The Hero and the Genie

Chapter 10: Trouble Rising

Deku woke up as he felt someone shaking him.

"Hey, kid," said a voice. "You all right?"

Deku looked up and saw four faces looking down at him: Abner, Poe, Rottytops, and Shantae.

Abner narrowed his eyes as he examined the green hero. It felt as if he was observing him to see if he could be trusted. Poe looked confused as if he didn't understand why Deku had fainted in the first place. Rottytops was beaming widely and giggling to herself. Deku began to wonder what she was so happy about before he shrugged it off as Rotty being her usual self. But when he looked at Shantae, he saw that she was blushing uncontrollably. It took him a moment to recall what had happened: Shantae, his dear friend, had kissed his entire face!

He suddenly felt his face heat up as a heavy blush covered his cheeks. Why had she kissed him like that? Did she like him more than as a friend? He shook his head rapidly. No! That couldn't be it at all! Could it? But then he started thinking back to the times he had with the genie girl and some strange feelings he had felt when he was around her.

He first felt them after she had nursed back to health. He admired how innocent and kind she was.She was even polite when she saw how conflicted he was about telling her about his quirk.

Then there was the dance. He felt warm and fuzzy when he saw the half-genie hero perform.The grace and beauty she had while dancing was unforgettable. She had even winked at him a lot during her performance. The feeling was stronger when he danced with her. As he danced by her side, he felt like he wanted to dance with her again when he got the chance.

When Hypno Baron had used Giga Mermaid to hypnotize Shantae, Deku wanted to make sure she was okay. He felt guilty about having to fight his lovely friend. When he hugged her and woke her from the spell, he felt like holding her more.

Finally, during his battle with Hypno Baron, he felt the urge to protect her. Sure, he wanted to protect other people. But he felt like he wanted to protect Shantae the most. He felt that, if Shantae were ever sad, he should be the one to comfort her. Was it...? Could it be....?

He shook his head and looked up at the genie girl and the zombies. They were still staring at him. Finally, the staring stopped. Then, Abner spoke: "Well, good thing you're awake, kid. Thanks for the save back there."

Deku nodded with a small. "No problem, sir," he said politely.

"Heh," said Abner with a slight smile. "No need to call me 'sir'. Just call me Abner."

"Okay then, Abner," said Deku politely.

"What's your name, kid?" Asked Abner.

"My name is Deku," the green hero answered with a smile.

"Deku, huh? That's a weird name. But then again, we all have something weird about us," said Abner with a shrug.

"I heard about how you and Shantae saved Abner," said Rottytops with her usual grin. "Thanks for saving him!"

"No problem, Rottytops," said Deku with a shy smile. "I'm happy to help!"

Poe smiled brightly. "I don't know about you guys, but I like this guy," he said cheerfully.

Abner had a small smile on his face. "Well, you're all right, kid."

"Well, there's only one thing left to do," said Rottytops. "Coffee, anyone?"

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