Chapter 14 - Rivals turned Friends
While everyone was going down to the basement, Matthew, Shoji, Shiozaki, and Yanagi hung out in front of the entrance to the building, which was a single door. All of them stood quietly, not making a sound but having a million thoughts on their mind. It amazed Matthew how quiet they were all being, and he took it upon himself to break the proverbial ice.
"So," Matthew spoke, undoing the strap on his helmet and taking it off. "I guess we should get to know each other and our quirks. Shoji, I already know yours; you have those octopus-esc arms. No offense, of course."
"None taken." Shoji replied, creating a mouth through one of his tentacles.
"Okay, uh… Yanagi, right?" Matthew asked. "What's your quirk?"
Yanagi cleared her throat and replied in a dull tone, "My quirk, called 'Poltergeist', allows me to manipulate objects telekinetically, which means I can pick them up without using my hands. I can use massive swarms of objects as projectiles in combat, or for protection against any encounters, or anyone who gets too close into my personal space. However, my ability's weakness lies in the fact that I can only lift up to one hundred and thirty-seven pounds, which is the average weight of a human being. Though I know that humans have different weights and sizes, depending on their quirks and how they are."
Realizing that Yanagi seemed to have a habit of over-explaining, Matthew asked, "So basically, it's similar to telekinesis?"
"If you want to examine it from a basic point of view, then yes, It's pretty much like that." Yanagi replied simply.
"Funnily enough, we have a girl in our group who has a quirk like yours. Except her's is called 'Lift', but it's pretty much the same thing. Anyway, Shiozaki, how about you? What is your quirk?"
"God has granted me the quirk of 'Vines'…" Shiozaki replied humbly, fiddling with one of the vines that made up her hair. "I can lengthen and control them, which allows me to attack and defend myself. I can also detach them, and they grow right back, provided they receive proper sunlight and water."
"Interesting." Matthew replied. "Well, you all have great quirks. Believe it or not, I don't have a quirk."
The two girls looked at Matthew in shock, and Yanagi asked, "You're quirkless? And you got into U.A?"
"He may not have a quirk, but he can hold his own against most." Shoji replied, still talking through the mouth. "I haven't seen him in action myself, but from what my classmates have told me, he's strong."
"It is by grace of God that you are able to walk among us." said Shiozaki, putting her hands together as if she was praying. "He has given you strength to carry on, perseverance to become a hero, and a want for justice and righteousness. You are an example of how God uses those who are different from others, to do his work and show his glory."
Matthew smiled and said, "Thank you; my soul was lifted when I heard that. Tell me, are you a believer?"
"Why yes." Shiozaki replied, a smile forming on her face. "I believe that God is calling me to become a hero, and to help those in need. I want to use my quirk for his glory, to bring people to him."
"Cool. I'm a believer too; Never would have made it without the lord's help. You know, I had a feeling about you being a believer; aside from a good, spiritual presence I felt when you stood near me, I noticed the two vines around your head. They reminded me of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore."
"They look like that, don't they?" Shiozaki asked, touching them with her hand.
"Yeah, it fits you. I think it shows that you are on a mission of goodwill, and you have a want to show God's love. If people ask you why you have those two vines, tell them about how God called you to be a hero, and how you want to help people."
"You have a kind heart; I thank you for your words of encouragement, despite us being in different classes."
"Hey, Class 1-A, Class 1-B, it doesn't really matter to me. Just as long as you want to do the right thing and help people, I support anyone who wants to be a hero."
"If the two of you are done communicating with each other, we must prepare ourselves for going into the building and defusing the bomb." Yanagi spoke up.
"Maybe we should pray?" Shiozaki suggested. "Before going in?"
"That's an excellent idea." Matthew replied, placing his helmet down. "Alright, everyone gather around in a circle around my helmet."
Shiozaki obeyed, while Shoji and Yanagi looked at each other hesitantly. After a few seconds, they obeyed and stepped towards the helmet.
"Shoji, give me one of your tentacles." said Matthew.
"Which one?" Shoji asked, his tone somewhat humorous.
"The third one." Matthew replied, his tone also humorous.
Shoji obeyed, and turned his third tentacle into a hand, to which Matthew took. He looked over at Yanagi, who got the idea, and did the same with her. Yanagi put her hand in Shiozaki's, and Shiozaki did the same with Matthew.
"Everyone put their heads down and close their eyes." Matthew continued, to which everyone obeyed. Matthew did the same and said, "Father in heaven, we thank you that you have brought us together as a team. We thank you that each of us is unique, and that you have granted us powers and abilities to do things that were thought to be impossible. We ask that you give us strength, courage, and wisdom to complete the task at hand. Whatever happens, you are with us, and are watching over us. Help us to complete this challenge, and show what you can accomplish. We pray this in your name, amen."
Matthew opened his eyes, and said, "You can all open your eyes; let's get ready."
Everyone opened their eyes, and let go of each other's hands. Matthew picked up his helmet and put it back on, and they all went back to focusing on the door. They began readying themselves for when the sirens would sound and the exercise would begin. For some unknown reason, Shoji and Yanagi felt invigorated, empowered, unafraid, and yet they didn't know why. Matthew and Shiozaki also felt this way, but they knew what was causing it. They also knew that they both had found a new friend in each other, despite being from different classes.
Meanwhile, down in the viewing room, the American students were getting friendly with Class 1-B. Along with some students of Class 1-A, they were chatting with them and getting to know them. It seemed that the American students were bridging a social gap between the two classes, who were distanced from each other due to Class 1-A's status as the top class (and because of a Joint Training Battle where the two classes fought against each other). The only two students who were not happy about this were Bakugo and Monoma, as both had an intense disliking for each other. They made that clear when they both stood at opposite sides of the room, as far away as they could from each other.
"Hey, that's pretty cool you're from America." said Milo, as he and Ashido were talking with a student of Class 1-B, a girl named Pony Tsunotori. "And here I was thinking the six of us were the only ones here."
"I know, right?" Tsunotori replied in a cheerful tone. "It's weird cause I've been studying Japanese, only to have people who speak English come here."
"Must have been kind of a culture shock coming over here, huh?" Ashido asked, interested in the conversation.
"It was at first, but I've gotten used to it." Tsunotori replied. "You guys Anime fans, by any chance?"
Over in another part of the viewing room, Sunshine was talking Shihai Kuroiro, a student with coal black skin and white hair, and Kinoko Komori, a girl with brown hair and mushroom themed powers. Shihai was acting nervous and was shaking, as he had trouble talking with girls.
"You honestly remind me a lot of my brother." said Sunshine. "He's kind of dark like you and Tokoyami, and he kind of looks like you. Except his color is switched, as he has white skin like mine, and coal black hair. He also has gold eyes like me, but that's a family trait we share. Still though, you look so much like him…"
"Uh… thank-thank-thank you…" Shihai stuttered. "That's nice-nice-nice of you to say-say…"
Sunshine turned her attention to Komori and asked, "So your quirk has something do with mushrooms, judging by your costume, right?"
"Yep!" Komori replied. "I can grow all kinds of mushrooms, though some of them make people sick, so I have to be careful. The last thing I would want to do is cause 'truffle' for my class!"
Both girls began giggling at the pun, and then Sunshine said, "Mushrooms puns, huh? You know, they really 'grow' on me!"
Another round of giggling, as both girls began going over mushroom puns. Shihai was trying his hardest to stay dark and brooding, but even he had to smile at the puns they were making.
Over in another part, Murdock and Tokoyami were talking with two girls from Class 1-B. One girl, Yui Kodai, was completely quiet and didn't talk much, while the other girl, Setsuna Tokage, was pelting Murdock with question after question. Murdock answered the questions, while Tokoyami just stayed silent.
"So what part of America are you from?" Tokage asked, her tone curious.
"Texas." Murdock replied. "I'm from El Paso."
"Is it true what people say about Texas? That everyone there's a cowboy and it's all desert?"
"Well, not everybody down there is a cowboy; some are, but not everyone. And it is basically all desert, but there some plants and trees and rivers scattered throughout the state."
"Does Texas have any animals in it?"
"It has horses, cows, sheep, pigs, goats (which I don't like cause they butt people for no apparent reason), and dogs. Those are some of the domestic, but we have plenty wild ones, like coyotes and wolves."
"Is New York as great as they say it is?" Setsuna asked.
"Yeah, it's pretty good." Murdock replied. "Not as great as Japan though. I love the architecture here, and the trees, also. The cherry blossoms look very pretty, I must say."
"Yeah, they have that affect. Are you starting to like me?"
"Yes, I am. You're quite the talker, but that's good thing to be."
"Aww, that's sweet of you! So what's your hero name?"
As they continued talking, Tokoyami and Kodai stood together. Tokoyami then asked, "She really likes to talk, huh?"
"Mmm-hmm." Kodai replied, nodding her head.
"Personally, I prefer the quiet type." Tokoyami added.
Kodai smiled at the comment, and both continued looking at Murdock and Setsuna as they talked.
At another part of the room, Joshua and Annabelle were talking with two guys of Class 1-B. There was Manga Fukidashi, who had a comic bubble for a head, and there was Jurota Shishida, who had a beast-like appearance and wore glasses.
"Do you guys like to read manga?" asked Fukidashi, his words appearing in the comic bubble while he spoke.
"My goodness, I can see your words." said Annabelle, her tone surprised.
"It's part of his quirk, miss." Shishida replied, adjusting his glasses. "His words materialize midair whenever he speaks, hence the reason his head looks like a comic bubble."
"You're awfully polite for a guy who looks like… well, you know." Joshua spoke, trying not to offend.
"Never judge a book by it's cover, good sir." said Shishida, his tone showing he wasn't offended. "I may look beast like, but I was brought up to be well-mannered. Which is why I do not care about the way I look, despite it giving me a rather animalistic appearance."
"That's pretty cool that you're well mannered." Annabelle replied. "Well mannered heroes go pretty far; they have lots of fans due to their kind hearts and people skills."
"Thank you for encouraging words, miss. It's awfully kind of you to say something like that."
Aizawa watched Class 1-A, plus the American students, conversing with Class 1-B. A small smile had formed on his face, despite himself being a person of no emotions. In a way, he was happy that they were getting on good terms with each other, as this would help the practice go smoothly. He then looked at the screen, and noticed that the timer for five minutes was running out. With a sigh, he knew it was time to cut the chatter short and begin.
"Quiet, all of you!" Aizawa spoke up, which caused all of the students to be quiet. "The practice has begun…"
He then pressed a button on a control board underneath the gigantic viewing screen, and the sirens started blaring. On the viewing screen, it showed different cameras through the building and its floors, and one outside, which showed Matthew and his team. As soon as the sirens started, Matthew and his team did something strange. Instead of going into the building through the door, they ran to the side of the building.
"Hey, they're not going into the building!" Kirishima spoke up.
"That's right; they're going to climb up the side!" added Yosetsu Awase, a Class 1-B student wearing a light blue headband with dark blue zigzag patterns.
"That's actually a really smart tactic." said Kendo.
"Yes, because they won't get hit by any of the traps." Yaoyaorozu replied.
"That's Matthew for you; he's always got a plan!" Milo spoke up.
Little did the group of forty-one students know, Aizawa had a trick that was up his sleeve. He looked back at All Might and Vlad King, who were also watching the screen. All Might looked at Aizawa and gave a nod, and Aizawa turned around and pressed another button on the control board. That button was going to lead to a trap; a trap that Matthew hadn't seen coming.
Aizawa knew Matthew's tactics, and was planning on countering them. There was no way he was going to let him win the bet; not by a long shot…