A few seconds later, Uraraka's door opened. The brunette stood there, head cocked to the side in confusion as she looked down at the pink woman. "Mina? You need something?"
"Can we talk?" Ashido smiled, but less brightly than normal; her thoughts were weighing her down too much for her to put full effort into her grin.
Uraraka seemed to realize that something was amiss and stepped aside, letting Ashido into her rather simple room. The taller woman closed the door behind her before speaking again, her face full of concern and worry. "Are you alright, Mina? What's this about?"
Ashido turned around in the middle of the room and rubbed her arm awkwardly, not meeting her friend's gaze. "It's… it's about Midori."
'Oh, crap.' Uraraka blanched. 'I should've expected this. Deku trusted me, I can't just tell her about his quirk. Come on, Ochako, think of an excuse.' Ashido waited awkwardly for Uraraka to finally form words. "W-what about him?"
Ashido looked down, letting her pink hair cover her face as she smirked. It wasn't her fault that it was just too fun to tease her friends. "Well, I'm worried about him." She hid her smirk and put on a look of confused worry again as she looked back up at Uraraka. "He was acting all weird after class yesterday and I think something might be wrong."
Uraraka began racking her brain for an excuse, but found nothing she didn't think Ashido would immediately shoot down. She instead opted to buy more time for herself. "Wrong? W-what do you mean?"
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed!" Ashido said scandalized, hamming up her part. "That weird thing in the locker room, that thing at lunch today. He's so aggressive." She looked down for a second. "It's almost like he's acting… villainous."
Uraraka's brain stopped trying to find an excuse and was instead filled with anger as Ashido's words caused her to feel indignant and protective of Midoriya. "How dare you say that about Deku! He's trying harder than any-"
She stopped suddenly as Ashido began laughing; Uraraka was really confused now. The pink girl smiled up at her, deciding to finally end her ruse. "It's good to see you feel that way about him, too. I'm just kidding, Ochako."
Uraraka crossed her arms in annoyance. "Did you just come here to tease me about Deku? If so, you can just leave. I need to get some sleep."
Ashido's smile faltered slightly. "That wasn't the plan at first, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Sorry." She winked at Uraraka, causing the brunette to roll her eyes. "But seriously, I did come here to talk about Midori. I actually just finished a nice, long chat with our local dragon boy. He told me a lot; I'm guessing most of the same stuff he told you yesterday."
Uraraka let her arms go slack as she took a half-step back. "You mean…"
Ashido narrowed her eyes. "Does the word 'instincts' mean anything to you?"
The brunette's eyes went wide as she covered her mouth. "H-he told you about that?"
Ashido nodded emphatically. "Yep. He told me a bunch, but I don't think he told me everything. That's why I wanted to come talk to you: I want to compare notes." She turned and sat herself on Uraraka's bed, crossing her legs and patting the spot in front of her. "And maybe some other stuff too."
Uraraka walked over to the bed and sat down across from Ashido. "W-what did he tell you? I… I don't want to tell you anything he didn't tell you. It's not my place."
"You're such a good friend, Ochako," Ashido said with an honest smile. "We're both lucky to have you." Ashido mercifully decided not to comment on the blush her friend grew at those words and instead pretended not to notice. "But I think if we're both going to help him, we need to be on the same page."
Ashido straightened herself out on the bed and cleared her throat. "He told me about his instincts, first of all, about how they're his own thoughts, but different or something. It didn't make a whole lot of sense at first, but I think I'm starting to understand. He told me that it was his form of quirk adaptation, a way to help his body and his quirk work at their best."
She sighed heavily and continued. "He told me that his instincts and quirk were something called 'chromatic', which meant that he was destined to be a villain, but he wanted nothing more than to be a hero. He said it reacted harshly to Mineta's perving and wanted to hurt him real bad."
The pink woman looked up into her friend's eyes and smirked. "He also told me that you seemingly have the power to get him to stop." Uraraka began to blush again and this time, Ashido leaned in a little closer. " Guess what we found out ?" She leaned in even closer, propping herself up on her arms to not fall over. "I do too."
Uraraka was getting a little tired of Ashido dropping bombs on her that made her freeze, but apparently her friend had a flare for the dramatic. "R-really?"
"Oh yeah, you should've seen it Ochako." Ashido shivered slightly at the memory. "He was all riled up. He tackled me to the ground and pinned me down, then he snarled and growled in my face and that look in his eyes was so intense…" Her cheeks had turned a bright purple as she reminisced. "And then I just called him 'Midori' and it seemed to snap him out of it. He said it was just like what you did to him yesterday in class."
Uraraka blushed furiously as Ashido fondly recalled her experience, her own mind going places she really wished it wouldn't. She pulled her legs up and tried to hide her face behind her knees.
"Oh, and he told me one last thing." Ashido's smile grew as she leaned in even closer. The pink girl was only a few inches away from her friend's face, and both of them could feel the heat coming off each other's blush. "His instincts are really protective of us, Ochako. They've taken a liking to us. But I think you already know that; he said you already told him that he can't kill anyone if he wants to keep you around."
Uraraka squeaked slightly as she fully hid behind her legs. 'He told her that?! Why?!' She breathed deep and sighed. 'Well, I guess Mina is right. We're both in this together now.' She peeked over her legs and spoke so softly that she was almost whispering. "He said that his quirk 'wanted me'. That's how he saved me at the entrance exam. His quirk wanted the same thing he did, so he was able to really work with it and stop the zero-pointer."
Ashido squealed a little. "Wanted you, huh? Girl, I told you that he was crazy about you." Uraraka looked away, blushing harder. "And I know you're crazy about him too. I saw how stupid the two of you were around each other today. Stop trying to hide and stop trying to deny it!"
Uraraka squeaked again and slowly came out from behind her legs, crossing them beneath her again instead. "Maybe I do like him…" she admitted.
Ashido cupped her face. "I knew it! What do you like most about him?! Tell me everything!"
"A-are we talking about boys now?"
"We're talking about a boy. Don't dodge the question, Ochako," Ashido scolded.
Uraraka took a deep breath and nodded. "Well, he's so earnest and passionate about being a hero, and he's so friendly and I just sort of feel comfortable around him."
"I feel the same way. There's just something about him, isn't there?" Ashido added. "You just sort of feel… safe around him, don't you?"
Uraraka nodded again. "And I also feel like I want to keep him safe, too."
Ashido leaned back onto her hands. "Ugh, same. Big, strong dragon who could snap me in half like a twig if he wanted to and he needs us to protect him."
"Hey, we kick ass, remember?" Uraraka smiled playfully.
"Damn straight we do. I never said he wasn't in good hands." Ashido leaned back up and looked into Uraraka's eyes. "But come on, it's gotta be more than that. You think he's hot, don't you?" Seeing her friend's blush return, she smirked and probed deeper. "What about him?"
"Do we really ha-"
"Yes."
Uraraka sighed. "He's obviously jacked. He's muscular all over , but he's still adorable."
"I know!" Ashido interjected. "It's so not fair!"
The brunette laughed softly. "Yeah…" She lost herself in her memories for a moment before continuing. "I… like his big eyes and that big, goofy smile he puts on… and…" She looked down, debating if she was ready to confront her feelings or not.
Ashido sensed blood in the water and leaned in closer. "Come on , Ochako, spill it. What~ "
Uraraka took another deep breath, bolstering her resolve. "Ireallylikehishornsthey'resuperattractive."
Ashido sputtered. "Nu uh, that doesn't count. Enunciate your words, girl."
Uraraka let out another great sigh as she admitted defeat. "I really like his horns, they're super attractive to me for some reason. I… just want to look at them and touch them and stuff…" She blushed as she looked down.
Ashido grew a truly wicked smile. "Oh, is it just his horns~" She fluttered her eyelashes playfully at the brunette, who began to blush even harder and hid behind her legs again.
"...no…"
It was Ashido's turn to freeze. She felt her heart begin to race faster as blood rushed to her face, causing her to turn a particularly vibrant shade of purple. 'Is… is this really happening?'
Ashido leaned forward. "Did… did you just-"
"So!" Uraraka quickly tried to change the subject and for once, Ashido didn't resist. "Why did he tackle you?"
"Oh, uh, I uh," Ashido weaseled around for a bit, letting the blush fade slowly from her face. "I sort of broke into his room to confront him about the whole… thing ." She waved her hand as if gesturing to some unseen object. "He reacted… aggressively. I knew he would, he seemed very protective of his stuff, but I didn't think it would be that aggressive." She put a finger to her chin" Although, I guess we're sort of his stuff too, yeah? His quirk has taken a liking to us and everything."
"Don't say it like that!" Uraraka exclaimed.
Ashido waved her hand dismissively but grew a mischievous grin. "Oh, you know what I meant."
Uraraka let her shoulders drop. "That's the kind of stuff he's worried about, though. Aggressiveness he can't control, impulses that he doesn't want. It's the reason he needs me- er, us. It's the reason he wanted to quit UA…"
"He WHAT ?!" Ashido yelled as she stood up on her knees, managing to actually look slightly down at Uraraka.
"Keep your voice down! We don't want to wake Momo!" Uraraka hissed quickly.
"He what?! " Ashido repeated, quieter but no less intense.
"Did he tell you what happened yesterday in All Might's class?"
"He told me that his instincts wanted Mineta dead but you stopped him before he could." The pink girl raised her eyebrows in suspicious confusion.
Uraraka laughed sadly. "That's… technically true but honestly, it was a lot more complicated than that." She put her legs back down and rubbed her forehead. "We won the battle, right? Deku knocked all the lights out so I couldn't see much, but I could barely make him out, standing over Mineta, his head low towards him. I don't think you've ever seen him with a transformed head, but it's a little… unsettling. He had his mouth open, Mina. He was that close."
Ashido sat back down on the bed slowly, listening intently with a look of worry spreading across her face.
"I was able to help him break through and fight against his instincts, although I didn't know it at the time. He staggered over to the wall and punched a hole in it."
"We saw the light pour into the room on the camera, but we didn't have an angle on Midori," Ashido said quietly. "We could just see you, looking terrified. Then you ran off camera."
The taller woman swallowed nervously. "He… he looked at me. He looked so scared… Then he roared and clutched his head and he… he jumped."
Ashido gasped.
"I didn't know what happened to me; my body just kinda moved on its own, without me even thinking. I jumped after him and managed to slow him down right before he hit the ground." She held up her hand to stop her friend. "But that wasn't the end of it. He got back up and flew off to another part of the city. I was able to find him by following the trail of destruction he left behind. When I finally caught up, he was beating his hands to a pulp against a building. I think he was trying to tire his quirk out."
The pinkette resisted the urge to reach out and hug her friend. "So that's what he's fighting against…"
Uraraka nodded slowly. "And then I took him to Recovery Girl. Once he woke up… he told me about his quirk. The same things he told you. But he… he had given up. He was planning on quitting, giving up on his dream. He was so scared about hurting someone that he would have rather thrown his own life away, both literally and figuratively, just to avoid it."
"I can't believe that," Ashido said, doubt nevertheless in her voice. "He told me about why he wants to become a hero. It's like it's the only thing he cares about."
Uraraka nodded again. "Exactly. But he thanked me for 'letting him leave UA just as a dropout, and not as a criminal.'"
"What did you do?"
"I told him no." Determination suddenly burned in the brunette's eyes, causing Ashido to gasp slightly.
A grin finally found it's way back onto Ashido's face. "You told him no? That he was what, not allowed to leave UA?"
"Yep."
"Ochako, you are so badass I can hardly stand it!" Ashido pumped her fist as she forgot to keep her voice down again. "You saved his life, then you saved him again! I could just kiss you right now, and not just for the normal reasons!"
Ashido quickly clamped her hands over her mouth, but it was too late. Her lack of sleep and her excitement had caused her emotions to blow past her mental filter, exposing herself to her friend.
Uraraka began to blush again, but quickly felt her embarrassment give way to frustration. She put her hands on her hips and glared down at the pink woman. "Now you're just confusing me, Mina. I'm too tired to deal with this right now: are you crushing on me or Deku?"
Ashido let her hands fall from her face as her blush crept in and her heart began to pound even faster. She breathed slightly heavier as she stared at the expectant gaze of Uraraka and debated how to respond. 'Well, if I'm already in this deep…' Ashido tried to smile confidently, but instead her nerves caused her to tremble. "B-both."
Uraraka wasn't expecting that .
Her own blush grew until her entire face was bright red. "W-what do you mean ' both' ?!"
Ashido's heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest. 'I'm not a schoolgirl anymore, why am I freaking out about this? I mean, I guess I'm technically still in school, but this is college!' She fanned herself slightly, trying to chase the purple from her face.
"I mean that I'm crushing on both of you. And at the same time… and I was kinda… hoping that you were crushing on me back?" She rocked back and forth on the bed slowly. Finally getting this off her chest was making her feel a lot better and she could finally smile fully again. "I know you have a thing for Midori but-"
"Isn't this a little fast, Mina?" Uraraka was covering her face with both hands and floating off the bed a little bit as she pleaded. "We haven't even known each other for a week!"
Ashido's looked away and pouted a little bit. "Yeah… yeah, you're right. Sorry." Uraraka released herself, dropping back onto the bed softly. "I meant what I said earlier though, Ochako. You're such a good friend to have. I can tell that already."
"T-thanks, Mina." Uraraka desperately tried to chase the blush away from her face. 'I don't know what I'm feelin', but even if I do like her, this is just too quick! I haven't even sorted my feelin's for Deku out yet...'
Ashido pulled her confidence back out from where it was hiding and smiled brightly at her blushing friend. "I wouldn't want to risk that friendship for anything. Thanks for letting me get it out in the open, I feel a lot better."
Uraraka felt inspired by Ashido's confidence and tried to straighten up. "Of course, Mina. Anytime... But I think we should really be focusing on school now. We're here to become heroes, right?"
Ashido nodded. "Right! I came here to talk about Midori, not this. Sorry for getting distracted!" She giggled, internally proud of herself for how quickly she had managed to regain her composure. "We're a team now, Ochako. We're in charge of our very own dragon and it's our job to make sure he becomes the hero that he deserves to be."
Uraraka nodded and clenched her fists, her eyes burning with determination. "Deku is counting on us. With our help, he'll get a handle on his instincts and become a great hero one day. Until then, we gotta keep an eye on him."
The pink woman giggled again. "Besides, it seems like he's kinda being melodramatic about the whole 'villainous quirk' thing, you know? A big bad villain that has a weakness for a couple of hot babes, I mean come on. You handled him at his worst yesterday just fine, and I'm sure we can handle whatever happens, especially if we're working together."
Uraraka wished she could be as confident as Ashido, but the memory of the battle trial sat in the back of her mind. Regardless, she met her friend's gaze and nodded. "For Deku."
"For Midori."
Uraraka and Ashido stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. And then a few moments longer. Eventually Ashido leaned in just a bit, arms moving unconsciously. She caught herself and quickly broke eye contact and stood up, making her way to the door. "I'll let you get some sleep, thanks for staying up to talk to me." Ashido tried to keep her slight sadness out of her voice.
Uraraka stood up slowly, slight concern growing on her face as she looked at the back of her friend's head. 'She looked like she was gonna… ah come on, Ochako, live a little!'
The brunette took a couple quick steps forward and caught up with Ashido, putting a hand on her shoulder and spinning her around as she leaned down. The golden-eyed woman looked up at Uraraka in confusion for a moment before, for the second time that night, she felt arms wrap around her and bring her in for a hug.
Ashido gasped and felt herself recoil slightly in shock before her brain realized what was happening. She wrapped her own arms around Uraraka and returned the warm embrace, hooking her chin over the taller woman's shoulder. She tried to burn the feeling of Uraraka's body heat into her memory, hoping to hold onto it for as long as she could.
Uraraka took the opportunity to smell Ashido's hair, just as Midoriya had done earlier. She smiled softly at the sweet smell and savored the sensation of her soft skin. 'Maybe havin' her around more wouldn't be such a bad thing.'
They held onto each other for a few more precious moments before Uraraka brought herself back to her senses and slowly let go. Ashido reluctantly followed suit after holding on for another second or two. The two women stared at each other, blushes spreading across their respective faces. Ashido finally turned back around and opened the door quietly so as not to wake Momo next door. She gave a silent wave goodnight as she crept down the darkened hallway and back to her room.
Uraraka closed the door behind her and held her breath for a few seconds before letting out a great sigh. She shook her head softly, brushing her face with her brown locks as she pulled the covers back on her bed and layed down to sleep.
Mina rubbed her arms again as she crept back to room 408. 'I can't believe I got hugs from both of them today.' She didn't think she could have removed the ear-to-ear grin from her face if she wanted to.
Thanks to years of practice, she silently opened the lock to her room and slipped inside, closing the door behind her. She quickly changed out of her day clothes and slipped on something more comfortable as her sleepiness finally caught up to her.
Mina yawned as she pulled back her polka-dotted sheets and got into her bed. She pulled her weighted blanket over herself and smiled fondly as she drifted off to sleep. It felt… less necessary than before.
'Breaking into Midori's room was the best idea I ever had.'
The next day of class was surprisingly uneventful. They had their second Hero Basic Training course with All Might, which went much smoother than the previous one, especially if you asked Uraraka or Midoriya. No alarms interrupted lunch and there were no threats of expulsion from their homeroom teacher. Midoriya cooked dinner again for the class, with the help of Satou this time. Uraraka was much less resistant to enjoying the delicious meal than she was on Sunday.
All-in-all, it was a normal day at UA. Or, at least what the students felt like should be a normal day; it was the first one of its kind that they had experienced. They twenty students of Class 1-A did their work, hung out together and went to sleep, hoping that Friday would be just as simple so they could get to the weekend quickly and easily.
However, some things were just not meant to be.
The next morning started as normal as any other. Izuku got up early to go on a quick jog with Katsuki and Kirishima, who had decided to come along that morning. They got back to the dorms and were able to grab a quick shower before eating a filling breakfast and heading to class.
While Izuku considered all twenty students in class his friends, (yes, even Mineta , you stupid quirk) , there was a group that he certainly felt closer to; Uraraka, Kirishima, Ashido, Iida and Katsuki were just easier for him to get along with. He still made a point to spend time socializing with Yaoyorozu, Tsunotori, Satou and all the other students, but when he didn't put effort into facilitating events, it was the group of five that he seemed to spend the most time with.
Speaking of Yaoyorozu, Izuku noticed that she seemed to be avoiding him. Whenever he talked to her, she seemed happier; Izuku had a talent for making her laugh, one that he had developed years ago. He figured that she would have wanted to spend more time around him because of that, but Yaoyorozu seemed to always find a convenient excuse to excuse herself whenever he got her laughing.
Izuku filed that thought away for later as they arrived at their homeroom a few minutes before class started. Katsuki and Izuku walked to the far side of the room while the other four continued to talk near the door as their seats were all close together. The greenette made a point to greet Tooru and Yaoyorozu, who were chatting quietly near the front of the room and took his seat.
As the bell rang, the door flew open and Aizawa stepped inside. Izuku narrowed his eyes and racked his brain for the hundredth time as he glared at his professor. 'Who are you…'
"I have a surprise for you today," Aizawa droned in his usual bored manner. "All of your classes are cancelled."
A cheer erupted from around the room from nearly everyone; Izuku noted with amusement the look of betrayal on Iida's face. Aizawa's glare flashed around the room, somehow immediately quieting the celebrating students. "Your classes are cancelled because we're going on something of a field trip today." He pressed a button on a remote in his pocket and the four compartments on the far side of the room hissed open.
"We're doing rescue training today. Change into your costumes if you wish, but you might want to just put on a gym uniform if you're not used to it yet. We won't be doing any combat today. Get dressed and head outside. We'll be taking a bus to our destination." Without even entertaining the idea of answering questions, the black-haired man turned and walked back out the door.
The class jumped into action and about ten minutes later, they were all gathered outside as a bus pulled up. Izuku took the moment to look around at his classmates, keeping his eyes off of the women in the class so as not to have a reason to stab himself again.
"Kacchan, why did you bring one of your gauntlets?" Izuku asked, hoping to distract his brain from its repeated attempts to get him to glance at Uraraka and Ashido. "That bulky thing isn't going to do you any favors. Didn't you hear what Aizawa said?"
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "I gotta get used to them. I'm not gonna be able to take them off in a real fight if I gotta rescue some chump in the middle of a fight."
Before Izuku could keep up his small talk, Iida blew a piercing whistle that made everyone flinch, but Jirou a little more than everyone else. Izuku jerked his head in her direction as he felt his quirk flare slightly in the back of his mind, but it calmed as quickly as it spiked once he saw that she was unharmed.
Iida asked Izuku for permission to organize their classmates loading the bus in an orderly manner, but the open seating plan ruined his strategy, much to most of the class' amusement. Izuku patted the taller man on the back to comfort him as he himself chuckled along with the rest of the students.
The students began to pass the time with small talk as Aizawa napped at the front of the bus. Izuku could only marvel once again at the sheer scale of UA's campus as they traveled down the road.
"Hey, Midoriya," Kirishima got his attention, "I gotta say, I'm impressed with your quirk." She held up her arm in front of her and hardened it. "It'll be hard for me to get noticed with just this Hardening, but you've got such a versatile and flashy quirk. You basically have my quirk and then a bunch on top of it, you'll get scouted in no time!"
Izuku's quirk pulsed in the back of his head and put a little green glow in his eyes. "What are you talking about, Kirishima? Your quirk is super great for hero work! You can beat all sorts of bad guys with it, and you'll be able to stand up to nearly anybody! My quirk has basically nothing compared to yours in the toughness department."
Kirishima raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What do you mean? I saw that hole you put in the wall of your building when I was on my way to my test. I've seen your scales, dude. You don't gotta lie for me, really. I'm happy with what I've got, I just wanted to say that you're a lucky guy."
The redhead's self-deprecation was causing his quirk to flare harder for some reason. Izuku smirked and held up his right hand, forming scales along his fist and forearm and holding it up to the woman. "Here, I'll prove it to you. Fist bump me. Like you mean it, too. Make Crimson Riot proud."
Kirishima's eyes flashed with fire as she accepted the challenge. She brought her hardened fist up and threw it forward as Izuku did the same. Scale and hardened skin collided, a solid, resounding noise ringing out through the bus. Izuku hissed through his teeth as he pulled his hand back and clutched his wrist in pain. The scales slipped away and he held up his red fingers to the woman.
"See? I may be tougher than most, but you're like a bulldozer." He stretched his fingers and smiled at Kirishima, who was looking worried that she hurt her friend. "Keep your chin up, horn sister! You're tougher than I'll ever be."
Kirishima grew a wide, sharp smile and nodded. "Thanks, man. That means a lot to me."
"We're here!" Aizawa shouted back from the front of the bus before their conversation could continue. The students stood up, piled out of the bus and promptly dropped their jaws at the gigantic dome before them.
"Hello, everyone, I've been waiting for you!" A hero in a puffy astronaut suit greeted them cheerfully as they stepped into the sun.
"The Space Hero: Thirteen!" Izuku gushed. "The chivalrous pro who's rescued thousands of people around the world! In just the last year alone, Thirteen sa-" Izuku cried out in pain as Katsuki elbowed him in the side to prevent him for going on another hero tangent. Next to the two boys, Uraraka was also gushing as Ashido laughed and tried to get the woman to calm down so the hero could continue to speak.
"Thank you for the flattering introduction, students. Welcome to the most advanced rescue training facility in Japan." Thirteen pointed back to the building. "This is the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ for short. Let's head inside and I'll show you what you'll be working with." The hero turned around and walked inside, with Class 1-A following behind.
Ochako could hardly contain herself. She was getting to train under Thirteen of all people, one of her favorite heroes in the whole world! The brunette was nearly vibrating as she walked through the heavy metal doors of the USJ and looked around. She noticed Deku writing in his notebook, but was too wrapped up in her fangirling to try and continue her investigation into where he kept it.
The twenty students stopped as Thirteen turned around near the top of the steps to address them. "Welcome to the USJ! Here we have six different areas to help train you to rescue people in a variety of conditions." The hero pointed to the students' right. "Starting and going counter-clockwise, we have the Storm Zone, the Flood Zone, the Conflagration Zone, the Mountain Zone, the Landslide Zone and the Ruins Zone. Once you get the go ahead, you'll head down these steps behind me and head to one of these zones."
Aizawa stepped forward and began to speak. "We'll be splitting you up into groups for the day. All Might was supposed to be with us, but the Prime Minister personally requested him to assist with a hostage situation, so we'll make do. Instead of splitting you into groups of seven, seven and six, we'll be doing ten and ten. If you sit in the two rows closest to the door, you're with Thirteen, otherwi-"
Their teacher stopped and snapped his head around, staring at the central plaza of the facility. Ochako followed his gaze and saw a purple vortex forming near the fountain in the middle of the plaza. A strange man with messy, light-blue hair and a hand covering his face appeared in the swirling mass, gazing up at the students with a crazed look in his blood-red eyes.
"Are we starting already?" Kaminari asked hesitantly.
The vortex widened as dozens of strange looking people stepped out into the USJ. "Stay together!" Aizawa yelled back. "Thirteen, protect the students!"
"What is this, I thought we were rescuing people today?" Satou asked nervously.
Deku took a step forward. "Stay back! This is real. Those are villains. Stick together and get back outside!" Aizawa snapped as the students except for Deku recoiled and gasped. Ochako saw his eyes begin to glow brightly as his horns stretched back across his head. Deku took another step forward as scales began to form across his shoulders and back.
Aizawa turned his head back and stared at the student, his eyes glowing red and his hair floating. "Stand down , Midoriya."
Deku suddenly let out a piercing scream and collapsed to the ground as his scales vanished, clutching at his head as if it it were on fire. Ochako's eyes went wide and the world seemed to slow down around her as he writhed on the ground in tortured agony. She took a step forward but was knocked back as Bakugou dashed past her, crouching down next to Deku and helping him up. Ochako was hot on his heels and grabbed his other arm and between the two of them, they pulled Deku up to his knees.
Deku panted heavily for a few seconds as he slowly let go of his head, moving his head up and looking at the rest of the class, eyes completely devoid of any glow and wide with confusion and fear. Ochako felt the need to hold him close and tell him that everything was going to be okay, but before she could he spotted Bakugou to his right and clutched the blonde's arm.
"K-Kacchan?" he stuttered fearfully. "W-where am I? Who a-are all these people?"
Bakugou's eyes went wide with shock as the rest of the class nearly screamed. The sudden noise startled the confused man, who would have fallen back onto the ground if he wasn't being held up. "W-what's going on?!" Deku looked absolutely terrified and his voice was cracking like he was about to start crying. Ochako felt like nails were being driven into her heart as she watched helplessly, wishing she could do something.
Deku finally noticed her holding onto him and he turned to look into her brown eyes with his shaky green. He stopped shaking as much as he seemed to calm down slightly, a small blush creeping into his face. Ochako started to smile, hoping to comfort him, but her expression turned fearful as she noticed the familiar glint of recognition in his eyes was completely absent. "Do… do I know you?" Deku asked, still staring at her.
Ochako whipped around to glare at Aizawa. "What did you do?!" She yelled, half terrified and half furious.
Aizawa had been struck dumb by the series of events, staring along with the rest of the class. At Ochako's shout, he quickly refocused and blinked, his eyes returning to their normal black as his hair fell back down. As soon as he did so, Deku screamed and grabbed his head again, falling back out of her and Bakugou's grips.
His screams subsided quicker than last time and he slowly stood up under his own power, catching his breath again. He rose to his full height and looked over his classmates as they stared back in confusion and horror. The look of intelligence and determination that Ochako liked so much had returned to his eyes, but it was also accompanied by confusion. "W-what just happened?"
Bakugou made sure Deku could stand before he stepped back. "Teach did something to your quirk. He looked at you and you collapsed."
Deku's eyes lit up with understanding and he spun around, pointing a finger at their professor. "Y-you're Eraserhead! That was one of five I narrowed it down to, but I should've seen it sooner!"
"Eraserhead? Who's that?" Kirishima muttered next to Mina, who could only shrug and shake her head.
"Y-you can't fight all those villains on your own!" Deku pleaded with Aizawa. "You specialize in back-alley brawls and one-on-one fights!"
Aizawa pulled a pair of strange slitted goggles from underneath his scarf and put them on. "Midoriya, you should know better than almost anyone that no hero is a one-trick pony. Now follow my orders and stay with the rest of the class." Without another word, he turned and leapt down the long flight of stairs, his scarf unraveling behind him ominously.
Ochako grabbed onto his shoulders and spun him around so she could look down into his eyes again. "Deku, are you alright? What happened?"
The man's green eyes had begun to glow again and stared back into hers, taking her breath away with their intensity. "I'm not sure, but it's not important at the moment. Right now I- I mean we have to focus on getting everyone out of here safely." Ochako looked at him for a moment, then grew her own look of determination. She nodded once and released him, turning back to face the rest of the class.
"You heard the man!" Bakugou yelled over the rest of them. "Stick together and we just might survive this!" He turned and smirked at Deku, who was reforming the scales along his body. "And you thought I should've left my gauntlet back at school."