Hi Y'all! Here's the next update! Thank you so much for your patience! 2019 has been insane for me so far, I'm hoping it gets better! March was a really hard month for me and it really slowed down my progress on the story, so again I really appreciate all of you sticking with the story. Your reviews brighten up my day! :D Please leave some positive reviews to help me feel better!
"All right! Everyone head to the monitoring room to watch!" All Might's boisterous voice snapped Minami a bit out of her stupor as she had stopped to contemplate her options at that point; one of them being whether she could get out of the training exercise that day by pretending she was sick if she made herself throw up. It was a tempting option.
It's not like I'm that far off from puking anyways… The girl thought sarcastically to herself as she watched people march by her towards the monitoring room to watch their battle session. Most of them tried not to make eye contact with her, though a handful glanced at her with sympathy, a few even patting her shoulder and shaking their heads, as if she were going to battle on a suicide mission, never to return. Their reactions only fueled the anxiety churning in her stomach at that moment.
"Good luck blondie…" Mina said to her with a worried look crossing her face as she walked past. Minami could feel the hair stand up on the back of her neck at her reaction.
Shit…even Mina's worried, how the hell am I going to do this? Can I even work with this kid?
She felt a large, heavy hand on her shoulder, with pressure being applied slightly to turn her towards the building that would host their mock battle. Looking up she saw the smiling face of All Might, and on his other side under his right hand a grouchy looking Bakugo who didn't appreciate being guided to the building like a small child.
The three walked in silence, Minami could feel her heart hammering faster the closer they got to the side door that would be their entry point; her breathing almost felt labored at that point. She was sure her father could sense her nervousness by the way he was pinching her shoulder off and on, probably trying to signal to her everything would be alright without making his favoritism obvious.
"Papa doesn't know this Bakugo kid, Izu never really told him in much detail how he mercilessly bullied him, or how crazy he is. Ughhhh there has to be a way out of this." They stopped walking as soon as they arrived at the side door. All Might released them and stepped in front of she and Bakugo to look at them as he spoke.
"The key to being successful in this challenge is to embody villainy. If things go too far, I'll step in." The pro hero grinned down at them as he spoke, confident as always with his fists on his hips.
"Yes sir…" Minami commented softly, quickly running out of ideas and beginning to accept her fate, though a small part of her remained hopeful. She could hear Bakugo growl at her side, acting more like a rabid dog than a student. Turning, he stomped off inside in the building, tired of waiting for permission to begin their training session, leaving Minami behind. Waiting until she was sure he was far enough away where he wouldn't hear her, she quickly latched onto her father's wrist as he turned to leave, thinking everything had been explained sufficiently.
"Papa, please don't make me partner up with him!" Minami hissed out quietly as she wrapped her own arms around All Might's bulking bicep and forearm, afraid of anyone else possibly overhearing or seeing her, especially the snarly boy just beyond the brick walls. "He's crazy! It's impossible to work with him!"
All Might turned to face Minami with a slightly shocked look on his face, not realizing her nerves lay more so with her partner than with completing the exercise. Gently peeling the girl off his arm, All Might steeled himself for what he knew he had to do, when all he wanted was to pull her into a reassuring hug and take her away from the situation that was so distressing to her; shielding her from the troubles of the world.
No…She must learn that she will have to work in uncomfortable situations as a pro hero. I would be doing a disservice to her if I were to swap her out with another student, and the favoritism would draw too much attention, possibly revealing our familial relation….
"My girl…" All Might cooed softly as he finished unwrapping her arms from his own appendage. She reached out to hug him, but he held her back gently, instead laying his hand on her head in a comforting manner; attempting to refocus her. All Might winced at the dejected look that crossed her face at his rejection; it felt like a dagger to his heart.
Stay strong, Yagi…Keep her focused on the task at hand…Don't let her get distracted and crumble, keep her strong… He forced his lips to move before he could hesitate.
"You must learn to work in unpredictable situations Young Yagi, this even means working with undesirable partnering between other hero agencies…you are going to have to learn how to cooperate with young Bakugo…" Minami's mouth opened, then closed, disbelief crossing her face. All Might once more felt his paternal instincts pull at him to take her out of the situation. He pushed them away again; opting instead to encourage the girl.
"I know you'll be just fine kiddo," he ruffled her hair as he smiled his stereotypical grin.
"But I won't be able to-" Her response was interrupted by All Might shushing her.
"Hush now, it is time to begin your training exercise," Minami looked up at All Might with a horrified expression on her face as it became clear to her there would be no way to get out of the scenario. For the first time in her life her pleading with her father had fallen on deaf ears; it shocked her to the core.
Taking her by the hand, he led her back towards the open door. All Might felt anxiety fill him at her obvious distress.
There will be time later for reassurances, in the privacy of our apartment, away from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears who could become suspicious that we're related. What I am doing is for the best. She will be ok. All Might reassured himself once more.
"Do your best now!" he gave her a thumbs up as he dragged her beyond the door frame, softly nudging her through, then hastily shut the door, locking her into the scenario.
Turning away, All Might ran a calloused hand down his face and took a deep breath to gather himself. Leaping forward, he powered off to the monitoring room before he could change his mind.
Minami stood staring at the closed door in front of her that had been slammed in her face, feeling dumb-founded.
He…He ditched me! Papa ditched me! Minami internally panicked.
OK just chill, he believes in you…if he believes in you, then you can believe in you, right? Turning around to see a darkened narrow hallway, Minami followed it until she walked into a staircase. Taking the stairs, she panted slightly until she got to the top floor, and walked into a large open room with a huge missile at the center. She could see Bakugo standing in the corner of the room near the faux missile, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists, apparently deep in thought. She sighed at his lack of manners when he didn't acknowledge her presence in the room.
Standing off to the side, she slowly approached him until she could see his red eyes turn to regard her. The intensity caught Minami off guard. She took a hesitant step back.
Geez…If looks could kill I'd be dead 10 times over…what the hell is up with him? We don't even know each other and I feel like he already hates me…
Settling for standing away from Bakugo, she crossed her arms as she decided to speak first,
"All right, so what's the plan to protect this thing?" Minami knocked softly on the metal casing of the faux missile.
"The plan is YOU staying out of my way while I roast the hell out of that damn nerd!" Bakugo snarled at Minami.
Minami rolled her eyes at Bakugo's response, sneering back at him.
"Listen pop rocks, if we want to win this we need to form a plan TOGETHER, that's what team work is all about. If pea-brained villains can do it, then I think you can manage." Minami stalked forward at that point to jab her index finger in his chest.
Bakugo's eye twitched at her new nickname for him, clearly striking a nerve. He smacked her hand away, screaming back in her face.
"Don't call me pop rocks you gaijin bitch!" the blond boy roared back at her. Minami grimaced at the boy's close proximity.
Ok then, he's easily offended, but you knew that already. Good to keep that nickname handy though next time he pisses me off. But Dad is expecting me to perform well, and I owe it to him and Izu to make sure I try my best…
"Look! I don't give a fuck what you think, we need a damn plan so we don't lose the missile!" Minami held her hands out as she explained, attempting to make him understand what the situation required from both of them while trying her hardest to keep her own temper in check.
"Alright! Your time starts now!" All Might's booming voice announced over the P.A.
Bakugo glanced at her with a crazy look in his eyes before he responded, smirking.
"Fine, here's the plan, you stay here and guard the missile, and I'll go bust some skulls!" the angry boy grinned manically before turning and vanishing from the room.
"No wait God dammit! That's not a plan! Get back here you asshole! " Minami screamed at him as he disappeared from sight, shaking her fist in his direction. But to no avail, he didn't return.
"Shit!" she cursed to herself as she turned and looked around the room, seeing various items such as chairs, tables, as well as some empty barrels and ply board lying about.
Whelp, now I'm fucking stuck here, just great.
Sighing to herself, she hung her head in defeat, until a crackling voice came through her communicator piece that was sitting in her ear, given to all the participants before they entered the building.
Remember to focus Young Yagi, and do note all that foul language you've been using is not becoming of a young hero… All Might's stern voice eventually came through loud and clear in her ear.
"Eeep!" Minami's spine went ramrod straight at the slight scolding. Touching the outside of the ear-piece, she opened up communication to respond.
"Yes sir I understand."
Dad really doesn't like it when I curse, gotta cut back on it….
Suddenly she heard an explosion, and the floor shook ever so slightly beneath her feet. Her eyebrows raised as she looked down at her boots.
I'm sure Bakugo is behaving completely demonic for Izuku, God I hope he's ok…
Not knowing what else to do with herself, she paced the room a bit as she felt a few more soft tremors from Bakugo's quirk. Eventually she pulled up a chair and sat in it, her knee bouncing as she attempted to calm her nerves, trying not to imagine Izuku being blown into a million pieces.
Another explosion sounded, slightly louder than the others. Startled, Minami jumped up out of her chair and turned on her communicator to check in with Bakugo.
"Bakugo, what is going on down there?! Let me come down and help!" Minami pleaded with him.
"Just shut up and defend the weapon!" Bakugo shrieked through the communicator. Minami winced as the volume hurt her ear, but then all sound cut out completely.
"Hello?! Hello?!" Minami scrunched her eyebrows in confusion "Hello?!" then it dawned on her what had happened.
That fucker turned the mic off! Minami let out an exasperated growl, throwing her head back in frustration.
THIS is such a clusterfuck! How am I supposed to work with someone who doesn't even want to work with me?! Minami snarled to herself, kicking an empty box across the room in mid tantrum.
Minami began pacing the room once more, weighing her options as to whether she should stay with the missile or go down stairs to fight, when her ears twitched at a sound she heard.
"Near the middle of the fifth floor…"
Minami knew who's voice that was; excitement bubbled in her chest at the opportunity to end her boredom and finally contribute to the exercise.
So it seems Ochako got past Bakugo… I doubt Izuku is with her, else we'd all hear Bakugo screaming like a banshee firing off his quirk…
"Ochako-chan?" Minami tentatively asked. She could hear the sound of scuffing shoes and then see the top of a brown bob coupled with large brown eyes peeking out from around the corner of a pillar.
It is her! Glad I can finally have something to do! Minami grinned, then suddenly pointed at her with one hand, and clenched her other hand into a fist, activating her quirk, hearing a buzzing sound.
"Well come on then! Let's see what you've got hero! You'll never get past my defenses to take my missile! Muhahaha!" Minami attempted her most evil sounding laugh, but sweatdropped as she realized it probably wasn't all that intimidating.
She could hear sputtering and snorting coming from the pillar Uraraka was currently hiding behind. Minami felt her face flush a bit as she realized it was Ochako laughing at her. Moments later Ochako walked from around the pillar still giggling, leaning over holding her abdomen. Minami couldn't help it, her laughter was contagious, and she was soon laughing at herself as well.
A clicking sound resonated in Minami's ear, and the voice of All Might came through.
Now young Yagi, I'm glad you and young Uraraka are having fun, but remember to truly treat this as a villain versus hero situation, All Might's reminder was definitely light, as Minami could hear the laughter in his voice over her communicator. She responded back, calming her giggling spell.
"Yes sir! I won't let you down!"
Powering up, a mischievous grin graced Minami's face as she crouched slightly, feeling her power rumbling through her at full capacity.
"Let's see what you've got Uraraka-san!" ethereal blue emanated from Minami's form.
Ochako's cheeks puffed up like a puffer fish as she touched a chair and launched it toward Minami using her gravity quirk.
"Very well villain! Take this!"
The chair came at Minami quickly, but she was able to focus on it and blast it away with ease. Then a barrel and a box launched forward. Minami quickly demolished them with two simultaneously released blasts. Minami could feel her confidence boosting by the second.
This isn't so bad! I can do this! She grinned to herself before seeing the impish smile go across Uraraka's face in her helmet.
Unexpectedly, an entire barrage of items rose up into the air at once. Minami stammered backwards a bit and fell on her bottom, shocked at how the small brunette could muster lifting so many items into the air at once. She could see Uraraka straining to maintain her concentration as all the items floated in the air around her.
Minami's jaw dropped as she stared at the sea of items above her as she realized what had happened.
She distracted me with those first few things so she could get to the rest of the items scattered about closest to her! Ugh, why didn't I think about hiding everything from her?! Oh yeah that's right, If I had been observing my peers yesterday during our quirk apprehension test I might have thought of that, but I was only completely focused on myself, uughh! Why can't I do anything right?!
"Release!" Uraraka yelled out, beads of sweat dripping down the side of her face.
Minami's eyes widened as the wave of chairs, barrels, and plywood fell towards her, Glancing forward for a second, she could see Uraraka racing forward at the same time in an attempt to secure the missile.
No! She can't touch the missile! I can't let my dad or Izu down! Gritting her teeth, she outstretched one hand facing Uraraka, and her other hand reaching up above her head. Her palms were sweating and trembling, her throat constricted as she internally panicked in the high pressure situation.
HURRY! DO IT! She mentally urged herself forward, and released two powerful blasts, one struck Uraraka dead center of her abdomen and sent her flying back. The other disintegrated most of the items above Minami's head. Minami gasped at how hard Uraraka flew back, crashing into the back wall.
"Ochako-chan!" Minami covered her head as the remaining debris fell around her and on her. Looking up once the debris had finished raining around her, she scrambled towards the brunette girl.
Running toward Ochako, she knelt down to help her sit up. She could see Ochako wince at the movement, and she began coughing heavily into the crook of her arm, moaning softly.
"I'm so sorry Ochako-chan! It was an accident! I didn't mean to hit you that hard! I'm so sorry!" Minami apologized over and over, a heavy feeling of guilt washing over her.
I didn't mean to blow her away! Ugh I still really need to work on my control! Especially when I'm nervous or under pressure! Now if it had been Bakugo, this would have been pretty hilarious honestly…
Ochako looked up at Minami a bit dazed and smiled, she wheezed for a few moments before speaking,
"It's ok Minami-chan, I'm alright, just got the wind knocked out of me," she coughed a few more times, inhaling deeply.
Unexpectedly, a huge explosion erupted below them rocking the entire building and floor. Both girls shrieked at the unexpected blast, covering their heads when bits of dust sprinkled onto them from the ceiling.
Minami winced as piercing crackling blew into her ear. Suddenly she could hear the fight going on between Bakugo and Izuku.
The explosion must have knocked the communicator back on for Bakugo's piece! He doesn't realize I can hear him again… Her eye brows rose at her revelation.
Come in! Come in Midoriya! She heard All Might's voice scream, the sound of terror laced in his words.
She gasped at All Might's shout, holding her head in her hands at how loud it was.
Oh God, Is Izu ok?! Apparently, the explosion also scrambled the communicators because now I can hear everything Papa is saying to everyone…
"The more nitrogen stored in these gauntlets, the stronger the explosion is!" she could hear Bakugo explain gleefully to who she assumed was Izuku before continuing,
"Even if you give me everything you've got, you'll never beat me!"
Minami could hear Ochako's communicator buzz with the sound of Izuku's voice, but couldn't make out what he said.
"It's not good" Ochako croaked to Izuku as she coughed once more, standing to her feet. Minami hovered next to her, hesitant to help her up, not knowing if the assistance would annoy her.
Bakugo, used that stored up power again and I'll stop this fight! Minami winced at the angry tone in her father's voice.
Glad he's not directing it at me…
She could hear a snarl release itself from Bakugo's mouth at being limited before he spoke. "Then we'll fight hand to hand!" more explosions rang out, and Minami could decipher screams in the background.
"Don't you ever forget what you are! You're a weakling!" Bakugo roared, Minami's eyes widened as she could hear Izuku shout out in pain again.
Glancing at Ochako, she could see the determined look in her eyes; she seemed to sense that Izuku was in danger as well. Details need not be spoken between the two girls.
Maybe she can hear his screams through my communicator too, they are really loud.. Minami thought to herself distressed before speaking.
"Come on Uraraka! Let's go help Deku! We'll figure out the missile stuff later, first we gotta stop Bakugo from killing him!" Minami said, determined.
Ochako nodded before replying, "Right!" and both girls took off at a sprint towards the stairs. The blasts and screams were steadily getting louder as they ran towards the battle scene.
Yagi, where are you going? Stay back! All Might commanded to her through her communicator.
Sorry Papa, but I don't care if I fail today's assignment, I'm not going to let Bakugo kill Izuku! This is getting way out of hand! No one hurts my friend!
As Minami ran, flashes of the most meaningful moments with Izuku ran through her mind since they met:
...You can do it Minami-chan, keep going!
...Don't cry Minami-chan, I'll be your friend,
Young Yagi! STOP! All Might shouted, but Minami panted as she pushed herself faster, feeling her heart thrumming powerfully in her chest, spurring her on faster, causing Ochako to have a hard time keeping up with her. She could hear Bakugo give Izuku a real beating through her communicator; the sounds only spurred her anger at the thought of someone hurting her friend.
...I'll always have your back!
...Don't worry Min-chan, you'll be a great hero, I believe in you!
He's one of the kindest people I've met; all he wants is to help people, he really is like the big brother I never had, and I'm not going to let Bakugo tell him he's worthless or hurt him anymore!
Approaching the floor the two boys were on, Minami internally panicked as she could hear Bakugo winding up with another powerful blast.
Young Bakugo! Cease this attack this instant! This is your last warning, or not only will I stop the battle and you'll fail this assignment, but you'll get detention every day after school until further notice!
Minami could hear the panic in All Might's voice, and it sent a tremble of fear down her spine. Did her father really have no control over the situation and that's why he kept telling her to stay back? But what about Izuku? Who would help him? Why didn't he just stop the battle?! Minami wondered to herself, frustrated with the situation as she raced on.
Rounding a hallway, Minami knew the two boys must have been just on the other side of the wall they were currently running parallel to.
"Why won't you use your damn quirk against me! What's your deal!? Did you think you were better than me this entire time?!" she could hear the agitation rising in Bakugo's voice.
Nearing their destination, Minami quickly began gathering as much power as she could so she would be prepared for battle with one of the most aggressive people she had ever encountered. Ochako looked at Minami nervously as they ran, seeing her glow an angry shade of bluish purple as she gathered her strength.
"Help Izuku! Let me handle Bakugo!" Minami growled low at Ochako as they turned the corner to jump into the fray.
BAKUGO! NO! All Might shouted.
"Eat Shit Nerd!" Bakugo grinned as he began to launch another gauntlet attack. Rounding the corner, Minami instantly came face to face with the volatile boy. His smirk dropped completely off his face and instead he sported a shocked expression, being caught off guard by the ferocious snarl Minami wore as she leapt towards him, along with the glowing orbs of light coming from each of her palms.
"Not if you do first Pop Rocks! Ahhhhhh!" Minami screamed as she released a singular large energy blast from both palms, preventing Bakugo from releasing another large explosion at Izuku.
"OFFHH!" Bakugo cried out as Minami's blast met her target, sending him flying backwards into the dust and smoke that filled the area and out of sight. Panting at her exertion, she turned to glance behind her and saw Izuku looked a bit bloodied and scraped, his costume torn to shreds in some spots as Ochako helped him stand once more. He grinned tiredly at Minami, giving her a friendly waive.
"Hi Min-chan, thanks for the help, sorry I messed up the whole training exercise."
Minami looked at Izuku in disbelief, "How can you even think you're the cause of all this Izu? It's not you! It's-"
BAM!
Minami gagged as she felt a strong punch like none other she's ever felt to her stomach, bringing her to her knees.
She cried out as Bakugo then kicked her in the ribs for good measure, the force of his blow sent her sliding across the floor. Her entire body shook as it was stunned with pain.
I don't think I've ever been hit this hard…How did Izuku manage this while I was upstairs with Ochako?! Minami groaned to herself as she wrapped her arms around her torso, curling in on herself.
Minami! Are you alright?! She could hear All Might call out to her in her ear, but she hadn't quite gained her breath back to answer him.
"YOU! Who do you think you are, coming in between me and Deku! You stupid Gaijin Bitch! This is none of your concern! NOBODY gets a sneak attack on me! Do you hear me!" Bakugo screeched at her as he approached her.
Glancing up at the blond haired boy standing in front of her, Minami felt a tremor of fear go through her as she took in his state; breathing heavy, nearly foaming at the mouth, all of his muscles enlarged.
He means business! I need to get up! Minami attempted to move, but grunted in pain as she was slow to stand.
Looking the boy in his red eyes, she steeled herself once more,
"You don't get to talk to Izuku like that, he's ten times the hero you'll ever be!" Minami sneered at the boy who was only inches away from her own face at that point, attempting to intimidate her.
Bakugo! Stop immediately! Stand away from Young Yagi! All Might cried out.
"Kacchan! Stop!" Izuku yelled out to Bakugo, attempting to lure him away from Minami as he stepped towards him. That action alone seemed to completely attract Bakugo's focus.
"And YOU! You've been hiding your true power for YEARS!" Bakugo hissed out at Izuku, causing him to take a tentative step backwards. Uraraka behind him whimpered.
"You haven't even used your quirk yet, well then I'll force you to use it! It'll be nothing compared to mine!" the boy roared before leaping forward at Izuku.
But he was stopped mid lunge when a weight jumped onto his back, an arm wrapping around his throat from behind in a choke hold.
"Why are you so insecure?! Just stop! Stop being so shitty!" Minami yelled in Bakugo's ear as she held onto him tight, trying to get him away from Izuku. Bakugo's pupils dilated at the girl's question, triggering a nerve.
"I'm not fucking insecure! I'll never been insecure! I'm the best! And Deku is nothing!" Bakugo shouted as he tightly gripped Minami's forearm that was wrapped around his throat, digging his fingers into her flesh. Minami cried out at the pain.
His raw strength was much more than Minami could handle. Gripping her arm, he flipped her off of him, hurling her forward to nearly hit Izuku and Ochako. Minami yelped as she roughly hit the floor in front of Izuku and Ochako's feet.
"Minami-chan!" Uraraka crouched down to help Minami stand. Minami was grateful for the help, she didn't know how much more fight she had left in her.
As she slowly stood to her feet, Minami looked up at Izuku, and could see his entire demeanor had changed. He clenched his fist and grimaced at Bakugo. She could hear a buzzing sound engulf him and little green lightning bolts shot around his body as what she assumed was his quirk as he activated it. Minami stared mesmerized, having never seen him use his quirk before.
"You've always been stronger than me Kacchan; But that's exactly why I want to beat you!" Suddenly Izuku took off at a run towards Bakugo, his arm cocked back. Bakugo leaped forward towards Izuku once more.
Minami stood back next to Ochako in shock, watching the two boys charge each other, not knowing what else to do except stay out of their way.
"DETROIT SMASH!"
Ochako and Minami watched in awe as Izuku's power blew out a hole into the upper levels of the building. Bakugo stumbled back in shock at Izuku's raw strength, not expecting him to aim upward.
The force of the power sent Minami and Ochako flying backwards. Both girls screamed as the wind whipped around them and they flew backwards against a wall.
Holy shit?! this is Izuku's power?! No wonder he broke so many bones so far! This isincredible! Minami thought in awe.
Coughing at the smoke and dust that was floating heavily in the air, Minami scratched at her eyes as she wheezed. Finally being able to see once more, Minami blinked heavily and looked over to see if Ochako was alright, but found the girl had vanished from her side. Looking straight up the opening Izuku had made, she could make out the figure of the girl disappearing onto the top floor, likely going to secure the missile. Minami sighed and shook her head, laughing softly to herself.
Well, that'll do it. There's no way I can get up there fast enough to stop her from getting the missile. Minami thought, accepting defeat.
But it was all worth it, she grinned as she saw the sniveling look on Bakugo's face as he stared at Izuku. Disbelief was written across his face as he came to terms with the fact that he had just lost.
"YOU! You were playing me this entire time you bastard!" Bakugo growled out lowly at the green haired boy, his lower lip trembling and his eyes watering. Minami tilted her head to the side as she watched him.
...is he going to start crying?...
Glancing at Izuku now that she could see him through the settling dust, her eyes widened at how awful his arm looked.
"I wasn't, my body just can't handle the backlash of my power yet. This is the only way I had any chance at winning." Izuku squeaked out in response to Bakugo's accusation, clearly in a lot of pain. Bakugo's face looked horrified at the admission.
The hero team WINS! All Might called out happily over the speakers.
Thank God, this can finally be over. Minami moaned as she stood up, a jolt of pain going through her ribs at the movement. Hearing a thud, she saw Izuku had passed out and fell to the ground.
"Izuku!" Minami gasped as she ran forward, kneeling down to see if he was ok.
He seems ok, just looks like he passed out…
Looking up, she saw Bakugo still standing there looking dumbfounded.
"Well don't just stand there baka! Go get All Might for help!" Minami shouted at Bakugo, who's eyes traced down to her momentarily before he continued to stare numbly forward, mumbling something to himself quietly.
Hearing beeping noises, she looked and saw a robotic EMS team carrying a stretcher had arrived. She quickly stood up and stumbled out of their way so the team could meticulously load Izuku onto their stretcher and carry him off. Minami couldn't help but stare at the little machines, impressed with how advanced they were.
"Let's head back Bakugo, time for your grading. Just remember, whether you win or lose, you can always come out ahead by learning from the experience." Hearing the deep timbre voice, Minami glanced forward and saw All Might had arrived and was standing behind Bakugo with his hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure the volatile boy who still seemed shell shocked. Relief flooded Minami as he stood between her and the blond boy she disdained so much.
Then it seemed, some light returned to Bakugo's eyes, and his characteristic scowl reappeared. He shrugged off the number one hero's hand and stormed out of the room. Once the boy had completely disappeared out of sight, All Might turned his attention to Minami, stepping forward to place a hand on her shoulder, a stressed out expression implanted on his face.
"Are you ok Minami? Can you walk?" All Might questioned softly as he already began prodding the side of her chest to check her ribs for fractures, though still mindful of the cameras that were on them, where the other students were likely to be watching. Minami sucked in air as he poked a tender spot and stepped away from his touch.
"I'm alright sir, just sore, can we go back to the monitoring room now?" Minami asked, eager to get out of the building to be off camera now that the exercise had been completed.
Giving her a half-hearted thumbs up, All Might only nodded as he guided her out of the building with a forced smile on his face, wanting to say so much more but being limited by the current situation.
"Of course Young Yagi! Let's head back."
Once she entered the monitoring room, she was bombarded by her classmates, all of them speaking at once.
"That was crazy Yagi! You were super tough though!" Kirishima grinned as he congratulated her.
"Yeah! You were totally electrified!" Kaminara smiled as he raised his hand to give her a high five. Minami hesitantly returned it, smiling softly.
"Blondie! When did you get so ballsie? I must be rubbing off on you!" Mina giggled as she hugged her friend. Minami wrapped her own arms around Mina and sighed, finally feeling some of the stress ebb away at the welcoming hug.
"Thanks guys! I just tried by best" Minami grinned sheepishly as she pulled away from Mina's hug before All Might called her, Bakugo, and Uraraka to stand in front. Her eyes glanced around the room for a familiar head of green hair, but Izuku was nowhere to be found.
He must have gone to Recovery Girl's office then… Minami thought to herself before All Might began speaking,
"Good work to the first of our students who participated in today's exercise! But after all that, I think it's clear to say that our VIP in the first session was really…well… no one!" All Might sweated and scratched the back of his head as he spoke, obviously nervous.
"Nani!?" the rest of the class exclaimed.
"Not even Ochako or Midoriya? Even though they won?" Asui questioned, confused.
"Now, can anyone tell me why?" All Might questioned as he clapped his hands together, paranoid he was being too villainous by not selecting anyone as a VIP. Yaoyorozu's hand was eager to shoot up into the air at that moment.
"I can All Might Sensei! I can!"
Minami face-palmed as she saw Momo volunteering to answer.
Oh God, this is going to be so bad…Minami dreaded the raven haired girl's response.
"As you mentioned before, sensei, using destructive attacks indoors is foolish. From what I saw, Bakugo's every action was motivated by an obvious personal grudge. Midoriya's performance suffered from the same results. Uraraka lost focus halfway through, and even abandoned the opportunity to capture the missile sooner when Yagi ran off to go fight her own teammate," Yaoyorozu paused for a moment as her face scrunched up with disgust, "Yagi, well Yagi in my opinion was the one with the worst performance… Not only did she not use any teamwork with her teammate to devise a plan, she left the missile wide open to attack her own teammate! She even laughed and joked with a member of the opposite team, clearly not taking the training exercise seriously. Then she had no control over her quirk when she attacked Uraraka-san, almost seriously injuring her in the process! Finally, she just let the hero team swoop in to get the missile, even when she knew it was happening. A really poor performance if you ask me!" Momo sniffed as she ended her explanation.
Minami stood there and bowed her head, grinding her teeth at the verbal beating Momo gave her. Silence descended the group for a few seconds until murmuring could be heard about. Then tentatively Kirishima raised his hand and spoke.
"Yeah, I get what you're saying Yaoyorozu, but I mean Yagi's teammate did totally lose his mind, I think she only stepped in like she did to try to stop the situation from escalading…" Kirishima spoke quietly, worried he would offend the pretty girl.
Momo turned to give Kirishima a death glare before turning her nose up.
All Might glanced over to where Minami was standing in line next to Ochako and saw her face a shade of crimson, embarrassed by all the scrutiny of her peers. He felt his heart go out to her, but needed to continue on with class.
"Alright children! That'll be enough! Young Yaoyorozu I would say is mostly correct in her assessment, if just a bit harsh!" All Might grinned as he pinched his index finger and thumb together to emphasize Momo's harshness. Finishing his explanation, All Might turned to fish out the next two teams from his selection boxes, trying to sweep the first disastrous exercise under the rug.
Minami quickly fell back into the crowd of students, eager to be out of the spotlight. Walking past the raven haired girl who had just criticized her so harshly, Momo sharply bumped her own shoulder with Minami's shoulder as she passed by, clearly showing her disdain for the yellow haired girl. Minami grimaced at the contact.
"Geez…What a bitch…" Mina whispered quietly into Minami's ear as she approached her friend, eager to support her after her traumatizing experience with Bakugo.
Minami shrugged at Mina's statement, feeling crappy at that moment, Even Papa thinks I did a horrible job…
Looking at Mina, she saw several rapid changes in the pink girl's face as she stared behind Minami. First calm, then shocked, then blushing with wide eyes, and a large smile on her face as she began to bounce a bit excitedly, her teeth biting into her lower lip as she fought to contain her enthusiasm. Minami raised her eye brow as she stared at her friend.
"What Mina-chan? What's gotten into you?" Minami startled as she felt a hard tapping on her shoulder. Turning, she came face to face with the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen. Heterochromia eyes, one a steel gray, the other a dazzling blue, albeit a red scar covered the blue eye, but that didn't bother Minami one bit.
Minami felt her draw drop slightly. She forced herself to close her mouth and breathe, lest she forget. Inhaling, she could smell a spicy kind of cologne coming off the boy that stood before her; it made her heart flutter with excitement and a warm feeling churn in her stomach. The boy smirked a kind, yet slightly unsure smile, before opening his mouth to speak.
"Hey."
Alright that concludes chapter 17! Thank you guys so much for supporting my story! I promise I'll be releasing chapter 18 pretty soon!
