Anywhere but There

Practical Talks

The practical exams reared it's ugly head quicker than expected and Shouto soon found himself stood in front of the gate to begin his last exam- against his (teacher) dad. The signal sounded, and the pair entered. They darted into an alleyway, Shouto checking around them before speaking.

"Whoever finds the other first is going to win," he started, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, "Can you make something continuously? If you do, then we'll know when he's nearby. Once he's close, I want you to run while I distract him, ok?" he finished, looking at her fully at the end. Yaoyorozu nodded, eyes darting apprehensively as she spoke.

"Ye-Yeah, ok." she agreed. They began making their way through the neighbourhood-like streets, Russian dolls trailing behind them innocently. And then, they weren't anymore. Shouto tensed.

"He must be clos-" a black mass descended upon them, off-white trailing behind like a shredded cape. It spoke as it graced the ground.

"You should act when an enemy is near," Aizawa said, eyes glinting unnaturally. Shouto tried to summon ice to his hand, only for nothing to happen. Aizawa dashed forward, "and I'd start dodging- if I were you." a leg flew through the air, grazing Shouto's head.

"Run, Yaoyororzu!" Shouto shouted, as according to the plan. For a second, she didn't move; calculated and panicked eyes dashing between the pair. A glare from Shouto had her legs finally moving, Aizawa's disappointment holding her back slightly from full speed. Before Shouto could blink, he was hanging upside down from a power line; swinging ever so slightly.

"You're an idiot. Think of your enemy before you attack. I was going to come for you the whole time- because you're the offence." Aizawa said.

"I'll get out of this and get you again." Shouto declared. The ground beneath him was glinting by the time he finished, spikes protruding from the ground crudely.

"Go ahead." the older drawled.

"You're like a ninja." Shouto muttered under his breath.

"A word of advice," their eyes met, "trust in your partner. You're not in this alone." and with that, he was left hanging, literally. The silence left him space to think, about Yaoyorozu, the plan, everything.

'This terrain is to our disadvantage. There's no way we'd ever be able to run him. Idiot.' he concluded silently. A few more seconds of self berating and Yaoyorozu was in front of him again, breathing a little heavier than when he last saw her.

"Todoroki, I'm sorry! I couldn't run away-not without you and-" she said, barely slow enough to be coherent; and starting to panic.

"-Hey!" he got her attention, "you've got a plan, right?" he said, calmer this time.

"I-I mean... I have a plan- but it won't work! Yours didn't so mine probably won't either." she said.

"What are you talking about? Any plan of yours is probably way better than mine. You're far more suited to this kind of thing than me!" he said, trying to boost her confidence.

"I-I'm not..." she mumbled, too quietly to be heard. He sighed.

"Remember when we voted for class president?" he said.

"Yeah." she croaked.

"One of those votes was mine, okay? I believe you can do this." a few seconds passed by again. Yaoyorozu looked more confident this time.

"Let me get you down first. Then, we'll talk about the plan."