Arriving to the viewing area, Allmight waited for them with the rest of the class, only slightly surprised... and still unnerved by Izuku. His voice wavered, which did sadden the boy, since Allmight was still his number one favorite of all time. "Ah, Momo and... young Midoriya."
With a slightly mournful voice, he waved off the man. "If it's easier... you can ignore me."
However, the man's resolution was downright praiseworthy. Even if he wasn't naturally a teacher, he was still willing to go the extra mile. That meant a lot to Izuku. "No... it's my duty as a teacher to help all students."
Momo, looking around at everyone, who waited for them to stop talking, asked, "What did we miss?"
He was cheerful enough while explaining, being animated and grabbing the attention of the class. "Not much, we just arrived here before you did. I can explain what we are doing. We are doing 2v2 fights! With objectives for each side, both the hero and villain sides! Since you two came together, you'll be the last team."
Narrowing his eyes, Izuku asked, not wanting to be defined by that term again. "Heroes and villains?"
Gulping slightly, it was clear that the number one hero was still nervous around him. With good reason. While he may not be able to take him down in his powered form... his twisted view of the hero was more than enough to unsettle him. "The Heroes will either have to capture both villains or touch the bomb. The villains either have to defeat the heroes, or stop them from getting to the bomb in a specific amount of time."
Before Izuku could state his displeasure at the terms of the exercise... Momo asked, "Are the other teams picked already?"
He nodded, glad that she was able to sort of diffuse the situation. "Exactly! Since you're here, It will be Izuku & Momo against Kaminari and Mineta. Izuku and Momo will be the villain team." To Izuku and Momo, he stated, "You will have 5 minutes to prepare."
Arriving at the building, they noticed that there were few windows. Presumably, for less intel on the heroes side... as they entered into the building, it kinda disappointed Izuku. Don't get him wrong, finally being in the hero course was amazing... but its clear that these mock buildings were made to be replaceable. They were made from nothing but concrete, with little decoration. "Where's the artistry? At least when I make something, I make it look like me!" Izuku muttered, which Momo caught.
The raven haired girl did point out to them. "Well... not everyone has your... tastes..."
Baring his teeth, he laughed, "True enough..."
Finally, they reached the central room... and found the "bomb". Walking to it, Izuku wanted to test it. "Let's see how heavy this is..." It was easily liftable, and felt like paper. It was paper mache. Without turning to her, the vampire noted. "Right, it can move with little effort... you have any ideas?"
Momo was surprised, especially with how chatty he was before. "I thought you were the... volunteering type."
Shrugging, he stated, "I'm always open to ideas... Don't you remember the night we met?"
She paled at the memory. "We have very different ideas when it comes to... being open to others."
He laughed, but then remembered the time limit. They had little time left, and they needed to strategize. "What are the enemies' quirks?"
Now serious, she divulged the information she knew or noticed. "Denki can create an electric field around himself. Uses it too much, or generates too much power at once, and he short circuits his brain. Mineta can pull purple spheres from his head and throw them. They stick to anyone or anything for around 10 minutes." She seemed to... dislike... talking about the latter person.
For once, Izuku didn't seem confident, and less than eager about the upcoming fight. Glancing around, he whispered, just in case the cameras had microphones. "This is actually pretty bad."
Surprised, "How so?"
Explaining rapidly, he paced the room, "Without your creations, they have range... and both can overpower my strengths... and your quirk doesn't have a direct combat ability... Can you make me a non-conductive weapon?"
It took only a few seconds, before an object tapped his shoulder, making him turn to her... who offered an object to him, a weapon, handle towards him. "Sure... here, a carbon fiber bat."
Accepting it, he looked it over. Completely sturdy, and insulated against electrical attacks. Perfect. He asked, "Thanks... can you make lots of traps?"
The answer was just what he was hoping for, as well. "What kind do you need?"
"Anything to cause fear and disorientation. You should also create electrically insulated jackets for us."
The jackets were first, falling to the ground quickly, "Done." After that, she started making lots of traps, from wired flashbangs... to padded bear traps, and everything in between.
Putting the jacket on, he continued making a plan, his voice level, although gleeful at the gifts she was making. Oh, the enemy team would hate them. "Keep making as many traps as you need, and keep putting them everywhere. Make it perilous for them. I'll take these..." Izuku grabbed a lot of them, and headed for the door. "And set them up closer to the entrance."
"Wow... you know what you're doing..." She shook her head in awe at the scheme. While she was intelligent, he had a different type of genius to it. Whether sparked by madness, or experience, it was hard to tell. Either way, it would be put to the test, and soon.
He called back, before stopping at the door to glance back at her. "I had to think fast on the streets, and analyzing quirks is second nature to me at this point. Besides, I think we'll both get enjoyment out of beating the crap out of the midget."
That brought a new resolve to Momo, who looked as intimidating as Athena when she cursed Medusa. It was time for a similar moment of divine wrath. "Indeed. Go, we don't have much time!"
Izuku cackled at her newfound resolve as he strode away. "I knew you hated that little shit!"
As Izuku set up the last of the traps, Allmight announced, his voice booming over the earpieces given to them. "Prep time is up! The heroes can enter!"
The pro hero watched them approach together, but the class was starting to speculate based on what they could see from the cameras. "How do you think they're going to do this?"
Jirou noted, "Momo's probably guarding the bomb, while Midoriya's patrolling."
They're not wrong... Just when he was about to head back, he heard a loud snap! Through the earpiece he had, he heard Denki ask in pain, "Gahh! What is this doing here?!"
Meanwhile, Izuku laughed maniacally as he approached for an ambush. One one camera, they saw him hide from the pair, still oblivious to his presence, even when he whispered, "have fun trying to get through all of that..."
Throughout the exercise, class A watched on as Midoriya stalked Mineta and Denki from behind as they foraged their way through dozens of traps. Each harder to avoid, and some more painful, and some more disorienting. They seemed perfectly set up, which, considering Midoriya's life, shouldn't be the case. Sero asked tentatively "This is... certainly villainous... are you sure Izuku wasn't a villain?"
Allmight faltered, but admitted to them. "By legal definitions... He was a villain, as his quirk drove his actions, but he doesn't consider himself that. He styled himself as an unstable vigilante... but he hates the title. Just... don't call him that, please. He's here to get better. One of the best ways to help people is to convince villains to change, after all." That got a lot of approval from the class.
However, Toru was worried as she answered Sero, "You know he would hurt you really badly if he heard you ask that, right? You know what he did to Monoma..."
He quickly changed his thoughts, "Right... just seems a bit cruel..."
Allmight spoke up, yet again, "I find it interesting that nobody has noticed that this is an especially bad matchup for Izuku and Momo? They are doing everything they can to level the playing field..."
Kirishima turned to look at him, shocked. How could this be bad for them? It seemed so in Midoriya's favor! "What?! This is a bad matchup for Midoriya?! But he's super strong..."
Yagi explained, putting the pieces together for them. "Kaminari's electricity cancels out any possibility of close quarters combat, and Mineta can harass him from a distance with his quirk, not to mention limit his movement over time. Midoriya is hoping to intimidate them into making mistakes, by harassing them the whole way. Their group can win if they steel themselves against this battle of attrition. It's the mark of someone who knows their weaknesses..."
Looking back at the screens, the class watched as the hero team arrived in the hall just outside the central room, their destination. "Almost there... man, how many traps did they place?" Their breathing masked Izuku's approach, who now found the perfect time to attack.
Shouting, loud enough to startle them, he answered Denki's question. "Enough to tire you out!" Izuku quickly ambushed them both again, put in a few good hits, then dashed out of sight.
Mineta complained as he tried to throw another sphere at him, his head bleeding from the sheer amount of sphere that he had launched at him by now. "That's getting really annoying! Ouch..." They both were battered and bruised by this point, and at their wits end. They ran into the, admittedly, better lit room.
Momo waited within, armed with a bat of her own, and a look of contempt, aimed right at the violette. Her voice was full of venom, and had they not seen her as the hero student before, they would have been convinced she was a villainess. "Took you long enough."
However, The electric blond realized something crucial, the absence of their harasser. "Wait, where's Midoriya?"
Bolting out of the darker halls, he called out, swinging the bat faster than he could react. "Right here!" He hit Kaminari in the back of the head, and with his superior strength, he went flying into a wall.
He shouted in pain, "Gahh!"
Mineta reached out, calling to him, horrified, "Kaminari!" At this point, the two hero students failed to realize... they were nothing but victims at their mercy. The two on the "villain team" had controlled the situation well enough that their mental faculties were at their limit, and so were their quirks. Izuku nodded to Momo, who charged toward Mineta, and hit him back into the hall from which he came.
Cheering the impressive hit, he called out, "Home run! Go get 'em slugger!" He then turned to the electric blond, whose eyes widened with fear at the verdant gaze. After a moment of stillness, he rushed toward Kaminari. The other boy and screamed as Izuku whaled on him, not giving him a moment to charge up an attack. When he was sure he couldn't fight, i.e., being knocked out from the assault, the ravenette cuffed him, completing his objective. Midoriya was about to walk over to the door where Momo and Mineta went, but he heard running. Readying his bat, he swung right as the person rounded the corner. He knew it wasn't Momo, because her stride was much, much longer... and was rewarded with Mineta being knocked out instantly from the hit, and fell onto his back from the inertia.
Meanwhile, his partner's voice was annoyed at having her target taken from her. She almost sounded like he did, the irony lost on her. "I had that!"
"Sure you did. Go finish him off." He beamed as Momo walked over and cuffed him.
"We make a good team, Izuku."
He bared his teeth, but blushed slightly at the praise, a small amount of blood leaking from his carven cheeks. "Hell yes we do... just like last time."
Allmight shouted through the speakers, quick to end the trial before it got out of hand. It was clear that the "hero" team would need to see Hound Dog. "VILLAINS WIN. BUILDINGS WILL BE RESET AND KAMINARI AND MINETA WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE MEDICAL TENT."
When Izuku and Momo arrived back at the observation room, they didn't arrive to hear any applause, nor cheers for their victory. Instead everyone was staring at them, frightened, and even Allmight looked mildly terrified... indicating his sheer terror inside him. "Well done... uh... can anyone tell me the strengths and weaknesses of the winning team?"
A cacophony of voices replied immediately, and it was hard to tell who said what. Either way, the results were clear. "They did not underestimate their opponents."
"They were merciless."
"They planned around their opponents..."
Allmight praised them, but made a note to them, "All correct... but please, do try to raise your hand next time..." Pausing, he asked, "Did they have any flaws?"
Tsu raised her hand, and was called on, "They relied on them taking the most direct route, kero."
Beaming, their teacher confirmed as such. "Correct!"
Izuku gave his rationale, "Well, we knew they would go the direct route to get the fight over with quickly. Their quirks were based on quick, and direct fights..."
Allmight was quick to shut it down, gently though, because there were others who needed to do their battle trials as well. "Your analysis is correct, young Midoriya. You made a plan for attrition due to these downsides, correct?"
He nodded, "Yes..."
To the rest of the class, Allmight asked, "Who was the MVP of the fight?"
Most of the class responded with an immediate name. They had seen him work with Momo, and do most of the actions in the match. "Midoriya."
However, Allmight had a different idea of who was MVP, immediately correcting them. "Wrong."
Silence was all that met his proclamation. After all, they knew Momo was smart, but he clearly was the better teammate in this exercise. Izuku wasn't surprised. "Yeah, I shouldn't be."
"What?! You did most of the work..."
Despite how mad he had acted before, his analytical mind was still impressive. "I was... many things, but the real ace in the hole was Momo. She guarded the bomb, she leveled the playing field. My attacks mean nothing if I can't touch them. She gave the means to do so, and that is invaluable. Not only that, but the traps also are a good locator for us. It allows us to actually know their progress. She should get the credit."
Momo blushed, "I didn't do that much..."
Izuku stopped her immediately, causing her to blush to deepen at the praise. "Don't be humble here. You deserve the credit."
Allmight was impressed with Izuku's reasoning, adding onto it directly. "Yes! She made sure that they would arrive when their team could handle them. Not only this, but gave valuable information to Midoriya in order for the plan to be made. Never underestimate the intelligence and creativity of your opponents! Most villains will use these similar techniques, as they will often recognize you and your quirk before you know them, as heroes are public and well known, especially the top ones. Being able to know the enemy's quirk during the fight will be an invaluable skill you will develop through experience!" He thought for a moment. "I think that is everything for this fight, onto the next one!"
After all of the team fights, which was just a bunch of fun for the class, everyone made their way back to the dorms. Allmight asked to see Izuku afterwards.
Nervous, he asked, "You wanted to see me?" It's not that he believed Allmight would do anything bad, but being alone with teachers was never a good idea at Aldera, and bad habits are hard to break.
Instead, he apologized. "We got off on the wrong foot, it seems. I saw the worst of you, and I would like to start fresh, if that's alright."
Eager to get on his favorite hero's good side, he didn't hesitate at all. "I don't mind... wait... you were at my house?"
"Most of the Year 1 teachers were."
Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, embarassed that his fanboy side was obviously seen by the number one hero. "No wonder you were disturbed, you were my favorite hero before mom died... I kinda... lost it after everything happened... and I wanted to smile as you did after everything..."
He didn't blame him directly, if at all. In fact, he seemed to be... placating. "You were in a dark place... one I never had to be in..."
The rehab student stated, agreeing with his point. "No, everyone loved you, and your quirk..."
However, his interruption was something completely out of left field. "I was once quirkless."
"What?"
He grinned slyly. "You heard me. Being quirkless wasn't as rare, but I was a part of the minority at the time. They weren't treated as badly, but it was starting to go downhill then."
"But... how?!"
And, he gave a reasonable explanation, which surprised him, especially since he kept track of every detail he could. "I was a late bloomer, but that isn't important, but what is important is that I was increasingly hated as the years went on... until I received my quirk. It's a cruel fact about the world we live in... that your fate is often dictated by your quirk... but we both have risen above that. Never despair, and carry your smile with pride. Hopefully you'll re-learn how to make it without your scars..."
It was the nicest thing he'd ever been told, apart from everything his mother stated. "Hmm... thanks for the words of comfort." He bared his teeth, before turning to leave "Thanks for giving me a chance, Allmight."
"No worries, young Midoriya! It's my duty to support everyone I can." Allmight thought to himself: That kid isn't as bad as he looks... Aizawa's right about him. Good to see that coming through now.