Chapter 16: Show Your Style: Side B
- TRAINING GROUND MONITORING TOWER, U.A. UNIVERSITY, WEDNESDAY -
Both the Hero and Villain teams returned to the monitoring tower to join back up with the rest of their class. All Might looked at both teams with pride. For their first exercise, they did better than he thought.
As long as he ignored the risky maneuvers at the end. He wished he could, but he knew Aizawa would call him out on it.
It didn't help that Izuku was absolutely beaming at his approval. It just wasn't fair.
Still, he had a job to do. And critiques to give.
'Better get started.' He thought to himself.
"First off, congratulations are in order for the Hero team! Despite the initial challenge of overcoming a more aggressive force, you worked to your strengths and found a unique way of solving the problem set before you. You even had every member escape!" All Might commended the successful Hero team. Izuku stood up straight and was trying his hardest to maintain his composure, Kyoka blushed at the praise and began to twirl one of her jacks around her finger, Sero gave All Might a wide toothy grin and Koda was trying to hide away, not really comfortable with the spotlight. "AND LET'S NOT FORGET YOUR LITTLE MVP!" The Pro Hero said as he gently used his pointer finger to pet the mouse in Koda's hands. The little brown creature seemed to bask in the Hero's praise, earning a series of chuckles and a chorus of awws at the display.
"That being said. Young Midoriya," The verdette's body stiffened as he was called. "while I commend you for not leaving your teammate behind, which is an admirable endeavor, please don't risk jumping from four stories up. That isn't really the best example of going 'Plus Ultra'. That, and my shins won't be able to handle the fallout should you have injured yourself or young Jiro." Kyoka raised a confused brow at that last part as All Might all but whispered it.
Izuku at least looked sheepish at the reminder, feeling Shoka and Momo stare him down, nonverbally letting him know what he did was reckless and weren't too happy with his actions.
"ON ANOTHER NOTE, I DO HAVE SOME WORDS FROM AIZAWA FOR THIS REASON!" All Might added as he pulled out a small piece of paper. Izuku began to shake nervously, concerned that Aizawa had already assumed he would do something that would give the Underground Hero a headache.
"It reads, 'Problem Child. Really?'" All Might read the note, somehow without showing too much emotion despite maintaining his bright smile.
Shinso actually chuckled at that. Shoka followed after him with Izuku following her example, though his laughter was much more subdued.
"Moving on. While you may have lost this time, you four on the Villain team did exceptionally well, but there were flaws in how you handled things. While it was wise to have patrols that crossed paths, several of you chose to focus on other things besides your objective. That and there was a major lack of communication between you all." All Might said. Iida, Tsuyu, and Kirishima took the criticism in stride, while Bakugo struggled to hold back his emotions.
He understood what All Might was saying. He was just angrier at himself more than anything.
"With that being said, this was a rather unique scenario. While next time different rules and restrictions will be used, this was more to get your feet wet. So now," All Might began to address the rest of the class, "Let's open the floor for you. Hero team, what improvements do you think you could make ?"
Izuku and his teammates looked at one another for a moment. Izuku turned to address All Might first, "All Might-sensei, I could've not taken as many risks. I went in knowing how one thing would go and added more onto my plate. I put myself in several tight spots that could have cost us the win if Bakugo did call in my intrusion."
All Might nodded. "Knowing your limits is always necessary. During an operation, it is always better to avoid risks and rely on your team. You don't have to make things harder on yourself just to make things easier for your allies."
'Trust me, young Midoriya, I feel the same as you do. You and I are the same, after all.' He thought to himself.
"But your planning and skills were exemplary as you worked with your team while also using their quirks to the fullest. I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE MORE FROM YOU, YOUNG MIDORIYA!" As All Might finished his remarks on Izuku's performance. The verdette took in his Hero's words, and part of himself basking in that praise, he couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed with himself. All that time training with Shoka and Shinso under Aizawa's tutelage, and he still chose the harder path. At least, that was what he was trying to justify it as.
A part of him knew that he just wanted to prove something to Bakugo. Izuku tightened his fists, his curled hands shaking as he did. He took in a deep, tense breath before letting it go, releasing the tension in his hands. He will just have to be better than he was today. That he promised himself.
He missed the conflicted look from Bakugo and one curious inspection from Todoroki. Where Bakugo was dealing with his own internal issues like Izuku was, Todoroki seemed to be studying the verdette, as if measuring him up.
As All Might grew concerned at the inner conflict in the verdette, he saw Kyoka tap her jacks together before slowly raising her hand. "Yes, young Jiro?"
"Uh, well, I could probably learn some form of fighting, or work with my Quirk more in a situation like a Villain fight. I wasn't able to hold my own and put the mission at risk because of it." The punkette said, unsure if there was anything else to add. She saw All Might's smile seem to soften as he addressed her point, helping calm her down.
"Some self-defense lessons are something I would recommend. Better to learn how to throw a punch or use your Quirk safely to avoid severe harm to others. Just remember, this is what training is for, to allow you to learn. If you need help learning what style of combat works for you, ask your instructors or fellow coursemates for ideas. We are all here to help you." All Might said. Kyoka let out a breath she was holding in but looked up back at the No. 1 Hero as he had one more point, "That being said, your use of your Quirk was excellent! Being able to use it with ease, while also keeping track of your teammates and opponents shows a high level of skill. WELL DONE!"
Kyoka felt Izuku bump her with his elbow as he gave her a warm smile. Sero held out his fist to Kyoka, who returned the gesture, bumping her fist against his. Sero then stepped up for his turn, "I guess I could have, maybe not just went with the flow of things? I kinda let others take charge of things." The dark-haired young man said as he scratched his cheek.
"And there is nothing wrong with that this time around. During Hero operations, there will always be those in charge of things. If you are a part of the team, being able to follow the plan and orders given during an operation means things have a better chance of going smoothly." Sero nodded at All Might's words. "But that doesn't mean one cannot become adaptable. The phrase 'No plan survives contact with the enemy' exists for a reason. Being able to follow the plan is good, but being able to adapt to changes is even better. You already showed that you can adapt during your fight with young Iida." Sero began to beam under All Might's praise.
All Might turned to address the final member of the Hero team. Koda was nervously shaking under his gaze, but All Might's tone became softer as he spoke,"Young Koda while seeking to do as little harm as possible and avoiding fights is admirable, I still believe you should at least have some form of self-defense to fall back on. You don't have to go seeking a fight but being able to defend yourself and others is paramount." The Pro Hero's smile grew wider as he finished his critique, "REMEMBER THAT YOU DID WELL TODAY, AND ARE ALREADY ON THE WAY TO BECOMING A GREAT HERO!"
Koda blushed at the praise and saw Izuku, Kyoka, and Sero give him their support in their own way. He gave them a shaky nod and thumbs up before trying his best to hide away.
"And now, we move on to the Villain team. Who would like to start?" All Might asked.
He didn't have to wait long as Iida quickly raised his hand. The bluenette stepped up and began to make his points, "Sir, I believe I was too focused on the task that I allowed myself to be blindsided many times during the exercise!"
All might nodded and spoke up, "Yes, young Iida, I would say you were rather rigid with how you handled things. Like Sero, you should look to being able to adapt to changes. If you become too focused on the objective, there are many things that you could miss, such as other unknown dangers or obstacles." All might then gave the bluenette a thumbs up, "That being said, YOU PLAYED YOUR ROLE WELL AND TOOK THE EXERCISE SERIOUSLY! Just remember to loosen up a bit."
"Thank you, sir!" Iida said with a perfect bow. He stepped back in line as Tsuyu moved forward.
"Kero I worry that maybe I made the wrong choice during the exercise. Would it have been better to have stayed behind to guard the intel, sensei? Kero kero" The long-haired verdette asked.
All might nodded and his tone shifted to a more serious one as he addressed Tsuyu, "Ah, I understand your feelings on the matter, young Asui. As you will learn as a Hero, you will often have to deal with making a choice. Should you aid civilians, or chase after an escaping Villain? Should you risk capturing a Villain by yourself or wait for backup? Oftentimes, there is never a right choice, but the choice you live with." His tone shifted back to his usual cheerful and boisterous self, "I will say, going back for your teammate was a smart thing to do. You kept a cool head throughout the entire exercise, something that is difficult to do, and it can serve you well should you apply it further."
Tsuyu gave the Hero an appreciative nod and croaked before he stepped back in line with her team. The last two were quiet, unsure who should go next. Kirishima shook his head and slapped his face, trying his best to get out of his stupor.
The red, spiky-haired young man spoke up, keeping his voice steady but the others could hear he wasn't entirely proud of his performance, "All Might-sensei, if I hadn't left my post and left the room unguarded, my team would have won. It's not a good excuse, but I just didn't want to sit by as the others fought."
"Young Kirishima, as I just told young Asui, oftentimes you will have to make a choice. Yours in this regard, comes down to the trust you have in your team. Like young Midoriya, you would rather be the one to take the hard risk. Such thinking is something to consider, but also think about how your actions may affect the operation as a whole." As Kirishima looked down at the floor, upset that he should have done better, All Might kept speaking, "Keep that spirit though, young Kirishima. Such earnest and strong Heroes are hard to come by. KEEP BEING THE PROTECTOR, THE SHIELD THAT CAN DEFEND AGAINST ALL!"
Kirishima's eyes widened before his expression shifted to that of a more determined one. "MANLY!" With his final words said, earning a deep chuckle from All Might, Kirishima returned to the line, leaving Bakugo as the only one left.
The ash-blonde bomber stood there for a moment, his mind running wild with thoughts, each one trying to justify either why it wasn't his fault or what caused him to lose. His face contorted as the seconds passed, with All Might growing concerned for his student. He stepped closer to him, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Young Bakugo?"
Bakugo snapped out of his ruminations as he heard All Might call out his name. He stared into the eyes of his Hero before looking down and trying to find the words to say what needed to be said. When he went silent again, All Might took the opportunity to speak.
"Young Bakugo… there is a difference between being proud of who you are and what you can do, and being prideful about it. Right now, you are still needing to figure out where you are proud, and what has you prideful. You have excellent combat skills and the way you use your Quirk is remarkable. It shows the time and effort you put into improving yourself." All Might's tone became much sterner as he continued to speak, "But you are not alone. You cannot do everything on your own."
Bakugo couldn't hold back his disbelief and clicked his tongue, "But you're the best. You became the best on you-"
"BECAUSE I WASN'T ALONE FOR MOST OF MY CAREER, YOUNG BAKUGO." The ash-blonde paused at those words as the No. 1 Hero continued on, "I had a mentor who believed in me, another mentor who prepared me, my friend who helped me at the start of it all and who I consider family, and while I may not be on speaking terms with Sir Nighteye, I trusted and still trust him as he stood by me during many difficult times." All Might's voice softened, "I may be at the top, but I didn't reach the peak alone. I had others help me because I wasn't the number one Hero at the start. I had to build up to it."
Bakugo didn't respond as he began to think heavily on All Might's words. The No. 1 Hero nodded and stepped back looking over the class. Izuku glanced over at Bakugo, watching the ash-blonde. He sighed, hoping that maybe this would actually do something.
But that remains to be seen.
"ALL RIGHT!" All might said, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room, "Now that the 4v4 is done, it is time to move on to the next group. We shall see who the Hero and Villain teams shall be…" All Might dug through the two boxes labeled 'Hero' and 'Villain' on them, pulling out two balls, each with a letter on them.
"TEAM E AS THE HEROES AND TEAM G AS THE VILLAINS!" All Might loudly declared. He moved over to a third box that was labeled 'missions' and pulled out a ball with the number '1' on it. "And they will undergo the bomb retrieval mission! Remember, should the bomb be damaged in any way, it will count as a loss for both teams! Young Shinso, young Yaoyorozu, you will have five minutes to plan your defense once you set your bomb in the location of your choice." He turned to Team E which was the duo of Kaminari and Tokoyami.
Kaminari's costume was rather straight-forward, only consisting of a plain white shirt under a black leather jacket that had a white electricity pattern running across his back, a pair of matching black pants with white lines running down each leg, black shoes and a single earphone covering his right ear that had an antenna sticking out of the top.
For his raven-headed teammate, Tokoyami wore a black cloak draped over his body that had a tint of dark purple visible when the light hit it just right covering a dark t-shirt, a pair of black wristbands, and baggy pants that were tucked into black knee-high boots.
Youn Kaminari, young Tokoyami, you will have five minutes as well. Remember to plan accordingly. Your objective is to capture one or both of the Villain team's members and claim the bomb by touching it." As All Might finished his instructions, Kaminari and Tokoyami nodded along.
Momo brought a hand to her chest as she steadied her breathing. She was doing her best to fight back against her self-doubt but those lingering feelings seemed to cling to her heart. She felt a hand begin to intertwine with the one at her side. She looked to her right and saw Izuku giving her a warm smile that began to calm her nerves, only to cause her heart to beat faster. A feeling that was amplified Shoka wrapped an arm around her, leaning into the taller ravenette.
"You got this Momo." Izuku softly said.
"Show them what you got," Shoka added.
The busty ravenette's onyx eyes began to shine at the words of her lovers. She gave the two a determined smile, her bounciness coming to the forefront as she spoke. "I shall do my best!"
Their mini-pep talk ended when the three of them noticed Shinso just standing to the side, letting them have their moment. He glanced over, seeing them taking notice, and raised his hand slightly in the air.
"Go team," The indigoette said with little fanfare.
The other three began to laugh, with Shinso joining in with light chuckles at the end.
"Alright, you two, time to chain together another win for the A-Crew," Shoka said, holding out a fist for a group bump. The others joined her, breaking off as Momo and Shinso gave each other a determined nod.
Once the teams were ready, All Might led them back out to the city to the building he designated for the bomb retrieval mission.
Shinso and Momo were currently carrying their paper mache bomb as they scouted the building for a defensible position. They had made their way to the fourth floor when Momo chose to speak to her teammate.
"Shinso, I figure a larger room should be the most optimal location to put the bomb. I should be able to provide us with plenty of traps to work with. I made sure to have a rather large lunch before our lesson." She said, trying to set up a basic plan to work with.
Shinso was quiet for a moment as he thought. The building was maze-like, something they could work with. "Do you think we could trap several rooms in the time we have?"
Momo shook her head. "I don't believe so. My creation speed has increased from the time I practiced with Izuku and Shoka from our first meetups, but I don't believe I am fast enough to create that many traps for us to set up in multiple rooms, no matter how simple they could be."
Shinso hummed as they continued their walk. They had passed by a small room when an idea popped up in his head. "Hey, Momo? All Might didn't say we had to place the bomb in a specific spot, did he?"
Momo ran through their sensei's instructions from earlier, working through each part just to be sure. "No, I don't believe so. Why do you ask?"
She saw Shinso grin. To see the resemblance to Aizawa was uncanny to her, but she shook those thoughts from her head as he spoke. "Well... We are supposed to be Villains. What good Villain doesn't work with misdirection and tricks?"
Momo's eyes began to sparkle as she caught onto her friend's idea. "What are you considering?" She asked.
Shinso turned to look at her. "Think you can make me some Bluetooth speakers?"
[MATCH START!]
At All Might's words, Tokoyami and Kaminari made their way into the building. The two Heroes in training quickly searched the first floor, just in case Shinso and Momo pulled a fast one on them. The two met up at the stairway, discussing a plan of action.
"It seems our adversaries have entrenched themselves on one of the upper floors," Tokoyami noted.
"Yeah, but which one dude? We don't want to waste time searching each floor." Kaminari said, addressing the most prudent point.
Dark Shadow emerged from Tokoyami and made their opinion known, "As cliche as it is, we could always split up. Cover more ground that way."
Tokoyami shook his head at his Quirk's suggestion. They made their way to the second floor as he addressed the Sentient Quirk's idea, "Unfortunately, we face one who can control our minds and another that is the spirit of creation itself. If we split, we shouldn't do so with so much space in between us as we face the unknown. I would suggest we focus on each floor, splitting up only to cover half of the floor, allowing us to aid the other if necessary." Tokoyami turned and looked down the hall to his right. "I will check this half, Kaminari, would you be willing to check the other half?"
The blonde was a little unsure about what to do but chose to trust in his partner. "Sure. No problem. If I run into the other team I will be sure to call out to you." He said as he tapped his singular headphone which connected to his earpiece.
"And I shall do the same," Tokoyami replied, giving a single nod to his teammate. "If we find nothing, meet at the next flight of stairs."
As they split up, they failed to see Shinso using his capture scarf to dangle from the ceiling. The indigoette shook his head and groaned, "They never look up." He moved a hand to his ear, tapping the side of his mask that he connected to his earpiece, calling Momo. "Yaoyorozu. Kaminari and Tokoyami have split up to search the floor. I'm about to start the show."
"Sounds good, Shinso. Who will you focus on?" Momo replied through their radio.
"Kaminari. Since Dark Shadow is a Sentient Quirk, I don't think my Brainwashing will be as effective with Tokoyami. I haven't tested it on Dark Shadow, but I'm pulling from experience that a Sentient Quirk will make things harder for me. Better go for the safer option." He said, making sure to explain his point clearly.
"Understood. I will protect the room. I finished setting up the traps on my end."
"Got it. Good luck Yaoyorozu." Shinso ended their discussion and began to warm up. After a series of hums and grunts, he felt like he was ready to act. He gave one last smile under his mask as he connected to the various speakers he set up across the hall.
Kaminari grimaced as he found another empty room. He had checked out most of the rooms on his half of the floor, finding no sign of the opposing team and it was starting to get to him.
"Hope Tokoyami is having better luck than I am." He was about to check the next room when he heard the sounds of speakers turning out. As the static crackled, he heard a voice ring out through the building.
[Hickory, dickory, dock. The Heroes are on the clock.]
"GEEZ!" Kaminari jolted as he heard the rhyme. He took a second to calm down and called his teammate. "Hey, Tokoyami? You heard the creepy rhyme too, right?"
"Yes. It seems our adversaries are taunting us."
"Maybe. Freaked me the hell out, that's for sure." The blonde admitted.
"It was rather unsettling. My search seems to be unfruitful. Let us meet at the stairs and move up. Be vigilant."
"Got it!" Kaminari ended the radio call to his teammate and rushed to meet him at the stairs. He saw Tokoyami as he rounded the corner and was about to call out to him before he heard the speakers blare to life once more.
[The clock hits eight. They'll find they're too late.]
[Hickory, dickory, dock.]
Kaminari shivered as he heard the words. He and Tokoyami made their way up to the next floor to continue their search. The two split up again, unaware of the person shadowing them. Shinso was keeping up with Kaminari while making sure to stay out of his field of vision. He watched as the blonde electricity user kept up his search, going through several rooms and coming up empty-handed.
Shinso heard a chirp from his radio, Momo doing her part of tracking the time for him. He hit a button on the side of his mask as he spoke again, the speakers crackling to life once more.
[Hickory, dickory, dock. The Heroes are on the clock.]
[The clock hits seven. Will they find the weapon?]
[Hickory, dickory, dock.]
He saw as Kaminari stopped his search, looking around in desperation as the words hit him.
"Okay. Okay. Seven minutes is plenty of time." The blonde said to calm himself down. He pumped his arms as he hyped himself up, "WE GOT THIS!"
Shinso just watched, unsure what to make of that. Part of him understood the need to do so. The other part just wanted to face-palm, several of Aizawa's lessons running through his head. He decided to save his sanity and focus on the task at hand.
Kaminari was nearing the room where he had placed one of the speakers Momo made and Shinso began to spring the trap.
[Hickory, dickory, dock. This Hero is in for a shock.]
Kaminari looked to one of the sides of the room, where several pieces of miscellaneous debris and furniture were sitting. He kept his ears open as he heard the sound of a voice through a speaker.
[The clock hits six. And he's in a fix.]
Kaminari began to shiver once more as electricity danced across his body, lighting up the room around him. He heard the voice once more, but he was confused as it didn't come from a speaker.
"Hickory, dickory, dock."
Before he knew it, Kaminari felt several bits of cloth loop around him and tighten.
"Shitshitshitshitshit!" He cried out as his body twisted around and saw Shinso in the doorway. The indigoette pulled his capture scarf, sending the blonde flying as his body was easily lifted off of the ground. His body sparked with more electricity as his mind raced and his body grew agitated.
Shinso moved to complete the capture, opening his mouth to speak when he felt a shock run through his body. Before he could react, Kaminari had released a small amount of electricity as it traveled across the carbon-fiber cloth and into Shinso. The indigoette felt his body tense and locked up as the shock quickly cleared, mentally thanking Aizawa for one of the early lessons he shared with Izuku about how Quirks tend to limit the damage they do.
Unfortunately, it seemed that the electricity didn't do the same to Kaminari, who scrambled to free himself of his bindings. The blonde electricity user quickly called his partner to update him, doing his best to catch his breath as he felt his mind lag behind. "Tokoyami! I ran into Shinso!"
"Understood. Do you require assistance?"
Kaminari was about to respond but looked at Shinso, whose body was still moving slowly. The blonde felt himself brimming with confidence despite his initial scare, and addressed his teammate, "Nah. I got it handled. Make your way up and I will meet you on the next floor."
The radio was silent for a moment before he heard Tokoyami on the other side, "Fine. But don't take any risks. Capture him as soon as you can."
Kaminari ended the call and took out his capture tape. "Gotta say, man, you got me real good with that scare. But, I gotta do what I gotta do." As the blonde neared the recovering Brainwasher, Shinso spoke up.
"Hey, Hero."
"Yeah?"
Kaminari felt his mind stop for a second as everything just seemed to fade away.
Shinso was breathing heavily, raising his head, wincing as he looked up at Kaminari. He saw the blankness in the blonde's eyes and huffed, dropping to the ground and rolling over onto his back. He slowly brought a hand to his ear and called Momo.
"Yaoyorozu. Got Kaminari. Got shocked. Need a minute to recover. Tokoyami is yours."
He didn't even wait for her response as he focused on just catching his breath and relaxing his muscles from the electric stimulus. His heart rate had already begun to slow down to its usual rate, letting him know that he should be fine. For the most part.
At least until Recovery Girl could inspect him.
He huffed out once more in annoyance, "Guess that one's on me then."
Izuku and Shoka watched the match with a heavy interest. When they saw Shinso pull out a win on his end, despite him getting caught off-guard by Kaminari's reactionary attack, they were proud of their fellow A-Crew member.
"So, how many puns can we work with?" Shoka asked, leaning closer to the verdette with her lips forming into a cheeky smirk.
"I'm up to six. We'll have to brainstorm and figure out some good ones." He replied, matching a smirk with a bright smile.
The two gave each other a knowing look before focusing on the match again, keeping track of Tokoyami and Momo. They saw her finishing up any last-minute traps, taking a minute to refuel by eating one of her specialized food bars to recover her lost fats and lipids.
Izuku let out a small breath, speaking in a whisper, "She's got this."
He felt Shoka nudge him with her elbow. The verdette turned to face her as she spoke up, "Yeah. She's got this."
Tokoyami made his way to the fourth floor, worried about his teammate but focused on the task at hand. As he ran down one of the halls to search for the bomb and the final Villain team member, the raven-headed boy felt a tug at his feet before he heard a snap.
And his vision was suddenly filled with smoke.
He coughed, doing his best to clear his lungs as he summoned his ever-present companion, "Dark Shadow! We must clear this haze!"
"Got it Fumi!" Dark Shadow said as they emerged from the cloak and the shadow bird expanded its arms to fan away the smoke from Tokoyami.
The raven-headed Hero student coughed to clear his lungs, finally able to see around him. Dark Shadow lingered around him, acting as his bodyguard against any more surprises.
"It seems our adversaries wish to hinder our approach through trickery and surprise," Tokoyami said with his usual form of speech.
"We got this Fumi!" Dark Shadow cheered.
"Let us not claim victory before it is achieved. We can infer that our adversaries have positioned themselves on this floor. They wouldn't have had enough time to trap the other floors." Tokoyami noticed that the smoke still lingered, covering most of the floor ahead of him. "They seek to hinder us. He must tread carefully"
[FIVE MINUTE WARNING!]
Whatever ease he initially felt was gone when he heard All Might call out that half their time had passed. He grimaced and chose to move. "Dark Shadow, cover me! We have no more time to spare!"
Dark Shadow positioned itself in front of Tokoyami, acting as a dark protector for the raven-headed young man. "Let's go!"
Tokoyami hurried as quickly as he could through the building, doing his best to avoid any more surprise tripwires the Villain team had set up. While he avoided some, he was unfortunate in triggering several others, having to deal with paint and glue traps. He was thankful for his companion as Dark Shadow was able to pull him away from getting pelted or glued to the floor and walls.
He had noted that several forks were blocked off as if he were being directed somewhere. It didn't make him feel any better, but he stayed the course.
As he and Dark Shadow avoided the last traps set up in the hall, they came across the only open room. Momo stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by several objects draped in cloth. All of them the size of the bomb, he noted. There was something else but he couldn't make heads or tails of the occasion glint of light throughout the room.
"So you have finally arrived, Hero," Momo said haughtily. "A shame. I had hoped you and your friend would arrive sooner." She simply shrugged at him and began to create something from her wrist. "I suppose I will just have to make the most of the time I have left!"
Tokoyami and Dark Shadow's eyes widened as Momo raised her arm in a sudden motion. They recognized the shape of a taser that formed from her wrist, which she grabbed and fired in one fluid motion. The two effortlessly dodged the darts that were launched at them before they refocused on the ravenette ahead of them.
"Dark Shadow! Attack!" Tokoyami ordered.
Dark Shadow roared as it raced at Momo. The busty heiress smirked as before Dark Shadow could reach her, she saw the Sentient Quirk get tangled in a series of thin wires, halting its progress. She didn't get to celebrate her small victory for long as Dark Shadow tore through the wires with little effort, freeing itself.
"I'll give you that one Yaomomo, but you won't get another!" The shadow bird declared as it flew through the room, cutting down the rest of the wire traps. Tokoyami began to move ahead to the first object hidden behind a cloth and his fears began to build up.
On the ground was a bomb. He had to be sure and moved to check another and found another bomb. Before he could check another, he was intercepted by Momo, who swung a metal bo staff at him. He barely dodged the attack and watched as Dark Shadow forced the girl away from him. He noticed the girl pause as her eyes narrowed on him.
[SHinSo HAS BeEN CapTuRED!]
Tokoyami smirked as he heard All Might's voice through the speakers, Dark Shadow joining his side.
"It seems your nefarious schemes will fail this day, Villain." The raven-headed young man declared. "Surrender yourself now."
Momo tensed, her grip tightening around the staff in her hands. Her gaze never left the pair in front of her. "Do not assume you have won the day Hero."
Tokoyami closed his eyes and lowered his head, "Very well then." His eyes shot open, matching Momo's intense stare with his own. "Dark Shadow! Press on the attack!"
The raven-headed Hero student crossed his arms as Dark Shadow shot forward. Before the shadow bird could strike, it had to dodge a swift swing from Momo. It became an intricate dance, as Momo and the shadowy being attacked and countered the other. Dark Shadow proved to be a difficult opponent as no matter how hard it was hit, the shadow bird recovered and pressed on. But its agitation grew more and more as Momo proved how skilled she was with wielding a staff. She managed to block or dodge Dark Shadow's attacks.
She saw an opening and jabbed at Dark Shadow, hitting the shadow bird in the beak. As he winced at the hit, it left itself open, allowing Momo to arc the staff and slam the metal staff on the top of its head, causing its crown to bend slightly.
Before Momo could press her advantage, Dark Shadow roared in defiance and rushed the ravenette with a second wind. Dark Shadow knocked the staff out of the busty heiress' hands, forcing the young woman to dodge the flurry of attacks. Momo was hard-pressed as Dark Shadow seemed to gain the advantage. The shadowy bird slammed a fist into the ground, causing the floor to crack on impact.
Momo's eyes widened as her mind ran wild with plans and ideas, each one becoming complicated as she tried to think of a way out of the onslaught. She mistimed a dodge and was sent rolling across the floor. She winced as she rubbed her stomach, pulling back as it stung from her touch. She wasn't given a moment to rest as Dark Shadow lunged at her once more. Before she could even form a plan, she worked on instinct, raising her arm as a metal kite shield was formed over it.
A loud clang was heard as Dark Shadow's fist collided with the shield. It shook off its shock and began to attack again. Each blow was deflected by Momo who began to panic. She could barely come up with a plan as Dark Shadow gave her no time to think.
'Think! There must be something I can do!' She thought to herself, her heart pounding in her chest.
She heard another clang as she managed to block another attack.
'Maybe I should make another staff?'
Dark Shadow slammed into the shield, pushing her back.
'No! I can't get an opening! What if-'
Dark Shadow swatted at the shield, almost knocking it out of Momo's hands.
'No time! I need to think of something!'
Momo's mind ran through several plans and ideas began to go blank as she worried more and more about Dark Shadow's assault. As the Sentient Quirk didn't let up, her body reacted on instinct and began to create without her mind determining her creation.
Tokoyami simply watched, waiting for Dark Shadow to finish facing off against Momo and allowing him to capture her. His attention shifted when he heard Kaminari call out to him.
"ToKOyamI!"
"Kaminari! I will give you an open-" Tokoyami responded before his mind went blank.
Dark Shadow seemed to notice, stopping their attack on Momo and looking back in horror as they saw Shinso behind their anchor.
"FUMI!" The Sentient Quirk cried out. Before they could even move to help Tokoyami, it saw Momo lash out from behind her shield, wielding a stun gun and slamming it into their side. It sparked and sent a torrent of electricity through its body, causing Dark Shadow to lock up and convulse. The shadow bird slumped to the ground, its size shrinking as they slunk back to their anchor.
Shinso acted quickly, wrapping the capture tape around Tokoyami before something caused the raven-headed young man to be broken free of his control.
[TOKOYAMI HAS BEEN CAPTURED!]
He let out a heavy breath he didn't know he was holding as he hunched over, putting his hands on his knees to keep himself stable. Momo had dropped the stun gun as she calmed her nerves. The two were silent as they took a moment to take stock of things.
"T-thank you, Shinso," Momo said to her teammate, breaking the silence between them.
"No problem." The indigoette simply replied. As Momo continued to steady her breathing, Shinso moved to the doorway. Momo watched as he guided an entranced Kaminari into the room.
She raised a brow at the sight. "Do you need me to use my capture tape?"
"If it wouldn't be too much to ask," Shinso said as he stepped away from the controlled blonde.
Momo simply nodded and removed the capture tape All Might supplied her from one of her utility cases. She quickly wrapped up the electric Quirk user and stepped back as All Might's voice rang out from the building's speakers.
[KAMINARI HAS BEEN CAPTURED! VILLAIN TEAM WINS!]
As the announcement was made, Shinso let go of his hold on the Hero team. The blankness in Kaminari's eyes faded away. He blinked sheepishly before looking around the room in confusion, seeing Shinso and Momo standing together next to his partner who he saw had tape around him. Kaminari tried to move his arms when he noticed he couldn't. The blonde looked down and saw he was wrapped up like his teammate and slumped his shoulders, hanging his head down in disappointment.
"You got us?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
[BOTH TEAMS, PLEASE RETURN TO THE CONTROL ROOM!]
"Yep," Shinso said with little emotion in his voice.
"It seems that there is much for us to learn to combat the unknown." Tokoyami supplied sagely, though with some looks of confusion from Shinso and Kaminari.
Shinso moved to free his two coursemates while Momo made her way to the Sentient Quirk. "I'm terribly sorry for that last attack, Dark Shadow."
The shadow bird patted the young woman on the shoulder and shrugged. "No problem, Yaomomo. This is training, bound to get a few nicks and bruises during it. I didn't go overboard on my end, did I?"
Momo gave the Sentient Quirk a smile and shook her head. "Not at all, Dark Shadow."
The four Hero students and living Quirk made their way out of the building, with Shinso and Momo leading the other three to the out-of-the-way supply closet where they hid the bomb. Kaminari and Tokoyami merely stared wide-eyed at them, the blonde groaning and the raven-headed young man remarking on the darkness of their deception.
While they carried the paper mache bomb from the room and out of the building, Momo was more focused on her performance.
And how, aside from her traps, she wasn't able to do much during her bout with Tokoyami and Dark Shadow. She was rather disappointed with herself.
She listened to All Might's critiques for both teams. She had to agree that Shinso had performed well enough to be the MVP of that round. Without his idea to mess with the Hero team to put them on edge, they would have had a more difficult time of things. When it came to her part of the exercise, she listened as best she could while she ran through everything in her head.
"Young Yaoyorozu, your planning and ingenuity should be commended, as well as the combat skills you showcased this day." All Might remarked. She was proud of herself, but she couldn't shake away her own self-deprecating thoughts. She could plan, but Tokoyami still got through her traps. She could fight, but Dark Shadow easily overpowered her. She could defend herself but still needed to be rescued.
"But you must not let yourself stay in a bad spot. I could see you planning different options to throw off Dark Shadow, but you didn't take one. Villains will often never give you a chance to plan, you will have to learn to act and react."Her intelligence was her downfall. 'What good are plans and structures if I can't use them?' She thought to herself. She did her best to hide her doubts, maintaining a stoic and focused expression. A mask she learned from her parents to use so that others can't gain an upper hand on her. A business trick that can be useful for many things in life, they said. She was happy that they took the time to teach her even things like that.
But she was happier that Izuku and Shoka could see past her mask. She saw them give her their support and understanding from their looks alone. She just needed to wait for All Might to finish with his points before she could make her way over to them.
"Take heart, young Yaoyorozu, that keeping a cool head under pressure and being able to plan on the fly are skills that are learned. And that is what you are here to do. YOU CAN'T BE LIKE ME WHO CAN JUST PUNCH MY WAY OUT OF A PROBLEM!" All Might saw some of the tension leave her shoulders at his words. His smile widened. "I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT YOU WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE AND SKILLED HERO WHEN YOUR TIME COMES! Don't rush yourself and don't linger in failure. Learn from it."
"Thank you, All Might-sensei." The brainy ravenette said gratefully.
He gave her a quick nod before moving on to the next match between Mina and Shoji as the Villain team against Toru and Sato as the Hero team. They were running through the bomb exercise, much to the shared disappointment of the class.
They wanted to see the hostage scenario.
Mina was still pumped nonetheless. She got a series of 'good luck' from the crew before joking with Toru and joining up with her teammate. As they left with All Might to a new building for their exercise, Momo joined up with Izuku and Shoka. The two gave her soft smiles, causing her heart to flutter at the sight as they waited for her.
The three simply enjoyed being near each other as the next match began. They watched as Sato and Toru entered the building to begin their search. It was a rather one-sided match-up, but it gave the other 1-A students a few surprises. Despite some disadvantages, Sato and Toru put up a fight against Mina and Shoji. The two worked together to overcome Shoji's ability to hear Toru by having her cling to Sato's back to get her close enough to capture either Mina or Shoji and then making enough noise for the two of them to keep their attention.
The only issues came from Mina being able to remove Toru's ability to move about safely by using her acid to create holes and trenches through most of the room, but also being able to create an acid that acted more as an irritant for the invisible girl who went barefoot.
At least she had a specially made DNA suit that worked with her Quirk. Izuku almost had a panic attack thinking that the girl was completely nude.
The match ended shortly with an encounter between the Hero and Villain teams, with the Villain team being able to capture both Heroes. The two teams returned, with Sato being kind enough to bring back the paper mache bomb. Mina preened at All Might's praises, though she was rather sheepish at being reminded to be careful with her Quirk as her rather generous application could have backfired easily.
Izuku, Shoka, and Momo at least helped raise her spirits back to their usual energetic levels.
After All Might had finished with his words, it was time for the final match. Ochaco stood next to Shoka, giving off a determined aura as she pumped her arms to hype her teammate up. Shoka smiled and returned the gesture in a more subdued way, but still appreciated the bubbly auburnette.
On the other side of the room, Aoyama did his best to stand out. The flamboyant blonde was wearing a suit of armor similar to a knight's, having a metal chest plate with a high collar, elbow-length vambraces, and knee-high boots, with his support belt being integrated into the armor and design. He also applied the same lens to his shoulder pads and knees. He wore a pair of dark baggy pants that had golden lines running down the legs, a sparkling indigo-colored cape, and a red-tinted wing-shaped visor.
Though, compared to his teammate, he seemed over-dressed. The bicolor-haired young man wore a simple white shirt, with a matching pair of pants and boots. He had on a pair of golden straps that wrapped around his arms where they connected to his torso. The oddest part was a sheet of detachable 'ice' he wore over his entire left side, with a red lens glowing where his eye was.
It only served to push the image of a cold and disinterested young man.
"For our final match today we will have..." All Might began to dig through the Hero box, building up the tension for the whole class. After having some fun, he pulled out a ball labeled 'C' and displayed it to the class. "TEAM C AS THE HEROES WITH TEAM F AS THE VILLAINS! NOW, LET'S SEE WHAT SCENARIO THEY WILL TRY!" This was the most important matter for the class. They had their hopes up, waiting to see if their prayers would be answered.
"HOSTAGE RESCUE !"
All Might's smile widened just a fraction as he saw the excitement being shown in the class. It was such a simple thing, but a good one to him. But he had to move things along and coughed, garnering everyone's attention.
"Now then, young Todoroki, young Aoyama. You must either capture the Hero team or wait out the clock for a victory. Young Sakurane, young Uraraka, it is your job to either capture the Villains if you can, but prioritize the rescue of the hostage. And both teams remember, should the hostage suffer harm, both teams will automatically lose. The dummy hostage has damage sensors built in that will alert me if something happens. Understood?" He focused on the four Hero students in front of him. The four college students all nodded in understanding, letting him know they were ready to start.
"RIGHT! LET'S GET STARTED. FOLLOW ME TO YOUR BUILDING!" All Might said as he led the four out of the control room. Shoka gave one last look to Izuku and Momo, giving the two a confident smirk. She chuckled as she saw Izuku raise a hand, holding up three of his fingers, letting her know to go for the third win for the A-Crew. She gave him a nod as she left the room with Ochaco, the auburnette pumping her arm into the air once last time.
Izuku watched on with a smile on his face when he noticed the cold gaze Todoroki gave him. The verdette raised a brow in confusion, not understanding the bicolor-haired student's sudden interest. Before he could think more about it, Todoroki left, following behind his teammate and the others.
"So, what's the game plan?" Ochaco asked her teammate.
Shoka stared at the building. Todoroki and Aoyama had just finished finding their hiding spot, starting the countdown. She was running through what she knew about her opponents in her mind, doing all she could to come to some form of understanding with them. She began to connect the two with some of the personalities she would often see in Shibuya.
Todoroki fit the mold of someone who would do his own thing, regardless of those around him.
Aoyama would do everything he could to stand out, even if it meant stepping on other people's toes.
She had a feeling she and Ochaco may have an upper hand since they would be dealing with two completely opposing personalities, but she has seen stranger things happen. She wouldn't be surprised if they worked well together.
"Shoka?" She heard her teammate say, nudging her shoulder.
"Hm? Oh, sorry Ochaco. Whadja say?" The slender ravenette asked.
"What's the plan?" The auburnette reiterated.
"Plan. Right." Shoka adopted a serious expression. "We should probably focus on just the hostage and getting it out of the building for the extraction win. Sparkles can shoot lasers and keep us at a distance and who knows how strong Iceman is with his Quirk."
"It does sound like they could keep us away from the hostage. I don't know how much I can help in fighting them. I don't have much experience in it." Ochaco remarked as she poked her two pointer fingers together.
Shoka shook her head and gave the gravity-negator a kind smile, "No worries Ochaco. I can handle fighting if we need to." She tilted her head, the ears of her hood flopping as she did so. "How well can you move with your Quirk active?"
The auburnette brought a finger to her chin as she thought about that. "Not too well. Why do you ask?"
"Well, if running is harder, how about launching yourself by bouncing off the walls?" Shoka explained.
Ochaco's eyes began to sparkle as she caught on to what Shoka was implying, "Like Tsu earlier today during her match!"
Shoka pointed at Ochaco, indicating that she got what she was thinking up. "Bingo. While you do that, it would make you the better option to grab the hostage and get out of the building. That, or pull an Izzy and jump out the window." The gray-eyed ravenette grumbled out, pouting slightly.
Ochaco giggled at her teammate's antics before she spoke up, "Yeah, I'm not that brave. Maybe shelve that as a 'just in case' plan, yeah?"
Shoka chuckled. "Sounds good."
Inside the control room, Izuku, Momo, and Shinso watched the screens intently. Even as All Might called a start to the match, they focused on the people partaking in the exercise. They saw Shoka begin her transformation, her skin turning into a pale white, with her mask, lips, and hair being the only things with color as she shifted. Her arms and legs began to form the black, segmented armor that seemed to absorb the light around it, her battle coat's color draining and becoming a light gray.
Shoka and Ochaco then entered the building together, quickly making their way further into the structure. While the class watched the two young women make their way to the stairs to the second floor, they noticed that Todoroki and Aoyama hadn't done anything. They saw the blonde seem to argue with his teammate, and Izuku noticed All Might took on a more dour look, obviously not liking what he was hearing on the comms.
"Hey look! Todoroki is starting to move." Kirishima called out.
Everyone began to watch the Villain team, but Izuku took a glance at Shoka, seeing her segmented tail beginning to stiffen as she stopped in her tracks. She turned to Ochaco, her concern and fear evident on her face. Ochaco hopped onto her teammate, her arms wrapping around Shoka's neck as she clung to the ravenette's back.
It was a "blink and you miss it" event. Shoka jumped into the air, her body defying the pull of gravity as Todoroki simply shifted his foot. Soon, the building was covered in ice. Everyone in the control was feeling glad that they were far enough away from the building. Some could swear they felt the cold from the room nonetheless.
Izuku just watched as Shoka and Ochaco managed to dodge Todoroki's massive attack. Momo held onto his hand, her grip tightening as she watched on in shock at the power displayed before them. He gave her a comforting squeeze, internally hoping that Shoka would pull through and win the match.
"You got this Shoka."
"What the fuck!?" Shoka cried out as she dug her claws into the wall, holding both herself and Ochaco up as the air continued to chill around them, making it slightly more difficult to breathe. She could already see the mist escaping her lips every second.
"G-geez. Todoroki doesn't hold back!" Ochaco exclaimed, her eyes wide as she surveyed the area around them. Every inch of the hallway was covered in ice, their reflections faintly being shown in the glass-like ice.
"Asshole could have frozen us!" Shoka was not in a great mood at the current change in atmosphere. She was just happy her instincts were amped up when she used her Quirk. Otherwise, she and Ochaco might have become fixtures in the building. She shook her head of any dark thoughts she was having, only focusing on the task at hand. "Ochaco, any ideas where they might be holding the hostage? If Todoroki can freeze a whole building, I would think they might be at the top. All this ice would slow us down enough to make it work."
Ochaco nodded at Shoka's words, "Makes sense to me."
"Then we need to head up as fast as we can. Can you keep your Quirk running in the meantime? It would make things easier to make our way up by wall hopping. I can use my claws to keep us anchored and give us a grip." The slender ravenette asked, wanting to not push their limits.
The bubbly auburnette nodded again, "Y-yeah. I should be able to. We aren't that heavy. Just don't take too long." She didn't want to risk her stomach trying to empty itself in the middle of a match.
Shoka twisted her body, bringing both her hands and feet to connect to the wall. She kicked off, launching herself up the stairs to the second floor, bouncing off the walls with ease as she did so. She kept her free-running lessons in mind as she moved about the halls. Her instincts kicked in once more as she came to a halt, digging all her claws into the flow as she came to a stop.
Ochaco was about to ask what was wrong when she saw Todoroki come out of the room ahead of them, Aoyama trailing after him. She felt Shoka tense up, her teammate seemingly emitting a low growl as she spoke.
"The asshole didn't even try to hide. He thought he could catch us in his little trap without having to do jackshit." Shoka couldn't hold back the frustration in her voice. It was one thing to be ignored. It was an entirely different thing to be held in disregard. Her mood continued to spiral downward at the disinterested young man's voice.
"I'm surprised. I expected the two of you to be captured." Todoroki's tone barely showed any ounce of real surprise. It returned back to his cold tone as he continued to speak, "It doesn't matter. You two are clearly outmatched. It's best to surrender now before either of you get seriously hurt."
"Fuck off dicksicle." Shoka's newfound aggressiveness seemed to surprise Ochaco, but the curvy auburnette shook off the shock and focused on the match. On the other side of the hall, Aoyama seemed to cringe at the ravenette's behavior but ignored it in order to show off his abilities.
Only to be cut off by his teammate before he could do anything.
"Have it your way." Replied Todoroki. He shifted his foot again, causing a wave of ice to skate along the already frozen floor, and erupting into a flat spike that attempted to hit the two young women.
Ochaco released her Quirk on the two as Shoka shot forward, using her claws to dig into the ice, running on all fours in a sudden burst of speed, knocking the ice user further down the hall with a powerful kick.
Todoroki grunted in pain as he rolled across the cold, uneven floor. Aoyama simply smirked as he watched his teammate take the hit, not really caring about him. He focused on his two opponents as he began to speak, "Well, mesdemoiselles, I believe it is my turn to shine!" He raised his arms and placed his hands behind his head, winking at the two young women. A spark of light formed from his belt as a laser shot out from the device.
"Ochaco, scatter!" Shoka called out.
The two members of the Hero team dodged the oncoming laser fire, Ochaco having a more difficult time as she slipped on the ice, though that oftentimes saved her from being hit. Shoka had an easier time as she could use her claws to stabilize herself, with her tail aiding in her sense of balance and dodging.
As Aoyama began to slow down his suppressive fire, Shoka turned to her partner to figure out their plan. Before the two could do so, Aoyama fired another beam of light at the two, only to have it be blocked by a chuck of ice that formed. Shoka barely dodged the attacks, grabbing Ochaco and jumping back just in time to hear their opponents begin to argue.
"Monsieur Todoroki, I believe I had it handled. Please, step back and allow me to take over." The knightly blonde said to his teammate. He expected his teammate to agree, only to be ignored entirely by the bicolor-haired young man.
Todoroki launched another wave of ice at the two young women ahead of him, using it to create a wall that would be impossible to dodge. His eyes narrowed as he watched, only for them to widen as Shoka swiped a hand down, crushing the ice in front of her with ease.
"What was that about being outclassed?" The slender ravenette asked with a challenging smirk.
Todoroki showed off a brief moment of irritation at the cat-girl's words before doubling his efforts. He might have done well if Aoyama had worked with him. Any blast of ice was either met with the blonde's navel lasers or the ravenette's claws. Neither of the Villain team's members seemed to register Ochaco as a threat, not even noticing her entering the room they were in.
The auburnette saw the dummy hostage sitting in a chair, not covered in ice thankfully. She would have to trust Shoka to handle Todoroki and Aoyama for a moment as she made her escape, only to pout at her situation.
"I know doing what Phones did was put on the shelf, but I wouldn't mind doing that right about now." She grumbled.
Everything else in the room was covered in ice. Including the windows.
"Shoka!" She called out into her radio. "It looks like we gotta make a run for it."
Todoroki was beginning to feel the cold get to him, his body shivering in unease as it began to chill. Frost built up over his form as he pushed on with his attacks. He was starting to feel frustrated as Shoka effortlessly dodged both his and Aoyama's attacks, getting in a few of her own as she pounced on them when given the chance. His concentration was broken when he heard the sounds of grunting behind him.
He and Aoyama were surprised to see Ochaco trying her best to bounce off of the walls while carefully carrying the dummy hostage in her arms. The curvy auburnette gave off a weak chuckle as she saw everyone was paying attention to her.
"Oops?" She simply said before doing her best to scurry away.
Todoroki was about to cut off her path by creating a wall of ice before he felt a body slam into him. He slid across the floor before slamming into the wall behind him. He watched Aoyama use his laser to fly down the hall in pursuit of the auburnette as she made her escape. Shoka was about to catch up with him before Todoroki managed to block her path with more ice.
Shoka's agitation grew more and more as the match went on. She turned to see Todoroki stand up, obviously winded from her last attack. At least that was her initial thought before she noticed the bicolor-haired young man shivering. She lowered herself to the ground, taking a stance on all fours, ready to move.
Ochaco was still struggling to maintain her equilibrium as she bounced off the walls. She was just glad she managed to make it to the ground floor. The auburnette was careful that if she couldn't hit the wall right, she would make sure the dummy hostage didn't take the hit. She at least felt hopeful in her chances of escape, trusting that Shoka bought her enough time.
Only to panic when she unknowingly dodged a laser, watching it sail past her.
"You will not escape my exuberance, Mademoiselle Uraraka!" Aoyama declared, firing another laser blast at Ochaco.
The auburnette did her best to dodge the incoming attacks. Since she couldn't see where they were coming from, she began to move in random patterns as she made her way down the hall. As the barrage of lasers seemed to stop, Ochaco smiled to herself as she saw the entrance to the building ahead of her. Her joy was cut short as she heard Aoyama speak again.
"It is time for my most dazzling attack. I apologize, Mademoiselle Uraraka, but this is your end."
Ochaco was still hovering in the air due to the effects of her Quirk when he turned her head to see Aoyamam build up a large amount of energy at his belt. Time slowed down for her as she watched a large beam of energy shoot towards her. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a plan.
The laser beam was wide, covering the width of the hallway. She figured Aoyama must have changed how his lens worked to make that happen. A rather risky idea ran through her mind, but it seemed like the best idea at the moment. She bounced off the wall, angling herself to hit the floor. As Ochaco closed in, she bent her knees, letting her boots give her protection as she slid across the ground, using the momentum from when she kicked off the wall to sling herself forward at a high speed.
There was still the threat of the laser hitting her. So she did her best to bend herself backward, pulling the dummy hostage closer to her body as the laser shot over her head.
Aoyama couldn't hold the laser for long, as he felt his stomach begin to twist and turn. The laser cut off as he bent over, holding his stomach as it ached. He watched as Ochaco continued to slide and exit the building. Though he found it odd that she just stayed like that for a moment.
Ochaco, on the other hand, was working through her own panic, unable to move even when she heard All Might call the match. She just lay there for a moment, doing her best to catch her breath.
Shoka and Todoroki continued their bout, the two combatants stuck in a deadlock. Todoroki felt he had wasted enough time on the hooded cat-girl. Shoka was having the same thoughts on her side of the hall as she watched Todoroki with an intense gaze.
She saw Todoroki begin to build up to a large attack and readied herself. A large amount of ice launched forward in an attempt to bury her. Thick spires shot out as she jumped up to meet the attack head-on.
Todoroki gave her little mind, believing that the ravenette would be captured or knocked out from that last attack. He began to slowly move down the hall, believing he still had time to focus on his other opponent. The sound of ice shattering caused him to watch the mini glacier he created crack and break up in front of him. His eyes widened as Shoka shot out past the ice, particles of frost dancing around her flying form.
Shoka's eyes narrowed as she neared the Ice Quirk user. Before she could land her strike, both she and Todoroki heard All Might through their earpieces.
"HEROES HAVE RESCUED THE HOSTAGE! MATCH OVER!"
Her claws almost scraped against Todoroki's face, just centimeters away from him. Shoka huffed and turned away, happy that she and Ochaco won, but disappointed overall. Before she left Todoroki alone, she turned to face him, giving him a cocky smirk.
"Seems you aren't even at my level."