A/N-Thank you, Tannermals, Seydeen, and John_A_Mandrake, for the powerstones and your continued support! Seeing how much you enjoy this gives me the motivation to keep writing since I know how it feels to read something I like, only for the author to give up halfway. I will not be doing that!! Enjoy the chapter!!
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Though it was a bit strange coming back to this world after so much time away from it, Carter adapted enough that he didn't seem out of place anymore. His speech patterns were a bit strange if you were paying attention, but for the most part, he was comfortable again in the modern world. He and Katsumi had started hanging out a bit more since she'd stayed the night, but he still kept a certain distance between them that Katsumi was determined to break, or at least figure out the reason for.
He didn't just spend time with her or at U.A., though; throughout the week, he had been setting up a few more sigils around Japan, while also getting in contact with the Children, much to their delight. He didn't like how they revered him with an almost fanatical gaze, but they were useful for getting information about people and places that he wanted. Through them, he had been slowly establishing a network of informants and supply caches, ready but not yet in use.
Today, though, he and the rest of class 1-A were gathered at Ground Beta, ready for whatever exercise was planned for them today. "I like your new costume, it feels much more fluid than your last one," Ojiro said as he walked over in his karate gi. Carter nodded in agreement. Although he had changed his costume before, he still didn't like it, and since he mostly wore his robes when not in school uniform, he had Mei replicate them with stronger materials that wouldn't get shredded when he turned into a dragon. He'd had to hide his original robes since Katsumi kept trying to take them; unfortunately, that meant the last time he'd gone to check on them in the U.S, Cathleen had framed them and wouldn't let him take them back out, so Mei happily made him another set for him to wear.
"Alright, gather round," Aizawa said, cutting through the chatter as the class walked over to him. "Today we are going to be focusing more on teamwork, as well as improving your skills in urban environments." He said as Class 1-B and their teacher, Sejiro Khan (Vlad King), arrived. "Class B will also be participating." Carter stops paying attention as his mind wanders, though he does come to when they introduce another student who has a chance of joining the hero course.
"You are all just obstacles for me to overcome. I have a lot of catching up to do, and I'm not here to make friends." Hitoshi introduced himself, but a few were offended by his blunt speech. Carter didn't mind as he found it refreshing that someone was brave enough to speak their mind without regard for how others might feel about that.
He pays attention just enough to notice that Hitoshi has a mechanical mask over his mouth and that he uses capture tape just like Aizawa, but then he's thinking about lunch, ready to feast, when a snarky voice snaps him awake. "Well, if it isn't flyboy, they just let you waltz right back in after disappearing for three weeks, huh? Must be because you're in class 1-A." Nieto Monoma sneers as he saunters over. Seeing what her idiot friend is about to do, Kendo marches over before he can say something stupid.
"Not gonna say anything, flyboy? Or are you 1-A students so high and mighty that you can't talk to us 'lower class' students?" Monoma kept going as Carter now gave him his full undivided attention. "Hey, shitface, back off!" Katsumi yells, but he ignores her as he keeps trying to get a reaction out of Carter.
It's about to work before Kendo comes and smacks him in the back of the head, dragging him away after apologizing several times. Carter watches him get dragged off as Sejiro and Aizawa explain how the exercise will work.
The two classes will compete against each other in teams of four, battling it out. Someone notes that there are 42 of them in total, now that Hitoshi will be joining them. Vlad clears this up by stating that Hitoshi will participate in two battles, one on each side.
Toru follows another misconception, stating the team of 4 will have a disadvantage against the team of 5, causing Vlad to intervene once again and clear up the fact that integrating Hitoshi, who has had little to no battle experience, into the team will prove a magnanimous task in itself. He then explains how the winner will be decided: the team that captures 4 members of the opposing team will win, irrespective of the total number of members per side.
"What about me?" Carter asks since the numbers still don't add up. Aizawa shrugs, "You'll be doing something different; we'll tell you once the teams are decided." He feels a bit irked at this but decides not to peek into their minds since he could use a surprise for once. Once the teams are finally decided, Hitoshi ends up being on two teams: Class 1-A team 1 and Class B team 5. Finally, Aizawa tells him what he's going to be doing.
"As a few of you have no doubt noticed, Carter is not on any team. That is because his goal will be different from yours." He looks at them before grinning, a sight that freaks out a few who have come to associate that grin with a bad time. "Carter's goal is to cause as much destruction as possible, while also fighting any and everyone he comes across." A few people look confused, but Aizawa clears that up real quick.
"Since several students in both classes need extra credit, there will be bandanas tied to various points on Carter's body, the more dangerous the more points. Anyone able to grab them gets extra points when final exams roll around." He grins at Carter as several students start to look at him like one would look at a piece of meat. He doesn't back down, though, as he's more than confident he can take them down.
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Teachers POV:
Though they were all painfully aware that Carter could flatten all of U.A., it was still a bit unnerving to see him destroy Ground Beta so easily. Powerloader and Cementoss in particular felt upset since they were the ones who had to repair the various grounds of the school.
Perhaps seeing their facial expression, Aizawa comforted them, "Nezu is just going to repair Beta from the ground up. Any destruction right now will just add more obstacles for the students." He said as they sighed in relief.
As the first round begins, both teams give Carter a wide berth since he has already set a portion of the area on fire. Not satisfied with just that, he transforms into his Nightwing form and starts tearing through the area as the two teams clash.
One student with a mutant quirk that turns him into a large furry beast can keep class A on the edge, but things aren't easy for them as Hitoshi uses his support gear to throw them off. Ibara from class B also decides that she must remove such a sinful creature from the world, and so she charges at Carter, much to Sejiro's chagrin.
After a few chaotic minutes, Class A wins the round and switches to the next team as Aizawa and Sejiro tell their student how to improve, as well as how to deal with things out of their control, like Carter, who's now sitting in a crater on the edge of the grounds, waiting for the next round.
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Carter POV:
I wish I could say they did good, but they didn't. Despite all the training the two classes have been undergoing, they aren't accustomed to working as teams, with no clear leaders who can effectively coordinate in a fight and keep them focused. I could easily fill that role in class A, but I wasn't going to be around for very long after school, so I left it to the others, though no one had stepped up to the plate.
Class B was different, though. Since they felt they needed to work harder to be noticed, they quickly found someone who could lead them and keep them focused on training; that person was Itsuka Kendo.
Though he had only said a few words to her in passing, Carter felt that she did a good job of wrangling class B without being too much of a tyrant, like Monoma would surely be if they let him have his way. He had overheard Tetsutesu calling her the class's older sister, and he felt that was appropriate.
He shoved that back for now, though, as he raged around, throwing large pipes and chunks of concrete to make things more difficult for them. The two to worry about this round were Momo and Itsuka. Though they didn't have a chance on their own, if the two girls managed to get their teams together, they could all try to swarm him for the ropes tied to his body. One was around his neck, another at the base of his tail, and two around the base of his horns and around his wings.
He found them a bit annoying but decided to roll with it since it would be fun to see which team was dumb enough to rush him. It wouldn't be either of these two, though, as Itsuka and Momo were having a grudge match as the rest battled it out across the field.
He spat some obligatory flames as Fumikage wrestled for control of Dark Shadow with a class B student who could move through them. He could also vaguely sense Toru sneaking towards him, so he took to the air to get a better view of everything. On one side, Itsuka and Momo were going to it while Shihai grabs Aoyama and runs for it with Fumikage using a new move he made during his internships with Hawks: Black Fallen Angel!
A good speed boost, but that's about it. I think as Aoyama starts to fire off his laser at random, scattering the shadows, forcing Shihai into hiding as light fills the area.
I descend to wreak more havoc, but notice how a small mushroom sprouts on the tip of my claw. Peering down at it, I wonder how it got there, before I notice hundreds of mushrooms growing as a girl from class B puts Itsuka's backup plan in motion.
I take the time to pick or burn off all the mushrooms that covered me before turning back to see how the match is going. Itsuka was able to corner Momo with help from another student, but Momo was able to send a few items to her teammates before tethering herself to Itsuka, greatly diminishing her mobility.
I spot Toru and Fumikage for a few seconds, both covered in mushrooms, before they use the spray that Momo made for them as they take off after Shihai, who's captured Aoyama again.
The rest of the match is a wash for Class A. With Momo gone, they can only try and fight, but even with Fumikage pulling another move out of nowhere, they still lose, though it does take a while for Itsuka to drag Momo over to the jail cell since Momo tied them to a cannon she made at the last second. As the next teams enter, I notice Toshinori take Izuku off to the side as they talk, but as the match starts, I feel the concrete beneath me start to turn to mud.
An interesting quirk, I think, as my limbs slowly sink, with my weight not helping. It's so slow, though, not enough to be useful if your enemy is too quick to be caught. It seems that someone is finally brave enough to take me on as a class B student steps out and stares at me. "No hard feelings, right?" Juzo asks, seeing the large dragon stare at him.
He runs off before Carter can say anything, though, as the other transfer student from the U.S, Pony, comes over. "Howdy! I'll be taking those extra points!" She says as she uses her horn cannon to try and grab one of the ropes, only for Carter to swat them aside with his claws. "Crap, JUZO IT DIDN'T WORK!!" She yells, running away as he breaks free from the concrete prison. He admits it was a good idea, but they should have buried him deeper if they wanted to hold him in.
Deciding to be a bit lenient since they had such a good idea, Carter stalks through the mock city towards the sounds of fighting as Shoto suddenly flies at him, both quirks flaring as he tries to freeze him in place. Smashing the ice with his tail, Carter lets loose a jet of flames, forcing Shoto back, as Ida sprints by and tries to grab a rope. Only for Carter to grab him and throw him at Shoto, who throws himself to the ground.
Shoto jumps up and glances at the groaning Ida before making a tactical decision. "Break off, we can't take him. Go stop the mud guy, I'll hold him off." He says as Ida nods and runs off to help their other teammates, as Shoto blasts another wave of Ice at Carter. It hits but doesn't stick for long before melting under Carter's fire. Shoto curses seeing this, but doesn't stick around to try again as he takes off after Ida.
After Shoto runs off, Carter takes his time walking over to the battle site, where Juzo has turned a large portion of the concrete into mud, making it difficult to run around. It didn't seem to bother him, though, as he let his body sink up to his elbows before it hardened as Shoto turned the floor to ice. Tetsutetsu did try his luck getting closer to the rope around his tail, but it didn't end well, as he was thrown quite far by a swift tail smack.
The match ended in a draw; both teams learned new things they needed to work on, as well as more ideas to use against difficult villains. Carter stayed in the concrete as the next teams arrived and just stared at him.
"Looks like the mighty dragon is all helpless, be a shame if someone took his power." Monoma grinned as he made his way over. Carter just stared at him impassively as his team wondered if he'd finally lost his mind. Carter did nothing as he touched one of his forearms. His eyes widened a bit, though as Monoma turned into a dragon, a Nightwing not much smaller than him, but still bigger than Ryukyu. "See, I told you it would work. He won't do a thing." Monoma gloated as he turned to face his teammates, who went pale.
"Wanna test that?" Carter rumbled as he stood up, a full ten feet taller than Monoma. He didn't back down, though, as he lunged forward, trying to tackle Carter as the teams started fighting.
Seeing the two dragons circling each other, the two teams decided to avoid them. It didn't help them, though, as when they started fighting, the ground shook and forced them to go even farther away. Katsumi seemed to be the target for class B as they focused on her, but that just gave her teammates more freedom as they put pressure on them. They had to stop for a moment, though, as Monoma came crashing through, wings and tail flailing as Carter stalked over.
"I think I did something." He said snarkily as Monoma lunged forward, only to get slammed down face-first into the concrete as Carter dragged him along the ground, forming a trench that Katsumi had no problem crossing. As he throws him a second time, Carter stops to watch Katsumi get covered in metal pieces that slow her down considerably, before Sato sashes them to pieces as Monoma picks himself back up.
"Take this!" He roars, spitting a plume of flames that Carter ducks under. "You idiots need to yell AFTER you attack, not before." He lets loose his burst of flames that singe Monoma's wing as he dodges too late. Carter walks over calmly as Monoma roars in pain. Had it been Shoto's fire, he would have fared better, but dragon fire burned a lot hotter than even Endeavor could safely handle.
"Where was that smug look from earlier? I thought you said this would be easy?" He mocked as he raked his claws along his side, blood-stained claws picking him up by the throat. "Stop him!" Someone from class B yelled as even the teachers started to move; this wasn't supposed to happen.
"You know, I could tolerate you disliking the rest of the class, but you picked the wrong dragon, at the worst time possible." He hissed as he slammed him back down, talons slashing at his wings. Desperate to be free, Monoma blew fire into his face and slashed his talons into Carter's underscales, but they barely left marks as Carter smiled with all his teeth.
"Katsumi, stop him!" She blasted her way over as the others rushed after her.
Monoma finally stopped spraying flames as he ran out of breath, and Carter was unscathed. "How adorable, a dragonet could do better than that." He said as he slowly called forth the fire within him, ready to rid this world of something utterly annoying, when Katsumi landed on his snout, blasting it.
"You know that won't do anything, right?" He asked as the smoke cleared and Katsumi glared at him. "What the hell are you doing?" She hissed as he shook Monoma, who still tried to claw at him, but it did very little. "Taking out the trash." HE said as she blasted him again, "Wrong answer, put him down." She demanded as Aizawa and Sejiro arrived, quirks at the ready. Carter tilts his head at her, forcing her to sit as she glares at him. "Why would I do that? He attacked me, I'm simply putting him in his place."
"Let him go, Carter," Aizawa spoke up as Snipe, Ectoplasm, and Midnight came over as well. Carter looked around at all the heroes and students watching him. It would be so easy to just kill them all. Be rid of these nusances and be free to do what needs to be done. He thought as he flicked his forked tongue in and out, considering the options before finally letting Monoma fall to the ground. He steps away from him as his quirk runs out and he's left bleeding on the concrete, with them rushing him to the nurse's office while the rest stare at him, tense and unsure.
Seeing the looks everyone is giving him, Carter decides to leave to let them cool off for a bit as he gently grabs Katsumi and places her down next to Jiro, who flinches at how large his claws are. He looks around at everyone one last time, taking note of how some were nervous, most tense, and a few fearfully glancing at his bloody talons. He snorts a plume of flame before spreading his wings and taking to the air.