Despite everything Ochako had thrown at him, he still stood strong, ready to strike at any moment.

That was Deku for you. Determined, mighty and unyielding. The future number one hero. The owner of the shadow she was always chasing. What hope did she, the gravity girl, have against a guy like him?

But the world was watching. This Summer Sports Festival was her last chance. Like Aizawa said — if she failed here, her chances of becoming a pro plummeted.

Ochako looked back up, sending a defiant glare at her opponent. He did not flinch or back down.

She smiled through her pain. He was giving her everything he had. Just like she had asked for. She was thankful to him for that.

Without another thought, Ochako roared her lungs out and charged at him with all her strength.

Today was the day she would defeat Deku.

-Two weeks earlier -

Ochako barely had a moment to react to the fist careening straight for her gut.

With the quick reflexes, the product of years of hand-to-hand training bestowed upon her, Ochako managed to dodge out of the way. She sidestepped the quick jab and took the opportunity to grab the arm of her would-be-assailant. Before he could respond, she heaved and lifted him above her head, slamming him hard into the ground.

She swiftly grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back before he could get up. She rested her full weight upon him, keeping his face firmly planted into the mat.

"My win," Ochako spoke, with relief and more than a hint of pride.

She let him go, standing back up and leaning over to recover after their bout. Her breaths came heavy and the sweet burn from her muscles demanded attention. But despite her exhaustion, she managed to smile at her opponent.

"That was…" Deku trailed off, heaving breaths stalling his statement. He rolled onto his back and returned the gentle smile. His sweat-drenched face only slightly sullied it. "Great counter. I got too impatient."

"You did," Ochako spoke matter-of-factly, nodding in agreement. She extended a hand out to help him to his feet, which he gladly accepted.

Her hand tingled pleasantly at the contact, but it was a feeling she was more than accustomed to by now. Her muscles ached harder, worn as they were, as she hoisted him up to a standing position.

"That was a good one. I was probably in trouble if that went on for much longer," Ochako replied with her trademark bubbliness. "I think I got one more in me."

"Same here," Deku said, nodding to her. He moved several feet away from her on the wide, square mat they were sparring in at the U.A. Gym. There was hardly a soul to be seen in the massive facility this late in the evening, a preferable moment.

Deku turned to face her, grin still prominent on his face as he stared her down. "How about you come at me this time?"

Once upon a time, the idea of going up against Deku — let alone attacking him — would have terrified her. But after a year of sparring together, those jitters were long gone.

Training alongside Deku was not easy, especially considering he could still get her pulse racing without trading punches with her. But it was as good a way as any to keep pace with him, and working alongside him had improved her own skills greatly.

Besides that, it was just fun getting to be around Deku. He was a good person to bounce things off of, both physically and mentally. Their friendship had only gotten stronger over time as they pushed one another to improve and make it to the top.

Their regular sparring sessions, usually done without quirks, were one of the highlights of her week. But they had increasingly become bittersweet in their third year at U.A. The pressures of school work and internships drastically shortened their time together.

Ochako shook her head and refocused on her opponent, Deku, standing with his guard up in front of her. He was tough to fight, even after hundreds of matches between them. The two always tried to get creative to one-up each other and Deku was fighting a little more wildly than usual today.

She thrust herself forward without warning, air whizzing by her eardrums. As Gun Head had taught her, it was always best to strike fast and without fanfare. She brought her fists up as she closed the distance, aiming around his guard to hit the side of his head.

Deku did not flinch. He deflected her blow with his left arm and caught her follow up knee with his free hand.

With her all-in first strike deflected, Ochako found herself in an awkward position, her weight resting on one leg. He capitalized by pressing down on the knee he had caught, knocking her off-balance. As she careened toward the mat, she quickly tucked herself in and rolled, springing herself back up quickly.

But not quickly enough. Ochako was standing just in time to be met with a familiar scarred fist. She caught Deku's arm but was too off-balance to stop him as he tripped her with another hard shove.

She was momentarily saved from another faceplant by Deku grabbing both her outstretched arms. They stayed like that for a moment before Deku gave her a fiendish little grin.

He twisted her right arm around her and pushed. Ochako fell hard into the mat and found her cheek pressed against the hard surface. She was unable to budge as Deku rested his full weight behind her.

"I got...this one," Deku declared between breaths. He let her go and collapsed next to her onto the mat.

"What does that make it?" Ochako turned herself over, looking up towards the light of the ceiling. They both stayed lying down, letting their breaths catch up to them.

"Four-four on the day," Deku replied as he lifted himself off the mat. "Time to pack it in?"

"Yeah...think so," Ochako said as she rose up along with him. She winced slightly as her legs burned from overuse. It would be another sore day for her tomorrow, but she had no regrets.

The pair walked out towards the edge of the mat, taking healthy gulps from their water bottles and collecting their gym bags.

"So...I saw you on the news the other day," Deku interrupted the comfortable silence as he zipped his own bag up.

"You are probably the tenth person today to talk to me about it," Ochako replied, with only a smidge of annoyance. In truth, popping up on television had made her a pretty giddy. It was only in the background behind Ryukyu as her mentor fielded questions on a villain bust. But she still took pride in the moment. It was a nice step.

"It is pretty awesome though," Deku said enthusiastically. "You looked really good."

He paused briefly before his eyes widened in realization at the connotations of his statement.

"That is to say, I mean, you looked really heroic!" He quickly corrected himself, sputtering a bit to change his word choice.

Ochako felt her face heat at his words, but she managed to take the compliment in stride. "Thanks, Deku. It means a lot, coming from you."

"Don't mention it," Deku replied quickly, with a tinge of relief in his voice. He gave her an easygoing smile as he hoisted his gym bag over his shoulder. "Got anything planned for tonight?"

"Yeah, I have to finish some history homework," Ochako sighed, wrinkling her nose in displeasure. "You?"

"Evening training with All Might," Deku replied, looking at her sympathetically. "If you want, we could do a study session tomorrow night."

"Can't. I've got evening internship duties," Ochako said, shaking her head. She was touched by his concern, but their unalignable schedules were irritating. Such was the life of a third-year hero student.

"Well, I'll see you in class then. Same time next week?" Deku asked eagerly.

"You bet!" Ochako beamed at him, giving him a thumbs up. This was the one activity they had together that they would prioritize over almost anything else. She had no intention of changing that.

"Alright, well, see you tomorrow," Deku said a little awkwardly. He waved lightly as he walked towards the men's change rooms, steps echoing slightly amidst the silence of the facility. "Thanks for the training, Uraraka!"

"Right back at you," Ochako responded with enthusiasm, answering with a wave of her own.

She watched Deku walk away, his shoulders broad underneath his sweat-soaked t-shirt. She felt herself get a little more flushed at the appealing sight. But she kept herself composed, breathing deeply to keep her pulse steady.

Ochako had long since gotten used to keeping her feelings for Deku under wraps — having grown out of being in denial or ashamed of them. Whereas her feelings for him were once a wildfire she could not control, she had learned to put a lid on them. They were still present and occasionally flared up, but no longer freaked her out and controlled her.

It had been a big part of making their interactions easygoing again. She could get all warm and fuzzy about something he did or said while maintaining her focus on bigger priorities.

They both had dreams to obtain that did not leave much room for distractions. He was Deku, the wonder kid, a blazing comet gathering attention as All-Might's apparent heir. She was Uravity, the up-and-coming gravity hero, inspired by the brilliant streak of light he left across the sky. She may not have any hope of reaching him, but she would keep trying nonetheless.

Besides that, they were the best of friends. Nothing less, nothing more. She was okay with that.

Ochako heard her cell phone buzz from her gym bag and instinctively reached in to pick it up. Her eyes were met with a screen featuring a beaming picture of Deku and her after catching a thief on their way to school last month. Overlaid above it was a notification of a message from Mina.

Groaning, Ochako slid her thumb across her phone to glimpse at the expected needling.

"So, how was training with your boyfriend? （*＾3＾）❤"

Ochako rolled her eyes; Mina had taken it upon herself since the start of the year to tease her and push her into getting together with Deku. Since everyone was well aware of her weekly sparring sessions with him, she would often find texts like this from Mina after the training. Each one was increasingly aggravating.

The girls of Class 3-A were well aware of her feelings about Deku at this point, most suggesting she act on them and ask him out. "What could it hurt?" had almost become a mantra in their conversations.

Plenty of things, Ochako thought as the familiar question floated in her mind. She was not interested in going down that road, even if she had any time to spare.

Her thumbs moved rapidly across the screen of the phone. She hit send and tossed her phone back deep into her gym bag.

"He's my best friend. And it went good," the message read simply. She was tempted to direct a longer, angrier rant at Mina, but knew it would do little good.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. It would do no good to get worked up at Mina's teasing. She had real work to get to, even if it was just history homework. The stairway to her dreams had many tiny steps.

The sticky heat permeating the classroom made Ochako feel a little hazy. She tried her best to focus on the words of Aizawa in front of her. But the beautiful sunshine and blue sky just outside their windows called to her like a siren. It made her more than eager to head outside and do some hero work in the field.

She darted her eyes quickly around the classroom and saw she was not the only one looking restless. The dog days of summer were here. Being stuck in a humid classroom for heroic ethics class was nobody's idea of fun.

Though there were always a couple of exceptions to that.

"Now, who can tell me under what circumstances would you want to communicate with a villain before they are apprehended?" Aizawa asked after writing on the chalkboard.

His piercing gaze scanned the room. Ochako tried to look attentive but didn't raise her hand, unsure of the answer. Their class had been through a historical number of serious villain encounters. The number of times she had heard heroes talk with villains made it hard to parse a correlation.

"Anyone besides Yaoyorozu for a change?" Their erasing teacher asked again. Ochako could see she was far from the only one uninterested in answering today. Idly, Ochako glanced over at Deku, sitting next to her, intensely scribbling notes as usual but making no motion to raise his hand.

Aizawa sighed. "Fine. Go ahead Yaoyorozu."

"When you need to gather information from a villain, it is considered occasionally practical to talk to them during an encounter," Momo answered. Ochako figured the answer was textbook-perfect.

"Very good," Aizawa nodded. "However, there is a second reason, one that too few heroes — and textbooks — consider. Can anyone guess what that is?"

Silence filled the room. Even Yaoyorozu looked uncertain as she tried to glance through her notes to find an answer.

"Shinso," Aizawa addressed, directing his gaze toward the boy at the back of the class. Shinso had joined Class 3-A earlier this year, to the surprise of many. Ochako found him a little unnerving, but Deku's enthusiasm about Shinso's promotion had helped ease him into the class.

"You should know this one. Although I am speaking more generally than just to activate your specific quirk," Aizawa said, as the boy arose to answer.

"Distractions," Shono answered in a monotone, looking bored by the question.

"That's exactly right," Aizawa replied with a bit more energy. "If you need to buy time against a villain — whether to stall for help, analyze them, or buy time for civilians — talking it out to create a distraction can be surprisingly effective. Especially if you can get them to monologue. Not every battle need be won by using your quirk to make someone submit."

Aizawa scanned the room. Ochako stood a little straighter as he looked at her, but not everyone came to an immediate attention.

"You should all consider this as another tool in your arsenal. Sometimes, the best way to give yourself an opening is to distract your opponent. To some, it may seem to be an underhanded tactic, and those people should get over those concerns immediately," Aizawa explained.

Ochako dutifully nodded, scribbling the message in her notes best she could. It sounded a little strange, and she doubted she had the guile to distract a villain that way. But it made sense, especially for an espionage-focused hero like Aizawa.

"Clearly, I need to do a little more to wake you guys up," Aizawa said as he picked up his sleeping bag from behind his desk. A few people, Ochako included, snickered at the irony.

"Since we only have a little bit more time today, perhaps we should talk about this year's Summer Sports Festival."

It felt like a jolt of lightning surged through the class. Everyone immediately came to attention at those three words. Ochako followed suit, leaning forward and focusing intently. This was the announcement everyone had been waiting on for weeks.

"The U.A. Summer Sports Festival will take place in two weeks time," Aizawa announced, pausing at a few excited murmurs from his class. "You are all well aware of how important this will be. This is your last and greatest chance to show yourself to the whole world. The laurels of your past victories won't mean much after this. The hero world is sadly about 'what have you done for me lately.' If you fail here, nobody will care about how you did last year.

Ochako idly glanced toward Deku, looking intently at their teacher while his hand danced across the page. His dramatic victory over Todoroki in finals of the second year had gotten a few headlines. But she knew he would never be content relying on that win, regardless of Aizawa's warning.

"Succeed, and you will open up a world of opportunity. For those of you aiming at the top, getting scouted at this tournament is practically a prerequisite."

Her mouth folded into a grim line of determination. There was no way she was going to lose out this time. After a rather lacklustre exit in the semifinals against Todoroki in the second year, she was adamant about making it to the finals, no matter who she went up against.

"And for those of you that fail to impress…" Aizawa trailed off. "Well, your chances of becoming a real pro plummet."

She gulped at that but nodded in understanding. Her dreams of becoming a pro hero, helping people and giving her parents the life they deserved, were highly dependent on her tournament performance. She knew that would likely be the case. She was ready for it, even if hearing it stated so matter-of-factly was daunting.

"That being said, you're a unique bunch. I don't say this lightly, but you have all been through more than any other class in our school's history. I don't doubt that... most of you are capable of becoming pros, And you should all know by now there are many roads to becoming a hero," Aizawa said, his voice maintaining its regular monotone despite the inspiring nature of his words. The teacher glanced toward Shinso, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Aww, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to us, sensei," Toru said brightly, as the arms of her uniform waved in the air.

"You've all come a long way," Aizawa continued, pointedly ignoring the comment. "Train hard these next two weeks to give it your all. Class dismissed."

Ochako watched as Aizawa dashed out of the room, closing the door just as the room exploded in a cavalcade of excitement.

The class burst into an enthusiastic chorus as students chattered about the prospect of their final Summer Sports Festival. For the moment, they were not opponents, but comrades, ready to show off to the world together.

Ochako could appreciate the levity. She glanced over at Deku and flashed him a wide grin, which was answered in-kind.

"So what do you-" she began to say but was stopped by another explosion of noise.

"Damn, I have been waiting for this for way too long," Bakugo interrupted her as he walked toward Deku, slamming two palms down on the desk. The explosive boy raised one of his hands, tensed like a claw with sparks going off around it. "I'm going to pay you back for last year, loser."

Ochako could see Deku gulp, but he otherwise showed no sign of fear. She had watched the boy mature before her eyes. He no longer flinched when confronted by his childhood bully, now able to maintain a look of defiance.

"We'll see, Kacchan," Deku replied firmly, voice steady under the looming threat of Bakugo. "But I have no intention of losing to you."

The sparks in Bakugo's right hand intensified. He looked ready to burst, but Todoroki stepped forward towards the pair. Ochako let out the breath she had unconsciously started holding. Surely, Todoroki could cool the situation down.

"Midoriya can't lose to you," Todoroki stated icily. "Because I have to get my rematch in the finals. And win this time."

Ochako groaned as he only piled on more fuel to the inferno growing between them. She watched the three exchanged barbed, challenging glares at one another, none wanting to lose the impromptu staring contest. Ochako could feel a few pairs of eyes at the back of her head, watching the 'big three' of their class as intently as she was.

"My money's on Midoriya," Tsuyu whispered from behind her, earning a few quiet chuckles.

The challenge posed by the class's strongest trio was daunting. They were the three kings atop the summit of their class — and thus all of U.A. — by a wide margin. They all had weaknesses, but the rest of Class 3-A had long since learned how hard it was to keep up with those trailblazers.

Ochako balled her hands into fists. No matter how far ahead they got, she was not content with admitting defeat. All three of them presented a challenge she would likely have to overcome if she was going to get to the top of the sports festival. If she was going to get the notoriety she needed to get a good start to her pro career, it would probably involve defeating at least one of these three students in front of her.

Without thinking, she rose to the challenge.

"You've all got it wrong," she stood up from her seat with gusto, a spirit of fire filling her belly. She put on her most intense glare and raised her fist up into the air, daring them to answer back. "Because I'm going to be the one that wins this year!"

There was a beat of dead silence. Then two. The moment stretched. Ochako tried to hold her dramatic, defiant pose, but her fist started to waver in the air.

Todoroki raised an eyebrow and looked at her like she had grown a second head. Bakugo had redirected his curious glance towards her and looked ready to send a few explosive blasts her way. And Deku...well, his eyes were a lot gentler. He looked contemplative as if he was analyzing her like he so often did everything.

"You tell 'em, Ochako!" Mina and Toru cheered in unison from behind her, breaking the awkward silence and jolting the class out of the tense silence.

"As much as I respect all of your conviction," Iida stepped forward with his imposing frame, adjusting the glasses on his face and staring down the ever-growing group of challengers. "I have no intention of losing this year, either."

"And don't count me out!" Kirishima lept on top of his desk, commanding the room. Iida protested but was brushed off by Kirishima. "I've been training really hard and this time, nothing's going to break me down!"

With the mood significantly lightened, even Tsuyu got into the act. "I don't see why I can't win," she stated simply with her trademark blank expression.

The rest of the class, not wanting to fall behind, started making their own increasingly humorous pronouncements of victory at the sports festival. The fires of rivalry cooled back into a warm mirth, which Ochako found herself a little thankful for. She laughed and bantered along with everyone else, appreciating the moment.

She chanced another glance over at Deku, who looked back at her wide a wide smile. His eyes were trained intently on her, but there was a joy in them that made Ochako breathe a sigh of relief. His intensity was still there though, and Ochako could not win the fight against the blush that stained her cheeks under his stare.

"I...I hope we get to fight this time, Uraraka," Deku said in a low voice, unnoticed by the rest of the arguing class. "I think I want to fight against you more than anyone else."

Ochako shook off the flare of romantic feeling and answered Deku with a cocky grin. "Right back at 'ya," she said, offering him her fist.

He gladly bumped it into hers, before the two opened their palms, sliding them against one another and bumping their fists back briefly. It was their special handshake, a small, signature gesture of friendship between the two of them.

The familiar bolts of rivalry surged between them as their hands parted. Ochako relished in the feeling of standing as a rival to her unwitting idol.

Somehow, she knew they would have to face each other in the sports festival. It would be a fated battle between rivals, one she had to overcome to take the next step in her journey.

Despite the odds, Ochako was determined to come out ahead.

"So just do that, but next time, grab him by the back of the head and go in for the smooch!"

"Mina! Would you-" Ochako choked a little on her cake, sputtering her protest to Mina's teasing. She pounded her chest hard and carefully swallowed, glaring at Mina all the while.

"I'm not giving up yet!" Mina answered, giving Ochako a devious little smile in return. "Besides, your stunt back in class was just too adorable! I wish I had caught your handshake on camera."

Ochako rolled her eyes, taking an angry bite into her strawberry shortcake. She idly glanced around the table of the cafe, meeting the concerned stares of the rest of the girls from her class. She could tell where this was going, and she did not like it.

"You two are just so cute together," Toru gushed while waving a fork in the air haphazardly.

"And you're really close!" Mina added, nodding along with her classmate.

"But-" Ochako tried to interject but was quickly cut off by the invisible girl piling on the peer pressure.

"You're always chatting and training together."

"And honestly, Deku is pretty hot."

"And so sweet!"

"You've already admitted that you love him!"

"So just ask him out already!" Mina and Toru finished in unison, leaning over the table to shove their pouting faces imploringly at Ochako.

Ochako flinched back into her seat, waving her hands in front of her in a futile guard to her friends' advances. She tried to look past Mina and Toru, imploring her more laidback friends for a bit of help.

"Give her some space, you two," Momo requested firmly, giving Ochako a sympathetic look.

The energetic pair relented, sitting back in their seats but keeping their eyes glued to Ochako. They expected a response.

"It probably couldn't hurt just to ask," Tsuyu pitched in. Mina and Toru vigorously nodded in agreement.

"You should all just butt out," Kyoka grumbled while sipping soda from a straw. "She's answered you enough at this point."

Momo was quiet, her face scrunching in thought. "I think you should...consider it, Uraraka," she managed to get her opinion out slowly. "It is our last year at school. It won't be long before we all spread apart."

A sense of melancholy washed over them at those words, all six girls slouching their shoulders and sighing a little mournfully. Ochako went as far as slumping herself down in her chair, leaning her head back to look away from her relentless friends. She blinked at the bright lights of the ceiling before closing her eyes to think.

"I've said this a million times. I'm not going to do it." Ochako bit her tongue from lashing out more. Their prodding was agitating, but she didn't want to offend anybody.

"You've evaded the question a million times," Mina corrected. Ochako looked up to see the pink girl direct another angry pout her way. "It took two years for you to even admit out loud to us that you loved him. But you keep brushing my questions off. I'll stop prodding when you give me a good answer as to why you won't ask him out."

Ochako frowned deeply. She darted her eyes down, focusing intently on the soft texture of her cake. Oh, what she wouldn't give for an easy way out of this conversation. Even a villain attack, horrid as the thought was.

"None of you have started dating either," Ochako deflected in a soft voice, watching as red flashed across Momo's and Jirou's cheeks. Tsuyu and Mina remained unphased though, and Toru...well, Toru was hard to read.

"None of us have a connection with someone like you do with Midoriya," Tsuyu stated simply, to murmurs of general agreement.

"You're all ridiculous," Jirou bemoaned as she took another angry sip from her drinks. She looked pointedly at Ochako. "Just say something to end this."

"...Who said none of us have started dating?" Tooru said, surprisingly quiet.

The table exploded with exclamations, spit-takes and the sound of choking.

"YOU STARTED DATING AND DIDN'T TELL ME?!" Mina screeched, ringing the ears of everyone else at the table.

"Wow, really?! Who is it with?" Momo's eyes lit up like stars.

"This is unexpected," Tsuyu chimed in blankly.

"Congratulations!" Ochako said brightly, genuinely happy for Toru and hopeful that the spotlight might shift onto the invisible girl.

"It kind of happened recently. But I'll only spill if Ochako fesses up," Toru crossed her arms smugly.

Ochako groaned and fell back in her chair, good spirits immediately vanishing as the group directed their curiosity back on her.

"Pleaaaaaaaaaase Ochako," Mina pleaded, crossing her hands in a prayer over the table. "I'm dying to know."

"Which thing are you dying to know about? Tsuyu quipped.

"Everything!" Mina declared with pride. Momo gave her a curt nod of agreement. "Everything about my friend's love lives. So spill, Ochako. Why won't you ask Midoriya out?"

Ochako sighed and closed her eyes, letting her friends focused gazes fall out of her vision for a moment. She did not want to deal with this. But without doing something rude, there was no clear-cut way out of this situation. Even if she stalled today, Mina and Toru probably would not relent prodding her at every opportunity.

She gulped, leaned forward and took the plunge to let a bit of her resolve out.

"Because I am Uravity."

Ochako was answered by blank stares The background clamour of the cafe was all she could hear, prominent as her table fell into silence. Ochako tried to look steadfast against the uncertainty emanating from her friends, but it was difficult.

"I mean...I'm a hero first," Ochako explained, realizing she could not be too vague. "I have to put that ahead of everything else. Always, no matter what."

"Uraraka…" Momo frowned at her, but could not summon anything further.

Her friends all looked like they also wanted to protest, but Ochako refused to let that stop her.

"And that goes double for Deku." She pictured him in her mind, leaping into action in front of her, his small hood fluttering into the wind as he punched at a nameless villain. "More than anyone else I know, he's never stopped focusing on his goal of being a hero. He won't stop for anything until he gets there."

Ochako managed a smile at that thought. She looked down at her hands as the clenched into loose fists. "And I'm not going to stop until I've made the life I want for myself and my parents. I have a long way to go to get there."

"But that doesn't mean you can't date him," Mina sprung out of her seat again as she interjected. But her nervous look faded into a small smile as she tried to win Ochako over. "We're all trying to be heroes, you know. You can still-"

"I don't really think so," Ochako interrupted, giving Mina a gentle, false smile in return. Mina's face fell in reply. "It's already hard enough as it is finding time to hang out with him — and with all of you. It's only going to get harder from here."

Ochako shook her head at the rebuttals plastered across her friend's faces. "I'm okay with things the way they are. I'm not going to risk our friendship on something that probably wouldn't work out. I'm happy playing it safe."

With that, Ochako gave them the best, most glowing smile she could muster, shielding them from her own churning emotions. Her friends looked uneasy. None of them looked like they bought what she was saying.

"I can understand, Ochako," Tsuyu broke the awkward silence. "I can respect what you're saying. It's tough balancing hero work with other stuff."

Ochako nodded in agreement, hopeful that Tsuyu's words might end the conversation. But Tsuyu wasn't finished.

"But are you really comfortable never knowing?" Tsuyu asked her, her beady eyes making Ochako sink a little in her seat. "There's still some time left before we're real heroes. You may never really know if Midoriya and you would work unless you give it a chance."

"Like I said, I'm not willing to take that risk," Ochako grumbled, exasperated by the continued barrage from her friends.

"Even if you two aren't meant to be together," Tsuyu replied, ignoring Ochako's desperation to end the conversation. "I think it's better to try it and find out for sure. You might regret it later if you don't."

Tsuyu's blunt eloquence raised eyebrows around the table. As Ochako tried to ponder how to reply, Mina quickly seized upon the opportunity.

"Yeah, what she said!" Mina waved her hand in the air and pointed directly at Ochako.

"You've got to learn to live your life in the moment!" Mina exclaimed, with a conviction that made her hard to resist.

"Carpe diem," Momo added, nodding to herself with her arms crossed. When she looked up to see a bunch of blank stares, she blushed, realizing her vocabulary had flown over her friends' heads again. "It means to seize the day. In Latin."

"Egghead," Jirou teased, to a couple of snorts around the table as Momo blushed in embarrassment. "Yeah, sure, Tsuyu's probably right. Can we move on yet? I think Ochako's getting sick of it."

"It's okay, don't worry about it," Ochako waved her hand half-heartedly, managing to keep her grinning facade. "You raise a good point Tsu, but I've made up my mind on this. I'm sorry."

She refused to let on how much Tsuyu's words made her stomach churn and questions buzz annoyingly in her mind.

"Well, if you're sure," Tsuyu replied. She gave Ochako one more stare, which told Ochako she doubted the girl was really sure, before directing her attention towards Toru. "Didn't you say you would talk about who you're dating once Ochako gave her reason?"

"HECK YEAH YOU DID!" Ashido shouted, attention suddenly preoccupied with her invisible friend.

Ochako breathed a sigh of relief before jumping into the joyous fray with all the bubbliness she could muster.

With the uncomfortable conversation behind her, Ochako relished needling someone else and just hanging out with people she liked. She knew she had it good. She had a wonderful group of friends — when they weren't trying to talk her into asking Deku out. She had accomplished a lot more than the average U.A. student. She had good career prospects and a clear path toward her dreams. She had a loving family. And she had the best friend someone could ever ask for.

It was enough. It had to be.

Author's Note:: Welcome to my next project and sorry it took a while. I plan to update weekly on Saturdays. I have a lot planned and I hope you'll stick around for the ride. ^_^

This is a spiritual successor to my last IzuOcha battle fic, which can be found here: s/12534317/1/How-Ochako-Learned-to-Stop-Worrying-and-Try-Kicking-His-Butt. However, prior reading is not required.

Thank you to Kingdom Lightz on for editing this story. Thank you to kate7h for the awesome cover art.

Please leave a review and/or favourite if you enjoyed. They mean a lot to me.