Sora was rather surprised when Midoriya messaged her, telling her about the endurance training in the school's pool. She had rather a peculiar feeling about it.
It was confirmed once he told her it was Mineta and Kiminari's idea. Better warn everyone then.
And so, that's how they ended up using the school swimsuit instead of their own. However, it didn't stop the short boy from ogling at them.
The girls embarked on a game of ball while the boys got into training. From what Sora could see, it was a hard rough one. After almost an hour, Iida told them to take a break while bringing out a cooler full of juice cans.
Yuu had just reached the end of the pool when Iida offered him a hand, pulling him out with a smile. " Thank you."
Iida smiled widely before his attention went in another direction, Midoriya was trying to catch his breath after that long training. " Midoriya-kun."
He looked up as the duo approached. " You've been doing your best I see," Whisper smirked.
" You need to take a break," Iida said offering a canister to him and one other to Yuu. They both thanked him as they popped them open. However, the way Iida was looking at them was rather concerning.
" What?"
Iida just kept smiling. " Nothing, I just thought it was strange." He said taking a seat on a stand. " During the entrance exams, I didn't think I'd end up being good friends with either of you."
Thinking back about it, Yuu didn't as well. As he was especially rebuked by the blunette, it was hard to imagine them getting as close as they were now. Still, despite that, Iida approached them both on the first day of school, more or less apologizing for his behavior. It was thanks to that that they ended up like they were at that moment. Else, he would have been scared of him and wouldn't dare speak to him at all. I'm glad that Iida-san was the one to approach us back then.
He looked back at Midoriya and Iida as they kept recalling the past events from the first semester. A gentle smile formed on his face. Frankly speaking, he didn't expect to make friends at all when he first set foot on the ground of the school. He expected to be shunned and bullied like during elementary and junior high. However, UA proved to be a home for him. He was enjoying his time there that he was dreading the end of the day.
For him who didn't have any place at all in the past, UA was where he would spend more time with Sora and his friends. A place where he was accepted for who he is. Where he was welcomed.
" Seijin-kun..." Yuu blinked when Iida called him, only to realize he spaced out.
" Uh... Sorry..."
" To think about it, I didn't get to ask you, Seijin-kun," Said Midoriya with a smile. " Why did you want to become a hero?"
Yuu fumbled with his can as he racked his mind, trying to recall how it all started. " Maybe it was because I wanted attention..." Both of them blinked at him.
" You see, my family has a very different opinion of my Quirk, so as a kid, I yearned for their attention. Seeing them gathered around the TV and following the news of the top heroes made me think. Maybe if I become one, they would look more at me. That and I wanted to be strong. Strong enough to defend myself against spirits who liked to pull pranks on me."
" Pull pranks on you?"
" Just imagine being asleep in your bed and then feeling something walking over you and seeing a face smiling eerily down at you in the dark."
Midoriya gulped with his eyes wide open.
" That's very terrible!" Iida was waving his hands around rather frantically. " And you were a kid back then! That's unforgivable!"
" They're keeping it up till now, you know." He sweated. " That's why I don't get enough sleep at all most of the time. They don't intend to hurt. Just, they find it funny that a human could see them. So they want to play around. Still, their pranks are really terrifying. And, you can't do anything about them. Back when I was yet four, I thought if I became a hero, then I won't be spooked by them again. But... I've given up on that..."
" Huh?"
" When everyone shuns you, when everyone makes fun of you, you tend to lose confidence in yourself sometimes. You tend to believe their words. So, I too thought I couldn't do it, and gave up on that dream until... I was saved." His eyes landed on Sora who was yet playing with the other girls and his smile became even gentler.
Midoriya and Iida followed his gaze before they got it. " That's how I became determined this time. I didn't have anything back then, so when I got my first friend, I thought I wanted to protect her whatever the cost, and pay her for the kindness she had shown me. I wanted to be a hero who could protect what he holds dear."
Yuu clapped a hand around his mouth when he realized he had ranted for too long. " Sorry, I didn't mean to..."
" Nah, it's fine. This is the first time we get to know more about you, Seijin-kun," Iida stated, waving his hands enthusiastically.
" To think about it, you're a man of few words." Midoriya pointed. " This is the longest I've heard you speaking."
" Unlike you!" Whispered smirked only to be squeezed into Yuu's hands.
" I think he's got a point..." Midoriya laughed awkwardly before smiling at the purple head. " Seijin-kun, you came this far because you had the support of your friend, right?" His eyes flicked at Sora before he held his scathed right arm. " I'm here too thanks to the help of many different people. That's why I need to work harder!"
" Of course!" Bakugo strolled over to them with his usual angry faces and threads of threats and challenges.
" I'm surprised he even came!" Whisper had his eyes wide open at the ash blond before Kirishima held him back, apologizing for being late.
Iida strangely seemed inspired by Bakugo's words as he stated that just training wasn't interesting at all so he suggested a 50-meter swimming race among the boys. The girls joined them, saying they would help with whatever they could.
" I will crush you, Deku!" Bakugo shouted his lungs out at the green head. " You two half-and-half, feather head!"
" Ano..." Sora sweat dropped. " I'm not partaking in this race you know..."
________________
Yaoyorozu made a whistle as she took her place as a referee. The boys formed three groups of five. The first one was made of Kaminari, Bakugo, Koda, Tokoyami and Mineta. The rest of them were grouped by the pool to watch the race. " Who do you think will win, guys?" Ashido asked them.
" I say Bakugo!" Everyone agreed with Sero.
" How terrible of you! You guys think we don't stand a chance!" Mineta roared, his head fuming.
" Do you want to say you can win, shrimp!" Bakugo glared back at him only for Mineta to shrink in fear. Everyone else roared with laughter.
" You know, it somehow feels like the beach episode of an anime. With no beach that is..." Sora pointed with a sweat drop, her friends not getting much of her words.
Upon Yaoyorozu's signal, all five of them dived head first save for Bakugo who sailed above the whole pool with his ' Explosive Speed Turbo '.
Kirishima and Sero were angry that he didn't even swim. " Well... Guess since use of Quirk is allowed, it means that's allowed too..."
The next team was Todoroki, Aoyama, Sero, Kirishima and Yuu. " Shall we go for it?" The purple head locked eyes with the ghost who did a twirl in the air.
" All right!" He then phased through the boy's chest... Though, he didn't come from the other side. Yuu's eyes glowed as he bent down.
" Isn't this different from usual?" Uraraka pointed at Yuu.
" Oh, it doesn't matter." Sora waved her hand. " As a ghost Whisper can Take Over Yuu from in multiple ways. He only prefers the mouth diving thing especially when Yuu is too hesitant to absorb him."
" On your marks... Get set..." And then there was the whistle. Sero tried to jump over the pool too. But Aoyama, who had shot his navel Laser for a while and tired from the long training rammed into him as he had a stomachache. Kirishima shouted on top of his voice as he cut through half the distance, but Yuu overtook him. " Failures should stay at the back!"
" That's rude of you, Whisper!"
Yuu tried to catch up with Todoroki, but the speed of his ice was overwhelming he couldn't do much. Todoroki had already landed when he approached the end of the pool. " Damn it!" Whisper came out through Yuu's mouth this time.
" I told you not to act rude to others."
" I didn't! You did!" He huffed, his arms crossed in front of him, displeased by their loss.
" You were fast." Todoroki helped him out while Kirishima joined them.
" Darn you Whisper! You don't have to add salt to the wound, you know!"
" I said the truth!"
Yuu sighed as he bowed to them. " Sorry about that."
" It's all right, Seijin." Kirishima patted his shoulder with a beaming face before leaving to help Sero and Aoyam.
Yuu then turned over to the white and red-haired boy with a concerned air. " Todoroki-san... I've seen you using it during the final exam but..."
Todoroki looked down at his left hand. " You mean my flames, right? It's still hard to control them so I would rather use them in an emergency." His hand clenched into a fist. " I will decide for what purpose I will use them, to become the hero I wish to be too."
Todoroki's eyes flicked back at the boy. " You may have heard it but I want to say it face to face. Once again, thank you, Seijin."
Yuu's face was lit by a small smile at that. It was far from what Midoriya did. It's not like what Yuu said changed a major thing for Todoroki. Midoriya was the one who saved him. That was sure. Yuu just gave him a nudge of encouragement to take the path Midoriya had opened, that's all.
Still, it was enough for him.
The last group was Shoji, Ojiro, Midoriya, Iida and Sato.
" This one is kind of hard to foretell." Yuu walked back to the group. " We have the strongest, the fastest and the most athletic ones."
" I say it's Iida!" Shouted Ashido.
" Ribbit, but Shoji-chan is good too." Asui inclined her head.
" Midoriya! It's gonna be Midoriya!" Insisted Sora.
" I too say it's Deku-kun!" Uraraka agreed.
The whistle sounded and there were multiple splashes as all of them dove into the water. Iida however chose to accelerate on the rope.
" That one trick again! What are you, a tightrope walker?" Snorted Whisper.
" His balance is admirable though." Pointed Yuu " Even during the sports festival."
" Iida-kun is too perfect I guess." Sora laughed.
However, as fast as he was, Iida lost to Midoriya.
" You were close, Iida!" Ashido cried out.
" So now, it will be a match between all three of them, right?" Asked Hagakure. " Who do you think will win."
" I say Todoroki!" Sora was the first to voice her thoughts. Her face beamed as she looked back at the boy. As she had been through the same training as him during the internship, she once again saw for herself just how amazing the boy was. Even as she had fallen to her knees, beaten up and tired. He still stood again and again, not giving up.
The three of them lined up and hunched over, ready to dive as they activated their Quirks. Still, when Iida blew the whistle, they all plopped down to the water, their Quirks erased. " Don't tell me..."
" It's 5pm." The voice of their teacher rose above their disappointed ones. " Your pool use time had now ended. Hurry up and go home."
Kaminari and some of them tried to argue, but against Eraser Head, no chance at all.
________________
" Haaah! That was fun!" Ashido stretched up beneath the golden sky of dusk. " Who could have thought the boys tagging along would be entertaining!"
" I kind of wished to see the final dash though." Uraraka sighed.
" It's kind of unfair to leave us hanging like that." Hagakure piped in, flailing her arms furiously. Or at least her clothes did.
" It can't be helped. We can't afford to be late." Reasoned Yuu.
" Still, well done in the training today, Midoriya-kun, Seijin-kun. You got me all fired up! I will do my best as well!" Iida said in his unique way of getting excited.
" Here, his odd dance again..." Whisper sweated.
" I was kind of disappointed when they said we should refrain from making any long journeys during the summer but, thinking about it again. I don't think I want to go far after all!" Sora smiled.
" What do you mean, Shirogane-kun?" Iida pointed his hands in her direction with an eyebrow raised up. The rest also seemed curious about her words.
Sora's smile widened as she looked back at UA's building. The huge glass building glimmered in the bath of sun rays, glowing in a golden color. " This is the place I want to be in the most. And you're all the people I want to spend time with! " She flung both her arms at them. " I like this place!"
Jiro smiled while playing around with her right plug. " You're a kid or what?"
" Hey, that's rude!"
" But I agree with you."
" This is the best way to spend summer, ribbit."
" I'm looking forward even more to the training camp!" Chimed Ashido.
" If it's so, I shall get permission again from the teachers to use the pool once more! This time, you girls can join us in our training!" Iida suggested.
" I think we would pass on that..."
" Let's all shed sweat and tears together!"
" He's not listening at all..."