"Welcome back class!" Eager as ever, the potions teacher, Miss Wrenly, chirped as she addressed the students. "Now I know we had an exciting weekend, but we have potions to brew, so let's get started!"
"Aw, what!"/"Ugghh."/"Your aura stinks!" A few students groaned.
Undeterred, Miss Wrenly continued. "For today's lesson, we'll be taking a little field trip outside with the Plant Track!"
"Why didn't you say that before!?"/"Awesome!"/"Your aura does not stink!" Most of the students cheered.
Hiding a wince at the phrase 'field trip', Izuku grabbed his new backpack, also one of Eda's, since his was left at the Castle.
In the closest patch of forest behind the school, Miss Wrenley and the Plant Track teacher Miss Jenkinmeyer led a lesson on foraging. This meant a lot of the combined classes were using it as an excuse to sit around on their Penstagrams while halfheartedly picking at blades of bloodred grass.
"Wrinkling Oak," Izuku ran his hand over the aged bark of one of the trees. "Good for making furniture, but not much else," he more or less felt a pout. "I guess if we need to stock up on weapons, we can make spears or something."
"You can also boil the bark to gargle if you have a sore throat," Willow was next to him, almost startling him. "I wouldn't recommend actuallydrinking it. Goes right through."
Izuku blinked. "Right." And jotted those informative notes down. "You still have the Gauntlet?"
"Yeah, but it kinda took root in one of my plants so its whatever," Willow shrugged. "How've you been?" She smiled sweetly.
He let out a groaning sigh. "How can we just be back in class when Belos is working on, uh, on something!" He began pacing. "I don't know what the Day of Unity is, but its obviously important for whatever he's planning, and it involves all the covens-Willow! The Coven system is obviously just a suppression tool to keep witches limited in their knowledge, not to mention the only coven that allows all forms of magic is directly under his control and-!" Izuku gasped. "I left Hunter at the Castle! I-I didn't save him!" He had left Hunter in Belos' hands. Belos, the tyrant who had effectively killed hundreds in the name of power. It was what petrification amounted to anyways. Was petrification even the only execution method? Rotting in a cell sounded like mercy!
"Oh, it's a high-strung day." Willow noted. "Okay," she guided him to sit down. "How about we just focus on what you can do right now?" She pointed for emphasis.
"I need to help-" Izuku looked at his hands. The hands he used to pin Hunter to a wall. The hands which sent Hunter crashing into a pit of spikes. Useless hands of a useless deku!
"UGH!" A voice shouted. "Who cares about some dumb leaves and sticks, I need to be practicing for the Grudgby match!"
Izuku snapped to attention, seeing Boscha with both of the teachers.
"Boscha, your grades have been slipping and at this rate you will not be allowed to play for the rest of the grudgby season." Miss Wrenly sounded stern.
"I! Am! The captain!" Boscha held her grudgby ball tightly. "I have to be there!"
"You will be if you put that energy into-Eileen!" Miss Wrenly's attention went elsewhere. "Put that down!"
Miss Jenkinmeyer followed. "Taste is not the first test for unidentified plants!"
The ball in Boscha's hands caught on fire and she threw it on the ground. It bounced and hit Izuku in the face, thankfully smoldering by that point.
Willow gasped. "Izuku! Are you okay?"
Ash and embers filled his nose, a familiar sting. He could see Boscha's eyes ablaze in fury, but something deep down in his heart recognized another emotion from a different face. The fiery ambition and determination, social status, overwhelming ability.
"Boscha-!" Izuku tripped over himself getting to her, almost crawling. "Let me help!" He waved frantically, getting on one knee and pointing to himself.
"Wha-?" Boscha's eyes went wide for a second before turning her nose up. "And why should I listen to a blockhead like you?"
"Hey!" Willow approached, putting herself between Izuku and Boscha. "Only Luz gets to call him that as a friendly nickname."
Getting to his feet, Izuku dusted himself off. "I studied at the Castle, I'm fourth in our grade on written and practicals, and I like you!"
Willow and Boscha both gasped. "What!?"
"Izuku, did you hit your head or something?" Willow held his face.
"W-Well, I mean-"
"Well!" Boscha regained her composure. "Having a supportive boyfriend would be good for my Penstagram." She grabbed Izuku by his arm and dragged him away. "Come on then."
"Er, okay!" Izuku was fine. This was fine. Everything was fine and perfect and feeling close to normal now that he had things under control.
Before he knew it, it was already lunch and Izuku was sitting with Boscha and her friends at a table. Amelia and Cat were swapping foods, some pastries by the looks of it, the former having a cookie from the school lunch while the latter had brought in a packed lunch with a cupcake. Skara was scrolling through her Penstagram with one hand and eating her sandwich with the other. Izuku himself had some griffon egg salad sandwich made and packed by Lilith, complete with a motivational quote of a plain 'do your best!' on a sticky note.
"Oh boyfriend," Boscha had a protein bar. "Can you open this for me?"
"S-sure," Izuku did as told. Kacchan never asked Izuku for anything, he had too much pride to, in his words, lower himself to need help. Boscha on the other hand...
"Amelia, Cat," Boscha suddenly spoke between bites of her protein bar, "watch your sugar. If you're going to eat that many calories, at least make them more filling. Skara," she turned her attention and the Bard girl snapped to it, "how's St. Epiderm looking?"
"Oh-" Skara coughed, wiping her mouth and scrolling some more. "Uh, well, the captain just posted that her fall last week actually pulled her killer's tendon."
Boscha hummed and smiled. "Guess this is gonna be an easy season."
'I guess being a team captain means you have to work with others,' Izuku noted Boscha smiling a bit more as it seemed things were looking up for her.
"Buut," Skara continued, "this is what the vice-captain posted." She held up her Penstagram, giving both Boscha and Izuku a good look. It was a selfie, the girl was in a grudgby uniform, flexing an impressive bicep.
Izuku gasped when he recognized her. "I know her! She's in St. Epiderm's Potion track!" Her profile picture was of a yellow rose, fitting her username 'WildRosie', and the caption was only in emojis; a green heart, a 'greater than' sign, and a blue heart.
"What!?" Boscha burned her protein bar. "Oh Titan no!" She stood up, grabbing her bag. "We're going to practice, now!"
"Eep!" Izuku flinched away from the flame. Boscha was already halfway out the cafeteria while Amelia, Cat, and Skara were scrambling to gather their things. 'Or be scary enough to make others do what you want them to!'
"Boyfriend!" Boscha called out from the door.
The sudden attention on Izuku made his yelp again, burying his face under his hand while the other gathered his things. 'She's just like Kacchan! She can't stand competition!' As soon as those words were in his head, a hint of an epiphany poked its head. 'Wait, if Boscha's like Kacchan-'
And the epiphany was interrupted by Boscha using her magic to pull Izuku forward to catch him up with the rest of the group.
Out on the grudgby field, Izuku could see the full display of Boscha's magic.
Literally.
Setting a three on one match, best two out of three, Boscha was first to move, throwing a wide right to launch flames towards her team-turned-practice opponents to prevent them from catching the ball out the air.
'Just like Kacchan,' Izuku noted while watching.
Boscha caught the ball and began running towards the goal. Amelia made some vines sprout out the ground to block her path, but Boscha ducked and dove between them, even hopped onto one as it grew, spinning to throw the ball towards the goal from a higher vantage point.
hoonk!
The scoreboard's horn blared with a new score.
'So quick!' Izuku made a rough sketch of the play in his notebook.
The next round, Cat made a shield right above Boscha, preventing her from moving while Skara caught the ball and began making a run for the goal. Boscha responded by sending fireballs, which Skara barely managed to dodge with jumps and ducks, each one accompanied by a yelp. Arrows flew out from somewhere, Izuku was not sure where, and Cat dropped her concentration when Amelia used a spell to create a tree-like growth to block them, letting Cat run out the way.
With the shield down, Boscha ran towards Skara to get the ball.
"Ahhh-Cat!" Skara threw the ball over Boscha's head.
Cat caught the ball, passed it towards Amelia, and Amelia used a spell to create another tree-stump growth to knock the ball towards the goal.
hoonk!
Boscha gritted her teeth, but it became a toothy smile filled with a hunger which could not be satisfied with food.
'Just like Kacchan.' Izuku noted again, making another sketch.
Last round. Boscha was prepared for the shield above her, dropping down and creating a smoky fog.
'Huh!?' Izuku blinked. 'A distraction! Clearly!' He looked around, seeing Skara with the ball again.
Streams of fire suddenly enveloped the field.
"Ow-!" Amelia yelped, jumping back from one row of flames.
"Amelia-!" Cat tried to run towards her.
"Cat! The ball!" Skara called out as the flames died down.
She tried to scramble back to the ball's descent, but another blast of flames and heat exploded just in front of her.
It was Boscha, using the flames to fly through the air, another fire spell wrapped around her hand. It created a huge fist of flames. She threw the punch, a wide right hook, and the ball might as well have been a meteor strike with how it plowed through Amelia's vines, Cat's shield, and Skara's attempt at using some whistle spell to slow the ball but Boscha's magic, to put simply, was stronger.
hoonk!
'That was more like Endeavor!' Izuku sketched again. Not Hellspider, no-Hell Minefield! And the punch was like Vanishing Fist! Pure power, but applied in such a precise method! Skara, Amelia, and Cat were no slouches either. The teamwork was clear as day, protecting each other while simultaneously scoring a goal. Had their opponent been anyone but Boscha, the triple shield might have worked! If a bit of overkill, since the only reason they used it was because Boscha's magic was so powerful in the first place. 'Fiery ambition, but also-'
"Take five!" Boscha shouted. "Skara, you got bard lungs! Use them and run faster! Dead sprint drills! Go!"
"Right!" Skara nodded and began running back and forth on the field.
"Amelia! Cat!" Boscha turned to both of them. "Keep an eye on the ball! We can patch up during halftime."
The two nodded, and Cat began casting a healing spell on Amelia's slightly burned arm.
"Boyfriend!"
Izuku squeaked. "Y-Yes, Boscha?"
"Get me my water!" She gestured with her hand, making a grabbing motion.
"Coming!"
Yep, just like Kacchan.
...
...
Willow poked at her food, a bit of a shame since it was griffin egg salad she had been looking forward to. Then again, how could she enjoy the mixture of eggs and toetatoes when Boscha, somehow, someway, had Izuku wrapped around her finger.
"Luz, your head's gonna explode before Boscha's does." Gus sounded a bit worried.
Looking over, Willow saw Luz's face was pure red, twisted in anger, eyes glaring daggers at Boscha. "How!? Just-" Luz gestured wildly. "How!? Why!?"
"I thought Boscha broke up with him a while ago," Amity could only raise an eyebrow.
A thought sent Willow back to the other day, how Izuku seemed so frantic to do something. She had been hoping to get Izuku to focus on the present a bit more and prepare himself to recognize when he would begin spiraling into never ending what-ifs, but when he heard someone needed help, he jumped to it like a swarm of fire bees to a tree. Some part of her understood it, not wanting to focus on her his own problems and instead help other people.
"I'm going to get him-" Willow stood up.
"Wait," Amity held out her hand, taking another glance at Izuku writing notes instead of eating lunch he did not even have. "It's game day."
At first, Willow did not get it, but then the realization set in.
Gus gasped first. "Game day! Of course! Once he sees what she's like at her worst, he'll snap right out of it! Then we can throw him another party!"
Luz shot one more glare at Boscha.
"Hey," Amity put her hand on Luz's shoulder. "He'll be okay. He can take care of himself, and if he needs help, we'll be right there to save him."
Luz sighed and smiled. "Right. So what if Izuku's in a toxic relationship again? It's not like he'll date her again after this. Or-or-or end up with some awful person who pretends to be nice who makes him believe he's worthless and isolates him from his friends and family-"
"Luz!" Amity held her hand. "Breeeathe."
Gus put a sandwich in Luz's other hand. "You're in a safe space with delicious food."
Willow looked at Izuku again, seeing him writing in his notebook while Boscha talked over the team.
...
...
The school had banners with Hexside's sports colors blue and yellow, all proclaiming something positive about the school's team, the Banshees. Or menacing. The Boiling Isles was a civilization built on a rotting corpse, gore was simply a part of life, not some taboo reminder of mortality and fragility. The live weaponry reminded Izuku of the UA Sports Festival back in the Human Realm. They had large robots for starters, which was already as dangerous as being in moving traffic with armored vehicles going way over the speed limit. Not to mention the individual temperaments of students who pushed the limits of how far they could go with their Quirks before being disqualified somehow. Hell, not just UA students, but plenty of people used the nature of their Quirks to justify villainy. Vlad King had more than enough interviews about how his Quirk could be seen as evil-
"Boyfriend!" Boscha yelled again, snapping her fingers. "Are you listening to me?"
Izuku glanced around, seeing the team quickly averting their eyes and getting ready. "Uhhh," he looked at Boscha. "No?"
Wrong answer. Boscha glared but took in a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. Let me repeat myself, just this once." She clapped her hands. "We're going to slaughter St. Epiderm, and you are going to take pictures for my Penstagram while cheering me on." She grabbed his face, smiling through gritted teeth. "Got it?"
"Actually, Boscha-" Izuku pulled away, half tempted to match her tone but decided against it. "I'm...not going to do any of that."
Boscha blinked a few times, her face getting red. She sputtered a breath before crossing her arms. "A-and why's that? I thought you liked me."
"I-" he recoiled at the memory for some reason. "I like your ambition. You're plenty smart and dutiful to not only be the top Potions student in our grade but also team captain. Your magic is powerful and the way you use it is extraordinary. Plus, you have lots of friends," he looked to the team, seeing them eyeing the exchange. "I'm just a Quirkless nerd from the Human Realm. Why would someone as great and wonderful as you ever want to be associated with me?"
Boscha gasped, eyes wide, face almost matching her hair. He heard more gasps behind him, seeing the three run away.
"Uh-" Izuku had half a second to wonder what was happening when Boscha grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"Why!?" Boscha growled. Legitimately growled. "Well, you said it yourself. I, Boscha Riegal, am way too good for the likes of you! I don't need your support, I'm the greatest, and by extension my team is also great! Ain't that right, girls?" She looked to the team, who were surprised by the sudden inclusion.
"You do push us to do our best," Amelia shrugged in agreement.
"Yeah!" Skara added. "And you always look out for us. I can't count how many times you saved my butt during a tough play."
"You're scary, but like," Cat rubbed the back of her neck, "in a good way? Most of the time."
"See?" Boscha gestured, a confident smile now gracing her face.
Izuku could not help but nod, sensing a familiarity he had almost forgotten. "Guess that means we're not dating anymore?"
Boscha narrowed her eyes. "Are you," and titled her head, "breaking up with me?"
'Why does it feel like I stepped on a landmine?' Izuku felt a cold sweat. "Uh, yes?"
...
...
"Okay Willow, you can do this." Willow spoke to herself while pacing around the sidelines. "You aren't half a witch. You stood up to Boscha before, you can do it now." She took a deep rbeath-
fwoom!
"Ah-!" Izuku's hair was somewhat on fire as he ran by.
"Oop-!" Willow grabbed him, using her cloak to pat down the flames.
It took a few seconds, there were still some smolders, but he was not in danger of burning alive. Humans were flammable, right? It sounded right.
"You, uh," Willow put out a smaller flame between her fingers, "you okay?"
He cringed a bit, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in an equally strained way. "I'm," he flinched as the crowd cheered, seeing Boscha lead the Banshees out into the field. "Fine. Boscha broke up with me again."
"Is that going to be a thing with you two?" Willow looked and sounded concerned.
"I-" Izuku looked at Boscha down in the field, seeing her start a match with a stream of fire. "-don't think so. It was mutual this time. Plus, I figured out why Boscha was so admirable in the first place to me."
Willow hummed. "Admirable...?"
"Yeah," Izuku did not seem to notice some sort of flaming debris flew by. "She reminds me of an old friend of mine! Er, well," he paused. "I guess we aren't really friends anymore? I think? We used to be when we were younger but..." his voice trailed off. "Point is, I don't like like her, I think? I don't think I like anyone the way Luz and Amity like each other. I mean-!" His freckled cheeks turned red, and he gestured wildly. "I like you and Gus as friends, of course! But that's different type of like, uh, I think...?"
He did not seem as high strung as before, instead back to his usual self, stuttering up a storm.
She grabbed his hand, which surprised him. "I like you as a friend too, Izuku." And put out yet another little fire in his hair. "Come on," she began pulling him towards the seats, "I think Luz might lose her head if she doesn't see you."
"R-right!"
Izuku's hand fidgeted around in hers, and she gave a light squeeze, feeling him settle down as they found a place to sit with Luz, Gus, and Amity.
hoonk!