Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a cow, dropped into a pool of ravenous piranhas? Neither had I. But after changing from my PE uniform back to my regular uniform, I returned to class 1-A for the first meeting of the study group Uraraka-san had invited me to join. Already present were Ami-chan, Mikoto-chan, Uraraka-san, Hagakure-san, Yaoyorozu-san, and Jiro-san. And as soon as I entered, they all turned to stare at me, their pupils practically flashing '肉'.
Even Hagakure, whose eyes I couldn't see.
They were all staring at me in almost hungry anticipation. And Ami-chan and Uraraka-san were both blushing a bit. Part of me wondered what they had been talking about. The larger part of me resolved never to ask.
[Intuition +1]
I frowned. I thought I had disabled those alerts. And all of the alerts, except damage and level up ones. I hadn't seen them yesterday in All Might's dungeon. Maybe I mumbled something in my sleep?
"Hello," I tried not to sound nervous, "Sorry if I'm a little late."
"That's fine," Jiro-san said, her voice dangerously smooth. There was an electric buzz. I had left the door open, contemplating a quick retreat. Instead, it slammed shut, the handle sparkling.
"We were just talking about you," Hagakure-san added brightly. Except her happy tone somehow didn't make me feel better.
"Talk about me?" I looked at the two blushing girls again.
"Specifically," Yaoyorozu qualified, "How you, Asui-san, and Cain-san have improved both your maneuvers and teamwork in the last two days, to the point where most of us were able to notice it."
"Uraraka also mentioned that she met you coming out of All Might's office on Tuesday," Mikoto-chan pointed out.
"What were you doing there?" Jiro-san asked deliberately.
"Well, I officially went there to apologize for disrupting the lesson on Tuesday," I said, "But I wanted to talk about him to a lot of things... I think I messed that up. Anyway, I'm a big fan of his, and we instead talked about my power and one of his past fights. Cassandra-chan showed up in the middle, and I learned that All Might-sensei can sign, too."
"So he didn't help you with your Quirk?" Mikoto-chan demanded.
"No," I said certainly. Because I didn't have a Quirk.
"He did show me a bit about punching," though that had been yesterday, in his Dungeon.
"Then how did you get better so fast?" Uraraka-san prompted.
"We went into a dungeon inside of All Might-sensei and fought some of his past enemies?" I said with uncertainty both real and forced.
"If you can't or won't talk about it, just say that," Mikoto-chan sounded annoyed, "Don't just go making video game jokes."
"Sorry?"
"So long as you three aren't breaking the law," Yaoyorozu sighed, "I suppose you are allowed to have your secrets."
"Sorry for prying, Izuku-kun," Ami said softly.
"It's okay, Ami-chan," I reassured her, "I can understand why you are all curious."
"About that," Uraraka-san suddenly raised her hand, "Could you just call my Ochako? I know my family name is a bit of a mouthful, what with the repeated syllables. And I'd like to think we are friends, since you literally saved my life."
"Okay, Ochako-chan," I smiled, "if you will call me Izuku. And that goes for the rest of you, too. I've been called by a variation of my first name so much, I'm not really used to responding to 'Midoriya'. So please, just use Izuku."
Ami's face clouded at that, and she looked almost angry when Ochako-chan innocently asked.
"Well, what did people normally call you?"
"Deku," I said darkly, "The bullies always called me Deku, because I was a worthless wooden doll. And so most everyone called me that, too."
"Sorry I mentioned it, Izuku-kun," Ochako said sadly. And the others looked upset, too.
"No," I said quickly, "Don't worry about it. It's all in the past now. I even miss it, from time to time."
"Then maybe..." Ochako-chan started. But both Ami-chan and Mikoto-chan caught her attention and shook their heads. Ami had seen it all those years, and Mikoto had met some of the jerks at the arcade.
"Maybe we should get started studying," she finished.
"Okay," I nodded and finally grabbed a seat.
"Hey, Mi... Izuku," Jiro-san addressed me, "I heard you are good with Quirks. What would you suggest for mine? Oh, and call me Jiro or Kyoka. I don't mind either way."
The other girls all stared at her.
"What? This is studying," she said defensively, "We all have to learn about our Quirks, and he already helped you two on the first day."
"Well," I mused, "Your jacks, you said they work in electronics. Is that both ways?"
"Both ways?" Hagakure parroted.
"Earphones and microphones both use that jack style," I pointed out, "So they might be able to both send and receive data..."
Though we did go over the English assignment, most of the study session ended up being about their Quirks.
I wasn't able to meet them on Friday, because I did a pencil run with Tsuyu, Mom, Cass, and All Might-sensei, to show them what boss spawning and completion was like. Ultimately it was too easy thanks to All Might, and none of us leveled up. I didn't get much in the way of stat gains, either. I wondered if it was time to look for a stronger sort of cheap item dungeon. Maybe bottles of dish soap or glass cleaner?
Saturday I did homework alone, but Sunday the study group met. This time it was a bigger group. Mom babysat, so Tsuyu could make it. Cassandra-chan was also there. That would have made me suspicious, but Ashido-san, Sero-san, Kirishima-san, and Shoji-san were also there. We made sure all of our homework for the 'normal' classes was done. Ami-chan, Yaoyorozu-san, and I went over everyone else's work. Nobody wanted to risk getting in trouble before our big class on Monday.
The first day of our second week of school, and everyone was on edge during the morning classes. Between Ami-chan, Cassandra-chan, Yaoyorozu-san, and me, we jumped at every question Present Mic asked us during our English lesson. Finally, lunch rolled around. We all ate lightly and quickly, and hurried back to class. All Might-sensei was already there, as was Aizawa-sensei.
"Well, it looks like everyone is chomping at the bit," All Might laughed heartily, "So without further ado..."
He tapped the podium, and five panels slid out from the wall, each containing a numbered bag.
"Your costumes, fresh from the designers. One more major milestone on your path to becoming a true Hero."
The classroom erupted in shouts, cheers, and squees.
"I would like you all to get changed, and meet us at Urban Arena Beta."
With that, All Might, this time in his Young Age costume, sped out of the room.
"And don't make me look bad by being late," Aizawa-sensei added.
When we got to the arena, there was a tarp wall erected across the road. In front of the tarp was a table, with a box on it. Next to the wall, there was a temporary platform. On it stood All Might-sensei, Aizawa-sensei, and a third man.
"That's Vlad King, the Blood Hero," I tried not to babble too much.
We all gathered close to the temporary barrier, and started to look at each other.
Our costumes ran the gamut. Tsuyu and I had the same designs my Mom had come up with for us, just upgraded with armored materials. And like Mom suggested, better goggles for Tsu.
Koda-san looked like he was just in street clothing, and Ashido-san looked like she was going to a rave. Or maybe back in time to a disco.
On the opposite hand, Aoyama-san, Iida-san, and Sero-san were all heavily armored.
More in the middle, Ojiro-san had on a gi. Todoroki-san had on a white suit, but his left side was covered in artificial ice. Tokoyami was covered by a black cape. Ochako-chan had a skin tight, black and pink jumpsuit, with some sort of built in wrist cuffs and a separate helmet.
Mikoto's costume started with a pair of dark green sneakers, and off-white leg warmers. But under them, going all the way up to the hem of her grey skirt, she had an bronze, dragon-scale leggings. She top was a long-sleeve shirt, the same color as her leggings on the bottom, and a tan above her breasts and on the sleeves. She had a red cape, lined with a metal mesh. And a heavy fingerless glove on her left hand. But what stood out the most was her ammo. Two belts and a bandoleer. Two cuffs on her left bicep. A line down each leg, and on the back of her right wrist. All covered will small metal discs.
Ami's costume was also a skin tight jumpsuit, in multiple shades of blue and with a smattering of artistic bubbles. She also had a visor, and there was a computer screen on the inside of her left wrist. There was also a tank, probably filled with water, on her back. She looked... More voluptuous than I would have expected.
Cassandra-chan was the third member of the form fitting jumpsuit squad. Or fourth, counting Tsu. Hers was dark grey. It had a separate cape and hood. She had a jet black mask, gloves, and over the knee boots, plus a matching belt and additional strap across her chest.
Mo-chan was wearing a jumpsuit as well, hers blood red. But she also had a silver, armored breastplate, pauldrons, gauntlets, and the piece of armor on the outside of the hip and thighs that I didn't know the name of. She also had one of her swords out, the fancy medieval longsword that matched her uniform.
Yaoyorozu-san was wearing heavy, reinforced leather jacket and pants in light grey and red. Still very form fitting, but too thick to call skin tight. And she had a matching motorcycle style helmet. But her uniform was covered in zippers. She looked like she could quickly and easily expose her stomach, cleavage, upper arms, or thighs. But for the moment, she was fully covered, except for her hands.
Kyoka-chan was wearing heavy, dark blue jeans, with an artful set of white bleach splatters. She had a red shirt, emblazoned with 'Earphone' in romanji, and a few deliberate rips that showed the edges for her black sports bra. She was also wearing a pair of heavy, black leather, steel-toed, work boots. But most importantly. she had a heavy, black leather duster with metal plates all down the front and back; one column on either side of the zipper in front and three in the back. At a closer look, each panel was an armored speaker.
"They say the clothes make the pros, and behold, ladies and gentlemen, you are the proof!" All Might proclaimed.
"I didn't think it would be so tight, or revealing," Ochako-chan sounded embarrassed.
"I think you look good, Ochako," Tsu said, "Right, Izuku?"
"Oh, yeah," I agreed sheepishly. All of the girls looked pretty sexy... well, except Kyoka-chan. She seemed to be resistant to that, but even her costume had its charm.
"Hey, Ami," Ashido-san slid over, and started deliberately eying the hydrokinetic, "You didn't look quite so curvy in your underwear."
Many of the guys went red and started staring.
"I'm not," Ami-chan blushed, "My costume has a layer of water in it. I planned to use it as a reserve, and to harden it for defense. Though I realized thanks to Izuku-kun, that I might be able to use it to enhance my physical abilities, too. But the costume company decided on their own to make the water layer thicker in certain places..."
"Alright," All Might called us to attention, "Now that we are all here, you might be wondering why we are set up like this. Well, that is to test your flexibility. You see, pro Heroes are often thrown together at random. So today we have class 1-A..."
He waved his left hand towards Aizawa-sensei and us.
"And class 1-B..."
He gestured towards Vlad King-sensei and the other side of the tarp with his right.
I couldn't help myself. Again. My curiosity got the better of me and I whispered, "Clairvoyance."
My vision shifted outside of my body. I intended to move my perspective over the barrier, and get a look at the other class. I never got that far.
There was an unfamiliar person mingling with our class. She had silver hair, like actual metallic silver, running to the middle of her back. Her eyes were deep bronze, also metallic. Her features were sculpted, high cheeks, thin straight nose, full lips. She was frankly gorgeous, easily better looking than any other woman I had ever met. And she had an amazing figure. Curved and yet fit. It would have made most models jealous, and other than height, didn't lose out to any of my already sexy classmates.
And it was easy to tell, since she was completely naked.
My brain tripped, and my Clairvoyance broke. Shattered. Between the shock of the naked spy, and the lesser hit of my skill failing and the unexpected perception shift, I almost stumbled. If it had been an anime, I was sure I would have had a nosebleed.
"Izuku, what is it?" Tsuyu made sure I didn't fall.
"I think we've..." I trailed off. I couldn't see her anymore. But I realized something. Where she was, there was a familiar pair of floating gloves and shoes.
"Nevermind," I said, "I thought the other class might be spying on us, though I was going to do the same thing. But I was just... sensing Hagakure-san."
"The two classes will be splitting into teams on two," All Might-sensei continued, either not noticing or not acknowledging us.
"Each of you will select a ball from these boxes," he explained, "They are labeled 'A' through 'T'. Whichever person in the other class has the same letter, they will be your teammate for the exercise. But you will not find that out, until it is your turn. After everyone has a ball, your respective homeroom teachers will take you to your respective waiting rooms. They will be making sure there are no attempts to cheat."
He glanced at me when he said that, though it might just have been a precaution, rather than an admonishment.
"Then, I will call two teams at a time, for the exercise. You will be competing as Heroes or as Villains. The exercise is simple. The Villain team will have a base in one of these buildings. And they will have a mock bomb. Each team will have five minutes to discuss your powers and strategies. That time will end when I activate the timer on the bomb."
He held up a box with a digital timer and a large red button.
"Heroes, you have fifteen minutes to find the bomb, and press the button to disable it. Villains, you must keep this from happening. In addition, you will each be given this 'capture tape'. If you can wrap it around both of an opponent's wrists, that opponent is out. Of course, you can also win by capturing both opposing team members. And no removing the tape once it is stuck."
"Other than that, anything goes... Well, almost anything," he quickly qualified, glancing at Ami and me again, "You cannot destroy the bomb. Villains, if you destroy your bomb, it stops working, and your nefarious scheme fails. Heroes, if you destroy the bomb, it goes off. And of course, this is a lesson. Seriously injuring your classmates is grounds for immediate disqualification and potentially further punishment."
"Each team will be given ear pieces, so you can stay in contact if you decide to split up, but also so that we can monitor you. And when you are done, you may choose to either return to your class's waiting room, or join me in the monitor room. Either way, all three rooms will show the exercise, and you will be reviewing and discussing the results for tomorrow's Hero Studies class."
"Wait, so those guys get to review with All Might?" an imperious voice demanded from the other side of the tarp, "What about us?"
"As Tuesday is my normal day with class 1-A, Aizawa-sensei and I will be reviewing with them," All Might explained, unconcerned, "Class 1-B will be reviewing with Vlad King-sensei, with the help of Midnight-sensei."
"I guess that's okay," the angry student mumbled.
"Okay, everyone line up so we can get your team assignments."
As All Might-sensei said that, Aizawa-sensei and Vlad-sensei jumped off the platform, Vlad-sensei out of view. Aizawa walked over and stood next to the box, watching us.
I looked at the small plastic orb that would determine my fate. Well, that might have been a bit overly dramatic, it was one school lesson.
"Everyone ready?" All Might appeared on the middle of the three large monitors at the back of the room. There was an exit on the left side with the label 'Hero' and on the right side of the room with the label 'Villain'.
"So, for the first match, the Hero team will be... Team O."
I looked down at the matching letter. I wasn't sure if I was happy or not to be going first. I stood up, tossed Aizawa-sensei the ball, and walked over to the Hero door.
"And the Villains will be... Team M."
My eyes widened as Tsu hopped to her feet. Instead of throwing the ball, she handed it to Eraserhead. She nodded to me, and I returned it. Then I went through the door, down the blocked off hallway, and into another room.
My temporary teammate was an unassuming looking guy. He was noticeably taller than me, with short, scruffy brown hair. His most notable feature was his oval shaped eyes. His irises were so small and dark it almost looked like he only had a pupil. He was wearing the most normal, unassuming 'costume' I had ever seen. Tan jacket and pants, darker t-shirt, and normal sneakers. I would never have thought he was a Hero, if I met him on the street.
"Hello," he said, extending his hand, "I'm Tsuburaba Kosei."
"Hello," I shook it, "I'm Midoriya Izuku."
"Wait, the top scorer... Yeah, you are the guy from the video. I guess I lucked out."
"Thanks," I bowed slightly, "Anyway, my power is Tactile Telekinesis. I can use it to boost my strength and speed, and to control things I touch. Though I'm not as good with that last part, yet."
"That sounds pretty useful," he said, "My Quirk is Solid Air. I can exhale air that becomes solid, floating panels. They are relatively hard, but not unbreakable. They are soundproof, though."
"Hmmm," I considered that, "How big can you make them? And can you make them around other things?"
"About one and a half meters in diameter," Tsuburaba-san answered, "And I haven't really tried."
"Are they always round?" I continued, "Maybe they could be shaped with a shaped straw or nozzle. And you said they float, are the locked in place stationary, or weightless but mobile?"
"Yes, round, but I've never tried anything else," he looked a bit overwhelmed, "And no, they are generally locked in place. Well, I've never tried to move them, but other people can't..."
"Sorry, I get a little excited about new and interesting Quirks," I chuckled weakly and scratched my cheek.
"No, those were good questions," he said, "But maybe we should talk about what our opponents can do?"
"Right," I nodded, "Well, from my class, our opponent is Asui Tsuyu. She can do anything a frog can do."
"A frog?" Tsuburaba-san.
"She can kick super hard, jump very far, cling to walls, has a tongue that's more than 20 meters long and hits like a right cross, can excrete toxin, and a few other things," I said, a bit defensively, "And beyond that, she's a great acrobat and fighter."
"Okay, I get it," he nodded, "And the guy from our side is Bondo Kojiro. His Quirk is called Cemedine, it lets him spray glue out of the holes in his face. It is a really powerful and really sticky adhesive, and he can control how fast it dries."
"Hmm," I considered, "That sounds like you would be a really good match for it."
"Quirk to Quirk, maybe," he nodded, "But he's also almost two meters tall, and built like a light tank. So I could stop his glue, but I couldn't beat him in a fight."
"Remember, we don't have to beat him," I reminded Tsuburaba-san, "if you can trap him with your Solid Air, and put the capture tape on him, he'll be out."
"So what do you want to..."
"Gentlemen, if you would come with me?" All Might strode into the room. He led us outside and down the street, to one seemingly ordinary five story building out of a dozen on the block. The tarp wall and dias had been removed, giving us a clear view up and down the street.
"We have tracked the villains to this building," he informed us, "They have a dirty bomb that will destroy the enter neighborhood, and unleash radioactive particles across the enter town. It will take approximately fifteen minutes for the bomb's capacitor core to full charge, you must find and disable it before then!"
"Is the role play really necessary?" Tsuburaba-san asked. All Might coughed, and wilted slightly.
"Good luck," All Might-sensei told us. Then he dramatically lifted up a detonator device, and hit the button.
"So, should we stick together or split up?" Tsuburaba-san asked after All Might left.
If it had been just me, or even me with Tsu or Cassandra-chan, it would have been easy. Use Ki Detection to find out where our opponents were, and sign for her to follow my lead. I couldn't expect Tsuburaba-san to trust me like that.
"Stick together for now," I suggested, "That way, if they are together, we won't be fighting two on one. And if they split up, we can either work together to capture whoever we run into, or decide to split up at that point. Plus, they might have used the five minutes to build up some traps."
"But that wasn't in the rules," Tsuburaba-san protested.
"It wasn't not in the rules, either," I said, "Anything goes except hurting each other and destroying the bomb."
"I'm so lucky he got the Hero side," All Might sighed.
"So what do we want to do?" Tsuburaba-san asked.
"How many barriers can you make?" I countered, "Enough to get us up to the roof?"
"Depending on how big, I can make three to five," he looked up, "If I make ones big enough for both of us, I can probably do four."
"And then the oldest one fades or breaks?" I prompted. He nodded.
"But will they be expecting that?" I mused.
"Bondo-san might," Tsuburaba-san admitted, "I've been using them as a Gazelle to get above where the Lions can reach. Of course, Shimooka and Tsunotori keep shooting them to bring me down..."
"Okay, then we should probably go inside," I suggested. Tsuburaba-san nodded again.
The inside of the building was industrial style. Lots of open space, interrupted by metal support beams, and the occasional plasterboard room. There was a set of stairs, and an elevator.
I took the lead, and quickly ran to the staircase. But it was covered by a layer of glue.
"Barrier or trap?" I wondered, then decided, "Trap."
"You think so?" my partner asked.
"Tsuyu would know this won't stop me. So unless Bondo-san is acting independently, there is something behind this. Or at least something like a thread to let them know that we broke it."
"What do we do then?" he looked around. I jogged over to the elevator.
"But if we use the elevator, they might notice," he protested, "And that's if it is even working."
I pried the doors open.
"Use your platform to get over to the service ladder," I said, "And if you come across anything let me know."
I tapped my ear. He frowned at me.
"What are you going to do?"
"Spring the trap," I smiled broadly, "Be loud and obvious, and keep them focused on me."
He grinned slightly, and then blew down. He jumped on the barely visible platform, and then onto the ladder. I pointed above the door.
"That lever will make the doors open."
Then I let the doors close, and turned back to the glue barricade. I pressed my hand to it, to get a feel of its density and thickness.
"Drive 3," I declared, "Utah Smash!"
I brought a knife hand down, shattering the glue. Then spun to the side. Tsuyu dove through the gap, her glistening, ungloved hands leading the way. She twisted around, and lightly slapped me.
[-2 Health
Status Ailment resisted.
Skill Paralysis Resistance (lvl 1) unlocked.]
"You knew I was there," she said as she bounced off a beam, landing facing me, "could you sense me?"
"No," I shook my head, "I just know you."
"Though," I grinned even wider, "You never did want to spar."
"That might have been a mistake, ribbit."
"Drive 2," I declared, sliding forward and grabbing at her arm. Tsu dropped almost to the floor. Then her tongue shot up at me. I weaved out of the way. I tried to grab the appendage on the recoil, but she was too fast.
"Where's your partner?" she asked, trying to sweep me at the ankle.
"Would you believe me if I said he's climbing up the elevator shaft?" I asked. I focused my Energy on my legs. Hardening them with TK Armor. Attaching myself to the floor with Tactile TK. Tsu's leg hit mine, but I didn't move. She was the one who cringed.
[-1 Health]
"Maybe," Tsu admitted, launching her tongue at my nose and her fist at my knee., "my partner expected yours would want to go up the outside of the building."
"I suggested it," I confirmed, taking the lower hit to my still reinforced legs and swatting her tongue wide, "But he thought it would be to obvious."
"So which is it?" she jumped up, aiming both her feet at my chest.
"Does it matter?" I said, pushing her feet down and vaulting over her, "You may trust me and the other way around. But there is no way we could expect our partners to trust us. If I say it is outside, and it is really inside, then you partner would have to believe I am lying. Of course, if you tell him I am lying, then Tsuburaba-san can just slip outside through an access hatch. And even more than that, Bondo-san presumably is staying with the bomb. If he doesn't..."
"Normally I like listening to you talk," Tsu frowned, and her fist connected with my jaw, "But for now, just stop."
[-3 Health]
I took the blow for a reason. My hand clamped around her wrist, wrapping it in the tape. She responded in kind. But I was prepared for that. I already had a TK field around my wrist, so I just flicked it and the tape loop flew off.
"Your turn," I told her, as we slid apart to get ready for another salvo.
"I can't," she gestured, showing the tape was stuck, "I don't have TK, kero."
"I thought you would have used your oil to keep it from sticking," I said softly.
"Don't go feeling guilty," Tsuyu kicked at me again.
[-2 Health]
"That's not what I'm feeling guilty about," I offered her a smile. I had to work on that, if I wanted to be like All Might.
I hadn't broken off the tape on her wrist from the roll. I spun off another meter and change of the adhesive. Then I reeled in Tsu's captured arm. With Drive 2, I was stronger than her. I dragged her to the closest I-beam. I slammed the sticky side of the tape onto it. I pressed down, until a strip as long as Tsuyu or I were tall was attached to the metal. Then I cut the tape free from the roll. And ran towards the stairs.
"Izuku!"
I ignored her. By the rules, she was trapped. If she could have cut the steel slab, she could have freed herself that way. And it would have been more fair to finish it. To keep sparring with her until I could get the tape around her second wrist. Only that would take time, and the Hero team was on a clock.
I plowed through the glue wall, wishing I again I gould use my Ki powers. But the earpiece meant Tsuburaba-san would hear it. Not to mention almost everyone in both classes and Eraserhead and Vlad King.
The second floor was a lot less open than the first, and I started searching the rooms.
"I got it," Tsuburaba-san's voice suddenly emerged, "fourth floor, northwest corner. Both Bondo-san and the bomb. He's barricaded himself in though."
"I'll be there in a minute," I responded. I abandoned my search and raced back to the stairs. Up two flights and then a hard left.
The south side of the fourth floor, or what I saw of it, was divided into offices, while the north side was open. Or had been open, since there was now a mass of glue connecting the girders to the outer wall. Unlike below, the glue was not solid. Instead it had a number of arrowslits. Tsuburaba-san was carefully staying out of the way of those.
"Six minutes left," he whispered to me, "And any time I get too close, or give him too much a straight shot, he sprays his glue at me out of those gaps."
"Can you cover the arrowslits on that section with your Solid Air?" I asked softly.
"Sure, but why?"
"If his glue gets stopped by your air, it will fill in the slit. Then he won't be able to see or attack us. Plus, you said your barriers are soundproof, so it will be harder for him to hear us."
"Okay," Tsuburaba-san took a deep breath. Then his eyes focused on the wall, and he exhaled. I could barely see where his breath was expanding and hardening. I followed behind it. For a moment I saw Bondo-san. Recognized him, having seen him in the halls and lunchroom. He definitely stood out.
Then a tan liquid squirted out of the holes in his face. I caught the look of surprise, I think, on his face, as the glue hit the air wall and filled in the arrowslit.
"Now what?" Tsuburaba-san asked, "And what happened to your frog friend."
"I taped her to one of the beams," I explained, "She's not strong enough to break the steel, so she's trapped."
I looked at the wall again, "And I only have one idea right now, and it's not a great one."
"What is it?"
"I charge him," I looked at my teammate somberly, "Break through the wall and go right for him. Make him focus on me. I'm not sure if my TK can stop a liquid from touching me, or can stop the volume he can produce. But if he has to give his all to stop me..."
"I can follow behind you," Tsuburaba-san mused, "Use my air to block anything that gets past you, and make it to the bomb."
I nodded.
"Okay," he said, "Let's do it."
"Very good effort, everyone," All Might told the four of us, after we were freed and I was cleaned up, "Young Asui, you showed great skill. You trap was interesting, if somewhat flawed. Still, if young Midoriya had chosen not to spring it, it may have put you in position to run back upstairs and flank the Hero team. Young Tsuburaba, excellent teamwork, and nice use of your Quirk for both mobility and defense. And, of course, you got the win for your team. Young Bondo, also fine teamwork in supporting young Asui's plan. And a decent defense, though you should have thought more about how young Tsuburaba's power could turn your castle into a prison. But the MVP for this exercise is young Midoriya. Taking out your opponent in a creative way, out thinking the Villain team, and even sacrificing yourself to save the day. Definitely the work of a Hero!"
He paused and picked up the box.
"Now, for the next pair," All Might-sensei announced, "Team P for the Hero side. And Team G for the Villain side."
"And if the four of you will excuse me," All Might inclined his head before rushing out.
"Nice job back there," Tsu said to me.
"You aren't too mad?" I asked.
"I wish you would have at least 'finished me off'," she shrugged, "But just getting me out of the way, not wasting time... Like All Might said, it was a good idea."
I let out a sigh of relief and we joined our former partners in watching.
We couldn't see the waiting rooms for the classes. But the Hero team's waiting room was on one monitor, while another showed All Might waiting for the Villain team.
Ashido-san flounced into the Hero team room, and was joined moments later by a tall, bestial student. If not for his costume and glasses, he might have looked like a bear. Or a small bigfoot.
"Shishida," Tsuburaba-san noted.
Ashido-san explained her Acid power. And the other student introduced himself as Shishida Jurota. He explained that his Quirk, Beast, let him increase is size, speed, and power, in return for becoming more aggressive and less intelligent.
On the Villain side, Kirishima reached All Might first. They were joined by a slender girl, a bit taller than me, with short grey hair.
"Follow me, young Villains," All Might led them to a different building. The girl introduced herself as Yanagi Reiko. She explained that her Poltergeist Quirk could move objects telekinetically, but only if they weighed less than she did, and were within a meter. Kirishima explained his hardening Quirk. Then he suggested that she just hold the bomb in the air. She countered that Shishida-san would be able to reach it. Then he suggested they take a page from us, and hide it in the elevator shaft. She considered that more fully.
"What do you think?" Tsuyu asked me, and I noticed Bondo-san listening as well. Though it was hard to tell with his nonstandard face.
"Kirishima is at a disadvantage against Shishida," I said, "He is strong, but Shishida seems to be stronger and quicker. I don't think Shishida's Beast power can hurt Kirishima. But get the capture tape on him? That's easy. And if Ashido was listening, she'll have heard my advice to you, and can use her Acid to keep them from even sticking the tape to her. So the Hero team seems to have the advantage. I do like the idea of hiding the bomb in the elevator. Tsuburaba-san, do you know if Poltergeist works through walls?"
"I don't know," he answered blankly.
"If it does, they could have her stand close to the elevator shaft, but outside it, and hold the bomb up from there," I explained, "Though that does run the risk of Yanagi-san being forced out of range and dropping it. If it breaks from that, they would lose."
"Alight, Hero team," All Might had escorted Ashido-san and Shishida-san to the building, "Those dastardly Villains are trying to blast their way into a corporate safe, containing both oodles of cash and weapon design documents. It will take them a few minutes to position the shaped charges. You have to stop them first. Your fifteen minutes starts... Now!"
"Do you think he is going to come up with a different backstory for every exercise?" Tsuyu prompted, assuming her thinking pose.
Author's Note: '肉' means meat. And except for Momo and Kyoka (described here) and Izuku and Tsu (described previously), Class 1-A's canon member's costumes are the same as canon. Ami and Mikoto's costumes were designed by CherryInTheSun. And Cassandra's is just Spoiler's costume from DC, just in grey instead of purple. The other three are my designs. My apologies.
Current status:
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Race: Human (Quirk metagene negative)
Age: 15
Level: 13
Active Title: The Gamer
Health: 398/406
Energy: 420/602
Attributes:
(S)trength: 43
(A)gility: 40
(E)ndurance: 40
(Q)uickness: 43
(W)it: 39
(I)ntuition: 39
(C)harisma: 25
(D)etermination: 46
(L)uck: 13
Unused Points:
Attribute: 36
Skill: 15
Talent: 1
Skills:
Japanese Language (W/C): 20
Dodge (A): 24
Chemistry, Basic (I): 10
Physical Resistance (E/D): 25
Acrobatics (A): 16
Tactile TK (I/D): 13
Telekinetic Armor (I/E): 11
Telekinetic Aura (I) LB: 20
Kung Fu Fundamentals (Q/E): 15
Tai Chi Quan (A/S): 11
JSL (W/A): 10
Ki Diagnosis (D/W): 8
Telekinetic Rampart (I/E): 4
Clairvoyance (I/W): 4
Paralysis Resistance (E/D): 2
User has chosen to conceal (33) skills
Talents:
Studious
Gamer's Body
Gamer's Mind
Telekinesis, Basic
Inventory II
Reflective Dungeon
Free Runner
Ki Initiate
Tactile Telekinesis
Ki Apprentice
Focus: Telekinetic Aura
Energetic Student
Plus Ultra!
Clairvoyance
Telepathy, Basic
Telekinesis, Intermediate
Active Quests:
Save the Symbol of Peace - Percent Complete: ? - Time Limit: 112 days
