U.A.'s hero course curriculum. There are normal core classes, like English. Usually, I wasn't too bad at English, though this English class is hard, even for me. They meet in the mornings.

Four sentences were written on the board, the handwriting surprisingly good. She sat in front of Bakugo- even though she felt as if choosing that seat would bite her in the ass later- literally… sort of. She felt like she needed to keep him in check, though. From what it looked like so far, she was the only one brave enough to.

"Now," Present Mic began, "which of these four sentences contains a mistake?"

I didn't expect a class taught by Present Mic to be so boring.

"Hey everybody, look alive!" Present Mic said frantically, trying to get everyone to be upbeat, "Grammar rules!" Thalia rolled her eyes, her hand touching her horn absentmindedly. The last sentence may have been the one that was wrong, but she wasn't gonna speak up about it.

We eat lunch in the main cafeteria, where we can buy pretty tasty stuff on the cheap! And then, after lunch, in the afternoon, it's finally time. Hero Basic Training!

"I... Am... Here!" Shouted a familiar, loud voice. It's so weird seeing Uncle Toshi in hero form. Thalia thought, watching him zoom through the doorway, "Coming through the door like a hero!"

"I can't believe it's really All Might!" Kaminari exclaimed, awestruck.

Thalia learned everyone's names during English, since one of their first assignments was to introduce themselves in English. That's also where she confirmed her mother's relation to her, and her Norwegian ancestry.

"So he is a teacher! This year is gonna be totally awesome!" Kirishima said, an amazed look on his face. Thalia simply stared, a goofy smile on her face. She was accustomed to him, however, him being an uncle to her, as he was close to Ljufvina.

"Hey look," Asui observed, "Is he wearing his Silver Age costume?" Thalia frowned as she noticed- yes, he was. She'd only seen that in pictures.

"I'm getting goosebumps, it's so retro!" Ojiro said, his tone elated. All Might stood in the generic hands-on-hips-spectacular-posture-hero pose behind the podium with his usual huge grin on his face.

"Welcome to the most important class at U.A. High!" He announced. "Think of it as 'Hero-ing 101'! Here, you will learn the basics of being a pro! And what it means to fight in the name of good!" He moved to the side and began flexing.

"Let's get into it!" He pulled out a card that read "battle" in English. "Today's lesson will pull no punches!"

"Fight training!" Bakugo growled with maliciousness and excitement.

"Real combat?" whimpered Midoriya, his tone uncertain.

"Hell yeah!" Thalia exclaimed excitedly, pumping her fist. She could finally make good on those offerings she'd been stacking up to Thor and ask for strength.

"But one of the keys to being a hero is..." All Might pointed heroically at the four discolored rectangles on the wall to his right- revealing 20 suitcases numbered from 1-20. Thalia's eyes sparkled in awe. "...looking good! These were designed for you based on your quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started." The class erupted in gasps and cheering, and All Might simply stared at them, fists on his hips, the grin on his face never faltering.

Thalia sweatdropped at him being so over-the-top, knowing how he was in his "weak" form.

"Get yourselves suited up, and then meet me at Training Ground Beta!"

"Yes, Sensei!" The class responded.

When Thalia had finished getting her costume on, she walked out with the rest of her class to Training Ground Beta.

"They say that clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen, and behold, you are the proof! Take this to heart, from now on, you are all heroes in training!" All Might announced proudly. Thalia's heart swelled with his words. She looked around at all her male classmates- having already seen the girls' costumes in the locker room- awestruck by their costumes. As practical as hers was, she felt a little bland compared to them.

She wore a navy blue sleeveless, skintight bodysuit that rose halfway up her neck. There was a diamond-shaped opening in the middle, outlined with silver, revealing her toned abs. Over that, she had baggy, black cargo pants adorned with silver chains that were a bluish color on the insides of her legs, filled with secret and non-secret pockets, finished off with black combat boots. Her horns were decorated with silver bands, a few amethyst-bejeweled chains hanging down. Above it all, she had a cropped navy blue bomber jacket with silver designs. While it looked cool, she was more excited about the function than the appearance. Not only that, but hanging from a black belt with silver clasps, holstered by her hip, was a custom-made handaxe. This was an extremely religiously important item to her, and something she needed to have on her at all times as she trained and eventually when she became a pro hero. Aside from its religious importance to her, it served as a backup weapon if, for some reason, shapeshifting wasn't an option.

"This is getting me all revved up! You all look so cool!" All Might said, genuinely awestruck. "Now, shall we get started, ya buncha' newbies?"

"Yo, Dragomir! Nice costume!" Shouted Kirishima, waving in her direction.

"Yeah! You look great!" Kaminari added, a huge grin on his face and a blush dusting his cheeks. Inside, Thalia was a little put off, but she wanted to make friends, so she walked over to them, a smile on her face.

"Thanks! You two don't look so bad either!" Thalia replied with a small smile. He could use a… Different shirt design. Thalia kept her thoughts about Kirishima's costume to herself. Kaminari's is pretty sick, though. A little plain, but it can always be spruced up in the future. Mine could use some editing, too.

"Thanks, bro! Why do you need an axe, though?" Kirishima asked, his tone friendly, and Kaminari looked like he was gonna say something else but before Thalia could even ponder on whether she should divulge that information to him, All Might spoke up again.

"Now that you all are ready, it's time for combat training!" He began.

"Sir." Iida spoke up directly in front of Thalia before All Might could start, his hand raised perfectly parallel to his face, "This is the fake city from the entrance exam," He observed. No shit, Iida. Thalia mentally deadpanned. She decided to keep her dislike for him under wraps now, however, since Ochako now considered him a friend, and it would be a slight against her to slight him, even if he was a goody two-shoes. "Does that mean we'll be conducting urban battles again?"

"Not quite!" All Might responded, sticking two fingers up, "I'm going to move you two steps ahead! Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run-ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place inside. Think about it! Backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows. For this training exercise, you'll be split into teams of good guys and bad guys and fight two-on-two indoor battles."

"Isn't this a little advanced?" Asui asked.

"The best training is what you get on the battlefield!" All Might told her, "But remember, you can't just punch a robot this time. You're dealing with actual people, now." Suddenly, the man was bombarded with questions.

"Sir, will you be the one who decides who wins?" Asked Momo.

"How much can we hurt the other team?" Bakugo asked.

"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?" Asked Ochako, her gaze nervous.

"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?" Asked Iida.

"Isn't this cape trés chic?" Asked Aoyama, presenting his sparkly purple cape that was more of an eyesore to Thalia than anything.

"I wasn't- finished- talking!" All Might growled in frustration. Thalia snorted. He wouldn't be able to handle this class well, would he? "Listen up," He said louder, opening a book that looked comically small compared to him, "the situation is this: the villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans. To do that, the good guys either have to catch the evildoers or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes." He held out a box of lots that seemed to come from nowhere. Thalia looked frantically from side to side, looking for where he could've gotten it from.

"Time's limited, so we'll choose teams by drawing lots!" He announced. Iida stuck his hand up again.

"Isn't there a better way?" He immediately contradicted. Didn't he just say time's limited? Thalia deadpanned mentally. Kaminari put his hands behind his head.

"Think about it!" Midoriya perked, turning to Iida, who turned to him as well, "Pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot, so maybe that's why we're seeing this here." Iida turned away, lowering his hand.

"Yes, I see." He said, understanding. "Life is a random series of events. Excuse my rudeness." He bowed to his waist in apology. All Might didn't miss a beat.

"No sweat! Let's draw!"

Team A: Uraraka and Midoriya

Thalia had to restrain a snort at the look on Midoriya's face. They made eye contact, and his face fell at the snicker on her face- she knew exactly how he was feeling, and she was just gonna watch it unfold. Ochako, on the other hand, was completely clueless.

Team B: Shoji and Todoroki

Team C: Dragomir and Yaoyorozu

Thalia pumped her fist and grinned at the very slightly shorter girl. Thalia would be lying if she said her heart hadn't skipped a beat when she sent one back. Kaminari nudged her arm.

"Lucky!" He whispered, winking at her. Thalia roughly elbowed his side. "Ow!" He hissed as he toppled over.

Team D: Bakugo and Iida

Thalia winced at the matchup. The Fates were just fucking around with this one, weren't they?

Team E: Ashido and Aoyama

Thalia cringed for her friend, sending each other crestfallen glances. Luckily, Aoyama was too absorbed in his reflection in a puddle to notice them.

Team F: Koji and Sato

Team G: Kaminari and Jiro

Thalia turned to her left, catching Jiro's eye, giving her a sympathetic glance. In return, she rolled her eyes, as if saying "pray for me". Kaminari gave the two a bummed look.

Team H: Tokoyami and Asui

Team I: Ojiro and Hagakure

Thalia almost laughed out loud at the look Ojiro gave Hagakure.

Team J: Sero and Kirishima

"Wow, what are the chances? We're a team!" Thalia heard Ochako say happily to the blushing mess that was Midoriya. Damn, it's day two and he's already got a crush.

"I declare that the first teams to fight will be..." All Might trailed off as he sifted his hands through two more boxes that had appeared out of nowhere, "...these guys! Team A will be the heroes, and Team D will be the villains!" Thalia turned her head to the side, furrowing her brows. Bakugo versus Midoriya? There was no way that would end well.

"Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch!" All Might told the rest of the class.

"Yes sir!" They chanted, moving forward. Thalia, however, felt sick. It was as if Freyja was tapping on her back, warning her this wouldn't end well and that she needed to brace herself. She turned around and ran to Ochako, who turned around to meet her.

"Hey, Th- hey, what's wrong?" Ochako's pretty face fell when she saw Thalia's dark expression. The horned girl put a gentle hand on her best friend's shoulder, speaking quietly.

"Just..." Thalia turned her head slightly and caught Bakugo's eye- her bright azure eyes locking onto his murderous crimson ones- for a split second. She turned back to Ochako. "...Be careful. You and Midoriya both." Her best friend was about to brush her off, but seemed to let the deepness of her words sink in. She side-glanced Bakugo as well, realizing what she was worried about without her having to say it clearly. With a determined look in her chocolate eyes, she nodded once, taking Thalia's hand and giving it a squeeze, before Thalia turned and walked away to join the rest of the class. Before she was out of earshot, she turned around and smiled, saluting the hero team with two fingers.

"Good luck, you two!"

Thalia sucked in a breath at the sight of the gigantic monitoring screen. All Might had joined the class minutes ago, and stood in front of them all with his fists on his hips.

"Alright! Let's begin the indoor combat training! Team A and Team D, your time starts now! Pay attention, kids. Think about what you would do." All Might said the last two sentences quieter, his words meant for the kids behind him. Thalia stood next to Momo, Mina and All Might in the front, her arms crossed. Both of the girls were the tallest in the class, and both had features that made them look taller, but All Might in his blown-up form still completely dwarfed the two.

Thalia watched as Midoriya and Ochako infiltrated successfully. Bakugo completely blew off Iida and went straight to finding Midoriya to beat him up. He snuck up on him and caught him off guard, almost triumphant in his attempt to blast Midoriya's face off- but found success in ripping off half his mask.

"Tch. The bastard's a bully, I should've guessed." Thalia scoffed, bitter distaste in her tone.

"Sneak attack, Bakugo!?" Kirishima shouted at the screen, angry, punching his palm. "What kinda man pulls cheap crap like that?"

"It's a viable strategy," All Might contradicted, "He's playing the part. He's acting like a true villain would."

"Something tells me he isn't acting." Thalia said bluntly. She watched with wonder in her eyes, though, fascinated by Bakugo's straightforward and aggressive fighting style.

"It didn't work, Midoriya dodged him!" Mina cheered excitedly. Her optimism made Thalia smile.

"Look, there he goes!" Kaminari shouted, Thalia's vision returning to the screen. Bakugo's malevolent grin was the first thing she noticed as he ran toward Midoriya. He flipped Bakugo over with a simple move, the ash blonde landing hard on the ground. She let out a whistle, knowing for sure that Bakugo would be pissed about that, especially if he was indeed Midoriya's bully in middle school. She frowned, however, when she saw them talking, but didn't hear anything. Thalia turned when Kirishima started to talk.

"Hey, who's Bakugo talking to? I'm not hearing anything. Can we get any sound with this video?" asked Kirishima.

"He's got a radio in his ear so he can talk to his partner. I gave it to him before the match started, along with a map of the building." He… Didn't answer the question. All Might reached into his podium, pulling out a roll of tape, "Also, this! A roll of capture tape!" I imagined it being a bit more than just a roll of tape... Thalia deadpanned.

"Wrapping this around your opponent means you've apprehended them, and they're out for the rest of the game." Thalia made a mental note of that as All Might reminded the class of it.

"So, there's a fifteen-minute time limit, and the good guys have no idea what floor the nuclear weapon is hidden on, right?" Mina asked, referring to the timer that showed thirteen remaining minutes.

"Correct!" All Might said.

"The heroes are clearly at a disadvantage here. A big one!" Mina continued, giving All Might a concerned look. All Might looked back at the fight.

"Real pros have to outwit villains on a daily basis." He turned back to Mina. "That's life. When the odds aren't in our favor, we fight!" Thalia smiled at that. Normally, she'd find things like that corny, but that was a pretty good saying.

"All together!" All Might suddenly said, raising his fist. Thalia looked up, surprised, but she held her arms up.

"Let's hear a Plus Ultra!" They all shouted together.

"Monsieur, they're on the move." Aoyama said intensely, breaking the spirited atmosphere, his sparkly purple eyes squinted. Thalia glanced at him then back at the screens. He was right- Midoriya had just yelled at Ochako to run, by the looks of it, the realization causing her heart to drop- right when Bakugo attacked Midoriya. Out of the smoke he had caused, Thalia saw Midoriya dodge his explosion.

"The little guy's really good!" Commented Sato.

"He's holding his own and he hasn't even used his quirk yet!" Exclaimed Sero. Thalia frowned at the screen, her chin jutted down, hoping that both Ochako and Midoriya would make it out without being hurt or worse by Bakugo. Thalia wasn't worried about Iida- he had sense in him, plus, they were friends. She watched as the hero team retreated- the smarter move in this situation. It would've drawn out the fight and probably put Midoriya out of commission, making Ochako have to work on her own.

"That guy has some real anger issues... kinda scary!" Kaminari sweatdropped. Thalia couldn't help but agree. Watching Bakugo roam around, blasting open doors with a glare on his face, it looked almost as if he were on some amphetamine.

A smile crept across Thalia's face as she saw Ochako walk into the room with the bomb. She snorted when she watched Iida try his best to act like a villain. Again, she couldn't hear what he was saying, but it was obvious from his movements that it was a theatrical performance Thalia almost felt bummed she was missing out on. Ochako, unfortunately, also burst out laughing at his act, and he clearly got upset about it.

Bakugo rounded a corner behind Midoriya, alarming the small boy with his 's face creased when he put a hand on the pin, a wicked grin on his face. Knowing his sadistic tendencies, it had to be bad. And she had a bad feeling.

"Young Bakugo! Don't do it! You'll kill him!" All Might said into a comically small microphone clutched in his fist. Thalia didn't think they'd hear, but she saw them acknowledge it. Although… She didn't think he was deterred from whatever wicked weapon he was planning to use from the wild look in his eye that refused to leave even at the teacher's request.

He pulled the pin anyways, and a huge explosion boomed down the hallway. Thalia gasped, horrified, as Midoriya could only block with his arms, the explosion putting a hole in the side of the building and sending a quake throughout the area that even the class could feel the rumble of. A pit of dread settled in her stomach as she felt the ground shiver, her eyes wide.

"Woah, woah, this is nuts!" Kirishima exclaimed.

"Come in! Come in, Midoriya!" All Might practically shouted into his mic, his eyebrows quirked upwards. Thalia's eyes were glued to the screen, petrified, waiting for the smoke to clear. Midoriya was laying on the ground beside the hole. He sat up, his eyes afraid, as Bakugo walked through the smoke, the other gauntlet glowing red.

Again!?

"All-Far, jeg ber deg, hold hånden hans." Thalia sighed quietly in her native language, earning a few looks from those around her.

"Sir, isn't this getting outta hand?" Kirishima said. "That Bakugo is acting real crazy. He's gonna kill him!"

"Not so..." All Might said, seemingly in thought. He held up his microphone. "Bakugo!" he shouted, "Use that stored-up power again and I'll stop this fight. Your team will lose." On the camera, Thalia watched Bakugo look up, putting his gauntlet down. "To employ such a strong attack indoors is inviting destruction of the stronghold you should be protecting. That's a poor strategy, whether you're a hero or a villain. The penalty would be a massive loss of points." Thalia huffed a breath of relief as he seemed to disengage.

"He should've stopped the fight..." Momo muttered, clenching a fist by her chest. Thalia put a gentle hand on her shoulder, but had no words of consolation to offer her. She bit her lip, but she trusted All Might's judgment.

All Might's words may have stopped Bakugo from pulling another pin, however, he attacked Midoriya from behind, resulting in Thalia's hand to cover her mouth and gasps from a lot of the class.

"What was that move!?" Kirishima exclaimed.

"He doesn't come off as a guy with a strategy, but he's actually quite intelligent." Said Todoroki, his quiet, rarely-heard voice catching Thalia's attention.

"What are you talkin' about?" Kirishima questioned. Thalia held her elbow in her hand, her other hand resting on her cheek.

"If you're gifted with intelligence, but only use it to do stupid things, does that make you smart or stupid?" The horned girl wondered out loud.

"He changed his trajectory while in midair using a blast that doubled as a smokescreen. Very clever. But you're right, Dragomir. It looks like he's only driven by one thing." Todoroki continued.

"A feint attack like that requires an extreme amount of precision." Said Momo from beside Thalia, her voice louder than usual, as if trying to project her voice to the class, "He had to calculate their physics and demonstrate control over his quirk."

"Ugh, Bakugo is uber talented! I hate it." Kaminari groaned. Thalia was about to agree when she saw Bakugo attack Midoriya so quickly and so viciously that it caught her off guard.

"What use is it when he only uses it to do this? He could've been even better than he is now if he just went to therapy." Thalia scoffed.

"This is hard to watch!" Mina whined from behind Thalia, "All he has to do is wrap tape around him, not kill him! He needs more than therapy, he needs jail time!"

"Bakugo's certainly acting like a villain." Tokoyami noted.

"Obviously, that is the furthest thing from an act." Thalia said disdainfully.

"I thought Midoriya was pretty amazing at the start of the fight, but he's completely outmatched in terms of combat power. Not to mention, Bakugo seems like a natural at all this stuff." Kaminari said.

"He's running away!" Mina said, referring to Midoriya, who was crawling/running on all fours away from Bakugo. Thalia couldn't blame him, but she was sure he'd come up with something.

"Not very manly, but he doesn't have a choice." Kirishima stated, resulting in irritation bubbling in Thalia's stomach. The horned girl turned her glare on him, Kirishima flinching at the intensity.

"So it would be more manly for him to stay there and get exploded in the face?" She questioned aggressively.

"U- uh..." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassedly. Thalia huffed and looked away. "I guess not."

Thalia's attention returned to the screen and she gasped at the sight- Bakugo was cornering Midoriya. They started fighting hand-to-hand, and it was getting really intense- Midoriya's arm started glowing the way it did when he threw the ball during the quirk assessment test. Is he finally gonna use his quirk? Thalia thought, both her hands up by her mouth. This is bad.

"They're gonna kill each other! Sir!" Kirishima shouted, his tone frantic. His tone and his words didn't help Thalia's fear that was now turning into a pool of dread at the bottom of her stomach.

Instead of punching Bakugo, however, Midoriya aimed his force upwards, the explosion from Bakugo being blocked by his other arm. Wind from the punch exploded above the building, giving Ochako room to attack. As she now had her opportunity to retrieve the bomb, Thalia felt a lot better when she watched her best friend claim the prize with her clever tactics.

However, Thalia's dread returned when the smoke cleared and Midoriya's state was revealed- and his very obviously broken arm. Thankfully, from what she could see, that looked like the worst of it. The only noise made in the entirely silent room was the ding of the timer.

"You did it... the hero team wins!" All Might shouted as Midoriya fell over. Thali's jaw was dropped, her eyes widening in horror as he did so.

"What a weird way for this to end. The losers are practically untouched, and the winners are both on the ground." Kaminari said, astonished. He referred to poor Ochako keeled over, retching, Iida rubbing her back from beside her.

"How does the old saying go?" Asked Tokoyami rhetorically, "They may have lost the battle, but they won the war."

"This class is intense." Asui muttered.

"Jesus, all the other matches better not be like this." Thalia groaned. "I hope he's alright."

"I'm sure Recovery Girl-san will fix him right up." Mina assured.

"Well, despite the results, the MVP of this exercise is Young Iida!" All Might announced.

"Shouldn't it be one of the heroes instead, since they're the winners?" Asui contradicted.

"Mm! Valid question! Why didn't I choose one of the two? Who can take a guess?" All Might exclaimed, raising his arm. Momo raised her hand without hesitation. Thalia looked at her in admiration, before returning her frown to Bakugo, whose head was hanging. Thalia gave him a strange, but not judging look.

"Sir! I can tell you why." She began confidently, "Iida embraced the challenge. He was the only one who truly adapted to his assigned role. I'll explain. Bakugo's judgment was clouded by a personal grudge against Midoriya. As you pointed out earlier, launching a large-scale attack indoors and ignoring your partner is a foolish move. It could've been disastrous. Similarly, Midoriya's plan was also poorly thought out, considering the amount of damage that he received. He rendered himself helpless. Not smart.

"As for Uraraka," She continued, referring to Thalia's guilty-looking best friend, whom she sent a sympathetic glance to, "she let her guard down mid-battle, and her final attack was far too reckless given the hypothetical stakes. If she'd treated the fake weapon like it were real, she never would've risked such an imprecise move." She looked up at the shivering Iida. "Iida was fully prepared for his opponent's arrival. He had a strategy and never lost sight of his mission to protect the dummy weapon, even if he was foiled in the end." Thalia giggled out loud at his reaction- he must not have been used to being praised like that.

"Technically the hero team won, yes, but they took advantage of the fact that this was training. They didn't respect the spirit of the trial." Thalia gave her an admiring look, her eyebrows raised.

I really got lucky with her, didn't I? Thalia smiled, "Wow, incredible insight, Momo." She complimented her teammate, which caused her to blush and thank her quietly.

"Yes... Well, you overlooked a few things," All Might began nervously, sweatdropping, "Young Iida could've relaxed a little bit in the exercise, but otherwise, you nailed it!" He said with a little giggle at the end, resulting in Thalia's small laugh to herself. Momo put her hands on her hips.

"One should always start with the basics and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning. That's the only real way to become a top hero." Momo claimed matter-of-factly.

"Now then! It's time to blow this joint!" All Might moved on quickly, the lot boxes appearing out of nowhere once more. "Let's move on to the next match! Think about everything we saw and discussed as you tackle this training for yourself."

"Yes sir!" The class chanted. However, Midoriya didn't leave her mind entirely.

Asui is right. He's probably fine.

The next match was Team B as the heroes and Team I as the villains. Ochako stood next to Thalia's other side, closer to All Might, as they spectated the rest of the battles until Thalia had her turn. Todoroki just ended up freezing the whole building, lowering the temperature everywhere- including the monitoring room- and winning with ease, only using Shoji to find their location.

"I guess teamwork isn't a word in his vocabulary then. Childlike actions for his big boy words earlier. Someone's a little too self-confident." Thalia's jeer was just as cold as the atmosphere- she reveled in the cold, and it made her think of her homeland. Ochako huddled close to her and Thalia had offered her jacket to Momo, and the air felt amazing on her shoulders and torso. But Todoroki's actions made her rethink her opinion of him. This is a training sequence, and he offered his partner no chance to learn.

"D-Dragom-mir, wh-why aren't you c-cold?" Kaminari questioned her, his gaze landing questioningly on the girl with more exposed skin than he had. Thalia turned her head slightly and smiled.

"I am from Norway. I used to sleep in the snow as a baby." She grinned at Kaminari's horrified look. She deduced from his reaction that he and several others didn't know it was actually to improve their immune systems.

"He incapacitated them without compromising the weapon or his teammate! Take close note of his technique, students!" All Might announced without a stutter.

"Woah, he's s-so s-strong!" Kirishima said, awe lacing his tone.

"The hero team wins!" All Might proclaimed as Todoroki simply laid his hand on the weapon. The previously cool temperature rose quickly as Todoroki used his heat to melt the frost lacing the walls. No longer freezing, Momo gave Thalia her jacket back.

"Holy shit!" Sato exclaimed.

"That guy's kinda intimidating..." Kaminari muttered.

"He got in on recommendation, so he must be good!" Asui said.

"Moving on!" All Might said. Thalia frowned as she did so, but she glanced back at Bakugo, who hadn't said a word since he'd been brought back. His eyes seemed glazed over. She felt a pang of worry, but cursed herself for sparing the angry troll a thought when he was clearly just in disbelief that it was possible for him to lose.

Next was Team J as the villains and Team H as the heroes. After that was Thalia's team as the villains against Kaminari and Jiro as the heroes. Ochako wished the two girls good luck before they left.

"Team G and Team C, your prep time starts now!" All Might announced. The two girls were in the bomb room, Thalia sitting on a ceiling beam above the paving Momo below her.

"Okay, Thalia, let's strategize." Momo prompted.

"You're way smarter than me, but I won't be completely useless." Thalia said. "What do we know about Kaminari and Jiro, so far?" The girl began, leaning over.

"Based on what we observed from the quirk apprehension test, Kaminari has some sort of an electrification quirk, and Jiro's quirk resides in her ear jacks. I… honestly haven't an all-encompassing idea of how that works yet, but from yesterday, I could tell that she can weaponize sound. Oh! We also need to keep Kaminari away, as he could probably very easily incapacitate us. I'll start reinforcements." Momo spilled her brain out and took action immediately, taking metal reinforcements out of her body. Obviously Momo felt comfortable enough around her to uncover what little was covered around her in order to create the reinforcements, which caused Thalia to feel both parts honored and embarrassed. She averted her eyes and changed her thoughts.

"So, Momo, how does your quirk work? I can't say I have much of an idea, but I'm thinking." Thalia asked, feeling the beginnings of an idea form in her head.

"Oh! My quirk gives me the ability to create any non-living material from exposed skin- hence why my suit is so revealing- by transforming the molecular structure of my lipids. In order to create something, though, I need to understand the molecular structure of what the material is made of, which is what this book is for. Also, I can't use too much of my lipids, or I'll be pretty much useless." Momo enthusiastically explained. Thalia smiled.

"Impressive, I can see why you were recommended." Thalia praised, crossing one leg over another. Momo resumed her reinforcement with a smile.

"So, what about you? Some sort of shapeshifting quirk, right?" She prompted.

"Yeah. I can shapeshift one of my limbs or my whole body into whatever biological thing I want, whether it be real or not, as long as I understand the genetic code and characteristics of whatever I'm shifting into." Thalia explained, shifting her hand into a crab's claw and then back. Momo's eyes widened.

"You can change into anything!? I can't even begin to imagine how rare that is! ...I didn't hear you mention a drawback, though." Momo turned and questioned her. Thalia's eyes unfocused.

"Well... I did have a drawback." Thalia's voice sounded different, a little quieter, and her face wasn't visible in the darkness above the ceiling beams.

"Thalia?" Momo questioned, not unaware of the change in atmosphere. Thalia felt like she needed to pay Momo back for the trust she had given her, but elaborating would mean having to bear a rather fresh scar that she wasn't sure she was able to reveal to anyone. "It just makes me tired." She relented. "Iced coffee negates that."

"Wow... Our quirks are so similar. At the same time, opposites." Momo observed as she laid barbed wire along the doorway. Thalia felt a tingle in her chest when she said that.

"Why don't I try to patrol in the shadows while you protect the weapon? I'll get their location while you do defense. I'll come back if you need me, though. Just let me know through the comms!" Thalia suggested, keen on the time. Momo pinched her chin thoughtfully.

"That is a plan... But they'll expect us to separate." Momo replied uncertainly.

"That's probably because it's the best tactic." Thalia rebutted. "We're both pretty strong on our own. We can't underestimate them, but by taking advantage of our split, they would be underestimating us as well. We have comms, as well. If you need me, I can run back up there pretty quickly." Momo nodded, seeming to understand her reasoning.

"Right. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for, you know… Then… While you're down there, you should take this. And see if you can separate them. We'll have a better chance when they're apart." Momo made sure her chest was facing away from the camera in the corner of the wall as she moved the cloth that covered her breasts and she created something with her quirk.

Turning around with her chest covered again, Momo pulled out a huge blanket. Raising an eyebrow, it took Thalia a moment to realize what it was.

"A shock-protection blanket... Smart." Thalia complimented, resulting in Momo's blush. She tossed the blanket to the shapeshifter, who caught it. "Thanks!"

"Oh! We should turn off the power as well. If it's dark, it'll be a lot easier for you, especially if you can turn into a stealthy animal, like a bat or a panther. Plus, if Kaminari was planning to use it, that'll put a wrench in their plans." Momo said. Thalia nodded.

"Sure, I can do a panther. I'm assuming you said so because of its superior stealth, camouflage and night vision?" Replied the girl, a cocky note in her voice. Before Momo could reply, All Might's booming voice resonated throughout the building.

"Team G and Team C, your time starts now! Heroes, enter the building!" Thalia's eyes widened with worry, feeling as if they could've prepared more, but when she looked down at Momo, the girl was wearing a determined expression, and sent her a nod.

Quickly, Thalia shifted with practice, and morphed into a terrifying, powerful black panther. Her earrings hung just past her cheekbones, the other three small hoops visible as well.

She opened her eyes, looked down at her legs, and saw her suit was invisible, just as she had requested. She sent Momo a toothy grin that hopefully wasn't as scary as she thought it would look.

"Wow, Thalia… I won't lie, I'm a little freaked out… My brain knows it's you, but my body is telling me to run…" Momo said, her eyes wide, quivering with fear. Thalia blushed. Oops… I'll bet a panther baring its teeth at you isn't a nice sight…

"Sorry, I'll get out of your hair. Turn off the power when I leave- I'm in contact." Thalia assured the black-haired teen the best she could, though her voice rumbled, leaving the room quickly through the ceiling tiles with a silent leap, so as to not make Momo's nerves any worse than she'd already made them.

What would've been darkness with weaker eyes enveloped her as she gently pawed the tile back into place. Squinting her eyes, she looked around at the open area, seeing where the staircases were on either side. She had to move slowly and carefully, otherwise the tiles would break underneath her.

The almost inaudible hum of power suddenly went silent as she slowly and carefully pawed along the ceiling tiles, her footsteps soundless.

Good. That must've been Momo.

Thalia crept toward where she saw the staircase descended, gliding down the ceiling above with a silent leap, landing with the tiniest thump. She moved further down the hall to a far corner, close to the entrance. She listened for movement, her nose twitching as she tried to locate them based on scents and sounds.

She couldn't hear much, just a few muffled voices and footsteps. They were a bit closer to the weapon than she would have liked. An idea came to her.

"Momo, I'm going to make a distraction- don't be startled. Cover your ears" Thalia warned.

"Okay." Momo responded through the little device in her ear. Thalia muted herself, and took a deep breath, a ground-shaking roar ripping out of her throat.

The footsteps beneath her paused, and the intense, staticky scent of fear quickly reached her nose. She heard some arguing, before they split, footsteps heading in her direction. The scent of Kaminari approached, and she knew exactly what was happening.

"Momo, Jiro's heading toward you." Thalia just barely muttered after unmuting herself, making sure her voice wouldn't be audible to any potential listeners.

"Right!" Momo responded, "Capture Kaminari, I'll handle Jiro…" She paused before speaking again. "That roar… I felt it in my chest!" Thalia chuckled in response and crept along Kaminari's path. Soon enough, she came upon an opening in the ceiling where missing panels exposed the ceiling beams, and she heard the blonde boy's footsteps rounding a corner. He stopped, the scent of fear almost choking.

Thalia stalked him like prey, crouched on a ceiling beam, completely frozen.

"Something tells me this isn't where the weapon is located, Jiro." Kaminari said into his microphone, his expression disturbed.

"Yeah, that's 'cause it isn't! I found Yaoyorozu! Help me capture her, then we can gang up on Dragomir when she gets back." Thalia heard Jiro reply to him with her amplified hearing.

"Okay. On my way." Kaminari replied, turning around and running.

"Oh no you don't." Thalia growled out loud, preparing to pounce. This caught Kaminari off guard, and he turned around with a yelp, wild fear in his golden eyes. She jumped off the ground, pouncing him with a quick movement, a menacing snarl escaping her throat. He let out a girlish scream, hiding beneath his arms. Her enormous paws landed on his chest, his head hitting the ground, hard. She growled at him, the poor guy frozen in fear.

"Kaminari! Kaminari, do you read me!?" Thalia heard Jiro shout. While Kaminari was frozen with fear, she lowered her head to his earpiece, crushing it between her sharp teeth. Kaminari whimpered, his scent almost overwhelming. He was pale, and looked as if he would faint.

Soon enough, she had the traumatized Kaminari wrapped up in capture tape.

"Thalia! Requesting backup!" Momo cried frantically into the mic. Thalia paused to listen, and suddenly got an idea. An idea that would suit her position. She sent Kaminari a terrifying, villainous grin, her sharp teeth bared. Kaminari yelped at the sight, quailing.

"On my way." Thalia replied malevolently, prowling toward Kaminari, a very villain-like idea manifesting in her head.

Thalia burst in through the ceiling, tile and drywall falling around her, the powder attaching itself to her fur. She was just in time to catch Jiro and Momo mid-combat, with Jiro clinging onto a metal pole Momo had created as a weapon, preventing her from moving it.

Thalia held a poor petrified Kaminari up by his jacket, a wicked look in her blue eyes. Their battle stopped as they noticed the two. Thalia raised a claw by Kaminari's face area, ejecting her long, very sharp claws. He yelped, whimpering, comical tears falling down his cheeks.

"Surrender, do-gooder, or I might have to become a felon today." Thalia growled maliciously.

Momo gasped, and Jiro gritted her teeth. Intense silence gripped the room. Momo used the stillness in the room to move slowly in front of the weapon so Jiro didn't try anything.

While she thought Thalia would wait for Jiro's reaction, Thalia used this moment of Jiro's thought to catch her off guard- faster than anyone in the room could process it, Thalia dropped Kaminari- the poor guy screamed as he fell- and she pounced Jiro from across the room, and she hit her head as well. She groaned in pain, and while she was dazed, she wrapped Jiro up in capture tape.

There was silence for a while. Thalia and Momo looked at each other, both panting. Her black-haired companion looked impressed. Kaminari was still terrified, and Jiro looked like she was in shock.

"...T-the villain team wins!" All Might announced, sounding mildly disturbed. Thalia fell back to her normal appearance, stumbling backwards, panting breaths. Nine realms, I am gonna pay for that tomorrow, Thalia thought.

"Th- Thalia, are you ok-"

"Wow, we won!" Thalia straightened and hopped with a cheer, an easy smile on her face. Momo jumped at Thalia's outburst, but she looked cheerful and relieved as well. They high-fived, and Thalia turned around and helped Jiro out of her bonds, giving her a hand.

"Good game, Jiro! Did you hit your head too hard?" Thalia smiled, her blue eyes completely free of whatever malice they held earlier. Jiro blinked and took her hand, returning her smile.

"G- good game." She breathed. "I'm just fine, just tasted the back of my throat." Jiro added with good-natured sarcasm.

When the four returned, Thalia got a lot of fearful and shocked looks from the other students. Even Bakugo looked a little perturbed.

All Might cleared his throat awkwardly, sweatdropping.

"Ochako," Thalia hissed, leaning to her shorter best friend, who leaned back, "did... Did I do something wrong?" She asked, her expression crinkled with worry. Ochako looked back at her, and her expression brightened.

"No, Thali-chan," Ochako whispered back, "you did great! Trust me." She grinned with a thumbs-up. Thalia found herself unable to completely believe her words, but she let herself be assured regardless.

"...Well, let's discuss the match." All Might broke the silence, "The MVP of this match was Dragomir. Can anyone tell me why?" Thalia blushed at the mention, and she felt lots of eyes on her from across the room.

"If I may, sir." Iida raised his hand halfway like he had in the very beginning. The class turned their attention to him, and All Might gave him a nod. "Dragomir changed herself into the best possible form that she knew of for stealth and quick takedowns, and did exactly so, barely even giving the enemy a chance to think. Not only did she embrace her role as I had, she tricked the enemy twice, creating effective diversions each time. While Kaminari and Jiro had a good strategy at the beginning, it was foolish to split up and go solo against opponents who had the advantage. Kaminari didn't have a chance against Dragomir, and should've recognized that from the start. Jiro did well in her battle against Yaoyorozu, though she allowed herself to be caught off guard and taken advantage of. Kaminari also made this mistake, letting fear take hold of his ability to think, therefore his reflexes did not work fast enough to catch Dragomir in time- and was therefore used against Jiro, which ended up in her capture.

"Yaoyorozu did well on this trial as well, and would've done better as well as the other two would have if they knew each others' capabilities and limits. Yaoyorozu also did not let herself embrace the villainy she could have, as there were many opportunities she could have taken when fighting Jiro if she had sunk to a villainous level as Dragomir had. Dragomir took every advantage she could and truly accepted the role of a villain, even sinking to their level when she used Kaminari against Jiro. And unlike Bakugo, she was actually acting. And unlike me, she did well."

"Don't say that, you were a pretty convincing villain, Iida." Thalia could only respond with a deflection out of embarrassment at the elaborate analysis of her actions. Maybe she shouldn't be so rude to him, even if he is a goody-two shoes.

All Might paled at the observant boy- he was much like Momo, and had analyzed every match just as she had, if not better than All Might himself had analyzed the match.

"W-well done, Young Iida. You four all did a great job."

"Thank you, sir." Iida stepped back.

"Young Dragomir, you did use Young Kaminari against Young Jiro when he was already out of the game, but nonetheless, you and Young Yaoyorozu won the match. Now! Onto the next one!" All Might declared.

Thalia looked at poor Kaminari who was still shivering as the students returned to their regular positions. She slowly approached the boy, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but didn't pull away, raising his eyebrow, his body language closed up.

"Kaminari-kun, about practice-"

"D-don't worry about it, Dragomir-kun." Kaminari quickly interrupted, turning away. Thalia immediately felt awful.

"Well, I'm worrying about it." Thalia said firmly. He finally made eye contact with her, looking confused. He looked less fearful, since she wasn't looking at him with malevolent eyes, and instead with gentle, azure ones.

"I'm sorry I attacked you like that. I know we were playing villains, but that was a little much. I got carried away. I'm sorry." She apologized to him. Relief flooded her when he smiled back, but surprised her with a wail and tears.

"Please never, never do that again!" Kaminari cried. She would probably appear in his nightmares.

After the last few battles, the class was grouped in front of All Might who stood before the entrance to the school.

"That's a wrap! Super work! You really stepped up to the plate! And we didn't have any major injuries besides Midoriya. You should be proud! Excellent first day of training, all around!"

Midoriya. She wanted to see him before she left, and see if he was recovering okay. Ochako would definitely be with her to see him, so she wouldn't have to worry about that.

"It's nice to hear some encouraging words after our homeroom class. Mr. Aizawa was kind of a buzzkill." Asui stated, the class nodding in agreement. Thalia flinched when All Might exploded in speech.

"I'm happy to bring such staggering positivity to my alma mater! That's all for now, folks! I should go and check on Young Midoriya's progress. Now, watch how a pro exits- like he's got somewhere to be!" Thalia didn't even get a chance to ask him if she could come- he sped down the hall.

"Okay, you guys, now that is a hero!" Kaminari said, awe lacing his tone. He seemed to recover nicely, which was a relief.

"Aw, I'll never be able to run that fast." Ojiro said glumly, swishing his tail.

She had to get through her afternoon classes worried about the green-haired boy. During the last class, Thalia made light chatter before heading home as she waited for Ochako to come back with the textbooks she was retrieving when the door opened to reveal a battered and roughed-up Midoriya, his arm in a cast. Thalia's posture eased with relief. Kirishima turned from their conversation to look at the door.

"Hey, it's Midoriya! Good to see ya back, super!" The class crowded him, resulting in his gasp. "Ha! Man, I don't know what you were saying during that match, but you were all fired up, huh?"

"You did great, Midoriya, I'm glad you're alright." Thalia offered her encouragement with everyone else.

"I can't believe you held your own against Bakugo! He's super strong!" Sero gushed.

"You did a great job dodging!" Mina cheered, hopping.

"You guys really turned up in the first match, so none of us held back in our rounds either!" Sato said.

"Yeah, no kidding! You should've seen Dragomir's match! She made Kaminari piss his pants!" Kirishima joked. Unfortunately for Kaminari, he wasn't in the room yet to deny that fact.

Midoriya looked around, blushing and smiling nervously. While they gushed, Thalia stood by Ojiro and Jiro, deciding she should talk to the green-haired boy once she had the chance. She was just happy he was alright.

"So noisy..." Thalia heard Tokoyami mutter next to her.

"To-ko-yami! Stop using that desk as a chair! Get off it this instant!" Iida shouted at the bird-man, waving his arms everywhere in chopping motions, causing Thalia to snort.

"Dude, you need to chill." Jiro told him calmly, putting a hand on her hip. Iida seemed shocked by her words.

"You're carrying a lot of tension," Ojiro pointed out, sweatdropping.

"No one understands." Iida said glumly, slumping. Thalia put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I cannot condone actions that disrespect these desks!" He erupted suddenly. Thalia quickly jumped behind Ojiro, causing him to sweatdrop, "Not when great men and women, our upperclassmen, once used them!"

"Also noisy." Tokoyami simply condemned him with his opinion.

Having moved away from the door, it gave room for Kaminari and Ochako to walk in with a stack of books. The yellow-haired boy asked her something that was immediately disregarded once Ochako noticed Midoriya, running over to him. Midoriya, however, had his eyes on Bakugo's normal seat, and his face crinkled when he noticed its vacancy. With purpose, he turned and exited the classroom. Thalia narrowed her eyes and followed, an odd feeling in her chest. Ochako gave her a questioning look as Thalia walked past her.

"I'm just gonna make sure no fights break out. Don't worry, I'll make sure Bakugo doesn't hurt him." Thalia answered Ochako's silent question- the others were sure to hear it as well. She followed his footsteps down the stairs and through the halls, past the shoe lockers and through the main entrance. He must've been too focused on his mission to notice her running after him. She stopped at the door and hid just behind the door frame. Midoriya shouted for him, causing Bakugo to stop in his tracks.

She morphed her ears into cat ears so she could tell what they were saying. Eavesdropping is bad, she knows it, but there was a noble purpose behind her actions, so she disregarded any questions of her morality in her mind.

"What?" Bakugo didn't seem happy to see Midoriya, his voice drawn out and angry. That made Midoriya stop in his tracks.

"I have to tell you something." Midoriya began, his head hanging.

Is he gay? Thalia thought, staring ahead, confused.

"Maybe then, you'll understand what's been going on. I wasn't hiding my quirk from you. It was given to me by someone else. Recently." Thalia's heart stopped, and dread rained on her as her eyes widened. "Given"? Could it be..?

"But I couldn't tell you who I got it from, so don't ask!" He quickly added. Suspicious. Midoriya wouldn't work with a man like him, would he..?

"Sounds crazy, I know. It's like something out of a comic book. Only it's real. The thing is, I don't really have any control over this power yet. I haven't figured out how to make it my own, but I'm trying. That's why I didn't wanna use it against you in the exercise. But in the end, it was the only chance I had at winning." Thalia's brows furrowed in worry when she saw Bakugo's face contorting in anger.

"I've still got a lot to learn," Midoriya continued, "I know that. That's why I'm here. You'll see. I'll work until I have full control of this borrowed quirk. And I'll finally beat you with my own power!" He shouted the last part. Thalia winced. He had a lot of nerve. What in the nine realms could be their relationship?

"How dumb do you think I am?" Bakugo replied lowly. He sounded pissed, as usual, but... there was some emotion behind it that was prevalent in his voice. He turned around.

"'Borrowed power'? Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. You already made a fool outta me in that damn training exercise. So?" His shaky voice raised at the last word. Thalia's heart clenched. He sounded close to tears.

"Did you come here to rub it in? I lost! And to make matters worse, it was to you. I even came in second in the exam, to some... some girl," Thalia's eyebrows furrowed at the way he turned his head aside when he mentioned her, "but that's not enough! When I was watching that ice guy, and that girl that beat me in the entrance exam, I realized I couldn't beat either of them in a head-to-head fight!" He grabbed his head. Thalia's eyes were widened in disbelief. I don't think I could beat him in a head on fight… His judgment must be clouded… I thought he was egotistical, where did this come from?

"Shit! I even agreed with what that chick said! My attack was so stupid! Dammit! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" He threw his hands down. Thalia could hear the raw emotion pouring out of his being, and she bit her lip. The anger returned to his tone.

"Enjoy that win, Deku!" Thalia could finally see his eyes- tears brimmed the edges. "You won't get another! I'm just getting started! Got that?! I'm gonna end up the number one hero, no matter what!" He turned around again, walking away, wiping his tears. "Don't even try."

"There you are!" Thalia heard All Might roar, making her cringe behind the door. "Baku-go! I found you!" His enormous frame stood over Bakugo with ease. "Just so you know, pride is an important attribute to have. But while you certainly have the abilities to become a pro hero, there's still plenty you have to learn!" Awful timing, Uncle Toshi.

"Let go of me, All Might." Bakugo growled. "Right now. Save your speeches. I'll be more famous than you, and I'll do it without your help." With that, the ash blonde walked away. All Might let go as he did, sweatdropping.

"Uh... right."

Thalia felt awful she had just heard all of that. Her intention was to prevent any fighting from happening, but… That felt wrong. Invasive. But… She frowned. Did Midoriya... get his power from... All For One? She ran inside with purpose, shifting her ears back, grabbed her skateboard, ran to the classroom, grabbed her backpack before anyone could stop her or say anything, and ran to the bathroom, changing out of her clothes and throwing them in her bag, shoving her skateboard in there as well. She shifted into a hawk, flying out the building with her backpack.

"Mom!" Thalia squawked, coming in through an open window. She dropped her backpack. Ivan was out with a few friends, Nash wasn't back, and Elmla was napping. Ljufvina looked up from the computer, her silvery-purple hair tied up in a bun, tangled in her magnificent antlers, thick-rimmed blue light blocking glasses sitting atop her nose, sitting at the computer desk. Hero work wasn't only physical, she was busy writing up reports of villains she'd taken down.

"Yes, honey- is everything okay? Did something happen?" Ljufvina asked, concerned, when she saw Thalia's panicked appearance and ruffled feathers. "Hey, you're getting feathers everywhere, calm down! What's wrong?"

"M-Midoriya- one of my classmates- he mentioned a 'borrowed quirk', I-I-I think he works for All For One!" Thalia choked out of her fear. Ljufvina's gaze darkened, though she seemed uncertain.

"Are you sure?" Ljufvina asked, her tone grim. Thalia's small hawk head nodded frantically.

"Yes, the way he talked about it, it was as if it were a new quirk, like he hadn't had it all his life, and he has no control over it!" She explained. Ljufvina bit her cheek, furrowing her brows, her eyes contested, as if she were mentally debating something.

"If I tell you this, will you keep it quiet?" Ljufvina asked her daughter. Thalia nodded solemnly, ready for truth.

edited 11•10•21

edited 11•19•24

reviews

iwannagotomars: and i quote, "she would probably appear in his nightmares."
you know, i was gonna edit that out, but you convinced me to keep it in. also, i fuck with your username

guest: I hope to see more soon
and so you shall my friend

M: Love this! Amazing chapter! Happy to see Thalia interact and comfort the students! She is very affectionate! Love how detailed her combat was! I did not see that last scene coming! I was getting worried! Glad her mom will explain! Looking forward to the next chapter!
you are a beacon of positivity and i love you and thank you so much

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