The Hero and the Genie

Chapter 19: Melting Hearts

Shantae bounced excitedly at how her friends managed to help her defeat Techno Baron.

"Wow! Those were some powerful explosions, Bakugo!" She exclaimed. "Ochako, your zero gravity quirk is so awesome! Todoroki, the way you froze that mech's leg was so cool! And, Kirishima, you looked invincible with your hardening quirk! Izuku, your strength and courage always amaze me. You all are so amazing!"

Izuku blushed heavily at the genie girl's compliments. Ochako smiled widely. Todoroki had a small smile as he nodded his head in thanks. Bakugo smirked as if to say, "I know I'm amazing!" Kirishima couldn't help but flex as if to show his manliness.

"Now, what's all the commotion here?" Said a familiar voice.

Izuku's friends looked and saw Rottytops walking towards them.

"ZOMBIE!" Cried Ochako in fear. 

Bakugo was about to attack only to be stopped by ice from Todoroki.

"Hang on," said the icy-hot boy calmly. "She doesn't seem to be bad. Midoriya, do you know her?"

Izuku nodded. "Yes. She's a friend of mine. This is Rottytops."

Rottytops stood and smiled at the newcomers with her natural hip sway. "How's it going?"

Todoroki gave the zombie girl a small smile. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Rottytops."

Rottytops giggled. "Well, aren't you a polite fellow," she said. "You don't have to call me 'Miss.' Rottytops is just fine."

Kirishima smiled at the interaction before he felt someone grab his arm. He looked and saw Sky staring at him with admiration. 

"Hi," said Sky.

"Oh," said Kirishima. "Um… hi."

"So, what's it like when you harden yourself?" Asked Sky with a grin.

Kirishima shrugged. "Well, I guess it's good for defense and bulldozing enemies," he answered. "I just don't think it's as flashy as Bakugo's quirk."

Sky looked confused. "What do you mean?" She asked. 

The sturdy hero sighed before answering. "It's just that everyone else has a very cool looking quirk. Bakubro looks awesome when using his explosions to fly. But for me, all I can do is harden my body. It doesn't even look cool."

Sky smiled gently. "That's not what I think. I think you look amazing with that power of yours. So manly!"

Kirishima's face lit up. "You think I'm manly?"

"Of course," said Sky with a smile. 

"Thanks," said Kirishima. 

Sky smiled at him even more and hugged him. He's so amazing, she thought. Not only is he strong, but he is also kind and manly! She felt her face heat up as she thought of him. Am I falling for him?

Kirishima jumped at the sudden hug before hugging back. He smiled at the bird training girl. She seems quite nice, he thought. Suddenly, he felt a great warmth in his chest. What is this weird feeling? He wondered.

Meanwhile, Izuku suddenly noticed that his cowl was off. Oh, dear, he thought. My identity is exposed.

Shantae noticed his worried expression and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Izuku," she said. "Sky and Rottytops figured it out. They won't tell anyone."

"Oh," said Izuku. "I see. Well,I'm glad you never told them."

Shantae smiled sweetly and gave the green hero a kiss.

Izuku blushed before thinking, No matter what happens, I will protect the girl that I love with everything I have!

Meanwhile, Rottytops was observing Todoroki. She took notice of his red-and-white hair, his mismatched eyes, and the scar over his left eye.

"So, what's with the scar?" She asked curiously.

The icy hot hero touched his scar and sighed. "I don't want to talk about it right now," he said quietly.

Rottytops stared at him and noticed sadness in his eyes. She felt sympathy for the boy. She then gave him a hug. 

"Well, anytime you want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen," she said kindly.

Todoroki smiled at her and hugged back. "Thank you," he said.

Just like Kirishima, he began to feel a warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest. What on earth was this strange feeling?

"Wow," said a voice behind Ochako. The pink-clad girl turned around and saw Bolo starting at her with a look of surprise. "You were amazing! I saw the whole fight from my training station. You can make objects float?!"

Ochako giggled at the wannabe hero and nodded. "Yup," she answered cheerfully. "I just touch the object with these pads on my fingertips and reverse the gravity of the object. The downside is if I use my power too much or on a really massive object, I'll get sick."

Bolo stared at her with sympathy. Then he pulled out a container of medicine from his pocket and handed it to her. "So you won't get sick," he said simply.

Ochako took the medicine and gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you," she said. "You're very sweet!"

Bolo blushes the girl's compliment and shyly kicked at the ground with a foot.

Suddenly, Techno Baron came out from the wreckage of the next and scowled at the heroes who had stopped him.

"You annoying pests," he sneered at them. "You may have won this round, but it is far from over!" He glanced at Izuku and smirked evilly. "Watch yourself, boy! Katrina will figure out a way to get to your precious girlfriend soon. What will you do once she's taken from you? Do you really believe that you can defeat the rogue genie? Well, good luck with that! You're gonna need it!"

Suddenly he lifted up in a small hovercraft. "Sayonara, heroes," he said with an evil laugh. Before they could stop him, the strange alligator fellow took off and flew far away from them.

Izuku felt worried. Was Katrina the rogue genie getting stronger? How much time did he have left? Would his power alone be enough to stop her? What if her magic was more powerful than the power of One For All?

"Izuku?" Said the voice of Shantae. Izuku looked over and saw his half-genie girlfriend staring at him with worry. "What is going on? Who's Katrina the rogue genie?"

He saw the other heroes looking at him, expecting answers. So, the green hero sighed and said, "Let's go back to the lighthouse. I will explain everything there!"