Chapter 8: Battles - Not Enough
"So! Todoroki-kun! Shoto Todoroki! Can I call you Shoto?"
"No."
"Shoto-kun?"
"No."
"Todoroki-kun?"
"Yes."
"Todo-kun?"
"No."
"Todo-chan?"
"I already said no."
"Gee, c'mon, you're so cold. Geddit?"
"No."
"Because of-of your ice?"
"Oh."
Mina sighed. Of all the partners, why'd she get Todoroki? You'd think the son of the number two hero would be a bit more chatty… actually, if this was Endeavour's son that totally tracked. Still, why not a friend or someone kind? Yaomomo? Jirou? Hagakure? Manami? Hell, she'd settle for Tsubaraba or something, even if he did give her costume an… extended look.
'Ah, well. I did the same for Momo's so fair's fair.'
And, to be fair to Tsubaraba, it was a bomb-ass costume, fitting of the future Alien Queen! (Also a bomb-ass future hero name.) A white mask framed her light, fluffy pink curls, yellow horns poking out from the top of her head - her body was framed with a sleek, acid-washed bodysuit with a low cutoff around the chest area, bathed in purple-teal hues, and framed by a sickass yellow jacket - same colour as the horns, fucking colour coordination baby ! - with a delightful fluffy collar, making her look like a diva if she did had anything to say about it, and she did! Lots, in fact! The bodysuit trailed down to red-brown combat boots with special vents for acid-skating, which was also super kickass, which once again used the epic horn yellow for a secondary colour. Talk about a sick fit.
And Todoroki? Mina turned to appraise his outfit again and died a little. Fuck , man. He wore a collared shirt on baggy cream pants and boots, and a piece of cream back armour strapped around his torso. It was lacking in detail. The man didn't even have a goddamn utility belt. I mean, Mina didn't either, but at least the jacket had pockets - should probably still get a belt though or I'll look a bit dumb - and that was it. No, that's the outfit. Oh, except for the fucking ICE ARMOUR COVERING HIS ENTIRE LEFT SIDE! Including his head, which was adorned with a goofy-ass terminator eye.
For a man with an ice quirk, it was ironically the least cool costume she'd ever seen. In fact, if she hadn't spoken to the guy first, she'd think it was a joke for the support department, but he seemed like he hadn't ever even heard a joke in his life, let alone made one.
"So what's the plan?" She played with the fluff collar on her jacket, turning to the boy. They stood together outside the simulation building.
Todoroki gave the place a once-over. "The plan is to freeze the entire building and go in and touch the bomb."
"You can do that?"
"Yes."
Mina gave Todoroki a quizzical glance. "And… what's my part in the plan?"
"I don't need you in the plan."
Ouch. Oh, arrow through the heart right there. "You got no chill, soul brother."
"Is that another joke about my ice?"
"Correctimundo! But I guess I'm getting a bit of a frosty reception."
"..."
Shinsou patted Midorya's back as he choked on his own breath, face stained a deep cherry-red from unrestrained laughter. The verdette wiped a tear from his eye and straightened, still breathing hard. Around him was a wall of stony faces, unamused.
"Wh- huff -what's-what's, guys- huff -c'mon. S-She's got jokes!"
Shinsou raised an eyebrow. "She just made the same pun three times in a row against a deader audience than me."
"I did not understand the joking, but I am assuming it was a [language barrier] issue? I'll take your word it was funny though!" Pony reassured, tacking on a forced "Hahaha! Feel better?"
"...No." Midoriya grumbled, mood soured at the fact that nobody else found Mina funny. "None of you appreciate good humour."
"This is your type of humour?" Shouji probed, eliciting a nod in response. "You're not exactly Ms. Joke." Midoriya huffed, looking for support. Komori? No. Uraraka? No. Even Toga? No, the blonde looked distinctly embarrassed to be in his vicinity at the moment."
"You're such a… dork, Izu-kun."
"That's what I'm saying." Tsuyu ribbited.
"You guys are mean." The man in question pouted further.
"You're our dork." Shinsou placated, patting him on the back in faux consolation. "We can watch you in shifts. Who takes first?"
"Me! Me!" Toga raised a hand exuberantly. "He may be a dork but I love him anyway!" He blushed profusely at her word choice. 'She means as a friend, of course! Of course! Stop wondering, mind!'
Toga's cat-eyes squinted lovingly at the blushing boy, hiding his freckled cheeks in chunky white gloves and shrinking into the oversized, toothy mouthguard of his green hero suit. 'What a cute little thing! Oh, Izu-kun, I could just eat you right up!~'
Uraraka and Tsuyu both watched like hawks as a predatory aura washed off of her in waves, glint in her eye shining a lurid amber. After a moment, their subject whirled around and demurely placed her hands behind her back, leaning in towards them.
"Oh, but I can't forget you two! Ochchan, Tsu-chan! I love you both too, so don't be jealous, 'kay?"
"I wasn't" Tsuyu croaked, completely deadpan. "And call me Asui-san, kero."
Ochako merely went " meep!" and started floating up to the ceiling again, distracting her froggy friend, who grabbed her with her tongue again. "W-wh-wh-huh? L-L-L-lo-lo- love???"
"Yup! I love you! And you, Tsu-chan, even if you don't… love me back!" She whirled again, to the others. "And you too, Mezo-kun! And you, Koko-chan! You're all super-cute!"
"Good to hear." Shouji said simply, as Komori beamed.
"Aww, no love for me?" Shinsou joked. "Damn, forever alone then. Maybe I should look at some online dating apps."
"Don't worry, buddy, I got you covered." Shouji smirked under his mask as he picked up a suddenly-wriggling Shinsou and wrapped him in a tight bear hug, another arm condescendingly rubbing and carding through his hair. "Feel any better?"
"Mmh ghnhh khrr yhr." The messy-haired boy mumbled, before being pulled off of Shouji's chest. "Wait, keep going actually, that was kind of nice."
"Nah, don't want you falling asleep on me." Was his only response, Shouji setting him back down on the ground as Pony and Uraraka snickered at the display.
"I hate you all."
Placing the self-inflating prop bomb on the fifth floor's centre, Iida turned to look at his teammade.
"Intelli-san! We must endeavour to construct a decisive plan for a victorious defense! While I would like to make my own suggestions, it would not be forthright to overshadow the contributions of my fellow team member! Do you have any suggestions to start?"
"I do." Intelli sipped her tea, thinking for a moment. Thoughts, equations, estimates, calculations, a million strings of data rushed through her mind. She sifted through them, weighing options, before screwing her thermos shut decisively and turning to the engine-legged boy.
"Okay, listen to me." Iida straightened up eagerly. Inwardly, the girl preened. 'Finally!' She thought, 'somebody who listens!' She raised a finger and began. "Judging from my observations and the information you gave me before the match, Todoroki-san is a variable-ranged fighter specializing in quick, overwhelming ice attacks, whereas Ashido-san is a mid-to-close-range fighter who slings her acid. Both are likely proficient in close-quarters combat, due to the former's formal training from his father and the latter's obvious musculature and performance in the previous assessment test."
Iida nodded along. "Those were my observations as well, Intelli-san." Fiddling with her monocle, the lighter of the two bluenettes continued.
"By contrast, we are both close-range fighters, albeit with myself as a tactician and you being mainly focused on quick, mobile, and heavy blows. We are at an advantage on the defensive despite the hero teams' previous track records of winning."
She clapped her hands together, closing off her recap. Iida seemed satisfied, and she preened at that again. "Our plan is thus follows…"
"HERO TEAM! YOUR TIME STARTS NOW!"
"Let's end this quickly." Todoroki bluntly stated, hands on his sides. He stomped a single foot down without delay, a frosty sheer covering extending outwards from it, chilling all the air around him. From his foot, the icy attack rushes towards the simulation building, growing evermore thicker as it went.
Mina watched on in awe as the walls, windows, the door and its locks and its hinges, everything was frozen over in almost an instant. To her side, the scion boy merely surveyed his work, before nodding to himself and striding in calmly. "Let's search for the bomb. You check the fourth floor, I'll take the fifth."
Tearing her gaze from the sight, Mina shook away her shock. "Woah-woah-what? Why the fourth floor, they're obviously gonna be on the fifth floor!"
"Unless they want us to think that and hid it on the fourth floor, so check it." Todoroki hadn't slowed and pushed the door to the complex open, the frosted locks cracking and shattering onto the ground. After a moment, Mina followed after him.
It was an oddly whimsical sight to see the cold boy skating towards the stairwell over the frozen floors. Odder still that, she realized, they both shared skating in common. The pink girl skated up beside him, the two skidding to a stop at the stairwell and carefully ascending it. Unfortunately, the handrails were coated in slippery ice too, so they weren't much help.
"You like skating, Todoroki-kun?" She tried. Silence greeted her, the two continuing to traverse up the stairs, breathing frosty breaths in the still, cool air around them. Then, he spoke.
"It's a part of my training."
"Ahh, your super-professional hero training. Makes sense. Makes sense." Mina slipped a little, catching herself and following him up. They'd already passed the second floor, moving onto the third. "But like, what about for funsies? You ever go to a rink?"
"No." The two kept walking. Mina frowned. Todoroki turned to her. "...What's a rink?"
"An… ice skating rink? Like a stadium full of ice to skate on. With… skates." He raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."
The two kept walking. After another loaded moment of silence, Mina spoke again. "But nothing for fun then? No ice skating, or… ice hockey, or… man, you don't know what a rink is, huh? Snowmen, snow cones, snowball fights?"
"There wasn't any time." He answered simply. Mina turned to the boy incredulously. "No time in eighteen years?" Todoroki's frown deepened a little, but despite Mina's expectant gaze, he didn't answer. She waited a while, and then she spoke again.
"I'm pretty happy with my quirk. Y'know, how it turned out, but sometimes I get a little jealous of other ones. Ice quirk, strength quirk, badass laser quirk. But, all things considered, I landed myself a pretty sweet deal. Acid's strong. It's useful, clearing rubble and all that." Her dark eyes hooded a little as she reminisced. "But it's dangerous. You can't play with acid, not really. Rules were, no quirk use in class, but it just meant no unsafe quirks." A little dripped from her hand, sizzling through the ice and the ground below, corroding the cement with a hiss of steam and a pungent smell. "No such thing as an acidball fight for kids. Heh, that would be a nightmare, huh?"
Todoroki kept walking up the stairs impassively, hard to tell if he was even listening. Mina continued nonetheless. "So many kids can be so proud about what they can do with their quirks. And I… I never had that. I mean, I was fine, it wasn't a huge deal, but you… your ice would've made you like number one on the playground. Snowman, snowball fights, make an ice slide any time of the year. Cool down in the summer. Everyone would've loved you. There's no way they wouldn't have."
Clasping her hands behind her back, she precariously jogged a few stairs ahead of the heterochromatic boy, meeting his eyes with her own, pitch-black with burning golden irises. "But you never got to play with it, huh? That's kinda sad." She held out a pink hand in front of him, smiling softly from her step above. "Do you wanna be friends?"
Todoroki met her eyes, but she couldn't read him. The moment passed. Then, he huffed, pushing her aside and making his way up the stairwell. "We're at the fourth floor. Look for the bomb."
Mina sighed in defeat, mood only slightly raised by seeing her own breath. After repeating this a few times, her mood was lifted, and she began trekking down the corridors, harsh fluorescent lights above flickering and bouncing off the ice around her in an ethereal way.
Todoroki stopped at the top of the stairwell and turned around. Corridors and sub-rooms stretched out in every direction, and he strode forward with purpose, almost eager to just complete the exercise despite the chills running down his legs. Finally, everyone was watching. In a way, it felt like father was watching. Smirking a small smirk at the thought, he turned the corner, to be met with one fully-armoured Iida Tenya.
Iida stood tall in solid white armour framed by silver exhausts and a helmet that took after mecha anime, motorcycle helmets, and a knight all at once. Bulky greaves funneled the power of his leg engines and promised a quick, painful, and stern reprimand to any villain caught on the business end of his boots, though in the moment he was playing no hero.
"Bwahahaha! Foolish hero! I am the ultimate evil, and you shall meet your painful demise here and now! Fear me, for I am terror incarnate, and you have fallen right into my dastardly trap!"
Todoroki stopped in his tracks. "Are you playing some kind of joke on me?"
Iida smirked devilishly under his mask. "The only fool here is you, hero! For once my master plan is complete… it will be YOU who is on ice!"
At that, a great vent of exhaust roared out of his legs and Iida dashed down the hall, gaining speed at a frightening pace. Acting on instinct, Todoroki summoned a wall of ice in front of him, before the barrier was smashed to pieces from a single kick, frosty shards clattering down around him.
"Cut the act." He said plainly, throwing up another barrier to similar effect. Todoroki kept moving backwards, throwing up wall after wall that was cracked or shattered, Iida pressing forwards. The engine-legged boy never stayed in one place for more than a split second despite the slippery surfaces, Todoroki unable to land a clear hit.
"You are quite skilled, Todoroki-kun!" Iida shouted, now using his normal voice. "But I have something to prove here today as well! You should know I am the latest in the Ingenium line, and I will make my family proud!"
Todoroki frowned.
"I am sure it is the same with you!"
Todoroki's frown deepened.
"My brother-"
Todoroki's arm whipped out, a chunk of ice growing from the ceiling at vicious speec, bludgeoning Iida. The bluentte lost his balance on the ice, throwing himself into the wall with his speed, and as he stumbled to correct himself a sudden, second blast froze his legs to the ground, encompassing up up to his thighs.
"We're not alike at all." Todoroki, incensed, walked forward again, approaching Iida with a quiet fury as the stern stiff stubbornly struggled against the glacier his entire lower body had become encompassed in. "Surrender now, or your skin will probably rot from frostbite. It doesn't matter you somehow avoided my first attack. There's nothing you can do. We're just in different leagues, son of Ingenium. I don't plan on losing with my ice."
He reached down to grab his capture tape, when suddenly, PAIN erupted in the small of his back, then between his shoulder blades, then the back of his neck, blooming outwards with a burning intensity before he felt his entire body go numb, dropping to the ground and unable to move.
Though one of his eyes was covered with a red translucent cap, through the other Todoroki could barely make out the visage of Intelli, dressed in armour with a smart ivory-gold blazer and pantsuit leading into blue combat gloves and boots, her face adorned with her typical monocle and her head adorned with a pure white top hat with a golden ribbon. She squatted down and wrapped capture tape around his arm.
"TODOROKI IS OUT! HEROES HAVE SIX MINUTES LEFT!"
Iida recalled what Intelli had said: Raising a finger, she spoke with a stern confidence. "We need to force the other team, who both individually and together overpower us, into close-quarters hit-and-run engagements. Ideally they will separate due to Todoroki-san's tendency to play the 'Lone Wolf', as it is, despite the frankly glaring shortcomings of the strategy. When the match starts, He will most likely attempt to end the match quickly and decisively by freezing the floors of the building. You will jump on my command to avoid being frozen to the ground. I've seen his ice spread and can accurately predict its travel speed."
"The ice covering the ground will be quite the issue for my traversal." Iida had pointed out. Intelli gave him an acknowledging nod.
"Correct, though I was getting to that. You will need to act as a distraction for Todoroki-san. We will bait him up near the bomb room, the location of which he will probably deduce correctly, and ambush him as he and Ashido-san are separated. That is our only chance of victory - any prolonged match will allow him to make the distance and realize his mistakes, and I would like to avoid frostbite today if it is at all possible. If they are not separated, we scatter and focus on taking Ashido-san out together first, but this is the less likely scenario. Understand?"
"Of course!" The bluenette boy had nodded with gusto. "I am glad you have taken the initiative to form such a detailed plan. My brother Tensei always talks about the value of having a tactician on the airways to direct him about during patrols and feed him information during fights!" He gave intelli a warm, genuine smile, but it bounced off her as if she were coated by Teflon.
"Does he ever mention tacticians on the front lines?"
Iida corrected his glasses, a confused frown making its way onto his angular face. "I'm afraid I do not understand the question. What would a tactician be doing on the front lines?"
Instantly he felt he'd made a mistake, though his answer was only logical! Nonetheless, Intelli flinched, before an agitated scowl greeted him. Intelli cracked her thermos open and took a sip, calming down again. After a moment, she popped the cap back closed and sighed.
"Let's just… stick to the plan."
Intelli scoffed as a paralyzed Todoroki stared at her, a million emotions running through his mismatched eyes faster than even she could process - grief, despair, numbness, disappointment, rage, shame, acceptance, disbelief.
"Honestly, so single-mindedly strolling towards a captured opponent that you forgot your bearings, forgot to check for side halls. Taken down by a few simple pressure-point strikes - did you think this course would be a cakewalk, Todoroki Shoto? I'm disappointed. Honestly, you truly are duller than I gave you credit for."
Gloating finished, she turned to her teammate. "I don't take it you can escape that glacier?"
Iida had by now stopped struggling against the massive ice chunk, all efforts to carve or crack it abandoned. "I'm afraid I am unable, Intelli-san. The match rests on your shoulders."
She groaned, hearing a soft pitter-patter echoing down the halls, closing in slowly. Ah, Mina was ascending the stairs, fitting within the timeframe she'd laid out in her mind. It wasn't the fastest she could've arrived on account of Todoroki not using his earpiece, nor the slowest she could've hoped for as a result of bad positioning. "Frustrating, but expected."
Manami craned her neck up to look at Josei as the eleven-foot heteromorph woman continued to natter about her match excitedly - the shorter girl didn't have the heart to say she'd seen it all already and cut off the girl's exuberant recap. Besides, it was just nice to be talked to.
Josei cut herself off as the pair passed a familiar face sulking through the halls. "Oh! Kamakiri-kun, I hope you're feeling better. You had a good match!"
"Tch." The mantis boy clicked his tongue in disdain. "No, I got fucking stomped. Beaten in close quarters by fucking microscope-eyes."
"Your team still came out on top!" Manami attempted to cheer him up. Clearly, she'd said the wrong thing, as he snarled in response, rounding on her.
" MONOMA won that match! He called me a fucking idiot and then I got struck out and he won the damn match! I got beat by some two-bit nobody!"
"Y-you'll do better next time!" The tall blonde assured him. He rolled his eyes and shoulder-checked her as he left in a huff - tried to, anyways, but just about reached the bottom of her thigh instead.
Josei just watched him go, dismayed. A moment passed. "Well you don't have to be a dick about it!" Manami yelled back. She turned to her companion. "Screw him. Let's go see the others."
"Oh, it's you two!"
One Mei Hatsume, newly clad in her gym uniform, approached the two. "Why aren't you guys in the observation rooms? I'm heading there right now. Need good intel for my babies!" They turned back to her. Recovery Girl's quirk truly did work wonders, for nary a scratch remained on her skin - though it would be wrong to call her spotless, as she'd already managed an oil stain on her cheek in the time between leaving the infirmary and now.
"Oh! We were just coming to check on you and Yaomomo-san!" Josei exclaimed. Mei's eyes shot open, zooming and contracting on Josei's face, then Manami's, scanning for any trace of a lie.
"Printer-san's in the infirmary? Didn't see her." Mei looked back down at the ground. " Missed her match, too."
"She's not exactly the loudest person, probably just sitting behind a curtain." Manami reasoned. "Wanna come with us? I'm sure she'd be happy to have some company."
"Hmmm." Mei put a hand to her chin, weighing her options. "I'm probably missing a match if I do…"
"Maybe you could sweet-talk her into a contract with you."
" SOLD! Lead the way, Zip-file!"
"Hey!" Manami pouted, stomping the floor. "Weren't you just there?"
"Forgot the way. Besides, I can work while I follow you guys." At that, the support tech pulled a metal cylinder out from her pocket and started poking at it with a miniature screwdriver, eyes fixated intently on the device. Josei gave Manami an assuring look and started walking again, Manami taking up the rear as their pink-haired engineer absently followed the leader, tinkering all the while. Occasionally, a small spark would fly out as she stuck her tongue out in concentration before finally the thing started to smoke and erupted, scorching itself in a flash. Mei tutted at the sight.
"A dud. Darn." She stuffed it back into a pocket of abyssal depths.
"What were you working on?" Josei probed.
"Arm baby." Mei answered. "Reinforced miniature computer around an arm brace. When I get that to work with proper cooling and signal, reinforce a screen over it. Maybe a multi-layer degradable touchscreen. Make it so scratches and stuff can just be buffed off by going down to the next coat. Have it take hits, temperatures, that sort of stuff! Hatsume Mei's ultra-secure ultra-tough wrist-mounted computer for general heroics needs!"
"What power would the computer be?" Manami asked, curious.
"Reliable enough, nothing too fancy! Just to run all the standard hero stuff, plus customization options for specialist functions depending on the hero. Keep an eye on general body health too!"
"I could use one of those." The redhead mused. "If it's got a good signal connection and can take hits I could use it to interface with stuff on the go. It would be a totally functional computer, right? No closed garden or any of that garbage?"
"Nope!"
Josei watched as the two discussed the technical details. From above, she observed the short girl deep in thought, the thoughts in her head rushing enough to practically hear. "Why do you ask, Manami-san?" The little redhead craned her head all the way back to her again, blinking up at her with those large, spiraling pink eyes.
"I told you I hacked a robot in the entrance exam during orientation, remember? Only way I got in. It was a pain to hotwire! But if I could've had a handheld computer with me then… I could've overwritten the entire system! Had every robot throw itself into a wall, or blow itself up! Stop the zero pointer in its tracks!" She capped the point by gesticulating widely.
"Isn't the Dean the smartest in the world, though? I don't think you could've broken into his systems." Josei replied concernedly, only to be met with a confident smirk on the small girl's face.
"Believe me, I can. I picked up hacking a while back, in… in high school." She frowned, but picked herself up again. "Had a lot of free time on my hands, hacked into some really hard-to-crack places. Didn't do much in them, really just did it to prove to myself I could. I could probably go back and grab some info if I wanted though. Nedzu'd probably be find any hole I punch in this place's armour and patch it up after the fact, but he wouldn't be able to stop me from getting in and out in the first place."
Mei let out a low whistle. "We should talk shop sometime. I could whip up a wrist baby for you if I was your support tech, y'know!"
Manami turned to respond, but was cut off by Josei. "Oh, we're here!"
The trio walked through the gateway to Recovery Girl's domain, immediately being hit by a cold blast of air conditioning.
"I-Is Yaomomo-san here?" Josei timidly asked aloud. She heard a throat clearing and looked down at the elderly heroine in front of her. Manami looked peeved at the sight.
"Damn, you're taller than me too? Aren't you, like, infamously short?"
Her insight was rewarded with a sharp whack of the cane, causing the redhead to curse loudly, Josei profusely apologizing for her. Mei strode right past the display and up to the nearest bed with the curtains closed. Whipping it open, she was greeted by a befuddled green-haired lady.
"Nope." She whipped the curtains closed again, and made for the next nearest bed. Before she could rip it open again, Recovery Girl intercepted her.
"What on earth do you think you're doing?!? Stop that! Have you no respect for others' privacy?!"
"Nope!"
Recovery Girl breathed out a bone-deep sigh that lasted a solid ten seconds. "Your friend is over there. Don't disturb anyone else or you're out." Josei and Manami followed her pointed finger to a covered bed, Mei in tow, and the giant girl gently pulled the curtains adrift.
"Yaomomo-san? You okay?"
The heiress' eyes fluttered open. "...Josei-san? Oh, you're here? I was advised to take a nap to regain my stamina and sleep off the rapid loss of lipids. Can I help you?"
"The question you should be asking, Printer-san, is can I help you ?" With great gusto, Mei pulled a tightly folded square from her pocket and unfurled it to reveal a contract. "I wasn't there to see your match, but I got a great look at your costume before it!" She leaned in closer, now face-to-face with the increasingly flustered girl. "I've been told I've got good eyes! And boy, did I see a hot mess! No DNA-encoding, high-heeled boots, and that bookshelf !"
"My costume… wasn't what I'd hoped it to be." Momo sadly lamented.
"Mm." For a moment, Mei met her mood, before switching back to her manic demeanour. "Takes a while to message a support company, even longer to get your suit back, and it's all garbage anyway! Why bother with them when you have me? You've got the Hatsume guarantee of quality work, practical designs, the best babies in the 'biz! Feel like choosing a new support tech?"
Momo thought for a moment, then manifested a pen before scribbling a delicate signature in cursive on it. "I did quite admire your various support items. I'd be willing to give you a chance."
"And you won't regret it!"
Hatsume beamed in satisfaction and stuffed the form into her pocket. "Happy to be working with you! Whoof, five customers in one day! At this rate I'll have everyone before the end of the month!"
Seeing the business of the two done, Manami hopped onto the bed between them. "Alright, alright, enough shop-talk. Better question - how are you guys all so tall? What do they feed you?!"
Hatsume smirked down at the irritated woman. The shortest of the other three, she stood at one-seventy-two centimeters. Momo, one-eighty-five. Josei, three-thirty-five.
Momo thought for a moment. "I eat about the equivalent of seven average-sized meals a day to fuel my quirk's caloric intake. I'm quite lucky to have a metabolism quick enough to cycle it all though my system."
Josei carded a hand through her hair nervously. "U-um. For me, it's about… eight?"
Mei shrugged. "Dunno. I don't really do much eating. I think I had a bar this morning? And some kinda fruit, forgot what it was. Power Loader forced me to."
The other three stared at her, gobsmacked. They'd seen her in the locker rooms, and she was NOT malnourished. She stood strong, defined muscles dominating her upper body physique, and atop them was a healthy layer of fat that lent her a rounder-than-average face, large breasts, and a stocky build.
"Wh… what? But you… you don't… how do you look like that?" Josei uttered, amazed at Mei's indifference.
"Genetics?"
"Good lord." Momo gasped, hand covering her mouth daintily. "That cannot be healthy! You have to eat more, Hatsume-san!"
"Nah. It's a waste of time! Don't you want your babies done faster?"
Momo fixed her with a hard glare. "I want a support technician that takes care of herself. Eat full meals, or consider our contract broken."
"...ffffff ine ."
Momo beamed at her acquiescence, reluctant though it was.
"Wow, Yaomomo-san, that was… easier than I imagined." Josei commented.
"Yeah, she set her straight like that !" Manami agreed.
"Mother and Father taught me how to handle business dealings." Momo explained. "A good negotiator knows exactly what their peer wants, and must mercilessly exploit it as leverage. They trained me in everything they knew… or at least they did until I decided I wanted to be a hero." She frowned, mood dropping. "After that… I suppose they moved on."
Josei frowned. "I-I sort of know the feeling."
"Raise your hand if your parents supported your crazy dream to be a hero." Manami deadpanned.
Nobody raised their hand.
"T-then we just have to support each other! To prove them wrong, right?" Josei managed a shaky, determined smile. Momo and Manami met it with softer ones of their own, Mei with her usual gleeful grin. "A-a-and I couldn't ask for better support than you three! Since, y'know, you're all s-support course students as well!"
They let the moment rest for a bit, before Mei turned back to Momo.
"By the way, your quirk can make anything , right?"
Momo tilted her head cutely. "Indeed. Was there something you needed?"
Josei and Manami shuddered as they felt Recovery Girl's legendary stink-eye scorching their backs.
"Could you make me some thermite to-"
"OUT!!!"
The announcement of Todoroki's demise made, All Might's usual steadfast smile imperceptibly strained, Midoriya looking at the man with faint concern. The two secret-keepers knew the signs, and the faintest wispy steam that was beginning to rise off of the man's bulk may not have been eyebrow-raising for anyone else in the observation room, but it was harrowing for those in the know.
Midoriya, facing away from his little group - 'My boy has a friend group already! Maybe they'll form a team when they graduate? No, it's much too soon to speculate.' - subtly directed his eyes toward the door once, twice. Do you need to leave?
The symbol of peace was not a man known for his subtlety, but Yagi Toshinori lived by it. He shook his head minutely. I've got it covered.
Lowering his arm into an inlaid pocket he gently pressed an indented button 5 times in a row - as Nedzu had charmingly called it, the 'panic button' - which sent an automated SMS to his phone. It buzzed loudly in his other pocket, and he retrieved it.
Tilting the screen away from the students, he pretended to take a look at the screen. "Ah! Students!" Rows of eyes turned to face him expectantly. Like the paparazzi, expectant gazes one and all - All Might knew how to play the crowd. "I'm afraid Dean Nedzu has called me to discuss some important matters pertaining to my teaching duties! Worry not, for Kayama and Ishiyama-sensei will shortly be here to keep watch for the remaining five battles. As it stands, you've all impressed me thus far with your performances - expect my evaluations for all of you - even those whose battles haven't happened yet - in your student inboxes by the end of the week! I'll be reviewing the rest of the footage in my off time, of course!"
Everybody else murmured to each other. Young Bakugou looked… pissed, while some of the other students - particularly Young Hagakure and Shinsou - looked relieved, perhaps thankful the pressure was off for their first lesson now that All Might himself wasn't watching. Midoriya looked relieved too, though for much different reasons.
'Ah, he knew what I did there, more or less.' All Might noted internally. 'I just hope nobody else picked it up, but without Young Midoriya's knowledge it's next to impossible.'
"Todoroki, ya dingus, I knew your plan wasn't good!" Mina yelled as she slid down the hall, skidding to a stop on a rougher patch of ice to greet Intelli, crouched low, beside a half-frozen Iida and a limp Todoroki sprawled over the ground. Todoroki made a sort of gurgling sound in response.
Lowering herself into a skater's stance, Ashido fanned her arms out at her sides, acid manifesting itself and beginning to drip down at a languid, dangerous pace. "One on one, eh Intelli? You know what they say. It takes two to tango!"
"I observed you during the quirk assessment test, you know." Intelli stretched her hands and lowered herself into a crouch as well. "I suppose it's unsurprising you'd incorporate a quip about the tango into your 'smack talk', but it only wastes your own time."
Mina grinned. "You've got me all figured out, huh?"
"Indeed. You're clearly professionally trained as a dancer, and incorporate those moves into your moveset. Much like a dance, your every move can easily be read in advance, as each must logically flow into the next. You're better off surrendering now, but I know you won't take that option."
"Brilliant, Holmes, you earned that monocle! Correct on all counts!" Mina cheered, the acid on her arms bubbling more viciously now, the drops slightly melting the ice beneath her. "All counts but one. Sure, I got some proper old dance classes as well, but it wasn't my main forte."
She flexed her calves, leaning forward.
"I'm a breakdancer. I just make shit up!"
Acid erupted from holes in the backs and soles of her boots, and Mina rocketed towards Intelli, ducking low and sliding on the ice, Intelli leaping up to avoid a leg sweep, only for Mina to pop herself up off the ground and swing an arm around midair as she righted herself and sending an arc of pearlescent fluid slicing through the air. It hit the other girl's monocle, knocking it off her face.
"Bit cramped in here!" Mina complained, now fully righted, as Intelli dashed back to meet her.
"You think I didn't consider my environment?" Intelli retorted, blocking a backhand swipe and punching Mina in the face. The pink girl recoiled, ducking with the impact and throwing a leg out, which Intelli caught, jabbing a pressure point on the inside of her thigh.
"FUCK, OW!" Intelli let go and retreated as Mina dropped to the ground, her venture to pull the bluenette down with her failed. The pinkette stood again, raising her fists. Her leg was shaky, but she still managed to stand.
'I missed in the heat of the moment. That won't do.'
Mind still properly fueled by her tea, strands of data weaved themselves together as Mina weaved towards her, her every move forming an intricate dance that spiked and pulsed. Patterns emerged, habits formed, and Intelli found herself predicting the pink girl's every move.
Her next move was a feint. Mina dropped low and popped up, trying to bait a response, and when her attack came Intelli blocked it again, sending one back of her own.
Then, a flurry of simple punches, the girl's toned arms flexing and releasing force at a speed that Intelli almost perceived in slow motion as they flew out faster than she could manage.
One blow broke through the defense, then another. Every attack she saw coming, but only so many she could block. Her arms began to tire. Mina swung and Intelli blocked, but her arms ached afterward. She was losing the battle of attrition.
"What is your game here? What is your technique?" Intelli huffed angrily as the pair separated from their dangerous dance, Mina shaking her tingling, stinging arms.
"Dunno!" Mina replied. "I'm kinda just going for it, y'know?" She rushed forwards again, acid accumulating. Three options formed in Intelli's mind. Block or counterattack - unfeasible. That acid would inflict wounds that would remove her from the fight much faster. Retreat - Impossible. Mina was far more athletic than she. She would catch up easily. Dodge - the only one left.
Intelli dodged the acid-infused punch, dodged again at the follow-up. A flurry of punches, then a spinning kick. Each attack was ferocious in its speed, and Intelli's muscles groaned at the exertion of simply keeping up with Mina's onslaught. The opportunity for a counterattack would come, Intelli would land it, and the fight would continue, but every opening was harder and harder to meet.
Intelli knew she was on the backfoot. Her mind raced, she weighed her options and replayed her scenarios against every attack. Logically, she knew her processing was at almost full capacity, but she still longed for another calming sip of tea. No such luck.
Intelli intercepted another flying kick, weaving under Mina's speeding calf, and landed a ferocious uppercut on the underside of her jaw, the colour purple washing over it. The athletic girl was bowled over and fell on her back, sliding across the ice.
'YES!'
Intelli closed in, and Mina popped off the ground again, throwing her head into the girl's expectant knee. It was the best move, the only move to exploit her recovery - but she still wasn't fast enough to stop Mina from grabbing her leg and pulling it out from under her, Intelli's back hitting the ice as well.
The next thing she knew, Mina had flicked a wrist, throwing a glob of acid onto her shoulder, burning through her jacket and leaving a furious, screaming welt on her forearm. The two staggered up again, Intelli significantly more out of breath than her opponent. She narrowed her left eye.
"You…" Intelli huffed. "This… isn't fair… I can see all of your moves coming. It isnt-it isn't fair…"
Mina clenched her palms, willing more acid out of them despite her nerves crying out at her. "You're no slouch, girl. I just… trained more, I guess?"
"How much more… do I have to train… to beat people like YOU!"
Screaming that last word, Intelli rushed forward again. A decisive move to break Mina's defense. Ending the attritional battle here, the only move she could possibly take. Any longer and defeat was assured. She punched Mina straight in the chest. The girl yelled, but took it. She saw the next move coming, had predicted it several seconds before she'd made her own. A glimmering, acidic punch flew out as counterattack. The instinctual reaction. Only logical, really.
All Intelli could do, had to do, was dodge. She'd already calculated this counterplay.
She moved too slow.
Staggering back, half of her face stinging with a weaker acid, her shoulder burnt as well, marks on her sleeves where she'd blocked blows with pinpoint precision, Intelli collapsed backwards, the purple-bruised pink girl grabbing her before being pulled to the ground, her shaking leg failing to withstand the weight. For a moment, the two breathed, before Mina exhaled in tangible relief and unrolled her capture tape, wrapping it around Intelli's leg.
Behind her, the shivering Iida finally slumped at the defeat of his partner, the paralyzed Todoroki having no reaction whatsoever, seemingly resigned to his position on the floor.
"Intelli is restrained … sloppy work, Ashido. I could teach you a thing or two~"
"The villain team wins! Please make your way to the observation room, you four. Ashido-san, please melt Iida-san out of his restraints."
Mina paused at the voices in her earpiece. "Midnight-sensei? Who's the second guy?"
"Ishiyama Ken, also known as Cementoss. I am your third homeroom teacher. Please just call me Ken-sensei."
'Ah." Mina sat there, breathing for a moment longer. "Can I call you Kensei?"
"Please don't."
The bony form of Yagi Toshinori dodged throes of gen-ed and business students trickling out of the crowded halls of UA University. Ducking, dodging, he turned down a relatively peaceful corner and made his way to the Dean's office.
He hadn't wanted to use that emergency button, he'd decided against his own instincts. It was better to keep a reserve of power than to let it trickle to the very last drop. Safer for emergencies, less risk of dropping his form, and unlikely to stress his limit. It was a choice he hated to make, to dip halfway through a lesson, but the class's size made it necessary.
He shook his head, leaving behind memories of comrades gone by, old classmates who retired or… disappeared. It seemed odd to feel nostalgic for the class of twenty, the way things were just last year, but past the odd visit or event here and there All Might had not been in UA for thirty-seven or so years. How things change with time. When was the last time he'd seen an old classmate? The only anchor, the only person left from back then, was Gran Torino, and even then he only visited the old codger every month or so.
He paused at a turn before the Dean's door. Toshinori may not have been an underground hero, may have been the face of spotlight heroics, may not have been the best teacher or up to any sort of par with Nedzu, but he was not a stupid man. His instincts were honed and his awareness keen.
"Aizawa-san."
"Look what the rat dragged in."
"I take it you're unhappy with my teaching performance?"
"I've always been unhappy about it, but you can only feel disappointment with a person's performance once they've done the deed. Or half of it."
Toshinori turned the corner, gesturing for the man to walk with him, which he did begrudgingly. The two walked side by side down the long, imposing hall decorated by portraits of alumni and cabinets full of awards, records, historic moments, portraits of past Deans, and the like.
He coughed a little blood into a prepared handkerchief. "You're aware of my time limit."
"Painfully aware. Do you make it a habit to ditch your students often, All Might?"
Toshinori scoffed. "Call me Toshinori."
"Preparing for retirement already?"
"Such sharp wit! You must be popular with your students. Maybe that's why they assigned you forty of them this year?"
Aizawa sighed, aging years in seconds behind his capture scarf. "Regrettably, I brought it upon myself. It was a necessary concession to amend the entrance exam."
The blonde beside him hummed. "I'm quite a fan of the new exam, truth be told. Filtering out those who failed the written before the practical and separating the two, more leeway for proctors and more categories of score assignment. My old sidekick, Mirai, would have benefitted greatly from such changes in the past."
Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "I thought you don't talk to him anymore?"
"I don't." Toshinori responded curtly.
Aizawa shrugged. "He seems to have made it anyhow. Working on a big case, says I'm a priority contact should he make headway."
"That's good to hear. He's… " Toshinori weighed his words. "...A good hero. I'm glad there will be more chances for others like… well, others with less physical quirks."
"It's only logical." Aizawa mumbled. "Students like Intelli, Hagakure, Aiba, Shinsou, Utsushimi… probably wouldn't have made it in without my changes."
"Yes." Toshinori replied, mind cast back to a recent memory. Had it already been almost a year..?
He shook his head, dispelling it. Food for thought for the man who couldn't eat. "I truly wish I could teach a few classes without powering up."
"Then do it." Aizawa nonchalantly replied.
Toshinori curtly shook his head. "Too much of a security risk with forty students. I'd wager at least Young Toga and Young Josei would be able to discern I'm the same person from smell alone."
Aizawa nodded absently. "Shouji too, with a creative application of his quirk. He could also hear your unique heartbeat. Jirou would certainly be able." He hummed under his scarf. "Hatsume too, if she got a look at your fingerprints."
"And Young Intelli would probably figure it out in seconds!" Toshinori chuckled. "Well, this is my stop. Unless you're eager to chat some more?"
"Leaving you to the rat is enough for me." Aizawa turned and promptly walked back down the hall.
"You must be in a good mood today, Aizawa-san. Am I growing on you?" Toshinori chuckled again as Aizawa scoffed in offense at the thought.
"If you have time for jokes you have time to correct your teaching habits." The man determinedly quickened his pace away from the blonde.
"We both know Kayama and Ishiyama vetting your expulsions this year isn't just because of the new class size."
Aizawa paused in his tracks.
"Does Dean Nedzu have full faith in your teaching habits, Aizawa?"
Toshinori watched as the erasure hero resumed his annoyed march away. Sighing, he reached a hand to the Dean's door - a formality, for it opened of its own accord. He strode in as it did, long since accustomed to the sight, greeted by the Dean's furry white face and inky-black unblinking eyes, one marred with a scar.
The mouse? - dog? - bear? Stared up at the tall man from behind a rich desk of carved mahogany, gently setting down a cup of steaming tea. "My goodness, Toshinori-san! What a surprise to see you here! Whatever sort of emergency would require you to come meet me immediately?"
The blonde sighed, taking a seat. He may have been the taller of the two, but it was impossible not to feel looked down upon in the Dean's presence. "My time limit."
"Your time limit! How pernicious indeed! It's regrettable, but unavoidable. I suppose even the number one hero has his own foibles. Whatever will you do with the rest of the day, hmm?"
Toshinori already knew the answer. "Teaching classes?"
The cackling he received was response enough.
Mina and Iida returned to the observation room, carrying Todoroki and Intelli on their backs respectively. Iida was shivering within his bulky armour, Todoroki still cold to the touch and limp, Intelli bruised and burned and Mina battered.
"You kiddies sure know how to leave a bruise!" Midnight exclaimed, receiving an exasperated look from Cementoss beside her. "Oh, don't look at me like that, they're all adults!"
He sighed. "Since you're the last back, I should reintroduce myself. I'm Ishiyama Ken, also know as Cementoss, and I'm your third and final homeroom teacher."
" C'mon , Asui-san, I just want one autograph." Midoriya whined, held back by his froggy friend.
"Remember to call me Tsu and maybe I will."
"Of course, As-Ts- nuts!"
" Maybe some other time, Midoriya-kun."
Their attention was diverted by a sudden and harsh crack of the whip, Midnight putting her hands on her hips. "All Might filled us on on what's happened so far. So! Give us the rundown - who's the MVP?"
Midoriya, Shouji, and Kendo hurriedly raised their hands, but Midnight waved them off. "So vanilla! Not one of you this time. Get someone new for a change, spice things up a little!!"
After a moment of deliberation, Kuroiro held up his pitch-black hand. "It would be remiss of me not to recognize Ashido-san as the MVP. She had difficulties managing her partner but still managed to earn her victory despite myriad disadvantages trying to drag her to the depths of failure."
"Aww, thanks Kuroiro!" Mina tiredly smiled. "Dunno if I'd say it was me though."
Tsubaraba held a hand up too. "I think it would be Intelli-san, though, right? She made a plan and worked well with her teammate. And she totally predicted what the enemy would do, which is crazy-smart".
"Yeah, but Iida held Todoroki up for like, quite a bit." Kaminari countered. " And he was listening to his teammate and worked with her to make their plans. I mean, technically he did everything right, right? He was the distraction. It's kinda on Intelli for not following through afterward."
"What about Todoroki-kun?" Juzo wondered aloud. "He did put up a good fight against Iida-kun…"
"But he refused to form a plan with his teammate and got taken out really quickly." Tsuyu finished the though, Juzo cringing at its obvious conclusion.
"Yeah, guess not."
Atop Mina, Todoroki managed a slight scowl, only vaguely hinting at the turmoil currently racing through his head. 'Mother's gift… wasted. That bastard…'
Cementoss held a hand aloft, signaling silence. "Very good points, all of you. I would choose Iida-kun or Intelli-san as the MVP. Though it was no fault of her own, I'd argue Ashido-san was too quick to go along with Todoroki-kun's plan. Why was that, Ashido-san?"
Mina shrugged with some effort, bending down a bit to rebalance Todoroki atop her shoulders. "I mean, he's the son of Endeavour, so I figured he knew what he was talking about. And when he froze the whole building, I could see he had the skill to back it up, so… I dunno."
Cementoss nodded. "Fair enough. It's important to know when to defer to someone else's plan, when to contribute your own ideas, and when to take control if it's necessary. This is still your first class with each other, so you can't be expected to understand everyone inside and out yet."
" Inside especially." Midnight joked. "Confidence is attractive, you know! Sometimes you need to assert yourself, whether it's with civilians or fellow heroes. When you're on the field, you can't afford to cower in the face of danger - be clear, prompt, and communicative."
"Quite right. By contrast, Iida-kun deferred to a partner with a specialty in strategy, and was much more assured in that compliance. While their plan may not have worked out to the letter, they both played their roles within it to the best of their ability. Remember, this is a team exercise! If we were solely assessing your raw combat power, we'd have set up one-on-one battles."
Midnight nodded sagely at her fellow teacher's words. "Intelli-san also managed to predict almost every move of the enemy team, worked together well with Iida-kun to take down the enemy team's heaviest hitter, and fought a hard battle against Ashido-san. That kind of intelligence gathering is incredibly valuable, especially in more complex operations, and it allowed her to level the playing field between the teams despite her team's disadvantage."
"It's quite hard to choose, so I'd give them both the MVP title. Good job, everyone!" Cementoss concluded. "You four. Head to Recovery Girl." He picked up All Might's tablet and poked it with a blocky stone finger, frowning before handing it off to Midnight. "You roll. Forgot it was a normal one."
Roll she did. "Round and round and round she goes! Where'll she-oh, that was quicker than I thought. I don't like it when they finish fast." She spun the tablet back around to the rest of the students theatrically, the screen bisected with the portraits of their student cards.
"Aiba Manami and Tsubaraba Kosei as our naive, delectable hero crew versus Kendo Itsuka and Fuwa Mawata as our sinfully decadent villain team!"
"Please, Kayama, stop."
"Oh I'll make you blush one day."
"I am physically incapable."
"All men say that until they try it." Midnight jibed, and turned back to the crowd. "Hop to it, time's a wastin'! Do you need some encouragement ?"
Giving a quick goodbye to Momo, Mei, and Josei, Manami jogged over to meet the other three, who were receiving their earpieces from Cementoss.
"I hope Midnight can't commentate this next match, dude." Tsubaraba leaned down to stage-whisper to Manami. She turned to him curiously. "How come?"
"Think about it. Kendo-san's quirk is Big Hands. My quirk is Solid Air. Do you realize what that means?"
"...No? I mean, I get the big hands thing, but what's so bad about Solid Air?"
"Do you know how I make the air solid?"
"Nope."
"I have to blow it."
"Ah."