Chapter 299 - 47-

Chapter 47: Term Finals Part 1

Himiko let her head fall onto the table with a thud. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" 

Minoru climbed over the table and poured some more beer into Himiko's empty mug from the giant pitcher that their table shared. "Drink more?"

Kyouka rolled her eyes. "I think she has more serious problems than an empty glass."

"An empty glass is a serious problem when you're out to drink," Minoru countered as he topped off his own glass, then Kyouka's. "Besides, it's not like the other problem is that hard to solve anyway." Minoru chugged down a good quarter of his pint. "Cause I think the solution is pretty cut and dry. Don't you?"

Kyouka sighed and sipped her drink. "Just because it's obvious to us, doesn't mean it is for everyone."

"What are you two talking about?" Himiko asked, her face still smooshed against the polished wood of the table. "There is no simple answer!"

"Errr." Minoru scratched his head. "You sure about that? 'Cause it really seems obvious what your next step is. Get married."

Himiko's head snapped up. "Don't say that! The m word is not allowed to be spoken here!"

"Engaged?" Kyouka offered with a smirk.

"Shut it, bottom." Himiko glared at Kyouka pointedly, but jolted in her seat when Kyouka stabbed her side with her ear jack. "Ow! Bitch!"

"Look, at this point I think you're the only one here that doesn't realize that getting married is the next step here," Kyouka explained. "Everyone knows it at this point. Heck, haven't Izuku and Ochako talked to you already?"

Himiko grabbed her own hair with both hands and began to harshly scratch her head. "That's not the problem! I fucking know that the next step is to get married! I'm at the front of the line for that idea."

Kyouka frowned. "Then what's the deal? Does she—"

"The deal is she wants me to be the one to propose!"

Minoru and Kyouka both blinked, before nodding. "Oooh."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"HOW DOES THAT MAKES SENSE?!" Himiko questioned loudly.

The two old classmates shared looks. "Do you wanna tell her or should I?"

Minoru shrugged. "Heck, I'm still single here. Might be better coming from someone actually married."

Kyouka sighed and downed her mug, handing it over to Minoru for a refill. "Okay. So here's the thing. You wanna get married, right?"

"Yeah?"

"And she wants to get married?"

"Yeah? Are you sure you're sober enough to have this conversation?" Himiko asked, eyeing the punk rock hero.

"And whose house do you live at?"

Himiko frowned. "I live… at hers and theirs. Which by the way, was something she was and still is totally okay with."

"When you guys got serious again after she came back from that deep sea rescue training. After you already had been living with them for over a year." Kyouka took her now filled mug back. "You living in two places while dating is one thing. Doing it while you're married is another."

"Is there a point? She hasnever asked me to stop doing what I do."

"And I bet she won't. But I'm trying to make something a little obvious. She doesn't have you exclusive to herself. You got some weird—adorable but weird—connections with Izuku and Ochako."

"We're family."

"Yeah, but now she wants you to be her family. She wants you and her together in a whole new way. So." 

Himiko leaned forward. "So?"

"So she wants to hear that you're committed to her. That despite all your other connections that you're still going to keep, that by you being the one to propose, you're putting her first."

"I have been."

Minoru waved his hand. "Eeeeh."

"I. Have."

"Yeah, a good solid fifty one percent, right."

Himiko just glared at Minoru. "You got a hookup later tonight right?"

Minoru grinned. "Yup, with that babe from Seiai Academy. The IQ hero herself. We worked a mission together recently and totally hit it off. Who knew she—"

"So you're gonna want to be able to have full use of your dick tonight right?"

Minoru blinked. "Um… so it's a sixty forty split right?"

"Moving on," Kyouka stepped in, saving Minoru's bacon. "What I'm saying is, she might know all this, but knowing it and hearing the person she loves say it. Say she committed to her. So she'll know that you are ready for this. That's the point."

Himiko groaned, putting her face in her hands. "Ah…"

"I mean, that makes sense, right?"

"…Yeah…"

Minoru poured out some more beer, while Kyouka rubbed her shoulder. "It's scary. I get it. But she deserves it, right?"

"…Yeah…" Himiko's head hit the table again. "Oh god I'm fucking proposing."

Minoru gave a little cheer and lifted his mug up in a toast. "And just like that we made more progress with her than Izuku and Ochako have done in, like what, four years? How long have you been living with them?"

"She moved in pretty much right after they bought their apartment after graduation, so it'd be five years at this point." Kyouka did some quick math, which was a little impressive considering she had had several beer refills already. "So yeah, four years of having Izuku and Ochako try to get her to finally marry up."

The two snickered at that.

"...So I gotta get a ring," Himiko muttered on the table. "Is there a one size fits all engagement ring I have to get or…?"

Kyouka looked down at Himiko incredulously. "Are you fucking kidding me? You don't know her ring size? After all this time?!"

Minoru shook his head. "Wow, you're hopeless."

"Agh, great, now I have to figure this out," Himiko pouted. Then froze.

"What now?" Kyouka asked, not liking how Himiko looked like she just remembered something really scary.

"Oh god, this means she's gonna want kids. She's kept saying she was waiting until.. Oh god! Is that what the pipsqueak was talking about?!" Himiko recalled the strange convo she had had with Eri after bailing her out from a school fight.

As Himiko had a whole new crisis to think about Kyouka and Minoru decided they weren't touching that one.

"A pregnant Himiko huh?" Minoru imagined that, and shuddered. "Oh people are gonna diiiiieeee."

Kyouka snickered into her beer. "Talk about a versatile Quirk, huh."

"Life finds a way." 

"Team Satou and Aoyama retires due to both members no longer being able to fight."

Around the plaza, students looked up in alarm as the principal's voice brought the news of their classmates' defeat.

"Holy crap," Hitoshi muttered. "We're screwed."

"Whaaa?! I thought their match just started?" Mina cried out.

Katsuki, alone walking the halls, scoffed. "Fucking morons."

In the monitor room, Izuku looked up at the screen and shook his head. "How'd they get beaten so fast?"

Ochako was looking at her classmates. Noticing that the arena was a mess of shattered concrete with Cementoss kneeling next to the downed students, making sure they were alright. "What do you think happened, Deku?"

Izuku watched the screens carefully, taking special care to observe his classmates. "Aoyama is holding his stomach pretty tightly and Satou looks… pretty out of it. I think Cementoss-sensei probably stalled them out. Neither can really use their Quirks for very long."

"That's exactly right!"

Izuku and Ochako jumped out of their skin as a new voice from behind let them know they weren't alone in the control room. Snapping around, the two found Mei looking at them funny.

"Wow, you two are jumpy."

"When did you come in?" Izuku asked, pretty sure he never heard the door open.

"Ummm, I've been here the whole time?"

Ochako sighed and rubbed her head. "You need to stop hanging around Toga."

"That's not what she says."

Izuku looked at the screens then recalled what the teachers had said at the start. "Sometimes running is the best option…"

"Hmm?"

"It's what Aizawa-sensei told us, remember?"

Ochako frowned. "Yeah… I guess they were serious about it, huh?"

Slowly the screens began to flicker and then the scene before them changed as the landscape was replaced with one of the entrance exam cities. One of the screens zoomed in on Mashirao and Tooru.

"I guess it's their turn, huh."

It took a few minutes, but soon Principal Nezu's voiced crackled through the intercom, announcing the start of the next match. During the short break between the first and second match, some of their fellow classmates had come to join Izuku and Ochako, now extremely curious at just what kind of challenges they would need to get ready for. The swiftness of the first match really made them question just what they were in for.

A sudden crash jolted the group as everyone looked up in shock at what had happened. The sound hadn't come through the screens, but the whole building had shook from something.

"Hey look!" Mina exclaimed, pointing at the monitors.

Izuku's head snapped back to the screen only to find it completely obscured by a cloud of dust. "Wha— What just happened?"

Recovery Girl rubbed her brow. "I swear, if I have to walk all the way back down again…"

While Recovery Girl gripped, Mei began fiddling with the camera controls, pulling the view back far enough that everyone in the room could now see the devastation that was once the exit gate for the exam. One of the nearby buildings had been knocked over, shattering steel and concrete, blocking off and burying the exit.

As more of the dust cloud began to settle, Mt. Lady could be seen, dusting herself off, while pulling at the huge weights around her wrists and—unlike the other teachers apparently—at the weighted brace around her neck and shoulders.

"Did… did she just block off the exit?"

"Is that allowed?"

"Curious George and Crystal Pepsi are fucked."

Everyone turned, startled to see Katsuki in the room. Ochako had to suppress a groan. Great. He's here.

"Run run run!" Tooru screamed as she and Mashirao bolted down a narrow alleyway, just as Mt. Lady's hand came crashing down.

"Come back here you little brats," Mt. Lady reached through the alley, clawing at the two as they ran further in between the buildings. Ducking around a corner, the two gasped for breath.

"What the heck!" Tooru complained, her gloves waving about in agitation. "What are we supposed to do now?"

Mashirao shook his head. "I don't know. We're just lucky that the brace around her shoulders makes it hard for her to turn her head, or she would have spotted us before we could make it here." They could feel the ground shake with every step Mt. lady made. She was circling around them, looking for an opening she could fit through, or reach through. "So much for our plan."

Their plan had been simple: Tooru would leave her boots and gloves with Mashirao and sneak through the exit gate. Unfortunately, not only had the gate been utterly destroyed, the two had been so stunned at the sight that Mt. Lady had spotted them standing in the middle of the road gawking like they weren't in danger of getting stepped on by the gigantic hero.

With a clank Tooru dropped a sizable object onto the ground which matched the device Mashirao also put down. Resembling a curling stone in shape but fortunately not in weight, the device was an electromagnet to be used instead of the regular cuffs everyone else had been given. Principal Nezu's quick reasoning was that the test wouldn't be fair if they were forced to lug around handcuffs the size of a car.

"So what, we wait here until time runs out?" Tooru sighed.

"We can still try and use the magnets."

"Can you throw them?" Tooru asked. "Because I know I can't."

Mashirao examined the magnet, aware that the buildings around them were shaking and the ground was rumbling. Mt. Lady was actively looking for a way to reach them. Mashirao wrapped the end of his tail around the device, and lifted it up. His tail wasn't exactly prehensile in nature, but the magnet was large enough he could still manage. "Yeah, I could throw it like this, but… Didn't Principal Nezu say we have to hold them for the magnets to work?"

Mashirao watched Tooru's gloved hands grab the handle of the device. "Oh yeah, there's a trigger here. Well darn it."

A loud crash made the two jump as from down an alley a cloud of dust rushed into their hiding spot. "I think she's starting to block off alley entrances," Mashirao said, wiping some dust off his face.

"So she's trying to trap us here."

"Seems like it."

Gloves reached up and started making yanking motions. Mashirao assumed Tooru was pulling on her hair. Mid tug, Tooru stopped. "Hey… remember when she was chasing us? Is it just me, or was she only trying to grab us?"

Mashirao thought back. While Mt. Lady had used her feet to crush the exit, after that… "I think you're right. She was only swiping at us with her hands."

"And that brace seems really heavy. She's walking around all bowed over…" Mashirao could tell Tooru was thinking up something. When she punched her fist into her palm, he figured she must have come up with an idea. "I got a plan! I've seen you bounce around on your tail, so can you throw a person?"

"I can… Wait, do you want me to throw you?"

"Yes! I'll hold onto the magnets and ride on your tail. If we can come up behind her, she won't see us until it's too late! Chuck me at her arms and I'll attach the magnets to those huge weights she's wearing."

It was a crazy, desperate plan, but they were in a pretty desperate situation already and apparently crazy enough to do anything to win.

"Okay, hop on."

It took Mashirao all of one second to suddenly realize that he had overlooked a crucial detail of this plan. Tooru was naked.

I'm about to have a naked girl riding me…

Mashirao tried desperately not to think about all the different things he was feeling right then. Tooru was now straddling his tail. Arms and legs wrapped around it to steady herself. Meaning she was pressing her whole body against him.

Don't think about it. Don't think about it. 

Tooru shifted around. Making sure she had a good grip and Mashirao swore he heard a soft ecchi boing sound as two soft somethings got dragged across his tail's skin.

"Meep."

"You say something?"

"No," Mashirao squeaked out.

Running did not help Mashirao's situation. As he took off down the alley, trying to find an exit that came out behind Mt. Lady, every step he took ended up jolting Tooru. Not enough to accidently throw her off, but enough that she was now grinding on his tail. But as bad as it was for him, every other step, he could hear a groan from Tooru.

"Sorry. I guess it's uncomfortable for you."

"N-no. I-it's okay. Iiiii—" Mashirao jumped over some garbage blocking the alley, making Tooru really jolt on his tail, "—iiit's not that," Tooru gulped, "bad."

After a few more strides, the pair were back out in the streets and Mashirao smiled when he saw that they were behind Mt. Lady. "Hang on tight!"

Boing

Rushing down the road, Mashirao began circling around Mt. Lady's back. She was leaning over, arms hanging at her side as she peered down the alley, oblivious to the pair.

"Hagakure!"

Mashirao twisted around, his tail swinging with all the force he could muster, flinging Tooru off and into the air.

"Eh?" Mt. Lady blinked at the noice. Starting to stand up so she could begin the arduous process of turning around, only to stop when she heard a pair of twin clangs from her wrist.

"Team Hagakure and Ojiro have passed!"

"So it's Toga and Tsu next, huh?" Mina asked while she absently scratched at her mask.

"Yeah, I think so," Eijirou replied as he paced along the room. Katsuki watched the pair with a sneer.

"If you two are so fucking nervous about you exam, maybe you should be planning instead of sitting in on other people's."

Ochako rolled her eyes. "Wow, planning for a match against a super strong opponent. What a concept."

Izuku chuckled nervously while Katsuki turned his attention towards her. "You got something you want to say to me, Round Face?"

Ochako didn't back down. "Oh, I got a lot I want to say to you."

Izuku quickly stepped between the two, something that got a few sympathetic looks and prayers that did not help him in the slightest, and tried to defuse the situation. "Come on. Everyone's nervous about their exam today. Everyone is dealing with it differently. Let's not jump down anyone's throat."

Ochako crossed her arms. "I know if I were either of you, I'd be coming up with a plan, Deku."

Katsuki glared at Izuku before he shot off. "Big talk coming from you. Where's the Small Fry? Shouldn't you be getting ready instead of wasting time here?"

Eijirou scratched his chin. "I thought I saw Mineta rocking himself in a corner when we came over."

Ochako sighed while Katsuki turned away. "You're fucked."

Ochako really wished she didn't almost agree with him.

Izuku, desperate to change the mood in the room, pointed up to the screens. "Look. Looks like it's almost time for Toga and Asui's match. They're getting driven into the…Downpour Zone…? Ummm?"

Everyone looked up at the screens and had similar reactions to what they were seeing.

"What the hell?"

With a grumble, Himiko kicked open the blacked out door of the little buggy and jumped out. "Holy shit, I thought I was going to suffocate in that thing."

At the driver's wheel, a tiny green robot chirped a reply. "As stated before, in order for you not to gain an advantage while being transported into the tsunami zone, U.A. staff ordered this vehicle's windows to be blocked."

Himiko rolled her eye. "Yeah, yeah. Midnight must be desperate to try and win. A huge city zone with torrential rain like this, I can vanish in a heartbeat and she'll never find me." Himiko smirked as Tsuyu stepped out of the buggy. "This must be the perfect zone for my partner here."

Tsuyu got out and looked around. "That would be the flood zone, kero. But this is a close second I guess… Where are we?"

"Hell if I know."

The robot chirped. "You are in a warehouse."

Himiko glared at the robot. "... you're not actually going to tell us where we are, are you?"

"You are in a warehouse."

Himiko ran a finger over one of her knife handles. "Someone turned your sarcasm setting up too high."

"Affirmative."

"...Fuck you."

Beep, boop. "I'm sorry. But I am not authorized to connect service ports with systems that have malware installed."

Himiko paused, then repeated back. "Did you just say you don't stick your dick in crazy?"

"Affirmative."

Before Himiko could turn the robot into scrap, her attention was pulled away when Tsuyu let out a started ribbit.

"Kero?!"

Tsuyu looked disturbed, and Himiko didn't like that. Her friend was one of the more level headed people in her circle. "Tsu? What's up?" Walking around the buggy, Himiko saw that Tsuyu was looking down at a puddle under it. "It's a puddle?"

"Look at the wheels."

The wheels? Why does that… huh? Himiko tilted her head to the side. "Is that snow?"

"Thaaaat's riiiight." Both Himiko and Tsuyu jumped as Midnight's voice echoed over an intercom and a hologram of Midnight smirked down at the pair. "Now that you're here, your time just started. You have thirty minutes."

Himiko glanced around the room, and sure enough, she saw several small black domed cameras on some of the walls and ceilings. Making sure she flipped off each one after she had flipped off Midnight's hologram, she strutted over to the garage door. "This is going to be a cake walk. Good luck finding me once I get outside. Gonna track you down and shank you in one of your saggy t—"

"Toga, wait!"

Tsuyu called out in alarm as Himiko pressed the button to open the garage door. As Himiko looked back at her wondering what had her so worried, the door opened and a blast of arctic cold air ripped into the room. Chill gusts of air made the warehouse's temperature drop immediately while at the same time, Himiko already had a layer of snow forming on her as she took a few steps back and started brushing herself off. "Holy shit, that's cold."

Peeking her head out, the small city wasn't getting ravaged by a tsunami, but was instead the scene out of a white horror show. Winds howled, blowing the enormous snowfall around, making visibility extremely poor. Himiko could make out a few yards, before everything was white. "Since when did the USJ have this?!"

"During the attack, Todoroki froze the whole zone. It gave Thirteen and Principal Nezu the idea that this area could be dual purpose. I pushed to make sure it was ready for today though."

Himiko turned to one of the nearest cameras and stuck out her tongue. "Why? Because you're a bitch?"

The chuckle that came through was almost villainous. "Toga, you're worried over the wrong things right now. You've gone and completely forgotten about your teammate."

My teammate?... Wait, where the hell is Tsu? Himiko looked around but suddenly found herself alone in the quickly cooling warehouse. Ooooookay?

The warehouse was a huge empty room. Nothing was in it that could be a good hiding spot, except the buggy that had brought them inside. Frowning, Himiko walked over and opened the door. She found Tsuyu, back inside, shivering and whacking the robot in the head. "Turn the heater back on."

"Test has started. All vehicle systems are terminated. Warning. In the event of possible highjacking of either driving unit or vehicle, both are programmed to explode."

"..."

"... Hey Tsu, don't make anything explode, please."

Begrudgingly, Tsuyu stopped bashing on the robot and sighed. "It's really cold."

"Yeah?" Himiko had to admit, she was a little lost. Tsuyu was not acting like herself. "Is… is that a problem?"

Tsuyu looked away, and that immediately got Himiko's attention. She saw some shame in her friend's eyes. Tsuyu, calm, level headed, and one of their group's rocks, was actually shaken. "I… If it gets too cold… I hibernate."

"Wait… like the long sleep thing? That?"

"Yes."

To punctuate Tsuyu's answer, a harsh gust from outside blew through the warehouse, making both girls flinch. Himiko scratched her head. "So, how fast does this happen?"

"Pretty quickly. I can…" Tsuyu looked down at her hands. "I can already feel myself really wanting to go to sleep."

Himiko clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Well shit." As much as Himiko wanted to go hunt an old hag, she wasn't going to make her friend sit in the cold if it was going to cause her this much trouble. "Okay, change of plans. You stay here. I'm going to make for the exit."

Tsuyu frowned, but nodded. "Yeah… that makes the most sense, kero. I'd only slow you down like this."

Himiko didn't want to agree with her, but she agreed with her. To win, only one of them had to reach the exit, so this was the only thing that made sense.

"I bet you're thinking that leaving Asui behind is the best option, aren't you, Toga?" Midnight's image flickered back to life as she talked. Her image wasn't standing like before, but walking. A slow lazy pace, but she was moving. "Don't want dead weight slowing you down."

Himiko ignored her. "Okay, Tsu, you try and stay warm. I'll be right—"

"A teammate, left behind and unable to move. That sounds like a capture to me." There was a chill in Midnight's voice that cut through everything else. "Lose consciousness, and you fail."

"The fuck?!" Himiko turned while Tsuyu poked her head out, wincing at the cold. "What the hell does that mean?"

Midnight just shrugged. "Exactly what I said. If I capture you, you fail the test. So one of you loses consciousness, that's a capture."

"You didn't tell us that, kero," Tsuyu said, not at all happy.

"We told you what you had to do to win. How you lose? Well, that's entirely up to the tester. Of course, a capture is entirely individually based."

"...Which means Toga can still win…kero." Tsuyu's eyes were drooping. Himiko yelped and started shaking her to keep her awake.

"That's right. I have to wonder, Toga," Midnight's face turned sadistic, a dark shadow falling over her eyes as she watched the students squirm, "what ever will you do? Will you save yourself, or risk losing by trying to help your friend? And you Asui, are you so weak willed that you'd let yourself just give up right off the bat?" Midnight's grip on her whip tightened as she pulled at it, making the leather crack. "Keep struggling. I can't tell you how much fun this is for me. Just so you know, the longer you wait, you'll lose more than just time."

Both Tsuyu and Himiko were left wondering just what thatmeant. Himiko however had bigger fish to fry. Grabbing Tsuyu she tugged her out of the car. "Come on, Tsu. After that bitch's speech, there's no way we're going to let her win. So move your ass."

Stepping outside, Himiko grunted against the cold. With the amount of snow getting blown around, it had looked worse than it really felt. Oh sure, it was cold, but the air lacked that stinging bite that sub freezing temperatures had. If she had to guess, it was only just cold enough for the snow to stick.

Still, that was enough for Tsuyu, who really looked like she wanted to curl up and sleep. "Hey, stay with me Tsu. It's not that bad. I can't imagine you hibernate every winter."

Tsuyu shuddered and took up an uneasy pace behind Himiko as the girl trudged ahead. "T-the change was to-too fast. I—" A cold gust hit them and Tsuyu had to hold herself up. "I didn't h-have t-time to get used to it."

That made sense to Himiko. A gradual change in temperature was probably way gentler on the poor girl's frog physiology. Regardless, the two pushed on. A slow walk through the whiteout winter flurry that made seeing anything a chore. They had walked no more than a block before Tsuyu voiced her concerns, "Do you kn-know where to go?"

Himiko stopped. "Err…" She looked around the mock city, or as much of it as she could with all the snow getting blown around. "Huh… Shit…" Himiko had been so focused on getting Tsuyu moving, she hadn't stopped to think about the obvious. "Yeah, I have no fucking idea where the exit is."

Both looked at each other, before Himiko looked up. Around them were several tall buildings that could give them a half decent idea of where they needed to go. They would just need to find a way to the roof. Stomping over to one of the closest ones, Himiko tried one of the doors. It was locked. Swearing, Himiko pulled out a knife and was about to try and pry open the door, when Tsuyu launched herself up onto the outer wall.

"Tsu?!"

Himiko watched nervously as Tsuyu scaled the side of the building. Every time the girl shuddered when the cold wind hit her, Himiko was trying to think of several different ways to catch her. But despite everything, Tsuyu kept on climbing, higher and higher until she reached the top.

Watching Tsuyu climb, Himiko was suddenly aware she wasn't alone. Midnight's hologram was standing beside her, also watching Tsuyu climb.

"If she falls and busts her head open, how many millions do you think her family will squeeze out of you fucks?"

Midnight didn't seem too phased. Which meant that there were probably more robots around like the one that had driven them into the test area, ready just in case. Then the teacher turned to look over at Himiko with that same sadistic glint in her eye that she had before.

"How long are you going to keep this act up?"

"Why don't you come ask me yourself. I'll give you an answer then." Himiko really hated how Midnight was looking at her

"Come on. This isn't you. You're not someone that likes it when things get difficult."

"Riiight. I'm the kind of girl that likes to cut and run." Himiko waved Midnight off. Not really paying attention to her. Since she couldn't stab a hologram, there wasn't much reason to give her the time of day.

"So you're the kind of girl that sticks it out? That's a joke." Midnight stepped closer. "Like you stuck it out with your parents? Or Saito? When things got tough, you made sure to stand by their side?"

Himiko's hand was a blur, pulling a throwing dagger and chucking it through the hologram's head. The dagger passed through not even disrupting the projection. Himiko clicked her tongue in annoyance as she stopped over to grab the dagger out of the snow. "Bitch. You're lucky you're not here."

"Oh? Did I strike a nerve? But I guess it's not fair to bring up what you did as a little girl. I'm sure when you got older, you grew out of abandoning people. I could always get a visiting pass and ask Stain. One of you dear loves, I'm sure you'd stay by his side through thick or thin… Oh wait. No, you dumped him the moment someone better came along. Didn't you?"

Himiko turned, dagger in hand and glared at the hologram. "Okay. Is there a point to all this? Because the more you talk, the more you make me want to stab you in your sleep. And I know where you live, so don't think I couldn't."

"You're a creature of habit, Toga. The moment you see greener pastures, you bolt. Sooner or later, Midoriya and Uraraka are going to feel that sting. Just like Asui is going to. Don't you think it's cruel, making her work like this? Leading her on and making her suffer in this cold when we both know the moment she points the way to the exit, you'll just—"

Midnight stopped and Himiko reached up and pulled her eye patch off. The right pale yellow iris was a stark contrast to the sharp golden yellow of her left eye.

"Do you want to keep wasting my time with your bullshit? Or have I proved my point?" The sadistic unhinged look on Midnight's face vanished, replaced with a remorseful frown. "I get it. All part of the test. You know my buttons. Fine. I said I was taking Tsu with me. One way or another, I'm staying. So fuck off."

The hologram flickered, then vanished. Leaving Himiko to go back to keeping an eye on Tsuyu as she made it to the building's roof.

Perched on the roof's ledge, Tsuyu peered out through the snowstorm. It was impossible to see the dome that covered the small city, but as she scanned the horizon, her eyes were drawn to an orange light. No other place around the city had that color. It reminded Tsuyu of orange hazard lights, clearly made to get someone's attention.

With her teeth chattering, Tsuyu began her descent. The climb down almost ended too soon as her grip began to slip, but Tsuyu's desire not to fall on her head helped make sure she stayed stuck to the side, at least until she was only a few feet off the ground so that she could fall safely into Himiko's waiting arms.

Himiko pulled her close and began to rub her arms and sides, trying to coax some warmth into her. Tsuyu pointed down the street. "I s-saw. Some orange lights. T-That way."

"Orange lights, huh?"

"N-nothing e-else is lit u-up li—" Tsuyu froze. Not because of the cold, but because Himiko had pulled off her coat and was putting it on her instead.

"Here. Not exactly the thickest thing in the world, but it's another layer."

Tsuyu looked back at Himiko who was smiling at her. Then she noticed something. "Your eyepatch?"

Himiko blinked, then chuckled. "Oh yeah. Midnight was trying to get in my head. Kinda proved her wrong." Himiko pulled the patch back with a smirk. "So let's get go… um…"

Himiko's smile fell and her gaze was pulled away from Tsuyu to further down the road. Tsuyu turned to see what had her friend so worried. Creeping out of the alleys, stark against the white snow, was a cloud of pink mist.

"Pink smoke?" Tsuyu gulped. "Doesn't that look like…?"

"Somnambulist," Himiko frowned.

"Is Mi-Midnight-sensei attacking?"

Himiko watched the approaching pink cloud. It rolled in, heavy and thick, creating a blanket that covered the road. But something was off.

"Where's it coming from?" Himiko looked from one alley to another, from across the street. "She can make a lot of that stuff, but this is way too much. And it looks like it's coming from multiple sources."

"The longer you wait, you'll lose more than just time," Tsuyu repeated, recalling Midnight's cryptic warning. "This must be what she meant."

"She's just cutting off the way we came… But I bet that won't be the only thing she does." Himiko pulled Tsuyu along with her, down the road in the direction she had pointed. "She's a pain in the ass but she's fucking clever. I bet most of that is just pink colored smoke, but she could be walking around in it to keep herself hidden. And if she decides to put that shit in front of us…"

"If it's smoke we're fine. If it's not…"

Himiko grabbed her sucking mask. "This thing has air filters since I have to breathe while I'm wearing it… You can hold your breath for a long time, right? I've seen you when you do the water rescue stuff here."

Tsuyu glanced back at the slowly building cloud of pink smoke. "I can breathe in water th-through my skin."

"... Holy shit that's kinda cool… So how long can you hold your breath?"

Tsuyu shuddered and pulled the coat tight around her. The cold made her suck in a breath instinctually. It also gave both of them an answer on what they were going to do with the pink smoke. Assume it was the real Somnambulist and stay the fuck out of it.

Clutching her arms tightly around herself, Tsuyu tried to bury herself in the coat that Himiko had put on her. While the reality was that it offered little in protection against the cold, the thought of the act did warm Tsuyubup a little, at least in helping to try and think of anything else besides the cold, which was all she could do as she and Himiko trudged along. Pushing against the wind while around them, a pink mist began to fill the streets and cut off potential pathways for them.

Don't think about the cold. Don't think about the cold, Tsuyu repeated over and over in her head. Think about making it to the exit. Think about spending summer with your friends camping. Tsuyu's foot sank into a deep patch of snow making her shudder. Campfires and curry… and— Tsuyu stumbled forward and bumped into Himiko's back. During cold winters when Tsuyu was little, her mother would swaddle her up and hold her in her arms. Himiko's coat was like those blankets. Now she just wished she was being held.

"You want me to hold you?"

Tsuyu froze, and not because of the cold. "Kero?"

It quickly dawned on her that she might have said that last bit out loud. Even if her blood was freezing in her veins, she still had enough to push up into her face and make her blush. "I…"

Himiko stepped to Tsuyu's side and wrapped her arms around her. "Not a bad idea. Sharing body heat should help you out." Himiko glanced behind them at the cut off road, covered in a pink cloud. "Not like we're going fast to begin with."

Tsuyu tried not to melt into Himiko's arms, or think about how soft the other girl was.

"Ha, if we weren't on the move, we'd be better off finding a place to hunker down and strip naked. Easier to share body heat that way."

For the next few minutes, the only thing Tsuyu was thinking about was who would be the little spoon, or if they would be face to face. Breast pressed together and Himiko's lips, perfectly placed for her to kiss.

"…Keroooh."

Watching the exam unfold, Ochako was struck with a thought. "You don't think Midnight-sensei is still holding a grudge because Toga used her credit card to buy that student / teacher porn do you?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Bun Bitch and Pepe are screwed."

Honestly no one in the room could argue.

But while everyone else sent Tsuyu their prayers and well wishes since she had been caught in Midnight's revenge plot, Izuku was watching the two of them closely on the screens. Maybe it was just his imagination playing tricks on him. Or maybe after being on the receiving end of some close hugs and some honestly unbelievable truths, Izuku knew what to look for now, at least when the person was being subtle about things, like Tsuyu was. Unlike someone else in the class who was so obvious even Izuku had noticed how bad she had it a long time ago.

But now Izuku knew when a touch was more than just a touch. When a hug was more than just a hug. When someone sought out closeness, it was for more than just face value. Because as he watched Tsuyu clutch at Himiko as the two kept walking through the snow, it dawned on him all those times he saw Tsuyu looking at Himiko. How she was so fast to offer to help Himiko after Hosu City. How she was one of the first to come to their friend's defense after everything came out in the open.

So Izuku looked at the screen. Looked up at Tsuyu as she lay her head onto Himiko's shoulder, and let out a soft, "Oh."

"Smoke t-to our right."

"Fucking shit." Himiko hissed as she glanced to the side and sure enough, pink smoke was beginning to seep out of the opened windows of the building they were passing, forcing them to turn and take another detour.

The walk to the gate had not been easy for the two. Himiko's prediction that Midnight wouldn't just stick with having the smoke follow them had come true not long after when smoke would start to seep into the street in front of them, forcing them to get off the main road they were using and take more roundabout paths, through alleys or around a whole block, just to avoid the smoke and keep going in the direction of the gate. Whenever they could, they always tried to make sure they got back to the main road so that they didn't end up lost in the snow storm, but that was becoming harder and harder.

As time went on, more and more smoke began to fill the city, making navigation and returning to the main road all the more difficult. However both Tsuyu and Himiko agreed that sticking to a road was the best option, even if avoiding the smoke took up a good chunk of time.

And during this time, something else was happening. The constant snow storm was beginning to add up. Snow that had been only ankle deep at worst, was now reaching up past the two's knees. Tsuyu's costume, while not built for arctic weather, at least functioned as a wet suit, so she wasn't getting soaked from the worsening snow. Himiko, on the other hand, was starting to get soaked. If she stepped into snow that was deep enough, even her thigh high boots couldn't keep all the snow from getting in and give her some wet feet.

"Going to f-fucking stab Midnight."

"I'll h-hold her f-for you."

Both girls, now pushed by their mutual desire for revenge against their teacher, pushed forward. But it wasn't hard to not notice that their already slow pace was slowing down. And while Himiko wouldn't say anything, Tsuyu knew it was her fault. Staying conscious was getting extremely hard. Her body felt heavy and her legs stiff. She wasn't even walking anymore, more like shuffling. "T-T-Toga."

"Y-yeah?"

"W-why don't you turn into something big?"

Himiko clicked her tongue. "Ran out of Nomu blood back in Hosu City. And everything else I had got used up in our classes too. Only people I can turn into right now are Izuku and Ochako. And neither of them are fitting in my costume, and I don't want to walk around in the snow in their school uniforms."

"Someone needs to get you more blood."

Himiko laughed. "I'll make sure to tell Nezu you said that."

Pushing on, the two pushed out of the snow filled alley and made it back onto the main road.

"Toga! L-look."

Tsuyu lifted up an arm that felt frozen solid and pointed. What couldn't be any more than twenty or so yards away were the bright orange lights she had seen from up on the building roof earlier. And now that they were closer, both could see the lights surrounding a huge open gate, with a caricature of Principal Nezu. Smiling. Himiko hated that smile right now.

"Ha ha ha! Take that Midnight, you fucking bitch. You see that Tsu? We're going to make it. We're—"

Midnight's hologram suddenly flickered to life in front of them. Smiling like a deranged sex fiend. She held up a small remote and just before she pressed the button she spoke three words that sent shivers down the pair's spines. "One minute left." Then she pressed the button and all hell broke loose.

The hologram flickered away, just as pink smoke began pouring out of the buildings, streets and alleys all around them. Threatening to engulf them if they couldn't make it to the gate.

"Fucking bitch!"

Himiko and Tsuyu didn't have time to complain or worry about anything else. Gripping onto each other, they did the only thing they could. They powered on, as fast as they could. But Tsuyu felt her legs start to give out from underneath her at the quickened pace. She could feel her body starting to go into hibernation. The instinctual drive of her frog Quirk was overpowering her. She just wanted to lie down. Everything was already starting to get dark, so it would be so easy to just lie down and—

"Come on Tsu!" Himiko's voice sounded so far away, but it still reached her. "One foot in front of the other. We're almost there!"

The pink smoke was practically on top of them, the path to the gate getting narrower and narrower by the second. The walls were closing in, threatening to crush them. And yet Himiko was still there, pulling her along. Himiko could easily make it to the gate if she left Tsuyu behind. But she didn't. She was sticking this out to the end. She had done her part, staying with Tsuyu and pushing her when things were at their worst.

The least Tsuyu could do was finish the damned test.

Left, right. Left, right. Tsuyu counted off the steps she took. Making herself count out faster, so she drove herself forward faster. She couldn't see anything, her eyelids closed and locked shut. She couldn't tell where she was. All she focused on now was keeping her legs pumping. Left, right. Left, right. Left, right. Left, righ—

Suddenly there wasn't anymore snow and Tsuyu felt her body fall and hit the ground. The warm ground. It didn't click for Tsuyu until she heard the Principal's voice crackle through the intercoms. "Team Toga and Asui have passed!"

As soon as Himiko and Tsuyu stumbled through the gate and their win was announced, medical robots were rolling up to them. Warm blankets were thrown over their bodies and portable heaters were turned on and began to blow warm air over them. Tsuyu instinctually curled up and was out while Himiko wrapped herself up in one of the blankets and sat up. "Hell a test, huh, Tsu."

"Kero," Tsuyu just snoozed away.

Smiling, Himiko reached out and gave the frog girl some head pats. She didn't expect a hand to come down on herhead and start to pat her too. Turning to look up, she saw Midnight crouch down beside them and put her hand on Tsuyu as well. "You both did incredible today. I'm proud of both of you." She looked over at Himiko. "You've grown a lot, you know that?"

Himiko said nothing for a while, but just looked at Midnight. Himiko noted that she had walked up from behind them and she didn't have any snow on her at all. Then it clicked for her. Midnight in her hologram was just wearing her hero costume. No coat or anything to combat the cold, and with the thin material her costume was made out of, she would need something to keep warm.

"You were never inside the test zone, were you."

Midnight grinned widely. "Nope."

"…I fucking hate you."

Izuku and Ochako hugged each other in celebration as the announcement came through that Himiko and Tsuyu had won. They only separated when Recovery Girl cleared her throat. "I guess it's back to the infirmary for me. Uraraka, you better go find Mineta and get ready to leave for your exam."

Ochako nodded. "Oh, right. Guess I'm off then."

Izuku flashed Ochako a thumbs up. "You'll do fine, Uraraka.'

Ochako smiled. "Heck yeah I will. I'm a hundred times stronger than the last time Gunhead-sensei saw me. I got this."

With Recovery Girl and Ochako out of the room, Izuku and Mei turned to watch the next match. Katsuki just huffed. "She better watch herself. Unless she has the stones to back up that attitude of hers."

Izuku turned, looking at Katsuki with a deadpanned depression. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"You're the last to talk, Kacchan."

Katsuki sneered. "You want to say something? I talk big because I am big. When I say I'm going to do something, I actually do it."

Mei hummed. "Oh, is that why you got third in that test Aizawa-sensei gave the first day, lost to Todoroki and Iida in All Might's battle trial, had to get rescued by Midoriya in the USJ, got third place in the dodgeball event, got second place in the capture the flag event and tied for third with Uraraka in the sports festival tournament?"

The more Mei talked, the more it looked like Katsuki was going to just nuke the whole control room. Izuku fighting back a terrified snicker was also not helping. Finally Katsuki's hands slammed against the wall, leaving twin scorch marks. "You wanna fucking die Inventor Chick?!"

"Kacchan no!"

"I'll fuck her up here and now! Don't give a shit if she's from the Department of Support or a chick. No one talks to me like that!"

Mei just tilted her head to the side, not at all phased at the immediate danger she was in. "I get the feeling that making babies with you would be loud, messy and I wouldn't get much of a bang out of it."

"The FUCK did you just say?!"

Mei just turned right back to the screens to watch the next match.

"OI! DON'T YOU IGNORE ME!"

"LOOK OUT!"

"MY ENGINES JUST STALLED!"

Tenya's foot clipped the unnaturally sturdy cloth of Aizawa's binding cloth as it was suddenly pulled taut across the road Tenya was speeding down with Hitoshi riding on his back. With his engines cut off mid jump, Tenya was unable to dodge the surprise attack.

As a result, the two of them were sent crashing into the road in a tangled mess of limbs. Fortunately Tenya's armored suit took most of the crash. Though this did nothing to protect Hitoshi's poor pride as he came to terms that, "We just got got by a trap you'd see in a saturday morning cartoon."

Tenya grunted as he got up. "I think we have more pressing concerns to be worried about."

Hitoshi, even though he knew that somehow Himiko was going to let them have it later, agreed. Getting up and quickly checking to make sure he wasn't too banged up, he looked around and sighed, "I don't suppose your engines are working now?"

Tenya tapped his heel on the road, while looking down at his leg. There were a few puffs of exhaust, but no engine roar. "No… And I don't think they're going to start any time soon." Tenya had looked up and Hitoshi followed his line of sight.

"Ah crap." Aizawa, pulling his binding cloth back around his neck, was strolling up to the two. "So much for our plan."

Said plan had been simple. Hitoshi rides on Tenya's back, and they make like a bat out of hell towards the exit gate. The suburban training ground had plenty of open roads for Tenya to run down. Plus, the zone was huge, so avoiding Aizawa should have been simple.

Turns out it wasn't.

Aizawa looked at the two, but kept his gaze firmly on Tenya. With his goggles over his eyes, it was impossible to tell when he blinked. "A simple plan. Logical but poorly executed. With your speed you could have taken a more unpredictable route and still have made it to the exit with time to spare."

Both boys glanced at each other then began to move apart. Making it so they both wouldn't be in their teachers line of sight at the same time. "So you're saying if we had done that, you still wouldn't have been lying in wait for us?" Hitoshi asked. Aizawa didn't reply. Something that both he and Tenya noticed right away.

So since he's keeping Iida locked down, he's left himself vulnerable to my Quirk.

At the same time, Tenya also realized that, if Aizawa had to keep his eyes on him, then Hitoshi could escape. The two looked at each other and came to an unspoken agreement. Hitoshi turned on his heel and booked it.

"Practical," Aizawa mumbled in approval, "but you'll need to try harder." Reaching into his belt, he pulled out a handful of caltrops and tossed them over his shoulder and into the air around Hitoshi. The falling sharp metal made him pause, and when they all scattered in the road ahead of him, he hesitated. "The hell, are you a hero or ninj— ACK!"

Hearing Hitoshi and knowing his escape was brought to a halt, Aizawa sent out his binding cloth and snagged it around Hitoshi's waist. Pulling hard, he yanked him back so that he stumbled and fell to the ground, fortunately away from the spike covered concrete.

Tenya was shocked that Aizawa had been able to do that without ever taking his eyes off him. He was tempted to try and intervene but now that Aizawa was dealing with Hitoshi, it should make his own escape easier.

In theory.

Aizawa had the other end of his binding cloth out and wrapped around one of Tenya's legs before he had taken a step. With both captured, he twisted and pulled the cloth, swinging the two until they collided with each other. Scrambling to get off the ground, the two took stock of their situation. Both were wrapped, with Aizawa holding the reins.

"Well, this sucks," Hitoshi grumbled.

"Do not lose hope. We just need an opportunity for one of us to escape."

"…We aren't going anywhere tied up like this." Hitoshi tugged at the cloth around his waist. "So we need to get this out of his hands."

"Agreed. And once that happens, the first one to get free runs."

"Yeah… So let's get this over with." Hitoshi gritted his teeth as he pulled his own binding cloth from around his neck and shoulders and sent the end at Aizawa. Trying to get their teacher tangled up while Tenya charged in. He might not be able to use his Quirk thanks to Erasure, but he wasn't defenseless. He could still fight.

Aizawa sidestepped Tenya's kick before he transferred both of the cloth strands into one hand and reached out and snatched Hisoshi's binding cloth. "You're still attacking like you have your Quirk powering your attacks. WIthout your speed," Aizawa tripped Tenya, "you're too predictable." Keeping his eyes on the downed Tenya, he then gave Hitoshi's cloth a hard tug. "Are you really trying to use my own weapon and technique against me? After only a few weeks of practice?"

"Ah crap." Hitoshi reached up and grabbed the cloth off his neck before it tightened. "Yeah yeah. It took you six months to learn how to use it. You've told me before." Aizawa's silence made him click his tongue in annoyance. It was actually six years, but he had hoped the intentional slip up would get some kind of response from the teacher. Clearly that wasn't the case. Aizawa then tugged on the cloth, and Hitoshi was left stumbling to try and keep himself from falling on his face.

Tenya, still on the ground, grabbed the binding cloth around his leg and pulled, rolling with it as he got up and wrapping it around his arm, trying to pull Aizawa off balance.

"Better, you're thinking," Aizawa said as he planted himself to prevent himself from falling before he closed the distance and knocked Tenya back down. "Of course you've also gotten yourself even more tangled up."

This is not going to work. Hitoshi hissed. Aizawa just had too much experience, and after watching how he had fought the villains back during the USJ attack, it was evident that dealing with multiple opponents with his binding cloth was not as big of a deal as he and Tenya were hoping it would be.

If we're going to win this, I have to get him to respond to me. Which was easier said than done. He had been sent to Ms. Joke to try and figure out new methods to get people to reply to him but really, the only thing to come from that was…

Hitoshi blinked. His hands reached up and traced along the newest piece of equipment he had the support department make: his artificial vocal cords, the mask that was currently hanging around his neck. He might not be able to get a response out of Aizawa, but he knew someone that always could.

Tenya gulped as he brought his arms up to defend himself as Aizawa attacked. He was still on the ground and Aizawa was not letting him back up. Worse yet, the ensuing struggle was just making him even more tangled up. With a grunt, Tenya found that now both his legs were tied together, rendering him all but useless in the fight. At the very least, his constant struggle was keeping Aizawa's attention. So perhaps Hitoshi would have a chance to—

"Whaaaa? Easerhead said that about me?!"

It was a very strange mood that suddenly fell on the battlefield. Like someone had pulled the needle right across the surface of a record. While Aizawa didn't move to look at the source of the new voice, Tenya could see the muscles in the teacher's neck stiffen. Tenya did look over, and saw that Hitoshi had his phone held up in a video call. With Ms. Joke's grinning face on the screen.

"It's true. When he was training me for the finals, he kept talking about you. Said that of all the underground heroes he's worked with, he respects you head-and-shoulders above them all."

Ms. Joke swooned on the screen. "Awwwww! Eraserhead! Why do I have to hear all this juicy stuff through your kid?!"

"I mean, he sent me to you for my internship. So it must be true."

"My future husband is so shy."

Aizawa was starting to shake.

"He also thinks your boobs are amazing."

There was a resounding laugh from Ms. Joke. "I knew it! He's always had his eyes on my pink-and-perky's. Eraserhead you wanna tell him about the time I caught you staring at me when I forgot to wear a bra under my costume. You thought your goggles would hide—"

"I NEVER DID TH—"

Aizawa froze in mid yell. Tenya blinked, not sure what was going on. When he looked back towards Hitoshi he found that the video call was still going, but the laughing and cackling Ms. Joke was muted while Hitoshi had his artificial voice cords over his mouth. "Oh thank god that actually worked."

That was Ms. Jokes voice, but it wasn't coming from his phone. "Give me a second Iida. I'll get you out of that mess in a second."

Taking his hand cuff from his belt, Hitoshi walked over and clipped it onto Aizawa's wrist. Immediately the intercoms crackled to life. "Team Iida and Shinsou have passed."

Sighing, Hitoshi removed his mask and unmuted his phone as he knelt down to help untangle Tenya from the mass of binding cloth. "Sorry for the sudden call Ms. Joke. I just needed someone that would get under… I mean that would get Aizawa-sensei's defenses down."

"Happy to help Shinsou. Though you do know Eraserhead is going to kill you after you let him go."

Hitoshi gulped. "I mean… I don't have to let him go until I'm like… far away."

Tenya frowned. "I think that will just make things worse for you."

"...Maybe summer camp hell wasn't such a bad thing…"

When Recovery Girl walked back into the control room, she was immediately asked how Himiko and Tsuyu were doing.

"Toga is her normal self. After she warmed and dried herself off, she up and left. More than likely planning some revenge on Midnight. I swear those two act like children."

"And Tsu?" Izuku asked.

"She's awake and bundled-up down in the infirmary. I want to keep her down there for a little while before letting her go. Just to make sure her body temp is stabilized. But I'm not too concerned about it. Frogs are very resilient against the cold and so is Asui. I'm just making sure she doesn't fall asleep walking down the hall later and bump her head falling down."

"Can she take visitors?"

Recovery Girl nodded. "Oh sure. I'm just being cautious."

Izuku smiled and started for the door. Katsuki frowned. "Oi, you're not going to watch the rest of the match?"

Izuku shook his head. "I… want to talk to Tsu about something. And I think I can see how Shinsou and Iida are going to do. I really wanted to watch to see everyone's Quirks. And since they can't really use theirs," Izuku shrugged, "Not much for me to see."

Walking out of the control room, Izuku sighed and gulped nervously. He wasn't really sure what he was doing, but felt he needed to talk to Tsuyu. Since he had some experience with her problematic crush.

"Midoriya?" Tsuyu tilted her head to the side as Izuku stepped into the room. "I wasn't expecting to see you, kero. I'm sure Recovery Girl told you I was fine."

"She did… I just… wanted to talk to you."

Tsuyu tapped her chin. "Oh?"

"I, um… watched your exam. From the control room."

"Oh, come to give me some advice?"

…Kinda yeah… Oh man this is awkward.

"Um… sorta. I think you and Toga were excellent in your exam. I can't imagine what it was like for you fighting through that cold, but you did it." Tsuyu looked a little proud at that. "But um, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Okay. What did you want to talk about?"

Izuku rubbed his neck, suddenly having second thoughts if this was an appropriate thing to even bring up. But he was here, and Tsuyu was looking right at him waiting for him to say what he came here to say. "So… um… When I was watching you with Toga during your test. It got me thinking about… some of the other times I've noticed you… noticing her."

Tsuyu made a chirping ribbit, her normally calm face looking a little nervous.

Oh wow I'm right on the mark here, Izuku thought. "And… see, Toga likes to act like she's protecting me… because… I'm kinda a dunce when it comes to certain things but… I want to look out for her too… so…" Izuku was starting to have second thoughts about this but he was too deep in. "Tsu… Do you… um, like her? I mean … like like her?"

If she kicks me, I totally deserve it.

Tsuyu, red faced and looking like she wanted to sink into the nurse bed she was warming up in, took a few seconds to reply. "Why are you asking, kero?"

Good question, Izuku thought. "I guess, because Toga is special and… if someone is noticing her… I want to make sure… it's all good."

Maybe for the first time, Izuku felt the ghost of hostility from Tsuyu. Izuku held up his hands. "It's not me not trusting you. I think you'd both make a cute couple!" Izuku wondered if that was the best thing to say. "It's just.. Toga is special and the person that like liked her would need to be… aware of some of her more… quirky traits… I'm not making any sense am I?"

Tsuyu tilted her head. "Toga isn't like other girls."

"No, she's not."

"She's special."

"Yes. In… a lot of ways. She's also not normal. At all."

"Clearly, kero."

Both Izuku and Tsuyu paused, then laughed. When Izuku calmed down, he tried to pick the right words. "Toga has certain views of the world that she's shared with me and Uraraka. And I think you should… know about them before you decide… whatever you decide to do."

"And what do you think I'm deciding to do?"

"If you should tell her?"

Tsuyu shook her head. "Probably not going to happen."

Izuku looked surprised. "Wait, why?!"

Tsuyu looked at Izuku and the boy almost slapped himself. "Oooh, because she's in love with me?"

Now it was Tsuyu's turn to looked surprised. "You know?"

"Oh yeah, she told me a while ago. No big deal." That ghostly hostile feeling was back, but Izuku powered through. "But she's also in love with Uraraka so it's not like I'm special or anything."

"…Kero?!"

Yup, maybe it was a good idea I came down here, Izuku thought. "Okay so… this is one of the things you should probably know about Toga. How she views things like, um, love, are waaaay different than I think you or really anyone… you know, normal, would."

"You're going to need to explain that one." Tsuyu tried to ignore the feeling building up in her suddenly. She had accepted that Himiko had eyes for someone else. Now though, it felt like the winds of her fortune were turning in her favor. She just didn't know why. Or how Izuku of all people had been the one to notice her pining over the bloody blonde bombshell.

"I think… for Toga, love isn't something that's… built up. It's more like… a switch. Either it's on or off. Then after that, that's when her feelings grow."

"A switch?"

"Yeah. Remember when we were all on the bus to go to the USJ the first time? How when you said you and her were friends, she just instantly accepted it and became your friend?" Tsuyu did remember that. "Well it's basically like that. Toga… Toga doesn't waste time."

"No, I guess she doesn't."

Izuku rubbed his hands together nervously. "I'm not telling you what to do. And honestly I'm probably the last person that should be giving advice, but… considering it's Toga I figured… it might help if I spoke up."

Tsuyu nodded in agreement. "You're definitely the last person I'd ever expect to be offering any kind of relationship advice."

Izuku laughed. "Totally fair. I guess after some… talks I'm a little more aware of things like this. Makes it easier to notice when my classmates are crushing pretty hard."

Tsuyu was about to ask what kind of talks Izuku had had, and with who exactly. She had noticed that he and Ochako seemed to be rather happy together, and that was saying a lot since they were always happy together. Maybe something had finally happened between them, but it was that last bit that drew Tsuyu's attention. "Classmates?" She emphasized the plural.

Izuku laughed nervously but didn't say anything.

Tsuyu eyed Izuku suspiciously before warning, "Make sure Ashido never hears that you know this kind of stuff. Right now, you are her main gossip topic. If she realizes you're hoarding this, she might just melt you."

"Well, I'm not one to talk about my friends' personal lives, so you got nothing to worry about from me on that end… Though," Izuku sighed after he tried to reassure Tsuyu he wouldn't go blabbing about her crush, "I'm the main gossip, huh… fun."

Tsuyu pivoted, "There's a running bet too."

Izuku's head snapped up. "There is? Does Uraraka know?"

That confirmed some things for Tsuyu. "Ashido hasn't been thrown into space, so I don't think so." Tsuyu paused while Izuku chuckled. "So you think I should just tell Toga?"

Izuku nodded. "Yeah. She's not a fan of people hiding stuff…" Izuku paused as both he and Tsuyu were washed away by the hypocrisy of that.

"She's complicated," both Izuku and Tsuyu said at the same time. Followed by some more laughs.

After his talk with Tsuyu, Izuku only just made it a few steps in the hallway before the intercoms crackled to life.

"Team Iida and Shinsou have passed."

Izuku looked up in surprise before he let out a cheer and a sigh of relief. "All right! I knew they'd pull it off. Never doubted them for a second."

"Ha! Then why'd you sigh so loud?"

"Do a better job hiding that relief when you talk to your friends, kid."

Izuku almost leapt out of his skin and whirled around, shocked at who he saw walking up behind him. "M-Miruko? Gran Torino? Wh-what are you both doing here?"

Gran Torino smirked. "Apparently I'm not allowed to retire in peace. School called me up to test some young kids. It's disgraceful."

"Got roped into these tests your school is giving. Got to give some third years a proper beating so they don't go into the world thinking they're hot shit," Miruko explained with a wave of her hand.

"Oh," Izuku nodded, "but, um, third year tests aren't until the next day I think. So why—"

"Has the Runt's exam started yet?" Miruko cut in.

"Oh, Uraraka? Her's should be starting in a few minutes. It was after the one that just finished. You're here to watch her?"

"Need to make sure she doesn't embarrass me by stinking up the damned thing."

"She won't!" Izuku responded quickly. "She's going to do great!"

Miruko smirked. "Well then, looks like both of you got the same button. Good to know."

"Eh?"

"Forget it. Show me where the damned control room is," Miruko pushed Izuku on, trying not to show how much she was looking forward to Ochako's exam.

As they walked, Izuku looked over at Gran Torino. "Are you here to see me, sir?"

"I used to teach here, you know. Maybe I'm just interested in how the kids are here after so long," Gran Torino joked. "Doesn't all have to be about you."

Izuku laughed awkwardly, but Gran Torino smirked. "Someone has to make sure All Might doesn't go easy on you."

Well I'm dead.

The dread on Izuku's face made the two heroes laugh. Izuku, not wanting to think about his match right now, tried to change the subject. "So who were the unlucky students that got you for their exam?"

A strange look passed over Gran Torino's face before he answered, "Toogata."

Izuku had a feeling it wasn't U.A. initially that asked Gran Torino to come in to help with the exams, and instead, Sir Nighteye might have been pulling some strings and calling in some favors.

"You'll be fair, right?"

Gran Torino huffed. "Of course."

Hurrying into the control room, Izuku's head immediately snapped to the screen. "It hasn't started, right?"

Himiko, from her chair which clearly hadn't come from the room, laughed. "Ha! Easy money."

Katsuki scowled. "I didn't fucking take the damned bet. And before you fucking ask again, no the match hasn't started." Katsuki's scowl turned into a raised eyebrow as Miruko and Gran Torino followed in after Izuku, who took the extra chair Himiko kicked over for him to sit in so they could both watch the match. Himiko ignored the question of where she had 'found' these.

"Who the fuck are these guys."

Izuku didn't bother to turn away from the screen, too excited at getting to see Ochako in action. "They're heroes who volunteered to help with the third year exams. That's Miruko and Gran Torino."

Katsuki scoffed. "So the thirds got some no ranked extras, huh? Sucks for them."

Miruko smirked dangerously. "You got a mouth on you, huh?"

"You got a problem with that, Bunny Suit?" Katsuki snarled.

Miruko laughed. "Ha, the Runt had you pegged. You really are a loud bitch, huh."

Cracks and pops sparked in Katsuki's palms as he stepped up to Miruko, getting into her face. "Who do you think you're talking to?! And who the fuck is talking about me?! Who the fuck is Runt?!"

Miruko smiled a feral grin as she slammed her forehead against Katsuki, who pressed back with just as much intensity. "All bark and no bite. Just like any cherry boy that puffs out before things can get really good." Miruko pressedher head down into Katsuki, making him bow back. "It's a shame U.A. made you and the Runt share that pedestal. Watching you two beat the shit out of each other would have been something to see."

Katsuki growled. "Fucking Round Face? You're the bitch she trained under during that shit show in Hosu City."

Recovery Girl loudly tapped her cane into the ground. "If you two don't behave I'm kicking you both out of here."

Mei looked between the two. "Wouldn't that mean they'll just fight outside? Then we won't get to see the blood bath."

Izuku sighed. "You're a horrible influence on her, Toga."

"I know."

Katsuki glared as Miruko walked away, before giving Mei a warning look, which the girl saw and ignored.

"My oh my, there are some feisty ones here," Gran Torino said with a goofy grin. "Kids these days sure don't respect their elders like they used to."

Katsuki glanced down at the short little old man. "And who the hell are you?"

"Who am I? Who am I?… Who am I again?" Gran Torino ignored a pair of groans from those seated.

Katsuki's eye started to twitch. "What the hell? Who the hell let this lost old fart in?" Katsuki leaned down to get on eye level. "Do you even know where you are?"

"I'm in a room!" Gran Torino answered happily. "Next to a very loud cherry."

Izuku bit back a cackle.

"Oi! I'm not afraid to throw down with an old geezer like you!"

Gran Torino's knees shook. "So scary. If you're our future, we might just want to hand the keys over to the villains. They aren't as rude. But at least you speak up, so I can hear you just fine."

"The fuck did you say?"

"Eh?" Gran Torino rubbed his ear. "What was that?"

Izuku was starting to fail at holding back his laughter. Something that Katsuki noticed. "Okay. Either you drop the act, or I'm blasting you here and now."

"Act? What's an ac—"

Boom!

Katsuki's hand shot out and exploded the spot Gran Torino had been. Only for the small yellow man to leap over Katsuki, kick off his head and then land on the floor behind him.

"What did I just say?!"

"Kacchan?!"

"Holy shit, that was awesome!"

"Not helping, Toga!"

"And?"

Gran Torino just dusted himself off before leaning on his cane. "Bold move. How'd you figure it out?"

Katsuki pointed his thumb over towards Izuku. "If you really were as senile as you were pretending to be, then the nerd would be besides himself trying to keep me away from you. Not laughing like a little bitch." Katsuki crossed his arms. "So you must be someone. So who the hell are you?"

"Ha! So you do got some brains in there." Gran Torino smirked. "I happen to be an old teacher."

"And that's supposed to mean something to me?"

Gran Torino pointed his cane at Katsuki. "That giant pillar you and the rest of the world like to praise every chance you get. Who do you think taught him everything he knows?"

"Shimura," Izuku answered offhandedly, making Gran Torino laugh.

Katsuki blinked, then stared at the old man as he walked over and pushed Izuku out of his chair to take it himself. Izuku noticed Katsuki's look. "Gran Torino taught at U.A. when All Might was a student here. All Might took me to come see Gran Torino during my internship."

"And who the hell is Shimura?"

"Another teacher," Gran Torino answered. "And a good friend that died a long time ago."

"Are you crazy?!" Minoru screamed as he dashed around Ochako, waving his arms around trying to attract the girl's attention. "What do you mean we're just going to take the main road to the exit?!"

Minoru motioned to all the alleys and back roads they passed in the entrance exam mock city. "Gunhead can't fly or anything. So if we're careful we could make it to the exit before ever running into him! Let's work smarter, not harder!"

Ochako huffed. "You're more than welcome to run off by yourself."

Minoru frowned, and looked at the alleys he was pointing at. "Are you nuts? If we split up I'm the first one that's gonna get got. The sex stud is always the first to die."

"…"

"What?"

Ochako just shook her head. "Look. Stop worrying about the exit anyway. We aren't using it. This road just makes it easier for us to be spotted."

"WHAT?!"

"We're going to win by capturing Gunhead-sensei."

"How?!"

"I'm going to fight him and win."

"…Are you sure you aren't Toga in disguise, because this is stupid! Oh screw it, Toga would be smarter than this. This plan is pure Bakugou."

Ochako growled, "Want to repeat that?"

"No, I take it back. This is a thing Midoriya would do, and that you'd be trying to stop him from doing!" Minoru said definitely. Ochako glared down at him, but the small boy didn't back down. "What happened? Did you let him hold onto your guy's brain cell for the exams?"

Ochako scoffed and turned away. "If we as heroes don't go into a situation thinking we can win, then we're putting ourselves at an immediate disadvantage."

"Are you sure you're not overcompensating here? It's like you're trying to show off… Hold on, are you trying to show off?" Ochako kept going with Minoru frowning up at her. "That's it! That's what's going on. You're trying to show off for your old teacher!"

Ochako frowned but decided against replying. This was a unique chance to show Gunhead just how far she'd come since she had last seen him, but there was more to it than just that. She had been working herself hard these past weeks because she couldn't afford to let herself fall behind. She had responsibilities.

Closing her eyes, she was back at the ravine she saw when she was in Hosu City hospital. The gap between herself and Izuku. A gap she not only had to work to cross, but also work to make sure it didn't widen into something insurmountable. If she was going to stand by Izuku's side, she could not fall behind. This exam was a bigger challenge than anyone had been expecting, but that just meant she had to tackle it head on all the harder.

"H-hey? Isn't that the exit right there?"

That pulled Ochako from her thoughts. Looking up, Ochako could see the exit gate clearly. They had been making good time down the road, and now the gate was in view, still several blocks away, but they could see it. Which was weird. They should have been attacked by now. "Huh? This is too easy?"

Minoru savagely turned around to look up at Ochako. "WHY?! Why would you say that?!"

"Hello, Uraraka." From one of the buildings, Gunhead emerged, walking into the street casually.

"Oh, hello Gunhead-sensei," Ochako said with a smile.

"WHY ARE YOU SO CALM?!" If Minoru had hair to pull out, instead of balls, he'd be pulling it out right about now.

Ignoring him, Ochako watched Gunhead stroll out into the middle of the road, putting himself right in the way of the exit gate. "So you were waiting for us?"

"I had a feeling that you'd take a straight shot for the exit. No reason to waste my energy moving around chasing after you when there was only one place you needed to get to." Gunhead motioned to the weights around his wrists and ankles. "You'd be surprised just how much a little extra weight on your body can wear you out."

Minoru peeked out from behind Ochako. "But we could have taken any road or back way to get to the exit. How'd you know we'd take this one?"

Gunhead nodded sagely. "True. If you had tried to be smart or clever, you could have circled around me and I'd never be able to find you. But," Gunhead looked right at Ochako, "teachers imprint themselves on their students. Teaching them not just their skills but their methods. And Miruko isn't the kind of woman to do anything but take the direct path. Regardless of the risks."

Ochako just smirked. Seeing that, Gunhead took up a fighting stance. "I think we've wasted enough of your time, Uraraka. It's obvious you wanted this match. So," Gunhead waved his hand, urging Ochako to make the first move, "what are you waiting for?"

Gunhead had to give Ochako credit. She didn't hesitate to make the first move. Ochako closed the distance instantly. A flurry of swipes and elbows drove Gunhead backward, though he easily deflected them all, all the while he casually walked backwards. When Ochako reared back and threw her right palm out, Gunhead blocked it with an arm, and was sent backwards a few steps, started by the weight behind the attack. The back of his shoes ran up against one of the several cars parked along the road. Seeing that he could go back anymore, Ochako charged. Leaping forward, she again closed the distance and tried to drive her knee into her teacher. Gunhead sidestepped and winced when Ochako knee crumpled the side of the car.

"You've definitely gotten stronger, Uraraka." Ochako smirked as she pulled her knee out of the crumpled metal of the car door. "I don't think you'd have been able to carry those bracers around your wrists. I'm flattered of course, but how much do those weigh?"

Ochako life's her arm up, then brought the bracer down on the fender of the car, denting it so deeply that the inside was now pressed against the wheel. "That much."

"That much is a lot."

Ochako smirked before she grabbed the car's fender, all five fingers pushing into the dented metal. The car's shock absorbers groaned in release as suddenly all its gravity was removed, and Ochako picked it up and chucked it at Gunhead.

The hero dodged to the side, right where Ochako charged in again, a blur of motion. Knees, elbows, kicks and punches. She threw them all at Gunhead in quick and fierce combinations. Gunhead never went on the attack, but at no point did Ochako land a solid hit. She was either deflected away, blocked, or in the case when her hands got close, Gunhead was always out of reach.

He was not going to let Ochako float him.

"Stronger." Gunhead sidestepped a kick that took off a side mirror of a car.

"Faster." Turning Ochako's momentum around, he sent her stumbling past him as she attacked again.

"Cleverer." He brought up his own bracers as Ochako twisted around, and a series of pops echoed in the empty test city as Ochako fired several rubber bullets at Gunhead to keep him from closing in on her while she got her balance back, growling as she pivoted to get back on the attack.

Swinging both of her arms inward, she tried to smash the hero between the two bracers. Only for him to catch both. "I can see why you've gotten confident." Gunhead then yanked Ochako's arms, crisscrossing them as he kept a firm grip of those pink copies of his own arms.

"But," twisting his body, he pulled Ochako up off the ground and over his head. Twisting around again, he arced her over his head, then slammed her down into the hood of a parked car, crumpling the sheet metal and sending glass flying from the lights and windshield like a shower of glittering rain. "don't let confidence become arrogance, Uraraka."

"Come on Uraraka! Get him!" Izuku cheered loudly as he threw another punch into the air while he watched the match.

"Will you stop throwing punches around like a spaz?!" Katsuki growled in annoyance.

"I'm supporting Uraraka!" Izuku stated loudly as he watched her pull herself off/out of the car's hood.

"Then do it like a normal fucking person."

"Or," Himiko cut in, rubbing her head and glaring at Izuku in annoyance, "do it so you don't hit me in the head again."

"Errr, whoops." Izuku wilted a little under Himiko's glare.

"You're lucky you're too freaking adorable for me to stay mad, Izuku."

Izuku laughed nervously, but anything else he could say was overshadowed as Miruko smashed her fists against the control room's control panel. "Get the fuck up, Runt, and get back in the fight!"

Recovery Girl groaned. "Why is this generation so loud?"

Back on her feet, Ochako was back on the attack. Keeping herself close to Gunhead, she continued to throw fast punches while trying to use her own legs and feet to trip Gunhead up and keep him from being able to move freely. But unlike before, now Gunhead wasn't just blocking or deflecting, but countering.

Stepping down with her right leg, she anchored it behind Gunhead's left and tried to jam her elbow into his side. The attack was blocked as Gunhead brought an elbow of his own down on her shoulder. Hissing, Ochako then threw a punch that Gunhead intercepted with a forearm, moving it aside so it wouldn't reach.

As he prepared to kick Ochako away, it was his turn to hiss in pain. While Ochako's fist didn't reach him, after several sharp pops, multiple rubber bullets did. Right into his chest and stomach. This made him hesitate, and Ochako capitalized. Planting one foot, Ochako pivoted and launched her other foot into Gunhead's stomach, kicking like Miruko had taught her. Fast and hard.

He'll be off balance now. I'll just float him and—!

Ochako's plans came to a sudden stop when Gunhead returned Ochako's kick with one of his own, right into her visor, knocking her off her feet and sending the pink screen bouncing off the concrete.

Dusting himself off, Gunhead grunted, "Good kick. But try and put a little more distance between you and your opponent. Kicks need more wind up room than a punch—" Gunhead whipped his arm out and fired a shot from his bracers. The keratin round ripped through the air, just missing Minoru's head as he tried to dash from behind one car to another.

"AHHH!" Minoru lept back and ran behind the car before peeking his head out and looking at the hero, horrified. "You almost shot me!"

"Don't worry. I'm not firing these at full strength. You'd probably only get knocked out with a concussion."

Minoru frowned. "I'm not Midoriya. I don't want one of those."

While Ochako shook the cobwebs out, Gunhead observed the other student. "You've been trying to sneak by since our fight began. Are you not going to try and help?"

"Aizawa-sensei said only one of us has to reach the exit for us to win. If Uraraka wants to go out in a blaze of glory, then that's on her. I just want to win… Plus, I'd rather not get my head caved in by two people."

Judging by how much Ochako had clearly wanted this fight, Gunhead could see why the smaller boy was not keen to jump in. Odds are Ochako would not be open to it.

"More of Miruko's influence I suppose," Gunhead sighed to himself. "Your plan is practical." Gunhead glanced over at Ochako. "Though, isn't it also a little cold-hearted? Leaving a teammate in the hands of the enemy?"

"This isn't freaking life or death. It's a school exam. The only thing we should be worried about is passing or failing. Aizawa-sensei laid out the rules, clear as day."

"You're right. You seem to have a good grasp on the situation," Gunhead said with approval.

"…Does that mean you'll let me go?"

The hero laughed. "Oh absolutely not." He raised his bracers up, pointing them right at Minoru, the purple boy swearing he could hear them clicking as they were loaded. "I wouldn't be a very good villain if I didn't try to kill you heroes."

"Crap!"

CRACK THWIP!

The sound was the only warning Gunhead had. It almost sounded like another rubber bullet being shot, so as he dodged to the side, he expected to see the rubber round rocket by. But it was the sound that followed that made him question that; the sound of something uncoiling, and streaking through the air.

CLANG!

And making contact with something metal behind him. Gunhead righted himself and turned back towards Ochako. She was upright again, one of her bracers pointed at him, but she hadn't fired one of her bullets. A cord, taut as a piano wire, ran from one of the holes from her bracer, all the way past him.

"Huh, well that's something I don't have. Though you really need to work on your aim."

Ochako just smirked. "Who says I was aiming at you, sensei?"

Well… that's ominous.

Ochako twisted her wrist and grabbed the cord, pressing all five of her fingers into it. The brief flash of pink along it was enough to tell Gunhead it was time to move. He dodged to the side just as Ochako yanked the cord back, along with the now floating car it was anchored to. The weightless car sailed over Gunhead's head and right towards Ochako. But instead of also trying to move out of the car's way, Ochako twisted around, making the cord wrap around her waist before she turned and let the car's momentum orbit around her as she redirected the car right back where Gunhead was.

Gunhead had to scramble to get out of the way, avoiding the flying vehicle as it crashed into the building behind him, shredding and tearing itself up against the concrete. Ochako yanked the carless cord back, winding it up around her shoulder and waist so the grappling hook hung freely at her side after she touched her fingers together.