Chapter 22
Progress
To say that Izuku had had an interesting night would be a colossal understatement. He'd gone on his first date, rescued a little girl who might have been kidnapped, and fought one of those possibly responsible for said kidnapping. He had thought that waiting for Nezu to get back to him about Eri's fate would be the hardest thing to deal with.
Unfortunately, he had forgotten about his mother.
"Izuku, baby, are you okay!?" Inko somehow managed to hug him and shake him at the same time. She was also successfully inspecting him for injuries, despite her eyes being filled with tears.
"I'm f-fine, Mom," Izuku gasped out, and tried not to look embarrassed, because his girlfriend of two hours was looking far too amused.
Eri, who sat next to Uraraka, just looked confused. To her, it looked like Izuku was getting attacked, but no one was worried, and Izuku's attacker seemed to be concerned for him.
A police officer, who had been silently enjoying this in the corner, finally took pity on Izuku and gently pried his mother off to explain the situation. After about fifteen minutes, Inko returned and gave her son a much gentler hug.
"I am so proud of you," she said, and then wiped away more tears. "What you did was incredibly brave." She then turned to the other teenager in the room. "And you must be Uraraka-chan! Izuku has told me so much about you, but I wasn't expecting to meet you so soon, or under these circumstances."
Uraraka wasn't expecting to be the center of attention—especially by her boyfriend's mother—and quickly sketched a bow. "H-hello, Midoriya-san. It's nice to meet you."
Inko beamed. "So polite, and a sweetheart, from what Izuku's told me."
"Mom!"
"Sorry." Inko's tone and expression said that she was anything but sorry. "Anyway, I'm so glad that you're both all right." She saw Eri and smiled kindly. "And I'm very glad that you're okay too."
Eri, who was extremely confused, just nodded shyly. She looked close to being overwhelmed, and had made a habit of clinging onto her rescuers when they sat next to her. The clinging got worse when Nezu arrived in person a short while later to discuss the matter with the police. No one could blame her; Nezu was unusual, even in this day and age.
Less than an hour went by, and then Nezu returned with a kind smile on his face. "Hello, Eri-chan. My name is Nezu, and I am the Principal of UA High. It's a school that trains students to be Heroes; your two friends here are among the top of their class."
Eri blinked; she didn't really know what 'top of the class' meant, but from the way Inko beamed, it was obviously good. Uraraka and Izuku would have blushed at the praise, but they had been red-faced since she'd caught them kissing anyway.
"Now, I understand that you've had a hard time," Nezu went on. "But I've spoken to the police, and until we are absolutely sure that you can live a safe and happy life, we've decided to let you stay at my school."
"N-no!" Eri jolted back and tried to hide in her chair. "I can't be near people! I h-hurt them! I'm cursed!"
Izuku wondered what she meant by that, but then assumed it had something to do with her Quirk.
Nezu's smile turned sad, and he reached up to gently put a paw on her knee. "Is that what the bad men told you?"
Eri hadn't expected that reaction at all; neither had Uraraka or Inko. Only Izuku did, and that was because Nezu's story was unique enough to catch his attention. Animals with Quirks were extremely rare, and one that made said animal even more intelligent than a human was practically unheard of. Nezu had been captured by a radical group of Quirk-obsessed scientists and experimented on, until he'd been rescued by a group of Heroes. If anyone was going to bond with Eri over shared trauma, it would be him, and Izuku knew it.
"They did," Eri said softly. "H-how did you know?"
"Because bad men told me the same thing." He and Eri were both small enough to fit on the same chair, so that's what he did. "And do you know what I did? I proved them wrong. It was hard, and it took a long time, but now, I'm proud of what I can do. Someday, I'm sure you'll be the same."
"And we'll be there to help you," Izuku promised, and gently rested his hand on her head. "Right, Ochako?"
"Of course we will!" Uraraka smiled at the little girl. "Helping people is what Heroes do!"
"And it's what my school does," Nezu added. "Eri-chan, UA is the perfect place to teach you how to safely use your Quirk, and since Midoriya-san and Uraraka-san are there six days every week, you'll be able to see them very often!"
Izuku and Uraraka were starting to realize that they'd volunteered for something major. On top of their own studies and training, they now had to help a girl work past her trauma, her self-esteem issues, and teach her how to use her Quirk. And they didn't even know what her Quirk was!
Still, looking at the little girl who clung to them like a lifeline, how could they say no?
…
After some cajoling from Izuku and Uraraka, Eri was convinced to go with Nezu and a heavy police escort to UA to spend the night. She had only reluctantly agreed when they promised that they would see her the next morning, and as often as possible.
It was only after she was gone that they both realized how exhausted they were, and nearly collapsed in the hospital. A police officer was asked to drive Uraraka to her apartment, and another would escort the Midoriyas to their own home. There was only a short pause before they split up, where Izuku and Uraraka stood awkwardly.
"Um…" Uraraka rubbed the back of her head. "Goodnight, Deku-kun."
"Goodnight… Ochako-chan." Izuku tried very hard not to turn, because he just knew his mother was watching. Instead, he hugged his new girlfriend and kissed her on the cheek. "See you tomorrow?"
"After everything that's happened, you really have to ask?" Uraraka hugged him back. "If I don't keep an eye on you, you'll probably get abducted by a wizard or something."
"Don't jinx it," Izuku warned as he stepped back. He was about to rejoin his mother, when he felt soft lips press against his cheek. "W-what was that for?"
"That was because I've wanted to kiss you since the Sports Festival," Uraraka admitted. "Also, because you're really cute."
Izuku sputtered, but could only stand there as Uraraka skipped off to the waiting police cruiser. As she was driven away, he jumped when his mother patted him on the shoulder.
"She's a good one," Inko said with a teasing smile. "She reminds me of a few times when I'd just started dating your father, and I would—"
"Hey, Mom, I have to get to UA kind of early tomorrow morning, can we go home?" The last thing Izuku wanted to know was intimate details of his parents' love life.
Inko's smile never wavered, but her teasing did. "Of course, honey. Let's go home."
…
Chisaki Kai was furious; short of being captured by the authorities, this was the absolute worst thing to happen to him. His plan, his life's goal, hinged on Eri, and now she was gone—in the hands of the Heroes, where she would inevitably be infected by their disease. He had no idea where she was, and he couldn't assume that they would be stupid enough to put her somewhere she could be easily retaken.
He also had no idea if they knew what Eri could do. If they did, they'd spirit her away to the ends of the Earth, if it meant propagating their disease.
Chisaki looked down at his gloved hands, slowly clenching and unclenching them as he considered his next move. Unfortunately, there was only one option for the immediate future.
"Kurono."
Kurono Hari—known to most as Chronostasis—stepped out of the shadows. "Yes, Overhaul?"
"Increase the sale of Trigger; we need to build up capital faster. As soon as we get Eri back, we'll need to make up for lost time."
"Understood." Chronostasis paused. "Do we have any leads on her location?"
"Not yet," Chisaki growled. "And depending on where she is, we'll have to be careful on how to proceed. If we move too early, or hit them too hard, we could bring the police and the Heroes down on our heads before we're ready."
"I'll have some guys search where she went missing," Chronostasis promised.
"Good." The thought of Heroes and their sickness made Chisaki want to throw up. "Notify me if anything changes on either front. For now, I'm going to wash my hands."
…
When Midoriya and Uraraka arrived at UA the next morning, they were happy to see their friends—including the Big Three—but took them aside to let them know what had happened. They didn't want them to freak out around Eri, who was certainly still on edge.
"Let me get this straight," Ashido said, as serious as anyone had ever seen her. "You guys went out on your date, had a wonderful time… and somehow managed to end with a fight, a rescue, and a hospital stay!?" She glared at Uraraka's bandaged arm. "Midori, you're dragging your girlfriend into your messes now!"
Sero chuckled. "I hate to say it, dude, but you're cursed. You can't go anywhere without something happening."
Uraraka felt obliged to defend her new boyfriend. "Hey! Bad things only happened to just him once! Every other time, at least one of us was with him."
"She's right, ribbit," Asui agreed. "The curse has already spread to us all."
Hado laughed, while Amajiki leaned away from Midoriya, as if he really believed he was cursed. Togata, on the other hand, slung an arm around Midoriya's shoulders.
"Still, you two did good work," he said. "You saved someone, you did it inside the law, and no one got seriously hurt. Sir Nighteye once told me that that kind of day is the best outcome for a Hero."
Uraraka and Midoriya blushed under the praise, but the latter was just glad that the Big Three were interacting with him again. After telling them the truth about the Ultimatrix and Quirks shortly after his first friends, they had withdrawn from him for a while. Togata had later told him that they had wanted to discuss the matter amongst themselves, and then had to process everything they'd learned.
For his part, Togata had actually been fascinated with the idea of Quirks being given to people, though he didn't say why. Hado thought being part alien was awesome—the only downside was that she couldn't tell anyone, and couldn't believe that other people wouldn't think it was as cool. Amajiki, on the other hand, had been thoroughly shaken by what he'd learned; only a tight hug from Hado and encouraging words from Togata had prevented him from descending into a panic attack. He looked better now, but Midoriya didn't miss the way Hado kept glancing at him, as if she was gauging his state of mind.
"Anyway, about Eri," Midoriya said, trying to get them all on track. "Can you guys hang back a little while Ochako and I talk to her? I don't want her getting overwhelmed by a bunch of strangers."
Yaoyorozu nodded. "That's probably for the best. She can sit and watch us train if she doesn't want to talk, or maybe we can introduce ourselves one at a time."
"Either way, we should be really gentle with her," Uraraka said, then gave Ashido and Iida pointed looks. "Don't be hyper, and don't do that hand-choppy thing you do."
Ashido stuck her tongue out, but didn't actually disagree. "Fine, but can we go inside now? I want to see what this training Midori hyped up is all about!"
The students went inside and got changed into their gym uniforms. Waiting for them in the gym was Nezu, Eri, and to everyone's surprise, Aizawa.
Eri, now wearing an adorable red dress and pink blouse, broke away from Nezu and ran to her rescuers as soon as she saw them. "You came back!"
Midoriya crouched so that he could look her in the eye. "Of course we did! We promised, right?"
Eri nodded. "Right…" she looked up at the small crowd of strangers that were keeping their distance, but smiling. "Um…"
"These are our friends, Eri-chan," Uraraka said gently. "I promise, they're all super nice, but if you don't want to meet them today, that's fine."
Eri nodded again, and then hid behind Nezu as he joined them.
"Aizawa and I will keep an eye on her while you all train," Nezu said. "If we need any of you, we'll let you know."
"Thank you, Nezu-sensei." Midoriya glanced at his sleepy-eyed homeroom teacher. "Why is Aizawa-sensei here?"
Eri looked ashamed as Nezu explained. "Eri-chan had a bit of an 'episode' last night. Her Quirk activated. Her horn grew and began to glow; she insisted that no one touch her, and I became concerned that her Quirk would cause harm. Aizawa happened to be on campus last night, and erased her Quirk; he'll be here, in case it happens again."
"See, Eri-chan?" Midoriya smiled at the little girl. "UA is a great place, and the teachers are here to help, just like us!"
Eri wiped away her tears, but jumped when Aizawa gently put a hand on her head. "I'll take her off to the side. You all should get to your training."
"Thanks, Aizawa-sensei!" Midoriya and Uraraka rejoined their friends, all of whom waved at Eri as they left.
"You two are in so much trouble," Ashido hissed. "You didn't say she was adorable!"
"You didn't ask," Uraraka teased.
Ashido glared at her. "First round, you and me."
Uraraka grinned cockily. "Bring it on."
…
There wasn't much actual structure to the training. Togata advised that they all work on whatever they felt they were weakest in, or otherwise exercise their Quirks to strengthen them. After that, Togata had practically dragged Midoriya away for a spar—which mostly meant that Midoriya would be spending the next three hours failing to even hit the upperclassman.
Unless…
"I see that look, Freshman," Togata said with a grin. "You've got an idea on how to fight me."
"I think so." Midoriya cycled through his aliens—and it felt so good to actually call them aliens, at least when he was with his friends—until he found what he wanted. "I want to try it, anyway."
"Hey, that's why you're here, right?" Togata stretched for a minute, and then took a ready stance. "Bring it on!"
Midoriya pressed the dial; when the green light faded, Shocksquatch crossed his arms. "Come and get me, eh?"
"I've gotta ask, how come your accent changes?" Togata looked a little confused. "I mean, I get that your voice would change, but why the accents? Shouldn't you still have a Japanese accent?"
Shocksquatch opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Huh. I don't actually know, eh? Maybe transforming rewrites my brain."
Togata shrugged. "It's as good an explanation as any. So, you ready to go?"
"Oh, yeah!" Shocksquatch cracked his knuckles, and electricity sparked along his fur.
Golden energy surged around Togata's body; Shocksquatch wasn't sure, but he thought he felt a small tremor in the ground.
Togata shot forwards, as expected, but rather than try to dodge, Shocksquatch waited. He would need to time this right, or he wouldn't get another chance. Togata was too skilled to get tricked more than once. Just before Togata's fist connected, Shocksquatch expanded an aura of electricity to just above his skin; the punch still hurt, and he was almost knocked clear out of the ring, but Togata fell to one knee. His aura faded, and his muscles locked up from the electricity; he didn't look hurt, but he was definitely surprised.
Shocksquatch didn't have much time; the paralysis wouldn't last very long. He got up as quickly as his winded body allowed, and threw a haymaker. To his surprise and pride, he finally landed a solid blow on his opponent that sent him cartwheeling back. Togata landed with a solid thud, but as he got to his feet, he saw Shocksquatch pointing at something behind him. Togata looked, and saw that one foot was just outside the boundaries.
It was only a technicality, but Togata had lost.
Midoriya transformed back to normal. His chest hurt, but he didn't care; not only had he managed to hit Togata, he had won the fight!
"Not bad, Freshman!" Togata didn't look disappointed; if anything, he was proud. "I was so surprised that I lost track of my surroundings. It's been a long time since I've taken a hit like that!"
"Th-thanks?" Midoriya shook his head. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine!" Togata grinned. "No offense, but you didn't actually hit me that hard. Why don't you heal up, and we can go again."
Midoriya nodded. "Sure!"
…
In the observation room, Eri looked on in concern. "Why are they fighting?"
Nezu chuckled. "They aren't actually fighting, Eri-chan. This is training—they're helping each other become stronger."
Eri nodded, but she didn't seem to understand. "Why are they doing that?"
"Because it will make them better Heroes, and that means that they can help more people like you, and stop bad people."
Eri seemed to accept this, but she still flinched when Midoriya—Shocksquatch once again—was sent flying from Togata's kick.
"Don't worry," Aizawa said. "We'll make sure no one gets hurt."
His words were said dryly, but the simple logic was enough to get Eri to calm down. Still, Nezu noticed that her attention was mainly focused on two students in particular. He wasn't surprised; Midoriya and Uraraka had saved her, and were likely the first people she could remember to show her any real kindness. He just hoped that the two were prepared for the kind of responsibility they'd taken on.
…
"Aren't you going to spar, Momo?"
Yaoyorozu smiled at her older friend. "No, not today, Nejire. I'm working on improving the speed of my Quirk; creating more complicated objects can take too long, especially in a situation where time is of the essence."
Hado hovered over the other girl and smiled. "So, what are you making?"
Yaoyorozu sat down and opened up her gym shirt. "I'm thinking something with circuitry. If I can make something as advanced as a functioning computer, I'll try to cut down how long it takes to make it."
"Cool!" Hado flipped around. "I'm gonna go practice with Tsu; it's gonna be such a fun game of tag!"
…
Sero ducked under a punch. "Hey, Tenya?"
Iida backed up, then jabbed out again; he was trying to spar with his arms, only using his kicks for an attack he was sure would connect. "What is it?"
"Am I…" Sero paused, and his hesitation nearly got him punched square in the face. "Am I not good enough a fighter?"
Now it was Iida's turn to pause. "How do you mean?"
"I mean, Izuku's got his transformations, Shoto is a walking disaster, anyone Momo can't beat up, she can make something to beat them up with, and you can kick through solid stone. I just shoot tape."
Iida would have asked why Sero didn't include Asui, Uraraka or Ashido in his little rant, but the four he did mention were widely regarded as some of the best students in their class. In Iida's opinion, Sero was setting the bar a little too high.
"I do not think that it is a matter of you being good enough," Iida said carefully, painfully aware that this sort of thing was not his forte. "Perhaps you should stop comparing yourself to those of us who specialize in combat. I mean no offense, but raw power is not your strong suit. If you want to be better at fighting, maybe you should work on your agility. I know from experience that it is better to avoid being hit in the first place—and maybe you could ask the Support Department about equipment to increase your damage output."
Sero held up a hand to pause the spar. "Like, reinforced boots or something? I could do some damage if I built up momentum by swinging on my tape and kicking."
"Exactly!" Iida was proud that he was able to help his friend, but knew when to quit when he was ahead. "You should probably speak to Izuku about this, as this sort of thing is his specialty."
"Right." Sero grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "I bet he's got a whole notebook on how to help me improve."
Iida nodded. "As a matter of fact, it might be a good idea for all of us to ask for his input." He glanced at their green-haired friend, who was currently getting thrashed by Togata. "Er… after he recovers."
…
Todoroki frowned as he tried to land a hit on Amajiki; the older boy was fast, and had amazing versatility with his Quirk. It was almost like fighting Midoriya, only without the long-ranged attacks. He could still reach far with those tentacles, but there was a limit. On the other hand, he was fast enough to dodge Todoroki's ice, and whenever he got close, he just turned his hands into clamshells that smashed through it, assisted by octopus-muscle in his arms.
He wouldn't admit it, but thinking about all the seafood Amajiki had eaten was starting to make him hungry. After training, he was going to get a nice lunch.
Food made him think about cooking, and cooking made him think about fire. Were he anyone else, he would have slapped himself; he was still falling into the mindset of only using his ice. He'd made progress, but old habits were hard to break.
Amajiki barely had time to turn his arms into wings and fly away to avoid a torrent of fire. "Hey, watch it!"
"Sorry, I just thought I'd take this seriously."
Amajiki landed, and his arms turned into tentacles again. "Yeah, but with fire, you have to be careful about your surroundings. You should know that better than most, being Endeavor's son and all."
As much as he hated his father, Todoroki couldn't help but be reminded of something Endeavor had said during a recent training.
"Fire is wild and dangerous," he had warned. "Once it leaves your body, it is difficult to control, and after it begins to feed, that tenuous grip is gone. You must be aware of everything around you, or you risk injuring or even killing someone by accident. It is why I rarely fight even close to my full power, especially not in an urban area; if you must fight at your maximum, be sure it is outside of a populated area, or wait until confirmation that civilians have been evacuated."
With a thought, Todoroki's fire shrank to a few small jets around his forearm. "You're right. Maybe I should use my fire defensively? I could create small bursts of flame whenever someone gets close."
"Not a bad idea. There aren't too many Villains who'd charge through fire, and that hesitation could leave them open to you freezing them."
Todoroki appreciated the advice, though he wished Amajiki could say so without hiding in the corner.
…
Ashido and Uraraka were at a stalemate. It was obvious that the latter's fighting abilities had improved, but the former was keeping out of reach, though she didn't want to use her acid on her friend. Instead, she skated around Uraraka, looking for an opening.
"So, Ochako," Ashido said playfully. "Other than saving Eri, how'd your date go?"
"It was good." Uraraka replied almost absently; she was focused on the fight. "We had dinner, then a nice walk on the beach. And then we beat up that creep who tried to take Eri."
"Come on, you have to give me more than that!" Ashido pouted, then gracefully flipped out of the way when Uraraka got a little too close. "Did he confess his undying love for you? Did you confess your undying love for him? At least tell me you kissed!"
"We did," Uraraka admitted. "A couple of times."
"Ooh, how was it? Was there tongue, or just—whoa!"
In her excitement, Ashido had gotten a little distracted. That had been enough of an opening for Uraraka to get in close and hit her square in the gut with an open palm. Ashido felt the air rush from her lungs; she doubled over, but instead of falling on her face, she simply floated in midair.
Uraraka then grabbed her by the arm. "All I have to do is push you up, and you float to the ceiling."
Ashido guessed that that would be a forty-foot drop, at least. Of course, she knew that Uraraka would make sure she came back down safely, but the message was clear.
"Yeah, okay, I give."
Uraraka sighed, and then pressed her fingertips together. "Release!"
Ashido landed gracefully. "Damn, girl, Gunhead really taught you some stuff, huh?"
Now that the rush of fighting was gone, Uraraka just rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "I guess I kinda threw myself into training."
"Did you also throw yourself at Midori?" Ashido grinned when Uraraka sputtered. "Come on, don't tell you didn't pretend to trip and let him catch you, that's a classic!"
"Do you want me to send you into space? Because I will send you into space."
"Only if you manage to hit me again." Ashido's grin took on a more challenging look. "Ready for round two?"
…
After three hours of work, the students asked if they could stick around a little longer, so that Eri could spend more time with them. Nezu readily agreed, and set them up in an empty classroom. Aizawa joined them, but rather than actually interact, he just crawled into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes.
The students, now in their school uniforms, formed a loose semicircle around Eri. For her part, the little girl was a little less wary; after all, Uraraka and Midoriya were happy when they were around, which, to her, meant that they probably weren't bad.
"So, Eri-chan, what do you think of UA so far?" Hado's words were much softer than usual, but her smile never wavered.
Eri shyly hid behind Midoriya. "It's… big. And bright."
The first part of the comment made sense—nearly all of them had been impressed by UA's entrance on their first day on campus—but the second part confused them. Before any of them could ask, Eri kept speaking.
"The place with the b-bad people was dark. It was so dark, and I—"
Eri choked and stumbled back; her horn started to glow and grew several inches. Her eyes went wide in fear, especially when Midoriya reached for her.
"N-no! Get away!"
Just as the light started to get brighter, it abruptly vanished, and her horn shrank. Midoriya turned and saw Aizawa looking at her, his own Quirk erasing hers.
"Her Quirk seems to trigger when she's stressed," Aizawa said, once he was sure that Eri was in control again. "Try to keep things positive for her, until she's able to handle what happened, or at least until she can control her Quirk."
"Yes, Aizawa-sensei." Midoriya knelt in front of Eri and smiled. "Sorry about that. Are you feeling better?"
Eri rubbed her horn with one hand, and her teary eyes with the other. "I th-think so."
"Hey, Eri-chan?" Hado waved excitedly, but kept an uncharacteristic distance. "Hi, I'm Hado Nejire, but you can just call me Nejire."
Eri hid behind Midoriya, but tentatively waved back; she then jumped when most of the girls cooed over how cute she was.
"Guys, what did we say?" Uraraka hissed, even though she was just as guilty over the cooing.
"Sorry, sorry!" Hado kept her gaze fixed on Eri. "Anyway, Eri-chan, I just wanted to know if you wanted to hear some funny stories. Funny stories are a great way to make new friends!"
The other students had a sneaking suspicion that Hado really meant embarrassing stories, but if it made Eri more comfortable around them, they'd grin and bear it, especially when Eri nodded.
"Ooh, I've got one," Uraraka said. "I can tell you about the first time I accidentally made my dad float, and he pretended to swim through the air."
Togata laughed. "I remember one time when I used my Quirk and accidentally launched myself out of my house. It wouldn't have been so bad if I'd had clothes, or if there weren't fifty people walking down the street."
And so time passed, with each of them sharing an embarrassing story of how they accidentally used their Quirks, from Iida using his boosters while on a freshly-mopped floor, to Ashido melting a hole in her room that resulted in her falling from the second story to the first, right onto her couch.
Eri never smiled during the stories, but she did start to relax. Eventually, she was confident enough to sit in Midoriya's lap instead of hiding behind him, though she did hold onto Uraraka's hand the entire time. Uraraka didn't mind, since she took the opportunity to lean against her boyfriend; none of them noticed Ashido take a quick picture with her phone, and saved it under 'cute things that will make me die'.
Finally, it got late enough that the students had to go home. Most of them left, save for Midoriya and Uraraka, who had to tell Eri that, yes, they would have to leave, but they would be back on Monday. Midoriya promised that if she needed to talk to him before then, Nezu had his phone number, which seemed to satisfy the little girl.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Uraraka asked as they walked to the train station.
"I hope so." Midoriya looked down at the ground. "She's been through things I don't even want to think about, and she's definitely still scared."
"Well, of course she's scared! She was being held prisoner until yesterday!" Uraraka fumed. "I hope the Heroes and the police catch whoever hurt her soon. If I ever meet him, I'm gonna make him float into the sun!"
"Only if I don't squish him as Way Big," Midoriya growled, but then shook off his anger. "Let's try not to think about that right now."
"Yeah, you're right." Uraraka leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "There. Now I feel better."
"W-why do you k-keep doing that?"
Uraraka smiled teasingly. "What, I'm not allowed to kiss my boyfriend?"
"At least give me a warning or something!"
"Or me," Ben added from inside the Ultimatrix. "Seriously, let me know if you're gonna smack lips! I feel like a voyeur."
"Oops!" Uraraka giggled. "Sorry, Ben."
"Apology acc-acc-accepted."
The couple froze. "Ben, what was that?" Midoriya demanded.
There was brief pause before Ben answered. "Sorry, minor audio fault. I need to defrag more often."
Uraraka frowned; it sounded plausible, but something made her suspect it was untrue. Still, she had no proof. "If you're sure…"
"I am." Ben's tone changed to something more upbeat. "By the way, Izuku, with everything that happened last night, I never got a chance to give you something for what you did for Eri." His hologram appeared, but only for Midoriya. "Check it out—a new alien!"
Midoriya held up the watch and activated it; sure enough, there was an image of a large beetle-like creature with a horn. "What's this one?"
"He's called Eatle," Ben explained. "Pretty strong, pretty tough, and he can eat through almost anything. Oh, and he can use what he eats to fuel an energy-beam from his horn."
"That's so cool!" Midoriya's mind raced, and he quickly got out his ever-present notebook. "He's obviously good in a fight, but I could use that power to clear away rubble that's close, and then shoot away anything that might collapse on bystanders!"
Uraraka giggled as her boyfriend rambled. She put aside thoughts of evil criminals and lying holograms for now, and just enjoyed the moment.
…
The following week, Class 1-A threw itself into training even more than before. If the students weren't working on their Quirks, they were studying; Ashido in particular looked frazzled by the tutoring Yaoyorozu put her through, but she pressed on. Out of all the Rising Stars, she was the most excited for the summer training camp, and she wasn't about to miss out on it! It wasn't just the Rising Stars who studied together; several other students asked Yaoyorozu for tutoring, and she was more than happy to help.
A minor thing that changed for the students—not unexpected, but it was a small and temporary hiccup in their daily routines—was that their uniforms changed. As June rolled into July, heavy jackets were discarded and long-sleeved shirts were replaced with short-sleeved versions. For the most part, nothing changed, though there was brief disturbance when Mineta made a scene about the girls not wearing such modest jackets. Asui quickly smacked him for his ogling.
One thing that bothered Midoriya was the upcoming practical exam. There was no hint about what it entailed, and it was starting to drive him crazy; he liked to be prepared for things, but there was nothing to prepare for!
He had just said as much to his friends during lunch on Friday, when he heard footsteps behind him.
"Oh, is the mighty Class A worried over the exams?" Midoriya turned to see a boy with blonde hair and eyes that gleamed with malice sneering down at him. "And you all like to hold yourselves over the rest of us, when you're clearly just a bucket of nerves. How sad! It just goes to show how inferior you all are to—urk!"
A swift chop to the back of his head sent Monoma Neito of Class 1-B collapsing in a heap. Kendo then lifted him up by his collar.
"Sorry about that," she said. "I've been trying to keep him out of your hair for a while, but he gave me the slip."
From the exasperated looks of other 1-B students across the cafeteria, Midoriya assumed that this behavior was something they had to deal with on a regular basis. If Kendo was trying to change Monoma's attitude with physical discipline, it wasn't working.
"It's f-fine, Kendo-san," he said. "Thanks, though."
Kendo shrugged. "No problem. Hey, are you guys worried about the practical?"
Yaoyorozu nodded. "Yes, it's difficult to prepare for something when it could literally be anything."
"I hear you." Kendo sighed, but then perked up. "Hey, I did hear something about it from a friend a year ahead of me. They said the practical exams usually have us fighting big robots, like the ones from the entrance exam."
Ashido grinned. "Really? Oh, that's awesome! It was kinda fun fighting those things before, and we're a lot stronger now!"
"That makes sense," Midoriya mumbled. "They'd want us to show how much we've grown, so going all-out against robots would help them gauge how well we've improved…"
Kendo raised an eyebrow. "Is he always like this?"
"Pretty much," Sero admitted. "At least he's not going on about Quirks—he could do that for hours."
"Well, have fun with that." Kendo turned and headed back to her table, still dragging Monoma across the floor. "Good luck with the exams!"
"Robots, huh?" Asui tapped her chin. "That might be hard for someone without a combat-focused Quirk, ribbit."
"Obviously, our teachers would want us to push our Quirks and our minds to their limits, without worrying about hurting someone!" Iida chopped at the air decisively. "Such a comprehensive test, as expected of UA!"
Uraraka nodded, but then she glanced at the time. "Hey, Deku-kun, do you want to say hi to Eri before lunch is over?"
Midoriya put aside his empty tray and stood up. "Yeah, we haven't seen her since this morning."
The two hurried off, and Ashido groaned. "It's not fair! They get to spend time with that little angel, and we can't!"
"She doesn't trust us yet," Todoroki pointed out. "But at least she doesn't hide from us as much."
"Yeah, but she's so cute! And she has a horn! I have horns! We're destined to be horn-buddies, and I am being kept from my destiny!"
Yaoyorozu giggled at her friend's antics; it was like watching a little kid being kept from a new toy. She didn't blame her, though, since Eri was the sweetest thing, but she was obviously still traumatized. Eri was only letting Midoriya and Uraraka in right now, but the hope was that she would get better. All they could do was take things slow.
…
Two weeks later, Midoriya flopped onto his bed and didn't move. Tomorrow was the day of the written exams, and the practicals were three days after that. He and his friends had buckled down on their studies, to the point where even Yaoyorozu was mentally exhausted. It didn't help that the only thing they knew about the practicals was that it involved robots. For all they knew, the test was about not fighting them, or fighting them a certain way, or—
"Buddy, calm down," Ben said. "I can practically see your blood pressure going up."
"Sorry," Midoriya said, his voice muffled by the pillow covering his face. "I'm just nervous."
"Dude, you've fought Villains, a serial killer, and traveled to another universe. You can handle whatever gets thrown your way."
"Thanks."
"It's why I'm here; pointing out the obvious is a primary subroutine."
Midoriya shifted just enough to give the hologram a side-eye. "I don't believe you."
"It's true! The real Ben was worried that the next user might be as boneheaded as he was, so he had that subroutine added." Ben tilted his head. "You just got a message on your phone."
Midoriya pulled out his phone; sure enough, Uraraka had just sent him a message.
Comet: Good luck, Deku-kun! xoxo
All Might: Can I get those in real life tomorrow? I think I'm gonna need it.
Comet: Not as much as I will.
All Might: You'll be fine, Ochako.
Comet: How do you know?
All Might: Because I'm dating the most amazing girl in the world, and she wouldn't fail.
There was a long pause, and Midoriya wondered if he'd done something wrong.
Comet: I am going to kiss you so much tomorrow. Night!
I think I'm starting to get the hang of having a girlfriend, Midoriya thought, as he went to sleep.
…
The next day, Midoriya met his friends outside of class; all of them were nervous, though Todoroki and Asui hid it best, while Ashido was close to having a meltdown. Yaoyorozu was quick to reassure her that she had definitely improved enough to pass the written test. Surprisingly, Todoroki also offered quiet support, even awkwardly patting her on the shoulder, which triggered a fit of giggles from everyone else.
Tension lifted, at least a little, they entered the class.
"Everyone sit down," Aizawa said sternly. "Get your pencils out, and pray that you studied enough. The next three days are going to be hell."
…
"That. Was the worst thing. Ever." Ashido staggered out of the classroom after the third day, and collapsed against Todoroki. "I'd rather fight Villains any day."
Even the most stoic of the Rising Stars looked exhausted; most of the day had been focused on the test, and it had indeed pushed them to their limits. Midoriya felt pretty confident about most of his answers, especially the section on Heroics, but there was a nagging feeling the back of his head that had him worried. Maybe he'd missed more than he thought, or accidentally mistook one question for another and wrote the answer in the wrong spot, or—
"Stop that, Deku-kun," Uraraka said tiredly as she leaned against him. "You're doing that thing where you think you did badly."
All of her friends stopped and stared at her. "How can you tell?" Sero asked.
"His eyes go back and forth like he's reading something, and he bites his lip," Uraraka said, as if it was obvious. "He does that after every test, even when he gets an A."
"It's a little scary that you know that, ribbit," Asui said.
Uraraka shrugged. "I pay attention to my boyfriend."
"Let's just say that it's a good way to sharpen her powers of observation," Yaoyorozu said nervously. "Anyway, we should all head home; tomorrow is going to be a big day as well."
"Can we visit Eri before we go?" Ashido pleaded. "She's just so cute, and I need my daily dose of adorable."
Uraraka frowned. "She's a girl, not a puppy."
"I know that! She's cuter than a puppy."
Honestly, Midoriya and Uraraka didn't need much prompting to visit Eri, so they all journeyed to the office where she stayed for most of the school day. Aizawa didn't always watch her, especially since everyone took care not to trigger another episode, and the teachers took turns. Today, however, she was being watched by someone most of the Rising Stars didn't know; he was a tall, skinny man, with messy blonde hair and a yellow suit that looked several sizes too large for him.
Only Midoriya nearly panicked. What is All Might doing here!? And in his true form! Does Eri know? If she does, she might tell everyone else!
Midoriya had promised not to hide secrets from his friends, but this was different; All Might's condition wasn't his secret to share, and everyone knew not to go around talking about a Hero's personal life.
All Might looked up from a book with a start and a spurt of blood. "Oh! Sorry, students, I wasn't aware you were coming."
Eri's eyes went wide. "Izu! Chako!"
As the little girl ran up to them, Midoriya and Uraraka couldn't help but grin. Eri had some problems saying their full names, so she'd settled on nicknames.
"Hi, Eri-chan," Uraraka said. "Did you have a good day?"
Eri nodded. She still didn't smile, but over the last few weeks, she had started to come out of her shell. "Uh-huh. I was drawing. Mr. Yagi helped!"
Yaoyorozu's eyes narrowed slightly; she thought she knew all the faculty at UA, so in her mind, a stranger had been watching Eri. "I'm sorry, Yagi-san, I don't believe we've met?"
"I was asked to fill in for All Might to watch the girl." All Might's lie was so casual that even Midoriya thought it sounded real. "I work for his Agency, you see, and sometimes the big guy needs an extra pair of hands on the home front when he goes out to save the day." He bowed. "Sorry, I didn't introduce myself—I'm Yagi Toshinori."
The students not in the know accepted that easily enough; after all, UA's security was some of the best in the world, and an infiltrator would have used a lie far less blatant than claiming to work for All Might.
"Well, thank you for watching Eri, Yagi-san," Todoroki said. "Sorry for any inconvenience."
"Not at all; in fact, with my health, this sort of thing is almost a vacation." All Might smiled down at Eri. "She's very well-behaved."
Eri nodded at him shyly, then turned back to her protectors. "Did you have a good day?"
"Aw, thank you for asking!" Uraraka gently hugged her. "We had a long test today, so we're all tired, but I think we did well."
Ashido, sitting across the room, caught Eri's attention; she winked, and then pretended to fall asleep. Midoriya decided to see if Eri had indeed gotten better around his friends.
"Hey, Eri," he said, "Mina over there worked really hard. Do you think you could give her a hug? It would make her feel better."
Eri looked between Ashido and Midoriya, who nodded encouragingly. She hesitated, then slowly walked over to the pink girl; everyone held their breath as Eri tentatively wrapped her arms around Ashido's legs. Ashido bit her lip to keep from squealing, and sat up to hug her back.
"This is the best day of my life," she said through the biggest grin any of them had ever seen. "Thanks for that, horn-buddy!"
Eri tilted her head; her hand went to her horn, and then reached out for one of Ashido's. There was a muted click, and then Uraraka put away her phone. Midoriya couldn't stop the tears leaking from his eyes.
Progress had been made.