He blasted toward the Robot Stain in front of them and, as that one lifted its blade arm to attack, he dodged last minute and positioned himself parallel with the exit so Jirou's leg amp was in a prime path of sound destruction.
Jirou let out a scream of frustration, determination, and pain and then let off a truly powerful sound explosion. The windows of the street broke and the Robot Stain guarding the door flew away. The others charged but Iida and Jirou ran out of the testing area.
"They passed!" Hagakure jumped up and down as the screen went black.
"I'll tell them," Tokoyami said and headed toward the other room.
Kaminari immediately burst out of the room upon hearing the news and ran out of the building.
"Dumbass. There's nothing he can do," Bakugou said, seemingly annoyed at Kaminiari's actions.
"He knows. He's just worried," Ochako said softly, looking at the exit. Aoyama and Tsu still weren't back. None of the others were.
"They've got to talk to those shrinks," Bakugou answered her unspoken question after noticing her staring at the door. She looked back at him and he turned away from her. "Tsu's fine. Recovery Girl and Eri are probably on site."
"He's right, Uraraka! The parents wouldn't have approved if we couldn't be healed," Deku patted her shoulder and gave her an optimistic smile.
"Can't you stay out of just one of our conversations?" Bakugou snapped. "You don't need to say I'm right all the time. Everybody already knows!"
"Sorry, Kacchan," Deku said awkwardly.
"Shut up!" Bakugou yelled at him and stormed to the room without a screen. Kirishima and Ashido were then called to their test and left after receiving a few parting 'good lucks' and goodbye waves.
Deku looked toward the room Bakugou had escaped to and Ochako exhaled disappointedly in response to her partner's outburst.
"I"m sorry, Deku. I'll go talk to him."
"If you think that'll help. But if it doesn't, don't worry--it's Kacchan," Deku rubbed the back of his neck and gave a less than hopeful smile.
Ochako headed toward the other room and when she opened the door she saw Bakugou sitting at a table, his gauntlets next to his chair. He was leaning on his hand propped up by his elbow, scowling at the table.
"Needed to get away from that nerd," he said as Ochako closed the door. She sat next to him but didn't say anything. "I'm fine," Bakugou looked at her, disgruntled.
Ochako stayed silent.
"Why the fuck are you here?!" Bakugou raged.
"You know Deku would have left you alone. Why come in here? Was it Jirou?" Ochako asked.
"No! I've just seen enough, alright!? I've got a pretty good strategy and I'm tired of watching those shitheads fuck up."
"What's your strategy?"
"Set up for Ground Zero immediately. Then we piggyback style the whole time, move into Gunship, obliterate everything or get them into the zone, grenade, release, done."
"Sounds good."
Bakugou glared at her.
"What's your deal? You don't have any input?"
"It's solid. It allows for both fighting and getaway if needed."
" Tch ," he shifted in his seat and looked away from her. It was then Ochako realized what was actually happening. He'd seen every partnership except one sustain a bad injury and it caused them to struggle in the final. Knowing Bakugou, he was never afraid he'd get hurt so with that idea out of the way there was only one conclusion that Ochako could come to on why his plan revolved around her and him sticking together.
"I see," Ochako said with a tinge of internal shame. He thought she'd get hurt immediately and ruin the match for them. Bakugou looked back at her and his face turned red.
"You don't see shit," Bakugou growled and stood up abruptly. He started strapping on his gauntlets and Ochako grabbed one to help. "Give that to me!"
"We have an advantage from watching the others. You don't have to worry about me getting hurt. Worst case scenario, leave me behind and escape."
Bakugou yanked the gauntlet away from her.
"I'm not leaving you behind," Bakugou gritted his teeth as he slipped it on.
"Okay," Ochako said quietly. He obviously didn't want to entertain that idea. Mr. Iida's voice radiated throughout the room.
"Todoroki and Midoriya, you're next. Exit the building and follow the signs."
"I'm going to go watch their test," Ochako said softly. "I need to see what they're up against. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I already told you I'm fine. Go," Bakugou stood there, refusing to look at her.
"Well, you wouldn't tell me even if you weren't so I guess I'll have to take your word for it," Ochako said less than nicely and headed toward the door.
"Yes I would."
Ochako turned around, her face not hiding her shock well. Then she glared at him.
"Sometimes you do. Not always." Ochako looked away from him and sighed. She wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk about this right now. "Let's just focus on the test, okay?"
Bakugou scowled at her but nodded.
Ochako left to go to the presentation room. The screen was still black but Sero and Mineta were back.
"Hey, great job guys. Not a scratch," Ochako gave them a smile.
"Seems like we're the only ones," Sero noted. "Caught the end of the last final. Kirishima's pretty beat up but Ashido is fine. She managed to melt Robot Skeptic while Kirishima fought the robot Nomus. All four of them. He took 'em out with help from Ashido's acid armor but his unbreakable form can't last forever."
"Recovery Girl's pretty busy. Barely even saw us. Psychiatrists said we did phenomenal," Mineta puffed out his chest as he gloated.
"Congrats, you two," Ochako said with less enthusiasm than she intended.
"Where's your partner in crime?" Mineta asked, noticing a lack of anger in the vicinity.
"Preparing," Ochako stated. It wasn't a total lie.
The screen's picture turned on and Deku and Todoroki were in a grassy area that had a lake in the middle.
As if it was standing on water, a Robot Dabi was waiting for them near the middle of the lake. On opposite sides of the bank were a Robot Overhaul and a Robot All For One. All of them were staring at the duo.
"Those absolute bastards," Bakugou snarled behind Ochako upon seeing what the test was for them. He didn't show it often but he did actually care about Deku and Todoroki in his own way.
"It's not hard to pick faces for individual students," Yaomomo said, watching the T.V. anxiously. "What we each dealt with was all across the news."
"I know who I'm facing then," Ochako whispered almost inaudibly. She wasn't scared. She was angry. Angry that the commission thought they could get to her and angry that she'd have to set eyes on Himiko Toga again. Bakugou stepped forward to stand next to her and looked down at her.
"Good," he whispered just as softly. "Another advantage."
Ochako kept staring at the screen as the anger slowly subsided into worry over her friends. Deku went into full cowling and Todoroki used both sides at once. It looked like they had both gotten more powerful over the last term.
"Together," Deku reminded his friend, looking deep in his eyes. Todoroki nodded.
"It's not them," Todoroki reminded himself as he sent flames toward Robot All For One and a path of ice shards towards Robot Dabi, who grinned at the oncoming attack and dodged it easily as it was hovering over the water, not standing on it like Ochako had initially thought.
Ochako's heart clenched when the camera zoomed into Todoroki's face for a split second. He was furious. Next to him, Deku looked determined to get this over with quickly. Ochako couldn't tell how he truly feeling about facing these enemies.
Her friends' test would be the hardest of the day; she had no doubt.
Chapter End Notes
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Final Tests: Part 2
Chapter Summary
Deku and Todoroki work together to finish off their robots and overcome their trauma. Afterward, it's Ochako and Bakugou's turn to face their own evil robots. When all the tests are said and done and with break officially started, the duo finally gets some down time.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
"Ice? How original," Robot Dabi smirked and then lifted its hands toward Todoroki. Both Deku and Todoroki hesitated, waiting to see what would be thrown at them. Robot Dabi's hands threw out a potent acid that landed on the ice path a few feet in front of Todoroki and began to melt it. The robot sprayed it toward the boys and they immediately ran out of the way. A few drops landed on Deku and he gritted his teeth in pain.
Robot All For One rocketed toward them from the left bank but Todoroki sent up an Ice Wall to block it. Robot Overhaul was utilizing some sort of wind power from the right so Todoroki, in a move of frustration, surrounded himself and Deku in a thick ice fortress.
Ochako was rubbing her hands in anxiety watching as no one could hear what they were talking about through the ice.
After a few moments, Deku broke through the fortress wall with a powerful kick and used blackwhip to restrain Robot All For One and Robot Overhaul. After sending an ice wall to block off Robot Dabi, Todoroki sent an ice shard straight through Robot Overhaul to shut it down. At the same time he sent a powerful fire blast toward Robot All For One who began melting from the intensive heat becoming just a pile of twisted metal and wires. Deku released blackwhip and held his arms in pain.
"Your fire has improved. Still not as good as mine," Robot Dabi said as it created a hole in the wall using its acid. As it climbed through the opening, it shot blue flames out of his face.
"Todoroki!" Deku screamed as he shot another smaller blackwhip to capture his partner and pulled him out of the path of the fire.
"This is over," Todoroki said with an eerie calm. His anger had turned to numbness. Deku released him and Todoroki ran straight toward Robot Dabi. Deku activated full cowling again and rushed to get to Robot Dabi first. He grabbed the robot, making the hologram flicker and restrained the robot's arms while Todoroki froze its face to stop any further flames from escaping it. Robot Dabi was spraying acid on the ground which was splashing on Todoroki and Deku's costumes and shoes. Deku was grimacing in pain but Todoroki just stared intensely at the flickering hologram.
"I will never see you again, brother. Goodbye," Todoroki then froze the entire robot and for good measure Deku punched a hole through its chest. The hologram disappeared and they were left with just a broken robot.
Medics rushed toward them and ushered them out of the testing area. The screen went black.
"They're so powerful," Yaomomo whispered.
"I hope Todoroki's okay," Ochako murmured.
"He's fine," Bakugou grimaced in annoyance. Ochako shook her head.
"No, he's not," Yaomomo confirmed. "He risked both Midoriya's and his well being to get those robots. Asking Midoriya to use the more powerful version of blackwhip when he knows that it causes him pain? That's not his style."
"They passed. Those shrinks'll fix him good," Bakugou shrugged.
"So insensitive," Yaomomo mumbled to herself.
"You got something to say to me, say it to my face, Ponytail!"
"Next up is Bakugou and Uraraka. Please follow the signs to your testing area," Mr. Iida's voice instructed over the intercom.
"Fucking finally!" Bakugou shouted as he headed toward the door.
"Good luck, Uraraka," Satou said as he gave her a thumbs up.
"Thanks," Ochako waved and she jogged to catch up with her partner. After seeing Deku and Todoroki's robot villains, she had a prediction of who Bakugou's robot would be. A face she thought would be in the last fight but it wasn't.
"You must have an idea of who your villain will be," Ochako said, trying to get his input on their potential match up.
"I've been in a lot of fights and I'm not afraid of any villain."
Ochako looked ahead to see what their test arena was since they passed the last of the signs that were directing them. It looked like it was an abandoned car lot that was still the home to several leftover decrepit cars.
"Probably Shigaraki. If they didn't use him for Deku, then it'll be mine," Bakugou finally said, mimicking Ochako's thought process. She nodded.
They were about to enter the test area when Ochako felt a hand on her shoulder.
"We stick together. No Boomerangs, no throws. Understood?" Bakugou said behind her. She turned around and gave him a confused look. "They're robots. We don't need to distract them with movement," Bakugou hurriedly clarified.
"Alright. I know you don't want to separate because you think I can't handle myself but not even to attack?"
"Use your brain, dammit, that's not the reason. Just--don't," Bakugou looked like he really didn't want to explain why.
"We'll see how the test goes," Ochako resolved with a smile. Bakugou exhaled with frustration and they walked through the gate together.
Toward the middle of the car lot, they saw two robots that were still powered off.
"The test will commence in 20 seconds," a voice radiated throughout the lot.
"Set up for Ground Zero then get on my back," Bakugou commanded. Ochako didn't hesitate.
"Partial or full?" She asked Bakugou as she climbed onto his back.
"Partial."
Ochako obliged and then a buzzer went off. The robots powered on and their holograms spread over them. She and Bakugou had been spot on with their predictions.
"Hey, cutie," Robot Toga's voice crackled.
Robot Shigaraki just laughed maniacally.
Bakugou didn't respond, instead opting to jump in the air and immediately send a huge explosion toward the pair of robots. The backlash of the blast sent her and Bakugou flying but he got them back to the arena in no time.
When the smoke cleared, he cursed loudly. Robot Toga had its hands outstretched and was projecting a forcefield around it and Robot Shigaraki.
"Come and get us if you want to fight," Robot Toga teased.
"I'm sick of this already," Bakugou growled as they landed back on the ground. "Get rid of it all!"
Ochako touched his chest with her pads and removed all the gravity from him. He pushed off the ground, soaring high above the lot, and blasted toward the robots. She decided against reminding him they could escape. He wouldn't even want to think about it. He'd be offended she'd even suggest it this early in the fight.
"Gunship!" He shouted and then they got into position. He rained AP Shot: Machine Gun at them, trying to corral them to the spot Ochako had set up for Ground Zero. The robots didn't budge and the forcefield shielded them from any damage.
"We need a new plan," Ochako said in his ear as they continued flying.
Bakugou was thinking furiously, his eyes darting in every direction of the lot. Ochako used her air blasts to fly back to the ground.
"Listen quick," Ochako instructed as she unwrapped herself from him and floated a couple feet away. Robot Shigaraki and Robot Toga started to walk toward them now that they weren't together. "Keep them off me. If you want to beat them for real we need to split up for just a second."
Bakugou looked back at her harshly then sighed angrily after thinking it over.
"Get it done," he said, reluctantly agreeing to her plan.
"I can't release us until the fight is over or we'll lose Ground Zero. Make 'em die from the sky, okay?" Ochako grinned as she held up her fist to initiate a fist bump. Bakugou allowed a small, sly smirk as he reciprocated the gesture and then blasted toward the villains.
Ochako used her air blasts to stay low to the ground as she headed towards the cars in the lots.
"Come back," Robot Toga whined sweetly as it shot a grappling hook toward Ochako. Bakugou shot an explosion at it and aimed another at Robot Toga. It was then that Robot Shigaraki revealed its ability. A large-scale explosion blocked Bakugou's attack and sent him flying into a parked car. His legs hit the roof at a bad angle and he spun upside down from the impact.
"Oh, fuck you! You don't get to use explosions at me, you crusty-lipped bastard," Bakugou screamed as he straightened himself out and shot into the sky.
"It can't use both abilities at the same time!" Ochako shouted at Bakugou and he nodded before he rocketed down to them to engage in close aerial combat. Unfortunately, Robot Toga was blocking everything he was doing to them. Even his punches bounced off the yellowish haze that surrounded them. Bakugou was getting more and more frustrated by the second as he was having to also dodge explosions left and right. He forced himself to keep this up so he could slowly corral them to the spot where Ground Zero was set up.
While Bakugou kept the robots at bay, Ochako was touching every car in the lot and sending them skyward. She was getting more and more nauseous but it didn't matter if she threw up. Ochako was determined to smash this test literally.
When she'd sent all of the cars in the lot up, she joined them to get high above the fight. Ochako waited until Bakugou got the robots in position. Once they were there, Bakugou hovered just out of reach of them and prepared a grenade.
"Come get me, you weak-ass robots," Bakugou snarled. Robot Toga sent out a grappling hook to try and pull him in for a final blow from Robot Shigaraki. Bakugou dodged and took his opportunity.
"Now!" Bakugou shouted and threw a grenade at the prepared ground, causing the robots and the pavement underneath them to shoot into the sky. As the rubble climbed higher, the robots fell to the ground with a crunch but it wasn't enough to stop them. Even though their outer metal had been damaged the inside hadn't. Robot Toga got up, faced Bakugou and held out her hands to set up a forcefield. It was flickering and unstable. Robot Shigaraki's metal grinded together as it got up and prepared to let off another explosion aimed at Bakugou. Their holograms were covered in static but they were still capable of fighting and protecting themselves. Ochako would rectify that.
"He's not the only hard hitter," Ochako said menacingly to the robots on the ground. "Release!"
As Ochako was about to reapply her quirk in order to get away, Robot Toga managed to turn and immediately get one of her grappling hooks around her ankle. Ochako was pulled down underneath her own attack and the aftermath of Ground Zero.
"Uraraka!" Bakugou yelled as he sent off a powerful AP Shot at the robots. They were practically disintegrated by the special move even with Robot Shigaraki trying to counter with his own explosions. As the cars and debris began to crash down around her, Bakugou rocketed toward her and she extended her hand up. He caught it and pulled her to him. Ochako quickly applied her quirk to them both so they could fly faster and that decision was what allowed them to narrowly escape being crushed to death.
He threw his hand out to let off a small explosion to stop them about ten feet away from the destruction and looked down at Ochako's ankle which still had the grappling hook wrapped around it. The cable had been melted off from where it had been connected to Robot Toga. Ochako released them and they fell onto the ground on their sides with Ochako still wrapped up in Bakugou's arms. He wasn't letting go.
"Um, you don't have to keep holding me," Ochako whispered through adrenaline spiked breaths. She could feel him breathing heavily as well. "Are you okay?"
"Just give me a sec," Bakugou whispered shakily. Ochako turned her head and could see medics rushing to them from the escape exit.
"We've got to get cleared," Ochako said softly.
Bakugou took a final deep breath and let her go just as the two doctors reached them. One of them immediately removed the grappling hook from her ankle. The other checked out Bakugou's legs and determined he could walk the short distance to Recovery Girl to get fully patched up.
They walked together slowly as Bakugou was limping next to her and she didn't want to leave him behind. He noticed her staring at his legs and frowned.
"Even when weightless it still sucks to get thrown at a car," he admitted.
"Would you allow me to help you?" Ochako asked. That wasn't the only injury he'd sustained. It looked like he had bad burns on his neck and on parts of his arms. Bakugou bared and gritted his teeth.
"Don't need it," Bakugou stated firmly, struggling to keep an outburst in check within himself.
"Alright. You can lean on me if you change your mind or I can use my quirk and drag you there if you hate that idea."
Bakugou chuckled.
"You can use your quirk on us and I can fly us there."
"Good compromise," Ochako said, surprised that he was allowing her to help a little.
"Only because it's faster," Bakugou muttered, nonchalantly holding his hand upright for her to tap it.
"Of course," Ochako smiled as she touched her thigh and then grabbed his hand. They started to float and Bakugou carefully flew them to the pop-up tent that was in the distance.
When they got close enough, Ochako released them and they walked the last few feet to Recovery Girl who was finishing wrapping Kirishima up in the last of his bandages. He was covered in them from head to toe with only his face left open.
"Oh, goodness," Recovery Girl sighed as she saw Bakugou limp inside. "I didn't think these tests would be this bad. I would have never agreed to this if I had known. Sit down on any open bed and I'll get to you soon."
Bakugou sat across from Kirishima and closed his eyes. The bed next to him was occupied by a sleeping Jirou, so Ochako moved down the tent to be next to Tsu who appeared to be fully healed but heavily sedated.
Eri was sitting next to the bed chatting with Deku until she noticed Ochako.
"Deku said you'd be worried about her. She's going to be okay!"
"Because of you," Deku said to Eri. She smiled shyly, her cheeks turning pink.
"Thank you, Eri," Ochako said to her with tears in her eyes. She sat in the bed next to Tsu and watched her friend sleep. "How are you, Deku?"
"I'm okay," he said with a tired smile. "Still in some pain but it's not much. Recovery Girl healed me quickly from the burns. Already talked with the psychiatrist and he says I'm good to go. Honestly, I'm more worried about Todoroki. He's still with them."
"Me too," Ochako said softly. "I can't believe they used Dabi's face."
Deku's expression hardened.
"They went too far," Deku said intensely. Eri looked up at him and Deku took a deep breath before turning to smile at her. "He'll be okay. I promise, Eri."
"Eri, please come here, I want to show you something," Recovery Girl called as she looked at Bakugou's injuries. Eri jumped from her seat to go to her mentor. Bakugou did not look happy to be a test subject. Ochako was just glad he wasn't hurt more, especially after the fiasco with her final move. She looked around and saw that the others that she'd seen get injured were gone.
"They healed up, talked to the psychiatrists and then headed back. The psychiatrists took the longest for most of them. I think Iida and Ashido are still there." Deku said as he moved to stand next to Ochako's bed. "I'm glad you're okay. At least we passed and now we get to relax a little before I-Island and camp."
"Oh, are you going too?" Ochako asked excitedly.
"I didn't tell you?" Deku looked surprised that he'd forgotten. "Oh, yeah! Melissa invited me back so that I can model her new and improved gauntlets for some investors." He posed like All-Might and gave an award winning smile.
"That's great! If you're not too busy with her, come hang out with me anytime."
"Sure! Anyway, Uraraka, I'm gonna head back. I want to try and catch the last couple matches." Deku waved goodbye to both Ochako and Eri as he exited the tent.
Ochako waved back but was interrupted by Recovery Girl who had successfully healed Bakugou all the way up. He was leaving the tent as Recovery Girl kissed Ochako to fix up her cuts and scrapes.
"You're good to go, Ms. Uraraka," Recovery Girl smiled at her. "Head to the left and one of the counselors will see you when they're available."
Ochako thanked her and waved goodbye to Eri who was talking with Kirishima.
It was easy finding the counselors as they were less than one hundred feet from the infirmary. Four tents were set up, decently spread out from one another. Bakugou was already entering a tent but Ochako noticed that he side-eyed her before the tent door closed behind him.
Ochako wasn't feeling nervous about talking to the psychiatrist. She actually felt fine about the fight other than the final moments.
Hound Dog was waiting at a table for the students and handed her a clipboard.
"Fill out your name and give it to whoever sees you! There aren't any available tents so you'll have to wait. Bring it back out to me after they sign it, you hear me!?"
Ochako nodded quickly and grabbed a pen from the table to scribble her information on the form.
She took a seat in the few chairs that were set up in the middle of the tent area but didn't have to wait long. Ashido came out of a tent and waved to Ochako when she saw her.
"Hey! Did you pass?"
"Yep," Ochako smiled.
"Great! If Kirishima hadn't been hurt so bad I'd be really happy with the results of our own. I feel better than I thought I would."
"That's good."
"Yeah, kinda like I put the past behind me."
"I bet that feels nice."
"Mhm. I'm gonna go check on Kirishima and then head back to the presentation room. I'll talk to you later, Ochako."
Ochako didn't have time to be alone with her thoughts as the counselor Ashido had seen was now ready for her. She walked into the tent and was met by a cozy environment that she wasn't expecting to see.
"My name is Jinko," a woman with glowing blue hair introduced herself and reached out her hand to take Ochako's clipboard. Ochako gave it to her. "Firstly, how are you feeling right now?"
"Um, fine, I guess?" Ochako responded.
"You guess?" Jinko said as she sat down in a chair across from Ochako and motioned for Ochako to sit in the chair next to her. Ochako obliged.
"Yeah. I was never afraid of the villains or the test. I'm more worried about my friends."
"Why are you worried about your friends?" Jinko was writing down notes.
"They've had a lot more traumatic experiences than me. The test was harder for them. Some of them also got injured."
"Was the test not hard for you?"
Ochako had to think for a second.
"Not really. Not like I thought it might be. I do think that I screwed up though," Ochako admitted, sadly. She couldn't pretend like the test had gone well.
Jinko looked up at the change in tone in Ochako's voice.
"Why do you think that?" Jinko asked gently.
"I got captured. If it hadn't been for my partner, I would have died. He had to put himself in danger to save me. He could have died too if we hadn't been lucky."
Jinko gave her a second as Ochako wiped a tear away and took a calming breath.
"Well, Ochako, you are safe now and so is your partner. It must have been a very terrifying situation to be put in. Worrying about yourself is enough but I bet you care deeply for others. Am I correct?"
Ochako nodded. Jinko smiled at her.
"Try not to think of it as luck," Jinko instructed. "I'm sure both you and your partner were safe because of your skill, intuition, and reaction time. If you consider this luck, then good news. You will always be lucky."
Ochako laughed a little.
"If I just hadn't gotten caught by the grappling hook," Ochako muttered as she shook her head.
"Is there anything you can do about this now?" Jinko asked.
"N-no," Ochako stuttered at the directness of the question.
"Have you learned from it?"
Ochako had been caught because she hadn't reapplied her anti-gravity fast enough and she should have been much higher above the cars to avoid getting caught up in them.
"Yes," Ochako realized. "I guess I'm more worried about how my partner is going to react."
"How do you think he feels about this situation?"
"Angry," Ochako answered immediately. "I know he thinks I'm an idiot at best and regrets partnering with me at worst."
"It's impossible to know what anyone thinks for sure unless they tell you but why does this worry you?"
"I-," Ochako hesitated. "I don't want to hold him back."
"Has he ever shown any inclination that you are?"
Ochako shook her head.
"I know I am."
Jinko blinked in surprise.
"You seem to be close enough to him to have a good idea of how he thinks and reacts. Tell me: how would your partner react to this revelation? If he thought you were holding him back?"
Ochako was taken aback. She'd never considered that.
"He--wouldn't allow it," Ochako mumbled.
"It looks to me that you have some pretty low self-esteem about your status in this partnership. Maybe bring this up to your partner if you're willing to discuss it with him. If not, I would ask you to try to not set things in stone, like saying 'you know'. Even with apparent evidence sometimes we don't see the whole picture. Keep yourself open to all ideas and you might find that your worries lessen."
Ochako nodded.
"Now as for your test, you aren't showing signs of being affected by the likenesses of those you faced before so I can check this question off. You're also not showing signs of trauma from your near death experience but those can sometimes manifest later. If you show any new symptoms such as new or worsening depression or anxiety, please see a professional immediately. Now I just have to complete this survey with you and I think you'll be good to go. Do you agree?"
"Is it worrying that I wasn't afraid of the villains?" Ochako whispered.
Jinko shook her head with reassurance.
"Unless you are worried, I'm not. We all have different fears and we process trauma differently. Are you talking with your normal therapist about your experiences that trouble you?"
"Yes," Ochako said quietly.
"Good. All I will say is this then. Whatever you are afraid of--it's in the past. Acknowledge that it happened and let your body and mind react to that fact; but do not let it overtake you. We all learn from the past and that holds true for even our worst moments in life. Now, onto the survey," Jinko continued as she read off the mandatory questions.
After finishing the rather long questionnaire, Jinko got up and escorted Ochako out of the tent, signing the form as they walked.
"It was a pleasure talking with you, Ochako Uraraka. Congratulations on passing your test."
"How did-?" Ochako asked but saw that there was a pass or fail section that Hound Dog had obviously filled out. "Ah, right there."
Jinko smiled gently and waved her on as Ochako walked back to Hound Dog, passing Yaomomo and Satou who were waiting to be seen by the counselors.
"Here you go," Ochako said as Hound Dog grabbed the clipboard from her.
"Head back to the presentation room. Those in the infirmary are being moved to the buses as we speak so don't stick around there!"
"Got it!" Ochako squeaked and ran off to join up with her class.
When she got there, the class was gathered in small groups talking about the different tests each of them had. Unfortunately, Ochako couldn't find the one person she was looking for: her partner. Ochako ran up to Deku who was talking with Iida.
"Have you seen Bakugou?" She asked.
Both Deku and Iida shook their heads.
"He hasn't come back yet," Deku answered.
"But he went in before me," Ochako muttered.
"Maybe the fight affected him more than we think," Iida said to Deku. Deku looked concerned. "Don't worry. We can't leave without him."
Ochako looked around the room and noticed something else.
"Todoroki?" She asked Deku. His expression darkened.
"He and his family are talking with the commission. That's what Iida and I were discussing."
"It was completely uncalled for to bring his dead brother back. Disrespectful and dishonorable!" Iida said with conviction.
"What are they talking about?" Ochako asked Deku.
"I'm not sure. I heard his mother on the phone. She sounds furious."
"As she should be," Iida said.
At that moment, Mr. Iida, All-Might, Eraserhead, Snipe, and Principal Nezu walked out of the side room where the grading took place.
"Hey, Mr. Aizawa!" Sero grinned at him. "Looking better than ever!"
"Hello, students. I'm glad to see you've all improved since we last saw each other."
"So happy you're all healed up!" Ashido said.
Aizawa nodded tiredly and yawned.
"Since all of your tests and my first year's exams are done, I'm going to sleep a while. You all still have a long way to go but good job today."
"Thank you, Mr. Aizawa," the class said in unison as he left the building.
"Please head toward the bus and we'll wait there for the other students. Principal Nezu will discuss camp after all students have boarded," Mr. Iida announced.
The class filed out of the building just as the bus for Class 2-B was pulling up.
"Good thing we're leaving. I can't stand to be around Monoma," Ashido said in Ochako's ear.
"Yeah, he's a little much," Ochako agreed. She and Ashido were chatting about who the partner pair ups for Class 2-B could be when Ochako heard her name.
"Uraraka!" Bakugou shouted as he walked from the direction of the counselor stations to the buses. He roughly gestured for her to come to him.
"Oh no," Ochako mumbled.
"If he gives you trouble, just float him," Ashido whispered. "You've got this."
Ochako nodded and ran out of the line to him. He started walking away so that they were out of earshot of the others. He didn't look at her and didn't talk to her. Ochako could feel her heart racing.
Once they were around the building, out of sight from the rest of their class and the teachers, he turned around with a furious and frustrated look on his face. Ochako could feel tears prickling in her eyes already. He wasn't talking so Ochako decided to break the silence.
"I'm so sorry about the final move and getting caught. I shouldn't have used the cars without-," Ochako rambled shakily.
"What are you talking about!? That was amazing," Bakugou said, though it was hard to tell if he actually thought that since he was using his rage voice.
"Then-why are you mad at me?" Ochako asked meekly.
"I'm not--you can't--do that. Never again. If I hadn't been quick enough," Bakugou's face fell and he looked pained for a second before he regained his angry composure. "I had to save you and I didn't appreciate the feeling. So don't do it again!"
Ochako hung her head and she couldn't hold the tears anymore.
"Why are you crying?" Bakugou asked, his voice rough.
"I'm so ashamed. We almost died because of me," she said through soft sobs. "I should have been able to save myself but I couldn't."
Bakugou lifted up her chin with his hand and forced her to look at him. His expression was blank.
"We only won because of you. Get that through your round head and you'll be okay."
She blinked a few times to force the tears out. Bakugou glanced down at his hand and removed it from her face swiftly.
"You thought and acted fast when Plan A didn't work out. Give yourself credit. It's annoying when you don't," Bakugou looked away from her. "As for the saving thing, I acted without thinking. Don't think it's a habit." Bakugou's cheeks turned a little pink.
"So recap," Ochako said under her breath. "Don't put us in near death situations again and save myself from now on."
Bakugou didn't respond like he normally did when Ochako recapped. He shook his head.
"Don't make me go through that again."
Ochako thought they were saying the same thing.
"We better get on the bus. They'll be waiting for us," Ochako said so she and Bakugou started walking back. "Thank you, by the way. For saving me."
" Psh, I've saved you before. Stop making a big deal out of it."
"Right, the robots at I-Island. Sure hope we don't run into those again when we go."
"I'll take 'em out just like I did the first time around," Bakugou grinned menacingly and let off some mini explosions in his palms.
Most of the seats were taken when they got to the bus so Bakugou and her sat together behind Kaminari and Jirou, who was still sleeping.
After the last person, Todoroki, boarded, Principal Nezu started discussing the details of camp such as where to meet for pick up as well as how to best pack their items. He gave them each a flyer with all of the teachers' contact information and a special phone number that parents could reach if the teachers and students were without service.
"We won't be disclosing the address but please assure your parents that we have medical care on site if needed. I also wanted to clarify that your rations we requested are not meals as we've been getting a lot of questions about that. They are any food you have on your person while you move around camp. Meals will be provided by the school so no need to fret. If you or you parents have any further questions, please feel free to talk to me as I am riding back to school with you or have your parents contact me before camp."
"Thank you, Principal Nezu," Mr. Iida said. "Alright everyone. I'm very proud of you all. This was a harrowing day and you all performed well in my eyes. For the team that didn't pass, we'll discuss what camp looks like for you individually. Enjoy your well deserved break everyone! Driver, please take us home."
The bus started and jostled the class as it began to journey back to the dorms.
Ochako looked across the aisle to see Todoroki and Deku talking quietly together. She couldn't make out what they were saying. In front of them, Tsu was leaning against Iida, now awake but still extremely tired.
"Tsu, how are you?" Ochako whispered. The whole bus was quiet as people tried to take afternoon naps; tired from their tests, healing sessions, or possibly their counseling.
Tsu looked back slowly at her and smiled wearily.
"Sad that we didn't pass but glad that I'm feeling okay."
"That's good. I'll let you rest," Ochako smiled and Tsu went back to leaning on Iida.
Ochako turned to talk to Bakugou but he was already sleeping. In fact, he probably fell asleep while Principal Nezu was discussing camp. She'd get him up to speed later and decided to join in the afternoon snoozing.
She was woken up by a small gasp next to her. Forcing her eyes open, she saw Bakugou wide-eyed and breathing slowly as if he was calming himself down.
"Is everything okay?" Ochako whispered. Bakugou looked down at her quickly, surprised she was awake. He nodded but Ochako didn't believe him. He looked back out at the window for a bit and then sighed angrily.
"Desensitize me," Bakugou grumbled, quiet and rough.
"Now?" Ochako asked, taken aback. "I can't carry you here."
Bakugou refused to look at her and didn't respond. Ochako realized with a tug in her heart that he just wanted her to be close to him. She guessed that maybe the test really had affected him more than he was letting on. She didn't want to question it too much or he'd regret asking her.
She wrapped her arm through his and leaned on him. He relaxed underneath her.
"That's an improvement," Ochako commented as she started to drift off to sleep.
"Maybe," Bakugou mumbled as he leaned against the window again.
It wasn't until the bus stopped that Ochako woke up again. This time to a bunch of phone cameras in her face. She remembered suddenly what position she was in.
"This isn't-," Ochako started but, unfortunately for her classmates, the stopping of the bus had also woken up Bakugou.
He immediately ripped his arm away from Ochako and stood up to set off small explosions in his hands.
"Back the fuck off, you bastards!" He screamed.
Their classmates that had surrounded them bolted but giggled while doing so.
"Don't worry," Ashido told Hagakure. "I got a good photo."
"Aw, mine is blurry," Kaminari whined as he looked at his phone. Jirou quickly grabbed it from her boyfriend and hid it from Bakugou who had leaned over to snatch it from him.
"Give it, Ears!" Bakugou yelled. Jirou smirked as she waved her ear jack at him.
"Jirou, please delete it," Ochako asked nicely. Jirou looked at her with betrayal.
"Uraraka, it's so good," Kaminari pleaded.
"It's really not what it looks like," Ochako said, knowing it wouldn't make a difference to their friends.
"We never get to see soft Bakugou!" Ashido yelled from across the bus. "Let us have this!"
Bakugou tried to climb over the seats to her but Ochako used her quirk on him and pulled him back.
"Release," Ochako said as she put her pads together. "Bakugou, I don't like it as much as you do but really what's the harm?"
Bakugou glared at her with his teeth bared.
"I'll kill them when you're not around," Bakugou growled as he pushed past Ochako to leave the bus.
She looked after him and sighed. It had been nice while it lasted.
Most of their peers had left immediately for home since break had officially started but Ochako wasn't leaving until tomorrow morning and Bakugou chose to not go right away simply to stay away from his mother since his father was out of town.
As early evening turned into night, Ochako spent time packing up what she'd need for summer break until she got too hungry to continue. When she made it down to the common area, Bakugou was sitting at a table eating alone dressed in pajama pants and a hoodie.
"Can I join you?" Ochako asked him after getting her meal from the kitchen.
"Can't stop you," Bakugou muttered.
They ate together in silence before Ochako dared to ask him about the situation on the bus. Bakugou exhaled in annoyance.
"It's not a big deal," he said quietly, taking another bite of his spicy ramen that he'd picked up from a restaurant outside of campus.
"No, it's not. I'm just curious," Ochako admitted, eating some leftover soba.
Bakugou leaned back into his chair, shoved his arms in his pockets and looked into her eyes, his face stoic.
"I dreamt you died-in the test. Recovery Girl took a lot of my stamina to heal my damn legs so I wanted to sleep more. I needed a reminder you were okay to do that."
"Makes sense. I'm just glad you don't recoil or tense up at my touch anymore," Ochako smiled at him and continued eating.
"It was a moment of weakness. I might still need practice," Bakugou said before taking another bite.
"Weakness? I think it was strength," Ochako countered. "I know it's hard for you to ask that. It takes a lot for someone to step outside of their comfort zone."
"Whatever."
It was the end of that part of the conversation.
After dinner they opted to de-stress from the day with a movie. They sat together on the couch and watched some bad American action comedy that neither of them were truly interested in.
"Can I lay down?" Ochako asked him.
"You're gonna fall asleep," Bakugou looked down at her with a smirk.
"I don't want to sit up anymore," Ochako whined.
"Do what you want. Don't expect me to wake you up," Bakugou looked back toward the T.V. as Ochako laid down. She put her legs over the arm of the couch and rested her head next to Bakugou's leg, though made sure to not touch him. Ochako figured he'd had enough physical contact for today.
"This movie sucks," Bakugou said after another twenty minutes. "It's not even good action."
"It's not funny either," Ochako agreed. "We could watch something else?"
Bakugou looked at his phone to check the time but shook his head.
"I'm only staying up because we don't have school tomorrow."
"But you're tired?" Ochako asked.
Bakugou nodded.
"Then go to bed! I'll do the same," Ochako started to get up.
"No. It's fine," Bakugou said hurriedly and turned back toward the television.
Ochako looked up at him but didn't bother arguing. He could make his own terrible decisions. It was another twenty minutes before they spoke again.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. We're going downtown this weekend. You should come," Ochako invited.
"Who's we?" Bakugou asked hesitantly.
"Uh, a lot of us-," Ochako started but Bakugou shook his head.
"That's enough information for me. I'm good."
"Not even for Deku's birthday?"
" Psh , no that's fucking worse."
"Kirishima will be there," Ochako said with an uptick in her inflection.
"I see him all the time in better circumstances," Bakugou said nonchalantly.
Ochako pursed her lips.
"Don't you need to pick up stuff for camping?"
"No."
Ochako looked up at the ceiling trying to think of a way to get him to come. She knew that if she could, Deku would be happy. Though, only if Bakugou was happy during it.
"What if we train on Saturday morning? I think I have enough money saved up, we could even get breakfast afterwards then join up with the others."
"Just you?" Bakugou asked, the idea peeking his interest.
"Sure, if that'll make you happy and get you to come."
Bakugou thought about it for a few seconds.
"Train with me tomorrow morning too and I'll go for your sake. Since you're desperate for me to go."
"I'm not desperate!" Ochako crossed her arms and pouted at him playfully.
"Seems like it," Bakugou teased. She knew she couldn't admit it was for Deku or Bakugou would surely back out of his commitment. She took a page out of his book.
"Think what you want. Doesn't matter to me," Ochako tried to act like she didn't care.
"I don't think you're getting cast in anything," Bakugou laughed then got serious again. "Yes or no?"
Even though Ochako didn't really want to train, she could handle two training sessions. It was nothing compared to what they'd been doing for a month and a half.
"Yes," Ochako agreed. "But I'm not getting up at the same time. How about 10 o'clock tomorrow?"
Bakugou grimaced at her.
"7am," he offered.
"No! We're on break. I need sleep!" Ochako groaned.
"Fine. 7:30."
Ochako glared up at him and he scowled back at her.
"Fine! 9am is as late as I'll go. I'll just work out before you get up," Bakugou compromised and looked back toward the T.V. "Let's finish this dumb movie."
Ochako turned to watch the rest of it but couldn't focus. Something that Jinko had said had been weighing on her and now was the perfect opportunity to discuss it.
"What do you think of me?" Ochako asked quietly, still half-watching the bad movie.
Bakugou tensed up.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm constantly worried I'm holding you back while we're partners but if that were the case you wouldn't want anything to do with me. So--what do you think of me?"
"You don't hold me back," Bakugou said, obviously uncomfortable. "Pisses me off that you think that. I think you're--fun?"
"Fun?" Ochako looked up at him while she was lying down.
Bakugou refused to look back at her.
"And you're--ambitious," he gulped and moved away from her to sit right up against the couch arm.
"Huh, fun and ambitious. I can deal with that. I just always feel like I'm not good," Ochako stopped herself. Don't assign judgements. "I'm not as well rounded as you or as skilled in certain areas."
"That pisses me off even more," Bakugou growled.
"What? How?" Ochako asked, sitting up to look at him directly.
"Have some fucking self-confidence. Why would I want to be around you all the time if any of that were true?"
"Wait-you want to be around me all the time? Even outside of training?" Ochako grinned at him, excitedly. Their friendship was really making a lot of progress. Bakugou blushed and gritted his teeth.
"You're better at talking and you're a lot nicer than me so I don't have to be. You're a buffer," he said, rushing the words out while still looking away from her.
"A buffer," Ochako repeated back to him, slightly disappointed. He must have only meant fun and ambitious in battle. Ochako laid back down and tried to refocus on the movie.
"Fuck," Bakugou groaned. "I told you I'm not good at this."
"No, that was good. You answered honestly, which I needed. Thank you," Ochako said softly. Maybe it was because the movie was too boring or maybe it was the long day she'd had or maybe it was the subconscious knowledge that she needed to rest for tomorrow's training but Ochako wasn't going to be awake much longer. She felt her eyes getting droopy and grunted softly as she got comfortable on the couch. The idea of getting up was terrible. She'd just sleep on the couch tonight since Bakugou said he wasn't going to wake her up. Ochako made her decision and promptly fell asleep.
The sunlight from the open windows of the common room warmed Ochako's face and the brightness of the rays woke her up. She sat up with a big stretch. A blanket fell off of her and Ochako looked at it in surprise. She hadn't had a blanket on when she fell asleep. Ochako grabbed it up in her hand and clutched it to her chest. Bakugou was right. He wasn't good with words. He showed that Ochako mattered to him in different ways.
Chapter End Notes
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