From that day, he never again saw Haruki. Not within the bustling chamber of the Cafeteria nor the long, ever-twisting halls of U.A. It wasn't hard, though, for that to happen. The Quirkless were never paragons whose presence could be felt throughout; they found it easier, in fact, to sink away into obscurity. The only reason Izuku's school days had been anything but that was due to his insistence at becoming a Hero, his habit of butting himself into other people's problems.
He tried to find her in Haruki class, once. That proved fruitless. Leaving was always a quicker thing than arriving.
After that, the week went by in what felt like only a day. Saturday, coincidentally, was a holiday that Izuku could scarcely remember the name of. Naturally, he wanted to use it to train in Frieren's home, but then thought better of it. It wasn't everyday that Izuku could spend precious time with his mom—even Sunday offered no rest for her—so he did just that.
When the much awaited Sunday came around, he forced his worries away and Izuku once again took off towards Frieren's abode. He was dropped in front of her cottage, his body wrought wet by the heavy rain pattering the earth. Looking forward, he first noticed a barrier—separate from Trieben—encompassing a swath of the land, the rain trickling its surface uselessly before sliding down in bulbous droplets. Within it was Frieren, dressed in her usual mage attire, smiling pleasantly as she watched him.
Izuku took many strides towards her, his eyes wide as they regarded the barrier with flickering glances, and took another step forward. It felt like slime, bunching up around him, though it did little as obstruction. Fortunately, it ended quicker, and Izuku returned her smile.
"What's the spell?" He asked.
"Sperrung," she answered, "a handy one. It serves to block out anything I want to; for now, it's only rain."
"An off-shoot of Trieben, hm?"
"Indeed." Her eyes glittered. "You remember."
He nodded, his chin slightly jutting up. "What are we learning today?" He asked again as he opened his palm, motes of light gathering into a solid staff. The silver gave off a dangerous sheen. He said nothing, knowing his action already did the work of his words.
"You're a fast learner." He openly beamed at her words. "Flight it is, then. You've always wanted to learn that one."
He nodded, chuckling. "Besides, I don't want to have to get picked up by your scarecrows every time I go here. It's an interesting feeling though not a very pleasant one." Then, a softer smile took control of his lips. "And… it always felt amazing. You know, soaring through the clouds, looking at the world from the eyes of a bird. I'm always so fond of it. It's something that…" His smile twitched, the curve thinning into an almost straight line. "I could have never experienced before you found me."
Frieren patted his shoulder, flicking her head to the side. "Let's not waste any more time, then." However, he stood there in still silence, like a statue, as his features deepened into a frown.
"…Sensei? Can I ask you something?"
"You're always open to." She said, turning to him with brows furrowed. Her eyes tried to meet his but they would always flicker away.
"What do you think of…" Izuku looked away into the distance, into the shadowed trees, peppered with falling rain. His lids fell down, switching off all the light in the world. It was only him now… him and his thoughts.
He didn't want to displease his teacher. After everything he achieved because of her, that was the last way he wanted to reward her with. But every day, his mind would always return to that Monday evening, to a face familiar to him in more ways than one. A miserable face; a lonely face; a fearful face. That day, he found his kin, yet he knew Haruki could never find that in him.
She was powerless. He was no longer.
But that could change, could it not?
With his eyes still turned away, he whispered, "…of teaching someone else magic."
Yet in spite of that, she heard him. Her expression instantly contorted into a frown. "You know my answer to that. Where is this coming from?"
"It's personal." He had half a mind to just stop there, already regretting his decision to even ask. But he pushed through after some seconds. "…I saw someone at school. She reminded me of my roots, back when I was still Quirkless. Being Quirkless in a regular school like Aldera is already bad enough; there's no doubt that it'd be worse in U.A." After all, it was a hub of Hero Society, where everyone held Heroes and Quirks on a towering pedestal.
Hearing this, her frown softened into a merely displeased expression. "I understand. I'll think on it. For now, we really should start your training."
In the end, her answer did not arrive that day. Izuku sighed, letting his cheek sink into his table as his heart further rustled the longer he had to wait.
"…"
Why did he have to go and ask her that? What if she stopped teaching him because of it?
"…to…"
Was that such a ridiculous thought? After all, she has long already made it clear to him how much she wanted to make magic a thing between only the both of them. His mother knew the most out of everyone else, and even she remained blissfully unaware on the subject of Frieren's teaching.
"Ear… to Izu…"
On the other hand, magic was not as dire as a need for Inko than it is for Haruki. His old self would have done anything to be able to live like the current Izuku. 'The same can be said for any Quirkless person.' He realized, his gaze searing into the Cafeteria window, carpeted by rain.
"Earth to Izuku!"
He was jolted out of his thoughts, blinking in surprise as he turned to Uraraka. She appeared well and truly annoyed. "It took me four times yelling just to get your attention! Four!" The air left her chest with a sighing note. "What were you thinking about, anyway?"
"Ah, uhm…" He looked around the Cafeteria, hoping to find some random topic that way for some reason. Yet somehow, as he spotted Lunch Rush—U.A.'s resident five-star chef in his getup—he did find one. "I was just thinking of the costume I commissioned." He waved his hand casually. "Nothing special."
Hagakure's eyes snapped wide… probably. "Oh? We were just talking about that, actually. Turns out you weren't ignoring us."
"Eh, really?" His surprise quickly came out of impulse. He coughed into his fist. "Uh, I mean… yeah, I was paying attention."
"What's your costume like?" Hagakure asked. Before there was a chance for him to answer, she was already speaking. "Mine's super cool, actually. It's made from the same composition or whatever as my hair, so it's able to go invisible with me!"
"You already said that many times, Hagakure." Iida remarked with a tone of half-exasperation, a quarter irritation, and the rest was left to boredom.
"Just in case Izuku didn't hear me!"
"Well, I hear you now." Izuku just tilted his head. "As for mine… it's a secret." He said with a finger pushed against his lips.
Uraraka groaned audibly, gaining her some looks from the other tables. "You're the seventh person I've asked to say that! Seventh! And including you three, I've only asked ten! Ten!"
Iida hummed, tilting up his glasses with a finger. "Perhaps they wish to prolong the surprise?"
"Or maybe they're too embarrassed to tell." Hagakure added, her voice thin, as if she was sharing juicy gossip.
"It doesn't matter, anyway." Izuku shrugged. "Everyone's gonna walk out in their costumes during Foundational Heroics class."
A cluster of agreeable mutterings echoed across the table. Eyes flickering over his friends' features, Izuku noticed how they pursed their lips. A sign of their nervousness, he recognized. "I'm sure it'll be fine," he decided to say, "it's our first time. It won't be that stressful."
Uraraka pouted indignantly. "Sure didn't sway Aizawa-sensei last week."
"I'm sure it'll be fine this time around." He tried to make his voice confident, but he wasn't sure if it worked. He certainly felt a lingering doubt fester in his chest. Though, another look across the table told him that his friends seemed reassured—or at least not as apprehensive—and he was happy enough with that.
"Let's talk about something else," he continued, "like… uhm…" he breathed, unsure, but the initiative was fortunately taken away by the others.
"The First Ashes?" Iida offered, his face marred by a frown. His words were almost immediately answered by a concordant refusal from Izuku and Hagakure. It wasn't hard to understand why.
The First Ashes, supposedly a huge wave of—accurate to its namesake—ash that often linger around countries for months at a time. One of the few natural phenomena on earth that holds no concrete explanation behind it. It was quite the magical thing, Izuku thought, as it seemed to move with a will of its own, following no monsoons or wind formations. A very troubling thing, as well, especially since it often predominates the Western part of the world. The closest it came to hitting Japan was a few centuries ago, largely when it hovered over Indonesia a century ago, but even then, none of it was spotted from Japan's shores. Japan has been free of it from what felt like the beginning.
Until now.
Which was why the nation's citizens were in a scramble. A small few just decided to take a long, long vacation for when it arrived, but most wanted to supply their homes with a wide manner of specific equipment that is already considered the norm in the West. Not so much in Japan, so prices have been less than stellar. Izuku and Hagakure's families, in particular, found it to be a difficult time, though for different reasons.
"Um… are you two struggling to find the equipment?" Uraraka asked. To that, Hagakure shook her head, but Izuku nodded. The brown-haired girl's eyes visibly lit up. "Oh! O-Okay, okay, let's try talking about it after we get back home."
Iida blinked, as if suddenly remembering something. A smile decorated his lips. "Have any of you watched Gattaca? It's a real ancient film, but there's a remake out right now."
"Oh! I've watched it." Izuku said, his smile soft. "I loved it. I've watched it four times already with my mom."
To his side, Uraraka nodded eagerly. "Mhm! I love it as well… though probably not as much as you." She giggled towards a blushing Izuku. "I've only watched it once."
"Oh, uhm…" Hagakure fidgeted. "I haven't heard of it. What's it—"
"You haven't?" Uraraka blurted out with widened eyes. "It was booming so much on my socials!"
"No, I haven't heard of it." Replied the invisible girl with a soddened tone.
An awkward silence weighed over their table. Iida had his lips pursed, while Uraraka's smile seemed just a bit strained. It's been like this for the past few days, after all, whenever they got together in school. It wasn't like their chemistry didn't match… at least, without Hagakure in the mix. She was exciting to talk to at first, like many people were, but the more time that passed, the more they saw that they simply didn't match.
Izuku quickly schooled his thoughts. She was still part of their group. At that moment, Izuku glanced over to his phone. There was still a little above half an hour left before their recess ended.
Splendid.
"I'm…" Hagakure muttered, slowly getting up from her seat. She gazed at them; as it was, all three sat on the sofa across the table from her. "I'm heading to the toilet." She said before leaving, nary another word.
The girl occupied the toilet for close to half an hour before she returned. When she did, it was with an excuse—the bathroom had filled up more than usual, apparently—before her gait turned quiet, more mute than simply being silent. At that point, there was only a few minutes left, which the trio used to return to class as they nursed their guilt. Hagakure followed them back with a wide berth between.
The class rang abound with hubbub. Thankfully so, as it was a useful tool to distract them from their thoughts. Izuku plopped down onto his seat, somehow feeling mentally exhausted. He looked around then went still as he noticed Yaoyorozu, pouring over that thick book of hers, with the digital watch still looped around her wrist.
Just as she marked another page green, he asked, "Have you eaten, Yaoyorozu-san?"
"I have." Was her curt reply. She then stopped, glanced up at him, "Mine was homemade," then turned back her focus on her book.
Izuku nodded. He knew his mother wanted to do the same, but with the added cost of the equipment in preparation for the First Ashes, she found it hard-pressed to do so. He was hopeful that Uraraka had a solution, though, whatever it was. "Your parents are nice," he complimented.
Her right eye imperceptibly twitched. "Yeah. They are."
Before he could question her odd reaction, he heard a loud gnash near the entrance. Twisting, he felt little surprise to see Bakugo enter the classroom with a ruffled appearance and a hint of soot stuck to his cheek. He turned, red eyes bent in a silent snarl as he walked towards Izuku before sitting down, not regarding the green-haired boy at all. Izuku sniffed, his nose stinging as a singed smell wafted into them. Just another one of 1-A's quirks.
Ever since the start of last week, even, he's stuck to that routine—be the first to leave during recess and the last to come back in that disheveled state. Not long after he walked in, Kirishima—the red-haired boy who had tried to befriend Bakugo—followed after. He was in a much worse state, his forearms marred with erratic black spots, as if he had taken a massive beating; nevertheless, that grin latched onto his face even more stubbornly than the soot. He only started joining in Bakugo's routine yesterday on Monday.
"That was a good one!" Kirishima exclaimed, offering his hand for a dap. It went ignored, like it always did. "Same thing yesterday, Bakubro?"
"I'm not your friend, you damn extra." Bakugo growled. "You're only as good as a punching bag," the blond boy then aimed a scathing glare before he sat down, as silent and as searing as molten rock.
Kirishima frowned deeply but said nothing. He merely shook his head, turning to head back to his seat near Ashido—the girl with horns and pink skin—where she proceeded to fuss all over him. They were quickly entangled in a conversation too hushed for Izuku to hear and he wasn't about to lean closer.
The din of the bell soon pierced through the hubbub, sending the students in a scramble. They sat down, lips sewed shut.
Soon, Aizawa walked in. He rubbed the dark circles under his eyes, scanned the students intently, then his tongue smacked against his roof for one reason or another. "Could be faster," was all he had to say. He simply shrugged off a few frustrated groans. He went on to sit behind his desk, took out a laptop from underneath, and not a moment later, a rapid series of harsh clicks echoed throughout the otherwise silent class.
"Uh… Yo teach?" Kaminari mumbled, his tone several pitches too high. At least it got the man's attention, even laced with annoyance.
"What?"
"Ah, when are we gonna start class, ya know?" He chuckled nervously. When he did not answer, the student just said, "Uh… It's Heroics class now, right? Like, I didn't miss the memo?"
"You did miss the memo, ya dunderhead." Jiro shook her head in mock disbelief from where she sat in front of him. "Did you not read the group chat?"
"Uh… no." He said, sheepishly scratching his nape.
Jiro sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" Ignoring the boy's exaggerated gasp of offense, she continued. "Aizawa-sensei just said it's gonna be a special guest and that the lesson will be held in Ground Beta. Dunno who. Dunno where that even is. Just know it's not the teach and that it's not gonna be here."
"So who's gonna be the Heroics teacher?"
Hearing this, a sharp exhale blew out her nose. She twisted to look over her shoulder, "Did you not hear what I said—" only to be greeted with a smug grin from him. She grumbled as she turned back, though a small smile had wormed its way to her face. "Unbelievable."
As Kaminari looked at her with that infuriating smirk of his, he opened his lips—
BANG!
The door suddenly slammed open alongside a blur, sending a heavy gust of wind blowing through the class. Their now tousled hair was only matched by their eyes, wide and bewildered. When they saw who it was that had entered, however, that bewilderment only grew, now accompanied by a rush of something new—pure, unadulterated… awe.
The two tall tufts of sunny hair, protruding like antennas; the huge, muscled body, donning a colorful suit that shone against the dark blackboard; and the wide, toothy grin, brimming with confidence that loomed as high as a sheer cliff. There could only be one person in the world whose description matched the pillar who now stood in front of them.
The Pillar of Heroes. The Symbol of Peace.
All-Might.
Izuku had to cover his ears to shield himself from the sudden onslaught of noises, echoing like the din of a great bell high up in the solitude of the mountains. Only, Izuku was pretty sure he wasn't anywhere close to being alone. 'Was I always this loud?' He was surprised by his own thoughts. 'I've spent too much time around Frieren-sensei. Not that I'm ever complaining.' It took All-Might himself to calm down the bright-eyed crowd, and even then, it wasn't completely effective; there was still a steady clamor.
Kaminari looked around then took off the headphone he had stuck to cover Jiro's ears. "This good enough for ya?"
The girl nodded appreciatively. "Y-Yeah. Still heard a bit of the starting hollering but I'll be fine." She said as she massaged her forehead. She smiled at Kaminari. "Thanks a lot, though. You were quick to react."
"Ya should expect no less from the lightning-quick Kaminari!" Jiro simply chuckled at his words, nodding along with it.
"Now!" All-Might began, clasping his palms together, silencing the class. "You might be wondering why I am here." He paused, letting the laughs from his pun expire. "Of course, I will be your Heroics teacher. That is obvious by now. However, the reason I am not already at Ground Beta is because I am here," the laughs from that were more muted though still present, "to deliver you something I am sure you've been waiting for. Your Hero costumes!" Before he even finished his words, All-Might pressed the single buttoned remote he held.
Four robots thrummed into the class on their tank-like legs. Their armless bodies were laden with layers of protective plates, the lights gleaming off of their smooth surface. They turned so that their sides faced the Heroes in training, where five compartments slid out with a smooth wheeze. Each of them were numbered in accordance with the twenty students that made up 1-A. This was, of course, met with an excited chorus from them. A few were even already standing up.
"Not yet, not yet!" All-Might chuckled, pressing a button so that the compartments slid back inside their larger body. A disappointed echo rang through their throats. "You will all wear this when you've arrived at Ground Beta! Let this be your first lesson under me: a test of patience!"
"Fine…" Muttered an exasperated voice, though with the frown that adorned all their faces, it may as well have originated from all of them.
All-Might nodded, still donning his wide smile. "Let's not dilly-dally any longer, then!" He said with a quick spin of his heel, running out the door in a gust of wind. Chairs simultaneously scraped against the tiled floor as students and robots alike struggled to catch up with the Hero.
In the end, there was only Aizawa, smiling for once. "Finally. Peace and quiet."
The bus tore through the downpour, traveling under the darkened sky. Thunder fell into the distant horizon in wild, branching arcs of light and might. A few were deterred, wondering how they were going to proceed with the test under such a heavy storm. Yaoyorozu assured them, however, saying that greater rains usually pass by quicker, not even to mention that the storm has went on for quite a while already. With that, they indulged in other topics, filling the vehicle with a cacophony of voices.
"Why did you let Bakugo push you around like that, anyway?" Sero asked in a thin tone, close to a whisper, as he sat on the very end of the bus. The aforementioned blond was on the other side of it. "How are you not angry?"
Kirishima looked up and heaved out a sigh. "I… Even I'm annoyed, to be truthful. But I can attest that Bakubro's one strong guy and I didn't want to waste the chance to improve my toughness."
Sitting beside him, Ashido clicked her tongue. When he turned to her, she looked away, her lips sealed tight. To his credit, he tried to assuage her worries. "It'll be fine, Mina. You know how tough I am."
She quickly rolled her eyes. "Ugh. It's totes annoying to see, still. Like- like," she gesticulated, "am I supposed to be fine with my buddy getting treated like that? Like," she rolled her eyes again, "no. No. No. No! The only reason I'm not saying anything is 'cause you told me not to." She folded her arms together, her mood utterly soured. Even the prospect of the upcoming Heroics lesson did little to sway her.
Kirishima stared at her with a soft smile. "How about I treat you to ice cream?" Her ears perked up. "Lemon-flavored?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her black sclera. "Triple the stack?" She licked her lips, closed her eyes tightly. "With some… okra and natto after?"
"Are you, like, serious?" Ashido snapped towards him with her eyelids spread wide.
"Not a single joking bone in my body." He tilted his head, trying his best to frown as he kept his lips in a straight line. "For now."
"Deal." She offered a hand.
"Deal." He said with nary a smile. Then he grinned, quipped something dry, and they laughed together.
Nestled in between the middle and the back of the bus, Uraraka watched them with a subtle curve to her lips. She turned to Iida, then leaned forward to see Izuku, who had been largely hidden by the bespectacled boy's tall frame. "Hey. Hey. Wanna eat together after school?" The two, of course, quickly agreed. She then glanced across the walkway to the seat in front of her. "How about you, Toru-chan?" She asked, already knowing the answer before it came.
"Sorry… I can't. I need to be at home."
Izuku tilted down his head, trying not to look at Hagakure. He knew he couldn't see her face, but he didn't want to think of what it could possibly seem like right now. Instead, he occupied himself with the thought of someone else—All-Might. Never in his wildest dreams did Izuku expect to have the man as his teacher… but reality often didn't suit expectations, and this one only brought more questions to the table. 'What about his time limit? Wouldn't that reduce the amount he can spend out there, rescuing people, as is his usual habit? Since when was he an avid teacher? He only had one sidekick, but even then—'
"We've arrived!" Uraraka's grinned, her voice dripping with unconfined excitement. Broken out of his thoughts, Izuku turned to look at the fuss.
Indeed, the bus was driving into the drop-off zone in front of a towering iron gate, large bolts adorning its edges. Surrounding it were slabs of weathered concrete, as high as the gate, while taller buildings loomed behind the walls. It bore a striking resemblance to the testing sites that harbored U.A.'s Entrance Exams. However, as the students trailed off the bus and the double gates grunted open, Izuku realized a stark difference against the testing site he's already been to. It was very much a mock city, after all, consisting of only buildings and the bare minimum of street furnishings. Ground Beta, however, truly resembled a civic vista. Vivid green trees bloated at the seams between neighboring buildings, with benches and lampposts and fire hydrants dotting the sidewalks. As his mana sense rubbed around, he even picked up on an active water network underneath. He had a hard time differentiating the natural mana that filled dead objects, but likely due to how often he's interacted with it, water has appeared much more distinct.
The students proceeded to make their way into the city, all the while shielded from the rain by umbrella-wielding robots. Kaminari whistled. "U.A.'s budget gotta be insane… How do ya' even go about making stuff like this?"
"It's helped by Cementoss-sensei, most likely." Jiro replied with a shrug.
They were led to a pair of buildings a slice shorter than the others yet, in return, it was wider than most. A walled off bridge sprouted from the middle and connected these two. Of them both, the class entered the one on their right, hiking up stairs until they came to a wide space which would have taken up several floors. So much so, that the room dotting the middle of it all appeared more like a small building within a megastructure. A door, as tall as the one leading to their homeroom, was embedded into it, while four robots were neatly lined up beside it.
One of them spoke up in a static, mechanical voice. "Please change into your Hero costumes in the room to your left." It said, their bodies whirring as several cabinets slid out.
Toru Hagakure waited until everyone had changed and left before she finally stripped down to her birthday suit. Even if she was invisible, she wasn't much comfortable doing so in front of the others. Due to this, she walked out last, decked in a simple costume—lime-colored and skintight. What little embellishments, if you could count it that, were her blizzard blue gloves and her light-brown boots.
She dragged her gaze over the crowd, noticing how several were gathered around a mop of mossy hair.
Izuku bore the ensemble of a mage, ripped straight out of the pages of old. For the first layer, he wore a dark-green shirt tucked into white cargo pants. A white blanket draped over him in great tides, like a poncho, only without a hood and wrapped around his entire body barring his chest. It started from a high collar, clasped by a small, bright blue orb, then flared downwards until it brushed against his knees. The edges of the cape and collar were frayed by bold lines covered in the same shade as his shirt. The sides of the cloth—the parts resting over his shoulders—was adorned by much of the same sight. Resting atop his head was the white, brimmed hat of a mage. A blue gem was embedded in the center while red plume bursted from the top, splayed down past the brim and hanging over his vision. The only siblings to it were his vivid crimson boots—he seemed to always wear those—and the tiny feather attached to his staff by the ribbon.
"It's so cute!" Uraraka smiled, her form slinking around his in amazement. Several others eagerly nodded their heads in agreement.
"Y-Yours is cute, too, Uraraka." Izuku said as he tried his best to steer his gaze away from her form.
"Heheh, thanks!" She leaned back as she did a quick twirl. "I'm proud of my design!" It bore an obvious resemblance to an astronaut's suit but, just as clearly, were tweaked to appear a lot cuter, especially with its main color scheme being pink and black.
"And yours…" Izuku snapped his head to the side when the girl walked in front of him. Instead, he saw Iida's. "…is great. Reminds me of- ah, who am I kidding?" He chuckled. "You definitely copied your brother's look, didn't you?" The bespectacled teen sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, his knightly helmet held tight in one arm.
They weren't the only ones lavished with attention. After all, all of their costumes made them look unique...
'Not mine, though.' Toru thought sourly. 'It's bland. But it's effective.' Still, maybe her friends would have something else to say.
Yet again, her gaze returned to the three students. They were laughing, their lips spread wider than anything she's seen lately. Her steps began to slow until they went frigid. Her gloved fists curled tightly.
She kept her distance, staring deeply at Izuku's back.
Feeling a gaze pierce him, Izuku turned to look behind him. His eyes flickered over the pale windows, the plaster peeling off of the concrete walls, but alas, he was greeted with no one.
His thoughts were quickly interrupted by a screeching creak as the door was opened, letting out a gush of cold air. Through the opening, he could see a dim room lit only by what appeared to be a massive television. A huge shadow of a person stood there, silhouetted by the rays, the arms holding the waist. All-Might, Izuku recognized easily enough. Without waiting any further, 1-A walked inside the chilling chamber in a concordant buzz of excitement. When they all had entered, the lights far overhead were brought to life, brushing away the murk that clouded much of their vision. The room, besides the large screen, was littered with sofas and a table filled with drinks and snacks.
"Welcome, everyone! It appears you are all here!" As All-Might's words were met with wiry smiles, the man clasped his hands together. "Great costumes, I must say! But let us not waste any more time, shall we?"
Hearing his words, their eyes quickly grew serious. This was it.
"Often, you would see Heroes in action out on the street, yes? That is where most of the general public sees these. But do any of you know where crimes more often occur?"
As Yaoyorozu's raised hand was met with a nod, she said, "Indoors. Criminals wish to keep their acts private."
"Correct, milady! Fortunately, today we are here," Many of the students stared at him dryly. Yaoyorozu had a lightly fond smile to her lips, "to learn more about the sort of tactics they usually employ! Before that, as they often say, action speaks louder than words, so what better way to learn than to jump right into the frying pan!"
The Hero proceeded to explain how the lesson would be done. First, the students would be split into ten teams with each consisting of two members—this would be luck based, provided through a box where students would pull from. Of those ten teams, half would be given the role of Heroes, while the other half would be Villains. This would make a total of 5 matches throughout the day.
Secondly, the situation at play has the Villains confined in a building with a mock bomb—they would use the one right beside them, across the bridge—while the Heroes are supposed to charge in. The former had the objective of either defeating the Heroes or stalling until their bomb "exploded", which would take 15 minutes; the latter would have to defeat the Villains or capture the bomb before time ran out. Every student was given capture tapes.
A few were, understandably, daunted at what they heard.
"A-Ah…" Koda raised up a shaky hand. "I-I, uh," his gaze flickered here and there, unable to meet his teacher in the eye, "was… w-wondering i-i-if th-" he gulped.
"He means to ask whether or not this seems… unrealistic, given our inexperience." Ojiro spoke up. The other boy looked down, appearing pathetically small despite his rather bulky stature.
All-Might simply nodded as he offered Koda a warm smile. "I understand where that could come from. However, rest assured. It may sound a bit much but in practice, in the heat of the moment, your worries will go out the window." The boy didn't seem too convinced, but nevertheless, he gave a nod.
"Thank you…" He murmured, his breath soothed by the Hero's smile.
The students each pulled from the box of mysteries with bated breaths. Soon, when they've paired up with their partners and had their share of reactions—some were more eager than others, while the subject of that eagerness felt mere indifference—they returned to stand in front of All-Might. The man wasted little time to start speaking.
"Without further ado, let's begin! And remember…" His lips widening greatly, the greatest Hero pumped his fist high into the air. "…do your best! Plus Ultra!"
Within the dark confines of the audience chamber, the students lounged about on the plush cushions of their seats. They made sure to indulge in the free snacks splayed across the counter. The lights overhead were turned off once again, but the large, bright television provided just enough illumination.
Izuku glanced over to the screen, where Uraraka and the frog-like girl, Tsuyu, were discussing their plans on how to apprehend the Villains, which was played by Iida and Jiro.
While the students onscreen went into a seemingly fervent discussion—he couldn't hear anything, only All-Might had that privilege—Izuku decided to use the excess time he had to ruminate over the matchups. Mainly, his own. 'So I'm paired with Yaoyorozu as Heroes, while our common opponents are Mineta and… Bakugo.' He found himself unable to believe his luck. 'Who would've thought that I'm going to face him so soon? Not that I'm complaining.'
"Midoriya-san." A voice called out, startling him out of his thoughts. Looking up from where he sat, he saw Yaoyorozu, looking down on him as she stood rigidly straight. "May I?" She gestured to the sofa.
"O-Oh, yeah, yeah. Sure." With that, the girl sat down, though her figure still appeared stiff.
"I offer my thanks. Now, what do you know about Bakugo-san?" She wasted no time to cut into the kernel of the matter. As he opened his lips, he was interrupted by a listless wave of her hand. "And cut that nonsense about him being a mere acquaintance. Your enmity is far too prevalent for that."
'When did she hear that? I don't think I've told her that…' Despite his suspicions, Izuku shook his head. "My business with Bakugo is none of yours."
"Touché." She admitted. "But whatever info you have that can be crucial to our victory is my business. So will you help me, Midoriya-san?"
'That's fair.' He nodded. "Alright. What do you want to know?"
A pleased look adorned the raven-haired girl's features. "Good. Very good. Now, let's discuss his Quirk. Supposing that you know, how does he create his Quirk, his explosions, to be specific? And let's keep our voices to a minimum, if you will. We don't want Bakugo-san to overhear."
"True. Well, for starters, he creates them due to a mutation in his biology. His sweat is made up of nitroglycerin, which I'm sure you already know what that is." Hearing this, a small smirk wormed its way to her. "Using it, he can create sparks that light up his sweat and generate explosions, either small or massive. The more he sweats, the stronger his explosions. Besides just blasting something or someone, he could also use it to maneuver himself quickly or blind us by launching a bunch of smoke in our faces."
"I see. Anything else? A weakness, perhaps?"
"He does get minor scrapes on his palms from the recoil. If he overuses it, he'll be more susceptible to our attacks." His face took on a contemplative look. "I can't think of much else. About his Quirk, at least."
"A pity." She sighed. Forcing a smile, she asked again. "Then… what of his habits? Personality?"
"Why do you want to know?" Izuku stared at her through thin slits. He wanted to keep their relationship personal; not parade it around. That's why he kept insisting—trying to, at least—that the two of them were merely badly acquainted. Especially when the people around him are, in one way or another, so close in contact with at least one member of the Bakugo family. 'Barring Touma, Rikika, and of course, Frieren.'
However, oblivious to his thoughts, her brows burrowed down. "Well, it could be used to gain an advantage over Bakugo-san." She took a brief moment to simply throw a thoughtful gaze his way. "…Didn't you learn this in a Hero Gym?"
Surprised by her words, he shook his head. "No. Never been to one."
Her cheeks slightly reddened. "A-Ah. I… see… Sorry, then. It's just… you ranked very highly in the Entrance Exam, so I just thought…" She forcefully evicted a cough, trying to compose herself. "Anyway, answer my question then, if you will."
"Well… habits, huh? Let me think…" He leaned back against the sofa. He didn't have a hard time remembering all of it, of course, but he wanted to divulge as little as he could. "He's… brash. And he'll probably chase after me, no matter what. But he's also smart, more than most, and a lot more than myself when it comes to battle tactics. He also starts his fights with his right arm, a habit he's had since we were- as long as I knew him."
She nodded, mentally working out everything that he said. Indeed, if his words proved correct, it could be invaluable in the fight against their fellow Hero-in-training.
"Very well. Is that all?" Seeing him nod, she remarked, "Then we should now discuss our own powers. Let's start with myself. Mine allows me to-"
"Uh, sorry, but can this wait?" Izuku asked, waving his hand in the general direction of the screen. The match had already begun. "I want to see my friends go at it."
"Oh… sure." She nodded. Yaoyorozu twisted, her back still stiff, as she turned to watch the screen as well.
As the first match progressed, Izuku's eyes never once flickered away from the screen. It was as if they were physically glued open to the battle unfolding.
Using Uraraka's Quirk, Tsuyu was able to bound across the hallways with remarkable speed. Her movements were wild and jerky, yet to her credit, Tsuyu was able to manage it all to a great degree. Using that advantage, she managed to bypass Iida to go ahead and try to find the bomb.
That was when things went downhill for the Heroes.
Iida, of course, knew that Tsuyu's advantage would disappear as soon as Uraraka herself was eliminated. So he simply went after the gravity girl, trusting that Jiro would be able to defend the bomb. And, befitting her rank, she was able to fend off Tsuyu until the effects of Zero Gravity had faded. By that point, startled by the sudden change, Tsuyu was unable to react to Jiro who sent waves of sound to blast her into a wall.
It didn't take long before an apologetic Iida carried Uraraka's battered form in his arms. Behind him was Tsuyu, just as marred, while Jiro only appeared rather exhausted.
"Now, who among you could tell who is the MVP of this match?"
Yaoyorozu raised her hand, her lips spreading. "It's-"
"I'd say it's equal, sensei. Between the Villains, I mean." Izuku abruptly cut off her words, though he had his hand raised, as well. Yaoyorozu's lips thinned into a line. "They were both vital in their victory. If Tenya hadn't been able to beat Ochako, then Jiro-san wouldn't have been able to stall Tsuyu-san for much longer. The reverse is the same. If Tsuyu-san had immediately bypassed Jiro-san, Tenya would have lost, regardless of whether or not he defeats Ochako.
"As for the Hero team, their plan was sound… uh, no pun intended," Jiro snorted, smirking, "but there was a clear difference in skill, I think."
"Splendid explanation, Midoriya! Bravo!" The man grinned, giving him a flamboyant thumbs up. "As for your last point, yes, you are right, as well. But that is why I am here! To teach you chicks into powerful birds!"
As All-Might continued to talk towards both teams, Izuku turned to Yaoyorozu with an apologetic smile as he stood up. "Sorry. I want to go to Ochako, just to comfort her. Is that alright with you?"
"It's fine." She sighed. The girl smiled back, though they noticeably didn't reach her ears. She simply watched in silence as the greenette trudged towards Ochako, who was already giggling as she chatted with Tenya.
Indeed, they seemed like great friends.
The next few matches proceeded under a hazy filter. Though there were a few standouts, it didn't change the fact that, just like the first one, the odds of victory was always steeply slanted towards one side. In the third round, however, that imbalance tilted into an entire ravine.
The Hero team consisted of Toru and Todoroki, while the Villains had Sato and Ojiro… but, really, the only one who mattered was Todoroki. The instant that the bell rang, an unrelenting frost coated every inch of the building, rendering the mock Villains utterly immobile. From there, it was a simple matter of latching the capture tape onto the bomb, and just like that, the Heroes attained victory. Even Yaoyorozu had nothing to say this time, for the MVP was clear.
If the previous matches appeared droll, the one right after was downright drowsy for much of the students. Many were still trying to comprehend the sheer difference in power Todoroki had compared to everyone else.
Soon enough, however, it was time for the fifth and final match.
Between Izuku and Yaoyorozu as the Heroes, against Bakugo and Mineta as the Villains.
As her partner was being pulled over by his friends, out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Mineta standing nervously near the chamber's entrance. Bakugo, it seems, had already left.
A small smirk wormed its way to her lips.
"Mineta-san." The perverted midget blushed as she walked closer. That was quickly dusted off his cheeks, however, when she gave him a cold glare. "A week ago, during the Quirk Apprehension Test, you said that you wanted to be a Hero just so you could get with girls, right?"
"U-Uh, oh, yeah!" Mineta grinned, gleefully thinking that she wanted to be with him. "Do you-"
"No." She replied coldly. "It's nothing to do with me. But… I can give you money. A small amount in my eyes, but plenty in yours. Enough to attract most girls."
Mineta went silent, his small eyes judging her. His tone shifted as he asked, "What's the catch?"
Yaoyorozu smiled. "You're smarter than I bargained for. Well, the catch is that you don't help Bakugo-san. Join in the fight alongside him, act like you're trying your best, while in reality, you're just impeding Bakugo-san. Maybe send a few of your sticky balls around his legs. So what do you say?" She had no reason not to believe that he wouldn't accept her offer. All that she's seen, all that she's observed of him for the past week, showed that he was just a vain, perverse boy.
"No."
"…Oh?" She hummed, equal parts surprised and curious. "Why so, if I may ask?"
A shaky, lopsided smile adorned Mineta. "Heh. I'm just special, I guess." With that, he turned on his heel and headed through the door with his chin held high.
Well… it wasn't much of a loss, Momo thought.
"Yaoyorozu-san?" Midoriya called out to her. She looked over her shoulder, noticing his eager smile. "You ready?"
"…As ready as I'll ever be." She smiled back.
While the Villains could simply use the connecting bridge, the Heroes had to trail down the winding steps until they were finally out in the open air. Looking up towards the twin structures, backdropped by the crystalline rays looming far above, Izuku once again found himself in disbelief.
"To think Todoroki-san managed to freeze this entire thing…" He thought aloud, gazing at the building to his left.
"An impressive feat, no doubt." Yaoyorozu commented.
Looking over to his partner, his mossy pools observed her Hero costume with fascination. Though she had already explained how it worked, due to the relatively low light within the audience chamber, he only had a rough sketch of its appearance, based on nothing else but its outlines. Now, however, was the first time he was given a full picture of it.
Her costume was mainly consisted of dark colors. She wore a black skin-tight, elastic body suit. It's made of a self-regenerating material, which would commonly be of an exorbitant price, but U.A. being U.A. was, of course, able to afford it. They would snap under a certain level of strain, only to regenerate right after. Due to this, she could generate her Quirk through the material by simply applying more pressure to the ejection of whatever item she created. But nothing was without cons and the nature of this material was that it offered very little protection against any element. She said that she had that aspect handled... however, he was clueless as to what she meant by that.
There are pads on her shoulders, elbows, and knees, made of a shock absorbing foam underneath and a firm, plastic covering. On the pad of her left shoulder, the only splash of brightness lies in the symbol of a vividly crimson matryoshka doll. A utility belt looped around her waist, which according to Yaoyorozu, held on to several fatty snacks. Lastly, she adorned knuckle-braced gloves as well as a full, sleek helmet, similar to that of a modern biker.
Though, he also noticed that the digital watch wasn't worn by her. For now, probably.
"It looks good on you. Your costume." He said.
"What a pity, then." She said. Perhaps Yaoyorozu noticed his questioning look, but if she did, then she decided not to elaborate on it.
Instead, her gaze flickered up to Izuku's hat. "That design, though. Is it from Witch Hat Atelier? One of the brimmed caps?"
He visibly perked up at her words. "Yeah. You a fan?"
"No." Was her rapid answer. She looked down with lidded eyes. "I'm… not a huge lover for the fantasy genre. I prefer realism."
"Oh, I see." Izuku nodded, feeling a bit disappointed. Ever since he was tutored under Frieren, he grew a yearning for any and all works that had a relationship with magic. Unfortunately, since superpowers have practically dominated the world's attention at this point, he largely relied on the Pre-Quirk era to feed him.
"Anyway," she started, eager to change the topic, "I've prepared a couple of strategies based on what you've told me about Bakugo-san and yourself. Listen closely, alright?
"First of all, I'll make a drone, which I'll fly over around the building to try and see if we can locate our objective via one of the windows. Then…"
"So, what's the plan?"
"For you to stay the fuck out of my way." Bakugo rudely spat.
Mineta grumbled under his breath. He didn't dare utter a retort, but he was content to do so within the privacy of his mind. Still, the boy didn't want to be sidelined.
"You sure? I'm sure I can do… something!" He took out one of his purple balls, giving an audible pop as he did. "Like, these things are super sticky! I bet they can even lock you down-"
"Hah?" The blond looked back with a growl.
"I-I-I-I mean…" He gulped, backing away until his back hit the huge, plastic body of the bomb. "I bet they can, uh, lock up our opponents real tightly!" A subtle—not really—perverted grin marred his features. 'Especially Yaoyorozu!'
His thoughts of the beautiful raven-haired girl, however, were quickly soured when he recalled her earlier words. He never thought that the quiet, posh student he and a few of his other male students often fantasized over could appear so cold. It felt… It felt…
'Hot!' He said inwardly after a moment, his lecherous smile returning.
Bakugo frowned, mulling over the boy's words. "How adhesive are those balls of yours?"
Mineta beamed. "Real strong! Once, I used my balls to stick my toy car—uh, one of those big ones where you can ride in—to the roof. Then a huge earthquake happened! But lo and behold, not one of my balls tore off."
"Uhuh." He rolled his eyes. "How hug is the earthquake?"
"Um…" He looked somewhat unsure. "It's been years, but I think… a 6.7?"
"Stick the bomb to a pillar, that one by the corner." He pointed to it.
Hestitating, Mineta asked, "What about sticking it outside? They won't notice, probably?"
"'Probably'. Spoken like a fucking extra." Bakugo snorted. "No, dumbass. That pony-tailed girl-"
"Momo Yaoyorozu."
"Who gives a shit? Anyway, that girl is able to make anything she damn wants. She seems pretty fucking smart too, so I wouldn't put it past her to make a drone or some shit to try and see if she can find our bomb that way. If you put it outside, you're literally handing over my loss with a bow tie on top."
The midget had nothing to say to that. After he went on to do as he was told—with some help from an irritated Katsuki—he looked up towards the blond. "Is this enough? It's already more than what I used for that earthquake."
At that moment, a screeching bell echoed throughout the building, accompanied by All-Might's voice. "Let the final match begin!"
'Final match, huh? The way I'll beat him black and blue, I'll make sure this is Deku's first and last match against me.' A grin, tinged with cruel amusement, tore through his face. "Nah, midget. Add more. A lot more."
He didn't want to promise to be gentle. After all, he wanted Deku to finally understand where his place was in this world. Beneath him.
Then, when he's finished their little feud… he'll come after popsicle.
Then Ibara.
Then green flames.
Then the runner up Hero.
And then All-Might.
Only at that point would one Katsuki Bakugo have fulfilled his goal.
"Nothing, unfortunately." Setting the drone down near the entrance, Yaoyorozu frowned at the results. "It's not for naught, though. My drone saw Bakugo-san earlier, running down the stairs leading to the fourth floor. It's safe to assume that our main objective lies higher.
"But just in case it's some kind of ruse, we should split up. You'll search the first four floors, I'll do the other five." Izuku agreed.
With that, Yaoyorozu created a grappling gun for herself. It bursted from her stomach, showing her bare skin for barely a second before the dark seams were already knitting themselves over the open patch. Raising it towards an upper floor, sending it careening through a window in a mess of glinting blades, she disappeared into a blur.
Izuku looked back to the double doors that lay in front of him. They seemed to be lulling him over, like the call of an alluring Siren.
With a steady heart, he stepped forward, plunging himself into a well-lit hall with several branches peeking from the sides. Bakugo was already there, his grin and burning crimson eyes utterly unmistakable for anyone else. The boy's costume was something he would certainly wear, as well, complete with the two huge grenades around his hands. "Deku."
"Bakugo."
They stared at each other for a moment. His former friend took the time to look around. "Where's that girl you were with?"
"None of your business." He said, readying himself for their fight. He needed to stall Bakugo, after all, just enough so that Yaoyorozu could capture their objective. But he didn't mind beating Bakugo, either. "It's between you and me." He gripped his staff tighter, aiming it forward as the ground cracked open, letting whips of water out into the air. Izuku smirked. "Or are you too much of a coward to-"
"Seems like she went on ahead to try and find it. My mistake." He chuckled, straightening his hand and opening his palm towards the ceiling. "I'll remedy it right now."
At that instant, it was as if the sun came to life in his palm, briefly blinding Izuku. Then a powerful boom echoed through the surroundings, the sheer impact of it sending a gush of wind towards Izuku, causing vast ripples to echo throughout the wall of water he had quickly thrown up. The explosion itself tore through layers upon layers of thick concrete. Plumes of dust fell like grey sand through the holes he made.
"What the-"
"Come follow me, Deku." He grinned. "Or are you too much of a pussy to do that?" He taunted right before he launched himself up.
"Ugh- damn it!" The water around Izuku shattered and then pooled around his legs, carrying him forward. He pressed his finger against his earpiece. "Y-Yaoyorozu! Bakugo's heading your way!"
Momo had quickly found the location of the bomb to be on the sixth floor, stuck to a pillar by the corner via what seemed like Mineta's ball-shaped hair. Spinning the steel rod in her clenched fist, she glanced impassively down to Mineta's unconscious form. In the end, it only proved that her lack of worry towards his refusal was correct.
She stepped forward, feeling satisfied with her victory.
But then…
Momo stumbled on her feet, taken aback by the massive tremble that went through the entire building. Then, Midoriya's voice practically yelled in her ear amidst the cacophony of explosions.
"Y-Yaoyorozu! Bakugo's heading your way!"
"He's what-" Her ears perked up, picking up on the subtle sound of something whistling through the air. She turned, the fabric of her clothes bulking ever so slightly, all the while her staff whipped through the general direction of the noise. A heavy smack resounded as her weapon went still, held in place by a fist stronger than her own, her eyes widening as they met a pair of crimson orbs grinning at her. "You-"
Another explosion punched her on the stomach, sending her flying backwards to a wall. Before she could greet it with a grotesque crunch, the clothes on her back were torn away as a body-sized cushion expanded behind her, softening the impact. Nevertheless, Momo still groaned as she sat there, glaring daggers towards Bakugo.
The boy trudged forward with infuriating sluggishness, lips spread wide. "Is that all, ponytail? Guess I'm right, then, that you recommended students are all bark?"
She stayed silent, blowing out thin breaths through her nose. Imperceptibly, her eyes flickered, noticing Izuku pop up behind the blond. Dozens of water tendrils circled him, poised to strike at any second.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to push her body against the wall. She was fortunate to have been able to protect herself quick enough.
Besides the cushion behind her, the only reason she was still awake from the explosion was because of the blast-resistant padding that she had created underneath the self-repairing fabric. As she told Izuku, she was able to adjust the pressure of whatever it is she ejects from her lipids, and with enough force, it was able to tear right through her costume's material. But what if she didn't apply enough pressure?
Then, whatever it is she created would remain stuck underneath the fabric. That was what she did earlier. By instantly creating a layer of blast-resistant padding beneath, but not giving it enough force to tear through her costume, meant that she could always adjust a crust of protection depending on what it is she is fighting. Stab-resistant plastic, blast-resistant padding, hot or cold-resistant materials, so on and so forth.
Standing up with a sway, she gazed at Bakugo through lidded eyes. '…Annoying. Now, what should I do?'
A tense silence weighed over Momo and Bakugo—unbeknownst to the latter, alongside Midoriya—, their bodies frozen in thought. Despite the smirk on the blond's face, she saw how his eyes observed her every action, her every twitch, wary for any surprises. 'No wonder he reached No. 1 in the Entrance Exams.'
Hidden underneath the dark-tinted glass of her helmet, she pursed her lips. With a colorful shimmer, deeply contrasting the rest of her costume, a light-weight steel shield made its way out of her stomach. Following that was a dagger, blunted across the edges, but still enough to marry a person's flesh with purple bruises. In the situation of a confrontation with Bakugo, they've long since decided that Momo would handle him in close quarters while Midoriya would offer aid from a far distance. She bursted forward, her upper body leaned low while her shield was raised in front.
Bakugo scoffed, raising a palm. "Perhaps I overestimated your intelligence?" He was about to launch another explosion… yet, suddenly, his head snapped to the side, allowing a sleek stream of water to skirt by the left of his vision. The water then hovered around Momo, poised like a scorpion's tail. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Izuku, standing on the other end of the branchless hall—barring the room beside him, of course, but the bomb was in there. His grin was only widened by the situation. "Interesting! Come, then, you fuckers."
As Momo continued to run towards him, dozens of streaks of silver—water glinting in the light—bounced past Katsuki. Whenever one of Izuku's lashes went by, they would encircle Momo, only to then launch back towards Katsuki, returning it to Izuku. Just like that, like a game of ping pong with several balls at once, Izuku's barrage of attacks would constantly pepper Katsuki from both sides.
Soon, he came face to face with Momo as she arrived, who began by launching a swift swipe with her blunted dagger towards his neck. He twisted so that his side faced her then took a step back, letting her entire being brush past harmlessly, even as his neck leaned further back to avoid a water bullet aimed at his head.
With Momo now close to him, Katsuki's right arm tried to punch her face. She smiled beneath her helmet, stalling as she prepared to snap forward to throw him over her shoulder… but his knowing smirk made her pause. Instead, she jumped back and positioned herself against a wall. A long, steel rod protruded from her wrist, never stopping as it slammed against a surprised Katsuki's stomach, continuing even as the boy was pushed out the open window that Momo had gone through.
Not wasting any more time, she turned on her heel to dash into the room that held the bomb…
Only for a blur of sparks to go through the window, passing her in a near instant. Katsuki was there, his face contorted in a frown, as he sent an explosion her way.
She raised her shield just in time, however, merely sent skirting across the hard concrete and back into the hallway. Looming in front of the entrance, Katsuki clapped his hands. "Good one. Got me good. Got me pretty good." He chuckled. "Now, where's the mistake that cost you your… SVP? Probably the fact that you relented in your attack. Nice try, though." He raised his palm to the door, blowing up the lintel and more. Large chunks of rubble fell, blocking the entrance.
Momo gritted her teeth. As the boy stepped forward, she launched another barrage of slashes, throws, slams, kicks, punches, and even headbutts, accompanied by an ever intense series of water bullets from Izuku.
Yet… he dodged and swerved it all, often with his explosions, sometimes not even, and none of it managed to hit him.
Momo slashed with a step forward. Bakugo twisted to the side, dodging. Then, her foot slammed against the floor, halting her movement. Close to Katsuki, she brought up her shield and punched it forward towards Katsuki. He jumped with a series of explosions, bounding over to land behind her. He aimed a palm—his head snapping from side to side as he evaded several streams—to Momo and sent a heavy blow of sparks and ash and pure force. With her shield still raised, Momo quickly turned 180 degrees, letting the explosion slam against the piece of metal. In a brief opening after that, her hand lashed forward, sending her dagger flying alongside twin streaks of silver that launched from aloft her shoulders and several others that came from Izuku's direction.
For the ones sent by Izuku, Katsuki simply launched a wide explosion, repelling all the bullets he sent.
For the twins from Momo's shoulders, he twisted himself to avoid them.
For the dagger, he swiped it out of the air and threw it towards Izuku with great momentum.
It broke Izuku's attention just enough for Katsuki to blow up Momo's shield, the sheer-cliffed force causing it to careen upwards, only to immediately launch another one towards a defenseless Momo. The girl cried out in pain, her body launched backwards into a wall, denting the concrete amidst dust and rubble. Blood splattered from her mouth and across the floor.
He turned smilingly towards a grim-faced Izuku. All the streams of water gathered back to him, swirling like more than four dozen snakes. He thought for a moment, wondering how he should handle Katsuki.
Thin, water needles? It was usually effective according to Frieren, even against highly mobile enemies, but she couldn't predict everything. He needed to think on his own… and he was sure that it would be ineffectual against Katsuki especially. He could just blow it all away, after all. Ice spears would be just as useless.
That left a few other options.
Reaching out to the wide network of water several floors under, he raised a torrent. It bounded across the halls, tore the holes even wider than before, until it arrived behind Izuku, a huge stream that filled the hall to the brim. Punching his staff forward, the wave crashed and quivered down the hall—letting his and Momo's forms remain dry—as it dove to Bakugo.
The blond, red-eyed boy stood still. An outsider's gaze would think he was intimidated.
Yet Izuku knew better.
Katsuki was determined to stand his ground and come up on top. At that point, Izuku's view of Katsuki had been twisted on its head.
He was not brash, merely confident.
He was not blinded by his hate towards Izuku, at least when the moment called for something else.
Even starting a fight with his right arm no longer remained a habit.
As Katsuki grinned and snorted, he raised his fist, rubbed his other across the ridges surface of his grenade arm. Then he hooked a finger around the circle pin… and pulled.
What happened next was a blurry collection of memories. All he remembered was his veritable wave torn apart like the Red Sea, and from then on, it was as if Uraraka had used her Quirk on him, even as he slammed through wall after wall until fresh winds and sizzling rays licked against his wounds.
Then, as he felt a large, muscular body cradle him, Izuku saw only black.
The soft, rhythmic beep of the machine clicked against his ears. A sterile smell wafted into his nose. As his lids flickered, his eyes cringed under a pair of lights. The tongue, cracked and pained, licked against the dry blubber of his lips. His throat trembled as it sang a pained groan.
"You're finally awake." A feminine voice echoed.
Twisting his neck—his lips suckled in as he gave a stifled cough—, gazing past ugly purple lids, Izuku saw Yaoyorozu with her chest wrapped in bandages. She smirked, noticing his look.
"If you think I look positively unkempt, then you need to take a long session with a mirror." As he looked down, noticing that almost his entire body was tightly kept under wraps, he chuckled. Even that was a painful thing, evident by his coughs.
He… He lost. Just like Bakugo said he would.
Izuku's fingers dug deep into his palms. His eyes stared up, lacking a spark and weighed heavily by his lids. Suddenly, a laugh of dry amusement rolled freely into the open air.
He took the loss harshly.
Then, while his body rustled, trying to lift himself up, he felt something heavy press against his stomach. Looking down, he saw his mother, sleeping by his side. Strands of green hair stuck to her sweaty skin, her lips pursed as dark rings inhabited the underside of her eyes.
"She's been by your side since forever." Momo said.
"Mom…" He murmured. Regret filled him as he regarded her exhausted features. He gently swept the strands away from her face. "…I'm sorry for worrying you."
Momo watched the unfolding scene with a complicated expression. She looked away, glanced over to the empty spot beside her own bed. Like always, there was no one there. 'And I lost today.' She thought, frowning.
"…I'm going to beat Bakugo." Izuku said, attracting Momo's attention. "I'm weaker than him right now, I know. But I'll grow stronger." He clenched his fists, ignoring the spasms that ran through his bones. "I'll prove him—and everyone else—wrong."
Yaoyorozu gazed at him deeply. Then, she snorted, shaking her head as she plopped back against the headrest. "My advice is that you quit it."
Now, it was her turn to attract his attention. Izuku scowled. "What do you mean by that?"
"I'm just saying…" She sighed. "There's no way either of us could win. He beat the both of us, together, by a landslide… and even I can tell that he wasn't giving it his all."
"I… I admit that he's strong. Way stronger. But obstacles are meant to be hard."
"And some are meant to be unsurpassable." She shook her head.
Their moods were soured by the heavy silence that draped over both their shoulders. Only Inko remained oblivious, snoring peacefully amidst her well-deserved slumber.
Momo's fingers dug deep into her palms. Her eyes stared up, lacking a spark and weighed heavily by her lids. Suddenly, a laugh of dry amusement rolled freely into the open air.
She took the loss with easy strides.
"He beat us even with the odds against him. Or, well, the odds were never against him in the first place." Momo whispered as she pulled in her legs to her chest. She bit her lower lip. "Y-You…" Her voice cracked. "You have to be realistic about these things."
Silence once again reigned the air. But this was a different kind.
"That's…" He blinked, amused. "Wasn't that said by Ninefingers?"
Her head hung low, her hair let loose to form an oily waterfall that cascaded down her face and knees. However, past the great falling rivulets; past the small, individual strands; past it all—Izuku could see a small smile dashed under her nose.
"…Hah… Didn't I say it already? I'm not a lover of fantasy, even grimdark."
"Did I ever say it came from a work of fantasy?"
"…Shut up."
Izuku just sported a smug, knowing smile. Even that hurt his cheeks, though, but it was worth it in his opinion.
"Uhm… Yaoyorozu-san?"
"Just call me Momo." She said out of the blue.
"…Momo." Izuku smiled, letting the name roll in his tongue. "When we're both deemed fine and allowed to go back to school… do you want to hang out with m-me and my friends? Tenya and Ochako, I mean."
Just like that, her smile disappeared. Her gaze flickered over to the digital watch sitting on the bedside table; the one she almost always wore. She looked back at him.
"…I'm sorry. I can't." She pulled her legs closer, the blanket shifting from the motion. "There's family business. The usual."
Just a sidenote. Yes, I am aware that Momo is largely an OOC here. But it is intended.
Anyway, that's all.