Chapter Fifty-Eight: Reflectrafication

Aisla had just found her starting point inside the forest when Mr. Aizawa sent out a red flare that soared over the trees and exploded in the sky above their heads. Her back was pressed against a thick trunk as she worked to steady her ragged breathing. Her only plan so far was to get out of sight, so she'd run into the forest with no real destination in mind. She knew that Jiro and Tokoyami would most likely target her first, meaning Kaminari was at a disadvantage staying near her. Splitting up was the smartest choice for now.

They needed to take out their opponents as quickly as possible. Aisla could easily use her quirk to conceal herself from view, but she didn't want to get worn out right away. She needed as much strength as she could to make her plan work. Even then, she knew it was a huge gamble.

You can do this, Aisla! she encouraged herself as she closed her eyes and opened up her senses to the world around her.

The tricky part would be getting past Jiro's earphone jack. If she heard Aisla or Kaminari before they had a chance to put their plan into motion, then they'd have no hope in winning. Likewise, if Dark Shadow captured Aisla before she could get out of his range, then she'd have no way of escaping him. Aisla could deflect most attacks, but if he managed to grab her, she couldn't fend him off easily. Tokoyami was definitely going to pose a threat to both Aisla and Kaminari since Dark Shadow could easily take them both down. Kaminari could ward him off with a bright jolt of electricity, but only if Tokoyami didn't manage to capture him first. They would have to get creative if they wanted to succeed.

As long as Kaminari follows the plan, and I don't screw up, we should be fine!

Or so she hoped.

Aisla wished she had Jiro's quirk so she could hear where her opponents were stationed, but since she was at a disadvantage in that regard, her only option was to try and lure them out. If that didn't work, her whole plan would fail. Everything was riding on Aisla's ability to lure Tokoyami over to the starting bridge. The problem with that was Aisla didn't know where either of their opponents were, so she had to think of a way to get them to come to her.

This was the part of her plan that was a bit hazy. She and Kaminari had come up with a decent strategy, but the part that evaded them both was how they were supposed to get Tokoyami's attention at the right time. She needed him to follow her, not drop onto her from above or sneak attack her from behind.

First: Tokoyami, Aisla thought as she scanned the treeline for the tenth time and tiptoed around the edges of the forest. I need him to chase me onto that bridge…

First and foremost, she needed to know where he was. They only had an hour to do this before Mr. Aizawa would call a time-out and send them all back to the warehouse to wait with everyone else. Aisla didn't think they werebeing graded on this exercise, but just in case they were, she wasn't about to have a failing mark on her record!

She silently stepped through the forest as she tried to stay aware of her surroundings so as not to accidentally trip over a fallen branch and alert them to her presence.

Or maybe…

Aisla pursed her lips in thought. She didn't think it would be wise to get Jiro's attention by stomping through the forest, but maybe she was going about this all wrong. She needed to get Tokoyami to the bridge. In order to do that, she needed him to know where she was.

She was so stupid! The answer was simple: casually make sounds that would appear to be 'accidental,' then run for it when she heard Tokoyami or Jiro coming. Her bet was on the former, with Jiro hiding out nearby so she could listen in for Aisla's or Kaminari's movements.

Now, the only question was…where should she do this? If she was too far from her destination, Dark Shadow would grab her before she could set her plan into motion. If she was too close, then one or both of her opponents were sure to guess her plan and retreat. There'd be no Plan B.

Just hold steady, Denki, Aisla silently coached him. Don't make a move just yet. Wait for my signal…

Aisla's boot crunched on a twig as she took a step, causing her to freeze as panic rose within her.

No, not here! Too far!

She gritted her teeth as she debated whether or not the sound had been loud enough to attract attention. She probably wouldn't know until Dark Shadow already had her in his grasp.

Too late now, she decided and took off at a run through the trees. She couldn't be sure what direction he would be coming from or if he'd even heard her yet, but Aisla wasn't going to stand around waiting to find out. She only hoped he wasn't coming from the direction she was heading or she'd be toast.

Dark Shadow's roar filled the surrounding area, making the ground shake in its aftermath. Aisla cursed under her breath as she desperately tried to reach the bridge before Tokoyami or Dark Shadow reached her. She could hear him behind her, crashing through trees like an angry monster, and roaring so loud that her ears began to emit a high-pitched wail in response. Surely even Jiro couldn't take the sound. Maybe her partner would put her out of the running and Aisla and Kaminari could easily take the win.

"COME BACK!" Dark Shadow bellowed, making Aisla let out a squeak of fear. She hoped Dark Shadow hadn't taken over Tokoyami's body again. The forest wasn't pitch black, but it was dark enough to have Aisla worried for her friend. She almost turned around so she could see for herself, but his advance on her was a lot closer than she preferred. Aisla wasn't the fastest runner, but she pushed herself beyond her normal capabilities to try and outrun Dark Shadow.

The bridge was in sight; she could make it! Just a little farther and her plan would commence. She only hoped Kaminari was still stationed where she'd left him and was ready to do his part. She couldn't see him from where she was and had to take it on faith that he hadn't decided to wander off when it took Aisla longer than they'd predicted.

I hope you're ready for this!

Aisla pushed forward the last few meters, closing the distance in a matter of seconds until her boots clomped on wood as she practically flew across the bridge in her haste to get away.

"It's a trap!" Jiro shouted, at the same time Aisla cried, "Kaminari, now!" She jumped into the air and the bridge electrified behind her. She landed painfully on her side and hurried to her feet.

Tokoyami floated above the bridge as the metal holding the wood together continued to spark below him. He held a triumphant expression as Kaminari scrambled up the bank to join Aisla. The electrification had been meant to put Tokoyami and Dark Shadow out of the game, but the timing was off. Kaminari's attack was a moment premature, and gave their opponents time to avoid stepping onto the bridge.

"Sorry, Aisla!" Kaminari yelled as she grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him into the maze on the other side of the bridge. There was nowhere else to go on this side of the river, and now they had Tokoyami in hot pursuit.

Bad move, she thought, but there was no time to turn around and risk getting caught by Dark Shadow. She'd already come too close and wasn't banking on a second chance.

Aisla had never been good at navigating mazes, and Kaminari wasn't offering any helpful suggestions as they made their way around various corners at a run. There was a high likelihood of them getting completely lost in this thing until Tokoyami and Jiro found them, or time ran out. Their only hope now was that their opponents didn't know the maze's layout any more than they did. However, if they were all lost in this thing until Mr. Aizawa sent out his second flare, then it would be game over for everyone.

"Um, Aisla?" Kaminari said uneasily as they continued to run into dead ends. "Do you have another plan, or…?"

I have to do something, she silently fretted. I have to fix this!

When they ran into yet another dead end, Aisla swore and smacked her hand against one of the walls.

Kaminari sighed behind her. "Don't worry, Aisla. Tokoyami and Jiro are probably having the—"

A loud, ear-piercing roar cut off his words, so loud that Aisla and Kaminari had to cover their ears with their hands and crouch to avoid ear damage. "That must be Jiro's amplification!" Aisla shouted over the noise.

"What?!" he mouthed, or maybe he yelled, she couldn't tell.

Jiro was using her quirk to amplify Dark Shadow's roar, which put Aisla and Kaminari at a serious disadvantage. They were going to have an even harder time making their way through the maze if this continued. The sound pulsed around them and ricocheted off the walls, making their progress slow and disorienting. With each new roar, they had to pause to cover their ears.

This isn't working! Think, Aisla, think!

They hit another barrier and Aisla was this close to giving up when she finally got an idea she thought might do the trick.

She spun around and gripped Kaminari by the shirt collar, yanking him down to eye level and causing a blush to color his cheeks. "Listen!" she hissed into his ear. "I have a plan, but you have to do exactly as I say."

He nodded vigorously and she filled him in on her plan. She couldn't be one-hundred percent certain of its success, but she'd been working on perfecting this skill for a while now, and she was pretty confident that she'd be able to use it in the way she needed to.

"Don't make a sound," she breathed into his ear. He pulled back with a thumbs-up, then made a sealing motion over his lips. It wasn't his mouth Aisla was worried about, it was his clomping feet. Kaminari walked like an elephant and somehow managed to step on every twig, branch, and crunchy leaf that lay in their path. Someone decided it would be wise to throw in obstacles like that in this complex maze because it apparently wasn't hellish enough on its own. Now, Aisla had to deal with all the noise they were making when she needed silence!

Aisla pulled her blue goggles back into place over her eyes, and concentrated on activating her quirk. She wasn't always the best with this move, but she'd been getting better with every practice, and Mr. Aizawa assured her that she would improve each time she used it.

Taking his word for it, Aisla kept her eyes peeled wide and held onto Kaminari's wrist in a tight grasp. She watched as the world around them morphed and Kaminari's eyes grew wide as saucers as he took in the change. It wasn't much. All she'd had to do was project an image of a wall directly in front of them. When Tokoyami and Jiro came this way in search of them, they would see nothing but another dead end. Aisla and Kaminari should be hidden behind her façade, at least for a while. If she kept it up long enough, they should be able to make their way out of the maze and back over to the bridge with little effort.

Then, we move to plan B.

With that in mind, Aisla and Kaminari waited silently for the sounds of their opponents' approaching footsteps. If luck evaded then, Tokoyami and Jiro would slip by undetected and end up blocking the only path out of the maze. She was still holding out hope, however, that she would finally be useful in a mission. She hated being the one others had to take care of and rescue all the time. Even if this was just a glorified game of hide-and-seek, Aisla was going to take it seriously and do her best to show everyone that she could be just as capable as they were.

"Where are they now?"

Aisla stiffened at the sound of Tokoyami's voice nearby. She gripped Kaminari's wrist tighter and gave him a hard look. Don't make a sound, she silently conveyed. He nodded and placed a finger over his lips.

"They're definitely nearby…." Jiro murmured, voice almost too quiet for her to make out. "I know I heard them come through here…"

They walked around for another minute before deciding to turn back and go another way, much to Aisla's relief. When she thought they were a considerable distance away, she stepped forward carefully, pulling a reluctant Kaminari behind her. She heard his sharp intake of breath as she yanked him through the imaginary wall. He breathed out a sigh of relief once they passed through the barrier in one piece.

"That's kind of a scary quirk you have there," he whispered.

"Shh!" she chastised and continued forward. Her eyes burned and it was only a matter of time before she'd have to blink to moisturize them. As it was, she knew her illusion wouldn't be perfect, but she hoped it would fool them enough that they wouldn't realize Aisla and Kaminari had snuck past them until after they were out of the labyrinth.

Keeping up the illusion behind her for so long was taking its toll, and Aisla worried if she'd even have enough energy left to pull off the rest of the mission. They weren't done yet, and at this rate they were more likely to run out of time than anything else. They couldn't run or they'd draw attention to themselves, and Aisla couldn't use her illusions to get them any closer to the end of the maze. They just had to take it on faith that she wouldn't blink before they reached the exit.

"You're crying," Kaminari whispered and tried to reach forward as if to brush away her tears. She swatted him away with her free hand.

"I'm not crying, my eyes water when I hold them open for too long!" she hissed under her breath. "Now shh!"

Aisla couldn't remember the way back through the maze, and she was growing more frustrated by the minute. She had to keep a firm hold on her façade so the others wouldn't be able to find them, but she also had to try and navigate through a maze in near-darkness while dragging a not-so-helpful Kaminari by the wrist like a toddler. It would have been nice if he'd paid more attention to the path on their way inside, but Aisla couldn't even be mad at him because clearly she hadn't done any better.

It's fine. Kaminari is the key to this whole thing. If he hadn't been here, I'd be screwed right now.

"Over there," he whispered close to her ear, and pointed to a path Aisla could have sworn led to another dead end. She arched an eyebrow as if to say, "Are you sure?" He nodded enthusiastically and gave her a wide grin. With a shrug, she gestured for him to take the lead.

Aisla fought the urge to blink for as long as she could, but with each step another spike pierced her already abused eyes until she thought they might burst right out of their sockets. She might actually be crying now because her eyes hurt. She couldn't keep them open for much longer. She had a pretty good tolerance for the pain, but she'd already been holding this illusion for at least five minutes, which was going to leave her almost useless if she didn't drop it pretty soon.

"I can't hold it any longer…" she said through clenched teeth as her eyes started to close.

"Oh, shit." Kaminari twisted his wrist so that he now held Aisla's and started running at full speed, practically dragging her behind him. Her feet almost couldn't catch up with his longer strides. "Go ahead and let it go, Aisla!" he shouted as he made his way through the maze as if he knew exactly where he was going. "I'll get us out of here!"

Her eyes closed of their own volition, plunging her into darkness. For a moment, she was weightless as her feet left the ground before crashing back down painfully. Her eyes popped open, only to be assaulted by burning air and forced back shut.

"I got you!" She was suddenly lifted into the air and braced over Kaminari's shoulder. She wanted to protest, but then he was flying through the maze once more, and another quick peek behind them showed Tokoyami and Jiro barrelling after them.

Aisla pinched her eyes shut and willed the migraine to pass before they made it outside. She'd overdone it, which was exactly what she'd been afraid of happening. She'd wanted to conserve some of her energy for one final attack, but she might not be able to pull it off now. Her eyes felt like she'd sliced them with barbed wire, and her head pounded ruthlessly in response to her quirk. She kept her eyes shut and clutched her head between her hands as they ran, grateful that she had a strong teammate willing to carry her so her eyes could rest.

"Jiro, your amps!" Tokoyami shouted. "While Haru's out of commission!"

She felt Jiro's attack half a second before she opened her eyes and mirrored it right back, momentarily stunning their two pursuers.

"Ow," she complained, squeezing her eyes shut once more as pain throbbed in her temples and fire ignited in her eyes. I won't be able to do it! she fretted, groaning in both pain and frustration at her lack of planning. She shouldn't have relied so much on a single move. If she'd planned better, they could have already won this thing!

"Almost there, Aisla!" Kaminari encouraged, tightening his hold on her as he ran. It wasn't until that moment that she noticed where his hands were on her body. He kept a firm grip on her thighs with one arm, and another tight grasp on her butt, which he was definitely squeezing with his fingers.

"Stop touching my ass!" she screamed at him, making him flinch at the sudden jolt of sound.

"S-sorry!" he stammered. "I didn't mean to!" His hand slid lower, though she still felt the inappropriate touch burning her cheek. She growled. "Sorry!" he repeated.

Aisla couldn't see the path in front of them, but she hoped they were close to the end. She could hear their classmates getting closer, which meant Dark Shadow could easily grab them both and they'd be done for. Aisla couldn't really use her eye drops to moisten her eyes at this angle, even though that would help ease the stinging in them so she could use her quirk better. It didn't really matter at this point, though. They already had a high likelihood of failure, but Aisla was still hopeful they would overcome the odds stacked against them.

"Aisla, the bridge!" Kaminari lunged so abruptly that Aisla was flung forward, and for a moment she was airborne, flailing wildly as she waited to meet the ground. At the last second, Kaminari grabbed her by the arm to keep her from face planting onto the hard wooden structure, then gave her a rough shove in the back to propel her forward. "Go!" he yelled.

Aisla lost her footing, stumbled, then pressed onward behind Kaminari. Their feet struck the bridge loudly as they flashed across it at top speed, not pausing for a second to check if they were still being pursued. Aisla could hear their classmates gaining on them more with each thunderous clomp of boots on wood.

"Aisla, jump!" Kaminari called out as he sent a disk flying toward her feet. She squealed in surprise and jumped into the air several feet before the edge of the bridge. Kaminari caught her before she catapulted into the hard ground, but her momentum caused them both to stumble back. Miraculously, he managed to keep them both on their feet, and once again gave Aisla a shove as he shot out a blast of electricity toward the disk he'd just thrown.

Tokoyami and Jiro stopped mid-stride and jumped out of the way of the strike before landing back on the bridge and giving them triumphant grins.

"Guess you missed," Jiro sassed, then plunged her jacks into the amps in her wrists and aimed an attack at Aisla and Kaminari.

"Ah, crap!" Kaminari sputtered. "Sorry, Aisla!"

Jiro's face shone with triumph, but Aisla merely offered up a smug grin in return.

"Heartbeat—!" Jiro started, at the same time Aisla cried out, "Refraction!"

With eyes hidden behind blue goggles, she shifted her gaze to Kaminari and activated her quirk. His disk flew back toward him, its previous motions reflected back, causing their opponents to jerk out of the way in surprise. He caught the disk easily with one hand and snickered at the puzzled looks on their faces. Just as Jiro and Tokoyami realized what was happening, Kaminari's earlier zap—the one they'd taken to be an accident—shocked the metal lining the bridge, electrifying them both in one fell swoop. The electricity forced Dark Shadow into a timid form, and paralyzed Jiro to the spot. Even after the volts had discharged, their classmates were unable to move.

"Hell yeah!" Kaminari whooped. "Score one for Reflectrafication!"

Aisla giggled at the name. "Is that supposed to be our Teamup name?"

He shot her a thumbs-up and a wink. "We make a great team, Aisla!"

She grinned widely, proud that her plan had actually worked, even though she was pretty sure her eyes might literally explode from the effort—if her brain didn't first. "Yeah! We were awesome!"

Once they were all back in the warehouse with the others, Aisla was surrounded by all the girls, who insisted on hugging her at once and congratulating her on the win. Mr. Aizawa reminded them that this "wasn't a competition" and there were "no winners," but she could detect a hint of pride in those dark eyes, too.

Across the room from them, Katsuki leaned against a wall with one foot propped up and both arms crossed over his chest. He was staring unabashedly at her and…he was smiling. Her answering grin was wide and a joyous laugh escaped her as her friends continued to smother her with praise.

When she was finally able to free herself from the girls, she skipped over to Katsuki and gave a mock curtsy in her short skirt. His lips twitched in response.

"How did I do?" she asked before spinning a full circle before him and making him chuckle.

"You're being a spaz," he noted, but his eyes still held amusement.

"That doesn't answer my question!" she pointed out.

He rolled his eyes. "You were great, Aisla. Of course, you were great."

She studied his expression for a moment and found nothing but sincerity in those red eyes. She smiled. "Thanks, Katsuki. That means a lot."

He looked away as his cheeks took on some color. "So…" He slid a hand into his hair and chewed his lip.

"Do you still want to hang out?" she asked, guessing his thoughts.

He looked down at her with a crooked smile. "Yeah. If you do…?"

She nodded. "Of course I do, Katsuki. I'd love to spend time with you—" She froze and bit off any more embarrassing words. "I mean, I'd like—"

"Aisla," he interjected. He reached out a hesitant hand as if to take hold of her own. It hovered in the space between them; an invitation. "Aisla," he repeated, voice a mere whisper. "I would love to hang out with you." His emphasis on the word love made her suck in a sharp breath, but before she could utter a response, a dark shadow fell over her, and Katsuki's gaze darkened.

Aisla turned around and found Mr. Aizawa looming over her. She couldn't say what his expression was, but she suddenly felt very small next to his tall frame.

"H-hello, sir," she sputtered. "How are you today?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Miss Haru, I'd like to have a word with you."

She deflated with a tired sigh. "Did I do something wrong again?"

His eyes registered surprise. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

She frowned. "Because you look scary?" she answered, gesturing at his half risen hair and glowing eyes.

She almost swore he chuckled as he deactivated his quirk, but the low rumble was so soft she could have mistaken it for a grunt or a cough. "You aren't in trouble, but I would like to discuss something with you if you have a moment?"

She nodded and followed him a few feet away so they could speak somewhat privately.

"You're doing well, Miss Haru," he praised at once, offering her one of his rare smiles—rare and as equally terrifying as it was amusing. She believed Mina once said it made him "shippable," but Aisla wasn't really sure what she meant by that. "What you managed to do out there today far surpassed what even I had anticipated. You utilized all the different aspects of your quirk without failure. You reflected back attacks, used reflection to create an illusion, and even successfully reversed Kaminari's attack. You've mastered many skills and put them all on display out there."

"Oh." Aisla blushed under the praise and twisted a strand of loose hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. "Thank you, sir. I guess all that extra training really paid off!"

"It does help when you apply yourself outside of class," he agreed, "but this one was all you, Aisla. Good work out there. Make sure you get together with Shinso when we return to school and show him what you've learned."

She grinned. "Yes, sir! I will!"

He nodded once, then turned and left her there, smiling like an idiot. Praise from both Katsuki and Mr. Aizawa…I must have finally done something right.