Chapter Eight: Evaluation
"24…25…25…26- keep your back straight, Shinso. 27…28…28…"
Shinso was almost beginning to regret taking up Midoriya's offer. After running further and faster than he ever had in his life, he was now face-first beside U.A.'s track, with Midoriya sitting next to him, counting every proper push-up he could rack out.
This was after he had him run several laps on the track, his trainer jogging backwards the entire time.
"Why. Are we. Out. At. Bum-fuhhh…early in the morning." Shinso groaned in unison with his muscles.
Midoriya was less than sympathetic. "Come on, the sun's just finally coming and," he said. "And you said you were awake anyhow, right?"
"Guhh…"
"We need to know your baseline in order to gauge your progress. As for the early rise, this is something I do on a regular basis, and the only time we could get everyone together."
"Where…Uraraka?"
"She's taking it easy until we know how Foundational Heroics is going to go. Stretches are the order of the day. Osaki's looking after her right now. No sense in breaking her before she can do anything. Now, sit-ups. Keep your knees off the ground."
Hitoshi was concluding that Midoriya was a sadist, but did as he was told until he couldn't move anymore.
"Alright, that's enough for now," Midoriya said. "Stand up, catch your breath, and stretch. I'll give you thirty minutes to hit the showers and meet at the front gate for breakfast." He hopped to his feet and dusted himself off. "Gotta feed the troops."
Letting out another groan, Hitoshi dragged himself to the locker room. He wanted to fall asleep, but the call of food and coffee was too strong. He still turned out last at the gate, barely making the time limit that Midoriya had set.
The prick shot him a smirk for it, too.
Midoriya escorted him and Uraraka to a Western-style diner a few blocks away from the campus, where a table had already been reserved and a pair of other students were already waiting. The waitress took their drink orders, before the green-haired teen made introductions.
"Uraraka, Shinso, meet my two cohorts for the project, and fellow consultants, Suzume Osaki and Haru Nakayama. Also, make sure you have protein. Eggs, bacon, sausage, that sort of thing. But aside from that, order whatever you like."
Midoriya ordered first. A stack of pancakes, a loaded omelet, extra bacon, and string of other things, Hitoshi nearly jumped when he realized it was his turn to order. Uraraka was similarly looking askance at his order. Feeling his own stomach growl, he went for scrambled eggs and sausage, and threw a cup of coffee with it.
Once everyone had ordered, Midoriya compared notes with Osaki and Nakayama, and Hitoshi's patience hit the end of its tether.
"Why did you pick us?" he asked.
Midoriya raised an eyebrow. "Mm?"
"Me, Uraraka…you already had access to the Heroics and Support department. Why go through the effort of recruiting two complete strangers?"
"To paraphrase an American president, we do these things not because they're easy, but because they're hard. I'm not one to back down from a challenge, and besides, I owe you two something for saving my bacon during the entrance exam. And on top of that, I've already worked with Momo, Teyna, and Sho in the past. I'm aware of their capabilities, and trained alongside them to an extent. While I intend to work with them later, there's nothing to be gained from sticking together at this juncture."
"On the subject," Osaki interjected, "but aren't we supposed to pick a project for each of us?"
Izuku leaned back and gestured a hand towards her. "I've done a bunch of the legwork so far. For your own edification, what would you suggest to be our next step?"
Osaki tapped a feather on her chin. "We have a current Heroics student, and a General Education student. We should probably look into a Support student to round out the selection."
"We can swing by later today and see what's what. If we're still stumped, we can ask Sho or their teacher for suggestions."
Conversation strayed to other topics until the food arrived, and the pack of ravenous teens fell onto breakfast.
In between bites, Hitoshi eyed Midoriya as he shoveled food down.
"It's like you're a black hole." Uraraka asked, head tilting to the side. "Where does it all go?"
"High physical activity and an equally high metabolism," Midoriya replied. "You can expect to see something similar in the weeks to come as you find your stride in training. Now hurry up and eat. Don't want to be late for school."
When the waitress left the check on the table, Uraraka's eyes nearly bugged out of her skull when she saw the numbers, and Hitoshi nearly choked on the last of his coffee.
"I'll take that," said Midoriya.
"What? No, I can pay for myself-"
"Listen, I can afford to feed an entire professional football team here, and I'm the one putting you through all this crap. Least I can do is make sure you're well-fed after the fact." He passed the check off to the waitress. "If you really feel that bad, leave it as a tip."
[IB]
Haru was all too aware of how he looked. It had won him few friends, and earned more than his share of scorn. It wasn't even his Quirk that was the problem, but his father's. And despite their assurances, he never felt like he fit in anywhere. Most people were intimidated by his appearance that they rarely approached him voluntarily. As such, he was accustomed to lingering in the background. More importantly, he was used to observing, watching as people went about their day.
And wasn't sure what to make of Izuku Midoriya. He was grateful that the other boy had reached out to him, but
In the rather short time he had known him, Haru had gathered a few points of data on his peer. He was wealthy, and generous with said wealth. He had chosen to invest his time and energy into teaching and training with his peers. He was knowledgeable on Quirks and the Pro-Hero industry, but that could be said for most of the other Management students.
He was friends with the Yaoyorozu heiress, her cousin, as well as Ingenium's younger brother. Presumably Ingenium himself, if he heard correctly. He had taken Haru's appearance in stride, not even flinching, and the staring was more like puzzling out a curiosity.
Uraraka's comment seemed appropriate in more ways than one. Midoriya moved like a force of nature, dragging whatever came into contact into his orbit, rarely slowing for anything, always looking several steps ahead and seeking the most interesting route from point A to point B.
Yet all of that seemed deliberate, an effort carefully crafted and measured, though not entirely forced or fake. What that persona concealed, Haru found himself curious to know.
In the meantime, following his peers down U.A.'s halls, he tried to stay in Midoriya and Osaki's shadows.
"Here it is," said Midoriya. "The Development Studio."
Sliding the door open, they were greeted by several rows of work benches, the entrance shielded by a plate of plexiglass, likely intended to shield anyone from accidentally getting hit if something went off as they came in. Most of the room was empty, but there were some side rooms that had small clusters of students gathered around tablets, sketchpads, and whiteboards.
The trio navigated the room to where Hajime was working. Seeing the newcomers, the Support student powered down the tools he was working with and flipped his goggles.
"Hey, guys," said Hajime. "What's hanging?"
"We're scoping out another subject for our presentation," Midoriya explained.
"Just looking right now?"
"For now. Figured we'd at least give your class a look-over. How's the gauntlet coming along?"
"Eh…working out some of the kinks. The materials are holding their integrity, but there was some stiffness in the actuator-"
An explosion went off down the hall, interrupting everyone in the studio.
Hajime barely flinched. "Looks like Hatsume is already at work."
"That's normal?" Haru asked.
The Support student sighed, ignoring his quiet terror. "Come on. Let's make sure she break anything important."
"Wait, we're going towards the explosion?"
"That's when Hatsume's workstation is the safest," Hajime quipped.
"How does the teacher not put a stop to it?" Osaki asked.
"Because that's a normal byproduct of testing process," said Power Loader, joining them along the way. "Obsidian already told me you were coming. I'll be free to answer any questions once we've cleaned up this mess."
Sliding the door open, they were greeted with a busty girl with pink dreadlocks dusting off the blackened coveralls. Shifting her goggles up, golden eyes with crosshairs for the pupils staring them down.
The Excavation Hero dressed the girl down, reminding her of laboratory safety, though there was little heat in it, more annoyed than truly angry.
"With that out of the way. Hatusme, you've got some potential consultants who want to talk to you."
Hatsume crossed the room fast enough that Haru wondered if her Quirk enhanced her speed in some way.
"Hello!" she said, loudly. "Do you want to see my babies?"
Haru shied away from the volume and strange choice of words. Thankfully, Osaki and Midoriya intercepted her and redirected her attention.
"We're here to see some of the Support students' works, yes," Osaki answered. "Do you have a completed project or blueprints that we can see?"
"Sure thing. Follow me!"
"Try not to blow anything else up while they're here," Power Loader said, leaving the teens to meet and greet.
The madwoman zipped along and went rummaging through a locker, extracting a set of bulky, metallic boots and setting them on the workbench.
"This is what I submitted for the Entrance Exam. Hatsume Industries Hover Soles."
Midoriya inspected the gear with a critical eye. "Interesting. How does it work?"
Hatsume launched into a well-rehearsed run down of the specifications, materials, and what sounded like a full breakdown of the development cycle. Osaki seemed to be keeping up with the torrent of technical terms while Haru furiously jotted down key points to review for later, and Midoriya helped direct the conversation when it seemed like Hatsume was running off on a rabbit trail.
When all was said, they continued their tour. While many of their contemporaries had promise, most of them were still refining their original prototype. Hatsume had only been in the lab for a couple of days in total, had one working model, with more on the way, if Power Loader was to be believed.
"What does everyone think?" Izuku asked after the tour was done. "Want to check another class, or do you want to pull from the people we've seen?"
"I like Hatsume," Osaki said when they headed back to the classroom.
"Okay. What's your reasoning?"
"Think about it: she's passionate, informed, and willing to put in the work if it gets her the free advertising. And don't tell me you aren't thinking about picking her."
Midoriya shrugged non-committedly. "Haru, you've been kind of quiet. What do you think?"
"Um…" The boy's tentacles writhed before smoothing down. "I would say Hatsume as well. I was looking over the notes for Uraraka and she doesn't have any ranged options, and while her Quirk is good, I think she's not thinking aggressively enough. Hatsume's devices would synergize with Uraraka's style, especially with her ability to cancel gravity. If she could handle audio equipment, Shinso could stand to gain from a direct partnership."
"Then we're in agreement. Now we just need put together a proposal."
The trio filed into their classroom, finding their seats. Shortly after, Ms. Tesetsu walked in, accompanied by the bell.
"Get into your gym clothes meet out on the track," she said without any fanfare. "It's time for your Quirk Apprehension Test."
"Wait, what?" one of the students asked.
"We're not going to be doing any actual fighting. Are we?"
"Ideally, no, but experience has taught me the virtues of having and not needing instead of the reverse. You may not be licensed, but depending on your function within your agency, there may be instances where you'll be called upon. Also, I am aware some of you have ambitions beyond Management, specifically with your eyes set on Heroics. This will give you an idea on where you stand, and where you could improve."
[IB]
The first thing Izuku noticed on the track was that most of his peers were not the height of physicality, and many of them didn't really put much effort into training their Quirk. Granted, most of them weren't chasing after of a life of glamor and danger, nor were they planning on facing off against a centuries-old super-villain.
As things stood, he had little trouble staying at the head of the pack. He could run faster, run farther, jump higher, and so many other things. It was quite unfair, honestly. They all had a Quirk they had been born with, and the fruits of their own labor. Some of them had made genuine efforts to improve themselves and their Quirks.
He envied them. Their success and failing were ultimately theirs, and theirs alone-
Quashing the dredges of self-recrimination before it could gain steam, Izuku carried on with the exercises, unintentionally launching the ball out of the park. The resulting burst of the object breaking the sound barrier.
Everyone stood, staring at him in silence.
Scratching the back of his head, he turned to the rest of the group. "Um. You want me to get it back for you?"
Tesetsu waved it off. "Nah, the janitorial staff will get it later. They use that for search and rescue practice."
Stepping away from the pitch, Izuku fell back into the crowd, mentally kicking himself for the momentary lapse of control.
[IB]
Momo was feeling a rush of excitement. It was time for Foundational Heroics. Another step on the road of her career. All Might had entered the room in an overly dramatic fashion, but that helped ease some of the tension.
After getting their costumes, everyone had pretty much rushed to the locker room to put theirs on. There was a nervous anticipation as she looked her equipment over. Thankfully, the Support engineers were faithful to the design, and everything slid into place without an iota of discomfort.
Her utility belt held the kali sticks along with some other odds and ends, most notably some snacks. Her dictionary settled at the small of her back, secured and stable. Next came the bangles, sliding on and locking into place. They were heavier than she was expecting, and she had to train up some more to handle the recoil of some of the heavier ammunition, but they were battle-ready.
"Heya, Tifa," said Uraraka.
Momo paused and looked over to her classmate. "What?"
"You dress like Tifa Lockheart from Final Fantasy 7."
"I wouldn't know," she replied. "I don't exactly play many video games."
Ashido leaned around Uraraka. "Eh, more like Advent Children Tifa. Still. Looking pretty cool there, Yaomomo."
"Thank you." Momo slid her jacket on, followed by her mask. Pressing a button on the side, the mouth guard dropped down and the goggles slid up.
It was exhilarating to march out with her peers in costume, even if only for training. It felt more real than before. Tenya gave her a thumbs-up from across the group, completely obscured in his own costume.
All Might explained the nature of the exercise. The students would be divvied into teams of two, chosen through lots, a practical experience since there was no guarantee you would always work with who you were accustomed to working with. Five minutes for the teams to prepare and set up, and another ten for the exercise itself.
Team A: Tsuyu Asui and Fumikage Tokoyami
Team B: Tenya Iida and Katsuki Bakugo
Team C: Mashirao Ojiro and Eijiro Kirishima
Team D: Ochako Uraraka and Ibara Shiozaki
Team E: Momo Yaoyorozu and Minoru Mineta
Team F: Hanta Sero and Toru Hagakure
Team G: Denki Kaminari and Kyoka Jirou
Team H: Koji Kouda and Rikido Satou
Team I: Mina Ashido and Yuga Aoyama
Team J: Shoto Todoroki and Mezo Shouji
All Might pulled one ball from each box, Team C and Team E, with her team being selected for the villain position.
Looking over to her intended opposition, she began evaluating her options. Kirishima and Ojiro, both physical fighters by appearances.
"Good luck!" Kirishima said.
Momo inclined her head with a smile and headed into the building. They seem polite.
Five minutes to prepare. Not much time, but that was the idea, wasn't it? Testing how well you worked under pressure. She looked at her designated partner for the exercise, and the purple boy gave her a thumbs up with a perverted chuckle and grin.
Terrific, she groused internally. "Five minutes. We need to make the most of it." She started planting trackers along the hall. "My Quirk is Creation. What's yours?"
"Mine's Pop Off. I have sticky balls. They stick to everything but me."
Momo considered her tactical options, but nothing was clicking just yet. "Capabilities, limitations."
"Um…they stick longer the more emotional I get."
"Well, this won't last long enough for that to be an issue. Start planting them up the stairs."
"But if I pull too many my head starts bleeding."
"Then be sparing. Anything that slows them on the way to the objective is appreciated."
Trackers were placed in the halls leading to the room with the bomb. She considered relocating it, but the room it was in offered some concealment and cover, especially once she started blocking off the entrances with items spawned from her Quirk.
The room to the bomb was pretty barren, she shoved the few obstacles to block the ways in, leaving a single route for the opposition to work through.
"Why not block all of them?" asked Mineta.
"That way we can funnel them to where we're better prepared." That said, she pulled up her sleeves and went to work with her Quirk, but Mineta didn't move from his spot, and Momo got the feeling of being leered at.
She was not ignorant of the stares or her looks – watching her mother's career, the discovery of a fan club during middle school, and some uncomfortable conversations with Izuku and Sho had made her painfully aware of such – but in this instance it was egregious. And in the scope of the exercise, she was not inclined to let it slide.
"Mineta," she said, not even pausing from her preparations. "Either do something useful like trapping the stairwells, or I will use you as part of the barricade."
The boy was stock-still for a moment, a jab of fear etching itself on his features with a slight tremble.
"Yes, ma'am!" Mineta shouted with a salute, and then scurried away.
Once he was out of sight, Momo sighed. "I've been spending too much time around Sho and Izuku." Hopefully, they wouldn't find out about Mineta, as she didn't think the boy deserved that kind of scrutiny.
Yet.
[IB]
In the observation room, the other students watched both sides prepare. Kirishima and Ojiro were pretty much set, the tailed teen bouncing ideas off of his teammate for clearing the building. On the other end of things, Momo's steady construction process was hypnotic, no matter how many times Tenya had seen her practice.
"Yaoyorozu looks like she's off to a good start," said Kaminari.
"She's a recommended student," Todoroki noted, quietly.
Ashido puffed out her cheeks while watching the setup, then turned to her neighbor. "Hey, Iida, you know Yaomomo, right? What's your take on this match?"
Tenya contemplated the information available. "A defensive or supporting position is where Yaoyorozu excels, so she's operating from a position suited to her strength. However, she is more than capable in a straight fight. The deciding factor will likely be whether or not the Hero team can evade her blockades and traps."
"Does she have anything in her arsenal that'll put a dent in Kirishima?"
"Yes, but she is not likely to use them for a training exercise."
"A shame her teammate's practically dead weight," Jirou muttered.
"Either do something useful like trapping the stairwells, or I will use you as part of the barricade."
The room went silent for a second as they watched Mineta comply.
"…Or she has things well in hand."
[IB]
"Begin!" All Might boomed over the intercom, just at the five-minute mark.
Momo pressed the button on the side of her mask, goggles and mouth guard sliding into place as the Augmented Reality Interface synced with the trackers. Unless they decided to come through one of the windows, she would see them long before they reached the room.
A thundering crack echoed downstairs.
She caught some movement on the second floor, but it only made out their general location. One of them moved up abruptly, coinciding with another crash.
They were breaking through the floor. Wonderful.
Engaging the bangles, Momo readied her fingers on the triggers. She would have preferred a little more testing when it came to the different types of ammunition, but the paint rounds would work as advertised.
Another crack and she could hear screaming.
"I see them! They're avoiding my traps! How's that fair?!"
"There are no rules on the battlefield," Momo replied, "much less any that dictate fairness. Regroup at the objective. We'll hold them off at the final corridor."
She tracked her teammate and the Hero team through their ascent. Ojiro and Kirishima forwent any further attempts at busting through the building. Possibly due to All Might calling them out on destructive behavior unbecoming of a Hero. They still managed to avoid all of Mineta's preparations, and were making their way up the final flight of stairs.
Momo braced herself as Mineta bounded around the corner into the hall, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Save me!"
Ojiro was hot on his heels, ducking under the first shot, Kirishima taking the hit instead. The paint burst over his hardened skin, rocking him back slightly from the impact, but enough to send him tumbling down the flight of stairs he had just come from. In the meantime, the tailed teen closed the distance, bouncing up with his tail in an attempt to avoid her entirely.
"No you don't," Momo said, hooking him at the shin and swinging him down.
The tailed teen twisted in the air, landing on his feet at an awkward angle. Pulling back her fist, Momo fired off the gauntlet, the shot clipping his shoulder and the recoil spinning her around for an elbow strike that impacted against his tail in reaction.
She reached for Ojiro's shoulder, only for him to spin around and take a swipe with his tail, which she barely side-stepped. Stepping inside his guard, she lunged forward and struck his shoulder with a palm, then punched him in the gut, slipping back when he pushed back and kicked out at her.
Whipping out her kali-sticks, she activated them with a slight buzz as Kirishima joined the fray, and Ojiro tried to break off and run. Sticking out her weapon tripped him up before he could gain speed, then fired another shot at his thigh, hobbling him long enough for her to reposition.
The redhead was relentless, dogging her while his teammate recovered. Tenya, Sho, and Izuku were all faster, but. Kirishima was still durable, tanking all the hits she delivered on point, her weapon clacking against his skin when he overextended.
Side-stepping his attempted grapple, she fished out a strobe and threw it down the hall ahead of Ojiro. Her mask filtered out the light, but no one else had anything to protect them from the flashing lights, save for closing their eyes.
Her opposition temporarily stunned, she turned on Kirishima, the tougher of the present threats. If his Quirk was going to make him functionally invulnerable, she just had to immobilize him. A rapid-fire combo emptied her gauntlets, aiming at his shoulders and hips, had him stumbling, a final, twined volley shoved him into the wall with the expanding paint.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ojiro limping towards the strobe and swished it back with his tail.
"Mineta!" Momo shouted, breaking into a sprint.
Her teammate had been cowering away from the fight when the strobe deployed, but he was perfectly positioned for the crazy plan that popped in her head. Running forward, Momo grabbed him by the cape and swung him into Ojiro, Pop Off affixing him to the tailed teen, and the wall before he could escape.
"Hey!" Mineta protested indignantly, struggling between Ojiro and the wall. "What's the big idea?!"
"Keep him there," she ordered, and turned back with the capture tape to Kirishima.
Taking a deep breath, Momo opened her mask. "Can either of you move?"
Ojiro struggled in place, squishing a little further against the purple balls. "Um, we're pretty stuck here."
"Villain Team wins!" All Might declared over the loudspeaker.
"I apologize," said Momo, "but that as the first thing I could think of when Ojiro ran."
Down the hall, Kirishima forced himself out of the paint prison. Some of the compound stuck to him, but he was otherwise free to move, vindicating her instincts.
"Alright, Yaoyorozu!" he cheered. "That was pretty manly!"
Blushing slightly at Kirishima's enthusiasm. "No bruising or welts?" she asked, looking him over.
"Nah. My Quirk makes me pretty tough to bruise."
Nodding her acknowledgement, she turned to the others. "Mineta, can you release the adhesive properties of your Quirk?"
"No," was the sullen reply.
Momo fought the urge to sigh. "Right. Kirishima, help me break them out."
[IB]
Momo and Kirishima hauled Ojiro and Mineta into the observation room with the others, depositing them in the corner. There were some cheers and patting on the back of the still mobile actors of the engagement, no one wanting accidentally get themselves stuck to Mineta's Quirk.
While she worked on trying to break Pop Off, All Might started on the summery of the exercise.
"Who is the MVP of the match?" he asked.
Jirou raised her hand. "I would say Yaoyorozu." When All Might gestured for her to elaborate, she continued. "Ojiro and Kirishima came up with a pretty solid plan. If the roles had been reversed, with them as the villains, they might have gotten away with trashing the place to get to the objective."
"A fair assessment, though there will be times a villain would prefer not to damage their hideout, or their objective."
"While Mineta was good at both trapping the stairwell and kiting the Hero team, he was distracted and uninterested until Yaoyorozu ordered him into action." Jirou stared pointedly at Mineta. "On the other side of the villain team, Yaoyorozu was quick on questioning her teammate for information to help their strategy, was open to communication with her teammate, even explaining her reasoning when asked politely. Not only that, but she also had multiple fallback plans, most of which never used. Like the paint mines."
"What's the point of all those traps, then?" Mineta protested. "Huh? Why throw me?!"
"Likely because there was no time to explain," Iida interjected. "Neither of you have worked together before, so the simplest solution, crude as it was, was to throw you."
"And no one can really complain about you not carrying your weight," Sero added.
"Now, now," All Might interjected, "Anyone else?"
Todoroki raised a hand. "Because even if Kirishima was the battering ram, Ojiro was capable of knocking him through the floor with little trouble. If he decided to skip the obvious trap, he could have probably broken through. And the way Kirishima busted out after the match ended, he could have either helped Ojiro take her out, or hold her up long enough to reach the objective."
"And she had just expended her ammo in containing Kirishima. In the short amount of time available, reloading would take too long, and pursuing wouldn't keep Kirishima in place long enough for her to capture him. She made her decision and followed through."
All Might nodded. "A fair assessment from all of you. Bear in mind, there are occasions where there will not be time to fully think out a plan, and you will be forced to fall back onto your training. Our objective here is to give you that training."
"Next up: Teams D and B, Hero and Villain teams, respectively."
[IB]
Itsuka had called All Might once classes had wrapped up, making sure she got to the meeting room earlier enough to get some coffee.
Already deflated.
"I prepared some tea."
"Ah. Thank you."
"How was your first official class, All Might?" she asked.
"Eh…"
"That bad, huh?"
"One of the students was more enthusiastic than expected. I nearly had to end the match prematurely because of their aggression. As it was, I feel like I didn't stop it soon enough. One of the students was sent to Recovery Girl because of the burns.
"Were they injuries serious?"
"No. For all of his abrasive behavior, Bakugo possesses extraordinary control of an otherwise volatile Quirk. It's his attitude that's the cause for concern, and a lack of personal restraint."
"If it gets bad, you could consider dropping him to Gen. Ed. and taking up another student."
All Might turned to the door where Obsidian was leaning on the doorframe.
Itsuka jumped to her feet, running up and giving the other teacher a hug.
"How're you doing, little 'suka?" Tussling the girl's hair a little.
"Fine," Itsuka answered. "Just having All Might tell me about his first day of teaching."
"Oh?" Obsidian smirked. "And how was it?"
"It's different being on the other side of the lectern."
"Ha! Welcome to the club. You're starting at square one, just like everyone else."
Itsuka looked over to All Might. "Haven't you taken on protégés in the past? Interns?"
All Might scratched the back of his neck. "Ah, no. Not in a long while."
"He's only ever had two sidekicks," Obsidian supplied, "and both of them struck out on their own years ago."
Itsuka blinked a couple of times. "If you have questions, you could ask Dad. I'm sure he'll be happy to catch up with an old friend."
A knock on the door interrupted any further conversations, three heads poking in, one with the head of a squid, another with a messy, black mop of hair and crow wings, and the third-
"Midoriya!?" Itsuka exclaimed in surprise. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw All Might already back into muscle form. Reckless.
"Hi, Kendo, All Might," he replied, inclining his head. "Are we interrupting something?"
"Not as such, but since you've gone through the trouble of finding me, I take it that it's important."
"We got our write-up together. Where do you want us to leave it?"
Tesetsu raised an eyebrow. "Already?"
"We thought it better to get it done sooner than later," the crow girl said, smiling widely. "Once we had our data, we worked on it between classes."
"I see. Very well, I'll take it off your hands."
"Thank you, Ms. Tesetsu," said squid boy, who handed the folder off, then vacated the room.
The others followed him, with Midoriya bringing up the rear with a wry smirk.
"See you around, Kendo," he said, and shut the door.
Obsidian sighed as the footsteps faded down the hall and the soundproofing engaged. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised you already know about All Might's condition."
"It was disclosed early on," All Might answered, deflating again and reaching for a tissue to cough blood into.
"Would've been hard to train if everyone realized who was training me," Itsuka added. "Does anyone else here know?"
"Only the staff, nominally," Obsidian replied. "He usually goes to meetings like this."
"Ah…wait, and no one's realized who you are like this?"
"I'm sure some students suspect something's amiss, so far there's been no indication. As you can imagine, we're trying to keep it that way."
"You don't have to worry about anyone hearing it from me."
Obsidian hummed and sipped her team. "With that topic out of the way, I didn't realize you were seeing anyone, Itsuka."
"What?!" Itsuka yelped. Next to her, All Might coughed into his hand.
"And one of my students no less! I know you're reaching that point in life, but you should focus on your education. I can understand wanting to hide it from your father, but you know I can keep a secret from him."
Itsuka's cheeks flushed. "I'm not-!" she stammered. "Why would you-? You're teasing me."
"Of course," Obsidan replied, playfully poking Itsuka's nose. "But I do wonder how you met him."
"Met him at Dagobah during training. He asked for an autograph from All Might, then went on his way." The redhead flopped into her chair. "I didn't realize he was going to be at U.A., much less in your class."
All Might cleared his throat. "I saw him at the Entrance Exam," he said, nervously scratching his cheek.
"What? Why didn't you say anything?"
"It never came up, and I didn't think it mattered much in the grand scheme of things, and my schedule has been pretty packed as of late. Speaking of our cryptid friend, is he giving the Student Oath at the Sports Festival this year?"
"According to the Principal, it sounds like he is," Obsidian replied. "He had the highest score in the practical, and that hasn't changed despite him going to Management. I think Nezu is hoping to rope him into the Heroics course or as a protégé."
"I see." "Well, at any rate, I'm sure your ride is waiting for you. Tell your father I'll be swinging by tomorrow for dinner."
"Okay," Itsuka answered, hopping up and smoothing her skirt over. "See you tomorrow!"
Quiet settled on the room once she left the room. All Might was about to take his leave when Obsidian spoke up.
"Is there a reason I should be worried about Midoriya?"
All Might froze. There was no easy way to get around the question without making it obvious. Whether the boy was truly connected or not, scrutinizing him at this juncture would not help any.
"He reminds me of someone I ran into a number of years ago," he said, finally. "They look similar enough that I thought he might be related, but that doesn't appear to be the case. It would be out of character, for starters, and I can't fathom when he would have had time for a family."
"Must have been something else to have you nervous at someone looking like him. I take it your villain is out of the picture? Because someone's out there willing to hurt her to get back at you…"
All Might was not normally a vengeful person. Not even when he was just Toshinori Yagi, a Quirkless kid wandering the world by himself until Nana Shimura had found him. All for One had pushed him in ways he had never thought possible. Left holes in his life that could never be refilled, wounds that would never truly heal.
Seeing the archfiend brought low, his empire destroyed and his remaining allies dead or scattered to the winds with no hope of reclaiming their fallen master's work…it was a grim, bitter satisfaction to reflect on when he gave his answer.
"No need to worry on that front. Police handled the disposal of his corpse. I doubt even he could survive getting his arms torn off and his head caved in."
[IB]
The next day, Itsuka led a round of applause as Yui, Rin, Awase, and Kaibara stumbled into the control room where All Might and Vlad King were waiting with the rest of Class 1-B.
"A good performance on both sides," All Might said as the applause subsided. "And congratulations to Team C for their victory in this match."
From their heap in the corner, Awase and Kaibara fist-bumped with triumphant grins.
"Both sides appeared evenly matched in skill, Quirk apprehension, as well as tactics and strategy. What was it that granted the Hero team the victory in this instance?"
Yaorashi threw a hand into the air. "Rin and Kodai had a good initiative, and made good use of cover and obstacles when defending the objective!" he boomed. "But Awase and Kaibara had better teamwork and coordination when it came to breaking through! And when Kodai panicked at the end, Awase had a counter at the ready!"
All Might nodded at this "A fair assessment. Does anyone else have anything to add to that?" Another hand went up. "Tokage?"
"Communication," she answered. "Kodai and Rin tended to work well on their own, but when forced to work in tandem, their lack of cohesion stood out the most, Kodai accidentally blocking Rin before he could make an attack, for instance."
Rin gently patted Yui's back as she bowed her head slightly in embarrassment.
"We did start finding our rhythm near the end," Rin added. "But that was about when Awase locked us down."
"Very good. Think about where your strengths were and where your weaknesses lie. Above all, learn from your mistakes. In the meantime, we have our next match:" All Might pulled out the next set of names. "Teams D and G. Kendo and Komori versus Monoma and Tetsutetsu, you're up."
"Good luck," said Reiko.
The four of them made their way to the designated building. Across the street, they could see one of the buildings used yesterday by 1-A, where several holes had been punched in the walls.
Itsuka whistled quietly. "Wow. 1-A parties hard."
"Villain Team, you can move into the building for preparations," All Might boomed over the loudspeaker. "Your five minutes begins now!"
Monoma strode into the building without a second glance. Behind him, Tetsutetsu slammed a fist into an open palm, teeth bared. "Right! Let's do this!"
Once their opposition was out of earshot, Itsuka closed her eyes, gripping her hands. Her costume concept had largely gone unchanged, but after the explosion during the Entrance Exam, she was looking into some sort of wrist brace/gauntlet to guard against the higher rated impacts.
If I can find something that'll work with Big Hands, she thought, then said, "Alright, we're up against Tetsutetsu and Monoma. One turns into metal and is physically capable, and the other copies Quirks for a time. How to beat that with minimum of force but maximum effect?"
Komori shuffled nervously next to her. The short, thin brunette was hunched over a little, clutching a staff close to her chest, hair obscuring most of her face. A hat in the shape of a mushroom cap was pulled low, further covering her eyes, and dressed in a red turtleneck dress with white spots, she looked like a little witch.
"How fast can you grow your mushrooms?" Itsuka asked
Komori looked up, giving Itsuka a look at her eyes. "I-they grow as soon as they make contact."
Itsuka mulled that over. "Okay. If we run into Monoma first, let me engage him first. Don't let him touch you, under any circumstances."
"Uh-um, but what if it's T-Tetsutetsu?"
"Then you'll cover him in mushrooms. Immobilize him. Then we can double up on Monoma."
[IB]
The rest of Class 1-B observed both teams preparing. When the two teams split off, Monoma sprinted up the stairs, tapping portions of the walls.
"What's his hurry?" Kaibara asked
Honenuki squinted at the screen. "Wait, when did-? Oh, you cheeky little…I can't even be mad about it. That was clever."
Monoma's preparations weren't limited to Softening, and chunks of the building were pulled and expanded. Yui hummed, but otherwise didn't react.
"He got Awase's Quirk, too?"
"Dang. I never noticed."
"Misdirection is a valuable skill to have, as is the capacity of discretion," All Might spoke over the low buzz of chatter. "Now, I do believe their five minutes are up. Begin!"
[IB]
At All Might's signal, Itsuka urged her teammate forward. "Go!"
A series of mushroom stepping stones sprang up on the smaller girl's command to get to the third floor, Itsuka help the smaller girl with the jumps. She thought about going higher, but Komori seemed a bit nervous with heights as it was.
"Nice and easy," she said, easing her in through window.
They crept further in, heading for a stairwell when a silvery form leapt from the shadows, tearing through hastily grown mushrooms. The soft material botched his trajectory, rebounding him back into the building with a crash.
"Good reflexes, Komori!" Itsuka shouted, any doubt of the girl's capability vanishing. "It looks like we're fighting Tetsutetsu."
"Is that what you think?" Monoma said, metallic form smirking.
"Never mind, it's Monoma. I'll handle him. You get to the objective."
Komori ran off without a word, leaving Itsuka squaring off against Monoma
The blond clenched and unclenched his hands in irritation. "Handle me? You've got a lot of nerve making such a claim."
He ran up and dove to the side, his hand clipping her elbow as he passed, only for Itsuka to grab him and swing him back, throwing the obnoxious blond down the hall and away from her teammate.
In a surprising bit of agility, he rolled on the floor and back to his feet, then came charging back at her.
Her eyes widened remembered what he had said during the Quirk Apprehension Test
Did he get One for All?
Her opponent flipped around and slapped the wall to send him back, but nothing more than Big Hands was capable of.
Oh, good. He just got Big Hands.
They were still her big hands, strength and all, and dodging wasn't an option when Monoma took a swing with an enlarged fist. She caught his punch, redirecting it, letting him punch a hole the size of a small car and stumble through it, giving him a good kick.
Her hand stung from Monoma emerged from the dust, once again covered by Steel's protections.
Swapping at the last second for greater protection.
Itsuka refrained from calling on One for All. Her control over it was still kind of crap and she didn't want to turn her classmate into a coat of paint on the wall, however annoying he might be. Still, it was a bit of a challenge, especially when that tremendous well of power wanted nothing more than to bubble to the surface and release.
Monoma was surprisingly skilled, keeping up with her. He was fast with the switching, too, seamlessly swapping between the copied Quirks as he changed tactics, demonstrated when he hit the wall with Steel, and tore a chunk of the ceiling down and threw it at her with Big Hands.
Deflecting the missile, Itsuka almost didn't notice as the interior wall collapsed, dumping a chunk of the upper level on her.
"Where did that come from?"
"I weakened the supports on the way up," Monoma answered. "I borrowed a few Quirks before we left. My partner didn't think you'd flank and I wasn't sure if you'd fall for that trick." He smirked at her, smugly confident. "Thanks for proving us wrong, Kendo."
Watching Monoma run off, she keyed her radio. "Komori, Monoma is on his way up. I'll try to cut him off, but watch out."
"R-right!"
Breathing deeply, Itsuka let One for All drip through, pushing it through her arms as delicately as possible. The result was like an ocean crashing through her, teal lightning arcing from her body. What little leverage she could get, she shoved herself upward, launching her through the rubble and into hall above her, bursting from the floor and in front of a surprised Monoma.
The blond threw a wild haymaker, trying to take advantage of his momentum, only for Itsuka to lunge forward and grapple.
This time, she hefted him up and flipped him over her shoulder. The blond lied dazed in the wall where his body had left an imprint. Stunned as he was, there was little he could do to stop his arms from being secured by capture tape.
"Lucky shot," he sneered.
"Luck's as much a factor as skill," Itsuka answered. "You actually did pretty well for how little time you had my Quirk, and you had a pretty good plan."
The blond hardly seemed mollified, but his anger simmered down a little.
"Both Villains are defeated. Hero Team wins!"
"What?!" Monoma screeched.
Itsuka pressed a finger on the earpiece. "Komori, talk to me."
"I couldn't get into the room right away," Komori babbled, "so I poured a bunch of spores into the room and kept growing mushrooms until Tetsutetsu stopped moving."
"Oh. Can Tetsutetsu get out?"
"Uh…I might need help with that."
"Okay, we'll be right over." "Well, now that that's done with, here. Let me help you out."
Itsuka helped Monoma out of the wall and made their way to the bomb room.
Along the way, Itsuka got to see some of the preparations Monoma had established. Pieces of the wall had been torn out, rearranged, expanded, and then fused back in, blocking off most avenues of approach.
At the room itself, a hole had been punched through via mushrooms, where Komori was poking her head through.
"Color me impressed," said Itsuka, turning to Monoma. "You did that in five minutes?"
"Less than that, actually," he answered, a touch smug, before turning to the mushroom girl. "How did you get through?"
Komori glanced back and forth between the two of them, and said "invincible door fallacy."
Itsuka couldn't help but laugh a little. "Good work, Komori." Stretching out a little, she winced as pain shot through her back. "Right. Let's get back to the rest of the class and patched up."
[IB]
Hitoshi Shinso, Quirk: Brainwashing (he can control anyone who responds to his inquiries)
Mei Hatsume, Quirk: Zoom (she has telescopic vision, with a maximum effective range of 5 km)
A/N: This chapter was originally supposed to cover more ground, but then it got too long and I had to split it up. Next chapter should have the break-in, and the lead-in to the USJ. I thought about going over some more match-ups from the Trial of Battle, but there really wasn't much of a need for it, though. As it is, the fights for the Sports Festival promise to take up some time.
With that out of the way, this will probably be my last piece for 2020, so Happy New Year! I'll see you on the flipside, with more content to follow. In the meantime, as always, constructive criticism appreciated.
EDIT (7 APR 2021): I edited the scene where Izuku, Haru, and Suzume drop off their assignment to more clearly indicate that All Might switched back to muscly form, as well as elaborating on the conversation between Itsuka, All Might, and Obsidian. Furthermore, I added a sequence with Class 1-B and their Trial of Battle training. They needed more screen time, and we get to see a little of the relationships between Itsuka and the rest of her class. Komori and Monoma were the ones with the most outstanding personality issues that I could see, Komori being apparently shy at her introduction during the Sports Festival and Monoma being Monoma, and I wanted to get Itsuka's dynamics established with them early on.
EDIT (21 FEB 2022): Swapped one of the teams in the second round in Class A's trial of battle. Instead of Hagakure and Sero, its Uraraka and Shiozaki that Bakugo and Iida go up against.