Unlikely As It May Seem (An Izumina Fanfiction)

Ch. 20: Meeting with the Wild, Wild Pussycats

Izuku, Mina, and Momo got off the elevator and made their way to the office they were told they would find the Hero Team they were Interning under. As they got to the door, it opened to reveal Kota leaving. He gave Izuku a smile, before diverting his eyes away and letting them know they could go in.

Walking in, they saw the three remaining members of the Pussycats sitting at a table. Mandalay sat in the middle, with Pixie Bob on her right and Tiger on her left. They smiled to the trio that had just entered, and indicated to the three chairs in front of them for them to sit. The three quickly did so, returning the smile.

Mandalay was the first to speak.

"We wanted to thank you all again for wanting to do your Work Study with us," she said, a smile on her face. She was happy to be able to continue teaching future Heroes, but she was definitely curious about some things. "Before we really get into the Work Study, we just wanted to go over some things we didn't get a chance to discuss prior.

"First. Though our main office is here, the Wild, Wild Pussycats are still very much listed as a disaster relief and rescue team, with a focus on nature. Therefore, most of our work will be done outside the city. That's not to say we won't do patrols in the city, but we thought we'd let you all know." The three students nodded before Mandalay continued.

"Now, we did have some questions we wanted to ask you each, individually. Let's start with Yaoyorozu. We see that you did your initial Internship with Uwabami. What made you decide to switch paths? I'm sure she would have taken you on again." Momo straightened up a little more before she answered.

"While I am grateful for the opportunity that Uwabami gave me, I felt, with all due respect, that my Internship with her was wasted on the frivolous 'advertisement' portion. I understand it's always a possibility, but I had wished to learn more in regards to what I'd be doing as a Hero. How I'd be helping the people, and not myself. When I learned Midoriya and Ashido planned on submitting the request to you, I asked to join." It seemed the three were rather impressed with her answer.

"It's true some Heroes, such as Uwabami, enjoy the fame and spotlight being a Hero brings, but I'm glad that you're taking such a serious approach to this. Thank you." Mandalay then turned to Mina and Izuku. "Now, I see that you actually wrote down, and we briefly discussed, learning about working as a Hero Team. What exactly brought this on?" Mina and Izuku looked at one another for a moment before Izuku spoke up.

"We had actually discussed this with Yaoyorozu as well," he began. "We've been training on how to hone our individual skills and Quirks for solo Hero work since we joined UA. As you may be aware, Mi-er, Ashido and I are dating." The three nodded, intrigued about where this was going. "We want to be able to learn how to handle being on the field with one another. To focus. It may seem a little selfish, but, we felt if we learned while we had someone to keep us in check and give us advice, it would be better than learning once we graduated and got our licenses.

"On top of that, the three of our Quirks aren't entirely compatible, so we wanted to learn how to be able to use them in a Team setting so, again, we wouldn't run into the problem when we were official Heroes on our own. Sorry if that came out wrong." Tiger chuckled as he responded.

"Not at all," he said. "That's actually a very good way to look at things. You're planning for the future, and problems that may arise. Very astute of you to do, and we would be more than willing to make sure everything goes smoothly." This caused the three students to smile before Izuku spoke up, his face serious.

"If I may, I do have a question for you guys," he said, respectfully. The Hero team looked between one another before smiling and nodding. "Not that we're not thankful, but why did you decide to take us on? From what we were led to believe, there was a really good chance you wouldn't be participating in the Work Study for the time being." This caused a thoughtful look to pass on the three before Mandalay once again spoke.

"In all honesty, we weren't going to participate, after what happened at the Summer Camp." The air was a little heavier. "In truth, and this may seem like we're playing favorites, if it had been anyone besides you, Midoriya, that had made the request, we would have flat out denied. We...I still owe you for saving Kota's life from that Villain. The fact that you brought a team also made it easier than if it were just you doing the Work Study."

"Though Mandalay is actually related to the boy," Pixie Bob intervened, "he's family to all of us. So, we owe that to you as well." She looked at the two girls. "Again, we're sorry if that seems unfair to the two of you." Momo shook her head and smiled, while Mina took Izuku's hand.

"Not at all," she said. "This green bean of mine is the best." They all had a good chuckle, as Izuku went a little red at Mina's words. Soon, the air was more settled as the three Pros stood, and the UA students followed suit.

"Well then," Mandalay said. "Let's get to it. We'll go over the schedule and our policies as we take a tour of the office."