Toru could only watch as Mina and Momo stared each down. Somehow, she could sense a tension she didn't realize was there before. It wasn't so much hatred, but rather rivalry. It was as if they were both excited to face one another. This wasn't a side of Mina she had seen often; someone so calm and determined. Usually she was a lot like herself; fun, bubbly and happy. But what changed? What was pushing her today?
Mina looked back at Toru, pointing to the street, "Get out of here and find that bomb! I got this!"
"O-ok!" She said, rushing off as quickly as she could. Momo tried to move after her, but Mina remained in her path. Every time she tried to move around, Mina made sure to stay in the way and block her exit.
"Are you sure you can take me in a fight?" Momo asked, almost sounding genuine.
"Are you sure you can hold out?" Mina retorted with a grin, "Kind of funny how you chose to be a villain today. You've been acting strange, like when you asked how I felt about Peter."
"So?"
"So, that's none of your business!"
Mina rushed forward and threw her hand forward to throw acid. Momo quickly created a hand-shield and blocked the substance. Just as she lifted her shield back up, Mina landed a punch to her gut and sent her stumbling backwards. When she came for another punch, Momo blocked it with her shield and rebutted the blow. Minas knuckles felt bruised after colliding with the metal. She didn't have time to feel the pain as her opponent swept her legs and sent her to the ground. Mina only just managed to roll out of the way as Momo brought her club down. In a panic she threw more acid to make her enemy jump back, creating a separation of at least 2 yards.
"It doesn't matter if I can't take you in a fight," Mina said as she stood up, "I just need to keep you occupied!"
"Well, let's see if you can stay conscious for long enough!" She rushed forward as the two continued to trade blows.
The two creature-based super heroes stuck to the walls of the building, jumping and swinging away from each of Kyokas sonic blasts. They found themselves several stories hi, and still unable to climb out of range of her power.
"She has to have some weakness, right?" Spider-Man asked, looking to Tsu who stuck to the wall just a few yards from him.
"As long as she stays plugged in, she can keep blasting us," Tsu answered, "The faster her heartbeat, the more powerful her sound waves. Tiring her out only makes it worse for us! We need to either unplug her or plug up those speakers in her boots!"
Kyoka shot another sound wave at the base of the building, causing the windows to shatter as the waves moved up the building. Both Tsu and Spider-Man jumped across to the building on the other side of the street and stuck there. Tsu slid down a yard as she landed but managed to hold her grip.
"She can't target us both, right?" Spider-Man asked, "We need to move parallel to each other, give her more than one target to aim at."
"Roger!" She shouted, immediately jumping away. Her long tongue shot out and attached itself to the nearest wall, pulling her toward it and swinging above Kyoka. Just as she tried to aim a sonic wave, Spider-Man swung above her coming from a different direction. She found herself twisting and turning to try and aim at them. Every time she gets one in view, they leave as another comes from another angle. It didn't give her time to fire anything off.
Spider-Man came swinging in toward her, shooting off two webs that stuck to her boots. The webs covered them just as she tried to fire off sonic waves. The recoil imploded on itself and sent her flying backwards, crashing into the door of a stray car.
Spider-Man and Tsu landed next to each other, giving a high five and a bright smile.
His spider-sense sounded loud in his head. Quickly he grabbed Tsu by the hip and jumped into the air just as a massive shadow-like creature slammed into the ground. They landed a few yards away and stared their enemy down as the shadow returned to them.
"Tokoyami," Tsu confirmed, "We have the advantage because of the daylight, but he's still dangerous."
Tokoyama's stance was like a pencil, as if nothing could falter him. His body was covered by a large black cloak, but his head is what stuck out. His head held the appearance of a bird with yellow beak, red eyes and neck, and black on the top.
"I've been waiting to face off against you," Tokoyami said, "I admire your skill, Peter. I'm curious how quickly you can avoid my attacks."
"Tsu," Spider-Man said quietly, "It's likely this is a distraction. He and Kyoka both came out in the open. That's two of six from their team. I'll take care of him, you need to get going and help the others however you can."
Tsu nodded before jumping away as quickly as she could.
"You've been attracting a lot of attention," Tokoyami said, "Those villains have been after you. You must be pretty good if they want you dead that badly. Are you sure you're up for this?"
"Is that actual concern there?" Spider-Man asked.
"Yes, actually," He confirmed with a stern look, "I can't imagine the stress has left you so easily, despite yesterdays activities. While I hope they at least helped, you seem like someone who lingers on the past."
Spider-Man sighed, but kept his guard up, "I guess I am. I can't help it; the past is what defines me. If I don't linger-"
"You may lose your way. I get it. It must be tough to carry the world like that."
Spider-Mans shoulders finally dropped, "Yeah …are we actually going to fight?"
"If you want. I just thought you needed a moment of calm, to remind you things aren't all bad."
Spider-Man smiled under the mask, "…Thanks, Tokoyami. Want first shot?"
Tokoyami laughed, "Sure."
In one swift motion, his shadow escaped from his body and launched itself toward his enemy. Spider-Man leapt forward and let the palms of his hands slide across it as he moved to the side. He pushed off his heal and ran forward, jumping over the shadow as it came back around. As he leapt into the air, he threw a kick to the side of his head. Tokoyami went into a quick shoulder roll, standing up as Spider-Man came rushing at him again. His shadow grabbed his enemy by the legs and threw him into the air, watching him ascend the building.
Spider-Man stopped his ascension by clinging to the building wall. The tension built by the contact charged energy into his kinetic gauntlets, making them glow blue.
"I hope the others are ok," He muttered, before leaping back down with his fist winded up.
Toru sprinted as fast as she could, alternating between jogging to catch her breath. It was hard to spot her unless you were looking for her gloves or boots. Unfortunately, her classmates knew exactly what to look for. To play it safe, she kept close to the buildings for a quick alleyway escape. In the distance, she could hear other battles going on. It made her sad that she couldn't help them, as her powers weren't meant for combat.
A figure suddenly jumped in front of her, extending their arms to block her path. He was tall and muscular, with hair that stooped down in front of his face. He wore a mask that covered every facial feature below his eyes, and his suit was sleeveless with shades of blue. On his arm sockets were several tentacles that shifted and changed into whatever part of his body he chose. For this instance, he showed several arms that connected like wings to block Torus path.
"Oh …Hi Mezo," She said awkwardly, "Nice to 'see' you …heh …see what I did there?"
"Yep," He said, his mouth forming from one of his tentacles. He attempted to throw a punch at her with one of his arms, but she quickly ducked under it and ran past him. It was hard to aim at her when there wasn't much to see. Still, he tried to chase after her despite how hard it was to keep an eye on her.
Toru turned a corner, taking her gloves off and throwing them to the side. She had to slow into hops to remove her boots, then ran back into a sprint. When Mezo turned the corner to follow her, he noticed the clothing left on the ground.
"Great," he said sarcastically, "If you're gonna do that every time, why bother having a costume at all?!"
"It makes me feel awkward otherwise, ok?!" She shouted, regretting it afterword's.
"There you are!" Mezo charged forward toward the sound. Toru went into a panic as she ducked under him, sticking her leg out to trip him. He went stumbling into a pile of garbage, landing on his face. Toru cheered for herself as she continued to run away.
'I can do this,' Toru thought, 'Everyone is counting on me! I can't let them down!'
Mina's acid melted the club with one fell swoop. Momo had to drop it as the melting reached the handle. With her guard wide open, Mina rushed in and threw an uppercut. Momo was barely able to dodge and back roll away from her. The two stared each other down as they took a moment to catch their breath.
"You're fighting pretty hard," Momo said, "You sure you can keep this up?"
"If you can, so can I!" Mina jumped and rushed forward, generating acid around her arms. Momo quickly ducked under her and pushed her shoulders against her stomach, lifting her up and throwing her over. She landed on her back with a massive thud, the wind getting knocked out of her. Vibrations rushed through her shoulders as she arched them to dull the pain.
Momo patrolled around her, forming a staff in her hand and holding it behind her arm. She could easily take Mina out now, but she wanted to see what she was going to do.
The pink hero rolled onto her stomach and pinned her palms to the ground, acid building on the back of her hands and up her arms. She was getting angry.
"I've never seen you this angry," Momo said with actual concern, "What's happening to you?"
"Shut up!" She shouted, catching Momo off guard, "You think …that you can have everything?!" Mina jumps to her feet, falling back down on one knee, "Sure, you got in through recommendation …but I got in too!"
She pushed herself onto her feet, clenching her fists tightly. She was getting angrier, and more fired up with each second. A moment weighed on her mind, sitting on her shoulders like a heavy scarf. Despite its weight, she kept it close for warmth and comfort. It hurt her just as it kept her safe, and its power came from a single sentence.
"I like that about you."
The acid started dripping from Mina's fingers, making her skin deadly to the touch. The ground beneath her began to deteriorate as the deadly liquid made contact. Momo held the staff with both hands and kept it in front of her for protection.
"I know I'm not the strongest, or the fastest," Mina said, "But I got into U.A, so there has to be a reason, right?!" She held her fists up, "I'll prove to him I'm worth it!"
She charged forward and threw her arm in a circular motion. The acid escaped her skin in massive clumps, forcing Momo to dodge downwards. As she brought her torso to the ground, Mina lifted her foot and kicked Momo upwards. She sent her into a backwards roll as she barely managed to recover before Mina came at her again. She held out her hand to try and stop her, but her palm burned at the touch of her skin. She recoiled and pulled back as she gained space away from her enemy.
The burn on her palm was red, but not enough to scar.
"You lowered your acids intensity," Momo stated, breathing heavily, "Why?"
"If I used it's full throttle," Mina began, "I'd burn right down to your bones."
Momo looked into her eyes as her own became glossy. She was beginning to understand where her anger was coming from with every punch and kick. There was desperation, and a struggle for approval. She wanted to prove herself, more than anything else.
"Mina," Momo began as she created gloves for her hands, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" She shouted as she charged forward. Mina threw her fists at Momo, but she quickly caught her arms and held them stiff. Her palms were protected by her newly made gloves, resistant to the acids touch. Mina tried to struggle out of her grip, readying herself to start kicking.
"Mina! Calm down!"
"Let me go! I have to win!"
"Why?!"
"I-…" Mina finally stopped, tears running down her face and burning off her skin. Her legs became weak as she fell to her knees, Momo lowering down with her.
"Mina," Momo looked over her struggling friend, "What's eating away at you? You always seem so happy and cheerful, so what's changed that today?"
She didn't want to just open to Momo right then and there, especially in the middle of a competition. However, there was just too much weighing her down and she was being offered solace. Her shoulders were still tense, but everything else had given out.
Jumping to the roof above them, Spider-Man landed on the edge and stuck there with a pant. He had been bruised and worn out, but he was still moving despite it all. Looking down, he saw Momo holding Mina's arms. At first glance, he assumed she was in trouble and started crawling down the wall for a surprise attack.
"It's …because of Peter," Mina said while choking on her tears.
Spider-Man stopped moving at the mention of his true name, still too high up to be noticed by his classmates. Instead of intervening, he stuck there and listened to their conversation.
Mina didn't bother to wipe her tears, as her acid skin burned them away as they fell. Her shoulders had finally dropped; she couldn't keep being angry anymore. Everyone else could fuel their strength with anger, but she just couldn't. She didn't understand how they all did it, how do they become stronger using anger? All she became was weaker, something she had been more afraid of lately than ever.
"Growing up," Mina managed to speak, only faintly yet enough for Peter to hear up above, "People took one look at me and thought I would become a great hero. My skin, my powers, people thought I would be amazing. Maybe it went to my head, or maybe I just liked the attention," She shut her eyes to stop the tears, "When I came to U.A …things changed."
Momo saw the acid vanish from her skin, confirmed when the tears stopped burning away. She removed her gloves and started rubbing her shoulder as she continued to talk.
"I was surrounded by so many people with better and more flashy powers. Everyone was leagues ahead of me, you included. So, even though I got into class 1-A, I sometimes feel like I just …fade into the background."
"Mina that's not true."
"It is though," She retorted, "Everyone sticks in their own status quo from weakest to strongest. Most popular to least. And I just …wanted to feel appreciated," She smiled, her cheeks turning red, "That's when I met Peter. He cares about people, and he makes me feel like I'm on par with everyone else. I feel important to him, and it makes me happy. So, I when I got to be in his group today I… I wanted to prove that I was worth that appreciation."
In that moment, she felt bad for Mina. Momo joined todays lesson to see why her vibe had changed, and now she understood it. Had she paid attention to Mina and her feelings, she would have noticed this sooner. In fact, what she said began to make more sense when she thought about it. They may be classmates, but she really didn't talk to her all that much.
"Mina, I'm so sorry …" Momo held her close to give her a comforting hug, "I didn't know you were going through that. I should have paid attention to you. I …I get it."
"Get …what?"
"Wanting his approval."
Mina moved away from the hug and looked her in the eyes.
"It's kind of obvious I like him, isn't it?" Momo chuckled, "I like his drive. I admire how hard he works. His morale code is solid, and it speaks to me. I keep trying harder too, so I can impress him. I want him to see he as an equal, and as worthy for him. I guess …we both wanted approval."
Mina sniffed to keep her nose from running, rubbing the gunk out of her eyes and smiling, "I guess we did."
Momo chuckled as well, helping Mina onto her feet. She brushed her pink hair to the side and wiped the rest of her tears away. It appeared they were done fighting each other, as they embraced one another tightly.
"I won't ignore you, Mina. I promise," She stated, "I won't do that to you anymore. You're my friend, Afterall."
Mina smiled, "Thank you, Momo. That means a lot to me."
Above them, Spider-Man climbed up the wall and sat on the roof. He removed his mask and tossed it to the side as tears ran down his face as well. He hadn't paid enough attention to see how they felt about him. Mina was suffering, and he unknowingly helped her feel better. For him, this raised a problem. He knew that he wouldn't always be around. One day, he'll go home and leave everyone behind. When he's gone, who will she have to make her feel that way? Even if her friends make her happy, it's not the same as having a crush or falling in love. The longer he stays, the more cemented his presence becomes. And whether he liked it or not, that was dangerous.
Tokoyami jumped onto the roof, ready to attack his prey before he noticed his state of being. He was in no physical or emotional state to fight. Sighing, he withdrew his shadow and walked over to Peter, sitting down next to him. He wasn't too close, just close enough to give him comfort and space.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Tokoyami asked.
"I don't know …" Peter spoke quietly, not wanting to alert the girls below, "Mina and Momo …they like me. I don't know just how much, but enough that I impact them emotionally."
"Good, or bad impact?"
Peter paused, "Good, I think."
"Then what's the problem?"
He sighed, holding his knees close to his chest, "I'm only here for …this semester. I'll be gone at some point. My departure will break their hearts. And even if I could stay …I can't let them …" He wiped tears from his face as they fell more rapidly, "If I fall for someone, or someone falls for me, they become endangered. My enemies know who I am now. They may target those who are close to me," He paused to take a deep breath, the tears running on his lips, "We have a Pro hero guarding Izuku and his mother because of me. And I …I can't add to that list. I can't, and I won't."
Tokoyami listened carefully as he stroked his beak. Peter was obviously one to hold the world over his shoulders and refuse to let others help. He believes the weight will crush them if he doesn't hold it alone. Despite being a hero of bright colors, his mind spent much of its time in the dark.
"Peter," Tokoyami put a hand on his shoulder, "We cannot always control how we impact other people. We are heroes, and there will be danger all around us. Both Ashido and Yaoyorozu have abilities they can use to protect themselves. No one here is defenseless-"
"I am!" Peter nearly shouted, covering his mouth before he could make too much noise. The tears flowed off the back of his hand, landing on his lap. Peter didn't know where the outburst came from, but it was hurting him inside. His chest felt heavy as he tried to slow his breathing to no avail. The thought of anyone he cared about putting themselves at risk was terrifying to him, almost traumatizing.
"I …" Peter attempted to continue, "I am."
"No, you aren't," Tokoyami tried to retort, "You're strong-"
"Spider-Man is strong," his voice rippled, "Peter Parker is …weak."
The crow sighed and leaned back, looking up at the sky, "You're wrong. Peter Parker is stronger."
Peter looked at him quietly, wondering if he was going to continue speaking. He never did; they sat there in silence as the clouds hovered overhead. It was hard for Peter to understand how he was stronger than Spider-Man. The hero had powers and skills that the science nerd didn't. How was he stronger? Why couldn't he understand it?
…
Toru sprinted into the underground train station, jumping onto the tracks as soon as she came in. Looking up, she saw Mezo charge in and look around, not seeing any sign of her presence.
"She's getting close you guys," Mezo spoke into his group's communicator, "Keep an eye out."
'So, we were tricked,' Toru thought, 'The bomb isn't in a building, it's underground!'
Carefully as not to make a sound, Toru ran off in the only available direction. There were lights at the end of the tunnel, accompanied by a few shadows. By logic, it must have been the rest of their team. There were only two of them, so the others were somewhere outside. As she got closer, she was able to make out who they were. One of them was Denki, wearing his black jacket and pants with lightning designs on it. The other was Mineta, obvious by his short stature and grape-like head. Both of them were good at keeping people away, so she had to be carful.
Toru's foot suddenly scratched against some dirt, echoing through the tunnel.
"Huh?" Denki said as he turned in her direction.
"Ah, screw it," Toru sighed, leaping forward and throwing a hard punch into Denki's face. He went flying down to the ground, frightening Mineta with the sudden attack. She moved quickly and kicked Mineta away before he could peel off any of his sticky spheres. Behind them was the massive bomb prop, with a computer attached to the inside of it.
"There!" Toru ran over, just as she found her foot stuck to a sticky sphere, "Hey!"
"Ha!" Mineta shouted as he laid on the ground, too tired to get up, "Good luck getting to it now!"
The sphere stuck to her foot like Velcro. She twisted and pulled without any progress to removal. The computer was just out of her reach, but she still had to try. Stretching her legs out, she pushed her body forward and attempted to reach for the console. Her fingers aimed for the big red button on the side.
'Come on, you can do this!' She thought, 'Don't let them down!'
Finally, her finger pressed the button as the sphere stretched and pulled her back to the ground. The computer shut off immediately with a loud noise.
"No!" Mineta shouted, "No fair! No fair!"
"I did it!" Toru shouted, "I won! I mean- We won!"
The intercom turned on, and All Might's voice came ringing through the tunnels, "The heroes have won this match! The game is over!"
After unsticking herself, Toru and the others all met up at the main street of the grounds. She met up with her team and received a massive hug from Mina as they cheered her on. The two teams began to exchange friendly greetings and congratulations.
"Toru has a hard punch! I was knocked straight down! Didn't think she had it in her." Denki rubbed the back of his neck, "I pretty much stood guard the whole time. Getting punched in the face was technically the highlight."
"I didn't expect you guys to block my speakers," Kyoka smiled, "It was pretty clever to distract me and use my power to your advantage."
"And sending Toru after the bomb was smart too," Mezo said, "You guys definitely thought this out way more than us."
As everyone talked and laughed, Momo and Mina looked over at Peter. He was keeping himself distant from everyone rather than receiving feedback.
"Is he ok?" Mina asked, "Do you think something happened?"
"You're his teammate," Momo said with a smile, "Go ask him."
With a nod, Mina strolled her way over to him.
As she went to say hi, she suddenly saw the look on his face. It was as though his eyes saw something that hers couldn't. He stared off into space in utter worry and fear; she didn't think his eyes could widen anymore than they had. Peter held his arms as to protect the emblem on his chest.
"…Peter," She put a gentle hand on his shoulder, startling him, "Hey, it's just me. What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Mina, I …" he tried to speak, but seeing her eyes and all their glory, he couldn't find words that fit. She was too good, too innocent and kind. He didn't want to poison that; he didn't want her to get hurt.
"Mina, you w-were great today…" He spoke with a stutter, "Really, you were awesome. I can't explain how great you are. You need to know that, and I-…I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry about?"
"My life, Mina it's …dangerous," he looked down at his hands, "I have blood …on these. Blood that I can't share, or people get hurt. Those villains want me dead and here everyone is …trusting me. You're lifting me up and making me better, but I might drag you down with me once I fall. I can't do that to you. You're too good, all of you."
She takes a step forward, "Peter-"
"No!"
Everyone else suddenly stopped and took notice of Peter's sudden outburst. Upon it, Peter covered his mouth as his eyes became glossy. He didn't mean to shout at her; she had done nothing wrong to him. She didn't deserve his anger and frustrations.
"I'm sorry, I …" He couldn't, "…I'm ...I'm sorry, I just …It's not you, really! It's …I'm sorry."
He found no more words in his arsenal and retreated to the entrance of the grounds. Everyone stared in confusion, all but Mina who stared with concern.