Vs. Board:
Team 1: Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Sato, and Sero vs Eraserhead
Team 2: Tokoyami, Koda, Midoriya, and Bakugo vs Spider-Man
Team 3: Tsu, Uraraka, Hagakure, and Mineta vs X-23
Team 4: Kirishima, Kaminari, Jiro, and Ojiro vs Nightcrawler
Team 5: Mina, Iida, Shoji, and Aoyama vs Deadpool
Watch Room
The Practical Finals are here, and the trials couldn't be higher. The students have been split into teams of four to fight experienced heroes. Each team was assigned a specific area to host their final. Most teams were at their designated area aside from one team, Team 5. Team 5 has taken the unused time to go to the monitoring room to watch their classmates battle so they could take ideas from the fights and prepare for whom they face later.
"I would say we should be planning, but how can we plan against Deadpool?" Shoji asked Iida.
"If I had the slightest idea I would tell you, but I do not." Iida shook his head with discontent, "I believe that studying our classmate's examinations could provide useful data that we could use against Deadpool."
"So that is the reason why we are here?" Mina sat on the floor, "Normally I would like to goof off, but I enjoy watching good action!"
"My cape isn't ironed correctly. This is blasphemy." Aoyama was looking at his capes and noticed many wrinkles were not ironed out. "I will be right back." Aoyama left the building with Shoji looking on at him.
"Aoyama needs to learn focus," Shoji turned back to the screen, "He's narcissistic."
Iida nodded his head, "Agreed. But I do believe that he will be focused when our match is up next."
Mina let out a soft yawn and stretched her arms out, "Who cares right now? Let's watch Team 1 take on Eraserhead!"
Battle Test 1: Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Sato, and Sero vs Eraserhead
Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Sato, and Sero, were packed together in their designated area. The battle arena they were sent too resembled a city, but with no pedestrians.
"We're going up against Eraserhead," Sero shook lightly at the fact, "I'm kinda nervous, you know?"
"Yeah, I get you, man," Sato replied, "But why do I get the feeling we got the LEAST powerful opponent?"
"I wouldn't underestimate him one bit even if that were the case," Todoroki spoke as calmly as ever. The boys looked to their only female companion as she looked to be in deep thought. "Yaoyorozu?" Todoroki called out to her.
"Hmm?" Yaoyorozu looked up to her partners, "Yes?"
"Scheming?" Todoroki asked.
"Sort of." Yaoyorozu placed a hand on her chin, "I'm just trying to see if I can figure out a weakness in Eraserhead's style of fighting. From what we saw at the USJ, he is a close-combat fighter and his Quirk cancels out other Quirks so we can't rely on ours forever."
"That is so true." Sero looked down, "His goggles cover his eyes so we no one can see who's Quirk he's taken, but even hypothetically we say we take those goggles away, he's still a better combatant than us!"
Sato stretched his left arm, "So what I am hearing is that brute force won't work against Eraserhead. Which means…"
"Which means we have to use our heads instead of our brawn." Todoroki finished for Sato.
"How are we going to outsmart a Pro-Hero who knows us better than ourselves?!" Sero asked, clearly showing his confidence took a nosedive.
Yaoyorozu thought for a brief moment before snapping her fingers, "We show him something we have never done before." The three boys looked to the lone female in their group as it was clear she was taking command. "Eraserhead only knows what we have shown him the past few weeks, and he'll be expecting that."
"So we go in there doing other things?" Sato asked.
"Not quite." Todoroki replied, "From what I can tell, Eraserhead is quick to adapt. If we go in and show him something new, he'll adjust to it and counter it quickly."
Sero groaned in frustration, "So what, we continue to do the same old thing?"
"Precisely," Yaoyorozu said.
"Huh?" Sero was now confused.
"To beat Eraserhead, you either have to outsmart him or overpower him. We are going to do both." Yaoyorozu smiled confidently at her team, "And we will win."
Sero and Sato were filled with confidence and smiled back at her with Todoroki only showing a small smile. Sero raised his fist into the air with a bright and fearless smile, "Let's do this then!"
Sato bellowed loudly and flexed his muscles, "Hell yeah! We will pass!"
Todoroki stepped in between the three of his teammates and looked to each one of them. They were all generating endless amounts of energy with wills to win. Todoroki felt small relief that he was on a winning team instead of the unsure one that assembled earlier. "Then let's strategize while we still have time to spare." Todoroki insisted as the four of them huddled together with Yaoyorozu already setting out her ideas.
Present Mic announced the beginning of the match a few moments ago, and Eraserhead was jumping from rooftop to rooftop in search of his students. He will not go so easy on them, but he won't use his full power either. Eraserhead is here to test the students and although they may have already encountered villains, some more than others, they are not ready to challenge Eraserhead at his best.
The area was quiet, just as Eraserhead predicted. The students will want to be hidden and attempt a surprise attack on him because a frontal attack will be foolish. Even if by any chance the four decided to meet him head-on, Eraserhead has planned for that too.
Eraserhead stopped and scanned the area below. No signs of the students anywhere.
Eraserhead then zipped his head around to check behind him as tape was flying towards him. Eraserhead jumped out of the way and looked in the direction of the tape to see Sero was not present. Eraserhead instinctively jumped from the roof and onto a telephone pole as the building was covered in ice. Eraserhead looked back down to see Sato charging through the telephone poll, ripping the wood off the cement. Eraserhead fell to the ground, landed on his feet, and ducked as Yaoyorozu nearly hit him with her staff.
"Just as I predicted," Eraserhead said to himself as he charged at Yaoyorozu and tackled her to the ground. Yaoyorozu quickly responded by making a metal plate of her forehead and giving Eraserhead a headbutt. Eraserhead fell back from the rather surprising action Yaoyorozu did but quickly moved as Sato nearly cuffed his leg. Eraserhead created distance between him and his opponents as the four students regrouped.
Eraserhead got into a fighting stance as Sato gave Yaoyorozu the cuffs.
"So…any ideas now?" Sero asked with slight worry.
"Stick to the plan," Todoroki ordered as Yaoyorozu looked to be distracted.
"Right," Sato said as he popped open a canister of sugar and ate all of it. Sato went into his 'Sugar Rush' as he roared and charged at Eraserhead with Sero swinging into the skies, Todoroki staying behind, and Yaoyorozu following behind Sato.
Sato swung a right hook at Eraserhead, which Eraserhead easily ducked and tripped the behemoth with his cloth. Yaoyorozu attempted to hit Eraserhead with her staff, but Eraserhead grabbed the staff and wrenched it away from her. Yaoyorozu quickly made a shield and blocked Eraserhead's attack with her staff. Todoroki shouted at Yaoyorozu to move as he quickly fired ice at the two. Yaoyorozu moved out of the way as well as Eraserhead, but Eraserhead felt his back being kicked hard by Sero now making his presence known. Eraserhead stayed on his feet and spin moved away from another kick. Eraserhead, unintentionally, wrapped Sero's foot up in his scarf. Not wasting this advantage, Eraserhead yanked on his scarf with Sero flying towards him. Eraserhead spun Sero around with the scarf before letting go as Sero flew right into the arms of Sato.
Staying on his toes, Eraserhead backflipped into the air and avoided another ice attack from Todoroki.
"This is almost too easy." Eraserhead said out loud to himself, "I expected much better from them."
Eraserhead grabbed an incoming object made by Yaoyorozu and threw it back at her. The object exploded and let out a blinding light as the object was a flashbang. With Yaoyorozu now blinded, Eraserhead landed on the ground and focused his efforts on Todoroki. Todoroki grunted and let out yet another ice attack, this one being larger than the last one. Eraserhead the attack with ease and closed the gap between the two quickly. Todoroki, now on the defensive, tried to freeze Eraserhead in place with his ice but found his quirk to be disabled. Todoroki, stunned for a moment, did not react in time to Eraserhead's scarf now wrapping him up.
Yaoyorozu blinked a few times with her vision now coming back and looked around to spot her teacher. Yaoyorozu saw Todoroki in Eraserhead's grasp. "Todoroki!" Yaoyorozu shouted with a staggering voice as Sero and Sato ran past her, leaving her behind.
Eraserhead turned to see Sato and Sero charging at him, but not Yaoyorozu. Eraserhead dismissed Yaoyorozu from his thoughts and put his mind to the two boys. Yaoyorozu watched on from the distance as Eraserhead released Todoroki from his grasp and fended off Sero and Sato with a small smirk on her face.
Sato and Sero were trying to attack Eraserhead together but were failing miserably as neither could get in sync with the other. Eraserhead ducked and dodged each attack before going on the offensive and gave Sato an open-palm hit to the nose to stun him and kicking Sero in the stomach to send him back. Eraserhead jumped onto Sato and began to strike down hard on Sato's head, the big man trying to grab him. Eraserhead jumped off and landed behind him, moving to the side to avoid a punch from Todoroki. Eraserhead grabbed Todoroki by his arm and did a judo-flip, his Quirk now wearing off on the boy.
Yaoyorozu was watching her team get pummeled into the ground as everything was going according to plan, "Just a little longer, I almost have it ready." Yaoyorozu told herself.
Eraserhead jumped back from Sato's grasp before using his scarf to trip the boy. Eraserhead took note of how Yaoyorozu has not jumped into the fight yet. "Something isn't right. She may be unconfident, but Yaoyorozu isn't one to stay on the sidelines for too long. Her actions during Hulk's rampage proves it, so what is she doing?" Eraserhead looked to Yaoyorozu's way and noticed that she hasn't moved one inch. Suddenly, Yaoyorozu's back glowed a bright light before multiple cannons stacked on top of one another popped out from her back and landed behind her.
"NOW!" Yaoyorozu yelled out.
In an instant, Yaoyorozu dropped to the floor as all the canons were lit and fired. Eraserhead, too, dropped to the floor but saw nothing flying overhead. It was a feint attack! Eraserhead jumped up and felt a burning sensation near him as Todoroki suddenly ignited his flames. As Eraserhead jumped back from the sudden outburst, he felt his scarf being latched. Eraserhead reached back to remove whoever grabbed it but drew it back instantly when he realized it wasn't a hand. Sero, now perched on a different telephone pole, used his tape to grab Eraserhead's scarf. Eraserhead grunted as he finally felt pressure from his students. Eraserhead yanked on the tape to pull Sero towards him. Sero wasn't caught off guard as he raised his left knee to protect him from Eraserhead's fist. Sato suddenly appeared behind Sero and grabbed him.
"Let's go for a ride, Eraserhead," Sero jokingly said as Sato ran with Sero in his arms. Eraserhead was being dragged around in the air by his scarf as he was rather surprised by his student's actions. Seeing no other option to escape, Eraserhead pried off his scarf, removing his best weapon.
"Stop!" Sero shouted as Sato stopped. Sero placed the scarf on the floor before covering it completely in tape to make sure Eraserhead wouldn't be able to get it.
Eraserhead was shocked by their strategy. Yaoyorozu and Todoroki distracted him to allow Sero to use his tape to grab the scarf, and they used Sato's power to force him to remove the scarf or risk a loss.
"Yaoyorozu!" Eraserhead looked in the direction of the voice to see Todoroki throw Yaoyorozu the cuffs. Yaoyorozu caught them and produced a large, circular shield from her arm.
"Let's finish this," Yaoyorozu stated, now filled with confidence as Eraserhead realized his own mistake.
Yaoyorozu threw the shield at Eraserhead and ran with it with Todoroki following behind her. Eraserhead slid to the side and allowed the shield to pass him. Todoroki blasted himself forward with his flames and nearly struck Eraserhead as the hero moved to the side. Eraserhead quickly grabbed Todoroki by his ice arm and flung him towards Sato as the latter caught him, his muscles now deflating to indicate his Quirk was wearing off.
Eraserhead blocked attacks from both Sero and Yaoyorozu as the two quickly backed off. Yaoyorozu, drawing her staff out, quickly went back in and pushed back against her teacher. Eraserhead ducked and dodged her attacks before being hit in the back as Sero came in and Yaoyorozu jumped back. Sero almost managed to get tape on Eraserhead's body, but Eraserhead jumped up and landed behind Sero. Eraserhead got Sero in a full nelson and spun him around to make Todoroki stop in place, who was about to use his ice quirk. Eraserhead released Sero and kicked him in the back to ram him into Todoroki.
Yaoyorozu jumped into the air and twirled her staff around before swinging it down as she came down. Eraserhead was able to move just in time to avoid the attack as the pole made a dent in the ground. Yaoyorozu got up quickly and continued to try and strike Eraserhead with the staff, but Eraserhead was able to kick it away. Unfazed, Yaoyorozu quickly switched into hand-to-hand combat fighting as she and Eraserhead clashed with Eraserhead's right forearm crossing with Yaoyorozu's left.
"I'm highly impressed," Eraserhead complimented.
"We haven't won yet," Yaoyorozu responded as the exposed part of her stomach glowed and a boxing glove shot out of her stomach and into Eraserhead's. Eraserhead flew back a couple of feet as Sato threw Yaoyorozu's shield to her. Yoayorozu caught it and strapped it onto her arm. Yaoyorozu looked to Sato and nodded as the two ran to Eraserhead, Yaoyorozu having the cuffs hanging in her hands.
Eraserhead staggered onto his feet before feeling a punch to the face.
"Please don't kill me after this," Sero said as he just processed the fact that he punched his teacher square in the jaw.
"No promises," Eraserhead replied and jumped out of the way as Sero saw a wave of ice heading straight to him. Sero did not react in time as he was now frozen in ice.
"Oh come on!" Sero said, his head not frozen, "Damn it, Todoroki!"
Eraserhead looked to Todoroki, now being flanked by Sato and Yaoyorozu. Eraserhead looked to Yaoyorozu's right hand as the cuffs were out. "They're getting ready to finish it." Eraserhead got into a defensive position as the three remaining students charged at him one at a time with Sato leading the charge.
Sato reached forward to grapple Eraserhead, but Eraserhead swiftly ducked and landed several punches to his gut, making the muscular guy stagger back. Eraserhead grabbed an arm coming from his left as Yaoyorozu went for an elbow. Eraserhead used Yaoyorozu's momentum against her and swung her into the iceberg that had Sero in it. Yaoyorozu fell to one knee with a light glowing dimly behind her shield.
Before Eraserhead could respond, Todoroki almost landed a roundhouse kick. Eraserhead grabbed the boy's leg and flung him away. Todoroki fired ice from his hand and swiftly landed on the floor and got up while firing more ice at Eraserhead. Eraserhead was dodging the attacks but felt a solid object hit him in the back, making him stall for a moment. Todoroki capitalized and launched a wave of ice at Eraserhead. Eraserhead, in an act of desperation, jumped out of the way but not in time as his left foot was frozen by the blast. Eraserhead landed on his back with a thud as Yaoyorozu jumped to him with open cuffs in hand. Yaoyorozu was about to clip the cuffs on Eraserhead, but Eraserhead grabbed her arm just before she could and used his other hand to yank the cuffs away and clipped them on Yaoyorozu's left wrist.
Yaoyorozu was shocked for a moment and was promptly thrown off. Eraserhead quickly got up when, suddenly, a loud explosion happened behind him. Eraserhead quickly turned to see shards of ice flying in all directions as the iceberg exploded with Sero in the air and tape flying from his elbows towards Eraserhead and Todorki now spewing fire towards the pro. Eraserhead barely dodged both attacks when he heard a small 'click' next to him.
Time slowed for Eraserhead as he turned to his right to see Sato had clipped a different pair of cuffs on his right wrist! Time returned to normal when Eraserhead fell onto the floor and rolled for a few seconds before stopping himself with the cuffs firmly locked on his right wrist. "Huh…" Eraserhead mumbled for a moment with surprise and looked up to see his four students towing over him, "How clever."
"Thank you," Yaoyorozu responded with a smile and extended her hand to him. Eraserhead grasped her hand and went up with her help.
Eraserhead pulled up his goggles and looked to his four students, "Good work you four." Aizawa turned to Yaoyorozu specifically, "When you and Uraraka saved your teachers, I was curious about what kind of impact it would have on you since the sports festival undoubtedly brought you down."
"I will admit, I was feeling doubtful about my abilities after I was easily beaten by Tokoyami's Dark Shadow so easily." Yaoyorozu closed her eyes and began to recall back to the festival, "I was beginning to doubt myself, my abilities, and my placement in Class 1-A. I trained and studied hard, yet I couldn't put my training to use when it mattered. I was so embarrassed." Yaoyorozu tightened her hand and placed it over her heart, "But when I saw our teachers in danger with Uraraka panicking next to me, I felt something come to life that allowed me to not only calm down my friend but also give me the courage to get our teachers to safety when my mind was saying otherwise." Yaoyorozu opened her eyes, "And of course with Uraraka's will also playing a part to save them too."
Aizawa nodded his head and made contact with all four of them, "I understand the plan you four took. It wouldn't have worked if I was at my best, but it was good enough."
Yaoyorozu turned her head to Sero, "I didn't say anything about taking his scarf away because I thought it would be too hard to pull off. How did you do it?"
Sero shrugged his shoulders, "Sato and I talked about it when I was thrown into him at the beginning. We agreed it was worth a shot, but also knew it would probably result in us being captured. In the end; however, it worked."
"Good," Aizawa chimed in, "In your future as Pro-Heroes you will need to take chances and know the consequences if it were to fail. Both you and Sato took a chance, and it paid off. Sero, when I saw you taping my scarf onto the floor, I knew I lost this fight." Aizawa turned around, "Now, how long until the tape wears off?"
Sero walked next to Aizawa, "I know how to unstick it."
"ROUND 1 IS OVER! TEAM 1 HAS PASSED!"
Watch Room
"YOWIE WOWIE!" Mina shouted.
"Yowie wowie?" Aoyama asked confusedly.
"They beat Mr. Aizawa!" Mina jumped from her sitting position, "And did you see Yaoyorozu?! She faked her attitude the whole time!" Mina beamed with delight.
Iida crossed his arms over his chest, "Yaoyorozu fooled us all with her unsure personality. I have to admit, I'm surprised Mr. Aizawa fell for it for I am sure a hero such as him would be able to deduce it."
"Maybe Mr. Aizawa thought Yaoyorozu was still reeling from her loss at the sports festival?" Shoji asked.
"Maybe." Iida pushed his glasses up, "But as I previously stated, we were misled as well. We must work on our deduction skills if we ever encounter such a deceitful fiend in our future as pro-heroes!" Iida shouted with his arms moving around in static motions.
Mina rolled her eyes before sitting back on the floor with her legs criss crossed, "Please don't tell me you're going to ask Aizawa for lessons on that."
"Great idea, Mina!" Iida happily replied.
Mina facepalmed, "I had to say it!" Everyone stopped talking as Present Mic announced that the second match was preparing to start in one minute.
Battle Test 2: Tokoyami, Koda, Midoriya, and Bakugo vs Spider-Man
Dressed up in his costume, Spider-Man was sitting on top of a building at a different section in Ground Beta. Spider-Man had watched from a distance of the battle between Eraserhead and Team 1. Spider-Man wasn't surprised by the outcome. He wouldn't be surprised by any outcome. Spider-Man knew Eraserhead would be able to wipe the floor with them despite holding back, but Team 1 had Todoroki and Yaoyorozu. Spider-Man knew both of them would pull something. Both were special, but they needed something to pressure them enough to bring out the diamonds in them. USJ and Hulk were big enough events but neither events were able to pressure them enough.
"Ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy (ooh)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ohh (ooh)
Ayy, ayy
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Needless to say, I keep in check
She was a bad-bad, nevertheless (Yeah)
Callin' it quits now, baby, I'm a wreck (Wreck)
Crash at my place, baby, you're a wreck (Wreck)
Needless to say, I'm keeping in check
She was a bad-bad, nevertheless
Callin' it quits now, baby, I'm a wreck
Crash at my place, baby, you're a wreck
Thinkin' in a bad way, losin' your grip
Screamin' at my face, baby, don't trip
Someone took a big L, don't know how that felt
Lookin' at you sideways, party on tilt
Ooh-ooh, some things you just can't refuse
She wanna ride me like a cruise and I'm not tryna lose"
Spider-Man sang to himself 'Sunflower' by Post Malone and Swae Lee. Spider-Man wasn't much of a singer, but he already had planned out his strategy so he was just passing the time. To say the least, the song has been pretty addictive ever since Miles shared the song with him.
"Every time I'm leavin' on ya (Ooh)
You don't make it easy, no (No, no)
Wish I could be there for ya (Ooh)
Give me a reason to, oh (Oh)
Every time I'm walkin' out (Oh)
I can hear you tellin' me to turn around (Oh, oh)
Fightin' for my trust and you won't back down (No)
Even if we gotta risk it all right now, oh (Now)
I know you're scared of the unknown (Known)
You don't wanna be alone (Alone)
I know I always come and go (And go)
But it's out of my control"
Spider-Man missed him just as much as everyone else. Miles was from another universe, but he was special. Miles was a one-of-a-kind. Spider-Man had heard from Miles that there are many different variations of Peter Parker as some kind of Spider-Man, but when he asked Miles how many versions of him were there, Miles had only ever known of one. An evil version of himself who wasn't a Spider-Man. To think Miles was probably the only version of himself to ever dawn the Spider-Man name was huge since the multiverse was supposed to be endless.
"If there's anyone who can probably find me and offer a way back home somehow, it'll be him," Spider-Man told himself. "Highly doubt it though. I've already accepted my place here, and Miles has more concerns to worry about than me. I just hope he can handle everything back at home. Madame Web knows he needs help from time to time like yours truly."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAND HERE WE GO! BATTLE 2 STARTS NOW!"
Spider-Man got up and walked along the edge of the building singing the final verse.
"And you'll be left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya
You're the sunflower, I think your love would be too much
Or you'll be left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya
You're the sunflower, you're the sunflower (Yeah)"
Spider-Man got to the end of the building and saw Deku, Koda, and Tokoyami tailing a fuming Bakugo. Spider-Man shook his head as he knew this would happen. "What is it that you sometimes say Miles, 'what's up danger?'" Spider-Man asked rhetorically and quietly landed behind them before putting a hand on Deku's shoulder. Deku's sudden silence and gasp made everyone turn around to be stunned by Spider-Man's sudden appearance. Spider-Man's mask crunched a bit as if he was trying to make a face. "Hey." Spider-Man simply said as if he was trying to flirt before grabbing Deku and throwing him into Tokoyami.
"There you are!" Bakugo snarled and launched himself at Spider-Man only to be grabbed and tossed into a nearby building and through the window.
"That was easy." Spider-Man dusted his hands off and looked to a timid Koda. "Koda. I am very sorry for what I have to do." Koda stiffened as Spider-Man was going to cover Koda in web, but stopped when Tokoyami jumped in front of him. "I know what you're planning, and it isn't going to happen."
Deku walked next to Tokoyami and got into a fighting position, "And what's that plan?"
"To let Tokoyami brew in the darkness under my webs," Spider-Man replied. "Dark Shadow will get immensely strong and I'll have a beast trying to kill me. Hey does it count as a victory for your team if you do kill me because technically I'm defeated?"
"We'll take a victory road to expulsion and prison, so maybe," Deku responded as everyone looked to the building to the left of them as a wall blew apart. "Kacchan, we need to work as a team!"
"Shut up Deku!" Bakugo barked, "He's mine to beat and beat alone! I don't need any of your help!"
Spider-Man threw his arms up into the air, "Do you ever learn?!" Spider-Man yelled back, "You did this last time, and I beat you! I know you had your way with street thugs at the USJ and all but-!" Spider-Man was knocked to the ground as Dark Shadow slammed him into the ground.
"You were wide open." Dark Shadow said as Deku and Bakugo charged at the downed Spider-Man.
"I would've done that too." Spider-Man sprang up quickly and caught both Bakugo and Deku's fists. Dark Shadow slashed at Spider-Man, but Spider-Man pulled Deku and Bakugo forward to take the hit for him.
"GAH!" Bakugo yelled and blasted Dark Shadow with a heavy explosion to its face with his other hand, "Watch it stupid bird!"
Dark Shadow reeled back, shrinking in the process, "S-s-sorry…" Dark Shadow wept and sank into Tokoyami as Tokoyami fled to shade nearby with Koda following him.
Spider-Man released Deku and Bakugo's hands and gave the former a snap kick to the head, making him stumble back. Bakugo grunted and went for a full blast to Spider-Man's face, but Spider-Man limboed to avoid the hit. Bakugo quickly tripped Spider-Man's legs but felt his right leg get caught in a web.
"And here we go again with me kicking your ass." Spider-Man got up and tugged on Bakugo's leg, making the blonde slip and began to spin him around for a bit before letting go. Bakugo flew for a second when Deku caught him and set him down.
"Kacchan, are you okay?" Deku asked but was met with a hard elbow to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
"Get out of the way, Deku!" Bakugo snapped back before charging at Spider-Man once again.
Spider-Man was ready to see Bakugo attack head-on again but was surprised when Bakugo stopped and blasted at the ground below to create a dust bowl. Spider-Man put his arms up to his face instinctively to cover his eyes when he sensed Bakugo coming from the right. Spider-Man caught Bakugo's fist once again and struck him in the chest, grabbed him by the back of his head, knee'd his face then stomach, and flipped him over his shoulder flat on his back. Spider-Man jumped high into the sky and was quickly met by Deku. Deku got Spider-Man square in the jaw as Spider-Man was knocked away. Deku landed next to Bakugo as the dust cleared away.
Bakugo growled at the sight of Deku, "You're starting to piss me off!"
"Won't you just work with us for a second?!" Deku cried out.
"Fuck no!" Bakugo stood up with a roar, "Working with someone as worthless as you are beneath me!" Bakugo and Deku turned to see Spider-Man running along the wall of a building before tearing the edge out of a building out with his webs and throwing it at them. Deku quickly rushed at the debris and smashed it into bits, but fell into Spider-Man's trap as Spider-Man grabbed onto Deku and flung him back down to Earth. Deku landed on his feet and slid to the left to avoid Spider-Man's landing. Bakugo blasted himself behind Spider-Man as both students unintentionally worked together to strike at Spider-Man, though, Spider-Man was dodging every blow with ease.
"My goodness, this is so uncoordinated." Spider-Man said, "And to think I have better chemistry with Deadpool than you two in terms of teamwork!" Spider-Man stopped both of them in their tracks when he punched both of them in the face at the same time. Spider-Man grabbed both of their heads and knocked their skulls together with a hard clunk. Deku and Bakugo staggered back, both grasping their heads in pain as Spider-Man crossed his arms over his chest.
"I was honestly hoping to see better results than this, but if this is all I am getting from you two, then this fight is gonna be over real quick." Spider-Man looked to Bakugo and received a death glare from him, "Dude, don't you want to beat me?"
"Not with him!" Bakugo shouted and pointed at Deku, "I'd rather lose than ever work and win with him!"
Deku shot his head up in shock and sadness at Bakugo's words, "K-Kacchan!"
Spider-Man shook his head in disappointment, "Throwing in the towel all because of one person? And I thought Dr. Doom had an ego." Before Spider-Man could attack, Deku quickly launched himself to Bakugo, grabbed him by the arm and fled. Spider-Man was perplexed by this action, "I should probably chase them; however…" Spider-Man then turned to Koda and Tokoyami, both of whom were staring back with unsure expressions. "Those two could get in the way later."
Tokoyami released a rather nervous and small Dark Shadow and got in front of Koda. "Koda," Tokoyami whispered, "I'll try to buy as much time as possible. Go on and call for help from any animals that can hear your voice." Without a second wasted, Koda turned around and sped off.
Spider-Man shook his head and aimed his hands at Koda. "Web net!" Spider-man shouted and shot a large net of web at Koda's direction. Koda looked behind him and saw the web trap about to land on him, but Dark Shadow got in front of the web and took the hit. Koda looked forward and turned a corner and out of sight.
"I should probably start to take this seriously. Then again, it's not like they're pushing me to do my best." Spider-Man sprinted towards Tokoyami, lifting him off the ground, and tackled him into a building nearby. Dark Shadow slipped through the webs and charged at Spider-Man to strike. Spider-Man watched as Dark Shadow came at him and hit it, but the little shadow's strike did not harm the hero. "Really?" Spider-Man kept watching Dark Shadow strike his chest like an angry child. "This is just embarrassing…" Spider-Man rubbed the back of his head as Tokoyami laid his head back in embarrassment as well.
"You bastard put me down!" Bakugo snarled at Deku as they were now in an alleyway.
"You'd rather lose than work with any of us?!" Deku asked.
"I said put me down, you idiot!" Bakugo ignored the question as Deku suddenly stopped and leaned Bakugo against a wall. Deku stumbled forward and laid his back against a wall, almost slipping into a sitting position. Bakugo growled and looked to Deku, "You-"
"What the heck is wrong with you?!" Deku snapped suddenly much to Bakugo's slight surprise, "You never want to lose! That's who you are! A hero who never loses!"
"Grrrrrrah!" Bakugo ran towards Deku with a palm wide open, ready to strike Deku in the face. Deku moved his head to the left as the blast missed.
Meanwhile
Spider-Man looked behind and saw the explosion, "Oh there they are." Spider-Man looks back down to a humiliated Dark Shadow. "H-H-hey buddy…" Spider-Man signed, "It hurts to be the villain when this cute little guy is so heartbroken."
Tokoyami, on the other hand, continued to lay on his back feeling rather content at the moment, "At least Koda is doing something… I hope."
Deku and Bakugo
Bakugo glared at Deku, who was sorta phased by Bakugo's attack, but not so much as he would be in the past. "Shut up and listen to me, you nerd." Bakugo grumbled, "I thought maybe your dumbass would have caught on, but I figured you would be too blind to see. Peter is better than us in every way imaginable. I can tell he isn't giving it his all, and though it pisses me the fuck off, I know I am no match for him at his peak. We have to give it everything we got to beat him!"
Deku was baffled by this, "But you were just telling us to get out of your way!"
Bakugo blasted the wall again, making Deku completely lose his courage and stifle up. Though Deku may be more courageous now, Bakugo still scared the crap out of him. "If you three were smart enough you'd all know that if we did plan something, Peter would decipher it in an instant! There is no point in wasting time on something that wouldn't work!" Bakugo grabbed Deku by his shirt, lifting him off the ground, and came face-to-face with him, "So shut up, get off my back, and go fight him before I kill you!" Bakugo threw Deku on the ground to the side, "And next time you pull a stunt like this, I'll make sure it'll be the last time." Bakugo sprinted towards the exit of the alleyway and left Deku to pick himself back up.
Deku watched as Bakugo left to go back into the fight. "Kacchan…" Deku mumbled, "You're amazing but so difficult." Deku popped his neck and chased after Bakugo with Full Cowl activated.
Spider-Man left the building with Tokoyami's hands and feet covered in web as he decided to seek out the other three. "Now, where can they be?"
"Hey, fucker!"
"That was quick." Spider-Man turned to Bakugo and was blasted in the face.
"Haha! Finally! I gotcha bitch!" Bakugo cheered momentarily before Spider-Man clocked him in the face, sending the explosive hero-in-training back.
"Want a cookie?" Spider-Man asked and was not aware of Deku being behind him.
"SMASH!" Deku yelled and kicked Spider-Man's head with such force. Spider-Man skid and skipped on the street a few times before stopping himself; then was immediately bombarded by Bakugo. Spider-Man shielded himself with his hands and sensed Deku coming in hot. Spider-Man jumped through the explosives, grabbed Bakugo by the arm, and slammed him into Deku. Both boys hit the ground hard and groaned in pain as Spider-Man stood above them.
"Yeah, people tend to rush me with their full power a lot." Spider-Man said, "This one guy named Rhino does it a lot whenever we face each other. Not much of a thinker, but if he was, he'd be called 'Elephant.'"
Bakugo got up and glared at Spider-Man, "Oh shut up, Parker."
"I don't know who this 'Parker' guy is," Spider-Man jokes, "but he sounds like a handsome and intelligent guy."
Bakugo rolled his eyes and went on the offensive again, Deku quickly joining him. As Spider-Man was fending off against every blow, he noticed that Bakugo and Deku were more in-sync than they were before. Spider-Man jumped back and shot webbing into the palm of his other hand, "Man, I remember when Miles told me some 1960's version of me did this. Let's see if it works!" Spider-Man looked at his hand and was amazed by what he created. A baseball bat. "Oh my god! ...It worked."
Deku and Bakugo looked at Spider-Man in astonishment.
"Wait," Deku put his hands forward in confusion, "How did you…?"
"I made a bat out of webs." Spider-Man said, "Cause that's how stuff works."
Bakugo clicked his tongue, "Whatever. Physics fucked off the second the glowing baby was born."
"Yeah, that's true." Spider-Man suddenly caught Deku with a strand of web to his chest.
Deku's expression turned fearful about what was about to happen, "Oh no."
"I am gonna hit a homer today!" Spider-Man said, mimicking his best 'Johnny Bravo' voice, yanked Deku towards him and whacked the web-bat against Deku. Spider-Man watched Deku fly into the horizon with a smile under the mask, "Oh David Wright would be proud. Or Darryl Strawberry before the bad years."
Bakugo laughed at what happened, "I should have done that a long time ago!"
Quickly, Spider-Man dashed in front of Bakugo with his web-bat behind his head, "Open the window Aunt May, here it comes!" Much like with Deku, Spider-Man swung the bat and hit a home run with Bakugo. "Ha!" Spider-Man looked at the web-bat as it was now destroyed by the two dominating swings. "I should do this again sometime." Spider-Man tossed away the handle and squinted his eyes into the sky to see Deku and Bakugo charging back at full-speed.
"You motherfucker!" Bakugo roared. Suddenly, a horde of pigeons flew past him and Deku as they watched the birds flying right at Spider-Man.
"Oh, frickity frick frack! I forgot about Koda!" Spider-Man yelped and created a cocoon out of webs to protect him from the pigeon attack. Unbeknownst to Spider-Man, a creature was drilling its way through the cement below him. In front of Spider-Man's face out came a scaly creature with four legs. "Oh crap!" Spider-Man burst through the webbing and was invaded by pecks all around. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! What did I ever do you?!" Spider-Man yelled and tried to get away from the pigeons, "I never ate squab! Stop pecking me!"
Bakugo and Deku landed on the ground both with question marks over their heads. "Uh…" Deku turned to Bakugo, "I guess Koda pulled through."
"About fucking time." Bakugo lifted his hand into the air and let out a mighty blast. The pigeons scattered away in fright as Spider-Man's suit was now covered in holes.
Spider-Man looked at his suit and was shocked to see the damage to it, "Koda! You so owe me a new suit!" Spider-Man yelled into the air.
"Get him, Deku!" Bakugo ordered. Deku ran straight towards Spider-Man while Bakugo stayed behind and aimed one of his gauntlets at them.
"What the-?!" Spider-Man was caught off-guard by Deku's sudden burst of speed. Deku got behind Spider-Man and locked him in a full-nelson. "A full-nelson?" Spider-Man looked in front of him and saw Bakugo aiming a red-glowing gauntlet at him, "Please tell me you aren't going to use the Makankōsappō!"
"The what?!" Bakugo asked.
"The special beam cannon!" Deku replied for Spider-Man.
"BOTH OF YOU ARE NERDS THAT NEED TO-" Bakugo unclipped his right gauntlet, "DIE!" The gauntlet fired a massive explosive ball at the two. Thinking quickly, Spider-Man elbowed Deku directly in the kidney, stunning him, and moving out of the way. Bakugo looked on, stunned as Spider-Man avoided the attack but Deku did not. The ball connected with Deku as Deku was blasted into a building.
"Deku!" Bakugo shouted.
"Awwww so you do care for him?" Spider-Man joked next to Bakugo. Bakugo snarled and quickly threw a right hook. Spider-Man caught his fist, lifted his hand, and snapped kicked Bakugo in the face. "I have to admit, that did catch me off-guard, but this isn't Dragon Ball Z. I'm not just gonna take the attack head-on when I can just move out of the way at any moment in time." Spider-Man then felt a hard smack across the back of his head. "Ow ... who did a mom smack?!" Spider-Man turned around to see Dark Shadow again, but now with a swarm of ravens flying around him to act as a barrier for him. "Hey there, General RAAM," Spider-Man said with his hands behind his back and switching out a web cartridge with another one.
Dark Shadow let out a stunning screech that caused Spider-Man to drop Bakugo and cover his ears. Dark Shadow stopped screeching and slammed an enlarged hand against Spider-Man's chest. Spider-Man flew off the ground and was caught by Dark Shadow's other hand. Dark Shadow proceeded to slam Spider-Man against a building wall multiple times before it stopped. Dark Shadow let out a scream of pain as his hand was now on fire with webs covering it.
"Man, I am glad I asked Hatsume to make these before I left for internships," Spider-Man said and aimed his webs at Dark Shadow again.
"It burns! It burns!" Dark Shadow cried out as the ravens flew away, afraid of being burned.
"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami said, "Return!" Not wasting any seconds, Dark Shadow returned to Tokoyami after getting rid of the flame webs.
"What the hell?!" Bakugo stepped back at the revelation of Spider-Man's ever-changing webs abilities.
"I told you I was coming with a new pair of tricks!" Spider-Man smirked under the mask, switching the cartridges back to the normal webs.
"Shit!" Bakugo cursed inwardly, "Parker won't let up! This isn't good, and I'm nearing my limit!" Bakugo then smiled like a devil, "Good."
Spider-Man tilted his head to the side, "Hey, Bakugo, you have that creepy smile again. You know, the one screams 'Here's Johnny!'"
Bakugo ignored Spider-Man's and blasted his way towards Spider-Man. Bakugo felt his muscles tighten up and pain shot through him, but he persisted. Spider-Man dodged the incoming blast and went for an upper-cut, but Bakugo managed to hit Spider-Man with a second blast. Spider-Man was stunned for a second, and Bakugo wasted no time in letting out a barrage of blasts, his muscles screaming in pain as each blast came from his palms and sweat stored in his gauntlets.
Suddenly, Bakugo's blasts stalled for a moment as the pain became too unbearable. Spider-Man took advantage and kicked Bakugo's knee in to get him on one leg before using his other knee to strike him in the face. Bakugo fell straight to the floor as Spider-Man webbed down his hands. "What happened? Stress yourself out too much?" Bakugo growled loudly and tried to blast out of the web, "Sorry, not gonna work." Spider-Man wagged his finger in front of him.
Spider-Man couldn't taunt any longer as Dark Shadow came bulldozing. Dark Shadow tackled Spider-Man before throwing him in the air. Spider-Man regains his balance in mid-air and quickly switched cartridges back to fire. Dark Shadow waited for Spider-Man to attack since he had the high ground. Spider-Man launched a furry of webs at Dark Shadow as Dark Shadow avoided each of them and struck Spider-Man. Spider-Man; however, caught Dark Shadows fist. Dark Shadow looked terrified as Spider-Man punched Dark Shadow in the face, lept off of him, and fired a massive web ball at Dark Shadow. The web spread all around Dark Shadow and caught on fire. Dark Shadow shrieked in pain and quickly his size reduced to where he was small enough to slip through the webs and back into Tokoyami. Spider-Man landed on the ground, and before Tokoyami could escape, Spider-Man switched his cartridges to normal webs and webbed up Tokoyami next to a wall in the sun. Tokoyami struggled against the webs before giving in.
"You have bested me, Spider-Man." Tokoyami signed in defeat.
"Glad I planned against everyone in the class," Spider-Man responded.
"Against all of us?" Bakugo asked, "Tell me, how did you plan against me?"
"Simple really." Spider-Man walked towards Bakugo.
Bakugo gnashed his teeth at Spider-Man, "Simple?! You call planning against me simple?!"
Spider-Man chuckled, "Yeah because you told me."
Bakugo's eyes widened, "What?!"
Spider-Man began to walk around, "During the Sports Festival, I was listening to a conversation you were having with some of the others about Quirk limits. You explained to some of the others about how if a person uses their Quirk too much they'll push themselves too far and their muscle fibers will tear." Spider-Man explained, "Bakugo, you explained how everyone has a limit when it comes to Quirks, and how that included you. You told everyone one of your weaknesses, and I was listening to you the entire time."
Bakugo's face turned to shock, "You…! You…!"
"Can't blame me," Spider-Man said, "Word of advice: Never reveal your weaknesses to anyone, not even to your friends," Bakugo noted how Spider-Man's voice grew heavy at the last part.
Some rubble began to fall where Deku was last seen as Spider-Man and Bakugo turned to see Deku was struggling to get up. His costume was torn and burnt away in some parts of his chest, his left glove, and burn marks on his face.
"Deku!" Bakugo called out to his partner.
Deku looked to Bakugo and was stunned to see him tied down with Spider-Man over him. Deku looked around and saw Tokoyami was webbed to a wall in the sun. Deku looked to the left briefly before his eyes grew as he saw Koda hiding around a corner. Deku quickly looked back in Spider-Man's direction but saw that he was gone and Bakugo's mouth was webbed up. Deku hastily looked around to spot the web-slinger. From the corner of his eye, Deku saw Koda suddenly get pinned against a wall and webbed up everywhere, including his mouth.
Spider-Man wiped his hands as Koda looked down in disappointment, "Hey, I know you're timid big guy, that's why I went a little easier on you." Spider-Man placed his hand on Koda's shoulder, the large and shy student looking up to him, "And that is your biggest weakness, Koda. I shouldn't have to go easier on you. I should have fought you equally to everyone else, and maybe I should have done that, but I didn't." Spider-Man looked to Deku and saw him almost successfully freeing Bakugo from his webs. "You're stronger than you realize. You have a special Quirk that can topmost of your classmates; maybe even make you a top 5 student, but you need to overcome your fears and weaknesses. Remember Koda, the making of a true hero starts when they confront themselves for he who faces himself, finds himself." Spider-Man swung away to his opponents and left his classmate in deep thought.
Deku ripped away the last of the web on Bakugo's arms. "You okay?" Deku held his hand out.
Bakugo slapped his hand away and rubbed his mouth, "I've reached my limit." Bakugo stated, "We need to end this now." Bakugo looked to his gauntlets as one was glowing red, "And we only have one chance."
Bakugo got up and was immediately knocked down when Spider-Man kicked him in the chest, "Sorry, not sorry!" Spider-Man landed on the ground and blocked Deku's high kick. Spider-Man flipped Deku and Deku landed on his feet and went for a leg sweep. Spider-Man jumped and was blasted on the side by Bakugo. Spider-Man planted his feet on the ground in a crouching position and looked up to see Deku's foot aiming at his face. Spider-Man grabbed his foot and twirled him to the left. Bakugo quickly sped to Spider-Man and went for a blast. Spider-Man jumped backward and shot web at Bakugo's left gauntlet. Bakugo grabbed onto it quickly as Spider-Man yanked on it. Bakugo opened up his palm to blast Spider-Man as Spider-Man covered himself for the blast, but nothing happened. Spider-Man opened up his arms and realized it was a feint.
"Gotcha." Bakugo wheezed in exhaustion.
"Full power! Full Cowl: Detroit SMASH!"
Bakugo quickly unclipped his gauntlet, released it, and jumped out of the way. Before Spider-Man could do anything, the gauntlet and Deku struck Spider-Man at the same time as Spider-Man was sent flying at a 45-degree angle and straight into a tall building. Spider-Man was instantly stopped when his back hit a metal beam. Spider-Man hanged for a moment before falling to the ground.
Deku and Bakugo were panting heavily as both students nearly collapsed onto the floor. "Don't...fall…" Bakugo struggled to even take a step, "We have to clip him…" Bakugo said and took out the cuffs.
"I…know," Deku replied and looked at his left arm and saw that he broke it. "Of course…"
Deku and Bakugo, with what little energy they had left, dragged themselves to Spider-Man's location. Deku and Bakugo kept their eyes on Spider-Man as the hero would not move an inch. Both were praying he was knocked out as Deku planned this when he was freeing Bakugo. Bakugo nearly fell over and got on one leg. Deku got next to Bakugo and helped him up, the latter grunting in annoyance. When the two reached Spider-Man, both slowly lowered themselves to Spider-Man and clapped the cuffs on him. When 'click' was heard, both fell over and laid next to the defeated Spider-Man with Bakugo laughing weakly.
"Beat… You… Parker…" Bakugo gasped out before passing out.
"ROUND TWO IS OVER! TEAM 2 WINS! PARAMEDICS, GO HELP THE STUDENTS!"
Watch Room
"HOLY SHIT!" Mina shouted.
"Language, Mina!" Iida responded with his left arm swinging at a right angle.
"Are they going to be okay?" Aoyama asked.
"They will be." Shoji said with certainty, "Recovery Girl will help them."
"I bet she's going to be pissed that Midoriya broke his arm again." Mina said, "I swear he breaks his bones every other day. It's almost like that's his guilty pleasure."
"I would hope not!" Iida gawked at Mina's comment, "But I should remind him that such inconsiderate actions will lead to permanent damage. Recovery Girl can not fix everything."
"For once, I agree with you." Mina signed before chirping up, "But they did manage to beat Peter!"
Iida chuckled lightly, "Yes they did. I'm genuinely surprised that they were able to work together to defeat Peter."
Aoyama crossed his arms over, "Or Midoriya told something to Bakugo that we didn't hear in the cameras. He did grab Bakugo and hid in an alleyway where we couldn't see him."
Shoji shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever it is, it is not our concern."
"Whhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaat?!" Mina looked to Shoji, "Oh yes it is! I want to know how to force Bakugo to work with me!"
"Midoriya and Bakugo supposedly go way back, so Midoriya whatever Midoriya said to Bakugo wouldn't work with you saying it." Shoji replied, "I would believe that would result in Bakugo attacking you."
Mina then imagined a scenario in her head of how it would go down. She shivered as her thoughts betrayed her, "Maybe you're right." Mina grumbled before smiling, "But I would still want to know how to at least make him cooperative."
Aoyama pointed to the screens, "The next match is about to start."
"¥500 ($5) says Mineta will at least try to plant himself on one of the girls and fail." Mina quickly betted.
"I bet ¥1,090 ($10) it'll be his Hagakure." Shoji quickly put down his bet.
"¥5,450 ($50) saying it'll be X-23," Aoyama smirked, "And be successful."
Mina's mouth formed an 'o', "Ooooooh snap!"
"How could you bet on something like this?!" Iida raised his voice at them, "That is highly inappropriate and unbecoming of future heroes!"
Everyone was silent for a moment before Mina spoke up, "So...wanna bet?"
"¥2,725 ($25) it'll be Asui."
Battle Test 3: Tsu, Uraraka, Hagakure, and Mineta vs X-23
X-23 found herself at Ground Omega. Ground Omega is essentially a giant forest as the main purpose of the location was to help train the students on how to fight where the enemy could be anywhere. From X-23's point of view, this was designed for her to hunt down her prey.
X-23 was sitting in a tree waving her left leg loosely off the branch while peeling the wood off the branch with one of her claws. "These amateurs better come at me with all they got, and more. I already told them I won't hesitate to end the fight if they don't keep me entertained." X-23 smirked a little, "Not that roughing up these softies wouldn't be fun anyway." X-23 then frowned, "Especially purple balls. How did they heck they allow me in the class isn't my concern, but if Storm, Cyclops, or especially father saw the way he was acting, he would've been straightened out in an instant."
"ROUND 3! START!"
X-23 jumped off the branch, "Well now, kiddies," X-23 unsheathed the claws from her hands, "Let's get started." X-23 sniffed the air for a scent before catching one and dashing in that direction.
The three girls, Tsuyu, Uraraka, and Hagakure, were huddled up together in a circle discussing a plan.
"So, what's the plan?" Hagakure asked.
"I don't know," Uraraka said, "From what little I know, X-23 has claws that can cut through anything. Also, she seems very athletic and knows how to fight."
"More than that," Tsu input, "From what Peter has told me, X-23 is a one-woman army. She can take on the whole class, including Peter and Kurt, and probably come out on top."
"Are you kidding me?!" Hagakure shrieked, "How are we going to beat her?!"
Uraraka and Tsu thought for a moment before Uraraka felt something off. Uraraka quickly turned around to see Mineta was drooling and staring at her behind. "MINETA!" Uraraka shouted, causing the boy to jump and snap out of his trance.
"W-w-what?!" Mineta stuttered.
Uraraka snarled and turned around, "Could you stop being such a pervert for five minutes?!"
"Y-Yeah!" Mineta replied.
Uraraka quickly calmed down, "Good, now help us plan." Uraraka said.
"Of course, but only if one of you allows me to do something in said plan," Mineta stated.
"Which is?" Uraraka asked.
"Let me touch your boobs." Mineta blatantly said with a perverted look.
Before Uraraka could respond or even Tsu could slap him, Hagakure quickly rushed up to Mineta and picked him up by the shirt before slamming him against a tree and pinning him against it.
"THAT'S IT!" Hagakure snapped.
"Woah, Hagakure!" Uraraka said in shock as she was about to intervene, but felt Tsu's hand on her shoulder.
"Don't," Tsu said, "Let her vent."
"We are sick and tired of your perverted attitude!" Hagakure screamed at the now terrified Grape-Juice, "We've dealt with your attitude since the year started, but I have had it already! From the comments to peaking to touching us! I was about ready to burst through the wall and strangle you for the peephole, but this was the last straw!" Though Mineta couldn't see, Hagakure leaned her head closer to Mineta's face. "You're going to find X-23 alone whether you like it or not. I don't want to work with you. Ever."
"W-w-w-w-wait!" Mineta scampered, "When was this the plan?!"
"Just now." Hagakure dropped Mineta onto his butt and walked back to the other girls.
"Bu-but!" Mineta jumped onto his feet, "She'll kill me!"
"Wouldn't that be wonderful." Hagakure replied venomously.
"Hey," Uraraka looked to Hagakure, "I know you're upset like the rest of us, but that isn't right." Hagakure scoffed in response.
Tsu placed a finger on her lower lip, "She doesn't want to work with you."
Mineta frantically started to run in place, "Oh come on! Don't let go out there alone!"
"You know the whole time you've been begging us, you haven't apologized at all." Uraraka pointed out, "Also, I don't want to work with you either. You were just staring at my butt instead of helping us plan."
"And when you did say you had an idea, you went for a deal that would allow you to please your dirty mind by touching one of us instead of sharing the idea, which I believe you never had in the first place," Tsu added in.
Mineta now was in full panic mode as his female teammates banded against him. If Hagakure was visible, they would be able to see the evil grin on her face.
"You can't be serious?!" Mineta cried out.
"Don't look to me for mercy," Tsu said, "You groped me at the USJ, and never apologized for that."
"But Kaminari-"
"Mineta," Uraraka cut off Mineta and leaned forward a bit, "When Kaminari tricked us, he was guilty. He was sorry. He felt bad for everything. That's why we forgave him." Uraraka pointed a finger to Mineta like a mother scolding a child, "You, on the other hand, weren't sorry. You were always trying to do something disgusting with us, and even after the Sports Festival, you STILL went ahead and pulled something despicable! Mineta, the difference between you and Kaminari is that Kaminari knows he went too far! You blatantly run across the line and beyond it!" Uraraka stood up straight and pointed to the trees, "So just….go." Uraraka stated, "Leave. Hagakure, Tsu, and I want to be heroes and want to beat X-23 so we can prove our worth. We want this. It seems like you don't. You only care about getting what you want from us that can please your sick mind, and we don't need someone who's going to hold us down simply because he can't control his sexual desires."
Mineta stood still for what felt like an eternity. He couldn't believe what was happening to him. They were kicking him out of the group. He was no longer welcomed to the three girls, and sadly, it hadn't clicked into his mind as to why they were doing this despite being told so.
"Well?" Hagakaure spoke up, "Go on! Git!" Hagakure said, ignoring the disappointed stare from the two others.
Mineta, with somber, scared, confused and heavy steps, walked away as the three girls quickly got together and refocused their minds to the task at hand.
Standing from a distance away, X-23 was listening to the whole ordeal. All X-23 had to say in response to all that was a quiet huff. She didn't care for the problems between the girls and Mineta; though, that didn't mean purple balls was off the hook in her book. X-23 is still unsure whether or not Mineta got a peek at her when he looked through the tiny hole, but X-23 doesn't want to know for her own good. Not she feels violated, but she doesn't want to already have a murder on her profile. Not yet.
X-23 quietly walked away from the girls and followed Mineta from a distance. She could hear him ranting about things he simply couldn't understand. He was talking about Kaminari and how he probably got off the hook because he has charm and a good look while he simply didn't have those 'luxuries.' He was also ranting on about how hard it is for him to get anywhere with girls because of his short stature and his rather mediocre looks. X-23 pitied him. People have been born worse with lesser opportunities than him. He's in the finest hero school in the world, in the best class, and he's ranting about such trivial nonsense? He doesn't understand the luxury he really has and how much he's blowing it.
After getting a certain radius, X-23 slashed a tree to create a loud noise. Mineta yelped and quickly looked around. X-23 grinned at this. She may fight on the side of 'good,' but that doesn't mean she doesn't take any pleasure in making her rival squirm. Especially when they deserve it.
"Wh-who's there?!" Mineta shouted, "Uraraka, Asui, Hagakure?!" Mineta backstepped and stepped on a twig. Mineta jumped in surprise and almost fell on his rear. The leaves in bushes and trees began to rustle as the air became heavier by the second. Mineta felt blood rush to his head. As talented and intelligent as he was, Mineta was just as cowardly. He's stepped up before, but only when he knew he had no choice or was inspired by others. However, he was with a group each time, now, he's alone. His teammates gave him the boot, and he was sent to face the daughter of Wolverine by his lonesome.
Mineta backed up slowly until he felt his back hit something behind him. Mineta shakingly moved his hand behind him and felt leather. If it were anyone else, Mineta would be turned on, but this was the one woman Mineta knows he shouldn't mess with. Slowly, and with fear, Mineta turned his head to see X-23 towering over him with her claws, luckily, sheathed, but had glare accompanying her already intimidating presence, and his hand on her thigh. The two locked eyes for what felt like an eternity as neither moved; one was too paralyzed to move while the other was waiting. Mineta moved first as he rubbed X-23's thigh, which earned him a straight punch to the face as he fell to the floor.
"You little shit." X-23 scoffed and picked him up by his cape, "That's what you do? Rub my leg like a horny bastard?" Mineta could only laugh weakly in response before losing his breath when X-23 slammed her fist into his stomach. X-23 threw Mineta to the side. "I saw everything and heard your response to it. It was feeble." X-23 said before kicking him firmly in the side, making him groan and covering himself. "Your 'team' isn't that bad. Peter's frog girlfriend, an invisible girl with a spine, and a martial artist who can make things float. That's quite a group, yet, predictably, you ruined it because they are women, and you can't keep your dirty little hands and eyes away from them." X-23 walked around Mineta and watched him shaking and cowering in fear. He would not move, not even let out a whimper. X-23's seen some sad moments, but this was just paltry. "You are so pathetic, and you don't even know why." X-23 grabbed Mineta by his cape again and tossed him into a tree. Mineta hit his back against the tree and sat on the floor. He couldn't avert his eyes away from X-23. Never in his life has he ever been more afraid of a specific individual, and he's seen Shigaraki and Nomu up close. X-23 snickered, "Look at you! This is just pitiful! Not even sad or pathetic! This is plain out sorry! How the hell did someone like you make it to this class?! You're not even fighting back! You're staring at me like a scared and wounded puppy! I was told this class was for heroes in training. Everyone has their reasons for being a hero and they are all noble, but you. I don't understand your reason. Why are you trying to be a hero? To get girls to like you? To get laid? To touch girls? To be a fucking creep?" X-23 swiftly unsheathed her claws and slashed just above Mineta's head to where he could feel the bark fall on him, "What's your reason?" X-23 growled.
Mineta wanted to answer, but couldn't for various reasons. He couldn't answer it because he was frozen. He couldn't will himself to speak to her. His body won't move nor will his vocal cords function. He was choking on his breath despite nothing wrapping itself around his neck or being lodged in his throat. The other reason? She was partially right. Mineta's sole reason for being a hero was to impress girls. To get girls to like him. If X-23 is telling the truth, she heard him ranting about his middle school years and how he was mocked for his size. No girl wanted to deal with him. He wasn't good enough, and he didn't have friends to hang around with at the time either. Not only that, but Mineta was jealous. Mineta had to hear every day in his final year of middle school of some boys already losing their virginity to girls, and they prided themselves on it. Mineta wouldn't have minded the talks, but he did because those same boys bullied him and told him he would never get a girl. Heck, some of the girls he did it with those boys back them up. They harassed and bullied him too; and told him the same things. Mineta believed him, and he still does to this day.
X-23 snickered. "I already know why you're trying to be a hero, and you should be embarrassed by it. You don't even deserve to be here."
"Oh, what the hell would you know?!" Mineta suddenly shouted, almost surprising X-23 by his sudden outburst, "It was the same shit every day in middle school! Nothing but harassment, bullying, victimized, shamed on, and just being miserable every day!" Mineta got up and threw a sticky ball at X-23. X-23 dodged it carelessly before shoving Mineta back into the tree with her foot. X-23 planted her boot on Mineta's chest to pin him. Mineta tried to pry the boot off but was stopped immediately when a single claw sprung up.
"And that makes everything you do okay?!" X-23 yelled at him, "That makes it okay for you to treat your female classmates like objects?! Like they have no other purpose other than to please you?!" Mineta's breathing started to stagger as he grabbed X-23's boot again and attempted to push it away, but X-23 slammed her boot into him again and made sure her claw didn't pierce him, "I understand that bullying hurts, believe me, I've been through it," Mineta stopped and looked to X-23 with complete surprise, "but that doesn't give you a reason to do what you do to them!" X-23 crushed her boot into him more, making Mineta struggle for air now, "You think you're the only out there who's gone through that?! Who's been mocked for being short, for not having a girlfriend, for not having sex?! You think that gives you an excuse to torment your classmates?!"
X-23 moved her foot away from Mineta as Mineta fell to his hands and gasped for air. "It's hard to move on from that kind of experience; to relive the pain every day, to hear their voices when you are away from them, to go to sleep knowing you're going to see them the next day." Mineta looked up to X-23, "But that doesn't give you the right to hurt them the way you do. They are more than just women; they are human like you. They have feelings, they have fears, they have gone through experiences that hurt them and still do. Maybe they haven't been bullied like you, but they have a story." X-23 lowered herself to him, "And you aren't making them feel any better. They can't go to school without a pervert trying to touch them or stare at them? You're no better than the bullies who hurt you."
That last line pierced through Mineta like an arrow. Mineta never thought about how they felt; how he hurt them. Mineta hated how his bullies made him feel; how they made him feel vulnerable at school daily. Yet, here he was, making his female classmates feel exposed.
Then it finally clicked in his head. What the girls told him earlier, it finally made sense. They didn't throw him to the curb because of how he looked. They got rid of him because he makes them uncomfortable and doesn't stop when they ask him too.
X-23 sniffed the air and quickly jumped into the tree above as Hagakure, Uraraka, and Tsu arrived to see Mineta laying on the floor bruised and caught in a trance.
"Mineta?" Uraraka asked with some worry. Mineta didn't respond as his eyes remained fixed to the sky.
"He's already creepy enough," said Hagakure, "but now he's getting worse."
Tsu looked over Mineta and spotted the bruises on his body, "Well, he's bruised. X-23 was around here." The girls got on guard as they formed a circle with their backs facing each other.
X-23 quietly landed in between them as Uraraka quickly turned around. X-23 punched Uraraka in the face, grabbed Hagakure's arm and slammed her into Tsu. Uraraka recovered but wasn't quick enough to dodge X-23's elbow to her face. Uraraka staggered back as X-23 started to wail into her before kicking her away. X-23 felt someone grab her from behind. X-23 whipped her head back and slammed it into Hagakure's face. Hagakure released her grip as X-23 grabbed Tsu's leg, threw it down, and kicked her away. X-23 went back to the stunned Hagakure, swept her leg out from under her and punched her into the ground.
X-23 popped her neck, "Is that all you girls got?" X-23 asked as the three got up in pain. Hagakure took her gloves off to make herself completely undetectable but wasn't aware that X-23 could still detect her movements. When Hagakure swung her fist towards X-23 head, Hagaakure was caught off guard when X-23 caught her fist.
"What?!" Hagakure screeched.
"Just because I can't see you with my sight," X-23 grabbed her arm and flipped her over, "doesn't mean I can't see you with my other senses," X-23 said before striking Hagakure with a powerful blow that knocked her somewhere. Uraraka and Tsu both attacked X-23 simultaneously, but X-23 quickly ended their assault by sidestepping Uraraka and grabbing Tsu's arm, twisting it, and kicking her in the face. X-23 jumped onto Uraraka's shoulders, punched her in the throat, fell upside down with her arms on the floor but her legs in her chest, and with all her power, kicked Uraraka square in the chest and sent her into the air couple feet. X-23 jumped onto her feet and was disappointed by the scene around her.
"I told all of you to bring it," X-23 grunted, "So far, I'm not impressed."
"You gotta be kidding me," Uraraka groaned as she struggled to get up, "After all the training with Gunhead, I haven't laid a finger on her." Uraraka looked up to see Tsu was also getting, and Hagakure was nowhere to be found. Uraraka turned her head to where Mineta was last seen but saw he was gone. "What did he-?!"
In the air, a yell was heard as X-23 looked up and nearly avoided being stuck by purple balls. X-23 moved quickly to avoid each one as Mineta was now on the offensive. "About time you show some balls!" X-23 shouted.
"I'll show you!" Mineta shouted as he landed on the ground and looked to Uraraka, "Uraraka!" Mineta yelled to her, catching her in a surprise, "Regroup with the others and get an offense ready!" Mineta said as Uraraka nodded her head with a confident smile.
"Okay!" Uraraka got up and ran to Tsu, "Where's Hagakure?"
"Huh, he's actually fighting." Tsu and Uraraka jumped back as Hagakure's pained voice echoed in between them, "That's unexpected."
"We can talk about that later," Tsu replied, "He can't hold off much longer."
Uraraka looked to her teammates with a plan in mind, "Tsu, get in the trees and try to get her with your tongue. Hagakure, try to sneak attack her. Strike hard, but only once, then getaway. Mineta and I will attack up front." Hagakure and Tsu agreed and went into position. Uraraka turned to the fight and saw Mineta was being pushed back as he was slowing down. Uraraka looked around to see a medium-sized boulder on the floor. Uraraka used her quirk on it before lifting it over her head. "Mineta! Duck!" Uraraka quickly shouted before tossing the rock.
"What?!" Mineta turned and saw a boulder coming straight to him, "Oh shit!" Mineta fell to the ground. X-23 sliced through the boulder as the boulder split into two pieces. Uraraka grunted in frustration as she ran up to X-23 with a Superman punch. X-23 retracted her claws and blocked Uraraka's fist. X-23 felt a sharp pain in her side as she swiped to her left, but hit nothing. Uraraka pulled her fist away from X-23 before hitting her with a spinning kick to the stomach. X-23 leaned forward and felt something wrap around her leg. Uraraka gave X-23 a roundhouse kick to the head as X-23 was tossed into the air by Tsu's tongue. X-23 flailed in the air for a moment before Tsu wrapped her tongue around X-23's waist and slammed her into the ground. Mineta quickly threw a ball at X-23's foot, but X-23 swiftly pulled away and got back up.
"How are you not stunned?!" Mineta wailed, "You were just slammed into the ground!"
"I've been through worse. Much worse." X-23 blankly replied and jumped to avoid Tsu's tongue. X-23 drew her foot claws out and cut Tsu's tongue, giving her a deep cut. Tsu yelled in pain and pulled her tongue back with some blood flying around.
"Tsu!" Uraraka shouted in concern. X-23 capitalized on Uraraka's split-second loss of focus and ran up to her with a flying kick. Uraraka was sent away and slid on her back, and hit the back of her head against a tree and knocked her out. Mineta backed up with a fighting stance as X-23 was about to lunge at him, but promptly twirled and rammed her right fist into flesh. A loud cough was heard as spit went flying everywhere. X-23 pulled her left arm back, "As Deadpool would say, 'Shoryuken!'" X-23 smashed her fist into Hagakure's invisible face with a loud 'smack.' A few moments later, a thud was heard.
"Hagakure!" Mineta called, but got no response.
"Two down," X-23 said, "Two to go," X-23 said. Tsu landed next to Mineta as the two got into a defensive position.
"So….any ideas?" Mineta asked wearily.
"Sadly, no," Tsu admitted.
Mineta let out a sign, "I wish Deku was here."
"Believe in yourself to win this fight," Tsu said, "An over-reliance on others will be a weakness."
Mineta nodded his head firmly, "Okay." Mineta pulled a purple ball off and kept it with him. "There is no way we can trick her into stepping on one of my balls from earlier, so I'll try to stick her with new ones."
"Just don't hit me," Tsu said.
The two opposing sides had a stand-off as both sides were waiting for the other to move. X-23 knew they had to move first because they had a time limit. She'll run the clock out and wait for them to move for they didn't have that luxury. As X-23 expected, the duo moved first as Tsu acrobatically jumped into the air and Mineta ran straight to X-23.
"This is too easy." X-23 saw straight through them and already identified 27 ways to defeat them. To spare herself time, X-23 took a front step on the ground and dug her foot into it. X-23 waited for Mineta and Tsu to get close enough before striking. Tsu and Mineta were getting closer and closer. In an instant, X-23 jumped into the air and grabbed Tsu by the arm. X-23 tossed her to the floor and on top of Mineta before landing on Tsu's chest with her knees. Tsu was stunned by the blow and Mineta tried to get out from under her. X-23 got onto feet and punted Mineta in the side of his head, KOing him in the process. From the edge of her eye, X-23 spotted Tsu's hand slip into her costume and pulled out the cuffs. X-23 unsheathe her claws and sliced right through the cuffs. Tsu couldn't respond in time as X-23 hastily pulled her claws back into her skin and sank her fist into Tsu's face, efficiently besting the last member.
X-23 let out a breath and walked away from the carnage, "How disappointing."
"ROUND THREE IS OVER! X-23 WINS!"
"Daaaaaaaamn." Mina slowly said, "X-23 is no joke. She utterly dominated that fight. They stood no chance against her."
"I have a feeling she didn't hold back." Iida said, "Peter held back, but it seems X-23 did not share the same kindness."
"She was very brutal." Aoyama hesitated, "X-23 reminds of Bakugo's style of fighting, but with more killing blows."
"At least she kept her claws in check." Shoji spoke, "She easily cut through a boulder. I have no doubts she can cut through human bone with those claws."
"Ouch!" Mina hissed. "I wonder how Tsu's tongue feels. Hopefully, she doesn't get tetanus."
"That's only with rusty metal," Iida responded. "X-23's claws do not appear to be rusty."
Aoyama stroked his chin, "I wonder how she manages to keep her claws maintained."
Mina looked to her teammates, "You know what is the most surprising part?" The three boys looked to her as Mina waved her arms furiously, "None of us won that bet! Mineta touched nobody inappropriately!"
The three boys realized this and were quite taken aback by the revelation.
"That is true!" Aoyama shouted, "Mineta did not perform his usual antics!"
"Good for Mineta!" Iida proudly said, "I think he finally understands his misdoings!"
"I do think that X-23 played a big part in that," Shoji said, "At one point X-23 was talking to Mineta when she was beating him down in the beginning. She probably talked sense into him."
"Well, it's about time!" Mina shouts and pouts, "I was sick of his deviant ways!"
X-23 made her way to the teacher's lounge as she was met by Aizawa.
"You didn't have to be that harsh on them." Aizawa scowled, "We're training them, not beating them."
X-23 walked by Aizawa, "I told you what would happen if you put me against any of those noobs." Aizawa kept his eyes on X-23 as she kept walking, "I wasn't going to hold back against them. It's your fault for not listening to me." X-23 rounded a corner and out of Aizawa's sight. Aizawa could only fume internally at X-23.
It's going to be a challenge to get X-23 to ease up.
X-23 walked into a room where a single bamf was sitting and waiting for X-23.
"Ready, Laura?" The bamf asked.
"Yeah." X-23 held her hand out as the bamf took it. The two disappeared from U.A and reappeared inside Peter's apartment.
X-23 slid her hair back and looked around, "Eri?" X-23 called out and heard footsteps coming from the bedroom.
"Yeah?" Eri responded.
X-23 looked to Eri and stared at her momentarily. Eri looked very relaxed and almost healthy. She's in a much better state than she was when X-23 first found her.
"How are you doing?" X-23 asked.
Eri shrugged her shoulders, "Okay. Just relaxing in bed."
X-23 nodded her head, "Currently we're trying to get you your own bed because technically that's Peter's."
Eri nodded her head before walking up to X-23, "Laura."
X-23 looked down at Eri, "Yeah?"
"When you helped me two nights ago, what was that when you wrapped yourself around me?" Eri asked.
"You mean a hug?" X-23 responded.
"That's what that is?" Eri asked more.
"Yeah," X-23 said, "It's a hug. Why do you ask?"
"It felt….nice." Eri tapped her index fingers together and averted her eyes away shyly, "I felt…..um…..not scared."
"Safe." X-23 told her, "You felt safe."
"Safe." Eri repeated, "It sounds like a good word." Eri then looked up to X-23 with hopeful eyes, "Can we hug again?"
X-23 looked to be taken aback by the question. It wasn't a question that was normally asked to her and she wasn't much of one either, but she wasn't about to deny Eri either. "Sure."
X-23 swore that she Eri's face lit up, but she wasn't sure because it was instantaneous. X-23 lowered herself to Eri's level and slowly took Eri into her arms as Eri wrapped her arms around X-23's neck. X-23 got up and held Eri in her arms as the two hugged each other almost awkwardly, but the feeling slowly disappeared as Eri rubbed the side of her head against X-23's.
"Safe." Eri said, "I really like the word. And I like hugging you." Eri proceeded to get comfortable and snuggle into X-23 with a pleasing sound leaving her throat.
X-23 held the little girl in her arms and stared blankly into the empty room in front of her. "Yeah. I like it too, Eri." X-23 was glad to see that Eri was making progress in her recovery quite fast. There are still many things X-23 has to get Eri to experience such as the outside world and soon some type of schooling, but that doesn't concern X-23.
What concerns X-23 is when that plague doctor will strike. X-23 knows he will be back for Eri, and when he does show his face, X-23 will be ready.