Fast As The Wind Chapter 4
Hey guys, sorry I didn't get this chapter out last week. Work has kept me busy due to Christmas being right around the corner. Anyway, not much for an update here. The physical exams are gonna happen this chapter, and I'm sure you're wondering who Michael will be working with :)
Well, time to find out! (Also I got lazy so I won't be writing the rest of the dialogue from the scene I typed out last chapter)
All-Might explained and revealed the weights that Mei Hatsume made for the teachers as a handicap, and explained the rules. Finally, the pairings (and trio) were revealed as follows:
Kirishima and Sato v Cementoss
Asui and Tokoyami v Ectoplasm
Iida and Ojiro v Power Loader
Todoroki and Yaoyorozu v Eraserhead
Aoyama and Uraraka v Thirteen
Ashido and Kaminari v Nezu
Jiro and Koda v Present Mic
Hagakure and Shoji v Snipe
Mineta, Sero, and Allen v Midnight
Midoriya and Bakugo v All-Might
Iida and Michael were surprised they weren't together, but Michael was even more surprised he was going up against Midnight. As far as he could tell, this matchup was easy for him, because he could just make tracks for the goal and win for his team, especially since the weights would slow her down even more. But come to think of it, he didn't actually know what Midnight's quirk was, which he realized was the reason why he was pitted against her with Sero and Mineta. Not because he was a pervert like the other two, but because her quirk could somehow slow him down or immobilize him in some way. He followed the two perverts, and Mineta exclaimed, "We've got to find a way to destroy Ms. Midnight's costume!" Sero just shook his head behind him, his voice slightly reverberated due to his tape dispenser-shaped helmet. "You're such a little scumbag…"
Michael walked over next to them. "Hey guys, I hate to ask, but what's Ms. Midnight's quirk?" The two just stared at him, jaws dropped. "How do you not know her quirk?" Mineta asked incredulously. Michael scratched his neck. "I don't read up a lot on heroes. I like to be surprised. But this time I feel like I need to know if we are going to pass." Sero stepped in front of him. "Dude, that's super weird that you don't read up on heroes like the rest of us, but whatever. I'll explain. Her quirk is called Somnambulist. She can put people to sleep with the fragrance that emanates from her skin. It's more effective on men than women. Though I still don't know why this is a tough matchup for you. Shouldn't you just be able to run right past her?" the speedy blonde shook his head. "If what you said is true, that's not an option. She will most likely have her fragrance clouding the area in front of the escape gate. I get one whiff of that, I'm out cold and probably go flying if I'm using my quirk. Not a very good idea. That's why I'm trying to formulate a strategy for us to win. We've got speed, tape, and sticky balls. I'm trying to figure out how we're going to do this. You guys are better at range due to your quirks, I have to be up close to do anything." Sero put a hand to his chin. "Hmmm, you raise a good point. And if we wanna try capturing her, we're almost certainly gonna fail, because we won't have any protection against her quirk. Well, I've got my helmet, but it won't do enough." Mineta shook his head in defeat. "So we're basically screwed. We can't breathe in her fragrance, so we can't capture her, and we can't get to the escape gate because she will be guarding it." Michael widened his eyes a bit. "Wait, I have an idea…" the three huddled together so he could tell them their plan.
Back at the viewing center, Midoriya and Uraraka were watching the others in their matches. Kirishima and Sato went down almost instantly, their match turning into one of endurance, which Cementoss easily won by creating endless walls that they kept smashing until their quirks ran out of steam. Recovery Girl got up off her chair. "It's only the first match and I'm already needed." she grumbled. Next was Tsu and Tokoyami against Ectoplasm. The two managed to pull off a surprising victory due to Tsu being able to swallow the cuffs and regurgitate them, allowing Dark Shadow to sneak them onto Ectoplasm's leg. He commended them both, and Tsu joined Midoriya and Uraraka in the viewing room, and Michael walked in. "So this is Iida's match now, huh?" he asked, wanting to see him succeed. Uraraka turned to him. "Oh, hey Michael. Yeah, it's Iida's match. Speaking of which, did you and the other two come up with a plan?" Michael nodded, his grin getting somehow wider. "Yep! I'm confident we're gonna win!" The others smiled. "Good, strategizing with your teammates is the key to success in this exam." Recovery Girl told him, smiling.
Meanwhile, Iida and Ojiro were trying to figure out how to get past Power Loader, realizing that cuffing him was almost impossible due to his burrowing under the ground. "I believe the best course of action is to retreat and to find a pro better suited to dealing with him." Iida deduced with confidence. He was going to pass this exam, and prove to himself that Michael wasn't better than him. Ojiro nodded, and the two came up with an idea. "Fusion!" Iida shouted, with Ojiro on his back. The boy looked embarrassed and muttered, "I can only imagine how stupid we look right now…" Back at the viewing room, the people there raised an eyebrow or shook their head. Michael just smiled. "Well, Iida's got a plan. I think they've got this!" he declared. And indeed they did. Iida charged and Power Loader (To whom I'll be referring as PL to conserve my sanity) tried to open up craters to drop them in. Iida commanded Ojiro to wrap his tail around his leg, and the two spun, Iida launching Ojiro forward with a Recipro Burst. PL came up to intercept, but Ojiro used his momentum to bounce off him with his tail and soared through the gate. Iida smiled, knowing they had passed as the gate changed to read "Congratulations!" as the announcer announced their passing of the exam. He then felt the ground around him. "Also, I am completely stuck!" he declared matter-of-factly rather than in a surprised manner. 'Still, I passed. Let's see how Michael does.'
The rest of the matches went along pretty smoothly, the only pair to fail after Iida's group being Kaminari and Ashido against Nezu, his intelligence was WAY too much for the two, who had a history of being, not the brightest, despite Kaminari's quirk. Finally, it was time for Michael's match with Sero and Mineta against Midnight. They stepped into the arena, handcuffs on Sero's belt. Michael turned to the two. "You guys ready?" he asked. They nodded, confident that they at least had a chance. The announcer came on the P.A. "Team Sero, Mineta, and Allen. Practical exam. Ready? Go!" Michael slipped is goggles over his eyes. "Alright! Sero, tape!" Sero took off some small strips, and gave one to each of them. Mineta then attached two of his balls to Michael's back. He grabbed one, and Sero grabbed the other, letting it stick to his hand. "Ready?" Michael asked, getting in a running position. "Yep!" "Let's do this!" they put the tape over their mouths and noses after taking a big breath, and Michael readied himself. His voice was heavily muffled as he counted down. "3...2...1!" Suddenly, he sped forward, but he didn't go as fast as he did when he raced Iida, partially to not lose Mineta, partially because he didn't want to use all his oxygen. They ran for a good while, finally seeing Midnight in the distance. She raised an eyebrow as she saw them coming, noting their speed. 'Odd strategy. And he's slowing down?' Sure enough, he slowed to a halt and Mineta jumped off him. His voice was muffled, but he clearly said, "Your quirk won't work on us like this, will it lady?" Midnight's eyes widened in surprise. 'They used Sero's tape! But they won't be able to breathe for too long.' She cracked her whip. "So what? You're going to suffocate before this is over." she told them as she walked forward. Mineta then threw his balls at Midnight as she cracked her whip, keeping her in place as her whip was stuck to her hand AND the ground. She struggled to pull her whip back, surprised at it suddenly not moving, before she heard Michael shout something, but realized what it was, too late: "Sero now!" The boy shot a strip of tape at Midnight, attaching her other arm to a pointed rock on the ground before Michael took the cuffs from Sero and went to attach them to her arm. Midnight attempted to kick, but found more balls on her legs. She smiled, and thought to herself, 'Wow, these boys really made this look easy.' Michael then attached the handcuffs, and the buzzer went off. "Team Sero, Mineta, and Allen have passed the final!" She let her quirk stop, and the boys pulled the tape off their faces, gasping for air. She then addressed them. "That was perfectly executed. You managed to not only defend yourself against my quirk using your own, but managed to completely immobilize me without my chance at a counterattack. You passed with flying colors." The trio cheered. Then she added, "Now can you please let me go?" they turned, forgetting her predicament, and they pulled the tape and balls off of her, and Sero finally was able to be let off Michael. They walked back to the school, glad that they were able to not only pass, but impress their teacher. Mineta was just ecstatic that he got Midnight to "notice" him, in his eyes.
Iida was glad that they won, but inside he was in turmoil. 'He had a solid plan and they executed it so well. I know I shouldn't be worried. So why am I?'
Well, I bet THAT wasn't what you were expecting, was it? How many of you were expecting him to be paired with Iida? Well, I felt that would be too easy, and I wanted them to be able to watch each other in their exams. I also couldn't put him with Deku and Bakugo, cuz that fight would be completely different and mess up their arc too much for my liking. So I felt that putting him against Midnight with Sero and Mineta would be the best, since she COULD technically stop him with her quirk. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! See you next week!
Netherking out.