Chapter 11
Pony wanders through the aisles of a grocery store. She has a basket hanging from her arm, swinging as she walks. She fills it with snacks since her dorm had run out. She had volunteered to grab them since she needed something to do. As she walks, her thoughts wander to Izuku. She couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that he had allowed himself to be beaten down and nearly killed for Mineta. She had talked to Izuku about him before, and they had both agreed had major issues that needed to be dealt with. She had suggested juvie, and Izuku had suggested therapy.
A few days ago, Mineta apologized for some of his behaviour. She had punched him hard enough to send him stumbling into the wall behind him. She had brought him down to Recovery Girl, and the other girls said that she had done something they had wanted to do for a while. He hadn't bothered any of them since, though, and had actually been pretty civil.
She shakes away her thoughts as she reaches the checkout. She sets down some of her things, though she places a separation bar between everything else, a bento box, and a box of pocky.
"I'd like to pay for these separately, please."
She says, holding up two different cards. One was her own, while the other was the school card Mr.Vlad had given her to pay for the dorm groceries. The cashier, a middle-aged man, nods and starts ringing up the first set of items.
"How has your day been?"
He asks, smiling at her as he scans a bag of chips. She smiles back.
"It's been good. How're you?"
"I'm doing well."
They continue like this for a while, making small talk. Pony pays for the dorm snacks with a tap of the UA card, and he moves on to scanning her personal purchases. Once everything is bagged she wishes him a good day. She grabs her bags off the counter, bowing shallowly as she makes her way to the door. She's about to push it open when a buff boy a little older than her with fluffy blonde hair in a pink jersey steps through, blocking her way. He smiles at her, but she doesn't smile back. Something feels off about him.
She tries to step around him but he doesn't let her pass. A group of other boys walks in behind him, clearly some of his friends. The boy who takes up the spot closest to the blonde has his dark hair slicked back, dressed in a rayon button-up shirt. Behind him is a boy in a white shirt, paired with a navy blazer and faded jeans. Beside him is yet another boy in a T-shirt about two sizes too small. He has tattoos rising up his collarbone, but they're not any Pony recognizes as belonging to members of any Yakuza group. The boy was probably just trying to look intimidating. In contrast to him, a fifth boy behind him looks to be wearing multiple layers, a wool hat pulled over his ears, despite the warm weather. Sweat beads on his brow.
The group of boys back up a bit so that they're all standing outside of the store, Pony now surrounded by the group. One of the boys opens his mouth to say something, but another boy cuts him off. A third boy butts in, until the five start arguing. Pony sighs internally, looking for an opening in their circle so she can slip away. She looks in on the store. The cashier is still standing behind the desk, looking out at the worriedly. Pony has hope that he had called the police, but even if he had she doesn't really expect them to show up in time.
When one of them gets into the other's face, leaving an opening in the circle, Pony tries to take the opportunity to slip away. Blonde boy notices, however, and blocks her.
"I'm so sorry about my friends."
He says, a smile on his face.
"They can get over-excited."
Pony tries not to scowl. It's like he's talking about dogs, though that's likely not far off.
"We're just looking for some company tonight. Have a little fun…"
His voice trails off in a suggestive way. Pony snorts in disgust. The boy ignores her, though, reaching to put his hand on her waist. Pony looks around the area but apart from her, the boys, and the cashier in the store, there isn't anyone nearby. As she looks back at the group of boys, she realizes they all have some kind of strength enhancement quirk, though none of them are very strong. She squats down to put down her bags, something the boys find to be incredibly exciting. They smile at each other, and the blonde boy leans down, looming over her. Pony stands quickly, slamming her forehead into that of the blonde. He stumbles back, instinctively bringing a hand up to feel his wound. His eyes look dazed.
The boys stop fighting. The one with slicked-back hair reaches forward, grabbing her wrist. His grip is tight, but she ignores it. She slips her other arm under his shoulder, flipping him over her shoulder. He lets go of her wrist out of shock, landing with a thump on the concrete behind her. She spins around, aiming a swift kick at his face. A crack sounds from his nose. It becomes crooked and blood starts to leak from the nostrils. His eyes lull back as Pony turns back around to face the rest of the group.
The boy wearing multiple layers looks like he's ready to attack, but the boy in the jersey, having finally recovered, gets to her first. Pony ducks to avoid his punch and feels behind her for something to hit him with. Her hand wraps around a rock on the ground. She swings it into his face again and again. He falls to the ground, bringing his arms up to protect his face. Dirt flies off the rock and into his mouth. He eventually stops screaming, and Pony leaves him be.
The boy in the blazer runs at her now, multiple layers behind him. Pony tries to punch Blazer, but he blocks her. Multiple layers tries to grab her and she kicks out, hitting him in the crotch. He crumples to the ground. Blazer rushes her and she raises her leg as if to kick him. He raises his arms to block. She uses this against him, using her leg to pull his arms down. She hits him in the jaw with the rock, knocking him out. She takes a deep breath, dropping the rock next to the pile of boys. She wipes the little bit of blood that had gotten on her hands off on one of their shirts before picking up her bags. She steps over them, walking down the street back to UA.
She lets her mind wander back to Izuku as she walks. The boy had been in the infirmary for the last few days and had yet to wake up. Recovery Girl said that he had been fully healed for a while now and that she didn't know why he was still asleep. Pony had an idea, and had bought a few snacks for herself so she could spend the evening sitting by his bed, waiting him out.
--------
Pony sits by Izuku's bed, textbook open on her lap. She has a stick of Pocky in her hand, eating it slowly as she reads over the paragraphs relating to the Math homework she had been assigned. Recovery Girl comes in as she turns the page, her cane clicking just ahead of her.
"You're going to have to leave soon if you want to get back in time for curfew, dear."
She says, walking up to her desk in the corner of the room. Pony nods, closing her book. She shoves the rest of the Pocky into her mouth, packing everything back away in her bag. She leans over Izuku, planting a kiss on his forehead,
"Wake up, please."
She whispers, watching him as she leaves. She thanks Recovery Girl before closing the door behind her, and making her way down the hall, her shoulders slightly hunched.
--------
Izuku sits in the grass clearing with Seiruu. The dragon was already bigger than before, and he had more of an air of power.
"Alright, you ready for another lesson, kid?"
He asks. Izuku nods, shifting a bit so he's more comfortable.
"Good. Now, since you have access to your hybrid form you'll also start having access to some new elemental powers."
The kanjis for lightning, wind, earth, and fire all appear behind the dragon. They're all colour coded, but their colours are dull.
"Each of these represents one of the elements you'll have access to. The better you learn to control it, the brighter the kanji will become. Of course, you have to master some of them in order to have access to others. There will probably be a few more, but those won't come up for a long time."
Izuku nods along to show he's listening.
"Of course, they all have their weaknesses. Like how fire is weak to water and all that. Though it is possible for water to overpower fire, that will take you years of training."
Izuku tilts his head a little,
"Isn't water normally a base element? Why isn't it here?"
The dragon shakes his head,
"C'mon. You should know that."
Izuku hums,
"Right. The fruits create severe weakness in water. It will take a lot of power to be able to overcome it."
The dragon nods,
"Good."
The two talk for a while, mainly about Izuku's training and how it may have to change to accommodate the new powers. Eventually, Izuku rises to his feet, stretching his arms above his head.
"What time do you think it is out there?"
He asks. Seiruu shrugs as best he can.
"Hell if I know. Normally, only about a minute would have passed, but you're body needed time to heal. Should be early morning, about three days after the USJ attack if I had to guess."
Izuku hums.
He opens his eyes to bright lights above him. Pony stands at the foot of his bed, leaning against it as she stares at one of the walls. Izuku grins to himself as he extends his tail, wrapping it around her waist. He pulls her toward him, causing her to squeal in surprise. When she realizes he's awake, her eyes widen and she jumps the last foot into his arms, wrapping him in a hug. They sit like that for a while, simply enjoying each other's presence.
Recovery Girl comes in a few minutes later to find them embracing each other. She huffs, smacking one of the legs of his bed to get their attention.
"You can leave now."
She says, looking at Izuku.
"But no training or anything strenuous until the day after tomorrow. Got that?"
Izuku nods. Pony gets off of him, allowing him to stand and stretch before grabbing hold of her hand.
"Thanks, Recovery Girl."
He says, helping Pony gather some of her things so they can leave. Recovery Girl nods,
"You're welcome."
The two leave, hand in hand. Pony stands straight, giving his hand a small squeeze.
--------
Izuku stands a few feet away from Mei in her lab. He's holding one of her more recent inventions, a bomb meant to release a binding agent to trap villains. He has weights on his wrists and ankles, as he normally did, though these ones weighed more than the ones he had been using before.
"Ready?"
He calls. Mei holds up a thumbs up as she ducks behind a protective barrier. Izuku nods, pulling the pin at the top of the device and throwing it at a dummy in the center of the room. It slams into the dummy's chest, activating upon impact. White goop releases from the device, expanding over the dummy and covering some of the ground it stands on. After a moment, Izuku walks over. He knocks on the substance, now hard, with one of his knuckles. It sounds solid. Mei steps out from behind the barrier. She attempts to pull the dummy off the ground but, upon failing, smiles to herself.
Izuku leaves the room for a minute, coming back with a small spray bottle. Mei takes it eagerly, spraying it onto the binding substance. Almost immediately, it melts away into a puddle on the ground, leaving the dummy unharmed. Mei's grin becomes sharper as she whoops.
"It worked!"
Izuku chuckles.
"Anything else you wanted my help testing today?"
He asks. Mei shakes her head, waving him toward the exit.
"Nope. Bye."
Izuku nods.
"Bye!"
He grabs his bag from where he had left it by the door. He doesn't bother waving as he leaves. Mei was much too absorbed in the notes she was taking to notice. Pony waits for him by the gate to the backyard. She smiles when she sees him. They exchange a quick kiss before linking hands and making their way to Izuku's apartment.
Chapter 12
Pony holds her back straight as she walks through the halls. She had been called to the school early to have a talk with Vlad King before classes. She had been told that a detective from the local police precinct would be there, leading her to believe this had something to do with the attack on the USJ just under a week ago. She takes a deep breath before opening the door of the 1-B classroom. Vlad and a detective she vaguely recognizes from the USJ aftermath stand just in front of the teacher's desk, talking quietly with each other. When they realize that Pony had arrived they stop talking and turn to face her.
She closes the door carefully behind her, stepping further into the room when her teacher waves for her to do so.
"Tsunotori I'd like for you to meet Detective Tsukauchi. He'll be overseeing our meeting today."
Pony nods, bowing slightly to the detective. She recognized him as the detective from the USJ attack who had taken some of their statements. He had said that his quirk was some form of lie detector, though she hadn't quite had a chance to talk to Izuku about it yet.
"Hello, detective. The sky is green."
The corner of the man's mouth twitches. She has a feeling the reaction would have been worse had the man not practiced hiding it likely his entire life. The detective clears his throat and Vlad changes the subject.
"Anyway, as I said the detective will be overseeing our meeting. Do you have any questions before we start?"
Pony nods,
"Why is the detective here?"
She asks, giving her teacher a curious look.
"We'll be discussing some of your actions at the USJ attack. The detective is here because his quirk allows him to detect lies and, as well, he will be determining whether or not legal action needs to take place."
Pony nods.
"Alright. Is there any particular place you'd like me to start or an action you'd like me to explain?"
Vlad nods,
"Just start at the beginning, when you and your fellow students were transported away."
Pony does so. She explains her feelings in the moment, and the actions both she and the villains took. She makes sure to stress the fact that the villains attacked first. When she finishes her story about the USJ Vlad asks her a final question regarding her views on life and death and whether or not those who committed crimes deserved to live in the world that they had created.
Vlad ends up being satisfied with her answers and dismisses her once their conversation is over. He watches as she leaves, waiting for the door to lick shut behind her before he turns to face the window. The sky today is clear of clouds, and the sun shines brightly down on the grounds.
He's proud of Pony, he thinks. He's proud that she already has rather heroic ideals, that she knows where she stands but is willing to change sides should that be required. But he's also disappointed. He's disappointed because she shouldn't already know so much about the world they live in. She shouldn't already know her limits when it comes to deciding whether or not someone deserves to live. He's disappointed in the society she had to grow up in to already know of the horrors that drive people to villainy.
With a sigh, he turns away from the window and faces the detective.
"Thank you for coming."
He says. The detective nods, already walking toward the door.
"Of course, happy to help."
Vlad nods, watching as the man leaves. Once the detective had leaf he gathers his things, getting ready to head back to the teachers' dorms.
Izuku sits in class with the rest of his classmates, listening to their chatter as he waits for the bell to go. He's occasionally drawn into their conversations, but he's mostly left alone. When the bell finally goes, it takes an extra moment for the door to open, which is unusual for their teacher. The reason quickly becomes apparent as their eyes fall on their teacher.
The man is absolutely covered in bandages. One of his arms is held against his chest in a sling while his other arm controls the crutch he's using to take the weight off of one of his legs, which is in a cast.
"Are you sure you're okay to be in class, sir?"
Izuku asks, watching with the rest of the class as the man hobbles to his podium.
"I'm fine, Midoriya. Now then, before class starts I have an announcement."
This momentarily takes the students' minds off of the man's injuries, even causing a few of them to lean forward in anticipation.
"The school will be going forward with the Sports Festival. It is to take place two weeks from now. You'll be competing against other first-year classes for the podium. As well, the Festival will be broadcast across the world and many heroes will be in attendance. The Festival is a chance for you to show off your abilities to watching heroes and obtain internships."
"Is that really a good idea after the villain attack?"
Yaoyorozu asks. Aizawa sighs,
"The HPSC as well as the principal have decided that UA can't put off the festival. We have to show that the attack hasn't affected us."
This seems to make sense to his class, but Izuku is still a little skeptical. He doesn't say anything, however, and Aizawa moves on.
--------
Once classes are over, the class gathers their things and conversations immediately start up, all regarding the coming Sports Festival.
"Let's give it our all everyone!"
Uraraka calls, her expression one none of them had seen before. It seemed to help spur the others on, however, as they all cheered,
"Yeah! Plus ultra!'
The class tries to leave, now all inspired by Uraraka's clear determination, but are unable to get through the door. Their exit is blocked by a large crowd of other students. Bakugou scowls at them as some of the 1-A students start muttering to each other.
"They're here to check out the competition."
Bakugou says in response to some of 1-A's mutters. The boy shoves his way through the crowd, ignoring some of the indignant outcries. The crowd quickly closed the path the boy had left, however, and none of the other members really wanted to push through the crowd. Izuku can just make out a familiar voice saying something at the back of the crowd as a boy with purple hair steps forward. He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can Pony bursts through, pushing her way to the front of the crowd, ignoring those who are yelling at her and those who had fallen due to her pushing and the pushing of others.
Pony is already dressed in her workout clothes despite the fact that class 1-B doesn't have heroics until later that day. Pony grabs hold of Uraraka's arm,
"Come on! I booked out gym Gamma for us today!"
Uraraka groans,
"But there's a sale in the cafeteria!"
Pony ignores her excuses and continues to drag her away. The crowd parts for them this time, watching as Pony drags the other girl away. The members of class 1-A watch with the rest of the crowd in shock while Izuku just chuckles, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He leaves, missing the way the other members of his class shudder at the thought of Uraraka learning to fight like Pony.
--------
Itsuka sits across from All Might in one of the private rooms of UA's back hallways. She has a bento box on the table in front of her, but she had barely touched it. All Might has a bit of a solemn look on his face, and she had been waiting for the past few minutes to hear what it was he had called her in to talk about.
"My time has been reduced to just under an hour. Fifty minutes, to be exact."
The man says suddenly. Itsuka sucks in a breath,
"I'm so sorry, I-"
All Might holds up a hand to stop her,
"It's nothing for you to be apologizing for, young Kendo. It's not your fault. I merely thought you should know since it will interfere with your training."
Itsuka nods slowly,
"Still, I could have at least done something about the Nomu. I was right there, I wanted to move but I was so scared and-"
She shudders, stopping mid-sentence. All Might reaches across the table to rest a hand on her shoulder.
"Only fools don't feel fear. I'm glad that you didn't move. If you had, you could have been seriously injured. You may be doing well with One For All, but you still have a long ways to go. Tell me again what percent you're up to?"
Itsuka manages a small smile,
"Ten, without putting strain on my body."
All Might nods, a smile to mirror hers tugging at his lips.
"Good. Now, as I'm you've heard the Sports Festival is coming up. I want you to give it your all. To tell the world that you're here."
Itsuka nods,
"Right. I'll do my best, All Might."
"I'm sure you will."
Chapter 13
Izuku walks across the sand, his bag bumping against his side every few steps. He settles on the sand, stretching his arms at his side.
Once he's done stretching he starts on his warmups.
--------
Izuku takes deep breaths as he lowers himself into a seated position on the sand. A moment later, his phone rings in the pocket of his bag. He reaches over, pulls it out and answers the call.
"Midoriya, please, you have to help me! She's fucking insane and-"
Uraraka's voice is cut off when the call ends prematurely. Izuku lowers his phone, jumps to his feet and prepares to run back to UA. He's brought out of his panicked packing when his phone buzzes. He opens the message notification from Pony,
Pony ♥️
Pony: Hey, don't worry about Uraraka. We're just doing some training and she's struggling a bit.
* Image sent *
Izuku opens the image. Pony is closest to the camera, holding up a peace sign as she stares into the camera, a smile on her face. Behind her, Uraraka is slouched against the wall, head in her hands.
Izuku tilts his head slightly,
Pony ♥️
Pony: Hey, don't worry about Uraraka. We're just doing some training and she's struggling a bit.
* Image sent *
Why is Uraraka crying behind you? :You
Pony: She said that mochi was one of her fave foods but I told her I didn't care for it. She's very passionate.
--------
Pony holds a package of mochi above Uraraka's head, using her horns to keep it out of reach.
"Please, please just give it back!"
Uraraka cries, reaching for the mochi.
"Only if you keep training with me. You have potential!"
Uraraka thinks for a moment before nodding,
"Fine, fine! I'll keep training with you, just please give me back my mochi!"
Pony nods to herself, sending the package of mochi up into the rafters.
"You can have it back when we're done."
Uraraka groans, falling to her knees as she looks up at the corner of the package peeking out from behind the rafters.
--------
Izuku chuckles to himself at Pony's response, putting his phone away as he lowers into a criss-cross position. He breathes deeply as he enters a meditative state, the clearing coming into view, Seiruu lounging on the large rock in the corner.
"Hey, kid."
Seiruu greets, jumping off of his rock and sauntering over. Izuku smiles,
"Hey, Seiruu. Feel like telling me more about how I'm going to get a handle on my elemental abilities, or am I going to have to figure that out on my own?"
Seiruu shakes his head,
"You know I'm here to help. So, to start training with an element, you first have to differentiate its track from the tracks of the other elements within you. Here,"
A generic image of what at first looks to be a nervous system within someone appears beside Seiruu. Upon further inspection, however, it's not really a nervous system. There are way more tracks than there should be, and they're all different colours.
"You already have access to all of the elements, but you're going to have to master certain ones before others to prepare you. Start by picking out each of the elements and then come back."
Izuku nods,
"Got it."
With that, he leaves the clearing. The feeling of sand beneath his legs replaces the feeling of grass, but he blocks it out. Instead, he focuses within himself, feeling for the elemental tracks within him.
They come into focus, a mess of different elements winding around each other. He picks one of the tracts to follow. It flows through his body, from his brain to his heart and the tips of his fingers. As he follows it, he gets more of an idea of what element it is. It flows easily, occasionally crashing against other tracks, creating waves. Now knowing that the element is water, he moves on to the next track.
He slowly identifies each of the different elements. As they each come into focus, he can identify each of them flowing through him. Once he's sure he knows which element is which, he goes back into the mind space. Seiruu greets him, jumping out of the large tree in the center of the clearing.
"So, did ya do it?"
The dragon asks, settling into a seated position in front of the boy. Izuku nods. Seiruu grins, his tail flicking behind him.
"Good, good. Then just a few more explanations before we can start training. Firstly, the energy for each of the elements is created as you activate them. Yes, the elements exist within you already, but in order to actually use them muscles, such as your heart, will take cells from within that track and infuse them with energy from your current supply, which will then present as the element wherever you choose to manifest it. You can use up to ninety-five percent of the energy you have at the time before you'll start feeling any side effects."
Izuku nods along to show he's listening. He catalogues the information in his mind so he can write it down in full detail later.
"There are minor side effects, and then there are more major ones. You may experience extreme exhaustion, sore muscles or the temporary inability to move, bleeding from the eyes, mouth, and/or nose, a temporary comatose state, a shortening of your life span, and even death. Understand?"
Izuku nods,
"Don't use over ninety-five percent of my energy, got it."
Seiruu nods,
"Good. We'll start you on wind, or air, if you'd rather call it that. Since it's your first element, it'll be the most taxing on your body and will be the one that takes you the longest to learn."
Izuku nods,
"So, where do we start?"
Seiruu raises a paw, gesturing for Izuku to stop.
"There are two different tracks you can take. The first would be best in terms of your general health, though it would take a couple of years. It'll leave your body less destroyed and will leave you with the majority of your energy after training. The second track will take maybe two or three weeks. It will be the most taxing on your body and will most likely leave you with the minimum amount of energy possible at the end of training for a day."
Izuku nods,
"The second one, please."
Seiruu tilts his head,
"Are you sure? I wasn't joking when I said it would most likely leave your body destroyed at the end of the day. Plus, it won't leave you a master. You'll learn one, maybe two ways to use the wind before moving on to the next element. You'll have to train more in your free time with it to master it."
Izuku nods seriously,
"I'm sure."
Seiruu shrugs, as well as a dragon can shrug.
"Okay. Pack up your stuff and go to the forest at the park. Try to go deep and find a clearing, we'll start there."
Izuku nods and once again leaves the headspace. He takes a deep breath and rises to his feet. He doesn't need to pack, having thrown everything together when Uraraka called him. He grabs his bag, throwing it over his shoulder. He shakes off some of the sand and starts walking down the beach, heading back the way he had come to find the set of stairs he had taken onto the sand.
He finds them a few minutes later and climbs up onto the sidewalk, making his way to the park.
--------
Izuku breathes in the damp air of the forest, taking in the scent of moss and rotting leaves. He finds himself a clearing deep within the forest surrounding the park. He sets his bag down on a nearby log, leaning against one of the trees with a larger trunk.
"Alright, kid."
Seiruu says, his voice echoing in Izuku's head without his more "physical" manifestation in the mind space.
"Start by locating the wind track. Focus on it and direct it to your fingertips. Preferably your non-dominant hand."
Izuku nods, doing as he's asked. He can feel the track in question. The air flows through him gently, occasionally especially harsh gusts will give it a burst of speed and take it from a soft summer breeze to a harsh winter wind. He directs the flow to his non-dominant hand, keeping it circulating in his fingertips as he waits for his next instructions.
"Alright, now let the wind loose and reel it in to make claws."
Izuku lets out a breath, letting the wind escape through the tips of his fingers. He doesn't, however, manage to reel it in. Instead, the wind tears through him, tearing apart his fingers and demolishing nearby branches before fading out.
Izuku hisses, shaking out his hand. A few of his nails are broken, one or two even torn off the bed. Beads of blood stream down his fingers, into his palm and down the back of his hand.
"You can still take the other route."
Seiruu says. Izuku waves him off, directing the flow of the wind back to his fingertips.
--------
Around two hours later, Izuku is sitting underneath a tree, torn apart hand sitting on his lap. Blood drips from his thigh down onto the grass below. The surrounding trees had all suffered, their branches were littering the ground below and there were gouges in their trunks.
"I think we're done for the day."
Seiruu says. Izuku nods, slowly rising to his feet. He grabs an extra shirt from his bag. He rips off a strip of fabric, wrapping it around his injured hand. He shoves his hand into his pocket and throws his bag over his shoulder.
--------
Izuku yawns as he unlocks the door to his dorm. He throws his bag onto his bed and grabs his med kit from his closet. He sits down on his bed next to his bag, taking his hand out of his pocket. He unwraps the bloodied cloth, inspecting the damage before he starts disinfecting.
A few minutes later, someone knocks on the front door. He doesn't get the chance to stand, however, before the door is swinging open, revealing Pony on the other side.
"Guess who came over for a surprise visit! Uraraka is doing well in her training but I think some stuff will take her longer than I originally thought."
Pony's voice trails off as she notices his destroyed fingers.
"Do you want some help?"
She asks, pushing the door open fully. Izuku nods. He hands her the open bottle of disinfectant next to him, and she gets to work.
She completes the job much faster than he would have. Once his hand is sufficiently bandaged she brings his knuckles up to her mouth, kissing them gently.
"What happened?"
She asks, sitting down on the bed next to him. He shrugs, leaning into her side.
"I started learning how to use the wind element. It's sharper than I expected."
Pony huffs,
"Just get some rest okay?"
Izuku hums,
"Right."
Izuku blinks his eyes open against the harsh light of the sun streaming in through his window. He yawns, stretching his arms above his head as he sits up. With a start, he realizes his hand no longer hurts. Confused, he unwraps the bandages. To his surprise, the wounds are already healed, the only evidence of the damage he had caused being the jagged tips of his fingernails.
"What…?"
"Oh, yeah!"
Seiruu's voice says, echoing in his head.
"Since you unlocked your hybrid form you have a regenerative ability. Where it is now, it takes a few hours, but it'll get better as you learn more and get more powerful."
Izuku hums.
"Cool. So, more training today?"
Seiruu scoffs,
"Eat first!"
Izuku nods,
"Right, right. On it."
--------
Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Izuku continues to train with the wind element. The day before the Sports Festival, he finally figures out how to control the wind claws.
Izuku grins as he slashes one of the trees, creating large gouges in the trunk. On purpose, this time. He had managed to get away with only a few broken fingernails before finally getting the hang of it, too, which he considered a massive win after days of destroyed hands.
He clenches his hands into fists, admiring the wind claws.
"Great job, kid."
Seiruu praises.
Chapter 14
Uraraka stands in front of Pony on the sparring mat. Her face is pale and she feels weak, but she lowers into an offensive stance anyway. Pony crosses her arms,
"Do you really think you can fight in that state?"
She asks.
"How did you even manage to get into UA?"
Pony's tone is mocking. She has to force it, as she doesn't really believe what she's saying. She says it anyway, though. Uraraka's main weakness, as Pony had learned, was how easy she was to rile up with the right words. She'd leave herself open at any insult, something that had to be curbed if she was going to become a hero. Villains played dirty, and every fight Pony had ever seen involved the villain throwing insults at the hero and vice versa.
"You're just a third-rate hero. How you managed to keep your spot in UA this long I have no clue."
Uraraka frowns as tears start to form in her eyes. Her stance is starting to fall, but other than that she doesn't move.
"If I was in Mr.Aizawa's place I would have expelled you by now."
Pony has to make a conscious effort to keep her expression even. She had to remind herself that it was in the other girl's best interest. She'd buy her all the food she wanted afterwards to make up for it.
Uraraka sniffs, using her sleeve to wipe the tears off her cheeks.
"Really, you wouldn't be able to do anything on the field. What skills do you have to offer?"
Uraraka scowls. She jumps forward, throwing a punch at Pony's face. Pony doesn't move, she can tell already that there isn't much force behind the throw. Also, Uraraka's thumb is on the inside. The punch makes contact with Pony's face but Uraraka pulls back immediately with a hiss. She shakes out her hand but, luckily, her thumb doesn't appear to be broken.
Pony chuckles as she brings her knee up into the other girl's stomach. Uraraka makes a choking noise as the air leaves her lungs.
Their spars continue much like this until Uraraka stops responding to Pony's insults. She's able to carry on their spars without even flinching at Pony's words.
By the time they're done with the sparring aspect of the day's training, both are smiling at each other from opposite sides of the mat.
"I'll buy you as much mochi as you want as an apology."
Pony promises. Uraraka's smile becomes brighter,
"Hell yeah!"
Pony huffs,
"Don't get too excited. We aren't done yet."
Uraraka groans.
"We'll start with breathing exercises. I'm gonna teach you a few that will help you push through nausea from quirk overuse."
Uraraka nods,
"What will the punishment be for doing it wrong?"
She asks. Pony huffs,
"You're catching on. Also, you'll see."
Uraraka rolls her eyes.
"Fine.'
Pony gives her the instructions for the breathing exercise and demonstrates it a few times before telling Uraraka to do it herself. She does so, but Pony near immediately punches her just under her ribs, causing her to lose all of the air in her lungs.
"Seriously?"
She asks after she recovers enough air. Pony nods. Uraraka glares, but tries again.
When Uraraka is good enough at the breathing exercises they move on to different stances. Pony helps her with her thumb placement when making a fist as well as teaches her stances that will keep her stable when she's under attack. They also work on a few different moves. Pony directs her on how to use them against a training dummy and against her once she's done it right a few times.
Uraraka quickly gets the hang of proper punches, learning to keep her thumb on the outside and keep her wrist straight, Pony also teaches her how to put more force behind them.
They stand across from each other on the sparring mat. Uraraka lowers into an offensive stance while Pony goes into a defensive stance. The next couple of hours are spent working on Uraraka's punches and her ability to keep her next moves hidden until she's doing them.
By the time they're finally done training for the day, Uraraka is about ready to collapse. Pony uses a towel to sop up the sweat dripping down her neck. She passes a clean one to Uraraka along with a water bottle. Uraraka chugs the water. She leaves a third in the bottle, though that's quickly gone, too, as she pours it over her head. Pony chuckles before drinking from her own bottle.
"You're still buying me mochi, right?"
Uraraka asks. Pony nods,
"Of course. I promised, didn't I?"
Uraraka grins,
"Good. Let's go."
She jumps up as if all of the fatigue had left her body. Pony laughs as she shakes her head in exasperation.
"We should change and shower, first."
Uraraka pouts at being delayed, but heads in the direction of the changerooms and showers anyway.
--------
They train over the next couple of weeks. Uraraka improves greatly over that time. Pony is sure to tell her how good she's doing after each training session in the hopes of offsetting the insults she hurls at the other girl during sparring sessions.
Two days before the Sports Festival they meet up as usual, though Pony has more water bottles with her than normal.
Chapter 15
Uraraka becomes suspicious when their warm-up is lighter than usual. Pony also ends their training early, which is really the last nail in the coffin for Uraraka.
"Are you sure?"
She asks when Pony calls their training earlier than normal. Pony nods,
"I have a few things to do today, and you're getting good enough now that you can do some more in your own time if you want."
Uraraka nods slowly, still a little unsure.
"Okay then."
The two change quickly. They walk out of the gym together, parting ways at the entrance.
Pony heads in the direction of the Red Light district. She walks quickly, ignoring those she sees on the streets. She stops in front of a closed deli near the center of the Red Light district. She doesn't take a second glance at the closed sign. She crouches down, picking the lock quickly. She slides inside and closes the door firmly behind her.
She walks past the dusty tables and food counter near the back of the restaurant. She heads down a back hall. There are three doors, one leading to a back exit, one into a cleaning closet, and the other into an office. From the office, Pony can hear groans and creaking. She flinches, turning her head away from the door as she pushes it open. Inside, a heavy man sits in an armchair, watching TV with two women at his sides. Three other men are in the room, ignoring the gross images on the TV to watch Pony as she enters.
One of the men walks toward her, a baseball bat sitting on his shoulder.
"Hey…"
His voice trails off as he looks her up and down,
"Aren't you pretty."
He leans toward her. She grabs his face, digging her nails into his skin. The man starts to swing his bat but Pony lifts and throws him back. He flies a few feet. When he lands, he stumbles and falls full force onto the TV. The TV falls to the ground with the man, smashing against the concrete floor. The man falls unconscious and deep red marks are visible on his face where Pony had dug her nails in.
The man sitting on the chair scowls and snaps his fingers. The other men in the room run at Pony. She shoots out her horns, pinning one to the wall and another to the floor. She punches the third in the throat before sweeping his legs out from under him and slamming his head into the ground.
Pony looks over at the man in the chair. He stands up, dismissing the women still in the room. They flee, running down the hall and out of the restaurant.
The man stalks toward Pony, smoke billowing from his mouth. Pony darts forward and grabs hold of his wrists. She grips them tightly, nearly crushing the bones as she pulls the man to the ground. He's forced to kneel in front of her. He opens his mouth, letting forth a stream of flames. Pony ducks, avoiding most of the flames. She lifts her head once the smoke clears, glaring down at the man. She turns her head to cough for a moment before looking back down at him.
"Calm down. I just came to hire some of your men for a job."
The man glares but nods slowly,
"Fine. What's the job?"
He asks. Pony lets go of his wrists, letting him stand. He rubs his wrists.
"A need some men to track down and attack a girl. They don't have to be your best."
The man nods.
"Fine. Leave a picture of her and I'll have them sent out tonight."
Pony nods. She removes a few wads of yen from her pocket, as well as a vial of an unlabelled liquid.
"This is a quirk inhibitor. It's temporary, and I want you to use it on her before attacking."
The man nods, though his attention is on the money and not her. Pony recalls her horns and leaves, listening as the man grabs what she had left and calls for his goons to follow him to the basement of the restaurant.
--------
Ochako walks down the street, trying her best not to drag her feet. Her favourite pastry shop had been closed, meaning she wasn't able to buy the mochi she had been looking forward to. She pushes her hair back out of her face as she stands at a light, waiting for the walking man to come on on the other side.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. She doesn't change her demeanour in any way. Pony had made sure to drill into her that the last thing you wanted to do when you're being watched is make the people watching aware that you know.
She leans back, stretching her arms above her head. While she stretches, she looks around, trying to find any sign of the person, or people, watching her. She spots movement in a nearby alley. She straightens, pulling her shirt down from where it had ridden up. The stop hand turns into a walking man and she takes a step forward. She crosses the street quickly, looking back and forth in case any cars decide to run the red light.
She can hear the brief ruffles of fabric as the people, she now knows there's more than one, follow her across the street. Most of them are smart enough to stay out of her peripherals, but one takes a misstep. She spots his large boots just as they duck back out of view.
When she steps off the street and onto the sidewalk the men step out of the shadows, surrounding her. There are four of them, despite the fact that she had been sure there were five.
"Hand over your money."
One says. He's the biggest of the group, likely the leader. What he says strikes Ochako as suspicious. Why would such a large group go around mugging people? They could obviously get away with more if they tried.
Ochako takes a step back in an attempt to create some distance when she feels a prick in her neck. Her hand comes up to the spot. She stumbles back and the man who had stuck something in her neck steps forward, joining the group of men.
She waits for a moment to see if her vision is going to fuzz, or if she's going to pass out. When that doesn't happen, she reaches for some of the stones littering the ground. She attempts to activate her quirk, but nothing happens. Her quirk feels dull and blocked off. She stands quickly, the stones in hand instead of floating above her head.
She can't run, they'd overtake her easily. She takes a few steps forward, the pebbles clenched in her fist. They dig into her palms, creating divots in her skin. One reaches for her arm but she throws the pebbles in his face and he stumbles back, rubbing his eyes. Another reaches for her waist but she pushes him back, sending him sprawling into the other man.
The first man reaches for her again, this time with one hand over his eye. She punches him in the face, hitting the one good eye. He screams as he falls. A third grabs her arm. She elbows him in the face and he lets go. She had lost track of which man was which by this point, but one attempts to punch her in the face. She ducks to avoid him. She punches him in the stomach and grabs hold of his arm when he brings it down. She stands and dislocates his elbow before throwing him to the side into two of the other men.
The men scream. One of them reaches for her again in a last-ditch attempt at whatever their goal is. She stomps on his hand, breaking a few of the bones. There was still one standing. He was the smallest of the lot, and obviously hesitant now that all of his buds were lying on the ground. When he spots her watching him, he runs at her.
She punches him hard in the face. His nose breaks with a sickening crack. Ochako steps forward and punches the man once in the throat, and then a second time in the stomach. He starts choking, and whatever he had eaten earlier comes up and falls onto the concrete. She kicks him over and he lists to the side. His head falls against the concrete and his eyes roll into the back of his head.
Ochako stands in the middle of a ring of unconscious, battered men. Will, mostly unconscious. A few of them glare up at her, clutching the injuries keeping them on the ground. Her knuckles are scraped and she has bruises where she was gripped. There's vomit splattered on her shoes and her nose wrinkles at the smell. Her breathing is strained. She hears clapping behind her. She spins around, settling into an offensive stance in preparation for another fight.
Instead of another fight, however, she spots Pony, smiling at her and the fallen men.
"That was great!"
Pony congratulates.
"What the fuck, Pony. Did you orchestrate this?"
Ochako asks. She can feel her quirk coming back to her and reaches down for a few pebbles at her feet. They float up, high above their heads, and she takes solace in the fact that it was working again.
Pony nods,
"Yeah. It was a test, of sorts, to make sure you were paying attention. I was here the entire time, in case it went south, with one-one-nine on my phone."
Ochako sighs, unclenching her fists.
"Seriously?"
Pony nods as she walks toward the other girl.
"Yes. However, to make it up to you, I'll be buying you as much food and pastries as you want for the rest of our lives and, I brought you this."
She digs around in her bag for a moment and brings out a box of mochi from the store Ochako had wanted to stop at earlier. Ochako grins and rushes over, taking the box in her hands. She doesn't say anything before she tears it open, devouring the first ball she can get her hands on. The two walk side-by-side down the street.
"Also, your training is done for now. The scheduled, tough stuff, I mean. You can still join me in the gym if you want."
Ochako hums,
"I acknowledge that but, also, at the moment all I want to do is eat this beautiful food you've brought me. No more talking."
Pony nods and they fall into a comfortable silence.
Chapter 16
Izuku lounges against a bench against the walls of the waiting room. He's dressed in UA"s gym uniform, as is the rest of his class. Some of them have hushed conversations in the corners, some scroll anxiously on their phones, and others stare at the wall, likely going over plans in their heads, or just too nervous to do anything else.
Izuku has his phone in hand as he texts Pony, who was a few doors down in the 1-B waiting room. His attention is drawn away from his phone when Todoroki appears in front of him.
"Yes?"
He asks, setting his phone down on the bench next to him.
"You are the strongest person in our class. Therefore, I am going to defeat you today in order to prove that I am capable of beating All Might."
Izuku nods,
"I'll be giving the Sports Festival my all, then."
Todoroki nods in return and heads back to the other end of the waiting room, where he had been standing a minute before. Izuku picks his phone back up, taking a moment to wish Pony luck before shoving it into his locker located above his head. A few minutes later, Present Mic's voice booms from the speaker in the corner.
"Good morning everyone, and welcome to the annual Sports Festival, featuring our first-year classes!"
The man pauses and the cheers coming from those in the stands can just be heard through the cement walls separating them from the field.
"Alright! Please welcome to the arena, the class that survived a villain attack a mere two weeks ago, class 1-A!"
Yaoyorozu leads them out of the waiting room since she's their class president. Jirou walks behind her, and they arrange themselves into a slightly messy single-file line from there. They're met by cheers and whistles. Izuku smiles, making eye contact with the drone cameras projecting their faces onto the screens in the arena and the TVs of those watching from home.
Class 1-B is called out once 1-A stops in front of the stage in the center of the field and the cheers die down. Their announcement is not even close to as personalized as 1-A's. A girl with ginger hair leads them out, a confident smile on her face. She stops her class a few feet away from 1-A. She looks back at Izuku, who is fourth in line behind Bakugou.
"You are one of the strongest in our year, and I'm going to do my best to beat you today, to tell the world that I am here."
Izuku nods, the smile on his face becoming sharp and determined,
"Rest assured, I'll be giving the festival my all."
Kendo nods before turning her attention back to the stage. The rest of the classes in their year are called out in alphabetical order. Present Mic tries, perhaps half-heartedly, to build excitement for the non-hero-course classes. He praises the gen-ed students for their high grades and hard work as they walk out onto the field. The students look to hold themselves higher at the praise.
The support classes are announced next. Each of them is decked out in tech they had built themselves. One of them in particular stands out the most. She has pink bubble-gum hair and has the most tech out of all of them. She has what looks like a jet-pack on her back, goggles over her eyes, a metal belt covered in pouches, and metal boots. What most of the stuff does, Izuku has no idea.
"Our support course is already working hard on their designs and putting themselves out there! Better hope our hero students make a good impression, or they could end up without a support engineer! This year's students look especially interesting!"
The support students line up on the left, evening out the crowd. The business students are called out next, their heads held high.
"Let's give our business students a round of applause! They are being forced to participate, after all! Although, I am pretty sure they have a betting ring going…."
The last part is slightly muttered. Everyone's attention is drawn away from the comment, however, by Midnight rising up onto the stage. She cracks her whip, attracting any attention that had still been wandering.
"Hello, kiddies! Who's ready for their first ever Sports Festival?!"
The students cheer. Some of the other students, mainly the boys, Izuku notices, shove each other as they stare up at Midnight, their faces redder than they should be.
"As always, we'll be starting this festival with a pledge from the student representative, otherwise known as the kid who placed first in this year's hero entrance exams! Please welcome to the stage, Midoriya Izuku of class A!"
The crowd cheers as Izuku breaks away from his class. He climbs up the stairs on the side of the stage and Midnight gestures for him to stand in front of the microphone that had just risen out of the stage, just as Midnight had a minute or so earlier.
Izuku smiles as he looks over the sea of students,
"I'm happy to be representing my classmates. I know some of you aren't interested in the festival while others are fighting to take a hero-course spot. No matter what you think, try your best! After all, showing you're willing to participate in events such as these could show you're flexible, which will look good on a resume. For those looking to take our hero-course spots, however, you better be giving your all. This is a competition, first and foremost, and you won't be getting in without placing. Plus ultra!"
The students yell "Plus ultra!" back at him as he rejoins his class in the center of the crowd. Midnight takes his spot on the stage and a massive slots machine rises behind her.
"Let's find out what the first event will be!"
Midnight calls, gesturing to the machine behind her. The slots start to spin as the audience watches in anticipation. The slots slow individually until they form two words "obstacle course".
"An obstacle course!"
Midnight announces.
"Everyone head to the gate!"
Midnight says, pointing to a gate at the side of the stadium. As soon as they know where they're going the students flock toward the gate, forming a massive crowd in front of it. Classes mix, ignoring the few class presidents trying to reshape them into something orderly. There's a countdown light by the gate, the same as those you'd find at a car race. The red light at the top turns on. After a few seconds, it's followed by a yellow light. The gates slide open a bit, partly revealing a corridor on the other end. Izuku peers through at it.
Just as the green light turns on Izuku notices that the corridor narrows at the end. Suddenly, the temperature drops. Izuku jumps, barely avoiding becoming trapped in ice. There are screams of indignation among the students trapped as Todoroki skates passed them. Izuku follows after him, carefully trying to keep his balance on the ice.
Izuku reaches the middle of the corridor before anyone else manages to free themselves. Bakugou gets free first, using his explosions to propel himself. Yaoyorozu comes after him, followed by Sero and a few kids from class B.
When Todoroki reaches the end of the tunnel a herd of robots, the same ones from the entrance exams, storm out of the shadows. Behind them, a Zero Pointer rolls out of a doorway in the side of the stadium. Todoroki creates a ramp, soaring above them and landing on top of the Zero Pointer.
Izuku doesn't have the chance to see anymore as he's attacked by a One Pointer. Scales spread up his arm as he blocks the attack. His claws extend as he punches through the robot's eye, tearing out the wires and circuit boards within. The other bots corner him, a few pushing past to attack the other students behind him.
Izuku smashes through another couple of robots before realizing that there were too many, and he wouldn't be able to continue on like that. He readies his hand in front of him, reaching for the wind element within him. He forms large wind claws and lets them go in the same way he had when he was first learning how to use them. He manages to avoid any damage to his hands. The robots aren't so lucky. The bots in front of him slice in half, creating a path for him to run through.
The Zero Pointer is damaged by the attack, too. Though that only manages to slow it down. He slides underneath its legs, spotting the bottomless pit, as it had been called by Present Mic when Todoroki reached it, ahead of him as soon as he gets up. There are ropes connecting the platforms, and they sway in the wind. Izuku ignores them. Scales spread down Izuku's legs and he jumps from platform to platform. He spots Todoroki ahead of him. The other boy turns a corner and is once again out of Izuku's sight.
Izuku lands with a thud on the other side of the pit. The scales on his legs stay as he runs down the path, turning the same corner Todoroki had a few moments earlier. The first thing he spots is a sign warning of land mines. The second thing he notices is the large dirt pit, small mounds littering it. Todorki is skating above in on a bridge of ice.
Izuku speeds up, kicking up dust as he goes. He ignores the explosions he sets off and tunes out Present Mic's voice as it booms over the speakers.
--------
Inko sits beside Hina on the couch in her apartment. The TV is on, showing the live stream of the Sports Festival. The two women were leaning forward, watching with bated breath as Izuku ran across the land mines. When he emerges on the other side, the two cheer, smiling at each other.
--------
Izuku huffs as he crosses the finish line. He's dusty but otherwise okay. The scales recede as he smiles up at the cheering crowd. Others emerge behind him, some with a few bruises and scrapes. Yaoyorozu emerges with Mineta attached to her back. Aizawa comments on it. The comment contains a thinly-veiled insult directed at Mineta, though whether or not the boy notices Izuku doesn't know.
Pony crosses the finish line behind them. She tears Mineta off Yaoyorozu, kicking him away once she sets him down. She walks away with Yaoyorozu, shooting Izuku a smile before they enter the innards of the stadium.
--------
All For One watches the Sports Festival on one of the many screens filling the space around his bed. He had to use a mix of quirks in order to see the broadcast, but it was worth it. After all, the Midoriya child was rather interesting. According to Shigaraki, the boy had managed to hold off the Nomu, at least until one of his classmates was used as a hostage.
The Doctor watches from where he stands at All For One's bedside.
"That boy's quirk seems rather interesting."
The Doctor comments,
"I would love to get my hands on it."
All For One hums,
"Yes. It does look as if he could have control over the elements, based on his affinity for wind. In fact, he seems to have access to a few of the abilities we give the Nomu as well."
The Doctor nods,
"It's a wonder he still has cognitive abilities. He could be quite the asset."
All For One nods, chuckling. It ends in a coughing fit, though even that can't wipe the malevolent smile off his face.