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Chapter Text

Having the fate of the World on your shoulders wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

The more she thought about it, the more Strelitzia was filled with both nervousness and excitement. On the one hand, she felt both relieved and excited that a Foreteller would put so much trust in her as to be a leader of the Dandelions. To lead and teach other Bearers.

On the other hand… Why would Master Ava choose her of all people? She hadn't thought of herself as anything exceptional when it came to Key-Bearers. She wielded Starlight, a Keyblade mass produced for the legions of new Key-Bearers being trained. She and her brother Lauriam did as the Fortellers bid and went out into the world to battle the Heartless and gather the power of light in the form of Lux. And there wasn't really that much else to it.

She didn't think herself anywhere near the power and skill of a Forteller. she didn't top any of the leaderboards for Lux gathering. She hadn't manifested any sort of unique Keychain. She didn't even have the courage to talk to that one person…

And even worse, was the reason for all this. Strelitzia didn't socialize much (she wasn't very good at it) outside her brother and Elrena but she wasn't blind. Tensions between the Unions were rising.

The Fortellers had been seen together less and less, and arguments between lay members of their unions were more and more common, some having even broken out into fights.

Even the various others she formed a party with had more and more been slipping into disparaging members of other unions. Which lead her back to her own anxieties.

She lay back in her bed, setting down the book Ava had given her. "Me… a Union leader…"

"What a great honor!" Her Chirithy said, the pale creature resting in a chair near her bed.

"Yes… but it's also a great responsibility." She said nervously.

"I have faith in Master Ava."

"Me too. But what she said about the world… could that be true?"

"It's a scary thought, isn't it?" Chirithy asked.

She hadn't even had any sort of real conversation with Lady Ava personally since she and Lauriam had first become Key-Bearers and been recruited into Vulpes two years ago. They had spoken, but it was brief, and mainly in the form of the Keyblade Master issuing her missions. And yet according to Master Ava a Keyblade War was coming, and in the face of that, Ava had chosen her to help preserve the light.

"Only the Dandelions will survive. That means everyone else will die..."

"I suppose your right." Chirithy hopped on to the bed. "But your friends are all Dandelions. Why are you so worried?"

"They are… but what about everyone else?"

Chirithy stepped closer, resting on Strelitzia. "Yeah, I know you care, but what do you think would happen if you told everyone the truth? The world is nearing its end, and the Foretellers will disappear. Noone would believe you."

"No, they wouldn't." She said, with a heavy sigh. It just wasn't fair. She and the other Dandelions were assured safe passage, but they had to let the others perish in the war, including… "Oh!"

Chirithy jumped off her in shock as she sat up. "What is it?"

"She's not a Dandelion!"

"Wh-who?" He asked.

"Diana!"

"Oh, that Wielder your always watching."

"I have to tell her!" Strelitzia jumped out of bed, and made to get dressed. However, a thought entered her mind. "But how will I find her?"

She dithered, stepping back towards her bed, and then away again, pacing back and forth, before stopping, fretting.

"It's so dark out, and I don't even know where she lives." She started pacing again. "What can I do?"

"Hello? Are you okay?" Chirithy asked.

Strelitzia didn't answer, instead returning to bed.

"What? I thought-"

"I'm going to wake up early and wait for her at Fountain Square."

"But Master Ava told you not to say a word to anyone!" Chirithy reminded.

"I'm gonna recruit her to the Dandelions. I won't say a word about anything else."

"I'm not sure I like this." Chirithy said, but by then, Strelitzia was already asleep.

Waiting at the plaza was proving fruitless. Diana wasn't showing up. Strelitzia sighed, though her disappointment was mixed with worry. Things were getting worse, even more so than yesterday. In the brief trip from her and her brother's home to here, she had seen two more fights breaking out. It was looking more and more like the Foreteller's prediction was correct.

She was running out of time.

"What do I do? What do I do?" She fretted. She got up from her seat by the fountain.

"Maybe I should go out myself." Strelitzia pondered. Her Chirithy was already out looking but two sets of eyes were better than one. She made to leave, but then paused, turning back to the fountain. "But then… what if she comes by here while I'm gone? But what if she's actually really close by. But then again I could go in the wrong direction. But... Oh, what do I do?!"

She was pacing again, struggling to come to a decision, when she heard a familiar voice that came as a relief.

"Good news! I saw her over here!" Chirithy called.

"Thanks!" With out another word, Strelitzia took off in the direction Chirithy was pointing.

She leaped up onto the rooftops, only barely hearing in the distance Chirithy's frustreated shouted. "H-hey! Wait up!"

It all happened so fast…

The warehouse she had tried to find Diana in proved to be a bust. She had turned around to leave, when she had heard movement. There was a blur of motion, and then pain.

She came too to Chirithy shaking her.

"Strelitzia..." He said weakly.

She opened her eyes, realizing she was on the floor, and in so much pain. She clenched her hands, they were wet and sticky. Was that blood? Her blood?

She managed to roll onto her back, but even this was difficult and painful. And it didn't do her prospects any favors. Her favorite white dress was now soaked in red... Despite this Chirithy climbed onto her chest.

She embraced him. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

Her voice barely managed to come out as a whisper.

"Don't apologize, it's okay." Chirithy replied.

Saying nothing more, with a herculean effort, Strelitzia forced herself to her feet. Her legs were wobbling however, and she could barely stand.

She had been injured on the job before, but it was never this bad. Still, she couldn't let it end here. She didn't want to die. Not yet.

Holding Chirithy in one hand, she summoned Starlight in the other. Yet she could barely keep the Keyblade in her grip.

"C-cure..." She chanted, trying to cast the spell to heal her injuries. However, she couldn't find the strength any more, the energy within her was gone.

Maybe she could get help then. Yes, that's what she needed to do. She held Chirithy tightly and began limping towards the light of the entrance.

As she walked, she became colder and colder, and her vision became darker and blurrier. Despite this, her thoughts turned to Diana. Strelitzia had been watching the Unicornis Key-Bearer from afar. Diana was brave, confident, eager, energetic, all the things she couldn't see in herself.

She was closer now, her vision had almost faded entirely, and the wound barely even hurt anymore. All around her was darkness, save for that light, that always welcoming light. Yet she knew this was bad. She wasn't going to make it. As she staggered forwards, she left out a final sigh. "I wish... I'd had the courage..."

Streletzia fell.

Strelitzia was sinking. It felt like she was sinking into a deep ocean, hearing the muffled sounds of water all around her.

She managed opened her eyes a crack. She was indeed sinking into water, at least, that's what it looked like. There was light at the surface, though that light grew further and dimmer the deeper she sunk, until it was barely noticible in the nigh omnipresent dark.

Is this what dying feels like? Strelitzia wondered. She didn't feel all that bad. Despite the seeming depth and darkness she wasn't cold, she felt warm. And so tired. She wanted to sleep. And yet, despite that, she couldn't fully commit. There were still more worries.

She had failed.

She had promised to be there for Lauriam just like he had promised to be there for her. After all, it had been just the two of them for the longest time, supporting each other. And now she was going to be leaving him all alone. He would be so devastated once he found out what happened to her.

Then there was Master Ava. Whatever Ava had seen in her she didn't seem to have lived up to it. Which felt like such a massive insult to the Foreteller. Not to mention the other new Union leaders and the rest of the Dandelions. They were supposed to rely on her, but she was letting them down.

And finally, there was Diana. The Wielder who had consumed her thoughts in recent times. She had tried to save her, but despite her best efforts, she couldn't find her, and had gotten killed for her trouble, leaving Diana to perish with the rest in the coming war.

I'm sorry everyone... Even though I don't deserve it, please forgive me. Strelitzia said as she sank, completely surrounded by darkness.

And yet, just as she was about to drift off, her eyes fluttering closed, there was a change. A new light from beneath her. She managed to twist her body, and look down. There, beneath her was a light, no, not a mere light, more like a shining wall of radiance that she was headed straight for. The closer she got, the brighter it got until it was so blinding that she couldn't help but shield her gaze.

As she touched it, she felt a strange tingling sensation, and then an impact on what appeared to be hard ground. And with that, again, pain.

This time, however, she heard a voice before she lost consciousness.

"Oh no, kupo!"

Chapter Text

Strelitzia was moving, floating above the ground. She was so tired, yet, she couldn't just sleep now. Though it took a herculean effort, she forced open her eyes. She was presented to the revelation that she was being carried by a figure wearing one of those darkness-resisting coats. The hood was up, concealing their features entirely. All Strelitzia could see was a black nothingness in the opening.

"W-wha?" Strelitzia tried to speak, though all she could manage was a rasp.

The cloaked and hood figure looked down at her. There was motion at their head, as if they were saying something, but she couldn't hear it.

She tried to speak again to ask what they had said, but again, all that came out was a rasp. And this seemed to use up what was left of her strength, as her vision became once again blurry and her consciousness faded.

Strelitzia awoke in much more comfortable state then she had the last few times. She could feel she was lying in a soft bed, under warm comfortable blankets.

Was it all a dream? She wondered as she opened her eyes to blurry vision.

However, this didn't feel like her bed. And it didn't look like her room. Too white.

As her vision came into focus she realized that she was indeed not at home, but instead in what appeared to be a hospital room.

"Wha-?" Her voice still felt weak, though it was better than before.

Strelitzia sat up, confused.

"Chirithy?" She managed to croak out. There was no answer.

She forced herself into a sitting position, though she winced in pain as she did so. Curiously, it hurt significantly less than before. Looking at herself, she realized she wasn't wearing her old dress, instead wearing a hospital gown, beneath which her torso was wrapped in bandages. An IV was imbedded into her arm.

"They helped me…" Strelitzia said before looking around more intently. Laying on a table near the bed were her clothes. The dress, sleeves and boots, all perfectly cleaned. The only other thing of note was the window. It was presently day and with the sunlight she could clearly see that the city outside wasn't Daybreak Town. "H-how long was I out? Where am I? I need to get back home!"

She tried to move again, only to feel another burst of pain.

"Argh… what do I do?"

There wasn't anybody around to answer her questions though, meaning she had to take matters into her own hands.

She looked inwards and was relieved to feel that the rest had helped to replenish her magic. She removed the IV needle and then, holding her hand to her chest she chanted. "Cura."

There was a brief pause, and she felt a bit more difficulty in calling upon the magic than she had before. However, before long a soft blue-green light emerged from her hand to soon engulf the rest of her body and in that moment she felt relief. All the pain was gone, her wounds healed.

Strelitzia then opened up the robe and removed the bandages to check. All traces of the wound were gone, her skin was as smooth and unblemished as it had been before.

She did note the difficulty in casting, wondering what that meant. Perhaps merely fatigue. Either way she had more pressing matters to deal with.

Strelitzia ditched the hospital gown, replacing it with her normal clothes.

Now she needed to-

Strelitzia's chain of thought was interrupted by a commotion outside, the sound of shouting and feet pounding. Confused, she stepped towards the door only for it to burst open.

"She's – oh!"

A woman in a doctors coat stepped into the room, followed by what appeared to be two nurses. She had dark green hair and eyes of the same color.

"You're already awake. We were worried when your vital monitors went flat, but it appears the opposite has happened. It looks like you took to my Quirk far better than expected." She said with a smile.

"Quirk?" Strelitzia asked.

"Oh yes, some introductions are in order. You must have a lot of questions. I'm Dr. Kaede Tokage and my Quirk is Lizard Tail Healing. It allows me to place my scales on someone where it is then absorbed into them and heals their wounds. Is there anything else you'd like to know miss…?"

Strelitzia didn't pick up on her implied question, instead launching into a barrage of her own. "Where am I? How long was I out. Has the War happened?"

The doctors smile partially faded. "Um… I don't really know anything about war, but you're in Manaan hospital and you were only out for a little over a day."

"Good, then there's still time. What city is this?"

She needed to find Diana (despite not even knowing where she lived) and meet up with the other Dandelions to organize and then prepare to leave the real world entirely before the War happened.

"Uh. This is Mustafu City. Time for what?" The doctor asked, becoming increasingly flustered.

"I-I'm sorry, but I have to go. Where is Daybreak Town from here?"

"Daybreak Town? I've never heard of that."

That gave Strelitzia pause. She had been attacked in a warehouse in Daybreak Town, how far out into the World was she? How could this have even happened?

"A-also you really shouldn't leave." Dr. Tokage said. "The police will be wanting to ask about what happened to you."

Strelitzia took a seat on the bed. Still confused, she asked. "So how did I end up here in the first place?"

"Um… according to the report, you were found stabbed and bleeding on the side of the street. You were brought in by the person who found you, Artemicion."

Strelitzia's thoughts went back to the cloaked figure that had been carrying her. "Artemicion? Where is he?"

"Actually, he's waiting in the lobby now." Dr. Tokage said. "He actually came back today to ask about you."

"Oh!" Strelitzia stood up, prepared to leave and see for herself, only for another person another figure entered into the room, a police officer.

"Hold up ma'am. So, I'm with the Mustafu City Police Department, and we'd like to answer you some questions..."

What followed was a series of questions that even though Strelitzia could answer, it actually left her more confused.

"I didn't actually see who attacked me. And when I came to, they were already gone. And I'm not sure why either." Which was a massive frustration. Who or what had attacked her? A Heartless? Someone from another Union? Strelitzia had no idea.

"And why were you there in the first place, Strelitzia?" The officer asked.

"I was looking for…" Strelitzia had been about to say "a friend" but stopped herself. She hadn't even had the courage to introduce herself to Diana. "…someone."

"Who, might I ask, is this 'someone'?"

"Her name is Diana." Strelitzia said.

"Do you think this Diana could have been the one who attacked you?"

"What? No! She would never!"

"Well, then can you think of any reason why someone might try to attack you?"

"I..." Strelitzia paused, which she hoped didn't look too suspicious. She could think of several reasons she might have been attacked, but they weren't things she was willing to say here. Keyblade Wielders were expected to keep a low profile when traveling. "I don't know."

"Well, that's all the questions I have for you." The officer sighed.

"Then I can go?" Strelitzia asked, eager to seek more answers.

"I'd really like to perform some final checkups on you-" Dr. Tokage said, but by then Strelitzia was already out the door.

As she walked down the hallway, Strelitzia realized that she should have asked where the lobby actually was. However it couldn't be too hard to find. And she was (somewhat) right.

And finding the signage that pointed her towards her goal brought her one step closer to answers. What had happened? Did Artemicion know who had attacked her?

And why had she been brought here, seemingly so far away from home. With Daybreak Town being where the majority of Keyblade Wielders in the World resided, there were no shortage of healers available.

And what had he been saying to her?

Strelitzia quickly descended the stairs, leading into the lobby. Now, she needed to find the cloaked figure, and with him, answers.

Upon entering the hospital lobby, Strelitzia looked around, seeing a wide variety of appearances. There were normal looking Humans ranging to people with animal traits like ears, tails or fur, people with mechanical or toy like appearances, and even what appeared to be a Moogle.

However, there wasn't anyone in a cloak. Though maybe he had taken it of. Which led to the problem of her not knowing what his actual appearance was, or even if they were a 'he' to begin with. The figure had looked masculine, though she really shouldn't assume.

Meaning she was kind of stuck, and her heartbeat quickened at the though of having to do the dreaded task of asking around with strangers.

As she was starting to fret, she noticed the Moogle get up from his seat and start flying over to her. The tiny cat-rabbit-like creature had grey fur strangely adorned with purple stripes, a pair of bat like wings on his back, and an antenna ending in a fuzzy red pom-pom.

"Oh thank goodness, you're alright kupo!"

"Oh, uh, thanks, Mr. Moogle." Strelitzia said, before mustering up the courage. "Um, I'm looking for someone called Artemicion. Would you happen to know where they are?"

At this, the Moogle's eyes widened. "I… I knew it, kupo!"

"Uh… kn-knew what?" Strelitzia asked.

"Well, for starters, I'm Artemicion, and you know what a Moogle is, kupo! You must not be from this world, are you?"

"This World?!"

Chapter Text

Mustafu City was certainly far different from Daybreak Town, not just in the style of its buildings, but in its roads as well. Daybreak didn't have much in the way of vehicles aside from those used for construction and shipment. And considering the movement options available to Key-Bearers, and magic in general, getting around wasn't much of an issue anyways.

Here however, Strelitzia and Artemicion had taken a bus halfway across the town towards where the Moogle lived. She had stated that they could have simply ran along the rooftops but Artemicion had been most insistent that that would be a bad idea. And so they took the bus.

Now they were currently walking (well, the Moogle floated) away from the stop, towards a somewhat upscale residential area that must be where Artemicion lived.

Ever since the Moogle had introduced himself, she had a million questions. However Artemicion insisted that it would be a bad idea to talk about some things in the public, and would rather they wait until they were at his home to do so.

This didn't help Strelitzia's anxiety and confusion at all. Of import was one thing the Moogle had said, but wasn't willing to elaborate on at the hospital.

"This World."

What did he mean by that? How could there be a 'this World'? That didn't make sense! There couldn't be a 'this World' and 'that World'. The World was the World, the Realm of Light, everything that was. It was why in order to flee the War the Dandelions had to enter the a different realm entirely, the realm of things that could be.

However, he was able to cover some details, mainly those of this place that Strelitzia found herself in. This planet was comprised of humans and most of them had some sort of superpower known as a Quirk. Quirks had emerged almost 200 years ago and the number of people with Quirks had risen steadily since then until some 80% of the population had Quirks, and almost everyone Strelitzia's age had one.

There were rules against public usage of Quirks, meaning that Strelitzia's initial suggestion of rooftopping would not have gone over well with the locals. Since Strelitzia did not want to make waves, she (reluctantly) agreed.

The most fascinating thing however, was that there were those with Quirks who used them to defend others. Called Pro Heroes, reminding her of the Superheroes in comics she and Lauriam used to read. It was part of the reason she was so excited when she had learned she could become a Keyblade Wielder.

She hadn't read such stories in quite a while, in part because she had been living it, though of late she didn't really feel heroic. Her thoughts turned bitter as she started reflecting on her failures, and the situation back home. Things were been rapidly deteriorating, and she had been taken out like it was nothing.

Had the War already started? Was that why she was attacked? The doctor had not understood what she was talking about, but the war could have only just begun, not escalating yet. Were that the truth she should be with the Dandelions then. But was she really worthy to stand with them if-

"Hey, are you okay?"

Strelitzia looked up, seeing Artemicion standing (well floating) next to her.

"Huh?"

"You started slowing down and were looking very upset, kupo."

"Y-yeah. It's just a lot to t-take in." Strelitzia said.

"I'll bet, kupo. Don't worry, we're not too far away now." Artemicion said. "My place is-"

"HELP!"

Artemicion was cut off by a panicked voice calling out.

Former confusion and uncertainty was forgotten as the cry reached Strelitzia's ears. Someone was in danger. Her body moved on its own, towards the threat. Quickly picking up speed, Strelitzia rushed towards the sound, hearing a commotion from an alleyway.

There, she saw a sight that formed a knot in her stomach. A man was on the ground backed up against a wall while over him loomed a demonic creature. The main part of it's body was pure black, it's arms and legs ended in razor sharp claws, from it's forearms were small withered wings while another small pair extended from it's back, their small size doing nothing to impede the creature from floating in the air. From its waist extended a bladed tail, while beneath its feet hovered dark fireballs.

A Heartless! Strelitzia's eyes narrowed.

The Invisible wielded a wicked looking sword that it was currently pointing at the man cowering against the wall. However, when Strelitzia approached, the Heartless lifted the sword and turned towards her.

Its face was sinister and skull-like with glowing yellow eyes and a jagged mouth, along with a tall pair of sickly purple horns extending from it's brow, part of them forming a heart. In the center of it's torso this pattern was mimicked with a gaping heart-shaped hole it its chest.

In response to the Heartless' attention, Strelitzia held out her hand, calling upon Starlight, as she had done so many times before. However, as the familiar Keyblade formed, it looked wrong.

Unlike the grand, gold-highlighted form it had before, it was now back to its simple blue form. Had it somehow been downgraded? How? Strelitzia had upgraded Starlight herself, collecting the materials and going through the painstaking process of enhancing. She was tempted to check her other keychain to see if it had also been downgraded as well, but now wasn't the time.

Regardless of its state, Starlight was still a Keyblade, a fact most apparent to the Invisible, as its gaze focused on the weapon, before turning to Strelitzia and brandishing its sword.

Strelitzia did the same, dropping into a fighting stance, and just in time as the Invisible rushed towards her. Strelitzia raised Starlight, and the two of them locked blades.

The Invisible pushed, and Strelitzia tried to stand her ground, but was skidding backwards. So instead, she let go of her Keyblade, ducking at the same time. The Invisible drifted forwards while Strelitzia rolled underneath it, placing herself in between the Heartless and the man it had been attacking.

"Run! I've got this!" Strelitzia said.

The Invisible, rather than continue its attack with its sword, instead flew higher into the sky. It spun, unleashing a volley of dark spheres. Calling Starlight back to her hand, she deflected the dark magic and then countered with her own spell.

"Fire!" A jet of flame streaked out of the tip of her Keyblade. However the Invisible dove beneath the fire, forcing Strelitzia to cut off the spell as flew towards her. She leaped into the air, over the dashing Heartless, slashing it in the back as it passed under her, drawing a blue wound on its black flesh. As she hit the ground and turned, she already had another spell on her lips.

"Aero – Wind Barrage!"

As the Invisible turned to face her, Strelitzia hurled multiple waves of compressed air with swings of Starlight, cutting into the monsters chest, drawing more wounds. It tumbled back, battered by the winds, its flight going awry to send it careening into a wall.

Strelitzia was about to follow up with a finisher, only for movement in the corner of her eye to catch her attention. She instinctively ducked out of the way.

Reassessing the situation, she saw that her new assailants were smaller and ant-like.

Shadows.

As another leaped towards her, claw outstretched. Strelitzia countered, slashing it with her Keyblade, destroying the creature in one hit.

However as she did so, she noticed something, or rather the lack of something. There was no Lux emerging from the slain creature.

However, she didn't have time to ponder this, as the next Shadow leaped towards her, the others following. Strelitzia backed away, eventually leaping into the air, pointing her Key at the ground.

"Thunder!" She chanted, letting lose a bolt forked lightning from the tip, destroying the Shadows as they landed at her former position.

As Strelitzia landed, her instincts told her to move and she did, turning just as the Invisible had recovered and was now slashing at her.

She deflected its second swing and attempted to counterattack, but the Invisible instead lived up to its namesake and faded from sight.

She felt a sudden spike in temperature, as a circle of dark fire formed around her. Quickly leaping up as they converged into a burst of sinister flames. The Invisible emerged from the flames, brandishing its sword and preparing to take off, but Strelitzia was ready.

"Gravity!" A dark sphere briefly appeared over the Invisible, and it collapsed to the ground, its own weight suddenly multiplied.

Unable to move, it tried to form more fire, but it would be to no avail. Strelitzia raised her Keyblade and chanted. "Water – Surge!"

Spheres of water formed around her, and at a gesture from Starlight, were sent streaking into the Heartless, both extinguishing its flames and destroying it.

As the darkness dispersed, Strelitzia breathed a sigh of relief, dismissing Starlight as she did so. She could feel the magic for materials collection taking effect.

"That was amazing!"

Strelitzia jumped slightly, before she realized it was the man who had been attacked by the Heartless before. She had told him to leave, but apparently, he decided to stick around.

"A-are you okay?" Strelitzia said.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but-"

"WHOSE READY FOR AN ASS-KICKING!" A voice cried out from above. There was a blur at the edge of Strelitzia's vision, and she turned, shocked.

Having just descended from above was what Strelitzia initially thought to be a Viera. She had the height, the rabbit-like ears, and she was clad in a very skintight leotard that accentuated her both curvy and muscular figure.

Strelitzia blushed.

However, her initial assessment of her as a Viera was off. While she had the rabbit-like ears and predilection for skimpy attire, there were other things that were different. For one, her ears were wrong, coming off the side of her head where a Human's would be rather than the top. And she had a tail as well, which Viera lacked.

So she was most likely human, just with a Quirk.

"Wait… where's the villain?" The rabbit woman asked.

"It was those shadow monsters! She took care of them!" The man cheered.

"You did?" The woman said, turning to Strelitzia.

"Um… yes."

"Huh. You really should leave this sort of thing to the pro-heroes, kid. You could get hurt."

"What?"

"Technically, I should be arresting you for vigilantism." She sighed.

Strelitzia panicked. Had she already screwed something up? "Um… y-you weren't h-h-here and i-i-it was right on him a-and-"

"Er… that shouldn't be necessary, kupo." Artimecion sounded out, having finally arrived.

"Hey… I know about you." The rabbit Hero said. "You're that hero support inventor, Artemicion, right?"

"Yeah, and you're the Mirko the Rabbit Hero, am I correct?" Artemicion asked.

"You know it!" Mirko said, flexing. "Is this kid with you?"

"Yeah, please don't get too upset, kupo. Strelitzia's not from around here. Some of those uh… shadow monsters… showed up and she couldn't help but act."

"Oh. Well, it sounds like you'd do well as a pro hero. Is that what you're aiming for?"

"Uh…"

"We're still figuring things out." Artemicion said.

"Well, you got spunk kid, don't let it go to waste. As for me, once I find out who's Quirk is making these monsters, there's going to be hell to pay." Mirko said. She pounded her fist into her palm, before leaping high into the air and out of sight.

After breathing a sigh of relief, Strelitzia turned towards Artemicion. "S-sorry."

"Hey, there's nothing to apologize for, kupo. You did the right thing."

"Um… Okay." Strelitzia said. "So… now what."

"Well, we head to my home. We're still not to far off. Then, of course, the answers I hope I can provide."

Chapter Text

Five minutes.

That was all it had taken. Five goddamn minutes of explanation to completely shatter her world.

Strelitzia's head was reeling, and she had almost had a panic attack, her breath hyperventilating, her heart racing, her legs weak. She had left Mog's home and rushed outside, needing some air, and time to process everything that had happened. She had wandered through the city streets in a haze, eventually finding her way to a nearby park, collapsing on a bench as she tried to process everything she had been told.

The war had happened.

The war had happened and it was worse than she had even imagined. Keyblade Wielders all fighting and killing each other over the very light they were sworn to protect. Not only was Daybreak Town completely destroyed, not only had every participant perished, but the entire World itself was shattered. The Realm of Light was torn asunder, individual segments splintering off to form their own realities, all cut off from one another and most now ignorant of the greater whole. Even worse, the Realm of Darkness, once the mirror of the Light, had leaked in, flooding into the newly formed rifts between the worlds.

Everything she knew was gone. Everyone she knew was gone. And worst of all, it had happened so long ago from what was apparently now that her time was referred to as the 'Age of Fairy Tales'.

Strelitzia recalled the actual fairy tale that Artemicion had told her.

"Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared.

But small fragments of light survived... in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return.

Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away."

It was a nice fairy tale, and it did give Strelitzia some solace. The Master of Masters' plan had worked. Even in the darkness of the Keyblade War, The Dandelions had carried light through it and survived to rebuild from the destruction.

Too bad she wasn't there for any of it. She felt a pain in he chest, and she began to cry.

She didn't know if it was selfish, but she still wanted to have been a part of that. But now, it was apparently so long ago that her desire didn't matter. Lauriam and Elrena would be long dead. They would have died thinking Strelitzia was dead. But at least they had been Dandelions. Diana hadn't.

She had failed Diana. She hadn't had the courage to speak to her, always backing off when the opportunity presented itself. Now, when Diana's life had depended on her, she wasn't able to find her. She would have been caught up in the Keyblade War. She had died horribly all because Strelitzia was a coward.

As her tears ran out, Strelitzia tried to focus on other things. Other things like her current situation. Just what exactly was she supposed to do with herself now? Daybreak town was gone. The Dandelions were gone. Her entire life was just a fairy tale.

She couldn't leave this World. She had tried to open a Corridor of Light, but it hadn't worked, meaning she was stuck on this small World.

Which meant-

"Hey, are you okay?"

Strelitzia jolted at the sound of the voice and looked up. Standing before her was a girl with blonde hair, wearing a school uniform.

"Huh?"

"It's just, you looked like you were crying, are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you bleeding anywhere?"

"N-no. I'm f-fine." Strelitzia said, stumbling through her words. She certainly didn't sound fine, even to herself.

"Really now? You certain 'bout that? You don't look fine."

"I…"

"What's wrong?" The girl asked, getting rather close.

"A… l-lot of things?" Strelitzia said.

"Oh." The blonde girl looked to the side, before sitting down on the bench next to Strelitzia. "Want to talk about it?"

Strelitzia sighed. She wished she could talk about it, she really did. She really felt like she needed someone to confide in. Before, she had her Chirithy, and Lauriam and Elrena, but here but it wouldn't be a good idea. Artemicion had told her that the separated Worlds were for the most part unaware of each other, and it was best to keep it that way. "I… I can't. It's um… kinda private."

"Huh, well, is there anything you can tell me without spoiling it?" The blonde girl said, leaning in.

"Spoiling?"

"Like, you can be vague, y'know."

"I g-guess." Strelitzia said. "Just, I guess I woke up to some sudden huge changes."

"Ah… I know the feeling." The girl said, before leaning back, and holding up a hand with her index finger out, like she was giving a lecture. "Well you see, there comes a time when your body starts changing, you get weird feelings, bleeding once a month, looking at others differently, they call it pu-."

"N-no, it's not that." Strelitzia said quickly.

The girl laughed. "I know."

Despite herself, Strelitzia found herself laughing along with her. "Heh… thanks."

"Yeah, no sweat. You might not be able to talk to me about it, but you look like you needed that laugh though."

"But why help me?"

"Well, I was just in the area, saw you looking like you were just crying, thought to help. Kinda sucks that you can't talk much about what's bothering you though."

"Um… well then… why tell me about yourself."

"Oh! I never introduced myself." The blonde girl said, holding out her hand. "I'm Relm Arrowny!"

"Oh, uh, n-nice to meet you, Relm!"

"So what's your name, or if you tell me that, will you, like, have to kill me?" Relm asked with a smirk.

"Uh, no, nonono. It's fine. My name is Strelitzia. So uh… what are you doing out in the park?"

"Well, it's a nice day. I thought I'd come out here after school to paint so I can practice my Quirk a bit."

"Your Quirk?" Strelitzia asked, before remembering about powers in this World.

Fortunately, Relm appeared to not notice her gaffe. "Yeah, I call it Life Imitates Art."

"Uh..." Strelitzia wasn't that familiar with Quirk names. She supposed she should probably come up with a name for herself, to pass her magic off as one of these Quirks. "What's that mean?"

"I'll show you!" Relm said excitedly, reaching into her pack. She pulled out what appeared to be a sort of miniature easel and canvas, along with a paintbrush, though no paints.

As Strelitzia watched, she saw paint emerge from Relm's right forearm, in little beads almost like sweat, before collecting into little rivulets and flowing down towards her hand and likewise from there down the paintbrush. As it reached the tip, Relm stroked her brush across the canvas, leaving paint behind, which began to take shape into the appearance of a pigeon.

Relm finished the painting in only a few strokes.

"And voila!" She held out the canvas, and to Strelitzia's amazement, the bird emerged. It hopped off the canvas, gave its wings an experimental flap, and then hopped onto Relm's shoulder.

"Wow, that's amazing! But… uh… w-won't you get in trouble?" Strelitzia asked, remembering earlier. She had suggested rooftopping (a common thing Wielders did back home) to Artemicion only for that to get shot down, and then there was Mirko's warning about vigilantism.

"Nah. They make a big show about it, but as long as your not making a scene or hurting anyone, nobody cares. Besides, this one just looks like a normal bird, and when it breaks down it just becomes paint."

"Oh… um… anyways, i-it's still a really cool power."

"Yeah, with a Quirk like this, I think I'm a shoe-in to get into U.A.!"

"U.A.?" Strelitzia asked.

"Yeah, nothing but the top!"

"No I mean, what's a U.A.?"

Relm turned to her, tilting her head. "You don't know what U.A. is?"

At this, Strelitzia started to panic. Had she already blown her cover? Hastily, she tried to give an excuse.
"Um… I-I. Well y-you see, uh… I'm not f-f-from around here."

"You're a foreigner? Well, I should have guessed with a name like Strelitzia." Relm shrugged.

"Uh… y-yes. That."

Relm smiled. "Well then, for your information. U.A. is a Pro Hero school, and not just any Hero school, but widely regarded as the best in Japan. Its alumni include major heroes like All Might, Endeavor, Best Jeanist, and more."

Strelitzia nodded. Artemicion had mentioned All Might before, as the #1 hero in this nation of Japan and perhaps the entire World. She'd like to meet him some day.

"So you want to be a Hero?" Strelitzia asked.

"Of course. My grandpa was a hero. My mom… was… a hero." Relm's smile faltered briefly, before returning. "Why wouldn't I? Don't you?"

Strelitzia didn't fail to notice Relm's brief expression. But she decided she should pry (and really didn't know how to in the first place), instead focusing on her own answer.

"Well… To be honest, with all the changes, I was struggling to figure out what to do with myself. But a Pro Hero..." Strelitzia paused. In some senses it wasn't that different from what she had been doing before as a Wielder. Fighting against the forces of darkness, protecting the innocent, gathering the light.

Pro Heroism did make sense. And the more she thought about it, the more appealing the idea was to her. The Heartless still emerged from the darkness. They still threatened the Realm of Light, fractured as it was. She was still a Keyblade Wielder, and she clung to that, her sole rock of stability in the chaos she found herself in. Strelitzia held her hand to her chest.

"May my Heart by my guiding key." She muttered.

"What was that?"

"I think I've decided." Strelitzia said.

"Wait, decided what?"

"I want to become a Pro Hero!" Strelitzia said. She wasn't entirely sure about this path, but it seemed the best option for her at the moment. She still needed answers, and to fulfill her duty as a Key-Bearer to fight against the darkness.

"Really? Kickass!" Relm said. "Then let's aim for U.A. together, yeah?"

Strelitzia watched as Relm's bird took off from her shoulder with a chirp, flying off into the sky.

"It's a promise!"

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Yagi Toshinori's Heart swelled with pride as he watched young Midoriya's actions on the screen. Without hesitation he had acted in defense of his fellows and that was the catalyst to finally activate One for All within him and destroy the Zero-Pointer in a single mighty blow.

Hidden from the examinees, the Zero-Pointer was more than just an obstacle, but a test in and of itself, to see who possessed true heroic spirit.

While he may not have scored any villain points, young Midoriya most definitely had the makings of a true hero within him. Considering his obviously broken limbs (thank goodness Recovery Girl was standing by) he would need training, both in technique and his ability to control his new Quirk, but that was what U.A. was for.

Yagi heard gasps. While he had expected some form of shock at young Midoriya's actions, this didn't sound like awe or approval, but rather alarm.

"What's going on?" Yagi asked, and then realized that they weren't looking at what he was. He in truth had been laser-focused on young Midoriya, though to be fair, he and the rest of the faculty would be going over all the footage in depth once the test concluded. That was when the actual villain and hero points would be tallied up.

The rest of the faculty were focused on another of the training cities, area E. Through the screen, Yagi could see the zero-pointer of area E and it just looked wrong.

"Is it supposed to do that?"

"No, they're not. Somethings gone wrong!"

"Shut it down!"

Buttons were pressed to, but to no avail.

"What's going on?"

"It's not responding! Why? Something's interfering?!"

"Is this a glitch?"

"I don't know!"

Yagi had heard enough. Innocents were in danger. He stood up from his chair and took a deep breath. Though he had passed One for All onto young Midoriya, he still had power left within him. He transformed, his height, build, and bulk greatly expanding.

All Might turned to the rest of the staff. "I'm going."

"Hold on." A high-pitched yet gentle voice said. All Might turned to Nezu, the headmaster of U.A. who was keenly focused on the screen. He held up a paw, urging All Might to wait. "I want to see this."

All Might looked at the screen, which was observing area E. There, he saw an examinee wielding a gigantic key projecting a barrier against the swing of the malfunctioning zero-pointer.

"With all due respect, you can't just let things play out. Even if there are examinees with Quirks strong enough to defeat a zero-pointer, with one out of control like this we can't just leave it to-

"I'm not." Nezu said. "Go but standby outside of the testing area until I give a signal."

All Might paused, before answering. "Alright."

Strelitzia's Protera spell barrier was barely able to withstand the impact of the zero-pointer, cracks forming in it almost instantly. She could feel the strain as she poured energy into the spell to try and hold back the possessed machine.

"Get back!" Strelitzia shouted to the students still present. This wasn't a test anymore. A Heartless had taken control of the machine, this was now real danger. And she was a Key-Bearer, she had to act.

The examinees began to flee as Strelitzia abandoned supporting the spell. The barrier crumbled as the zero-pointer began reeling back for another swing. Strelitzia dodged to the left as it swung to her right. She could feel the force of the wind in the wake of the metal fists passing as it rammed into a building with such force as to punch a hole into it.

For a moment she hoped it had gotten stuck, though there was no such luck. The zero-pointer rapidly pulled its fist free from the building, causing it to crumble into rubble, filling the street with clouds of dust.

There, Strelitzia could see nothing but clouds of brown, while her hearing was drowned out by the rumbling of the zero-pointer's treads. She heard a mechanical groan, and knew the machine was winding up for another punch.

There was no way she could survive a strike. Even with a durability boosting Protect spell armor, if that thing hit her now she was going to be paste. So she moved, rushing towards a building on the side and running up it.

However, she only made it part of the way up. The zero-pointers fist smashed just beneath her. Strelitzia lost her footing as the concrete she was running up crumbled. She soared briefly before she felt the pull in her gut from falling.

As she fell she turned towards the zero-pointer and aimed Starlight. No time for holding back.

"Fira!" A massive fireball streaked out her Keyblade, as Strelitzia let herself be blasted back by her spell, landing on the ground as the fireball impacted the zero-pointers chest and burst into an explosion larger than a house.

As she landed, Strelitzia's hair was blown back and she could feel the sudden spike in heat from the blast. Even that however was nothing compared to the sheer size of the machine. Where it had struck there were dents and melted metal, part of it's ventilation had been melted shut. Still it wasn't enough.

Raising Starlight once more she called out. "Aerora!"

The winds gathered around Starlights tip, compressing and molding into a sphere of raging air. She fired the ball of compressed air headlong into the zero-pointer, where it exploded into a blast of wind that even at a distance Strelitzia had to brace herself against while the zero-pointer was sent skidding back ever so slightly.

The machine reeled back, aiming another of it's massive punches at her. The Heartless was clearly focused on her. Which was good. She needed to get it away from the others.

So, instead of backing away or dodging to the side, she rushed towards the Heartless. As it was about to bring its fist down, she raised Starlight.

"Aero!" Instead of a sphere, this time she used the wind magic to create a powerful updraft, launching her into the air. The zero-pointers fist slammed into the ground beneath her, kicking up another dust cloud.

Strelitzia landed on the machines arm and began running up it. As she did so, she cast a Thunder spell, aiming at the exposed area that had been damaged with the fire spell.

Though to little effect more than more damage. She had been hoping she could short out the machines systems. Unfortunately it didn't work. The Possessor was in control, it wouldn't matter.

So Strelitzia kept moving up the arm to its shoulder and leaped off. As she fell, she turned and aimed Starlight at the zero-pointer. "Fira! Fira! Fira!"

Strelitzia cast the spell repeatedly and fireball after fireball slammed into the back and side of the machine as it tried to turn and face her. It dragged its arm through several buildings as it attempted to backhand her, though she allowed the force of the spells to push her back, avoiding the swing, and continuing the barrage before landing and backing away to observe her handiwork.

The fire had had an impact on the zero-pointer. The metal of its body was glowing red and even beginning to melt in places, worst of all in its right arm, which didn't appear to be functional anymore.

This didn't stop the Heartless however, as it simply raised its other arm and brought it down in another titanic blow onto the street. The ground shook, knocking Strelitzia off balance while damaged buildings began to completely crumble, kicking up another massive dust cloud.

Strelitzia coughed as the cloud of dust rolled over her, once again blocking out her sight, trapping her in a shroud of roaring whiteout as the dust coated her. She was probably looking like a mess now but that didn't matter at this moment.

Putting a stop to that Heartless did.

She attempted to rise to her feet once more, only for another tremor to sent her sprawling back to the ground. As Strelitzia pushed herself back up to her knees, she looked at the cracked ground, and noticed beneath her the cracks were beginning to glow. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening.

It's casting a Dark Quake spell! Strelitzia immediately used Aero to launch herself away from the ground as it exploded, dark energy surging out of the cracks.

As she sailed through the air, towards the side of a building, she turned her focus back towards the zero-pointer, where its yellow eyes began to glow. Bolts of darkness were launched from those eyes, streaking towards the air towards Strelitzia, all the while the machine continued to advance towards her.

She didn't stop her movement; Strelitzia continued to channel Flowmotion, running up the side of the building as the dark spheres homed in on her, dodging and deflecting them as she moved, then shielding her eyes as one impacted into the window above her sending down a shower of glass.

Unfortunately, she realized too late that with the window gone, she wouldn't be continuing up, and instead she went through the new opening, careening into the interior of the office building and crashing into the furniture.

For a moment, she found herself impressed at the sheer money U.A. would have had to not only build multiple mock cities, but to furnish them as well. However those musings were quickly forgotten as she extricated herself from the pile of wreckage, only to see the eyes of the zero-pointer staring in at her.

Shit.

They glowed, and Strelitzia had only seconds to react. Raising Starlight, she chanted, "Holy!"

As the zero-pointer was about to fire once more, a glowing sphere emerged from the tip of her Keyblade, launching forwards to slam into the face of the zero-pointer. The light magic countered the dark energy forming.

The machine reeled back, though it swung its arm as it did so, slamming the side of the building. Glass shattered as the entire building trembled. Strelitzia dove to the side as the metal fist passed through, tearing its way through multiple floors, sending debris everywhere in a roaring chaos. Furniture was smashed, lights shattered, walls were destroyed, and load bearing pillars were crushed. The building shook and began to sag, as chunks of concrete began to come falling down from above, forcing Strelitzia to roll to the side to avoid being crushed.

The building was coming down.

As the zero-pointer pulled its fist out of the collapsing building, Strelitzia grabbed on and was pulled along for the ride. The arm jerked up, and suddenly, Strelitzia felt vertigo as she was launched into the air above the machine.

Confused for a moment, she scrambled to recover her bearings as the winds whistled around her. As she reached the height of her flight, she turned back to the ground. Activating Flowmotion, she focused on the zero-pointer, letting her momentum build up as she fell, until she glowed with an orange light before smashing directly into the head of the zero-pointer with a loud crunch and a wave of energy burst out.

The metal of the machine's head dented and crumpled as sparks ran along its body. However, to her dismay, the possessed zero-pointer wasn't out of the fight yet. Activating Flowmotion once more, she leaped off of the zero-pointer's head as it tried to swat her.

"Fira!" As the machine attempted to strike her in mid-air, Strelitzia once again blasted herself away using the recoil from her spell.

She needed to end this.

Fortunately, she could feel her finisher ready. All the fire magic she had been using had build up a surplus of fire energy within her. She could use that, to augment a Fira spell to the next level. Grand magic.

As Strelitzia hit the ground, she looked up to see the possessed machine continuing to roll towards her. This time, instead of moving, she planted her feet and held Starlight before her. She began to feel hot, very very hot, almost boiling as she channeled magic into the key.

As it almost drew too close, Strelitzia let out a howl. "Firaga!"

A massively intense ball of flame launched out like a fiery comet, leaving sparks and flame in its wake to impact the zero-pointer square in the chest, where it blossomed into a towering hellish inferno. The explosion blasted a chunk out of the zero-pointer while also damaging the nearby buildings as well. Glass shattered and chunks of concrete were blasted off, and the structures were engulfed in flames.

Strelitzia held up her arm to guard her face as she felt both the force from the explosion and a searing wave of heat wash over her, like opening a hot oven but far far more intense. In short order, the heat wave had passed, and Strelitzia was able to take a look at her handiwork.

The zero-pointer, was finally down for the count. Even though the spell had ended, smaller explosions were already going off across its body as it fell backwards, hitting the ground as a pile of smouldering scrap metal. Strelitzia sighed in relief as she saw the Possessor emerge from the husk and then disperse into wisps of darkness.

As the adrenaline faded from her body, she realized just how much she was drained. There was no denying just how weak she was now. Her magical capacity had been severely diminished if something like a Firaga spell required Grand Magic to pull off. Especially if it was exhausting now.

Her reserves of magic had been all but depleted by a battle that before wouldn't have taken so much out of her before. She was thankful her injuries were limited to small cuts and bruises. She didn't think she could manage even a basic Cure spell right now.

Additionally, she lamented that for all that effort, none of it was worth any points. And the time limit for the test must have already passed, even though she couldn't hear any announcement. Did she even have enough points to pass? She wasn't sure, and that was if the test wasn't just rendered null because of all this. She sighed as she picked herself up and dusted herself off, wincing at a bit of soreness, before limping back to the entrance.

Chapter Text

Yagi Toshinori felt a strange sense of unease. Which bothered him more than it should. The source of his unease was the girl before him as she stepped out of the testing area along with the various other students. Or, more specifically, her fight with the zero-pointer he had just witnessed.

There was no doubt that she was powerful. Very much so. Though more specifically, it was the nature of her power that bothered him. Yagi mentally ran a list of what he had seen her do. First, there had been key-shaped weapon that she had been able to form. Then her movement capabilities: enhanced speed, high leaping, running up walls, redirecting her momentum into bursts of energy.

Beyond that, she had a wide variety of Emitter effects: He had seen her form a barrier, project flames and electricity, manipulate the winds, shoot some sort of glowing light. Not to mention her enhanced strength in general.

Each of these different abilities seemed like a Quirk all on it's own. Yet here they were, all in one person. All in one...

There was the possibility that she had some sort of copy Quirk. He had seen other students demonstrating these sorts of powers she had displayed (well, not the key thing) but there was still something about it that bothered him.

The skill. He had fought several Quirk copiers before, and they always came with the drawback that they lacked the skill that came from longtime experience of using ones Quirk. Yet this girl here showed a level of skill approaching that of a Pro Hero.

Could she be?

The thought entered his mind that he didn't want to believe. With the variety of abilities she had shown, could she have been a product All for One?

He was dead. He had killed that monster himself. But the man had followers. And he had "projects". People he would take an interest in. Tools to corrupt and mold. Could she have been one of those creations from before their final fight? That would have explained her seeming familiarity with her versatile abilities and the skill she possessed.

Yet, there were things that didn't exactly "gel" with that theory. She had fought the zero-pointer, even when it had gone out of control. Not even that, she had done so with a clear intention of protecting her fellow examinees. First she had projected that barrier to intercept the blow, giving the others time to escape. Then, she had moved to draw the zero-pointer away from the area so she could prevent it from hurting others and so she was free to strike at it without worrying about collateral damage and innocents being caught in the crossfire.

These sorts of behaviors were something that he would never expect out of All for One and his minions. The zero-pointer was a means of testing for those who had a true heroic spirit. She could have just backed away with the rest of them, but she acted to protect them.

With a display like that, she was basically guaranteed to be accepted, and though he had his doubts, he would keep an eye on her.

The week passed with little fanfare, though that did nothing to calm Strelitzia's nerves. Had she passed? Failed? Or more likely, had the test been cancelled because of what had happened? The longer she waited, the more she worried.

Strelitzia was never the best at waiting for news.

Artemicion had been nothing but supportive, as had Relm, but she still hadn't gotten much sleep.

"Hey! It's here kupo!" Artemicion called out from downstairs. Strelitzia rose from her bed, and rushed down the stairs, barely managing to avoid tripping as she did so (the Moogle was so messy, with dozens of boxes of parts and scraps laying about).

She made her way past the mess of boxes and through the Moogles workshop, finding Artemicion sitting at the kitchen table, holding a letter out towards her.

As she took it, to her surprise, she found that it was bulky, like there was something inside more than just paper. Still, despite her curiosity, she stared at the letter, anxiety building. Was she accepted? Or rejected? Had the incident with the Heartless rendered everything moot? Or had they somehow found out about her true nature? All these questions and more burned through her mind. She-

"C'mon, don't keep me waiting, kupo!"

"Eeep!" Strelitzia shrieked in shock, inadvertently tearing through the letter as she did so. Out plopped a round device.

"Ooh, a hologram projector, kupo." Artemicion said.

The device flickered to life, and true to its description, a holographic image was broadcast from it.

"BOOYAH! I am here as a projection!" To Strelitzia's great surprise, the image depicted All Might of all people. Why was the number 1 hero in this recording?

"Kupo! All Might!" Artemicion cheered.

"Now, I can guess that you probably are wondering why I'm the one delivering the news to you, young Strelitzia. Well, the truth is, I didn't come to this city just to fight crime. Starting this year, I am going to be a teacher at U.A." All Might said.

"Oh wow, that's so cool, kupo! You're so lucky!"

Strelitzia found herself unsure about how to feel on the subject. All Might was called the Symbol of Peace, so he definitely had to know his stuff, but at the same time, she didn't grow up in this World so she didn't have the same sort of reaction that a native might have. Still, he sounded like he would make a good teacher.

"So, back on subject. In regards to the written test, you scored very well in most areas. But more to the point, the practical exam. You did an excellent job, scoring a total of 67 villain points!" All Might gestured towards a screen to his side, and footage of Strelitzia fighting against the test robots began to play. The recap showed highlights of her fight against the villain bots.

"Oh wow, kupo! You're really really good."

"I'm not that good, actually." Strelitzia denied.

The recap then paused as the zero-pointer appeared on screen.

"Now here is where it gets interesting! I- Huh?" All Might stopped. It seemed he was listening to someone off-screen. "Yes yes, I know we're on a schedule, but I have to show her this!"

The footage from the fight began playing as All Might spoke and as he did, Strelitzia's eyes widened.

"There was more to the test than just the racking up of villain points! The panel of judges were on the lookout for more than mere raw power. After all, it's not just combat ability that makes a true hero! No! We judge our applicants on not just their fighting, but their heroic spirit.

"A hero must be ready for the unexpected, when things go wrong and people are in danger, they must be willing to step up and act. To defend others, even at the cost of themselves. Those who embrace this maxim possess the Heart of a true hero! And so we have hero points! For your actions against the rogue zero-pointer the judges panel has decided to award you with 100 hero points! Welcome, young Strelitzia! This is your hero academia!"

Izuku found himself rushing towards the U.A. building. Even now, he couldn't believe it. A year ago, he'd have considered it just a pipe dream. Imagine him, quirkless Izuku Midoriya getting into U.A. high school's Hero Course. But now his dream was a reality. He'd been mentored by his idol All Might himself, and even had his Quirk, One for All passed down to him. He'd was going to be a hero. He'd be able to help people. To inspire and bring hope to them the same way All Might had done to him!

Well, if he wasn't late, that is.

His mother was so proud, and she had not only been fretting over him, but insisted on taking pictures of him in his new school uniform. This had taken up some time, but he wasn't going to say no. She had been so happy!

But now, he was running late, and running towards the building as well. He didn't see anyone at the front, or in the halls. Oh no, he had to hurry.

As he ran down the halls of the school, he looked at the room numbers.

"1… A. Aha! Here it is!" He paused as he looked at the towering door before him, looming over Izuki like an almost literal representation of his anxieties. "The most promising students in the country are waiting behind this door..."

A vision of Kacchan and that blue haired boy from the test appeared in his mind and he gulped. "M-maybe were in different classes?"

He took a deep breath and grabbed the doorknob.

"Hey you!"

"M-me?"

"You're that bitch with the stupid name aren't you?! So what?! You think just because you got some damn pity points that your better than me?!"

"Waaaaah! I'm sorry!"

"For heaven's sake, don't apologize to him Strelitzia!"

"Oh yeah, and who asked you?!"

"Well seeing as your whining like a sore loser all over my friend I felt the invitation."

"What right do you have to talk?! I scored better than you!"

"And you don't see me being all salty about it. Have some dignity, jeez."

"Whatever."

Oh no...

There was the sound of a scraping chair, just as Izuku had worked up the courage to finally open the door. Inside he found not only Kacchan, but he was just starting a new argument, this time with that blue-haired boy.

"Take your feet off that desk now!"

"Huh?"

"It's the first day of class, and you're already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property you cretin!"

"You cannot be serious. Your old school put a stick up your ass or were you just born with it?"

The blue-haired boy opened his mouth as if to say something, only to pause, and take a breath. "Let's start over, I'm Tenya Iida, from Somei Private Academy."

"Somei huh? So you must think your better than me. I'm gonna have fun tearing you a new one!" Kacchan said.

Tenya gasped. "You would threaten me? Your own classmate? Are you sure you're in the right place?"

As they argued, they turned to the door, noticing Izuku at last.

"It's him." Tenya said. At this, everyone turned towards Izuku.

He began to panic. This was just like some of his nightmares. He hoped he hadn't forgotten his pants. "Uh… hi."

"Good morning." Tenya said as he began strutting towards him. "My name is Tenya Iida and-"

"Y-yeah, I know. I'm Izuku Midoriya. It's super nice to meet you."

"Midoriya. You realized that there was something more to the test, didn't you? You must be very perceptive."

"Huh?"

"And I completely musjudged you. I admit, that as a student, you're far superior to me."

Izuku was still trying to figure out just what Tenya was talking about when he heard a voice behind him.

"Oh hey, I recognize that messed up hair! Falling boy!"

"Huh?" Izuku turned, and his heart skipped a beat. There was a girl standing right in front of him. She was talking to him. A girl was standing there and talking directly to him!

"That punch was amazing. You took out that zero-pointer in one hit!"

"Oh um… I should probably be thanking you for going in and talking to them!"

"Wait, you defeated a zero-pointer? Strelitzia here also defeated a zero-pointer!" A voice said behind him.

At Relm's exclamation, Strelitzia felt her her head spin as everyone now turned towards her. She hoped she hadn't forgotten her skirt.

"I know, I was there, it was awesome!" Said a pink-skinned girl.

"You beat a zero-pointer? That's so manly!"

"How elegant an accomplishment."

"That must have been totally hot to watch!"

"Such frightening power..."

"U-um. Is it r-really that big of a deal?" Strelitzia asked, becoming flustered.

"Yeah it is. That thing was huge Ribbit..."

"It seems there are yet other students who possess more insight than I do."

"Really. I'm totally jealous!"

"Hmmph. Losers."

"Wow, I think I might have a lot I can learn from you! We should be friends! We-"

"If your just here to make friends then you can pack your things and leave."

An older voice sounded. Streletzia leaned forwards, seeing out the doorway to see what she could only describe as some sort of yellow caterpillar man… No wait, that was a sleeping bag?

He pulled out a juice box and drank whatever was left in it before standing up.

"It took you eight seconds to shut up. That's not going to cut it. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that." The scruffy-looking man said. He stepped into their classroom, looking over them with tired, bloodshot eyes. He looked like he hadn't had a good sleep in years. "Hello, I'm Shouta Aizawa, your teacher."

There was an audible shock that went throughout the class, though the teacher seemed not to care.

"Right, lets get to it. He reached into his bag, pulling out a gym uniform. "You should all have one of these by now. Put yours on and come with me."

"A Quirk Assessment Test?!"

There was some shock as Mr. Aizawa finally explained what they were doing outside.

"Why? What about orientation? Were going to miss it!" The round-faced girl said.

"Good, I hate that stuff anyways. So goddamn boring." Relm said.

"If you really wanna make it to the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremony." Aizawa said. "Here at U.A. we're not tethered to tradition. That means I get to run my class however I see fit."

He held up his phone, showing some sort of fitness list on the screen.

"You've been taking standardized tests all your lives, but you've never been allowed to use your Quirks in physical exams before, right? The country is still trying to pretend were all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn." He sighed. "Bakugou, you managed to get the most villain points on the exam. What was your furthest softball throw in Junior High?"

"67 meters, I think." He replied.

Aizawa tossed him a ball. "Try doing it with your Quirk. Anything goes, just stay in the circle."

"Alright!" The blonde kid smirked, taking the ball and stepping into the designated area. He took a pitchers stance, before leaning back and then hurling the ball. There was a loud BOOM as he did so, sending out a gust of wind over the onlookers as the ball was propelled far far away.

"All of you need to know your maximum capabilities. It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a Pro Hero." Aizawa held up his phone, showing a score of 705.2 meters.

"Whoa!"

"700 meters?!" A boy with black and blonde hair said.

"I see. So we learn our limits at the beginning and then see how far we've come later." Said a tall girl with a ponytail.

"I wanna go! That looks like fun!"

"Yeah. Getting to use our Quirks as much as we want? That's what I'm talking about."

"So this looks fun to you?" Aizawa said. "You have three years here to become a hero. You think it's all gonna be fun and games? Idiots. Today your going to compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none and will be expelled on the spot."

There was something in his tone that Strelitzia recognized. A sort of… resentment? Frustration? She wasn't sure. Though she could understand what he was getting at. Being a hero was no joke.

"What, after everything we did to get here? How is that fair?" A the brown-haired girl said.

"It's not, but that doesn't matter. The world isn't fair. It never will be." Strelitzia said. She'd never get to see Lauriam or Elrena. She'd never get to go back to Daybreak Town. She'd never get to confess her feelings to Diana. It was all gone, and there was nothing that could be done about it. "Being a hero is a hard life..."

She felt Relm grab her hand give it a gentle squeeze. She looked at her, and Relm smiled. Strelitzia returned the smile weakly, trying to shake herself out of her dark thoughts.

"Hmm. She's right on one account. You think natural disasters are fair? Or power hungry villains? Or catastrophic accidents that destroy entire cities? No! The world's unfair. Where I differ is that it's a hero's job to combat that unfairness." Aizawa said. "If you want to be a pro, your going to have to push yourself to the brink. For the next three years. U.A. is going to throw hardship after hardship at you. So go beyond. Plus Ultra style. Show me it's not a mistake that you're here."

"Fuck yeah! Bring it on!" Relm shouted. "Right Strelitzia?"

"R-right." She had been drifting off slightly, memories and longing of the past running through her head, though now she made an effort to focus on the hear and now, to push those thoughts away.

Aizawa smirked. "So then. Let the games begin."

50 Meter Dash

Strelitzia took her place at the line, Starlight in hand. Next to her was a blonde boy, who curiously, was turned away from track. She wasn't sure what he was planning to do, but it obviously involved his Quirk.

She raised the Keyblade. "Haste!"

That and Flowmotion should help keep up. Relm had painted herself up a horse to ride on, getting a time of 5.01 seconds. Tenya's Quirk was apparently having engines in his leg, allowing him to get a time of 3.04 seconds. There had even been a girl who had conjured up an entire moped.

"Runners on your marks! Ready?" The robot announced before a bang went off.

Strelitzia took off at a rush, channeling Flowmotion to dash across the track. She passed across the finish line a few seconds later, skidding to a halt as the robot called out her time. 3.39 seconds.

"Watch how I shine!" The boy behind her said. Strelitzia turned to see that the boy was apparently firing a laser of some sort from his torso, blasting himself back, only to fall, and fire again. When she looked in confusion, he explained. "Shooting my beautiful beam for more than a second gives me a tummyache."

She mentally shrugged, reviewing her time. Despite her earlier mood, it had felt good to get some exertion.

The next few tests proved to be similar, and she found herself somewhat enjoying having to think about her magic in new ways, despite the circumstances. Relm seemed to do the same as well, having fun painting up all sorts of interesting things to help her complete the exercises.

In the grip strength test, Strelitzia used a Bravery spell once more to boost her strength, while Relm painted up a set of clamps.

The standing long jump was fairly easy. A combination of Flowmotion and Aero allowed her to sail far. Relm had painted herself a large bird to ride on and simply flown across the field until Aizawa told her to stop. Other notables were the blonde boy who launched himself across the field with explosions and the brunette girl who simply floated across until she looked nauseous and dropped to the ground.

The repeated sidesteps were another casting of Haste though upon observing Relm painting up a pair of trampolines a small boy doing the same with the balls on his head, she wondered if she couldn't have done something with two Aero spells.

Ball Toss

After witnessing the spectacle of Relm painting up an eagle to carry the softball past the horizon, the tall, black-haired girl creating an entire cannon to launch hers, a white haired girl simply levitate hers and launch it, and the gravity manipulating brunette throwing her ball into space and getting a score of infinity, Strelitzia felt like she had to measure up in some way.

As she stepped into the circle, Starlight in one hand, and the ball in the other, she had her plan. Once again, she cast Bravery to enhance her strength, and then readied starlight. After tossing the ball up and down a few times to get her timing right, she then gave it the final toss high into the air before gripping Starlight like a bat.

As the ball drew closer, she channeled air magic through her Keyblade, causing a breeze to circle around the blade. As the ball drew closer she swung, hitting it like it was an actual game of softball.

"Wind Blade!"

The air magic infused Keyblade blasted the softball away from her, while also causing such a gale that Strelitzia had to shield her eyes momentarily. She had unfortunately lost track of the ball, only for the robot to call out her time as 672.7 meters. She breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, she was afraid she had somehow missed her swing.

As Strelitzia stepped back, her concern turned to the green-haired Izuku. All throughout the tests, he had had performed mediocre, which made her worry. He hadn't demonstrated his Quirk at all throughout any of the previous tests. Did it not help? But he had somehow destroyed a zero-pointer, didn't he? So how did he do it then?

"If Midoriya doesn't shape up soon, he's the one going home." Tenya said, voicing everyone else's thoughts.

"Huh? Of course he's the one going home! He's a Quirkless loser!" The spiky-haired blonde boy said.

"What? He has a Quirk!" Tenya objected. "Did you not hear about what he did in the entrance exam?"

The conversation drew to stop as Izuku took his pitch. He hurled the ball, it only going a paltry 36 meters. Despite this, Izuku looked completely baffled, as if he had expected something else to happen.

"I erased your Quirk." Aizawa said. His scarf began to move around him on its own and wrapped around the boy as he approached Izuku, still speaking, though Strelitzia could no longer make out what they were saying.

"Wait, those goggles... I know you! You can look at someone and cancel out their powers! The Erasure Hero: Eraser Head!" Izuku exclaimed.

Strelitzia had never heard of him, though being new to this World, that wasn't surprising. Though judging from the reactions of the other students, none of them had heard of him either. Though she did ponder what she had heard of Izuku's exclamations of Aizawa's hero identity.

Eraser Head. He had the power to negate Quirks by looking at someone. Would that affect magic? Keyblades? Strelitzia had no idea. She had been passing off her abilities as a versitile Quirk, but against Quirks that affected other Quirks, what would happen?

Aizawa eventually let go of him, and Izuku returned to the circle, prepared to throw again.

"I wonder if our teacher game him some advice." Tenya pondered.

"Probably told him to start packing." The exploding boy said. Strelitzia really didn't like him.

Everyone fell silent again as Izuku prepared to throw. This time however, it was different. As he hurled the ball, he cried out, "SMASH!"

There was a shockwave as Izuku hurled the ball, launching it high into the sky. Aizawa revealed a score of 705.3 meters, slightly beating out the exploding boys score, only coming in second to the brunette girls score of infinity.

"Mr. Aizawa… See? I'm still standing!" He clenched his fist, revealing that his index finger was now bruised. It was most likely broken.

Everyone else was gasping in shock, though the brunette was straight up cheering for him.

The boy with the explosion Quirk had a quite different action. Explosions were flaring up in his palms drawing Strelitzia's attention to him where she saw that his eyes were bulging and his teeth clenched so hard that she could see the muscles in his neck clenching.

"HEY! DEKU YOU BASTARD! TELL ME HOW YOU DID THAT OR YOUR DEAD!" He dashed towards Izuku. Strelitzia was about to move to intercept him only for Aizawa's scarf to grab him. He struggled, but couldn't break free of the grip.

"What? Why the hell is your scarf so damn strong?"

"Because it's a capture weapon made out of carbon fiber and a special alloy. Now stand down Bakugou. It'd be wise to avoid making me use my Quirk so much, it gives me serious dry eye. You're wasting my time now. Whoever's next, take your place."

Izuku nervously sidled around Bakugou, retreating over to where the rest of the class stood.

"Are you okay?" Strelitzia asked, approaching Izuku.

"Y-yeah." He said awkwardly. "It's f-fine."

"Let me see it, may I?" Strelitzia asked, drawing closer.

"Huh, why?" He asked, breaking out in a nervous sweat for some reason. Perhaps the pain was worse than he was letting on?

"I can help, give me your hand." She said.

"U-um… o-o-okay? Here I g-g-go" He said, stuttering as he presented his injured hand. She took it into her grip, causing Izuku to start trembling. The pain must have been really bad for that to happen!

"Don't worry, it'll be alright." Strelitzia held her hand over his. She didn't have her Keyblade out, but for an injury as small as this, she didn't need it. "Cure."

A soft blue light shone between her hands, and felt Izuku relax some. When she removed her hands, the bruise was gone and his finger was no longer broken.

"Whoa. How did… what is your Quirk? You've created wind, and you have that giant key, and you can move really good and enhance your own..." Izuku began muttering.

"I call it 'Key to Power'. It's like I have this sort of energy inside myself that I can shape to different purposes. The key I create can help me enhance these abilities by channeling them through it." Strelitzia explained. It was the idea she and Artemicion had come up with together, as the best way to explain magical energy in a way that fit the World they were in.

Izuku in response to this began muttering even more excitedly to himself, so fast that Strelitzia couldn't make out exactly what he was saying.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Strelitzia asked.

"O-oh." Izuku blushed. "Sorry. I really like to analyze and study the Quirks of heroes. S-sorry."

"No, it's no-"

"C'mon. It's time for the next test." Aizawa called out.

"W-we should go."

The next few tests were fairly simple. Sit-ups. Seated toe touches and an endurance run. There really wasn't much of anything she could do for the first two, though haste did again help with the run. And at the end of things everyone gathered before their teacher to receive the results of their tests.

"Alright, time for results. I've ranked you all from best to worst, but you should probably have a good idea of where you stand already. I'll just pull up the list. No point in going over everyone individually." Everyone waited with baited breath as Aizawa pulled his smartphone out of his pocket.

Strelizia pondered her own performance. She felt like she had done plenty well, at least not to get last place. The same went for Relm which was a relief. Though she still didn't like the idea of expelling someone on the first day like this. Everyone had tried so hard, either using raw power or coming up with creative solutions to problems. Heck, if there wasn't the threat of expulsion, she would have fully enjoyed the challenge of using her magic to solve problems other than combat.

Then Aizawa activated a hologram, and the list of all twenty-two students and their ranking were displayed.

To Strelitzia's own surprise, she was ranked at 2nd place, behind Momo Yaoyorozu. Relm Arrowny was ranked 5th. She breathed a sigh of relief. Even if she wasn't too confident in her abilities, she at least didn't think she would be last. Though as she scanned the list, she felt a pit form in her stomach as she saw Izuku Midoriya in 22nd place.

She turned to him, who was currently looking at the ground, hands clenched. He had clearly seen his placement.

"And I was lying. Nobodies going home."

"W-what?" Everyone gasped in shock.

Aizawa face made an expression that, despite not wanting to because it felt rude, Strelitzia could only describe as a "shit-eating grin".

"That was a just rational deception to make sure you gave it your all."

"WHAT?!" Several students shouted.

"I'm surprised the rest of you didn't figure that out. Sorry, I guess I should have said something." Momo said.

Aizawa shrugged and began to leave. "That's it, were done for the day. Pick up a syllabus before you leave and give it a read over."

Though it had been rather short today, Strelitzia already felt exhausted, it was such a rollercoaster of emotion today. Going back to school had been both exciting and daunting, and that Bakugo boy was terrifying. Then had come the fitness test, and the worry about not wanting her classmates to be expelled after just getting there. The relief at it just being a bluff had sent her into a complete daze.

" Everyone deserved more of a chance to prove themselves.

"Well, that was crazy, wasn't it." Relm said, voicing what Strelitzia had been thinking. "Were you worried about getting expelled?"

"Not really myself but..." She looked over at Izuku, who was walking near to them. "Yeah, it's good we didn't have to say goodbye to anyone."

"Well, I wouldn't miss that Xploders guy." Relm said. "Seriously, what's his subscription?"

"Uhh..."

Tenya then walked up to Izuku, placing a hand on his shoulder, shaking the boy out of whatever thoughts he had been having.

"Oh.. uh.. hey there Iida."

"How's the broken finger doing?"

"Oh, it's fine, thanks to Strelitzia over there. She healed me!"

"Hmm… your Quirk seems quite versatile. Interesting!"

"Oh, uh… it's no big deal." Strelitzia said. "He was hurt, and I just couldn't let him go through the rest of the test like that."

"Well good. Though I admit I was a bit concerned by Mr. Aizawa's approach to class, but I trust the schools judgment. U.A. is the top school in the country. Even so, lying is downright immoral."

"Well, he did say that teaches have the freedom to run their classes as they see fit." Relm said. "Besides, it got everyone to give it their all, didn't it?"

"Hey! Wait up you guys!"

Running after them was the brown-haired girl.

"Ah, you're the infinity girl, aren't you." Tenya said.

"My names Ochako Uraraka! And if I remember right… you're Strelitzia, you're Relm Arrowny, you're Tenya Iida and your name is… Deku right? Deku Midoriya?" She went over each of them in turn.

"W-what? Deku?!"

"Isn't that your name? That's what Bakugou called you during the fitness test, right?"

"W-well, my name's a-actually Izuku. Deku is what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me."

At that Relm gave a snort. "Kacchan?"

"Well that's cruel." Tenya said.

"Oh… I didn't realize. But I kinda of like Deku. It's cute. I think it'd make a great hero name!" Ochako said.

"DEKU IT IS!" Izuku said.

"But, wait… weren't you just saying it was an insult?"

"Paradigm shift! My whole world is upside down!"

"Eh, let him call himself whatever he wants." Relm said, giggling. "No harm. And still, Kacchan?"

"Is it really that funny?" Strelitzia asked.

"Depends on what your plans are." Relm said.

"Plans?"

At this, Relm merely smirked, before turning back to the others, starting up a different conversation about film. The others responded positively, and the group began to simply chat about minor topics as they left the school.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Strelitzia and Tsuyu were handed radio earpieces, capture tape, and a floor plan of the building they were to defend against the Hero team. And so the two of them quickly made their way to the building to prepare.

"So this seems like it'll be tough." Tsuyu said. "Three against two. Ribbit."

The odds were stacked against them, true, not the least because she had heard that Shoto was one of the students who got in based on recommendation. From the fact that part of his body was coated it, his Quirk being ice based was clear. She even recalled him using his ice during Aizawa's Quirk test. He had to be very skilled based on that. He clearly wasn't an opponent to face lightly.

The others, she knew less about. Hanta was capable of extruding strong tape from his elbows, while Hiryu could generate scales all over his body and even shoot them out. It was a strong team.

"So, I think it's a good idea to share what we can do, right?" Tsuyu asked.

"Yeah." Strelitzia nodded as they entered the room with the fake nuke. This situation was actually rather new to her. Throughout her career as a Key-Bearer she didn't think she every really had to defend a location. She was always on the offense, hunting down Heartless out in the world to gather Lux or clearing out a location they had taken up root in.

Protecting a point from attackers was a new one to her. Even further was that she was fighting against intelligent opponents. Heartless, even if they looked humanoid, were driven purely by instinct, making them predictible in many ways. Her opponents could think, attempt to outwit her,

"So, as you probably can guess, my Quirk is Frog. Basically anything a frog can do. I can jump really far, stick to walls, swim fast, breath underwater, stretch out my tongue about twenty meters. Oh, I can also expel my stomach to clean it, though that's not really useful. There's also that toxic mucus, though it's just an irritant."

"Hmm… you're-" Strelitzia started, though she was interrupted as apparently Tsuyu wasn't finished.

"Though your Quirk is pretty interesting. I've seen you do a lot of different things, ribbit. I've never seen a Quirk like that before."

"Uh… well… Quirks are weird." Strelitzia said, giving the answer that Artemicion had told her to give when she was pressed.

"Yeah they are." Tsuyu agreed.

"So, anyways, I can seal the windows so they can't get in through there, ." Strelitzia was thinking out loud.

"Seal the windows?" Tsuyu asked.

"Yeah. I can lock them." Strelitzia formed Starlight in her hands and pointed it towards the windows. A thin beam shot out towards them, leaving shimmering motes of light in its wake.

"There." She said. "Now they can't get in through there without a lot of force. Althouh there's no doorway to this room, just an arch so i can't seal that."

"Well either way that's good. So do we just hunker down in here?"

"I'm thinking that might work. We can wait for them to come to us."

"That seems reasonable. I-"

"Alright. Heroes! Villains! Your time begins now!" All Mights voice sounded in their earpieces.

"Well, it looks like were starting, ribbit."

"Right, so let's-" Strelitzia was about to suggest a course of action when she felt an immense wave of cold wash over her. Fortunately, her dress was protected against such environmental issues. However it wasn't long afterwards that the cold grew even deeper, and ice formed unnaturally fast, passing through the door and covering the entire room, floor, walls, and ceiling.

Both girls were frozen to the ground as the ice trapped their feet. It steadily crept up them, though thankfully stopped before reaching their knees.

Was that Shoto? He's even stronger than I thought! Still, Strelitzia wasn't going to be stopped by something like this. She raised her Keyblade.

"Enfire!" Flames rand down the length of her blade. She held it to the ice and it quickly began to melt to the point she could break free of it.

"Ribbiiiit..." She heard Tsuyu say. She turned to see her teammate slumping to the ground. She was curling up and her eyes were drooping, her tongue hanging limply out of her mouth.

"Tsuyu? Tsuyu?! Are you okay?!" Strelitzia asked.

"Call me Tsu. And the cold makes me hibernate. Sorry..." She muttered, growing pale as her voice drifted off.

"Don't worry. I can help." Strelitzia held her blazing blade up close, melting the ice around her enough to pull Tsuyu free. She then cast another spell as she let the blade extinguish. "Barfrost!"

As soon as the protective spell took effect she no longer felt the cold and she watched as the color returned to Tsuyu's face.

"Whoa..." Tsuyu said as she sat up, energy returning to her. "I don't feel cold at all."

"I used one of my speeeeee…cial abilities."

"Special abilities? You mean your Quirk? Is that why I'm not so cold?"

"Yeah, though it's only partial protection."

"Either way, it helps. Thanks, ribbit." Tsuyu stood up, looking around the room. "Huh, he's really strong."

"Yeah, it was really fast. Still, we're not stuck so we can still defend."

"Hmm… y'know, he probably still thinks were frozen." Tsuyu said.

"We can go on the offensive! They won't be expecting it!" Strelitzia finished, a plan forming in her mind.

"Right."

"Then let's get ready." Strelitzia raised Starlight again. "Protect! Bravery!"

With two more enhancing spells cast on them, the two girls made their way out into the ice encrusted hallways. As they continued, following the floor plan of the building they had been given, they reached a staircase, where they eventually heard footsteps crunching on the ice, and conversation below. The two of them took up positions on the opposite side of the staircase entrance.

"...I mean, this is still so crazy! He can freeze an entire building, just like that!" Hanta said.

"Well he did get in on recommendation." Hiryu said back.

"Yeah, I guess the recommendation students are just on a whole different level from us." Hanta said.

"Yeah."

"And here I was planning to tie them to the walls." Hanta said. "Really wanted a chance to show my stuff."

"Don't waste your energy. With my Quirk they're frozen fast. This fight is already over. We just need to get to the nuke and get this over with."

The footsteps began to rise, indicating they were making their ascent. The two of them turned towards each other and nodded. It was time to act. Strelitzia leaped out from concealment, a spell ready to cast.

"Fire!" Shoto's Quirk was ice based, so this had to be a good counter for it. It should weaken him. A jet of flame streaked down the staircase. The boys flinched, though the fire wasn't directly aimed at them. This was still a training exercise after all. She could heal them afterwards, but she didn't want to cause such pain if she could avoid it.

Instead, she ran the flames along the frozen ceiling. The heat melted the ice, sending water to drip down onto the staircase. The formerly fresh ice was now made slick and the boys went tumbling down.

"What the-"

"Augh! Ow! Ow!"

"They're not frozen!"

Hiryu was the first to recover, rolling to his feet as he shot scales at the floor, cracking the slick ice to give himself traction. Meanwhile, Hanta strung his tape across the area, creating hand grips.

Hiryu then opened fire, a volley of scales being fired off like bullets. Strelitzia blocked the initial shots with her Keyblade before taking cover around the corner.

"Grab on!" She heard Hanta say. There was a pause before Hanta spoke again. "Fine! We'll go then!"

Suddenly, a strand of tape shot up the staircase before attaching to the wall opposite it. Then, Hanta, with Hiryu held in his other arm shot up and out of the staircase, to land in between the girls. They immediately sprung into action, with Hiryu opening fire on Strelitzia while Hanta shot tape at Tsuyu.

Both dodged, Strelitzia throwing Starlight at the same time she rolled out of the way while Tsuyu clung to the ceiling before lashing out with her tongue.

Hiryu sidestepped the throw of her weapon and continued to fire, though Strelitzia used Flowmotion to aid in her dodging of the scale shots.

Hiryu, frustrated, drew closer, thinking she was unarmed. However, Strelitzia immediately re-summoned Starlight back to her hands, and struck him before he could react.

Hiryu was sent flying back across the hallway, past the staircase. Strelitzia made to pursue, only to suddenly notice as she passed the stairwell a barrage of ice chunks rapidly advancing towards her. She leaped out of the way, though not entirely, as a clump of ice clipped her side, sending her spiraling to the ground.

Meanwhile, Hiryu switched targets to Tsuyu while Hanta tried to tie down Strelitzia with his tape. She was quick however, rolling out of the way of the shot and pointing Starlight at him.

"Aero!" Strelitzia chanted. A burst of wind sent Hanta flying backwards down the hallway all the way to being sent flying out the window. As he was defenestrated, a strand of tape shot back in, sticking to the windowsill.

Meanwhile, Shoto had made it back up the stairs, and was currently rushing down the hallway past the girls. Strelitzia quickly rose to her feet and cast another spell.

"Gravity!" A dark sphere formed around Shoto and he found himself forced to his knees, suddenly far heavier than he had been before.

"What the-?" He struggled, but found his movement greatly slowed.

Unfortunately, it couldn't last as while Strelitzia was concentrating on the spell, Hiryu shot his scales at her. She shrieked as she was struck, though the Protect spell she had cast as armor absorbed most of the impact. She was still knocked off her feet, losing focus on the magic.

As Shoto rose, he formed a wall of ice in the hallway behind him. Meanwhile, as Strelitzia rose to her feet, she saw Tsuyu leap forwards to strike Hiryu with her powerful legs, sending him careening into a wall with a grunt.

"Go! I've got these guys!" Tsuyu said. Strelitzia nodded and then aimed at the ice wall.

"Fire!" A ball of fire struck the ice melting it to the point of collapse. She leaped over the rubble, and with flowmotion kicked off the walls to intercept Shoto. The nuke was still another floor up, but there was no reason to let him get any closer.

He attempted to hurl more ice chunks at her though she used Flowmotion to jump over them and come crashing down in front of him, unleashing a shockwave that sent him flying back.

As he hit the ground Shoto felt his frustration growing. He had assumed this would be an easy battle. He had though he could simply freeze the building and it would be over. He could simply walk in and lay his hand on the nuke to win, however, the villain team had, despite his expections, broken free and were now making him look like a fool.

This should have been over quick, but now he was getting bogged down in a fight he never wanted.

His mother's Quirk should have been enough for this. It should be enough for him to be a Hero. He was never going to rely on that man's powers. Yet despite this, at his failure he could see that man's smug smile in his mind's eye.

No! He'd show that man that he was wrong. That he wasn't necessary.

As Shoto rose to his feet, he took his stock of his opponent. Despite how powerful she was, Shoto had never heard of her before starting class at U.A.. Which was strange. She had seemingly come out of nowhere to get the highest score on the general entrance exam. Where had she come from? Who was she? Strelitzia. No last name. Was she a foreigner?

He swung his arm, unleashing more ice, and feeling the growing chill that filled him as he did so, a reminder of the limitations of this Quirk. Yet, when Strelitzia countered with fire, the hallway filled with heat, warming him up, allowing him to use his Quirk more.

Another wave of ice was unleashed, and another burst of flame countered it. Screw frustration, he was growing outright irritated at the conundrum before him. The heat from Strelitzia's flames was staving off his frostbite, invigorating him to use his mothers Quirk more. At the same time, however, it was also preventing him from making full use of said Quirk.

He launched another wave of ice and cold, only for it to again be countered by fire. He couldn't afford to get bogged down here. The Hero team had a time limit and this fight was running down the clock.

More ice, more fire.

And what was worse, her flames were unintentionally reminding him of that man. He growled, and felt a further heat build up in him. Once he noticed, however, he ruthlessly forced it down, chilling his own body.

Unfortunately, this distraction came at the worst possible moment. He felt something strike him in the back and pull him off balance. He quickly realized that it was Tsuyu's tongue and tried to rapidly freeze it to get her to let go, only for Strelitzia to throw her giant key at his feet, knocking him flat on the ground, aided by the pull of Tsuyu's tongue. He attempted to freeze her again as he rose.

Tsuyu let go of him in response but at the same time, Strelitzia held out her key which had somehow reappeared in her hands. Water blasted out of the tip washing over him just in time to be frozen.

Shoto had just frozen himself to the ground. He clenched his teeth, realizing that he had just lost. He immediately felt Tsuyi leap on top of him and wrap the capture tape around him.

This defeat was further capped off by hearing All Mights voice over his earpiece. "THE VILLAIN TEAM WINS!"

Strelitzia had heard over her radio that Tsuyu had managed to subdue the other two boys, and so she was ready to take advantage of Tsuyu's surprise attack against Shoto. The impromptu plan was a success, and All Might's announcement cinched it. They had won. With the fight over, Strelitzia dismissed her Keyblade and breathed a sigh of relief. She'd had some other plans she could have attempted, but she was glad she had been able to stop him here.

There was a slight hiss of steam emanating from Shoto as the ice around him began to slowly melt. He slumped to the ground as the ice binding him was melted. Strelitzia knelt before him, offering her hand.

Shoto seemed to hesitate, gritting his teeth slightly, before brushing her hand away, standing up on his own, and walking off.

Back in the conference room, All Might was now addressing the class in the aftermath of the most recent battle.

"Now that this trial is over, I'm going to have name the MVP of this battle as young Strelitzia!"

"M-me?" Strelitzia stammered. Truth be told, she had completely forgotten about that, her thoughts being consumed by the battle.

"Yes, you!" All Might said. "Now could any of the observers tell me why?"

At this, Izuku raised his hand.

"Of course! Young Midoriya."

"Well, All Might, sir, I think it has to do with how she managed to adapt. Her Quirk is strong, but it's more than just strength. Her fighting took full advantage of the versatility she had, allowing her to quickly respond to changing circumstances, and catch her enemies off guard, especially when Shoto had assumed team H would be frozen. Also, she used his own ice against him, first by melting it to make the stairs slippery, and then tricking him into freezing himself long enough to get captured." Izuku then began to mutter. "With her versatility, she could keep an opponent off balance by changing up her method of attack, while also negating the injuries she suffers and with her kinetic abilities she is very maneuverable with a speed of-"

"And there you have it!" All Might said, cutting off Izuku before he could get lost in his own thought. "Congratulations, Young Strelitzia for a job well done."

"Uh… t-thanks." She said. She wasn't sure if it was truly fair. She had a good deal more experience than her peers, giving her a major edge. Still, it was a good feeling to be recognized like that.

"Alright." All Might said. "Time for the next match!"

Chapter Text

Strelitzia was surprised when, while she and Relm were walking to school, she saw a large crowd outside the entrance.

"What's going on?" Strelitzia asked as they drew closer.

"Dunno." Relm said, picking up her pace. "Let's find out."

"Relm, wait up!" Strelitzia followed after her eager friend.

As the two of them drew closer, it became apparent just why all these people were here. She could see cameras, microphones, boomtubes, even smartphones and notepads.

"Reporters?" Strelitzia asked.

"I guess the news about All Might teaching at U.A. spread?" Relm speculated.

"People really like him, huh?"

"Well, duh! He's like the Number One Hero! Everyone likes him? Well, unless you have another favorite?"

Unfortunately, the crowd of reporters were blocking the entrance, meaning the two of them would have to pass through to get inside. Strelitzia steeled herself.

As they approached, to her displeasure, the crowd quickly took notice. Cameras and microphones were directed towards them.

"Hey you, you're a student right?" A woman in a blue suit approached her, while the crowd gathered around.

"Uh… yes?" She answered.

"So, what can you tell us about All Might! You've had a class with him right? What's he like as a teacher!" She asked while shoving a microphone in Strelitzia's face.

"Uh… well… he's…" Strelitzia struggled to find and put her words together to explain how she felt, only to feel Relm's hand grasp her wrist and pull her along, through the gate.

"C'mon, don't bother with the paparazzi."

"Paparazzi?! We're the media! We deserve more respect than that! We're here for our viewers who need to know all the details!" One reporter shouted, though Strelitzia and Relm ignored her.

As the two girls headed towards the door, there was suddenly the ringing of a klaxon. Both flinched and turned to see large metal barriers rising up around the school.

"What the-?" Relm asked.

"The defense system." Strelitzia reasoned. It made sense. This place was for Heroes in training.

"The school has one of these? Guess one of them tried something stupid."

"You didn't know? It was in those orientation papers they gave us. Didn't you read them?"

"I kiiinda only skimmed them."

"Well, you can-."

"And then I got bored and tried out paper mache with them."

"Relm!"

"Strelitzia!" Relm shot back.

There was a pause, and then both girls giggled.

"C'mon, most of that stuff is obvious!"

"Not the defense system, apparently." Strelitzia said.

"I suppose not. Besides, the paper didn't even end up being that good for the project anyways."

It wasn't long before they were all seated in class, with Mr. Aizawa standing at the lectern. After he finished commenting on the Battle Trials, he then turned to new topics.

"Let's get down to business. Our first task will decide your future." The students of the class grew tense at their teachers words, only to relax as he mentioned. "You need to pick a class representative."

The relief didn't last long, as there was a sudden explosion of activity as everyone started advocating for themselves.

"Pick me!"

"I wanna be class rep!"

"I'll take it."

"If I become class rep, I promise to make all skirts much shorter! And the shirts will- OW!"

"No! Me!"

"Someone with style will be the best!"

"No, me! I'm totally the best."

"WHATS WRONG WITH YOU EXTRAS! I'M THE ONLY CHOICE!"

"No, I'd be best!"

"SILENCE! EVERYONE! PLEASE!" Tenya spoke up, his authoritative voice cutting off the capaphony. "The class representative isn't something to be taken lightly. You must have the trust of everyone in the classroom. Therefore the most logical way for us to decide this is democratically. We should hold an election."

"But we barely know each other. How do we know who we can trust?" Asked Tsuyu.

"Besides, everyone will just vote for themselves." Eijiro said.

"Most people will, but wouldn't that prove that whoever does receive multiple votes is the most suited for the job? Isn't that right, Mr. Aizawa?"

Their teacher was currently wrapping himself up in a sleeping bag.

"Do whatever, just decide before my naps done." Before promptly falling asleep.

And so, very quickly, Momo made a stack of ballots which were passed out to everyone, and the voting commenced.

Strelitzia stared at her ballot, wondering what exactly she should do. A part of her wanted to just vote for someone else. Tenya had natural leadership qualities. He was good at taking charge of situations. A model student. Then there was Momo. During the battle trials she had shown great insight, though Izuku had as well, along with his ingenuity.

But that ingenuity also applied to Relm as well. Her Battle Trial had been fairly short, fighting alongside Reiko. Relm had painted up some noise makers carried by some painted birds to to distract the Villain team consisting of Denki and Kyouka while they approached, floating through a window on a literal carpet, to quickly lay hands on the nuke. It was a very effective strategy.

There were just so many good people to choose from.

But at the same time, she was reminded of Lady Ava choosing her to be a union leader for the Dandelions. She still couldn't believe it, even after all this time. A Foreteller had placed her trust in Strelitzia to carry on her legacy.

And that reminded her of how she had never gotten that chance. She still wasn't sure if it was selfish, but she still wanted to have that opportunity to lead. To help guide and teach others. And so, with a bit of hesitation, she made her decision.

"May my Heart be my guiding key."

The results were shocking, with herself at 2 votes and Izuku at 3.

"ALL RIGHT. WHICH OF YOU IDIOTS VOTED FOR THEM!" Katsuki loudly demanded.

"Really? You thought anyone was going to vote for you?" Hanta said.

"He seems pretty dense about that." Relm commented.

"Alright." It seemed Aizawa had woken up. "It seems the class rep is Midoriya, with Strelitzia as the deputy."

The two of them were standing before the class, with Midoriya trembling. "Really, are you sure it's not a mistake?"

Strelitzia herself was surprised that she had actually won. Had Relm voted for her? But she saw that Relm had one vote herself...

While she wasn't exactly sure she would be good at this, she was ready to at least give it a try.

"Don't worry, I think we'll do fine." She said, putting as much confidence into her words as she could.

The school day passed with little more fanfare. Classes went as normal, and soon enough it was lunchtime.

"Huh! It's always so crowded here!" Ochako said.

"Well, the school has just one lunch period, the Hero Course shares it with the Support, General Studies, and Business courses."

While the others made small talk, Izuku was simply staring at his food, not eating it.

"Is something wrong?" Relm said in between bites of rice.

"I'm still worried about the class rep thing. I-I still don't know if I'm qualified."

"Sure you are." Ochako said.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Strelitzia said.

"You'll do great." Tenya said. "You're courage and quick thinking under stress will make you a worthy leader. At least, those are the reasons I voted for you."

"You were one of the three?"

"Honestly, I'm still kind of surprised I got chosen." Strelitzia said.

"Well, I think you'll do good in the job." Relm said.

"Did you vote for me?" Strelitzia asked.

"Nah, I voted for myself."

"So then… who voted for me?" Strelitzia wondered.

"Wasn't me." Ochako said.

"So then who did you vote for?" Relm asked.

"Uh…" Ochako's perpetually blushing face got a little pinker. "That's a secret."

"Oh a secret, huh?" Relm asked, leaning in.

"Didn't you want to be rep really badly?" Ochako said hastily. "I mean, you do look the part, 'cause of the glasses."

"Wanting a job, and being suited for it are two different things. Serving the Iida family's agency has taught me that much."

"Agency? Hold on, what does your family do?"

"Oh… it's nothing." Iida said.

"Y'know, I've been wondering something about you." Ochako said, growing excited. "Admit it! You're filthy rich!"

"I…" Iida paused awkwardly. "I was worried people would treat me differently if they knew about my family."

"Iida... Iida... I thought that name sounded familiar!" Relm said. "The Iida family are a long line of Heroes! Your Ingenium's little brother, right?"

"Ingenium?" It was Izuku's turn to grow excited. "I know all about him. He's a super popular pro with 65 sidekicks working alongside him at his Tokyo agency!"

"Wow, you're family's famous!" Ochako said.

"Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honors the Hero code. As the second oldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him!" Iida said with pride.

"I get you. I know what that's like." Relm said.

"Relm? You're related to a Pro Hero to?" Ochako said.

"Yeah, my grandpa, Strago Magus, though you might know him as the Pro Hero Azulmagia!" Relm said.

"Azulmagia?!" Izuku's eyes were positively sparkling now. "The blue animal-themed Hero? That's so cool!"

"Yeah, he's mostly retired now, but he comes out for big crises and stuff." Relm said.

"Wow, that's so cool." Ochako said, before turning to Strelitzia. "Hey, so are you also related to a Hero?"

Strelitzia paused, as unfortunate memories came up. "Uh… Well, there's my brother-"

At that moment, a bell rung, followed by a voice over the intercom. "WARNING: LEVEL 3 SECURITY BREACH. ALL STUDENTS PLEASE EVACUATE THE BUILDING IN AN ORDERLY FASHION."

The intercom continued to repeat it's alert.

"What's a level 3 breach?" Tenya asked.

"It means someone managed to get past the school barriers!" A student answered. "This hasn't happened in my three years here! We have to get out of here!"

A Villain attack? Heartless? Strelitzia wondered. She formed Starlight in her hand.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the time to go investigate. A full blown panic had gripped the students, most of whom were rushing towards the exit, getting in each others way. Strelitzia got pulled along by the mob of frightened kids, Starlight being knocked out of her hands.

"Relm? Izuku?" She called out, but she didn't think she could be heard over the shouting and screaming. It just blended into the cacophony.

The pushing and shoving continued, and it was a risk of becoming a total stampede. She struggled to keep her balance against the constant press of students trying to get to safety. While with a Key-Bearers prodigious strength, she could have forced her way through, she feared that would make the situation worse.

It was then that she saw Tenya floating above the crowd. With his engines he (awkwardly) propelled himself towards the exit sign, balancing himself on top of it.

"Everyone calm down! It's just the media outside! There's nothing to worry about!" He said in a commanding voice. "We're U.A. students. We need to remain calm and prove we're the best of the best!"

At his words, the panic began to die down, and Strelitzia breathed a sigh of relief.

One week later…

Strelitzia sat at the breakfast table, opposite Artemicion, enjoying a breakfast of pancakes and rice omlettes. Artemicion wasn't too good at cooking, and Strelitzia was more than happy to do it as a return for taking her in.

"So, how is school going, kupo?" He asked.

"It's going pretty well, actually." Strelitzia said. She meant it too. While she had initially wanted to become a Hero to gain the freedom to go where she needed to go and investigate what she needed to investigate, she didn't mind making friends along the way.

"That's excellent, kupo. Though you aren't looking so well today." Artemicion observed.

"I just had some bad dreams." Strelitzia said. "I didn't get much sleep."

"Are you sure-"

"I'm alright." Strelitzia insisted.

Though she wasn't being entirely honest. Ever since the incident a week ago, Strelitzia had felt a persistent feeling of anxiety. A pit in her stomach, the anticipation something bad happening. From how it appeared, it seemed like it was just, as Relm put it: "Paparazzi being idiots as usual".

Yet Strelitzia couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it. The barrier had been destroyed somehow. Though considering the sheer variety of superpowers in Strelitzia had seen in this World, it wasn't too far fetched that one of those overzealous reporters had some sort of Quirk that could do that.

And perhaps it really was just that. Or at least, she hoped.

"Alrighty then." Artemicion said and then perked up. "Oh right, kupo. I almost forgot to tell you, kupo. My first bit of artificing in a such a long time is almost done."

"It is?"

"Yeah, It's been so long that I'm kinda rusty, though I think it's coming out fairly well."

"What is it?"

"Weeeeell… I kinda want it to be a surprise, kupo! You're going to have to just wait and find out!"

"Oh..." Strelitzia said, pouting slightly.

"Well, anyways, you should probably get going, kupo! Or you'll be late."

"Right!"

As she continued on the way to school, she came upon Relm, already on the way herself.

"Mornin' Strelitzia." She said.

"Good morning." Strelitzia answered, before yawning.

"You still tired?"

"I didn't sleep so well."

"How's about I paint you up some coffee then?" Relm asked.

"No, not falling for that again." Strelitzia chuckled. Relm had done that once, offering her a snack when Strelitzia had forgotten that all her creations were temporary and reverted back into paint if she didn't concentrate on them.

"Aww…" Relm sighed, before perking up. "So… have you thought up anything like a name?"

"A name?"

"Y'know, your hero name. Your title. Your moniker. Your nom de guerre. Something for the world to know you by!"

"Is that french? Are you french?" Strelitzia asked. Part of being a Key-Bearer was a gift for languages.

"Actually, spanish, kinda. My grandpa came here from Spain! There's a whole story but were getting away from the point."

"Which is..."

"Names!"

"Well, I haven't really thought of one." Strelitzia said. "Besides, isn't that a part of the Hero Course?"

"Well yeah, but where's the fun in that?"

"Then, what's yours?"

"The Art Hero: Pictomancer!" Relm announced, holding up one of the paintbrushes she always kept on her.

"Sounds great!" Strelitzia said.

"So what about yours?"

"I still don't know what to go with."

"Howabout the Key Hero, Keynote?" Relm said. "Since you have that big key n'all."

"Uhh… I don't think so..."

"Lockmaster?"

"No..."

"Locksmith?"

"Still not really my thing."

"Ohh… I know howabout..."

After the incident with the reporters, classes had continued as normal. After the battle trials, Hero Training wound up being something like a P.E. class, if a lot more intense. The main focus was on obstacle courses, and students using their Quirks to the best of their ability to complete them. There were added factors, like obstacles specifically designed around Quirk use, specified to various students abilities.

Without the pressure of something like Aizawa's Quirk Apprehension Test, the proceed at a more relaxed pace, with All Might (and other teachers when he wasn't in) giving advice, pointers, and allowing for repeated tries and the correction of mistakes.

The training wasn't that difficult for Strelitzia, Flowmotion and her general experience made things rather easy. Though a few other students did struggle, particularly those who's Quirks didn't help with movement.

The only significant change was Izuku relinquishing his class representative position to Tenya. While she was slightly upset as she felt he really deserved the position, she wasn't going to object to his decision, and Tenya was a good fit.

All it all, things were proceeding at a calm pace. That was until today.

Aizawa stood at the lectern, addressing his class.

"Today's training will be a little different. You'll have three instructors. Me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you."

"What kind of training is this?" Hanta asked.

"Rescue training." Aizawa said. "You'll be learning how to deal with natural disasters, shipwrecks, that sort of thing."

This sent ripples of excitement through the class, students eagerly talking among each other.

"Guys, I'm not finished yet. You'll be wearing your costumes today, if you want to, though keep in mind most of you aren't yet used to them and they may hinder your abilities until you're better trained." Aizawa pressed a button and the wall panel opened, reveal the briefcases containing the students costumes. "This training will take place at an off-campus facility. So we'll be taking a bus to get there. That's all."

For her part, Strelitzia felt some degree of interest. Rescue training could be a serious upgrade to her abilities. While she had experience in many of the things they taught in this school, rescuing people from accidents and disasters wasn't truly one of them. Keyblade Wielders had been mostly focused on hunting down Heartless so combat was her forte.

As she picked up the briefcase holding her dress, the though entered her mind of a comparison between Key-Bearers and Pro Heroes. Heroes were far more involved with the people there were sworn to protect, constantly interacting with them. It hadn't been focused on much yet, but interacting with the public was part of the curriculum of the Hero Course.

In contrast Key-Bearers were generally expected to keep their distance from the people in the various places they visited, to not disturb their order. Ideally, their presence was unnoticed. Their purpose was to hunt Heartless.

Looking back, Strelitzia wondered if that detachment had been part of the problem. Would the Keyblade War have happened if some things were different? Key-Bearers had become obsessed with gathering Lux to the exclusion of all else, even to the point of turning on each other. Destructive fights had raged through Daybreak Town. Even the Foretellers had been seen clashing.

Maybe if they interacted with the rest of the World more, the War would not have happened. Could that be true? She wasn't sure. And she had no way of being sure, unfortunately.

Discussion at the bus stop was cut short by the shrill sound of a whistle blowing as Tenya tried to get everyone to form orderly lines to load the bus by seat number.

While Strelitzia thought it was a little much, at least he was taking the position as class president seriously.

Of course it ended up not mattering as the open seating of the bus made it meaningless.

"The open layout ruined my good seating strategy."

"You need to chill." Mina said.

"Well, if we're pointing out the obvious, then there's something I need to say." Tsuyu turned to Izuku. "About you actually."

"A-about me? What is it Asui?" He said.

"I said to call me Tsu."

"OH, sorry!"

"Anyways, it's about your Quirk. Isn't it a lot like All Might's?"

"Huh, really? I-I mean, I n-never thought about that. I mean, I guess it's..." Izuku trailed off into muttering.

"But All Might doesn't hurt himself, does he? Still, it must be pretty nice to have a simple kind of augmenting Quirk. You can do a lot of flashy stuff with it. My Hardening can destroy bad guys, but it's really not that much to look at." Eijiro held out his arm and it transformed into a more rocky like appearance.

"Now way! I think it's definitely Pro Hero material!"

"Yeah, but I could do a lot better with something flashier, y'know?"

"Hey, don't knock a defensive Quirk like that. Being able to take hits is really useful." Relm said.

"But couldn't you paint up some armor?" Kyoka asked.

"Well, yeah, but then I'd have to concentrate on to make it stay around longer than a few minutes, and that prevents me from painting anything else. And still it'd fall apart if it took too much punishment. Better to just make a wall in that case."

"My Navel Laser is the perfect combination of panache and strength!" Yuga boasted.

"Yeah, but if it gives you a stomachache, that's way lame, sweetie." Mina shot back.

"Well, if any of our classmates are perfect Pro material, it has to be Strelitzia, Bakugo and Todoroki."

"Sure, but Bakugo's always angry, so he'll never be that popular."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" Katsuki stood up, leaning over towards Tsuyu.

"Y'see?" She replied.

"Y'know we just met you, so it's kinda telling that we can all tell your personality is like flaming crap mixed with garbage." Denki said.

"WHAT?! I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET APPLYING TO THIS SCHOOL!" Katsuki shouted back.

Other students giggled while Tenya tried to break up the growing argument. Meawhile, poor Izuku seemed to be freaking out. Strelitzia leaned over, about to try and comfort him only to be interrupted when their teacher spoke.

"Hey, were here. Quiet down."

"Here" turned out to be a large dome-like structure. Despite how Aizawa explained it, it was still technically part of U.A.'s campus, and Strelitzia had to marvel at just how massive the school truly was. It was larger than some entire cities!

Outside the entrance was a figure dressed in what appeared to be an astronauts suit. While Strelitzia had never seen this person before, at this point, she knew enough to turn to her friend, who was already launched into a starstruck explanation.

"Wow, it's the Space Hero, Thirteen! She's super chivalrous and has saved countless people from disasters all over the world!" Izuku exclaimed.

"Thirteen?" That number. She had a strange feeling thinking about it. Not quite déjà vu. Not quite apprehension. But something else...

"Thirteen is one of my favorite Heroes!" Ochako said.

"I can't wait to show you all what's in side. Come with me!" Thirteen said.

As Strelitzia entered the facility after the rest of the students, she found herself gasping like everyone else. Her first impression was that it strongly resembled an amusement park. But instead of rides, attractions, and areas, there areas clearly simulating different disasters.

One area was a miniature lake containing a sinking ship, into which a raging river emptied. Another was what looked like a landslide, while a third was what looked to be a bunch of collapsed buildings and another a replica mountain.

There were also two smaller domes. One glowed and she guessed it simulated a fire, while she couldn't quite tell on her own what the other was, though Thirteen called it a storm simulation.

"I created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters. I call it the Unforseen Simulation Joint. Though you can call it the U.S.J.!"

"Hey, shouldn't All Might be here?" Aizawa asked as he approached Thirteen.

Thirteen leaned in and said something to answer him, though Strelitzia couldn't make it out. Aizawa shrugged and turned back to the class.

"Clocks ticking, we should get started."

"Excellent." Thirteen turned towards the class, and after a bit of a false start, she began speaking. "Listen carefully. I'm sure your aware that I have a powerful Quirk. It's called Black Hole. It can suck up anything and turn it into dust."

Hmm… Black Hole. While obviously unrelated, she had heard of powerful Gravity magic called that.

"Yeah, you've used black hole to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven't you?" Izuku asked.

"True, but my Quirk can also be very easily used to kill." There was a ripple of unease at these words. "In our superhuman society, Quirks are very strictly regulated, so we often overlook how dangerous they can often be. Please don't forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move your powers can be deadly, even if you are trying to so something virtuous like rescue someone."

Strelitzia understood this. Part of learning magic was keeping an eye out for potential collateral damage. Fire could spread easily, Quake could damage or weaken structures. Magic was dangerous, and Quirks were no different in the potential to cause destruction if used unwisely.

"Thanks to Aizawa's fitness test, hav a solid idea of your Quirks potential. And because of All Mights combat training, you experience how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons over to this class. Today, you're going to learn how to use your Quirks to save peoples lives. You won't be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help. After all, that's what being a hero is all about. Ensuring the safety of others. That's all I have to say, thank you for listening." Thirteen bowed.

Class 1-A clearly agreed with her words. They were truly inspiring, and many of them cheered or clapped. Strelitzia was about to join in, only to pause.

She felt a chill. A strange and uneasy feeling, right in her Heart.

What is this feeling? Something was wrong. Very wrong. Strelitzia looked around the facility, only to see the lights flicker and then go out, casting the entire U.S.J. into shadow.

In the center of the facility, by the fountain, she could see something she recognized. A Dark Corridor. Darkness coalesced, forming into a vortex with telltale yellow eyes. Out of the darkness, she could see figures start to emerge.

"What's going on?"

"Stay together and don't move!" Aizawa spoke with an urgency she hadn't heard from him before. "Thirteen, protect the students!"

Out of the darkness emerged a single figure. A man clad in all black, save for pale hands attached to him. After him, many, many other sinister figures stalked out. Some brandished weapons, while others had obvious and dangerous Quirks.

"Wait, is it starting already? I thought we were rescuing people?" Eijiro asked.

"Are they part of the training?" Mina asked.

"Stay back!" Aizawa ordered. He was putting on a pair of yellow goggles that hid his eyes. "This is real. Those are villains!"

After the smaller villains, another figure emerged. This massive creature stalked forwards on all fours, its sharp claws tearing furrows in the ground. It was massive monster of oily black skin and muscles bulging to the point where the could be seen as they ripped apart the skin containing them.

It's head was dog-like, with large curved horns emerging from it's head, which also had an exposed brain. The creatures teeth were razor sharp and locked in a snarl. Saliva dripped from it's maw to sizzle on the pavement beneath it.

But the villains weren't all there was.

Unbidden, Starlight formed in Strelitzia's hand. The weapon was eager, shaking and jerking of it's own accord, rising to the challenge as its Wielder could hear the watery sound she was all to familiar with. Heartless began to emerge from their Dark Corridors all over the facility. Shadows and Soldiers, Symphonies and Darkballs, Armored Knights and Archers. Heartless of all types appeared.

Strelitzia took a fighting stance as the Dark Corridor the villains emerged from transformed, coalsescing into a more humanoid shape, but not before two final figures emerged from the vortex. A blue-haired man in a grey and violet robe and draped in cloak of black feathers. He wore a bone white mask loosely resembling a bird which hid his face. He leaned rather heavily on a cane.

The second was a feminine figure in a black coat. The hood obscured her face in shadow so her features could not be made out, but the design of her coat was all too familiar to Strelitzia.

The masked man looked up and spoke, his voice sounding across the U.S.J..

"Now that everyone's here, the show can begin…"

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Relm sighed.

This was bad. This was very very bad. Today was supposed to be rescue training, something Relm was seriously looking forward to, as was most of her class. She was excited to learn how to put her abilities to the test in rescues. Of course, villains had to be assholes, and now, instead of painting up creative solutions to rescue people in danger, she was instead probably going to dehydrate herself just trying to stay alive.

Even worse since she had lost her canvas when that shadowy asshole had warped everyone, and now she had to rely on walls and floors to paint on, which limited her mobility.

"How is he holding up?" She asked, turning to the two boys with her. Hanta was currently keeping watch over a very haggard and pale Mashirao. Relm tried not to linger too long on just how red his formerly white gi now was.

When they had landed, the three of them had been caught off guard, alone, each ambushed by a group of villains. While Relm and Hanta had gotten away with only minor injuries, Mashirao had gotten it far worse. A villain had transformed his hands into massive mouths filled with razor sharp teeth and before Mashirao could counter with his tail, he had bitten off his left arm above the elbow.

Relm had just finished painting up a tiger which had then proceeded to fight the villains, keeping them at bay long enough for the students to rescue their classmate. Though rescued was kind of subjective here considering how long they would be safe was starting to look shorter and shorter.

"Not good." Hanta said. Neither of them were especially skilled at first aid. That was what this class was supposed to be for after all. Still, they had been able to use Hanta's tape to make an improvised tourniquet, though it was only a temporary solution. "We have to get him to Recovery Girl, fast."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound so likely." Relm said, trying to sound neutral to cover how frightened she was. She wasn't anywhere near ready for this. She wondered how the others were doing. How Strelitzia was doing. Her best friend was a lot more powerful and skilled than she let on, certainly far more so than pretty much anyone else in her class. Still, she should be focusing on herself and her two companions now.

Especially as she heard footsteps elsewhere in the building.

"Come out, come out, kiddies." One of the villains taunted.

"That appetizer was nice, but now I'm ready for the main course!" That must have been the bastard who took Mashirao's arm.

"Guys… leave… save yourselves." Mashirao managed to croak out.

Relm hated to admit it to herself, but she was seriously tempted to just try and flee. But to leave her classmates behind at the mercy of these fuckers? "Not a chance!"

"Please, stay quiet." Hanta said. "You need to save your strength."

"They're not far from here!" One of the villains sounded.

Relm gripped her paintbrush, leaning against the walls. The footsteps were coming closer. She could also hear that watery sound of those shadow monsters appearing. It probably wouldn't take them too long to reach where they were holed up in. She suspected one of them had a scent enhancing Quirk.

During All Might's battle trials, she had been on the attacking side, though she wondered how it would be to defend. Looks like she was about to find out. Lucky her.

The footsteps drew even closer. It was now or never. Paint formed on her forearms and flowed down to the brush. She quickly ran it across the wall, the paint flowing into place at her direction to form into the image of a tiger. Once finished, the painting came to life, the great cat stalking directly off the wall.

And just in time too. The crude barricade they set up didn't last long, a hammer like fist punched through it.

"HEEEEEEERE'S- AUUUGH!" He never got to finish whatever quip he had been trying to make as 200 kilograms of feline fury leaped directly at his face with a deafening roar. At the same time as the tiger tackled him, another villain brandishing a machete managed to leap over the beast and came charging towards the students, cackling all the while.

Hanta attempted to strike at him with his tape, though it wasn't too effective, the villain cutting through it. However, it did buy enough time for Relm to paint up another beast, this one roughly resembling a lion. The lion tackled the villain to the ground, forcing him to drop his weapon.

Unfortunately, another villain rushed past him, quickly picking up the machete. He laughed as he charged towards Relm, who realized she didn't have enough time to paint anything else. She futilely threw up her hands, waiting for the pain.

Only it never happened, instead, she heard a shriek from the villain. Daring to open her eyes, she looked ahead to see the villain was now pinned to the wall by an inky black knife. The same went for the other villains in the room as shadowy weapons painfully pierced their bodies, holding them in place.

The culprit seemed to be a man clad in all black like a ninja. In a blur, he struck at the pinned villains with a loud crack as his fists and feet connected, knocking them out or worse.

"W-who are you?" She asked. The man said nothing, instead looking about the room. His gazed lingered on her noticeably longer than others before he disappeared with a flicker.

"So what was that all about?!" She asked.

Strelitzia kept up Flowmotion as she rushed through the ruined city training area, cleaving through wandering Heartless as she did so. She was followed closely behind by Reiko, riding on a flying carpet and telekinetically hurling objects at more distant enemies, the others having headed towards other biomes to help there.

Initially, she couldn't see any villains, though as she moved deeper into the training area, they started to appear. They were gathered around the entrance to a building. Some were backing off, while others were still eager enter. That was where her classmates had to be.

Not wasting any time, Strelitzia sprung into action.

"Aerora!" A ball of highly compressed air was shot forth from her Keyblade to land straight in the middle of the mass of Villains and explode. The resulting wind sent the enemy flying, to smash painfully against walls and rubble. There was no time to be gentle here, not when her classmates lives were at stake.

"I've got this." Reiko said, levitating the collection of handcuffs that Momo had given her. "Go give a scare to the ones inside!"

Strelitzia nodded and rushed into the building. As she did, however, she encountered few villains. Most had seemingly been outside. And curiously the villains inside seemed surprised to see her. Even though they were running in her direction, it looked more like they were fleeing from something.

In short order, she had made it to her destination, and she felt a chill run through her as she saw the bloodstains, and the bodies. Thankfully, none of them were of her classmates.

"Hello? Anyone there?" She called out.

"S-Strelitzia? Is that you?" A familiar voice answered.

"Relm?!" Strelitzia rushed towards her friend, entering the room she as well as Hanta and Mashirao were holed up in. The situation was not good. Aside from the bodies of the villains, her classmates were in bad shape. Relm had several bruises and cuts, as did Hanta, but the worst off was Mashirao who was missing an entire arm.

"Cura!" Not wasting any time, Strelitzia used the strongest healing she could, spreading it out across all the students. Still, while it closed Mashirao's wound, it wasn't strong enough to regrow the limb. At least it would prevent him from bleeding out.

"T-thanks." Mashirao said.

"What happened?" She asked.

"They had us cornered. I thought it was all over when suddenly this ninja looking guy showed up and did… that… to those villains." Relm explained.

"Ninja looking guy?" Strelitzia asked.

"I dunno. Maybe he was a Hero. Have Heroes shown up to help?"

"No." Strelitzia answered in confusion. "At least, not that I've seen."

"So who was that then?" Hanta asked.

"Dunno, but it seems they're on our side." Mashirao said, weakly.

Strelitzia turned to him. "I'm sorry. But you shouldn't be speaking. Try to conserve your energy, you've lost a lot of blood."

"So what do we do now?" Hanta asked.

"You should try to get him out of here. The entrance is cleared. Thirteen is down but the others are safe there." Strelitzia said. With Shoto having formed a wall of ice and Hiryuu shooting at any Villains that tried to approach, alongside Aizawa still fighting the Villains in the plaza, the place was safe enough now that the Darkness villain was gone.

"Y-yeah, yeah. All right. I can paint up something to carry us there." Relm answered.

"Good."

"What will you do?" Hanta asked.

"I'm going to try and rescue anyone else." Strelitzia said, before rushing off. "Is there anyone else in this zone?"

"No, we were separated first before we found each other." Relm said.

"Good, then, I'm needed elsewhere." Strelitzia said, before rushing off. She took off, exiting the building where Reiko had already made good on her efforts to bind all the villains. She gave her a brief nod before activating Flowmotion and heading towards the edge of the zone to observe what was-

Aizawa was down.

Aizawa was down.

Last she had seen he had been holding his own, but now, he wasn't. Instead, he was lying face down in a pool of his own blood. His limbs were twisted at wrong angles and were cracked and chipped somehow, exposing the muscle and bone underneath, and he wasn't moving, pinned down by the claws of that giant bestial Villain. The figure in the black cloak sat on the beasts back, while the bird masked man had remained where he had been since his arrival, seemingly observing.

The likely culprit was the Villain with the hands, who was walking away from him, headed towards the Flood Zone… where Izuku, Tsuyu, and Minoru were currently swimming near the shore. It was clear what he intended to do.

"Hastera! Aerora!" Strelitzia sprung into action, pain running through her body as the time magic pushed her past her limits. She was weaker now. Not as acclimated to time magic as she had been before, she couldn't keep this up long at all. Still, she grit her teeth and pushed through the pain, launching herself with air magic and Flowmotion, flying like a cannon from the Ruin Zone and across the plaza, making it just as the Villain was reaching out towards Tsuyu. Swinging as hard as she could, she brought down Starlight on him…

…and sliced clean through his right arm at the shoulder.

The Villain staggered back, shocked for a moment before he began to scream, gripping the stump with his remaining hand, blood running between his fingers.

Strelitzia placed herself in between him and her classmates, in a fighting stance, Starlight held out. She probably wasn't supposed to be feeling vindictive, and hadn't done it with that specific aim, but payback for Mashirao's arm felt good.

"Well, this is an interesting development." The bird-masked Villain said, he cocked his head as he turned towards her, seemingly unconcerned with his fellow Villains injury. She kept her guard up, waiting, but he made no moves to attack, simply leaning on his cane.

"Fucking stupid, ganking, bitch!" The Villain cursed as he staggered about. He turned towards her, his eyes glaring at her with pure hate from beneath his hand-mask. He then turned to the bestial Villain behind him. "Fucking bitch thinks she's more than a trash mob. Nomu show her what a real boss is! Kill her!"

At it's leader's shouts 'Nomu' let go of Aizawa and moved, the sudden motion even knocking the cloaked figure off his back as the beast stalked forwards, growling.

Chapter Text

Strelitzia sized up the creature as it stalked towards her. This Nomu was big, towering over her, roughly the size of an elephant, if not bigger. Claws like blades, teeth like knives, horns like lances. A frill rose up on it's back as it approached.

She'd fought bigger.

Nomu's claws dug into the pavement, and it was her only warning before it shot forwards, mouth open to crush her in its jaws. Strelitzia dove to the side, as the creature chomped down with an audible snap.

It didn't waste any time, even as she dodged and it's attack missed, it was already turning towards her, its body twisting as it pushed forwards. Strelitzia was forced to leap back, dodging a series of swipes and slashes from razor sharp claws.

All the while, it's thick tail thrashed, cracking the pavement and destroying lampposts. As it went for a bite again, she leaped up, striking down with her Keyblade against what seemed to be a weak spot, its exposed brain.

To her surprise, the attack did nothing instead bouncing off. Unprepared for the sudden resistance, Strelitzia's arm jerked. She let go of Starlight, spinning to land at Nomu's side. There, she re-summoned her weapon and struck again at its flank. The weapon again bounced off. Strelizia moved with the momentum, bouncing back to swing around a lamppost, utilizing Flowmotion to unleash a spinning strike. Again, there was no effect, the creature barely even reacting. Instead, it swiped it's tail, catching Strelitzia off guard. She was sent flying, spiraling to hit the ground painfully, Starlight bounced out of her hand as she rolled.

Regaining her wits and gritting through the pain, she looked up to see Nomu stalking towards her, saliva dripping out of its mouth to sizzle on the pavement, claws unsheathed and tail thrashing back and forth.

It made move to pounce, and Strelitzia called Starlight back to her hand, only for it to be just a moment too late-

"SMASH!" It took a moment for Strelitzia to process the entire sequence of events resulting in a large cloud of dust being kicked up forcing Strelitzia to shield her eyes. As Nomu had leaped towards her, Izuku had leaped out of the water, striking in desperation at at Nomu as hard as he could.

Unfortunately, it had no effect. Nomu was unharmed, and surprisingly, so was Izuku, much to his surprise, seemingly on both fronts.

"H-how?"

"Strength is meaningless. You'll find no purchase there." Strelitzia turned, to see the bird-masked man speaking, his voice a strange cadence. "Shock absorption; Nomu's power scribed. Selected from among many to be hallowed All Might's demise. The hunters tool, the perfect sword, forged to kill the so-called Hero. Even his vaunted strength would ring hollow 'gainst a foe of this like. Matched to him, a mere stripling is but fodder, fit to whet his appetite for the feast to follow."

Nomu turned towards Izuku, and swung it's claws. Fortunately, Tsuyu was already in motion, wrapping her tongue around Izuku and yanking him out of the way, as at the same time, Minoru hurled his sticky balls at Nomu, attaching its feet to the ground.

Much as she had her misgivings about the boy and disliked being around him, she at least was grateful for his Quirk in this situation. Even Nomu was struggling to break free after stepping on them.

It gave her time to prepare.

Starlight appeared in her hands once more and she began casting.

"Cura!" Her scrapes, bruises, and cracked bones were healed. This was followed by a Protera, forming a skintight defensive barrier around herself, Bravera to increase her strength, and Vigilance to increase her reaction times.

It proved to be just enough time, as Nomu ripped itself free from Minoru's snare, pulling up chunks of the ground along with the balls. Before it could move to attack its would-be captor, Strelizia dashed forwards, kicking off a chunk of debris to charge flowmotion and slamming into the creatures side. Again, it didn't even react, as the energy cleared.

It didn't feel like she was hitting flesh like a normal human, or the metal carapace of a robot, or even the strange… Darkness… a Heartless was comprised of. Instead, it felt like she was hitting rubber of some sort. Like a tire.

It was clear physical attacks weren't going to cut it. As Nomu turned towards her with a claw swipe, she backed away, casting a spell.

"Aero!" Strelitzia swung Starlight, letting lose a blade of air. The strike struck Nomu on the shoulder, though it did little more than stagger it for a brief moment. Strelitzia used that opening to unleash a greater volley of magic.

"Fire!" She chanted, unleashing a barrage of fireballs at Nomu, detonating against it's front and side. Smoke billowed out as the villain reeled back slightly from the heat, the fire leaving burns on its body.

Then, Strelitzia watched in awe as Nomu healed. The injuries shifted, new flesh and skin forming over where the flames had injured it.

It could also regenerate. Great.

"Fira!" She held out Starlight in both hands, unleashing broad jet of searing flame as if from oversized flamethrower to wash over Nomu, completely engulfing it. Maybe if she could deal enough damage all at once she could-

Her train of though was interrupted as she heard the cracking of pavement that signified Nomu's movement.

It emerged from the flame cloud, engulfed in fire as it leaped towards her, claws outstretched. She backed away, feeling the wind as Nomu's claws barely missed her head. Letting go of the spell she leaped to the side, using Flowmotion to put some distance between them as the now blazing Nomu skidded on the concrete before digging in its claws and proceeding to dash towards her like a fiery missile with huge, ground-eating strides.

Strelitzia was forced onto the back foot, desperately dodging flaming attacks as the two of them moved across the USJ. Even with a second tier protect spell, she didn't think she could withstand a direct hit from Nomu, especially with it on fire like that. The flames didn't even meaningfully impede Nomu, it's flesh was burning and healing in equal measure and it could still charge, pounce, and bite with all the same force and dexterity it had been before. She could feel the heat radiating off the Villain, and in the wind stirred up from every attempted swing, every pass, every leap.

As it was, she was stuck defending, unable to find any breathing room to cast a spell as Nomu's barrage was relentless. She was almost completely focused on dodging, only able to spare the barest glance to her surroundings, and that only thanks to Vigilance. It was through this however that an opening presented itself when she backed up against the wall that was the side of the staircase. As Nomu lunged at her, she leaped back, using Flowmotion to run up the wall. For a brief moment, Nomu was stuck, allowing Strelitzia a little breathing room.

"Watera!" A broad torrent of high pressure water emerged from Starlight, slamming down on Nomu with a force that for a normal person would break skin and shatter bones. The impact cracked the tiles of the floor yet against the villain, it seemingly had no effect, the Shock Absorbtion ability negating the impact. It did however, neatly extinguish the flames.

Strelitzia kicked off the wall, landing behind the villain as it broke free. Maybe she could try to restrain it. It would easily break through any stone walls she tried to put up so instead… "Gravira!"

The spell formed a brief dark sphere, engulfing Nomu, increasing it's weight and it did nothing.

The villain didn't even seem to notice the increased gravity, such was its strength. It continued almost unabated, and Strelitzia was forced to release the spell as it charged. She managed to avoid its claws but was clipped by its arm, sending her sprawling across the floor in pain as Nomu ran past her, the protection spell pushed to it's limit by even that glancing blow.

As she struggled to her feet, she looked up to see Nomu just about to leap towards her again from the other side. She was in no state to dodge quickly enough. She raised Starlight, prepared to at least try to deflect it, only for a strange fluid to instead rain down on Nomu.

Immediately, its flesh began to sizzle and hiss as the acid ate through Nomu's body. Nomu stopped and looked up, and Strelitzia followed its gaze to see that others were joining in. Reiko was levitating a chunk of debris with Mina and Hiryu riding along.

Hiryu was firing his scales though they were having comparatively little effect to the acid Mina was raining down.

Nomu attempted to leap up at them, but Reiko quickly moved her platform out of the way, taking her classmates safely out of the way of the Villains claws.

As it landed a wave of ice and cold swept across the plaza, freezing Nomu to the ground. Shoto had arrived.

As Nomu struggled to break free of the ice, Strelitia rose to her feet, taking advantage of the lull to prepare more fully.

Hefting Starlight, she began casting.

"Cura!" A soft light washed over her as her wounds healed. With that taken care of, she moved to her next spell. She needed more power if she was going to do anything lasting to this creature, or at least, to be certain of it. And thus her next spell. "Faith!"

Almost immediately, Strelitzia felt a surge of confidence and clarity of mind. With this, her magical abilities were enhanced, which she took almost immediate advantage of, targeting its regenerative abilities.

"Bio!" A greenish aura engulfed Nomu and Strelitzia watched as it's flesh roiled. The spell sapped away at the villains vitality, causing its body to decay at the same time as its regeneration tried to recover it. The scene reminded her oddly of boiling water; hunks of rubbery black flesh degraded and sloughed off, then bubbled back into existence, only to repeat the process. Even if she had a talent for it, she didn't like using this kind of magic.

Nomu was staggering as it's limbs were not spared this effect, the damage and healing throwing the villain off balance. The damage was further exacerbated by Mina's acid, searing through the villains rubbery hide. All throughout this, Nomu didn't seem to be perturbed in any way. No cries of pain, no grimaces or changes of expression, not even any winces or flinching.

Shoto turned towards her, giving her a strange look, though Strelitzia couldn't dwell on that now. They had to press this advantage why the sap effect lasted.

"Keep attacking!" She said. "Freeze it!"

Shoto nodded, and held out his hand, only to grimace and collapse to the ground, shivering. He had frost running across his body, though unlike before it didn't look by choice.

"It's too cold. After fighting the other villains I've reached my limit."

Thinking quickly, Strelitzia raised Starlight. "Barfrost!"

Shoto visually warmed up as the spell took hold, stopping his shivering and having his full range of motion. He rose, clenching and unclenching his hands. "You can..."

"Attack!" Strelitzia interrupted.

Shoto nodded, and with a wave of his arm, a surge of ice and cold stormed forth. Adding to the chill, Strelizia cast Blizzara, sending the dual cold wave storming towards their foe. Amazingly, despite the injuries and hindrances, Nomu still managed to partially avoid the attack, the wave of cold catching it on its right side; its right legs were encased in ice.

It hadn't been what she had been hoping for, but Nomu was still restrained and massively weakened. Meaning she was now free to tend to other urgent matters, namely Mr. Aizawa.

Her teacher remained where he lay, forgotten by the villains now that he was down, though the same couldn't be said for the Heartless as pack of Shadows was converging on him.

"Thunder Surge!" Lightning wreathed Strelitzia as she dashed forwards, striking at the Heartless, destroying them before they could finish him off.

With the enemies cleared for the moment, she looked down at her unconscious teacher. Mr. Aizawa was in bad shape. He was bleeding profusely from the head, parts of his arm were straight up missing exposing the muscle underneath, and there were deep gashes in his back where Nomu's claws had torn into him.

"Cura!" A soft light shone over Aizawa, and his wounds closed, the gashes on his back were reduced to deep cuts and began to scab over, new flesh grew over the exposed muscle, and his head wound stopped bleeding. He was still unconscious, but at least he was stable.

As she finished the spell, Strelitzia felt a wave of fatigue, and she propped up Starlight, leaning on it to catch her breath. She had been using a lot of magic today, using techniques and spells that were once trivial but now costly. Haste, Faith, Vigilance, Bio...

She wasn't out yet, but her magic reserves were dwindling and she would eventually need to let them recharge. She didn't have that many casts left.

But for now…

"Strelitzia!" A familiar voice sounded from above. She looked up to see Relm flying towards her, riding on the back of a painted creature that looked roughly like a pterodactyl. She circled down towards her, quickly leaping off her mount once it was low enough.

"Relm?"

"Are you okay? Is… is… is Mr. Aizawa gonna be okay?" She asked, looking down at her wounded teacher.

"He should be." She'd cast another healing spell, but she needed to conserve the energy. He was stable, thankfully, so Recovery Girl could tend to him.

"So what now?" Relm asked, looking from Aizawa to Nomu, who at that moment broke free of the ice it had been trapped in. Unfortunately, (for it), the freezing hadn't just been on the outside, it's right legs were frozen completely through and they broke off, sending the villain staggering to the ground.

Its flesh continued to shift and roil and Strelitzia could see muscle and bone exposed on Nomu's stumbs. They shuddered and bubbled as Nomus regeneration attempted to restore its missing limbs. New flesh and bone grew and decayed off in equal measure, leaving the villain disabled, at least while the spell lasted.

Meanwhile, the other villains in the area were keeping their distance, either intimidated by Strelitzia and Shoto, or wanting to keep their distance from the thrashing Nomu. The bird-masked villain remained motionless, like he had for much of the battle, while the shadowy villain was attempting to tend to the wounds of the hand-masked villain who was clearly their leader. The Heartless were dwindling, few left.

"Take Mr. Aizawa back up the stairs to Thirteen."

"Uh… Thirteen's down as well."

"What?!" Shoto asked.

"They said that shadowy guy turned her own Quirk against her!"

"Are there any Villains up there now?" Shoto asked.

"No. She's down, but everythings still calm up there. Momo and Hanta are trying to do what they can to tend to Thirteen's injuries now. In good news, Tenya managed to get away!"

"He did?" Strelitzia asked.

"Yeah, he slipped past the Villains and made it to the exit.

That was good news! With his speed, even if communications were down, he could run over to get help in person. Reinforcements were on the way.

"Then take Aizawa up there where it's safe. Hold down until the Heroes arrive."

"O-okay, what will you do?"

"We'll-"

"Look out!" Shoto interrupted, throwing up a wall of ice. Less than a second afterwards, something impacted the ice, shattering it in a pulse of light.

"Go! Now!" Strelitzia shouted as she shielded her head from ice shards.

Relm nodded, and the pterodactyl picked up Aizawa as she leaped on top. As she took off, she narrowly had to dodge one of the projectiles being fired. A gray-white sphere that Strelitzia recognized. Ruin.

That wasn't a Quirk! That was… magic!

She looked towards where the Ruin spell had come from, and sure enough, the figure in the black coat now held some sort of scepter in her hands. With Relm out of range, she turned to fire at Strelitzia and Shoto. Both dove out of the way in opposite directions as the sphere was launched towards them.

As Shoto landed, he ran his fingers along the ground, letting lose a wave of ice. The black-coat villain dodged the line of ice, though Strelitzia followed up with an Aero spell, blowing her off her feet. With Flowmotion, Strelitzia leaped over to her as the villain hit the ground. She attempted to rise, only to be tackled.

"Who are you?" Strelitzia demanded.

"None of your business. Aero!" The villain returned the favor, the air spell blasting her square in the chest. Not only was she caught off guard by the attack, she hadn't been expecting any serious magical attacks and had neglected a to cast a Shell spell.

She felt pain the rending wind sent her flying to land painfully. Still, she couldn't just lay here, she needed answers. She pushed herself to her knees and-

Blood. Her blood. Strelitzia froze, feeling a chill as memories of her death flooded back into her. Like she was back on that warehouse floor and-

"Strelitzia!" A familiar voice shook her out of her stupor. A shadow fell over her as the platform carrying Reiko, Hiryu and Mina lowered towards her. Mina called out. "Are you okay?"

"C-Cure!" Strelitzia chanted, and healing light washed over her. The injury wasn't as bad as she had initially thought. She was a Key-Bearer. Even without defensive magic she was still far more durable than normal.

"I'm fine." Strelitzia insisted dropping into a fighting stance once more. They weren't out of the woods yet. Several more villains were starting to creep closer to them, emboldened by the hooded figures attack it seemed. Strelitzia tensed, as gray light formed on the tip of the hooded villains scepter, prepared to block or counter her spell, only to hear a near-deafening explosion, followed by another familiar voice.

"DIE!" Katsuki had arrived out of the Conflagration Zone, and had launched himself straight at the hooded figure, blasting her away. Behind him, Eijiro and Ochako followed, with Eijiro slamming into a pair of villains with his super-hard body while Ochako hammered one away with a signpost.

The hooded figure was blasted off her feet, send flying backwards, her coat singed and seared as her scepter went flying in a different direction, clattering to the ground before fading away.

"After getting in my way is that all you extras have?!" Bakugo shouted.

"Nay. Much is yet in reserve, while you yet run dry. You will fall here, to the Hero's despair."

Unfortunately, it seemed he was serious. There was the sound of claws digging through concrete behind them, prompting Strelitzia to turn and see Nomu rising, the Villains right legs regenerating. The Bio effect had worn off.

The Villain staggered towards them, taking slow, uncertain, lurching steps on it's fresh legs as they weren't quite finished regenerating.

"It's back up!" Mina said.

"How do we fight it?" Hiryu asked.

"Were all gonna die!" Minoru shrieked.

"Strelitzia, can you do… whatever you did before?" Shoto asked.

"No." Strelitzia said. "All this fighting has left me pretty drained. I don't think I can anymore."

"Well I'm still raring to go. You extras can just sit back and-"

"Kacchan don't!" Izuku shouted.

"Don't tell me what to do Deku!"

"B-but It's got shock absorption. You're explosions aren't going to do anything against it!"

"That doesn't-."

"No, he's right." Said a familiar, nasally voice, interrupting. The ringleader of this whole thing, watched over by the darkness Villain. Even missing a limb, he still managed a vindictive laugh. "You're all going to die! Especially that bitch with the key!"

Strelitzia focused as Nomu stalked them, it's limbs fully regrown. Shoto attempted to freeze it again, though this time it effortlessly broke through the ice before it could be encased. She was about to try Protect wall. She didn't know how well it would hold against Nomu's strength, but she had to try.

Nomu moved to pounce, while Strelitzia raised Starlight to cast, only for a loud crash to sound behind her.

Nomu stopped, it's attention turned towards where the sound came from. Tentatively, she looked up, to see a large cloud of dust had been kicked up around the entrance area. But more importantly was who emerged from that dust, his trademark smile replaced with an outraged scowl. All Might had arrived.

"HAVE NO FEAR FOR I AM HERE!"

Chapter Text

The media didn't do it justice.

Strelitzia had seen footage of him in action on the news and internet. And yet it all failed to sell just how powerful the #1 Hero was. She had been in classes with him, and still hadn't felt the level of awe and relief she did now as she saw him standing at the top of the staircase.

"'Lo the Hero arrives! Hark! He walks to his demise!" The masked villain crowed.

Several Villains were initially daunted by All Mights arrival, but managed to psyche themselves up, seeking to overwhelm him with numbers. It didn't matter.

Even with Vigilance enhanced senses, Strelitzia couldn't truly keep up with All Mights movements. There was a flicker, and then each Villain was suddenly sent flying to land painfully in a heap, completely unconscious. And then All Might was suddenly standing in front of her, a burst of wind heralding his presence.

"S-so, the boss f-finally spawns." The hand-masked Villain said. He was clearly in bad shape, missing his arm as he was, but he seemed to still insist on staying around, even if he was still clutching the stump of his arm. "B-but this wasn't how it was supposed to g-go. Of course g-government H-Heroes would use v-violence. I should have been more prepared."

Strelitzia almost felt compelled to call out the hypocrisy in the Villain's rant, making such accusations after he started this fight and having the gall to be upset that his would-be victims fought back, but she felt it would be lost on him considering he arranged this attack. Maybe it was the blood loss. Regardless, she watched as the darkness of the shadowy Villain engulfed him and when it faded both were gone.

Then there was another blur and a burst of wind, and suddenly, Izuku, Tsuyu, and Minoru were suddenly deposited at the base of the staircase with the rest of them.

"A-All Might!" Izuku said.

"Get back to the entrance." All Might ordered. "Make sure everyone up there is okay!"

"Wait! Are you really going to be facing that Villain alone? I used One for-… I mean, I hit him with a Smash and didn't break my arm. But he wasn't fazed either!"

"Yes." Strelitzia agreed. "But we did manage to damage him through other means. Even though he regenerated. But maybe together, we all could find a way to put him down."

She was running low on magic and feeling the drain, but was still ready to fight, fatigued as she was.

However, All Might didn't seem daunted at all and instead held out his hand in a refusal. "No, young Strelitzia. You all have done enough. Don't worry. I've got this!"

All Might made a "V" with his hand over his eye before turning back to the villains.

"CAROLINA SMASH!" He shouted as he charged towards the bird-masked villain. He made no motions to dodge, or even react to All Mights attack. Instead, Nomu moved, intercepting the attack. All Might struck with a dual chop, though it seemed to have no effect, breaking against Nomu's head, a shockwave passing on either side of the Villain.

"Do you now?" The bird-masked villain asked. "'Tis but a prideful boast before the fall, for now is the twilight of your reign!"

Unfazed, Nomu returned the attack, advancing forwards with a bite, forcing All Might to duck. He attempted to counter with an uppercut, though it barely registered. A claw swipe forced almight back.

"Looks like young Midoriya wasn't kidding."

All Might and Nomu kept exchanging blows, with the All Might's attacks being absorbed by the Villain while Nomu's claw swipes were dodged. Strelitzia tried to move into position, trying to find an angle or moment to get a spell off without All Might getting caught in it, but before she could, Nomu managed to catch All Might by surprise, feinting a bite. A claw swipe raked across his chest, causing All Might to grimace in pain.

Before he could attempt anything else, Nomu lunged towards him, jaws wide open for a bite. Even wounded, All Might managed to catch the monstrous Villain, holding him by both the top and bottom of his snout.

All Might was visibly straining as the slavering Villain dug his claws into the ground, pushing forwards, while All Might was steadily being forced back, his feet skidding on the ground.

"And now, to close the trap." The shadowy Villain's deep voice spoke. He had returned, now standing near the bird-masked Villain and the black-coated Villain. One of his portals opened behind All Might. Locked in grapple with Nomu, he couldn't escape as he was steadily pushed towards the portal opening.

"A guillotine to end the lineage. And instill a new Reign of Terror."

It was clear what the Villains intended to do: Push All Might partially through and then close it, cutting him in half. All Might grunted and struggled, but he was unable to do anything. Wounded as he was, he couldn't put his full strength into pushing back Nomu, and if he let go, he'd be torn apart in the Villains jaws!

Even though he had said to leave this to him, Strelitzia had to act. Fortunately, it appeared that others had the same idea. A wave of ice erupted from Shoto's body, to freeze part of Nomu once more. At the same time, Bakugo launched himself towards the shadowy Villain, who for his part moved, dispersing the portal.

Strelitzia meanwhile, pointed her Keyblade towards All Might and chanted, "Cure!".

A soft light washed over him and his wound closed. With this, All Might moved, slamming the Villain down into the ground, and then leaping to the side as Nomu rose to snap at him again. He then hit the Villain where Shoto had frozen it, causing it to shatter, entire parts of the Villain breaking off. It didn't last long however. Without the Bio effect, Nomu quickly regenerated, bone extending outwards, followed by muscle growing over it like creeping vines and finally, the rubbery skin encasing everything.

"It really does have multiple Quirks."

"Nomu is a mighty sword forged by expert hands to end the legacy of the Symbol of Peace." The bird-masked Villain said. "You haven't even begun to see what he is capable of."

At his words, Nomu changed.

He froze for a moment, before his body began to jerk. Strelitzia could see his skin begin to shift, pull, and eventually tear as his very body transformed. She could hear the nauseatingly wet sound of flesh shifting, slithering, and tearing repeatedly punctuated by the snap and crack of bones breaking and rearranging, shifting into new positions.

Nomu stood up on it's hind legs, their shape lengthening, as it's forelegs shortened. It's claws transformed, gaining disposable thumbs, while it's chest and shoulders broadened. It's tail whipped back and forth, as the creature, now bipedal, took a few uneasy steps before finding its balance. Its tail slammed into the ground and Strelitzia could feel the floor shake as it did so.

The villain then near immediately charged towards All Might, claws outstretched. The hero dodged, backing away as Nomu struck the ground, causing another tremor. Strelitzia had to shield her eyes as the dust and debris released by the impact blew over her in a strong gust of wind.

Nomu didn't relent however, continuing to unleash a barrage of blows towards All Might, who dodged again as the Villain brought down both of its fists, slamming the ground and unleashing another shockwave. She heard shrieks from the other students, and could feel the very building tremor around her. Light fixtures plummeted from the ceiling, along with broken glass and support structures. Strelitzia was forced to dodge as a steel girder came crashing down near her.

But it didn't stop there, Nomu and All Might's battle crossed the USJ, at a speed that, again, Strelitzia struggled to keep up with. While All Might tried keep the fight contained, Nomu gave no such consideration. The Villain lifted objects, lampposts, benches, chunks of rubble, and hurled them with such force as to smash through walls and ceilings, and that was when the Villain's punches and claw swipes didn't do the same, tearing through walls and cutting down pillars.

This Villain might bring the entire USJ down!

It seemed All Might realized this as well because instead of continuing to dodge, he met the Villain head on fist for fist in a series of thundering titanic clashes.

"How foolish. An ignominious end to an illustrious Hero. The tragedy at the conclusion of the saga. Shock absorption deems your efforts for naught."

"Is that so? But you said it was shock absorption, not nullification! Which means..." And, true to All Might's words, his blows were having an effect. Nomu seemed to be actually recoiling from the impact, being forced back, bit by bit. As the villain went for another swing, All Might leaped up, catching the giant underneath the jaw, snapping its head back.

Nomu staggered back, both loosing teeth and biting off part of its tongue. It attempted to right itself, but All Might as he desceded, aimed a kick at the Villains gut, bending it over as he landed. As Nomu again tried to regain balance, All Might struck at its legs, sending the Villain toppling over.

As the fight continued, Strelitzia quickly turned to the rest of the ringleader Villains. Name, the figure in the cloak. She was currently focused on the fight between All Might and Nomu, meaning now was her chance.

She didn't have much magic left, but she was still a Key-Bearer. Activating Flowmotion, Strelitzia dashed past the shadowy Villain, who was at present pinned by Bakugo, instead heading straight towards the hooded figure. She turned, just in time to intercept Strelitzia's swing with her scepter.

"What? It makes no sense!" She said.

"I should be the one saying that." Strelitzia shot back, surprising herself. She then pressed the attack, continual swings of Starlight putting the Villain on the backfoot. Eventually, she dodged, finding an opening to slip away from Strelitzia's barrage. There, she cast another spell.

"Ruin!" A glowing grey-white sphere was launched, forcing Strelitzia to dodge to the side. As she did, she hurled Starlight, managing to force the Villain to dodge, interrupting a second cast.

Strelitzia took the opportunity to rush her, pulling her arm back and calling Starlight to her hand just before she swung. Unfortunately, the Villain wasn't as caught off guard as she had hoped, managing to anticipate the feint and move her scepter to intercept. Still, Strelitzia used the opportunity to reach for her hood again.

The villain backed away, dodging the attack.

"Ruin!" Another grey-white sphere was launched, forcing Strelitzia to duck as she attempted to approach.

"You're running dry." The Villain said condescendingly. "This entire fight has exhausted you. Give up."

"Not a chance." Strelitzia said before rushing forwards again. She dashed, thrusting with Starlight, forcing the Villain to again dodge out of the way. When she attemped to cast another spell, she was interrupted.

All Mights fight with Nomu created another shockwave knocking both girls off balance. And unfortunately, the Villain was right. Strelitzia was fatigued, both physically and magically, while her enemies stamina was much higher.

As a consequence, the Villain recovered first.

"Ruin!" The spell impacted Strelitzia square in the back, sending her flying forwards to impact against a chunk of debris. She hit the ground, and just barely turned to see the Villain readying another spell.

Activating Flowmotion, Strelizia leaped up, launchingh herself off the wall and over the Villain's attack, to launch towards her. The Villain tried to dodge, but wasn't fast enough, Strelitzia's attack clipping her side, sending her spiraling through the air to land eagle spread. Landing and skidding slighty, Strelitzia turned and aimed Starlight at her enemy.

"Blizzard!" A wave of ice impacted the Villain and spread out, entraping her as she tried to rise.

Despite being trapped, the Villain didn't seem perturbed.

"As I thought. Fire!" Flames danced around her, melting the ice. She then directed the fire at Strelitzia who dodged. She was about to retaliate, when another shockwave knocked both of them to the floor. As she rose, she turned towards All Might and Nomu, where the Hero was getting the upper hand.

It was then that she felt something from All Might. Strelitzia wasn't entirely sure what it was, but it felt… warm? She wasn't entirely sure how exactly to put it into words but it was there, surging through him.

"PLUS ULTRA!" As Nomu fell towards him, All Might gave a mighty cry and slammed his fist directly into the Villains chest. And with that, the Villain was gone, almost as if it had disappeared. It took Strelitzia a moment to process what had just happened, and it finally sunk in when she noticed the hole in the ceiling and the parted clouds beyond that All Might had launched the Villain beyond the horizon.

"What?! Impossible!" The shadowy Villain said, gazing at the spot where Nomu once stood.

"Undesirable, yes, but not unthinkable." The bird-masked Villain said calmly. "Come, let us retire. 'Tis laid plain this venture has not borne fruit. Yet, this is but the opening act."

"What?! But we can still fight!" The cloaked figure stated.

"Is that what you believe?" The bird-masked Villain asked.

The cloaked Villain paused before relenting.

"The Pro Heroes will be here in a matter of minutes. This mission was always on a timer, and the timescale has it's drastically dropped. The rest of our group will be just fodder for them. No, the hunt is over." She clenched her fist, in clear frustration. "This wouldn't have happened if he had followed my plan."

"Still, it is over for now."

"Yes."

"Good then. We are in consensus. Kurogiri, if you would?"

No! They were planning to escape! She couldn't let that happen, not when answers were so close. She held out Starlight, rushed towards them and drew on almost all of what remained of her magic reserves. "Gravira!"

A black sphere engulfed the group, and the force of gravity intensified. The cloaked figure and the shadowy Villain staggered, being pulled to the ground, though the bird-masked villain didn't seem to be affected.

"Young Strelitzia! No!" All Might called out, though it was too late. The bird-masked Villain raised his cane and slammed the base of it against the ground. A shockwave burst out, breaking her spell and sending her flying back. Her vision blurred as she tumbled head over heels, not sure where she even was until she painfully hit the ground and rolled.

It took her a moment to regain her bearings. A moment too late. Strelitzia rose, ready to pursue again, but it was too late. The shadowy Villain's darkness engulfed the three of them, then faded, and they were gone.

Strelitzia sat on the steps leading up to the entrance, finally allowing herself to relax. She was spent, both physiscally exhausted and drained of magic. She was grateful that most of the injuries taken by students and teachers were minor apart from Mashirao's, as she couldn't heal something on that caliber again today.

And for Mashirao, help had arrived. The faculty of U.A. were the first to arrive, and the Pro Heroes made short work of the remaining Villains. Following them were the paramedics, who quickly wheeled out Mashirao on a stretcher. She had done all she could with him, and now it was in their hands. For the rest, Recovery Girl was able to handle their injuries, as there was nothing else worse than some cuts and bruises thankfully.

Alongside the paramedics were the police, who had quickly worked with the Heroes to restrain and arrest the remaining villains. She could see them being led out in handcuffs to waiting police trucks.

As for the Heartless; they had fled into their dark corridors, disappearing when those who appeared to be the lead villains had left.

Which worried her. Were they controlling the Heartless? She had heard that strong beings with Hearts full of darkness could control Heartless. That the beings of darkness would follow their orders and commands. She had never seen it herself, though back before the War she had heard Key-Bearers accuse those of other Unions of falling to darkness and consorting with the Heartless.

While undoubtedly false back then, was that true here? The Heartless hadn't been attacking any of the Villains after all. The Heroes thought the Heartless were monsters created by a Quirk, but she recognized one of the Villains as a magic-user of some sort. The one in the black coat, the kind made to resist darkness. Could they be responsible?

Then there was that shadowy Villain. She had heard him addressed as 'Kurogiri'. He looked like a Heartless, with the black body and yellow eyes, but she had never heard of a Heartless that could speak. But then, the hand-covered Villain seemed to be the leader of the operation overall.

Strelitzia frowned, there were just too many questions. She'd already had a lot, and now there were even more, leaving her feeling even further lost. She hadn't been able to force any answers out of the assailants, and she doubted any of the grunts knew anything useful, and even if they did, she probably wouldn't be able to sit in on any interrogations.

"Hey, you okay?" A familiar voice sounded behind her, drawing closer.

Looking back up, she saw Relm descending towards her. Her costume was torn a bit, but she was otherwise in fine shape, and even had a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Yeah, just frustrated."

"Yeah, I was looking forward to rescue training too. Instead we get thrown into the deep end because some assholes decided to crash the party."

"No… I mean… they got away." Strelitzia said absently.

Relm's smile faded a bit. "Hey… don't beat yourself up over it. We're still in training, remember. Nobodies expecting us to take down Villains like a Pro, especially after… after…"

"Mashirao's going to be all right." Strelitzia said. Whether he would be able to continue his path to becoming a Hero was a different story, but she tried not to linger on that, even if she did worry.

"Well, all I'm saying is that we better be getting some extra credit for all this." Relm said with a sigh.

There was a long moment of silence before Strelitzia spoke up.

"So, what were you doing outside?" She asked.

"Well, its not just emergency services that showed up. The paparazzi are back." Relm said.

"Them?" Strelitzia sighed. "They're going to try and blame the school for this, aren't they?"

"Yeah, it's pretty stupid, but that's what runs. Not like they could have done anything. There's not a lot you can really do for teleportation Quirks like that Villains. Still, at least I could say my piece." Relm said.

"I thought you didn't want to talk with them?" Strelitzia asked, remembering to a few days ago.

"Yeah, they tried to steer some narrative, but I had an idea of my own."

"What was it?"

At this, Relm's smirk returned. "Well, you'll have to wait and find out!"

She then continued down the staircase. Before Strelitzia could pursue to push further, she heard another familiar voice.

"Oh, thank Mog, kupo!"

Artemicion had arrived, and was presently fluttering down the staircase.

"Artemicion?!" Strelitzia asked the striped Moogle. "What are you doing here?"

"I came as soon as I heard the news! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit frustrated..." Strelitzia sighed.

"Why, kupo?"

"They got away."

"Well, I don't think that something you should be worried at least you're-"

"It's not that." Strelitzia explained. She then looked around, confirming that nobody was within earshot. Kyoka especially, was already outside. "There was a magic-user among the Villains."

At this, Artemicion's pom pom shot up straight momentarily. "Wait, are you sure, kupo?!"

"Yes, they bore a staff of some sort that they were using to cast spells. More importantly, they were wearing one of those black coats. I think they might have been controlling the Heartless here."

"That's… that's…"

"And they got away. If only I were stronger..." Strelitzia said, trying not to let the frustration show.

"Don't be so worried." Artemicion said. "You'll get back your strength, just give it more time, kupo."

Strelitzia sighed. "But what to do in the meantime?"

"Right now, kupo? Rest. I'll try and look into matters. Though with the Mognet down I'm limited to just this world." He looked sad for a moment before perking up. "Oh right, kupo. I almost forgot! The thing I was making!"

From a pack that she hadn't seen him open, he pulled out two pouches, both with the same markings on them.

"An Inventory, kupo!" Artemicion said. "With it you can store equipment and items and have them ready for rapid use! No need to waste time searching either, just have certain designated ahead of time as ready for quick usage!"

Strelitzia paused. She knew of Moogle craftwork, and how good they were with Synthesis. Her dress was one such product, bearing protective enchantments that both worked like armor and also shielded her from things like extremes of temperature. She hadn't made use of extradimensional storage before, as her magic could cover things items were typically used for. Though looking back, it may have been useful for her to have done so. Today, at least, she really could have used some Ethers.

"Why two though?" She asked.

"Well, they're linked." He said. "I was thinking you could stick one in each of your sleeves, to easily store things."

"Oh, that's amazing! Thanks!" Strelitzia said with a smile, as she took the pouches, truly meaning it. She was about to speak, when she heard another voice behind her.

"Oh, I didn't know Artemicion was here!" The two of them turned to see a small figure approaching down the stairs. A strange small white furred figure wearing a suit. There was a notable scar over his right eye.

Strelitzia for a brief moment thought he might have been another moogle, though on second look he lacked the wings or pom pom.

"Oh, Nezu, kupo." Artemicion said.

"That's right, it's me Nezu." He said, seemingly noticing Strelitzia's confusion. "Am I a bear, a dog, a mouse? The important thing is that I'm the principal."

This was Principal Nezu? She hadn't seen him in person, and the school syllabus only mentioned him by name, without a picture, meaning this was her first time encountering him. She wondered what his Quirk was that made him like that.

"Don't worry, I'm just checking up on Strelitzia here."

"Oh, there's no issue. I expect other parents and guardians to be arriving before long." Nezu said, before turning to Strelitzia. "Though I am given to understand you played a crucial role in protecting your classmates."

"Um… yes. Though I wouldn't go that far." Strelitzia said. "All Might was the one who finally defeated Nomu and chased off the ringleaders. He deserves the credit. Speaking of which, how is he? And Mr. Aizawa? And Thirteen? And Mashirao?"

"All Might is fine. He's with Recovery Girl right now. Thirteen had some lacerations, but is in stable condition. As to Aizawa, he's expected to make a full recovery. Your healing proved critical in preventing any permanent damage."

"And Mashirao?"

At this, Nezu's jovial attitude dropped somewhat. "He's still in critical condition. Make no mistake, you're healing saved his life, preventing him from bleeding out, though his road to recovery will be long."

"Oh..."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You did everything you could. You're a bright and talented young woman. Don't take unnecessary risks. Focus on your studies and you'll make a great Pro Hero someday."

"Uh… thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. Also, Artemicion!"

"Yes, kupo?"

"I and some of the faculty were discussing improvements to our security systems. As an inventor, do yo think you'd be able to provide some insight and feedback while your here?"

"Of course. Kupo." Artemicion then turned back to Strelitzia. "I'll see you at home, I guess?"

"I'll be fine." Strelitzia said.

Artemicion nodded and then departed with Nezu, leaving Strelitzia to stare back out at the USJ and ponder. This encounter put into stark focus just how much she had lost. Strength both physical and magical. Speed. Spells. So many spells that were simply out of her reach now.

Were she stronger, her classmates and teachers wouldn't have been hurt. Mashirao wouldn't have been maimed. And she wouldn't have let critical answers slip through her fingers. She needed to become stronger.

Strong enough to carry you.

Chapter Text

The days following the USJ attack were almost something of a blur. Classes had been canceled for a few days, both to allow students time to rest, recover, and come to terms with what had happened, and for faculty and police to perform an investigation.

Strelitzia had asked Artemicion if he had heard any useful information, but unfortunately, it seemed the authorities were just as in the dark as they were, if not more. The name Shigaraki was given for the ringleader of the attack, though apparently nothing had come of it, being a possible pseudonym.

For Strelitzia, it was frustrating, but there was unfortunately nothing to be done. She had no leads to go off of herself, meaning she would have to just wait for something to turn up.

And so, when classes resumed, she returned to U.A..

The atmosphere around the school was in a word, different. While thankfully, the media had cleared out in the intervening days, meaning she didn't have to make her way through them to enter the school. there was still something of a somber mood as Strelitzia entered class 1-A. While students still talked among themselves, some animatedly, many of them were clearly trying to avoid looking at the empty seat that had once contained Mashirao.

She headed to her own seat, glad to see Relm next to her. She hadn't been with her to walk to school together like usual, which had made Strelitzia slightly worried.

"Hey!" Relm said, her usual cheeriness only slightly less than usual.

"I was wondering where you were." Strelitzia said. "I didn't see you this morning."

"Oh yeah, that. Gramps insisted on driving me here today, just to make sure everything was okay."

"He had to have been pretty worried about what happened. I know I would be."

"Yeah. Still, it wasn't really necessary. Nothing happened. Besides, if anything did, I could handle myself."

"Yeah, I-"

"HOMEROOM IS BEGINNING! EVERYONE TAKE YOUR SEATS!"

Strelitzia was interrupted by Tenya entering and exclaiming to the class.

"Everyone's already in their seats." She said. "Well… except you."

There were a few giggles, and a slightly frustrated and embarrassed Tenya walked over to his own seat.

"So… are we going to have a substitute?" Someone asked.

"Yeah. I think it might be a bit too early to-"

At that moment, the door opened, and to everyone's surprise, Mr. Aizawa entered. He was in costume as usual, though there were signs of his previous injuries: A few bandages on his face, one of his arms was still in a sling, and he walked with a slight limp.

Murmurs among the class about their teachers health were quieted when Aizawa spoke up.

"Concerns about my well-being are irrelevant. What's more important is that you're fight isn't over yet."

The class grew silent and uneasy, as apprehension spread throughout their ranks. Strelitzia tensed as well. Was there still a threat to the school? Were Villains afoot? Were Heartless attacking again?

"The U.A. Sports Festival will begin in a few weeks."

There was an almost palpable release of tension among the class. Meanwhile, Strelitzia wondered if Aizawa was doing that on purpose to mess with his students. He didn't seem the type, but maybe…

"Yes!" Eijiro cheered. "I've been looking forwards to this! Let's go kick some ass!"

As Aizawa went to the corner for his morning nap, other students began talking excitedly among themselves.

At first, there had been some concerns about whether it was a good idea to have such an event considering the possibility of another Villain attack, but after Aizawa had explained U.A.'s desire to project confidence, the discussion had turned to the event itself.

This had continued until morning classes had started, and then came back with a vengeance once lunch break started.

Sitting at the table with her friends, Strelitzia was somewhat perplexed.

"Is the Sports Festival really that big of a deal?" She asked, in between bites.

"You don't know?" Ochako asked.

"I mean… I read about it in the syllabus they gave us, but… is it really that important? Everyone seems so excited."

"Of course they are, we enrolled in this school to become Heroes, did we not?" Tenya asked. "It's only natural."

"I mean it's, possibly the biggest thing in the entire school year!" Ochako said.

"Yeah, like, top Heroes from around the country and beyond will be watching. It's how you get scouted." Relm added.

"Indeed. Many Pro Heroes are on the lookout for new sidekicks at their agencies. Graduates from Hero academies are often the first picks. Doing well in the Sports Festival is a strong factor in your career as a Pro Hero." Tenya explained.

"National viewership?" Strelitzia said. A sense of nervousness came over her.

"Yeah, the stands are always full, and it's such a big deal. You didn't know?"

"I mean, I'm not from around here, originally, and a didn't do much TV watching until recently." Strelitzia said, hoping her excuse passed muster. Fortunately, it did, as the others didn't appear to consider her ignorance much, instead continuing their discussion on the festival. She followed along silently, as it really wasn't that much of a concern for her. She didn't truly care much about being scouted or finding a good agency. She planned to be more of a drifter anyways. Career wasn't much of a concern.

"Ooh, I hope I get into a good one!" Ochako said.

"Now that I think about it." Izuku said. "I've been meaning to ask. Why did you want to become a Pro Hero, Ochako?"

"Oh… well… I guess because of the money. Being a Hero pays extremely well."

"The money? To get rich?"

"Oh… I know that sounds greedy. I mean, you all have such admirable reasons to be Heroes."

"No, it's fine." Tenya said. "To be able to support oneself is an admirable goal."

"Yes. Nothing wrong with that." Strelitzia had no issue Ochako's reasoning. Key-Bearers had been paid for the missions they completed after all.

"Well, its not just for me." Ochako said. She then went on to explain how her family ran a construction business and how it had been struggling for some time now. "I wanted to try and help them with my Quirk. I told them that when I got old enough I could get a commercial license and then help them."

"Well, that wouldn't be a bad idea. With your powers, they wouldn't have to rely on heavy lifting equipment as much, which can get expensive." Tenya said.

"Yeah, but they rejected that. The knew I wanted to be a hero and so they wanted me to follow my dream. So then, I'm going to use my dream to help them."

"Well, that's awesome." Relm said.

"Yes." Strelitzia added, feeling a twinge of guilt, seeing as her becoming a hero was for more personal reasons.

Their lunch continued, and the friends continued to talk afterwards about small topics, when it was about time to leave and head back Strelitzia found herself stopped by Izuku.

"Oh, Strelizia!" Izuku said.

"Huh?"

"There was um… something I wanted to ask you. D-do you think you could meet me in the gym… um... later?"

"Um… sure?" Strelitzia said.

"Thanks!" He said, before speeding off. She saw him approach All Might.

"What was that about?" Tenya asked.

"Hmm…" Relm said, before a smirk formed on her face. "Maybe he's asking you out!"

If Strelitzia had had a drink, she would have done a spit-take. "W-what?"

"Yeah, it's totally got to be that!" Relm insisted.

"What? No way!" Ochako objected.

"I agree. It seems far too soon for such a thing." Tenya said.

"D-don't be ridiculous!" Strelitzia sputtered.

"But what else could it be? I didn't take Izuku to be so bold though. Maybe I misjudged him."

"No! There's no way!" Ochako said.

"Are you suuuure?" Relm sang. There was a pause before she burst out laughing. "I'm just kidding!"

Ochako seemed to breath a sigh of relief.

"But seriously, that's what it seemed like to me off the brush." Relm said.

Strelitzia pondered. That can't be it, can it?

"To help you train?" Strelitzia asked, somewhat taken aback.

"Please! I've thought about it for a while and you're kind of the only one who can help." He bowed, eyes closed, his hands clasped together in front of him.

"I mean of course I'll help." Srelitzia said. "Though… I'm not entirely sure what I can help with."

"I was h-hoping you could help me in t-training One… I mean my Quirk." Izuku said, looking up.

"Well, our Quirks are pretty different so I'm not sure what I could do."

"No, it's not that." Izuku said. "My Quirk, its pretty strong, you see, but it has a lot of backlash. I've been wanting to try and work on that, but I'm going to probably still hurt myself in the process. Because of this, I haven't been able to train with it very much. But you can heal, right?"

"Yes." Strelitzia said, seeing where her friend was going. She held out her hand, calling Starlight to her grip. "You want me to help you learn to mitigate the backlash of your quirk?"

"Yeah, I want to especially in time for the Sports Festival. If I'm going to do well in it, I can't just take myself out of the running the first time I use my Quirk. Especially since so many Heroes will be watching! I want to... I need to make a good impression!"

"I'd be happy to help." She said.

"Really?" Izuku's face brightened almost immediately and he stood straight up.

"Of course." Strelitzia said. Strelitzia was no strange to training. She'd trained and sparred with her brother and friends back in Daybreak Town. Although helping to train someone else was a new experience for her. Though, seeing as Master Ava had selected her to be one of the leaders of the Dandelions, she must have seen something of this potential in her, though Strelitzia was having a hard time finding it herself. Still, she was both class deputy and Izuku's friend, and she wasn't going to just let him down.

Not like when she-

No. Keep focused. Strelitzia shook her head, trying to clear it of negative thoughts.

"Strelitzia?" Izuku asked. "Did you change your-"

"No, it's fine." She said. "Let's get started."

"Oh, of course. Again, thank you. You're healing is so good, and it's faster than Recovery Girls." He said, and then looked to the side. "I mean, n-not that Recovery Girl's healing is bad or anything. They have different benefits. Yours uses your own stamina while Recovery Girl's uses the patients stamina so while its slower she could theoretically heal a lot more people at a time, though considering the speed..."

Izuku continued to drift off, caught up in his pondering of the differences between powers. Strelitzia found it kind of cute how her friend did that, though seeing as they were here to train, she had to interrupt him.

"Izuku?" She asked.

"O-oh. Uh… sorry." He said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

"It's fine. But lets focus on the training for now."

"R-right."

"So then, it might be best if we headed outside to do this." Strelitzia gestured to the gymnasium exit. Considering the sheer diversity of Quirks, U.A. had a wide variety of training facilities to accommodate their development.

Izuku's Quirk, Superpower, was strong. According to her classmates, he had destroyed a Zero-Pointer in a single blow. And considering how much it had taken for Strelitzia to defeat one, that was saying something. On top of that, another punch had blown a hole through multiple floors of a building.

Practicing inside was a terrible idea.

Fortunately, at the moment, all they really required was an open field, and they didn't have to go very far to find one. It was similar to the field where Aizawa had done their Quirk assesment tests on the first day: A wide open expanse spreading out from the school grounds.

Strelitzia closed her eyes and took a breath. She wasn't entirely sure how to go about this, but she was going to do her best. She opened them and addressed Izuku.

"All right. Show me what you can do."

"Okay." Izuku clenched his fist and pulled back, only for Strelitzia's stomach to almost leap into her chest.

"Wait, wait!"

"Huh? Why?" Izuku said.

"Let's… not start off at a full punch. Maybe, something smaller."

"Smaller… Smaller." Izuku said, pondering for a moment, before he then held out his hand, middle finger and thumb together. Then, he flicked.

"Smash!"

Strelitzia had to shield her face and hold down her skirt. Even a mere flick was powerful, sheer force of the wind unleashed by that kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust. Had she been standing in the attacks path, she would have struggled to even remain standing, if she wasn't just swept away, even with the strength of a Key-Bearer.

And yet… when she turned back to Izuku, she saw him clutching his hand. It had very rapidly turned purple and swollen, bruised and broken.

"Here." Strelitzia held out her hand. Awkwardly, Izuku placed his hand in hers, while Strelitzia chanted. "Cure."

A soft light washed over his hand, and its color returned to normal. Izuku's breathing calmed down, and he stopped trembling, only to start again.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah!" He stammered, pulling away his hand and looking away awkwardly, his cheeks turning pink. "G-good as new."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, l-lets, get back to training." Izuku turned back to the field.

They continued through a few more repetitions of the same. Unleashing a light blow, usually a finger flick and each time the result was the same. A powerful impact that kicked up a huge burst of wind from the sheer force and energy being unleashed. An energy that Izuku's body seemed to struggle to handle. But maybe if she saw more of it, she could learn something.

"Alright. Let's try something higher." She said, after healing him again.

"Higher?"

"Quake." Strelitzia chanted, while tapping her toe against the ground. A small pillar arose from the field in front of Izuku. While it looked solid, in truth, she hadn't put much magic into the spell. It was more dirt than stone. "Try and smash this."

"Alright." Izuku pulled back his arm, only for Strelitzia to stop him again. "Huh?"

"Not your whole arm. Can you do just the fist?" She asked.

"Um… I'll try." He said. He then, again, reeled back.

Then, he punched.

If a mere finger flick had such power behind it, then a full on punch made that look like a puff of air in comparison. Strelitzia was again forced to shield her face and brace herself as the force unleashed threatened to bowl her over, and it wasn't even in her direction.

When the dust settled, there wasn't anything remaining of the pillar. Just a smooth field, indistinguishable from the rest of the area. She looked across the field, but she couldn't even see any debris. Wherever it was, it was past the horizon, if it hadn't been pulverized outright.

"Wow..." Strelizia said. She then heard a grunt. She quickly refocused, turning to see Izuku holding his now broken hand, blotchy and quickly swelling. "Here."

He thrust his hand towards her, and she quickly took it, casting Cure twice. Izuku's breathing softened, relieved.

"That's a lot of power you have." She said, gently running her fingers over his hand, palm and backside.

Izuku only nodded, blushing.

"But you don't seem to have much control."

"Well… I-I haven't h-had th-this Q-Quirk for very long." He said.

"Very long?"

Izuku's eyes widened. "Uhhh… I mean. I haven't been using it for very long. They say it's a stockpiling Quirk. It didn't do anything for most of my life, and when it finally started working, I had to work out a lot so that I wouldn't outright explode when I used it. I have to keep toughening my body so that it can withstand the power when I call upon it."

Strelitzia paused, considering Izuku's words and the implications thereof. Putting herself into his shoes, she considered how it must feel, and it was from there, that she had her epiphany. She then gripped his hand harder.

"You haven't fully internalized that you actually have a Quirk." She said.

"Huh?"

"You're thinking of it as something separate to yourself."

Izuku's eyes widened.

"I was kind of the same way, now that I think about it." She said.

"You were?" Izuku said.

Strelitzia had spoken without entirely thinking it through, but now she paused, considering how much she wanted to tell Izuku.

"I guess I'm kind of a late bloomer, like you. I awoke my uh… Quirk… only a few years ago myself." Reflecting back to when Master Ava had performed an Inheritance Ceremony with her. "It took me a while to accept that it really was my own power."

"Wait, really?!" Izuku said.

"Almost everyone else uses their Quirks naturally. It's been a part of them for so long." Strelitzia said, feeling more confidence in her voice. "But you have to internalize that you're no different. You need to use it naturally, like its second nature. Not so much, strengthening your body, as using less of the power at one time. Like how when you hold a glass you don't use your full force, or else you'd break it."

She let go of Izuku's hand, turning to face the field where she cast a fire spell. Even without the agumentation from the Keyblade, the magic was still hers. A fireball streaked out to explode a fair distance away, kicking up a column of dirt as it did so. She cast another fire spell, this time only letting out a small jet of flame.

"I mean, other people may not have had enough strength, but me? I blew myself up more times than I care to remember when I was learning." Thank goodness for potions.

"Really?" Izuku then placed his hand under his chin, muttering to himself, thinking aloud. He then took a stance, while Strelitzia made another pillar. "It's a part of me now. Like a glass. Like a glass… you fill up... half-full..."

As he concentrated, she felt a strange sensation. A jolt of warmth, like standing near a bonfire. It also felt… familiar? But how was it familiar? Then, as he moved to strike, it suddenly clicked into place. It was the same feeling she had gotten from All Might during the U.S.J. incident, when he had struck the final blow against Nomu.

But why was she feeling it from Izuku? And this time, it was like multiple bonfires?

She was snapped out of her pondering by her friend striking. With a cry of "SMASH!" he punched through the pillar, but this time it was different. The top part of the pillar was broken, while the bottom remained intact.

Strelitzia's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but smile.

"I-I… did it… I did it!" Izuku said. HE then winced and bent over, clutching his hand.

Strelitzia quickly moved over to inspect the injury. To her surprise, the hand wasn't as bad as before. Some light bruising and swelling, but nothing appeared entirely broken, at least as far as she could tell.

"Cure." She chanted softly. As the healing light gently washed over Izuku's hand, even those injuries faded. She then looked back up. "Congratulations!"

"It's not that big of a deal. It was mostly you anyways." Izuku said, looking away. "It was more like… turning on and off a switch. Instead of trying to hold it all at once, I only let in what I needed."

"No, it's a great milestone!" Strelitzia said. He really did learn quickly.

"D'you think?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Then..." Izuku pulled away from Strelitzia and tried to turn back to the field, only to stumble. "Huh?"

"I think we've made plenty of progress for today." Strelitzia said, and it wasn't just Izuku she was referring to. This had been a good bit of training for herself. She could feel her magic had become stronger, most likely as a result of both the training she had been doing, and the clashes that pushed her to her limits. It wasn't enough to be able to reliably cast the next tier of spells yet, but it was an improvement, meaning she was on the road to recovery and hopefully, she'd be speeding down it soon enough. "C'mon. Let's go get a drink."

Chapter Text

And so, the day had arrived. After a month and a half of classes, lessons, and occasional personal training, it was time for the much anticipated U.A. Sports Festival.

And much-anticipated is probably an understatement! Strelitzia thought as she arrived at the school. As the Festival had drawn ever closer, various other classes had approached 1-A to both scope them out and issue challenges. Not only their fellow Hero Course students in class 1-B but also the General Studies students, the Support Course students, and even those of the Business Course.

It was a major affair. Everyone wanted the opportunity to show what they could do. Hero students because they were looking to make a good impression on existing Pro Heroes, General Studies because many of them sought spots in the Hero Course, and Support and Business students as an opportunity to show off their talents on the big day.

Considering how important it was to everyone here, Strelitzia realized she shouldn't have been so surprised at what she saw when she arrived at U.A.. It was only early morning but there was already a crowd. There were of course the nosy reporters, but beyond that were plenty of others, from police and Pro Heroes working security to students from other schools, to the general public, families, elders, children all eager and excited to enter. On the campus grounds themselves were vendors selling food, hero merchandise, balloons, toys. There were even games.

"It looks like a carnival." Strelitzia said, her attention drawn upwards at the fireworks in the air.

"Yeah. Didn't always used to be this big, but as more and more Pros started checking the Festival out fans and reporters followed them, and other people followed those people more people followed those people... and so on and on and now it's become this big ol' event. Shame we don't have any time to to see the attractions." Relm said.

"But you are the main attraction, kupo!" Artemicion said.

"Indeed, no reason to waste your time on trivialities. You have important schoolwork to do." Strago said. Relm's grandfather was an imposing man. Despite his hair being almost pure white from age, Strago Magus stood tall, and was clearly still fairly fit. He wore simple black slacks and a white button up shirt, though in a nod to his status as the Pro Hero, Azulmagia, he bore a high collared red cape with blue trimmings.

"You say that, Gramps, but I can see you eyeing the funnel cake stall."

"Hey, I don't have any schoolwork." He said with a shrug as the four of them made their way through the crowd at the entrance (ignoring all the reporters as they did so). Strelitzia and Relm flashed their student I.D. cards while Artemicion and Strago presented their licenses, enabling them to enter quickly. "I have plenty of time to waste on trivialities."

"Gramps!"

"Either way, we'll be rooting for you, kupo!" Artemicion said, before fluttering off with Strago to one of the food stalls, while the girls headed towards locker room in the arena.

"So… ready?" Relm asked as they walked.

"For what?"

"The tournament silly!" Relm said.

"Oh, right, that..." Strelitzia said.

"I'm certainly rarin' to go." She said. "I even brought this!"

Relm reached into her bag, pulling out a canvas board like one someone would paint on. On the back, there was a strap, enabling it to be attached to her arm. Additionally, there was a slot on the side that held a paintbrush.

"I thought we weren't allowed to bring in support items?"

"Unless we make them ourselves or get special permission. So the key that your Quirk makes should be fine. But I can't really paint on something I've already painted. Not well anyways. And painting with my fingers is a pain in the ass. Nobody wants to see that. So with Gramps' help, I made both the wrist-easel and the brushes!"

"Wow, that has to be very handy." Strelitzia commented.

"Yeah, especially since we don't know what were going to be up against. Well, in the beginning anyways."

Strelitzia nodded. For the first years, the Sports Festival would consist of 3 events. The first two changed from year to year, but the third was always a fighting tournament. At this, Strelitzia pondered. Compared to her classmates, she vastly outstripped them in combat experience, and additionally, in power and versatility. And considering she would likely be fighting her peers, there was a concern about seriously injuring them.

This wouldn't be like a fight against Heartless or Villains. Against Heartless she could be as forceful as she pleased. Against Villains, even if she didn't like hurting people she still had a broad spectrum of force she was willing to use, the better to end the fight quicker.

Many of her offensive spells, even if toned down as she would obviously be doing, still had a high chance of inflicting grievous harm. Fire, Blizzard, Thunder. Direct control of energies was not exactly the kind of thing she wanted to be using if she wanted to avoid inflicting any serious injury. And that was to say nothing about other magics at her disposal, such as Bio, Poison or… well, best not to think about that spell.

Granted, she did have use of Cure but seriously hurting her friends under the pretense that she could just simply heal them up later left a bad taste in her mouth. And so for combat, that left spells that she could tone down in a safe way. Quake was out, but Aero and Water, especially the former, was something she was going to have to rely on.

Of course, that was if she made it past the other events to even get to that point. While she was fairly confident in her abilties, especially as she had been doing training herself since the Festival had been announced, she could potentially get blindsided by some challenge she couldn't overcome.

Strelitzia's musings and concerns occupied her thoughts as they headed towards the locker room of the stadium, changing into their gym uniforms. They weren't allowed to use their costumes out of fairness to the other students, with the exception of Yuga due to the focusing belt being required to manage his Quirk safely.

The locker room was a study in contrasts. Some of her classmates looked casual or excited, while others were clearly trying to quiet their nerves. Stretching, chanting, meditating, pacing. There was a wide variety of behavior.

"Y'know, I still can't believe you turned down the opportunity to lead the opening student pledge."

As she finished dressing and sat down at a nearby table, Strelitzia turned to see Ochako sitting down next to her.

"It's not that big of a deal." Strelitzia said. Since she had scored the highest in the entrance exam, she had been offered a position in the opening ceremony, leading the student pledge. She had declined however.

"Is it because of the crowd?" Ochako asked. "Because I've still got butterflies in my stomach about that."

"No." Strelitzia said. "Not really."

It really wasn't because of public speaking, not that such a thing didn't make her nervous, but rather because she really didn't think it would be fitting. Considering everyone else's motivations for becoming Heroes, that honor really belonged to someone else.

Not to mention the seats in the Hero Course were highly coveted and there were plenty in General Studies who desired a spot but couldn't make it. The various challenges issued to Class 1-A had made Strelitzia plenty aware of that fact.

And yet, Strelitzia was going to stand out anyways. She wasn't going to take it easy during the Festival and the versatility that her abilities afforded her near guaranteed her a spot at the top. She felt guilty, but she had her own mission to complete, and she couldn't let anything get in the way of that. The best she could do was let other more deserving people get the spotlight where they could.

Besides, the events might be kind of fun, and she didn't want to miss out on them.

Her musings were interrupted when Tenya barged into the room, alerting everyone that it was almost time to enter the stadium. The room grew quieter, as everyone began mentally preparing.

Strelitzia took a breath and stood up, only to find herself face to face with Shoto Todoroki. His expression was neutral, seemingly appraising her.

"I-is there something wrong?" Strelitzia asked awkwardly. She had rarely spoken with the boy. He was quiet, rarely initiating conversation with others, mostly keeping to himself. A real mystery, especially with that scar over his left eye. She heard he had gotten in on recommendation, which made sense given his strength.

He was powerful, with his ice Quirk, she knew that first hand from the battle training, but beyond that, she knew almost nothing about him.

"You and me."

"Huh?"

"From an objective standpoint, we're stronger than everyone else in this class. Even Izuku, who seems to have All Might in his corner."

"Uhh…" Strelitzia was at a loss for words.

"But you- It seems you might be stronger than me. You're Quirk- Are you a-? Are you like…?" Shoto trailed off.

"A what?" Strelitzia asked, starting to become flustered. Did he know something… or had he figured something out?!

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. Just know that I will beat you. That's all that matters."

"Um… o-okay?" Strelitzia wasn't entirely sure how to respond and was starting to fret. Usually, when Shoto did speak, it was blunt and to the point. But now, something seemed to be bothering him, and she wasn't sure what it was. It didn't sound exactly like he suspected anything about her real background, but if that wasn't it, then what could it be?

"Hey, what's the big deal." Eijiro asked. "Why are you picking a fight? We're all friends, aren't we?"

Shoto however, merely shrugged him off. "We're not here to be friends. This is a tournament, not a team effort."

He then began walking away. Now she did understand. Or at least, it seemed like she was coming close to it. She didn't like what he was saying, but her natural instinct was to shy away. Perhaps it would be-

"C'mon Strelitzia. Are you just going to take that lying down?" Relm approached, arms crossed.

Strelitzia paused, before surprising herself by following after Shoto. She placed her hand on his shoulder, halting him momentarily. "Fine then. I accept your challenge. And I will win."

Shoto said nothing in response. He brushed off her hand and resumed walking, exiting the waiting room.

"Hmmph, jerk! What was that all about?" Relm snorted. "Not like there ain't already a bunch of challenges and call outs goin' around."

"It's not like he's wrong though." Izuku said. "You two. You're really strong. You have great potential. You got top spot on the entrance exam, and Shoto got in on recommendation. The other courses are going to be gunning for us. Everyone's going to be giving their all to stand out, but you two are going to shine brightly regardless."

"You're too hard on yourself." Strelitzia said, feeling guilty again. "You've been training a lot. Everyone's been training a lot!"

"I know." Izuku said, his voice not wavering in the slightest. "That's why I want to say that I'll be aiming for the top too."

Strelitzia smiled. It was good to see her friends growing confidence in his own Quirk. And everyone else as well. Everyone had indeed been working hard to improve themselves, which was perhaps what was fostering along Strelitzia's motivations. Soon enough, it was time to start, the call came out for them to enter the field. And Strelitzia was ready.

Ready to prove you wrong.

Chapter Text

"ALRIGHT, WELCOME BACK TO THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL! WHERE UP AND COMING HEROES LEAVE EVERYTHING ON THE FIELD AS THEY FIGHT FOR THE CHANCE TO ACHIEVE WORLDWIDE FAME! THIS FIRST GROUP ARE NO STRANGERS TO THE SPOTLIGHT! YOU KNOW THEM FROM SURVIVING A VILLAIN ATTACK! GIVE IT UP FOR CLASS 1-A!"

Present Mic's voice boomed over the speakers as Strelitzia entered the field with her classmates, and it was followed by the even more deafening cheers of the crowd. The stadium was huge, with large screens displaying the class entering for the multiple tiers of audience seating.

"Wow… that's a lot of people." Izuku said.

"I still hope we're able to give our best performances with all these eyes upon us. Though I suppose this is just another aspect of being a Pro Hero." Tenya said.

"I don't see what the problem is. Every artist craves an audience!" Relm said, and true to her words, she seemed to be reveling in the attention, waving, twirling and even blowing kisses.

Meanwhile Strelitzia scanned the crowd, trying to pick out where Artemicion and Strago were, but there were too many people and she couldn't find them. At least, not without a lot of time she didn't really have. Instead, she simply followed along with the rest of the students, heading to the center of the field while Present Mic introduced the rest of the first year classes.

At the center of the field was a raised stage upon which Midnight stood, posing provocatively to the cheers of the crowd. As the students gathered, Katsuki was called up onto the stage as it seemed he was the one to lead the pledge, which was surprising for a lot of students, Strelitzia included.

Well, maybe not too surprising. He did score second best so it made sense they'd offer it to him after her. And so, Katsuki calmly made his way up to the microphone as the crowd fell silent.

"I just want to say: I'm going to win."

There was a moment of shock, before boos came in, from both his fellow students, and the crowd.

"How could you say something like that!" Tenya shouted.

"Not my fault you're all just stepping stones to my greatness." Katsuki said, giving everyone else the thumbs down.

This elicited even more boos, and more shouts from his fellow students. Strelitzia could even see glares from the General Studies students now directed at the Hero Course.

Maybe I should have taken that offer. She thought. Really, she should have foreseen what an egomaniac like Katsuki would have done.

Yet, seeming unperturbed by the spectacle, Midnight took the mic as Katsuki left the stage.

"Without further ado, let's get started!" With a riding crop, she gestured and a hologram appeared, depicting a spinning dial. "And the first event is..."

The dial stopped, and the first event was determined. The Obstacle Race.

As the students assembled at the start line, Strelitzia found herself pushed towards the back. It really was jam-packed, and there was no small amount of chaos as various students tried to jockey for a front position, though thankfully, nothing more than mere shoving took place. Strelitzia could have pushed her way to the front, but she didn't want to hurt anyone and she didn't think it necessary.

Instead, she waited. Relm likewise was nearby, albeit further up in the crowd. Before she disappeared in the press of bodies, she flashed Strelitzia a thumbs up and a cocky grin. Strelitzia tried to smile, though she felt it a bit awkward. Maybe it was the the crowd and all the cameras that were trained on her.

Focus!

The students fell quiet as the countdown began. This was it, the first event. It was an obstacle race around the perimeter of the stadium. She didn't know exactly what the obstacles she would face were, but considering what U.A. did for the entry exam, and everything in the U.S.J. she had to keep flexible because just about anything could be coming at her.

"Begin!" Midnight called out, and at that cry, chaos broke loose, even bigger than before.

And, just as Strelitzia predicted, the wave of students quickly got in each others way, pushing and shoving and shouting as they tried to make their way out of the entry tunnel.

"Get out of the way!"

"No, get out of my way!"

"Hey, watch the hands!"

"Don't step on me!"

"You had it coming!"

"Is my passage not dazzling?"

"Let go!"

"Ahh! I'm tripping!"

"Class 1-A won't outshine us!"

"It's too cramped!"

"Have you considered the benefits of a part-time share in- OW!"

"Look out!"

Already having a plan at the ready, Strelitzia kept her distance. It was then that she felt a familiar chill in the air. Reacting instinctively, she leaped into the air, and it was good that she did. A wave of ice engulfed the entrance, freezing most of the racers feet to the ground. Meanwhile, its originator, Shoto, took off in first place.

He wasn't kidding around! Strelitzia thought as she landed, balancing on the ice. Well then, time to make my move!

Strelitzia activated Flowmotion, leaping once more, this time launching herself to the entrance tunnel's wall, and from their ricocheted through the tunnel, over the heads of the rest of the students.

It seemed she wasn't alone, others were using their Quirks to get ahead. Katsuki launched himself into the air with explosions, while Yuga did the same with his laser. Momo formed a pole from her palm to push herself into the air and Relm bounded over the crowd, now riding on the back of a painted stag. Izuku followed shortly afterwards, his enhanced strength launching him out of the crowd.

As she soared through the air, Strelitzia looked behind her, at the rest of the students, either with their feet frozen to the ground or struggling to balance on the now slippery path and as she did so an idea formed in her head.

Shifting Flowmotion, she felt the peculiar sensation of her mid-air motion coming to an abrupt halt, the momentum stored and then redirected downwards, sending Strelitzia streaking towards the ground, engulfed in orange light. She slammed the ground, releasing a shockwave of energy and force, surging behind her. It was kept low to the ground and she smiled as she saw the ice crack and shatter, freeing those trapped and making the going less treacherous.

They all deserved the opportunity to shine.

Satisfied, Strelizia turned back ahead, only to be passed by Relm, riding on her stag, which she now noticed had multicolored fur and golden horns.

"Nice trick Strelitzia!" She said without stopping.

That's not all. "Haste!"

Strelitzia sped up, dashing ahead, striving to catch up with Shoto, who's attack had given himself a significant lead. Keeping ahead of the pack, Strelitzia quickly closed in on Shoto's position, all the while dodging the balls thrown by Minoru, which he was simultaneously bouncing off of to launch himself forwards.

However, before he could launch another attack, something metal slammed headlong into him, sending him careening off to the side of the track.

Refocusing on what was ahead of her, she skidded to a halt as the training robots made themselves known. 1-pointers, 2-pointers and 3-pointers moved into position, while above them, zero-pointers loomed.

So this is the first real obstacle. Strelitzia thought, forming Starlight in her grip. She was about to attack, when she once again felt a chill. Next to her, Shoto, activated his Quirk once more, and in a near instant, a massive wave of ice surged forth, completely engulfing the zero pointer, freezing it solid. He then resumed running.

Wow… Shoto's Quirk is strong. And indeed it was. Power like that was similar to that of a Blizzaga spell, something Strelitzia at the moment could only accomplish with Grand Magic.

"Alright, let's go!"

"Yeah, between the robot's legs. It's frozen!"

The students, emboldened by the disabled machines, rushed forwards. Strelitzia made to move as well, only for a loud CRACK to bring her to a halt once more.

The ice encasing the closest zero-pointer shattered, and the disabled robot fell forwards. Several students screamed as the colossal robot toppled down atop them.

Acting quickly, Strelitzia stepped forwards and raised Starlight.

"Zero Gravira!" An area of opposing gravitic force formed. However, even that was not enough, as the sheer size and weight of the robot ensured it would still fall.

"Quara!" Strelitzia chanted, bringing Starlight from where she had raised it aloft to slam it into the ground. Rough pillars of stone rose up catching the falling robot, propping it up safely.

Stepping back, she inspected her handiwork. It wouldn't hold forever, but at least she had ensured that it could last long enough for everyone to get past. Which was more than she could say for Shoto, who it seemed had deliberately froze it in such a way that it would quickly break and fall.

That's too far!

But there wasn't anything she could do about that at the moment. Instead, with the zero-pointer husk secured, she took stock, seeing other students now emboldened to keep running.

"Thanks, Strelitzia!" Relm shouted as she rode past. She had traded out her stag for a rhinocerous, albeit with a lot more spikes. It charged into the midst of the robots, simply smashing it's way through. Strelitzia took off afterwards.

Much like the entry exam, the one, two and three-pointer robots proved no match for her, simple swings of the Starlight or basic spells carved a path through them. As to the zero-pointers, it seemed, without a Possessor enhancing them, a Thundara spell was sufficient to short circuit them.

As she made her way through the hordes of robots, others did as well. Tenya simply used his enhanced speed to rush past, avoiding any attacks. Katsuki merely rocketed above the entire course. Ochako levitated the machines into the air before dropping them, Reiko fired pebbles at high velocity through them, and Momo created a full on cannon to blast through zero-pointers. Izuku used his enhanced strength to smash his way through, timing his activations and deactivations to avoid overtaxing himself much like they'd trained.

Strelitzia was in a somewhat similar boat. She had large reserves of magic, especially for someone of her level, but they were still finite, and smaller than she was used to. And she wouldn't have been allowed to bring Ethers into the Festival with her so what she had was what she had, barring that she could recover some energy naturally if they were given any rest periods between events.

As she sped up, making her way through and past the robots and students, she quickly came to the next obstacle, a gaping canyon filled with rocky pillars. Ropes connected the various platforms, and it was clear that it was intended for the racers to either shimmy across or balance atop the ropes to make their way across the gap.

Strelitzia didn't need to bother with either method.

Not breaking her pace, she activated Flowmotion, leaping onto the ropes and beginning to grind at high speeds across. As she reached the first platform she leaped into the air. She couldn't help but let out a laugh as she felt the high speed winds blowing past her, and the rush of adrenaline as she reached the apex of her jump and began falling back down.

This was, in a word, fun.

This Festival race was an important part of the road to becoming a Hero but it was still… well… a Festival. It was small shadows compared to having to face Heartless or Villains. And she would get to prove a point to Shoto as well.

Strelitzia skipped over the entire platform, landing on the next rope and continued grinding across. Looking down, she could see that the bottom of the canyon was filled with cushions to ensure a safe landing, and ladders leading back up to the beginning. She didn't need them though.

When she reached he next platform, she leaped over it once more, this time flipping in the air as she aimed towards the next rope. As she ground, she looked behind her.

Izuku had dispensed with crossing the rope entirely, electing to instead leap from platform to platform. Meanwhile, Tsuyu had used her natural dexterity to easily balance on the rope. Relm on the other hand had painted up a gigantic multicolored bird and simply flew across the gorge.

Strelitzia needed to pick up the pace.

Shoto's earlier actions had given him a great lead and it appeared the canyon hadn't slowed him down much. So, she needed to speed up. Mid-air from another jump, she chanted another spell.

"Aero!" Once again aimed horizontally, she used the wind spell to launch herself forwards, sending her flying across the rest of the canyon, to hit the ground well on the other side. She rolled, rose to her feet, and kept running, before long noticing signs announcing the third obstacle.

A minefield.

Luckily, there was a disclaimer that the mines were drastically different from military grade mines, and would instead do little more than knock someone on their back. Rough, but acceptable for Hero training.

When Strelitzia first saw the field itself, obviously darker mounds of soil, clearly indicating where the mines were. At first, she had thought that it was another form of safety, before she realized just how closely they were packed. If the racers didn't want to be knocked back and lose time, they were going to have to either make careful steps, or have some means of bypassing the mines entirely.

Strelitzia did have a method. Several in fact. Including the Aero spell she had just used. She could do that again, but discarded the idea.

She wondered if Relm was rubbing off on her.

As she drew closer, she could see Shoto already part of the way through the field. His reflexes and precision were impressive, as he wasn't slowed down too much by having to carefully aim his steps.

Still, it wouldn't help him.

Instead of proceeding across, Strelitzia came to a halt, surveying her surroundings.

"Haha! You won't get away from me, stupid-name!" Katsuki came streaking past her, forcing Strelitzia to dodge to avoid getting blasted. Katsuki continued on, rocketing ahead over the field on his explosions. "And I'll crush you too, icy-hot!"

As she considered the field, she pondered simply blowing it all up. But even with the mines being as weak as they were, that could be dangerous. So instead…

"Hey Strelitzia!" A familiar voice.

Strelitzia smiled and leaped into the air, grabbing onto Relm's hand as she flew above. She landed on the birds back and quickly crouched down next to her.

"Thanks!"

"Hey, one good turn deserves another, as they say." Relm said.

"I hope we don't get in trouble for this..." Strelitzia said.

"Bah, they said anything goes as long as we don't leave the track! And even if we do... Worth it!" Relm laughed. "Besides, I bet they've never seen this before! Now let's go!"

Strelitzia hung on as the bird soared over the minefield, to the frustrated expression of Katsuki below, further exacerbated when Izuku came streaking past him. Though he managed to clear quite a bit of the field, perhaps he had miscalculated, as he accidentally landed on a mine, which exploded, sending him careening into the wall.

Strelitzia winced and was relieve to see that he was okay. Katsuki laughed, though it abruptly stopped when Izuku quickly rose to his feet.

Shoto had a quite different reaction however. Though his facial expression never changed, he gestured with his hand, and an enormous wave of ice formed, shooting upwards.

"Look out!" Strelitzia shouted, but it was too late. The peak of the new iceberg had risen directly in their path and Relm's bird collided headlong with it.

Strelitzia grabbed onto Relm just in time, wrapping her arm around her and leaping, just before the bird dispersed into paint. Holding tight with one hand, she checked their trajectory, only for her stomach to sink as she saw they were on a direct collision course for the mines. She wasn't sure she could alter their trajectory enough with an Aero spell, but she was going to have to-

"Gotcha!"

Strelitzia was momentarily confused as she felt arms wrap around her waist. She quickly pushed through her disorientation to realize that Izuku had smashed straight through Shoto's glacier to grab the both of them, propelling all three ahead, out from above the mines!

With that, Strelitzia formed Starlight once more and aimed at the ground. An Aero spell slowed their descent enough for the trio to hit the ground and roll, quickly rising to their feet.

"Right on!" Relm cheered.

"The race isn't over yet." Strelitzia said.

"Right!" Izuku nodded.

The three of them took off, sprinting across the final stretch. Strelitzia pulled ahead, aided by her strength and training. Izuku couldn't keep up his enhanced abilities for continuous movement, and Relm didn't have the time to paint up anything.

They rushed down the path, through the tunnel and into the stadium, where their pants and steps were drowned out by the roar of the crowd. Strelitzia passed the finish line first, followed by Izuku, and then Relm.

"Now that's how you do it!" Relm shouted.

"We… we beat them? We did!" Izuku said, in between gulps for air.

"Yeah." Relm said, and then turned to Strelitzia. "Your plan worked! I love it!"

As her victory was announced, the crowds roar grew even louder such that she couldn't even hear her friends comments. Even still, despite how she was rather embarrassed at the attention, Strelitzia couldn't help but smile at the satisfaction. It was both a fun event, and looking back, she saw Shoto running into the stadium followed closely behind by a very frustrated Katsuki, with other students distantly behind them.

"It looks like it."

But this wasn't the whole of the tournament. And the more she thought about it, the more curious she got about Shoto. Not all of his comments had been about disparaging teamwork. What was he talking about before that?

One thing was for certain. It wasn't over yet...