Jiro Kyoka bent her knees up and down, flexing her leg muscles. There was a springiness to her feet. She was pumped. Ready to go. But unlike the boys in her class (especially that Kaminari) she knew the importance of keeping a cool top on it. Unfortunately, her partner did not share this knowledge.
Sato was currently tossing a sugar packet up and down, while punching the air with his other hand. After about fifteen seconds, he would switch hands. "Oh man!" he said breathily. "I'm getting hyped! What about you, Jiro?"
The two of them had sat at a lunch table earlier, meaning they were somewhat acquainted. Kyoka was glad about that, at least. It was better than some stranger. And Sato was strong… but she was worried about their opponents.
"We need a plan," said Kyoka.
"I got one! For me, at least. And that's beat 'em up until the time runs out!"
"Ideally we want to capture them."
"Easy to capture once they're knocked out." He bit his lip and punched the air again. "Say, I know Hagakure is invisible, but do you know anything about the bird guy's Quirk?"
"Not really. That's what I'm worried about." Tokoyami had placed high in Aizawa's field assessment yesterday, but Kyoka hadn't been paying any attention to him during the trials. "In any case, I think I have a plan. You good with letting me stand guard while you go look for them?" They didn't HAVE to split up, although every villain team had so far… it was just that Kyoka's plan would work best that way.
"Yeah, sure. So what's this plan of yours?"
***
The alarm went off; the match had begun.
Fumikage Tokoyami sweatdropped. "Is stripping down really necessary?"
"I gotta be totally invisible to sneak up to the bomb! Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable…" Hagakure's glove appeared to scratch the back of her head.
Hehe… I don't mind…
Shut up, Dark Shadow.
"So, is this the plan, then? You distract them with your attacks while I go touch the bomb?"
"Hmm…" Fumikage scanned the dark hallway that they'd just entered. "Perhaps we ought to add another layer to it."
***
Rikido Sato was running through the halls, looking for the hero team. He hadn't eaten any sugar yet, but the packets were ready on hand. He knew that once he powered up, his time was limited. And who knew how long it would take to defeat the two of them? Best to power up as late as possible.
Meanwhile, Jiro was giving him callouts through the comms, supposedly knowing where their opponents were based on sound. She'd plugged herself into the wall just before he left the room. "Left," she told him through the device. "Another left, then a right. They're there."
He turned the corner, and there she was. Boots on the ground, a floating pair of gloves.
"Found you!" he declared.
Hagakure whirled. "Eek! Wait, wait, wai…"
Rikido tossed back some sugar, feeling the strength course through him. Hype! Yeah! His arms tingled with new energy, and he punched the air in jubilation. "Let's fight!"
Hagakure began to run down the hallway; Rikido chased her. If I can capture her now, Jiro won't even have to deal with her back at the bomb.
"Chasing her down," he reported into the comm.
"… Her? I hear two of them… no, three! Is that you, Sa… SATO, WAIT!"
As Hagakure led him around a dark corner, a shadowy thing came rearing up, and Rikido froze solid.
The creature's eyes glowed red, and it let out an Earth-shattering roar, leaping over Hagakure as she retreated and attacking Rikido with talons sharp as razors.
"GAH!" The sugar had steeled his bones, making him too firm to knock away, but his feet did skid back a hair, and then the shadow was swooping in again, relentless. Rikido roared back and countered, trading blows once, twice, thrice. When he made contact, the skin of the beast felt strange under his fists.
The thing swiped at him. He ducked and punched, taking another hit to the torso. The talons sliced his uniform open, and he felt the slightest twinge of pain.
"Go, Hagakure," a cool voice whispered.
"YEAH! WE GOT THIS BIG BAG OF MARSHMALLOWS HANDLED JUST FINE!" The creature exclaimed in a juxtaposingly joyous voice.
Rikido watched as the boots and gloves went racing past, back the way he'd come. "No! Jiro, she's getting awa… argh!" The shadow creature attacked again, and he caught the talons with his two fists. They trembled, locked in place, eye-to-eye. Hagakure's running steps faded away behind them, and the fight continued.
***
Toru wasn't worried. She had one of the coolest partners ever in Tokoyami (although he was a little frightening) and so far their strategy had worked like a charm. Now it was just a matter of getting to the bomb room.
She had left her boots and gloves on to lure Sato into the trap, but she took them off now, leaving them in a well-marked intersection of hallways. To her left were some stairs. She supposed that if she were the villain, she'd put the bomb high up in the building. Stairs it is.
The sounds of the fight were fading behind her. She was pretty sure that Dark Shadow, as she'd just learned it was named, could take care of Sato without too much trouble.
I have to find this thing quickly; I don't know how much time there is left. Poor Mina had run out of time in her match, but luckily there was no ice to deal with once Toru got to the bomb room. Just… Jiro, that was her name. The girl who'd sat with the boys. She had weird earplug things, but Toru knew nothing about what they did.
The invisible girl came upon an open door, and took pause. Beyond was a wider room, with sunlight filtering in through windows. They left the door open? Toru took a deep breath, and stepped inside. When she turned her head, she nearly gasped in sudden fright.
Jiro was standing next to the bomb, and was looking right at her.
Toru stifled her breath, remaining very still. There was no way that the other girl actually saw her. She was just looking at the doorway.
"Come in, Sato," Jiro said into her earpiece, tapping it. "Where are you?"
Toru crept sideways, wide around the room. All she had to do was touch the bomb, and they'd be home free. Jiro continued to look straight ahead at the doorway, not noticing her presence. "Sato, is everything okay? Come in!"
Toru stepped forward to the bomb, getting closer to Jiro. Her angle of approach had been as careful as possible, but now she had no choice but to go for it. Another step. Then another. Just a little further. She reached her hand out toward the bomb, and…
"GOTCHA!" Jiro spun and leapt onto Toru messily, tackling the other girl to the ground. Completely shocked, Toru got the wind knocked out of her, briefly unable to breathe or move as Jiro began attaching the Capturing Tape to her.
Toru regained her senses and struggled, trying to throw the other girl off, but Jiro was wiry and sturdy, and had her pinned down at the thighs. She threw a punch, but Jiro jerked her head out of the way and used one hand to slam down onto Toru's face, forcing her down.
"How did you… know I was…" Toru gasped, still struggling to get out of the tape.
"I could hear your footsteps," Jiro replied with a smirk, and her little earplugs waved in the air.
Another twenty seconds and Toru was completely captured. She couldn't believe it. I was so close, too! The bomb is right there! Jiro dragged her to a corner of the room and left her there, wrapped up. How could I have been so STUPID!
Jiro spoke into the earpiece again. "Sato! Come back round and defend the bomb with me. The plan worked! We've all but won!"
Toru began to laugh.
Jiro raised an eyebrow and turned back to look at her. "What's so funny?"
"Hahahahaha… you think you won because you captured me?"
"There's only ninety seconds left. You're the only close threat to the bomb."
"I was just the scalpel. The hammer's coming now."
"Huh?" In the distance, they both heard a rumbling.
Jiro paused, going pale.
And then… Sato came bursting into the room, out of breath and delirious.
"Sato! Wha…"
"He's… comin'…" the huge boy fell to the ground, suffering a sugar crash.
Dark Shadow smashed through the wall around the door, racing into the room like some snake. Tokoyami bounded in behind him.
"AYE AYE AYE!" Dark Shadow declared, swooping in toward the bomb. "TIME TO DIFFUSE THE SITUATION!"
Judo stepped backward, putting her back to the bomb, and then plugged her earphone jacks into the speakers on her legs.
RRRRRRAAAAAAA! A roaring sound filled the room, and a concentrated series of waves pummelled Dark Shadow, causing him to recoil, pushing him back away from the bomb. Toru winced and covered her ears. Jiro clenched her fists, continuing to send out sound, tightening her body into a holding stance.
Tokoyami rolled out of the wave attack that was subduing his Quirk, and ran for the bomb. Jiro's eyes widened as she realised what he was doing, but it was too late. The bird boy leapt and dived, his palm smacking against the metal surface. A second later, the timer sounded.
"YES!" Toru shouted, as Tokoyami sank to the ground. They had won!
Jiro desisted with the sound wave, unplugging her earphone jacks. "Dammit." She clicked her teeth. "Well played. I was so focused on your Quirk that I forgot you were there."
"We are two," said Tokoyami stoically, pulling Dark Shadow back into his body, "and yet we are one."
"Can somebody please untie me?" asked Toru.
"Right, of course." Tokoyami came over and began to undo the tape, before touching…
"Ah!" Toru blushed. "Watch it!"
"Gah! I… I apologise!"
"Here," Jiro said, rolling her eyes. "Let me do that." She came over and finished unwrapping Toru. The invisible girl sighed. Tokoyami means well, but I'm more comfortable if it's a girl. But why was Jiro's face slightly red?
Tokoyami sheepishly took Toru's gloves and boots out of his cloak and handed them to her. "I took the liberty of picking this up on my way here. Sorry for taking so long to come. We almost lost because of my lack of haste."
"No worries!" Toru cheered, patting him on the shoulder. "We only won at all because of you! My strategy ended up totally failing! I've got a lot of work to do, haha~"
"Saaame," Jiro drawled, looking at her unconscious partner.
"We all shall find ways to improve," said Tokoyami.
***
"Heroes win!" announced All Might.
"Another match where strategy was overridden by pure power," Iida pointed out.
"Tokoyami's Quirk is something else, huh?" Kaminari shuddered.
"Yeah, but Sato put up a great fight!" declared Kirishima. "That was awesome to watch! I'm just getting more and more pumped for my match!"
"Hagakure kinda got jumped, huh?" said Len, staring at the screens. "She seems happy she won, though."
"Indeed, ribbit."
Mina remained quiet next to them.
All Might was frowning at the screens. "Young Sato has crashed. This will be the third match in a row that I have to take someone to the infirmary."
The class froze. "… Sensei?" Sero asked.
"I understand that this time it was his own doing thanks to his Quirk. He overdid it in the battle against young Tokoyami, just as Midoriya overdid it in his fight against Bakugo. And last match, Aoyama was knocked out by Ojiro. I would like the last two matches to proceed without any such incidents. Am I clear? This is an exercise, not some final exam. No overexerting yourself, and no excessive use of force against others. Understand?"
The class all murmured their assent, frightened by All Might's change in demeanour.
"Good. Now, next match will be after I fetch young Sato. Team I will be the heroes. Team F will be the villains."
Len's eyes widened. Sero, who was standing forward and to the right, turned around and said, "We're up, Kagamine."
"Right."
"As am I, ribbit." Tsuyu put a finger to her chin. "I didn't want to be on the villain side. Oh well."
Len offered her a hand. "Fair match. Let's do our best. But not too much of our best, ya know?"
The corners of her flat mouth may have turned up a hair. Who knows. "Of course, Lenny." They shook hands.
"Who's her partner?" Sero asked as she walked away. "… Oh."
Tsuyu had walked over to Kirishima, who was in the midst of animatedly telling some of their other classmates something. She tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around, confused. "… We're up? Alright, Asui, let's do it! I'm pumped!"
Len felt a hand grip his arm. Surprised, he turned to look at Mina. Her eyes were glued to the floor.
"Good luck," she told him. " Win."