"GO URARAKA!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Izuku was screaming while Katsuki was yelling. The whole while Recovery Girl looked like she was just done with all of them.
"A grappling hook to extend the reach of your Quirk. You touch it, it's touching something else, and it all floats. Then you swing it around like a rope dart." Despite being the 'villain' of the exam, Gunhead was doing a very poor job at hiding how impressed he was at that moment. "When did you come up with this idea?"
Ochako and Gunhead were circling each other. Ochako had the cord pinched between her thumb and fingers, whirling around the weighted end of the cord in a small circle.
"Hosu City." Ochako breathed through her nose to keep herself calm at the memory. "I also wasn't able to catch Deku when we were attacked. Decided I couldn't let reach become an issue. So I did some research and found a book by Hanzo Hasashi. Been practicing ever since."
Minoru poked his head out from behind a car. "Oooh, is that why you kept having to go see Recovery Girl all the time with a busted up face? The whole class was wondering what was going on."
Gunhead chuckled while Ochako's calm and intense demeanor broke momentarily. "The whole class?!" Shaking her head, Ochako refocused, "Anyway, let's get on with it."
Ochako didn't wait to hear if Gunhead would say anything, she just let the cord go, so that it shot off in Gunheads direction. He moved to dodge, but Ochako was ready. She twisted, yanking the cord back before it had even gone halfway. As it flew back, Ochako lifted up her leg. The cord and closed grapple wrapped around her foot before she kicked and relaunched it right where Gunhead had dodged to. The closed grapple claw missed his face by inches.
CRACK THWIP!
That same sound as before alarmed Gunhead as Ochako fired a second grappling hook at him from her other bracer.
Crack!
And this one hit him right in the shoulder.
That's gonna bruise. Ow.
Ochako yanked the cords back before snapping them and driving the weighted ends down.
Oh this might not be fun.
Ochako had changed how she was using the cords now. No longer like rope darts, she was instead cracking them like whips. The cords streaked and waved around, snapping into Gunhead as he was put on the defensive. Using his bracers to block the twin closed claws as best he could. He was getting most of them, but one or two still slipped by.
CRACK THWIP!
On the other side, Ochako was doing her best to make sure she didn't accidentally smack herself as she fired a third, then quickly a forth, grappling line out as she kept up her attack. She needed to wear Gunhead down, and a constant barrage of whip strikes should do the trick. Wear him out so she could close the distance and float him so she could get the cuffs on him. At least that's what she wanted Gunhead to think she was doing.
CRACK THWIP!
CRACK THWIP!
All of her cords were out now, an almost unwieldy amount. In fact, it was completely unwieldy and Ochako knew she was a few seconds away from smacking herself in the face, but it should hide what she was trying to do, so if she only had to worry about a few bruises, it was fine.
This will be over before then.
She was confident, because while Gunhead was dealing with trying not to get whipped, he wouldn't notice as she changed tactics. She kept up the attack with her left arm, but with her right, she made the cords form a coil ready to snare anything that slipped inside, like an arm. She cheered when the cords wrapped around her sensei's arm.
I got him!
The cords went taut, and Ochako twisted her wrist to grab the cords to float him. It also affected her, but fortunately she had her gyroscopes to keep her on the ground.
Her fingers brushed against the cords. One, two, three, fou—
"Too Slow!" Gunhead yelled as he yanked on the cords hard.
Ochako gasped as she stumbled forward, arms flailing as she tried to get her balance, not noticing that Gunhead hadn't let go of the cords. With a flick of his wrist, he made the cords flick up and wrap around her arms before he rushed forward. Grabbing her tied up arm, he swung her around and kicked Ochako's legs out from under her. Tumbling over, Gunhead drove a palm into Ochako's sternum as he punched her down into the concrete.
Minoru from his vantage point couldn't tell if the cracking sound he heard was the concrete breaking, or Ochako's ribs. Either way, she was down and not getting up any time soon. Peeking out, he saw Gunhead standing over Ochako. Checking to make sure he hadn't killed her, or maybe saying something like, 'You're an idiot and should have listened to Mineta. He wasn't stupid enough to walk straight at the highly trained professional hero.'
Seeing Gunhead reach down and remove the cuffs Ochako carried on her belt and snapping them in half, really drove the point that this had been a stupid move and Gunhead was making sure Ochako knew it, if she was even still conscious.
Either way, Minoru was now faced with a dilemma. There was no chance in hell he was taking on a hero that had just kicked the crap out of one of the strongest students in his class. He might as well throw away the cuffs he was holding on to. He also wasn't going to make it to the exit, so running was out.
Well, running for the exit maybe…
Minoru didn't want to fail this test. Summer school with Aizawa was not something he wanted. So he needed to pass. And in order to pass, he needed Ochako. So that really only left him one option.
I deserve to get to touch a boobie for what I'm about to do.
"Ahhhhh!" Minoru screamed as he leapt out from behind the car and started pulling off the balls from his head and chucking them at Gunhead. The hero very casually moved out of the way as Minoru kept throwing his balls, but it wasn't like he expected to actually hit the hero. Would be nice, but he knew it wasn't gonna happen. All he needed was the hero to step away from Ochako, and he was.
Still throwing balls, Minoru hurried to Ochako's side, recalled a story he had heard her telling the class about how she sleeps with oven mittens so she doesn't accidentally float herself while asleep, grabbed her hand and pressed it against herself, floating her. Then, he grabbed the many cords hanging off her, and pulled her along like a balloon as he beat a hasty retreat, praying that Gunhead wouldn't chase after them.
"We're doomed," Minoru wailed as he carried Ochako and darted down another alleyway, circling around buildings until they had a clear view of the main street again. And the exit at the end of it.
"Mineta…" Ochako tried not to snap at him as she finally got her boots back on the ground, "Stop being so defeatist."
"But he took everything you threw at him and just shrugged it off!"
Ochako clicked her tongue. "Not everything." She still had a few moves left in the reservoir. But not a whole lot. Ochako peeked around the corner, looking down the road where she, Mineta and Gunhead had had their first fight. "He's gone."
Minoru's head popped around the wall, a few feet under Ochako's. "Is he… did he chase after us?"
Ochako shook her head. "If he had been chasing after us, we'd know." That got a shudder out of the poor purple mess. "He doesn't have to chase us. There's only two ways we win. Get him, or get to that exit. He's probably around a corner, too. Waiting for us to make a run for it."
"We're doomed."
"Stop saying doomed."
"We're screwed."
"Ugh," Ochako almost started beating her head on the wall. "Let's just… take a second to think."
While Ochako pulled away from the corner and started to ponder, Minoru kept looking at the empty street. "Hey…"
"Yeah?"
"You got infinity when we did the ball toss at the start of school, right?"
A weird thing to bring up, but Ochako nodded anyway. "My Quirk negates gravity. So as long as something isn't too heavy to begin with, I can pretty much lift and throw anything, because no outside forces are acting on it."
"So could you throw me?"
Ochako blinked, then raised a questioning eyebrow. "Throw you? You mean like…?"
Minoru, who didn't seem to like the idea even as he said it, nodded. "Yeah. You could float me and then throw me at the exit. If you threw me, I could reach the exit waaay faster than if we were running."
Ochako rubbed her chin. "…I could hammer throw you with your cape…"
Minoru decided to ignore that term. "And I saw how good you were at aiming all that rubble. So I'm sure you'd get me through the gate… and not hit the wall…" The more he talked, the more he clearly didn't like the idea. But it was out in the open now. So he accepted that he was pretty much screwed.
"No."
"Eh?" Not the answer he was expecting. "Hey, hold on. Aren't you supposed to be the brains in your trio?!"
"The what now?"
"You know, you got Midoriya who's the brawn. And you got the brains."
In reality there were several things wrong with that statement. But since Izuku wasn't there to comment that he was super smart, even if there was only one brain cell between the two of them and she held onto it, Ochako rolled with it. "Makes sense. What's Toga?"
"The psycho." Minoru saw the deadpan and pointed back at her. "You know full well she'd agree!"
"Yeah, she would. Doesn't mean you get to say it," Ochako said, crossing her arms.
"Anyway!?" Minoru decided that pissing Ochako off right now wasn't the best idea. "Why don't we go with my plan? You don't want another go at Gunhead, do you? He trounced you! Remember what Aizawa-sensei said, escaping sometimes is the best option!"
"Me wanting to take another crack at Gunhead-sensei aside, that's not why I'm vetoing the plan."
"Why? It's a good plan."
Deciding that explaining would be a waste, Ochako reached down and grabbed Minoru's cape. "Off." She paused. "And if you make a crack about me telling you to undress I swear—"
"I wasn't going to… ah, never mind, here." Minoru just did as he was told and quickly took off his cape.
Ochako nodded and then once the cape was off, reclasped the front of it by itself. "Fill the top with some of your balls. Enough to give it a 'head' and a 'body.'"
Not sure what Ochako wanted to do, Minoru did as he was told until two matching globs of balls were stuck on either end of the cape opening. Once that was done, Ochako tapped the cape with all five fingers, making it float. Then gripping the cape at the end, she stepped out just enough to give herself a clear view of the exit gate.
Swinging the cape like a bolas, at a speed that made Minoru dizzy just watching, Ochako launched the cape straight down the road. It zipped through the air at a breakneck pace. As it flew, Ochako retreated fully back around the corner and carefully watched it fly, eyes scanning the whole road.
Pop
Pop
Pop
Three sharp shots echoed down the road. Suddenly, the cape was jolted and tumbled through the air as it was hit. Its trajectory thrown off, it veered to the side, and slammed into the side of a building with a wet splat. The cape stuck against the side of a building, now with three holes in it.
Minoru paled while Ochako nodded her head. "That's why not."
"We're doomed."
"Argh," Ochako threw up her hands. "Stop it already. "Why'd you even want to be a hero if all you're going to do is cry when things get hard?!"
"I just… wanted to be cool…"
Ochako shook her head. "For crying out loud, really?! That's the reason? Of all the…" Ochako was done with the convo. She needed to focus on passing the test.
"Mineta, can you just grow the fuck up already? Pull up your diaper and let's figure something out!" She turned and looked down at Minoru with a harsh glare. Growling under her breath, Ochako stepped away. Walking down the alley, she stepped by Minoru without much of a thought.
"I can't 'grow the fuck up' more than this."
It took a second for Ochako to realize that he had spoken to her. It took another for her to put together what he had said, and the cold, angry, but also tired way he had said it.
When she turned around, she saw him glaring up at her, his worries of their match seemingly long forgotten as she now had his full attention. Suddenly, Ochako realized she might have crossed a line when she had her little rant. But as regret started to show on her face, Minoru wasn't having it.
"You want me more grown up? Fine!" He stomped over and found a trash can he could climb up and stand on top of so that he was now only just under her eye level. "This good enough for you?!"
Ochako wasn't used to seeing the other boy like this. Hell, she wasn't used to getting screamed at like this at all.
"What's wrong with wanting to be someone cool?! What's wrong with seeing how those professional heroes have it and wanting to have that too?!"
Ochako held up her hands. "Easy, I didn't… I didn't mean anything by it."
Minoru pointed at her. "Don't lie. I've heard it all before. Heard it plenty of times. People try to say they didn't mean anything by it, but they still keep saying it. People like you put yourselves on a pedestal and when someone like me tries to stand on it too, you suddenly get all holier-than-thou so you can push me off. No one does anything just to be altruistic. Everyone wants something. The rescuing and fighting villain parts? A means to an end." Ochako shifted a little at that, those words hitting a little too close to home for her liking. "Even Midoriya wants something."
Ochako pointed back. "Hey, watch it."
"He wants to be the next number one hero. He wants that fame and glory All Might has. Heck, he seems to want to bethe next All Might. A really altruistic person wouldn't care about being number one." Minoru huffed as he caught his breath. "I want to be cool. I want to be like those heroes that go to those gallas and events with a woman on each of their arms."
Ochako frowned. "So you just want to get laid? That's disgusting."
"I don't care if it's hollow. At least it's better than what I had growing up!"
"Huh?"
"I'm a hundred and eight centimeters. I stopped growing a long time ago. So all through junior high, I either had to deal with people that pitied me, or thought I was the biggest joke in the world. So I studied, made sure I kept my grades up, and I forced myself to alway be confident. But I was still always the little sticky grape kid.
"But hey," Minrou gave a mocking thumbs up, "all the boys envied that I was the perfect height to get a peek under the girls' skirts. Or light enough that they could 'give me a boost' so that I could fall perfectly to get a feel of one of the girls in class. So why not just be what they thought I was?
"If that's who they thought I was already, the weird little creep, then why not just go with it? Own it and make it mine. I just added it to my confidence. I was the little guy that could walk up to any girl and ask for her number, and when that doesn't work, well at least I'd find a way to get something out of it…"
Minoru deflated, and sat down, "I was smart enough to pass the entrance exam into U.A. I aced the test and got sixteenth in the practical." Minoru pulled off one of the balls and tossed it against the wall. "So many people were trying to destroy the robots, but really, all you had to do was immobilize them…
"When I showed everyone my acceptance letter, suddenly… Suddenly those last few weeks of school, they treated me differently. Guys were respecting me and the girls… Well, suddenly I wasn't too short for them. They only cared because I was someone now.
"But what's so wrong with that? So what if someone only wants anything to do with me because I'm here? So what if I just want to milk my hard work and have women around me just because I'm famous? At least I'll have something. So I don't need to grow up. I got here by being my little self, and that's how I'm going to get what I want."
Ochako looked down at Minoru, not really sure what to say after that whole spiel. It explained a lot. Maybe it didn't excuse some of his past behavior, but it sure put it in a different light. He turned those sneers and insults into something that boosted himself up. it was almost a twisted reflection of what Izuku did. Taking 'Deku' and turning the meaning on its head. "And you're okay with just wanting something superficial like that?"
"I don't think it's superficial at all. Those heroes, they're living their lives and reaping the rewards of their hard work. What's wrong with that?"
Ochako frowned, her own words repeated for her to hear. So I'm going to be a hero. I'll make that money… so that my mom and dad can have easier lives! Everyone wanted something. Who's to say something was hollow or not. If they put in the work and weren't doing anything wrong, everyone had the right to look for their own happiness.
"Sorry." Minoru looked up as she spoke. "I really didn't mean it… like that."
He sighed. "Yeah… I didn't mean to… explode and just… dump on you. It's been a while since anyone actually said that to me… I guess I started to get used to not hearing it." There was an awkward pause as the two just waited for the strangeness to pass. "You won't… tell anyone about what I said?"
"Not my place to. Or really… to judge you on why you're here. I have my own reasons." Ochako sighed. "I want money for my family."
Minoru nodded, accepting the reason easily. "Nothing wrong with that."
"…Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you," Ochako apologized, deciding not to point out that her 'grow up' comment had nothing to do with height since it seemed like the subject alone was rife with suppressed issues. Which was fair enough, everyone had things that could make them snap. "But… if we're going to win, we can't spend time freaking out. We have to focus on what we're going to do."
"Yeah… I know. I try to act confident, but man is it hard when things get rough."
Ochako sighed and offered Minrou a hand. "I don't think it's an act for you. An act wouldn't have gotten you this far. You're a confident guy. Nothing wrong with that."
Minoru blinked, then smiled and took the hand. "Thanks."
"And if you do want to end up as some cool hero and get laid, you're gonna need to help me pass this test."
"I can work with that."
The two shook and then let go. Minoru stood up, looked at Ochako for a second and asked, "Want to grab a bite after we win?"
Ochako almost tripped, and started laughing. "God fucking damn you bounce back don't you?"
"Hell yeah." Then he smirked and wagged his eyebrows. "And I'm not hearing a no…"
"No."
Mineta snapped his fingers. "Drat. Midoriya?"
"Yeah."
"Man, I need to figure out how Midoriya's milkshake brings all the girls to the yard. There's you, Toga and I've seen the way that Hatsume looks at him."
Ochako was close to bursting a gut. "As far as Hatsume is concerned, count your blessings that you don't have her attention. The things she does to Deku to make his support gear is insane."
"Have you seen the boobs on her? She could experiment with me whenever she wanted."
Ochako ran her fingers through her hair. "I am very aware of her boobs. Thank you very much." Those damned things always seemed to end up pressed against Izuku one way or another. And Ochako was like ninety percent sure the mechanic never wears a bra when she's in her work overalls and tank top. That was some very big competition she was going to have to overcome down the line.
"By the way, does Midoriya know that you swear like a sailor? I know it's like a universal law he can't, but you, man. I'm shocked, but also not."
"I don't swear like a sailor. I swear like a construction worker, thank you very much." A dark shadow fell over Ochako's face as she leaned over to get on eye level with Minoru. "And you're not going to tell him. Riiight?"
Minoru gave her an immediate thumbs up while trying not to crap his pants.
"So how much time do you think we have left?" Minrou asked as the two refocused.
"Ten minutes?" Ochako guessed. Not much of a guess, but it was the best she could give at the moment.
Drumming her fingers on her bracer, Ochako paced. They needed a plan. Trying to brute force their way through was just not going to work. As much as she had wanted it to, as much as she had wanted to prove she could, it just wasn't in the cards today. "Mineta. Explain your Quirk to me."
"Eh?"
"I'm not like Deku, I don't catalog every Quirk like he does. If we're going to come up with a plan, I need to have every small detail in mind. So just, remind me exactly," Ochako explained. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something she was missing. Something was gnawing at her.
Minoru nodded. "Um, sure." Minoru reached up and pulled off one of the balls on his head. "They're super sticky, and depending on my health, they can stay sticky for a whole day. New ones pop up and replace the ones I pulled pretty much immediately, but if I keep pulling them off too quickly, my scalp will start to bleed."
"I'm surprised I've never seen you with stuff stuck to your head."
"They only get sticky when I pull them off. And once they're off, everything sticks to them. Except me. I'm immune to their stickiness. I bounce right off when I press against them."
Ochako nodded. "Right. That's how you won the side step test Aizawa-sensei had… hold on." Ochako looked at the ball stuck to the wall, then back at Minoru. "Wait, how…?"
"Huh?"
"Mineta, how did you just do that?" Ochako pointed at the ball.
"Do what?" Minoru pulled off another ball before tossing it onto the wall. "This?"
Ochako pointed at his hands. "Why aren't your balls sticking to your gloves?"
Minoru looked down at his hands and blinked before he went, "Oh! Oh, the company that made my costume used the stuff from my scalp to make sure nothing would stick to it. It's pretty much a second skin. Didn't you notice that my cape never stuck to my balls?"
Ochako quickly glanced back down the road, and sure enough, the cape she had thrown was flapping in the breeze. While the balls were stuck to the building, the cape itself wasn't bothered in the slightest.
"Holy shit, that's what was bugging me."
"I mean, if I kept getting stuck to my own balls, I'd never be able to do my super move Grape Bounce," Minoru explained. "I throw balls around and then I bounce from one to another. It makes me super mobile."
Ochako rubbed her chin before she reached out her hand. "Let me see those gloves. I have an idea."
Gunhead tilted his head to the side when he heard the commotion. Metal bashing against metal. Glass shattering. Concrete cracking. The noise was enough to make him walk back out into the road to see what was going on. He wasn't sure what he expected, but to see Ochako walking down the street, a cloud of debris floating above her head made up of trash cans, some cars, dumpsters and other odds and ends she must have collected…
Gunhead also noticed that one of the cords from her bracers that she had used was tied around her belt and floating up into the debris field, where Mineta floated around, working to keep all the stuff with them. Gunhead eyed the floating boy and noticed one other thing. As the boy moved around, he was placing those purple balls of his onto the rubble. Working to try and keep them from touching too much and get stuck together.
Working together now, huh?
Ochako sucked in a breath before she glanced up at Minoru. "You doing okay up there?"
Minoru nodded but gulped when he looked down. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. Totally fine."
"You said you weren't afraid of heights."
Minoru laughed. "Yeah. Funny things happen when you're suddenly floating like ten meters off the ground."
"We still got plenty of slack in the line, so I shouldn't yank you around too much once I start fighting… ugh…" Ochako grunted and put a hand on her stomach. She was floating a lot of stuff. And her stomach was not super happy about it. "Just make sure you don't hit me, okay."
"Yup!" Minoru tried not to sound too scared. "Just remember what I said, okay."
Ochako nodded. "Yup."
Okay then, Ochako steadied herself, here we go.
The pair charged in, Mineta kicking one of the balls he put on a car and launching it towards Gunhead while Ochako dove in to attack, kicking off the ground and sailing upward.
Gunhead leapt out of the way of the first attack, the car smashing into the road, sending car parts everywhere. Gunhead ended up pressed against another parked car.
"Okay, that's a little dangerous, don't you—"
"Aaaah!"
Twin cracks and pings alarmed Gunhead as on either side of him, Ochako had fired her grappling hooks. She was above him now as she sailed by. Anchored to the car, Ochako whipped around like a pendulum until she yanked herself into Gunhead's direction.
Recalling what Miruko had taught her on the last day at her internship, Ochako twisted forward, letting her momentum send her into a front flip down. Extending her leg out, she screamed, "Luna Arc!" as she ax-kicked down on Gunhead's head.
Gunhead was able to move out of the way, so Ochako's heel sailed by without touching him, but the crash and crunch that followed made him wince. He winced harder when he turned and saw that the car was now folded up from Ochako's attack, like a car taco.
…Miruko, why would you teach her that?!
"That was your Luna Arc! I can't believe you taught her that!" Izuku was a vibrating mess as he somehow was writing down notes into his notebook.
Miruko smirked. "You've seen the legs on that Runt. Of course I'd teach her how to use them." The way Izuku nodded got a few chuckles out of Himiko and Miruko. "But she needs to work on her aim."
Ochako winced as she yanked her foot out of the mangled car. Her boots did a good job making sure she didn't snap her leg off with that move, but she sure as hell still felt it. But that wasn't what she needed to be focused on.
"Incoming!"
Ochako heard Minoru's call and moved.
At the same time, Gunhead was forced to try to keep an eye on Ochako, while at the same time keeping tabs on Minoru and that minefield he had floating around him.
Crash!
Crunch!
Large chunks of rubble slammed into the ground as Gunhead moved. But, instead of bouncing off, as they should have under the effect of Ochako's Quirk, they stuck to the ground.
Crash
Crunch!
More debris was launched and Gunhead began to see what was going on, even as Ochako worked herself around the rubble. "You're trying to trap me, aren't you."
Ochako glared at Gunhead as the hero dodged several balls thrown at him.
"You need to work on your aim though."
Vaulting over rubble, and making sure to avoid anything purple, Gunhead went on the attack. Or tried to. As more and more rubble was launched into the ground, and more and more of the purple balls rained down from above, it was turning the battlefield into an obstacle course.
After the latest barrage, Ochako glanced down the road, counting before she whipped back around and shot her grappling hooks up into the air, snagging a truck. Yanking it down, she kicked out the cord, changing the direction of the truck so it swept over Gunhead's head. He ducked, and Ochako called out for more.
Minoru heard and bounced off more rubble, launching it, all the while yanking more balls off his head and throwing them towards the ground and Ochako. After the last throw, he glanced over towards the road leading to the gate.
Almost.
Steadying himself, he winced as he looked at his hands. His scalp was starting to bleed. Getting that blood cleaned from under his fingernails was gonna be a pain.
Ochako kept on the move. Using her grappling hooks, she attacked Gunhead while keeping the rubble between herself and him. Something that Gunhead took note of. Her aggressiveness was still there, but the way she was using it had changed. Each attack, if he let it, would probably knock him out, but she was making sure she was never too close. The more this dual attack from the two went on, the more Gunhead began to suspect he had their plan wrong.
"Uraraka!" Minoru attacked again. More rubble, more balls, but this time Gunhead didn't just dodge. He worked to close the distance. Ducking and weaving, he worked his way over to Ochako. And she saw him.
Ochako grit her teeth. "Minoru!"
Minoru wasn't near any rubble, so he threw as many balls as he could.
So close. Just a few more Uraraka!
Gunhead saw the attack, and thinking quickly, ripped a hood off a car and held it up as a makeshift shield. The balls smacked onto the metal, harmlessly sticking to it instead of him. As he kept running, his view of Ochako was blocked and he was aware that something soared over his head. But a quick check confirmed Minoru was still in the air.
Gunhead wasn't sure what was going on now, but he knew that taking Uraraka out would put a stop to it. And with the hood covered in purple sticky balls, he had just the thing to do it. Get her stuck to this and then—
Crank
Crank
Riiiiiiip!
Ochako saw Gunhead coming for her, with that sticky hood, and decided that she was not letting that happen. She charged, and with a flick of her wrist, deployed her last trick.
Gunhead winced when two large metal spikes pierced through the metal of the hood. He hissed as the metal spikes ripped upward and downwards, shearing the hood in two. As it was pulled apart in Gunhead's hands, he found Ochako right in front of him, the huge spikes, easily as long as her forearm, coming out of the top hole in her bracers. The two just sort of stopped as he looked at those new weapons.
"Steel spikes?"
"Titanium actually."
"…Isn't that a little overkill?"
"…Don't you have razor blades on your knuckles?"
"Touché."
Their strange pause ended when Minoru screamed. "Uraraka! Here!"
Ochako reached up, retracting the spike on that hand, snatched the purple ball out of the air, and threw it as hard as she could down the road. Gunhead blinked as he finally noticed something.
She was wearing bright yellow gloves. Throughout the whole fight, not once had Ochako used her hands to attack him. Just her feet, and grappling hooks, all the while keeping the rubble between them so he could never get a good look.
"What are you—"
"Mineta, go!"
"So what do you think, Mineta?"
Minoru frowned as he tapped his chin. "It could work. But if I hit you with any of my balls by mistake, we're done."
Ochako flexed her hands, wearing the bright yellow gloves. "Then that will be on me. If he sees you throwing stuff out into the road he'll get suspicious immediately. But if I do it, while you're attacking with all the rubble, then he shouldn't be able to tell we're making a path for you."
Minoru nodded. "Honestly, we don't have to distract him for super long. I can bounce pretty far after all."
Ochako agreed. "So. While you're pelting him, toss me some as well, and while his attention is on you, I'll get you a path to the exit. Then victory is literally a jump skip and hop away."
Minoru beamed brightly. "All those games of hopscotch are gonna pay off."
Ochako ripped the gloves off and pressed her fingers together. "Release!"
As all the remaining rubble fell to the ground, Minoru bounced off and rocketed towards the balls on the road. "Here we go!"
Ochako was about to unclip her belt, giving Minoru free range, but he called out. "Float! We're both getting out of here!"
Not exactly the plan, but sure!
Ochako floated herself and kicked off the ground, putting herself out of Gunhead's reach as he lunged for her. Then Minoru landed on the first ball, and rocketed down the road, pulling the cord. "Bye, sensei!"
Ochako was pulled along as Minoru bounced from ball to ball, closing the distance to the gate at record pace. As she was pulled behind him, Ochako lifted her bracers up and started firing rubber bullets at Gunhead at the same time he fired after them. Her rounds hit Gunhead but the hero kept furring his own. Ochako hissed as she used her body to block bullets aimed for Minoru, but all too soon Gunhead stopped firing as they were too far away for him to be able to do anything.
And just like that, Minoru sailed through the gate, with Ochako right behind him.
"Team Uraraka and Mineta have passed!"
Himiko cheered happily as she wrapped her arms around Izuku's neck, all the while getting swung around by the ecstatic green boy.
Miruko nodded, happy with the win. She would need to put in some work to make sure Ochako 'won' won next time they had an exam like this, but she had shown such a lot of skill, heart, and ferocity that Miruko was proud of her.
Those spikes were especially nasty. She loved them.
As the cameras began to switch over to the next match, Miruko looked over at Izuku with a bemused smirk. The boy had not once doubted Ochako was going to win. Even when they had to retreat he was adamant it was going to be fine. Miruko had to admit it was sweet just how confident and dedicated he seemed to Ochako. Also—Miruko had to try and hide her smirk—she didn't need her rabbit instincts to know that the boy was more than just excited to get to watch Ochako fight.
Poor kid has got it bad for the Runt. Holy shit he's gonna need a cold shower.
Miruko's ears twitched when she heard a growl from the back of the room. Glancing over her shoulder, Katsuki was glaring darkly at Izuku. Miruko noted that she wasn't the only person who could see how into Ochako's match Izuku was.
"Ha ha ha, I think we won Uraraka." Minoru's voice was muffled as he celebrated.
Ochako, suddenly feeling physically exhausted, nodded numbly and just stayed sprawled out on the ground. "Yup. Good job Mineta… You know, pulling me along wasn't part of the plan."
Minoru's voice was still muffled. "Wasn't going to leave a teammate behind… also you were the perfect shield for those bullets."
Ochako winced. "Yup. I suppose I was perfect for that."
"…Sorry I bad-mouthed Midoriya."
"Eh?"
"I was kinda mad and sorta went on a tangent."
Ochako sighed. "We both said some stuff, Mineta. Don't worry about it."
"But if he really is trying to be the next All Might, with that all give and no take kind of mentality he has… That's not gonna end well."
Ochako nodded. "I'm not gonna let him become a martyr."
"Good. He's a good guy."
"He is."
There was a break before Minoru chuckled a little. "I kinda want to be in the same room when he finally hears you swear. It's gonna be hilarious."
Ochako chuckled darkly. "Never gonna happen, asshole. He's never gonna hear my blue collar mouth. And you're never gonna tell him. And in exchange, I'm not gonna tell him where your face is right now."
Minoru, pancaked between the ground and Ochako's breasts, waved his hands and vaguely pointed at her. "You're on top of me, you know. And do you realize how heavy you are?"
With a grunt, Ochako rolled over, only slightly aware of the loud clunk her gear made when she was sprawled on her back. "Hey Mineta."
"Yeah."
"You don't have to be who people expected you to be. Ya'know?"
"…Thanks Uraraka." Minoru sighed and was just about ready to pass out before asking, "Wanna go out on a date?"
"You'll have to fight Deku for me…. And then Toga."
"I knew it! Also, you're hot, but not that hot."
By the time Gunhead arrived to congratulate the pair, he found them laughing like a couple of maniacs.
In the control room, as the cameras all changed to show the next match, more than a few eyebrows were raised. Even Katsuki noticed. "Well fuck, who did Ears and Rich Girl piss off to get this?"
Izuku soberly looked at the stage. "Knowing Aizawa-sensei there's probably a good reason for this…"
"Buuut," Himiko pushed for more.
"It's still kinda… cruel. It's like he's making them relive the USJ attack all over again."
"Feel like I should complain to an ethics committee or something," Kyouka grumbled as she looked around.
The bus ride to their exam site had been strangely silent, with Ectoplasm sitting at the front of the bus and herself and Momo sitting at the back, the two still going over ideas and plans on how to counter their teacher's Clone Quirk.
When the bus stopped at the USJ building, Kyouka had let out a small 'huh' but hadn't really thought much of it. It wasn't like there hadn't been a test here already. Inside they even saw crews of robots working to return the Downpour Zone back to normal.
As they walked through the building, Kyouka kept expecting Ectoplasm to guide them to one of the zones as they passed it. First the Ruins Zone, then the Landslide Zone. She was grateful they weren't led to the Flood Zone. Because unless Momo could make them some jet skis, they were boned.
While she was eyeing the Conflagration Zone with some worry, Ectoplasm then pointed away from it, and towards their test site. The Mountain Zone. And Kyouka, who normally made sure to filter her rock and roll genes while around other people, let out a simple, "Motherfucker."
After that, Ectoplasm led them to the 'starting line' of their test and left, leaving them alone to get acquainted with the area.
Momo glanced around. "We have returned here before, Jirou. For more rescue lessons with Thirteen-sensei."
Kyouka eyed Momo evenly. "For rescuing. Not fighting a horde."
Momo wilted a little. "I suppose you are right."
"Would love to know who's sick idea this was."
Pause.
"Aizawa-sensei," both answered at the same time. Which did get a few dry chuckles from the two of them.
"So there's a reason for this. Fine, but," Kyouka motioned outward, "last time we aced this. Took out a bunch of villains and got out alive. And without getting hurt." When Momo didn't immediately agree with her, she looked back over at her, frowning when she saw the taller girl looking at the artificial mountains with an unfamiliar frown. "What?"
"I don't—"
"Team Jirou and Yaoyorozu, practical exam. Ready, go!"
"You think I'm too careful?" Momo had her hands over her head as she caught her breath. Off to the side, Fatgum and Tamaki were busy cuffing up the small group of hooligans that had made the unfortunate decision to try and smash and grab at a corner gas station at the same time Fatgum was doing a patrol.
"But isn't being careful important?"
Fatgum scratched his head. "Eh… Well of course it is important to avoid unnecessary risks. But think about what just happened. We needed to catch these bad eggs—"
"Hey!" the lead hooligan with a chicken head complained. "That's offensive!"
"As I was saying, we needed to catch this group. And what did you start to do?"
Momo frowned. "Well, in order to catch the group safely I needed a plan to catch them without causing them undo injury and protecting myself. So I was going to create a net and catapult to…"
"Too long," Fatgum said with a good-natured smile, while he patted the chicken hooligan on the head. "If you had waited until you had all that set up, the group would be gone. And now you're in a chase. Which creates a whole new set of dangers that you weren't prepared for."
Momo considered that. "So… I should have done what I ended up doing from the start?" Momo then picked up the bo staff that she had put off to the side. She had used the weapon once Fatgum and Tamaki had lept into the group to start restraining them, leaving her to catch up.
"Exactly. You'll learn that sometimes, things don't need overly complicated plans. And sometimes, you just need to get your hands dirty. I'm not saying be reckless. But doing nothing or takin' too long to do something can end up being the most dangerous thing. You're as smart as a whip, like I said. And once you get a little more experience, you'll learn when to use which type of plan."
"Jirou! Find out where Ectoplasm-sensei is!" Momo called out immediately after the starting announcement.
Kyouka jolted, startled at the sudden command. "Wha?"
"He must have cloned himself before the match began after he left us. Find out where they are."
"R-right!"
As Kyouka's ear jacks plugged into the ground and began listening to their surroundings… "He's definitely made clones. There are groups all over the place… and they are starting to close in. I can't tell who's the clone and who's real though."
"That does not matter. Real or not, it doesn't change our goal. We're making for the exit." Momo eyed their surroundings before turning for the direction of the exit. She could just make out the gate all the way down the mountain.
Kyouka pulled her jacks out of the ground. "Do we want to try something like last time? Cause a rockslide? It worked with those villains."
"No. Such an attack has too many unknown factors. And we want to avoid getting into a prolonged fight, as Ectoplasm-sensei could overwhelm us. The simplest path to victory is the gate."
Momo sounded pretty sure of herself, Kyouka thought. Seeing the taller girl so confident, Kyouka wasn't about to argue. "Alright. Then let's get going. I can try and keep track of where the clones are as we descend. Try to avoid them."
"Good idea." Momo started down the path, but stopped and pulled Kyouka along with her. "Stay close. I don't want to give Ectoplasm-sensei a chance to split us up. We're only getting through this together."
Y-yes ma'am!
Kyouka thanked her lucky stars that she didn't actually say that out loud. Though the fact she had thought it was something to deal with another day.
"Five above us. I think they're about to jump down," Kyouka whispered to Momo as they hurried down the mountain, passing through a small canyon, with high walls on either side of them.
Momo nodded. "Pull out your jacks, quickly." While Kyouka did that, Momo created a pair of noise canceling earmuffs and some dark shades. Snapping them on a startled Kyouka, she made some for herself while quickly pulling her capelet to the side, exposing her bare back.
Just as the Ectoplasm clones leapt down to ambush them, Momo created multiple flashbangs that sprang up from her skin, pins already pulled. With an ear-splitting bang and blinding white light, the group was stunned, leaving them open to Momo's counter-attack.
Around her body, spots of pink and blue energy sparked before long metal rods shot out from her body and into the five attackers. There was a wet pop, before the five attackers melted into wet sludge. With that avoided, the two rushed on.
Reaching the exit to the small canyon, Kyouka had her jacks out, and clicked her tongue. "There's… a lot of them waiting for us."
"Can you blast them?" Momo was reaching to her side, getting ready to create something.
Kyouka smirked. "Bakugou isn't the only person here that can make some shockwaves."
In the control room, Katsuki sneezed.
Who the fuck is talking about me? I'll blow them up.
"Counter-Balance!"
Kyouka plugged her jacks into the speakers in her boots, and blasted out a shockwave of sound. Ripping out of the canyon exit, it slammed into the group of clones, turning some of them into sludge while others were knocked down. The attack was still going when Momo surprised Kyouka by rushing out into the fray.
"Y-yaoyorozu?!"
"Don't come out!"
Momo didn't just run out into the battlefield however. From her hand, she extended a metal rod into the ground and propelled herself up and over it. Yards above the remaining clones, Momo had a good chance to see that more clones were on their way, rushing over the mountainous terrain at shocking speed, even with the weights slowing them down.
Can't stay here for long!
Clutched tightly in her other hand were several stinger grenades. Dropping them, Momo went to work. Out of her legs, feet of gymnastics landing mats piled up onto the ground, cushioning her landing. At the same time, she grew two large metal shields out of her arms and ducked behind them, just as the stinger grenades exploded and hundreds of rubber pellets ripped through the air, shredding the remaining clones.
"Jirou, get out of there!"
Kyouka could guess why she was getting told to move, so she quickly stopped looking at Momo in awe and ran. She got out into the open, just as more clones leapt down where she had been. There were a lot of them.
"Crap crap craaaannon?!" Kyouka nearly tripped when she looked back to see that Momo was standing over a newly created cannon, pretty much exactly like the one she had made during the Aizawa's Quirk apprehension test. Except this time, she was staring down the barrel of the thing, which made it look much much larger.
"Duck!"
Kyouka didn't need to be told twice. Diving to the ground, and pulling those noise canceling earmuffs back on, she hit the ground just as Momo yanked the firing cord on the cannon.
Kyouka felt the shockwave of the blast as the cannonball rocketed overhead, slamming into the mountainside the clones were running over and shattering it, sending rock and clones crumbling to the ground on top of the clones that had already landed.
Kyouka rolled over, looked at the destruction and whistled. "Holy crap Yaoyorozu."
Momo smiled and offered her a hand to get up. "Fatgum helped me learn to be more direct during my internship. Spent a lot of time getting my hands dirty. It looks like it's paying off."
Back on her feet, Kyouka agreed. "I'll say. You're like a one woman wrecking crew. Totally badass."
Momo blushed and fidgeted for a second before she refocused. As much as she loved the praise, they still had a job to do. "Check where the remaining clones are. Then let's get going. We need to get to the exit."
"And when we get there?"
Momo smiled. "Don't worry, I know what to do."
"Huh, looks like Rich Girl actually learned something from her internship," Katsuki muttered as he watched the match.
Izuku looked back at him. "A compliment, Kacchan?"
Katsuki sneered. "Bite me."
"I'm surprised you're not more worried that the gap is closing," Izuku said, turning back to the screen.
"Just because I expect my worthless classmates to actually get better doesn't mean 'the gap' is closing for shit. I'm still heads and shoulders above all of them and getting better every day. I don't waste time worrying about useless shit."
Izuku blinked. "Who's wasting time? Everyone in class is working hard."
Izuku missed the pointed look Katsuki shot at him.
From behind Momo, Kyouka watched her friend with some worry. They had been on the run for a few minutes now, and were nearing their goal. So while they had had some reprieve, it didn't change the fact that Kyouka was a little worried about Momo. "You made a lot of stuff back there. Are you going to be alright?"
"Oh, I made sure to prepare for today. So last night I ate three cakes, some brownies and then this morning I had a handful of cookies."
She can eat all of that and still look like…
Kyouka shook her head. She wasn't jealous. Not at all. Nope.
"There they are, just like you said," Momo said as she came to a stop. The gate was within reach now. But blocking it was the last few remaining clones and Ectoplasm himself.
"Are you ready, Jirou?"
"Yeah," Kyouka said with a nod, walking up behind Momo as she began to create weapons from her back. When Kyouka reached up under the cape, and Momo felt her hands on her back, she twitched at the contact. Kyouka frowned. "S-sorry. Fingers are kinda calloused from me playing the bass."
Momo shook her head. "N-no. It wasn't bad at all. I liked how your hands felt!"
"Eh?"
Momo flushed and quickly added, "They're reassuring."
Yes. That was believable. Right?
"O-oh! Well um," Kyouka let her hands rest on Momo's bare back. "If it helps reassure you."
Momo closed her eyes, Jirou is touching me! T-Those are her hands on m-my skin… No focus. Win now, fantasies later. Momo had to try pretty hard not to imagine what those rough hands would feel like touching other places. Like in her own hands. Or on her—
"J-Jirou. Are you ready?"
Kyouka smiled, bright and determined. "You've led us here, I'm sure you'll lead us the rest of the way."
Momo gulped, then nodded. "Then here we go." Momo's back exploded into a shower of blue and purple sparkles before she took off, making a beeline for the group. From the opening in her costume at her thigh, she pulled out a long metal bo staff, and as the first clone rushed up to meet her, twisted it around and smashed the end into the clone's face, reducing it to white sludge.
Ectoplasm motioned for his other clones to attack. "Trying to brute force your way through? I'm surprised. No plans."
Momo twirled the staff as she barreled on through. "Fatgum taught me that sometimes the best path to victory is the one straight in front of you. Last time I took myself out of the fight when I was here. Not again. This time, we're going to win!"
The clone ducked Momo's swing while another rushed to grab her. "And how do you think you'll—"
The clone was cut off as he was suddenly wrapped up in a bright red net. When the other Ectoplasm clone looked to see where that had come from, he saw Kyouka, armed with two of Mei's Capture Guns, weapons that Momo had gotten a lot of experience creating during the capture the flag event.
Soon, more nets were fired into the fray, making the clones and Ectoplasm scatter to avoid getting caught. As they did, Momo pushed forward, twisting and slamming the staff into anything that was close to her. The chaos made it hard for the clones to stay put, constantly being forced to move and spread out. And in that chaotic movement, Momo saw her opening.
Throwing her staff at the closest clone, or as it turned out, Ectoplasm since it made a pretty loud bonking sound as it hit him and he didn't burst into white goo, Momo pointed her palms down and back, and twin metal rods rocketed out, propelling her towards the exit gate. As she soared by, clones tried to reach her, but the constant barrage of nets kept Momo safe as she flew through the exit gate.
"Team Jirou and Yaoyorozu have passed!"
Momo lay on her back, beaming up at the ceiling. She had done it. They had done it. Before, the only chance she had seen to win had been to take herself and Kyouka out of the fight. This time, the two had been able to make it. She looked forward to telling Fatgum that his advice to her had worked.
"Yaoyorozu!" Kyouka came sprinting through the gate and skidded to a stop. "That was incredible!"
Momo was about to say that they won together, and that she had also been absolutely incredible too. But when the rocker girl suddenly knelt down and wrapped her up in a tight celebratory hug, she suddenly couldn't recall exactly how one made words. Though, rough calloused fingers were touching her again.
And they just felt so, so, good.
Izuku clapped happily at his classmates' victory. "That was awesome. I was worried that being put into the same situation would throw them for a loop, but it looks like they took what they learned over the past few months and were able to win."
Gran Torino huffed from his seat. "Not often you get a chance at a do over. Good on those two for doing better this time."
"Oi, Deku," Katsuki got off from the wall he was leaning on, "follow me. We need to talk."
The tone in Katsuki's voice made it clear he wasn't going to settle for anything but silent obedience. Izuku, deciding that going along with him would probably mean less of a headache, just shrugged and followed Katsuki out of the room. With any luck, whatever this was would be over before the next match began. As the doors closed behind them, Miruko frowned.
"So what is this about, Kacchan?"
The pair had walked a decent way away from the control room. Whatever this was about, Katsuki wanted privacy. Which was super weird. If Katsuki had something to say, he'd yell it from the top of a building for all to hear.
Katsuki turned, and Izuku suddenly realized that whatever was coming, wasn't going to be fun.
"You and I have a problem."
"…Story of our lives?"
Katsuki closed the distance and shoved a finger into Izuku's face. "Don't even try to crack jokes, Deku. I'm fucking serious right now, and if you know what's good for you, you'll get serious too."
Izuku swatted the hand away. "You should know me well enough to know I do take this seriously."
"Really?"
Izuku threw up his hands. "Okay Kacchan, I give up. I can't even guess what your problem is this time. But you should at least be able to trust that I take my school work seriously, and that I'm taking my hero training seriously as well."
Katsuki scoffed. "Trust? That's rich coming from you."
"Huh?"
"You want me to trust you Deku? After you've spent how long lying to my face?"
Izuku almost blew up then and there. "Are you kidding me?! You still think I was lying about my Quirk?! Kacchan for crying out loud—"
"Not talking about that shit," Katsuki cut in sharply. "I'm talking about whatever the fuck is going on between you and All Might."
"…Wha?" Izuku had his hands up. "Kacchan there's noth—"
"If you fucking finish that sentence I'll go find Aizawa and withdraw from these fucking tests. Wanna bet we both fucking fail?"
It was the way Katsuki said it, not with a scream or with his normal over the top curse-filled yell, but with a steady stern voice, that got Izuku's attention. Katsuki would never actually do something to get in the way of his own success, both of them knew this. But it was the fact he had even said it that was alarming. It was only to make sure he had Izuku's attention, and now, Katsuki had it.
Izuku promptly shut his mouth, but instead of wilting under his old childhood friend's gaze, squared up to him and leveled a stern glare of his own. Katsuki huffed at that. "You finally got some balls, too bad you traded in your fucking brain for them."
"Meaning?"
"All Might came up with your training, right? The shit that Yagi guy made you and Round Face do over the summer?" Again, no scream. The controlled restraint Katsuki was using was throwing Izuku for a loop.
"Yeah? I told you this after we had our talk."
There was a twitch in Katsuki's brow. A warning that while he was acting calm, he was pretty much a pressure cooker now. An explosion just waiting to happen. "Funny. See I talked to All Might. Know what he said?" Izuku didn't like where this was going. "He said it was Yagi that came up with the training plans. All Might said he didn't have time for it."
If Izuku could swear, he would have dropped a very appropriate fuck right then and there. Instead, he let slip a small, "Oh."
"Yeah, 'oh' is right, dumbass."
So Izuku was caught. Fair enough. He and All Might had done a really poor job at getting even the simplest parts of their story to match up. However, Izuku was not going to give up any ground. Give Katsuki an inch and he'll take the mile and then the rest of the damn road for good measure. So Izuku defiantly retorted, "Fine, we lied. What business is it yours anyway what we were doing?"
Katsuki poked Izuku in the chest. "If you're going to fucking lie to me, don't make it so fucking obvious you're lying. And don't fucking stand there and pretend that if you knew someone was lying to your fucking face, you wouldn't go try and find out what the hell was going on."
Again, if Izuku was capable of swearing, this would be the perfect place for another fuck. This time, Izuku did break eye contact. One of the most annoying things about Katsuki was, he had the bad habit of having a point when it was the worst possible time. "Kacchan. What do you want?"
"I already told you, you shitty nerd. I want to make damned sure your head is on straight."
Izuku blinked. "Wait, so this isn't about me and All Might?"
"Fuck no."
"…Then what the heck was the last minute all about then?!"
"Just proving you're a fucking idiot."
Oh, if only Izuku could swear. The fucks would be plentiful right now. All he could do was grab his head and try not to scream.
"Oh, you, me and All Might are going to have a talk about the shit you're up to," Katsuki added. "Since it seems like ever since he's been working with you, he's been noticeably absent from teaching the rest of us. I don't fucking like whatever you got going on affecting my fucking acadamics Deku."
Izuku winced. The one hour time limit All Might was under, really got pushed to the limit these past few weeks. As a result, the heroics classes weren't always taught by All Might, but instead some of the other teachers.
"But right now, I'm making sure you can still fucking fight at least."
Izuku groaned, rubbing his brow. He could feel a headache coming that he wished was because of his Psychokinesis. "Okay, and why would me being able to fight be a worry?"
"Because when you're acting like a bitch, you can't do shit."
"…Kacchan… What are you talking about? You're talking like how I was in junior high…" Izuku realized that he had kinda agreed with the whole previous statement but just powered on, "So unless you can tell me an exact issue. I'm just gonna head back to the control room."
"How about a few days ago."
Izuku was about to brush that off, but then paused. Because a few days ago, he had been in a tiny crisis. But only Ochako, Himiko, and his mother should know about that. And he seriously doubted that any of them would have talked to Katsuki. So he looked at Katsuki, and just said, "What?"
"You think you're the only one that decided to stay late and do some training?" Katsuki crossed his arms. "And what the hell do I see when I'm coming back but you freaking the fuck out in the halls, then running away like a fucking coward." Izuku was about to cut in— "Then fucking Round Face on your heels not long after."
So Izuku now found himself in the uncomfortable position of having to ask, "What… did you hear?"
"That you learned the worst kept secret in the world and flipped out like a scared little spaz." Izuku really wished that wasn't true, but looking back he hadn't handled the news very well. "So I need to make sure your head is on straight and not distracted by whatever shit you got going on between you and Round Face because she's acting like a bitch in heat."
POW!
No sooner had those words left Katsuki's mouth when Izuku reared back and slugged the explosive pomeranian in the jaw.