Chapter 7: Out of the Frying Pan... Part I
Monday had arrived and Izumi was, all things considered, in a great mood. She and Mei had managed to work with Power Loader yesterday to begin remaking, or just making, really, Tooru's costume. The DNA fabric itself still wasn't entirely done, but they had already designed and put together parts of the bodysuit and armour she would be wearing, as well as some gear she could now carry, since items in the costume's pockets should be invisible as well. For now, they settled on electric batons, for swift and stealthy takedowns.
Though Izumi eventually forgot to get Uraraka to try on her boots before the workshop closed, they had agreed to do so after the entrance ceremony, which Izumi had thankfully been excused from. She knew from what Lucy and Kevin had told her that it was just two hours of Nezu rambling about the new year. The fact that Aizawa had been forced to attend was very humorous to her. Now, she made her way to class 1-H, this time to participate in the support course's own assessment test.
She was met once again by her new, manic design partner. "Heya, Muscles, come here often?" Mei cackled as Izumi entered the room.
"Mornin' Mei. Ready for the assessment?" Izumi took a seat next to her friend, noticing the other students looking at her strangely. "Oh, hi there. I'm Midoriya Izumi. I'm a double major with Heroics, so I'm not living with you guys, but I'll be joining some classes and workshops. I hope we get along." She bowed politely.
Most students didn't react very strongly to the introduction, but those who did were dismissive of her, not expecting much from a Heroics student in terms of academics. Izumi frowned slightly, but sat down anyways. She was used to hostility. Mei just grit her teeth, seeing as her friend didn't say anything. 'Morons. Dismissing us right out of the gate.' From the few interactions she'd had with her classmates, they didn't seem all that noteworthy, and it seemed they singled her out as strange from the start.
"Good morning, Class 1-H. I am your homeroom professor, and department head for support engineering, Maijima Higari. I understand that this is rather short notice, but we will not be attending the entrance ceremony today. Rather, I'm taking a page out of a colleague's book and start this semester off with a small assessment test." Mei and Izumi began grinning while the other students were whispering among themselves. Power Loader then looked at the two and smirked. "And as a further incentive to perform well, the top performer will be given extended access to Workshop Theta." The students cheered at the revelation, while Mei just looked at Izumi with a determined look on her face.
"Your task for today will consist of producing a piece of gear for one of the students of class 1-A. You will be given only information on their quirk, not their costume or current gear. Midoriya and Hatsume, as you have an advantage by already being acquainted with this class, you two will be the last to choose." They simply nodded, though a bit miffed by it.
The other students chuckled at their misfortune, and Mei could do nothing but glare at them. 'We'll show those pricks.' One by one, the students picked out their choice as Power Loader held up the basic information dossiers. By the end of it, only two remained, one of which was Izumi herself. So Mei ended up with the nearly impossible task of producing gear for someone who could transform at will, and Izumi had the seemingly equally daunting task of making equipment for the girl who could create nearly anything. The two looked at each other, and after a moment's stare, they clutched hands. "Let's do this, Muscles."
"We'll do our best." Izumi grinned, the excitement boiling in her core. They were gonna wreck the competition. Unlike their competitors, they had quite a bit of insider information about the heroes they were working for. The two quirks they were given were the trickiest, but they were sure they were up to the task.
The two sequestered themselves in an empty workshop, wasting no time in drawing blueprints. Izumi quickly informed Mei that, as of that point in time, whenever she transformed, whatever gear she was wearing didn't transform with her, though she clarified that it wasn't destroyed, merely 'stored away by her quirk'. Mei was incredibly puzzled by that, but Izumi said that she couldn't tell why either, though she knew that it was the Omnitrix's fault.
Thus, Mei decided to focus on the strength enhancement aspect of Izumi's quirk, making a pair of gauntlets and boots that would be able to significantly lessen the damage done to Izumi's limbs, effectively making it so she could use more of One for All.
Izumi, on the other hand, was rather stumped at the beginning. She had no idea if Yaoyorozu's costume already had something similar to what she had in mind, but she would have to take the risk, as nothing else seemed remotely as useful as what she had thought about. She made a helmet and visor. Adjustable, with an open back to account for her long hair. The design was sleek, black with gold highlights. The visor, however, was the piece de resistance of the item. She integrated a small computer and projector into the helmet that would allow her to access a database of chemical formulae and structural schematics on the fly. The mouthpiece of the helmet also included a small microphone for verbal input, along with noise cancellation so she wouldn't give her creations away.
She barely managed to finish, even with the use of her aliens, before the deadline was up. The two handed their creations to Power Loader, who smiled as he read the blueprints. In his mind, they were troublesome students, but very competent ones.
"I look forward to trying out the gear you made for me tomorrow, Mei. I'm sure they'll be incredible!" Mei smiled at the praise from Izumi, and quickly hugged her, which embarrassed the green haired girl.
"Thanks, Muscles, your design was pretty top notch, too! I'm glad I have some actual competition." The mechanic cackled. "Also, I installed a mechanism similar to my haptic gloves, so I can monitor your vitals and power output data. After your class tomorrow, I might need to make some adjustments."
Izumi smiled. "That's a great idea, Mei!" She praised once again. She couldn't help but wonder, though, how her other classmates had dealt with the entrance ceremony.
—
The first day at UA had arrived, and Bakugou Katsuki was close to losing it. 'First that shitty rat puts me on probation, now I have to listen to the bastard talk our ears off for TWO HOURS?!' He snarled as the Dean continued his opening speech.
On top of that, there was the result of the entrance exams. He was supposed to be number one, the best of the best. It was his destiny to rise to the top. 'So why the FUCK did I get in nearly dead last?!' Those fuckers had sabotaged the exam somehow. 'Rescue points? Hero Points? What kind of bullshit copout was that?! Heroes have to beat up shitty villains, why waste time rescuing the worthless extras who couldn't even save themselves?'
His only solace was that he hadn't seen Deku anywhere on the scoreboard. Sure, he couldn't see who was in the top five, but there was no way that worthless bitch had gotten such a high score. 'It doesn't matter, now. I'm gonna show all these shitty extras who's the best around here.'
He shot hateful glares at the class across from him, and their hobo-looking professor. 'Some worthless no-name with a useless quirk, I'll bet.' He growled. He should have been at 1-A. The only thing that took his attention away from them was the stupid midget drooling next to him at all the girls. 'I'm gonna pulp this extra first.' The worst part was that the extras thought they were on his level. The insect looking fucker and the bandana idiot even had the gall to challenge him. Worst of all was the shitty Copycat. He kept saying they would surpass 1-A and prove they were the superior class. Of course they were the better class! He was in it! Who did that bastard think he was? All he had was a villainous copy quirk! Damn leech.
Speaking of the Copycat, he went over to 1-A as soon as the rat stopped speaking. "Oh, is this the high and mighty 1-A? How kind of you to grace us mere mortals with your presence." Monoma Neito sneered.
The students of 1-A looked at the confrontational boy, and noticed that the class behind him was completely male. For a moment, both classes were confused by it, but when they noticed a certain grape drooling and panting, the reason for it became clear. The understanding went unspoken. However, that did not stop Monoma from continuing his tirade. "What, you think yourselves so superior that you won't even dignify us with a response? Oh, and you seem to be a student short. How shameful, did one of you quit before the first day?"
Before the class, especially Ochako, who had already strung together a chain of insults for the arrogant blonde, could respond, he found himself wrapped in a surprisingly sturdy scarf by Aizawa. Bakugou smirked slightly at Monoma's misfortune, but then immediately glared at the hobo. "Kan, I understand that there will always be some form of rivalry between classes, but I would expect you to control your students before they make even larger fools of themselves." His eyes began glowing an eerie red, sending shivers down Monoma's spine.
Kan Sekijiro was soon next to Monoma, standing even taller than Aizawa's impressive height. "Aizawa, I am sorry for Monoma's behaviour. I was unaware he fostered such hostility towards your class." Monoma blinked, in total disbelief.
Bakugou was also very confused. 'Why is he apologising? He's obviously the stronger one.'
Kan then continued. "But I do notice you're indeed missing a student. Did you really expel one already? I think that's a record, even before the first day."
Aizawa chuckled, wearing a grin that shook the 1-B students to the core. They were completely taken aback. He would really expel one of his students before the term had even started? "Unfortunately, this year's class managed to pass my little test on move in day." Kan widened his eyes. It had been quite a few years since Aizawa had had a full class. "So I'll be teaching these twenty problem children for the foreseeable future." He then glared at his own class. "But that doesn't mean they're off the hook just yet."
The 1-B students were suddenly very glad they weren't in 1-A. "So where is your twentieth student?" Kan questioned.
Aizawa sighed. "Apparently, Maijima decided to take a page out of my book and give his students a test. My designated problem child is a double major, so she was excused from the ceremony."
Monoma chose to once again antagonise their sister class. "Ah, of course, 1-A also gets a dedicated support student. Though they would have to rely on gadgets to dream of keeping up with us."
Bakugou saw the pink girl with raccoon eyes stand up and nearly growl. "What was that, blondie? What's your damage?"
Aizawa glared at his student and simultaneously tightened the scarf around Monoma. "Ashido, stand down. Don't let your mind get clouded by such insults. That's an easy way to die out in the field." Raccoon Eyes nodded and sat down. "And you." Aizawa narrowed. "I may not be able to expel you, but let me tell you this. Your attitude will be nothing but a liability in the future. How many people would you let die because your ego wouldn't allow you to cooperate with one of my students." Monoma gaped for a moment. "So get your head out of your ass."
Kan interjected at that point. "Aizawa! While I understand your displeasure at my student, and he will be punished for it, there is no need for this treatment." Aizawa simply glared at the Blood Hero and slowly unwrapped Monoma, who was pulled away from 1-A by Kan.
"Holy shit, Dadzawa strikes." Hitoshi mumbled, drawing a chorus of laughter from some 1-A students. However, the laughing quickly died down when Aizawa turned his attention to them.
"Aizawa. Care to share what's so funny?" Hitoshi froze, and shook his head hesitantly. "Extra training for a week." The purple haired boy groaned and facepalmed.
"Yes, sir…" Mina and Ochako patted him on the shoulder.
Bakugou said nothing, but he silently fumed, trying to figure out which one of those extras had placed first in the exams.
—
Izumi entered the dorms to find most of her class gathered in the common room. Iida spotted her first, and called her over. "Ah, Midoriya! We were surprised to see you absent from the entrance ceremony. Dean Nezu's speech was very inspiring."
Setsuna groaned from the side. "It went on for literal hours!"
"Aizawa-sensei told us that you were doing a test for your support course. What was it like?" Ochako inquired.
Izumi laughed slightly. "Well, no threats of expulsion this time around." Her classmates joined in on the laughter. "But all kidding aside, it was great. We actually got tasked with designing gear for you guys!" the students cheered.
"Whoa, that's awesome! Who did you design gear for?" Tooru asked, excitedly.
Izumi smirked. "You'll see tomorrow." The invisible girl groaned. "What? The mystery's half the fun!" She then looked around the room. "Where's Hitoshi?"
Mina grimaced. "Extra training with Aizawa. RIP."
"RIP." Izumi chorused. She then looked at Ochako and smiled. "So, I reserved Gym Delta again. Wanna test out your boots?" The brunette's smile in return was blinding.
—
The classes at UA were dreadfully normal. Izumi could barely keep awake during Present Mic's English class. Midnight's History of Heroics class was also very normal, aside from the professor's persona. Aizawa's Ethics and Hero Philosophy class was marginally more interesting, but the introductory section they were in felt very basic to Izumi after a year of tutoring by Nezu.
Still, lunch had arrived and the whole class was excited for their sole afternoon class: Fundamentals of Heroics. "Man, are we getting our costumes today? That would be so awesome!" Kaminari psyched himself up as they reached the cafeteria.
"The schedule didn't say anything about who our heroics teacher is. Why all the mystery?" Tsu touched a hand to her chin as she looked deep in thought. Izumi looked at her friends and smirked.
"Well, whoever it is must be a veteran hero." She struggled to keep her laughter in. Her classmates then noticed that she wasn't in her human form, rather appearing as Mistral.
"Uh, Midoriya, why you changed?" Pony asked, scratching her head.
Izumi bristled slightly. "Well, there's someone in class 1-B I'd rather avoid for now. We're really not on the best of terms, and I'd prefer not to get into any trouble." Her classmates, though not really understanding, just nodded. Her friends, though, shared a suspicious look, and Mina's mind especially was running a mile a minute trying to figure out why Izumi would go to such lengths.
"Ugh, yeah, there was this really obnoxious blonde guy from 1-B yesterday, going on and on about how we're arrogant and in the same breath saying that 1-B's the superior class. What a whacko." Jirou huffed. "Aizawa shut him up real quick, though." Izumi at first thought it had been Bakugou, but the overall behaviour didn't track with what she knew of him.
"Yeah, and there was this other blonde dude with spiky hair who just kept scowling and growling at us. Is he rabid or something?" Izumi snorted at Mina's remark. That caught her attention, but she didn't pry.
"Oh, shit, that's the guy, he's coming over." Setsuna spotted Monoma walking towards them, a haughty sneer on his face. Itsuka and Mina groaned, really not wanting to interact with him again.
"Oh, so this is the mystery student of 1-A? Finally decided to grace us with your presence, did you?" Monoma stood just behind Izumi, smirking.
Izumi stood up abruptly, revealing the fact that she stood over two metres tall. She turned to the blonde boy and loomed over him, narrowing her three eyes slightly. "Indeed. And are you the one who decided to antagonise our class?"
Monoma scoffed. "I believe we got off on the wrong foot." That surprised Izumi, who immediately became suspicious. "My name is Monoma Neito, from 1-B." She took note of his extended hand, but made no move to grasp it.
"I am Mistral, from Class 1-A and 1-H." She said, still staring at his outstretched hand, her brains trying to analyse what he was doing.
"Ugh, to not even give me your real name and refuse my gesture of goodwill, it seems you really are as arrogant as you appear." Izumi further narrowed her eyes, noting that his hand was still stretched out, waiting for her to touch it.
"Forgive me, Monoma-san, but I am not very keen on having a quirk used on me without my consent." The blonde's eye twitched. "Hmm, seems I was right. A contact based quirk, probably not outright harmful, but still. As for my name, I am Mistral, that is my name. My classmates will tell you as much."
Monoma just scoffed and finally retracted his hand. "You think you're above us all, but I'll show you that 1-B is the superior class."
"I look forward to it, Monoma-san." Izumi gave him the most obnoxiously polite answer she could, adding in a bow for extra measure.
Just as he was leaving and Izumi began to relax, another blonde, noticeably more unhinged, came storming towards their table. "Fuck, what is it with these people?" She tried to ignore Bakugou and sit back down, but just as she did, he slammed a smoking palm on their table, as his other hand crackled with miniature explosions. It took all of Izumi's willpower not to reflexively flinch.
"Alright, which one of you extras got first place on the exams?" He growled.
"What's it to you?" Mina immediately got defensive.
Katsuki levelled a furious glare at her. "Shut up, Raccoon Eyes! Mind your own fucking business." He dismissed her outright. Then, he suddenly felt himself getting wrapped in a green glow, his movements completely out of his control as he was lifted from the ground.
He tried to create an explosion, but the fact that his hand was completely immobilised stopped him from sparking his sweat. He glared at the three eyed student who had apparently done that to him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, you three eyed freak?"
The 1-A students were rather startled by Izumi's expression. The stare that she levelled at the blonde was chilling. "You wanted the first place student, didn't you? Well, you're looking at her." She spat. Once again, her friends were surprised. Izumi never bragged about getting first place. She then pointed at Mina. "By the way, she's second." She pointed at Ochako. "Third." And another point at Eiko. "Fourth. Not that it matters. Once we got in, the only number that really matters is our seating number. I can list a few people in my class alone that could probably beat me in a fight. And yet they're not 'first place'."
Bakugou scoffed. "You done with your dumbass speech?" He snarled. "You think being first place doesn't matter? It's all that matters. Being the best, being the strongest, beating up every villain in your way. And I'm gonna be number fucking one, you hear me! Not you, not raccoon eyes, not fat cheeks, not shitty hair, or any of you other extras. Now let me fucking go."
His tirade was finally interrupted by the looming shadow of Kan Sekijirou. The white haired man sighed. "Bakugou, I will give you five seconds to explain to me what the hell you're doing here." The professor raised an eyebrow at his silence. "Well?" Still, nothing. "Get back to class. You'll have a week's detention." That seemed to outrage the boy. "And if I see you harassing 1-A, or any other student, for that matter, detention will be the least of your worries." He then looked at Izumi, apologetic. "I'll keep an eye on him."
Izumi nodded. As Bakugou was dragged off fuming by Vlad Kind, the alien sighed. "Great…" The others looked at her, slightly concerned. "Sorry you had to see that. He's one of the few people who can legitimately make me angry."
Itsuka raised an eyebrow. "You know that guy?"
Izumi nodded. "Yeah… I know that guy." She refused to elaborate, and ate her lunch in silence. Her friends shared yet another look, and some alarm bells started ringing inside Mina's head. She just hoped she was wrong about her assumption this time.
—
The class was stewing in anticipation for their first heroics class. The subject of their professor was the main topic. "Maybe it's just gonna be Aizawa." Kaminari guessed
"No way, why hide it then?" Mina rebutted.
"You're kinda dumb, Kaminari." Jirou sighed, and the lightning haired boy dramatically feigned hurt at her words.
"Our guide in the world of heroics would need to traverse the light and the dark." Reiko pondered.
"Or perhaps they would need to possess an overwhelming light." Tokoyami suggested.
"Fucking chuuni." Dark Shadow grumbled.
"Silence, beast." The raven headed boy chided.
Jirou suddenly perked up. "Hold on! I hear footsteps. Two people, one of them very heavy." Izumi had to hold in a chuckle.
"I AM…" Came a booming baritone from the entrance of the classroom.
The students immediately began freaking out. "No freaking way!" Setsuna shouted in disbelief.
Tsuyu began ribbiting excitedly. "It can't be HIM…" Itsuka muttered.
"This is gonna be fungtastic!" Kinoko cheered.
"... COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" The whole class cheered as the Symbol of Peace slammed the classroom door open and posed, the cape of his costume flowing, even without there being any gusts of wind. Izumi cracked up slightly at his theatrics.
Momo gasped, a smile forming on her face. "Oh my!"
"It is him!" Kaminari yelled.
"Revelry in the dark." Tokoyami nodded sagely.
"Ribbit, is that his silver age costume?" Tsu asked, placing a finger to her chin.
"It is! He stopped wearing it in combat after David shield developed a version that was also explosion and fireproof. Now he wears them during ceremonies." Izumi's fangirl side showed for a moment as her eyes sparkled.
"That's not how a normal person enters a room, though… I think." Todoroki mumbled, nearly inaudibly.
All Might flashed the students his trademark smile. "Indeed, I have recently taken the offer to help teach the next generation the path to heroism! Which brings us to now, your first step as fledgling heroes, Fundamentals of Heroics!" The class cheered. "Now, we will also be joined by 1-A's TA, Miss Hado Nejire!"
The bubbly third year floated into the classroom. "Hi everyone! Great to see you again! Well, I saw you this morning back at the dorms, but it's still great to see you!" Izumi chuckled at her antics. "Ooh, I'm so excited to be helping train you guys! Let's have a great year, everybody!" The green haired girl just wished they wouldn't have to spar with her anytime soon. There was a reason she was the head of the Big Three despite her generally carefree personality. She blamed her mother for creating such a monster.
"Indeed, young Hado! Now, for today's lesson: ordinarily, it would be an opportunity to familiarise yourselves with your costumes. However, many issues may only become apparent in an active scenario. Plus, I believe in learning by doing. So, today's class will pull no punches!" He slammed a placard on the podium, showing the kanji for 'BATTLE'.
The class once again cheered, though Tsuyu raised her hand with a puzzled look. "All Might-sensei, shouldn't we have some basic combat training first?"
All Might let out a deep laugh. "I am very glad you asked, Young Asui."
"Call me Tsu." She interjected.
"Indeed, Young Tsu. Now, we will be having team based battle trials today. This is for two main reasons. First: to have you get familiarised with your costumes in a simulation of field conditions. Second, so that I and Aizawa can gauge where you stand in terms of combat from the start. This won't be a graded exercise, but will serve to establish a baseline so that we can correct any weaknesses you display and increase your strengths." Toshinori explained, thankful for the teaching course Nezu and Inko had put him through after he accepted the job. "Say it with me, now:"
"PLUS ULTRA!" The class cheered.
"INDEED!" He posed once again. "Now, for the fun part. After all, what is a hero without their costumes!" Hado walked back into the classroom with a cart filled with metal briefcases. "Also, you'll each be receiving an extra piece of support gear, courtesy of our friends over at 1-H!" The class, somehow, was still going strong on their cheering. "Good, I'll see you all in Field Beta! Young Hado will guide you there."
The students all flowed out of the room, picking up their costumes on the way, each one smiling from ear to ear.
—
Izumi, knowing how her costume functioned, had decided to go to class already wearing her underarmour. 'Is it unfair to wear level 14 tech as my hero costume? I mean, Nezu did give me this set of Proto Armour as a present for getting a perfect score, but still.'
The girls were slightly surprised to see Izumi actually change in front of them, but the fact that she was already wearing some sort of compression shirt and shorts made it more understandable. From what had happened on Saturday, and the fact that the green haired girl always bathed at a different time than the other girls, they figured that it was being naked around them that bothered her. Still, she kept herself facing the wall the whole time, which some of the girls found rather strange.
Izumi's costume consisted of a customised set of Proto Armour, a galvan set of armour made to be resistant to pretty much any attack, with minimum impact on mobility and weight. Surprisingly, Mei's gauntlets and boots fit rather well with it, though clashing somewhat with the aesthetics. They were both red and metallic, while the armour itself was dark green and black. Even so, since she wore red shoes most of the time, she was rather used to the colour scheme.
Her own addition to the costume was her mask. She originally wanted to wear a cowl that homaged All Might's bangs, but forwent that in favour of showing her face. She still kept the smile shaped respirator from her original design, complete with an air filter, rebreather, communicator and noise canceller. She looked herself over, and had to admit she rather liked it. The omnitrix was still easily accessible through her gauntlets, so all things considered, she couldn't ask for a better hero suit.
"Whoa, Midori, you look badass!" Mina cheered. Izumi, not thinking for a moment, turned around to see most of her class half naked, still putting on their costumes. Her face immediately went beet red and she turned around again.
"T-thanks, Mina…" She stuttered.
"Hey, Izumi, chill out, it's not like we're naked, we're all girls here." Ochako offered, rather miffed, due to her suit turning out skintight. Still, she rather liked the boots that Izumi had made her, much better than the ones that actually came with her costume. And the grappling belt the support course had added was rather nice.
Izumi felt her throat dry up. "Oh, y-yeah, right. I-I just…" Izumi's eyes then fell on Yaoyorozu's costume, and she once again froze up. "Y-Y-Yaoyorozu-san! Is that your whole costume?!" As she took in the costume, her anxiety faded into outrage.
"W-well, I require a lot of skin area to produce larger items." Momo justified.
Izumi pinched the bridge of her nose, the air about her suddenly changing. "Why does it have fucking heels then?" She hissed. "You could have achieved the same effect without being left with basically no protection!"
"Oh no, the cinnamon roll is cussing again!" Tooru gasped, earning a half hearted glare from Izumi.
"Yaoyorozu-san, it's not your fault, it's the fault of whoever designed this… this thing." Momo couldn't help but feel slightly offended, even if in retrospect she found herself agreeing. "Self healing fabrics, like Midnight's current costume, could allow you to create items without exposing yourself. They could have used DNA fabric, or just put in some fucking zippers, for heaven's sake."
"W-well, when you put it like that…" Momo drooped.
Izumi sighed. "I'm sorry, Yaoyorozu-san. It's just… first Tooru's costume and now this?"
"Wait, what's wrong with Hagakure's costume, it looks pretty great to me." Itsuka stated, tying her hair up in a ponytail.
Izumi looked at her, then at Tooru. "Well, Kendo-san, that would be because Mei, Power Loader and I basically made the whole thing from scratch with DNA integrated fabric. Because her original outfit was a pair of fucking gloves and boots!" She shouted, making Kendo flinch slightly. "Sorry, again, sorry." Izumi quickly curled in on herself.
"How could anyone think that was a decent costume for someone to wear?" Setsuna commented. "I mean, mine has DNA fabric. I didn't know any type of costume that could work with a quirk like mine, but then I got an email from the support company telling me about the option."
Izumi really wanted to fly straight to Deika City and raze Detnerat, and that was without knowing they were the headquarters of the MLA. "Okay, we'll figure this all out later. This is fine…" Izumi paced, muttering. She then turned to Yaoyorozu. "Yaoyorozu-san, if you don't mind, could we go to the workshop after classes? We really should get this all sorted out."
Momo simply nodded. "That would be fine, Midoriya-san. I must thank you for bringing this to my attention. I was willing to power through the embarrassment for the sake of optimising my quirk usage, but I can see how it shouldn't be a binary option." Izumi nodded, then froze once again as Momo turned to her side to check her briefcase. "Strange, I can't find the extra support item…"
"Yaoyorozu-san, what's that?" Izumi was pointing to the wooden shelf and the thick book strapped to Momo's back.
Momo smiled slightly. "Why, it's my Yaoyorictionary! So that I can consult any schematics I may need on the fly."
'Well, thank fuck I got to handle her support gear.' "Yaoyorozu-san… tell me, what would happen if someone were to fall on their lower back onto an elevated rigid surface?"
Momo was confused for a moment, but answered anyway. "Well, depending on how they fell and the angle, anything from moderate spinal damage to outright paraplegia."
"Right, so, knowing that, why would you place a rigid wooden shelf and a huge book precisely on your lower back? While wearing heels, which notoriously screw up your balance, and can break, causing you to fall backwards?" The other girls winced at the image, and Momo just looked horrified at the possibility of a single tumble ending her entire career.
"I.. I.." She could barely muster a response.
Izumi sighed once again. "Yaoyorozu-san, this is why we're here, to learn before we go out in the field. It's better to make these kinds of mistakes while we're in a safe environment." She tried to soothe the heiress. "As for that…" She once again gestured to the dictionary. "I do have a solution."
Momo's eyes lit up slightly. "Yesterday, I was tasked with making a support item for one of you." She stated. "And I wanted to deliver it personally." She took out a helmet from her own briefcase. "I can admit that it was tricky. What kind of support item would a person that can create almost anything need?" She handed the visor to Momo, smiling.
"I call it Logos. The visor on the helmet can project any schematic you may need, and you can upload your own. The mouthpiece has a voice control for the interface as well as selective noise cancellation and a communicator. Thankfully, this would remove the need for the… Yaoyorictionary." She cringed slightly at the word.
Momo looked completely shocked. "I… I don't know what to say. Thank you, Midoriya, it's very nice." She put the helmet on, noting that it fit rather well.
"Don't mention it, Yaoyorozu-san. I'm just glad my invention could help you." She tapped her own mouthpiece. "I designed it after my own mouthpiece, the visor was the more intricate part." Izumi smiled.
"You can call me Yaomomo if you like. The girls gave me that nickname." Momo said, a pure smile forming on her face as her prior anxiety melted away.
"S-sure, Y-Yaomomo, and feel f-free to call me Izumi as well." Izumi became once again rather flustered as she exited her focused state.
"Wow, what a gap in personality." Setsuna muttered.
"Mm." Yui nodded.
"It's quite something." Tooru giggled.
—
Toshinori began to slightly worry as his class took a bit over fifteen minutes to arrive, but he supposed that their first time trying on the costumes, especially the more intricate onse, would lead to a bit of excusable tardiness. He was just thankful that Aizawa hadn't joined him this time around, as he was busy teaching a third year philosophy class.
He then spotted the group, led by Hado, walking in a cluster, and his grin broadened. "They say that clothes make the hero, and you certainly look the part!" He bellowed, applauding the class, though he could notice some more questionable designs among them, they weren't bad for a first costume, and he figured some positive feedback might do them some good after Aizawa's general demeanour. "And I see the support department outdid themselves! They'll be working with you for the next four years, and perhaps even longer, so I recommend fostering good relations. My own support technician has saved my life a fair share of times!" He thought of David Shield, and considered perhaps getting in touch.
He then looked at his successor and couldn't help but beam at her. Surrounded by her friends, standing proud in her new costume, he swore she was the spitting image of his own successor. Her smile was radiant. She was living her dream, and he was happy to have seen her grow. He finally understood the meaning behind Nana's smile, looking towards the future, and knowing things would be good, would be fine.
He cleared his throat, snapping out of his own stupor. 'I must be getting sappy in my old age, hahaha!' "Very well, young heroes. As I stated, we will be performing a series of combat scenarios. Five matches of fifteen minutes each, with opposing teams of two, representing heroes or villains." As he was about to explain the scenario, several students suddenly interjected.
"Sir, I see we're on the same sort of field where they held the entrance exams, will we be performing open urban manoeuvres?" Iida questioned.
All Might chuckled. "No, young Iida. While most televised battles happen out in the open, the majority of operations most heroes engage in are actually done indoors. Backroom deals, secret plots, the truly dangerous villains are those that work in the shadows, and as heroes you must be aware of that." He explained, before being once again interrupted.
"How will the teams be decided?" Iida asked as he raised his hand robotically.
"Do we have to worry about being expelled?" Komori fidgeted with her costume's mushroom hat.
"Do we have to play the part of villains?" Kendo asked, and Tokoyami and Shinsou bristled slightly at being made to be villains in their first heroics class.
All Might clapped, the sound and airwave silencing the students. "Hold on, young heroes, my quirk isn't super hearing! I'll leave that to young Jirou." He grinned. "As I already said, this exercise will not be graded, and we'll be determining the teams by drawing lots. As for some of you having to play villains, in truth it's more of a division between attack and defence. You don't need to act villainous, and you can instead think of it as defending an important piece of equipment or a person of interest from villains."
Iida once again interjected. "Sir, is it really wise to decide the teams by random chance?"
"It would be a decent simulation of real life." Shinso responded.
Izumi nodded. "Yeah, most heroic team ups happen on the fly, so you won't always get to choose who you work with."
"Well, said, you two. Indeed, heroes must learn to cooperate no matter how divergent their personalities may be. I have seen many situations escalate due to poor teamwork by heroes, and villains also can become much stronger by working together. Even if your quirk synergy is poor, it's the mark of a great hero to overcome such an adversity." All Might gave the two a thumbs up. "Well, let's get drawing!" The hero produced a wooden box, marked with the Kanji for 'Lots'.
They went in order of seat number, meaning Izumi was one of the last to draw. She looked at her lot, indicating she was part of Team C. She looked around and found a grinning Setsuna holding a matching lot. "Looks like we're team green, Midori!" Izumi blushed slightly as Setsuna closed in on her, making contact, the taller girl struggling not to think of her teammates incredibly form fitting suit.
As the teams were selected, All Might led them to the obseravtion room, where a large screed detailed the exact arrangement.
"Alrighty, everybody, group up, because our first match will begin in a moment!" Nejire cheered, practically bouncing in place
Team A: Komori and Kendo
Team B: Kodai and Uraraka
Team C: Midoriya and Tokage
Team D: Kirishima and Kaminari
Team E: Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu
Team F: Jirou and Aizawa
Team G: Todoroki and Shiozaki
Team H: Tsunotori and Asui
Team I: Ashido and Iida
Team J: Yanagi and Hagakure
Izumi noticed that her closer friend group was split up, and also that they had some notably decent combinations overall, though one notable exception came to mind, in team G's case. "Now, for our first battle:" All might pressed a button and a roulette began spinning, revealing the pairing. "Team J as Heroes and team A as villains."
"Heroes, you will be tasked with infiltrating a villain's hideout, where they have planted a nuclear bomb, set to go off in fifteen minutes. You will need to find the bomb and disarm it, or capture the two villains. Villains, your objective is to protect the bomb until it can go off, or capture both heroes." All Might explained, until he remembered something that could be exploited in the exercise. "Also, since this is supposed to be an exercise, the villain team will not be allowed to purposely set off the bomb, as it would defeat the purpose of this scenario. In real life, that would be a possibility, but this is supposed to be training for both teams." He noticed Izumi sigh, indicating that she had thought of that exact possibility.
"Now, villains, you'll have five minutes to prepare. You can plant the bomb anywhere within the designated building." He indicated. "Heroes, you have the same time to plan your infiltration. Now get going, you Zygotes!" He chuckled as the students looked at him oddly for his choice of words. He gave them two sets of communicators, and sent them on their way.
"Hero team! Come this way! I have to show you the building schematics!" Nejire called the over to a side room.
Mina approached a muttering Izumi and patted her on the back. "Hey, Midori, Tooru's totally got this, right?"
The other students looked at the tall girl as she snapped out of her own thoughts and registered the question. "Hmm, ordinarily, she would be best suited to this sort of exercise, as stealth is her specialty. It's an especially bad matchup for Kendo. Despite her martial arts training, Tooru has also trained quite a bit in quick and stealthy takedowns, which Kendo has little defence against, especially if she's also being pestered by Yanagi's long range attacks." The class blinked at her detailed predictions, and Momo silently nodded in agreement.
"I'm sensing a 'but', there, Izumi." Hitoshi edged closer to the discussion.
"But, that's not accounting for Komori." Izumi stated, and some looked at her in confusion, remembering the girl's usually harmless demeanour and her low placement on the quirk assessment. "Simply put, she's going to absolutely wreck the exercise."
"How?" Kaminari asked, genuinely surprised by the assessment. Others also looked rather confused by her statement, though the reasoning soon dawned on Momo and Shinso.
Izumi furrowed her brow slightly. "Komori's quirk allows her to produce mushroom spores that grow quickly once in contact with a solid surface." She explained. "Mushrooms, when growing, usually drain nutrients from organic matter around them. Now, think about the fact that Komori's mushrooms could very likely grow on people. She would essentially be able to create a whole field of spores which would cause anyone who stepped in to be drained of all their stamina. And if one were to breathe in the spores, the mushrooms might even be able to grow inside their body." The class suddenly looked at the diminutive girl on the camera, spraying her teammate with a sort of liquid, with absolute horror.
"In a closed environment, especially a dark and humid one, Komori would be an absolute nightmare to face. Hagakure is completely covered by her costume, including her mask, but her stealth would be negated, and she cannot keep up with Kendo in a straight fight…" She grimaced at the fact that her friend was almost certain to lose.
"What Midoriya say again?" Pony interjected, understanding nearly nothing of her analysis. Izumi quickly summarized the argument in english for her benefit. "Holy shit! Komori's got an insane advantage. Ain't there a way for the heroes to pull through, though?"
Izumi sighed. "If the roles were reversed, then it might have been possible for team J to win. However, Komori's quirk is insanely suited for area denial in general, so I'm afraid that their chances are slim to none." She took no pleasure in saying her friend had no chance of winning, but she took her analysis seriously enough to recognize that it was the case.
—
Hagakure went in rather confidently. She had an updated costume and was paired with a partner that could complement her strategy nicely. The plan they came up with was simple. She would scout for the bomb, and Yanagi would alert her if the villains found her. Yanagi would keep her distance and attack with her quirk, while Hagakure looked for the opportunity for a quick takedown.
However, they could not have expected that the building had been turned into an absolute house of horrors. Yanagi went down almost immediately. Despite her mask preventing her from breathing in the spores, her exposed skin made it so the mushrooms quickly began draining her of stamina. Hagakure had to drag her out of the building before it got too intense. However, despite being better off than her companion, the mushrooms growing on her suit completely gave her away.
The moment Kendo found her, despite her valiant resistance, Tooru was defeated. Without the element of stealth, her main method of combat was out the window, and the martial artist had the edge against her crude but efficient brawling. She did manage to get Kendo briefly with one of her batons, but the girl's skill was undeniable.
"Both heroes have been eliminated, Villains win." Tooru pouted as their defeat was confirmed, but she took the hand that Kendo offered her.
"That was some decent fighting, Hagakure. I don't know if I could have won if you had gotten the drop on me, especially with those batons of yours." Tooru managed to smile at the compliment.
"Yeah, but you two had a great strategy. I wasn't expecting Komori's quirk to be so terrifying." As if summoned, the smaller girl came skipping down the stairs, with a slightly terriifying smile on her face.
"Here, let me help you with all these mushrooms." She proceeded to take out another bottle of fungicide and spray them with it. Though free of the fungi, Reiko still needed to be carried back to the observation room.
—
"Well done, both of you. Hagakure, you were wise to remove your teammate from the mushrooms' area of effect, and your attempt to get through Kendo was valiant." Hagakure smiled excitedly at the praise from All Might, and was soon comforted over her loss by her friends. "Team A, your strategy was very effective, and played to both your strengths while covering your weaknesses." Kendo and Komori also smiled. "Yanagi, you also did well, sometimes there are factors we cannot account for in a mission. I recommend you rest with Recovery Girl for a bit, though, to recover your strength." She nodded, and Komori offered to take her, as a way of apologising.
All Might continued. "Now, class, who of you can tell me the MVP of this round?"
Nejire lifted her hand immediately. "Ooh, ooh, All Might, pick me!" She pleaded, making them all look at her rather incredulously.
He coughed into his hand. "Er, young Hado, perhaps it would be best if one of the students answered?" Nejire put down her hand, though seemingly unaffected in terms of excitement.
Momo was quick to raise her hand. "Sensei, I believe that Komori-san should be considered MVP. Her usage of her quirk was efficient and integral for her team's victory, as she incapacitated one opponent and effectively disabled the other's main method of attacking."
All Might smiled. "That is indeed correct. Kendo and Hagakure performed well, but Komori's role was decisive in the end. Would anyone like to add anything?"
Izumi raised her hand as well. "While I agree with Yaomomo's assessment, I would also mention that her role was not only decisive for this match, but perhaps the only reliable method anyone in this class could use to neutralise Tooru in combat." She said, wanting to at least give her friend some more credit. "Very few of us have quirks with that kind of area denial, and without that, all but two of us would even be able to detect Hagakure. I have a few forms that can see in infrared, and aside from them, the only other person who could even detect Tooru would be Jirou." The punk girl seemed surprised by the comment, pointing to herself with a raised eyebrow as if to question the statement.
Nejire beamed at her cadet. "You got it, Zumi! You too, Yaoyorozu-chan!"
All Might nodded. "Well put, young Midoriya. Indeed, stealth is a very useful tool for infiltration, and those who excel at it can truly become a force to be reckoned with. The same can be said about the use of sensory quirks for scouting. Many underestimate noncombative quirks in today's world of heroics, when that couldn't be farther from the truth." Despite being very new to teaching, All Might felt he was doing a decent enough job, and the smiling nods he received from his successor and assistant reassured him that that was the case.
"Now, it is time for our second match of the day: Team B as heroes and Team C as villains." He announced, and Uraraka could feel her hands clamming up. "Also, young Midoriya, in the interest of pushing your abilities with specific forms, I will ask that you limit yourself to two of them."
'Sorry, Mei, I think I'll have to test your gauntlets after class.' Izumi simply nodded and looked at Setsuna with a small grin on her face. "Let's be villains, Tokage-san."
—
Uraraka could feel herself shaking at the entrance of the building. Since the first one was absolutely covered in mushrooms, they had been directed towards another building entirely. She turned to her silent teammate and tried to calm herself by strategizing. "Kodai-san, your quirk seems to function similarly to mine, right?" The girl nodded. "Okay, what do you say we make an unorthodox entrance, then? Let's go through the window on the third floor over there." She pointed towards a possible entry point, earning another nod.
"Izumi is really good at strategizing, and her quirk is frankly absurd, so we need to look out for that." Ochako muttered. "You can make things smaller, as well as larger, right?" Another nod and a hum. "Can you alter the size without touching it?" A nod. "Okay, so here's the plan, we pick up as many loose objects as we can. You shrink them, and hand them to me. I'll make them weightless and throw them. When I do, you enlarge them. That should distract them enough so I can tag them with my quirk. It might not beat them, but it will give us enough time to get to the bomb. Sounds good?"
Yui gave her teammate a small smile. "Good." Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was enough for Ochako.
"We'll stick together, the last thing we want is a two on one."
—
"So, Midori, what's the plan?" Setsuna said, her voice's lower pitch sending a bit of a shiver down Izumi's spine. "I was thinking of scouting for them with my eyes, and perhaps guide them away from the bomb by misleading them, maybe even to an ambush."
Izumi nodded, impressed by her strategy. "It's a good idea, Tokage-san. I was going to suggest the same. Ochako's quirk gives them both a lot of options for their entrance, and Kodai's lets them turn even small objects into hazards." She began muttering. "Our best bet is to determine their location, try to separate them, and failing that, pester them with constant attacks."
Setsuna laughed. "Pestering is my middle name, Midori." She demonstrated by splitting herself many times over and floating around in a tornado of human parts. She then noticed that Izumi was fiddling with a device from her costume and her communicator. "Hey, what are you doing?"
Izumi looked up at her floating head and smirked. "We're playing the role of villains, aren't we? So how about we have a bit of fun?" Setsuna joined her in grinning as they began to chuckle.
—
"The time is up. Heroes, you may enter the building." As they had planned, Ochako turned off their gravity and used her new grappling belt and boots to take them to the third story window, which Yui shrank, allowing them to easily enter.
However, as soon as they stepped into the building, they heard a bit of static in their earpieces, and shivered as a new voice came through. "Welcome, little heroes. If I were in your position, I would consider surrendering now."
In the observation room, the class was surprised by the fact that they could hear the communicators this time around. All Might looked to be in slight disbelief. 'Did she just… goddamnit, young Izumi.' He shook his head. "It seems the villains are really taking their role seriously, at least."
Ochako's face twisted into a bit of a feral smile. She was afraid of facing Izumi in combat, of course, but she was scrappy, and most of all, she hated to lose. "If you think we'll surrender to the likes of you, you're more of a fool than I thought." She said, the hesitation gone from her voice.
"Mhm!" Yui nodded, infected by Ochako's aura of determination.
"Hoh? Well, let's have ourselves a little game of cat and mouse, shall we?" The voice cut off, though they suspected their comms were still being listened in on.
They began making their way through the floor, trying to find the bomb. Just as they were about to make their way up, a purple tornado came after them. "Found you!" Setsuna smirked, her floating mouth twisted into a wicked grin, with her long split tongue hanging out slightly.
The hero team immediately fell into their combat strategy, pelting their opponent with suddenly expanding projectles. However, as their opponent was split into little pieces, most of them just split around the thrown objects. "Ha, what foolish heroes, hoping to best me with such a pathetic attack." Setsuna's hands began to rocket towards them.
Yui, by pure instinct threw a thin rectangular piece of acetate, enlarging it so that it became essentially a clear wall between them. Sure, it would be easy to breach, but for a simple barricade, it would do. Seeing her path blocked, Setsuna immediately disappeared into the corridors. "Let's go." Yui whispered.
Ochako smiled. "We got this, Kodai-san!"
"Mm!" Yui nodded, matching Ochako's determined face as they ascended.
—
Hagakure noticed something was wrong with Mina from the moment Izumi had transformed. Her usually chipper expression, and the excited way she was speculating about the match before were completely replaced by a stiff and frozen, nearly terrified visage.
'No! H-how? How could she… why would she?' Mina couldn't take her eyes off the form Izumi had taken, the form that haunted her nightmares, a member of the species of the monster that had taken her father away from her. She felt Tooru trying to check on her, her hand on her shoulder, yet she could not look away. She remembered that day. Her father, stepping into his ship, returning to their homeworld to defend it. The images of a razed planet, the heads of the resisting clan chiefs on pikes. Her father's head, bloodied and lifeless.
Nejire, to a lesser extent, also looked rather worried at Izumi's choice, switching her eyes between the screen and Mina. 'Smells like trouble.'
—
Midax grinned. Setsuna was rushing them towards her. Despite Yui's admittedly ingenious plan of blocking the hallways, it was not enough to keep her teammate from harassing them into a corner. Just a little longer, and it would all be over. 'I have to admit, from the similarities between Mina and Tokage, I didn't expect her to be such a strategic fighter. Even when her opponents began blocking her off she'd managed to turn it against them. Now they would need to waste time to undo their walls to escape. How interesting.'
She put a finger to her ear, tuning into the other team's frequency. "Hello again, little heroes." She smiled, chuckling at their surprised reactions. "It seems our game is coming to an end, and it pleases me to say, you have lost." Just as she declared it, the two waltzed right into the room where she awaited them. "Welcome, foolish herolings. I am Midax, and this room shall be your grave."
—
Ochako had to admit that Izumi cast an intimidating shadow over them. 'But she's not unbeatable.' "Yui, block off the entrance." Yui did as she commanded, sealing Setsuna away for the time being. Though just as she did, they both noticed that the bomb was nowhere to be found. "What? Where's the bomb, you sick villain?" She decided to play into her role as well.
"How bold of you. Locking yourselves inside the lion's den, or rather, the kraken's den!" Izumi guffawed. "Bold indeed. I must find a way to congratulate my partner for leading you all this way, away from the bomb." The heroes stared at her gnashing their teeth. "I suppose I'll allow myself to tell you. You see, nuclear bombs are more destructive the further away from the ground you set them off, to a degree. I knew you would believe me to have trapped the two main entrances, yet you fell right for our trap. The bomb was on the roof, unguarded from the start!"
The two heroes froze. It could have been so easy, and yet… now they were in for a terrible fight. "Still, it's two on one, Midax! We'll beat you, then block off your partner. we have eight minutes left."
Then, to their despair, a voice came from behind them. "My, that's quite the assumption, you two." When they began walling off the corridors, Setsuna immediately went to Izumi for assistance. She shared with her the boxcutter she kept on her utility belt, and with it she could make a large enough hole in the acrilic to pass through while Midax distarcted them. Setsuna's mouth hovered right behind Ochako's ear. "But it seems you won't be getting off easy, O-Cha-ko." She cackled as her pieces began surrounding them once more.
Thus, their fight began. Yui and Ochako focused on the main threat, in the form of Midax, who began to ruthlessly attack them. Her fist, even without the lightning, was enough to crack the concrete, but that just gave them more material to work with. Ochako tagged the rubble with her quirk, along with Yui, eventually managing to create a floating mass of debris. "We've got you, villain!" She declared, placing her fingers together to deactivate her quirk. "METEOR SHOWER!"
"What?!" Midax roared, only just then looking up to see the rain of debris coming down on top of her and Setsuna. "Setsuna, with me!" Izumi bellowed, not even caring that she had used her first name. The splitting girl did as commanded, converging next to Midax as the rubble collapsed on them and caved in the floor, dropping them four stories, to the ground. However, when they heard the rubble begin to shift, and without the declaration from All Might, they booked it to the roof.
—
The class found it very strange when Mina began cheering as the floors collapsed over Izumi and Setsuna, covering them in rubble. 'What the hell is going on with you, Mina?' Tooru couldn't help but question.
"Uh, All Might, senpai, shouldn't you be stopping the match?" Tsuyu questioned.
All Might shook his head and sighed. "Under normal circumstances, I would have stopped the match before young Uraraka even set off that attack. Not only did it cause massive property damage, but it could have been fatal." He explained, increasing the class' worry. "However, young Midoriya is not quite normal." The class widened their eyes as they saw the rubble begin to shift.
Mina was once again pale. "No way…" All Might looked at her concerned, but he couldn't manage to stop her when she bolted from the observation room, followed by Tooru.
Nejire also attempted to follow, but was stopped by All Might. "Young Hado, I fear this may not be a simple matter. We'll need to call someone with more experience." His voice was his best approximation of a whisper.
'I was informed that young Ashido was partly extraterrestrial… Seeing her friend become the same species as a tyrannical warlord couldn't have been good for her. I need to call Midoriya-san.' His hand hovered over his cellphone.
—
"Midori!" Setsuna screamed as Midax pushed the rubble from above them. She had managed to form a sort of shield by turning her arms into tentacles and weaving them around each other. Still, they took a hell of a fall, and their whole bodies were feeling it.
"She got me… Hehehe, she actually got me!" Setsuna looked at Midax to see a rather feral smile. She touched her earpiece, once again taunting the heroes. "Kudos, little heroes! But you won't get the win that easy!" Switching out of their frequency, she looked at her partner and smiled. "Say, partner, how about we give them a fight to remember."
Setsuna bared her sharp teeth with her smile. "Let's do this, Midori!" She then felt one of Midax's tentacles wrap around her waist, letting out a small yelp with surprise.
"Then hold on to you butt." Lightning surged across her body, the sensation of it making Setsuna have to suppress a moan as it made her body shiver. Then, with a boom, she jumped.
—
Ochako and Yui nearly flinched as they heard Midax's voice, then redoubled their efforts to run towards the roof. They made it rather quickly, huffing as they arrived and saw the bomb. they were tired and bruised, but they had made it. Relief managed to set in for a brief moment, but it was indeed brief.
The floor between them and the bomb burst, and from the hole emeregd Midax and Setsuna, already splitting into many pieces, both of them sporting the most battle hungry grins on their faces. Midax's tentacles, which she had used to climb through the building, reformed into hands, and she clapped, slowly. "Well done, you two. I knew you would give us a good show."
Her laugh and deep voice sent shivers down the two heroes' spines. Ochako narrowed her eyes at her, feeling righteous determination welling inside her. She wouldn't lose. She knew it was a long shot, but they could still win this. She was about to make a last ditch attempt to tag Midax with her quirk, but she was too late to notice that Izumi had her hand on the dial.
Suddenly, her body felt heavy, and she saw Yui next to her kneel under the pressure. She looked back to see the same rock-like creature that had saved her during the entrance exam, only this time she wasn't filled with hope, but with overwhelming dread.
"You're still standing, hero?" Ceres said, rather impressed. Ochako just glared at her. Then, much to her surprise, Ochako actually tagged herself with her quirk. The girl paled considerably, her stomach protesting more and more each second. She then managed to tag Yui, who was now able to rise from the ground. 'You're just full of surprises today, aren't you, Ochako.'
Ochako clenched her teeth, fighting off the incredible urge to empty her stomach. "I might not be able to beat you, Ceres." She stood, or rather floated, defiantly. "But I won't be the helpless victim this time. I stand here now, as your equal in strength and spirit." She declared, taking nausea medicine from her pouch and downing it. Izumi felt the urge to hug the girl and tell her just how amazing she was being. Still, she would leave it for after the match was over.
She used her grappling hook to pull herself towards the bomb while Yui kept Setsuna busy with some enlarged pocket sand, some of which managed to get into her eyes. Ceres swiped at her as Uraraka passed by, but she managed to dodge and right herself thanks to her new gyroscopic boots and the air jets in them.
Ochako was nearly at the bomb, she extended her fingers to reach it, until she felt a force pulling her back. She looked to see Ceres, floating off the ground, curled up into what looked like a planet, and exerting a force of gravity towards herself. She felt her resolve break for a moment, but she saw how close she was, the distance slowly starting to widen. 'I can do this! I can win! I just need… a tiny bit… more!' She grunted with exertion, feeling her stomach start protesting again.
Then, suddenly, it clicked, something Izumi had said about her quirk weeks ago. Her quirk didn't simply negate gravity on an object, it matched its force and cancelled momentum. 'I just need to match her gravity's force!' But she didn't yet know how to do that, and just as she was starting to try, she heard All Might's voice in her communicator.
"Time's up! The Villains win!" Ochako felt herself go limp, and her stomach finally gave out, letting out a stream of rainbow vomit onto the roof. Her quirk forcibly deactivated, but somehow she continued to float, drifting backwards until she was held up by another person. She felt the weight return to her, and looked up to see Izumi with the most genuine smile on her face.
"I… I lost." Ochako mumbled, finally feeling the soreness as the adrenaline died down.
Izumi's smile didn't falter. "You nearly won. You had me twice just now. I've always thought of you as my friend, as my equal, as I do all of our friends. I felt my control over your gravity slip at the last second." She held her close. "You never cease to amaze me."
She then turned to Setsuna and Yui. "And you two! You were amazing! I really liked working with you, Tokage-san. And Kodai-san, you were awesome, I'd really like to talk to you about your quirk!" She then looked at their states and blushed, letting Ochako go, supporting her with an arm, which Setsuna also did with Yui. "But let's get you two to Recovery Girl."
—
After getting them treated, much to the elderly nurse's ire, they took them back to the observation room at their request. Despite being tired, Ochako and Yui wanted to watch the rest of the matches.
As they arrived, they were greeted by the roaring cheers of their classmates.
"That was so manly! My heart was pumping the whole time." Eiko bellowed.
"That falling rubble attack was metal as hell." Kyoka commented, a slight blush on her face.
"Despite all the scheming, it was an admirable match." Shiozaki added.
"You four were amazing! Ochako-chan fighting against Zumi-chan was incredible!" The boundless excitement of Nejire's voice shone through.
All Might clapped, smiling broadly as ever. "You all performed quite admirably. Your perseverance in the face of overwhelming force was a sight to behold, young Uraraka."
Izumi beamed once again. "That's what I said!" To which Ochako blushed wildly, almost to the point of accidentally activating her quirk.
Toshinori chuckled. "Both teams demonstrated great teamwork. I especially commend Young Kodai. Despite her quiet nature, she was able to coordinate very well with her companion. However, there can only be one MVP. Any thoughts?"
Momo once again raised her hand. "Midoriya is clearly the MVP. She coordinated well with her teammate, effectively tricking the hero team into wasting a lot of valuable time. Furthermore, she also protected her teammate and herself from a devastating surprise attack, and managed to overwhelm her opponents until the time was exhausted."
All Might nodded. "Indeed, well put, young Yaoyorozu. Now-"
"Excuse me, All Might, I'm not sure I agree." The class looked at Izumi, shocked.
"Well, then, who do you believe should be MVP?" Toshinori asked.
"Well, most of my plan hinged on Tokage-san harassing them and guiding them my way. Also, if they had decided to climb all the way up to the top of the building, we wouldn't have had any time to react." She explained.
"The hero team performed extremely well under the circumstances. They managed to figure out a way to delay Tokage and make her job much more difficult. During our battle, they managed to catch me off guard multiple times, and Ochako-chan's unwavering determination almost won them the match. We were honestly seconds away from losing." She admitted. "So I believe Ochako deserved to be MVP." The girl in question was thankful that Izumi's attention was on All Might, so she couldn't see her completely red face, something that Setsuna certainly didn't fail to notice.
"Very well, then. Young Uraraka is the MVP for this round." Toshinori declared, proud that his successor could see the value in others' work. Too many young heroes sought only glory for themselves, he believed. 'Perhaps I'm getting cynical in my old age, haha. Or perhaps not, if I still see hope for a better tomorrow.' "Now, class, shall we get on with our exercise."
"Wait, Ya-All Might-sensei!" Izumi interjected. "W-where's Mina and Tooru?" The brief flicker of his smile was caught by her, only managing to grow her concern. He made a small motion, strange to his hero persona's dramatic movements, to call her over. She sat Ochako down and made her way over to him.
"Now, I might not have the full picture, but young Ashido had quite the reaction to Midax." Realisation dawned on Izumi, and her eyes widened in absolute horror and self loathing. "She ran away when you recovered from the rubble. Young Hagakure followed her."
'I'm such an idiot! How could I do that to her?!' She was shaking. "I-I messed up, S-Sensei. I need to find her." He looked at her, slightly confused. She made sure to whisper the next part. "Her dad, All Might. Vilgax… Vilgax killed him. Midax is the same species." For the first time she had ever seen, he dropped his smile while still in his buff form.
"You should talk to her, young Izumi." He whispered. "Trauma is not something easy to deal with, especially of this nature, but she is your friend, and this incident won't change that." He desperately wanted to hug her, but was afraid of the extent of their relationship being exposed, for now. "I have contacted your mother, she has likely already talked to young Ashido."
He turned to Nejire. "Stay here, I fear that young Ashido may feel crowded at this rate." Nejire nodded, for once having a serious expression on her face.
Izumi nodded. "We'll be back soon. I need to fix this" With that, she turned on her heel and sprinted. Nobody noticed the harrowed look on Jiro's face. She was used to overhearing secrets due to her quirk, but nothing quite to this magnitude. Just this once, she may have to come clean.