Beast Speaker, Monster Tamer

51: The Start of Summer, the Start of Something New

        "We're supposed to refrain from going on long trips over the summer?" Uraraka asked the group of girls clustered around Yaoyorozu's table. It was one of the last days of the semester after the final, and the students were about ready to go home.

"Apparently it's a request from the school," Jiro stated.

Elise hummed. Makes sense. The summer camp would interfere at any time, not to mention the fact that we'd need to rest up after it.

Not to mention the attacks on all of you by the League of Villains and the events at the shopping ward the other day. Having you all leave would be a risk.

"That's too bad..." Yaoyorozu sighed. "I was supposed to go to Venice with my parents."

"And I bought a new swimsuit too!" Mina lamented.

Elise patted Mina's back. Though her family didn't have any plans like that over the summer, apparently many of her classmates already had much of their break planned out. "It can't be helped. It was probably for the best that we stay near here."

"Even so, I wanna play! I wanna go somewhere!" Mina huffed, flailing her arms around.

"Well, we do have a school pool! Do you want to meet up there over summer vacation?" Hagakure suggested, empty sleeves angled up to show her excitement.

"Right the pool!" Elise said. "I heard about it, almost forgot. I'm not sure if we'd be able to use it though."

Tsuyu hummed. "I'm sure the teachers will give us permission. We'd be somewhere safe, and plus it's better for us than staying at home all the time."

"Yes!" Yaoyorozu agreed. "It'd be good for us."

"Relaxing after finals!" Mina laughed. "Just like last time."

Elise frowned, tilting her head. "Last time?"

"Yeah! After the Sports Festival!" Ochaco said. "We all relaxed."

"Ah..." Elise laughed self-deprecatingly, mumbling, "Last time after the sports festival I trained until I collapsed."

Apparently, that was loud enough for all the girls to overhear as chatter stopped. Jiro and Uraraka were looking at her with wide eyes, Yaoyorozu covering her mouth with a hand. Elise froze.

"Wing-chan..." Tsuyu began, "that is not healthy."

Elise closed her eyes, a wobbly, fake smile on her face. "Heh, heh..."

Mina shook her head, slinging an arm over her shoulders. "No more of that, this time! We'll all meet up at the pool and you'll enjoy your summer break!"

"Alright," Elise agreed softly. "Alright."

***

The height of summer was here.

Wind tussled Elise's hair as she screeched to a stop in front of U.A.'s gates. Sunlight was hitting her full force as she hopped off her bike and pushed it through the gates. Aizawa had told her there was a bike rack for students off to the left side and an entrance at that end so that was where she was headed, humming a jaunty tune.

Though as she approached the corner, there was the harsh sound of someone coughing. Elise stopped, silencing her humming. The sound of coughing made her frown as it continued and she slowly rounded the corner. "Hello?"

She jumped as an explosion of smoke bloomed outwards. Squinting, she waved away the smoke from her face to clear up the area. Once it was cleared she saw a familiar lanky, blonde man. The teacher that she occasionally saw in the halls. The strangest part was that he was dressed in a baggy costume, one that anybody who knew heroes would know.