Chapter 4: Battles - Hittin' that Griddy on a Frenchman fo' Shiddy
It was a bright, sunny afternoon as forty hero students exited their changing rooms and convened in the observation station of Ground Beta. In front of them in all of his muscular, number-one, silver-age glory, was none other than All Might. Midoriya vibrated in excitement. 'Hero classes in hero school on the first day, taught by All Might himself! I can't believe this!' Grinning excitedly under his mask, the verdette stopped to run over to his friends and look over Tsuyu and Uraraka's hero costumes.
Tsuyu wore a large pair of tan goggles atop her head, a green skintight wetsuit adorned with black stripes and yellow sidings on her body, as well as chunk wrist guards and specialized frog-themed black thigh-high boots. Uraraka wore a skintight black, white, and pink suit as well, arms guarded with round bracers and head covered with a pink visor.
'Wow… pretty…' Midoriya felt woefully underdressed in comparison., donning a baggy green suit with a toothy mask and twin hair prongs.
"Wow, Midoriya-kun. I thought I liked Mirko, kero." Tsuyu commented, finger on chin, as Uraraka walked over and played with the fabric of his costume. "I thought this one looked a bit odd… Deku-kun, do you know what material this is?"
The eighteen-year-old hero in training at Japan's top hero academy blushed, idly trying to rub the back of his head but instead just pushing one of the hair prongs down at an odd angle. "M-my mom made it for me. I know it's not… great, but I wanted to wear it at least once, even if it gets destroyed."
"That's so sweet! Your mom's the best." Uraraka giggled. Tsuyu nodded along. "Yeah, kero. My mom's always busy so she never would've had the time to do something like that." Midoriya made an affirmative noise. "Yeah, she's the best. Still, though, I kinda wish I had a more professional costume like you guys."
Tsuyu blinked. "It's not all sunshine and lilypads, kero. I need a wetsuit for my costume, but it's still a bit… bare-bones. Some metal bracers or something would be nice.
Uraraka nodded. "Yeah, I wanted a more puffy suit like Thirteen's! This one's… tighter than I thought it would be. I'm definitely getting it revised later."
"Why later when the present is now?!" A deranged voice cackled out, as Hatsume ran up to the three, decked out in support gear - her dreads were tied back behind a thick neck guard and steampunk-themed goggles, the rest of her repertoire similarly styled, adorned with bronze-coloured chunky boots and wrist guards. Holding out a wrist, a tab flipped open to present the three with business cards. "Hatsume Mei, future CEO of Hatsume industries! You may remember me from introductions! I can give you the one-hundred-percent Hatsume guarantee to have your support items, costume alterations, and every other heroic need catered to by the end of the week at a quality way above the other companies!"
"You bring business cards to villain fights, kero?" Tsuyu ribbited. Mei rolled her crosshair eyes. "Nah, but I do to battle trials! There's a reason I didn't promise my babies by the end of the day, and that's because I have thirty-six other potential customers here! So! Can I have your names and costume numbers, or are you gonna make the wrong decision here?"
Uraraka shrugged. "Can't hurt? How much does it cost?"
Mei grinned like a shark. "All it'll cost is a little signature when it's done and you're satisfied, which you will be, that makes me your exclusive support technician!" The brunette pored over the information before she and Tsuyu shared a nod, and Midoriya stepped forward. "Um, can I sign up as well? My costume probably won't survive today, and I was thinking of getting something done professionally through UA, but if this is faster…"
"Of course! Always happy to have a new customer. And boy do you need it, whoof! So then! Can I have your names to write down here?" She plucked a little notepad out of another compartment and watched them eagerly. Uraraka screwed up her face. "You… don't know our names?"
"Nope! Forgot 'em already, just heard you talkin' and came over!" Midoriya sighed and gave his name, as did the other two. Giggling gleefully, Mei immediately departed, turning towards another chatting crowd. Before she could infiltrate them, a booming voice rang out.
"WELL NOW! THEY SAY CLOTHES MAKE THE HEROES, AND LOOKING AT YOU NOW I MUST SAY I'M IMPRESSED!" All Might stepped out from around a corner, slipping flashcards into a concealed pocket on his suit. "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! YOUR CLASS IS LARGER THAN USUAL, AFTER ALL, AND HEROES DON'T WASTE TIME DALLYING ABOUT!"
Strangely, Midoriya noted, All Might did not pull out a set of flashcards as he spoke, seemingly having memorized his lines. Perhaps he was simply in a hurry, owing to his ever-dwindling time limit. Perhaps he did not want to be embarrassed in front of forty students. In any case, he recited the scenario.
"DASTARDLY VILLAINS HAVE HATCHED A HEINOUS PLAN TO EXPLODE A NUCLEAR DEVICE IN TOKYO! The forty of you will team up in pairs - one as the hero team, one as the villain team, to attack or defend!! TO WIN, HEROES MUST APPREHEND THE VILE VILLAINS OR TOUCH THE BOMB! THE VILLAINS' ONLY HOPE OF VICTORY IS TO KILL THE IMPUDENT HEROES WHERE THEY STAND, OR DEFEND UNTIL THE TIME RUNS OUT AND TOKYO BURNS TO THE GROUND! Defeating classmates will be represented using capture tape, to be wrapped around them, and you will all be equipped with earpieces, so be sure to communicate!" Pulling a screen up, he tapped it to reveal forty names and a dice icon. "YOUR MATCHUPS WILL BE RANDOMIZED! Can anybody tell me why?"
Kaminari raised a hand. "So we don't know who we're against?"
"We'll know as soon as he hits that button, dumbass." Jirou snarked, crossing her arms.
Intelli raised her own hand. "The scenario has randomized teams to reflect the fact that statistically, most heroes work alone and team up haphazardly when scenarios occur based on whoever's in the area." All Might clicked a finger gun at her. "CORRECT! Heroes are always being thrown into unexpected situations, so you have to make the most of it! Some may say I'm throwing you into the deep end - I assure you, this is merely the kiddie pool! UA has a motto, after all - PLUS ULTRA! Now then, our first matchup!"
He pressed the dice button, the screen showing names being shuffled about before brining up four.
"KIRISHIMA AND AOYAMA AS THE HEROES VERSUS UTSUSHIMI AND KAMINARI AS THE VILLAINS! Follow me to Ground Beta, you four! When we get there, the villains will have ten minutes to prepare whatever defences they want as the heroes plan outside the building. When you hear the buzzer sound, the round begins, and if you hear it again, the round's over! Understood?"
The chosen four nodded, following the pro out the door as everyone else crowded around the screens, now trained on every nook and cranny of the simulation building.
"Who'dya guys think'll win this round?" Mawata languidly pondered, cloud earrings shifting as she tilted her head. "I know Kirishima and Kaminari already, but not the other guys."
"At least individually, Kirishima-kun and Aoyama-kun have quite strong quirks, which synchronize well together." Iida pondered, his other friends following him as everyone congregated around the screens.
Setsuna shrugged. "I'm not super sure, to be honest. But Kaminari-kun's… a few plugs short of a socket, or whatever. Camie-san doesn't really seem to be the brightest either." Intelli shook her head. "Dim though she may be, Utsushimi-san's quirk could be quite useful in a large building like this scenario, especially as she is familiar with the terrain."
"Couldn't Kaminari just like, shock 'em and that's it?" Mina wondered aloud. Bakugou scoffed, glaring at her - or just perpetually glaring in general, perhaps because he hadn't gone first. "Dumbass would just fry his own brain."
Inflatable bomb in one hand, Kaminari and Camie walked through a pair of doors into the empty, wide halls of the simulation building. Kaminari wore a black jacket with white and yellow lightning bolts, as well as a matching pair of black pants. Beneath the jacket was a white t-shirt, and he wore a communicator earpiece on one ear and All Might's actual exercise earpiece in the other. It was basic, casual, and slick.
Camie wore a leather black jacket that split on her waist into a desert robe that showed a substantial amount of leg and led down to sandy boots, her waist adorned with pouches strapped to the sides. On her neck lay a chunky metal guard, and finally her hair was kept in shape by a hairband adorned with the cool S. Overall, the ensemble was giving leather desert warrior.
The electric blonde turned to his fellow cream-haired villain. "Welp. Um, I'm not the best at planning, but I think we're both kinda like that, huh?" Camie shrugged. "I mean, I can totes whip something up in a pinch but I'm like, not on it usually, you know? But if we jam our heads together, we could prolly give those bozos a total posture check. Just don't try to rizz me up, 'kay? I wanna win this."
Kaminari slumped. "I have game! It's just that nobody lets me play it!" He sighed. "Whatever. Ok, so my quirk is electricity. I can shoot it, and it hits people and does, uh, what electricity does. If I send out too much I fry my brain for a bit, so that'd be game over for me. I guess I could try and fry them as soon as they come in, but Kirishima seems like he could tank it. He's… intense."
"Wasn't your mom like, a mega big-leagues hero? Did she train you?" Kaminari shook his head. "Eh, not really, she's pretty busy. Plus, that's what UA is for, so she said I don't need to learn how to beat villains day one 'cuz I'll have three years to train here anyway."
Camie nodded, checking a nail. "Totes. Then we gotta keep your power level down, 'cuz even you can't handle you at your peak. Ok, so I can send out, like, totally trippy mirage clouds. Sounds and sights, the whole shebang."
"But they can't touch them." Kaminari clarified, receiving a nod. "Ok. We're kinda screwed here, huh? Kirishima can just turn into rocks or whatever and break through anything I throw at him and Aoyama has a goddamn laser beam!"
Camie raised a finger, a rare contemplative look on her face. "Aoyama got his glitter ray from his belly, right?" Kaminari nodded in ascension. "Neato. Ok, so unless he can beat me in a twerk off, no way he shimmy to the side quick enough to hit us if we're speedin.'"
Kaminari slowly nodded again, realization dawning on his face. "Oh… yeah! He has to guess where we go to hit us! And it gives him cramps too, so he's only got so many shots! And since we're inside, we just gotta go around a corner and he can't hit us!"
An illusory lightbulb dinged atop Camie's head, and she put a finger to her thick lips. "So if we can get them to hustle on over into a room and then lightningmaxx all over them…"
The two looked at each other, grinning. "...victory royale." Camie finished.
"That seems… less than sportsmanlike." Iida noted concerningly. Kamakiri grunted in annoyance, flicking two small blades together between his fingers, Jirou cringing at the harsh sound of metal grinding against itself. "What it is the two of them being fucking cowards. This is gonna be a boring ass match."
"That's not true!" Midoriya blurted out, notebook in hand and idly continuing to scribble away, Tsuyu watching him with interest. "It's a really good defensive strategy! And if they can't beat the others in a one-on-one fight, then those kinds of tactics are their best chance at winning! They're thinking like underground heroes!"
"Right you are, Young Midoriya!" All Might commended, grinning broadly. "It is better to fight to your strengths, and to utilize your surroundings, than to blindly rush into a fight you cannot win! Heroes like Midnight and Eraserhead may not be able to beat villains twice their height and four times their weight in a punch-out, yet they have taken them down more times than freshmen like you have thrown a punch!"
"Yeah, plus aren't they playing the villains? Do they really need to be sportsmanlike?" Manga argued. "[Technically, they're just playing defense.] " Koda signed back at him, Kendo translating. "Plus, I don't think going for the kill would be a good idea in an exercise like this, even if that's what villains would do." She tacked on. "Also, Camie's not a sportsman. She's not playing sports."
"Or a man!" Hagakure chirped.
Meanwhile, Kirishima and Aoyama stood on a white line ten metres away from the door to the building the villains were currently plotting in. Kirishima stood tall in all of his shirtless glory, spiky metal guard resembling a muzzle on his forehead, nose, and jaw, with a simple pair of red baggy pants and combat boots spruced up with torn black cloth adorned with a bright red 'R' and chunky black cogwheels on his shoulders. Altogether, it was a sharp, chunky, and solid-looking outfit that emphasised his physicality… and his physique, if the fully exposed chest and arms was anything to go by.
Aoyama, by contrast, posed in a silver suit of armour decorated by ornate gold patterns and various circular reflective domes similar to the one sitting atop his belly, a more reinforced version of his usual support gear. Draped around his neck guard was a glittery blue cape, and on his nose rested a red winged visor. Lights reflected from every angle of the shining metal surfaces, befitting a bedazzling hero such as he.
"So." Kirishima began. "Your quirk is a laser beam, right?"
" Oui. " The Frenchman responded. "Villains beware un dazzlement that will shine into the night sky!"
"Sweet!" Kirishima responded. "I've got a great plan! I'll be your shield and block the hits while you fire off shots to take 'em out! And if we're in a pinch, I can bust through a wall or something!"
"Sounds magnifique! But more importantly, how do you like my cape? Tres chic, non ? I missed the opportunity to ask monsieur All Might about his opinion on it." He punctuated the remark by twirling on his feet to give the redhead a full view of his sparkling, glittering royal blue cape, temporarily blinding the boy. Rubbing his eyes vigorously, he gave a thumbs up. "It's manly as hell! And I like the knight armour too! Are you gonna be a chivalrous hero as well?"
" Oui. I must be a gentilhomme for the citizens, so I can sparkle more brightly! Your own piece is merveilleux in its own way, I must notice! You have a dazzle of your own, non ?"
Kirishima caressed his hair-spikes. "Thanks man! I love your hair, by the way!"
"Yours is bein soigne as well! The deepest of reds is a magnifique colour choice"
"I know, right? Red is my fave colour, 'cuz of Crimson Riot, this old hero! And your shades are red as well! And the wings? Manly! I approve!"
"...A-Are they still going at it?" Bondo wondered aloud. Five minutes had passed. Half the crowd had gathered around a few screens showing Kaminari and Camie in the bomb room strategizing, listening in to the two, and the other half around Aoyama and Kirishima. Two minutes had passed and the pair still hadn't run out of unique compliments for each other.
"...Indeed." Kuroiro said. Everyone around him groaned.
"...The metallique points of your mask are quite flashy indeed! J'approve!"
The pair had continued complimenting each other for the remaining eight minutes of planning time until, at long last, a loud buzzer sounded, the two covering their ears at its sheer volume as the ground shook beneath them. Clearly, this was meant to be heard even if one was deaf. All Might's booming voice crackled to life over their earsets.
"THE BATTLE BEGINS! HEROES, YOU HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES!"
Immediately, the two perked up, Kirishima sprinting forward to shoulder-charge the front door and slam it open, the noise echoing through the building's odd halls. Sparsely decorated with the occasional desk, chair, or ornament, they were clearly meant to be a sort of simulation of an office building, though the illusion was diminished by the tall, wide, and cavernous concrete hallways the building comprised of.
Running in after him, Aoyama sparkled angrily. "Kirishima! You have ruined the element de surprise !" Kirishima shrugged, scratching the back of his neck ashamedly. "Heh, whoops. I just always wanted to do that." Aoyama nodded understandingly, surveying the halls before them, as well as a staircase. " Flair pour le dramatique is an admirable trait. We must proceed, non ? I think they will hide at the top floor."
The horned redhead nodded agreeably, cautiously marching up the stairs, Aoyama orbiting him as they turned a corner in the silent stairway, keeping Kirishima between him and any openings. They walked up, ominous silence surrounding them, neither making a sound, as their footsteps quietly echoed down the empty centre of the stairwell.
"Hey, did you pick up what Camie-san's quirk was? I don't think she used it during Aizawa-sensei's test, and I didn't get a word of what she was saying during introductions." Kirishima commented, the pair proceeding past the second floor. Aoyama shook his head, frowning, as a few flecks of glitter dropped out of his hair and twinkled. " Non . She was speaking in code, a most dastardly scheme."
"Damn, unmanly." The chivalrous hero-in-training lamented. "That gives her a pretty big advantage then. Stay behind me until we figure out what she can do."
Proceeding to the third floor, the pair stopped. "Okay, from here I figure we make our way around and try to trigger an ambush or something. I can take any hit, so we'll be able to fight them as soon as we find them! Sound good?" Aoyama nodded at Kirishima's determined plan, shifting his support belt. " Oui. We shall flush out the mechant rats and show them the shining light of justice!"
A full minute ansd half passed as the two swiftly swept the third floor, combing through empty rooms. With each room cleared they relaced a bit, assured the villains were not on the third floor, though more aware of the ticking timer. As such, when they turned the corner back to the stairwell to meet a smirking Kaminari standing casually in front of it, Kirishima noticed Aoyama flinch out of the corner of his eye.
"Aoyama-kun! Behind me!" Hardening an arm, Kirishima charged at the blonde boy, who instead ran up the stairwell to dodge Kirishima's charge, Aoyama chasing after the two. Reaching the forth floor, they saw Kaminari in a room of pillars. "Sorry dudes, I've got a date with a total hottie if I win. No hard feelings, eh?" He pointed his hand at the pair, forming a finger gun, as he closed an eye and squinted with the other, tongue stuck out in concentration.
"Try it!" Kirishima boasted, Aoyama tucking behind his considerably broader frame as a bolt of yellow lightning shot out, dissipating on Kirishima's hardened chest. "Hah! Didn't feel a thing!" Emboldened, Aoyama jumped out from behind Kirishima, hands behind his head as his chest lit up and a narrow beam of glimmering light fired from his navel. Kaminari's eyes widened for a split second as he leapt out of the way, leaving a scorched mark on the concrete.
"Shit! Fuck!" Kaminari turned tail and ran, Kirisihima and Aoyama wordlessly nodding at each other before chasing after him. Turning a corner down another long hall, Aoyama fired another concentrated blast of heat and light, Kaminari weaving out of the way again despite not even turning to look at him. "Whoa! How the hell did he do that?" Kirishima shouted, the electric blonde disappearing into another hall of pillars.
In Aoyama's peripheral vision he appeared again, and Apoyama expended another shot, feeling his stomach start to disagree with him. Little flickers of Kaminari appeared and disappeared behind the pillars, never staying in sight for long. Grumbling, Aoyama grabbed Kirishima's cog-shaped shoulder pad. "This isn't working. You flush him out so I can hit him with mon faisceau laser. "
"On it!" Kirishima grinned and ran towards Kaminari who smirked and ran away again. "Clock's ticking, man! Gonna catch me or what?" Frustratingly, he was quick on his feet, Kirishima unable to match his speed. He also hadn't broken a sweat, despite the furious game of cat and mouse occurring, even Kirishima breathing more heavily at this point. Aoyama clutched his stomach as it gurgled lightly, waiting for an opening.
Finally, Kirishima's patience ran out, and he charged directly into the next pillar his target hid behind and shoulder-charged it, smashing through it as chunks of concrete and dust were thrown into the air and Kaminari screamed in surprise. "NOW, AOYAMA-KUN!" He roared, and a wide beam shot directly into Kaminari. "Aoyama fell onto one knee, clutching his stomach. "I… I got him."
The smoke cleared, and the two were gobsmacked by Kaminari standing there, completely unscathed. "How the…" Kirishima blinked as Kaminari waved, fading away into glimmering wisps of ethereal smoke, his last words being. "Oof, you guys totes fell for that one. Big yikes for your team, but it was a banger idea, huh?" His voice changed as 'he' spoke, seeming to come from behind the two and turning more feminine. The two turned to see Camie, clad in her black leather jacket and robe, hips cocked and an arm out near her mouth. "Get dabbed on, Camie out." She blew her hand, more glimmering smoke cascading out, until the two saw themselves faced with Aizawa's familiar, scruffy mug. "You failed the exercise. Time's up." Kirishima waved a hand angrily, dissipating the obvious fake.
"We've still got time! After her!" Aoyama grunted, rubbing his stomach, and the two dashed after Camie, catching her just in time to see her retreat back up the stairs and to the fifth floor.
"She's running circles around them, Kero." Tsuyu croaked. Midoriya and Uraraka nodding. "Yeah, she's wasting their time and annoying them and weakening Aoyama too She's actually… kinda smart?" The brunette added.
"And if their final plan pans out, it'll be a pretty easy win for them!" Midoriya finished. "Kaminari's and Utsushimi's quirks are suited to ambush and subterfuge, which Aoyama and Kirishima are not in the mindset to deal with. If she'd used that Aizawa trick before they figured out her quirk, it may have actually worked!"
"She's wasting our time too." Monoma grumbled. "At this rate, we'll have to sit here for ten full minutes as the hero team shadowboxes and the villain team hides in holes!"
"Wish I was the villain team." Kodai mumbled, Shiozaki whipping her on the shoulder. "Kodai-san! Don't speak such sinful thoughts! Don't even think them!"
The dark-haired girl blinked slowly, looking directly back into the vine-haired girl's eyes. Shiozaki swore she saw hellfire burning within them, shadows curling around her gaze and peering directly into her soul, an outpouring of lecherous dark miasma from the depths of hell. She shuddered, feeling small despite her relative height advantage. For a moment, standing before her was the lustful devil herself, and a cold sweat laid itself across her back. Under the devil's smouldering gaze she thought to herself: 'Is it fair that in god's plan, he made the devil so much stronger than a man?' Then, she blinked, and the vision was gone, as if never there in the first place, and standing in front of her was just the considerably shorter ravenette.
"That'll be an issue." Kodai blandly replied.
"Kami-babe? Hear me?" Kaminari's earpiece chimed with Camie's voice, which seemed hurried as she breathed heavily. "I've got 'em following me up now. They're kind salty. You ready?"
"Yep!" He replied, flexing his fists and stretching his arms as he charged himself up. "One shot at this, right? It won't go to waste!" For a moment, quiet, before his earpiece came to life again. "Time to get ballin'."
Rushing up the stairs, Kirishima and Aoyama skidded to a stop. Across from the two lay a long hallway, doors to rooms lining it all the way down. Camie was nowhere to be seen, and every corner was a potential ambush spot. Still, the two proceeded impatiently through the hall, checking doors as they went. Kirishima stroked his chin, thinking hard. "Ay, Broyama? How do you think Camie snuck up on us the whole time?"
The frenchman titled his head. "The demoiselles' illusions must be able to make audio too. Remember how le faux Kaminari spoke in his voix ? She must be able to masque her own sound as well, and her image too. Shameful, to hide one's sparkle in such a way."
Kirishima gave a stern nod. "Makes sense! But if we can't touch her illusions, then they can't touch us either! So she can't actually fight us with them, which means if we find her and Kami-bro we can beat them easily!"
Slamming open the next door, Kirishima opened his mouth, almost habitually waving Aoyama away with an all clear to check the nest room, only for the two to be faced with the bomb, just sitting there in a small, empty, inconspicuous room in the corridor with no guards.
"Holy shit! It's right there, man! Jackpot!" Kirishima cheered, about to run forward before a delicate hand grabbed his shoulder with a surprising strength. "Anastuce , Kirishima. Surely they would not leave the bomb here unguarded? It is a trap or an illusion." The redhead's mouth thinned into a taut line, and the two walked forwards cautiously. Nothing happened, no errant sounds or sudden movements. They inched closer, Aoyama checking over his shoulder to the open door and the empty corridor. Nothing.
Finally, Kirishima lay a hand on the bomb, which faded away in a cloud of glimmering mist. He threw his hands up, yelling "DAMMIT!" Aoyama sighed. "Perdre notre temps . Another trick."
"So they just wanna run out the clock, huh?" Kirishima fumed, marching back out of the room, throwing another door open to another bomb. "We're just gonna have to run faster! Aoyama-kun! After me!" He rushed forward to touch this bomb, which of course faded away as had the last.
"Hmph!" Aoyama grumbled, clutching his slowly-recovering stomach. "Without a chance to shine, running around like rat dans un labyrinthe . A dull first showing." Room upon room the two traversed, checking five more identical ones with similar fake bombs, Kirishima growing more bored by the minute. "Man, I just wanna good fight! I guess I kinda sound like Baku-bro, huh?" He skidded to a stop at the next door, which held an identical room, but the bomb looked more… real? He hadn't seen the actual bomb, only Camie's illusions, but he swore that the shadows sat more naturally on this one, its colours a bit duller, its edges a bit sharper, not blurring slightly into the air around it. He held up an arm, Aoyama wordlessly stopping behind him. "I think this is the one, bro."
Aoyama raised a skeptical eyebrow. " Esperons que la farce se termine ici alors ." He muttered, and the two marched purposefully towards the bomb. Kirishima raised his hand to it, fingers stretched as they…
Sank right through. At that very moment, the door slammed loudly behind the two, who whipped around as they heard Camie's voice on the other side yell "Kamibabe, the wiring!" The light in the room flickered violently, startling the two, as the thrumming of electricity could be heard and the air filled with static. Bolts began to leap out of the walls, hissing and popping and the smell of smoke emanating around the two. Aoyama grunted in discomfort, the energy attracted to his armour. Leaping into action, Kirishima dashed past his partner and into the door, shattering it into pieces and slamming into Camie, who was thrown into the wall. "HA! Sorry, but cheap tricks only get you so far!"
The cream-haired girl quickly recovered, gasping for air as she haphazardly turned tail and fled. aoyama , who'd followed Kirishima from the trapped room with only minor electrical burns. "Totes uncool! I'm finna be outtie 5000!"Filled with a renewed energy one can only attain by smacking someone into a wall, Kirishima pursued her with ruthless vigour, Aoyama close behind him.
Feet slamming into the concrete floors, brushing off the meagre detritus Camie pushed into his way as she ran and closing the distance, the heroic duo finally came across the bomb room Camie was sweating, breathing heavily with a darkening bruise on her face and a darker one still probably under her suit, but… she was leaning against the bomb.
Leaning against the solid bomb. The solid Camie, who he's just hit, and who hadn't left Kirishima's sight. Who was breathing heavily, too heavy to blow any new illusions. Aoyama put the pieces together.
" Le vrai ! Kirishima, charge!" Kirishima dashed madly towards it, a fanged grin stretching across his face as a worried-looking Camie staggered into a fighting pose, fists raised in a doomed effort as an unstoppable, indestructible wall of corded muscle waiting to harden into diamond-strength sprinted with gusto and the will to maim.
Then, time seemed to slow down.
Camie's expression melted off into her face, replaced with a cocky smirk.
The air around the two seemed to flicker.
Camie threw herself towards the left wall.
Kirishima's eyes began to blink.
Aoyama's eyebrow began to raise behind his visor.
The air flickered again.
Camie bounced off the left wall to hide behind the bomb.
The air dissipated, Kaminari standing right in front of the bomb.
"INDISCRIMINATE SHOCK! 1.3 MILLION VOLTS!"
Everything went black.
The cameras of the bomb room instantly went dark, switching to a simple 'signal lost' screen as chattering exploded from the observation room.
"Are they dead?" Pony shrieked. Shouji and Komori patted her shoulders placatingly. "Nah, he probably just shorted out the cameras, shroom." The short mushroom girl consoled. "Pity we can't see what happened though."
"Do not fret! If I do not get a message from any of them soon, I will head over there to make sure they're all safe, Young Tsunotori."All Might added, tapping his fingers down on a surface near the now non-functional monitors.
Camie hugged herself inside her jacket, lightning tearing through the air as the room flashed around her. Then, it was all over in a flash. She staggered up, battered and slightly burned, and pulled her communicator out of her pocket, safe within the insulated material. She popped it into her ear and surveyed the situation.
Stepping cautiously out from behind the bomb, she was greeted by the sight of a smoking Kirishima and Aoyama, unconscious and twitching on the ground, the redhead's bare chest matching his hair from the burning on it. Kaminari stood casually, hands at his sides, posture slightly slouched.
"Are we cool?" Camie questioned, walking up to her partner. Kaminari turned around slowly, eyes dull and unintelligent and a vacuous grin on his face, a little snot pooling out of one nostril. "Wheyyyy!" He held two thumbs up. Camie tapped her communicator. "Heya, might-sensei? Kami-babe's made himself a mega dork now, and the other two guys just got roasted and they're taking a power nap now. Do we win?"
For a moment, her communicator was silent. "Do you mean that Young Aoyama, Kirishima, and Kaminari are incapacitated and can't continue, Young Utsushimi?"
"Yeah, that's the sitch." She responded. "Well in that case, VILLAINS WIN!" Please escort Young Kaminari with you to the observation room. We'll send medbots to pick up the other two."
"Epic bacon." Camie looped an arm around the unresisting Kaminari, sparing a sympathetic glance at the now-still other two. "C'mon, Kami-babe, let's get outta dodge."
"Wheyyy!"
As Camie led back to the monitor room, where another medbot with a stretcher was waiting to whisk him away. Placing him gingerly atop it, it trundled down the hallway to Recovery Girl's office, and she reconvened with the crowd, most of whom excitedly swarmed the first exercise's only survivor.
"Well done, Young Utsushimi! Now then! Usually, at the end of these kinds of matches, we ask everybody else to pick a classmate who they think exemplifies the qualities of a hero. Class, who can tell me who the MVP of this match was?"
"Utsuhimi-san." Echoed about twenty voices in unison, the creamette feigning nonchalance but subtly looking quite delighted to be named MVP. "Excellent! I agree, but can anybody tell me why?"
Momo, Midoriya, and Intelli all raised a hand, the latter begrudgingly and almost looking to be in visceral physical turmoil. All Might wrenched his gaze away from Midoriya, well aware of the optics of playing favourites and how that could isolate Midoriya from his peers – not to mention threaten revealing a matter of national security – and instead picked on the heiress. Momo placed her raised hand onto her chest, eyes closed and speaking with dignity.
"From the beginning of the match, Utsushimi began to formt a winning strategy. She deduced that her team couldn't win in a direct physical confrontation and played to her strengths, nullifying Kirishima's advantages in combat and figuring out a weakness to Aoyama's quirk. After that, she purposefully acted in a way to bait the two around and hide the true nature of her quirk, utilizing Kaminari's advice to create a double that fooled the heroes, and led them on a fruitless chase around the third floor. She baited out Aoyama's laser several times and tired the two substantially, weakening them severely before her quirk was finally revealed, and then managed to slip away and waste yet more of their time combing through empty rooms on the top floor. Finally, she had formed a double-layered plan utilizing Kaminari's quirk on the top floor where the bomb was, baiting them into a room by exploiting their tunnel vision and desperation before electrifying it, and when that didn't work she retreated to the bomb and cloaked Kaminari in a mirage, allowing Kirishima to run towards her and making him unable to quickly react or harden and pulling the tarp away to incapacitate them in one fell swoop."
Finishing her tangent, she opened her eyes again to see the entire class looking at her in various shades of awe, intimidation, or respect, save for the usual few - Bakugou and Kamakiri and whatnot. Jirou was blushing, and Mina stepped forward. "Damn, great stuff, Momo! You're really smart, huh? Smart and pretty, the whole package! Right, Jirou?~" Jirou blushed harder, glaring at the pink skinned girl. "A-Ashido-san! D-don't-don't tease!"
Momo blushed lightly as well, but her eyes were squarely on Jirou, who shrank and further reddened from her expectant gaze. Her eyes gleamed. ' What a rare sight, Kyo-chan being shy. I should treasure it!'
Mina fist-bumped Hagakure, or tried to, but she missed the invisible girl's hand completely. Said girl pouted at that, but she missed it too.
"Indeed, that was correct, Young Yaoyorozu! I have nothing more to add! A fantastic first match! Remember, young heroes, that the best battles are the ones won without throwing a single punch! Any way you can ensure you win before the fight has started is a way worth pursuing - be it developing support items, information networks, or simply training! Now, for the next team!"
He tapped his screen once again, waiting for a moment before the next pairing came up.
"TOGA HIMIKO AND KOMORI KINOKO AS THE HEROES VERSUS SERO HANTA AND TOKAGE SETSUNA AS THE VILLAINS!"