Chapter 14: Testing
"You wanted to see me?" asked Izuku after he was allowed into Nezu's office. As he closed the door behind him, he noticed that the windows were shut tight preventing the early morning rays from entering the room. Seeing the Principal sitting in his chair, paws pressed together while a fan spun painfully slow above his head within this heavily shadowed room created a ball of fear to begin growing within the teen's gut. Not helped by the fact that Vlad was standing next to Nezu's chair with his arms folded across his chest while Aizawa stood slumped over on the opposite side with his hands in his pockets. While he could not see Vlad's features in the dim light, he could feel Aizawa's eyes following him.
'This isn't looking good,' thought Izuku, sweat rolling down his face. 'Albion, do you think they figured out I don't have a quirk? Are they going to question me about how I can do all the things I can do with Divine Dividing? Or are they going to tell me that there was a mistake and I really got no offers?'
'Both seem doubtful,' replied Albion with a yawn. Something that surprised Izuku. Could a soul get tired? Did he need to rest? But before he could start diving into his theories, the ancient dragon continued. 'Instead of worrying about what it might be, I suggest that you wait and find out what the issue at hand is. Then we shall take it from there.'
Mentally nodding his head, Izuku came before the desk of Nezu.
"Ah, young Midoriya," said the Principal in a chipper tone that greatly contrasted with the environment. "Please, forgive us for calling you in so early before classes began. There is something vitally important that we need to discuss. Something that should have been brought to your attention sooner, yet due to some last-minute changes it was delayed." Upon hearing that, Izuku felt himself stiffen which, in turn, caused the disheveled man to glare at him even more.
"Ah, sorry," began Izuku, thousands of beads of sweat rolling down his entire body now. "But what is this about?"
"Why, it's your special first-place reward for winning the Sports Festival!" exclaimed Nezu as he threw up his hands.
"Huh?" was all Izuku could say to that, Albion echoing the sentiment in his head. Glancing over to his homeroom teacher, he could see that his teacher was looking a little sheepish.
"You see," began Vlad King after clearing his throat. "Normally the first-place winner of the Sports Festival is given an additional prize in the form of tickets to attend the I-Island Expo. I was going to tell you yesterday after you and everyone else got back from your little break, however, the usual official confirmation that we receive has yet to be sent." The tall man then let out a heavy sigh before continuing. "The reason I never pulled you aside yesterday to inform you about this was because I didn't know if the situation had changed. Didn't want you to get all excited about something you might not be attending."
"Which is why I personally contacted them last night," said Nezu, cutting into the conversation. "After all, we need to give you time in order to make the necessary arrangements to attend. They understand and have asked me to relay to you that you will, indeed, be attending the Expo this weekend as a special guest. As for the tickets, it seems that the officials at I-Island are-"
"Being irrational," interrupted Aizawa, earning him an eye roll from Vlad and a light chuckle from Nezu.
"I was going to say that they are being met with a rather unusual request at this moment," said Nezu happily. "Something that requires them to deliberate on. Still, as I said, you shall be attending the I-Island Expo."
"Really!?!" Izuku all but shouted, the fear vanishing from his features as his eyes seemed to light up with excitement. He was only vaguely aware that he was leaning closer to the chimera-like creature, but such things as personal space seemed so insignificant at this moment. Why? Because never in his wildest dreams did he ever expect to go to the I-Island Expo! Located on a manmade island, it housed some of the greatest minds in all of the world whose sole purposes were to study quirks as well as creating some of the top support gear. The island was also like its own little country with its own form of governess. Normally, the government of the island heavily restricted travel to and from. But, during the Expo, the rules were loosened to allow people from all around the world to see their latest findings! Heroes from around the world would be gathering, support companies would be in attendance, and so much more. If you loved all things hero-related, you HAD to visit at least one Expo in your life.
If you could afford the ticket that is.
"Yes, really," laughed Nezu, pressing a paw on Izuku's nose which had gotten a bit too close. "You and one other person of your choosing will be departing for I-Island this Friday. Once there, you shall be receiving first-class services in one of their top hotels for the next three days and two nights. All meals shall be provided for you and your guest along with a special pass granting you admission to any of the events. Though they may ask you to participate in some of the demonstrations and the like. You will also be required to attend certain events, such as a ballroom gala where some of the top heroes and CEOs of support companies will be in attendance."
"Of course, you do realize that, while you are there, you will be representing U.A.," added Aizawa. "Your behavior at the Expo will reflect heavily on us. So, do try to keep some of your less desirable habits in check. The last thing we want to hear is how you pestered every hero there with details on their quirks as well as getting their autographs."
At that, Izuku's face turned beat red before Vlad spoke up. "Just try to keep in mind that everyone there is trying to relax and have a good time as well. Do that and I'm sure you'll do fine."
"Well, if we're finished, then I'll take my leave," said Aizawa as he bent down, picking up a sleeping bag that Izuku hadn't noticed. Once it was slung over the man's shoulder, Aizawa gave the Divine Divider one last look before walking towards the door.
"Hold on," said Vlad before Aizawa could even reach for the door handle. The shabby man turned to look at the muscular man in red, her eyes showing just how irritated he was at this moment. "Don't you have something else you wanted to tell Midoriya?"
For a moment there was silence within the dark room, broken only by Nezu as he sipped from his teen. However, Izuku managed to focus the majority of his attention on Aizawa as the man was now looking right back at him. No, it was more than looking. The man seemed to be sizing up the teen once more in a critical manner that caused the teen to grow a bit more stiff. Then, when Aizawa narrowed his eyes, Izuku began to sweat.
"Very well," said Aizawa as he then turned to give Izuku his full attention. "While you have shown that you have improved by some degree during the Sports Festival, I still stand by my decision that you should have been placed in General Studies. The only reason you were able to succeed was thanks to half-thought-out rulings made in the heat of the moment. Do not even get me started on your fight with Kirishima. If that had been a real villain fight, the moment your quirk became usable was the moment you became a liability to all those around you. The more rational thing would have been to forfeit rather than to damage your own body on a long shot chance that the ruling would have been set in your favor."
For a moment, Izuku stood there trembling under the harsh gaze of the man in black. Something about the man's eyes just sent a shiver down his very being for a reason he did not completely understand. However, despite that, Izuku felt something swelling up within him. This man was discounting all the effort he had put into the festival, trying to claim that he had just gotten lucky. But what hurt him the most was that last comment. That he should have just given up. Well, that just wouldn't do.
"Wait," cried out Izuku as Aizawa reached for the door. The tired man turned, giving the green-haired kid before him a look of annoyance, yet Izuku continued after taking a breath. "If that had been a real villain fight like you said, and I ran away, what would have happened to all the people I was trying to protect? They could have been hurt or killed."
"Perhaps," replied Aizawa, his expression becoming unreadable now.
Seeing that he had the man's attention, Izuku continued. "You're right, I did take a gamble with the ruling. Hoping that if I got Kirishima off that fragment of the arena then it would count as an out-of-bounds. And I know that, in real life, something like that will never happen. But, I think I proved that I won't become a liability if something like that happens to my quirk out in the field. That I can at least buy time for the people around me to get to safety or hold off the villain until help arrives. What's more, I think I showed everyone that I'm more than just a kid with wings who can steal strength."
"Not a one-trick pony. Good response," replied Aizawa, lifting his head a little to reveal the creepiest smile that would haunt Izuku's dreams for years to come. Then, without another word, the man left.
"Seriously, why couldn't he have just said that he was impressed," grumbled Vlad, shaking his head.
"Who knows what goes on in that man's head sometimes," replied Nezu. "Regardless, the two of you had better be on your way. I am expecting maintenance to be here soon. Honestly, we can build giant robots in a day but it takes more than a week for someone to get around to finally fixing my lights and automatic windows!"
-x-
"Morning Izuku," said Kendo happily, waving at her green-haired best friend as he pocketed his phone while walking in through the door. However, her expression took on a more concerned look as she began to take in her friend's downcast stance. His shoulders slumped, head down, feet practically dragging as he made his way to his desk. All without ever saying a word to her which was unusual in and of itself! When he finally got to his seat, Izuku placed his arms on top of the desk before his head fell down onto them. The only thing that was needed to make this picture of depression utterly perfect was having a tiny raincloud appearing above the boy's head.
"Izuku?" spoke Itsuka, slowly approaching the desk while gaining the attention of a few other people in the room.
"Sir Midoriya, is something the matter?" asked Shishida.
Lifting his head slightly, Izuku peeked a glance at his beast-man friend before glancing over at Kendo. The sight of her worried expression caused him to wince slightly. Then he pulled himself upright as he forced himself to smile.
"It's nothing," he said. "I guess I'm just making a big deal out of nothing." Itsuka looked ready to say that 'it didn't seem like nothing' but stopped when the light in Izuku's eyes began to return. His green pupils seemed to shine while the rest of his eyes widened as he looked at the orange-haired girl. "Itsuka, are you doing anything this weekend?"
At first, the Class Rep was a little taken aback by this yet managed to compose herself quickly enough that only one person noticed. That one person being Toga. The vampire girl had been watching Izuku from her seat since the moment he walked in. But now that he was talking and looking like life had been returned to him, the little bloodsucker was inching closer to his seat. Using her skills, she seemed to sink lower behind her desk until she was completely out of sight before rising up in a completely different seat closer to them.
"Nothing out of the ordinary," replied Kendo. "I mean, just the usual. Helping my dad around the dojo. Helping my mom with the chores. Getting a good workout in. Why? Do you need my help with something?"
"No," replied Izuku, looking relieved as he shook his head. "I was just wondering if you wanted to be my plus one at the I-Island Expo this weekend."
"WHAT?!?" yelled Toga as she popped into existence in the middle of the group. Ignoring everyone else, the blood quirk user turned her attention to the green-haired boy who was shockingly getting used to her sudden appearances. As he stared at her calmly, Toga bent down with her fingers on the desk as tears began to form in her eyes. "You have tickets to I-Island?"
"Yeah, it's one of my prizes for winning the Sports Festival," answered Izuku. "And I'm allowed to bring one other person." As Himiko's jaw hit the surface of the desk, Kendo began scratching her chin.
"Wow. I mean, ah," stammered Itsuka awkwardly as she looked away, her cheeks slightly tinted red as she scratched at one side of her face with a single finger. "Are you sure you want to invite me to something like that? Don't know if there's really anything there for me. Plus there are probably other people out there that you probably invite instead."
"Well, you see," began Izuku, looking down as he spoke. However, before he could spiral back into despair, the teen managed to shake himself out of it. "You don't have to worry about anyone else. But if you don't want to go I understand. I just thought that you might enjoy the motorcycle show that they have there." As Izuku said this, everyone in the room could hear the familiar sound of a record screeching to a halt. Slowly everyone turned to look at Itsuka as her body began to twitch uncontrollably.
"M-Motorcycle s-show?" she repeated.
"Yeah," said Izuku with a nod. "I look up the events every year. Heroes and support companies will be bringing a number of vehicles from around the world and putting them up for display for people to get a look. From planes, boats, cars, and even motorcycles. Plus we'll be allowed to have our pictures taken with the heroes who ride them. We'll even be able to get a sneak peek at some of the latest heroic models before anyone else in the world. There's also going to be a panel on support equipment used by martial arts-type heroes and the challenges that quirks add into the equation of making them."
"YES!" yelled Itsuka, throwing her fists into the air and accidentally causing them to enlarge as she did so. "I'll go!"
As Izuku smiled happily at the scene, a whimper caught his attention. He turned and nearly fell out of his seat as Toga hadn't moved a muscle. Instead, a gloomy aura surrounded her.
"No fair," she complained. "You asked her and no one else."
"Well, Istuka has done a lot for me," explained Izuku. "And, to be fair, it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision. But I guess if she had said no I would have asked Pony, Shinshida, and then Shinso if they wanted to go. I mean, I know Pony would have loved to have seen heroes from every culture walking around along with a number of mutation-type quirk users. Not to mention that there are usually a number of high-ranking American Heroes there that she could meet. I'm pretty sure that Shishida would enjoy the panels on heroing and support tech etiquette plus the number of attractions that let you go all out with your quirk. And Shinso would probably be able to get a good idea for the best type of support gear if he managed to get into the hero program."
At that, Shishida let out a hum. "Ah yes, I would have found that most enjoyable," said the teen as he placed a hand under his chin. "But, alas, I would have been unable to make it as I have an appointment with my dentist that weekend. It would be rude of me to cancel on such short notice. Nevertheless, I appreciate that you would have thought to include me on your short list Sir Midoriya."
"So you didn't think of me at all?" asked Toga.
"No!" cried Izuku holding up his hands. "I mean, there's always a weapons area in the Expo provided by the support scientists that includes things like knives that I know you would like. They also almost always include the latest in transforming clothing. And, well, there are supposed to be a lot of games and shopping, so I know you would have enjoyed it as well."
"Then why not even consider asking me?" asked Toga, her eyes growing bigger larger and more moist as she looked at her green-haired friend. A sight that caused Izuku to wince as its power grew greater and greater. It honestly felt like his heart was being squeezed by the amount of hurt she felt for her lack of inclusion.
In the end, Izuku sighed as his head slumped down. "Because…I didn't want to get you into trouble," he muttered. Instantly, the saddest puppy dog pout that Himiko could create without drinking the blood of someone with a cute puppy quirk vanished. She tilted her head in confusion, her eyes urging her friend to continue. "You have all these restrictions on you still because of, well, what you did. If I told you about the plus one and you found out you couldn't go, I was afraid you'd try and sneak out."
"I," began Toga, standing up in an instant and holding up a single finger in protest. However, vocalizing that protest turned out to be difficult as she couldn't find the words that would sound even remotely believable. So inside, she just looked to the side as an 'ahh' escaped her lips.
"He's got a point," said Kendo, who had just come down from her own excitement high and was giving Toga a frown. "You'd probably not even make it past the front gates. And even if you did manage to sneak out of the school, the moment they discovered you on the Island you'd be finished. They wouldn't even send you to Principal Nezu's office. Just straight to jail and we'd never see you again."
"N-No," whimpered Toga as the reality of the words she was hearing began to sink in. About the fate she really, really didn't want to befall her now that her mind was clear. Being in jail was bad, but being separated from all the people she loved was far worse! Even if they were allowed to visit her, which she knew in her heart they would at least try to do so, there would be a glass wall separating them! She wouldn't get a chance to hold them, feel their hair, drink their blood, or do any of the things she still wanted to do with them. But she still wanted to go so badly! It would be like the cutest date of all time! On an island, watching her green-haired friend nerd out before she pulled him away to do some stuff she wanted to do with him… one-on-one.
Slowly, the ideas of what they could do reared their head, causing the girl to smile. She could see them heading down to the beach, hand in hand. How he would become flustered in that adorable manner when she showed off her cute bikini. Or would he get even more flustered when she came out of the water, hair matted down and skin glistening with the ocean right behind her? Then she could get him to put some sunscreen on her…Wait a moment! Will they get separate hotel rooms or will they be right next to each other? Well, it didn't matter because…
"I WON'T LET THIS STAND!" declared Toga, her nose bleeding a little as rated X thoughts entered her mind. Before her face could turn red, she dashed out the door at speeds that would put the Ida family to shame.
For a moment, 1-B remained where they were in complete silence. Then…
"She is aware that class is starting soon. Right?" asked Tokage.
-x-
In the Nurse's Office, Asia was sitting at her desk enjoying the moment. Right now, all was at peace within her little world. All Might would not be putting the students through any dangerous exercises for the remainder of the week meaning she wouldn't have to patch anyone up. In fact, other than handing out some medication, she doubted she would be seeing any students until after the internships. So, as she picked up her teacup, she knew she had to savor every moment of this until-
"AUNTY ASIA!" came a loud cry as the door to the Nurse's Office was flung open. The blonde devil nun was so shocked that her teacup flew out of her hand well above her head. Thankfully for her, she managed to catch it, breathing a sigh of relief before turning to look at the door. There, still in the doorway with one arm holding the sliding door open, was a heavily breathing Himiko.
"Ahh, yes?" she said.
"How do I get permission to leave this school?!?" yelled Himiko, still slightly panting with her mouth open to reveal her fangs. Though, if one looked closer, they would see that despite being in this state Toga's pupils looked a bit more heart-shaped than normal.
"Well, maybe if you ask nicely and flatter him a bit the Principal will give you permission?" suggested Asai questioningly.
"Got it! Thanks," said Toga before slamming the door shut.
-x-
Moments later, Nezu was in his office enjoying the newly fixed lights and working windows. Then…
"Oh Great Rat God," said Toga as she opened the door unannounced. "This lowly human beseeches you for thy blessing. In your wisdom, please allow me to leave this wonderful school that is under your watch so that I may improve myself at the I-Island Expo? With Izuku Midoriya watching over me of course."
"Granted!" said Nezu happily, raising his paw as he did so.
"Thank you oh Wise and Wonderful Rat God," said Toga right before the door slammed shut.
"Wait a moment," said Nezu. And, as if on cue, the door opened again to show that Toga had yet to run away. In fact, she was the one who opened it as if she had feared something had gone wrong. "What is with calling me a god?"
"I was told to ask nicely and to flatter you if I wanted to go," answered Toga. "Is there a problem with my approach?"
"Oh no, I was just curious," replied Nezu.
"So I can still go?" asked Toga.
"Of course," said Nezu. "Providing that Midoriya did invite you and he fills out the appropriate forms to allow someone in your position to leave campus. Oh, did you know that you are late for homeroom?"
"Crap. Thank you," said Toga before slamming the door closed again, leaving behind Nezu alone in his office as he began to cackle wildly.
-x-
"You're late Miss Toga," said Vlad with a frown as Himiko burst into the room. The poor vampire girl was now panting heavily, having run from one end of the school to the other in record time. As if the school actually did keep track of stuff like this and Himiko had broken the previous record of running in the hallway that had been held by the previous Ida. Though she probably wouldn't care about this accomplishment right now as she was panting up a storm, sweat running down her face as she slumped into her seat.
"Now then, as I was saying," continued Vlad King after shooting Toga one last annoyed look. "For the rest of the week, you will not be having the standard hero lessons with All Might. Instead, we will be doing a special heroes vs. villains exercises along with Class 1-A. One that will have the entirety of our classes going up against each other. The first exercise will take place tomorrow with Class 1-A being the heroes while our class will be the villains. On Friday, the roles will be reversed. What's more, how you do in this exercise will heavily impact your end-of-semester grade, second only to the finals. So I suggest you all take this seriously."
As the entire class stiffened in their seats, Vlad King pulled out a remote from his belt. After pressing a button on the device, an image appeared on the board behind him showing one of the training grounds that none of them had been in yet but had heard about: Omega. Training Ground Omega was a large forested zone with rocky areas along with a few rivers and a single large lake. If he had to guess, this area was used as an additional rescue training area like the USJ. For emergencies like finding lost hikers or other similar things. But, Izuku knew that it could be used for other things. Like, for example, trying to track runaway villains in the forest as they make a getaway or fighting said villains without destroying the nature around them.
"The scenario will be as follows," continued Kan. "A large group of villains are making a deal to transport a nuclear bomb via a warp user. Due to the large area and the 'tip' that multiple dangerous wanted villains are in the area, heroes from twenty agencies will be gathering to deal with it. It will be up to the heroes to locate where the bomb is hidden and then take out villains before time runs out or to release a special flare signaling the local authorities to advance. While villains can be captured, they cannot break themselves free but can be rescued by other villains."
"Man, this is going to so Go, er, annoying," stammered Awase, shooting a quick glance over to Ibara as he managed to correct himself in time. The vine-haired girl briefly narrowed her eyes at him, noticing his almost slip up but said and did nothing.
"Excuse me, Sir Vlad King," said Shishida as he raised his hand into the air. Once the pro hero gave him a nod, the beast teen continued. "Is the purpose of this exercise to simulate high-stakes raids that require multiple hero agencies to work together?"
"That is part of it," answered Vlad with a nod. "Once you have your own agencies, there will be times when you are called in for group efforts. However, that will vary depending on the situation. For example, if heroes discover the creation of a large gang or smaller organization like the League of Villains, then heroes from all over that city will be called in. But for more serious cases, the heroes called in will be more selective. Sometimes, a team of heroes will be created when dealing with a specific threat and you will be called in due to either your quirk or the type of experience you can bring to the table. Or there will be serious threats that will shake the foundation of our society that will force us to call upon high-ranking heroes only. So far, All Might has had you working either individually or in pairs. This will be the first time when you are working in such a large group to accomplish your goal. Needless to say, the more power involved with their own beliefs with how to proceed will make things challenging.
"However, there is more to this exercise than just that," continued Vlad. "When heroes team up, they are not just representing themselves but also their own agencies. This adds to a layer of complexities. How is pay determined for such a large group of people? Who will receive the majority of the credit? Will it be the person who set everything up or will it be the person who captured the most villains? If something goes wrong, who will take the fall? What will it mean to an agency that gets all the positive credit? Or to the one who gets no credit? What if this goes sideways? This is why we will be having a group of local heroes brought in on both dates to act as a panel of judges. Once the exercise ends, they will inform both teams of the most likely scenario that can be expected moving forward."
Vlad King then paused, looking over at the clock to see that homeroom was just about over. "Alright. This afternoon, you will be meeting over in Training Ground Omega to go over your plan. We are going to be giving you a large amount of freedom with this exercise, just make sure it gets Cementoss's approval and that there is written documentation of your plan. Remember, you are playing the villains and I expect all of you to take this seriously. The better you can get into the heads of villains, the better you can see through their schemes."
-x-
"Ah man, this is the life!" exclaimed Kaminari as he leaned back on the leather chair provided for him. It was now after lunch as he, as well as the rest of 1-A, were found in one of the large conference room dressed in their hero attire. In the large, circular room was a table that was shaped like a massive O that had maybe forty chairs similar to the one that Kaminari was sitting at. There were also pitches filled with ice water situated in various locations around the table so that no matter where you sat one would always be in reach along with plenty of glasses.
"You're telling me," said Sero as he too leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. He had no idea if what he was seeing was real or just an image on a screen, but it looked like the ceiling was a giant aquarium full of tropic fish. Watching them swimming around was rather soothing. Honestly, he felt like he could watch them all day and feel content.
"Ah, I feel a little uncomfortable," whispered Uraraka as she looked at the table, wondering if the wood that had been used to make it came from the rainforest. As her family owned a construction company, she had picked up a few tricks to tell her the quality of certain material,s and what she was seeing just screamed 'super expensive.'
"Who the fuck cares?" snarled Bakugo as he placed his feet on the table, a scowl on his face. "Why are we even doing this?"
"To go over our plan for tomorrow," said Yaoyorozu as she stood at what most would consider the front of the room. "We're all going to need to work together if we want to-"
"Yeah right," scoffed Bakugo. "Like I need the help of any of you extras to take care of those shit stains. The only thing any of you need to do is just stay out of my way while I murder them."
"Dude, that doesn't sound very heroic," said Sero with an eye roll. Then, a smirk appeared on his face as he looked over at the angry blond. "But sure, let's let you handle them. It's not like you got dragged around by your nose during the Mountain Climbing event or had your headband stolen by them during the Calvary Battle. Sure, we'll just let you rush on out there where that Kendo girl will be waiting to turn you all black and blue again before Midoriya just picks you up before setting you down gently in a cell they created."
Bakugo's chair was flung backward, hitting the wall behind him with so much force that it broke. Now standing, the ashen blonde seethed in rage as small explosions danced in his hand. "Do you want to die?" he snarled.
"Bakugo, enough!" snapped Yaoyorozu, slamming both her palms on the desk. Now she was leaning over the structure in a manner that made Mineta drool, but she ignored it as she kept her focus on the class's resident hot head. "Bakugo, I will admit that you are one of the most skilled people in this room right now. But even you have your limits. Tell me, are you planning on charging in screaming at the top of your lungs until they find them? Can you take down an entire class of students, some of whom have been shown to be faster and capable of flight? Do you really stand a chance of facing odds like this in an area where they hold the advantage?"
"No," snapped Bakugo as he walked over to the rich girl. Once he was there, he grabbed a tablet from where she stood and after pressing a few buttons the holographic image of the forest appeared in the opening of the table. "I know that shitty nerd Deku better than anyone here. The coward will try to convince his class to hide here." With that, Bakugo had the image zoom in on an area in the back. It was rocker than the rest, the terrain more hostile to those walking around. "It's an ideal place for someone like him to hide. Forces us to move through the entire forest, wasting time. Then, when we get there, we'll have to scale this shit slowly if we want to navigate it like a group for fucking preschoolers! More time wasted, letting that coward run out the clock to give them a win."
While no one said it out loud, many of those in 1-A found themselves agreeing with what Bakugo was saying. Well, not on Midoriya's character or any of the other vulgar things he was spewing, but the spot made sense as a naturally fortified location. The jagged rocks there would make using things like Sero's tape dangerous as it could be cut easily. The forest was also more dense, making open combat more difficult. But still, if he was wrong…
"Well put that down as a possibility," said Yaoyorozu. "But I think we should have a few more ideas to help us narrow the scope down."
"You saying I'm wrong Ponytail?!?" yelled Bakugo.
"You might be," said Shoji, earning the ire of Bakugo. Not that the masked teen seemed to care all that much as he continued. "There are other people in 1-B other than Midoriya. I'd rather not allow your beef with him to be the reason we fail in this exam. So let's try and figure out a few other places we should investigate or try to figure out some search pattern."
"Unfortunately, I will be of little assistance in this," said Ida, speaking for what felt like the first time all day. The speedster teen had been keeping to himself more since the end of the Sports Festival. "With the amount of trees there, I will not be able to move at my max speed. There are also a great number of tripping hazards so moving at high speeds will either put my own health at risk or help the villains pinpoint my location."
"So you're fucking useless," sneered Bakugo.
"No! That's not what he's saying!" yelled Uraraka as she stood up. "He's just looking out for his own well-being right now since his brother-"
"Uraraka, no!" Ida all but screamed in a panic, looking at the girl as if she had betrayed him. For a moment, she just stood there in confusion before covering her mouth and quickly sitting down. This grew concerned looks from most of the class.
"Dude, is everything ok?" asked Kirishima.
"It's fine," replied Ida, in a tone that clearly showed that he was, in fact, not fine at all.
"Well," said Jiro, doing her best to get the conversation back on track. "It's not like we don't have people in our group that can't help us find them. I can use my quirk to help scan the area along with Shoji. Plus we have Koda who can ask the local animals for help."
"This is taking too long," said Todoroki. "How about I just freeze the entire forest?" The casual way the teen said this caused a chill to run down the spine of everyone there.
"Ah, don't you think that might be a little much?" asked Ojiro.
"I agree," said Yoayorzu as she watched her fellow recommended student shrug. "We might get heavily penalized for destroying the forest's ecosystem as well as putting a large number of animals' lives at risk. I'm also certain that the judges will bring up the possibility of hikers or children playing in the forest that could have been affected by such a large-scale use of your quirk." Todoroki only let out a sigh, showing that he heard them but did nothing else.
"I, ah, have been looking over a few of our other options," said Uraraka, nervously glancing over at Ida before addressing the rest of the group. "We are allowed to make a formal request to the local government and were given a list of things we can ask for. I think we should ask to see if anyone owns any land within the forest or if there were any permits that were issued. Or if permission was given within the last year to bring in any-"
"Why would we need that sort of junk?" asked Sero, Kaminari nodding along.
"Well, my family owns a construction company," began Uraraka. "It's not a big one and it's not doing well, but I know that-"
"Boring," said Mineta, with a loud mock yawn. Uraraka gave the smallest person in the room an annoyed look but said nothing. Instead, she redoubled her focus on the rest of the class.
"We're supposed to be treating this like it's the real thing, right?" she began, earning a few nods from around the room. "Well, one thing my parent's company has taught me is how important permits and records are. There is a chance that the school placed several cabins within the forest that could be 'abandoned'. Looking at the property records and seeing if there are any buildings in the area might help narrow down our search. Or, if they requested a permit to do any form of construction or used the excuse of land renewal to bring in heavy equipment might help give us another clue."
"That actually sounds like a good idea," said Ojiro, bringing a hand to his chin.
"Totally," said Mina, bouncing in her seat as she spoke. "Think about it. Why haul a bomb through the forest and then just pitch a tarp over it when you can just crash inside someone's hunting cabin? Sounds like the more villainous thing to do."
"Yeah, but what are the odds that the school would provide something like that?" countered Mineta. "Plus, what villain files for a permit?"
"Well, it would make it look less suspicious," commented Ojiro. "Especially if the police noticed something like a cement truck heading into the forest."
A few others looked ready to say something only to stop when Yaoyorozu cleared her throat. "I believe both sides have made their points," she said. "To keep things moving along in an orderly fashion, I say we take a vote. Those in favor of making a request to the local government, please raise your hand." A few moments passed with only Uraraka, Ashido, and Ojiro raising their hands. When it was clear that no one else was going to raise their hands, the trio lowered theirs while Ashido gave her red-headed friend a dirty look.
"Sorry," said Kirishima. "But Midori-bro seems like a super smart guy. I don't think he would leave behind a paper trail that would make it easier for us to find him. And he would try to talk everyone else in his class from doing the same thing."
"Hmm, he's not as smart as you think," said Monoma, stretching himself out in his chair.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Jiro. Then she scowled. "Please, don't let this be another rant on how 'inferior' 1-B is as a whole and that's why he's not as smart as us."
"Oh, heavens no," replied Monoma, waving off Jiro's remarks with a flourish. "While I certainly believe that with all my heart, I shall not repeat what we all know. Nay, for I shall regale all of you with the tale of how easily I was able to worm information out of Midoriya." With that, the blond copy teen stood up with his arms raised high above his head. "It wasn't all that hard. I merely approached him during lunch today, of all days, to ask a few questions. It was slow going at first, as he remained rather tight-lipped about his fellow classmates. But once I began talking about quirks, well, it was like a floodgate had been opened! He could barely stop himself from spewing all the details on his friend's quirks."
"Isn't that cheating?" asked Tooru.
"You call it cheating, I call it information gathering on villains," replied Monoma. "And what I found was worth more than its weight in gold on the inner workings of some of his classmate's quirks. Most notably, the most dangerous one in this context: the wild card known as Himiko Toga. Or, as Sero put it, the one who led Bakugo around by his nose trying the first event. While he kept his lips sealed on what she requires in order to mimic our forms, all she can gain is our appearance. Looks and clothing. Not our gear or quirks."
"Yes, she would be the most difficult to deal with in this situation," agreed Yaoyorozu. "But are you sure about the accuracy of this information?"
"Please," spat Bakugo. "Deku's biggest weakness, other than being utterly pathetic in every way, is that the nerd loves quirks. Once you get him talking about them, words just start pouring out of him before his brain realizes what he's said. At least, not until it's too late. Used to piss people off in elementary and middle school. Hell, you probably made his day by talking quirks with him. So much so that I doubt he realizes what he said."
-x-
"So you told him about my quirk?" asked Toga as she and the rest of class 1-B stood in front of the gate in ground Omega. Today was the first day she was dressed in her hero costume and everyone could tell that she was enjoying it. Her attire was modeled after the character Admiral Graf Spree from the game Azur Lane, the main part of it looking like a single-piece black dress that had red frills running along the bottom of her skirt. Though until the original, which had long triangular cut-outs running along her sides exposing a good deal of skin as well as under her breasts, she had only kept the underboob window open for business. The sleeves of her costume were long, looking tied together with strings running around her arms until they reached a few inches from her wrists. Her shoes were black as well, made to help with her stealth while using a belt and buckle rather than laces which could come undone while running. Around her neck was a red scarf which, when she pulled up over her face, had the image of a fanged smile. A similar image was placed on her skirt, replacing the jagged cutout smile of the original.
On the more practical side, Toga also wore a utility belt. Each side of her hip was a knife holder, containing her specially made trench knives that were shaped like fangs. Thanks to Mei, the blades as well as the rest of her equipment would be able to remain hidden when she transformed, hiding underneath the goop. They also had a few interesting settings to them! But the item that Mei made that made Himiko want to kiss her was the Blood Candy Maker. This cylindrical device could be pressed against someone's neck or a blood vein before a needle struck out and began drawing blood. The device would then begin to capsulate the blood into something that looked like a pill or candy, making it look less conspicuous when she was taking in the blood.
"Just want I wanted him to know," answered Izuku who, like everyone else, was in their hero costumes. In the teen's hands was an old paper topographical map. As part of the exercise, the villain team wouldn't be getting the most high-tech equipment and would need to use this day to scout out the area on foot. Or, at least, they would if they didn't have so many skilled fliers. Off to the side, sitting at a desk he had created over by the entrance of the Training Field, was Cementoss.
At first, Toga frown slightly at Izuku's comment though thankfully not appearing utterly betrayed. Then, as the moments ticked by, a wide grin appeared on her face. One so large that it showed off all her teeth.
"You have a plan brewing in that head of yours, don't you?" she asked, a blush appearing on her face knowing that her crush had a very important role set aside for her.
Unsurprisingly, Izuku nodded. "I've been thinking about it since we were told about this exercise," he answered. "So, I've made a few plans. But this one is the highest risk vs. reward plan. Still, even if the rest of the class doesn't go for it, you'll still be valuable in taking out the hero team."
Toga's giddiness at that was so potent she felt like she could explode at any moment. However, it was also at that moment, that Pony returned riding on her horns from within Omega with Honenuki in tow. The lipless teen looked nervous, standing on a pair of Pony's horns with his arms stretched out like he was doing his best to keep balance. Even more so when he landed on the ground.
"Oh thank God," exclaimed Honenuki, falling to his hands and knees. This caused Pony to let out a pout.
"Hey, it wasn't that bad," she said, stomping one of her hooves onto the ground while balling her hands into fists.
"Wait, what the hell is this!" demanded Awase as looked over at Shiozaki. When the vine-haired girl just gave him a questioning glance, the wielding teen continued. "Every time I say the G-word around you I get smacked upside the head with one of your vines. Or bound in them, letting the thrones dig into my skin! But he says that and nothing?! What the actual fucking hell?!?"
"When you say the Lord's Name, it is full of disrespect," said Shiozaki, frowning at him. "Often, it is used as part of a swear. Honenuki, however, used His Name as a show of gratitude and respect with no ill intentions behind it. Perhaps you could learn something from him."
"Moving on," said Kendo, rolling her eyes as she approached Honenuki. "That spot we saw on the map. The one with all the difficult terrain around it. Is it any good?" As she asked this, Izuku leaned forward a bit to listen in.
"No way," replied Honenuki as he slowly got onto his feet. "Area looks good on paper as a place to defend the bomb, but it'll be too much of a hassle to be worth it. If we didn't have people like Tsunotori and Kodai to help, it wouldn't even be worth considering as it would be next to impossible to get that bomb there without it being damaged. And once you get past that, it doesn't get any better. The ground is very uneven, meaning we'll have to do a lot of work if don't want the bomb to topple over and go spinning down the hill. Then there's the lack of cover. There's a few trees in the area and we could put a tarp over it to give it some sort of protection from the elements, but a single glance from a drone will tell them exactly where it is."
"You're putting a lot of focus into the bomb's safety," said Kuroiro with a frown. "It's not like it's real. And even if it was, we're planning on selling it so who cares."
"Well, we're supposed to be these really good arms dealers or whatever, right?" responded Tokage, waving a finger at the dark-skinned teen. "So we have to think like them. We need a spot where the bomb won't get too damaged and explode on us because, if it does, then collecting our big payday will never happen. But even if it doesn't, if it takes too much damage or the weather affects it in some way, then it might not work. And selling bombs that don't work means we're not going to get a lot of repeat customers. We'll get very angry customers who want their money back along with our heads as interest." At that, Kuroiro covered his face with his hand as he looked away in a gesture that showed he wished he hadn't said anything.
"Uneven ground is just part of the problem," added in Pony. "Lots of rocks sticking out of the ground. I wouldn't recommend fighting there. One slip up and you could find yourself flying head first into a jagged rock." Hearing that caused everyone to pale.
"Well, that spot is a bust," sighed Kendo as she held up the map with one hand before smacking it with the other. "The good news is that there's a good chance that the hero team will think the same thing we thought and check it out. Meaning it's a good place to set up a trap or something. But, before we get into that, we'll need to figure out where we're going to hide the bomb. So does anyone-" Itsuka was cut off as Izuku raised his hand, Toga pointing to him with both fingers. "Anyone other than Izuku? Come on guys, don't make Midoriya be the one to do all the heavy thinking."
"Sir Midoriya is talented at this," commented Shishida as the rest of the class reluctantly nodded.
"Come on, let my fellow greenie have the floor," said Tokage.
As the rest of the class nodded in agreement, Istuka simply let out a sigh of defeat before giving her classmates a dry look. "Fine, he can get the ball rolling," she said before her eyes hardened. "But I want to hear at least one more idea from you guys after!"
"We could, ah, gang up on them and hit them until they die?" suggested Tetsutetsu as Midoriya walked up to the front.
"Dude, this isn't a video game," said Rin while shaking his head.
Once he was standing before everyone, Izuku coughed into his fist before speaking. "Ok, I have a few plans that will I think have a really good chance of letting us win," began Izuku, pulling out his notebook from wherever and holding it up for everyone to see. "But, I want us to do more than just win. I want us to go Plus Ultra here, to not just preventing the heroes from ruining our deal but to ruin them for good. So that they'll become a joke in hero society and destroy any chance of them leaving behind a legacy to build upon. To leave them with nothing, sitting in the street with nothing but a cardboard box containing what few positions they still own as their agency is taken from them and us eating in some fancy upscale restaurant."
"Oh wow, Izuku is so hot when he talks villain," whispered Toga, a bit of blood leaking from her nose as pink dusted her cheeks. Though she was speaking mostly to herself, Pony, who was standing next to her, managed to overhear this…and she had to agree as her face was turning a bright shade of red.
"Dude, you have me so hyped!" shouted Tetsutetsu, a large grin on his face and hands balled into fists. There was a sparkle in his eye that belonged more to a child waiting to open his presents at Christmas than a hero ready to plan villain in an exercise.
With that, Izuku began to detail his plan to the best of his ability. While some parts of it made no sense at first and needed him to pause and clarify if they had heard him right, by the end they all had a good idea of what he was talking about. Midoriya himself paused more than once, turning to Cementoss to ask if what he was asking could be done. At that, the pro hero simply nodded, saying that the request wasn't too extreme though he would have to fill out a large amount of forms to make it all happen. And by the time he was done, nearly all of the class was grinning with excitement save two. Both Awase and Shiozaki were staring at their green-haired vice rep with red faces.