Izuku set his glass of milk on the table without taking his eyes off Momo.
"Alright," he said, raising both hands in a peace gesture. "Yu needs a huge place with no people around to test out her Quirk. Neither Dagobah nor any empty lot in Musutafu could handle a giantess practicing. And then there's the other thing..."
"What's 'the other thing'?" Momo leaned a bit closer to him.
"There's some weird program from Principal Nezu." Izuku scratched his neck. "And before you ask, no, I have no idea what it's about. Nobody's explained it to me, Nemuri-sensei laughs every time I ask her, and the principal said we'd see it on Monday. All I know is that it's a secret, so... please don't tell anyone."
Momo let Izuku finish before responding. The calm expression she'd worn at the start of the conversation was gone.
"Let me make sure I've understood correctly, Midoriya-san." Momo uncrossed her arms and rested her hands on the table. "Takeyama-san needs a spacious, remote location capable of withstanding the tests of her Quirk. And you're proposing that we use our summer house to carry out a full training session at scale?"
"When you put it that way it sounds a lot more impressive."
Momo stared at him for a couple of seconds.
"Because it is! Why didn't you start with that?"
Izuku dropped his gaze for half a second and, as soon as he raised it, he focused with all his might on Momo's left eyebrow.
Focus, Izuku. The woman is upset and you're thinking about... no, don't even finish that thought. She's upset, and that's that.
"And for the record, Midoriya-san..." Momo added, "that's three times now that you've looked away from my face while I've been talking. I'm starting to think you're trying to hide some other important detail from me."
"It's just that when you cross your arms like that they, uh, you know...?" Izuku stopped himself in time and coughed. "Ahem, nothing, forget it, you're right about everything, keep scolding me."
She totally noticed. I've gotta be more subtle.
"Look, Momo, you're the only person I know who owns an island," he said with all the seriousness he could muster, "and also the only one I'd trust with something like this. If it were only about the space, I would've asked Nemuri-sensei to get us a permit for one of UA's fields, but that meant weeks of paperwork and explaining to half the faculty why a first year student wants to watch Mt. Lady use her Quirk. I asked you because I knew you'd get it better than anyone."
Momo looked down at the empty glass on the table and took a moment before answering.
"How big?"
"Huh?"
"Takeyama-san." Momo no longer seemed interested in explanations. She'd already started thinking about the training. "I need to know how much space she requires so nothing gets damaged. The beach is spacious, but the palm trees are too close to the house, and the ground behind the dock is rocky. If she trips there she could hurt herself."
"Momo, I don't think that's necessa..."
Momo shook her head and pointed toward the far end of the property.
"The meadow on the east wing. There's a fairly large stretch of land behind the house. My father has used it a few times to land the helicopter, so it's clear and the ground should hold up well during the training."
A helicopter... these people are playing a totally different sport.
"...If Takeyama-san reaches twenty meters, we could place markers around the field to check her height during the tests. And it would be advisable to establish a safety perimeter before we begin. Perhaps we could also..."
Izuku got up from his chair and walked over to her. Up until that moment he'd let her talk without butting in, but when he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a couple of pats, she stopped her explanation.
"Don't overthink it today, okay? There's work to do tomorrow, and I'd rather you show up rested than stay up all night sketching plans of a meadow."
Momo seemed to remember at that moment that she'd been gesturing with her hands for a while and brought them back together in front of her chest.
"...I'm going to draw the plans anyway," she admitted, looking away a little. "But I can do them tomorrow morning, before breakfast."
"I'll take it." Izuku picked up the empty glass and smiled at her. "And thanks for letting us use the island, Momo, even if it was in a roundabout way."
"Let's just say you assumed you had my consent before consulting me, Midoriya-san," Momo corrected with a small, enthusiastic smile. "But tomorrow I want us to properly record everything that happens. If Takeyama-san is going to train here, it would be a waste not to gather useful data from the tests."
She was about to leave the kitchen when she remembered one more thing.
"Oh, and Midoriya-san. Does Takeyama-san know we're planning to measure her height and record her weight during the tests?"
"Huh? We're doing that too?!"
******
The house was still quiet when Ochako opened her eyes.
She lay there for a moment listening to the sea through the window that was slightly open, then sat up in bed with her hands resting on her legs.
Yes! Today I beat everyone. Not even Izuku-kun got up before me!
Until recently, training with Izuku had been just her and Momo, nobody else. Now there were two pro heroines sleeping at the end of the hall, and even Jiro had come along, though nobody had explained why.
Ochako brought her hands together on her legs as she thought about what awaited them that day.
Mt. Lady and Midnight-sensei... I'm really gonna train with them.
Just thinking about it was enough to make her nervous. They'd been working as heroines for years and mastering their Quirks in real situations, while she was still learning how far she could push Zero Gravity without ending up dizzy.
Well... that's why I'm here, right?
Ochako clenched her fists a little.
If my limit went up, today I'm gonna find out how far.
She threw on the sports top and shorts she'd packed in her suitcase, and slipped out into the hallway with her sneakers in hand so she wouldn't make any noise. She passed by Midnight's door, where a very unelegant snore came drifting out, and headed down the stairs until she reached the terrace.
Behind the dock, the sand gave way to a stretch of rocks that the sea had piled up near the shore. Ochako picked the largest one, one that came up almost to her chest, and rested her hand on the surface while she weighed whether she really wanted to start with that one.
This... should be a little over three tons, right? If I can make it float without Izuku-kun's help, then I really did improve...
The moment her fingers touched it, the rock lifted off the sand and rose until it was hovering above her.
Ochako adjusted her stance the way Izuku had taught her during yoga and started breathing slowly, counting each inhale so she wouldn't lose her focus.
"Come on... just a little more."
The feeling in her stomach got worse and Ochako pressed her lips together.
"I can still do it. Don't drop it... I can still do it."
She counted to ten with the rock floating, and only then did she bring her fingers together.
"Release!"
The rock dropped back onto the sand with enough force to scare off the seagulls hanging around the dock. Ochako braced her hands on her knees while she caught her breath, waiting for the dizziness to finish passing.
When she was finally able to look at the rock again, she was already smiling.
"Ten seconds! I did it on my own!"
She spun around, completely thrilled.
"Izuku-kun! Did you see that?"
Ochako found the terrace empty and remembered she'd gone out without waking anyone.
"Ah... right."
She glanced at the rock again.
"Well, I'll brag about it later."
On either side of the path there were two more rocks, a bit smaller than the first. She stared at them for a few seconds and her smile grew wider and wider.
Well... since I'm here...
She took a deep breath and walked up to the first one, touching it with her left hand, and without letting the air out she stretched her right hand toward the second.
The moment she activated Zero Gravity, both rocks started to lift off the sand.
The dizziness from before had been nothing compared to this. Ochako felt the ground tilting to one side and then the other. The rocks were rising and the sand seemed to rise along with them. Even so, she managed to keep them up for a few more seconds.
The nausea finally won and Ochako clapped a hand over her mouth.
"R-release... ugh..." She brought her fingers together as best she could. "Release all!"
Both rocks slammed into the ground, one so close to her foot that it filled her sneakers with sand.
Ochako stumbled backward with her eyes closed, trying to regain her balance. Before she could fall, a pair of hands caught her by the shoulders and steadied her.
"Gotcha."
Ochako blushed as she recognized the voice. When she turned her head, she found Izuku behind her, still holding her up. He was smiling, with one side of his hair completely flattened by the pillow.
"Morning, partner." He gave her a couple of pats on the back. "Nice try, though I think you overdid it a little with the second one..."
He stopped when he saw Ochako's face change from red to a very unhealthy green.
W-wait! O-Ochako, hang in there. I haven't even had breakfast yet.
There was no time to think of a more elegant solution. Izuku dropped his hand and firmly squeezed one of her butt cheeks.
[ZERO GRAVITY OCHAKO URARAKA]
[REINFORCEMENT MODE ACTIVE]
The green vanished from Ochako's face as fast as it had shown up, and in its place stayed a small, healthy blush on her cheeks. Izuku, hand still on her rear, managed to read one more line of the Manual before his attention snapped back to the real world.
Wait... did that change? Oh, she's gonna love this, but first things first.
He gave her two little pats on the butt.
"Feeling better?"
"Y-yeah... it passed," she answered without turning to look at him. "Thanks, Izuku-kun! But... but... y-you can let go now!"
"Oh! Right..." Izuku pulled his hand back and shoved it in his pocket. "I woke up to get some water and saw you head out. I came after you because I wanted to see what you were doing, but..."
He scratched his cheek.
"Uh, you looked so focused I didn't wanna interrupt. And, well... you looked cute training."
"C-c-c-cute?"
Ochako dropped her head and clasped her hands in front of her chest. She seemed to forget about the rocks entirely.
"W-what do you mean cute?! I was just training! Training very seriously! There was nothing cute about it!"
Izuku laughed, and trying to cover his mouth didn't help one bit.
Ochako puffed up her cheeks.
"H-huh?! Are you laughing at me?!"
"N-no, Ochako! It's just, your reaction was..."
"Well, let's see if this makes you laugh too!"
She placed a hand on his arm.
"Zero Gravity!"
Izuku's feet came off the ground before she'd even finished the sentence.
"HUH? Ochako, wait!"
Izuku started rising while flailing his arms, with nowhere to grab onto. When he ended up above Ochako and realized he was still drifting away from the ground, his movements got a whole lot more desperate.
"Ochakoooooo, I messed up! Put me down, put me down, I swear I'm not laughing anymore!"
Ochako kept her hands on her hips and watched him rise with a smile she wasn't planning to hide.
"Pfft! That's what you get for laughing at me, Izuku-kun! You know? I didn't know you were scared of heights. You're brave enough when it comes to grabbing other people's butts."
"T-that's totally different, my feet are on the ground there!" Izuku waved his arms searching for anything to grab onto until he managed to catch Ochako's shoulders. He clung there, breathing heavily. "Ochako, you're so mean."
She pouted.
"Hey! You started it. Don't laugh at someone who's training seriously."
Ochako tapped her arm with her fingers and, a second later, her feet also left the sand.
She rose until she was floating in front of him and spread her arms a little to keep her balance. The embarrassed smile from a moment ago was gone. Now she looked like she was having way too much fun.
"See? It's not so bad once you get used to it!"
Izuku looked at her while still hanging onto her shoulders.
Since when does she float this calmly? Ah, right... my own Quirk is coming back to bite me.
"I liked it better when you were embarrassed."
Ochako puffed up her cheeks again.
"Hey!"
Izuku tried to move closer to her with a little push, but he miscalculated the force and shot past too fast. Before he could keep floating right on by her, he managed to catch her around the waist.
"I-Izuku-kun?!"
All the confidence Ochako had two seconds earlier evaporated. Having Izuku hugging her by the waist was very different from teasing him from half a meter away.
Izuku put on his best innocent expression.
"Would you believe me if I told you it was an accident?"
Ochako pressed her lips together trying to keep her annoyed look, and ended up staring out at the sea.
"That's cheating..."
Izuku got a little closer. This time, instead of pushing off, he just settled against her and hugged her while they both kept floating, resting his cheek against her hair.
"Ochaaaakoooo... you tell me. It kinda feels like we're dancing in the air. All we're missing is the music."
"W-what are you saying, Izuku-kun?! Don't say it like it's the most normal thing in the world!" Ochako tried to pull back a bit, but in the air there wasn't much to push off of. "B-but... now that you mention it, it does kinda seem like it."
Knowing she'd lost, she let her hands fall on Izuku's back and hugged him too.
They kept floating together, spinning slowly as the breeze carried them out over the beach. It took Izuku a moment to realize what was happening.
W-wait, wait a second... is this... is this a romantic moment? Without the Manual and without any experiments? It's a romantic moment!
"Release."
"Huh?"
"AAAAAH!"
Both of them dropped onto the sand and Ochako ended up on top of Izuku. He lay there on his back for a few seconds, trying to breathe again while staring up at the sky.
It didn't last long.
"Ochako..." he managed to say while recovering his dignity. "You're really good at killing the romance."
Ochako brushed a bit of sand off his shirt and avoided looking at him directly.
"W-what romantic moment? I don't know what you're talking about."
She got up shaking the sand off her shorts before offering him her hand. Izuku took it and pulled himself to his feet.
"Alright, Ochako," he said, standing now with sand in his ears and everywhere else. "Yoga time."
Ochako sighed.
"I forgot the towel in my room."
"No problem, we'll shower on the way back."
They found a patch of firm sand near the rocks and stood side by side. Izuku started with the first pose so Ochako could copy him.
"Downward dog pose. Try to keep your back straight and breathe slowly."
Ochako placed her hands on the sand and settled her feet behind her.
"This one again?" she complained while trying to find a comfortable position, with her head down and hips up. "This is the one I like the least. I always feel like I'm readjusting every five seconds."
Izuku counted to five while looking out at the sea. He started the next count and, at some point, stopped saying the numbers out loud. He'd been hypnotized by the movement of Ochako's chest, trying to convince himself he was just checking whether she was maintaining the posture properly.
I'm supervising. That's what a coach does.
The explanation seemed pretty solid to him.
Yeah. Completely professional.
"Izuku-kun," Ochako said from below, "you've been quiet for a while."
"Oh, how observant of you. I was supervising your posture."
Ochako lifted her head a little toward him.
"For that whole time?" She stood up and adjusted her top with a smile. "Come on, coach. Let's do the warrior pose instead. That one I actually want you to correct."
The warrior pose turned out worse for Izuku's concentration: it involved Ochako with one leg forward and her arms stretched above her head. In that position, the shorts and the top made it very clear that the training of the past few weeks was paying off in more ways than one.
Ochako turned her head without breaking the pose.
"Now what?"
"Nothing, nothing." Izuku started counting again, this time out loud and quite a bit faster. "One, two, three, very good, switch legs."
They finished with the tree pose, both of them balanced on one foot. Ochako managed to hold steady until Izuku was the first to put his foot down.
"I won!" she said right away, and dropped down to sit on the sand with a satisfied smile.
"I lost on purpose. It's part of ego training."
Ochako looked up at him from below.
"Uh huh, sure. How convenient, Izuku-kun."
Izuku sat down next to her and brushed the sand off his hands.
"By the way, I've got some good news." He waited until she looked at him. "A little while ago, when I, ahem, when I helped you with the dizziness, I got a peek at your Manual, and there's a change."
"A change?" Ochako turned to him with her legs crossed. "Is that... good or bad?"
"Your weight limit went up. Now you can carry three tons and two hundred kilos."
Ochako took a second to process the number. Then she let out a shout that probably woke up half the house.
"Three tons two hundred?! Izuku-kun, that's two hundred kilos more!" She stared at her own hands as if the change might be visible to the naked eye and turned back to him, way more animated. "That's already a lot! Hehe... so all that training really is working!"
"And it's gonna keep improving over time." Izuku bumped her shoulder with his fist. "What you did today was kinda crazy, two rocks without any reinforcement, uh... but I think every time you push past your limit and hold on, even if you end up throwing up, the number goes up a little bit."
Ochako pressed her hands against her chest and looked over at the two rocks still sitting where they'd fallen.
"Alright! Then now I wanna go even further."
---
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