confidently and pointed at himself. " You have no chance against me!"

" Seijin... Kun? Is that really him?" Iida quirked his eyebrow at Sora.

" Ah... Don't mind the sudden change. It gets like that when he absorbs a spirit's energy."

"So... That from earlier... Was really a ghost?" Uraraka seemed uneasy.

" Don't you worry. Whisper is a kind ghost."

" Is not!"

" He is as docile as a kitty."

" Is not!!"

" Frankly, it seems like Seijin-kun became Whisper-kun himself?" Iida tapped his chin.

" Yuu shares his energy with spirits and vise versa. However, spirits themselves are energy. So when he absorbs their energy, he kind of absorbs their whole personalities as well. Yuu likes to call it 'take over'."

" You better get used to it because I will be like this for the rest of the day!"

" The whole day!"

" This Yuu is better! I should let Whisper take over for the rest of my life!"

Sora gave him a chop on the forehead. " No good. He will run out of energy sooner or later."

" You both are pretty close I see." Said Uraraka.

" Yeah, we're childhood friends. I've spent time with these guys probably more than my family." She said throwing a hand around Yuu's shoulders, who seemed annoyed at how close she was.

" I'm glad you've got time to chit chat." They jolted when Aizawa spoke from behind them. " It's time for the second test."

" Bring it on! I'm gonna ace it!"

" This Seijin-kun is really energetic! I'm not losing!" Iida retorted.

________________

Test 2

Grip strength

It was by far easier than expected. Sora's result was 97kg.

" What!" Uraraka peeked down at her device. " Shirogane-san, you're strong! Mine is only 26 kg!"

" Well, my Quirk is Angel. So I'm slightly stronger than the average person. Still, I can't be compared to Shoji-kun." She pointed at a white haired bulky boy with three pairs of arms. True for that, his result was 540 kg.

" Damn it! Above me again!" Yuu was frustrated.

" What's yours?" Asked Iida. Yuu held up his device which showed 90 kg.

" 90 kilograms! You!" A boy with blond hair that had a black streak like thunder approached them. His device was sending sparks around itself, something that made Sora think he kind of used electricity to fool it.

" How can someone like you get that much!" Another short boy with purple balls for hair pointed an accusing finger at him. Why he was pissed was beyond Sora.

" Whisper used to be athletic back in his life. And he even became stronger after years of sharing our energy through Spiritual Link. So it's only natural for me to get his strength when he takes over." Elaborated the purple head.

" This is frustrating!" Iida was quivering as he bit on his lip. His device showed a total of 72 kg. " Midoriya-kun, what about you?"

Midoriya sweated. " 56 kg..."

An average result. Sora thought. Why isn't he using his Quirk?

_______________

Test 5

Ball throw

The past two tests were quite easy for them. Iida managed to top the standing long jump. While the short boy named Mineta pulled an extraordinary show of the repeated side steps. Sora, Yuu and Uraraka did well so far.

Sora was more interested in knowing the rest of her classmates and their Quirks. Yuu was still frustrated that he couldn't beat Sora or get at least one amazing result like the rest of them.

And when it was time for the ball throw, Uraraka sent the class into a trance when she had infinity.

" Infinity?!"

" That's amazing! She got ' infinity'!" Kaminari was dumbfounded. Sora's attention shifted to Midoriya by his side. He looked dreadful, and the atmosphere around him all dark and gloomy.

What's wrong with him?

She wanted to talk to him but Aizawa's voice caught her before she moved a muscle. " Shirogane."

" Ah, hai!"

She walked to the circle, ball in hand. Taking in a deep breath, she threw it as high as she could. After a moment of soaring through the air, it landed 200 meters from her. Her second throw was 203 meters.

" Next, Seijin."

Yuu whirled his arm for a moment before throwing the ball, his records were 198 and 197 meters.

"Why can't I catch up with you!" The purple head's eyebrows furrowed. " I need to train more! I can't let myself behind you!"

" If you ever remember to do so." Sora waved with a laugh.

" Eh? What do you mean?" Uraraka asked.

" After a take over, Yuu's memories of that period become confused the longer it takes. " Sora explained, giggling slightly at the boy fuming. " By the time Whisper comes out he will probably have forgotten half of today."

" Huh, so he really can't stay long like this. Though he gets stronger." She noted.

" I kind of prefer the natural Yuu though. I'm used to the personality swing but still, can't wait for him to go back to normal. So I think it's good that way." Sora smiled. " After all, that's who he really is."

" Enough talking about me!" He pointed back at the white circle where Iida was standing. " It's Iida-san's turn."

The blunette had decided on kicking the ball instead of throwing it. Using the power of his engine, he managed to send it further than 400 meters in both tries.

" I don't feel satisfied at all." Iida shook his head as he walked to them.

" No one would ever after Uraraka-san!" Yuu jabbed his thumb at the brunette behind him, to which she blushed and gave a nervous smile.

" Next, Midoriya."

The green head walked to the center of the circle with shaky paces. He's definitely mortified.

He stared down at the ball in his palm and his face contorted. " It doesn't look good for Midoriya-kun if he continues like this." Stated Iida most concerned. Of course he would, by far, Midoriya was almost the last at every single test.

"Huh? Of course not. He's a Quirkless small fry, you know." Bakugo pointed. However, it surprised Iida.

" Quirkless?! Are you not aware of what he did in the entrance exam?"

" Huh?"

Sora's eyes shifted between Aizawa and Midoriya. From his aura, the girl could tell that their teacher was all interested in the boy. Could it be... " Iida-kun. You said Midoriya-kun can't use his Quirk. Why?"

Iida looked back at her. " Ah. I've just seen it once but, after he used it, his body was badly hurt."

" Sora, you don't think..."

The white head nodded. " Mostly this whole test thing..." She stared at Midoriya, and her eyes widened when his aura enlarged and swelled. Don't! That's exactly what Aizawa-sensei wants!

He threw the ball with the intention of using all he had. Yet, and much to the class' confusion, Midoriya's ball settled a few meters from him.

" 46 meters."

Green eyes widened, both in shock and dread. " I was definitely trying to use it just now..."

" I erased your Quirk." Their attention was shifted to the teacher. The bindings he had around his neck floated around him, revealing a pair of yellow goggles. His hair stood up and his eyes glowed bright red. " That entrance exam was definitely not rational enough. Even a kid like you was accepted."

"S... Scary..." Even Yuu, who was affected by Whisper's personality, thought so.

" Erasing a Quirk? Hold on! Don't tell me he..." Midoriya beat her to it.

" You can erase other people's Quirks with your Quirk just by looking at them. The Erasure Hero: Eraser Head!"

" Eraser? I don't know him."

" I've heard of him. He's an underground hero."

" Woah! It's really him!" Sora exclaimed enthusiastically, ignoring the tension in the air. " To think he is our teacher!"

" I heard he doesn't like media so he isn't well known." Yuu voiced, studying the man carefully.

" From what I can tell, you can't control your Quirk, can you?" He was annoyed. That much was visible." Do you intend to become incapacitated again and have someone save you?"

"Th-That's not my intention-"

Aizawa's bindings bundled the boy and dragged him closer. " Whatever your intention, I'm saying that's what those around you will be forced to do."

Midoriya shuddered under the weight of those words. " In the past, there was an oppressively passionate hero who saved over a thousand people by himself and created a legend. Even if you have the same reckless valor, you'll just be decked and turn into a useless doll after saving one person."

The harsh truth transfixed him like an arrow. " Midoriya Izuku. With your power, you can't become a hero."

Yuu pursed his lips upon hearing that very familiar line. Midoriya gulped as he stared back at the teacher.

In a moment, his hair and bindings loosened down. " I've returned your Quirk. You have two turns for the ball throw. Hurry up and get it over with." He walked away.

" That... Was harsh." Her eyes softened at the boy as he was mumbling to himself.

" It looks like he received some advice." Iida thought.

" Probably just telling him he's expelled." Bakugo said nonchalantly.

Yuu squinted. It was just he and Sora who could clearly hear most of their conversation because of their Quirks.

" Are you worried about him?" The blond standing by Uraraka and Sora abruptly turned to them. " I'm... Not at all."

He placed a hand on Uraraka's shoulder who seemed confused. " Who are you?"

" Oh, Aoyama-kun, right?" Sora pointed at him. " You couldn't do much in this test too because of your Quirk."

" C'est rude!"

" Look!" Uraraka pulled their attention to Midoriya as he was about to throw. Sora saw his aura enlarged and swirling again. But this time, it was different. It was mostly concentrated on his pointer finger.

" Smash!" The ball soared up in the sky with an eruption of gale and soon was out of sight.

" Awesome!"

" Sensei..." Midoriya turned to their teacher, biting on his bottom lip and clenching the hand with the injured finger. " I can... Still move!"

" He's a persistent person..." Yuu's eyes were fixed on the pained expression on Midoriya's face. But still, he didn't waver. " ... Cool..."

" He got over 700 meters?!"

" Finally, a hero-like record!" Sora took a step back when Uraraka threw her hands up ecstatically to avoid being hit.

" His finger's swollen!" Iida noted. " The entrance exam as well... He has a strange Quirk."

" He is not used to it." Yuu concluded.

" It's not very stylish." Everyone ignored Aoyama's remark.

Bakugo's face was, interesting not to say the least. They were all taken by his explosions as he rushed over to Midoriya. " Hey! Tell me what's going on, Deku, you bastard!"

Thankfully, he was restrained by their teacher. " Was that a way to ask someone to tell you something?" Sora sweat dropped.

" It was more like trying to murder him." Yuu gulped.

" What the-? These cloths are hard..!" Bakugo grappled against Aizawa's bindings but to no avail.

" They're weapons for capture made of carbon fiber woven together with metal wire made of a special alloy." Aizawa elaborated. " Jeez... Don't keep making me use my Quirk over and over." They all felt intimidated as they watched the struggle. " I have dry eyes."

" With his amazing Quirk, it's a waste!"

" We're wasting time. Whoever next, get ready." He let go of Bakugo and walked away. Midoriya gingerly sidled around the other boy who stood still as if wedged in the ground.

" Is your finger all right?" Uraraka asked once he walked to them.

" Oh, yeah."

" What was wrong with Bakugo-kun?" Sora asked.

" Uh, don't worry... That's how Kacchan is." He retorted.

" Kacchan?" Yuu blinked.

" We're childhood friends so... I've been calling him like that since I can remember..."

" Huh? So close and yet he acts like that towards you. Strange." Sora cocked her head to the side while Midoriya merely laughed it off. Unaware of the dark glares from a certain blond...

________________

They finished the last three tests. Yuu and Sora were pretty satisfied with their results. Midoriya on the other hand struggled with his injured finger on all three tests.

" Are you sure you're alright?" Sora approached him after the long distance run was over as he slumped down on the ground, offering him her hand.

" Yeah... Don't worry..." She pulled him on his feet and he hunched over himself, trying to catch his breath. Iida offered him his bottle of water.

" You need some refreshment. And you should check on that finger of yours soon."

" Thanks, Iida-kun." He said accepting the water bottle gratefully.

" Gather around." Aizawa called them. Everyone huddled around him. " Okay, I'll quickly tell you the results. The total is simply the marks you got from each test." He held out his smartphone. " It's a waste of time to explain verbally, so I'll show you the results all at once."

" So the person with the lowest total score is expelled. Well, it's not my problem to worry about."

"You're still there, Whisper?" Sora sweat dropped at Yuu's over confident smirk.

A hologram screen popped in front of them, with their names and rank. " I'm 16th!" Cheered Sora.

" Why am I 18th?" Yuu was beyond himself, making Sora laugh awkwardly. His eyes then squinted. " Number 22 is..."

Sora's eyes went to the bottom right corner of the screen. " Midoriya...Kun..."

" By the way, I was lying about the expulsion." Aizawa said abruptly as the screen vanished into thin air. Everyone there was thunderstruck hearing that.

" It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your Quirks." He smirked widely.

" What?!" Midoriya out of everyone was the most shocked seeing how he became more like a white ghost at that very moment.

" Of course that was a lie. It should've been obvious if you just thought it through." Yaoyorozu stated as though it was as clear as the day's sun.

" You know what would be rational! Me ridding UA of you!" Sora held Yuu's collar from the back to restrain him.

"This is something Whisper would definitely have said! Get out Whisper! You've affected him this far!" The white ghost slipped out through Yuu's mouth while the boy stood dumbfounded, trying to figure his surroundings.

" Tsk! I would have liked to strangle him! What was the meaning of what I've done!"

" Calm down, Whisper." Sora tried her best to soothe the spirit.

" That was a little nerve-wracking, huh?" Sero asked the rest.

" I'll take up the challenge anytime!" Announced Kirishima defiantly.

" With that, we're done here." Aizawa told them. " There are handouts with the curriculum and such in the classroom so when you get back, look over them."

Midoriya sighed tiredly, yet snapped up when he was called. " Midoriya, have the old lady fix you in the nurse's office." Aizawa handed him a paper.

" Tomorrow will be packed with even more rigorous tests. Prepare yourself." And he left.

" Don't they think of UA's reputation when they make a fib like that." Iida seemed most disappointed but everyone else was giggling at him.

The white head looked up at the sky. " UA, huh? If the first was like this, then I'm looking forward to the rest of the year!" She pumped her fist up excitedly.

Yuu whirled his head around like a lost child. " What happened?"...

Chapter Text

After retrieving the handouts and... Having to coax Iida not to count them when he insisted on organizing their seats in the alphabetic order, Sora and Yuu heaved a tired breath when they were let out of the school. " First day, and I'm already tired." Sora stretched when they went out. Yuu glimpsed Iida and Midoriya talking a few feet away and went over to them.

" I'm really sorry for the bother." He bowed in front of them, apologizing most sincerely.

" Seijin-kun, rise your head! What are you apologizing for!" Iida waved his hand in a chopping motion as he spoke.

" It's just, whenever Whisper takes over, he ends up going overboard... I may have said or, done some, inappropriate things... Anyway I'm sorry for the inconvenience I may have caused."

Whisper on the other had was pouting while crossing his arms, showing no sign of remorse whatsoever. He still didn't overcome the fact that Aizawa lied to them. And seeing Yuu apologizing back then didn't make his mood better. " I didn't do anything wrong! Plus, you seemed to have so much fun!"

" It's fine Seijin-kun. You didn't do anything inappropriate, so you don't have to worry about it." Midoriya assured him with a smile. His finger was bandaged after he went to the nurse office.

" I told you nothing happened. And Whisper enjoyed himself too." Sora smiled as she patted the boy's back.

" Hey! Guys!" Everyone turned around and saw Uraraka running towards them. " Going to the station? Wait for me!"

" Uraraka-san?"

" You're the infinity girl." Iida called.

" Iida-kun, you still didn't get her name!?" Sora was surprised.

" Even though you're the one who insisted on the seating order?" Whisper pointed.

" I'm Uraraka Ochaco. You're Shirogane Sora-san, Seijin Yuu-kun." She shifted her look around them as she spoke." Um, you're Iida Tenya-kun and... You're Midoriya Deku-kun, right?"

" 'Deku'?!" Midoriya was taken in.

" Huh? Isn't it your name?" Sora blinked.

" During the fitness test, the boy named Bakugo said that right?" Uraraka asked.

" I... Thought so too." Yuu added.

" Uh... My real name is Izuku, but D-Deku is what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me..." Midoriya tried to explain the best he could.

" An insult?" Iida thought out loud.

" Are you really close in the first place?" Whisper snorted.

" Oh, is that so! Sorry!" Uraraka rubbed her head regretfully. " But 'Deku' sounds like the Japanese word for ' you can do it!' so I kinda like it."

" I'm Deku!" Midoriya shouted out, his face red and sweaty.

" Midoriya-kun?" Iida was stunned. " You're accepting it too easily! Wasn't that an insult?"

" It's like a Copernican Revolution..." Midoriya murmured covering his reddened face with his hands but the red color still shone through.

" 'Co-pe'?" Sora and Uraraka inclined their heads in confusion.

" This school is a magnet for weirdos." Whisper mumbled.

They walked down the street back to the station, talking about today's tests, what they expect from UA in the future, and even about their quirks.

" If I touch anything I can render it weightless, even myself." Uraraka went first. " But if I overdo it I get nauseous and end up throwing up some sparkly stuff."

" Cool! And the blisters on your fingers! Are they from you quirk too?!" Sora asked.

" You saw them. Yeah, I was born with them." Uraraka opened her palm as to show them. " It's the same as your holy ring, right Shirogane-san? Tell us more about your quirk."

" Sora is fine." Sora smiled then placed a finger on her jaw while thinking. " You've seen the strength, speed and wings. That leaves the enhanced senses and  the aura. I can see people's auras."

" Aura?" Midoriya brought out a notebook and a pen and was scribing while listening. " What do you mean by 'aura'?"

" I call them auras but... They're humans' conscious." Sora explained. " Your mind decides on everything you do a few moments before you actually do them. I can see that decision."

" Eh! How?" Iida was interested as well, that was visible from his vigorous hand moves.

" What I see is a colored energy like coat engulfing the person. When for example they decide on punching, the energy thrusts forward in the direction they want to punch in before their body do, so I can predict their moves. Also I can tell if they were up to something good or bad and to a certain point see their feelings."

" Amazing, so in one-on-one battles, that gives you an advantage." Midoriya blinked. " what about multiple opponents?"

" You got me there." Sora pointed at him. " Because what I see is this swirling energy coat, it gets confusing when there are multiple people. Not to mention, it can't help for sneaking attacks."

" Only for head on fights, I get." Midoriya wrote down.

" You're serious about gathering information aren't you?" Whisper inspected the almost filled notebook. " Then, earnest-kun-"

" Whisper!"

" Tell us about yours."

Iida pushed up his glasses. " As you saw in the tests, my quirk allows me to run fast and increase power through the engine in my legs."

" Your moves, both during the entrance exams and the tests, were amazing, Iida-kun. You know how to use your engine to its full potential." Midoriya stated.

" But I have to be careful not to abuse it so much." Iida thought. "Moreover, I'm more concerned about your quirk."

Midoriya blinked. " Mine?"

" It seems to be some kind of super strength, but... Back during the entrance exam and today, it backfired at you. This is worrying."

" Uh..." Midoriya sweated. " I had it for a short time now, so I'm not used to it."

" A short time?" Sora's brow shot upwards. " Shouldn't quirks manifest around 4 or 5?"

" Not necessarily..." Yuu answered. " It's rare but, there were late bloomers recorded in the past... It's not a strange thing..."

" And during my time there was those who thought they were Quirkless as well but turned up to have quirks hard to be noticed." Whisper piped in.

" So it's a rare thing." Uraraka thought.

" Anyway, that leaves Seijin-kun." Midoriya looked over at him. Yuu didn't seem much excited at the idea of talking about his Quirk. His eyes went down to the ground, no one ever heard of his Quirk and neither pitied him or felt scared of him.

" My quirk as I said... allows me to interact with spirits... Basically I can see and hear what other humans can't." He said reluctantly.

" Ghosts and spirits, right?" Uraraka tilted her head and the boy nodded.

" Even the souls of living people within their bodies..." He wrought his hands together, waiting for any reaction from them. When none came, he continued. " Half my quirk initially originated from dad's enhanced senses. However, mine is too enhanced." He rose his head up slightly so he can explain further. " Humans can merely see from red to purple in the spectrum colors. I can see beyond that. It's the same for sound waves. That's the logic behind people being unable to see spirits in the first place."

" I didn't know about that." Midoriya seemed astonished.

" I thought they were mere myth." Iida pointed.

" Well, certainly I'm not!" Whisper objected.

" So... How comes we can see Whisper?" Uraraka asked.

" It's a long story.  First of all let me explain a bit about spirits." Whisper snatched Iida's glasses and took out a cane from nowhere, waving it around as he cleared he throat. " Spirits are not tangible, that much is clear, else you would have bumped into them all the time. However, some powerful spirits can manifest a physical form, but that requires much energy. Usually to get stronger, spirits resort to feed on humans' energy, the easiest way is through their emotions. The strongest and easiest emotion to produce so far is fear. That's why spirits mostly resort to terrifying humans to feed on their fear and gain strength."

" Thanks for the lesson..." Yuu snatched the glasses from Whisper and gave them back to Iida. " Here comes the other half of my quirk, originated from my mother. She can share her stamina or  energy with people and vise versa. I can do the same with spirits. When I give them from my energy, they can maintain a physical form. And the more I give them, the stronger they get. That's how Whisper is here. But he sometimes switches to using his own energy when I pass out after overusing mine. The other way around is like how Whisper took over today. But that also have a limited time. I can't consume a spirit's energy fully or they will vanish. And if they take over for too long I gradually lose my conscious of myself, becoming more like them."

" I see. Which means you basically call spirits to fight for you, right?" Midoriya asked and Yuu looked away.

" It's not easy."

All of them, except Sora, blinked. " Spirits have their own lives too, in a way. It's not easy to ask them to risk all to fight for me." He looked back at them. " So far, I managed to make contracts with only three spirits aside Whisper. In exchange for offering my energy they will help me out in battle. Still, I have to be considerate of their situation as well. It's possible that they would leave in the middle of a fight or... Not show up at all."

His hands clenched around the hinges of his backpack." I know... It's a rather inconvenient Quirk for a hero... And it's kinda weird... To be able to see what others don't even believe in..."

" Seijin-kun..." Midoriya thought about it for a second and shut his notebook. " I don't think so." He smiled back at the other boy. Taking him by surprise.

" Your Quirk is amazing. It's build on trust and team work. It may have many drawbacks but, no Quirk doesn't. You have a greater chance of overcoming that by working together with your spirits."

Yuu's eyes widened at Midoriya's words. " I think your Quirk is cool too." Added Uraraka. " To be fair I've always feared ghosts and all... But meeting you today made me wanna know more."

" Your Quirk broadened my limited sight." Iida stated earnestly. " To always think that your kind didn't exist, I'm most sorry, Whisper-kun."

" Uh... Um, as long as you know now that's fine." Whisper shrugged and looked away. His eyes then fell on a nearby clock and they widened. " Crap! We're gonna miss the train! Soldiers! Hurry up!"

" Sir! Yes sir!" Sora and Yuu saluted.

" Soldiers...?" The other three blinked.

" What are you standing there for! You three as well! The soldier who get there late will have to clean the dishes tonight!" His head got cartoonishly big as he yelled at them.

" But-"

" No buts! Start running for your lives soldiers!"

" You better listen to him. He won't take no for an answer like this." Sora whispered as they hurried down the street.

" Where's your answers! Soldiers!"

" Sir! Yes sir!" All five of them shouted...

________________

The next day started off as any normal school day. They had regular required classes in the morning. The English class was given by Present Mic. Needless to say, nothing of his attempts to fire them up worked. The whole class were in a trance, mostly thinking that was ' so normal' for a hero course.

At lunch break, Sora and Yuu joined Iida, Uraraka and Midoriya in the cafeteria for lunch. It was served by the Cook Hero: Lunch Rush who held a thumb up at them when they got their meals. " White rice is great comfort food, isn't it?"

" Yeah." Uraraka nodded, reveling in her meal. Midoriya was marveling over the hero while Iida sat stunned. Sora dug in her food while Yuu was receiving a glass from Whisper after chocking on his.

And then in the afternoon, they were up for a surprise. It was Hero Basic Training, and Thier tutor was.

" I am... Coming through the door like a normal person!" Everyone's eyes went wind at the man who entered their class and the place was filled with gasps of astonishment. It was none other than the number one hero, All Might.

" It's All Might!"

" Wow, he really is  a teacher!"

" That's a costume form the Silver Age, isn't it?"

" Its style is so different, it's giving me goose bumps."

" I've heard the rumors." Sora mumbled, her lips pulling to a smile. " But to think it's true!"

" Number one... Hero..." Yuu thought of what kind of classes he will conduct.

All Might strolled proudly to his desk and faced them. " I teach Hero Basic Training. It is a subject where you train in different ways to learn the basics of being a hero." Uraraka in front of Sora was nodding excitedly. " You'll take the most units of this subject!"

All Might started flexing his muscles. " Let's get right into it! This is what we'll do today-" He held up a card with the world battle on it. " Combat training!"

" Combat..." Bakugo was ecstatic, as if his birthday had come.

"... Training." Midoriya was apprehensive of his friend's excitement.

" Battle..." Yuu gulped. " I didn't expect it right from the second day..."

" We're hero course. What do you think?" Yaoyorozu looked back at him.

" And to go with that are these!" He pointed at the wall as four hidden shelves slid out to view, each containing suitcases labeled from 1 to 22. " Costumes made based on your Quirk registrations and requests you sent in before school started." There was a loud cheering from the class.

" It's finally here!" Sora pumped her fist.

" Can't wait to see mine!" Uraraka told her.

" After you change, gather in Ground Beta!" With that, they stood in line to get their costumes...

________________

All Might was standing in front of the exit, waiting for them. A moment later, there was the sound of foot steps as class 1-A stepped out of the shadow of the tunnel and into the light, all clad in their hero costumes.

" They say the clothes make the man, young men and ladies." All Might stated proudly as the sun rays illuminated them. " Be fully aware, from now on, you're heroes!"

He smiled at them. " That's great everyone, you look cool! Now, shall we begin, you zygotes?"

" Ochaco-chan! Your custom is cute!"

Uraraka rubbed the back of her head with a blush. " It's embarrassing though. Sora-chan... Yours..."

She was merely wearing what seemed like an overalls coming straight out of a greek mythology, sleeveless with loose shorts. A golden belt around her waist to which she fastened two pouches. She had a plant themed bracelet around her right wrist. " Not much, I know. I favor mobility over all, especially when flying. Iida-kun's costume though..." She knocked on his chest pallet. " Iida-kun, you're there right? You seem much like a robot, you know."

" This will help me when dashing at full speed." Then he looked back at the only person left. Yuu stood there, covering his face with the hood of his blue cloak. " Seijin-kun..."

He was wearing a simple red shirt with its sleeves puffed around the shoulders and golden rings around the biceps, beige pants and black boots reaching his calf, and finally the dark blue long cloak. Three blue fires were floating around him, emitting an eerie glow. Whisper as usual by his side. " I don't need much, considering my Quirk..." He peeked from under his hood.

" Are those, the spirits you mentioned?" Iida pointed at the flames dancing in the air, recalling them from the entrance exam.

" Right... If they manifest in their full form it will take a toll on me. So they stand by in the fire form. It doesn't consume much energy."

" You look cool! It makes your costume stand out more!" Uraraka clapped.

" Even though the costume itself is simple! The fire makes it interesting! It's a good personal touch!" Elaborated Iida.

" R... Really?"

Sora smiled as she watched over them. Glad he is able to fit in. She then checked on the rest of the class. " Where's Midoriya ?"

No sooner than the words left her mouth that the boy came running, clad in a green jumping suit. " Deku-kun!" Uraraka smiled at him as he caught up.

" Uraraka-san!"

" That looks cool! Really down to earth." He was flattered, and even through his mask, the redness of his face was visible. " I should've written what I wanted. Mine ended up being a skintight bodysuit. It's embarrassing..."

" The hero course is the best." Mineta held up his thumb.

" What's with those weirdos." Whisper wanted to bang his head against a wall.

Sora however, was concerned when she saw All Might shaking and trying to stifle a laugh after one glance at Midoriya's costume. Even she could see the resemblance. Seems he is an All Might fan, huh?

" Now, it's time for combat training!" The number one hero announced.

" Sir!" Iida rose his hand. " This is a battle center from the entrance exam, so will we be conducting urban battles again?"

" No, we're going to move ahead two steps!" He thrusted two fingers up. " Most of the time, fighting villains takes place outside, but if you look at the total numbers, atrocious villains appear indoors at a higher rate. Imprisonment, house arrest, backroom deals... In this society filled with heroes-" He coughed. " True intelligent villains hide in the shadows! For this class, you'll be split into villains and heroes and fight 2-on-2 indoor battles."

" Without basic training?" Asui asked.

" This is a real battle to understand those basics!" He held up his fist. " However, the key this time is that there's no robot you can just beat up."

"How will wins and losses be determined?" Yaoyorozu interjected.

" Can we beat them up anyway?" Sora flinched at Bakugo's question. Is beating up all he thinks about!

" Will the punishment be expulsion like with Aizawa-sensei?" Uraraka was worried.

" How shall we be split up?" Yuu thought Iida's question was the most rational of all.

" Isn't the cape crazy?" No one understood what was going with Aoyama's mind.

All Might's face contorted as if he was trying to stop himself from going crazy. " I'll answer all your questions!"

He held a set of papers that seemed to be a script, explaining the conditions of the training." Now listen up. The situation is that the villains have hidden a nuclear weapon somewhere in their hideout. The heroes are trying to dispose of that. The heroes need to catch the villains or get the nuclear weapon back in allotted time. The villains need to protect the nuclear weapon for the whole time or catch the heroes."

" The situation feels very American!" Midoriya commented.

" Teams and opponents will be determined by drawing lots!" Their teacher held up a box labeled 'Lots'.

"They're being decided so haphazardly?" Iida was surprised.

" Pros often have to create makeshift teams with heroes from other agencies, so maybe that's why?" Midoriya explained.

" I see. The discernment to look ahead... But wait! If it's 2-on-2, there will be a team without an opponent!?"

All Might smirked at that. " No it won't. There will be two teams that will have 3 members. And their opponents will be decided randomly."

" Randomly..." Yuu blinked." Then, their opponents may be a 2 member team."

" That won't be fair!" Mineta objected, throwing his fists above his head. " The advantage will be for the the 3 member team!"

" That's also a part of the training!" All Might's stated firmly. " You don't expect villains to come at you fair and square! There will be a lot of cases when heroes would find themselves outnumbered! To deal with that situation is also a basic you should learn!"

" He has a point." Yaoyorozu admitted.

" However..." All Might pointed, his grin as wide as ever. " This is still a training session! I don't opt to make you lose confidence! That's why, even if your opponent is a 3 member team, capturing two alone would be enough!"

" So that's a handicap for them." Midoriya mumbled.

" As expected from UA! Please excuse my rudeness!" Iida bowed.

" It's fine. Let's do this quickly!" All Might pumped up his fist.

The teams were decided.

Team A: Midoriya and Uraraka.

Team B: Shoji and Todoroki.

Team C: Mineta and Yaoyorozu. ( Sora thought Mineta was having the best time of his life and couldn't help but shiver at the way he was looking at his team mate)

Team D: Iida and Bakugo. (Whisper pitied the engine user for he will have to deal with the delinquent.)

Team E: Ashido, Shirogane and Aoyama. ( Sora sweat dropped at the weird poses Aoyama was doing.)

Team F: Koda and Sato.

Team G: Kaminari and Jiro.

Team H: Asui and Tokoyami.

Team I: Ojiro, Hagakura and Seijin. (Yuu hid his head behind his hood. He wanted to be with at least one of the people he was familiar with.)

Team J: Sero and Kirishima.

" Wow, it must be fate! I'm counting on you!" Uraraka sparkled her eyes at Midoriya, to which his face became redder.

" You don't have to worry! You're lucky I'm in your team!" Aoyama continued to pose around, swishing his cape till the point Sora though he would rub it on their faces.

" I don't feel lucky at all..." Sora sweat dropped.

" You probably mean it's too bad that's you're in our team, Aoyama." Ashido pointed at him with one eye closed.

" C'est rude!"

" Well then, both of you, I'm counting on you." Ojiro smiled at both his team mates.

" I... I will do my best..." Yuu hid further under his hood.

" Don't you worry! I won't let anything hold me down!" Hagakura, the invisible girl of the class, claimed. Her gloves shot up in the air in fists.

" Will this be okay..." Ojiro's tail dropped slightly.

" Don't worry. You still have me!" Whisper pointed at himself proudly. But it only made the blond boy smile awkwardly.

" The first teams to fight will be..." All Might dipped his hands in two other boxes with the words 'Villain' and ' Hero'. He took two balls with  the letters A and D on them. " These guys! Team A will be the heroes, and Team D will be the villains. Everyone else, head toward the monitor room."

" Yes sir!"

Sora and Yuu approached their friends. " Good luck to you all!"

" Thanks Sora-chan!"

" To be a villain! I never thought such day would come!" It was hard to tell which expression he was wearing, but by the way his eyes were buldging out of the head piece of his armor, Yuu thought Iida was disappointed.

" Give it your best! Show us what you're capable of, soldiers!" Whisper shouted.

" Sir! Yes sir!" All three of them saluted. 

Sora and Yuu trudged away, but, the girl glanced to see Bakugo glaring darkly at Midoriya who tried to level his glare. However, that seemed to anger him even more...

________________

" Midoriya-kun and Bakugo-kun... Are childhood friends, right?"

Yuu looked at her. " It seems so. They're so close to call each other by nicknames."

" An insult from that delinquent's side." Whisper interjected.

" Then, why Bakugo-kun seems so angry with Midoriya-kun? Like, if he despises him."

" Something must have happened to them." Yuu thought.

When they reached the monitor room, Ashido waved at them. " Yo! Both of you!" She rushed over. " Shirogane, Seijin..."

" Sora is fine." The girl interjected. However, Ashido didn't seem to hear her.

" Who do you think would win?"

" Huh?" Yuu blinked.

" We were all talking about it, we mostly agreed Bakugo's team is gonna nail it! Both his and Iida's Quirks are strong! On the other hand, Midoriya's team have Uraraka's Zero Gravity and Midoriya's super power which can be used once, so it's quite visible."

" You're being naïf, soldier." Whisper folded his arms and shook his head.

" Naïf?" Ashido blinked.

" It's not Quirks that decide the winner. Even in battlefield, such thoughts would lead to an unavoidable defeat! How many weaklings defeated strong fractions using this-" He pointed at his head. " The result can't be predicted right now. You should wait for the very end to see for yourself."

Ashido was befudled, not entirely getting the ghost's words. " It's been a while since I've heard Whisper being so wise." Sora whispered in her friend's ear.

" He is just trying to look important." Yuu pointed.

" What were you saying soldiers!" Whispered turned on to them.

" Nothing! Sir!"

" Everyone is here! Good!" All Might joined them in the monitor room and stood ahead of them, holding a clipboard and looking up at the screens showing both teams. " Everyone, pay a close attention to this first battle and try to learn from them."

" Yes sir!"

All Might nodded before grabbing a mic. " Now, let's start the indoor person-to-person combat training with team A and Team D!"

He turned the mic off. " Okay, everyone, you all should think as well." His hand reached to his ear, setting a comm.

" Ochaco-chan, Midoriya-kun, Iida-kun... Do your best."...

Chapter Text

It was a few moments of unbearable heavy silence as they watched Midoriya and Uraraka sneak in and cautiously make their way through the corridors.

" Ambush!" A blue glove pointed at the screen as Bakugo jumped from behind a corner, blasting his explosion at Midoriya who acted in time to avoid him and protect Uraraka. When he stood up again, half his mask was burned.

" A surprise attack from the start!"

" Bakugo, that's cheating! A surprise attack isn't manly at all!" Kirishima punched into his hand irritably.

" A surprise attack is a strategy, too." All Might stated, pen in hand to evaluate their work. " They're in the middle of a real battle right now."

" Midoriya's reaction speed, it was good." Whisper noted.

" Green-kun avoided it!" Ashido seemed excited.

" There goes Bakugo!" Kaminari shouted as the other lad went for the attack. However, Midoriya was able to block him and performed an over the shoulder flip, slamming Bakugo on the ground.

" Martial arts!" Sora blinked at how he managed to throw Bakugo off his feet. " That was a good move!"

" It couldn't have been possible if he didn't manage to predict Bakugo-san's moves." Yuu added, staring at the green head. " He really is cool."

Bakugo stood up again, and he seemed angrier than any of them had ever seen him. On another tab, they could see Iida throwing his fists up in frustration.

" Did something happen?" Yuu turned to Sora who shook her head. She didn't have the slightest idea what happened.

" What was Bakugo saying? Can't tell with just the cameras in a fixed position and no sound." Stated Kirishima.

" He's talking to his partner over the small wireless radio." All Might jabbed his finger towards his ear to show them his own. " You can bring that plus the building's floor plan, and this capture tape!" He showed them a role of white tape. " Once you wrap this around your opponent, it shows that you've captured them."

" The time limit is 15 minutes, and the heroes don't know where the nuclear weapon is located, right?" Ashido asked.

" Yes!"

" The heroes are clearly at a disadvantage here!"

" Heroes should be able to turn the table on whatever predicament they're in. Besides, didn't Aizawa-sensei tell you, too? You know-" His fist thrusted upwards. " Here we go!"

" Plus Ultra!" The whole class chorused, pumping their fists as well.

" Monsieur, Bakugo is..." It was by far the most important thing Aoyama had ever said. They all focused back on the screen as Bakugo bolted at Midoriya while Uraraka sprinted down the corridor.

Midoriya managed to guard against Bakugo's kick and he almost wrapped the capture tape around his leg, but another swing from the blond made him duck away from the explosion.

" Awesome! He is really fast!" The white head marveled at him.

" He got brains, that kid." Whisper smirked.

" That guy's amazing!" Sato exclaimed.

" He's not even using his Quirk, fighting against the guy who finished first in the entrance exam!" Sero was astonished.

" He's pulling back." Yuu spotted the green head running away from his opponent.

Aoyama sighed. " Running away isn't stylish."

" Idiot! He is being cautious. He needs a plan." Elaborated the ghost as they watched Bakugo searching the corridors for the green head.

" He seems really angry. It's scary!"

Yuu gulped. " He is someone I definitely don't want to face..."

Bakugo started blasting away the doors of the corridors and checking within the rooms. " This is going too far! He is getting reckless!" Sora was worried for Midoriya's safety after seeing Bakugo in that state.

Meanwhile, Midoriya was on the second floor, trying to catch his breath and avoid fighting Bakugo. " I see... So he wants to shake the delinquent away and catch up with his teammate. That's the most rational plan in this situation." Whisper squinted at the screen. " It seems Bakugo is acting on his own, so if they could just get him out of the picture and make it a 2 vs 1 for Iida, they can win."

" Though... Using the training to clear his personal problems..." Sora couldn't help but glare at the picture of the blond.

Bakugo made it for the second floor after ruining the first one.

On the other hand, Uraraka made it for Iida's hideout. It could have gone well had she not revealed her spot by bursting into laughter.

" Ochaco-chan..." Sora face palmed herself.

" Ho! The whole floor is empty. Iida must have thought ahead and disposed of anything she may be able to use. He isn't half bad." Whisper smirked.

" Is it me... Or is Iida-san getting in the role of the villain?" The purple head backed a step when his eyes fell on the male in the armor suit.

Sora checked the time. " They have 6 minutes left."

" Green-kun should stop hiding and do something." Ashido placed her hand on her side as she glanced back at Midoriya.

" Ashido-san... His name is Midoriya..." Sora interjected with a bead of sweat.

It was then that Midoriya stood up, apparently deciding on facing his opponent. However...

" Bakugo found him." Ojiro pointed out.

The second moment, Sora wished her Quirk could work through electronic devices. She wished she had seen what Bakugo was intending to do. But that wasn't the case. " Young Bakugo, stop! Are you trying to kill him?!"

A large explosion erupted from Bakugo's gauntlet, destroying the corridor and shattering the glass of the second floor. They could feel the shock wave even from their safe place.

" This is supposed to be a class!" Kirishima objected.

" He's so strong!" Whisper grunted.

" Young man! Young Midoriya!" All Might tried to call for the boy.

When the dust cleared, it revealed Midoriya was, alive none the least. His right sleeve and the rest of his mask were burned to smithereens.

Uraraka used the confusion caused by Bakugo's explosion and rushed to retrieve the weapon. Iida tried to block her but she rendered herself weightless, jumping overhead and trying to touch the paper-mâché missile.

Still, Iida was faster and managed to take away the weapon. Uraraka fell to the ground, flipped and slammed back on the wall.

" She looks tired." Whisper commented.

" Seems using her Quirk on herself takes a toll on her." Sora stated.

" Sensei ! You should stop them! That Bakugo's really crazy! He's gonna kill him!" Kirishima insisted.

Frankly, both Yuu and Sora agreed. They didn't know why All Might didn't stop the training yet after Bakugo's last attack. In that narrow space, if he made the slightest mistake Midoriya would have been reduced to ash.

" No..." Was all he said before holding the mic again. " Young Bakugo, the next time you use that, I'll stop the fight, and your team will lose."

Bakugo certainly disapproved.

" To attack on such a large scale inside is inviting the destruction of the stronghold you should be protecting. That's a foolish plan for both heroes and villains! You'll lose a lot of points for it!"

Irritated, Bakugo jumped at Midoriya. He used an explosion to distract him and propel himself upwards, landing behind the green head, he attacked from behind.

That took everyone by surprise and made them even more scared, if it could be, of the berserk blond. " What was that just now?" Kirishima questioned.

" He doesn't look like the type to think," Todoroki squinted." but he's more subtle than I expected."

They looked back at him. " What do you mean?" Said Kirishima.

" He changed his course in a blast that doubled as a smoke screen and then did it again immediately."

" Getting in a clean hit while fighting against inertia requires fine lateral adjustment to the power of the explosions." Yaoyorozu elaborated.

" He's too talented... Too talented... Ugh..." Kaminari was feeling down seeing how strong the blond kid was. He made it clear just how much the difference between them was.

Bakugo aimed at Midoriya's arm with a right swing and grasped it, using a chain of blasts to pivot and slam the boy on the ground.

" No mercy..." Yuu's lips quivered.

" This is a lynching! He can capture him for this exercise by just wrapping the tape around him!" Ashido complained.

" He is doing it on purpose! He wants to fight!" Sora bit her lip and looked back at their teacher who stood there and allowed that torture to continue.

" Those are not the actions of a hero." Tokoyami interjected.

" I thought Midoriya was pretty amazing, too," Kaminari scratched the side of his head and dared to look up. " but in terms of combat power, Bakugo is definitely a ball of natural instincts."

" Natural... Huh?" Whisper hummed.

" He's running away?" Ashido pointed at Midoriya.

" That's not something a man should do, but he has no choice." Kirishima agreed with the decision. " But something is strange... Why..."

He can't use his Quirk against him. He can't control it and he is worried he may cause harm to his opponent! This isn't fair at all!. Sora gulped. This isn't going to end well for him!

Midoriya stopped by the window as Bakugo advanced on him. After a brief moment, they launched at each other, both activating their Quirks.

"This looks bad, Sensei !" Kirishima shouted out, figuring it was probably Midoriya's end.

All Might hesitated, much to Sora's frustration. " Both of you, sto-"

Yet, Midoriya did an unexpected thing. Instead of directing his attack at his opponent, he pointed it upward, tearing apart the ceiling and breaking through the high floors. Uraraka grabbed tightly to a pillar as a strong wind wave erupted from underneath.

She used the weightless pillar to throw debris at Iida, and while he was guarding against them, she jumped overhead floated above the huge hole made by Midoriya and landed on the weapon much to Iida's shock.

With Midoriya, they could see he was seriously injured after fending off Bakugo's blast with one hand. " That blast... With his arm..." Yuu couldn't begin to imagine how hard that was.

" He... Predicted it... The coming attack..." Whisper was at a loss of words.

The allotted time was over. Everyone gaped at the screen, unable to take in the sudden turn of events.

" Hero..." All Might began. "Hero team..." Midoriya dropped to the ground, all worn out. " ...Wins!"

" Indoor person-to-person combat training..." All Might repeated, this time, Uraraka slid down the long of the missile tiredly." Hero team...Wins!"

However, the monitor room was filled with worried gasps. " What the heck? The losers are practically uninjured and the winners are on the ground..." Midoriya laid motionlessly while Iida was helping a nauseous Uraraka.

" They lost the battle, but won the war, huh?" Tokoyami remarked.

" This is training, though." Pointed Asui.

" This is... Scary..."

" Yuu! Don't you get cold feet now! Pull yourself together soldier!"

" How can I do so after what I've just seen!"

" Hope Ochaco-chan and the rest are alright..." Sora murmured as her eyes flicked back toward the screen...

________________

After seeing to it that the unconscious Midoriya was transported safely to the infirmary, All Might returned with the other three.

" Ochaco-chan... You alright?" Sora rubbed the back of the brunette as she walked in with Iida.

" I'm... Feeling better... Don't you worry..." The way her face seemed drained out of colors didn't help her at all conveying her words.

All Might showed the result on the screen. " Team A : win VS Team D: loss ".

" Well, even if I say that, the MVP for this battle was young Iida!" He announced over all of them. Iida was taken aback by that.

" It's not either of the winners, Ochaco-chan or Midoriya-chan?" Asui also was surprised.

" Hmm, well... Why is that? Does anyone know?"

" Yes, All Might Sensei." Yaoyorozu's hand shot high in the air. " That's because Iida adapted the most to the context of the training."

Everyone kept silent as they listened up. " From watching the match, it appears Bakugo-san acted on his own because of an obviously personal grudge. And as Sensei said earlier, it is foolish to launch a large-scale attack indoors. In the same way, taking into consideration the damage he received, Midoriya-san's plan was also rash. As for Uraraka-san, she let her guard down mid-battle, and her final attack was too reckless. If she treated the paper-mâché as a real weapon, she would not have been able to do something so dangerous."

Her look went for the blunette still thunderstruck with his head lolling a tad to the side. " Iida-san had prepared for his opponent's arrival and assumed it would be a fight over the weapon, which made him late in responding to the final attack."

Iida smiled widely as he held his hand to his chest, apparently touched. " Good job, Iida-kun!" Sora grinned holding two thumbs at him.

" The hero team only won because they took advantage of the fact that this was training. They were practically breaking the rules." Her words left everyone else speechless. Whisper could bet even All Might himself didn't think of all of that.

" W-Well, Young Iida also has parts of him that could be more relaxed, but well, that was correct!"

" We should always start with the basics to develop depth of learning. We must strive ourselves wholeheartedly. Otherwise, we cannot become top heroes." She announced proudly while the rest of them merely gapped at her.

" So that's one of the 4 people admitted based on recommendations..." Sora's eyes sparkled. " Cool and smart! That's an elite for you!"

" All right everyone, let's change locations and start the second match." All Might stated, drawing their attention back to him. " Tackle this training after thinking about what we just talked about."

" Yes!"...

________________

Battle Building B

" Match two! Team B are the heroes and Team I are the villains!"

" Straight after them... This isn't good..." If possible, Yuu would have liked to vanish under his cloak.

" Come on! You can do it soldier!" Whisper bellowed.

" Good luck! Do your best, Yuu!"

Sora's smiling face flashed in front of him and he took in a deep breath. He can't put up a lame fight after she cheered for him.

" Ojiro-kun, Seijin-kun." Hagakure called. " I'm going to get serious. I'll take off my gloves and boots, too!"

" O,okay..."

" Doesn't this girl have any shame... Weirdos." Whisper mumbled.

" You can't look, okay?" She tried to hide herself, though they couldn't see it at all.

" I can't see you even if I tried."

" Ano... Um..." After several attempts at getting his voice to be heard, Ojiro, and apparently Hagakure, turned to him.

" What's the matter, Seijin-kun?"

" Etto... Ano..." He fumbled around for words but couldn't find them. Whisper grew impatient and punched him on the head.

" Hurry up and say it!"

" It hurts! Alright!" He rubbed his head. " Ojiro-san... Hagakure-san... I think... Maybe... We should... Split up..."

" Split up? Why?" He could see Hagakure's soul, a blazing and glowing golden flame, approaching him.

" Well... You see... We're a team of three... And if two of us get captured... We're out... So..."

Ojiro seemed to think of it. " Right, we shouldn't give them the chance to capture us. Good thinking, Seijin-kun." He nodded approvingly.

" I told you, have some confidence soldier." Whisper huffed.

" I'll stay here and guard the weapon. In terms of physical strength, I'm the best bet. Hagakure-san and Seijin-kun, attack them on different floors to prevent their advance."

" Sounds like a good plan."

" Well then! Let's go!"

" Now, let's start the second indoor person-to-person combat training match!"

From his floor, Yuu watched as Shoji entered the building and walked out after a moment. That took him by surprise. " What..."

Less than a moment later, the whole place froze down. " What happened!" Whisper shouted.

" I can't move... My feet froze!" Yuu looked down at the piles of ice around his feet which pinned him right there.

Footsteps could be heard as Todoroki made his way through the corridors of the fourth floor. " He passed Hagakure!" Whisper was enraged.

" I advise you not to move or you may end up injuring your feet." Todoroki stated coldly. His eye, covered with ice, glowed in red, intimidating the purple head.

Yuu bit on his lip as Todoroki passed by him.

" Good luck!"

" Your Quirk is amazing. It's build on trust and team work."

" I don't need to move..." With a shaking hand, he reached for one of the fires. If I can only summon Kyubi right now!

Todoroki stopped on his tracks and his eyes widened when he looked back at Yuu. " This guy..."

The flame just started to enlarge but with a wave of his hand, Todoroki froze the whole of Yuu's body. All the flames around him were extinguished and Whisper almost faded.

" Yuu! Oi Yuu! It can't be, you knocked him out!" Whisper turned back to Todoroki as he breathed, a puff of mist came out.

" I've dropped his temperature enough to make him lose consciousness. What are you going to do?"

Whisper bit his lip, however, he didn't make a move. " Figure."

________________

Back in the monitor room, everyone were shivering due to the sudden drop of the temperature.

" He did not cause any damage to his teammate or the nuclear weapon, and on top of that, he weakened the enemy." All Might mattered through chattering teeth.

" He got him." Sora's look softened at the picture of her frozen friend.

" What happened?" Questioned Uraraka.

" When he rendered him unconscious, Yuu can no longer share his energy with his spirits, so they faded away." Sora explained.

" Why didn't Whisper-chan act to stop him." Asui asked, fighting to stay awake.

" It'll be considered cheating." Sora stated.

" Eh?"

"As young Shirogane said, right now, Whisper exists on the field using his own energy. He no longer depends on young Seijin's Quirk. If he acted, it will be the same as interfering." All Might elaborated.

" Sensei, you know about spirits?" Sora was amazed to hear All Might explain.

" I'm a teacher, I had to study young Seijin's Quirk in order to understand it."

At the very back, Bakugo was gritting his teeth in frustration.

________________

Todoroki continued on. A few seconds later, he managed to retrieve the weapon.

" Hero team wins!" Shouted All Might.

The ice engulfing the building started melting and Yuu dropped down as soon as he was freed.

" Yuu! Oi Yuu wake up!" Whisper grunted. " It will be a while before he comes to. But this strength... It's on another level." He looked at the water puddles around them. " Is he another recommended student?"

________________

" W-Wow!"

" What's up with that Quirk?"

" As expected of someone who got in through recommendations."

Uraraka's face contorted in worry seeing Yuu didn't come up. " Seijin-kun... Is still knocked out."

" I will check on him and bring the rest." All Might left the monitor room.

________________

When he came back, Yuu was wrapped in a blanket with a runny nose. As the five of them stood side by side for the review, Todoroki glanced down at him. " Sorry... I overdid it."

"It... It's alright..." The boy was shaking underneath the blanket that didn't do much to warm him up.

" You better go get a bath when we're done here... If possible some hot cocoa too or you will get a cold."

" I... I will... Th... Thanks for... the concern..." Yuu uttered. Surprisingly he is not a bad guy. Though back at the building... He flinched at the memory of his face back then.

" All right, everyone gather around for a review of the second match." All Might told them. " Though there is little to review."

" It was a one sided battle. Ojiro-san and the others didn't have much to do against that attack of Todoroki-san." Yaoyorozu stated.

" True. Young Todoroki's actions were perfect. Young Ojiro's team also thought of their situation well. Splitting up was a good choice considering that once two of you are captured you would lose." He held up a thumb at them. " You did well. Next, we will begin the third match!"

" Yes, sir!"

" Yuu! You okay?" Sora hurried to him.

" Yeah... Just cold... That's all... I will be fine as soon as I warm up..." He assured her.

" Sorry, Yuu. I couldn't do much..." It was probably the first time they saw Whisper that down.

" It's okay... There is no helping it now..."

At the very back, Bakugo bit on his lip angrily...

________________

The matches went on. In the third one, Team Tokoyami and Asui managed to retrieve the weapon thanks to Dark Shadow, a creature living in Tokoyami, who restricted both Sero and Kirishima with his large claws and Asui's agility in passing though Sero's tape.

The fourth match ended with the villains' win for Jiro and Kaminari couldn't do anything about Yaoyorozu's barrier coupled with Mineta's sticky balls.

It was the fifth match, Ashido, Aoyama and Sora were discussing their plan outside the building.

" I can gorgeously defeat them with my sparkling laser." Aoyama claimed, pausing around.

" No you can't. We shouldn't do much damage, remember." Ashido told him. " Well, I've seen Koda and Sato's Quirks up close during the fitness tests. Sato's Quirk allows him to get stronger the more sugar he eats for three minutes. So he keeps packets of sugar with him. He will be tired when his time runs out. Koda on the other hand can communicate and command animals through speech."

" I see. I wonder what animals he could send after us?" Sora muttered. " Oh, but before that, we need to know more about each other Quirks as well. Mine is Angel, I can fly and am slightly stronger and faster."

" As for me, my Quirk is acid, I can produce it from my body. Albeit there is a limit to how much I can use before it actually affects me." Ashido explained. " Aoyama?"

His glasses sparkled. " My Quirk is Navel Laser. I can shoot a powerful sparkling laser from my belly. But if I fire for more than 1 second it hurts my stomach. The rest of my suits is charged from my navel as well, so I can shoot from my knees and shoulders too."

Ashido thought. " Navel Laser, Acide and Angel. Sounds promising!"

" Still, we need to set a plan." Said Sora.

Five minutes passed by before All Might shouted. " The fifth match of indoor person-to-person combat training, start!"

Aoyama strutted inside, wearing a confident look. Ashido was having her time skidding using her acid. Some of it fell on Aoyama's cape and ruined it, to which his face contorted as though it was the end of the world. " Sorry, sorry!"

Sora sweat dropped from behind them before checking the corridors. " What do you think?" Ashido asked.

" As I thought. I wouldn't be able to use my wings in the corridors." Sora stated.

" Seems we'll have to advance on foot." Ashido exhaled.

Sora's eyes suddenly narrowed as she saw something. A mixture of different auras, all of them heading towards them from a low attitude. " Down!" She shouted.

Ashido didn't lose a moment, using her acid to burn two holes in the wall, she jumped and held into one of them while Sora grabbed Aoyama by his cape and did the same.

Beneath them, a sea of mice and rats rushed. " Must be Koda. He used mice against us."

" Cape! Cape!" Aoyama was waving around, his cape, which was burned by Ashido's acid, was splintering.

" Crap!" Sora tried to haul him higher but the tear widened.

" Take my hand! Quick! " Ashido managed to grasp him before the cape was totally torn. " Heavy!"

" That was a close call." Sora sighed while Aoyama stared at the torn piece of his cape tearfully.

" It's not the time!" Ashido snapped at him." I have my hands full here so use your navel to open a path for us!"

"Open a path, where?"

" The ceiling!"

" Eh! But how will we get there?"

" Just do so! Aoyama!"

He did as he was told. Opening a hole in the ceiling. Sora promptly pushed herself of the wall and held on the ledge of the hole, hauling herself up to the second floor. " Ashido-san!"

" I will give you a boost so propel yourself with your laser!"

" Wait!"

" Here we go!" She swung him vigorously and let go of him.

" I said wait!" This time he used the laser to push himself up and Sora caught him.

" Gotcha!" She pulled him up. " Ashido-san!" Sora extended her hand. Ashido thrusted herself forward deftly and held on the white head's hand.

" Thank you!" She thanked once she made it through the hole.

________________

" Opening a hole in the sealing, isn't this quite reckless?" Kaminari held his chin. " I mean, what if the weapon was in there?"

Whisper chuckled at him. " You don't realize it don't you." The ghost wore a smirk. " If it was so Sora wouldn't allow it. They tore that hole because they knew the floor above them was empty."

" How? They don't have a Quirk like Jiro's!" Kaminari said pointing at the said girl.

" That's right! Sora-chan has super senses too!" Uraraka turned to Iida who nodded at her.

" Which means if it's the floor above her..." Iida began.

"... She can confirm if it was empty or not." Yuu continued.

" They have good teamwork too, ribbit." Asui stated.

" But why are they splitting up?" Hagakure asked.

" They must have a different plan from ours." Ojiro answered, arms folded.

" Do they?" Todoroki watched as the trio were running away from a herd of pigeons swarming through the corridors of the second floor.

________________

" Now is pigeons!" Ashido complained, rounding a corner along the other two.

" Calm down, Ashido-san."

" Everything will be alright."

Ashido pouted as she recalled their conversation from earlier.

" Stay together?" Sora nodded  at the pinkette question.

" Since Sato's Quirk has a limit, it will be a last resort for them. So I doubt he will leave the side of the weapon. Koda can't fight on his own so they wouldn't be sending him too. Then..."

Aoyama  tapped his chin. " They would mostly defend using Koda's quirk."

" The only animals he can find right now are mice and birds. I don't know whether his Quirk is applicable on insects or not so we have to take that into consideration. Either way, I doubt we can deal with many of them each on his own." Her eyes reflected an unwavering confidence. " We need to trust each other and work as a team if we want to reach up."

Trust each other. Ashido's eyes narrowed as they were headed to the end of that floor.

Work as a team. Aoyama's glasses glistened, glimpsing the large window.

That's our path to victory. " Ashido-san, Aoyama-kun," Sora smirked broadly as her ears perked up, picking a slight movement above them. " I've heard them."

Ashido flung her arm forward, melting the wall blocking them. Aoyama skidded to a halt while both girls jumped out the window.

________________

" They jumped out!" Kirishima yelled.

" Are they forfeiting the battle?!" Kaminari was shocked.

" No they're not." Yuu's eyes widened.

" That's right." All Might began.

________________

Her wings extended as they flapped through the air. She held onto her teammate's arm and soared.

" No one said that exiting the building was prohibited!"

" Navel Laser!" With a blast from Aoyama, the herd of birds were frightened and scattered away while the blond was thrown out.

" You intend to play around with them?" He questioned.

" Something like that. We need to figure where they're. I'm not like  Jiro -san  but my hearing is better than average humans. I mostly would be able to find them if they were above us. Until then, let's make them think we are cornered so they let their guard down."

" And how do you intend to get to them?"  Ashido  wondered.

" I may not be able to use my wings inside the building, but from the outside..."

She grabbed Aoyama's hand as she flew to the third floor. " Ashido-san!"

" Right on it!" She splashed her acid on the glass of the third floor, melting it to nothingness.

" ... We can break through!"

Sora flew through the created opening.

" They're here!" Sato hurried in swallowing down the packet of sugar in his hand before rushing at them, however, he was halted by Sora. " What!"

" I'll take care of Sato-kun. My physical strength should be about enough to match him. You try to capture Koda and retrieve the weapon. But be careful. He may still have animals by his side."

Ashido and Aoyama made for Koda who waved his hands in fear and ducked. From behind him, a swarm of crows then came flying at them. Both of them quickly stepped aside before they could get caught in it.

" As expected!" Ashido skidded away, trying to avoid them.

Aoyama used the small lasers from his shoulders to keep them at bay. " At this rate, we won't be able to reach the weapon!" He shouted once he realized the crows were to keep them away from the paper-mâché missile.

Sora winced as she guarded against Sato's punch. Even with my current strength, Sato-kun is way stronger than me now. But I have to get their back.

There is no much time left! I need to touch the weapon! Ashido was throwing her acid at the crows, trying to force them away without harming the missile.

Aoyama started shaking, his knees buckling. " I'm... At my limits."

Sora's eyes widened when Sato's attacks became weaker. This is it! It's my chance!

The next time he thrusted his hand for the punch, thanks to her prediction she managed to repel it with her right arm and with a quick motion, aimed a kick under his chin, tossing him backward. " The weapon!"

Her attention went for the target, still surrounded by swarming crows. " I need to get through."

Her wings shot out of her back once more and wrapped around her as she forced herself through the herd of birds. She winced in pain at the birds attacked her wings, but she steadily moved on. " I'm not giving up here! Not after they trusted me!"

" Sora!"

" Shirogane-san!"

She extended her hand, trying to reach the missile. A finger... Just a fingertip...

Then there was the sound of a siren that lingered over the field. "Time's up!" All Might's voice told them...

Chapter Text

" Time is up! The fifth indoor person-to-person combat training ended with the villain team's win!" All Might told them.

The swarm of crows flew away while Sora kneeled down, trying to catch her breath. " I was close..."

" Sora..." Ashido approached her.

" Ashido-san... I'm sorry... After all the hard work..."

Ashido shook her head as she kneeled beside her. " It's fine, we've reached this far because of you. Also, just call me Mina." She offered a big smile.

" Mina-chan..."

" It's unfortunate we didn't win... But we put a good fight..." Aoyama hardly made it to his teammates, catching his stomach tightly.

" Aoyama-kun..."

" Man, your kick was pretty strong..." Sato finally managed to pull himself up, rubbing his chin. " Are you practicing boxing by any chance?"

She gave an apologetic smile. " Nope, only karate. Sorry if it was so hard."

" That explains why..."

" Everyone! Well done!" All Might stepped into the messed room. " Let's hurry up. Anyone here injured?"

Sora pulled on her feet, her wings squeezing into her back. " A few bruises."

" Just sleepy." Sato rose his hand.

" Need to get to the toilet." Aoyama shook in cold sweat.

" Ah..." All Might sweat dropped. " Well then. Guess we have to fix you all up first."...

________________

They all walked back to the monitor room for their match review. " So, anyone wants to say anything about the fifth match?"

" The heroes' team did well keeping damage to a minimum. Even when they had to open ways, they were careful." Yaoyorozu spoke. " Other than that, even when breaking into the villains' hideout and fighting them, they were very mindful not to harm the weapon.  The villains on the other hand relied much on Koda-san's Quirk. It's explainable seeing they couldn't head out for battle themselves. But they shouldn't let their guard down. Knowing their enemy could fly, they should have prepared for an outside onslaught."

" Well, no one tried attacking from the outside so we overlooked that possibility." Sato rubbed his neck and Koda nodded.

" That serves to tell you that there are no norms in a real fight. Even though I said the training was indoor, the possibility of an outside backup is still there." All Might pointed. " Hope you've learned from their mistakes."

" Yes sir!"

________________

  They gathered by the exit at the end of the class. " Good work everyone! We didn't have any major injuries other than young Midoriya, either! You guys took this on seriously! You all did a good job for your first training!" He held a thumb up at them.

" To have such a proper class after Aizawa-sensei's," Asui held up her hand. " It's kind of anticlimactic..." Everyone agreed with her.

" We're free to have proper classes, as well!" He flourished his arms up dramatically. " Well then, I must review the results with Young Midoriya! Change and return..." He rushed away at full speed, shouting the rest of his phrase."... to the classroom!"

" All Might's amazing!" Shouted Kaminari.

" Why was he in such a hurry?" It seems Ojiro wanted the number one hero to advise them some more.

" So cool..." Mineta admired.

" As expected. He is fast to come and fast to leave." Sora chuckled.

" The Number one hero... His class was really valuable." Yuu muttered.

Sora looked at everyone else as they admired All Might. Only Bakugo stood still, surprisingly calm and quiet.

________________

" You alright?" Yuu approached the girl as she was gathering her things.

" Oh, don't worry, don't worry. They were mere bruises." Sora waved it off.  " On the other hand, Yuu, you should have a hot meal when we go back. Why don't you come along with me?"

" Eh? Suddenly? Wouldn't aunt Yui be bothered?"

" Don't say that. Our house is yours any time. Grandma would love to have you around for dinner."

" Oh, Midoriya's here!" Kirishima drew their attention as he shouted. All eyes flung at the door when the green head entered and most of them huddled around him. " Good work!"

" Man, I don't know what you were saying during the match, but you were fired up!"

" I can't believe you fought evenly with Bakugo, who was first in the entrance exam!" Sato pointed.

" You did a good job dodging!" Ashido was rather excited.

" You guys did that in the first much so the rest of us had to give it our all, too." Sato smiled at him.

Sora swapped smiles with Yuu as the rest cheered Midoriya up.

Aoyama inclined from behind Ashido. " You were far from elegant, but-"

" You did a good job dodging!" Ashido repeated, hopping up and down.

" Mina-chan, you said the same thing twice." Sora sweat dropped.

" Because he really did well!"

" Huh?" Midoriya was flattered by all that.

" I'm Kirishima Eijiro." The red head introduced himself and then pointed at the black haired boy behind him. " We're all going over the training together right now."

" I'm Sero Hanta."

" I'm Aoyama Yu-" Ashido interrupted him, flapping her arms.

" I'm Ashido Mina! You did a good job dodging!"

" Mina-chan..."

" I'm Asui Tsuyu." Asui appeared from behind Ashido. " Call me Tsuyu-chan."

" I'm Sato!" The bulkiest of them all held up his thumb.

" Um... Er..." Midorya didn't even have the time to react to them.

" He reminds me of Yuu right now." Whisper stifled a laugh.

" I'm Mineta!" The shortest boy jumped in front of them.

" Where the heck did you pop out from?"

" I'm Aoyama Yuga." Aoyama was still trying to catch Midoriya's attention. "I'm a man who never stops shining."

However, no one paid any attention to him. " You did terrible in the training." Sato pointed down at Mineta. 

" You're too loud." Muttered Tokoyami at the very back.

" Sora... He is..." Yuu pointed.

" He will get yelled at by Iida-kun." She smiled awkwardly.

No sooner than she said that, Iida made for the boy with the bird head. " Tokoyami-kun! That desk is not a chair." He waved his hands. " Get off immediately."

" It's not that big deal, is it?" Jiro was surprised by how serious the other boy was. Her response shocked him.

" What's with those hands, anyway?" Ojiro pointed at him.

Iida looked down. " You people..." His right hand went in a chopping motion. " I cannot condone actions that disrespect the desks the great men and women who are our upperclassmen once used!"

" You're too loud." Tokoyami stated.

" Guys, guys. Iida-kun is just being earnest." Sora interjected.

" He is too serious if you ask me." Jiro placed a hand on her waist.

Suddenly the backdoor slid open, letting in Kaminari and Uraraka with stacks of notebooks. " Hey, Uraraka, wanna grab a bite to eat sometime? What do you like?"

The brunette thought for a moment. " Mochi-" But she freaked out when she spotted Midoriya at the other end of the class. " Wait, Deku-kun, she didn't heal your injuries?" She rushed to him. Kaminari didn't like how she completely ignored him for Midoriya.

" To think about it, that's true. She already healed my bruises." Sora approached the green head.

" Is something wrong with your injuries?" Whisper asked.

Seeing they were all worried about him, he tried to calm them down." Oh, uh, It's because of how much stamina I have, and..." 

" Huh?"

" So... You will still have those injuries..." Yuu was worried.

" Sorry, but, more importantly..." His eyes were fixed upon the desk in front of his. Sora and Yuu immediately figured it out.

" Bakugo-kun, right?"

The class went in silence back then. Only Uraraka gathered her courage and spoke up. " We all tried to stop him, but he went home just now without saying anything."

Midoriya's expression changed to worry as he looked back at the school ground. " Excuse me!" And he shot out of the class.

________________

She watched from behind the windows along Uraraka, Ashido and Asui as Bakugo left the school. " What was that?" Asked Ashido.

" The fated battle between men." Uraraka answered.

" It looked like Midoriya-chan was just giving excuses one-sidedly, though." Asui told her.

"The fated battle between men!" Uraraka insisted, pressing her forehead against the glass.

Sora cast a glance at them and then down at the school entrance. She heard most of it, but it didn't make sense. A borrowed power? A Quirk received from someone else? Was there anything like that? Her stomach lurched, she didn't like the fact that she was eavesdropping on her friend. It was his secret, something he didn't want to tell them for a reason. She didn't want to get more nosy.

" Let's go. I feel bad standing watch over them like this." The other three girls nodded as they headed back to grab their bags. It was weird. But she couldn't neglect that there was something off about Midoriya.

" Sora..." Yuu was worried seeing her deep in thoughts.

" Yuu, we should ask him about it. Now." She said grabbing Midoriya's bag and heading to the entrance.

" Aren't we prying like this?" He asked her.

" Maybe... But, what if it meant something bad..."

" I still can't control it properly."

" What if it caused him to get hurt." Her grip strengthened around her bag's hinge.

" Sora..." Yuu blinked when the said boy appeared at the end of the corridor, his face crestfallen. He looked up and their eyes met.

" Shirogane-san, Seijin-kun..."

Sora whirled to face him and held up his bag. " We got your stuff."

" Ah, thank you." He said receiving the bag and sliding it through his unharmed arm. " What about Uraraka-san and Iida-kun?"

" They will catch up soon." Sora answered. She seemed to take a moment to build the courage before finally speaking. " Midoriya-kun..."

"Eh?"

" ... Who... Are you exactly?" She reluctantly asked. Midoriya was confused at her words. " You know what I said, about the aura, right?"

" Eh? Ah." He nodded.

" Needless to say, every person has one aura. However Midoriya-kun..." She narrowed her eyes at him. " Though seven of them are faint as they may seem. You have eight different auras around you."

" Huh?" His eyes widened. " What... Do you mean?"

" It's... Not just auras..." Yuu fumbled around with his fingers as well before his eyes met with the wide green ones. " I told you I can see even the souls of living people. Midoriya-san, there are seven other souls around- no, within you."

" What are you talking about?"

It was something gnawing at them for too long, for no one should have that many auras or souls within them. The only exception so far was Tokoyami whose Quirk, his familiar Dark Shadow, was living within him resulting in another aura and soul. But Midorya was different, there was nothing about his Quirk which would explain that. So where they were coming from?

" I know it's strange but... we don't know too. It's worrying. Is it something related to your Quirk?"

His eyes widened as if something went through his mind. " You thought of something right now, didn't you?" Whisper stared down at him.

Midoriya avoided their eyes. " I... Can't say..."

Sora thought to his conversation with Bakugo earlier. " It's fine, you don't have to tell us the details. Just... We want to know if it's dangerous... If it may hurt you! Because this is not normal!"

Midoriya thought about it for a moment. " Thanks for your concern, Shirogane-san. I will look into it. If I figure something, I will tell you."

Sora and Yuu merely locked their eyes with his. " Just... Remember we can help when you need."

" Yeah." He smiled. " Thanks."

" Hey guys!" Uraraka waved from the other end of the corridor. " Thanks for waiting for us!"

" Midoriya-kun! Are you going out in that outfit!" Iida asked.

" Not like I can actually change as of now." He said patting his injured arm..

" Need help?"

" Don't worry, I'll change once I get back home."

" Then let's hurry up soldiers! On you go!"

" Sir! Yes sir!"

________________

"Grandma! I'm home!" Sora greeted as soon as she entered the traditional Japanese house. " And I've brought Yuu with me too!"

" Sorry for intruding."

"Welcome back." The white-haired woman stepped from the kitchen, wearing a yellow apron. "Yuu-kun and Whisper welcome."

" It's been a while." Whisper surprisingly bowed politely to her.

" Dinner will be ready soon. Make yourselves at home."

" Th...thanks." Yuu said before glaring back at Whisper. " You're really polite only with aunt Yui."

Whisper was smiling broadly with a shade of pink. " Because... She is nice and beautiful..."

" No good." Sora wagged her finger at the ghost. " No hitting on my Grandma."

" Are you guys intending to stand by the door for the rest of the night? Hurry up and come in."

" Hai!"

Unbeknown to them, a vicious evil was stirring in the shadow, conspiring against UA.

________________

Next day

The scene in front of the gate the next day wasn't what they had expected. The lenses of cameras glistened from so far as they caught sun rays and microphones were flung around as journalists rushed hither and thither trying to get a few words from the students.

" What's with the uproar?" Whisper's mist-like body expanded as he tried to get a glimpse of what was happening over the sea of media.

" What's with all the media?" Sora whirled her head around at how much they were.

" Hey you! How are All Might's classes?"

One of them thrust the mic at a rigid Midoriya, who waved his hand around promptly. " Uh, excuse me, I have to go to the nurse's office!" He succeeded in slipping away.

The same reporter, livid at losing Midoriya, jabbed her mic at Uraraka this time. " Will you tell us about what the Symbol of Peace is like as a teacher?"

" Wh-What he is like? Um... He's very muscular!"

" I see now." Oohed Sora. " Word must have gotten out about All Might being a teacher. He really catches that much interest wherever he is right?"

She looked back at her friend but he was nowhere around. He could be seen a little further, trudging over his steps.

" I'm going home."

A moment later, Sora was pulling a resisting Yuu by the scruff of his collar. " I'm not good with dealing with such things."

" Come on! How would you tackle the sports festival this way!"

Fortunately, they reached the gate while the media was busy with Iida so they weren't stopped. From their sulking faces, Sora could tell it wasn't what they were waiting for.

" I'm ashamed that my eloquence couldn't do All Might his right." Iida crossed the gate with tears spilling profusely as the media left him in the pursuit of Bakugo.

" Don't mind, Iida-kun. Thanks to you, Yuu made it safely to the school ground." Sora patted his back.

" What's the fuss about?" A deadpan voice spoke and they all reared their head to meet the eyes of their homeroom teacher.

" Aizawa-sensei..."

" Sensei, the media is mobbing outside, trying to get a word about All Might Sensei." Iida pointed.

" It's getting harder to reach the gate." Complained Kirishima as he and Ashido made it into the school ground. " Bakugo for once was welling to decimate them."

" Tsk. I knew his existence won't pass by peacefully." He walked over to the gate and the reporter from earlier tried asking him as well before double taking his appearance. " He's not on duty today. You're disturbing the classes. Please leave." He ushered them off. Sora could see a few of them nudging away from him.

" He really isn't good with media."

Aizawa pivoted and made it in. The press attempted to follow after him but were warded off by a huge metal barrier protruding from the ground and then elevated the fence's height.

" That's..." Uraraka blinked at the structure that appeared abruptly.

" The UA barrier." Iida pushed up his glasses. " UA's boast defense. It's my first time seeing it firsthand."

" If someone tries to get in without a student ID or a pass to enter, it will be activated." Aizawa scratched his cheek as he went through the trouble of explaining. " There are sensors all over the school, so the kind of those people wouldn't bother us."

Kirishima gaped. " Even its security is the top! UA's amazing!"

Sora sweat dropped. " Just... Hope no one was late for school today..."

________________

" Good work on yesterday's combat training." Aizawa began once everyone settled down and the murmurs about the press subdued. " I saw the video and results."

His focus went to the spiky blond head on his right. " Bakugo, you're talented so don't act like a kid."

The boy's face contorted in exasperation, however, it faded in a slight annoyance. " I know."

" And Midoriya." The boy stiffened as he looked down, bracing himself to be rebuked. " You settled it by breaking your arm again, huh? You can't keep saying you can't help it because you can't control your quirk. I don't like saying the same thing over and over. As long as you fix the control issue, there's a lot you'll be able to do." The green head rose his face with a smile. " Feel a sense of urgency, Midoriya."

Much more determined, the boy answered with a confident " yes sir!"

" Good for you." Sora looked over at their teacher. I thought he was determined to expel him when he conducted that Quirk test. But seems he saw something about him that day.

" Now let's get down to homeroom business." He changed the subject. " Sorry about the late notice but today, I'll have you..."

Everyone stared at him in expectancy, maybe anticipating another test.

"... Decide on a class representative."

Everyone breathed in relief and didn't help but feel a little relaxed at the normal activity. But that didn't last more than a minute.

" I want to be class rep! Pick me!" Kirishima shot up with both arms in the air.

" Me too!" Said Kaminari.

Jiro's hand leveled with his. " I want to do it, too."

" It's a job made for m-"

Ashido blocked Aoyama from view as she leaped up. "I'll be the leader!"

Mineta flapped his hands and his eyes bulged out of their sockets. "My manifesto is for all girls' skirts to be 30 centimeters above the knee!"

What was most surprising, Bakugo also was up for the job. "Let me do it! Me!"

Sora also held her hand up. " I want to be picked too! I was deputy class rep in middle school!"

" Even Sora..."

"What are you doing, Yuu!" Whisper grabbed the boy's hand and held it up high almost plucking it out.

" I... I'm not good with this..."

" You won't get good unless you try! I'll be there for you!"

In short, the classroom was flipped upside down.

" Silence, please!" The whole class spun their heads toward the blunette. " It is a job with the serious responsibility of leading others. It is not a job for just anyone who wants to do it. It's a calling that requires the trust of those around you. If we want to use democracy to decide on true a leader, then we shoulder hold an election to choose one."

" Your hand is raised the highest!" They pointed at his hand shaking above theirs.

Sora laughed childishly at that. " That's Iida-kun for you!"

" Why did you suggest that?"

" We haven't known each other for that long so how can we have trust or anything, Iida-chan?" Asui placed her finger on the side of her face.

" If that's the case, and everyone votes for themselves..." Kirishima tried to protest but he was cut by Iida chopping at the air.

" Don't you think that's precisely why whoever receives multiple votes here can be truly considered the most suitable person?" He turned to their teacher for support. " What do you think, Aizawa-sensei?"

Aizawa had disappeared in his plain yellow sleeping bag. " I don't care, as long as you decide before homeroom is over." And he flopped down on the ground with a thud.

" Don't... Care..." Sora laughed awkwardly at that. " Well, seems it's up to us then, Iida-kun."

" Thank you very much!" Iida bowed to the out-of-sight teacher before turning to the rest of the class. " Everyone, please put the name of the person you think most suitable for this position on a paper!"

" Let's get it over with then." Yaoyorozu walked to the front of the class, careful not to stumble on Aizawa as she set a box with a slit on the teacher's desk. " When you're done, please submit your papers here."

________________

After the sorting, Yaoyorozu put the results on the board.

" I got three votes?!" Midoriya didn't expect that.

Bakugo ground his teeth as he shot up. " Why Deku?! Who voted for him?!"

" Well, it's better than voting for you." Sero pointed out.

" You got a vote! Yuu!" Whipser shook the boy hard. The purple head turned over to his friend as she waved at him with a beaming face before holding a thumb up.

" Sora!? Why? If you voted for yourself you could have been the class rep!"

True for that, Sora, as well as Yaoyorozu, got two votes.

" I just thought you would be a good class rep. I had my shot. Plus, I know how smart and hardworking you're." She smiled holding two fists in front of her.

Yuu couldn't help but feel guilty. If she had only voted for herself...

Sora looked back at the two in front of her, ignoring Bakugo's ranting in the background. Uraraka was whistling nonchalantly while Iida shuddered in his chair. " Zero votes..." She heard him mumbling. " I knew that would happen... That's only to be expected of a person's calling."

" You voted for someone else, huh?" The pony-tailed girl seemed to pity him.

" But you wanted to do it, too." Sato was befuddled by his act. " What are you trying to do, Iida?"

" That boy is very earnest. He wouldn't vote for himself." Whisper sighed.

" Then the class rep is Midoriya, and deputy class rep will be Yaoyorozu." Aizawa summarized, still in his sleeping bag.

" S-S-Seriously? Seriously?!" The boy tensed up at the unexpected revelation.

" How vexing..." Yaoyorozu was not satisfied at all. She glanced back at the white head who willingly forfeited her right to compete for the deputy rep calling.

" That might not be too bad." Said Asui.

" After all's said and done, Midoriya can be pretty fired up, anyway." Add Kirishima. " And Yaoyorozu was cool when we were going over the battle results!"

Their voices sounded so far as Yuu looked back at his friend. Don't hold her back... Huh...

________________

" I'm really sorry."

" I don't get why you should be sorry when I was the one who decided to vote for you." Sora shook her head at him as they stood in line for lunch in Lunch Rush's eatery." I mean, seriously if I wanted to be the class rep I would have voted for myself."

" Why did you do that? You knew I wasn't going to be picked whether you voted for me or not. Why waste your vote?"

Sora scratched her cheek with a sheepish smile. " Don't laugh, okay... It's just, as Iida-kun said, we should vote for those we trust the most. And, I trust you the most out of everyone, Yuu."

" That was stupid, you know." Whisper shook his head.

Sora laughed awkwardly. " I know. But, I kind of had the feeling we weren't going to be picked in the first place. Didn't actually expect to get two votes."

She wrapped her hand around her chin as she contemplated it. " Now thinking back on it, who else voted for me?"

" Ah, that would be me."

Sora reared her head to the pink girl who passed by them once she got her launch. " Mina-chan!"

" You were awesome back in our combat training so I judged you to be the most fitting person. Sorry it didn't happen though."

Sora's eyes glazed over joyfully. " Mina-chan... Thank you... That means a lot to me..."

" You deserved my vote, Sora."

" Mina-chan! Here!" Hagakure called.

" Coming!" She turned back to them. " Do you want to join us guys?"

" We would love to." Sora began.

" But... We promised to have lunch with Midoriya-san and the others..."

" I see. Then maybe next time!"

Sora nodded before she shifted to face the cook hero when her turn came. After grabbing their food, both of them headed to Midorya's table where he sat with Iida and Uraraka. " Sorry for being late." She apologized.

" Don't worry about it, Sora-chan." Uraraka looked around. " There are a lot of people today, right?"

" Even the line was too long." Yuu commented.

" That's because everyone in the hero course, support course and management course meets in the same place." Iida elaborated.

Uraraka chewed on her rice happily and savored it. " The rice is so delicious!"

" I could eat Lunch Rush's meals every day in my life without getting bored." Sora relished her ramen.

" Hmph! Yui's food is a thousand times better!" Whisper huffed.

" You didn't even taste it." Sora gave a pointed glance.

" I just know!"

Midoriya sighed tiredly. " Even though I've been chosen as class rep, I don't know if I'm qualified for it."

" You are."

" It'll be fine." Iida agreed. " Your courage and judgment at critical moments make you worth following. "

" Iida-kun is right, Midoriya-kun, I'll follow you wherever you go!" Sora thrust her chopsticks up enthusiastically.

" That's overdoing it!"

" Midoriya-san... You're cool..." Was all Yuu mumbled.

" I'm definitely not!"

Iida swallowed his food. " Those qualities are why I voted for you."

" It was you!"

" But didn't you want to be class rep too, Iida-kun?" Uraraka glanced at him. " I mean, you've got glasses and everything."

Sora almost choked on her ramen at that moment. " Is that your argument?!"

Iida lowered his cup of juice, looking most serious. " Wanting to do it and being suitable for it are different issues. I humbly did what I judged to be correct."

" As earnest as ever." Whisper sighed before it hit him. " Hold on a second..."

" That way of referring to yourself!" Everyone blinked at him, taking him by surprise.

" It's different from the usual..." Midoriya wondered.

" Oh... That's..." It disoriented him.

" I've been thinking..." Uraraka held her fists together. " Are you a rich boy, Iida-kun?"

" Rich..." His face went instantly blue.

" Well, he went to that Somei Junior high. I've thought so from the start." Whisper pointed.

" I tried to change how I talk because I didn't want to be called that." Iida was frustrated for a start. He tried to close the subject but the intense stares he was getting implied that he wasn't getting anywhere before telling more. With a deep exhale, he embarked on explaining. "Yes, my family has been heroes for generations. I'm the second son."

" What?! Wow!"

" Do you know the Turbo Hero: Ingenium?" He asked them.

" In... What?" Sora seemed lost.

" You really don't know many heroes, Sora."

" Of course!" Midoriya cried out. " He's a really popular hero who has 65 sidekicks working at his Tokyo agency!"

" Hee! Midoriya-kun you're really a fanboy!" Sora blinked at the green head who tried to hide his flushed face before it hit him.

" Don't tell me...!"

" He is my older brother!" Iida puffed his chest up as he stood proudly.

" He's telling us straight out!"

"That's amazing!"

" Where did all his modesty go?" Whisper was surprised at the person in front of him. He was less like the Iida they knew.

" He is a likable hero who honors the rules and leads people. I set my sights on being a hero because I want to be like my brother." Iida smiled straying in his thoughts before looking back at Midoriya. " However, I think it is still too soon for me to lead others. Unlike me,  Midoriya-kun realized the point of the practical portion of the entrance exam, so he is more suitable for the job."

Iida was surprised when neither of them uttered a word, merely focusing on him.

" This might be the first time I've seen you smile, Iida." Said Uraraka.

" What, really? I smile!" He replied defendingly.

" And you should do so more often!" Sora jabbed the chopsticks at him.

" It's like discovering a whole new side of you." Whisper was slightly dumbfounded.

Yuu looked down at his food. Iida-san's family... Is really amazing... It must be good, being born into a family of heroes and having an amazing Quirk like his.

" Seijin-kun, are you alright?" Yuu blinked when Iida addressed him and shook his head.

" I'm fine..." He took a bite of his hamburger.

" About the entrance exam-" Midoriya began but was cut with the sound of an alert blaring through the whole school building. " An alarm?!"

" There has been a level 3 security breach."

" What!"

" All students please evacuate outdoors promptly."

" What's happening...?" Sora timorously shook her head around at the students bolting from their chairs and to the exits.

" What's 'Level 3 security'?" Iida inquired a senior sitting at the very end of their table as the warning sounded off again.

" It means someone is trespassing on school grounds! I've never seen anything like this in the three years I've been here! You should hurry too!"

He shot from his chair too, leaving Iida bewildered.

" Anyway! Let's hurry out too! Stay together soldiers!" Whisper ordered them as they stood up and rushed to the exit of the cafeteria. However, as soon as they set foot outside they were dragged within the flow of students crawling down the corridors.

Mumbles and cries rose above all other sounds as every single student desired nothing but getting to safety. They elbowed and shoved each other, creating a mass panic.

" Ow..." Uraraka cried in pain, squeezed between two older students. " What's going on all of a sudden?!"

" As expected of the best of the best. Everyone reacts quickly in a crisis!"

" Is this a time to compliment UA!" Whisper roared.

" They're so quick that it's causing a panic!" Midoriya shouted as he was shoved away. " Oh shoot!"

" Midoriya-kun!"

" Deku-kun!"

" Yuu! Yuu!" Sora couldn't find the purple head anywhere. " Whipser! Where is he?!"

It was then that the ghost hovering overhead realized he was no longer around the boy's neck. " He must have slipped somewhere!" He floated above the crowd attempting to locate the boy." Yuu!"

" Over here!" They could see a pair of arms waving from near the glass panels. Iida shouldered his way there. " Seijin-kun, you alright?"

The purple head nodded before pointing outside. " More importantly... That..."

" The trespassers?! Who in the world could they be!" Iida's look went outside and glimpsed microphones and cameras crammed in front of the school door. " That's... The press!"

" How persistent!" Whipser stated, wounding his body around Yuu again as tight as it could be not to lose him.

" I wondered what it was, but it's just the media." A bead of sweat slid on Iida's face.

" We should convey it to everyone." Yuu stated, fighting the increasing force pushing him from behind.

" Everyone, calm dow-" Iida as well was shut up as his face slammed into the panel of glass.

From behind them, they could hear Kirishima and Kaminari trying to soothe the huddle of people down before their voices completely drowned.

" It seems they noticed it was the media as well." Whisper murmured.

" If only we could catch their attention-" Purple eyes widened in realization. " Sora! Can you hear me!"

Due to her height, it was hard to see where she was, but her voice was close by. " I can!"

" Fly up there and try calling out to them!"

Sora groaned as she tried to hold still in front of the strong flow. " I can't... Get my wings out... It's crammed here..."

" Kyaa!"

They all heard Uraraka shouting as she drifted away.

" Uraraka-kun!"

" Ochaco-chan!"

" Iida-kun! Everyone!" She reached out her hand at them, but trying to go against the flow wasn't an easy chore.

Iida ground his teeth as he sidled along the glass wall, trying to approach her, his glasses lopsided as he fought against the pressure.

" Uraraka-kun!"

He grappled to stretch his hand out at her. She seemed confused at that for she didn't know what she should do.

" Make me... Make me float, Uraraka-kun!"

Getting his point, she stretched her hand at him as well. It failed at first but then her fingers barely brushed against his. Iida could be seen soaring above their heads, his glasses falling off. He pulled up the brim of his trousers, baring his mufflers.

" Engine boost!"

Iida trundled midair all the way to the end of the hall, slamming right into the wall above the exit. He held onto the pipe above him, his legs shaking on the narrow foothold on the sign as he addressed the whole school.

" Everyone, everything's fine!" Iida bellowed. Everyone's attention then went up to him and the racket died off. " It's just the media! There is nothing to panic about. Everything's fine! This is UA. Let us act in a way befitting the best of the best."

His words sank in and everyone calmed down. Sighs of relief could be heard from Sora and the rest as they managed to gather again. Yuu and Midoriya stared off at Iida, flabbergasted as the police sirens sounded off outside.

" He's cool..." Yuu mumbled.

" Well, even in such crisis, he was still complimenting UA. He really is diligent." Whisper couldn't help the smirk that pulled on his lips.

" Also... Can someone help me down!"

This made them sweat drop.

" Iida-kun..." Uraraka had a sheepish laugh at that.

" I'll help him." now that there was enough space, Sora's wings shot out of her back through the small slits of her clothes and she flew off to help the blunette down.

________________

" Come on, class rep. Start." Yaoyorozu prodded a shaking Midorya.

" N-Now, let us decide on the other class officers... But first, can I say something?" That took Yaoyorozu by surprise, definitely not expecting that.

" I think... That Iida Tenya-kun should be the class rep after all!" It was surprising to see him regain his composure. " He was able to get everyone's attention in such a cool way. I think it would be best for Iida to do it."

The blunette had his eyes wide in surprise.

" I'm good with that, too." Kirishima agreed. " Midoriya's saying it , and it's true that Iida was a big help at the cafeteria today."

" Yeah, and he kind of looked like the person on the emergency exit signs, didn't he?" Kaminari added.

Sora hardly muffled a laugh with her hand. " First Ochaco-chan with her glasses thing and now Kaminari..."

" Well, you've earned it." Whisper smiled.

" You're wasting time." Aizawa deadpanned. " I don't care what you do just hurry up and do it." And he laid back on the ground.

Iida finally stood up. " If the class rep has nominated me, then it cannot be helped. From this day forth, I, Iida Tenya, promise to do my best to carry out the duties of class representative." He held out his hand. 

Maybe that's a sign of enthusiasm. Thought Sora.

" We're counting on you, Emergency Exit!" Kirishima held a thumb up at their friend.

" Emergency exit Iida!"

" Do your best!"

Uraraka swiveled in her chair happily. Behind her Sora could be seen with her face planted on the desk, her shoulders shaking mirthfully while stifling down her laughter.

Yuu flung his eyes between Iida and Midoriya. " They're cool..." He murmured before he looked down at his hand flattened on his table. I couldn't do anything...

Memories of when he got separated from Sora during the rush earlier flashed through his eyes. I can't become Sora's strength like this...

Yaoyorozu at the front of the class sulked. " What about me...?"...

Chapter Text

It was a few days after the incident. The media had grown tired of being ignored and gave up on stalking UA students.

The talk about the trespassing was drowned by other subjects like school works and midterms.

Still, the secrecy about the incident was gnawing at Yuu. It was true that the teachers had explained it was just the media that trespassed, but what worried him was how.

None of them said how could a mob of journalists get through the mighty UA barrier. Wasn't it UA's pride as Iida said? How could it be taken down by press?

Something is definitely up. Although that thought was still there, he couldn't do much about it himself. Even though he discussed it with Sora, she pointed that there was nothing they could do. The damage was done and fortunately, nobody was hurt in the process. Though, she as well felt it worrying that UA could do so much as little for the one who violated their territory.

All Sora and Yuu could do was continue with their classes and lessons while hoping the teachers would solve the dilemma.

That day, in the afternoon, and despite it being All Might's class, Aizawa was the one addressing them. " For today's hero basic training, it's turned into a class with three instructors, All Might and me, and one more person."

The class was slightly bewildered by that.

Turned into?

It must be because of the trespassing. Yuu thought.

They're on alert. Something is ultimately up with that incident. Sora inwardly agreed with that decision. The more pros by their side the safer they're.

" Excuse me! What'll we be doing?" Sero's hand shot in the air.

Aizawa held up a card with the word 'Rescue'. " Disasters, shipwreck, and everything in between. It's rescue training."

" Rescue... Looks like it'll be a lot of work this time too."

" Right!"

" Idiot, this is the duty of a hero! My arms are ready to rumble!"

" No one can beat me in water, ribbit."

Their reaction was between anxiety and excitement.

" More importantly, should you have a card for each training?" Whisper's eyebrow twisted up and down at that, not getting why they should have these in the first place.

" Hey, I'm not done yet." His glare made them quiet down. Even without his quirk... Sora laughed awkwardly at how intimidating their teacher can get.

" You can decide if you want to wear your costume or not this time. Because there are probably costumes that limit your abilities too." He said taking a switch out of his pocket and the hidden compartments enclosing the suitcases with their costumes protruded from the wall. " The training will take place off-campus, so we're taking a bus." He pivoted towards the door. " That's all. Start getting ready."

They all stood up and reached for their costumes. Yuu's eyes met Sora's back then. " I have a bad feeling about this."

" Stop jinxing it!" Whisper pouted, pocking Yuu's jaw hard he almost impaled it.

" He's right though." Sora reached for the case with the number 06, her face screwed up into a deep frown. " The reality that they didn't capture the culprit behind the violation the other day is worrying. They could come back any time now."

" Don't tell me..." He looked around as though to make sure no one is eavesdropping on them. " The three instructors thing as well..."

Sora nodded. " We must be careful ourselves." Her hand tightened on the handle of her suitcase. " We mustn't turn out to be a burden for them."

Yuu blinked at her and then inhaled deeply, dwelling on the whole thing. He mustn't act the same during the lunch rush. He needed to help out. " Understood."

________________

They changed and gathered by the parking while waiting for those of them who didn't finish yet. " Hee. Everyone isn't wearing their masks." Sora remarked as she scanned their faces.

" Since it kind of bothers them, they wouldn't use the mask during the rescue training." Whisper concluded.

" Midoriya-san though... He is wearing his PE clothes." Yuu pointed at the boy as he stepped out of the changing room.

" True, I'm gonna ask him." Uraraka approached the boy.

" Rescue training, huh? I wonder what it would be like?" Sora's eyes glistened as she looked back at her friend.

" Pretty sure you will have to imitate those natural catastrophes and all." Whisper folded his arms.

" To have such training after the battle training..." Yuu breathed in relief for he won't have to face anyone.

" Listen soldier! This is your chance to stand out! You didn't do much in the combat training so give it your all!" Whisper pulled on the boy's jaws vigorously.

" Efen ef yoo thay tho..."

" What were you saying?!" Whisper gave him the red eye.

" Sir! Yes sir!"

The sound of Iida's whistle permeated through the area, taking their focus off whatever conversation they were having.

" Class 1-A, gather round!" He cried out. " Form two lines by your student numbers in order to make boarding the bus go smoothly!" And he continued blowing his whistle.

" Is he a train conductor now or what?" A huge bead of sweat manifested on the back of Whisper's head.

" Iida-kun's going at full throttle..." Even Midoriya and Uraraka sweat dropped.

" Well, he is taking his role as class rep seriously I guess." Sora had an awkward smile as she scratched at her cheek.

They lined up, however, the bus wasn't as Iida expected it to be. Sora and Yuu took the front seats of the first ten, facing each other. Iida plopped by Sora's side while Sato claimed the chair next to Yuu.

" Shoot. I didn't think it'd be this type of bus." Iida looked down, most disappointed with his own mistake. Midoriya and the rest gave him a nervous laugh.

" There was no point huh?" Ashido pointed.

" Mina-chan... You really say everything that you want..." Sora sweated.

" I say whatever comes to mind too." Asui stated, turning over to Midoriya. " Midoriya-chan..."

He was flattered to be called. " Um, yes, Asui-san?"

" Call me Tsuyu-chan."

" R-Right..." His face flushed as he tried to avoid her eyes.

" Your Quirk is like All Might's."

" Huh?! Y-Y-You think so?" He was befuddled by that and he started sweating heavily. " But I'm... Uh..."

" Wait a second, Tsuyu-chan, All Might doesn't get hurt when he uses his." Kirishima pointed out. " They just kind of look the same."

Midoriya sighed in relief at that. Sora couldn't help but feel deranged by his actions and his disturbed aura. Why would he freak out at a simple commentary? Unless...

" My Quirk is something I received from someone else."

Her mind went back to Bakugo and Midorya's conversation a few days ago. She unintentionally overhead them. But now that she thought back to how similar his quirk was to All Might's, his words from that time and the reaction he gave just now, she can't help but wonder. Does it have something to do with All Might? If so then how did he get it in the first place?

" Shirogane-san... Shirogane-san!"

She blinked her eyes wide open when Kirishima called for her. Bakugo and Kaminari were bickering at the other end of the bus. She was surprised their noises didn't wake her of her trance earlier.

" We were talking about flashy Quirks, and we thought yours is definitely a good one!"

" Eh? No... It's not special at all."

" But your Quirk is Angel, right?" Iida inquired, hands moving around. " You said it's exactly the same way humanity imagines angels. Which means, your physical strength, speed, stamina... And a lot more exceed that of an average human."

" I was surprised back at the battle training." Sato said, rubbing his chin as if it still hurt. " Your power back then was something unexpected. And you managed to stand against my sugar rush bare-handed. It's awesome!"

" Not to mention those wings you got. Man, you're much of an overpowered character if you ask me." Said Kaminari, finally finishing the quarrel with Bakugo. " Me on the other hand, my brain kind of short-circuits  if I abuse my Quirk." He send a spark out of his finger. " Your Quirk must be a bless."

A bless...

" Actually Kaminari-kun, I'm not that much strong. If I compare myself to Midoriya-kun, I would say I can squeeze about 5% of the strength he has shown us. Also, I can't use my wings much. It kind of... Tires me out." She explained with a grin.

" Your Quirk is quite complicated, Sora-chan." Said Asui, a finger against her chin. " Yours too from what I heard, Seijin-chan."

Yuu wanted to phase through the bus' wall even if it meant dropping to his death when their attention shifted to him.

That wasn't something new for both of them. They had always heard others comment about how their Quirks were complex and complicated. They didn't actually have an answer for that themselves.

" Well, mine has been inherited for generations now. But why it's very complicated, I don't know..." Sora thought for a moment.

" Yuu's on the other hand... Maybe because it's two Quirks in one that makes it that way." Whisper commented, tugging on Yuu's hood as the boy pulled it over his face to hide from their eyes.

None of them noticed Todoroki, who was leaning on his chair and closing his eyes as though sleeping, glancing over them with his blue eye.

" We're here! Stop messing around!" Called Aizawa from the very front.

" Yes, sir!"

From the window, Sora gaped at the huge dome-like structure they were approaching. " That will be our training ground!" She pressed her nose on the glass panel to get a better glimpse.

The bus pulled over by the building and the whole class clambered out of it. Welcoming them was a person in a spacesuit with large blank eyes on their helmet.

" Everyone, I have been waiting for you." They said.

Everyone around Sora oohed at them. "It's the Space Hero, Thirteen!" Midoriya explained.

" Thirteen?" Sora turned to her friend, expecting a further explanation.

Midorya however spared him the effort to." The gentlemanly hero who has rescued tons of people from disasters!"

" He is really a fanboy, that kid." Whisper stated, his eyes fixed on the boy as he squealed at the hero.

Uraraka brought her hands in fists all pumped up. " Oh! I love Thirteen!"

" Let's go inside without delay." She flung her arm at the blue gate, inviting them in.

" Looking forward to working with you!" The whole class bowed for her before following her inside.

From over the high platform of the entrance, they could take in the whole thing. In the very middle was the central plaza with a fountain at the very center. They figured it was where they would gather after finishing off. Aside that, there were six other zones all around, and they all were huge.

" Wow, it looks like USJ (Universal Studio Japan)!" Kirishima exclaimed.

" A shipwreck, a landslide, fire, windstorm, et cetera..." Thirteen began to list all the zones in there. " It's a training ground that I made with different types of accidents and disasters. It's called the ' Unforeseen Simulation Joint',  or USJ for short!" She held her finger up ahead.

It really is USJ... All of them deadpanned.

" Thirteen, where's All Might?" Aizawa walked off to her but his head was turned to the other side as if expecting the said man to crash there any moment soon. " He was supposed to meet us here."

" About that, senpai..." He turned to her as she whispered. " It looks he did too much hero work on his way to work and ran out of time." She held three fingers up. "So he's resting in the lounge."

" That's the height of irrationality." Their teacher seemed slightly annoyed.

" What are they talking about?" Yuu turned to Sora who shook her head. She didn't figure as much. Of all the students, they were the only ones who could hear them as they talked in hushed voices.

" It can't be helped. Shall we begin?" Said Aizawa.

" Let's see... Before we begin, let me say one thing... Er... Or two, or three...or four... Five... Six... Seven..."

It's increasing...! A gloomy atmosphere loomed over them.

Thirteen lifted her hand at them as she embarked on elaborating about her Quirk. " Everyone, I'm sure you're aware of my Quirk, Black Hole. I can suck up anything and turn it to dust."

Uraraka bobbed her head forcefully while Midoriya caught on the explanation. " You've been able to use that Quirk to save people from all kinds of disasters, right?"

" Yes, but it is a power that can kill easily." That came so suddenly. " Some of you also have Quirks like that, right?"

" A power... That can kill..." Yuu looked down at his own hands. He never considered if his power could do any harm before.

Sora as well, she had never thought of using her Quirk to harm, that's a given. But she never considered the possibility of a mistake that may cause so much trouble.

It was like a weight that had been thrown on their shoulders. Another responsibility to tackle. Each time they use their Quirks again, they would think deeply of Thirteen's words as she went on about it.

" In a superhuman society, personal Quirks have been certified and stringently regulated, so that doesn't seem to be a problem at first glance. However, please do not forget that there are many Quirks that can easily kill with one wrong step. With Aizawa-san's physical fitness test, you found out about the possibility of your own hidden powers, and with All Might's person-to-person combat training, I think you experienced the danger of using those powers against others."

" True... The fitness test allowed us to think about different ways of using our Quirks..." Murmured Yuu.

Sora glanced over at Sato, remembering the kick she directed at him. If it was a little stronger, then he could have...

" This class is a fresh start. You shall learn how to use your Quirks to save people's lives. You do not have powers so you can harm others. I hope you leave here with the understanding that you have powers in order to help others." She bowed in a dramatic way as though finishing a show. " That is all. Thank you for listening."

" That was wonderful!"

" Bravo! Bravo!" Iida's calls were the loudest so far.

" I think, I should think twice before using my strength on someone. I don't want to hurt anyone." Sora grimaced slightly.

Yuu's face dropped. " I need to get stronger. If my spirits deemed me unworthy of trust and ran berserk..." He didn't want to think about the consequences.

" All right." Aizawa pointed at the central plaza. " Then first-"

A spark ran the length of light bulbs. They flickered and went off, catching them off guard.

The flow of water in the fountain was disturbed as a black hole manifested, twisting its surrounding.

Aizawa widened his eyes and looked back, sensing danger approaching them.

" What's that?" Sora asked, having spotted the black mist.

Yuu scowled, squinting his eyes at the black mist. " It has a soul?" His eyes widened where more souls flickered through the mist as it permeated through the area. " No, it has more... They're approaching..."

A hand phased through the dark cloud. Aizawa scowled, shifting to his students. " Gather together and don't move!" He ordered firmly.

They looked back at him, slightly taken aback by the change of his expression. " Thirteen, protect the students!"

" What's that?"

They finally seemed to notice it, the swelling mass of darkness growing by the fountain. Multiple people stepped out of it, all with their Quirks activated. One look at their auras, Sora clapped a hand over her mouth.

It was the definition of evil. Never had she seen an aura as dark and intimidating as theirs, especially the person standing at the further back with many hands clutching to his body. It was the intention of murder that she had witnessed for the first time in her life.

She took a step back, the growing blackish bundle of auras making her feel sick.

" Is this like the entrance exam where the lesson's already started?" Kirishima and Midoriya tried to get a close peek, only to be yelled at by their teacher.

" Don't move!"

Yuu looked over at Aizawa as he put on his yellow goggles, a serious air all over him. " Those are villains."

Thunderstruck wouldn't began to describe them at that very moment.

Sora shuddered as even a larger creature came through the mist. It didn't seem human at all. Muscular with many scars on its body, a large beak-like mouth and... Its brain was visible!

The swirling lump of clouds grew lightning-shaped eyes. Sora and Yuu's ears perked up as they heard it talking to one of the villains.

" Are they..."

" ... After All Might!?"

" Damn you two and your super-sensitive hearing! Just tell me what's going on!" Whisper shouted at them. But they were more terrified of the mob of villains than him as of the moment.

" The trespassing the other day was the work of these scumbags after all, huh?"

The villains marched onto the high stairs upon which all of them stood.

Sora gulped as she heard the cold hoarse voice of the blue-haired villain who seemed to be the leader and Yuu's face rivaled Whisper's starched color. " I wonder if he'll come if we kill some kids?" Were the words that made their legs root in place.

Aizawa's hair and bindings levitated all around him while Thirteen focused on protecting them, standing as a shield between them and the danger.

" What... Villains!"

" No way..."

" There's no way they could get into a hero school!" Though he said that, Kirishima couldn't deny what he was seeing with his own eyes.

" Sensei, what about the trespasser sensors?" Yaoyorozu asked the hero in the spacesuit.

" We have them, of course, but..."

Even Thirteen doesn't know what's happening...

" Did they only appear here, or around the whole school?" Todoroki maintained his calm as he stared down at the huddle of villains proceeding towards them. " Either way, if the sensors are not responding, that means they have someone with a Quirk that can do that."

" Like hacking?" Whisper asked.

Todoroki nodded his head. " An isolated area separated from the main campus during a time when a class is supposed to be here. They might be fools, but they're not dumb." His brow furrowed. " This surprise attack was carefully planned with some sort of goal in mind."

Apprehensive and restless, everyone held their breath, contemplating their situation.

" Thirteen, start the evacuation. Try calling the school." Aizawa walked forward. " These villains even had something to counteract the sensors. It's possible someone with Radio-wave-type powers is interfering. Kaminari." The boy jolted. " You try contacting the school with you Quirk too." Aizawa ordered.

" Yessir."

" Sensei, what about you?" Midoriya panicked. " Will you fight by yourself? With that many, even if you can erase their Quirks... Eraser Head's fighting style is capturing after erasing the enemy's Quirk. A frontal battle is..."

A suicide...

" You can't be a hero with just one trick." He looked at him over his bindings. " I'm leaving it to you, Thirteen."

He bolted forward, leaping all the way down the long stairs.

" Oi! Is he going to be alright on his own!" Whisper bellowed, looking after Eraser's silhouette as he engaged into the battle.

" Wait... Isn't his Quirk impractical on heteromorphic-type Quirks..." Sora's eyes widened in fright.

" Sora... Out of all the rare information you could give about heroes... Why must it be that one..." Yuu's eyes flicked back at their teacher, but to their bemusement, he was managing it with his combat skills alone.

" I see, because of their Quirks, hand-to-hand combat is mostly their only choice." Midoriya mumbled. " And with those goggles, it's hard to tell who would be targeted."

" That's a pro..." Whisper couldn't find his tongue.

" Everyone, let's get out of here while we can." Thirteen ordered, waving them at the exit. Midoriya lingered back, studying their teacher's fighting style further.

" This is no time for analysis! We need to hurry and take shelter!" Iida cried out.

" Save your skin first!" Whisper enlarged his hand as he pulled the boy in tow.

They sprinted to the gate, but the black hole from earlier appeared on the ground ahead of them. Thirteen halted with a jolt as the mass of mist towered above them. " I won't let you."

It stood there, blocking their way. Yellow eyes stared at them and a voice spoke, mostly from the mist. " Nice to meet you. We're the League of Villains. It may be presumptuous of  us, but we have invited ourselves into the home of the heroes, UA High School in order to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath."

"They're really after All Might!" Everyone shuddered from head to toe as Sora shouted bitting her lip at their predicament.

" I believe All Might should have been here. Has there been some kind of change?"

" Acting so polite despite trespassing and threatening!" Roared Whisper, his fist brandished above his head.

" We... We Would never tell you..." Despite being spooked by his appalling aura, Sora wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her crawl in fear under his glare.

" Well, that is neither here nor there. This is the part I'm to play."

One of Thirteen's finger slots kicked open as she tried to defend the students. However, Bakugo and Kirishima made it to the front in a defiant manner, lunging at the villain, Bakugo's explosion creating a veil of smoke.

Their attacks were proven little to no effect. What's more frustrating was him complimenting their Quirks.

" Their opponent is basically mist!" Exclaimed Sora.

" No! Move away, you two!"

Thirteen shouted, ready to activate her Quirk a moment soon what's with her finger pointed towards the enemy.

" My job is to scatter you all and torture you to death!" His darkness extended around them, trapping them.

" Sora!" It was hard keeping his feet on place against the strong gale.

" I'm fine!" Was all she said. She couldn't see anything and she had to protect her face with her arms.

She heard Iida crying out for all of them before she felt herself squeezed as though jammed through a pipe. The next moment she was free falling from the sky, cold droplets of water hitting her skin and a cold wind blowing against her face. This is...

She pulled out her wings and slowed down her fall, safely landing on the pavel of the street. Looking around her, the place was similar to the previous training grounds they had been to, a city. The only difference was that the climate was made to be that of a strong windstorm.

" Shirogane-san...?" She whirled on her heels upon hearing her name, only to see Tokoyami and Koda peeking from behind a nearby building.

" Tokoyami-kun? Koda-kun?" She ran off to them, relieved to find she wasn't the only one there. " The rest?"

Tokoyami glanced over at the other boy fiddling around with his fingers and avoiding eye contact. " I only managed to find Koda."

Sora thought about it for a moment.

" My job is to scatter you all and torture you to death!"

" We've been separated." She said tapping her chin.

" Huh?"

" It must be that person's Quirk."

" The one with the clouds?"

Her head bobbed in response. " Most probably that he teleported us all to different places so to make it easier to defeat us."

" Defeat us how?"

" Here they're!" A voice called out.

" Circle them!"

" Don't let them go!"

Sora and the other two jolted at the new voices and closed on each other, back-to-back. The white-haired girl scanned their coast. Enemies flanked them from every direction, they were even on top of the buildings.

" Don't think bad of us kids."

" We're only doing our work."

Sora bit her lip as they closed on them. Her eyes went to the other two behind her. Leaving Tokoyami aside, Koda can't fight in here. There are no animals around that can be used against those people.

" Guys... Let's try to get away."

" Eh?"

" We can't win against them. First, let's retreat and come up with a plan."

Tokoyami's eyes narrowed as he weighed his options. " Very well. Let's try our hands at your suggestion."

________________

After Iida's last cry, everything went eerily silent. When he tweaked on his feet after being squeezed through something and thrown somewhere he didn't know, he was surprised at the two who followed after him.

" Get away from me spiky-haired punk!" A very noisy and loud voice bellowed.

" Ah... Sorry..."

Right behind him were both Kirishima and... Bakugo!

" What's this place?" Kirishima turned his eyes around, taking in the new environment. They were in a worn-off building, doors and windows broken with shaky unstable walls.

" I think... Maybe... We're in the ruins' zone..." Yuu tried to explain.

" Huh!? Why are we here?!" Bakugo seemed pissed off at being thrown abruptly like that, swearing he would make the cloud guy pay for that. " His Quirk is warp, huh? That's how he managed to dodge our attacks earlier, that scum!"

Yuu gulped and jolted every time Bakugo's voice rose up, intimidating him.

However, the line of insults came to an end as Bakugo bend down slightly, hands clenched in fists. It was a fighting stance. " Baggy eyes, damned hair, brace yourselves if you don't want to get hurt."

" Huh?" Kirishima blinked at him, not getting what he was talking about.

" We're surrounded." He pointed out as a group of villains appeared through the windows and doors, encircling them while getting dangerously close.

" What should we do?" Kirishima had his Quirk activated, ready to lung on whoever got near.

Yuu stumbled backwards, shaking in fear. " This... Much..."

" We must finish off the kids as well."

" Be careful, we don't know much about them."

" They're kids, what could they do."

A tick appeared on Bakugo's head at that. " Kids huh..." His palms glowed as he warmed them up with small explosions. " I will blow your jaws up!"

He leapt on him and slammed his head down into a rough explosion.

" Oi! Are you crazy!? Do you want to bury us!" Whisper yelped in anger as the whole building shook from that explosion, dusting started sliding down from the roof.

" Whisper is right, Bakugo. Be careful of this place, it will come crumbling on our heads." Kirishima stated, still on guard.

" Tsk! I know!" He stood up, more irritated than ever.

He... He knocked him cold... Yuu stared in horror at the man on the ground, feeling more terrified of the blond.

" Oi baggy eyes!" Bakugo screamed at him, making him jolt. " I don't know what your useless Quirk does. But you better defend yourself! Don't damn think we would protect you!"

Yuu gulped as he fumbled for one of his blue fire balls. He closed his eyes, focusing only on the warm spirit in his hand, sharing his energy with it.

The blue fire extended, blazing brightly as if formed a figure with four paws. Nine tails protruding at the back before the fire was extinguished completely, divulging a large white fox with nine tails. Yuu was mounted on her back.

" Awesome! " Kirishima widened his eyes at the creature. " A real Kyubi! Can't believe I'm seeing one with my own eyes!"

Kyubi formed blue balls of flame at the end of her tails before flinging them at the man with four legs lunging at her. It send him flying back and mushing him on the ground.

" I will take care of protecting Yuu!"

" Whatever extra!" Bakugo mumbled as he blew a villain with a saw for arm through the window.

________________

Sora heaved a sigh as she hid behind a building, straining her ears for the slightest sound of footsteps.

Koda approached her, he tried to say something but his voice wouldn't come out. Sora stared at him for a moment and then smiled. " You're as timid as Yuu. Don't worry about earlier, it was fine." She waved the matter off.

They managed to escape the villains with Sora grabbing Koda and flying him away 'cause he was the most vulnerable among them while Tokoyami's Dark Shadow opened a way for the bird head with ease.

" They're still looking for us... Keep your voices down." Tokoyami stated while Dark Shadow was checking the vicinity.

Do you need to tell Koda... She sweat dropped

" Thankfully the windstorm area is dark."

Sora blinked at that. His Quirk can't be used in light then? She placed her hand on her chin, thinking carefully.

Their escape was quite easy because their opponents were taken aback by their Quirks. Based on what Tokoyami just said, it wouldn't make sense to send him to a dark area if they had known about his Quirk.

" We should use it to our favor..."

Tokoyami and Koda looked back at her. " Shirogane-san, what are you thinking of?"

She cocked her head towards them.

________________

" Die...!" With another explosion, Bakugo blasted two other villains, sending them banging off the wall, each creating a dent from his force.

" Even though we told him to be careful..." Kyubi slipped through the attackers and pounced back on them, bashing them under her weight. "... He is really reckless, that kid."

" I'm not a kid!"

Kirishima busted another villain's sword and knocked him out with a chop to his neck.

The villains around them laid motionlessly on the ground, all unconscious or immobilized. Bakugo and Kirishima were panting heavily while Yuu was fighting to keep his eyes open.

" Is this all of them? They're so weak." Bakugo shouted.

" All right. Let's hurry up and go save the others!" Kirishima told them.

As Bakugo and Kirishima continued talking, Yuu's half-closed eyes glimpsed something, a flickering soul lingering along the shadow and clambered up the ceiling. Yuu rubbed his eyes, was he hallucinating? It was a soul for a living person but there was no person at all. It was funny to think he may be seeing things because he was tired.

His eyes widened when he recalled something. Hagakure-san's soul... The soul dropped behind Bakugo and approached him while he was disputing with the red head before bolting at him.

" Bakugo-san!" Just as he warned, Bakugo grabbed something and bombarded it. It soon was revealed to be a lizard-like villain. Probably his Quirk allowed him to fade in the background like a real chameleon.

" Anyway, if these small fries are the ones assigned to us, pretty much everyone will be fine, right?"

" That reaction time was amazing..." Kirishima blinked.

" He... Noticed him..." Yuu was astonished.

" In the last moment, he drew a knife out. It must be what caught his attention. His reflexes are fast." Kyubi stated, most amazed by Bakugo's skills. " He must be a fighter by instinct."

" Anyway, were you always so calm and rational?" Kirishima exclaimed. " I thought you were more like-"

" A delinquent." Whisper joined in as he phased down from the roof.

" I'm always calm and rational, you spiky-haired punk! And I'm not a delinquent you egg head!" Bakugo roared at them.

" Not from what I see." The ghost resumed his accustomed place while folding his arms.

" Yeah, that's more like him." Kirishima pointed out with a sweat, making Bakugo bare fang-like teeth at both of them.

He is scary... But cool... Yuu was still amazed by the blonde's skills. If anything, Bakugo deserved respect for the capable fighter he was. 

Bakugo threw off the chameleon man and trudged away. " Then go if you want to!"

" Wait, wait!"  Kirishima hardened his arms with a smirk. " Believe in our friends. That's really manly, Bakugo!" He slammed his fists against each other and Yuu could see sparks flying out of them. " I'll follow you!"

" We're going as well." Whisper told him.

" Huh! Why would I want a baggy eyes about to faint following me!? And an egg head ectoplasm that flew away when the fight started! You scumbags!"

" Because I can navigate you through the area!" Whisper had a tick on his forehead. He tried to maintain his calm though he spoke through ground teeth. " So you know I didn't run away! I was exploring around while you were fighting!" He huffed and looked away. " I can't fight, so I gotta do what I can do."

Bakugo stared at them for a moment before turning around to the door, walking bow-legged. " Do whatever you want! Extras! Don't dare hinder me!"

________________

  Koda anxiously whirled his head, the cold rain pouring down on him in that narrow alley.

" Found you!" He jolted as he heard the hoarse voice approaching him, taking a step back as two villains rushed his way.

However, as they passed in front of another alley, they were slammed against the wall by a giant claw-like black hand. The impact was so strong it cracked the structure.

" Here they're!" They tried to launch a surprise attack from above but were tackled by Sora as she flew at them from another alleyway, punching each on the gut and sending them through a building's window.

She looked down at her fists, recalling Thirteen's words about the potential of their powers. Even though they were villains, she wouldn't want to harm anyone if possible.

" Shirogane-san..." She dropped by her two classmates. "... That was ten of them."

" Seems our plan is working smoothly."

" Reduce their number?"  Tokoyami's  face didn't show any expression other than seriousness as she elaborated her plan.

" I would have liked for us to get to the exit. But as  Todoroki-kun  said, those people are fools but not dumb. They would probably have the exit of the zone guarded. Getting out of here won't be easy. "

" So... Combat?"

Tokoyami  tilted his head.

" Not actually that way. We're not trying to defeat the enemy." She pointed. " We're trying to survive."

Koda switched a worried look between the two as they spoke.

" Sooner or later, help will come. Until then we should hold our ground. Those villains don't know about our Quirks, else they wouldn't send you here." She pointed at  Tokoyami . " And they would have been more careful with me." She pointed at her wings.

" I see. That's true."

" Our best choice is to lure them a few at a time and defeat them. That way, we could secure our safety by reducing their number. And to do that, Koda-kun, you're our key."

The boy spluttered and pointed at himself in bewilderment, however, not the slightest sound could be heard from him.

" They saw mine and  Tokoyami's  Quirks. Which leaves you as the only one whom they didn't know much about. Which means they would think either you're too strong or too weak. Either way, they will come after you. So, I'm sorry for this may be rude, but we should use you as bait to lure them."

" This is really working." Said Tokoyami as two others dropped to the ground, unconscious. " If we can just reduce the enemy numbers little by little until help comes..."

Sora dropped, smashing down a third one sneaking on them. "... We would be able to survive."

Tokoyami's eyes widened slightly as they landed on Sora. " Shirogane-san... Your arm..."

" Huh?" Sora looked down, protruding from her skin were several feathers the long of her arms. Her eyes slightly widened. Shoot! I must have forgotten my limit!

" Are you alright?" Both of the boys were concerned about her. Sora smiled as she waved her hand.

" It's alright. Nothing to worry about. Let's hurry and proceed."

Before they could make the slightest movement, a voice spoke in their ears.

" I've found you."...

Chapter Text

" I've found you."

It was a mirth whisper by their ears. Sora reared her head, her heart throbbing rapidly. I didn't hear them approaching!

As they looked over their shoulders, they glimpsed a man with 2 pairs of extremely black eyes, fangs protruding from his mouth and 4 palps coming out of his back. He was held upside down by a hardly visible thin thread.

" Wha-"

Before Tokoyami could speak, the person behind them sputtered a mass of thick gross white gel that pinned him and Koda to the wall, gagging them at the same time. They struggled against it but little they could do. The person then shifted his attention to Sora flying overhead, having managed to avoid his trap when she flew up.

" Oya... Seems I've messed one."

She flicked her eyes at Tokoyami for a moment and then back at her opponent before she sped away from them, her wings flapping hard against the wind as she squeezed herself in between buildings.

" Fast I see."

Her eyes widened when the grey head spider-like man was catching up with her. It seemed he could shoot silk threads from his pedipalps and he was using them to swing from one building to another. "Running away. You're abandoning your friends already?"

Sora exited the side alleys and flew over the main street.

" There she is!"

" Go after her!"

She ground her teeth as the villains followed after her.

" You're not running away!" With a large swing, he threw himself over her body, his sharp palps clutching tightly to her they cut deep into her skin. She jolted around, trying to buck him off her back, however, it was to little effect.

" Just one bite and we will be over!" She screamed in agony, feeling his sharp teeth tearing through her shoulder. 

It's no use...

She thought back at Tokoyami and Koda whom she had left behind.

This is not an opponent I can face the way i'm now...

She thrust upwards, whirling around with great speed the spider was knocked away from her due to the force. He used a thread to pull himself back towards a building and clung on to it. " What's with that just now! Her speed and strength increased!"

" Your Quirk must be a bless."

You're wrong,  Kaminari -kun ...

She thought as she flew down in front of her attacker, panting heavily for air. The utterly black eyes widened when they saw her form. " You... What..."

It's not...

Her arms were covered in grey feathers, her nails grew to claws, and the right half of her face had feathers jutting out of it.

I hate it...

" What... Are you..."

A lightning bolt illuminated the silhouette of the girl, staring thirstily at the villain, the white of her eyes now black as she leered down at him like some predator. 

I hate using my Quirk, but...

" I've lured them so far from Tokoyami-kun and Koda-kun... Now I need to take care of them..."

The feathers growing out of her body were getting longer and thicker while her wings changed shade from snowy white to stormy grey, matching the clouded sky.

" They had trusted me..."

She lunged at the man, slamming his head back on the wall. He screamed in pain, trying to escape her grasp but he couldn't do so against her strength. Her red eyes were glowing as if thirsty for blood as she pushed his head further.

" In order to protect them... No matter what form-"

Her eyes widened when her eyes fell on her reflection on the glass and she recalled a memory.

Her father and grandmother staring down with their faces bearing apprehension and fear before they were blurred away by tears.

" Papa... Grandma..."

She called out with a husky voice, choking on her own words.

" What... am I?"

No..!

She let go of him, backing as far as possible with her body quivering.

" Capture her now!" A net was thrown at her, restricting her wings and making her drop to the ground.

" This one is troublesome!"

" Take care of her first!"

Sora bit on her lip as she hugged herself, she couldn't do it... Even when her friends were endangered... She couldn't bring herself to do it... 

A tear ran down her cheek at the thought of her failing them. " I'm sorry..."

" Dark Shadow!"

The silhouette of darkness came at the villains surrounding her, pushing them backward. Koda quickly hauled her on his shoulder, still wrapped in the net before rushing back to where Tokoyami was hiding.

Sora was thankful he didn't look at her back then. It took a while and a great deal of trying to calm down for her face and eyes to go back to normal before she could take off the net and face both boys again once they were far from their pursuers. 

" Guys... I'm sorry... I..."

" You protected us." Tokoyami stated offhandedly. " If you didn't fly away back at that moment and lure them away, the villains could have found us while we were bound by that substance. You figured I would be able to break free with Dark Shadow's help so you tried to give me time."

" Even though..."

Koda placed a hand on her shoulder, making her snap towards him. He gave her a wide genuine smile. Seeing it, Sora's eyes glazed over with tears before she hunched over, trying to wipe her tears but they wouldn't stop.

I... I'm sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't...

Koda gently rubbed her back to comfort her while Tokoyami looked up at the sky when the ground shook slightly beneath them. " There it goes again."

His words managed to pull her of her wailings. " There are these loud rumblings and crashes from earlier. Just what could be happening outside?"

" Hurry up!"

They were alarmed at the footsteps getting closer.

" ... We must get away." She said pulling herself together and twisting back on her feet, sprinting down the side paths along her two friends.

________________

" Asui-san! Mineta-san!" The mentioned two whirled their heads from Midoriya and the other three, who rushed to help All Might, to see a tired Yuu rushing towards them on top of a white fox.

" Whaaa! What's that!" Mineta's first reaction was freaking out.

" Call me Tsuyu-chan." Said the frog girl calmly.

Yuu panted before glancing back at Bakugo as he stopped the fog villain while Todoroki helped get All Might out of the giant monster's grip.

" Thanks to Whisper we came here in time..."

" Yeah! It's all thanks to me!"

" Either way, Bakugo told me... one way or another..." He sweated recalling the blond yelling at him. " ... To get those nearby to safety..."

" More like he told us to take care of the extras so he can show himself." Whisper huffed.

" His decision was rational. I'm the only one able to get as many people out with my speed." Kyubi pipped in.

Yuu looked back at the man they were holding and he felt his heart sinking. " Is that..."

Asui's glance softened as she looked back at the man. " Aizawa-sensei was badly hurt..."

" Hurry up and put him on!" Kyubi lowered herself to allow them to do so. " We'll get him away first! You two hurry up to the entrance as well!"

" Wait! But I-"

Asui gagged Mineta's mouth as he started pouncing up in exasperation. " Please, take care of our teacher."

With that, Kyubi sprinted back to the entrance. " Asui!" The short boy shot at her once their mean of escape was getting further.

" Seijin-chan is barely holding it together." She said looking after the fox. " Let's not tire him more."

The nine-tailed fox climbed the stairs and landed nimbly in front of Urarka and the rest, startling them for a moment. It was Uraraka who snapped the first, realizing who she was holding on her back. " Aizawa-sensei!"

" Let's help him down!" Sato told her as Kyubi lowered herself.

" Please, he seems to have sustained major injuries."

They helped him down and Shoji cradled him carefully on his back, wrapping his tentacles around him to support his body.

" Yuu...You alright? Can you go?"

The boy was barely awake. " We need to get Asui-san and Mineta-san... Also we need to find where is Sor-"

He lost balance and slipped off Kyubi's back, landing in Sato's hands. " Safe." He breathed out as he laid the purple head down while his fox was nothing but whisps of blue flames by then seeing as she could no more keep her physical body.

" He really is reckless." Whisper sighed before looking back at his classmates. " He will be out for a while. Tsk, what should I do with someone like you."

________________

They had to embark into battle again, but thankfully these villains weren't any trouble. " I think other than that spider we faced, the others are weak." Tokoyami said holding up one of them by his collar, his eyes were blank white as he was knocked cold and a few lumps could be seen on his head.

Suddenly, a vigorous quake made them lose balance for a moment and look around. " Wh-What was this vibration?"

The shock was louder and harder than any of the rest. " What could it be?"

Thud

Both boys looked over their shoulders to find their classmate laying motionless on the ground. " Shirogane!"

Tokoyami threw the villains away and hurried to the girl. Upon inspection, she seemed to have a fever but Koda pointed at a bite mark on her shoulder. " This is bad... Koda, we must hide."

The boy nodded as he pulled Sora on his back and they rushed to find a hideout.

________________

Drip Drip

The next time she came to, she found herself laying in the infirmary. She tried figuring her surrounding, but all she was able to see were the white curtains and a chunk of the wall tainted orange by the rays of the setting sun. She glimpsed an IV tube inserted into her arm.

Drip

She tried hard to remember what had happened and how she ended up there.

They were in USJ. Villains attacked. She got thrown into the windstorm zone. Fought some guys and then... Nothing... What happened after that? It was blank.

Drip

" Figured you would come to any moment now." The curtains were tugged away, revealing the smiling face of a certain nurse.

" Recovery... Girl..."

The woman studied her carefully. " How are you feeling?"

" Dizzy..." She tried to lift her hand to her head but she couldn't muster the strength even to do that. " What... Happened to me..."

" Seems you were poisoned by one of the villains."

" Poisoned...?" Her eyes went as wide as they could be back then as she recalled the person with the spider Quirk.

" It's alright. The antidote had produced the wanted effect. However, I can't let you out today. I will have you staying here for the night."

The girl closed her eyes and nodded. She didn't think she could take the journey home in that situation.

" Also, your friends were insisting on seeing you. I managed to shoo away some of them, but a few are still standing firm in their places. What do you think?"

" Please let them in." She would appreciate seeing her friends sound and safe now.

As soon as Recovery Girl opened the door, five people came in.

" Sora!"

" Sora-chan!"

" Shirogane-kun!"

The first faces she glimpsed were those of Iida, Uraraka and of course, Yuu. Trailing after them were Tokoyami and Koda.

" I told you to go get some rest!" Recovery Girl pointed at the purple head angrily. " You were just discharged!"

" Heh! Yuu? Discharged!? What happened?"

" He overused his energy again and fainted." Whisper shook his head tiredly.

" Anyway, Shirogane-kun, you feeling alright? Nothing wrong with your body?"

" I'm fine, Iida-kun. Just a bit tired that's all."

" Thanks to your Quirk, your resistance to the poison was strong to delay its effect." Recovery Girl mentioned.

" Really, you're lucky, Sora-chan!"

" As I thought, your Quirk is awesome!"

" Tokoyami-kun, Koda-kun..." She looked at the two at the very back. " ... I'm sorry, I ended up being a burden."

" Don't say that." Tokoyami said while Koda shook his head with a smile. " You helped us first. Besides, it wasn't long after you fainted that Present Mic came to our rescue."

" I see."

Yuu's face dropped down. Once again, he couldn't do much for his friend. As she fought a strong villain and struggled on her own, he just fainted after fending against weak ones. His fists balled in frustration at how little he could do for her.

Sora blinked as though remembering something. " That's right, what about the rest? Aizawa-sensei and Thirteen-sensei?"

Their faces bore a crestfallen air at that. " The rest of the class save Midorya-kun and you are unharmed. Both Aizawa-sensei and Thirteen-sensei were seriously hurt. Don't worry, the doctors said they will be fine. All Might Sensei suffered major injuries as well, he is being treated by Recovery Girl along Midorya-kun." Iida stated.

" Eh! All Might was there?"

" Yeah, he fought against the monster and blew him away."

" Alright folks!" Recovery Girl flourished her syringe around. " I've allowed you to see her! Now you should give her some time to rest!"

With that, they withdrew from there with a wave and goodbye. Yuu lingered back, staring down at his feet. " I'm sorry Sora..."

" There is nothing for you to apologize for." She smiled at him. " I'm just glad you're fine."

He glanced over at her and breathed heavily. " I'll inform aunt Yui of the situation. You rest well."

" You too."

And the purple head left the infirmary.

" Well, I have two other patients in the other room so I'll be going back and forth. If you need anything just press the button next to the bedstand."

Sora nodded before the old won trudged out of the room. Red eyes wandered back to the ceiling, recalling what had happened that day.

" In order to protect them... No matter what form-"

She placed her arm over her eyes. Stupid. I'm stupid. Why can't I get over it?

She inhaled deeply, trying to quell all of her feelings, the fear, anger, disappointment... " I have to get stronger."...

________________

Sora had to wait for Recovery Girl to make all kinds of checks before she was appeased enough to let her head home. Sora couldn't blame her since her Quirk can't help much with healing poisoned cases.

After changing back to her school uniform and fetching her backpack, the girl left the infirmary with a deep bow for the old woman.

As she walked the long of the school hallways, she could find it was deserted. It's expected after yesterday's incident. They would need to improve their security and investigate further.

Coming to the school entrance, she came face to face with Yuu as he was heading in. " Sora! They let you out! You okay?!"

" It's alright Yuu." She smiled brightly at him. " Recovery Girl made sure I'm 1000% healthy before letting me out."

She blinked at him as she realized something. " Why are you here? Classes should be suspended right?"

" Recovery Girl said you would probably be discharged today so Yuu came to accompany you home." Whisper said.

" Oh, sorry for the trouble." She stroked the back of her head with an apologetic smile.

" Don't mention it. Let's head back, aunt Yui was beyond worried."

" Oh man." Sora gulped. " I won't hear the end of it from her." As they made it back to the station, Sora thought about the events of the previous day.

That was what pros were dealing with. That was the meaning of an actual villain attack. That will be her everyday life at a certain point. She... No, all of them had experienced firsthand, how the true grapple between evil and good is.

In order to be able to stand against villains, all of them needed to get stronger...

________________

On their way to school, all they could hear was the topic of the League of Villains' attack on UA. Either broadcasted on large TVs, or people just talking about it as they swiped through the news on their phones.

Walking through the street and enticing looks from passersby because of their uniforms made Yuu lower his head even more.

" Grandma was furious." Sora sighed, her head lolling to the side tiredly. " She said I should have been careful. But she wasn't that angry after all. Guess she figured there was little to be done."

" Yuu's parents on the other hand never bothered to ask about it." Whisper folded his arms. " How ignoring."

" They probably don't think I would get caught in any of that." He stated, his eyes dropping further.

She gave him a sympathizing look before patting his shoulder, a smile spreading through her face. " Let's do our best so we could get stronger, together."

The boy returned her smile and nodded.

________________

  In the class, Hagakure was complaining about not being able to stand in the class pictures shown on the news.

" Heh? There were pictures of the class?" Sora blinked.

Uraraka reared her head back at her with an apologetic smile. " Well, you, Seijin-kun and Deku-kun couldn't make it to the screenshots because you were rushed to the hospital ward."

" How vexing!" Whisper grunted.

" But man, all the channels made a big deal out of it." Kaminari leaned on his chair with a broad smile.

" I was surprised." Said Kirishima.

" Can you blame them?" Jiro piped in. " The hero course that keeps pumping out pro heroes was attacked."

" It's all UA could do to prevent Media from huddling in from of the entrance again..." Yuu looked at his desk.

" Who knows what would've happened if the teachers hadn't come when they did." Sero leaned on his.

" Stop it Sero!" Mineta shouted, swiveling in his chair with tears welling up in his eyes. " Just thinking about it's making me wet myself-"

" Shut up! Be quiet scum!" No one knew why Bakugo was irked.

The conversation then drifted to All Might's fight. Hearing all sorts of things from those who witnessed it made Sora envy them. She wished she could see the number one Hero in a fight up close.

The clock ticked as the time for homeroom closed. Iida came in running at them. " Everyone! Morning homeroom is about to start! Stop talking and take your seats!" He extended his arms in an ordering manner.

" We're already in our seats."

" You're the only one who's not."

Iida plopped down on his chair in irritation, making Koda jolt in fear at the face he was making. " Shoot!"

" Don't mind." Said Uraraka with a smile.

" Tsuyu-chan, who's..." Mina reared for the green head, tipping her chair and almost falling if it wasn't for Asui upholding her. "... Gonna teach homeroom today?"

Asui held a finger to her jawbone. " Well, Aizawa-sensei's supposed to be in the hospital recovering from his injuries... Ribbit?"

The door slid open and much to everyone's shock, their teacher stood by the door, bandages covering his face and both his arms were in plaster casts and held up by slings.

" Morning."

" Aizawa-sensei! You're back too soon!"

" He is here! In that situation!" Whisper's eyes shot out of their sockets and in the direction of the man.

" You're too much of a pro!" Kaminari fretted at his sight.

" Sensei, so you're all right?" Iida shot his hand in the air.

" From the way he's tottering to his desk..." Sora sweated.

" Can you really call that ' all right'?" Uraraka worried.

" My well-being doesn't matter."

Of course it does. They argued inwardly.

" More importantly, the fight is not over yet."

" Fight?" Bakugo looked like he wanted one.

" Don't tell me..." Midoriya slightly panicked.

" The villains again...?!" Mineta quavered in his chair.

Through his bandages, Aizawa's eyes peeked slightly at them. " The UA sports festival is drawing near."

" The sports festival! That's a super normal school event!"

" Wait a minute !" Kaminari interjected, all worried.

" Is it okay to have a sports festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?" Jiro questioned.

Half of the class seemed to agree with her. Well, it was a valid point.

" Apparently, they think of it as UA showing that our crisis management system is solid as a rock by holding the event. Security will also be strengthened to five times that of previous years." His eyes stared at them, a sign that what he was about to say was of high importance. "Above all, our sports festival is a huge chance. It's not an event to be canceled because of a few villains."

Yuu blinked. " Huge chance...?"

Mineta disagreed. " But that's a good reason, isn't it? It's just a festival of sports."

" Huh? Mineta-kun, you've never seen the UA sports festival?" Midoriya asked.

" Of course I have. That's not what I meant!"

" Our sports festival is one of Japan's biggest events. In the past, the Olympics were called a festival of sports, and the whole country was crazy about them. As you know, with reduction in scale and population, they're now a shell of their former glory. And now, for Japan, what has taken the place of those Olympics is the UA sports festival!"

" Hee!" Sora's eyes widened at the revelation. " I knew it was awesome and all but to actually rival the past Olympics! That's even cooler!"

" Hold on..." Yuu realized something. "... Will there be media this year?"

" Of course. After all the top heroes around the country will be watching. For scouting purposes!" Yaoyorozu was rather excited about the idea herself, even if she tried not to show it.

" I know." Said Mineta.

Yuu sulked in his chair. I've hoped for too much...

" After we graduate, it's typical to join a pro agency as a sidekick." Kaminari explained.

" A lot of people miss their chance to become independent after that and become eternal sidekicks though." Jiro looked back at the blond." Kaminari, I feel like you'd be one of them. Since you're dumb." Kaminari twitched at how straightforward she said that.

Aizawa continued explaining more about how joining a good agency can pave the path to becoming a hero. For that matter, UA's sports festival must not be missed on. " If you understand that, then don't slack off on your preparations!"

" Yes, sir!"

Sora balled her hands on the desk, more determined than ever. I need to work harder.

" You heard that Yuu! I'm gonna prepare the perfect training menu for you!" Whisper was all fired up, and that seemed to worry the purple head.

" Homeroom is dismissed."

________________

As the bell chimed for the Lunch Break, everyone in the class lingered to discuss more about the topic of the sports festival. Most of them couldn't wait any longer for it to come, like Kirishima and Hagakure. Some of them were talking about how their Quirks could be easily spotted and wanted by pros.

" Everyone's so into it." Midorya stated.

" It's like Tokoyami-kun said, we shouldn't let this chance slip through our fingers. Not every day you will get to show the whole of Japan what you're capable of." Sora brought up her fists.

Yuu gulped. " The whole of Japan... I... I'll try my best..."

" Aren't you like them?" Iida asked. " We have enrolled here to become heroes, of course we would get fired up!" He said swaying his waist left and right.

" Is that some kind of dance?" Whisper's eyebrow quirked in confusion at what the blunette was doing.

" Iida-chan, you have a unique way of getting fired up." Asui pointed while on her way to have lunch with Ashido. " It's weird."

Iida pointed at Midorya. " Midoriya-kun, you don't feel the same?"

" Of course I do. But something's..."

They were cut off by Uraraka. " Deku-kun, everyone..."

All five of them reared their heads at the brunette. " Let's do our best at the sports festival." Her face almost rivaled that of Bakugo right then.

" Uraraka-san, your face...! It's..."

" What a daring aura she has...!" Sora's sweated.

" Uraraka-san... Is all fired up too..." Yuu took a step back.

" It seems she had just finished eating something sour for me." Whisper blinked.

" What's the matter?" Ashido peeked over their heads. " You don't look carefree at all, even though that's what your name means."

Sora sighed. " Mina-chan... You really..."

Mineta was about to say something but Asui slapped him hard with her tongue.

The brunette stomped on the ground and thrust her fist up. " Everyone, I'm gonna do my best!"

" Yeah!" They all encouraged her either diligently like Iida, or confused at her character swing like Midoriya.

She turned over to the rest of the class as though about to murder someone. " I'm gonna do my best!" She shouted again as they cheered her on, neither of them getting what was happening.

" What's up with her?" Sora tilted her head, slightly confused.

________________

On their way to the Eatery, Midoriya turned to the brunette.

" Uraraka-san."

"Yes?"

" Why did you decide to come to UA and become a pro hero?"

Uraraka's face flushed and she spluttered, not expecting the question. " Huh? Um... Because..."

Midoriya came to a halt as he heard her reason. " For money?! You want to become a hero for money?"

The girl was rubbing her head vigorously while evading their eyes. " To boil it down simply, yes..."

She tweaked her body, waving her hand at them. " Sorry it's such an unwholesome reason." She cradled her face in embarrassment. " You two have such admirable motivation, it's embarrassing..."

" Why? How is having a goal to support your livelihood not admirable?" Iida asked, wholeheartedly flailing his hands.

" Right. But it's unexpected." Midoriya pointed.

Uraraka sighed as she elaborated. " My family owns a construction company." She ran her hands through her hair as though to calm her nerves. " But we haven't gotten any work at all, so we're flat broke. This isn't really something to tell other people, though..."

All four of them thought about her words.

" Construction..." Iida thought.

" With her Quirk, if she gets licensed, then it'd bring costs way down, right?"

" Oh! That's true!" Sora blinked.

" She could make any raw material float. They wouldn't need any heavy equipment." Explained Iida.

" It would make their business go smooth..." Commented Yuu.

" Right?" She pointed at them, all her nervousness fading in a blink. " That's what I told Dad when I was little!"

Her face fell down as she pointed away. " But... They would rather want me to achieve my dreams."

Sora's eyes slightly widened when she saw her bunching the fabric of her skirt as she held it tight. " I'll definitely become a hero and make money, and let my parents take it easy."

All of them were taken back by her resolution. Sora smiled gently at her. She is just like Yumei. " You're a hero, Ochaco-chan."

" Sora-chan..."

" Someone told me, that heroes aren't just those who dive into dangerous fights and save thousands of people." Her smile softened as she recalled the smile of a certain person as he repeated those words over and over for her. " Heroes are those who help whenever they could. Even taking the hand of a lost child is heroism. Ochaco-chan too, be proud of your motivation. That's enough reason to be a hero, and such a noble one too."

" Sora..."

" Sora-chan, thanks."

Loud clapping resounded through the hall, making everyone look back at Iida as he shouted 'bravo'. Uraraka seemed surprised by her classmate's reaction, she thought for sure she would disdain her motivation. But both Iida and Sora made her smile, though Iida's cheering was quite loud for her.

They were cut off by a familiar loud laugh and they swiveled at its source. " Young Midoriya is here!" All Might was pointing at them from another hallway.

" All Might, what's the matter?"

" Lunch! Wanna eat it together?" He held what seemed like a lunchbox wrapped in a blue cloth.

Seeing him like that, Uraraka tried to stifle her laughter but couldn't. Sora scratched her jaw with a sweat drop while Yuu blinked. " He is acting in a way that doesn't suit his bulky build." Whisper sighed. " Even the number one is a weirdo."

" Whisper!" Yuu was distraught by the ghost's way of talking to the number one hero. Thankfully All Might waved it with a wave.

" It's fine, it's fine. Then, how about it?" He turned back to Midoriya who swapped looks with them as if asking for permission. Iida bobbed his head and the freckled boy run off to the teacher.

" I'd love to."

They continued on, filing in the line of Lunch Rush's eatery.

" I wonder what he wanted with Deku-kun?" Uraraka asked.

" He seemed... Like he wanted to discuss something." Yuu pointed.

" I heard that when All Might was attacked by villains during the USJ incident, he rushed out alone to help. Perhaps it's about that?" Iida told her.

"Oh yeah!" She hit her punch on her palm as she recalled that.

" Hold on... All on his own!? Midoriya-kun seems to be quite the rational person who prefers to think ahead, it's hard to imagine him doing such a reckless thing!" Sora exclaimed, moving one step ahead after Yuu.

" Can't agree less, Shirogane-kun." Said Iida.

" But... Is it me? Or does All Might seem to be close to Midoriya-san?" Questioned Yuu.

" True. I mean, you wouldn't probably ask a student to join you for launch if you need to discuss something with them?" Whisper tapped his chin.

" Remember what Asui said on the bus?" Iida held out his hands.

" Your Quirk is like All Might's."

" The boundless power they both have are similar too, so maybe All Might has taken a liking to him because of that. He's amazing."

Uraraka kept making approving noises at the blunette. But none of them noticed the boy staring back at them from the corner of his eye.

________________

3:20 pm

The clock ticked as Uraraka gaped her mouth at the crowd standing outside their classroom. The rest of them behind her not less surprised. " Wh-What's going on?"

" Why are they huddling here?" Yuu asked, feeling uneasy at the many eyes studying every move of them.

" What businesses do you have with class A?" Iida, being the class rep, asked them quietly.

" We can't get out!" Mineta cried flailing his fist in the air. " What'd you come here for anyway?"

" Scouting out the enemy, small fry." Sora and Yuu made way for Bakugo as he headed for the door. " They probably wanna check us out before the sports festival."

He passed a shaking Mineta who was pointing at his back, unable to believe that Bakugo was able to say two successive words without shouting or blowing something apart.

" That's Kacchan in neutral." Said Midoriya.

" But... Why us?..." Yuu shrank back, trying not to stand out.

" Remember, class 1A went against villains in USJ and survived. That would make them the most riveting class." Whisper murmured.

Bakugo came face to face with the other students, studying them. " There's no point in doing stuff like that. Out of my way, extras!"

" Stop calling people 'extras' just because you don't know them!" They all shuddered while Iida told him off with his usual chopping motion.

" I came to see what the famous Class A was like." A voice sounded from the very back of the throng before a raven-haired head could be seen over the rest approaching them. " But you seem pretty arrogant. Are all students in the hero course like this?" A boy with rather half closed violet eyes jostled his way to the very front. Bakugo glared down at him in discontent while the rest shook their heads in denial.

" Seeing something like this makes me disillusioned." He rubbed the back of his neck. " There are quite a few people who enrolled in general studies or other courses because they didn't make it into the hero course. Did you know?"

Sora thought back to her friend Yumei who didn't manage the test because of her Quirk. Of course not many people would be able to take that test meant for fighting type Quirks.

" The school has left those of us a chance. Depending on the results of the sports festival, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course. And it seems the opposite is true too."

They all stiffened at those words. Yuu for once had goosebumps running down his spine. " They would... Transfer people out..."

" Scouting out the enemy?" He cast them a challenging glare. "I, at least, came to say that even if you're in the hero course, if you get too carried away I'll sweep your feet out from under you. I came with a declaration of war."

This person's bold too!

He stood there, he and Bakugo embarking into a staring contest.

" Hey, hey!" A new voice cried out. They turned back to see a messy grey-haired boy with jagged teeth and black eyes lined with thick jagged tan-colored eyelashes stomping his way through the crowd. " I'm from Class B next door! I heard you fought against villains so I came to hear 'bout it! Don't get so full of yourself!"

Another bold person! They were too stunned to react.

" If you bark too much, it'll be embarrassing for you durin' the real fight!"

Bakugo ignored him and walked on. " You ignorin' me, bastard?!" The boy cried after him as Bakugo brushed past the purple head.

" Wait a minute, Bakugo ! What're you gonna do about all this?" Kirishima cried. " It's your fault that everyone's hating on us!"

" It doesn't matter." The blond looked over his shoulder.

" Huh?!"

" It doesn't matter as long as you rise to the top."

Sora and Yuu's eyes widened as he said that. They stared at his back as he forced his way out.

" Damnit, you bastard!" The boy from class B was vexed.

Some of them seemed to agree with Bakugo's words. He reminded them again of the reason they were there in the first place.

Rise to the top... Needless to say, Sora and Yuu took those words to heart and were intending to do so.

________________

The festival was two weeks away. For both of them it wasn't near enough. While grappling with their courses, Yuu and Sora doubled their training time, Bakugo's words ringing in their ears.

Rise to the top...

Yui would worriedly watch her grandchild spending hours after hours in their small dojo, pushing her limit and training.

I need to get there, so I can find out what happened to him.

Yuu shed tears as he was obliged to run till early in the morning through half the city, Whisper shouting after him, prodding him forward.

I can't help anyone like this. His mind replayed all the times he failed to do anything at all for his childhood friend. I need to rise up high.

That of course without mentioning their increasing training in UA. Sora had mostly joined Uraraka and Ashido, trying to improve her maneuvers midair and push further her time limit, either by avoiding Uraraka's debris or setting herself as a target for Ashido and Aoyama.

Whisper made Yuu join Iida in his laps around the school ground. Needless to say, the blunette would finish around 30 to 40 laps before Yuu could finish his. And even by then, he would be as good as dead.

The countdown for the sports festival had already begun...

Chapter Text

" Grandma! What's with all this!" Sora gasped as she stared at the table laded with food.

" You need energy for today's festival right."

" That's too much energy!"

" That's nothing." Yui's smile softened as she ran her eyes over the girl, Sora flinching slightly when she realized her grandmother was staring too much. " Before I knew, you've grown up and now reached this far. There wasn't much I could do for you, so at least, let me help with this."

" Grandma..." Her eyes glazed over. "... Thank you."

Yui's face brightened.

" But still, I wouldn't be able to finish all this."

" Hm, then what about packing some for lunch? I'll prepare you a lunchbox, Yuu-kun as well."

" Thanks!" Sora said flinging her arms around her grandmother's waist, squeezing her in a tight hug.

" This kind of reminds me of when you were in elementary."

" Grandma!"

________________

Yuu checked twice he had everything he needed before sliding his bag on his shoulder and heading downstairs. As he made it to the door, there was no greeting from his parents whatsoever. He put on his shoes and clicked the door open before his father's voice came out. " You really going?"

Yuu hesitated for a moment before looking back inside. " It's a chance I shouldn't miss on. Also, participation in the festival is compulsory."

" They should just make an exception for you. You will probably just get scared away by a ghost or something in the end. Not that your Quirk can rival the others." His mother's voice sounded from the kitchen. 

Yuu pursed his lips. He knew he was still ways behind the rest. He knew that well. But hearing his parents blurting it out nonchalantly.

" Either way, do what you want. We would be out for work so we won't be watching it."

Yuu sighed deeply before stepping out of the house. He already figured that much.

________________

A few hours after they came, the school ground was crawling with people, either spectators or reporters. The students were told to come a few hours earlier so they could prepare, also not to get caught in the crowd.

Sora shut the door of her locker after she had changed into her gym clothes, securing all of her things. Currently, they were in the waiting room, waiting for their cue to proceed to the stage. Calm down Sora, you can do it. You've been practicing hard.

She looked over at her friend, only to see him huddled on his chair, his feet held tightly to his chest. " Eh...? It's been a while since I saw you in that pose." She walked to him, a smile plastered on her face. " Let's do our best."

" A... Ah... I'll... Work hard..." He was rocking back and forth as three flames sparked around him.

Whisper looked at Sora and shook his head. " You know, stage freight."

" He isn't used to being the center of interest after all." She smiled awkwardly. " I'll leave him in your hands whisper."

" Don't you worry about him. He has me. Also, you should focus more on yourself in the sports festival, no helping him. Understood!"

Sora scratched the back of her head at that, but Whisper was right. She shouldn't be helping him. Not because she wants to win. Nope, not that. It's because Yuu's future employer would be mostly watching the festival. She didn't want to ruin his chances by helping him and making scouters think he couldn't do anything on his own.

Their attention was caught when Iida swung their door open. " Everyone, are you ready? We will be entering soon!"

Sora took a deep breath, trying to keep her nerves calm. Yuu hastened his rocking back and forth before Whisper squeezed his face to subdue him to stop.

" Todoroki-kun? What's the matter?"

Everyone turned to Midoriya and Todoroki in the center, facing each other.

" Looking at things objectively, I think I'm stronger than you." Todoroki stated, his face as stoic as ever.

" Huh... Y-Yeah..."

" But... All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he?"

Here it's again. Sora thought as the freckled boy blenched slightly.

" I'm not trying to pry about that. But I'm going to beat you."

Midoriya's eyes went wide at the war declaration while Todoroki remained cool. Kirishima tried to pacify them sensing the tense atmosphere within the waiting room.

" We're not here to play at being friends." Todoroki irked the red head's hand away." So what does it matter?" He strolled away from them.

" Man, what's wrong with him?" Sora questioned his attitude. 

" Maybe he is feeling obliged to do so to uphold his father's name..."

" His father?" Her eyes drifted to her friend curiously.

" You didn't know? Todoroki-san is the N.2's son, Endeavor's son."

" Eh!" Sora's eyes bulged out at the revelation. " Eeeeh! He is that..."

" I see. That's why he got through recommendation, right." Whisper pointed out.

They looked back at the center as Midoriya retorted.

" Todoroki, I dont know what you're thinking when you say you'll beat me, but of course you're better than me. I think you're more capable than most people... Looking at it objectively..."

" Midoriya, you probably shouldn't talk so negatively..."

" But everyone-" He didn't seem to hear. " The students from the other courses are aiming for the top with everything they've got!"

His clenched fists dropped to his sides. " I can't afford to fall behind." Todoroki turned to face a determined Midoriya. " I'll be going for it with everything I have too."

"... Yeah." It somehow seemed to satisfy Todoroki.

A heavy silence lingered over the room before they were called out. They formed two lines and proceeded to where they would be waiting before marching into the stage. They could hear the spectators' cheering and Present Mic's commenting.

" You know, Todoroki-kun was kind of a jerk earlier." Sora thought back to how he jerked Kirishima's hand away and his rude words. " And just when I thought our class was quite good... Save Bakugo-kun maybe... In certain cases..."

Yuu recalled what the red and white head told him after their battle training was over. " I... Don't think he is bad..."

" Huh?"

" He... Kind of was concerned about me after he froze me during our battle training..." He fiddled with his fingers. " Maybe... Something came up that made him act that way..."

Sora tipped her head as though mulling over it. " Regardless, it wasn't nice at all, what he had done to Kirishima-kun."

" It's time for the students to enter the first-year stage!" Present Mic bellowed. That was their cue as they proceeded through the small half-lit tunnel. Class 1A finally stepped into the light, Midoriya leading them. They each picked their own pace as they walked to the central podium.

" It's so crowded!" Sora marveled at the many people who came to watch them.

" Too much... If you ask me..." If it wasn't for Whisper who kept prodding him forward, Yuu would have dug a hole and hid in there for the rest of his life.

Students from other classes filed into the stage from the other doors. Sora blinked when she glimpsed a certain orange head not too far from her. " Huh... Kendo-san?"

Whisper whirled Yuu's face towards class B. " Oi Yuu, that boy..." He was a short tubby boy with silver-grey hair reaching to his shoulders, his bang slightly hiding his eyes.

" The one from the entrance exam... So he got in..."

" You know." Jiiro stated from beside him as she looked back at the other class. " We're supposed to be the only two classes of first years in the hero course, but we barely interacted with them at all."

" We were too focused on our courses we didn't have the chance to." Yaoyorozu pointed. " Also, I've heard classes' members usually make each other acquaintance during the sports festival."

The sound of a whip flailing through the air caught their attention and everyone focused on the woman standing on the podium. " Time for the player pledge!"

" She is.... Who?" Sora tilted her head at Yuu with an awkward smile while he sweat dropped.

" Midnight, The R-Rated Hero..."

" What's Midnight-sensei wearing?" Kirishima tried not to stare but failed at a certain point.

" Her hero costume." Yuu stated.

" that's an R-Rated Hero for you." Said Kaminari.

" Is it okay for her to be at a high school even though she's R-Rated?" Asked Tokoyami.

" Yes!" Mineta was the most hyped they had ever seen him.

Sora looked around her, most boys bore visible tints of pink on their faces and were staring at the woman. " That's... Kind of worrying..."

" Quiet everyone!" She flailed her flogger whip once more to silence them utterly. " Representing the students is Bakugo Katsuki from class 1-A!"

Class A turned to him quite shocked as he made for the podium.

" What?It's Kacchan?"

" That guy did finish first in the entrance exam."

" In the hero course." A girl from general studies sighed.

" R-Right..." Midoriya stuttered.

" It's obvious she hates us."

" And it's all Bakugo's fault."

" Is it okay thought..." Sora turned to Asui by her side. " For Bakugo-kun to do the player pledge?"

She made a ribbit sound as she held a finger to her jawbone. " If he stays calm, maybe."

Everyone watched in expectancy as they awaited Bakugo's words. He stood there, glaring down at the spectators with a poker face. Yuu for once was glad he was facing the blond's back.

" I pledge-" He began. " That I'll be number one."

I knew he'd do that. His whole class was thunderstruck.

Sora scratched her cheek with an awkward cackle as the other classes booed at him. As I thought it was a bad idea leaving it to him.

" Why are you doing something so disgraceful?!" Iida rebuked.

" At least become a nice bouncy step for me to jump off of." He told him. Ignoring his rebuking, Bakugo returned among them.

The high screen showed ' First Game'. " Now, let's get started right away!" Midnight cried. " The first game is what you'd call a qualifier! Every year, many drink their tears here!"

" Hopefully not me..." Yuu begged.

" Now, here is the fateful first game!" With another flap of her flogger, a hologram screen popped behind her, mimicking a slot machine. " This year is..." It stopped on ' Obstacle Race '.  " This."

" An obstacle race." Sora smiled.

" Tsk, lucky you. With your wings, you won't have much trouble." Whisper grunted before looking at the shaking boy. Yuu never did well with races, obstacles or not. 

Midnight explained more about their first game before threshing her whip up, licking her upper lip lustily. " Our school's selling point is freedom! As long as you stay on course, it doesn't matter what you do!"

The loud hollers filled the stadium. " Now, take your places everyone!"

They gather in front of a red gate that would mark their starting point. It had green lumps on the top shining brightly.

" Here we're, it has started..." Through beads of sweat sliding down her face, Sora couldn't contain her excitement.

" Show me what you're made off, soldier!" Whisper flung his fists at Yuu. " You're gonna ace this!"

" I... Will try."

Everyone was concentrating hard on the lights, waiting for their cue to rush.

One light went off.

" Yuu, I forgot to tell you."

" Huh?"

The second one went off.

She smiled at him while holding her thumb.

" Good luck!"

The third and last bulb went off.

" Start!"

They sprang with everything they got towards the exit. Present Mic and apparently Aizawa were commenting together on the race.

" Let's get started right away, Mummy Man. What should we pay attention to in the early stages?" That was Mic.

" This part right now."

Hearing that, Whisper tightened his grasp on Yuu's neck, forcing him to halt.

" You strangled me!"

" Look!"

His eyes were fixed on the narrow path. The many people filing in made it crammed and almost impossible to pass. Those who already rushed were elbowing and shouldering other students to press forward.

" That was close." Sora heaved a sigh, just like Yuu she had stopped before she could get trapped in the huddle of people. " If Aizawa-sensei didn't mention it..."

" That's a qualifier round for you..."

" The first sifting." A voice called from behind them before its owner sprang forward. Glimpsing a blur of white and red, they figured it must have been Todoroki.

They were proven right when the exit tunnel was frozen down, binding a whole lot of the students to their spots while the male managed to swiftly get past them.

" He rooted them on the ground to open a way?!" Whisper exclaimed.

" He's really strong." Sora was at a loss of words at his strength and skills.

However, class A were able to tackle his move.

" I should go as well!" Large snowy white wings sprouted out of her back as she flew through the tunnel, catching up with Bakugo and the rest.

" Eeeeh! What are we waiting for?! Let's get going as well!" Whisper pointed ahead.

" But the ice-"

" Shut up and open your mouth!"

He slipped through the purple's head's mouth and the boy's eyes glimmered.

Yuu rushed forward, using those stuck in the ice as step stones as he bounced from one's shoulder to another's head before finally crossing the tunnel.  He looked back with a smirk at the people complaining. " Don't feel sorry about your loss, at least you gave me a path forward!"

He skidded on the slippery ice, overtaking a few of his classmates.

" Seijin-kun is already ahead!" Midoriya watched the back of the boy running ahead of them.

" Must be Whisper's help..." Urarka was hardly keeping herself balanced.

" I said Whisper used to be athletic!" Said Yuu, still proceeding with ease on the icy ground. " Ice skating is a piece of cake for him!"

" Like hell I'm falling behind!" Mineta plucked his hair balls, throwing them ahead and making a path for himself. Yuu had to dodge them promptly so not to get stuck as the shorter boy passed him, jumping from one ball to another and catching up with Todoroki. He was about to perform some kind of special move before he was knocked away and send trundling on the ground by a robot.

Yuu halted as soon as he was out of the iced ground, finding his path blocked by the faux villains from the entrance exam.

Sora glanced downward but had to quickly look up ahead of her when she glimpsed something gigantic towering over her. " You're kidding..."

"Obstacles have shown up suddenly!" Commented Mic. " Starting with the first barrier! Robo Inferno!"

Behind the front rows of small robots, stood the ginormous forms of the zero point, a bunch of them.

" Seriously!" Yuu took a step back so the enormous robots could fully be seen.

" So this is what they used in the general entrance exam?" The white and red head in front of him mattered to himself. " If they went through all this trouble, I wish they would've prepared something better."

It was a second. Just as a zero point took a swing at Todoroki, he froze it momentarily, leaving the others with stunned faces at his power. He sprang forward, past the frozen bot.

Many others tried to follow after but Yuu didn't, realizing the unit was frozen at an unbalanced stance. It took a moment before it came crumbling down, burying two students beneath it.

" Todoroki from class 1A. He attacked and defended in one hit! How elegant!" Mic continued on complimenting the boy some more while Sora stared after his back.

" He may act rude but his strength is the real thing." She said as Kirishima and the boy named Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu from class B rose from underneath the rubble of the zero point, Kirishima crying about how their Quirks were similar.

Sora breathed out seeing both of them fine. " Still, if it was anyone else they could have died." She glared back at the boy taking first place.

A huge metallic hand came flailing at her abruptly and Sora promptly dodged out of the way. " That was a close call!"

Suddenly something snapped in the back of her mind and she wanted to slap herself so badly. " Why are you slacking around Sora..."

She rose high in attitude. High. Higher. Higher. Until no more zero point could reach her. " What was I waiting for, wasting my precious time."

"  Shirogane  soars over the Robo Inferno obstacle quite easily! She has her wings to thank!"

" That's unfair! Because of her character design, she is getting ahead easily! Isn't this kind of overpowered!" Mineta protested.

" Don't think it's easy." Aizawa's words resounded through the stadium. " It's not simple to fly that high. Her wings are muscles as well. Not to mention it gets harder to breathe the higher you rise. For her to be able to withstand that arduous stress on her body, it serves to show you how hard she worked so she could bear it."

" Sora is getting ahead." Yuu squinted his eyes at the pair of white wings getting smaller in the sky. " I need to catch up."

An explosion sounded from behind him as Bakugo darted forward, climbing his way up the large villain, followed by more of their classmates.

" Are you going to stand and watch?" In a flash of blue fire, he was mounted on Kyubi's back. " If you keep marveling over them you'll be left behind."

" Here it comes!  Seijin's  Yokai, Kyubi, enters the pitch! However Mummy Man, isn't it against the rules?"

" Not at all, Kyubi is there because  Seijin  materialized her through his life energy. Her existence doesn't go against the rules."

She sprinted past the smaller bot, towards one of the zero point. It lowered its giant hand as though trying to floor her, yet she was faster to dodge the attack and gallop up the long of its arm. " It's huge but also slow. That much I figured in the entrance exam."

She hopped from its upper arm as it tried to smash her with its other hand and landed on top of its head. " While we can avoid it like the rest let's do so." And she darted on its back to get to the ground before catching up with Bakugo and the others.

" Hey, hey! The first barrier's a piece of cake? Then what about the second?" Mic's voice chimed through the area as they came across the second obstacle.

Their expressions were unreadable upon setting eye on it. It was a great cliff with scattered rock platforms with different widths. All of them were linked via metallic wires.

" If you fall, you're out! If you don't wanna fall, then crawl! It's 'The Fall'!"

" Tsk! Is UA trying to kill us!" Yuu grunted.

Asui was the first to jump on the rope with a 'ribbit' sound. She deftly advanced with so much ease.

Then it was the turn of a support course student with pink hair and giant goggles to show off, presenting her original items with a dramatic flourish.

" Support course? They were allowed to bring originally made gadgets with them I recall." Yuu murmured.

The pinkette shot a grappling hook at one of the platforms, dashing forward with her hovering souls. She pulled herself using the wire from the hook and climbered up the rock pillar, crossing half the distance in no time.

" Amazing. That much can be done with support items."

" Yuu, focus!" 

Yuu blinked before squinting his eyes at the field. " What do you think, Kyubi?"

" Some platforms are close to each other. If we find the best route I can jump from one to another."

Yuu ran his eyes thoroughly over the field before nodding to himself. " Alright. Follow my direction. First one ahead and then to the right."

The nine-tailed fox jumped from one chunk of rocks to another, making a zigzagged line to the end.

" And now, the leader of the pack is easily getting through first! Following after him from above is  Shirogane ! And-eh!"

" Out of my way feather head! Damn it!" Sora twirled in time as an angry Bakugo shot past her, his explosions propelling him forward.

"  Bakugo  is taking second place from  Shirogane !"

" Tsk! Don't just think I'm letting you ahead!" She flapped her wings trying to catch up with him.

"  Shirogane  is chasing after them! I expected her to catch up with them soon though with her speed!"

" I told you, didn't I? Her wings are also muscles. It's the same as running. If you go all out from the start, you will get tired quickly later."

" Oh! So she is saving her energy!"

Sora squinted. Not like that... If I go at full speed, I'll be reaching my limit faster and then...

Flashes of the USJ incident were revived in her memory. It can't happen... Not here... Not in front of all of Japan...

She struggled to keep up with Bakugo and Todoroki. If I moderate it... I will be able to fly till the end of the course... but... She was already feeling scratchy around her arms, a sign that her grey feathers were about to poke out from under her skin, making her nervous. Did I miscalculate the distance?

Yuu managed to get through as well and Kyubi hastened her pace to catch up with the rest. " You alright? You don't feel tired or anything?"

Yuu smirked. " Not as of now! Whisper's hellish training boosted my stamina! So it will be long before I collapse!"

" And now, we've quickly arrived at the final barrier!"

Todoroki had stopped by a sign reading ' Danger Mines!!' with a skull on top.

" The reality here is..." Mic trailed for a dramatic effect. " ... That it's a minefield! It's set up so that you can tell where the mines are if you look carefully! So you have to exploit your eyes and legs! By the way, these landmines are for games so they're not that powerful, but they're loud and flashy enough to make you wet your pants!"

Sora inhaled as she heard that. I thought UA was trying to kill us for real. She examined the distance she had yet to fly. It's still quite far.

Her hand was scrubbing at her forearm, feeling the tips of feathers pushing through her skin. " The course turned out to be longer than I expected."

She glanced back at the stadium. Should I take a bet and continue flying there? But if it turns out to be a longer distance... I don't want it to end like in USJ...

" Huh! Something's off!"

Sora slowly dropped herself down, her feet touching the ground and her wings squeezing back under her skin before she crossed the minefield on foot.

" What's wrong!  Shirogane  is proceeding on foot rather than flying! Is she tired?"

I can't allow it to happen... Unless it's extremely needed... All I need is to restore my energy a bit and then I can continue the race. I will make up for the lost time once I'm out of the minefield.

Far ahead, Bakugo was fighting with Todoroki over the first place. How they could fight and avoid mines at the same time was beyond her. The rest of the students slowly caught up to them.

It's okay... If I just could keep the distance between us...

Yuu finally reached there just in time to witness Iida being caught in multiple explosions.

" What to do now? I can avoid them like the rest but it will take a while to get through."

Yuu clenched his fists, Bakugo's words resounding in his ears. " We need to get to the top!"

His eyes glowed in purple, offering more of his energy to his Yokai. " Kyubi... You know what to do."

" We need to surpass Iida's speed to make it. Can you handle that much?"

" It's fine!" His lips pulled into a large grin. " On you go soldier!"

Kyubi sprang forward at an incredible speed, explosions bellowing after her as she shot through the air and closed on to the ones at the front.

Suddenly, a loud rumble sounded from behind them, sending a strong gust of wind and shaking the ground.

Rearing their heads, they could see a large cloud of pink smoke rising up. A certain green head emerged from fume, soaring overhead at a neck-breaking speed abroad a chunk of a bot's armor.

" Class A's  Midoriya  is in hot pursuit with that blast!"

He took the lead, prompting both Bakugo and Todoroki to abandon their bicker and chase after him.

" Actually, he's taken the lead!"

As Todoroki made a path of ice, people with rather speedy Quirks zoomed past Sora, using it to finish off the obstacle. Her eyes widened as she realized she couldn't catch up with them, not on foot, not on that field.

" Get a move on!"

Her head snapped to the side as Kyubi passed her. " What are you waiting for! Didn't you say you want first place too? Move soldier!"

Sora blinked after her friend's back as he rushed forward. It may have been Whisper's personality. It may have been Whisper's way of speaking. It may have been Whisper's spur that made him say it out loud.

But those feelings were Yuu's. And she was answering to them. Once again, her wings sprang out.

Stupid! What was I thinking? Trying to win this without breaking the limit!

She soared above the rest of the students, sending a rush of gale as she darted like an arrow through her opponents.

I was so afraid after  USJ  I didn't want to overdo it again!  Stupid! How could I forget?

She overtook Yuu, setting her aim on taking down Midoriya as well.

There is no way I wouldn't overdo it!  This is UA!

Feathers grew out of her forearms as wind brushed against her face, not slowing her the least bit upon approaching the stadium.

Go beyond. ..

"   Shirogane  is back on the track with a strong comeback! Eraser head, your class is amazing! What're you teaching them."

She heard Mic's words as she reached the current 4th place.

" Plus Ultra!"

She passed them with ease.

" I didn't do anything."

" We're catching up, Kyubi!"

By then the white fox wasn't but a white blur due to its speed.

" Let's show them our Plus Ultra too!"

" They got each other fired up on their own."

After they re-entered the tunnel, everything seemed to move in low motion for her. Sora felt the chill from Todoroki's Quirk. Heard the loud explosions from Bakugo's, and Midoriya's footsteps at the very front.

It was a few moments of struggle before they finally protruded under the sunlight. She couldn't beat them. Midoriya came first.

Midoriya, Bakugo and Todoroki were trying to catch their breaths. Sora hunched over. Partly because she was tired, and partly so she could hide the very few feathers that started growing out of her jaw and neck.

Taking deep breaths, she could feel them pulling back and dissipating into her body again.

More of them caught up. And before she knew it, Yuu was standing by her side. " I can't believe I lost to you again. Though I overtook you back then."

Sora smiled as she pulled herself up. " I owe you, for snapping at me back then."

He folded his arms. " I just didn't like your expression back then. "

" Huh?"

He averted his eyes. " That look when you almost gave up... I didn't like it... Sora, you're an angel. You've been always shining bright. To see you wavering like that. I didn't like it."

Sora's face softened at him. " Well, guess I've ended up being helped by you."

" You should be thankful!"

She sweat dropped at that. " For how long do you plan on staying there... Whisper...?"

" The first game of the first-year stage is finally over." Midnight stated over the roars of cheers. " Now, take a look at the results!"

The results were broadcasted on the screen. Midoriya came first, followed by Todoroki then Bakugo.

Sora laughed awkwardly 'cause the Bakugo in the picture wasn't any happier than the real one standing next to her. She scored fourth place, followed by two class B students and a frustrated Iida.

" Huh? Iida-kun? 7 th? With his Quirk?" Sora tilted her head, confused.

" Seems he was held back in the minefield." Yuu answered. He was 8th after Iida.

The list continued on, featuring 44 students who managed to get past the obstacle course.

" The top 44 made it through to the next round." Midnight elaborated. "It's unfortunate, but don't worry even if you didn't make it! We've prepared other chances for you to shine."

The way she licked her upper lip made Sora recoil, dreading what could be coming next.

" The real competition begins next! The press cavalry'll be all over it! Give it your all!"

" Just get over with the nerve-racking introduction!" Yuu groaned.

" Whisper's influence is too much!" Exclaimed Sora

Midnight flailed her whip, the slot game screen kicked to life and started spinning. " Now then, here is the second game. I already know what it's, but what could it be? What could it be?"

" Enough stalling!" Yuu's patience was running thin.

" I just said it, and now here it is..." The screen stopped on 'Cavalry Battle'.

" Ha! What the heck!?" Cried Yuu.

" So rather than individual, we'll be working in a team." Sora mattered as the screen showed a picture of All Might being held by Thirteen, Snipe and Present Mic while Midnight explained.

They were allowed to form teams from two to four people. Each one of them was allotted a point value which will decide their teams' value. They would be trying to steal the bands with those points from other teams.

" Yes, that's right!" Midnight continued. " And the points assigned go by five starting from the bottom."

" That makes me worth 205 point." Sora pointed.

" While I'm worth 185." Yuu muttered under his breath.

" And the point value assigned to the first place is..." She made a dramatic pause. " ... Ten million!"

" T-Ten million?!" Cried Midoriya in a hoarse voice, his face covered in sweat.

" Ten Million! Then if we take Midoriya-san down! We  can rise to the top!" Yuu was flared up as much as everyone else as they looked back at Midoriya as though a prey for them.

" I feel sorry for Midoriya-kun..." Sora sweated as she felt their auras enlarging and surrounding the poor boy like some cage.

" That's right. It's survival of the fittest, with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top!''...

Chapter Text

Sora could feel their auras tensing up and focusing on Midoriya. Must be hard, taking the brunt of being the top.

" Now then, I will explain the rules of the cavalry battle." Midnight flailed her whip at the screen as she explained further. Their time limit was 15 minutes. The headbands that they needed to grab from other teams' riders had to be put on from the neck onward.

" So you should be careful with your choice." Yuu pointed, arms crossed in front of his chest. " Aiming to gather as much regardless of the value wouldn't work here like in the practical exam. If you overdo it you will be suffocating before the end of the game."

" So true." Sora blinked. " So you need to get as few but as valuable headbands as you could."

What was more worrying is the fact that teams won't be out in the game. For the whole fifteen minutes, there will be at least twelve teams roaming the area. " That will be troublesome."

Midnight gave them fifteen minutes to build their teams.  Groups started forming as each one of them tried to find a suitable team.

" Sora."

She blanked when she was called and snapped her head back to a certain orange head. " Kendo-san!"

The girl waved at her with a smile. " Itsuka is fine. It's been a while, couldn't come to contact with you since the start of the year."

" Yeah, it was quite a busy schedule for both of us I guess." She rubbed the back of her neck.

" Either way, let me get to the point. Would you like to join me for this game?" Itsuka offered with a wide grin.

" Huh?"

As they continued talking, Yuu trudged away from them, Whisper finally letting go of him. He will be more helpful as a ghost for the next game rather than taking over the boy. 

" Sora got recruited, I should find a team too." He flicked his look around worriedly . Most of them huddled around Bakugo, wanting to team with him. Todoroki had already formed a team with Yaoyorozu, Iida and Kaminari.

" Each class seems to have formed teams among themselves." Whisper pointed out.

As the time ticked by, the teams already formed and Yuu stood in the middle, shifting his head in distraught as he was the only one left alone.

" What are you waiting for?! Any team! Just find any team!" Yelped Whisper.

" It's not that simple..." Yuu sweated, desperately trying to spot a team lacking in number. The thought that he might end up eliminated just because he couldn't get into a team overwhelmed him. 

" Yuu!" The boy blinked as a certain white head ran to him, wiggling her hand upwards.

" Sora?"

" Where did you run off? I frankly thought you joined someone."

" Eh? Sora, you didn't join that girl from earlier?"

" Of course not." She smiled. " I've already decided that I would be teaming up with you."

Yuu's eyes glazed over before they literally send waterfalls of tears. " Sora!! You're my angel!"

The girl merely cackled at him while Whisper squeezed his neck to shut down his tear rivers. " Will it be alright, just the two of you?"

" What're you talking about, Whisper?" Her grin broadened confidently. " We're exactly the right number."

" Huh?!" Both blinked.

________________

[♪~Insert OST: Tori ni Iku]

♪~

As the siren of time out blared throughout the stadium, there were thirteen cavalry teams standing on the ground as the words ' On your marks' and ' Ready' manifested on the screen.

" I see. That's what you meant, Sora!" Whisper chimed in excitement as Sora and Yuu rode on Kyubi's back with the boy fastening a headband on his forehead which had the number 390 printed on it.

"Yeah, they may not count you guys. But we're the best team formed of four!" She spread her wings widely, flanking Yuu from both sides. " I will protect you."

Kyubi leaned slightly, ready to bolt at any given moment. " I will run for you."

Whisper's ectoplasmic body twitched around as he studied the other teams. " I will get points for you."

" And with Yuu's direction, we're unbeatable!" Sora cried happily. Yuu's face brightened at all of them before he looked at the back of the white head. " We're going to the next round! Yuu!"

The huge TV screen showed all thirteen teams and their points. 

Team Todoroki: 630

Team Rin: 125

Team Tsunotori: 70

Team Kodai: 165

Team Mineta: 420

Team Shinso: 295

Team Monoma: 305

Team Midoriya : 10000325

Team Kendo: 225

Team Hagakure: 390

Team Tetsutetsu : 715

Team Bakugo: 675

Team Seijin: 390

" Now! Let's go! Counting down to the brutal battle royal!" bellowed Mic.

" Start!" The sound of the whip permeated the area as everyone in there rushed towards one certain team.

" As expected they're after Midoriya-san," Yuu muttered, glimpsing the green head over Sora's shoulder. It wasn't long before the boy sailed over their head with the help of some support items. It was the distraction they needed.

" While they're focused on the ten million!" Sora was grinning widely as Whisper stretched his torso and grasped a headband with a 295 point.

" We'll be steadily gathering points from the rest!" Whisper's smirk broadened as a certain purple head named Shinso Hitoshi looked back at him with wide eyes. " You were saying you would sweep our feet from underneath us! Think again!" While Yuu fastened the band around his neck, Kyubi swiftly sprang away from them to avoid being caught. " Nice, nice. If we continue like this we will gather enough points!"

" From the back! Kyubi!" Yuu cried out and Kyubi reared her head slightly to see a couple of horns flying at them. 

" Sora!"

" Roger!" Sora stretched her wings as Kyubi jumped up, making them float for a moment in the air.

" Tsk! They got away!" A blond girl with horns and a kind of broken accent complained. 

She is definitely the one who attacked. Kyubi landed safely with Sora's help before the white head flanked Yuu with her wings again. " We must be careful. Not all people would go after the ten million if they know they can't stand up to Midorya-san's team."

Her words were proven right as some of the teams with so few points gave chase after them, trying to gather as many points as their fingers could reach. For several minutes, all they could do was play the escape game. " duck down!" Sora warned, hitting the air hard with her wings and blocking a few green scales launched at them. Kyubi was quick to get out of range.

" Less than half the time is left now!" Mic announced.

Sora craned her neck, checking their team's ranking on the scoreboard." We're 4th!" She cried happily.

" That's good!" Whisper joined in, feeling excited about their achievement. 

" Not it's not." A bead of sweat ran Yuu's head as he tried to focus his sight. " We're fourth but other teams are climbing way too fast." He glanced as Todoroki's team grasped another band before confronting Midoriya.  " We should get higher in the ranking if we want to assure our victory."

" Yuu is right." Kyubi agreed, still running and avoiding other teams flailing their hands in hope of grasping a headband. They were mostly at zero point, which meant there was nothing to be collected from them. They were merely desperate teams, willing to do anything to stay in the race. Frankly speaking, they were far more dangerous than those at the top.

" If we want to secure our place," Sora glanced again at the scoreboard, trying to figure those with points. " We have to go after them." 

" Kyubi! From the right!" Kyubi bolted away in time to avoid a stream of thick white liquid spouted at them.

" Corner them, Bondo," the black-haired girl, Kodai,  told him with a stoic face while a bubble behind her spelled. ' We need points!'

" Watch out! Kyubi!" Yuu cried out and Kyubi halted promptly upon reaching the white line.

" That was close." She glanced back at the boundary and then at their opponent advancing on them.

" What are you waiting for Kyubi! Let's get away!" Whisper pointed up.

" Whack! Thud! Boom!" The floating bubble shouted. There was a strong gust of air as stone words materialized from nowhere and blocked their path, forcing Kyubi to evade left and right. She proceeded to attack using nine blue balls of fire, but they were blocked by the materialization of the word 'Bam'.

" Bondo."

" Already finished!"

Kyubi jolted and snapped her head downward. While she was focusing on evading, she didn't realize the liquid poured and hardened around her legs, making her unable to move.

" Don't think bad of us. We're just doing what we need to do."

Sora's wings enclosed Yuu more as she bit on her lip while the other team approached. It seemed like it was the end of the path for them. She could try and fight but, Bondo's Quirk would make her out of commission in no time once his glue landed on her.

" One minute left!" Mic chimed

" We can't move!"

" Damn it!"

" No." Yuu's eyes glowed purple. " We can. I will put everything in this one chance..."

Kyubi leaned forward, feeling energy welling up in her. The blue flames around her paws and on the tips of her tails enlarged, growing brighter. " I've received it, Yuu."

" Sora, balance us with your wings and keep us in the sky for as long as you can. I know it's hard but that's the only way to survive now."  Sora narrowed her eyes and nodded her head, determined to follow her friend's plan to the very end.

" Whisper... Navigation is up to you. Make sure they're out of the other teams' range."

" Roger!" Whisper agreed. 

" Here we go!" Cried Yuu as Kyubi sprang upwards, breaking the piled glue on her feet. She winced in pain at the wounds resulting due to her action. 

Sora's wings spread open, keeping them midair and, following Whisper's advices, flying them out of other teams' reach.

" Now there are only seconds left!"

" Hold on Yuu! If you faint now we will get disqualified!" Whisper yelled at him as he saw that Kyubi was beginning to fade.

" I'm... Not..." Willing himself to stay awake a little bit longer, he wheeled his head back to the screen, his eyes finding their team among the rest. Please... Don't go beyond it... 

" Time's just about up! Start the countdown!"

As there were barely 10 seconds left, his half-closed eyes were focused on the 4th place with 685 points. Below it were both Kendo's team with 350 points and Midoriya's with 70. Sora and Kyubi grappled to stay up in the air and protect themselves. It's almost over. Please...

" Time's up!" Mic's announcement resounded through the stage, prodding the attendants to get noisier from their benches at the revelation of the last moment. Their eyes widened when it all came to an end. A moment earlier, their team was in 4th place. However, they were overtaken by Midoriya's as they scored 730 points.

" We... Failed..." Yuu gave in to the weight of his eyelids as he was drained of all energy. Kyubi dissipated instantly, leaving Sora to hold an unconscious Yuu and bring him safely to the ground.

♪~

________________

" Seems he is coming to."

" Yuu! Can you hear me?! Yuu!"

The boy blinked his eyes open, blinded for a moment by the strong light and the whitness of his surroundings. He was met by the faces of a relieved Sora and a smiling Recovery Girl.

" What... Happened..." As he stood up, he cradled his head as he felt a sharp pain almost chopping it into two. " Where am I?"

" The infirmary of course." Recovery Girl huffed. " Jeez, the batch of this year has a knack for hurting themselves."

" You used quite a lot of energy for Kyubi to break from the glue and even after, you struggled to stay awake. It's expected you're out of energy." Sora explained.

" My healing requires stamina, but I can't help you when you're out of it. All I can do for you is give you some sugar to get better," she said holding a bar of chocolate at him. " You've been pushing yourself quite a lot. You have to learn to conduct your Quirk properly. Fainting can be troublesome at some point."

" I'll do." He nodded thankfully accepting her chocolate.

" Well then, I can't do much for you now. Lunch break is about to start so you should go have a filling. It will help you."

They both thanked the woman and left the infirmary, trudging along the corridor. " I feel really tired..."

" You will be feeling like that for a while. " Whisper sighed. " Wish he was like you Sora. The way you recover your stamina almost in a blink."

Sora laughed awkwardly at that. True, she was quick to recover whether it was injury, illness or even fatigue. She for once was thankful for that. It was why she could easily hide the aftereffects of breaching her limit.

" Oh, by the way, Yuu. Grandma made you a lunchbox."

" Eh? Aunt Yui...?"

Sora slapped her hand to her forehead as she recalled something. " I forgot! They're back in my locker in the waiting room! Let's head back!"

She grabbed his hand and rushed back the hall, however, she stopped when a certain two voices reached her ears. " Todoroki-kun and Midoriya-kun...?"

Yuu's ears perked up as he heard them too. " True... They seem to be by the entrance a few feet away." He pointed ahead.

" I think we should leave them be. I don't really like eavesdropping on people... Even though I can't help it with my sensitive hearing." She tried to hasten forward but Yuu grasped her wrist, stopping her. " Yuu?" He was listening carefully.

" You've heard of Quirk marriages, right?" They could hear Todoroki's voice meters away as he said that.

________________

Sora and Yuu peeked from around the corner after Todoroki, Midoriya and Bakugo left the area.

" I didn't think Bakugo-kun would be here as well," Sora mumbled.

" Mhm." Yuu merely hummed as his mind went back to Todoroki's words about his Quirk and family life. Yuu felt like they were sharing the same burden somehow.

Though, he was thankful. He may hate it back at that house. He may hate every reminder his parents threw at him that he was useless and a failure. Hearing Todoroki's words, he was thankful it wasn't the same as him. That as shunned and abused as he may be, he was always who he chose to be.  

" Todoroki-san... is going through a lot..." He muttered to himself. Sora stared after the empty corridor where both he and Midoriya were talking.

"... He is."

________________

Sora wasn't thankful for having a lunchbox more than that day. Seeing how crammed the canteen was, and the line reaching back to the entrance, she deeply thanked her grandmother.

" You're lucky, we had to wait for so long." Uraraka patted the chair beside her, gesturing Sora to join her and Asui before returning to her food rather hastily. Sora blinked at her, realizing it must be tension from what was waiting for them next.

" Seijin-kun, are you feeling alright?" Asked Iida who was sitting on the other side of the table, pointing his hand at him. " I was quite worried when they had to take you out on a stretcher."

" Ah, I'm fine." Yuu waved his hand. " It's just that I used so much energy. I will get better after some proper rest."

" Is it okay though, for you not to rest in the infirmary, Seijin-chan?" Asui craned her head so she could look at him from the end of the table.

" The infirmary may be needed later for more urgent matters." Whisper pointed. " We don't know if someone will get badly injured later on."

" Everyone... Sorry for being late..." Midoriya approached them after having acquired his own lunch, his look seeming rather distant and unfocused.

" Deku-kun!"

" You better hurry up and settle down too. We don't want to be late." Iida said firmly, wiggling his hands around rather stiffly.

Midoriya settled next to Yuu and stared down at his own food, as if in deep thoughts. " Midoriya-kun?"

Yuu and Sora exchanged looks. He must be thinking about Todorki's words, they thought. 

" Midoriya-san..." Midoriya looked back at the purple head next to him with a start. Yuu offered him a small smile." Good luck. Do your best." 

" I'm also cheering for you!" Sora held a thumb up at him.

" Seijin-kun... Shirogane-san..." It seems like those words helped him clear his thoughts up. No matter the circumstances, there was only one thing he had to do out there..." Thanks! I'll do my best!"

Then he embarked on a chat with both Yuu and Iida, asking about the former's health and expressing his admiration for the latter's secret move in the cavalry battle.

" By the way Sora-chan."

" What?"

" Did you hear anything about a cheer battle?" Uraraka asked, rather worried.

" No... What's that?" Sora tilted her head.

Asui pointed towards a group of girls in some cheerleader outfits a few feet away from them as they were showing off some of their moves and skills. " Seems we will have to dress up like them and have some kind of cheering contest in the afternoon. So I heard from Jiro-chan and Yaoyorozu-chan."

Sora nearly spat out all of her food as she felt blood rushing up her face. " Eeeeh!!!"

________________

It felt as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice on her upon hearing Mic's comment. " What's the matter, Class A? What kind of fan service is that?"

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Kaminari and Mineta exchanging thumbs up and excited smiles. Don't tell me...

" Mineta-san! Kaminari-san! You tricked us, didn't you?!"

As I thought...

Yaoyorozu then dropped to the ground by her side, a look of disappointment apparent on her face. "  Why am I always caught up in Mineta-san's schemes?" Uraraka patted her back to comfort her while her frown deepened. " I even used Creation to make the outfits..."

Jiro was rather angry while Hagakure kind of liked it.

" Well, considering her hero costume, pretty sure she wouldn't be bothered that much." Whisper snorted.

Sora wiggled her pom poms with a sweat drop. " Can we take these off then?"

She was totally ignored when they moved to draw the brackets for the one-on-one battles occurring after the recreational games. But before they could do so.

" Um...! Excuse me." Ojiro rose his hand up, his face contorted into a scowl. " I'm withdrawing."

Everyone looked back at him in disbelief. He was throwing away a chance to showcase his abilities to the world of the pros. It was what every aspiring hero wished for, for their potential and abilities to get acknowledged and shown. Yet, he was withdrawing.

" Is he insane!" Whisper couldn't believe his ears.

" I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle until almost the end. Probably it was that guy's Quirk."

" Eh?" Sora tilted her head in confusion while Yuu directed his look at a certain purple head who acted as though he wasn't concerned at all.

" I know that this is a great chance and that it's foolish to waste it..."

" Ojiro-kun..."

" But- Everyone here competed by giving their all! I can't... I can't be up there with everyone without knowing what really happened."

The girls tried to convince him to go on, saying it will turn out alright as long as he worked hard on the next round.

" That's not it..." His whole body shuddered and his tail dropped lower as he covered his face with his hand in shame. " I'm talking about my pride here... I can't...Also, why are you guys wearing cheerleader outfits?"

They looked away, trying to pretend they didn't hear him and gulped. Sora however stared at his back. " Ojiro-kun... Is he really..."

" ... I would do the same if I was in his shoes."

" Yuu?"

" To not be able to tell what you did, how you reached up here. It's really frustrating."

" He is a true soldier." Whisper nodded with his arms crossed. 

Another student from class B named Shoda Nirengeki withdrew as well. Sora recognized him as the one who was on the same team with Ojiro.

Midnight wholeheartedly accepted their withdrawal.

" I'm going to do it, okay?" Aoyama placed a hand on Ojiro's shoulder, however, upon second look, they all could see he was hardly standing on his feet.

" It's impossible in that state." Ashido pointed her pom pom at him.

" No... I'm..."

" Aoyama-kun, you used your laser quite a lot right?" Hagakure's clothes bend slightly, a sign she was hunching over at the boy.

" And you spend most of the lunch break in the toilet." Jiro had her earphone jack point at him.

" Even though..."

" What do you think, Mummy Man? Will he be allowed to continue?"

" It's not the first time a student insists on going on despite their injury. That's why we have the chief umpire decide here."

Midnight took in Aoyama's shaking figure and buckling legs. Despite his smile, he was sweating heavily. " It pains me to say this, but... Aoyama-kun is unable to go on!" She announced with a swing of her lash.

Aoyama kneeled down on the ground, clenching his stomach tightly. " Though I acted all tough so she wouldn't figure out... non!" 

You call that tough...

" In that case, we'll have to move up the fifth team from the cavalry battle and one person from the sixth."

" Eh!" Sora blinked her eyes wide. "We've moved up!"

Yuu however rose his hand up. " Midnight-sensei, I won't be able to participate."

" Yuu?!"

" Seijin-kun?" Even his classmates were taken aback by his retort.

Yuu simply looked down. " I even have a dispensation from Recovery Girl for the rest of the activities."

" Yuu..." Whisper's look dropped. Even though it was his chance, he was too tired to join. He couldn't muster enough strength to summon any spirit.

" Alright, then two people from Kendo's team." Midnight pointed her whip at the orange head.

" If that's what's going to happen," began Kendo. " Then rather than us, who barely did anything during the cavalry battle, it should be them, right?" She swapped approval nods with her teammates. " The ones who fought to the end and stayed on top, team Tetsutetsu, right?"

" Kendo...!" The metallic grey head twisted back at her.

" This isn't collusion or anything. It just makes sense."

" Y-You guys...!" He shouted out and Sora took it as a sign that he was moved by their act. They decided on those who will be participating as Midnight announced their names.

" And so, Shirogane, Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki have been moved up to make sixteen!" The boy and girl were giving their gratitude to the other two from their team.

" This is the bracket based on the results of the drawing!" Midnight snapped her flagger as the brackets appeared on the screen. Sora checked her name to find herself up against Ashido in the first round.

" Sora!" The pinkette called out to her, wiggling her arm in the air.

" Mina-chan! Let's give it our all!" Sora smiled, holding up her pom poms.

" Of course!" Ashido smirked. " I really wanted to try going against you since our combat training! So I won't hold back!"

" Of course!" As Ashido walked away to talk to Yaoyorozu, Sora shifted so she was facing Yuu, her smile dispersed immediately. " I'm sorry you couldn't make it, Yuu."

The boy shook his head, smiling gently. " It's fine. Sora, you go and do your best out there."

The girl glanced at him for a moment before walking off to him, standing on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around him. Her act took him by surprise. " Thank you. Because of you, because you've protected our points with all you had, we managed to get here. I promise I won't let your hard work go to waste."

She backed from him, smiling broadly. " I'll fight for both of us! So make sure to cheer me on!"

The purple head blinked at her, still a little bit stiff from the hug before his face relaxed as he grinned at her. " Sure."

" Sora! We're counting on you! Knock them dead soldier!" Whisper cried.

" I won't kill anyone but I'm gonna do it!" She pumped her pom pom in the air.

________________

As the recreation went on, they fit into the role of cheerleaders for real, earning angry glares from those brought from America. All of them except Jiro embarked on cheering their classmates while she stubbornly sat down in the back, folding her arms and murmuring in frustration. 

On both her sides, Sora could see Uraraka and Yaoyorozu worried about their coming matches. Yaoyorozu was hardly moving her pom poms though she tried to keep a mild smile. Uraraka on the other hand, despite how energetic she tried to pretend, the look on her face betrayed her. Sora couldn't blame her. Her opponent was that Bakugo, the one and only one who almost cremated Midoriya.

The recreational games ended and so their class gathered around by the side of the field as Cementoss was making the arena.

" That was a lot of fun! I feel ready for my round!" Sero stretched up.

" Sero-kun's opponent is... Todoroki-kun, right?" Uraraka asked.

Sero sighed. " True. But I'm not giving up hope."

" That's the spirit, Sero-kun!" Hagakure wiggled her pom poms excitedly.

" That's it, give us more cheering girls. That will help us out!" Said Kaminari staring at the invisible girl as she jumped around.

" You...!" Jiro plunged her earphone jack into his ears, striking him with loud sound waves.

" Our class' girls were pretty good if you ask me. But Shirogane is kind of fla-" Mineta was cut by a slap from Asui's tongue.

" Fla?" Sora quirked her brow at that before Uraraka and Yaoyorozu dragged her along to the changing room.

" Don't bother about it, Sora-chan. Let's hurry up and change."

" We don't want to start the next round in this outfit."

________________

The first match was that of Midoriya and Shinso. The girls made it in time just as the duo entered, sidling along the chairs of their class' booth before settling down. Sora was in between Yuu and Uraraka.

Both Midoriya and Shinso passed through the raging pillars of flames, getting ready to fight.

The rules were pretty easy, either you immobilize your opponent, push him out of the boundary or make him say 'I give up'.

Sora could see Cemetoss making a cement chair at the other end of the field. " I'll stop things if they go too far."

" ' I give up', huh?" Shinso spoke. " This is a fight to test the strength of your spirit. If you know what you want for your future, then you can't worry about appearance."

Sora blinked seeing Shinso's aura extending towards the green head. What's this?

" Ready?"

" That monkey was going on about his pride-"

Monkey! Is he talking about Ojiro-kun! How impudent! Sora's cheeks puffed in anger. Yuu seemed to share the same feeling as her for his hands balled into fists on his lap.

" Start!"

" ... But don't you think he was dumb for throwing away his chance?"

Extremely impudent!

Midoriya was beyond himself with rage. He charged at the boy. " What did you say?!"

No sooner than he answered, Midoriya froze.

" I win," muttered Shinso.

" Eh!!"

Ojiro screamed out. " Even though I've warned him!"

" Deku... Kun..."

" What in the world is going on?"

She, Yuu, Uraraka and Iida rose to their feet in shock as though they could figure out what was happening if they leaned further.

"  Midoriya ! The match just started... And he's completely frozen?!"

" Why isn't he moving...?" Whisper's eyes squinted, trying to glimpse the slightest thing that could explain what happened.

" His conscious..." Sora muttered, gaining everyone's attention. "... He is still conscious. Yet..."

" So only his body is restricted..." Yuu wondered.

" It's that boy's Quirk," Ojiro explained. " If you answer to him he will brainwash you. That's what happened to me."

Yuu blinked. " Ojiro-san... Back then, you said you didn't remember anything of the cavalry battle."

The boy nodded.

" So... You were unconscious..." Yuu thought. " But Midoriya-san..."

" He is definitely conscious and aware of what's happening around him." Insisted Sora.

" How?" The purple head wondered.

Could it be because of the other auras he has? Sora thought.

Their focus was drawn back to the stadium as Midoriya did a twirl and trudged backwards.

"  Midoriya's  being so obedient!"

" Deku-kun... Why..."

" If you go out of bounds you'll lose the match!" Iida waved his hands frantically.

" What are you doing? Soldier!"

" Fight it! Midoriya-kun!"

" Midoriya-san..."

" Midoriya!"

Suddenly something unexpected happened. Sora's eyes widened when the seven faint consciouses enlarged and wrapped around Midoriya's body, melting into one huge aura with all the colors of the spectrum.

A moment later, there was a strong shock from Midoriya's side, creating an intense wave of air blowing in every direction. The smoke cleared, revealing a panting Midoriya with both feet an inch from the boundary.

" He broke it!" Yuu cried.

" Midoriya-kun!" Iida cheered.

" I'm... I'm so glad!" Uraraka relieved.

" That's crazy..." Ojiro fell back with an inhale.

Sora stared after the boy, unable to take in what happened. For a moment there, the seven consciouses that were supposed to be inactive... Flared into life...

Shinso tried to provoke Midoriya to talk again, however, the boy silently proceeded at him, pushing him backwards.

" In terms of strength, Midoriya-san is superior to Shinso-san..." Said Yuu.

" Well of course," piped Whisper. " Midoriya is undergoing arduous training after all."

" If he continues like this... He will win." Sora added.

Shinso resorted to punching the green head on the face, but that didn't flatter his pace as he steadily shoved the purple head backwards. Shinso then hit Midoriya's broken fingers as a last attempt and shoveled him away trying to knock him outside the line when he was unbalanced.

Midoriya, ignoring the pain of his fingers, grabbed Shinso by the arm and flipped him overhead. Shinso hit the ground roughly and Midnight announced Midoriya the winner seeing Shinso's feet breached the line.

" Shinso-kun is out of bounds! Midoriya-kun advances to round two!"

The stage bellowed with loud cheers while the green head was trying to catch his breath. Sora sank back into her seat, feeling like a weight was taken off her shoulders.

Uraraka as well slumped down, sighing in relief. " I was so nervous!"

" Turning the tables at the last moment! As expected of Midoriya-kun!" Iida held his fist up.

Both opponents greeted each other before Shinso left for the exit. Having heard their whole conversation, Yuu and Sora exchanged looks. " Do you think they will consider transferring him after what he had demonstrated?" Asked Sora, whirling her head at Yuu.

" I don't know. His performance was something but... It's early to say..." Yuu leaned back in his seat.

" You were really cool, Shinso!"

" Good job!"

His friends called out for him.

" I was really surprised!"

" You're the star of general studies!"

Both of them leaned forward, taking a better look at what was happening in the other end of the stadium.

" You put a great fight against the guy who placed first in the obstacle course!"

" Besides-"

Even Yuu and Sora could hear them, pros talking about Shinso's potential. Yuu and Sora smiled upon hearing all of that. There was yet a chance for him. The administration can't just turn a blind eye anymore. Shinso deserved to be placed in the hero course.

They turned back with beaming faces at both Shinso and Midoriya just as the green head was brainwashed for the third time. Doesn't he learn from his mistakes?

________________

Seeing how his fingers were badly hurt, Midoriya had to drop by Recovery Girl to tend to those wounds, of course, All Might was there too, waiting for him to discuss what happened. 

Just after Recovery Girl flung her arm at All Might's side with all her force, Midoriya recalled something. " Oh yeah, All Might." The man was still rubbing his side. " I had a vision..."

The blond man looked up at him.

" There were eight or nine people... I'm not sure exactly how many... But when it felt like my mind was filled with fog from the brainwashing, the vision appeared as if to drive away the fog. It was like I was barely able to move just my fingertips for a moment...There was someone with eyes like you, too, All Might."

Midoriya hesitated for a moment as he recalled Sora and Yuu's words to him. Seven consciouses... Seven souls...

" Was it... The people who had inherited One For All who did it?"

He looked back at his bandaged hand. " My friends said something similar too. That I have seven consciouses and seven souls added to me. The only thing that could hit home is One For All, since it went through different people."

Looking up at All Might, he found him trembling in fear before dismissing whatever idea the green head had in mind when he told him it was ' The Shades' he had seen.

After getting his explanation, Midoriya rushed out of the room, unbeknown to the fact that those ' Shades ' would have much influence on him in the future...

Chapter Text

The next match didn't take more than seconds. Though Sero took the initiative to throw Todoroki off his feet and out the bounds, he was frozen less than a second later within a huge wall of ice taking up half the stage, causing a rough rumble.

Sora didn't know which one to do, gape at Todoroki's insane power which manifested literally a few inches from her face, or feel sorry for poor Sero.

" Don't... Don't you think that's a bit too much?" Sero stuttered.

" That's overkilling it," Sora trailed and Yuu nodded. Being so close to the wall made him recall the day he was frozen to unconsciousness. That made him shiver.

As expected, Midnight announced Todoroki the winner of their match.

" Sero-kun is immobilized. Todoroki-kun advances to the second round!"

All of those watching must have realized just how overwhelmed Sero was by Todoroki's unrivaled strength since calls of ' don't mind ' echoed through the stage.

" Sorry, I went overboard." They could hear Todoroki talking to Sero. " I was angry."

Yuu's eyes softened upon hearing him. " Todoroki-san... Sounds sad..." He whispered to his friend. Sora needed not to look at his aura to figure so too.

________________

Next was Kaminari's match, and it too, ended in an instant. His opponent, Shiozaki Ibara, warded off his attack and bound him using her vines in no time, securing her place in the second round. Kaminari on the other hand was brought on a stretcher to the infirmary with a rather stupid look on his face.

" It's bad his Quirk couldn't do much against her." Whisper sighed seeing the boy disappear into the exit.

A blond head peeked over the wall between their box and Class B's. " What's that? Didn't he say he'd settle this in a second? That's strange, he was defeated in a second, wasn't he? Class A is supposed to be better than Class B, so isn't that weird?"

He started laughing off on his own before grimacing and sliding off. An orange head appeared this time with Kendo's apologizing smile. " Sorry!"

The whole of Class A stared off at her in a trance. What was that just now?

Sora laughed awkwardly at that. " Don't know why he gives me the vibes of Slytherin."

" Is it time for you to think about that now?" Yuu pointed.

" This school is cursed with weirdos," Groaned Whisper.

Everyone blinked and looked at their sides when a certain freckled boy started murmuring his analysis of the battle. Everyone was rather startled and Bakugo for once seemed to want to blow him away with an explosion.

" Midoriya-san... Likes analyzing things that much, right?" Yuu wondered.

" Too much for that matter." Sora blinked.

" Another weirdo." Whisper sighed.

" You just finished, but you're already thinking about countermeasures, huh?" Uraraka piped in.

Midoriya clapped one hand over his mouth realizing he was thinking out loud. " Oh, no! It's just, I mean, this is pretty much my hobby..."

Sora blinked. When she had twisted towards Midoriya, she realized Iida's seat was empty. " Where did Iida-kun go?"

" His match is next. Of course he would head out to the waiting room," said Whisper.

" Without us noticing? Woah, he seems like some kind of a ninja!" Sora's eyes sparkled in awe.

" Not at all... You were just too distracted," stated Yuu.

" Either way, your match is after him. Are you sure you want to stay around?" Asked Whisper.

Sora bobbed her head before looking down at the arena when both opponents entered. " I want to watch Iida's battle."

His opponent was Midoriya's teammate, Hatsume Mei from the support course. What mostly surprised them was the fact that Iida was equipped with support items himself.

Midnight pointed that it was a violation of the rules, for unlike the support course, the hero course wasn't permitted any extra equipment without petition.

" I humbly apologize." Iida bowed. " However, my heart was moved by my opponent's sportsmanship. Even though she is from the support course, she said she wanted an even match since she made it this far. She said she wanted to fight fairly. So, she gave me this equipment. I did not think I could ignore her fighting spirit!"

" Oh youth!" Midnight squealed much to their astonishment. " I'll allow it!" She stated firmly, regaining her calm.

" Huh?" Sora rubbed her eyes multiple times, which caught Yuu's attention.

" What's the matter?"

" It's just, I thought something is off with my eyes or something. Hatsume-san, she doesn't intend to attack Iida-kun at all." Sora was rather speculated about it.

" Doesn't intend to? Then why would she give him a support item?... Unless..."

The match went in a very peculiar way not to say the least. Rather than a match, Sora thought it was some kind of advertisement since Hatsume focused on demonstrating her equipment at work.

" Figured so." Yuu exhaled." She wants the support companies to see her products badly."

" Iida-kun... Unfortunately became her guinea pig." Sora sweat dropped.

" Weirdos! Weirdos everywhere!" Whisper was going nuts.

In ten minutes or so, Hatsume stepped out of bounds deliberately, rather proud of herself. Iida on the other hand pulled a Bakugo and was about to lunge at her for tricking him.

Sora had vanished by that time, pulling back to the waiting room and forgetting everything she said about seeing Iida's fight.

Sora sat down on a chair in the Player Waiting Room 2, leaning her elbows on the table and intertwining her fingers. She tried hard not to worry about it but she couldn't. Her opponent wasn't an easy one. She knew that. And she can't overuse her Quirk as well.

Just as she was deep in thought, Uraraka entered, making her snap her head to the door. " Ochaco-chan?"

" Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you." Uraraka wiggled a hand at her.

Sora smiled and shook her head, patting the seat by her side. " Sit down. You're more anxious than I'm."

" You can tell, Sora-chan," Uraraka said with a weak smile as she dropped by the white head.

" I would look worse if I had to face that guy to say the truth," Sora assured her.

" He's really intimidating," Uraraka added with an awkward smile before looking down at her hands balling around the fabric of her pants. " You know... Seeing Iida-kun and Deku-kun today... Something feels off about me..."

She placed her hand on her chest and heaved a sigh as though trying to get rid of a heavyweight. " I don't want to stay behind. I have to reach higher too. I have a reason to do my best after all."

Sora smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. " You do. And you have the resolve to fight till the end for your dream. Have confidence in yourself and go all out."

Uraraka smiled gently at her. " Thank you, Sora-chan... And sorry... You ended up comforting me though your match is almost due."

" Don't mention it. I will always help out my friends." She pushed her chair backwards with a screech as she stood up. " Now excuse me. I'm not giving in to Mina-chan easily."

" Good luck." Uraraka held up a thumb at her while Sora walked off to the door, waving at her friend.

________________

It wasn't before long that she proceeded to the arena, clambering the stairs and facing off against the pinkette while fire pillars rose by their sides, heating the air all around them.

" We're gonna keep right on going with the fifth match!  No! She isn't a middle schooler, though she may seem like one! Don't let her short height and innocent face trick you, this girl is able to make you feel pain! From the  hero  course, it's  Shirogane  Sora!"

" What kind of introduction is this, Mic-sensei."

" Versus- Is something going to come out of those horns? Well? From the hero course, It's  Ashido  Mina."

The pinkette was stretching her arms overhead, readying herself. " Let's give it all our might, Sora!"

" Ossu!" She cried performing her usual karate salute.

" Now, why don't we get moving? Fifth match, Start!"

Ashido used her acid to skid on the ground, approaching Sora. " We've been on the same team during combat training so I know a bit about you Quirk." She secreted her acid within her hands and threw it in Sora's direction promptly, forcing her to dodge it. " I won't allow you to grow those wings of yours!"

" Not Bad," muttered Sora as she focused on avoiding the acid. She is pressing on me but also keeping her distance. She knows I'm capable of hand-to-hand combat.

" Why isn't Shirogane-san using her wings?" Midoriya asked from his seat.

" You guys didn't realize it but, Sora needs a moment to grow them," Yuu piped in. " Ashido-san is trying to press on her so she doesn't. She knows if Sora turned it into a midair battle, she will have the upper hand."

" I see," Midoriya murmured. " There's also her flexibility and all, Ashido-san is able to force Shirogane-san to a corner easily."

" Don't you get fooled, soldier." Whispered smirked, pointing his finger at Sora. " Look closely."

The girl maintained her smile as she dodged Ashido's onslaught with small movements. " Sora has a plan."

" I've got you!" Ashido cried once Sora was a foot from the bounds.

" No! Now I've got you!" Sora ducked underneath Ashido's right arm as she closed on her, grabbing it tightly while pushing the pinkette face down on the ground, her other hand pinning Ashido's left arm down while twisting her right arm hard behind her back it made her cry in pain.

" Hoo! Shirogane pins Ashido down on the ground!"

" Quick reflexes, enhanced strength and knowledge of martial arts..." Ojiro blinked at the white head. " ... It's quite amazing."

" That one hurts." Yuu winced just thinking about how much pain Ashido was in.

" Mina-chan, give up!"

" Like I would! I secrete  acid from every inch of my body!"

Sora winced, feeling the searing pain of burning on her palms as Ashido produced the liquid around her wrists where Sora was grasping her. Sora however pulled Ashido's right arm harder, making her grunt.

" You forgot! I can withstand it more than normal humans! Give up Mina-chan! Don't force me to hurt you more!"

Ashido groaned from the pain in her right arm before stuttering. " I... Give up..."

Sora breathed out, letting go of the other girl. Midnight waved her whip in Sora's direction. " Ashido-san gives up! Shirogane-san proceeds to the next round!"

" I didn't know Shirogane-san was knowledgeable of martial arts." Midoriya blinked.

" Her family has a small dojo. Learning to defend themselves is a tradition it seems." Pointed Whisper.

" That was rough Sora." Ashido stood up while holding her shoulder. " I thought you would snap my arm out. You're really relentless."

" Mina-chan too..." Sora was cradling her burned hands.

Ashido cackled weakly at their state. " We're beaten up already. Let's have Recovery Girl fix us."

Sora nodded her head in approval.

________________

AN:

My chapters are usually consisted of 3000+ words, but after thinking for a long time, I decided to split them. So from here on we have shorter chapters, albeit with multiple updates a week. Look forward to the next chapter OwO!

Chapter Text

Sora returned to her seat just as Kirishima and Tetsutetsu's match was about to end. She noted upon first glance that they were pretty evenly matched.

" How are your hands?" Yuu asked, looking down at her bandages.

" Oh, they're fine. They're stinging a bit that's all.  More importantly..." She looked at the empty three seats by her side. " Iida-kun and Midoriya-kun?"

" They went to talk to Uraraka," Whisper stated. "Don't you two want to go?"

Sora contemplated on it for a moment and then shook her head. " Nah, it's fine. I don't want to overwhelm her just when her match is about to start." She directed her look back at Kirishima and Tetsutetsu as they fell to the ground rather beaten up. " Plus, there's nothing left to say for her. Ochaco-chan wants to get past this match... On her own."

Whisper and Yuu stared at the girl's beaming face slightly confused before Midnight announced that the match ended in a draw and that the winner will be determined by a contest when both players recover.

Just as the two invalids were taken away and the screen showed the opponents of the next match, Iida and Midoriya assumed their seats once again, rather anxious.

" Next might be the most disturbing match-up," said Asui.

Jiro rubbed her arms, feeling chills all over her back. " I almost don't want to watch..."

" Ochaco-chan..."

Uraraka finally stepped out of the exit and marched to the arena.

" The eighth and last match of the first round! He was kind of famous in middle school! This isn't the face of a regular person! From the hero course, It's  Bakugo Katsuki Versus- She's the one I'm rooting for! From the hero course, it's Uraraka Ochaco!"

There was a deafening silence on the stage. Even though the voices of spectators rose high, neither Sora nor any of the three seated next to her could hear them. Their sole focus was Uraraka.

Sora could hear Bakugo telling her to forfeit while she had the chance.

" Midoriya-kun..." Iida's voice sounded as he turned to their friend. " What was the strategy you were going to tell Uraraka-kun earlier for her to use against Bakugo-kun?"

The green head took out his notes. " It wasn't much, really. Kacchan's strong. In a real close combat fight, he has almost no openings, and the more he moves, the more he sweats, making his Explosion Quirk stronger."

" If you say it like this it seems like there is no way to beat him!" Whisper grunted.

" That's just how strong of a person Kacchan is," Midoriya trailed. " He can use the blasts from his explosions to move around in the air, but if Uraraka-san touches Kacchan and uses her Quirk to make him float, then she would have the upper hand. That's why... The first thing Uraraka-san should do is..."

" Eighth match, start!"

Uraraka leaned forward and sprang at her opponent.

" ... A swift attack." Midoriya continued. " All right! That's good. Even if it's an accident, as long as she can touch him, she can make him float!"

" Bakugo-kun won't want Uraraka-kun to get close to him," Iida piped in.

" That's why, Kacchan won't want to evade. He'll want to counterattack!"

" Had she realized that?" Yuu squinted at her running figure.

" You can do it, Ochaco-chan!"

However, Bakugo blasted her away with a low explosion. Everyone recoiled at how strong it was.

Using the smoke screen caused by the explosion, Uraraka sent her vest flying at Bakugo. While he focused on it, thinking it was her, she aimed for a sneaking attack from behind.

Still, Bakugo was faster, blowing her up in the air.

Their faces frowned in wary of what may happen to the girl who was still getting blown away by every motion. The fume covering the field increased with each blast, making it hard to see.

Come on Ochaco-chan! I trust you! I know you can pull it! Do your best!

" Not yet!" Uraraka yelled but was pelted away by a burst of air, sending debris up in the air. Sora's eyes widened slightly when she glimpsed something. " I see..."

Uraraka kept charging at Bakugo, but could do nothing against his overwhelming power.

Other spectators started complaining, telling the blond off for toying with the girl and not pushing her out of bounds. Sounds of booing spread through the stage as the pro heroes disapproved of his ways.

" He doesn't know how to hold back," Whisper grunted, still eyes focused on the boy.

Present Mic was about to agree with the crowd before he got elbowed in the jaw by Aizawa as he grabbed the microphone.

" Was that a pro saying he's playing around? How many years have you been a pro?" His words shut the booing around the stadium. " If you're saying that with a straight face, there's no point in you watching anymore, so go home! Go home, and look into changing careers!"

" Aizawa-sensei...?" Midoriya blinked at their teacher's words.

" He's got a point, you know," Whisper told them all, earning glances from the whole of class A.

" Bakugo is being careful because he's acknowledged the strength of his opponent who has made it this far. It's because he's doing everything he can to win that he can't go easy on her or let his guard down."

" You're no soldier if you can't tell that much, " Whisper muttered. " Because she came at him with all her might he retorted back relentlessly. There is no meaning in holding back. Both of them are standing there because they know that very well. They're ready to bear wounds and injuries so they stood there unwaveringly."

" So... Bakugo-san..." Yuu began.

" Acknowledged Ochaco-chan's strength," Sora smiled. " Well, it's fortunate he did so."

" Sora?" Yuu blinked at her.

" I'm surprised the pros didn't notice it. Ochaco-chan lowered herself for a reason."

" Now that you mention it, Uraraka-kun kept her body close to the ground as she attacked." Iida tapped his chin.

Midoriya's eyes widened as he realized it. " She kept Kacchan's attacks concentrated towards the ground, which means..."

Everyone looked up as Sora and Whisper smiled. " She was waiting for the right moment."

Above the stadium, they could see thousands of debris floating overhead, waiting to be released and fall down.

" I'm gonna win!" She shouted as she released her Quirk. The debris as if being left by an invisible hand, came cascading down upon the blond.

" She had a desperate plan like that up her sleeve?!" Midoriya jumped to his feet.

Uraraka rushed at Bakugo, opting for an opening when he tried to either avoid or counterattack. However, the strong explosion he let out was enough to blow her off her feet and shove her back to the ground while decimating the falling rubbles.

" Ochaco-chan..." Sora clapped her hands over her mouth, realizing the girl's plan went downhill with that one shot.

Still, the brunette stubbornly struggled on her feet, waddling as she tried to keep her balance. She twisted to face him, however, her body gave in at the last moment and she fell back on the ground.

" Uraraka-kun..."

" She passed her limit a long time ago..."

" She still... Wants to fight though..." It was hard, seeing her friend crawling on the ground, trying to get her body to listen to her.

Midnight interfered, checking on Uraraka. " Uraraka-san's out of commission. Bakugo-kun advances to the second round!" She announced.

" Ochaco-chan..." It was all she could not to cry as Uraraka was transferred out, a sore expression on her face.

Chapter Text

" Ochaco-chan!" Sora burst through the door of the waiting room rather frantically. She was surprised when Recovery Girl told her Uraraka had left as soon as she finished healing her.

" Sora-cha-" she was cut off as Sora pulled her into a tight hug.

" You were amazing Ochaco-chan! Your plan and everything! You were amazing!"

" Sora, you will kill her!" Yuu cried out when he realized Uraraka wasn't breathing.

" Your wounds?" Sora asked once she saw the plaster applied to her jaw.

" Most of them are healed, but I will have to keep this for the rest of the day." She pointed at the plaster. " Bakugo-kun was really tough."

" That's because-" Whisper was cut off when the door opened by Midoriya. He gaped at the brunette girl there.

" Uraraka... San..."

" Man, I lost..." She scrubbed her head seeing him. " I got carried away at the end thinking I could do it, dang it."

" Uraraka-san, what about your injuries? Are you okay?"

" Yeah, Recovery Girl took care of me. It was only moderate healing so it wouldn't drain my stamina, so I've still got scratches and stuff though. Man, but that Bakugo-kun was really strong! He totally got me. I need to work harder too!" She snapped when she realized everyone was staring at her.

" Are you... All right?" Midoriya was rather wary.

" Well, as long as she is frustrated that much, I think she is." Whisper sweated.

" I'm fine! Better than expected!" Her phone vibrated but she ignored it. " I mean, you immediately started looking ahead, Deku-kun, and just because I lost doesn't mean I can lose."

" That's-" He snapped when Sora held on the brim of his sleeve.

" Midoriya-kun, I think we should get going. You're up next right."

" Eh, ah, right," he trailed.

" We'll head out first then," said Yuu.

" Deku-kun, sorry. You weren't able to prepare at all since I was here..." Uraraka uttered.

" No, I'm fine."

She smiled at him. " I'll be there to watch you soon okay? Good luck."

" Thanks."

And they trudged out. Whisper lingered for a moment before turning to the brunette. " I'm pretty sure the delinquent acknowledged your strength, Uraraka. There's nothing to feel sorry about. Your performance was good."

And he caught up with the rest just as Mic announced Kirishima's advance to the next round.

________________

Sora stole a glance at the boy as he wiped away his tears. He must have known how his friend felt too. Sora wanted them to get out as soon so to give her some time alone and also for her to call her parents.

Just around the corner, a man covered in flames emerged into sight, a sullen expression on his face.

" Endeavor?!" Midoriya squeaked.

" Oh there you are." Endeavor rounded on the boy.

" The N.2 hero..." Yuu murmured.

Sora blinked at what he just said. What does he need from Midoriya-kun?

The man's light blue eyes swept through Yuu and Sora, stopping for a pretty longer period on the girl. " I hope you two won't mind leaving us alone for a moment?"

Yuu and Sora exchanged looks then nodded and trudged away, leaving a befuddled Midoriya to face the pro hero. What Endeavor didn't know was that they were able to listen to their conversation for a while.

________________

  " I'm worried," said Sora while they awaited the arrival of the two players. Uraraka had joined them a moment after they had settled, eyes all puffed out, mostly because she was crying hard.

It wasn't long before Midoriya and Todoroki advanced to the newly repaired stage. Both faced each other, determined and resolved to fight to the very end.

" Todoroki-san..."

What intense aura they have. Sora gulped, realizing neither of them was going to hold back regardless of the cost.

" Start!"

Todoroki started off with a path of freezing ice while Midoriya smashed it down with a strong wind pressure from his finger. It traveled all the way back to Todorki who had manifested a chunk of ice behind him so not to get blown back.

It was the same for around three rounds before Todorki rushed off on a steep of ice that doubled as a cover. While Midoriya tore it apart, thinking it was the same as before, he was surprised by Todoroki closing by overhead.

He jumped out of the way before the other boy could freeze him with a punch, however, Todorki's ice instantly chased him, grasping his left foot.

A burst of air erupted as Midoriya swung his left arm, pushing Todoroki away from him. Still, it wasn't enough to get him out of the bounds.

Everyone else in the stadium was marveling over Todoroki's strength,  saying it was nothing less expected from the son of the N.2 hero.

Hearing all their murmurs, Yuu felt his chest crunching. They don't acknowledge him for who he is.

" He's trembling," Sora whispered to her friend, taking his attention back to the match.

Yuu thought back to their combat training, to his breath that seemed like a mist. At first, he thought it was because of how cold the building was... But seeing it again and again... Yuu wanted to slap himself for not noticing.

" 'Quirks are also physical abilities', huh," he quoted Bakugo's words. " I should have known. He doesn't show it but, his body gets affected by his Quirk as well."

" He gets cold?" Sora asked in astonishment. " Then if he continues like this..."

" His right side will freeze," Whisper added.

" It could be solved easily by the heat from his left, however..."

" He would rather lose than use it." Sora's hands balled.

Todoroki launched another wave of ice at Midoriya, with his broken fingers and arm, there was little to what he could do. However, he startled them all when he managed to produce a strong air pressure by using his broken finger again and almost pelted Todoroki out.

It was hard for everyone to hear what the players were saying down in the arena unless you count their shouting. Only Sora and Yuu could hear the full conversation.

" Did he just... Provoke him?" Sora wondered.

Yuu shook his head. " No..."

Todoroki rushed at the green head, yet, they could see his movement slowed down. When he jumped, Midoriya lunged at him, kicking him in the gut. Yet, Todoroki managed to put ice on Midoriya's left hand. It was something unnoticeable, but Yuu and Whisper knew what it was for almost immediately.

" If he didn't do that, that reckless soldier would use his broken arm if he felt it needed. " Whisper pointed.

" Really? Even though in a match?" Uraraka blinked in surprise.

" As I thought... Deep down, Todorki-san is a kind person..." Yuu muttered.

Todoroki's breath was getting more and more rugged due to the frost. Even his ice was slower and smaller than when they started off. Todoroki approached, trying to freeze Midoriya from up close but he was pushed back by a strong gale as he snapped another broken finger.

" That idiot! What is he thinking of, using his already damaged fingers?" Whisper groaned.

As the fight raged on, nobody could take their eyes off them.

" Shouldn't they be stopped?" Iida waved his arms around. " It will be dangerous if they keep up!"

" It would be better if they choose the winner with a contest like what happened with me," Kirishima added.

It was clear the teachers were keeping a close watch on them, apparently thinking along the same line.

" Midoriya-san... Is determined to win despite the agony," Sora muttered, seeing the tears welling up in the green eyes with each strike.

" He won't stop. That kid set his mind on a goal, and he won't stop until reaching it," Whisper stated, unable to take his eyes off the curly head. He didn't hate his guts. 

" Midoriya-san... Is really awesome..." Murmured Yuu.

When he no longer can move his fingers, he resorted to pressing them against the side of his mouth to be able to produce a strong impact. The ice covering Todoroki's body increased before Midoriya punched him again, sending him flying near the white line.

" It's your power, isn't it?!" Midoriya shouted at him.

Yuu and Sora's eyes widened as they heard that.

" That's your Quirk, Yuu. That's your  own  power. Something only you can decide whether it's useless or not. We couldn't choose our Quirks, but we can choose how to use them. Don't let others choose for you."

Uncle...

The heat wave that followed Midoriya's words was so strong it could be felt from their box.

" The fire is here..." Complained Uraraka.

" He used it!" Iida exclaimed.

" He made him use his left!" Sora wasn't less surprised.

" He... Saved him..." Yuu stared at the green head. " Though he knows what that means."

" Shoto!" Everyone was able to hear the N.2 shout back then. Fired up was the perfect description for him back then as he walked to the very front. Yuu listened to him telling his son what he has to do and couldn't help feeling frustrated. It was the same as his parents, though they kept telling him what he couldn't do.

Todoroki on the other hand seemed to ignore him. Whether or not he actually heard him was yet a question. Todoroki created a huge field of ice while Midoriya formed a strong gale around him with his power pressure.

Ice flung at the green head but he managed to sail over it, trying to get close. Todoroki then proceeded to heat the place with his flames, defrosting the ice he had just made. It was then they heard Todoroki thanking Midoriya before Midnight and Cementess stopped them.

Five walls of concrete rose from the stage, blocking off both attacks. They were broken to smithereens as debris flew off in every direction by a strong explosion. Everyone covered themselves, yet, how they were unharmed was unanswered.

When the strong wind died, they dared to peek out. Midoriya was thrown out of the arena and into the wall. He stood still for a moment before falling to the ground while Todoroki stood there with half his shirt burned off.

" M-Midoriya-kun is out of bounds..." Midnight trailed. " Todoroki-kun advances to the third round!"

Chapter Text

" Midoriya!"

" Deku!"

They all barged into the temporary nurse's office in a rather disturbing racket. They ran by his bed only for them to notice a blond gaunt man standing there. " Oh, nice to meet you..." Uraraka politely greeted.

" Yeah..."

" You're all so noisy. " Sighed Recovery Girl.

" Everyone..." Midoriya said in a hoarse voice. " ... What about the next match?"

" Since there was a lot of damage to the stage, they're taking a break to repair it." Explained Iida.

" It's because you both went too far! Jeez, you should consider those who will be cleaning after you! Either out on the stage or here in the infirmary!" Rebuked Whisper.

" Hope he had more of you to tell him off." Recovery Girl commented.

" That match earlier was scary, Midoriya..." Mineta said pointing at him with a shaking finger. " What pro's gonna want that?"

Asui poked him with her tongue. " I don't like your style of rubbing salt into his wound."

" And I was wondering why you tagged along." Sora gave the boy a tired sigh.

" But it's true!"

" Be quiet, now!" Recovery Girl ushered them out. " I know you're worried, but I've got to do a surgery now."

That wasn't any help. " Surgery?!" They all freaked out.

" Midoriya-san, I will take care of your soul if something ever happened."

" He isn't going to die Yuu! Don't say something like that!" Sora gave him a chop on the back of his head.

" Go on now, get out of here."

" B-But-"

" Surgery's a big deal, isn't it?"

" Will his injuries be completely healed?"

" Don't worry about that. Just leave it to me!"

Whisper had a tick growing larger and larger on his forehead. " Cut it off all of you!"

Everyone snapped back as the shadow of his enlarging head fell upon them. His eyes sharpened as he shouted his lungs out at them. " What do you think you're doing?! You're interfering with Recovery Girl's work! Just get back already! She'll handle it on herself!"

" Ribbit... Whisper-chan... Is scarier than usual..."

" Get a move soldiers! Form a line and get back to the box!"

" But-"

Whisper pressed his forehead against Mineta's who dared to protest. " What were you about to say, short soldier!"

" N-Nothing..." The boy sweated.

" Well, off you go then! "

" Sir! Yes sir!"

________________

  Iida and Shiozaki's much didn't take more than a second. Iida managed to force the girl out of bounds in a moment using his Recipro Burst.

Sora didn't think she will have to enter that soon. She stood on her end of the stage, staring into the eyes of Tokoyami. Dark Shadow has strong offense and defense. I've seen that during the USJ incident. She gulped. Facing him isn't easy. So my only choice.

" Start!"

" Dark Shadow!"

" Got it!" The shadow-like creature emerged from Tokoyami's abdomen and aimed for her. She barely managed to dodge him when twirled around and clawed at her back.

He's fast too!

The girl quickly ducked underneath him and rushed to the middle of the arena while continuing to dodge. If I stay too close to the line it will end in a second. She recalled what Whisper told her about the boy's battle against Yaoyorozu. First I have to get away and-

" Not easily!" He scooted up to her and she had to floor herself to dodge his attack.

" Think Sora, think!"

Dark Shadow was overwhelming her, leaving her no room to fight. Her strength was nothing compared to him and she hardly could keep up with his speed. Even if I use my wings, Dark Shadow can extend.

The shadow cleaved at her with his claws and she guarded against him using her arms. They later could be seen bleeding. Guess I don't have a choice.

She managed to push Dark Shadow off her. " Impossible... Did her strength increase?!"

It's for a moment. I will go beyond my limit! Feathers started to grow out of her arms as she directed a back kick at Dark Shadow, forcing him back for a moment.

Just one second. All Tokoyami did was blink and she was in front of him.

" What's this speed!"

With her open palm, she hit his chest hard. Though he tried to slow down, he was sent out of the line.

" Tokoyami-kun out of bounds! Shirogane-san advances to the third round!"

Sora heaved a sigh before looking at the feathers framing her forearm. " You aimed at me on purpose."

Sora looked back at him and rubbed her head with an awkward smile. " Well, I kind of noticed it during USJ. Tokoyami-kun, you don't fight yourself. Dark Shadow always protects you. That's why..."

" That's why you attacked me directly. A good plan." He bowed much to her surprise. " I'm honored to have fought against you."

" Here too." She bowed back.

________________

  The boy didn't go back to either waiting room 1 or 2 when his match was nearing. He really didn't want to deal with anyone. So he chose to wait in their class waiting room.

He sat down staring at his left hand, as though it was going to betray him the moment he blinked. Unexpectedly the door clicked open and a purple head walked in. " Ah... Sorry... Didn't know you were here. I will just come back later."

" No, it's fine," Todoroki said without looking up.

Yuu blinked before trudging over to his locker, then rummaged through his thing for his phone. When he found it, his lips quivered in hesitation before he spoke. " Todoroki-san... I have to apologize... I heard it..."

Todoroki's eyes flicked at the boy. The moment of silence made Yuu sweat. " The talk with Midoriya, right? It's fine. You can't help it with your Quirk."

" No... Even before that..." His head dropped down slightly. " When you were talking to him by the exit..."

Todoroki's look sharpened for a moment and Yuu jolted.  " I didn't mean to eavesdrop! I really didn't..." His look softened. " It's just... As I heard it... I felt that we were similar in a way..."

Whisper's eyes flicked between them in silence, not wanting to interrupt.

" About the nature of our Quirks?" 

" More than that..." Yuu gulped. " I know how it feels to hate your own Quirk, and, to have someone dictating how you should use it..."  

Todoroki's opened his mouth, about to say something but the other boy continued on, eyes fixed on the ground. " You know, my Quirk can be a bother. The fact that you see things others don't and act in a way others can't comprehend makes you... Shunned."

He shifted uncomfortably. " That's the kind of Quirk that I grew up with. Even at home, my parents didn't hesitate to always remind me of that. They wanted a normal kid, I couldn't give them that... They tried every which way to fix it, to make me normal. It didn't work." He paused for a moment. " I've grown with their harsh remarks, treated as a mistake that shouldn't have happened.  It tends to get worse when you have an older brother who is the center of attention and good at everything. Things grew, a little complicated and, I really came to heat my Quirk for keeping me away from my family. "

Todoroki blinked at him as Yuu met his eyes for the first time. " I know what you want to say. I'm exactly the opposite of you who had been born with a Quirk they longed for. A Quirk so amazing they probably wanted to exploit and use. I can't claim to know that I understand what you went through... But, as someone who was burdened by his Quirk as well, I know how hard it's when people look past the person you're and just look at what Quirk you have. And just how difficult it's to come to accept that part of yourself..."

" You don't want your Quirk?"

" I don't need a Quirk that would make my family hate me."

The man laughed out loud before patting the head of the crying little Yuu. " That may be true but..." He smiled warmly at him. " That's your Quirk, Yuu. That's your own power.  Something only you can decide whether it's useless or not. We couldn't choose our Quirks, but we can choose how to use them. Don't let others choose for you. Don't let them shape it for you. Learn to accept it the way it's, for that's a part of the great person who is you. "

" Todoroki-san too... I know why you would rather not use your left side. And I know it may take time to accept the small change Midoriya-san caused. But, remember, the one to choose what you do with your power isn't your father, it's you."

Todoroki stared at the baggy purple eyes for a moment, and it was all he needed to see the story behind them. For the one in front of him to reach that far, just how hard he worked so he could ' choose how to use his Quirk'. Just how far he went to come to accept the Quirk he once detested. 

They were similar in a way after all.

" I see." The other boy closed his eyes. " I still need to think about it though."

Yuu nodded as he walked over to the door, however, as he was about to close it, he heard a weak ' Thank you ' from behind him.

Chapter Text

Sora rubbed her now bandaged arms. The wounds Dark Shadow caused ended up being quite deep. She was thankful Recovery Girl could heal her that far without sacrificing much stamina.

All that is left is Kirishima and Bakugo's match. Whoever wins will be my opponent. As soon as she reached the booth, she could see Kirishima fall to the ground in a strong explosion. " It already ended?" She said settling in her seat next to Yuu.

" This one lingered more than the rest if you ask me," Yuu stated.

" Anyway, that means that your next opponent will be..." Whisper trailed.

Sora gulped as it downed on her. "... Bakugo-kun, huh?" She laughed awkwardly. " Yuu, if I die, take care of my soul."

" Not that again," Whisper sighed.

" Do your best, Sora-chan." Uraraka inclined her head to look at the red-eyed girl.

" Even if you tell me..." She sweated.

" You made it to the best four, right? You can do it. Just give him some of your karate moves," she said waving her fist in the air rather excitedly.

I would love it if it was as simple as that. Sora gave a halfhearted laugh.

" Oh, by the way? Is Midoriya-kun still in the infirmary? And Iida-kun?"

" Iida is getting ready for his match against Todoroki," said Ojiro.

" Midoriya-chan didn't come back yet," added Asui.

" I see..." She looked back at the arena, her heart drumming. Please Iida-kun, hold our match as back as possible.

However, her wish didn't come true. The match began just when Midoriya joined them. And it started with Todoroki cornering Iida with ice before attacking. Iida managed to dodge using a long jump, and with his Recipro Burst, he managed to land a hit on Todoroki after he made him unbalanced.

" That must hurt." Winced Whisper.

While still recovering from the hard hit, Todoroki tried to freeze him but Iida dodged again, grasped Todoroki by his shirt and rushed to the white boundary. Yet, he halted when his mufflers were plugged with ice before he was totally frozen.

" Iida-kun is immobilized! Todoroki-kun wins!" Midnight announced.

Sora felt sorry seeing her friend's frustrated face. But she didn't have much time to solace him. It was her turn next and she had to hurry down to the entrance. Her friends wished her good luck as she left the Box.

________________

On her way to the arena, her heart was beating louder than her footsteps. She could swear even Bakugo could hear it. It wasn't just because of whom she was against. She hadn't much time to recover her energy, she would be reaching her limit sooner. And after reaching so far, it would be frustrating to lose.

They both entered within the lines, Bakugo's face sullen as ever while hers was kinda sweaty, stress visible in her eyes as she met Bakugo's cold ones. Even if he stood there still, he looked as intimidating as always.

" Deku-kun, what do you think of this match?" Uraraka asked.

Midoriya placed a finger on his chin as he started murmuring. " From what I've seen so far from Shirogane-san, her physical strength matches that of Kacchan. Still, his Quirk is the real problem here. It will be hard to immobilize him or make him give up so her only choice is to push him out. Yet that's rather hard with Kacchan's skills. Dragging the match too much isn't a good option for her too, she said she has a limit to how much she can use her Quirk while Kacchan's gets stronger by the minute in a fight."

The boy continued to murmur under everyone's bewildered looks before Whisper gave him a chop on the head. " You're noisy!"

" Go Bakugo! Blow her shirt like with Uraraka!"

Jiro's ear bud plunged into Mineta's ear, shutting him up.

" Start!"

♪~ Ost:Kyōi to no kōbō

Bakugo pelted forward with a strong eruption. " I know your Quirk, feather head! Flying away won't help you this time!"

Sora recoiled at his onslaught and guarded. Bakugo launched a counter-explosion against her. " You can't do much against my explosions with your enhanced strength."

However, when the smoke cleaned, they were surprised to see she wrapped herself within her large wings. A scorched mark on her left one around where Bakugo attacked.

" It's the same as the combat training!" Ashido pointed.

" She didn't read it, she knew from the start he was coming at her from her left side!" Yuu's eyes were wide in surprise at that while it seemed to enrage Bakugo further.

Thank you, Uraraka. Your match was helpful. She winced in pain. Although she guarded her body, still her wings got hurt. It wouldn't matter since the damaged feathers would be growing instantly, but the pain was going to last for a while.

" I figured you would come at me to prevent me from bringing out my wings. But this is the third time the same plan is applied, I had to get ready beforehand." She forced a smile.

Bakugo's smirk widened. " Let's see how much your wings can take!" He started throwing his blasts left and right at her, trying to push her out, but she stubbornly resisted.

" It was a good idea to defend against his attacks with wings but... What now?" Whisper sweated.

I still didn't recover totally but... Her grandmother's smiling face and Yuu's hard work during the cavalry battle flashed through her mind. I'm not losing here!

She spread her wings open rather forcefully, causing a strong wind that startled Bakugo for a moment. Using that very moment, she slapped her wings as strongly as she could, creating a wind pressure that threw him off his feet a foot away from her.

Now! It was all she needed to fly up in the air. Her wings were still shaking due to the damage she received, but she wasn't going to let it affect her.

" You think I won't reach you there!" Bakugo launched himself skywards and extended a hand at her. " Die!"

" I would rather not!" She used her left arm to brush his off and hit his abdomen with an open palm. He was sent backwards but managed to propel himself using his explosions.

" Tsk!" She gritted her teeth while feathers started growing the length of her forearm.

" I see. That's her plan." Midoriya snapped.

" What are you talking about?" Uraraka asked.

" She wants to push him outside," Whisper elaborated without taking his eyes from the duo as they kept exchanging blows. " Sora's physical strength is the same as Bakugo, so she can brush his attacks off easily using karate moves when she can predict them. However, what she really wants is for him to make a slip."

" Huh?" Kirishima blinked. " What do you mean a slip?"

" It's hard to tell where the bounds are when you're fighting midair. You may cross them while you're not paying attention," Explained Yuu. " She wanted to make it a midair battle against him because she realized it's her only way."

Sora twirled as to avoid another eruption before directing a roundhouse kick at the blond, but he managed to guard in time.

" Enough moving around! You're annoying!" He created a large explosion, covering them in fume. He used it as a diversion and managed to grasp her by the collar. Then with a strong burst, slammed her back on the ground. She coughed as she felt a sharp pain around her left side, she might have broken a few ribs.

" You don't think you could force me outta the bounds easily!" He smirked, reeling his free hand which was glowing in orange.

" I thought I could make it easier!" She flung her head forward, bunting the blond on the nose. He reeled his head, blood dripping down his nostrils.

" Ouch!" Whisper and Yuu winced much to everyone's surprise.

" We probably didn't mention it, but Sora had a quite hard head, both figuratively and literally," said Whisper.

In the moment of distraction, she hit him under the chin with her palm, pushing him away from her before twisting to stand to her feet. A little more! Her nails sharpened into claws as she went for the offense. She swung at the boy. Bakugo put a distance, slightly surprised by the sudden change in her pace.

" Is she opting for a close battle now?" Ojiro wondered.

" So it seems," said Yuu, his fists shaking as he clenched them tightly.

" Die!" Bakugo directed an explosion at her face but she ducked and immediately tweaked her torse, elbowing him in his stomach.

Bakugo fell backwards for a moment, his smirk never wavering. " Do you want to tell me her strength increased?"

Hurry up! She flipped her wings and she was right in front of him, her right arm reeled for an attack. Bakugo bolted up in the air with an explosion, covering her in smoke. All right! We're close to the line! If I tackle him while he's in midair with all my force-

As she swung her arm to get a clear sight and rounded, her eyes met with the other red pair while Bakugo was slowly falling head-first down. His smirk finally faded and was replaced with a rather stunned expression. He had his hands thrust out, apparently ready to blast her outside the line before the sight in front of him caught him off guard.

Sora could see her reflection in his eye for a moment. Her eyes were redder than usual, her pupils narrowed to that similar to a cat's. Her canines enlarged to small fangs and almost half of her face was covered in grey feathers. When did I?

No! Don't think about it! You're about to win! One attack...

Her eyes landed on the line a few inches away from them.

Only one attack Sora! Do it!

She willed her body to move, and she took a step forward, her eyes finding Bakugo's again, falling on her image once more.

But...

" What... Am I?"

At that moment, it wasn't Bakugo who was facing her, it was Yuu. Yuu's eyes were the ones widened in fear at her appearance.

Noooooo !

She squeezed her eyes shut, stopping mid-way through her attempt to tackle him. Bakugo snapped off his trance and discharged a rather strong explosion from both hands. " Stun Grenade!"

There was a thick smock, no one could see for a moment. Almost a minute later the smoke cleared up, revealing a falling Sora with her upper body outside the line.

" Shirogane-san's out the bounds! Bakugo-kun wins!"

Yuu could only wear a sad expression as he looked at his friend laying there on the ground and covering her face with her arm. Seeing her frustrated the way she was made his heart sink deep in his chest. He genuinely believed she had a chance, for a moment there she seemed to have the upper hand.

Bakugo narrowed his eyes, rather frustrated at the girl as she finally sat up, her eyes back to normal while the feather on her face reduced, slightly bewildering him. " Bakugo-kun you're really strong. As expected, I couldn't beat you." Her forced smile pissed him.

" You! " He roared, fury rather visible on his face. " You didn't block it! You could have!" He marched on to her, explosions erupting from his hand.

" Bakugo-kun! Attacks outside the battle are prohibited!" Midnight shouted.

Sora struggled on her feet and offered him a smile. " Are you saying I lost on purpose? No way, no way. You were stronger than me, that's all." She could see it didn't satisfy him.

" With this, the final match will be between  Todoroki  and  Bakugo !"

She was thankful for Mic when the boy peeled his eyes from her and glared at the other finalist. She used that chance to slip away and to the exit. Sorry Grandma... Sorry Yuu... She thought as she was safe in the shadow of the hall, hugging herself and sliding down the wall until she was crouching on the ground, her head hanging low. I hate it, I hate this... Her shoulders shook as she tightened her grasp on her own arms, her fingers digging into her flesh. Why can't I, get over it.

" You would never look at me with those eyes too, right... Yuu..."

Chapter Text

Recovery Girl finished healing her up and then heaved a sigh. " I know I almost can heal everything, but it's no reason for people to get reckless. "

" Sorry about that." Sora rubbed her head.

" Either way, I've healed your ribs and the fissures you have. But since you're that tired, I will leave the scratches and small wounds. Are you alright with that?"

Sora held a thumb up. " Alright."

" Very well. Take care then," she said offering her a gummy before the girl left the nurse's office. She was back in the booth just in time for Todoroki and Bakugo's match.

" How are you feeling, Sora-chan?" Uraraka asked as the girl dropped in between Midoriya and Yuu.

" Tired... But fine." She smiled at her.

" Shirogane, you were cool!" Kaminari said hunching over the seat in front of him.

" You managed to hold on against Bakugo, well done." Kirishima smiled at her.

" No... It wasn't anything... Really..."

" Uraraka and Shirogane did well against Bakugo, seems appearances can be misleading for real," Tokoyami stated.

" What are you talking about? It wasn't good at all! How is it that your clothes weren't burned like Uraraka's in the first place?! It should have been flashi-" Mineta was forced to silence by Asui's tongue slap again.

" But you really did well, Sora-chan, you even pressed on Bakugo-kun for a moment. That was awesome!" Uraraka shook her fists excitedly, making the other girl flash in all shades of red.

" If it was me then I would have won," Aoyama stated.

" I bet you anything you would have lost from the first round," Ashido told him.

" Not at all, I would have blinded everyone in this stadium with my sparkling laser."

" Not buying it," Ashido insisted.

" Huh? Where's Iida-kun?" Sora asked noticing the lack of the blue hair in the box.

" He left in a rush," Midoriya told her, averting his eyes from her. Still, the worried expression on his face deepened.

Is he hiding something? She wondered. Their focus was attracted as Mic declared the start of the match.

" Start!"

Todoroki started off with a huge attack of ice a little smaller than the one he used against Sero. When everyone thought it was decided, they felt small shocks rocking the ground and they were getting vigorous slowly. Soon, they could hear the sound of explosions from within the iceberg.

The ice cracked before revealing Bakugo at full strength.

" He avoided being frozen?!" Yuu exclaimed.

" And he even found his way out," Whisper added.

Both boys bolted at each other. But Bakugo swerved from Todoroki's reach and grabbed him.

" He avoided his right side and grabbed him?!" Midoriya uttered.

" Wow!"

Bakugo threw Todoroki away using an explosion to send him out of the lines. But Todoroki managed to halt himself using a wall of ice. He circled the blond while riding it.

Bakugo still managed to avoid and scooted at Todoroki before he was grabbed by Todoroki's left hand.

" Will he use it?" Whisper questioned.

He was disappointed when Todoroki merely jerked Bakugo away.

Bakugo shouted at him before dashing out. Todoroki stood still for a moment, just watching as Bakugo approached.

" Todoroki-kun!" They all twisted around at the green head as he shouted. " Don't lose! Do your best!"

It was at that moment that Todoroki's left side kicked into action as Bakugo blasted forward. The blond used his explosions to make himself revolt around at a high speed, creating a cyclone of smoke.

Just as Todoroki aimed his attack, he then fell back.

" Howitzer Impact!"

There was a large explosion before Bakugo could be seen laying on the ground of the arena while Todoroki was thrown away, unconscious on the rubble of his iceberg and out of bounds.

Bakugo screamed rushing to the invalid boy, yelling out at him. The expression on his face was rather unreadable. " To get first place like this! Like this?!" Was it frustration? Sorrow? No one would tell. All Sora knew as he was put to sleep by Midnight was that his eyes wandered back to the box for a moment. It felt like the same words were directed at her.

" Todoroki-kun is out of bounds! Which means, Bakugo-kun wins!"

________________

A few minutes later, after disassembling the arena, all the students gathered on the field again waiting for the award ceremony.

Sora had left earlier so she could take her place on the platform. By the time it rose to everyone, everyone's eyes were rather focused on the number one place. It couldn't be helped. Bakugo was fastened to a block of concrete, gagged and handcuffed by metallic muzzles and shackles that were chained to the ground.

He was glaring and mumbling at both people by his side. Sora sweated and laugh awkwardly while Todoroki was focused on his own matters.

" In addition to Shirogane-san, there is Iida-kun in third place, but he left earlier for family reasons. Thank you for understanding!" Midnight smiled for the cameras and send them a kiss.

Family reasons? Sora wondered anxiously. Hope everything is fine with him.

" Now we will award the medals!" Midnight began. " The presentation of the medals will, of course, be by this man-"

A very familiar laugh sounded through the stadium as the outline of a certain person appeared on the rooftop. He jumped off, crashing right in front of the podium.

" Our very own hero, All Might!"

" I've brought the medals here!"

The N.1 hero walked over to her with a bronze medal. Sora shivered in place from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. " Young Shirogane, congratulations." She bowed to allow him to deposit the medal around her neck, rather excited that her thoughts couldn't race her heartbeats. " You're strong."

" Thank you very much!" A tint of pink was visible on her face. The thrill of having All Might reward her himself and complimenting her swallowed all the bitterness she had about her loss.

All Might pulled her into a hug and patted her back. " Still, you need to have more confidence in yourself. Don't hold back because of fear."

Sora tried her best to ignore Bakugo's burning eyes about to melt a hole in her head. " I will!"

She smiled at her medal. Third place may not be much, but it was a start for her. She looked back at her friend through the crowd of students when she glimpsed him. She waved at him as though to get his attention then pointed at her medal, smiling broadly and ecstatically.

" What's she doing while everyone is watching her." Whisper snorted with a smirk. Still, he knew that's how their friend was, she was sharing her joy with them.

" She is very happy." A tear ran down Yuu's jaw, surprising Whisper.

" Are you alright?"

Yuu quickly wiped his tears. " It's fine... It's just... I'm happy for her."

Whisper patted the boy's back while watching All Might wrestling against an angry Bakugo. " You did well helping her reach this far."

" I didn't do anything..." He looked back at his friend with a smile. " It was all her hard work. As I thought... Sora is really amazing."

________________

After they showered and changed back into their uniforms, they moved into their class. Bakugo was yet clutching his medal furiously in between his teeth much to their surprise.

Aizawa thanked them for their hard work as well as informing them of the two days off starting the next day. There was also the recruitment from pro heroes that will be sorted and announced after the break.

" So rest well, and look forward to that," He concluded.

" Hai!"

Their eyes trailed over to Iida's empty seat worriedly. Sora prayed from the bottom of her heart that it wasn't anything serious, little did she know how much mistaken she was.

________________

When Sora came back home, she found the lights turned off.

" Did grandma turn in already?" Just as she flipped the switch in the living room, her eyes widened in amazement at the fruit cake placed on the table. " What?"

Before she knew it she was attacked from behind by her grandmother who tackled her into a tight hug. " Grandma!"

" I'm proud of you, Sora!" She said holding her closer. " Congrats on coming third in the sports festival!"

" Grandma! You bought that cake?" Sora flung a finger at the trait on the table.

" Nope, I made it, with all my love and care for my precious grandchild. " Yui pinched Sora's jaw as she said that.

" Granma..." Sora managed to finally get free from her grasp. " You shouldn't have. I could have bought something on the way if you told me."

" Don't sweat it off," she said walking to the TV and turning it on. " We can eat it while watching the records."

" Eh? But... But..."

" Come on and sit down, I want you to tell me about each part of the festival."

She pulled her so she was sitting on her pillow. Sora smiled at her grandmother before finally reaching for the knife to cut the cake and serve it. " Alright then, guess I don't have a choice."

Although she was frustrated she couldn't make it to the top. Although she wanted deeply to apologize to both her and Yuu. Seeing their overjoyed faces at her didn't help at all. So she might as well enjoy it for a while, her third place.

________________

" What are you doing?" Whisper peeked over the shoulder of a half-sleepy Yuu.

" I'm coming up with a training schedule," he said offhandedly while scratching his head with the end of his pen.

" Eh? Eeeeh!" Whisper's eyes shot out of their sockets. " You're kidding me?"

" I just realized it during the festival. I need to train my body. I want to be able to do more things on my own rather than depend on spirits so much."

Whisper blinked and narrowed his eyes slightly. " You still can't trust them, your spirits?"

" It's not that I don't trust them." Yuu shut his notebook. " What binds us is a contract that they can't break. However, they're not as close as friends. They need my energy, I need their help. Nothing more. There may come a time they would no longer need me. By then, I want to be able to depend on myself."

Whisper rubbed his head before floating next to the boy with crossed arms. " I understand what you want. Though I think you're just overthinking, I will help you with your schedule."

That made Yuu flinch. " I didn't-"

" Don't talk back at me!"

" Sir! Yes sir!"

Whisper sighed. " First of all, take a good rest, that's what Recovery Girl told you. I will make your training harsher starting tomorrow!" He poked the boy's nose, smirking devilishly.

" This sounds horrible."

" Exactly!" Whisper chimed. " Now off to bed soldier! The earlier you get up the better!"

" Sir! Yes sir!"

Chapter Text

The day they would be back to school was a rainy one. Wrapped in their warm coats and armed with their umbrellas, Sora and Yuu fought their way into the rather crowded train.

" How are your wounds?" Yuu asked her as they found enough space to stand.

" They're fine. You know how fast I recover." She waved her hand. " Anyway, I'm really nervous about today. Aizawa-sensei will present the recruiting results, right?"

Yuu nodded his head and stared out the window as the train zoomed past buildings. " I'm worried too. I couldn't make it past the cavalry battle."

Whisper sighed. " Darn it. If it wasn't for your stamina..."

" Yuu..."

" But I don't regret it at all. You getting to third place alone was enough for me." He smiled at her. Sora somehow managed to return his smile with a dewy one.

Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder, at first she didn't give it that much attention. It was natural to get squeezed and hit on the train. However, when it was repeated twice, Sora reared her head to get a glimpse of the person, only to see a middle-aged woman smiling down at her. " I knew it, you're Shirogane-san from UA."

Sora was flattered for a moment at the fact that a stranger knew her. It didn't help at all that most of the people around her stared back at her. " I watched the sports festival. Congrats on coming third. "

" A... Ah, thank you." She rubbed her head with an awkward smile.

" Keep up the hard work."

" You're our future hero, right."

" Yeah... Yeah... Thank you..." Sora was circled by them at that moment. Yuu couldn't help but smile seeing everyone gathered around her.

" She kinda became famous thanks to that." Whisper smiled as he crossed his arms in front of him. " Hope it doesn't get to her mind though."

" It's Sora we're talking about, she wouldn't."

" Ano..." A tug on the brim of his coat made him look back. " It's really you!" A boy widened his eyes in excitement at him.

" Huh?"

" Excuse us." A rather young woman addressed him this time. " But our child didn't stop talking about you since the sports festival. Seijin Yuu-kun, right?"

" Eh... Yeah." He nodded, a little befuddled.

" If you don't mind, could you sign this for him?" She said holding a doddle of a white nine-tailed fox.

" Kyubi?" Whisper wondered as he looked at the drawing. " So you liked Kyubi, right?" He smiled at the kid who broadened his grin.

" Kyubi, awesome!" He cried. " Nii-chan, amazing!"

Yuu smiled mildly at the kid before dipping his hand into his backpack and bringing out a pen to sign the picture.

" Thank you so much." The woman bowed her head as she took the doddle back. " Kyousuke too, you should thank him."

" Nii-chan, thank you!" The boy cried ecstatically. " Do your best, hero!"

Yuu's smile widened as he nodded his head. " I will."

________________

" Heh? A boy?" Sora looked back at him once they were making it through the heavy rain to the campus.

" He seemed to have taken a liking to Kyubi," said Whisper.

" He even told me to do my best," added Yuu rubbing his head.

" Glad for you, Yuu!" Her smile broadened. " You got your very first fan!"

" You also did. And quite a bunch." He pointed.

" I don't know. It doesn't feel the same." She pivoted on one foot and hopped on the ledge of the flower beds by the street, balancing herself. " You know... All those people who congratulated me back on the train, it won't be long before they forget about me. Well, I'm not a pro hero or anything after all."

She twirled her umbrella and reeled her head at him. " While that kid, he will grow to admire you. You left an impact on him didn't you?"

" You think so?"

" Mark my word!" She said jumping into a puddle before pointing a finger at him. " He will be your first fan when you become a hero!"

" Huh, we'll have to wait to see that." Whisper shrugged before a certain blunette in a green raincoat passed them.

" Good morning, Seijin-kun, Shirogane-kun and Whisper-kun!"

" Iida-san!"

" Stop wasting time! Hurry up or you will be late!" He called as he was disappearing in the distance.

"But," Sora checked the time on her phone. " We're still-"

" It's that rule of his." Whisper sweated. " The one that you should be 10 minutes early."

" Well, guess we have to hasten then," Sora said taking the lead.

________________

They caught up with Midoriya and entered the school around the time Iida was taking off his boots. Midoriya glanced over at him from the corner of his eye. Sora and Yuu exchanged anxious looks. The incident with Ingenium was all over the news. They themselves hardly grappled with it.

" Iida-kun, um-" Midorya began.

" If it's about my brother, there is no need to worry." He turned back to them with a smile. " I apologize for worrying you needlessly."

So he knew. Thought Yuu. It was pretty obvious Midoriya and Uraraka knew something about Iida going off. But seems they didn't want to make a fuss about it.

" Iida-kun..." Sora stared after him as he left rather promptly.

" I wonder if he is alright." Whisper was concerned for the boy.

" ... He is not." Sora's eyes couldn't be taken off him. His swirling dark aura gave her the chills. It was rather disturbing and out of order unlike usual.

________________

The class that morning was rather lively with everyone talking about the broadcasted matches and how they all had people talking to them on their way to school. Sero for once was rather disappointed for having elementary schoolers telling him ' don't mind '.

Sora and Yuu took their seats just as the door opened, leading in their homeroom teacher. They were rather relieved that most of his bandages were gone. However, he still had some under his sleeves and apparently a permanent scar under his right eye.

" More importantly, we're having a special hero informatics class today," Aizawa informed them.

Special? Sora thought. What could it be? Some kind of test? She wondered recalling the Quirk assessment test. Yuu was slightly apprehensive of what was to come.

" Code names." Aizawa began. " You'll be coming up with hero names."

" We're gonna do something fun!" Everyone shouted. Many of them including Sora bolted to their feet excitedly. However, their ecstasy was subdued by a glare from their teacher. The activation of his Quirk made it even more intimidating. They were instantly silent and quiet.

" This is related to the pro hero draft picks I mentioned the other day," elaborated the teacher. " The drafts begin in earnest in the second and third years, after students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to the pros. In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often canceled if that interest dies down by graduation."

We still have a long way to go then. The sports festival isn't enough. We have to work harder to showcase our abilities. Thought Yuu.

Aizawa then put the offers on the board. Todoroki was at the top with 4123 offers. Next was Bakugo, Sora with 410 offers, Tokoyami, Iida, and so on.

" Yuu! You got some offers too!" Whisper shook the boy vigorously as he tilted his head so he could see the bottom of the list. That was true, he had about 12 offers.

" How?" He was astonished. He didn't even make it to the one-on-one battle like the rest.

" Seijin-san, you managed to showcase your abilities during the first two rounds," Yaoyorozu told him.

" It's not impossible but rather rare. Well, you've done your hardest during those two rounds after all." Sato rose a thumb at him.

" But-"

" It's your own hard work that got you this far," Todoroki told him in a rather wistful way. Yuu looked down at that. He understood the other boy was frustrated because most of his offers were probably because of who his father was.

" Midoriya-kun though..." Sora's eyes ran over the list time and time again. " He didn't get any offers though he was among the best eight. Was it because his fighting was rather reckless?''

Aizawa informed them that internship was mandatory for both those who got offers and those who didn't. It was meaningful for their training, especially after USJ.

" So that explains the hero names!" Sato held his fist.

" Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!" Uraraka pumped her fists too.

" Well, those hero names are still temporary, but if you're not serious about it..." Their teacher was interrupted when the door slid open.

"... You'll have hell to pay later!" Midnight walked in, explaining how their temporary hero names may get recognized by society and end up being professional.

Aizawa told them that Midnight will be the one making sure their hero names were alright before going into his yellow sleeping bag and going to sleep.

" How did he choose his hero name in the first place?" Sora's smile twitched slightly before Uraraka passed her a white blank board.

Sora blinked at it, realizing she should write her hero name there. She rested her head on her hand while racking her brain for ideas. " Hero name... An image of the future me..."

" Our Quirk is Angel, we need to behave in a way befitting that name given to it."

" You're my Angel."

She rose her eyes with a grin. " Yosh, so it shall be." She scribed something on her board.

" Okay, let's start presenting names starting with those who are ready," Midnight announced.

" Eh? We're presenting them?" Yuu asked rather stiffly in his place.

" Of course! Then, who wants to go first?"

Aoyama pranced to the front desk, giving his name ' I can not stop twinkling ' which got shortened to ' can't stop twinkling '.

" Is she really alright with that name..." Whisper shuddered in disbelief at Midnight's act.

Ashido was next, however, the name Alien Queen was immediately refused.

Sora could feel the whole class tensing up at the two names. She too looked down at her hero name with a sweat drop, maybe it was too simple, maybe she too ought to make it stand out. It wasn't until Asui showed them the name ' Froppy ' that they went back to their excitement and they embarked on cheering her.

" Froppy, huh? Such a cute name, Tsuyu-chan?" Sora held her thumb up at her friend.

" Ribbit."

" Then Shirogane, you want to go next?" Asked Midnight.

" Oh, yes!" She ran to the desk while hugging her board. " It's not anything special, but..."

She turned the board around. " Angel Hero: Angie."

" Sounds cute. Also the name Angie is fitting with your Quirk name. Way to go, Shirogane."

Sora smiled broadly at Midnight's compliment before returning to he seat, staring down at her hero name rather proudly.

Yuu glanced at his friend and then back down at his board. A faraway memory played in his mind as he stared at the whiteness.

" Then what about Exorcist!" Little Sora suggested.

" I... Don't think it's suitable... I'm not exorcising spirits , I don't even have the heart to..." He  shrank further from her as she closed on him.

" So! Do you have another name in mind?"

Little Yuu fiddled with his fingers. " My relationship with spirit s  isn't that of hunting or fighting... So it can't be exorcist... It's not so friendly too... Rather-"

Yuu put his pen down after he finished writing the hero name he thought off. Iida had just finished showing his, which to everyone's surprise was his first name when Midnight called. " Seijin-kun, are you ready?"

He looked one last time at his board before standing up before walking up to their teacher. " Spirit Hero: Tsukai." He said showing them the board with the kanji word.

" Seijin-kun, are you sure of that name?" Midoriya asked.

" It means 'use' you know." Kirishima pointed.

" It's. But it also means Tamer. And that's kinda what I do."

" Rather... I'm just taming them... in a way..."

" I think this is the most fitting name," said Yuu.

" If you're sure of your choice," Yuu's eyes were rather determined. " Then I don't see anything wrong with the name itself. It's alright." Midnight gave her okay before Midoriya went next. Yuu sat down in his seat, oblivious to the red eyes staring at him.

Midoriya presented his name, surprising them all.

" Deku...?" Sora blinked. Everyone warned him that he might be called like that for the rest of his career. However, Midoriya was resolved.

The name that used to be an insult, huh? Sora flicked her eyes between Midoriya and Uraraka. Seems he really likes Ochaco-chan's interpretation of it. She said smiling widely. " I wonder where this is taking us to?"

Chapter Text

The picking names session ended with Midnight tiredly refusing Bakugo's name of ' Lord Explosion Murder'. Aizawe then passed them their lists of offers while the rest were to pick from 40 hero agencies that were to accept UA students.

As Aizawa and Midnight left around the lunch break, Sora skimmed quickly through her list so she could think about her choices. Her eyes then fell upon a certain agency name and her heart did a summersault. That person extended an offer for me? Why?

She shook her head. Now isn't the time to wonder why. This is a chance. Her eyes wandered over to her friend momentously before standing up and going to his side. " Do you have a clear choice?" She asked.

Yuu looked at her and then back at his list. " I think I've got one." His ears perked up when he heard Uraraka and the rest discussing a few seats in front of him, Uraraka saying she was going to the Battle Hero: Gunhead's agency.

Yuu blinked and joined them just as they were discussing the air chair training much to a certain ash blond's annoyance. " Uraraka-san..." He called her, to which she turned back to him. " You're going to Gunhead's agency?"

" Right. As I said, I need more training myself!" She said punching the air in front of her.

" Actually, Yuu was thinking about the same agency too," Whisper stated which surprised both her and Sora.

" Eh? Yuu? I thought you would rather join a rescue specialized agency?" Sora was troubled about his choice.

" It's as Uraraka-san said, I don't want to rely much on my spirits. I want to be able to do things on my own if push comes to shove." He was determined as he looked at his list.

Uraraka smiled at him. She could relate to his feelings. " Alright, let's do our best together, Seijin-kun!" She said pumping a fist up. Yuu looked back at her and nodded with a gentle smile.

I was worried about him after the sports festival but it seems he is moving forward already. Sora smiled, relieved.

_______________

The sky had cleared up by the end of classes. Sora took in the beautiful orange color of the sunset as she walked back to her class from the teachers' office. She had already submitted her internship papers.

" Sora-chan!" Uraraka waved at her from the staircase. She could see Midoriya and Yuu by her side, the latter holding her cyan bag for her.

However, the lack of blue hair worried her. " Where is Iida-kun?" She asked taking her bag thankfully.

" Wasn't he in the teachers' office?" Whisper asked. " We know he went ahead to submit his papers."

Sora shook her head. " I didn't run into him at all."

Midoriya thought about it for a moment. " Let's check his shoe locker."

With that, he went for the small case with Iida's name, finding his indoor shoes neatly placed in there. " Did Iida-kun go home before us?" Uraraka asked seeing the expression on his face.

" Yeah." He closed the locker.

" That's strange," Whisper wondered, concerned about the boy.

" Guess, he still needs some time after all. Let's give him some space for now," Sora told them. They nodded and headed to the station in silence, oblivious to what fate was hiding for them.

________________

Aizawa escorted them to the station on the very first day of their internship, reminding them to behave and not wear their costumes in public. While he was giving them some last-minute advices, Sora shifted uncomfortably in her spot before turning to Todoroki. " We ended up going to the same agency." She was rather feeling awkward around him and his lack of expressions made it all worse.

" Ah, let's work hard together," he simply stated. Sora blinked at his aura. It was calmer than before and somehow gentle. She recalled Yuu's words about him being a kind person.

His aura feels warm and soothing. She couldn't resist the smile that played with her lips and answered enthusiastically. " Yes!"

Their eyes then wandered off to a certain blunette as he left the group. " Excuse me," she said rushing to him along with her other friends.

" Iida-kun !" He stopped at Midoriya's call, but didn't face them at all. " If you ever feel hopeless, make sure you let us know." Uraraka bobbed her head multiple times to agree with him. " We're friends, right?"

" We will be always there when you need us," Sora insisted.

" You don't have to bear things on your own," added Yuu.

Iida looked back at them, smiling. " Yeah."

But as they watched him walk away with aching hearts, Whisper narrowed his eyes. " That soldier... Is driven by his anger," he whispered.

Sora couldn't help but feel afraid of his aura that was growing darker by the day. " Iida-kun..."

________________

This is already our first day... Thought Yuu as he had to put his costume on upon arrival and join Gunhead in a patrol along with Uraraka.

" Basic hero duties involve controlling crime, see?" Gunhead explained to them as they walked through a shopping district. " When a crime occurs, the police will contact heroes for support. The requests will come all at once by district, see? We file reports on the service we provided, like assisting with arrests or rescuing people, to the government office. And then, we receive pay based on an examination conducted by a special agency. We usually get a percentage."

Uraraka marveled at how cute his way of talking was while Yuu dived into the hood of his cloak with Whisper trying to pull it off.

" I've been wondering about it..." He muttered, finally pulling down the hood of Yuu's head. " But are you allowed to have other jobs? I've seen heroes working as models sometimes."

" Yes, we do. Well, I kind of don't need another job, but some are willing to get one," he pointed.

" Is that alright?" Uraraka asked.

" Some people still disapprove of it, but as long as heroes get their job done, I think it's fine," Gunhead answered and then pointed past the two. " Now you've just made a mistake, you noticed?"

" Eh?" They all reared their heads and saw a man running away with an old woman's bag. " A ransacking!"

" While you were focusing on talking to me, you didn't notice that mugger." Gunhead sprang in between them and leaped on the thief, pinning him to the ground while pulling back his arm, forcing him to drop the bag all at once.

" Amazing... It's like Sora's moves..." Yuu blinked.

Gunhead returned the bag to the old lady who thanked him profusely. After shackling the burglar, Gunhead turned to the two with a wiggling finger. " You two should be more careful. It's the smallest detail that could make the difference between capturing a villain and letting him escape. You should be vigilant. Got it."

" His way of talking is cute," Uraraka whispered to her friend.

" Yeah." Yuu agreed.

________________

The sun began to set by the time they reached Endeavor's agency. It was a long journey on the train with Todoroki in which they exchanged very few words. However, she discovered he likes Soba, the type that's not hot. It's a start. She thought.

" I have been waiting for you, Shoto." Endeavor greeted once they stepped into his own office, completely ignoring her presence. " It seems you are finally ready to take the path of the mighty, huh?"

As both had a very familial conversation, she busied herself with admiring the office. It was quite large and empty seeing that the only furniture there were a gorgeous tapestry and armchairs in the middle for visitors with a chandelier over them. His own desk was at the very end of the office with one painting mounted on the wall behind it.

" And you, Shirogane Sora." She jolted when she was addressed, realizing she had been spacing out for too long. " I've extended an offer because of your Quirk. I would like to see it in action with my own eyes."

Her eyes widened slightly before she managed to hide that. " You've heard about it I presume."

" As a matter of fact, yeah. It's a tad interesting, to be honest."

Todorki glanced back at the girl from the corner of his eyes as she put a steady front. " Alright, I will be giving you what you want. In exchange, there is a favor I want to ask for."

" That remains to be seen." He stood up. " You two should get ready. We're going out."

" Where?" The boy asked.

" I'll show you what a hero is."

________________

Sora collapsed on her bed the moment she reached the agency's dorm, rather irritated and tired all the same. " He didn't bother teaching me anything! All he was concerned about is Shoto this... Shoto that..."

She started plucking the feathers on her arms and the ones that grew within her hair. " And what's with his incredible speed? We can hardly catch up with him."

She looked down at her hands. He really just intends to know about our Quirk that's all. She plopped herself down on the bed. " I'm too tired I don't even feel hungry..." She pushed her face further into the pillow. " I didn't... Tell him about it... I will tell him tomorrow..."

Chapter Text

2nd day of internship

" Morning, Sora-chan!" Burnin greeted her while doing her morning warm-ups.

" Morning Burnin," she told the blazing green head.

" Had a rough time with Endeavor?" She asked with a wide smirk.

" Listen to this Burnin," Sora sighed. " He is ignoring me totally. I bet you anything he doesn't even notice me."

Burnin laughed out loudly at that. " It's just his obsession with his son. That's all."

" This obsession is rather worrying." Sora sweated.

" Morning, Burnin, Shirogane," a voice greeted from behind them.

" Morning, Todoroki-kun." Sora smiled at him. Well, if anything came of this internship, it was that she got to get closer to the other boy. " If you haven't had breakfast yet let's go grab some together."

" Alright." He simply nodded as they trudged over to the cafeteria.

________________

" Keep going!" Whisper prodded Yuu as he, along with Uraraka, were training under Gunhead's supervision.

" Don't do it aimlessly. Make sure you focus on each action, see? Because what counts the most in the end is your basic physical strength." Instructed the pro hero.

" Yes sir!"

Whisper looked down at the sweating Yuu, rather taken by his determination. It was different from his tearing face back when Whisper was training him for the entrance exam. You're already growing up that fast. This is the expression of a serious soldier.

_______________

" A dojo?" Sora blinked at the place they were in. " Didn't expect Endeavor to have one at his agency."

" We have one at home too." Todoroki pointed.

" Eh, you too!"

Todoroki rose an eyebrow. " You too?"

" Ah..." She rubbed the back of her head. " It's quite common for our family to learn martial arts. I mean, we have extra power but that would be pointless if we don't know how to use it."

" I see."

" You two." Endeavor walked into the dojo with a tight body suit and a shinai in hand. " Since I realized you're rather stiff in action, I decided it's time to train you seriously." He leaned both hands on his bamboo sword.

" You weren't serious for the whole time?!" Sora exclaimed.

" What do you mean?" Todoroki asked.

" When facing an overwhelming danger, it's common for you to halt. It's a reaction made by the body due to fear. A survival mechanism to avoid pain and hurt." He stated." But as a pro hero, it's a hindrance. That very moment may be the difference between life and death. Heroes need to beat that survival mechanism in order for others to survive."

He held up the shinai. " It's needed that you overcome the fear of pain to be a pro."

" So to boil it simply, you're going to beat us down to earth, right." Sora jolted at Todoroki's calm voice. " Well, I've got used to that." He pulled his left arm to warm up. " I'm not going to get beaten by you."

Endeavor merely smirked before his eyes shot at Sora. " You too, it's better if you warm up. I won't hold back on you."

" Oh my..."

________________

3rd day of internship

" I'm dead." Sora didn't have the energy to lift her hand to her mouth to eat by the next day. " Your father is really terrible, Todoroki-kun."

" He lied," Todoroki said as he took a sip of his tea. " He said he wouldn't hold back but he did."

" Eh! Even with that strength! As expected of a pro... The gape is too huge..." She slumped her head back on the table.

" The N.2 hero Endeavor is really strong." Todoroki pointed. " It was worth coming to watch him up close."

Sora blinked as she realized it. She still didn't bring the favor subject to Endeavor yet. She sighed, sitting straight in her chair and grasping her fork. Even that slight move caused pain to shoot up her arm. She then looked back at Todoroki, he hardly seemed fazed by the training the previous night although he did get beaten up himself. " You're actually dealing well with the aftereffect of last night's training, almost makes me wonder if you're used to it."

" In fact, I'm. I've been trained this way by my old man since I was five."

Sora merely stared at him. " ... To surpass All Might, right?"

Todoroki put down his cup, his eyebrow rising up slightly, a sign he wanted explanations before he recalled Yuu's words during the sports festival. " So you heard it too?"

" I'm sorry, it's not like I wanted to eavesdrop or something! " She shook her hands frantically in front of her before cradling the back of her head with a sweat drop. " It's just, I was worried."

" I appreciate the concern, but the thing is in the past."

" It's your power, isn't it?"

"But, remember, the one to choose what you do with your power isn't your father, it's you."

" I'm making my own path from here on."

" Still, I can tell you can't even stand the sight of him. Your aura is clashing with his." Her eyes trailed down to her plate as she continued poking around her egg. " I won't go as far as to call it pure hatred though..."

" You're not wrong, as a father, I hate him." Annoyance was apparent in his own voice. " He sucks at being one. There could be no parent worse than him."

Sora's fork then impaled the egg and scratch the china of the plate, making the boy rise his head up to her. " Well, at least he didn't abandon you did he?"

When she noticed the boy looking at her with a quizzical gaze, it downed on her that she had spoken out loud. She shook her head with an awkward smile. " Don't mind that... Man, I can't really force anything down my throat. Think I better go grab some drink."

She hastily grabbed her plate and walked away, leaving Todoroki to his own thoughts and questions.

________________

" What on earth..." Sora's eyes widened at the sight in front of her. Two strange yet familiar creatures were fighting off against a bunch of heroes. What stood out about them was the brains were visible to sight.

Sora wanted nothing more than to barf right then. To think the same creature from USJ would be there, and even two of them.

" Calm down. Endeavor told me to scout the area from above and report back to him. I need to inform him."

She was stopped when she heard the cries of the heroes beneath her. " I need to..." They were all hardly holding it together and one of their friends was held hostage by the flying monster. "... To go back..."

" Someone get him down!"

" We can't launch a large-scale attack with him in there!"

"... To Endeavor."

Still, her body didn't listen. Before she knew it, she had flown back at the Nomu. " Let go of him!"

A strong kick to the head made the creature drop the pro it was holding before ramming into the building behind it. However, it didn't take long before it lunged at Sora. Don't get afraid! Don't let it hold you back! " First, move!"

She dashed at it, smacking it in the gut to which it let an ear-piercing scream. But it was persistent that it grabbed the girl by the arm and swayed her violently Sora heard her shoulder crack as it snapped out of its place.

She was sent flying into another skyscraper. Sora shouted in pain feeling the broken glass from the impact cut into her back and wings.

I can't see its aura! The girl's eyes widened at that, wondering what on earth those monsters could be.

Seeing the villain coming at her again made her force herself out of the broken windows, cutting her flesh in the process. Don't worry. You will recover from it. Right now. Her eyes wandered to the creature following her. " This comes first!"

With a deft twirl, she changed direction, entwined her fingers and hit the creature hard with both hands, forcing it down to the ground.

She panted heavily, feathers growing out of her arms already. It's strong. Even back then I used my full power in that kick.

The Nomu screamed again before bolting at her at neck-breaking speed. She tried dodging it but it caught up with her, grasping her head and slamming her face first onto a wall. It held on to her left arm and pulled hard, Sora screamed feeling her arm about to be ripped. Am I gonna be killed here?

" Don't be afraid of the attack,  Shirogane !"

" But-" Sora wiped the thread of blood gashing down her chin.

" You seem to always hold yourself back! You're afraid! Your fear will cause the death of someone one day!"

" I-"

" Don't make excuses!" He stood over her, his towering figure intimidating her even more. " Don't expect to be a hero if you're afraid!"

To think it would be my death that my fear of my nature would bring.

She struggled to glare back at the Nomu. " Don't joke around!" Her pupils shrank to a long sharp one before slapping the air with her wings violently. The villain was blown away from her.

" You chose the wrong person..." Her nails lengthened to claws. " It's just you and me..." The color of her feathers and even her hair changed to a grey degree as the white of her eyes faded to black.

" If it's against you monster..." She charged at him, causing a strong wind pressure to erupt. She grabbed it by the mask and shoved it back to the ground in a strong impact that send the whole area shaking. Dust rose up around them and once it cleared, the right half of her face was covered in feathers, her hair rather disheveled. " I will become a monster too!"

The creature wrestled within her grasp before it kicked her in the stomach, pushing her off and flying away. " I won't let you go!"

She chased it at high speed. She could hear cracking in her face due to the transformation, her form enlarging. Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid! It's the same as getting hurt! Just forget about it! There is no one even to see you now!

Suddenly there was a wave of flames surging in between the buildings, forcing the Nomu to change direction. But not before a harpoon of fire pierced through its brain. Sora could glimpse a certain flaming hero land on the ground as the creature flew higher and out of his reach.

" Endeavor!" She exclaimed. Still, the scream of the Nomu got her attention. Even Endeavor couldn't reach it. I need to go. She sped forward, leaving behind strong waves of air.

" That's..." Endeavor narrowed his eyes at the stormy grey wings flapping through the air.

" Where did it go?" She looked for the monster when her eyes fell on her reflection in a glass window. It was the first time in years she let it go that far. The whole right side of her face felt as it was pulled back. Her eye enlarged, her mouth slightly lopsided with the right side longer than the left and her teeth jagged like a saw. Her arms were covered in feathers and even formed smaller side wings. Her halo had dispersed completely.

She gritted her teeth at her appearance before averting her eyes, not wanting to look anymore. " Don't worry about it. Just find that-"

She heard a loud screech, a sign of the whereabouts of her enemy. " Found you!"

As she bolted to where she heard the scream, she came across the scene of the Nomu hauling Midoriya up. It was flying out of reach. " That's bad! I have to-"

Just as she rushed for the monster, Midoriya's eyes fell on her, and they widened in fear. Sora stopped seeing his expression, she couldn't make her body move. It's the same look.

The rest were rather focused on Midoriya they didn't see her hovering over their heads.

" Shirogane... San..."

That fearful look he had, she couldn't bear it. What're you doing!? Your friend is in danger! Move! Move!! No one can help him at that altitude! MOVE YOU DAMN IDIOT!

Then something unexpected happened. The monster stopped moving and fell to the ground just as the villain they had secured rushed off, grabbing Midoriya and stabbing the Nomu in the head.

Sora held her breath, dreading what may happen to her friend. However, the villain turned from Midoriya, screaming out at them as his mask fell off, revealing his missing nose. From her position in the air, Sora couldn't move a muscle when she felt his intense aura. Even those who can't see it were rooted to the ground by its rigor.

Then, a miracle happened. He stopped. He lost consciousness. How or why was beyond her. But she was relieved. Beneath her, everyone fell on the ground having realized they were safe.

Feeling blood circulating in her veins again, Sora hurriedly flew away while they were unable to react.

Chapter Text

In an alley nearby, Sora could be seen hunched over and panting heavily. Feathers and blood gathered around her as she regained her human appearance and her halo.

" What should I do..." Her eyes were half closed and tired from the amount of blood she lost. " ... I was seen." The memory of the terrified Midoriya flashed in front of her eyes.

When her body had no strength to hold her, she fell to the ground. The last thing she heard and saw were the red lights and sirens of the ambulance...

________________

She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart before knocking and sliding the door open. " Morning, you reckless mob!" She smiled at them broadly.

" Shirogane-san!"

" Aren't you the same as us? Look at your hands and what you're wearing." Todorki pointed at her arms wrapped in gauze and the hospital pajamas.

" Ahaha, you got me." She rubbed the back of her head.

" Shirogane-san, you were hospitalized too?" Midoriya asked worried as she made it to the empty bed and sat by the side.

" It's nothing to worry about. Just a few scratches I got from the flying monster."

" Nomu?" Midoriya blinked.

" Yep, but fear not, it isn't as bad as it seems." The girl pointed before smiling awkwardly. " Also, I hope you don't mind but..."

" You listened in on our conversation earlier, didn't you," said Todoroki.

" Sorry!" She held her hands up and bowed her head. " I couldn't help it!"

" Right, with Shirogane-san's Quirk, you can't help what you can hear. Well, it's nothing much really," said Midoriya.

" But man, you beat the Hero Killer Stain! He has been running wild for a long time. And you guys stopped him! You're awesome!" She exclaimed.

Iida was crestfallen. " I didn't feel that way at all."

They all turned to the door as it slid open. " Oh, are you wounded kids awake?"

A rather young man in a blue suit with a helmet and a short old one in a yellow cape stood by the door before the older one walked to Midoriya, vexed about something. Then, he turned back to the door as a man with a large built body and a dog head walked in. " Hosu's chief of police, Tsuragamae Kenji."

A chief of police? Sora tilted her head. Why is he here?

She, Todoroki and Iida stood up in respect. Midoriya was about to do the same by was stopped. The girl could hardly hide her laugh at the way the chief ends his phrases with a woof.

The chief informed them that Stain had major injuries and burns. He reminded them once again that using Quirks as a weapon was prohibited except for heroes.

" But, they were-" Sora trailed as she looked back at the trio.

It was all drowned by the fact that they didn't have permission from their guardians. So the three of them and their supervisors should receive punishment for that.

" It can't be..." Sora's eyes widened in fear. It wasn't fair for them.

" Wait a minute!" Todoroki interjected. " If Iida hadn't done anything, Native-san would've been killed! If Midoriya hadn't come, the two of them would've been killed! No one realized the Hero Killer had appeared! Are you saying we should've followed the rules and watched people get killed?"

Sora was surprised to see him that angry for the sake of his friends. " Todoroki-kun..." Now Yuu's words made more and more sense to her, the boy was really such a kind person. She almost slapped herself for comparing him to Bakugo.

" Are you saying that as long it turns out all right, it's okay to bend the rules?" Tsuragamae stared at him.

" Isn't it a hero's job to save people?"

" That's why you're not a full-fledged hero yet. Goodness, what are you being taught by UA and Endeavor, woof?"

" You dog!" Todoroki made for him.

Not a wise insult! Sora panicked seeing him lose his cool.

" Stop it. He is absolutely right." Cried Iida.

" Calm down, Todoroki-kun!" Sora managed to halt him as she stood in front of him.

Gran Torino requested that they hear him to the very end. It appeared the punishment would be executed only if the whole incident was to be made public. They had a choice. Either to keep secret about it and say the number two hero saved them, and they, and only the trio, would escape punishment, or let people know of their heroic deeds and end up punished. The fact that there were very few witnesses played into their favor. Still, no one would know about their hard work and what they had done. On the other hand, the public may applaud their spunk and judgment, but that would leave a stain on their career.

The is underhanded for a chief of police to suggest. Sora sweat dropped.

" Personally, I don't want to be the one to find fault with promising young ones because of one big mistake, woof." He held a thumb at them. Sora's face beamed as she heard him and turned back to the trio who were slightly taken aback.

Still, the heroes will be holding responsibility for letting them go off on their own like that.

Iida steeled himself and walked off to Manual, apologizing for his mistake, getting a mild rebuking for that. Midoriya and Todoroki also lowered their heads, apologizing.

" Because of the unfairness of adults, you will not be able to receive the praise you would probably have gotten, but at least," he bowed at 90 degrees. " As someone who protects the peace, I can say thank you."

Todoroki was the most surprised out of all of them. " You should have said that from the start."

" Thank God. " Sora breathed out in relief. She wouldn't want their struggle to end in such a way.

________________

" So it really was an SOS." Whisper muttered as all three of them huddled on Uraraka's phone.

" Is everything alright, Midoriya-san?" Yuu asked, concerned.

" Yeah. We just got a few wounds. It was all thanks to Endeavor."

" I see, well, I'm just glad you and Iida are both okay. When I got just the address, I got really nervous." Uraraka waved her fist anxiously.

" Sorry,  Uraraka-san . There was a lot going on, so I couldn't contact you."

" Man, who couldn't think the internship would turn out like this." Sora groaned.

Whisper smiled softly at her words. " You're going to be a hero. Hold yourself together. If you're going to complain now what are you going to do in the future soldier?"

" Understood!"

"Eh... She really... Saluted..."

They laughed for a moment before Uraraka spoke again. " I know you went through a lot, so get some rest! And tell me more about it later."

" Okay."

" Uravity-chan, Tsukai-Kun, we're starting basic training," Gunhead told them.

" Oh, right, sir!" Uraraka waved at him.

" We'll see you at school then," said Yuu.

" Sorry to bother you while you're busy! Bye!" Uraraka finished before cutting the line.

" Your significant others?" Said the hero with a blush visible through his mask.

" N-No! That's not it!" Uraraka was fluttered.

Yuu merely blinked in confusion, not getting the hero's implication much to Whisper's annoyance. 

________________

" Jeez, it's really hard to lie to Yuu." Sora sighed before she glanced at the boy by her side, taking a spit-take at the way he seemed to overheat and shiver just at the thought of talking to Uraraka on the phone. He is too obvious.

Her gaze dropped down for a second as she thought carefully before addressing him. " Midoriya-kun..."

The green head stopped shuddering and looked back at her. His eyes widened slightly at the sad smile she had. " I know... There is no need to tell you but..." Her lips trembled and a sweat bead run down her face. " Could you please not tell anyone about what you saw yesterday? I beg of you!" She said bowing deeply.

Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, dreading his reaction. What if he refused? What if he too thought she was a monster, finding her unsightly? No, Midoriya-kun won't think that way.

" Fine..." Her eyes shot wide open as she bolted upwards, looking at him. He seemed to wear a concerned air. " If that's what you want, Shirogane-san, I shall not divulge your secret. But..."

His green eyes locked with hers. " If it's okay with you, do you want to talk about it?"

" Eh?" She was taken aback by that.

" It just... Seems to be a heavy lift for you." Midoriya trailed. " It's okay if you don't want to talk about it though!" He added when he realized he might have pried too much. Sota looked away, pondering his words.

" It's ok, it would be fair." She fiddled with her fingers under his befuddled look. "... 'cause I kinda know yours."

" Eh?" He blinked twice at her.

________________

Sora retrieved the two cans from the vending machine and tossed one to Midoriya before settling next to him. " I see... Back from when I told Kacchan." Midoriya murmured, his face pale upon hearing it. 

" I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I swear."

" It's fine." Midoriya's smile made her feel even guiltier.

She inhaled deeply and looked down at the ground. " From that, and based on your reaction whenever someone mentioned that your Quirk and All Might's are similar, I somehow figured it out."

" It was that obvious..."

" You're a terrible liar I guess." She laughed and he took note to better handle his reactions from then on.

" Oh, but rest assured. I don't intend to tell anyone about it. Even Yuu doesn't know. It's your secret, who am I to go spreading it around."

" Thank you..." He breathed out.

" I don't know the details. And I don't intend to pry as well, so rest assured." She trailed, rolling the canister in her hand. " Still, I'm worried about the multiple consciouses thingy." She flicked her eyes at him.

" That's... I think it's because of my Quirk. But any further details..."

" As long as it's not dangerous then it's fine."

He nodded while mumbling making her sigh. " You could have said so earlier." She closed her eyes for a moment and then stared away at nothing specific. Midoriya saw she was lost, sad and full of regret.

" Our Quirk, you know, has a special feature for it. Usually, we keep most of our strength sealed away for safety reasons, around 70%. However, the more strength we bring forth, the more our bodies change, reshaping to handle it. You can think of it as some kind of transformation in desperate times."

" Eh? So for the whole time. You were mostly using 30% of your power?" Sora nodded.

" When taping onto that sealed power, it gives us more wings, a larger form and an even brighter holy ring. That final form is truly what you would call an Angel, so bright and so beautiful... It's dazzling..." She looked longingly at the sky. For a moment, Midoriya thought he saw her red eyes glazing over with tears.

" Mine is different. You see..." She hunched over again, moping her eyes. " In our family line, in addition to the holy ring, it's either you have white or blond hair and blue or green eyes. It's the norm for our Quirk."

" But... Shirogane-san's eyes..."

" Are red..." She looked up. " It worried Papa and Grandma too. They didn't understand how did that happen. For you see, our Quirk is dominant. So there is no way the side characteristics wouldn't appear. It has been like that for generations. And the only exception..." Her hand tightened on the can of cola, cramping it slightly.

" Shirogane-san..."

" Even when Papa and Grandma saw my horrible transformation for the first time, they were terrified. Can't blame them... it was quite monstrous." She trailed with a rather forceful smile.

The girl thought back to the times she stood before her mirror, trying to transform, only to be met with the same sight time and time again. A mess of grey feathers that looked nothing like the bright angels her father and grandmother were. Every time she saw those bloody red eyes looking back at her through the blackness of their scleras, she began to hate them. She hated everything about herself in that form. In her own eyes, she was looking more and more like a monster. Her father's efforts to comfort her were futile. She swore to never transform again, to not allow a soul to see her like that. She knew what she was then. She was no angel, she was a monster, just as she was once told.

" I can't raise a monster..."

There was a moment of heavy silence before Sora threw her hands up, smiling widely. " But I've learned to live with it. And just tried to not use my transformation. But as expected, that Nomu yesterday was really strong I couldn't beat him with just 30% of my power."

Midoriya pursed his lips. He knew it was a lie. There is no way you could just stop thinking about it that easily. Even when she was telling him, she was shivering. She was feeling excluded. Out of her whole family, she was feeling like an outcast. She was the same as him.

" I understand you..." Sora blinked and turned back at him. His eyes were cast down, trying to figure out the best words to reach to her. " I'm sorry... It was rather a rude act of me back then..."

" Don't. I told you even Papa and Grandma were terrified-"

" Still, I need to apologize." His eyes wandered back to her. " Shirogane-san, I want you to know, that whatever form you take. You're still a friend of mine. And I'm deeply sorry for hurting you back then." He lowered his head.

" Stop it..."

" I won't." He didn't want to do the same mistake as with Iida, so he was going to tell her everything. " Shirogane-san, that appearance. It was proof of you getting hurt and fighting for everyone. Even if it's not today. Even if it's not in a long time. But I want you to be proud of it. For me..." He rose two glimmering emerald eyes. " It was the appearance of a true hero."

Her eyes widened slightly before she clapped a hand to her mouth, turning away from him. " Are you... Being serious right now..." Her shoulders were shaking.

" I am."

She drew a deep breath. " Be proud of it... I don't think it's possible...but..." She murmured before rearing her head at him, tears perched on the corners of her eyes. Her face beamed with a smile, a true one. " Thank you, Midoriya."

The freckled boy smiled mildly at her as she wiped her tears and held up her can of cola at him. " Cheers for sharing our secrets."

" Eh...oh, yeah." He hit his can on hers before she popped it open, only for the soda to come frothing up, blotching her clothes.

" Whaaa!"

" You were holding it too tight earlier!" Midoriya searched his pocket for a handkerchief.

" Way to end a dramatic scene!" Sora laughed out.

Chapter Text

She was called for a check-up after she finished changing, and was permitted to leave. She went on to tell the troublesome trio before leaving the hospital first, heading back to Endeavor's agency. Todoroki would be catching up the next day.

Make sure to send me a picture of his face. I want to see how he looks after he was declared the one who defeated Stain though he didn't.

Sora chuckled at Todoroki's message before stepping into the skyscraper that was Endeavor's agency.

" Oh, welcome back Sora-chan." Burnin welcomed her from a rather unexpected place.

" Burnin... You're sitting at a desk." She pointed.

" And so?"

Sora sweat dropped. Her rather fired personality didn't give the impression that she would be sitting still in a place for more than 15 minutes. " It got quite busier after the Hero Killer's incident. Anyway, Endeavor is in his office. He said to send you there when you come back."

So he expected my fast recovery, though my wounds were quite serious. Sora narrowed her eyes. He sure is well informed of our Quirk. " Excuse me then."

Sora walked through the double doors and across the office to the said hero. " As expected. Your recovery was rather fast." He looked from the papers he had and at her red eyes.

"... How do you know that much about my Quirk?" She questioned.

" I've been searching some intestine Quirks in the past. Angel happened to be one of them that's all."

Right. For the Quirk marriage. She composed herself. " You've asked for me for my Quirk. But may I ask what merit could I offer to you, who already know that much?"

" You weren't needed for me, but for Shoto." She quirked her eyebrow at him. " In order to spur him to get stronger, the existence of a strong rival is needed. As I knew of your Quirk, I figured you may be the best option. Still, for some reason you were restraining yourself and things didn't end up the way I hopped."

He heaved a sigh before pushing a folder full of files towards her. " This is what you were after when you accepted the offer, right."

Sora narrowed her eyes at the folder and then looked at Endeavor. " Go ahead. Open it."

" Well then..." She reached for it and flipped it open, skimming through it frantically.

" So to be fair with you. I've checked your background before extending my offer." He said, carefully gauging the reaction on her face as she flipped the papers. " Daughter of Shirogane Subaru and granddaughter of Shirogane Yui. Your mother-"

" Don't ever dare to bring her up." She clutched the files in her hand tightly. Endeavor stared at her for a moment then proceeded.

" Either way, why you came here was because of that folder. A case that occurred about 9 years ago which I happened to be involved in." He closed his eyes, replaying the events. " I don't think you need a description of it."

" ' A retirement house in the suburbs was set on fire. No one knows exactly how it started. However, by the time they discovered it, half of the building was in flames. The number two hero Endeavor managed to save most of the residents. But the rest were confirmed dead.' " Her lips quivered as she quoted the news report from 9 years ago. " Grandma... Grieved... She... Waited... For his body to return home... For any part of him to come back... But it never happened..."

" We're sorry.  "

" Liars! Liars! Liars!" The white-haired kid yelled. "All of you are liars! He didn't die!"

" Enough, Sora..." Her grandmother said through her tears as she collapsed on the ground by her side, hugging her to her chest.

" No! He didn't! I won't accept that until I see him with my own eye!" The girl cried out." I'll prove it! I'll become a hero! And find the truth myself!"

The girl hid her face with the folder she clutched tightly in her hands, droplets falling from behind it.

" True. There was nothing left from your father..." Endeavor spoke stoically. " Nothing at all. Not even his ashes."

He leaned back on his chair, his eyes focused on the girl. " It was hard confirming it back then, but it was proven later on. The number of victims and survivors didn't add up. We made a declaration about it, but because the case was closed for a while, blaming it on a leak of gas, it didn't spread widely. After more investigation, your father was confirmed missing, not dead."

She shuddered under the weight of her emotions, her tears gashing down her face. Her father didn't die back then. And he may even be alive today, somewhere out there. She was too relieved to see his name in the missing list that she had allowed her tongue to get a little loose.

After a few minutes, she managed to regain her composure, handing Endeavor back the files. " Is that fine for you? Though I said he was missing doesn't mean he is alive till now."

" It's fine. To make sure of that is my duty. That's why I became a hero." Through her puffed ruby eyes, she gave a determined look.

" Fine." He stated. " Then the rest of the internship will be tougher."

" Yes sir!"

________________

" How would you fight against an opponent with a knife? Uravity-chan, can you try attacking me?" Gunhead told her so to demonstrate their training. Yuu looked back at the girl who was given a knife.

She looked at it nervously, probably not feeling safe holding a weapon for the first time before steeling herself. " You sure?"

" You don't have to hold back."

" Then, here I come!" She lunged at him, brandishing the blade around but he adeptly avoided all her attempts at hurting him before pivoting on one leg then grabbing both her wrist and neck, pushing her to the ground. He twisted her wrist to make her let go of the weapon before knocking it out of reach.

Uraraka stood up while holding her wrist as the man explained further about the move.

" His moves were smooth and minimal," Whisper stated.

" Although he acts all cute and all..." Uraraka began.

" He's really strong and amazing..." Continued Yuu.

Gunhead ran back to grab the fallen knife. " This time, you will go against each other then switch places. We'll keep repeating this until you can do it! Alright!"

" Yes, sir!" They both retorted.

________________

The week ended quickly, and they were finally saying their goodbyes to Endeavor as they were getting ready to leave.

" Thanks for everything! I've learned a lot from you all!" Sora bowed down to express her gratitude for the pro hero and all his sidekicks.

" It was a short time, but we've enjoyed your stay Sor- Angie-chan, Shoto-kun," Burnin told them, her smirk as broad and high as ever.

The boy nodded at her. " Well, I managed to learn a lot too from the number two hero."

" That's not a manner of speaking to your father, Shoto!" The man was rather on fire as he shouted.

" We will be awaiting your return. Do your best at school." Burnin waved at them as they made for the station.

Sora then looked back at the skyscraper and smiled mildly. It was a short period, but she made a lot through it. She felt kinda proud of herself. I'm getting one step closer to my dream. And to you.

" Shirogane." The girl snapped and looked back at the boy by her side as he rubbed his neck uneasily. " I didn't get to say this with the Hero Killer and the internship, but... I'm sorry."

Sora halted in her spot and blinked twice at him. " Huh? What? This is sudden? Why are you apologizing?"

" The other day, I might have spoken out without thinking, about how I hated my father and all... I'm sorry if it bothered you that much."

Oh. So he's still worried about that? Looking at his face as he awaited an answer from her, she couldn't help but squeal inwardly at how cute he was when he was getting all serious about his friends. He's such a sweetheart!!

" Don't bother about it, Todorki. I'm sorry too for reacting the way I did." She smiled gently at him.

" Hm... you've dropped the formality?"

" Yeah," She said before looking back at him. " You want me to keep being formal with you?"

"No, it's fine," he said as they walked into the station.

Chapter Text

Sora hardly stifled her laughter when Bakugo entered the classroom the next day, his hair combed like an obedient boy.

Kirishima and Sero were ruthless, mocking him loudly. They were the ones who enjoyed his sight the most, eventually provoking his hair to go back to normal like an explosion.

Everyone else was talking about their time in their internship rather ecstatically. Uraraka for once had a whole different air around her. " Woah... Her aura is all over the place..." Sora commented.

It wasn't before long that the center of attention turned to be the four of them who had been present at Hosu.

" Midoriya-san, we're sorry we couldn't do much about your SOS," Yuu apologized to the green head.

" Don't worry about it, Seijin-kun. You were far from able to extend a hand back then," Midoriya retorted.

" But it's a good thing Endeavor was around to save you," Whisper added. " The hero killer is a vicious villain after all."

" Speak of his deeds. I'm still surprised those guys survived until Endeavor reached them." Sora looked back at the trio.

The conversation then shifted to the connection between Stain and the League of Villains before Kaminari blurted out that he was kind of cool, forgetting for a moment Iida's presence before Midoriya told him off.

However, Iida seemed to take it rather normally. He seems bothered about his encounter with the Hero Killer. She had heard more from him when they were in the hospital to know exactly how the whole mess started. Hopefully, he will learn from the whole thing.

It didn't take more than a minute for Iida to go back to his old self, telling everyone to take their seats as the class was about to start. Sora was more than happy to see his aura back to normal, as organized and vigorous as it could be.

________________

It was hero basic training in the afternoon. They changed into their costumes and gathered on ground Gamma where All Might was awaiting their arrival. He then announced their training to be a rather fun rescue training race.

" A rescue race?" Yuu tilted his head in confusion. Iida wondered why they wouldn't be practicing in USJ while Midoriya was marveling over All Might's costume.

Such a fanboy. Thought Sora with a sweat drop.

The field they would be racing through was full of obstacles and was more or less like a maze. They were to split into four groups, two of five and two of six, and then race one group at a time to find a distressed All Might. Their start points will be scattered.

All Might reminded them to keep the damage to buildings at minimum while pointing his fingertip at Bakugo, gaining a groan from him.

" Well, you decimated a whole floor in our first combat training," Whisper pointed.

" Shut up egg head!"

________________

They were all taken aback seeing Midoriya jumping from one roof to another rather flexibly. " Did he overcome the drawback of his Quirk?" Whisper wondered.

Midoriya managed to overtake Sero and proceed forward. " Those moves..." Sora tilted her head. " ... I don't know why, they seem familiar?"

" They're based on Bakugo-san's," Yuu answered.

" True!" She banged her fist on her hand.

Midoriya managed to cross a good distance so far. But a slip caused him to slow down. Sora winced as the boy fell to the ground. " Ouch... That must be a rough fall..."

Moments later, Sero was awarded a sash with ' Thank you for saving me ' as he was the first to reach All Might.

" I told you Sero will be first!" Kirishima smirked.

" Iida-kun was close thought." Uraraka was rather disappointed.

" I wish I was there!" Mintea was rather furious about something.

" That pervert probably wanted to look at Ashido from a low angle." Whisper was annoyed looking back at the short boy.

" To be honest I thought Midoriya would do it. Darn it," Sora muttered.

" The next group! Take your places!"

" Hai!" Jiro, Yaoyorozu, Mineta, Sora and Todoroki chorused.

" Well then. It's my time." She waved at her friend to get to her place.

" Good luck."

" Knock them dead soldier!"

" Yes sir!"

A minute later, she was in her allotted place, warming up and straining her ears for the signal.

" Start!" All Might's voice bellowed along with the horn.

" Let's go!" In an instant, her wings jutted out of her back and she sprang skyward. " I wonder what the rest are up to?"

She whirled her head around, seeing Yaoyorozu riding on a motorcycle. " Heh... So she could make one?" The said girl sped in between the buildings.

Todoroki's frost could be seen a few meters at her right before he sailed above the area on top of his ice. " Man! He's basically defying Newton, managing to create that ice of him upwards without support." She sweat dropped.

Jiro was listening carefully to find the easiest way. As for Mineta...

" Speaking of him, where's the little devil?"

" Finally."

Sora felt as though Todoroki's ice fell upon her as she reared her head. The short boy climbed a high building and stood there, a sticky ball in each hand. " I've been waiting for someone to pass. Now it's time for my special move to be revealed!"

He said launching himself towards her. " Grap-"

" No way in hell!" Sora's wings flapped roughly through the air, pushing her forward with a great force that Mineta was blown away.

" Why does this always happen to me..." He said tearfully as he was falling downward.

" Sorry, Mineta-kun! Still, I would rather prefer keeping distance between us!" She told him before zooming forward, catching up with Todoroki. She could see a flame set by the side of his face, meaning he was using his left side so his speed wouldn't slow down due to the cold.

" We may have had our intern in the same place. But that's no reason to hold back on you," She told him defiantly.

" Who said something about holding back!" He sped the creation of his ice, levitating himself higher.

Sora smirked as her wings flapped hard. She didn't care about the stinging in her arms that usually preceded the formation of feathers on them. It's fine.

Her speed didn't drop as she and Todoroki fought to take the front seeing the finishing line approaching with All Might watching over her. Endeavor's training was beneficial. It allowed me to overcome the state of panic and hesitation that came with the start of the transformation.

The platform came closer and they were racing neck to neck. By keeping calm, I can slow it even more.

All Might rose both his hands as Todoroki and Sora passed him and landed on the water tank. " Who was it?" They quickly asked him.

" You both did well, but young Todoroki was faster by a fraction of a second," All Might stated.

" Dang it!" Sora waved a punch in frustration.

" That was close." Todoroki sighed. Yaoyorozu and Jiro caught up with them. Mineta on the other hand crippled his way there.

" That was rude, Shirogane!" He complained. " I just wanted to hitch a ride on your back!"

" And I said there is no way that's happening!" She stated in a definite manner. The last thing she wanted that day was to give that little pervert a piggyback.

________________

The third group consisted of Sato, Kirishima, Kaminari, Hagakura, Baguko and Shouji. Needless to say, Bakugo was the first to reach All Might, begrudgingly allowing him to deposit the sash on him. Sora could tell he was angry about something, but when he ever wasn't?

Next was Yuu, Uraraka, Asui, Koda, Aoyama and Tokoyami.

Yuu inspected his position carefully. " As expected, the best choice is the midair approach."

" There is Asui and Uraraka in our group, it'll be easy for them," Whisper pointed. " Aoyama too, more or less." He sweated recalling the sight of him once he shoots more than a second.

" Don't forget about Tokoyami-san." He placed his hand around his chin. " Dark Shadow has a flexible body, he can scout from above for him. Koda-san as well."

" You too have Kyubi. With her speed and flexibility, she can easily cross this field," Whisper stated.

" True. Still... Maybe I..." He pursed his lips, staring at a flame by his right side. In the end, he hesitated."... No. Forget about it."

Whisper was rather puzzled as he looked down at the boy. " Don't tell me... You were thinking ..."

" I'm going with Kyubi," he said reaching for the one by his left. Whisper's eyes narrowed rather nervously at the purple head.

" Start!"

Just as the horn sounded, Kyubi climbed on a nearby pipe and started rushing for their destination.

________________

" On such a narrow foothold, she could move that quickly!" Midoriya's eyes widened as he saw the white fox bolting forward, picking up speed as she went.

" Balance is one of Kyubi's specialties," Sora said sitting by his side. " Speed and flexibility too. There is no wonder she is Yuu's favorite." She blinked at the screen. Now thinking about it, her speed is increasing significantly. Wouldn't that make him faint faster?

" She is also able to take her current position and the place she is going to land on into account." He took out a notebook and a pen much to Sora's shock. " She isn't hopping around randomly. She is choosing her landmark carefully while looking ahead, making sure it's the optimal spot for the coming move."

" Oh, that would be Yuu's maneuver."

" Eh?"

" He is well at picking optimal directions. Back when we were kids and we would solve the maze puzzle, Yuu would find the path in a second. I've never beat him once." Sora sighed. " Maybe it's years of avoiding spirits wherever he walked that helped him out."

" Now thinking about it, Seijin-kun is kind of smart. I was told he aced the written exam." Midoriya stated.

" You think so?" Sora smiled, looking back at the figure of her friend on the huge screen as he managed to take first place. " I just think it's Yuu's hard work. Because he was always told that he couldn't do anything, he worked harder than anyone. He may be hesitant and shy but..."

Her smile widened when Kyubi landed by All Might's side. "... Deep down he has an unwavering resolve and determination to accomplish what he had set his heart on."

Yuu accepted the sash from All Might with a wavering smile. He didn't expect to get there first. Whisper could be seen yelling something at him and making him stand straight in front of the number one hero.

Midoriya looked back at the wide smile on Sora's face and his lips pulled into one. " You two are really looking after each other." Sora blinked and directed her focus back to him. "You're such good childhood friends."

" I wonder." She hugged her knees, making him blink in surprise. " I still didn't tell him anything about my secret. Nothing at all. Yuu had always trusted me with everything but... I couldn't bring myself to tell him. I'm still afraid, he as well..." She had a rather sorrowful air about her.

Midoriya was about to say something before All Might cut them off. " Everyone! Well done!" He walked to the watching platform with the other six in tow. " Indeed, the internship had steeled you even more, future heroes. Make sure you keep improving, young men and ladies!" He held a thumb up at them.

" Hai!" They all chorused.

" Very well. Then you're free to go change. Then... See you another day!" He said before rushing away at full speed, leaving nothing but dust behind.

" All Might is truly a busy hero, huh?" Whisper sweat dropped.

" Guess so..." Sora let an awkward laugh before placing a gentle hand on Yuu's shoulder. " You were awesome! You came first and even saved All Might!"

Yuu had a huge bead of sweat dropping down the length of his head as he tugged on his band. " It's not like I really saved him."

" But I was really worried. With that speed of Kyubi, I thought you would drop unconscious any moment," Sora pointed as they trod to the changing rooms.

" Don't look down on our Yuu. He wasn't wasting his time around." Whisper wagged a finger with a wide smirk.

" I've been building up my stamina even more." Yuu rubbed his head. " I needed to work even harder, so I can aim to the top too."

" Well said!" She gave him a rough pat on the back it almost threw him off balance. " We're still aiming for the top after all!"

" I will make sure to train you even harder so you can get there, Yuu," The ghost stated, his eyes glimmering.

" Something even more than that hellish schedule!" Yuu jolted.

" Well, as long as Whisper is with you things will work out just fine." Sora smiled broadly holding a thumb up at him.

" No I'm not!" Yuu cried tearfully.

________________

AN:

The events of the coming few chapters will revolve around School Briefs' Parents' Day, look forward to them 

Chapter Text

Class 1A filed into their classroom, chatting nonstop about their rescue training with All Might.

" That was some exciting rescue training, right," Sora said stretching her arms up.

" And cold," mumbled Yuu as he rubbed his arms, attempting to warm himself up after their little excursion to a snowcapped mountain.

" UA has a multitude of different exercises, and they afford to have them. I wonder just how much money they had spent on this one?" Whisper tapped his chin in thought, wondering just how rich their principal was.

Aizawa entered the class, prompting everyone to stop chatting and take their seats immediately. None of them fancied being told off by their homeroom teacher.

Aizawa complimented their effort, a rare treat especially since he didn't point anything ' irrational ' with their work that day. " Moving right along, we'll be having Parents' Day next week," he said with his so-ever stoic complexion.

" That's a super normal school event!" The whole class chorused together.

" Even the Hero Course has gotta do stuff like that?" Even Kirishima was befuddled by the sudden activity.

The class grumbled as Aizawa passed them notices to be signed by their guardians. As Yaoyorozu passed him his, Yuu looked down at the paper before him, a worried look visible on his face.

Aizawa proceeded to explain that they ought to be writing letters of appreciation for their parents or guardians, which they will be reading out loud for them. This is gonna be one hard letter to write. Thought Yuu as he looked back at his friend across the class, her eyes glinting happily. It must be easy for Sora though.

________________

It was almost time to leave and the class was rather chaotic as all of them began talking about the coming event. " I can't wait for my Grandma to come see the school," chimed Sora happily as she began gathering her things, waiting for time to tick by and for her to be free. She couldn't wait to tell her grandmother about the event.

" I'm not sure my parents would be willing to come though, they would say they're busy." Yuu heaved a tired sigh.

" Hm... then what if Grandma acted as your guardian during the event? I mean, she is almost like one, considering how much time you spend at our house," Sora pointed out with a wide smile.

" Is it possible though? I mean, she isn't my legal guardian."

" We'll have to ask Aizawa about this later on," said Whisper as he pondered on the idea.

Before Yuu could express his worries any further, his pocket buzzed. Dipping his hand in it, he fetched his phone, only to find his mother calling him, incurring a surprised look. His parents never called him unless it was an emergency. Trivial talks about how he was fairing and whether or not his day was fine were beyond them.

" Hi," he answered the call, only for his eyes to widen and then fall on his friend. Sora's heart sank in that moment and her throat went dry as Yuu lowered the phone.

" Aunt Yui was..."...

________________

" Grandma!" Sora cried out as she flopped on her grandmother's bed while the older woman rubbed her head apologetically. She was clad in the hospital pajamas and leaning back on a mountain of pillows.

" Sorry for worrying you."

" Sorry doesn't cut it! I told you to leave it to me!" The girl rebuked, tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes.

As Yuu told her, Yui was fixing the roof when she slipped and fell down, hurting her back in the process. Apparently, their neighbors, Yuu's parents, went to pay her a visit and found her sprawled on the ground. They hurried her into a hospital and tried getting to her granddaughter but didn't get through to her, so they called the one person they knew to always be beside her, Yuu.

" It's really nothing. I will be better in a day or two, you know we heal fast." Her grandmother tried to calm her down.

"Nah uh! I'm not having that! You're resting well until the doctors say it will be alright to leave!" The girl said crossly as she tucked the duvet she had messed up when she jumped on her grandmother back around her.

" About that..." A medic standing beside her grandmother's hospital bed interrupted. It wasn't until the woman spoke up that Sora noticed she was there. " They say the damage is not that much. She didn't break any bones and she should be fine and walking about in less than a week, so there is no need to worry."

" See. I told you." Yui smiled as she patted her granddaughter's head, ignoring the pout she was wearing. " I can even go back home right now."

" Um, that would be impossible." The medic cut again. " Even though they say you're fine, they want to monitor you for a couple of days first, just to be sure. After all, with your age-"

" Okay, I get it. No need to remind me." Yui interrupted with a hint of annoyance laced in her voice before she looked back at Sora. " That means you'll be on your own for two days..."

" Oh, don't worry about that, I'll be fine. You just have to think about yourself."

" But... maybe I should ask the Seijins to have you over for a few days." Yui held a hand to her jawline.

" Grandma, please. There is no need to trouble Yuu's parents."

" But that way, my mind would be at ease." Yui insisted.

" Excuse me, Shirogane-san." The medic piped in again, leaning towards her. " We've been waiting for you to fill in some paperwork for her."

" Of course," Sora said as she stood up and followed the medic out and back to the reception. Seeing how the elevator in their ward was out of order, they had to take the one in the ward across from theirs.

After finishing with the papers, Sora made for Yui's room. She ought to make sure her grandmother was comfortable and provided with everything she might need for the night before she had to leave when the clinic hours were over.

" Maybe I should get her some water and a snack for later," she considered as she stopped before the vending machine in the corridor. " Tea too, Grandma could never do without her afternoon tea."

Just as Sora bent down to grab what she had bought, a voice took her by surprise. " Shirogane?"

Sora shot up on her feet so abruptly the bottles of water and tea slid out of her arms. Todoroki was quick to bend and grab them before they hit the ground. " Sorry, I must have startled you."

" Oh, no. Not all. Thank you." She assured as she took the two bottles from him and added them to the sweat bread she had just bought.

" It's just, I was surprised to see you here."

" Grandma hurt her back when she fell down the roof. Nothing serious though."

" Oh, so that's why you left pretty early today, and in a hurry too. Hope she gets better."

" Thanks." Sora gave a sheepish laugh before her eyes blinked, looking up at him curiously. " Why are you here, Todoroki? Don't tell me you're still hurt or something!"

" No, I'm really fine. It's just, my mother is a patient here and I came to visit her," he stated rubbing the back of his neck.

" Oh, oh... hope she is fairing well then." She offered a genuine concerned smile. She heard his conversation about his father with Midoriya before, she knew of his familial situation, though not because she wanted to.

Noticing the boy was still standing there, she promptly stepped away from the vending machine. " You want to buy something, right? Sorry for keeping you."

" No, it's alright." He approached the machine just as a door nearby flung open.

" Come on Shoto, just how long it takes for you to buy my drink?" A white-haired woman with red streaks in her mid-twenties peeked from behind it before she held a hand to her mouth as her eyes found Sora.

" Um... hello." Sora tried to greet her politely.

" Oh my, are you Shoto's classmate? I think I've seen you during the sports festival."

" Shirogane Sora, pleased to meet you." She bowed at her.

" Oh, you're the girl who worked along with him at Dad's agency. I'm Shoto's older sister, Fuyumi. Nice to meet you," she said placing both her hands on Todoroki's shoulders and pulling him closer. " Thanks for taking care of my brother."

" More like he was the one taking care of me back then."

Todoroki's sister smiled broadly at her. " Would you like to join us?"

" Nee-chan?"

" What? Mom would love to meet your classmates." Fuyumi's smile shone brightly.

Sora looked worriedly from Todoroki to Fuyumi. She didn't think it polite to turn down the offer, but she didn't want to cause any trouble to her classmate.

" Oh come on, greeting won't hurt," said Fuyumi to a stoic Todoroki as she took the goods from Sora's hands.

Sora then was shoved into the room and was face-to-face with a white-haired woman. Her grey eyes bore deep sadness, but nevertheless shone bright. She was gorgeous, Sora thought. And her aura was kind and soothing. She could never bring herself to believe the woman standing before her was the same who marked Todoroki's face. Just what she had been through...

" Mom, this is Shoto's schoolmate, Shirogane Sora-san." Fuyumi introduced her happily.

" Excuse my intrusion." The girl bowed.

" Oh no, not at all. A classmate of Shoto, I'm pleased to have one. Just, sorry for the circumstances." The woman gave the warmest smile Sora could have ever seen.

She is so kind! I know now where Todoroki got that from!

" No! Not at all!"

" Can you tell us a few things about Shoto at school? He doesn't talk much after all."

" Nee-chan..."

" I hope that my son is being good to all of you. I know he may seem stern and cold."

" Mom..."

" Not at all, Todoroki cares for all of his friends and he's the kindest soul I might have met. He's a precious friend of mine," Sora told her and the woman wore a relieved smile on her face.

" But what luck." Fuyumi smiled as she embarked on emptying a bag of laundry onto a shelf. " First we have Shoto visiting on a school day, then we have Shoto's classmate. Though, any special reason for visiting, Shoto?"

The boy dipped his hand into his pocket as he clutched something. " Nope, nothing at all."

Sora blinked twice as she looked at him. Could he have come for the Parents' Day notice? Thinking back to his relationship with Endeavor, it made total sense that he would be asking his mother instead. But the reaction he just gave... Hesitation? Regret?

" Todoroki..." she whispered as she nudged his side. " ...Tell her. You came all the way here to tell her about it, right?"

"... Nope..."

" You don't lie to me, you know I can see what you really want to do." Todoroki truly wanted to give her the notice. But...

" I can't ask her to do that," he said crumpling the paper in his hand.

" You might come to regret it."

" What are you both talking about?" His sister asked, veering towards them.

" Nothing." Todoroki quickly pulled his hand out of his pocket, albeit, the sheet of paper clung to his hand and fell by his feet.

" What's that?"

" It's nothing!" But before he could reach it, Fuyumi beat him and unfolded the paper. After skimming through it, she looked down at Todoroki with a smile.

" A notice about Parents' Day?"

" Oh...?" His mother craned her head.

" You don't have to bother about that." He tried to get it back from her but she kept it out of her brother's reach. " Give it back here."

Now looking at him like this, Sora thought as she watched Todoroki trying to snatch the paper back, he really seems more like the youngest sibling. She could hardly contain a snigger at that.

" Shoto, sorry... I don't think I can attend..." his mother spoke up, her voice laced with guilt.

" It's no big deal... really..." Now Todoroki seemed to regret bringing the paper.

Uh oh. Sora looked at Fuyumi, the only one who could solve the dilemma now. " I know, I can attend in your place, Mom!" She said clapping her hands together.

" What about work?" Todoroki shot back.

" I think I can afford a day off. Oh, and I will be recording the whole thing."

This isn't helping! Sora screamed inwardly. Todoroki didn't seem fond of the idea too. But as she looked at the woman on the bed, Sora could tell just how much she longed to see her son during the event. Sora recalled just how excited her grandmother was for every Parents' Day she attended during elementary, never missing any of them despite being busy. This woman who was denied that simple joy...

Todoroki snapped when Sora held onto his sleeve, whispering. " Put up with it, for the sake of your mother."

Todoroki looked back at her then at his mother before inhaling deeply. He too could not dream of making her sad. Not again." Fine." Sora gave him a broad smile at that. " But you'll have to check with the school."

" Aizawa, right? I'll make sure to give him a call."

Just as the visiting hours were about to end, Sora excused herself and headed down the corridor to go back to the other ward. " I will see you on Parents' Day!" Said Fuyumi after her as she and Todoroki made to the elevator.

Sora smiled widely at her and continued her path to her grandmother's room. She opened the door just as her grandmother hung up the phone. " Oh, Sora. Just in time. The Seijins said they would be glad to take you in for a couple of days."

Sora froze.

Chapter Text

She wanted to argue. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. But, if that made her grandmother at ease, Sora had to oblige. She thought as she stood before the door of Yuu's house, not really wanting to knock.

Yuu's parents were, good neighbors. If anything, they were kind to her and her grandmother on more than one occasion. They weren't very bad parents, Sora had to admit. Yuu was never lacking in any way as he grew up. If she had to be frank, his clothes were way fancier than hers. And when they were kids, his mother put so much thought into his outfit and appearance. Their only flaw, was that they could never live with Yuu's abilities.

Sora's eyes widened when the door opened, revealing her childhood friend. " Why are standing out there?"

" Nothing, really." She smiled as she crossed the threshold. Soon, Yuu's mother, Haruka, came up to welcome her. She had purple curly hair which she fastened into a low ponytail and very thick round glasses that made it all but impossible to see her brown eyes hidden behind them.

" Good afternoon, Shirogane-san. It's been a while." Her smile was genuine.

" It's been a while. Thanks for helping Grandma and sorry for the troubles I caused. I seem to have forgotten my phone at the house today."

" Don't mention it. I've prepped the bath already, you can clean up and join us for dinner, it's almost ready."

" Thanks." Sora bowed again and heaved a sigh as soon as the woman turned away. Every time she was face to face with Yuu's mother, she had a feeling she was X-raying her, trying to find any fault with her to correct.

" I can take your bag to your room, make yourself at home." Yuu smiled as he took the bag off her hand and offered her some indoor shoes.

After showering and changing into more comfortable clothes, she joined Yuu and his parents at the table. Haruka had ladened its surface with different meals for their guest. " You didn't have to."

" It was nothing." The older woman smiled as she sat down and all four of them began eating, occasionally talking about school and stuff, though mostly with Sora. The girl sweated, the atmosphere of Yuu's house was always so thick she could cut it with a knife.

" Oh right, we still didn't congratulate you for taking 3rd place during the sports festival. You put a good fight, your Quirk is so outstanding," said the father, a dirty blond-haired middle-aged man with sharp purple eyes and a well-built body. " Yuu on the other side-"

Sora put down her knife and fork at that moment. Yuu's parents were nice people. They really really were. But their only flaw was that they will never come to terms with the Quirk bestowed on him. Whether they feared it or felt ashamed of it, she didn't know. But they wanted it gone, probably out of goodwill for their son to be normal, she wanted to believe. Still, no matter how nice and kind they were, she could never allow them to snub her friend, at least, not while in front of her.

Inhaling deeply, she put on the best smile she could muster. " It's all thanks to your son. Because Yuu worked hard in the previous match and allowed us to keep our points, I was able to get that. I can't begin to thank him enough. That third place is for both of us." She feigned checking the time on the clock mounted on the wall. " Oh my, I better get some work on my English homework. If you'll excuse me. Thank you for the meal." She bowed her head and left the table with her plate.

________________

That night, Yuu knocked on her door and peeked inside just as he was about to turn in, checking on her. The last thing he had expected was to find her wrapped in a blanket and her eyes all swelling and red.

" Are you alright? Were you crying?" He said walking in and sitting down on the side of the bed, concerned and worried seeing her like that. Sora laughed awkwardly and she snuggled inside the nest she made of the blanket.

" Not really... well, yeah, I was crying... I felt, so stupid."

" Want to talk about it?" He asked rubbing her back, hoping it would comfort her even if a little.

Sora looked at the floor for a couple seconds before she finally opened her mouth. " I just... I feel stupid for having left my phone at home today. What if... what if when your parents were trying to reach to me, what if there was something I was able to do back then? What if it was Grandma who was calling for help, then I wouldn't be able to know. Then I wouldn't be able to help. Then, I would have been late..." She clutched the duvet tighter around herself.  "This rumbling does sound stupid, right?"

Yuu shook his head. " You're just overthinking."

Sora laughed. " Maybe you're right. It's just, Grandma is the only family I have and... the thought of me probably losing her because I couldn't answer a distress call from her really upset me. I'm a hero in training, right? Not being able to help my own family would suck." She wiped her tears on the brim of the duvet. " Enough talking about me, what have you done about your parents and the notice?"

" They said they would be busy, as per usual." Yuu heaved a sigh at that.

" Those guys, I really wonder if they would ever spare any time for you. They didn't even attend your graduation," Whisper groaned, phasing head first from the ceiling and looking at them while still suspended upside down, half his body still in the attic.

" Because they didn't approve of me attending UA in the first place. They were still upset that I turned down the business school exam they wanted me to take."

" They sure like to chart out your life don't they." Whisper began listing. " Don't use your Quirk at home, no talking about spirits, no spirits allowed at home, no talking to spirits out in the street or in public... that's too much. They basically want you to not use your Quirk at all!" He threw his hands in frustration. " It's like they think your Quirk will disappear if you just stop using it!"

" Well, as a matter of fact, there's a theory-"

" I don't care about theories, soldier!" Whisper swooshed over to him, glaring him up and down. " All I care about is that you use your Quirk as much as you can to build it and become a strong hero, understood?"

" Sir! Yes sir!"

Sora sniggered at their conversation. " You know, having Whisper as a roommate sounds really fun. Either way, I already told Grandma about the situation. She said she would be happy to fill in for your parents if they couldn't come."

" But..." Yuu began yet Sora held up her hand in front of him.

" Don't you worry, she will call Aizawa-sensei beforehand and inform him. And will also be telling your parents about what will happen at the event, so no need to think too much about it, okay." After all, Yuu was a part of her family and he will always be, so it was only natural for her grandmother to be there for him as well.

" Thank you, Sora." The boy was really grateful for the kind offer by the girl and her grandmother. Sora's sole answer was a broad warm smile.

" Alright, we've got school tomorrow so we better turn in for tonight. Not want to be scolded by Iida-kun for showing up late."

" Nope, definitely not." 

The girl bobbed her head in agreement before she laid down on her futon, rolling in her duvet. " Goodnight Yuu."

" Goodnight Sora."

And the lights were out.

Chapter Text

 Sora was practically bouncing as she entered the classroom that day, a wide grin adorning her face as she settled in her seat. " Good morning Ochaco-chan."

" Morning, thank you for the other day by the way, having four packs of mochi was a great help." Uraraka smiled broadly at her.

Sora had run into her, Asui and Yaoyorozu just as they were spying on some shoplifter the other day while she was doing groceries instead of her grandmother. So she had to join in on a chase and witness some heartwarming couple's confession and finally, she agreed to buy one pack of mochi and hand it over to her mochi-lover friend.

Sora's eyes then trailed towards Yuu's seat before she walked up to him, leaning on his desk. " So, what have you done about the letter?"

Yuu looked up at her. " I wrote it for your grandmother of course. I mean, I'm truly grateful for everything she had done for me."

" You're exaggerating." The girl giggled. " Just, let's hope it won't turn out as embarrassing when we read them before the whole class though."

" I'm already praying for that," he mumbled as he looked back at the racket beside them. Midoriya, Iida and a bunch of their classmates were having a rather fierce discussion that shifted from Iida's journey at the theme park to breast size.

What the heck? Even with that said, Sora couldn't help but look down at herself and then back at Yaoyorozu in front of her. Being short and small is really torture! She huffed

As the bell rang, signaling the beginning of homeroom, everyone scurried to their seats, expecting Aizawa to slide the door at that very moment just as he always did.

But it didn't happen.

" That Aizawa, late! Someone pinch me! I must be dreaming in my death!" Shot Whisper.

" Calm down, maybe he got held back because of today's event," said Yuu, though he too was as befuddled as the ghost and the rest of his classmates at the rare occurrence.

" Because of that very event he shouldn't be late as a UA staff! It would ruin our prestigious school's image before our own parents!" Iida objected.

" Let's give him a few more minutes then," Yaoyorozu suggested.

Time ticked by, one minute, two... Yuu looked up at the hands of the clock above the blackboard and a knot formed in his stomach. Their teacher had never been this late before, not even when he was all bandaged and wounded. Something is definitely up!

Homeroom ended and no sign of the man decked in black yet, nor of any of their parents. Sora and Yuu looked back at each other worriedly, the latest events making them tense up and imagine the worst scenario possible.

As the murmurs grew louder, their phones buzzed all at the same time. Now this is odd. Thought Sora as she pulled her phone and checked her inbox to find a message from Aizawa. " 'Ride the bus to mock cityscape '..." She read out loud, " Aizawa-sensei wants us to head down to the training grounds?"

That enticed befuddled looks and worried whispers, however, class 1A complied, obeying their teacher's orders. Iida led them to the bus that was waiting for them outside the school building. They got in and it immediately drove them to the said location.

Sora wrung her hands all nervous and anxious. " What's the matter, Shirogane?" Todoroki, who was sitting by her side, asked once noticing her stressed out.

Sora gave a rather forced smile. " It's just, I'm quite worried about Grandma. Maybe I should have insisted she shouldn't come after all." The possibility that something like USJ happening again while her grandmother was around terrified her, not to mention she was worried about her injury not fully healing yet.

A few minutes later, they were standing outside the cityscape ground with nothing in sight but the buildings. They went further inside, hoping to find their teacher when Sora and Yuu squinted, their noses scrunched at the smell that hit their nostrils.

" Is this... gasoline?" Yuu turned to his friend as though to make sure. They had been to that training ground several times before and not once did they smell gasoline in there.

" I don't- wait, I can smell it now!" Pointed Shoji as he manifested several noses on his dupli-arms.

" Are they preparing something for a class that's going to use the landscape this afternoon?" Yaoyorozu wondered. It was then that a scream caught them off guard, prompting them to hurry forward. However, as they got closer, it became a jumble of screams. Yuu and Sora's eyes widened as they recognized one of the voices.

" Grandma!"

" Aunt Yui!"

They cried out as they sped ahead, not caring about the unusually destroyed lane before they halted when they reached a pitfall, large enough to fit all of them. It was filled with an amber liquid. Gasoline.

At the very middle, a very thin tower held a cubic cage accommodating a bunch of people.

Their parents.

The desperate parents cried out for their children as they clung to the barres of the cage. Sora's eyes frantically ran across their faces before she spotted the one with a golden light ring hovering over her head.

" Grandma!" Yuu's arms flung around her waist, restraining her before she could dart.

" Let me go! Grandma is there, I can help her!"

" Think this through!" Yuu cried in her ear. " Whoever did this won't just leave the cage sitting there where you can easily reach for them!"

" Good thinking." A shrill, almost mechanical voice vibrated in the air. As Yuu and Sora tried to discern the source of the voice, Midoriya proceeded to ask about their teacher.

" Aizawa is down for a nap. A dirt one."

The students couldn't bring themselves to believe what the voice was implying. Their teacher was dead. That Aizawa, the pro hero Eraser Head, was dead.

" No way! I'm not gonna believe you until I see him with my two eyes!" Shouted Whisper at the sky. " Show yourself you damn idiot!"

" Beware now. Remember, I have the hostages." At that moment, Midoriya pointed at the cage as the parents moved apart, bringing to sight a tall man in a black mask, cape and cowl. The villain then stepped ahead, leering at the students from the front of the cage.

Sora growled as her eyes fell on him, her mind was taken over by one single thought. That man's a threat to my family!

Seeing Iida attempting to pull out his phone, the man spoke. " Don't bother, you wouldn't be able to reach anyone. And Kaminari's Quirk won't save you this time. As well as you." The man pointed one finger at Whisper. " Don't you dare leave my sight if you ever want these hostages to live long enough. Needless to say, if one flame appears as well..."

Yuu clicked his tongue. So the man knew of his Quirk and Whisper's abilities. How on earth?

All of them were shaken at the sight of their confined families. Sora was no better, if it wasn't for Yuu's arms, she would have shot right at the cage and kicked the man in the gut. She was furious.

As the man went on jabbering about how he dropped out of UA and all, Bakugo cut him short with the threat of being burned to a crisp with his explosions.

" We don't need to egg him on damnit!" Cried Whisper, wondering how the boy managed to keep his unusual lofty attitude even with his mother held hostage.

One intake between both Bakugo and his mother was enough to convince him that shouting and threatening somehow ran in the family. " That woman is strong, gotta give her that." Admitted the ghost.

The class embarked on a conversation with the villain, trying to find out what he wanted and convince him to let their parents go.

" I have nothing to lose anymore so why not just break the next generation of heroes by taking their most precious families from them with me."

" Great! And now we have a suicidal mass murderer!" Grunted Whisper. Not being able to slip away and find help was gnawing at him.

" Who to start with then?" He said closing on to the mass of people.

" Stay away from her!" Sora cried out when his hand approached her grandmother.

Yuu noticed Midoriya mumbling. He must be thinking of a plan. The boy's eyes narrowed as he too took in the scene before him. There must be a path. Every puzzle has a path, and this is no different.

Aoyama volunteered to be their distraction while Midoriya thought up a plan. It wasn't playing well from what they can see, for all they could do was talk to him.

" What the heck are they even doing?" She grumbled as she looked back at the villain, seemingly as befuddled by their distraction as she was.

" Well, at least it's somehow working..." A bead of sweat slid down the ghost's head.

" Seijin-san!" Yuu snapped when Midoriya hissed his name. Apparently a plan already formed in his mind.

" A sneak attack?" He summed when he heard the green head asking Yaoyorozu for a small stun gun.

" Yeah, we'll have Hagakure-san approach him and knock him out with it. But..."

" You need a route, got it." The boy's eyes flung at the cage, taking in the platform, the space between the barres and the positions of both the parents and the villain. " Hagakure-san, it would be best if you just approach him head-on. When you reach the platform, keep low and aim to hit his leg through the bars. We will try to draw him close to the front of the cage."

" Understood!" The girl stated confidently as she allowed her clothes to slide down to the ground. Of course, that wouldn't go unnoticed by Mineta. Before he could point it out and divulge their plan, Sora had him in a headlock.

" Go! Save them!" She hissed to her friend as she floated over to the platform using Uraraka's Quirk while all of them kept talking to the villain, trying to distract him from the small stun gun.

" Release!" Uraraka touched her fingertips together and Hagakure landed on the platform, crawling towards the cage. As Hagakure held it up, ready to stun the man, he kicked it away.

Vexed from their efforts, the man opened the cage and pulled a lighter as he made to the edge.

" No!"

The lighter was tossed into the liquid which caught fire in a split second, turning the pit into a replica of a large furnace. The flames shot high, hungry for more than gasoline. And the only prey there was their parents.

Chapter Text

 ...The flames shot high, hungry for more than gasoline. And the only prey there was their parents.

Midoriya was feeling guilty seeing their plan's results. However, Bakugo gave him a kick to the back.

" Kacchan!"

The boy was wearing a malicious smirk on. " This is a chance, damn nerd! Round face! Get me there!" He ordered Uraraka who had little choice but to obey. Bakugo then hurled towards the man who was outside of the cage.

Todoroki shot his ice at him and tethered his feet to the ground before Bakugo wrapped his legs around his torso, his hand mere inches from the mask, ready to blow it off any moment now.

" Great! It's our chance to get everyone out!" Sora cried as she materialized her wings, shooting to the cage. Iida, Midoriya, Todoroki and Tokoyami followed after her. Seeing as how it was melting quite quickly, Todoroki had to keep recreating the ice around the villain's feet.

Sora was the first to reach the cage and she immediately threw herself in her grandmother's arms. " Are you alright? You weren't hurt?!" She backed, scanning her thoroughly.

" I'm fine, no harm whatsoever."

Sora then looked back at the villain, Bakugo was dealing with him. That was good. But what was worrying was the panicking parents. How to get them out? I can try hauling them four at a time but... she gritted her teeth as she looked back at the fire raging around them. I don't know for how long this cage will hold!

Suddenly the whole cage quaked and racketed as an explosion was heard. " Bakugo-kun!?"

" That wasn't me feather head!"

The whole platform began to sway. " Damn it we need to get them out! Now!"

Iida and the rest grabbed into as many of the parents as they could as the whole tower shuddered.

" Damn it!" Sora quickly jumped off the side.

" Shirogane!" Todoroki cried in surprise as he saw her diving.

She flew through the smoke and over the flames before supporting the platform beneath, her wings flapping hard to keep her afloat and keep the fire at bay. " Midoriya! Come on! Do something!"

Her face was growing redder and she was sweating heavily. It was all she could do to keep the platform from tipping to the side for a little longer.

Yuu gritted his teeth as he watched from the side of the pit. Was that all he could do, watch as both Yui and Sora were surrounded by flames? Despite their efforts to extinguish the fire with the extinguishers Yaoyorozu had made, it didn't seem to recede.

Think Yuu! Think! How could they save 24 people all in one go?! Todoroki-san's ice bridge? His eyes flicked at the ice construction that Todoroki was maintaining. It won't hold the weight in this temperature, and the tower would fall before all of them would reach! Uraraka-san's Zero gravity? Nope! The tower is unbalanced as it is now, if we add her...!

The boy balled his hands on his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut. Please! Come on! I can't let them get hurt here! Think! You're a hero! What have you been doing at UA this whole time?! His eyes widened when he suddenly recalled something.

" Yaoyorozu-san!"

Midoriya reached the same conclusion as Yuu. Their only way to evacuate everyone was an evacuation chute. But they needed a tarp, and a large one.

" Here you go!" Whisper shouted dropping a roll of blue tarp before the boy. " Hurry up! Sora won't hold on longer down there!"

The girl was puffing her cheeks, trying not to breathe in much smoke.

" Get on everyone!" Midoriya called. " Iida-kun, you pull from the front and we'll push from the back! Todoroki-kun, keep your ice going till the very end! Shirogane-san..."

" I know!" She cried through gritted teeth. " If this platform goes down the whole bridge will collapse! Just go!"

Bakugo dragged the villain onto the tarp as well before all of them rushed through the ice bridge.

The hot metal platform was growing intolerable for her, it was burning her hands and her shoulders. Another explosion sounded and this time, the platform tipped sideways as its only support on the ground shuttered. " Nonononono! NO!" Sora couldn't keep it any longer and it fell. As she turned around, she saw the bridge had broken, leaving Midoriya, Tokoyami, Bakugo and Todoroki hanging off the edges of the tarp while the parents made it to the edge of the pit.

" Everyone!" But Iida and the rest were fast to react, pulling the tarp and everyone hanging to it to safety. At that moment, Sora breathed out in relief before she joined the group on the ground.

" Grandma!" The girl ran to her the moment her feet touched the ground and she threw her arms around her. " Thank god! Thank god!" She sobbed into her grandmother's chest.

Yui, feeling proud and a tinge of guilt, stroked her head gently. " It's alright, I'm here now. You saved me. Thank you, my hero." Her eyes flicked to Yuu who stood a few feet away, a relieved smile washing over his face. She smiled at him and held one arm open, taking him by surprise. " You did well too, Yuu-kun. Thanks for your help."

Hesitantly, he walked over to them only to be pulled by both of them into the hug. " Now this is a happy end." Smirked Whisper happily before he turned around, an angry expression on his face. " Where the heck is the damn idiot who caused us all these troubles?!"

The man who standing outside the group of parents and students finally cleared his throat and spoke." Congratulations. The exercise is over."

" Huh!?" Whisper quirked his eyebrow at that before it downed on him. He shook furiously, his color shifted from white to red as steam blew out of his head. " AIZAWA!!"

" You don't need to shout. I'm right here." Their teacher stepped out from the shadows of ruins.

" You! YOU! I'M SO GONNA KILL YOU!" Yuu and Sora quickly held on to Whisper's ghostly tail before he could approach their teacher, tagging him back. The ghost was still flailing his hands at the man. " I'M GONNA TIE YOU UP IN A CAGE AND THROW YOU DOWN TO HELL! YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE REALLY DEAD!"

" Stand in line. So many villains want to do the same," Aizawa said offhandedly before he addressed the parents. " Thanks for your cooperation and sorry for the rough ride. It was necessary that you walked blindfolded about the danger you would be placed into."

" It was nerve-wracking but, it worked out I guess," said Fuyumi with a smile.

The whole class was grappling with what was happening before them. " This was all a setup," Aizawa told them, snapping them of their trance. The way he said that so calmly enraged Whisper even more.

" However, Aizawa-sensei, isn't this a tad too much?! One wrong move and everyone would have..." Yaoyorozu trailed, not wanting to think about what might have happened to her mother.

" We were always prepared for that. Moreover, would you think you would have produced the same effort had a safety net been set down there?" No one answered. " Were you scared for your families?" Sora's hand tightened around her grandmother's sleeve at that question.

Scared? She was mortified! She had only one family member left, and the loss of her grandmother terrified her more than any villain could ever dream of.

" Rescue missions demand cool heads and steeled nerves, however, were you met with the threat of losing a family member like today, and you were to let your emotions cloud your judgment, you won't be able to rescue anyone let alone those whom you care for." His eyes held each and every one of their looks. " This ' Parents' Day' is meant to teach you that."

" Understood," The class answered meekly.

" You should keep in mind, that the people that you're meant to save have caring families behind them too. Loved ones waiting for their safe return.

" Understood."

" Now, you might have succeeded in rescuing everyone, but you could've done better."

" Huh?!"

" Talking to him to distract him, using a stun gun, wasting too much time thinking and getting emotional... you struggled a lot against this one villain, and I still have more from where that came from." Met with their upset expressions, Aizawa sighed. " But you all did pass, by a slim margin."

The whole class sighed.

" One page about this exercise and what you learned from it is due tomorrow."

They grumbled about having to do homework after that nerve-wracking training.

" What of our letters though?" Iida asked him.

" It was to help you think of your family more, prepping you for this very exercise."

" As expected of UA! They know how to get us in the picture!"

Did he seriously believe that!?

Whisper face palmed himself hard at the blunette's reaction.

" That's all. Parents, thanks for the assistance." As they returned Aizawa's bow, every one of them turned to their child. Their homeroom teacher went to talk with Fuyumi.

" Grandma! You knew about everything!?"

Yui scratched her cheek with a sheepish smile. " Not the details, it was necessary that what they were planning to do was kept secret from us. We were only assured that we will be well and safe."

" But why?" Questioned Sora.

" It's because of you." Aizawa's deadpan voice caught her by surprise.

" Because of me?" She asked pointing at herself in bewilderment.

________________

Few days earlier

A newly released Yui sat in her bed while looking at the two papers she had to fill and sign when her phone rang. She raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar number. " Hello, this is Shirogane Yui."

"Good afternoon Mrs., this is Aizawa, Shirogane's homeroom teacher. I'm calling about the Parents' Day."

" Oh, I was about to call you about the same thing," said the woman as she took Yuu's paper. " Have you contacted the Seijins yet?"

" I was to contact them later. Is there some problem?"

" I'm afraid they would be unable to attend the event seeing how busy they're, so I'm wondering if it's okay to fill for them."

Aizawa scratched his cheek on the other side of the line. " Due to the nature of this event, it's preferable if parents or relatives were present. But seeing how you're Seijin's neighbor and are close to the family... Maybe we can afford an exception."

" Thank you," the woman smiled broadly. " Then, about what you called for."

" Ah. I want to explain about the event, as well as consult something with you. It's about Shirogane..."

Hearing that, Yui scowled. Was Sora in some kind of trouble or anything? She refrained from asking until Aizawa finished explaining what they were planning for that day.

" I see, a rescue exercise. And you need us to be the hostages."

" It's necessary to measure their growth."

" Understandable. Then, what's the thing that you wanted to consult me about?"

" It's concerning your abilities. Angel's wielder can see auras, which allow them to predict their opponent's moves and even discern people's emotions, right?"

" Exactly," Yui affirmed, patiently waiting for him to continue.

" Is there a way around this ability?"

" Pardon me?" That was a sudden question.

" For this exercise to work, it would be necessary that all students believe their families to be in mortal danger. However, I'm afraid your granddaughter would be able to tell right away that it's an act. Though I'm quite sure she wouldn't tell anyone once she realizes it's all set by us, but that would mean she won't be giving her all to the exercise."

Yui drammed her fingers on her food tray as she listened to him. " I was hoping to find a way around it, so as to give her a fair chance of growing."

Yui hummed in thought as she considered his words. " You should put all of the parents together. The more auras there are, the harder it's to comprehend them. They will be disturbing. You could also set some kind of barrier, seeing how we can't see through solid things, or use some kind of screen instead, but I doubt that would help with what you're trying to do. So, if I may suggest, I think it's better if we all walk into it without knowing about what we will be put through. Although we would know we will be safe in the end, the disturbance from the sudden experience will be enough to deceive her. As for the villain you plan to use, it would be better if you place them among the hostages, that way, their aura would get tangled with the rest of them and Sora won't be able to read it."

" You have my thanks, Mrs. Your help means a lot."

" As long as it's for Sora to realize her dream..." she trailed looking at a photo standing on her bedside table. Her finger traced the rim of the frame as she took in the two occupants. A man with silvery hair bent down on his daughter while pulling her arms up, suspending her in the air as she laughed happily. " Then I will be always there to help."

________________

" You what?!" Sora's eyes bulged out as she was told about it.

" You did it before, so we had to be careful you won't discover it's a setup again," Aizawa stated.

That's because you and Thirteen-sensei made it too obvious! She refrained from retorting, remembering their rescue training a few weeks ago when All Might imposed as a villain.

Still, she was thankful for her teacher who had gone as far as to consider how to allow her to get through the exercise like everyone else. She bowed thankful. " Thanks for your thoughtfulness, Sensei."

" You, more than anyone, should learn to control your emotions when it comes to your loved ones." Aizawa pointed.

" Understood."

With that, the man walked away. Sora rose up and heaved a sigh just as he grandmother pulled her into a hug from behind. " But I'm serious, whether it was a setup or not, you were awesome down there."

" Grandma, not in front of my whole class..." Sora's face went pink at that.

" Ara. But you're the one who started the hugging, right?" Sora grumbled while her grandmother laughed out at that. " As an apology, I'm making you Curry today."

That was more than enough to flip Sora's frown into a wide smile." Then let's stop wasting time here!" She said tagging on her grandmother and Yuu's hands, pulling them back to the bus.

Whisper slouched behind them. " For real, are all okay with all of Aizawa's rational deception! Am I the only one who is pissed off here! Hey!" But his words fell on deaf ears. " Great..." he grumbled following Yuu and the rest...

Chapter Text

The next day started off with a rather interesting announcement. " During summer vacation, we'll have a training camp in the woods!" Aizawa told them.

The news was welcomed with delight and joy. Everyone started listing what they wanted to do. " A camp huh? It really sounds fun! I've never gone to a camp!" Sora's eyes glistened with anticipation and elation.

" Sora-chan! You never went camping!" Uraraka rotated rather violently her hair flapped into her face.

" I really didn't have the chance to." She scratched her head, feeling a tad embarrassed.

" If we're out in nature, we will have to work under different conditions, right?" Yaoyorozu muttered in thought. Albeit it was a bit too loud that Yuu and Todoroki heard her.

" Soldiers should be flexible enough to adapt to all conditions," Whisper told them.

The chitchat lingered for a bit before Aizawa put an end to it with a rather piercing stare. The room was once more plunged into silence.

The condition to go to the camp was to pass the final exam. The penalty for failing was summer school.

" Summer school huh? I wouldn't want it." Sora laughed awkwardly, imagining she had to attend school while everyone else was enjoying themselves during the vacation.

" Well, knowing him I bet you anything his training camp will be as hellish as the summer school." The ghost sighed with an I-see-through-you kinda stare.

" I think I would prefer summer school," Yuu murmured only to have a chop on the head.

" Don't you dare say that, soldier!" Whisper's eyes grew sharper as he glared down the shrinking boy. " What you're aiming for is the top! The summer school is no option for you understood!"

" Sir! Yes sir!"

________________

After the class, Aizawa reminded them that they had one week left before the final exams. After telling them to train both their bodies and brains well, he left. The class was thrown into commotion as Kaminari and Ashido stated that they didn't study at all for the past weeks.

" It's expected from them." Whisper sighed." Even during the midterm, they were at the bottom ranks."

" Still..." Yuu blinked at the pinkette. " Ashido-san seems cool with it."

" That's Mina-chan's personality for you." Sora smiled before glancing at the blond who was mumbling about having no time at all.

Even Tokoyami agreed with him. Koda and Sato, who were 13 and 14 respectively, pointed that midterms were easier because they had much less to study.

Mineta was happily rubbing the fact that he was 10th in rank into other people's faces. Kaminari and Ashido were fairly angry with him.

" It's a lie...!" Whisper pointed the tip of his finger at the short boy in incredulity. " He is in 10th place! Something must be wrong with the world!"

" Whisper..." Yuu tried to hush him. Like it was ever happening.

Iida, Midoriya and Todoroki tried to give the duo at the very bottom of the class some encouraging words. Yet, that seemed to have the opposite effect on Kminari seeing they were the 2nd, 5th and 6th.

" I don't think it will help them, hearing it from the top." Yuu sweat dropped.

" You're one to speak!" Cried Ashido." You're, as a matter of fact, the 3rd!"

Yuu scratched his cheek while averting his eyes, a little embarrassed. " It was by mere luck. I didn't have time to study much because of Whisper's arduous training. So I went with what we've seen in class only."

" Eh!" Kaminari shouted." And you still came in 3rd! Forget about Mineta! You're actually worse!"

" I'm sorry..." He stuttered slacking in the corner with a gloomy air all over him.

" Now you've done it, Kaminari." Sora sighed. " You made him enter his dark mode. It's been a while since I've seen him like that."

" Sora-chan, what was your rank again?" Sora blinked as the pinkette questioned her.

" 11th? Is there a problem?"

Kaminari and Ashido joined Yuu in his cranny all depressed.

" Did I say something rude?" Sora inquired the ghost by her side.

" Just that you don't give off the vibes of someone who would make it to the 11th place." Whisper shrugged with a smirk at the duo.

It was Yaoyorozu who saved them when she suggested she help them with studying. Seeing the top of their class offering her help, Ashido and Kaminari felt blessed.

" Yao-momo!"

Not just those two, but more of them headed to ask her to be their study partner. Yaoyorozu was deeply moved to see that.

" Everyone! Yes, of course!" That was by far the most energetic Sora saw the girl as she bounced off her chair. She was quite enlivened at the thought of bringing them to her house for a study session, listing a couple kinds of tea for them to pick from.

" Are there different types of tea?" Sora whirled her head to Whisper in confusion. The ghost pinched his inexistent nose bridge and sighed.

" To think you of all people don't know that."  

" Never mind, the bouncy Yao-momo is cute though." Sora laughed.

________________

As they sat for their lunch, Midoriya decided to bring the subject of the practical exam.

" It's kind of scary since I can't tell what'll be on it." Midoriya thought out loud.

" I don't think it'll be anything crazy." Stated Iida.

" I doubt that." Yuu gulped down his food. " I mean, the entrance exam, combat training and sports festival. All of them had pretty tough challenges."

" Crazy would be a better motto for this school rather than Plus Ultra." Whisper folded his arms while staring at Iida's curry.

They were still talking about the practical and written exams when someone elbowed Midoriya on the head.

" Oh, sorry. Your head was so big that I accidentally hit it." They looked up to see a boy from class B with blond hair peering down at them with a somewhat haughty complexion.

Sora recognized him as the boy who would definitely make it to Slytherin from the sports festival.

" You did that on purpose! I saw you!" Whisper shouted, a tick appearing on his forehead.

" What are you? Some kind of pet? Didn't know the busy class A had time to take one in." He derided.

Whisper's eyes sharpened and more ticks appeared on his head. " Why you-" Sora and Yuu had to restrain him.

" Anyway, I heard you guys met the Hero Killer." Iida's face was unreadable as Monoma said that. " Just like at the sports festival, you guys in class A just have to have all the attention, huh?"

Todoroki was the one who didn't bother about the boy standing by their table, chewing nonchalantly on his soba as the blond ranted on and on. His face seemed more maniac the more he talked.

" What's with this guy? His aura is... Eerie." Sora had an ungainly smile at him.

" Will he ever stop talking..." Yuu would rather make a run seeing his air.

He was put to ease when a certain orange head chopped him on the neck with the side of her hand. She caught his tray before it fell off and grasped his collar as he dropped to the ground.

" Monoma, that's not funny. Don't you know what happened to Iida?"

" Itsuka-chan?!" Sora blinked at her as they finally let go of a calmer Whisper. Still, puffs of steam could be seen blown out of his head.

" Sorry, class A. This guy's heart is just kinda, you know." She gave a rueful smile.

I've seen it... Sora kind of wished to say. Still, she thought it was better that was left unsaid.

Kendo then informed them that the practical exam would be some battle against robots, that was what an upperclassman told her. Once she said it was like cheating, Midoriya disagreed as he embarked on analyzing the possibility that gathering intel was part of the exam. Kendo was rather taken aback by his unstoppable murmurs.

" And this is another eerie aura of our own." Sora sweat dropped.

" He won't stop now. Someone must hit him." Whisper was up to it before Sora and Yuu restrained him again.

" Heh, so you're the kind of person who likes to overthink things."

Midoriya blinked at the new voice and looked up to see orange eyes staring into his. " You're funny." A girl with blond hair tied into twin tails was bouncing on the soles of her feet. Seeing how close she was, Midoriya's face went all red as he went into some defense mode.

" This is..." Iida's eyes studied the girl carefully. It seems he didn't meet her before.

" This is a student of our class, Dobutsu Ai." Kendo pointed at the girl who was still bouncing up and down on the end of her toes before squeaking with one finger pointe at Todoroki.

" I've found a hottie!"

Everyone blinked as she made for Todoroki, bouncing around him briskly. " Todoroki-kun right? I've seen you at the sports festival. You were really awesome! You're super strong. Wanna go out with me?"

" Eh!" Everyone deadpanned at how subtle she said that.

" Who... Who is this girl exactly?" Uraraka had her eyebrows twitching in wary.

" Oh, you're Uraraka-chan. You were awesome too. Too bad your opponent ended up too strong. You're kind of cute too."

Sora looked at Itsuka who sighed tiredly. " Itsuka-chan..."

" Sorry about her. It's just, this girl is too energetic and too blunt. She wouldn't hesitate to state anything that comes to mind, even if it's irrelevant."

To prove her right, Ai was talking now about Lunch Rush's cooking. How it came to the conversation is yet beyond Uraraka and the rest who sat down with stoic faces. Todoroki on the other hand was still busy with his soba. " And then and then-"

" Dobutsu-san, stop bothering the other students." A rather short plump boy with greyish hair falling to his shoulders and his bangs falling in front of his eyes, making them invisible, walked up to their table.

Someone else came!

" Gomu-kun, you're very cute today. Go out with me."

Again!

What's wrong with this kid?! Whisper's eyes were twitching a little at that.

" Everyone, I'm class B vice president, Gomu Tobio." He said with a polite bow. " I'm deeply sorry for the trouble our classmates may have caused."

Finally, a well-mannered one showed up!

" Vice president? I don't recall seeing you that much." Iida pointed his hand at the boy.

" I don't get to do much. Our Kendo-san is really the one who takes care of almost everything and everyone in our class. Namely Monoma-san and Dobutsu-san." Tobio smiled as he looked back at the orange head.

" Itsuka is like my older sister," Ai said happily, throwing her arms around Kendo's neck

" Where did that come from? Anyway, I've told you guys about the practical exam. I can't help you more so good luck."

" Oh, right. Thank you." Midoriya bowed his head gratefully at her.

" No, don't mention it."

" Are you an idiot, Kendo?" Monoma came to. " We had an information advantage! This was our chance to get ahead of the detestable Class A!"

His eyes went blank when another shop fell on the scuff of his neck. " They're not detestable!" She said dragging the boy away. Ai followed after her, jabbing Monoma's pride even more.

" Monoma-kun, you're weak."

" Then, if you excuse us, everyone." Tobio bowed before leaving after his classmates.

Iida and Midoriya sweat dropped as they stared after the lot. " Kendo-san is like the big sister of class B, huh?"

" At least there was that boy Gomu who seems to be well-mannered," Whisper stated hopefully...

Chapter Text

The information of the practical exam's setup was taken in with much pleasure by both Ashido and Kaminari who, Sora thought, were as good as started celebrating their success already.

" Yuu." The boy blinked as Sora approached him with a ticklish smile. " Sorry about this but, you think we can study together? It's been a while since we did so."

" Huh?"

" Oh, that's of course if you're free." She added.

Whisper tapped his chin. " I will be training him late at night." The way Yuu jolted didn't go unnoticed by Sora. " So I think that means he can study along with you in the evening and early at night. What do you think?"

" There is no need to ask. I will be glad to study with you." He smiled.

Sora grinned from ear to ear as she clapped her hands together. " Well then! We can head to my house straight away then!"

" Straight away!"

" I will be telling Grandma!" She bolted to her bag, rummaging for her phone.

It was then that Bakugo declared war upon Midoriya, catching all of their attention. One look at his aura told Sora he was angry beyond any other time she had seen him. It made her gulp just seeing it. So when he shifted his eyes to both her and Todoroki her feet rooted to the ground from the intense stare. " Todoroki! Shirogane! You too!"

Sora only breathed when the boy left the classroom, slamming the door shut with a forceful tug. She had never felt that much anger directed at her.

" It's been a while since I've seen Bakugo that intense," said Kirishima.

" Impatience... Or rather hatred?" Tokoyami inquired.

" I would rather it be the former." Sora laughed awkwardly.

" You noticed. He didn't call you feather head," Whisper commented.

" True..." She thought about it. It seems he was more than serious about making that challenge.

_______________

The week passed by in a hurry. While they were all buried to the nose under the load of their work and studies, they also trained hard to keep their bodies in shape. It was rather hard balancing both. Before they knew it, they sat down for the 1st day of the written exam.

Sora and Yuu would haunch over their papers and wouldn't raise their heads until the allotted time was over. Sora had to admit she liked to see Ashido and Kaminari's faces every time they bent on their exam papers. They were dead serious, their pencils flying about almost unseen.

By the end of the third day, Sora and Yuu stood to collect the papers of their rows while Ashido and Kaminari thanked Yaoyorozu deeply. Glad they did well. Sora smiled.

After delivering the papers, Sora stretched her arms. " Now all that is left is the practical one."

" I'm nervous." Yuu shivered as he checked the calendar on his phone, the day of the practical exam was the next one.

" It will be alright. You underwent hard training, so have confidence." Whisper slapped his back and Yuu choked on air.

________________

On the day of the practical exam, they gathered in front of the central plaza where the exam would take place. The first interesting thing that caught their eyes was the many teachers waiting for them in front of the entrance.

Aizawa warned them against doing any stupid mistakes. The class was already tense enough without him telling them. Apparently, Aizawa expected them to do some research about the nature of the practical exam.

" We're fighting robot warriors like at the entrance exam, right?" Kaminari stated proudly.

Ashido was already listing things she wanted to do at the camp.

" Too bad! For various reasons, the exam will be different starting this time!" Another voice spoke and a lump in their teacher's scarf wobbled before their principal poked out of it.

" The principal... Was hiding under Aizawa-sensei's bindings, right?" Sora turned to her friend as though trying to confirm her eyes weren't out of commission.

" Yeah, he definitely was," Yuu confirmed.

Sora hardly muffled her laughter. " How did he... And how did Aizawa-sensei... That's really strange," she said wiping away her eyes.

The principal clambered down the long of Aizawa's body as he elucidated further, telling them they wanted to focus on person-on-person combat while Ashido and Kaminari blanched and froze at the back of their group.

" It's definitely because of all the things that happened with you guys," Whisper pointed.

" So... We'll have you form teams of two to fight against one teacher!" The principal announced.

" Fight a teacher!" Sora choked on her salvia hearing his words. No one of them was even near the strength of a teacher. That much was made as clear as day during the USJ incident. The other students seemed to agree with her.

What was more shocking was that Aizawa had already paired them as he saw fit. The first team was Todoroki and Yaoyorozu against him. Then there was Midoriya and Bakugo, much to the green head's dismay and the ash blond's annoyance. And it didn't help at all that their opponent was none other than All Might who dropped down from the sky in a rather flashy show. Showcasing the gap between them further.

Please don't flaunt your superhuman strength in front of us before the exam! She cried inwardly.

Sato and Kirishima were up against Cementoss. Tokoyami and Asui's opponent was Ectoplasm. Iida and Ojiro's was set to be Power Loader. Uraraka and Aoyama were to face Thirteen. Ashido and Kaminari had the principal.

Sora sweat dropped as Ashido stared down in shock at their principal before smiling widely, apparently confident of their victory.

Jiro and Koda had Present Mic as their opponent while Snipe was to challenge both Shoji and Hagakure. Mineta couldn't be any happier when his opponent was set to be Midnight. Yuu pitied Sero who would have to deal with him. Then, the last team left out there was...

Sora and Yuu stared at each other. " That's right. Shirogane and Seijin are a team. Their opponent will be this person..." Aizawa pointed back at the door of the facility.

From the building came a person walking up to the rest. He had spiky greyish hair, narrow small eyes and a large moth with the lower canines visible even though it was closed. He was wearing a red tight suit and huge white gauntlets. The left side of his face and neck bore a few scars on them.

" Who is he?" Whisper inquired, having not met the person in front of them before.

" This is Vlad King, class B's homeroom teacher." Aizawa introduced him. Vlad walked up to the duo and peered down at them. Sora and Yuu jolted at the intimidation his glare was sending off. Sora could even feel his aura overwhelming them. 

" You're kidding me!" He turned around to face the rest of the teachers. " You're telling me to face off the chibi and the scaredy cat, Eraser!"

" Hey you! What's you-" Yuu gagged the ghost before he could insult the teacher any further. Facing the hero itself seemed like a hard feat let alone facing him when he is annoyed. 

" And there seems to be an egg-head pet with them. To think this is actually the class that stole the attention for the whole semester." Vlad snorted as he headed back to the teachers' side.

" The time limit for the exam is thirty minutes!" The principal elaborated. " Your objective is either to put these handcuffs on the teacher, or to have one of you escape from the stage!"

" Capture the teacher or escape...it's kind of like the combat training," Kaminari summed.

Still, it was beyond them. Their teachers were too strong to be defeated by students. Namely All Might. Even Present Mic confirmed that.

" This time, your exam will be very similar to a real battle. Please think of us as villains." Thirteen told them.

The teachers reminded them that, unless they knew for a fact that they can beat their opponent, running away and asking for help is a better choice. Aizawa's words were directed at Iida, Midoriya and Todoroki especially.

Because of the incident of the Hero Killer. Sora looked back at her friends. But... If they chose to run away back then...

She shook her head. She didn't want to think of it. What happened had happened and there is no helping it. While in this exam things will be different. Running away is a choice they could take.

All Might then surprised them with the fact that the teachers will have a handicap. Compressed weights that weighed about half of theirs.

" All right, each team will take the practical exam in order on the prepared stage." Sato and Kirishima were the first to go while Aizawa addressed the rest. " Those waiting for their turn can watch the exams or think of the strategies as a team. Do whatever you want. That's all." Aizawa then joined the rest of the staff marching away.

Everyone around them started moving filing into the building, Mineta being the loudest as he wanted to think of a plan to strip Midnight. Sora flicked her eyes to her friend. " What do you want to do?"

Yuu considered the facts carefully and narrowed his eyes. " Unlike most of the other teachers, we're not familiar with the fighting style of our opponent."

Sora tapped her chin at that. " So we need a plan to avoid combat right?"

" True. We better make an escape plan so we can grasp victory. Facing him head-on will be troublesome." Yuu added.

" Then let's come with a plan inside." Whisper's head floated in front of them upside down. " You're the only ones left here."

True for his words, they were the only ones left outside of the building. Having noticed that, both of them rushed after their class.

________________

Sora and Yuu entered the Monitor room almost about the end of Asui and Tokoyami's fight.

" Kirishima-kun and Sato-kun already finished?" Sora blinked.

" Yeah. They didn't make it." Midoriya informed her.

" Those two didn't!" Sora was astonished hearing that. Kirishima and Sato weren't easy to be defeated.

" They ran out of stamina." Uraraka turned back to her. " They lost their time trying to break through Cementoss-sensei's defense."

" I see. Both of them have limits to their Quirks after all." Whisper pointed while folding his arms in front of him while Yuu tapped his chin in thought.

" So basically, they're trying to shove us to a corner, forcing us out of our comfort zone."

" What do you mean?" Uraraka blinked.

Midoriya had his hand holding his chin as he thought about it. " What Seijin-kun said is true. Kirishima-kun and Sato-kun's fighting style consists of rushing and beating everything within their sight. They had stuck to that style for too long that they didn't think of other possible paths to take to pass."

" So basically, we have to think out of the box, right?" Sora inquired.

" Exactly." Yuu nodded.

" Are you okay with not watching what's happening now?" Recovery Girl's voice resounded through the room from where she was sitting on her chair.

Everyone directed their focus to the huge screen broadcasting the duo's battle.

Just as they were about to reach the exit gate, a huge clone of their opponent manifested, bitting into the structure of the building and swallowing both of them, entrapping them.

" I didn't know he could make one that big." Yuu stared awestruck at the screen.

" But you know, even though he trapped them, but still, Dark Shadow can manifest." Sora pointed, recalling their fight at USJ. It was thanks to Dark Shadow that both Tokoyami and Koda managed to get out of the silk ropes binding them. " So, if only Dark Shadow can pass through the gate..."

It seems both the examinees thought of the same thing. However, facing a pro hero was a great deal for him. Dark Shadow retreated for a moment and then dived back at the teacher. Ectoplasm bolted at him, booting him back. Yet, at that very moment, handcuffs enclosed on his leg.

" He's been handcuffed!" Cried Uraraka.

" They passed! Dark Shadow and Frog! They were able to use both Quirks well together!" Midoriya exclaimed.

" Yeah, as expected!"

Yuu tapped his chin. " Still, Asui-san's fast thinking saved them. She is amazing."

" That's Tsuyu-chan for you." Sora clapped her hands happily.

The next match was Ojiro and Iida's. Their opponent, Power Loader, dug the whole ground so to reduce their footing.

" He is going all out," Whisper muttered.

" But Iida-san will pull through." Yuu insisted.

True for that, Iida dashed at full speed, passing the pitfalls before they crumbled under their weight. But as they neared their goal, Power Loader created a steep crack in front of them, blocking their way.

Iida jumped off with Ojiro wringing his tail around the boy's ankle. With a strong thrust and a trundle, Iida managed to propel the blond towards the gate. Though Power Loader was about to catch him midair, Ojiro managed to fend him off and get through the escape gate.

" They're both amazing!" Uraraka cheered.

" I told you they would get through!" Sora held her fists enthusiastically.

Next were Yaoyorozu and Todoroki. Though cautious they were as they made for the gate, still they ended up under the mercy of Eraser head, who eventually managed to grasp hold of Todoroki while Yaoyorozu ran away.

" What a pinch," muttered Whisper.

" I wonder if Yao-momo would be able to come up with a counter plan." Sora was clearly worried.

" Yaoyorozu-san is smart. Still, when her plans fail she tends to lose confidence and fall into despair, making one mistake after the other." That wasn't hard to tell from the sports festival and the training they did.

" That soldier lacks flexibility," added Whisper. " The ability to think fast and act under the pressure of the threat you are facing, to make the adapt choice with no delay. It's hard but, that much is needed out in the field."

" I totally agree with you." Recovery Girl piped in. " In our profession, a second delay means a life. Hesitation is intolerable. You can't waste your time pondering on what to do. You have to do what you can do at the moment."

Aizawa caught up with the girl, but as he restrained her, she created a cylinder around her wrist, expanding the knot around it and sliding her arm away.

" He... Didn't he erase her Quirk?" Sora tilted her head in confusion.

" As I thought. There was an aftereffect for the damage he sustained in USJ." Whisper gritted his teeth.

" Is that true, Recovery Girl?" Midoriya asked the woman by their side who bobbed her head in response.

" The activation time reduced and the gap between them extended," she explained.

After a moment of dithering, Yaoyorozu used flash grenades to disturb Aizawa as she helped Todoroki down before running away. A few moments later, the huge ice wall from the sports festival appeared in between the two and their opponent.

" Defense, he can't attack them. Also, he can't erase the Quirk if he can't see." Yuu thought out loud.

" But wait... The exit is in the other direction." Sora pointed, rather confused. " They won't get there if they keep hiding."

Soon, they could see two cloaked figures running out from behind the wall of ice. Aizawa ran after them, but as he captured them, they turned out to be dummies. In the moment of befuddlement, Yaoyorozu launched some kind of binding at him, and with Todoroki's heat, the material tightened around him, ensnaring him.

The match ended when Yaoyorozu handcuffed him.

" Ho, some interesting plan she came up with," Recovery Girl complimented.

" Seems she got through her hesitation, at least for now," Whisper smirked. " She has a good head on her shoulders, that soldier."

Sora turned around, only to notice Uraraka had left. Right, it's her matchup next. Do your best, Ochaco-chan.

Asui then entered the Monitor room only to be tackled into a hug by Sora. " Well done, Tsuyu-chan! Congratulations on passing! You were awesome!"

" Thanks, Sora-chan... Though I feel a little embarrassed ribbit." The green head looked around. " Had Ochaco-chan left already? I hoped I could wish her good luck."

A few minutes later, the match in USJ started. Aoyama and Uraraka managed to sneak their way up to the escape gate, but Thirteen was waiting for them. The hero used her Quirk on them and all they could do was hold onto the railing for dear life to avoid getting sucked into her black hole. Even Aoyama's attack was absorbed.

Uraraka suddenly let go of the railing and was pulled back towards the teacher, who immediately shut her Quirk as she got too close. Uraraka then had a switch of mood, flooring the hero on the ground. Aoyama flew to her help, restraining the other arm of Thirteen while Uraraka handcuffed her, winning their match.

" She did it!"

" Ribbit! Ribbit!" Sora and Asui held each other's hands in utter joy.

" Uraraka-san, Nice judgment!" Midoriya cried in excitement. " I can't believe she thought to use her opponent's power to get in close!"

" Seems Gunhead-san's training came in handy," Yuu muttered.

" Ribbit... For me, it seemed like Ochaco-chan just happened to let go, though..."

" Really?"

" Yes. I wonder what she was talking about with Aoyama right before she let go?"

Midoriya was confused by that. " Who knows? We can't hear what they're saying over here."

" Still..." Whisper sweat dropped. " That was particularly cheating..."

" Eh?" Everyone blinked at him.

" It's like back with your match during the combat training, Midoriya-san," Yuu told them.

" Whisper is right. If it wasn't an exam, and Thirteen was concerned for her student's safety, it wouldn't have ended up this way. If it was a real villain, then that girl should be gone by now." Recovery Girl explained.

" So, Ochaco-chan and Aoyama-chan passed only because it's an exam," Asui concluded.

The doors opened from behind them as Yaoyorozu and Iida came in. They congratulated them for passing their exams before their attention went back to the screen in expectancy of the upcoming match.

" Who is next again?" Whisper asked.

" The sixth match is team Ashido and Kaminari. They will be up against principal Nezu." Yaoyorozu stated.

" I wonder what type of Quirk the principal has?" Yuu had a hand around his chin in thought.

" Eh? Isn't him being... Cat or dog or... Whatever is his Quirk?" Sora was rather bewildered.

" Well... That's kind of hard to explain." Yuu looked back at her. " He's an animal with a Quirk. It wasn't made public, you see. He was always helping from the back lines. Not much is known about him."

Ashido and Kaminari's battle occurred in ground Gamma. A rather cramped place. They didn't have much of a chance against their principal as he wrecked down the area with a crane while predicting their route. Needless to say, the duo failed.

" Our principal is really scary..." Sora gulped with goosebumps running up her body as recalled what Recovery Girl just said about the humans doing experiments on him. Hope he isn't the type to hold a grudge. But again... Seeing him play around with Mina-chan and Kaminari-kun the same way they used to put mice in a maze to test their intelligence...

We mustn't cross him... They all thought. Yuu especially had an image of the principal wanting to experiment on him.

Uraraka joined them, surprised to see Ashido and Kaminari all beaten up.

They congratulated her as well before Asui asked her about what Aoyama told her down in the field. Sora couldn't ignore the way her cheeks went red and she was all flattered.

" What's wrong with her? Does she have a fever or something?" Yuu inclined his head, only for Sora and Whisper to sigh tiredly.

" I thought you were the dumbest. But even Yuu could put a challenge for that," Whisper told the white head in a hushed voice.

" He really doesn't know anything about love stuff is he?" Sora whispered back.

" Not the slightest idea." Answered Whisper with a shrug.

The next match ended in a peculiar way, for Present Mic was attacked by a lot of insects from under his feet while Koda ran past the gate with Jiiro in his arms.

" So he really could control insects... Wonder why he didn't use them against us?" Sora thought out loud, recalling their battle training. For once, she knew the building was swarming with insects. Seeing their number and small size, it could have been a better choice than mice and birds. Think he got his own reasons.

The matches went on. First Shoji and Hagakure managed to capture Snipe with a sneaking ambush from the invisible girl while Shoji tried to distract the teacher.

When it was Mineta and Sero's turn, Uraraka turned back to them. " You three. It's almost your turn, don't you want to go to your exam areas?"

However, Midoriya, Sora and Yuu wanted to watch everyone's battle to the very end.

By the moment they looked back to the screen, they saw a tearing Mineta running away in the other direction from the exit gate.

" What happened?" Sora was confused. She knew Mineta was determined to go to the camp, also, with his opponent being a woman like Midnight, it was hard to think he was running from her.

" Midnight had taken down Sero with her fragrance, but he managed to save Mineta at the last moment. It seems that's why he's frustrated." The ghost pointed with a huge bead of sweat sliding the side of his face.

" That boy..." Sora gave a tired sigh.

Just as they all thought he was done for, he surprised them when he rushed at Midnight who followed after him. With Sero's tape wrapped around his nose and mouth, the perfume had no effect on him. He threw a bunch of his hair balls at her while she was flailing her whip and it got stuck both to the ground and her hand, creating an opening for him to slip through. Before they knew it, he had dragged Sero and passed the gate.

" He had such a plan up his sleeve!" The white ghost was speechless.

" Well, guess he wasn't 10th in rank for nothing." Sora laughed as she turned her head to the purple-haired boy by her side. She was surprised by the serious expression he bore.

" Everyone... they were really awesome." His eyes were still glued to the screen. " We need to do our best too."

Sora smiled, seeing him that determined, seeing him that resolved, it was something she liked about him. She liked the face of Yuu who was working hard to realize his dreams.

Gently, her hand reached for the boy's shoulder, drawing his attention to her. Her face beamed with a bright smile and her resolution leveled his. For the sake of the hard-working Yuu, she also needed to do her best. " We're going to pass that exam!"

With a united nod from all three of them, they silently slipped through the door, heading to their battle area...

Chapter Text

" Team  Seijin  and  Shirogane , practical exam. Ready, go!"

As soon as the siren sounded, the doors of the whirlwind zone in USJ opened, leading in Yuu and Sora. The girl had to stop herself from flinching as memories from the villains' attack on them flooded her mind upon entering. She quickly shook her head, she needed to focus to pass, and dwelling on what happened in there weeks ago wouldn't help her do so.

The boy and the ghost before her swapped nods before the white creature left his usual place, vanishing into thin air. " Sora, let's find a good hideout for starter." The girl nodded as they fought against the wind to a narrow alley.

________________

"They're hiding?" Yaoyorozu questioned, an eyebrow raised in puzzlement. " If they do that, they'll run out of time."

" From another point of view, they don't know much about Vlad King, so it's the best choice to avoid battle." Asui had a finger to her jawbone.

Iida crossed his arms in front of his chest as he focused back on the screen. " Still, they need to get a move soon or..."

" Hold on." Midoriya tapped his chin in thought." Maybe that's a part of their plan..."

________________

Sora and Yuu found a well-concealed place behind a building. The raging wind around them didn't stop, but Yuu thought it was to their favor. It will cover for any small noise their opponent could pick. Though it was doing the same for them, compared to Vlad King, their hearing was ultra strong.

" Everything seems fine," Sora said as she confirmed the coast was clear. Her voice was very low in case Vlad was somewhere nearby.

" We have to wait for Whisper to come back," Yuu said, peering from behind the wall. " Be always on guard."

" Roger."

" There is no need to be very cautious." Whisper's face phased through the wall in between them. " I've confirmed it. He is around four blocks away from here. I've located the escape gate too."

" Well done Whisper!" Sora smiled at him.

Whisper flattered, rubbed his inexistent nose proudly. " Well, that was nothing for me. Follow me, soldiers! I will navigate you to safety!" He said wringing himself around Yuu's shoulders once again.

________________

" As I thought, Whisper left them to scout the area." Midoriya pointed.

" Huh?"

" Whisper can phase through things and become invisible. We've seen him do that quite a few times. If they wanted to find the safest route, their best choice was for Whisper to scout it for them." Midoriya murmured. " So Vlad-sensei wouldn't notice him. He could confirm the location of the escape gate easily and navigate them with little risk. The storm is working to their advantage, hiding the smallest noise or smell. And with Whisper's flexible body, he can keep watch for them-"

" Midoriya-kun... Midoriya-kun!" Midoriya didn't realize he was addressed until then, clapping his hands around his mouth and looking back at Iida. " Wouldn't you rather watch it?"

" Uh... Yeah..."

________________

" Easy, easy," Sora singsonged as they made it through another block without encountering their enemy. " If we continue it like this, it will be a piece of cake."

" Don't let your guard down." Yuu strained his ears, feeling uneasy. We're advancing steadily and we will be there soon. But what's it, this unnerving silence?

They rounded another corner, still no trace of the supposed villain. Normally, wouldn't he be searching for us desperately? After all, they're diligently trying to stop us. But there is nothing, nothing at all.

They stopped again, letting Whisper explore the path ahead. Why... Why...

" Why is it too calm..." Their eyes widened in fear. Their bodies froze in place. The voice that spoke belonged to neither of them, nor did it belong to Whisper.

Terrified as he was, Yuu whirled his head back and up at the buildings flanking them, eyes still wide. A bolt of lightning brightened at that moment, illuminating him. There, perched on the ledge, crouching and peering down at them was none other than Vlad King. " You were thinking so right."

Sora and Yuu took a step back as the hero hopped off the roof, landing unscathed in front of them. " Just to tell you, you were trying hard to conceal yourselves in between buildings that you forgot I could follow you from above." He cracked his neck, ready to fight.

" Guys the vicinity is clear-" When Whisper returned, his eyes fell upon the outlines of the teacher. " Forget about it." He groaned, promptly approaching Yuu. " How did he follow us?"

" From above." Said Yuu. " We were focusing too much on the surrounding area we completely forgot about it."

" I've been following you for a while you know. You should keep your guard." His tall bulky body towered above them. " Then, who is it gonna be then, the chibi or the scaredy cat?"

" Sora!"

" Roger!"

In a flash of blue fire, Yuu was riding on Kyubi's back while Sora had her wings stretched out. " Whisper! Lead her!"

" All right!"

The girl flew away, following the ghost. " Not that fast!"

" Fox Tail Inferno!" Vlad had to retreat when balls of flames were pelted at him. " Your opponent is me!" Said the fox.

" We won't let you go near Sora!" Yuu's eyes glowed as he poured from his energy into Kyubi.

" We will try to navigate through the buildings to hide ourselves." The purple head explained when they sat to discuss a plan. " Our area is the whirlwind zone, so that will be helpful to have a storm covering for us."

" No flying or jumping on the roofs?" Sora tilted her head. She knew Yuu and Kyubi preferred that way.

Yuu shook his head. " Remember what  Aizawa -sensei  said. They most likely expect us to do so. We will try to stay on the ground this time."

" Still Yuu, I doubt it will be easy. Your opponent is a pro hero. You won't slip under his nose that way." Whisper pointed, his arms folded.

" I know and that's when our plan B comes."

" Plan B?"

" Keep attacking! Kyubi! Don't let him go!"

Kyubi was throwing waves of fire one after the other continuously.

" If we're to be discovered. I will face off against him."

" Eh! Yuu?!" Both of them were surprised to hear him say that.

Sora and Whisper sailed above high buildings on their way to the escape gate. Hurry up! Hurry up! Dang it! The wind up here is too strong! She gritted her teeth as the rain droplets batted on her face.

" Sora is the fastest among us and can reach high altitudes, making it impossible for him to reach her. So she has to be the one who goes to ask for help. I will hold him back for her."

Vlad pursed his lips at the boy desperately attacking him. It's just as you said, Eraser.

" You're naïf!" He shouted, jumping over the next wave of flames and bouncing from one wall to another in the narrow alley till he reached the top.

" Impossible! Do you want to say he is faster than me even with Yuu's energy!" Kyubi couldn't believe he slipped past her.

He is after Sora! Yuu's eyes flicked back fretfully at the man rushing in the direction of the large white wings. " Kyubi!"

The white fox followed after him, doing the same trick to clamber up. Even though, she couldn't catch up with him even as Yuu gave her more energy. That's the speed of a pro. And with the weights!

" Sora! He's coming! Fly higher!" Warned the wraith upon glimpsing the figure of Vlad. Sora clicked her tongue as she tried to raise her altitude.

" It won't work!" He jumped as high as he could, closing half the distance between them. Lots of blood came gushing out of his gauntlet and aimed at the girl. It splashed on her back and wings. Before she knew it, she felt a force pulling her downward when the teacher swung his arm. He then jumped on her, speeding the fall up and knocking her forcefully on the paved street. She felt a sharp pain in her chest and heard a muffled crack as the man used his weight to pin her down.

Beneath her, the asphalt gave to the impact, fracturing. " You're the most troublesome one. I'm not letting you go chibi." Sora fought the pain in her side to reel her head at him, her eye twitching.

" Let go of her!" Whisper tried to attack, but what could he do against Vlad? His punches held no weight not even a hair had budged the slightest. This is... A pro... Sora though. Todoroki was right... Endeavor's beating through the training wasn't half of this...

" Fox Tail Inferno!"

Vlad let go of her as he was attacked by the fox's fire. But as soon as he turned around, they weren't there, nor even Sora.

" So he took her and ran," Vlad murmured. " Given their situation, they wouldn't be heading for the gate just yet." He rubbed the back of his head. " That girl, I heard an awful sound when I slammed her down. Maybe I overdid it." He looked at the cuffs on his arm. " Though... They're very heavy. It's hard to move around."

________________

Sora embarked in a fit of coughing before wiping the blood from her face. Her left hand clutched her right side tightly. Breathing alone was painful she felt her lungs burning.

" Whisper, keep watch over the vicinity."

" Roger." The ghost vanished as he floated away. Yuu's attention went back to his friend.

" Feeling better?"

" Ah... Who could have thought he was that strong," Sora said teetering to her feet.

" I'm sorry. If I could share energy with humans..." His tone was full of regret at his inability to help her out.

" Don't worry about it... More importantly..." She pivoted around as to show him her back. Yuu's eyes widened when he saw the red liquid had solidified around the wings, making it all but impossible to move them or even pull them back. " I won't be able to fly anymore. We're running out of time, we need a change of plan." She turned around so her red eyes were locked upon purple ones. " And I have the perfect one this time..."

________________

" Everything went silent," Yaoyorozu noted.

" They had to pull back after that attack. Most likely they're trying to come up with another plan," Midoriya commented.

Uraraka made noises of worry. " Sora-chan and Seijin-kun's time is almost out..."

" They have to hurry ribbit."

Iida's eyes widened when he glimpsed a movement on the screen. " They're attacking..."

________________

Like before, Vlad was trying to locate them from above, jumping from one roof to another and checking every alleyway beneath him. " Tsk, where did they go-"

His eyes widened upon feeling a movement behind him. As he looked back, he saw Sora launching at him. He tried to back, but he was late, she managed to nick his right jaw with her claws.

Both of them landed down in an alley, Sora with her narrowed pupils and feather-covered arms. Vald smirked as he wiped the blood leaking from the small scratch. " So you're facing me this time."

" So it's." Sora returned the smirk and leapt at him, brandishing her claws and trying to slash at the man. Vlad managed to dodge, though with difficulty.

Her speed matches mine. He wondered if he could not put a distance between them. He tried to grab her by the neck but she limply used his swung arm as a lever and tumbled behind him, delivering a strong kick to the knee joint.

Vlad winced and backed from her. While she regained her balance. This girl is strong and fast. Not bad.

Sora panted heavily. The pain in her side was getting worse and her vision became blurry. With her clipped wings which she couldn't move or pull back, her balance was awful. It was a matter of time before she was down, she knew that very well. Still. I will hold him back. For Yuu's sake... " I'll do my best too!"

She rushed at him, completely ignoring the feathers growing out of her jaw. " Because I'm a hero too!"

Chapter Text

Kyubi was haring down the street, following Whisper's direction to reach the escape gate. " We're almost there, Yuu."

Yuu had his eyes cast down and his lips pursed into a thin line, not even bothering to answer or react to her.

" I'll hold him back this time. You head there."

" But..."

" I'm strong and fast. Against him, I can hold better."

" But you're injured!"

" There is no time to think about that, Yuu." She said firmly. " I no longer can fly. I can't reach the gate in time. But Kyubi can. It's the best choice to take at this moment."

" Still-"

" Do you want to be a hero or not?!" She yelled out, taking him by surprise.

" I... I do..."

" Then stop acting based  on   your   feelings !  Right   now ,  what  a  real   hero   would   do ?  Risk   the   lives   of   thousands   of   innocent   people   for   the   safety   of   his   friend ?"

Yuu   gritted   his   teeth   and  balled  his   hands . "...  No ..."

"  Then   be  a  hero   and   go   ask   for   help !  Plus ..."  She   beamed   at   him ,  holding  a  thumb   up . "  I'm  a  hero   too !  I'm   not   going   down   easily !"

Was that the right choice? He bit his lip, his head falling even more till his bang covered his eyes. Am I alright with this?...

...

"  Yuu   is  a  weirdo !  Yuu   is  a  weirdo !  Yuu   is  a  weirdo !"  The   other   kids   chanted   as   they   threw   pebbles   at   him .  Little   Yuu   crouched   down ,  his   head   clutched   in   his   hands   in   defense . "  You   shouldn't   be   walking   around   here !"

"  My   mama   said   not   to   talk   to   him ." A  girl   away   from   them   told   her   friend   as   they   halted   their   swings .

" I  know  I  know . Mom is  always   telling   me   the   same ! She says maybe he's cursed or something."

"  Let's   leave   then ."

"  You're   not   welcome   around   here ! "  One   of  the kids bullying him yelled, a finger pointed at him. " You're cursed! You can see spirits you say? And there were always bad things happening around you!"

It was. But they were pranks from ghosts and spirits  for him. No one ever got caught in them. " Leave this park!"

" There is no place for you here!"

" Leave immediately!"

" I'm... Sorry... I just..." Their voices rose over his. There was nothing he could do. Bullied by humans, bullied by ghosts, bullied by his own flesh and blood. There was no place for him in the world.

" That's enough!" A new voice was added. Looking up when a shadow was cast upon him, purple eyes widened when they saw long white hair fluttering in the air like the small wings of a bird, he could see the inside of it was electric blue in color. " This kid has done nothing to you! Why are you bullying him!"

" Who are you?" The older one of them all made a tsk sound. " Don't shove your nose into things that are not of your concern!"

" I can't turn my back on someone who needs help!"

" Needs help?! He is the bad guy here! He is the weirdo! He's the cursed one causing trouble wherever he goes!"

" He didn't hurt anyone! You're the bad guys!"

" You brat!"

" You're awful! Get away from him!"

" It seems you need to be taught manners!" He closed on to her, grabbing her arm tightly.

The girl puffed her cheeks at him before kicking him on his shin, making him drop to his knees in agony.

" Damn you..." He groaned as his friends gathered around him.

Sora grasped the hand of the little boy and pulled him along as she sprang to run. " Wait hold on..."

" Hurry up!" She told him, leading him away from those kids and deep into the grove behind the park. Yuu was befuddled. Who was the girl? And why did she defend him? Wasn't she told like the rest that he was cursed? Wasn't she told to leave him alone? " Why you..."

The girl turned back to him, giving him the brightest smile he had ever received. Not even his mother smiled at him like that. " Isn't it obvious! I wanted to help you!"

Once they were a distance away from the park, the girl stopped to catch her breath before turning to him. " My name is Sora.  Shirogane  Sora." She pointed at herself.

" S...  Seijin  ... Yuu..." He muttered in a weak voice.

" Yuu. Such a cute name. I liked it. Can I call you by your name?"

" Eh...?"

" Can I?" She insisted, her eyes sparkling at him.

" Um... Yeah..."

" Cool. Call me Sora then." She said smiling broadly and extending a hand to him. Yuu's eyes widened at how bright and dazzling the girl seemed at that moment. " Let's be friends." ...

...

Am I really okay with leaving her behind?...

...

" Do you have any dreams for the future?"

" Dream?" He looked back at her as she picked a pebble and threw it across the river. It bounced three times before it sank to the depth.

" Me you see. I want to be like Papa!"

" Like your dad? " Yuu blinked. " You mean a caretaker?"

" Not that." She swayed on the soles of her feet and looked up at the sky. " I want to be someone who helps those in need."

" Like a hero then?"

" Not a hero... Well, it's somewhat a hero... But whom I want to rescue aren't people who get attacked or held hostages exactly. I want to help those who are lost, those who don't have a roof over their heads, and those whose stomachs rumble due to hunger... Heroes are always busy with more dangerous matters, so it's hard for them to save those people. That's why, as Heroes save us, we should save those in need too. That's what Papa always says."

Yuu blinked at her and then looked back at his feet. " I had a dream too..."

" Had?"

" I wanted to be a Hero. But everyone said that with my Quirk..."

" But your Quirk is awesome! Why can't you be a hero with it?!"

" It scares people..."

" I'm not scared!" She told him firmly, closing the distance between them. " I find your Quirk awesome! Don't you give up on your dream just because other people think you can't achieve it! Don't let them decide for you! You can be a hero if you want!"

" You suddenly sound like my uncle."

" Huh?"

The boy's face flashed red, a smile forming on his lips. " But it's the first time someone told me I can be a Hero... Thank you... Sora..."...

...

The Hero I aspire to be...

...

The little kid sweated before the small ball of fur finally manifested. It was a spirit, a ball of fur with four eyes, a horn on its forehead and ears and teeth similar to that of a rabbit.

" Cute!" Little Sora said before cuddling it. " So fluffy and little! How did you make it show up like that?"

" It's something I discovered lately. I can share my energy with spirits to make them manifest in the real world." Yuu looked down at his hand. " Though I'm still a little weak. I can only make small ones manifest."

" But that's awesome!" Sora shot up. " If you can befriend strong spirits and manifest them, then you can be a strong Hero!" Her eyes sparkled.

" You're exaggerating." He smiled awkwardly.

" I'm not!"...

...

The path I chose to take...

...

" Sora!" The boy rushed over to the girl huddled on herself under a tree in that very grove. It was raining heavily that day and the white head was drenched from head to feet. Still, she didn't raise her head at all as he approached her.

He tilted his umbrella so it was covering her. " Let's go back... Your grandma is worried about you..."

" He didn't die... Papa didn't die..." She moaned, her face still planted in her arms. Her shoulders shook with each breath she took.

" Sora..."

" I don't believe any of them! They're all lying! I know it! He didn't die!" She shouted, finally raising her face, her red eyes begging him. " You believe me, right, Yuu..."

Seeing her quivering lips, her puffed red eyes and her tears streaming down, Yuu felt his heart sink.

He didn't like it. Sora's always beaming bright face, he didn't want to see it contorted in sorrow and pain. It  hurt  him.

He kneeled down so he was looking into her red eyes. " I do."

" You do... You really really do believe me..."

He nodded. " I do. So, I'll become a Hero, and find him for you. That's why..." He extended a hand to her and smiled at her the best he could.

If he had any doubt about it before, if he had the slightest hesitation, it vanished right then right there. The phrase ' I'll become a Hero ' that he always repeated gained weight that very day, that very moment. "... Don't cry again."...

...

Wasn't all because of her? Isn't it all the dream she had restored for me?! Even though, I couldn't do anything for her up until now... The escape gate came into view... Is this the Hero I want to be?

_______________

Vlad pinned down a struggling Sora. He panted heavily, blood gushing from a few more scratches she managed to make. This girl is tough, even now, as injured as she is, she is still struggling...

The pressure of his hand increased on her back, making sure she wouldn't be able to escape. But her moves became slower because of the wound. She isn't as fast as before. " Darn it. Even if I restrain her now, I will never catch up with the other kid before he-" Vlad stopped, thunderstruck. A fork of lightning cast light upon the outline of the boy who stood in front of them.

" Why... Yuu..." Sora struggled to look up at him.

Is he crazy?! If he didn't return, he could've passed already through the gate! " Tsk, what shallow-minded. " Just as Eraser mentioned... Those two have no hope...

" You can call me dump for all I care. ..You can make fun of my decision for all I mind!" His eyes sent an intense stare at the teacher. " But this is the path that I've chosen to walk down! This is the Hero I want to be! If I don't make it into reality today, then when am I going to!"

He reached for one of the three flames by his side. One that wasn't Kyubi for Whisper's shock. " Oi Yuu... That one is..."

" Whisper, at first opening secure her." Whisper could see the boy's hands were trembling. Of course he would. He doesn't know how things will turn out. And their time was almost up. If he fails in taming that spirit, they will fail.

" I will become a Hero who saves everyone, that's a given. But I'll also be a Hero who protects what he holds dear!" His eyes glowed as he held up the blue flame. " As your master, I hereby summon you! Let my energy guide you..." How his voice didn't crack was beyond him back then, especially with the great gamble he was placing when attempting to call for that one.

So far, the only Yokai I could summon was Kyubi. I can't summon spirits  too strong until I reach a certain threshold of power, that's a given. But I can't also summon spirit s  that I can't control. I've been pondering on it for a while. But now, it's all or nothing...

The flames grew larger, forming a figure taller and bigger than Kyubi. The flames faded, revealing large black wings, a head with an orange beak and yellow lightning-like strands protruding from near the eyes. The back of the spirit had lightning-like yellow marks and two more strands running longer than the feathers of its tail. The creature then gave a deep shriek, as if threatening everyone there. "... Thunderbird !"

" That's... " Sora was at a loss for words, for she had never seen any other fighting spirit save for Kyubi.

" He really summoned him..." Whisper gulped. " Hope you know what you're doing... Yuu..."

The spirit glared at Vlad and he jolted. There was a strange feeling of superiority around the ginormous bird.

The spirit then reared his head and glared down at Yuu. " I can't believe you did this... How dare you?!" His voice was like the rumbling thunder. " How dare a weakling scaredy boy who can't look in the eyes of anyone summon me?! You annoying piece of scum! I warned you before! Don't you dare bother me!"

Whisper shrank under the glare of the bird. It's true that Thunderbird is a strong spirit. Kyubi's strength and speed are nothing compared to his. But he is one hard to tame. He ended up with Yuu just because he owes him a favor. He never acknowledged him as a master. And Yuu never summoned him because he can't deal with him, he can't control him. That much was evident from their first meeting.

Yuu's fists shuddered, feeling the power of the spirit. Thunderbird made a tsk sound. " You see, you're trembling, you little boy. That's why I told you not to call me! Ever! Just because I'm around you doesn't mean you're my master!"

It's our end... Thought Whisper.

" That's true... I'm a weakling... I'm scared... And I still have a long path before I become a full-fledged Hero..."

The spirit snorted.

" But!" Yuu rose two glimmering eyes at the bird, ones filled with preservation, ones that leveled his intense glare. " If I don't take my first step here then again, when am I going to do it?! When am I going beyond Plus Ultra?! Thunderbird, you still owe me your life! Thus I order you, as your master! Save Sora!"

That's very bold Yuu! Whisper screamed inwardly.

" I don't understand what's happening. But you're a fool to summon a creature that won't obey you!" Vlad launched at them. Suddenly, something unexpected happened...

From up in the sky, three pillars of yellow lightning fell upon the ground, halting Vlad. " Don't interrupt us!" One wave from Thunderbird's large wings sent him flying back to the furthest building.

Thunderbird looked back at Yuu. " You're still a weakling. But for you to have the spur to glare at me while trembling, not to mention ordering me! That's vexing!" Yuu gritted his teeth, still, his glare didn't waver. " It's a remarkable deed, indeed."

Yuu's eyes widened slowly. " It annoys me, but I acknowledge you as my master for now, Seijin Yuu!"

Yuu stared in disbelief. Their contract, one that was for so long hung, was finally sealed with that very phrase. " Don't make me regret my words!" The gigantic bird swiveled around, facing Vlad. " Hop on! And don't dare pluck any feathers!"

" Right!" Yuu jumped on the bird's back as his eyes glowed in white.

" No matter what you do, you're far from passing!" Vlad's blood gushed out of his gauntlet as he rushed at them. " I'm gonna freeze you both!"

" You knew this stormy weather is my favorite, right, master?" Yuu nodded as yellow sparks flew off the bird's body. Just as Vlad splashed his blood, they both disappeared under his eyes. All he saw was a yellow lightning bolting upwards.

Vlad looked up as the rumbling of thunder increased, glimpsing yellow lightning zigzagging through the black sky before it came down at him, striking him with a great force, and rising dust around the area.

When it faded, Thunderbird could be seen pinning Vlad under his talon. Even though he struggled, he couldn't get out from under the weight. Darn it! If it wasn't for the weights!

" It's the end! Vlad-sensei!"

Vlad smirked. " You think so. Yeah, you restrained me. Still, your time ended up. You failed to fulfill any of the requirements to pass." The siren blared as he was speaking.

Yuu's complexion though remained calm. " I wonder..."

Vlad snapped, realizing the pressure around his left wrist that wasn't held under the bird's arm. He turned to see the golden handcuff fastened around him.

" When did you...?"

A few meters from him, Whisper smiled proudly while holding a thumb up. " When Yuu told me to secure Sora, he meant to get the handcuffs from her."

" Team  Seijin  and  Shirogane  have passed!"

" I will always help the innocent civilians minding their daily lives," Yuu stated, making Vlad look back at him. " But I won't let any harm reach my angel as well!"

Those eyes... Vlad smirked... Are really the proof of a hero...

_______________

Everyone had their mouths gaping at the screen. " What... Was that..." Uraraka muttered.

" I couldn't see that spirit as it launched for the attack..." Iida's glasses slid down his bridge.

" ... All that was visible were the lightning it left behind." Midoriya marveled. " Seijin-kun... Had such strong spirit with him..."

" He's cool... Ribbit..."

________________

" Yuu!" The girl wiggled her way to him as he slid the long of Thunderbird's back with a tired expression. His feet too wobbly to hold him, he sat cross-legged down on the ground with a sigh.

" You were amazing!" She cried hugging him tightly, almost tumbling him down. She then looked back at the spirit. " Thunderbird, was it, right? You were strong too!"

She said patting his head. " Hey! Don't pet me!" Still, the air around him and the small blush on his face made it clear he kind of liked it.

Vlad watched over the two students, recalling the boy's look as he stated his resolution.

" You want me to help with the practical exam of your class?" Vlad was rather surprised at the peculiar request.

" Yeah, you're the best match for the last team I've thought of. As for the two persons in question who will be your opponents..."  Aizawa  held up two papers at a fuming Vlad.

" Hey, I still didn't agree!" Despite that, he accepted the papers and skimmed through them. " You know, if I didn't know you I would have thought you didn't want them to pass, pairing those two with me. Then, what are your reasons?" He said flailing the papers in the air.

"  Shirogane  has a habit of holding herself back and rather resort to midair escapes while  Seijin  would settle most dilemmas by powering his spirits up and then faint,"  Aizawa  explained. " When paired with their care for each other, that would lure them to take reckless decisions in the face of overwhelming danger."

" I see. That's really troublesome," he said looking back at the pictures and his eyes narrowed at the boy. " This one..." He pointed at Yuu's picture. " I wonder how he managed to make it this far. His eyes bear nothing but incertitude and fear."

" You need to get your eyes checked, Vlad."

" Huh?"

" If you fail to see what lays beyond those eyes, then you better get your eyes checked. Even with my half-damaged ones, I can see it... The fire of resolve hidden deep within those eyes."

Vlad smirked widely. " Guess you were right, Eraser. Those blazing eyes are really hard to miss."

________________

Sora was panting heavily after receiving Recovery Girl's treatment. The woman was beyond herself back then. " Those guys don't really know how to hold back! I don't know what's the meaning of hurting a student that much!" 

Yuu was standing beside the doc, looking horrid and about to crash on the nearest bed he could find. Though he didn't suffer any physical injuries, summoning two spirits in rows was a tiring feat for him who used to stick one spirit. If it wasn't for his insistence to accompany Sora, seeing her wounds, Recovery Girl would have sent him home with no second delay.

She offered them each some gummies. " Eat up, you need calories. I will still have to take a look at your wounds tomorrow too. They're not completely healed yet."

" Understood." She said throwing the green gummy bear into her mouth.

" Either way, congratulations on passing the exam. You all did well."

" Thank you, Recovery Girl."

" Well then, I have to tend to the others now. You rest well."

" Hold on? Did Midoriya-san's match end?"

" Yeah, and don't worry. Both he and Bakugo passed. Still they had it rough. They're on their way back here as we talk."

" I see."

" You're free to leave as soon as you feel better." With that said, she left them.

Chapter Text

" Midoriya, sorry, we couldn't watch your match yesterday", Sora apologized to a rather back-bent Midoriya the next day.

" Ah, it's fine. I didn't expect you to make it in time to watch it anyway, not with your injury," he answered.

" Is your back okay?" Yuu tilted his head seeing the boy's bent posture.

" I had All Might ramming into me yesterday..." Midoriya scratched the back of his head while Sora and Yuu winced in pain. Just imagining it was painful.

" And I was complaining about Vlad-sensei..."

" Those teachers are monsters, I tell you!" Whisper piped, only for Yuu to squeeze his head between his hands.

" Whisper! If you continue insulting teachers we'll be expelled!"

" Anywho..." Sora pointed at the front of the class with a lopsided smile. " Is it me or is it gloomy over there?"

True, those who failed the practical exam all had glum complexions. Ashido for once was crying as she told them she was looking forward to hearing from their camp journey.

Midoriya tried to calm them down only for his eyes to be transfixed by Kaminari's fingers.

Just about that time the door slid open, leading in their teacher. How they were able to assume their seats that fast was beyond them.

However, Aizawa brought the most interesting news so far. Even those who had failed their tests will be allowed to attend the training camp. It was all thanks to them not failing the written exam. " Good for you, Mina-chan."

He then explicated how they, teachers pretending to be villains, made sure to leave them ways to pass, saying that trying seriously to crush them and the failures won't go to the camp training was all a ' rational falsehood '.

Yuu was wrestling a furious fuming red Whisper by that moment. " The world would be better without your rational falsehoods!!"

Iida shuddered in his spot. " I was tricked again! As expected of UA!" He shot up abruptly, his head raised high. " However, since you lied to us twice, our faith in you will waver!"

" Twice?! It was too many times actually!" Whisper objected.

Their teacher's answer to that was that he was going to consider it. However, he firmly stated that all who failed will have extra lessons, harder ones.

Sora sweat dropped at how their mood switched on a whim. Aizawa-sensei... really knows how to hit where it hurts...

________________

" Shirogane-san, are you heading to the infirmary right now?" Midoriya asked as he approached her.

" Yeah. Recovery Girl still has healing to do." She placed her left hand on her right side. " To be honest it is still quite painful."

" Then, let's go together, as you see..." There was no need to continue for her to understand. Before they could leave, Iida and Yaoyorozu distributed training camp guides for everyone. Sora skimmed through it. It offered details and information about the camp as well as what they may need.

" We have a lot of shopping to do," she said looking back at Yuu. It was then that Hagakure suggested going out to shop together during the weekend.

The whole class except Bakugo agreed. Todoroki had to go visit his mother so he also passed.

" That sounds fun. It's been a while since I went shopping with friends." Sora was grinning from ear to ear.

" It's my first time though, going out with friends," Yuu muttered.

" You're excited, aren't you?" Smirked Whisper.

" I'm looking forward to it," He answered, a small smile on his face.

" Well then, the whole of class A is shopping together this Sunday!" Sora pumped up her right fist only for her face to contort in pain, hunching over to subdue the burning sensation. " But first... I need to go to the infirmary..."

________________

  The next day, all of them gathered in front of the shopping mall. " It's swarming with people," Yuu noted.

" Seems it's rather famous," Sora suggested.

Midoriya was murmuring while taking in the displayed goods before Tokoyami told him off for scaring the kids. Sora was surprised when a few people recognized them from the sports festival, making her realize again that all of Japan had been staring at them, literally for hours that day. 

Since everyone wanted different things, they split up and agreed on meeting in the central area around 3 o'clock.

Sora and Yuu ended up going with Iida and Yaoyorozu. " I think I need a new backpack. My current one is pretty old. Also, a water bottle and some new shoes." Sora ticked a list with her fingers. " What about you guys?"

" I will need new shoes as well. Thinking about it, a new pair is better." Iida pointed.

" I will be needing some insect repellent." Yaoyorozu tapped her chin. " Also sun cream."

" Seijin-kun, any special requests?" Iida pointed both hands at him.

The boy thought about it. " First I will need a carry bag too. Also, maybe a flashlight, just in case..."

" What do you mean, just in case?" Whisper gave him a pointed look and Yuu gulped.

"What about you Whisper-san?" Yaoyorozu asked curiously. " Don't spirits need anything in their physical forms?"

" Nope, I require nothing."

" Very well then, our first stop will be for the bags." Sora pointed at a shop not far from them. " Alright?"

They all made sounds of approval.

________________

" Eh! Midoriya was... By a Villain..." Sora couldn't form a coherent phrase when Kirishima came to fetch them up.

Their shopping day was cut short when they had to shut down the place to search for the escapee Villain.

" Midoriya! You alright?!" Everyone was rather worried. It didn't help to see him clutching his neck. " Were you hurt?!"

" Ah, no... It's just..." He couldn't explain it. But Sora could understand just from his aura. He was somewhat afraid.

In the end, the police had taken whatever information they could from them before sending them home. Midoriya was held back for further investigation.

Who could have thought a shopping day would end like that? Maybe Monoma was right. We kind of attract trouble, our class. Speak of Gryffindor. She half-joked.

________________

They finally were sitting down for the Closing Ceremony of the 1st semester. However, while Nezu was giving his speech, Sora couldn't bring herself to register a word of his. Her mind was still hanging at the close call her friend had a few days ago. Having a villain grasp him by the throat, literally, escaping death by a hair's breadth, it was too much. And that could have happened to any of them.

There was evil lurking around, waiting for the best moment to launch on them. That much she could tell. Her friends would be placed in danger at a certain point. 

Her hands clutched her skirt tightly at that idea. She didn't want to be useless again. She didn't want to end up watching while her friends were endangered in from of her eyes again. She still has a long way to go, but she was definitely getting stronger, so she can protect everyone else.

" Finally, I want you all to remember what you have been through this semester." Sora looked up at those very words. " Many of you had faced great obstacles, yet that you managed to get through. I want you to learn from these experiences and hone your skills even more. For those who couldn't get through, don't let it stomp you down. Remember that feeling of frustration and make it into a spur for you to advance."

Nezu's eyes glinted as he looked at each and every one of their faces. " We're definitely not going backward, and we can't stay stuck in one place forever. Always aim higher. Go beyond: Plus Ultra! That's all!"

There was a round of feverish applause from all of them. Sora smiled as those words sank in. " That's right. The path in front of us is still long after all. And all we could do, is embrace it with a Plus Ultra."

Chapter Text

Sora was rather surprised when Midoriya messaged her, telling her about the endurance training in the school's pool. She had rather a peculiar feeling about it.

It was confirmed once he told her it was Mineta and Kiminari's idea. Better warn everyone then.

And so, that's how they ended up using the school swimsuit instead of their own. However, it didn't stop the short boy from ogling at them.

The girls embarked on a game of ball while the boys got into training. From what Sora could see, it was a hard rough one. After almost an hour, Iida told them to take a break while bringing out a cooler full of juice cans.

Yuu had just reached the end of the pool when Iida offered him a hand, pulling him out with a smile. " Thank you."

Iida smiled widely before his attention went in another direction, Midoriya was trying to catch his breath after that long training. " Midoriya-kun."

He looked up as the duo approached. " You've been doing your best I see," Whisper smirked.

" You need to take a break," Iida said offering a canister to him and one other to Yuu. They both thanked him as they popped them open. However, the way Iida was looking at them was rather concerning.

" What?"

Iida just kept smiling. " Nothing, I just thought it was strange." He said taking a seat on a stand. " During the entrance exams, I didn't think I'd end up being good friends with either of you."

Thinking back about it, Yuu didn't as well. As he was especially rebuked by the blunette, it was hard to imagine them getting as close as they were now. Still, despite that, Iida approached them both on the first day of school, more or less apologizing for his behavior. It was thanks to that that they ended up like they were at that moment. Else, he would have been scared of him and wouldn't dare speak to him at all. I'm glad that Iida-san was the one to approach us back then.

He looked back at Midoriya and Iida as they kept recalling the past events from the first semester. A gentle smile formed on his face. Frankly speaking, he didn't expect to make friends at all when he first set foot on the ground of the school. He expected to be shunned and bullied like during elementary and junior high. However, UA proved to be a home for him. He was enjoying his time there that he was dreading the end of the day.

For him who didn't have any place at all in the past, UA was where he would spend more time with Sora and his friends. A place where he was accepted for who he is. Where he was welcomed.

" Seijin-kun..." Yuu blinked when Iida called him, only to realize he spaced out.

" Uh... Sorry..."

" To think about it, I didn't get to ask you, Seijin-kun," Said Midoriya with a smile. " Why did you want to become a hero?"

Yuu fumbled with his can as he racked his mind, trying to recall how it all started. " Maybe it was because I wanted attention..." Both of them blinked at him.

" You see, my family has a very different opinion of my Quirk, so as a kid, I yearned for their attention. Seeing them gathered around the TV and following the news of the top heroes made me think. Maybe if I become one, they would look more at me. That and I wanted to be strong. Strong enough to defend myself against spirits who liked to pull pranks on me."

" Pull pranks on you?"

" Just imagine being asleep in your bed and then feeling something walking over you and seeing a face smiling eerily down at you in the dark."

Midoriya gulped with his eyes wide open.

" That's very terrible!" Iida was waving his hands around rather frantically. " And you were a kid back then! That's unforgivable!"

" They're keeping it up till now, you know." He sweated. " That's why I don't get enough sleep at all most of the time. They don't intend to hurt. Just, they find it funny that a human could see them. So they want to play around. Still, their pranks are really terrifying. And, you can't do anything about them. Back when I was yet four, I thought if I became a hero, then I won't be spooked by them again. But... I've given up on that..."

" Huh?"

" When everyone shuns you, when everyone makes fun of you, you tend to lose confidence in yourself sometimes. You tend to believe their words. So, I too thought I couldn't do it, and gave up on that dream until... I was saved." His eyes landed on Sora who was yet playing with the other girls and his smile became even gentler.

Midoriya and Iida followed his gaze before they got it. " That's how I became determined this time. I didn't have anything back then, so when I got my first friend, I thought I wanted to protect her whatever the cost, and pay her for the kindness she had shown me. I wanted to be a hero who could protect what he holds dear."

Yuu clapped a hand around his mouth when he realized he had ranted for too long. " Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

" Nah, it's fine. This is the first time we get to know more about you, Seijin-kun," Iida stated, waving his hands enthusiastically.

" To think about it, you're a man of few words." Midoriya pointed. " This is the longest I've heard you speaking."

" Unlike you!" Whispered smirked only to be squeezed into Yuu's hands.

" I think he's got a point..." Midoriya laughed awkwardly before smiling at the purple head. " Seijin-kun, you came this far because you had the support of your friend, right?" His eyes flicked at Sora before he held his scathed right arm. " I'm here too thanks to the help of many different people. That's why I need to work harder!"

" Of course!" Bakugo strolled over to them with his usual angry faces and threads of threats and challenges.

" I'm surprised he even came!" Whisper had his eyes wide open at the ash blond before Kirishima held him back, apologizing for being late.

Iida strangely seemed inspired by Bakugo's words as he stated that just training wasn't interesting at all so he suggested a 50-meter swimming race among the boys. The girls joined them, saying they would help with whatever they could.

" I will crush you, Deku!" Bakugo shouted his lungs out at the green head. " You two half-and-half, feather head!"

" Ano..." Sora sweat dropped. " I'm not partaking in this race you know..."

________________

Yaoyorozu made a whistle as she took her place as a referee. The boys formed three groups of five. The first one was made of Kaminari, Bakugo, Koda, Tokoyami and Mineta. The rest of them were grouped by the pool to watch the race. " Who do you think will win, guys?" Ashido asked them.

" I say Bakugo!" Everyone agreed with Sero.

" How terrible of you! You guys think we don't stand a chance!" Mineta roared, his head fuming.

" Do you want to say you can win, shrimp!" Bakugo glared back at him only for Mineta to shrink in fear. Everyone else roared with laughter.

" You know, it somehow feels like the beach episode of an anime. With no beach that is..." Sora pointed with a sweat drop, her friends not getting much of her words.

Upon Yaoyorozu's signal, all five of them dived head first save for Bakugo who sailed above the whole pool with his ' Explosive Speed Turbo '.

Kirishima and Sero were angry that he didn't even swim. " Well... Guess since use of Quirk is allowed, it means that's allowed too..."

The next team was Todoroki, Aoyama, Sero, Kirishima and Yuu. " Shall we go for it?" The purple head locked eyes with the ghost who did a twirl in the air.

" All right!" He then phased through the boy's chest... Though, he didn't come from the other side. Yuu's eyes glowed as he bent down.

" Isn't this different from usual?" Uraraka pointed at Yuu.

" Oh, it doesn't matter." Sora waved her hand. " As a ghost Whisper can Take Over Yuu from in multiple ways. He only prefers the mouth diving thing especially when Yuu is too hesitant to absorb him."

" On your marks... Get set..." And then there was the whistle. Sero tried to jump over the pool too. But Aoyama, who had shot his navel Laser for a while and tired from the long training rammed into him as he had a stomachache. Kirishima shouted on top of his voice as he cut through half the distance, but Yuu overtook him. " Failures should stay at the back!"

" That's rude of you, Whisper!"

Yuu tried to catch up with Todoroki, but the speed of his ice was overwhelming he couldn't do much. Todoroki had already landed when he approached the end of the pool. " Damn it!" Whisper came out through Yuu's mouth this time.

" I told you not to act rude to others."

" I didn't! You did!" He huffed, his arms crossed in front of him, displeased by their loss.

" You were fast." Todoroki helped him out while Kirishima joined them.

" Darn you Whisper! You don't have to add salt to the wound, you know!"

" I said the truth!"

Yuu sighed as he bowed to them. " Sorry about that."

" It's all right, Seijin." Kirishima patted his shoulder with a beaming face before leaving to help Sero and Aoyam.

Yuu then turned over to the white and red-haired boy with a concerned air. " Todoroki-san... I've seen you using it during the final exam but..."

Todoroki looked down at his left hand. " You mean my flames, right? It's still hard to control them so I would rather use them in an emergency." His hand clenched into a fist. " I will decide for what purpose I will use them, to become the hero I wish to be too."

Todoroki's eyes flicked back at the boy. " You may have heard it but I want to say it face to face. Once again, thank you, Seijin."

Yuu's face was lit by a small smile at that. It was far from what Midoriya did. It's not like what Yuu said changed a major thing for Todoroki. Midoriya was the one who saved him. That was sure. Yuu just gave him a nudge of encouragement to take the path Midoriya had opened, that's all.

Still, it was enough for him.

The last group was Shoji, Ojiro, Midoriya, Iida and Sato.

" This one is kind of hard to foretell." Yuu walked back to the group. " We have the strongest, the fastest and the most athletic ones."

" I say it's Iida!" Shouted Ashido.

" Ribbit, but Shoji-chan is good too." Asui inclined her head.

" Midoriya! It's gonna be Midoriya!" Insisted Sora.

" I too say it's Deku-kun!" Uraraka agreed.

The whistle sounded and there were multiple splashes as all of them dove into the water. Iida however chose to accelerate on the rope.

" That one trick again! What are you, a tightrope walker?" Snorted Whisper.

" His balance is admirable though." Pointed Yuu " Even during the sports festival."

" Iida-kun is too perfect I guess." Sora laughed.

However, as fast as he was, Iida lost to Midoriya.

" You were close, Iida!" Ashido cried out.

" So now, it will be a match between all three of them, right?" Asked Hagakure. " Who do you think will win."

" I say Todoroki!" Sora was the first to voice her thoughts. Her face beamed as she looked back at the boy. As she had been through the same training as him during the internship, she once again saw for herself just how amazing the boy was. Even as she had fallen to her knees, beaten up and tired. He still stood again and again, not giving up.

The three of them lined up and hunched over, ready to dive as they activated their Quirks. Still, when Iida blew the whistle, they all plopped down to the water, their Quirks erased. " Don't tell me..."

" It's 5pm." The voice of their teacher rose above their disappointed ones. " Your pool use time had now ended. Hurry up and go home."

Kaminari and some of them tried to argue, but against Eraser Head, no chance at all.

________________

" Haaah! That was fun!" Ashido stretched up beneath the golden sky of dusk. " Who could have thought the boys tagging along would be entertaining!"

" I kind of wished to see the final dash though." Uraraka sighed.

" It's kind of unfair to leave us hanging like that." Hagakure piped in, flailing her arms furiously. Or at least her clothes did.

" It can't be helped. We can't afford to be late." Reasoned Yuu.

" Still, well done in the training today, Midoriya-kun, Seijin-kun. You got me all fired up! I will do my best as well!" Iida said in his unique way of getting excited.

" Here, his odd dance again..." Whisper sweated.

" I was kind of disappointed when they said we should refrain from making any long journeys during the summer but, thinking about it again. I don't think I want to go far after all!" Sora smiled.

" What do you mean, Shirogane-kun?" Iida pointed his hands in her direction with an eyebrow raised up. The rest also seemed curious about her words.

Sora's smile widened as she looked back at UA's building. The huge glass building glimmered in the bath of sun rays, glowing in a golden color. " This is the place I want to be in the most. And you're all the people I want to spend time with! " She flung both her arms at them. " I like this place!"

Jiro smiled while playing around with her right plug. " You're a kid or what?"

" Hey, that's rude!"

" But I agree with you."

" This is the best way to spend summer, ribbit."

" I'm looking forward even more to the training camp!" Chimed Ashido.

" If it's so, I shall get permission again from the teachers to use the pool once more! This time, you girls can join us in our training!" Iida suggested.

" I think we would pass on that..."

" Let's all shed sweat and tears together!"

" He's not listening at all..."

________________

AN:

The upcoming chapters will be following the plot of the first movie; Two Heroes. Please look forward to them.

Chapter Text

When Sora returned home from their little excursion at the school pool she was surprised by her grandmother looking worried and holding her phone in her hand. " What happened?" She asked walking to her.

" I got an invitation to attend the preopening of I-Island's I-Expo. But I must-"

" I-Island!" Sora's eyes flew wide open as she lunged at the tickets her grandmother was showing her, her eyes running back and forth on them. " They're limited tickets! Only dignitaries get those! How did you get them, Grandma?!" Sora asked with twinkling eyes.

Yui was rather surprised by her granddaughter's ecstasy before she remembered the girl was awaiting an answer. " An old acquaintance of our family sent them. Apparently, the man is partaking in the exposition. Yet-"

Once again, Sora cut her with her enthusiastic smile. " We're going to attend right?! Yaomomo and a few other classmates of mine are attending! We can attend too right?!" She was particularly begging her by this point. Yui rubbed her brow with a reluctant pout before finally speaking up.

" I'm sorry, Sora. But I can't go. I have plans for the Neighborhood committee for those days. I can't just ditch them." Sora's eyes lost their glow and that pained her grandmother.

" Well, if you can't go-"

" But if you really want to attend, you can go." Yui's mouth blurted before her own mind processed what she had said. And once again, Sora's face beamed with joy and expectation.

" Really?!"

Yui took a moment to mull over her options before she held a finger at her. " But under one condition..."

________________

As luck had it, Sora ended up boarding the same plane as her classmates. Yaoyoruzu and the rest expressed their surprise to see the girl as they passed her on the way to their seats.

" I didn't know you were attending, Shirogane-san?" Wondered Yaoyoruzu as they stepped off the plane. A scanner confirmed their identities and invitations as they were led to the exit on an automatic pathway.

" It wasn't until a few days later that I got my invitation. Frankly speaking, I didn't expect to get one too. Should be thankful for our family connections." Laughed the girl.

" Then, you're attending the reception party I presume." Yaoyoruzu was partially glowing as she said that. " Have you thought about what you're wearing?"

Sora rubbed her head at that. " Actually, I was planning on skipping on it. I didn't actually bring anything special plus..." She reared her head with a wary smile at the purple-haired boy hiding behind her. " Parties and social gatherings aren't exactly Yuu's cup of tea."

Yui's condition was clear, she mustn't go on her own. Sora's immediate thought was to call Yuu and see if he was free to accompany her. After all, if her grandmother approved of anyone joining her for the trip, it would be her childhood friend and neighbor.

Thankfully the boy had more than enough reason to be away from home for a few days so he accepted the invitation most gratefully.

" I... I can't handle them..." A barely audible whisper came from the purple head.

"Nonsense!" Blurted Yaoyoruzu and Whisper together.

" Parties and social gatherings are some important facets of being a hero. Pro heroes are expected to attend those to maintain their public images and to get to know other heroes as well as make connections." Yaoyoruzu lectured sternly, her finger wagging before both of them.

" Aizawa-sensei doesn't bother with such things though." Pointed Jiro while wrapping her earphone jack around her fingers.

" There are exceptions, but even Aizawa-sensei shows his face once in a while. Even if for a short time."

" I agree! Yaoyoruzu, you should drag those two if you must to attend the party," Whisper stated.

" You want to attend it yourself." Yuu protested but a glare from Whisper made him zip his mouth and speak no more. If a social gathering seemed horrible, Whisper's temper was terrifying. And now that he got the support he needed, he wouldn't allow them to slack off and not attend.

As they exited the airport, all of them were met with the exhilarating view of all the pavilions of I-Island. So many attractions and exhibitions which drew their eyes almost immediately. The streets were teeming with famous heroes from all across the world that the five of them had it hard maintaining their calm and not asking for the autographs of everyone they passed that day.

" So many pro heroes... that's making me nervous..." stammered Yuu as they walked down the lane in their hero suits. They were attracting attention themselves in these, for the other residents and visitors wore casual clothes. The hero course students were allowed to sport their costumes for the tour of the exposition.  

" I wonder if there is even a time you're not feeling nervous at all." Whisper's barbed comment made the boy's head hang even lower.

" Come on boys, play nice." Sora attempted to quench the short-tempered wraith.

" That's right! We came here to enjoy ourselves so let's get going!" Uraraka shot ahead of the group, leading them through whatever I-Expo had to offer.

Jiro enjoyed the music show of the giant harp and the violinist. Uraraka liked to experience floating in the sky without being hit with the aftereffects of her Quirk, courtesy of the flying buoy. Sora could share her same feelings for flying was tiring for her as well, so it was a very much welcomed relief to just sit and enjoy the experience.

Yaoyoruzu's most favorite was the water show as they used multiple geysers of water to bring forth a multitude of forms. The small water animals seemed to gain Yuu's interest.

Finally, they crossed the arboretum to reach their final destination, Yuu's recommendation, the support item exhibition. It was the most energetic any of them had seen the boy during the whole tour. He practically beamed brighter than any light bulb in the whole building.

" I didn't know Seijin was into technology and stuff." Jiro mused in sheer astonishment.

" Yuu's quite into technology himself, you should have seen him decomposing and put together his computer," Said Whisper.

"It's not much." The boy fiddled with his fingers as he turned away from the large capture dome and faced his friends. " It's just, I loved understanding how things worked ever since I was a kid. My parents always complained about me breaking my toys."

As the girls gave a soft chuckle, Sora's ears perked up. " Yuu, did you hear that?" Yuu seemed to have caught the same voice as well seeing how he looked around for something, or rather, someone.

" These two!" Whisper groaned. " I swear, being with them makes me feel deaf. Jiro, would you please." The girl nodded as she plagued her earphone jack into the ground and listened carefully before she nodded in realization.

" This way. " She pointed down to the mobile suit booth and as they approached it, they spotted a certain curly green hair. But the eye-catching blond one by the boy's side incurred their suspicion.

The girl seemed slightly older than them, and by her aura, Sora could say she was enjoying Midoriya's company. As Midoriya stammered some apology to her, Uraraka was the first to reach their side. " You look like you're having fun, Deku-kun."

What's with that face and aura!? Even Sora thought it was hard not to notice the hint of jealousy in her friend's voice.

" U-Uraraka-san?!" Midoriya flinched. " What're you doing here?"

" You look like you're having fun."

Yep, definitely jealous. Sora didn't know if she should find this amusing or if she should pity the boy who was being pushed into a corner by Yaoyoruzu and Jiro.

" Didn't expect you to be that kind of boys, Midoriya." Whisper shook his head in disappointment.

" What kind of boys exactly!" Midoriya hastily introduced them to his companion, a bespectacled girl with bright blue eyes and a beaming smile. Everything about her screamed that she was American. " U-Um, Melissa is just showing me around the expo."

" That's right! My papa and Uncle Might are-" Midoriya hurried to hush her down, though in the process, he forgot just how powerful Yuu and Sora's hearing was.

"Should we tell him?" Whispered Yuu worriedly. He was never one who enjoyed being able to overhear private conversations, especially his friends'.

" Nah, it will only make things awkward," Sora stated with a sweatdrop.

She, as a matter of fact, knew about Midoriya's secret relationship with All Might, although she wasn't fed on the details. She didn't think that both the mentor, who passed down his quirk, and the mentee, who got it, attending I-Expo together was out of the ordinary. But for the rest of them, All Might was just a teacher to Midoriya as any other teacher at UA. So for them to be together on this trip would mean the man was favoring Midoriya. Something that would soil All Might's image as a teacher and she understood why the boy didn't want that known.

Yuu on the other hand, he was never one to judge. Sora had known that much about him. If All Might and Midoriya joined together for the trip, then that's their business, he wouldn't dream of interfering or prying.

In the end, Melissa decided to change the subject and treat them to a spot of tea. They all accepted gladly.

Chapter Text

The older girl showed them to a rather fancy cafe where they sat down, ordered their drinks and the girls enjoyed telling Melissa about their internship. The blonde marveled upon hearing all of their stories.

The two boys and ghost took another table where Yuu was comforting a rather relieved Midoriya. " It's alright, everything is cleared up now, Midoriya-san."

" Though you might want to be more careful from here on," said Whisper.

" I still don't know what did I do wrong," As Midoriya questioned, a hand dropped glasses of juice before them.

" Thanks for waiting."

" That voice..." Midoriya and Yuu turned around just to see a certain blond with a zigzag of black running across his bang in a waiter suit. " Kaminari-san!?"

" And Mineta-kun?!" Upon seeing the short boy with ball-shaped hair, a chill ran down Sora's spine. The embodiment of lust of their class seemed to follow them wherever they went.

" What are you two doing?" Asked Jiro who wasn't any less surprised to run into the duo than the rest of them. Kaminari flashed them a thumbs up as he explained that they had applied as staff for the expo. Sora was sensing other thoughts from the shorter boy. It was soon proven as both boys begged Midoriya and Yuu to introduce them once their eyes fell on Melissa.

These two... The girl sighed as she pinched her nose tightly.

" What are you standing around talking for?!" A voice shouted, disturbing the two boys who had posed around to impress the older girl. Before they knew it, Kaminari and Mineta had fallen down by Iida's, their class president, feet. The blunette was quite irritated upon witnessing his classmates slacking during their work hours.

" The ever so earnest class rep." Whisper snorted.

" I come from a family of heroes, so we received an invitation from I-Expo." When asked, Iida explained as he turned back to them, moving his arms around like some robot. " But my family was busy, so I'm the only one who came."

Yaoyorozu was surprised to hear that. Seeing how her father held some of I-Expo's sponsors' stock, she too was given an invitation. And since her parents couldn't come, she decided on taking two of her classmates. Sora could recall when they picked the two winners with a rock-paper-scissors game which she obviously lost. She didn't expect to receive an invitation of her own a few days later though.

Their other classmates were on the island too, but they would only be allowed to tour the venue when it was open to the public. Melissa was more than eager to jump at the opportunity of accompanying them and showing them around the island.

Just at that moment, they heard a loud rumble and the ground beneath them shuddered for a second. The past few months made them tense and think it was a villain attack, it only worsened when Midoriya spotted the plume of smoke climbing out of one of the pavilions, a rocky mountain one. It took Melissa a few moments to calm them down. " It's alright, don't you worry. It's just an attraction."

" I'm not sure attractions are supposed to emit fume." Protested Iida, his chopping motion growing fast it was hard to see his hand anymore.

" Fair enough, why don't I take you all there," Melissa said with a bright smile.

________________

Needless to say, Kaminari and Mineta couldn't join their little excursion. So it was only the eight of them. Melissa flung her arm at the attraction which consisted of several synthetic mountains and waterfalls flanked by bleachers for spectaculars. As they reached it, Kirishima's face, their spiky red-haired classmate, smirked at them through the hologram screens hovering overhead.

" Clear time, 33 seconds! Eighth place!" The MC announced as Midoriya and Sora leaned over the railing to get a better look.

" Now, the next challenger is..."

" What the heck!" Whisper's eyes bugged out of their sockets as he saw the ash-blond boy marching proudly forward.

" Ka... Kacchan?!" Exclaimed the green-haired boy.

" Now, villain attack! Ready... go!" With a loud eruption, Bakugo soared overhead, blasting every single faux villain in his path.

" Die!" He finished the last one as the MC gaped at his time.

" This is amazing! He cleared it in 15 seconds! He's in the first place!" Bakugo had a smug smile on his face as he landed, which was only distorted by the mention of his archenemesis, Midoriya.

Bakugo flew to the railing, shouting his lungs out at his childhood friend, though it was yet subjected to doubt. " Why are you here?!"

" S-Stop that, Kacchan. People are watching-"

" So what?!"

" A delinquent and a nerd." Whisper shook his head. " How came those two even coexisted for this long."

Yuu made a point of keeping as far away as possible from Bakugo. " Don't invoke his fury." He told the ghost. But Bakugo was far more occupied with Midoriya to notice any of the others. Iida stepped in, feeling the duty as their class representative to put an end to the squabble. Melissa was at a loss for words upon seeing him, Sora could understand why. It was hard to imagine someone constantly angry.

" Though, why are they here?" The white head questioned tilting her head in confusion.

" Bakugo-san is the winner of the sports festival, of course, he would be invited." Pointed Yuu when he felt it was safe to come out from behind his friend. Soon, they could hear Kirishima confirming their guess to Yaoyorozu.

" What, are you all going to try that now?" Asked Kirishima pointing to the hills behind him.

" I want to! What about you, Yuu?" The boy shook his head.

" I promised Kyubi not to summon her before the training camp. She needs a break."

" What about Thunderbird?" Asked Whisper and a pall fell over the boy's face.

" Let's... not bother him for now..."

" You still fear him, even after that show you put in the final exam." Seeing Yuu hiding under his hood, Whisper gave a long tired sigh he almost deflated.

In the end, Midoriya went first, much obliged by Bakugo. He ended the race in 16 seconds.

Sora went after him. She called forth her large snowy wings as she waited for the signal. " Villain attack! Ready... Go!" Sora kicked the ground and soared up high.

This challenge depended on how fast she could spot the villains and deal with them. Flying as high as she could would give her a clear understanding of the area and the whereabouts of the enemy. Once memorizing all of them, she swept down at a neck-breaking speed. She kicked the first robot, sending its head spinning a few feet away from it. She punched the second in the chest and slammed the third onto the wall of rocks with her speed. Before she knew it, she had dropped on the last one with an axe kick and her timing was announced.

" 18 seconds! She's taken third place!"

" Man, I thought I could catch up with Midoriya. Maybe I needed to warm up first." She rubbed her head as she joined her friends.

" Sora-chan, you're really fast." Uraraka offered her a smile. " You got very close to both Deku-kun and Bakugo-kun."

" The hell no! I told you I'm going there again and-" He was cut off by a tremor and a shout from beneath them.

" Wow! Wow! Wow!" In an instant, the whole challenge ground was coated in ice. " F-Fourteen seconds! He's jumped to the top!"

" Todoroki!" Sora leaned further to take a glimpse of their white and red-haired friend.

" Seems most of your class is here already." Pointed Whisper.

" What are the odds." Sora smiled broadly as she waved at the boy. " Todoroki! Kyaaa!" She shouted when Bakugo blasted from behind them and to the other boy, shouting at him. Iida hurried down to prevent a possible brawl and to maintain UA's public image. Midoriya and Kirishima jumped to his assistance and the platform became rowdier.

As Melissa laughed, all the girls lowered their heads, feeling embarrassed by their classmates' attitude. Yuu was trying to steal away wasn't it for Whisper who kept him on the spot while tightening his grasp around his neck. " Oh, I'm sorry." Apologized the girl once she realized the shift in the atmosphere around her. " I was just thinking you guys seem to have fun at UA."

" It's never boring at least," Yaoyorozu stated as they watched Bakugo being restrained by his classmates broadcast across all the screens of the area.

" It's more like a freak show." Snorted Whisper.

________________

After a long apology to the staff of the pavilion, each group went on their own, keen on not meeting again. Yuu gave a tired sigh as they were a good distance from the villain attack challenge. " I seriously thought we would be getting a long lecture."

" I'm ashamed that our actions are bringing dishonor to our esteemed school and all of its faculties!" Iida expressed his disappointment with sharp swings of his arms. Sora ducked before one of them could smack her square in the face.

" It's over anyway. So let's focus on enjoying the rest of the I-Expo. Any requests?" The short girl asked them and everyone proposed something or another. But seeing that there was hardly any time left before the closure of the expo, they had to pick one last pavilion, and that was the planetarium which Sora suggested.

" Each of us went at least to one of the pavilions they wanted to visit," said Yaoyorozu. " Only you didn't get to visit any of yours."

" It's our duty as the class representatives to keep things fair." Agreed Iida with a broad smile.

" Is everyone okay with this?" Sora didn't want to rob anyone of the chance to enjoy themselves.

" Don't sweat it. The planetarium is on my list too." Beamed an excited Uraraka.

And with that, the group set for the large space-themed dome. It was a strange building, Sora noted, for it was hard to see where the floor ended and where the walls began. And with how spacious it was, it gave them the feeling of walking across the galaxy. Some constellation holograms floated about, catching their attention from time to time. Once or twice, they spotted a comet zooming right past them.

" They say it's a presentation of our galaxy in real-time," blurted the older girl. " It's really impressive how they can capture the whole of a space traveling experience in a small building. If only the zero gravity feature could be implemented here."

" That's something I can help with!" Beamed Uraraka as she walked to the girl from behind and touched her waist, her fingertips glowed in pink as she rendered her weightless before hauling her up. Melissa floated across the room and turned to them with a bright smile. " Who is next in line!"

" Me! Ochaco-chan, me!" Sora was the first to rush to her friend and get thrown into the air, joining Melissa as they giggled happily. One by one, the rest followed while Iida swam across the starry sky replica.

" He's definitely enjoying this," remarked Whisper with a teasing smirk.

" It's an opportunity for me to practice my swimming skills," Iida retorted.

" But of course, back in the pool, you hardly swam at all." The ghost giggled before Yuu managed to squeeze his head and shut him.

" Please, let us have one single attraction without you making fun of someone."

As Melissa laughed at the UA students' antics, she seemed to remember something. " All of you guys are going to the reception party tonight, right?" They nodded. " Well, that's great. I will be glad to keep you company for the whole night. Tell me more about the hero course alright."

" I will tell you everything I know about these weirdos," said Whisper.

" Whisper-kun, you should keep in mind that we have a duty of upholding UA's reputation." Iida reminded him.

" Yes of course I know." The ghost rolled his eyes.

" Speaking of that." Propelling himself towards them with a breaststroke, Iida expressed some concern in his voice. " I was actually wondering if it was possible for us to attend as a group to tonight's party."

" I see, that way, we wouldn't be searching for each other in the venue." Yaoyorozu was immediately in on the idea.

" Sounds good to me." Joined Sora.

" And with all of you there I can make sure this scaredy cat won't be ditching the party midway," said Whisper as he pointed down at a nervous Yuu. The boy blinked his eyes as he remembered something.

" What about the rest of our classmates?"

" I will be in charge of contacting them about the meeting time and spot." Shot Iida with his hand held high.

" Yeah, but what about Kaminari-san and Mineta-san?" He added.

" Right, those two came as staff members, so I doubt they would be allowed into the party." Sora mused.

" The two from the cafe, right." Melissa wore a brilliant smile as she spoke up. " I have spare tickets so I can give them away."

Everyone looked back at her in surprise. " Are you sure, we don't want to cause you any trouble?" Voiced Iida.

" No troubles at all." The girl shook her head. " A few friends whom I wanted to invite turned out to have plans so I was left with those tickets and didn't know what to do with them. If it helps your classmates, then I don't mind."

" You have our gratitude, Melissa-kun!" Iida attempted to give his most genuine bow only to be sent whirling down to the ground.

________________

" Today, we will be closing at 6 p.m. Thank you for coming."

They could hear the last calls for the expo's closure as they made it back to the cafe only to find Kaminari and Mineta slumped down like two lumps of meat by the door.

" Mineta-kun, Kaminari-kun! Good work today!" Midoriya waved at them, incurring their attention.

" You both worked hard today, huh?" There was a hint of pride in Iida's voice before he presented them with the two tickets. The two boys were deeply moved by that and nearly began worshipping Melissa.

Though Sora had some doubts about the whole ordeal, the best she could do is hope neither of them would try something funny during the party filled to the brim with pro heroes from all across the world.

When they were allowed to leave to get changed, Yaoyorozu lost no time at all dragging the other girls with her, promising them that she would set them up in no time.

As he was left behind, Yuu thought it was his chance to escape, albeit Iida came back rushing at full throttle. " Apologies, Seijin-kun! I forgot that you might not be prepared for the party, so I will be helping you!"

" There is no need for that, Iida-san..." Yuu tried to turn him down only to be dragged along by the larger boy.

" Do not be shy, I shan't leave my friend when in need. I should make sure you're in top shape." 

Chapter Text

 When they reached the lobby of the central tower, they found the boys all gathered in there save for Bakugo and Kirishima. Iida seemed annoyed at how late they were. " Sorry, but Yaomomo wouldn't let us go before she was all satisfied with our outfits." The white head cradled the back of her head.

She was clad in an azure-colored dress that brushed the top of her knees with a white waistband, white knickers and bright blue bow dress shoes. The dress receded around Sora's back, revealing it while its collar wrapped around her neck in a nice bow. Yaoyoruzu had managed to free her hair from its accustomed plaids and comb it back into a half-up braided tail.

" Yaoyorozu did a good job." Remarked Todoroki as he approached her. The girl gave a sheepish smile.

" What do you think of it, Yuu?" She asked worriedly when she noticed Yuu staring for so long.

The purple head was clad in a crimson simple tux with a black shirt, blue necktie and black dress shoes. Whisper, somehow, managed to manifest a small tie on him as well. Seeing as the boy didn't even utter a word to answer her, Whisper clouted him on the head. Yuu rubbed the lump he got before turning back to Sora. " Astonishing. You look astonishing."

" You look handsome too." Sora complimented.

" Though I've borrowed it from Iida-san."

" I borrowed mine from Yaomomo." Sora laughed when the doors flung open, leading in a sprinting Melissa, making Kaminari and Mineta kneel before her.

" All that's left now are Bakugo and Kirishima." Pointed Todoroki.

" Those two are really late." Iida seemed to grow impatient by the moment.

Suddenly, some kind of warning permeated the whole island. " This is an announcement by the I-Island security system. We have received a report from the security system that an explosive device was placed in the I-Expo area. I-Island will now be in high alert mode. Residents and tourists should return to their homes or lodgings. Those that have come a long way should go and wait at the nearest evacuation center. Anyone still outside ten minutes from now may be arrested without warning. Please refrain from going outdoors. In addition, most of the main buildings will be sealed off by the security system."

They all turned around to see the doors and windows getting blocked by metallic shutters.

" What's happening here?" Sora wasn't sure that was the appropriate way of dealing with plausible bombs.

" Bakugo-san and Kirishima-san, they're still outside.," Yuu said as he reached for his phone only to find there was no signal at all. " No signal?"

" My phone has no signal too," blurted Todoroki. "It looks like all reports are being blocked."

" And these shutters are soundproof. I can't hear a thing across," said Sora knocking on one of them.

" The elevator isn't responding either," stated Jiro as she plummeted the button.

" I don't believe the security system would switch to high alert mode just because they found something explosive." Melissa seemed to doubt the situation.

" Speak of exaggeration." Snorted Whisper.

" Iida-kun," Midoriya spoke up then. " Let's go to where the party is being held."

" Why?"

" Because All Might is at the party." Upon hearing these words, she could see relief hitting all of them. But of course, if the symbol of peace was there, then there was no reason to fret. Or so they hopped. With Melissa's suggestion to use the emergency stairs, they hurried to the party floor.

________________

As they peered down at the party venue from above, the situation didn't seem promising at all. All of the heroes, even All Might, were tethered and sprawled on the ground unable to move.

" Wh... what's happening here?" Uraraka couldn't believe her eyes.

" Bombs, huh? Doesn't seem like the case." Yuu's eyes narrowed at the armed men strewn around the place.

" Can you hear anything, Seijin, Shirogane?" Sora and Yuu shook their heads at Todoroki.

" I can." Jiro stepped forward, flaunting her earlobe before them.

" Alright, we need to get All Might's attention first," Midoriya said taking out his phone from his pocket. " Everyone stand back, we don't want them noticing us."

With a collective nod, they all backed as the boy used the flash feature of his phone to draw All Might's attention. It seemed to work, for he mimed something to the man. They could all see Jiro's face growing dim by the moment as she listened to whatever All Might had to say before turning to Midoriya. " Th-This is bad, Midoriya."

They decided to take the talk back to the emergency stairs out of fear of being found by the villains. Jiro told them everything about the island being hijacked by the villains and the heroes being unable to retaliate.

Being the ever so responsible class representative he was, Iida's immediate thought was to follow All Might's orders, find a way out and ask for help. Yaoyorozu seconded that thought.

However, their enthusiasm was soon thwarted as Melissa pointed out that the defense of the facility was on the same level as Tartarus.

" An inescapable prison." Yuu summed.

" Then, all we can do is wait until help comes..." Kaminari's suggestion didn't settle well with them too. Jiro was the first to voice her disagreement.

" You don't feel like you should go help?"

Sora looked back at the door leading into the main hallway. They were close, so close. Why can't they offer a hand? She couldn't accept that the only thing that was left for them was to wait. They were never taught to stand still. " If we turn around at this point, then what does that make us?" She said looking back at all of her classmates with a dead serious glance.

Todoroki got what she meant and held up his hand. " We're trying to become heroes."

" Yes, but we're still not allowed to work as heroes-" Yaoyorozu protested but Todoroki's resolve wouldn't be shaken that easily.

" Does that mean it's all right for us to not do anything?"

" Th-that's..." Silence. Midoriya then voiced his own thoughts.

" I want to save them."

" Deku-kun?"

" I want to go save them."

" You're all planning to go fight villains. Didn't you learn anything from UA's USJ, all of you?!"

" It's not like that, Mineta-kun. I've thought about it. We need a way we can save All Mighty and the others without fighting the villains."

" I understand your feelings, but is there something that convenient..."

" Even if it's hard, I still want to try!" Midoriya persisted. " I want to look for the best way possible and then go save everyone!"

" Deku-kun." They fell silent, each trying to marshal their own thoughts.

" Let's give it a try." They all turned to Yuu as he spoke. He was the last one they expected to agree to that reckless thought. " I know it's risky. But right now, this is the only best next thing we could afford. Those villains are here for something, and unless we can alert the heroes outside, they would slip away unnoticed."

" Seijin-kun..." Iida didn't know if the Yuu who was talking to them was his usual self or Whisper's takeover, for he wore a confident air all over him.

" We don't necessarily have to fight." He looked at Midoriya and then the rest, trying to convince them. " We only need to contact those outside. Or even hack the system..."

Melissa stepped forward then. " I-Island's security system is on the top floor of this tower. If the villains have taken control of the system, then the authentication locks and passwords should have been disabled. We should be able to restart the system. We just need to get away from the eyes of the villains and get to the top floor... Then, maybe we can save everyone."

" Melissa-san."

" What do you mean by 'get away from the eyes of the villains'? How?" Jiro didn't want to lose the chance that showed before them.

" Currently, none of us have actually been harmed. I think the villains aren't used to working with the security system." Pointed the blonde girl.

" Avoid fighting and get the system back to normal, huh? I see." Todoroki summed.

" It's like the final exam, we need to escape and find help. Only we can't escape this building," Yuu stated just as Whisper phased through the wall and took his spot around Yuu's shoulders.

" There are no villains all over the other floors. The only problem would be the security system, the cameras and the robots. But you guys know how to deal with them after all." The ghost smirked.

" We could do it, don't you think?" Cheered Kaminari as he got fired.

" Yeah." Jiro agreed.

" Even if they're not spread across the building, the villains are waiting on the top floor..."

" There's no need to fight!" Midoriya shot. " If we get the system back to normal, then All Mighty and the hostages will be released. When that happens, the tables will be turned in an instant!"

" Deku-kun, let's do it!" Uraraka jumped, her fists clenched, incurring their surprised looks. " I don't want to sit around doing nothing if there's something we can do. I think that's something that's more important than whether we're heroes or not."

" Yeah, let's help the people who need us." Midoriya jumped to her side. " Let's do what our natural instincts are telling us to do."

" Yeah!"

One by one, their friends were joining in on the plan, even Mineta who was trembling in fear a moment ago. Iida made it clear that continuing or retreating depended on his words and everyone seemed fine with that. Sora and Yuu exchanged satisfied smiles as they declared their resolve out loud like the rest. That alone helped them steel their resolution even further.

Finally, Melissa joined them as well, seeing as how no one else could restart the system except for her.

" Let's go and save everyone!" A collective node from all of them was their response.

Chapter Text

After Midoriya went to inform All Might of their decision, all of them rushed out of the lounge, climbing the large stairs. By the time they reached the 30th floor, Melissa revealed that the tower had 170 more floors to offer before they could even dream to see the security system.

" We have to climb that much?!" Mineta almost started bawling then and there.

" You've seen just how tall this building is." Whisper pointed.

" If only I could get outside." Sora looked at the wall as though it would collapse and let her out.

" That would be risky. Plus, it will take a toll on you to reach that height." Pointed Yuu. " We shouldn't be wasting time here." Pushing through the fatigue and lassitude, they climbed as far as the 80th floor before they were dithered by a shutter. As they were considering with to break it or not. Mineta made the mistake of opening the door.

" What did you do!" Whisper for once lashed out at someone other than Yuu. " Now the villains are sure to find out about us!"

" The damage is already done," Yuu said as he struggled to keep Whisper from chewing on Mineta and spitting him out. " We better hurry up before they get a chance at attacking us."

" Then no use tarrying here!" Todoroki stated as he ran past the door. The rest of them caught up, tearing down the hallway surrounding the floor. Sora felt the hair on the back of her neck prickling up and she started looking around. True to her feelings, security cameras were fixed on them.

" What's the matter, Shirogane?" Todoroki snapped when he noticed the girl's feverish looks.

" Don't bother. Hurry up guys!" She said speeding up her pace. Melissa mentioned the second stairs, but as soon as the words left her mouth, all shutters were snapped closed. Todoroki jammed his ice into the last one to keep it open while Iida used his engine to kick open the door to the floor lounge.

" Let's cross inside here!" Iida becked them inside. They ran across the plant factory, hoping to reach the stairs when Jiro spotted the lift climbing up. When Midoriya suggested hiding, Yuu pointed to a spot behind some bushes. It was well hidden and allowed them to watch the elevator. Two people stepped out, a tall man and a squat one. Judging by their clothes, they were the same villains from downstairs.

The footsteps echoed and got louder. The students ducked lower, holding their breath and begging that those two would go away.

" I've found you, you damn kids!" Hearing that, Yuu thought they were done for. But the voice that came after that was the last thing they expected.

" Huh? What did you say, you bastard?"

" Bakugo-san!?" Yuu risked peeking about the hedges to see both Bakugo and Kirishima facing against the villains.

" Why are those two here? I thought they didn't make it in time?" Asked Sora in bewilderment.

" Beat me!" Shouted Whisper as he craned his body to get a better glimpse of what was happening outside. " What are those two doing? Kirishima you idiot! Those are villains!"

Just as the taller one launched an attack at an oblivious Kirishima, Todoroki acted and pulled a shield of ice, but even that was hardly keeping. Todoroki then prioritized getting them away. He summoned forth a platform of ice and hauled them to the top of the metal bridges. " I'll be right behind you after I clean this up."

" Todoroki-san..."

" Get yourselves together soldiers!" Whisper yelled at them. " What matters now is to get to the security system, so we can save him and everyone else! Remember!"

" Then let's move! The faster we get things under control the better!" Sora jumped down to the bridge and made for the closest door. Iida wrecked it down only to find the path from there on blocked.

" We're like mice caught in a bag!" Whined Mineta.

" Stop complaining like a baby! There is no place for another scaredy cat here! Yuu is enough!"

" Thank you for your kind words, Whisper. " Said Yuu in a disheartened tone before his eyes caught something. " Midoriya-san, Melissa-san, look." He pointed at a small door on the ceiling.

" Is it a door?"

" The maintenance room for the sunlight system!" Said Melissa as she took a step closer to the edge.

Iida was relieved over the fact that it might have an emergency ladder, but it was thwarted by the fact that it need to be accessed manually from the inside.

" There's still a possibility," Yaoyoruzu told them. Putting her hand to her chest, she created a small bomb and threw it at a vent. It clung to the metal before blowing it off. " If you go outside through the space in the vent, you can use the outside wall to get to the top floor."

" That's right! As long as there's something similar up top-" Uraraka began.

" We can get inside!" Finished Melissa with all the excitement she could master in such a situation. Seeing how cramped the place would be and the height of the tower, Mineta was their man for the mission.

Mineta refused vehemently but a few words from Kaminari and some pleas from Uraraka and Jiro managed to sway him.

" Harem, harem." The boy muttered with a wide perverted smile as Sora flew him up to the door. They waited for a few minutes, trying their best to ignore the raging rumbling of the battle behind them before the door opened and the ladder came down. Sora hurriedly helped them all onto it before joining them. Soon they were inside the maintenance room and Mineta was left glowing as Melissa complimented him.

They continued from there with Jiro smashing every security camera in their way so to keep the villains from finding their trajectory. " Hope Todoroki is alright."

" He has that delinquent with him, you shouldn't worry about him," said Whisper.

" That's right. They're both the top of the sports festival, if anyone could handle those villains it would be them." Added Yuu.

They climbed all the way up to the 130 floor and there was no single shutter closed. That was rather worrying. Yuu couldn't help but feel they were being led somewhere.

" Even so, to get just a little further up...we'll go where they want us to go." Blurted the green head.

He isn't afraid to face whatever obstacles in order to attain his goal. Even though he knows exactly that they might be waiting for us, he is pushing forward with unwavering steps. Yuu noted, watching the back of Midoriya as he ran ahead of him. As I thought, Midoriya-san is so cool.

When they had to go across the floor, they were surprised to find a herd of robots prowling the place. Reluctant to step in just yet, Midoriya and Iida kept watch from the window of the door. But they already had a plan, as the two were scouting the area, Yaoyoruzu created an insulant tarp big enough to accommodate all of them. " Let's go with Plan A, then." Iida nodded his head and Kaminari was flung inside by their class representative, striking the bots with his electricity.

At first, it didn't seem to work and the bots went into defense mode, but the blond managed to overpower them and they frizzled. However, Kaminari's brain short-circuited soon from the strong shock albeit the robots were still functional despite their charred state. " That's cheating! How come they could take that!" Complained Sora.

Yaoyoruzu then created some kind of smoke bombs to jam their communication and all of them partook in throwing those. " Plan B sounds promising!" Cheered Whisper when he saw them running into each other.

Mineta used his freshly picked balls to thwart their advance as they stuck to the ground. " They're unable to move on- they can jump!" Yuu was at a loss for words when some of them leapt over the front rows, still stuck, and made for them.

" Don't dare touch a single hair of him!" A raging blue fire fell before them and the nine-tailed beast flung its fire at them.

" Kyubi!" The girls cheered seeing the familiar fox standing before them.

" What took you so long! Yuu called for you since the moment we knew of the villains!" Whisper complained, flailing a fist angrily at her.

" I'm sorry, but I had my hands full somewhere. A friend of mine had to be put in place." Kyubi lowered her head ruefully before glaring back at the bots. " But I'm here now! I will be taking care of them!"

" We're helping! Let's go, Midoriya-kun!" Iida and Midoriya, who was using some kind of support item in the form of a red gauntlet, joined the fox in the annihilation of the red bots.

Iida made a turn and grabbed Kaminari who was flung midair by the boy's airwave. " Jiro-kun, where are the machines coming from?"

" There's more coming from the left!"

" Then right we should go!" Roared Kyubi as she opened a way for them.

Chapter Text

They kept checking for the security machines as they continued their ascendance. But upon reaching the 138th floor, they were greeted with an army of those.

" They were inactive so Jiro-san didn't hear them." Yuu presumed.

As they attempted to fight back, Melissa stopped them.

" If the servers here are damaged, they would affect the security system, too."

" So we can't fight recklessly here." The ghost clicked his tongue at that.

More bots fell from above, gleaning and approaching them threateningly. " Midoriya-san, you take Melissa-san and go on!" Yuu shouted.

" Seijin-kun..."

" There is no more time to lose."

" We'll stop the security machines here." Joined in Yaoyorozu as she crouched down, creating something large and long. Iida let Kaminari down too, ready to embark on a fight himself.

Midoriya wasted no second as he turned back. " Ochaco-san, Sora-san, come with us!"

" But!" Sora looked worriedly at her friend.

" Don't you worry about me." Yuu's eyes shone brightly as he powered his spirit fox. Kyubi's fires enlarged and brightened. " Save everyone, Sora!"

Sora frowned deeply, she gave a single nod and left with Melissa and Uraraka.

" Be careful soldiers! Keep away from the servers!" Whisper reminded. " Oh, and there's Kaminari too..."

"Yay!" The boy held two thumbs up at them.

" I don't need to be told twice. Fire Fox Inferno!"

" Recipro-Burst!" Iida and Kyubi started the attack while Yaoyoruzu, Jiro and Mineta backed them up with slime bombs and sticky balls.

" Sora... it's in your hands." Yuu muttered to himself before turning to Whisper, making a rather unbelievable request.

________________

As the four of them scurried down the hallway, Sora tried her best to block the tremors and loud explosions echoing behind her from her mind. She kept running, so long as her body moved, her worries and thoughts wouldn't catch up.

" Deku-kun, you can't stop!" Uraraka shouted seeing Midoriya halt for a moment, promoting him to continue onward. " If we get caught here, then there was no point in Iida and the others staying behind!"

" Ochaco-chan is right! Midoriya, let's not waste the precious time they gave us!" Sora agreed with her. She would never forgive herself if Yuu ended up getting hurt for nothing. " You can depend on me, Yuu!"

By the time Sora and the rest climbed ten floors worth of stairs, their friends were still putting a fight. However, their performance was receding. Yuu clicked his tongue as he realized his friends had already reached their limit and were keeping up by willpower. He was no different from them, his mind was becoming blanker by the moment and he was hardly keeping his eyes open.

It wasn't before long that Iida's engine stalled and he was surrounded. " Kyubi!" A stream of blue fire sent the bots flying away from him.

" Thank you Seijin-kun! Seijin-kun!?" Iida turned to his classmate only to realize the state he was in.

" Sorry... Iida-san... I think I've reached my limit..." And he flopped forward only for Iida to grab him before he fell on the ground. Kyubi disappeared in a flash of blue fire. Yaoyoruzu and Mineta were unable to continue their attacks as well and the robots ended up catching all of them in their weirs.

________________

" That door!" Melissa pointed before Midoriya smashed it open, only for a ghast of wind to lash at them. It's leading to the outside?

The first thing that came into sight was a giant pillar supporting rows and rows of large propellers. " Th-This is..." Midoriya questioned as he surveyed the place.

" The wind power generator system," Melissa answered.

" Why here?"

" Are we going to attempt to reach the top floor from here?" Asked Sora, her wings already out and ready to flap.

" Yeah. If we go through the tower, the security machines are probably waiting to ambush us. So we'll go up to the top all at once from here." She stopped and pointed at the top of the pillar. " If we can just get to that emergency exit... "They looked up to see a metal bridge leading to a small door above the highest row of the propellers.

" I don't think it will be a problem for me." Said Sora craning her neck to look at the door.

" If we have Ochaco's Quirk that lets everything she touches weightless, then we can do it."

She is quivering. Sora knew the other two realized that as well. It was expected, after all, Melissa was experiencing hero work herself for the first time. It was their duty to assure her and make her feel safe. All three of them exchanged nods before the brunette nodded. " Right. Leave it to me."

Time was a key there. And as their teacher said, it didn't grow on trees. So it was decided that Sora will be escorting only Melissa and Midoriya for Uraraka would get nauseous if she used her Quirk on herself and if Sora was to haul her then she would slow her down.

" You guys hold on tight," Sora told them the moment she felt Uraraka's Quirk activated and she hit the air with her wings, lifting them both.

The girl winced as she was hit by a strong gale and flapped her wings harder to maintain her balance. Flying at that attitude was hard and the wind was relentless, advancing up was an arduous feat. It was a good thing she kept her weight or the three of them would have been blown.

No sooner than they got a few letters away from Uraraka than the doors flung open, leading in countless of bots, all of which ready to capture her.

" Uraraka-san!" Shouted Midoriya realizing the danged looming over their friend.

" Release your Quirk and run away!"

" I will keep them up!" Added Sora.

" I can't! If I do that, then we can't save everyone!"

" Ochaco-san!" Seeing her friend's resolution, Sora knew there was only one way to get it over with. Faster! I must get them to the bridge faster!

She flapped her wings feverishly, trying to reach the door as soon as possible. Only for the bridge to be taken over by bots. " No way!" Sora shouted as she halted a few meters away from her destination.

An explosion caught their attention and they looked down to see Bakugo, Kirishima and Todoroki defending Uraraka. Sora's eyes widened at the ghost wrapped around Todoroki's shoulders. " Whisper!"

" Yuu told me to get back up for you guys!" Whisper held a thumb up at the trio flying overhead.

" We owe you for making the journey quick, Whisper. We're going to stop these guys right here!" Ice shards shot before him and pressed upon the security machines.

" Don't tell me... what to do!" Shouted Bakugo through his explosions.

" But you guys are a good team!" Remarked Kirishima who was smacking their enemies with his hardened hands.

" As if!"

Heaving a breath of relief, Sora began wondering about their next move. The door was no more an option for them and her two passengers needed to get inside. She looked around for any other possible entrance before an idea struck her. " Midoriya, get ready to smash!" She said thrusting him to the side. " Todoroki! Correct their trajectory!"

" Got it! Bakugo! Aim the propeller at Midoriya!"

" I said don't tell me what to do!" Though he protested, the blond tipped one of the giant fans to the side with an explosion. Todoroki used his fire to generate an air current which kept them from blowing away and boosted their speed. Midoriya then used his gauntlet to punch a hole into the wall and both he and Melissa fell down inside the building when Uraraka released her Quirk.

She was terrified upon realizing a villain was waiting for them inside, and once Midoriya was pushed out, hanging by the ledge, she almost flew over to them. However, Midoriya managed to handle him and proceed on.

When she was assured about their friends' safety, Sora swept down to join the fight with the bots. " What about Yuu?" She asked hauling one of the robots up and dropping it down with all her might at the others, knocking them down the building side.

" It seems he had passed out! I've been using my energy for a while now!" Whisper stated.

Hearing that, the girl clicked her tongue, worried about what might become of her friends. Midoriya... please, save them...

Chapter Text

Just when things seemed tough and they were all pushed to the edge, the machines froze and deactivated. At first, they were reluctant to believe it actually ended. But a few moments without being assaulted was enough to convince them. " Midoriya did it!" Cheered Sora.

A few floors beneath them, Iida and the rest were also freed of their ropes and were relishing their freedom. " Midoriya-kun and the rest did it! You hear that Seijin-kun! They did it!" Shouted an ecstatic Iida who kept on shaking the purple head, trying to wake him up.

All over I-Island, the security system was safely restored and the heroes captured in the venue of the reception party were all freed of their bounds.

Yet unbeknown to any of them, the fight was still raging on...

________________

" Yuu!" Sora ran to check on her friend who was being hauled by Iida.

" Don't worry, he just passed out." Assured Iida.

" Man, what should I do with you?! Always so reckless!" Complained Whisper while resuming his spot.

" The elevator." Jiro pointed at the panel above them and they could see the elevator climbing their way.

" Is it them? Are the villains still after us!?" Mineta cried but with a soft ding, the elevator opened up to reveal an empty space.

" It's Melissa-san. She wants us to join them on the top floor," said Sora. And so, they all climbed into the lift which sped upwards the length of the building.

But then, a strong churn happened that the lights flicked for a moment. " What was that?" Asked Todoroki worriedly. The elevator's doors opened to what seemed like the aftermath of a fight. Smashed walls, contorted rodes of steel and chunks of concrete strewn about the place.

Jiro quickly plugged her earphone jack into the nearest wall and listened on. " A fight... it's happening above us!"

" Above us? But that would be the roof?!" Exclaimed Yaoyoruzu.

" Could it be, Midoriya is fighting on his own." Everyone heard the hint of worry in Todoroki's voice.

" Let's go! If it's true then it's our duty as his classmates to support him!" Stated Iida as he looked around for stairs or anything that could lead them up.

" But-" Sora wanted to point out that they could hardly fight anymore, save for her, Bkaugo, Todoroki and Kirishima. But seeing how worried all of them were, she couldn't say that. Instead, they followed Iida as he ran up the nearest stare case.

" This way, Kaminari!" Said Mineta pushing Kaminari in the right direction while the boy still had that blank expression on his face.

The quaking of the building and the loud rumbling continued and it was getting worse the further they went. Most of them were horrified when some pieces of the walls and a roof peeled themselves off. However, they had only one direction to go, on.

When the chaos got very intense, the ceiling began collapsing, Todoroki shielded them while Bakugo blew away the debris. Amidst the cacophony, their path was blocked. " How to move on now?" Wondered Uraraka impatiently, clearly worried for their classmate.

" How to get out!" Iida looked feverishly around for an opening when the boy on his back stirred. " Seijin-kun!"

" Yuu!"

" Iida-san..." Yuu murmured as he struggled to look up. " There's an elevator... right behind that lump of concrete... I glimpsed it earlier..."

" Alright! Leave it to me!" Kirishima crossed his arms together as he hardened his whole body and went to break the cement. Soon, the door to the elevator was revealed. " Everyone! This way!" He called. They all fell back to the lift and Bakugo hit the top button.

The lift zoomed up and when it opened, they were met with the most terrifying sight, All Might being squeezed under numerous pillars of iron and steel launched by a giant misshaped villain.

They acted almost immediately, Todoroki froze the pillars and Sora broke them down, Bakugo attacked the villain as he roared at All Might to get himself together, in his rather unique way.

" We'll take on the lumps of metal!" Kirishima stated.

"These things are nothing at all!" Smirked Sora as she hovered ahead.

" Yaoyoruzu-kun, take care of things here!" Iida said letting Yuu down.

All three of them dashed forward. Since Sora didn't have the fantasy-like strength to break those down with one kick as they were like Iida and Kirishima, Todoroki supported her by freezing them first. It was a piece of cake afterwards. " Thank you, Todoroki!"

The ones they couldn't break, All Might took care of them as he made his way to the villain boss. However, the top hero was caught in the enemy's tough wires. The man glowed red and his size doubled, grabbing All Might by the throat and squashing his side. However, that was as much as she could see of them. They were preoccupied with the lumps of metal she hardly paid them any attention until Midoriya dashed to rescue All Might when he was about to be flattened.

As retaliation, the villain compressed masses of misshapen metal objects and fired them at both All Might and Midoriya only for Bakugo to decimate them.

But from the smoke, lashed more of the iron poles.

" I won't let you!" The ground froze around him from his cold wave as he frosted them. " Go! Shirogane!" He yelled smashing half of them using his shards. Sora flew ahead at top speed, ignoring the feathers growing all over her body as she stuck them head-on.

" Her head is truly like a rock!" Whisper couldn't contain his smirk.

" Out of my way!" The only option left for the villain was to throw them off by destabilizing their footing. Sora was hit hard and slammed on the cracked ground. As she came up again, clutching her aching right side, she saw Midoriya and All Might making for the last attack against the villain's gigantic cube.

" Shirogane-san!" Sora snapped her head in the direction of Yaoyoruzu and the rest when she was called and glided to where her classmates gathered, all watching with battered breaths the two of them breaking the villain's last shied.

" Go!" Shouted Uraraka with all her pent-up feelings.

"All Might!"

" Midoriya-san!" Half unconscious and tired as he was, Yuu's voice joined the rest of his friends.

" Get him!" Finding it hard to move anymore, Todoroki, Bakugo, and Sora put all their energy into words.

With a Plus Ultra, the two heroes struck their foe and crushed all of his gears and metal weapons. The impact was so strong and loud Sora was left with whistling in her ears. When she was able to hear perfectly again, she was greeted with the cheers of her friends. " They did it!"

Those three words were all her knees needed to hear for them to give way and she fell down, all her strength drained. She hardly managed a small smile at Todoroki and Bakugo who later insisted that it must have been her imagination and that he hardly as so much as smirked.

By the day break, Kaminari was gaining consciousness and Yuu was able to stand on his own. They all turned to Midoriya and Melissa a few meters away from them, waving at them mirthfully. " Aren't we allowed so much of a break? Will every vacation of ours turn out into a fight?" Snorted the ghost.

" It can't be helped, Whisper." Yuu smiled softly as he looked at the green-haired boy just as the sun began rising behind him. " We're heroes after all."

________________

The next day, All Mighty treated all of class 1A to a barbecue party, mostly as a reward for those who worked hard during the villains' incident. So the second day of their stay on I-Island was spent by the ocean and filling their stomachs with delish meat. " Mineta-kun! You shouldn't take so much on your own! Some of us might be left without steak!"

" Calm down, Iida-kun! We still have more grilling on the brazier!" Midoriya tried to pacify their class rep.

" Ochaco-chan, would you want a bite of mine? It has vegetables."

" Mine has mochi, Tsuyu-chan, take some!"

" Eh? Mochi? Does it even fit in there?"

" It fits anywhere!"

" That's our mochi girl." Laughed Whisper.

" While mine!" Sora held her spits in two hands. " They have shrimps! Want a bite?"

" Yaoyoruzu, are you sure you will be alright... having eaten all of that?" Tokoyami asked worriedly seeing the pots and sticks accumulating before the girl.

"That's fine, Tokoyami-san, I'm still open for the dessert." The girl answered.

Yuu almost choked on his juice hearing that. " She can still eat?!"

" Yaoyoruzu's appetite is rather impressing." Noted Todoroki by his side.

" Aoyama, put that phone down and start eating. Hagakure isn't satisfied with her share," stated Sato.

" I want more!" Shouted the invisible girl.

" But I must sparkle as I eat them, it will make them taste better!" Retorted Aoyama as he made different poses while holding his stick.

" You guys..." Ojiro sweat dropped as he found it hard to keep up with the trio.

" Hey Bakugo! We got yours! They're with pepper!" Shouted Kirishima as they made for the blond who continued to pretend that the rest of them didn't exist.

" We added red sauce too!" Smirked Kaminari. " Hope you find its spiciness to your likeness."

" It's a good thing I brought drinks along," Said Sero bringing out two bottles of coke.

As all of them took their deserved break, Sora turned to Midoriya, still munching on her steak. " So it was all David Shield's doing, but he was hoodwinked by his assistant and the faux villains turned out to be real ones aiming to obtain his invention?"

Midoriya scratched his head with an awkward smile. " You heard it, didn't you."

" You know we can't help it with our Quirks," stated Sora.

" We didn't mean to eavesdrop though!" Added you hastily.

" Ah, don't worry about it." Midoriya shook his head with a smile.

" So, what's going to happen to that professor then? I doubt they would be allowed to walk out of it like that." Pointed Whisper.

" I'm worried about Melissa-san though," blurted Sora.

" I heard he will be taken for questioning as soon as his wounds are healed. As for what will happen to him... that remains to be seen." Hearing that, Yuu and Sora dropped their eyes in disappointment. The man wanted nothing but peace, and he acted in the way he believed was most befitting to accomplish that. It couldn't have come to that point if his work wasn't frozen.

" But, Melissa-san said she will be fine," Midoriya assured them with his ever-so-confident smile. " She has a goal to fulfill. And she will work hard to make it come true, for her and for her father."

Sora's lips curled into a small smile at those words. Even though he was worried himself. She must assure him too." True. That would keep her looking forward. And we all must live on too."

" Hey you three!" Kirishima called out. " We're going for a volleyball match. Wanna join?" He said holding the ball over his head with a broad smile.

All three of them exchanged smiles and nods before joining their classmates at the beach...

Chapter Text

" Sora, are you finished packing?" Her grandmother's head peeked through the door just as she had closed the carry bag.

" Yosh, all set!" The girl said proudly after managing to defeat the crammed bag.

" The bag though... It seems lighter than expected." Her grandmother placed a hand on her jaw as she looked at the blue mass on the ground. " Are you sure you took everything you need? Everything I've given you?"

" Yes yes Grandma, all is in there." Sora pointed at the sack about to burst at any moment.

" It's just, I'm a little worried about you. This is the first time you leave my side for this long." Her grandma's complexion softened. " And there was I-island too..." The woman murmured

" Grandma! I'm 15 now. I can take care of myself!" Sora folded her arms and puffed her cheeks. " I don't want to be treated like a kid for the rest of my life! Plus, we'll have teachers around. What would possibly happen out there in the camp."

" Right, maybe I'm overthinking." Heaving a short sigh, Yui smiled at her, giving her a hug and placing a kiss on her forehead. " Very well then. I shall leave you. You need to get up early don't you. Sweet dreams, dear." She smiled while slowly closing the door behind her.

" You're treating me more like a kid now, Grandma." Sora sweat dropped. Still, that's how her grandmother was. She was very thankful for her love and care that made it up for her nonexistent parents.

" A training camp..." Sora slumped down on her futon, her face beaming with excitement. " I wonder how it will be. I can't wait!"

She rolled on her bed, her heart throbbing rapidly in her chest before stopping to pick her phone as it buzzed. It was Iida, reminding them once again of the time of the gathering. As diligent as ever, Iida-kun.

As she scrolled through her messages, her red eyes fell upon a certain name. There was no contact from that number for almost half a year. Yumei didn't contact me much. Even when I call her, it only lasts a few minutes. She said she is quite busy with something now.

Sora sighed flinging her arm to the side and letting the phone slide of it. " Hope she is fine."

________________

The 1st day of the training camp finally came. A quite dewy morning. Until a certain voice yelled...

" I'm late!!!!!"

Sora rushed out of her house, almost slipping and falling. She promptly tried to smooth her hair down as much as possible. " Why today of all days... I totally forgot to set my alarm!"

She met with Yuu who came to check on her halfway to his house, only for him to be grabbed by the wrist and tugged behind her. " Wait, Sora..."

" We're gonna be late! Aizawa-sensei's gonna punish us!"

Imagining the angry face of their homeroom teacher, Yuu as well hastened his pace. " It's finally here, the first day of the training camp!"

" I can't believe it. I could swear it was just yesterday that we were running down this same road in our new uniforms!" Sora smiled at him.

" It's been half a year since that. And I have to say, you haven't grown an inch taller since then, Sora." Whisper teased.

" Don't be a meanie! I'll grow at the right time! I'll be as tall and as beautiful as Grandma!" She stuck her tongue out at him.

" Here she is acting in a childish way again." Whisper chuckled.

Yuu couldn't hold back the smile that formed on his face. A lot of things happened during that half-year. He had been through a lot, he fell down and struggled up again. There were many times he felt useless. There were many times he regretted not being able to do anything. Hard as it was, he felt he managed to grow through that time.

" Whisper..." The ghost blinked as he was addressed, looking down at his master. Yuu bore a smile on his face, his eyes yet fixed forward. "I did my best."

Whisper smiled at him proudly. " You did. Still, it's not over yet. ' Plus Ultra', right. You will have to work even harder." He pointed his finger forward. " Let's go at full speed, soldiers!"

" Sir! Yes sir!"

________________

" Didn't you say we were late?" Yuu turned to the girl who had a confused look on her face as they set down their luggage in the bus boot.

" We made it again."

" You didn't make anything." Iida walked over to them. " You're 15 minutes late. 15! Minutes!"

" Sorry, Iida-kun..." Sora sweat dropped.

" Now that everyone had gathered, let me tell you this." Aizawa walked over to them. " UA High has finished its first semester and started summer vacation. However..." Sora could swear his glare could burn into a boulder. " Those of you trying to be heroes will not receive days of rest. At this summer training camp, we'll have you aiming for even greater heights, for ' Plus Ultra '!"

" Hai!"

" My heart is beating fast! I can't wait to set off!" Sora pumped her fist in the air.

"You're not the only one." Whisper pointed at Uraraka, Ashido and Kaminari as they danced and chanted ' Training camp '. " Everyone must be really excited. Though from my experience with UA..."

He glared down at them with a malicious smirk. " It's bound to be a hellish camp."

" Don't jinx it!" Yuu cried, covering his ears.

Monoma popped from who knows where, mocking their class for having people failing their practical exams. Everyone sweat dropped when Kendo hit him on the scruff of the neck to shut him up, apologizing as she dragged him away.

" Sometimes, I feel sorry for her." Whisper sweated.

" That boy would be definitely put into Slytherin," Sora noted.

Yuu face palmed. " It's not time to think about your favorite fantasy book now." He lowered his hand, looking at the other bus parked next to theirs with the whole of class B huddled by it. " So they're going to the training camp as well."

Both classes went for their respective buses, Iida tried organizing them by seat number as they filed in. But everyone ended up sitting wherever they wanted. Yuu and Sora sat on the right seat of the raw before last, however, that didn't last. Soon, the whole class were jumping from one seat to another, chatting among themselves. Even Yuu had moved to Iida and Midoriya, leaving her on her own there.

She could have joined Uraraka and the rest but she was feeling very tired to chat with them. She couldn't sleep at all the past night due to her excessive exhilaration.

She fished out her smartphone and earphones from her pocket and played a certain piece of music before leaning her head against the window, taking in the green meadows and the beautiful azure sky.

The soothing sights, coupled with the calm music playing in her ears made her mind at ease. Before she knew it, her head was lolling down as she fought to stay awake.

She was fully awakened when Jiro approached her. " Can I sit here? It's so noisy there." Sore peeked over the heads in front of her to see an energetic Iida rebuking a swanking Aoyama.

" Understandable." Sora sweat dropped at the blunette as she slumped next to her.

" What are you listening to?" Jiro asked her, peeking at what was playing. The song had no name, only numbers, like a date and ID.

" Oh, you want to hear?" She said unplugging her earphones. Jiro plugged hers and her eyes widened slightly at the music.

" That's awesome. I've never heard such music before!"

" I've got more if you want to hear." Jiro then scrolled through the white head's playing list. There were some famous songs, but most of it consisted of soundtracks similar to the one she heard at the very start. They didn't have names, only numbers.

While Jiro was checking her phone, Sora sweated when she thought she heard Aizawa saying it was the only time they will be having fun. Taking a glimpse at the now-shaking Yuu, she was sure she wasn't mistaken.

" Sora..." She looked back at Jiro who was rather befuddled as she showed her the soundtrack she was currently playing. " They're awesome, I've never heard them before. And there are no names too. Where did you get these tracks?"

Sora smiled broadly at her. " That you see..."...

________________

Not long into the ride, Aoyama began to feel sick and nauseous due to looking at his own reflection in a hand mirror. Seeing he wasn't feeling well, Todoroki allowed him to have his seat so he could lay down on his back and had to use a small adjunct seat. Sora thought it was a kind gesture from him, but frankly speaking, the boy seemed too big for the seat. Although Midoriya, Iida and Yuu offered to exchange seats, it would be too small for them too, even for the slim Yuu. Not that Todoroki was willing to make his friends uncomfortable.

Sora apologized as she sidled past Jiro and tapped the boy's shoulder. " Todoroki, you can switch with me. I'm rather small so that chair would fit me well."

" Thank you, but-"

" No buts. It would prove nothing so stop being stubborn. And really, I could literally sink into that chair. Plus..." She chanced a glance at a sleeping Aizawa before whispering to the boy with a jittery smile. " Apparently Aizawa-sensei has something in store for us, so you better rest while you can."

" Shirogane, you don't have to do this. We can always throw this perverted shrimp in there, it would fit him better. " Said Sero with his thumb thrust at the ball-haired boy next to him.

" Nah, it's safer if he stayed there surrounded by boys rather than running loose."

Todoroki took her words into account, he gave her his seat and settled next to Jiro who scooted towards the window. True for her words, with her small build, the chair wasn't any less comfortable for her.

The trip was spent trying to make Aoyama feel better, ranging from trying to press a certain pressure point (Todoroki almost took on the task but thought better about it, saying he was the hand crusher after all, something that send Sora, Iida and Midoriya into a fit of laughter.) to playing games and telling stories. Asui had a rather interesting one about the time she almost got spirited away.

" Say, is that possible though, Seijin-chan, Whisper-chan?"

" Frankly speaking, we never know of spirits who would resort to that," answered the boy.

" Well, all you hear is rumors right." Whisper pointed. " Nothing set in stone yet, no one you actually know got spirited away. No proof whatsoever. Although, while we do not know of that, I know some spirits who would lure away children and feast on their emotions, being the easiest to express them. Maybe that was the same for you too, Asui."

" You're saying playing with me and showing me that serene place was to get a snack?"

" Pretty much the case. You should be thankful you didn't run into a spirit that would favor fear." Yuu gulped, remembering some unpleasant story from his past.

When the bus stopped, Aoyama was pretty much himself again. As they disembarked from the bus upon Aizawa's urging, Asui pointed out how sweet their classmates were for taking care of the sick Aoyama. Sora had to agree, her class was growing on her with each day...

Chapter Text

The bus had stopped in a clearing with nothing but mountains extending before them. Yuu and Sora warily peeked from the bus door, checking the vicinity. Aizawa's words were still haunting them. Mineta scooted around the area, desperate for a toilet.

" It's safe, right?" Sora asked, her eyes scanning the whole clearing.

" Guess it is." Yuu's eyes fell upon a car parked not far from them. The windows and air shield were dark, making it all too hard to see what was inside. " That..."

" Maybe it belongs to other visitors who happened to rest here as well." Whisper shrugged.

" There is no point stopping without a reason," Aizawa told them, ignoring Mineta's inquiry about the bathroom.

" Yo, Eraser!" The doors of the said car were pushed open abruptly.

" Long time no see." Aizawa bowed his head at the two persons who had stepped from it. They were two women in a rather odd outfit, some kind of uniform with boots reaching half the calf, a skirt and a short sleeveless shirt. They were wearing some kind of headpiece, bells around the upper arms and neck with puffed cat gloves and a tail.

" More weirdos appeared..." Murmured Whisper as the two women introduced themselves as the Wild Wild Pussycats. They had a boy tagging along with them.

Midoriya embarked on blurting all his memorized information about them. When he said it was their twelfth year of working, he got attacked by the blonde one wearing a blue outfit. From what they could see, she was threatening him.

" Shouldn't we save him...?" Asked Sora with an awkward smile.

" Listen, those who entice a lady's furry could never be saved, " stated Whisper.

" Greet them, everyone," Aizawa demanded.

" Nice to meet you!" The whole class chorused.

The woman with bobby brown hair told them that the whole mountain belonged to them, and then she pointed in a certain direction, saying it was where they would be lodging.

" So far!"

" Huh? Then why did we stop here?" Wondered Uraraka.

Suddenly it downed on Sora and Yuu. They looked at each other with eyes as wide as saucers. " It can't be..."

It seems the rest started to catch up on them. Sero suggested they get back to the bus. They all seemed to agree with him.

The brunette woman had a malicious smirk on her face while her tail wiggled mirthfully. " It's now 9:30 am. If you hurry up, maybe around noon..."

The whole class rushed back to the bus. Sora and Yuu were rather concerned about the calm air about Aizawa despite them dashing back to the bus.

" Sorry, ladies and gentlemen. Training camp..." The blonde woman blocked their way with a mischievous grin. "Has already begun."

With a touch of her, the ground beneath them levitated up like a wave of mud, pelting them off the cliff. Sora managed to spread her wings in time, located her friend and hastily hauled him over her shoulder before slowly landing down.

" I tell you, UA is trying to kill us." Yuu looked around. One way or another, everyone managed to survive that steep fall.

" Oi! Since it's private land, you can use your Quirks as you wish! You have three hours! Come to the facility on your own two feet! After getting through... The Beast's Forest!"

It was obvious they had no other choice but to advance on foot. Mineta sped past them and towards the forest, only to come across a beast. Koda tried pacifying it, but it didn't work, the creature was about to attack Mineta when Midoriya heaved him out of the way.

" Koda's Quirk didn't work?" Whisper was at a loss for words.

" It's not a living thing." Yuu narrowed his eyes as Todoroki, Iida, Bakugo and Midoriya finished it off to prove his point. " It's made of mud."

" They did it!" Sora smiled only to hear fluttering above their heads. Another flying beast showed up.

" There's more!"

" So it seems!" Three fluctuating blue fires materialized from thin air.

Their only chance was to fight, and so they will. " All right. Let's go, Class A!"

Sora and Yuu flew upwards to take care of the flying monsters. " We'll leave the ground to you!" Yuu shouted through the wind, mounting on Thunderbird's back. " While we're up we will look for the shortest route!"

" We're counting on you Shirogane-san, Seijin-san!" Yaoyorozu cried, embarking on creating some sort of weapon.

" Yuu!" The boy's attention went back ahead as he was called. Approaching them were two beasts akin to pterosaurs.

" Listen kid! Don't expect us to help you!" Thunderbird roared at Sora as he vanished into lightning. The rumbling of thunder could be heard as he zigzagged through the sky before falling down upon one of the monsters. It seemed like a yellow fork of lightning impaled the monster when the bird landed his hit. Even as it fell down, there was a hole in its charred form.

" I didn't ask for help!" Sora's pupils narrowed, her nails lengthened and feathers sprouted out of her arms. She clashed with the other one, slashing at it nonstop and breaking it apart. " I'm not weak you know!"

" She is not half bad." Admitted the spirit.

" That's our Sora!" Cried Whisper proudly.

Yuu's eyes twitched as he glimpsed a movement. More flying mud beasts were soaring in their direction. " It's not over yet!"

" Right!" Thunderbird's feathers stood on end as he was covered in electricity before he zoomed with a rumbling sound.

" I'm not losing!" Sora flapped her wings forcefully, pushing herself away in a gust of wind.

________________

It was dusk by the time the starched building came into view. The whole class staggered through the last thin layer of leaves, all beaten and whacked with fatigue.

Yuu was fighting to keep his eyes from closing. Sora held her shoulder tightly, her arms covered in feathers and some had appeared on the sides of her face and neck. The rest of the class were out of breath and under the brunt of their Quirks' side effects.

They all flumped on the ground, their feet unable to take their weights anymore.

" What do you mean three hours?!"

" That's the time it would've taken us. Sorry!"

" Are you serious..." Sora didn't even have the strength to laugh as she allowed the gravity to pull her, laying on the ground. She didn't bother at all about Pixiebob's compliments for them or her calling dibs on Bakugo, Iida, Todoroki and Midoriya.

" I'm surprised you managed to find your path in that thick forest. We had to offer class B a hand or they would have been lost," Mandalay stated, impressed.

" Seijin-san's help. He was the one leading us from above," replied Yaoyorozu.

" Hm, seems you have good eyes, boy."

" Thank you..." Yuu muttered, his head kept lolling off though.

It wasn't until Midoriya asked about the kid standing there that Sora's upper half shot up again just to witness Kota punch him on his privates. That made her wince.

" Seems we have a young delinquent." Whisper sighed. The fact that Bakugo seemed to take a liking for him worried the rest of the class.

________________

Sora took a seat by Midoriya after dropping her bags in the girls' shared room and started digging in. She even rivaled Kirishima and Kaminari's speed.

" Shirogane... San..." Midoriya and the rest looked at her as if she had grown an extra head.

" What! I'm starving!" How she spoke without stopping eating was beyond them.

" Huh..." Uraraka blinked as she did a doubletake. " Sora-chan, there are feathers on your face and even in your hair?"

" Don't worry, it's from my Quirk!" She said swallowing her food.

" Oh, I remember seeing it during the sports festival. Is it alright though?"

" Don't worry, it will fall off in a while." She refilled her plate and started digging again.

" She is really starving." Midoriya sweated before he looked at the other side of Iida. " Seijin-kun however..."

The purple head was eating his dinner half asleep, he had crumbs all over his face. " Are you a kid now?" Whisper snorted.

" I think this is the longest I've seen him keeping a spirit in a physical form," said Sora through a mouthful of rice. " It's a miracle he didn't drop dead yet."

" That's because I've been training him hard to build his stamina." Whisper smirked proudly.

" You mean torturing..." Yuu mumbled.

Chapter Text

" I feel alive." Sora stretched her arms upwards, all feathers had fallen off by then.

" It feels good!"

" I love that there are hot springs here." Yaoyorozu was the last one to join them into the water. " I feel like all the exhaustion of today is washed away."

" Nothing is better than a hot bath." Uraraka sank down with a delighted smile.

" It's good for our skin too." Ashido clambered on a rock, splashing water at them with her legs.

" Stop it Mina-chan!" Sora was more than happy to retaliate, drenching her from horns to feet.

" You're been childish," Yaoyorozu told them.

" Don't ruin the fun, Yaomomo." She made it so the black-haired girl was her next target.

Suddenly they could hear Mineta screaming and they looked up the wall separating them. It seemed Kota had swatted the short boy's hand, making him fall down back on Iida as they hear his shout too.

" Mineta-chan really is the worst, huh?" Asui was fuming.

" Thanks, Kota-kun!" Ashido cried out, swaying her arms overhead. " Yay, yay!"

Kota seemed to be startled and he keeled on the other end of the wall. " Watch out!" Sora's wings grew in an instant, ready to grasp him. However, Midoriya beat her. She breathed out when she heard him taking the boy away and pulled back her wings, only to realize all the girls were staring at her. " Huh?" It seems she had splashed them all when she pulled out her wings so suddenly.

" Revenge! Revenge!" Ashido smirked splashing her along with the rest.

" Stop it! I'm sorry guys! I'm sorry!"

After a minute or so, they all laid back on the rocks, relishing their moments." Nothing is better than a hot bath."

" Ochaco-chan, you said that earlier." Asui pointed.

" This is really fun." Sora smiled. " To be able to spend such time together."

" Still, you know what would be more fun!" Ashido smirked. " Girly talks!"

" Girly talks?"

" Talking about crushes and all." Ashido bobbled.

" Hm, Mina-chan, it has been only half a year. Don't you think it's quite early for any of us to have crushes yet?" Asui had one finger placed near her mouth.

" Is that so? I thought some of us already developed ones."

For some reason, Uraraka's face had gone red and she hastily covered it with her hands. " I mean, come on, half a year is enough to get interested in someone right? Not to mention those who came from the same junior high. We do even have some childhood friends after all." She smirked as she looked back at Sora, her eyebrows dancing upwards.

" Fat chance." Sora laughed and shrugged. " I'm afraid Yuu has no romantic feelings for me, he sees me as nothing but a friend."

" Are you being serious right now?! I mean, you both are pretty close." Ashido pressed, not believing her yet.

" In addition, I don't think Yuu has the slightest idea what a romantic feeling is. He is too innocent if you ask me."

" Now thinking about it..." Uraraka thought back to their time at Gunhead's agency. Although she was flattered when Gunhead teased her about Midoriya being her significant other, Yuu didn't get the smallest wisp of it. " He really seems too innocent for his age."

" Tell me about it." Sora laughed as she sank into the water, blowing bubbles under its surface.

" Then Sora-chan, how do you feel about Seijin-chan?" Asui questioned this time, head tilted slightly to the side.

" Huh?" Sora raised an eyebrow as she rose slightly from under the water.

" Do you see him as more than a friend?" A physically impossible pit of water approached her.

" Nah, I tell you, we've been friends since a young age, we practically grew up together," she said remembering how many nights the boy had spent at their house when they were younger. If anything, she considered him the sibling she never had.

" Boring! I demand to have something interesting right now!"

Sora contemplated for a second before looking up at Ashido. " About that, you said that there were some of us from the same junior high. But I only know of Bakugo-kun and Midoriya. Is there anyone else?"

" Oh, Kirishima and I used to attend the same junior high too, but different classes. I thought there were others like us?" The girls, save for Sora, shook their heads at that. None of them met any of their classmates before the start of that year. " Huh? For real!?"

" UA is a renowned school, students from all across Japan apply for its entrance exam. However, only a handful of them are chosen. Chances of having students from the same school aren't that high," explained Yaoyorozu.

" Woah! I think we were kind of lucky to cut it." Sora marveled.

" Either way, let's go back to our girly talk!" Ashido piped in.

" We said we don't have any," blurted Uraraka as she flung her hands around, her face red and hot.

" Hm, then instead of that, let me ask you. Who is the boy you think is the most interesting in our class?" Ashido held a finger up, waiting for their answers. She wasn't letting that topic drop any time soon.

" First of all, we have to eliminate Mineta-chan." That decision was unanimous.

" I think it's Todoroki-kun, he is the hottie of our class, and his skills are stellar." Hagakure pointed.

" Midoriya-chan is kind of capable and one can depend on him." Asui thought.

" He's a determined and hard-working person too!" Uraraka agreed.

" Heh, is there a reason why you approved?" Ashido smirked while leaning her head on her hand. Uraraka quickly dipped half of her red face into the water.

" Hm, if I have to choose, I would say Ojiro. He's kind and honest too." Jiro played around with her earplugs remembering the incident of the sports festival.

" I agree with Hagakure, Todoroki-san is the most standing out boy in our class." Said Yaoyorozu. " He's calm and can make decisions effectively because of that."

" And you have to admit, he is kind of cute, especially when he takes things too seriously," Sora added.

" Right, you spent your internship with him? Anything you want to add about our prince charming."

" Hm... Oh, he is very kind and he takes good care of his classmates. I mean, there was the time he got angry on behalf of Midoriya and Iida-kun, he gave his seat to the sick Aoyama-kun a few hours ago..."

" He looked after me during our final exam too," Yaoyorozu added as she recalled how worried he was about her after their exam ended.

" Speaking of it, he looked after me in the agency too, making sure I didn't miss on dinner because I was too tired to leave my room and he once lent me painkillers after... Let's say some training..." She laughed out nervously recalling Endeavor's beatings.

Ashido's eyes sparkled at that and Sora shouted. " Oh don't start on it now!"

" Then why are your cheeks so red? Plus, you're no longer formal when talking about him." The girl had a mirthful smirk. Sora's hands flew to her face, and true for Ashido's words, she could feel her face heating and blood gushing up.

It can't be...

" It's just from the hot spring. I'm not used to spending a long time at them. Plus, I've dropped the formality with Midoriya too." She laughed, waving it off. Ashido huffed, not satisfied with that. Sora however dipped her face down in the water, feeling flustered and agitated.

It can't be that I have a crush on Todoroki...

" Well then, Todoroki won this round with 3 votes for him!" Ashido announced.

From the other side, a certain two were pressing their ears onto the wall, trying to listen on to the conversation on the other side.

" They didn't even consider me!" Kaminari cried.

" Why would they eliminate me?! I'm very skilled and a gentleman! On top of that, I scored the 10th place of our class!" Mineta argued with leaky eyes. " That's not fair!"

" Kaminari-kun! Mineta-kun! What you're doing is intolerable!" Admonished Iida.

Kirishima looked back at a fuming Bakugo. " You've lost to Todoroki, Bakugo."

" Shut up!"

" But man, we won't stand a chance of winning so long that prince charming is around, right?" Sero looked back at their friend. Todoroki was at the further side of the spring, closing his eyes and leaning back on a rock, hardly paying them any attention.

Yuu blinked in confusion. " When did it become a contest?"

Whisper facepalmed. " You're unbelievable..."

________________

After that bath, all of them had fallen into a peaceful slumber. Even though Ashido wanted to play a game of cards before going to bed, she was snoring the moment she landed her head on the pillow.

The next day, they were up around daybreak. Sora yawned deeply and rubbed her eyes, her hair disheveled and her posture bent down. Everyone else sported bed hairs and were either stretching up or yawning tiredly.

" Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!" Aizawa began. " Today, we will begin training camp to increase your strength in earnest. The goal of this training cam is to increase everyone's strength and with that, for everyone to obtain their provisional licenses."

" Provisional licenses?" Yuu blinked, befuddled.

" What's this, Yuu?" A half-asleep Sora asked.

" They're licenses which allow the execution of hero authorities under extreme circumstances. But, sensei, we're not supposed to have those until the start of next year?"

" True, but it is to prepare you all to face hostilities that are becoming more real by the minute. Proceed carefully," he replied and then directed his attention at Bakugo and threw a certain white ball at him.

" Isn't that..." Whisper double-checked the ball. " From the Quirk assessment test?"

Bakugo went for the throw. Frankly speaking, everyone expected him to exceed his last record, however, that wasn't the case. They were all dumbfounded when Aizawa said it was 709.6 meters.

" It's not that much at all..." Whisper murmured.

" It's been three months since you started high school. Through various experiences, you all have definitely improved. But that improvement has mainly been at the mental and technical levels, with some increase in stamina. As you can see, your Quirks themselves have not improved that much. That's why we will work on improving your Quirks starting today. "

Aizawa had a wide malicious smile on the face. " It'll be so hard you'll feel like dying, but try not to actually die."

Yuu took a step back, choking on his salvia. " Even if you say so..."

" So in order to improve their Quirks, you will need to push them to the breaking point." Whisper tapped his chin. " Yosh! I liked the idea!"...

Chapter Text

" I'm not done yet!" A rather energetic Sora mopped her sweat mixed with the small amount of blood gushing out the small grazes on her skin. " Pixiebob! They're down! Make more!"

Outside the thick forest, the woman had checked on her goggles. " Oh! You finished them already! Here you have two more!"

Just as she said that, lumps of dirt rose from the ground, forming two monstrous figures. Sora took a fighting stance, ready to finish them off.

" You sure don't want me around there!" The blonde asked.

" Nope! You will get in my way!" Sora half lied. It just was that her transformation was almost complete at that stage and she didn't want anyone to see her looking like that.

" Suit yourself then!" Pixie's clay monsters dashed for the attack while Sora hopped away from their claws.

Shirogane  Sora. By battling against  Pixiebob's  beasts without holding back, she is to increase her strength and speed. Her time limit will get lengthened as well. Also, she is prohibited from flying to improve her combat skills.

" I'm not losing!"

________________

" You were right Whisper! This is worse than hell itself!" Yuu complained as he had to run around the whole area. Whisper kept him company, urging him on while Iida sped past him a few times already.

" Hurry up Seijin-kun, you will be left behind!" Iida yelled through the wind.

" Don't want to hear that from you!"

A few meters away, Kyubi laid down underneath the shadow of a tree, napping peacefully. " Why should I train and Kyubi not!"

" Kyubi is energy! Whether she trained or not doesn't matter! What matters is the amount of energy you provide her with! Now run, Soldier!"

" This is the worse!"

Seijin  Yuu. By training his body he is to increase his stamina. He also should summon a spirit and leave it around as long as possible to lengthen the time he could summon them. Whisper, who acts as his trainer with special permission from  Aizawa,  opts to make him able to summon two fighting spirits simultaneously by the end of the training camp.

_______________

" Heeeh? All of Class A are working hard. Oh there are a few hotties around. What should I do? I'm confounded. Who should I ask out?" Ai's orange eyes scanned through class A as they had already started training ahead of them.

" Ai, don't you bother them. We're here to train. Focus." Kendo addressed her firmly.

" Understood, class rep. Say, do you know that your name is the same as a famous Japanese sport?"

Kendo sweat dropped and rubbed her forehead with a sigh. " I forgot to whom I was just talking."

" If we take what our teachers said. Then Dobutsu-san and I will have to work more on our Quirks. Kendo-san, you?" Tobio mulled over it before he looked at the class rep.

" Since my Quirk is related to my fists then I will have to train them more." Kendo looked down at her hands. " Let's do our best, Gomu."

" Gomu-kun, we're training together, right? Then, can we talk together more? There is this thing I've always been wondering about though..."

" Will you be alright with her?"

" I'll try my best." He sweat dropped.

________________

" I'm tired..." Sighed the white head as they made it back to the main building. " I want to eat and bathe already." She shook her head, hurling feathers from her hair.

" About that... Sora..." Yuu sweat dropped as he looked at the long tables set outside the building, some of them laden with ingredients.

" At least make your own food!" cried Ragdoll flailing her arm around. " Curry!"

" Eeeeh!... You're kidding...!" Sora bends down tiredly. She tried her best to ignore Iida's remark about it being a hero's duty too to fill people's stomachs and spirits during a disaster. " You too must be kidding... Iida-kun..."

They all embarked on work. Sora had just finished spicing the meat and moved on to cutting the vegetables. 

" Shirogane, you know what to do!" Sero peeked down at her.

" I do cook at my house, you know," Sora said without looking up from the knife and the onion. " Since it's only Grandma and me, I don't want to put much work on her. She likes cooking and she always says it's alright but I want her to have it eas- Hey! Don't cut it like that! Make them fine!" She pointed her knife threateningly at a boy from class B.

" Uh... Sorry..."

" It will end up bad like this! Let me cut them for you!" She strolled over to the other table.

" Woah, she is serious about it." Kaminari blinked.

" Of course I'm! Cooking is an art! The food must be delicious!" She yelled back at them.

Kyubi stared at her master as he was preparing the rice. " Seijin-kun too, you're good at cooking." Uraraka peeked from above the wall and took in the delicious smell.

" After being around Sora's grandma for so long, I picked on her," he told the brunette.

" I bet you anything you'll make a good husband in the future." Ashido pointed at him.

Yuu blinked. " I don't get what are you talking about?"

" Eh?!" Ashido fell back at that.

" This boy is clueless..." Whisper sighed.

Uraraka merely laughed awkwardly with a sweat drop.

________________

" Thanks for the food!"

Sora was rather disappointed at how it ended up, her jaws puffed as she glared at her own plate. " Not all of us are good at cooking, so that was bound to happen," Yuu told her, trying to pacify her.

" Nevertheless, it's really delicious!" Ashido was already through half her plate.

" It's because we're too tired." Uraraka pointed.

Sora noted the plate covered in translucent paper by her side. " Ochaco-chan... That's..."

" Ah, Deku-kun left without eating, so I saved him his share of food." She said with a small blush. Sora smiled widely at her but she kept her thoughts to himself.

" We'll keep this training hell for a week? I wonder if I will survive." Jiiro sighed.

" Will this really help with our Quirk improvement, it feels like torture." Uraraka turned instantly blue just remembering it.

" Theoretically speaking, yeah. When muscles are pushed to their limits, they break and rebuild stronger. It's the same for all of your Quirks as well. That's why you need to reach the breaking point." Whisper informed.

" Heh, is that so?"

" Whisper, you kind of know a lot."

" Is that why Aizawa-sensei gave you permission to train Yuu?"

Whisper puffed his translucent body up proudly. " Yeah. I'm the most knowledgeable of his Quirk so I'm the one fit to train him."

" That reminds me..." Jiro looked down at the fox laying beside the table. " Kyubi is still around?"

Kyubi opened one eye and looked at her. " Yuu's training requires keeping me around as much as possible."

" And that's already taking its toll on him," Sora noted how tired he was, his bags darker than ever, and the way his head kept falling forward.

" Don't you need to eat something, Kyubi-san?" Yaoyorozu asked, holding a plate aloft.

" Nah, spirits don't feed on that." Whisper shook his head. " We only consume energy after all. Moreover, I'm impressed you managed to keep her for a whole day."

" True, I've been wondering about that too, since you usually faint after summoning your spirit." Pointed Iida worriedly.

" Since she is not fighting and doesn't require much energy, I could barely make it work. The moment I'll fall asleep though, she will be gone."

" Hm, but Whisper-chan stays around even when you black out." Asui pointed.

" Because he switches to using his own energy to stay in that physical form of his, a feat that only strong spirits could do." Added Kyubi.

" So, Whisper-kun, does that make you a strong spirit?" Iida asked.

" What's with the question!" He thrust his inexistent nose high up." Of course I'm! As a matter of fact, I can stay around for three days without depending on Yuu's energy!"

Kyubi rose her head and looked at them. " I could stay around for four days, but that means sacrificing more energy and thus, being unable to fight."

" But that means you can still fight for him when he faints, right?" Kirishima pointed from the end of the table as he swallowed the last of his plate.

" It's not impossible but-"

" If she does that, she will disappear," Yuu spoke up, cutting her off.

" Huh?"

" Disappear as in what usually happens?" Jiro questioned.

" Disappear as in she dies." That seemed to down on them so suddenly when Yuu spoke. " Spirits are energy, if they use it all, they cease to exist. That's why Kyubi depends on my energy."

" If Yuu faints after a fight, I can say I could keep up for around one hour approximately on my own. If I breach that time, I'll vanish."

" That's if you could keep your physical body. You still don't know how to do so yet, and once Yuu is out cold, you're pulled back to the spirit world instantly. You still can't resist it," Whisper said looking down at her. " Unless you learn to do so you'll never be able to do that. Both teleporting to where you left him in the physical world and then manifesting is impossible for you at this level." Kyubi merely made a tsk sound at that.

" I see..." Yaoyorozu murmured. She seemed most concerned about what she had just heard. Spirits weren't just tools or weapons. They were creatures who feared death like her, like everyone else of them...

Chapter Text

After cleaning up, the girls of both classes left first for the hotspring since the timing for the boys' and girls' bathes was staggered because of Mineta's little antic the previous night.

" Damn this time staggering thing, I won't forgive you, Pussy Cats!" Mineta cried out as he was being held by Sero. Sora hummed in thought, feeling something off about the boy's aura. It was nagging at Sora's mind even as she began taking off her clothes in the changing room. She stopped midway. " Hold on, this doesn't add up."

" What are you talking about, Shirogane-san?" Yaoyorozu looked from around the corner at her, her long black hair cascading down her back.

" I'm talking about Mineta-kun..." Sora murmured just as Kendo and the rest of the class B girls walked past them.

" Hope you don't mind us going first." The orange head smiled warmly as she made for the door. Sora's eyes widened as she ran to her, grasping her arm.

" Wait!"

Kendo and Yaoyorozu looked at her in bewilderment.

________________

" That boy, I swear I won't allow him to get within five feet close to me, ever!" Complained Sora as she hit her pillow to a more comfortable position. They had caught him red-handed trying to beep at the girls as they bathed earlier and handed him to Mandalay and Pixie-Bob to deal with him. Sora knew immediately the boy was up to something 'cause he had never stopped at any line before. She knew there was no way the time staggering would hold him at bay, so with the help of the class B girls, they set a trap to capture him before enjoying a Mineta-free bath.

" Eh! Are you going to sleep already?" Ashido exclaimed.

" Huh? We have to get up early in the morning so..." Sora stated.

" Nope, not happening. I'm heading to my extra classes and I need some juice! And nothing would keep me up and about other than some romance talk!" Ashido insisted.

It didn't help that Kendo and her classmates dropped by and Ashido saw it as a chance, trying to squeeze as much girly talk as possible before being dragged to her classes by Aizawa.

Sora and the rest turned in for the night. Tired from their training regimen, running around to do their chores and soothed by the bath, they fell to slumber almost immediately. Even all the sugar they had consumed from the snacks wasn't enough to keep their eyes open. They slept soundly, oblivion to the noises and the fateful match between the boys.

________________

Before he knew it, Yuu had fallen asleep for a moment there in the spring, which led to Kyubi's dissipation in the blink of an eye.

By the time he stepped out, tired and sleepy, he was surprised to be called out to join the arm wrestling match between their class and class B, one that Bakugo started with his sharp unrestrained tongue. And their reward was... meat. Yep, it was meat.

Bakugo-san started a fight for meat... How?

" Sorry, Seijin. I'll try and sneak out or something if I could." Kirishima apologized.

" Heck don't ever think about it! You want Aizawa to strangle you!?" Whisper shouted, befuddled by the mere suggestion of crossing the teacher.

" And as your class rep, I can't agree to you abandoning your classes for the sake of this competition!" Reprimanded Iida, who was also referring to the matches, with a hand chopping down in between them.

With that, Yuu had to take on Kirishima's role, competing along with Ojiro, Shoji, Koda, and Bakugo. Class B selected Shoda, Honenuki, Shishida, Awase and Tetsutsu.

" Listen baggy eyes, ruin this and you're a dead meat!" Bakugo warned him through ground teeth with a vein twitching in his neck.

" Eeeeek!" Yuu squeaked only for Whisper to clout him on the head.

" You don't have to shout! Yuu will do it and he will win!"

" Just shut up and get down his throat, you egg head!" Bakugo said holding a thumb down and scurrying to the corner.

" Tsk! If you don't trust us why even pick us to begin with!" Whisper complained.

The matches began. Ojiro lost his to Shoda. Shoji won Honenuki while Koda... He merely lost to Shishida because Monoma, who managed to sneak back in, cried out about a bug, disturbing him.

Yuu gulped as he sat down to the table, facing his adversary. Awase wore a confident look, and it seemed to grow seeing Yuu's state, tired and trembling as he was. " This is gonna be easy!"

" Get yourself together, Yuu!" The ghost cried, clobbering him on the head. " You lose, we lose our precious meat!"

Tears rose to the corners of his eyes as he held his head tight. " Alright! Alright!"

" Open your mouth then!" The ghost pulled Yuu's head up and slipped through his mouth. When he looked down at Awase, he wore a scornful smirk.

" You were saying?"

" huh?!" Awase was befuddled at the sudden change, so were the rest of class B, for that was the first time they witnessed Yuu's take over.

" Let's go downtown then!" Yuu said as he deposited his elbow on the table, awaiting Awase's hand. A confident smirk adorned his face and his eyes were glowing brightly.

" O-Okay..." They locked their hands and Iida placed his on top of them.

" Ready... Go!"

Awase didn't dither, pushing Yuu's hand back several inches. Yuu gritted his teeth as he put a fight, struggling.

" You can do it, Seijin-kun!"

" Keep it up!"

" Beat him!"

Yuu's scowl deepened as he began pushing Awase off him.

" You're dead meat if you lose!"

The abrupt threat took everyone back. " Don't you threaten me!" Yuu's strength increased and he managed to finally hit Awase's hand on the table. He then turned to Bakugo. " Now you make sure you don't lose!"

" Shut up!" However, due to Monoma's intrusion as he sneaked out, again, and swayed Bakugo using Honenuki's Quirk, he allowed Tetsutsu to finish him.

" You!" Yuu had to wrap his arms around Whisper to stop him from scratching Monom's eyes out of his head. The boys then decided on settling things using a pillow fight. As he was handed his weapon, Yuu gulped worriedly.

This isn't going to end well.

And he was right, though it began rather tame and fair with five of class B stepping aside so there was no number advantage, when Quirks were involved, chaos broke out in the room with all of them partaking and Monoma sneaking, yet again, to help out his class.

I knew it!

Yuu cried inwardly when they faced class B's final attack. However, they were saved when Aizawa and Vlad stepped in to check on the so-often sneaking Monoma, putting an end to the riot and depriving them of meat for the next day's dinner.

With that, calm fell back again and they all crawled into their futons. Yuu heaved a breath of relief as he was finally allowed to lay down and rest.

________________

AN:

Due to having to go back to university, this story is going back to being published once per week.

Even though, I promise the chapters will be of decent length, so look forward to them ^w^.

Chapter Text

They started off around 7 am the next day. The training wasn't any easier than the previous day.

Ashido and the ones who had extra lessons the night before were practically asleep after two hours before Aizawa admonished them, urging them to work harder.

" I'm gonna die!" Yuu cried while being forced to run even a longer distance than yesterday. 

" I've never heard of someone dying due to running! Give me more sweat! Faster!" Whisper urged.

" Yes sir!" Yuu's eyes trailed over to the thicker forest while dust rose up. His speed dropped.

" Why are you slowing down?!" Whisper yelled.

" Sora... Didn't come out of the forest until late yesterday. I wonder if everything is fine with her."

" That girl is tougher than you think. She will be fine," Whisper stared as a monstrous head made of clay was thrown out the grove. " You should work hard too! Don't let yourself get behind!"

" Yes sir!" Yuu picked up speed again.

" More importantly, everyone, tonight..." Pixie-Bob's voice permeated the clearing. Everyone turned back to her to find she was sitting on what they guessed to be the ingredients for their dinner. " We'll have a test of courage with the classes pitted against each other! After training hard, you can play hard! The carrot and the stick!"

" A test of courage !"

Yuu halted, eyes wide as plates upon hearing the news. " I don't like this."

" Good. And since it's at night time! More training for you!" Whisper smirked.

" This is the worst!"

Sora's head peeked up through the foliage of the small forest, the rest of her body hardly visible. " What's a test of courage?" She questioned.

" You... You really don't know?" Ragdoll was shocked when Sora bobbed her head most seriously.

" It's my first time in a camp so..." Sora had an awkward smile.

" It's a fun activity done at night time, " Yaoyorozu explained. " To boil it simply. They will try to scare you and see how far you can hold up."

" Ho! Sounds fun! I can't wait for it!"

" Then you better work hard first!" Pixie-Bob wagged a finger at her.

" Oh! Right!" And she dived beneath the blanket of leaves. Now she has something to look forward to after the harsh training.

________________

  Sora gaped as she watched Bakugo cut the carrots. " It's perfect... And look at his speed..."

He was yelling something at Uraraka who was fetching wood for the fire before muttering. " Those extras yesterday didn't even know how to cut vegetables! Because of them, the curry was ruined! I'm not letting them ruin my dinner again!"

Sora nodded her head in approval.

" You really dislike it when someone ruins the meal, don't you?" Yuu smiled at her as he brought over the potatoes Iida just finished peeling.

" It kind of pisses me off. Not because the flavor is ruined," Sora started moving her hands again as she embarked on her work. " Well, yesterday was an exception because everyone was too tired and hungry to complain about the flavor. But if meals are ruined they're usually disposed of, right? I hate that. All of that food going to waste."

" Then make sure you don't drop any of your feathers in today's stew!" Sora sweated as she looked back at the ash-blond boy by her side. " I will kill you all with the most delicious stew you've ever eaten, scums!"

A giant sweat manifested on Whisper's head. " Could he be any more contradictory..."

________________

" Now, we've filled our bellies and washed the dishes!" Pixie-Bob smiled broadly. " Next..."

"It's time for the test of courage !" Ashido bounced around avidly before Aizawa wrapped her and the other four boys in his clothes and dragged them for their lessons, completely taking no account for their wailing and begging.

" I feel sorry for them." Sora sweat dropped.

" They had been slacking around all day. They deserve it." Whisper shrugged.

" I would give anything to be in their place now," Yuu stated shakily.

Pixie-Bob explained the activity, Class B will be trying to scare them off while they head in groups of two people and leave every three minutes. At the end of their way, they should fetch tags with their names on them and head back.

Pixie-Bob then waved around some slits of paper labeled with numbers. " Now, you'll draw lots to determine your partners!"

They did. Sora held hers. " 3?" She looked around to look for her partner.

" You got 3?" Whisper peeked down a shaking Yuu's shoulder.

" Yuu!" She ran over to him, waving hers in the air. " Seems we're on the same team again! It must be fate!"

" My Angel!" Yuu cried in relief, literally wetting Sora and Whisper with his tears.

" Just how do you manage to shed such floods!" Whisper stifled him to stop him from overflown the whole place with tears.

Sora laughed before her attention went to the one left all on his own, Midoriya stood there, overwhelmed by a dark aura and murmuring when he realized he was going through the test on his own. " Well... We were drawing lots so... It was kind of fair and unfair..."

" Revelry in the dark..." Muttered Tokoyami.

________________

" Okay! The third team! Seijin-kitty! Shirogane-kitty! Go!" Pixie-Bob cried.

Yuu and Sora entered the forest with the boy advancing gingerly, Kyubi following after him.

" Yuu, you shouldn't be afraid. I mean, you see things us humans can't even imagine. That should be easy for you," Sora mentioned with a reassuring smile.

" It's... Still, I don't like scary jumps and all..." Yuu gulped.

It was just a few meters away that Sora stopped. " Something's coming out."

" Eh!"

Just as she said that a head popped from the ground, shaking Yuu out of his colors and making his hair stand on end. " Calm down!" Whisper slapped him back to his mind.

" Awesome! Awesome!" Sora sparkled her eyes at the head beneath her. " How did you do that?"

The girl blinked at her. " You're not afraid?"

" I'm astonished!" Sora stated.

" Then no use staying around." The girl dived back into the ground as though it had swallowed her.

" Um... Is she going to be alright? Under the ground?" Yuu questioned.

" She went down with her own will. She will be fine. Let's not lose time here, Hagakure and Jiro will be here any moment," Whisper said, prodding them to walk faster.

Yuu froze suddenly when he spotted something. " What's it, Yuu?"

The boy pointed further ahead. " Trees... Are moving..." Half his face was blue already. Sora looked around to see giant trunks wiggling and wobbling in front of them as if ready to trap them the moment they approach.

The girl squinted further and upon second inspection. " Itsuka-chan?" The trunks stiffened for a moment before shrinking, the girl walked out of the shadow.

" You found me." She smiled. " Sora, your eyes are very sharp."

" It was just a hunch." She smiled rubbing the back of her head.

" Man, I didn't manage to startle anyone at all. Kodai at least got a reaction from Bakugo and Todoroki." Kendo sighed. " Either way, hurry up hurry up. It's no time to chitchat." She hid again in the dark and her hands enlarged, waiting for the next victim.

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" Easy peasy!" Sora chimed, clutching the tag with her and Yuu's names. " And Ragdoll! Man, she was hilarious, trying to scare us like that!"

Yuu couldn't agree. His eyes still had tears from the green head's scary jump. " I thought you matured a bit. But seems you're still paranoid when it comes to nighttime and dark places... Well, I'll commend you for not running away and screaming at the slightest appearance of a ghost this time." Admitted the white wraith.

" So he wasn't scared of ghosts but of class B's setups? Curious." Sora wondered.

" Seems Whisper's training at night time paid off." Added Kyubi.

" It doesn't mean I'm not afraid though... I want to go back as soon as possible..."

" Hold on guys..." Sora stopped sniffing the air around her. " Don't you smell smoke?"

Kyubi snuffed as well. " True..."

" Is something burning?" Whisper tried to extend his body to take a look at the vicinity.

" Huh... What's this mist?..." Yuu wondered when a purplish mist started to form around the area.

" No good! Don't breathe in the smoke!" Whisper warned from above. On cue, Kyubi slid under Yuu so he was riding astride on her back before leaping away. Sora promptly summoned her wings and flew away just as the smoke grew thicker.

" That was a close call." The nine-tailed fox perched on a tree bough and peered down at the eerie mist covering the area. She was able to see a few of class B's students laying down on the ground. " If Whisper didn't warn us..."

" They're... Not dead... Right?" Yuu didn't want to think that all of those on the ground had already met their end in an instant.

" They're breathing so it doesn't seem like the case," The ghost stated, taking in the situation. " The mist stays on the ground so, it's better if we keep our altitude."

" What's happening?" Yuu turned to Whisper in hope of finding an answer. However, the ghost bit on his lip vexedly.

" I don't know..."

Yuu's eyes narrowed, thinking of the best choices to take in this situation. " We can't help those unconscious, that's a given. And it will be more dangerous to find the main cause..." He recalled their teacher's words before the final exam. " We need to call for help from a hero with a more suitable Quirk."

Kyubi bobbed her head in agreement. " Good thinking."

" Let's go. Sor-" Yuu blinked when he realized the girl was nowhere around. " Where did she go?" He panicked.

" She was here a moment ago!" Whisper swiveled around but couldn't glimpse the slightest sign of the girl.

" Yuu! What should we do?"

The purple head gritted his teeth. " Sora..."

" Yuu! What do we do now!?" Kyubi insisted.

His hands balled around her fur, pondering on the situation. He wanted to find her first, to bring her with him as they returned to their teachers, but the situation was full of uncertainties. He didn't know where she was, nor how many villains there could have been there. Searching for her was a rather risky choice... No matter how much he wanted to find her, losing time in the process would mean her doom.

" We'll head back!" He rose two glowing eyes.

Kyubi then rushed back towards the ending line, her speed increasing. This is the best choice. To save everyone! And to save Sora! So I need to hurry back!

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  The girl felt sorry about leaving without telling her friend. But that was an urgent matter. What's it... This terrifying aura... This unsettling feeling...   It was as if her instinct kicked in, reacting to something, warning her of something... It's...

An image of a smiling man manifested in her memory. His smile was soothing and calm, one radiant like the brilliant sun.

Papa...

She flew higher, trying to locate the source of the feeling she was getting.  Her eyes narrowed when they landed on a spot near the mountain where dust was rising up, apparently a fight occurring there. " Found you!"

She swept down in the direction of the dust, her heart throbbing in her chest. She dreaded what she may find there, and she tried to dwindle the small bit of hope that lit up in her. It can never be him.

Upon arriving, her eyes widened in fear and her stomach lurched at the figure in front of her. The whole area was in a state of anarchy, and standing in the center of the destruction was a very familiar creature, one with its brain protruding from its skull.

Sora's hands flew to her mouth, hardly muffling the gasp of horror that escaped her. " Nomu..." She couldn't believe her luck brought her face-to-face with one. A creature that was immune to her aura reading and bore as much strength as her. 

Realizing it didn't notice her yet, the girl thought seriously of running away while it was possible. That idea dissipated in the back of her mind as she saw what the creature was attacking.

At first glance, it seemed like some ball of rubber, but when looking closely, she could see the signaling greyish hair of Tobio from class B.

" Darn it..." The boy muttered under his breath as he received the violent onslaughts of the monster. One vigorous punch made him bounce at one of the trees, breaking it at impact.

Sora could see he was seriously injured, still, he was tightly holding on to something... What should I do? What should I do? If I don't act here, he will... The words of the police officer from Hosu rang in her ears. If I engage into fight... Then...

" We should always help those in front of us, Sora."

The grey monster's hand grew large black claws as it advanced on the boy. Before she knew it, Sora dropkicked the beast with her heel, making it stagger.

" Are you both alright!" She yelled back at them, spreading her wings as wide as possible to keep them away from danger. " You're protecting someone, right!"

Tobio's slightly enlarged form shrank, revealing a certain blond hair with a blotch of blood on the bang. Ai had received a rather harsh hit to her head, causing her a concussion.

" Take her and leave! Quickly!" She ordered firmly, her eyes still focused on the Nomu as it regained balance.

" What about you?" Tobio was worried. " Don't tell me... Impossible! That thing is invincible!"

" I will be fine, just go!" Sora yelled. Her nails grew longer, her pupils became sharper and a few feathers framed her arms and face. " If you're that worried then hurry up and get a teacher!"

Tobio bobbed his head, sucked in air to enlarge himself again like a rubber ball and bounced away at a high speed. The Nomu looked after him but then back to Sora who, somehow, managed to squeeze a smirk. " Glad you know your opponent." She rushed at the creature, brandishing her claws in an attempt to slash at it.

The grey Nomu avoided her with ease, directing a hit to her gut with his palm and sending her backwards.

Sora struggled to look up at him. It knows martial arts too! Just what are these Nomu things?! Her eyes squinted at the opponent. And it's the same as back in Hosu, I can't predict its moves at all!

The creature swung its claws at her but she sidestepped and at the same time booted its elbow. The weakest it's is during an attack!

There was the familiar sound of bones snapping and breaking. Yet, it seemed the creature was unaffected by that. The broken elbow was back to normal in no time. It can heal itself that fast!

Just as it came flailing its arm, she evasively slipped under the Nomu and stood up from the other side. When she tweaked to land a surprise attack from behind, she was surprised as it grabbed her by the arm and threw her away. Even its speed! It's better than me!

Sora looked from the rumble of woods as the creature sailed above her, ready to mush her down. She quickly rolled away, avoiding it by a hair strand. The humongous monster twirled around and she knew she better make a run for it. Her best choice was the sky. Yet, as she flapped her wings, the Nomu grasped hold of her ankle before she could fly away, busting her on the ground.

She let out a stifled cry as the greyish beast pressed its ginormous hand on her cranny neck. Sora felt as though it would snap in two any moment, her eyes glazed over with tears as she fought for breath. No use! He is stronger than me... Then!

Her eyes widened as she allowed feathers to cover her whole body. As though feeling the surging energy, the creature pressed harder. Yet to its surprise, the muscle volume increased under his finger, making the once weak neck callous and stiff.

Sora grasped its wrist, her hands enlarged and her grab strengthened. She wrestled herself out of the monster's hand and kicked it hard in the gut, pelting it away from her.

Standing on her feet again, nothing about her was the same as she used to look. Her holy ring was gone. Her body was larger than ever, all covered in greyish feathers her skin no longer visible. Her hair and wings shifted into a grey color. Her whole face stretched backward and her nose flattened. Her jagged teeth were bared at the monster.

In a blink, she was above it, a vigorous kick to the neck sends it rolling sideways. There was the familiar sound of bones breaking, but she doubted it would last for long. Still! While it's distracted...

She attempted to run and quickly levitated high in the air, but her eyes widened when she saw the monster growing wings too and chasing her. What!

She guarded against his upcoming punch. It was a strong impact that sent her flying meters back. Still, the beast was yet on her tail. I don't have any choice but to fight! Sorry, Aizawa-sensei!

This time, she rushed to attack as well, their fists hitting against each other. Sora winced when she felt the pain running through her arm. She could swear her muscles were almost shredded. " Still!" She squeezed her power, pushing hard against the larger monster.

It backed under her persistence, and so she twisted her bottom half so to land a kick. Just as it was thrown backwards, she chased after it, coming from behind and swaying her intertwined fists down on it like a hammer. The creature fell to the ground. Sora quickly followed after it, dropping a kick on its back while landing. If I damage the spine, hopefully, it will stop moving!

" What's this..." Red eyes shot wide upon hearing the familiar voice. Just as the dust around her faded, she saw both Asui and Uraraka staring at her in fear.

" Ribbit... A Nomu..." Asui was looking down at the monster underneath her foot.

" And... What's this..." Uraraka took a step back. " It's... Not a Nomu..."

Sora quickly tried concealing her face with her arm, not daring to look into the eyes of her classmates. " Don't look at me!"

Uraraka's eyes widened. " This... Voice..."

Because of her confusion at being seen, she didn't notice the Nomu had recovered. Before she knew it, she was hurled up into the sky as it grabbed her by the neck, holding her up while soaring higher and out of the two girls' sight.

Sora writhed in its hand, jostling to get free. She flapped her wings, cleaved at its skin and booted around to no avail. Its grasp was so tight she was out of breath. 

In an instant, they had changed direction. The Nomu was diving down towards the ground. 

No way!

Sora steeled herself for the coming impact. And in a moment, she was hitting the cold stony ground hard. The pain at the back of her head conked her out. The Nomu lifted its hand as its prey stopped struggling and laid motionlessly on the ground.

" Interesting, what have we here." A man in a black and white mask walked out of the shadow. He lifted the rim of his hat a bit as if to take a better look at the girl. " Seems an angel had fallen for me."

________________

  Kyubi landed down just where gas receded. " Yosh, it seems will be fine from here onward."

" We've got Mandalay's message. But we still need to do something about Sora." Yuu gritted his teeth. He didn't expect the teachers to have their hands full with villains themselves.

" We can leave it to Ragdoll. She can find her, Yuu." Whisper pointed. Knowing Yuu very well, he wouldn't hesitate on turning back to find the girl right that moment. But in that situation, it would be the same as having a death wish.

" Calm down," Kyubi told them, her eyes focused on the trail behind them. Yuu strained his ears for any sounds and he picked footsteps.

" Two people heading in our way. One of them seems to be hauling something," Yuu stated, eyes following Kyubi's.

" Villains?" Whisper closed on to them as Kyubi took a fighting stance. The outline of two figures appeared through the thin smoke as they closed on.

Nothing could describe Yuu's relief to see they were Todoroki and Bakugo. " Seijin..."

" Why are you here, baggy eyes?! Weren't you behind us!" Bakugo roared.

" We took a shortcut." Kyubi looked up at the treetops.

" Either way, that's from class B..." Yuu inspected the boy perched on Todoroki's back.

" We found him unconscious, we couldn't leave him behind."

" Don't lump me with you, you damn half and half!"

" I'll take care of him." Kyubi lowered herself so Todoroki could deposit the boy on her back safely. " Now you all need to head back to the camp."

" That's what we were planning to do," said Todoroki as they trod back to the campsite. " We were wondering how to avoid the finish line. It's thankful that we ran into you, Seijin."

" Huh?"

" You can find us a shortcut through the thick foliage, right?"

" Right, Yuu's navigation is second to best after mine," boasted Whisper.

" Here he goes again..." Kyubi sighed tiredly before halting.

" Don't just stop, fox-" He cut himself off as he saw what was ahead of them. " Someone there?"

A person in black clothes was kneeling a few meters away from them. Bakugo's eyes widened upon realizing at what he was ogling. " That's..."

Yuu gulped, feeling the blood freezing in his veins. " A hand..."

" Hey, who was in front of us?" Bakugo asked.

" Tokoyami and ... Shoji," Todoroki replied, his guard up.

" It can't be that... Those too..." Even the ghost was wavering in fear at the thought.

If the sight of a disembodied hand was terrifying, it was nothing to when the person turned back to them. The way his mouth was stretched open with pins and belts made their flesh creep.

" Don't fight?" Bakugo questioned their orders. Todoroki and Yuu realized there was no stopping him from engaging in a fray. It didn't help to have permission from their teacher to fight.

But, as the boy scooted for the villain, another message rang through their minds. " Bakugo-san! Get back!" He didn't listen.

Blades protruded out of the man's mouth and aimed at Bakugo, he himself couldn't much their speed. Todoroki however managed to save him at the last moment with a wall of ice. "Don't go rushing carelessly into anything!" Even though the red and white-haired boy pointed that he was the one being targeted, Bakugo only seemed vexed, a vein contorting on his temple.

Just as he made for another onslaught, the blades thought to be restrained in ice stretched. Todoroki quickly doubled their protection. Still, it was hard, their opponent was fast and his teeth blades were so strong and sharp they could simply cut through Todorki's ice. Not to mention having the terrain working to his advantage.

Todoroki warned the ash head against using flashy explosions to avoid being surrounded by fire. Yuu had to agree with him. Being burned to death wasn't something he fancied. One look behind them at the purplish mist made him grit his teeth, they were already cornered. Only Todoroki's shields of ice could protect them, yet, they weren't much against the teeth blades of the villain. All they could do so far was squeeze behind Todoroki's ice and hope an opening to escape would reveal itself. None of them could retaliate. Not even Kyubi could find a chance to strike.

" Oi, baggy eyes!" Bakugo yelled, eyes fixed on their opponent as he jumped in the air and tried impaling them once again. " Be useful and pull that huge chicken you summoned in the entrance exam!"

" Thunderbird ?" Kyubi wondered.

" He's not a chicken!" Whisper bellowed at him.

" Read the situation, Bakugo!" Todoroki cried, stopping another onslaught with even more ice blocks. " Seijin has been keeping his Yokai around for the whole day. He's exhausted and tired from the training. There is no way he could summon another spirit right now!"

It was true. Yuu was barely fighting the brunt of a whole day's worth of training. It was a miracle he was yet awake.

Even with Bakugo suggesting putting down the fire that may result from his great explosion with Todoroki's ice, the boy told him it would be impossible due to the blast impairing his vision.

Suddenly there was a rumble from across the forest. " What's that!" Whisper pointed at a cloud of dust climbing up in the horizon. It was getting bigger as though it was... " It's getting closer!"

Soon, they saw a figure running their way. As they approached, Yuu could see Shoji with Midoriya hauled on his back and wrapped in his tentacles. " Bakugo! Todoroki! One of you please! Make some light!" Shoji shouted once he was within earshot. Yuu could see why, they were followed by a rather titanic Dark Shadow.

" What's..." Whisper couldn't find his tongue anymore. He was different from the Dark Shadow they knew. Monstrous, wild and frightening.

Yuu could spot Tokoyami being sucked into the darkness of his Quirk, eyes full of tears as he contorted against an uncontrollable Dark Shadow.

However, as they got closer, the huge bulk of darkness stomped on the villain they had so long struggled against, making him unable to move. As the gigantic form lifted his feet, the villain tried to come up again. Todoroki, Bakugo and Yuu watched as he tried to impale Dark Shadow. Yet again, how to impale a mass of darkness? It was rather impossible. And all it had done as a result was driving Dark Shadow nuts as he finished the enemy with one single vicious strike that sent him ramming into nearly all the trees around them.

Just as they made sure he was never to wake up anytime soon, Todoroki and Bakugo proceeded to rescue their classmate, reducing the ginormous shadow into nothingness.

" Awesome..." Yuu muttered, hardly taking his eyes off the spot where the villain landed. " Just with one strike... He had done that..."

" Dark Shadow is quite strong when it's nighttime. But again... What we had just seen." Whispered reared his head to the bird head as he apologized.

It wasn't before long that Midoriya struck the subject of getting back to the camp and safely escorting Bakugo. However, instead of going back through the clearing where the Pussycats were having a quarrel, Midoriya wanted to go straight through the woods. " We should cut straight across. Seijin-kun could provide us with a path."

" We don't know how many villains there are. We might come across one suddenly." Todoroki had a point. There was no telling if the enemy was lurking around there near the camp.

" We can use Shoji-kun's search ability. Seijin-kun's sharp senses too," Midoriya suggested.

" Don't forget about me. I can scout the area ahead of you for danger." Whisper pointed at himself with a rather proud sneer.

" You're right. And we have Todoroki-kun's freezing, and if Tokoyami-kun's okay with it, an invincible Dark Shadow with built-in controls... " Bakugo kept snapping his head around as they all seemed to have forgotten his existence. " Honestly, with this group, we could probably even go up against All Might," Midoriya said confidently.

Yuu chanced a glance at him, and he couldn't help but admire him. Being able to come up with such a plan in a wimp was an astonishing feat. Even as tired and injured as he was, Midoriya was getting bigger and bigger in Yuu's eyes.

He ignored Bakugo's yells as he was told to walk in the middle while he strolled forward to lead them through the dark forest.

________________

They didn't advance much before a certain yelp caught their attention. They knew that voice very well. " Asui-san!" Yuu exclaimed, taking a turn to find the girl instead of following their original path with the rest in tow.

" Uraraka!" Shoji cried as soon as they came across the scene. Asui pinned by the hair to a tree bark, Uraraka was restraining someone, but upon second look, Yuu could see a syringe-like thing jabbed into her thigh.

" Shoji-chan! Everyone!" Just upon realizing there were more people there, not to mention a large-sized fox, the captured person managed to overturn Uraraka away from them. She was a blond girl with her hair arranged into two messy buns.

As she retreated, Asui was set free and ran over to check on the brunette. So did they. " Who was that woman just now?" Todoroki inquired.

" A villain. A crazy one."

" Uraraka-san, you're injured!"

Uraraka assured them it was nothing before getting concerned about Midoriya's injuries. While the green head elucidated more of their plan of escorting Bakugo to safety, Yuu stared in the direction the girl had run in.

" Where is Bakugo-chan?" That question wasn't the least expected from them. Just as Midoriya reared his head, they were met by nothing more than air and the sight of forest extended behind them. No trace of Bakugo whatsoever.

" The boy you're talking about..." A voice spoke, incurring their attention to it. A man in a brownish coat and black and white mask was standing on a tree bough, peering down at them. " I took him with my magic." He added.

The man was juggling a small ball of glass. Yuu squinted his eyes at it upon realizing a soul was entrapped inside. " It can't be..."

" This talent isn't someone who should be on the hero side. We'll take him to a stage where he can shine more."

" I ... Didn't hear him at all..." Goosebumps climbed the purple head's body at that thought. There wasn't much that his over-sensitive ears couldn't pick. And this man right then, managed to easily sneak behind him unnoticed. The very thought terrified him.

" Give him back!" Roared Midoriya. But that wasn't going to work. He might as well have asked him to turn over to the good side. Todoroki attempted to freeze him on the spot yet he evaded the attack.

Yuu, however, was preoccupied with something else. Without counting the Yokai and ghost, there were seven of them. Now adding Uraraka and Asui, and with Bakugo taken, they were yet, seven. " Where's Tokoyami-san?" Yuu asked, dread building up at what might have happened in the very few moments they were distracted by Asui's cry.

Shoji turned back, realizing too it wasn't just Bakugo who was taken.

" I was originally an entertainer, you know. It's a bad habit of mine. Taking Tokoyami was an improvisation on my part." As if on cue, the villain brought another bead of glass with a simple flick of his hand. Yuu gritted his teeth, they truly had souls within them. Undoubtedly Bakugo and Tokoyami were within those beads. If he just squinted harder, he could see the two boys entrapped inside. " Moonfish... The man with ' Blade-tooth'... He may not look it, but he's a cutthroat on death row whose appeal was dismissed. With a violent nature that trampled that cutthroat down one-sidedly, I decided that he was good, too. However, that's not all the entertainment I've got this night."

With another flick of his hand, one more orb appeared in between his fingers. Yuu's eyes snapped wide open at the reflection within it. There is no missing that holy ring.

" I was most lucky to come across a fallen angel."...

Chapter Text

" I was most lucky to come across a fallen angel."

" Sora!"

The man enclosed his hand firmly on all three ovals under Yuu's loathly glares.

Todoroki launched a great wave of ice in an attempt to paralyze the villain, but as soon as he breathed, he glimpsed the man floating above the tips of the ice spikes. He managed to avoid Todoroki-san's attack. Yuu couldn't believe his eyes.

The villain hid the marbles in his pocket as he soared above an ice arch then contacted his allies via a comm. " Vanguard Action Squad! Target Successfully collected! It was just a short while, but with this, our show has come to a close! As arranged, head to the retrieval point in the next five minutes!"

Everyone else was rooted to the ground while the masked villain was getting away. Yuu was the only one who couldn't stand where he was and had Kyubi chase after him. The nine-tailed fox sped between the barks and trees while Yuu kept an eye on the villain as he ended his call. " Faster! Faster!!" He wasn't going to let him take Sora, not on his watch.  For he made a promise, and he was keeping it.

He could hear the footsteps of the others behind him, their shock apparently subsided as they chased after him. But he wasn't going to wait. He didn't want to imagine what the villain might do to her.

" Kyubi! Up!" He ordered as Kyubi deftly bounced from one bough to another, tailing the kidnapper. " Hurry up!"

" I can't go any faster!" Said Kyubi who was trying her best not to lose the man, but it was proven hard. " It's hard to keep tracking him through the foliage!"

" Then take from my energy!" His eyes glowed in purple and his aura expanded, fusing with Kyubi's.

" Oi! Yuu! You're already at your breaking point! If you do tha-"

" I don't care!" His eyes were focused on one thing, the villain speeding away from them. The one villain who had Sora in his pocket. " I need to get Sora back!"

Whisper's eyes squinted in disturbance at his look. He's out of his mind! He has been going so far because of the adrenaline! The effect will be too much for him when he calms down! But...

It's too late to convince him now. Only one thing left to do then. " I'm speeding up!" Kyubi tore through the air, the distance between them and the masked man reduced. The others behind them could no longer be seen or heard.

" Hurry!" Yuu shouted into the wind as mere meters were all that separated them from his friend. Kyubi managed to catch up with the villain who turned in utter bewilderment at that. " GO!"

Kyubi lunged at him, putting all her white on him. Shoji, Midoriya and Todoroki came flying their way and, with all four of them, they crashed the masked man down to the floor. " Give Kacchan and the others back!"

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! I know these kids!" Yuu snapped his head, realizing where they had landed. Two men and a high school girl, the one that attacked Uraraka and Asui, were standing there, looking down at them.

Villains.

This is bad! Thought Yuu as he quickly scanned the area for more of them. We've reached their rendezvous point!

" Mister, get out of the way." The younger man had a blue flame pointed at them. Before they knew it, mister had vanished from beneath them and a stream of flames was sent their way.

" Back off!" Kyubi and Todoroki managed to retreat in time. Midoriya and Shoji however were burned in their arms.

The older man in a tight suit aimed for Todoroki but he managed to fend himself. The girl chased after Midoriya and floored him to the ground but Shoji managed to shove her off before she could thrust her knife at him.

The one with the flame Quirk tried to take Kyubi down with another wave of blue fire, but she managed to nullify it using her own.

Right behind them, just where the masked villain had evaporated, he reappeared again in a green glow.

" Where's Bakugo?" The younger male with mismatched skin asked him, managing to drive away Kyubi with another wave of fire. Yuu gritted his teeth, finding himself pushed back and unable to find an opening. Though Sora was too close, he couldn't reach for her and all he could do was curse himself.

Mister reached inside his pocket but found nothing, at that moment, Shoji called them. " Midoriya, Todoroki, Seijin, we're running away!" They all turned to him as he said that. " I'm sure based on what he just did. I don't know what your Quirk is, but inside that right pocket of yours that you kept flaunting were these- Shirogane, Tokoyami and Bakugo, right, entertainer?" He said holding up three greenish marbles out at him.

Yuu inspected them carefully before his eyes widened. " Wait!" He yelled after the trio as they tried to get away. What slowed them however was the two Nomus that appeared from behind the shadow of the trees and the wrap villain from USJ. Yet, they didn't seem to go after them.

A few portals opened in the clearing, through which the girl, Toga Himiko, and the man in the tight suit phased. "Wait. Our goal is not yet-" The younger one didn't take his blue eyes off them.

" Oh, that? They seemed so happy that they rushed out here, so I thought I'd give them a present."

The look on the three of them was that of surprise and bewilderment. Yuu gritted his teeth in rage. Because of his Quirk, he was the only one who could tell why Mister didn't care the least. " Those marbles are decoys, Shoji-san. " Shoji looked at the marbles in his hand. " They don't have any souls within them."

" Ho, so you figured it out?" Mister turned to face them. " It's a habit, one of the basics of magic. When I flaunt something." He removed the mask from his face, revealing a ski mask underneath. " It's because there's something I don't want you to see." He stuck his tongue out which had three small balls. Yuu's eyes narrowed as he could see the three spirits enclosed in each one of them.

" N-No way...!" Mister clicked his fingers and the balls in Shoji's hand reverted back to their original form, blocks of ice.

" That's right." He smirked mischievously as if enjoying playing with their nerves. Or rather, he really did. " During the freezing attack, I prepared dummies and put them in my right pocket. "

" It was from back then," Whisper granted.

Mister returned his mask as he and the other villain were preparing to leave, backing into the foggy wrap portal. All of them made a wild dash in a final attempt to hinder their escape. The magician villain was yet enjoying flaunting how he managed to trick them. He gave a rather unnecessary bow as he was halfway through the portal, however, his mask broke off as it was hit by a sparkly blue beam. Yuu looked to the side where he glimpsed Aoyama hiding between the bushes and shaking in fear.

At that very moment, the orbs flew out of his mouth and that was their chance. Shoji and Todoroki rushed to grasp them while Midoriya fell back and carted on the ground because of his injury. Yuu managed to push himself off Kyubi's back and lung along with them as well.

Shoji grabbed Tokoyami's orb. Yuu enclosed his hands tightly on the middle one which he knew to be Sora and rolled on the ground. As for Todoroki, he was too slow the flame villain caught it before him. He ground his teeth in frustration as the villain looked down at him, gloating. " That's sad... Todoroki...Shoto..."

Todoroki fell roughly to the ground. Midoriya stood up again and made for the portal just as Mister clicked his fingers once more to confirm the balls' contents. The marvels reverted back to a rather shocked Tokoyami and an unconscious Sora who fell in Yuu's hands, making him grapple for a moment not to fall.

Bakugo was firmly held by the scruff of his neck and pulled back to the foggy portal. " No problem." The villain smirked as he was absorbed by the wrap portal, Bakugo in tow unable to move because of the hand around his neck.

" Kacchan!" Midoriya rushed like a crazy man to try and save him. But he was too late.

" Don't come, Deku!" And he was absorbed into the darkness of the portal which Midoriya missed and fell head first to the floor. As he looked back, all he could see were the blue flames eating away at the forest and the black smoke rising into the distant sky, blocking their sight. No villain and no portal were around.

They all watched hopelessly as Midoriya screamed hurtfully into the night and lost consciousness, falling down.

" Midoriya!" The other three rushed over to him, and even Aoyama abandoned his hiding spot. Unable to do the same because of his load, Yuu gave him a sympathetic look. He understood how it felt not to be able to reach out to a friend. If it was Sora who had been taken right then, he probably would have screamed his lungs out. His eyes went back to the girl lying in his arms, unconscious and blood running down her face, blotching her snowy white hair.

With one breath of relief, his legs felt weak, he swagged for a second before he fell down to the ground too. " Yuu! Oi Yuu!" The last thing he heard was Whisper's cries...

___________

Yuu had hardly any recollection of what had happened next. He had awoken in a hospital room two days after the incident with a mechanical ventilator and IV stack to his arm. So far, he only had Whisper by his side. He was told his parents visited once or twice when they had time. His friends weren't allowed to see him until he was awake.

" Two days!" Whisper scolded him, almost strangling him. " You were out for two days Yuu! That's a record! Do you know how dangerous it was for you!"

" Whisper-kun!" Iida hurried to pull away the ghost from his classmate. " Seijin-kun has been just discharged!"

Yuu however couldn't gloss over Whisper's words. He was right, he had overdone himself. Even the doctors said his statics were very low when he was brought. It could've been a tragedy if he had gone any further than he did.

Whisper managed to throw off Iida's hands, pointing a finger at him. " You know what you've done? Let alone your stamina, you even went as to use your life for energy! You almost killed yourself!"

" I'm sorry." Yuu dropped his look. Even though he was angry, Whisper had been all worried about the boy when he was in the coma. He didn't dare leave him alone for two days.

" Come on now guys." Kaminari walked over to them, trying to cool them down. " They're finally letting Seijin out and allowing us to visit Midoriya and the rest. Let's not ruin it okay. We're here to cheer each other up."

Yuu looked back at the blond and nodded his head with a small smile. Whisper puffed his cheek but said nothing in return.

" So, who are we seeing first, class rep?" The lightning boy questioned Iida who pushed up his glasses.

" I was thinking we ought to see Yaoyorozu-kun first since she had awakened yesterday. Then we can check on Midoriya-kun."

" Any news of Kyoka-chan and Toru-chan?" Asked Asui in a worried voice. And Iida shook his head.

" And Sora..." Yuu blurted the question he was trying not to think about the most. " What happened to her?"

Iida considered him for a moment and his expression went soft. " She had received a bad blow to her head and had been out for two days too. I was told that she came to yesterday, but they said she needs rest."

" I see." He breathed out.

" I was informed they moved her to Yaoyorozu-kun's room. If we're lucky, she might be awake." Iida gave him a smile and a gentle pat on his shoulder which the boy appreciated.

They followed Kaminari as he led them through the corridors and to a room which had a card with Yaoyorzu and Sora's names on it. He knocked on the door and Yaoyorozu invited them in. She was sitting in her bed, glancing out her window. As if thinking about something.

" Good morning, how are you feeling today?" Todoroki was the first to ask.

" Much better, thank you for your concern." She smiled at him before her eyes wandered at the rest of them then landed on Yuu. " Seijin-san, congrats on your discharge. I heard you had it rough too."

Yuu shifted uncomfortably as he thanked her. He never liked being the center of attention. He was glad when Yaoyorozu's eyes went from him to the others at last. " Everyone, thank you all for passing by too. I'm sorry to trouble you."

" There is no trouble at all! We must care for each other in times like this!" Iida's hand was back into the chopping motion.

" I have the feeling you're threatening her." Snorted whisper. Everyone laughed out at that. Yuu's eyes however slipped to the other corner of the room where the other bed stood. It had its curtains drawn around it so he couldn't even get a glimpse of the occupant.

Yaoyorzu seemed to catch that. " She is still asleep," she told him and then everyone else looked back at the other bed.

" She was asleep yesterday too," stated Kirishima. " Does she spend the whole day sleeping?"

" The doctors say it may be because of her injury. Or maybe it's some kind of trauma following it. Either way, it's better if we don't disturb her," explained Yaoyorozu. " I will tell her you came by when she is awake."

" We would be grateful." Uraraka smiled as she slung off the paper bag she was holding. " These are some mochi for you both."

" We won't be keeping you long. We need to go check on the others too," said Iida.

" Well then, take care," Kaminari told her as they all shuffled to the door. Todoroki lingered behind, dropping a plastic bag he had brought with him onto her nightstand. " I've brought you some herbal tea. It's good to speed recovery."

" That's thoughtful of you, Todoroki-san. Thank you. I'll make sure Shirogane-san drinks it too." With one nod he followed after them.

"Hm, now that's something. Tododroki actually brought them some snacks," murmured Whisper while looking over his shoulder.

" Todoroki-san is a kind person. He would help with whatever he could." 

" But Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, they give off the same vibes as you and Sora, don't you think, Yuu?" The ghost whispered into the purple head's ear.

" Do you mean, they're childhood friends or something?" The boy quirked his eyebrow most innocently only for Uraraka and Ashido behind him to have a spit take. Whisper on the other hand facepalmed himself. " When are you going to grow up..."

The next room was Midoriya's, and lucky for them he was awake. "You're alive, that's a feat!" Said Whisper. Upon facing him, Yuu couldn't bear to look into his unfocused eyes. His situation was most concerning, it made him feel guilty. Maybe if he was more careful, if he was more alert... If he was more capable... 

Iida fed him up on the situation of the other four hospitalized there too. " So everyone but those four came..." He finished.

" Sixteen of us..." Uraraka muttered.

" Because Bakugo is not here," stated Todoroki bluntly, earning a rather peculiar face from Ashido, a mixture of warning and shock.

On the other hand, Midoriya's eyes slowly gained their colors as memories came back to him. Before they knew it, he was crying. " My body... wouldn't move... It was all I could do to save Kota-kun... I couldn't save someone right in front of me..."

Seeing him like that pained them all. A friend was crying right in front of them and they couldn't find words to comfort him. Yuu's heart ached just seeing him like that. That would probably be how he would look if he didn't manage to get Sora back.

" Then, let's save him this time," Kirishima blurted casually that everyone looked back at him with wide eyes. He then elaborated on how he and Todoroki had been there the previous day and how they heard All Might and a police officer talking to Yaoyorozu about a tracking device.

Iida anxiously turned to the both of them. " Does this mean you're going to have Yaoyorozu-kun make another receiver?"

Kirishima looked down without uttering a word while Todoroki answered unwaveringly. " What if it does?"

Iida ground his teeth in frustration before he shouted on top of his lungs. "It's as All Might said! This is something we should leave to the pros! This isn't the place for us to act, you idiots!"

" We know that!" Kirishima retorted. " But I couldn't do anything! After I heard that my friend was being targeted! I couldn't do anything! I didn't do anything! If I don't do anything now, I won't be a hero or a man anymore!"

" Iida-san... Kirishima-san..." Yuu's eyes tore from one to another as their glares leveled. Kaminari attempted to calm the red head down, hushing him with one finger in front of his lips.

" Kirishima, we're in a hospital. Calm down. It's fine to feel strongly about things, but this time-"

" Iida is correct." Asui put her forefinger at the side of her mouth as she spoke her mind. Kirishima shook with frustration from head to toe, he tried not to look at any of them as he continued. 

" Iida, all of you, you're all correct. I know that. But! Hey, Midoriya." He spun around, extending his hand at the green head. " Your hand can still reach! We can go save him!"

Midoriya sweated as he looked into the red head's eyes. Yuu could see he was tempted to jump off his bed right then and take the chance. Iida's glare at them was very intense though, it was the hardest Yuu had ever seen.

" So," Ashido tried to make sense of what was happening in there while wiggling her forefingers in the air. " In short, you're planning on getting the receiver from Yao-momo, following it, and going to save Bakugo yourselves?"

" Yeah." Kirishima nodded. 

" Even though the villains said we were targets to be killed, they took Bakugo without killing him. They'll probably let him live, but that doesn't mean they won't kill him eventually," elucidated Todoroki to everyone in the room.

I know that...  Yuu's hands balled.

" In other words, you're saying he was taken for a reason." Whisper tapped his chin with his finger as he thought of it. " If he doesn't fulfill it then there is no need to let him live, right?"

Todoroki nodded his head. " That's why, Kirishima and I are going."

Iida was shaking in irritation after hearing all of that before he shouted once again. " Don't go overboard with your messing around!"

" Wait. Calm down." Shoji held a bandaged arm in front of him.

" You're not yourself anymore, earnest-kun." Whisper pointed while folding his arms and staring at him. Iida didn't even bother looking back at the ghost, something that annoyed the wraith.

" I understand Kirishima's frustration and not being able to do anything and Todoroki's frustration at having him stolen in front of his very eyes. I'm frustrated too," admitted Shoji. Then he switched to talking via one of his tentacles. " But, this isn't a situation where we should act on our emotions. Right?"

Kirishima looked away, his face crestfallen as he took in the other boy's words. Todoroki's expression didn't give much. " L-Let's leave this to All Might ..." Aoyama stuttered as he tried to take a part in the discussion too. " Aizawa-sensei's permission to fight at the training camp has been rescinded too." He reminded them while nervously wringing his hands.

" Aoyama's right. I can't say much since I was the one who needed saving, though..." Tokoyami agreed with the blond.

" But-"

" Everyone, we're all shocked from Bakugo's kidnapping," Asui interjected, trying her best to stay calm and to convince them against their risky plan. " But let's think things through calmly. No matter how just your feelings, if you're saying you'll fight again, that you'll break the rules, those acts are the same as those of villains." Her point was rather blunt, thought Yuu. But that was for the better. The following silence meant that they all digested her words.

A knock on the door took them by surprise and even scared Aoyama out of his skin before it slid to divulge the doctor waiting outside to do his examination on Midoriya. Sero then suggested they head to check how Hagakure and Jiro were doing, and so, they all left the room.

Well, almost all. Kirishima lingered behind to talk to Midoriya, and Yuu bit his lip as he heard him. They weren't going to hold back on their careless plan. As he looked behind him, he could see Iida with an annoyed complexion on, he must have heard it too.

After they checked on the two unconscious girls, Yuu went to check on Sora one last time while the rest were going to head to their homes. As his shadow fell upon the door, Yuu pulled his hand to knock, however, he overheard something.

" So, what did you decide?" That was Sora's voice.

She sat at the end of her bed, her curtains open, and she looked back at Yaoyorozu who was staring down at her hands.

" I'm not sure yet, Shirogane-san. I understand their feelings and why they want to go that far. I'm too angry with myself for my lack of ability to help them. However, I don't want to be the one who sends them to the villains." She then looked out her window at the orange sky extended far beyond their eyesight.

" While we're waiting here, something bad may be happening to him now." Sora followed her friend and stared out the window.

" But we can't fight," Yaoyorozu argued. " We can't break the rule-"

" There should be a way without fighting. Don't you think?" Yaoyorozu blinked her eyes twice as she looked at the white head. " Let's give them a chance at it. If we don't do so, they will pick up an even more reckless plan. At least, if anything went south in this one, you can stop them can't you?"

Yaoyorozu narrowed her eyes in thought before speaking. " If you're with me I can."

Sora beamed at her brightly. " Of course, I wouldn't have let you go on your own. I wouldn't let anyone else get taken away again."

Yaoyorozu smiled softly at the smaller girl before her face shifted to serious. " Shirogane-san, for how long do you want to avoid the rest of our class? Seijin-san was all worried about you."

Sora wrung her hands together as a mean of relieving her worries. " It's just... I would rather not right now."

" Why?" Yaoyorozu insisted but Sora didn't give her a straight answer. 

" Just... afraid..." She mumbled. Yaoyorozu considered it was because of something that happened during the villains' attack. She didn't want to push her further so she left it there.

" Are you sure you would be okay coming with me tonight?"

" Definitely." She assured her.

On the other side of the door, Yuu's hand dropped and he stared absently at his feet...

________________

Night had fallen by the time Sora and Yaoyorozu got ready to leave the hospital. It needed quite some effort to convince the staff there they were more than fine and could go home on their own. 

Yaoyorozu hardly had any stuff at all. The clothes she was wearing were ones she created on a whim. Sora However slid her backpack over her shoulder after changing to a more comfortable blue sleeveless hoodie and white shorts. " Shall we go then?" She asked the black-haired girl who was sticking a plaster over her wound. Yaoyorozu nodded her head. " Let's go."

However, just as they were about to open their room's door, Yaoyorozu's phone rang. She picked up to find it was a message. " Wait," She said as she read through it then looked back at Sora. " We'll meet up with someone first."

A few minutes later, they were walking out the hospital doors along with Midoriya who had his head and arms wrapped in bandages and a plaster on his cheek. Kirishima and Todoroki were slightly surprised to see both her and Midoriya along with Yaoyorozu. " Midoriya... Shirogane..."

As they came to a stop in front of them, Kirishima proceeded to ask the other girl. " Yaoyorozu... what's your answer?"

Sora looked back at her friend who seemed restless upon making her choice. She breathed deeply and her eyes fell to the ground. " I-"

" Wait!" They all snapped when they heard that voice and looked back at the entrance. Iida and Yuu stood in front of them.

"Iida..."

" Yuu..." the purple head's eyes met with hers but she quickly reverted them away.

Whisper flicked his eyes between them worriedly. Tension was building up. Iida was most pissed at their ignorance that he went as far as hitting Midoriya when he tried to explain their side.

" Iida..." Whisper tried his best not to show his befuddlement at the action of the blue head.

" Please stop it, Iida-san!" Yuu tried to pacify him, grabbing his arm in an attempt to make him let go of the other boy.

" Are you saying that you don't care about my worries?" The said boy cried out. " Are you saying that you don't care about how I feel...?"

However shocking it was to see their usually level-headed class representative resorting to violence in front of all of them, Sora couldn't blame him. She understood his point, after all she had known all about the Stain incident. She could tell what they were doing wasn't far from what he attempted. Still, for that very reason, she was going. She would help Yaoyorozu stop them if needed. And, if fate wanted it, she may even find a hint to him.

Todoroki and Kirishima tried to make their point clear, that they weren't going to fight them head-on, only opting for an opening to save Bakugo without engaging in a fight. Seeing Iida's slight reluctance, Yaoyorozu decided to step in.

" I trust Todoroki-san. But so that I can stop them if anything happens, we plan to accompany them, as well."

" That's the only way we thought of, so they wouldn't resort to reckless actions," Sora added, stepping by Yaoyorozu's side.

" Yaoyorozu-kun! Shirogane-kun!" Iida was rather surprised to hear they were going while Kirishima was overjoyed with that.

" I don't know myself, either," Midoriya interjected. " But after hearing that I could reach, I couldn't just sit still... I can't help thinking that I want to save him."

Iida took a moment to consider him. Finally, he closed his eyes and his shoulders relaxed a bit. " We can't come to an agreement, huh? Then take me with you too!"

They didn't see that coming. " He quickly changed his mind!" Whisper explained in disbelief.

" Iida-san!" Yuu couldn't believe what he was hearing from their friend.

" I'm sorry, Seijin-kun..." Iida's head hung slightly down as he turned to the purple head. " I don't think there is anything I can do to stop them other than doing so. That way, my mind will be at ease that they are really going to carry out their promise not to fight."

Yuu's eyes dropped down while his shoulders shook slightly. " Are you all serious..."

" Yuu..." the ghost whispered upon seeing his friend trembling.

" Don't any of you remember what happened at the camp." His right hand grasped his wrist tightly as though trying to stop it from shaking upon recalling it all, the fire, the smoke, the poisonous gas and his friends falling before him. 

" Don't any of you realize the danger you're walking into?! Don't you understand! We were lucky to get out of there alive!" He yelled out, facing each and every one of them. " Even a pro hero was seriously injured, another was kidnapped! Our teachers and the Pussycats couldn't do much! And you're still insisting on going!"

" Seijin, like we said-"

" It doesn't matter if you don't intend to fight! The villains don't need a reason to attack! We've all been marked down by them already! Despite knowing all of that, you're still willing to endanger yourself more!" He looked back at Sora and Yaoyorozu with pleading eyes. " I don't want anyone to get hurt again. I don't want to lose someone else."

" Seijin..."

His eyes focused on the red ones, but they quickly reverted away, as though ignoring his plea. " I too..." Sora's hand clenched as a memory came back to life at the very back of her mind, the moment she was told of her father's passing. The moment she felt too useless and unable to do anything anymore. " I don't want to feel the same way again..."

And now, a sliver of hope appeared before her. That Nomu might just be the lead she needed. It was all the more reason why she couldn't go back now." I too don't want to brood over the loss of someone I care for. That's why I'm going. I won't just stand and wait anymore."

" Sora!"

" If I don't go now, I may regret it for the end of my life! I don't want to feel like that, ever again... so instead of running, I'm facing it!" She shot him a piercing glare, but Yuu didn't back off.

" I've come this far so I could be of help to you... If you get yourself killed, then what's the meaning of everything I've ever done?! I can't let you do this!"

The girl clicked her tongue. " You would never understand..."

" Please Sora!"  He said grasping her arms. " I just don't want you to get hurt! So please, let's go back."

" I don't need your permission to go!" She shot, pushing him off her. " I did never ask for your help! I can take care of myself, okay?! If you're too afraid to join us then you just cower back and hide at home and leave me the heck alone!" Her voice hardened and her look became harsh it made him take a step back as he felt threatened by the sharpened red eyes. It was late when she realized what she had said and there was no taking back those words. Everyone was looking at her, both surprised and bewildered by her sudden snap. Eyes wide, she clapped her hands on her mouth when those words took shape in her mind at last.

" I... I didn't mean.."

Yuu stared stupified at her, hurt, confused and lost. His shaking lips finally pursed into a shivering line and his eyes dropped back to the ground. " I see... you really don't need help from a weakling like me... Who am I kidding? I'm but a scaredy cat afraid of his own shadow..." His voice cracked and he almost choked on his words. 

" Yuu... don't say that..." Whisper tried to resonate with him.

" Yuu... I-" She tried to approach him but he quickly spun around so as not to show her his face. If she got any closer she could see his watery eyes.

"As you want... I'm going home... Good luck with your recovery mission... " And he walked back to the gate, his gaze cast down. Sora stood there, unable to go after him or stop him. Her feet froze, refusing to move an inch. Just watching as he walked away, broken and hurt. Her clenched fists shook with rage and fury at herself for hurting her best friend like that, only because he had her best intentions at heart. 

How could I!? 

" Shirogane-san..." She felt her classmate's hand on her back and she turned to meet with Yaoyorozu's eyes. " If you want, you go after him."

She seriously considered it. She wanted nothing but to chase after him. But she couldn't, not now while she was supposed to accompany her friends. She was the one who convinced Yaoyorozu to let them try their hands at that mission, she couldn't back from it that easily. Besides, she had her very own reasons to go as well. 

" Bakugo-kn comes first," she told them all upon realizing their looks on her. Though they were hesitant, seeing her strolling ahead of them down the way to the station, they kept silent and followed her too...

Chapter Text

She took the window seat by Iida and kept to herself for the whole ride, glancing out the window and it seemed her mind was off. She was thankful that no one bothered focusing on her and rather busied themselves with Yaoyorozu's explanation of where they were headed.

" Just to make sure," her head snapped to the other seats across from them as Todoroki spoke loudly. " You know that what we're doing is selfish and that no one wants us to do it, right? You can still turn back if you want to."

Both Midoriya and Kirishima were fast to express their disagreement and resolve to carry on their task, Sora however hugged her backpack and bit on her lip. She too couldn't afford to go back. Not while a friend was in danger. And especially not while she had finally found a lead.

" Are you sure you're alright?" She snapped back to the real world when Iida called for her and somehow managed to smile back at him.

" I'm fine. Not to worry."

Iida took a second to study her before he spoke up again. " I understand that it's hard to have an argument with your friend."

Sora leaned her head on the window. " First argument, actually..." She heaved a prolonged sigh as though trying to get rid of a weight in her chest but to no use. " I don't seem to remember raising my voice at him even once since we've met."

Iida fiddled with his fingers. " Well, I don't usually punch my classmates either." He chanced a look at Midoriya.

" You say it again. You seemed out of your character." She pointed and he rubbed his head uneasily with a small blush. It was an interesting thing to see frankly. It wasn't every day that she saw the composed Iida blushing.

" The thing is, I was worried. Not just for the danger that they were putting themselves in. But for the outcomes as well." He held his left hand and stared at it longingly as though recalling the day it was first injured. " I've lost my way back then and ended up causing trouble for many people. And it was thanks to the heroes' help to avoid our punishment by law that we're still here today. But that kind of favor won't be inflected twice. I feared that, if not physically harmed, they would end up disqualified to be heroes. Thinking that way made me lose it and snap at them."

" But it was because you cared," Sora stated, gently placing a hand on his arm and he gave a weak nod. " I can't blame you for that."

" Seijin-kun was the same too," he said, his eyes meeting hers. " I wasn't there when all the racket happened, but I was told everything. He ended up landing himself in the hospital for two days so he could save you."

Sora's eyes dropped and her clutch of her backpack tightened. " I know that." She felt more ashamed than ever upon hearing it again. That despite all he had done, she just ended up ditching him in the end. And in a horrible way.

" He cared for you. So the least you could do, is to make up with him when you're back." Iida offered her a smile. " I know you two would."

With a small smile, she nodded at him weakly. True, she needed to apologize for her rudeness, she needed to thank him properly for saving her. And most of all, she needed to tell him that she too couldn't have come this far without him by her side...

________________

Sora gaped at the crowded streets of Kanagawa. People of all kinds were walking back and forth under the street lights and signboards. She wasn't used to seeing a city full of life at late night hours. She admired the city some more before Yaoyorozu dragged them all to a store with a flashing nameplate spelling the name 'Dirt-Cheap Donki Oote'.

Without any previous warning, Sora was forced by a rather excited Yaoyorozu into a white skirt, a blue collar sleeveless shirt, black leggings and white high boots. Her hair was freed from her usual plaits and held back into a half-moon bun. She was also given golden-rimmed glasses. " This is a hassle," she mumbled stepping out of the changing cabinet and holding down her skirt as though it was going to blow away. " Why should we do this?"

She wasn't given an answer until after they left the shop. " Kids would stand out in the shopping district at night, right?"

" I see. Makes sense now." Sora hummed. She took joy in watching the disguised Midoriya and Iida get into the role.

" Shirogane-san however... no matter how hard I tried..." Yaoyorozu ran her eyes over the girl's silhouette and gave a sigh. " You really lack the building of a grown woman."

" What's that supposed to mean!" She was ignored.

" Shirogane-kun, your thing..." Iida whispered pointing above his head and Sora got it.

" Oh, my holy ring. Sorry, I can't really get rid of it and it can't be hidden either." She sweat dropped.

" Won't that make you stand out?" Midoriya asked.

" I hardly doubt so. People would just guess it is part of a Quirk that I can't turn off." She shrugged.

" Whoa, it's UA!" They all jolted as they heard that comment, thinking they were found out. However, upon looking up it was soon revealed that the comment wasn't about them. On a large screen hanging off a building, they could see all three of Aizawa, Vlad King and Principal Nezu live. Sora took a wild guess and presumed it was a press meeting about the recent incident at the camp.

Seeing the whole thing made Sora's already bad mood worse and she wanted nothing more than to thrash someone back then. Just seeing her teacher pushed to a corner made her blood boil with rage. And as if trying to rub salt on the wound, the crowd around them were mocking the teachers' statements and making fun of their school.

They weren't there. They haven't been through half of what we've been through. Their lives weren't endangered. And yet, here they're talking as though they knew better than anyone what it was like. They don't know the slightest thing about how hard our teachers fought to protect us while putting their lives on the line.

It wasn't until they began sidling along the crowd and walking again that her rage subsided slowly. Still the knot she felt wasn't yet taken off her chest, rather it swelled more. She would never begin to understand how Yuu felt that night, yet she yelled at him, even more, hurt him with her words. Her feeling of guilt was getting stronger she was biting her bottom lip tight.

Stupid! Stupid! 

" This is the spot the receiver is showing." She only left her thoughts when Yaoyorozu announced that they reached their target. Sora joined Kirishima and Yaoyorozu at the front to get a better look at the building. It was so dark and not a hint of a single soul around. It seemed deserted.

After discussing their situation, and a whole half hour of Midoriya's ranting and mattering, they decided on staking out to watch over the place for a little longer. However, nothing happened so far.

" What if we try and get closer?" She was immediately met with a glare from Iida and she hurriedly elaborated more. " I mean, if I was a villain in hiding, I would keep watching over the vicinity in case some hero or even police got closer to me. Let's try and see if whoever is inside will react to us approaching their territory."

Midoriya hummed as he placed a hand on his fake goatee beard. " I see. That can work. But how to get that close without provoking them?"

Sora then pointed at a vending machine right across the street from said building and smirked. " Let's buy some refreshments!"

With everyone agreeing on her idea, they trotted over to the machine, Sora and Yaoyorozu trailing back after them to keep watch over any suspicious moves. " Yaomomo..." Her friend looked back at her and Sora had a bothered look in her eyes. " You said, the one you attached the tracking device to was a Nomu, right?" The girl nodded. " How did it look like?"

Yaoyorozu shook her head at that. " I don't remember much myself. I was knocked out as soon as it appeared and I hardly got a glimpse of it when Awase-san was pulling me away. But, it wasn't enough to discern its appearance."

" I see." She muttered with a hint of disappointment in her voice. They finally stopped by the vending machine, ready to buy their drinks. They kept glancing over their shoulders at the building behind them but nothing much of a movement happened. While still mulling over the situation at hand, they were all taken back by two drunk men who were hitting on Yaoyorozu, inviting her for a drink. Upon Todroki's suggestion, they all changed places.

Sora looked back at Yaoyorozu then at herself and puffed her cheeks in frustration. " Why did they only call out to Yaomomo? I'm a woman too you know!"

" But not at that age yet," Yaoyorozu explained.

" I'm the same age as you!" The short girl retorted.

" Not physically." Was Yaoyorozu's only response.

" There aren't many people walking by, but there are some." Todoroki pointed.

" We can't do anything to stand out. What should we do?"Yaoyorozu pondered.

Sora's eyes dropped down. " If only Yuu and Whisper were with us."

" We could have used his Quirk now." Admitted Todoroki.

Midoriya looked back at the warehouse. " Let's try going around to the back. No matter how little information we have on this place, it's all we've got."

It took some time to convince Iida to let them get a little closer. Then they all sidled through the very small space between the warehouse and the neighbor house where they could only advance if walking sideway. They stopped when Midoriya spotted a low window from which they could peek inside. Still, it was high for their height.

" Can you get there?" Todoroki asked the white-haired girl who responded with a shake of her head.

" You know I can't get my wings out in such a narrow space."

" I see. Then I'll help you up, you're the only one who can see well in the dark."

" I can make a night vision scope-" Yaoyorozu was cut off by Kirishima who had pulled out one already. Apparently, he had been thinking of what they would need for the mission and bought one despite being very expensive. Such a good friend. Sora smiled.

Despite how cramped it was, Midoriya and Kirishima managed to climb on Todoroki and Iida's shoulders to get a peek inside the building. However, what they saw came as a surprise that Kirishima almost reeled back. " ... Nomus?!"

" Nomus!" Both girls exclaimed as loud as they could in hushed voices. Sora's ears suddenly perked up and she looked back at the main street. " Something is off."

" Eh?" Kirishima looked back as well then called for all of them just as they saw a truck being lifted up in the air. A moment later, it was smashed down the front of the warehouse with such force that it sent a strong gale all across the nearby area.

" What was that?" Yaoyorozu asked, fearing it was an ambush from the enemy.

" It's the heroes," Sora whispered as she was held up on Todoroki's shoulder to see what was happening inside.

" Mt. Lady and Gang Orca... and even the number four hero, Best Jeanist?" Kirishima exclaimed.

" Tiger-san is there too!" Added Yaoyorozu. They all climbed down before they could be spotted. Apparently, the heroes were way ahead of them. While knowing they could leave matters in their hands, all six of them decided to fall back. Sora however couldn't help looking longingly at the building where Nomus were getting captured. Could this be the end of her sole lead?

Unexpectedly, there was a loud rumble and the ground quaked beneath their feet as the warehouse was blown. All of them looked back to see dust and smoke rising into the air, the heroes were lying on the ground all hurt and wounded. " What... was that..."

Sora's eyes widened when she heard something right behind them in the rumble of the building. " Clapping..." She dared to look back through a hole in the fence created by the attack, only to witness Best Jeanist abdomen being pierced.

Sora promptly held one hand to her mouth so to stifle a scream. The villain that appeared before them was nothing like the ones she previously met. His aura was beyond utter malice. With his shadow looming over them, all they could do was squeeze themselves towards the intact parts of the fence and hope he wouldn't notice them, not uttering a sound, not even breathing.

It was then that they heard a splash followed by a very familiar voice. Bakugo! More splashes, and the whole of the villain league was a few steps from them. What's the meaning of this? Wasn't All Might dealing with them?!

Her eyes widened when she felt the two auras by her side. Todoroki and Midoriya were attempting to move. Luckily Iida held on to their clothes tightly, preventing them from moving one inch. His glare was enough warning not to get reckless. Yaoyorozu clung tightly to Kirishima too. Sora could see both her and Iida thinking hard of a way to get all of them out of the danger.

It wasn't until All Might came flying at the villain from above that she felt safe enough to breathe again. Their clash was strong it blew the whole villain league off their feet and almost them as well. The site behind them was nothing but ruins by the time.

All Might and the villain boss engaged in a fight, a balanced one to her surprise. She could see All Might was having a hard time. The League of Villains attempted to escape while taking Bakugo by force. The ash blond wouldn't go willingly of course so it became a fight too. As All Might's priority was to save Bakugo, he was struggling. Not that he wanted him to get caught in his attacks as well.

" Iida-san! Everyone!" Midoriya turned to them, a sparkle of hope shining anew in his eyes.

" You can't, Midoriya!" Iida insisted.

" No, there's a way! A way that won't involve fighting that will let us leave this place, but still save Kacchan!"

" Let's hear what he has to say, Iida-kun," Sora pleaded and the blunette relented.

" Say it." Todoroki urged.

" But this plan also depends on Kacchan...".

________________

She, Midoriya and Iida wrapped their arms around Kirishima who activated his Quirk, hardening every bit of his body. Both Iida and Midoriya gave them a boost to break through the wall. Todoroki created a slope of ice that climbed as high as it could carry them. Both boys were still rushing forward and building momentum for when they would be realized to the sky.

As for Shirogane-san...

Sora readied herself and as soon as the chunk of ice came to an end underneath their feet, she called upon her wings and held them midair.

You use your wings to keep us airborne for as long as possible and correct our trajectory...

" Come!" Kirishima shouted, his hand extended backwards at Bakugo who was yet surrounded by the villains. Seeing the opportunity, Bakugo jumped to them in a blast of explosion, flying away of the villains' reach and blasting through a building before grasping Kirishima's outstretched hand.

" You stupid or something?" He told him with a wide smirk.

" Bakugo-kun, on my mark, create a blast-" Iida tried to get him to help but the boy wouldn't take it.

" You match my mark!" He retorted.

" Don't fight at a time like this!" Kirishima interjected.

Sora, who was struggling to keep them that high and keep with the momentum speed with all of their weight, finally snapped. " Shut up or I will let go!"

The villains underneath them gathered, apparently to use some kind of Quirk before the magician one was hurled at them. Sora gritted her teeth at how fast he was approaching them. Luckily, Mt. Lady managed to thwart him as she enlarged and became a protective wall for them, earning a hit on her nose.

" Mt. Lady!"

" Prioritize... the rescue...! Go... stupid kids...!" When she fell, she created a screen smoke that they couldn't see what was happening behind them. But Midoriya was able to glimpse Gran Torino down there.

There wasn't much time to think about it, they had to focus on landing safely. " I'll stabilize us! Bakugo-kun you slow us down with an explosion!"

" I don't get orders from you, feather head!"

A tick appeared on her forehead. She had been through a lot that night and she wasn't dealing with Bakugo's ego as well. " You will if you don't want your head to be smashed on the asphalt!" She snapped at him, taking him by surprise. Moments later, all five of them managed to land safely, and Bakugo begrudgingly compiled to listen to Sora in the end...

________________

The city was no longer lively and dazzling with lights. Well, it was quite lively considering the fact that citizens were hurriedly rushing to save their skins after seeing the great explosions from All Might and the Villain Boss's fight. Still, it wasn't the kind of lively Sora wanted to see.

As soon as they landed, the five of them quickly rushed away from that area and merged along the flow of people running for their lives. Heroes and police alike were trying their best to point them to safety. It was then that Midoriya got a call from Todoroki, confirming their situation. Soon after they made their flashy escape, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu managed to use the moment of confusion of the villains to run away as well.

They managed to get to the station and they all needed to catch their breath after running for so long. Bakugo however was desperately trying to make it clear that he wasn't saved by them, rather he used them to save himself. Sora couldn't care more beyond that point and she ignored his every single word.

She raised her head to watch the giant TV screen from earlier which was now broadcasting All Might's battle. She bit her lip as she saw just how much of a beaten the blond hero got. Was that villain that strong...? Can't All Might stand up to him...

________________

The battle was aired across the whole country. Every house of every city, they had that scene on their screens. Class 1A for once were beyond freaked out. Their classmates were there. They went to that very place to save Bakugo. And possibly they were caught there.

Back at Yuu's house, just as he walked out of the kitchen and was about to get back to his room, his eyes caught the news on the TV his parents and brother were watching. Feeling his heart sinking, he rushed to the living room and saw the decimated scenery the helicopter was shooting on their camera, the beaten-up form of All Might and the villain he was facing.

He swallowed shakingly as he thought of what might have happened to his friends who headed there earlier that night. "...Sora..."

________________

All Might will take care of it as he always does... right... She desperately wanted to believe in that, but she knew it wasn't the case this time. The moment the villain's strike landed on him and his form incredibly diminished, she knew just how strong of a person that masked man was.

" That man..." She knew him from when they visited Midoriya after his match against Todoroki. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought him to be All Might. But right then he seemed... hopeless.

" Win..." Bakugo mumbled by her side. Would he be able to do so? In that form? The murmurs of people around her rose, all of whom were begging him to win. Her eyes slightly widened at that. Even as weak as he seemed, still everyone believed in him. Despite looking as though he was about to be defeated, still, cries of rooting rose up for him.

It then downed on her. All Might wasn't just a hero who was strong enough to save those in need. He was most importantly the hope that they believed in. No matter what form he was in. No matter how beaten up he was, he was still, the symbol of peace and hope for everyone else. Just like how Yuu is to me. Before she knew it, two droplets of tears rolled down her face. Why didn't she realize it earlier? Why was she so blind, so ungrateful? All this time, because she had the hard-working Yuu by her side, she always managed to push herself further. No matter how weak and scared he might seem, for her he always was...