In Another's Shoes

by JKrlin

Neito Monoma would tell his friends and classmates that in the world of Quirks and Pro Heroes, he has accepted his role as a side character. In the realm of aliens and the supernatural, however, Neito is gifted an otherworldly watch that thrusts him into the center spotlight. Whether as the Phantom Thief or the Wielder of the Omnitrix, Neito vows to be an exemplary hero.

3. Careful Redundancies

THEN

HALF A YEAR AGO

Itsuka was chewing on the tip of her pencil, staring intently on a page splattered with numbers and symbols, when her cell phone began to ring. Too engrossed in her work, she put the phone between her shoulder and her ear. "Hello?" she prompted.

"We have a situation, Lucky Girl." It was Monoma. Of course.

Itsuka resisted from uttering a swear. Lowering her voice, she replied, "Where, Protector?" Protector of Earth was Monoma's vigilante title. Could've been worse.

"At the market northwest of the public gym."

Because Monoma said it was only a "situation" and not an "emergency situation", Itsuka said, "Give me five minutes." She was already on her feet, leaving her desk to lock her bedroom door and to open her closet. "And you're skipping lunch tomorrow to help me with the math homework. The extra credit's killing me."

A chuckle from Monoma. "You're an exemplar among heroes, Lucky Girl, if we overlook your ineptitude at advanced mathematics."

"You haven't even started it yet, have you?" Monoma was smart academically, but it only showed if he applied himself, which he only usually did at the last minute for math. He had been probably hanging out with some of the other guys from class at the gym, all of them prepping for the entrance exams at schools with hero courses. At least Monoma was trying to take Itsuka's advice about getting on friendlier terms with their classmates to heart. Hopefully, anyway.

Ignoring Itsuka's question, Monoma said, "Don't be long." Then he hung up.

And it didn't take long for Itsuka to change into her vigilante suit. After her mom knocked on her door and Itsuka told her that she was turning in for the night, Itsuka opened her window, made sure the coast was clear, and then scaled the usual route up to the top of her building. She began hopping between rooftops, moonlight and her mask's lenses that Grey Matter had rigged lighting her way.

Itsuka's outfit was modeled after an obscure American vigilante. It was a simple costume: black jumpsuit, purple gloves (also designed by Grey Matter to expand or shrink alongside her hands when activating her Quirk), and matching shoes and utility belt. Her mask almost invoked the image of a cat. She wouldn't say she had a strong affinity for cats or animal pets in general, but the suit functioned, and that was enough for her. No need to think about how memorable or marketable a vigilante costume was. After giving herself twin pigtails, she effectively replaced her outward identity of Itsuka Kendo with the Brawling Vigilante: Lucky Girl II, or just Lucky Girl for short.

As Lucky Girl, in the beginning she usually tried to avoid using her Quirk at all. Nowadays, she tried to use it only when she was confident people wouldn't be able to identify that her Quirk was increasing the size of her hands. Maybe they'll see the vague shape of a fist but not realize that it was attached to Lucky Girl's wrist, or a villain will suddenly be blindsided by a giant punch but not recall it was delivered by a giant fist because everything had moved so fast. Things like that.

It still felt wrong sometimes to ignore her instincts to activate Big Fist while in the middle of a brawl, but that was just one more price to pay for the vigilante lifestyle she has chosen.

She won't lie. She was a little jealous of the Omnitrix. Sure, it must have taken time and hard work to learn how to use each alien transformation so easily and seamlessly, and there was that time limit attached to each transformation that prevented Monoma from really going all-out with the watch, but the versatility and variety of Monoma's powers, both with the Omnitrix and his own Quirk, must make the night-to-night business of vigilantism easier for Monoma. He doesn't even have a vigilante costume to clean, repair, and hide from his parents. They were in one it… and Itsuka still wasn't sure if she should tell her…

Putting those rambling thoughts to the side, Itsuka slowed down once she got closer to the northwest street market. Focus on the job when on the job, she privately repeated to herself. It was usually empty at this time of night, most stalls in this part of town open only when the sun was still up. If Monoma had spotted some criminal activity worthy of the attention of the Protector of Earth and Lucky Girl, then they might have a lookout on standby. Better keep a low profile as she approached.

She threw that plan right out when she saw a cloud of dust burst up into the blackened sky. There was a loud crash, too. Monoma must be in the middle of a fight already, so Itsuka quickened her pace.

From her perch on the edge of a roof, Itsuka had a good view of the market. A wide expanse of crowded stalls only one story tall at most. There were some spots amid the sea of stalls where there were taller, more expansive and permanent structures set up. It'd be a pain for people with mutant-type Quirks that made them bigger than the average to maneuver through the maze. Some lights were on, a small few of nightly businesses still accepting customers, but Itsuka could see most people fleeing into the street adjacent to the market.

There was one long line of destruction in the sea of stalls, the dust cloud rising into the air at one end of the line. Between the debris and ruins, Itsuka spotted...

Was that Ishiyama? The armored Sumo Slammers character?

Gnawing at the fake sumo wrestler's vambrace was Monoma, already transformed into one of the Omnitrix's aliens: Wildmutt.

In Itsuka's opinion, Wildmutt was one of Monoma's weirder aliens. His whole body was covered in orange fur, a shade brighter than Itsuka's hair. He made growls and was on all fours like a dog, even had sharp teeth sticking out of his mouth. He had no visible eyes or ears, but he had an unreal sense of smell and hearing through the gill-like protrusions along his neck. His Omnitrix emblem was over one of his shoulders, sitting on what looked like a piece of thin black armor that extended to Wildmutt's back and over his head, like a fancy dog color or something.

Regardless of Itsuka's thoughts on this alien form, it was undeniable that Wildmutt, like most of Monoma's aliens, was a good fit for combat, as demonstrated by how he released his bite on the Sumo Slammer to quickly avoid the incoming punch from the character's other arm. With a claw, Monoma slashed down Ishiyama's chest. Instead of blood, shiny sparks and bright light spurted out. A robot?

Itsuka was about to make a beeline for them when she heard a voice in her head. Someone else's voice in her head.

"Everyone, stay calm! Please help those who may be injured down the west street where medical responders will be arriving soon. If you're cut off from there but uninjured, move further north near the monument where the police have been positioned."

As Itsuka watched the small crowd of civilians momentarily look around in confusion, she spotted four distinct heroes move into position in the middle of the street.

Oh no.

"Your feline fantasies are here! Say meow!"

"Allow us to lend a helping paw!"

"We're champions serving up justice, with our tails!"

"Purr-fectly cute and cat-like heroes!"

Itsuka recognized them.

"We're the Wild, Wild Pussycats!"

This was bad.

The green-haired Pussycat, Ragdoll, had a Quirk called Search. Itsuka knew that it let her know the location and some basic knowledge of up to one hundred people at a time, but she didn't know how exactly Search selects those people. Does it activate by touch? By sight? Both? Just what kind of basic knowledge did Search provide its user? If Ragdoll used her Quirk on Monoma or Itsuka...

And while the people down below were focused on the dramatic entrance of the heroes, Monoma was still busy fighting the Sumo Slammer cosplayer deep in the ruined market. He's been able to divide his attention between fighting villains and evading heroes, but he's never had a well-coordinated hero team, one without less experienced sidekicks to cause distractions with, on his tail while dealing with a villain before.

Itsuka ran through her head the Quirks the rest of the Pussycats had. Mandalay had one-sided telepathy. That was the voice Itsuka just heard in her mind instead of her ear. Pixie-Bob could manipulate the earth, dirt materials. But not concrete, right? Just the dirt under the concrete? Tiger can manipulate his body and limbs to contort into different positions, making him a formidable hand-to-hand fighter that would totally curbstomp Itsuka.

Thinking fast, Itsuka nodded to herself.

She can handle this. Both she and Monoma can handle this.

Probably.

The civilians cleared a path to let the Pussycats into the market. No one had spotted Itsuka, thankfully, so once the street was empty after the people evacuated the area, she plopped down and followed the heroes.

Mandalay must have telepathically handed out orders as they moved further between the market stalls. The four of them split off individually, most likely planning to encircle Monoma and his opponent. Continuing to keep herself inconspicuous, Itsuka stayed on Ragdoll's trail.

Looking quickly through the wreckage from the path of destruction left by Monoma and the Sumo Slammer, Itsuka activated her Quirk and picked up a tarp. Once she felt that the other Pussycats were far enough away, Itsuka raised the pitch of her voice and called out, "Help, miss hero! I'm stuck under something!"

Mid-jump between two support poles that were still standing, Ragdoll turned her head to look behind her. Before Ragdoll's eyes could line up properly to directly spot her, Itsuka spread the tarp over giant palms and trapped the hero between her hands. Ragdoll was immediately covered completely in the cloth, but Itsuka could already feel the claws of the Pussycat's gloves begin to slide and tear at the tarp.

The high-pitched voice probably wouldn't be actually mistaken for a real little kid's in a million years, but Itsuka hoped that using a frightened, worried tone instead of just immediately clamping on Ragdoll would catch her off-guard. Put the reflexes of a pro hero to avoid abrupt attacks on the back burner for just one vital second.

"Help me, Miss Pixie-Bob!" Itsuka said in her faux voice as she tossed the enveloped Ragdoll toward the other hero. Pixie-Bob summoned a mound of dirt to catch Ragdoll, vaguely like a sports glove catching a baseball. Itsuka tossed a couple more tarps into the air along with other pieces of loose and light debris, summoning gusts of wind that carried dust and the debris further across the wrecked market. The area wasn't as obstructive as say a thick fog, but Itsuka hoped the lowered visibility and the distraction of wrapping and throwing Ragdoll would buy her enough time to do what she had to.

Shrinking her hands into their normal size, Itsuka ran straight for Monoma. She found him, still as Wildmutt, scratching at a downed Ishiyama, more white light and visible electric shocks zapping out of each scratch. Ishiyama was yelling at Monoma, though to Itsuka's ears, the yelling sounded less pain-filled and more panic-filled.

"I can see you three," Itsuka heard Mandalay's telepathic voice. "I know two of you are vigilantes, but I want you all to stop fighting and stand down before anyone else gets hurt."

Mandalay and Tiger were going to be on top of Monoma in seconds, and Tiger's Quirk had a decent chance at restraining Monoma long enough for Ragdoll to use Search on him.

Itsuka planted her feet on Wildmutt's back and bent her knees. "Fastball the villain at the big guy," she said quickly. Even if Wildmutt didn't have the same upper body strength as Four Arms, it should still be enough to throw Ishiyama toward Tiger at this distance. Picking up a broken wooden stick, Itsuka then jumped off Wildmutt and aimed a dropkick for Mandalay's face.

Mandalay ducked under her and used a claw to catch Itsuka's leg. However, Itsuka's momentum let the dull end of the stick in her grasp knock against Mandalay's head. Freeing her leg, Itsuka placed her feet on Mandalay's shoulder blades and pushed, propelling herself away from the dazed hero.

A flash of blinding white light suddenly burst from the side. Not a flash of red light, so Monoma must still be Wildmutt. Itsuka spared a glance and saw a man crumpled in Tiger's arms. Ishiyama was nowhere in sight, so was this the villain's true form?

Meanwhile, Monoma as Wildmutt moved swiftly so that Itsuka would land again on his back. Now mounted on him like a rider on a horse, Itsuka caught sight of Ragdoll and Pixie-Bob through the clouds of dust. Itsuka threw her stick, which uselessly missed them completely but whatever, and patted the side of Wildmutt's head. "We should leave. Now. The heroes can handle any loose ends."

Snarling – a natural snarl accompanying Wildmutt's alien form rather than a malicious snarl intentionally expressed by Monoma. It took a while for Itsuka to tell the difference – and spitting out a piece of Ishiyama's mangled vambrace, Wildmutt turned away from the Pussycats and fled. Itsuka did her best to not to be thrown off as they made their hasty retreat.

"We don't want to fight you!" Mandalay's disembodied voice shouted. Monoma did not slow his pace one bit. "We wanted everyone to settle down so that we could talk peacefully."

Itsuka and Monoma have heard the spiel before. For the most part, the heroes who said things like this were usually being truthful. Other times, it was the punch first, ask questions later policy against vigilantes. Although the Pussycats would more than likely honor their word, it would be better to leave now rather than prolong this encounter. Especially since the Omnitrix symbol on Wildmutt's shoulder started blinking red.

As they left the market and dove into the sidestreets, Itsuka risked a peek behind her. She didn't see the Pussycats on their trail, but she did see another flash of white light in the distance rise into the sky. Itsuka assumed the Pussycats were now focused entirely on the villain Itsuka and Monoma left in their care.

Speaking of Monoma, he abruptly stopped moving in the middle of an alley. The Omnitrix flashed red once more, and then red light hid Monoma from Itsuka's vision completely. Blinking and opening her eyes wide, Itsuka found herself sitting on the back of a human Momona. His arms immediately gave out and he fell, lying prone on the ground.

"I don't think we're being followed," Itsuka said. As she got off of Monoma, she helped pull him back upright. She was only half-surprised that he didn't make a wisecrack about her being too heavy. "Mind filling me in on the situation?"

Monoma patted down his front to get rid of the dust and dirt scattered all over his clothes. He blew at a thread of hair hanging over his face out of the way of his eye. "I think the villain's Quirk is the power to assume the form and abilities of someone when he touches an image of that person, fictional or otherwise," he explained. "The villain and his posse were attempting to loot a closed stall that was holding the latest in Sumo Slammers media and merchandise. I have reason to believe they are related to the string of robberies we've been investigating. The masterminds? I'm not sure. In any case, these thieves caused a scene when a worker from another stall spotted them. The villain placed a hand on a poster of Ishiyama and got out of control."

Itsuka felt her jaw hang in disbelief. "You guys wrecked the market because someone was trying to steal Sumo Slammers stuff? Posters and playing cards?" They've cracked down on petty thieves before, of course, especially during their ongoing investigation, but causing enough property damage and chaos to warrant the arrival of a pro hero team? Over a silly game like Sumo Slammers? This had to be a new milestone for them.

"You underestimate their worth," Monoma scoffed. "In a world oversaturated with heroes, there's value in–"

"I know a robbery's a robbery," Itsuka interrupted, "but why'd you call me? Collateral damage aside, it looked like you were handling the villain just fine before I came along, and you took the time to call me before you transformed into Wildmutt instead of immediately gunning for the villain."

"I thought your own familiarity with the series would be beneficial in case the thieves had any more tricks up their sleeves, so I called you. I also imagined that your presence and participation would be a rewarding experience for you as well."

Itsuka thought that over, shook her head. "Monoma, just because I take fighting seriously doesn't mean I like that stupid series." Some of her friends and her younger cousins were the ones who were into Sumo Slammers. So was Monoma. She only played along with them because that was usually the winner of the group vote on what to play during gatherings.

"You don't like it only because you suck at their games." Ah, here was the infuriating smirk. Of course Monoma wouldn't be able to help himself after too long. "This was an opportunity for redemption for you. If only you had seized your chance much sooner, before we had to take our leave."

Did he honestly believe that? Or was he just messing with her? "You might just be lucky that I did show up. Did you know that the Wild, Wild Pussycats were in the area?"

"The who?"

Itsuke scrutinized Monoma's face closely. There was genuine confusion. "You really don't know?"

"From the name and by your words, I assume they were those pros we just escaped from."

"Yes, they were. Any guesses on what Ragdoll's Quirk could have done?" He didn't. After Itsuka explained Search, Monoma's face fell.

"You're kidding me," he said. "Could she really have discovered everything just by looking at me? The spell on the watch means that unless they know I have a watch and they know its name, then a person can't see that I'm wearing it while I'm human. Would her Quirk be able to bypass the spell?"

Itsuka honestly didn't know how much stock to put into a magic spell that had apparently been cast on the Omnitrix to help keep it hidden, but what Itsuka did know was that people's Quirks can be just as unpredictable. "We need to figure out how her Quirk works," Itsuka said, "and look up any other pros, and villains while we're at it, who might have any other information-based Quirks that could expose us." Itsuka wanted to slap herself. All this time fighting crime and avoiding capture from the police and pros, yet they've never planned a contingency for something like Search. They should have thought ahead instead of only now considering safeguards and solutions after their first encounter with a Quirk like that.

"Good idea," Monoma said. He smiled again. "This wasn't a wasted nightly excursion for either of us, then."

"I guess." Itsuka looked around the alley. No one in sight. "If there's nothing else, we should head home before the Pussycats decide to try looking for us."

"Lead the way, Lucky Girl."

Itsuka rolled her eyes. "Just don't forget you owe me one, Mister 'Protector of Earth.'"

Monoma huffed indignantly. "It's not 'Mister Protector.' It's at least a more respectable name than the Wild, Wild Pussycats."

He started ranting about hero names and marketing and other petty things that Itsuka paid no mind to. As they began the trek home, she was too busy working out in her head when to schedule the time to finish up her homework and when to double down on researching pro hero Quirks. Plus there was their investigation on the rampant robberies throughout town that they had to discuss. If a pro team like the Pussycats were now involved, she and Monoma should also rethink their strategy.

Thus was the life of a pair of lone vigilantes against the world.

But despite all the stress and the risks the workload brought, Itsuka couldn't say she regretted any of it.

---

NOW

When Itsuka visited the hospital today to check on Awase and see if anyone else in class B who were still being treated had woken up yet, she hadn't intended to eavesdrop on class 1-A.

Yet here she was, standing outside of Izuku Midoriya's room and, through the crack of an open door, listening to Eijiro Kirishima passionately line out his plan: use the tracker Yaoyorozu and Awase had planted on the Chainsaw Nomu to go for themselves wherever the League of Villains had taken Bakugo.

"Even you were defending that vigilante at the camp, Iida!" That was still Kirishima. "Us looking for Bakugo would count as vigilantism, too."

"That was different!" And Tenya Iida. "In an emergency situation where we were potentially outnumbered and clearly outmatched in an isolated area, with communications cut off, it only made sense to accept the help of a benevolent vigilante. This is completely different! What you're suggesting is that we directly interfere with the search already being conducted by the proper authorities! They'll be much more prepared, and they are already perfectly aware of the threats they may face. At best, we would only get in the way."

"At best?" said an almost flat voice. Shouto Todoroki's? "At best, we would provide support that the heroes can take advantage of to beat the villains and rescue Bakugo, just like how Diamondhead provided an opening for – for the pros to take down Stain."

"That was also different!" Ida raised his voice even more. He was lucky the hallway was practically empty save for Itsuka. "Now isn't the right time for us to get involved! In our previous encounters against villains, our only real choice was to fight because there weren't enough able-bodied heroes to handle the circumstances. For this case, All Might and no doubt a plethora of other heroes are taking the reins. There is absolutely no need for us to force our way into their investigation!"

Others from class A jumped in with their own comments and criticisms. The next one that really caught Itsuka's attention was from Tsuyu Asui. "We're all shocked that Bakugo and Monoma were taken from us, but we have to be rational. It doesn't matter how noble your intentions; if you go out there trying to find the bad guys, knowing you're breaking the rules, then you're acting like villains, not heroes."

Itsuka felt her eye twitch. No offense to Asui personally, and sure, Itsuka was biased, but that was a garbage take. They would be acting like villains? By trying to rescue their friends from being held in captivity and subjected to only God knows what by immoral villains? Please.

And it might be ten times worse for Monoma if the villains knew about the Omnitrix.

In the end, Itsuka hadn't told the heroes or the police about the watch. In a moment of panic, it had been her first instinct to tell them, but after learning that Monoma had already been taken, she couldn't bring herself to follow through. At the start of their vigilante careers, he had made her promise never to reveal his secrets about aliens. Telling the heroes now might help them in their investigation, to have more information going into wherever Monoma was being held, but with Monoma gone, it just didn't feel right to tell the authorities the truth. It felt too much like a betrayal against Monoma.

Itsuka had also called Native and Monoma's aunt. They told her to keep quiet about the Omnitrix and to leave the rescuing to the pros.

Still, maybe it would be better for Lucky Girl to shadow the heroes' investigation and make doubly sure Monoma and Bakugo were rescued… Nothing wrong with some careful redundancies, just in case...

Suddenly, Itsuka heard all of class A inside Midoriya's room let out a collective yelp.

"You guys should learn to be more aware of your surroundings," said who was unmistakably Shihai Kuroiro, class B's resident edgelord. From class A's reactions, he must have snuck into the room with his Quirk, had been eavesdropping like Itsuka while hidden before he sprouted from the shadows. What was he doing here?

Then Itsuka swerved her head around. Approaching from around the corner were more students from class B.

Manga Fukidashi, his speech bubble head tilted downward with ellipses printed where his face would be. Setsuna Tokage, also with her head down but wearing a more obvious frown. Strands of dark green hair almost hid the intense look in her eyes. Pony Tsunotori looked uncomfortable as she dragged her hooves across the floor, careful not to bang her horns against the wall or the others.

Those three along with Kuroiro had directly fought some of the villains at the training camp instead of getting incapacitated by the purple gas or smoke inhalation. Thankfully, their injuries hadn't been too severe. Yui Kodai and Awase were the only other ones from their class who were also conscious, though Awase was still bedridden and Kodai has been staying at home with only the occasional message from her in the group chat.

"Kendo," Tokage greeted. Her cell phone was in her hand, currently in a call. Itsuka could see that Kuroiro's phone was on the other end. "You heard about the Nomu tracker from Awase?"

"Yeah," Itsuka answered, wary. "Did you… have Kuroiro spy on class A?"

"It looks like you also wanted to see what they might've been cooking up after learning about it, too."

"I just–"

"Say no more, class rep." With Fukidashi and Tsunotori by her sides, Tokage slid open the hospital room door and strolled inside. Itsuka was only one step behind them.

"What's class B doing here?" someone asked. The small purple-haired one? Was he holding a melon?

"So 1-A's planning on a secret rescue operation," Tokage said. Itsuka shut the door behind them as Tokage offered everyone a feral smile. "We want in."

Tenya Iida sputtered and twisted his arms wildly. "Nothing has been decided! Class A is not needlessly and selfishly taking matters into our own inexperienced hands!"

"By the sound of that," Tororoki said dryly, "you've already made your decision."

"And I've made mine!" declared Kirishima, tapping his knuckles over his chest. "If class B wants to pitch in, then I'm all for it!"

Iida gritted his teeth. His eyes met Itsuka's. "Kendo! Please tell me you and your class are not seriously–"

"Of course we're serious!" Tokage shouted, causing Iida to flinch back. "Honenuki, Tetsutetsu, Shoda, Shiozaki, Bondo – all of them and the rest of our class were taken down and hurt by the villains. Maybe not as seriously as Midoriya breaking his entire body, but I can't just leave it alone if class A is planning to help Bakugo while we're doing nothing about Monoma."

"Obviously we'd rescue Monoma, too," Kirishima cut in. "It's not like we'd ignore him while looking for Bakugo!"

"I'm not accusing any of you of that," Tokage said firmly. "We're here to offer our help. We've already got a basic game plan to get us started once we make it to the villains' hideout."

"Game plan?"

Kuroiro cleared his throat. "If the heroes have the villains' location," he said, "then they'll probably conduct a raid under the cover of darkness, during the night when servants of villainy are commonly at their most conceited, especially after a victory. The outlaws will hopefully be caught unprepared. With my Quirk, it should be easy for me to maneuver through the battlefield and search for Monoma if his specific location isn't readily apparent."

"My Quirk," Tokage said, "lets me split my segments of my body into separate pieces that can float and move under my control. Get me some night vision goggles if it gets too dark, and I can give us a good aerial view of the villain's base or scout ahead inside, maybe through some air vents or places Kuroiro can't get to."

"Can control my horns," said Tsunotori, tapping them. "Launch them like rockets. Stronger, sturdier, faster than Tokage's bits. Hit villain hard. Or catch Monoma, fly him out of area."

Then Fukidashi. "I say sounds, then the text of the matching characters are created as physical objects. Depending on what I say and how I say it, they can also be made of sturdy stuff. Their size and toughness depend on the volume of my voice, and the characters generate real-world effects." To demonstrate, Fukidashi put up a finger where his mouth would be and let out a quiet shoosh sound. The appropriate dialogue bubble seeped out of his head and floated in the air. He clapped his hands and the sound could be barely heard. Popping the bubble like a balloon with his finger, Fukidashi continued, "I can cause distractions or help with stealth. My voice can't be too strained, though. If I can't speak, I can't use my Quirk."

"Kendo's got big fists," Tokage added, winking at her, "and she's the smartest person in our class. If things go south, she could improvise a new plan pretty quick, I'm sure."

"If the stars align," said Kuroiro, "we may just have Kendo simply clamp her hands on Monoma and carry him off like a stolen idol." He turned his head away, but Itsuka could see him trying to hide a small smile. At least he could keep up his sense of humor while planning this rescue operation. "If she chooses to come with us, that is."

They really had put some serious thought into this. Itsuka hadn't expected that.

She supposed that Monoma got along better with their classmates than she thought if they were willing to go this far.

Hope shone in Iida's eyes through his glasses. "Kendo, does that mean you haven't actually been scheming with your classmates to take the law into your own hands? You understand why we shouldn't interfere?"

Itsuka respected Tenya Iida, as a fellow class representative and fellow hero-in-training, but he was barking up the wrong tree if he wanted to talk about not engaging in unlawful heroism with her.

"All of this talk is moot," Itsuka said, carefully keeping her voice level, "if Yaoyorozu doesn't create another receiver we can use for the tracking device."

"First step, then," said Tsunotori, nodding. "Visit her."

"Todoroki and I already talked with her," Kirishima reminded everyone. "Her parents are visiting her right now. The plan is for us to come back tonight."

"What plan?!" shouted Iida, losing his cool. "There should be no–"

"No yelling in a hospital," Itsuka finished. She opened the door and stepped out into the hall. "Hope your recovery goes well, Midoriya," she added as a polite afterthought. Itsuka caught the eyes of the other class B students and motioned for them to follow her.

As they left class A behind to bicker among themselves some more, Itsuka looked over her shoulder at her Tokage and the rest. "Since class A still needs to work things out, we should talk at Awase's room."

Fukidashi perked up. It took a while to understand some of his nonverbal tells and cues without a traditional human face, but Kendo's gotten used to reading him, especially after working with some of Monoma's less human alien forms. "Does that mean you're really with us?" Fukidashi asked with hope in his voice. "You're not mad?"

"Let's talk it over some more, and then we'll see."

"I know we don't know Monoma as well as you do, Kendo," Tokage said gently, before giving her a toothy grin, "but I'm confident the last thing he'd want is for class A to steal the spotlight from us again, right?"

Itsuka let herself return the smile. "You're definitely not wrong."