I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.
The intercom began blaring as soon as the explosion finished ripping through the air.
"Oh no! The terrorists have shown up and have begun their attack! You Hero candidates must suppress this villain incursion while continuing with the rescue operations!"
"They're really going all out on us..." Midoriya said as he began stretching out his limbs. Mineta could only nod at that as he did the same. He had a feeling they were going to be seeing combat real soon… Still, Mineta supposed it was high time the new and improved Hero duo of UA made their debut.
"We'll take care of things here, go support the others!" The Hero in the weird helmet said. Midoriya nodded as he picked up Mineta, the sparks of One for All dancing much more vigorously.
"There are supplies in the bag!" Mineta added before Midoriya took off. However, only after a minute of running, Midoriya, and by extension Mineta, felt something throw him upwards. The two of them then landed on the back of something large and furry. What's strange though was the fact that Mora Nagamasa from Shiketsu and Nakagame Tatami of Ketsubutsu was with the pair.
"Eh? Mora-san and Nakagame-san? Why are you here?" Midoriya asked, looking behind him.
"Same reason as you I imagine. I was on my way to the center to provide support. But suddenly, from behind me, Saigai-san threw me onto her back." Mora explained, patting to the wolf girl they were riding.
"I was kind of surprised when the explosion happened. The next thing I know, I'm riding a wolf. Though I'm not sure how much help I'll be on site…" Tatami replied with a frown.
"Doesn't matter who's more capable or not, all hands MUST be on deck. Don't doubt yourself, you made it this far haven't you?" Okami said calmly, leaping over a large pile of rubble. Mineta saw how Tatami, after several moments of thought, began to look more resolved. So with a nod, the girl clung to the fur with a little more determination.
"You know, I thought you were just going to be another violent bully. But after all this, you're actually a nice person." Mineta commented. That was when he heard a growl in the wind and immediately shut up. Was he wrong? Or was there another reason for all this?
"Don't get me wrong, I still hate you for what you did. But if I let those feelings cloud my eyes, I won't be able to see when it really matters. And I'm not the sort of person who allows a grudge to hurt others." Okami answered. Because of what he been through, those words deeply resonated with Mineta.
His resentment towards Bakugou… His initial despair when facing Muscular… His own self-doubt which came up time after time…
They blinded Mineta to several other perspectives and paralyzed him. Had he kept a clear heart during moments like those, the shorter boy might've found himself at a different conclusion. But regardless of what he did or didn't do, that was the past. Right now, Mineta needed to focus on passing this exam. And as the center came into view, Midoriya was able to see who was doing the assault.
"Gang Orca!? That's who they got to attack us!?"
"The Number 10? Well, that'll certainly be a challenge for all of us to overcome. He even has a sizable gang of minions at his side." Mora replied, eyeing the gang that was decending upon the center.
"Doesn't matter, we've got a pest who's great making a mess and his partner. They'll make very short work of such a group. Besides, I can already see a wind bag and thermostat already doing some damage." Okami replied. Ah, so that's why the wolf girl sought out Mineta.
Still, as the shorter boy focused on the battlefield, he did indeed saw Todoroki and Inasa suppressing the enemy as the Heroes began relocating the victims. However, Mineta also saw something strange amidst the chaos. There was a body that was barely moving near Todoroki and Inasa.
"Is that Shindo? What's he doing there?" Mineta asked. If he remembered Midoriya's notes correctly… Doesn't Gang Orca have a paralyzing sonic attack? If he had been struck by it, then he wouldn't be moving for a while.
But with trouble brewing between Todoroki and Inasa, complete with hate-filled glares, Mineta knew things were about to go sideways. This was especially bad considering Inasa's wind and Todoroki's fire interfered with one another, causing both to lose control. Combined with the fact that Shindo was paralyzed nearby…
"Ah! If they keep doing that, Yo's going to–" Tatami shouted.
"Not going to happen! UA duo, go right on ahead!" Okami interrupted as she began skidding to a stop.
"Huh!? What do you mean–!?" Midoriya began before he was grabbed by two giant furry hands. And the moment Mineta and his partner realized what was about to happen, Okami threw them headlong into battle. Normally, the shorter boy was used to being thrown, since being tossed by Midoriya was usually a very safe bet… Being tossed WITH Midoriya by a she-wolf, however, was an entirely different matter.
Mineta held onto his partner with all he's got as the two of them began screaming for their lives. Though the moment Midoriya saw Todoroki and Inasa make another error, his demeanor shifted gears. The flames went wild again due to the wind and begun spreading towards the barely mobile Shindo.
"Mineta-kun, hold on!" Midoriya shouted. The shorter boy was already doing that… But it did help to tighten his grip as the green haired boy aimed both arms forward. Midoriya then curled his fingers against his thumb, a gesture Mineta hadn't seen in a while. The plates of Midoriya's gloves then opened up, the air around him intensifying.
"Delaware Smash, Air Force!"
Midoriya flicked all fingers forward, sending eight shots forward as they quickly raced towards the wall of fire. And as each one struck the ground in front of the flames, the resulting burst dispersed it into a harmless haze. The green haired boy then landed with a thud as Mineta let go and began dragging Shindo away from this mess.
"What are you two doing!?" Midoriya shouted.
"Seriously… What were they doing? They almost killed me!" Shindo asked through gritted teeth.
"I don't know. But we'll give them a thorough dressing down after all this is over." Mineta replied as he stumbled whilst dragging Shindo back. It was slow... But as long as he is out of the fire, then that was one less thing to worry about. And that meant going into battle with Midoriya uninhibited.
"YO!"
Mineta heard footsteps running behind him and quickly turned around. Tatami ran past the shorter boy and quickly took over by picking Shindo up, bridal-style, much to the guy's embarrassment. Oh, so that explains why Tatami uses his first name so casually.
"D-Do you have to carry me like this?"
"Shush! Now's not the time to complain. I'll tend to him, go help your partner." Tatami replied before turning to Mineta. The shorter boy nodded before both of them took off in opposite direction. Though what Mineta saw both made him blink in confusion, concern, and awe. Todoroki and Inasa had finally begun combining their powers and trapped Gang Orca in a swirling tower of flame.
However, neither of them was moving, most likely because they were hit by the same paralyzing sound that got Shindo.
And then there was Midoriya, punching and kicking through the advancing mass of Gang Orca's troops. Mineta noticed how one began aiming his arm cannon at Midoriya, causing him to quickly take a baseball from his bandolier. Time slowed as Mineta went through the forms, throwing it before the guy fired his weapon. A mass of thick grey goo shot out and went straight for its intended target…
However, thanks to the baseball the shorter boy threw earlier, it blocked the shot as the goo hardened around it. But Mineta couldn't fully stop it. He merely changed its trajectory…
That was until Midoriya jumped towards the flying chunk, kicked it back at the guy who first shot at him. Mineta quickly followed up with a shower of hairballs, pelting the villainous minions with as many sticky follicles as his scalp could tolerate. But once the pain grew too great, Mineta simply dropped one last hairball and sprung into battle on it.
He flipped around, landed feet first onto a hairball on a minion's shoulder, and sprung off of it. That knocked the minion into one of his cohorts, sticking the two together. Mineta then drew his baton, struck a minion upon passing him, bounced off a second minion before finally striking the first minion again. On his next pass, the shorter boy saw Midoriya about to spring off one of the hairballs himself.
That was when their heated gazes met, a lone message transferred between the two… And it was a message that only further enkindled the already burning spirit within them.
The two launched off their respective hairballs and began bouncing around at high speeds towards/between Gang Orca's men. And between those jumps, Midoriya and Mineta struck at anyone within range. With all this going on, the villainous minions were being knocked around every which way. They couldn't even retaliate as Mineta and Midoriya quickly hit them before any of them could even raise their weapons.
So whether they fell over and got stuck to the ground or got stuck to each other and fell down… The pair alone was making an impressive mess of their ranks. But what's more impressive to those watching were the fact that neither Midoriya nor Mineta came close to crashing into one another.
It was like they were one person.
"Retreat! Retreat!" One of them shouted before being struck in the back of his head.
"Hold your ground you nitwits! We can't let the Big B–!" Another began ordering before two soles landed and kicked off his face. All those who remained immediately began moving around the mayhem. However, it wasn't long before they had to contend with a dozen of Heroes-in-Training.
"Guys!" Midoriya cheered before springing off another minion.
"We're here to help!" Ojiro shouted, his tail wrapped around one Minion's gun. The tailed boy then forced the guy to shoot and immobilize his own allies.
"You guys have a team attack already!? I'm SO jealous!" Mina complained as she melted several guns.
"It's a work in progress!" Mineta replied. He then clubbed someone with his baton before bouncing back, striking him again.
"There he goes again, saying the strangest things." Tsuyu commented as she suddenly appeared next to Tokoyami.
"Indeed. But I suppose strangeness is a norm for them." The bird headed boy replied with a nod as Dark Shadow went on the attack.
"We're not that strange!" Mineta and Midoriya responded simultaneously. The pair then forced two of the Minions' backs together, gluing them to one another. And upon bouncing back from opposite sides, Mineta and Midoriya drove their boots into their respective enemy that sat between them. The last of Gang Orca's minions on their end collapsed, all of them either in immense pain or stuck to each other and/or the ground.
But before either Mineta or Midoriya could comprehend what they've just accomplished, they turned their sights on one last target. The two landed in the direction of the fire storm and began running towards it. Until everyone's rescued, this mission isn't close to being over. So to ensure they've got as much time as possible…
"Mineta-kun, do you still have three hairballs left in you?"
"Of course I do. So what's the plan?"
"We're going for a pincer. You'll know what to do and when." Midoriya said before taking a hairball from his friend's head and went his own way. Mineta smirked as he removed one himself before he continued running. After a bit, the shorter boy looked over and saw Todoroki and Inasa on the ground. And after a bit of mental math…
He threw down the second hairball and armed his left with the last.
The shorter boy then readied his baton as he sprinted into the hairball, launching himself towards Gang Orca the moment he broke free of his burning prison. Midoriya came in from one side kicking as Mineta came swinging in from the other. But though both attacks were blocked… The pair's true plan had only just begun.
Mineta swiftly lifted his left as Midoriya rapidly raised his right, the balls in their hands ready to be thrown. Gang Orca's eyes widened in realization as he realized what the boys were actually aiming for. However, before either of three could even twitch.
The exam buzzer rang. Mineta and Midoriya fell to the ground as the examiner began making the end of exam announcements. But neither of the two was focusing on that and was listening to Gang Orca instead.
"Feigning a pincer attack so you could blind me… What daring teamwork. Do me and our Hero society a favor and teach these idiots how cooperation works."
"O-Okay?" Midoriya replied, unsure how to respond to that. Gang Orca then nodded, walking away as though he hadn't spent a few minutes trapped inside a flaming tornado. Mineta blinked before realizing that he should probably get to a medic to help him with his scalp. Todoroki and Inasa could also use some medical attention as well…
Though it was probably not there injuries the shorter boy should be worrying about…
But the results of this exam that they all fought so hard for.
After all this chaos, who made it out in the end? That was the biggest question of today that Mineta needed answers to.
And that has been Chapter 93!
Have been losing motivation lately, so I'll be taking a month long break in two or three chapters. Between getting caught up with life and going through several other series, Devil May Cry and Black Clover specifically, it's getting harder and harder to find the energy to do The Saint and The Sinner.
I will keep trying though, even if it's just one chapter a month. So wish me luck.
Next update, we'll be seeing Mineta sneak out to observe Bakugou and Midoriya's confrontation. So with all that said...
Until Next Time. T1.