The Hero and the Genie

"Midoriya? It's morning now," said a sweet voice. "Can you wake up please?"

Midoriya mumbled only three words: "Five more minutes."

"Oh, come on," said the voice. "I said that I'd give you a tour of Scuttle Town, right? Please get up."

Some gentle shaking along with the sweet voice was enough to wake up Izuku Midoriya. As he opened his green eyes, he found himself staring into the blue gaze of Shantae. He yelped in surprise and fell off the bed with a bump.

Shantae giggled and took his hand to help him up. "Sorry about that. Are you okay?" She asked in that sweet innocent voice of hers.

Midoriya nodded with a blush. Oh, my gosh, he thought. She's so cute!!!

Shantae put some folded clothes onto the bed for him. "Here you go," said Shantae. "Some fresh new clothes for you to wear."

"Th-thanks," said Midoriya shyly.

"Anytime," said Shantae before going down with a set of clothes to change into.

A few minutes later…

Midoriya was dressed in a new outfit. He wore a green sleeveless shirt with a red vest, blue short, and a pair of sandals. He felt nervous about the shirt because he had scars on his arms from battles when he misused his quirk to save people.

He waited patiently for Shantae to get dressed in order to not be rude. After five minutes of waiting, he heard Shantae call out for him to come down.

As Midoriya came down the rope, he blushed as he saw Shantae wearing her red outfit from yesterday. It took a lot of effort to not stare at her belly.

Shantae noticed his blushing face. "Are you okay?" She asked politely. "Your face is turning red. Are you feverish?" She added while placing a hand on his forehead.

Midoriya blushed even more. Her hand is soft, he thought. She's so sweet. I guess she's innocent.

He nodded and answered her question: "Um… I-i'm okay."

Shantae looked at him puzzled before smiling again. "Okay. You look very nice, by the way."

Midoriya shyly scraped his foot across the ground. "Th-thanks," he said. "Y-you look amazing."

Shantae giggled and took his hand. "All right. Let's get going."

Later…

The two arrived in Scuttle Town. Midoriya saw a lot of people talking to each other. As he admired the look of the town, he was taken to a workshop. He looked around and saw blueprints for many inventions.

Wow, he thought. I wonder who invented these things. I hope I meet them.

"Oh ho," said a deep voice. "Looks like you're okay, lad."

Midoriya looked over and saw a big man smiling at him. He remembered Shantae mentioning him and concluded that this was Uncle Mimic.

"So," said Uncle Mimic, "how are you feeling, lad?"

"I'm feeling okay, sir," answered Midoriya. "My chest is a little sore. Are you Shantae's uncle?"

"Yes, I am," answered Uncle Mimic. "What might your name be, lad?"

"Izuku Midoriya," answered the green-haired hero.

"Interesting name," said Uncle Mimic. "Well, I must thank you for saving my niece. That was a very bold and brave move."

"I-it was nothing really," said Midoriya with a shy smile. "I just wanted her to be safe."

"Would you tell me why?" Asked Uncle Mimic curiously.

"I have a dream to be a hero," said Midoriya with a brave face. "I want to be a hero who saved people with a smile on my face. To go beyond my limits to protect others."

Uncle Mimic smiled at the hero's answer. "Impressive," he said. "I like the way you think."

Shantae had a big smile on her face as she heard Midoriya's answer. She then felt a small blush form on her cheeks and a warm feeling in her chest.

There's that feeling again, she thought. What is this feeling? What's wrong with me?

"Well," said Uncle Mimic. "I'm sure you'll be an amazing hero."

"Thank you, sir," said Deku bashfully. "I'll do my very best."

SQUAWK!!!

Suddenly, something landed on top of the hero's head, making him jump slightly. It felt like the feet and talons of a bird.

"Wrench," said a new voice. "Get back here. It's not nice to land on people's heads."

Midoriya turned around and saw a girl who looked to be Shantae's age. He blushed slightly at her appearance: She wore a blue hood and cape, a light blue bandana on the top of her head, a top that was blue and pink, a brown leather glove on her left hand, a leather strap on her right wrist, a pair of white pants, brown leather boots, and blue-and-pink colored earrings that looked like bird eggs. She had purple eyes and strands of blond hair. To top it all off, her midriff was fully exposed just like Shantae's.

Does every female expose their midriff here? He wondered. It must be to make sure they don't overheat.

He then felt the weight on his head disappear. He saw a purple bird with blue wings fly over to the newcomer and land on her glove.

"Oh, Wrench," said the girl while nuzzling and petting the bird. "You need to learn to not land on other people's heads."

"Sky," said Shantae happily as she ran over to the newcomer and hugged her. "It's so good to see you and Wrench."

"Hello, Shantae," said the girl as she returned the hug. She saw Midoriya and gave him a smile.

"Oh, Sky," said Shantae as she led the girl to the green-haired boy. "I'd like you to meet Izuku Midoriya."

"H-hello," said Midoriya shyly. "I-it's nice to meet you."

"Well, hello Izuku," said the girl. "My name is Sky. I'm a bird trainer."

"You train birds?" Asked Midoriya. "Wow! So, are you Shantae's friend?"

"Yes," answered Sky. "Though she treats me like an older sister."

"I see," said Midoriya. "W-well, It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," said Sky. "So, what brings you to Scuttle Town?"

Midoriya knew that he had to choose his words carefully. So he simply said, "Well, I got lost and ended up here when I saw the town under attack yesterday."

"It's all true," said Uncle Mimic.

"Wait, you saw that?" Sky asked. "Were you scared?"

Midoriya nodded and gave an honest answer: "Yes, I actually was. But I did my best to help. I couldn't stand around and do nothing."

Sky was impressed with his answer. Shantae simply smiled with a nod as she knew that he didn't want anyone else knowing his secret.

"You kinda remind me of that hero that helped the town yesterday," said Sky before turning Shantae. "Is it true that you helped him fight Risky Boots?"

"It's true," said Shantae. "He was amazing and strong."

Midoriya had to resist the urge to blush.

"So, where is he now?" Asked Sky.

Shantae felt nervous about what to say. However, as if some being had sensed her nervousness, she heard a girly scream.

"What was that?" Asked Midoriya.

Shantae and looked at each other and sighed with annoyed looks. They turned to the doorway and placed their hands on their foreheads with annoyed groans. Midoriya looked towards the entrance and saw two more people enter.

The first one was a girl who looked like a zombie. She had dark light green skin, dark green hair, and red eyes. She wore a yellow hair band, a purple sleeveless top, a pair of brown shoes, a pair of dark blue jean shorts, a pair of skull earrings, and a brown leather belt with a skull buckle. Just like Shantae and Sky, her belly was exposed.

She had an annoyed expression on her face as she was dragging a boy along by the ear. The boy wore a white shirt with a blue open vest, brown leather gloves, metal bracelets, a yellow bandana around his head, a pair of jean shorts, and a pair of sandals that were leather at the bottom and metal around the ankles and straps. He had light tan skin, light blue hair, and black eyes. At his side was a small ball-and-chain.

"Bolo," growled Shantae. "Were you peeking on the girls in the bath house again?!"

"Those weren't girls," said the boy. "They were angels."

"Just… stop… talking," growled the zombie girl as she tugged on his ear again.

"Honestly, lad," said Uncle Mimic while shaking his head, "you're not gonna get a girlfriend this way."

Midoriya looked at the two newcomers and waved shyly. "Um… hello," he said quietly.

The zombie girl looked at Midoriya and her frown instantly faded. She smiled bright and walked up to him.

"Hey, there," she said. "You seem like a polite fellow. The name's Rottytops. What's your name, snack cakes?"

Midoriya blushed slightly before answering. "I-izuku Midoriya. M-my name is Izuku Midoriya. N-nice to meet you, Rottytops."

"Nice to meet you too, Izuku," said Rottytops cheerfully.

The boy looked at Midoriya curiously. "Well, hello, Izuku," he said as he tried to be polite. "My name is Bolo."

"Hello, Bolo," said Midoriya. "It's nice to you. Are you a hero?"

Bolo sighed. "I wish," he said. "I try to be. But no matter what I do, I tend to mess everything up."

Sky looked at him and said, "You Don't always mess up, Bolo. There are times when you are helpful."

"Really?" Asked Bolo doubtfully. "Name one time I was helpful."

"What about the time you sabotaged Ammo Baron's weapon?" Shantae said.

"That was an accident," argued Bolo. "Let's face it. I'm a screw-up."

"What do you think a hero is, Bolo?" Asked Midoriya.

"Well," answered Bolo. "A hero is someone who protects people and doesn't mess up everything for everyone. A person who beats up bad guys and gets respect for it."

Midoriya shook his head. "That's not entirely true," he said. "I believe that a hero is someone who does their best to help someone in need. He may mess up every now and then, but he tries his hardest to make up for his mistakes. Also, he does his best to be respectful to others."

Bolo looked at the green-haired boy In surprise. "That's all there is to it?" He asked. Midoriya simply nodded, causing Bolo to smile a little. "Well, in that case, I will start helping people out. Also, I will try to avoid peeking on girls in the bathhouse from now on."

Midoriya smiled and nodded in approval. "That's a start," he said.

Shantae, Rottytops, and Sky smiled in amazement at Midoriya's speech and encouragement. Even Uncle Mimic was impressed.

"Such wise words," said Uncle Mimic.

"That was so cool," said Rottytops.

"Thanks for helping out Bolo," said Sky.

"You're quite a hero," said Shantae.

Midoriya blushed heavily at all the praise he received from his new friends. But the comment that made him blush the most was Shantae's. As he heard her say those words, he felt warm and fuzzy inside. A warm feeling he had a hard time understanding. What in the world was this weird but pleasant feeling?

Unknown to the hero, Shantae was having the same feeling. She decided to wait till she was alone with Rottytops and Sky to figure out this new feeling.