I don't know how it came to this. Sora thought as she shielded her eyes from the burning bright sun. But I'm making the most of it! " Watch out, here I come!" She yelled throwing herself in the middle of the group, splashing them with water.
" Now you've done it, Sora-chan!" And so they set her as their target and began splashing nonstop while she made for the shores, laughing happily.
" Come on guys!" She said holding up a ball above her head. " You know there is no beach episode without handball!"
" Beach episode?" Sirius tilted her head in confusion.
" Anyway, come up here!" And so they did. The rest of the day was spent in between playing handball, swimming, and grilling barbeque. Sora wasn't sure if that was what work study was for, but she wasn't a party pooper so she also had to enjoy it to the very end.
Up a cliff, Selkie and Ryukyu were watching over them from under a parasol. Sora kept looking back at them every now and then, expecting them to shift from their relaxing stances to fighting ones any moment now. But that didn't happen.
" So, to sum it all up... this Trigger thing, is more like the boost drug that was circulating around right?" Sora asked hitting the ball towards Sirius. Now they were playing in the midst of the water.
" Yeah, we've said so back in the Agency." Hado pointed.
" No, what I mean.... There has to be a difference between those two things, right? If it's the same then, why not just call it a boost drug?"
" Well, you've got a point there," Sirius spoke calmly as she leaned on the floating ball. " You must all know by now, a boost drug only powers up the Quirk, it never changes the conditions for its activation."
Sora could recall Yuu telling her about that shortly after the incident they had with the Quirk Killing drug.
" But Trigger seems to be different. Like the name suggests, instead of just boosting the Quirk, it triggers its activation as well. Some say Trigger was originally developed to be able to trigger usually undetected Quirks."
" Undetected Quirks?" Uraraka blinked in surprise at that.
" Basically people who have Quirks yet don't know of its existence since they either don't know the activation condition or because it's something hard to notice. Like, if your Quirk gives you some extra interior organ or changes your bones to metal, you're unlikely to discover that unless you've been checked by the hospital," Sora told her.
" The medicine was then lumped for it bore terminal side effects on the users. But apparently, other people used the idea to create some illegal drugs, regardless of the aftereffects." Sirius continued. She straightened up and passed the ball to Uraraka who clutched it hard in her hands.
" That's unforgivable."
" You're right, Ochaco-chan. We're going to stop them from smuggling this drug." Asui was more than serious about it too. It wasn't before long that they were called by their supervisors. Apparently, the time to move came...
________________
Sora watched as the boat sailing towards the horizon was boarded by Selkie's crew, Uraraka, and Asui.
"We're going too, Nejire-chan, Angie," Ryukyu told them as she touched her metal claw, beginning her transformation. Sora and Hado flew close behind her. They flew around the islands, trying to find any sign of the targeted ship. Sora squinted at the areas around them, even lowering her attitude to check some caves.
She rose up beside her mentor and shook her head. " This is Ryukyu. Nothing to report. Please direct me to the next search point. "
" Roger. Please head to point 43." Sirius' voice resounded through their comms and they hurried to the described location. But before even reaching the borders, they were informed of the identification of the ship's whereabouts and told to head to point 57.
They turned around and sped through the sky. The clouds are a good cover for us. Thought Sora as the ship finally came into view. They were able to approach it so far without them noticing. But it was a short-lived accomplishment for a smokescreen enveloped both the boat and the cargo. " We ought to disperse it." But even as they tried, the smoke was proven to be dense for even Ryukyu's large wings.
Sora, who could hear Selkie landing abroad the ship and taking down one of the smugglers, heard something disturbing. Something hitting the water's surface?
" Takeover of bridge complete!" Selkie shouted through their communicators proudly. It was by the time they managed to disperse the smokescreen and saw once more the ship. Sora however focused on the great shadow behind it, where the cargo supposedly was. What they saw was a seaplane.
" Don't tell me that was their main vehicle..." Ryukyu stated as the plane made its way around the boat and soared up. Asui couldn't reach it with her tongue, nor Ryukyu's speed was enough.
Sora on the other hand had another plan. " Uravity! Get out of the bridge and jump up! Quick!" She told her via their comm as she hurried off to the Oki Mariner. With Sirius' help and using a harpoon launcher, Uraraka managed to levitate high enough for Sora to intercept her. Holding tightly to her friend's hand, Sora fixed her eyes on the escaping plane.
I won't get left behind. Yuu is doing his best too! I will grind my teeth and go beyond my limits as well! " Hang on!" And as she flapped her wings, a new pair appeared, a tad smaller. " Max Speed!" She crossed through the sky with two pairs of wings, wind flapping hard against their faces and catching in their hairs whipping around at the neck-breaking speed they were going at.
"I'll toss you! Use your wires to grab the body of the seaplane!"
" Roger that!"
And upon closing on, Sora swayed her and Uraraka launched her wire, grabbing tight to the wing of the seaplane. In less than a moment, she was drawn towards it while Sora slowed, catching her breath as Ryukyu and Hado caught up with her.
They all tensed when the airplane shook and plunged toward the water.
" Uravity, pull back on the yoke!" Selkie ordered her but it apparently didn't work, for the plane was yet plummeting downward. Sora couldn't stand still and she chased after the falling plane.
" Ochaco-chan, get out! Ochaco-chan!" Despite her calls, Uraraka didn't listen to Asui at all, she wouldn't let the plane hit the water and allow the cargo to spill over the ocean.
Sora bit her lip as the left propeller stalled and came to a stop.
" Uravity, make the seaplane weightless!"
" B-But it's too heavy! Making the whole thing weightless is-"
" Are you giving up?"
" ... No, I'm not giving up!"
Sora couldn't help the small that tugged at her lips. Neither I'm, Ochaco-chan! " Nejire-chan!" Sora extended a hand to her and the older girl held to it. " Max speed!"
And they both sped up towards the seaplane as it trembled in its fall. " Now! Stabilize it!"
" Full charge, output 90!" Hado unleashed her aglow spiraling waves. " Nejire Wave!"
They were big enough that they swallowed the seaplane whole and it stopped shaking about.
" Uravity, now!"
" I'm not gonna... give up!" And it floated. And with that a great sense of relief crushed onto Sora. Ryukyu grasped the whole aircraft and landed it softly on the water's surface.
Forgetting about her tiredness, Sora rushed after Ryukyu through the door to find Uraraka kneeling on all fours, shivering and throwing up sparkling stuff. Breathing out in Relief, she hurried to her friend's side, patting her back gently. " You were great, Ochaco-chan..." she whispered to her...
________________
" I got another one!" Sora smiled proudly as she pulled the thread and a fish was wabbling at its end.
" I've got some clams!" Asui announced happily as she stepped out of the water with a bunch of them grasped in her hands.
" I think this is enough, let's get them grilled then." Sirius smiled as she set the fire burning. As they gathered around the gridiron, they chatted happily about their plans for the coming year while enjoying their delicious meal.
" Listen, after this, what about skimming!" Sirius suggested.
" Sounds interesting!" Hado answered.
" I would rather glide," Uraraka stated.
" Then let's do it together!" Sora told her ecstatically.
Unbeknown to what fate was weaving behind the curtains for all of them, they enjoyed the rest of their day on the beach...
________________
Far from them, poor Yuu was settled in a train chair, face pale and devoided of any sign of life. Whisper shook his head and tutted audibly as he took in the state of the other riders. " Youngsters these days don't have the spine for baseball."
" That..." Shoji gasped as he tried and failed to raise his head. " Was torture under the guise of baseball."
" I don't think work study is meant to be like this," added Jiro listlessly.
" Maybe it was a divine punishment," mumbled Shiozaki.
" It definitely was." Kaminari agreed.
" Whisper..." Yuu's soul seemed as though ready to leave his body at any moment. " Meanwhile you seemed to have enjoyed yourself."
" The only one who was able to match both Orca and Shishido's enthusiasm was you, Seijin." Ojiro pointed with a sweat drop and Yuu sunk further into his seat.
" That was Whisper, not me... I would have liked to run away sooner..."
" What are you complaining about? Baseball is a man's game! You should be giving your all in it!"
" Not when you get hit by Shishido's last throw..." retorted Yuu.
" That one did really hurt..." Despite him, Whisper shook remembering the ball he caught, or rather failed to catch and it knocked Yuu, who played catcher, way back on top of the already fallen Shishida. Being under Take Over meant Whisper felt it too.
" Seijin, you have my empathy..." said Shoji who too bore the brunt of said throw.
" By the way." Ojiro whirled his head as though looking for something. " Don't you think we forgot something?"
" We're all too tired to even remember what we might have forgotten!" Complained Mineta.
Back on the pitch, while Tetsutetsu was shedding tears of sorrow at being left behind, buried deep in the ground with Ai by his side. Having wandered away at the start of the game after some butterflies, she as well was left behind, but she didn't seem as upset about it as Tetsutetsu, who was made to listen as Ai sat beside him, joyfully naming all the constellations she could recognize and trying to find one looking like her pet garden snake...
________________
The week passed before anyone could notice. And so the time to return to UA came. Ryukyu dropped them off the previous night, all while tipping them off their work study being scheduled weekly.
Despite how excited and eager all of them were to exchange the events of their work studies, they all dropped dead on their beds as soon as they reached the dorm. It wasn't until morning that Iida announced having a training session to exchange what they had learned during the winter break. " So everyone. Suit up, and head over to Ground Alpha!"
" Hey! Quit chatting, and-" As Aizawa slid open the door, Sora, Asui, and Ashido ran past him with their cases, wishing him a happy new year.
" I've finished telling them about today, as you requested this morning," Iida told the man as Yuu passed him too with a bow.
" Iida is... slightly different today. Don't you think so?" Whisper looked down at Yuu, rubbing his head as though trying to put his finger on what was unusual about the boy.
" Now that you mention it, he didn't seem extremely agitated and passionate in his words as usual." Yuu mused.
" Right, that's it! And no chopping hands!" Whisper added ecstatically.
" His body twitching increased though!" Giggled Kaminari from behind them. " He's like a bike where the chain keeps coming off."
" Wouldn't Iida be a motorcycle? He's got engines." Pointed Sero.
" Not wrong." Cackled Whisper...
________________
In the locker room, all the girls expressed their admiration for Uraraka's new costume. The girl was growing pinker on the cheeks. Well, she looks cute in it after all. Sora thought fastening her utility belt. It was then that Uraraka let out a gasp and everyone looked back at her in surprise.
The girl jumped to fetch something down by Ashido's foot and with some twirls and leaps she skidded away from her as much as possible. Ho! She is even getting better with her moves! But wait... that thing she just picked was...
" I knew it!" Ashido seemed as though Christmas was coming up again.
" That's not it, Ashido-chan!" Uraraka tried to protest but Ashido was too busy leaping and laughing out loud in ecstasy to hear her. " It's really not." The girl managed to regain her calm and all the pink faded away from her face. Ashido stopped and looked at her, slightly disappointed. " I'm just keeping it close... And safe." She held onto the All Might strap tightly.
" By the way, Ashido!" Jiro hissed urgently in her ear. " I thought you would be more careful with your shipping since Seijin-"
" Shhhh!"
But it was too late. " What's about Yuu?"
" Nothing!" Ashido, Jiro, Hagakure, Asui, and Uraraka chorused.
This isn't nothing. Sora stared at them, hoping to peer right through their auras and maybe into their minds. Guilt, huh? What happened?
" Would you look at the time!" Ashido checked a nonexistent watch on her wrist. " If we get any later Aizawa-sensei will be mad!" And so they rushed about, sparing Sora no second look at all...
________________
" Whoa! You mastered that berserk thing?!" Kirishima's exclamation drew their attention to Midoriya as he fastened his gloves. Everyone was excited to hear that.
" It's not like that whisp you showed us the other time, right?" Whisper stared at him and Midoriya shook his head, though he seemed somewhat sheepish remembering it.
" It really makes a difference when your work study is with the number one hero!" Kirishima piped in. " Like, you grow faster!"
" Are you sure it's okay, Midoriya-san?" Yuu looked back at him as he closed his locker.
" Yeah, it's totally under my control now. But I still can't emit it for more than an instant. Its uses are limited... But it's strong." It was then that something black stabbed him on the side of his head, and it was the ear ornament of Bakugo's mask.
" Midoriya-san!" Midoriya stood still, staring at his own palm.
" Bakugo! What're you doing?!" Kirishima yelled at the blond who was grinding his teeth in frustration.
"I'm not pleased!"
" Oh no! There's cerebrospinal fluid trickling out!" Sato's yelp made them turn back to Midoriya. Tokoyami's face was... rather priceless to Whisper's bemusement.
" You finally did it delinquent." Whisper shook his head, trying to suppress a laugh but failed. " You've killed him."
" Midoriya!" Mineta cried helplessly...