My Hero Academia
Paying The Price
Chapter 4

Momo was in a flux of emotions as she strode down the empty school hallways. It was nearing sunset, and the orange light was casting streaks of amber across the lockers.

One part of her was worried for her gravity controlling friend, Uraraka. Something was definitely wrong with the small girl, and Momo couldn't help but let her instincts kick in and protect her.

But then, Momo was also confused, because despite doing her best for Uraraka, the girl now seemed to despise her. Momo could still recall the look of venom in the girl's usually soft brown eyes. It made Momo shiver, her raven hair quivering with the action.

And now, Momo was angry, because Bakugo was being his usual rude, violent self. She didn't care how good of a hero he was, when he barged into the classroom, shouting and swearing at Izuku, and then turning on her, it made her blood boil.

"Stuck up, stubborn, waste of space idiot," Momo muttered to herself angrily. After she had helped rescue Bakugo from All for One, she thought that he would have calmed down a little, and perhaps not been quite so violent.

Unfortunately, it seems the opposite had occured. He was now more prone to exploding, both physically and socially, than ever before.

And yet, Momo was striding down the hallways, peering into every female bathroom that she could come across. It wasn't often that Bakugo, the idiot, asked for much (outside of asking for people to die), so when he had asked her to go check all of the female bathrooms in the entire school, she had reluctantly obeyed.

"Fuck that pisses me off though," Momo swore under her breath. Taking orders from anyone was bad enough. Her dad was enough of a control freak in the house as it was. Taking orders from the blond haired idiot though? That pissed her off big time.

She didn't even know what she was looking for. A porn mag? A prank gone wrong? Izuku's lunchbox? Each was as unlikely as the last. Well… except for Izuku's lunchbox. That could be a thing.

However, she was thrown out of her thoughts when she approached the next bathroom. Faint noises could be heard within. As Momo gently pried the door open, wincing as it squeaked softly, she realised that the noises were sniffles.

There was no comment on the squeaky door, so whoever was crying was too distracted to notice. Momo stepped in, and realised instantly who was crying. Strands of toilet paper were floating limply in the air, defying gravity. Momo poked one of the strands with her finger, and watched as it slowly spun away, the toilet roll unravelling even further.

Sighing sadly, Momo walked over to the locked stall which the sniffles were coming from, and tapped lightly. A soft, muffled squeal assured Momo that it was indeed Uraraka inside.

"Uraraka, it's me, Momo… Are you alright?" Momo already knew what the answer was, but she didn't know what else to ask right now.

"Oh… hi, Momo. I'm fine! I uh… just have a cold right now!" Uraraka said with a forced, cheerful voice. Momo noticed that Uraraka was very good at hiding her emotions with her cheerful voice. If she hadn't heard Uraraka's sniffles, she may have even believed her.

"Don't be silly Uraraka. Let me come in. I'm worried about you."

"No. Just, leave me alone, I don't want to see anyone."

Momo wouldn't give up though. She pushed her finger into the small emergency key hole in the toilet stall. Allowing the lipids in her body to condense, she push soft clay into the keyhole. Slowly withdrawing it, trying not to damage her creation, she eyed it intently. She memorised all of the teeth and jagged edges of the clay, and then, closing her eyes, brought her other hand to her stomach. Once again, condensing the lipids in her body into a metal key. She flicked it around in her fingers, examining it for any flaws.

Finally, happy with her results, she inserted the metal key into the lock, and flicked the door open smoothly.

"Oh, honey," Momo said sadly. Uraraka was a sight for sore eyes. She had puffy, red, tear stained eyes. Her cheeks were more red than usual, and her hair was a tangled mess.

"Come here," Momo said, opening her arms gently. Uraraka seemed to hesitate, but then leapt forwards, collapsing into the taller girl. Uraraka bawled, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. Momo just held her close, rubbing her hand soothingly over the small girls back.

Eventually, Uraraka calmed down, and the loud sobs were reduced to quite hiccups. More in control of herself, the brown haired girl pulled away from Momo, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Uraraka, can I ask what happened to the cell phone I made you?" Momo asked gently. She wasn't angry, merely curious. Uraraka didn't answer immediately, instead reddening as she looked at the ground, downcast.

"I broke it," Uraraka said meekly.

"Why?" Momo asked, confused.

"Because I can't trust you. Not with everything your family's done," Uraraka said, admitting the truth for the first time. Momo felt a hand squeeze around her insides, clutching at her heart with it's cold, clammy hands. Things clicked into place for her. Not completely, but she was beginning to understand that Uraraka's situation was more difficult than initially thought.

"What have they done?" Momo asked, her voice tighter than before, snapping at the small girl. Uraraka didn't respond, her lips clasped firmly together. Momo realised that she wasn't going to get anything more.

"Come on then, let's get your bag from the classroom," Momo said gently, trying not to let the frustration creep into her voice. She didn't want to scare Uraraka away. The small girl was acting like an alleyway cat, ready to bolt at the first sudden movement.

The two girls left the bathroom, and made their way back to the classroom. Uraraka seemed on edge, her eyes flitting back and forth, intent on finding something, or someone. She finally relaxed when they reached the classroom, and Uraraka bolted over to her desk to sweep her few belongings back into her bag.

Sighing, Momo touched her fingertips to her stomach, and same as yesterday, produced a pink cell phone. She slipped it into Uraraka's bag, not letting the girl say no.

"This is the last one I'm making for you. You don't have to talk to me on it, but at least keep it on yourself," Momo said. "For protection," Momo added when Uraraka didn't immediately respond.

"Thank you Momo," Uraraka said sincerely. She smiled at Momo in an attempt to mimic her normal enthusiasm, but Momo could tell that it was diminished. Nevertheless, Momo appreciated the attempt, and smiled back sweetly.

"Anytime Uraraka."

There was a peaceful quiet between them for a minute. Momo went and packed her supplies, having not had time when Bakugo had berated her earlier.

The thought of the blond boy made her blood boil again, but she let it simmer as she recalled that it was his advice, moronic as it was, that helped her find Uraraka.

Had Bakugo known Uraraka was in the bathroom? If so, how had he found out? Why did he even care? Why get Momo to look for Uraraka if he knew where she was all along?

Momo snorted to herself. The last one was obvious. Bakugo had the emotional capacity of well… a teaspoon. A teaspoon that explodes when dipped into any form of liquid, but a teaspoon nonetheless.

As she thought about explosions and loud noises, the classroom door slammed open loudly. Momo jumped up, startled, her fingers already building up lipids to construct a metal bo in defence. She relaxed though when she recognised the familiar green spiky hair of Izuku. What she didn't recognise was the tenseness in the boys shoulders, and the compressed, sealed away anger that seemed to emanate from him, ready to spring and lash out in a moment.

His green eyes widened in surprise as he noticed that he was not alone. In particular, Momo noticed that his gaze focused on Uraraka, not letting her out of his vision.

Uraraka on the other hand seemed to curl up on herself. Her face fell, her bangs covering her eyes, while she began fidgeting with her hands in her lap as she sat on her school chair.

Izuku seemed to be having a mental debate. Something won out in the end though, as he stepped towards Uraraka. His shoulders were just as tense, but instead of anger, he seemed to be controlled by a different emotion. Apprehension, perhaps.

He reached into his back pocket, and dropped an envelope on Uraraka's desk. Momo had absolutely no idea what was in it, but Uraraka seemed to. If she looked awkward before, now she looked shriveled up. Her body was twisted away from Izuku, her eyes were glaring at the envelope, and her thin arms were wrapped around her body, hugging herself.

"I don't care if you ever want to see me again or talk to me again, but this is everything that's left. You don't have to worry anymore." Izuku gave Uraraka a small nod, and content with himself, left the room quickly. Uraraka didn't say anything to try and stop him. She lashed out with a hand and grabbed the envelope, peeking into its contents.

"What's in there?" Momo asked, walking towards Uraraka. The brown haired girl panicked though, and stuffed the envelope in her bag and jumped out of her chair.

"Ahaha, it's nothing, it's nothing!" Uraraka said, rubbing the back of her head as she laughed happily.

Momo desperately wanted to know what was in the envelope, but she tried to contain herself. For the first time today, Uraraka was looking like her normal self.

"Thanks for everything today Momo, I'll see you tomorrow!" Uraraka called, dashing out of the room.

Momo stood there in the empty room, listening to the pattering of Uraraka's footsteps echo slowly away. She had never been more confused in her life.

Not wanting to stay at school any longer, she left, sliding the classroom door shut behind her.

Hopefully tomorrow would be more normal.

Uraraka ran down the school steps, her bag swaying back and forth as she took the steps in a rush. She wanted to catch up to Deku. She didn't know how, or why, but somehow, he had saved her from the worst mistake of her life.

Smiling to herself, she felt a warmth inside of her that she hadn't felt in… well, a long time. Her cheeks were rosy and blushed, and she was feeling more like her usual self.

She ran past the school gates, and saw Deku ahead. He wasn't running, but he was walking at quite a fast pace. She put a hand up, and was about to call out to him, when she paused.

Had he seen the photos?

Surely. He had been the one to get them for her.

Then he had seen her in nothing but her underwear.

"Oh god!" Uraraka, blushing heavily. Suddenly, the thought of seeing Deku was a little… embarrassing.

What did he think? What if he thought she was ugly. What if he stole a photo? What if he was disgusted with her?

Uraraka was fretting, grabbing the side of her skirt nervously. Did she call out to Deku, or did she run away?

Breathing out heavily, Uraraka gave up. She was too embarrassed. In a spur of a moment action though, she withdrew the new cell phone that Momo had made her. It was identical to the last one; pink and cute.

The camera clicked as Uraraka snapped a photo of Deku. It wasn't a great photo. Deku was kind of far away, and his back was turned to her, but it was a photo of him nevertheless. Giggling to herself, she set it to her phone wallpaper.

"Tomorrow, I'll talk to him," Uraraka promised, before turning away to head home, with a skip in her step. Every thirty meters she would flip open her cellphone and giggle and blush, finally happy with how things were going.

Uraraka was up the next morning before her alarm went off. She hopped out of bed with surprising coordination, and grabbed her phone, ready to disable the alarm before it rung it's awful tune. She smiled at Deku on her phone, content to stand there and look at him forever, until the alarm went off. Startled, she juggled the phone, trying not to drop it.

Cancelling the alarm, and hugging the pink phone to her chest in relief, she got ready for school. Her parents were once again noticeably absent, but Uraraka didn't let it bother her today. There was fresh bread today, so she grabbed a few slices for breakfast.

Her walk to school mirrored the warm weather. She hopped on every second step, letting her skirt sway back and forth to her movement.

"Hmm hmm hmhmm," she hummed to herself, lost in her own mind. She would get to class, drop her bag off, go to Deku's desk, and say hi to him. Yes, it would be a little awkward, but she wanted to get over that as soon as possible. Not even the realisation that she would have to see Mineta again made her mood drop.

She arrived at the 1-A classroom to the familiar noisy chatter. In an unusual fashion, Eraserhead was already there, sitting at his desk lazily, his head in his arms as he snoozed.

Uraraka dropped her bag off and glanced around the classroom, looking for a familiar fluff of green hair. Sighing, when she realised he hadn't arrived yet, she fell into her chair.

She waited impatiently, rotating between watching the classroom door and fiddling with her phone. When he eventually arrived, sliding the door open, she leapt to her feet. Before she could call out though, she was interrupted by Eraserhead.

"Midoriya, to the principal's office," Eraserhead called, having lifted his head from the desk. Seeing that Deku had heard him, Eraserhead let his head fall back onto his desk.

Looking at Deku properly, Uraraka noticed that he didn't look overly great. Perhaps he hadn't slept well, but he had dark rings under his eyes, and his movements were stiff and jolty. Hearing the news, his shoulders slumped, but he left the classroom without a word.

Uraraka groaned, grumbling into her elbow as she sunk onto her desk. Stupid Eraserhead. Now she'd have to build up the courage all over again.

Momo gave her a cheeky grin from the back of the classroom, but it was quickly replaced by a frown of concern as she looked at the classroom door. She must have been worried about Deku.

Uraraka wondered why Izuku was in trouble. Surely, it must be something from yesterday. Casting her eyes across the room, Uraraka noticed that Mineta was actually absent. In addition, once Eraserhead called for class to start, she noticed that Sero and Kaminari were also missing. The class felt oddly small with four of the boys currently missing.

Class was agonizingly slow. It didn't matter what material was being taught, Uraraka was completely distracted. Her eyes kept flickering to the class door, waiting for Deku to return, but he never did. Sero and Kaminari made a surprise appearance during one of the classroom breaks.

They didn't look great. They were wrapped up in various bandages, and as they entered the classroom they walked stiffly and slowly. Uraraka hoped that they were alright. Mineta still hadn't returned, which was the only saving grace of the day.

As the lunch bell rang, and Eraserhead dismissed them, the room exploded into a flurry of chatter and gossip. Rumours were flying around. Why had Deku not returned. Why were Sero and Kaminari injured, and why were they oddly quiet about the matter?

Of course, things became more intense once Bakugo joined the fray.

"Oi, you bastards!" He shouted, storming towards Kaminari and Sero, who looked absolutely terrified. Bakugo had crackles fluttering between his fingertips. "Which one of you ratted Deku out!"

Now the class was listening.

"It wasn't us," Sero said quietly and fearfully, creeping back into his chair. The last thing he wanted in his injured state was to get blasted by Bakugo.

"We swear!" Kaminari added. Bakugo seemed to fume at their response, but didn't press it.

"So it was the bobble haired freak eh?"

"No… it wasn't him either, we don't know who told the principal…"

Bakugo swore at them further, and unleashed a few explosions, but they were more for atmospheric effect than anything else, and the two boys walked away unscathed. Bakugo seemed even angrier than before though, as he kicked Deku's desk down as he stormed past in a rage.

The class broke into a new wave of whispering as people began drifting out for lunch. Uraraka stayed in her seat, processing everything she had heard.

For some reason, Kaminari and Sero were in on something with Mineta, and Uraraka only had ot guess once what it was. Suddenly, she was not feeling very sorry for their injuries after all.

The injuries also begun to make sense, what with Deku being sent to the principal's office. Her green haired hero had obviously gone overboard yesterday.

She would have to thank him for that.

But he never returned to class, and as Eraserhead silenced the class for the rest of the day, Uraraka went back to her thoughts.

If Bakugo's interrogation was to be believed, than it was none of the boys that dobbed Deku into the school. If it wasn't them though, it left only one remaining person who knew about the fights.

Uraraka glanced behind her at the raven haired quirk user. Momo was staring intently at the blackboard, diligently writing down notes as Uraraka should have been doing. Uraraka didn't want to distrust Momo. The girl was an oddity, what with her father destroying Uraraka's life, and yet she was unnecessarily kind to Uraraka yesterday despite that.

No one else knew about the fights though. Uraraka didn't want to accuse Momo, but there was no one else-

But there could have been! Uraraka quickly realised who was the mastermind behind these events. Someone who could've been there the whole time, and they never would have known. Someone Uraraka already didn't trust.

"Toru," She growled softly, grinding her teeth together in anger. If she got her hands on the invisible girl, she was going to regret every hurting Deku's reputation.

The class cheered as the school bell rang. Everyone was eager to return home. It was a Thursday afternoon and there was only one more day of school. Uraraka was disappointed that she hadn't seen Deku all day. Hopefully he'd be at school tomorrow.

She desperately hoped he hadn't been suspended, or even worse, expelled. The thought made her shiver, but she brushed it aside, and tried smiling instead. Things were better now. It was time to act like it.

As she packed her bags, Momo approached her. Uraraka was still in two minds about the raven haired girl, but she had to make up her mind. Clutching the pink cell phone in her hand, hidden in her pocket, she decided that, for now, she'd give Momo a chance.

"Hey Uraraka. Feeling better today?" Momo asked, resting an elbow on Uraraka's desk.

"Hehe, sure am!" Uraraka replied in an upbeat tone. Momo smiled in relief.

"That's good…" Momo glanced around the classroom, noticing that it was just the two of them left. The class had dispersed very quickly indeed. Momo leaned in closer, lowering her voice as she spoke.

"Listen, about yesterday. I wanted to talk to you about it. I think I can-"

"I'm sorry Momo," Uraraka said suddenly, interrupting the taller girl, "but I don't feel comfortable talking to you. I just can't trust you."

Uraraka tried to make her voice as harsh as possible (which was actually quite hard), while she resisted the urge to look around the classroom. It wouldn't matter. If Toru was here, listening on in the conversation, Uraraka would never know.

She didn't want to push Momo away, but just for now, she had to.

"Ok, but, I was just wondering if-"

"I have to go Momo. Please leave me alone."

Uraraka walked quickly out of the classroom, trying not to look behind her. SHe could picture Momo's hurt face in her mind. The tall girl was growing on Uraraka. Uraraka really thought that she was on her side. However, if that was the case, there was even more reason to be careful with the threat of Toru.

Uraraka walked home quickly. Ever since realising that she couldn't trust Toru, she felt that nowhere was safe. Was Toru following her home? Was the invisible girl spying on Deku? Was he alright?

Momo resisted the urge to text Deku on her phone. She had to wait until she was.

She unlocked her front door, and slipped through, slamming it shut behind her instantly. There should have been no way for Toru to slip in.

To make sure, Uraraka did the same thing with her bedroom door, flicking the lock after it slammed shut. Finally, she went to her bed and pulled off the bed sheet. Using her quirk to make the sheet weightless, she begun spinning it around the room. Uraraka made sure it brushed against all of the walls and corners.

Only when she was certain that Toru wasn't hiding somewhere and stuck in the sheet did Uraraka relax. She closed the curtains to her window, collapsed in her bed, and pulled out her phone.

She wanted to text Deku, to see if he was alright, but she knew she quickly had to make amends with Momo. She had just made a new friend. She didn't want to lose that right away.

Dear Momo. I am sorry for my behaviour after class. I was worried we were being spied on. Texting at home is much safer.

Momo hit the send button, and waited in anticipation for Momo's message. It was a while before Momo did respond, and Uraraka had begun to grow nervous.

Dear Uraraka. I don't understand. Who would possible be spying on us.

Uraraka grimaced. Momo didn't really know about anything that had happened recently. She knew nothing about Mineta and Toru's activities. Uraraka was worried. Would Momo even believe her? What if Momo chose Toru over her?

Uraraka shook her head roughly. She couldn't let her own thoughts win before the fight even started. She had decided to trust Momo, and she would follow it through.

Momo, I am worried that Toru has been spying on me recently. Yesterday, she was involved in an incident with me and Mineta. I don't feel safe around her.

Is that why Mineta was absent, and Izuku was called to the principals?

I think so… I'm not 100% sure. I know that Deku did nothing wrong though! He's innocent!

There was a pause before Momo replied. Uraraka knew that the girl was very logical, and that she was probably analysing the whole situation. Uraraka just hoped her story would come out on top.

I am having difficulty believing that students in our own class would be targeting you Uraraka.

Uraraka's heart fell. This was what she had been worried about. The class had gone through so much together in the first semester. It would obviously be hard for Momo to begin doubting them. The phone dinged again.

However, I would be blind not to notice that the classroom has been… different, this semester.

I'm not asking you to pick a side Momo. Just… be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt.

Thank you Uraraka. I will take your words to heart.

Uraraka breathed out a large sigh of relief. She felt a hundred times lighter. Another phone notification brought her back into the conversation.

If I could ask, who else are you concerned that I should worry about?

Sero and Kaminari, as well as Toru and Mineta.

Ah. I see. Sero and Kaminari walked into class injured today. Your story certainly seems plausible Uraraka. You have given me a lot to think about. I shall contact you again tomorrow, once I have decided.

Thank you Momo. That's all I ask for.

Have a good night Uraraka.

You too Momo!

With the conversation over, Uraraka moved to the next order of business; Deku. With a silly smile on her face as she looked at her wallpaper, she flipped to her contacts. Her heart fell when she realised that she didn't have Deku as a contact.

"Oh no…" She groaned, collapsing on her bed in a slump. "Stupid Deku," she grumbled, knowing it wasn't really his fault at all. "He better be at school tomorrow."

Uraraka woke up that night to loud noises coming from downstairs. It seemed to be a combination of hands slamming onto wooden tables, and loud raised voices echoing upstairs.

A bit confused and concerned, Uraraka slipped out of bed, and pulled a thin nightgown over herself. She was wearing an oversized blue shirt with a cat on it and simple pink shorts, and the nightgown helped keep the night chills away.

She clawed the door open slowly and crept to the edge of the stairs, trying to eavesdrop over the railing.

"You told us this would be the end of it!" Uraraka's father seemed angry, but at the same time, defeated.

"Circumstances have changed," an unknown voice said. It was unmistakable female. She was smoothly spoken, with the disposition of a salesperson.

"How? We went through with our side of the bargain. What has changed?" Uraraka's mother seemed far more distressed than her father. Uraraka began creeping closer, wanting to know what this bargain was.

"There was outside interference." A different voice was speaking now. This voice was male. He lacked the smoothness that his lady counterpart spoke with, and seemed to be grunting at the end of his sentences. "The… assets, were forcibly removed from our agents."

"That's your damn fault then. Don't blame this on us!" Uraraka's father slammed his fist into the table. A scattering of chairs and footsteps suddenly erupted. Uraraka crept down the stairs and peeked through a gap in the bannister.

The lady, although small in stature, and a steel fist wrapped around Uraraka's father's throat. His toes were twitching, trying to touch the floor, but the lady held him up easily.

"Don't raise my voice at me. The higher ups are very disappointed in everyone's performance. Retributions must be paid."

"I'm.. sorry. Please… let me... go."

The lady let go of him, and he slumped to the ground weakly. The steel fist the lady had began dissolving away, leaving behind just normal skin.

"It's simple," the man said. Unlike the lady, Uraraka couldn't see any visible quirk on him. "Tonight, we take the photographs again, and things go back to normal. Just as they would have before the… outside interference."

"...No more debt?" Uraraka's father said weakly.

"Correct."

Uraraka watched as her parents glanced at each other, trying to have a silent conversation. THey seemed to come to a decision, because her mother nodded, and her father faced the two suited individuals.

"Fine. We agree. It's not like it really changes anything from the original deal," Uraraka's father said. She was suddenly feeling quite sick in her stomach, and not because she had been overusing her quirk. The talk of photographs, and outside interference… and her parent's involvement. Surely Uraraka wasa overthinking things. Her parents loved her. They wouldn't sell her out like this. Uraraka desperately listened as her mother spoke up.

"Uraraka is upstairs, I'll go wake her."

Uraraka felt a chill settle through her body, freezing her heart.

"No need. We'll go ourselves," the lady spoke, and the sound of chairs being drawn backwards, scraping on the ground rung through the living room.

Jolted into action, Uraraka clasped a hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't make any noises and alert the strangers. She scrambled up the stairs, and slowly closed her bedroom door, flicking the lock on the way. She glanced around her room, looking for an escape. The only option was the window.

She reached for the window, pulling at the small handle, but it wouldn't budge. It was locked, and the key to open it was downstairs.

She felt her heart rate increasing, and the signs of hyperventilating occuring. Should she smash the window? The sound would definitely alert the strangers, but it would mean she could escape.

Could she outrun them? She looked around her room for something heavy and hard. There was nothing though, especially after the debt collectors had raided her room, taking anything of value.

The door handle rattled, and soft, murmuring voices could be heard on the other side. Uraraka felt a bit of relief. The door was locked, they would have to smash it to get inside.

"Let me, the mother gave me the key," the lady said. Uraraka once again felt sick as she stared at the door knob in disbelief. She heard the lock flick open. Uraraka felt her heart break. How could her parent's do this to her.

She quickly dashed to the corner of her room, on the blind corner of the door. She was hugging her wooden wardrobe, which was practically empty with clothes. If it came to this, Uraraka wasn't going to go down easy. Deku had saved her from the first round of photographs. She was never going to let that happen to her now. She wished she had thought to call Momo now on the phone. It was too late though, as the door swung open, and a beam of light illuminated her bare room.

"Tch, the girl's not in bed. She must have heard us," the man said.

"The windows closed. She didn't pass by us. She's in the room. Find her."

The lady closed the door, and as she turned around, she felt the full impact of a wooden wardrobe smash into her face. Uraraka was holding the large wardrobe in both hands, swinging it as easily as a baseball bat. The lack of gravity didn't take away from the mass of the object at all, and as it smashed into the lady's face, her nose splintered, and blood spurted out from her nose and cheekbone.

She collapsed to the ground, clutching her face in agony. Unfortunately for Uraraka, she didn't seem to be knocked out.

Realising they were under attack, the other man leapt forwards, showing surprising agility for being in a suit. He reached for Uraraka, and she dashed out of the way. Remembering her martial arts training, she lashed out with a foot, trying to hit his ankle and trip him.

She grimaced as her bare foot landed against his thick calf. He didn't even stumble. Gulping, Uraraka was in no place to dodge as he reached down, and pressed his palm against her cheek.

Instantly, Uraraka felt her vision disappear and replaced by the black and gray static that her television sometimes displayed. She cried in shock, but realised she couldn't hear either. There was only a dull sound of static rumbling in her ears. She couldn't hear, and she couldn't see. She understood why they may have sent this man and his quirk to take "photographs".

She felt her blood flare in anger though. She wasn't going down like this. She could still feel, and she knew the man's hand was pressed on her cheek. Reaching up blindly with her hands and wrapping them around his wrist. Concentrating on the small pads on her fingertips, she unleashed her quirk, making the large man weightless. She then fell backwards on purpose, and with her feet, kicked upwards, whilst yanking the man's wrist away with her hands.

The man floated up towards the ceiling from the momentum of the kick. As soon as his hand left her face, she felt her vision and hearing return. She turned to run down the stairs, eager to make as much distance between herself and the two suited attackers.

The wind was squeezed out of her lungs however, as a metal fist slammed into her stomach. Coughing and spluttering, Uraraka fell to the ground. She felt herself lose control of her quirk, and the man fell to the ground from the ceiling. He let out a loud grunt and a swore in pain, but seemed relatively unharmed.

"This is it," Uraraka thought to herself. She didn't have anymore fight left in her. The advantage of surprise was gone. She had failed. She felt a little bit of vindictive pride in herself as she looked at the shattered nose and cheekbone of the lady. She deserved it, and more.

It was a shame really, Uraraka thought to herself. All she had really wanted to do was thank Deku. Now… well, she might not ever get the chance to do that.

And as she closed her eyes, trembling in her thin nightgown, and oversized shirt with a small cat on it, she heard the two words she never thought she'd hear.

"Detroit… SMASH!"

Anyone know what pop vinyls are? Weird, creepy looking bobbleheads with big black eyes that stare into your soul? Yeah, those thing? My "My Hero Academia" pops arrived, and they're super cute. I was contemplating changing the display picture of the story to them. Thoughts?!

Anyway. Relatively quick update (patting my own back in congratulations). I'm hoping to keep a pretty steady pace going, so hopefully you'll hear from me again soon.

Thanks for all the support fellow weebs!

Cheers,

Council.