While the class was occupied with their warm up exercises, Katsuki and his opponents - Kirishima and Mineta - were being briefed on safety expectations by Midnight. Shota took the opportunity to corner Nina, who was too occupied with fastening the pair of quirk neutralizing bracelets to notice him approaching. He watched her for a few moments as her fingers fumbled around before he cleared his throat to make his presence known. She simply turned to him without looking up, too focused on locking the metal pieces together. He grew irritated at the clumsy way her fingers worked and pulled her palm out towards him, calloused fingers expertly clipping the bracelet together. "Weren't you in the support class?" he muttered critically. Nina reddened at the comment, watching silently as he worked on the bracelet. "I've been out of practice," she whispered.

His eyes darted to her face, fingers stopping all movement momentarily as he digested what she'd muttered. He couldn't tell if she was serious or playing incompetent so that he'd help, though considering her new position as a UA teacher he hoped it was the latter. He returned to the bracelet, deciding to get to the reason he'd approached her in the first place. "Regardless, I expect you to use only the force necessary for this exercise. The students haven't been exposed to something this vigorous in their training yet."

Nina felt anxiety pool in her chest as the bracelet clicked. She'd hoped that him out of everyone would treat her as someone more than a threat to those around her, but even he seemed to have his own apprehensions about her. Shouta must have noticed the shift in her mood, his cautioning taking a turn. "Not that it should be an issue, but Bakugou can be a handful when he's in the spotlight," he tried to sooth. It did little to satisfy her however, her gaze catching Midnight who was watching them from a distance.

As soon as he finished, Shouta pulled away, watching as she moved her wrist around to ensure that it wasn't too tight. "An attending student made something similar to this. This model however was based on your old design. She decided to take your work to a different direction" Shota commented. "Thank you. Gosh, that brings me back" she said, giving moving her wrist to test how the bracelet felt. He gave her a blank look upon realizing that she was toying with him,Nina's smirk bringing their age to light - aren't we getting old. It piqued Nina's interest, though she didn't have time to pry as she heard Bakugou begin to grow impatient behind them. "Are we gonna do this or what?" he barked at them.

Nina rarely had the patience for his type, though given what she was about to do to him, she decided to be a bit more forgiving.

The teaching trio moved the main event to an isolated area where Bakugou's explosive quirk wouldn't run the risk of flinging debris to the spectators. "Under normal circumstances, as heroes the two of you would have to take your environment into consideration, but I don't want to overwhelm-" Nina could barely finish her sentence, Katsuki interrupting in what Nina has come to know as a habit of his. "Don't gotta go easy on me lady" he growled. She gave him a patronizing smile and offered him her hand. "I'll give you a taste, and then we can decide," she watched as Katsuki simply grit his teeth and slammed his hand in her palm. Or, tried to at least.

The second his hand made contact with Nina's, his arm stopped its momentum and went limp making a rather unsatisfyingly soft smack. A string of angry questions died in Katsuki's throat, his body suddenly feeling loose as his mind felt like it was suddenly covered in spider like webs, all veiled with adoration for Nina. The more he tried to regain control, the more entangled he became. Kirishima approached his classmate with the intention to talk him down from his all too often tantrum, when he heard Katsuki say something that made his blood go run cold.

"Sorry for yelling."

Apologize. Katsuki had heard Nina's order, and he opened his mouth to tell her to go fuck herself but before the syllables could even form on his tongue his lips were already moving. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. The order had become all-consuming, and for once in his life he meant it.

Eijiro's usual relaxed demeanor faded, Minoru standing further behind him. "D-did I hear what I think I heard" the color from Grape Juice's face drained, and Nina let go of Katsuki's hand soon after. The blonde stumbled back, recoiling from the invisible threads that connected them snapping, his eyes unfocused as he looked at her. "For this exercise I'll be posing as the villain. Bakugou will play the civilian defending me, and the two of you will either have to tag me without hurting Bakugou, or capture him in one piece." He could barely hear what she was saying, too distracted by the fact that her voice had been in him only a moment ago.

The hero pair were each given a pair of handcuffs for Bakugou, and a sticky red tag for Nina. She could sense their weariness, Bakugou notably more docile after experiencing such admiration for her, though she wasn't sure if it was due to any lingering effects from her quirk, or simply fear. "Are you ready?" she asked him. "You can still back out, we can always find an alternative." It was all just for show, the fury in his crimson eyes told her all she needed to know. "Like hell I'd pussy out" he grumbled. Midnight gave them the go ahead to start, manicured nails ready to rip through the thin fabric of her hero outfit in a moment's notice. Nina gave him a toothy grin before taking his hand in hers and intertwining their fingers.

For a long second, it was silent. The rest of the class considered the possibility that Bakugou couldn't handle her quirk, that the incident during the past summer was too much for him. That was until an explosion rang through the training grounds. The spectators watched in shock as the cloud of dust settled, Izuku's emerald eyes shining in awe as he watched Katsuki express a level of control over his explosion, he didn't know he was capable of.

Red Riot had expected Bakugou's tenacity to shine through in the exercise, what he didn't expect was for Grape Juice to be just as determined to succeed in the mock battle – though considering who the villain in this scenario was, he should have known better. "Damn it Bakugo, why'd you get to play the civilian!"

Amusement seeped out from Nina's facade as she watched the kids exchange blows, purple balls of adhesive being thrown haphazardly around while Red Riot did his best to take Bakugou's explosion's head on. They were on a timer the second her hand left Katsuki's. She could feel her strings of control over him slipping, each one snapping with every passing moment, not that she had a very good hold on him from the beginning. While she could have easily made a convincing enough fake, the bracelet she wore had hindered her in a way that made this exercise at least a little interesting.

Every time Bakugou backed from one of his attacks, she made a point of brushing her fingers against the back of his bare neck. It was something a jealous Minoru picked up on first, but Eijiro managed to finish the thought. They shared a quick word and as soon as Bakugou returned to her, Red Riot rushed at them. Grape Juice ran from a wider angle, tossing one of his balls at Himitsu, the tag he'd been given stuck to it. She did him the courtesy of standing still for his attempt, not that it mattered.

Despite their efforts, Katsuki saw right through them and blasted away anything Grape Juice threw towards her. Nina needed very little guidance with him, unlike her past victims. If it wasn't for his attitude, she would have picked him as a potential second target. Then again, he seemed like the type to disobey her any chance he could. She could hear him trying to defy her, he was scratching, gnawing, doing anything to snap the strings, the hold she had on him. She was amazed at the fact that he hadn't been completely consumed by admiration for her, even more so at the fact that he was coherent enough to curse under his breath. Still, she sensed the fabricated affection he had for her, any genuine dislike he held completely gone, instead all his annoyance and aggression made against her a feeble, stubborn, attempt to keep himself from fully giving up control. It was about as affective as a toddler throwing punches to a fully grown adult.

It was becoming difficult for Katsuki to sort the thoughts running through him. He couldn't fully comprehend them, each comment, expression, feeling that ran through him mixing with what Nina told him to think, to do, making everything she sent through his mind indistinguishable from his own. Every time she ordered him to return, he felt his body hop back to her like a puppet. Indescribable rage filled him to the brim, practically seeping through his skin, yet not a single drop was thrown her way. He was mad, mad about being controlled, but somehow not at her. He cussed and thought of the absolute worst things he could about her, though he couldn't believe any of it himself. Breath, don't fight it, you're safe. He almost believed what she told him, if it weren't for the fact that his arms moved in ways, he was unfamiliar with during a fight.

"There's two more minutes on the timer, if you have an idea now's the time to try it," Nina advised. Aizawa was the one who had implemented the 5-minute time limit, not wanting to expose the students to more than they had to. Sure, he was a firm believer in learning the hard way, but even he could acknowledge the cruelty that came with taking away someone's autonomy, remembering clear as day the scrutiny he would face when his peers were hit with his quirk disabling stare. When he had heard that Nezu approved of the lesson, he had his concerns about it to say the least. "While I value your opinion, it seems we can no longer deny All for One's existence, and after the attack on USJ, we simply must prepare the students for the worst in a controlled environment while we still have the resources." It was an ominous point to make, but he knew that Nezu wasn't one to make decisions on a whim.

Aizawa watched intently as the students fought, the three of them showcasing what they'd learned so far, though he was fairly disappointed by the lack of initiative on Kirishima and Mineta's end. That was, until the last minute started to tick by. Shouta recognized the all or nothing attitude the pair suddenly embodied after they recouped once more, Kirishima rushing Bakugou in a timed grapple – a tactic that had grown common in the 1-A class much to Aizawa's dismay. The pair struggled as they put their strength to the test. Katsuki set off small firecracker like blasts into Red Riot's palms, the latter resisting all the while kicking Katsuki's stance wider for an opening. Grape Juice followed Red Riot closely behind, managing to slide between Bakugou's legs. Red Riot didn't flinch at the sparks burning his hardened skin, the explosions notably weaker as they got closer to the end of Nina's quirk lifetime. The two struggled, their biceps straining as they attempted to overpower the other. It wasn't until Mineta managed to get past Katsuki that his grasp loosened, his head craning to follow where he was going. A sense of panic rushed through Katsuki at the possibility of Nina getting caught, a thought that Katsuki could barely admit wasn't his own. He took a step back, ready to toss Kirishima onto the ground in order to keep Mineta away from Nina, but the second he leaned their bodies in one direction, a pair of yellow gloved hands wrapped the handcuffs around his right wrist.

Instantly he pulled back, his body beginning to tilt backwards from all three of their weight. Kirishima hadn't stopped his use of force, doing his best to restrain him while Katsuki was unbalanced. Nina watched in amusement as the three tumbled towards her, ending in an unexpected defeat. Crimson eyes attempted to glare daggers at her, she could have stepped in to avoid the loss if she wanted to.

As soon as the handcuffs were clicked into place, Nina let the strings connecting her and Bakugou slide through her fingers like fine sand. The young man took a gasp of air when he felt her leave him, his legs bucking as he adjusted to being back in control of himself. Kirishima and Mineta immediately jumped off him, sensing that he was back in control. A shaky hand went up, Katsuki making an experimental fist before going limp. He was back, and as far as he could tell, there were no remaining remnants of anyone else left behind. With Eijiro's help Katsuki stood up and inched his way to the side lines. There was a noticeable lack of cheering coming from the rest of the class, and despite the prying questions they had most of them cleared the way. How did it feel? To what extent could you move? Was it anything like Shinsou's quirk? Izuku couldn't shut off the part of his brain that was begging for him to ask these questions. If it weren't for the fact that he had experienced what mind control quirks could do first hand, he would have tried to pry for answers. Kaminari and Mina on the other hand weren't as tactful. "You were moving like normal, better even, were you actually being controlled? Or did she dupe all of us?" Kaminari probed, a hint of humor and praise under the surface. Mina didn't bother to mask her amazement, going on and on about how easy Katsuki made it seem to be the civilian in the scenario, and that regular people probably wouldn't be as difficult to capture safely after watching that. Much to their disappointment, and mild concern, Bakugou brushed them off. No yelling, no snapping, not even a grunt of acknowledgement to the praise he received. He strolled towards the locker with intent, face formed into a hard scowl. The rest of the students were quickly divided into groups once more, most easily following the instructions they were given.

Izuku knew the look that had flashed over the blonde's face. It was the one he'd worn after the slime villain incident. "Worried about your friend?" Nina's voice shattered any sense of security he had in that moment, his head whipping around to face her nearly giving him whiplash. Violet eyes hummed with the afterglow of her quirk having been activated. It wasn't quite as bright as Aizawa's, but it was no less unsettling to Izuku. "Give him some time," she said gently, quickly blinking away the light hue. The reassuring smile she gave him did nothing to calm his racing heart. His instincts told him to run, though he perceived no danger in front of him. The last thing he wanted to do was act untrusting towards his new teacher, but with the way the hair on the back of his neck stood on end he wasn't sure. He felt a heaviness in his chest begin to form the longer her attention stayed on him, palms growing sweaty underneath his white gloves.

"It's natural to be afraid of me, I haven't gained your trust yet and I'm already testing boundaries. I don't hold it against you, take all the time you need" Nina said, making a point to take a half step back. Color rose to his cheeks, was he really that easy to read?

Truthfully, he wasn't, Nina just knew what song and dance to give when receiving that look after years of being kept at an arm's length. She couldn't risk her main target becoming skittish around her, she needed him to feel safe for an opening. She didn't have to be his best friend, but a small amount of trust in the wrong person was an easy thing to exploit.

Deku took the olive branch, the need to please those around him bubbling to the surface as he began to apologize profusely for acting so paranoid, Nina taking the role as his instructor to talk him down, waving away his concerns. "Let's get back to the lesson, yeah?" Nina gestured to the rest of the class with a nod, Izuku hesitantly nodding back and walking towards the group of idle students. Many of them appeared unfazed by the exercise, oblivious to the effects of mind control, Ojiro visibly upset by the showcase of power, though adamant about keeping it to himself.

As expected, Bakugou outperformed the pair during the exercise analysis Nina did afterwards. Unsurprisingly, there were no other volunteers from the rest of the class for a follow up demonstration. The class was then instructed to follow a similar exercise after the short lecture, taking turns trying to safely capture the civilians. Bakugou did return, dressed in his hero costume once again, though not without vengeance. He became borderline cruel with his pears after the incident. Nina watched him from the side, almost feeling a twinge of guilt. Almost.

"Guess he bit off more than he could chew," Midnight commented solemnly beside her. Nina hummed non commensally. "Reminds me of someone we used to know."