A/N: Whoo, who's ready for an update? I won't lie, this chapter was a little rough for me, it's a lot of setup and tension. But I'm happy with how it turned out and I hope you guys enjoy this week's read! Side note, I'm looking forward to these next few chapters; things are really starting to pick up and I'm just so stoked for how everything's gonna turn out! I can't wait to hear what you guys think. As always, thanks for reading, and enjoy!
"I did it." Electra's amber eyes glared up at her companion. "I've done what you asked. And then did it again. And I'll do it a third time, have I proven that much?"
Mirror met her intensity. "You were sloppy. Do you have any idea what this may cost us?"
"Not nearly as much as it would if you lose me now!" Desperation fueled Electra's outburst, pushing her to her feet. "A fragment is a microscopic price to pay considering what we've accomplished so far. And if you have any intentions of seeing this through all the way, you need me. You know you do!"
In heels, Mirror stood a good six feet tall, Electra's eye level only meeting her shoulder. Height was intimidating, and Electra knew it. Being petite meant you needed to be big in other ways. Corralling men didn't challenge her that much; in fact, manipulating them became somewhat of a pastime for Electra. But one thing she'd learned in her time is anyone will listen if you're loud enough. "Loud" and "commanding" weren't interchangeable, but volume caught attention. It conveyed your point. Sometimes, it subdued people who mistook it for confidence.
Mirror wasn't that stupid.
"Quit with the theatrics." She leaned forward, lowering her gaze to match Electra's. "You're on thin ice. But I'll overlook this for now. Get me where I need to be, and we won't have any more problems. Understood?"
Unblinking, Electra nodded.
XxXxXxX
"Alright, today, we're gonna make some headway and get some dates!" Mineta rubbed his hands together with a determined expression. "You with me, guys?"
"Hell yeah!" Kaminari cheered through a mouthful of egg.
"So, what's the plan?" Sero asked excitedly.
Jiro let out a small snort. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but since everyone at the breakfast table sat in earshot of them, she also didn't feel the need to be discreet. This caught Mineta's attention, who narrowed his eyes at her.
"What are you laughing at, huh?" He pressed indignantly.
"Well, how do you expect to make any headway without a plan?" Jiro kept her focus on her food.
"Yeah, that's like, priority number one." Hagakure chimed in.
"I didn't say we didn't have a plan!" Mineta snapped defensively.
"Well, do we?" Sero raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah!" Awkwardly, Mineta scanned the table, taking note of all the girls sitting near them. "We're just, uh, not gonna talk about it in front of the girls. You know, so they don't go gossiping to their friends or something!"
"Uh-huh. That's why." Jiro mumbled sarcastically, making Mina and Hagakure giggle.
Mineta seemed to be on one today, once again casting Jiro a look of anger.
"At least we have prospects, Earphone Jack! When's the last time anybody asked you out, huh?"
"Hey! Lay off, you sticky little grape, it's not like anyone's ever asked you out, either!" Hagakure snapped. Ojiro inconspicuously slid an arm around her waist to calm her down.
Unbothered, Jiro took another bite of rice. "Unlike you, Mineta, I have better things to do than worry about getting a date."
"Yeah, right!" Mineta crossed his arms. "You're just saying that because you know no guy would pick you over any of the other girls!"
"Hey, man, that's enough!" Kaminari cut in. "You don't need to go there, dude, this isn't personal."
"Yeah, seriously, chill out, bro." Sero backed him up, washing relief through Kaminari.
"Whatever." Mineta conceded, respecting the words of his bros, Kaminari guessed. "I'm gonna go get ready. You guys meet up with me when you're done here."
While he made himself scarce, Jiro remained nonchalant, continuing to eat with a blank expression.
"Jiro?" Yaoyorozu nudged her gently. "That wasn't the kindest comment, are you alright?"
"Hm?" Jiro lowered her chopsticks and shrugged. "Oh, I'm fine. It's not like I care what he thinks. Besides, I'm not here to get a boyfriend or anything. I'm here to become a hero."
Kaminari listened to her, a content smile pulling at his lips. It made him happy knowing Mineta's words didn't faze her; he certainly would have been torn up if someone directed a remark like that at him.
"Speaking of which, who's excited for performance practice later?" Hagakure squealed.
Training officially screeched to a halt once the gala was announced. Now, all time blocks were devoted to brainstorming, choreographing, and practicing. Today's afternoon saw a split up amongst the students, every group assigned to different locations to work on their segments.
"It's going to be interesting seeing what all the different groups come up with." Ojiro responded to her. "Have you guys got anything for your segments so far?"
"Todoroki and I devised a plan last night that I think is the most optimal for our team members." Yaoyorozu pulled her notebook from her bag. "I've been making some notes and tweaks on it, but for the most part, everything's worked out with my team. I just need to teach it to them."
"Whoa, that looks intense!" Hagakure leaned forward slightly. "How do you plan to choreograph it?"
"Hmm, not sure." Yaoyorozu admitted. "I'm hoping to pick Todoroki's brain about that before this afternoon."
Mina tilted her head. "Is he like, your co-captain or something?"
It did appear that way, didn't it? Never mind the fact that the two of them hadn't spoken since the night before. Yaoyorozu briefly recalled his abrupt exit from their planning session, suddenly feeling self-conscious about asking anything else of him.
"Er, well, not exactly. He's just…really smart and helpful, and I–"
"Ooh, someone's getting flustered." Mina's face broke into a mischievous grin. "Why so embarrassed, Yaomomo?"
Yaoyorozu's face flushed. "Well, it's just…last night, he–"
"Wait, did something happen?!" Hagakure slammed her elbows on the table, seeming to be leaning forward all the way. "No way, are my dreams finally coming true?!"
"Dreams?" Yaoyorozu's nervousness melted into confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Across from her, Mina covered her mouth in a giggle echoed by Hagakure. Even Jiro suppressed a grin, Yaoyorozu briefly noticed. The only other person who looked lost was Ojiro, who gave Yaoyorozu a shrug.
"Everyone, it is now 8:15 AM! Breakfast dishes should be cleared and all schoolwork should be completed! Please report to the classroom immediately!"
Iida's commanding tone blared throughout the room. Today, he'd clearly pressed an iron over every inch of his school uniform, crisping the edges and flattening any wrinkles. Not a hair on his head stuck out of place, his shoes gleamed with fresh polish, even his glasses practically sparkled in the morning sunlight.
"Geez, what's with him?" Sero muttered, gulping down his last bite.
"Don't know. He looks sharp as heck, though. If only he'd drop the military act." Kaminari said to no one in particular.
"Maybe he just really wants us to get to class on time." Jiro noted, falling in step with Kaminari towards the kitchen. "That's not super out of the ordinary."
Kaminari sneered. "He's always been a stickler, Jiro. This is different, don't you think?"
"Hmm." Jiro slid her plate into the sink with a shrug. "I don't know. Maybe a little, but I'm not the best person to ask."
That was true, Kaminari conceded. Shouldering his bag, he followed her out the doors of Heights Alliance.
"So hey, after last night, you think you're ready for practice today?"
Jiro's demeanor brightened, her face lighting up at the mention of it. "Yeah, actually! After you left, I thought about how you compared me being frontwoman of the band to me being a captain and, well, I mean, it's not totally fleshed out but…I think I've got something."
"Really?" Sharing in her excitement, Kaminari beamed. "I knew it! What'd you come up with?"
At that, Jiro held up a finger and shook her head. "Uh-uh, I can't have you poaching my genius ideas. You'll have to wait until the gala to see."
"What?" His expression melted from happy to mockingly outraged.
Chuckling, Jiro nudged his arm. "I'm just teasing you, you goof. But seriously, I think I want to gather my thoughts and structure this a little bit more before I talk about it with somebody."
"That's cool, dude." Kaminari patted her head, emphasizing how much taller than her he'd grown over the past couple years. "I'm just glad you got your spark back. I was worried I'd have to electrocute you or something!"
"Hey!" She knocked his hand away. "You electrocute me and I'll zap you, don't test me!"
He knew she would. But teasing her was still fun regardless.
XxXxXxX
Deku pressed his lips into Uraraka's neck, eliciting a small yelp from her. Once she settled into the sensation, she giggled, prompting him to plant more little pecks across her jaw. She'd fallen asleep in nothing but his T-shirt the night before, a sight he absolutely adored waking up to. Pair that with her messy hair and sleepy eyes and he crumbled, helpless to do anything but kiss her.
"You're so beautiful, Ochako." He whispered sweetly.
"Mm." She rolled over and slung her leg around his waist, drawing him closer. "Can we just stay like this for the rest of the day?"
His arms tightened around her waist. "Ugh, I'd love to. Aizawa would totally expel us if we missed gala practice, though."
"Don't care." Uraraka's fingers tangled themselves in his hair. "Five more minutes. Screw my career."
Deku snorted against her shoulder. "Your priorities are so messed up."
"So's my hair." Grinning, she kissed the top of his head. "What's your point?"
He adjusted his chin to turn and look at her. She stared back at him, those big, brown eyes drooping ever so slightly, and his heart melted. Unable to resist, he leaned down and brushed their lips together. She kissed him back, bringing her hand up to his jaw. Briefly, he wondered if it really would be so bad to miss just one day of school…
BZZT. BZZT.
Startled, the two jumped apart, Deku's phone interrupting their moment. Though a bit disgruntled, he grabbed it from Uraraka's nightstand, wondering who the heck possibly needed to talk to him this early in the morning.
"Iida?" He frowned at the caller ID. "What does he want?"
"Answer it." Uraraka nodded at him encouragingly.
"Uh, hey, Iida!" He cleared his throat. "What's–"
"Do you have any idea what time it is?!" Iida's voice pierced through the phone loud enough that Uraraka jumped back. "I've knocked on your door three different times with no answer! If you're not downstairs in fifteen minutes, you'll officially be late to homeroom!"
"Oh, crap, I'm sorry, Iida!" Instinctively, Deku leapt out of bed. "I'm just, uh, I went to training a little early and I…lost track of time, I–"
"Is Uraraka with you?!"
Both of them froze.
"Uh…she, well–"
"She hasn't been downstairs either, and she won't even answer her phone! What on earth is going on here?"
Suddenly, Deku felt as if he were being scolded by the father he didn't have.
In the background, Uraraka flipped open her phone, showing her parents hadn't paid for more minutes yet. Deku made a mental note to buy her a phone from this decade for whatever the next holiday turned out to be and switched back to his conversation.
"I don't think her phone, uh, works right now."
On the other end, he heard Iida sigh impatiently through his nose. Funny, he'd never been the target of his friend's irritation before. It felt…disconcerting.
"Both of you had better be in class at 8:45, and if I have to have this discussion with either of you again, I'll take more drastic disciplinary measures!"
Deku raised his eyebrows, taken aback. "Whoa, Iida, I know you mean well, but–"
"Please understand that includes Aizawa's expulsion practice. Absolutely nobody is above that rule."
"What–"
The line beeped. Iida hung up on him.
"Is it just me, or is he…a little high strung these days?" Uraraka asked somewhat hesitantly.
"It's definitely not you." Deku shook his head, baffled. "I just want to know why he's getting onto us like this. I know he's the class rep, but we're also his friends. You'd think he…I don't know, wouldn't be so harsh, at least."
Deflating a little, Uraraka rose to her feet. "Well, he is right about one thing. We really shouldn't be late if we can help it."
"Yeah, I know."
However, the sight of her thighs poking out from the hem of his shirt distracted him. While she reached into her closet for her school uniform, he looped his arms around her waist, drawing her in for another passionate kiss. She reciprocated, resting her hands on his bare chest and rising to her toes with enthusiasm. His hands trailed down to her hips, then her thighs, his fingers rubbing her bare skin gently.
"Mm, stop that." Uraraka pulled away a little. "We're gonna be late."
"Five more minutes." His eyes twinkled down at hers.
8:45 AM saw Deku and Uraraka scrambling through the classroom door, greeted by knowing snickers and grins from their classmates. Sero and Kaminari threw Deku some high-fives, and Tsuyu poked Uraraka teasingly as she sat down. Despite the praise, both of them felt nothing but the burning, disapproving gaze of their best friend glaring at them, and when Deku made eye contact with him, he pointedly turned away.
XxXxXxX
"Wow, Yaoyorozu, this plan is absolutely amazing! Seriously, how do you come up with this stuff?"
Todoroki stared off into the distance, only returning to reality at the sound of Awase's voice. That had to be the fifth time he'd given her a compliment on their performance rough draft since practice started. Of course, Yaoyorozu more than earned the praise. It just felt a tad…excessive. To the point of coming off disingenuous. Todoroki held his tongue, though. He didn't imagine Awase was making fun of Yaoyorozu. He couldn't otherwise place why all the flowery words bothered him, though.
"Oh, thank you." Yaoyorozu gave him a grateful smile. "But Todoroki thought of a lot of it, too. Really, I should be thanking him for all his work."
"Oh, yeah?" Awase briefly turned to Todoroki, nodding slightly. "Nice work, man."
"Thanks." Todoroki kept his tone clipped. Call him crazy, but Awase's compliment for him didn't sound nearly as warm as the ones he'd been giving Yaoyorozu. Which, of course, Todoroki didn't necessarily want, but…damn, why did this annoy him?
Yaoyorozu eyed Todoroki concernedly. Much as she needed to get this performance rolling, watching him struggle ate at her. Ever since that phone call, he'd been acting off. Granted, she hadn't seen him since last night when he so abruptly rejected his father's approach, but the fact that his mood didn't seem to have improved at all worried her.
"Okay, so I think I see it now." Tsuburaba skimmed the papers she'd given him. "You want me to trap the fireworks in cubes, then?"
"As soon as they're lit." Yaoyorozu confirmed enthusiastically. "So, the order goes that I create them, Kodai shrinks everything in varying sizes, Tsuburaba, you trap the fireworks in according sized cubes, and Awase welds everything together, all before the fireworks explode! I'm hoping that the explosions will create a dazzling display rather than shatter glass everywhere, that's the part I'll need to go over with you, Tsuburaba."
"My air cubes have a time limit, so that should actually work out perfectly." Tsuburaba kept his eyes on the document, fascinated by it. "I will say, though, we might want to work out some sort of backup in case it doesn't work for whatever reason."
"Of course, if you guys have any other ideas, feel free to contribute!" Yaoyorozu beamed, excited to hear what other people had to say. "I certainly don't wish to dominate the entire process."
"No, this is actually really helpful, Yaoyorozu." Kodai read over a little bit of her pages. "I mean, there's a reason you're our captain."
"Hell yeah, because she's brilliant!" Awase held up his copy of the notes excitedly. "With her as our captain, we're gonna have the best set in the performance, I know it!"
Blushing, Yaoyorozu bowed her head in thanks. "You're too kind, Awase."
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Todoroki turning away, his pages abandoned on one of the nearby benches in the training gym. Yaoyorozu wasn't too concerned about him not knowing what to do; after all, he'd come up with key parts of the choreography and sat beside her throughout the entire planning process. But if he didn't participate, their team energy suffered, something that could cost them an otherwise great performance.
Plus, she couldn't stand to see him upset.
"Right." She turned to Tsuburaba, Awase, and Kodai. "The three of you review the proposal in detail and let me know about any additions or questions you might have. I'm going to convene with Todoroki for a moment."
"Sounds good." Tsuburaba held the documents up. "Thanks again, Yaoyorozu."
"Of course!" She waved slightly.
Todoroki stood off to the side, keeping his gaze fixed on the wall, seemingly lost in thought. Yaoyorozu hesitated. What if he didn't want to be asked any questions about it? It's not like she knew why he'd been avoiding his dad. Maybe this wasn't something he felt safe enough to talk about.
"Um, Todoroki?"
He turned to her, not startled by her approach. "Everything okay?"
"Oh, yes." She gestured to their teammates, who huddled around the document proposal. "I think they like what we put together. Awase's pretty impressed, it seems."
Awase. Todoroki clenched his jaw.
"Yeah, looks like it." Now his eyes bore down towards the floor.
Why did she think approaching him was a good idea? She internally lamented. Somehow, she got the sense that she'd just upset him further.
"I apologize, Todoroki." She bowed slightly at him. "It seems I've upset you twice now, and that isn't my intention."
Apologize? Todoroki fully turned his body to face her. Her eyes were downcast, half closed, her head bowed in an attempt to show her regret.
No. She has nothing to be sorry for. How dare he brush her off and act like she'd done something wrong? Whatever, he could reprimand himself later. Shaking his head, he rested a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to look up at him.
"You haven't upset me." He explained gently. "There's no need for you to apologize. I'm the one who's been acting awfully. I've allowed my emotions to affect you negatively. That's not fair. I'm so sorry, Yaomomo."
Her lips curved into a small smile. "You're allowed your emotions, Todoroki. Don't feel like you have to answer for them."
He knew she meant that. Even when he'd been callous and rude, she still found a way to understand him. Swallowing, he forced himself to make eye contact with her, finding himself getting lost as he did. The compassion behind her smile, the gleam in her deep, dark eyes, how smooth her skin looked up close…
"Um, by the way…about last night…" Heat rose in her cheeks. Should she continue? What if he hadn't been trying to ask her to the gala? Was she about to make a fool of herself?
"Yes?" Todoroki's chest welled with hope. For what, he wasn't entirely sure, but he hung on her every word.
"You…well, it sounded like you…wanted to…maybe ask me something?"
His heart began pounding. So she had noticed. And if she thought about it enough to bring it up again a full almost twenty-four hours later, that had to mean she cared to a certain extent. Did she…want him to ask her? The idea paralyzed him, his mouth running dry with anxiety.
"I…um, well–"
"Hey, Yaoyorozu!"
Todoroki didn't remember taking his hand off her shoulder. He never would have done so voluntarily, anyway. Suddenly, Awase stood between them, his back to Todoroki, leaning in to point something out to Yaoyorozu on the document.
Leaning a tad too closely.
"I've just got a question here." Awase began talking about whatever he'd managed to scrounge up as confusing in the plan (which was none of it, as far as Todoroki could tell.) Of course, Yaoyorozu kindly explained everything to him, somehow making Todoroki's blood boil even more.
Shaking it off, he made his way over to Kodai and Tsuburaba. No point in dwelling on whatever seemed to be pissing him off. If he did, he'd just get more pissed off, and while that did sound appealing in some sick way, he wasn't about to make life difficult for Yaoyorozu by being a dick throughout practice.
"You good, man?" Tsuburaba raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah." Todoroki gritted his teeth, trying not to look at Awase and Yaoyorozu. "I'm fine."
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Already knowing who it was, he squeezed his eyes shut for a second. No, he really wasn't fine. Not in the slightest. And though he did his best to fight it, the fear that he could get worse dawned on him the second he saw Awase rest his hand on Yaoyorozu's shoulder.
XxXxXxX
Uraraka paced back and forth, her brow furrowed in concentration. Shoda opened up the floor for ideas, meaning she'd been given the freedom to present her power however she saw fit. This was her chance; find a way to show off her true potential. Prove to everyone how worthy she truly was of becoming a hero.
She couldn't afford to screw it up.
"Okay, so I was thinking," she started, trying to project confidence despite the uncertainty gnawing at her. "We could start by using my zero gravity to lift objects, and then Yanagi, you could control them with poltergeist to make it look like they're floating on their own. We can also dress it up however we want, like if we made a pretty design or presented it like a combat situation. And if Shoda uses twin impact on whatever we float, then–"
"Wait, wait, wait." Monoma interrupted, folding his arms across his chest and raising an eyebrow. "Just so I'm perfectly clear, your master plan is that you want to put on a little show where you just float things around?"
She stopped. "Er, well–"
"Just like Class A—always trying to show off." He shook his head, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You think your power is just so much better than ours, it absolutely needs to be seen first. It's not like the rest of us are even here, right?"
Uraraka's face flushed, a mix of frustration and embarrassment bubbling up. How? How had she managed to start an argument with Monoma this early? Not five minutes had gone by since they started brainstorming.
She couldn't help but concede that he made a bit of a point, though. Much as she wanted to show off her quirk, she hadn't given her team a particularly solid reason for why they should start with her specifically. Perhaps that came across as egotistical, something Monoma would pick up on in an instant.
"That's not what I meant!" She insisted, hoping to backtrack and clarify her perspective. "I just think that it makes sense to start with me and Yanagi since our powers are so similar. We can come up with something else, I'm not trying to…steal the spotlight or anything, I just–"
Unconvinced, Monoma smirked. "Sure, you weren't. But let's be real here—how impressive is it really, just making things float? Do you really think that's good enough to be our opener? Who in class A lied to you about that, now?"
Shame washed over Uraraka, humiliated tears springing to her eyes. She forced them back; not now. And definitely not in front of Monoma.
"What the hell kind of way is that to talk to your teammate?" Shinso stepped in, standing protectively in front of Uraraka. "In case you forgot, we're supposed to be working together here. At least she's trying to make something happen, what's your contribution, huh?"
Monoma sneered, making Shinso want to punch the smugness off his face. "Oh, how noble of you, Shinso. Defending your Class A buddies as usual. Tell me, do they pay you to be their lapdog or does that come with the territory when you're Aizawa's special pet?"
Ouch. Uraraka's eyes widened. She shifted to look at Shinso, expecting him to look back at her and mirror her shocked expression. Instead, she saw him staring Monoma down threateningly, stone cold enough to rival even Aizawa's piercing glares.
"Who the hell are you calling a lapdog?" Shinso's fists tightened.
Releasing a small, teasing chuckle, Monoma flipped his hair, eying the voice changer around Shinso's neck intentionally.
"Well, if the collar fits."
"Monoma, that's enough!" Shoda cut in, though his tone commanded absolutely no authority. "Vlad told you specifically to be on your best behavior! Don't make me call Kendo!"
That shut the blond up almost immediately. However, the grin on his face didn't deflate so easily, and rage boiled up in Shinso's chest just looking at him.
"Nobody sees Shinso that way in our class." Uraraka defended him sternly. "He's our friend. And if we keep arguing like this, we aren't gonna get anything done."
"Fair point." Monoma conceded behind a hair flip. "I suppose I'm being a bit harsh. You can hardly blame me, though, after all the trouble class A's caused. They just put me a little…on edge."
If anyone here stood on edge, it was Shinso. As much as he tried to maintain his composure, suppressing the anger Monoma awakened in him proved to be a struggle. Uraraka watched him nervously, wondering how to diffuse the situation.
"We're all aware of your fight with class A." Shinso sounded much calmer than everyone anticipated. "But let's be adults and set personal grudges aside for the sake of our debut. Can we at least agree on that?"
Monoma grinned, slightly maniacally if anyone asked Shinso. Seriously, did this guy take crazy pills everyday? Why was he so…unsettling as a person? Something about that smile bothered Shinso in a way he couldn't quite place. Off-putting. That's a good word for it.
"But of course." The blond bowed slightly. "Whatever the mini-Aizawa wants."
"Okay, are you allergic to chilling out or something?!" Shinso exploded. "How hard is it to just not instigate? Seriously?"
"Shinso, stop, you're only gonna egg him on!" Uraraka grabbed his arm, trying to shake some sense into him.
Shinso knew she was right. He knew he should just bite his tongue, fall in line, and focus on practice. But something about Monoma irked him in a way that no one else did. Probably because of that damned unhinged smile.
"Uraraka's right." Yanagi, who had been quiet up until now, nodded in agreement. Though soft spoken, her voice carried a weight that made everyone listen. "I mean, you're not gonna get anywhere fighting like this. You've both got some spooky quirks. Could we find a way to make them work together?"
Work with Monoma? No way.
"Maybe." Uraraka piggybacked off of her. "Theirs are the hardest to navigate due to the nature of each of them. We can open the floor for more suggestions, though."
"Personally, I like your original idea, Uraraka." Yanagi continued. "I think it's a good starting point."
Thank goodness. So she didn't come across trying to take attention; Monoma was just being Monoma.
"I agree." Shoda poked at his tablet, happy to change the subject. "I think we can expand on it, too, like maybe floating some set pieces around, or maybe even float the whole team in for our entrance."
Uraraka took a deep breath, grateful for the support. Shinso patted her hand, indicating that he'd calmed down, and she fully stepped forward to stand next to him. Monoma's words still stung, but thankfully, she'd already mostly recovered. At least, for the time being.
Shinso, however, clearly hadn't. While Shoda and Uraraka discussed logistics, he found himself subconsciously side-eying Monoma. Monoma seemed to share his contempt, glaring back at him whenever their eyes met. Well, at least they agreed on loathing one another, Shinso thought bitterly.
XxXxXxX
"And…go!"
Horns swarmed from Pony's hair the instant Kendo shouted the go-ahead. Tetsutetsu, covered in steel, swung his arms back and forth against them, shattering the projectiles to pieces. Well, as many as he could; most of them flew past him and into the forest behind the training field.
"Okay, time!" Kendo waved her hand, signaling Pony to stop. "How'd you guys feel about that?"
"YEAH, THAT WAS AWESOME!" Tetsutetsu pumped his fist out. "Let's do it again!"
"Eh, I'm not too sure." From the bleachers, Shishida rested his hand on his chin. "I don't think that gave Tetsutetsu a chance to show his full potential."
"I agree." Shoji echoed. "He's a great strength powerhouse, but speed-wise, I think he lacked the ability to keep up with Tsunotori."
Bakugo stared down at his phone, not even acknowledging anyone else. So much for this being a group effort, Shoji internally scoffed.
Kendo scribbled across her clipboard, chewing her lip in thought. "I definitely see what you guys are saying, and I have to agree. Sorry babe, I don't think this pair off is gonna work out for you."
"Hey, it's all good!" Tetsutetsu screamed (or maybe that's just his voice, who knows?) "At least we had some fun, right Pony?"
"Mmhmm!" Pony shot him a thumbs up with both her hands.
"Pony, having fun with a guy?" Kamakiri sneered. "That joke's coming too easy."
"Hey, he's not the easy one." Shishida knowingly wiggled his eyebrows at Kamakiri, who snorted.
Offense and Defense technically functioned like two separate groups, but Aizawa informed them that they both played to each other's strengths and would therefore be showcased simultaneously. Kendo composed their plan almost immediately upon hearing this. Her vision roughly entailed a battle scenario, partnering up with a member of the opposing team in a series of sparring matches. Of course, she strived to add all the bells and whistles Vlad asked of them, making it more of a performance and less of a combat session.
"I think I'd like to see the same attack against Kirishima." Kendo announced. "If that doesn't work, we may have to come up with something different. Kirishima, you mind?"
"Not at all." Kirishima smacked his hardened fists against each other excitedly. "Ready to rock this, Tsunotori?!"
"Oh, she knows how to rock things, alright." Kamakiri nudged Shoji.
While Shishida snickered, Shoji briefly side-eyed Kamakiri. Why did he seem so…bitter? His jokes seemed to come from a fairly mean-spirited place.
"Let's do it!" Pony, who definitely heard Kamakiri, exuberantly resumed her stance. At least she didn't seem bothered by the comment.
"And…go!" Kendo restarted the timer.
Pony started at a decreased speed this time. Maybe if Kirishima got warmed up, she could gradually turn the volume up without overwhelming him. That way, both of them would be able to keep up.
'Please work.' She held her breath, silently pleading with Kirishima to rise to the occasion.
Though perfectly cool on the outside, Pony's nerves heightened at the thought of having to cut this segment of their performance. After all, her flurry of horns definitely outweighed the rest of her attacks in power. If any one of her abilities had to be shown off, she was desperate for it to be that one. But that only worked out if Kendo paired her with a partner capable of matching her speed.
To Kirishima's credit, he tried even harder than Tetsutetsu. When they started, he did okay, missing a few here and there but otherwise no problems. The second she increased, however, the decline began. Once again, he didn't have the speed to keep up, forcing her to pull back. Even then, she'd already unleashed too many horns to slow the wave coming at Kirishima. Rather than being able to swat them down, he became overwhelmed, so much so that he stumbled backwards and fell just as the timer went off.
"Time!" Kendo gazed down at her clipboard somewhat dismally. "Okay, so that's…not gonna work."
"Whew!" Kirishima sat up shaking his head. "That was intense!"
"Oh, no, are you okay?" Pony jogged across the field to help him up. "Sorry about that, I thought I had better control."
"Nah, you're all good. It's awesome that you've got that much power! I'm impressed!" Kirishima accepted her hand and jumped to his feet.
Kamakiri clucked his tongue. "Better watch out, Ashido."
Mina shifted a little bit, taking a breath to say something, then sitting back and opting to ignore the comment.
"Hey, cool it." Shoji shot Kamakiri a stern look. "What's your problem, anyway?"
Kamakiri met his eye and glared, but otherwise kept quiet. Shoji settled back, returning his attention to the field. Starting fights wasn't his style, but sometimes, people needed to be put in check.
"We might have to end up reworking this." Kendo drummed her pen on her clipboard, seeming perplexed. "Sorry, Pony, we just can't find a good match for you."
Of course. Pony tried not to let her disappointment show; after all, it's about what's best for the performance.
"Oh, that's alright, Kendo!" The blonde smiled up at her friend. "I'm sure we can figure something out!"
"Ugh, this is a waste of time!" Bakugo growled from behind them, suddenly slamming his phone down. "Come on, let me take a stab at her! I'll blast those unicorn horns to smithereens in a second!"
Terrifying, but at this point, Pony was willing to try anything.
"No, Bakugo, we're not doing that, either." Kendo pinched the bridge of her nose, preparing to explain this for probably the tenth time. "You know that if we pair you two together, we put Pony in the line of fire."
"Oh, come on, you're telling me she can't dodge me?!"
'I'll try, damn it.' She held her tongue. This is Kendo's decision, not hers.
"She probably could." The redhead looked ready to snap her clipboard in half. "But this isn't about you attacking her so she can dodge you. We're showing off how we can use our quirks in a combat setting. It's not fair for her to unleash one attack just so you can suplex it and take her out completely."
Shoji considered this. So far, they'd tentatively paired him with Shishida. To him, it made a fair amount of sense. Both of them held enough strength and endurance to face off successfully. However, Shoji couldn't help but think about the first time he'd met Pony back when they faced off during a battle against class B. The two of them didn't interact one time since then, but it stuck in his brain even two years later.
"I have an idea." Shoji spoke up before Bakugo could scream some response at Kendo. "Why don't I try facing off with Tsunotori?"
Kendo pursed her lips, processing what he said. "What do you mean?"
"She and I fought during the training battle during our first year." He explained. "I think I might be able to keep up with her if I grow enough arms."
"Oh, yeah!" Kirishima pointed to Shoji, realization in his voice. "I remember that! I think it ended up being a draw, too, which means neither one of you overpowered the other."
"Yeah…" Pony opened her mouth to say something else, then closed it and seemed to shrink back a bit.
"That's right! Let's give it a shot, then." Kendo rebooted the timer in her hand with newfound energy, excited at the prospect of finding a solution to this problem. "You guys ready?"
Noticing her hesitance, Shoji approached Pony, catching her just before they took their starting positions. "Hey, just making sure, are you okay with this?"
"Hm?" Straightening up, she nodded. "Oh, of course! Just spacing out, that's all."
Something still felt off, but Shoji didn't have grounds to question it. He also didn't know Pony well at all, meaning he could be misreading her. No need to put much thought into it, he concluded and took his spot across from her on the field. Almost reflexively, his arms grew on themselves, multiplying until an army of hands displayed on either side of him. Maybe the extensions were unnecessary, but the last thing he wanted to do was underestimate Pony.
"Okay." Kendo waved her hand. "Go!"
The instant the timer started, they pounced. Initially, Pony kept the speed down once more, hoping not to overdo it again. Shoji took down the first wave almost instantly, much to her delight. The next round, she increased the volume only a little, and once again, he smacked them down. They kept up this rhythm, Pony adding horns at higher speeds, and each time, Shoji's speed was able to match her blow for blow.
"Whoa, you're good, Tentacles!" She called out, sending another wave at him.
"You're not making it easy!" He shouted back, fiercely swinging his arms to crush said wave.
"Ooh, afraid of a challenge?" Grinning, she knelt down, bowing her head forward.
Another few hands grew on his body, determination flashing in his eyes. "Not even a little bit."
This time, she didn't just stop holding back; she pushed herself, releasing her horns at maximum power. Immediately, the doubt set in. Maybe she shouldn't go so hard during the initial trial; if Shoji wasn't able to handle it, her segment would get cut. Damn it! What was she thinking? She whipped her head up, watching the flurry she'd unleashed fearfully. Not only did this sabotage her, Shoji would likely get hurt in the process.
But instead of seeing him get overwhelmed or injured, to her delight, she watched him punch down the remainder of the wave, panting, but standing. Absolutely no horns managed to slip by him. He'd clobbered every single one with seemingly no issues.
He'd matched her.
"Whoa, nice!" Kendo let out a triumphant laugh. "I think that settles that, right, Kirishima?"
"Totally!" Kirishima ran up and high-fived Shoji. "That was incredible, man! You didn't miss a single shot!"
"I certainly came close to it." Shoji turned to Pony. "Stunning work, Miss Tsunotori. You've come a long way–"
Squealing, she threw her arms around his torso (he was so tall, she couldn't reach any higher than that) and squeezed him tightly.
"Thank you, Tentacles!" She peeked up at him gleefully. "That's a damn good right hook ya got there, I can't wait to show off with you at the gala!"
No one saw, but underneath his mask, Shoji smiled. Realizing the position she'd put herself in, Pony quickly jumped back, smoothing out her hair and clearing her throat.
"I mean, uh, thank you…Shoji." She awkwardly bit her lip. "I reckon this means we're gonna be working together then, huh?"
"Only if that's alright with you." He warmly extended his hand, prompting her to shake it. "But I'm honored to be paired with such a worthy adversary, if you accept."
At that, her face broke into an excited grin. Gingerly, she pressed her palm against his, accepting his hand in a soft, easy handshake.
"I do."
XxXxXxX
"Hey, is it hot in here, or is it just me?"
Kaminari leaned against the wall, smoldering his face (something he and Mineta had to Google three times.) Shiozaki stared at him blankly.
"We're outside, Kaminari. Is the heat of your sins flushing your skin, perhaps?"
How did she manage to sound so sweet while saying something so…sinister? Giggling awkwardly, Kaminari adjusted his jacket.
"You're right. It's actually you!" He shot her finger guns. "You're the, uh, you're the hot one. The reason it's hot. Get it?"
"Hm?" She looked around, puzzled. "I don't have a heat quirk. You must have me confused with someone else."
"Shiozaki!" Rin beckoned her over from the other side of the field. "Come here, I want to run something by you!"
"Yeah, go ahead!" Kaminari called after her retreating back. "I'll be here, uh, when you're done. So, uh, yeah."
Once she disappeared, Kaminari slumped. Not even a second later, he felt a gentle swat against his waist.
"You're getting fried out there, dude." Mineta's voice echoed his fears.
"Ugh, I know!" Kaminari threw up his hands in despair. "Why is this so difficult?"
"You good, Kaminari?" Fukidashi joined the conversation.
"Ugh." Kaminari turned to him dejectedly. "I can't seem to land a single pickup line with Shiozaki. I haven't used all of them yet, but she's gonna have me running out of ideas soon at this rate."
"Shiozaki? Really?" Fukidashi half sneered. "Good luck with her, man. Nobody's been able to get anywhere with her for two years."
"It's cuz you're not using the right lines, bro." Mineta held up a disapproving finger. "The first rule to picking up girls is knowing your audience. You think Shiozaki's gonna respond to cheesy pickup lines? Of course not, she's too literal. You gotta think of something that plays to her personality and likes."
Kaminari blinked. "Since when do you know…anything about girls?"
"When you spy on them as much as I do, you tend to learn a thing or two." Mineta shrugged. "Try harping on religion. You'll get way further, I promise."
"...Sorry, you're spying on them?!" Outraged, Fukidashi took a step back.
"Kaminari!" Rin waved at him. "I need to see something from you, mind popping over here really quick?"
Rin clearly struggled coming up with choreography for this group, and nobody blamed him for that. After all, ranged attacks only went so far within the limitations of a ballroom. Thus, Rin decided to start them off by practicing outside, see what they can do, and find a way to reign it in by switching to an indoor gym. Probably solid reasoning; Kaminari didn't put too much thought into it, honestly.
What he did put thought into, however, was the opportunity to demonstrate his power in front of Shiozaki.
"Sure thing, captain!" He gave Rin a respectful slight bow after jogging over. "What's up?"
"Okay, so I'm wondering about something here." Rin gestured to a web of vines Shiozaki spun. "How would your electricity do against these? Are they gonna get fried away?"
"Hard to say." Kaminari rested one of his hands at the back of his head. "Honestly, every time I've used them against Shiozaki, I've never broken through. Those things are strong, Shiozaki, what do you put in them? Your…thoughts and prayers?"
He tried, damn it.
"Try electrocuting this pile right here and see how that goes." Rin instructed, ignoring Kaminari's last comment. "Not too much, we just need to see what the effects are."
"No problem, captain." Kaminari cracked his knuckles and flipped his hair a bit. Shiozaki, of course, didn't notice. Rather, she bowed her head before her vine pile solemnly.
"Grant them strength, oh Heavenly Provider." She murmured wistfully. "May my little saplings see a long and prosperous life."
In the background, Mineta waved his hands at Kaminari, urging him to try something. Beside him, Fukidashi flashed a halfhearted thumbs up, at least attempting to be encouraging.
"Oh, yeah!" Kaminari forgot; harp on religion. That's what Shiozaki responds to.
Turning, he extended his hand toward the vine pile, his own expression dropping. "Yes, little saplings, let us…pray my zap doth not…smite…thee. Amen."
Shiozaki turned to him somewhat quizzically. Otherwise, though, she didn't comment, and a moment later, returned to her prayer stance. Hey, at least she finally looked at him of her own accord. That's progress.
"Okay, Kaminari, you ready?" Rin urged him onward, slightly impatiently.
"Just about." Kaminari reached up in a stretch. Praying for the vines was one thing, but showing off his raw power? That always caught chicks' attention.
Electric volts cascaded down the sleeves of his jacket. Once he felt charged up, he held his hands out, pressing his palms against the middle of the vine nest. Perfect. He had a handle on them. Now…
"Let's do this." He cracked an excited smile. "One point two million volts!"
"Wait, what?!" Rin jumped back.
Absolutely nothing about this situation warranted Kaminari operating at this level. He realized it a second too late, after the vines exploded underneath his hands. Now not only did he not have the best control, he'd overestimated the amount of power he needed.
And pushed himself far enough for his brain to fry.
He couldn't remember much after he tumbled to the ground. Rin shouted in the background, he briefly caught sight of Mineta's boots, and he was lifted up by the recovery bots a short while later. The surrounding volts died out easily, at least. And, after laughing like a moron in front of her, so did his chances with Shiozaki.
XxXxXxX
"Tsu, your jump needs to be more precise!" Iida called out sharply. "If you're even a fraction of a second off, it will disrupt the entire sequence!"
"Ribbit. I understand." Tsuyu adjusted her positioning, moving to perform the same flip for the umpteenth time. Deku heard the tired disdain in her voice. Somehow, no matter how many times she practiced, Iida never deemed it good enough.
"Ojiro, your tail sweep needs to be faster!" Iida continued, his gaze shifting. "It's not enough to simply go through the motions. You need to execute it with purpose, or you'll slow down the entire formation!"
Ojiro nodded, wiping sweat from his brow. "Got it, Iida. I'll work on it."
"Work on it immediately, I want this perfected by the end of our session today!"
Geez, that's not realistic. Still, Ojiro bent to Iida's whim, swiveling around to practice.
"Man, we just learned this today." Kaibara muttered to Deku. "You'd think he'd give us a little bit of a break."
Deku eyed Iida nervously. Both Tsuyu and Ojiro picked up on the choreography just fine, yet Iida stood before them rigidly, watching their every move, immediately calling out to them at the slightest mistake. At this rate, not only would they never complete the routine, but everyone would be too exhausted to even try.
"No! Ojiro, you swing to the left first, how is Tsu supposed to land on your tail if you swing to the right?" Iida's karate chop hand instinctively swung up, startling Ojiro.
"Well, I'll have Tokoyami to help direct me." Tsuyu pointed out. "So if he swings right, it's really not a big deal–"
"Are you the one directing, Tsu?" Iida whirled on her with a glare. "When I say left, that means left!"
That tone means Iida needs a nap. Or something, for goodness sake.
Tsuyu shrank back a bit. "Iida, there's no need to be this upset. It's our first day of practice. We're going to get better."
"Are you?!" Iida pulled his helmet off. "Because if no one takes this seriously enough to practice to perfection, what good is any of this? It's all but a waste of time, and our time at this hero academy is limited as of now! Do you want to look back and–"
"I think I'm gonna talk to him." Deku sighed as Iida carried on in the background. "This can't go on if we plan on getting anything done."
Kaibara sneered. "Good luck with that, bro."
Deku did know Iida better than anybody else there. That worked to his advantage. Kaibara's skepticism was justified, however, and to some degree, Deku agreed with him. Everyday, Iida seemed to wind himself up tighter and tighter, getting worse by the hour. If Deku had a hope of helping his friend, he needed to intervene now.
The question is whether or not he still did have that hope.
"Iida?" Deku began hesitantly once Ojiro and Tsuyu got back to work. "Um, are you okay?"
"But of course!" Iida answered robotically, not sparing Deku even a glance. "Whatever makes you think otherwise?"
"Well, you've been really strict with us today, and it's not like you to be so… cold, I guess." Despite his concern, Deku admittedly didn't have the clearest idea on how to approach this. Mainly because he couldn't for the life of him discern what the root of the problem was.
Iida still didn't look at Deku, instead fixing his gaze on the ground.
"Look, I understand the stress, really, it's just–"
"Do you?" Finally, Iida turned to him, stone faced. "You didn't seem all that concerned this morning."
Yikes.
"I'm simply ensuring that we perform at our best." Iida continued while Deku's gaze shifted downward in embarrassment. "We can't afford to be anything less than perfect for this demonstration."
"I understand that." Deku replied, his concern growing. "But you still seem off. You're pushing us really hard, harder than usual, and it feels like…I don't know, like you're not really…all there with us."
Iida's jaw clenched. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing bad!" Deku held his hands up in surrender. "Just that, you know, you're…not yourself. And I'm…worried about you."
This was nowhere near the first time one of them expressed concern for the other based on changed behavior. In fact, every time Deku acted even just a little off, Iida often caught it before anyone else did. He thought they'd established their relationship as such. But Iida's expression of pure disgruntlement, looking away to avoid eye contact, made Deku question himself.
"This is not the time to be discussing personal matters, Midoriya." Iida dropped to his knee in a stretch, readying himself to practice his own segment of the performance. "We have a task to complete, and I expect everyone to focus on that."
"But, Iida…" Deku pressed. "I just…we're a team, and if something's bothering you, it affects all of us. We can't go on working like this, and you know it."
Iida's eyes flashed with frustration, and he whirled on Deku sharply. "I told you, Midoriya, this is not the time!"
"Iida, come on!" Deku tried to make his voice sound as commanding as his friend's. "I know something's going on with you, I just–"
"What's going on is I'm following instructions and behaving the way a hero should." Iida raised an eyebrow. "Can you say the same about yourself lately, Deku?"
Around them, their team stopped practicing, shifting their focus toward the increasingly loud conversation. Great. Now the added layer of an audience grew the nervous pit in Deku's stomach. But if he didn't face this head on, he'd never get anywhere. Squaring his shoulders, Deku took a deep breath and stepped in front of Iida. Iida took a slight step back, his eyes narrowing.
"Look, call me out on whatever you want, but there is some kind of issue, and you know it!" He raised his voice a little, matching Iida's glare.
"The issue is nobody's on task!" Iida cried back, his composure slipping. "Especially not you!"
"I'm the least of your problems, class rep!" Deku, unfortunately, let his anger get the better of him. "Now stop dodging the question and tell me why you're acting like someone shoved a stick up your ass!"
Whoa. Where did that come from? Deku faltered, shocked by his own words. Across the field, he saw Ojiro clap a hand over his mouth in surprise. Shit, this wasn't the plan.
Iida bristled, his fists tightening. Purposefully, he stepped forward, bending down to get right in Deku's face. Instinctively, Deku pulled back, slightening it once he realized he needed to keep his momentum.
"Remember that I know why you were late to your seat this morning before you talk to me like that again."
Without another word, Iida jogged around him, continuing his stretches as if nothing happened. Deku remained in place, frozen, paralyzed by shock and fear. Would Iida really sell him out like that? What reasoning would he have for doing so? Was he angry with Deku? What the heck was going on?