Welcome back to "Through the Rough", ladies and gentlemen! We're through four matches of the Joint Training Arc, and both Class A and Class B are tied with two wins apiece! Will Class B have the last laugh, or will Class A come through with a big victory?!
I think it's time to go ahead and find out!
THROUGH THE ROUGH
"Aside from a few errors in judgment on their part, the Class A team performed well," Hermit noted into her microphone, "They kept Class B on their toes, even when it seemed like they had the advantage for the longest time," she mentioned.
"Yeah, you tell 'em, Hermit!" Sister exclaimed excitedly.
"However…" her fellow Shining Star Hero continued in annoyance, "Class A failed to account for how much stamina and endurance their foes would have," she pointed out, "Not to mention how Kleene had made certain to avoid causing too much collateral," she added, "I would say she's the true MVP on Class B's side," she confirmed.
"Hey, nice going Kleene!" Itsuka complimented to the Wind Snatch Quirk user, who had just returned to the viewing section with Juzo and Tetsutetsu.
"I wish I could've done more, honestly…" she admitted with a sheepish grin, "But thanks," she said in gratitude.
"An excellent match for Class B with some stellar teamwork and quick thinking!" Sekijiro exclaimed into his microphone, "In fact, they've done well overall in terms of stats for these matches!" he mentioned, "Though they lost the first and third rounds, the only reasons Class A won were mostly thanks to Shinso and Kogetsu!" he pointed out, "So those barely count!" he proclaimed.
"No they don't, ya jerk!" Sister shouted into her own microphone, getting up in his face.
"Quit the biased commentary already!" Eijiro, Denki, Sen and Hiryu shouted.
"I get that you're rooting for us, Mister Kan, but this is going too far!" Pony exclaimed pleadingly to her teacher.
"And it's honestly getting annoying at this point…" Weisz grumbled.
"Those two sure can get hot-blooded…" Midnight commented, "Ironic for Vlad, considering his Quirk's Blood Control…" she added with crossed arms.
"And Ivry obviously can't help herself…" Witch mumbled out, exhaling a sigh.
"Alright, stop complaining, all of you," Shota advised of both his students and Class B's.
"But we're all against biases!" Sen proclaimed in response.
"Yeah, for both classes!" Denki agreed, nodding furiously, "This is a real protest!" he pointed out.
"So is this how you'll act in a real fight when something goes wrong, and the media calls you out on it?" Shota inquired of his student, causing Rebecca to perk up upon overhearing, "Class B is coming up with plans and countermeasures to win, while you struggle with overcoming their strategies," he pointed out, "As brash as Vlad's being, he speaks the truth," he mentioned, "Which technically means he's beating me, too…" he added on, causing the Class B homeroom teacher to cackle with delight.
"OH LAUGH IT UP MORE, WHY DON'T YA?!" Sister shouted angrily.
"Sister, calm down already…" Hermit insisted, trying to pull her fellow Shining Star Hero away.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!" Neito laughed out, "Not surprised these troublemakers can't hack it!" he remarked, "Wanna know why?" he inquired mockingly, "The reason you get caught up in so many disasters is because you're immature!" he proclaimed, cackling on to the chagrin of some of Class A's students. Fortunately, Itsuka was quick to give him a chop to the back of his neck, silencing him before dragging him away.
"Sorry! Again…" she apologized with a grumble.
"Every freakin' time…" Minoru muttered out.
"I'm sorry for taking the spotlight over you all in our match," Homura suddenly apologized to him, Rikido, and Toru, bowing profusely to them.
"Oh, n-n-no!" the Invisibility Quirk user stammered out pleadingly, waving her gloved hands, "We all played our parts and did our best!" she assuredly.
"Yeah, don't listen to that guy!" Minoru insisted. As some of the Class A teams were lamenting on both their victories and losses, Rebecca looked down in thought. Mistakes were made during her team's match against Class B. By not coming up with a plan, they ended up discombobulated and without a team member right at the start.
And while Sekijiro's criticisms were harsh, they were true. Class B was technically proving their superiority to their rivals. If the likes of Shoto and Fumikage, two strong students, could be bested by their foes, then it was clear that things weren't as even as they appeared. Only time would tell if the scales would tip back in Class A's favor.
OPENING
Insert "Kizuna no Kiseki" by MAN WITH A MISSION X Milet
Starts with Class 1-A walking out onto Ground Gamma, dressed in their winter costumes. They discuss amongst themselves what they're hoping to work on for the end of the year, with Izuku leading the way alongside Rebecca. However, they stop as they spot their opponents of Class B, as some of them wave to the group. Neito cackles madly at the sight of them, only to end up chopped in the neck by Itsuka.
What follows is a shot of Laguna, who thinks back to being a part of Oasis with Goodwin and his other friends. He also sees a blurry figure with long, dark hair, only to witness her fade away as he reaches out to her. He opens his eyes, widening them to find Hitoshi there with his new scarf and support item.
We get to see the Shining Star Heroes with brand new costumes, who are gathered with Shota, Sekijiro, Nemuri, and All Might, as they're about to watch the training matches commence. In round one, Rebecca is grouped up with Eijiro, Denki, Tsuyu, and Hitoshi, leading the charge against their opponents as she draws her Happy Blasters and fires. Laguna and Hitoshi come face-to-face, with the former looking rather anxious compared to normal.
The second round features Weisz equipping his Arsenal Mark II armor, using it to defend himself from the onomatopoeias shot towards him by Manga. Meanwhile, Momo finds herself struggling against the likes of Itsuka, whereas Fumikage and Yuga can't seem to overcome the combination of Kinoko and Shihai. As the match continues, Izuku furiously writes down notes on Class B, while Rebecca looks at him and smiles.
In the third round, Homura clashes her energy blades against Kris' wind. The two of them stare each other down determinedly, rushing forward and enveloping themselves in bursts of red and green light respectively before colliding. The fourth round features Kleene using her wind to pull in the likes of Tenya, Mezo, and Mashirao, as the latter of the trio starts getting sucked in. However, he's saved by Shoto as he fires a blast of flames toward the Wind Snatch Quirk user. She dodges, letting off a little grin.
For the fifth round, we see Shiki and Katsuki standing back-to-back as they're surrounded by the multiple pieces of Setsuna's body. The former of the two assumes his Overdrive form, stamping the ground to make the pieces fall instantaneously, followed by the latter firing off a multitude of explosions. From afar, we see Kyoka and Hanta hanging back, glad that they're letting the muscle of their group handle their foes.
Finally, the sixth match features a team of Izuku, Ochaco, Koji, and Mina. The One For All inheritor shoots his girlfriend a reassuring thumbs-up as he enters the stage, making her giggle. However, her expression shifts into one of fear as she witnesses the mass of black energy tendrils that suddenly start rampaging about.
Meanwhile, we go through various scenes of Endeavor, Hawks, Mirko, the I.U.A. Heroes, and many others, including the League of Villains as both Tomura and Shura are standing in the shadows of All For One and Nero respectively. The song winds down, closing out with a picture of Class A gathered together for their joint training session.
END OPENING
"It's almost time for our match…" Reiko pointed out, seated on the ground beside Yui, "Should we start planning?" she inquired of her.
"Mm," she hummed out, slightly shaking her head. Next to them was an unconscious Neito.
"Yeah, let's wait until he's back up," the Poltergeist Quirk user advised. She looked over to see Laguna leaned by the railing all alone, having his head lowered in contemplation. What happened during the first round match caught him completely off guard, and thus led to his team's loss. He wondered if what Hitoshi had said was no more than a ruse in the end. And if it wasn't… He sighed deeply, looking over to the video board. The monitor showed the likes of the Class A team hurriedly moving about, with Hanta setting a trap thanks to his tape, while Kyoka made certain to monitor their surroundings with her earphone jacks.
"So it's finally Kacchan's turn…" Rebecca noted as she approached her boyfriend.
"Yeah…" he agreed, having flipped his notebook to the page about his rival, "I can't wait to see what he's got in store," he admitted, sounding excited. His girlfriend gave him a soft smile. Out on the battlefield, Katsuki was blasting ahead, with Shiki flying after him and Hanta swinging along with lines of tape. That left Kyoka in the dust as she panted, running after them while trying to probe the pipework.
"Hey, keep up, earlobes!" the Explosion Quirk user shouted.
"You slow down!" she yelled back, "It's hard to catch sounds when I have to run at the same time!" she pointed out.
"Need me to come down and help out?" Shiki offered to her, zipping over to her side as she yelped in surprise.
"Uh, I'm good," she assured in response, seeing him land down and run beside her, "You really think this plan of his is gonna work?" she asked the Satan Gravity Quirk user.
"I dunno," he admitted in reply, "But I can tell he really wants to win this with all of us," he mentioned, "Even if he doesn't like us, he'll make sure we don't lose," he affirmed on.
"Hope you're right…" Kyoka said worriedly. As Katsuki kept blasting ahead, he ended up taking notice of something.
"Got you!" he yelled, firing an explosion off forward from his right hand before landing in a crouched position upon the pipework, "Ears!" he called out.
"It's Jiro!" Kyoka shouted back, quickly putting her earphone jacks up against the nearby pipes, trying to discern the sounds in the area.
"They should be around here somewhere…" Katsuki pointed out, "Find them!" he ordered.
"Wouldn't it be better if I just looked from above?" Shiki inquired while Kyoka continued prodding for signs of their foes.
"Then everyone would see you," Hanta pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess you're right…" the Satan Gravity Quirk user admitted, "Any luck yet, Earphone Jack?" he inquired of his teammate. She was hearing a lot of commotion around the industrialized field of play. Thumps and bumps from all sorts of directions echoed in her ears.
"What's taking so long?!" Katsuki questioned in annoyance.
"Hey, ease up on her!" Hanta insisted back, "Knowing our enemies' Quirks, they're probably trying to throw us off…" he assumed.
"Hang on…" Kyoka said, getting their attentions. She was still hearing a lot of thumping. And then, her eyes widened. "It's a trap!" she warned immediately, causing her teammates to perk.
"Yep," Setsuna's voice responded, making Katsuki whip around in surprise to see just her mouth looming beside him, "See ya," she remarked, laughing as she floated away and avoided a swipe from the Explosion Quirk user.
"Wh-What the heck?!" Shiki stammered out while shivering a little, "Is that Setsuna?!" he guessed out of shock.
"Yeah, that's her Quirk…" Hanta answered.
"Jiro's searching came in real handy for us, huh?" the Lizard Tail Splitter Quirk user noted. At that moment, pieces of her body began shooting out at Katsuki, who tried to blast himself away from them before getting struck. Some did, but they weren't strong blows at all.
"Cheap move…" he growled out.
"Bakugo, down here!" Hanta yelled, having set a trap of tape up thanks to the pipework.
"And that's checkmate!" Setsuna remarked. All of a sudden, Shiki took notice of a figure nearby, being Kojiro.
"Glue Squall!" he exclaimed, unleashing a spray of a white, liquid substance all over the surrounding area, covering the tape as well. It was like a spider's web.
"Ew, gross!" Kyoka exclaimed in disgust.
"Well, this backfired…" Hanta grumbled out, "Granbell, you got any ideas?" he inquired of the Satan Gravity Quirk user.
"I think we need to figure out where the other two guys are…" he responded, looking around frantically. He then spotted a figure coming from above, being Togaru as he protruded a pair of blades from his arms.
"Too slow, villains!" he shouted out, slashing through several pieces of the pipework that were coated in the glue-like substance. The plan was working perfectly in Setsuna's eyes. By throwing Kyoka off, her team was able to separate both her and her teammates from Katsuki before picking them off one by one. It wouldn't be easy given who they'd have to capture, but it would all work out if things went the way she predicted. The falling pipe pieces were heading for the Class A team. Shiki grimaced, looking back at Kyoka and Hanta.
'I'll at least protect them!' he decided inwardly, throwing his right hand up, 'Even if I get stuck, I can just use my gravity to—!' Suddenly, an explosion fired off from Katsuki as he was getting bombarded by Setsuna's pieces blasted the pipe away, saving the Satan Gravity Quirk user the trouble of catching it.
"Whoa, Bakugo?!" Hanta exclaimed as he and his teammates looked back at him. Togaru came down rapidly.
"Guess I'll start with Jiro!" he declared, lunging down at her. However, Katsuki zipped over, planting his foot against her back to shove her away, aiming his right hand up at the Razor Sharp Quirk user. From the viewing section, All Might, Izuku and Rebecca were stunned, widening their eyes in amazement.
'Are you watching?' the Explosion Quirk user questioned inwardly as small explosions crackled over his palm, 'I've gotten even stronger!' he bellowed through his thoughts. He uncorked a massive blast, sending Togaru flying in a yell as his blades broke off of his arms. His teammates were stunned. Before the match had begun, he had unveiled his plan, promising to protect them if they were in trouble. Shiki grinned.
"Thanks, Katsuki!" he exclaimed gratefully. He made his energy markings expand, signaling the activation of his Quirk. "Now let's return the favor, guys!" he insisted of his teammates, flying off after the Explosion Quirk user.
"R-Right!" Hanta stuttered in agreement, running after him alongside Kyoka.
"Heh!" Katsuki huffed with a smirk as he blasted himself over to Togaru, "Guess you managed to block that blast…" he realized, "Bugs do have fast reflexes after all…" he pointed out.
"B-B-Bugs?!" Shiki stammered out upon overhearing, paling with fright for a moment. The Explosion Quirk user unleashed another blast to send Togaru flying back, almost crashing into a pipe had he not set up a blade at his back to catch himself in time.
"Thanks for that, Bakugo!" Kyoka said gratefully as she came over alongside Hanta.
"Shut it!" the Explosion Quirk user shouted back, "They got away, so look for 'em!" he insisted of her, enticing her to start prodding her surroundings with her earphone jacks, trying to pick up on any sounds, "Doesn't matter that this is just training, I've made a decision," he confirmed to his teammates, while Shiki landed next to him, "No one's gonna question our victory," he affirmed in a low growl, "Because our match is gonna be flawless…" he declared, "Four to zero with no injuries!" he added on, "Understand?!" he yelled out.
"Yeah, I got it," the Satan Gravity Quirk user affirmed in reply, "I wanna win, too," he said, punching his left hand determinedly, "Let's do it!" he exclaimed.
"Wait… what…?" Neito uttered in confusion from back at the viewing section, having regained consciousness just in time to see what had happened, "There must be something in my eyes…" he concluded as he rubbed them, getting the attentions of some Class A students nearby, "Eheheheh…" he chuckled out, "It looked like he protected Jiro for a sec…" he noted through a growl.
"Heck yeah, he did!" Denki confirmed.
"By kicking her, though…" Rebecca chimed in.
"Your eyes aren't tricking you, Monoma," Eijiro noted as he placed his hand onto the Copy Quirk user's shoulder, "You're getting to see what Bakugo's really like out there," he mentioned, while Neito's eyes twitched.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he suddenly yelled, "Are you telling me his personality changed?!" he presumed, sounding quite panicked.
"You don't have to make such a big deal about it…" Rebecca grumbled in annoyance.
"Uh, well…" Eijiro began, "I guess what he did is kinda new," he admitted, "I've never seen him put himself on the line like that before," he noted on. The Cat Leaper Quirk user smiled. She had seen Katsuki go out of his way to save others. But now her classmates were getting to see that in action. And she wondered just what else was up his sleeves.
The Class B team started a retreat. It wasn't smart to fight the Explosion Quirk user head on. Instead of capturing them, they'd ambush the opposing team repeatedly until their numbers dwindled. But that was far easier said than done, especially now.
"Ugh, quit the damn racket already!" Kyoka complained, trying to discern the sounds of her opponents, "Tokage's pieces are throwing me off, but it sounds like there's less than before!" she pointed out to her teammates.
"Less?" Hanta repeated.
"That makes sense…" Shiki chimed in, "I noticed her body coming back together above us," he mentioned.
"They must be trying to regroup now," Katsuki presumed, gritting his teeth, "Those morons are underestimating us…" he grumbled.
"There're a lot of sounds in the way…" Kyoka noted, "But if I concentrate, I think I can tell them apart!" she confirmed to her teammates.
"Then let's go!" the Explosion Quirk user yelled, shooting himself forward in an instant. Shiki flew after him as they weaved about the pipework in search of their foes. They ended up finding Kojiro first, who screamed as he fled.
"Over there!" the Satan Gravity Quirk user yelled as he pointed. Katsuki blasted after the Cemendine Quirk user, ready to take him down. However, Yosetsu suddenly stepped out from a corner, drawing metallic logs from his pouches and throwing them out.
"Construction-Done-Kwik…" he began, welding the logs to parts of the Explosion Quirk user's costume from one end, binding him to two fuel tanks, "Weldcraft!" he exclaimed.
"Katsuki!" Shiki cried out.
"How do ya like that, Granbell?" the Weld Quirk user inquired of him, getting his attention, "I'm not the same guy who turned tail from the Sports Fest," he pointed out, "I'm gonna face you guys with all I got!" he affirmed, only to flee as Hanta shot out his tape towards him.
"Hey!" the Satan Gravity Quirk user yelled.
"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Katsuki bellowed, trying to break himself free from his bindings. Shiki shot down to him, having his green energy markings expand.
"Magimech Attack…" he began to shout, bashing his teammate's bracers and the metal logs to free him, "GRAVITY FIST FRENZY!" he roared, "Go for it!" he insisted of the Explosion Quirk user, who flashed a wicked grin. He blasted himself after Yosetsu, who was still running.
"You won't stop me, dammit!" he proclaimed. The Weld Quirk user grimaced, skidding to a halt as he brought up a steel plate over his face.
"You don't have to get so mad about it!" he pointed out. However, he was surprised to see the Explosion Quirk user blast himself upwards instead. That allowed for Shiki to charge through the plume of smoke with his right fist at the ready.
"Magimech Attack…" he started to echo, causing his foe to gasp, "Gravity Fist!" he yelled, punching the steel plate and sending Yosetsu sliding back several feet. He came to a stop, breathing heavily. "Wow, you actually handled that!" the Satan Gravity Quirk user noted, sounding impressed, "Sorry, but I'll let them take care of the rest," he decided apologetically as he floated up. Looking ahead, the Weld Quirk user was shocked to see Kyoka and Hanta ahead of him, the former plugging her earphone jacks into her wrist-mounted speakers, removing them and having them aimed forward at her foe.
"Heartbeat Surround!" she exclaimed, channeling loud vibrations of her heartbeat onto Yosetsu. He desperately tried to endure it, but was left helpless as his steel plates and other such items in his arsenal were blown off of him. Watching from afar, Setsuna grimaced. Then she saw Katsuki and Shiki making their way to Kojiro. She tried to shoot off pieces of her body to go after them, but they evaded them with ease, continuing towards the Cemendine Quirk user. He took notice of them, skidding to a stop as he attempted to entrap them with the glue-like substance he fired out. However, they both evaded it with ease.
"Took me a little while thanks to this damn cold…" Katsuki admitted as he blasted Kojiro repeatedly, "but I think I'm finally warmed up!" he declared, knocking his foe down to the ground. He tried to get up, but was suddenly forced against the surface by Shiki's gravity. He grinned, flying after his teammate.
"He won't be going anywhere anytime soon!" he assured to the Explosion Quirk user.
"What unexpected teamwork!" Sekijiro exclaimed over the loudspeakers in shock, "They managed to take down two of my dear students in an instant!" he mentioned.
"Yeah, show 'em no mercy!" Sister yelled excitedly into her microphone.
"He used to be so brash," Kris recalled, "Who knew he could change like this?" he noted aloud.
"Guess it's part of improving…" Kosei assumed.
"I can't believe this…" Neito growled out. He had been under the impression that Katsuki was no more than some tyrant. But he was actually working together with his team. He backed them up, and they supported him.
As Togaru tried to close in on Hanta, evading his strands of tape, he grimaced as the Explosion Quirk user blasted himself over, grabbing him by his right mandible. What followed was him uncorking multiple explosions from his free hand, spinning himself and his foe rapidly, gaining a tremendous amount of momentum.
"X… CATAPULT!" he roared, flinging the Razor Sharp Quirk user away in an instant as he crashed against a nearby building, gasping out of agony. He fell forward unconscious, only for Shiki to fly over and catch him.
"That's three down!" he confirmed to his teammate, who smirked wickedly. He was trusting his teammates to back him up, and they were. As Shiki flew back with Togaru in hand, he took notice of the floating pieces of Setsuna's body.
'Wait, Kyoka said there were less noises than earlier, right?' he inquired inwardly, remembering how the Lizard Tail Splitter Quirk user had used the fragments of her body to trick her foes, 'It looks like she's trying to put herself back together, but why?' he wondered on, 'Maybe…' he continued inwardly, 'she can't do it forever!' he concluded. He passed by Hanta, who was of the same mindset. The pair nodded to each other.
"Magimech Attack…" Shiki began as he landed down hard upon the ground, "Gravity Center!" he roared. The pieces of Setsuna's body around him fell right to the ground, unable to move. Hanta was trapping more of them with his tape, seeing others float back. He theorized based on what he knew of his foe's Quirk that if she had to regenerate her lost pieces, it would use up more of her stamina than necessary. In which case, she'd likely want to return those parts to her main body in order to reset.
And based on that theory, he could surprise her. Prior to the start of the match, Katsuki had provided his teammates each with a grenade from his belt. They weren't powerful, but he noted that they could still be of some use. Having attached one to a strand of tape that latched onto a piece of Setsuna's body, Hanta was about to have his theory proven.
"Ah!" the Lizard Tail Splitter Quirk user gasped, barely evading the trap as she noticed in just the nick of time, moving away from the resulting explosion, "That was close…!" she yelped out. Unfortunately, the blast signaled for Katsuki to close in. She whipped her head around too late to see the orange glow emitting from her foe's hands. "You're kidding…!" she exclaimed, "How have you changed this much?!" she inquired aloud, suddenly being caught up in the bright flash of light. Flying over, Shiki caught her as she fell to the ground, only half of her body still intact.
"I haven't changed," Katsuki stated, causing him to look over at the Explosion Quirk user in surprise, "My goal's always been the same," he affirmed, "To surpass All Might and become the number one hero," he declared on. His teammate chuckled with a grin.
"The horror… The shame…" Sekijiro's voice whimpered out over the loudspeakers, while his class' team was thrown into the jail cell, "The match didn't even last five minutes…!" he mentioned sadly.
"Aw, hell yeah!" Sister roared out into her microphone, "And that means Class A wins with a perfect four-zero score!" she exclaimed, while on the battlefield, Shiki, Hanta and Kyoka exchanged high-fives in celebration. Katsuki walked off while removing his mask, huffing at how carefree his teammates were being. But at the same time, he appreciated their help.
X
"That was amazing, Shiki!" Ochaco complimented as the Satan Gravity Quirk user and the others returned from the battlefield to meet up with their classmates.
"Yes, you did well!" Momo added with a nod of affirmation. Shiki chuckled, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"I didn't do all that much," he pointed out, "I just made sure Katsuki had every chance possible to take down everyone else," he told them.
"Guess he knew he could depend on you," Rebecca realized.
"Yeah…" Shiki said, looking over to the Explosion Quirk user as he was walking away alongside Hanta and Kyoka, while Denki and Eijiro were complimenting them, "I wonder…" he continued aloud, having stars appear in his eyes, "Does this mean we're friends?!" he inquired excitedly.
"Oh, Shiki…" Ochaco and Momo sighed out. Rebecca let off a smile, jogging over to the winning team.
"Hey, Kyoka!" she called out, getting the Earphone Jack Quirk user's attention as she turned to find herself tackled into a hug by her friend. Her face turned immediately red. "Great job out there!" she complimented, "I know it was probably tough with Kacchan leading the way…" she pointed out, "but you guys really showed your stuff!" she affirmed.
"Th-Thanks…" Kyoka stammered gratefully, hugging her back.
"Gather round," Shota advised of the Class A team, "It's time for your assessments," he said. A moment later, he flashed the team of four a thumbs-up. "You didn't cause any unnecessary damage while also neutralizing your opponents effectively," he told them, "Well done," he complimented.
"Thanks, sir!" Hanta exclaimed in gratitude.
"Come to think of it, Class B's been going wild on their surroundings all day…" Kyoka pointed out, "From the first match to now in fact…" she recalled.
"It's not uncommon for there to be collateral damage, and I'm sure Vlad's going to work on that with them," Shota explained to his students, "You did a good job out there," he affirmed.
"Thank you, Mister Aizawa!" Hanta, Kyoka and Shiki responded gratefully. Meanwhile, Sekijiro complimented his students on coming up with their strategy to take on their opponents. But they had needed to be much more flexible in the moment, especially when things started going awry.
"Sorry for screwing up out there, guys…" Setsuna apologized to her teammates, "I made us look totally lame…" she grumbled on.
"Oh, come on, don't do that!" Togaru insisted, "Let's carve this loss into our hearts and learn from it!" he advised of the others.
"Yeah, sure!" Kojiro agreed.
"If a monster like Bakugo can turn into a team player, there's really no weakness for us to exploit…" Yosetsu pointed out, "Don't be so down on yourself, Tokage," he requested of the Lizard Tail Splitter Quirk user, making her smile a little. As Katsuki walked off, he took notice of All Might standing in front of him, giving him a grin.
"That was something out there," he complimented, "You gave me chills," he mentioned.
"Indeed," Witch agreed upon approaching, "Not just your teamwork, but your aptitude in battle," she added proudly, "You've matured a great deal, Sir Katsuki," she pointed out.
"…Hm," Katsuki huffed, turning away while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Shiki chuckled.
"Guess a tough guy like you can't say thank you!" he pointed out, laughing heartily with Hanta. Katsuki scoffed again, ignoring them. His team won, and that was all he cared about. Now he could sit back and just watch the last match.
"Kacchan!" Izuku greeted as he approached.
"Outta my way!" his rival shouted.
"Uh… I'm not even in front of you…" he pointed out. Noticing, Rebecca jogged over.
"Hff," Katsuki huffed, "I'm pushing ahead…" he affirmed, "Both you and Rebecca are gonna be in my dust…" he declared on.
"Oh brother…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user grumbled out.
"You were amazing, Kacchan," Izuku complimented, "But I'm going to catch up to you," he vowed firmly.
"Shut it, nerd!" his rival shouted, "Dumb words don't mean anything! I won't let you beat me!" he mentioned angrily, "That goes for you, too!" he yelled to Rebecca, who blinked in surprise.
"M-Me?" she stuttered out, only to blink in realization. She then cracked a grin. "I'll take that challenge," she said. The Explosion Quirk scoffed yet again, walking away.
"You've got yourselves a good childhood friend," All Might commented as he came over.
"I wouldn't exactly call him that…" Rebecca admitted in reply. Meanwhile, Neito was seething as his left eye twitched.
"I can't believe that hysterical rage monster was a team player…" he grumbled out, "Since when does he strategize…?" he wondered in frustration.
"No point in thinking about it when he's not our problem right now," Reiko chimed in, getting his attention.
"Mm," Yui hummed in agreement, simply nodding her head.
"Hey Monoma…" Setsuna as she approached with her head hung low, "Sorry…" she apologized, "No matter what happens now, we won't beat Class A…" she pointed out.
"Oh, don't be so down on yourself!" the Copy Quirk user insisted, "Though it's true we won't be able to win today, we won't lose either!" he affirmed confidently, "And we'll show those fools of Class A just why we're the superior students in comparison!" he declared on.
"Uh, Monoma?" Yosetsu tried to chime in.
"We strive to be perfect students, while Class A gets undeserved attention because they're such disasters!" Neito mentioned on, "Everyone's a side character in other people's stories," he continued, "but we are each the protagonist of our own lives!" he proclaimed.
"Uh…huh," the Weld Quirk user responded with a blank expression, "Speaking of side characters, what are you planning to do with Shinso and Husert?" he inquired of the resident loudmouth.
"Hey, don't kill my vibe!" he insisted in frustration.
"Yeah, where are those two?" Togaru inquired curiously. Yui pointed over to the side, enticing her classmates to look over and spot the pair standing at the railing five feet apart from each other. The Tears Lover Quirk user would spare a glance toward Hitoshi every few seconds, but he didn't look back. After a few moments, he sighed.
"I know an apology isn't enough for everything I put you through," he said, "I doubt you'd wanna forgive me anyway," he added. The Brainwashing Quirk user didn't respond. "After this is over… can we at least… talk?" he requested, "I'll let you start, and we can work from there," he confirmed to him, "That is... if you're up for it," he corrected solemnly. Hitoshi finally looked over at him. He was about to say something…
"Husert! Shinso!" Neito cried out in somewhat of a singsong voice, getting their attentions, "Let's get a plan together for ourselves!" he insisted of them. Both of them sighed, walking over.
"When this is over," the Brainwashing Quirk user began to his teammate, causing him to perk up, "we can talk," he assured, much to his surprise. He didn't think that Hitoshi would be willing to speak with him again after the first match. But knowing that he did… made him grateful.
"So what's the plan?" Laguna asked of his colleagues as they were gathered together.
"I'm thinking we should come up with something similar to Setsuna's team, even though it didn't work out for them," Yui advised thoroughly in reply, surprising him.
"I didn't know you talked that much…" the Tears Lover Quirk user admitted.
"Our team's centered around technical Quirks, so it'd be better for us to hide ourselves and ambush our opponents," Reiko pointed out, "That's what happened with Shinso's Quirk in the first match," she mentioned.
"I wouldn't say that's how it started…" Hitoshi confessed, rubbing the back of his head.
"But you two are right, we shouldn't rely on close combat," Laguna confirmed, "That said, I bet our opponents are gonna try and drag us into a fight," he noted on.
"And we should worry about Midoriya," Reiko added, "He's pretty spooky…" she remarked.
"Spooky?" Laguna and Hitoshi repeated in confusion.
"It's her way of saying that he's strong," Yui confirmed.
"Aside from him changing up his fighting style recently, Midoriya's mobility and combat skills are on the same level, if not higher than Bakugo's," the Poltergeist Quirk user explained, "There's also the fact that he can use ranged attacks now, so he's even more dangerous," she mentioned, "We make a wrong move, and things'll end up just like the last match," she finished.
"So then we'll make Midoriya our top priority," Hitoshi decided, "No matter what the others do, we'll take him down first," he said, "At the Sports Festival, he was able to break free of my Quirk…" he pointed out, "But…" he continued, looking over at Neito, "if we use my power in conjunction with Monoma's Quirk, I think we can take him," he finished.
"A lot of pressure when you single me out like that…" the Copy Quirk user admitted as he put his right hand onto the back of his neck, "It's possible it'll be a blank on my end," he noted, "Also, I can't copy Ether-types," he mentioned over to Laguna, who blinked in surprise, "Since I don't have the inherit Ether energy they have, their powers won't work if I'm to try them," he explained.
"In other words, the same could apply to someone like Midoriya," Yui added.
"Which means…?" Laguna began expectantly.
"Monoma won't be able to copy his power," Reiko answered.
"Well, we won't be able to do anything unless we can stop him," Neito pointed out, "We're counting on you, Shinso," he affirmed to the Brainwashing Quirk user.
"Alright, time for Match Six!" Sister announced through her microphone, "Send those Class B babies packing, alright?!" she yelled out.
"Cut it out with the biased commentary already!" Pony complained.
"Yeah, seriously!" Toru agreed, holding up a banner in protest with Kyoka and Homura. Rebecca looked out at the video screen, wondering just how her boyfriend would fare in this match. After hearing about the strange dreams he had been having, along with the incidents regarding his Quirk, she was somewhat worried. On the battlefield itself, Mina and Ochaco were following Koji down the open pathway through the pipework.
"So we should start by going after Shinso, right?" the latter of the trio presumed, "He's going to be the most trouble, especially if his voice changer helps him confuse us like it for Class B in the first match," he explained.
"I wonder if he could mimic a girl's voice with it…" Ochaco said curiously, "Anyways, we can't get too hung up on just one member of their team," she advised, "They've got a bunch of people who can attack from anywhere and catch us by surprise," she pointed out.
"Not to mention that Husert's on their team," Mina added with a grimace, "If he gets us with his Quirk, we're finished," she affirmed grimly.
"And we're not exactly equipped to lie in wait or attack…" Koji admitted, "We can scout, but that's not going to do us any good so long as we can't do anything about it," he pointed out.
"So what do we do?" the Acid Quirk user inquired.
"I can act as bait and lure them to you guys!" Izuku confirmed in response as he leapt over, landing in front of his teammates.
"Wait, are you sure?" Mina asked, "Didn't you say your Quirk was acting weird lately?" she inquired on of the One For All inheritor.
"I haven't felt anything weird so far," he noted, looking himself over as he flexed his arms, "Should be okay," he affirmed, "After that fifth match, I'm betting the other team's gonna be on guard with me," he mentioned to his teammates, "They won't want a repeat of what Kacchan did," he said.
"We've got your back, Deku," Ochaco assured.
"Woo-woo!" Mina exclaimed.
"I'll have some birds and bugs scout ahead to find Class B," Koji confirmed, "We'll win this match together!" he vowed firmly. Izuku nodded.
"Okay, let's go!" he called out, heading off with his teammates to follow. The horn sounded off, signaling the match's start.
ENDING
Insert "Footprints" by the peggies
Opens with Izuku receiving a notification on his phone. He picks it up and looks at it while seated on his bed, while Rebecca sits up beside him and yawns. He smiles, showing her what he just read. She beams after a moment, nodding to him.
The two of them head downstairs together, seeing groups of their classmates heading out together for the day. They smile at each other, holding hands as they leave the dorm. We see Shiki walking on a sidewalk with Momo, calling for her to hurry after him as he hurries off towards a set of stores. Meanwhile, Tsuyu and Ochaco meet up with Kleene and Kris at a supermarket, talking happily with them. Fumikage's checking apples with Dark Shadow, only to see Laguna doing the same.
Elsewhere in the store, we see Katsuki checking some bottles of hot sauce, while Weisz and Minoru are browsing some adult magazines. Homura's eyes sparkle at the sight the Valkyrie-brand energy drinks, which she buys a lot of to the shock of Kyoka, Mina, and Toru. Izuku and Rebecca arrive, having a shopping list on hand. They nod to each other, splitting up with their classmates to gather what they need.
Izuku grabs packets of noodles and rice, while Rebecca gets pork, bok choy, panko bread crumbs, and other ingredients. She's joined by Rikido, who advises her on what specifically she should look for. Meanwhile, Izuku goes to gather up birthday candles with Koji and Shoto, who both grab jars of frosting and sprinkles.
The couple checks out of the store with everything they need, returning to U.A. later that night. With help, they put the ingredients together to make a great feast, along with a birthday cake intended for Tenya. He's touched, tearing up at how kind his classmates are. He blows out the candles, celebrating amongst his friends as they laugh. The song winds down, with the class happily enjoying themselves through the night, hoping for many more great ones to come…
END ENDING
And we're down to the last match! I'm happy with how quickly I'm able to produce these chapters, even more so with how much content's in them. That being said, I do hope some of you will agree with me in that I am looking forward to getting into new arcs for this season, particularly the My Villain Academia Arc and Endeavor Agency Arc, with some original content sprinkled in for good measure.
I'm also going to add that after Season 5 is done from a drafting perspective, I'm gonna take a break and work on something I think would be a lot of fun. Like this AU story, I've thought about putting together a pair of series I've enjoyed and putting a new spin on it. Though polling hasn't gone well, I do hope people will grow to like the idea as I delve into it.
But that's it for now! Thanks for reading, everyone!