Vlad Sensei's announcement came in. "DONE IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES! CLASS A'S UNEXPECTED TEAMWORK HAS LED THEM TO A 4-0 VICTORY!"
Well duh. Like I'd accept anything else.
Aizawa-Sensei gave us a thumbs up. "You all kept overall damage to a minimum and were very efficient from start to finish. With his mobility and power, Bakugou was the foundation that you three worked off of, and everyone did their jobs well."
"You guys had a solid strategy, at least based on your opponents' past fights and strengths. But! The plan was too rigid! Unlike Honenuki's more flexible approach!" Said Vlad King to the 1B losers.
"Kacchan!" Said Kaminari, popping up behind me. "Looks like you can really get it done when you make the effort! And you were a total heroine out there, Jiro!"
"Just hero is fine!"
"You're like a street rat who starts adopting kittens, dude!" Said Tape Arms.
All buzz. All Might was looking at me while they all gabbed behind me. He was smiling.
"That gave me chills!" he told me.
I turned away and rubbed the back of my neck, hoping he wouldn't see my face. It felt red, dammit. "Oh yeah? Better see a Doctor."
"Kacchan!" Said Deku, popping up almost from nowhere.
"Outta the way, nerd!" I snapped reflexively.
"I'm not actually in your way…"
I started passing him. He was staring at me, with that saem old look. "I'm making progress."
"Yeah! You were great out there!"
"At a speed you can't keep up with."
"Nah, I'll surpass you!"
I snapped at that. "Shut it! Is that all you got to say? Cuz you'll never beat me you damn nerd!"
"Just watch me."
Ok, Deku. Let's see.
The A team was headed off to fight, Deku being the scout from up above.
"We'll start with Shinso, okay?" Said Ballhead. "As long as he's out there, I'm on edge. I don't wanna get brainwashed."
"Let's not focus too hard on him, though!" Said Uraraka. "The rest of them are the type to stay hidden and launch attacks from who knows where!"
She floated up her helmet. "I float stuff!"
"I melt stuff!" Said Raccoon Eyes.
"I stick stuff!" Said Ballhead.
The wind went out of all their sails and they all drooped.
"We're fighting an uphill battle. Can't attack, can't do nuttin."
Lame.
"We'd better go with my pop-off vineyard Strat!"
"Nobody's gonna walk right into that! Nah, first we find em, then we trap em !"
"And I'll be the bait!" Said Deku, returning to them.
"How's it going?" Said Raccoon Eyes. "You said your quirk has been acting weird?"
Great job hiding your secret, morons.
"Yeah, but there's nothing strange enow! It's back to normal! Still, based on how the fourth match went, they're probably gonna be extra wary of me! I'd better be ready to go all out. "
"You ok? We're counting on you here," asked Ballhead.
"Don't worry. We can win this!" And he smiled.
Uraraka held up her hands. Raccoon Eyes cheered.
A great hero is someone who brings reassurance...
"NOW START, MATCH 5!"
"The formation of Midoriya's team bears a strong resemblance to Bakugou's team in match 4," said Glasses.
"They have a similar makeup too," added Tape Arms. "But they don't have a Jiro type on their side! They gotta be even more careful than we were, unless they wanna get wrecked!"
"That's true," said Ears. "If their strategy involves luring them out, then Midoriya will have to work even harder than Bakugou!"
Hear that, Deku? You wanna surpass me? Now's the time.
He was scouting out ahead of them, and gave Uraraka a small gesture with his hand. She nodded and he went off to scout, jumping around the structure.
"EEK!" Came a cry from Uraraka - no, not from her.
"That shout must've been Shinso. They're close!" Said Ballhead as Uraraka floated him up to set his trap.
"Kinda funny to picture that shriek coming from such a calm guy," said Raccoon Eyes
"Hey, we gotta look at each others' faces when talking!" Said Uraraka.
"We got a bite!" Ballhead cried as he adjusted his trap. As objects came flying towards them, Raccoon Eyes threw up her protective barrier. ACID VEIL!"
'It's Yangi's poltergeist!" Cried Ballhead as objects came flying their way. "Is she even aiming!?"
Two small objects came flying towards Raccoon Eyes, who threw up her acid veil - not enough as they suddenly grew huge. A barrel and a screw.
"Release," said that quiet Class B girl with the quirk like Uraraka's, placing her hands together.
Uraraka herself jumped into action and slapped the materials, floating them away.
"Twin impact, fire!"
The objects exploded.
"AHHH!" Cried Raccoon Eyes.
"That was crazy! They've probably got our location now. What about Deku?" Asked Uraraka.
Deku ahd run into that foul-mouthed bastard from Class 1B, the copycat jackass.
"Huh? Did you spot me? After observing Bakugou's performance, we'd be fools to take you lightly! It's only natural to be on guard against someone as strong and agile as you. The clever among us realize that much. On the other hand, someone truly clever might also think that it was the other three who amplified Bakugou's strength…that crushing them should have taken priority. You're such a showman, you've gone out of your way to reveal yourself, yes? Meanwhile I expect my allies have already located yours. It'll be three against four. How will your team fare? With Shinso in the mix they can't exactly communicate freely. I suppose you'd better race back to check on your friends. But wait! What if that scream just now was Shinso mimicking a voice? What if your three friends are still hidden but you end up leading us right to them? Ha ha ha! I'm afraid there's no easy answer!"
He's just fucking with you, Deku. Don't listen to him.
Deku headed towards him without saying a word.
"Don't you have any regard for your friends' potential plight? That's cold! I had a little chat with Shinso. 'The gifted will break this world!' Tell me. Your pal, Bakugou…how is it that he can still smile without a care when he's the one who brought about the downfall of the symbol of peace?"
What the fuck did you say, you bastard? We're -
What?
Deku's face had twisted up. He looked pissed off - but something else was happening.
Something - came from his glove. Not a blast of energy. Black liquid tendrils - something strange - something new.
Something wrong.
Deku?
What IS that?