[27] The Strategist's Dilemma

{A/N: Don't talk to me about that shit ending of MHA that actually pissed me off}

"Fellow students, we stand here today..." No, too formal. Scratched out.

"In the face of adversity, U.A. has proven..." Too defensive. Another line crossed off.

"The path of a hero is fraught with challenges..." Cliché. Into the trash it went.

"We are the future of heroism, and today..." Close, but not quite right.

I groaned, running a hand through my hair. This was harder than I'd anticipated. The speech needed to be perfect - inspirational enough to rally the students, reassuring to the public, yet subtle enough to plant the seeds of my larger plans.

A knock at the door interrupted my frustration.

"Come in," I called out, grateful for the distraction.

The door opened, revealing Momo. She stepped into the room, a notebook clutched to her chest.

"Midoriya," she said, a slight flush coloring her cheeks. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I was wondering if now might be a good time to strategize some training regimens? We only have three weeks until the Sports Festival, after all."

I raised an eyebrow, taking in her slightly nervous demeanor.

"Sure, Yaoyorozu," I said, gesturing to the edge of my bed.

She settled into the seat, her eyes darting to the crumpled papers on my desk. "Having trouble with the opening ceremony speech?"

I sighed, leaning back. "Is it that obvious?"

Momo smiled sympathetically. "A little. It's a big responsibility. If you'd like, I could help you brainstorm ideas later?"

I nodded, filing away the offer for future consideration. "Thanks, I might take you up on that. But for now, let's focus on these training regimens. What did you have in mind?"

As Momo launched into her ideas, I watched her closely. The way she leaned forward slightly when speaking, the excited glint in her eyes when discussing quirk applications - she was genuinely passionate about this. But there was something else too, a underlying nervousness that had nothing to do with training plans.

"These are good ideas, Yaoyorozu," I said when she paused for breath. "But I can't help feeling there's something else on your mind. Is everything okay?"

Her eyes widened slightly, caught off guard. "Oh! I... well, to be honest, Midoriya, I wanted to talk to you about something else too."

I leaned forward, giving her my full attention. "I'm listening."

Momo took a deep breath, steeling herself. "I was wondering if... if you'd consider working together during the Sports Festival. As allies."

Interesting. I kept my expression neutral, encouraging her to continue.

"It's just," she hurried on, "your analytical skills combined with my creation quirk - we could be a formidable team. And I thought, given how well we worked together at USJ..."

I nodded slowly, pretending to consider it. In truth, I'd already factored this possibility into my plans. Momo's quirk was incredibly versatile, and her intelligence made her a valuable asset.

"That's not a bad idea," I said, watching her face light up. "We do work well together. But what about the others? Wouldn't they feel left out?"

Momo shook her head. "We could still work with the rest of the class during group events. This would be more for the one-on-one portions, or if we end up on the same team."

I smiled. "Alright, Yaoyorozu. Let's do it. We'll be partners for the Sports Festival."

Her answering smile was radiant. "Really? That's great! I promise you won't regret it, Midoriya."

"Oh!" Momo exclaimed suddenly. "I almost forgot. I brought you something." She reached into her bag and pulled out a small, elegantly wrapped package.

I blinked, genuinely surprised. "Yaoyorozu, you didn't have to-"

"I wanted to," she interrupted, pushing the package towards me. "It's to thank you for your leadership during the USJ incident. And... well, just open it."

Curious, I unwrapped the package. Inside was a sleek, high-quality notebook with my name embossed on the cover.

"I noticed you're always writing in those beat-up notebooks," Momo explained, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "I thought you might like something a bit more durable for your hero analysis."

I ran my fingers over the smooth cover, oddly touched by the gesture. "This is... really thoughtful, Yaoyorozu. Thank you."

She beamed, clearly pleased by my reaction. "You're welcome, Midoriya. I'm glad you like it."

As we returned to our strategizing, I found myself glancing at the notebook. It was a small thing, really. But it represented something larger - trust, admiration, maybe even the beginnings of genuine friendship. Maybe…

"Midoriya?" Momo's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Are you okay? You looked far away for a second there."

I smiled, slipping back into the role of earnest classmate. "Sorry, just got lost in thought. You know how I get when strategizing."

She laughed, a warm sound that filled the room. "I certainly do. It's one of the things I admire about you, actually. Your dedication to improvement."

I raised an eyebrow, a teasing note entering my voice. "Oh? And what else do you admire about me, Yaoyorozu?"

Her blush deepened, and she quickly looked down at her notes. "I- well, that is- we should focus on the training plans, don't you think?"

I chuckled, deciding to let her off the hook. "You're right. Let's get back to work."

The hours slipped by as Momo and I delved deeper into our planning. What started as quirk analysis and training regimens evolved into broader discussions about hero work and society.

I leaned back in my chair, watching Momo carefully. Time for a more probing question.

"Yaoyorozu," I began, my tone casual, "if there was one thing you could change about hero society, what would it be?"

Momo paused, her brow furrowing in thought. I could almost see the gears turning in her mind.

"That's... a complex question," she said slowly. "There are so many aspects that could use improvement."

I nodded encouragingly. "True, but if you had to pick just one?"

She bit her lip, then met my gaze with surprising intensity. "I think... I'd change the way we educate and train heroes."

Interesting. Not what I'd expected. "How so?"

"Well," Momo began, warming to her topic, "our current system is very combat-focused. We train to fight villains, to use our quirks in battle. But being a hero is about so much more than that."

I leaned forward, genuinely intrigued. "Go on."

"We should be learning more about psychology, about de-escalation techniques," she continued. "Conflict resolution, emergency medical care, even basic social work. Heroes are often first responders in all kinds of crises, not just villain attacks."

I nodded slowly, processing her words. "So you think a more holistic approach to hero education would lead to better heroes?"

"Exactly!" Momo's eyes lit up. "Imagine if every hero was equipped not just to fight, but to truly help people in any situation. We could prevent so many problems before they even start."

I allowed a small smile to cross my face. "That's... actually a very insightful idea, Yaoyorozu. I'm impressed."

She blushed slightly at the praise. "Thank you. What about you, Midoriya? What would you change?"

I paused, pretending to consider. In truth, I'd had my answer ready for a long time. "I think I'd focus on changing the way quirks are viewed in society."

Momo tilted her head, curious. "What do you mean?"

"Well," I began, choosing my words carefully, "right now, quirks are categorized as 'heroic' or 'villainous'. But that's an oversimplification. Any quirk can be used for good or evil. It's the person wielding it that matters."

Momo nodded slowly. "So you'd want to eliminate the stigma around certain quirks?"

"Exactly," I said, letting a hint of passion creep into my voice. "Imagine a world where no one is judged or feared because of their quirk. Where everyone has an equal chance to live a good life, regardless of what power they were born with."

Momo's eyes widened. "That... that could change everything. The entire structure of our society is built around quirk-based assumptions."

I nodded, watching her reaction closely. "It would be a massive undertaking. But don't you think it would be worth it?"

She was quiet for a moment, then met my gaze. "Yes. Yes, I think it would."

A comfortable silence fell between us. I found myself genuinely impressed by Momo's insights. She might be an even more valuable ally than I'd initially thought.

The spell was broken by a loud yawn from Momo. We both glanced at the clock, startled to see it read 11:37 PM.

"Oh!" Momo exclaimed, her eyes wide. "I had no idea it was so late."

"Time flies when you're discussing the future of heroism, I suppose."

She laughed. "Indeed it does. We should do this again sometime, Midoriya."

"Goodnight, Midoriya," Momo said softly as she reached the door. "Thank you for... well, everything."

"Anytime, Yaoyorozu. Goodnight."

The next morning, homeroom buzzed with energy. I stood at the front of the class alongside Momo, our role as class representatives giving us the floor.

"Alright, everyone," I called out, my voice cutting through the chatter. "We need to talk about the Sports Festival."

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to me. I could feel Momo's steady presence beside me, a silent support I hadn't realized I'd come to appreciate.

"First things first," I continued, my tone serious. "The festival usually starts with some kind of preliminary event to weed out the competition. Something designed to cut down the number of participants before the main events."

Murmurs rippled through the class. Kaminari looked pale, while Bakugo's grin turned feral.

"Here's the deal," I said, my voice hardening. "I refuse to let anyone in Class 1-A get eliminated in the preliminaries. We've been through too much together to let that happen."

Kirishima pumped his fist in the air. "Hell yeah! Class 1-A sticks together!"

I nodded, allowing a small smile. "Exactly. But it's not going to be easy. We don't know what the challenge will be, so we need to be prepared for anything."

Momo stepped forward. "Midoriya and I have been working on training regimens tailored to each of your quirks. We'll be distributing them after class."

"Additionally," I added, "we'll be holding group training sessions every day after school. Attendance isn't mandatory, but..."

"But if you don't show up, you're a lazy extra who doesn't deserve to be here," Bakugo growled, finishing my thought in his own charming way.

I shot him a look, but didn't disagree. "The point is, we're in this together. Class 1-A isn't just going to participate in the Sports Festival. We're going to dominate it."

A cheer went up from the class, even Todoroki nodding in silent agreement.

As Momo began outlining the training schedule, I stepped back, observing the reactions. Uraraka looked determined, her usually bubbly demeanor replaced by fierce focus. Iida was furiously taking notes, his glasses glinting in the fluorescent light. Even Mineta seemed fired up, though that might have been more about the prospect of skin-tight sports uniforms than actual competition.

My gaze landed on Bakugo, who was watching me with narrowed eyes. I met his stare, raising an eyebrow in silent challenge. He scoffed and looked away, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.

As the bell rang and our classmates filed out, chattering excitedly about the upcoming training, Momo turned to me.

"That went well," she said, a hint of pride in her voice. "I think we really motivated them."

I nodded. "We make a good team, Yaoyorozu."

She beamed at the compliment, her cheeks coloring slightly. "We do, don't we? I'm looking forward to working together more closely in the coming weeks."

Momo was smart, driven, and shared many of my ideals about heroism. She could be a powerful ally in the future, perhaps even more than I'd initially calculated.

But there was something else too, a warmth in my chest when she smiled at me, a comfort in her presence that I hadn't expected. It was... distracting. Potentially dangerous.

I pushed the thoughts aside as we left the classroom. There was work to be done, a festival to prepare for. I couldn't afford to let unexpected feelings cloud my judgment or derail my plans.

And yet, as we walked side by side down the hallway, discussing training plans , I couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, having a true friend and partner in this journey might not be such a bad thing after all.

The Sports Festival loomed on the horizon, a crucial step in my larger plans. But for now, I allowed myself to focus on the immediate future - training, strategizing, and yes, even enjoying the camaraderie of my classmates.

After all, every great hero needs allies. And who knew? Maybe in Momo, I'd found something even more valuable - a confidante, a partner, someone who could truly understand and share my vision for the future.

Only time would tell. And time, as always, was on my side.