Chapter 15: Racing to the Rescue

Hey howdy hey hello, welcome to the show! Enigma's back with chapter fifteen!

This one's nice and simple, just a bit of peace between all the action from last chapter and the final exams coming soon.

This is the first introduction of Midoriya's Shoot Style for Moxie, though, so that's fun. I do have some stuff planned there given how similar Midoriya's new style is to Moxie's usual style.

I hadn't even realized how similar they were while coming up with Moxie, it's kinda interesting really.

But I'm rambling. Enjoy!

Feel free to review, but don't just rip into me. I'm doing this for fun, not excessive criticism.

"Hiryu, are you alright?"

It was the first question out of anyone's mouth when she entered the classroom. Hiryu couldn't blame them, really. Her shoulder was still healing from the wound Stain gave her, and it was pretty obvious that she was avoiding putting any weight on it.

"I'm fine, Yaoyorozu." Hiryu assured her classmate with a nervous smile, "R-Really, I'd be more worried about the others. I-I mean, they got the worst of it."

"You really fought those Nomus with Fatgum?" Kirishima asked.

"Yeah, but I got a real earful for it afterward." Moxie smiled, "Apparently I don't follow orders too well."

"What a shocker." Tsuyu commented.

"I know, right?" Moxie laughed.

"They mentioned you in the news, you know!" Kaminari told him.

"I didn't really do much." Moxie shrugged, "I'm surprised I was mentioned at all."

"Well, they did say you weren't really all that useful…" Kaminari admitted, "But the biggest thing we're all wondering about is you three!" He abruptly shifted topics, pointing at the small group of three who had been whispering in the back, "And you too, Hiryu!"

"Dude, yeah, the Hero Killer!" Sero agreed.

"So happy you're alive; no joke, that's the most important thing!" Kirishima commented.

"I was worried for you…" Yaoyorozu added.

"They say you got rescued by Endeavor! That's the Number Two Hero for you!" Kaminari said.

"…yep. Rescued." Todoroki growled.

"Yeah." Midoriya agreed quietly, casting a worried glance towards Todoroki.

"I saw it on the news: something about the Hero Killer and the League of Villains being connected? I shiver just thinking of how the USJ would have played out had such a terrifying b#stard come on the ambush, too." Ojiro spoke up.

"Right? Apparently his Quirk lets him paralyze people, I couldn't've done anything against that!" Moxie agreed, nodding his head furiously.

"Right, he was pretty scary, but… did you watch the video, Ojiro? Moxie? I dunno if it was his one-track mind or tenacity or whatever, but didn't you think he was kinda cool, too?" Kaminari said.

"Kaminari!" Midoriya interjected.

"Huh? Ahh! Ii… da… I'm sorry!" Kaminari said quickly.

"No… it's all right. He was certainly a man of conviction… so I understand if people find him 'cool'." Iida responded, "However, he chose to advance his cause by means of a 'purge'. And whatever beliefs you may hold, that and that alone is in error. And because of that, so that people like me may not hereafter multiply, I shall proceed down the path of being a Hero anew!" He declared.

"Iida…!" Midoriya said, awestruck.

"Now! Class is almost upon us! So take your seats!" Iida shouted.

"So noisy…" Tokoyami complained, sitting down.

"Aw man… I'm really sorry." Kaminari apologized again.

Training Ground Gamma

"Hi! I am here!" All Might declared, "…is the note I usually do things on, but moving on… It's Hero Basic Training time! It's been awhile, boys and girls! In good spirits, I hope!?"

"That was a really lukewarm entry." Sato said,

"After so long, too…" Ojiro agreed,

"Oh my. He must have exhausted all the possible patterns." Aoyoma commented,

"Impossible, I've got an endless supply!" All Might responded, "But back to the matter at hand! This is right on the heels of your work-place experience, so this time we'll mix in an element of play!"

"If you're doing it right, there's always an element of play!" Moxie laughed, leaning back casually with his hands on the back of his head.

"It's a rescue training race!" All Might announced, ignoring Moxie.

"If it's rescue training, should it not be carried out at the USJ?!" Iida interrupted, his hand in the air.

"You might think that, but not so!" All Might said, "The USJ is specifically for disaster training! This is just a normal rescue race! Now, what was I saying? Ah, yes, the race. This is training ground Gamma! Where densely packed lanes make this construction site seem more like a complex labyrinth. Make two groups of five and two groups of six! We'll do this training one group at a time! When I've given the distress signal from somewhere in the area, you all simultaneously start from outside the limits!"

"Right, sounds fun!" Moxie nodded.

"Sh-Should I hold back…?" Hiryu thought aloud.

"Nah, just do your best, Hiryu!" Kirishima told her, giving her a thumbs up.

"This is a competition to see who can come to my aid first!" All Might continued, "Of course, keep damage to the surrounding buildings to a minimum!" He said, pointing at Bakugo.

"Don't point fingers." Bakugo grumbled.

A few minutes later, the first group was in position. Hiryu, Midoriya, Moxie, Sero and Iida would be going first.

"Iida hasn't made a full recovery yet; he should just be watching." Tsuyu complained.

"All the kids with the best maneuverability are in this group." Sato said.

"Yeah, if you forced me to pick, I'd say Midoriya's at a slight disadvantage." Kaminari responded.

"Frankly, his true worth hasn't really been pinned down yet." Jiro interjected.

"I mean, anytime he tries to do something, he ends up with such grievous wounds." Yaoyorozu agreed.

"I say Sero or Hiryu takes first place." Kirishima said.

"I think it'll be Moxie; you didn't see him in the USJ." Ojiro argued.

"That's fair. After all, his agility has always been his biggest selling point." Yaoyorozu nodded.

"Yeah, Moxie's a safe bet for this race." Kirishima agreed, "But you can't discount Sero's abilities."

"Deku's dead last." Bakugo growled randomly.

"Even though he has that wound handicapping him, I still feel like it'll be Iida." Uraraka said.

"Start!" All Might shouted over the speaker system.

Immediately, the group took off. Sero swung up above the labyrinth, and Hiryu followed closely behind with her wings, earning cheers from some of the students.

"Look, see? In a maze like this, they can just go over!" Kirishima cheered.

"Woohoo!" Moxie shouted, leaping into the air and bouncing across the maze, ricocheting from spot to spot easily.

"A race like this is perfect for us, eh Mo-?" Sero was cut off as a green blur shot past him.

"This is too perfect for the training I did!" Midoriya exclaimed, swiftly shooting ahead.

"Midoriya!" Sero exclaimed.

"You're movin' kinda like I do, Midoriya!" Moxie laughed, bouncing alongside the green-haired boy, "I dunno though, something's different about it…"

Moxie kept glancing at Midoriya as the two of them raced along, Sero and Hiryu following closely behind. It took him a minute to realize what was different, but he did eventually see it. Midoriya's landings had just a little bit more lag then Moxie's, where Moxie would immediately bounce off, Midoriya would pause for a split second, planning where he would go next.

And then… Midoriya slipped. He landed in a precarious spot and slipped, falling down into the maze below and being left in the dust. Distantly, he could hear Moxie's laughter.

The ending zone closing in, Hiryu realized it was too close. Gritting her teeth, she pulled to a stop, flapping up several feet before going into a dive with her wings tucked in, getting very close to the top of the maze before spreading her wings again, racing past Sero and Moxie to snatch the win, landing safely next to All Might.

"Dang it!" Moxie shouted, distracted as Sero raced by him, taking second place right from under his nose.

"Sorry, Moxie!" Sero laughed as Moxie landed next to him, hopping a few times before coming to a stop with a quiet "Bounce, bounce…", "Why do you keep saying that?"

"Hm? Oh, habit, I guess…" Moxie scratched the back of his head, "My mother used to do the same thing, maybe I got it from her?"

"Young Hiryu was number one, but you've all learned to use your Quirks much more broadly since you first entered U.A.!" All Might told everyone, "Now keep at it, and begin preparing for the end of term test!"

Classroom 1-A

"Alright, let's see… okay, summer break is fast approaching." Aizawa said, seeming just as tired as ever, "But of course, it stands to reason that none of you have the leeway to just relax for that long. In light of that…"

"Could it be…?" Kaminari said quietly, glancing behind him at Kirishima.

"We'll be going to a summer break forest lodge." Aizawa announced, to widespread cheering.

"I knew it! Hell yeah!" Kaminari cheered.

"Truth or dare!" Ashido exclaimed.

"And fireworks." Tsuyu commented.

"The parameters of our activity will probably change in a natural environment." Yaoyorozu commented.

"Challenging us to perform well in any environment… interesting…" Iida pondered.

"Food and bed with the whole class! I'm getting excited!" Ashido exclaimed.

"However." Aizawa interrupted, "Should any of you fall short of a passing grade in the end of term test, then you're stuck in school, in remedial hell."

"Let's do our best, everyone!" Kirishima shouted.

"What a load." Bakugo growled.

"Let's all crush this, so we can go together!" Moxie encouraged the class.

After School, Open Use Training Grounds

Moxie brought up his right leg, blocking a chop from Kendo before lashing out with his left, which she jumped backwards to dodge. They were doing some light sparring without their Quirks, but seemed to be evenly matched.

Moxie and Kendo both assumed a different stance, circling around each other.

"Y'know, you never talk about your parents." Kendo pointed out.

"What's there to talk about?" Moxie shrugged, "They're still in the States." He rushed forward with a flurry of three blows, two punches followed by a kick, which Kendo blocked, countering with a chop which he ducked. They broke apart again and continued circling each other, looking for an opening.

"Well, what do they do?" Kendo asked.

"My father's an engineer, my mother's a former Pro." Moxie told her.

"Former?" Kendo asked, rushing in for a blow towards Moxie's head, which he blocked, and following up with a punch to his side that caught him off guard. She used that to trip him and strike him in the chest with her elbow, knocking him to the ground, "Gotcha!"

"Yeah, you got me." Moxie coughed, "And as for my mother: She retired and moved to the States, to be with my father. She's the one who trained me most of my life, and also where I got my carrot allergy."

"Wait, you're allergic to carrots? Isn't being rabbit-like your whole thing?" Kendo laughed, helping him up.

"Ironic, I know." Moxie laughed, taking his position across the ring from Kendo, "Best of three?"

"Sure." Kendo smiled.

And there it is! What'd you think?

Nothing huge really happened this chapter, I'm happy with it but it's certainly not my favorite one.

I'll see you whenever I see you, the next chapter might even go up today, depending on how I'm feeling.

Enigma, signing off.