The finals continue! Momo's ultimate plan is revealed! Izuku's silly plan is revealed! Miruko runs from her problems! And they have a nice little trip to the mall, where nothing bad could possible happen!
"Ectoplasm is getting more aggressive towards the triage station, and I think Eraserhead is backing him up. We need to sortie, I feel," Tenya said over the comms.
"Can we afford to leave it undefended? If they are together, it's going to be difficult with Eraser involved," Shoji asked.
"Changeling and Earphone Jack are en route to back you up. I think we've nearly evacuated all the bots," Himiko said.
"Chargebolt also returning, I should be able to help against Ectoplasm. Not much use for Eraserhead though."
"Uravity, Queen, and Tsukuyomi are going to move to rescue missions to cover the remainder of the city," Ochako interjected.
"Can you split off and join me and Shoto? We're gonna need the backup once we find All Might," Katsuki asked.
"You go, Uravity, me and Tsukuyomi can handle the rescue bits for now!"
"Cellophane and Creati are going to rescue as well, but we'll be on call for assistance," Sero said.
"Uravity en route to Dynamight and Shoto. You guys got a plan for Eraser and Ecto?"
"With this many? We got this," Denki replied, his grin evident in his voice.
"I'll go after Eraserhead. Changeling, Tentacole, back me up, ribbit?" Tsuyu asked.
"Understood!"
"On it!"
"I shall join Earphone Jack to hunt down Ectoplasm!"
"Red Riot coming for backup on that too!"
"Um…Dynamight, Shoto?"
"Yeah?"
"...I found him."
"En route!"
"Well, looks like they found the last part of the exam, don't you think?" Nezu asked with another grin.
"C'mon sir, do you think any of us believe that?" Izuku asked, arching an eyebrow at one of his mentors.
"Believe what?"
"That it's that easy?"
Nezu chortled. "My, so suspicious! You say that as if I need to put something extra in. It's All Might, Midoriya. He may only hold embers now, but I am afraid to say that regardless of how powerful your classmates are, those three cannot stop him on their own. Which is why I find it odd you are here with me, instead of helping them. Should you not be out there, keeping your friends safe from the most dangerous villain here?"
Izuku smiled, his lips drawn and teeth barely visible, glinting in the afternoon sunlight. "Oh, but sir…I already am."
Shoto flexed his hands, feeling the ice and flame roaring through his veins, ready to be unleashed. Ochako was crouched atop a nearby building, her eyes locked on the form of All Might, standing in the middle of the street without a care in the world, his wide grin almost looking mocking to the onlooking students. And walking up to him, arrogance in every step, was Katsuki, the blonde teen staring down the Number One hero with no fear or hesitation.
"Well well well, young Bakugo, you certainly have some confidence to come at me alone!" All Might's booming voice called out, staring the young man down.
"Cut the shit All Might, you already know I'm not alone," Katsuki replied, halting a few meters away from the hero.
"Well of course haha! My senses are finely tuned after all! You may as well come out, young Uraraka, young Todoroki! I already noticed you!"
"Nah sir, I think I'll stay here for now…I'm gonna drop the building on you after all, need to be close enough to do it!" Ochako replied cheerily.
"...are we supposed to be telling him our plans? Is this part of the plan?" Shoto asked, confused.
All Might's booming laugh cut off any reply the other two could give. "I sure hope your plan wasn't to just tell me a bunch of obvious lies. Or worse, to give away your gambit. Come now, arrogance belongs to villains, not heroes, my students. Well, either way, perhaps it is time to get started, don't you think?" The muscular hero cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing about the area like a gunshot. His eyes became alight with a fiery intensity, his grin stretching to inhuman lengths as his face fell into shadows. "Let us begin…"
"How many of these clones can he make?" Eijiro snapped, smashing into another one with a hardened fist, only to find his blow deflected by a swift kick from the clone.
"Yeah, uh, there's a lot of 'em, and if I go overboard I'm out for the rest of the day!" Denki said, dashing away from a clone and quickly tagging it to shock it into a stupor. He internally cursed at how much he'd used earlier…he could feel the brain fog creeping in. Even if he didn't blow all this charge at once, going low on charge did the same thing to him, so even spacing it out wasn't a guarantee he couldn't go into his dumb mode.
"Don't falter! The three of us merely need to find the original!" Tenya replied, bolting past to kick away a clone sneaking up behind Eijiro.
"I've located the original, but we can't reach him!" Kyoka snapped, a wave of sound forcing a half dozen clones to step back.
"Give me the location…I shall apprehend him," Tenya ordered, skidding to a stop next to Kyoka.
"Two buildings to the west, he's on the third floor, fifth room from the stairs. Can you even fight in those tight corridors?" she asked, one of her jacks whipping out and stabbing a clone in the arm, shaking it internally with vibrations.
"I would be a poor hero if I could not!" Tenya replied. "Red Riot, cover Earphone Jack! Chargebolt, keep striking from the flanks! I shall chase down the fiend!"
"You got it!" Eijiro cried, running over to Kyoka's side and slamming to a halt in front of her. Smashing his fists together, he snarled at the incoming clones. "Come at me!"
"Go, we got this!" Kyoka said to Tenya, flinging her arms out and sending the smaller speakers on her arms out, a wave of sound erupting from them.
"I'll clear a path!" Denki said, focusing his arms forward. The lines of copper embedded in his costume sparked for a moment as he made finger guns pointing in the direction he wanted to fire…Hatsume had made him a really nifty pair of gloves that let him focus fire a lot easier than before (apparently she'd done something somewhat similar for Izuku she'd said?). Now, he could fire a few short range blasts exactly where he wanted, which meant…"Lightning Bolt!" he cried, and as the ultimate move's namesake said, he fired a bolt of lighting that cut through several clones, sending them collapsing to the ground and slowly dissipating into nothingness.
Tenya nodded, his engines glowing briefly as he channeled into them…he'd spent the past week healing up just for this…Izuku had mentioned something about how Quirk's like his often could be pushed further, in painful ways, to expand on their capability. So he'd gone to speak to Tensai about it, curious if he'd experienced the same…and found the secret he needed.
"Recipro…TURBO!" he shouted, the flames roaring from his engines as he practically vanished from view at the speed he was moving. He shot through the still sparking air Denki had generated, leaping over the smoldering clones and vanishing into the alleyways. Left, right, right, left, into the front door and barreling through the two clones trying to exit. Finding the stairwell, he raced up it, using the walls to kick off of and redirect himself at a speed even he found difficult to control.
He found the room Kyoka had indicated and wasted no time, knowing Ectoplasm knew he was coming. Even at the speed he was going, he kicked the door open, sending it off its hinges and instinctively ducked, dodging beneath the swipe from an Ectoplasm clone that had been stationed by the door. He careened past them all and through the various rooms, bouncing off the walls like he'd seen Gran Torino do, finally spotting his target, recognizing him from the glint of metal legs beneath his trenchcoat.
"I have you, villain! Surrender!" He called out, swiftly dashing behind the pro and trying to kick him, only to have the hero dodge at the last second and send a flurry of kicks back at him. Tenya bolted around him, finding the cramped quarters giving him a big problem…but he noticed the flicker out of the corner of his eye and decided to keep moving, holding the pro hero's attention.
He just needed Ectoplasm to focus on him as much as possible…he didn't know where she was for sure, but he knew she was waiting for her chance…there! He leapt into the air and spun about for a Quirk-powered roundhouse, hoping the sheer force would make the pro overcompensate…and he did, ducking beneath the blow and putting himself off balance…just as Himiko leapt out of the shadows, tackling the hero to the floor and securing one cuff around his left.
Tenya dove on top of him to try to pin the teacher, but Ectoplasm let out a loud snarl and opened his mouth, a massive clone forming and crashing through the building they were in, forcing the two to release him lest they be caught in the falling rubble. Tenya grabbed Himiko and bolted outside, clearing the falling building with a leap and skidding to a halt in the street, watching aghast as the clone stretched up to well over most of the surrounding buildings.
Himiko looked up, wide-eyed, the two staring at the massive creation as Kyoka and Eijiro came jogging up, also pausing at the sight of the massive Ectoplasm clone staring them down. "Did…did any of you know he could do that?" Kyoka asked.
"Nope, but Izu probably did," Himiko replied.
"Yes, well, he is not here and we have a mission to complete. Changeling, will Froppy and Tentacole be alright without you?"
"Oh, see…we all decided to come deal with Ectoplasm first!" She smiled, even as the others' eyes went wide as they saw a massive flurry of blows smashing into the clone's head, Shoji leaping past and striking him a dozen arms at once. A split second later, they heard their comms crackling.
"Strike him now!" Shoji called, the four teens springing into action. Himiko's body shifted, Katsuki appearing in her place. She rocketed up into the air, bringing her hands together to make sure the biggest blast she could do would be blinding into the eyes of the clone. She couldn't copy his supermoves, but this was still enough since it was a clone and she didn't need to be concerned about not hurting it fatally.
Tenya ran up the wall of the nearby building, the spikes soles of his boots gripping into it as he ran as fast as he could. He leapt off it, spinning in midair and pushing his engines as hard as he could, slamming into the side of the clone and making it stagger for a brief moment, only to be grabbed by Shoji on the far side, the many arms pulling as hard as they could. Kyoka ran to the other side, her jacks slipping into her boots and amplifying her heartbeat as much as she could, cracking the ground beneath the clone and making its footing even more unstable.
Himiko sent herself flying to the side Tenya was on and started blasting more, as much as she could create, trying to force the clone to fall over as well. She felt her arms burn and realized her transformation was about to fade, since every time she used a Quirk while transformed it lessened how long she could stay in form. She grit her teeth and launched herself to the ground, not wanting to lose form while midair…but the clone suddenly dissipated, leaving the group around it to blink distractedly, before a voice came over the comms.
"Ectoplasm secured, ribbit," Tsuyu said with a slight tone of pride in her voice.
"Woohoo, you go Tsu! How'd you get him?" Himiko cheered.
"Snuck up on him while he was focused on all of you. Kick to the head from frog legs hurts."
"Yes, it does, and I would appreciate it if you got me to Recovery Girl sooner rather than later. I need a bottle of aspirin now," the voice of their teacher sounded from Tsuyu's communicator, the other teens giggling sheepishly.
"Absolutely sir! I shall escort you there post-haste!" Tenya said, saluting…to no one since Ectoplasm was not in vision. He dashed off, the others staring at him as he went but shrugging. Himiko flicked on her communicator.
"Ectoplasm down, en route for Eraserhead!"
"Only four of us left, Midoriya! I'm impressed! And still two hours on the clock. Of course…All Might is still out there. And it is amusing to me that you think I have not noticed how Power Loader has been left alone. Now whatever are you planning for him, I wonder?"
Izuku calmly moved his queen forward, capturing a pawn. "I wondered when you'd talk about him. He's not really done much yet, has he?"
Nezu moved his knight, putting the queen in danger. "Yet he's not been captured. And I cannot seem to get the cameras on his location. Whatever did you do to him?"
"I did absolutely nothing, sir."
"Now now, we both know what I meant, don't play dumb."
Izuku captured another pawn. "Fair enough. Well sir, I did inform you my plan was silly. But honestly, I'd be more concerned about Momo's plan than mine."
"Oh? Will you reveal that plan to me then?" Nezu captured Izuku's queen with a curious gaze, idly noting that Izuku had done nothing to save her, yet he had not hid the threat on the piece.
"I think you'll figure it out in about three minutes, sir."
"Well, this is not the type of tied up I enjoy," Himiko mused, wrapped up as she was in Aizawa's capture scarf, stuck to a telephone pole.
"Could be worse?" Kyoka offered, wrapped up with her and trying to ignore the odd positioning.
"True, I got the cutie with me, but still, rather we were helping!" the blonde replied, one hand flexing repeatedly.
"What're you doing?" Kyoka asked.
"Trying to get enough wiggle room to get one of my knives. This stuff is special, but I got special knives too. Time to see which one wins!"
"Hold on…I can still move my jacks. Lemme see if I can help," Kyoka said quietly, shifting in place as her jacks began snaking along her arms and down to where Himiko was. The blonde giggled as they trailed over her abdomen, tickling her, but chose to keep her mouth shut knowing Kyoka couldn't afford to get distracted by her making one of her smartass comments.
Kyoka concentrated, letting them slip into Himiko's jacket and very much ignoring the implications and the blood rushing to her face as she felt her left jack find its target, one of the blonde's knives with a ring on the end. Himiko had a number of different varieties, this was on the smallest, designed so she could snatch them easily on her fingertips and fling them directly from her jacket. Kyoka wrapped the jack around it and began to snake the knife out, biting her lip in concentration as she tried to avoid letting the incredibly sharp edge cut the blonde at all.
Himiko's squirming was not helping, but she stayed silent, too focused on her efforts to scold the blond…but there! It was out of the jacket, and now she could deliver it to the blonde's hands. A moment later, Himiko's fingers clasped onto the small knife and she giggled aloud. She waited for Kyoka to retract her jacks to safety…and began sawing away at the reinforced capture scarf.
Seconds later, she was rolling her shoulders gleefully. "Himiko Knife one, capture scarf zero!" she announced proudly, as Kyoka flexed her fingers to clear the numbness.
"We're a bit busy? Celebrate later?" Kyoka said, glancing sideways at the blonde who gave her a quick grin, her form melting into Ochako's.
"Oh dontcha worry Earphone Jack…I got a plan!"
"This is your plan?!" Kyoka shouted, arms wrapped tightly around Himi-Chako's waist as the two soared above the area Eraserhead was currently fighting off Tenya, Tsu, and Shoji. So far, the pro hadn't noticed them high above, but Kyoka was very worried he would and send the two of them falling to their deaths and/or injury.
"Yep! We just need the right moment, then we nuke from orbit!"
"Until he turns his gaze on us and we fall!"
"Nah, cause Tentacole knows the plan. See, he has an ear on us! He's ready to catch us if we fall!" Himiko pointed down, to where Shoji had one extra arm behind his back doing a subtle thumbs up to them out of Eraserhead's eyesight.
Kyoka sighed, burying her head into Himiko's back for a second before her cheeks flushed as she realized the position she was in. "W-whatever! What do you want me to do?"
"Soon as we get an opening, slam him with the biggest Distortion you got! He'll hopefully be distracted and one of those three can bring him down, or he looks up at us and frees someone else to strike!"
"And we fall…" Kyoka muttered under her breath. Shaking her head to clear it, she bit her lip as her jacks slid down her sleeves and into the speakers on her boots. She pulsed her heartbeat once, twice, making sure she was ready to unleash, and stared down, waiting for the moment Himiko was calling for…there!
"Heartbeat Distortion!" she cried, sending waves of sound roaring down atop of her homeroom teacher, the pro stumbling for a brief second. He glanced up and as predicted, eyes flared red, Kyoka's Quirk cutting off as Himiko's body became slippery, the gray sludge slipping off her and revealing her normal form. The two girls began to fall, Kyoka panicking, but she was able to glance down and see Shoji rushing beneath them. Himiko giggled, flicking a knife towards her teacher to try and force his gaze away.
He dodged the knife, his scarf flitting out to try and grab onto Tenya as the taller teen dashed past with a kick. Tsu's tongue shot out, slapping away the scarf, before she leapt to the right and vanished into an alleyway, triggering her camouflage. With Eraserhead's gaze now turned from them, Himiko's body shifted once more, this time into Tsuyu's. Wrapping her tongue around a nearby pole, she grabbed Kyoka in her arms and swung them down, halting their momentum for Shoji to grab them both and help them skid to a stop. Himiko leapt away, also vanishing into the alleyway as Tsu had a second ago.
Shoji launched a dozen fists towards Eraserhead, the pro twisting between them and flicking his scarf out, getting it ahold of Shoji's waist and sending the boy flying into Tenya, the two teenagers sent crashing into the nearby wall. Eraserhead takes a step towards the barely standing Kyoka, when a loud crackling of ice is the only warning he gets as a stream of ice wraps around his feet and legs, trailing up his body and encasing him in ice.
Everyone turns around, staring at Shoto who does not belong there, only for gray ooze to slip off his face revealing the smirking Himiko. "...when did you get Shoto's blood?" Kyoka asks, blinking rapidly.
"Last night. Figured it'd come in handy!"
"So wait, I thought you could only use Quirks from certain people?" Shoji asked, confused.
Himiko's cheeks pinked, but she kept her proud smile as she planted her feet on her hips. "Y-yeah, it's if I love them enough! And um…I kind of love the whole class, you're all really awesome and kind and you guys accept me so…I can probably use anyones in class?"
"Oh. Well…I feel great affection for you as well, Himiko, you are a dear and treasured friend!" Tenya said, stepping over and clapping her on the shoulder, a little bit too harshly if her wince held any indication.
"This is very touching, kids, but would you please get me out of the ice before I get hypothermia?" Aizawa drawled, the gathered teens turning to look at Himiko who chuckled nervously.
"Um…I didn't get a lot of blood so…I uh, can't turn back into Shoto right now?"
"...I'll go get the robots, ribbit," Tsuyu sighed, hopping off.
"I got knives! We can chip away the ice!" Himiko announced, pulling a dozen knives out from…somewhere, no one was entirely sure where.
Shoji's arms reached out and snatched them all from her grasp, sighing beneath his mask. "I shall begin picking through as quickly as possible. Please stand still sir."
"...yes, I'll do my best," Aizawa deadpanned, still frozen in place.
"And so we're down to three. You've all done quite well, in fact. Good teamwork, strategy, capture techniques…why, I'm impressed at how much you hid from us. But do you think you can finish us all off?"
Izuku watched as his knight was taken, taking a sip of his tea once more. "We'll see how well the next phase goes, won't we?"
Nezu chuckled. "Answering without actually answering me. Well done, Midoriya. You are learning well."
Izuku smiled up at Nezu. "I had good teachers."
"Fucking hell," Katsuki swore as he slammed into another building, his back arching in pain. He had no time to relax, planting his hands down and launching himself into the air and over the massive punch that smashed into the ground where he had been. All Might turned to Katsuki with a dangerous grin.
"Good dodge, young Bakugo! But not good enough!" All Might vanished, reappearing next to Katsuki. The blonde teen had no time to dodge, eyes wide, as All Might reared back to punch him back down into the street…when he was blindsided by the side of a building, sending the pro hero careening down the street.
"You okay, Dynamight?" Ochako asked, pressing one hand against her stomach to try to reduce the queasiness from lifting something so heavy.
"Peachy," he grunted, staring towards the figure stomping at them through the smoke. Shoto slid up next to them, his uniform tattered, a bruise darkening the scarred side of his face. The elemental quirk user glanced at the other two next to him, them just as disheveled as he was.
"How long before Creati's plan takes hold?" he murmured, one hand flickering with flames as the ground around him crackled with ice.
"Should be any second now," Ochako replied, her hands wide and ready to grab onto anything she could get a hold of.
"Well it'd better hurry the fuck up because we can't take much more of this!" Katsuki snarled, bending low and holding his arms wide to prepare for the rush.
All Might's booming laughter echoed from the smoke before them, his perfectly fit form smirking, not a mark on his uniform visible. "Well, well, well, the heroes still stand defiant! Too bad for you, you should have given up when you had the chance. Now…I get serious." All Might pulled one of his fists back, smile wide as the three teens eyes went wide, all of them preparing to scatter…
But a sudden kick from a pair of yellow boots to the back of All Might's head sent the hero stumbling forward, distracting him and making him spin about to look for his opponent…his own eyes wide in shock at the sight of the smirking form of Gran Torino.
"...Sensei?" he asked, shocked enough to revert to older forms of address.
"Pay attention Toshinori, it's an exam!" the older man mocked. All Might had little time to relax, as a bullet rocketed into his side, making him wince in pain. Another kick hit him a moment later, the white-clad form of Miruko skidding to a stop next to Gran with her own feral grin plastered on her face.
"Finally! I've wanted to spar with you for years! Come on Number One, let's do this!"
"W-what? What is going on?" All Might gaped.
"Creati bribed us," Chizome said, appearing out of an alleyway and casually sharpening one of his swords.
"She what?!" All Might asked…only to turn and stare at the three students who were now giggling to themselves…well, Ochako was giggling, Shoto had a soft chuckle, but Katsuki was absolutely rolling on the floor laughing like a hyena.
"Yep! She offered me something I couldn't refuse…a chance to fight you!" Miruko said with her eyes gleaming and teeth bared. "C'mon Uravity, get over here and help me kick the shit out of Number One!"
"Yes ma'am!" Ochako said cheerfully, mirth in her voice as she jogged over to stand next to Miruko with a beatific smile on her face.
"I needed to teach you a new lesson anyways…and she offered me a lifetime supply of taiyaki, so there is that," Gran remarked.
"I just want to take your measure as a teacher for my daughter. Also, I had to pay you back for the autograph," Chizome said with a shrug.
"How is attacking me paying me back?!"
"I never claimed to be sensible about these sorts of things."
Miruko's ear twitched, the bunny hero nodding after a moment. "Nagant says Creati promised her a seat at her favorite restaurant. Which…she owns, I guess?"
All Might blinked. "...that's all it takes for you four to ignore Nezu's request?"
"His request was that we were here as optional objectives. Well, she took advantage of the optional objectives!" Miruko said with a smirk.
"I-" All Might was cut off by another kick to the back of his head from Gran Torino, the jet hero cackling.
"Enough talk! Come now, heroes…capture the villain!"
Nezu was quite literally rolling on the floor laughing at the absurdity. Izuku stood up and leaned over the table, arching an eyebrow at his mentor as the chimera cackled madly.
"Are you alright sir?"
"Hah, haha, oh dear me, that is certainly some plan, Midoriya! And that isn't your plan?"
Izuku shook his head no, an unbidden smile crossing his face at the sheer joy wafting off his mentor. "Nope. All Momo. I had no input at all, most of the class came together to think of ways to get them on our side."
Nezu, still chuckling, righted his chair and hopped up into it, ready to finish their little game. "Very well then Midoriya…whatever was your oh so silly plan?"
Izuku moved his King out of check, but smiled ruefully as he noticed he was trapped. Nezu moved his Queen into position, his toothy grin becoming more smug. "Ah, checkmate. Good game, Midoriya."
"Yes sir. Checkmate is right," Izuku replied, his own grin widening to match Nezu's. A second later, as the two stared each other down, a small beeping noise caught Nezu's attention. The chimera hero glanced down at the tablet on his side, watching as it flickered for a brief moment…and then heard the sounds.
Every turret, robot, and machine connected to the network activated, the various defensive measures that surrounded the Training Ground all turning on and arming within moments, in a terrifyingly efficient dance. Three turrets popped up, pointing directly at Nezu, the Headmaster's grin growing even wider as he held his paws up peacefully.
"You hacked the system?"
"Absolutely not. Hacking is time consuming and difficult to do, and even if I can't do it, I know how poorly movies and such portray it. No sir, Prism helped Whisper get close enough to Power Loader, and Whisper got him to surrender his login credentials…and then we just hooked a small receiver up for Hatsume to take control of the system. You see? Silly."
Nezu's laughter could be heard echoing over the rooftops as Izuku stood up and pulled a pair of cuffs from his pocket, gently capturing the chimeric hero, the sound of the exam bell ringing out. Power Loader visibly annoyed, being led to the capture area by Hitoshi and the visible costume of Toru, and All Might, pouting, being pushed along by Gran Torino whacking him in the shins to move him along, having had to surrender when every single machine turned on him, adding to the assault from the heroes and hero students. With that, the final exams were over.
"Well, I see no reason to delay the results…you passed with flying colors!" Nezu said with a wide, cheerful grin to the gathered heroic class students. They burst into cheers, pats on the back, and hugs, half of them jumping up and down, even the normally more reserved ones smiling wide.
"That said, your teachers will, of course, have critiques for you that we expect you all to go over with a fine-toothed comb, as it were. We'll be posting our full breakdowns of your actions next week. For now, you should enjoy your weekend!" Nezu continued.
Aizawa stepped forward. "Before you run off…we'll be holding a training camp after this, in one week's time. Both you and Class 1-B will be going. No, we will not tell you where yet. But you should make certain that if you have any requirements, you bring them or inform us beforehand. Details will be given to the Class Reps later today. For now, make sure you all get checked out with Recovery Girl before heading to the dorms."
"Yes yes, all of you, over here one by one. Just to be sure none of you broke something!" Recovery Girl called out, her eyes narrowed as she glared up at the heroics students. The students began to walk over to her, but were interrupted as a shorter woman, dressed in an all pink power suit, with an otter head mutation and glasses that she pushes up on her nose stepped up behind Recovery Girl.
Ochako heard Miruko, who had been standing behind her, make a noise she never thought the bunny hero could…a squeak of fear.
"One moment, Madam Recovery Girl. I need to find my client. Have any of you seen Miss Usagiyama anywhere?"
The class was confused for a moment, but Ochako recognized the name. "You mean Miruko? She's right behind…me…" Ochako trailed off as she turned around, seeing the suddenly retreating back of Miruko very quickly walking down the hallway (definitely not running, oh no).
The otter headed woman sighed and began striding through the students and teachers. "My apologies. My client can be recalcitrant at times. Do forgive me for the interruption."
"Ah, Miss Kawauso, you came to fetch Miruko?" Nezu asked as she passed. The woman nodded severely, pausing to speak to the Headmaster.
"She has ignored several important meetings and we have contracts to go over. I came here as I heard she was spending time here. Thankfully, Miss Recovery Girl was kind enough to allow me to review the footage." She paused for a moment, her gaze scanning the room until it fell upon Ochako, the brunette squeaking as the severe woman (even shorter than her but somehow having a presence that made her seem massive) beckoned her over.
Ochako obeyed, a little bit worried and gave the woman a sheepish smile. "Y-yes?"
"You are Ochako Uraraka, yes?"
"Yes ma'am?"
"Excellent. I am Miss Usagiyama's secretary. Here," she said, pulling a piece of paper out of a manilla envelope held beneath her left arm. "I request you fill out this questionnaire and return it through the mailing envelope provided. As you were her first intern, I believe your input would be valuable for future such cases. Please address it to me, Miss Otsu Kawauso, as Miss Usagiyama would lose it or throw it away the moment she sees it."
Ochako blinked at the paper for a moment, taking it with shaking hands. "U-um, sure. Yeah, I can do that!"
Kawauso nodded. "Thank you. Now, if you will all excuse me, I must speak to my client. Good day, and I hope your careers are successful." Like a whirlwind, the otter-headed woman left, leaving most of the students staring at her in consternation.
"...she was scarier than the villains," Denki murmured, the class humming along in agreement.
Nezu clapped his hands. "Well, that's that I suppose! Go on, enjoy your weekend!"
"Hey, Izu?" Himiko said, shuffling up next to the green-haired teen as they all headed to the locker rooms.
"Hmm?"
"Should we go to the mall this weekend, get some stuff for the trip you think?"
Izuku paused, thinking about it for a moment before turning to Momo, who had been listening in. "What do you think? Perhaps the whole class? I imagine everyone needs to get something."
Momo nodded. "Oh yes, that seems like an excellent idea. Let's broach the subject when we get back to the dorms."
The class was more than happy to go to the mall together, all agreeing that it'd be nice to get some time to relax and spend time outside the school. Everyone agreed to split up upon reaching the mall, picking different partners or groups to spend some time with, agreeing to meet back up in the food court a couple hours later for a quick meal before heading home. Izuku found himself with Shoto, the split-haired boy confused by the idea of camping and Izuku volunteering to give him a hand in picking out anything they might need.
The rest of the class were split pretty evenly in groups of three or four, but Izuku still found himself a little surprised by how quickly they'd all darted off, leaving him and Shoto standing there, blinking in confusion at the speed. He shrugged, turning to the split-haired teen next to him. "Well, shall we? I figure we'll just wander about a bit, since most of the others will pick up anything we need, we can talk about what it's like and you tell me if you think you need anything."
"Alright. Do you think they'll have soba out there?"
Izuku couldn't help it, he snickered. "I…I doubt it."
"Can we pick some up then?"
"...sure Shoto. Sure," Izuku grinned, leading the other teen with him to one of the nearby shops. Spending time with Shoto was swiftly becoming one of his favorite activities, if Izuku was being honest. The other teen was just so innocent in some ways that it was refreshing to see. And seeing how Shoto was slowly opening up, not just to him but to the rest of the class brought a lot of warm feelings for Izuku…just knowing he felt comfortable around them was the biggest thing, in Izuku's mind.
Shoto was endlessly curious about their idiosyncrasies…like Himiko's blood drinking. He'd easily volunteered for it, curious both about how it felt and what it tasted like (Himiko had informed him that he tasted like a strawberry milkshake with spice…Izuku had no clue what that even tasted like, but Shoto had accepted the answer). He'd spent a lot of time with Tenya, the two talking about the pressure of a hero family.
Time with Ochako was spent talking about her family a lot. Ochako was very patient, which was good since he'd been a tad bit offensive to her when he offered her one of Endeavor's credit cards when he found out about her family's financial troubles (Momo and Izuku had to sit Shoto down and explain why that wasn't the best way to show support. Luckily, Ochako didn't actually take offense, she just thought it was adorable that he tried to be supportive).
He'd tried to learn to cook with Izuku and Katsuki…but like half the class, the boys had to ban him from the kitchen when he refused to agree that his left side was not a viable substitute for the stovetop. He was doing well at learning how to play the piano from Kyoka though…he said he found it relaxing, which Izuku was glad he could find a hobby to focus on. Although the cutest part was, since Shoto had little to no shame, how willing he was to sit there while Eri tried out various hairstyles and nail polish on the young man, giggling the whole time in glee.
So this mall trip Izuku hoped would get Shoto even further out of his shell. He'd spent time with the whole class recently, so now he could see some strangers in their 'natural' environment, as it were…okay, nothing natural about a mall but crowds were crowds, after all. The two spent a good hour casually sauntering through the mall, Izuku explaining what a camping trip would entail and helping Shoto get what little he needed…although they got distracted by a hero merchandise store and Shoto may have bought half the stock of everything that wasn't Endeavor to give as gifts to his classmates. This was one of the times Izuku was quite glad that his Quirk gave him enhanced strength…because gods be damned he needed it right now. Still, the small smile on Shoto's face that may as well have been a beaming grin equal to Ochako's had Izuku smiling in return.
Izuku glanced to his left and noticed a bookstore across the way he was interested in, but Shoto was engrossed in choosing his soba that would be most easily brought in bulk on the trip. Izuku tapped him on the shoulder, making the other teen look up as Izuku gestured to the bookstore down the way. "Gonna go check out that store for a bit, if that's okay?"
"Certainly. I shall join you once I am done here."
"Cool. See ya in a minute!" Izuku said cheerily as he strode out of the shop and began to make his way to the bookstore. He strode along unconcerned, a small smile on his face, but…something felt off. A prickle on his skin, the soft scent of something burning in the air…pain! Danger Sense flared, his body reacting in a moment and leaping away from a hand coming to rest on his shoulder. Green began to glow beneath his skin, but a quiet voice made him freeze in place.
"Now now, little hero…don't want any accidents, do we?" Izuku glanced up, meeting the violet eyes of the man he may hate most in the world…Nine…the villain standing there, maskless, eyes flickering with power as his fingertips glowed softly, pointing back, a milling crowd of civilians behind the man. Izuku knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what Nine was threatening…even if he could reach the man in time, the blasts from his hands, the spectral dragons, even the storm he felt building up above the mall could all be triggered before he could stop the bastard.
"...what do you want, Nine?" Izuku growled quietly, his muscles tense.
Nine had the audacity to brush his hair back with a smirk on his face, the first time Izuku had seen him genuinely smile. "You can put the hostility away, Izuku Midoriya. I have no intention of causing harm today, so long as we can sit and have a little talk. I wasn't expecting to run into you, but now that I have, well…I can't pass up the opportunity."
"...and if I don't hear you out, you'll attack all these people?" Izuku asked, eyes narrowed.
"I'd rather not, but I also always get my way…so you tell me, hero?"
Izuku worked his jaw…he didn't like it, but he also couldn't afford to take chances. His hand twitched towards his pocket, but the raised eyebrow from Nine made him stop, realizing the villain was paying careful attention to what he did. He would have to wait for Shoto to come to him and hopefully be able to get the other teen to send the alert. For now, he'd play along. "If I listen…this ends peacefully?"
Nine nodded, his blasted smirk still on his face. "Absolutely. I just feel like we're overdue for a talk. After all…we're so intimately acquainted, aren't we?"
Izuku's hands shook at the not so subtle reminder of his past…apparently Nine remembered him now. Well good for fucking him. Every fiber of Izuku's being was on edge, ready and quite willing to try to rip this guy to shreds…but he wouldn't risk the civilians around him. Breathing deep…one, two, three, four…exhale…okay. Okay okay. He could do this. Slowly, ever so slowly, he forced his muscles to relax, doing the best he could to bleed the tension out.
His head was no longer blaring, just a dull sense of 'threat', which by now he understood to mean that Nine was being upfront…no direct malice, just a general hatred of Izuku that the boy certainly reciprocated. He let out a deep, bracing breath, and met the eyes of the man he hated most in this world. "Fine. Let's talk."