U.A. GROUNDS-P.E. AREA

As most of the students expressed their dismay at the situation, Aizawa remained unfazed and spoke. "This is a glimpse of the reality of becoming a hero." His expression hardened. "If you came here just to have fun, too bad. From here on out, all you can expect is hardship." Unease spread amongst them. "If you can't handle this, you won't be able to face the harsh calamities heroes need to deal with daily." He bluntly pointed out.

Bakugou grimaced. "Shit, he isn't fucking around." His comment gained the attention of his friends. "He'll expel us if we mess up, potential or not." Those who heard paled while his friends turned serious.

Aizawa eyed them scrutinizingly. "Either step up as a hero or step aside, the safety of the innocent isn't something to take lightly." His words did the trick as the ones who panicked managed to pull themselves together, the drive to be a hero overriding their fears. "Now, let's begin with the 50-meter dash."

Unsurprisingly, Ida came out on top and remained in first place. Even Toga couldn't beat his record despite outdoing Ochako who had made herself lighter with her Zero Gravity quirk.

Finally, it was Izuku and Bakugou's turn. "Get ready to eat my dust nerd!" The blond taunted as he got into position.

His friend chuckled at the comment. "Careful, I could turn into Bemstar and do just that." His retort earned an amused scoff from his explosive friend while those who didn't know him got confused by his words. What did he mean by that?

As soon as the signal was given, Bakugou blasted ahead with his quirk. "Blast Rush!" He screamed while propelling himself with mini-explosions from his palms while Izuku simply charged 5% OFA and dashed.

Toga and Ochako cheered as they went while everyone else was in awe or simply observing the scene. Some were amazed with Bakugou's technique while others were just surprised that Izuku's size didn't affect his speed at all.

They were neck and neck up to the finish line. "HA!" Bakugou exclaimed as he skidded to a stop and sneered at Izuku who came to a stop. "Beat you!"

"Really?" His friend scratched his head with a confused look. "I thought we were tied."

The blond gave him an annoyed look. "We weren't!" He crossed his arms. "I crossed that damn line first!" He said stubbornly.

"A-Actually." A short teen with orbs for hair meekly said, flinching from the blond's heated gaze. "You two were pretty even from what I saw." Around him, the others expressed similar thoughts.

"Get your eyes checked then!" Bakugou snapped before glancing at Toga and Ochako who merely shrugged at him with nods. "The hell?" He looked to their teacher who wordlessly gave him a look that said that they were tied.

With overwhelming evidence stacked against him, the blond slumped with a grouchy look. "Don't worry." He felt a hand on his shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, they were amazed with your skill." Izuku patted his shoulder. "Even me."

After a moment, the blond let out a heavy sigh and smiled a little at him. "Thanks."

Izuku grinned. "No problem, I know how competitive you tend to be." He then frowned a little. "You need to work on that by the way, it's good to do your best but you don't have to be a jerk about it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Bakugou gently removed his hand with an eye roll. "I've got an attitude." He ignored the snort from his friend. "But I'm getting better." He grumbled as he walked to their friends.

Izuku chuckled. "I know." He nodded. "If it was you back in the day, this whole place would have been blown to smithereens by now." His friend chuckled as they regrouped, getting congratulations from their friends.

Those who heard found it surprising how such a volatile individual was friends with someone so reasonable. But they supposed that it weirdly made sense.

Unbeknownst to him, Aizawa had been observing and was impressed with Izuku's handling of the situation and Bakugou's surprising maturity. "Hmph, guess he isn't as troublesome as I thought he'd be." Not that he was going to admit that, he'd never hear the end of it from Hizashi and Nemuri.

The next trial was a grip test, which resulted in Izuku being at the top along with another guy who was taller than him with a mask named Mezo Shoji. "Geez you two are strong!" The guy with the interesting elbows said. "Are you two part Gorilla?"

Izuku chuckled. "Part Kaiju in my case." His comment garnered confused looks. "You'll see eventually." He wore a cryptic smile that further confused them while his friends laughed to themselves. "This guy though looks like he's part squid." He then looked at the multi-armed teen with a sheepish grin. "No offense."

"None taken." The masked teen calmly replied. "You wouldn't be the first to say that." He raised his arms. "Some even compared me to an octopus back in my younger days." He said evenly.

In an instant, Izuku's smile fell and was replaced with guilt. "Sorry if I brought up bad memories." He rubbed the back of his head. "Sometimes I'm too blunt for my good." Quirk discrimination wasn't a new concept to him, he's read stories and news reports about it online.

And while his old school didn't have that problem, probably due to the efforts of him and his friends, it was foolish of him to assume that his classmates didn't experience such things.

"It's alright." Mezo smiled, or at least, Izuku thought he was. Hard to tell with that mask. "It's honestly refreshing to meet someone straightforwardly talking to me without malice." He manifested a mouth with one of his arms. "In a way, it lets me know when a person is being genuine rather than talking to me out of discomfort or fear." The mouth smiled.

Izuku had stars in his eyes. "Woah!" His reaction took Mezo aback. "Cool quirk, mind telling me how it works?" Bakugou grunted, having expected this to happen at some point while Toga giggled at how cute he was being.

After recovering from his shock, the multi-armed teen spoke. "I never met anyone genuinely interested in my quirk before." He then smiled. "But sure, I can-"

Aizawa audibly cleared his throat. "You can get to know each other later." His eyes narrowed as they glowed with his quirk. "Focus on the tests for now."

His command was met with immediate agreement. "R-Right, sorry sensei." Izuku looked sheepish while Mezo expressed the same, earning a grunt from the pro.

The physical tests went on without a hitch until the softball pitch came up again. And since Bakugou had already done so, he was ordered to just watch everything play out.

When it was Ochako's turn, the softball appeared to rise forever. The entire class was then rendered speechless when Aizawa revealed the score to be an infinity.

Izuku whistled. "Damn, that pretty much sets you to be the first place in softball trials forever." His comment was agreed with everyone else, making the gravity user bashful.

Aizawa hummed and made sure to share the results with Nemuri, she'd find the moment interesting at least. "Midoriya, you're next."

The Kaiju user nodded and made his way to the circle. "Try not to break the ball nerd!" Bakugou called out in the same way he did earlier, making Toga giggle while Ida and Ochako chuckled at their dynamic.

"Don't worry, I have restraint!" Izuku replied with a cheeky grin before sighing as he stared at the ball. "Now, what am I going to do with you?" He muttered as he racked his brain for the best method to launch the item without ruining it.

After a moment, a large grin formed on his face as an idea struck him. "That'll do." Sparks suddenly emanated from his body as he charged 5%, taking everyone aside from his friends aback. "Here we go!" He tossed the ball straight in the air and shifted into Gomora in a flash.

Within the group, a red-haired teen gaped. "No way…" He exclaimed before forming a toothy smile while the pink girl gasped in amazement. "I knew it! It is him!" His words drew curious looks from Izuku's friends while everyone else was just stunned by the teen's sudden transformation.

Back with the Kaiju user, he sported a predatory grin as he watched the ball descend before twisting his body as it got close. "Tail…" Growling, he swung his large tail. "Smash!" He roared as the item made contact with the appendage, producing a loud smack and a brief strong gust of wind that made some students stagger before it was sent flying at ludicrous speed.

Izuku stared in the direction of where the ball was launched before looking at Aizawa who was staring at the device as it calculated, prompting everyone else to do the same after recovering.

When the device beeped, Aizawa made a sound of approval before showing the results, making some of them gape. "Plus Ultra indeed."

"9-950 meters!?" A muscular teen named Sato exclaimed in shock and amazement. "That's insane!"

Izuku however snapped his fingers. "Damn, I was kinda hoping for a solid 1km." He huffed before turning back to normal. "Oh well, at least I had fun." He then made his way to his friends while Aizawa calculated the results. "Did you like the show?"

"It was amazing!" Toga cheered with Ochako nodding with the same energy. "That thing went lightspeed!" She made the motion of swinging an imaginary bat, making him chuckle.

Ida hummed in agreement. "It was an impressive feat." He adjusted his glasses with a humorous smile. "Though I preferred it didn't result in my glasses flying off." The Kaiju user apologized with embarrassment. "It's fine, I should have expected it to happen with how strong you are."

"Kind of cheating since Gomora has a strong tail." Bakugou casually cut in with his arms crossed. "But…" He shrugged and smirked at him. "It was a nice show so I'll let it pass."

Izuku chuckled. "I bet you would have said the same thing if you had a tail too." His friend snorted and said that the idea of having a tail was annoying. "Oh come on Bakugou, tails have plenty of uses." He raised his hand as he began listing off the benefits. "You could incorporate it into your fighting style, making it hard to predict. You could grab stuff or use it as a weapon-"

"Excuse me."

The group turned to the voice and saw that it was the red-haired teen, Kirishima from what they heard. "Sorry to cut in but…" He suddenly looked unsure. "You wouldn't happen to be that guy from the sludge villain incident, would you?" His question was heard by the others who watched the interaction with interest.

After he received a nod, he pumped his fist. "I knew you guys looked familiar!" He formed a toothy smile. "The whole situation sucked, but I just wanna say that all of you were manly!" At once, realization dawned on their classmates as they talked amongst themselves.

"Uhh, thanks?" Izuku honestly didn't know how to respond to that while Bakugou was over it whereas Toga became shy from all the attention.

The pink girl, Mina Ashido, giggled as she approached. "What my friend here is trying to say is that you three were super awesome that day!" She leaned against him. "Calling things manly is praise for him." She clarified.

Toga blinked. "Huh." She then grinned and did a pose. "When you put it like that, I guess we're all manly then!" Her words earned chuckles from most of them.

But just before the others could ask questions, Aizawa spoke. "Talk later, results now." In an instant, everyone stood at attention.

Izuku was pleasantly surprised that he had earned 1st place, 2nd place went to a girl named Yaoyorozu Momo and 3rd went to Bakugou.

And while he found his friend's comments at his placement amusing, he was sympathetic toward the short teen named Minoru Mineta who had placed bottom of the list. "No!" He fell to his knees in despair. "I'm going to be expelled!" His classmates were also feeling bad for him, even Bakugou knew how much this sucked for him.

Izuku stepped forward to speak in his defense before Aizawa sighed. "Calm yourself, I'm not going to expel you." The short teen looked up to him with renewed hope while everyone else was in disbelief. "I was never going to expel any of you."

In an instant, chaos ensued. "EEEEHHHHH!?" Most of them exclaimed in surprise.

But Aizawa wasn't fazed and simply gave them a bored look. "It was simply a logical ruse to bring out the best in all of you and expose your weaknesses." He then smirked a little. "And based on the results, it worked." The students were dumbfounded by his reasoning.

"Of course, he wasn't going to expel anyone." Momo calmly chimed in, earning their attention. "It would be foolish to expel people who had the potential to do great good for the world." She explained like it was obvious.

Izuku blinked and thought about the logic. "Well…" He rubbed the back of his head. "It does make sense in a way." He then grinned awkwardly. "As messed up as it is." Some of his classmates grumbled but understood.

"It was still mean though." Toga cut in with a pout, earning a chuckle from Izuku as he patted her head, making her beam. The moment caught the eye of a certain pink teen who had a gleam in her eyes, making Bakugou grimace when he noticed. That wasn't good.

Aizawa then ordered them to head back to the classroom for regular classes and while they moved, Izuku paused when he caught a familiar scent in the air. He looked back and smiled when he saw All Might peaking around the corner. And while the scene was a little funny, it was still nice to know that his mentor was looking out for him.

Meanwhile, knowing that he was seen, the pro gave him a proud thumbs up of which the teen returned before running off to catch up with his friends. "Well done, young Midoriya." The man smiled and made his way back to the faculty room.

LATER-OUTSIDE THE U.A. GROUNDS

The rest of the day was rather uneventful, mostly filled with introductions from the teachers who were also pro heroes and what to expect from their classes. The only thing memorable was when Toga freaked out when it was revealed that Midnight would be their Art History teacher.

"I can't believe I did that!" Toga whined with her face in her hands as they walked. Of all the imaginary scenarios of meeting one of her idols, screaming wasn't one of them!

Bakugou chuckled. "Lighten up, at least you didn't bombard her with questions like I thought you would." He ruffled her head a bit. "Besides, it made the day interesting." He teased, earning an embarrassed groan from her as she removed his hand to fix her hair.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Izuku chimed in and wrapped an arm around her. "If it makes you feel any better, she probably thought you were being cute." And based on that amused look he saw on the heroine, that probably was the case.

After processing what he said, Toga peeked up at him with a hopeful look. "You think so?"

"Positive." Izuku assured while patting her shoulder. "If she were bothered, we would have seen it." He glanced at the others. "Right guys?" He immediately got agreements from them.

Toga looked better from hearing that, though she was still embarrassed. "Thanks, Izuku." She leaned against him while he simply smiled and continued holding her.

But unbeknownst to them, the pair had walked ahead. Bakugou and Ida watched them with smiles while Ochako had to resist squealing at the sight. "They're so cute!" She whispered the best she could, garnering the attention of the two boys. "Are you sure they aren't together Bakugou?"

To this, the blond scoffed. "If they were, they'd be making out by now." He ignored Ida's words of disapproval at his crassness. "But no, for all his brains and instincts, Izuku's too dense, and Toga's too nervous." He grumbled. "I want them to be happy together, but I don't want to risk the possibility of ruining their friendship because I got involved." He gazed at the duo. "The best thing I can do is to let things naturally progress."

While Ochako quietly awed, Ida wore a look of approval as he placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. "That's surprisingly mature and decent of you."

"Bite me four eyes." Bakugou pulled his shoulder away with a growl. "Don't think I'm soft just because I care for my friends." He muttered.

Ochako giggled while Ida simply smiled. "Of course." The blond grunted, satisfied with that. "It is interesting though." He rubbed his chin in amusement. "It kind of reminds me of a romance story."

"I was just about to say the same thing!" Ochako cut in with an excited look. "It's like a romance anime!" She swooned. "The cliche dense protagonist and the pining shy girl." Bakugou muttered about how right she was while Ida chuckled in agreement.

"Something wrong back there?" Izuku called to them as he and Toga looked back in confusion.

While Ochako and Ida looked panicked, Bakugou had been used to moments like this and remained calm. "Nothing, just talking about how boring the day was." He caught up to the two, prompting the others to do the same.

Izuku chuckled at his words. "Careful, you might miss peaceful moments like this." He playfully warned while Toga giggled.

The blond scoffed. "I'm not going around looking for trouble." He then smacked his fist into his palm with a feral grin. "But if it does show up, I'm kicking its ass!" The group chuckled at his typical response as they continued their way home.

APARTMENT GROUNDS

''You know, apart from the fact that our teachers are well-known heroes, today was just like any other day in our old school.'' Izuku pointed out as they neared their homes.

Toga hummed in agreement. ''Yeah, minus the lack of bullying.'' Bakugou grunted in agreement, with Aldera, it seemed like every year a new bully would pop up to make it hard for people to get through their school days. Thankfully it would seem that U.A.'s strictness discouraged such things.

Ah well, at least the small fry they had to deal with made their time in their old school less boring.

The trio then said their goodbyes as Bakugou and Toga used their keys to enter their homes while Izuku rang the doorbell and fished for his keys.

But just as he was about to insert it, he heard footsteps from the other side. "Coming!" He kept his key as the door opened to reveal his father who beamed upon seeing him. "Hey son! How was school?" For some reason, it looked like he was glowing.

Thinking that his eyes were just playing tricks on him, he pushed that thought aside and returned the smile. "Hey dad, school was awesome." He entered and removed his shoes as his father closed the door. "We met Eraserhead today and then he made us do a quirk apprehension test." He animatedly explained as the pair moved. "And then we found out that all of our teachers are well-known heroes!"

Hisashi chuckled at his energy. "Sounds like you all had a great day." He then playfully narrowed his eyes. "I hope you didn't disturb the class with your fanboying." He teased with a sly smile.

Izuku snickered with a shrug. "Don't worry, I didn't disturb the class." He then returned the smile. "But that didn't stop me from approaching them for autographs afterward."

His father fondly shook his head. "Of course you did." His son's love for heroes was unrivaled. "Just tone down the questioning, no use in looking like a creep." His warning was met with agreement. "Good." He then wore an interested look. "By the way, was Midnight there?" After receiving a nod, he continued. "Did you get an autograph for Toga too?"

"Yep!" Izuku wore a triumphant look. "She was nervous to ask for one so I did it for her." He chuckled fondly. "I was honestly scared that she got a heart attack when I handed it to her." He then rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "Thankfully she came back to life and gave me a tight hug." Despite her build, she was surprisingly strong.

Hisashi smirked and patted him on the shoulder. "Smooth son." He then decided to use the chance to ask something important. "By the way, are interested in he-?"

"Wait a minute." Izuku gently cut him off, making the man cringe at the timing again. "Where's mom?"

Deciding to drop his question for now, Hisashi remained calm and waved his hand. "She's in our room, resting." At the surprised look from his son, he explained. "She wasn't feeling too good, so I told her to rest for the day." He carefully explained.

And as expected, Izuku became concerned. "Mom's sick?" Before his father could respond, he already had his back turned to him as he moved. "I'll just go check on-"

"NO!" Hisashi quickly cut in, looking pale while his son turned to him in surprise. "I-I mean…" He quickly recomposed himself. "She said not to let you in because she didn't want to risk you getting sick and losing a day of school for her." He mentally patted himself on the back for the quick and convincing lie.

But his son, ever the growing hero, wasn't deterred. "I'm sure the school will understand if I get sick." He thumped his chest. "And I rarely get sick anyway so it'll be fine."

In an instant, panic surged through Hisashi as he racked his brain for something. "You can't son, because..." The teen gave him a weird look. "She made me promise not to let you in until she was sure it was nothing serious." Technically not a lie, she had asked him to steer their son away from their room.

Izuku blinked. That…sounded like something his mother would say. "Well, I…" He thought about it before sighing. "Ok, if you say so." He turned away again, allowing his father to look relieved. "But if there's anything I can do to help, you can count on me." He moved to the kitchen.

"I know I can." Hisashi smiled knowingly before letting out a quiet sigh of relief. "Glad that's taken care of." He then began thinking of what to cook as he moved to the kitchen as well.

As his father rummaged through the fridge for ingredients, Izuku was about to drink water before pausing. "By the way dad." His father hummed as he washed vegetables. "What's that smell?"

"Smell?" Hisashi repeated in confusion before freezing as the horror dawned on him. "What smell?" He prodded as calmly as he could, thankfully facing away from his son so that he couldn't see the light flush on his now face.

After drinking with a satisfied sigh, Izuku shrugged. "I dunno, never smelled anything like it." His father cringed as embarrassment shot through him. "It's not bad per se, just odd." He calmly added as his nose twitched.

At this moment, Hisashi cursed his family's enhanced senses. But just before he lost his composure, an explanation came to him.

A stupid one, but worth the try.

"Ah! I think I know what it is." Hisashi turned to face his son, making it appear as though he had solved a mystery. "What you're smelling is the result of our tickle fight earlier." He hoped he sounded convincing.

Izuku tilted his head in confusion. "Tickle…fight?" He's seen his parents play around before, but he doubts it would be enough to leave such an interesting scent.

Knowing his train of thought, the man explained. "You know how we play around sometimes." A nod in response. "Well, this time we were a little into it." He chuckled with what he hoped to be a convincing sheepish look. "We broke into quite the sweat and it ended up mixing." Another idea came to him. "And it was because of our…" He paused to find the right word. "Playtime." He held back a cringe. "I was able to notice that your mother was a little sick."

Hisashi then held a bated breath as Izuku's expression scrunched in thought as he looked down. "Hmmm…" He hummed and nodded to himself. "That's interesting." His father gave him a curious look. "I forgot that different scents could mix under certain conditions." He then shrugged with a grin. "It also makes sense that you didn't know because you don't have our sense of smell and mom probably didn't notice either because she's under the weather."

Hisashi quickly decided to go with that to end this. "Y-Yeah, that's probably it." He was thankful that things were shifting for the better, but he needed to be sure. "In fact, why don't you get cleaned up and rest in your room while I light a candle?" He calmly suggested. "I'll even light one in our room so you won't be distracted by the smell." He added with a slightly hopeful look.

Thankfully Izuku didn't notice as he nodded. "I don't really mind but sure." His father mentally sighed in relief. "I'll just go to my room then, hopefully mom will be alright tomorrow."

At this, his father wore a confident look. "She will, no doubt about that." His son smiled in relief and nodded to him before moving to his room.

Hisashi watched him go until he was out of sight. He waited until he heard the door to his son's room close before hunching with a heavy sigh. "Thank God he bought it." He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly looking tired. "I don't think I would have been able to explain if he saw her passed out on the bed with our scent everywhere." He grimaced. "Or why both of us have marks on our skin." Thankfully he owned a shirt big enough to hide the marks of passion on his skin, his wife was quite the scratcher and biter.

Not that he was any better.

With one last sigh, Hisashi recomposed himself. "Dinner can wait for a few, I need those candles." He muttered before moving in haste and prayed that his wife wouldn't have a heart attack when their son asked questions tomorrow.

THE NEXT DAY-U.A. GROUNDS-1A CLASSROOM

After a surprisingly awkward and strange breakfast (his mother looked rather red while his father awkwardly answered for her), the day had progressed dully. Aside from the highlight where they had discovered that the Pro Hero: Lunch Rush, an individual who dedicated himself to feeding the less fortunate, was in charge of the cafeteria here.

Several questions and autographs later, things slowed down again. Don't get him wrong, he didn't mind studying, he was just expecting more action from such a well-known hero school.

As his classmates filled the room with noise, Izuku's nose twitched as he picked up a familiar scent and smiled to himself. "He's here." Those who heard looked at him in confusion.

Before they could ask, a familiar laugh could be heard, making everyone excited. "I AM…!" The doors slid open and came in All Might with his Silver Age costume. "COMING THROUGH THE DOOR!" He dashed to the teacher's desk and did a proud pose.

"Woah! All Might's our teacher!?" A student named Denki Kaminari exclaimed in pleasant surprise while everyone else was ecstatic.

The girl with earphone jacks on her ears, Kyoka Jiro, directed him with an unimpressed look. "He said it during our entrance trial results." Her words made him blink before looking sheepish as he said that he had forgotten.

"Foundation of Hero Studies!" All Might cut in as he flexed his muscles. "This class focuses on building up your hero foundation through many tests!" He then stood tall. "For today's test, we'll be doing a Battle Trial!" He proudly proclaimed.

"Battle Trial?" Izuku and Bakugou exclaimed with intrigue before glancing at each other with dangerous grins while Toga fondly rolled her eyes at their excitement.

All Might chortled at the palpable excitement of his students. "But of course, no battle would be complete…" He took out a remote and pressed a button, making several shelves hidden in the walls open. "Without your costumes!" His declaration made their excitement grow. "Now grab your gear and get changed!" Everyone voiced their agreement and went to grab their suitcases.

As they moved out of the room, the pro decided to add one more thing. "And remember, from this point on, you're all heroes!" The students beamed and hurriedly left to change, drawing an amused laugh from the pro.

U.A. GROUNDS-GROUND B TRAINING AREA

"Nice costume bro!" Kirishima praised with a big grin as he patted Bakugou's back with a thumbs up. "Love the theme!"

Next to him, Mina hummed before waving her hand. "Meh, a little too on the nose but it'll do." She teased with a grin.

With a grunt, Bakugou inspected his equipment. "I didn't ask for your approval." He huffed and adjusted his grenade gauntlets. "I'm here to beat villains, not be in a fashion show." Mina pouted while Kirishima chuckled, finding his reasoning understandable.

"Now Bakugou." Ida chimed in. "It's not polite to be dismissive of your classmates." He lightly admonished while Ochako nodded.

The explosive blond was about to reply before a voice was heard. "H-Hey guys, am I late?"

Turning to the voice they saw that it was Toga who was now wearing a carmine-colored long-sleeve heroine outfit complete with a combat skirt. Black custom combat pants. As well as white gloves and boots that reached to her elbows and knees respectively.

She also wore a gray utility belt containing various equipment including two handheld devices in sheaths and medical equipment for when she needed to patch up wounded civilians or heroes, she took blood from.

On both her wrists are gray gauntlet devices that served for ranged combat and other purposes. She also wore red goggles that, apart from protecting her eyes from certain elements, allowed her to hide her eyes from the enemy in a ruby red shade on command via coded blinking to prevent them from discovering her next move.

And as a bonus feature from Mei, her goggles also had thermal and night vision modes. To top it all off, she had a black face mask designed by Izuku to have a drawing of cute vampire teeth on the front.

"OH MY GOD!" Mina squealed in amazement as Ida, Kirishima, and Bakugou were stunned. "You look so cool!" She exclaimed while she and Ochako circled the blonde to marvel at her costume design, those who heard looked in their direction and were also in awe of her design.

Toga blushed and looked bashful. "Really?" She rubbed her arm. "You don't think it's too much?"

After recovering, Kirishima grinned and shook his head. "Not at all!" He then rubbed his chin with a thoughtful look. "You're like uh…" He thought of the right word before snapping his fingers. "I got it! You're like a bounty hunter with a blood or vampire theme!" Mina gasped and nodded in excitement, easily seeing the comparison to her favorite sci-fi stuff.

"What shitty hair said." Bakugou cut in with an impressed look, ignoring how Kirishima and Ida gave him a blank look while Mina and Ochako snickered. "It suits you, Toga." She beamed from his praise before giggling when he ruffled her hair a bit.

"What about me?"

Turning to the voice, they were also stunned by the sight.

Izuku now wore a simple-looking green zip-up jacket with a hood and visible black light armor sewn onto the sides, shoulders, as well as between the middle zipper on his chest and on his back with neon green outlines. And brown combat pants.

He also sported dark green combat gloves that extended to his forearms and combat boots. His calves also had custom dark green armor.

Not only that, his gloves and boots had been modified to reduce any damage from the drawbacks of using OFA while also enhancing impact damage, with or without his quirk.

His combat gloves, boots, and armor also went over his jacket and pants, just nearing his elbows and knees respectively, offering flexibility.

His elbows and knees were covered with custom gray armor that offered the same protection.

With Mei's expertise, the material used was both durable and light, making it reliable for maneuvers and speedy fights.

To top it all off, on both his shoulder armor are three red claw marks, and on his back armor is the word: "Kaiju" in kanji with a dark cyan color surrounded by monster teeth.

"H-Holy shit." Kaminari muttered in awe while Jiro could only nod her head while everyone else was stunned.

Kirishima though was more boisterous as he laughed. "You look badass bro!" He flashed him a thumbs up. "Super manly!"

Bakugou grunted in agreement as he smirked. "Trying to show off?"

"Nah." Izuku waved him off with a chuckle. "I just went for something more practical." He showed his fist. "Something that'll help me enhance my close-ranged combat while also protecting me from any drawbacks of my strength quirk." He thumped the armor on his chest. "And I don't exactly have good defenses by myself so it made sense to give me some protection while at the same time, making sure that I can move." He demonstrated by doing some stretches without issue.

Bakugou nodded. "And you won't have to worry about ranged attacks since you've got a ton of transformations for that." His friend grinned, making him snort in amusement. "Damn, you thought of everything huh?" He chuckled and lightly nudged him. "Not that it's a bad thing, it looks good on you." His friend grinned down at him.

"I know somebody thinks so." Mina chimed in with a mischievous grin as she and Ochako giggled at Toga who was simply gaping at him.

Turning his attention to them, Izuku noticed her outfit and was awed. "Woah…" He smiled as she returned to reality. "You look amazing!" He cheered while circling her.

Toga turned red from his praise as well as his loud proclamation. "R-Really?" Even if her friends said that it looked good on her, his opinion held more weight.

Izuku nodded with enthusiasm, increasing her blush. "It's perfect on you and functional!" He then eyed her up and down. "And I see you went with the blood hunter theme." He gave her a thumbs up. "Beautiful and Badass." He said with a big grin while the others were giving him weird looks. How could he say such things so casually?

As Mina and Ochako cooed in the background, a very red Toga did her best to maintain eye contact while trying not to melt on the spot from his earnest praise. "T-Thank you." She stammered as her eyes unsubtly trailed down his form, tracing the fabrics that were clinging to his muscles. "Y-You look handsome and heroic in that." Bakugou saw this and snorted, this girl had it bad.

Of course, Izuku didn't notice and simply smiled. "Thanks Toga." He then did a heroic pose. "Now let's go be heroes!" He said while doing an All Might impression, pulling her back from her less-than-innocent thoughts to giggle at his dorkiness.

While the others were watching the scene, Mina leaned close to whisper to Ochako who was smiling at the scene. "He's hot and a dork, she's doomed." The gravity user nodded with a sympathetic look while in the background, Mineta looked away with a huff as he crossed his arms in jealousy.

Just then, All Might arrived to look at everyone's costumes. "I like your styles!" He nodded with an approving look before becoming serious. "Now for today's activity, we'll be doing a mock battle in the form of 'Heroes vs. Villains' with pairs on both sides."

The students became excited at this as an invisible girl, Toru Hagakure, raised her hand. "Will the losers be expelled?" She nervously asked, causing others to be tense as well.

To this, All Might guffawed. "Nonsense! I'm not as heartless as Eraserhead to do that!" Somewhere, the underground hero sneezed and suddenly had the urge to smack the blond hero. "Now, the scenario for the exercise is that the villains have a doomsday device and it's the heroes' mission to stop them." Everyone nodded as they listened. "If the heroes reach the device before the time runs out or all the villains are captured, they win. But if the villains hold out until the time runs out or they capture all the heroes, they win." He then pulled out a roll of white tape from his pocket. "This will need to be wrapped around an individual to signify their capture."

Ida hummed and raised a hand. "How will the teams be chosen?"

"With a lottery!" He gestured to a nearby table with a box, taking most aback.

Izuku on the other hand hummed. "Well, it does make sense." Everyone turned to him. "A lot of heroes often team up with people they're unfamiliar with. It makes sense for our training to focus on random team-ups." He wrapped his arms around his friends. "That way, we won't be reliant on the things we know and we'll be quicker to adapt in quick team-ups." Toga giggled and enjoyed the embrace while Bakugou rolled his eyes but smirked.

"An astute observation Midoriya!" All Might nodded with a proud smile. "Heroes must always be ready to adapt to situations and this scenario will focus on coordination adaptation!" He then gestured to the box. "Now let's get started!"

Everything progressed smoothly until it was Izuku's turn to take a name out of the box. "Now let's see…" A huge grin formed on his face as he read the name "Katsuki Bakugou?" He called out in playful feigned confusion. "Katsuki Bakugou?"

"Present nerd." The blond cut in as he approached with a smirk. "It's gonna be a shitty day for our opponent." He chuckled darkly as he pounded a fist on his palm.

Izuku snickered and nodded. "It is pretty bad luck for them." He then frowned. "But remember, these are our classmates. I don't want you sending them to the hospital." He warned in a joking tone but his friend knew he was being serious.

"Relax." Bakugou huffed, he wasn't that bad. "I'll make it quick and painless." He stretched as his friend shook his head with a smile, knowing that that's the best he's gonna get. Those who heard grew a little nervous and hoped that they wouldn't be selected to go against them.

Mineta especially began praying that the odds were in their favor.

"Lucky~." Toga whined as she and Mezo approached them.

Izuku chuckled and patted her head. "It's alright, it's not that we won't have another chance to team up." He then looked at Mezo. "Besides, Mezo is a cool guy." His words earned a smile from the masked teen.

"I know." She smiled and glanced at her partner. "He's just as interesting as his quirk." She said before giving them a playful warning look. "I know how much you two like to fight." She placed her hands on her hips. "Which is why I'd appreciate it if our friends came back in one piece." Mezo blinked, should he be worried for his classmates?

Izuku looked amused as Bakugou threw his hands up in the air. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" He crossed his arms. "I've got more restraint than Kaiju boy here!" His friend gave him a dry look, while Toga didn't look convinced.

All Might then walked over to the other table with two boxes labeled Heroes and Villains respectively. "Now that everyone has their partner, it's time to select which pairs will go first." He reached into the boxes and pulled out two balls. "Pair C will be Heroes and Pair B will be Villains!"

"Awesome!" Kirishima spoke with excitement as he and Mina approached the front. "Looks like we'll be thwarting evil plans." He added with confidence that his partner shared.

Bakugou scoffed as he and Izuku stood next to them. "You won't be 'thwarting' anything!" His hands crackled with small explosions as he wore a vicious smile. "I'll blow you up before you have a chance!" His classmates were hoping that he was just getting into the role.

"Take it easy, we're still on the same side." Izuku chimed in as he rubbed the back of his head with an awkward grin. "Even if I'm not a fan of pretending to be a villain."

Seeing this, Toga held his hand. "Don't worry Izuku! It's just pretend!" He turned to her kind smile.

"Yeah!" Mina nodded in agreement as others voiced similar thoughts. "It's just exercise! Think of it like…" She tapped her chin before snapping her fingers. "Roleplaying!"

"Roleplaying?" Izuku hummed in thought before smiling at her. "Sure, I can work with that!" He offered a hand. "Good luck."

Returning the smile, Mina happily shook his hand. "Same to you!" Next to them, Kirishima offered a fist bump to Bakugou who huffed before bumping his fists with him, earning a toothy smile as well as a manly compliment.

All Might smiled at the comradery before speaking. "You all have five minutes to prepare!" He gestured to another table with what looked to be a blueprint and a box of equipment. "Both teams will be given two-way communicators, but only the hero team will be given a blueprint of the villain base." The teams nodded and went to the table. "The duration of the fight is 15 minutes, so make your moves count!" He then gestured to their classmates. "The rest of us will be in an observation room to watch and learn from the fight." He then raised a finger. "But keep in mind, if I see the fight getting out of hand, I'll end it on the spot." He warned with a serious look. "Understood?"

"YES!" They responded with equal seriousness.

All Might nodded in approval. "Good! Now go to your designated areas and start planning." The teams moved. "And good luck!" He added before gesturing for the other students to follow him.

"Good luck boys!" Toga waved as she moved with Ochako doing the same.

Izuku and Bakugou returned the wave with smiles as they entered the building while Kirishima and Mina went to their designated starting area.

U.A. GROUNDS-SIMULATION BUILDING-BOMB ROOM

"How did they even get this in here?" Bakugou muttered as he stared at the comically large bomb. "Hmph, whatever." He shrugged before looking at Izuku who was tapping his chin in thought. "What's the plan?"

The OFA user glanced at him in surprise. "I thought you had one?" At the look he was giving him, he shrugged. "You just seemed so confident a while ago so I thought you had an idea." He pointed out.

"I've got a few ideas, but when it comes to deeper planning." He lightly poked his friend's shoulder. "You're the one I usually turn to." As much as he'd love to take the lead and kick ass, he knew his plans tended to be reckless and would risk their objective.

For this situation, they need delicate precision.

Izuku was touched by his trust and smiled at him. "Thanks Bakugou." The blond returned the smile as he began to think. "I've been thinking of a few ideas too." He admitted. "Did you notice how close Mina and Kirishima are?" A nod in response. "Well, I think we could use that to our advantage."

Bakugou grew confused by his words. "How?" He doubted they could make them turn on each other.

Izuku tapped his head. "Think about it, they probably go way back." He pointed out with a knowing look. "So, most likely they've been doing things as a pair for a long time." A gleam formed in his eyes. "Including training."

Bakugou thought over his points before it dawned on him as he gave his friend an incredulous look. "Are you saying that neither of them knows how to fight solo?" That would be a major flaw if that were the case.

"It's just a theory." The tall teen shrugged. "Even if that isn't the case, we must separate them." He chuckled. "A classic divide and conquer strategy."

The blond hummed in agreement. "It'll make things easier." He then gave his friend a curious look. "But how are we going to split them?"

At this, Izuku gave him a sharp grin. "Here's the plan…"

By the end of his explanation, Bakugou returned the grin. "That's mean." He cracked his knuckles. "I'm in." Izuku chuckled, having expected his response.

U.A. GROUNDS-OBSERVATION ROOM

All Might and the students intently watched multiple screens as the two teams planned. They weren't able to hear the audio for this portion of the test to not repeat strategies, but the pro promised that they'd be able to hear during the battle sequence.

Speaking of the hero, he had a clipboard and pen in his hands. Noting the serious planning between Izuku and Bakugou while Mina and Kirishima were too lax for infiltrating heroes. "Makes sense, they hadn't gone through the same level of training Midoriya and his friends have." He wrote it down on his notes. "Hopefully they'll learn to be more serious after this." Although he wasn't showing favoritism, he had a feeling the hero team would be disorganized for whatever his successor had planned.

And based on the faces they're wearing while planning, he surmised that it would be the case.

All Might's gaze shifted to the timer on the screen and nodded to himself before pressing a button. "The test starts now!" His announcement caused the hero team to jolt before moving while the villain team exchanged nods and moved.

"Here we go." Sato muttered as he and his classmates watched in anticipation.

U.A. GROUNDS-INSIDE THE SIMULATION BUILDING

From another side of the building, a door was slowly opened with a slight creak before the hero team entered as quietly as they could. "Are you sure this is the best way?" Kirishima whispered as he gently closed the door behind them.

"I'm not." Mina quietly admitted before smiling at him. "But I figured it would be better than walking through the main entrance." She looked ahead. "Even if they know we're coming, we can at least try to make it hard for them to know where we are."

Kirishima nodded to her logic. "Makes sense." His eyes shifted and periodically glanced behind them. "I'll watch our backs."

The pink teen hummed. "I know you will." She replied with confidence as she kept her eyes focused ahead for anything.

This went on for a few minutes, the pair moved in a tense silence that would increase with each empty room and corner passed. It also didn't help that the only thing occupying the silence was their subtle footsteps.

As they entered another hallway, Mina couldn't help but break through the tension. "I don't like this." Her brows furrowed; something wasn't right. With how aggressive Bakugou is, they had expected him to be the first to fight them.

But clearly, the blond wasn't as predictable.

"Me neither." Kirishima grunted and looked behind him with a slightly uneasy look. "Shouldn't Bakubro or Midoribro be attacking?" He looked at her again, his unease remaining. "Not that I'm complaining, but the silence is getting to me." And as weird as it sounds, he'd prefer the sounds of battle than this.

Mina glanced at him before looking ahead with a frown. "Same here." When they turned a corner and saw a staircase ahead, she spoke. "Maybe they're on the second floor?" She mused, only to be met with a tense unsure grunt from her partner.

This felt wrong. Shouldn't they have encountered some sort of resistance about now? Are their opponents that unbothered that they had managed to breach deep into their base?

As they got close to the room with the stairs, Mina was about to suggest that they take another route before they were overwhelmed by an intense flash. "AGH! What the!?" She and her partner grunted in pain as they held their eyes with grimaces.

She was about to speak but let out a pained yelp when something collided with her stomach as she was carried before being tossed. She protected her head in time as she grunted when her back hit the ground.

Kirishima heard this and felt a surge of panic as his body hardened. "Mina!?" He shook his head and blinked as his vision began to return. "What's happening!?" He looked in the direction of where he heard her with a stance ready.

When his vision cleared, he was met with Bakugou staring at Mina groaning on the ground. "Bakugou…" The blond turned his head a bit but didn't take his eyes off the pink teen. "What did you do?" He questioned with a glare while staying alert for Izuku.

The explosive teen huffed at the question. "Pretty obvious don't you think?" He crossed his arms. "But that's not important, your main concern should be the bomb." He pointed out with a serious tone.

But Kirishima could see what he was trying to do. "I'm not abandoning her!" He firmly declared as he prepared to fight. "It's not what heroes do!"

Bakugou grunted and faced him. "Fine." He got into his stance. "Waste some time with me." He growled with explosions from his palms while the hardening user gritted his teeth.

"Kiri don't!"

Upon hearing the voice, the red-haired teen was taken aback and looked at Mina who sat up as her vision cleared. "He's just stalling us!" She got up with a grunt. "Don't worry about me, head up to the device!" She got into her stance while Bakugou glanced at her with some respect.

"But we've got him outnumbered." Kirishima retorted with a conflicted look. "We can capture him now and deal with Midoriya together, just like we always do!" His argument served to confirm Izuku's suspicions.

Mina didn't look happy about what she was about to say next. "We could, but there isn't enough time for that." She looked at him with guilt. "I already wasted too much of our time by going slow." She then gave the explosive teen a hardened look that didn't faze him. "We'll just have to make up for it by splitting up!"

Kirishima faltered but remained in place, earning a worried look from her. "But…" He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in frustration and worry.

"She's not made of glass shitty hair." Bakugou's words surprised the two. "She wouldn't be in U.A. if she wasn't capable." He pointed out with a serious but earnest look.

While Mina was oddly touched by his words, Kirishima calmed a bit. "Well…" He sighed and deactivated his quirk before giving her his best encouraging smile. "You can count on me!" He turned and ran. "Good luck!"

"Same to you Kiri!" She watched him go up the stairs with a bright smile before directing an impish look at Bakugou who was looking at the stairs with a small smirk. "Before we start…" In an instant, the blond's smirk disappeared as he sighed, knowing where this was leading. "About Midoriya and Toga-"

Bakugou raised his hand with a serious look. "I'm gonna have to stop you there." She was surprised but complied. "The three of us have known each other since we were kids and have been through just as much." He sighed. "I'd be happy if they got together." He crossed his arms. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to push them." He narrowed his eyes. "If their relationship evolves, it should be done naturally. Not because I forced them."

Mina took in his words, but before she could reply he spoke. "With that said…" He uncrossed his arms and went into his stance. "If you do anything to jeopardize what they have, make it awkward, or take it too far." He gave her a killer scowl. "I will personally make you suffer." His hands crackled with explosions. "Am I clear?"

"C-Crystal!" The pink teen squeaked as she rapidly nodded, finding his dedication to his friends sweet and scary.

The explosive blond grunted in satisfaction before glancing at the stairs for a bit. "So far, so good." He then scowled at the pink teen. "With that moment over." He cracked his knuckles. "Let's get this over with."

At his somewhat dismissive tone, Mina narrowed her eyes a bit. "I'm going to make you eat those words, explosion boy!" A slimy substance began to drip from her hands and sizzle on the ground.

But Bakugou wasn't intimidated and merely smirked at the declaration. "Bring it, raccoon eyes."

"Raccoon eyes…" Mina repeated with an eye twitch before her expression turned serious. "Oh, it's on!" She swung slime at Bakugou who blasted over it before launching himself towards her.

MEANWHILE-WITH KIRISHIMA

While doing his best to ignore the sounds of fighting below, Kirishima ascended the steps at a steady pace. "If Bakugou was waiting for us on the first floor." He glanced at the entrance to the 3rd floor as he ran past it. "It means that Izuku must be where the bomb is." His eyes hardened as he caught sight of the entrance to the last floor. "I hope I'm right!" He increased his pace.

Upon reaching the door to the last floor, he took a moment to catch his breath. "This is it." He panted before taking deep breaths until his breathing steadied. "Here we go." He braced himself before opening the door.

Only to be shocked when a thick fog fell upon him. "!?" He coughed as he waved the fog away from his face. "What's this?" Once he got a good view of the room, his eyes widened.

All the windows were closed, which explained why the fog built up so much. And despite the light from the outside illuminating the room somewhat, it was still foggy. The only place that wasn't affected was the far end of the room, where the massive bomb prop was visible.

"This isn't good." Kirishima muttered and pressed his ear communicator. "Mina, come in." He whispered. "The bomb room is fogged up and I don't see Midoriya." When he got nothing, his brows furrowed. "Mina, can you hear me?" Static was all he heard, making him confused. "These things were working fine a while ago."

His gaze then drifted to the fog on the ground and dipped his hand in it. "Is it because of the fog?" He muttered before shaking his head. "No, I can't think about it right now." He looked up to stare at the bomb in determination and carefully stepped in, making sure to leave the door open in the hopes of lessening the fog.

Unfortunately, this did little to clear the room. "It's like this thing has a mind of its own." He grimaced at the thought. "No, Midoriya turns into badass Kaiju, not mist." He didn't even want to consider the possibility of him actively walking in Midoriya and being watched from all sides.

U.A. GROUNDS-OBSERVATION ROOM

"Look at them go!" Sero exclaimed as the others watched Mina and Bakugou clash with grace and power. The latter had showcased his airborne maneuvers while the pink teen demonstrated her flexibility on the ground.

The rest of their classmates however were confused as the screens they were watching were glitching. "What's wrong with the screens?" Jiro asked as All Might typed in a few commands or switched between cameras, only to be met with the same problem.

"I don't know." All Might's brows furrowed as he continued typing commands. "The cameras are new so there shouldn't be any problems."

While some of their confusion grew, Momo hummed as she eyed the screens from both sides. "The cameras aren't the problem because we can see Bakugou and Mina's duel fine." She narrowed her eyes to the glitching screens. "There's some sort of interference." The students began murmuring amongst themselves, speculating what could be the cause of this.

And just as Kaminari said that it could be because of his quirk, Toga thought she saw something on one of the glitchy screens for a split second. "Hmmm?" She narrowed her eyes at one of the glitchy screens.

She then gasped when she caught movement near one of the windows on the screen. "Look!" Her shout garnered everyone's attention as they focused on the screen.

U.A. GROUNDS-SIMULATION BUILDING-BOMB ROOM

As he neared the device, Kirishima stopped just a foot from it. "This is too easy." He looked around. "Midoriya should be here by now." He pressed his communicator but got static again. "And I can't get an update on Mina's situation." He sighed before staring at the bomb. "This whole situation is fishy, but the sooner I end this, Mina will be safe." He took a deep breath before stepping forward.

Only for something to grab his ankle.

Kirishima snapped to his ankle in alarm to see that a large pincer attached to an extended arm that periodically sparked from within the fog had grabbed him. "Wha-!?" He was immediately pulled with ease and great speed towards a wall, making him gasp as he hastily activated his quirk.

No sooner after he did this, he crashed through the wall and fell to the road below. And from the hole where he had crashed through, a figure obscured by the fog watched him descend with a pleased growl and occasional green sparks on his form.

AT THE SAME TIME-WITH BAKUGOU AND MINA

Both combatants staggered as the area shook for a moment before stopping. "What was that!?" Mina looked around in alarm, it sounded like a bomb had gone off.

Bakugou on the other hand was looking up with a knowing look. "Hmph, so it begins."

Hearing this, the acid user looked at him in confusion before her eyes widened in alarm. "Kiri!" Her expression focused as she brought her hands forward and shot a steady stream of slime on the ground.

The blond was briefly surprised by the sudden outburst but quickly refocused as he blasted over the small river of slime before being shocked when Mina passed him by skating on the liquid at high speeds. "Damn!" He quickly reoriented himself and blasted after her.

She heard his approach and waited for the explosions to get close before swinging slime behind her. But Bakugou was quicker and dodged the attack, much to her shock.

Using the chance, he quickly blasted forward and delivered a swift kick to her ribs, making her yell in pain as she slid towards the wall.

While this happened, Bakugou, not wanting to fall and slip on the slime, aimed his palms down and blasted the ground. This evaporated and pushed away some excess slime, while also increasing Mina's speed and slammed her against the wall.

After landing on the scorched ground, Bakugou eyed her as she coughed and held her rib. "Nice try." She looked up at him with a grimace. "But no way in hell I'm letting you through." He moved until he was in front of the entrance of the stairs again and went into his stance with a deadly look. "You'll have to beat me first."

With a grunt, Mina stood with a hand on her side. "I know that." She panted as she moved until she was aligned with him. "We've fallen for your setup…" She straightened herself in determination. "But we've always pulled through together, no matter what!" She got into her stance as acid began to drip from her hands.

Bakugou wore a vicious smile at the challenge. "That's the spirit." He then beckoned her. "Bring it, hero." He taunted before both charged at each other.

OUTSIDE THE SIMULATION BUILDING-WITH KIRISHIMA

After a loud crash, Kirishima bounced off the pavement a few times before sliding and damaging the ground as he went. Before eventually coming to a stop with a groan. "Good thing I have a hardening quirk." He panted before he slowly got up while turning off his quirk. "I knew he was waiting for me, but I didn't expect him to throw me out." And despite the situation, he couldn't help but let out an impressed chuckle. "Super manly."

"Thanks."

Looking at the voice, he was greeted by the sight of a tall Kaiju with large pincers. This form is called: Sadola. A ground-based transformation that was once wielded by Obara Midoriya. A small-time thief who was largely successful with her robberies thanks to the transformation's fog ability.

Apart from concealment, the mist could be manipulated and had the strange ability to disrupt censors and surveillance equipment, making it perfect for entries and escapes.

But apart from this special ability, it also sported large and durable pincers, along with extendable arms to make up for its lack of ranged attacks. It wielded lighter defenses to make it mobile for ambush attacks.

Her streak would come to an end however when the heroes and police worked together to set a trap in a jewelry store thanks to the intel they gathered. There was a brief fight, but without the element of surprise, she was no match for their combined efforts.

When she was questioned at the station, it was discovered that she turned to crime because she needed medicine to treat her sick children. Her husband had died in a tragic accident, leaving her to shoulder the responsibility for their family.

And when she was let go from her job, her financial situation grew worse with each passing moment. Because of this, her children grew sick without proper means so she turned to theft out of desperation.

She wasn't proud of what she did, but she'd gladly do it again if it meant her children's survival. Because they were the only family she had left.

Both police and heroes were heartbroken by her situation. When they confirmed her story through investigation, the heroes who captured her agreed to donate some money to her family and help her get back on track.

But a night before her release, the station holding her would be struck by ranged attacks from an unknown enemy. Police and heroes on the scene, when it happened, followed the trajectory every time the attacker fired.

When they got there, however, the attacker was nowhere to be found. Only when they were alerted by a prison guard that the cell holding Obara was attacked, had they realized that they were merely lured away from the complex.

It was a grizzly scene when they arrived, a large hole in a wall was present with some traces of fog present in the cell.

And in the middle, lying on a puddle of blood was the mangled form of Obara with her left arm missing. When she let out a choked gasp, the heroes rushed to her side and tried to ask what happened since the visible cameras had been destroyed.

But she couldn't formulate words very well, only begging them to take care of her children before letting out her last breath as the medics arrived.

An investigation was put in place after ensuring that her heartbroken children were moved somewhere safe under the watch of the heroes who were supposed to help the fallen mother.

Unfortunately, all the footage they were able to recover was the wall to her cell being blasted open and knocking Obara to the ground. Cameras outside the cell were able to pick up an intense light with the sounds of a fight as well as Sadola's roar clashing with another roar before tearing was heard.

"Your quirk is pretty amazing too." Izuku praised, cutting through the red-haired teen's amazement. "Now if I were you." He growled as he brought his pincers up. "I'd surrender." He snapped his pincers as he sparked.

After registering his words, Kirishima chuckled as he shook his head. "No can-do bro." He grinned. "Heroes don't give up." He went into his stance. "I wouldn't call myself one if I did."

The OFA user chuckled at his response. "I knew you'd say that, but I had to try." His form sparked as he charged 5% OFA. "If that's the case." He went into his stance. "Prepare to lose, 'hero'." He growled.

Kirishima's grin sharpened as he narrowed his eyes. "You had the element of surprise before, but not this time." His arms hardened before he charged. "You won't be able to get the drop on me this time!" He yelled.

"We'll see." Izuku chuckled as a hissing sound was heard and the fog began to emanate from his body.

Kirishima's eyes widened. "He's trying to hide again." He increased his speed with a yell. "If he does that, I'll lose my chance!" The fog around Izuku was beginning to become thick but he needed to take the chance as he readied his fist.

But Izuku was prepared and simply jumped back from the swing before launching an extended right claw punch with a roar.

"Shit!" Kirishima exclaimed and hardened his torso just as the attack made contact, pushing him away.

After skidding to a stop, he staggered for a moment and to his chagrin, Izuku had completely disappeared into the fog despite it being broad daylight. "Lost him." He grimaced before charging again. "With luck, he hasn't moved-"

He was then forced to stop when Izuku roared before the fog shot forward and began to encircle him. "H-Huh?" He took a step back and watched the fog move in disbelief. "You can control the fog bro!?" He would have called it awesome if he weren't on the receiving end.

But rather than getting a response, the fog continued to surround him. "I need to move!" He turned to try and outrun the trap but skidded to a stop when his path was blocked by the fog. "Crap…" He looked up in dismay as the fog rose and blocked out the sky as well, dimming the area a bit and effectively trapping him in a dome of fog.

A heavy silence then settled in the area, making Kirishima tense as he stood his ground and waited for what was next. He looked around, searching for any signs of movement or even the sound of footsteps.

When the silence continued, his unease grew a bit. A part of his mind was beginning to think that Izuku must have left him there to fight Mina but he had to convince himself that wasn't true. He's most likely still here, waiting for him to drop his guard.

He clenched his jaw as a bit of sweat formed on his head while he searched. His quirk is ready to use the moment something happens. With nothing but the sounds of his breathing to keep him company.

More seconds of silence that felt like hours passed.

Until.

[Ultraman FE3 OST - "MAT Theme" - Plays]

A pained yell escaped him as he was knocked down on his face. With a huff, he quickly glanced behind him to see an extended claw return to the fog. "Behind?!" He got up and hardened his body.

Another moment passed before a claw burst through the fog. Kirishima heard it this time and was able to block it with his hardened arms, pushing him back. "Even with my quirk, he still packs a punch." He watched the limb return to the fog with a grimace.

Two claws shot out of the fog and hit him on his right side, staggering him but still on his feet. Another claw shot out, this time towards his feet.

Kirishima was able to avoid his foot being grabbed but wasn't fast enough to dodge another claw to the face, knocking him down before the claws returned.

"Damnit…" He growled and got on one knee. "I'm too exposed." He glanced at the fog behind him. "And Mina isn't here to cover for my lack of range, I'll need to get out of here." But he knew Midoriya wouldn't just let him leave, he'd need to be creative.

Just then he heard a noise, making him look up in alarm, just in time to see an extended arm being swung at him through the mist. "Crap!" He hopped over it and did a roll before staggering to his feet just as both extended arms were swung at him from his right and with no room to dodge, he was forced to hold his ground and endure the hit.

Skidding to a stop, he steadied himself and deflected a claw punch from the front with his right hardened arm before blocking an arm swing to his left side.

As the claws returned to the mist, he tried to get a good look at his surroundings but didn't have time before blocking rapid claw punches to the front. "He's relentless!" And while his quirk protected him from damage, he was still stuck and his feet digging into the ground from being pushed with each hit didn't help.

When the barrage ended, he forcibly freed his feet and was about to move before a claw shot out of the fog.

But rather than blocking, he decided to dodge the attack and grab the large claw before it went out of his reach. "Not this time bro!" He grunted with a strained grin as the limb struggled to free itself from him.

After a strong tug, he tightened his hold but that did little to deter the limb from struggling. "I just need to-" He looked up as the other claw shot forward. "You're kidding!"

While keeping his grip with one arm tight, he quickly lifted his hardened right arm to deflect the claw. He panted as he watched it quickly return before shooting out at him again.

This repeated for a while and due to his awkward position, he wasn't able to block all of it properly. And with each successful hit on his hardened body, it was harder to maintain his hold on the claw. "What a pain!" He nearly lost grip of the appendage after a nasty swipe to his hardened shoulder and a strong tug from the limb.

A claw shot forward from the mist and Kirishima raised an arm to protect his face. But rather than hitting it like he thought it would, the claw made contact with his hardened torso, making him growl. "And now he's making misleading strikes!"

He slid forward a bit from a strong tug. "I can't hold on for long!" His experience with tug-o-war in his previous school could never have prepared him for this!

After dodging a claw punch to the face, he got an idea. "It's risky, but it's better than nothing!" He endured the struggle and the attacks a little longer.

When the claw returned and the struggling limb's movement slowed, he widened his eyes. "Now!" He raised his right foot and brought it down with a yell, digging it into the ground.

The action caused the limb to freeze, giving him the impression that Izuku was surprised by the move, encouraging him to raise his other foot. "Now for the other one!"

After this, the limb resumed its struggle but this time he wasn't sliding. "Perfect!" He laughed and tightened his grip. "Sorry bro, but I need to do some damage!" He raised his right fist and began hitting the arm.

A claw shot out of the fog again, but he decided to endure the hit and continued attacking the arm. "My defenses are still holding; he won't be able to hurt me yet." He jerked a moment from a punch to his hardened head but resumed his attack on the struggling limb.

Moments passed as Kirishima delivered blow after blow while enduring Izuku's counterattack and struggles. "Am I even hurting him?" Without seeing the Kaiju user, it was hard to tell. "I bet if Mina were here, her acid would do more damage."

A roar cut through his thoughts, making him look up expecting another claw attack. But to his confusion, there was nothing. "Huh?" He looked around, only to be met with silence again. "Did he move?" He glanced at the arm he was holding, noting that it went still. "No, I still have a hold on him so he should-"

His answer came in the form of a claw that had been extended upwards before being smashed on his head, forcing him to lower his head and body while emitting a pained grunt. With his stance broken, he lost grip of the pincer which immediately returned to the fog.

With a groan, Kirishima shakily raised his head to look ahead in a daze. "I-I felt that?" Either Izuku added more power or his quirk was running out of juice.

Either way, he's gonna have a headache for a while.

Both claws shot from the mist and began jabbing him and returning to do it again in quick succession. Every time he would raise his arms, his guard would break before he could be in proper form. "T-This is bad." He looked up in time to a right claw to the face. "I can't get a proper form!" With how much his body jerked, it was as if he were being repeatedly shot.

After staggering from a double claw punch to the chest, he eyed his trapped feet with a grimace. "I should have thought this through." If Mina were here, she'd point out how reckless the move was or help free him with a bit of acid.

"You're not used to fighting alone."

[Song Pauses]

With wide eyes, Kirishima slowly looked up to see Izuku looming over him. How did he not hear him? "It's nothing to be ashamed about, I knew from seeing your bond that you're strongest together." He pointed out in a kind tone before becoming serious. "But the fact remains, you're not always going to be fighting together."

Kirishima was about to retort before Izuku spoke again. "Outside of hero stuff is one thing, but what about certain situations where one skill between the two of you would work best?" The red-haired teen looked down at that. "Life is always in motion, who's to say that situations like this wouldn't happen again?" He asked with a knowing look.

He's right, he'd become unconsciously reliant on her. And it's because of this, that he had grown used to Mina giving him ideas or letting her take charge most of the time. Instead of growing, he'd inadvertently become a liability. Inflexible on his own and a danger to the lives of his team or the people he swore to protect.

And he had a feeling that Mina would learn the same thing today.

"But chin up." Izuku cut in with a hopeful tone as he caught sight of guilt forming on his features. "If it makes you feel any better, you've fought well despite the circumstances." He then raised the claw that he had trapped where slight damage could be seen. "You even managed to make creative decisions on your own." He lowered it and formed what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "From what I can tell, you've got plenty of potential."

Kirishima smiled a little at that and nodded to him. "Thanks bro."

"No prob." Izuku chuckled before becoming serious. "But with that said, I'm still roleplaying as a villain." The red-haired teen was confused as he raised his pincers. "So, sorry for doing this." He said with a growl while charging 5% OFA.

Kirishima gave him an odd look. "Do wha-?" He didn't get a chance to ask as he was pummeled left and right by claw punches. "Oh." A right hook to his hardened face. "That's what he meant." He didn't feel anything, but he knew that was going to change if he wasn't careful.

[Song Continues]

The hardening user began to block what he could, but Izuku proved to be quick to change the direction of his attack or do a swift follow-up if he was blocked.

After a few more jabs, Izuku switched gears and grabbed a hardened arm that was supposed to block an attack before using his free pincer to deliver a powerful punch to the teen's hardened stomach.

Kirishima let out a low grunt at that, drawing Izuku's interest as he released the arm and continued pummeling his opponent.

The hardening user endured hit after hit and would occasionally retaliate when noticing an opening. Izuku would block or endure the hit before attacking as well.

After deflecting a punch, Izuku delivered a powerful double claw uppercut, launching Kirishima and freeing him from the ground in a daze.

After crashing and rolling on the ground, Kirishima panted and got to his feet, feeling his quirk beginning to fail him. He then grunted as he raised his hardened arms to block another barrage of extended claw attacks.

He was pushed with each hit, but because he was immobile, he was able to notice something. "Wait…" He was close to the fog wall behind him. "This is my chance!" Not only will he have better visibility but he might be able to outrun Izuku and regroup with Mina.

With this, he waited for Izuku to launch both his pincers before spreading his arms wide, gaining wide eyes from his opponent as he realized what he was planning.

But it was too late, the attack struck hard on his chest. And since he didn't resist, he was sent flying and out of the fog. "It worked!" He laughed before rolling and staggered into a sprint while deactivating his quirk to recover. "I'm never taking sunlight for granted again!" He caught sight of the building ahead and the large hole he flew from. "Damn, he sent me flying."

He glanced at the large fog behind him. "Won't be long until he comes after me" He then shook his head and looked ahead in determination. "No, I can't think about that. I just need to get to the building."

A roar echoed throughout the area, sending a chill up his spine and making him look back as he ran.

At first, there was nothing but the fog. But then, to his dismay, Izuku emerged from the top of the fog formation with his extended claws aimed at the ground. "Oh shit!" He doubled his efforts.

It was all for naught however as Izuku flew over him before slamming on the ground ahead of him with his claws planted on the ground to stop himself. The moment caused Kirishima to skid to a stop in horror. "Sorry…" The Kaiju user looked up at him with an intense look as mist and sparks emanated from his form. "But you're not going anywhere." He stood tall and freed his claws.

But Kirishima didn't reply as he hardened his arms before charging with a yell. "If I can just get through him, we'll have a better chance!"

"I respect the resolve." Izuku nodded and aimed his claws. "But I'm already on to your plan." The mist began to surround the area again, but that didn't deter the red-haired teen from charging. "The best thing you can do now is give up here." He launched his claws.

Kirishima gritted his teeth as he continued to charge and ignored the impacting claws the best he could. "NEVER!" He growled as he staggered from the increasing speed of the attacks but he still kept going.

Izuku hummed. "Suit yourself." He launched his right claw, meant for his opponent's face.

But rather than endure or deflect it like predicted, Kirishima dodged it and began running to the far end to his right where the mist hadn't reached yet.

The Kaiju user grinned at the sudden shift and with his right arm still extended he quickly twisted his body and used the limb as a whip. "Not enough!"

Just as the hardening user reached the outside of the fog's path, he gasped as the long limb emerged from the fog. And with no time, he was directly hit on the gut and flung towards the center.

After bouncing on the road once, he rolled and came to a rough stop on his face with a groan. "Ugh…" The mist had completely encircled them, only this time, it didn't cover the top.

With a cough, Kirishima shakily lifted his head off the ground and looked up to see Izuku disappear into the fog again. "Damn!" He slammed his hardened fist on the ground in frustration as he began to get up.

Only for an extended arm to swiftly sweep his feet before another claw shot forward to hit him on the chest, sending him falling back.

Kirishima let out a pained groan as he slid on his back and gripped his chest with heavy breaths. He opened his eyes and gasped when he saw a claw about to slam him.

After rolling out of the way of the heavy slam, he got up in time for a swift claw punch to the face that made him spin back a few steps in a daze before being attacked by more rapid extended claw punches.

And try as he might, fatigue and quirk limit were affecting his defense.

His blocks were becoming hasty and sloppy. He honestly felt like a training dummy with how much he was staggering and being hit.

Both claws shot out of the mist towards him again, making him grimace as he raised his arms to block. Only to be caught off guard when the pincers grabbed his arms. "W-Wha-?" He was lifted off the ground before being slammed into it and flung to the sky. "SHIIIIIIIT!" Izuku watched him rise before returning to the fog.

The hardening user was helpless as he ascended before slowing for a moment and rapidly descending in horror. "Pleaseholdpleaseholdpleasehold!" He mentally chanted as he crossed his hardened arms towards the rapidly approaching ground and closed his eyes in anticipation.

*CRASH*

For a moment there was no activity in the crater before a hardened fist busted from a pile of rubble in the center.

A series of groans could be heard as Kirishima pushed himself out of the debris and dragged himself out of the hole before rolling flat on his back with heavy breaths.

With tired coughs, he slowly rolled on his side and shakily got on one knee with sweat dripping from his form. He was about to get up before gasping in pain and eyeing his dirtied arms with a grimace. "D-Damn..." He panted. "I'm almost out." He muttered without realizing it in a daze.

"Thanks for the heads up."

[Song Ends]

In an instant, all fatigue and pain were forgotten as Kirishima's eyes widened when he realized his mistake before looking back to see Izuku in his base form with a powered-up fist ready. "Nothing personal friend." He said with an apologetic but serious look as sparks bounced off his form.

MEANWHILE-SIMULATION BUILDING-HALLWAY

Cracks, scorch marks, and debris littered the pathway as both combatants stood at opposite ends of the area in various states of fatigue and battle damage.

Bakugou stood alert despite his outfit and skin sporting small burn marks from acid that had been flung at him.

Mina on the other hand was much more ragged and damaged. Her outfit sported patches of scorch marks, some of which were smoking a bit. But despite her state, she remained ready to fight again.

As their intense stare down continued, the pink teen pursed her lips as she replayed everything that led them to this moment.

They expected a fight, a few complications even. But not to this extent and the speed of everything falling apart.

Her fight wasn't any better, Bakugou had proven to be a merciless force. Even after getting hit with her acid a few times or slipping passed, he was quick to recover and retaliate.

And based on the shaking earlier, she mused Izuku was doing the same with her partner.

Yet another thing to think about. She wasn't blind, she could tell right away how hard it was to fight without him. To fight knowing that you could go unimpeded with someone watching your back.

Her moves weren't having the usual flow nor did she know any other moves aside from the practiced team attacks. She can hold her own, but she wasn't at her best without her partner.

"You were sloppy." Bakugou's words cut through her thoughts. "Without shitty hair around to tank the hits, you're a glass cannon." He then gave her a knowing look. "But based on your expression, I'm sure you already know this."

"Thanks for noticing." Mina snarked. She didn't mean to sound rude; she knew he was just saying how it was. But with how messy things ended up, could you blame her for being frustrated?

But the blond took her tone in stride. "Relax, my friends and I had the same problem back in the day." At her intrigued look, he clarified. "At one point, we believed that we'd face every threat together and come out on top." He shook his head. "But life isn't that simple, sometimes you'll be forced out of your comfort zone. Plus, villains could use it to their advantage." His expression turned serious. "And when that happens, the best thing to do is confront it with the best you can."

Mina looked down at that. He's right, life isn't a straight line and completely unpredictable. Who's to say they'd be together in every mission? Today's fight certainly proved that their reliance on each other had become a flaw in their growth.

They should have prepared for that.

At that, Mina was about to reply before a loud smack was heard, making them confused. "Huh?" The explosive teen was on the same boat as he looked bewildered and reached to press his communicator.

Until something busted through the side of the building, shooting passed between them before crashing into the wall, hard enough to leave a large dent. "The fuck!?" Bakugou exclaimed before coughing from the dust.

Mina coughed as she waved the dust away. "What was…" When the dust settled a bit, she turned her gaze to what flew past them before gasping. "KIRI!" She ran to her friend, not caring about her opponent who stared at the unconscious redhead on the floor in shock.

"Kiri!" She screamed again before sliding into a kneeling position by his side as she began frantically checking on him. Thankfully he didn't look as bad as the impact suggested. "His quirk must have been active while he flew."

She then noted that, apart from some bruising and damage on his hero costume, he wasn't seriously hurt. "Oh, Kiri…" Her eyes misted with guilt as she gently moved his head to her lap and ran her fingers through his hair.

A shadow loomed over them, looking back she saw Izuku, in his base form, standing on a pile of rubble at the hole in the wall he had made, staring at them with sharp eyes. "Surrender." He calmly ordered with sparks emanating from his body.

She then looked over to Bakugou who had his left hand aimed at her while the other hand was holding the pin on his grenade gauntlet. "Unless you want me to pull this and blow another hole in this place, I'd do what he says." He warned with a stern look. And while it was an obvious bluff, the threat of another fight was there.

A tiny part of Mina wanted to fight but she knew it would be pointless. There was no way she could slip past them and even if she did, she wouldn't be fast enough. A head-on fight wasn't an option either, she was alone and tired, and they had the upper hand in experience.

They were simply unprepared for this battle.

With all these factors stacked against them, a resigned sigh left her lips as she nodded. "We surrender." As soon as the words left her lips, the speakers within the complex came to life.

["Villain Team Wins!"]

Like a spell, Izuku's intimidating demeanor disappeared and was replaced with concern as he ran to his classmates while Bakugou lowered his stance with a sigh and followed his friend.

"Are you all right?" The Kaiju user knelt beside them with guilt while Bakugou stood next to them.

Mina nodded despite being downcast. "Yeah…" She sighed and gently rubbed Kirishima's cheek where a bruise could be seen. "A little burned and bruised but nothing serious." She then sent a small smile towards the explosive blond. "You were surprisingly tamed."

Bakugou scoffed at this. "I better be, I spent a long time training my quirk control." He knelt next to them and eyed the hardening user before jabbing a finger on Izuku's shoulder with a slightly amused look. "You on the other hand didn't hold back."

"I-In my defense, his quirk was literally hard to crack." Izuku rubbed his shoulder, both embarrassed and guilty. "He's invincible with his quirk on, I knew the only way to beat him at the time was to wear his defenses out." He then shrugged. "If that didn't work, I was gonna keep him away from the base until the timer ran out." His friend thought about his plan and nodded in understanding.

"It's fine Midoriya." Mina cut in with an understanding look, gaining their attention. "Kiri's quirk can take a beating, the only concern is stamina and duration." She then slumped. "Of course, it wouldn't have come to this if we had trained better." She muttered with a sniff.

A gentle hand placed on her shoulder made her look up to Midoriya's smile. "Don't be discouraged." He looked at the hardening user. "Like I told him, you both have plenty of potential and should use this opportunity as a lesson to improve." He then gave her a grin. "He even made a plan on the spot and endured everything I threw at him." He patted his right arm which was trapped and punched earlier. "Even did some damage while he was at it." Mina was stunned, he did all that?

Bakugou grunted, impressed knowing how challenging their plan was against them. "That's nothing to scoff at." They turned to him. "But he's right, both of you did well today." He pointed at the damage to his costume and the red marks on his skin. "Even against me and that's saying something." He's got pride, but he knows when to respect a fellow warrior.

Mina took in their words before sending them a grateful smile. "Thanks guys." She wiped her tears. "You're right, we shouldn't let this get to us." She sniffed before smiling down at her partner to give him a gentle kiss on his forehead. "We'll just train hard and do better." She then gave them a playfully challenging look. "And when we get better, we'll have a rematch."

Bakugou smirked while Izuku grinned. "We'll look forward to it." He then got close. "I'll carry him, it's the least I can do."

"Are you sure?" Mina looked hesitant. "He's a little…" She trailed off when the tall teen effortlessly lifted her partner in a bridal carry. "...heavy."

Izuku chuckled at her expression. "Trust me, I've lifted heavier during training and that was before I applied my quirk."

Mina blinked, just how strong is he? "Well, um, ok." Oh well, at least she'll have material to tease Kirishima with and the memory of him being carried like a princess. "Let's go." She slowly got up with a wince and held her side.

Surprisingly, Bakugou stepped forward and supported her. "There." He then looked at the taller teen. "Lead the way nerd." His friend nodded and moved with the pair following.

"You're surprisingly sweet when you want to be" Her comment earned an indignant huff. "But, thanks." She smiled genuinely at him.

Bakugou grunted. "Yeah, yeah." His eyes stayed ahead. "But don't go thinking I'm soft, I've got a reputation to uphold." Up ahead, Izuku chuckled, earning a scowl. "Shut it!" He barked in annoyance.

Mina on the other giggled at his words and the interaction. "Of course." Her agreement earned a smirk from him.

MEANWHILE-INSIDE THE OBSERVATION ROOM

"That was intense." Kaminari breathed as others quietly agreed, still in shock. "Those two are monsters." He rubbed his arm, glad that he and Jiro weren't selected to go against them.

"Literally in Midoriya's case." Sero pointed out with an awkward chuckle. "But man, seeing how both sides fought makes me feel like I've been slacking."

Ida nodded. "But let's not forget how hard Ashido and Kirishima fought." He adjusted his glasses. "Regardless of the circumstances, they did well." His comment received agreement from his classmates.

All Might in the meantime wore a bigger smile on his face. Proud of his successor's skills and the maturity of his partner. Not only that, he was impressed with the flawless execution of their plan.

Mina and Kirishima were also to be commended for their efforts. Despite facing a foe that had more experience and home-field advantage, they managed to hold their own. He was glad that Izuku and Bakugou took the time to encourage them despite the challenge, to take this day as a lesson for improvement.

As the pro wrote down notes, Mineta nodded. "It was like an explosive dance watching Ashido and Bakugou fight." He then looked uneasy. "And Midoriya is scary, even though the audio and video were messy for some reason." It was like witnessing a horror movie.

Momo hummed in agreement. "It was also kind of him and Bakugou to encourage them." She smiled at the screen where Izuku gently placed Kirishima on a stretcher held by two drones led by Chiyo while Bakugou did the same for Mina. "And although the visuals weren't good, the audio was enough for us to know that Midoriya showed kindness to Kirishima during their fight."

Toru nodded energetically, even though they couldn't see it. "He's super sweet!" She then gasped. "It's like that gentle giant from that one manga I read!" She cheered while waving her arms, earning chuckles from them.

"A scary giant." Kaminari muttered, earning a light elbow to the ribs from Jiro.

A teen with a bird head, Tokoyami, hummed in agreement as he watched the screen. "Beware the fury of a kind soul." They all took heed of his ominous words.

"Kero, the kind ones are usually the scariest." A girl with a frog quirk, Tsuyu bluntly pointed out before focusing on the screen in thought. "I wonder…" She tapped her finger on her chin.

Next to her, Ochako nodded in agreement before looking to her right and giggled at Toga who was staring at the screen agape. "Careful, you'll catch flies."

Her words snapped the blonde out of her stupor and she shut her mouth with a blush. "S-Sorry!" She covered her face and shook her head while her friend patted her back in amused sympathy.

Seeing him dominating the opposition and showing his compassionate side did things to her.

"She's got it bad." Toru whispered to her friends who nodded in agreement while Mineta bit back a jealous remark.

All Might then cleared his throat, gaining their attention. "All right, while the repair drones fix the structure, I've taken the liberty of selecting the next pair!" He pressed a button. "Pair H as Heroes and Pair F as the Villains!"

"That's us!" Toga happily exclaimed as she turned to Mezo. "And we get to be heroes too!"

Sato chuckled as he and Sero approached. "And that makes us villains." He offered a handshake. "Sorry for any hard feelings after we win." He said in a joking tone.

The blonde's eyes narrowed playfully. "Back at you." She shook his hand while Mezo did the same for Sero. "Come on Mezo, we've got villains to thwart!" She made a show of turning her back to the muscled teen with her nose in the air before walking away.

"Right away." The multi-armed teen chuckled and followed, leaving an amused villain team behind.

U.A. GROUNDS-OUTSIDE THE SIMULATION BUILDING

"You seemed pretty confident when talking to Sato." Mezo calmly pointed out as he adjusted his mask. "I assume that means you have a plan?"

After adjusting her gauntlets, Toga nodded at him. "Yup!" She chirped. "I have a feeling that after seeing the last match, they expect us to do the same thing." She formed a cheeky grin. "Which means they won't expect us to do the same thing but with ourselves."

Mezo was following her line of thinking until the last bit. "What do you mean?'' He tilted his head in confusion.

"You'll see." At her growing grin, Mezo could only nod though still a little lost.

["Begin!"]

With that, Toga took a deep breath and composed herself. "Keep your comms on, I'll explain it as we go." He nodded and activated his earpiece before the pair moved.

U.A. GROUNDS-SIMULATION BUILDING-BOMB ROOM

After attaching one more tape to the ground, Sero dusted his hands to admire his handiwork. "Finished on time!" He smiled.

With his tape quirk, he had converted almost the entire room into a net trap which also offered a defense for his team.

"Nice work." Sato said before rubbing the back of his head. "But it kind of feels like you're doing all the work." Even though his partner insisted that he step back and watch, it still felt wrong.

Sero raised his visor and waved a hand. "It's no biggie, setting up traps with my quirk is something that I've been doing since I was a kid." He then grinned as his visor lowered. "Besides, you had the same plan I did."

"True." Sato conceded and walked next to him. "Oh well, at least I get to make up for it by helping us win." He pounded his fists together, earning a nod from his partner.

Moments passed and the two were beginning to become uneasy. "Do you think they're setting up another trap like what Midoriya and Bakugou did?" Sero questioned as he looked out the windows for anything.

Sato hummed; his expression unsure. "They could be just waiting for us to make the first move so that they could pick us off." Which would have made sense if it weren't for the test's time limit. "But no, they'd waste time doing that."

"So what do we do?" Sero wasn't liking this tension. "Just wait it out?" That sounded like a boring victory.

And based on Sato's expression, he didn't like it either. "It's a pretty cheap way to win, but at least-" Just then the main door was being opened, making him snap in surprise. "Someone's coming!" Sero readied himself as well.

To their shock, it was Mezo calmly opening the door. "Good afternoon." He closed the door behind him as he took in the scene. "I see you've done some decorating." He walked until he stopped in front of where the net trap started.

"We did." Sato nodded while Sero discreetly looked for any sign of Toga. "Where's your partner?" Although his demeanor was calm, he was internally tense.

"She's around." Mezo's cryptic response didn't sit well with them. "Now…" Determination formed on his features as he went into his stance. "Surrender."

Sero chuckled a bit while Sato gave him an odd look. "Not happening." He went into his stance and aimed his elbows. "But since you've given us the chance to lessen your numbers, why waste it?" His partner did the same.

Mezo merely switched gazes between them before nodding. "Fair." His eyes turned knowing. "But I doubt it'll end in your favor."

Sato and Sero exchanged a glance that held a little uncertainty before nodding to each other and preparing to attack.

Only to stumble and fall on the ground in surprise when the area violently shook. "What was-!?" Sato's answer came in the form of something drilling through the ceiling in a yellow glow before flying around the doomsday device, forcing them to lower themselves to the ground and destroying Sero's traps as it went while Mezo stood in place.

After destroying a few more net traps in the room, the glow on the spinning object dispersed, revealing it to be Toga in Kaiju form who rolled on the ground and stood tall next to the device as she roared.

This form is called: Telesdon. A worm-like Kaiju form that was once wielded by Kuroda Midoriya. One of the few members of the family who actively uses his power for villainous reasons.

Upon discovering the potential of the transformation, Kuroda decided to use it for theft and general property damage.

As his infamy grew, he used his influence to recruit criminals. Eventually, they're group turned into a well-known gang named: The Worms. And thanks to his leadership, their attacks grew more organized and better equipped as time went by.

Kuroda would take the lead in every raid they partook in, using his quirk to make an entrance while his criminals looted the location. Any opposition met was crushed by his power and numbers.

Those foolish enough to pursue them in the tunnels after they left would be met with a series of interconnected tunnels that were made before the raid to confuse their pursuers. And even if they found the right tunnel, they'd be met with unstable ground and a caved-in exit at the end, discouraging any future pursuits.

They had become quite feared for a long time, that was until their hideout was revealed when a massive explosion erupted from the side of a mountain near the city.

As it turned out, the gang had been attacked by unknown forces. When the heroes and authorities arrived at the scene, they were met with a small group of fleeing injured gang members and thick smoke. They had to make sure they were gathered for treatment before going in.

When they entered, they were met with clear signs of a battle that left numerous casualties. Bodies littered the place, burned, crushed, dismembered, and the list goes on.

It was a massacre, plain and simple.

The carnage grew worse as they went deeper into the base. And while they found survivors along the way, it did little to lighten the mood.

Once they got to the main base, the scene was somehow much worse. The walls were riddled with tunnels from random places. Scorch marks, scratch marks, and the spoils of their theft were scattered all over the place.

And right in the middle of the room lay Kuroda, dead in a puddle of his blood.

Just when the heroes were about to enter the battlefield, an energy attack shot out from one of the tunnels on the walls and struck the ceiling, destroying the area's integrity and leaving them no choice but to abandon the area for the time being.

It took a considerable amount of time before they could enter the collapsed base, but when they did. They had discovered that the security footage had been deleted and the scene of Kuroda's death had been compromised from the collapse with signs of tampering. Making it impossible to trace those responsible.

As for the transformation itself, it wielded moderate speed on foot and high speed during its Drill Attack, to the point where it could briefly fly. It also sported excellent defenses and offensive capabilities both in close and ranged combat.

And, as expected, the transformation wields the most advantage underground where it moves with ease thanks to its subterranean specialization.

"Sorry for crashing the party boys." Toga said with amusement as the two slowly got up. "But I think it's about time we end this." She turned to the device and reached for it.

Sato's eyes widened in panic. "SERO!" He crouched as his partner snapped into action and fired tape at her.

The blonde snapped in the direction of the attack with a roar and immediately unleashed a flamethrower blast from her mouth that disintegrated the tape.

"Move!" Sero yelled as he and Sato hastily moved out of the way of the flames. The latter grimaced from the heat as he got up and reached for his utility belt.

Toga caught the movement and made her move. "Now Mezo!" She fired another fire blast as her partner nodded.

When the muscled teen moved out of the way of the attack, he was caught in Mezo's multi-armed hold. "Hello." Sato struggled as the masked teen utilized his strength and twisted his body before throwing him towards the side of the room.

Sato flailed helplessly and braced himself for a harsh impact on the wall before becoming shocked when he landed on something soft but shaky. "Huh?" He glanced behind him and gaped. "Sero's trap!" He struggled. "She must have left this spot for me!"

"Hang on Sato!" Sero moved before skidding to a stop when his path was cut off by a flamethrower blast that left a wall of fire.

Looking to the right where the flame blast came from, he saw Toga growling at him with smoke coming out of her mouth. "You're surrounded." He glanced behind him to see Mezo ready to attack. "Surrender." Her mouth glowed with heat, prepared to fire if he made the wrong move.

Sero grimaced as he looked around for a possible route to free his partner before an idea hit him. "Not a chance!" He ran towards the direction where the flame wasn't present.

But Toga wasn't willing to let him go and fired another flame blast ahead of the tape user while Mezo pursued.

To their surprise, however, the moment the flame cut him off he immediately turned around and fired a tape at Mezo who barely managed to dodge. "I'm not done yet!" After the tape hit the ceiling above the flames, he pulled himself over the multi-armed teen before the latter could reach for him.

Toga followed his trajectory and went into a sprint as her form glowed. "Drill Formation Attack!" She spun like a drill and took flight toward the tape user.

Sero heard her shout and looked to the right, his eyes widening in horror. He raised his other elbow to move away but proved too slow as he found himself rammed by the powerful attack, violently disconnecting him from the ceiling as he fell with a scream.

"Sero!" Sato screamed and struggled harder against the trap. These things are a lot stickier and sturdier than it looked!

The tape user was too disoriented to save himself and was helpless as he fell before sliding onto the ground and slammed against the wall.

Toga landed skidding to a stop on her feet to look at the downed tape user and glanced at his trapped teammate for a moment before turning to Mezo. "Do it."

Mezo nodded and approached the device before placing a calm hand on its side.

["Hero Team Wins!"]

As soon as the announcement was made, Sato slumped. "Damn, I didn't even get to use my quirk." He muttered in wry amusement before he looked up to see Toga approaching him while turning back to normal. "You never planned on touching the bomb after ambushing us." It was more of a fact than an accusation.

"Nope!" Toga shook her head while removing the slime of her quirk from her hair. "That was just to make either of you panic and give us an opening since neither of you knew what Telesdon could do." She shrugged. "After that, all we needed to do was to fight whatever was left."

Sato looked impressed. "Well, you managed to convince me." He shook his head with a chuckle as Mezo helped Sero get up. "But I need to ask, how did you get to the roof?" The windows were too far apart to climb and he was sure he didn't hear a flying Kaiju.

To this, Toga grinned as she showed her gauntlet that now sported a hook. "With my grappling hook!" She happily patted her utility belt. "Mei and Izuku suggested giving my gauntlets other functions apart from ranged combat." She made a mental note to thank them both. "And when I passed this floor, I made sure to tell my teammate what I saw here." Thankfully she had managed to get a good look before Sero could look at her direction.

"That explains why Mezo wasn't surprised by the traps." Sato smiled goodheartedly before looking sheepish. "Um, mind helping me down?"

Toga blinked as it dawned on her. "Oh yeah!" She pulled out a small foldable knife from her utility belt. "Got just the thing." He thanked her with a chuckle as she got to work.

As this happened, Mezo and Sero approached. The latter was supported by the tall teen. "Geez, I should have expected it." He shook his head in amusement. "You're just as tough as Midoriya and Bakugou."

After helping Sato down and making sure he was steady, Toga giggled. "Thanks, but don't sell yourself short." She smiled kindly at him. "You're a quick thinker and more skilled than you think you are."

Sero smiled at her as Mezo nodded. "Agreed. And if we weren't fast enough and allowed Sato to use his quirk, I'm certain we would've had trouble dealing with him." He encouraged with a kind smile behind his mask.

"No argument from me." Sato snarked with humor in his voice, earning chuckles from them. "But, thanks." He then glanced around the room and sighed. "Guess we'll just have to train harder and do better next time." He then gave Toga a light, challenging look. "And maybe even a rematch someday while we're at it."

Toga returned the look as she giggled. "We'll be looking forward to it." He nodded before the group made their way out of the room.

U.A. GROUNDS-OBSERVATION ROOM

"You were amazing out there." Izuku patted Toga's head and smiled at Mezo. "Both of you."

While the blonde valiantly held back a squeal despite her red face, Mezo waved a hand. "She did most of the planning and fighting." He shrugged. "I merely followed the plan."

"That's not nothing." Bakugou gruffly cut in. "She made the plan, but your teamwork made the win easier."

Mezo was stunned, not expecting such encouraging words from the volatile teen. "Thank you." The blond grunted and refocused on the screen where the other teams were fighting. "He's more than meets the eye, just like his friends." It's no wonder they got along.

"You were amazing too." Toga shyly mumbled when he removed his hand. "You looked like a hero." Her insides felt warm from the smile he gave at that.

A harsh throat clearing cut through the moment, making her blush. "A-And you too Bakugou!" The blond huffed but accepted the recovery while Izuku chuckled warmly. "How's Mina and Kirishima?" She asked, hoping to redirect the topic.

Thankfully Izuku picked up on this and decided to help her. "They're doing fine, just tired after Chiyo used her quirk on them." The blood user nodded, glad that their new friends were ok.

The focus then shifted to the other matches that played out. Just as Izuku surmised, all had unique quirks with some having more advantages over others. A guy named Todoroki's ice quirk especially got his attention. He froze the entire building without breaking a sweat!

Everyone's quirks could change the tide of battle, especially if the situation favored their quirk. Even Mineta's quirk had advantages, despite him being pervy while not-so-discreetly staring at Momo's body (Bakugou looked like he wanted to grind the guy into dust while Toga wanted to slap him until he was unrecognizable).

Maybe he'd act more decently after beating a little sense into him?

"They're amazing, aren't they?" Toga whispered as she sat next to him.

After mentally thanking her for pulling him out of his less-than-heroic thoughts, Izuku nodded with a smile. "Yeah, they are." She leaned onto his shoulder as he watched the screens. "Haven't met them for long, but I can already tell that they'll be great heroes."

"Even Mineta?" She looked up at him with an eyebrow raised.

There was a pause before he shrugged. "After a little ironing out, yeah." She looked at him in disbelief. "You know I'm not the type to make assumptions without knowing all the facts." His eyes focused on Mineta who was fearfully nodding to Momo's orders after being caught staring. "The way I see it, he's got potential."

Toga mulled over his words before sighing. "I still want to slap him." Potential or not, she had no love for creepy pervs.

"I hear you." Izuku chuckled in understanding and pulled her close with one arm, making her blush. "How about instead of plotting pain on our classmate, we talk about everyone's quirks?" He grinned at her.

While maintaining her composure despite her hammering heart, she meekly nodded and leaned against him. "Alright." She whispered with a small but content smile while he beamed.

As the pair discussed, another discussion was being held as the girls of the class watched them. "You're right." Toru whispered before turning to Ochako. "It is like a romance manga."

"Told you." The gravity user giggled before sighing. "But seriously, for someone so smart and instinct-driven, Izuku sure is dense."

Kaminari looked sheepish as he chuckled. "Hey, in defense of us guys, we're not all gifted with seeing hints." The boys who were part of the discussion nodded to this.

"I get it, my cousin took his sweet time before he noticed someone was into him." Jiro shook her head in fond exasperation. "But when he did though, it was the happiest I've ever seen him." She glanced at the oblivious pair and smiled. "Give it time, it'll be worth it."

Toru whined. "But they're so good together!" She crossed her arms with a pout. "At this point, telling Midoriya would save Toga the effort."

"Do that and you're dead." Bakugou gruffly cut in while checking his grenade gauntlets, making her freeze before nervously apologizing, she'd forgotten he was there.

They had all heard his warning to Mina during the match. And like her, they found his dedication to his friends sweet and scary.

Tsuyu tilted her head with a slightly teasing smile. "Kero, you're actually super sweet Bakugou." She bluntly pointed out, surprising her classmates with her bravery.

"I'm not sweet." The blond grumbled when he noticed the acid damage on his right glove. "I just don't want things between them to turn sour." He made a mental note to tell Mei of the damage. "If that means letting them develop things between them on their own, so be it."

His classmates stared at him while Tsuyu blinked. "Sounds pretty sweet to me." She pointed out in a factual tone.

"...shut up." Bakugou grumbled and turned his back to them so that they wouldn't see his grumpy and embarrassed face. Tsuyu croaked in amusement while everyone else was tempted to join in but didn't want to risk earning the blond's wrath.

All the while, Izuku and Toga happily continued their discussion without care. Even added more to the topic when Momo's team won after strongly ordering Mineta to trap Ojiro and Koda with his quirk.

When everyone had their turns, All Might gave them time to rest or be treated by Recovery Girl before they gathered to discuss the matches and vote who the MVP was in each one for fun.

When it was Bakugou and Izuku's turn. The latter was voted to be the MVP of the match, based on the fact that he was the one to come up with a successful plan to divide their opposition's forces. And while happy to be acknowledged, he humbly shared the credit to Bakugou, saying that it wouldn't have been a success without him.

Which earned a thankful smirk and nudge to the arm from the blond.

Toga was also selected as the MVP of her match and like Izuku, she shared the credit of their success to Mezo. Earning an appreciative look from the tall teen.

Once that was done, All Might encouraged all of them to learn from what they experienced today. Even the winners, because even with victory, there's still room to grow.

LATER-NIGHT TIME-MIDORIYA RESIDENCE-DINING ROOM

"When I noticed that they couldn't fight anymore, I immediately requested Mina to surrender." Izuku grabbed a piece of pork with his chopsticks and sighed. "I had a feeling a part of her wanted to continue the fight, but I'm glad she saw reason." It just didn't feel right to fight someone who was already beaten.

Hisashi hummed, having similar thoughts. "I'm proud of you for showing restraint." He grabbed his cup. "Victory or not, you mustn't lose yourself." He said in a sagely tone.

"That's right." Inko nodded before frowning. "But a part of me thinks you went a little too far with that Kirishima boy." She lightly chastised.

After swallowing his food, Izuku became sheepish. "Maybe a little." She shook her head with a fond sigh so he quickly added. "B-But I never intended to seriously hurt him."

"I know." His mother wore an understanding smile. "You always have everyone's best interests at heart whenever you do something." She began cutting some chicken for herself. "And I'm sorry for sounding like a broken record, but you must always be aware of your actions." She placed the chicken piece on her plate. "A single mistake could mean the death of a person." She said in a grave tone before taking a bite of her food.

Izuku nodded, his face serious. "I understand mom." He smiled. "And I don't mind you and dad repeating the same advice, it just means you care." Not only that, it's always good to be reminded of the bigger picture.

Power should be used to protect the innocent. Not taking lives for the sake of it.

Inko wore a sweet smile while Hisashi nodded with a proud look. "And we always will son." He then decided to switch topics to lighten the mood. "How was Toga's match?"

In an instant, Izuku's demeanor brightened. "She was amazing!" He lowered his chopsticks. "You should have seen her out there!" He made a gesture with his free hand, unknowingly hitting his glass a little, spilling water on the table. "She was like a bounty hunter!" He guffawed. "She even used Telesdon to get the literal drop on them!" He wore a big grin and sparkles in his eyes.

Hisashi grinned knowingly while Inko giggled. "Don't make a mess!" She scolded in amusement, earning an embarrassed look from him before he got up to grab a towel. "Did you tell Toga what you thought of her match?" She and her husband subtly exchanged glances.

Izuku hummed in affirmation while cleaning the mess on the table.

"And?" Inko leaned forward with poorly hidden interest, earning an amused snort from her husband.

Her son shrugged. "She said thanks." He simply said while returning the rag to the sink.

"Oh…" Inko sagged, she should have expected that but a part of her was hoping Toga would use the chance to make a move. "She's still too shy around him." A shared glance with her husband told her that he was thinking along the same lines.

Hisashi chuckled and pulled her in a one-armed hug to cheer her up. "Izuku, don't you have homework to do?"

The teen's eyes widened at this. "Oh right!" He quickly consumed his meal, earning disapproving words from his mother. "Sorry mom, but I promised to help Bakugou and Ojiro with English!" He went to wash the dishes.

Inko smiled at her son's kindness. "In that case, let me do the dishes tonight." He was about to protest but she raised her hand. "It's fine Izuku, you'll need the extra time to finish early and get enough sleep."

Her son looked unsure, so Hisashi chimed in. "You can always wash the dishes tomorrow night." He smiled encouragingly. "Right now, you've got friends to help."

Izuku wanted to say that he could do it in no time but knew better when he was outvoted. "Ok." He sighed and gently placed the dishes on the sink. "I'll wash tomorrow." He muttered as he dried his hands with a towel.

"No harm done my little gentle giant." Inko said warmly and hugged him.

Her son turned to return the embrace. "I'm not little." He gently pointed out with a warm smile.

Hisashi chuckled as he approached to hug the two. "Doesn't matter, you'll always be her baby boy." His wife and son chuckled at that. "Now go, your friends need saving." He patted his son's back as they separated.

"Right." Izuku lightly huffed with a smirk. "Saving from the big bad English Vocabulary." He chuckled as he walked away. "The horror." He dramatically added in a playful tone.

Inko giggled before she remembered something. "Say hi to Toga for me."

Her son paused a step before looking at her in confusion. "Why?" He faced them. "Toga never mentioned anything about joining us." Not that he'd mind if she did.

To this, Inko giggled before giving him a knowing smile. "Call it a mother's intuition." Her husband chuckled as if he knew something too.

Izuku tilted his head and gave them an odd look before shrugging. "Ok." No harm in it. "Good night." He walked away.

"Good night!" Hisashi chuckled as they watched him go. When he was out of sight, he pulled her close to him. "They're a lot like us when we were kids, just in reverse."

"I know." She agreed and leaned onto him with a sigh. "Though I prefer that he didn't inherit my obliviousness."

Hisashi chortled. "Give yourself some credit." He kissed her head. "It didn't take you as long to figure out that the class big guy was shy around you because he liked you." He would forever treasure the day she reciprocated his love.

"That's only because you got tired of waiting and decided to take the leap and confess to me." She would forever treasure that memory; it was one of the happiest moments of her life.

Well, she got him there. "True." Hisashi nodded and pouted a little. "But that's only because the guy constantly flirting with you was a total dirtbag." How the other girls in their class got charmed by him will always be a mystery.

Inko giggled warmly at his protectiveness. "Relax, we're already married." She placed a hand on his cheek and gently made him look at her loving smile. "And besides, I'm not into compensating self-centered brainless meatheads." She pulled him in for a kiss.

After pulling away, he chuckled. "Ouch, glad I'm not on the receiving end of that." He then formed a satisfied grin. "You were super hot rejecting him by the way." He'd never seen someone wilt from simple, albeit cold, rejection until that day.

Inko fondly rolled her eyes and booped his nose with her finger. "I know, you point it out every time the topic is brought up." He guffawed without shame while she giggled.

As the two had their moment before clearing the dining area, Izuku held a study session with his friends in his room via video chat on his computer. And just as his mother predicted, Toga was on the call after shyly asking him to join them.

Author's Notes:

1. For those who are wondering if Izuku will become a giant at some point, I can't answer that without giving too many details or raising everyone's expectations. So, I apologize if any of you wanted a giant battle soon.

2. Izuku's costume is a mix of fan-made costume ideas I found for Ben Tennyson and Izuku.

3. Toga's costume is also a fan-made outfit on the internet with a few modifications I added for mobility and utility.

4. Please give honest reviews and feel free to point out any errors.

THANK YOU FOR READING, PLUS ULTRA!