EDIT: this chapter was edited on 9/1/18 - minor grammar and paragraph break edits, major additional narration.
Be Good
Be good for the fourth time
"So I heard you have some questions about Anya Karino."
Although Aizawa's expression showed apathy, his voice had a certain edge to it.
It was only the third day of the first semester and Class 1-A felt like they were about to take their major exam. Aizawa was intimidating. Even if he didn't say it out loud, they knew he was not amused by the news reaching his ears.
Aizawa planned to explain a few things about Anya, just not at that time frame. He wanted them to train first, learn more and get stronger until they were ready to challenge her. That was how he rolled with the previous classes he handled, no matter how few the students he accepted back then. Skipping steps ahead wasn't always a good thing. Time was a precious resource and wasting it over something they weren't ready yet was simply irrational.
"Now where is the runt who wants to ask questions, huh?"
Due to his intimidation, a certain redhead had reluctantly raised his hand. "Uh, that was me, sir."
Aizawa focused his gaze on him. "…Eijiro Kirishima. So? What is it?"
"Uh, well, we read the document you asked us to and there was an isolated paper about Karino. We're just wondering what that was for."
"You read it, yes? I'm sure the intent is clearly stated. Do not mention Anya Karino to anyone outside U.A. unnecessarily."
"Yes but why?" Iida asked next.
Aizawa's lazy hooded eyes swept through the room until they settled at a certain silver-haired girl sitting at the far back. Their eyes met for a second before Aizawa blinked and sighed.
"Questions about why, how, when, where, what and who will not be entertained. This information will not help you in your journey to becoming a hero. Knowing will only jeopardize your future. In short, these questions are irrelevant and unreasonable. Now let's all drop the issue and focus on your classes."
"You make it sound like we have a choice when we actually don't." Hanta Sero, a boy with elbows shaped of cylindrical tape dispensers commented.
"That just means we can't ask questions, right?" Tsuyu Asui, the frog-like girl seconded.
"That doesn't sound fair." Mina Ashido, a girl whose skin was tinted pink added.
"Want to know what I think? I think it's unfair." Yuga Aoyama, a boy with blond hair and bright eyes joined in.
"Maybe the reason she's being grumpy is because of the contract?" Ochaco Uraraka, a short girl with brown hair and brown eyes questioned.
"You asked us to sign and pledge our silence. You might as well tell us everything!" Denki Kaminari, the boy with lightning-shaped blond hair proclaimed.
While Anya chose to stay silent in the background due to her complete indifference to the matter, the rest of the class preferred to keep to themselves for either of two reasons: one, they were simply uninterested or two, they were keen enough to discern Aizawa's temper silently rising as he heard each of them voice their selfish opinions upon the matter.
It didn't take long for Aizawa to snap.
"It's only been the third day and you're all bold enough to make a fuss. How irrational." Aizawa brushed up his hair to reveal a menacing glare directed at the whole class. With a wicked grin, he declared, "Fine. Let's play a game. Win, and I'll divulge as much information to satisfy your ridiculous curiosities. Lose, and punishment worse than expulsion awaits you."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense and the silence, although had occurred for only a second long after Aizawa's declaration, seemed to suffocate them. The clock kept ticking and none of them dared to move a muscle, some even stopped breathing. Aizawa's daunting presence shrunk their resolve.
"If I don't hear a plus ultra in ten seconds, the deal is off."
"But teacher Aizawa, shouldn't you tell us what game we're playing first?" Momo Yaoyorozu, a girl with long black hair tied into a spiky ponytail managed to speak up despite the chills she felt traveling through her spine.
"No. This is a test of resolve." Aizawa paused, throwing a fleeting glance at Anya whose face showed a mix of disinterest and irritation. "I've seen how strongly you clung to your dreams as you raced against Anya during the first day's event. However, I'll say it again: knowing will only jeopardize your future. If you still insist, I need to see how strong your resolves are, considering mere curiosity destroys your dreams."
"I'M GAME!" Katsuki Bakugo abruptly yelled. "I'll win no matter what you throw at me! I'll crack that bitch's stupid invulnerability!"
"Must all of us agree?" Shoto Todoroki, the boy with a scar joined in. "Because if not then, I'm up to the challenge. I'll play your game, teacher Aizawa, and I'll win." as he declared his last words, he turned his gaze to Anya whose only response was a simper.
The rest of the class were quiet and hesitant, and although a few seemed to admire the oddballs who openly spoke up, they just couldn't decide.
"That won't work. You must play the game as a class, otherwise it's meaningless." Aizawa sighed. He had really been sighing a lot these days. "You're down to four seconds. No answer means no game."
The two boys raring to unleash their mettle in the battlefield sat restlessly on their seats as they awaited their classmates' response. The blond one glared daggers at each of them, a bad attempt to force them in answering through fear and intimidation while the other chose to stare solemnly at them, almost telling them they need only agree and he'll handle the rest. Both boys were selfish, that much was clear, but perhaps as teenagers with raging hormones and turbulent feelings and emotions, their curiosity got the better of them.
And so, before the last second ticked, the deafening silence was penetrated with a loud chorus of plus ultra.
This only made Aizawa's grin grow wider and more sinister.
"Let's hope you don't regret your decision, kids."
The walls of the classroom clicked and after a rumble, shelves pushed out from them.
"Proceed to Ground Beta in ranking order after you change into your costumes."
"But it's still morning! Isn't battle training supposed to be during afternoon classes?" the query came from a floating girl's uniform. It was the invisible girl Toru Hagakure.
"Today is an exception. I decide what you do in this class." Aizawa gestured to Anya, whose immediate response was to stand up and to follow the man to leave the room. "Make sure you wear your costumes properly. You're going to need the advantage."
=/=
Class 1-A assembled by the gates of Ground Beta. Anxious they may be, they stood proud in their costumes and looked eager to take on whatever challenge Aizawa had in store for them.
"What if the game involves fighting teacher Aizawa himself?"
"I think we'll end up fighting Karino instead."
"There's a good chance we're fighting both. And if that happens, teacher Aizawa should be our priority. His quirk is troublesome and we'd be left defenseless against Karino once he uses erasure on any of us. From what I can recall, Karino's quirk allowed her to mimic superhuman strength. It'll be bad if she throws a punch when we're robbed of our quirk. I wonder if-"
"SHUT UP DAMN NERD! YOU PISS ME OFF!"
"HIIEEE!"
The students nervously waited for their homeroom teacher to appear. Three students, namely Ochako Uraraka, Tenya Iida and Izuku Midoriya, decided to spend their time guessing the game they were about to play. While Uraraka voiced her fear of clashing against their hero teacher, Iida offered the comfort of battling Anya instead. Midoriya, on the other hand, muttered audibly to himself that the other two couldn't help but be infected by his exuding agitation.
Not to mention, the rest of the class could hear him due to the tense silence they failed to notice as they were left pondering Aizawa's plans that day. Of course, the short-tempered Bakugo quickly addressed the issue with his loud, ear-splitting growl of a complaint, to which the smaller boy shrieked in response to his terror over the other.
"Ah, good. You're all here." Aizawa announced as he arrived. He carried with him a box with the label 'Lots'. "All Might mentioned you did battle training yesterday so this should be quick to explain. We'll play a game of tag. Similarly, all of you will work in twos but this time, all of you plays the hero role. Split into two teams: engage team and rescue team. There will be ten pairs, five of which is in charged of fighting the villain and the other five in charged of rescuing the hostage. This is both an indoor and outdoor battle."
"Question!" Iida stepped forward. "How is this a game of tag?"
"You should be asking who is the villain and who is the hostage."
All heads turned to the source of the voice. They found Anya emerging from the tunnel-like entrance of Ground Beta, and due to her costume giving her a certain new look, most eyes remained glued to her.
"Karino looks strangely..sexy." pink-skinned Ashido mindlessly uttered. She was both surprised and amazed by how Anya looked at the time.
The costume Anya wore was Midnight's idea.
Due to her quirk's nature, there was no any real need for Anya to meticulously design her costume. In fact, even if she wore normal clothes, it had little to no effect in the power and ability of her quirk. But, the 18+ hero seemed to consider one critical fact about Anya's quirk - it was limited to her skin.
So, Anya found herself wearing something almost similar to Midnight's: a peach, skintight bodysuit with black, lacy long sleeves which were torn at the ends; her toes stuck out of her bodysuit, just as her heels. And in an odd addition, she wore a thick, golden choker on her neck.
"It's eye candy! Eye candy!" Minoru Mineta, a short boy with grape-like hair commented as drool seemed to spill from his gaping mouth.
"Took you long enough, Anya." Aizawa beckoned to her. "Continuing, there is only one villain and one hostage. Take a guess."
"I'd say we're rescuing Anya from you, teacher Aizawa." Kyoka Jiro, the girl with earphone jacks hanging on her earlobes stated.
"You got it backwards." Aizawa dangerously smirked. "You will rescue me from Anya."
=/=
Ground Beta was a familiar place to Anya. She had traversed its vastness numerous times, and fought many battles in it, hence she learned its area structure - she could draw a whole map of it at the back of her hand just from memory.
The conditions set for the game were simple, yet because of its extreme simplicity, Anya knew she could get creative on winning. But, aware of her own limits, Anya figured there was no room for playing around.
And so, she arrived at a most logical decision and thought up a plan to claim victory.
Anya walked a step behind Aizawa. Although the game commenced five minutes ago, the duo moved rather slowly. They made their way to one of the buildings which stood the farthest away from the exit in the area to take shelter. Indoor battles limited movements and the use of quirks, thus making it an ideal stage for Anya.
"Shota, are you sure about this?"
Anya, amid her excitement, was fairly nervous. Not for being pitted against students who earned Aizawa's approval - it wasn't the first time she fought against such students - but rather, because it was her first time wearing a hero costume for a fight.
"They're young so this level of irrationality is expected. They're being too arrogant and rash, they need to be taught a lesson."
"...I might kill them."
Anya hardly cared about the students' well-being but she was deeply concerned with Aizawa's and the principal's opinion about her.
Aizawa halted in his tracks after hearing Anya's weak voice. He looked at her and told her, "If you think you can easily kill them, then you haven't learned."
Anya stood dejected. Hearing Aizawa speak so highly of them spoke volumes of his trust in them and their future. It confused her, and the confusion led to her frustration as well. She simply couldn't see what Aizawa had seen from the bunch for him to regard them in such high opinion.
Aizawa resumed walking and added, "Besides, your goal should be not kill them. You need to control your power. Master it, and you'll be able to use that destructive quirk of yours to protect those you hold dear."
"...Protect? You think I can do that?" Anya couldn't suppress a bitter smile. Although she was meant to become hero, she never considered her quirk to be suitable for saving or protecting others. She was quick to give up, yet she couldn't help it. It was in her nature, though she was unsure if it worsened after 'that' incident.
Aizawa stole a quick glance at her. He understood Anya's bitterness. The girl was quite smart, too smart that she reached the most logical yet devastating conclusion with regards to the usefulness of her quirk. He might had overstepped the boundaries of her beliefs with his last statement, but Aizawa firmly believed that Anya was too harsh on herself for judging her own abilities way too hasty.
"Being good at one thing doesn't mean it's the only thing you're good for."
Anya smiled to herself. Although Aizawa spoke of it lightly, Anya felt his sincerity behind those words. Aizawa was hard to read, but Anya certainly knew how warm, no, too soft a person Aizawa was considering he strongly believed in logic.
Ironically, Anya actually found it very irrational of him.
"Anyway, at least aim to win today. Knock them all out."
Anya hurried to Aizawa's side and grabbed the hem of his sleeve. "Yes. I'll do my best and give them hell, Shota!" she gleefully replied.
A genuine smile was a rare sight, especially from the pale-skinned child. Anya occasionally graced them a smile, but the difference between her casual smiles and the real ones were simply too great. It was perhaps the brightest smile Aizawa ever saw from the child's face, and he had to take a moment to take in such rare picture and to memorize the beautiful features of her unbridled happiness.
The moment was abruptly broken when a laser beam shot from behind of the building the two was about to enter. Aimed at Anya, the beam easily changed direction with a flick of her wrist.
"Hmm. I guess they're here." Anya muttered under her breath. She positioned herself ahead of Aizawa who immediately stopped in place.
Not later, another laser beam was fired to Anya's direction. She easily repelled the attack but a large tail with a hairy tip immediately followed. It suddenly appeared in front of her face, triggering her passive reflection. It hurled its owner, who was Mashirao Ojiro, a muscular, blond boy with a tail, to the opposite direction.
As he plummeted to the ground, Ojiro swiftly picked himself up to dodge the incoming bright beam. He was grateful for falling flat on the ground instead of crashing against the wall because otherwise, he would have been unable to completely evade the attack.
"She really does seem invulnerable." Ojiro muttered under his breath as he hid behind a wall. He crouched down to catch his breath, waiting for his partner to make another move.
A couple more beams shot past the wall Ojiro was hiding at. He could hear Anya's footsteps, light and soft, getting closer to his position until finally, the silver-haired peeked next to the wall.
Seeing how Anya effortlessly shrugged off the laser beams his partner had been throwing at her, Ojiro panicked. He immediately jumped back to create distance.
Anya gave him a cruel smile. "You know, I respect you for earning Shota's approval with just your tail for a quirk. Regrettably, as a villain I'll have to put you to sleep hero."
Anya reached out her hand to him.
Due to her leisurely movements, Ojiro became indecisive. None of them fully understood how Anya's quirk worked, most of them were only guessing. Curiosity crippled his decision-making. For a split second, the idea of letting her touch him crossed his mind. Yet, he settled with his initial inklings and stayed cautious of her, causing him to bolt down the other way.
"Leaving your partner behind, I see. Sensible but disappointing for a hero."
Anya's remark threw Ojiro off making him hesitate and slow down. When he turned to look back at her, a white beam struck his side. Ojiro stumbled and fell to the ground. Before he could stand back on his feet, Anya loomed over him, and the last thing he caught sight of before losing consciousness was Anya's disgusted face.
Not later, a muscular boy with brown, spiky hair and full lips appeared together with a blond whose hair was shaped like lightning. They were Rikido Sato and Denki Kaminari respectively.
"We'll distract her so hurry up and fetch teacher Aizawa!" Kaminari shouted out in the air as he discharged electricity.
Flashes of electricity slithered under Anya's bare feet and rebounded to the wall next to her an inch before making physical contact.
Anya seemed frozen for a second, her eyes glued at the wall suffering the attack meant for her. It sustained a small crack surrounded by faint burn marks, an updraft of white smoke was also visible and it told Anya of the amount of voltage the boy released.
Death by electrocution. Sounds shocking. Anya thought to herself, a smirk decorating her face.
Kaminari let out a nervous chuckle. "Hah. This ain't going to be easy."
And with that, the two newcomers dared to challenge Anya.
=/=
Eight minutes passed since the game started and Anya already defeated two pairs: Ojiro-Aoyama pair and Sato-Kaminari pair.
"Both pairs belong to engage teams." Aizawa blandly stated. He examined the passed out students lying on the ground. "They're eager to fight you. I'm actually surprised."
Anya didn't seem to care. She glanced at the window and gazed outside. "That electric eel shouted something earlier so I'm guessing the rest of them is nearby." she approached the window to which a blue bird landed on.
For a moment, Anya took in the landscape before her.
It wasn't anything unusual, but it was hard to say the streets were filled with life when compared to the real city outside of the school. To be confined to an urban topography with empty streets, it was a lonely thought. Although she had been given the permission to go out once in a while, she had spent more time walking those empty streets rather than the lively ones outside school. The thought of being imprisoned to one of the city jails crossed her mind, and she decided it wouldn't be so bad compared to the loneliness of isolation, unless of course, if she got isolated in there as well.
Anya's eyes fell on the bird sitting on the window's perch for quite some time now. It would tilt its head to one side and then the other, seemingly clueless of the place it was in. Anya observed the bird until its eyes met with her. She wondered what it was thinking, and how it interpreted the world before it. She reached out a hand before it broke eye contact as it flew away.
"By the way, how much more time do we have?" Anya asked simply to make small talk. She felt alone when the bird left her making her become aware of the silence.
"You're already worried about the time when the game barely started?"
"Have I ever lasted over 5 minutes in a large scale battle like this?" Anya retorted. She turned to look at Aizawa, their eyes met. Anya realized he had his gaze fixed on her for maybe quite some time. To this fact, she sighed and then continued, "Uncle Nezu previously subjected me into this kind of battle simulation multiple times. I suck at this."
"I'd say you've improved. You've increased your endurance."
Anya sighed once again at the response.
It was true she had improved, but she knew better how little improvement she made. Oddly enough, her body seemed to be significantly weaker compared to the average person - needing multiple supplements and twice the nutritional value normally consumed to sustain long-lasting activity. Her energy level was on the lower side, and despite her huge appetite, it was never enough to sustain her in every activity.
"Yes but that doesn't mean I can last 20 minutes. That's the game's time limit, correct?"
"In this scenario, you don't necessarily have to actively hunt them down. They still lose if they don't rescue me within the time limit."
Aizawa walked into a corner and sat down.
"I designed this game in your favor, Anya. If we stay in one place, this game will be over before you know it."
=/=
A small blue bird soared through the vast, bright blue skies above one of U.A. Highs training areas. Its altitude steadily decreased as it neared a certain building situated a ways away from the last building it settled on for a few minutes.
Not later, it found its way inside it and flew towards a particular individual - a large, peach-colored boy with a head shaped like a rock. It alighted on the boy's shoulder and began chirping to him, as if they were talking.
It was Koji Koda.
"They're inside the building where Aoyama and Ojiro are stationed, and it seems they have already been knocked-out." Koda reported as he listened to the bird's jolly chirping. "They are staying at the topmost floor of the building but Karino left Ojiro's and Aoyama's passed out bodies inside. Kaminari and Sato are also unconscious somewhere in there."
"That means Todoroki can't just cover the entire building in ice, ribbit." Asui expressed, her dark irises drifting over her current partner. "Karino watched yesterday's battle training. She knows how we use our quirks."
"Looks like we're at serious disadvantage." Fumikage Tokoyami, a young boy with bird-shaped head similar to a crow's appearance commented. "Darkness looms."
A moment of silence took over for a moment until one of them spoke again.
"What of the other pair that's supposed to be there with them?" Asui asked.
"It seems they weren't there."
"Perhaps they were defeated?" Tokoyami asked next.
"Maybe. I can't say. My friend tells me he didn't see them."
"It's fine. It'll work out. They will leave that building soon." Todoroki plainly stated.
Asui looked doubtful. "How are you so sure, ribbit?"
"I think he's referring to pair Ashido-Jiro. They went there with Kaminari, right?" Koda suggested as the bird on his shoulder continued to chirp. "My friend tells me they're inside the building. They may be close to teacher Aizawa's position as we speak."
"Although Karino plays the villain role, she acts like teacher Aizawa's bodyguard." Todoroki began to move out of their shelter. "If one of us manages to get close to him or touch him, Karino will feel threatened. What do you think happens when a person feel threatened?"
"I see." Tokoyami nodded his head in understanding. "Panic. Of course. Karino might go berserk in panic and end up destroying the building."
"Let's hurry in position. Certainly this time, I'll freeze her in place."
=/=
At the same time somewhere else, a pair showing signs of being unable to get along ran back to the building they were previously stationed at.
"DAMN IT! I'LL KILL THAT BITCH! SHE'S SO DEAD WHEN I SEE HER!"
"This is why we shouldn't have left in the first place!"
"SHUT YOUR FACE! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Bakugo and Uraraka were paired and the duo was supposed to support the Aoyama-Ojiro pair when Anya and Aizawa reached their location. But due to Bakugo's impulsiveness, they went out ahead in plans of greeting the villain-hostage couple. Alas, he miscalculated causing him to lose his target.
The fact that he had to be told by a classmate, namely Mezo Shoji, a tall boy with 6 arms whose role was to rescue their teacher, royally pissed him off.
"Yaoyorozu predicted it."Shoji stated. He was on his way to rendezvous with his partner, Yaoyorozu, when he and Bakugo-Uraraka pair crossed paths. "Since teacher Aizawa declared that he won't escape Karino's watch willfully, she deduced they'll take it slow and go around the main street to reach the farthest building. That's where you, Uraraka, Aoyama and Ojiro are based."
Simply hearing it even without solid proof to prove Yaoyorozu's theory, his gut feeling told him she was spot on. Without further ado, Bakugo turned to his heels and instantly blasted off and as he hurried back, he couldn't stop yelling and shouting in anger and frustration.
"DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT! This time surely, I'll blast that bitch's face into pieces! SHE DIES TODAY!"
EXTRA
"Throw the ball as far as you can, Anya."
When Anya turned nine, Aizawa began keeping track of her progress in terms of quirk abilities and usage.
808.1m
Aizawa read the rectangular device he held. He was certain the device worked perfectly fine yet it kept showing the same figures.
"I said throw the ball with all your might, Anya."
"This is my all..."
Anya spun her throwing arm around before she finally released the ball.
808.1m
Anya had been doing the various events Aizawa setup for two weeks yet her records didn't change. No increase. No decrease. Whether Anya exerted any extra effort or not, the values never changed. It was as if the values were constant.
With a sigh, Aizawa called Anya to stop.
"Eh? We're done already? But it isn't even noon yet." Anya worried she might have made a mistake and upset Aizawa.
"I think you've had enough. You don't need to do these tests."
"But what about your warm welcome for first years?"
"Of course you'll still be doing those."
Aizawa paused when he noticed a certain curvaceous woman coming to meet them.
"Eraser! If you're done with little Anya, lend her to me!" Kayama stated.
"What do you plan on doing with her, Midnight?" Aizawa asked.
"Ta-da!" Kayama revealed a couple of colorful dresses. "Let's play dress-up, Anya! I also have ribbons and clips to decorate your pretty hair today!"
Aizawa sighed. "Is that all? I know there's something more to this." his eyes fell on the child. "Anya, don't let this witch easily play you."
"What was that?!"
"Uh, Nemuri-sis only dresses me up with various clothes. I like the soft cotton ones." Anya shyly said, her eyes darting down to the floor. Her ears were turning red as she added, "I..really like dressing princess."
Aizawa eyed Midnight suspiciously to which the woman only smiled innocently in return.
"...We're done. I'll allow you to go with Midnight for today." Aizawa placed his hand over her head and gently ruffled her silver hair. "As long as you think it's fine and you're having fun, I have no objections."
Anya's cheeks reddened, her eyes swelling in tears of joy. She dearly adored the feeling of her hair being caressed by people, especially by the ones she saw as precious, and to Anya, Aizawa's touch was the gentlest.
As Kayama motioned to take Anya's tiny hands, she quickly whispered to Aizawa's ear, "I found out her quirk's weakness."
Aizawa stilled for the split second Kayama took to deliver her message but regained his composure immediately after. He glanced at the woman and found her wearing a playful smile. In understanding and acceptance, Aizawa quietly left. Similar to his last statement, as long as it was fine for Anya's situation, he held no objections.