Chapter 7: A Test of Strength
Ben stood in front of his bathroom mirror, working his hands around his neck with the red tie, and reciting the directions Grandpa Max drilled into him the night before.
"Over and under. Make the loop. Adjust the length. Through the hole... and done!" Sliding the bottom of the tie out, and pulling it to tighten the knot, Ben wriggled the tie to adjust it for maximum comfort. Sliding on his blazer, Ben patted himself down, then gave his reflection finger guns and a wink.
"Lookin' good Ben!" After his performance during the quirk assessment from yesterday, it was safe to say Ben was riding high. While he only used Four Arms and XLR8 so far, it seemed that his skills had not eroded during his year hiatus, and he even seemed a little bit stronger! Four Arms' already incredible strength seemed just a tad bit more powerful than he was a year ago, and XLR8 felt like he could go just a bit faster. He would have to ask Azmuth about these changes, but since they were working in his favor, there was no rush.
Heading into the kitchen with a backpack in hand, Ben made his way to the table, where a small breakfast was waiting for him. Grandpa Max was already eating, reading from a fancy tablet. It must be related to his reenlistment into the Plumbers, as the tablet was made of an unfamiliar material and Grandpa Max had his badge sitting next to his plate. Taking a seat and beginning to eat, Ben, as casually as he could, began talking to his Grandpa.
"Hey, Grandpa?"
"Yes Ben?"
"I know my parents probably already told you not to say yes to this, but I'm going to ask anyway. Can I have a phone? I know I'm technically not 16 yet, but I AM in high school so I-"
"Yeah, sure. Here, hope you don't mind the color." And just like that, Grandpa Max casually whipped out a small rectangular box seemingly out of thin air and tossed it over. Ben caught the box and cradled it in his hands. Ben opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again, flabbergasted! Grandpa Max went back to reading from his tablet, smirking just a little to show Ben that he was enjoying the reaction.
"That's it? Just like that? I thought Mom and Dad said I had to wait until I was 16! I wasn't actually expecting for this to work!" Grandpa Max let out a chuckle at that.
"Yes, well it came up in one of our discussions when you were not around. They were quite stubborn about it until I told them it was more than just a phone. Turn it around." Ben looked down and flipped the box so that the clear plastic covering him a view of the phone's back. To his surprise, there was an Omnitrix symbol on the back, the one that the Plumber's used!
"Mhm, surprised? You shouldn't be. This phone isn't commercially available, it was made by Plumbers for Plumbers. While it works just like any other phone, with internet, apps and call functions, it is also built for our specific needs. It works as a universal translator, GPS, and has the current Plumber Magistrate as a built-in contact." That raised Ben's eyebrow.
"I thought the Omnitrix had all those functions. You know, except for the Plumber stuff, why do I need something fancy like this?"
"Remember what Azmuth keeps telling you? The Omnitrix you're wearing is the prototype; it was built to test the transformation feature, with everything else being added in as an afterthought. Those functions are out-of-date and you might come in need of them soon. So, instead of waiting for that inevitable moment, I'm just giving them to you now. Oh, and your parents don't know about the additional Omnitrix features, so that's why they agreed to a smartphone. It'll be our secret, ok?" Grandpa Max winked, which Ben responded with a wide grin.
There was no time to fool around on his new phone, as Ben ate his food, swung his backpack over his shoulders and headed out the door. Waving goodbye to Grandpa, who shouted some vague words of encouragement, Ben jogged down the steps and made his way back into the streets of Musutafu. Unlike the energetic feeling that permeated the air on the day of the entrance exam and the first school day, the atmosphere was significantly more dull. The excitement must have worn off for the majority of the students.
Making his way easily through the campus, Ben kept his eyes peeled for any one of his friends from 1-B. He knew Tetsutetsu was in 1-B for sure, while Kendo was in the top 10 scorers in the entrance exam. That, along with the fact that Ben didn't see her in 1-A, meant she was also in 1-B. Shoda wasn't a top scorer, but Ben had faith that he made it in, if his attitude and optimistic outlook on things was anything to go by. While Ben didn't know his quirk, the fact that Shoda was so far deep into the practice city was an indication that he was pursuing bots, showing his confidence in acquiring more points. However, unlike the day before, no one was around. Maybe, Ben pondered, he left too early.
His thought was confirmed when he stuck his head into the 1-A classroom and only found a couple other students, all at their desks. A few waved their hands at Ben, but some, like Todoroki didn't move at all. Ben waved back before checking the board at the front for his assigned seat. If he had held his head for just a moment longer, he might have seen Todoroki's eyes narrow, almost in a hostile manner...
Ben found himself just a few seats back of where he sat the day before, at the edge of the seating formation, flush against the windows. Ben's seat was the last one next to a window, as the seats behind him were against the wall. His seat was still in the middle of the class, but it had access to the window, was close enough for him to hear lessons easily, but far enough not to warrant too much attention. Ben was satisfied with most of his seating arrangements. Unfortunately, he was right behind Midoriya. Ben didn't think too badly of him, but from how he acted Ben knew he was going to be interrogating him at every opportunity. From his mutterings, his notebooks, and the comments made by Bakugo, apparently he was something of a quirk fanatic. Ben's situation wouldn't let him say much about the Omnitrix, and Midoriya's curiosity was not going to be satisfied by anything but the truth. Dealing with that guy will be problem number one, unless he could scare him off. Ben did it before, and it seemed like Midoriya didn't have much of a spine.
Shaking his head and slapping his cheeks, Ben tried to purge his mind of those thoughts. He shouldn't be thinking of using intimidation, not as an aspiring hero! It was rude to judge people on such few actions! Didn't stop Ben from doing so, but that was just one of many things he was working on to become a hero. As time passed, with more and more students filling in, Ben brought out his school supplies and ran through his inventory. Pencils, erasers, ball-point pens, calculator, the normal school stuff. Just because he was in the hero program doesn't mean Ben was exempt from normal high school studies, not by a long shot. From reviewing the curriculum with Grandpa Max last night, Ben knew he would need to dedicate himself to his studies if he was going to succeed. Thankfully it seemed like what he went through with his Mom formed a good structure to build upon.
The last few students made their way, and soon all the desks were filled. General chatter died down as Aizawa made his way to the front board, looking as haggard as the day prior, and began writing. Ben tried to seem like his sensei had his full attention, to avoid the looks Midoriya was constantly shooting at him from his seat. Ben crossed his fingers and prayed that he would focus on academics more than him. And as it turns out, he did!
Aizawa gave a brief speech about his duty as a homeroom teacher, and introduced Hound Dog, who came in halfway through the period. The hero was powerfully built, but had lots of dog related attributes due to his quirk. Spiky blond hair stuck out from his head all the way down his neck. His face was elongated like a dog's and was covered by a black muzzle. His suit, or his hero costume in UA's case, was a simple sleeveless vest that had a large brown fur lining around the edges. His brown military cargo pants finished the look. Despite his fearsome appearance, Hound Dog was actually their guidance counselor, there to assist students with dealing with personal problems about themselves, family, and everything similar. The hero himself gave a small talk about the importance of mental health, especially as a hero-in-training. Ben knew it was important, but couldn't help but let his mind wander during the lecture. He was confident in his skills, health, and circumstance. Aside from the looming threat of a life-sentence should he fail at UA, Ben had no reason to go to Hound Dog. He was riding smooth!
Soon, the short first homeroom period was over, and Aizawa left with Hound Dog close behind. It was time for actual lessons to begin. According to the UA syllabus, the general hero class' schedule followed an alternating pattern. While basic classes like math and science would happen everyday, basic hero training, the reasons the hero course existed, would happen every other day as the last class. This was to accommodate both 1-A and 1-B, and meant the student's days would end at different times depending if they had hero training that day. With only a short break and Lunch to break up the lessons, it was clear that UA expected their heroic students to balance basic schooling as well as their hero pursuits. UA was known for their academics as much as their heroics after all.
First up was English, taught by the very energetic Present Mic. His hero costume was a black long-sleeve jacket and matching black pants with a brown belt. Tall black boots and fingerless gloves covered his outer limbs. His neck was covered by his signature collar stereo, alongside headphones. He treated his class very much like a radio show, sharing similar terminology and referring to his pupils as 'listeners.' While Ben appreciated his enthusiasm, it was a bit much, especially as a morning, and admittedly, boring class. Only Ida, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu seemed to respond with as much enthusiasm as Mic.
Next was an equally boring class, modern literature, taught by the gentle Cementoss. Ben, despite only seeing him once before, instantly recognized the hero due to the simplicity of his overall figure. His entire body was the exact same shade of gray, and lacked the normal curves and shape of a human body. His only color was his sleeveless brown suit with yellow highlights and a long collar. He was as slow as his appearance suggested, speaking in a gentle tone at a slow pace. Ben knew he was going to struggle in this class the most, as he doubted he would stay awake long enough to learn.
After a short break, the next class was something Ben was dreading: math class. Ben wasn't bad at math, but he hated the complicated formulas his Mom pounded into his head, and the complex nature of word problems. However, it seems that the teacher, Ectoplasm, would change Ben's opinion. Walking in on two wooden pegs instead of feet was enough for the hero to get the entire class' attention without even trying. His costume was designed to be inconspicuous, with the majority of it being covered by a light brown trench coat. His head and neck were visible, but covered entirely by a skin-tight black bodysuit, with white slits for his eyes, and yellow lines forming ear-muffs and outlining his creepy jaw-guard that seemed to expose his teeth. Looks aside, Ectoplasm taught math the most normal way one could imagine, but that did nothing to diminish his knowledge of the subject. Math was something Ben didn't like, but Ectoplasm would give him no excuses to fail.
Midnight taught the next class, modern hero art history. Midnight was... alluring to put it lightly. Her costume was skin-tight, and left little of her figure to the imagination. Her white bodysuit was divided in half by a red strap going down to her waist. Her middle was covered by a black contraption of some kind, and her red and gold belt and black boots with heels rounded out her costume. One can imagine the effect it would have on a class full of hormonal tennagers, as even the girls seemed a bit hot and bothered. Thankfully the class managed to reign in their baser instincts. Despite the name, modern hero art history was really just history. It covered as much hero history as it did basic japanese history, and the boringness of the subject was overshadowed by the attributes of the teacher.
Lunch was a grand affair, all made by the hero aptly named Lunch Rush. The massive cafeteria housed all the UA students from all years, but the hero seemingly was able to supply enough food to not make any lines too long. Ben would have spent his time enjoying his food and the atmosphere, if he wasn't trying so hard to avoid Midoriya. The moment Midnight's class concluded, Ben saw Midoriya grab a pen and a notebook out of his bag and immediately had a flashback to the quirk assessment test. Wanting to avoid the interrogation that would definitely attract more attention, Ben dashed out of the class and tried to blend in with the crowd as much as possible. Thankfully he managed to slip away with a tray, and found himself at a table right outside the cafeteria. In his rush, he failed to notice a girl who was slumped over on the other side, picking at her food.
That girl was none other than Tsunotori Pony, the only other American transfer student. After an awkward exchange, demonstrating Tsunotori's less-than-stellar Japanese, Ben managed to transfer the conversation to english. At this point, Tsunotori's eyes widened, and she seemed to break out of her stupor as she talked with Ben throughout the lunch period. The two agreed to call each other by their first names, at least in each other's company, and talked about how different UA was from their schools back in the States. How the school was so clean, how the student council had actual responsibilities, that sort of stuff. Lunch was served restaurant style? Wack. Teachers moved from class to class while students stayed in a single room? Weird. Pony was happy that they were able to use their quirks in a school environment while Ben was happy the food was actually cooked on campus, rather than frozen and reheated. Soon, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, and Ben made his way to 1-A and Pony to 1-B.
Class 1-A was the first to have their heroic studies class, and so their day would run one period longer than 1-B. No one complained; in fact, the excitement in the room was almost palpable. The long awaited hero class was just around the corner, and even Ida and Yaoyorozu couldn't withhold their excitement. The poor hero Snipe attempted to keep the class focused on science, but it was a fool's errand. In any other circumstance, Snipe would have been successful in bringing back the class' attention. His strange cowboy-themed costume, complete with a red cape, gas mask, baggy trousers, boots with spurs and a matching hat with a S on it made for a striking figure. Shame he had the worst time slot for his class. Ben couldn't get a good read on Snipe, as he too was getting antsy. Eventually, Snipe gave up and just handed out a printed copy of his class' syllabus and left the moment the final bell rang. The hall erupted in the normal noise of students leaving for the day. All except for class 1-A, and the anticipation was reaching a breaking point.
No one knew who was teaching hero studies this year, as the previous teacher had retired, from both teaching and heroism. No news had been released officially by UA on their newest teacher, except that one had been hired and was going to start this year. This mysterious staff member was unknown to all the 1-A students, except for one green-haired individual, who was vibrating in his seat. He had his eyes glued to the door, and was awaiting the arrival of a certain hero, who was right outside, mentally preparing himself.
This figure patted his costume down, adjusted his cape and ran through his flashcards one last time. He took a breath in, let it out, and let his signature smile grow on his face as he held his hands out to the door.
"I AM HERE!" A thundering voice burst from behind the door, silencing the entire class as eyes shot in a single direction. Only a single person in all of Japan could command such respect in so little words. Could the rumors be true?
"He's here!" Midoriya squealed, his face split into an ear-to-ear grin as he balled up his fists in excitement.
"WALKING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" The doors flew open with a bang, and in walked the man, the legend, the legendary symbol of peace, All Might! His titan-like physique was covered by a skin-tight suit that showed off his muscles, and he had added a cape that flew behind him as if he was running, despite his slow march towards the desk.
"Wow, it's really him! I can't believe All Might himself is teaching us!"
"No wonder UA's been so secretive, they got the number one hero to be our hero studies teacher!"
"Wow, that's his silver age costume! He really does keep a copy of all his suits!"
Ben didn't know as much about All Might as his Japanese classmates, but even he was in awe of the hero standing proudly before him. Ben may have taken down aliens and some criminals, but All Might was something else, at least in his mind. Ben has seen the clips, as any other child his age, of All Might effortlessly taking down vicious villains with a single 'Smash!' and take no damage from the villains' most powerful attacks. All Might was the number one hero and a global phenomenon for a reason, and one can understand that just by being in his presence.
"Hero basic training!" All Might began, still in his loud, boisterous tone, but less of a shout than his entrance was. "This class is what makes UA so special! We will put you all through all sorts of specialized training to transform you into real heroes! So, without further delay!"
All Might took a body-builder pose, twisting his body so that his muscle-ridden back was facing his class and his arms flexing. With a single smooth motion, All Might flourished his cape, blocking the student's view of his hand which secretly picked a metal rectangle, and then held out that hand with the text of the rectangle visible for the class to see.
Battle!
"Battle training! Hell yeah!" Bakugo roared, smashing his fist against his desk while wearing a feral grin. The rest of the class had their own reactions, with some sharing Bakugo's excitement, and others showing more apprehension of being put into battle so early.
Ben couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement flow through his body as he palmed the Omnitrix. While his latest battles were life-and-death, and any enjoyment that could be derived were quickly put down by the severity of his situation, Ben loved fighting in his alien forms. The feeling of power when he tossed full grown men and women aside to save the day never got old. It took a while to get the hand of each of his aliens, but now with many battles under his belt, he had developed a fighting style for each form and for every situation.
'I'm most likely the only student in class with any real combat experience! Oh man, they won't know what hit 'em!' Ben's thoughts were interrupted as All Might put down the rectangle and took up a remote.
"For combat, you all will need something more than the standard-issue gym clothes! Something that suits your exact needs and will bring out all that you can! You will need these!" With a button press, the wall of the class suddenly clicked, and tall, thin rectangular shelves emerged. Five boxes lined the shelves, top to bottom, each with a number on them.
"These are your hero costumes, made in accordance to the quirk registry and the special forms you filled out before the school year started! Take these and change out! Looking good is important to being a hero ladies and gentlemen! When you look good, you feel good! Meet me in Ground Beta, on the double!" All Might turned and began his march out of the class to avoid the swarm of students descending on the costume shelves. Class 1-A quickly found their corresponding costume package and hurried to the locker rooms to change.
The boy's locker room was abuzz with 'oo's' and 'ahhhhh's' as one by one, hero costumes were put on and shown off. Some, like Ben, Kaminari and Ojiro had thin boxes, and when opened only had a couple articles of clothing. Then there were those like Ida, Aoyama and Sero whose boxes were close to bursting with the amount of stuff inside. There were also students with so little in their boxes that one would wonder why they needed a box at all, like Tokoyami and Kirishima.
Ben opened his box with care, and smiled when he saw what was inside. Ben had worked alongside his Mom for an entire week designing potential costumes, and he brought his favorite to be submitted when he was accepted. Tennyson men were not very fashion inclined, and Ben never denied that. He was much more of a comfort guy rather than a stylish guy. However, his Mom put her foot down when the costume part of UA was brought up. Any and all costume ideas would be run through her. Mamma Tennyson wasn't going to have her baby boy become a hero looking like a fool, no sir! She was going to have her son look the part of a hero too!
Ben knew he couldn't have a highly detailed costume. Anything too outlandish would be lost upon transforming, so he needed something practical, but would still let him be recognized. Ben took out the first two pieces: a shirt and pants. The shirt was pitch black and form fitting. Ben vaguely remembered Mom saying something about a solid color to make the other colors pop. Or something like that. The pants were standard soft blue jeans, but made of a tougher fabric to accommodate hero activity. Putting on the pair, Ben reached for the centerpiece of the costume, the jacket. A big leap from his previous black and white, this jacket was Omnitrix-green, long sleeved, and was open down the middle with no zipper. The jacket was asymmetrical, with the right side's sleeve having two white stripes on the upper arm. The left part on his chest had a thick white line running from the top to the bottom, with a black circle near his breast with a white '10' in the center of the circle. On the back was a large Omnitrix symbol. Mom said it 'brought out his eyes.' The last two things in the box were white and black all-purpose combat boots, equally effective for walking on a sidewalk or gripping slippery terrain.
Ben put his stuff away and made his way to a mirror to see his full costume. Twisting and turning, he gave himself a smirk and patted his chest. Damn, he was looking good! Mom was right, changing to a more bright color scheme was the right move! His old 'costume,' if it could even be called that, was boring and dull in comparison to what he had on now. The slick black undershirt made the brilliant green of his jacket pop. That green also lets the 10 on his left side stand out more as well, which will be important once his hero name is put down. The pants and boots were simple and didn't stand out, but that was kind of the point. Ben would let his aliens be the star, and be comfortable and mobile in his human form.
"Nice outfit Tennyson! I see we both went for a more simple approach. You know what they say, great minds think alike!" Ben turned to see Kaminari approach, in a similarly designed costume. A white shirt, black jacket and pants with white lightning bolt designs all over and a cool white belt device. He also had a device, a small earpiece that had an antenna sticking out the top. Ben hadn't interacted much with Kaminari before, but if he was being friendly, why not be friendly back?
"Yeah, you're looking smooth too! Like the lightning bolts!" Ben crossed his arms to pat his upper arms, indicating where the bolt designs were. "Maybe I should do something to my sleeves too. Cool earpiece too. Does it work with your quirk?"
Kaminari opened his mouth to respond, but someone swung his arms over the pair's shoulders, causing them to buckle under the sudden weight.
"Come on guys, that's your costume? They look cool, but they're just normal clothes! I get that they look cool, but don't you think you don't look heroic enough?" Ben identified this newcomer as Kirishima, mostly due to the spiky red hair. Ben and Kaminari looked at his costume to retort, only to be stupified by what he saw.
"At least we have complete costumes!" Ben gestured towards Kirishima's costume, or more precisely, lack of one. "I think you forgot to add a shirt." Kirishima wore baggy black pants, a red R on his belt, and a half-cape on his waist. He had two gear-shaped shoulder pads and some sort of jaw guard that circled his entire face.
"You look kinda like a superhero Oni." Observed Kaminari, poking at the strange shoulder pads.
"Yep, that's one of the many inspirations I had when designing this! I think it's manly as hell!" Pounding his bare chest, Kirishima then began ushering the two out. "Come on, we gotta get going! Don't wanna keep All Might waiting don't we? Also, I didn't really mean anything I said earlier. I think everyone's costumes are cool!"
The trip made their way to Ground Beta, which was similar to the cityscape where the entrance exam's practical section had taken place. The class slowly trickled out of the locker room and made their way to crowd around the entrance, and Ben took this time to analyze the costumes. Aoyama had a fancy knight's outfit, with some circle thingy on his belt buckle. Ida had a full-body metal suit, and it looked sleek, smooth, and freaking cool as heck. Ojiro had a simple martial-arts uniform with a sash around his waist. Koda had a red and yellow uniform with some sort of mouth piece. Sato had a bright yellow bodysuit with a utility belt. Shoji had a blue tank top with six white dots on his stomach, and a large yellow dot on his waist. Sero had a black and white suit with yellow guards around his elbows and a helmet that covered his whole head. Tokoyami had a simple black robe that went to his shins and black boots. Todoroki wore a simple suit, but his entire left side was covered by some cracked substance. Bakugo had a black, orange and white suit with an explosion-theme eye mask and grenade gauntlets. Midoriya was the last one out, wearing a full green suit with a stiff jaw guard and large ears.
The girls also arrived, and some of the boys were staring quite openly at their costumes. Ashido had a turquoise and purple bodysuit with a white eye guard. Asui had a green and black suit with a large set of yellow goggles. Uraraka had a pink and black costume with a helmet, circular wrist guards and tall white boots. Jiro had a black jacket, a salmon shirt with tears, and white fingerless gloves. Hagakure was just a floating pair of gloves and boots. Ben prayed that it didn't mean what he thought that meant. Yaoyorozu had a red leotard with a cut down the middle and a large book on the back of her waist.
"Is everyone changed and ready to go?" All Might surveyed the crowd of students, and gave a nod of approval. "Nice, very nice! You all look good! Now, are you ready for today's exercise?"
"Sensei!" Ida raised his hand. "This area looks similar to the practical exam, so will we be performing cityscape maneuvers again?"
"Nope!" All Might responded. "You all have graduated from robots! Today we will be moving to step two! Anti-personnel training! Now, answer this: where are villains most likely to be found?"
Midoriya was the one who raised his hand, and All Might pointed his finger at him. "Yes, Young Midoriya?"
"Indoors, sir?"
"That is correct! While most media coverage is about the big battles villains and heroes undergo in the streets, the most dangerous villains are significantly more likely to appear indoors! There are numerous advantages to fighting in confined spaces, as one would guess, but the most important one is the element of surprise. When indoors, many heroes must go in blind, a very dangerous circumstance! And one that half of you will either take advantage of, or work around!" All Might then whipped out a small box, with a small opening at the top, just big enough to let a hand through.
"You will now be split into villains and heroes, get a partner, and face off in two-on-two indoor battles!" At that announcement many students either reeled back in shock or let out whoops of happiness.
"Fighting each other already? But what about basic training, ribbit?" Asui croaked out.
"Practical experience is the best way to learn the basics Young Asui!" All Might held up a fist. "Fighting robots is simple as they don't react to your moves and predictably charge at you! Fighting your classmates forces you to think, to make every move count! You just can't learn that against practice bots or a training dummy!" All Might looked to organize the class further, but a stream of questions bombarded him.
"What will determine victory? Elimination, or is there an objective for each team?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"How much can we beat down our opponents?" That was Bakugo.
"Are you going to expel the worst team, like the quirk apprehension test?" Uraraka said fearfully.
"How should we organize ourselves?" Ida's hand shot up again.
"Isn't my cape fabulous? Look how it shines in the sunlight!" Aoyama twirled. Ben thought the cape was nice. It was just that Aoyama's costume was just too busy for the cape to shine.
"Wait, I thought I- hold on! No, don't hurt each other, but still try to win! I was just going to put you into teams, and- arg!" All Might threw his head back in frustration. "One at a time! My quirk does not give me super-hearing or multi-tasking!"
All Might then fished out a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. Even the number one hero, Ben thought to himself with a grin, has his moment. All Might proceeded to unfold the paper, and recited what was on that paper as if he was giving a presentation.
"Here are the details! In this exercise, the villains have planted a bomb in a building and are defending it while the heroes are working to disarm it! The villains will be let into the building first and have 5 minutes to plan, move the bomb if they wish, and use their quirks and support devices to prepare. Then, the heroes will be able to enter, and will have 15 minutes to either disarm the bomb or capture the villains! The villains must defend the bomb for 15 minutes, or capture the heroes! No lethal or overly excessive force is allowed, but physical contact and quirk usage is! To capture an opponent, wrap them in capture tape that will be provided at the start! For the heroes to 'disarm' the bomb, they only have to touch it once! Communication devices will be given to let teammates talk to each other." All Might finally looked up. "Any questions?"
There was only one.
"Is deciding by random the best way to go about this? Should we not be trying to team up based on quirk symmergy, or with teamwork in mind?" Ida said.
"Well, when you think about it, many heroes have to team up on the spot when responding to villains. Makes sense to practice that now." Midoriya responded. Ida seemed to take this answer, as he apologized for holding up All Might even further.
"All right then! There are twenty slips in the box, each with a letter on it! Find the person with the same letter as you to find your team!" The class formed a line at the box, held by All Might. One by one, students put their hands in, took a slip, and searched for their partner.
The teams were:
A: Midoriya and Uraraka
B: Ojiro and Hagakure
C: Todoroki and Ashido
D: Bakugo and Ida
E: Aoyama and Sero
F: Tokoyami and Koda
G: Tennyson and Shoji
H: Kirishima and Asui
I: Yaoyorozu and Sato
J: Jiro and Kaminari
Ben made his way to Shoji, which wasn't that hard considering his appearance. Even without his quirk, he was easily the tallest student in the class, taller than even some of their teachers.
"What's up big guy! Ready to win?" Ben tried to pump up his stone-faced partner.
"Tennyson. While I do not understand your quirk I am very thankful you are on my side. I hope we can work together well." Wow, this guy is fun. Like Ida, except without the funny hand chopping, 90 degree bowing and constant apologizing. His costume was simple, like Ben's, but his mask was still present, and it hid a lot of his emotions.
"Let us begin!" All Might roared, presenting two more boxes. These were much larger, and were on stands that allowed them to be conveniently near All Might's height. "And the first two teams are!"
All Might's hands emerged from the boxes, one labeled 'Hero' and the other 'Villain.' From the hero box, was a sphere with A on it, and from the villain box, a sphere D on it.
"The heroes are Team A! And their opponents and the villains, Team D!" Bakugo and Midoriya stood in shock. While Ben couldn't see Midoriya's face, it wasn't hard to tell what he was thinking. Bakugo held a surprisingly neutral expression, but that worried Ben even more. Ben hadn't forgotten what Bakugo tried to do during the quirk apprehension exam, and now he was in a simulated exercise whose entire point was to let the students fight each other. Ben didn't have a good feeling about this.
"All right! The building is to the left! Villains, remember to adopt a villain's mind set for this exercise! Here, take these!" All Might handed Ida and Bakugo two earpieces and two capture tape rolls. He also handed Ida a small slip of paper. "Here Young Ida, this will tell you what floor the bomb is on! Villains, you have 5 minutes! Heroes, spend this time analyzing the map on that bench!"
Some meters away, on a flat bench, was a map of the building. That was going to be important for every hero team.
"Everyone else, follow me! We shall observe on camera!" The rest of the class followed All Might, the Heroes went to study the map of the building, and the Villains made their way inside the building. After only about a minute of walking, Ben found himself in a rather dark room, which had one wall entirely dedicated to monitors displaying every corridor and room of the building. Only two had activity, the one displaying right outside the building, and the other in the room with the bomb.
"Remember to watch closely, and try to learn something about fighting, your classmates, or both!" All Might produced a clipboard and pen, and adjusted a headset with a microphone on it.
"Your planning period is halfway done! I hope you are getting ready!" All Might's voice, already loud, echoed through the building and an echo was even heard by the observers.
"So, who do you guys think is going to win?" Sato said while working out a kink in his neck.
"It's gotta be Bakugo! I saw him during the entrance exam, the dude's a beast in combat!" Kirishima was the first to speak up.
"I think Ida had the highest probability to win. He has a solid analytical mind and good quirk control. I just worry about his partner's temper." Yaoyorozu said.
"I think everyone's forgetting Midoriya and the stunt he pulled off against the zero-pointer! He just needs one punch, and he wins!" Ashido made a punching motion as she spoke.
"Uraraka may not look very tough, but she scored well on the quirk apprehension test and was in the top 10 of the entrance exam, ribbit. She can hold her own." Asui vouched.
'Well, let's just hope Bakugo doesn't kill Midoriya. I think he's been waiting for this for a while, if what happened yesterday is anything to go by.' Ben tried to tell himself that this was overseen by the number one hero, but even that wasn't enough to quell his worries. He looked at the bomb room screen and saw Ida's mouth moving as he touched the bomb. Bakugo stood still, hands limp at his sides, eyes downcast. Ben only hoped that this strange subdued attitude would carry over in the exercise.
Spoiler, it did not. Not by a long shot. The exact opposite in fact.
Ben watched in horror as Midoriya and Bakugo wound up in a brutal one versus one fight. The moment All Might gave the green light, Bakugo shot out of the room without giving the shouting Ida a second glance. The cameras gave a good view of Bakugo racing down the halls, using his explosions to boost himself. Midoriya and Uraraka entered through the side, through a window. They passed a hallway, only for Bakugo to rocket out and throw an explosion at the pair. Midoriya managed to throw himself over Uraraka to send them tumbling to the ground, bruised, but not blown up. Midoriya sent Uraraka to the bomb, which was guarded by Ida, and fought Bakugo alone.
Midoriya put up a solid first minute, matching Bakugo blow-for-blow. However, Midoriya was not using his quirk, while Bakugo was. That turned the tides, and Midoriya was slowly losing ground, and eventually had to retreat. Bakugo only had a few bruises but was mostly unharmed. If anything, he looked even angrier than before. Midoriya had more bruises and half of his helmet was blown off. It didn't look good for the heroes, especially when Ida caught Uraraka sneaking around.
"Is it just me, or does Bakugo seem to be taking his villain role a bit too seriously? He almost really hurt Midoriya there!" Ben voiced his concerns to Shoji, who was staring at the screens with an unreadable expression.
"I do not claim to know Bakugo very well, but I do agree with your sentiment Tennyson. I only hope that he will not let his personal feelings get in the way of-"
"Don't do it Bakugo! An explosion of that magnitude at such close quarters is excessive force! Are you trying to kill him?" All Might's roar made everyone jump, and all eyes focused on one screen, showing that Bakugo finally found and cornered Midoriya. Midoriya was in a fighting stance, but Bakugo had his right arm braced, and his left arm was working some contraption on the top of his grenade gauntlet.
And then he let it go.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The screen, and multiple others went white as a massive explosion that dwarfed every other Bakugo had ever let out was unleashed. So great was its power that even in the observation room a good distance away shook, with the students inside feeling the shockwave.
"Holy crap!" Ben nearly fell on his ass, but Shoji used one of his many arms to catch Ben. The tall student had his legs spread apart in a braced stance, and was using his other arms to help up others who had fallen over.
"Yo, I thought this was just practice? And what are the support companies thinking, giving a student that kind of firepower?" Kirishima complained as he pushed himself off the ground.
Looking back at the cameras, Ben and the rest of the class gazed at the building, which now had a massive hole in its side. On top of the rubble lay Midoriya, alive, but in shock. The look in his eyes, it was something Ben had seen before. It was a look the innocent people who got caught up in his alien duels had.
It was fear.
Bakugo on the other hand had a maniacal grin on his face and was moving forward. Midoriya was moving, struggling to get up, but at the rate he was moving, it would be too late.
"Bakugo, that is enough." On camera, Bakugo froze, hearing All Might's voice ringing through the building. "Use that other gauntlet, and I will end the match. Using such an attack in a building, hero or villain, is an illogical move. A villain would not risk having a building collapse over himself and his weapon, and a hero would never cause so much collateral damage. You are losing points for that stunt, and there will be consequences. Is that understood?"
Bakugo rolled his head back as he mouthed some sort of response, giving Midoriya enough time to get into a crouching position. The two seemingly exchanged some words before going at it again. However, Midoriya was still not using his quirk and was getting demolished. Bakugo landed blow after blow, and Midoriya fell to his knees once more. Uraraka was not faring much better, unable to get past Ida's speed. It looked grim, and the timer was almost gone, but then Midoriya redirected Bakugo's explosion upward, launching debris into the air that Uraraka used to pelt Ida. While Ida covered his face, he left himself exposed for a crucial few seconds. In those few seconds, Uraraka flew forward and landed on the bomb.
"Hero team wins!" All Might announced, and the room erupted into cheers.
Ben cheered alongside his classmates, but his voice died once he saw Midoriya being carried off on a stretcher by a couple of robotic assistants. From the grimace on his face to the multitude of nasty burns and bruises, it was clear he would not be coming back for a while. Ben never noticed him leaving, but soon All Might was on screen, with a hand clapped over Bakugo's shoulder. The explosive teen was in a state of shock or disbelief, but broke out of it when All Might began to lecture him. While no one could hear what he was saying, from the finger he pointed at Midoriya being ferried away, it was not hard to guess what the topic was.
Soon the remaining three students entered. The villains were mostly untouched, like Ida, but Bakugo staggered to the back of the crowd where he slid down against a wall, still in a state of disbelief. Uraraka looked exhausted, covered in sweat and dust. All Might began the student evaluations, which was taken over by Yaoyorozu. Ida won MVP due to his focus on the objective and good defensive play. Midoriya and Bakugo let their personal grudge overtake their rational senses and ignored their teammates because of that. Uraraka's debris attack was clever, but would never work in a real bomb scenario. Many of her projectiles hit the bomb, and if it was real, it would have detonated. Yaoyorozu really did cover everything, Ben noted, as even All Might struggled to add anything. So, he did not and went to draw the next two teams.
"And up next we have!" All Might lifted his hands out of the boxes. "Team B as the heroes, and Team G as the villains!"
Team G? Ben jolted to attention. That was him! Seeing Shoji and his opponents walking up to All Might, Ben followed quickly behind.
"A few new rules are being added to ensure what happened to Young Midoriya will not happen to anyone else! I have linked the communications to the monitors, allowing everyone to hear what you say! Should you say anything that involves endangering another student, I will stop the battle! The next thing is a voluntary surrender! If you feel threatened or defeated, you can surrender! Simply say out loud that you concede and you will be out of the exercise! If any attacks are made on a surrendered enemy, you will be sent to the principal! Any questions?" No one said a word, but a few people scooted a little bit further away from the unmoving lump that was Bakugo.
"Good! Now, Young Tennyson and Shoji! These are for you." All Might deposited an earpiece and roll of capture tape to the villains. "Now, the building is damaged, so I will escort you all to a new site! I will give the hero team their equipment there. Do not worry spectators, I have already adjusted the monitors here! Now, onwards!"
The four students followed All Might out a different door and ended up at an identical looking building. The only difference, All Might explained, were sound receptors on the cameras. This building was for the older years, but due to the condition of their building, they would use this one.
All Might sent Ben and Shoji inside, and directed the heroes to the building map. The villains walked up a flight of stairs to find the room with the bomb. They quickly deposited the capture tape in their pockets and put on their comms.
"Testing testing! Oh man, this is so cool!" Ben giggled as he played around with his comm. He couldn't help it, he was positively giddy with excitement! For the first time, he was working with someone and was allowed to fully use the Omnitrix in public! If Shoji was annoyed he didn't let it show. Instead, he got right down to business.
"Yes, it appears our comms are working. Now, based on what I know about the exercise and our opponents, I say we should move the bomb to a higher floor. Neither of them have a quirk that gives them vertical mobility, so we should abuse that."
"Oh yeah, we're against Ojiro, the guy with the tail, and Hagakure, the invisible girl right? Yeah, I don't think Ojiro can climb with a tail. Unless?" Ben ran over to a window and stuck his head outside. Looking down, there were a couple ledges to grab, but too far away to climb effectively. The walls were smooth, also making climbing impossible without equipment.
"Mhmm, yep, not climbable! Unless they have grapple hooks or something. But Ojiro has a martial arts uniform and I think Hagakure may be naked. All she has are gloves and boots. But I don't want to think about that. Anyway, do you need help with that?" Ben brought his head back in and watched as Shoji spread his arms around the bomb and lifted it. To both their surprise, Shoji shot up so fast that he almost rammed the top of the bomb into the ceiling.
"It's made of some sort of paper mache. Light and easy to move, except for its large size. Lead the way Tennyson, let's move this a couple floors up." Ben spent the next couple minutes helping Shoji move the bomb up to the fifth floor, and then the two rooted around trying to find a suitable room to house it. According to Shoji, they needed a room that was big enough to let him use his large size and large wingspan, but one without windows and doors. Eventually they found one that matched the bill and set the bomb down in the back. All Might had announced the half-way warning a while back, so the match was set to start in less than a minute.
"So, what do you think my dude? Four Arms to smash them? Seems like a good idea to me!" Ben activated the Omnitrix and began dialing through his aliens. It was important to start the academic year strong, and All Might did say this was for a grade, so Ben wanted to knock this one out of the park!
"Tennyson, hold it." Shoji's calm voice stopped Ben, and he turned around to see his taller partner standing in the middle of the room with his arms folded. "I understand you think you can overpower this situation, but I believe if we wish to demonstrate our full heroic capabilities, coming up with a plan of defense is most optimal. Please, hear me out before transforming into whatever your forms are called."
"Oh, ok." Ben pressed the button once more to deactivate his watch and made his way to stand before Shoji, "Yeah, sorry about that. I'm just excited ya know? I do want to win, so, yeah. What have you got?"
Shoji's left eyebrow raised a bit, surprised at Ben's compliance. He had honestly expected another Bakugo, but got a pleasant surprise instead. So, he began to illustrate his plan. "As it stands, the hero team has a major advantage. They just need to touch the bomb once to win, and they have Hagakure. While I'm sure you could eventually find her with your speed form, I doubt our opponent will walk in without a plan of their own. I don't want to have you trying to find Hagakure, only for them to double team me and win. We need to both defend the bomb and put pressure on them to not let them through." Ben nodded along. All Shoji's points were valid.
"They know what I do, based on my mutations, but I have one other trick: I can form my limbs into sensory organs." Shoji demonstrated by moving his arms down, and forming their fists into mouths and ears. One of the mouths began to move. "See?"
"Yeah. That's uber cool." Ben managed to get out as he observed Shoji's arms in fascination. It really was cool, not even Four Arms could do that!
"I can use my limbs to scout without moving, and I will easily be able to tell if Ojiro is approaching. From there, I say we use Bakugo and Ida's strategy of both attack and defense. I will stand guard, and you go and attack. I know I can take Ojiro, and if I can't outright beat him, I can stall him. I can't stop Hagakure, but that's where you come in. I don't know if you do, but do you have additional forms? And if you do, is there one that can hunt down an invisible target?" Ben let a grin form. Oh, did he ever! A perfect opportunity to show off one of his more 'beastly' aliens.
"You bet I do! So, the plan is you defend against Ojiro and I go after Hagakure?" Ben brought up the Omnitrix once more to activate it and turn the dial rapidly.
"Yes. Once you have taken out Hagakure, move on to Ojiro. If he is attacking me, try to get behind him. If I take him out before you take out Hagakure, I will stay to guard the bomb." Shoji reaffirmed his plan.
"Begin the match!" All Might's voice echoed throughout the building.
"Ok, you sure? This guy I'm turning into, he's strong but he's not too good at speaking. I won't be able to talk to you after I transform. That good?" Ben looked up to see Shoji give a nod, and take a couple steps back. Ben laughed.
"Oh come on! I won't hurt you, you're my partner! Whatever, it's hero- wait, no it's not. I'm technically a villain for now. It's villain time!" Ben brought his hand down on the Omnitrix, but not before regretting his choice in slogan.
Immediately upon the Omnitrix's activation, Ben's body changed more drastically than his other two put together! His skin grew orange hairs, and it covered his entire body! His spine arched, his hands grew, and his nose and ears withdrew! Falling onto all fours, his hands and feet morphed into massive paws, and his neck and skull stretched considerably. His eyes glowed a vibrant orange, but soon faded and then his eyes disappeared altogether! His shoulders broadened, his waist narrowed and extended, and his lower jaw grew. His teeth grew to massive sizes, and his bottom incisors grew to the point of being unable to be held in his mouth!
After the flash of green, Ben was fully transformed, and not in a humanoid form! Gone were skin and clothes, now Ben was covered entirely with thick orange fur! His now canine-like form stood on four legs, with the front being thick and muscular. His paws extended into five small toe-like appendages, each armed with a large, tough black claw. His hind legs mirrored the front ones, just thinner and had three toes and claws instead of five. On his front left upper leg, a black armored brace held the white and black Omnitrix nodule. Ben's torso was now built of pure muscle, and on his long neck, three flaps lined both sides. His face, now long and narrow like a dog's, held no eyes or ears! Instead, a massive jaw full of massive, razor-sharp teeth outlined black lips opened into a snarl. Ben was no more, he was now Wildmutt!
"GAROHHHHHHHHH!" Ben let out a primal roar, and kept out of the room, leaving a stunned Shoji sliding down a pillar as he clutched his beating heart.
Omnitrix Form #1 - Species: Vulpimancer, Hero Name: Wildmutt
Strengths: Wildmutt is an apex predator, one that embodies raw primal power. As Wildmutt, Ben has incredible strength, endurance, stamina, and agility. Wildmutt's all-purpose claws give him great traction, and can even piece metal and stone! This allows Wildmutt to dodge attacks with ease, climb many surfaces, and tear objects apart. Of course his strength is nothing to scoff at either; while not like that of a Tetramand, Wildmutt is more than capable of throwing objects much heavier than his own weight. The most obvious trait of a Vulpimancer, their lack of eyes, is actually indicative of their greatest strength: their sense of smell. That sense of smell acts like a thermograph, giving Ben a 'map' of sorts of his surroundings. Combined with impeccable hearing, hiding from Wildmutt is nearly impossible. An underrated strength is Wildmutt's quadruped nature. 99% of quirk fighters in quirk society only fight bipedal foes, meaning many do not know how to properly deal with Wildmutt. With the strength of a feral hunter, Wildmutt is one of Ben's favorite aliens.
Weaknesses: Wildmutt challenges the Omnitrix's definition of 'intelligent' life, as a Vulpimancer is not nearly as evolved as Ben's other aliens. Wildmutt speaks with barks and growls, with no other beings able to understand him except for other Vulpimancers. Wildmutt is not humanoid, and that can be a disadvantage due to poor public reception. While his other senses are great, being blind can be tricky in certain scenarios. Wildmutt is also one of the few aliens Ben has with an easily visible vulnerability: his gills. The flaps on Wildmutt's neck are vital for his sensory intake and a blow to that area can effectively 'blind' him for a time. The opposite is true, as such acute senses are prone to being overloaded with loud or high-pitched noises and pungent odors. Despite these flaws, Ben has shown great use of Wildmutt and makes this quadruped work wonders.
Back in the observation room-
'Very good Young Shoji, your planning and careful nature will take you far in your hero career! And you too, Young Tennyson, for listening to your partner and trusting their plan. It also seems like Young Ojiro and Hagakure are also working quite well together. Interesting, interesting!' All Might jolted down a couple notes, pleased to see his new rules working well. Now able to hear their voices, and their thought processes, insightful discussions were occurring much more than the first match. Of course, the person with the most attention on him was Tennyson.
"I can't wait to see what Tennyson will turn into this time! You think he'll bring out that big guy again, like he did for the entrance exam? Or maybe that speedy dinosaur thing?" Sato rubbed his hands together in excitement.
"I hope he brings out a different one! Maybe it will be a cute, small one! That would be nice!" Ashido was hopping in place.
"Perhaps he will bring out something new. This would be the best time to do so, his opponents would have no idea of what is coming until it is too late." Tokoyami rustled his limbs under his dark cloak while gazing up at the screens.
"Regardless of what Tennyson turns into, it is good that he is paired with Shoji. Looks like Shoji's strategic mind with Tennyson's power is a powerful combination." Ida had taken off his helmet, and was stroking his chin.
"Yes, but just because Tennyson is present does not mean we should disregard the other team. Ojiro looks to be a powerful melee combatant in his own right, and Hagakure is a win condition on her own. All they need is to have Hagakure sneak past and get one touch to win the game." Yaoyorozu said.
"Begin the match!" All Might now spoke into his microphone, causing the heroes to move. The class could hear their plan: a two pronged maneuver. The heroes guessed that Tennyson would try to catch them with his speed form, so by spreading out at least one could find the bomb. Both would try to sneak to the bomb location, where Ojiro would distract the villains, and Hagakure could get the win.
The entire class, All Might included, leaned in as Ben dialed up the Omnitrix, and slammed down. What would he turn into now? One of the two they had seen before? As the light faded, they were greeted with a new one. But this one did not get as good a reception as his other ones.
"What in blazes is that!" All Might couldn't stop himself from recoiling at the beast Ben had turned into. All Might had been around the block for a while, and had seen many, many mutation quirks. Heck, Hound Dog was one of the more beastly people he'd met! But this? This was on a whole new level. All Might expected Ben to turn into various other humanoid creatures, as he had seen with his two prior. He was not sure he liked this one. The class behind him seemed to agree.
"I take it back! I take it all back! If this is what Tennyson can turn into, he should stick with the first two!" Ashido was now covering her face, turning away from the screen. She wasn't the only one who wasn't a fan of this new form.
"How horrid! What an unsightly beast! No hero should ever look so... alien!" Aoyama seemed particularly disgusted by Wildmutt, especially when the slobber started dribbling out of its mouth. When Wildmutt gave his roar, the speakers vibrated dangerously as the noise transferred through, making many students take a few steps back. Yet, not every student was disgusted by Wildmutt.
"How interesting! No eyes or ears, yet Tennyson is still able to effortlessly navigate through the building at such high speeds! Perhaps the eyes are just not visible through his thick fur? Some dog species share similar traits." Yaoyorozu said while closely examining Ben as he darted through hallways and down a flight of stairs.
"I wonder why he chose this form over his others? While this one is probably a powerful close-quarters combatant, why choose something that is obviously less strong and not as fast?" Ida wondered aloud.
"It's probably for this one's sense of smell, ribbit. Without eyes, this form is definitely blind, but that means its other senses are much more powerful to compensate. Hagakure may be impossible to see due to her quirk, but she still makes noise and has a scent. Unless she scrubbed herself clean of any smells, which she didn't, her quirk will be useless against Tennyson." As Asui finished, people began to realize the match-up and how screwed Hagakure was.
"Oh, this sucks for Hagakure. I hope she just surrenders, I don't want to see her try to fight that thing." Jiro sighed as she saw Wildmutt halt, sniffing the air. The quills on his back rose, and as Wildmutt started moving again, he went slowly and silently. As if stalking prey. But that meant-!
'Please be in control Young Tennyson! I do not wish to interfere with another match, but if you prove to be a danger, I will.' All Might clenched his fists as he saw the orange beast stalk through the halls on the second floor. This was going to be a tense couple of minutes.
Back to Ben-
Ben was no stranger to his alien's base instincts. While Ben is still himself when he transforms, the alien he transforms into retains some form of sentience in order to allow the Omnitrix user access to that species' abilities. Ben learned this too late, as his battle with Ghostfreak, turned Zs'Skayr, proved. Ben had forcibly used his alien's powers, but he now knows that sometimes it is best to let the alien itself do the work. That was exactly what he was doing now, letting Wildmutt take the reins to hunt down their prey.
Hunt, hunt, hunt! Prey moving, slow, unaware.
Ben was still there, but he just tucked away his consciousness to let Wildmutt's wild instincts go to work. He would still direct Wildmutt as to not bring Hagakure any real harm, but other than that he wasn't really doing anything.
Down, right, forward, stop! Prey approaching!
Ben would only step in to stop Wildmutt from making the lethal blow. But for now? This was Wildmutt's hunt.
*Sniff sniff*
Three scents. First smell, friendly. Pack member. Second smell, prey. Close. Third smell, also prey. Far. Pack member claimed that kill.
Wildmutt vented his gills, attempting to get read on the land.
Prey, unaware. Ambush! But where? Wherewherewhere- cave! Go to cave, wait for prey!
Wildmutt gently pushed his way past a door and silently entered a small room that lacked any furniture. Turning around, Wildmutt assumed a crouching position, and took several more deep breaths.
Prey coming! Wait!
This area was near the building's east side on the second floor. Hagakure was trying to sneak through a hall, but was approaching a fork in the road. She wanted to go forward, as that was where the stairwell was. Yet, as she approached she failed to look left, in the hallway that branched out from her current path. If she looked left, and on the left side of that hall, she may have noticed a door mysteriously ajar, and some orange limbs, ready to attack. But Hagakure's inexperience showed, and she continued, oblivious to the danger...
Prey in sight! Small, human, female. No strange scents. No metal-tools. Take down from back. Jaw around throat. Easy kill.
Hagakure was now in plain 'sight' of Wildmutt. She moved forward.
Wait!
Hagakure was now in the middle of the hall's entrance.
Wait!
Hagakure was moving forward, with no signs of looking behind her.
Wait!
Hagakure finally moved past the hall, and was now fully focused on the stairs.
Now!
"ROOOAHHHHHHHH!" Wildmutt sprung off his hindlegs, using them to launch himself forward! As his front paws slammed into the ground, Hagakure whipped around, but her invisibility made any expression she made impossible to read. Her scream certainly expressed her feelings.
"AHHHHHHH!" A female voice shrieked in terror as she stumbled on her own feet, twisting and falling to the floor. Her hands braced behind her, stopping her head from hitting the ground, but she was now on the floor, immobilized! Wildmutt now sprung on her, jaws wide and claws extended!
Prey! KILL!
Wildmutt's senses all indicated that Hagakure was now helpless and the hunt was his! Ben was about to intervene, stopping the lethal blow when a lucky blow gave the prey another chance.
Thud! Hagakure lashed out with her right leg, in a desperate move to give herself space. The gods of the hunt must have been smiling on her that day, as her combat boot collided with Wildmutt's left gill pad.
"Rhreeee?" Wildmutt suddenly reared back, as an intense pain flooded his left side! The 'map' his senses had been providing him has suddenly blacked out, and now he was blind! Waving his head in confusion and was growling and whining, trying to regain his senses. That was all Hagakure needed, as she scrambled up and booked it out of there!
Pain, bad pain! Prey attack? Prey strong? Hunt again!
Breathing a couple times out of his left side, Wildmutt slowly regained his left side 'sight.' Another set of breaths and Hagakure's scent was located once more. She was still on the second floor, and moving down the next hallway down!
Prey is tired! Prey is noisy! Chase down!
With another howl, the chase was on! Hagakure may be quite fit for a teenage japanese high schooler, but a Vulpimancer was far stronger and faster, and was used to hunting equally fast and agile prey. A slightly stronger than average human? Child's play.
Forward, left, forward, right! Prey ahead, right side!
Wildmutt surged forward, and slid into the entrance of one last hall, the hallway where Hagakure was currently sprinting down. She was trying to talk into her comm, but that proved to be her last mistake. With her scent locked down, vibrations giving her away, and now her voice to pinpoint her location, Wildmutt had everything he needed to finish the hunt.
A mighty leap sent Wildmutt flying forward at terrifying speeds, and Hagakure didn't even have time to turn her head around before Wildmutt crashed into her body. Exhausted, and with her remaining breath knocked out of her, and now with the weight of a Vulpimancer on top of her, there was no escape.
Prey down! Kill!
'Now hold on, reel it in! Just touch her with your teeth Ben! No biting!'
Wildmutt gnashed his teeth, and then gently pressed them against the back of Hagakure's neck. The threat was now clearly on the table. With a shaky breath, Hagakure whispered out her surrender.
"I concede." A faint voice reached Wildmutt's ears, and the ones of All Might through her communicator.
"Hagakure has been defeated! She is now out of the match!" He announced.
Prey down? What now? Pack, go back to pack!
Moving off the Hagakure's body, Wildmutt now sprang back into action, with Ben letting him come back into full control.
Right, forward, left, up, left, right! There, scents! Two! Friend and prey! Attack!
Pawing the ground a couple times before charging, Wildmutt then threw himself down a hall, barrelling down towards where two other students were in a standoff. Both Shoji and Ojiro were sweaty and panting, but neither had any real injuries. Shoji's massive reach and many limbs were impossible to break through but Ojiro's martial abilities far outclassed Shoji's own. Neither could get a solid hit on the other, and were now trying to find an opening. However, a new variable was thrown into the mix as Ojiro, who turned around at the sound of footsteps, let out a gasp and tried to get into a defensive position.
It was too late. Wildmutt slammed his head into Ojiro's stomach, and sent him tumbling back a few steps as he struggled to regain his footing and breath. Not one to let up on an assault, Wildmutt reared back on his hind legs and cuffed the tailed student's ear, nearly smacking him into a wall. Ducking to avoid a sloppy punch, and then dodging back as a tail swipe followed up, Wildmutt then stayed there, growling.
Ojiro staggered forward, the right side of his face still not functioning after what he assumed to be Tennyson got a few blows in. His right eye's vision was shaky, his ear was ringing, and his balance was off. He tried to get back into a defensive posture, but was left confused as to why Tennyson just backed off. Why didn't he press his advantage?
"Forget about me?" Suddenly four powerful arms wrapped around Ojiro, coiling around his arms and then compressed hard. Ojiro suddenly found himself fully immobilized; his tail was trapped between his back and Shoji's front, his arms pinned to his side, and his legs lifted off the ground and too far to kick his opponent. Ojiro still struggled, desperately trying to break free. A valiant effort, but his fate was sealed as Shoji's bottom arms grabbed his capture tape and wrapped it around Ojiro's neck.
"Ojiro has been captured! In just 2 minutes and 41 seconds, the villain team has defeated the hero team! The villain team wins!"
At All Might's announcement, Shoji gently lowered Ojiro down to the floor and then released him, where the blond boy nursed the side of his head. Wildmutt dashed over to Shoji and leapt up a few times, letting out what the student's thought to be victory noises. After settling down, Wildmutt lifted his right paw and hit the Omnitrix nodule on his right brace. A flash of green later, and Ben Tennyson was back.
"All right, we did in Shoji! Your plan worked perfectly! We freakin rule dude!" Ben ran up to him and held out his clenched fist. After staring at the offered limb for a moment, Shoji lifted one of his many arms, formed it into a fist and bumped it into Ben's.
"Yes, I do suppose we rule. Well done Tennyson." Ben grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet. This had gone better than he expected!
"Yeah, you guys did good. I- hurk!" Ojiro sputtered as he tried to stand back up. Shoji lent him some assistance to stand him back up, and after a couple moments of concentrated breathing, Ojiro looked much better.
"Thanks Shoji. You guys really were amazing. I couldn't get past your arms, and Tennyson, your new form hits like a truck! Just three hits almost knocked my unconscious."
"Oh yeah, Wildmutt is a lot stronger than he looks. He's, like, a hundred dogs in one package!" That caused Shoji's eyebrow to raise.
"Four Arms, Accelerate, and now Wildmutt. Do you name all your forms?" He questioned. Ben nodded.
"Yeah. Oh, and it's ex-el-r-eight, not ac-cel-er-are. It's cooler that way." While Shoji's expression did not change, Ben could feel judgment radiating off of him.
"Yes, if you say so. Let us collect Hagakure and return to the room for our debrief." When the group encountered Hagakure, still on the ground, they helped her up once they confirmed she was all right. Ben exercised enough restraint so that the only wounds she suffered were from being knocked to the ground. Making their way out the building and back to the observation room, the four were let in immediately. Ben followed his partner to the front, but didn't miss the various looks people gave him. Kirishima gave him a grin and a thumbs up, Aoyama didn't meet his gaze, and Koda surprisingly gave him a smile and a nod.
"A very strong performance by the villain team! Well done Young Shoji and Tennyson, for setting a new time record! But do not feel bad heroes, you were in a tough match-up. Learn from this loss, and use that drive to win next time! But what mistakes did each team, and each team member make? Any takers from the spectators?" All Might swept his hand out to the crowd, where several people raised their hands. "Yes, Young Sero?"
"Well, I won't pretend that it's hard making decisions in the heat of battle, but I think Ojiro made a massive mistake in his battle against Shoji. Once Tennyson hit him from behind, he focused entirely on him, and turned completely around. I know it must have been surprising, but you can't just ignore the opponent you've been fighting with!" Ojiro bowed his head in shame.
"Yeah, I think the heroes had a decent plan, but it fell apart when they got into combat. Ojiro wasn't the only one to mess up; Hagakure panicked and should have tried to get into a room where she could have used a door to stop Tennyson's attacks. Then she could have alarmed Ojiro." Uraraka spoke up, but shot an apologetic glance at Hagakure, showing she meant no harm.
"Yes, the heroes had a good plan with the information they had, but fell victim to their emotions and instincts when under pressure. A common error, one that is surprisingly common in the professional scene." All Might said. "Now, what about the villains?"
Kaminari was the one to respond first. "Shoji was a beast on defense! It was clear Ojiro had better form and all that stuff, but that didn't amount to anything when he couldn't even get close enough to throw a punch! He also responded well to Tennyson's interference, despite not communicating."
"Tennyson of course played a huge part in their victory. His canine form perfectly countered Hagakure's stealth, and he showed both great restraint to prevent excess injuries and teamwork in how he double-teamed Ojiro." Yaoyorozu added.
"Yes, very good analysis! As for the MVP of this round... it is Young Shoji!" The student in question's eyes widened in shock and some murmurs went through the crowd. "Why do you think that is?" All Might pointed at Ida.
"Sir! It is because of what happened before the match! Shoji was the one to plan out a defense, and correctly identified his opponents, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to best deal with them with the tools he had! Tennyson, while he did do most of the work, showed overeagerness in the beginning. If Shoji did not step in, he may have gone in too early, which is what the hero team was planning for!"
Ben grimaced a bit at Ida's criticism. Yeah, Ben knew he often charged in without thinking, he had done that many times before. It was definitely something he had to change. He had some aliens, like Greymatter and Upgrade, that could work very well if their usage was planned properly, but he much preferred Four Arms and Diamondhead's strategy of just punching things down.
"That is correct! Young Tennyson could have taken the hero team out on his own, but the purpose of this exercise is not to beat the other team, it is to learn and experience real world scenarios. In a real situation, if Young Tennyson had just charged actual villains, his fellow heroes would not know how to assist properly, and he may have picked a poor fight! It is important to plan with your fellow heroes, rather than assume they can follow you up! Congratulations again Young Shoji, and now let us choose the next group!"
Ben sat next to Shoji against a wall as they watched the next three matches. The first had the hero team of Kirishima and Asui used Midoriya's strategy to win against Tokoyami and Koda. Kirishima used himself as a living distraction, using his hardened skin to shrug off Tokoyami's Dark Shadow and Koda's army of mice. Asui used her frog climbing abilities to scale the side of the building and leap onto the bomb for the win. The next hero team of Jiro and Kaminari had a good start, but Aoyama and Sero were able to beat them. Really it was Sero, as Jiro used her ear jacks to pinpoint Aoyama's patrol and directed Kaminari to shock him. Sero properly prepared, and suspended himself in the air with his tape to not give away his position. Using clever traps, he successfully ensnared the heroes.
The last match was a bit of a let down, considering who was in it. Todoroki versus Yaoyorozu, the two recommended students of class 1-A. While Yaoyorozu used her quirk to set up traps, and Sato stood near a wall to lay an ambush, Todoroki shooed away Ashido at the start and walked up to the building alone. Crouching down, he then froze the entire building, shocking the whole class. Yaoyorozu was down, and Sato was frozen to a wall, preventing movement. Ignoring his teammate, Todoroki then walked in and touched the bomb, ending the class with a very anti-climatic win. Yaoyorozu took the loss particularly rough, as she was downcast and solemn during the very short debrief.
The class concluded, and after a very showy exit of running into a leap that carried him out of sight, All Might dismissed the class for the day. Some, like Ben, packed up and left for home, and the rest went back to the classroom to wait for Midoriya to leave the nurse's office. Ben said his goodbye to Shoji, who seemed to be warming up to him and gave him a wave and a farewell. Ben hurried to the girl's locker room, wanting to make sure Hagakure was alright. He spotted a floating set of female clothes and made his way forward, and Hagakure assured him that she was fine, and that she was just spooked. She even apologized to him, as she realized her kick must have done serious damage to Wildmutt to send him reeling like that.
Ben's next two encounters were significantly less civil and fun. After laughing with Hagakure and saying goodbye, Ben ran into Todoroki when turning a corner. Ben tried to apologize, but Todoroki's icy glare froze the words before they could leave his mouth. Ben tried several more times to talk, or at least say sorry, but Todoroki did not say a word, only continuing to glare at him, unmoving, silent, and acting very disturbingly. The guy was acting like Ben had insulted his mother, and it sent chills up his spine. After a half-hearted goodbye, Ben turned around and made to leave. As he turned a corner, he chanced a look behind him, and sure enough, half-and-half was still staring at him, giving him the evil eye.
When Ben left the building and made his way to the gate, he almost ran into Bakugo, who was walking abnormally slowly, with his hands stuck in his pockets. Ben dodged around him, and braced himself for him to erupt into a tirade of 'you looking down at me?' or 'fuck you Tennyson, you pebble/extra/-instert derogatory term here-!' But nothing came. It was almost like the spark that made Bakugo himself was temporarily extinguished. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Ben hurried to turn left at the gate corner. Just as he was about to, Midoriya came running out, screaming his nickname for Bakugo, and Ben watched from around the corner as the two had some sort of conversation. It reignited the Bakugo spark, as he started yelling and cursing again. Soon, All Might swooped in, but Bakugo brushed off his hand and continued walking.
Ducking out of sight, Ben hurried home. He was starting to get to know his classmates, but he wasn't really sure what to think of them. Some like Shoji, Kirishima, and Kaminari he was almost friends with, or at least hoped he was. He was on good speaking terms with Ida, Yaoyorozu, Sato, Ojiro and Hagakure. He didn't know enough about Aoyama, Ashido, Tokoyami, Koda, Asui, Jiro, Sero and Uraraka, but they all seemed like respectable people. Bakugo and Todoroki hated him, that was easy. Ben noted to himself to add Todoroki to his avoid list. Midoriya was a wild card, as he had been in Recovery Girl's office so much that Ben hadn't had that much time to interact with him. Such a strange and diverse class! Maybe, Ben mused, an alien shapeshifter wouldn't stand out so much.
An office at UA-
"...and here is the list of the MVPs and my reasoning. Watch the clips if you need more proof." All Might handed Aizawa a small stack of papers covered in small notes.
"Thank you. Anything you need to tell me?" Aizawa began leafing through the papers, impressed at the amount of notes All Might took, but not at the contents.
"Endeavor's kid, Todoroki, has a powerful quirk and excellent control over it despite his young age. He only uses ice however, despite registering his quirk as fire and ice control. He is also very antisocial and has terrible team skills." All Might reported. "Bakugo needs temper and attitude control, as you have told Nezu. Look over his clip, the first one, to see what he does in a combat situation. Then, of course, there is the matter of Young Tennyson."
Aizawa looked up at All Might as his previous sentence tapered off. The symbol of peace sighed, ran his hand down his face, and spoke.
"He showed a new transformation Aizawa." That got his attention. The papers in hand were immediately forgotten and shoved onto the desk, Aizawa gave his full attention to All Might.
"Another one? So soon?"
"Yes, and this one was very different, I've seen nothing like it before. It was an orange canine with no eyes, thick orange fur and black claws. From what I observed, it had incredible physical capabilities, but what stood out was its tracking abilities. Incredible hearing and sense of smell made tracking someone who was completely invisible look easy. He actually got the jump on her." It was Aizawa's turn to run a hand down his face.
"Super strength, super speed, and now super senses. Of course. I know we were warned beforehand, but it doesn't make our job easier. This kid is a bottomless pit of potential problems." Aizawa leaned back in his chair and let out a groan. On days like this, during problems like this, Aizawa just wanted to curl up in a dark forgotten corner and sleep. His job as a teacher prevented his fantasy, and he looked back up to All Might's face.
"Ok, for 1-A's next heroic studies class we'll continue to the USJ as planned. Put him in scenarios where he should reveal different forms, and get it all on tape. We need to find out how many forms he has and what they do. I swear, the quirk registration office should be paying us for this!"
All Might let out a weak chuckle. "Yes, it seems ridiculous that we, professional heroes, are spending so much time investigating one student. Young Tennyson necessitates this however. I do believe that the USJ will be particularly effective on him, and I will strive to show him the importance of rescue. With his versatility, I'm sure he could become a fantastic rescue hero!"
"You can dream, but Tennyson's still a young boy. He wants to punch the bad guys, because that is all that is broadcasted these days. I bust a notorious drug ring that's been a problem for years, the media doesn't give me the light of day. Mountain Lady pulverizes a bike thief in broad daylight? Media covers that for days." Now All Might gave a real laugh at that.
"I thought you were an underground hero! You hate the media, remember? So why do you suddenly care about coverage of your heroic actions?" All Might teased Aizawa to receive a grunt in response.
All Might turned to leave, remembering to read up on the notes he had on the USJ. A facility dedicated to rescue, with no combat whatsoever. What could go wrong?