So before we start this chapter, I will say that this chapter features my best friend Hardygal's OCs, as she was really sweet and let me use her kids in my story. They will appear a decent amount too, since one of her OCs is in Class 1-B. Hope you guys like Hardy's OCs and the story! :)

God Bless and Good Day!

~The Lupine Sojourner

I didn't even know what had happened till I looked where Eijiro and the other guy were standing, only to see a pile of frozen robot parts.

"Eijiro!" I scream. Was he under there?! Had he been crushed!? "Eijiro, hang on!" I am running forward before I can think, not knowing what to do, but desperately hoping Eijiro was okay.

I ran to the collapsed robot, uncaring and unhearing of anything around me. Part of me knew that, with Eijiro's Quirk, it was more than likely that he'd be okay, but…but what if he hadn't activated it in time?! What if he was stabbed by a chunk of the robot?!

Thousands of possibilities ran through my head, but as I ran forward, I could feel the vibrations of two people bulldozing their way through the robot, climbing higher. I blink. Oh…shit. I completely forgot that other guy! Was he the one who pushed me out of the way? I felt both boys climbing, but one was faster, and soon enough rumbling and crunching metal was heard, as well as breaking ice.

Suddenly, in a last-ditch effort, Eijiro's voice was heard screaming above the murmuring crowd. "I'm aalliivvee!" He screams, thrusting up through the last layer of metal with his arms up and a pissed expression on his face. The neck of his PE uniform was tattered from using his Quirk to protect his head, and I clambered up the robot, relieved that he was okay.

"Kirishima from Class 1-A! What a hardcore debut for this rookie!" Dad announces happily just as I come to the top of the robot.

Uncaring of the cameras and people watching, I hug Eijiro. "Hey, you okay?" He mumbles, embarrassed.

I pull back, smiling at him. "Yup. I was just shocked when the robot fell on you. I wanted to help you out, but couldn't move the robot with my Earth Quirk, and there's no water I can control, sorry."

He smirks, moving to more solid footing. "No sweat. I saw it falling and activated my Quirk just in time. Thanks for wanting to help, though."

I nod. Dad gives a quick explanation of Eijiro's Quirk, calling it an 'ultimate shield or a devastating weapon'. I like that line a lot and smile at Eijiro. "No problem. Anytime." It had become a kind of promise to each other, 'anytime'. We were assuring each other that we would always do our best to help each other, no matter what.

Eijiro then glares down the path where Todoroki had vanished. "I can't believe Todoroki pulled something like that. Geez, anyone but me would have been killed." He then turns to me and I swear his cheeks are a little pink. "I thought you'd gotten crushed, too, actually, so I was trying to get out to find you as quick as I could." I shake my head, focusing on making as much of the ice as I can melt as I had water to work with. He…he was that concerned about me? No! Focus!

"I was pushed out of the way by- -" I then start to feel the rumbling of the other person about to emerge and turn just as the silver-haired guy comes to the surface.

"Class 1-A really is full of jerks!" He growls as he smashes through the top of the robot. "I'll smash that ice guy when I get my hands on him!"

I sigh, noting that now his entire body was metallic, glinting like he was a living statue or something. "–him." I finish, pointing him out. I walk over. "Hey!" I call. "Glad you're okay…and thanks for pushing me out of the way."

He scoffs. "That's what a hero does, right? Heroes save people, no matter what they think of them." I nod, not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not, then listen as Dad announces this guy's name.

"Tetsutetsu from Class 1-B was also stuck underneath! What're the odds?!"

I look back at Tetsutetsu. "I'm Takara."

He nods, then Dad begins the brief explanation of Tetsutetsu's Quirk; it makes him able to turn his skin into steel. It was pretty close to Eijiro's Quirk, actually. In fact, Dad used the 'ultimate shield or devastating weapon' line again, which to Eijiro's chagrin.

"Our Quirks are basically the same!" He groans. "How'm I supposed to stand out now?!"

I almost stop moving. Huh…I wonder where that came from. Does he seriously think he'll have trouble standing out? No way! He'll do just fine, I'm sure!

"You damn copycat!" Tetsutetsu growls.

I roll my eyes. "Calm down, you two. Just be yourself, Eijiro! You'll be great!" I reply, smiling at him and giving him a thumbs up.

He doesn't reply, still looking upset. Tetsutetsu then nudges me.

"You're the girl that had the boot on, right? Glad you toughened up for this competition." Tetsutetsu replies.

I nod, continuing to jog over the top of the robot, picking up as much water as I could without using too much blood sugar. "Yeah, me, too! Recovery Girl helped a lot, and training practically day and night got me back on track for the Festival." I explain as I slide down the side.

"Good! So it'll at least be a fair fight before I beat you!"

I laugh. "We'll see how this goes, Tetsutetsu." Landing on the ground, I continue running, searching ahead with vibrations to see what the next obstacle is, but then have to stop as several loud booms were heard and Dad announces that Katsuki is using explosions to rocket over the robots.

"Clev-ah!" He praises, and something about the way Dad says it makes me laugh. We continue running, and I can't really tell anything from the vibrations, but I keep trying periodically. The vibration trick took hardly any blood sugar, so as long as I don't do it continuously, and use my other abilities well, I should be fine. Plus, I now had water, so I had a better chance.

"Class 1-A has learned not to hesitate." Mom notes, "They've seen what the real world is like. They've felt the fear, and pain in some cases, of fighting villains. And yet, they fight on, trying to overcome that fear." I smile at Mom's praise. It was accurate, and I couldn't help feeling a sense of pride and happiness as I ran, despite almost being singled out in an announcement again. It still wasn't something I was used to, though after today, I'll be a lot more recognizable, so I have to get used to the spotlight. "They've grown, all of them, and they know they have to act quickly if they want to stay alive."

In the distance, I hear more explosions and feel the powerful vibrations of robots falling. I feel a large gathering of students around the curve, and begin to slow down, wondering what they were stopping for.

"For those of you who thought the first obstacle was easy," Dad snarks, "let's see how you feel about the second one!" I come up around the bend with Tetsutetsu and Eijiro to see (and feel) a huge canyon with several platforms with thick wire 'bridges' left for us to get across.

"Geez, dad!" I groan. "You weren't joking about this being harder than robots!" How was I supposed to get across?! There's still no water to add to the amount I have on me, and I doubt just holding on to the wire and scooting across is a good idea. But I can't see better options right now…so I look around and notice that the wire I'm standing in front of is at a small decline toward the platform at the end of the wire.

I grin. Perfect. I grab Eijiro's arm. "I've got an idea!" I whisper. If people heard, they might try to take advantage of my plan. It wouldn't take a whole lot to power, and it was the only thing I could think of at the moment. I make the platform, being sure to have the pole running through it, and take a breath, hoping this wouldn't end badly. I motion Eijiro on it. "C'mon, before anyone else sees and tries to hop on," I whisper.

He blinks. "You sure?"

"Yeah, just hang on," I reply, stepping on and Eijiro gets on. It's harder than I thought to keep it up, but I grit my teeth and push off, getting a bit of speed and having to hang on to Eijiro's waist. I blush but don't say anything, focusing on the approaching platform. I had to disengage the platform at the right time or the landing would hurt. I leap off and release the platform, returning the water to floating by my side and panting.

That actually worked better than I thought it would!

"You okay?" Eijiro asks and there is definitely a blush to his cheeks.

I nod, moving to the other side of the platform. "Yeah, c'mon. The quicker we get across, the better."

He nods. "Right."

I move to the next wire and bite my lip. I was extremely lucky; it was also had just enough decline to do the same trick, but I couldn't do it too many more times. I still had a decent amount of stamina and blood sugar left, but I couldn't keep pushing myself like this.

As I stand there catching my breath and strategizing, I see a girl with short blonde hair practically crawling along the wire, her fingertips glowing as she moved, these solar-panel type things on her back. Intrigued, I watch as she leaps out, the light from her fingertips now also on her feet, seeming to provide her enough grip to climb the last little bit onto the platform. I shake myself. This wasn't the time to stop and look at different Quirks. Shortly after the girl, a boy with hair similar to Hitoshi's appears, with tired eyes and bough physique, climbs from the wire onto the platform. I can't tell what his Quirk is, but he seems to know the girl, who doesn't look like she wants to hang around and wait for him.

"You know, watching these kiddoes reminds me of our Festival, honey." Dad notes, an almost wistful tone to his voice.

"In some ways, yes, but we did a points-based Scavenger Hunt as our first game in the Festival." Mom replies, bringing me back to the task at hand as I move to the next wire.

"It also reminds me that, in the world of heroes, it can hard to get noticed without a flashy Quirk, eh Shota?" I can almost see Mom grit her teeth in irritation at the tease.

Dad had nearly won against Mom, he'd told me. Then Mom was able to win by forcing herself to use her Quirk on him to suddenly shut him up and gain an advantage over him, tying him up quickly and winning their match. Dad described the moment as the moment he knew he wanted to hang around Mom a lot more. He said there was something so intriguing about her to him from then on.

All that to say, the difference in the flashiness of their Quirks was a tease Dad used against her sometimes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mom growls.

"Wasn't talking about anything." Dad is quick to backtrack. "Love you, Shota."

"Uh-huh."

I smile and get the platform ready again.

"We're doing that again?" Eijiro asks. I nod.

"Yeah. This wire's also on a decline, so let's go." I urge.

He hesitates, biting his lip before he nods and motions me on. Something's off…but I can't tell what…

"I'll push off this time." He mumbles. I nod and get on. Eijiro shoves off and I can't help blushing as his arms slip around my waist for balance. I have to focus on keeping the platform stable, but his arms are so strong, it's a little distracting. If I'd focused more on the way he held me, though, I'd have noticed that he seemed sad and upset, barely clinging to me, but I was too caught up in the fact that his arms were around my waist to actually process anything else, and we reach the next platform too quickly for me to get over the sensation and think straight. People were catching up, so we had to keep moving. This next wire had an incline, so we had to climb, not ride. I grit my teeth. I'd use the water to make footholds.

"Guess we can't ride on this wire." Eijiro groans, looking anywhere but me.

I shake my head. "Nope. I'll make footholds, so stay close." I reply and start moving.

Eijiro frowns. "No. You go ahead. I'll climb up on my own."

I frown back at him. "Eijiro, what- -"

"Just go!" He snaps. I bite my lip. I wanted to find out what was bugging him, but I guess there's no time right now. "You gotta focus on yourself, okay?"

I reluctantly turn around and begin climbing. I don't make much progress. I have a lot whirling through my head right now. What was that about?! Did I piss him off somehow? Eijiro stays quiet, making sure he doesn't use my footholds and I don't keep them long enough for him to try. He took my help the wrong way and I now had to repair this rift in our friendship. I already missed our camaraderie.

We've gotten so close since the entrance exam, and yet…I still didn't actually know a lot about his life before UA, what's driving him. I guess we've never gotten too personal in our talks.

I find myself wanting to know more, wanting to understand him better. I wanna know how to tell him I didn't mean to make him feel bad. Soon enough, we're on the track again and still Eijiro doesn't talk to me. I must have really offended him somehow. "Eijiro, wait!" I call as he pulls ahead. "Please, talk to me!"

He slows a little, but neither of us stops completely. "Takara, we have to focus." He says, voice solemn and serious.

I flinch. "Look, I'm sorry. Since I was little, I've always been trying to help out any and everyone I can. I'm sorry if I offended you or something. It's just an instinct I have. I really wasn't trying to degrade you or anything."

He sighs. "I shouldn't have reacted like that. It's just–" The blonde-haired girl with glowing fingertips races by.

"Argue later! Focus on this race, idiots!"

Eijiro and I exchange glances and blink in surprise. However, she was right. We take off sprinting again, and in a few minutes, I can see the next obstacle ahead of us.

"Whoa! A minefield!? Are you kidding me!?" I exclaim. Eijiro bites his lip. I turn to him, trying to repair whatever happened back in the canyon. Whatever happened, it was apparent that he didn't want me to help him, so… "Eijiro, how about we just do our best with this on our own. I do have my vibration trick if I need it and you have your Hardening. Meet you on the other side, okay?"

He blinks, then nods. "Okay, sounds good, Takara." I take off and Eijiro's not far behind me. Together, we race across the field, dodging people and mines alike. I try the vibration trick and happen to do it right when someone steps on a mine. I reel backward at the intensity of the vibrations. "Whoa, you okay?!" Eijiro asks, steadying me.

"Yeah. Didn't think that through. The vibrations when someone steps on a mine are unreal."

I grumble. "If you're good, let's keep going."

I nod and begin running. I didn't wanna push it, and I had to focus on getting through this course. "Right!" All of a sudden, when we were about halfway through the field, there's a huge explosion and out of it comes Izuku, flying on a piece of a robot, zooming across the field like a comet, face hardened in determination. "Whoa, Izuku!" I breathe in shock, slowing but not stopping. That kid is something else… "Damn…" I hardly hear Dad talking, honestly, but that's mainly due to the ringing in my ears from that explosion, and partly because I was so thunderstruck that Izuku would do something like that.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though. He's a wicked talented strategist, able to concoct strategies with little to no apparent effort. Obviously, he'd stockpiled mines carefully, using the increased explosion to send him flying toward the finish line. I smirk proudly. He was amazing! Now if he can just get ahead and stay ahead of Todoroki and Katsuki, he'll win the first round!

I then shake myself and move faster. I had to get going or I'd lose!

Reaching the other side, I notice Tetsutetsu coming in right behind Eijiro and all three of us sprint for the finish line, when all of a sudden Hanta came in front of me. I tried pushing harder, but he passed the line just ahead of me. I look beside me as I pass, and see Eijiro stepping over the line just before I did. I slow down to a walk, panting heavily. Oh, geez! It was a good thing I did those jogs, but holy shit that was hard!

"Takara Yamada of Class 1-A finishes followed closely by her classmate Eijiro Kirishima! Go, Takara, go!" I blush a little at Dad and try to catch my breath. I need food…I double over, still panting. "Takara?" Eijiro asks between his own pants. "Can we talk?"

I blink, for some reason getting flustered. "Y-yeah…" We walk to a more private corner. He shyly looks away, shuffling his feet. "Eijiro, I'm sorry." I begin. I didn't honestly know what I was apologizing for, but I knew I'd done something wrong, and I wanted to initiate this conversation with an apology.

He finally looks at me. "No, don't apologize. You didn't know, but…it's just…it's hard enough for me to stand out as is, and…and you're so selfless and awesome and you have such a flashy, amazing Quirk- -two of them, actually- -and…well, I don't stand a chance in this competition if people keep holding my hand. I need to somehow make whatever tiny mark I can."

I blink, then go in for a tight hug, feeling myself tearing up. This poor boy! "Eijiro, you're amazing! Don't you dare throw yourself down like that! I didn't mean to make you feel bad. It's an instinct I have, trying to help everyone I can. I promise that's all it was. I just…" I bite my lip. I'd been about to say 'love you so much'. What the hell?! I…I…he…he and I are just friends…right? "I just wanted to help." I finish instead, praying my voice wasn't as frazzled as my thoughts were.

The memories flash through my head of all the times I have been so thankful to have him by my side, especially in the USJ attack. He selflessly stayed with me, carrying me to safety and staying with me for a while at the hospital, and then during my recovery. It was…it was something no one else had really done for me except Mom and Dad, and I guess at some point during all that time…I started developing a crush on him without even realizing it…but he wouldn't feel the same way, I don't think, so I have to keep it to myself until I get to know him more and can either get over my crush or be assured he feels the same way.

Eijiro pulls me closer and tightens his arms around me almost protectively. "Takara, I…you're amazing and I am so glad to have you as a friend. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just being stupid. Are…are we good?"

I chuckle and nod, cheeks warm in a blush. "Don't call yourself stupid again and yeah, we're good." I tighten my arms automatically, blushing madly at his words and care. I then reluctantly let him go and motion toward the crowd. "Shall we?"

He nods and I swear there's a blush on his cheeks, too.

Oba Nemuri cracks her whip and I force myself to keep my eyes off Eijiro, standing beside me. Despite my revelation, we were still only friends. I couldn't lose my cool so easily.

To further distract myself, I look up and see Izuku's name in the rankings as number 1! That's awesome!

"The first game for the first years is finally over." Oba announces, "And what a game it was! Now, let's take a quick look at the standings, shall we?" As the hologram appears, I gulp and look at our rankings. I scan for my name, and sure enough, there it is, right on top of Eijiro! Turns out, we ranked ninth! We tied! Hanta was right above us, and Tetsutetsu was right below us.

I smile. Okay, this was great! I did better than I thought! Awesome! "Only the top 42 will advance to the next round, but don't be too let down if you didn't make the cut. We've prepared other opportunities for you to shine." Oba licks her lips. I frown. Was that really necessary? "Now, the real fun is about to begin; the chance to fully move into the limelight!" I gulp. Crud! What was next?! "Give it your best!" Another crack of the whip and the screen was again that spinning lottery-esque thing. I feel my stomach squirm into knots the longer this goes on. "Let's see what we have in store for you next!" She cheers. I feel Eijiro brush my hand and see him smiling encouragingly at me. I smile back, trying to swallow my anxiety. The first game was so tough! How was I supposed to keep advancing when they throw- -no! I can only do my best! It doesn't matter what the games are as long as I have fun and give it my all, right? "Will your wildest fantasies come to life?" Oba presses as the spinning title continues. I flush. What?! "What could it be? The waiting is torture!" She's practically whining now, and I am more uncomfortable. "Prepare yourselves…" Thank God! We'd finally find out what's next! "for this!" The title stops spinning, and I cringe. Shit! A cavalry battle?! I've hardly ever played that game!

"I'm terrible at those…" Denki grumbles beside me.

"And I've only played in, like, two, maybe…and I was a lot younger. Shit!"

Tsu tilts her head a little. "Plus, it's not an individual event. I wonder how they'll split us up?"

"Allow me to explain." Midnight continues, and the screen shows a picture of Dad, Toshin-Oji, 13, and Snipe (though he was hidden in the background mostly), all forming a cavalry battle team with Toshin-Oji as the rider up top. "The participants will form teams of two to four people each as they see fit. In theory, it's basically the same as a regular playground game, but there is one difference." I raise a brow. Oh, man… "Each player has been assigned a point value based on their results from the obstacle course."

"So that means each team will have a different point value, based on which students are on it." Ochaco muses.

I nod. "Uh-huh!"

Mina concurs, then Oba gets irritated, cracking her whip. "Maybe you should shut up and let me explain things to you!" She growls. Then calms pretty quickly. "Now then, the point values go up by increments of five, starting from the bottom. For example, 42nd place is worth five points, and 41st is worth ten. And, the point value assigned to the first place contestant is…ten million!"

I blink.

Holy crap! Izuku's gonna have a hard time, even just picking a team! Everyone will be after him! Guess that's what it means to be first in the world of pro heroes; everyone's after you, jealous of your standing and hungry for fame and recognition. "That's right…" Midnight continues, "it's survival of the fittest with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top! First years, these are the rules you'll abide by! The game itself will last fifteen minutes, individual point values will be added together to reach your team total. Everyone will know how much you're worth thanks to your headbands. Swipe as many headbands as you can to raise your team's score." The screen showed that the headbands were secured with velcro so they'd be easily taken. "Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up, so the more you steal, the harder it will be to manage them. And another thing; even if your headband is stolen or your team falls down, you can keep playing till time's up!"

"It's anyone's game, then." Momo murmurs, holding her chin in thought.

"Yeah, and since there are forty-two contestants, there'll be ten or twelve teams fighting on the field the entire time," Rikido adds.

I nod. "Yeah, and you have to consider Quirks and who you work well with. It's really a simulation of agency team-ups and the competition of being pros at the same time."

Denki groans. "Why does this have to be so hard!?" He groans.

"So if you lose your headband at the beginning, you have more time to make up a plan." Mina muses.

Tsu, next to her, frowns. "I don't know, Mina. Maybe we should wait and see how the teams turn out before we start strategizing." She replies.

"This is going to be rough." Midnight warns, "You may use your Quirks as much as you like! But. There are still rules: make a team fall on purpose, I'll slap you with a red card; you'll be disqualified!" A timer shows up for fifteen minutes. "Now, you've got fifteen minutes to build your team! I recommend you get started!"

I bite my lip. Eijiro and I each had 165 points since we tied. Unfortunately, hardly anyone beyond our class really knew us and how our Quirks work, so unless I can somehow convince people to team up with me, I'll have to see who wants me on their team. I should be a horse because my Earth Quirk would make sure that my team wouldn't be surprised. That and my Water Quirk could defend and attack, so maybe I won't have trouble getting on or forming my own team.

Eijiro grabs my arm. "C'mon! Let's go find a team!"

I grin. "Yeah!" He starts leading me to Todoroki, but Shoto's already talking to Momo, Denki, and Tenya. "Aw, man. Trust Shoto to have been already thought up who he wanted and recruited them before anyone else could." I groan.

Eijiro sighs. "I know, right?! Man, that sucks. Do you wanna form our own team or try for someone else's team?"

I frown. "Not sure…I'd like to be on the same team as you, but…on the other hand, you yourself said I gotta 'focus on yourself', right? Maybe we should just see how things turn out?" I was unsure around him now, what with his reaction during the obstacle race, and my revelation. I wasn't sure how to handle that train of thought, so I set it aside for now. Eijiro's hand stays on my arm, and he goes over toward Bakugo.

"Screw that! Let's keep trying together, but if we can't get on the same team, fine!" I blush. He was suddenly wanting to stay with me? He'd said we needed to focus more on ourselves, but now he was switching tactics? What was going through his head?! Regardless, it was sweet he was trying to make sure we could get on the same team.

I suddenly realize where he's leading us and almost scoff. Katsuki wouldn't want me on his team. I'm 'the teachers' brat' to him. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to try…maybe?

Unfortunately, a lot of our class have the same idea. Now that Shoto's picked his team, they wanted to team up with the next best option. I wonder if he'll pick anyone…

"Wait, remind me your Quirks are again?! And your names!" Katsuki snaps, looking hella confused. I feel my eye twitch in irritation as we approach. Good God Katsuki is self-centered! He can't remember anyone's names or Quirks!

Eijiro waves to get Katsuki's attention. "Bakugo! Takara and I were gonna try Todoroki, but he already picked a group! You should team up with us!"

Katsuki just scoffs. "Oh, great. Shitty hair and the teachers' brat." He grumbles.

My eye twitch returns. "Loose Cannon." I retort, sticking my tongue at him.

Eijiro seems irritated, too, as Katsuki glares at me. "My name is Kirishima! You know Takara…and my hair's not that different from yours!" Eijiro barks, gesturing between their hair to prove his point. He then remembers that we were trying to team up with Katsuki. "C'mon, man. You wanna be the rider, right? Takara's earth Quirk can make sure no one gets the drop on us, and you need a front rider who won't be hurt by your blasts." He Hardens his forearm and fist. "That'd be me." He says, a tad unnecessarily.

Katuski scoffs. "I won't team up with that damn brat; she's not what I'm looking for, but I do need someone with guts."

I try not to take that personally and roll my eyes. I saw this coming.

I subtly move back a little. Out of the corner of my eye, I see that blonde girl and that dark purple-haired boy. They seem alone, wandering from group to group looking for stragglers.

Perfect! I wanted to talk to them! They seem like a solid pair!

"Hey, Eijiro?"

He turns. "Yeah?"

I hold out my hand. "No hard feeling, no matter what, right?"

He nods. "Yeah. Sorry he's being stubborn."

I shrug as we shake hands. "No sweat. I see a few people I'm gonna try to recruit. See you in the final game!" I wave as I walk off.

I may like him as more than a friend, but I can't just let him consume my thoughts and distract me. "You know, you're really missing out with Takara, but…my Quirk was made for this!" I blush a little at the way Eijiro talked about me and force myself to keep walking.

The duo I wanted to talk to was just ahead. I notice they're talking to a girl that reminds me a lot of Asami if she were younger. Perfect! Four's the limit!

"Pardon me, but can I join?" I ask, smiling at the three of them. "I don't have a team yet and there's only, like, ten minutes left."

The blonde girl turns to me. "You're the girl that stopped to talk to that boy, right? If you're gonna do that crap again, we don't need you."

I feel a sting of hurt at that, but brush it off. "That was…complicated, but he's on a different team, so I won't be distracted this time."

"Hiyoko-nee, c'mon. She wants to join and we'd have four people." The purple-haired boy adds, turning to me and extending a hand. "I'm Ryuji Teichida, and this is my older sister, Hiyoko."

The wolf girl extends a hand. "And I'm Chiharu Hamato."

Instantly, I grin. Hell yeah! Asami's little sister! "Asami's sister?" I ask.

Chiharu nods. "Yup! She says hi, by the way."

I laugh. "Thanks. So, how 'bout it? We good to form a team?"

Chiharu nods. "Yeah! But…whose the rider?"

Ryuji scratches the back of his neck. "Well, Hiyoko is the lightest…and she can stun the people that get close with her Quirk. Maybe she should be the rider?"

Hiyoko twitches in irritation. "Seriously?!" She growls. "You don't know their weights! They could be lighter than me, you ass!"

Ryuji laughs, holding his hands up. "Sorry, but I do know your weight, and it makes sense if you're the rider. C'mon, sis. Don't be mad."

"Half sister and I'm just irritated. Whatever you all want to do is fine, though, I guess."

Ryuji nods. "Okay. Thanks, sis. We'll be a team with you as the rider." He smiles at her and puts a hand on her shoulder. She grits her teeth and scowls at him, but somehow I doubt she's as upset as she looks.

"Let's get this over with," Hiyoko grumbles.

I nod. "Let's all do our best!"

Chiharu nods. "Yeah!