Rin Tohsaka carefully raised her tea cup to her lips, taking an elegant sip of the carefully brewed Golden Tips Imperial in it. Her ears dropped down as she savored the taste of luxury. She often didn't get to indulge, her financial discipline was too strict. She opened her eyes with a pleased sigh, noting the empty seat in front of her.
That was fine, it wasn't quite time yet for her first meeting. So she set the cup down and returned to outlining what she needed to ask the candidates that Director Dioland had offered for her mission. Her ears flicked back up, staying attentive and listening for any sign of her first candidate's arrival.
Coming to Michael's Teahouse, an establishment funded by the El-Melloi family, was an expensive venture given how popular it was among mages. That price tag had only increased when Rin had pulled money out to treat all three candidates in a row. Her savings wept over the decision, but it had to be done.
She wasn't just interviewing a partner for this mission from Director Dioland. This was about establishing a good working relationship. One that would ensure this job would go well and have her partner be willing to recommend her. She wanted to be kept in mind for future missions.
If Rin played her cards right, she would be able to secure a steady flow of jobs, which would bring her closer and closer to her goal. Having a partner she could work effectively with was vital to this. If she picked wrong, she could end up burning a critical bridge.
Rin took another deep breath, settling her nerves, and picked the cup up again, taking a sip. She then set it down, pushed the corners of her mouth out into a pleasant smile, and kept her tail still as she looked up at the young man sitting across from her, "Hello, Gakuto Hisau. You are right on time."
Unlike the time with the Director, Rin was able to catch the moment Mister Hisau snuck into the cafe and into the seat in front of her. It was some tricky magecraft, but she had figured it out this time, a fact that pleased her. It would take some more effort before she would be truly proficient, but it was still a promising start.
"You can just call me Sigma," the young man replied, his voice far younger than Rin expected. Then again, with how he was dressed, a black leather outfit with straps and belts, as well as a soft round face, Rin wasn't sure how old he really was. His indigo eyes were both flat and piercing, as if he could see right through her but didn't care what he saw.
Sigma continued his statement, pulling Rin away from her train of thought, "Gakuto Hisau is just a useful cover. I don't really feel attached to that name at all." Rin gave a careful nod, which he returned, before he pulled the menu from the napkin stand next to the window, "Just to be polite, would you like me to pay for the refreshments?"
Rin shook her head, her twin tails bouncing with the motion, as she held up her hand, calling for the waitress, "No, don't worry. I'm paying. Get what you would like." Even though she put as much confidence she could into that, she still held her breath until after Sigma had ordered.
Thankfully, all he had wanted was a Royal Milk Tea with extra brown sugar and heavy cream, alongside a slice of chocolate cake. Expensive for the items, but that was the case for everything here. As far as the choices he could have picked, these were far from being out of her budget.
After the waitress had taken his order and left, Sigma simply sat up straight, staring right at her. Rin found it unsettling, but not for the normal reason that a young woman would find a male peer staring at her. No, Sigma stared as if he was an automaton waiting for instruction. There was no drive in his flat eyes.
Tilting her head to the side, Rin decided to break the ice, so she asked, "Alright, Sigma, I'll call you that. Though I am curious, isn't that your codename from the director?" Sigma simply nodded, which caused the last Tohsaka to follow up with, "Do you prefer going by it because it sounds like a Pro Hero name?" It would be interesting to know where he stood on the topic of Pro Heroes.
The waitress returned before he could respond, setting the cake and tea in front of him before swiftly departing. He seemed to have more interest in the cake, taking a bite before he even responded, "Pro Heroes are just each nation's dogs, meant to handle threats the government doesn't want liability for."
Rin couldn't help but smirk at the comment as she sipped her own tea. That was quite the edgy take these days, even if on some level she agreed. Pro Heroes did save lives, no one could deny that, but their intentions were often far from pure, seeking fortune and fame. Rin wasn't surprised by the bleak outlook from Sigma.
However, that just meant she wasn't expecting what Sigma would say next, "So, in a way... I already am a Pro Hero. Just in service to Director Dioland rather than any particular nation." This caused Rin to suck the tea down wrong, leading to a coughing fit. Sigma blinked in response, "Are you alright, Miss Tohsaka?"
Rin barely got her body back under control before she replied, "I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting that blunt of an answer." Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she moved back onto the table, leaning forward, "You are surprisingly direct for a special operative."
"Director Dioland instructed me to be as open about myself as possible," Sigma replied, taking another bite of his cake. Once he finished, he added, "He also said that I needed to restrict vocalizing any opinions on the other candidates and let you make your own decisions."
Her tail fidgeted under the table, curious about that statement. Rin leaned back, eyebrow raised as she asked, "Really? You must know who the other candidates are, if Director Dioland gave you such direct instructions."
Surprisingly, Sigma shook his head, "Not in particular, I just know everyone that the director employs." He glanced out the window, his brow furrowing in the first true expression of emotion he had. Annoyance. "However, I can't tell you why I think any of them would be ill-suited for this mission."
Now that is interesting. "Do you know what this mission is, then, if you are so willing to write off all of your other colleagues?" she mused aloud. Rin tilted her head, her ears flicking around as she pondered her next questions. She then gave a feline-like smirk, "...You could tell me what makes you so fitting instead."
Once again he shook his head, "No, I apologize. I am only assuming that I would be the best fit for the job. I have not been briefed on our mission for security reasons." He took his fork to slice off another morsel of cake, but stopped, staring at it, "...To be frank, the main reason to choose me over my colleagues is that I lack any further desires."
Her eyes narrowed as Rin replied, her voice repressing the interrogation element, "Any further desires? What in the world does that mean?" He couldn't mean what she thought, right?
"Every one of my colleagues has dreams that they seek to fulfill. Something that gives purpose beyond the necessities of life. I do not have such aspirations," Sigma replied, directly confirming her suspicions, "A warm bed and a full belly is all I need. It's all I ever have wanted. It's all that I ever will want."
Sigma turned his gaze outside the window once again, his voice soft as he added, "That's all someone as worthless as me should ever want."
Izuku zipped up the jumpsuit that his mother made him, the foundational element of his hero costume. Then he slipped on the red boots, black knee pads, and the utility belt. He finished by putting on each of the white armguards, then pulling the cowl over his face and clicking the mouth respirator over his mouth. He glanced in the mirror, taking in the costume's first fitting.
He had been worried about how this design would look when it had been translated off the page. It had been a mashup of a variety of influences, primarily All-Might. However, even with all of the elements at play... His parents had done a great job synthesizing them into being something that was uniquely his hero costume.
Yeah... It really looks great. Thank you, Mom and Dad.
The first comment he heard, however, disagreed with his sentiment, "Uh, Midoriya, where on earth did you come up with that design?" Kaminari called out, in a playful yet stinging tease, "I thought you were a big fan of All-Might, not Mirko. You look like a battery bunny."
Before Izuku could respond, it was Tokoyami who chimed in, "Midoriya's costume at least will reassure civilians that a Pro Hero is on the scene," his voice was like dark thunder, matching the black cloak he wrapped his body in, "Whereas people will mistake your costume for a Yankee who missed his flight home."
Mineta and Sero gave jeering calls, while Kaminari widened his eyes, popping out the collars on his jacket, "Dude, man, not cool. Unlike my jacket, which helps me conduct my electricity. I'll totally bring the thunder in this!"
Despite Kaminari's almost-mean tease, Izuku had to agree, the black jacket with white thunderbolt patterns fit the electrical hero student quite well. He looked dangerous enough to scare villains, yet the white elements and Kaminari's typical bright smile would win over civilians in a crisis.
Tokoyami's costume, while also black, was similarly balanced. Izuku knew that his crow-like friend wanted to be more of an underground hero like Erasurehead or Edgeshot, and the giant cloak helped with that. However, even with his resting stern face, Tokoyami looked a bit like a children's mascot character. Dark Shadow looked even more so, which if they leveraged right would soothe those in the disasters they as heroes would face.
"Thunder is all bark, Pikachu. People want to see something with real flash," Bakugo barked out, as he strapped on the last of his gear, two giant grenade gauntlets. The explosive boy had not been shy since he was a kid about what his hero costume and codename would be. Seeing that vision come to life was almost as surreal to Izuku as coming to U.A. with his own costume was.
Kaminari tried to fire some snark back, but Bakugo just walked out of the locker room, ignoring Kaminari. This served as inspiration for Iida, who called out, "Come on everyone, we are all U.A. students here. We should be respectful both to each other and to All-Might's time. Hurry up and head out."
Iida was right. When Class 1-A had returned from lunch, all they had found was a note on the green smartboard to grab their costumes and head to Ground Beta. Many of the students wondered why All-Might hadn't been at the classroom, speculating while they moved to follow instructions. While many of the theories were off base from the truth Izuku knew, the main point remained. All-Might had limited time, so they needed to use every minute they could efficiently.
Still, Izuku couldn't help but crack a smile at how the sleek, chrome armor that Iida wore matched Ingenium's armor. Especially after this morning's interview that the hero fanboy had listened to on the way into school.
Izuku had finished suiting up, so he headed out. Tokoyami joined him, as did Emiya, who was adjusting a purple armband on his left arm. Izuku's eyes went wide, looking up and down Emiya's costume, "Whoa, Emiya, you look so cool in that costume!"
Emiya glanced over at Izuku and Tokoyami, seemingly caught off guard, "Oh, uh, thanks. Miyu actually designed it," his hand reached up to adjust the headband, a small smile poking through the patchy redhead's face, "I was actually going to go for a black suit design, but my little sister can be so demanding."
"Shame, you could have matched me and had a more fashionable hero costume," Shinji Mineta chimed in, speed walking past the trio. Izuku noted that their classmate with purple seaweed hair was wearing a gray suit with a matching trenchcoat, with a shirt and cufflinks that matched his hair. Izuku could see that the purpose of Mineta's costume was to have a certain type of appeal. A debonair spy, who would charm the ladies.
...Yeah, that tracks for Mineta.
The seaweed hero student continued, "Unless you're All-Might, everyone knows that the old style of costuming is going out of style for Pro Heroes. It's better to keep up with the times than go with a design that will be old fashioned by the time we graduate."
Mineta turned around for a brief moment, winking, "...Well, unless you are a top heroine, then you can wear practically anything. I wonder what our classmates chose for their costumes?" With that, he sped up, heading out to Ground Beta.
Izuku paused walking, as did Emiya and Tokoyami. They didn't say anything for a minute, before the redhead sighed, "...I'm starting to be glad that Miyu pushed me out of choosing a suit. I'd rather not be associated with that mess."
"I'm sure you still could pull off the suit if you really wanted to," Dark Shadow remarked, popping out of Tokoyami's shoulder. Even though she was Tokoyami's Quirk, she had mentioned to Izuku and the others before that she would rather give the other guys privacy when in the locker room. She continued, "Fumi and I went for the basic outline on this costume, but we plan to work in a Victorian angle in a future costume."
"Whoa, that would be really cool, you two!" Izuku nodded, "You'd easily pull off the look." Emiya nodded beside him, as the trio emerged into the bright sunlight covering Ground Beta. They all raised their hands, shielding their eyes until they adjusted.
But the second he adjusted to the light, Izuku couldn't help but snap his head around, looking at everyone's hero costume. They were all unique! They all had some interesting support items! They were all so...
"Hey Deku, Emiya, and Tokoyami! Your costumes look great!"
Tight! Izuku couldn't help but feel his face warm up as Uraraka came bounding up, waving her hands in greeting. Her costume certainly fit her, with a pleasant black and pink color scheme on a suit that evoked both astronauts and nebulas... But, well...
"I should have drawn my hero costume better. The support company made it way too tight," the gravity heroine complained, pivoting around and flexing to test the suit. She frowned, tilting her head, "...Well, at least it isn't as restrictive as it could be."
"Yeah, ribbit, my suit is pretty tight too," Tsu chimed in, standing beside Uraraka, picking at her frog-like bodysuit, "I've worn swimsuits that were looser than this." Izuku was incredibly glad that he was wearing a mask and cowl, as his face was still burning while the heroines discussed their costumes.
Mitsuzuri nodded at her friend's comment, "I'm just glad I thought to add this cloak to my costume," she remarked, her sunglasses glinting from underneath her catlike hood, "But why on earth would the support companies make these costumes like this?"
Izuku had a small theory that he hesitated to share, yet it was Arturia who chimed in to confirm. As she walked into the group, she spoke up, "A lot of support companies are scummy and try to increase the 'aesthetics' of the costume as much, especially after they get your measurements and portrait shots. If you want one that doesn't try that crap, ask to be assigned to P.U.C.K. Industries."
Indeed, unlike their friends' costumes, Arturia's was much more practical while remaining feminine. Like a lady knight of a fantasy novel, she was dressed in a gray jumpsuit that had a blue surcoat over the top, which was emblazoned with the golden lion icon on her chest.
Underneath her right arm on her hip, she held a steel helmet. It was shaped like a proud lion, which had white fur around the edges for the mane. Her other armor consisted of brown boots, bracers, and a matching utility belt, which helped complete the look. Really, there was only one odd element to her costume.
Rather than some form of European broadsword at her waist, she had a katana, which she rested her left hand on in the proper manner of a samurai. Arturia didn't draw attention to this, however, as she shrugged, "Full disclosure, my aunt and uncle run P.U.C.K. Industries, but I won't get any financial kickback if you do switch to them. My aunt is just very good at making costumes that fit your vision well, not for flaunting your appeal."
"But what is the point of having appeal if you don't flaunt it?" Toyotomi chimed in, butting into the conversation. Immediately, Izuku and the other guys looked elsewhere, as looking at the golden diva wasn't particularly safe.
Gila Toyotomi's costume consisted of a black crop top that didn't fully cover her chest, as well as matching boy shorts for her legs. The golden armor she wore seemed to only be there for decoration, as it didn't cover anything vital, and let Toyotomi's natural curves and smooth skin to be on display, along with the strange redlines that she hadn't had before.
If Izuku had risked looking closer at this moment, he would have noticed they were subtly glowing, which indicated they were connected to her Quirk. However, Izuku was more interested in looking at anything else than risk staring at the golden diva for an inappropriate amount of time.
"We're here to be Pro Heroes, not cheerleaders, Toyotomi," Arturia scoffed back, her face deadpanned, "There's no reason for your costume to be exposed, especially with your Quirk."
"There's no reason to cover up either, Miss Corgi. Not when I can dismiss any blow that comes for me," the golden diva flicked her hair back, her top teasingly rising without turning into a malfunction, "So why bother with the public's opinions? I will look as good as I want to."
The group was stunned, but the silence didn't hold up long, "Oh yes, a woman who owns it! You'll be a great heroi-" Mineta replied, before a golden portal opened in front of his mouth and shot off a strip of golden duct tape, silencing him immediately.
"Some are meant to give the world the gift of their beauty," Toyotomi spoke carefully, her red eyes glaring at Mineta, "Others are meant to give the world the gift of their silence. Understand where you belong, mongrel."
Mineta nodded vigorously, which caused Toyotomi to smirk, then strut away, going over to talk to Ashido, who was posing in her own hero costume as she talked to Kirishima and Ojiro. Arturia rolled her eyes, and glanced back to their friends, "My offer still stands. Despite her own attitude about it, she is right about one thing. You want a costume that you feel good in."
Emiya raised an eyebrow at Arturia over this comment, but she just gave him a droll stare. It was Uraraka, however, who spoke up first, "...Do you think your aunt's company will be expensive to add on? I don't want to have to pay out of pocket for anything that the costume subsidy doesn't cover."
The knightly heroine shook her head, "I'm sure Aunt Morgan or her team could figure out some additions to your costume without breaking the bank," she turned to the other two heroines, Tsu and Mitsuzuri, tapping on her katana as she asked them, "How about you two?"
After glancing at each other for a moment of consideration, Tsu spoke first, "Nah, I'll be fine with this. It's tight, but I bet I'll be glad for that when I go into the water."
Mitsuzuri then chimed in with, "I could use some armor to help make this leotard work more. We can talk more about the details later, Pendragon." Arturia nodded in response, and everyone started to shoot the breeze as they waited for class to start.
As his fellows continued chattering, Izuku couldn't help but gaze around at the various costumes that his friends and classmates wore. All of the differing colors and shapes and themes... He couldn't help but be reminded of the day when they had all gotten their acceptance letters just a few weeks ago.
They had all made it. Izuku, as well as Emiya, Arturia, Uraraka, Tokoyami, Iida, and everyone else... They are going to get real hero lessons, from real Pro Heroes, to become real heroes. If it wouldn't be completely insane to do so, he would burst out laughing in glee at this thought.
"AH HA HA HA!" Almost as if he could hear Izuku's thoughts, All-Might, the Number One Pro Hero in the entire world, boisterously laughed as he leaped into the midst of the class. As he prepared to land, the Symbol of Peace twirled through the air, sending his Silver Age cape spinning around, drawing the attention of the class.
Nearly the whole class gasped, murmurs of wonder and awe spreading out as All-Might flashed his mighty grin, "I'm glad to see that everyone is looking the part of the Pro Hero!" He straightened up, pointing out to the class.
"Now, let's put those costumes to the test, you bunch of newbies!"
Pause for effect... All-Might kept the pose for a brief moment, before relaxing his arm, letting the students chatter at him for a bit as he took stock of the class. Everyone looked about what he expected from what he saw of their hero forms. Miss Pendragon and Young Iida both looked like their Pro Hero relatives, while Young Emiya and Young Bakugo looked like hero commandos which could fit their brands... Really, the only costume he hadn't seen ahead was...
All-Might stared at Izuku Midoriya's costume. His protege had bunny ears on his cowl, styled in a V... like how All-Might styled his own hair. His protege had a tooth-like design etched into his mouthguard... like how All-Might was always smiling. His protege had chosen an angled belt buckle... like the one All-Might was wearing right now.
You're such an obvious fanboy, Young Midoriya!
Thankfully, the class took All-Might's sudden cough into his fist as a call for attention, so they settled down. Not wanting to waste any time, All-Might nodded, "Now then, let's talk about what we are doing out here, shall we?"
He pulled out a small holographic display, clicking it to display a map of Ground Beta, "Just like the letter it was named after, these training grounds have two major curves here and here," the new Heroic Fundamental teacher lectured, pointing out the two curves of buildings that connected to the row of structures behind him.
He then clicked a button, and the hologram map highlighted two buildings on one curve, two on the other, and a tower where the two curves met, "We will be using these four locations here for our exercise today, while I will be ready to respond to any emergencies from this tower."
"Oh, hell yeah, this is a battle exercise!" Young Bakugo roared in excitement. All-Might raised an eyebrow, as the explosive student continued, "Let's go, who are we fighting? Who do I get to destroy?"
Miss Ochako had a different concern, "Are we in danger of being expelled again like with Mister Aizawa?"
"Isn't this fast for a hero course, Mister All-Might?" Young Iida asked, his arm chopping out his question, "We only just got our hero costumes and support gear and..."
Miss Arturia spoke out, cutting off her friend, "With twenty students and four training sites, we must be five students to a location. Will we be working in teams of five or split unevenly?"
"Does this suit bring out my eyes," Young Mineta chimed in, which proved to be All-Might's final straw. He raised his hand to mouth, and whistled. Hard. All of his students flinched, but quieted down.
"My young heroes, I am glad you are all eager, but please... Allow me to finish," All-Might gave his stern statement with an exhale and a smile, "If there are any questions after the fact, I will be happy to answer them." He paused, waiting for the class to confirm the instructions.
"Now, as Young Bakugo surmised, this is a battle exercise, and as Miss Pendragon predicted, this will be a three on two fight," All-Might nodded to each student as he addressed their questions, "As for Miss Uraraka's concern, no one should be expelled from this. I do not want to expel any of you unless it is truly necessary. Mister Aizawa and I have different goals in our plans for educating you all."
A sigh of relief went through some of the class, but they were all still eager to get a move on, so All-Might continued, "Now, this is the scenario: Two Villains have secured a dangerous weapon that threatens the city. They will have fifteen minutes to prepare their base, before a trio of Heroes arrive to secure the weapon and arrest their opponents, again with a fifteen minute time limit."
"Wait, that's so unfair, though?" Young Kirishima spoke up, "Why aren't we having a fair fight? Even if we did team ups, we could do five matches of two against two."
All-Might was about to respond, but he saw that Young Emiya wanted to say something, so he nodded towards the natural redhead, "Fights are never purely fair. As... Heroes, we need to be ready for any situation we come across," Young Emiya took a deep breath, "Even this one is far more balanced than it appears, it just stresses us in different ways."
"Good insight, Young Emiya!" All-Might gave a nod and a smile to the haunted redhead, before he turned back to the class at large, "Does anyone know what the different ways this set up will test you on?"
Young Tokoyami raised his hand, so All-Might called on him. The bird-like boy took a deep breath, before he spoke with a low, casual tone, "The Villain team has that preparation time, but they must account for the Heroes having an extra team member. It's unfair in perfectly fair ways."
"Excellent breakdown, Young Tokoyami!" All-Might flashed a thumbs up, "Which leads into answering Young Iida's question. No, I have not forgotten your point."
All-Might glanced around at the class, meeting each students' eyes as he spoke. Some eyes were eager, some were nervous. All stood firm, however, which encouraged him, "Typically, the first day of Heroic Fundamentals focuses on getting all of the students adjusted to their costumes as well as covering some basics in Quirk-based combat. It's meant to be a day to help you all be more comfortable in your new role as hero-course student."
Before he continued, All-Might flicked a button on his holographic display, now showing clips from the entrance exam and Aizawa's test from the beginning of the week, "However, rest assured that while today is our first day together as teacher and students, I have been keeping an eye on you all since you first stepped through this school's doors as applicants."
In some cases like Young Midoriya, he had been keeping an eye for much longer. However, All-Might didn't want to single any one out in particular, so he continued, "All of you are some of the most adaptable and skilled students at U.A. that I have seen. Teaching you all to walk is fruitless when you all know how to run!"
The class buzzed with excitement, even as All-Might gave a grin that would scare the boot camp instructor, "Instead, it's time to throw you newbies into the deep end, and see how you adapt to the rising stakes!"
The buzzing continued, and All-Might let it play out as he observed Young Midoriya's eyes. His successor was looking back at him, those bright green eyes firm even as his body shook with nervousness. One for All was still giving the boy trouble, All-Might knew that. But it wasn't despite that fact that All-Might chose to move up the class. It was because of it.
All of Young Midoriya's best moments were when the chips were down and everything was on the line. Saving Young Bakugo from that sludge villain. Getting Miss Miyu away from the thugs at Takoba beach. Going forward to save Miss Uraraka from the Executor. Saving himself from Aizawa's expulsion. Young Midoriya wouldn't do well on a day where the students got into their costumes and learned their support gear.
Young Midoriya is going to do well in this exercise, when he has to get out of his own head, stop overthinking, and just use One for All. All-Might had faith in his successor, just like how his master had faith in him nearly forty years ago.
"Now, let's get you all split up and to your station," All-Might boomed, flicking the holographic display once more, "I hope you will all impress me, young fledgling heroes!"
Arturia tilted her head forward, staring at All-Might's holographic depictions of the class. Each icon, one for every student with their portrait and name, was displayed in their seating order. One by one, they began flowing into a digital recreation of a box.
"Now, let's see where the dice land!" The Symbol of Peace shook his holographic device, which emitted sounds of dice rattling in the digital box. He then snapped the device to the right. The device played the sound of dice hitting the table, while two names popped out, "Ochako Uraraka and Izuku Midoriya will be our first Villains," All-Might announced, then repeated the process, this time snapping the device to the left, "While Denki Kaminari, Fumikage Tokoyami, and Katsuki Bakugo will serve as the Hero Team."
Uraraka was thrilled to be partnered with their friend, while Tokoyami shared a long suffering look with Shirou. The explosive pomeranian merely growled, but Arturia didn't like the slight smirk that was on his face. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done until after the exercise.
She rubbed her thumb against the tsuba of her katana in thought. In addition to the other factors, random chance dictated the teams today. All-Might had either lacked the time or hadn't seen a need to partner everyone based on good team composition. That went along with the extra prep time or the uneven teams of the exercise. Pro Heroes were expected to know how to quickly work together.
She paused her thoughts as the next two teams were announced, "Ayako Mitsuzuri and Tenya Iida will be the next Villain Team. Their Heroic opponents will be Kyoka Jiro, Hanta Sero, and Tsuyu Asui!" The glasses duo immediately nodded to each other, while Tsu went over to Jiro and Sero to start talking.
Arturia pursed her lips, even as she continued to coax her thumb along the metal guard of the katana Keigo Takami, aka Hawks, had given her. It was his U.A. acceptance gift for her, a lightweight katana machined to allow strategic airflow throughout the blade. Not only did this mean the sword was quicker to swing, but it also paired well with her Quirk for some interesting tricks.
That being said, it was just one, very light, sword. One that she was happy with, but she wanted more options, especially if she ended up facing either Todoroki or Toyotomi. If she had to, she would overcome any odds and defeat either the golden diva or the Son of Endeavor, but she would really prefer if...
"Arturia Pendragon and Shirou Emiya! You two will be the third Villain Team!" All-Might's booming voice sounded out as though it was a decree from God, fitting as it answered her prayers. Her good luck continued with the next words he said, "Mashirao Ojiro, Eijiro Kirishima, and Shoto Todoroki, you three will be the Hero team opposing them!"
...The only thing that would have made this matchup better is if Bakugo, Mitsuzuri or Toyotomi had ended up on Todoroki's team. She had been interested in securing the top spot in the class, by proving her strength and tenacity over the other top candidates.
No matter, she was glad to have Shirou by her side for this exercise. Arturia turned to the redhead, who had moved to be right at her side. She was curious to see his reaction.
Before he responded, Shirou adjusted his headband with his right hand, before looking back at her, "So... We'll be partners for our first exercise here, huh?" he let out a small chuckle, "Must be fate, huh?"
"When we swore to be partners in heroics together, I didn't expect to be put to the test so soon," Arturia mused, before she smirked right back at him, "I hope you have plenty of swords in stock for this."
"Oh, there's no worries there. I'm sure I have some that will satisfy you," Shirou remarked, returning the smirk. Arturia chuckled... Before she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She only moved her eyes, just to get a better view.
It was Mina Ashido, somehow sliding on the concrete right next to her. The pink girl's expression was off putting, with one eyebrow raised and her lips pursed. Arturia didn't have any idea what Ashido was possibly thinking, but she was getting concerned from the giggles coming from the pink girl.
Before Arturia could ask what the deal was, All-Might called Ashido's name, informing her that she was on the Villain's Team with Shinji Mineta. They would be facing Koji Koda, Mezo Shoji, and Gila Toyotomi as the last match up.
"Now that everyone has been split into their respective teams, let's get you all to your buildings!" All-Might's announcement settled the class down, as he clicked a button. This caused eight rickshaws, drawn by service robots, to pull into the area, "Please sit in an orderly fashion inside of the rickshaw carts. Each team has one, and there should be enough room, so give each other space."
As the class followed the teacher's instructions, he continued to share some details, "Inside, you will find two displays that are hooked up to the live feed that I will also be watching. Please watch each other's performances and make notes to discuss after the exercise."
When she stepped onboard the cart, Arturia noted that there were in fact three displays inside the cart. Perfectly reasonable, this cart may have held a Hero team rather than just herself and Shirou. There was also a plastic case on each seat. Arturia set her helmet down on the middle seat, and picked the plastic case up, observing it. Then she pulled her katana out of her belt, and sat down at her seat.
Just as she was opening the case to inspect it, All-Might confirmed what it was, "You will also find a hero codec system on your seat. Go ahead and put those on. You will find a reference card on the inside for communications with myself, your team, and the entire class."
The hero codec was a small radio set that sat around the neck, with earbuds that extended out of the system. Arturia put hers on, then put in the attaching earbuds. So did Shirou, so they took a second to confirm that the system was working. They then turned back to All-Might, who was walking around the rickshaws to make sure everyone was ready to go.
Once he was satisfied, he made his final announcement, "As I stated before, I will be in the central tower overlooking the exercise. I look forward to seeing you all perform your very best, and learn where your strengths are, as well as your weaknesses," All-Might gave a large grin, "Now, before we head off, let's hear the school motto! Don't be shy, put your whole body into it!"
The whole class followed along with the Symbol of Peace with the loud cry of "GO BEYOND... PLUS ULTRA!" As they called out the last two words, All-Might took off, and with a single leap he cleared the distance from the staging area into the building, saluting the class as he flew through a window and disappeared from sight.
"HOLY CRAP HE'S SO MANLY!" Kirishima roared, having stood up in the rickshaw from excitement. He then turned towards Arturia's and Shirou's cart, pointing a finger at them, "LET'S HAVE A GOOD MATCH, EMIYA AND PENDRAGON! MAY THE BEST HEROES WIN!"
Arturia and Shirou simply nodded, as the service bots got started on the move. Before long, they were practically alone on the way to their building. So Arturia turned to Shirou, eager to start strategizing, "So, how do you find our odds?"
Her partner shrugged, as he tapped on the display before him, learning how the multi camera system worked, "If we play our cards right, we'll be fine. I'm more worried about how our friends will do with Bakugo around. He's... concerning to me."
Arturia frowned, "I mean, yeah, he clearly has anger issues, but..." she paused as Shirou shook his head, "Is there another element to your concern?"
"His gauntlets. They aren't just shaped like grenades, they have the firing pin mechanism as well. I also saw him pouring a clear liquid into them inside the locker room, about eight liters worth," Shirou's face was stern, almost like how it was back at Might's Cafe. Only this time he was present and actually engaging with Arturia, "Midoriya said that Bakugo's sweat is almost like nitroglycerin. Which probably means he has just shy of nineteen kilograms of TNT on his arms."
Oh, that is a problem. Arturia frowned, leaning on her sword in thought, "...We should probably report that to All-Might, just in case." Shirou nodded, and called up their teacher on the radio.
"Oh, hello Young Emiya. Is there," All-Might gave a quick cough to clear his throat before continuing, "Is there something I can help?"
After Shirou and Arturia relayed their discussion about Bakugo, their teacher took a second to think, "...I see. I have gone over all of your costumes and support items, as has the principal and a selection of teachers. Young Bakugo's gauntlets are on the edge, but they were ultimately approved."
Arturia pursed her lips, glancing at Shirou, but then All-Might continued, "That being said, if Young Bakugo has filled up his gauntlets, that is outside of the bounds of this exercise. I had thought that he wouldn't be able to build up enough sweat for it to be a problem."
There was a moment of silence, before All-Might chimed back in "Perhaps he merely wanted to ensure he was capable of handling the weight of his gauntlet at max capacity. As long as he doesn't set off the blast, everyone should be fine. I will go contact him before the exercise begins."
"Thank you for hearing us out, All-Might," Arturia replied. With the pleasantries addressed, their teacher disconnected to go talk to Bakugo, as the knightly heroine glanced back at Shirou, "That's been addressed. Do you have anything else we need to address before we make our 'evil' plan for our lair?"
With a wry shake of his head, Shirou replied "Nah, that's in All-Might's hand." He shifted his stance to be more comfortable, eventually just resting his head against the arm he had propped on the door, "May I presume you already have the basic strategy plan?"
"I do. We have to get Todoroki to the roof. We don't want to fight his fire in the hallways of any of these buildings," Arturia responded. As Shirou gave an encouraging nod, she continued, "If you have any large swords, we could use that to block off the entrance on the first floor."
Her redheaded friend tilted his head, "...I do have some large swords, but I think I got a better idea on how to tackle that," he returned to making eye contact with Arturia, "How do you plan to get Todoroki to the roof if we cut off access from the lower floors?"
"As long as we give him a good reason to, he can use his ice to reach the top of the roof," Arturia replied, pointing her finger up to emphasize her point, "It's a small start to wearing him down, but it will help with my fight against him."
Shirou almost started to nod, but he stopped, his eyes narrowing, "...Wait, your fight? Don't tell me that you want to try to fight him on your own?" Arturia pursed her lips, letting Shirou vent it out, "Are you insane? You're good, Arturia, but are you really going to let your grudge with Todoroki and Endeavor impact this exercise?"
Arturia tilted her head, "Why not? We are the Villains in this exercise. I feel like we can indulge in a little grudge match, no? Besides, I got it all figured out. I just need you to keep Kirishima and Ojiro away."
"Oh, I'm glad you do. It's not like Todoroki has two immense resources for widespread damage or anything," Shirou pinched the bridge of his nose, "I should be the one handling Todoroki. Your Quirk will easily let you take Ojiro and Kirishima with no problem, and I can counter any area denial tactics that Todoroki uses," he scoffed, turning back to Arturia, "How do you even plan on handling his ice and fire?"
"The fire part is easy. I can just use this to blow out any firestorms he sends at me," Arturia replied, holding up her katana. Shirou had already seen the katana in demonstration when she got it, plus his knack for understanding blades means he already had a copy inside of his Arsenal, "As for the ice... It's slower than the fire, so I think I can just dodge it..."
Her partner scoffed again, glancing away, as Arturia worked up asking the important question. While she was glad to have Shirou by her side for options, it still somewhat stung that she had to rely on him for her match against Todoroki, "...But it would be helpful if I could borrow a copy of Dyrnwyn from you."
Shirou completely froze at the question, before slowly turning his head to Arturia, blinking a few times. The meaning of his tone would be lost on Arturia till much, much later. Right now, the only thing spoken was Shirou's single word response.
"What?"