TEAM DEATHMATCH!
Izuku had felt slightly anxious until Hari's car pulled up, as though being separated from Mei for only a few hours was something of a crisis now. She apparently shared the sentiment, as she jumped out and hugged Izuku tightly almost before the car came to a stop.
"I missed you," Izuku said, kissing her on the cheek.
She nodded, the dark circles under her eyes adding to her strained look. "Me too. I had bad dreams again last night.."
Hari leaned out of the window, frowning. "You two are not starting a make out session here. Come on, we're already late! Sheesh, I'm not a damn chauffeur."
The car rolled away with Izuku and Mei sitting in the back seat, practically on top of one another. It felt good to hold Mei's hand, and Izuku was able to close his eyes and see something other than a dead city or hear the bleating of demonic goats.
Hari eyed them in her mirror the whole way, a sour expression on her face. She and Inko were adamant that the very idea that Izuku and Mei had gotten married was utterly preposterous, and still didn't believe the story about their time in another world, though Izuku's mother seemed to accept that something very strange had happened.
"Alright you two, I can't pick you up after school, but you damn well better behave! Mei, no bringing boys back to our apartment," Hari ordered as they got out of the car.
"But Hari, Izuku is-"
"No, he's not, you two can be dating, but we're going to have some ground rules, and-"
"Ah! Young Midoriya and your blushing bride!"
Izuku went scarlet and turned to see All Might jogging towards them, waving. "Hello there! I take it you're Hari Hatsume?"
"Y-yes, um, sir, I-I'm Hari Hatsume," Hari said shakily. She took a deep breath, turned the car off, and got out. "And, let me just say, I'm a huge fan and all, but, MY SISTER IS NOT MARRIED YOU-"
What Hari went on to describe All Might as would have been a lot more impressive, if Izuku hadn't spent a great deal of time around Bakugo. Still, he guessed even Bakugo could have taken a few pointers from Hari when it came to his variety and descriptive phrasing in chastigation from the older Hatsume sister.
All Might blinked when Hari wound down, then looked at Izuku and Mei. "You didn't tell her?"
"She won't LISTEN!" Mei said, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. "YOU tell her, All Might, she won't believe me!"
"Won't believe what?" Aqua asked, seeming to appear next to Izuku and Mei. "Hi, All Might! Just wanted to check up on my two favorite worshipers!" Aqua put her arm around Izuku's shoulder and All Might's waste and gave them both a huge grin.
"I've got an amazing idea! You know how I got exiled from the Divine Realm? Well, there's totally a way to get back in! I just have to recruit enough followers who give me offerings and prayers, and I can totally be a goddess again! Hey, Mei, since Megumin's given up on the whole Goddess thing, you can be my worshipper too! And is this your sister? Perfect! Midoriya, tell her about how amazing my powers are and all the great benefits of joining the Axis Cult are!"
Hari blinked several times, swaying slightly on her feet. "Crazy. Everyone at this school is crazy."
"Um, perhaps you should come with me," All Might said, gently putting a hand on Hari's arm to steady her. "We do need to talk about your sisters...recent exploits. Though her marital status I suppose should rest in the hands of her family, as I don't believe Japan recognizes interdimensional weddings."
"What?!" Aqua squawked in outrage. "I totally married them myself! And that was back when I was a 100% bonafide goddess! You don't get more married than these two are! Midoriya, tell her about the special spell that I thought you, you know, the one where-"
"GeethanksAqualet'stalkmoresomewherelesebyeAllMightgoodluckHaribye!" Clamping a hand over Aqua's mouth, Izuku activated One For All almost by instinct and quickly pushed Aqua away as Mei laughed and clung to him, skidding along behind him.
About 20 meters away, Izuku let out a yelp when Aqua bit him.
"Midoriya! This is no way to treat your patron deity!" Aqua lectured as soon as he removed his hand. "You have to show more respect to me if we're going to recruit more followers!"
"I will have to ask Megumin, but I think I am willing to believe you are a goddess, Aqua," Mei said seriously. "After all, you did bring all those people back from the dead, and you healed All MIght, so you have been good."
"Ha! My cult grows!" Aqua cried jubilantly. Which was a bit inconvenient, as they were in the middle of a rather crowded walkway.
"Let's just-" Izuku said, but it was too late. A very irate looking boy with a shield strapped to his arm stalked over. He was flanked by two girls, one with racoon ears and another with wings on her back.
"Are you one of those damn goddesses?" the boy demanded, glaring at Aqua. "It's your fault this entire mess happened in the first place!"
"I AM a goddess," Aqua declared, putting a hand dramatically on her chest. "But, I deny any and all responsibility. Those punks had it coming, and how was I supposed to know they were pro heroes? Plus, it was mostly them that wrecked the place! As for the jail, well, that's all Vanir's fault. I only blessed Darkness a little, and I bet they can fix the door!"
"Aqua," Izuku sighed, "Please stop talking." He managed to smile at the boy. "Er, hello, I'm Izuku Midoriya. Um, this is my friend, Aqua, and-"
"I'm Mei Hastume! Or maybe Mei Midoriya? I am not sure. But also, you should be nice to Aqua. She is a good goddess. She healed All Might!"
"I don't care what she did, if she's in league with that damnable Medea or that meddling Director Asahina, I'll-"
"Oh shut up Naofumi," Aqua sniffed. "You were in the same class as those dumb maids of Ainz's. Well, Midoriya beat up all of them, and if you're rude he-"
Izuku didn't think, he just reacted. He lashed out, shoving Naofumi as hard as he could, away from Mei and Aqua. The other boy caught the blow on his shield however, which suddenly expanded.
"Mei, go! Get All Might!" Izuku roared. "Tell them the Lord of the Tomb's minions are here!"
"What?! You arrogant bastard!" Naofumi hissed. Behind him, the racoon girl summoned a sword, while the one with wings turned into... a giant chicken? That was weird, but apparently she was a monster of some sort.
"Monsters," Izuku hissed. "Aqua, are they undead or demons?"
"No, just a stupid jerk and his two flunkies! I knew he had to be with Ainz! He was always hanging out with him and the maids, and they were all evil!" Aqua growled.
And that was when Sato, Jiro, Koda, and a floating set of clothes Izuku assumed was Hagakure ran up.
"Woah, slow down Midoriya!" Hagakure cried, waving her arms frantically. "Naofumi's not with the Tomb! He-"
All Might impacted the ground hard enough to leave a crater and stagger the increasingly panicked students.
"Fear not! For I am here!" All Might bellowed, his eyes blazing with fury. "Who dares threaten my students?!"
"They threatened me!" Naofumi snarled, pointing a finger at Izuku. "Him and that damn goddess!"
"Wait, that blue haired chick's a goddess?" Sato asked, looking worried. "I don't like those."
"We got your back Midoriya!" Kazuma cried as he ran up with Mei, Darkness and Megumin,their weapons out. "Let's waste these punks! Woah. Where'd the chocobo come from?"
"Right!?" Jiro said. "Finally! Someone gets it! Seriously, I thought I was taking crazy pills when I said Filo looked like a Chocobo and no one else got it!"
"Are you not with the Lord of the Tomb?" Izuku asked, suddenly feeling rather embarrassed and worried.
"No! If you'd bothered to ask, I could have told you that!" Naofumi snapped. "I've spent the last few years fighting his forces! Just ask these four, they helped!"
All Might considered this, then suddenly laughed. "Ha! Just a silly school yard scuffle! Young Midoriya, you and your friends should know better! Please, get to your classes everyone!"
The other students relaxed at seeing All Might in control of the situation, and the buzz of conversation started up again. All Might went over to Naofumi, bending over and whispering in his ear.
"What? Yes, how do you-fine. Yes, we'll come talk with you. Raphtalia, Filo, stand down. I suppose they aren't our enemies," Naofumi said, though he still sounded irritated.
All Might left with the three strangers in tow, leaving behind the others to stand around awkwardly.
"So, um, you guys have a pretty crazy summer too?" Hagakure managed. "I don't recognize your friends, Midoriya."
"Summer was a long time ago," Mei sighed. "But I am sorry I blew you up at the Sports Festival."
"Eh, it's cool. I mean, it was a pretty weird couple of months, but honestly it was kinda fun once you get over the pants wetting terror of it all," Jiro said with a chuckle. "Guess we're not classmates anymore though. Later, bell rings in a couple of minutes."
"So what was that all about?" Kazuma asked as they headed for class.
"Er, Aqua said that other guy, Naofumi, knew the Pleiades maids we fought," Izuku explained. "So, I kinda assumed he was with the Lord of the Tomb…"
Kazuma glanced at Aqua, but she glared right back. "Don't be mad at me! He totally was in the same class as those dumb maids in that other world we were in! You know, the one where we went to school with Ainz?"
"Ok, we seriously have to sit down and have a conversation about that, because I can't be the only one who's starting to think that might have been important," Kazuma groaned as they hurried into class.
They had just sat down when Mr. Aizawa walked in. "Good. You're all here. Well, let's not waste time. Since half of you have already gone over the first few months curriculum, I don't see a point in rehashing it all again."
"Dude, not cool!" Kaminari groaned. "I was sure I was gonna pass the test this time!"
Aizawa stared at Kaminari, who blushed and muttered an apology.
"As such, we're not going to be sitting around. You know where your hero costumes are I assume? Good. Go get changed. We're having a test."
"Rematch time," Bakugo said with a vicious grin. "You're going down this time, Midoriya."
"Oh, I'm changing today's activites," Aizawa informed them. "You already completed the Battle Trial. So we're doing something new. Otherwise this will just turn into a farce like yesterday, and I do not enjoy being made a fool."
"We shall be perfectly prepared," Todoroki stated calmly as they all stood.
"Man, what's the point in going to the past if you can't relive all your old moments?" Ashido complained as they headed for the changing room. "I was so looking forward to having a better partner than Princess Sparkles."
Instead of the costume Izuku's mother had made, his turned out to be the same suit that Mei had made for him back in the other world. How it had gotten here, Izuku didn't know, but he was grateful to have such a useful set of gear.
Izuku was mildly amused when Kazuma discovered that his hero costume just turned out to be his old adventuring gear. "What is this!? You guys all get new threads, and I'm stuck with this mess? Well, at least it's better than what he's got," Kazuma said, pointing at Todoroki's uniform.
Todoroki for his part, grimaced. Izuku had to admit his hero costume looked a bit...special. Walking over to the wall, Tokoroki tapped on it. "Momo, can you make me a new uniform? I'm starting to regret some of my life choices."
"Oh thank Rista," Momo's voice came back. "I wasn't going to say anything, but that first costume...yikes."
"Dude, you look like the T3000 had a baby with Mr. Freeze," Kazuma laughed.
"We don't know who that is, dumbass," Bakugo grunted as he pulled on his own hero costume, which seemed largely unaltered.
"It's not my fault kids these days have no appreciation for the classics. You need to learn to respect your heritage," Kazuma sniffed. "You call yourself heroes and you don't even know about Terminator or Batman?"
Bakugo glared at Kazuma. "Ask fucking Midoriya. He's the one with the nerdy notebooks."
"I've never heard of them," Izuku admitted. "There was a Batman in Osaka who could fly and had echolocation, but I never heard of Mr. Freeze or the Terminator."
They all headed out to the training grounds, and Mei enthusiastically showed off her own new was simply a pair of overalls and her goggles, with a thick padded leather coat over her usual black tank top "It's got a tool belt, pockets, and tools for all my babies!" Mei said excitedly. "I even have my super cute baby too!" She hefted her 'crossbow' which had undergone a bit of a metamorphosis, and now looked more at home in a sci-fi story than a fantasy one. "I modified it last night, so now it's a railgun! I have extra cute babies for it to shoot too, like nets, and stun grenades!"
"That's probably good, I don't think Mr. Aizawa would be very happy if you accidentally hurt or killed someone," Izuku said.
"Hey, don't worry about it, I'll just bring 'em back to life! So long as they promise to join the Axis Cult," Aqua said. "Your first resurrection is free!"
"Aqua, what are you doing?" Eris asked, sounding rather worried.
"I'm restoring my church, obviously. If I get enough followers, I can go back to being a goddess and never have to pee again! Seriously, going pee is the worst."
"I'm going to put a stop to that conversation right now," Aizawa said as they drew near to him. "I haven't had nearly enough coffee this morning to prepare for that level of inanity from my students."
"What level of inanity do you find acceptable?" Kazuma asked. "You know, as a baseline."
Aizawa ignored the comment, which Izuku figured was probably for the best. "Today, since I haven't had time to think of anything more complicated, you're all going to be playing capture the flag. The rules are simple. Quirks are free to be used, but no lethal force. That means you, Megumin."
"This is discrimination! You are oppressing my culture!" Megumin ranted. "Crimson Demons must unleash their magic once a day, or a terrible fate will befall them!"
Everyone looked at Yunyun, who blushed. "Um, no, we're fine. She used to play video games for days on end in the Divine Realm."
"Traitor," Megumin grumbled.
"Anyway," Aizawa said after dry swallowing yet another pain killer, "First, I'm going to assign the team captains by lot, which will be...Yunyun-"
"Me?!" Yunyun gasped, going bright red. "But I was always picked last for sports!"
"...and Aqua."
"Yes, my superior skills and power have propelled me to the top once again!" Aqua boasted.
"...the positions were chosen randomly," Aizawa stated. "Captains, you can choose your teams. I'd think carefully about who you choose if you want to win. Think about their powers and abilities, and-"
"I'm picking Sero!" Yunyun blurted. "H-he's my boyfriend!"
"...or you could just do whatever you want. Why bother listening to me, I'm just grading you," Aizawa sighed. "Fine. You were going to pick first anyway. Aqua?"
"I can pick whoever I want?" Aqua said suspiciously.
"Anyone here," Aizawa agreed.
That brought a malicious grin to Aqua's face. "Then I pick you, Mr. Teacher! Clearly, you will award my team the victory simply by virtue of being on my side!"
That brought Aizawa up short. "You can't pick me."
"Why not?" Aqua demanded. "You said I could pick anyone here. I pick you!"
"I pick Megumin because she's my best friend!" Yunyun interrupted.
Aizawa sighed and went over to stand by Aqua as Megumin strutted over to Yunyun's side. "Listen to me, Yunyun, you were wise to choose me as your second companion, but now we must carefully select our next candidates. I suggest Uraraka. She is excellent at team poses, which will be vital to our victory!"
"Why?" Yunyun asked.
"Because they shall inspire our teammates, and devastated our foes! A cool pose is a mighty weapon in a Crimson Demon's arsenal!"
"Midoriya, get over here," Aqua ordered. "You're my best follower and you can punch out dragons and stuff, so you've got to be good at whatever it is we're doing."
"Capture the flag?" Izuku offered as he walked over to Aqua's side.
"Yeah I was always bad at that, I prefer Team Deathmatch. The flags are too confusing," Aqua declared. "I think we should win just by beating everyone else up."
"That's not what the instructions are," Aizawa sighed. "You're supposed to use this as an opportunity to think tactically, not as a social gathering."
"Um, Iris! We're friends, right?" Yunyun asked, ignoring Megumin's continued lecture on the importance of posing and one liners.
"Of course, I shall be honored to fight at your side. The Crimson Demon clans are a valued ally of the throne," Iris said seriously. When Yunyun looked like someone had just kicked a puppy in front of her, Iris added, "And of course, you are also my close personal friend."
That made Yunyun beam, and Aizawa's eye twitch even more.
"Come on Kazuma, you're, like, smart and stuff. You and Midoriya come up with a plan," Aqua ordered.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because we're dating now, Kazuma!" Megumin declared. "On the battlefield, Crimson Demons are famous for abandoning all ties of loyalty to secure victory!"
"No we're not! We stick by our friends and make sure everyone has a good time!" Yunyun protested.
"Whatever, it's just a game," Kazuma said, his hands in his pockets as he strolled over to Aqua's side. He eyed Aizawa. "What do you do, anyway?"
"Mr. Aizawa's power is Erasure, he can cancel quirks just by looking at someone," Izuku informed Kazuma.
"Cool. That'll mess with Bakugo, so it will be entertaining at least," Kazuma laughed.
"Um, my friend Mina," Yunyun said.
"Yes!" Mina cheered, and skipped over to high five Yunyun. "You totally have to pick Eijiro next, because we're all besties! Right, Yunyun?"
The thought of having a "bestie" was apparently too much for Yunyun, who looked down and blushed and muttered something that made Megumin sniff. "I am Yunyun's first and dearest friend. We have been rivals since we were children in school, and our glorious war has only propelled our relationship to new heights! Plus, I shall only allow my very closest of friends to play with Chomusuke."
"Hmm," Aqua said, scratching at her head. "Who's willing to convert to the Axis Faith? We've got limited spots on our roster, you know."
"Sorry, I'm a Cleric of Ristarte," Yaoyorozu put in.
"We are all followers of Ristarte," Todoroki agreed. "She was our friend and benefactor when we fought the Godslayer."
"Woah, you guys fought the GODSLAYER!?" Aqua asked, looking both scared and impressed. She motioned to the four members of Team Todoroki. "Ok, yeah, I'm totally picking all four of you."
"What!? You can't do that!" Yunyun protested.
"Why not? You're just going to pick more of your friends, right? So it doesn't matter, you don't know them," Aqua argued.
"Um, ok. Kirishima, Eris, Darkness, and, er, Bakugo. But only if you promise to be nice! We're all friends on my team!" Yunyun ordered.
"Time out," Aizawa ordered. "Who's the Godslayer?"
"That evil little brat Tanya," Aqua huffed. "She and Ainz are from Horror. They got pissed off about some god called 'Being X' and killed him, then invaded Comedy. They've been going around killing a bunch of other gods and goddesses. It's been a serious problem."
"I...see. Did you get that?" Aizawa called, apparently to thin air.
There was a click and buzz. "We got that, thanks Eraser," a voice said over the PA system. "Continue with the exercise."
"Wait, who was that?" Izuku asked, looking around.
"We're being monitored and recorded to catalogue your powers and abilities," Aizawa explained. "UA does it normally for all students in the hero course, but you've all attracted special attention, for obvious reasons."
"I'm on TV? Awesome! Hey, make sure you tell everyone about how amazing the Axis Order is!" Aqua called, waving her hands and smiling.
"I don't think they're going to broadcast this live, Aqua," Kazuma sighed. "Just make the rest of your picks already."
"Oh, well I pick Hatsume, because she's totally converting to my faith," Aqua declared. "Otherwise, I'm revoking my blessing, and we'll see how much you and Midoriya-UMPH!"
"Heheh," Izuku giggled nervously as Aqua struggled in his grip. He leaned his head closer to her ear. "Don't you dare tell anyone about that! It's private!"
"I don't know if I want to be your follower, it was really fun being in Megumin's cult, we got to dance!" Mei declared. "But don't worry, I am happy to be on your and Izuku's team Aqua!"
"Um, Darkness says I should pick Tokoyami," Yunyun says. "We're going to be friends, right?"
"Any friend of Darkness is a friend of mine," Tokoyami said seriously. "I shall be glad to stand beside you in this struggle."
"Great, last pick," Uraraka sighed, and walked over to Aqua's team without waiting to be called. "Oh well, at least I know what I'm getting myself into."
"I'll make snacks," Kazuma promised.
That made Uraraka grin. "Best. Team. Ever."
"The rules are simple," Aizawa said. "Hide your flag, keep the other team from getting it. The first team to either retrieve the enemy flag and return it to this spot, or knock out or capture the other side, wins. If you destroy your flag, or the other team's flag, you lose."
"This is cultural profiling!" Megumin shouted. "My religion requires that I be allowed to use my Explosion magic!"
"It really is her religion," Kazuma added in a most unhelpful tone. "They had badges and everything."
"What? No! Badges are lame. We had secret tattoos! And passwords! And-"
"Starting in one minute," Aizawa growled. "You have all of Training Ground B to hide and fortify in. I suggest you get going."
"Right! So, where do we put the flag?" Aqua asked Mr. Aizawa as Yunyun led her team towards a distant set of buildings.
"I'm just here to supervise," Aizawa said with a shrug. "I'm not actually going to help you. That would defeat the point of the exercise. We already know my quirk doesn't work on magic."
"What!? But then I wasted my first pick! I want a take back!" Aqua ranted.
"Um, let me see that, Aqua," Izuku said, taking the flag. "Right. Kazuma, you take the flag and go hide somewhere. I don't think anyone can see through your Lurk skill on the other team."
"Eris can, but she'd have to get pretty close," Kazuma said, taking the large strip of cloth. "Later. Lurk."
He vanished, and Izuku turned to the others. "Mei, I want you to set up a location as a distraction so that the other team will think we've fortified it to hold our flag. Todoroki, you are your squad to help her defend it. Act like that really is where we've got our flag."
"Right, you got it Izuku!" Mei agreed. "Come on, I know the perfect place! I can build some super cute babies, like some defense turrets to help us out! You can use your quirk to make materials, right Yaoyorozu?"
"Yes, that's an excellent plan. Here, this should work as a decoy flag," Yaoyorozu said, pulling a false flag out of her navel as they hurried off to a nearby building.
"Right, Aqua, you're with me and Uraraka. We're on offense. I think between the three of us, we should be able to move in and secure their flag while they assault Todoroki's base," Izuku explained.
"Wait, aren't I the team captain?" Aqua said, scowling. "I should come up with a plan."
Uraraka opened her mouth, but Izuku made a shushing motion. "Ok, what do you think we should do, Aqua?"
Aqua stared blankly at Izuku for a long second. "I don't know. It's you and Kazuma's job to come up with the plans."
"Then do you think we should use my plan?" Izuku prompted.
"Yes! That's a great idea! I'm glad I thought of it," Aqua declared, and spun on her heel to march towards where Yunyun's team had run off to.
"You just have to learn how to work with her," Izuku told Uraraka quietly. "It's not so bad once you get used to it."
"Yeah, I know, it's just...ugh. For a goddess, she's really dumb," Uraraka said. "Makes you want to become an atheist."
"Amen," Aizawa said fervently, making his two students jump, as they'd forgotten he'd been there. He scowled at them. "Well? Get going!"
Izuku and Uraraka hurried to catch up to Aqua, then lead her into a building where they hid for a few seconds.
When a bell sounded to announce the beginning of the match, there was an immediate series of blasts, and Bakugo flew by, screaming, "COME ON, NERD! IT'S TIME TO SEE WHO'S STRONGER NOW!"
"Wow, he seems angry," Aqua mused. "I wonder why Iris likes him. She used to be so nice!"
"You've got me," Uraraka said with a shrug. "He might be 'chiller' but he's still loud and angry."
"Come on, let's move quietly," Izuku whispered. "Through the back alleys until we find where their base is."
They soon left behind the din of the battle raging between Bakugo and Todoroki's forces, making their way through the massive site B complex. After several minutes, they spotted Iris standing in the center of a crossroads, her team's flag draped on the ground. She appeared to be alone, but Izuku wasn't going to rush in.
"Uraraka, scout to the side," Izuku whispered. "That building there, that's where I'd put a lookout. See if someone's up there."
"You got it," Uraraka hissed, then slunk away.
"Wait, let me bless you," Aqua said, passing her hands over Uraraka. "There! Now you're super buff and lucky!"
"Thanks. I take back what I said, you are pretty useful," Uraraka said with a wink, and Aqua smiled at her. It wasn't until Uraraka had been gone for a few moments that it dawned on Aqua she'd been insulted, but Izuku managed to slip his hand over her mouth before she could shout or rant.
After another minute, there was a sound of a scuffle, and Darkness flew out of a window, then drifted up into the air. A moment later, Tokoyami followed after, Dark Shadow screaming in rage. Uraraka peered out, giving Izuku a thumbs up.
"She's got them," Izuku said. "On me!" He dashed out just as Iris was pivoting to face the building where Uraraka was. He dashed out, using the full power of One For All. He aimed to grab the flag and dash off with it, but Iris was somehow able to see him coming and counter, using a magic spell to force Izuku to dodge. He continued on though, his gauntlet swinging up to strike at Iris' sword. He winced at the impact, but Mei's armor and his strength held.
"You are strong," Iris grunted, her muscles straining. "Katsuki told me of you. He said you were once weak, but gained immense power quite suddenly. How did you manage that, I wonder?"
"Trade secret," Izuku gasped, then leapt back, trying to circle around Iris and firing off several air blasts with his gauntlets. Iris countered each of them with a series of magical blasts, forcing Izuku to dodge a few of her own attacks.
He refused to stay on the defensive though, launching himself up into the air to fire off more air blasts to try and dislodge Iris. However, she simply flew into the air after him, the flag streaming behind her, tied to her waist. Instead of dodging, Izuku met her charge, using kicks to change his direction and winding up for a powerful blow.
"KOGENREICH SMASH!" Izuku roared, his gauntlet connecting with Iris' sword again as it fired off a massive explosion. He was worried for half a second that he'd seriously injured Iris, but he needn't have bothered.
Neither the blow nor the explosion seemed to phase her, and she swung forward, her own gauntlet cracking into the side of Izuku's jaw and sending him flying into a building. He didn't have time to recover, as she pointed her sword at him and roared, "SACRED EXPLODE!"
The blast demolished the building and left Izuku stunned for a moment. He shook himself, and just managed to dodge to the side as Iris plowed in, her sword ringing off the rubble. He aimed a kick at her, catching her in the hip and knocking her through two half collapsed walls. She still had the flag though, so he charged after her, ready to capture her or claim the flag.
"HOLY THUNDER!" Iris roared as Izuku smashed through the wall, and he cried out in pain as a blaze of light and power consumed him.
Thankfully, his suit's Blessing from Aqua kicked in, and Izuku could feel his wounds close. He pressed on, smashing through a fireball from Iris with an airblast. He dodged to the side when she swung her sword, punching her right in the side and driving her to the ground in a crater.
Even that wasn't enough to put Iris down, however, as when Izuku pounced she kicked him square in the groin, then blasted him with another Holy Thunder. He reeled back, feeling sick and in pain, stars swimming in his eyes. But he refused to give up. "MUFASU SMASH!"
This time his blow was deflected partially as Iris parried with her sword, but he still hit her hard enough to send her flying up into the air. Izuku had to take a moment to gasp for breath as his suit healed him further, the pain and nausea fading.
Unfortunately, that gave Iris time to recover, righting herself in mid air. She held up both hands to the sun, and its light seemed to coalesce between them like molten flames. "ROYAL FLARE!"
A beam of pure energy rent the air, leaving an after image in Izuku's eyes as he desperately sprang to the side. He fired off a series of air blasts, managing to interrupt Iris' spell. She resummoned her sword as Izuku flew into the air, drawing his fist back as she prepared to strike at him again.
"Match over!" the PA system blared suddenly. "Team Yunyun wins."
Izuku was unable to stop his forward momentum, but Iris simply spun to the side as he careened past her. He managed to regain control, coming to a landing amidst the ruin of half a block.
"You fight well," Iris said as she landed beside him. She was breathing hard, and Izuku saw that she'd suffered some serious damage in their fight, with cuts and bruises all over her exposed skin, and she was clutching at her side where he'd struck her. He was hurt himself, his gonads still ached, and he was limping slightly. One of his hands felt like it was broken, and when he looked at the gauntlet he saw it was ruined, and that blood was dripping from it.
"Wow, are you guys OK?" Uraraka called, running over with Aqua, Darkness and Tokoyami.
"I think we went at it a little hard," Izuku admitted. "I, um, really wanted to win."
"That was incredible! Iris, I didn't think anyone, even Dark Shadow, could keep up with Midoriya in a brawl. You are truly an astonishing warrior," Tokoyami said.
Darkness nodded as Aqua hurried over and began to heal their hurts. "She is the queen of Belzerg, and worthy of the title."
"Thank you," Iris said softly. She smiled at Izuku. "Tell me, what would you say to a lordship in Belzerg? I could use the aid of one such as you in reclaiming my kingdom."
"I wouldn't count on it, Midoriya already turned down a dutchy," Uraraka chuckled.
"I don't know," Izuku admitted. "I'm worried about the Lord of the Tomb still, I-"
Izuku saw something moving fast out of the corner of his eye, and heard a familiar sound. He had just enough time to grab Aqua and jump to the side before Bakugo slammed into the ground, smoke rising from his body as he snarled in rage.
"I'll bury you," Bakugo snarled, rounding on Izuku. "The fuck did you do to Iris!"
"Katsuki! We were training. Such things happen," Iris said firmly. "You are my Shield, but you are not my nursemaid. At times, I may be wounded in training. You must learn to control yourself. You have done far worse to me when we spar."
Bakugo panted, his red eyes flicking from Izuku to Iris. Slowly, he nodded, falling to one knee before Iris, the sound of his grinding teeth easily audible. "I'm...sorry. I know you're not weak. I just...Seeing you hurt...I'm back in that fucking place."
"I know," Iris said, gently reaching down to tilt Bakugo's chin up to look at her. "It is well you are so protective, for that is a Shield's duty. Your devotion does not go unnoticed. I do not rebuke your fervor, nor your adoration. Only the direction of your anger. Midoriya is an ally. It is not him we must destroy, my prince."
Bakugo stood as Iris gently lifted him up. His gaze drifted to Izuku, then back to Iris again. She jerked her head at Izuku, and Bakugo set his jaw. Then, slowly, he turned to Izuku, giving a stiff bow. "I...apologize, Midoriya. I...spoke...in...fucking shit! Look, I was pissed, alright? Just watch yourself. You can fight Iris if she lets you, but you hurt her, I mean really fucking hurt her, and I will-"
Iris coughed, and Bakugo ground to a halt. He gave another jerky bow. "Sorry."
"Er, it's alright, Katsuki," Izuku said, feeling odd at having his old schoolmate apologize over something relatively trivial, considering their history. "I know...I know how it is to get angry, when someone you love is hurt."
Bakugo started, a look of something close to fear passing over him. For once, he appeared at a complete loss for words.
"Ok, so, how did you guys find Kazuma?" Aqua demanded, having finished healing Iris and apparently unable to read a room. "How'd we lose? I thought Midoriya's plan was great!"
That brought Bakugo back to reality, and he rolled his eyes. "Fucking guess."
They returned to the center of Site B, where Izuku noticed that the other half of the battle ground was rather demolished as well, signs of fighting everywhere. Mei was standing over Kazuma and Megumin, where they were laying down on a patch of rubble eating some of his conjured snacks while Mei yelled at them.
"-super cute babies were doing their job! You had to go and ruin it!" Mei yelled. "How am I supposed to get any field testing done if you just hand over our flag!"
"What?" Izuku asked, jogging over. "Mei, Kazuma, what happened?"
"I traded our flag," Kazuma said casually.
Megumin gave Izuku a smug grin. "Yes. Truly, I am the most devious and cunning of the Crimson Demon clan, and my brilliant scheme allowed my team to triumph!"
"You traded our flag?!" Izuku asked in exasperation. "For what?!"
"Panties," Kazuma said casually, and leered as he held up a pair of lacy black undergarments.
"You weren't supposed to tell him that," Megumin grumbled, blushing and trying to hide her face in Kazuma's shoulder. "That was supposed to be our secret."
"That is stupid! Uraraka told me how his Steal Skill worked, he didn't have to do that!" Mei ranted. "We could have WON!"
"Why do you care? It's just a stupid game," Kazuma said with a shrug.
"Team Yunyun, you all pass, good work," Aizawa said as he walked up. "Except Megumin."
"What?!" Megumin cried, jerking slightly, her cheeks still flushed. "I'm the one who captured the flag!"
"Team Aqua, you performed admirably. I'll still give you passing marks. Especially you five, Hatsume, Todoroki, Iida, Kaminari, and Yaoyorozu. That was an impressive use of terrain and traps."
"Do I fail too?" Kazuma asked.
Aizawa gave Kazuma a flat look. "Megumin, you fail because you used your Explosion spell to level a block of buildings, AFTER you had already captured the flag."
"That was my victory celebration! Our triumph needed to be suitably punctuated!" Megumin grumbled.
"And I fail because I turned traitor?" Kazuma asked.
"No, you fail because you're sexually harassing one of your classmates," Aizawa told him. "You found Megumin and offered to give her the flag for sexual favors. We don't allow that here at UA."
"Oh relax, we're dating, it's not like she doesn't enjoy it," Kazuma grumbled, passing a very embarrassed Megumin back her panties.
"I don't care. At school, you'll behave properly. And if you even think about sneaking off somewhere for a quickie, there will be consequences."
Kazuma smirked. "Like what? You gonna suspend me or something? I'd enjoy that! No school for a few days, it'd be nice!"
"Oh, I know," Aizawa said, giving Kazuma a malicious grin "That's why I'm going ensure you would actually be punished. For starters, I heard from Aqua that you have some experience in construction. Guess what? You and Megumin are going to be spending your free time rebuilding all the damage she caused."
"What?!" Kazuma and Megumin cried.
"Big Brother, I am very disappointed in you," Iris said with a shake of her head. "That sort of behavior should be beneath you. You are not taking our training seriously enough at all."
Kazuma muttered under his breath, but managed not to protest further.
"Right. Go get changed. You've still got afternoon classes. Your other teachers have been preparing new lessons." With that, Aizawa took another headache pill and stalked off.
Izuku was really starting to worry about his teacher's liver.
Author's Note:
If that's ibuprofen, Izuku should really worry about Aizawa's kidneys.