Rhyki smirked beneath her mask, as people realised who was now on her team for the next round.
"Man, we're buggered!" She heard Kaminari whine. She turned to the self-pointed baby of the Ragtags, who was standing with Mina and Sero. They needed just one other person for their group, if they chose it. Peering at her brother, she could see that he was being calculative, yet giving nothing away in terms of appearance. Such a typical Izuku move.
"What are you thinking about?" She questioned, drawing that sharp gaze to hers. Katsuki and Kirishima listened into their conversation as well.
"Those three look lost. I've got an idea to help them a bit." He let out a sharp whistle, twice. Which resulted in a wild purple haired, lavender eyed teen to appear. He looked permanently exhausted and reminded Rhyki of her dad, which was really fucking weird. Many people stared at them curiously, pondering how that had worked. Rhyki included. What was he playing at?
"You called Izuku?"
"Shinso, allow me to introduce you to three members of the Ragtags. This is Rhyki, my sister. Eijiro, my boyfriend and Bakugou, Rhyki's boyfriend. You three, this is Hitoshi Shinso, the guy who asked for my help in physical training for the last two weeks. Anyway, the reason for the whistle, did you find anyone to team with?" Izuku queried.
"No. No one wants to team with me." He grumbled. Rhyki wondered as to why that was. Was he unliked, or did people not like his quirk? Maybe it was a mental one? Who wouldn't like that though? If used right, mental quirks were ridiculously powerful.
"Team with the remaining three of the Ragtags. They'll work with you." He motioned for the other three to join them, and because Sero was looking at them, he noticed. He dragged the duo over by their hands, before stopping in front of them.
"You called Izuku?" Sero asked.
"I did. This is the fourth member of your team. This is Hitoshi Shinso, the one who personally asked me to help train him where I had disappeared for a couple of hours during the day from our own training sessions. No one wants to work with him, so I recommended you. Work to the best of your abilities, and we'll see each other at the end."
"Sure thing boss man. Come on Shinso, let's go make a plan quick." Kaminari beamed happily, grabbed the guy's wrist and dragged him away, Mina and Sero following with a chuckle.
"At least he's enthusiastic." Rhyki snorted.
"I recognise him from somewhere." Kirishima said, looking puzzled.
"He was one of those in the crowd that stopped us from leaving the classroom the day Aizawa announced the Sports Festival." Izuku replied, absentmindedly.
"Ok, we know where he's from. As well as where you now had disappeared for a few hours a day. Now enough of that, we need to think of a quick plan as we have two minutes left." Katsuki announced. They turned to her brother. He was always the one with the best ideas.
"I've got a rough plan. Bakugou, you'll be the rider for the entire game. Eiji, you're the horse, along with Rhyki. Alternate here or there to utilize the different skills we've learned and practiced these few weeks. I will focus solely on defence and taking headbands from other teams. Rhyki, you'll use Shadow Manipulation to keep a constant tether around Bakugou's ankle, to make sure that he does not touch the ground at any cost. Bakugou, if you use your explosions and can't land on either of the two, use me. Remember, always watch each other's backs, because I already know that we will be targeted by the team on my six, with two members being Tenya Iida and Ochaco Uraraka. Also, when it comes to the remaining two minutes, Bakugou, I will mind link with you, and we'll use the ultimate move we've been working on."
"Hell fucking yeah! Let us show those fuckers what we're all about." They smirked, before slamming fists together to seal the deal, excitement beginning to thrum through their systems.
"How will we begin?" Kirishima asked.
"Kat, on Kiri's back. Me and Izu will defend. When the starting signal goes, everyone will flock to us, so Izu, using shadow speed, grab us and take us to the other side of the field." Rhyki stated, receiving nods in understanding. Katsuki climbed onto Kirishima's back, legs locked around his torso to keep in place. She tied a shadow rope around his ankle, which was constantly tied to her. Even with people running through it, it would automatically retether again. Rhyki clasped Kiri's arm, ready to begin.
"OK PEOPLE. WE ARE NOW OFFICALLY BEGINNING THE SECOND ROUND! THE HEADBAND CHASE! REMEMBER, TEAMS ARE MADE UP OF FOUR INDIVIDUALS TO CLAIM HEADBANDS OF WHOEVER HAS THEM. THE FIRST TEN TEAMS WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF POINTS AT THE END ADVANCE ONTO THE NEXT ROUND!" Mic roared over the speakers. The audience cheered, excited to see what the teams would do to accomplish their task.
"Now, I want everyone to know that quirks are allowed to be used, as long as they don't maim or seriously injure. Good luck everyone. BEGIN!" Midnight cracked her whip, followed by a buzzer. All teams automatically ran to them.
"Izu, now!" Rhyki hollered. Izuku grabbed her and Eiji's hands before shadows rolled across the ground and ran over them. It quickly dispersed, leaving everyone stunned.
"WHAT?! WHERE DID TEAM BAKUGOU GO?" Mic gasped.
"Yo fuckers, are you looking for us?" All teams turned, and standing across the field, stood Team Bakugou, all with dirty smirks plastered on their faces. Rhyki and Izuku were slightly in front of Kirishima and Bakugou, acting as the barriers. Neither had headbands on now, having given them to the team's horse for safe keeping.
"We will get you, bastard villains!" Someone screamed and they realised it was Uraraka in her team, who started coming towards them. Rhyki snorted and glanced over her shoulder to her boyfriend.
"Oh Katsuki..." She purred and his smirk instantly turned evil. Time to show them what he, and Izuku had been working on for the past few days.
"Fuck yes." He knew what she meant and hopped onto Izuku, who held his feet in his hands. He just stood there, holding the explosive blonde up like it was nothing. If that didn't show his immense strength, then Rhyki wasn't entirely sure on what would.
"Ready?" Izuku questioned. Rhyki strengthened her shadow reigns, doubling it around Katsuki's ankles. There was no way they were losing in this.
"Let's fucking go." Katsuki cheered, igniting his explosions, which made his red eyes light up and she thought it was stunning. Fuck, she was wholly in love with him.
"WHAT IS THIS FOLKS? BAKUGOU IS BEING HELD UP EFFORTLESSLY BY IZUKU AND NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE PLANNING SOMETHING BIG!" Mic roared, with obvious awe in his voice. They blocked the loud blonde out, focusing on their task. Izuku took a throwing stance, leaned back, arm muscles tensing as Katsuki also bent his knees a little. The entire audience dropped into silence to see what they would do. Rhyki and Kirishima stood on either side of Izuku, smug smiles on their faces. The teams watched as Uraraka's team ran right at them, with Iida being the horse for speed.
"NOW!" Rhyki roared and Izuku literally threw her boyfriend, who twisted his body in a spin for an explosive entry. He crashed right into the bitch and snatched all of their headbands with a cackle. Iida grabbed her to keep her from hitting the ground, while Rhyki lifted Katsuki with shadows that had moved to his waist and brought him back and onto Kirishima's back. He put the headbands on Kirishima's head. Other teams began to battle each other, giving them a short breather.
"What now?" Katsuki asked.
"Bakugou, get on my back with Rhyki. Eiji on my front. I'll hold you in place with shadows. Rhyki, we're going to play one of our favourite games." Izuku said.
"Who are we taking out?" She questioned as they got into place. She tried not to laugh as Kirishima literally went koala mode on her brother as he locked his arms around him tightly to keep the red head in place. No one was going to get near Kirishima, that was for sure. Her and Kat locked arms and braced themselves somehow against the broad surface of Izuku's back. A hand locked on his shoulder each to help keep their balance. His shadows came out of his body and locked around them. There was no way they'd be falling now as Izuku commanded shadows that were stronger than anything she knew of. That even meant hers, and that was saying something considering hers could hold up buildings!
"Whoever gets in our way. Let's aim for the pervert first though, as I really don't want him to get far." Izuku stated, rolling his shoulders and they felt the solid muscle move beneath their palms.
"Which team is he on?" Kirishima queried.
"He's hiding in the arms of Shoji, along with Asui." Her brother calmly told them. How he knew that she'd never know but wouldn't argue about it.
"Does he have the headband for his team?" Katsuki wondered as she glanced at him.
"He does. So, Rhyki, I need you to holler something that will get his attention. Eiji when we are close enough, harden your entire body as we are going to bowl right into Shoji to take them down, and I don't want you to get injured. Before you panic, it won't hurt me. I want you to grab the headbands if they have any, while Rhyki and Bakugou are going to be lifted off my back and float in the air to ward of anyone that steps near." Izuku rattled off the plan. She was extremely impressed, yet not surprised considering her brother had a very analytical mind and could create amazing battle strategies as easy as breathing.
"Sounds a good plan. As long as I don't touch the ground for the next five minutes, we win." Katsuki said and they all nodded.
"We won't let you contact the ground. Let's go Izuku." Rhyki tapped his shoulder, and he took off. They all tightened their grips, as he was astoundingly quick and closed the distance rapidly.
"Holy shit!" Katsuki whispered from beside her, probably just realising that Izuku was carrying all three of them and making it look so bloody easy. As they neared the team they were after, Rhyki straightened up. Now it was her time. She didn't want to do this, but she knew it would work.
"MINETA, SOME GIRLS HAVE THEIR BOOBS OUT AND ARE LETTING GUYS TOUCH THEM!" She roared.
"Where?!" The tiny pervert jumped out of Shoji's arms, wildly looking around, already drooling. But he turned in their direction, as did Shoji. Asui popped up from her hiding place, and all three students' eyes blew wide as they saw who was charging right at them.
"Eiji now." Izuku shouted and Rhyki caught sight of Kirishima turning his quirk on. They barrelled into the opposing team, sending them sprawling to the ground. Well, would have, but it was only Kirishima and Izuku that hit them, as dense shadows lifted her and Katsuki into the air. Another team came to her left and she shot flames at them, sending them scurrying with startled yelps. Katsuki shot explosions at another, narrowly missing their faces, but it was perfectly executed, as it sent them running, while screaming. They were soon dragged to the side and she focused properly. Izuku had gotten up and they were running.
"NOW IF THAT IS NOT PERFECT TEAMWORK DISPLAYED BEAUTIFULLY BY TEAM BAKUGOU, THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS!" Mic squealed excitedly, making Rhyki chuckle. She did so love that loud cockatoo. They tackled many lower teams, before they came pretty much face-to-face with Team Todoroki and Team Uraraka who were standing beside each other.
They openly left the other Ragtags and Shinso alone. Rhyki absently noticed that the bitch and her sonic rip off stick-up-the-arse had managed to get new headbands. Other teams had joined in some sort of alliance to take them down, realising that her team was the strongest on the field.
"Do you want this the easy or hard way?" Izuku questioned, glancing over his shoulder at her and Katsuki as they hovered in the air, blatantly ignoring everyone as they started to shout insults at them for being ignored.
"What's the easy way?" She questioned, keeping an eye on those around them.
"I break the ground, send them flying and we leave. We have a minute left." He answered.
"Hard way?" Katsuki asked.
"You throw explosions and Rhyki throws fire as distractions while me and Eiji take the headbands."
"That would mean getting right in the middle, doesn't it?"
"Yes. With an exceedingly high chance of them taking our bands." He admitted.
"Do it the easy way. I'm bored now." She replied, shrugging.
"Got it. Eiji, let go baby." Kirishima had, by now, turned his quick off, and let him go. Izuku wrapped him in shadows and sent him up to them, and Rhyki promptly locked all of their arms together. Shadows crept up and around their scalps, not allowing anyone to touch them from behind, despite the face they hovered five feet above Izuku's head!
"Demolish Izuku!" Rhyki roared, just as their opponents charged forward, quirks active. Rippling power cascaded through her brother, sparking his hands and his muscles tensed, showing just how defined he was. He raised clenched fists before sending them flying into the dirt, landing in a solid thud. The ground cracked, groaned and split until it was like some sort of earthquake had tunnelled through. Teams fell over, crying out in shock. Rhyki cackled as it happened, as she realised that it also left the audience speechless, as well as the pro heroes who were watching. Izuku stood back up, graceful as ever.
"Time is up! Well done everyone for a fantastic show. Once everyone is up, please come over so we can see the winning teams." Midnight called, cracking her whip with an expert flick of her wrist. Her, Kat, and Kirishima were gently lowered to the ground and the shadows dispersed as though they'd never been. Kirishima quickly handed the headbands over to an Ectoplasm clone to be counted.
"That was fucking badass Izuku!" Katsuki smirked, playfully punching her brother on the arm.
"Which part?" He asked, draping his arm across Kirishima's shoulders.
"Where we were held in the air in the shadows, as well as you punching the ground and causing that!" He pointed to what he meant. Rhyki snorted, drawing the guy's attention.
"What are you snorting at Rhyki?" Kirishima smiled at her.
"This knucklehead." She pointed at her boyfriend.
"OI!" Katsuki sniped, pulling her into him.
"Oh shush. You do realise that when Izuku broke the ground, he wasn't openly trying, right?"
"What?!" They both gasped.
"He wasn't trying. Hence why it isn't destroyed too bad."
"RAGTAGS!" They heard and turned. Izuku moved Kirishima from his side and effortlessly caught a whirlwind that was a giggling Kaminari. Sero, Mina and Shinso trailed along behind, smiling at the blonde. Shinso, however, looked a little apprehensive about joining them.
"Hey guys." Sero said when they got nearer. Mina latched onto Rhyki, giving her a hug. Izuku put Kaminari down, who beamed at them all.
"Alright guys." Izuku nodded at them. They focused on Midnight as she cracked the whip to get their focus. The audience paid close attention as well, eager to know who advanced.
"Congratulations to a fantastic game students. Now, I will rattle off the top ten teams who advanced through to the next round. In first, is Team Bakugou with ten million, two hundred and nighty thousand points!" Midnight proclaimed, getting a cheer from the audience. Ragtags all smirked at each other, before tuning out the other results. Well, until Rhyki heard that Team Shinso got through in fourth.
"Well done on passing." She cheered for the other members of their group.
"Thanks Rhyki." They said as one.
"How did you find working with them?" Izuku asked Shinso, who was standing beside him.
"Really good actually. We worked well as a team and I didn't have to use my quirk like I did in the first round." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish manner.
"What is your quirk?" Rhyki questioned, quite curious.
"Brainwash." He muttered.
"Pretty damn awesome if you ask me. You'll do incredible things with that as a hero Shinso." She smiled at him. She meant it as well.
"Really? You don't think it's villainous?" He looked downright gobsmacked.
"Why would I think that? Dude, it's not about what quirk you have, but how you fucking use it. I can already tell that you are not villainous, at all."
"Thank you Rhyki. No one, bar my parents and Izuku have said that to me before."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I am. No one liked being around me because of it." He turned his gaze to the ground in obvious embarrassment. Rhyki was disgusted by the way he had been judged. It was revolting. Quirk discrimination was one of the highest reasons as to why villains existed; all because of quirkest, nasty bastards. It infuriated her. Mina, however, was having literally none of it. She stomped in front of him, before gently making his raise his head.
"Head up. Be proud of your quirk Shinso. As Rhyki once told me when I felt really crap and down about my own quick – you control it, don't let it be the owner of you. We definitely won't judge you. Sod what anyone else says, I'd happily accept you as a friend." She beamed at him. Rhyki smiled at her best friend. If there was definitely something that Mina was good at, it was making people feel good about themselves.
"Really?" Shinso looked apprehensive, so Rhyki let Katsuki's hand go and moved to stand beside Mina and look the purplette in the eye.
"She means it. Mina doesn't lie. She is right though, you own your quirk, not the other way around. Do you actually have any friends here at U.A, or outside of school?" Rhyki blunted questioned, starling Shinso a little.
"You'll get used to Rhyki's bluntness." Mina chuckled, leaning into her side with a happy hum.
"I'd rather someone be bluntly honest with me than lie. Plus, in answer to your question, I don't have any friends." He admitted.
"In U.A, or out of it?" Izuku asked.
"Either. Ever since I was four and my quirk manifested."
"Well, that ends now. I'll be your friend." Mina cheered, and Kaminari quickly joined in, nodding in agreement with his usual smile.
"I'd like that."
How do you feel in offering Shinso a place in Ragtags? She sent to Izuku mentally, as Katsuki reclaimed her hand. Sero now held Mina's, whereas her brother was holding onto a smiling red headed koala named Kirishima against his ribcage.
I have no problems with it to be honest. Even with the training I did with him, I could tell he was astoundingly lonely. Call a huddle or something as ask for their input as well. I won't make a group decision like that without consulting everyone first. Izuku sent back.
I'll talk to them. You stay with Shinso.
Got it.
"Ragtags, come talk with me a minute. Shinso, stay with Izuku, ok?" He nodded, before the others followed her a short distance away.
"OK PEOPLE. NOW THAT THE RESULTS ARE IN, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN HOUR BREAK. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET FOOD AT THE STANDS AND STRETCH YOUR LEGS BEFORE WE BEGIN THE THRID AND FINAL ROUND. THANK YOU!" Mic hollered. People and students began to leave the arena, eager to fill stomachs, empty bladders or stretch legs. Rhyki turned to her group.
"Ok, so I quickly spoke mentally to Izuku about something, but he wanted me to ask you guys first before any final decision to be made." She started.
"What is it?" Mina asked.
"How do you guys feel of having Shinso join us Ragtags and be the official eighth member of our group?" She put it out there.
They all glanced at the guy, who was talking to Izuku about something. They seemed quite invested in their conversation as Izuku was nodding here or there while giving the guy his full attention.
"Personally, I don't have any problems with it. I can already see that he's lonely and craving having friends. I think he could be a great friend and member of our little family." Kirishima said, smiling as he glanced at his boyfriend.
"I don't mind either." Sero claimed, with Mina nodding happily.
"I like it. Can he? Please? He was a great team member during the last battle. He didn't get annoyed with us." Kaminari chirped, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he held her arm.
"Kat?" She looked at her boyfriend.
"I don't actually see any problems with it. But how would it work considering he's actually in General Studies?" Kat questioned.
"Leave that to me and Izuku to sort out. I'll have a chat with dad and Nezu. He's already proven that he can do more than others, as he's advanced more than anyone else in General Studies apart from floaty bitch."
"Then if you think so, I don't mind him joining us." Kat shrugged.
"Ok, let's go back to the boys. Then we need food!" Rhyki led them back and the two stopped talking to look at them.
"Well?" Izuku asked, making Shinso look confused.
"We're all in agreement." Katsuki answered him. Izuku nodded and turned to Shinso.
"Ok, you're probably wondering as to what this is about. How do you feel of officially joining our group, the Ragtags?"
"Are you serious?" Shinso's jaw dropped.
"We wouldn't fuck you around like that Shinso. We're not arseholes like that." She told him.
"How would that work though? I'm in General Studies."
"Leave that to me and Izuku to sort out. What do you say?"
"So you all really don't mind being friends with a villainous person like me?"
"First of all, shut the fuck up. Second, you are not villainous, I'm a lot fucking worse than you. Third, we truly don't fucking mind." Rhyki stated, leaving no room for argument.
"Then I'll happily accept." He smiled shyly, with a hint of a blush on his cheeks. Rhyki felt someone grab her hand and hold it tightly. She glanced at who it was and barely stopped from smirking. It was Kaminari, who was staring at Shinso in total awe. She leaned over to whisper in his ear.
"It seems like someone likes the sleepy purplette." He turned to look at her in shock.
"Shh, no I don't."
"Tell that to the blush on your cheeks and the look of sheer awe flashing in your eyes. You can't hide it from me baby." She chuckled as he whined, turning to hide his face in her shoulder.
"With that said, I officially welcome you in the Ragtags, Hitoshi Shinso." Izuku said, holding his hand out. Shinso fist-bumped him with a smile, before letting out a laugh as Mina jumped on him in excitement. Kaminari and Sero joined in, hugging the male. Kirishima fist-bumped him with a broad grin, whereas her and Katsuki just nodded.
"Now, let's go and get food to celebrate our new family member." Kaminari cheered, waving his hands around like the adorable goofball he was. Him, Mina and Sero skipped ahead, doing a weird dance thing while chanting 'food, food, food'. Precious beans.
"Family member?" Shinso asked beside her as they followed the laughing trio.
"We're not just friends. We're family." Katsuki explained.
"Ah. I think I'll like it in this group." Shinso said, with a small smile.
"We're glad. We look after our own, so if you have any problems, just holler and we'll come running. We back each other one hundred percent." Rhyki told him, knocking their shoulders together.
"I'll remember that." They left the arena, eager to fill stomachs. But one thing Rhyki liked, was how completely natural it was for Shinso to be with them.
Like he'd always been part of their group. It didn't feel out of place or weird. It was a nice change compared to how her and Izuku's school life had been so far. But one thing was for sure, Rhyki wouldn't change it for anything. This was her family, and she'd protect and love them with her life.