Froppy sat down and listened in while the team discussed. "Okay, let's learn something important first." Hagakure spoke. "Shinso, can't you just use a microphone and get the entire team to surrender?"
"No. My quirk loses its effect if it's filtered through a mic." Shinso explained. "The best they could offer me gear wise was a voice changer." He pressed a dial. "See, I sound like the moron over here." He pointed at Kaminari, mimicking his voice perfectly.
"One day, one freaking day is all I ask.." Kaminari grumbled. "Alright, anything else?"
"Another two things of note with my quirk." Shinso decided to speak up. "I can only give simple commands to brainwashed people. For example, if I asked them to write the name on the board, and held up a board that had Froppy on it, it would work. However, if I asked them to write your real name, nothing would happen. They can't speak either, as higher cognition is shut down entirely for brainwashing."
"Yeah, that explains a lot about Iruma." Froppy sadly pointed out. It literally wasn't his fault for being a dumb kid because that's how his parents raised him up.
"Finally, I can control multiple people, but if I try two at once instead of a gradual one at a time, my headache gets bad enough to cause an aneurysm. Three and I'm unconscious."
"So getting them all out at once is a no go." Kirishima observed.
"We should aim for one person then." Kaminari said. "Someone that could cause a lot of problems, but is hard to be hit with something that could knock them out of it."
"Oh, that fits Maria to a T!" Toru said, elated for all the wrong reasons. "Jiro told me about her internship. She's trained her vines to learn her surrounding areas to increase spatial awareness, so get her out, and they'll be flying in blind."
"We do have another problem." They looked over at her. "Since we came farther in the festival, our quirks are more noticeable. They probably planned for ways around us."
"Good thing we've picked up a few new tricks since then." Kaminari smirked at his new gear. "They don't know about your camouflage, so we can confuse them between you and Hagkure.
"Do we know what the other quirks they have are?" Hagakure asked the group. "As far as I can tell Maria has vines and Geavudan has some furry animal power."
"I think Long Wezei has some sort of emitter, and Tsubura can do stuff with air, but other than that, I'm lost." Kirishima explained.
"Time is up anyway." Hagakure noticed the clock ticking out. "Froppy, you're with me, stealth to enemies and surprise attack. The rest of you that can't turn invisible, group up."
"Just don't go crazy today, please?" Tsu pleaded. "I feel like I've been drowning in all this romance the entire year, and the only breaks I've had have been the work study, the cultural festival, and Iruma doting over Eri like a pup. I need to rebuild my tolerance." She didn't get an answer, and it only made her eye twitch more.
==
Kirishima ran through the streets with the other two members of his team. "So you think Shinso will join the Bakusquad when he gets in our class?" He asked Kaminari.
"Hope not. I just got Kyoka to stop calling me dumb constant, I don't need someone to replace that." Kaminari groaned.
"Well maybe I'd stop if you two would actually acknowledge I'm saying no now, instead of holding this conversation like I'm not even here." The student in question deadpanned. "Is it even okay to be talking while we run?"
"I've had this whole existential spiel on this already during the work studies, it can be pretty enlightening." Kirishima now knew not to keep saying 'harden' all the time. "But you know most of 1-A already, you'd probably fit in okay."
"I mainly know you through Suzuki, who's the only one I can probably call my friend among any of you." That's just how it starts. "So does anyone want to explain to me why I'm being called a secret love child?"
"That's a long story in itself, you see-"
"RAAAAAGGGHHH!!" Shouted a massive ball of fur that came charging at them. Kirishima took point and raised his arms to block the assault, skidding back from impact. "You, block, well."
"Thank you, I try pretty hard." Red Riot grinned. "So how did you find us?"
"Smell, of, hair dye." Was it really that noticeable?
"So he's a feral animal?" Kaminari snorted. "We dealt with worse on Sunday when the fridge was empty." Oh yeah, Iruma hunted down a deer that morning. Koda wouldn't talk to him for a week after that.
"Are you just gonna let these two casually insult you like that?" Shinso asked the opponent with a tilt of his head.
"No buddy, don't respond." Oh, Tsubara was riding his back it seemed. "It's bad, it gives you a headache."
" Pound him into the ground and you won't get it." Shinso said, this time using Tsubura's voice.
"ALRIGH…" The big guy was frozen in place.
"What the-you can't use my voice, that's copyright!" The boy shouted.
"Like I give a shit, now then, pound your fri-" Shinso was cut off as the guy began blowing air, forcing the two away. Shinso was seen confused, pounding against the air silently.
"We've been training too, I can shape my solid air now." The guy spoke out proudly. "Completely soundproof too, so you're no longer in control buddy." Tsubara pounded on his partner's back. "Time to wake up!"
"Not today." Kaminari sent out a single that attached itself to the furry student's chest, before sending a one million charged bolt directly towards him, sending the creature into a spasm before calming down.
"That, stung, bastard." The beast growled, cracking it's neck. Shit, the guy tougher than he looked, and he looked pretty damn tough to begin with!
"Chargebolt, deal with the air guy, I'll take on Gevaudan." In a manly one on one.
"No problem-oh wait, we should break out Shinso first."
"I got Tsubara." An invisible voice came out, as well as a bright, long pink tongue that wrapped the air wall kid.
"Wait, wha…" The boy blinked in utter confusion before forcing his face to look away from Froppy. Likely embarrassed by how easily he was captured.
"Wait, weren't you..?" Kaminari tried to ask.
"I know I was teamed up with Invisible Girl, but knowing how messy things were going to turn, I decided to stay as far away from it as possible." That seemed reasonable.
The recently freed Shinso didn't agree. "So there's two opponents and she's going to face them alone?"
"Stop talking and fight!" The beast student roared, running straight at them like a train. Red Riot charged right into him, ready to hit him with a red gauntlet. "You're the strongest guy here, so you gotta go first!"
"Go on without me!" Kirishima shouted, holding onto Gevaudan's hands and pushing. "If I can't take on someone like this, I wouldn't call myself a man!"
"Then I guess you can't call yourself a man then!" Gevaudan grabbed his arm and threw him high in the air. "Say hello to Maria for me!" Oh shit! If he got caught in her vines, he was good as captured!
==
Ibara sat with Rin in silence, keeping a lookout of the area. "Only one student is on their way. The invisible girl. I can fight them myself, so you should keep focus on anyone else who approaches."
"Got it. I know to stay out of this." Her partner agreed without hesitation. "Tell me though, is this going to get as bloody as back in the Sports Festival?"
"Not if I can help it, but I may need to repent for my wrathful actions if such a situation is to come." She really tried to change how she acted around Hagakure, she truly did, but the girl just made it so difficult. "After being blessed by my angel, I'd prefer I'd be the one to win in his honor." The flowers on her hair now were quite lovely.
"Right right." Her partner nodded, before looking confused. "Is that a flying stude-" He was body slammed by the red headed student from 1-A, only saved by his hardened scales.
"Well that was actually one of my better lands." Kirishima shook some of the rubble off of him, before noticing where it was he landed. "Oh crap."
"A fallen lost sheep in need of guidance." She turned most of her vines towards him. "Ask the lord's shepherds, and they'll guide you on the right path."
"Human decoy!" The boy threw her partner straight at her, before making a break for it. Did none of the students in this class other than her angel have a sense of decency? That's why she needed to light Iruma's path before these heathens corrupted him any further.
"You were once a trusted ally I could rely upon in a time of need, Red Riot. Once you repent, I hope to rely on you once more." It took only seconds for her to wrap her hair around him.
"Damn it, how am I going to … going to …" Kirishima paused. "Wow, these don't feel as tight as I expected." What? But she was squeezing with everything she had! "Oh right, winter. Lack of sun and humidity." True, but unless you had a quirk that increased strength beyond that of a normal human, it would still be impossible to escape.
"Good to know!" The voice of the invisible hoar echoed in the air, before the vines surrounding Red Riot were sliced open. "I don't have lawn equipment, but this'll give you the trimming you need." Hagakure revealed herself, openly holding a metal pipe that looked sharpened.
"You think that a simple sharpened tool will save you from me?" She asked, vines pointing themselves at the girl menacingly.
"Maybe not just me." She muttered. "But with the both of us, you don't stand a chance."
"Hey there." The two students of 1-A turned to her partner. "Long Weiz, I exist, nice to meet you." The boy held up his arms and 'cocked' them, scales turning sharp as they flipped over. "Prepare for some double teaming."
"Alright, two manly one on ones!" Red Riot cheered, before hardening himself. "I'll take the scale guy, you handle Shiozaki."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Hagakure charged at her with the pipe at hand.
==
"Go on, Kirishima, Kaminari, you guys have got this!" Suzuki cheered on. "You're doing great, Ibara! You're super amazing too, Toru, you're stealthy and super strong!"
"Iruma, you can't cheer for both teams." Jiro rolled her eyes. "One of them HAS to lose in the end. That's sort of the whole point with competition to begin with."
"I know, but this is also training, where everyone is doing their best, I can cheer everyone on for giving it everything that they have."
"Yeah, I want my class to win, but I also want team Chargebolt to be super cool as well!" Tsutornori cheered along with 1-A's little brother. "So confident and brave, and yet my class hasn't given up at all!"
"So your class has one too?" Sero asked 1-B.
"The absolute picture of naivety." Kaibara nodded. "Side note, other than Tsubara, our class seems to be dominating."
"We don't need two guys doing it, Kaibara, Monoma has enough competitive ego to fill both classes." Kendo groaned. "The first battle is gruesome enough without it." She pointed to the screen, where Hagakure was chopping away vines bit by bit.
"If you're aiming for the top, you can't allow the enemy a single inch. That's just common sense." Bakugo rolled his eyes. "Beating villains down is the only way to win.
"Not everyone here is aiming for the top, you know." Ashido butted in. "Seriously, we're not even in your way most of the time but you still think we hold you back."
"Yeah, there's always more than one way to win." Suzuki added. That seemed to spark something in the explosive student.
"It seems your students are still struggling against ours." Monoma smirked. Kaminari and Shinso are shown trying and failing to hide from Shishida. "Superior speed, strength, senses, and now that he can switch in and out of beast mode in seconds, intelligence as well. What's that? 1-B is actually in the lead? But aren't you supposed to be better!?" He cackled madly. "The paradigm has shifted, the limelight is in 1-B's hands now! Just like it was during the cultural festival!" He took out some sort of chart. "This is the popularity poll that I thoroughly conducted myself, and the audience clearly supports 1-B more than 1-A!"
It was true, they had one more vote than 1-A. "Wow, I'm glad to see my vote helped." Suzuki spoke with his usual cheerful smile.
Apparently that was somehow what caused Kendo to snap. "I've had … to deal with his rantings for the last week … because of you!?" The girl jumped in a fit of rage at the now screaming boy. Just a normal day at UA.
==
Curious would have to thank Trumpet later, so many wires pulled for this moment. "Hello there, my name is Chitose Kizuki, I'm with Shoowaysha Publishing."
"Oh, I'm well aware of who you are. I'm fully informed about all members of the Meta Liberation Army, Curious." Probably should've seen that coming, the man has been around for over a hundred years.
"And yet you never made a move against us. For a man who can take quirks there are so many interesting ones to use for yourself or Nomu … why let them be?" Would have gotten rid of an enemy too.
"Same reason why I never bothered taking out organizations such as the Villain Factory or the Yakuza, it is amusing to see you all struggle to topple each other." She gave a laugh. "What's funny?"
"It's kinda humorous to see you talking about other organizations such as Villain Factory, given it was a front group. Some of those later villains had the level of experimentation you would find on Nomus, such as multiple quirks."
"Ah yes, a bit of a side project that led to many great discoveries. One that I continue to use to this day." The man said that it wouldn't matter if she knew. "Although I highly doubt a reporter for such a massive organization is interested in a history lesson."
"Oh, I actually came just for that." He gave her an amused smile. "There was a certain hero I heard of that went against the Villain Factory. The name of Lariat."
"Haha, I haven't heard anyone talk about that obnoxious speck in ages. It's rather nostalgic." The villain smiled. "Seeing as how no one else remembers his name nowadays, I take it you know a few others I might recall?"
"Rising Hope and En." She asked. "The former was last seen on an island thoroughly annihilated, and the later was erased to a level that brings to mind your government influence."
"Oh that one was especially fun. Almost nothing but dust when I was done with him. Makes me glad he passed it on before he died." She shivered. As much as she loved the thrill of information … This was a bit much. "So you wish to gain some nugget of wisdom I presume? Let me take a gander."
Despite the lack of eyes she could feel him stare into her soul. "Iruma Suzuki, you found him a fun and incredible scoop, so you went deeper and deeper. His quirk is related to All Might despite being quirkless in record. So 'Curious'" He chuckled at his own joke. "You began to investigate more and more of the past in an off connection thinking I transferred the boy a quirk, only to discover some chain of events leading back to … what was his name." The man tilted his head in mock confusion. "Forest boy?"
"Hikage."
"That's the one." He leaned forward, guns clicking in warning. "Tell me, am I close?" He was so accurate that she felt violated. It was as intriguing as it was disturbing.
"Six different people…at least those are the one's I'm aware of." Once her heart stopped pacing like a racecar she continued. "All of them who've encountered you, and all whose quirk's differ from one another, except All Might and Suzuki. So similar that they might as well be the same quirk…which means it is." The grin on the villain's face only confirmed it. "The one point I can't trace it to is the chaotic age … so be my missing link will you." She smiled. "What am I missing?"
"You've mapped the entire picture except where it began. The very origin of One For All."
"That's … incredibly lazy." She pouted. "You just shifted the name of some super power you kept giving people?"
"I never said I was the one who named it. Creativity doesn't exactly run in the family."
Family, why did he bring that up…unless….."You gave a quirk to someone in your family, and they used it against you, didn't they?"
The villain laughed. "Now she's connecting the dots. Bravo reporter."
"Why … tell me this?" She asked. He didn't seem like a guy to spill things so freely.
"You're going to create an article on Iruma Suzuki. That alone will get the League motivated." The villain smirked. "I didn't give you a story … I gave your army a cyanide pill, and you're going to shove it down their throats."
"They'd do all that for one kid that's not even on their side?" Just as her alias described her, she remained rather curious than threatened, although she did feel very threatened by the man.
"My successor's grown a tad attached to the boy as a mentor." That sounded horrifying on so many levels. "Reminds me of my younger days with my own brother, where I realize there was nothing I wouldn't or couldn't do for what I wanted."
"So you just have a hunch that seven or six men without your quirk will somehow take down an army with more numbers, more power, and more money? Just because of something I do?"
"You don't have a century's worth of experience, so you obviously don't know about the true power of ambition and spite, and Tomura Shigaraki has both in spades, enough to overpower Destro's will." All For One snickered. "If you have so much faith in your army, then by all means, prove me wrong. Use every resource you have to wipe them out." The man let out another grin that sickened her soul. "And if you survive, you can gloat about it all you want."
"....It does sound like a great story." It wasn't wasn't like Re-Destro was short on reasons to go after the league. This may actually be a great incentive. Then she could rub it in everyone's face for sticking with the 'quirkless kid' story for so long. And she could run a story on a few traumas, get another scoop. Besides, it's just a small group. What's the worst they could do?