Chapter 11 – Pink Sparks
The first day back on the surface felt wrong in all the quiet ways. No rumble underfoot, no heartbeat in the air. Just the buzz of a normal Musutafu morning.
Sozo adjusted his school bag like it was armor. After weeks in the Dungeon, classrooms and chatter felt foreign. Deku was already ahead of him, tripping over his own excitement. Bakugo walked behind, hands jammed in pockets, pretending not to care.
"You two are gonna stand out," Sozo muttered.
Bakugo smirked. "Says the guy with eyes that glow when he sneezes."
Fair point.
They reached the gates just as the crowd thickened—kids showing off quirks, comparing notebooks, laughing like the world had never almost ended.
Sozo watched, a little detached. It wasn't loneliness exactly. More like being tuned to the wrong frequency.
Then someone slammed into him.
"Sorry!" a girl's voice rang out—quick, bright, full of too much energy for a single human body.
He turned, steadying her by instinct. Pink skin, messy curls, golden eyes wide with embarrassment.
She grinned like a sunrise. "Whoa, you're strong! Didn't even budge!"
Sozo blinked. "You were moving at the speed of a truck."
"Compliment accepted," she said cheerfully, brushing imaginary dust from her uniform. "I'm Mina Ashido. You're new, right?"
"Midoriya," he said automatically, then hesitated. "Sozo Midoriya."
Her eyes sparkled. "Midoriya? Like—"
"Yeah. Cousin."
She gasped dramatically. "No way! That explains the green hair thing!"
He looked at his reflection in a window—dark green tint under sunlight. "I thought it was subtle."
"Not when you stand next to Deku! You two look like a duo from a hero show!"
He almost smiled. "And you?"
"Oh, I'm definitely the side character that steals every scene." She winked. "You'll see."
---
Lunch Break Chaos
By midday, Sozo had learned three things about Mina Ashido.
First: she never walked anywhere when she could bounce.
Second: she talked like the world might go silent if she stopped.
Third: somehow, none of it annoyed him.
He sat under a tree with Deku, quietly eating, while Mina tried to teach Bakugo a new dance trend she'd seen online. It was going about as well as expected.
"Come on, Kacchan, just loosen up!" she said, spinning once.
Bakugo glared. "If I 'loosen up,' the grass is catching fire."
She shrugged. "Worth it."
Sozo's lips twitched.
Deku leaned closer. "She's… kind of amazing, huh?"
"She's chaos," Sozo said, watching her twirl again. "But yeah."
He didn't realize he was smiling until Deku's grin widened knowingly.
"Shut up," Sozo said quietly.
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it loudly."
---
Sparring Sparks
After classes, students gathered in the gym for quirk practice. Mina's acid hissed bright green across the training mats, neatly carving patterns.
When it was Sozo's turn, he hesitated. He couldn't show much. Not the hydra, not the Dungeon's energy. So he used the smallest fragment—manifesting crystal scales across his forearms. Enough to look flashy, not frightening.
Mina whistled. "Cool! Wanna spar?"
Bakugo groaned. "You don't spar. You ambush."
"Same difference!"
Before Sozo could reply, she lunged, sliding across the floor, acid flaring at her feet like skating fire. He blocked with his forearms, steam rising where acid met crystal.
Mina grinned through the haze. "Nice reflexes! You actually keeping up!"
Sozo countered—gentle sweep, enough to disarm without hurting. She dodged, hair catching light, laughter echoing.
The class cheered. Someone shouted, "They look like they're dancing!"
Sozo caught her next strike, turned it aside, and the two froze inches apart.
"Okay," she said, slightly breathless. "You win. For now."
Her grin didn't fade. Neither did his.
---
After School
They walked home together, mostly because Mina refused to take "no" for an answer.
"So, mysterious cousin of Deku," she said, hands clasped behind her head, "what's your deal? You fight like you've done it forever."
He shrugged. "Old habits."
"You're like, what, five habits old?"
"Five and a half," he said dryly.
She laughed so hard she almost tripped again. He caught her elbow before she hit the curb.
"You've got great reflexes," she said.
"Practice," he replied.
She looked at him sideways. "Or instinct."
Something in her tone made him glance over. Her expression was light, but her eyes were searching. Like she knew there was more to him than the quiet act.
He said nothing. She didn't press.
---
Quiet Sparks
That night, back in his room, Sozo sat cross-legged, hand over his chest. The hydra mark pulsed faintly.
"Your heart rate increased by twenty percent today," it whispered.
"Observation," he muttered. "Not commentary."
"New energy pattern detected. Warm. Chaotic. Pink."
He groaned softly. "You're not subtle."
"Neither is she."
The hydra's tone held something almost like amusement.
He leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. Mina's laughter replayed in his head—bright, unfiltered, alive.
For once, the Dungeon inside him didn't stir. It felt… calm.
He whispered, "Guess you're learning something new too."
"Affection," the hydra said. "Unstable but… pleasant."
"Yeah," Sozo admitted quietly. "That's one word for it."
---
The Next Morning
At school, Mina greeted him with her usual explosion of energy. "Morning, Sozo!"
He barely got a "hey" out before she handed him a pink drink.
"Energy boost!" she said. "You looked tired yesterday."
He stared at the bright liquid suspiciously. "This looks toxic."
She gasped in mock offense. "It's strawberry milk!"
He sniffed it. "Still debatable."
"Drink it or I'll make you!" she threatened, grinning.
He did. It was actually good.
Mina beamed. "See? I'm full of good ideas!"
Sozo smiled faintly. "You're full of something."
She laughed, nudging his shoulder. "You're getting funnier."
Maybe. Or maybe he was just lighter now.
---
Closing Beat
That afternoon, as the sun sank over Musutafu, Sozo sat on the school roof, watching the sky. Mina's laughter still echoed below, bouncing off the walls.
Hydra's voice drifted through his mind, soft this time. "You create monsters, weapons, worlds. Yet you fear a girl."
He smirked. "She's more unpredictable than anything I've made."
"Then learn."
He looked down at the courtyard, at Mina chasing Deku and Bakugo across the field. The sight tugged something deep and human inside him.
For the first time since his rebirth, Sozo wasn't thinking about strength, destiny, or balance. Just the way her laughter made the world sound less heavy.
He exhaled, slow, content. "Yeah," he murmured. "I'll learn."
End of Chapter 11 – Pink Sparks