Chapter 38 – Fundamental Force and Limitless Numbers
-USJ ~ Aoyama and Uraraka vs Thirteen-
The instant that the timer had started, Aoyama and Ochako had separated. Aoyama went left and slightly closer to Thirteen, while Ochako went right and used her Quirk on herself before kicking off the ground as hard as she could to launch herself into the air, a blast of compressed air from her boots and she was headed for the gate. The Zero Gravity user activated the grappling tethers from her gauntlets to make quick turns through the air by latching onto the various structures in the facility.
"Trying to split my focus… Not a bad plan." Thirteen mentioned while standing at the top of the long staircase that led towards the gate. "But that's why I chose to protect the gate directly." The space-themed Hero spoke as two caps opened on her left glove and three opened up on her right glove.
"Stand aside, s'il vous plaît!" Aoyama brought his Sparkle Gauntlets to bear and fired a laser from each of them at Thirteen.
"I can absorb light too." Thirteen deadpanned as her Blackhole Quirk sucked in the two lasers easily.
"That Quirk is no joke." Aoyama blinked in surprise that his laser could be completely nullified like that.
Ochako, seeing Aoyama's distraction going awry, altered her course towards the Flood Zone. She landed on the fake yacht and placed both of her hands on the empty vessel. The yacht briefly glowed pink and Ochako attached all three of her left arm grappling tethers to the boat. Using her Quirk on herself again she launched herself high into the air with her boots and dragged the weightless ship out of the water. Winding her arm around she disconnected the three tethers and sent the boat straight towards Thirteen's location. "Catch, sensei!"
"Whoa!" Thirteen capped the two fingers on her left glove and opened all five on her right glove to deal with the yacht coming towards her at speed.
"Release!" Ochako placed her fingertips together and returned the yacht's weight, the large ship now bearing down on Thirteen with more than enough force to crush the Pro Hero.
Thirteen raised her right hand with all five caps opened on the tips of her fingers. The incoming yacht was shredded to pieces and sucked into the void of her Quirk rapidly. "Not today, Uravity! The more caps I open, the more powerful the gravity and the faster my Quirk breaks things down!"
Pew
Pew
Two lasers blasted through Thirteen's suit, the left arm now having two holes along the edge where Thirteen hadn't moved fast enough to dodge.
"Mademoiselle, you seem to have been distracted!" Aoyama was launching himself up the stairs with twin lasers from his knees, powered directly by his Quirk, rather than the energy pack on his back. His costume's ability to redirect his Navel Laser was quite useful for brief bursts of mobility, along with odd-angle attacks.
Pew
Pew
Two more shots from Aoyama's Sparkle Gauntlets were easily dodged now that Thirteen had her focus on the knight-themed student. "Not bad, Chevalier… But getting close is a bad idea!" Two caps closed on the right hand now that the yacht was mostly gone. Two caps opened up on her left hand to start drawing Aoyama in.
"Ergh!" Aoyama quickly grabbed a nearby railing on the edge of the stairs and held on for dear life against the destructive gravity that Thirteen's Quirk produced.
"Aoyama!" Ochako came down from the air like a meteorite, aiming a kick straight at Thirteen. It was one of the many techniques that she'd learned from Gunhead during her internship.
"Eh?!' Thirteen quickly closed the three caps on her right glove to prevent Ochako from being sucked into her Quirk and severely injured, or outright killed. "Are you insane?!"
"Nope!" Ochako grinned brightly at startling her favorite Hero. She launched her right hand grapple tethers at Aoyama. "Now!"
"Merci!" Aoyama caught the tethers and Ochako reeled him in. He drew his Brilliant Sparkling Saber from his hip and the metal blade hummed to life with Aoyama's unique energy along its edges ready to cut through anything. "En Garde!" He thrust the laser sword forward at Thirteen as he flew through the air.
"Clever." Thirteen remarked as only a single cap remained open on her left glove and she purposefully touched it to Ochako's grapple tethers. "But the more focused my Quirk, the less I have to worry about hurting others with it." The tethers rapidly snapped as the parts touched by the uncapped finger were reduced to nothing. "Broken down to the atomic level!"
"Oh crap!" Ochako gasped as Aoyama went flying off over Thirteen's head. "We'll still win!" She got into Thirteen's guard and threw a punch straight into the Pro Hero's chest.
'These weights are really getting in the way.' Thirteen grimaced as her suit had to absorb most of the punch for her. She couldn't get her guard up fast enough when she was so weighed down. "The cuffs?!" Thirteen backstepped quickly when Ochako swung the capture cuffs around with her free hand, looking to shackle one of Thirteen's wrists and succeed in a 'capture' to pass.
"Team Aoyama and Uraraka have passed the exam via escaping the test site!" Blared throughout the USJ from the various speakers set up throughout the facility.
"What?!" Thirteen turned to look at the gate and saw Aoyama posing on the other side, sparkles practically radiating from the teen. The sign above the gate had switched from saying 'Do your best!' to 'Congratulations!' after Aoyama had passed through it. "Did you plan this?" Thirteen couldn't help but ask of the seemingly perfect plot.
"Only part of it." Ochako admitted, rubbing the back of her head with a smile. "We knew you'd never hurt us, sensei. So, we kind of used that against you. Getting Aoyama flying was the hard part, but you disrupted the original plan when you broke my tethers."
"Original plan?" Now Thirteen was curious as she walked with the two students out of the USJ and towards the bus parked outside to take them back to the main campus.
"Oui!" Aoyama preened a bit with a smirk on his face. "The original plan was for Uraraka-san to toss me into the air so that I could use my new Super Move the instant that she cleared the area." He explained as he shrugged. "But it seems my brilliantly shining new move will have to wait for later, unfortunately."
"Hey, we still passed the exam. Isn't that the most important thing?" Ochako sighed at Aoyama's over-the-top words and the dramatic little movements he made while speaking. Even the shrug looked like something you'd see in a movie!
-Recovery Girl's Onsite Medical Tent-
"You go, Chako-chan!" Camie cheered out happily at seeing Ochako pass.
Recovery Girl sighed at the recklessness of Ochako and Aoyama for charging at Thirteen. "They're lucky this was only a test and that Thirteen wasn't a real Villain, otherwise they'd both probably be dead!" Villains weren't known for their mercy when it came to fighting against Heroes.
"Maybe, but not all Villains are out to kill either, right?" Izuku replied, looking at his healing teacher. "Most flee rather than even attempt to fight, and those that do get forced to fight in that situation are rarely going for the kill. They're just trying to find a way out."
Momo nodded her head in agreement with her boyfriend. "Most reports and coverage of such cases do point to that being the most common occurrence. Only the worst of the worst Villains are actively seeking bloodshed. Most just want money or goods." She'd done quite a bit of research while working with Edgeshot to help develop her investigative skills.
"That might be true, but a lot of Villains will totally go for the kill if they think they have to." Camie spoke up from Recovery Girl's point of view. "They both knew that Thirteen wouldn't use her Quirk on them; but in a real scenario, you shouldn't rush head-on at a Villain with such a deadly Quirk like that."
"Utsushimi-chan is correct." Recovery Girl nodded to the Glamor Quirk user. "While they played out a good plan for a test, they may lose a couple of points for being reckless from a real world scenario standpoint."
"Hmm, I understand." Izuku wrote down a few of his observations in his notebook. "We should make sure to treat all of these tests as real scenarios in the future."
"I suppose that will be the most beneficial in the long run." Momo considered what types of training and scenarios U.A. would put them through for the three years that they were at the school. "It would be bad to treat being in the field like we do training where safety is actively being considered for our wellbeing."
-Asui and Tokoyami Exam-
"Raaahhh!" Dark Shadow cried out as it smashed two of Ectoplasm's clones into the floor, making them disperse into white mist that faded away quickly. "There's no end to them!"
"Kero, Ectoplasm is only using fifteen clones at a time, I've counted." Tsuyu informed the sapient Quirk and Tokoyami. "I'm guessing that's about half of what he can really make if he's giving us a handicap."
"The problem is that he consistently maintains that number no matter how many we destroy." Tokoyami replied as they ran down a corridor. "They can also appear anywhere within his range which seems to be most of this training area."
They'd been chased from their starting point all throughout the training area by the relentless clones. The limitless number was going to wear them out sooner or later though. They needed to get to the gate, given that their time was running out.
"Running aimlessly won't get you anywhere." One of Ectoplasm's clones spoke up, launching a kick at Tokoyami's head as the students rounded a corner.
"Back off!" Dark Shadow blocked the kick and slammed the clone into the wall, making it disperse into mist.
Four more clones appeared behind the two teens, while another four appeared in front of them.
Tsuyu turned and whipped her tongue out, the long, prehensile appendage knocking the four clones behind them into each other before knocking them into the wall. The clones dispersed and Tsuyu turned back around to see Dark Shadow finishing off the last of the clones that had been in front of them.
"We're almost there." Tokoyami realized after recalling the map of the training facility that they'd been allowed to look at before their practical exam.
The two bolted down the hallway and entered into a large tower-like room, similar to the one that they'd been in at the start of the exam. Looking down from the floor that they were on, they spotted the gate and Ectoplasm standing in front of it.
"Given that we can see the gate, you think that's his real body too, right?" Tsuyu asked Tokoyami.
"Most likely." The crow-headed teen agreed as their teacher looked up at them.
"Excellent job making it here before the time expired." Ectoplasm praised his students. "But can you pass through this gate?" He expelled a large cloud of his ectoplasm and fifteen clones formed all at once. The clones quickly rushed the two students, able to leap up the balconies towards them with little effort.
"Kero!" Tsuyu crouched low and blurred as she hopped forward. She hit the opposite side of the tower and stuck there for a split second before leaping again.
"Agh!" One clone let out a noise as Tsuyu shot into its back and dispersed it. She was gone before two other clones could kick at her.
Tsuyu actually reached the ceiling high above thanks to her increased strength from her training with Selkie during internships. She rocketed down from the ceiling and spun, extending her tongue, she dispersed five more clones before safely landing on the ground.
"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami called out and the semi-autonomous Quirk shot back to him. "Black Abyss!" He was covered by Dark Shadow like a cowl, the bright yellow eyes of the Quirk resting atop his bird-like head providing their own range of vision to expand Tokoyami's. "Piercing Twilight Claws!" Both of Dark Shadow's claws shot forward like twin bolts, tearing through every clone in their path like they were paper before retracting just as fast. Six clones dispersed into white mist from the single attack. "Asui!" Tokoyami jumped down to where Tsuyu was dealing with the remaining three clones.
-Recovery Girl's Onsite Medical Tent-
"Tsu-chan is kicking butt!" Camie cheered loudly for her friend and fellow Izuku lover.
"Those two are almost unstoppable… But Ectoplasm has already run down the clock so much by keeping them on the run for most of the exam." Izuku mentioned, writing his observations in his notebook without even looking at the paper. "A battle of attrition is only in his favor, especially on a time limit."
"They're both model students, but they're limited to only dealing with what's within a certain range and their methods of dealing with that range can leave them vulnerable." Recovery Girl noted of the pairing between Tsuyu and Tokoyami. "They were matched up against Ectoplasm entirely because he can fully operate outside of their range and control the flow of the battle."
"That's right!" Momo perked up as she looked at the situation again. "No matter how many clones they defeat, none of them matter! Ectoplasm-sensei hasn't moved from his spot since the exam started either!"
It was true, the Pro Hero was still standing right where he'd been the entire time in front of the gate. Any time that Tsuyu and Tokoyami were about to finish off the last of his clones, he simply made a new batch of fifteen (his self-imposed handicap for this exam) and stalled the two students even longer.
"They're getting nowhere fast…" Camie's earlier excitement had noticeably dropped.
-Tsuyu and Tokoyami Exam-
The last of the clones was dispersed as Tokoyami smashed it into the floor with his Dark Shadow-covered fist.
"Will you keep this up until time runs out, students?" Ectoplasm questioned the pair. "What I want to see is students that can overcome their adversary no matter the tactics used against them." He told them plainly. "As it stands, you've just been reacting and letting me dictate the pace of this fight." Their teacher expelled another cloud of his ectoplasm and fifteen more clones charged at the students.
"I think we need another plan." Dark Shadow spoke, even as he and Tokoyami tore the first clone to reach them in half.
Tsuyu leapt around the clones, striking them with her long tongue, or landing on them with her bodyweight after one of her powerful leaps. The clones couldn't keep up with her speed and reflexes, but they could still waste time. "We do, but what do you propose?"
"We could go full power." Dark Shadow's yellow eyes looked down at Tokoyami.
Tokoyami caught one clone and slammed it into another with Dark Shadow's claws. "You'll go berserk and I've only marginally increased the length of time that I can maintain control when you do." He backhanded another clone away, scattering it into mist. "This place is too brightly lit to begin with."
"I can take care of that, kero." Tsuyu landed beside Tokoyami. "If you can buy me some time, I should be able to get past Ectoplasm through the gate."
Ectoplasm, who still had yet to move, finally spoke up. "Planning in front of an enemy isn't very wise." His throat bulged slightly and he expelled a massive cloud of ectoplasm all at once. "Can your plan deal with this?!" The white mist swirled upwards until it formed a towering clone of their teacher. "Your time is already almost run out. If I detain you for just a little longer, you fail."
"Asui!" Tokoyami trusted in his partner and leapt at the giant clone while enlarging Dark Shadow's claws. "Covert Black-Ops Arms!" Both claws were easily double Tokoyami's size now as he swung them at the clone.
Tsuyu crouched low, her powerful thighs flexing, nearly bulging as she tensed her muscles. She vanished, the floor cracking beneath her from the force of her launch, and she crashed into the ceiling at the top of the tower with almost equal force. She launched herself again, angling her body towards her next target and crushing it with her feet in the next second. She only clung to the wall for a split second to aim before she launched herself so powerfully that the wall cracked just like the floor. Her next target was instantly obliterated just as the first one had been.
"What are you doing?" Ectoplasm wondered for a moment. "Only I can get rid of this behemoth." He mentioned of his massive clone that had just batted Tokoyami out of the air. "You're leaving your partner to be beaten while you hop around?"
"It's part of our plan!" Tsuyu replied as she crushed another one of her targets under her powerful legs. "And this is my Super Move: Frantic Frog Hopping!" She vanished from sight as her speed increased even further. Only her impacts against the wall being heard as a green blur was seen hopping from wall to wall.
It took Ectoplasm a moment to piece together Tsuyu's plan; the realization only setting in when the glass from the ceiling finally hit the floor. "The lights!" He looked up, seeing the large light on the ceiling shattered and dead. He swiveled his head around, looking at all the damage done to the walls from Tsuyu's move, and seeing destroyed light fixtures in the shattered walls everywhere she'd landed. The inside of the tower-like room was rapidly growing darker.
"Calm mind, serene heart…" Tokoyami exhaled as Dark Shadow began to swell around him. His time controlling Dark Shadow in darkness had increased, but he only got his best results when he was in a calm and steady frame of mind. "Ragnarök!" Dark Shadow swelled to massive proportions in the sudden gloom of the tower, easily matching Ectoplasm's massive clone in size.
"Giant Bite Detention!" Ectoplasm used his own move through his giant clone. The behemoth opened its jaws wide and tried to trap Tokoyami inside, as if to pluck him from within the immense Dark Shadow.
"RAAARRRHHHH!" Dark Shadow roared and caught the giant clone's attack. With a heave, he shoved it away, making it slam into the opposite side of the tower.
"If you believe I haven't dealt with giant opponents before, you're sorely mistaken." Ectoplasm informed Tokoyami and Dark Shadow. The incoming fist from the gigantic Dark Shadow was blocked by the giant clone's hand, and the prosthetic leg came up and smacked Dark Shadow across the face, sending the massive Quirk staggering to the side.
"Dark Shadow, are you ready?!" Tokoyami suddenly called out loudly to his Quirk. "Ragnarök: Fleeting Blow!" The claws of the empowered Dark Shadow grew even more massive as the sapient Quirk responded to Tokoyami's orders.
The giant clone of Ectoplasm launched another kick, this time aimed at Tokoyami to stop the new Super Move before it could be used.
WOOSH
The two jet-black claws tore through the clone as if it was nothing. The white mist it fell apart into floated down to the floor as Ectoplasm watched on, rather impressed with Tokoyami's progress with his Quirk. But that didn't mean he couldn't retaliate. "You destroyed my giant clone…" His throat began to bulge again. "But who says I can't make another one?"
"Team Asui and Tokoyami have passed the exam via escaping the test site!" Blared over the speakers and throughout the large building.
"What?" Ectoplasm turned to look behind him at the gate, the sign rolling over from the words 'Do your best!' to "Congratulations!', but he ignored that as something faded into view just past the gate.
"Kero…" Tsuyu let out a little croak, her right hand rubbing her right thigh gently, a look of discomfort on her face.
"Camouflage…" Ectoplasm realized that Tsuyu had vanished after her Super Move while all of his attention had been focused on the massive Dark Shadow. "So, that's what you meant when you asked Tokoyami to distract me." The Frog Form user's plan hadn't been so simple as to allow Tokoyami to use Dark Shadow's full power. It had been a multi-stage plan meant to guarantee that they passed by forcing him to focus on a single target.
Emergency lights clicked on all over the tower-like building and the massive Dark Shadow quickly shrank down as the lights overwhelmed the darkness.
"Too bright…" Dark Shadow shrank back under Tokoyami's black cloak to hide from the suddenly bright lights.
"You've both done well." Ectoplasm praised the students as he moved over to check on Asui. "Or should I say all three of you?" He chuckled.
"You better! This plan wouldn't have worked without me!" Dark Shadow peeked his head out from beneath the cloak to retort.
"Dark Shadow…" Tokoyami sighed at his sapient Quirk. "You did well." The shadow beast was always a bit irritable after being in his full power state. The power made Dark Shadow unruly, and the sudden loss of it made the Quirk snippy for a while until it calmed down again.
"Are you alright, Asui?" Ectoplasm asked the girl, kneeling down to be even with her.
Asui rubbed her thighs gently before nodding to her teacher. "Yes, sir. My new Super Move just puts a lot of strain on my legs still." That was a bit of an understatement perhaps, given that her muscles felt hot and were practically screaming at her in pain.
Ectoplasm nodded in understanding. "I'd imagine so with the strength and speed that you were displaying. Do you think you can walk to Recovery Girl's medical tent?"
"I might need some help." Tsuyu admitted and Ectoplasm breathed out just enough Ectoplasm for a single clone. The clone carefully picked up Tsuyu and began to carry the girl along as they left the training area on their way to Recovery Girl.
-Recovery Girl's Onsite Medical Tent-
"Tsu-chan!" Izuku, Camie, Ochako, and Momo were at Tsuyu's side the instant that she was brought into the medical tent.
"Let me look at her, please." Recovery Girl calmed them down. She only took a few moments to examine the girl and figure out the problem. "Just some muscle strain. None of her muscles are torn and her legs aren't injured." The four sighs of relief from the others made Recovery Girl smile a little. "Izuku, you're more than able to heal this."
"Yes, ma'am!" Izuku eagerly moved to do so, having recovered enough of his own energy to heal something simple like this. "Ready, Tsu?"
"Go ahead, Izukun." Tsuyu smiled warmly at her boyfriend. Soft green light surrounded Izuku's hands as he gently placed them on Tsuyu's strong, but still soft, thighs. "Ooh…" She hummed pleasantly as the pain and the heat in her thighs was soothed by Healing Aura. In just a few moments, all the pain and minor damage was healed up, better than before. "Kero." Tsuyu now had a happy little grin on her lips as she looked at Izuku.
"Better?" Izuku smiled back at his girlfriend.
He was pulled into a kiss for a few seconds. "Better." Tsuyu giggled a little as she sat up on the cot and stretched out her legs a bit.
"You were awesome out there, Tsu-chan!" Ochako gently hugged her best friend, a bright smile on her face.
Momo beamed at Tsuyu, her eyes bright and almost sparkling. "I completely lost track of you after a moment! I didn't know you could move so quickly!"
"Of course, Izukun already has it all written down!" Camie giggled, showing Tsuyu the pages of Izuku's new notebook and his observations and thoughts on Tsuyu's new Super Move.
"It was amazing!" Izuku praised Tsuyu brightly, his green eyes looking at her with such excitement that Tsuyu felt herself blushing.
The warmth and chatter behind her didn't bother Recovery Girl as she began collecting some of her things. The Final Exams were done now, and all of the students had made it out without any severe injuries. 'Still need to give that brat a good whack to the shins for hurting little Jiro's ears with his obnoxious voice. But I can do that later.' The old woman chuckled lightly to herself as she continued to pack away a few of her medical instruments into her bag. It was time to get back to her normal office and take care of the rest of the students of U.A. High.
-Nezu's Office-
The chimera-like principal was the first one back to his office among the teachers. He needed to go through all of the videos of the Practical Exams for the two First Year Hero Courses and give his assessments on each student's performance. They had to do the Second Years' final exams tomorrow in the morning and the Third Years' exams in the afternoon. It was always a busy time at the school when final exams came around.
"But my, the First Years have done quite well this year!" Nezu chuckled to himself as he made a cup of tea. He'd wait for the assessments of each of the other teachers as well, since the combined grading would become each student's final grade, but he already knew that at least a couple hadn't passed the practical, even if they'd escaped or captured the teacher in the allotted time. "Behavior is a major factor in Hero-Public Relations. We can't reward bad behavior, or it'll lead to bad habits forming in our students."
Ding
Nezu looked at his computer screen at the notification sound. Seeing the icon for new mail, he clicked on it and smiled at the subject line of the new message.
-Pro Hero: Law, International Request Acceptance-
"Ah, it seems my talks with the United Kingdom's Ministry of Heroics have borne fruit." Nezu was very happy to see it as he clicked on the message to read it in full. It shouldn't take him long to send a reply back, he'd just have to check his schedule and clear a time to have a video meeting with the man. 'I wonder which of my teachers will have their grading assessments for the First Years sent to me first?' He chuckled lightly to himself before taking a sip of his tea. It would either be Aizawa or Cementoss, most likely. But it was always fun to see who got done first after watching all of the recordings.
Chapter 39 – Results and Preparations
In Class 1-A's classroom, the students were chatting about the soon-to-be-revealed grades for their Final Exams. Several of the students were worried about whether they'd passed or failed, despite completing the objective of their exam.
"I'm still worried about the written test the most." Kaminari ran his hands through his hair, holding his head in worry. "What if I totally flunked it?"
Mina nodded along with him, not super confident in her written scores. "Yeah, yeah! We worked our butts off to pass the practical! But if we failed the written test, then we're doomed! No summer training camp for us!" She had small tears at the corners of her eyes from just thinking about it.
"I'm not gonna say that I'm not worried about the written exam results, because I totally am," Kirishima nodded to Mina and Kaminari. "But we did our absolute best, so we should believe that we passed, right?" He held up his fist in front of him, trying to encourage his friends.
Izuku was sitting at his desk, surrounded by his girlfriends, talking about the soon to be announced results. "I don't see any reason why you four shouldn't pass." He smiled warmly at the girls. "I am a little nervous about my practical score though. I mean, Bakugo and I didn't work together at all…plus, I caused a lot of collateral damage… The argument with Bakugo was probably taken into account too… Then there's the…mmph!" His muttering was cut off as Camie put her hand over his mouth.
"Seriously, Izukun, chill…" Camie giggled at him playfully. "You totes passed, even if your partner totally held you back." She made sure to say this just loud enough that Bakugo could hear it.
Bakugo visibly twitched and his fist clenched tightly on top of his desk. A barely audible growl was heard, which was strange for Bakugo, as the explosive teen would usually shout at anyone that even slightly disparaged him in any way. He would've done so if this had been before the practical exam… But what Izuku had said to him still rang in his head whenever he started to get angry.
"We're CIVIL SERVANTS, Bakugo!"
The Explosion user ground his teeth and refused to look at anyone, glaring down at his desk. His belief in what a Hero was had been shaken, by the fucking leech of all people, and Bakugo was having a hard time coming to terms with the truth.
"You shouldn't worry so much, Izukun, I'm sure you passed!" Ochako beamed at him, encouraging her boyfriend and trying to dispel his worries.
Tsuyu nodded in agreement with Ochako and Camie. "Making it through the gate, within the time limit, after fighting All Might solo should be more than enough to pass. Kero." Her statement was blunt and factual, as they'd come to expect from the Frog Quirk girl.
"I'd like to believe that we all passed the Final Exams with flying colors." Momo smiled cutely at her boyfriend and fellow Izuku lovers. "We'll all get to go to the summer training camp and we'll improve even more there!" She bounced a little on her heels as sparkles seemed to emanate from her form.
'Cute~' Izuku, Camie, Tsuyu, and Ochako all thought simultaneously, smiling at how adorable Momo could be when she was excited like this.
Clack
The sliding door to the room was opened strongly by Aizawa, and the students were moving before he even spoke. "Once the bell rings, you should be in your seats."
All twenty students were in their seats and silent.
"Morning." Aizawa made his way to the lectern and looked at his class. "About your final exams… Sadly, there were some failures. As such…" He raised his voice suddenly. "You're all going to summer training camp!"
"What a twist!" Mina, Kaminari, and Kirishima cried out in surprise.
Aizawa went back to his normal, dull tone. "Everyone managed to clear the written test." His eyes pointedly looked at a few of the students, a silent indication that they had the lowest scores, even if they did pass. "But in the practical… Bakugo failed."
Bakugo flinched and scowled, refusing to look at anyone even as he felt the eyes of the rest of the class on him.
"Allow me to explain." Aizawa didn't look like he really wanted to explain, but he continued anyway. "As the Villains in this test, we teachers came up with challenges perfectly suited to all of you. Ones that would give you chances to devise winning strategies. On top of that, we encumbered ourselves with weights, and set personal restrictions on our gear and Quirk usage. If we hadn't, none of you would've stood a chance." All of the students had to agree, given that they'd all had to try so hard to pass, even with the handicaps in place. "We were interested in observing how you each worked together and approached the task at hand.
"So that thing about crushing us was a lie?" Toru questioned; the movement of her uniform indicated that she had her hand raised.
"That was to push you. We are talking about Training Camp after all. More than anyone else, those who failed are in dire need of this." Aizawa's odd smile reappeared for the first time in a while for his students to see. "This was another rational deception."
"RATIONAL DECEPTION?!" The majority of the class exclaimed in unison.
Iida was shaking as he sat at his desk. "We've been fooled, I'd expect no less from U.A. but…" He shot to his feet with his right hand raised into the air. "Now that we've been lied to twice, aren't you worried that our faith in you has been shaken?"
"Way to be a wet blanket, Iida." Ochako deadpanned from her seat behind him.
"Perhaps. But consider the facts." Aizawa looked at the straight-laced teen. "It wasn't entirely a lie. Failure is still failure. Bakugo, you will receive special supplemental lessons. And to be honest, they'll be far worse than summer school."
Bakugo nodded without looking up from his desk. "Yes, sensei." He could barely comprehend that he was the only one that failed out of his entire class. He'd never failed academically before in his life.
"Anyway, I'll be handing out camp manuals. Take one and pass it back." Aizawa carried over a stack of said manuals to the first column of desks and handed five of them to Aoyama.
-After Classes-
"I'm glad that we all get to go to summer training camp." Sato smiled at his friends as everyone was packing up their stuff to leave for the day.
"An entire week of training camp." Iida nodded in agreement, already mentally preparing for everything he would need to bring.
"This packing list is huge." Izuku looked over everything listed in the camp manual.
Sero ran down the list with his eyes. "Man, I need a bigger suitcase."
"I don't even have a bathing suit. There's a ton of stuff that I need to buy." Kaminari had already spotted eight items that he didn't currently own that were listed on the camp manual.
"Oh, I know!" Toru spoke up with a bubbly laugh. "We're off tomorrow and tests are over, so…" She clapped her invisible hands together. "How about we all go shopping together, Class A?!" Everyone could practically feel the invisible girl's smile.
"Good idea! This'll be a first, come to think of it!" Kaminari was all for a social activity with the class.
"Yo, Bakugo, you wanna come too?!" Kirishima called out, not wanting to alienate the only person to fail in their class.
"No way in hell!" Bakugo stalked out of the room without even a look back.
Izuku looked over at Todoroki, one of the most introverted of their class. "What about you, Todoroki?"
"I visit…someone on my days off." Todoroki declined politely as he put the strap of his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door.
"Speaking of swimsuits…" Camie grinned mischievously. "I definitely need a new one." Her eyes locked onto Izuku's. "The one I got last year is too tight now." She cocked her hip to emphasize her curves.
Izuku audibly gulped, knowing just how much Camie liked to tease and that she didn't mind showing off her body, her swimsuit would probably be very sexy.
"Down girl, damn." Chikuchi rolled her eyes at Camie's flirty nature.
Mina giggled brightly at the teasing between boyfriend and girlfriend. "Aw, come on, Chi-chan! It's cute!"
"Don't encourage her." Chikuchi grinned at her friends, enjoying just how quickly she'd been accepted as part of the class and the group.
"I could probably use a new swimsuit too." Ochako had her index finger touching her cheek. "My last one is from second year of Junior High."
"Kero. I usually go for one-piece suits, what about you, Momo-chan?" Tsuyu looked at her girlfriend (at least that's how she saw Camie, Ochako, and Momo).
"I don't really have a preference…" Momo replied, only for her eyes to look at Izuku. "But maybe a two-piece this time?"
"You'd look great in a red bikini, Momo~" Camie stuck out the tip of her tongue between her pouty lips. She was teasing, but honest at the same time.
Momo blushed adorably, averting her eyes from Izuku when his emerald gaze caught hers. Ochako, Tsuyu, and Camie all giggled at the cuteness, while Izuku could only smile at his girlfriend.
-Next Day ~ Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall-
"This place has more shops than anywhere else in the prefecture. It's got the coolest and trendiest stuff!" Mina threw her fist into the air with a huge smile.
"The Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall!" Toru joined her friend in cheering happily.
Everyone had dressed casual for their shopping trip. If they weren't such an obviously large group, they wouldn't have stood out at all from any of the other hundreds of teens that were shopping today.
"You with the six arms, and you with the engine claves! You'll find everything you need over here!" One shop clerk called out to Shoji and Iida as the group walked past a few stores together. The sign above the shop declared it 'For all Quirks, Shapes, and Sizes' in brightly lit letters.
"Stores have to do more than cater to body types that differ by Quirk… They also need designs for all ages, from teens to seniors. No wonder this place draws so many customers…" Izuku was muttering to himself as he took in all of the various shops that catered to the insanely large range of customers possible since the advent of Quirks.
"You're going to scare children. Stop that." Tokoyami snapped Izuku out of his muttering spree.
"I gotta find myself a giant duffel bag." Jiro held her hands apart to show the size she wanted.
"I'll look with you." Chikuchi offered with a smile. "I need something way bigger than what I have at home too."
"I need some rugged outdoor shoes!" Kaminari didn't think his current sneakers would be the best for the outdoors.
"Me too, me too!" Toru agreed, not owning any shoes of the sort.
"Our camp manual recommends well-worn footwear!" Iida zipped over to remind the pair. Then he looked shocked for a second as a thought hit him. "Wait…should we focus on utility instead?!"
"Chill out, spaz!" Camie laughed at Iida's contrasting thoughts.
Kirishima patted Iida on the back with a chuckle. "It looks like we all need different stuff. Let's split up for a bit and meet up at the designated time to continue our shopping as a group!"
"I knew it! Those are the guys from Class 1-A!" One guy called out to his two buddies, all three were clearly high school students.
"Dude! The Sports Festival was so awesome!" The second guy praised the class with a big smile.
"Whoa?! People still remember that?" Ochako was flustered by being recognized again.
"You girls are super cute!" The third teen called out to the group, clearly the most confident of his buddies.
"Dude!" Both of his friends looked at him like he was crazy.
"Aww, thanks!" Mina waved to the three guys with a laugh.
"Kero." Tsuyu tilted her head, but accepted the compliment.
Camie laughed and took a step closer to Izuku, a subtle indication that she was taken.
Momo and Jiro had slightly red cheeks, neither of them used to having blatant interest from guys thrown their way.
"Hee hee!" Toru giggled, not even thinking of her invisibility.
"Is this what it's like to be a Pro Hero?" Chikuchi wondered, not letting the sudden compliment get to her much. It was true that the more popular a Hero was, the more often they were called out to in public and stuff.
"Wha-what?" Ochako's permanently rosy cheeks darkened a bit as she covered them with her hands. She also took a step closer to Izuku without thinking about it.
The trio of teens moved on after that, leaving Class 1-A to their shopping.
"Well… At least they didn't ask for autographs or anything crazy." Sero shrugged with a chuckle.
As the class split up to do some specific shopping, Izuku, Tsuyu, Momo, Ochako, and Camie were left as their own group.
"So, what does everybody need?" Izuku asked as they started walking together.
"Swimsuits, but we can save those for a little later." Camie had a little smirk on her lips at seeing the others blush slightly.
"I need bug spray…the repellant type. If we're going to be out in the woods and stuff." Ochako said after a second of thought.
"I'd like to get a flashlight, and a water bottle." Tsuyu mentioned as she considered what they might be doing over the course of the week.
"I'd like to get some more durable clothing." Momo looked thoughtful. "The camp manual says that sleeping quarters and food is provided, but it didn't mention if they were providing training clothes."
"Even if they do, it'd still be a good idea to have some rugged clothing for when we're not training. It is still a summer camp, right?" Camie spoke up in agreement.
"That makes sense." Izuku nodded, looking around for a good shop that would have durable, outdoorsy types of clothes. "I'm looking for a few heavy wrist weights, something that I can work out with if there's time."
The group quickly took their time together as an impromptu date. Izuku held hands with the girls two at a time as they walked through the huge mall. Whichever two girls he wasn't holding hands with, was holding the free hand of the other girls. They picked up some clothing, flashlights and headlamps, bug spray, water bottles, and browsed around a few shops for anything else that they might need for their upcoming camp.
With plenty of time still left before the designated meetup time, the group stopped at a shop that sold swimwear and other summer necessities.
That was how Izuku found himself sitting on a bench outside of the fitting rooms in the back of the shop, waiting for his four girlfriends to change into the swimsuits that they'd picked out. He wasn't nervous. Okay, he was. But he knew how beautiful his girlfriends were, he'd seen Camie and Ochako's underthings before too. But he wouldn't be Izuku, or a healthy young man, if he didn't get a bit excited at the thought of seeing the girls wearing less clothing.
"W-What do you think, Izuku?" Ochako opened the door of her fitting room first. She was wearing a black and pink bikini, mostly black, but the waistband of the bottoms was pink, as were the straps of the top.
Izuku was staring, taking in all the exposed skin. 'Her shoulders, her c-cleavage, her midriff, her hips, her thighs, her legs…'
"Izukun?" Ochako felt her face heating up as he stared at her.
"Huh?" Izuku blinked but looked up into Ochako's brown eyes. "You look beautiful, Ochako." The honest and genuine compliment made Ochako blush even more, but she also giggled, happy that Izuku liked her choice of bikini.
"Thank you…" Ochako covered her red cheeks, then turned around, showing off the back.
Izuku's head nearly overheated as he saw that the back of the bikini bottoms didn't cover nearly as much as he thought they would. Ochako's nice booty was covered, but only about halfway, leaving plenty of her cheeks to look at. He was only broken from his staring when Ochako closed the door behind her with a flustered giggle at his reaction.
"Izukun…" Momo stepped out of her fitting room next, wearing a red bikini that fit well, but still somehow seemed to be struggling to hold back Momo's gorgeous body. "Do…Do you like it?" She questioned a little self-consciously.
"Gorgeous." Izuku could only nod his head at seeing so much of Momo's skin exposed to him for the first time. 'B-Boobs… Waist… Hips… Thighs… Legs…' The young man was fairly certain his brain was short-circuiting since he couldn't make a proper sentence in his head.
Momo's cheeks went scarlet as she accepted his praise. "I'm glad…" She smiled beautifully, and Izuku found himself smiling back, his focus removed from her body and now solely on the radiant smile she was giving him. "Um…wh-what about the b-back?" She turned, much like Ochako had done, and Izuku swore he felt his heart beat twice in the span of half a second. Momo's generous bottom was covered a bit more than Ochako's bikini did, but it left almost nothing to the imagination with how tight it was, framing her booty in an amazing way.
"Yeah…" Izuku just nodded dumbly, his eyes stuck on the glorious backside in front of him.
Momo fidgeted a bit as she looked over her shoulder and saw Izuku's focus locked onto her bottom. A thrill went through her, making a giggle escape her lips, and without thinking about it, she moved her hips from side-to-side a little, making her booty shake a bit. Izuku's eyes followed the swaying and Momo didn't think she could be more thrilled (or flustered) than she was right now. "I'm glad that you like it, Izukun."
"Yeah…" Izuku replied, still staring, before he shook his head and looked up at her eyes. "Sorry… You just look amazing in that."
"No…no…I'm happy that you like it so much." Momo ran her hands over her body for a second, Izuku's eyes following them. "I've just never shown off like this before." She smiled at him again, still a little bashful. "It's fun…in a way I can't really describe." She closed the door to her fitting room after admitting that, her entire face a burning red.
"M-Momo…" Izuku breathed out, both stunned and happy that she'd shared her feelings so completely with him. 'Does this mean that she wants to 'show off' more at some point?' That thought would go unanswered as Tsuyu opened the door to her fitting room.
"Kero. What do you think, Izukun?" Tsuyu asked, wearing a black and green one-piece that fit her like a second skin, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. It also left her sexy legs fully uncovered, showing off her thick, strong thighs to her boyfriend.
Izuku's eyes roamed up and down Tsuyu's body, taking in everything with a primal delight. "You're so beautiful, Tsu." He smiled and looked into her eyes with affection and love. 'If the top part wasn't padded, I think I'd be able to make out her n-nipples…' Izuku thought to himself, his face a little red at the image his mind conjured up. The fact that the swimsuit had a bit of a plunging neckline, showing off Tsuyu's own ample cleavage, wasn't helping Izuku think straight.
Tsuyu smiled happily at Izuku for his compliment, her heart beating a little faster as she saw his eyes roam over her body again. "Look at the back, kero." She turned around with an adorable blush.
"…" Izuku was left speechless, Tsuyu's ass was absolutely spectacular, probably from a combination of her Quirk and all the exercise and work she put into her legs. The one-piece tried to cover her cheeks, but they were simply too much for the swimsuit to hold. The globes peeked out from beneath the black and green fabric temptingly.
"Izukun…" Tsuyu fidgeted a little, unintentionally swaying her hips and making her butt jiggle. She felt a strange and wonderful excitement building up within her as her boyfriend was clearly enraptured by her body.
"Ah, sorry, Tsu-chan…" Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "You're really beautiful and I got distracted."
"Kero." Tsuyu smiled at him and, making a snap decision, she reached behind her and moved her fingertips beneath the fabric of the swimsuit. With a tug, the fabric trying (and failing) to cover her ass was pulled inward, disappearing between her cheeks and giving Izuku an unrestricted look at her butt.
"…" Izuku's brain did short-out this time as he gazed upon Tsuyu's perfect ass. The Frog user even bounced slightly on the balls of her feet to make her booty bounce a little.
Kero~" Tsuyu let out a throaty little croak, as she watched Izuku's reaction to her sudden show. With a pleased smile on her face, she closed the fitting room door behind her.
"Ku…" Izuku vaguely heard something as his brain finished burning the amazing sight that Tsu had just shown him into his memory forever. "Zuku…" The sound came again, this time Izuku recognized it as a voice. "Izuku…?"
"Huh?"' Izuku blinked and looked around, only to go wide-eyed and silent as he saw Camie in her chosen bikini.
"Man… Tsu-chan really did a number on you, huh?" Camie giggled at her boyfriend. "I hope I don't disappoint~" She posed for him, putting her hands behind her head and thrusting her chest out. The small black bikini covered everything it needed to…but couldn't hope to contain all that Camie had to offer.
"So…gorgeous…" Izuku breathed out his eyes trying to look at all of Camie at once. 'Her shoulders, her boobs, her midriff, her hips, her thighs!' Camie was fit, but also blessed much like Momo was. The two girls easily held the top spots when it came to bustiest in Class 1-A. Camie was not only aware of this, she flaunted it for her boyfriend.
"Glad you think so, I-zu-kun~" Camie purred at him while running her hands down her body teasingly. When she got to her thighs, she gave them a squeeze, showing off how thick they were. She couldn't beat Tsuyu in this area, but she knew that Izuku liked all of his girlfriends' thighs. "Can't forget the back." She spun before Izuku could fully comprehend her words with his mind stalling and trying to memorize her form at the same time.
"…" Izuku gulped audibly, the sound loud in the quiet fitting room area. Camie's ass was practically in his face, and unlike Momo, Ochako, or Tsuyu, the most forward of his girlfriends had gone with... "Th-Thong…" Izuku managed to breathe again, seeing the tiny black fabric at Camie's hips that completely disappeared between her toned cheeks.
"Mhmm, you like it~?" Camie asked, slowly swaying her booty in front of him.
"Y-Yes…" Izuku nodded after a second to continue enjoying the sensuous swaying in front of him.
Camie giggled, her heart beating fast in her chest as she got to show off for her boyfriend. "I'll make sure to wear it for you then." She still needed to send him a few pics of her in the kunoichi cosplay that she'd ordered too. 'But right now…' A devious little grin crossed Camie's lips as she reached back and swatted her right ass cheek.
"Camie?!" Izuku jolted in his seat, some instinctive part of him wanted to take her into his arms and make sure that she was okay. But a different part wanted to reach out and lightly smack the left cheek to make it match the right one.
"Hmm?" Camie shook her ass again. "Go on, Izukun~" She tempted him as if she were a succubus.
Smack
"Ah!" Camie gasped and then looked over her shoulder at Izuku, her eyes half-lidded with desire from the light smack he'd given her butt. "Mmm~"
When Izuku stood up from the bench and reached for her, Camie thought she may have teased too much and that Izuku had snapped. But when he touched her, his hands gently turned her around and pulled her into a warm hug. "You're a bad influence…" Izuku's warm breath ghosted over Camie's ear and she giggled.
'Why did I ever think he'd lose control and go too far?' Camie hummed happily as she hugged her boyfriend back, making sure to press herself against him.
"Go change, you b-bad girl…" Izuku cursed himself for stumbling a little in his own teasing; but Camie only grinned at him and turned around to walk back into the fitting room with a sexy sway in her hips. The motion made her amazing ass jiggle and Izuku was briefly dumbfounded again until the door closed and cut off his view.
Izuku sat back down, making sure to put one of their bags over his lap while he calmed down.
Once the girls had changed back into their normal clothes, all of them with cute, pink cheeks and happy smiles on their faces, the fivesome paid for the four new swimsuits and left the shop. Izuku was carrying the bags with a dopey little smile on his face that couldn't be removed.
"They said to meet at the food court, right?" Ochako looked at the signs trying to find the right one.
"Yep, we're all gonna have lunch before we continue shopping as a group." Camie confirmed.
Tsuyu looked at the signs and pointed to the right one. "There. We need to take this escalator down to the ground floor."
"Does this mall have a large food selection?" Momo asked her friends curiously, since she'd never been to a regular shopping mall before. "I'm a little hungry."
"I've only been here once before, but I'm pretty sure there's a large number of restaurants to choose from." Izuku tried to recall his last visit to Kiyashi Ward, but it had been back in his first year of Junior High.
"Everyone stand aside, our Yaomomo is hungry!" Camie declared with a laugh as she wrapped her right arm around Momo's left arm.
Tsuyu and Ochako giggled brightly while Momo blushed cutely at the playfulness of her friend.
Izuku watched with a smile as he rode the escalator right behind the girls.
He'd never know that by spending this shopping trip with his girlfriends, that he'd avoided running into Shigaraki Tomura, who was walking among the crowds in a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up and his hands in his pockets. The 'leader' of the League of Villains was pondering on why the Hero Killer had completely outshone him, even though he'd unleashed the Nomu onto Hosu.
'Why the hell is everyone so damn focused on him?!' Tomura glared at seeing actual merchandise based off of Stain's look when he'd been captured on the shelves in a store called 'Underground'. 'All he's doing is destroying the things he doesn't like, the same as me! What makes him so special?!' He would continue to stew over this as he walked through Kiyashi Ward. 'Conviction… Ideals… He's getting sympathy from people that couldn't care less about his ideals.' Tomura thought back to Dabi and Toga with a grimace. 'Why is that?'
The Villain would continue to ponder this, but would eventually come to a conclusion that made sense to him.
Once again…it had to be because of All Might.
His hatred could understand that. It was easy and simple. No wonder he despised the Hero Killer, the man praised All Might as the only 'True' Hero.
"Well, just you wait, Stain…" Tomura grinned widely, a truly disturbing sight, had anyone seen it. "What was I so worked up for? It's still all because of All Might!" He nearly cackled. "Pretty ironic, huh, Hero Killer? We're polar opposites, but I get to make use of your ideals and convictions. They're all stepping stones for me." He changed his path, now walking back towards the rundown bar that was the League of Villains' hideout. There was planning to do and members to recruit.