'Okay, okay, okay,' Izuku's mind was still catching up to all the information he had been provided, 'So Kacchan and Ruby are on the same team together... oh Gods, Kacchan and Ruby are on the same team together.'
Izuku would readily own up to not knowing Ruby too, too well, but from what he had come to know about her from their interactions, she was a weapon nut who was almost as awkward as he was. Kacchan has probably been trying to step all over her! He needed to... to...
It was at that moment that Izuku finally realized something. He had been hugged by a girl.
A girl whose shoulder was still touching him.
...
"OOOH! SO YOU AND KACCHAN ARE TOGETHER- I DON'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT, I JUST MEANT THAT, OH, I'M SURE YOU TWO WILL BE GOOD PARTNERS, NOT THAT I DOUBTED THAT FOR A SECOND... SORRY!" Red faced and in a bit of a panic, he tried to back away from the situation a bit in order to collect himself. Ruby, a bit weirded out by the situation, backed off a bit and let him go, giving Izuku a slight moment to collect his breath. While she seemed puzzled by his reaction, Pyrrha coughed a bit into her fist to try to draw attention away from Izuku all the while he got his nerves back under control.
"What Izuku probably means, Ruby, is that he's wondering what happened? We came here after hearing the sounds of a fight." Ruby made a slight 'oh' with her mouth as stood up, dusting off her combat skirt as she did so.
"Okay... I guess I was talking a little fast there..."
"A little?" Bakugo scoffed from where he was standing, Ruby just stuck her tongue out at him before continuing.
"Well... as for what you heard, that'd be that over there." Ruby quickly pointed off to the side and, as Izuku and Pyrrha looked over, their eyes went a bit wide. Off to the side was the rapidly dissolving corpse of what looked to have been an Ursa; a pair of holes drilled into its torso on its side and one rather large crater dissolving in its chest. "It actually wasn't that hard to take care of-"
"I told you I didn't need you to help me, I had it under control." Ruby huffed as Katsuki spoke up, the silver eyed girl turning on Bakugo as she held her hands out.
"Not this again - we're partners now! You should at least make an effort to 'try' and get along!" Katsuki bristled at that, his hair standing on end as he glared back.
"And I said I didn't ask for a damn partner! Especially not some loud runt who should still be running around a combat school!"
"I am not a runt! I've drunk lots of milk and I'll have you know I'm a growing girl!" Ruby stomped her foot slightly before looking back to Izuku and Pyrrha, comical tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "It's been like this for the last two hours! It's like, non-stop with this guy!" A slight growl from Katsuki caused Ruby to jump a bit, but the explosive blond just stood against his tree, eyeing everyone. "Anyway... when we met up, we both keyed into the general direction of the ruins immediately but Katsuki... well, he was able to figure out how far it was from where we were."
That... didn't surprise Izuku. Bakugo's had the exact same survival training that he had. It was a big part of the Combat School's training over in Mountain Glenn. Without the Walls of Vale to keep it safe, Mountain Glenn Huntsmen had to rely on knowing the land just as well, if not better, than the Grimm.
"I'm surprised we caught up to you two then..." Pyrrha glanced over to Bakugo and, well, he wasn't exactly surprised. Izuku had also figured that Katsuki would pretty much run off for the ruins as soon as possible and try to leave Ruby in the dust.
"That's what I wanted to do, but the runt here-"
"I had a better idea." Ruby interrupted, causing Katsuki to growl in frustration. "We knew where the ruins were and how far they were and we knew we could make it in good time. What's the point in hurrying and tiring ourselves out in case we run into Grimm... like we did! So there!" Ruby practically turned on her heels as she said that to Katsuki, the explosive young man just growling even more as his teeth started to do the thing...
But he doesn't bite. He seemed to just grunt in frustrated annoyance as he leaned back and glareed at the lot of them. Ruby's plan wasn't too different from Izuku's so it made a lot of sense to him. It must've made some amount of logical to Bakugo too.
"Whatever, the sooner we would've gotten out of here the better our score would've been at the end. But if the little kid here needed to go slow, whatever. Not like I can pass this bullshit test without dragging her across the finish line anyway."
"It just doesn't stop..." Ruby whined a bit as she shook her head and it was at about that moment when Izuku had finally calmed down enough to start thinking somewhat logically again. He stood up and, holding back his nerves, gave Ruby a reassuring pat on the back. Despite how awkward he felt, Ruby seemed to appreciate the gesture.
"Yeah I know how that feels." He heard Bakugo scoff in the background, but he continued on regardless. "You two just got done with a fight right? Take a moment to breath... oh, I know, have you met my partner yet?" He pointed over to Pyrrha, the red haired potential huntress just smiling as she waved over at Ruby who, in turn, waveed back. "Pyrrha, this is Ruby, one of the first people I met here in Beacon. Ruby, this is Pyrrha... she's got a weapon that can Mecha-Shift three times?" Izuku knew that Ruby was a bit of a weapon nut and, as far as he knew, such complex weapons were a rarity. He hoped that-
In a blur of red rose petals Ruby was no longer at his side and immediately popped in front of Pyrrha. "WOW, ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" She asked, Pyrrha seeming quite surprised by Ruby's burst of speed as she just slowly nods, the smile on her face slightly strained from the surprise.
"Why, yes." Pyrrha quickly drew Miló from its place on her back, presenting the weapon. Ruby practically cooed as she looked the weapon over as she and Pyrrha took a moment to discuss their weapons. While Ruby was certainly the more enthused of the pair, Pyrrha seemed more than willing to entertain the younger girl after having to deal with Katsuki. Speaking of, Izuku look over to Kacchan and he saw... an odd look on Bakugo's face. He looked at the trail of rose petals that Ruby left in her wake, a frustrated growl escaping his throat as he did so. Soon enough Kacchan caught Izuku's eyes on him, immediately turned to glare at his old friend.
"Got a problem Deku?"
"NO PROBLEM KACCHAN!" Izuku immediately held up his hands in a placating gesture, Katsuki just scoffing as he kicked off the tree.
"I'm surprised that you haven't ended up Grimm bait yet Deku. What, your partner swoop in to save your ass?" Izuku froze up a bit, the tone in Katsuki's voice obvious, as he shook his head.
"N-N-No! She didn't! I... I actually managed to kill Grimm by myself! Three of them! Beowolves sure, but three of them." Bakugo actually barked out a laugh but before he can go on to voice his disbelief-
"It's true. Izuku here managed to take down a pack of three on his own." Izuku grinned a bit as Pyrrha set in for a moment to support him, his partner giving him a nod as Bakugo looked over at her with furrowed brows. Whatever Katsuki was looking for in Pyrrha's face... Izuku didn't think he found it. Because after a moment Bakugo just scoffed and walked away.
"Whatever. If you all are done, we should get the Hell out of here. I'm already sick of this damn forest and this test. See you two at the ruins... or not, I wouldn't be surprised if Deku ends up dragging his feet." Before Izuku and Pyrrha could react, Ruby immediately turned to face Katsuki, a look of disbelief on her face.
"What?! Come on, the first friendly faces I've seen... I mean, we've seen in two hours and you just want to ditch them? You can't do this to meeee-us! If we traveled with them to the Ruins, we could definitely stay a lot safer. No way we'd be in danger of any Grimm then." Bakugo turned his head back to look at Ruby, a bit of a squint to his gaze.
"What, are you stupid or something? More people we have in a group the more likely it is the Grimm'll pick up on us just through our presence alone. The bastards have a sense for that; if we start to group up we'll only be giving more of a reason for them to group up. After that Ursa, I know I don't have anything to friggin' prove to Beacon, so I'm just ready to get the Hell out of here WITHOUT dealing with anymore shit."
'Without dealing with me,' Izuku imagined.
"I mean... yeah, that's true but... well, safety in numbers and..." Ruby immediately turned to both Izuku and Pyrrha, her silver eyes wide. "Please don't leave! I don't know if I can handle more of him being such a jerk! I don't think my poor little heart can take it!" Izuku could tell that Ruby was being overly dramatic to try to sell her point better... but he also knew that Katsuki was a lot for anyone to handle on their own. Especially if he didn't like you...
Pyrrha looked over to Izuku, seemingly waiting for his decision on the matter. Bakugo leveled his glared directly into Izuku's face. And Ruby's eyes…well...
Izuku really did try to resist the eyes but... well, Izuku was never one to turn down someone who was asking for help, he supposed. There was sense to what Bakugo was saying, of course, but... well, there was safety in numbers he supposed. More safety than there'd be risk in the four of them attracting Grimm, surely?
"Kacchan, she's right. We're all heading the same way anyway and... well, there is safety in numbers. We're all prospective hunters here, I'm sure we could handle a few extra Grimm that might be attracted." Izuku's words sounded sure to him but, as he looked at Katsukis reaction, he started to feel less and less sure. He saw him narrow his eyes before he finally scoffed.
"Going back to trying to hide under my coattails eh Deku? Well alright, if that's where you want to be so bad that's fine. If you aren't going to run off then I might as well be the hero here and get you out of this forest safe and sound. Maybe then you can finally screw off back to Mountain Glenn and stop being such an embarrassment." Despite how cocksure and proud Bakugo's words sounded, he heard the underlying frustration and anger. Izuku being around was... not going to play well for Bakugo. To say the very least. "Now come on; if this runt can keep up with me then you'd better be ready to move your ass Deku." He turned back toward the path to the ruins and began walking, a thick, nervous lump hanging in Izuku's throat as he watched the explosive teen walk off.
"... Jeez, what is his problem. He's acting like you killed his cat or something..." Ruby sighed as she placed her hands on her face, shaking her head. "Man... and I'm going to be his partner. How am I supposed to survive this..."
"... Kacchan respects strength a lot. If he thinks you're beneath him he'll treat you like it because... well, he was always the best where we came from. If you just be yourself and show off what got you into Beacon early in the first place... well, he'll have your back at least, even if he'll only do so because you being his partner makes it in his self-interest to see you to the finish line." Izuku did his best to give Ruby what advice he could, the silver eyed girl looking up to him with a grateful expression as she took a moment to think.
"... Thanks... and thanks for coming Izuku. I really do appreciate it. He's just so... grating! I don't know how you're still calling him such a friendly nickname!"
"I really still don't understand what you've done to earn such spite from him." Pyrrha commented afterward, shaking her head. Izuku looked forward to Katsuki's back, the explosive teen hunched over with his hands in his pockets as he grumbled under his breath.
"I wish I knew."
The next hour was absolutely miserable. The four all made good time on their march; between Izuku's and Bakugo's skills, they were able to traverse the Emerald Forest in quite good time. They easily made it another two and a half miles in the hour, bringing them ever closer to the ruins. Progress was good and it should've helped to lift spirits, especially considering everyone was more or less doing alright.
But no. Izuku's presence had the effect he'd feared; Katsuki's grew more and more irritated with him around. Izuku knew Kaachan didn't think he belong here and that he was wasting his and everyone's time and that he was ruining the reputation of their school, but for now he 'has' to put up with deku. Because his partner wanted him here and Izuku and his partner wanted him here. If he showed any sign of holding back as he had after the Ursa Major incident, that was melting away, Bakugo's barbs and outbursts more and more resembling those from their Combat School days. This, of course, was having a miserable impact on Izuku's own mood; despite knowing that he had gotten a chance to be here and that he could succeed, he couldn't help but feel Bakugo's barbs sink in. He was a guy Izuku had a lot of respect for and who he still recognized as a skilled and sometimes cool potential huntsman. Izuku looked up to him for a while, though nowhere near to the degree of Toshinori... to be back in this spot with him when it seemed that, after Izuku tried to help him, he was cooling off... it was disheartening.
Which, Izuku imagined, didn't do much for either Ruby's or Pyrrha's moods. He could see his partner giving him sympathetic looks with each barb that obviously hits and the glares she sent toward the back of Bakugo's head or that she met head on, a move that only caused him to scoff and mutter something about Izuku hiding under her skirt. While Ruby did continue to show her gratitude for Izuku being there, it was clear that his presence had also had an impact on Katsuki that she might've not seen coming. While Bakugo may have only been grating for her before... now he was downright hostile. Perhaps the only saving grace for her was that the hostility was all aimed at Izuku.
Though, he doubted that helped; she seemed to look guilty at this point because of it.
Maybe traveling with a person who hated his guts was the wrong move to make in The Emerald Forest but, before he could really consider that, it's too late.
They didn't even try to mask their approach. Even Izuku, as distracted as he was, managed to catch sight as eleven black shapes began to move through the forest and into the small clearing that he and the others had moved into. Beowolves, a very large pack of them, approached their group and snarled loudly as they all glared at each and every single one of them.
'We must've been a practical beacon of negative emotions to have drawn so many at once,' Izuku thought ruefully.
Everyone tensed as they realized that so many have come upon their group. Izuku tripped the safeties on his weapons as Ruby and Pyrrha unfold there. He watched as Bakugo growled under his breath; on one side, his gauntlet sliding down over his right hand, completely covering it. The other gauntlet stayed up, keeping his left hand out in the open. Everyone's ready but, looking at Ruby and Pyrrha, Izuku saw they were waiting for a game plan before anything.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY DEKU!" Izuku was bodily shoved out of the way as Bakugo immediately moved into the fray, his gaze focused in on the Beowolf nearest to him.
"DIE!" Bakugo screamed out as he practically jumped on the Beowolf, his left hand reared back into an open palm. The Beowolf was clearly taken off guard by the show of aggression on Kacchan's part and so it didn'teven have time to avoid the coming onslaught. Izuku saw the telltale sign of smoke form out of Katsuki's palm as his Aura begins to concentrate there, the smell of burning... something in the air as he set his gaze on his first 'victim' for this combat. Before his hand even impacted the Beowolf, Izuku saw it; the telltale discharge of Bakugo's semblance as it explodes outward towards the Beowolf, the beast howling in pain as it stumbles back. Its fur was rapidly ignited by the heat and fire of the explosion and before the creature could even think to counter it collapsed onto its back, completely out cold and doomed to slowly burn to death before it dissolved into nothing.
Izuku admitted to a sense of panic that overtook him as Kacchan just bull-rushed forward toward the Beowolves. There's more than enough there to completely surround him and, as much as Izuku knew Bakugo hated him, Izuku didn't want to see him surrounded and brutally slaughtered by a bunch of Grimm. Before he could start articulating his vision, however, a storm of rose petals suddenly forms beside him as Ruby disappeared from sight, seemingly teleporting through the air as she re-appeared behind the next nearest Grimm. The Beowolf, however, caught sight of the trail of rose petals she left and followed them right back to her, right in time to see the girl rear back her over sized scythe with a determined gaze.
It having seen her attack coming didn't do much for the Beowolf, however. However little Ruby might seem, she was a Huntress and she did have an Aura and clearly a strong one. She brought her giant weapon forward, the famously deadly Sniper-Scythe easily rending through the Beowolf's neck and separating its head from its shoulder. Its neck stump and its head began to dissolve immediately as the rest of the Grimm's form stumbled forward onto the ground. However, with a weapon of that size Izuku knew that Ruby would have to take time to ready it again before she can swing it, precious seconds that she might not have with so many Grimm around.
Pyrrha looked to him and he nodded; he didn't have much time, but he could come up with something he was sure.
"The Beowolves are going to try to surround us as best they can with their numbers, they don't have the actual strength to take us down in a straight fight. If you and I stay back to back they can't surround us... but we need to be able to draw some of their attention to us so that they don't just fall in and around Kacchan and Ruby!" He called out to Pyrrha, the red head nodding softly as she smiled.
"I do believe I have an idea to draw their attention. You fall in behind me, I'll make them see us." Pyrrha twirled her spear in her hand as she picked out her target, her green eyes narrowing as she began to move forward. It was a quick pace, though one Izuku could tell had been specifically slowed down to his level, as Pyrrha dashed through the underbrush of the forest and reared her arm back, her spear poised for a toss. It was... well, the only word he could think for it is graceful. Pyrrha lobed the spear at just the right moment, Miló practically singing through the air as the deadly weapon arced towards its prey. The Beowolf turned its head at the last moment to see the spear approach, only for that action to be it's last. The spear struck the Beowolf dead in the snout, piercing straight on through to its throat and sliding cleanly through the back of its head. No blood or gore was spilled but the display showed the deadly accuracy of Pyrrha's aim. The Beowolf fell to its knees and began to dissolve immediately, the life already gone from its eyes the moment the spear pierced it. The other Beowolves chanced a look around at their opponent and Pyrrha, in that moment, banged her fist against her shield lightly as she nodded towards the hulking wolf-creatures.
Izuku took a long, hard moment to gawk before he eventually snapped himself out of it and moved to immediately fall in behind Pyrrha. The Beowolves seem to realize how much danger they were in almost immediately; the young group of four had managed to easily kill three of their number within such a short period of time. For them, numbers alone would not suffice, they needed to bring their rage and their blood lust to the fray. Izuku watched as the eight remaining Beowolves howled to the Heavens and, with little more fanfare then that, charge the four of them in packs of two.
For Bakugo, the task of dodging out of the way of one Beowolf was simple as its claw goes wildly off course. The other was far more on point but Izuku watched as Katsuki brought his other hand around and batted away the blow just enough for it to sail over his head. For Ruby, it seemed her own innate speed was trouble enough for the Grimm to deal with as the Beowolves find it hard to pin her down at all, missing wildly with their swings. As four approached Izuku and Pyrrha two jumped for each of them and the results was almost simultaneous; Pyrrha ducked out of the way of one wild blow while blocking the next on the face of her shield while Izuku ducked his own wild blow and parried away another set of claws. For now, they were all untouched.
His eyes couldn't help but drift to everyone else as the battle continued to rage on. Ruby was the first to respond to the Grimm's threat and he watched as she, again, disappeared in a storm of rose petals, reappearing three feet back. While the effectiveness of this move was lost on Izuku for a moment he watched as Ruby repositioned Crescent Rose so that it was ready for another swing, a determined look in her eyes as she stared the two Beowolves hot on her heels down. Kacchan seemed to be having something of a hard time landing a hit that time around; despite a solid wind up, the Beowolf dodged his right hook and Katsuki's explosion goes off uselessly off to the side of it, the explosive teen just growling in frustration as he glared up at the beast.
Pyrrha continued to amaze as, from the corner of his green eyes, he see a black glow envelop Miló from its position just behind the dissolving Grimm corpse. Seemingly out of nothing Miló floated into the air and, with little fanfare, rapidly returned to Pyrrha's grasp. Immediately the former tournament fighter turned on the two Grimm in front of her and picked her target. She darted out from behind her shield to rapidly stab at one of the Grimm, puncturing into its face and causing it to howl in horrible, horrible pain. Still, the monster did not fall as its brethren had, instead turning its hateful gaze back on Pyrrha when it had recovered.
Then there was Izuku; he took a deep breath, one that had centered him time and time again against those previous three Beowolves, as he clenched his fists. With a roar he ducked down and into one of the Beowolf's guards, successfully landed a punch into its gut. With a mighty bang his shotgun sung out, blowing its pellets into the creature's core. It wasn't effective, same as last time, but it would do in this fight.
The Grimm turn on them all and... suddenly, Ruby's strategy made sense in Izuku's mind. The Grimm were, once more, forced to move up to her in order to try and attack her and their effort went a way towards throwing off their aim; their swipes missed wildly as Ruby just barely had to duck between them. Kacchan likewise dodged and parried deftly, avoiding a blow meant for his chest and parrying another that had been meant to tear out his side there. Pyrrha continued to do her work and... well, Izuku continued to just gape a bit. Effortlessly she blocked another set of claws with her shield and, twisting her spear around from its stabbing position she brought it up to slap away the swipe of another of the Beowolves. These people really were just incredible.
Which left Izuku. The two Grimm in front of him seemed to be quite... determined to land a hit on him. Both of their aims were true to his form but, with a great deal of effort, he managed to slap one's attack away... his attempt to dodge the other, however, left him feeling the familiar feeling of his Aura reaching out to protect him. It was a harsh, harsh blow, one that would've left him reeling if he took it on directly without Aura, but this one only slightly exhausted him.
He bit his lip in frustration, 'After I wasted so much of Pyrrha's time allowing me to rest, this is how I repay her?'
He was determined to at least knock down one of these Grimm bastards in the next row. Izuku heard a pair of scoffs coming from Ruby's and Bakugo's side of the fight, though they varied wildly in tone; one is more of light annoyance and feminine... the other was the precursor to a very angry, very loud yell. Ruby tried her best to swing with Crescent Rose and, while her aim was true, the reflexes of the Grimm in front of her were far more true. Ruby's silver eyes narrowed as she again disappeared in a storm of rose petals and fell back a few yards, content to continue her dance with the Beowolves.
"WOULD YOU BOTH JUST DIE ALREADY!" Bakugo, meanwhile, sounded apocalyptic. Izuku saw his muscles tense as the teen seemed to be drawing on every reserved bit of strength he could. Kacchan swung forward with his open palm and this time, with the Beowolves having left themselves open after their daring attacks, Kacchan was easily able to land a hit. The explosion roared as the Beowolf, like its brethren, was engulfed in flame, collapsing down onto a heap on the ground, doomed to burn to death. However, Kacchan was far from done; Izuku saw him clench his hand into a closed fist and, with a guttural roar, swing it back and then release the full force of his blow into the gut of the second Beowolf on him. While there was no grand explosion like before, Kacchan's Semblance still triggerd, causing a small number of minor explosions to rocket out across the Beowolf's torso. It didn't take severe damage, but still, it hadn't looked pleasant.
Pyrrha continued her fine dance with her two foes, having deflected one's attack earlier, she used the wide opening it granted her to, once again, shove her spear into its face. That time was enough and the Beowolf began to dissolve, the red head nodding in approval as she turned her gaze to the second.
Izuku swung again himself and, again, he found purchase... but the blows just didn't seem to be doing much!
'I know I can! I know I can hurt these things! I've done it before but... I don't know!,' he clenched his fingers together, 'My fists just aren't finding the right purchase!' Still, he could tell that the Beowolf he'd struck twice now stumbled for a moment, threatening to fall over, before it straightened out and roared again as it turned its attention back on him.
For Pyrrha and Bakugo, the counter-attacks were obvious and rather easily avoided, same as before. A glancing blow off of Pyrrha's shield and a powerful slap away with Kacchan's arms. It was Izuku and Ruby who suffered or, in her case, very nearly suffered. One Beowolf just flat out missed thanks to having to move up to attack her... but the second was far more on point. Far, far more on point. The blow it swung at her was a direct one, threatening one of the major arteries in her torso with its swing. Izuku watched, wide-eyed in horror, as the block connected... but, nothing happened. Not even the tell-tale sign of someone grunting in effort at the blow. It was as if Ruby's Aura was strong enough to just shrug off the hit entirely.
'That was... that's pretty amazing.'
It was also his excuse for as to why he failed to be able to avoid the next two attacks from the Beowolves that had set themselves upon him. His green eyes went wide as he tried to dodge one hit and parry the other but... it seemed like the effort was going to be in vain! He didn't close his eyes though! He stared straight on at his foes, these enemies of mankind... if they're going to dig their claws into him, they were going to see that he was still determined to stop them!
Perhaps that was why he ended up seeing it. A black glow that surrounded both gauntlets of Emerald Gust. With a force he had barely any control over, his arms swung out with a strength that he could barely manage on his own! He watched as his gauntlets reached up and deftly deflected one of the Beowolves' claws, sending it hurtling away from him. He still failed to dodge the other hit but, compared to the one that would've landed, it seemed minor at best, Izuku barely even felt the blow against his Aura. He had seen that black glow before... Pyrrha told him about it herself when the pair had become partners. He chanced a look behind him and in that moment his green eyes meet a pair of friendly green eyes... though they look uncertain. As if worried she may have overstepped some boundary.
"Are you alright?" Even Izuku could tell that the question was as much asking if he was fine with what she'd done as much as it was after his condition...
He hoped that the wide smile he gave back to her was enough to assuage her worries. "I am... thank you." He barely contained himself, it was a battle after all, but the fact that she bothered to help at all... it hit him right in the core. The smile that she returned was no small thing either.
"Anytime. Now... show them what you're made of, partner." With a wordless nod, they both returned to their respective opponents, his own confidence and determination rising in the face of the effort his partner put in to help him.
He felt the tempo of the dance slowly coming to a crawl. As Bakugo lands another hit on a Beowolf and ignited it, though this time with far less flare, the Beowolf seemed to stumble around but barely kept itself on its feet. Ruby dipped away and readied Crescent Rose, ready to make the next blow count. Pyrrha, as ever, landed her spear and it struck true, dropping the second Beowolf and her third of the fight, the monster dissolving at her feet. Izuku gave a loud roar of his own as he reared his fist back and then sent it flying into the gut of his enemy, impacting the Beowolf he'd been pounding away at once more. This time, his effort ended up sending the beast falling! The Beowolf stumbled back, its eyes dimmed and brighten for a moment before, finally, it fell unconscious! It would be easy enough to finish off once the battle was over but, for now, he turned his attention to the last one in front of him, the monster baring its fangs at the Hunstman-to-be as it howled loudly.
Pyrrha herself was finally allowed a moment to breath as both the Beowolves that had attempted to assault her had fallen, meanwhile Ruby and Katsuki continued their respective dances. Ruby, with a great deal of grace, ducked out of the way of a potential strike against her, Crescent Rose still held at the ready as she glared back at her foes. Bakugo continued to just slap away blow after blow and, despite victory seeming imminent, he still seemed frustrated that this third Beowolf he was getting ready to kill hadn't just submitted to him and died yet. Izuku, on the other hand, soon found that his last Beowolf was again on the mark while he himself was just barely off-beat, unable to bring his gauntlets up in time to parry on his own. Luckily, he felt the tell-tale tug of Polarity as Pyrrha shifted his gauntlets up to block the hit. Both of their green eyes meet again and then nodded in unison... they would both be dealing with this last one before going to help Ruby.
The ending moments of the battle were perhaps a bit anti-climactic but suited the skill of the three people Izuku was with. Ruby sliced out with Crescent Rose and, this time, the Beowolf failed to dodge her assault and, once again, a Beowolf head was sent flying by Ruby Rose as the body of the beast began to dissolve. Bakugo himself seemed done burning energy on big explosions, especially against a Beowolf that seemed barely on its feet. Instead he lashed out with his fists twice, each time finding their mark, and just pummeled the beast to death, a few tiny explosions joining in to cause the monster to dissolve. Pyrrha, with a graceful turn, quickly jabbed Miló forward, finding her mark with ease and causing the Beowolf to dissolve.
Izuku saw a slightly awkward look crosses Pyrrha's face as she looked to him, almost apologetic. However he quickly laughed it off; he'd already proven himself capable before and, even this fight, he had managed to down one of his foes. Pyrrha was his partner... the two were going to be working together for a long time now. If he got bent out of shape just because she wanted to help then, well... then he probably wouldn't have accepted Toshinori's aid in the first place.
Izuku wasn't a proud guy to begin with and, in a life-or-death situation, he didn't find a lot of room for that. Besides, he'd done worse to try to help someone in that kind of situation. Speaking of, as they cleaned up the last Beowolf, Kacchan turned to see Ruby in a bit of a deadly dance with the last one. It was clear that Ruby was readying Crescent Rose for one last swing and that she intended to end this fight with the Beowolf like she had with the previous two; by lobbing off its head. Kacchan actually crossed his arms and waited and Ruby didn't disappoint; as the Beowolf created an opening by overextending itself, desperate to land at least one hit on the little girl, Ruby arched forward and swung Crescent Rose...
Only for it to barely nick the beast's neck.
The silence at that moment was almost deafening as all just kind of stared at the proceeding. The only one who wasn't was the growling Beowolf which was readying itself for another attack.
"OH WOULD YOU JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!"
It wouldn't be the only thing growling and roaring. Immediately Bakugo just shot forward and drove one of his fists into the back of the beast, causing it to howl in pain as a little explosion tore into its back. Ruby watched, a slight glimmer of an amused grin on her lips, as the three of them watched Kacchan just yell and shout at this one last Beowolf, cussing it out as he just beat the tar of out if it. Honestly, Izuku almost felt bad for the Beowolf at the end of it, as its last swing missed by a wide margin and Kacchan just kept punching it into the dirt.
Honestly, if not for the fact that it would draw Bakugo's attention, Izuku thought that he, Pyrrha and Ruby would almost be ready to laugh at this display. Still, soon enough, this last Beowolf began to dissolve as well, along with the others that Kacchan had set ablaze before. That should've been a celebratory atmosphere. The calm after a raging battle. They all had won and Izuku'd been the only one to take a hit, and even then it hadn't been too bad. He wasn't anywhere near as bad off as he had been during his first fight...
But something felt... off. Something that made him shiver in his boots. He followed the trail of this feeling, as do Ruby and Pyrrha... and the three of them found Katsuki staring right at Izuku, his teeth still set on edge and his eyes narrowed at him. He frowned deeply at Deku as he turned his body to face Izuku full on.
'What?' Izuku thought, mildly confused, ' I know I did something this fight, or maybe it was because I took a hit at all, or whatever Bakugo would be upset about, but I can't see why he seems this... this…'
'I took a hit.'
"Hey, Deku..." Kacchan muttered under his breath, his gaze intensifying.
Izuku took a hit from a Beowolf head on... and absorbed it without taking actual damage.
Of all the people who he could've shown his Aura to...
It had to be the one person who knew what he really was.
"Nice Aura you have there..."
He felt his features immediately pale as Bakugo slowly approached him.
"Tell me... was it funny? Did you get a good laugh while you made me look like a fool?! Did you, you bastard?!"
For a moment he froze up. This was it. This was the moment where Katsuki finally took his hand and blew Izuku's head off. He could see him flex one of his hands already, small trails of smoke flowing through them. This was... he was going surprisingly slowly for being so angry. He'd seen Bakugo angry before; he'd usually charge in without a second thought and just start creaming the person. He had just now done it with the Grimm. Looking up at Bakugo's face he could see the fury but there's conflict there. Conflict that only grows further when Pyrrha stepped forward in front of Izuku.
"What exactly are you doin' Red? Trying to get in my damn way?" Bakugo growled out at Pyrrha, though Izuku's partner seemed resolute as she stared at him dead on.
"I'm just here to make sure that you don't do anything that might attract more and greater Grimm and for you to let Izuku have his piece." Pyrrha's words allowed Izuku to relax for a moment and, it seemed, Kacchan just ground his teeth together before he straightened himself out.
"There's nothing to talk about. Deku... that rat bastard had everyone believing that he had no Aura. He's been holding it back this entire time and-"
"No Kacchan!" Bakugo actually stopped as he looked over at Izuku, his green eyes going wide with panic as his momentary outburst drew attention back to him. "Listen, Kacchan... I didn't lie to anyone! For the longest time my family and I honestly thought I couldn't manifest Aura! That wasn't a lie! We just... we just didn't know." He put a hand to his chest as he took a deep breath. "The problem was that... that I just had a very weak Soul. Normal examinations and practices couldn't get it to manifest an Aura... I needed help..."
Hey, these were all 'technically' true after all. Izuku did have a very weak Soul... in that he was Broken and 'couldn't' manifest Aura. And he did need help to manifest it... from Toshinori and One For All.
"And... and I'm still weaker than you Kacchan. That isn't a lie or a joke either. You're still strong and confident and... everything I haven't been. That I couldn't have been... but... but I'm strong enough now!" Izuku gestured to the Beowolf that he had knocked unconscious and then cleaned up with Pyrrha, the dissolving corpse a testament to his battle with it. "I have an Aura, even if it's a weak one! I have the strength to be a Huntsman now! That's... that's what I meant back at Mountain Glenn Kacchan! That's why I said I wouldn't let you stop me from coming here! I have a right to be here now! I can be a Huntsmen, and I've proved it enough times to myself and here and now..."
Bakugo just tightened his fists, so much so that he imagined that if he weren't wearing gloves that his fingernails would have pierced through the skin of his palm. It wasn't his fists that told the story of what was going on in his mind however... it was the eyes. Bakugo's red orbs darted around the area, from Izuku to the Grimm to his partner. There was a sort of chaos behind them, a mounting frustration and irritation that seemed ready to explode at any given moment.
It did... but the explosions were centered around Katsuki's hands as he let out a loud yell. A little bit of tension was released but, in the end, Bakugo still seemed heavily on edge.
"That's some bullshit Deku! You... AAAARGH!" For good measure Bakugo let loose a large explosion from his hands. "Fine!" Immediately Kacchan turned on his heels and began to storm off, the action of such surprise to everyone that it took Ruby a moment to recognize what's happening.
"Wait! Where are you going?! You can't just-"
"This bastard is pissing me off! I didn't want him to come with us! I didn't want his help! I didn't NEED his help! I've never needed his help! I didn't back when everyone thought he was a Broken loser and I don't need it now that he actually has Aura! If I spend another moment around here with that bastard... ARGH! Red's right, I'm, this is... it's just attracting more fucking pain in the ass Grimm! So whatever! Deku thinks he's good enough to be a Huntsman? That he's good enough to keep poking his nose where he's not wanted! Fine! But I don't need to stick around and get looked down on for it! I'm not going to keep drawing the fucking Grimm to us! Cause no matter what you think Deku, you're not better than me! You've never been better than me!" Bakugo turned back forward and continues walking. "Stay with them if that's what you want so bad you runt, but I'm getting to those fucking ruins and then out of this damn forest!" With that, Bakugo stormed off, leaving a significantly quieter clearing behind. It was a long moment before anyone either moved or spoke, everyone just kind of shocked by what had transpired. Izuku was just shocked that he actually didn't end up getting punched out by Kacchan, while the others just seemed surprised by the information that just hit the air.
Still, it isn't long before Izuku saw Ruby bite her lip, her silver eyes darting back and forth for a moment before she sighed.
"Well... he's a jerk. A big, stupid one... but we aren't passing this test unless we do it together." Ruby folded Crescent Rose back up and put it on her hip, looking back over at Izuku and Pyrrha. She smiled gratefully and nodded her head. "I really appreciate that you guys came along... and I'm sorry. I'm really sorry... if I'd known that you two-"
"It's okay, it's not your fault." Izuku honestly felt kind of numb when he said it. "I don't understand. I've never thought I was better than Kacchan. Just the opposite... he's always been a lot more courageous than I've been. A lot more confident... and he was always stronger than me. Still is. In a weird way, I still look up to him as part of what being a strong Hunter's about... I don't understand."
"I think it's safe to say that's true for everyone..." Pyrrha commented idly as she rested a hand on his shoulder. Ruby nodded in ready agreement before she took a deep breath and slapped herself on the cheeks.
"Well, wish me luck! See you guys at the ruins!" She seemed confident enough that they'd all meet up again and as Izuku and Pyrrha nodded their ascent, she sped off; not at the super speeds that Izuku was readily familiar with but fast enough. Izuku really did wish her luck.
'Kacchan's not easy for anyone to deal with, even if they've known him for years… it's just so hard to know what's in his head…'
Katsuki Bakugo. Best damn student to come out in the history of Mountain Glenn's Combat School and, as far as he was concerned, the next in line to be the greatest Huntsman in the world. The man who would follow after Toshinori Yagi.
And he never needed anyone's help.
"Hey, are you okay? That could've been bad if you hit your head..."
He never asked for anyone's help.
"Kacchan... I couldn't just stand there and watch you die!"
He never wanted anyone's help.
"Kacchan, she's right. We're all heading the same way anyway and... well, there are safety in numbers."
Especially not from people who were beneath him. People who looked at him and decided that yes, "he" needed their help. Because "he" was beneath "them". Whether they had power or not. Katsuki Bakugo, the guy with one of the most powerful Semblances that damn School had ever seen... needing help from a loser like Izuku Midoriya. Deku. He gripped his hands together into tight fists, wisps of smoke fuming out from between his fingers. Despite his efforts to extinguish his own fuse, he couldn't help coming back to being pissed off at that bastard. He knew that, to the Grimm, he might as well be a lighthouse right now. Continuing to be this fucking pissed wasn't going to do him any good with passing this test.
But, hey, no one ever said that he was easy to cool off once he got going.
"Dammit... whatever. I just need to get back on track. Once I get out of these damn woods I can get back on track..." He took a deep breath as he raised his head to get a better look around, peering through the canopy to get as good a look at the sun as he could...
It's only then that it dawned on him; he was actually lost. He, of all people, was lost.
'IDIOT! You let yourself get so wrapped up in all this bullshit concerning Deku, that you actually somehow managed to get lost in some Podunk woods! Great, just fucking fantastic, what could've been next?!'
"There you are!" He was snapped from his own frustration as he turned to face his partner. "I was looking for you on the trail to the ruins but... well, I didn't see any sign of you. So I looked around a bit and... well, you're pretty easy to find. Not a lot of folks who leave a trail smelling like a gas fire." He narrowed his eyes as she spoke; he'd gotten pretty far off before she followed him...
'... must've been that Semblance of hers.'
'That fuckin' Semblance of hers…'
"So you got on the trail of the ruins, runt?" Her cheeks puffed out in annoyance but, he just quickly waved his hand. "Then what the Hell are you standing around for? Come on, time's wasting."
"Hey wait a minute! You can't just run off, tell me that you don't even care if I stick around or not and then just... wait. Are you..." The girl stopped for a moment to tilt her head to the side and he could "feel" the annoyance bubbling up in him. It wasn't until a moment later that a smirk came up on her face. "Did you... get lost? Are you saying you need my-"
"Finish that sentence and I promise you that after we pass this test I'll set you on fire."
'Fuuuuck. The fucking runt is just smirking at me,' and then she turned on her heels and pointed out the direction, leading the way. Her smile transformed into something so smug that Bakugo almost hated it as much as Izuku. Almost.
"Keep up if you can."
But it was getting there.
A few things ran through his mind as they walked, 'As much as this little runt annoys me... I do need her. I can't pass this test without her and attending Beacon is the 'only' way Im going to become the best Huntsman. It's something I need. Whatever level of pissed off was running through me before with Deku shouldn't have distracted me from that…'
The next were the thoughts that had surrounded him for most of his stay here at Beacon proper so far... and through his time in the Emerald Forest so far.
'The runt has a powerful semblance. She also wields a HCSS with a great deal of efficiency and skill... most of those cuts were clean. Shoto Todoroki, the son of the second great huntsmen and Toshinori Yagi's former partner, Enji, was also in attendance here at Beacon. And that girl, red, who was partnered with Deku... she stared me down like she hadn't even needed to worry about what I could do to her.'
All of this swirled around in his head as he stewed in his own thoughts, all the while Ruby Rose seemed quite pleased with herself.
A/N: Something I didn't note last time; so the point of the players having the chance to meet all the characters in Quest and to talk to them was to allow the Questers to build a rapport with characters of their choosing, allowing them to potentially pick out a partner later if all went well. To that end, the Questers chose to partner up with Pyrrha...
Every other partner pair, on the other hand, was randomly rolled. Yes, all these other partner pairs were just happenstance.
This won't be the last time something this fortuitous happened with random rolls either.