Midori the Villain

Chapter 9: Villain vs. Villain

Izumi scanned the blueprints thoroughly. Each team was given fifteen minutes to formulate a plan and prepare for the infiltration. From a logical standpoint she and Uraraka were meant to be at a disadvantage. However, Izumi didn't quite see it that way.

"I think we can eliminate these three floors in terms of where the weapon is being stored." Izumi told Uraraka tapping the levels on each.

"Hmm? Why?"

"It's not smart to keep the weapon on the first floor. The door is open which means a pedestrian could just wander in and find it by accident and it would cause unwanted attention if they'd have to dispose of someone like that. The second floor window has been left open, an obvious place for us to infiltrate without immediately being detected so it doesn't make sense for it to be there. As for the third floor the layout is too cluttered, all these small rooms and tight corners don't give much room for escape or combat."

"Oh I see…" Ochaco leaned over her shoulder hanging on Izumi's every word.

"If I had to bet money, i'd say it's on the very top floor. The fourth and fifth floors both have wide open floor plans, but the fifth has immediate access to the roof allowing for an escape route. Also…" Izumi thought of the Penthouse suite on the very top floor. She recalled her sensei looking out at the city as if he stood above it all. "Villains like being on top."

"That does make sense… so what's our plan?"

"The best plan for Kacchan and Iida is to have Kacchan guard the weapon while Iida scouts out to find us. Iida is faster and has more mobility. In terms of quirk use it'll be difficult for me to use mine against him as I have to lock onto a target before I can surround it in my energy." She held out her hand flexing it. "However, considering their personalities… I think they're gonna do the exact opposite."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Kacchan is smart, but he hates staying in one place for a long period of time. He's impatient, and prefers handling things himself instead of leaving it to others. Plus he and I have history and we both carry a bit of a grudge. He's gonna wanna face me head on." She smirks at Ochaco. "To be honest so do I."

"A battle of the sexes?" Ochaco bounced her eyebrows and made her laugh. "Well I'm with you, Midori-chan!"

Izumi smiled and she slapped palms with Uraraka in a high five. When the buzzer sounded Izumi stepped up to the building her eyes focusing. "Use your quirk to lighten our weight."

"Okay? Are we floating up to the open window?"

"Nope…" once she felt her body lighten Izumi surrounded Ochaco in her quirk lifting her up to the roof and then herself. "If I'm right, the weapon is right below us." She walked to the roof door and pulled out one of her projectile disks. She slid it up against the lock and used her quirk around the door handle to jiggle it from the other side. When the lock sprung open Izumi heard a little "bingo" inside her head. "Why waste time sneaking up flights of stairs?"

"So cool!" Ochaco squealed in a hushed tone. Izumi motioned for her to be quiet and the two of them quietly walked down the roof access. There was a long dark hallway, but light came from an entryway and Izumi slowly worked her way over to peek in. She smirked and turned to her partner jerking her thumb inside.

"What did I tell yah?" she whispered and Ochaco had to cover her mouth to hold in her squee of excitement. She peeked around, her eyes scanning for Bakugo.

"It's only Iida inside."

"That won't last long if we raise Iida's alarm." she tapped the intercom in her ear. "He could contact Kacchan rather quick then it'll be a two on two fight."

"Things could go south really quickly then. What should we do?"

"We bide our time. Kacchan's probably searching the halls trying to find us. We keep an eye on Iida and find the right moment to strike." She motioned her further in and looked around the room trying to formulate a plan.

In the observation room, All Might and the rest of the students all eyed the monitors as the infiltration went down.

"I wonder where Midoriya learned to pick locks." Kirishima questioned aloud. "Was she a delinquent before coming here?"

"Some learn out of necessity," All Might said, but had actually wondered the same thing. "The hero team is only given two access points, but she eliminated time consumption by using her own abilities to create another access point closer to where she predicted the weapon might be."

"Whoa, that's smart. Look at Bakugo, he's completely oblivious to their location." Kaminari laughed. "The look on his face when he notices they passed right by him is gonna be hysterical."

"Oh hey look, Iida is moving. What's he doing with all that debris?" Ashido pointed out when she saw movement.

"It looks like he's clearing out the room." All Might explained. "He's anticipating his opponents."

Back with Izumi and Ochaco, Izumi motioned her to back up against the pillar trying to stay out of sight as Iida moved about. He was moving too fast for either of them to make a move and Izumi was getting impatient. They needed to act, but what should they do?

Thinking quick she took one of her projectiles and floated it back into the hallway. She let it skitter on the ground getting Iida's attention.

"They're here?" Iida jogged towards the door. "As expected of Midoriya. Bakugo-kun the heroes-"

"I've got 'im! Go Ura-chan!"

"Right!" Uraraka made a dash for the weapon.

"Release me you fiendish hero!" Iida pumped the engines on his legs running in place and finally squirmed free of her quirk.

"What?!" Izumi cursed and tried to catch him. "Uraraka hurry! He got loose!"

Uraraka tried not to look back as she raced for the weapon. Her hands stretched out making a grab but Iida was too fast. He snagged the weapon and zipped away laughing.

"Nice try heroes! It'll take more than that to defeat me! Mwehehehe!"

Ochaco couldn't help it. She snorted and held her mouth.

"He's taking this so seriously."

"Not a good time to laugh, Uraraka." Izumi scowled. "Kacchan's on his way, it won't be long before-"

"You called?" Bakugo stormed in with a growl in his throat. Izumi cursed and whirled around to face him.

"You had me searching through this entire building, but you were here the whole time. You're really trying to make a fool outta me aren't yah, Usagi." He flanked the two girls. With Iida and the weapon on the far side of the room he couldn't use his special move… so he suppose he'd just have to take Izumi on hand to hand.

"Trust me it's not hard." Izumi said holding up her fists ready to fight. This was bad, they were at a severe disadvantage now. Even if shei could keep Kacchan busy there was little to nothing Uraraka could use her quirk on that would make a difference. Time was running out!

There had to be something they could do, some way they could win. She needed to limit Iida's movements so Uraraka could sneak up and grab the weapon… but how?

"Don't dodge, Usagi" Bakugo launched forward rushing her.

"Uraraka get out of the way!" She screamed to her partner bringing up her fist, circling it in her quirk. She countered his punch with one of her own. The explosion he released acting as a smoke screen so he could get behind her and release another on her back. She screamed out in pain falling forward and rolling out of the way before he could attack her again.

She propped up on one knee releasing two disks from her straps and sending them hurdling at Bakugo. He smacked them away, but it left him open for her roundhouse kick to the face.

"Amazing! It's just like a martial arts movie!" Ochaco bounced as she watched with excited eyes.

"The hell you just standing around for!" Izumi shouted at her even as she continued to fight against Bakugo hand to hand, doing her best to avoid the explosions and maneuver around him. "GET THE WEAPON!"

"Eh? Oh right!" She turned to face Iida. With Izumi and Bakugo locked in combat he would need to avoid getting caught up in it. This limited his movements. She rushed forward and straight at him.

"Oh no you don't!" Iida ran forward to catch her, but she used her quirk to float herself up and over him her arms out reaching for the weapon. She squeaked and squealed when iida suddenly raced back moving the weapon out of the way. She rolled and somersaulted her back hitting the wall.

"Oof!"

"Damn it," Izumi cursed whens he caught Uraraka fall out of the corner of her eye. Even with Iida's limited space he could still outmaneuver them both. He was too fast, and Bakugo was proving too combat strong. She skidded along the floor and held out both of her hands to wrap her energy around Bakugo to stop him long enough for her to punch him in the face and kick him across the room. She ran to Ochaco to help her off the ground.

"You alright?"

"I'm sorry, Midori-chan. He's too fast for me."

"It's okay, we just gotta be more sneaky about it. I've got an idea but we need to come up with some kind of distraction." She kept talking but her eyes watched Bakugo and Iida to make sure they weren't advancing. Bakugo picked himself up off the ground, his irritation reading clear on his face. The idea sparked and her lips curved as she continued to whisper to her partner. "I've got it… here's the plan."

Meanwhile in the observation room All Might was wiping sweat from his brow from how nail biting this first round was turning out. He hadn't expected things to get this intense, but both teams were proving to be tenacious.

"Man did you see those kung fu moves?!" Kaminari punched the air. "Midoriya is a badass!"

"Bakugo still has an advantage. His combat levels are off the charts." Sero put in.

"How much time do they have left?" Ashido looked at the clock. "Midoriya better hurry up and think of something fast."

"I think she already has." Todoroki commented stepping closer to the screen. "She's sticking close to her partner and her lips are moving. It looks like they're exchanging battle strategy."

"Man I wish we could hear what they're saying." Kirishima complained.

"Hey look, Bakugo is stepping forward!" Kaminari pointed and all attentions focused again.

Back with the teams...

"I'm loaded up…" Bakugo said held up his gauntlet. He walked in front of Iida staring at the two girls with a laugh in his throat. "I've had enough of playing games, Usagi."

"Good thing I'm not playing then." She wiped sweat from her chin, eyeing Uraraka who was picking herself up off the ground. It was a standoff, Villains vs. Heroes, only a few minutes left on the clock.

"You of all people should know how my quirk works, Usagi." Unlocking the mechanism on his gauntlet he pointed it in their direction. "I designed this costume to store my sweat inside it…"

Izumi's eyes suddenly widened and she held out her hand.

"Kacchan don't! Are you crazy!?"

"Young Bakugo don't do it!" All Might warned. "You'll kill them both!"

"they'll survive so long as I don't hit them!" He released it aiming it higher so to avoid a direct hit.

Izumi acted quickly.

"Ura-chan!" She wrapped Uraraka in her quirk tossing her to safety and taking the brunt of the explosion on herself. She felt the heat and force of it knock her back. She skid across the floor and barely came at a stop by the window. The entire street side wall had been blown open, and Izumi barely hung on the edge, her leg and arm dangling over.

"BAKUGO!" Iida grabbed his partner by the shoulder. "I know you're trying to play the villain but are you stupid?! You could have killed them!"

"She won't die…" Bakugo shrugged off Iida's arm and walked calmly to Izumi who rolled over and struggled to stand. "With her new quirk and fancy training she's too strong to die." He reached down and grabbed her by the hair. "Ain't that right, Usagi."

"You're fucking insane…" She grit her teeth glaring up at him. "Even if you are just playing a role you're taking this way too far."

"I'm trying to teach you a lesson, Usagi." He held the capture tape. "You're severely outmatched. Let me tie you up and I won't have to hurt you again."

"You won't have to, huh? So it's all my fault you acted like this?" She turned her head to look at him with a sadistic and pitying smile. "Poor Kacchan, I'm sorry I've made you such a horrible person."

"Shut up!" He pinned her to the ground his teeth gritting. "You don't get to look at me like that. You've always been weak! I'm stronger than you, smarter than you, faster than you! Don't you dare look at me like you're better than me!"

"You're right about a couple of things." She laughed a little and twisted her head just enough to eye Uraraka who was using her quirk to crawl along the ceiling. The smoke from Bakugo's explosion was providing the perfect cover, and Iida's attention was focused on her and Bakugo. "You're stronger than I am… Faster than I am…" She opened her palm showing off her own capture tape. "But I am WAY smarter than you!"

"What!?" Bakugo jerked back, but couldn't move away fast enough before Izumi used her quirk to tie the capture tape around his neck.

"URARAKA!"

"RELEASE!" Ochaco dropped down on top of the weapon and hugged it tight. "Retrieved!"

"NO! THE WEAPON!" Iida held his helmet staring in utter shock at having been fooled.

The timer ran out and All Might's stunned voice came through the speakers.

"The Hero Team… WINS!"

Izumi grinned and she struggled to stand. She had to give it to her Sensei and the U.A design team, her costume came away unscathed and protected most of her body from burns and scrapes. Still her body ached and she held her right arm that was banged up.

"Villains...they always like to monologue." Izumi laughed and released the tape from her hold. Bakugo gasped for air and rolled onto his hands and knees. "Don't feel too bad Kacchan. If this had been a one on one you would have won."

"Get the fuck off me!" He snapped and slapped her hand away when she offered to help him up. In the background Uraraka tossed her cookies from using her quirk on herself for a drawn out period of time. "Go baby your partner! I don't need your help!"

Izumi's eyes flickered with hurt but she kept the smile in place.

"You never do...but now do you understand that I don't need your protection anymore?"

"Tch, shut up. I gave up protecting you the moment you decided to dress and act like a fucking slut. I don't care if you're quirkless, or not. I don't care if you want to be friends or not. I'm going to prove to you I'm better than you and wipe that annoying smug look off your face!"

He pointed a finger at her snarling.

"You won this round, but I'm never going to let you beat me again. You hear me, Izumi?"

Izumi felt her breath catch when he called her name. She felt the pleasure warm in her heart and smiled genuinely at him. She watched his face go flush at the look and had to laugh. Her eyes softened with feminine charm and let the smile turn smug again.

"Loud and clear," she held his chin and kissed his cheek. "Katsuki."

~Observation Room~

"You all did well!" All Might put his hands on his hips looking at the four of them. "Each and every one of you has something to work on, but you all showed your strengths today." He turned to the rest of the class. "Can anyone tell me what each one could have done to improve?"

"Bakugo could have not been a raging ball of fire?" Kaminari suggested. Bakugo grunted and held up his fist.

"Wanna say that again dunce face?!"

"Sir!" Yaoyorozu held up her hand. "Bakugo acted irrationally and used a large attack that was not suited for indoor combat. Iida did well under pressure and had thoroughly prepared for his opponents, but he wasn't fully aware of his surroundings which allowed the heroes to snatch the weapon."

All Might nodded at both explanations and tensed up as she kept going. The girl certainly had a lot to say.

"Uraraka lost focus and was often distracted by the events around her. As for Midoriya she did well to predict her enemies movements and thought outside the box. However it was clear she still hasn't grasped the full use of her quirk. When she attempted to grab Iida that should have given them an immediate victory, but she lost control allowing Iida to escape and buy time for his partner to arrive."

Izumi winced and she flexed her hands out staring at them. She was right, about all of it. Izumi thought she had managed to get a grasp on her quirk, but she only had full control over small in going objects. She would need to find a way to strengthen her quirk.

As they went through the remaining battles Izumi kept her eyes on her classmates abilities. Todoroki proved impressive when he froze the entire building and won the exercise within a few minutes with little help from his partner.

"Impressive…" she pulled out her notepad from her belt pouch and jotted down quick notes muttering to herself as she did so. "Ice and heat...but he seems to favor his ice powers. I wonder why."

"Maybe I was wrong…" Bakugo muttered and turned his head away when she glanced up. "You haven't changed at all."

"In some ways probably not." She laughed and walked over to Todoroki as he and the others came in for evaluation. "Nice work, Todoroki."

"Ah...you too Midoriya." He put his hands in his pockets and eyed her notebook. "What are you doing?"

"Hmmm? Oh just taking notes. Never know when the info might come in handy." She put the notebook away.

"Right…" he watched her movements then looked in her eyes. It was curious at how expressive those eyes could be...but he'd also seen them blank as a doll's eyes. When she returned to class after the quirk assessment she was as personable as a dead fish and it had risen concern amongst the others. "Midoriya?"

"Hmm? What is It?"

"Where did you learn to pick locks?"

Izumi tensed up and she rubbed the back of her head laughing nervously.

"Oh uh well…." She thought of the varying handicapped lessons and punishments where she was forced to be handcuffed, locked up or tied down. She'd studied up on lock picking, and escape measures out of necessity for her survival and sanity. "magic books and stuff." She slapped him on the back and pushed him towards Shoji. "Oh look it's time for your overview Good Luck!"

"Okay…" he obediently walked over. A curious girl this Izumi Midoriya. He'd have to keep his eye on her.

~Ask Briry~

Briry: Todoroki is taking notice… the rectangle is forming… hehehe can't wait.

Next Chapter: Something's amiss