Chapter 57: Battle Trial (2)
"Our first two matches were wildly different." All Might smiled at the class. "First a battle of power and then a display of stealth and guile. How will the rest of you handle your own battles?"
As the remaining twelve students thought about All Might's question, he reached into the box and pulled out two more balls. "Up next, Team C will be facing Team G!"
"Damn it," Kyoka swore as she looked at Ochako.
"We'll try going easy on you," Ochako teased her friend.
Momo looked at her teammate in confusion. "Do you really mean it?"
"Of course not!" Ochako spun around to face her teammate, giving her a bright smile. "I'm just trying to make her feel better before we kick their asses."
"We're gonna die, aren't we?" Denki asked his teammate.
Jiro just rolled her eyes, thankful her ear jacks were currently plugged into their sound suppression collar. "Good thing our objective isn't to take out our opponents. We've just gotta find and secure the bomb."
"R-right." Denki rubbed the back of his head. "So you've got a plan, right?"
"I'm so sorry Kyoka," Aika apologized.
Kyoka was suddenly very thankful for her years of putting up with her friends' antics as she closed her eyes and counted to ten. Opening them, she turned to her teammate. "Not yet, but we've got ten minutes to figure it out."
"Indeed you do," All Might said as he offered the team a map of their building. He then turned toward Ochako and Momo. "Villains, you may begin your own preparations."
Flashing one last bright smile to Kyoka, Ochako left the observation station with Momo following behind her.
"From your exchange, I'm assuming you already have a plan?" Momo asked as they entered the building they would be defending.
Ochako looked at Momo. "You don't?"
Momo shook her head. "Based on what I've seen, you have much more experience than I do. It would be for the best if you took charge of the situation."
Ochako whirled around and stared at her teammate in disbelief. She didn't spend much time around the other girl during their first semester, but she knew the girl had some confidence issues that Shoto had previously helped her with
Well, she wasn't Shoto, but she knew a thing or two about helping with confidence issues.
"Actually," Ochako began, "I was hoping you had a plan."
"M-me?" Momo asked in surprise.
Ochako bobbed her head. "Your quirk is perfect for this sort of thing, isn't it?"
Quickly recovering, Momo smiled at the girl. "You're right. I've just focused my training on reacting to the situation at hand."
"That's still useful!" Ochako assured her. "But now the tables are turned, and we have time to prepare instead!"
Momo paused, placing an index finger on her lips as she thought about it. "Mmmm. My grandfather used to work in Public Security, and he's told me quite a few stories about how they've had to deal with hostage situations back when things were more… hectic. I wonder if we could replicate some of the situations he's had to deal with."
"I'd love to hear your ideas!" Ochako smiled at Momo.
Matching her teammate's smile, Momo grabbed the book off of her back and researched…
"Heroes, you may begin," All Might's voice said through the earpiece.
"Well, here goes nothing." Taking a deep breath, Kyoka pulled the sword from her belt and extended it to her full length.
"You seriously think we're gonna need that?" Denki asked as he saw her holding it in front of her.
"Listen." Kyoka shot him a sideways glance. "The only reason I even think I could land a hit on 'Raka is because I've trained against her. I'm going to take every advantage I can get."
Denki gulped. "We're screwed aren't we?"
Kyoka glared at her teammate. "If I'm going down, I'm going to make them work for their win."
The two walked to the edge of the building. Kyoka stuck out her arm to bar Denki from going in. Once he stopped, she pressed a finger to her lips. He became silent as she pulled her ear jacks out of their protective sheath. Closing her eyes, she plugged them into the wall of the building and concentrated.
She tried to listen carefully for signs of life, to try and pinpoint them, but Ochako had outsmarted her. She heard loud fans buzzing away, masking noise. And not just one fan, but there were four. Three covered the most likely positions for the bomb that they had decided upon.
And the fourth was masking the front entrance to the building.
"We need to go around to the back entrance," Kyoka declared as she pulled her earjacks out.
"What, really?"
"Mhm," Kyoka nodded. "They're either trying to spook us or they're hiding something behind this door, and I'd much rather not run face first into a problem before we even get inside."
Denki paled slightly. "Who are these people?"
"Our classmates." Kyoka smirked at him as she folded her arms. "So hopefully you'll learn a thing or two over the next three years."
"Y-yeah!" Denki exclaimed, trying and failing to not be intimidated. "Let's go around to the back!"
Not wasting anymore time, they hurried to the back door, where they found a simple metal door with a padlock on it.
"How are we gonna get through that?" Denki asked.
Kyoka simply rolled her eyes and struck the lock with the sword. The alloyed blade sliced through the lock with ease. "You'd think with all the money they spent, they'd use more than a cheap lock."
"Maybe it was to give us a fighting chance?" Denki asked hopefully.
"I wish," Kyoka replied. "C'mon, stairwell's down the hall on the left."
"Why do I have to go first?" Denki protested.
"Because if they touch you, you can just electrocute them." Kyoka smirked.
"I told you that would fry my brain too!"
Kyoka shrugged. "If it takes 'Raka out of the fight, I'd say that puts us ahead of the exchange."
"So mean," Denki whined.
Kyoka saw how crushed her teammate looked and wilted. "Sorry, force of habit."
"What do you mean?"
"You remind me a lot of Aika," Kyoka admitted. "And that's just how we talk to each other."
Denki immediately lit up at the response. "So you're saying we're friends already?"
Kyoka laughed. "In your dreams. C'mon, we've got a bomb to find."
The pair cautiously crept down the hallway to the stairwell, both on high alert in case they ran into one of the villains. They felt the tension ease, if only marginally, when they reached the stairwell. Letting out a shaky breath, Kyoka plugged her ear jacks into the wall next to the stairwell.
Hearing nothing on the second floor, the pair grew more confident and climbed the stairs, exiting onto the second floor… only to walk into a cloud of smoke.
"W-what's going on?!" Denki exclaimed.
Kyoka sighed. "'Rara's gravity manipulation. She can gather particles of dust to simulate smoke clouds. I bet she's got the whole floor filled with smoke."
"Aren't you worried they're gonna ambush us?"
"Nope," Kyoka said confidently. "I already checked the floor, remember?"
"R-right," Denki said. "But isn't this suspicious? If you know Uraraka's quirk, doesn't that mean she knows yours as well?"
Kyoka paused, realizing he actually said something extremely smart for once. "Good point. We need to be careful."
Denki's suspicion was proven correct when they ascended to the third floor; just like the previous floor, it was filled with a thick cloud of smoke.
Unlike the second floor, however, one of those noisy fans was on this floor.
"I guess you were right," Kyoka conceded as they exited onto the floor. "We've gotta be careful."
"Right!" Denki chirped as he stepped out into the hallway. "Where to now?"
Plugging her jack into the wall, she confirmed that the noisy fan was still running, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't hear anything underneath the sound. With a weary sigh, she removed her jacks from the wall. "Down the hallway fifty meters, turn right, and another twenty meters to the door. And be careful."
"Of course!" Denki started down the hallway.
They made it to the intersection without incident, and after Kyoka confirmed that she couldn't hear anything, Denki took a step down the hallway toward their objective.
Everything went wrong.
"What the-" Denki shouted; he stumbled over a wire halfway between his knee and ankle. A flashbang went off, blinding and deafening him.
Kyoka had it worse: a massive headache erupted from the sound. There's a good chance her ears were bleeding, but she'd worry about that later. Instinctively, she plugged her jacks into their protective sheath, dulling the noise as she raised her sword in a defensive posture.
Clang!
"You blocked that?" Momo asked. While Kyoka could barely see, she could tell from her surprised tone.
"Of course," Kyoka replied proudly. "So where's your partner?"
"She-" Momo began speaking before cutting herself off. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Yes, I would," Kyoka insisted. She just needed to keep her opponent talking for a few more seconds…
"You- you'll just have to get through me first!" Momo said, taking a swing.
Kyoka heard the whoosh of the staff in the air, but her eyesight hadn't cleared up enough to see where it was coming from. Bringing her sword up to protect her core, she immediately regretted her decision when she felt the staff connect with her leg. Even with the heavy padding of her costume, the force of the impact was enough to buckle her leg, forcing her to her knees.
"Ngh." Kyoka grit her teeth and unhooked one of her jacks from its sleeve. Even though her ears still rang, she could still go on the offensive! Plugging her jack into her leg amplifiers, she unleashed a Heartbeat Blast, staggering her opponent and pushing her back.
Her vision cleared up enough to see Momo shielding her core as she stepped back, wincing from the surprise attack. "Uraraka, you're up."
"Here I come!" Ochako announced.
Despite her blurry vision, Kyoka had no problem picking out the pink blur that shot up to the corner, preparing to launch itself at her. On a good day, Kyoka had about a thirty percent chance of catching Ochako's attack.
…this was not a good day.
Instead of trying to counter, Kyoka simply dived to the side. Her body slammed harshly against the wall - the better option - rather than getting hit by her friend's attack. Quickly spinning around, she blindly unleashed another Heartbeat Blast, hoping to keep Ochako at bay. In theory, the support amp would be enough to at least stop Izuku and Ochako's advances even with One For All active, but she never imagined she would be testing it like this!
"That actually works!" Ochako said, sounding altogether too happy for being hit by an attack.
"Good to know." Kyoka grinned, using the moment to push herself upright.
"Too bad I've got new tricks too." Ochako's bright smile never dimmed.
As Kyoka watched, Ochako shot multiple hooks into the wall on either side of her. Then part of her gauntlet began separating, wrapping her fists and forearms in strips of a plastic-like material. Her smile turned predatory as pink energy flared and she pulled.
Kyoka's eyes went wide as she realized what was going on. Large chunks of the wall behind her slammed into her back, knocking her to the ground. Coughing from the dust, she tried to push herself upright, only for Ochako to use the capture tape to bind her wrists together.
"Both heroes have been incapacitated, villains win!" All Might announced (a little too proudly) over the loudspeakers.
"Damn, 'Raka, that was brutal," Kyoka applauded as the dust (and her coughing) finally settled.
"You got to test your new equipment. It's only fair I get to test mine," Ochako said playfully as she unwound the capture tape. "Although, I didn't know if it would actually work."
"Well, it certainly hurt," Kyoka coughed again before pressing a finger to her ears, feeling the blood. "And a flashbang, seriously?"
"S-sorry," Momo bowed apologetically. "I didn't have anything else on hand, and while I knew your quirk was based on hearing, I didn't think it would hurt… that badly."
"At least Recovery Girl should be able to patch you up?" Ochako said sheepishly as she helped pull Kyoka to her feet.
"By the way, where's Kaminari?" Kyoka asked.
"I um… may have been a little too enthusiastic with my initial attack," Momo said, her face heating up as she stepped aside. Kaminari laid unconscious on the floor behind her.
Kyoka sighed. "Of course something like that would happen."
"Better luck next time?" Ochako shrugged with a guilty grin.
Momo returned to the control room while Ochako helped Kyoka and Denki make their way to Recovery Girl's office. Once she had returned, All Might drew the next two teams.
"Team D, you will be the villains defending the bomb against the heroes of Team J!"
Katsuki lit up with a feral grin as he looked at Aika. "Good, now I can pay you back for the Entrance Exam!"
"Wait, you're still upset about that?" Aika asked, confusion visible on her features.
"Of course!" Katsuki roared. "You kept me from getting first place on the exam!"
"I must insist you put your personal grudge aside," Tenya said, placing his hand on Katsuki's shoulder. "This mission emphasizes defense and protection!"
"Yeah yeah," Katsuki grumbled as he brushed Tenya's hand aside. "I'll protect our bomb alright." Without another word, he exited the trailer.
Tenya blinked owlishly at the door until All Might offered him his own blueprint of the building. Taking it, the student raced off to the building to catch up with his teammate.
"What did you do to him?" Eijiro asked as he turned to his teammate.
Aika sighed. "I thought he was in trouble during the entrance exam, so I jumped in to help. Turns out it was all part of some big dramatic plan to lure as many robots to him as he could. Now Blasty's blaming me for hurting his score. I don't see what the big deal is! He still made the top 10 in the entrance exam!"
"You jumped in to help?" Eijiro asked.
"Yeah." Aika tilted her head in confusion. "We're supposed to be heroes and that means helping people, even if they're obnoxious!"
"That's just-" Eijiro looked at the shorter girl. "So manly!"
"M-MANLY!?" Aika exclaimed.
"Y-yeah! Manly," Eijiro punched his fists together. "It's so noble and brave of you!"
"But I'm a girl!" Aika protested.
"He's just like that," Mina said as she sidled up next to the blonde girl. "He calls everyone and everything he likes manly."
"Oh!" Aika's confused expression was wiped away as she smiled back at her teammate. "I guess I'm manly then!"
From their position across the room, Izuku and Ochako laughed nervously as they looked at each other. Both of them were quietly thankful Kyoka wasn't here, but they were sure their purple-haired friend would blame Aika's antics on them later.
"Hero team," All Might announced. "You have ten minutes to plan your attack."
"Alright!" Aika punched her fists together. "Let's get started."
"Yeah!" Eijiro mimicked her as the two departed the monitoring station.
"Hero team, you may begin!" All Might's voice came through the intercom.
"Ready?" Aika asked.
"Yep!" Eijiro responded as he activated Hardening, his body bulking up slightly.
"Ok, everyone hear my song!" Aika said before singing, activating her own quirk.
The pair entered the building, having decided to eschew all sense of subtlety and attack the villains head-on. Fortunately for them, Katsuki decided to be just as stubborn as he was in previous timelines and left Tenya behind, seeking out Aika in an attempt to soothe his bruised ego.
"There you are!" Katsuki growled as the hero team approached the stairwell. "You two took your time!"
"But we couldn't start any sooner?" Eijiro asked in confusion.
Aika refused to be baited and kept up her singing as she fell into a combat stance. Following her lead, Eijiro followed suit. She had explained to him that heroes had a complicated system of hand signals to relay information, and that is how she could communicate while using her quirk. Unfortunately, the impromptu lesson she tried to give him in ten minutes turned out to be futile, so he decided to simply follow her lead instead.
"You think you two can take me on?" Katsuki said, small pops already coming off of his hands. "Well I'm glad you recognize who's the stronger opponent, but it's still not going to be enough!"
Placing his hands behind him, Katsuki fired off a massive explosion, propelling him toward the petite girl. Using a series of small explosions he adjusted his posture, holding his right arm forward as he prepared to launch a massive explosion.
Recognition flashed across Aika's face as she threw a counter-punch. As her fist connected with his palm, Katsuki could hear the sickening crunch of bone as it felt like he slammed his hand into a steel wall.
"Fuck!" Katsuki screamed as he threw his left hand out, propelling himself upward and away from Aika's follow-through. Adjusting himself, he landed behind Aika.
Which meant he was right in front of Eijiro.
"Thanks for making it easy," Eijiro said as he threw out a left jab of his own. Normally the light blow wouldn't be much on its own, but Katsuki's hand was already injured from his failed attack, and the jab sent shockwaves up his arm.
"Damn it," Katsuki hissed as he held his right hand out, firing a point-blank explosion at Eijiro. The redhead crossed his arms in front of his face, taking a step back from the force of the heat, even if the attack didn't pierce his hardening.
Aika took advantage of his distraction, spinning around and punching him in the back, causing him to stumble and attack the ground instead. The missed attack gave Eijiro enough time to counterattack, and he threw out a sweep, knocking Katsuki off balance. He began to propel himself upward, but Aika jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
Thrown off by the sudden weight, Katsuki found himself thrown off course. He tried to fire an explosion to keep himself airborne, but he had clenched his right hand into a fist from the pain. Using Explosion with only his left hand didn't have the effect he wanted it to have, and it sent him careening into the wall. He cried out in pain as he felt his already sore right hand slam into the wall. More aggravating was the fact that Aika had refused to let go and had managed to put him in a choke hold.
Bakugo tried to remove the girl from his back, but between his injured arm and her Sonic Reinforcement causing him to hurt himself more than he was hurting her when they slammed into a wall, speeding up his inevitable blackout. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Aika felt him go limp in her arms as they fell back to the earth. Not wanting to hurt him further, she did her best to land underneath him, minimizing his fall before she wrapped his hands in capture tape.
"That was almost too easy," Eijiro exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yeah it was," Aika responded, risking a few moments without her quirk. "Why didn't his teammate help him?"
"He didn't seem like he was interested in his help," Eijiro said thoughtfully. "Maybe the other guy's waiting for us in the bomb room?"
"Probably." Aika stood up and brushed herself off. "He may be fast, but there's two of us!"
"Yeah!" Eijiro held out his hand for a fist bump, and Aika happily completed it. "Let's go stop the bad guys!"
Tenya tried his hardest to defend the bomb, but without his teammate, he couldn't stop both Aika and Eijiro and they quickly wore him down. Within minutes, Aika had successfully distracted their opponent long enough for Eijiro to reach the bomb, claiming victory.
"I see you two have learned the value of teamwork already," Tenya said as they began to leave the building.
"Yeah, it kind of sucks that your teammate abandoned you like that," Aika said.
"You'd think he would have put class over a vendetta," Eijiro said, rubbing the back of his head. "I wonder if something else is going on there?"
"Whatever it is, he's not gonna last if he doesn't figure it out," Aika said.
"I agree." Tenya closed his eyes and pinched his nose. "Such conduct is unbecoming of a student at such a prestigious school!"
None of the other students gave any indication of helping the unconscious Katsuki, so the task was left to Eijiro. Kneeling down, he pulled the explosive boy's arm around his neck, supported the weight on his side, and stood up. "I guess I'll get him to the infirmary. I'll meet you back at the observation station when I'm done."
Chapter 58: Break in
Compared to the first four rounds, the final match between teams E and F was almost anticlimactic. Mina decided to mimic Momo and laid traps with her acid while Mezo monitored their progress. Because of that, even with the help from animals and knowledge of the bomb's location, Koji and Rikido were unable to reach it in time and lost the match.
"Villains win!" All Might spoke into the microphone. "Now then, if you would return to the observation post we can discuss the day's results."
Within minutes, the two teams had returned from their battlefield. Doing a quick count, All Might smiled in satisfaction as he saw that all of the students had returned from the infirmary as well. He'd have to remember to thank Recovery Girl for her efficiency later.
"I know for many of you this was the first time using your quirks in combat, but I'd say your actions were exemplary today. I see promising careers ahead for all of you."
"Tch," Katsuki scowled from his position in the back.
All Might noticed the boy's foul mood immediately; he knew to keep an eye on him given his history with Izuku, and his actions against Aika lined up with that. He made eye contact with the explosive blond. "Your technique was impressive, Young Bakugo. It was your plan that was flawed. Instead of coming up with a plan that played into both of your strengths, you left your teammate on your own to engage both of your opponents at once. Two people who's quirks give them a certain immunity to yours, I may add."
Katsuki growled, the lingering pain in his arm a reminder of that fact. "You don't have to remind me. If it wasn't for that cheap shot, I could've overwhelmed their quirks."
"It's called teamwork!" Aika shot back. "One on one you may have won, which is why we teamed up on you! You couldn't hit both of us at once, after all!" She placed her hands on her hips and smiled proudly.
"Young Shizu is correct," All Might said. "If you stuck with your teammate, I believe the odds would have been in your favor."
Katsuki grimaced. All Might took on groups of villains all the time! Why couldn't he even take on two of his classmates at the same time? Was he really that weak?
Refusing to let his doubts show, he instead closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Yes Sensei, I'll try harder next time."
"The same goes for you, young Todoroki," All Might said as he turned toward Shoto. "You left your teammate behind and entered the building by yourself, only to be captured."
"But I was only facing Midoriya," Shoto said as he turned to look at his opponent. "It was a one-on-one battle. And besides, I froze the building - it would have been a handicap to have to worry about Aoyama."
"If Aoyama was there-" Momo interrupted before cutting herself off. Her cheeks heated up. "I'm sorry for speaking out of turn."
"No, please go ahead," All Might encouraged her. "It is good to hear your input as well."
"Y-yes sir." Momo straightened up and looked at Shoto. "Midoriya chose to engage you because he was capable of countering you. Meanwhile, Ojiro simply waited with the bomb on guard against your teammate; however, Aoyama had a ranged attack and was very close to defeating Ojiro on his own after your capture. If you coordinated better, you could have kept Midoriya distracted while providing an opening to allow your teammate a chance to capture the bomb. I don't know if it would have succeeded, but the odds were better than what happened."
"Very insightful," All Might agreed.
"Hmm." Shoto pondered her words. "I plan on working alone in the future, but the assignment was two-versus-two. I guess father does work with others from time to time…"
All Might let out a small sigh. He knew about the boy's troubles, but Izuku insisted that he would handle it. Deciding not to press the issue, he moved on. "Now then, as for teams who have displayed excellent coordination, Young Uraraka and Yaoyorozu displayed excellent coordination laying down traps for their opponents. Working together, they were formidable opponents for Young Jiro and Kaminari."
"We got wrecked!" Kaminari whined.
"While it is true you were at a disadvantage," All Might conceded, "as heroes it is your job to find a way to overcome the odds."
"Isn't that a little unfair?" Toru asked.
"Indeed it is," All Might said solemnly. "Being a hero isn't easy - and I believe you all know that already. Otherwise you wouldn't be here."
A silence settled over the class as All Might examined all of their faces. Some showed fear, some doubt. But one by one, the students all seemed to find their resolve, rising to meet his gaze. He rewarded each and everyone with a smile, letting them know that he, too, believed in them.
Once the moment had passed, All Might continued.
"Now then, where were we…"
All For One quietly meditated until he heard the sound of an incoming call.
Just what I was hoping for.
Reaching out, he pressed the button to receive the call. "Yes?"
"Our son just finished his first day of school," the voice of a man said on the other end of the line.
All For One cracked a toothy smile. "I hope it went well for him."
"It did. There was an unfortunate disagreement with his classmate during their heroics lesson, but nothing that will affect his grade negatively."
"I'm glad to hear it," the villain replied, "It would be a shame if he were to suffer for his classmates' indiscretion."
"I agree. The student in question is the son of Endeavor, so he thought that he didn't need any help in what was clearly a team exercise, and it cost them the match."
"The son of Endeavor you say? I suppose he would send his children to the best school in Japan. Were there any other students of note?"
There was a pause on the other line, as if the person considered what to say. "There is also a group of friends from middle school. I don't know much about the school they came from, but they all seem to have equipment and training far beyond the others in their class."
All For One paused. "My, that is interesting. I would love to hear more about them."
"We will let our son know," the man said.
"Wonderful. Hopefully he won't have any more… complications from classmates who don't know their place."
"We hope so too," the man agreed.
"Thank you for the update. I hope to hear from you soon," All For One politely said. He ended the call.
Spinning his chair around, All For One stood up, quietly left the control room, and walked through the facility. He passed through row upon row of tanks, each filled with a corpse gradually transforming into a Nomu as Garaki's procedure slowly filled their bodies with the perfect blend of quirks. Finally, he reached his destination, stopping in front of three massive tanks.
In the middle was Garaki's most successful experiment. The black-skinned creature hung there, its exposed brain pulsing as it waited to be activated. While All For One had his doubts, the creature would be an excellent test of All Might's current condition. In the adjacent tanks were two other Nomu each with their own unique blend of quirks. While they wouldn't do well against All Might, they would be more than a match for most heroes.
"If these students are as strong as they claim, perhaps I should prepare an extra surprise for them."
"How did we end up with a tie?" Aika asked as she looked at the results.
Much like in the previous timelines, the class had decided to hold a vote to determine the class representative. Due to their group of friends, Izuku and Ochako had expected one of them would win with the other likely scoring second place alongside Momo.
However, the results didn't quite go the way they expected.
Izuku Midoriya - 3
Ochako Uraraka - 3
Momo Yaoyorozu - 2
"I see," Tenya said. He adjusted his glasses as he shuffled through the slips of paper again, verifying the results. While part of him was disappointed in how the results went down, it wasn't unexpected - after all, he himself voted for Izuku due to his display during the battle trial, and Ochako's performance showed she was just as deserving of the role.
"So…" Ochako said playfully as she turned toward her boyfriend. "How are we gonna figure out who's Class Rep, and who's Vice-Rep?"
"Why not an arm wrestling contest?" Eijiro suggested.
"That sounds great!" Aika exclaimed. "Midoriya and Uraraka are both super strong! I bet it'd be super-impressive to watch."
"Wait, seriously?" Kyoka asked as she looked at her friend.
"Yeah!" Mina chimed in. "This'll be great!"
"So how about it?" Ochako asked sweetly as she gave Izuku her best innocent look. "Want to arm wrestle for the role of class president?"
"I-" Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat, extremely aware of the competitive glint in his girlfriend's eyes. But he wasn't about to back down either. "Let's do it!"
"Great!" Ochako jumped out of her chair and raced across the room to where their costumes are stored.
"Oh no." Izuku felt his stomach drop as he realized what was going on; soon, he too was out of his chair and racing toward the costumes.
"What's going on?" Tenya asked as he watched the two pull their cases from the wall, each retrieving a gauntlet from them.
"Uraraka can increase the gravity in her hands to simulate super strength, but she risks crushing her limb if she goes past a certain threshold," Momo explained helpfully. "Presumably, Midoriya has a similar drawback."
"Hmm." Shoto rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he thought about the explanation. "Midoriya did do something similar during our battle. I wonder…"
Everyone gathered around as Aika and Kirishima pushed desks together while Izuku and Ochako put on their gauntlets. Setting their cases aside, they sat down across from each other.
"Ready to lose Izu?" Ochako playfully taunted; her gauntlet began separating and wrapping itself around her hand and wrist.
"I'm not going to!" Izuku insisted as thin strips of material sprang out from his own gauntlet and wrapped around it, reinforcing his arm in a similar fashion.
"Are the desks going to survive?" Denki asked as he watched them lock their hands together.
"Only one way to find out!" Mina said as she threw her hand into the air. "Begin!"
They knew it might be a bit irresponsible, but they both immediately called upon One For All, their arms bursting to life with its power. A green glow ran down Izuku's arm while a matching pink glow ran down Ochako's as black lights flickered in and out of existence around her arm, mixing themselves with the red lightning arcing off of Izuku.
Everyone watched in awe as Izuku and Ochako were locked in silent competition, their arms swaying back and forth as they fought for control. Time seemed to stretch on for eternity as they were locked in a stalemate until Izuku appeared to gain the upper hand. Ochako's teeth clenched as she felt her arm slowly being pushed down, centimeter by centimeter…
Until suddenly, she felt her quirk vanish as Izuku slammed her hand into the desk with a loud crack.
"What do you think you're doing?" Aizawa demanded, eyes wide and red as he glared at the two students.
"Trying to figure out who the class representative would be, sensei," Izuku said sheepishly.
Aizawa let out a long irritated sigh as he stared at them. "If I walked in any later that desk would have been destroyed."
"You were always telling us how important seconds mattered yesterday," Aika said bravely - or foolishly.
Aizawa shot a withering glare at her and she seemed to shrink back before he returned his gaze to Izuku and Ochako. "So have you two come to a resolution then?"
"Yes sensei," both replied.
"Izuku will be the class-representative," Ochako said.
"And Ochako will be the vice-representative," Izuku finished.
"I can't believe how coordinated you two are." Aizawa shook his head. "I guess it didn't matter who won. If you're done, put this classroom back together. Classes are about to start."
After an exciting homeroom, the rest of the morning felt boring. Unfortunately, that meant Izuku and Ochako had plenty of time to think about what they were expecting to happen during lunch. They kept sharing glances and staring at the clock, watching as they slowly crawled through their morning classes.
The duo slowly stood up as their class was dismissed for lunch, prepared for the inevitable.
But first, Izuku had another problem to deal with. Himiko bolted upright, but unlike her usual routine, she didn't immediately dash out the door to find her girlfriend. Instead, she slammed her hand on Izuku's desk, causing him to jump in his seat.
"Izu, what's going on?" Himiko asked in a low voice. "You've been nervous all day."
"I- can't talk about it here," Izuku mumbled softly.
Himiko's expression immediately narrowed. "What can you say here?"
"Just… stay close to Song at lunch." Izuku gave her an expression that promised he would explain later.
Himiko gave him a subtle nod of her head, her mouth breaking out into a playful smile. "You don't have to tell me twice. Her friends are already sick of us."
"It's the second day!" Ochako said as she walked up to the siblings.
"You know how we are." Himiko smiled as she left the couple to their own devices. She knew to leave well enough alone when it came to future hero stuff. If they haven't clued her in, there must be a reason.
She'll just make them tell her… later.
After the couple watched Himiko leave, Ochako turned toward Izuku and gave him a tight smile. "Ready to go to lunch Izu?"
"Yeah." Izuku did a little better as he tried to muster false enthusiasm. "Let's go!"
The pair made their way to the lunchroom, controlling their desire to hold hands and be simply content with subtle touches for now. Knowing some of their classmates in particular, they knew it was only a matter of time until they found out. Probably because of Aika, but their blonde friend even went as far as to pinky-promise that she would keep their secret for them.
Still, they'd rather enjoy the peace for as long as they could.
When they reached the cafeteria, the pair ordered their food before joining their friends. Even though Himiko had joined the second years for lunch, there were still six people in their lunchtime group with the potential for more. With that in mind, they claimed a large square table as 'theirs' for lunch, and thankfully, nobody seemed to have a problem with that.
Although others may disagree, Izuku and Ochako were filled with relief when the alarm rang out.
"Warning, level 3 security breach. Please begin to evacuate the building in an orderly fashion. Warning…"
"A level three security breach?" Tenya asked.
"It means someone's gotten past the barrier and is on school grounds," Izuku said.
"Of course, you would know! I knew you were the right choice for class representative," Tenya declared.
"We have another problem though," Ochako reminded Izuku.
Izuku nodded his head, and suddenly, everyone realized what she meant as hundreds of students jumped out of their seats and charged toward the exit.
"Iida," Ochako started, turning toward their friend. "I've got an idea, but we need your help."
"What would you need my help for?"
Ochako pointed toward the exit, which had already turned into a chokepoint as people were trying to get out. "If I make you weightless, can you use your quirk to get to the exit? They need someone there to direct traffic!"
Tenya looked at the crowd then back at Ochako and gave her a single nod. "It is a solid plan. I will not let you down."
"We're counting on you," Ochako said as she removed her glove and extended her hand.
Tenya took it and felt himself begin to float. Activating his engines, he spun in a circle to get the hang of using them as maneuvering thrusters before making a beeline to the door. Izuku felt a sense of familiarity as he watched Tenya slam into the sign, striking a pose resembling an infographic image more than how a human actually looks.
"Everyone, please calm down!" Tenya called out. "You are all students at the most prestigious school in Japan! We were ordered to evacuate in a calm and orderly fashion!"
As the crowd stared in stunned silence - almost certainly more out of shock than actually listening to Tenya, a few of the upperclassmen noticed the commotion outside.
"It looks like it's just reporters!" an upperclassman said as she pointed out the window. "Somehow they got through the front gate!"
"Why would reporters trigger the level three alarm?" another student asked curiously.
"The alarm is an automated system," someone else explained - a support student judging by the toolbelt that was slung over their shoulder. "It triggers no matter what the cause was. It's up to us and our teachers to determine the level of threat."
As the students continued talking, the panic seemed to subside. Many students returned to their meals while others opted to follow instructions and leave the building.
While Ochako watched Tenya intently, prepared to release him from her quirk, Izuku turned back to the rest of the table - only to see Kyoka glaring at him. Her ear jacks were jammed into the protective sleeve she wore around her collar, and she began furiously signing him.
'You could have warned me an alarm was going to happen!'
Izuku blushed and sheepishly apologized.
'Sorry!'
Kyoka sighed and returned to her meal. "Whatever, the alarm wasn't louder than what I have to deal with on a regular basis," she said as she shot a glance to her best friend.
"Hey!" Aika demanded. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know exactly what it means." Kyoka smirked.
"I resent that remark!"
"You're resenting it is louder than the alarm itself, kero," Tsuyu said.
"Thank you As-Tsu." Kyoka smiled at the frog mutant, giving her friend a small smirk. "I rest my case."
"Hmph, fine then." Aika crossed her arms and looked away indignantly before suddenly remembering the lunch in front of her. Unfolding her arms, she dug in in an attempt to make up for lost time.
Once Tenya was safely closer to the ground, Ochako released him from her quirk and finally looked at Izuku. They didn't need words to convey their emotions - they had been waiting all day to see if the alarm would happen, after all.
Tomorrow will be their first real test.
"So how bad is it?" Nezu asked as he approached the school gate.
"It's just like you warned me." Power Loader let out a resigned sigh. "It looks like the whole gate just turned into dust."
"I see." Nezu bent over to look at the remains. "Well, as unfortunate as it was that we had to deal with the press breaching the walls, it could have been worse." Straightening up he turned toward the hero. "I'll leave you to it then."
Saying his goodbyes, Nezu returned to his office and brought up the school's security footage. He was curious what the cameras would reveal - and how his predecessors missed it. Tapping the keys on his keyboard, he brought up data from dozens of cameras for the window after the incident and began reviewing.
There.
Pausing a video, he saw a pale man in a disheveled UA uniform entering the Administration Office. Normally it wouldn't be an unusual occurrence - the only thing that was different was the timing. He entered several minutes after the teachers left, around the time when the alarm was canceled. Again, it would be within the normal range of human behavior. He could have simply been a student seeking shelter from the alarm and had decided to wait.
The following moments, however, were when it became obvious that they were not a normal student. They made their way to the desk All Might used and shifted through papers. Once he found what he was looking for, he pulled out his cell phone and took pictures before placing them back on the desk in order.
"I see…" Nezu mused. Perhaps this is why it was missed by his other selves. The intruder's behavior was suspicious, but not something too far out of the ordinary to raise red flags. If he were distracted - by the mystery of the decayed gate, for example - it would have delayed him spotting it. And if he missed it for a whole day…
Well, those two children told him what happened.
Rapidly shifting through cameras, Nezu searched until he found what he was looking for. A single slip up, lasting only a moment, but it was enough - the student was facing the camera. Pausing the video, Nezu examined the man in the pictures. It lined up perfectly with Midoriya's description of Tomura Shigaraki.
He folded his hands in his lap as he looked at the image. "I see you have taken the bait. Time to spring the trap."
Picking up his phone, he began the first of several phone calls.
"Looks like tomorrow's it then," Izuku said as he settled into their private couch in the vestige realm.
"Yeah," Ochako said as she waited for him to settle down before leaning into his side, her hand finding his as their fingers weaved together. "How'd Himi take it?"
"She… wanted to know if she was part of the attack," Izuku admitted. "I assured her that she wasn't. She felt better after that."
"That's good." Ochako adjusted herself to look at her boyfriend's face. "How are you feeling?"
"Nervous," Izuku admitted. "I know Nezu's plan, but-"
"You're worried it isn't going to work," Ochako finished for him.
"Yeah." Izuku nodded. "We - everything kept going wrong. We always won in the end but-"
"-but nothing," Ochako retorted. "I won't lie and say I'm not nervous myself. I'm sure something will happen. But we'll figure it out. Just like we always do."
Izuku opened and closed his mouth. His face softened as he looked into the eyes of his girlfriend. "You're right." Tilting his head, his lips found hers as he appreciated his gratitude. "Thanks, Ocha."
"Anytime Izu." Ochako smiled warmly at him.
"So what do you want to do tonight?" Izuku asked, hoping for a distraction.
Ochako shot him a playful smile before she adjusted herself, burying herself even further into Izuku's side. Taking his free arm, she grabbed it and threw it over her shoulder like a blanket. "Right now, I want nothing more than to cuddle with my boyfriend and forget about the outside world for a few hours and hope Nana doesn't bother us."
Izuku smiled as he tightened his grip on his girlfriend, feeling his worry melting away as he leaned into her.
It felt like they could do anything as long as they were together. Tomorrow, they'd finally put that to the test. But for now, they were simply content to hold each other.
Chapter 59: USJ - Opening
"Ok, spill," Kyoka said as classes broke for lunch.
Ochako winced internally as Izuku jumped at their friend's sudden appearance next to Izuku's desk. Recovering first, she looked at her friend. "What do you mean?"
Kyoka pointed her jacks accusingly at the pair. "I could hear the anxiety all morning. Himiko too, but she's already gone." There was also the unspoken 'and I know it has to do with you two,' but Kyoka knew better than to say that part out loud.
Ochako looked at Izuku, throwing him a silent question. He subtly nodded to her in reply. Turning her attention back to Kyoka, she relented. "Come with me."
Grabbing her bag, Ochako led Kyoka out of the classroom and into the girl's bathroom. Silently, she directed Kyoka to check the stalls. Doing as asked, the other girl used her ear jacks to verify that they were alone. Nodding her head, her gaze returned to her friend.
"Ok Raka, what's going on?"
"It's the USJ," Ochako said, her voice barely a whisper - just in case. She knew it was enough for the other girl.
Shock flashed across Kyoka's face, before she recovered, her eyes narrowing as she leaned in. "What's going to happen?"
Ochako simply mouthed the words, "Villain Attack."
Kyoka let out a startled yelp before slapping her hands over her mouth, her eyes going wide. "And we're still going?"
Ochako nodded solemnly. "This is our best chance to fix things."
Kyoka looked like she wanted to protest before pursing her lips and blowing air out in frustration. "And what about us?"
Ochako rubbed the back of her head. "It turned out well the last two times…"
Kyoka glared at her friend before letting out a pained sigh. She knew something like this was going to happen! She just didn't expect it to happen this early into the year! "Ok, what do you need me to do?"
Ochako's expression softened. "Don't tell Shizu. Just - be ready to protect our classmates," she whispered.
"Guess this is why you two were so methodical with our costumes."
"Ehehe." Ochako gave her friend a broken smile. "I think we were all doomed. Between Izu, Melissa, and Song, none of us were safe."
"Fair." Kyoka shot a crooked grin back. "Anything else you can tell us?"
Ochako shook her head. "We have some ideas but nothing concrete. We've gotta figure this out as we go."
"Gee, way to boost my confidence," Kyoka deadpanned.
"Don't worry." Ochako tried to reassure. "We'll figure it out!"
"I'm sure you will." Kyoka smirked. "Ok. I'll do my best out there. I just wasn't expecting our debut so early."
"Neither were we." Ochako gave her friend a small smile. "Thanks. For understanding. Now c'mon, let's go catch up with everyone."
As the bus pulled up to the USJ, twenty students, directed by Izuku and Ochako, left the bus and formed up outside the doors. As they stood there, Aizawa gave his students a hard look, examining all of their hero costumes.
"Yaoyorozu, I'm impressed the rush order came through already," Aizawa said.
Momo gave him a confident smile as she flicked her now much-smaller ponytail. She had replaced her simple leotard with a pair of snug red combat fatigues and a pale gray tactical vest in a design reminiscent of what Public Security wears on operations. Her bookshelf was gone, replaced with a utility belt that easily had a dozen yellow pouches, and at her side hung her Yaoyorictionary. Despite her considerable resources, she was not able to get the rush order of her digitized version ready in time, but at least, she wouldn't have to worry about falling the wrong way.
"After thinking it over, I spoke to my grandfather asking for his blessing to base my costume designs off of his old uniform. He was ecstatic, and after he listened to the reason for the changes. he declared we should spare no expense to get it done as quickly as possible."
"Aww, that's no fair!" Toru stomped ineffectually. "I'm still waiting on my quirk analysis!"
Aizawa frowned at that. "Speak to me after class, we'll see if we can speed that up. At least UA's gym uniform should be sufficient for today. And Kirishima…"
"I know my arms are still exposed." Eijiro slapped his black vest. "But this was the best the support department could do on short notice. They're working on a new harness that will expand as I use my quirk, but this should be plenty for whatever we're doing today!"
Aizawa closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes, I believe you're right. Very well, it's time to begin your rescue training. Follow me."
The massive doors to the USJ opened up to reveal All Might and Thirteen standing there, ready to receive them. As the students were ushered inside, Thirteen stepped forward. "Welcome to the Unforeseen Simulations Joint. Here we will begin your lessons on rescue training!"
The hero pushed a button and a holographic display showing a map of the building appeared with twenty glowing dots representing the students in the entrance area; three glowing dots represented the heroes. "As you can see, we are here in the entrance area. Down these stairs leads to a central plaza which is our primary access route to the other six zones. Each zone represents a potential disaster you could face as a hero in Japan. Today, we will break you up into teams and have you spend ten minutes trying each zone to get a feel for what you may face."
While Thirteen continued to explain the basics of Rescue training, Aizawa kept a laser-focus on the map. He knew the power grid would likely go down briefly to lure the villains in, but he still wanted to know how they planned to bring it down.
There!
In the Downpour Zone, he suddenly saw two new dots appear near the wall. That was the power substation they attacked.
His suspicions were confirmed seconds later as the map suddenly vanished; all of the lights in the USJ turned off. Seconds later, the emergency shudders on the dome opened, bathing the building in sunlight to offset.
As the plaza lit back up, a singular black portal hovered there. While their classmates watched with a mixture of tension and curiosity, Izuku and Ochako were on high alert, waiting to see who would emerge from the portal.
Neither expected to see three people emerge from the portal.
In the back, the shadowy form of Kurogiri looked exactly like they expected him to. Dressed in his bartender's attire with black smoke curling around him to hide his features.
No, their attention was on the two figures in front of him.
On the left was Tomura Shigaraki dressed in a black form-fitting bodysuit with reinforced padding around his joints and a striking red cape. Unlike the version Izuku remembered, he had discarded his hands, showing the world his face.
And on the right was Homura Shigaraki. A tall lanky woman dressed in a form-fitting red bodysuit with the same padding and equipped with an inky black cape. She had pale skin - although not as pale as her brother and catlike brown eyes. Her hair was a dark navy, almost black, and hung in a singular ponytail that ran halfway down her back. Unlike the woman Ochako remembered, she had discarded the dozens of watches that used to be strapped onto her costume, opting for a simpler outfit.
"Greetings heroes," Tomura began. "We are the League of Villains…"
"...and we are here to announce ourselves to the world. By killing All Might," Homura finished.
"What's going on?" Katsuki demanded as dozens of portals began opening in the central plaza.
"This- this is part of our training right?" Denki asked. "One of those illogical amuses that Aizawa was talking about?"
"No," Shota said as he pulled down on his capture scarf, loosening the fabric. In a smooth motion, he placed his goggles over his eyes. "This is very real."
"Thirteen," All Might ordered as he turned toward the center. "Protect the students and try to escape."
"Yes sir," Thirteen replied.
In truth, they knew that there were a dozen heroes en route to the USJ as they spoke, and Aizawa and All Might's true objective was to disable Kurogiri and capture Shigaraki alive. But that was ultimately a secondary concern for Thirteen. Their job in particular was to keep the students safe. To try and escape as quickly as possible while the other heroes took care of the League.
"All Might," Aizawa said.
"Let's go," All Might replied.
In tandem, the pair leaped down to the central plaza. All Might's thunderous landing sent a shockwave knocking dozens of villains onto their backs.
"Ocha-" Izuku whispered, his mind suddenly back in a different life.
He was back on the streets of Jaku, watching Uravity decay in front of his very eyes, her brown eyes staring back-
"Izu." Ochako grabbed his shoulder, pulling him out of his dark thoughts. "Are you ok?"
"I-" Izuku looked at Ochako. She was here. She was alive. And so was he. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he nodded. "Y-yeah. I just- bad memories."
"I know what you mean," Ochako said as she pulled Izuku into a hug. "We got through Himi. We'll get through this."
"Thank you." Izuku smiled as he returned the hug. As much as he would love to hold his girlfriend longer, he quickly pulled back. "I'm ready."
"Umm, sorry to interrupt you two, but Thirteen's trying to get the rest of us out of here!" Aika exclaimed as she gestured toward the rest of their class. Thirteen was already heading toward the door with most of their classmates following. Aika, Kyoka and Himiko looked expectantly at the couple.
"You three go on ahead," Izuku assured her. "We're going to help All Might."
"We want to help too!" Himiko demanded.
"You can hel-"
"Ocha-" Izuku interrupted her. "Look!"
Standing up, All Might rushed forward.
Something was wrong. There shouldn't be two Shigarakis! Worse, there was no sight of that massive creature - the Nomu. The break-in happened according to plan, so they thought it would just be Tomura!
And the number of minions here - it was much higher than he had anticipated. Not enough that they couldn't stop it. But it made his mission all that much more imperative. They needed to disable Kurogiri before the others arrived!
Raising his arm, he clotheslined a pair of villains who were approaching, sending them to the ground. As another villain approached, he saw Aizawa's capture scarf lash out, entwining itself around him before his fellow hero threw the villain toward another, knocking both out.
Meanwhile, both of the Shigarakis were content to simply standby and observe. If the kids were right, they were observing him, trying to gauge his strength.
Well, he was ready to disappoint them.
Punching another villain and sending them crashing several meters away, All Might shot a glance at Aizawa. His companion reeled a villain in only to deliver a stunning elbow to the villain's chest before dropping him unceremoniously to the ground. Task complete, he gave All Might a single nod.
I'm ready.
Smile tightening, All Might took two steps forward as he clenched his fist, winding up for a punch. Channeling One For All's strength, he felt the air itself gathering around his fist, compressing into a projectile. With a triumphant cry, he released the punch, sending a tremendous gust of wind toward his true target.
The mysterious smokey form of Kurogiri stood there impassively as the gust of wind connected, the force not enough to move his augmented form.
However, it was enough to dissipate the smoke around him, giving Aizawa a chance to Erase his quirk.
…at least, that was the plan.
"O-Oboro!?" Aizawa's glare was shattered as he saw the scarred features of his friend staring impassively at him.
Why didn't the kids warn him!? He couldn't help but blink in surprise.
And that's when it all went to hell.
"Kurogiri, now!" Homura called out.
Three new portals appeared, obscuring Aizawa's view from his old friend and preventing him from erasing his quirk a second time.
And from each portal, a massive Nomu surged forward.
"This is bad-!" Izuku said.
Ochako turned toward their companions. "Protect everyone else, we're going down there."
"P-protect them?" Kyoka's eyes went wide.
"They have a teleporter." Izuku pointed out as green lightning crackled across his skin; his Gauntlets snapped into place around his hands and feet. "They're going to try splitting everyone up."
"And what are you going to do?" Aika demanded.
"Help even the odds," Ochako said, black stars erupting around her as her own gauntlet split apart, wrapping around her fists.
The two gave each other a single look before they were off, green and pink missiles aimed directly at the two Shigarakis in the central plaza - and the three Nomu that were under control.
With their friends gone, the three girls looked at each other. They saw the resolve in each other's eyes, and they all bobbed their heads in agreement.
"Izu and Ocha are trusting us," Himiko said as she gestured towards their classmates. "Let's keep everyone safe."
"Right!" both girls agreed.
Turning, they rushed over to where their classmates were nearing the door. For a brief moment, they hoped that Izuku and Ochako were wrong, that they'd be able to get out safely. But then those hopes were dashed as black mist began to surround their classmates.
"No!" Kyoka was the first to respond. She spotted a black portal forming under Momo's feet. Acting fast she charged toward the other girl, wrapping her arms around her as she pushed her forward, hoping to let momentum carry them to safety.
"Watch out!" Denki called as he took a diving leap, connecting with Kyoka. Unable to keep her balance with the other girl in her arms, she was knocked back into a portal along with the other two students.
"Kyoka!" Aika called out as she stretched out her hand, only to watch the portal close.
Trusting that her friend would be able to take care of herself, she looked around. She saw her friend Mina dancing away from a smoke cloud as she took Mezo's outstretched hand, pulling her to safety. Other members of 1-A helped each other, but then she saw something she should have expected.
"Let me go!" Katsuki growled, explosions popping around the palms of his hands as Eijiro struggled against his classmate's grip.
"Come on man!" Eijiro insisted. "We've gotta move!"
"I. Don't. Need. Your-" Katsuki insisted, trying to tug his arm free with each word until a portal opened up underneath him, and he fell in.
"Woah-" Eijiro yelped as he felt himself getting dragged in, his arm flailing.
"Kirishima!" Aika called out as she dove toward her classmate, her arms wrapping around his free hand. She stumbled forward as she tried to find purchase, but with nothing for her boots to catch onto, she found herself losing against the combined weight of the two boys and was pulled into the portal as well.
Himiko didn't fare much better. She saw Shoto fall into a portal, only to be caught by Tsuyu as the frog girl wrapped her tongue around her classmate. Tsu stuck to the floor, anchoring herself in place but unable to retrieve her classmate. Grimacing, she dashed up to her classmate. "May I?"
"Wish pweasure," Tsuyu said, her eyes grateful for the help.
Wrapping her hands around Tsuyu's torso, the two began walking backward, pulling Shoto partway out of the portal. Finally able to leverage her tongue better, Tsuyu flicked it upward, pulling their classmate completely out of the portal.
"We did it!" Himiko said excitedly.
In her excitement, she failed to notice the black mist creeping up behind her, until it slid underneath her, dropping her and her classmates into unknown danger.
Himiko felt a brief moment of falling through the air before landing on her back, the air knocked out of her lungs. As much as she would have liked a moment to recover, she felt a pain in her chest a moment later as her classmate landed on top of her.
"Thanks for the landing, kero," Tsu said weakly as she rolled off of her classmate.
"I didn't-" Himiko sucked in a deep breath as she pushed herself upright only to get a faceful of rain. "Well that answers where we are."
"This is troublesome," Shoto said as he pushed himself to his feet. "With you two here, I won't be able to stop all of the villains surrounding us."
"What are you-" Tsuyu paused and tilted her head, suddenly realizing what Shoto was talking about. "Kero."
"Well then-" Himiko pushed herself upright as she drew a pair of knives from her holsters. "We'll just have to fight our way out."
Despite the fear she felt, she could feel a predatory grin spreading across her face.
"What the hell!?" Katsuki demanded as the three got to their feet. "I was gonna be fine if you didn't try and grab me."
"You were gonna launch yourself right into one of those portals!" Eijiro insisted. "I was trying to help you!"
"I don't need your help!" Katsuki yelled. "I don't need anyone's help! I'll show everyone what I can do by myself!"
"Do it another time Blasty!" Aika said as she glared at her classmate
"What are you-"
"Look around you!" Aika thrust a hand out. "While you were busy arguing, you completely missed it."
Bakugo looked like he wanted to snap at the girl, but then he saw what she meant - they were surrounded. Relenting, he turned his back to his classmates. "Tch, fine. I needed something to take my frustrations out on anyway."
Aika looked at Kirishima; both bobbed their heads before spinning around, back to back, and she began to sing.
Kyoka spit out a mouthful of dirt as she pushed herself upright.
"Ehehe, sorry about that," Denki said as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Thanks you- you- dolt!" Kyoka glared at her classmate.
"He was only trying to help," Momo defended as she offered her hand to Kyoka.
Kyoka sighed as she took her hand and used the leverage to pull herself upright. "I know. But now we're stuck-"
Kyoka froze mid-sentence as she realized she wasn't alone. Dropping to her knees, she stuck an ear jack into the ground.
Villains.
About a dozen of them, scattered around the area… hiding underground.
"We're surrounded," Kyoka announced before letting out a resigned sigh. Grabbing her sword from her belt, she pulled it out, watching it unfold to its full length.
Nodding in understanding, Momo opened a pouch on her utility belt to reveal that it was full of energy bars. Grabbing one, she shoved it into her mouth and tore half of it off in a single bite. As she chewed, she extended her free hand, creating a metal quarterstaff for herself.
"H-hey what about me?" Denki asked. "Can I get one of those?"
"Of course," Momo said as she tossed the quarterstaff at her classmate. Shoving the remaining half of the bar into her mouth, she created another staff for herself.
She barely finished when the three heard a rumbling in the ground. The ground parted as villains rose out of their makeshift shelters.
Izuku grit his teeth as he rocketed toward the USJ, moving at blistering speed toward Tomura Shigaraki.
I'm not going to let you hurt anyone, not this time!
Responding to his anger, he felt Blackwhip surge behind him, massive tendrils ready to bind and immobilize his foe. With a fierce yell, Izuku threw his hand forward, directing the quirk toward his opponent….
…Only to see a fleshy black shield block the tendrils. Izuku felt his quirk wrap around the shield, but when he pulled back it felt like the tendrils were moving through water as they passed through the black shield.
No! What kind of quirk does that Nomu have?!
Not wanting to collide directly with the shield, Izuku launched blackwhip downward, pulling himself to the floor where his impact caused a miniature crater.
"Impressive." Tomura clapped. "You must have been one of the mid-bosses we were warned about."
"Two of them," Homura corrected as Ochako slammed down next to Izuku.
Izuku took one glance at Ochako and knew that she ran into the same problem - one of the Nomu had stopped her.
Tomura grinned. "Good thing Sensei added some extra high level minions to our party."
Turning his gaze back to the two Shigarakis, Izuku watched as the shield turned almost liquid-like as it was sucked back toward its host - the large female Nomu - and reformed into a leg. She looked much like the Nomu he was familiar with - with pitch black skin, exposed brain, and birdlike beak. But it was obvious her quirks were different.
Seconds later, she was joined by a second Nomu, a male body easily twice her size with massive vulture-like wings.
Izuku's fists tensed as his eyes met Ochako's.
This is worse than they had anticipated. There were heroes on the way, but their intel was horribly out of date! They had no idea about Homura nor about the two other Nomu.
It was up to them to tilt the odds back in their favor.