Chapter 05: USJ Second Wind
[USJ: Mountain Zone Chasm]
Bakugo, Weiss, Ruby, and Izuku are down in the chasm, waiting for rescue. All the while, Bakugo fumed his agitation.
"Are you shitting me?! Like hell I'm gonna be a victim! Fuck that!"
"How we managed to get him down here is beyond me…" Ruby muttered.
"While he's shouting profanities, who's doing what?" Weiss asked Ruby and Izuku.
"I've been trying to think who could be better suited to each scenario," Izuku said.
Ruby raises a hand. "I can be the person who was concussed."
"Why that specifically?" asked Weiss.
"I may have suffered through two concussions in my life. And they were not fun," Ruby explained.
Weiss deadpanned at the obvious. "I can imagine. And you're confident that you can reenact what you experienced?"
Ruby nodded. "As long as I remembered what I was feeling…and what my folks told me."
Weiss turns to Izuku. "Well, that was settled."
Izuku cups his chin, taping his index finger to his jaw. "As for the other three…no matter how I look at it, Kaachan's best option would be being the unconscious victim." Izuku felt a chill go up his spine as a threatening aura resonated behind him. He turns to sees, to his fright, an angry Bakugo advancing towards him.
"What was that, Deku?"
Izuku flailed his arms around. "W-Wa-Wait a minute, Kaachan! I only said that because I know you wouldn't like to be the other three, so why not the unconscious option?"
Bakugo grabs by his jacket and roughly pulls him close. "How about none and I blast my way back up."
"But that's not part of the exercise!"
Bakugo grinned ferally. "Okay…How about you be the unconscious one? Here, let me help you with that!" Izuku screams in terror.
"That's enough!" Weiss yanks Izuku out of Bakugo's hold and puts him behind her, acting as a barrier between the two (former) childhood friends. "What in the world is your problem? Is your ego really that swollen?"
"It ain't ego, Snowflake," Bakugo grunted.
"Could have fooled me. Does each of your interactions with Midoriya result in immediate spite? Why can't you just learn to cooperated? It's not that hard," Weiss said.
"Like I'm gonna take advice from a silver spoon sucking prima donna."
Weiss blinked. "Really? Really. You have the gall to call me a prima donna while flexing whatever sort of grandiose image you have of yourself? I'd start looking into a mirror. You'd be surprised of what you see."
Bakugo leans close with a heated glare. "If you think that I ain't afraid of hitting a girl, think again, princess."
As Bakugo and Weiss's arguments start to overlap one another, Ruby and Izuku watch from the sidelines, their eyes shifting to whoever is speaking.
"Should we do something?" asked Ruby.
Izuku's only response was, "I…don't know."
[Outside of Chasm]
The shouting match can be heard from above.
Kaminari smirked. "I feel bad for whoever has to rescue that." Mineta snickers.
"Is this really a good idea?" asked Jaune.
Toshinori turns to Thirteen. "Is it?" A valid question. Three out of the four kids seem to work just fine, but Bakugo…
"Everything will be fine, Mr. Yagi," Thirteen assured before turning to the class. "We've got rescue equipment at the ready, students. Now, for the rescuers, they will be Shouto Todoroki, Momo Yaoyorozu, Fumikage Tokoyami, and Jaune Arc."
Jaune points to himself. "M-Me?"
"Achillea had told me of your first aid knowledge." Unknown to Thirteen, Pyrrha blushes at being called out. "I would like to see it firsthand. While no one is truly injured, treat this as though someone is and use what you know to assist. During rescues, heroes may not be able to use their Quirk, but rather the know-how. So, Arc, what should be the best course of action?"
Jaune was a little touched that Pyrrha spoke highly of him. "…I think we should try to get the one who's unconscious up first. As long as the person concussed remains awake, they should be fine, but an unconscious person could have an underlying problem we're not sure about and need immediate attention."
"Jaune Arc, youngest child of American hero, Beacon Darc," Toshinori recalled. "Not long after retiring Beacon Darc and his family moved to Japan over ten years ago to open a farm. Farming is a grueling career, people often work under the mercy of the elements, tilling soil and caring for the animals. Injury, just like pro heroism, is part of the job, whether by misuse of machinery or agitated animals. Many believe that people destined for heroism are naturally talented in a number of ways. That's not always the case. Most people gain additional skills through outside experiences. No doubt, Young Arc had learned a thing or two from not only Beacon Darc, but also from helping his family."
Jaune looks at his team. "Is that alright?"
Todoroki nodded. "Yeah. Let's begin."
[Back in the Chasm]
The 'victims' finally decided on who does what: Izuku would be the one who is worried, Ruby will be concussed, and Weiss will have a broken leg. Bakugo agreed to be unconscious as long as the others don't bother him.
"Heeeyyyy! Anybody there?!" Izuku shouted. "Heeeyyyy! We need help! Heee—"
"Will you shut up!" Bakugo demanded, making Izuku squeak and cover his mouth.
"Bakugo, you're supposed to be unconscious," Weiss pointed out sternly. "You agreed to it." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Meaning no lip."
"Tch."
"Besides, you'd potentially give a concussed person a headache." Weiss turns to Ruby. "Right, Rose?"
"Uh, yeah." Ruby stays silent afterwards.
That is until Weiss spoke up. "Hey, Rose?"
"Yeah?"
"Am I…doing okay?" Weiss asked. Her question makes Ruby turn her head to look at her, confused.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"I…" Weiss sighs. "Forget it. Don't worry about it. We're in the middle of an exercise." From the way Weiss spoke, Ruby wasn't sure if the girl was talking to her or herself. And what did she mean by that? 'Is Weiss doing okay?' Is Weiss not feeling well? Or is she wondering if she's acting the part of 'victim with a broken leg' okay?
Tokoyami can be seen lowering down with the rescue board. As soon as his feet touched, he summoned Dark Shadow. Izuku runs up to him.
"Tokoyami!"
The raven headed boy nodded. "Which one in your group is unconscious?"
"It's Kaachan," answered Izuku.
"Kaachan?"
"Oh! Um…"
"It's Bakugo," Weiss said, barely containing the venom in her voice as she pointed a thumb at the blonde.
"Ah." Tokoyami coolly walks over to Bakugo with Dark Shadow carrying the rescue board. "Dark Shadow, will you please carefully place Bakugo on the board?"
"Yessir!"
"Be mindful. This may be an exercise, but we must treat the situation as though it is real. As such, we must treat Bakugo with care."
"Right!"
Bakugo clenched his teeth tight as he fought every muscle in his body to not strike Tokoyami.
And he swore that Weiss is relishing every moment with a smug grin.
The rest of the rescue went along with little fuss, with a small exception of Bakugo threatening Kaminari and Sero for snickering at his 'unconscious' state.
After the rest of the 'victims' were rescued, Thirteen goes on to choose the next group of 'victims' and 'rescuers'. Once everyone did their part, even Bakugo when he participated in the rescue, they repeated the process in the other zones for other situations, such as a shipwreck in the Flood Zone and a search and rescue in the Downpour Zone.
Then, they head on over to the Ruins Zone for a slightly different exercise…
[USJ: Ruins Zone]
"In this exercise, four of you will be the rescuers, like the previous exercise," Thirteen explained to the class. "The rest of you will be the victims scattered around the Ruins Zone to be rescued. And as a challenge, ten of the victims will have to be quiet to make it harder for the rescuers to find. Speaking of, the rescuers for this exercise will be…" She points at Izuku, Weiss, Ruby, and Bakugo again. "…you four."
"AGAIN?!" Bakugo shouted. Izuku practically wilted at that.
"Oh, no…" Ruby moaned under her breath.
"Thirteen?" Toshinori voiced.
"These four would need to learn to work together one day, no matter the reason for their animosity," Thirteen said to the man. "As a teacher, it is my duty to teach them the value of camaraderie in times of crisis. There is only so much one person can do."
Toshinori wasn't sure what to say to that. A part of him felt that Thirteen was hinting something specifically to him rather than for the students. "I…see…"
Thirteen turns away and puts a hand on her helmet. "Hm? Oh. Okay." The Space Hero returns to Toshinori. "That was Achillea."
"Is everything okay?"
"Oh, yes. She found something particular back in the Mountain Zone and wanted my thoughts on it. Think you can handle the rest while I head over?"
"Ah…uh…" Toshinori turns to Class 1-A. They are more occupied of Bakugo bursting in rage, which at this point was part for the course. "Can I? I haven't made good choices as of late. And ever since the USJ attack, I've been standing on the sidelines when I should be guiding these kids. That needs to change." He takes a deep breath. "…I believe so."
"…All right. Let me should anything happen, okay?" Thirteen asked.
Toshinori nodded. "I understand."
"Okay. Kids! I'm stepping out for a bit! Mr. Yagi will keep an eye on your progress!" Thirteen said to the class.
"Understood!" the class said.
"Midoriya, Bakugo, Schnee, and Rose…Once you find one of your classmates, bring them back here, where we'll call the Safe Zone," Thirteen told them, referring to the large open space.
"Yes!" they said.
"Good! Do your best, kids!" Thirteen said with a thumbs up. She moves close to Toshinori. "And you do the best you can, okay?"
"…Okay."
Ruby, Weiss, Bakugo, and Izuku stayed in Safe Zone as the rest of the class spread out around the Ruins Zone to find a good spot and some of those chosen to be the 'silent' victim thought long and hard to how to make their rescue a little more challenging.
And one particular student devised a plan of his own…
"I'm one of the guys to not say anything have one of the rescuers come look for me," Mineta muttered to himself as he laid on the floor in one building. He positioned on his back with his hands folded over his stomach and his eyes are closed. He grinned as his cheeks flush red. "With any luck, Schnee or Rose could find me and carry me back to the starting point. And I'll get to be in close proximity of their heavenly headlights~" He starts giggling, a drip of drool dribbling from the corner of his mouth. He quickly wipes it away as he heard someone entering the room.
"Here they come!" Mineta could hear the footsteps coming his way. They sounded somewhat dull and flat. They were the fall steps of a pair of simple boots. "No way. Is it Rose?! She definitely has an amazing rack! Way better than Schnee!" He could feel something warm building in his nose. Even when inside his fantasy, Mineta could feel that his rescuer was now near him and went to pick him up. "Yes!" Now given the chance, he takes hold of his plump reward…
…which didn't feel as squishy as he thought. In fact, it tensed up, becoming hard. Now that he comes to think about it, the boob didn't feel as big as Mineta thought Ruby's boobs would be. So, he decides to take a peek at his 'hero.'
And is met with the hell-heated glare of one Katsuki Bakugo.
Mineta turned white. "B-B-B-Bakugo?!"
Bakugo growled in rage. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"
The other search rounds were proven fruitful for the group, especially for Weiss and Ruby.
Weiss' Glyphs were useful in moving debris from entrances and preventing collapse. Ruby uses her goggles to search from a distance. At one point, she spotted Koda in a tree, clutching a branch. Possibly in fright. She also saw Izuku nearby. She tried to get his attention, but he was too far away to hear. Ruby had to speed over to tell him. They work together to get Koda down from the tree, like a cat. And this sort of teamwork would sometimes repeat, whether it be Izuku and Ruby, Ruby and Weiss, or Weiss and Izuku. Sometimes all three, finding how well they could work together, with the combination of Weiss' Glyphs, Ruby's equipment, and Izuku's strategy.
And of course, Bakugo went solo, which, while his searches were successful, he's not exactly a...caring fellow.
As one of the ten silent 'victims', Todoroki hauls himself in one of the many wrecked buildings, the room he chose to hide was apparently meant to be once a workout room upon finding a broken-down peloton.
Todoroki couldn't help but find the irony of him being chosen as a 'silent' victim. Because unknown to the rest of the world, he is. Or was. For so long, he had looked up to heroes, a major factor being – no surprise – All Might. And once upon a time, Endeavor was in similar camp. But once Todoroki's Quirk manifested, once it was revealed he had the power of both fire and ice, his worldview was shattered by his very own father. Ever since the age of 5, Todoroki was subjected to one intense training after the next, to point of feeling sick. And his mother…was never the same…
The burn scar over his eye was evident of that—
"Hiya, Roki!" Nora greeted out of the blue. If it wasn't for Todoroki for being thick skinned, he would've jumped by Nora's sudden appearance. He did, though, muffled a gasp in his throat.
"…Valkyrie? Why are you here?" he asked quietly.
"To hide, silly! Well, I was actually looking for Ren. He and I were gonna hide together, but we got separated somewhere. Not together-together! We're just friends! Just wanted to make that clear and—" Nora rambled. As she blathered, Todoroki tries to block her out as he could feel a certain emotion that he rarely felt.
Annoyance.
"— and I don't get it. I mean why can't two people who just so happen to be very close be friends, right?"
"Valkyrie."
"Yes?"
"I'm supposed to be quiet. Please leave," Todoroki said, not really caring if he hurt her feelings. He came to UA to become a hero, not make friends. Suddenly, he leaps up from where he was seated and tackled a confused Nora to the ground just as a wall nearby exploded.
"Hey! What's going on?" Nora wondered.
Todoroki looks over at the plume of scattered dust as a large figure lumbered in.
"Is that…a villain?!"
[Safe Zone]
"…And now we have Koda, Satou, Asui, Uraraka, and Arc," Toshinori listed off. "In good time too. Impressive." Ruby and Izuku practically beamed at that. Partially because they did good and partly because the praise is coming from All Might. Bakugo, of course, still looks peeved. "We're almost done with the exercise, with little damage."
The look of one smoldered Mineta didn't share the notion. "Speak for yourself."
"We're down four students: Iida, Valkyrie, Jiro, and Todoroki," Toshinori informed. "Hm? Where's Schnee?"
"She said she wanted to keep searching for the rest of our classmates, so she went on ahead," Ruby answered. "Something about Pomeranian – 5, Snowflake – 10." An angry red vein nearly popped as Bakugo gnashed his teeth.
Sero smirked. "Yeah, that sounds about right. You should've seen him. He was looking everywhere for me when I was just hanging around the ceiling!"
"You're lucky he didn't blast you through it, ribbit," Tsuyu said.
"She thinks she can one up me, huh?! Like hell!" Bakugo shouted. He turned on his heels and sprinted into a run.
"Kaachan! Rose, let's go!" Izuku said.
"Right," Ruby nodded. "We'll find them, lickity split!"
"Young Bakugo seems to get more motivated when his pride is in danger of getting bruised," Toshinori observed. "At least it keeps him proactive…although, he might get blindsided if he's not careful…" Toshinori turns to where the Mountain Zone is. "The exercise is almost complete. What's taking Thirteen so long?"
[Ruins Zone]
Weiss pushed away the last rock with a grunt and peered into the hole. She smiled.
"Found you, Jiro," she said. She holds out a hand for the other girl to take.
"Drat. I thought it was a good hiding spot," Jiro said with a smile as came back into the light.
"It was, until you started playing music on your phone," Weiss said, eyeing the earbuds hanging out of Jiro's pocket. "Was that Belgrade by Battle Tapes?" Jiro's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"You listen to indie music?" she asked.
"When I'm alone," Weiss said. She was very close to saying 'when her father wasn't around', but she didn't want to ruin what she was trying to repair. Weiss frowned at the thought of her father which twitched to the three girls from earlier today.
Jiro took notice of the change. "You okay, Schnee?" Weiss looked like she wanted to say something but was unsure. "Look, I get that you and I came off on the wrong foot but take it from me when I say that you're doing fine."
"Really? I try not to be bossy and judgmental about everything, which was why I'd jump at the chance to support everyone and show that I am…that I can be friendly…even though I'd disagree on something." That foodfight shouldn't have happened. It only did when Ruby was about to retaliate for Weiss getting hit by an onigiri. Weiss was gonna stop her until a little voice told her that she was being 'bossy' again.
"It's okay to disagree on something. It meant you had a different opinion. It'd be nice to have another level headed person," said Jiro.
Weiss looked at her, skeptical. "Are you sure? You heard my shouting match with Bakugo. And I may have turned this into a petty competition."
"Don't take this the wrong way, Schnee, but you and Bakugo operate on similar vibes," Jiro said.
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.
"You are both confrontational people, but your reasons are different," Jiro explained. "From what I understand, Bakugo is an egotistical prick with a swollen head and a pension for not wanting to be told what to do. You, on the other hand, were probably groomed to act in a particular manner, but you started to rebel against that."
It clicked for Weiss. "Did Momo tell you about…my family?"
"Just bits and pieces. Nothing substantial, but I can already tell that you're nothing like your old man, right?"
"I guess…I'm trying…" Weiss insisted.
"That's right. You're trying. You're making an effort. You're a cool kid. You just so happen to not be a namby-pamby. You can be friendly your own way. You're good," Jiro smiled. Weiss returned the gesture gratefully. Jiro shrugs. "And besides, Bakugo seems to be the type to bring out our more assertive sides. Remember his fight with Rose?"
"How could I not?" Weiss challenged halfheartedly. "…Thanks, Jiro."
"No problem, Schnee," Jiro said. There was a look in Weiss' eyes before it went away. "So, what now?"
"Please, allow me to escort you to the Safe Zone," Weiss said politely.
"That posh talking is still your schtick, huh?" Jiro asked, coyly.
"Yes," Weiss smiled. Jiro chuckled. Suddenly, the punk girl looks behind Weiss with a look of confusion. Weiss turns around and sees a trail of dust heading their way. As it grew closer, the girls were able to see that the dust was trailing behind one Tenya Iida. "Is that Iida?"
"I don't see anyone else with him. Shouldn't he still be hiding?" Jiro asked.
"Schnee! Jiro! Move out of the way!" Tenya warned.
"What?" Weiss questioned. Once Tenya had reached the girls, he was quick to grab them and threw himself onto the ground just as a building nearby burst, as though an explosive was detonated.
Once the dust settled, the three looked at the damage. "What just happened?" Jiro wondered.
"Iida, what's going on?" Weiss asked her class president. Loud footsteps echoed from the new hole in the wall as a large figure lumbered through the cloud. The dust blew away revealing that the figure wore armor all over their body and a gas mask covered their entire head, large spikes protruding out, three on each side. "Who's that?" At this moment, Izuku and Ruby arrived.
Izuku gasped seeing the unconscious forms of Todoroki and Nora and in the assailant's hands.
"Todoroki! Valkyrie!"
Without a word, the villain leaps away, somehow able to jump around despite possessing a large stature. Before anyone could make a move, Bakugo blasts past.
"Out of my way, Snowflake!" he yelled as he went after the villain.
"Bakugo, wait!" Weiss exclaimed. Seeing that Bakugo wasn't listening, she went after him using her Glyphs.
"What should we do?" Jiro asked.
"Iida, you and Jiro go back to the Safe Zone and warn everyone!" Izuku said. "Something tells me that this isn't part of the exercise. Hurry back and tell Mr. Yagi so he could make contact with the others!"
"Right! Jiro, hop on my back!" Tenya said, facing his back towards Jiro.
"Uh, okay?" She climbs on, albeit awkwardly until Tenya gets her in a proper piggyback. "R-Ready."
"Okay! Hold on tight!" Tenya revs up his Engines before bursting into a run with Jiro.
"What makes you think that this isn't part of the exercise?" Ruby asked Izuku.
"Some of us are still shaken up from the USJ Incident. I don't think our teachers would make us believe that the building got broken into again and attacked two students," he answered gravely. "We're the only ones here, Thirteen, Achillea, and Ozpin are somewhere else in the building. Who knows if there is more…With All Might depowered right now, we're on our own."
On their own. Without All Might.
Such a thought gave Ruby a sense of dread. But…they are heroes in the making. It's their job to help others. Including their own.
"…Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Let's hurry and catch up with Schnee and Bakugo," Ruby said. Izuku nodded.
{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}
Toshinori Yagi (All Might)
Quirk: One for All
"Smashes villains with a superpower passed down from one generation to the next."
— Affiliation: UA High School 1st Year Hero Class Teacher
— Birthday: 06/10 (Gemini)
— Height: 220 cm
— Blood Type: A
— Likes: Yakushima Cedar, Tea, American movies
— Color: Gold (FFD700)
{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}
Shouto Todoroki
Quirk: Half-Cold, Half-Hot
"Two Quirks: 'Generates ice and cold with his right side and fire and heat with his left side."
— Affiliation: UA High School Hero Class 1-A Student
— Birthday: 01/11 (Capricorn)
— Height: 176 cm
— Blood Type: O
— Likes: Cold Soba Noodles
— Color: Cyan (00FFFF)
{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}
"Bakugo! Bakugo, wait!" Weiss called out. "I'm serious, Bakugo. This is important! You got to stop!"
"Like hell that I'm gonna listen to you, you silver spoon sucking fa—UGH!" Because he was looking back, he failed to see that a Glyph was formed in front of him. This Glyph had a few more circles compared to the usual Glyph, and the Schnee symbol can be seen in the center of it.
Weiss huffed. "Good. Now that I got your attention, let me remind you of how delicate the situation is now." Bakugo breathed heavily through his clenched teeth. He slowly turned away from the Glyph to face Weiss. "This is now a hostage situation, Bakugo, and your blatant disregard for the people around you is going to be a problem that we don't need to deal with at the moment."
"You think I don't know about that, Princess?" Bakugo growled, letting go of his red face. Ruby and Izuku finally caught the pair. "What do you think I was trying to do? I was going to catch up with the bastard and take his hostages."
"Guys," Ruby voiced.
"And how were you going to do that? Blast them out of the enemy's hands?" Weiss asked.
"Guys," Ruby repeated, raising her voice.
"Maybe," Bakugo answered.
"Guys!" Ruby exclaimed. "We don't have time to argue! We gotta save Nora and Todoroki."
"Valkyrie and Todoroki are two of our strongest classmates. Whoever this villain is, they seem powerful enough to take both down," Izuku said. "Even with the four of us, we need to be cautious and figure out a plan."
"Who said anything about us working together?" Bakugo said. "I'm taking on the guy myself."
"Weren't you listening? We need to be mindful of our actions," Weiss argued.
"Are you saying that I can't do it?" Bakugo challenged.
"How about checking the batteries on your hearing aids, because you're still not listening!" Weiss shouted.
"Guys!" Izuku and Ruby exclaimed.
"Squabbling, are we?" A new voice garnered their attention and they turned to see that the villain had returned with Nora and Todoroki still out cold in his large hands. "Quite unsightly for wannabe heroes." The villain's voice sounded odd, perhaps due to the gas mask, making his voice sound falsetto.
And for some reason, it caught Izuku's interest.
"Who are you calling 'wannabe'!?" Bakugo growled, sparks popping.
"Bakugo!" Weiss said. "Calm down!"
"If you are done fighting amongst yourselves, please allow me to introduce—" The villain stops talking as Bakugo rocketed towards him and dodged the boy, leaping about ten feet away. "Well, that was rude."
"You were talking too much," Bakugo said.
"I see. Well, in that case, let's get on with the chase. Shall we?" The villain makes a running start down the street.
"You better get back here and fight me damn it!" Bakugo shouted before running off. Weiss sighed in frustration and took off after him. Ruby was about to run too before she spotted Izuku staring off into space.
"Midoriya?"
Izuku snapped out of it. "Huh? Oh! Yeah! Let's go!"
"Right!"
The four chased the villain down the damaged street. As he ran, Bakugo noticed Weiss fixing to pass, so he sped up. Weiss noticed this and forced herself to run faster. Bakugo retaliates by running even faster, with Weiss responding the same. They went back and forth until they were at even keel, and they glared at each other over the fact.
"Seriously?" Ruby voiced at the spectacle in front of her.
The villain looks back at the group. "Fast, are we? Even without using your Quirks. So, let's see how you would fair with this!" The villain then leaped far ahead. With every building he passes, the rebars seem to lose integrity and the structure begins to fall, threatening to fall on the students. They responded quickly by using their Quirks to dodge and maneuver around the falling debris, with Ruby also using Crescent Rose to whack away rocks or using the recoil of her rifle to help her move around.
They made it to the end of the street, where nothing started to collapse, and they used this moment to catch their breath.
"Well…that was surprisingly exhilarating…" Izuku breathed as the small, green sparks around his legs disappeared.
"I bet. You should have seen yourself! You were so cool jumping around!" Ruby said. "Looks like you have a better handle of your Quirk now!"
"I could say the same about your scythe, Rose," Izuku said. "Using the recoil of the rifle to help move you around was very smart."
"Well, thank you!"
"If you two are done flirting, mind telling me where the villain ran off to?" Bakugo said.
The villain was nowhere to be seen.
They had lost track of him.
[The Safe Zone]
The commotion can be heard from where the rest of the group is.
"What is going on over there?" Ojiro wondered.
"Show up hands, folks! Who here thinks it's Bakugo?" Sero grinned with a raised hand.
Kirishima raises a hand too. "I'll take that action." Kaminari nodded as he did the same.
"If that is Young Bakugo, then maybe it's time to set up an anger management appointment for him…" Toshinori thought. He recalled Ozpin was going to arrange therapy appointments for Bakugo and Izuku, but due to the USJ Incident, it was all postponed. "However…Something doesn't add up…Why would Young Bakugo go into a frenzy during a rescue exercise?"
"Huh? H-Hey, Mr Yagi! Someone's coming this way!" Jaune announced, pointing. Running towards them was Tenya with Jiro riding piggyback and holding on tight.
"Everyone! We have a situation!" Tenya said before skidding to a halt. Jiro remained still, a little frazzled from the ride. "Jiro?"
"Just…put me down…"
Tenya does before turning to the class. "Everyone, we have a problem. We're under attack!"
Few of the students gasp at the proclamation.
"We're under attack…?" Mineta repeated. Tears start to well up. "Not again!" Ochako and Mina look at each other, worried.
"Hold a minute, guys! Let's think about this before we lose our heads," Jaune said, trying to ease everyone's nerves. "Iida, are you sure that this is a real attack? It might be part of the exercise." He turns to Toshinori. "Right, sir?"
"An…attack?" Toshinori echoed in confusion. Thirteen didn't mention this to him, nor did Pyrrha nor Ozpin. What's going on? And where are they? Before anyone could react, the tall man was suddenly pinned to the ground by two thick sheets of steel, coiled around his torso, pinning his arms just above his elbow, and his legs, just above his knees.
"What the heck just happened?" Kaminari questioned. A flinch escapes him as heavy footsteps sauntered towards the area. Everyone there turns to see a metal giant heading their way. "Who…who is that?!"
"Who am I? Thank you for asking," the villain complimented. "You may call me 'Dolos.' I'm sure you are curious about my reasons for being here. Let's just say that it's for…informative purposes asked of me by my superior."
"Nora!" Ren exclaimed, seeing his still friend in the villain's grasp.
"He's got Todoroki, too!" Hagakure exclaimed. Ren dashes forward. "Ren?"
In a bold move, Ren attempted to strike Dolos in the head, but the giant moved with ease, dodging the attack.
"Quite an abrasive move," Dolos commented. Ren looks at him with a frightening glare. "Such a calm, yet fierce gaze. Like a snake ready to strike." Ren goes to attack again.
"What's up with Ren? I've never seen him so pissed before," Kaminari observed.
"You would be too if you see your friend taken by the enemy," Kirishima said. He hardens his arms. "Let's help him!"
"I hear ya!" Sero exclaimed.
"Count me in!" Satou declared, following his classmates.
"Seriously! Why is this happening?!" Kaminari exclaimed, getting more freaked out, grabbing his hair.
"If he's here, then what happened to Schnee, Midoriya, Rose, and Bakugo?" Jiro wondered. "They went to go face the guy."
"You don't think…" Mina said, fearing the worst.
Ochako shook her head. "No! They're okay! They're on their way here! I just know it!"
Toshinori struggled to get himself out of his trap. Momo and Tenya came over.
"Are you all right, Mr Yagi?" Tenya asked.
"Are you hurt?" Momo asked.
"No, I am fine," Toshinori assured, doing his best to give them an equally assuring smile. He turns away to frown at the ground. "Shit…Why didn't I see that coming? If only I could buff up now, but…if I do that…the kids will see me and learn the truth of my physical state…"
Shouji appears beside Toshinori, kneeling down. "May I help?"
"…By all means…"
Shouji nodded and grabbed the steel, ready to pull it up. As he did, Toshinori felt something starting to dig into his left side, causing him to gasp in pain. This made Shouji stop.
"Sorry," he apologized. He sounded calm, but Toshinori could see the worry in Shouji's eyes.
"It's okay. You did nothing wrong," Toshinori said.
"What just happened?" Momo asked.
"I think the villain somehow made it so that if anyone tried to remove this metal, it would harm me," Toshinori surmised. "And on my left side, no less. Which means whoever this Dolos is, he's done his research." A new sense of dread came over. "Does he work for the League of Villains? How did he get in? Why aren't the alarms going off?" Toshinori dug his fingers into the dirt. "…Not again…"
Over at the fight, Dolos was barely breaking a sweat against the three students. With just his elbow, he hit Kirishima back.
"Damn…That armor's tough…" he breathed. Satou punches at the armor and gets hit by the back of Dolos' arm, connected to the hand containing Nora. Ren jumps in after her. Dolos holds her high and goes to kick Ren back. The long-haired boy skids backwards to Kirishima's side. Ren moves to attack again before Kirishima grabs his arm. "Wait, dude. I don't think we're making a dent on him. I know you wanna save Valkyrie, but we're out matched here." Ren looked at him before looking down with his eyes closed, pained that Kirishima was right. Kirishima turns to face Dolos. "I don't know what you plan to do with us, but it ain't smart of you to come here when we got three pros here!"
"Yes…I believe that you are referring to Pro Heroes Thirteen, Achillea, and Ozpin, correct?" Dolos said, calmy. "I'm sorry, but they are…occupied at the moment." The class heard more explosions around them and saw the commotions coming from the other Zones.
"No way…" Mina voiced in shock.
"This can't be happening again…this can't be happening again…" Mineta chanted, pacing in a small circle.
Momo turns to Tenya. "What should we do?"
"…I…" An explosion caught everyone's attention, including Dolos. From the Ruins Zone, a familiar ash blonde comes bursting towards the villain with a feral grin.
"Found you!"
"It's Bakugo!" Kirishima exclaimed. He sees Weiss running past him. "And Schnee!"
Weiss, with her sword in hand, aimed to strike Dolos' shoulder. Just before she landed a hit, her aim was suddenly off and is now heading for the ground. Using a Glyph, she easily corrected herself and landed on her feet.
"Iida! Everyone!" Izuku exclaimed as he and Ruby met up with their classmates.
"Midoriya!" Tenya declared.
"Ruby!" Ochako beamed. "Thank goodness you're okay!"
Ruby nodded. "Same to you!" She looks around at everyone before spotting Toshinori on the ground. She frowned worriedly. "Uncle Toshi!" Ruby runs over to him. "Are you okay?"
Toshinori nodded as best he could, given his position. "I will be." The poor girl was worried for his well-being as is, but she didn't need this extra baggage. To his surprise, Ruby's concerned frown changes to a determined smile.
"Yeah, you will. Because we have a plan. Right, Midoriya?"
Izuku nodded. "While Kaachan and Schnee distract the villain, we'll get Todoroki and Valkyrie back. But first, Arc, I'm gonna need you to amp me again, like you did last time."
"Okay," Jaune nodded.
"And Mineta?" Izuku continued.
"What?" Mineta asked, scared for what he's going to do.
"We're gonna need your balls."
"…Huh?" Mineta squeaked.
"He means your Quirk," Tokoyami pointed out calmly.
"Oh." Ruby snickered at Izuku's confusion.
"Ruby, now's not the time to be immature," Jaune chided.
"Sorry," Ruby giggled.
Weiss and Bakugo continued to fight Dolos, but they were not able to land a hit on the villain, even though he had hostages. No matter what they did, nothing seems to work.
"You lot are persistent, I'll give you that," Dolos said. He starred as Bakugo and Weiss stared back, both panting from their futile attacking. Dolos looks at Weiss for a moment before looking at the pair as a whole again. "But I can tell that you are nearing your limit. Perhaps I end this now?"
Bakugo gave a breathless laugh. "Fat chance. I'm just getting started!" He charges at Dolos and unleashes another blast in his face.
Dolos grunted. "This again? Hm?" Before he knew what happened, Izuku had taken hold of Todoroki with one of Mineta's purple balls and Ruby had used her rope to capture Nora and the pair was able to pull the hostages out of Dolos' hold, much to the villain's surprise. "They used Bakugo's strike as a diversion? Are they working together?"
"Like hell we are!" Bakugo shouted.
Once Izuku was far enough away, he takes his glove – the one stuck to Mineta's Pop-Off – off and prepares to flick an attack.
"Delaware Smash!" he exclaimed, flicking his finger and releasing a strong wave of air at Dolos. The villain braced himself, grounding himself so he would get blown away by the gust. Then Weiss did a twirl, as she did during the food fight, before plunging her sword to the ground and creating a sheet of ice towards Dolos.
"She can generate ice too?!" Kaminari exclaimed.
Now that Dolos is no longer on stable ground, he struggled to stay in place, but was able to stay upwards.
"Kaachan!" Izuku exclaimed.
"Heatwave!" Ruby declared.
"Stop telling me what to do and that's still stupid!" Bakugo shouted. He rockets himself towards Dolos, going airborne as he heated his hands more. Just as the wave from the Delaware Smash dissipated, Bakugo released a powerful blast to send Dolos careening back and started hurtling towards a slab, covered in Mineta's purple balls.
"Yes! We're about to win, guys!" Mineta cheered. But then, Dolos started to glow black and was able to move out of the way in midair and landed back on his feet next to the slab. "WHAT?! Oh, come on! It was gonna be epic!" Mineta complained.
"Not the most favorable outcome, but at least we were able to procure the hostages!" Momo declared.
"Is that so?" the villain challenged. He raises an arm at where Shouji and Toshinori are. There was a low hum as a dark aura coated the steel plates and they started to jiggle.
"Hm?" Before Toshinori and Shouji could react, Toshinori gets lifted in the air by the steel plates. Shouji gasps at the sight. "Wh-what?"
"You weren't able to free all of the hostages from my grasp," the villain said. He then flexes his hand. An unknown force pulls Toshinori swiftly towards the villain's grasp. Once contact was made, a small shockwave occurred and Toshinori coughed from getting the wind slightly knocked out.
Izuku gasped at the sight.
"Perhaps you should've evaluated the situation better," Dolos advised.
"Uncle Toshi!" Ruby shouted.
"Please, don't hurt him!" Mina exclaimed, upset at the sight.
"Hm? Oh. That's right. If I recall, you kids had to watch two of your teachers getting severely wounded before," Dolos regaled. "It must have been shocking, watching and unable to do anything."
"Oh no…" Ochako muttered, holding on to Mina as they remembered Thirteen nearly ripped to shreds by her own Quirk used against her.
"Ribbit…" Tsuyu squeaked, showing discomfort as she and Jaune remembered Pyrrha's arm cracking and exposed muscles and Aizawa being assaulted bloody by the Nomu.
Bakugo let out an angered roar before charging at Dolos and blasting away. When he got close, Dolos suddenly held up Toshinori in front of him as a human shield. Bakugo's eyes grew wide in shock before pulling his arm back but was still about to collide with Toshinori. That is until Bakugo was suddenly yanked by his arm from an unknown force and landed on his side.
"Young Bakugo!" Toshinori stared at Bakugo's prone form as the young man struggled to get up. "He's exhausted…he's been pushing himself too hard…"
"I apologize," he heard Dolos say. "You must be so worried for these kids, but they must learn how cruel the world can be."
Toshinori turns his head towards Dolos. "I don't sense any malice coming from him…He's not trying to kill us…just what is his endgame?"
Izuku stood stiff. "What am I doing? Why am I just standing here? All Might is in danger! Why won't I move?!"
Ruby also stood still like a statue. "Is Uncle Toshi…going to die? No…No! I can't let that happen! …But, what if…?"
"What are we going to do?" Kirishima wondered.
Tenya gritted his teeth. "If we attack head on, he might use Mr Yagi as a shield again…"
"I can relate," Kaminari said, remembering that he was in a similar situation.
"You remember that?" Jiro asked. "Even in 'yay' mode?"
"Of course, I did!" Kaminari exclaimed. "I'm lucky that Snipe was able to shoot the guy!"
That seemed to have sparked something in Momo's mind. "Snipe…" Her eyes trailed to Ruby's Crescent Rose, now back in the leather case in the back of her waist. "Mr Snipe used his gun to incapacitate the villain and free Kaminari in the process! That's it!" "Rose! Use your sniper!"
"What?" Ruby wondered.
"If you shoot Dolos' arm, we might be able to free Mr Yagi!" Momo exclaimed.
Ruby seemed interested before she was hesitant. "But…what if…"
"If you're worried about hurting the villain, don't be," Shouji said. "Because most of the armor is hollow."
"What?"
"How do you know that?" Izuku asked.
"When Mr Yagi was taken, I used my Quirk to listen for anything, maybe a weakness in his armor," Shouji explained. "The armor itself is actually pretty thick and I heard 'echoes' in the arms and legs. Whomever Dolos is, he's not as big as he appears to be and is merely moving the armor like a puppet from the inside."
Ruby was still hesitant. "But…what if someone gets hurt? What if I miss? What if…what if I kill someone?"
"…You won't," Izuku said. Ruby looks at him. "Remember how you saved Aoyama a few days back? You won't miss, Rose. You can save Mr. Yagi!"
"Midoriya…"
"Yeah! You can do it, Rose!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"We believe in you!" Ochako cheered.
Ruby stared at them in awe and looked at the others, everyone of them giving her the look of determination.
"We're a team. And we'll provide the means for you to make an excellent shot, Rose," Tenya smiled. "Whenever you are ready."
Ruby continued to stare, marveling at everyone's willingness to put their faith in her. Sure, she was still nervous at failing them, but as her heart fluttered strong, she knew that it's now or never. She reached back and unclasped the buckles keeping her case closed and took out her Crescent Rose, switching it from standby mode to gun mode. She pulls her goggles over her eyes.
"I'm ready," Ruby said before bursting away from the area.
Dolos observed it from where he stood. "Running away? I can't fault her for that."
"No…that's not what she's doing," Toshinori argued. Ruby would never run away from a fight. She would do whatever she can to help those in need. Just like her mother…
Dolos had little time to react as Tenya came running towards them, his body glowed from Jaune's Quirk, and began running circles around the assailant, picking up dust and dirt and obscuring Dolos' surroundings.
"What is he…?" Dolos questioned before Kirishima leaped out of the smoke cloud and struck Dolos' right shoulder. Before the villain could strike, Kirishima retreated back into the dust cloud. Just as he did, Ojiro appeared from a different location to hit the same spot with his tail before disappearing in the dust. "What are they doing?"
"Are they trying to weaken Dolos' plating?" Toshinori wondered. Jaune was next to jump out and slash at Dolos' shoulder, now showing signs of damage. It was Izuku who leaped out.
"Just one more hit!" he thought. With an 8 percent charged fist, Izuku landed a hefty punch on the shoulder, leaving a noticeable dent near a joint-like area. "Ready, Yaoyorozu!?"
"I am!" the girl exclaimed, pulling out a bright yellow sheet from her stomach. "Iida!"
Tenya runs out of the dust circle to grab it before running back through and goes to stick the sheet on the dented spot. Dolos gasped.
"A target?!"
"Get ready, Tsu and Uraraka!" Izuku exclaimed. Ochako touches Tsuyu to make her weigh less.
In a building nearby, Ruby aimed her sniper rifle at the target as she remembered her time being trained by Snipe.
"Guns are like Quirks. They can either save a life or snuff one out," Snipe had said. "So, remember this: Don't ever aim what you don't intend to shoot and always treat it like its a load weapon, safety on or not."
Ruby asked, "Aren't you afraid you might kill someone?"
"It's all about intention. As a hero, it's my job to not only preserve the life of who I'm rescuing, but also the bad guy. I have a belief that no one has the right to the life of another," Snipe explained.
"That's not what I asked," Ruby pointed out.
"…A part of me does. But I use that fear to aim better. My Quirk may be Homing, but even that's not perfect," Snipe said. "It's okay to be afraid. Just don't let it overtake you, otherwise, you won't be able to see your intended target. Instead, use it to improve. Understand?"
"…Yessir! I understand!"
"You messed with the wrong uncle," Ruby muttered before pulling the trigger. The bullet shot out of the barrier and landed a successful hit on the target and the whole armor arm began to fall apart, including Toshinori. Tsuyu leaps towards her substitute teacher.
"We won't make the same mistake!" Ochako exclaimed.
Tsuyu wraps her tongue around Toshinori and leaps away from the villain with the tall man.
"We will save everyone! That includes our teachers!" Tsuyu declared.
"Young Asui…kids," Toshinori marveled. Ochako cancels her power as Tsuyu landed back with the class, releasing Toshinori safely.
Dolos goes to make a move but gets blasted from behind by Bakugo.
"I'm not done yet!" he shouted.
Weiss came sliding on her Glyphs, as she was ice-skating, with her Myrtenaster rapier in hand, its tip point near the ground as a trail of ice followed. Upon reaching Dolos, the villain tried to grab her. Weiss ducks and swipes her rapier, creating a wave of ice to freeze Dolos in place.
Mineta looked on, awestruck. "We…did it? We did it. We did it! We won!" He cheered at the top of his lungs.
Jaune takes out his phone. "You've made the hit, Ruby!"
/ I saw! We did it, guys! /
Ruby cheered over the speaker.
.
.
.
.
"Impressive," Dolos said. That one word garnered everyone's attention. "You've all come together to face a common threat and were able to not only save someone but apprehended the culprit. I'm impressed."
"Um…what?" Ochako said, confused by Dolos' words, as did everyone else. Did the villain just congratulate them?
"…I thought so," Izuku said.
"Deku?"
Izuku starts walking towards the trapped villain. "I wasn't sure at first, but now I understand. The first thing I noticed was your speech pattern. You were serious, but your tone was still gentle, as though you were being mindful of what you were saying. You've also apologized a few times, when you – a villain – shouldn't have to." Izuku stopped talking for a moment to see if Dolos had anything to say. When he didn't, Izuku continued as he kept walking. "You were also very careful with your hostages, no matter if you were attacked or not, up until you captured Mr Yagi. You could've used Valkyrie or Todoroki as shields too, but you didn't. Even when you use Mr Yagi as a human shield, you still prevent him from getting hurt.
"Then comes your Quirk. I thought you used some sort of detonator to cause those buildings to collapse. But after a close inspection, there were no signs of an explosion, nor did all those structures fall on their own. Not in a simultaneous manner. The reinforced bars were tampered with." Izuku now stood before Dolos. "You don't manipulate your surroundings. You manipulate the metal. The rebar, Kaachan's gauntlets, Schnee's sword, the steel sheets that trapped Mr Yagi, and your armor." He climbs on the ice and reaches for the horns. "Or rather, you've manipulated the metal's magnetic properties because your Quirk is Polarity." He removed the helmet and smiled. "Isn't that right, Pyrrha Nikos."
Pyrrha smiled. "Very astute, Midoriya. Your observational skills are something to be admired." She pulls herself off the armor to reveal she was wearing a full body tracksuit and her red hair was down, allowing her tresses to flow free. "I'll admit. I was a little bit worried about you finding me out too soon. You have a keen eye, Midoriya." Izuku blushed at the praise. "And thank you, Valkyrie and Todoroki, for playing along."
Nora suddenly bounces into a seating position, surprising her classmates. "Finally. I was so close to wanting to join in! Sorry Renny, for making you worry."
Ren slouched. "Nora…"
Todoroki took his time sitting up. "Why did I follow along too? Stupid…"
"…Wait…was this all a part of the rescue exercise?" Toshinori asked, still trapped.
Pyrrha walks over to the man. "It was a last-minute addition. I'm sorry, sir. But I was told to not inform you of this part of the exercise, and so was Ozpin and Thirteen, which was why they didn't intervene."
"But why?" Toshinori asked.
"To be honest, you're not a great actor." As you are now. Toshinori knew that was a silent part of the sentence, but also knew that it might give way to suspicion. Pyrrha focused her Quirk on the metal sheet before moving them easily off Toshinori. She leans close to tell him quietly, "It's also for you to know that you are not the only one fighting anymore, sir." Toshinori stared in silence as Pyrrha stood up and faced the perplexed class.
"You've all done an amazing job today! I'm very proud of you all!" she congratulated them. She then bowed. "And I'm sorry for scaring you all into thinking that the USJ was under attack again! That was part of the plan." The class was silent, unsure of how to react, until Ochako raised her hand.
"Didn't you say that it was a last-minute addition?" she asked.
Pyrrha nodded. "Indeed, I did."
"Who's idea was it?" Ochako asked.
"It was Mr Aizawa."
A beat of silence, except for the low whistle of the wind.
"So…this was all Mr. Aizawa's idea? Another one of his tactical deceptions?" Tenya wondered, seemingly out of it, as though he was trying to comprehend everything.
After what felt like a century, Jaune speaks into his phone. "Ruby…did you hear all of that?"
"/ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!/"
Next Chapter: Let the Sports Festival Begin!
"Welcome everyone to the annual UA Sports Festival!"
"We're here to gather intel, remember?"
"Looking good, Yang!"
"Why is everyone declaring war?!"
"Why, Bakugo?! WHY?!"
I had a lot of fun writing this. Tell me honestly: Did you guys knew it was all a ruse and it was Pyrrha? Or did it take ya'll time to figure it out before Izuku did?
The next chapter is probably gonna be a smidge shorter…I honestly don't know at this point. lol