("Underlined text" is supposed to be read as Sign Language. "Italicized text" is used only for Misaki's Dad's quirk. "Bold Text" is used for messages Misaki types out.)

Chapter Five

Trade Mistakes


The afternoon came and went just like that. Everyone managed to make a display of their quirks be it in a good way or a bad way. It was interesting to see everyone's different quirks for the first time applied in this context and how different they all were. It hadn't been all that bad, and she was glad that she now knew enough about everyone to think about future matchups be it together or against one another in class. As long as she didn't have to strain herself against folks with quick reaction time, she would be lucky the next few times.

Misaki went home and immediately ate something, showered, and then went to bed.

She was too tired to think about anything else besides that.

When she woke up that morning and headed out to school, she was surprised to see a message on her phone from Mari of all people after so long of just radio silence. It didn't say much of anything, but well wishes that her classes were going well. She smiled. She sent the same message back to Mari and asked if they could speak soon about how things were going but she had to stash her phone away when she got closer to the gates of U.A.

She noticed that Midoriya was up ahead. He wasn't covered in wrappings that could have rivaled a mummy so that meant that Recovery Girl had worked her magic on him.

Good for him, she thought.

Well, he was having a good day until the media noticed that he was wearing the school uniform and bombarded him with all sorts of questions that he wasn't even ready to answer. Misaki would be next once they realized that Midoriya wasn't all that great at public speaking. Neither was she, she just ignored others when they didn't address her in the right way. So, she thought about the best way to disperse a crowd and the only thing that would come to mind was a tactic that she had used on some bullies that had bothered Mari.

"Hey, is that All Might down the street?!"

That sentence made the crowd whip their heads in the opposite direction of Midoriya and Misaki. There was, fortunately, a blur of a somebody with blonde hair in the distance and that had been enough to move most of the crowd.

"I think I see him!"

"Quick, before he gets away!"

Midoriya sighed in relief when the crowd was off of his back. Misaki patted him on the shoulder and the green-haired boy turned his head to see the purple-haired girl staring at him. He realized quickly that she was the reason that he was alright, and thanked her profusely for that quick thinking save. She shook her head as if it was no big deal.

Misaki simply typed out a message to him as they entered the gates and it shut behind them: They want to know anything they can. The teachers will not tell them anything. So, they go for the next best thing and that's us, the students. We're kind of just sitting ducks. Next time just don't stop walking. They get the picture when you're standoffish.


When they got into class and settled in, Aizawa was quick to talk to them about the scores from their exercise. He wasn't particularly happy to hear that Bakugou and Midoriya had gotten into another spat, Midoriya had broken another arm because of it and that Bakugou had nearly taken Midoriya's head off for no good reason besides a grudge. It was obvious that he expected better of them, and why not?

They were the prospects of one of the biggest hero schools in all of Japan. They had to be ready to mature faster than everyone else to keep on their toes.

Petty squabbles didn't solve anything.

The tension raised with those stern orders only to be squashed when Aizawa announced they would be picking the class president. Instead of more scolding and warnings, they were doing something actually normal for high school. Her teacher's attitude on life made her feel reassured, while the rest of the class were praying that his switches wouldn't always come out so blunt and casually.

The students began to argue about who would be best for the job.

Misaki already knew that she did not want that job.

It was a hassle to keep track of everyone around yourself and make sure that every single little thing was taken care of. It wasn't like she wasn't capable of doing that, she just really wanted to focus her time on other means. Others seemed to have similar thinking because they too didn't open their mouths to say anything.

Tenya Iida was quick to go to the front of the class to catch the attention of the rest. His input was simple, he didn't think that they should simply choose by saying out loud their names. They needed to vote on this so it was diplomatic and posed. While it was obvious that a good chunk of the class would likely write down their names, Iida reasoned that whoever could garner the most votes in spite of that would be the obvious choice for the job by circumstance.

Aizawa was disinterested in the subject, looking more comfortable on the floor in his sleeping bag. He merely agreed just to shut the kid up.

All and all, Midoriya wound up getting three votes and that was the most out of anyone which made him president and Yaoyorozu was right behind him with two votes and that meant that she would take the position of vice president. Midoriya looked like a terrified fish out of water and Yaoyorozu was flustered but much more composed.

Misaki was surprised by that. But, it seemed as though Midoriya's friends voted for him instead of themselves. While kind of them, it didn't seem as though that the kid was ready for that kind of job to be on his plate. Bakugou could agree with that sentiment but the scowl on his face, though his opinion was per the wrong reasoning. She had taken the time to vote for Iida as he seemed the most delighted for the job and with those steady morals of his it just seemed like a stickler for rules could handle the task.

With that note, class ended and lunchtime began.

Misaki shook her head when Uraraka asked if she wanted to have lunch with them. While she enjoyed the company of any type of friends, she had decidedly gone to hang out with Hatsume to make sure that she ate something. That is, she would have hung out with Hatsume if the girl hadn't texted her beforehand and said that she was in the middle of a new scientific breakthrough and if she stopped what she was doing for even a second then she would have lost her train of thought and in theory, whatever she was working on.

Hatsume was very bright but she had the tendency to get started on one thing and then the minute she thought of another she would start doing that instead, only a few instances would she stay working on one little thing. So, Misaki knew that this must have been really important for her work. Although, the last time she said that and Misaki dropped by she almost got a wretch the head.

She could only imagine the chaos in that room that her instructor Powerloader had to deal with. Well, it might have been wise to stay away from that room... just for today.

So, she took a left instead of a right in the stairwell and made her way to the lunchroom. It was bustling and filled with all kinds of students from each other the years and class types. Misaki hadn't been in this room very often or long enough to know what the typical layout was for the rest of her classmates as they spent time together. She took a mental note of who each of them wound up with, just seeing as everyone built up friendships. Unsurprisingly she noted that in the corner of the room that Todoroki was the only one that was sitting alone.

She would have expected that from Bakugou but she hadn't been too sure that Todoroki would be the same way.

After she had put up a sizable fight with him the other day, Todoroki had been... odd. He made it abundantly clear that she only won the match because he hadn't known the extent of her quirk, and she agreed with him because really, she had gotten lucky. Had her reaction time been any slower than it was and he would have frozen her hands and left her incapable of using her quirk.

Todoroki was standoffish, but there was an aura about him that she respected. His power was unbelievable and she had to give him credit for that. His attitude was such a way that it didn't rub her the wrong way, different from how Bakugou looked her dead in the eyes and declared her a challenge. Perhaps it was because she noticed that he too, had a disability.

That burn scar on his face hadn't just left a wound on his skin. That eye of his had been damaged as well, and she picked that hint up when she realized the mere centimeters that he had been off from hitting her wasn't because of her speed and reaction time.

It was because he was partially blind.

She had incidentally mouthed that word in a bit of surprise when she had gone to tell him what a good job he had done at nearly stumping her in their hero lesson. He was shocked that she could pick that up so fast. She just knew what to look for in others, the fiery determination to stick it to society or somebody that had told you that you couldn't, the look was one that she knew very well. She didn't know why he felt that way, but she told him that that information was safe with her if he didn't want to share it with the rest of the class.

Todoroki had been... a little odd, but he deserved a fighting chance like anyone else. Nobody would think less of him simply because of his quirks and how much of monster energy that he had. But, it was his identity to tell if he wanted.

Misaki felt a comradery in this.

In spite of his standoffish nature, she kind of wanted to be his friend. He seemed as though he could use some, especially from the way he seemed to push others away and keep alone. It reminded her sorely of the way that Mari used to be. For a time, the young girl had cried and tried to push Misaki away so she wouldn't be bullied by their classmates as well, but Misaki clung to her like glue and made her smile again. Sometimes all someone needed was another person to make them feel alright.

Thinking of Mari and the silence between the two of them as of late made her heart weary. She pushed it to the back of her head and instead took a place at Todoroki's table.

Todoroki was surprised by her arrival and rather than simply ignoring the look on his face, she tugged her phone out of her pocket and shook her head. Misaki smiled and began to type out on her phone: Do you always eat alone, Todoroki?

He had a mouthful of what appeared to be cold soba. He sighed, now knowing that he couldn't make her leave. Todoroki didn't react, he just responded to her: Do you always interrupt others, Hisakawa?

She wanted to laugh at that.

Misaki didn't lose that smile of mirth from her face, responding: Only when they seem like they need it. Uraraka asked if I wanted to join her, Iida, and Midoriya but those three have their inner circle going on. Usually, I spend my lunches with my friend from the Support class, but she's busy today. So, here I am!

Todoroki pursed his lips. Perhaps he was intrigued by her gutsy nature, or he really didn't understand what she was thinking. It was probably a combination of those two things: And so you choose to sit here?

She merely shrugged: It isn't too awful to have others around you, you know? I've heard that groups of girls have already tried to bother you for whatever reason, they think it's alright to do that because you're alone. If I'm here you're basically safe from their little clutches and crushes.

He took that information in. It seemed like a curse that any decent looking goy would be bothered by girls and the occasional boy, and that was simply the worst when you just weren't interested in all of that. While he didn't have any patience for other people and their little interests that he just didn't understand in the slightest, the way that she reasoned herself was enough for him to let it slide. It wasn't like she was going to talk his ear off or say something nonsensical.

Misaki wasn't intolerable.

So, he didn't say anything else.

Misaki appreciated that and they stayed in comfortable silence at least until the sound of an alarm bell began to blare overhead and hit Todoroki's eardrums. He lifted his head to attention and looked at the rest of the students that were just as confused, and then Misaki looked at him with her head cocked to the side. She parted her lips to ask him what was wrong but he only said:

"The intruder alert alarm."

Some assumed that it must have been a drill but some of the others noted it wasn't reacting as the practice drill did. Many of the students began to hurriedly shuffle into the hallways and look for the exit. It turned into a sea of students frantically trying to get out, and the only thing left was pandemonium remaining overhead. It was like a group of chickens who had their heads cut off.

What could have tripped the alarm?

Misaki didn't think that it was anything big. After she had run into the media early that morning, it seemed as though that it was possible that one of them had been able to scale the fence and get inside. Still, the two of them had to follow the order, and that meant that began to head in the direction of the exit that was nearby. However, Todoroki caught her by the arm not even a moment later and when she turned to ask him what he wanted, he told her that Iida had informed them all that it was just the press.

She looked surprised by the fact that he had told her anything.

The last time that she had had to listen to others without her friends nearby, others didn't tell her anything and left her to wander without knowing whether it was alright or not.

"Thanks for... telling me," she told him, honestly.

Todoroki was crass but he wasn't a bad guy. Her feelings were right on the money.

After that intruder incident during lunch, Midoriya came clean to the rest of the class and told them he felt like Iida was much more deserving of the job than he was. He had been able to calm everyone down with just a couple of clear and concise words. Iida gladly took the helm when the other students agreed with Midoriya. Now their class president was Tenya Iida and the vice president was Yaoyorozu Momo! Now that seemed like a perfect union of students with their heads on their shoulders.

Now that that was taken care of, Aizawa announced that their hero training for that afternoon was going to supervised by not only All Might, but himself, and another teacher. That information had made the students sit straight up, suddenly intrigued by how many teachers were going to be around. That meant that they were going to be doing something that would be dangerous.

At least, that's how it seemed.

In reality, it was rescue training. Instead of fighting or cleaning up, they were going to learning how to properly take care of others and get them out of the path of destruction by whatever means necessary. After all, if you wanted to be a hero than you needed to learn the ropes from every angle that you could reach. A lot of heroes specialized in different branches of hero work, but they all had training that gave them the concrete information to work with whatever they needed to take care of.

Certain heroes are better suited for one thing instead of another, but that wasn't a free card not to learn how to do what you weren't specialized in.

While everyone began to chatter about what they were going to do, Aizawa sighed. They would be taking a bus to the other side of the campus grounds as it was too far to simply walk. This time they had the choice to wear their gear or not, Misaki decided to grab hers because there was nothing about her sleek design that would get in her way. Her foresight for this had been clear in how she told them to model her uniform. She was going to specialize in combat and rescue. She was quick to remove people from harm's way but she could also take out people before they even knew what hit them.

Shooting Star had been a rescue heroine.

Misaki wanted to be just like her Grandma and at the same time, she wanted to be better and more capable of tasks. Today was her chance to figure out if she could start to do that.


It was a short bus ride that only took about ten minutes once the students were loaded up and in their seats. They were taken to a huge dome of a building that had all kinds of areas inside, there were sectors for the land, sea, sky, and anything else that you could think of. They were modeled very carefully and in such a way to replicate what it could be like on the outside. It had been carefully created by the space hero, Thirteen, to help students learn the ropes about disasters and rescuing others. U.A. had done differently before its creation to teach the students what they could, but it was easier done in this location now.

Thirteen and Aizawa had a short conversation between the two of them as the students took in the sights and sounds.

Misaki noticed that Thirteen flashed the number three with their hand, quietly, and Aizawa pressed a hand to his temple and sighed. Perhaps it had to do with the lateness of All Might, maybe he was going to be late by thirty minutes or something. He was the biggest hero in the world, after all, just because he was teaching didn't mean it would stop him from going out and helping others.

When Thirteen returned their attention to the rest of the class, Aizawa took the time to explain to her what they would be doing today. It was obvious what they were doing but they had to follow a certain set of rules to make sure that it went the way that it was supposed to.

Misaki didn't mind that. She quite enjoyed talking to her teacher even though he could leave her high and dry. "Here I thought you were going to leave me out of the loop, sensei."

"It's my job to make sure that you learn something, Hisakawa. You're one that needs to be on your toes to catch up with the others. I get the pleasure of relaying to you what you need to know." The look that flashed in Aizawa's eyes was without humor, but his surly tone was increasingly obvious to Misaki these days. "This is about learning how to use your quirk. Thirteen's quirk can be destructive. He uses it otherwise because he wanted to help others. Learn how to use your quirk to benefit others. You already have displayed the ability to do so. Prove that you can do it here."

"Do not do what Midoriya does. Got it." Misaki nodded her head with a grin.

The look on Aizawa's face didn't confirm or deny that. He seemed to know what she was referring to, however. That green-haired boy was still learning how to use his quirk without hurting himself, and how he could stand to help others when he couldn't even help himself was going to be... quite the show. "Yeah. This training will not be easy for some of your classmates. The point of this is to use your quirk without causing damage. Don't forget that."

"Yes, sir!"

Aizawa turned his attention back to the rest of the class as Thirteen finished up their speech. But, he stopped mid-sentence, and his body stiffened right after that. He seemed to feel something that the student didn't. It was a sinking feeling that was written all over his face and the rest of the class started to feel it when a giant swirl of darkness began to emerge in the center of the room. Whatever that was didn't seem like something that they should even consider messing with, Aizawa turned his back to his students and tugged his goggles over his eyes.

He ordered the class to stay back and to stay together.

Nobody knew what they were... but it became obvious when Aizawa got serious.

It was villains. There were villains inside of U.A. for the first time in its history. It was unprecedented by anything else that had ever happened at this school; This was supposed to be a haven for students and teachers to learn without villains around. They were the reason the alarm was triggered and they just used the media as a front to hide their plans. It had all been a ruse for them. It didn't seem possible but now there were dozens of villains coming out of the portal and spreading out all over the place. It wasn't clear what they wanted at first, just that they were here to make a point with all of them.

They were here for... All Might.

Misaki could see the others talking about it. But, All Might wasn't here... and only they were. That seemed to bring a wicked stance to the one in the middle of all the villains, their boss. She didn't need to hear him to know that the man wanted them dead. They had come for one thing and without that, they were going to do whatever they could to get what they wanted.

Why they had come here wasn't clear besides that one want. The system wasn't alerting anyone now. If it would have been then there wouldn't be any worry on Aizawa's face at that moment in time. It must have been destroyed when they snuck in and bided their time, waiting for the students and teachers to arrive.

Were they just here, or were they all over the campus?

Todoroki agreed with her sentiment as he asked the very same thing. These guys might not have been complete idiots to come to a school for heroes, because they had seemingly taken their time to block off what they wanted to get All Might. Aizawa told Thirteen to get the kids out of there as quickly as possible, and if Kaminari could do it, to contact the heroes at the main campus. But it was no use, Kaminari couldn't make contact with the others and the class was too stunned to move yet.

Nobody wanted to leave Aizawa alone.

But, they had to do it.

Midoriya hesitated, he was the last to start to run, looking after their teacher before he jumped into the fray and began to fight the villains on his own. He was quick, skilled, and took down everyone that came in his path. It wasn't good to be a one-trick-pony. When things were bad and you were the only one on the scene, you had to be ready to take action.

Before they could reach the door, the darkness that had cloaked the scene blocked their path. Misaki stared up at the darkness and took note of the face that appeared within it. This was the use of someone's quirk, and it was being used by a skilled villain that was dripping in killer intent. His intentions were pure sadistic, and that sense of foreboding ran down her spine faster than she could raise her hand to activate her quirk. She swallowed hard, fighting her own body to try and fight back.

She could have opened the door and moved most of the class out if she wasn't trembling!

This wasn't a time to hesitate!

Her body wouldn't listen!

They were trapped.

Other students didn't seem to stop or fear the threat. Bakugou paid no mind to whatever warning the villain gave to the class, he only glared him down and cocked his explosives. Kirishima Ejirou had no fear as well, he activated his quirk, and then the two of them rushed forward to launch a counter-attack on the villain in spite of the warning from Thirteen.

It seemed as though they would be able to land a hit on him, but, they missed entirely thanks to the use of this guy's quirk moving him out of the way.

He retaliated and there was no time to react this time.

Kirishima and Bakugou were pulled into the warp, and then more swarms of darkness began to overtake the class. Everyone tried to stay close together but they were ripped apart by the wind and half of their numbers were sucked into the darkness while an unknown number were left behind. Misaki tried her best to keep her feet on the ground and not be pulled to where ever the others were taken, but even she was not strong enough to fight this kind of quirk head-on.

Not when she couldn't even activate her quirk to rescue others.

The sheer terror of the entire situation was too much for her to handle, she sucked in a breath and tried to hold on to herself but then the darkness enveloped her and she lost consciousness in a freefall back to the Earth below here.


AUTHOR'S NOTE.

It took a while for me to sit down and pen the next chapter but here we are! It needed some touching up before I got to a point where I liked where I was heading with this. Thanks for all the response, everyone. You guys talking to me or simply favoriting or following the story really make me want to keep writing what I do.

REVIEWER RESPONSE!

akagami hime chan: I'm laughing so hard. You're right! I didn't even realize that that was kabedon. Misaki is going to whack some humility into Bakugou whether he likes it or not. Trust me.

Blackenflames: I'm glad you like the story!