A/N UGH why does life have to be so chaotic? It seems the universe it determined to mess with me, so my posting is likely to slow down for a little while. I'll likely be posting the chapter of the new story that are already written in the meantime. Which if you're interesting, I'll give the rundown at the end of the chapter to see if it's something you'd enjoy. But considering we are close to the USJ, something I've been looking forward to writing for a very long time, I'm hoping it won't take too long to get everything (including my head) straightened out. Aside from that, I want to thank Silenthorse, Gamer_kid1609, and Zurgboy2 for all their help. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
"Seriously, how does she adjust those? I can't even tell what they're set to." Ashido called out to Izuku and Kinoko as she looked over Mei's equipment. All Might was currently grabbing the boxes from earlier to decide the next match. She had to admit it was nice seeing that All Might acted the same in person as she does on Tv, if not goofier.
"Without revealing too much since they're her babies, she has something that allows her to make the adjustments and it also tells her what they're set to." Informed Izuku.
"While we know she wouldn't mind us explaining everything, we're not going to rob her of the opportunity to gush about her babies." Added Kinoko. While the two referring to the equipment as babies has become normal for them, it was still throwing off a few of their classmates.
"I have returned!" Declared All Might as she came back into the room carrying the tables and boxes with a single hand.
"You sure you remembered everything this time?" Joke Izuku, getting a chuckle from everyone including All Might.
"I'm 98% confident." All Might joked back, earning some laughs herself. "Now let's see who our next teams will be!" She declared with her hands already in the lot boxes despite no one even seeing her set it up. Lifting her hands she showed team A as the heroes, with team F as the villains.
Without a word or any fanfare, Todoroki simply started walking out of the room the moment she saw her letter.
"Young Todoroki, you need your earpiece." Called out All Might.
"Won't be necessary." Said Todoroki monotone as she walked out the door.
"I'll give her the earpiece." Sighed Jirou, already dreading what was to come. As soon as she had them, she joined Nejire who was waiting for them.
"Looks like we're on defense." Said Kendo confidently as she gently elbowed Yaoyorozu, getting a determined smile and nod back. They quickly got their own earpieces and made their way out.
"Should we be concerned about Todoroki?" Asked Hagakure.
"I'm honestly not sure, but leave it up to the staff and I." Instructed All Might, masking her own concern perfectly. With a hesitant nod from Hagakure, it was time to start things off. After giving the first match participants the same rundown she gave the others earlier, she asked for their assessments.
"I believe Yaoyorozu will be the deciding factor." Answered Intelli, her usual smugness diminished. "She easily has the most versatile quirk out of all of us, but I believe she is unintentionally holding herself back."
"Oh, and what makes you think that?" Asked All Might genuinely curious on where she was going with this.
"During the assessment test, she only made stuff using the standard materials, and only made in standard ways. But if she's creating things atom by atom by simply converting lipids, then she's not bogged down by things like price, limited resources, or crafting difficulties. Plus she might even be able to create materials that we cannot make due to limited technology. Meaning her possibilities are endless." Answered Intelli.
"That is a very good point, and one many don't often think about." Praised All Might, getting a smile from Intelli that looked more real than she had seen on the girl so far. "Too many hero hopefuls get stuck on a singular line of thinking, making them susceptible to more out of the box thinkers. Even if young Intelli ends up being wrong about young Yaoyorozu's quirk, the fact that she realized it's a probability means she can prepare for it if she is right."
"But wouldn't it just be a waste of time trying to prepare for everything?" Asked Iida, her question sounding more desperate than All Might liked.
"Not at all! More often than not, simply knowing the possibility exists allows you to handle the situation as it takes away the element of surprise." Explained All Might while keeping a close eye on Iida.
As they all talked, Izuku walked closer to the monitors. Something was eating at him. Something felt wrong. The girls had just gotten into position, Kendo and Yaoyorozu were talking while the latter was making something with her quirk. By the looks of it, it was something to barricade the door.
On the other hand Todoroki was just ignoring Jirou as she spoke, and by the looks of it the rocker was getting frustrated. But something about Todoroki stuck out to him, something he recognized. And it made his stomach knot up.
"Sensei? Can you come here for a moment?" Asked Izuku.
All Might looked at Izuku, seeing him with a serious but worried expression. She figured he'd be the one to figure it out. "What is it, young Aizawa?" She asked, believing she already knew the answer.
"All Might, I recognize the look she's giving. It's similar to the one I had for many years. But there's a deep hatred in them too." Whispered Izuku. He was kicking himself for not catching it sooner. He had gotten so distracted with everything going on that he missed it.
"I know, and so does the rest of the staff. But as you know, we can't just go barging into the situation. If we push too hard without anything to go on, it could only make things worse. I know you want to help, and I can empathize, but sometimes the wisest thing to do is wait for the opportune moment." All Might whispered back. She had wanted to tell Izuku to leave it up to the staff, but she knew that wouldn't stop him.
Izuku looked up to All Might and saw her giving him a reassuring smile. He looked back at the screen again, concern written all over his face before he turned back to her and nodded his head.
Making his way back to his classmates, their confused looks were impossible to miss. "What were you guys talking about?" Asked Hagakure.
"They whispered for a reason. It's not for us to know." Said Yanagi plainly despite her own curiosity. While she too wanted to know, she knew the annoyance of people trying to barge into your personal business. She returned the appreciative smile Izuku gave, barely visible through her mask.
"Yeah, I guess you have a point there." Sighed Hagakure disappointedly.
"So what are your thoughts on the situation Izuku? You did pretty well last time." Asked Shinso.
"Honestly I don't know. Intelli's assessment was spot on, but I think Kendo will have a big role to play in this fight as well. I don't know what it is about her exactly, but she gives off the impression you can rely on her." Replied Izuku.
"No kidding! Honestly, she kind of gives off big sister vibes." Exclaimed Pony, her words seeming to resonate with the rest of the class.
"Oh my god you're right!" Added Kinoko, ignoring the glare she got from Shiozaki. "It's like she's the class big sis!"
"Big sis Kendo huh? It actually rolls right off the tongue." Said Setsuna with a toothy smile. Many of the class added in their agreements, having had the same feelings. All the while All Might stood there smiling, thinking Kendo might become a top leader in the future if she could already garner so much respect in just a few days.
"Alright class, time to quiet down and let's get this show on the road!" Exclaimed All Might before instantly spinning to face the monitors, and grabbing the mic. "Round 2, begin!"
Earlier*
"So what do you have up your sleeve Yaoyorozu? We should get on the same page so we can better defend the weapon." Asked Kendo with a confident smile.
"Well I could create a makeshift steel barrier to keep them from getting through the door. And maybe some noisemakers to confuse Jirou's hearing." Said Yaoyorozu as she already started making some thick steel plates.
"Uh, Yaoyorozu, that sounds great and all, but you really shouldn't waste the lipids to barricade the door." Said Kendo reluctantly.
"Why not? It would buy us time at the very least." Asked Yaoyorozu confused.
"Because while what you're making is strong, the materials you're attaching it to aren't. So one attack from Todoroki will have all that stuff ripped from the wall with the door. We need something to counter her ice first and foremost." Explained Kendo.
Looking to the doorway, Yaoyorozu was embarrassed to see that Kendo was correct, the wall was just simple cement. She was ashamed of herself for not thinking about that. "What if we lay a few traps throughout the building?" She asked a bit frantically.
"We don't really have the time for that. Best we can hope for is setting up a couple which might lead to them finding us faster. Unless you can make something that only takes a couple seconds to set up." Replied Kendo
"N-no, I don't." Said Yaoyorozu, getting more and more freaked out.
"Hey, it's no big deal, I only thought of that stuff because I watch a lot of action movies." Reassured Kendo with a smile despite her worry at her partner's sudden change.
Kendo had to spend a little bit of time to calm Yaoyorozu before she fell into a panic attack. Neither of them thought of the match at that time, so by the time Yaoyorozu calmed down neither knew how much time had passed. "We better come up with something fast, before they blindside us." Said Kendo, deciding she needed to take charge as Yaoyorozu didn't look emotionally capable at the moment.
"I'm sorry for wasting so much time." Said Yaoyorozu deject.
"Hey There's no need to apologize. The first class is always stressful. So just do what you can, and don't worry about making mistakes. It's all part of the process." Assured Kendo, getting a smile from Yaoyorozu.
Then it happened. All Might's voice came over the speakers, starting the match. Just seconds after the entire room was frozen. Almost everything was covered in a layer of ice. The only things that weren't were the two of them and the bomb as the ice only went up to their knees.
"H-h-holy crap. Sh-she h-h-has that m-m-much firep-p-power?" Said Kendo as she shivered.
"Wh-what d-do we d-d-do?" Asked Yaoyorozu a little panicked. Even though her denser fat cells helped keep her warm, this ice felt like it was chilling her to the bone.
Quickly assessing the scene, Kendo realized they couldn't just use brute force to break free without risking the ice that crawled up their legs ripping off skin. "Can you make anything that produces a lot of heat quickly? We need to at least get the ice thawing." Instructed Kendo.
With a nod Yaoyorozu went about using her quirk, creating the first thing that came to mind. "Is th-that a f-f-freakin flamethrower!?" Asked Kendo shocked after the creation was finished.
"Y-yeah? W-was I not s-supposed to?" Asked Momo, the way she asked made Kendo wonder if she had any experience making decisions on her own. If that was the case Kendo wasn't going to continue the cycle.
"You d-don't have-ve time to s-s-second g-guess in c-c-combat." Said Kendo, her eyes staring resolutely into Yaoyorozu's.
Thankfully that seemed to be enough as Yaoyorozu nodded in confirmation albeit hesitantly. A second later a small gout of flame shot out from the flamethrower that slowly grew in size so as to not cause too rapid of a temperature shift. Last thing they needed was an explosion. Aiming the flame between the two, the ice rapidly started melting.
"Good, the ice is starting to release our skin, just a little bit more." Said Kendo, getting worried about how much longer they had. As soon as she started feeling water in her boots, she enlarged her hands, and chopped at the ice on either side of her. The blow was more than enough to release her from the icy prison, prompting Yaoyorozu to stop the flamethrower. Without any wasted movement, Kendo did the same to the ice trapping her teammate. "We made it past the first attack, but this isn't over. We need to do something quick." She said determined.
Yaoyorozu opened her mouth to ask what she could do when the look Kendo shot her shut her up as her words ran through her head. She doesn't have time to second guess, meaning there isn't time to question either, she just had to do something. Suddenly an idea came to her, and she instantly started making several matryoshka dolls.
"What are these for?" Whisper asked Kendo as she started hearing footsteps approaching.
"I got the idea from Mei." She said passing two dolls over. With a quick inspection, she noticed they looked like Todoroki and Jirou respectively. "Flash bang for Jirou, CO2 gas for Todoroki." She answered.
The response stunned Kendo, surprised that Yaoyorozu had such an arsenal at her fingertips with the way she was acting. "If you can make stuff like this, we really need to work on your confidence." She said with a proud smile, getting a thankful smile in return.
While the two would have rather had more time, when they heard the doorknob start turning, they knew it was now or never. Thanks to her years of experience Kendo instinctively threw the Jirou mattoyaksha. While she knew it was likely Todoroki on the other side, a flash bang should still be effective, thus allowing her to save the other. If it worked for Ashido, it should work for her. Thankfully Yaoyorozu noticed which one she threw, so both of them were able to cover their ears and close their eyes in time for the grenade inside to fly out and go off just in time for Todoroki to fully open the door.
Kendo has no clue how the grenade was set off, but right now she wasn't going to question it. Planning to capitalize on the window made, Kendo rushed Todoroki to engage in close combat, only to find herself refrozen. Except this time it went all the way up to her hips. She was shocked, believing that the flash bang didn't work, but seeing Todoroki rubbing her eyes told her it was a blind attack.
Observation room*
"Man, I thought the last match was intense, but it's nothing compared to this." Said Kirishima watching in awe. At least until her attention was drawn to a groan coming from All Might as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ma'am?" She asked hesitantly.
"Kids, I didn't think it had to be said, but I guess it does. Just because something is faster, doesn't mean it's better. Unleashing a blind attack like that and young Todoroki's opening gambit will likely end with your license getting revoked." Explained All Might.
"They'd really go that far!?" Asked Uraraka shocked.
"The last thing the hero commission wants is a hero that would risk hurting civilians with their own attacks. Not only could such a thing cause a massive uproar, we are here to save, not hurt. So the commission doesn't like risking it." Explained All Might.
"True, but the level of control she has is impressive." Said Iida in slight awe.
"Indeed, if we can fix the issues, she could be a powerful hero." Said All Might, keep her wording vague. 'The question is, just what are these issues?' She thought worriedly.
Bomb room*
Planning to throw the other grenade in an attempt to buy more time, Kendo was once again shocked to suddenly find a large water balloon being launched at Todoroki. Looking at her teammate, she saw her create another balloon directly into some kind of launcher. She was about to ask what Yaoyorozu was doing before her own words replayed in her head. "What's the plan?" She asked as she looked for a way to release Yaoyorozu and herself.
"Ice quirk users typically have a limit before the cold starts affecting the user. If we soak her, we might be able to decrease that limit." She said not sounding completely sure.
"Good plan. Pass me the flamethrower and I'll try to get us out again." Instructed Kendo.
"Enough!" Yelled Todoroki as she once again used her quirk to fully freeze the room, including completely encasing her opponents from head to toe, only leaving them room to breathe. Letting out a chilled breath to cool her emotions, she saw through her still blurry vision Yaoyorozu part way through tossing the flamethrower when her attack landed. Seeing that both seemed incapacitated, she calmly started making her way to the bomb.
"Y-y-Yaoyor-rozu, c-can you st-st-still m-move?" Asked Kendo through her chattering teeth.
"N-no. I-I'm s-s-stuck." Replied Yaoyorozu as she attempted to struggle. She only stopped as she spotted Todoroki passing her by and noticed how pale Todoroki got. Even her lips were starting to turn blue. It didn't take a genius to see that she pushed past her limit.
"Then I guess it's up to me!" yelled Kendo, surprising the others. In her blurry vision, Todoroki failed to notice Kendo still had one arm free, and before she had a chance to react, she felt something hard impact her chest. It didn't hurt too bad and she was quickly able to identify it as another one of those dolls. So in a near instant just as the doll burst open, an ice pillar rose in front of Todoroki encasing the grenade.
Once again letting her guard gown believing she won, her heart rate spikes when her slowly clearing vision reveals Yaoyorozu smiling at her.
Before she had a chance to do anything, the ice pillar suddenly exploded, sending Todoroki flying back a bit as several chunks of ice slammed into her, with one even hitting her directly on the stomach.
Despite the pain and loss of air, Todoroki managed to stay on her feet, and was witness to some sort of white gas billowing out of what was left of the pillar. It worried her for a split second until the gas reached her and she was quickly able to identify it. "CO2" she said monotone.
"W-Was hoping to p-pile o-on the c-c-c-cold. P-Plus it c-could d-d-deal with y-your fire." Said Yaoyorozu, her body too cold to make her worry about the fact that Todoroki was still standing. But when she had mentioned her fire, she was met with a hate filler glare. Sure she didn't seem too happy when Nejire told her and Kendo about Todoroki's quirk to even the playing field, but this was different. Almost like the mere suggestion was breaking some sort of sacred rule.
Without any fanfare, Todoroki turned to the bomb, and with a single step forward, she added another layer of ice to the other two, fully immobilizing them. Calmly she walked to the bomb and placed her hand on it unceremoniously. "Hero team wins!" Came All Mights' muffled voice through the frozen speakers.
As soon as those words were said, a sudden plume of steam shot off from Todoroki. Within seconds, Kendo and Yaoyorozu felt the ice melting away, allowing the former to break free with the help of her quirk.
Yaoyorozu would swear she saw a brief flash of anger cross Todoroki's face as she faced her again, but it was gone as fast as it appeared. So she didn't say a word and just silently watched as Todoroki left the room without a word.
"This was more of an uphill battle than I expected. Seems we need to figure out how to handle such situations." Said Kendo with a resolute smile.
Seeing her smile threw off Yaoyorozu. They just lost, and still she's smiling. "Aren't you upset?" Asked Yaoyorozu, her voice sounding small. Seems now that she was no longer dealing with the cold, her mind was free to sulk again.
Kendo looked to her classmate and instantly recognized what was going on. Yaoyorozu isn't used to failure or being wrong. She'd seen it once before with an underclassman who's parents spoiled rotten. He was a smart kid who always got perfect marks and was really smug about it, so the one time he answered a question wrong, he flipped out bad enough the cops needed to be called. She later heard rumors that he needed to be put in a psych hospital.
Thankfully Yaoyorozu didn't seem to be that far gone. In the little time they had spent together, Kendo never got the sense that she thought of herself as superior. In fact she considers her to be one of her kinder classmates. But it's becoming more and more obvious that her upbringing left her woefully unprepared for anything outside of the bubble she lived in.
"Of course I am!" Replied Kendo without dropping the smile, confusing Yaoyorozu. "No one likes to lose, but letting it get you down doesn't do anyone any good. Like my grandpa always says after kicking my ass in sparring practice, you learn more in failure than success."
Yaoyorozu's eyes shot open wide. She'd seen Kendo spar with her classmates these last few days, and none of them could beat her. Sure a few like Ashido and Camie give her a run for her money, but they still haven't won. So to hear Kendo admit to losing was surprising. "And you think that made you stronger?" Asked Yaoyorozu, her voice almost pleading.
"Oh I know it's made me stronger. We actually started sparring regularly because I had hit a wall in my training two to three years ago. I was winning matches left and right, but no matter what I did, I wasn't getting better. So my grandpa challenged me, demolished me, and I've been steadily improving again since. We spar once every other week where he shows me I have so much more to learn. So much more to strive for. So let's take this defeat as a learning opportunity, put in the work to improve, and let's mop the floor with Todoroki next time." Exclaimed Kendo before holding out a fist to Yaoyorozu.
The heiress looked between Kendo and her outstretched fist as her mind processed what she was just told. While she wasn't entirely confident in her words, it did sound good to her. So with a small smile she gently lifted her own hand in a fist, and gently tapped it against Kendo's, the action completely foreign to her.
"Now come on, we have a debrief to get to. And maybe we should ask Nejire for some tips after this disaster." Said Kendo with a laugh. Despite her current feelings of inadequacy, Yaoyorozu had to admit that Kendo really knew how to motivate someone.
The two made their way down the building, Kendo asking about what Yaoyorozu can make, and giving a few ideas of her own for the heiress to look up. They were stunned when they found a very angry looking Jirou waiting for them outside. She didn't want to walk back with Todoroki, but also didn't want to go alone.
Turns out that Jirou had tried to work with Todoroki, but she was just ignored all the way up til the start of the match. As soon as the match started Todoroki froze the whole building, and while she had tried to enter as well, she couldn't keep her footing on the slick floors. It frustrated her to no end since it prevented her from joining their very first hero class. She was here to learn, not let someone else do everything for her.
When they reached the observation room, they found All Might glaring at Todoroki similar to how she did with Bakugo. "Welcome back girls, I would like to commend you for your efforts, but for now there's something important to discuss." She said, giving the three her usual friendly smile before turning back to Todoroki with a glare. "Now Todoroki, give me one good reason to not fail you this lesson." She demanded.
The reaction was instant as Todoroki glared back. "How about the fact that I won single handedly?" She said angrily, showing the most emotion any of them had ever seen.
"Was this a one on one match?" Asked All Might.
"Why does that…?" Started Todoroki before being silenced by All Might raising her hand.
"It matters because heroes need to work together. We aren't here to prove our strength, our skill, or to show off. We are here to learn to rescue innocents. Not only did you ignore that parameter, you used excessive force that easily could have hurt someone as well as cause millions of yen in damage." Lectured All Might.
"What did I damage!? I only froze everything!?" Argued Todoroki, still trying to justify herself.
"And what do you think is going to happen with all that ice? Do you think it's just going to magically go away? No, it's going to melt and get water damage everywhere. That's not including the fact that you potentially compromised the building's integrity since we don't know if the ice damaged the foundation. If that was a civilian building, it would have been shut down for weeks so it could be properly inspected, if not just outright torn down. If UA didn't have the forethought to prepare several backup sites, this entire lesson would be over as I don't feel safe sending your classmates into a building that could potentially collapse when it thaws." Exclaimed All Might, making sure to emphasize her points.
Todoroki's eyes went wider and wider as All Might spoke. None of them had seen All Might like this before today, so she had no idea how to handle it. But one thing was for sure, she listened intently to every word. Despite her anger she still respected the hero immensely. So if she managed to upset her this much, she must have messed up. Not knowing what to say she stood there silently.
"Do you understand what I'm telling you, young Todoroki?" Asked All Might sternly. The nod she got in response was enough to satisfy her, but she knew she should talk with the rest of the staff about this. "Good. Now let's get to the debrief. All things considered, I'll just get straight to the point. Young Kendo, you are the MVP for the match. Despite everything, you remained calm under pressure and assisted your ally where you could." She said, going back to her bright and cheerful demeanor. The accolade was bittersweet for said girl considering how fast they lost, but she will use it as motivation for her future training.
"Young Yaoyorozu, I understand you might be feeling down about your loss, but don't let it keep you down. I truly believe that once you get some more combat experience, that brilliant mind of yours will turn you into a one woman army." Encouraged All Might, after seeing the doubt still in Yaoyorozu's eyes.
"Y-you really think so?" Asked Yaoyorozu, her voice sounding so small it broke everyone's heart and to hear.
"But of course! No one is born a combat expert, not even myself! My old mentors used to kick the snot out of me, but it was thanks to that that I became the hero you see today!" All Might declared, ending with a heroic pose. Seeing the thoughtful look in Yaoyorozu's eyes as she nodded in acknowledgment wasn't what she hoped to see, but it was a step forward.
"And young Jirou, I apologize for your inability to participate in the exercise, and since we don't have the numbers, we can't put you on another team. To make up for it, I will give you a personal lesson at a later time. I will also attempt to get another teacher to assist, but I can't make any promises." Apologized All Might
Now it was time for Jirou's eyes to shoot open wide at what she just heard. "I-I'm getting a personal lesson from All Might?" She mumbled. She was so stunned she missed the jealous glare several of her classmates shot her, but she was brought back when Kendo patted her back and exclaimed how lucky she is.
"I can ask aunt Mic if she'd be willing to help since their fighting styles will likely be similar." Added Izuku, feeling bad for Jirou considering how excited she was this morning. The smile that appeared on her face told him he made the right call.
"You say that like she can say no to you." Joked All Might, unintentionally increasing Jirou's excitement.
"Well she can, I've just yet to hear it." Izuku joked back.
"Dude, if you can get Present Mic to agree, I'll owe you one big time!" Said Jirou happily.
"I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help, especially for a fan." Replied Izuku, his comment seemingly making Jirou notice how she was acting.
"Well of course I am. She's done a lot for the music community on top of all the good she's done as a hero. Pretty much everyone I know that's involved in music looks up to her." She said poking her jacks together bashfully.
"I don't recognize the name Present Mic, who is she?" Asked Pony.
"She's the voice hero, she's able to project her voice in a sonic attack and is a top 100 hero. She also runs her own radio station, and created a scholarship for the underprivileged to go to music schools. She also opened and funds her own beginner music school where kids from low income households are able to attend for free. I could go on and on about all the things she's done, but she's done a lot of good." Explained Izuku, proud of his aunt.
"That is a huge understatement!" Exclaimed Jirou, surprising everyone. "She's also assisted in cleaning up some of the darker sides of music. Alcoholism and drug use has diminished thanks to her. She even funds several rehab centers all over Japan." She admitted sounding endlessly grateful, as if she was personally affected.
"I actually didn't know that part. Seems there's a lot she hasn't told me." Said Izuku with a smile.
"Ahem!" Exclaimed All Might before anyone had a chance to reply. "As much as I'm enjoying the heartfelt moment, we do have a class we need to finish before the other first years are set to start theirs." She explained, getting a few sheepish smiles and everyone's undivided attention. "Now our next teams will be!" She said dramatically as she pulled out two more balls. This time it was team E as the heroes and team G as the villains.
"Oh goodie, time to show off my stealth skills!" Cheered Hagakure.
"Is it still considered stealth if you announce what you're doing?" Asked Yanagi with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course it is, because it doesn't matter if you know or not, you're still not going to find me." Said Hagakure sounding smug. "Besides, I'm invisible. If that doesn't tell you my specialty then nothing will." She added with a giggle.
"Fair point." Said Kodai as she was putting in her earpiece.
"Hope you two are ready to lose, you won't be able to stop any plan I come up with." Intelli taunted as she started following Nejire.
For some reason something about the way she said that struck as odd to Izuku. It sounded more like she was talking to herself rather than her opponents. But he had no idea why.
"I think you all know the drill by now." Announced All Might.
"What drill?" Asked Mei as she walked through the door.
"Ah good timing young Hatsume. You've only missed one match, and we are about to discuss our thoughts on the next matchup. Since you've been out, take a look at the two teams, and tell me who you think has the advantage." Stated All Might.
Mei wasted no time going to the camera's to see who was fighting and took on a thoughtful expression. With a quick glance to the balls that sat on the table, she noticed which team was which. "I'd say they're about even. All four have tactical quirks, so I think it will come down to which team put in the most training."
"Interesting observation. Do you not think Hagakure could just sneak by and touch the weapon?" Asked All Might already knowing the answer.
"I mean it's possible, but if she's one of those that believe their quirk is the end all be all, then Yanagi should easily be able to handle her. And depending on how Kodai's quirk works, she could literally just remove any doorways by growing the framing or ground. Since Intelli and Hagakure aren't powerhouses, they'd struggle to get through." Answered Mei simply.
Well, All Might believed she knew the answer to that particular problem. Now she was just in a cold sweat as the realization struck her, being the teacher she knew all about her students' quirks and gear. So she knew Kodai could do just that, and that neither Hagakure nor Intelli have enough support gear to breach such a situation more than twice. "And what do you think they should do if that were to happen?" She asked, hoping she wasn't about to hear what she thinks she is.
"They'd have to scale the building and breach through a window or wall." Answered Mei nonchalantly.
'Fuck!' Thought All Might. She couldn't think of another way either, and she really didn't want them scaling the building on their first day since they haven't had a class to teach the proper technique yet. If either of them slipped and fell, they could get seriously injured, or worse. Using her one stealth skill again, she shot off a quick text to Nejire's TA phone, telling her to be on standby until the two entered the building.
"Or she can just go through the floor or roof if they have the equipment." Added Mei before she looked back at the monitors and immediately adopted an unimpressed expression. "Or just go through the wall since it seems Kodai only seems concerned with the door to the room with the bomb." She said dryly.
At her words All Might turned around and found that Kodai had in fact used her quirk to enlarge the doorframe, enclosing the room. And only that door frame. Everything else was left untouched as Yanagi piled some prop boxes in front. 'They may be strong, intelligent young women, but their lack of combat knowledge is obvious.' She thought, suppressing a sigh of relief, but instead let out a bellowing laugh. "Well you are still a bunch of noobies. Not everyone has had a chance to train with a pro." She said, easing Mei's obvious annoyance.
"That's true, but this just seems too simple. Almost like it's on purpose." Added Kendo with a raised eyebrow. It quickly became apparent that her assessment rang true as Kodai walked over to the bomb, shrank it down to the size of a gumball and stuck it in one of the pouches on her costume.
"Sh-she can't do that! That's against the rules." Said Iida incredulously.
"Ah, but I never said the villains couldn't alter the bomb in any way. As long as it's intact at the end of the round, everything is fair game. You don't expect real villains to make it so simple do you?" Said All Might, pride in her students present in her voice.
"I-I guess that's true. But then why didn't you say that before?" Iida dejectedly asked.
"Why didn't you ask?" Rebuked All Might, effectively shutting up Iida. But seeing as she needed to keep things realistic, she turned to the mic. "Young Kodai, while your strategy is sound, keep in mind the weapon needs to be in a proper usable state when the ten minutes are up, otherwise it will be considered a loss. While it may be a prop, it needs to be treated like an actual bomb and one that size won't do much damage." Instructed All Might. Kodai raising a thumbs up in the camera's general direction was the only response she got.
Meanwhile Yanagi appeared to be placing the empty crates placed there for quirks like hers behind the pillars, hiding them from view. As she seemed to think about it, she also purposefully broke down a few other crates, using her quirk to pull the nails out and placing the boards with the other hidden crates while passing the nails to Kodai.
After being handed the nails, Kodai went about inspecting them. Seemingly unpleased with what she was seeing, she gave them back to Yanagi and pulled out a few metal rods that looked to be of similar size from some hidden slot on the forearms of her costume. Almost no one even knew those were there, while Mei could spot she had similar hidden items all over her costume. She then proceeded to talk to Yanagi, obviously gesturing to the rods.
"What are they talking about sensei? What was wrong with the nails Yanagi gave her?" Asked Kirishima confused.
"Ah, those rods are dulled down unlike the nails pulled from the crates. While it wasn't a requirement, she insisted on all of her gear being dull. She likely wants to minimize the chances of impalement." Answered All Might, proud to see one of her students taking precautions, it was rare to see with someone so young.
Meanwhile on the other screen, everyone was witness to a completely taken aback Intelli and they saw Hagakure's gloves flail wildly. "Should we be worried about those two?" Asked Ashido, worried at seeing her new friend seeming so angry.
"Not at the moment. Whether this will cause their teamwork to break down, or make it stronger, only time will tell. Any consequences will be on their shoulders, and would be a good learning experience regardless of the outcome." Said All Might, still hearing Hagakure rip into Intelli. Sure this could end up badly, but based on what she was hearing, she felt it was best left in their hands.
Earlier, outside the test building*
"Okay, you're free to talk now, I'll just escort these two to the bomb now." Cheerily exclaimed Nejire as she danced around in the air with her quirk before zooming inside.
"I think she might be a real life fairy." Said Hagakure.
"Hm, she does present many of the same characteristics." Replied Intelli absentmindedly before she shook her head remembering where they were. "Well now, since I'm the clearly superior tactician, leave the planning up to me. I'll pave us the way to victory." She bragged. If the comment didn't annoy Hagakure so much, she might have caught the slight tremble of her voice.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Asked an upset Hagakure.
"Just that I'm the smarter one. I'm not saying it to be rude, it's just a fact." Replied Intelli arrogantly as she used a hand to flip her hair back.
"Seriously?" Asked Hagakure annoyed. "For someone who claims to be so smart, you are really dumb."
That appeared to have been Intelli's hot button as she instantly leveled a glare to her partner. "What did you just say!?" Yelled a red faced Intelli, shocking Hagakure due to her level of anger.
"I said you're really dumb!" Yelled back Hagakure, further angering Intelli. It looked like the girl was about to reply, but Hagakure beat her to it. "This is a team exercise, not a master servant exercise! I'm not going to fail because you won't get off your damn high horse!" She screamed, effectively shutting up Intelli. Once again the girl was going to reply, but Hagakure wasn't done. "Seriously, what is up with your attitude!? You barely know any of us yet you walk around like you're better than everyone!"
Intelli opened and closed her mouth multiple times after hearing her partner's tirade, yet no words came out. It took several seconds of the girl seemingly still glaring at her to find her voice again. "I-I'm sorry, I-" she started before being stopped by Hagakure raising her gloved hand in front of her face.
"Save it, we don't have time. If you're really sorry, fix the attitude. For now, we need to figure something out." Said Hagakure sternly.
"Yeah, um, just let me use my quirk real quick." Replied Intelli as she fumbled with the thermos strapped to her hip.
"Sounds good." Replied Hagakure, the edge in her voice now gone, which relaxed Intelli.
After a bit of difficulty Intelli managed to remove the thermos and pour herself a small cup. Closing her eyes as she sipped the tea, many plans and variables ran through her head at breakneck speed until she landed on a solution. She opened her mouth to tell Hagakure their plan when she noticed the girl's posture suggested she was still annoyed. Which she honestly would have missed if she hadn't just been yelled at by the girl. "Ok, I believe I have something." She started, mentally sighing in relief when Hangakure's stance relaxed a bit.
With a clearing of her throat Intelli got her nerves under control as she looked up to one of the upper floors. "I don't know everything about our opponents' quirks, but it's likely safe to assume Yui used her quirk to block our path to them."
Hagakure hummed in acknowledgement. "That's a good point. Plus there's a chance she shrunk the bomb on us. I don't know if that is allowed, but we shouldn't rule it out." Replied Hagakure thoughtfully.
Intelli's eyes shot open wide at the response. The possibility never crossed her mind. She focused so much on the battle itself, she didn't consider anything else.
After noticing Intelli's reaction, Hagakure ended up getting more annoyed. "What, didn't expect me to contribute anything? I got into UA too, I'm not dumb." She said, the edge in her voice returning.
"N-no it's not that! I just…. I just didn't consider the possibility." Replied Intelli lamely.
A few seconds of silence followed the admission before Hagakure let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, I admit planning isn't my strong suit, and I was going to ask if you would come up with the bulk of the strategy before you decided to act like I'm beneath you. But if there is one thing I'm good at it's out of the box thinking. Can't be a good sneak if you aren't."
"What do you mean?" Asked Intelli earnestly.
"Just because I'm invisible, doesn't mean I can't be found. I can still make sounds, and people can still touch me. Sure my quirk gives me a major advantage, but if I hide in the wrong spot, I'd be done for. You might think hiding in a dark corner or in the vents are the wisest choices, but not only would those be the first places checked if an intruder is suspected, vents tend to be noisy as hell. So I have to think outside the box, get into people's heads and find out where they wouldn't think to look." Explained Hagakure.
"I guess I still have much to learn before I can become a proper tactician." Said Intelli to no one in particular. But the deep sadness of her voice threw off Hagakure and caused her anger and annoyance to evaporate instantly.
"That's why we're here, to learn. Now come on, we're running out of time, what's your idea to deal with the problem." Replied Hagakure, some of her usual cheer back in her voice, earning a small smile from Intelli.
"Right, we don't know how many passages Kodai blocked, so the smarter move might be to scale the building. But I admit, I don't feel fully comfortable with that idea." Said Intelli.
"I agree. I'd rather not go splat on the sidewalk. I'm sure we'll have to do that someday, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Replied Hagakure, neither knowing Nejire who was hiding around the corner let out a sigh of relief. "But we might have to once we see the state of the building once we enter."
"True, which I do have some gear for." Said Intelli, unintentionally causing Nejire to stiffen again before frantically pulling out her TA pad and starting to go through the building's camera feeds. "Aside from that I also have some unique breach charges the support course made for me. They're made so I should be able to go through a wall if need be."
"So now that we have getting to the bomb covered, now we need to figure out how to deal with Yanagi and Kodai. I should be able to sneak past them. But if Yanagi can sense me with her quirk, or if Kodai hid the bomb we're screwed." Added Hagakure.
"I don't like it, but if they did shrink the bomb, we'll have to assume they have it with them. It'd be too risky to leave on its own for us to stumble upon. So if we don't see the bomb, we'll need to capture them as we would waste too much time trying to locate it, but I doubt it'd be that easy." Said Intelli.
At that, Hagakure grew a devilish smile that no one could see. "Then I think I have an idea. Tell me Intelli, how confident are you in your combat skills?" She asked, the mischief in her voice obvious.
Nejire listened to the two happily as she was relieved to find a lack of blockages. She was actually rather impressed with what she was hearing. Not only did they have an argument, resolve it, and start coming up with a proper plan, but they'd done it so quickly. In her time at Ryukyu's agency, she'd seen many heroes fight one another, typically because one was upset at the lack of spotlight or not having the leadership role. But she'd never seen any of them work it out so fast. In fact, very few get resolved at all. So she became eager to work with them in the field.
Nejire blissfully daydreamed about when she would become a pro, with her partners right there working beside her. That train of thought led her imagination to living with them as the pitter patter of small feet sounded throughout the house. She was brought out of her musings by the sound of All Might starting the match where she quickly shook her head. 'It's way too early for those kinds of thoughts.' She mentally chastised, as she peeked around the corner to witness Intelli and Hagakure enter the building.
Seeing that the two were now inside, she lazily started flying back to the observation room while still keeping an eye on the camera feeds with her pad. "But that doesn't mean the thought doesn't make me happy." She said with a blissful smile and light blush.
Inside the training building*
Hagakure and Intelli guessed that the bomb was on or near the top floor, but they still made sure to check each room as they climbed. Neither wanted to make the same mistakes Bakugo did. As they ran and searched, Intelli kept making calculations in her head when she realized something. "Hagakure, why aren't your boots noise canceling like Shinso's?"
"Because I still need to take them off when I sneak. Can't hide too well when they can see your clothes." Explained Hagakure, as she quickly inspected another empty room.
"Why not just make them invisible like the rest of your costume?" Asked Intelli as she joined Hagakure in climbing the stairs.
"Because I'm not wearing a costume? I thought that was obvious." Replied Hagakure confused, which only intensified as Intelli's face exploded in crimson.
"But they make costumes that the wearers quirk effects too all the time!" Rebuked Intelli, her mind thoroughly distracted from the match.
That actually caused Hagakure to stop in her tracks at the revelation. "I guess I never thought about it. I'm just so used to heroes being awesome that I never considered their own costumes could cause issues." She said, seeming to adopt a thinking pose.
This only served to confuse Intelli further. She remembers the support company contacting her to discuss her costume design in detail, so shouldn't they have informed her of the possibility.
"Girls, while I understand the importance of this topic, don't let it distract you from the mission." All Might gently reminded. In truth, she had been worried about that as well and planned on talking about it with her later, but right now they needed to focus.
"Yes sensei!" Both said simultaneously on instinct. Looking at each other, Intelli gave a nod while Hagakure gave a thumbs up before they started up the stairs.
It didn't take them long to finish inspecting the other floors, and when they reached the floor with the bomb, it couldn't be more obvious which room they were in if they tried. "So uh, I guess Yui used her quirk as you predicted." Said Hagakure as she stared at the swollen looking door frame and floor. She would have found it comical if it didn't impede their progress. "Come on, let's just bust through, you said you have something right?"
"Actually, I think I have another idea." Said Intelli with a smirk.
Inside the room with the bomb*
"Is it just me, or are the sands of time flowing slower than usual." Said Yanagi, stretching out her arm purely out of boredom.
"Mm." Responded Kodai with a head nod.
Yanagi internally sighed at the lack of, well, everything. Yui is very quiet and shows no emotion. If someone were to tell her that her teammate was just a very realistic android she wouldn't doubt them. "I'm guessing you're not one for conversation?" She asked. If she hadn't been paying absolute attention to Kodai, she would have missed the girl's eyes widening ever so slightly.
"No, not really." Replied Kodai, her voice once again sounding strained.
That was the first time Yanagi had heard the girl speak all day and it troubled her hearing the strain. "I'm sorry if this is too invasive, but is there something afflicting your voice?" Asked Yanagi, a bit concerned.
Kodai stayed silent as she stared at her partner.
If Yanagi wasn't used to silent types it would have unnerved her, but thanks to her experience she could see the war raging behind Kodai's eyes. It appeared the war ended as Kodai opened her mouth to speak when suddenly there were several simultaneous small explosions right next to the door. They weren't big enough to create a massive hole in the wall, at least not individually. Instead they witnessed a large near perfectly circular chunk of wall fall to the ground. They entered their combat stances expecting Hagakure and Intelli to come through.
After several seconds passed with no one climbing through the hole, Kodai's eyes widened as she remembered Hagakure's quirk. Without hesitation she rushed the hole, planning to use her quirk to close it. Just as she reached it, another series of small explosions happened again, only this time on another wall. It also happened to be very close to Yanagi's position.
This time instead of the chunk falling lazily to the ground, it fell onto the ground almost instantly as if pushed. But as soon as the other room was revealed, something flew out of the hole directly at Yanagi. It was inches from hitting her shoulder when she managed to catch the object with her quirk. With a quick glance at the object she discerned it was a weight of some sort. She figured it was a support item similar to the one's Sir Nighteye uses.
Yanagi never got the chance to analyze the situation when Intelli suddenly jumped through the hole, expertly throwing more weights. This time she couldn't catch them all and one hit her directly on the thigh. Considering how bad the impact hurt, Yanagi knew her guess was correct. 'That's going to leave a nasty bruise.' She thought as she used her quirk to grab some of the crates and throw them at Intelli. "Kodai, keep vigilant around that hole! It's likely our other foe climbed through that one!" She called out, hearing her partner's usual hum of response.
Except it wasn't the usual hum, and she didn't realize that until she suddenly felt the ground shift a bit and looking back to Kodai, she created a wall sealing up most of the room, leaving it with maybe a quarter left. "That works." Said Yanagi as Kodai rushed to the other hole and sealed it up.
Without any wasted movement, as soon as the hole was sealed, Kodai pulled out several rods from her costume and expertly threw them at Intelli. At first it appeared Intelli was about to block them, but she nimbly dodge out of the way just as they grew to the size of one twenty ounce soda bottles. Though this was actually part of their strategy as Yanagi grabbed the rods with her quirk and changed their trajectory and added a bit more speed. This time however, Intelli was unable to dodge them all, and took one to her shoulder, and another to her stomach.
The blow pushed back Intelli, and based on the expression she was making, it hurt quite a bit. But the girl didn't even waste a second rushing Yanagi. Sadly Intelli was one of their fastest without a quirk, and due to the now limited space, Yanagi was unable to react in time before Intelli closed the distance and landed an open palm struck to her solar plexus. And with a clean movement, kicked out her legs from underneath her, sending her falling back.
Yanagi may not know much about martial arts, but it was obvious Intelli put in a lot of training. 'I should have considered it since she never sparred these last few days.' She thought as she rose to her feet despite her struggle to breath. Taking a bit of time to recover, she was immediately drawn in by the confident smile Intelli had as she assumed a combat stance. At first she thought she was just being overconfident. Afterall it is two on one. At least until she saw Kodai, who was preparing another attack, suddenly slam into the ground. She was confused for a split second before she realized Hagakure had gotten in unnoticed.
"Guess you weren't kidding that it didn't matter you announced your intention!" Said Yanagi as she tried using her quirk to assist Kodai, only to have Intelli in her face again.
"Don't go forgetting about me." Said Intelli with what could only be described as a savage smile as she started to throw a flurry of punches. This time though, Yanagi managed to grab some more crates and use them as shields. Of course she needed a new one after every punch since they kept getting shattered. She kept trying to split her focus to assist her teammate, but Intelli wouldn't let up the pressure.
"Kodai has been captured!" Announced All Might, causing Yanagi's eyes to widen in panic. She barely got a chance to catch a glimpse of Kodai and saw her breathing hard and wrapped in the capture tape. Seems the blow she suffered was worse than she thought.
'Damn it, this isn't good, they flipped the script on us.' Said Yanagi as she kept trying to defend against Intelli's attack. She tried to find an opening to back off and get some breathing room when she suddenly felt a fist collide with her jaw, sending her stumbling. Obviously their plan was for Intelli to distract her while Hagakure lands the actual blows in secret.
Well, she wasn't going to take it lying down. While it's never easy, she used her quirk to catch Intelli. The problem with that is if anything struggles against her hold, it causes her a massive headache. Hence why she stuck to inanimate objects. But right now she had no other choice. Obviously Intelli wasn't going to make it easy on her and fought back with all her might, causing her vision to go spotty from the pain.
Fighting through the headache Yanagi started spinning Intelli around her like an orbit. Sure she could have just slammed her into the wall, but that would still leave her vulnerable to Hagakure's attacks. Thankfully she managed to accomplish her goal and managed to slam Intelli into Hagakure, sending them both to the floor. Despite her head pounding Yanagi used her quirk to grab her capture tape to wrap around her opponents.
"Times up, stop the match! This round is a draw!" Came All Might voice through the speakers throwing off Yanagi, causing her to lose hold of her quirk and the capture tape to land lazily on her opponents.
"What? But how? We didn't capture the weapon, so isn't this the villain's victory?" Asked Intelli, upset by the results but thoroughly confused.
"We shall discuss that when you have all returned." Replied All Might through the speakers.
"Well that's dispiriting." Said Yanagi as she walked over to Kodai to untie her.
"I don't know, I think we all did a pretty good job! We all gave it everything we had, and I think that's important when you're a hero!" Cheered Hagakure as she assisted Intelli to her feet.
Sigh* " I guess that's fair, still though, I would like to have a rematch sometime to settle the score." Said Intelli, a challenging smile appearing on her lips.
"I feel the same. Perhaps we can discuss it with our sensei's." Replied Yanagi.
"Mm" said Kodai as she started undoing her quirk on everything.
"Sweet, sounds like fun! Now let's get moving! We don't want to keep everyone waiting!" Exclaimed Hagakure.
"Perhaps you should grab your….. costume first." Said Intelli teasingly, surprising Yanagi and Kodai, but getting an embarrassed laugh from Hagakure.
Later in the observation room*
As the four walked, they discussed Intelli's support items. Mostly what allowed her to get through the wall. While she wasn't able to show them anything physical, she explained that when she asked for breach charges, they gave her what appeared to be high tech spikes with a drill tip. They have three prongs with an extremely strong super glue to keep them in place, you space them apart in whatever shape you want and use a copper wire to connect them. When activated the spikes drill into the wall and blow up, creating an opening.
The two who didn't get to witness the devices used in person were stunned that such a thing even existed. They haven't even heard of heroes that specialize in raids having anything like that.
"Maybe I should have some made for me." Commented Yanagi as she started opening the door, only for a pink blur to zoom past her to Intelli.
"How were my babies?! Did you love them or did you love them?! Do they need more oomph?!" Rapidly asked Mei to a now distressed Intelli.
"Wh-what? What are you talking about?" Asked Intelli, unable to think clearly due to her sudden panic.
"Young Hatsume, I understand you're excited, but we still have a class to conduct." Called All Might amused. Which turned into a laugh as Mei just crossed her arms and grumbled with a pout as she rejoined Izuku and Kinoko who kissed her cheeks causing her expression to suddenly brighten.
"So you're the one who made those spikes Mei?" Asked Kendo, sounding like she wanted to doubt the statement but couldn't considering Mei's honest to a fault nature.
"Yup! Baby number 107. I first designed them when I was twelve and recently updated the blueprints. When I showed them to Powerloader, he requested a desire to make and test them. He said he'll have several hero students test them and if things go well, they could become standard issue." She explained proudly.
Everyone who didn't already know that all had shocked expressions, even Bakugo and Todoroki were shocked considering they literally just started university. Simultaneously they all turned their attention to Izuku or Kinoko, each silently asking the same question.
"It's true, I was actually the one who convinced her to show Powerloader her blueprints. Though I do admit it was more to see if he could find a way to decrease the amount of explosions. But I'm not surprised with how it ended up." Replied Izuku with a shrug, getting a playfully indignant elbow from Mei.
"Ok, you have got to be messing with us, there is no way an eighteen year old is that good of an inventor." Exclaimed Ashido, not sounding entirely sure of her statement.
"Ah, but it's the truth, young Ashido. In fact it's more than one device, it's four. So if you ever need support gear or costume advice, she is a wealth of knowledge. Though she still isn't authorized to make any adjustments herself." Exclaimed All Might, giving Mei a pointed look at the end. Said girl wanted to be upset by the clear implication, but she couldn't argue that it wasn't deserved.
The rest of the class was stunned speechless. It's true that none of them were well versed in the support gear world, but even they knew Mei had to be extremely talented to achieve such an accomplishment. The only other people they heard about achieving anything similar were David Shield and his daughter Melissa. So to have someone like that training side by side with them to be a hero was stupefying.
"Ahem! While I do find your shocked expressions amusing, let us move onto the debrief!" Exclaimed All Might with a laugh, earning several blushes from her students.
It was silent for a few seconds as they waited for All Might to prompt them until they realized All Might was waiting on them. But even then many still didn't know what to say. It was an amazing fight all around, so how do you pick who did best?
"Honestly, I'm not sure there even was an MVP. Not because they did bad, but because they all did amazing. Yanagi and Yui came up with solid strategies to counter their opponents, and while they didn't win, Yui prevented the other team from winning as well. And even when her partner was taken out, Yanagi kept fighting, showing the resolve of a true hero. While Intelli and Hagakure systematically dealt with each problem as they came. Using each other's strengths to create several very effective plans. If the timer didn't stop the match, I honestly have no clue who would have won." Stated Izuku thoughtfully, so deep in his analysis he failed to notice the appreciative smiles he earned.
'Psh, they were all just too weak to claim victory.' Thought Bakugo, literally biting her tongue to keep from saying it out loud. Despite her pride, she wasn't about to hurl insults for something she failed to do as well, even when every fiber of her being was telling her to say it anyways.
"That's true, we can't assume Yanagi would have lost just because the odds were against her. Someone backed into a corner is extremely dangerous." Added Setsuna.
"You both make excellent points! It was indeed an excellent showing for a bunch of noobies! How about you four? What's your opinion?" Asked All Might after seeing a look flash across Intelli's face.
Before any of them had a chance to speak up, Hagakure stepped forward. "I think Intelli should be MVP. Not only did she come up with most of the plan, she acted as the decoy so I could act, thus covering my weaknesses." She said, not seeing the surprised look Intelli gave.
"True, and a commendable job she did! Based on the looks most of your classmates have they still don't know what those weaknesses are!" Said All Might was an uproarious laugh when Hagakure turned around and some of the class tried, and failed, to act like they were in the loop.
"Wait, you guys really don't know? I might be watching too many movies." Exclaimed Ashido, confusing her classmates even more.
"What do movies have to do with her weaknesses?" Asked Shinso, genuinely curious
Ashido opened her mouth to answer the question before she appeared to have an epiphany. She looked to Hagakure with a questioning look, silently asking if she was ok with revealing such information. A double thumbs up was the answer she received.
"Well you see it in horror movies all the time. Invisible monsters are a very common trope. Typically it's defeated by the people luring it to an environment where the invisibility is essentially nullified. Setting off sprinklers, very loose ground to see footprints, or like in this case spread so much dust her visage becomes obvious. It takes time for the dust to settle from the explosion, so Intelli lured their attention away so Hagakure could still sneak through. That's not even considering the fact that she's a stealth expert, which isn't exactly suitable for this type of scenario." Rambled Ashido, suddenly nervous at finding herself the center of an intellectual discussion. Not really a role she was used to experiencing, but she had to admit it felt good to not be seen as an idiot.
Many eyes shot open as the realization donned on them accompanied by a facepalm from Izuku. "You know, that feels like one of those things that's super obvious in hindsight. You're really showing off today aren't you Ashido." He said, flashing Ashido one of his million watt smiles, and failing to notice the slight blush appear on her face.
"Easy there Cassanova, you have three girlfriends already. No need to rush getting a fourth." Joked Setsuna, causing both Izuku's and Ashido's faces to explode in crimson.
Despite being a tease herself, Ashido was easily flustered when it came to her own dating life. Something her brothers took great joy in. Though that also meant she knew not to comment or you risk the teasing getting worse.
Izuku on the other hand was still learning how to suppress his knee jerk reactions. "Nononono I swear that's not what I'm doing! I just…" Said Izuku as he started his spiral.
"Hahahah easy there young Aizawa, she was only teasing." Laughed All Might despite her current anxiety. Izuku may be getting better, but the whole staff knew he was still vulnerable to panic attacks. So she hoped to calm him down before it got bad. Based on the worry still on his face, it wasn't going to be that simple. Thankfully she wasn't the only one watching out.
"Even if he was, I wouldn't blame him. All the dance practice she's put in really shows." Said Kinoko with a smirk, her one visible eye dipping down for a split second. She was making a show of it, hoping Izuku would pick up her subtle message that there was nothing to worry about. Based on the fact that she saw his body start relaxing out of the corner of her eye, confirmed that he had, though it was surprising how fast it happened. Maybe being around so many girls that are nice to him these past few days is doing him some good.
"Facts! I'm honestly kinda jelly, usually I have the best ass in class." Added Camie, rubbing her own ass in emphasis. Several snorts of suppressed laughter rang throughout the room as Izuku covered his face with a groan of embarrassment. Even Camie could barely contain it, both out of relief that the panic attack seems to have been avoided, and the fact that a thoroughly teased Izuku was very amusing.
"Well I better after all that work! I may love to dance, but I'd be upset if I didn't get anything out of it." Exclaimed Ashido, her confidence returning now that the subject has shifted. No one noticed the light blush still on her cheeks that was hidden by her pink skin.
"Ok class, we've had our fun, but let's get class moving again." Laughed All Might, relieved the problem was averted. While she wanted to be annoyed by the constant disruptions, she knew it was only due to her time limit. If it wasn't for that she'd be more than happy to let it continue.
The class quickly shifted back into gear while Kinoko and Mei rubbed Izuku's back supportively, helping him get through his embarrassment. Despite wanting to just sink into the floor and never come out, He still made sure to give them appreciative smiles, mentally vowing to thank them in some way.
Thanks to the little diversion, Intelli had enough time to get her thoughts in order, steeling her resolve for what she was about to say. "I don't believe I deserve MVP status. My thinking wasn't flexible enough, and if it wasn't for Hagakure filling in the gaps, I doubt we would have made it as far as we did, if not outright lost." Admitted Intelli, surprising all of her classmates. Seeing the shock on her classmates' faces hurt, making her want to retreat back into her shell. But she pushed through it, hearing Hagakure's words replay in her head.
"I'm ashamed to admit, but I don't think our team seized MVP status. We allowed ourselves to become complacent with our strategy, believing we could easily deceive them into thinking the bomb was in another room. Which made us vulnerable to their sneak attack. If we had just remained vigilant, we might have reacted in a timely manner." Added Yanagi, a bit ashamed by her performance.
"Mm." Replied Yui with a nod of her head in agreement. All Might was hoping to hear more from the girl, but she wasn't one to force people to talk when they didn't want to. Well, at least when they're not a villain.
"Very well said, all of you. And your ability to see where mistakes have been made will play a part in your final grade. That being said, I do agree with young Izuku and Setsuna. It was an astounding showing, so the rest of the staff and I will have a tough time with the final decision." Laughed All Might joyously, causing the four girls to blush with a happy smile from the compliment.
"Speaking of, you never explained why it was a draw. We never completed the objective. So should my that mean the villains should win?" Asked Intelli.
"Ah yes, I almost forgot." declared All Might with a laugh. "It's simple. Because neither of you won. Young Kodai, if you'd hand over the weapon please, but keep your quirk active until I say so." She instructed, getting a nod from said student before she handed over the tiny bomb that was expertly hidden in one of her pockets. "You see, without the weapon in it's original state, the villains objective still would have failed. It still would have caused damage, but not to the scale this scenario aims for." She explained, earning some understanding looks.
"Now let's see if the next two matches can match up! Let's get this next round started!" Declared All Might, getting determined looks from the remaining students.
A/N So for anyone interested, the new story is named "Null" Izuku is the son of All Might and Inko, with both being pro heroes. But he was in all but name, abandoned by them when he was diagnosed quirkless, and left with a nanny who treated him like crap and would pockets most of the money meant to be used to care for him. and despite almost everyone telling him he was worthless, he trained constantly to be a hero. After the incident with the sludge villain, Izuku is left broken when he discovers that even his own parents don't believe in him. 10 months later he shows up at the entrance exam a different person, wielding a mysterious but extremely powerful support item(s). Nanobots that can destroy and recreate on a molecular level. This is a 'Izuku is done with everyone's shit' kind of story, and while he still cares, he is extremely angry. So he's not afraid to call out anyone on their shit.