Chapter 5: Minoru's Master
Early in the morning, Midoriya had called Mineta to do some training. Hopping onto that opportunity, the shorter boy never ran out so quickly to meet him. And after a brief bus ride, they were both standing in the middle of a beach choked with all sorts of trash.
"So Midoriya… Why are we training here?" Mineta asked, kicking some nearby scrap. His partner began to fidget, mostly scratching the back of his head as he stuttered his words.
"W-Well… You see… I… I managed to get All Might to train me…"
The shorter boy's jaw fell from his head, eyes on the verge of ejecting themselves. All before his mouth began to rework itself into an awe inspired smile. "No way… That's great! How'd you manage that?"
"I ran into All Might yesterday, after we went our separate ways. And we talked for a bit…"
"Oh for–! Did he criticize you too?" Mineta asked, the cheer in his system dropping hard. After how the other heroes treated Midoriya, the shorter boy was starting to make all sorts of assumptions about that encounter. And in all honesty, Mineta felt like he could take him on in a one on one. All Might maybe the Symbol of Peace and a juggernaut of a Hero, but no one berates his partner without hearing from him.
But even with that said, Mineta did let those Heroes off without a peep yesterday… "Damn it, that's another strike to my 'worthless partner chart'…" He thought, reflecting back to that moment. Midoriya began snapping at his short friend, drawing in Mineta's attention again.
"Are you alright Mineta-kun? You looked lost for a second."
"Sorry, just thinking about how I could take on All Might." The green haired boy stared at his friend and just by his posture alone, he's trying to process the words that came out of his friend's mouth. Mineta knows it sounds crazy, most of all to Midoriya, but he's completely serious when motivated enough. How else was he able to back talk to Bakugou for the last two years?
"Mineta-kun wait, All Might didn't say anything bad. Just the opposite, he told me that I could be a Hero. That what I did yesterday was proof of who I really am." Midoriya said, remembering just how agitated Mineta could get whenever he gets insulted. The shorter boy stared at him… Only for his lips to be pulled into a wide smile.
"That's just awesome man. But I wished I was there to record it, so we could rub it in our stupid classmates' faces."
"I kind of promised All Might that I would keep our interactions secret… And when I brought you up, we had this whole conversation about whether he can trust you with this knowledge. I eventually convinced him, but All Might's still a little weary." Midoriya replied, fidgeting slightly. Mineta nodded seriously as he began putting together what he's heard in his head. Mostly so that he could think of the consequences that will happen should he let something slip.
So… All Might tells Midoriya he can be a Hero. He then offers to train him personally. He also wants to keep their relationship a secret. And based on these three things, Mineta could safely assume that…
All Might wants to train a protégé that's worthy of inheriting his title. He's also going to retire from Heroics soon due to age or health reasons. Meaning, crime would spike to take advantage of the Symbol of Peace's weakness and cause a bunch of chaos. Riots will take the street. Homes will burn. Blood will be spilt. Women ravaged. And it'll all be Mineta's fault.
The shorter boy paled at the thought of Musutafu in flames, screams tearing through the night. All because he had a serious case of jabber jaw. He looked at Midoriya dead in the eye and swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. "Say no more, my lips are sealed."
"I knew I can count on you. Just… Try to calm down a little, you look like you're about to have a heart attack." Midoriya replied, patting his friend on the back. Mineta nodded and he began taking deep breaths, thinking pleasant thoughts to expel the anxiety. Sexy ladies, assorted fetishes, Him and Midoriya kicking the crap out Bakugou. You know the works.
Before long, a boisterous laugh went to cut through the early morning air, drawing in the boys attention. There he was, the Number One Hero in all his all inspiring glory… And next to him was some scraggly, unkempt mess of a man who looked like he could sleep past the apocalypse. The contrast between the two was like putting a well-groomed dog next to a dumpster cat.
"Good morning young men! I see you're both doing well. So, who's ready to undertake the most intense training of their lives?"
"I'm not…" The scraggly man replied, followed by a yawn. Mineta and Midoriya first looked at each other, then at the man, and finally All Might. Their eyes wordlessly asking for an explanation from the Hero. But the Hero simply gave a good-hearted laugh to dispel the awkwardness, though it did sound a little stiff.
"Worry not young men! This is one of my acquaintances and he's here to help me! Because I need to dedicate all my time to Young Midoriya, I won't be any help to you Young Mineta. So, he will be the one to take that honor."
"Oh…"
"Don't be disappointed, Aizawa here is actually quite the Hero. Why he's–!"
"Who I am doesn't matter. All he needs to know is that I'm a Hero and that I'm using up my precious time to train him. So hurry up and get started, daylight's burning." Aizawa interrupted as he began walking away. All Might sighed as he put his hands on his hips, muttering something about being unable to work with him. As for Mineta, he first looked to his friend before rushing to catch up to his trainer.
"Good luck!" He heard Midoriya shout. The shorter boy gave a thumb's up gesture in response, still chasing after Aizawa.
Following up the steps away from the trash filled sand, Mineta found Aizawa by a decrepit concrete wall about twice his height. Upon examining the space, this used to be a parking lot carved out of the hill. Mineta watched his scraggly trainer began kicking litter away from a specific spot, feeling tension build. He kicked a pebble to try an alleviate the pressure… But it didn't do much. So, he decided to throw out a line to see if he can get a nibble.
"So… What's our training menu Aizawa-san? Sensei? What do I call you?"
"Just Aizawa. Now, tell me what your Quirk is."
Mineta proceed to pluck one of the balls of his head and tossed it to the wall. The globule adhered to the surface and just hung there. "My hairs are made up of balls that can stick to anything except me. In that case, I just bounce straight off of it. And depending on how I feel, they could stay stuck for a whole day."
"… I can make this work." Aizawa replied after a moment of silence. Mineta couldn't decipher what his trainer was thinking or what he meant by that. But before he knew it, he felt one of his hairballs get pluck off his head. Looking up, he saw Aizawa wrapping a handkerchief around the sticky orb.
"Wha–!? Hey!"
"Toss this at the wall while I'm gone." He said plainly, tossing Mineta a baseball. The boy fumbled the ball but managed to keep it from falling to the ground. And then Aizawa just walked away. Leaving Mineta completely lost, confused, and irritated beyond belief. He looked at the wall and groaned, throwing the ball since there was nothing better to do. But mostly because he couldn't bother Midoriya, who was no doubt focusing on his own training.
"This sucks…"
For the first fifteen minutes, Mineta threw the ball with his right arm. Then the next fifteen minutes using his left. Next, he would go back to his right and throw it at different angles. And then did the same for his left. But passing the thirty-minute mark, the boy's throws were getting more and more unenthusiastic. So much so that by the end of the hour, the baseball was failing to even reach the wall.
"Fuck this. Let's see how Midoriya's doing." Mineta groaned as he went off to find his friend. He brought along the ball seeing that it wasn't his and he's not about to lose it because he was bored. And upon reaching the trash choked beach again, he saw his friend running back and forth moving around junk. There was also the fact that All Might wasn't there, instead it was some skinny dude in clothes too big for him. Man, it's not easy being the Number One Hero, having to be called on even at this time.
He then noticed that the skinny guy was looking at him, so Mineta decided to give a wave. The guy waved back before beckoning for Midoriya, telling him something. They were too far away for Mineta to hear, so he just assumed it wasn't anything too important. The boy continued to watch his friend organize the beached trash, occasionally tossing the ball up into the air, for a long while. Checking his phone, thirty minutes have passed since stopping his own 'training'.
"I'm bored… Why can't my training be like Midoriya's. It doesn't look fun, but it's a Hell of a lot more interesting than throwing a ball at a God damn wall. I mean, what's that even supposed to teach me? Why can't he just show me how to pitch or do a jumping serve…" Mineta grumbled before stopping his thoughts. Wait…
Now that he was on that point, Mineta remembered reading something in his section of Midoriya's Hero notes. His friend listed off a few sports in which Mineta's Quirk could benefit from, which includes Baseball and Volleyball. But because he wasn't exactly a sports person, mostly because of his physique, the boy didn't take the advice and forgot about it.
Which was stupid since Midoriya had mostly good advice to offer.
"I'm an idiot… I don't need to actually play the damn sport. I just need to learn how one part of it works." He groaned, hitting his head against the railing. And by practicing simple throwing, Mineta's body will be ready to receive the complex art of ball handling.
That just sounded wrong. But he now knows what to do. He quickly took off back to the parking lot and begun throwing once more. Except this time, Mineta had the image of baseball pitchers in his head. Constantly thinking about how they could get the ball to move however they want. And after another thirty minutes of thinking and throwing, Aizawa returned.
"So you're still here, I thought you might've gone home by now."
"Well I just happen to realize what's the point in this. You're really sly you know, like some old Kung Fu Master. Telling me to do something seemingly useless when it turns out to be a core principle of the style. You want me to be ready for when I have to learn pitching right?" Mineta replied, chest puffed out and head held high.
"Act high and mighty now, but it still took you a thirty-minute break to figure that out." Aizawa said with a smirk. That statement instantly deflated any ego the boy just developed. Now he was staring at his trainer, gears turning in his head as bits sweat formed. Then the smirk on Aizawa's face turned into a small but unnerving smile as he pulled out his phone.
"That ball I gave you sends all the throw data to my phone, recording the speed and trajectory of each. Around an hour ago, the speed went lax, and it was consistently going up and down. Not only that, new data wasn't coming in as quickly as before."
Mineta looked at the ball he was holding, now noticing six small black dots that marked the x,y,z axes. He then looked a back at his Aizawa and his phone, then back at the ball. "You are a Kung Fu Master…"
"Probably but let me say this… I only decided to train you because I owe All Might a favor. That and I have nothing better to do before going to bed. If I believe you're no longer willing to learn, I will walk away and leave you on your own. Do you understand?" Aizawa asked, standing firm against the ground. Mineta, mimicking that same stance, shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Yes Sir!"
Chapter 6: Months Spent Improving
Month 1, Day 1
"Alright, not so loud next time. Now, tell me why you want to be a Hero?" Aizawa said, taking a moment to clean his ear.
"Two reasons. The first is that so I can help my friend become the best Hero and become worthy of being his partner." Mineta answered quickly. Since the day he was saved by Midoriya, Mineta wanted to support him in whatever way possible. Whether it was moral support, which he can give. To combat support, which he can't but still tries. He'll do all he can to make Midoriya's dream a reality.
Aizawa began nodding, feeling the determination that his trainee was releasing. "You put his wishes ahead of yours, good. Most other students I've encounter put themselves ahead of others. What's your second reason"
He hesitated to answer. Aizawa raised an eyebrow to that, seeing that Mineta was avoiding eye contact. And then the boy began to sweat. "Uhhh… I want to be popular with the ladies?" He forced out.
"… At least half of you is in the right place."
Month 1, Day 2
Continuing what he started yesterday, Mineta was trying to contain the urge to scream. Currently, the boy was in a peculiar pose that stretched certain muscles. But as he finally vocalized his suffering, Aizawa reminded his student why he needed to do this.
"Both of your arms are flexible, but the rest of your body isn't. Before we move on to something more complex, we need ready that scrawny physique of yours. That means improving your strength, stamina, and dexterity."
"But is it supposed to feel like I'm dislocating myself!?" Mineta screamed, continuing to hold his stretch.
"That's because you're not doing it correctly."
The boy collapsed with a groan, splaying his body all over the worn pavement. His muscles finally relaxing from being pulled apart. Aizawa looked down at his student with a sigh. And as Mineta began to get up, his trainer said something through his yawn.
"Oh yeah, I've signed you up for Yoga.".
"What!?"
Month 1, Day 3
Mineta found himself standing outside the entrance to a fitness studio, dressed in his sweats. It was six in the morning and he just finished his morning run with Midoriya. But as he stared at the frosted glass door, the boy felt his motivation waning. And this is despite knowing that he'll have many opportunities to ogle at women in form fitting yoga pants.
"Something about this doesn't feel right… Aizawa purposefully sent me to a place with plenty of ladies and said 'I'll know'… Based on what I know about him and how much he trusts me, the guy's probably inside." Mineta thought. Some small part of him still hope that was not the case and he can enjoy a serious eyeful of healthy figures.
But given his luck, not very likely. With a sigh, Mineta opened the door. There his eyes scanned the contents of the room. And though there were some women inside with a few men, he instantly spotted his scraggly trainer stretching in the corner.
"I knew this would happen. And yet my heart's still crying…"
Month 2, Day 29
As Mineta ran besides Midoriya, he noted how fluid his body was feeling. That and he was able to keep up with his friend on these morning runs. All that basic training he's been doing have worked wonders. Still, Aizawa told him it was still too early to move onto the complex trainings. And after reading up on some books on pitching, where it mentioned just how strenuous pitching is, Mineta could see why.
But that's enough about him. Looking over, Mineta saw how much Midoriya's training was starting to affect him. Just from his arms alone, the green haired boy had budding muscles as opposed to consistently soft flesh. And though Midoriya was still a nervous mess, Mineta could now feel his friend's strength. It wasn't much now. But by the time of UA's entrance exam, he knew Midoriya was going to have a Heroic build.
Though one does have to wonder about the trash he picks up…
"Hey Midoriya, did you ever find anything interesting in the junk you sort through?" Mineta asked, breaking the calm silence between the two.
"Hmm… I found an arm."
"A real one!?" Mineta squealed, already feeling his stomach shrinking. Sure, he was jumping to conclusions, but wouldn't anyone?
"God no, I would've screamed and passed out. It was just a prosthetic."
"That's a relief…"
"Though I did find a petrified, half eaten leg next to it… I don't know if it was an animal's leg or a person's…"
Mineta let out a nervous laugh, one that Midoriya returned. And it continued for a bit, slowly getting louder… Until a passing bush rustled abruptly, causing then both to sprint as hard as they could. Neither of them looked back to see what it was.
Month 4, Day 1
He felt really limber. Mineta couldn't even remember what his body was like before his training. But now he could do splits! And reach that one itch on his back. But as he continued to stretch, Aizawa just dumped a volleyball and a small rubber ball into his lap and walked off. The boy first looked at his trainer as he laid back down to sleep and then at the ball.
"Okay… Do you have tech inside?" He thought, examining the ball. Mineta then started to search the things for six black dots, eventually finding them. Okay, so they're going to be recording his performance…
"Alright, let's just start with hitting it…"
And so Mineta begun doing just that. With the volleyball, he began hitting several serves towards the wall with varying degrees of success. Sometimes the ball didn't have enough power to reach his intended target. Sometimes it was too far left or right. And sometimes, it just went over the wall and landed in the foliage. This was done with both arms and it made him realize…
"Volleyball's hard. How do they get the ball to where it needs to be?"
Maybe he should switch it up, try that small rubber ball. Whatever it is. After some brief research, Mineta found that it was an American handball. And it's played by hitting the ball to a wall with your hand. Then another player hits it back before it could bounce off the ground twice. Easy enough. He lightly tossed the ball and swung his hand around to hit it.
Only for it to go wide of his intended target. Mineta watched the ball lazily roll before stopping, sighing as he went to retrieve the thing. "Today's going to be a long day…"
Month 4, Day 3
Since then, Mineta was instructed to keep trying until he can make these two balls go where he wants. And while he was making progress with the accuracy… The boy was losing motivation. Why did he need to do this anyway? If he needed a long-range option, he could always get a slingshot. And that would have even better accuracy and distance compared to what he's doing now.
He looked over to his trainer, who was playing with a stray cat, and did what he normally does when doing a task he doesn't like. Complain.
"Aizawa, sir, I'm not seeing how this helps when there are better options for going long range."
The man sighed and reached over to his bag. What he pulled was a slingshot and some metal pellets. Aizawa then got up, brushed off the dirt and cat hair on his body, and handed off the items to Mineta. And before he could ask questions, Aizawa began walking some distance away.
"Uhhh… Sir!?" Mineta asked, his trainer still walking. The man only stopped when he was about twelve meters away, not far but not exactly close. He then begun to stretch lightly, shouting something across the open space.
"Alright, shoot me."
Now the boy was even more confused. Why did he want to be plinked with a slingshot? And the one Aizawa gave him was an Usopp, the undisputed king of slingshots. Only highly reputable shooters could get their hands on these, since they could potentially kill someone at max draw length using a metal pellet. And it's really easy to draw it back. At this distance, his trainer could actually die if he hits.
"If you manage to hit me, you can go home for the day." Aizawa yelled, his tone still sounding bored. Mineta couldn't tell if the man was insane or if this was another one of his Kung Fu Master wisdoms. So, with a whole lot of reluctance, Mineta pocketed the pellets and got ready.
"Okay… Here I go…"
The boy first waited a few minutes, observing his teacher. Midoriya always said to examine your opponent first, make observations. Granted, even Midoirya couldn't figure out who Aizawa was since the guy gave no clues to his identity. All they know is that he's a Hero like All Might, which isn't saying much. Since there're a lot of Heroes.
Mineta sighed, seeing that he was getting nowhere. Aizawa was still standing around, looking uninterested, not taking up any sort of stance. With no clue what to do, he decided to just humor his trainer. But the moment he reached for the pellets in his pocket… His trainer dashed forward with surprising speed.
The boy flinched and begun to hastily remove a number of pellets from his pocket. He then fumbled to load it into the pouch, only managing to get two or three into it. And the moment he started to pull back, Mineta didn't feel the ground beneath his feet. Then there was the pain all over his back seconds later.
"Ugh… Well that sucked…"
"And you're about to relive it. Now, we'll do the same thing except you will be hitting those balls of yours at me."
"C-Can we not?"
"Non-negotiable."
With a groan, Mineta got back up on his feet as Aizawa walked back into position. This time, the boy didn't call out whether he was ready or not. He just went straight for his hair and hit it towards his mentor. Aizawa was already on his way by then, but he actually had to dodge the projectile. Mineta quickly reached up for another and hit it. And another. And–
"Gah!"
The boy found his back to the ground again… But as he laid there, his mind began processing what just happened. Under pressure, a slingshot requires more finesse to use as opposed to just the pluck and hit method. Mineta can get out at least three times as many shots before someone could reach him. Reactivity, that's where this method's strength lay.
Also, it might be smarter to aim at the ground just in front of Aizawa. That way, he has a chance to step and trip on it. Or, if Mineta really improves his accuracy and timing, be able to place it where his foot will fall next. That way, he's forced to step on it.
The more he thought about the positive aspects, the more he wanted to hone it. As Aizawa stared down on him, Mineta got up and begun practicing again. The scraggly teacher nodded and went back to his sleeping sack, where the stray cat was lazing about.
Month 5, Day 17
"Here we go Mineta-kun!" Midoriya shouted, throwing up five plastic disks as high as he could. Mineta wasted no time tossing four of his hairballs into the air before hitting a fifth from his hand. It sailed through the air and struck one of the disks. And as each ball fell down, he hit them towards a disk. But as the short boy hit the last ball, the last disk already touched the ground.
"Damn, looks like four's my limit."
"At the rate you hit them and its accuracy, I think you did pretty good." Midoriya replied, carefully picking up one of the plastic disks. The ball placed on this one was the closest to the center in comparison to the rest.
"Thanks, Midoriya. But man, this isn't getting any easier, Aizawa's keeping me on my toes." Mineta sighed.
"Yeah, All Might's doing the same… Though to tell you the truth, I'm not really following his schedule."
Mineta turned to his friend, his face sinking with concern and regret. "It's not because I'm bothering you is it? Cause I can shut up and leave you to your thing. All of this would be pointless if you don't get in."
"No! No! It's not that! I'm not behind on my training. I'm actually trying to get ahead of it." Midoriya said, scratching at his head. This did not change the shorter boy's look of worry. In fact, it got deeper.
"Midoriya, I know you REALLY want to get into UA. But you can't overwork yourself because of that. You'll get set back if you get hurt."
Midoriya sighed and stared at the night sky above. There weren't many stars visible, but nine of them were shining rather brilliantly. With feet firmly on the ground, he spoke from his heart. "I know… But it's because I have a chance for UA that I need to work hard, harder anyone else. I only got one shot at this after all… And I won't be left behind anymore, not by Kacchan… Or by you, Mineta-kun."
The shorter boy's jaw first dropped. Then it was pulled up into a wide smile. Never had he thought that his usually sheepish friend could say something so cool. Midoriya was starting to look more and more like a Hero.
"Holy shit Midoriya… That was badass."
And then the guy went back to his usual nervous wreck self. Blushing and fidgeting like crazy.
"R-Really? C-Cause I was just… I-I mean… It wasn't that…"
Mineta just gave a laugh and threw his friend a thumb's up. "Don't worry about it! You'll get there!"
Month 6, Day 1
Mineta hit the five balls that fell down one by one, launching them to the falling disks. Each one landed dead center except for the fifth, which went completely wide. Mineta exhaled as Aizawa picked up a disk that wasn't stuck to the ground and examined it.
"This is acceptable. We can move on now."
"Am I going to learn some pitching now? I've been reading up on baseball on my free time."
"Your body's still not ready for it. Now follow me." Aizawa answered, walking off. The boy sighed and went after his trainer, knowing that he can't get anything out of him. For a while, the two just walked. And walked. And walked until they were at the edge of the nearby woods. Mineta looked at Aizawa and then the trees.
"You… Want me to climb trees?"
"Less climbing trees and more like jumping between them. You ever played 'the floor is lava' as a kid?"
"Yes?" Mineta has no idea what his trainer was going on about now. He may have way more wisdom than him. But he goes about teaching that wisdom in a roundabout way. Like using a logical ruse or something…
"Well the floor is lava."
Silence.
"I don–?"
"THE FLOOR IS LAVA."
The short boy immediately jumped to the nearest tree, latching to it using two of his hairballs. He then climbed up using a few more balls until he was perched safely on a branch. But before he could ask what to do next, something small flew past him. Looking down, the boy could see Aizawa holding a large popcorn tub filled with acorns. Now, he was even more confused.
"Where di–?" Was all he could get out before he was pelted with acorns. Mineta began to jump to different branches in an attempt to hide from the attack. However, every time he changed positions Aizawa was already there to pelt him with more acorns. With that, he had no choice but to jump to another tree.
Mineta took two balls from his head and leapt to the nearest tree, sticking to the trunk. He would've scrambled for the branches to hide from the acorns… But the boy noticed that nothing was hitting him. Looking back at Aizawa, he saw that the man was just waiting with one hand in the acorn tub. That got him thinking.
"I'm wide open right now, why isn't he pelting me?"
Still, he chose to keep moving, climbing up towards the branches… Only for an acorn to hit the area above him. Looking back at his trainer again, Mineta saw that he was ready to throw more acorns at him. He focused back on the tree and reached up… Only for his hand to get hit.
"Alright… He doesn't want me to go above the branches… And he wants me to jump between trees… This is starting to feel more like an obstacle game show…"
Mineta went around the trunk until his back faced the nearest tree and he pushed himself off his balls. They had quite some spring to them, so there was no issue pushing him over that distance. He then quickly pulled a ball off his head and latched to it. The boy climbed up to gain some height before realizing something.
"How long do I have to do this?"
"Until I say otherwise. Now get a move on." Aizawa replied, throwing more acorns at his trainee.
Month 7, Day 23
Mineta kept leaping from tree trunk to tree trunk, taking just moments in between to plan out his movements. To be able to jump freely among multiple surfaces was the point of this exercise. With this, his ability to maneuver through strange terrains have improved. Though if he thought about it, there wasn't a lot of places that fulfill the conditions of his training. The world, after all, isn't some kind of platformer where there are free floating objects to jump on.
At least his climbing skill has improved.
Still, it did get him thinking. Looking back at his trainer, who was ready to throw more acorns, Mineta opened his mouth. "Aizawa, do you think I should learn how to dodge whilst latched onto a person?"
"Interesting concept, like a leech or something… But that's a fairly difficult thing to do. You not only have to learn to read someone's body movement. You also need to find a way to move around that person without causing them to lose balance. Even with your size, that's a tall order to make."
Mineta stared at his teacher. Was he really comparing him to a leech? And making height jokes? Granted, everyone but Midoriya has called him a parasite before… It's also not rare to see people mock his height… Still, what Aizawa said was true. If he's going to cling to a person, Mineta's going to need to keep in mind of a lot of things.
"If you managed to do that though, you're effectively a jockey. You'd be able to 'steer' the person you're attached to by shifting your weight correctly. Though why you would do that instead of causing them to fall over is beyond me." Aizawa continued.
"Just curious." Mineta replied before jumping to another tree. It was an interesting concept… Maybe he should ask for Midoriya's opinion on that tactic.
Month 8, Day 1
"Alright, you're ready. Here's your baseball." Aizawa replied, giving his trainee a ball. Mineta inwardly cheered as he took the thing. There were the six dots he grew accustomed seeing. And looking over to the wall he's been training with for the past several months, there were nine boxes drawn on it. The boy shook off the tension from his limbs, recalling everything he read and watched about pitching.
"Let's try a four seam…" He thought as he adjusted his grip. The boy raised his leg and begun moving it outwards. The arm with the ball pulled back as the other went forward, much like a sword and shield. And when he stepped out as much as his legs would allow, Mineta slung the ball forward.
And went way outside of bounds. The boy stared at the ball that came rolling back to him. Then, turned to his instructor for any comments.
"At least it has speed. Keep throwing, we'll review after a hundred pitches. And do try to use both your arms."
"Yes, Sir."
Month 8, Day 2
"Why does everything still hurt…?" Mineta groaned, his jogging was rather sluggish. Eventually, the short boy just started walking since his body was too sore to move. Especially his arms. Midoriya slowed down his run until he matched his friend's pace. Though he was still running vigorously in place.
"You did pitch 100 balls yesterday with both arms, most pitchers are relieved by then. And you're not used to it."
"I also see why Aizawa wanted to up my flexibility… I would've tore something if I didn't do all that Yoga…" Mineta replied, stopping for a moment to stretch.
"Then take it easy today, I read that pitchers need a few days of rest after a game."
"Oh, don't worry, I fully intend on doing that… Maybe do some more baseball studying…" Mineta then began jogging again, Midoriya closely following beside him. For a good while, the two didn't speak, simply taking in the frigid early Winter air. But soon the natural ambience was broken by a bolt of inspiration.
"Mineta-kun!" Midoriya shouted, causing his short friend to stagger.
"Woah! What's got you hype up man!? You freaked me out!"
"Instead of focusing of pitching alone, you should also practice fielding!"
Mineta furrowed his brows, gears working in his head. Fielding? Like if the ball is out there and has to be brought back to the bases before a runner gets there? Alright… Thinking about this… The boy could see that it would test his ability to aim… Though wouldn't practicing more pitching do the same?
"I'm not seeing it?"
"You see… When you're doing Hero work, you'll hardly be standing still the same way a pitcher does on the mound. You'll be running around on patrols. And fielding requires a lot of movement. So…" Midoriya begun explaining, using gestures to egg Mineta on. Now with that explanation, the shorter boy realized what his friend was talking about.
Fielding is about getting the ball from point A to B as quickly as possible. No matter where the ball lands or what a fielder is facing when they pick it up. They'll get the ball back to the bases with efficiency. Applying that element to Hero work requires copying that snap decision making, speed, and those accurate throws.
But should he master that. Mineta would be able to chase/intercept Villains better. Being able to throw when turning corners without losing too much momentum.
"Midoriya, you genius. I'll ask Aizawa about that."
"And I'll buy a glove, you can't practice fielding by yourself after all. You might also need a catcher to help you with those pitches."
"Midoriya… You're a Saint…" Tears were forming in Mineta's eyes. He really needs to find a way to repay his friend for everything he's done.
Month 10, Day 2
"Right hand Cutter." Aizawa said. Mineta slung the ball forward, it traveled relatively straight until it broke to his left. Midoriya, serving as his catcher, caught the ball effortlessly and tossed it back to his friend.
"Right hand Two-seam." Mineta slung the ball, this time it started sinking towards the right. And once more, Midoriya caught the ball without issue and tossed it back.
"Left hand Curve." Mineta removed his glove and pitched the ball from his left. It flew higher compared to the others, until it got closer to where 'home plate' was. At that point, it sunk. Midoriya held his mitt out and simply let it fall into it before tossing it back.
"Left hand Knuckle." The ball flew out, wobbling as though it was jelly, before falling towards the left. But regardless of the unsteady trajectory, the green haired boy caught it without issue and tossed the ball back. Aizawa nodded as he scribbled something down in a small notebook.
"Alright, we can move on. Midoriya, you can head back to your training."
"Yes Sir!" He said with a bow. He gave a wave of farewell to Mineta, who returned the gesture, and ran off. Aizawa then walked over to his stuff and picked up the small pack. Mineta then found it hitting his body. Though whatever it was inside the thing, it wasn't particularly heavy.
"Now practice with those."
Mineta began rummaging through the thing, knowing better than to question his trainer at this point. And what he found dwelling inside was a series of very soft, orange balls. However, unlike the balls he practiced with before, these didn't have the six dots. But there was something familiar about these… Holding them feels just right…
Then it hit him. "These are like the ones on my head, except not sticky."
"That's why I took that one hairball when we first met. And this came out of my own funds, so don't lose them." Aizawa replied.
"Thank you, they won't leave my sight. I just pitch these instead?"
"That's why I got them made."
The boy nodded and turned to face the wall again. With one of the balls in hand, he adjusted his grip so that he mimics a Four-seam grip. But since there isn't a seam to guide him, Mineta had to rely on intuition and habit. "Alright… Here it goes."
He pitched it and the thing flew right down the middle. There was a little deviation compared to the baseball, but it was still manageable. It was weird though. Because of how soft his hairballs were, he thought they would deform at fastball speeds. But all of this proves otherwise.
"I have a fighting chance now."
Month 11, Day 1
"Alright, we're in the final stretch. You've come a long way, but it's still too early to get complacent. From today until the day of the entrance exam, you'll be revisiting everything you've learned so far. And if you do this correctly, you'll become a mobile artillery." Aizawa replied, stopping in the wooded area they've trained in before. There was a light coating of snow on the ground and on the branches, but it wouldn't hinder anyone.
"I can't wait. Are you going to give me anything?" Mineta asked, doing a few more stretches. His trainer shook his head, signaling that he had to do this under his own power. A year ago, he might've complained about the odds being against him since his Quirk sucks. But now, he felt comfortable with what he was born with.
"I've hidden several targets in the area. Find them all and come back here as quickly as possible." Aizawa instructed.
"Okay."
The wind howled as the two stared at each other. And after a good while, the anticipation died within Mineta. Replacing it was just an awkwardness that could only be felt when expectation doesn't match reality.
"Shouldn't you count me in or something?" He asked finally.
"Does life give you a countdown?"
That caused Mineta to run, knowing that the time attack has already begun. Even to the end, his teacher was the definition of a wise but cryptic Kung Fu Master…
Chapter 7: Proving Grounds
Here they were… UA High. Alma Mater to many great Heroes of their generation. All Might, Symbol of Peace and Number One Hero. Endeavor, the Hero with the most resolved incidents. Best Jeanist, winner of the Best Jeanist award eight years in a row.
Midoriya and Mineta looked upon the shining glass of the school in awe. It wasn't everyday that they get to stand on the very grounds that legends walked upon. But should they pass this exam, they too will have a turn at leaving their mark. A chance to become great Heroes.
"You nervous? You're look a bit sick." Mineta asked, turning to his friend. He noticed that the guy was green around the gills, covering his mouth and muttering something. His friend shook his head and gave a reassuring smile.
"I'm fine, just a little overwhelmed. But I can't let that get me down, we've come too far."
"Yeah, we did. Now let's show them what we're made of."
"Out of my way." Someone said.
The two froze and turned around, a cold sweat rolling down their neck. There stood Bakugou, looking as angry as ever. Ever since the Sludge Villain incident, there hasn't been any altercations between them. But that still doesn't mean that Mineta wasn't scared of him. And he certainly won't get testy with him either.
"Don't stand in front of me, I'll kill you both." He said in a low growl. The shorter boy immediately stepped aside without a word. Midoriya also moved out of the way, though he also tried to greet him as usual.
"G-Good morning Kacchan, l-let's do our best… Today…"
The human grenade just blew past him without another word. At first the two were just confused, but eventually they let their determination take hold again. There was no need to be afraid anymore, they're completely different now. With a nod to one another, they moved forward towards their destiny…
Only for Midoriya to trip over his own feet.
"And we're off to a great start…" Mineta thought. He turned to try to catch his friend but found him floating instead. Then there was the girl that was standing next to Midoriya. She had brown hair and eyes, rosy cheeks, and a cute round face. Combined with her seemingly nice figure, the shorter boy found himself unconsciously nodding in approval. "That girl's going on the list."
"Are you okay?" She asked. That seemed to snap the green haired boy out of it, causing him to freak out. But he stopped when the girl simply grabbed him and placed him back down on his two feet. She then pressed her fingers together, giving a cheerful smile to Midoriya.
"It's my Quirk. Sorry for using it without asking first. But it'd be bad luck if you fell, right?" She continued. Midoriya just stood there, staring wide eyed as a blush appeared on his cheeks. Mineta looked at the girl and then back at his friend, waiting for a response that never came.
"Say something!" He thought.
"Aren't you nervous?" The girl asked, as laid back as anyone could sound. The guy could only let out unintelligible blubbering, way to go Midoriya. Still, the girl didn't seem to mind that the person she was talking to was acting so awkward.
"Let's do our best okay? To you as well." She said, her second statement aimed to Mineta. The shorter boy gave a stiff nod, not expecting to be addressed by a girl. She then gave a wave before walking off, leaving the two on their own. Midoriya continued to stare, only for a smile to creep onto his face.
"I-I talked with a girl…"
"Technically she talked to you. But man, you should've said something… I should've said something…" Mineta replied.
"She was really nice and cute, so I froze…"
"Let's just hope you do better next time. Now let's get going."
"Right…"
Leaving behind that experience, the duo pressed onwards. Walking through the entrance and following the signs, Midoriya and Mineta found the room where the exam orientation was held. It was a large lecture hall fitted with large flat screen monitors and it was fairly packed. Which forced them to sit down next to Bakugou, seeing that there was no other option. There was still no comment from the guy, so Midoriya and Mineta waited in peace…
The lights came on and there stood a person with an absurdly tall hairdo. "For all you examinee listeners tuning in, welcome to my show! Everybody say 'hey'!" He shouted. To which no one responded to his call. The man moved on, though he was clearly upset by the lack luster reception.
"What a response… Then I'll quickly present to you the rundown on the practical exam! Are you ready!?"
More silence… Tough crowd. Still, that didn't contain any of Midoriya's excitement for the Hero giving the presentation. "It's the Voice Hero, Present Mic! I listen to him every week on the radio! Amazing! All the teachers at UA are pro Heroes!"
"Shut up." Bakugou said. Mineta began nudging his friend to calm him down before too much attention was drawn on him. Which he did, but he could tell that Midoriya was still fairly excited. Present Mic continued with his presentation, the screen over him changed to a different graphic.
"As mentioned in the applications, you listeners will be conducting a ten-minute mock urban battle after this! Check your exam ticket and head to your specified location! You may bring anything else you may need!"
"This is to stop people from working with your friends. So you can't help Deku, short shit." Bakugou commented, eyes glaring at Mineta. The boy didn't wither beneath his gaze and chose to challenge that.
"Midoriya doesn't need my help, he can pass this test just fine."
"Now listen closely. There are three types of faux Villains stationed at the test sites. The points they're worth will be based on their difficulty. And it's your job to immobilize these things by using your Quirks, racking up as many points as you can manage. Before you ask, immobilize counts as either restrained or destroyed." Present Mic continued. The Screen began displaying the silhouettes of the three different faux Villains, their point value directly above them. He then turned around and dramatically pointed at the audience.
"Of course, you're not allowed to attack other examinees! And any other unheroic actions are prohibited!"
Someone sitting a few rows ahead stood up, hand raised high. "May I ask a question!?"
The Voice Hero gestured for him to continue. All attention turned to this person, with a spotlight shining over him. He was tall and had neat dark hair, but that was all Mineta could make of his physical features from behind. But his voice was deep and had authority behind it.
"On this printout, there are four types of Villains. If this is a misprint, then UA, the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of such a foolish mistake. We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be molded into exemplary Heroes."
Oh, okay, this guy's a straight laced, by-the-book kind of guy. That's respectable, though he's no doubt going to get up in Mineta's grill over his devious tendencies. The person then turned around suddenly and pointed at Midoriya. His intensity heightened by the glare coming off his glasses. What?
"In addition, you with the curly hair. You've been muttering this entire time. It's distracting. If you're just here to watch, then please leave immediately." He said, voice still holding that authoritative power.
"I'm sorry…" Midoriya said quietly, covering his mouth. Mineta wanted to argue against it, though he knew better. While he's used to his friend's bad habit, it's still distracting to other people. So any rebuttal he makes won't have a leg to stand on. All he can do is just hope the laughter passes quickly. Which it did thanks to Present Mic drawing in the attention again.
"Alright, alright, settle down. Examinee 7111, you bring up a good point. The fourth type is worth Zero points. The guy's an obstacle, so to speak. There's one in every test site and it will go crazy in narrow spaces. It's not impossible to defeat, but there's no reason to defeat it either. So, I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it."
This Examinee 7111 bowed deeply in thanks before sitting back down. Somewhere, Mineta could hear a small conversation going on, mostly about the nature of the test. But it wasn't long before Present Mic ended his presentation, sharing one last bit of wisdom.
"Finally, I'll give you listeners a present, our school motto! Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes". Go Beyond. Plus Ultra!"
At that point, everyone started going their separate ways. Before Midoriya left for test site B he gave a nervous thumb's up to Mineta. And he returned the gesture, showing a smile to say that he can do it. With that, the shorter boy went on the bus that went for test site D. Despite how ready he was, Mineta couldn't help but feel like things were going to go wrong. What if he doesn't pass? What if Midoriya doesn't pass? What if they both don't pass?
Leaving the buss with those thoughts, he saw the proctor for his group and his heart immediately elevated. Along with other unmentionables. The R-18 Heroine, Midnight, looked down upon her group and called out to them with her sultry voice. "Welcome! I do hope you provide me a good show! Now get in there!"
All perverse thoughts stopped right there. Then his body begun to move out of habit, realizing what was going on. Aizawa had asked him whether life counted him in, forcing him to take the initiative. This was the same thing. Some part of him reacted to the sudden signal the same way Aizawa would give him out of the blue commands.
He ran through the open gates while the other examinees were still confused. He still managed to hear Midnight whip the others, possibly literally, into running. "What's wrong! A real fight starts without warning! Move it!"
Mineta began running faster, seeing that with his short legs, everyone else would catch up instantly. Though that would be the least of his troubles. Ahead, a machine rolling around on a single wheel looked at him. Its single lens then turned red.
"Target locked. Engaging."
The thing began rushing forward, closing the distance between it and Mineta. He felt his limbs go numb. But he didn't let the fear take total control, this was after all just a test. He plucked a ball from his head and pitched it right in front of the wheel. Then he took three more and threw it a few steps behind the first.
The robot's wheel immediately got caught and the momentum caused the thing to fall forward. Right on top of the balls. When it tried to get up, it couldn't pull itself from the pavement.
"I've been restrained."
Mintea ran past the robot, looking for more targets. And turning the corner, he saw a horde of all three types looking at him. A squeal came out of his throat as each of their lenses turned red. The short boy tossed out a large number of balls, maybe fifteen, before running in the opposite direction. He didn't turn around to see how many he caught, not unless he wanted to be tread grease.
He turned into an alleyway and pressed his back against the concrete. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Mineta peered around the corner and saw the ensuing battle. All over the place, robots were being torn apart by the examinees and the examinees being struck by the robots. In all honesty, it's as though there really was a skirmish between Heroes and Villains.
"This is crazy. Is this really a test?"
Still, he can't be standing still. The boy took off again, deeper into the mock city where more enemies were no doubt waiting. And as though responding to those thoughts, a three-point Villain, a two-point Villain, and three one-point Villains appeared.
"I just had to bite off more than I can chew…" He thought. Mineta proceed to run away screaming. Tossing balls behind him without any strategy to its placement. If Aizawa saw him, he'd be shaking his head in disappointment. That thought suppressed his fear a little, enough to get back to focusing on the objective.
Looking around, he found himself where the other examinees were. There were broken robots and small bits of rubble everywhere. Picking up the roundest bit of concrete he could find while still running, he turned around to take aim. Only to see that the machines chasing him were being engaged by other people.
There was still opportunity however, with Mineta spotting a robot flanking a pink haired and skinned girl. He pitched a Four-seam to the best of his ability and the thing sailed right into its head, crushing it. Now that was lucky, a chunk of concrete maybe a good throwing weapon… But don't try to pitch it, puts too much strain on the fingers.
But he digresses. He grabbed some balls off his head and began searching for any stray faux Villains, might as well earn a few more points. And running down the road, he quickly scanned the area for robots. When Mineta saw one a couple of meters away, he stops for just a moment to throw a sticky ball at its feet/wheels. And it just sailed to the robot without issue, stopping its movements. Only for someone with a tail to destroy it.
"I hope that's counted towards me… Or maybe we both get the points…" Mineta thought as he continued to run. Then the ground started to quake, knocking him off his feet. What the Hell was that?
"Zero Point Villain time!" He heard Midnight yell over the intercom. Clouds of dust began to flow through the streets, a shadow soon casted down on him. Looking up… He saw the massive mechanical body of the Zero Point faux Villain. All eight of its lenses glowing red.
…
Mineta was glad he went to the bathroom before all this…
"AAAHHH!" He screamed, immediately sprinting as far as his legs would take him. He didn't get any more points after that…
Chapter 8: Our Origin Point
One week later… And Mineta is worried.
After the entrance exam, when the two met up outside of UA, Midoriya had this thousand-yard stare. When he asked what happened, his friend said to not worry about it. Mineta figured that it could just be the adrenaline, that Zero Point Villain was no joke after all. So, he suggested that they should go to that new café that opened up to cool off. Midoriya, however, just wanted to go home and sleep.
Mineta couldn't force him, so he let him go and hoped his friend was in better spirits tomorrow.
Then tomorrow came around and Midoriya still had that empty stare. It made him wonder if something happened during the exam. So Mineta asked him. Only to get the same response, don't worry about it, and the guy went straight home again. This has persisted throughout the week and Mineta was at the end of his rope. What can he do? How's he going to cheer up his friend?
"Minoru, letter for you."
Something lightly hit him on his head and taking it to look, it was a letter. From UA specifically. He then turned around to see his Dad, struggling around the corner with a giant bundle of mail. Huh, that pile gets bigger every week. Being a popular Mangaka must be hard work, having so many expectations to meet.
But that was his business and not Mineta's. So, the short boy took the thing to his room and opened it. There was a letter inside, but also a weird disk thing. And after examining it, the boy saw that it was a hologram projector. "Just press this and…"
A light shot up and he saw a humanoid animal dressed in a nice suit. What animal it was… He can't tell. But it raised its paw and greeted him with a smile.
"Good morning, afternoon, and evening Mineta Minoru! I'm Principal Nezu, headmaster of UA High. And I'm here to announce that you've passed our rigorous entrance exam! Now you must be over the moon over this announcement, I know I would be, but don't get too excited yet. This is but the start of your Hero's Journey and you must prepare for the trials and tribulations ahead. Before the school year starts, take the time to reflect over your strengths and weaknesses. Your successes and failures. And most importantly, those flaws you have yet to outgrow. Good luck and I'll see you at orientation."
The light disappeared, but Mineta's grin couldn't be any brighter. He made it. He actually made it. All that effort he put into his training. All those aches and sores. All those days and nights spent ignoring his libido. All of that had value. And this was its worth. He couldn't wait to tell Midoriya the good news. He was just glad the points he got–
…
His smile sunk.
Oh…
Mineta fell into his chair and buried his face into his hands. How can he have been so blind? The only reason why Midoriya was acting so hopeless was because he couldn't get a single point during the practical. Therefore, he had zero chance of getting into UA. Why did it take him this long to figure that out?
Even then, what could he do about it? He can't change the results of the test without busting several laws. He's not even sure he has the ability or resources to pull that off. No matter what, Midoriya's trapped at a dead end and Mineta has to accept that. It looks like the dream for the greatest duo stops here…
His thoughts were broken when his phone began buzzing. And checking it nearly gave Mineta a heart attack. It's Midoriya.
"H-Hey man, what's up?" He asked, answering the call.
"Hey Mineta-kun. I know it's late, but you want to play some catch?" Mineta didn't know what to make of this statement. His friend didn't sound so hopeless like before, he sounded normal. Also catch? When the night has begun? Now he's even more confused.
Still, the boy now has a chance to reach out to Midoriya. Figure out what's going on with him. So without hesitation… "Yeah sure. Meet you at the park."
"Got it. See you there." Midoriya said, hanging up. Quickly changing out, Mineta gathered his glove and a few baseballs and rushed out of his room.
"Dad! I'm going out!" He shouted, putting on his shoes.
"Don't get into trouble. Or let trouble find you."
"Okay!" He shouted back as he closed the door. Mineta ran as fast as he could from his home, towards the park where he first Midoriya. There wasn't anything special about it, but that park was their place. They've hung out there, talking for hours about Heroes or the future. And recently, it has become their spot to train whenever their schedules line up.
Upon arriving there, he could see his friend Midoriya doing some stretches. But what's different is that he looks so relaxed. Completely different from this past week. Mineta approached, trying to suppress the millions of questions he has.
"You ready Midoriya?"
"Only after you finish your stretches. This maybe catch, but you know how fast it devolves between us."
Mineta gave a nod and placed down his stuff, beginning his stretches. The two at first starts casually enough, tossing the ball between one another. And then it slowly becomes a game of who's the first to miss the catch. This is how they end up losing several baseballs, flying somewhere they cannot reach. So after a good ten minutes, Mineta put the glove on his left hand and raised it.
"Your ball."
Midoriya gave a lazy throw, low speed and easy trajectory. And then Mineta returned the throw. That level continued for a good while, with no conversation between them. It kind of unnerved the shorter boy since they usually took the time to talk about recent hurdles in their training. But with just the ambience of the night, some despaired filled thoughts clouded his head.
And he just ended up blurting out something just to cut through the void.
"I got my letter from UA."
"You don't need to tell me the results, I know you got accepted Mineta-kun. You've been training just as hard as me." Midoriya replied, tone just as relaxed as before. But that still didn't stop the anxiety building in Mineta's chest. He bit his lip as he threw back the ball, should he ask? I mean, this is a conversation that he started unintentionally. He should at least see it through. For Midoriya's sake.
"What about you? Did your letter come in?" Here goes nothing…
"I did. And I was accepted too." Midoriya said with a smile, tossing the ball back. Mineta's shoulders slumped and his arms fell, eyes widening. So stunned was he that the boy didn't even register the ball bouncing off his head. Midoriya immediately went into his nervous phase, fretting over his dazed friend.
"M-Mineta-kun!?"
"But didn't you get no points? That's what I assumed since you were so heartbroken?" Mineta asked. Midoriya gave an awkward laugh, as though he wasn't sure himself.
"Well… You see… The test committee wasn't just looking for people who can fight. They were also looking for people who have that special quality… And it turns out I have that."
What immediately came to Mineta's mind was the sight of Midoriya's reliable back during moments of crisis. And that shock turned into a grin. "You did something cool, yeah?"
"And stupid…" Midoriya added. He didn't try to deny that whatever he did wasn't cool. Mineta picked up the ball and threw it with more vigor, having heard the best news of the week. His friend caught the ball without issue, but he was starting to rotate his shoulder more.
"You know, I was so worried. The whole week you had a fish like look in your eyes. Alive but mostly dead."
"Sorry, I was just in shock… I mean, I thought I failed and wasted All Might's time." Midoriya replied. He then threw the ball back to Mineta and it was much faster. He didn't let that slip and caught it. But what his friend said next threw him off completely.
"And suddenly getting a Quirk was also fairly taxing."
What? Midoriya suddenly has a Quirk now? Wasn't he Quirkless since childhood? The green haired boy realized what came out of his mouth and covered it. And as Mineta stared at him, he started getting more flustered and jittery.
"Uhhh… Y-You see, on the day of the test, my Quirk manifested out of nowhere! It was a huge surprise for me! I-I thought that was impossible, because you know… S-Studies state that most Quirks appear by the age of four! So, when it appeared, I thought… Maybe I'm an outlier in all that!? Cause Quirks are weird! You know!?"
Mineta did his best to not show disbelief. Cause if he did, his friend would be in a whole world of trouble. He knows that Midoriya only lies so that he can save someone else the trouble. And Mineta knows that Midoriya knows that he can recognize this particular habit a mile away. By trying to do so anyway, Midoriya must be protecting a really big secret for someone.
And Mineta's not about to blow the whistle on this charade. Especially when he has a gut feeling that this was connected to All Might somehow. Again, he's not about to destroy society as they know it just because he has loose lips.
With a look of understanding, Mineta gave a nod. "Yeah man, Quirks ARE weird. Remember that one guy with laser arms?"
"Light Work? I think his partner had the stranger Quirk. It's interesting, but… Pose Power?" Midoriya replied. Mineta winced at the memory of that Quirk. To gain some kind of buff, the guy had to first strike an exaggerated pose. It was horribly out of place for any circumstance and it usually left most people confused. Not to mention the conflicts between him and Light Work's costumes and personalities. What's with Heroes having partners that heavily contrasts with them?
Though, as he thought about that, another grin slowly began spreading across his face. He pitched out a cutter to Midoriya that matched his elevated mood. And despite the suddenness of the ball, Midoriya caught it without difficulty. The green haired boy nodded and called out to his friend. "Nice ball Mineta-kun, what's got you excited? Did an attractive girl walk by?"
"I wish. But I'm just thinking about how, once we start school, we're going to be the next great Hero duo. We're even standing in the place where I told you that." Mineta replied.
"Life's funny that way. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Let's do our best Mineta-kun."
With a nod, the shorter boy turned his glove and received a hardy throw from his friend. From two wimps to two fledgling Heroes, Midoriya and Mineta are now upon their starting line. There would no doubt be more trouble to come. But Mineta was confident that they can take care of anything that came their way.
They were partners after all.