Time for the final exams! The class gets a bit of a shakeup in how they will be done, and the Meowsketeers are faced with a brand new challenge...each other.
The written finals came and went without issue, besides everyone running themselves ragged while studying. It left little time for Izuku, Ochako, and Himiko to do much for their new relationship, but it also pointed out to everyone (including them) that…it didn't change much. They already spent most of their time together, and were physically affectionate, it just had a new, underlying current of emotion to it that left them liable to smile softly with no warning.
They also would, magnanimously, allow their classmates to pet them in attempts to relax. Especially with the stresses of finals coming up, it helped make everyone find themselves more stable footing to work off of. But once the written finals were over, it was time for the practical.
"We're switching the practical up this year. Many years we have you fight specifically designed robots that the Support Course makes as part of their finals, but for a few of you," Aizawa side-eyed the cat-quirked trio, and then let his gaze wander over Momo and Shouto a moment later, "you're too powerful to fight those creations. And many more of you are starting to reach a similar power level as you continue to train. So instead…you'll be fighting each other."
All Might stepped up beside Aizawa, a blinding grin on his face. "Not unlike the first time we had hero training, we'll be doing spars, to see how far you've come. You don't have to win to pass, you just have to show how much you've learned. That said, this won't be a basic two on two spar. We'll be sorting you all into uneven groups and having you fight in said groups. We want to test your ability to adapt to new circumstances and how you prioritize your opponents. So, without further ado, I'll begin calling out the groups."
"Group A will consist of Aoyama, Koda, Jiro, and Sero, you four will be facing one another. Group B will consist of Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki. Group C will consist of Kendo, Ida, Ojiro, and Shinso. Group D will be Ashido, Kaminari, and Asui. Group E will be Shoji, Kirishima, and Sato. And finally, Group F will be Uraraka, Midoriya, and Himiko."
The class stared rather blankly at the pair of teachers. Aizawa gestured over his shoulder to the training ground behind him. "We have drone cameras watching the entire city. We'll send each group in one by one, and give you two minutes to prepare. Take advantage of whatever you have to: terrain, stealth, verticality, etc. You'll be scored based on a number of factors by your teachers, who are all watching."
All Might stepped up once more. "That said, do try not to get injured. Recovery Girl has swore she will remove the kneecaps of any overly reckless student, as well as myself and Aizawa, so let's try not to anger her?" All Might's teasing tone and silly commentary made some of the class snicker, the tension bleeding out of them. He continued on. "I'm sure you wonder why the groups are oddly numbered, but that's mostly due to a combination of the number of students in the class and that we tried to match you up to others who would challenge you in a number of ways. Either way, let's begin. Group A, head into the city. You have two minutes."
Izuku was nearly vibrating as they watched the fights from the observation room the students had been piled into. Ochako couldn't help but giggle at her partner's excitement; now that she could think of them as adorable in her mind without any shreds of guilt, she couldn't help but enjoy watching them get so excited about the rest of their class. But…she couldn't forget the quirk conversation she'd been pulled into with her partners and teachers, moments before they entered the observation room.
Aizawa had pulled the three of them aside, Toshinori behind him, and looking down at them said "During your fight…go all out against one another. Which by that I mean, to your safe limits. You three are incredibly strong right now, and from my understanding, you have permanently copied mine, Midnight's, Vlad's, and Recovery Girl's Quirks. Do not use Recovery Girl's during the fight as you still haven't trained with her on it, but the other three are fair game. But you go last for a reason…we want to see what you can do. And that means ignore collateral damage."
"Wait…what?" Izuku asked, jaw dropped. Ochako and Himiko weren't much better, because the implication…
Toshinori nodded, arms crossed over his chest. "You've yet to go to your limits and push them, because it's not been safe. This is the safest opportunity for you to do so, against one another, in a practice city that Nezu plans to redo anyway. So, go all out. If anything goes too far, we trust you to pull back, and if not, I'll be watching from close by and be ready to interfere. But we want you to feel free to let loose."
The trio nodded, feeling…well, a lot of feelings. Worry, anxiety, a bit of excitement, competition, but also…a sense of relief. Because something that had been gnawing at all of them was how much they kept having to throttle themselves, how hard it was to pull back on who they were and what they could do. Every day they got stronger, every day they were advancing further, but they always had to be so careful.
Ochako hadn't quite known how to word it, but Izuku had. They'd shown Ochako and Himiko an old, pre-quirk cartoon scene about a superhero from before Quirks named Superman, and a speech he'd given about living in 'a world of cardboard.' And that, that felt so accurate it hurt. So apparently, they would finally get a chance to go all out, to actually not be worried about the cardboard cutouts that some people were starting to feel like…and to be honest? She was excited. They just had to wait for everyone else's tests to finish.
"Oh man, this is gonna be so cool!" Eijiro said, watching the screen. They'd all finished up their tests (Mezo had managed to win the three way battle for their group, but it had been close and Eijiro was proud of how hard he worked), but now they were going to see the Meowsketeers go off. And the fact Kyoka had overheard All Might say they had permission to go all out and ignore collateral damage? Oh, Eijiro was excited, and so was a lot of the class. They'd all wondered exactly how powerful the trio were now…and now they would get to see it.
Izuku had simply walked to the center of the training center beside Himiko and Ochako, all three of them apparently agreeing to just get right to the fight. They'd found an intersection in a larger section of the ruined city, with plenty of room, and were currently stretching, getting ready for their battle as the screens zoomed in around them, watching how they silently prepared.
The gathered students watched, some in breathless anticipation, as All Might held up the microphone. With a wide grin, he called out across the loudspeakers "Begin!"
The class was less excited now and more…not scared. Scared was the wrong word. But intimidated could be argued. As soon as the word begin had echoed across the city, the trio had lit up with the familiar sight of their shared power Quirk, and from the distance the class was the fear effect wasn't active. But then they rushed one another.
The 'boom' that followed utterly annihilated the entire intersection, rubble and debris flying off into the distance, the drones being almost knocked from the sky as the air pressure waves rocketed out from their clash. Himiko flipped up, her foot slamming down where Ochako had been, the brunette dashing out of the way as Izuku came in for a punch. Himiko's foot hit the ground with such force it exploded, but neither Izuku nor Ochako seemed to notice, Ochako turning back on a dime and ramming her shoulder into Izuku, sending them careening off.
The black tendrils they'd used before rocketed out, wrapping about a lamppost and sending them back incredibly swiftly. Himiko was already in motion, teleporting out of sight and reappearing behind Ochako, a quick snap kick to the back of her leg making her fall forward. Ochako rolled with it, her hands hitting the ground as she continued the roll, throwing herself into the air with a pink burst from her hands as Izuku flew back in, spinning about to offer a back-kick that Himiko barely ducked under.
She blinked out again, appearing above Izuku with her hand ready to smash into them, but Izuku's eyes flared green as their telekinesis took hold of a nearby crumbled building and brought it screaming in, forcing the blonde to blink out again. Ochako stood in the path of the building, and with her eyes crackling with pink and white light, a snarl on her face, punched through the building, the sound echoing so loudly that they heard it in the observation room itself and then a split second later through the speakers. The building was crushed into powder by the force of her blow, wind pressure pushing both Izuku and Himiko away as Himiko blinked back just in time to get hit by it.
Izuku's black tendrils leapt out towards Ochako, the brunette slamming her hands together, a strange shimmer in the air in front of her appearing. Izuku and Himiko's eyes both went wide, as did the rest of the class, as the tendrils hit the shimmer and bent, collapsing to the ground. Ochako's self-satisfied smirk was visible even to the class, her body lit up with lights as the air and ground around her quaked.
Himiko grinned back, her teeth glinting in the afternoon light, as she vanished from sight. Izuku brought their fists together, the green light around them ramping up, lightning streaking off their body as their hair began to lift slightly. With a roar, they punched forward towards Ochako, a massive wave of air being shoved at her that impacted the barrier she'd managed to put up.
The two forces collided, Izuku's wave of air barely pushing Ochako's barrier back slightly, but it still held. Izuku didn't stop though, throwing a second, a third, a forth punch, rapid fire one by one, cracks of displaced air slamming into Ochako's barrier. Ochako's eyes narrowed, red rings snapping into being around her body as the entire arena froze, time slowing down. It was weird for those watching from the outside, now not within the area of effect, seeing how even the flying rubble was now moving incredibly slowly, able to physically see the disturbed air flying from Izuku's punches, even able to witness the moment Himiko returned from her teleport, behind Ochako, within her barrier, but frozen like all others.
Ochako's face seemed contemplative, as if she were using the time to think over her next move…which the red rings vanished a moment later, her ducking to the side as Himiko clipped her with a knife-hand strike to her side. Himiko smirked, but had no time to react as Izuku was atop her, flipping over the duo and bringing their foot down into the ground in an earth-shattering smash that sent both girls tumbling away. Ochako's hand tapped onto a car, a second one, a third, the three lifting up as she spun about and kicked them towards Himiko and Izuku.
Himiko's fingers dug into the earth as she hissed, the drones picking up the noise. She dashed back in, ducking beneath the flying cars, the concrete behind her shattering from the force as she quickly began a series of rapid-fire punches and kicks towards Izuku, her partner turning about to face her and backpedaling as they defended against the onslaught. A snap of the black tendrils shot out to deflect one of the cars, another one reaching out to try and capture Himiko but she blinked out of it and tried to strike Izuku from behind.
Ochako rushed in, slamming into both of them, one arm locking around Himiko's as she leapt up and tried to capture Izuku's arm between her legs in an armbar. Izuku spun about, dragging both girls with them, forcing Ochako to release them. Ochako landed on her feet in a low crouch, her arms outstretched, palms open, as Himiko skid to a stop in a tight stance, narrowing her eyes. Izuku hopped back and forth on their feet, arms up, eyeing their two partners once more.
There was a moment where Izuku's mouth opened in a grin, them saying something the drones didn't quite pick up. Ochako's face mirrored the smile a moment later, Himiko's following right behind. A shiver ran up the spine of the trio's teachers, somehow, someway, just knowing this was going to be something they did not like.
Sure enough, the green sparks around Izuku picked up again, their eyes flaring, wind roaring, as Ochako's body mirrored Izuku's…fists clenched, shoulders hunched, a mad gleam in her eyes as the ground quaked around her. Himiko's eyes were narrowed, teeth bared, her golden strands of energy whipping about her in a frenzy.
Toshinori winced, and with a hissed breath started to head to the door, because he knew where this was going…but he didn't quite make it before the trio moved. One second, standing where they were, the second they were gone…and so was the entire city block. The next several blocks. Half the ground. Every drone within a hundred meter radius. And still no one could truly see the trio, just glowing flashes of green, of pink, of gold, bursts of incandescent solar flares as they hit one another, faster, faster, faster.
The buildings shook, the ground quaked, the very air was shattered as they rammed into one another with the force of their shared Quirk, which was more than enough. Toshinori vanished out of the door, all the gathered teachers realizing that the trio had kinda destroyed the loudspeakers so they wouldn't hear the call to quit.
A moment later, Toshinori appeared standing in the center of the ring of destruction, trying not to guffaw as he held Izuku by their belt, the green-haired teen looking confused…Ochako was thrown over his other shoulder, and Himiko was currently dangling, confused, off his other arm. He set them down and began to speak to them quietly, as the rest of the class just stared at the screen…and slowly decided to just leave this be and walk away.
Shouta sighed, rubbing his temple. Problem children, every last one.
Himiko was content, eyes closed, her head resting on Izuku's chest and listening to her partner's heartbeat. Ochako was against her back, her head nuzzled into Himiko's neck, surrounding the blonde with warmth and affection and care that she couldn't have imagined before finding her people. UA was the best thing that had ever happened to her and she couldn't be happier. She had real, true friends, found out she'd even had some before, found the loves of her life (even if she wasn't ready to say it out loud, she knew what she felt), and even found a real, true family, not her shitty blood relatives.
The sense of pride and fond exasperation Toshi had shown the trio when he'd captured them during their exam had made her feel warm inside, different but no less important to how her Izuku and Ochako made her feel. The way Midnight had checked in on Ochako after the spar, making sure she wasn't suffering any exhaustion or nausea. The way Aizawa had offered them critique, but not condemnation, giving advice on how better to wield their strength and their accuracy, the sort of stern mentor they still needed to progress further. Granted, he'd wondered why they didn't use the teachers' Quirks, but the trio explained they'd agreed not to since the premise of the exam was to see what happened if they let go of their hesitance.
But while Himiko was happy…something wasn't quite right. Izuku was feeling a bit weird about the whole scenario, a lot of mild anxiety combined with that feeling of 'thinking' they would sometimes give off, as if they were mulling something over. Ochako…was worried. About something. Himiko wasn't really sure yet, but she also knew Ochako would bring it up when she was ready. Her Ochako knew the other two would be wondering, so she'd get there eventually. She just had to wait.
Luckily, she didn't have to wait long. Ochako let out a deep sigh, snuggling herself deeper into Himiko's neck, her warm breath washing over her and making her spine tingle, before she rolled onto her back, leaving one arm beneath Himiko and the other now covering her eyes. Izuku's head turned to look at Ochako, as Himiko slid open one half-lidded eye, ready to hear what her girlfriend had to say.
"...I think I get it now," Ochako said softly. The other two chose to wait, not wanting to rush her, as she seemed to search for her words. "I get what that cartoon you showed us meant, Izu. That whole 'world of cardboard' thing. Like, I thought I got it before, but it wasn't till today that I really got it."
She was silent for a moment, but Himiko could feel she had more to say, so she remained silent, Izuku merely reaching out to gently squeeze Ochako's hand. "When you threw that building at me Izu, I punched it. One punch. One punch and it broke. Hell, it didn't just break, it practically evaporated. That wasn't a small building either. It was like, four freaking stories!"
"Five, to be exact," Izuku murmured, getting a flat look from both Ochako and Himiko, the blonde gently bopping them on the nose for the unneeded addition.
Ochako sighed. "Same thing, whatever. My point is, if I hit a person with that…they'd just be gone. And I know, I know I gotta hold back. I know Toshinori always has to do so. And it's not like the strength is always there, I gotta call it so I don't have to be super careful most of the time, but…it's still there. Yeah, growing up I knew I had to be careful with Zero Gravity cause if I dropped somebody from too high, or had something really heavy that I let land, it could kill someone too, but…this is different."
"The more powers we get, the more likely we could also cause harm," Izuku added softly, saying what Ochako was thinking yet hadn't expressed yet.
Ochako nodded miserably, her face twisted. "And I'm not ungrateful! I really do love them! And it was fun going all out against you two, I really…I really had fun," she whispered, a small flush coming to her cheeks, "but…I-I still…yeah." She trailed off, unsure how to express how she felt.
"I get it," Himiko murmured, her voice muffled by her cheek being pressed to Izuku's chest. "You wanna enjoy the power, and it's great and we have so much we can do to help people…but it's scary too. We're scary."
"Yeah," Ochako whispered back.
Himiko gently pat Izuku on the chest, before releasing her grip on them and rolling over to wrap her arms around her girlfriend. She pressed a very soft kiss on Ochako's cheek, the brunette letting out a surprised squeak as she felt Izuku's humor and Himiko's love wash over her along with the kiss. "Can't fix it for you 'Chako…but we're here for you."
Ochako let out a relieved sigh, flopping her arm over Himiko and squeezing her tightly. Her other hand slid into Izuku's, gently entwining their fingers together. "I don't think there is a fix, ya know? It just…is what it is. I'm just…ugh. World of cardboard indeed."
Izuku released a breath, rolling over to wrap their arms around their girlfriends. "Yeah. I get it. But it's like Himi said…it also lets us save so many people. What we did with that building…and the hero killer, the Nomu? We did a lot. We helped a lot of people. Long as we're using it to save others…I think I'm okay with having to live in the world of cardboard."
A half-smile crossed Ochako's face, closing her eyes and snuggling into Himiko and Izuku's warm grasp. "...yeah. You got a point. Gonna get my head on straight and deal with this."
"Hopefully not too straight," Himiko snickered, bursting into giggles at the mirrored 'done with your shit' feeling that she felt across the bond from her loves. Sometimes you just needed a dumb joke to break up the tension, and if anyone was learning how to do that, it was her. Ochako didn't seem inclined to say anything else, her feelings still a bit unsure but more stable than before, so Himiko allowed the warmth around her to help soothe her off to sleep. She couldn't wait to see what the future would hold.
For those who don't know, the 'world of cardboard' speech is one given by Superman in the Justice League cartoon. It's one of my personal favorites of his. It's basically an explanation of how he has to spend every day being incredibly careful not to break things or people due to his incredible physical strength, and how he very rarely, if ever, gets to actually USE it.