Chapter 15: Show Your Style: Side A
- TRAINING GROUND BETA, U.A. UNIVERSITY, WEDNESDAY -
All Might stood outside the tunnel leading into the mock city. A soft wind blew, causing his cape to billow with the breeze. His ever-present smile grew wider as he heard the sound of 1-A making their way into the zone. He turned around and began to address his students.
"They say the clothes make the man, ladies and gentlemen..."
He could see their unique costumes as they moved forward.
"Be fully aware, from now on... YOU ARE HEROES!"
1-A stood outside the tunnel, allowing All Might to look over each and every one of their costumes. From the knight-like speedster armor from Iida, the aggressive and intimidating combat bomber that was Bakugo, and to the skintight pink and black astronaut-themed costume for Ochaco. He only had one thing to say to them all.
"YOU ALL LOOK SO COOL!"
As he continued to look over everyone's costumes, he was doing a mental headcount and found he was three students short. He went down the line once more, counting again to double-check, this time adding everyone's names to the count to be sure.
"Uh, we seem to be missing young Midorya, Sakurane, and Shinso..." All Might said, wondering if they just needed more time.
Momo, Kyoka, and Iida were wondering where their friends were when the sounds of footsteps began to echo out from the tunnel. All Might and 1-A focused on the tunnel as the silhouettes of the three missing students could be seen. As they exited the tunnel, everyone was able to get a good look at the trio.
Shinso wore a short-sleeved black shirt that had gray shoulder pads and purple accent lines along it. There was a fishnet shirt underneath that could be seen from the open front of his shirt and along the rest of his arms, leading to a pair of black, fingerless gloves. He wore a pair of black pants that were slightly baggy, with two purple strips of cloth around his thighs that had a wireless speaker on each. A pair of white boots with purple tips finished the main bulk of his look, with a familiar scarf wrapped around his neck hiding what looked like an intricate mask for him to wear.
Shoka was wearing a battle dress version of her trademark hoodie, complete with the same simple cat face sewn into the hood. The most notable aspect was that any light hitting the coat seemed to just be absorbed by the material it was made out of. The coat was pleated, allowing the group to see that her legwear was high up on her thighs, with metal tips on her toes and heels, a black gradient running up along and fading into white, with two stripes of pink being the only color on them. A pair of black gloves with white fingers could be seen from under the white sleeve cuffs. A white leotard was under her coat, matching her gloves and legwear. Her look was finished with a deep red belt around her waist and a matching domino mask on her face.
Izuku had on a black and green bodysuit, the upper body is made of a denser material compared to the lower part that is baggy near the knees, with a pair of white elbow and knee pads attached to it. On top of his bodysuit was a long, green sleeveless coat that had a heavy black material running along his shoulders, white detailing, and a large hoodie with two ear-like additions that flopped around with his movement. He had a pair of red headphones on, that wrapped around the back of his head, fitting snugly against him, and a light-blue visor attached to it.
A pair of white gloves, with brass-colored knuckle coverings, a thick black line running around the hem of it with a touch of blue sitting just above it covered his hands. Each glove had a section sitting in the middle that allowed him to slot one of his Psychs into them. On the right hand was Excalibur while the left hand had Orbit. A red utility belt was wrapped around his hips, with four more Psych slots hidden from view due to his coat. He finished his look with a more athletic version of his red shoes.
The three seemed to shine as they joined up with the others, obviously happy with how their costumes had turned out. Izuku began to tug at his gloves before making sure his headphones were secure once more. Shoka began to make slight movements to make sure her coat didn't hinder her. Shinso messed around with his capture scarf, making sure to hide his mask from the others.
"Oh. My. God! You guys look awesome!" Mina's voice cheered out as she joined up with the trio. She was followed up by Momo, Kyoka, Iida, and Ochaco as she began to make observations on each of them. Izuku, Shoka, and Shinso turned to look at her and noticed her costume.
Mina was wearing a skintight purple and turquoise camouflage patterned (Shoka would also use the word psychedelic) bodysuit that went just above her breasts. She wore a pair of plum violet boots, with beige tips, soles, and hems. Several holes lined the sides of the soles. She had on a cropped, sleeveless, tan waistcoat that had a white fur collar on top of her bodysuit. She finished off her look with a plain white mask that let her unique eyes stand out even more.
"Who did your costumes?" asked Ochaco.
"The school mostly, but one of our mentors got ahead of the curve and designed us each some equipment for getting into U.A." Izuku explained. He held out one of his gloves and moved to gesture at his headphones, "Mr. H had these gloves made, along with these headphones."
"Mr. H pulled some strings and got my coat made. Even got a note from Misaki Shiki herself saying how fun it was to make some Hero gear." Shoka added. She was practically beaming when she brought up who made her coat.
Shinso tugged at his scarf, letting the group catch a glimpse of his mask, "Mr. H had this made for me to help with my Quirk."
"Well, I think you all look great! Shinso's got the super secret ninja look down!" The pinkette stated as she began to chop the air in an over-the-top fashion, with Ochaco nodding along with her as she followed suit. Mina quickly moved on to Shoka and began to gush over the ravenette's attire. "And look at you! You definitely got your style going and everything!"
"What can I say? I know how to rock it." Shoka stated assuredly, giving the pinkette a playful smirk as she posed.
"Yeah, you do!" Mina raised her hand up in the air. Shoka returned the gesture and the two young heroines high-fived each other. The energetic girl moved on to the final member of the trio. She gave Izuku a once-over before speaking, "Gotta say Midori, was not expecting this from you. Definitely got more style than I thought it would." Her eyes lingered a little bit more as she noticed that it didn't hide his build. While he wasn't as built as Kirishima or Bakugo as she could see, she could appreciate what she saw. She saw a chance to tease the throuple and took it. "Plus, it's pretty easy on the eyes, right ladies?"
Izuku had the decency to blush and pulled at his hood to hide himself. Never let it be said that working in a coffee shop prepared him for every form of human interaction.
And he had seen some of the worst humanity had to offer.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" It also slipped his mind that he had one more aspect with his costume. And it just got noticed.
Kyoka winced as she covered her ears at the squees of Mina. When she felt her ears were safe, the punkette addressed the bubbly girl with some aggravation, "Geez, Mina! Mind turning down that dial a bit? Pretty sure they heard you in Tokyo."
"But look! They match!" Mina said excitedly. Toru had made her way to the group as she heard Mina and joined her friend, causing another round of excited squees that everyone winced from.
Momo brought her hands together in front of her face, her eyes shining as she took in the final aspect of Izuku's costume. Like Shoka, Izuku had a simple animal face sewn into the top of the hood, only this one had an angular nose and a set of freckles in a diamond pattern at the corner of the rectangular eyes. The two draping ears from his hood finally made sense to everyone.
'He's a green bunny!' Momo thought to herself, trying her hardest to maintain her composure. "I would have to agree with Mina's excitement. It is rather adorable that you two have a similar element tying your looks together."
Izuku and Shoka finally had a chance to look at their girlfriend, taking in her appearance and every eye-catching detail. Izuku had to agree with Momo's assessment yesterday. He was certainly surprised that she chose to go with this redesign he made for her.
Only now it just looked even better to him.
Momo was wearing a red, black, and white leotard giving a generous view of her chest while still giving her more protection compared to her initial costume. On the sides of her hips were black sections that provided some extra protection, with white detailing running along several parts of the suit. Her back was left open, and her boots went just above her knee, with black fading into red with white soles and knee pads bringing it together. Both of her arms had a pair of black and white elbow pads and a pair of red, fingerless half-gloves on each hand. On her left wrist was a red cloth and a black smartwatch giving her an asymmetrical look. The last piece of her costume was a yellow utility belt with several sturdy soft-cases running along it.
Izuku was currently trying to find the right words to say to her, finally forming a cohesive thought that would work, "Momo, you look... wow."
Momo gave him a melodious giggle at his simple compliment. While he didn't say a lot, he spoke volumes to her.
"Gotta agree. You have great tastes, Izzy." Shoka mused as she joined him.
Before much more could be said between the students of 1-A, the sound of All Might coughing in an attempt to garner their attention broke them out of their revelry. Once their eyes were on him, All Might began to start his debut lesson.
"Alright you zygotes, listen up. For now, IT'S TIME FOR COMBAT TRAINING!" He loudly declared.
"Sensei!" Iida's voice rang out. The armored speedster raised his hand as he addressed All Might. "Since this is one of the battle centers from the exams, will we be conducting urban battles with robots again?"
"An excellent question, Young Iida, but no. We will be jumping ahead two steps." All Might replied. "Most of the time, fighting Villains takes place outside, by the most notable or crafty Villains prefer to commit their crimes indoors. For this reason, we will simulate Hero Operations that require you to face such challenges."
All Might raised a hand, allowing his pointer and middle finger to rise as he explained further, "For this lesson, you'll be split into teams of two and conduct 2v2 battles as either Villains or Heroes, though if you would like to think of it as something else, consider it attackers versus defenders." The No. 1 Hero then raised his other two fingers for his next point, "However, one of these battles will be a special 4v4 battle for added difficulty."
Before All Might could continue, he was bombarded by various questions from the students.
"How will wins and losses be determined?"
"How badly can I beat the other team?"
"Will the 4v4 be graded more harshly?"
"How will we be split up?"
"Isn't this cape fabulous?"
All Might had to thank all the times for press conferences or on-the-field reporters, otherwise there would be no way to handle the deluge he just suffered.
"Young Yaoyorozu, there will be certain requirements for each match, though some will differ from others. Young Bakugo, this is training. Should I see anyone go over the line I will stop the match and it will be considered a loss for the offender and their team. No, young Uraraka, the 4v4 will be graded on the same scale as the 2v2s, so do not worry. I will explain how the teams are chosen right after this young Iida, and yes, young Aoyama, your cape is certainly fabulous." All Might answered each and every question with ease.
"I will ask that you all hold your questions until I open the floor for them though." 1-A had a moment to look a little sheepish at his final point.
"MOVING ON!" All might dug through a hidden pocket on his suit as he pulled out a series of papers and he began to explain the exercise, "You will all have to forgive me, but I will use my lesson plan to make sure we are all on the same page. There are two scenarios for the 2v2s. One is that the Villain team has a hidden explosive device that could level a large portion of the city. It is the Heroes' job to find the device and disarm it. Victory conditions for the Hero team are the capture of the weapon, they just need to touch the device, and the capture of one or both Villains. For the Villain team, they must either let the clock run out or capture both Heroes. If the device is damaged, both teams lose."
"The second scenario is that the Hero team must rescue a hostage being held by the Villains. The Heroes must either bring the hostage to the extraction point or capture both Villains. For the Villains, they must either capture both Heroes or wait out the clock. Should the hostage be severely injured or labeled as killed, both teams lose."
"For the special 4v4 scenario, the Hero team must infiltrate a Villain hideout, find intel located within the building, and escape with a minimum of three team members with it. Capture the Villain team if you can but that is not a priority, the intel is. The Villain team only needs to worry about capturing the Hero team or running out the clock." As All Might explained this scenario, the students paid attention, taking in everything he said. "However, this scenario has an extra challenge. Should the Hero team be discovered before they have the intel, the Villain team can trigger a deletion protocol. Should the Hero team fail to reach the intel before a five-minute countdown ends, the Hero team will lose. I will count discovery as a full visual, meaning the Villain team must see a full body and call it out before I start the protocol."
"WITH ALL THAT BEING SAID, TEAMS AND ROLES WILL BE DETERMINED BY DRAWING LOTS!" As All Might continued, he pulled out a yellow rectangular box with the word 'Lots' written on it, proudly presenting it to the class.
"Sir!" Iida spoke up, raising his hand once more. All Might nodded to the young man, letting him know that he could ask his question. "Should teams really be chosen so haphazardly?"
"A good question, young Iida. Would anybody happen to have an answer?" All Might asked the class.
"I think I do, All Might-sensei," Izuku said. The verdette turned to address Iida's point. "Pros often will have to work with other pros outside of their agency while on patrol. This looks like a safe way to emulate that. That and we all don't know how well we can work with each other, so this also teaches us how to adapt to random team-ups."
Iida brought a hand to his chin as he thought on it, "I see. An excellent point, Midoriya." The speedster then turned to All Might and gave the Pro Hero a perfect 90-degree bow, "I apologize for the interruption sir!"
"No worries." All Might pumped his fist into the air to hype up his students, "NOW LET'S GET TO WORK!"
One by one the students of 1-A made their way to the box and drew their lot. Izuku was surprised to see he would be a part of the 4v4 match, with Koda, Kyoka, and Sero. He was already coming up with ideas of what they could do as a team based on their Quirks.
And most of those plans got thrown out the window when Bakugo was on the other team with Tsuyu, Kirishima, and Iida. Bakugo looked to Izuku and stared the verdette down. We didn't have that same feral look to him as Izuku would have expected, but he could tell that Bakugo would come at Izuku and that he would have to bring his A-game.
Shinso had been paired up with Momo, and the ravenette was at least happy to be paired up with a friend. Izuku wasn't worried for them.
Shoka had been paired with Ochaco and the two seemed fine with it. He would have to see who they were up against to make any educated guesses on how their match would go.
"Alright! Now that the teams are set, it is time to start. Since we are having a special match today, we will have them go first. And the Hero team is..." All Might dug through another box and pulled out a ball. After checking the letter, he held it out for everyone to see, "TEAM A!"
Izuku looked ahead and brought a hand to his chin as he ran through his thoughts, 'Alright, we are the Heroes this time. We can work with that. We have a better chance as attackers than defenders. With my Psychs, Kyoka's ability to hear and keep track of the enemy team, and Sero's capture and support capabilities, we have a shot. Now we just need to determine what role can suit Koda.'
"Now, before we begin, I will pass out some pieces of equipment. Each team will have a set of earpieces for communication with their teammates and a roll of capture tape. For someone to be considered captured, you must wrap up an opponent with this tape, or if your quirk allows something similar I will also count it as a capture but only if they have no way out." All Might explained as he handed each student their shared equipment. He handed Iida a USB and spoke again, "Here is the intel for you to place within your hideout. Once you place it in a room, it must stay there, you can not take it out otherwise the deletion protocol rule will not be in effect. That being said, once you enter you and the Hero team have five minutes to prepare yourself."
As the Villain team leaves to enter the building, Izuku gives Kyoka a look and motions to her jacks. The punkette raises a brow at him, but her eyes widen in realization at what he wants. She gives him a nod and focuses her jacks in the direction of the other team as they enter the building.
Bakugo stood away from his team, trying to ignore the chatter between them. He focused more on making sure his costume felt right to him. So far, U.A. has done things right. His costume was exactly like he wanted.
He was wearing a tight, form-fitting, black sleeveless tank top that had an orange 'X' running across the middle, giving the shirt a v-neck look. A thick, metal neck brace that had rectangular ends and three holes on each side. On his arms were a pair of black sleeves that were made to help stabilize his arms when he used his Quirk and a large grenade-like bracer around his forearms. He had on a belt that held up his baggy pants with sharp-looking metal knee pads that had several orange circles at the bottom and a pair of black, knee-high combat boots with orange soles and eyelets. His look was complete with a jagged, black mask around her eyes and had large, orange-rimmed flares on each side.
Once he finished checking himself over, Bakugo looked over at his team. He gave them an appraising glance just to see if they would actually be useful in this, or if they would just get in his way.
"Even if this is training, it pains me to become a Villain." Glasses commented. He was wearing a fully armored suit that seemed to be a mix of a knight and a race car, with a dark blue bodysuit underneath. Bakugo could see his Quirk from his calves, as the armor worked around the Quirk so as to not get in the way. He at least looked the part of a professional, now if only he could get the stick out of his ass.
"I know bro. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't give it our all! Gotta handle this like a man!" Shitty-Hair replied, slamming his fists together. The redhead had two dark-red, gear-shaped rings around where his arms connected to his torso, with a thin strip of cloth connected to the left one as it connected to the right side of his belt. His belt was the same dark red as the rings, and had a brighter 'R' in the buckle, with a torn and ripped half cape being tucked under it. His look was finished with a pair of baggy black pants and dark red boots that had thick rings around his calves.
Frog-Face adopted a thinking pose, bringing a finger to her chin as her tongue poked out past her lips. She had a pair of tan-colored sitting on top of her head that gave her more of a frog-like look to her and a bright green line running under her eyes across her cheeks and nose. She wore a bright green, turtleneck bodysuit that had a series of thick black stripes running down her front and arms, with two thin yellow lines separating the black from the green. She had thigh-high, black boots with the same black and yellow striping going down the center, just past her knees, with frog-like green toes and heels attached to her feet. The rest of her outfit had a tan harness strapped around her shoulders that clipped on over her breasts, a tan belt with several green notches, and thick, tan gloves with large bright-green buckles.
"It seems that we might pull off an easy win. We have a rather combat-oriented team so we might have the advantage this round." Frog-face said. He could agree with her. But he was mostly putting stock in himself. He didn't think the others were up to his level.
But he knew it wouldn't be easy. Deku had surprised him time and time again in the last few years. It ate away at him, but a part of him could appreciate that the damn nerd put in the work. It didn't mean he would fall behind though.
No. They still had to settle the score.
"If you think this will be easy you might as well just fuck off and sit in the corner. Deku already has an idea of what you all can do, and probably already has a plan on how to win." Bakugo interjected.
His team gave him disgruntled looks at his words but he didn't care. He only had one thing on his mind.
"Then what do you have in mind bro?" Shitty-Hair asked.
Bakugo grunted at the question, but answered anyway, "Easy. Stay the fuck out of my way and I will deal with the damn nerd myself. The rest of those extras are yours."
As Izuku and his team waited for their five-minute prep time to start, he looked over at his teammates to get a better look at them and to see what their costumes were like.
Kyoka was wearing what he felt was on point for her. She had on a black leather jacket that sat over a long salmon-colored shirt that had several rips and tears along the collar and hem. The punkette wore a pair of tight black pants and a pair of thick, black boots. He noticed that each boot had a pair of speakers built into them. She rounded off her outfit with a pair of white, fingerless gloves, a black choker, and two red teardrop marks painted on her cheeks, just under her eyes.
All in all, he figured it gave her the perfect punk-rock aesthetic.
He moved on to Sero next. His fellow teammate had on a short-sleeved, black bodysuit with a large section of white around his torso, orange linings along the ends of his sleeves, and short white bands along his waist and thighs. He had on two tape dispenser-shaped shoulder pads that were connected together by another set of white bands, a pair of white boots with orange lining the tops, and a yellow helmet similar to the design of his shoulder pads with a large black visor running along the top of it.
He had the right idea of a suit that worked with the idea of his quirk down at least.
Finally, there was Koda. The gentle soul of 1-A had the simplest of Hero costumes, consisting of a form-fitting red shirt that had yellow sleeves and sides, red wraps around his elbows, and a design in the center of his shirt that was a set of teeth forming an open mouth. He finished his look with a pair of yellow shorts and a pair of simple yellow shoes that had red soles and trimmings.
Moving on to his final teammate, Koda was rather nervous about having to perform an exercise like this. Izuku made his way over to his teammate and placed a hand on his shoulder, garnering the animal lover's attention.
"Nervous?" He asked his teammate. Koda gave him a shaky nod and Izuku gave him an understanding smile in return. "Don't worry Koda, I know what that's like. You should have seen me a few years ago. I mean, I still get nervous sometimes, but I was a mess back then. Just take a few deep breaths and remember, this is still just practice. Just worry about doing your best and go from there."
Koda gave Izuku a weak smile and began to follow his advice. Izuku stepped back to give him some space and unfolded the building's blueprints and layout that All Might provided his team. Sero walked over to him to pick his brain.
"So, any ideas on how we do this?" Sero asked.
"Some, but I will have a better idea here in a second," Izuku replied as he turned to look at Kyoka. Sero followed suit and they both watched as she disconnected her jacks from the building and made her way over to them.
Kyoka joined them and looked at the paper in front of Izuku. "I don't have an exact location, but they seem to be in this part of the building on the fourth floor." Kyoka pointed to a section on the north side of the building. The section had several rooms of various sizes, meaning that they would have to take their time to find where the opposing team hid the intel.
At least having a general location saves them time. Now they just have to worry about triggering the deletion protocol. He began to work through his thoughts when Kyoka nudged him with one of her jacks.
"What are you thinkin' Greenie?" The punkette asked.
"Just thinking about how the other team is composed. So far, they have Bakugo for offense, Kirishima as defense, Iida obviously covers their speed, and Tsu is flexible with what she can do. We have our work cut out for us." The verdette said with a hint of dread. He perked up, giving his team a bright smile that seemed to calm their nerves, "But we have everything needed for a specialized infiltration group. Kyoka, you are our reconnaissance and can help keep track of our team and theirs. Sero, you can lay traps down as you move through the building. That already puts Iida, and maybe Tsu, in trouble as they are the most mobile. But I have a plan but that relies on one thing."
Izuku looked at Koda, who began to shake nervously as the other two focused on him as well. Izuku spoke softly as he addressed Koda, trying his best to not worry the gentle young man, "Koda, don't worry, you won't have to think about fighting, but you are the key to this. I know you can pull through."
Koda calmed down and took several deep breaths. He looked at Izuku and gave him a nod, trying his best to be confident.
"Thank you, Koda. Now you just have to nod or shake your head, you don't have to talk if you feel like it. I just need to know how your Quirk works." Izuku explained. Kyoka and Sero paid attention as Izuku continued, "Can you give a command to animals and they follow it perfectly?"
Koda nodded.
Izuku's smile widened, his initial plan now coming together, "Awesome. So that means if you asked one of them to retrieve a USB and bring it to you, they could do it, yes?"
Koda nodded again.
"Alright. Everyone, here is the plan."
Inside the control room, the rest of 1-A was getting antsy as they watched the monitors. They saw the Villain team on different screens, conducting patrol routes throughout the building, while one screen focused on the Hero team as they planned out their mission.
"The Hero team seems like they are disadvantaged," Aoyama states.
"They will have to struggle against this darkness for sure. After all, they have to seek their objective while having the greatest risk thrust upon them should their light be noticed." Tokoyami added. While the others were still getting used to his unique way of talking, they were starting to at least understand him better.
"Keep this in mind, students. Often times Heroes will be faced with adversities such as this. You won't always know what you are getting into. But that doesn't mean you can't find a way to overcome such obstacles." All Might addressed the room. "While the Hero team may not be set up for a combative role, they can more than make up for the difference by using their brains and Quirks."
Momo had a moment of realization as she watched Kyoka join the Hero team and begin to discuss things with the others. "They aren't going in entirely blind. Kyoka seems to have been scouting the building out in her own way."
"Indeed, young Yaoyorozu. This is a perfect example of working with what you have and making the most of it. Perhaps the Hero team may pull off a win." All Might said, addressing Momo's observation.
As the timer neared its end, All Might and 1-A watched as the Hero team split up, with Izuku and Koda going to one entrance while Kyoka and Sero stayed near the front. Everyone was paying attention, waiting for the timer to reach zero. As Momo focused on Izuku, she leaned closer to Shoka and spoke to the slender ravenette, "How do you think he will do?"
Shoka's eyes darted between the screens, looking at both Izuku and Bakugo. "He's got this. I know he does." She said assuredly.
[START!]
All Might's voice rang out through the speakers, causing both the Hero and Villain team to jump into action. The Villain team began to patrol their base; Iida speeding through the halls in an attempt to find any signs of the opposing team, Tsuyu taking things at a slower pace, Kirishima guarding the area the intel was at and Bakugo going solo, intent on finding Izuku.
Outside the building, Izuku and Koda were waiting outside the back entrance. The two made their way to a small room that was out of the way and least likely to be checked. Koda positioned himself to hide away and Izuku brought a hand to his headphones, interacting with the earpiece that was attached to it.
"Koda is set. I will start making some noise up on the upper floor now. Kyoka, how is it looking from your end?" Izuku asked.
"Sero and I are set to go. Iida is speeding through the halls. I can't hear Kirishima so he might be guarding the area where the intel is located. I can hear Tsu every now and then so she might be hopping around on the walls to prevent me from picking her out." Izuku waited, assuming she was trying to find Bakugo. "Blasty is stomping around so it's easy to find him. Everyone is between the second to fourth floors."
Izuku made his way back outside and looked up. He felt the pull from Orbit and prepped Blink. Orbit's green energy enveloped the verdette as he used it to launch himself up into the air, the ears of his hood fluttering from his momentum while his hood stayed in place and quickly used blink to finish clearing the distance and landing on the roof. He gave himself a second to keep himself stable and spoke up over the radio.
"How far is Iida from you two?" He asked.
There was another pause before Kyoka's voice sounded out through the radio again, "He is on the fourth floor taking another lap before heading back down to us."
"I can make a few tape traps and catch him. It will take a little more to make the tape clear enough that he won't notice until it's too late but worth it. I will set them up on the longer hallways since you said he will need more space for his Quirk to work better." Sero added.
"Sounds like a plan. I will work on keeping Bakugo busy. If you can hinder Tsu, that will help us out in the long run. If not, here's hoping that Kirishima is the restless type. Koda, you know the signal to give us. Kyoka, Sero. When you hear the alarm, that's your queue to book it." Izuku said.
"Got it, Midoriya."
"Let's rock, Greenie."
A small chirp was heard, signifying that Koda gave his understanding. Izuku smiled and made his way to the fifth floor and slowly stalked the halls. He could hear Bakugo on the floor below him and took a deep breath, doing his best to calm his own nerves. He needed to make sure Bakugo was away from the fourth floor.
So he made enough noise that would cause him to investigate.
He took cover in a nearby room as he heard the sound of footsteps coming towards him at a rapid pace. He waited a moment, not wanting to give himself away until the coast was clear. The sounds of angry grunts and quick, small explosions let him know that Bakugo was now checking this floor.
Alone. With him.
'Happy thoughts, Izuku. Happy thoughts.' He repeated in his head. He quietly moved in the other direction and tapped his headphones.
"Kyoka, I have Bakugo looking for me on the fifth floor. How are you and Sero?" He asked over the comms.
His radio crackled to life as Kyoka responded.
"Sero set up a trap. Iida is making his way to it so we can count him out for the moment." The punkette said. She and Sero made their way to the stairs when her hearing picked up the sound of a body hitting the wall.
"CURSES! The Heroes seemed to have laid out traps!"
It took all her self-control to keep from laughing as she heard Iida. She tapped her earpiece to give Izuku an update, "Yep, definitely caught for now. Moving up to the third floor."
"Understood. I will start the distraction. Be careful with Tsu. Hopefully, you can bypass her and she'll spend time helping Iida. I'll let you know-"
The last thing she heard was an explosion ringing out from the radio. She winced as it went off, trying her best to ignore the ringing in her ears.
"Sounds like Bakugo found him. We better hurry." Sero commented as he ascended the stairs.
Kyoka nodded and followed him, her mind going back to their teammate. 'Kick his ass Greenie.'
As she climbed the stairs, she felt the little passenger in her jacket pocket stir.
"Found you," Bakugo growled out with his hand outstretched. Small plumes of smoke billowed from his hand.
The aftermath of the explosion was noticeable. Scorch marks and soot marred the narrow hallway as smoke plumed from a teal-green energy barrier that protected the hooded verdette. Izuku dropped the shield he hastily made to block Bakugo's attack, feeling the energy sent to his Psych begin to recharge. He took up a stance as the two stared each other down. Bakugo relaxed his arm and took up a stance of his own.
Izuku took a glance at the corner of his visor. On the left side of his peripherals, the program that kept an accurate readout of his stockpile and the Psychs he had set was doing its job. He saw it keeping track of Resolute's energy draw and its recharge rate. As he watched the bar fill up completely, he felt Resolute be completely ready for the next time he needed it.
'Thank you, Mr. H.' He thought to himself, his lips forming into a small, grateful smile at his mentor's thoughtful gift.
"So, is this the time then, Bakugo?" Izuku asked, breaking through the tension. His eyes focused on the ash-blonde in front of him.
Bakugo clicked his tongue as his eyes narrowed. Small explosions began to pop off from his palms as he spoke, "Nah. This is just a warm-up."
With a sudden burst of speed, Bakugo rushed towards Izuku. Pulling his arm back as he readied another blast with his Quirk. "I can't go all out with this fight... But I'm still gonna put you in your place, you damn nerd!"
'Always starts with that...' Izuku noticed.
Bakugo thrust his right arm forward, only to be caught off guard as Izuku grappled the appendage. With one fluid motion, Izuku repositioned his body and flipped Bakugo over his shoulder, slamming the ash-blonde bomber into the ground. Bakugo felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs, and as he gasped for air he had to quickly use his Quirk to dodge Izuku's follow-up attack. He narrowly avoided the green blade of energy, his explosions propelling him out of the way.
The two stood across from each other once more, taking just a moment to gather their bearings. All the while, a single thought was running through Izuku's head, 'Why hasn't he called me out yet?'
Bakugo, almost as if he read Izuku's thoughts, gave the verdette a cocky smirk, "I'm not gonna win on a technicality. This will only end one way. Me kicking your ass."
Izuku didn't respond. He simply readied himself again, feeling the pull from his Psychs as his muscles tensed. A shared countdown began in both young men's minds, ticking away slowly as the tension built up. As the seconds passed, they planned out their next move.
And without a word, they two moved.
Bakugo blasted forward, with Izuku dashing ahead, the two easily clearing the distance between them. Before Izuku could slash with Excalibur, Bakugo jumped and used his Quirk to launch himself over the verdette to get behind him. Bakugo primed his Quirk, the heat building up as he thrust his hand forward, but before he could release the explosion, he felt a tug. A green energy enveloped him and flung him further down the hall as he saw Izuku looking back with his left arm outstretched.
Before he could recover, the ash-blonde felt a shift in the air behind him, a green light flashing out of the corner of his eyes. Thinking quickly, he used his Quirk to spin around, deftly avoiding a slash from Izuku and reacting fast enough to blast the verdette away with his Quirk, landing his first hit.
"GAH!" Izuku yelped as he felt the heat and force hit him. He used Blink to create some distance between him and Bakugo, trying his best to avoid another blast.
Bakugo pushed his advantage as Izuku stumbled away. He spun in the air, his Quirk providing him speed as he lashed out a leg to kick at Izuku. "Come you fucking nerd, put up a fight!" Right before his kick connected, Izuku used Resolute to parry the blow, causing Bakugo to be knocked back and stunned.
Bakugo felt several hits cut across his body, each one stinging him before he felt numbness where the hits landed. The ash-blonde raised his hands, ready to counter when we noticed Izuku put a finger-gun to his chest while staring him down. A green light broke through the gaps between them as Izuku called out his next move, "Force Round!"
"Fuuuuuck!" Was all that Bakugo could utter when the energy bullet struck him immediately, flowing through his body and smashing against the wall further down the hall. He grunted as he rolled on the ground. He slammed a hand onto the ground while the other moved behind him, popping off small explosions to control and counter his momentum.
He finally slowed down, dust and small bits of debris being kicked up in his wake. Bakugo breathed heavily. He turned his head to look behind him, his eyes widening at the amount of damage Izuku's attack caused. A small hole was formed at the site of impact, with cracks spreading out from its center. Bakugo regained his composure as his intense red eyes stared down the hooded verdette.
"Finally stepping up. Do you think you stand a chance? It won't be the same as the last time we fought, Deku." Bakugo said, challenging the verdette.
"Just try to keep up, Bakugo." Izuku retorted.
Tsuyu was completing her patrol of the third floor when she suddenly stopped at the sound of explosions ringing out through the building.
"Kero Bakugo must have found someone. But then kero why hasn't he called it out?" The long-haired verdette wondered to herself. She continued her way down the halls, her eyes darting left and right in the hope of catching anything out of the ordinary. "Wait kero... where is Iida? We should have run into each other by now kero kero."
Her eyes widened as she quickly hopped towards the stairwell and made her way down to the second floor.
As she disappeared from sight, Kyoka and Sero went the opposite way to the stairwell leading to the fourth floor. Sero laid several more tape traps along the way, doing his best to not drain himself out from Quirk use.
"That should slow them down when they come back for us. How is it looking up ahead?" The Tape user asked.
Kyoka was silent for a moment, trying her best to ignore the explosions and focus on finding Kirishima. "Greenie and Blasty are really going at it. I think I have Kirishima but we gotta be..." The punkette stopped and couldn't hold back a deadpan stare.
Sero grew concerned for his teammate as he put a hand on her shoulder to nudge her. "Hey, Jiro, what's wrong?" He asked.
She turned her head to look at him, her expression not changing. "Kirishima just left... something about not being manly with having to wait around while a fight was happening."
Sero couldn't help but match her expression behind his dark visor. He shrugged "Oh... Well, whatever helps, I guess."
The two shook over their surprise and made their way to where Kirishima was. Several doors were closed, hiding which room the intel was hidden. Kyoka and Sero groaned in unison. Their end of the mission was going smoothly, and now they would be slowed down by a pick-the-door challenge.
"Well, better get started," Sero said, trying to dispel any negativity.
"Right," Kyoka replied. As Sero moved to one door, Kyoka looked down at her pocket, "Just a little bit longer little guy, then it's your turn."
Kirishima was sprinting down the hallway of the fifth floor, nearing the sounds of Izuku and Bakugo. As he rounded the corner, he saw Izuku dodging a brutal onslaught of explosions from Bakugo.
He smiled a toothy grin before yelling out, "Don't worry Bakubro! I got your back!" He reared back a fist as he charged forward, hardening it with his Quirk. Izuku took his eyes off Bakugo for just a moment and saw Kirishima. Before the redhead could land his punch, Izuku disappeared in a mote of green light that shifted to a teal color. Kirishima nearly stumbled from his momentum, his fist barely hitting Bakugo.
"The fuck are you doing here, Shitty-Hair?" The ash-blonde yelled.
"I couldn't just sit this out, bro. It's just not manly!" Kirishima tried to explain.
"Spread Shot!" They heard the verdette call out. Several energy bullets were fired out from his open palm and made their way to the two young men. Kirishima hardened his skin and stood in the way. He felt the energy bullets rap against his body and grinned.
"Nice try, Midibro!" The red-head said.
Before he could do anything else, Bakugo rushed past him and at Izuku, letting his displeasure known, "I don't need your help, Shitty-Hair!"
Before he could attack, he felt the same tug as Izuku used Orbit to throw him back at Kirishima. The redhead was caught off guard as Bakugo's body slammed into his, knocking the two down to the ground.
The two began to argue as Izuku watched. While their attention wasn't on him, he took the chance to contact his team. "Kyoka, Sero. How is the search going?"
His radio came to life as he heard Kyoka's voice come through, "Got a few rooms left to check. Give us a minute Greenie."
"Got it. I will keep Bakugo and Kirishima busy." He quickly ended the discussion as the two young men across from him regained their bearings and focused on him.
Izuku wasted no time and charged the two. Bakugo gave him a bloodthirsty grin and rushed ahead to meet his charge. As the two closed the distance, Bakugo began to use his Quirk and created a large explosion that rocketed out from his palm. The attack didn't connect, as Izuku used Blink to dodge it and jump past Bakugo, continuing his charge. Kirishima raised his arms in surprise and used his Quirk to boost his defense, only to feel a stinging in his arms and body as Izuku's Excalibur ran across his body in a flourish of strikes.
Izuku was given no time to push his advantage because Bakugo was already on him. He felt the heat spread from his side, knocking him into a wall.
"GAH!" Izuku groaned in pain as he tried to use the wall to keep himself up. He wasn't given a reprieve as Kirishima was already on him and throwing punches. Izuku weaved through the onslaught, doing his best to ignore the pain from Bakugo's explosion, only to begin to worry once Bakugo joined Kirishima.
Izuku was being pushed and hastily used Resolute to form a barrier, protecting him from his two attackers. He maintained the barrier as long as he could. Blocking the heavy-handed punches and powerful explosions as they came. Until his barrier began to crack. And then the teal-green shield shattered. Izuku's eyes widened in shock, not expecting that his barrier could be broken like that. He then winced as a spike of pain shot through his body, a headache spiking in his brain, causing him to slow down.
Before Bakugo and Kirishima could continue their attack, Izuku poured his energy into Excalibur, and spun on one of his feet, knocking back his two attackers away from him. Bakugo and Kirishima grimaced in pain as they slammed into the wall behind them, losing sight of Izuku who Blinked away. The ash-blonde and redhead slowly stood up again, shaking off their disorientation as they looked for Izuku.
"DAMN DEKUUUUU!"
Shoka and Momo watched on with worry evident on their faces. Shoka crossed her arms under her breast and tightly gripped the sleeves of her coat. She saw Momo trying her best to calm down, so she took in a deep breath and put a comforting hand on the taller ravenette's shoulder. Momo began to calm down at Shoka's actions, turning her head to give the slender girl a thankful smile.
"He did the smart thing. He tested the waters and saw he was in a difficult spot." The two girls heard Shinso speak up. He continued, "Now, he will have to play smart. Keep them engaged at a distance, which we know he can do, and bide his time." He looked at his friends, doing his best to reassure them, "This is Izuku we're talking about. He may pull off a stupid stunt, but he will pull through."
Shoka huffed, feeling annoyed at herself. "You're right. Still, you know him. He'll make us worry about him no matter what."
"Never said he wouldn't." Shinso conceded.
The three returned their attention to the monitors and watched events unfold. Tsuyu had found Iida tangled up and had freed him from the tape. The two had a brief discussion before making their way up the building. As Izuku was dealing with Bakugo and Kirishima at the moment, doing his best to avoid them while fighting back where he could.
Everyone focused on the screens showing Kyoka and Sero entering the final room they had to search.
"Looks like Kyoka and Sero found the intel," Ochaco stated. They watched as Kyoka spoke into his earpiece as she made her way to the desk the USB was sitting on. All Might couldn't help but smile at the plan the Hero team came up with, happy to see that things were playing out as they hoped.
"But, why didn't the countdown start?" Denki said out loud. He looked at All Might and addressed him, "Bakugo found Izuku."
"Remember, young Kaminari, I said that the Villain team must call out the intrusion. Young Bakugo, despite having ample time to do so, didn't. And it could cost his team the match." All Might answered.
"Iida already caught up to Kyoka and Sero!" Mina called out in alarm.
The group turned their attention to the events unfolding before them, not noticing that Koda moved from his spot on the first floor.
Or the tiny brown mouse scurrying away from the impending fight.
Tsuyu managed to catch up to Iida, joining his side as they confronted Kyoka and Sero as they left the room the intel was in.
"Halt! You won't get away, Heroes! You have now fallen into our clutches! Prepare... FOR TRUE VILLAINY!" Iida said dramatically.
Kyoka, Sero, and Tsuyu just stood there, unsure of how to react. Tsuyu just turned to her teammate, her usual stoic expressionless face now showing a hint of embarrassment and disbelief. Iida turned to her and spoke up, "Too much?"
Tsuyu didn't even respond. Only turning back to face the opposing team.
Kyoka wasted no time, plugging her jacks into her boots and her heartbeat began to sound out from the speakers, the reverb echoing off the walls. Iida and Tsuyu cried out, the sound waves forcing the two down to their knees as they covered their ears as best as they could. Kyoka let up her assault and Sero stepped up.
"Nice work Jiro. My turn now." Sero said with a cocky attitude. He lifted his arms and bent them with his elbows sticking out. He launched two strings of tape at Iida and Tsuyu, but before they met their mark, Iida powered through the disorientation and aftereffects of Kyoka's audio attack and moved himself and Tsuyu out of the way.
"Kero Thanks Iida," Tsuyu said as the ringing in her ears went away.
"No problem Asui." The speedster responded, never taking his eyes off Kyoka and Sero.
"Call me Tsu kero." She corrected him.
[FIVE MINUTE WARNING!]
All Might's voice rang through the speakers in the building, putting pressure on the teams.
Iida and Tsuyu gave each other a look, sending a nonverbal message to the other. The two had to break apart, Tsuyu jumping to the nearby wall as Iida used his Quirk to boost himself out of the way from several more strips of tape being launched at them. Sero focused on Iida, doing his best to make sure the speedster couldn't clear the distance between them, while Kyoka and Tsuyu were having their own distance battle, Kyoka using her jacks as Tsuyu struck out with her tongue, both of their attacks lashing out at sudden speeds.
Iida saw a chance to improve his chances. As Sero took a moment to recover, he boosted his Quirk to enhance his speed, clearing the distance between him and Sero, tackling the Tape user into the large, open room behind him. Sero grunted as he rolled across the ground, grimacing as pain shot through his body. Iida quickly moved to capture the young man but as he neared his downed opponent, Sero launched a strip of tape that connected to the wall and reeled himself away from the bluenette.
Iida kept up the pressure, barely giving Sero a chance to catch his breath. The black-haired teen did his best to dodge Iida's strikes and kicks but still failed to dodge or catch the blue-haired speedster.
"Crap! Ah!" Sero grunted. "Hey, Iida! Mind slowing down a bit. OOF!" Another kick slammed into his stomach, folding him over as Iida continued to dart around the room.
"You will find I have no mercy to spare for you, Hero. You won't be leaving here, for you have stumbled into our base just asking to become our prisoner!" Iida continued to ham it as he pushed his attacks.
As Iida traveled around the room, Sero thought up a plan to catch the bluenette off guard. He shot a strip of tape down at the floor near his feet, and as Iida rocketed towards him, launched another strip at the ceiling above him. As Iida closed in on him, he pulled himself up to the ceiling, causing the strip connected to the ground to extend as he rose.
Unfortunately for Iida, he couldn't stop himself in time as his body hit the tape strip, the adhesive clinging to his body as Sero clipped it off. Iida found himself wrapped in tape once again as Sero cheered while hanging in the air.
"YES! Can't believe that worked!" Sero cried out triumphantly.
Iida struggled to remove the tape around him, making his displeasure known, "CURSES! DARN YOU HEROES!"
Outside the room, Kyoka wasn't having it any easier. As quick as her jacks were, Tsuyu was faster and more maneuverable, using her Heteromorphic Quirk to her advantage, never staying in one spot as she bounced off the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Kyoka felt the pressure as the frog-girl lashed out her tongue, forcing the punkette to dodge only to have to double her efforts as Tsuyu nearly hit her with a powerful kick.
Kyoka decided that until the ruse was up, it was better to just avoid Tsuyu. But she could at least try and make up some distance between them. As soon as the frog-girl landed on the wall past her, Kyoka plugged in her jacks to her boots, let loose another blast of sound, and forced the long-haired verdette away from her to avoid the sound wave.
Kyoka took that moment to catch her breath. It didn't last long when Tsuyu's tongue lashed out at her once more. Kyoka barely dodged, surprise evident on her face.
"Kero Best to give up. We won't let you leave with that intel kero." Tsuyu said.
Kyoka couldn't help but smile as she heard two chirps coming from her radio.
"Who said we had the intel?" She replied.
Tsuyu's large eyes widened further as she croaked out in surprise.
[INTEL SECURED! ONE HERO HAS EXITED THE BUILDING!] All Might's voice sounded out from the speakers.
Before Tsuyu could move, she heard Iida yell out from the room he and Sero were in.
"NOOOOOOOO! Another Hero has escaped."
To punctuate that point further, All Might made another announcement. [TWO HEROES HAVE ESCAPED! THREE MINUTES LEFT!]
Tsuyu refocused on Kyoka, determined to prevent the punkette's escape. Before Kyoka could react, Tsuyu pushed off the wall, flinging herself at the punkette like a missile. Kyoka was forced to dodge at an increased rate, taking a few hits in the process.
As Tsuyu moved past her, Kyoka barely had time to turn around before she found herself being knocked off her feet by Tsuyu performing a double kick. The punkette gasped out as her lungs struggled to maintain her breathing. She rolled over, slowly picking herself up off the ground, shakily keeping herself on her hands and knees.
"Greenie?" She called out on the radio, desperation clear in her voice. She coughed several times as she composed herself, "I think I'm in trouble. Get out while you can."
"Kyoka!" She could hear the signs of him struggling as he responded. "If we're going to win this, then that means we all escape. Just hold on!"
"Izuku don't worry about it, just get out of here and win this!" She cried out, noticing Tsuyu making her way over.
"No. I'm going to get you out. Where am I in relation to you?" He asked.
She hesitated, not knowing what he had planned. She plugged a jack into the floor, narrowly moving out of the way of Tsuyu's attack. She felt the vibrations and sounds all around her but was able to pick up Izuku's position. "You're just above me."
"Got it. Get out of the way and cover your ears! I'm going loud!"
Izuku took a hand off his headphones as he blocked a punch from Kirishima. He wasn't given a moment to rest as Bakugo jumped over the red-head, thrusting his palm out and unleashing a large explosion. Izuku used Resolute and created a round barrier that surrounded him.
"Stop hiding behind your shitty shield, Deku!" Bakugo roared out in frustration.
As the ash-blonde bomber and Kirishima began to assault his shield, Izuku used orbit to feel for his Psychs and grabbed the one he needed. He switched out Buster-Shot and held his arms out at a downward angle.
With a flurry of motions, his hands begin to spin the green discs of energy, focusing on the ground. He noticed his barrier breaking down once more and sped up his spinning. He felt Scratch Rhapsody build itself up enough and dropped his barrier.
"ROCK ON!"
His yell blasted through the air, the sound waves reverberated all around him. Bakugo and Kirishima were knocked back due to the sudden burst from the sound waves. The ground below Izuku gave way, and crumbled, dropping him down onto the floor below him.
Kyoka winced at the loud vocalization, while Tsuyu jumped back at the sudden collapse of the floor above her, surprised by Izuku's sudden appearance.
Before anyone could act, Izuku rushed to Kyoka and scooped her up into a bridal carry as he sprinted to the open window ahead of them.
"DEKUUUUUU!" Izuku and Kyoka gave a quick glance behind them and saw Bakugo jettisoning himself down the hall with his explosions, gaining on the two. As they neared the window, Bakugo closed in on them. The two could feel the heat build-up behind them as Bakugo built up his attack.
"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!" The ash-blonde declared.
Kyoka wrapped her arms around Izuku, burying her head into his chest. Time slowed down for them. Tsuyu followed behind Bakugo as Iida freed himself from Sero's tape and tried to catch up. Without many options, Izuku took a risk.
He and Kyoka disappeared in a mote of green light and appeared outside the window a second later. The three pursuers could only watch in surprise as the two remaining Hero team members descended to the ground.
Izuku could feel the rush of air blowing past him, Kyoka clinging to him even tighter. He ran through his options as quickly as he could. He saw on his visor that Blink was drained completely, him now learning that using Blink with a passenger could only pull off one jump. Feeling a little concerned, he fell back on his backup plan. He pooled his energy into Orbit and the familiar green energy wrapped around him and Kyoka. As they neared the ground, they stopped completely, only for Orbit to let go and drop them onto the ground with several feet left to clear.
Izuku landed as best he could and made sure to land as safely as he could without Kyoka hitting the ground with him on top of her.
"Oof!" Izuku grunted as he landed on his back, with Kyoka's body pressing into him. The two were quiet for a moment before he heard the punkette speak.
"Greenie... Are we alive?" She asked.
"Y-yeah..."
"Metal... Don't do that again."
Izuku began to chuckle, and as Kyoka joined in his revelry their laughter filled the air. But the last thing they heard brought a wide smile to both their faces.
[HERO TEAM WINS!]