Angel: This is that chapter I mentioned way back when I started that Izuka's role in this particular one is minor because of what happened last chapter. Also I found out this week that Dr. Stone season 4 is coming out in January, let's gooooo! It's one of my favorites so I'm super excited for it to come back. Although I hate that the trailer only gives us one new scene, and it's at the very end. Boooooo! Please do not let season 4 be rushed, I want every plot point to be given time so that they don't speed through stuff. I also hope that I don't get any more…uncomfortable requests with that story, though. Read the reviews for context on that, it got pretty insane. Or even just read the author's note I made against that person.
The provisional licensing exam is upon us, and our classmates and the two of us are doing all we can to make it through the first round.
There are lots of other schools here with us today, so there's a lot of pressure for us to succeed. Most of them are second or third years compared to us.
"If you can pass this test and get your provisional licenses, then you novice eggs will hatch into chicks. You'll be semi-pros. I expect your best."
This first test is a free for all. Each of us has put three targets on our bodies. They can go anywhere, as long as they're visible. We've also each been given six special balls that can trigger the spots. If all three of your targets get hit, you're done. And only the first 100 people to get at least 2 people out pass and move on to the next round.
This test is a matter of speed and how we can use our Quirks to our best abilities. Thankfully, each of us has learned ultimate moves to help us along. It's unfortunate that out of over 1,500 people, only 100 will go onto the next round. But it's also made very apparent from the beginning of this first test that we're the ones to take out first.
"If you like your class this year, then you should have warned your students about all this," Ms. Joke stated and then smiled. "We've seen it time and time again in this exam." Immediately, Class 1-A was getting attacked. "UA is immediately crushed."
Yo threw his ball first, followed by others. 'One for All. Full Cowling!' Izuku readied his leg and kicked one of the balls. 'Shoot Style!' His kick was so powerful, it created wind to knock away the other ones that were heading his way.
"Dark Shadow!" Fumikage shouted, his Quirk over his body.
"Got it!" He lunged forward, knocking away the balls.
"So you think we'll be taken out?" Mr. Aizawa asked while Ochaco used her gravity on some of the balls. "I don't really see a reason why I should've warned them." Hanta extended out a bunch of tape to capture them. "I doubt anything would've changed if I had." Mina used her acid from both hands to melt them. "They're still going to have to overcome this either way." Momo created a bunch of shields around her, Toru, and Tsuyu. Tenya yelled while running past the balls. "Real heroes could turn this situation around." Minoru threw a bead of sticky balls to capture them. "Besides, if they become pros, they'll face villains who already know their Quirks," Mr. Aizawa informed Ms. Joke, getting her attention. "Perhaps at UA, we look a little further ahead than other schools."
Two explosions went off in the arena. "Hey, Eraser," Ms. Joke spoke up after a few seconds. "I'm guessing a lot of our kids will think it's important to finish fast." Both teachers looked up ahead, though they couldn't see what was going on. "Like the first ones to pass will be ranked as the top. So they'll want to attack. Immediately."
"Yes. But teamwork is the key," Mr. Aizawa reminded the woman. "The wise ones will cooperate and gather information together. But if they're seduced by the urge to win and rush to get points, they'll end up exposing themselves. And then it's all over."
"None of our attacks are landing," One of the examinees murmured to Yo, who stared at the remaining students of Class 1-A.
"I guess we shouldn't be surprised UA won't go down without a fight," He gave a small smirk in return.
"Maybe not. But we have a plan," His classmate created something with his hands.
Ketsubutsu Academy. 2nd year. Shikkui Makabe! His Quirk: Stiffening! He can make whatever he touches with his hands super hard! But this Quirk doesn't work on living things!
"All done," Shikkui tossed the objects to another classmate of his.
"I'll take it from here," The classmate then positioned both of his hands, one above his head and the other at his waist. "Just try not to be jealous when I end up finishing ahead of the rest of our class," His hands then glowed purple. "But I'm sure you won't mind since I'll be reducing enemy numbers with this elegant attack," He then moved his hands around, preparing himself. "Target. Lock-on," He tossed the objects into the air and they hit the ground, causing them to move in the dirt. "Boomerang. Crescent Moon Trajectory." The Class 1-A students looked around in a panic since they didn't know where they would end up. "My aim is always true. And since these projectiles are coming at them from underground, no one will have time to dodge."
Ketsubutsu Academy. 2nd year, Itejiro Toteki! His Quirk: Boomerang! He can throw objects at any trajectory with stupidly precise aim. Even underground!
"Where are they gonna pop out?" Izuku watched the ground closely.
"Get back," Kyoka stepped up in front of him. "I'll handle this." She connected her earphone jacks to her gloves. Sound Amplification. She then dug her gloves into the ground. Amplifier Jack! She then sent out a huge sound wave towards their opponents. Heartbeat Distortion! Then the ground started to crumble, to the shock of Itejiro. He and his female classmate jumped to avoid it.
"She's breaking the ground apart!" Several balls flew up into the air. "It won't help!"
Minoru gasped as he turned around, seeing the flying balls. "They're coming straight for me!" He panicked and Mina jumped up with her acid ready.
"Maximum strength and viscosity!" She then moved her arm as a small string of acid appeared above Minoru's head. "Protect this perv, Acid Veil!"
He looked up in shock and then smiled up at his savior. "Wow, thanks! That's such a great move!"
"It's my defensive special that creates a melty wall," The pink-skinned girl smiled proudly towards her hand.
"So, they've been working on ultimate moves already," Ms. Joke noticed, rubbing her chin. Just like how first years didn't typically take the provisional licensing exam, first years didn't usually create ultimate moves until their 2nd year.
"Yes, of course they have," Mr. Aizawa retorted back to her.
"Black Abyss!" Fumikage held a ball while Dark Shadow went over his body again.
"Cooler name," Izuku noticed that he changed it thanks to Midnight's suggestion. "And easier to say!"
"Now, Dark Shadow. Piercing Twilight Claws!" He reached out using his Quirk to help him get more terrain.
"No, no, no, no!" The girl who fanboyed over Shoto earlier panicked. However, Dark Shadow didn't hit her, and when his arm passed her, half her body was gone. Her head then popped back up from her waist as she let out a sigh of relief. "That was close."
Ketsubutsu Academy. 2nd year, Tatami Nakagame! Her Quirk: Telescopic. She can pull her body into itself like a turtle. She then stood up as she pulled the rest of her body back to normal, though it looked unnatural. It's actually pretty creepy when you see it in action.
Yo narrowed his eyes a little from Fumikage's ultimate move. That was something that none of the other examinees had seen them do before. It was clear that Class 1-A was a little more of a threat because of this new information. "Interesting...This isn't the Class A from the Sports Festival. It's obvious their training is making them better fighters."
"Mm," Mera gave a tired sigh. "Looks like all the students are still in a stalemate. Not a single one's passed yet. Oh. And don't worry, students, I'll keep you updated with an announcement every time a few students move on to the next round."
Izuku gritted his teeth at their opponents up ahead. They were clearly outmatched right now since they had targets on their backs, regardless of their new moves. What's our strategy? Everyone will be focused on protecting their targets, their weak points. It's going to be basically impossible to hit them by chance. We'll have to aim well and break through their defenses, even if we don't know their powers.
"Maybe not. But we have a plan," He remembered Shikkuki saying.
Everyone's holding back right now. Watching for their opponents' blind spots and how they use their Quirks. But at any moment, the real fight will begin. Izuku specifically watched Yo, the boy cracking his fingers with a smile. No longer was he the too nice boy he portrayed himself as earlier.
"Alright," He gave a big grin.
"At UA, you look further ahead than other schools," Ms. Joke gave a small scoff to what she heard from Mr. Aizawa. "That's a pretty condescending thing to say, Eraser," She then glanced down at the arena. "Do you have any idea how many kids in this world want to be heroes?" The teacher recalled her students and how they trained. "Strength of will is far more important than going to a famous school or having renown. When you think you're the stars and look down on others, you reveal your weaknesses. That's how you fail."
"Outta the way!" Yo pressed his hands to the ground, getting the attention of Itejiro and Tatami. "Their defenses are too strong right now." He then looked up with a sly expression on his face. "I'll fix that."
Ochaco gasped sharply as she stared at him, wondering what he was going to pull.
"Maximum force!" A white glow came from his hands, and then a vibration spread out. "Tremoring Earth!" The whole ground shook and then started to move. Izuku yelped as they were lifted off the ground.
"Not good. Everybody run!" Tenya called out to his classmates as they started to get separated.
"What the heck is this?!" Mina yelled while trying to withstand Yo's Quirk.
"His power is insane!" Minoru cried out and Izuku fell off the rock he was standing on.
"Deku!" Ochaco shouted in concern for him.
Yo looked up with a devious smile. "We've got ultimate moves, too. You didn't think you were the only ones, did ya?"
Ketsubutsu Academy. 2nd year, Yo Shindo! His Quirk: Vibrate! He can make anything he touches shake. However, the aftershocks affect his body, temporarily making him immobile.
Shoto took one step forward, noticing the vibration. "Tremors. An earthquake?" He murmured as he glanced up. Although he doubted that was what was happening, since they would've stopped the exam and been told to evacuate. "No. Probably someone's Quirk..."
One of the structures started to fall, some other examinees noticing it from the city area. "Who has that kinda power?"
"And which school are they from?"
"Don't lose focus!" An examinee ran up to them. "There are enemies everywhere." Speaking of, one examinee stepped up to the roof of a building, with some wind flying around. He looked down at the group of people, who hadn't noticed him just yet.
Mera let out a yawn. "Come on. There should be at least one or two who've passed by now." Although, he just mostly wanted to get this over with so he could sleep. "Stop biding your time and get this over with."
A strong force of wind came in, and someone gasped. "This breeze...?" She held her hat, looking up. The wind then got stronger, and braced herself. Her ball flew out of her hand, and she wasn't the only one that this happened to.
"Hey! No fair!" Another cried out as all of their balls got taken away by the wind. They looked up to see a wind tornado on top of a roof. Oddly enough, the examines weren't being swept up by this wind at all. Nor was it being used to attack them directly.
"Why are just the balls getting sucked up?"
A hand was controlling the wind as it was coming from Inasa. "I believe it's very important for heroes to have passion," He spoke up with a big smile. "And all of you are fighting with it. Thank you! That's one of my favorite things on Earth to see."
"It's one guy from Shiketsu High?!" One of the examinees immediately recognized him.
"What'd he say? It's hard to hear!"
"Wait, what's he gonna do now that he's got our balls?!"
Inasa held up his hand again, looking up to the sky. "Please let me join your fight and show my own passion!" He then swung down his hand. "I'm so looking forward to it!" All of the balls came raining down on the examinees, a bunch of smoke appearing as well. They all screamed as they couldn't see anything, and every single ball hit a target from them.
Mera had his head down, dozing off a little. A beep then came from his computer and he looked up in confusion. "It's about time somebody perked up and passed." He then let out a shocked yell, his eyes wide for the first time today. "What?! There were 120 people taken down?! A single person managed to do that in just one attack?!"
Inasa looked towards the lit up targets in the smoke. He then stood up with a satisfied sigh, clenching a fist. "That's the stuff. I won!"
"That actually surprised me so much that I'm awake!" Mera commented in utter disbelief. "I assume we'll see a lot of people passing from now on. Everyone, let's get this out of the way so I can take a break. Good? Good."
Izuku groaned a little as the smoke was clearing from the mountain area. He held his head, as he felt like it was throbbing. What a Quirk. Although it seems like it would be hard to use in a city. He then looked up with a gasp, realizing that he was alone. Oh, no. We've been split up. Is this what Ketsubutsu was planning the entire time? I've gotta find everyone, or at least somebody soon! He bit his lip while looking around. He had his Shoot Style, but he couldn't use his arms to knock away any long-distance Quirks either. Plus, he could easily get cornered and taken out by a big group of people. If I'm alone, I'm done for. The other schools have had so much more time to work together and learn to make decisions in battle. We're behind by a whole year's worth of training, even with everything we experienced.
"Inasa Yoarashi. He's the same year as you all and received the top scores for students admitted through recommendations. But for some unknown reason, he turned down his acceptance to UA and went to Shiketsu."
'If he had the top score for those with recommendations, then he must be even better than Todoroki!'
'Someone even stronger than Shoto? One of our top two strongest students? That's so crazy to think about...even more so that he turned down UA.'
Yo reached out his hand and Katsuki stepped back a little. "Today, I'm gonna do my best to learn from you. I really hope you don't mind."
"Maximum force!" Yo touched the ground, and a white glow came from his hands. "Tremoring Earth!" The whole ground shook and started to move.
Izuku clenched his fist hard, as he was both nervous and happy to see different types of Quirks he hadn't seen before. His fanboy side was showing just a little from the opportunity to see all kinds of powers from people who wanted to be heroes. These are strong students from all over the country. I don't know why...but I'm actually getting pretty excited about this. He had a small smile on his face, flinching as he quickly dropped it. Because the female he saw earlier from Shiketsu jumped in front of him. She used his shoulders to flip over his body, revealing that she had gotten one of his targets. He gritted his teeth, as he had no time to move. And he didn't know where she came from for him to stop her in time. What? This girl came outta nowhere! He turned around to confront his new opponent as she landed.
"Tag, you're it. Not smart," She touched her hat. "Staring off into space. But...what's really weird is that you're in trouble and still smiling," She pointed out as she looked up at him.
He then gritted his teeth again as he recognized her. I've seen her. She's from Shiketsu High School.
She gave a small laugh as she got onto his feet. "You couldn't be cooler."
A small sweat drop ran down his face as he gave a nervous smile. While he was glad that she seemed to be alone...he had no idea what her Quirk was, or where she came from...but he absolutely could not let her get the upper hand here again.
Wow, that was super intense, Ochaco thought as she looked at the uneven ground thanks to Yo. Someone could have even died in that attack. She then rubbed the back of her head. The girl had some scrapes, but other than that, she was okay. If I call out to the others, I'll just become a target for the rest of the schools. She looked up and then got onto her feet. My classmates shouldn't be too far away, though. I need to find them. Otherwise, I'll have to fight by myself. The brunette then scoped the area around her. In moments like this, you have to be calm and careful. It's time for Sneak Uravity. She then started to calmly walk away. I am worried about Mido, but...something tells me I shouldn't be. She's strong and brave, so I know she'll get through this phase just like we will.
"In fights where a lot of one-on-one combat is expected, most people tend to go after opponents they've already got a lot of intel on," The girl who had cornered Izuku spoke to him. "Since it's safest. That's why I tracked you down, because there's the good possibility that UA's students will be ganged up on. See, I didn't wanna miss the chance to interact with such a prestigious school, and I've taken quite an interest in you."
"Huh," He scoffed a little, preparing himself this time. "You sure like to talk." Ketsubutsu Academy will show up to fight any second now. This is no time for a leisurely chat. But I'm sure she understands that. He then powered up his body. She got into a stance herself. Does she have teammates coming to help her? Or is she just that overconfident? The girl then threw a rock towards him, which he stepped out of the way from to avoid. When she threw her actual ball, he jumped up into the air, gritting his teeth. Doesn't matter. I've gotta make sure I don't get taken out. He slid to a stop and then gasped as the girl was now nowhere to be seen. Where'd she go? She couldn't have-
She then appeared right next to him while he was distracted. "All I have to do is tap you with a ball and that makes two!" She swung her arm towards the target at his waist. Before she could touch him, he leaped to the side, sliding to a stop.
No way. Gotta counterattack! He was about to throw it, but she had disappeared once more. "Or not. She's gone," He murmured, and then hummed a little in thought. Izuka's small size lets her maneuver around people, making it easier on her to deflect certain attacks. Just like she did in the Sports Festival against Kacchan. Is this girl like her?
"Oh. You think my Quirk lets me disappear?" She asked in a chilling voice, causing him to flinch in alarm.
"No-!" He whipped around to attack, but the girl was able to pin him to the ground on his stomach. She gripped his wrist tightly.
"That's not it. I was just hiding," She revealed to the boy.
"It wasn't your power at work?" His eyes shook in a bit of disbelief, unable to move.
"Nope. That's just a technique," She leaned in towards his ear. And unlike other times that he would be flustered around other girls besides Izuka, he wasn't, because this girl was definitely more dangerous than those instances. "I make my opponent's eyes and ears blind and deaf to my presence. To do that...I hold my breath, clear my mind, and disappear. It's simple. The hardest part is not thinking, to be honest."
"Wait. You learned a technique that impressive at Shiketsu?" He questioned, though he felt like other students would have that ability too if that were the case. Inasa for example could've done a lot with that ability. So he wondered if it was something that wasn't talked about at Shiketsu, but he didn't understand why that would be.
"The trick is to not view your training as some kind of chore," She then let out a soft chuckle. "I'm glad we're learning about each other. Now, my question. Why exactly do you wanna become a hero? For honor? Pride? Or is it someone else's sake? I wanna know your deepest desires, and what scares you." She had an intense look on her face and he clenched a fist. He jumped away, causing her to fall backwards. Once he landed, he looked over his shoulder, gasping as the ground started to shake. An angled attack appeared between the two of them, causing them to fly even further away from each other. They both landed safely, both of them looking towards the source.
"Man," Itejiro spoke up in a bit of disappointment as he revealed himself. "Shiketsu's trying to take him down, too?"
The girl gave an annoyed grunt towards the interruption, glaring a little at the boy.
"Not good," Izuku gritted his teeth upon seeing other examinees ready to fight him. I'm trapped. I couldn't find anyone, and now I'm the target. The worse-case-scenario I thought of earlier is now a reality! This is it. The ground started to shake again. Here they come. He was attacked again by Itejiro, but he jumped up high enough to avoid it. Dodge! About a dozen balls were hurled towards him, which he narrowly avoided. Dodge! Dodge! Just keep avoiding them! He stepped on a rock so that he could set off a trap one of the students put there.
"Are you okay?!" A familiar voice called out, looking up to see Ochaco sitting on a pillar. He gasped in relief to see her.
"Uraraka!"
"Over here," She held out her hand to him. "Hurry!" She urged as he jumped from another attack.
What? Does she have a plan?
Several more students jumped in out of nowhere. "Don't let them escape!" One of them attacked Ochaco with water.
"Hey, watch where you're shooting!" As she jumped to dodge, she slipped from a rock and started to fall, unable to stop herself. Izuku gasped as one of the examinees held out a hand.
"I'll take her down fast."
"No, wait!" His classmate warned as the examinee shot off his hand. Izuku's eyes slowly widened at her.
Back then, I chose to fight and save someone, which destroyed my arms. The fight with Muscular from camp came to mind. He gritted his teeth as he couldn't go through that again. If I could've used them, then I might have been able to save Kacchan and my sister. And if Kacchan and Izuka were never taken...then All Might or Izuka would never had to fight against All for One at the warehouse. If I had only been faster...I should have been able to get Kota to Mr. Aizawa sooner. And then I could have gone after the villains myself. The ground broke as he jumped, holding out his arms towards the falling Ochaco. That's why I have to train my legs now. So that I never fail to save anyone ever again. Ochaco fell right into his arms thankfully.
"An opening!" One of the examinees was prepared to take them both out. Izuku slid to a stop and then slid his leg around. He still held onto the girl as he narrowed his eyes. Because to help others, you have to be able to take care of yourself! He sent some rocks from the ground flying, the wind from his attack cracking the ground. The examinees all fell as the rocks started to crumble.
"Dammit! The whole mountain's coming down!"
Ochaco looked up at Izuku, who wasn't looking at her. He kept his determined eyes straight ahead, her eyes focused on him. The other students screamed as smoke appeared and Izuku ran off with Ochaco in his arms.
"I dunno. Based on that kick and that throw, I'd say you're both further along than you think. So, you two should be ready for this test."
It's just like All Might said! Until my body is able to catch up to my Quirk, I won't use One for All at 100 percent. Instead, I'll work on my legs. Thankfully, these new iron soles create a powerful impact. And the toes spring back, so it's basically two hits in one. This support item compensates for my lack of power. Ochaco kept staring at him while he didn't look at her once. I'll make myself stronger. I'll keep fighting! And become the ideal hero I want to be.
Mera let out a yawn from his spot. "Well, we've finally had a 30th person pass," He announced to the examinees tiredly. "Still a pretty long way to go, though. Can't you kids speed this along? For me?"
"Where'd those UA brats run off to?" One of the examinees demanded once the smoke was clearing.
"Are they gone? Or just hiding?"
"They gotta be close. Anyway, this isn't working. There must be a better way to tag them," With the way the ground was now and all the smoke, they couldn't see any UA students currently.
Izuku peeked behind a rock while he was on the lookout for anyone that possibly followed them. Anyone chasing us? No. Maybe they gave up.
Ochaco gave him a small smile. "Thanks, sorry. I really messed up back there, huh?"
"No. That's not true," He stated without looking back at her. "You were outnumbered."
She had a small blush on her face from his praise, and that he wasn't blaming her for what happened. She stared at him in silence, a small smile on her face. The girl then looked at his target...reaching out to it with a ball in her hand! She gave a creepy expression, about to tag him when he turned around quickly. He smacked the ball away from her hand with an angry expression. It was complete silence between the two as the ball landed with a quiet thump nearby.
"Let me guess. You're someone from Shiketsu?" He asked as he was much more tense now, especially since this girl was clearly impersonating Ochaco for whatever reason.
"I'm what?" She gave an innocent look, pretending to not know what he was talking about.
"Uraraka has been working on her Quirk. Training hard. She can even ignore its side effects for a short period of time and use it to make herself float without getting sick," He pointed out to 'Ochaco.' He then backed away as he had known the entire time she wasn't Ochaco. "But you. You haven't tried to use it at all, even though you were in danger. And even more suspicious. You exposed yourself to the enemy without a plan. That's not like the Uraraka I know. So who are you?!"
She gave a small chuckle, the rock hiding her face. "If you saved me even though you knew I was a fake...does that mean you were trying to use me somehow?" Her voice changed and her skin also started to melt.
He gasped, giving an unnerved look. "No. I didn't have time to think that far ahead," He confessed to the imposter. "I'd do it again, though. In a heartbeat," He prepared himself as the imposter stood up. "Because if you're not Uraraka, you couldn't have floated away back there. Falling from that height, you definitely would've injured yourself."
"Oh?" The girl gave a small smirk. "I see now. So you're just that good of a guy, huh?" Some goop fell onto the ground as she slowly started to reveal herself, looking up at him. "Please, tell me more about yourself. Everything."
He gulped a little, freaked out as his eyes shook. He had no idea why this was even her focus. He'd think that it'd be trying to pass the exam—he didn't even properly talk to her when they first saw her. What was it about him that she needed to learn about him? Maybe the Sports Festival had something to do with it...but even so, a fan would've waited after the test was over. Maybe she didn't want to reveal her intentions when they saw each other earlier? Can't we talk about this after the exam?
"Does that mean you'll save anybody?" She wondered as more goop came from her body. "Is there no boundary? Where do you draw the line?"
He slowly opened his mouth in shock as it was the girl who attacked him earlier...with no clothes on. But she still had the grayish substance around her body, so she wasn't technically nude. "Holy whoa, what happened to your clothes?! You're basically naked!" He freaked out at her state.
"I'll get dressed when my mission's complete," She smirked and then lunged forward, swiping at him. He barely managed to dodge it, though he did have a small scratch mark underneath his eye now.
She scratched me? What's the matter with this girl?
She slid to a stop, leaping towards him again. Before he could do anything, a bunch of tape separated the two. The girl glanced up in confusion, but also annoyed again by the interruption. What?
Tape?
It was Hanta, who had come out of hiding firing his tape. "Midoriya! What's this enviable situation you're in?" He called out, as he was jealous of Izuku right about now.
"Sero!"
"Uraraka!" He looked behind him as Ochaco flipped out of hiding.
"Release!" She pressed her fingers together, flying towards the girl. She moved out of the way before the brunette could get a hit, letting out a small chuckle. Ochaco gritted her teeth as she looked up. Those reflexes! She was just as fast as Katsuki was fighting against Ochaco...but she would've heard about this girl earlier if she was that good.
The girl then flipped twice before sitting on top of a rock structure. She pouted towards the group. "And here things were just getting good. Too bad. I really, really...wanted to talk to you some more," She looked towards Izuku, who stood his ground. "But not with so many people around. What a bummer." She then gave a smirk towards Ochaco. "Ochaco Uraraka. He really trusts you a lot, you know."
"Huh?" She had a baffled look on her face, not knowing what she was talking about. And she was very confused on how this girl knew that information. Ochaco then gasped as the girl stood up and jumped away.
"Come back, naked girl!" Hanta cried out after her.
"Don't follow her!" Izuku warned his classmate before he could leave.
"Aw man, why not?" Hanta whined towards him.
"It might've just been her Quirk, but it looked like she wasn't wearing her clothes or her targets. There's still a chance she might come after us," He explained to the both of them, though he couldn't help but wonder why participate in the exam if she was gonna take those off to begin with. "But think about it, we don't have much time left, and it would be hard to get a point off of her." He then looked at the two skeptically, since he didn't want to take any chances this time around. "Also...you two are actually you, right?"
"Huh?"
"What are you talkin' about?" Hanta questioned in confusion.
"Well...earlier, that girl...transformed into Uraraka's clone," He informed them and the two yelped. Both of their mouths opened while they both blushed, but for different reasons.
Hanta ran up to Izuku, shaking him wildly. "Was she naked then too, Midoriya?!"
"That's what you're concerned about?!" Izuku yelped at him. "Of course not, she had a costume on!"
"So that hottie's Quirk is to transform into other people. Weird," Hanta commented as he had never heard of a Quirk like that.
"I think so," Izuku was just theorizing at this point, though. He didn't even know how it worked.
"We can't underestimate how much those other schools have learned about us. They even know you and Uraraka are really good friends," Hanta mused as they were in a huddle.
"Probably because we were on the same cavalry battle team at the Sports Festival."
"Yeah, that must be why. I hope she doesn't run into Mido, she wouldn't take it very well," Ochaco frowned a little. Hanta then flinched, blushing as he imagined a cat fight between Izuka and that girl. His mind wasn't as dirty as Denki or Minoru, he was the third-most girl-crazy boy in the class. But he could keep things to himself mostly...
"I doubt Izuka's on her radar, even if that girl did find her. She didn't mention my sister once, even though we were on the same team," Izuku bit his lip in thought, hoping that the two didn't run into each other. If she was just as dangerous to him, who knew what she would do to his sister? But he shook it off, knowing that she could take care of herself and would just have to put faith that they didn't meet. "Anyway. How'd you guys find me? It was perfect timing."
"I just saw a fight and rushed over to help," Hanta explained to his friend. "We ran into each other along the way."
"I'm glad we got to help," Ochaco clenched a fist.
He smiled at the two and nodded. "Yeah, me too."
"So we're a trio for now," She looked up in determination. "What next?"
"I wish we could meet up with the rest of our class," Hanta murmured since like them, the rest of Class 1-A were still the biggest targets. "We're way safer in numbers."
"That's true. But 30 people have already passed this test so far. We have to hurry. If we're gonna pass, we've gotta earn some points," They all looked up ahead to the rocks.
Katsuki was still dragging the short green-haired girl along with him, and she was getting beyond frustrated. She had no idea where this side of him came from all of a sudden. "Where are we going?!" Izuka screeched at Katsuki while staring at the back of his head. Her targets were on her waist, her ankle, and on the front of her top.
"Are you really that stupid?" He briefly glanced over his shoulder and she blinked before he looked back up ahead. "We're getting away from that extra who asked about the light paint stuff," He grunted out to her.
"His name is Shindo-San!" She defended and then gave an exasperated look, letting out a groan. "I already told you I wouldn't go, so why does it matter anymore?" The fact that he was still hung up on it even though she wasn't going to go out with Yo baffled her. Is he really that bothered by that guy? They only talked once, and they go to different schools, so it's not like he's gonna see Shindo-San again anytime soon...
"Shut up," Katsuki snarled, leaving her a bit more cautious. She then furrowed her eyebrows as she wondered if Yo was the real root of the problem. He gritted his teeth while trying not to be pissed off, but it was difficult. Especially since Yo asked her out on purpose to charm her. That guy was so damn annoying. No way am I leaving him alone with her. At least this way, I can keep an eye on her.
"Bakugo, at least let go of her. She might be scared right now," Eijiro pointed out and the two came to a stop.
"Yeah, and besides, it's not like they're gonna get married or anything," Denki joked a little, unfortunately not realizing that Katsuki had a problem with Izuka and Yo in general.
"Kaminari-San," Izuka deadpanned towards her classmate. "Come on, that's not very funny..." After hearing that, there was no way she'd ever take up Yo on his offer. Although this was something that was lost on Katsuki as a vein appeared on his forehead.
He growled and let go of the girl, whipping around to the boy. "You shut your damn mouth before I explode it off!" He screamed and Denki yelped, shielding himself.
"Okay, okay, chill!" He warned his friend, hoping not to get killed today.
"Calm down, dude!" Eijiro stood between the two of them. He blinked as he realized something. He's jealous of that guy, isn't he? Even when she tells him nothing's going to happen...he can't help but remember how they acted around each other. He did come on pretty strong...
Izuka sighed deeply at Katsuki's behavior. "I'm gonna go back to our class like we're supposed to..." She turned around to walk off back towards the mountainous part of the arena.
The angry blond whipped his head around to her and then stood in front of the short girl. She flinched as he looked furious towards her. "You're staying here!" He pointed down at the girl.
"Eek!" She recoiled back in a bit of fear. "I wish I could call Izuku right about now..."
"Who's asking about him?" All four of them blinked from a new voice, looking up to see the girl who attacked Izuku looking at them from above. And she did not look happy that Izuka mentioned the boy in the first place. "And why?" She had her clothes back on, but she was still missing her targets.
"Uh?" Izuka looked utterly confused by this girl's behavior, which wasn't too far off from how Katsuki was acting currently now that she thought about it. She shook her head rapidly as he wasn't supposed to be her focus right now. She had to set some things straight.
"Who is that hottie?" Denki smirked a little. Eijiro and Katsuki just stared up at her.
"Ha, okay, three things," Izuka stepped forward with a glare, holding up a finger. "First of all, stop acting like you're Izuku's girlfriend or something to make yourself feel better. You and I both know that you're not fooling me at all." The girl's eyes widened at what she was saying, gripping her arm angrily. "Second, I'm the girl who can make anyone who's interested in dating him to an afterthought real quick if they're treating him like he's not a human being. And third..." She summoned her bow to point towards the girl, recoiling back the string while looking furiously. "You better not have done something to my brother, whoever the hell you think you are."
"Whoa," Katsuki murmured breathlessly at her sudden change. It almost reminded him of the time she stood up to him at Aldera Junior High. But compared to that, she was definitely more confident here, and her tone suggested she wouldn't give this girl a chance to explain herself. Unlike with Katsuki, she wasn't offering any second chances here.
"This just got intense really quick," Eijiro whispered to the two.
"Girls can be really scary sometimes..." Denki muttered in a bit of fear, wondering if they should be stepping in. "Should we do something?"
"No," Katsuki stopped them, holding up an arm. "We can't waste time on whoever that girl is." He glared a little, knowing not to trust her. Not because she was from Shiketsu, but because she wasn't aiming to pass. If she's missing her targets, that means she's not out. So what the hell is she doing here?
"Oh, you're his cute little sister, right?" The Shiketsu girl mocked, earning a growl from Izuka. She fired a shooting star, but the blonde ducked her head and then jumped a good distance away, leaving them behind.
"Damn it," Izuka grunted and then summoned a flying star. She then raced after the mystery girl.
"Hey wait, aren't we supposed to be in a test?!" Denki cried out after her and she swooped down. Suddenly they heard some faint fighting grunts from the two of them. The three looked up wide-eyed at what was going on. They were about to rush over to help when Izuka emerged seconds later as she jumped, using a flying star again. Her hair was a bit of a mess and she had blood on her sleeve as she descended down. There was also a bit of blood coming from her lip. She quickly wiped it off.
"You're bleeding!" Eijiro rushed over as she landed. She didn't look towards him as she stood up and walked right past the boy, spitting out blood towards the ground.
"It's not mine," She replied quickly and the three boys looked at her in alarm. "That's what she gets for treating my brother like property. She escaped right before I could get her out, though. We have to find other targets before it's too late."
"Dammit! I missed a cat fight!" Denki complained towards the girl.
"Hah! That's right, she's a bruiser!" Katsuki grinned as part of him felt proud. Izuka froze and turned around to give him a weirded out look. Their friends stared at him as well, though it shouldn't come as a surprise. "What? I can't enjoy it? She got blood!" He retorted and she shook her head slowly. The girl then reached up to start fixing her hair.
"Well, at least we know not to make her mad..." Eijiro gave her a nervous laugh. "But that was pretty manly!" He gave Izuka a thumbs up.
"Did you rip her clothes? Please tell me there was tearing," Denki pleaded with Izuka, who wasn't paying attention to him.
"My real concern is why she's focused on my brother right now," She glanced up to where the girl was, narrowing her eyes. If she's a...fan from the Sports Festival, why wait until now to wonder about him? Wouldn't it make more sense to visit him after school hours and talk to him then? And she would know that I wouldn't take girls like her lightly. She then groaned, pinching her nose. I don't have time to worry about her. I have enough distractions as it is during this test...maybe that was her intention all along. But something is definitely off about her, she didn't even have her targets on. So what was her goal here?
Denki grabbed the girl to shake her. "What happened back there?! Stop holding out on me, you know you can't do that!" He shouted as she yelped, pushing him off.
"Don't you dare keep begging me about what happened back there when you're supposed to be focused on this test!" She warned while pushing him away from her with her foot. He reached out to her while whining. Eijiro looked at them wide-eyed. "Please don't do that again, I'm not joking!"
"This is so stupid..." Katsuki looked annoyed towards the two that they were worried about that Shiketsu girl. Her behavior was definitely odd, to say the least.
The other schools are sticking together, moving around in groups of ten or more Shoto thought while he was hiding in a factory area. He was strategizing how he was going to pass. I could attack one of them, but there could be people with Quirks I'm weak against. Ideally, the various teams would fight each other, bringing the numbers of each group down to something more manageable for me to pick off.
"Let's see, where are we at now?" Mera spoke up, getting the boy's attention. "Things've been moving a lot more quickly. Looks like 52—make that 53 have passed. And, looking on the other side of things. It seems 230 examinees have failed. Less than half the spots are open. Now's the time to move. Don't dally, kids."
Shoto then got onto his feet after hearing this. I don't have the luxury of waiting around. He then took off into a run. As he was running, a ball was heading straight for him. He turned around and used his fire to burn it. It rolled to a stop nearby.
"That was pretty good!" The one who attacked him spoke up. A bunch of students were standing on structures, wearing ninja outfits. "Just what I'd expect from the runner up of the UA Sports Festival. The name's Todoroki, right? I can't believe you're out here wandering around all by yourself. You must be really confident."
"But even if he is from UA High, acting alone is just asking for trouble," His classmate spoke up nearby.
"A ten-on-one fight. He doesn't stand a chance."
"This is great," Shoto muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Now I don't have to find opponents." He swung up his arm, ready to attack.
The one in red gave a small chuckle. "Aren't you cool?" They all leaped towards him to attack, throwing their balls. Shoto touched the ground to make a slab of ice appear, blocking them off, to their shock. He touched the ground again, and a field of ice appeared. They all gasped while looking towards their feet as Shoto had trapped them in ice.
"Damn it! I can't move!"
"You're surprised?" Shoto wondered while holding a ball. "I thought you said you watched the Sports Festival."
The one in red held up a bolt. "Don't be cocky, we're prepared!" He then threw the bolt, which grew in size after heading towards Shoto. He flinched in alarm, but used his ice to stop it. Some ice chunks flew off from the impact.
Looks like a Quirk that makes things bigger.
The student in red then prepared another throw. "That's not all I brought with me!" He threw more objects that grew in size. Shoto kept his ice wall up to block them, though. He narrowed his eyes in thought, knowing that he couldn't block them off forever.
Should I use a big attack? No, not yet. I'll wait to see if there are more.
The ice started to break, once the cracks appeared, his eyes widened in alarm. The student attacking him had thrown a bunch of objects and the ice broke because of them breaking through. Another bolt headed for Shoto, but he used his fire to try and stop it. It didn't work, and he had to jump out of the way to avoid getting hit.
Even if I couldn't melt it, I should have at least made a mark!
The student threw some pins onto the ice to break himself free. "Your fire won't work against any of my tools," He mocked to Shoto, holding up some bolts. "Tungsten has a super-high melting point!"
Tungsten? Shoto's eyes widened as he recognized it from a classmate of his. That's the same type of material Mido uses in order to prevent her new own gear from melting! That was when he knew he was kind of screwed, since like her, they knew what they were doing.
The student then threw his pins to set his classmates free. Shoto landed on one of the giant bolts. "I'm afraid I told you so, Todoroki. Even if you're a top UA student, if you think can pass this exam alone...well then, your pride will be your downfall!"
Shoto narrowed his eyes towards them, wondering what he was gonna do now...