Todoroki realized a very crucial flaw in their planning capability. "We only know one of their powers." 1-B really hasn't been all that noticeable. Either that or they were very unobservant with other classrooms. "We know one of their students is an off-brand Kirishima, but other than that we know nothing about them."
"Isn't Juzo one of the recommended students?" Sero asked. "Don't you remember anything about the other test takers?"
"My memories of the recommendation exam …" He thought long and hard. "Yaoyorozu used a jetpack to fly over her exam, the guy from Shiketsu used wind to fly, and Lizardy also sent her top half to the finish line while leaving her body behind. Nothing else really struck out."
"At times I come to regret not taking up my brother's offer for recommendations." Iida sighed. "The only help I can provide is on Plammo. He has some sort of glue quirk, which I'll have to take measures to avoid in order to prevent my engine from clogging."
"I shall take care of Plammo then, my friend." Aoyama stood straight and posed. "My sparkling laser will burn away his substances without fail."
"I guess I should try taking out Real Steel then." Sero added. "If he's as much like Kirishima as we think he is, then it shouldn't be too hard to get him to charge headfirst into a trap." That would probably work well, given the similarities. "That just leaves Mudman and Spyral."
"Going by those names, I'll make a small assumption that they're some sort of emitter type." Shoto groaned. It sounded arrogant to say out loud, but most of his class really didn't take 1-B into account strength wise. "I'll attempt to freeze Mudman before he can do anything, while Iida takes care of Spyral." Worse case scenario, they beat the losing time of the last round. He highly doubted they were that underprepared.
==
Alright Sero, this was your chance in the sun. Sure you've had a rough patch, but that was behind you. Soaring through the air and scouting ahead for the enemies, that would definitely help the team. Plus he could take out Real Steel if given enough time, hopefully the guy was alone.
This was somehow more nerve wracking than the first semester exams, where their teachers had to handicap themselves to make the fights fair. His provisional license proved one thing: when it came to support and rescue, he totally rocked! It was in combat that he sorely lacked, which was why he was on the chopping block.
Kaminari improved situational awareness, Iruma stopped breaking bones, Koda was a freaking king of the animal kingdom, and Uraraka and Bakugo BOTH went through quirk awakenings. All that was left was for him to take a step up, be a champ, and not screw this up- "Kaplow!"-He had to move fast to avoid the glob of glue that almost hit him. "Dangs it, he flies fast."
"Shit." He was caught off guard while innermonolaging, and now had to deal with an opponent he didn't prepare to fight. This was the kind of situation Kaumi Woods taught him to avoid!
"You know, you don't have to tell him you're attacking, your quirk doesn't need sound." Said the guy who almost took off his head , drill bit spinning rapidly.
"It's my special move! It tells them what it'll do without telling them what it does!"
"How … how does he have a worse naming sense then Iruma?" He didn't think it was physically possible, but here he was. "And why are there two of you? A little overkill for me when Todoroki is running around, don't you think?"
Spyral looked at him dead in the eye as he tried to bore a hole in his skin. "Despite Monoma being annoying as fuck, he made a point about needing to up 1-A, so he prepared our class some secret weapons when going against your 'monster trio'."
"Yeah, which means we know exactly who should fight who!" Plammo shouted eagerly. "You're the only one who can move in the air on your team, so we need to take you out quickly!" He shot off more glue in his direction.
"Huh, I'm considered a threat….that's weirdly flattering in a way." It was the oddest moment in life that proves your importance. "I still feel your missing numbers, someone's gonna be caught off guard." He tried throwing tape at them, only to have it drilled through.
"Yeah, that's why it's a good thing Aoyoma's a non threat. It'll only take one of us to take him and Iida out." Spyral sent a spinning fist right into his gut. Oh, and his ARM spun too, that was going to hurt in the morning!
==
Aoyoma never felt the need to prove his honor anymore than now of all days. This entire year had been quite…undesirable to say the least. In fact, that's how you could've described most of his life. Before, he would've done anything to leave the hero course, despite it being his dream. The pain, the heartache he brought to his class was absolutely unforgivable.
Now he wanted nothing more than to keep his friends, even if he wasn't worthy of them. And keeping them meant staying in this class, and bottling up every bad thing that could get you expelled. He never thought he could have this freedom, this sense of hope that came with a monster in chains.
Even with his weak body, even with his incompatible quirk, he would shine along with his classmates, and go beyond every limit everyday to walk beside them. And that would start by keeping up with the class's resident speedster. Not his finest choice in the long run, but it was either that or cripple Todoroki's effectiveness as a solo fighter.
"Now, if I were a villain, where would I be?" Iida pondered out loud. "Muhahaha, you dastardly fools have fallen into my trap … but where would they set that?" Did … did he really think villains talked like that? He almost felt insulted.
"Not to be rude, but from where I'm standing, you're the bad guy here." Mudman's voice echoed through the pipes and halls. "I'm attempting to put you and the rest of your team in a cell."
"How rude of me!" Iida shouted. "A matter of perspective was a viewpoint I never took into account. I humbly apologize!"
"I … your entire class is weird, isn't it?" Rude. "I mean, Monoma has his rants and Shiozaki has her religion, but the rest of us try to have a normal school experience."
"As uncanny as we might appear to the untrained eye, we're nonetheless determined and spirited heroes ready to shine bright!" Aoyoma announced right back. "So show yourself, coward. Let our battle commence!"
"Only if you say so." The ground began softening around them, Aoyma and his partner starting to sink. So this is why he chose such a dull name. "Good luck running in a no traction zone, engine man."
"The name … is Ingenium!" Iida went to lay on his back, his legs sparking. "Upward thrust!" He shouted, before shooting himself into the air. "I've learned everything about my limitations, and have sought out ways to overcome them!"
"Your Ricipro Burst, a move you only use until you have no other choice." Mudman began 'swimming' through the ground as finely as if it was water. "Which means you're overly confident about your chances at catching me quickly, or you've found a way to extend your time limit." 1-B were certainly observant students, weren't they?
"Wouldn't you like to know!" Iida shouted out, landing on a building. "Can't stop twinkling, help search from your position, I will not be able to do much on the ground!" He nodded, trying to trudge through the ground … until it hardened.
"I can shift the state of the ground I'm around from soft to hard and vice versa." The 1-B student droned on. "You're effectively trapped."
"No." Aoyoma looked at Mudman darkly. "I will never be trapped again." He powered up his laser. This was going to be a killer on his stomach, but every amount of pain would be worth it to stand by 1-A! "Navel Saber!" The light shaped into a blade, allowing him just enough space to twirl himself free. "Let us settle this, like men!" Like heroes in training.
==
"So you guys gave two people to our non fighter, one support to our two fighters, and one guy against … Shoto." Mineta questioned the logic of their sister class. It wasn't exactly the most insane idea he's ever heard since coming to U.A, but it ranked somewhere between top four and eight.
"I don't expect fools as ignorant as the 'elite and esteemed' Class 1-A to understand the complexities of the great strategic minds of those in the superior 1-B!" Monoma once again ranted.
"Last we checked that 'strategic mind' is showing your recommended student a struggle right now." Kaminari deadpanned.
"Don't assume your class has the advantage just because one of us happens to falter ever so slightly." It was a wonder how this dude was able to see his own hands in front of him with all that pride blinding him. "Juzo is more than capable of handling himself in the bind, and Sero isn't exactly the shining example of heroism at the moment."
Sad but true. The tape user was caught in a corner. He wasn't getting captured, but he was hardly allowed a moment to breathe. "That still doesn't explain why Tetsu is facing Todoroki on his own." Toru pointed at the screen as Kirishima's probable brother from another mother punched his way through the ice being sent his way.
"Isn't it obvious? It's because he's super manly and can take on U.A's toughest!" Kirishima cheered despite most of his class glaring at him.
"So obvious even the most dense among us can see the obvious advantage we hold over one of 1-A's 'monster trio'." Monoma snickered.
"Hah, as if!" Ochako responded. "Once Todoroki uses his fire, he has it in the ba…"
And then Tetsutetsu, or Real Steel, proceeded to run through the flames and punch Todoroki in the face. Everyone was quiet for a few seconds. "His metal is resistant to extreme temperature." Yaoyarozu observed.
"Oh, like how pots and pans don't melt in a really hot stove?" Iruma wondered.
"Sort of. Tetsu actually put himself in a furnace for resistance training." Kendo explained. "He can't exactly toughen up his skin like most hardening quirks, so he had to get creative and build up his natural resistance to most elements, creating an all around defense."
"How did we not see it before!" Mineta shouted. "Tetsutetsu isn't a Kirishima clone."
"Thank you!"
"He's Kirishima two point O!"
"… Hey Kaminari, got room in the hate everyone around you circle?"
"It's always open to new members."
"So Shoto is fighting someone immune to his quirk?" Iruma's point brought them back to reality.
"Yeah, this isn't going to end well." Mina groaned. "Okay guys, what are we going to do here?" The team circled each other, making sure Iruma knew the importance of keeping quiet this time. "They've been planning on fighting us for months, so they know what to expect from who."
"Well nobody can prepare for Iruma, so we're just gonna let him go wild while the rest of us plan. Ochako stays with him so Shinso doesn't get him talking."
"We finally get a chance to work together, Iruma!" Ochako shook the lucky bastard. "And actually work together this time instead of splitting up into different teams."
"I mean we're already splitting up, but I'd love to work with you Ochako." He smiled under his mask, making her 'eep' like the oblivious bastard he was.
"Which means pulling off the smart stuff is gonna be up to you and me." He grinned at Mina. "Looking forward to working with ya."
"Oh come on, Ochako gets to be with her man and I get stuck with Mineta!?" She growled. "That's totally not fair!"
"You can argue with her if you wanna switch." He deadpanned.
"I'm not above throwing people into the sun, just an fyi." The spinebreaking girl said sinisterly with a sickly sweet face.
"...I almost want to argue on the basis of Iruma and I taking down Nedzu, but I'll let it be for now." Score.
==
"Food, decorations, and gifts." Miriko muttered. "Shouldn't be too hard." It was just shopping after all. It wasn't like she wasn't a fan of the holiday season, it was just she usually had a tradition around this time of year: Beat the shit out of any late night scrooges trying to ruin everyone else's fun and get hammered on eggnog at Ryuko's office.
Except this year was going to be slightly different. Now she would get drunk off eggnog after having a Merry Christmas and New Year's Day with her kit. Oh shoot, she should get some kiddie cider or something, maybe apple themed since he carried the girl around every visit. His birthday wasn't that long ago, but her kit was still short on MANY items he should've had since he was born.
"So what should I get for a Christmas present … bunny suit?" No, that was just narcissistic. "Maybe training gear?" He could use a little more muscle on those bones, but that felt like giving him homework. "A cooking set?" Did he even know how to cook? Wait, that was it! "A cookbook." To make his own tasty food. Genius.
"Who would've thought his bad naming skills would've actually led to something good?" She snickered, remembering her Kit explaining his 'cookbook' while talking about that One For All stuff with Yagi. Out of all the kids she chose to latch onto, it just so happened to be some sort of chosen one.
Well then again that was her luck in a nutshell. Crazy life, fun fights, crazy co workers, boring speeches, crazy family. Just a big pile of crazy ones can live where you adopt a kid with a destiny to fight a demon king like some guys preached about.
"Definitely wouldn't change a thing about it." Except maybe adopting Kettei sooner to get him away from those bastards, or at least being there personally to crack their skulls for being shitty parents. Either way, that was then, and this was now. "Lets see, aha, here it is!" She reached out for the nearest cookbook, the last one on the shelf, and grabbed it…only to be grabbed by somebody else. "Excuse me, this is mine." She told whoever was trying to take it.
"I saw it first." The lady trying to take it was a young looking blonde woman with spiky hair that looked familiar for some reason. "I'm cooking a meal for my brat when he finally comes back, and I'd like to have a nice family dinner." She spoke, pulling back on the book.
"Yeah, well I need this for my own Kit. It's going to be our first Christmas together." Miriko pulled back.
"First Christmas? Are you so bad of a mom you never threw one before?" The lady pulled harder with a tick mark appearing on her face. "It seems I need this far more than you do, as I intend to be a decent human being."
Rumi pulled harder. "It's called adoption, we don't need to be blood related, unlike some barbarians like the one who thinks she's top shit."
"I pity the poor young soul that's forced to be under the same roof as you, a stuck up muscle brained brute that assumes she can have whatever she wants just because she's in the top ten."
"No, I'm taking this because I grabbed it first, clearly something your hag like eyes didn't see."
"And clearly you're overgrown rat ears are stuffed with cotton because you aren't listening when I say back the FUCK off." The back and forth kept going on, and they didn't bother to pay attention to the surrounding crowd, or the book in their hands beginning to tear.
"Please, mam!" One guy shouted. "We have multiple copies, they're on sa-"
"SHUT UP!" They both shouted as the book ripped in half, both of them looking at the book before glaring at each other. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID!"
"Does she know she's arguing with Miriko?"
"Does Miriko know that this is getting recorded?"
"I just wish there was a mud pit they could fall into." It just occurred to the top five pro that this probably wasn't going to look good for her on record.
"You know what, that's it!" The lady shouted, grabbing a display lamp and grabbing it. "We're gonna settle this like women and-"
"Honey, please, calm down." A man began dragging her away. "We have to get actual groceries."
"But she started it!"
"And you could've just walked away to end it." The woman could only sigh and grumble as she let her husband presumably carry her away.
"Huh, so there is a point to that marriage crap." Not that she was looking, she was still getting used to having a kid at all. Besides, she toughened her Kit enough to be a man on his own, she was all that he needed!