The next day, Izuku awoke with the feeling of something warm and alive on top of him. His sleepy eyes fluttered open to find Kiri lying on his chest, her smaller body rising and falling gently alongside each breath he took. They resembled an otter parent and child pair lazing atop each other, her little fists clutching his pajama shirt tight while she dozed peacefully. A lock of his dark hair drifted near her mouth, and she began to chew on it, even drooling a little.
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However, there’s a problem.
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Kiri: “Nmu… ”
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This is his room, and she shouldn’t be here. Izuku fought down his blush and sucked in his panic.
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Izuku: ‘Did she sleepwalk?’
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Glancing at his bedside clock, he noticed it was almost time to get up and get ready for school. The boy tried to gently slide her off without waking her up. Ironically, his actions had the opposite effect when she held on tighter the moment she felt her 'bed' shifting.
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With no choice, Izuku prodded at her cheek tenderly, careful not to startle her.
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Izuku: "Kiri?"
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Kiri: "Nn?"
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The little girl let out a small yawn.
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Kiri: "Nii-chan… ”
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Izuku: "Y-Yeah, it's me. W-What are you doing here?"
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Kiri: “Wanted… to be close to you.”
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Izuku: “But… we can’t sleep in the same bed. You should’ve stayed in your room. Did you sleepwalk?”
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Kiri: “No, I couldn’t sleep… until I was with you.”
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She looked at him with such innocent eyes, dispelling any worries of other thoughts. But still, this can’t go on. Izuku shifted their positions so they were sitting cross-legged across from each other.
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Izuku: “Kiri, we have to clear up the misunderstanding at school.”
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Kiri: “What misunderstanding?”
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Izuku: “That you’re my… girlfriend.”
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Kiri: “But I’m a girl, and you’re my friend.”
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Izuku: “Yes, but a girlfriend is something different. It’s… only for couples.”
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Kiri: “Couples?”
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Izuku: “Y-Yes, those who love each other.”
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Kiri: “But… I do love you.”
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Izuku couldn’t help but blush a bit from that. Sure, he sees Kiri as a little sister, but she’s still a cute girl. Hearing that from a cute girl would of course get a reaction.
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A reaction that made Kiri feel… strange again. More good this time.
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Izuku: “I-I-I know you do, b-but that’s familial love, not romantic.”
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Kiri: “What’s… the difference?”
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Izuku: “Um, one is for your family, and the other is for someone you… intend to marry.”
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Kiri: “Mmmmmm, can’t we get married?”
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Izuku: “W-What!? No!”
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Kiri: “Why?”
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Izuku: “Because you’re like my sister! Siblings can’t get married!”
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Kiri: “Why not?”
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Izuku: “Because… because… ”
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The more he thought on it, the more the reasons don’t work in this case. Kiri is a mental construct, so the genetic argument doesn’t work.
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But still, he shouldn’t see her that way. If Kiri is okay, then maybe-
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Izuku shakes his head violently, banishing those bad thoughts.
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Izuku: “Look, Kiri, we just can’t. Please, just tell everyone we’re just friends. Not girlfriend and boyfriend. Can you do that for me?”
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Kiri: “… Okay.”
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He can tell she still doesn’t really get it, but this will have to do for now.
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Izuku: “Good, now we have to get ready for school. We can’t be late.”
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Kiri: “Nh.”
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After running to school, because they were almost late and for exercise, the duo got breakfast and then attended their first class.
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Present Mic: “All right, class. Tell me where the mistake is in the English sentence. Who knows the answer? Everybody, hands up and raise them high!”
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‘So normal!’
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The whole class shared the same sentiment. Some students were dozing off, like Mina, or even sleeping, like Kiri. She didn’t see much reason to learn this stuff after all.
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The only one who seemed to be enjoying himself was Izuku. After that though, the class was allowed to gather at the grand mess hall.
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The group was pretty big; nearly the whole class was together. Much to Izuku’s delight, he was welcomed with open arms.
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Izuku: ‘I never expected to get this many friends, all at once.’
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They group shared their names, the basics of their quirks, and complaints about schoolwork. You know, normal school life.
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That did, however, leave little time to clear up the Kiri misunderstanding.
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Regardless, that normalcy was coming to an end, for a special teacher was coming in for their next class.
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All Might: "I AM HERE…"
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Everyone's heads perked, and wide grins split their faces at the welcomed surprise.
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All Might: "COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
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"We have All Might as a teacher?!"
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The class erupted in excitement as All Might walked in, resplendent in his Silver Age costume.
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Mina: "Whoa, his style is so different! I swear I'm hearing a theme song right now!"
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Jiro: "You're not the only one."
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All Might proceeded to chew the scenery right up as he heroically made his way to the podium and put his fists on his hips.
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All Might: "I will be teaching Fundamental Heroics! In this subject, we will be putting all of you through your paces so that you can learn the basics of being a Hero. We'll be here quite often. This class and its subsequent advanced versions will have the most units per semester."
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He seemed to flex, and somehow managed to make a card appear in his hand.
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All Might: "So let's get right into it! Your first class shall be… Combat Training!"
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The card had the word 'Battle' written on it.
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Bakugo: "Combat?!"
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He was grinning broadly, beyond excited. With this, he could prove once and for all who’s on top.
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All Might: "And for that you need these!"
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All Might clicked a button and several panels popped out of the wall to the far side of the room. Each of them had five containers labeled from 1 to 15.193Please respect copyright.PENANAIa6TQG5AD1
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All Might: "In accordance with the Quirk Registry as well as your own written requests... here are your-”
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"COSTUMES!"
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Nearly the whole class shouted in glee. They couldn't wait to see how all of them had turned out.
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All Might: "That's right! After you change, meet me at Ground Beta!"
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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All Might stood alone now, fists again on his hips as he waited for his students to start coming through the tunnel into Ground Beta. His grin widened as he started picking up on faint footsteps before the first of them broke into the light.
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All Might: "They say the costume makes the hero, young ladies and gentlemen."
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He eyed each of them and liked what he saw with most of the costumes.
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All Might: "Be proud. From this moment on, you are HEROES!”
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Behind the rest of the class, Izuku and Kiri were the last ones walking out of the tunnel. He had gotten a little lost in a memory when he and Kiri first put on their costume.
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It was the night before his first day at UA, and the family had just finished dinner. After cleaning up, Inko pulled him and Kiri aside with a brilliant smile on her face.
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Inko: “Me and Fubuki have a surprise for you! Right, Fubuki?”
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Fubuki was pretty silent throughout dinner, but hearing her name finally brought her back to reality.
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Fubuki: “O-Oh, yes! I almost forgot, stay here, Izu!”
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Fubuki nearly ran out the door.
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Izuku: “What is it?”
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Tatsumaki: “Something we made for when you were accepted into UA.”
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Inko: “Fubuki was the one who came up with the idea and even paid for it. Tatsu and I helped design it. But we did take a peek into your hero journals for inspirations.”
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Before Izuku could wonder what they made, Fubuki came back with two large metal suitcases. She floated them in with her quirk and laid them on the couch.
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Fubuki: “I really hope you too like it. I spared no expense.”
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Izuku and Kiri got on their knees and opened the suitcases. Their eyes widen at the gift.
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Tatsumaki: “You’re heroes now; you have to look the part.”
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Izuku beamed a brilliant grin, which brought joy to those that saw it.
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Izuku: “Thank you, for everything!”
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Uraraka: "Woah! You two look amazing!"
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The gleeful cry from Ochaco drew all of their attention, and several more exclamations rang out.
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Mina: "Wow, matching outfits!? So cute!"
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Mina's voice rang out as she started excitedly running around them, checking out every angle.
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Momo: "Quite cool. I like it a lot."
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Momo smiled at him specifically, getting another luminescent blush from the shy boy.
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Izuku: “T-Thank you.”
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Denki: "Jeez, looking at him makes my costume look like a crappy cosplay. I'm a bit intimidated."
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Kaminari complained in good humor. He was wearing clothes that wouldn't have looked out of place at a rock concert. They looked like regular clothes.
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Bakugo: “Tch.”
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Izuku's full costume looked to be in a similar style to the one All Might was wearing. It was a full bodysuit and had a green cape, but that was where the similarities ended.
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Rather than spandex, it was a combat bodysuit similar to those really old space-themed video games from the previous century like Crysis or Mass Effect.
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It was primarily black, but there were some green accents woven in through the suit. The gloves and boots were bright green, as was the cape and the shoulders, running down to his arms. A bright green bird of prey was emblazoned on his chest.
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Finally, an emerald sash rested on his hips for his Psi blade.
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As for Kiri, her outfit was much the same, except her primary color was white with light green accents. She had no cape but instead had a gladiator helmet with silver wings. A helmet worthy of a Valkyrie.
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Together, they contrast but somehow still complement each other well.
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Mina: “Aw, I’m so jealous. I wish I had a boyfriend I could have matching costumes with.”
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Kiri: “Nh.”
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Izuku: “But-”
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All Might: "Alright, my young heroes, it is time to get started."
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All Might interrupted the socializing since he couldn't stay in his hero form for too long.
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Ida: "Sensei, this is the same site we used for our entrance exams. Will we be doing cityscape maneuvers again?"
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All Might: "Close! What we’ll be doing will involve indoor combat scenarios and outdoor survival."
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All Might: “You must be able to adapt to both scenarios as they come up. To that end, we have come up with a new combat exercise that suits the number of students.”
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Tsuyu: "So no basic training?"
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All Might: "Practical experience will teach you that! The distinction here is that you won't be fighting disposable robots but each other!"
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Some were surprised by the news while others were thrilled. Izuku could feel the burning glare aimed at him. He dared to send one back at his longtime bully and former friend.
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They stared at each other as the fire of their past itches to ignite into a frenzy. But All Might cuts in first.
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All Might: “My Young Heroes, prepare for the 5v5v5 Combat and Survival Trial! Pick a card out of here to determine your teams.”
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One by one, everyone picked a card from the black box All Might had. In the end, everyone had either a green, red, or white card. Before the questions could bombard him, All Might explained.
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All Might: “Reds will be the Villains, Greens the Heroes and Whites the Civilians.”
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All Might: “Villains need to capture all Civilians while protecting their bomb at base camp.”
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All Might: “Heroes need to save all Civilians and bring them back to base camp while capturing the enemy bomb. You can ignore the Villains and focus on those objectives, but that will lose you points. The Villains will still be at large in this case.”
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Momo: “That means in order to get high marks-”
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Uraraka: “We have to save the Civilians, bring them back to base safe, capture the bombs and beat the Villains!?”
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All Might: “Yes, hero work is rarely easy, and the odds are often stacked against you. This is a lesson you must learn early.”
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That’s putting it lightly. The Villain team is… stacked.
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Villains: Bakugo, Ida, Shoto, Mina, and… Kiri.
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Izuku looked at his little sister, and she at him.
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Hero: Izuku, Uraraka, Sero, Kirishima, and Momo.
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Kiri: “Onii… ”
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Izuku: “It’s alright, Kiri. It’s just training.”
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Kiri: “But I don’t… want to fight you.”
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Izuku: “You have to.”
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Kiri: “But-”
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Izuku: “Don’t go easy on Kiri. Think of it like how Fubuki fought me. This will help us become even better heroes.”
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Kiri: “Are you… sure?”
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Izuku: “Yes! Even if we’re on opposite sides now, we’ll still be together, improving as heroes.”
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Kiri: “… Nh.”
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Kiri nods, and her worry dissipates. But Izuku can still feel she’ll try to avoid him. It’s probably for the best, because he knows who he’ll face during this.
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If Bakugo’s maddening grin was anything to go by.
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Jiro: “Okay, that’s all good and all. But what should the Civilians be doing?”
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Civilians: Jiro, Shoji, Denki, Tokoyami, and Tsuyu
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All Might: “Survival is a skill every hero must know. Your task is to evade the Villains as long as possible until the Heroes arrive.”
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Denki looks to Ida and Kiri before sighing.
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Denki: “We’re doomed.”
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All Might: “Go to your assigned areas in the city my young heroes! When you see the flare, the trial will begin!”
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Izuku takes a deep breath before taking a step towards his first major battle.
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I want to say thank you for reading, following, and reviewing this story. It motivated me to use my holiday time to bring you another batch of chapters. Sad about my other story, it seems to be falling into obscurity.
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I’ll focus on this since it’s what the people want.
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Now, I want to say that I don’t plan to have Kiri x Izuku happen. I’m tempted, but I don’t think Izuku would go for it. Still, I think I played with the idea too much. Even I’m starting to get annoyed by the misunderstanding.
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I will break the it after this battle so the real ship can begin. As for Kiri’s feelings on the matter, we’ll see.
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On another note, after doing more detailed outlines for later arcs, I’m starting to regret including the Phoenix. The more I write and plan, the more I want to focus on the ground level of the hero society.
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Much of it will expand and explore the themes that the original story covered. But that means the Phoenix has been bent to fit that, which is difficult. Primordial Vortex, you had the right idea not involving the actual Cosmic Entity.
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But that’s life; I’ll figure it out and give you a story that can stand proudly next to the original. That’s if life doesn’t decide to bend me over a counter again.
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Until next time.
ns216.73.217.1da2