Elena POV
The steady hum of the school bus keeps Elena awake. It's impossible to sleep sitting beside Tenya, who is explaining the importance of properly fastened gadgets on hero costumes to avoid fabric-related accidents.
He is a hard-headed student who takes his responsibility as Class Representative very seriously. Class 1-A was en route to a natural disaster relief training and the students were excited to get more hands on training. And Elena noticed that Tenya seemed extra alert today, barking strange commands to his classmates.
However, Tsuyu and Uraraka had told Elena about the horrible experiences that the students had with their early training sessions when they were attacked by the League of Villains. Thinking about the League sends chills down Elena's spine, and she feels a tug of sadness in her heart for her classmates who had to struggle through such traumatic experiences at the hands of complete psychopaths.
Looking back at her classmates, she examines their faces, wondering how the trauma had affected each of them. She wants to spend hours with each individual person, evaluating their mental health and easing them of their worries. However, she knows that this is not an efficient way to spend her time. Instead, she keeps a list of students in her mind, organized by high priority to low priority.
The issue with heroes is that they are quick to help others, but often severely neglect their own needs, particularly issues relating to mental health. Elena particularly respects Tenya after she learned about his brother's debilitating injury and his insane attempt to single handedly kill the villain responsible. Because Tenya understands how recklessly he had acted and the importance of communicating with the staff, he actively tries to avoid ever getting back into that place.
Before turning back to face the front, she catches Todoroki's eye who is sitting towards the back of the bus, next to Tsuyu. She smiles at him. Todoroki is also a high priority, and Elena hopes to find alone time with him to get to know him better, for the purpose of finding the spy and maybe for pleasure. He nods at her, acknowledging her smile with his usual stoic expression. She rolls her eyes, sticking her tongue out at him before turning back to Tenya.
A notification pops up on her phone.
Shouto: What was that for?
Elena: You didn't smile back.
Shouto: Second chance?
She turns back around expecting a smile and sees that he is sticking his tongue back out at her while maintaining the same expressionless face. She giggles, turning back around. He doesn't realize it, but Todoroki actually has a funny sense of humor.
In the row across from Elena are Bakugou and Uraraka. The random seating chart has shown no mercy to Uraraka, who is desperately trying to start a conversation with a grumpy Bakugou. Elena decides to rescue Uraraka.
"Uraraka, did you hear that a new dessert cafe opened yesterday near campus?" Elena asks across the aisle. At the mention of dessert, the soft brunette whips her head around.
"WHERE?" she shouts, startling Bakugou who sits in between them. He rolls his eyes at her enthusiasm.
"It's near the subway station! We definitely need to go this weekend! I heard that they have really great milkshakes," Elena says, smiling widely. Uraraka's eyes, already as big as dinner plates, light up even more.
"MILKSHAKES?" she repeats, almost drooling onto Bakogou's lap. They continue talking excitedly as Bakugou grows more agitated in the middle of their girly conversation.
"Damn it Round Face, switch spots with me then," Bakugou grunts. He places his hands around Uraraka's hips and picks her up with ease, placing her down on the opposite side of him. Immediately her cheeks begin glowing bright red and she slowly starts floating a few centimeters off of her seat at the touch of a boy. He scoffs, glaring out the window. However, Elena notices that the tips of his ears have become the slightest tinge red.
Her jaw practically drops into her lap.
Don't tell me.. Does he.. like..?
Before Elena can finish the thought, Bakugou turns around and shoots her a deadly glare unlike anything she has ever received from him. She can practically feel the explosions around her as his eyes pierce into her soul, daring her to say something.
"Anyways, we need to go there! Bakugou, why don't you come along?" Elena asks, slightly smirking. She isn't the type to pass up an opportunity to tease him. Uraraka hits Bakugou with major puppy eyes.
"Tch, I don't like dessert," he mutters, refusing to look at Uraraka.
This is huge. Bakugou is Elena's top priority classmate in terms of being potentially mentally unstable. She has been trying to formulate a plan to befriend him and begin working through his issues, but he clearly doesn't want to be friends with her. However, if Bakugou is romantically interested in Uraraka then, maybe there is a way to access his emotions.
Elena spends the rest of the bus ride formulating a plan, aware of his intense glowering. If his Quirk were the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes, Elena would have disintegrated long ago.
As soon as the bus stops and the students file out, Bakugou begins chasing Elena around the parking lot and firing explosions at her. Elena screams, running away and laughing maniacally. Quickly, he begins catching up to her and she can feel the heat against the back of her skin. Right before he catches up, a massive wall of ice shoots up between them, protecting Elena from a fiery blow.
"Stop behaving like an idiot Bakugou," Todoroki says, standing near the two. Elena pokes her head around the wall of ice to stick her tongue out at Bakugou, dodging just in time to miss an explosion to the face.
She runs to catch up to Todoroki, leaving an angry Bakugou behind. She is beaming, as Bakugou's angry outburst only confirms her suspicions.
"Why is he chasing you?" he asks.
"He's just embarrassed that I'm so much stronger than him," Elena says, despite panting to catch her breath after having nearly been trampled by Bakugou. She runs her hands through her long hair, tucking the loose strands behind her ears.
"He almost caught up to you."
"What do you mean? It was a part of my plan."
"He could have really hurt you," Todoroki responds, slightly sighing. She realizes that there is legitimate concern in his eyes, and it causes her stomach to churn.
"Not if you're with me," she says, smiling up at him with a playful look. He responds with an expressionless glance before looking away. She slightly frowns, annoyed that he never seems to pick up on any of her signals. They were developing a friendship but he always distances himself immediately.
Suddenly, All Might appears in front of the group. Elena gasps, running over to him. She loves All Might whole-heartedly and seeing him in person never fails to amaze her. Having activated what remains of his Quirk, he stands tall and massive, towering above the students.
"CLASS 1-A! I HAVE ARRIVED!" he booms, flexing his muscles. "We will be providing emergency services for the various natural disaster simulations that have been set up in different areas of this facility."
Looking around, Elena could see wildfires blazing, the aftermath of a massive earthquake, a raging storm, and a gigantic tornado, all in different corners of the building. She quickly reviews her first responder training in her head, while attempting to survey the areas.
"We have intentionally assigned you to areas that complement your Quirks. There are dummies throughout the area who you will be expected to treat and save, as if they are real human beings. This training is not about fighting villains, but saving people and stopping disasters from getting worse," Aizawa-sensei says. Elena can tell that he is also slightly more alert, the sleepiness gone from his eyes. "Be careful. Work together. Don't forget your training."
Group 1: Wildfire (Elena, Todoroki, Koda, Kaminari, Uraraka)
Group 2: Storm (Asui, Tokoyami, Hagakure, Jirou, Shoji, Aoyoma)
Group 3: Earthquake (Bakugou, Kirishima, Ojiro, Yaoyorozu, Ashido)
Group 4: Tornado (Midoriya, Tenya, Kamini, Mineta, Sero, Sato)
Todoroki POV
Our team runs to the wildfire area, walls of flames that almost reach the ceiling are raging, sending up thick plumes of smoke. The ground is a huge field of dry wheat that is catching fire rapidly. To the right of the field, there is a large lake.
"Kaminari, you're with me. We're going to be treating the injured. I need your electricity as a makeshift defibrillator. Koda, call all wildlife towards the lake. Uraraka, while Todoroki is controlling the fires and keeping them away from us, please help bring any injured people towards us. We have to hold out until the fire trucks arrive," Elena barks without hesitation, already running towards the lake. "Move it people!"
The group pursues her, surprised by her immediate responsiveness. Her swift movements and calm demeanor despite the huge flames demonstrate her experience with providing medical care during emergencies. Todoroki is reminded of how intensely she had cared for him when she thought that he was sick.
There are five dolls with index cards taped to their chests lying near the lake. Elena immediately begins administering medical treatment, based upon the conditions listed on the card.
"Kaminari, this one is unconscious. I need you to place your hand here on his chest and release about 50 watts of electricity, then follow with compressions," Elena says, leading Kaminari's hand onto the chest of the fake doll as if it is a real person. Kaminari focuses carefully, releasing a small shock from his hands then applying compressions. "That was perfect. We are going to need more of that so don't overdo it okay?"
Todoroki feels a tug of jealousy, wishing that he could be beside her. He shakes his head, focusing on the huge flames in front of him. He needs to create a wall of ice to keep the flames away from the medical triage station. He concentrates and sticks out his right hand, creating a thick wave of ice around the lake.
"Uraraka-chan, this card says there are seven more dummies out there. I need you and Todoroki to find them and bring them to me," Elena yells, fighting to be heard over the roaring flames.
Uraraka nods, activating her Quirk and levitating into the air. She and Todoroki work together to find the dummies, as Todoroki shields her from the flames with pillars of ice while she lands to retrieve each one. Her movements are quick and efficient, and Todoroki notices how Uraraka has improved her control of her Quirk. The operation is going very smooth and in a matter of minutes, all seven bodies are retrieved.
When Todoroki returns, he notices that the fires have become stronger. Kaminari and Koda are carrying buckets of water from the lake, attempting to keep the area from getting engulfed in flames. Immediately, Todoroki realizes that Elena is missing.
"Where's Elena?" he demands, sending out a wall of ice to control the flames. They are both panting for breath.
"She ran into the fire for the last dummy! We tried to follow her but the fires got stronger," Kaminari yells. Todoroki's eyes widen and his voice comes out as an unfamiliar strangled cry.
"WHAT? You let her run into the fire?" he yells, whipping around. Sure enough, a narrow passageway stands across from Todoroki that he had left open for Koda's animals. He immediately runs towards it, cursing Elena for running into danger without the ability to protect herself. Where could she have gone? "Uraraka, come with me!"
As soon as Todoroki enters the field, the massive orange flames around him turn bright blue. And Todoroki's heart plummets into his chest, as he recognizes the creator of the icy flames around him.
He hears a blood curdling scream.
Todoroki begins sprinting towards the direction of Elena's voice, shooting all the ice he can conjure up to clear the path. Uraraka is soaring above him, desperately scanning the fiery field for her friend.
"OVER THERE! TO THE RIGHT!" Uraraka cries, pointing Todoroki to a slightly open expanse a few feet away. He wills his legs to move faster as he desperately runs towards Elena and the villian that he plans on killing.
He sees Elena crumpled on the ground, her limp body covered in blood and burns. Dabi stands above her clad in his usual black jacket, holding two blue balls of flames in his hands.
"Isn't getting to know each other fun?" he hears Dabi coo, as he takes another step towards her. He sees Elena weakly reach out her hand, desperately trying to touch him.
Todoroki unleashes a massive wall of ice between them, catching Dabi off guard and forcing him backwards. Instantly, Dabi releases his own flames, fighting the ice.
"Shouto Todoroki, fancy seeing you again!" Dabi says, grinning widely. Todoroki can feel the anger surging through his body, facing this villain again. Worst of all, he sees that Elena has already sustained major damage as she twitches in pain.
Todoroki charges towards Dabi.
Uraraka dips onto the field, reaching for Elena's broken body. Dabi shoots a ball of blue fire at Uraraka and she swiftly dodges it, unable to reach her friend.
"Oh leave her be. We're still getting to know each other," Dabi says, shooting another fireball at Uraraka. Todoroki counters, releasing two thorny streams of ice on either side of him. Dabi recoils. "Why won't you piss off?"
"I will kill you," Todoroki growls, viciousness dripping from his voice. The seething anger is rising within him. Dabi raises an eyebrow before laughing and sending up a wall of flames.
As Todoroki and Dabi continue battling, Uraraka dips in again and successfully retrieves Elena's body.