Guest: thank you so much ~ !

Oblivious IJ: ehehe ~ ( ̄▽ ̄) i can relate.

LadyAmazon: haha ! surely! what was that about, am i right? (・・;)ゞ ヽ(・∀・)ノ

bbymojo: aahhhh! T-T ❤ , i'm at a loss of words. thank you so much. literally, that brings me joy like no other. i'm so happy to be able to write for you! those chapter highlights too, i love them ! *:.。.o(≧▽≦)o.。.:* you're great and i love how you can discern things! your thoughts are spot on and i truly enjoy reading through them ! thank you, again ! i got another gift for you too, haha ~ !

minirie: thank you a ton ~ ! your words mean so much. i'm truly so happy you're enjoying this story so far ! i feel like i'm doing something right if you feel as if your in her shoes, ehe. that's really so amazing ❤ thank you for reading, and i hope you enjoy this chapter as well !

lovelyhatter: ( ̄▽ ̄*)ゞ ( ´ ▽ ` ) ❤ i'm speechless yet again. wow, thank you so much! honestly, i find writing canon scenes pretty boring sometimes since it's something most people already are knowledgeable about, ehe. sometimes i wanna skip over them but then things might not make sense, i dunno, haha ~ ! hearing that you enjoyed reading through such scenes brings me so much relief and happiness. ❤ aahh, my heart has been touched by you! I am working on an original work, actually ~ i'm still in my brainstorming stages. coming up with something interesting is hard, but I think I might be on to something. I would be honored to share it with you in the future! Just as you get excited for my response to your reviews, I get super excited getting reviews from you! thank you ! much love to you ! ❤

pinkpaladin: haha, i love Daichi too! expect lots more from him soon ❤ so happy you love Taru, and Mount Lady keeping it real as always , haha ~ ! (*≧ω≦*) awe ~ ! you see them as a family that's so cute. 。゚( ゚^∀^゚)゚。 i see them like that too, ahh. can't wait for things to unfold. thank you so much ! ❤ i hope you enjoy this chapter!

Emocean: yes ! Hotaru world domination! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ ehe, she deserves it! thank you for reading ! ❤

winddemon199: aah, thank you ! ❤ i'm pretty sure that was cheating, too ~ uh-oh, Shinso you better be careful bb (¯▿¯)' thank you so much for reading!

•○●○•

here's a quick and fun doodle i did, heh ~

cherryblossomx6 (dotdeviantart) (dotcom) /art/ Innocent-Quarrel-832979640

just remove the spaces and put a "." where you see the word "dot" and remove parentheses.

or if that's not working just look up my username on deviant art lol, ( ´ ω ` )

•○●○•

hello, everyone ~ ! \(^ヮ^)/

i hope everyone is well.

it's starting to get warm again and green is starting to sprout which makes me happy!

make sure you take care of yourselves and stay healthy!

i appreciate each and every one of you and love reading your reviews.

every time i upload a chapter, i look forward to hearing from you!

i hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

and as always, i apologize for any errors you may stumble across, ehe. (/ˍ・、)


❤•○●○•❤

Hand in Hand

❤•○●○•❤

"Shoto,"

A soft voice along with his name makes him look away from his old man in the audience. Hotaru is walking up to him with a small smile, still breathing somewhat heavily from the obstacle race that they completed a mere few minutes ago. She comes to a stop before him and meets his eyes happily.

"I just wanted to congratulate you." She begins sincerely, lightly scratching at her cheek in a sheepish manner. "Even though I said I would beat you, things ended up the other way around…"

Hotaru trails off when Shoto walks away from her mid-sentence. The smile on her face drops and is replaced with a frown as she stares after him. She lets out a helpless sigh. At least he's no longer looking at Endeavor anymore, which was her main goal just now.

She doesn't like the person he turns into whenever he locks eyes with him. He doesn't look sad anymore either. It seems her presence has rendered him annoyed. She really doesn't know what to do anymore when it comes to him. It's really beginning to hurt.

Turning, she watches as more students cross the finish line. It doesn't seem like it will be much longer before the next game starts. Sweat glides down her temple and she draws in a deep breath. Some ice water sounds heavenly right now. As soon as she thinks that, she catches sight of what looks to be the Business Course. They are standing by the wall and handing out water. She practically runs over to the beverage stand.

"Get your ice water here—ah!" One of the student's becomes startled at her presence, his glasses nearly falling off his face.

"Hi." She greets, bowing politely. "May I have some ice water, please?"

"Uh..." He suddenly folds his arms over his chest, making a false expression of arrogance. "Sure. You got money?"

"No." She answers, pointing at the sign hanging from the table. "But, I shouldn't need any because the sign says 'free.'"

"W-We're out of water!" He stutters out.

Hotaru's eyes move away from him to stare at the many bottled waters placed neatly across the tabletop, and the abundant water coolers that are filled to the brim. Is he that unsettled by her presence that he's telling her a painfully obvious lie? She looks down at the large tub of ice beneath the table.

"Then," She gestures towards the countless ice cubes. "Can I just get some ice?"

"We're all out." He shakes his head. She glares at him, and suddenly he's holding out a disposable cup to her. "I-I mean yes! Take as much ice as you want!"

"Thanks." She snatches the cup from him, crouching down to fill it with ice.

Once her cup is full she struts off with a scowl. People are unsettled by her due to the fact she was a villain, yet they still have the nerve to test her? She would think it would be the other way around and they do whatever she wants them to do out of fear. Whatever.

She plops a perfectly square ice cube in her mouth and hums in content at the coldness. Already, she feels soothed. Just like she was burning up on the outside, her insides were in the same burdensome state. She stares up at the blue sky and raining confetti.

If she's being honest, she's actually surprised she was able to catch up at the end, and even more surprised that she was able to maintain her speed technique for that long. It doesn't seem like all that long ago when she nearly ruptured her own insides as a result of it.

Even though she was training to gain physical strength, she didn't think she was also training her body to handle her quirk better. Although, it does make sense. She really was quite unhealthy, huh? Now that she's been taking care of herself, it feels like there's so much more she can do. That doesn't mean she can be careless, though. Not at all.

Her thoughts are cut short when someone walks up beside her. When she looks over, she nearly chokes on her ice cube. His lips twitch upwards into a smirk when she faces him with a nasty glare.

"What's wrong?" Shinso asks. "You look like a villain right now."

She instantly opens her mouth to retort, but no words come out. She's just barely able to stop herself from answering him. Her lips press together tightly and she continues to glare at him, not caring what she resembles right now.

"It's rude to ignore someone." Shinso continues, amused. She opens her mouth once more but only for the sole purpose to suck on another ice cube. "Are you frightened of me?"

She's not frightened of him at all. What a ludicrous suggestion. If anything, she's angry at him and it's taking everything in her not to respond to him at all. She knows if she responds to him she'll be giving him the opportunity to take control of her again. He did one of the things she hates most. After all, she spent nearly her whole life beneath her parents' thumbs.

They are practically having a staring contest. The longer they stare at each other, the more Hotaru's glare starts to fade. Earlier thoughts she had regarding him refresh themselves in her mind. She can't not say anything. She wants to respond to him. She has a ton of questions and wants to get answers. But, she doesn't want to lose herself either. What could she say to catch him off guard? Something shocking that will overwhelm him…

She faces him fully and peeks up at him through her ebony lashes. Slowly, her hand raises and she points her index finger at his nose. Her lips part and his eyes narrow the tiniest bit. Clearly she figured out his quirk, yet she's still willing to talk to him? Is it because of her villain past? In other words, does she find him similar to herself? Or, is she just that easy to provoke? She's falling into his trap again—

"Fish." She says, and his mind briefly goes blank. He blinks a few times and it takes a moment for that single word to process.

"...Fish?" He repeats in confusion, and she nods with a pompous grin, inwardly screaming;

Success.

"Shinso-san," She begins. "I'm not scared of you. Now, how about you? Are you frightened by me? Using your quirk to try and eliminate someone before the game even started was kind of far-fetched. But, it worked in my favor. I guess I owe you a thanks."

"You being here is far-fetched."

Instantly, her eyes widen and her pointing finger lowers. Oh. Her eyelids lower and she sighs to herself. She stares at the ground expressionlessly. She doesn't think she'll ever stop hearing things like that. In truth, she knows she never will.

"...Do you think that I don't know that?" She whispers, and surprise crosses his features. "My presence here is unusual. It's beyond belief. I know that. But, I am here. And since I'm here, I'm going to make an effort..." A determined sheen highlights her eyes. "...No matter what other people think."

She reaches inside her cup to pick up another ice cube. It's cold against her skin and glistening beneath the sun. She can distinguish her own distorted reflection in it, and Shinso's too. He looks dismayed somehow. Her lips curve upwards the tiniest bit for a short moment. It must really be frustrating.

"Sorry." She apologizes softly, looking up at him wistfully. "It's frustrating, isn't it?"

"What?" He can't help but murmur in confusion.

"Me being in the hero course." She explains with a small smile. "That's why you don't like me right now, right? I've seen enough hate in my lifetime to discern it, but that's not the case with you. After all, you called me by my name the first time we met while others don't tend to do that. I apologize if I'm wrong, but you're envious of me, aren't you?"

His jaw goes slightly slack. Envious? His eyes darken as they narrow into a resentful glare. Where did she get that from? He's not envious of her in the slightest. What an arrogant thing to say, but he supposes it suits someone like her.

"Why would I be envious of you?" He questions in a low and dangerous tone.

"Hm…" She hums to herself like she's not sure, giving him a closed-eyed smile.

"What would you know?" He bites out, his voice gradually growing louder.

"I don't know much." She shifts her weight from side to side in an indifferent manner, her expression lazy like a sluggish cat. "But, I know enough to know that you, Shinso-san, are jealous of me."

That's the final straw for him. Her arrogance has left him completely enraged. He closes in on her, moving so his body is towering over hers. The sun's position in the sky makes his shadow fall over her. She only continues to gaze up at him, not budging even slightly.

"You—!" He starts to berate her, until she cuts him off.

"Don't be."

His breath gets lodged in his throat at her cordial tone, and at her eyes that resemble gently rolling clouds. Her head tilts to the side ever so slightly, her pearly teeth briefly showing in her smile. He blinks in bewilderment multiple times, especially at her next words.

"Your quirk is really amazing. If someone didn't bump into me, you totally would have succeeded in eliminating me. I was completely helpless." She laughs a bit, bringing her free hand over her mouth as she does. "Maybe you should have been in the hero course instead of me. But, since I am here, I need to work hard. Do you get what I'm saying?" She pouts slightly. "No matter where you are in life, you have to work hard. Not for anyone else, but for yourself."

He takes a single backwards step, his eyelids lowering as he runs his fingers through his hair. The amount of significance in every word she spoke is inconceivable. She's inconceivable. He thinks those are the words he's been wanting to hear someone say to him at least once. Words he wanted but didn't know that he needed. A cool breeze blows by and he slowly opens his eyes to meet her own.

"...Are you sure you were a villain?" He inquires.

"Of course." She nods, beaming. Instantly afterwards, she looks away from him with a scowl, somewhat violently eating another ice cube. "But, I'm still mad at you. Brainwashing me of all people… hmph. Next time you do that, I'll shock you."

A ghost of a smile lingers on his lips, hardly detectable. She's now wearing a villainous glare as she looks off to the side at nothing in particular. However, that glare falters as surprise crosses her features. He follows her gaze to find himself staring at someone approaching them. Someone… gross.

"There you are, my sexy anti-hero." Mineta coos as he makes his way over, an odd smile on his face. He comes to a stop next to Hotaru, waving Shinso off. "Sorry, but Taru-chan is mine."

"Mineta-kun," She begins with a sigh. "I'm not yours."

"What about…" He smugly reveals something that was behind his back. "This?"

Hotaru's lips part and her eyes widen when he holds up the jacket she abandoned during the obstacle race. His purple balls are no longer stuck to it. Instantly, she smiles and grabs a hold of it.

"Yes." She says happily. "You must've held onto this during the race. Thank you, Mineta-kun."

"Of course."

As she slides on her jacket, Mineta looks at her with lustful eyes. Once she has it on, she smiles at him gratefully once more. Shinso stares at Mineta in disgust for his perverted gaze, then looks at Hotaru queerly for the fact she seems to be friendly with this guy.

"Do you like flowers?" Mineta suddenly asks.

"Flowers?" She tilts her head slightly at that random question. "Yes. I think they are really pretty."

"Are vanilla orchids your favorite flower?" He questions further, and her brows furrow.

"No. Why do you ask…?"

She trails off as realization dawns on her. Vanilla and orchids. That's the scent of the laundry detergent she's been using lately. Wait a second. Did he possibly sniff her jacket when he had it in his possession? Her face twists in displeasure.

"No reason—eek!" Mineta squeaks when a lightning bolt zaps the ground near his feet. She's pouting angrily at him, her cheeks slightly red as little agitated puffs of smoke emerge from the top of her head.

"You're despicable." She mutters with perilous eyes.

"The first game of the first-year stage is finally over!" Midnight's voice suddenly echoes, and Hotaru looks over.

The R-Rated Hero is standing on the platform and everyone is starting to crowd around. It looks like she's about to announce the obstacle course results along with the next game they are going to participate in. There's no more time for idle chit-chat.

"Well," Shinso speaks as he starts to make his way over to where his class is gathered. "See you later."

"Right." She waves after him. "Good luck."

He throws her a tiny smile by looking over his shoulder and her eyes widen a notch. Mineta brings his hands to his head and his jaw drops in anger. Quickly, he moves to stand in front of Hotaru so her gaze drops down to him. He holds his hand out to her.

"Let's go together, Taru-chan!" He smiles hopefully. She walks past him with an eye roll and leaves him behind.

She stands in the far back and away from everyone else, while Mineta maneuvers through the crowd to find her since he lost sight of her at some point. Sheepish sweat trickles down her temple. How does he not see her? She's not exactly in a well-hidden spot and is somewhat in the open. Either way, she snickers at his frantic form that's getting further and further away. She's not so interested in calling out to him either. Even he's her enemy today.

The obstacle course results are revealed on the enormous holographic screen. When a picture of her appears next to the number four, she grows pale. It looks like they snapped a photo of her when she was glaring at Shinso.

Whoever is responsible for the photography is clearly against her. Not only that, her hair is such a frizzy mess. Wait. Her hand rises to her scalp. The messy bun she had put her hair in has fallen out. When did that happen? How disappointing.

With slightly warm cheeks, she pours some water onto her hand from her melting ice cubes. She runs her fingers over and through her hair, dampening it and getting rid of her current shaggy lion's mane. Too bad this is only a temporary solution.

"The top 42 made it through to the next round. It's unfortunate, but don't worry even if you didn't make it! We've prepared other chances for you to shine." Midnight begins, licking her lips with a crafty smile. "The real competition begins next! The press cavalry'll be all over it! Give it your all! Now then, here is the second game."

Hotaru's lips part slightly. Cavalry? She said that word with more emphasis which makes it noteworthy. Gradually, her head inclines to the side as her jaw drops. Cavalry… what is that? The answer is so close she can nearly grasp it. As she ponders over it, she watches as the next game shuffles on screen.

"I already know what it is, but what can it be?" Midnight speaks in a teasing tone. "I just said it, and now here it is!" She points her whip skywards and at the game result.

The next game is a cavalry battle. She had a feeling "cavalry" meant battle. However, it's no ordinary battle. Dang it. It's frustrating her that she can't recall what kind of battle it is—it hits her. A battle of horsemen. It's a battle that takes place on horseback—like a medieval war.

Her eyes suddenly sparkle brightly and she looks around in excitement, trying to spot a four-legged animal. She's never seen a horse in person due to living in the city her whole life. Despite that, she's seen plenty of them on screen and they are stunning. She can't wait to pet one—!

"Let me explain." Midnight's voice drags her out of her thoughts.

She looks eagerly at the screen so she can learn more. What's displayed makes her blanch. All of her excitement is brutally snatched away and leaves behind an unbearable moronic sensation. She should've known there wouldn't actually be horses.

The image displayed is one of All Might, Present Mic, and Thirteen. All Might is being held up by Thirteen and Present Mic. All Might is the rider while Thirteen appears to be the horse, and Present Mic is extra support she supposes? She lets out a sigh. This will be interesting.

"The participants can form teams of two to four people as they wish." Midnight carries on with her explanation. "It's basically the same as a regular cavalry battle, but the one thing that's different is based on the results of the last game, each person has been assigned a point value."

As Midnight explains how the points are distributed, Hotaru quickly does some math inside her head. The points assigned go up by five from the bottom. So, the person that placed 42nd would be worth five points. She placed fourth. That means she has…? Her point value is displayed on screen before she can figure it out, and she curses her awful math skills. She's worth 195 points.

They will be given a headband that displays their point value, and the value of each team depends on who is on that team. In other words, their combined point value. They need to steal each other's headbands to gain points until time runs out. They can use their quirks, but can't make people fall on purpose… seems simple enough.

"And the point value assigned to first place is ten million!" Midnight exclaims.

If Hotaru were a cat, her ears would've perked up and her pupils would've dilated. Her eyes are naturally drawn to a panicked Midoriya who's standing in the front. Her lips curve upwards into a wicked smirk. That means all she needs to do is take him down? Say no more. She'll apologize to him later.

"Now, you have 15 minutes to build your teams. Start!" Midnight declares, and everyone moves quickly to do just that.

Hotaru sips on her cup now full of icy water as she thinks. Who does she want on her team? Someone she gets along with would be the best option. There's Mineta, but she's not sure how well of an asset he will be due to his perverted nature. She doesn't think Kaminari made it to this round unfortunately. Bakugo… no. Teamwork isn't in his vocabulary. Midoriya is sweet, but since he's worth so many points working with him is out of the question.

If she were to team up with Midoriya everyone would be targeting them which would be too troublesome. She would rather be on one of the teams going against him and steal his points towards the end. Her eyes stare skywards thoughtfully.

If Shoto wasn't being so vulgar she would see if he would want to team up. She claimed she would beat him but in this game teamwork is required, and she needs to team up with people that she knows are capable. Yaoyorozu, perhaps?

She looks around and her expression becomes dull at the empty space she's standing in. It seems like a lot of people are avoiding her. Figures. She takes a bigger sip of her water, letting out a heavy breath afterwards. What should she do? Wait for someone to come to her? She may end up on an impotent team if she does that, though. Her index finger taps against her cheek repeatedly.

"Think, think, think…" She whispers to herself. Should she just team up with Midoriya? They'll just need to ward everyone off until time is up. Ugh. She's at a complete loss. Her mind is everywhere. With a tiny frown, she looks around for Yaoyorozu.

Midoriya gazes at the ground intently as he thinks to himself. Who does he want on his team? Points don't matter at all in his case. He needs someone determined and someone who cooperates well. Someone like that person, and that person! Maybe even…! His eyes suddenly widen and he marches off.

Mineta runs around in a panic, holding his throbbing red cheek. So many girls have smacked him. Taru-chan would never do such a thing. Where is his sexy anti-hero? It's finally their chance to rise together as a powerful couple. Together, they will be unstoppable and make everyone jealous of their compatibility.

Shinso instantly knows who he wants to team up with. She's courageous and her presence unsettles most. If she's on his team, people won't recklessly attack. Perhaps they would even willingly give up their points to them with her villainous gaze. That last bit is a little dubious, but his mind is made up either way.

Shoto expeditiously maneuvers through the many bodies, ignoring those who desperately run up to him in hopes to team up. He needs to rise to the top. In order to do that, he needs to team up with strong people, even if it's her. Actually, it would be problematic if she were going against him. He stops in his tracks and looks around hastily. Where is she?

"Yaoyorozu-san," Hotaru walks up to the beautiful girl with a smile. "Would you like to team up with me?"

"I would love to." Yaoyorozu brings her hand over her chest with a warm smile, touched. "I was thinking about asking you to team up with me myself."

"Really?" Hotaru laughs shortly, her eyes gleaming as Yaoyorozu faces her.

"Yes. Your point value is high, and I think you're very strong." She nods, her spiky ponytail swishing. "Most importantly, we get along quite well too."

"Mhm!"

"Now," Yaoyorozu brings her finger to her chin as she contemplates to herself. "Who else should we team up with? Taking my creation and your lightning into consideration, preferably someone who can compensate for any shortcomings..."

Hotaru sips on her icy water as she contemplates as well. She considers herself more of an offensive than defensive person. Although her defense is capable, she'll need to be careful since she'll be in contact with her teammates. Her mind goes blank. She doesn't know who they should join forces with. Well, one person crosses her mind, but she doesn't say their name. On the other hand, Yaoyorozu does.

"How about Todoroki-san?" Yaoyorozu asks, making Hotaru stare blankly into her cup. She easily takes notice of her hesitant face and frowns worriedly. "Do you not want to team up with him?"

"Well…" Hotaru whispers almost inaudibly, her brows furrowing as her lips purse. "It's not that I don't want to. But, I don't think he'd want to team up with me."

"Oh. I apologize." Yaoyorozu brings her hand over her mouth in dread, feeling as if she overstepped her bounds. She always noticed how complex and strained their relationship seemed to be, but she thought they were growing closer.

"It's okay. No worries." Hotaru waves her hand through the air to reassure her. "There's nothing to apologize for at all." She forces a smile, bracing herself to face him. "Let's find him and ask."

"Alright." Yaoyorozu smiles. Before the two of them walk off, they are stopped by multiple voices.

"Aihara-san!"

"Aihara."

"Taru-chan!"

Hotaru and Yaoyorozu look over, seeing Midoriya, Shinso, and Mineta standing before them. Each of them called out Hotaru's name. Their insisting eyes are on her. The organ in her chest staggers and she becomes overwhelmed. Why they called out to her is obvious. The three boys open quickly their mouths to speak, obviously competing against each other in order to snatch her for their teams.

"Taru-chan is mine!" Mineta jabs a finger at Midoriya and Shinso.

"I was here first." Shinso mutters, making Mineta even more outraged.

"A-Aihara-san," Midoriya begins anxiously. "If you're okay with it, will you team up with me?"

Hotaru looks between the three of them in somewhat of a frenzy, not sure what to say or do. She has already teamed up with Yaoyorozu and doesn't want to just abandon her, and if they want to join their team she can't simply decide that herself. She needs to consult with Yaoyorozu first. Although, she's deeply moved at how they want to team up with her. Dang it. What should she do? She turns to Yaoyorozu to ask for her thoughts, only for another voice to speak out.

"Aihara-san."

Hotaru turns her head to see Shoto walking in their direction. Her stomach knots up and her body grows tense all over. His eyes are focused on her and no one else, the breeze tousling his hair around as he grows closer. She swallows thickly, his gaze making her feel like she's crumbling. He comes to a stop in front of her, almost as if it's just him and her. He holds his hand out to her.

"Team up with me."

She stares at his offered hand with parted lips of surprise. Her breath hitches and her cheeks grow warm. Did she hear him right? Slowly, she looks up into his stunning mismatched eyes. She can't quite find her voice. His next words are innocent and genuine, yet they nearly knock her off her feet.

"I'll keep you cool with my right side." Suddenly, his head tilts to the side at her feverish face. "What's wrong? Are you nauseous again?"

"Y-Yes. I-I mean no! Wait, yes!" She quickly grabs onto his hand, her head ducked in embarrassment. Silence hovers between them for a few seconds before she pathetically mumbles. "I-I can't talk…"

"What a coincidence, Todoroki-san." Yaoyorozu starts up with a smile at how smoothly things are working out, making him look over at her. "We were about to ask you if you wanted to team up as well."

"I was wanting to team up with you too." He reveals. "I have a strategy in mind."

"As expected from you." Yaoyorozu praises.

There are swirls in Hotaru's eyes as she stares at her and Shoto's clasped hands. When she said yes was accepting his offer and nothing more. She's not nauseous at all and she's sure that she made zero sense just now. She's just confused, and maybe even a little hurt. There's a stinging sensation in her chest.

He's only doing this for his own benefit, isn't he? There's no meaning behind this other than selfishness. He's willing to completely overlook his earlier actions and words towards her just for his own interests. That kind tone he used just now, was that even real? She fell for it though. She fell for it so easily. He really doesn't want to fight alongside her at all.

He said he was planning to team up with Yaoyorozu too, right? And Yaoyorozu wanted to team up with him as well. Her eyelids drape over her eyes. Maybe this was inevitable. They were going to ask him anyway. She wants to look at it that way at least.

She knows that this is what this whole cavalry battle is all about —to team up with those that will give you the greatest advantage. But, it hurts more when it's coming from him. To think that she actually felt hopeful for a split second. Damn it. He really is the biggest jerk. He's just using her. She's only a tool. Fine. As long as she gets to the next round, she'll endure it all. She'll use him too.

"Let's go." Shoto starts to walk off with her in tow, Yaoyorozu walking beside them.

Midoriya's expression saddens somewhat as he stares after them, but not due to the fact Hotaru isn't on his team. He stares at their joined hands. Their grip on each other is obviously weak and he can easily see how Hotaru's fingers are trembling. She looks so doleful while Todoroki is harder to read, but, he can tell something is weighing heavily on him too.

Shinso's eyes narrow slightly in irritation before he walks off. It can't be helped. He'll make do without her.

Mineta stares at the back of Shoto's head furiously. How dare he steal his woman again? This is the final straw. He will crush him for sure.

"You made the biggest mistake of your life, Todoroki…" He murmurs atrociously.

Shoto walks quickly to find his final team member before someone else beats him to the punch like they almost did just now. He knows that Hotaru is easy to beckon with kindness, which is why he used such a lighthearted tone and extended his hand to her. Even so, recruiting her was easier than he thought it would be. He was prepared to take some extra steps. She's kind've naive. He glances over his shoulder and at Hotaru.

Her silver eyes are flickering cyan as she gives him the evil eye. It's like he's staring into a supercell thunderstorm that can unleash multiple tornadoes and wreak havoc. He promptly looks back ahead with a skittish drop of sweat rolling down his temple. She's not naive at all.

Just what does she think this cavalry battle actually is though? It shouldn't be so shocking to her. He'll apologize later if he needs to. Right now, he's most concerned with revolting against his old man. He just needs to make sure he gets to the next round, all while placing first for this one.

Shoto locates Iida and recruits him easily as well. Even as he's talking to Iida, his hand is still gripping Hotaru's. She had stopped holding onto his long ago. Her eyelid twitches in irritation. Does he think she's going to run off or something? With a scowl, she snatches her hand away from his, gulping down the rest of her water angrily.

The team leader, Shoto, faces his three teammates. They are the best people he could team up with. Iida has amazing speed, Yaoyorozu's creation will be their primary source of defense, and Hotaru's lightning can be their main source of offense. He needs to explain his strategy to them quickly since their given time is already half gone, but first he needs to get a brief rundown of their quirks.

"Yaoyorozu," He begins, making her look at him. "Does your quirk have any limitations I should be aware of?"

"The larger the object, the longer it takes for me to create. Although, that shouldn't cause any problems." She answers, and he nods before looking at Hotaru next.

She's staring into her empty cup instead of at him, finding the little glistening droplets inside interesting. Despite her not looking at Shoto, she knows he's looking at her. Does he really want her to tell him all about her quirk?

"Aihara." Shoto addresses her, making her eyes move up to him. "Tell me about your quirk."

Her grip tightens on her cup, making it scrunch up with an obnoxious sound. Wow, he really is a gutsy jerk. She folds her arms over her chest while shifting her weight. Whatever. There's nothing so secretive about her quirk and the drawbacks are pretty obvious.

"Lightning manipulation is my quirk. I can control what voltage each strike or discharge contains up to one billion volts. The only drawback I have is that I overheat after a while." She answers in monotone.

Shoto's nods as he takes that in. It seems he was right about overheating being her drawback. After she used what looked like her most powerful move at U.S.J., her skin was scorching hot. Even towards the end of the obstacle race he noticed how quickly she was deteriorating from the heat, which reminds him of her speed technique.

"And your speed trick?" He questions further.

"All I'm doing is generating lightning inside of myself. If you're looking to use me as a horse, I don't recommend it. I can't maintain that trick for long and anyone in contact with me will suffer from minor shocks."

"Wait a second, Aihara-san." Iida suddenly extends his arms in her direction with robotic movements, appalled at her words. "Isn't that equivalent to shocking yourself?"

Everyone's eyes widen slightly as they stare at Hotaru. She stares back at them blankly, her arms falling back to her sides. She nods to answer him, and Iida grows pale while Yaoyorozu brings her hand over her mouth in fright.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Yaoyorozu asks worriedly.

"I have an electrical resistance, so not at first." She shakes her head.

"N-Not at first?" Yaoyorozu repeats.

"Alright." Shoto interrupts their conversation so he can tell them their roles. He's already familiar with Iida's quirk, so there's no need to question him. "I chose you three because I thought it would be the most stable formation. Aihara, you'll be the right wing, keeping the enemy away with your lightning."

"Got it." She crudely waves him off, making his eyes narrow in irritation. Despite that, he looks at Yaoyorozu and continues.

"Yaoyorozu, you'll be the left wing. You are in charge of insulation and assisting with defense and movement." He informs her before turning to Iida next. "Iida, you'll be in the front as the main source of mobility and physical defense."

"So, you will attack and create diversions with ice and fire, then, Todoroki-kun?" Iida asks after he agrees to his given task.

"No." Shoto's eyes move away from him and get lost in the audience. His expression darkens and his fingers curl into rigid fists. "In battle… I will never use my left."

Hotaru's eyes gradually widen, her breath getting caught in her throat. She follows Shoto's severe gaze and it leads her right to a glaring Endeavor. The reason why she's never seen Shoto use his left side is because of him. Shoto doesn't want to use his fire because it reminds him of his father? Or, is it something much deeper than that?

Endeavor's eyes suddenly shift over to her, and she blinks when his glare grows more intense. He must be really pissed right now because she's on Shoto's team. In fact, he told her not to touch or talk to Shoto at all but she's sure he witnessed them do just that a couple times today. His teeth bare when she blankly waves at him. Interesting. What'll happen if she sticks her tongue out at him?

"Round two is about to start!" Midnight's voice yells out before Hotaru can provoke the Flame Hero. "Everyone, get ready!"

"Yaoyorozu," Shoto instantly begins giving his orders. "Make some roller skates for you and Aihara, and an electrical resistant pad and glove."

"Glove?" Hotaru murmurs, raising a brow at him in question.

"Yeah." He turns to her. "You will need to wear a glove so you can use your quirk without worrying about shocking me or Iida."

"That's… smart." She can't help but murmur in awe. Her eyes glisten as Shoto's strategy comes to life. Maybe teaming up with him was the best choice.

Yaoyorozu creates a pair of roller skates for her and herself so they won't have to do any running at all, and not worry about not being able to keep up with Iida's speed. The rubber pad she creates goes onto Iida's shoulder so Hotaru can hold onto him without shocking him.

Hotaru has never roller skated before. However, she's able to move around in the skates with no problems at all. Yaoyorozu hands her a rubber glove which she takes thankfully. She slides it onto her right hand and flexes her fingers. She doesn't think she can use her quirk from her right hand at all now. Unfortunate, but necessary.

She's also given an electrical resistant wrap that coils around the majority of her left arm. It was a last-minute addition. She's not sure what it's for just yet, but she knows for a fact it has something to do with blocking her lightning.

"Are you ready, everyone?" Iida asks.

"Yeah." Shoto slides his shoes off and ties his headband on. He makes his way over to him, Hotaru and Yaoyorozu trailing close behind.

Iida extends his arms back, and Hotaru grabs on tightly to his right hand with her gloved one. She brings her other hand to his padded shoulder. Yaoyorozu gets into the same position as her on the opposite side. The three of them crouch down so Shoto can climb on. Before Shoto boards their makeshift horse carriage, he locks eyes with Hotaru.

"Don't drop me." He threatens, and she scoffs.

"Seriously? I wouldn't do that."

"Your grip test result." He bluntly states, making her think way back to their Quirk Apprehension Training. Her cheeks darken severely, and she looks to the ground.

"T-That was a long time ago. I'm stronger now. If you're that worried, why even bother teaming up with me?" She whispers dismally.

Her silvery eyes move to meet his mismatched ones once more. The amount of sincerity in them makes his breath falter. The blue sky above reflects in them. It almost feels like he's staring into a limitless sea of fleecy clouds.

"I swear, I won't drop you. There's no way I'm going to let us lose. I want to be a hero too, you know." She gives him the smallest of smiles. "I'm also letting you boss me around right now; in case you didn't realize. I trust you, Sho. Can't you just trust me too?"

The frown he was wearing diminishes bit by bit, and his eyes break away from hers. Wordlessly, he moves into position and now she's frowning instead. She stares at the ground with a slight tremble in her brow. She really can't wait for this cavalry battle to be over with. Already, it's taking its toll on her.

Shoto's bare foot moves over the palm of her gloved hand, and she holds onto him gently yet securely. Iida's hand is beneath hers to assist in supporting Shoto's weight. Yaoyorozu mirrors their movements on the left side, and together they slowly straighten up. Once they are standing upright and ready for action, Hotaru finds out why she had to wrap her arm. It's so she won't shock Shoto, as he sits atop her arm.

Her silver orbs bore into the ground. If she wasn't feeling so despondent, perhaps she would be feeling embarrassment instead at this awkward and close proximity. Her own thoughts attempt to shove her into the dirt below. Shoto doesn't trust her. That fact hits her so forcefully. Just like he doesn't trust her, he doesn't see her as a friend either. Yet, he has no problems using her. He's lower than Mineta.

Present Mic begins the countdown, and she draws in a rickety breath. She suddenly feels so tired. She wishes to win this cavalry battle, but she wishes to get away from Shoto even more. It's suddenly torture to be around him. That's when she realizes teaming up with him was the worst possible choice. Everything is such a mess. She's such a mess.

She keeps making the same mistake over and over again, which is thinking that maybe the Shoto she once knew is still present. She was supposed to cast everything aside today and only focus on rising to the top, yet here she is. Was she an idiot for thinking they were friends again? She bites down harshly on her trembling lower lip. The amount of hatred she feels towards herself at her next thought is unbearable.

Was her father right about him?

"Start!" Midnight yells, slashing her whip in excitement.

"Iida, we're after one thing." Shoto says, and Iida understands what he means by that.

"Right!" He exclaims, running quickly towards Midoriya with Hotaru and Yaoyorozu skating behind.

Hotaru looks around, forcing herself to focus on getting by this cavalry battle. They aren't the only team making a beeline towards Midoriya. In fact, everyone here is doing just that. The ten million points he holds is like a pot of gold. Getting those points won't be so simple. Not only is everyone after him, but Midoriya is proving to be a master of evasive skills.

Her eyes widen when Midoriya's team takes off into flight high in the air. With the support course with him, corning him will be interesting. His team practically transformed into robots, and she's sure Uraraka's zero-gravity is adding to their mobility. They are out of everyone's range. Well, not her range.

"Aihara." Shoto addresses her as their shadow passes over their heads. Mutely, she complies with his obvious command.

She lifts a single finger from Iida's shoulder and takes careful aim. Lightning shoots outwards from her fingertip and closes in on Midoriya in an instant. He brings his arms up in front of him defensively out of reflex, and yells.

"Tokoyami-kun!"

Before they become a victim of her vicious strike, Tokoyami's Dark Shadow intercepts. Her silver eyes narrow slightly in displeasure. Tokoyami's quirk may be a big problem. However, surely there is a limit to the amount of damage it can take. What would happen if she uses a higher voltage? She doesn't try attacking again though since they have now soared completely over their heads and far behind them.

Iida turns around and follows after him and her expression morphs into one of true boredom. It feels like they are playing tag. Even though there are other teams nearby, they are only chasing after Midoriya.

They nearly catch up to him during Mineta's onslaught, and she can't help but to snicker at how he's randomly throwing his purple balls. Even though he manages to seize Uraraka by the foot with his attack, Midoriya's team takes off into flight once again.

"Damn it," Shoto mutters under his breath as he watches Midoriya fly about like an insect. Hotaru tries shooting lightning at them once again, only for Tokoyami to counter.

"He's persistent." Yaoyorozu comments, and Iida pushes himself to run faster in determination.

"Don't worry." Hotaru says almost inaudibly, watching as they land in the distance. "It looks like Mineta-kun damaged their equipment, so they might not be able to fly around so easily anymore."

"Then, now's our chance." Shoto leans forward slightly, obviously ready to take the ten million points.

"Hehehe…" A creepy chuckle reaches their ears. "Where do you think you're going, Todoroki?!"

Shoto looks over his shoulder, seeing Shoji running at them full speed. Mineta's beady eyes are focused on him from within the shadows of Shoji's tentacles, his hand extending outwards in a ghostly manner.

"I'm tired of you stealing my woman from me. Taru-chan isn't yours. She's mine. You don't deserve her sexy existence. She doesn't like you. Me and her were meant to be. Shouldn't you realize that?! We even went on a date! This is where I draw the line!"

"Oh my God." Hotaru whispers from under her breath.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Shoto mutters inaudibly.

"You won't escape this time!" Mineta pulls a purple ball from his scalp. "Take this, my special attack!"

Hotaru knows what his special attack is. He used it during the entrance exam and even just earlier against Midoriya. All he does is launch as many of his purple balls as he can. She hates to admit it, but that would be a huge problem, especially since they are so close to finally cornering Midoriya. Mineta can be formidable if he wants to be, especially right now since he's heated up over something ludicrous. Shoto has the same thoughts. Before he can give out orders to counterattack, Hotaru takes action.

"Mineta-kun," She begins, and Shoto looks down at her with an ambiguous gaze. When he gets a good look at her face, he's reminded of when she challenged him.

With an enticing smile and spellbinding silvery orbs, she turns her head so she's able to lock eyes with Mineta. He freezes just before he unleashes his attack, his cheeks emitting a warm glow as a result of her beautiful features. That expression is so irresistible that it makes him want to launch himself at her. Her head tilts to some extent and her form is suddenly enhanced further with sparkles. He's in a cloud of reverie. She brought him to this wonderful paradise.

"It's hard for me to see you when you're in the shadows." She speaks in an angelic tone, making him poke his entire head out from Shoji's tentacles. Drool is escaping from his agape mouth.

"Taru-chan~!" He reaches out towards her.

"As I thought. Mineta-kun," She smiles further, her eyes drifting to his forehead. "That headband really suits you."

"Doesn't it?" He agrees with a smug chuckle, raising his hand towards his bare forehead.

Bare… forehead…?

"Eh?!" He cries out. "It's gone?!"

"Kero?!" Asui's voice exclaims from within the shadows. Shoji halts in his advance towards them as they start to look around in panic, trying to figure out when their headband was stolen.

"Aihara-san," Yaoyorozu can't stop herself from laughing. "You're so whimsical!"

"You stopped the attack before it even occurred." Iida praises with a smile. "You're amazing!"

"Amazing?" Hotaru utters with wide eyes, staring at the back of his head.

"Yes. You are able to utilize both villain and hero techniques. Only you can do that in such a humane way." He suddenly looks over his shoulder at her, making her cheeks become rose dusted.

"I think so too." Yaoyorozu agrees. "It's a very unique aspect you have."

Are they praising the villain side of her? How troublingly sweet. She smiles a little shyly and suddenly finds the rolling wheels beneath her feet very interesting. Just when she gets ready to thank them, Shoto's voice speaks out.

"Everyone, get ready."

That's when she focuses ahead to see they are gaining rapidly on Midoriya. Her body tenses in anticipation when Iida swiftly closes the gap between them. He moves so quickly to cut him off that her and Yaoyorozu's skates skid and kick up dust. Midoriya's team is forced to come to a complete stop, and an intense stare-down occurs. Shoto glares at Midoriya, making sweat break out on his temple.

"I'll be taking that now." Shoto asserts, no room for disagreement at all.

"Only half the time is left." Midoriya grits his teeth. "Don't stop moving!"

Midoriya's team starts to maneuver to escape them. Hotaru adverts her attention away from him due to the pounding of multiple footsteps that almost mimics a stampede. Looking over her shoulder, she can see nearly every single team charging at them. Were they planning on using this confrontation to sweep in and steal their points?

"Hey, Shoto." She turns her head slightly to gesture behind them. "We got company."

"I see." He acknowledges when he takes a look at the rapidly approaching teams. His eyes narrow and he glares at the retreating Midoriya. They need to move quickly. "Iida, forward!"

"Right!" Iida sprints ahead, the speed he's travelling at making Hotaru's hair whip.

"Yaoyorozu, prepare to guard us and conduct electricity." Shoto orders.

"Right." Yaoyorozu begins to create an insulated blanket and rod.

"Aihara, get ready to discharge lightning. Make sure you hit everyone nearby."

"Got it." Hotaru nods. "Guard well. This isn't going to be a pleasant feeling."

"Right." He murmurs, covering himself and Yaoyorozu with her created insulated blanket.

"Here I go." Hotaru lowers her eyelids as blue sparks suddenly emit from her body.

Before she unleashes her attack, she contemplates what voltage she should use. She decides to stick around one million to be on the safe side. It'll be painful and cause a brief paralysis, but it won't be completely overkill either. Her eyelids suddenly fly open and reveal her now glowing cyan eyes, and lightning bursts from her body in all directions.

The whole stadium turns into a blue light-show, and all the teams surrounding them scream in agony. Of course and unfortunately, Midoriya's team manages to escape her trap thanks to Tokoyami. Mineta's scream easily stands out to her, along with Jiro biting out her name. After a few seconds her lightning fades away, leaving her hair a complete frizzy mess which she can't help but to sigh at.

Shoto drops his blanket and grabs onto the stick Yaoyorozu created for him. He lowers the stick so it's grazing against the ground, and Hotaru can feel the coldness of his ice even as he preps it.

"Less than six minutes left. We can't back down now." He says lowly to himself, using his ice to freeze all of their paralyzed opponents to the ground. "Sorry, but you'll just have to bear it."

"What?! What'd he do?!" Present Mic's voice exclaims in shock. "Todoroki took care of that crowd of teams in an instant!"

"He froze them after Aihara's shock stopped them. I guess it should be expected, but he took into account how a lot of people avoided it in the obstacle course." Aizawa's grumbles tiredly from the speakers.

"Nice commentary!"

Hotaru finds herself fighting a laugh because of those two. She always thought of them as an interesting pair since they are complete opposites. She wonders, is there a way she could sneak up to the commentary room to say greet them? It's been a little while since she's stolen a hug from Aizawa, too. Once he gets those bandages off doing that will become impossible.

"I might as well take these." Shoto suddenly speaks, dragging her out of her thoughts. She looks up to see he has stolen two headbands, making someone from Class B curse loudly.

A familiar blue grabs her attention, and Hotaru looks ahead at Midoriya. Her eyes widen the tiniest bit when she sees residue from her lightning flickering around his jet-pack. Steam starts to rise from it and her mouth forms an "o" shape. Did she break that? Now that she really studies them, it looks like all of their equipment is malfunctioning. She killed two birds with one stone.

It's not so simple for Team Midoriya to evade them anymore. They are closing in on them quickly and Uraraka panics. Shoto attempts to reach for Midoriya's headband and Tokoyami immediately takes action.

"I'll restrain them!" He yells out, and his Dark Shadow glides speedily towards Shoto.

"Yaoyorozu!" Shoto warns, and she quickly creates a large concrete shield to block, smiling in success afterwards.

Hotaru's eyes are drawn to Tokoyami's Dark Shadow. Her lips purse as she tries to spot any weaknesses. As of right now, it doesn't seem like there is any. Yes, it doesn't seem like it. She knows for a fact there is one, she just can discern it yet. Her brow raises a bit when she notices a nervous drop of sweat on the shadowy creature. It's staring at her almost fearfully.

"Interesting." She murmurs to herself when Shoto suddenly creates an ice wall, confining themselves and Team Midoriya within. It's now just them and no one else. Any interruptions most likely won't happen. The ten million points are nearly within their grasp.

"What?" Shoto sharply inquires at her voice. Her eyelids lower briefly and her teeth grit at his rude tone.

"You're heavy."

"Aihara." He bites out and she sighs loudly, giving him the real answer, since he acts as if he's a snobby prince. She didn't exactly tell a lie, though. He is pretty heavy.

"Dark Shadow looks edgy. I was just wondering why. Once I find out…" She pauses dramatically. "You'll be the first to know."

"Good."

"Anything for you, Shoroki." She dully responds.

Iida and Yaoyorozu look over at Hotaru with creased brows of bewilderment.

"Shoroki?" They mutter inaudibly, not sure if they heard that right at all.

Even though Shoto has trapped themselves and the ten million points in an icy prison, it's not making things easier at all. Whenever they advance, Midoriya quickly ducks to the left, all so Shoto can't freeze them over without freezing Iida in the process. Hotaru finds herself envying Midoriya's brain. How he can strategize so quickly is astonishing. On top of that, Dark Shadow is…

"Annoying." She mutters to herself, her eyes glaring when another lightning strike of hers is blocked. Her irritation is easily detectable by her teammates.

"It's okay, Aihara-san." Yaoyorozu speaks softly, sheepish sweat forming on her face at her villainous expression.

"This is disappointing." Hotaru begins, Yaoyorozu's attempt to calm her down proving to be futile. "It's been five minutes and we still can't take the points."

"...That bastard." Shoto's teeth grit as he seethes. He'll do himself in if he freezes indiscriminately. Tokoyami can defend against Hotaru's lightning. He can't attack with ice without hitting his own team. There's only one minute left.

"Should I just hit them with a billion volts?" Hotaru grumbles.

"And become useless afterwards?" Shoto retorts.

"I'm practically useless now. So, I don't see the problem."

"We'll become stranded if you pass out, Aihara-san." Yaoyorozu frowns at her suggestion.

"Everyone," Iida suddenly speaks up seriously, making them look at him. "There's less than a minute left. You won't be able to use me after this. I'm counting on you!"

"Iida?" Shoto whispers, confused.

"Hang on tight. Make sure you get it, Todoroki-kun!"

Iida suddenly leans forward, falling into a deep lunge. Hotaru's eyes widen when the pipes on his thighs abruptly begin to spew hot and flaming gases. The brightness of the exhaust makes her squint. Hold on a second. What's he about to do? Hang on tight? She gasps when it hits her.

"Wait, wait, wait…!" She begins pathetically. Her arm that's been holding up Shoto has been quivering for a while now. How is she supposed to keep him upright?!

"Torque Over…!" Iida exclaims, ignoring her completely. "Reciproburst!"

Before she can even comprehend it, Iida shoots forward with explosive speed. Her body jerks and the rushing air stings her eyes, her hair thrashing wildly. The sudden acceleration is so vigorous her hand involuntarily falls away from his shoulder. If it wasn't for Iida's hand gripping hers tightly, she's sure she would've fallen back.

They pass by Midoriya's team in a flash, and Shoto manages to swipe the ten-million-point headband. Iida skids to a stop near the edge of the field, an immediate stop. Hotaru lets out a squeak when she's now suddenly flying forward instead of backwards. It's one thing travelling this fast herself, but when someone else is doing it with her in tow, it's completely different.

If she didn't suddenly lock up her muscles and body, she would've slammed into Shoto's backside. His… backside. Her face turns red. It's too close. Help—! Shoto's hand settles atop her head to steady himself as he becomes unbalanced like she did, and her eyes turn beady and resemble buttons.

"What happened?! So fast! So fast!" Present Mic yells. "Iida, if you can accelerate that fast, then show us in the prelims!"

Shoto's hand falls away from Hotaru's hair, but her dazed expression remains unchanged. That one odd stand of hair that never stays down was pressed down by his hand, but the moment he removes it, it springs back up. He brings their newly acquired headband around his neck, inside-out like the others and in a shuffled position. Either he's choosing to ignore using her head as an anchor, or he's genuinely shocked at Iida's speed. Maybe even both.

"What was that?" Shoto inquires with wide eyes, astounded.

"By forcing the torque and rotations to increase, I created an explosive power." Iida answers through his heavy breaths, smoke spewing from his pipes. "With the recoil, my engines stall after a while, though. It's a secret move I hadn't told anyone in class yet. I told you, didn't I, Midoriya-kun?" He looks over and smirks at the now disgruntled Midoriya. "That I'd challenge you."

"The tables are turned!" Present Mic cheers, the audience cheering loudly along with him. "Offense and defense right at the edge! Reining that in, Todoroki gets the ten million! And Midoriya is suddenly left with zero points!"

"Get back in there!" Midoriya cries out, pure adrenaline and desperation flowing through his veins.

"As long as they have Aihara, we'll be at a disadvantage if we attack!" Tokoyami disagrees, and Dark Shadow shakes his head in fright at going in for an attack. "Won't it be safer to try for other points right now?"

"No! I don't know how the other points got split up! This is our only chance!"

"All right!" Uraraka suddenly exclaims, pushing them forward. Midoriya looks down at her in surprise and she meets his gaze. "We'll get it back, Deku-kun! We definitely will!"

"Here they come!" Yaoyorozu's eyes narrow as she readies herself.

"Get ready!" Iida's teeth grit.

"...How is this battle not over yet?" Hotaru merely mutters, feeling nothing but miserable since Iida's Reciproburst. "...I don't understand…"

She only snaps out of her pathetic state when she catches sight of Midoriya's arm. It's glowing and sparking, his muscles bulging as he creates a tight fist. Her breath gets caught in her throat as she stares at him. What's with this overwhelming power she's sensing? It's almost as if he's an inferior spinoff of All Might. Inferior or not, she knows for sure his next attack is going to pack a punch, and it's aiming for Shoto.

Instinctively, she raises her hand from Iida's shoulder to attack him. The moment she does, she feels heat that isn't her own. She looks over, drawing in a sharp breath when she sees flames emerging from Shoto's left arm. This is the first time she's seeing his flames and her vision focuses on the flickering light.

It's so warm, comforting. Like a candle in a dark room, or like a tranquil fire on a snowy night. It's light glows and illuminates his skin. It's pretty and not like any fire she's ever seen. Her lips slowly part and something in her stirs. What is this feeling?

Midoriya closes in on them, and she forces herself to focus on him instead. His glowing hand moves towards Shoto, and Shoto raises his flaming hand to counter. Sparks start to emit from Hotaru's fingertips. Just as she starts to unleash her attack, and before Shoto can even release his flames to their full potential, Midoriya does something unexpected.

He moves at a speed they didn't think he was capable of. They miscalculated. He swipes his arm through the air, creating a gale that diminishes Shoto's flames. Shoto's arm is knocked aside and so is her own, resulting in her shooting her lightning somewhere unintended. It's heading straight towards the audience, and Midoriya's hand is now heading towards the headbands around Shoto's neck. It's like she's at a crossroad again. She hates this feeling.

She can stop Midoriya, but the audience is about to get hit with her lightning. The color drains from her face. Why isn't there some sort of barrier to protect them? Her silver eyes zone in on the many panicked expressions.

Her body is moving on its own once again, but not to stop Midoriya. Unknowing to her, Cementoss is in the process of creating a concrete shield to stop her stray attack. He's going to make it on time. However, she acts more quickly than he does.

Her strikes always travel along a straight path. That's how she's always done it to ensure she doesn't miss her target. However, true lightning never travels in a linear fashion. It twists and bends. Lightning itself is unpredictable, but she never let hers be. She never knew how. Her lightning is still attached to her finger. This is her quirk. She should be able to control it. She has a firm hold. Just this once…

"Please," She whispers to herself, her lightning suddenly feeling like it's an extra limb. Her eyes glow and she draws in a deep breath. With the flick of her finger, a bend forms in her strike and it shoots skywards instead, right when Midoriya cries out.

"I got it!"

With nervous sweat on her face, she looks up at Shoto in panic. A headband is missing from his neck. He's holding onto his left arm tightly and with a resentful expression. She fears the worst until she hears the support course girl speak.

"Wait a minute. Isn't this the wrong headband?" She asks Midoriya, and sure enough, it is.

"Just in case, we changed the position of the headbands!" Yaoyorozu reveals. "You were naive, Midoriya-san!"

"Todoroki-kun, get a hold of yourself!" Iida glares at Shoto who's currently having an inside battle with himself. "That was close!"

"It's not his fault!" Hotaru abruptly yells, not being able to help herself. Even when she's angry at Shoto, she still can't stop herself from defending him. Her throat grows tight in frustration. "There was nothing any of us could've done. Nothing. Midoriya-kun… he's strong."

"Time's just about up!" Present Mic shrills. "Start the countdown!"

10 seconds left.

"Tokoyami!" Midoriya cries out, and Dark Shadow starts to make a beeline towards Shoto.

Snapping out of it, Shoto yells instinctively and brings an insulated blanket over himself.

"Taru!"

The desperation in his voice and how he used her nickname makes her chest grow heavy. When he calls to her like that, there's no way she can't comply. She acts instantly upon his command and discharges lightning, forcing Dark Shadow to fall back. As if on cue, Bakugo suddenly bursts through Shoto's wall of ice.

"Damn Deku!" He roars.

"Uraraka-san!" Midoriya calls out.

"Got it!" Uraraka exclaims, moving forward quickly.

Everyone present is charging towards Shoto for the ten million points. Iida tries to move, but he's stuck in place due to his earlier speed boost. Hotaru's eyes narrow and she inhales deeply, bracing herself. Her pulse is racing away and pounding in her ears.

"Yaoyorozu!" Shoto shouts, and she creates a metal pole for him to use. He coats it with ice, getting ready to counterattack their opponents.

"Half-and-Half Bastard!" Bakugo growls. Him and Midoriya are nearly within reaching distance when Present Mic yells.

"Time's up!"

Bakugo face-plants on the ground while spitting out curses, and Midoriya clenches his fists in frustration. Hotaru can't help letting out a relieved sigh and Shoto hops back down onto the ground, cursing despite their victory. Instantly, Hotaru rubs at her sore arm and turns away from Shoto, stepping out of her skates as she does. He doesn't say a "thank you" to her or anyone else, making her teeth grit.

"Let's take a look at the top four teams right away! In first place, Team Todoroki!" Present Mic reveals.

"Even though we won, it felt like we were skating on thin ice." Yaoyorozu says somewhat breathlessly, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Sorry…" Iida begins dejectedly. "I caused everyone trouble."

"That's not true." Yaoyorozu shakes her head in disagreement, bringing her hand over her chest with a smile. "Without you, we would not have won. Right, Aihara-san?"

"Right." Hotaru whispers.

Her weak and strained voice makes them look over at her. She looks melancholy as she holds onto her arm, staring at Shoto who's busy glaring hatefully at Midoriya who's sobbing in relief at making it to the next round. Wrinkles form in her sleeve as her grip on her arm tightens.

"Are you alright, Aihara-san?" Yaoyorozu inquires worriedly.

"Yeah." Hotaru nods her head, forcing a smile and turning to her. Yaoyorozu frowns slightly, seeing through her fake smile. "I-I'm… sorry. Excuse me."

Hotaru bows in apology and excuses herself, walking away with a shadow over her face. She passes by Shoto, but he doesn't even spare her a glance. Her jaw grows almost painfully tight and her eyes glare at the ground.

Present Mic is still announcing the results by the time she leaves the stadium's field, and he announces an hour lunch break the moment she steps into the waiting room that was assigned to her. She closes the door softly behind her, slumping backwards against it and gazing ahead vacantly.

A quivering breath escapes her lips and she raises her hands towards her face, wiping away tears of frustration before they can fall. That asshole. He fakes kindness to get what he wants, won't even say a "thank you," talks so rudely, doesn't consider her a friend, doesn't even trust her… He's making her hate him.

She's starting to fall back into that dark world. She brings her hands over her face, slowly sinking to the ground. Today must be really hard for him because his old man is here. She understands that. But, can't she understand why he's acting so vulgar towards herself and others. It's inexcusable.

"Damn you, Shoto…" She breathes out, her fingers getting tangled into her hair. "Damn you. Please, don't make me think he was right this entire time. I can't bear it."

She's suddenly plagued by thoughts of her parents and her eyes squeeze shut. Her mind is her own worst enemy. It feels as if she has no energy left. She's tired. So very tired. Unfortunately, there's still the final event to get through. She has no time to feel exhausted like this. Her hands fall away from her face.

If she could just forget about him entirely, just for today, that would be great. That's just wistful thinking, though. A fantasy that won't come true. All she can do is continue to endure. However, she can only endure so much. She wonders how much more she can take before she hits her breaking point. Her lips twitch upwards.

Or, has she already reached that point?


~ Next Chapter Sneak Peek:

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Sham

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She hears them before she steps out into the open. She hears them before her name is even called. All of those ornery voices, all of those loud boos, they make her stay rooted in the shadows instead of heading out to the battlefield.

Act as a hero and she gets reprimanded. Act as a villain and she gets denounced. Simply show her face and she gets admonished. Try her best and it's a crime. Her parents made sure of that. Her parents... they won.

Slowly, she brings her hands over her ears and shuts her eyes, blindly walking into the open.