...The flames shot high, hungry for more than gasoline. And the only prey there was their parents.
Midoriya was feeling guilty seeing their plan's results. However, Bakugo gave him a kick to the back.
" Kacchan!"
The boy was wearing a malicious smirk on. " This is a chance, damn nerd! Round face! Get me there!" He ordered Uraraka who had little choice but to obey. Bakugo then hurled towards the man who was outside of the cage.
Todoroki shot his ice at him and tethered his feet to the ground before Bakugo wrapped his legs around his torso, his hand mere inches from the mask, ready to blow it off any moment now.
" Great! It's our chance to get everyone out!" Sora cried as she materialized her wings, shooting to the cage. Iida, Midoriya, Todoroki and Tokoyami followed after her. Seeing as how it was melting quite quickly, Todoroki had to keep recreating the ice around the villain's feet.
Sora was the first to reach the cage and she immediately threw herself in her grandmother's arms. " Are you alright? You weren't hurt?!" She backed, scanning her thoroughly.
" I'm fine, no harm whatsoever."
Sora then looked back at the villain, Bakugo was dealing with him. That was good. But what was worrying was the panicking parents. How to get them out? I can try hauling them four at a time but... she gritted her teeth as she looked back at the fire raging around them. I don't know for how long this cage will hold!
Suddenly the whole cage quaked and racketed as an explosion was heard. " Bakugo-kun!?"
" That wasn't me feather head!"
The whole platform began to sway. " Damn it we need to get them out! Now!"
Iida and the rest grabbed into as many of the parents as they could as the whole tower shuddered.
" Damn it!" Sora quickly jumped off the side.
" Shirogane!" Todoroki cried in surprise as he saw her diving.
She flew through the smoke and over the flames before supporting the platform beneath, her wings flapping hard to keep her afloat and keep the fire at bay. " Midoriya! Come on! Do something!"
Her face was growing redder and she was sweating heavily. It was all she could do to keep the platform from tipping to the side for a little longer.
Yuu gritted his teeth as he watched from the side of the pit. Was that all he could do, watch as both Yui and Sora were surrounded by flames? Despite their efforts to extinguish the fire with the extinguishers Yaoyorozu had made, it didn't seem to recede.
Think Yuu! Think! How could they save 24 people all in one go?! Todoroki-san's ice bridge? His eyes flicked at the ice construction that Todoroki was maintaining. It won't hold the weight in this temperature, and the tower would fall before all of them would reach! Uraraka-san's Zero gravity? Nope! The tower is unbalanced as it is now, if we add her...!
The boy balled his hands on his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut. Please! Come on! I can't let them get hurt here! Think! You're a hero! What have you been doing at UA this whole time?! His eyes widened when he suddenly recalled something.
" Yaoyorozu-san!"
Midoriya reached the same conclusion as Yuu. Their only way to evacuate everyone was an evacuation chute. But they needed a tarp, and a large one.
" Here you go!" Whisper shouted dropping a roll of blue tarp before the boy. " Hurry up! Sora won't hold on longer down there!"
The girl was puffing her cheeks, trying not to breathe in much smoke.
" Get on everyone!" Midoriya called. " Iida-kun, you pull from the front and we'll push from the back! Todoroki-kun, keep your ice going till the very end! Shirogane-san..."
" I know!" She cried through gritted teeth. " If this platform goes down the whole bridge will collapse! Just go!"
Bakugo dragged the villain onto the tarp as well before all of them rushed through the ice bridge.
The hot metal platform was growing intolerable for her, it was burning her hands and her shoulders. Another explosion sounded and this time, the platform tipped sideways as its only support on the ground shuttered. " Nonononono! NO!" Sora couldn't keep it any longer and it fell. As she turned around, she saw the bridge had broken, leaving Midoriya, Tokoyami, Bakugo and Todoroki hanging off the edges of the tarp while the parents made it to the edge of the pit.
" Everyone!" But Iida and the rest were fast to react, pulling the tarp and everyone hanging to it to safety. At that moment, Sora breathed out in relief before she joined the group on the ground.
" Grandma!" The girl ran to her the moment her feet touched the ground and she threw her arms around her. " Thank god! Thank god!" She sobbed into her grandmother's chest.
Yui, feeling proud and a tinge of guilt, stroked her head gently. " It's alright, I'm here now. You saved me. Thank you, my hero." Her eyes flicked to Yuu who stood a few feet away, a relieved smile washing over his face. She smiled at him and held one arm open, taking him by surprise. " You did well too, Yuu-kun. Thanks for your help."
Hesitantly, he walked over to them only to be pulled by both of them into the hug. " Now this is a happy end." Smirked Whisper happily before he turned around, an angry expression on his face. " Where the heck is the damn idiot who caused us all these troubles?!"
The man who standing outside the group of parents and students finally cleared his throat and spoke." Congratulations. The exercise is over."
" Huh!?" Whisper quirked his eyebrow at that before it downed on him. He shook furiously, his color shifted from white to red as steam blew out of his head. " AIZAWA!!"
" You don't need to shout. I'm right here." Their teacher stepped out from the shadows of ruins.
" You! YOU! I'M SO GONNA KILL YOU!" Yuu and Sora quickly held on to Whisper's ghostly tail before he could approach their teacher, tagging him back. The ghost was still flailing his hands at the man. " I'M GONNA TIE YOU UP IN A CAGE AND THROW YOU DOWN TO HELL! YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE REALLY DEAD!"
" Stand in line. So many villains want to do the same," Aizawa said offhandedly before he addressed the parents. " Thanks for your cooperation and sorry for the rough ride. It was necessary that you walked blindfolded about the danger you would be placed into."
" It was nerve-wracking but, it worked out I guess," said Fuyumi with a smile.
The whole class was grappling with what was happening before them. " This was all a setup," Aizawa told them, snapping them of their trance. The way he said that so calmly enraged Whisper even more.
" However, Aizawa-sensei, isn't this a tad too much?! One wrong move and everyone would have..." Yaoyorozu trailed, not wanting to think about what might have happened to her mother.
" We were always prepared for that. Moreover, would you think you would have produced the same effort had a safety net been set down there?" No one answered. " Were you scared for your families?" Sora's hand tightened around her grandmother's sleeve at that question.
Scared? She was mortified! She had only one family member left, and the loss of her grandmother terrified her more than any villain could ever dream of.
" Rescue missions demand cool heads and steeled nerves, however, were you met with the threat of losing a family member like today, and you were to let your emotions cloud your judgment, you won't be able to rescue anyone let alone those whom you care for." His eyes held each and every one of their looks. " This ' Parents' Day' is meant to teach you that."
" Understood," The class answered meekly.
" You should keep in mind, that the people that you're meant to save have caring families behind them too. Loved ones waiting for their safe return.
" Understood."
" Now, you might have succeeded in rescuing everyone, but you could've done better."
" Huh?!"
" Talking to him to distract him, using a stun gun, wasting too much time thinking and getting emotional... you struggled a lot against this one villain, and I still have more from where that came from." Met with their upset expressions, Aizawa sighed. " But you all did pass, by a slim margin."
The whole class sighed.
" One page about this exercise and what you learned from it is due tomorrow."
They grumbled about having to do homework after that nerve-wracking training.
" What of our letters though?" Iida asked him.
" It was to help you think of your family more, prepping you for this very exercise."
" As expected of UA! They know how to get us in the picture!"
Did he seriously believe that!?
Whisper face palmed himself hard at the blunette's reaction.
" That's all. Parents, thanks for the assistance." As they returned Aizawa's bow, every one of them turned to their child. Their homeroom teacher went to talk with Fuyumi.
" Grandma! You knew about everything!?"
Yui scratched her cheek with a sheepish smile. " Not the details, it was necessary that what they were planning to do was kept secret from us. We were only assured that we will be well and safe."
" But why?" Questioned Sora.
" It's because of you." Aizawa's deadpan voice caught her by surprise.
" Because of me?" She asked pointing at herself in bewilderment.
________________
Few days earlier
A newly released Yui sat in her bed while looking at the two papers she had to fill and sign when her phone rang. She raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar number. " Hello, this is Shirogane Yui."
"Good afternoon Mrs., this is Aizawa, Shirogane's homeroom teacher. I'm calling about the Parents' Day."
" Oh, I was about to call you about the same thing," said the woman as she took Yuu's paper. " Have you contacted the Seijins yet?"
" I was to contact them later. Is there some problem?"
" I'm afraid they would be unable to attend the event seeing how busy they're, so I'm wondering if it's okay to fill for them."
Aizawa scratched his cheek on the other side of the line. " Due to the nature of this event, it's preferable if parents or relatives were present. But seeing how you're Seijin's neighbor and are close to the family... Maybe we can afford an exception."
" Thank you," the woman smiled broadly. " Then, about what you called for."
" Ah. I want to explain about the event, as well as consult something with you. It's about Shirogane..."
Hearing that, Yui scowled. Was Sora in some kind of trouble or anything? She refrained from asking until Aizawa finished explaining what they were planning for that day.
" I see, a rescue exercise. And you need us to be the hostages."
" It's necessary to measure their growth."
" Understandable. Then, what's the thing that you wanted to consult me about?"
" It's concerning your abilities. Angel's wielder can see auras, which allow them to predict their opponent's moves and even discern people's emotions, right?"
" Exactly," Yui affirmed, patiently waiting for him to continue.
" Is there a way around this ability?"
" Pardon me?" That was a sudden question.
" For this exercise to work, it would be necessary that all students believe their families to be in mortal danger. However, I'm afraid your granddaughter would be able to tell right away that it's an act. Though I'm quite sure she wouldn't tell anyone once she realizes it's all set by us, but that would mean she won't be giving her all to the exercise."
Yui drammed her fingers on her food tray as she listened to him. " I was hoping to find a way around it, so as to give her a fair chance of growing."
Yui hummed in thought as she considered his words. " You should put all of the parents together. The more auras there are, the harder it's to comprehend them. They will be disturbing. You could also set some kind of barrier, seeing how we can't see through solid things, or use some kind of screen instead, but I doubt that would help with what you're trying to do. So, if I may suggest, I think it's better if we all walk into it without knowing about what we will be put through. Although we would know we will be safe in the end, the disturbance from the sudden experience will be enough to deceive her. As for the villain you plan to use, it would be better if you place them among the hostages, that way, their aura would get tangled with the rest of them and Sora won't be able to read it."
" You have my thanks, Mrs. Your help means a lot."
" As long as it's for Sora to realize her dream..." she trailed looking at a photo standing on her bedside table. Her finger traced the rim of the frame as she took in the two occupants. A man with silvery hair bent down on his daughter while pulling her arms up, suspending her in the air as she laughed happily. " Then I will be always there to help."
________________
" You what?!" Sora's eyes bulged out as she was told about it.
" You did it before, so we had to be careful you won't discover it's a setup again," Aizawa stated.
That's because you and Thirteen-sensei made it too obvious! She refrained from retorting, remembering their rescue training a few weeks ago when All Might imposed as a villain.
Still, she was thankful for her teacher who had gone as far as to consider how to allow her to get through the exercise like everyone else. She bowed thankful. " Thanks for your thoughtfulness, Sensei."
" You, more than anyone, should learn to control your emotions when it comes to your loved ones." Aizawa pointed.
" Understood."
With that, the man walked away. Sora rose up and heaved a sigh just as he grandmother pulled her into a hug from behind. " But I'm serious, whether it was a setup or not, you were awesome down there."
" Grandma, not in front of my whole class..." Sora's face went pink at that.
" Ara. But you're the one who started the hugging, right?" Sora grumbled while her grandmother laughed out at that. " As an apology, I'm making you Curry today."
That was more than enough to flip Sora's frown into a wide smile." Then let's stop wasting time here!" She said tagging on her grandmother and Yuu's hands, pulling them back to the bus.
Whisper slouched behind them. " For real, are all okay with all of Aizawa's rational deception! Am I the only one who is pissed off here! Hey!" But his words fell on deaf ears. " Great..." he grumbled following Yuu and the rest...