Villainous Quirk, Heroic Soul

by Megaman1549

The day Izuku manifested his quirk was the day his life became hell, all because everyone considered his quirk villainous. All he ever wanted to be was a hero, but everyone only treats home like he's a villain. So for 12 years he suffered before one event changed his life. Can his friends and loved ones help him overcome his trauma? Or is society going to break him?

25. Chapter 24: Acting a Part

(A/N) Whew, this one wasn't easy, but was pretty fun in my opinion. Faced some nasty writers block a couple times throughout the chapter but I got through them. So much so that the scenes evolved more than intended. I had actually planned on a different end point for this chapter….. until I realized how long the chapter had gotten. So you might want to prepare yourselves for a long read, but I hope this extra long chapter will make up for my absence! Thanks again Silenthorse, Zurgboy2, and Gamer_kid1609 for all the help!

"So which team is which?" Asked Kinoko with a determined look. She and her partner Kirishima along with the other team Uraraka and Pony had stepped forward immediately after All Might's declaration.

All Might couldn't help but laugh at the sight "Ah, such raw enthusiasm and determination! I love to see it! To make things easy, I'll simply draw from the hero box this round and villains the next, as we already know who the teams are!" She declared, suddenly pulling out a ball from the box before anyone could even blink, revealing team B as the heroes.

"Woo! I'm gonna hog tie those dastards!" Cheered Pony in English, getting a jovial laugh out of All Might, and a few confused glances from those that struggled with English.

"Ah, now that takes me back." Said All Might, reminiscing about her time in America. Maybe she should look into contacting David. It's been far too long since they've had a chance to talk.

"I mean, not to kink shame, but you should probably save that for the bedroom." Teased Setsuna, causing many to blush, and confusing Pony.

Pony had to mouth the words back to herself to get the meaning, causing her to blush as well, but having grown up with brothers made her immune to any such teasing. "Is that an offer?" Teased Pony with a challenging smile.

Setsuna couldn't help the large toothy smile that spread across her face as she wrapped an arm around Pony's shoulder. "Oh yeah, you and I are gonna get along great." She declared happily before leaning in to whisper in her ear. "And maybe it was, care to find out?" She whispered seductively.

Now this was completely new territory for Pony, so while she fully understood, she still had to take a moment to process what she just heard. Deciding it was best to just roll with the punches, she decided to continue the banter. "Sure, we'll see where things go back at the dorms." She said with a wink before going up to All Might to get her earpiece.

After Uraraka joined up with Pony she leaned over to whisper. "Were the two of you just flirting?" She asked genuinely, having never witnessed such a scene.

Pony opened her mouth to deny it when she donned a thoughtful look. "I honestly have no idea." She whispered back. Uraraka looked surprised by the answer before she started giggling, which Pony quickly joined in on.

"Man, I am so hyped for this! It's finally time to show what I can do!" Exclaimed Kirishima with a massive toothy smile as she slammed her quirked hardened fists together before going to grab her earpiece. She turned around to encourage her partner, only to stop when she saw her taking deep deliberate breaths, while Mei and Izuku watched with smiles on their faces. It seemed as if they were waiting for something. But for what?

She got her answer when Kinoko opened her eyes again with a confident lopsided smile. "Let's get this shroomie show started." She declared, her words sending a chill down everyone's spine. She was way too adorable to sound so menacing.

Once the four left the room with Nejire, All Might cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. This time they quickly picked up what she wanted.

"I hate to say it, but I think Pony and Uraraka got this one. No offense to Kinoko, but growing mushrooms isn't a very combative quirk. It's better suited for rescue." Said Tsuyu thoughtfully with a finger to her cheek.

"Logically that makes sense, but with the way she acted before leaving, I don't want to just assume she's weak. Besides, there are more ways to fight than with a quirk." Replied Intelli with a slight edge to her tone.

"Besides, you shouldn't ever discount how creative some people are with their quirks. Even some top ranked pro's have quirks that sound weak if you simply saw it on paper." Added Kendo before noticing the smiles on Mei's and Izuku's faces. "You two know something, don't you?" She asked quizzically but with a smile.

"Yes, but anything I say will just sound biased." Answered Izuku with a shrug.

"What, are you about to say she's extremely powerful and no one can stop her?" Jokingly asked Ashido. When Izuku stayed silent her confidence wavered. "I mean she isn't, right?"

"I wouldn't say no one can stop her, but out of everyone in class, her quirk is the scariest." Said Mei.

"As future heroes you should always be aware that just because a quirk doesn't sound combative, doesn't mean it can't be dangerous." Added All Might vaguely, using all her willpower to not burst out laughing from the scared faces of some of her students. She understands Gran Torino much more now.

"So you think Kinoko is just going to sweep the match?" Asked Shinso.

"Oh definitely not, Ochako won't allow it. She doesn't know how to give up, and we have no idea how strong Pony is. So it's more of a question of can they win before Kinoko uses her trump card. Because once she does that, not even Ochako's willpower will save them." Said Izuku, unintentionally scaring his classmates.

"Save them? Should we be concerned?" Asked Jirou.

"Oh it's not lethal, just brutal, so she only uses it as a final resort." Replied Mei, intentionally scaring her classmates. She wasn't about to let anyone view her girlfriend as weak.

"Brutal how?" Asked Hagakure.

The sadistic smile that spread across Mei's face did not help anyone's confidence. "Let's just say panic is a very common reaction." She said, causing a shiver to run down people's spines and look towards Izuku with questioning looks, silently pleading for Izuku to tell them she's exaggerating.

Sadly they didn't get what they hoped for. "It's true. Freaked me out when it happened the first time, and I had a warning. My only saving grace was that my quirk counters hers."

Several audible gulps sounded through the room and they all turned to the screen. They watched as Kinoko was having a cheerful conversation with Kirishima based on the smiles on their faces while she was using her quirk to create barricades on the stairs and even some hallways. It shocked them to see how many mushrooms she could grow, and how big they could get. But they still looked like ordinary mushrooms, so they still had a hard time believing what they were just told, but they also saw no reason for them to lie either.

"What about Kirishima? It won't hurt her will it?" Asked Ashido, obviously very concerned for her horn buddy.

"Don't worry, her level of control is on par with Todoroki, if not better. I'd once seen her use her quirk as makeshift stairs up and down a five story wall at a full sprint without missing a step. And while her quirk makes them harder to pick than average mushrooms, at least half of them fell, so her footing was very unstable." Explained Izuku, assuaging Ashido's worry.

"Not gonna lie, that sounds cool as fuck and I wanna see it." Said Setsuna with a large toothy smile.

"Language!" Scolded Iida.

"Japanese!" Setsuna yelled back with a shit eating grin, making several of her classmates giggle, much to Iida's confusion.

"Iida, I know you've been talked to about this." Said All Might sternly.

Iida stalled a bit, looking conflicted before she bowed at a perfect ninety degree angle. "My apologies." She declared.

With a nod of acknowledgment, All Might glanced at the time. "Looks like it's time to begin!" She declared as she turned around in the blink of an eye. "Round 4: start!" She yelled into the Mic.

Earlier, inside the building*

"Ok you two, I'll see you later!" Said Nejire in a sing-song way, as she started heading out. Suddenly she stopped, looking like she thought of something and went back to Kinoko and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "And I look forward to our talk after class." She said in a sultry voice, sending a chill down Kinoko's spine as she started blushing.

Once Kinoko got her bearings back, she gave Nejire a sensual smile. "Play your cards right and it might be more than just a talk." She replied, simply teasing the new member of their relationship. Except she underestimated Nejire's free spirited nature.

"Then it sounds like I need to stack the deck." Replied Nejire with a smirk and a wink. Turning around she slowly sashayed her way out of the room knowing full well both occupants were staring at her ass. Not to toot her own horn, but she knew her hero costume made her already supple ass look fantastic. Afterall, she designed it that way, she wasn't ashamed to show off what she got.

"I don't know whether to feel awkward or jealous." Mumbled Kirishima absentmindedly before slamming a hand over her mouth.

"Nothing to be ashamed of, I've been there and heard many other women grumble about her ass. But hey, that's what an active life can do for you, we just have to work to catch up." Encouraged Kinoko with a smile.

Kirishima's face quickly matched her hair due to embarrassment. "That uh, that wasn't what I meant." She hesitantly admitted.

"Oh? Then what did you mean?" Asked Kinoko genuinely as she started to get concerned.

Kirishima let out a tired sigh, having not been prepared for such a conversation. "Of your relationship. You, Nejire, Mei, and Izuku are all so confident with each other. Meanwhile I can't even work up the nerve to tell my crush how I feel." She admitted, but by how wide her eyes went immediately after, she didn't intend to let that last part slip.

In response, Kinoko couldn't help but giggle, getting a confused look from Kirishima. "It took time for Izuku and I to get to this point. Like I said, we were nervous messes when we first met. It took a lot of willpower to have the courage to confess, and even then it was because Mei was there with me. With your determination and attitude, I'm sure you'll find the courage to ask out Ashido." She said acting nonchalant.

The reaction was instantaneous as Kirishima's entire face exploded in crimson. "How did you know it was her!? Was I really that obvious?! Wait! Does she know!?" She said, starting to freak out, but the mischievous smirk Kinoko gave her stopped her in her tracks.

"I didn't, just a lucky guess, so thanks for confirming it." Said Kinoko with a friendly smile, but Kirishima could feel the shit-eating grin hidden just behind it. "So no need to worry, as far as I know, Ashido is still in the dark."

Despite her blush, Kirishima couldn't help but give a deadpan stare to Kinoko. "I'm having a hard time believing you were ever a nervous mess." She said, getting a giggle from Kinoko.

"What can I say, Mei and Izuku have really helped boost my confidence. Camie too, but she might be a teensy bit of a bad influence." Said Kinoko a little playfully.

"Yeah, a teensy bit." Replied Kirishima sarcastically but with a smile. "Now come on, we should get ready for the match."

"You're just trying to avoid talking about Ashido." Giggle Kinoko. "But you're right, we need to prepare. So how do you want to handle this?" She asked genuinely.

"I'm not the best planner, but I think I should confront them head-on on the ground floor while you use your quirk to block the way up here and defend the bomb directly. That way if Uraraka floats them up here someone's still here to defend it." Suggested Kirishima.

"I agree with blocking access, but we shouldn't split up. If they stick together we'd be at a disadvantage with no way to get back to one another. I'd suggest just using my quirk to block every possible way in and just run out the clock. But I don't want to pull a Todoroki and leave you out of the exercise." Rebuked Kinoko.

Kirishima let out a sigh, knowing Kinoko has a point. "I get that, but sadly our quirks don't mesh together well. As much as I'd like to face them head-on, it'd be unmanly of me to put my feelings above the assignment."

Hearing Kirishima's words caused a sinister lop-sided smile to spread on Kinoko's face, scaring the red-head a bit. "Oh, our quirks work better together than you might think. Follow me, I'll explain the details as I spread my spores." She said, her sweet innocent tone not matching her expression as she started walking out of the room.

"Why do I get the feeling you would have made a terrifying villain?" Mumbled Kirishima a little scared as she followed her partner.

Earlier, outside the building*

"Hey, Uraraka, you're friends with Komori right? Do you know anything that can help us?" Asked Pony, staring at the building with a resolute expression.

"I don't know how she fights, but I know she isn't someone you want to underestimate. According to Mei, with Izuku's help, Kinoko has figured out some tricks with her quirk that are difficult to deal with, so be prepared for anything." Explained Uraraka.

"Izuku? That's hard to believe, their quirks very different." Said Pony thoughtfully.

"I don't know the full story, but apparently he's been analyzing quirks since he was a kid. He recently showed me a notebook he started with a section about my quirk. It went into a lot of detail and there were several theories. Some of which I tried and confirmed a couple to be true." Explained Uraraka, her admiration crystal clear.

"Oh, so you have new tricks to show off?" Asked Pony genuinely.

"Sadly no. They're very recent discoveries, so I haven't had a chance to practice yet. But Izuku said he'd help, so it shouldn't take too long." She said, not noticing her blush darken a bit at the mention of Izuku helping her.

Pony stared at Uraraka for a couple seconds before a smile bloomed on her face. Her partner's feelings for the boy were quickly becoming obvious to her. It honestly didn't surprise her given how close the two seemed to be, and Izuku seemed like a decent guy to her. But as much as she wanted to gush, she still has a class to finish. "So we don't got much info to work with other than basic description of their quirks. How you at close combat, think you take on Kirishima?" Asked Pony trying to come up with a strategy but unable to think of much.

"I don't know honestly, I've never been in a fight before. Maybe if I can get her with my quirk I can get her out of the fight. That way we can shift our focus to the weapon or Kinoko." Answered Ochako her earlier confidence slowly leaving her.

The two girls looked at each other, hoping deep down the other would come up with something, only to find the other just as clueless. As the realization came to them, they couldn't help the laughter that burst from them. "Guess neither of us fighters. You here for rescue too?"

"Yup! I've just always been inspired by heroes like thirteen who focus more on the saving lives part of heroics. I know villain takedown is important, but rescue heroes put themselves in the middle of battlefields and disaster zones not to fight, but to get others out of danger. What about you?" Asked Uraraka.

"Oh my grandpa inspire me. He is Paramedic and commonly work with rescue heroes, is even good friends with a few. Always say that heroes who mainly fight villains are dime a dozen. But heroes who focus on saving lives are heart of hero industry." She spoke with pride, yet Uraraka could still spot the sadness in the girls eyes.

"Sounds like you really love your grandpa." Said Uraraka, hoping she wasn't poking at a sore spot.

"Mhm, I go to his and grandma's house whenever I could. They would always welcome me with open arms and always encourage me. When I decided to become rescue hero, they were first people I tell." Said Pony with a fond smile. "They even help me with applying to UA and moving here. It because of them that I able to be here."

"Wow, you have some amazing grandparents." Replied Uraraka with a kind smile.

"Yeah, we video chat most nights, they will evenâ." Started Pony before an expression of realization crossed her face and she pulled out her standard issue hero phone and checked the time. "Crap, we don't have much time, we need plan!" She exclaimed, panicking a bit.

'Shit we got distracted! We need to think of something fast! What would Izuku do!?' She mentally scolded, too panicked herself to register what she just thought as an idea struck her. "Pony, your horns fly right!?" She asked frantically, getting a nod in reply. "Ok, how about this. I'll use my quirk on us and you use your horns to get us up to the roof. Kirishima will likely want a head on fight, so we might be able to go around her."

Pony took a couple seconds to mentally translate Uraraka's idea before nodding her head resolutely. "That true. It might not be much, but best we got." She replied.

"Round 4: start!" Came All Might's voice through the speakers, as if in response to Pony's words.

The effect was instantaneous. A second after the start of the round as Uraraka was about to use her quirk on herself, the whole building exploded in mushrooms. Many smaller mushrooms hung on the sides of the building near all the windowsills that the two were just now noticing to be cracked open. But that wasn't what drew the two's attention the most. No, it was the giant mushroom cap that now sat on the roof, completely covering it, making the whole building appear like one giant mushroom.

"I uh, I think the roof idea is out." Mumbled Uraraka, getting a dumb nod from Pony. The two were suddenly startled by the sound of the front doors opening seemingly by themselves, revealing a darkened room.

"When did we enter horror movie!?" Asked Pony nervously before shaking her head. "Well I not play along. Let go in through window." She said, her Japanese getting rougher in her panic.

Only for Uraraka to stop Pony before she could move. "No, that's a bad idea. While I can't confirm it, I don't like the looks of those mushrooms near the windows. The giant cap on the ceiling tells me she's not limited to completely natural mushrooms, so those could very well be a trap." She said, gesturing to said mushrooms.

Pony stared at said mushrooms for a couple seconds before she let out a reluctant sigh. "Why do quirks have to be such bullshit?" She grumbled in English. "You right, our opponent has us in palm of hand. All we can do is face it." She said resolutely before making her way to the door, Uraraka right behind her.

As the two crossed the threshold into the building, they easily spotted the ceiling completely covered in mushrooms, making the windows the only source of light. Aside from that there were several mushrooms of varying types growing on the walls. They tentatively made their way further inside the building, keeping an eye out for ambushes, planning to ascend the still clear stairwell as they doubted the weapon was on the first floor.

Only as soon as Pony and Uraraka neared the stairs, large colonies of mushrooms instantly sprouted one by one. The first completely blocked the doorway, preventing anyone from leaving without some effort. Then the windows started getting covered, causing the light to slowly disappear until they found themselves in a pitch black room.

Pony's first instinct was to panic, having found herself in what appeared to be a real life horror movie.

Uraraka on the other hand had started getting used to these kinds of situations, so after her panic subsided, she let out an annoyed huff. "Did you have to be so dramatic with it!? I know you could have grown them all at once!" Called out Uraraka.

In response the two heard Kinoko giggle, trying to sound as menacing as possible with it, making the still scared Pony to squeak from fright. While Uraraka just rolled her eyes with a fond smile on her face with how cute she viewed it. "Now where would the fun be in that, hero." Came her echoing voice from the stairwell as a glow suddenly appeared.

Pony and Uraraka felt rooted in place as they heard the clacking of shoes on the stairwell as a soft blue light started shining from around the corner. Kinoko walked around the corner without any fanfare, as she smiled and stared at the glowing fluorescent mushroom she was holding in her hand. "It's amazing the kinds of things you can do with your quirk if you think outside the box." She said casually as she pretended to study the mushroom.

"So I was right. You can create whatever mushroom you want." Said Uraraka, taking a sloppy fighting stance.

"Hmmmmmâ yes and no. It actually takes a lot of work. It takes a shrooming long time to create new ones. Thankfully that's the hard part. For once I create the mushroom I want, it's a simple matter to make more. Like this." She said, putting her hands behind her back and twirled side to side in a cute but mocking manner before extending her hand straight out and snapping her fingers. As soon as she did, the same blue fluorescent mushrooms started popping up on Uraraka and Pony, surprising the both of them.

Pony's eyes shot open wide, instantly knowing what Kinoko was planning. Without wasting a second she shot out 4 horns directly at Kinoko to incapacitate her, aiming two for her hands specifically.

Having expected the attack, Kinoko had to suppress a smile as she let Pony's horns pin her to the wall using the blunt side. The horns even held her hands in a way that kept her fingers wide open as well.

"Surrender now, I rendered you unable to use your quirk." Called out Pony authoritatively. Only for her facade to fade as she heard Kinoko giggle in a sadistic manner.

"Oh hero, you think you have me figured out? Sorry, but I won't be taken down so easily. And neither will my partner." Said Kinoko teasingly at first before her tone went dark.

As soon as the words had left Kinoko's mouth, another glow appeared in the room just behind Pony and Uraraka, getting their attention. Turning around they spotted Kirishima in a boxing stance covered in the same glowing mushrooms. Her reveal surprised the two as they fully expected to be facing sneak attacks given the situation.

"Why did you reveal yourself?" Asked a dumbfounded Uraraka.

"Sneak attacks aren't manly, and Kinoko is letting me fight you on my terms." Replied Kirishima with a confident toothy smile. "So you better get ready!" She called before charging the two with her quirk active before throwing a right straight punch at Uraraka.

Despite having been caught off guard, Uraraka was able to recover enough to dodge and avoid taking the full blow, but still ended up getting grazed. Thanks to how sharp Kirishima's quirk makes her fist she cut a couple scratches into Uraraka's cheek. The wound was shallow, but still deep enough to start bleeding. The pain along with the wetness on her cheek was enough to make the inexperienced Uraraka panic a bit. She stopped focusing on combat and shifted it to her injury, giving Kirishima an opening to deliver a strong blow to the gut launching her onto her back.

"Sorry Uraraka, but it'd be unmanly of me to hold back!" Exclaimed Kirishima and she pulled her capture tape and rushed to try and wrap Uraraka in it. Only she had to dodge backwards as 2 horns came flying at her from the stairwell.

"Uraraka, I know it hurt, but you have to put it aside and focus on the battle." Exclaimed Pony as she assisted Uraraka to her feet while keeping focus on Kirishima. She was keeping her distracted but knew it wouldn't last long as Kirishima managed to punch and shatter a horn. She may be able to make more, but that requires focus if she wants to make them fast. Considering she was already splitting her focus between distracting Kirishima, keeping Kinoko's hands pinned, and helping Uraraka out, she was starting to struggle. If only she was able to control more than four, then maybe she could go on the offensive.

"Sorry, guess I wasn't as mentally prepared as I thought." Said Uraraka as she got to her feet, mentally berating herself for making such a mistake.

"Come on, with Kinoko pinned, we can take Kirishima out." Exclaimed Pony as Kirishima caught the two horns and shattered them by slamming them together. Without wasting time the redhead rushed them, ready to continue the assault, this time aimed at Pony.

Showing more skill than expected, Pony launched 2 more horns, using them as a shield to block the upcoming left hook. As soon as they shattered, Pony grew a singular horn and shoved it into Kirishima's stomach, launching the horn and her opponent with it to buy them some breathing room. Normally she'd worry about goring her opponent, but given the quirk she was dealing with, she wasn't concerned, even when she slammed the girl into the wall. "Uraraka! Now!" She yelled.

Quickly deducing what Pony wanted, Uraraka rushed Kirishima, remaining focused even as her opponent broke the horn pinning her to the wall. So when she found herself getting charged at again, she slid under Kirishima's straight punch, tapping her ankle as she passed, rendering the girl weightless.

"Whoa! What the!?" Exclaimed Kirishima as she found herself flying towards the wall as her momentum kept carrying her forward. She wasn't worried about getting hurt, but she still appreciated the giant mushroom suddenly sprouting and breaking her fall. "Thanks Komori!"

"Think nothing of it! Afterall, I think it's time to turn this solo act into a duet." Exclaimed Kinoko from the stairwell, having not moved from her spot. Suddenly the entire room was bathed in light as many glowing mushrooms sprouted all over the room, but along with them was a bunch of the same large mushrooms that caught Kirishima. "Time for the second act." She said Cheerily.

"Right!" Exclaimed Kirishima with a toothy smile as she repositioned herself and used the mushroom as a launch pad. Pony and Uraraka expected for her to launch herself directly at them, so they didn't know what to do when she suddenly launched towards another mushroom. Then another, and other, gaining speed at each jump. The mushrooms all jiggled on impact but remained perfectly intact as if made of rubber.

"I call these my trampoline shrooms." Said Kinoko sinisterly just before Kirishima landed a direct hit to Pony's chest, launching the girl back and forcing the air from her lungs. Uraraka attempted to catch Kirishima as she used almost all her momentum with the hit, but another trampoline shroom appeared under her and she used it to regain her momentum.

Uraraka was cursing herself for letting the enemy use her quirk against her when a realization struck her. She quickly made her way to Pony who was struggling to get up and assisted her to a seated position while whispering so quietly her opponents didn't even notice.

"Well heroes, what are you going to do now that your quirk is turned against you?" Taunted Kinoko.

"Turned against us? Maybe you should think your strategies through a bit more." Responded Uraraka confidently as she got to her feet, putting her full focus on the speeding boulder that is Kirishima. She paid close attention to the trajectory, dodging a few attacks aimed at her. It took a few passes before things lined up how she wanted, quickly dropping to her back to avoid a haymaker.

Due to not being used to such speeds, Kirishima didn't plan her movements all that well, as she was merely aiming for mushrooms and trying to get a hit in where she could. Because of this she also ended up going on a collision course with Pony who also dropped to her back, except she put her bent legs in the air. Her eyes went open wide as she knew what was coming. She attempted to shift her weight to avoid the blow and avoided taking both feet to the abdomen. Though that might have been preferential to getting her hip clipped causing her to rapidly spin as she went flying off.

"Release!" Called Uraraka as she put her finger from both hands together. She couldn't help the wince when Kirishima ended up plummeting, skipping across the ground, and hitting the wall head first. "You ok Kirishima?" She called out concerned.

"I'm good!" Called out Kirishima, as she stumbled to her feet in an attempt to continue the fight and keep up the pressure, only to find herself barely able to stand. While her quirk did prevent her from taking any serious damage, it didn't stop her from becoming extremely dizzy. Thanks to her lack of coordination, she was powerless to stop the horns coming at her. In an attempt to protect herself until she regained her berings she raised her arms in a sloppy boxers block, which was exactly what Pony wanted. Expertly using the capture tape that was tied on each end to her horns, she wrapped Kirishima's arms together before binding her arms to her body and tying it off.

"Kirishima has been captured!" Called All Might through the speakers.

"Awwww man." Groaned a dejected Kirishima.

"Don't worry Kirishima, you put on a good show! I look forward to our next performance together." Encouraged Kinoko, putting Uraraka and Pony on edge as they heard the clack of her shoes coming down the stairs. The two quickly shifted their attention to her and found her walking down casually, Pony's horns pressing two mushrooms against the wall. "Though I think this show is coming to a close, so let's get the final performance done." She said with a smug smile.

"Don't think you won just yet." Said Pony launching two horns at Kinoko and turning her other two to attack from both sides.

With seemingly no effort, Kinoko managed to dodge all four horns, even making her movements appear as dance moves. "I trained with Eraserhead, so you'll have to come up with something a bit better than that." She taunted.

"Uraraka go find weapon, I keep her distracted!" Instructed Pony. Uraraka didn't even bother arguing and just ran for the stairs while Kinoko kept dodging Pony's horns.

"Oh poor sweet heroes. You think you can escape? Sorry, but this show is already over." Said Kinoko darkly.

Uraraka planned to ignore Kinoko and keep running for the bomb. She knew it was their best hope for victory at this point. At least until she heard the clatter of four horns falling to the ground as Pony suddenly started coughing violently. She turned around and saw her partner fall to her knees while holding her throat, still coughing violently. Based on the panic on her face it appeared she was struggling to breath. Out of instinct Uraraka started making her way to Pony when she suddenly felt something in her throat, clogging up her airway.

Due to the sudden loss of air Uraraka found herself desperately trying to breathe only to find it was like trying to breathe through a bundle of cloth. Hard enough that breathing was a struggle, but not enough to be dangerous.

At least that's what a logical mind would realize.

All the adrenaline and the sudden loss of air threw both Pony and Uraraka into a panic as fear clouded their minds. Pony kept coughing, unable to stop with the irritation in her throat, but each cough only aggravated her throat more.

Meanwhile Uraraka was taking deep strong breaths, attempting to get as much oxygen as she could. This allowed her to regain enough mental clarity to watch as Kinoko walked up to Pony first.

"I do hate using this particular routine, but it is effective." Giggled Kinoko before she swiftly subdued Pony and wrapped her up in the capture tape.

"Pony had been captured!" Declared All Might.

"Thanks for the good time heroes." Taunted Kinoko as she started sauntering over to Uraraka, only stopping as she watched said girl still standing and taking a fighting posture.

"I'm. *wheeze* Not. *wheeze* Done. *wheeze* Yet." Said Uraraka with determination.

Kinoko stared at the girl for a few seconds, watching her starting to sway a bit, it was clear the lack of oxygen was sapping her strength. Yet here she was still ready to fight. "Huh, guess Izuku is right about you." Said Kinoko in her usual tone, dropping the villain act. The sudden switch and mention of Izuku surprised Uraraka.

"You really do have a fire in your eye. You refuse to go down without a fight." Kinoko said, giggling at the sight of Uraraka's blush. "Sadly, this fight is over." She said before rushing Uraraka. In response the anti-gravity girl swung her hand, aiming to remove the Kinoko's gravity. But Kinoko's experience won out as she grabbed hold of Uraraka's wrist and twisted her arm behind her back while kicking the back of her legs, knocking her to her knees. Without breaking stride, Kinoko pulled out the capture tape hidden in her sleeve and wrapped Uraraka up.

"Uraraka has been captured! Villain team wins!!!" Bellowed All Might.

Immediately Uraraka felt the capture tape go slack and Kinoko helping her up. She blearily watched as she grew a large mushroom from her hand, grabbed the top of the cap and easily removed it showing it to be hollow. The stem then easily fell off her hand as she pulled out a bottle and started pouring a liquid inside. "Here, drink this. It'll clear up your throat." Kinoko gently instructed as she brought the mushroom cup close to her lips.

Without hesitation Uraraka accepted the mystery liquid. She had fully expected something bitter similar to a medicine, but found herself pleasantly surprised when it tastes almost like lemonade, only more acidic. As the liquid went down her throat she could feel some tingling before it felt as if she swallowed something solid. When she finished the drink she found herself able to breathe with only some mild irritation. Turning to Kinoko she found her already preparing another drink as she moved over to Pony and gave her the same instructions.

At first Pony was still too panicked to understand the instructions, so Uraraka started coming over to assist. Except before she had the chance, Kinoko grew several more mushrooms on her hand and waved them near Pony's face. Soon Pony's eyes began to focus again as she calmed down enough to listen to Kinoko give her the same instructions.

"How did you do that?" Asked Uraraka before she noticed something. "And what's that smell? It's kinda nice." She said, feeling her nerves calming down somewhat.

"The scent these mushrooms give off have a calming effect similar to incense. It's strong enough to stop someone from panicking, but not strong enough to stop a full blown panic attack." Explained Kinoko as she helped Pony drink, sounding a bit sad at the end.

"That's really cool though, it'll be a big help with calming people down during a disaster." Replied Uraraka, causing Kinoko to giggle, much to her confusion.

"Izuku said the exact same thing when I told him." Replied Kinoko fondly without much thought, getting a giggle from Uraraka.

"Are you alright Pony? I know that kind of situation can be scary." Asked Kinoko, concerned. She never did like using that particular attack.

"Y-yeah. I fine, just shaken. We really didn't stand chance against you huh?" Said Pony, giving a smile to show there were no hard feelings.

"I wouldn't say that, you guys showed off some good moves yourselves." Said Kinoko with an encouraging smile.

"Hey, now that you two are fine, can I get a hand here?" Asked Kirishima with a smile as she walked up to the trio

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" Exclaimed Uraraka as her face exploded in crimson having forgotten about Kirishima.

In response Kirishima gave a massive grin. "It's all good. You two were the priority, so I didn't mind waiting. Besides, we can't leave until Komori releases us anyway." She said, ending with a laugh.

"Come on, let's get back." Said Kinoko with a giggle before going to the doors, pulling out a spray bottle, and spraying some of the contents on the mushrooms. The other three couldn't help but notice the almost nauseatingly strong scent of lemons, making them feel like gagging. The effect took a couple seconds before the mushrooms started breaking down and crumbling, taking only a few more seconds to become a pile of mushroom chunks.

"That's cool and all, but does it have to smell so strong?" Asked Uraraka as she held her nose.

"Mei's been trying to remove the scent, but it's still a work in progress." Answered Kinoko as she hopped over the pile now on the ground.

"Given what she showed us first round, I not surprised she make solvent." Exclaimed Pony, using her horns as makeshift steps over the pile without losing stride.

"I just hope she removes it soon. I don't even want to think about smelling that after overusing my quirk." Shuddered Uraraka as she followed Kinoko's example.

"Makes me glad my quirk practically turns off my sense of smell." Said Kirishima as she took a big step over the pile with a large grin. A quick Look at her showed she had her quirk activated on just her nose.

"Lucky." Pouted Uraraka getting a big belly laugh from Kirishima, which made the rest giggle in response.

Their walk back was pretty jovial as the four talked and compared some notes about the battle.

"â. I was actually a little scared because of that when you started bouncing around so fast. I was worried you'd slam into us headfirst like a torpedo." Said Uraraka to Kirishima as they walked into the observation room.

"Hey, I'm not so dumb that I don't think anything through. I know the spikes in my hair are dangerous when my quirk is active. I've actually thought about many ways I could use my hair as a weapon or extra shielding." Exclaimed Kirishima as she demonstrated by throwing her hair to the side and hardening with her quirk, showing that the hair doesn't move when active before deactivating her quirk and letting her hair drop. "Still a work in progress. Not exactly the easiest thing to get a good swing with."

Without thinking, both Kinoko's and Uraraka's eyes flicked over to Izuku who appeared to have stars in his eyes as his hands positioned as if he was writing in an invisible notebook. Something they knew he only did when he excitedly analyzed a quirk. So they couldn't help but smirk knowing he'd likely have at least a dozen new ideas for Kirishima on how to use her quirk. The hard part would just be getting him to share them as he still struggled in opening up about his hobby. So they both decided to help out a bit.

"If you ask Izuku I'm sure he'd be happy to help, he's a wiz when it comes to quirk analysis. He's the one who helped me develop my own quirk." Said Kinoko with a bright cheery smile. It took all her willpower to suppress her laughter when she saw Izuku look like a deer caught in the headlights.

"It's true! I'm already working on some new moves with his help, and we've only known each other since the entrance exam." Added Uraraka with some added vigor.

"Really?!" Exclaimed Kirishima with a excited smile before rushing up to Izuku. "Dude, you think you'd be willing to help? I want to be able to do more than just punch, kick, and run into things." Asked Kirishima.

At first Izuku wanted to panic and deny the claims, believing his skills to be meager. Except before he could, his eyes darted to Kinoko and Uraraka who both gave him encouraging smiles and nods. So with a deep breath he attempted to calm his nerves to offer his suggestion. "Are you able to harden just sections of your hair? Like the last 6 inches for example?" He asked nervously, trying to ignore the confused murmurs he was hearing.

"Uh, yeah, I don't see why not?" Answered Kirishima a bit confused herself. Taking a fistful of her hair, she brought it in front of her and experimented, finding she in fact could. It was then her eyes widened at seeing the result, the gears in her mind turning as she realized where Izuku was going with this.

"Since it appears that your hair does in fact fuse together when your quirk is active, I figured it would make a good flail. Maybe if you grow it longer you could also use it to capture your opponent." Said Izuku nervously as he scratched the back of his head, before recoiling when Kirishima gasped.

"Oh my god you're right! How did I not think of that!" Exclaimed Kirishima excitedly with a large smile plastered on her face. "If you got that from one fight, you must have more ideas! What do you got?!" She asked as she grabbed hold of Izuku's upper arms and shook him in her enthusiasm. It wasn't until she heard all the stifled laughter did she look around and found almost everyone with an amused smile. Even All Might seemed to be covering her mouth in a desperate attempt to keep the laughter down.

Slowly turning back to Izuku, Kirishima slowly realized just how red his face had gotten. Why? Because without realizing it she ended up in his face so close their noses almost touched, and her chest was pressing into his. Her face slowly started turning red as the reality of the situation donned on her until her face was just as red as his.

"Wow Kirishima, I knew you were bold, but maybe you should ask the guy out before trying to kiss him?" Teased Mina through her giggles, Causing Izuku's face to go atomic as steam practically shot out of his ears, and Kirishima accidently activated her quirk as she stood still as a statue.

"Hahahahah alright, that's enough teasing." Laughed All Might as she picked up the two catatonic students using the backs of their costumes, and simply turned their stiff bodies in her direction. "So, who was the MVP!?" She asked, getting straight to the point.

"It's kinda hard not to see Komori as the MVP. She kept the heroes thrown off and on the back foot since the match started. While I don't approve of letting Kirishima fight two on one, she was able to finish off both opponents." Stated Kendo.

"I wasn't fighting completely alone, Komori was acting as support." Replied Kirishima. "Our fighting styles opposed each other, so she let me fight them how I wanted. She even covered me in spores to help defend me, but Pony had me captured before I even knew what was happening."

"I do feel bad for not being able to stop Pony, but using your horns to tie her up was a genius idea, and it seems as if you'd practiced that move a lot." Said Kinoko, bashfully at first, before giving an encouraging smile to said classmate.

"Been practicing it on animals since I was kid. It start off as joke, but I quickly realize usefulness in capturing villains." Admitted Pony bashfully.

"It's very useful indeed. Being able to render a villain incapacitated so quickly and efficiently is always a top skill in any hero's repertoire. I can already imagine the effectiveness of the other support items you requested." Praised All Might, causing Pony to blush, and Mei to get overly excited

"What are these babies!? What do they do!? Do you need upgrades!?! What am I saying!? Of course you do!!!" Said Mei rapidly after she zoomed in front of Pony so fast only All Might was able to keep up.

Before anyone could even process what was going on a large wing appeared between the Mei and Pony. Suddenly the familiar wing gently wrapped around Mei, taking her off her feet and towards Izuku. Placing her in front of him with her back to his chest, he retracted his wing as he wrapped his arms around Mei's stomach. She turned around to protest but found her boyfriend giving her a look that told her to calm down. With a pout she crossed her arms as she turned back around, but still melted into the embrace, getting a chuckle from her partners.

"I think Pony and Uraraka should also be commended for their performance. They worked together and managed to capture Kirishima despite fighting at a disadvantage. Uraraka even managed to keep a cool head when Kinoko used her trump card." Continued Izuku as if nothing happened, much to almost everyone's amusement.

"What did you do anyway? It looked like you suddenly cut off their air supply." Asked Momo curiously.

"Oh, I grew a bunch of these in their throats." Said Kinoko happily as she raised her hand, revealing a small colony of tiny mushrooms on her finger. On close inspection the students noticed the hairs dangling from the caps as well as several beads of moisture. "These little guys pull moisture from the skin causing irritation. Once the person starts coughing, the little hairs start tickling the throat making the coughing worse. thanks to the partially clogged airway and moisture it constantly simulates choking on water. This either triggers panic due to the sudden loss of air and/or weakens them by restricting oxygen intake." She explained.

"I know I'm not very knowledgeable about mushrooms, but there is no way those are natural." Exclaimed Hagakure, not sounding very sure.

"She sprouted a giant mushroom cap on top of the building, it appears that she can make whatever kind of mushroom she wants, even if they don't actually exist." Said Shinso thoughtfully.

"Not quite, I'm limited to traits that can naturally occur, I'm just able to ramp it up to the extreme. The giant mushroom does exist in nature, all I did was drastically shorten the stem. Would have gotten rid of it completely, but it's needed to stick to things, and my quirk forces it to grow regardless of what's in the way, so it's perfect for blocking the roof access." Replied Kinoko.

"And the mushrooms on the side of the building? They look like they were used to deter Pony and I from using the windows." Asked Uraraka.

"Those are a more powerful version of the incense Shroom I used to calm down Pony. They emit a scent that helps calm a person's nerves. By adding traits that make the scent much stronger, and have it emit spores that act as a sleep aid, they drastically increase fatigue if not outright knock them out." Explained Kinoko proudly. After so many years of people considering her quirk weak, it felt good to have made it into something so versatile.

"Maybe we should have gone through the window. Sure there was a chance they could have knocked us out, but at least then we could have avoided the fight." Said Uraraka dejected with her head down. She hated how easily they lost. Sure they took out Kirishima, but they spent the whole match dancing to Kinoko's tune and their opponents dictate the flow of battle. She could feel the tears start to prick her eyes in frustration when her attention was brought to a hand on her shoulder, and followed it to find Izuku giving her a comforting look.

"There's no reason to feel so down about this loss, you two did pretty well against someone who has gotten some training from hero's already. Besides, Kinoko was just perfectly suited for this challenge. Even if you did bypass them, the match was over before it even started." He said encouragingly, ending by pointing to one of the monitors that the bomb room was one hundred percent covered in the same mushrooms on the side of the building. "Even if you got to the room, you'd be knocked out almost immediately. Believe me when I say it's not just you. I currently hold the record for withstanding those mushrooms, and I've only been able to handle it for ten seconds. Six of which I spent on the floor trying to stay awake."

"So you helped test them? That couldn't have felt pleasant." Mentioned Kendo, sounding a bit concerned.

"It was actually really nice. It's hard to explain but I became so relaxed I felt like I was melting but in a good way. It was also some of the best sleep I've ever gotten. The only downside is you feel extremely groggy for a couple hours after waking up. It's actually a shame Recovery Girl rcommended we never use it unless absolutely necessary so we don't become reliant on it." Replied Izuku, Assuaging Kendo's worry.

"Geez, with such a versatile quirk I feel bad for anyone who has to go up against you. I'm really sorry for underestimating you." Said Ashido, bowing in apology.

"It's fine, I actually prefer it when my opponents underestimate me. Makes my job a lot easier." Said Kinoko, sounding more sinister than she intended, causing a shiver to run down her classmates' spine.

"Couldn't have put it better myself!" Declared All Might gaining the class's attention. "Underestimating your opponent is a quick way to get killed in the field. While it's good to be confident, arrogance is a weakness the enemy can and will exploit."

"Please, like anyone could take me down. I may have lost the match, but I won the fight." Growled Bakugo, unable to keep her pride in check.

"I'm like, pretty sure that's called a pyrrhic victory." Said Camie deadpan, earning another growl from Bakugo.

"Now as much as I'd love to continue this conversation, we need to move onto the fifth and final round." Declared All Might wanting to put an end to the rising hostility. Before anyone knew it All Might had her hand in the villain box that wasn't next to her a second ago. "And the villains areâ.! Team J!" She said dramatically as she pulled the ball out, only to be confused by the silence she was met with. Looking over her students her confusion grew as she saw some looks of concern, but of what? Following their line of sight, her blood ran cold as worry started to take hold. 'Shit!! I forgot about how this might affect young Izuku!' She thought, watching the boy as he stood stock still, an unreadable expression on his face until another thought struck her. 'Wait, why didn't Eraser veto the scenario?'

With a quick but deep breath Izuku managed to put a smile on his face as he started walking up to Shinso, gently nudging her on the arm to get her attention. "Seems we can't escape the villain title can we?" He chuckled.

"Uh, yeah, seems so." Responded Shinso, coming out of her own internal freak-out as being on the villain team. Her mind had been racing a mile a minute, remembering the ostracization, all the suspicious looks she got, the false accusations and attempts to use her as a scapegoat. Fear gripped her heart at feeling like she was about to lose the fresh start she'd been given. Afraid that the people she dared to call friends would become like all the others.

"But you know, I think this is a good opportunity to have fun with it for once." Said Izuku with a smile so warm it melted Shinso's anxiety away, making her unable to doubt that he cared for her.

"What do you mean?" Asked Shinso intrigued, only to blush in embarrassment when Izuku gave her a wink before he started walking up to All Might.

"Just that we should try and get into the role like Iida and Kinoko. We finally don't have to worry about persecution from those around us, so we can just relax and try to make this scenario as realistic as possible." Said Izuku as he grabbed the earpiece and started fixing it to his ear.

After his statement, Shinso's eyes widened at the realization. Turning to her other classmates, she found herself feeling emotional at the sight of the supportive smiles she was given. Sure not everyone in the class showed their support, but it was more than enough for her. In fact it was so much she could feel her eyes start to water before her attention was brought back to Izuku as he started speaking again.

"Though while I do plan to have fun with this, I won't hold back, and I don't plan on losing." Said Izuku with confidence as he made his way towards the door, but just as he opened the door he looked back at them, everyone's breath hitched at the sight before them. Only able to see half his face, he looked at them with a large crazed, sinister smile with his demonic eyes active to make his pupils glow red. "So you better give it all you got heroes." He said darkly, sending a chill down everyone's spines before he walked out the door.

Everyone stood still, staring at the doorway for what felt like an eternity before a voice broke everyone out of their trance.

"God that was hot." Mumbled Shinso absentmindedly. In a snap everyone's gazes shifted to Shinso who slapped her hand over her mouth just as her face went atomic red. In an instant, she rushed to All Might who had an earpiece ready for her, grabbed it and ran out of the room.

"You know what, I agree. That level of confidence is sexy as hell." Said Setsuna with a large toothy grin as she made her way to the door with her left arm, floating to collect the earpiece.

"How scandalous." Said Ibarra giving Setsuna a disapproving look.

"Call it what you want, I ain't ashamed of expressing what I like." Said Setsuna without a care without missing a single stride.

"Hell yeah fam, no reason to be ashamed. Confidence is sexy, no two ways about it. I don't mean this as an insult, but I didn't think he had it in him." Said Camie as she grabbed her own earpiece and started leaving.

"True, he appeared to do everything in his power to avoid being called a villain. So leaning into it as much as he had takes a lot of courage." Said Tsuyu, impressed, getting her own earpiece.

The room stayed silent after the door shut for several seconds, no one really knowing what to say until Kendo broke the silence. "Are they going to be okay?" She asked, concerned.

Letting out a sigh, All Might rubbed her brow trying to figure out the answer to that herself. "I honestly do not know, but his mother approved this lesson plan. Considering how protective she is of him, I trust she believes he can handle it." She assured her class.

"Yeah, she acts all mean and scary with the rest of us, but she's a big softy when he's involved." Giggled Ashido, though it was obvious she was still concerned.

"You two are his girlfriends, so what do you two think?" Asked Kirishima, her own worry clear on her face.

"I think Shinso will be fine. Izuku will do everything he can to make sure of it." Replied Kinoko, trying her best to hide her current anxiety.

"And what about Aizawa?" Asked Kendo, having grown more concerned after that answer.

"He'll do whatever it takes to protect Shinso. No matter the damage it causes him." Replied Mei, her voice sounding void of her usual cheer as she stared at the door.

"Don't you think you might be overreacting a bit?" Asked Iida with a neutral expression and a hand chop. "I admit after hearing about how the two were treated because of their quirks it's a bit concerning, but they seemed fine with the situation."

"He was panicking." Replied Jirou as she stared at her jack that she twirled around her finger. "Both of their heart rates spiked after the announcement. But while Aizawa was able to calm down Shinso, his only got faster after that performance." She said before letting out a sad chuckle. "But I must admit, he's got some good acting skills. If it wasn't for my quirk I would have bought it. Makes you wonder how many times he's had to put up a facade."

The room once again fell silent at that statement, many feeling the weight in the air. Seeing the state of her students, All Might clapped, getting her students attention. "I understand all of your worries, and I won't tell you it isn't justified. But we need to respect young Aizawa's and young Shinso's resolve, just as the other four have." She said, using every ounce of her willpower to not intervene.

"Sensei's right, their bravery should be rewarded with our trust. It would just be an insult to them otherwise." Said Yaoyorozu, watching the camera screens, her years of social training helping her conceal her own worry as she got a good look at how Izuku's expression changed immediately once Shinso and Tsuyu caught up to him. She'd seen people look afraid in the past, her parents had that effect on people, and his expression was one of someone afraid of losing everything they hold dear.

"I understand what you mean, but isn't it dangerous for everyone when someone's emotions aren't in check?" Asked Reiko, subtly side eyeing Bakugo.

"While true, heroes can and will face situations where they won't be afforded the opportunity to calm their emotions. Sadly this is a lesson you will all need to learn, but it's also a lesson that can't be truly learned until the situation arises. It's better for young Aizawa to face this now than when real lives are on the line." Reassured All Might, trying her best to act as a teacher.

Many of the students looked at each other, still concerned about Izuku. In the few days they've known him, it was obvious the trauma ran deep, at least to those willing to see it. So seeing such a drastic shift was disconcerting.

"I guess there's nothing more to it. We just have to trust UA to know what they're doing." Stated Intelli as she looked towards the monitors and witnessed Nejire embracing Izuku who seemed to have calmed down. While that didn't get rid of her worry, it did calm it down considerably. "As for the match, it's hard to say who would win since the heroes have Setsuna. The villains will have to shut her down as soon as possible if they want to stand a chance."

"Why? What makes her so dangerous?" Asked Hagakure curiously.

"I wouldn't say dangerous, just that the simplistic win condition works in her favor. All she has to do is touch it, so someone who can split her body apart has a clear advantage." Explained Intelli.

"She'd have to get through Izuku first. His mom drilled into him the importance of being perceptive, and since he's loaded up with attar, she'd struggle just getting past him. That isn't including that Shinso's quirk is extremely powerful. Once she has you under her quirk you're as good as captured." Stated Mei, her eyes now glued to the screen showing Izuku.

"True, we also don't know how her quirk works in the first place. For all we know, she just has to look at them to have her under control." Added Kendo.

"Add in Ibara's Vines and Camie's illusions the heroes have a lot of ways to just avoid combat altogether. Their team composition is perfect for a scenario like this. If the villains don't lock them down fast, they'll struggle defending the weapon." Rebuked Yaoyorozu.

"So you think this match will be determined within the first few seconds?" Asked Reiko.

"It's difficult not to. If Setsuna has a chance to split, keeping track of every piece would be a monumental task. With Camie I'd seen her illusions myself, and they are really well done. In the heat of battle it'd be simple for her to just slip by. Ibarra's quirk is also versatile and excels in field control like Komori's quirk. One wrong move and the villains are cut off from their objective. No matter how you look at it, if even one hero slips by, it'd be near impossible for the villains to recover." Stated Yaoyorozu.

"Indeed, this does appear to be an uphill battle for the villains. So what doâ.?" Started All Might before she suddenly went quiet. After a couple of silent seconds had passed, All Might's smile grew as she looked towards the screen Izuku was on. "No. No I had not." Said All Might, sounding very amused. Her amusement grew when Izuku looked up at the camera with a devilish smirk and winked.

"You might as well call it now. Villains win." Said Mei with a smug smile, showing emotion for the first time since Izuku left.

Looking at the camera feed, Kendo watched as Izuku talked with his teammates with a bright smile on his face, making her smile herself out of relief. The massive amount of tension she was unknowingly carrying finally dissipating. "I may not be as confident as you are, Mei, but I think you're right." She said,

"Oh there's no thinking about it. If Izuku is asking questions, it means he has a plan, and his plans are terrifying." Added Kinoko with a giggle.

"And with the power he holds, trying to keep up is impossible." Sighed Uraraka, as memories of the entrance exam and talking to each other about their quirks ran through her mind.

"How much can his quirk do anyway? He never really explained everything it could do." Asked Jirou curiously.

"A ton of stuff and he's still learning new things all the time. He's pretty creative with it all as well. I literally watched him use his wing as a makeshift ax to slice through some slime someone couldn't get out of, then used it to pull her out." Explained Mei, sounding a bit more smug than her classmates would have expected from such a statement. Only she and Kinoko noticed Bakugo fuming and gritting her teeth in the back of the group. Her face red from a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"Wait, that sounds familiar. Wasn't such an event on the news?" Asked Intelli thoughtfully.

"Ahem! Pardon the interruption, but it's almost time for the fifth match to begin." She said dramatically, trying to distract her students. It's not that any of them would be in trouble if they found out, but it was a can of worms she felt was best left closed for now. While her classmates seemed a bit annoyed at the sudden stop, they all went silent and turned their full attention to the monitors. With a nod All Might turned around in an instant and grabbed hold of the Microphone. "Round 5: begin!"

CRASH*

"Holy shit!" Yelled pony, almost everyone else too surprised to process what she just said.

"That's our man." Said Mei proudly as she wrapped an arm around Kinoko's shoulder.

"Yeah, but we should probably give him a talking to about not destroying our friends." Replied Kinoko with a giggle.

Suddenly the two felt another pair of arms drape over their shoulders as Nejire leaned in between them. "Oh I'm sure we can convince him to redirect his destructive tendencies elsewhere." She whispered with a seductive smile on her lips.

"I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship." Mei whispered back with a mischievous smile.

"Could we please save this for later when we're in private?" Kinoko quietly groaned. She may love them both, but she was dreading what the two most energetic and chaotic people she knows have up their sleeves.

Earlier - outside the building*

It was a long and awkward walk for Setsuna to the training site. She knew to expect it the moment the teams were announced, but she almost felt like she was choking, the tension was so thick. The cause? Camie and Ibarra. And honestly? She couldn't blame Camie.

It seems that the performance Izuku put on triggered Ibarra, who had spent the duration of the walk glaring at him as if trying to kill him with her eyes.

Camie for her part caught the very obvious glare and acted as a screen between the two, trying to keep Izuku's attention away from Ibarra. That being said, it didn't stop Camie from shooting a warning glare back when she had the chance. Seems their budding friendship made her protective of him.

The situation made Setsuna wish she could pull her hair out. Sure she sided with Camie as Izuku hadn't done anything to warrant such hostility, but the three of them needed to work together if they were going to pass. While she believed that she could win the match all on her own thanks to her quirk, she did not want to repeat Todoroki's mistake. So at the very least she had to attempt to amend the situation.

With all of that in mind and knowing how little time they had to strategize, Setsuna wasted none of it the moment they were allowed to speak. "Ok look, let's address the enormous elephant in the room. You two are way too emotionally charged, so set aside whatever issues you have for the next fifteen minutes or we're going to lose. After that you can go back to glaring to your heart's content." She said sternly, not wanting to beat around the bush.

The reaction was immediate as Ibarra's glare shifted to Setsuna, burning with even hotter rage. "Issues! We're about to face a terrible villain and you're ok with it!?" She yelled.

"Of course she shifted to calling Izuku a villain again." Groaned Camie, sounding done with the whole situation.

"Of course I am! Do you know who that monster is?!" Yelled Ibarra angrily at Camie, flinching when Camie shot her a glare not full of heat, but one colder than ice.

"Yes, I do. He's Aizawa Izuku, adopted son of underground hero Eraserhead, honorary nephew to most if not all of the UA staff, boyfriend to some of the most lit people I know, and my friend. He's someone who has faced allegation after allegation where people's only proof is his quirk, and was found innocent each and every time. And that's just what I've been told by his family. So I would very much appreciate it if you wouldn't call him such horrible things." Said Camie, her voice even the whole time.

Camie's little speech seemed to have thrown Ibarra a bit, clearly not expecting such an answer. Regardless, her rage came back hotter than before once she regained her bearings. "Because it's easy for him to get people to give a false narrative! He's practically admitted it himself when he told us about his quirk! How could you see his reaction to being on the villain team and still believe he's innocent?!"

"Easy." Said Camie, seemingly unmoved by Ibarra's rant. "I knew all about his villain impression." She said, stopping Ibarra in her tracks.

Despite her desire to get this settled quickly so they can start planning, Setsuna couldn't help but feel curious about the revelation. "Wait so he practiced that? I thought he was adverse to anything that would associate him with villainy." She asked curiously.

"He told Uraraka and I the night we moved in. Because we helped him after the shitshow during dinner that night he trusted us enough to tell us all about his lessons with his aunt Midnight. It started off with her helping him create his hero persona, but eventually became something they bonded over. Not only do they have fun with it, but it's apparently therapeutic. He says Hound Dog calls it 'taking back the power.'" Explained Camie, giving Ibarra an unimpressed look despite wanting to smile snuggly as the girls expression fell.

"How does something like that get brought up? Seems kinda random." Asked Setsuna confused, indulging her more gossipy side a bit.

"We were cheering him up when he showed us this All Might impression that I swear legit looks like someone photoshopped her face over his. We asked what other impressions he could do and it evolved from there. He was too scared to show it then." Said Camie, giving a smile remembering his other impressions.

"So he doesn't show you two, but shows the whole class? That doesn't make any sense." Said Sentuna completely perplexed.

"It's because he's showing his true colors!" Argued Ibarra, seeming ready to go apoplectic as her anger returned.

"I admit, I don't understand it either. I haven't known him long enough to fully wrap my head around everything. You'd like, have to ask one of his gee-effs for that, but I'm sure he had his reasons." Answered Camie thoughtfully with a finger to her lips.

"Are you seriously going to keep pretending that was an act!?" Yelled Ibarra gesturing towards the monitoring room.

With a sigh, Setsuna, refocusing on the task at hand, decided trying to talk to Ibarra about this was pointless. She was too emotional to think rationally at the moment. So maybe she should use that anger instead. "So you know him decently enough, do you know anything about him that can help in the fight?" She asked with a serious expression, mentally cheering when she saw Ibarra look at Camie expectantly. Sure she might have to stop her from killing him, but she was positive he could handle her until the end of the match. Eh, she'll cross that bridge when she gets to it.

"Not a whole lot, just that his perception and analytical skills are totally insane. He can see you use your quirk for like, 5 seconds and completely break it down." Answered Camie, racking her brain for everything she knew.

"So surprising him would be a difficult task, and after what we learned from Mei he has at least some natural fighting talent." Said Setsuna thoughtfully as she rubbed her chin. "I think our best bet is to distract the enemy team while I send a couple parts of my body to enter through the roof. I'll send an arm and half my head, the rest will go with you. We'll at least get information on their defenses."

"That's like, if they're defending the bomb." Said Camie casually, getting confused looks from Setsuna. Ibarra looked too angry to know if she's even thinking straight at the moment.

"What do you mean? They're on the defensive side. Of course they'll defend the weapon." Said Setsuna incredulously.

"Or they can do what Kinoko did and go on the offensive instead. It's not like the rules say they have to play defensively. Besides, they like, have Shinso. We don't know the limits of her quirk, and if she gets us with it it's gee-gee." Shrugged Camie.

Instantly a realization came over Setsuna as her mind went into hyperdrive. "You're right. It's not like we were given a lot of rules to begin with, and we've seen that if it's not a rule it's ok." She said thoughtfully before her eyes widened in shock.

"Round 5, begin!" Came All Might's voice through the speakers.

Setsuna had barely enough time to look up before something launched over the edge and plummeted at them faster than just a free fall. "Look out!" She screamed as she separated her feet from her body just as the ball impacted the ground, causing a large shockwave that would have knocked her over had she not braced for it and kicked up a giant dust cloud. She was happy she was able to act quick enough as she felt the ground rumble through her feet.

"Lucifer's cage!" Came Izuku's voice from the epicenter of the impact.

Like that the dust storm appeared to have vanished. No, it was vaporized as Setsuna saw some dust still lingering here and there. And what she saw scared her shitless.

Standing in the impact zone was Izuku with his wings spread open wide as he gave her a smile that promised her defeat. Normally something like this wouldn't intimidate her, she lived in a world of quirks afterall, it'd take more than a scary visage to get to her. What really scared her was that Camie and Ibara were gone, nowhere to be seen. While at the same time she found herself surrounded by what looked like hundreds of red orbs she figured to be Izuku's quirk, all hovering midair. She could spot a few gaps in the defense, but she dared not take them in case they were traps.

"Look what we have here. A lone little hero without a friend to help them." Said Izuku mockingly while keeping up a smug expression.

"Let me guess, you left your teammates to handle the other two while you keep me trapped here until the clock runs out." Said Setsuna, putting on a brave front as she split her body into over twenty pieces despite how thrown off she was.

"Tsk tsk tsk. You misunderstand hero." Said Izuku condescendingly as he slowly started walking towards Setsuna. "I'm really not that patient." He said darkly before she suddenly found him just inches from her face with a deprived smile. "I'm here to finish this."

Earlier - outside the monitoring room*

'Damnit damnit damnit! Why did I do that!? I could have eased Shinso's anxiety some other way!' Izuku screamed in his head despite his stony facial expression.

'You know why. You couldn't hide who you really are from them forever. You were going to show your true colors eventually.' Smugly mocked the voice in Izuku's head.

'No! I-I just panicked! I'm not really a villain.' Mentally argued Izuku.

'You can lie to yourself all you want, but you know the truth. You saw their expressions, how afraid they were.' Said the voice. Despite it not being loud, every word felt like a hammer to his head.

'Theyâthey were just surprised. I didn't warn them!' Argued Izuku starting to feel dizzy from panic.

'Oh you warned them alright. Now you'll lose everything because you couldn't just be good for once!" Said the voice sounding sadistic. Izuku's head felt ready to split when his attention was drawn to the sound of Shinso's voice.

"Hey Izuku! Wait up!" Called Shinso.

Thanks to his practice with his aunt Midnight, Izuku managed to school his features into a sheepish smile, silently praying they wouldn't ask him about what he did. "Oh, hey, sorry for leaving you behind like that."

Before Shinso had a chance to reply, the two were interrupted by Nejire as she landed next to the pair. "Sorry guys, but no talking until you are given permission. Not even idle chatter." She said with an apologetic smile.

Shinso was bummed that she couldn't speak, but quickly got over it as she gave a nod of acknowledgement. Izuku was about to do the same when he spotted the other four walking up and immediately noticed the death glare Ibara was shooting his way. Quickly mouthing sorry he turned to start walking again, missing the worried look Nejire shot at him, and Tsuyu's inquisitive gaze.

'See? Even she doesn't want to hear your excuses.' Mocked the voice in Izuku's head.

'No! She's just enforcing the rules!' Shit back Izuku, barely able to suppress the wince of pain.

'And you saw the glare Ibara gave you, it won't be long before everyone else is looking at you the same way.' Said the voice darkly.

The walk felt like it took an eternity for Izuku. He purposely tried to stay in front of everyone so they didn't spot his expression as his head felt like it was splitting in two.. By the time they had reached the bomb room he was operating on instinct, barely even able to process where he was going. He got so lost in the pain he failed to notice the others getting ahead of him.

The moment Izuku crossed the room's threshold, he suddenly found a pair of soft gentle hands caressing his face with a pair of lips meeting his own a second later. It stunned him at first, unable to process what just happened, not even noticing his usual instinct to keep his hands away kicked in.

Once he finally processed the feeling of attar entering his system, his anxiety quickly started to calm down as he could finally see that it was Nejire kissing him. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her, subconsciously holding her tighter as he felt her lean further into him.

Despite her wish for the moment to continue, Nejire separated from the kiss while staying in the embrace, rubbing her thumb lovingly over Izuku's cheek. "Kick butt out there. I know you can do it." She said encouragingly as she gave him a smile so warm and loving it melted away the last of his anxiety.

Understanding what Nejire was doing, Izuku couldn't help but let out a small chuckle before giving Nejire another loving but short kiss. "Thank you. I needed that." He said, his voice full of gratitude.

Hearing those words Nejire's smile became softer. "I'm glad I could help. I'll always be here for you." She said lovingly.

"Heh you always are." Chuckled Izuku as memories of his times with Nejire flashed through his mind. Whenever his struggles became too much to bear she would inevitably show up. Being that she was the only one around his age that knew who he really was, he found himself leaning on her for emotional support a lot. Support that she always gave him happily. "How can I pay you back though?" He asked, getting a giggle from Nejire.

"There's nothing to pay back. I do it because I love you and want to support you." She said, her expression full of love and care. Suddenly, before his very eyes, Nejire's smile morphed into a seductive grin with eyes full of lust. Leaning in she placed her lips just centimeters from his ear. "But if you really want to give me a reward, we can talk about it tonight." She breathed seductively before giving him a quick peck on the cheek and jumped backwards out of his arms, flashing him her usual bubbly smile. "Now go decide how you'll beat up your friends." She said playfully as she quickly flew out of a nearby window.

"I swear, that just gave me emotional whiplash." Said Shinso deadpan to no one in particular despite the ache in her chest she couldn't identify.

"You and your girlfriend seem pretty close." Said Tsuyu as she walked up next to Izuku, standing just a few inches from him, hoping to capitalize on Nejire softening him up. She was afraid of how he'd react at first, it wouldn't be the first time a guy backed away from her with a disgusted look after all. Except when he flashed her such a warm caring smile, all her fear faded away as she subconsciously stepped just a little closer.

"We've actually known each other for over a year now. She's even the one who helped me when I was first struggling with my quirk. Since then we became good friends, she was always someone I could lean on." Explained Izuku, ending with a fond smile.

"Sounds like you've had one hell of a support system." Exclaimed Shinso, feeling a little jealous as she walked up to the two, standing close to Izuku without thinking.

"I really do." He said to himself with a serene expression, the last of the pain in his head dissipating. "But we've wasted enough time already, we need to come up with a plan." He said suddenly getting serious as he subconsciously switched to his hero mode.

Tsuyu and Shinso couldn't help but look at Izuku in awe. Gone was the timid fragile boy they've known these past few days. Standing in front of them was a man full of courage and strength. The energy he gave off made it feel like they were looking at an actual pro. And the energy was infectious.

"You're right, this isn't going to be an easy match afterall." Responded Tsuyu as she put a finger to her chin in thought.

"True. Our quirks aren't really defensive, while they have two infiltrators and a breacher. Setsuna alone will be challenging to deal with. Maybe I should focus on using my quirk on her." Replied Shinso.

"How does your quirk work anyway? We need to know if we're gonna strategize properly." Asked Tsuyu.

Shinso stalled at the question as years of conditioning taught her that staying silent was best. People always stopped talking to her after that. When her initial reaction wore off, she looked over to Izuku as he seemed to be in deep thought, picking his lip while he mumbled so fast she could understand maybe every fifth word. They'd accepted him with open arms despite everyone calling him a villain. So with a sigh she let her guard down. "It's actually pretty simple. I need to talk to someone while thinking 'I'm going to brainwash them.' Once they respond verbally, they fall under the effect of my quirk. There's a few issues though. They can't talk and I can't give any complex commands or make them do anything that requires thought. For instance, I can show someone your name and ask them to write it out, but if I asked them what your name is they wouldn't be able to answer, even on paper. Also while no one has broken free from my quirk by themselves, something as simple as bumping their shoulder is enough to break free. I also can't brainwash more than one person as it splits my focus too much."

"So your quirk is strong but limited and simple to break out of. It almost sounds like it's only useful to create openings against a group since their allies will easily be able to break them out of it. Maybe we should try and get you to fight one on one?" Said Tsuyu, racking her brain for ideas.

"That's it!" Said Izuku suddenly, startling Tsuyu and Shinso. "Tsuyu, how skilled are you with your tongue?" He asked excitedly, getting confused when Tsuyu blushed as Shinso failed to hold in a laugh. "What?"

"Oh nothing. Though I suggest you work on your phrasing in the future." Chuckled Shinso.

"I can show you just how skilled I am later." Said Tsuyu, deciding to take the opening given.

"Whoa there, maybe you should discuss that with his girlfriends first." Said Shinso, still amused by Izuku's perplexed look. It became harder to hold back her laughter as a look of realization crossed his face as it started going red.

"Have you talked with them yet? You flirt with him all the time." Tsuyu bluntly shot back.

The amusement quickly disappeared from Shinso's face as she donned a shocked but embarrassed look. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" She said nervously. While she may not have intentionally flirted with him, she was self aware enough to realize her growing attraction to him. Hard not to after how much he'd done for her in the short time she's known him.

"Um, guys, can we get back on topic please." Said Izuku sheepishly as he covered his tomato red face with his hands.

"Sure, we can save that topic for later." Said Tsuyu, giving Izuku a sly smile that he obviously was trying his best to ignore. "But to answer your question, I have complete control over it, so I can change directions with it at any time."

Finally getting his answer Izuku took a couple deep breaths to calm his nerves. "Ok, one more thing. All Might, did you set a rule that we have to wait for the heroes to enter the building?" He asked, realization starting to don on Tsuyu and Shinso. When they heard the answer and watched Izuku smirk devilishly and wink at the camera, they knew things were going to get crazy. Though after hearing the plan, there was one thing they had to make sure of.

"Are you insane?!" Asked Shinso incredulously.

"I'm in the hero course. So yes." Joked Izuku with an amused smile, getting a laugh out of Tsuyu and a glare from Shinso.

"You want to slam yourself into the ground from the top of a five story building. One wrong move could get you killed." She said, her concern obvious despite the stern look she portrayed.

"I'll be fine. I have more than enough attar to really fortify my body. I'll even use extra just in case." Said Izuku placatingly. Sadly this seemed to have the opposite effect.

"Use extra? So you already know how much you'll need for this little stunt? How many times have you done this before?" Asked Shinso coldly.

Suddenly feeling like a scolded kid under Shinso's gaze Izuku ducked his head as he poked his index fingers together, it doesn't help that she wouldn't be the first person to scold him over this. "Mei needed data on my quirk since she's been designing support gear for me." He said weakly, earning him an even sharper glare.

"You have to admit Shinso, it's likely our best bet. If we don't take the initiative, we will lose." Said Tsuyu, coming to Izuku's defense. Granted she wasn't happy with the plan either, it's just that she recognizes that confidence in his gaze. He knew he could do it.

Maintaining her glare for a few more seconds, Shinso eventually let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, I guess you're right. It's not like I have any better ideas anyway." She said before her posture became a lot less confident as she rubbed her arm. "But are you sure about this? One mess up from any one of us and we're screwed. And after the assessment test, I'm not sure if I can do it." She said, as feelings of inadequacy washed over her.

"I think you're actually perfect for the job. I've seen the work you've put in since the assessment test, that determination will be key if we're going to win." Said Izuku encouragingly, flashing her a smile that eased her doubts, they weren't completely gone, but enough to agree to the plan.

With the plan in place, the three went to their positions, with Izuku going straight to the roof. Carefully looking over the ledge he saw the three near the entrance. He was too far away to clearly hear anything they were saying, but Camie did not look happy. He wondered what could have upset her, and had to suppress the intrusive thoughts that it was his fault.

Just seconds before the start time, Izuku backed up a few steps, and closed his eyes as he focused on the task ahead of him.

"Round 5: begin!" Roared All Might through the speakers.

Immediately Izuku grew his wings while pumping a few thousand attar throughout his body to increase his strength and durability along with activating his demon eyes before launching himself over the ledge. Using his wings to reposition in the air he made sure to be where he wanted before flapping to speed up his fall, landing feet first into a squat, cratering the area and kicking up a dust cloud. With a well practiced spin, Izuku caught both Camie and Ibara as they fell into his wings, using his momentum to launch them into the sky where his allies were waiting for them.

As soon as both girls were in the air, Izuku made sure to strike an intimidating visage as he spread his wings wide and smiled devilishly as he used his new move. "Lucifer's cage!" He yelled as he launched a barrage of energy blasts, before stopping them midair, effectively making a dome. Though it burned attar quickly, the zone of control it gave was invaluable.

Izuku's heart beat like a war drum in his chest, his nervousness rising with each passing second. Yet he could still feel Nejire's warm touch on his cheeks grounding him "Look what we have here. A lone little hero without a friend to help them." He said mockingly, trying to keep Setsuna from thinking clearly.

"Let me guess, you left your teammates to handle the other two while you keep me trapped here until the clock runs out." Stated Setsuna confidently as she started splitting her body into multiple pieces.

Seeing how his intimidation hadn't worked Izuku did the one thing he could do to try and regain the momentum "Tsk tsk tsk. You misunderstand me." He said condescendingly as he slowly started walking to her, trying to keep her distracted. "I'm not that patient." He said darkly just as he pumped a bunch of attar into his legs and wings. With one quick leap he stopped himself with a flap of his wings, and left them on both sides of Setsuna. "I'm here to finish this." He said, giving her a deprived smile while trying to keep her focus on him.

What Izuku didn't know was just how much practice Setsuna put into her reaction speed. As her quirk made dodging a simple matter, she knew the faster she could react, then better she'd be. So all it took for Setsuna to realize what Izuku was doing was dim red glows appearing on each side. Retreating as quickly as she could, she managed to get a majority of her body away from the oncoming attack.

"Chamber of Punishment!" He said as he launched multiple energy blasts from each wing simultaneously, with whatever blasts that didn't hit Setsuna colliding with each other. A detail Setsuna was quick to pick up on.

"Ah, so you're not immune to your own attacks. Guess I know what I need to do then!" She said, her smile growing larger as a plan came to mind. Grabbing hold of his wings and pulling him closer to her, causing Izuku to stumble. Having gotten him unbalanced, Setsuna shot forward a majority of her body, leaving her arms to continue pulling.

Thanks to his increased perception of time Izuku was properly able to react as he witnessed a barrage of attacks heading his way. Among a flurry of body parts to disorient him, he managed to duck under a round kick aimed for his head, sidestep the high knee coming for his chin that came directly after, and even blocked a heel drop from the first leg.

Despite using his demon eyes, Setsuna managed to create blind spots as she kept up the attack, ensuring his feet were always moving. Thanks to this, Izuku failed to notice her arms separate from her hands, wrap around his wings, and using the crooks of her elbows, hooked his ankle before pulling his feet out from under him. The opening it provided allowed her to put the bottom of her foot into the back of his head, and slammed his head face first into the pavement. Normally she'd feel bad about doing such a thing in a practice fight, but when the guy could jump from a five story building and be perfectly fine, she knew she couldn't play nice.

With that in mind Setsuna didn't even wait to see if he was ok when she pulled out her capture tape to wrap around him. Only as soon as she had the tape out, she was suddenly set upon by a volley of energy blasts. While she ended up being struck by several of them, she managed to keep her capture tape from being damaged. She fully expected for the rest to hit the ground and create another dust storm, except they stopped a couple feet from the ground and she found herself surrounded by a sea of orbs. Many more had been launched than she initially thought, making her think there may be an opening in the dome to capitalize on.

Using her quirk to look up with a single eye, Setsuna was horrified to find that they were all still there. It was hard to tell from this distance, but she could swear a chunk of them were smaller now. If she had to guess, the orbs making up the cage had more power added to them and he simply siphoned some off for the attack.

"Impressive hero, I never expected you to catch me off guard." Izuku chuckled darkly as he lifted himself off the ground. "Seems I need to start taking this seriously!" He exclaimed with a manic smile as he fully unfurled his wings. Sticking his hands out to the side he created energy balls in each, making sure they didn't leave his hand before they molded over them like a pair of boxing gloves. Though the stance he took after was obviously not from boxing. Before Setsuna had a chance to try and identify it he pumped attar into his wings and flapped.

Setsuna expected him to go for her head, only to find his target was the floating body parts. The punches he threw were so fast she couldn't keep up. Even when she did manage to dodge a punch, a second would quickly follow. Each blow felt like she was getting hit was a burning metal bat, and the speed at which she was being hit made it hard for her to think past the pain.

There was one thing Setsuna was able to capitalize on though. Thanks to her quirk, she's more deeply in tune to her body, one benefit being that her sense of touch is extremely accurate, allowing her to feel even the slightest detail, and the detail she picked up on was he never once made direct contact with those punches. Each impact felt smooth, and lacked the feel that knuckles provide. She knew this meant one of two things. First possibility is that he was holding back to not hurt her too badly, something everyone with a strong quirk has to worry about. The second was what she was banking on though, which is that he doesn't want to physically touch her.

In the short time she's known him she's realized he never initiates contact with anyone that he wasn't dating or considered family. It wasn't a mystery why, even though he never outright said it, everyone in 1A quickly put two and two together after learning about how people viewed his quirk. Given her own partiality for physical affection, the thought of being scared to even touch someone broke her heart. So even thinking about using this glaring weakness left a bad taste in her mouth. On the other hand she was smart enough to know that if she didn't take advantage of it, the problem would never go away.

The biggest issue though is dealing with his speed. Even if she did assemble her parts again, he'd just keep up the pressure and make her unable to act. So she knew she had to use one of her least favorite abilities.

Regeneration.

Thanks to her quirk she was able to regrow any destroyed body part, head included. While most people would kill for such an ability, they typically don't understand the issues that come with it.

First, regeneration isn't pain mitigation, she still feels every bit of it. What makes it worse is that she doesn't heal injuries per se, but she regrows the part anew. So she has to let the part be almost completely destroyed, which is extremely painful as they have to reach a certain damage threshold first. Second, there's a really unpleasant feeling to any part she regenerates, feeling similar to the way chewing foil does. She knows it's not just her quirk either, as she hears similar from others with the same ability. It also chews through her stamina quickly. She could regenerate the equivalent of twice her mass maximum before she'd pass out.

All that being said, she couldn't deny the ability's utility; especially with her inability to fully defend herself with her quirk. So as Izuku continued his assault, she strategically placed body parts she wanted to have destroyed in his path. Even if he realized she was doing it on purpose, it's not like she ever told him that part of her quirk.

As soon as the parts reached the damage requirement, Setsuna allowed one of them to disintegrate with one of Izuku's attacks, stopping him in his tracks as he looked on in horror. "Hey, pretty boy, thanks for the fun, now let me return the favor!" Said Setsuna, with a large smile much to Izuku's surprise. Before he had a chance to react, a part of her that she kept just out of his sight til now started growing as it went straight for his head.

Thanks to Izuku's demonic eye's he was able to identify it as Setsuna's fully grown pelvic region, his mind shutting down as he was hit in the face, butt first. It wasn't a hard hit, and normally Izuku would barely even register it. However it did send his mind immediately into panic mode, which allowed the blow to knock him off balance and almost fall backwards. With the opening, Setsuna regrew her upper torso, crashing it into his chest and slamming him onto the ground.

Given the situation Izuku now found himself in, he was unable to keep up the villain facade or focus properly on using his quirk. So without hesitation, his first instinct was to push her off, and he reached for her shoulders to do so. Only for the chest to split and stop with his hand just inches from grabbing her breasts.

"Awwww, is the big bad villain afraid of a little intimacy?" Teased Setsuna in an attempt to keep his focus as she tried to silently bring the capture tape to wrap him in before he could notice.

"S-S-Setsuna! What are you doing!? We're in the middle of training!" Said Izuku, his brain more focused on escaping the situation in itself than anything else.

"But that's what I'm doing." Said Setsuna in a sweet sultry voice, her half lidded eyes staring into Izuku's wide eyes. "Gotta teach the big strong man how to properly handle a woman." She said, her grin suddenly turned into a Cheshire smile. "Like one trying to beat him." She said, just as she managed to unravel the tape using her floating hands just a couple inches above him.

Seeing the sudden flash of movement, Izuku's immediate instinct was to escape, even if not for the reason he thought. At that moment neither knew who would come out on top. Setsuna had the advantage, but Izuku had the speed.

What the results would have been neither knew as vines suddenly shot out of the ground just underneath Izuku. Setsuna managed to react just in time and got away as the Izuku got carried away, though she could feel that she managed to get cut a few times from the thorns. As the shock of what happened wore off, it was replaced by annoyance. A couple more seconds and she could have had him captured with no risk to herself, so Ibara had no reason to interfere.

As Setsuna watched the tower of vines continue to grow her annoyance was completely forgotten as she realized in worry that it was gonna collide with one of Izuku's orbs. Just a piece of one of them hit like a brick and burned like fire, so she could only imagine how much damage one of the bigger ones would do. She could only watch as the vines collided with the orb and was horrified when a large chunk burned to ash in an instant. "Aizawa!!!"