The results of the the versus matches was a disappointment, at least for the young Takagi. She wasn't the only person who's pride had been hurt by a loss, but she was certain none were more aggravated at it than her. Upset perhaps, but not angered. Not necessarily at her comrade, though true that had Momoko the full use of her voice she might possibly had been capable of deflecting her adversary without bringing the building down. Still, Takagi hadn't made a habit of blaming others, at least not vocally. She herself had room to improve. If she had bested Maria sooner, she could have regrouped sooner and dealt with the prankster.
'She kept me at bay by using guerrilla tactics, but even then it wasn't as if she brought me to a knee... Aside from being more aware for tactical opponents, if I can improve manipulation of my quirk...'
Takagi was already thinking on ways to do better, though she was still bitter on how things ended, she would beat up no one but herself.
Regrouping together, the teachers left with some final words and assignments. There was some praise, but it was minimal compared to proposed improvements. Cooperation most importantly, according to them. It was true, Takagi didn't exactly "plan" with the screamer, but more so had her play goalkeeper after learning of her handicap, entrusting the brunt of the fight solely to herself. Another fault she would have to overcome; trust.
Regardless, they were to meet up at the mall after school for "mandatory hanging out", as if Takagi had ever heard of such a thing. Was this legitimate? Had Titan ever done such a thing when he enrolled? Who was she kidding, he couldn't keep his mouth shut. Everyone in the class would've either loved or hated him. What was she supposed to do though? She had seldom any friends. Was Maria a friend, or were they acquaintances? What about Shouya? Between this and combat, Takagi would much prefer the latter, she was much better at it.
Later at the mall, as luck would have it, Takagi didn't find herself alone nor in need of awkwardly approaching someone at random and hope they didn't have the same reaction as Katsumi. Once again, Shouya had decided to stick around her, one of the few people who had no issue conversing with her. Sighing at his question, it was unlikely.
"Maybe... but doubtful," Takagi replied. "It's probably dependent on how many in the class are lone wolves per say... It's probably a bother for someone like you who has no issue speaking to others, though I'm not sure of its effectiveness with people like myself."
Looking at others, Takagi was unsure of if it would do anything for the quieter, more antisocial students, like Yuzuki or Maria. Honestly, the only reason the two had intermingled was as the tech student had acted as a very short-lived bridge. The doll-maker was quiet, though polite and Yuzuki held similar demeanor to Takagi herself. Honestly, Takagi wasn't even that skilled at small-talk, simply that with Shouya he always asked her the questions, leading her to avoid making an awkward fool of herself.
"Upperclassmen likely have already transcended the need for such training and have moved onto more important things, like quirk empowering."
Glancing around, the keratin user held a solemn expression. She wasn't so sheltered that she had never wandered outside the home or been to a mall, but this was the first time she had ever gone with others; friends.
Still waiting in the Lobby, Maria was starting to wonder if she had been forgotten about..just like most of the old people sitting here on benches, some of whom were watching their grandkids.. "..." They had forgotten her.. Or they all had went in elsewhere, of that she wasn't sure, why was she even here again? To socialize wasn't it?
Being interrupted by her thoughts, a young girl had interrupted her, pulling on her skirt and laughing gleefully. "Grandma! Look! It's a big doll! Can we bring her home!? She's pretty!" "Aiko stop that! She's a human! I'm terribly Sorry, though you are an odd sight for around here."
As the old lady bows in apology Maria smiles, causing the small girl to gasp, seemingly she still didn't understand her Grandmother's words. "No, it's quite fine.. Hmm..how about I show you a real Doll show?" Patting the small girl on her head, Maria didn't much like sitting here with nothing to do, and thanks to the little girl she had a bit of attention placed on herself by the other children and elderly who were bored without much to do as well.
Being a hero was about more than just popularity and gaining a huge ranking, it was about being a pillar of support, a beckon of strength.. While she was sure most of her classmates wouldn't have spared the group a second thought or would rush off immediately, she just couldn't let things carry on like that.
Flipping open the book at her hip, wires form and three dolls are summoned, spinning and bowing to the small crowd as Maria begun recounting a children's tale;
"Once upon a time something happened. If it had not happened, it would not be told.
There was once an emperor who had three daughters; the oldest was beautiful, the middle one more beautiful, but the youngest, Ileane, was so fair that even the sun stopped to gaze at her and admire her charms.
One day the emperor received the news that his neighbor, a mighty monarch, was no longer friendly, but wanted to fight with him on account of a great imperial feud. The emperor consulted the old men of the country, and, seeing there was nothing else to be done, he commanded his valiant soldiers to mount their horses, take their weapons, and prepare for the terrible battle which was to be fought..."
Continuing her little play, Maria half wondered where most of the others were. Maybe they would enjoy the short play, or even come to help pretend to be following orders at least. Otherwise it was always nice to do little things like this time to time.
Interactions: The Elderly? Someone come take the doll somewhere? Come to encourage the show? Save me from myself?
Her battle in the versus wasn't noteworthy. She'd been a villain, and she'd hated every second of it. They lost, and while she was bummed, she considered it a point in her corner that she failed at being a villain. However, it also meant that she failed the test. As a result she now had to go to the mall to go 'hang out' with the other students. She didn't really get why, as hero work could be solo work, but...
Teamwork certainly made the winning teams win. Even Sara had to admit to that. Unfortunately.
Which was why she was walking to the mall now, instead of training to get better. She needed more agility training and more on hand to hand. Sara was sure that she'd get better if she worked harder rather than deal with other people. She could control herself, it wasn't hard -most of the time.
As she walked, she heard cries of 'oh she looks just like a doll' and fawning over somebody nearby. Even with that little information, Sara knew exactly who it was. And she knew that she'd rather not deal with said person, but it was better to make some effort, meet the minimum requirements for working together, and then move on with their day.
Sara sighed and walked over to where the girl was... apparently telling some children's tale. Her dolls -who looked eerily similar to herself- were spinning and dancing. "Well... if she flunks out of the hero course she has a potential to be a profitable street artist..."
Might as well stick around until the story was over. No point in interrupting her right now, anyway. It'd be rude and Sara wasn't interested in becoming part of the show and being attacked by those dolls.
Disappointed that his victory ended by going into time. Suzu had taken Ayesha to recovery girl like she had requested in such a bossy tone and continued the rest of his day in sort of a tired haze. Even though ripping a pillar out of the ground and punching through the floor and a few more pillars seemed easy to him it was rather taxing on his body and energy. He looked forward to going to the mall and spending time with his fellow classmates, and to also get some food.
He offered others in his class to join him and that he might even pay, but it looks like he was alone.
"Are you enjoying your food today, sir?" A waitress asked Suzu who was sitting in the corner table, with several different plates of food. He only had asked for a table for one and once he finished ordering got strange looks but they served him anyways.
"I am, thank you." Suzu replied but his mouth was sort of full because of how he was eating like he was a starved child that hadn't had a decent meal in years. While chowing down he would look out the window by his side every so often to see if he could spot anyone from class and see what they were up to.
He was on the second floor and could see the lobby, the middle of the mall, from his spot and saw a crowd starting to gather in the middle. What could be going on down there.He wondered as he was polishing off the remaining plates and bowls. Once his check arrived he paid for the food and left a generous tip for the nice service.
Leaving the restaurant he peered over the edge of the railing to get a better look at the crowd and try and recognize anyone--and he did! He noticed a classmate, Sara Tachibana walking closer to the crowd to get a look at some moving dolls and and a puppeteer who eerily looked like Maria.
I should go down there and see what they are up to. I also don't want to get in trouble by sensei for not being with other classmates. Suzu quietly thought to himself as he made his way down to the first floor and towards the crowd.
With everything that had gone on, Renji was lacking in his general upbeat mood, quite concerned now with wondering how Yuzuki - and the others even, may be thinking of him by now. It was an honest-to-god accident with what happened in the fight and ever since he came to, Renji had felt terrible. Defeated, there wasn't much else he could do aside from hiking up his headphones, playing up some music and let himself get lost in thought. Looking over the damage of his suit and holding his cracked helmet in an open hand, he listened to what their sensei's had to say.
A trip to the mall? Normally, he'd probably feel just fine about that but instead he had nothing to say, no upbeat manner. As everyone was dismissed, Renji just turned his music up a bit more and made his way out. Before he was going to go, he had to make sure the repairs were under way, dropping off the suit. Normally, this kind of thing wouldn't eat at him so badly - but it wasn't some ordinary school shenanigans. This was UA, and he got in on recommendation. Yeah, he sure felt like one alright. He didn't make much effort to talk to anybody, but he understood why they were going pretty clearly. During the exams, Renji should have done what he could to regroup with Ayesha - they hadn't even got the chance to do what he thought may have helped her out. Then there was Yuzuki. She was strong and rightly so, and he thought over a lot of what he could've done. What ate at him the most was that he knew that even if he tried saying it, it was likely to get nowhere to apologize to the woman from how that all panned out. Staring at his right hand as he walked the school hallways, his cheeks tinted red and grit his teeth. A mixed reaction as he clenched a fist. What a pain.
~Idiot...~
Arriving to the mall, Renji had an idea of where everyone would meet, and if he had to, he would be able to find them with his quirk, despite the noisy crowds. Wearing a pair of denim pants and a gray hoodie, his hands were hidden within the large center pocket of the hoodie as a pair of headphones sat on his head. Taking his left hand out, he seemed intent on keeping the right within as he rubbed the side of his neck. Giving a sigh, Renji took a small look around, "Wouldn't it have been better to maybe have us meet at the school again to come as a group? Everyone could be scattered all over the place with how far they live and stuff.. Hum. Well, I doubt I'm the first one here."
When Momoko came into her senses, she found herself lying down on the floor with the voice of her teachers ringing through her ears. At first she didn't understand anything but as seconds passed she soon understood.We.. We lost..Immediately her crystal blue eyes looked at her partner. Momoko could see that Takagi was upset and the poor pink haired girl couldn't help but blame herself. If only if I was stronger.. and didn't use my voice that much last night. Maybe.. just maybe..
Quickly the female wiped the tears on her cheeks, too embarrassed that anyone will see her crying. I.. I can't let this little hiccup ruin me. I mean, I just n-need to work harder...right? Besides, I'm sure father won't hear about this. He's too busy.. right? Ah! Maybe if I do better on the next test, he'll ignore this little mishap.
Now determined, she wiped her cheeks once again before hearing her teachers telling them to go to the mall after class. To say that she was confused would be an understatement. I wonder why we need to go to the mall Sure her teachers told them its for extra curricular activities but she just couldn't understand what's there to do at a mall.I've been to the mall a couple of times but there's nothing hero related there..right?Deciding to shrug the thought for now, Momoko then stood up and whispered a shy thanks towards Recovery Girl before changing and heading to her next class.
[Time Skip]
Momoko arrived at the mall feeling lost and alone. Usually, she visits the mall with her mom but right now she had no idea where her classmates are or where they should meet up. "I should have asked for some of my classmates' phone number.." she mumbled to herself with worry, already feeling stupid for not doing so. She knew she should look around and try to find them but for some odd reason she can't move! She was frozen with dread.What if I get lost? O-Or I couldn't find them? What if they already went without me? With hundreds of worries clouding her mind, Momoko couldn't think properly. Maybe if I scream they can find me?
The pinkette was just about to open her mouth when she suddenly realized that her plan was a bad idea. Ah, wait! If I scream I might scare some of the civilians! and possibly shatter the glass around me. Instead of being a hero, I might become a villain. S-Stupid Momoko!
As the female tried to think up more solutions for her not so important dilemma, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a child and an eldery who seems busy talking and watching.. "A doll?" Momoko had to rub her eyes to make sure she's not seeing things. There a couple of meters away from her was a doll playing with other dolls! At first she thought it was some sort of attraction but upon recognizing the familiar blonde hair, Momoko gasped. It was Maria! She hesitated a little bit if she should aprroach her or not but decided to just go to her. Even if I lost to her group, she wouldn't rub it in my face right? B-Besides She would help me find the others..right?Praying to the gods above, the pinkette quickly made her way towards her.
As she reached Maria and her audience, Momoko couldn't help but smile a little. To see the doll like female playing with miniature dolls was just entertaining! Momoko then just stood there and watched the whole story being told, feeling like a little kid again.
Noticing the Pink haired girl, among others, Maria was a bit surprised with the crowd she had drawn in. While it was not something she was all that used to, she could not just stop here like this, right now. Continuing with the tale, one of her dolls holds the others in it's arms, its steel sallet gleaming from a metal shine, while the other was unarmed, the third doll laid out on the floor as if dead.
"...The prince seemed fairly petrified with delight, when he saw Ileane safe and well. He clasped her in his arms, and for many years they lived joyously and ruled the land in peace and happiness." Tugging the wires and twirling her hands, the Doll girl briefly seemed to pass them through her teeth with a tug. With all three dolls levitating, they twirled and bowed towards the crowd, as their much alike Master lifted her dress slightly to the sides, bowing in turn.
"And this is the end of our tale and so do I wish you well. Just remember, young or old, our convictions and our cleverness can overcome strength of the strong and bold." With a wave of her hand and the opening of her book, all three dolls vanished, waving good bye. With a round of applause and the cheerful young girl waving in kind, the crowd seemed to thin out as the display of automation ended.. While this was several 100 years past it's prime, it seemed quint little displays like this were still appreciated.
Turning her attention now to the Pinkette, one notable Redhead was here, with another on the way. "Ah Momoko, you are well I see. That is good, Takagi and I called our fight short to be sure you two were safe. We all are on the same side after all." Not caring to gloat about her win, the doll like girl turns her attention to the other female that seemingly had joined them.
"Ah.. Tachibana..or Sara? My play seemed to have attracted a few of you.." Pondering what to do next, the girl takes a tense pose as if thinking over the situation. "Ah.. While we three are here, well..maybe even more than that, how about we all go for some tea? It's been a long time since I've recited a children's tale in full.."
Leaving the offer to the others to go get something to eat or drink, she didn't much want to stand around being asked for an encore.. Though this diversion had proved to be rather useful in finding the rest at least. "Maybe he would like to join us?" She said giving a nod towards Suzu who was fast approaching the trio.
Suzu took her to Recovery Girl surprisingly, who told her she'd be fine. She hadn't even broken her finger, just jammed it. That didn't stop Ayesha from complaining about how it still hurt. In any case, she reluctantly left with little treatment, returning with Suzu. Their teachers gave their opinions on what happened in the fight. They were right. Ayesha had forgotten all about what she was supposed to do. But she felt it wasn't a waste. She wasn't mad about the whole entrance exam thing. No sane person would. She was mad that Suzu still couldn't remember very few peoples' names. But she seemed to get through to him. Hopefully he would work on getting to know everyone a bit better,
After they were all assigned their new mission Ayesha got extremely excited. Immediately after hearing, Ayesha grabbed the first sucker she could (Hint: it was Katsumi) and dragged him along. But first they needed to stop at her house. She had left her wallet at home again.
"Awww of course they didn't mean exactly this, but how else are we gonna trust each other if we don't help each other out? Besides, my finger still really hurts."
Which was a stupid excuse given that Katsumi was absolutely more beaten up than her during their exams. Yet here they were. Ayesha had already spent plenty of time shopping, having received her allowance only a few days ago. Katsumi was a nice kid. A little bit of a sucker, but that's what gave him his appeal. As they wandered, she eventually found her classmates. Specifically Suzu eating something, and all the rest of them gathering around Maria as she performed some sort of puppet show. Ayesha ran off toward them, shouting back at Katsumi
"C'mon! God you're so slow."
She took a seat next to Suzu, watching the other kids from a distance. "Hey there Demon Boy. What are they up to over there? Street performers now?"
Akiro Sanada
Villain
Unknown Quirk "We don't even know what they look like. . ."
Akiro stated his distaste for the job once more. It had been at least the tenth time he has complained about the task given to him and his partner, Nyne.
Attacking the mall will draw them out. They will look the age of a U.A. student. We must strike fear into the core of the heroes. If successful the people will surely turn on the heroes? How could the heroes protect the innocent when they couldn't even protect their own?How it sounded like the perfect plan to Akira. The meeting replaying through his mind over and over but the one thought pestered his mind. What if they were obedient students and hid among the crowd until the heroes arrived?
"They should be in position already. Stationed around the mall sporadically and over the past two hours." The Society of Extraordinary Villains boss had some insider information on a group of freshman going to the mall as a forced event. Perfect young targets that would be too weak and helpless to really fight back.
"Look at how happy everyone is. They have become complacent. Forgetting that danger lurks around every corner. It sickens me." Seeing everyone so happy and carefree as Akira and Nyne's stopped in front of the mall as passersby's entered with bright smiles and laughs. Some were alone and others were with family or loved ones, maybe even friends.
"You know when to give the order, Nyne's." Akira said and nodded his head in the direction of the entrance before starting to walk. They would make way to the lobby before giving orders for the lackeys stationed around the mall to begin terrorizing and attacking. Civilians were not the target but if they got in the way then they had permission to eliminate them and continue on task.
"The hell is this?" Akira spoke again as they entered the mall. A crowd was forming in the lobby around a group of teenagers. A porcelain skinned blonde, doll like appearance standing with a green haired girl and pink haired.
----
Once the orders had been given the pair had taken a spot upon one of the many lobby benches to blend in with the civilian crowd. In seconds screams could be heard from various areas of the mall, especially close to the lobby as various men and women of all shapes and sizes were starting to blow upon kiosks and harming innocents.
"How long do you give it before pro's show up? If more than two show up we are suppose to retreat. Remember that Nyne's." He didn't know much about his partner but he hoped the masked stranger wasn't blood crazed and wouldn't back down from a hopeless fight.
Civilians were being herded like cattle into every store while being held hostage. Doors being locked and once they were in a secure position the grunts would begin moving towards the lobby and leave only a few behind to watch over the scared citizens.
Akira and Nyne's would make their presence known when the time was right.
Mezame Nemuke Despite their being victorious in the end, Mezame couldn't help but feel her efforts were a bit lackluster. Normally, she wouldn't care, and would simply go back to her video games, but for some reason, how little she felt she actually did in the two versus two match irked her. Sure, she took someone out and ultimately clinched the victory, but it was Shouya that did 90% of the work. She just couldn't feel good knowing she'd relied so much on somebody else. Such was as it goes though. Team exercises are just that...team exercises.
The mention of a mall trip took her mind off things. Having grew up in the country, so to speak, she'd only ever been to a small town mall before. This, however, was a city mall, and she could only imagine how many more games and systems must be sold within its walls. Her eyes beamed with excitement, as tired as she was. Better still, they weren't leaving as a group, so she'd be free to wander as she pleased with nary a need for an excuse. Her tardiness would be explained by her having never been inside a real mall before.
As the rest of the day passed the class by, thoughts of how her recent match went were quickly forgotten...
Ah, at last. Mall time. She'd taken the spare time to change into an actual U.A. uniform for once. Finding the mall itself wasn't hard. Navigating it was. Even with her quirk, Mezame couldn't make any sense of the various winding passages that made up the mall. The only area that seemed to hold any form of foundation was the centre, a place she obviously didn't want to go just yet.
'All I want is to look at some games...' the hazel-eyed hero-in-training moaned. Her continued efforts would prove fruitless, until halted by sudden screaming. 'That was close by...'The herd of people running past quickly made it apparent that the result of the scream wasn't a simple accident. Someone was causing chaos — a villain.
Frantically searching around, Mezame pondered what the best course of action was in this situation. On one hand, it was a hero's job to do what they can in a crisis. On the other, no one without a license was allowed to use their powers outside of permission granted by the heroes overseeing their training. For Mezame, that meant only Mr. Tada, who was nowhere near her, as far as she could assume. Hiding was an option, but was it really alright to leave all these people to fend for themselves?
Mezame shook her head. That was recklessness, not a call to action. Certain that her instructor's orders would be to find a safe place to hide and avoid combat at all costs, Mezame rushed to a nearby maintenance closet and hid herself behind a cart. She could only hope that whoever was causing all this would pass her by, and that her classmates would pull through alright as well.
Katsumi only sighed in response to Ayesha's explanation. He'd watched the other match-ups and so he knew the truth of who was hurt more badly. But he didn't complain as he simply kept following along. He probably would have just ended up aimlessly walking around or planting himself somewhere in the center of the mall. As unfavorable the situation was...things could always be worse.
The young man would smile though as he saw Ayesha heading towards a group of fellow classmates. Though being called slow by Ayesha quickly brought the downer face back along with a few mumbled words. "Could really do without the insults..." He'd say so under his breath before regrouping next to Ayesha and putting the numerous bags down; figuring now was a good time to do so.
It was around that time when the uproar of screams and explosions filled Katsumi's ears. He frantically looked around in a panic as to what was happening; his eyes wide with disbelief. "V--villains" He said in a shaky breath looking to his classmates with a scared expression. This can't be happening. How? Why?As blatant as the whole situation was Katsumi didn't want to accept. For a moment he put his hands against the side of his head and closed his eyes, begging that it was all just a bad dream. But when he reopened his eyes of course nothing had changed an even worse he could see people being held as hostages of some sort in a toy store through a large glass display window. A few families were huddled together with three dangerous looking individuals inside with them.
Without authorization they weren't allowed to combat villains; self defense was the only exception. Katsumi knew that and yet his body shook to its very core as he watched one of the presumed fathers inside trying to protect his family. He'd gotten into a struggle with one of the villains and got slashed by some claw like quirk. Katsumi's hands clenched at the sight, knowing that man needed medical attention immediately. But then the young man's heart sank when he saw the claw quirk villain reach for one of the kids, the mother shielding her child.
His body moved on its own as he grabbed a newly purchased metal softball bat from one of Ayesha's bags. "Ayesha-san, I'm borrowing this!" He spouted the words quickly before he teleported right next to the clawed villain, swinging the metal bat wide as it smashed square into the male villain's face with a thud; breaking his nose with his eyes rolling back as he falls onto his back unconscious.
Stunned, the other two villains called out at the sudden appearance and actions. A female charged Katsumi, her right arm turning into a sharp blade. Though before she even got halfway there Katsumi teleported to her left side and swung the bat right at her temple. With another thudding impact the bat connected, toppling the woman over like a sack of bricks.
The third and final villain in the room opening a palm towards Katsumi as flames erupted, shooting out towards the student in a cone like fashion; thankfully the young man had thought to teleport to a spot near the woman where if he was targeted by any attacks they wouldn't smack into the huddled civilians. Katsumi used his teleport for the third time, vanishing just before the flames hit him as they smashed into a wall of the store. "That shit doesn't work twice you little runt!" The last villain yelled as you turned around, sweeping his hand as it lashed out with flames behind him; only there was no one there. Confusing Katsumi's quirk with something along the lines of invisibility or super speed he looked up at the last second to see a descending Katsumi swing his bat downwards straight into his face, knocking him out much like the first villain.
With his hands resting on his knees, bent over slightly; Katsumi takes in a few breaths. Hurting people you are trying to become friends with and fellow students was one thing. Protecting people from villains was another. He'd quickly touch the chains that held the door shut and teleport them off; allowing the civilians within to exit and flee the mall through the nearest exit. He'd spend the time to use said chains to tie the three villains up together; being able to properly do so thanks to his quirk allowing him to manipulate the chains as he needed.
With her fight being over by time-out, Yuzuki was left almost unsatisfied, and she had someone else to thank for that. Even after the fight was over, she still eyed Renji with a mix of disgust and embarrassment. Perhaps it was his and her lucks that he was carried over to the infirmary while Yuzuki had practically fully healed by the time the battle was over. Having been given a mere eye-over by the teachers as well as Recovery Girl herself, she was given the leeway so long as she rested later during the day. Despite nodding in agreement, her arm still hurt badly from that abuse. She'd have to work on her early resistance so that she was able to use her quirk instantly instead of waiting for the adrenaline to build up through the fight. This wasn't her only worries either, despite her being in the control of the fight for the majority of the time, her lack of accurate middle-ranged attacks combined with the fact she couldn't get close to Renji coupled into a large losing factor as she saw it.
Yuzuki didn't want anyone to doubt that she was going to be a great hero. If that included having to be on top, she'd have to work on her own power and increase her range so that she could fight from further afar. Indeed, the fight was revealing to her in many ways. What if her speed hadn't saved her from the attack Renji was about to use... Her mind running a thousand thoughts such as these after the hard-fought battle, it was hard for her to focus on the fight after hers, but she managed.
Seeing Sunemizuki going at it against Maria brought her many conclusions to their quirks. Initially, she assumed a fight against the long-haired heroine would be difficult, but it turned out that Amanar-san surprised her by showing that her dolls could easily keep others at bay whilst keeping herself at a long range. It once again brew thoughts about Yuzuki's quirk and how she'd use it. What would happen if she fought against Amanar-san? Would she lose due to not being able to reach for her in range while being botched down in a fight against those dolls of her?
Despite her worries, her eyes were glued on the screen with Matsuoka-san. Having noticed she wasn't in a good shape earlier, she worried. For some reason, the girl triggered protective instincts in her head. Even then, throughout the fight she proved to be all okay even if she did cause her team to lose.
When she returned sadly Yuzuki was unable to talk to her as she was still out cold. Through the rest of the day, class was boring in general and the speedster's focus was far away, dug deep into the past events of the fight as well as others who fought too. She wanted to become a better Blur, but how would she do that? Certainly not through her english class, that's for sure. Having found just how powerful her other teammates were by seeing their quirks in action caused Yuzuki to meander into dark thoughts. All this time she took the villain that her mother faced as an example of what villains are capable of. They won't go down as easily as Renji did after that exchange, and they certainly won't just stand there and take their beating. She was sure they were smarter than her classmates were with their quirks as well, and that caused Yuzuki to worry. She had to become more powerful and grow into a fine hero who could execute the justice she deemed necessary.
Being out of tune didn't keep her from heeding the words of the teachers after battle, however. Although she saw little point in this activity, she'd go through with it. Besides, if it was outside school, she could make friends. After all, her thoughts here in school rarely went out of her usual wonders and trainings. She wanted to better herself and if she had to take some rest in order to do it, she would. Aside from that, she also wished to speak with perhaps the only friend she had made thus far: Matsuoka-san. From what she saw earlier in the day, the girl had been exhausted from overwork. The white-haired girl wondered just how she'd be able to help her. She wanted to see her at her full potential, after all.
After class, she would make sure to go to this meetup and speak with Matsuoka-san to see just how she could help. Just a friendly word with her might be enough. When classes ended, Yuzuki left the class with this thought in mind, but when she got home she was bombarded with question from her grandfather about how well she did in the fights, that she just forgot it entirely. Even after she announced to the old man that she was leaving for a meetup with the other students, he continued to blabber endlessly about her presentation to the other students. Yuzuki couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. It was the first time she had ever seen her Grandfather excited about something that wasn't a new invention by the Matsuda Corp.
Although his excitement included stating that she should show just how rich she was and how she could help her friends with his money and inventions. Seeing him ramble away and creating plans of grandeur, Yuzuki eventually escaped his sight to wear the first thing she saw in her closet and get out of the house before he could notice. It wasn't that she disliked him, but she wanted to present herself normally to her friends, not as the richest person in Japan. This caused her to get out early and she had to take the first cab and go to the mall, just to get a call from him mid-way and her being forced to explain to him where she was going and that everything would be okay.
Having reached the mall before everyone did, Yuzuki eventually made her way to a good reading place. She wanted to wrap up her Dostoevsky collection by tonight, with Crime and Punishment being the last book she was reading. Matsuoka-san was right, it was an incredible read, but Yuzuki had absolutely eaten the book in the past few days because of it, and tonight she had read just the last page. Feeling underwhelmed after her brainstorming, thinking about not only the book but the recurring thoughts of class, she decided to get something else to read meanwhile, and thus made her way to the bookstore.
Eventually making her way across the store and finding something interesting to read: Anna Karenina. With the preface exquisitely fitting what she was currently thinking. Finding a place just outside the store to read, a small eating center in the mall, she started her read quietly, looking at the watch every now and again to make sure she wouldn't be late to the meetup of students. She wondered if the teachers would be angry that she wasn't wearing her school uniform, but it was too late. If she went back home her old man would likely force her to wear something flashy.
Sighing, she closed her book for once to look around the eating area. Resting the book on her lap, she dragged her head back gently looked upwards. A yawn escaped her lips once before she took notice of the people around her. Looks like the mall was getting crowded. With no one getting her attention and having rested her neck long enough to continue her read, she brought the book back to her sights, wide open and this time, attentively read through.
Line after line, she slowly voided out the sound around her, the steps, voices and machines of the mall nulling out into a lullaby to her focus...
Then. Abruptly. There emerged a single sentence. Piercing her focus and approaching from very near, the ominous words seemed to stifle the air.
"There can be no peace for us, only misery, and the greatest happiness."
As her eyes immediately turned towards the voice, so did her head follow. The sync took a few seconds as she stared at the new sight, eyes squinted lightly to draw the most out of what she was seeing. He had just quoted the perfect line she was reading… Had he been there long? After the seconds of her dumbfound eyes stuck to the view, book open on her hands still, she noticed at last the uniform that he was wearing.
"The U.A. uniform… Wait… " She said out in a muse… Wait, had the students gotten here already? No, that wasn't right, he wasn't part of her class and it was clear that the activity was for her class… Looking away for a moment, she processed the thought that maybe he was from another class?
"A fellow Hero-in-training, are you?" She joked as she closed the book, her eyes now focusing at last, and the noise from all around her returned.
"Anna Karenina… That's pretty heavy stuff. What's a U.A. High Schooler doing reading that?"
Proceeding to ignore the girl's musing for the time being and proposing a question of his own. Hoshi now sat nearly across from the mystery girl he'd spotted deeply immersed in reading. Having wondered at which part she may have been at he'd ventured a quote from the time of his own reading and taken a seat at her table. Brandishing a smirk at his inquiry it wasn't too common to see students reaching such literature so early. Nor for one attending U.A. at that. There was hardly enough heroics in it for the tastes of many. However, it did provide a riveting tale about love, family, politics, religion, and a very many other topics relating to everyday life back before quirks had taken the globe by storm.
With a series of flashes the events of the tale came back to him as he chomped down on what looked like a chicken fry from a box of a dozen or so. Choosing to eat the meal proper, without silverware or even the use of his hands. Hoshi appeared aloof and as if he were chatting to an old friend. Not a complete stranger.
While put off by the boy's forwardness, Yuzuki didn't seem to be bothered. The form in which he approached her seemed to be far more direct than she was expecting, much like Matsuoka-san's was. It was by chance that she'd meet someone to chat with and the boy wasn't any first time in this case. She had seen other fellow readers take interest in the books she'd read and question her, but that was back then in her youth, taking her unbridled interest in reading back then was more avid than now.
"I have been intrigued by a recent reading of a collection of Russian novels and I figured I would save the best for last. The best Russian Novel they said. Regardless, I blame the recent reading of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. There's something about the exploration of justice and fairness that entices me." Yuzuki's words sounded frank as she closed the book and set it atop the table. Smelling the food he was chomping on, she quickly turned her eyes to it. An almost unpleasant feeling took place in her stomach as she was reminded that she hadn't eaten anything since she had made her way outside her house, and it was only after a few seconds of staring that she looked away abruptly.
"At any rate… M-my name is Matsuda… Matsuda Yuzuki, Hero course, class A-1." With that, the white-haired girl extended her hand to greet him.
"Do you have a favorite yet? Wait, no. What got you into them? The name's Ozaki Hoshi."
Taking her hand with a firm grip, the shake was brief if not a bit rushed. Leaning forward in his chair, Hoshi rested is face in one palm and drew another scrap of chicken up to his face. Noting a reluctant glance from the Russian fan's distant gaze, he surmised her situation and smiled to himself. Taking one for the road he passed the carton on over to her.
"I'm finished with those, you can have them."
As soon as his words were gone from his mouth, her hand grasped onto the box extraordinarily quickly as she pulled it to her mouth. Eating it with briskness, she turned her face to him as she just realized that she may have gone out of control there… Chuckling, her face went red as she turned away. "My, what a disgraceful thing I just showed you…" With that, she faked a huff to get herself back to a serious expression.
"Thanks, by the way… I haven't eaten anything in a while and I forgot to bring my snacks. Back to the subject of my reads…" She said as she once more patted the book now atop the table and then stared at him, thinking on his previously said words until the realization hit her… "Wait… You're Oazki-san!?" Her surprise was shown on her expression as her eyes went wide and her smiling expression previously worn was gone. "You mean Masked Justice? The guy who went around with that getup at school and kept prattling on about justice and true heroes?" The sudden thought caused her to place a hand on her now hanging wide open mouth as she soon after chuckled.
"Well this is surely a surprise! That the two masked heroes of U.A. meet each other unmasked at last must be some sort of twist of fate." As she laughed at her own joke, Yuzuki realized that it truly was almost ironic that the two of them would meet each other at a time like this.
"Shh! No one outside school must learn my identity." Shifting his gaze left and right Hoshi anxiously scooped out the surrounding area. Checking to see that there was no one behind him, he let his shoulders sag a little as there seemed to be no one with their eyes on the pair.
"I won't be allowed outside once I'm as known as All Might. That mask will be the future symbol of Hero across the globe. So keep it a secret, between you and me."
For a moment, Yuzuki's expression went solid in disbelief. As if to show her point, she gave him an exaggerated thumbs up and spoke at last."I'm impressed by your confidence, Ozaki-san! Considering you lost the battle classes today, it takes a lot of guts to claim all that!" She teased with a small smile, all the while her raised thumb stood in front of him.
However, soon after the smile turned into a less teasing and more genuine. "You should keep your cool, though. Everyone from class will be here in thirty minutes, as per the teachers' orders." She told him as if to remind him of the impending doom of his identity being discovered by his classmates.
"Hey! That was on account of my partner, you can't blame me for that. He ran right on in without even thinking. … … Gramps used to say give a Hero heavy armor if they always want to run the corner. He wasn't joking…"
Flustered, but maintaining his calm demeanor. Hoshi ignored the small jabs to his words and allowed them to slide. Considering himself lucky to have his Battle Class performance go mostly unnoticed. He had unfortunately only managed to steer the exercise toward a stalemate given his best efforts. And despite the result being deemed respectable given circumstances, it was merely a small accomplishment in comparison to Hoshi's aspirations.
Watching as the rare smile faded from Matsuda's face. Hoshi for a moment contemplated bringing up the conclusion to her own battle. Having seen it live with everyone else in the monitor room, it had caused quite a commotion among the more vocal. But, in the end thinking against it as improper his gaze merely fell to her chest for a slight moment before lazily drifting off to a random passerby.
"Yeah… I suppose I should finish my shopping before they arrive. … The pantry's empty and Gramps wanted a few things... "
Noticing he might be here for his own reasonings, she quickly stood up from her seat, taking the carton of chicken strips with her, this time eating them more adequately than before. Whatever had happened, it seems like her extreme hunger was under control… For now. "Tell you what, since we've met already, how I about I help you out with those. I have some things I need to buy myself if you don't mind following me around, Mister Justice." Winking at him with a teasing tone to her words, she giggled.
"Masked Justice… would be happy to escort you." Returning as smile for the one earlier, Hoshi was glad to have her ask him along. Almost lingering for a bit with his previous words he hadn't fully wanted to go just yet. It was uncommon for him to find someone who enjoyed the same literature as him and there had been no opportunity to get to know his classmates as Ozaki Hoshi, only Masked Justice. Rising from his seat and taking time to push it in, he slid his hands into his pockets.
"Just try not to leave me behind. Yeah?"
With those words Yuzuki and Hoshi proceeded to team their shopping lists. Chatting on about the books the two had read, the various battle classes and their fellow students. With little pause between words, thirty minutes breezed past like nothing, and they soon found themselves finished and without ready topics. Yuzuki with the lead began directing the pair toward the meeting place. The main lobby of the mall center. Aware they were likely late given the time spent shopping, their expressions were well at ease despite the prospect of a lecture.
Sharing a laugh on the ironic lack of punctual events in novels, the pair made their way steadily toward the more crowded areas. The halls becoming wider and the ceilings opening up to allow for more room. The cramped space and low shelves of the bookstore prior only now became apparent. However, in spite of the accommodations the sheer number of shoppers made it seem unnoticeable.
Weathering the waves of people, the two remained close at hand as they drew nearer to the lobby. Around the corner at the end of the hall and a few stores down there would be the class already assembled. Yet, before they could verify that Hoshi wordlessly gave a jerk on Matsuda's sleeve.
Immediately turning to face him with a surprised expression, but seeing the sudden serious appearance across the boy's face, she quickly caught on. "What's wrong? Something happened?" She questioned, her very expression turning serious in accordance. Feeling a sense of urgency coming from his furrowed brow in comparison to how they were before made her sure that it was serious. Did he see something wrong?
Satisfied with her attention, Hoshi took a quick survey their surroundings. Returning his gaze toward her stiffened face, his brow soon lifted and he gave a sheepish smile.
"My stomach… Ahaha… I think it was something I ate. Could we… go sit over there."
Pointing toward a small furniture store to their left, on display near the windows was a white two seat sofa.
Smiling weakly in response, she followed after him, sometimes glancing over in the direction of the lobby. For a moment she saw something whenever the waves of bodies would shift to open her sight, but without use of her quirk, she wasn't able to catch it… She thought that maybe Ozaki-san knew what was happening there.
As the two made their way to the store, she turned her face to him, her expression once more serious. "Ozaki-san… What's going on?" There had to be more to it. He wouldn't act so weirdly unless something else was going on and he certainly wouldn't have led her to the store if he was really with a stomach ache. With her question timed as they entered, the loud sounds from outside were huffed by the sound of an AC and the silence for once was present.
As Ozaki motioned her to sit on the sofa, she seemed now even more puzzled… With a tiny smile and a confused rub of her cheek, she sat down beside him. "O-Ozaki-san… Are you sure this will help with your stomach ache? Shouldn't we get you something, maybe something to drink?" She asked in genuine curiosity. Thus far, she had been doubting his scene, but given the strangeness of his character, it was hard to tell if it was really just an act.
"Ahaha, no… I'll be fine. I just have to rest… a bit."
With deliberate pauses in between his words, Hoshi adopted a slightly twisted expression. Cuddling his stomach with his arms, he sat back fully in the sofa and closed his eyes. Remaining like this for a few moments, he abruptly adopted a curt tone and spoke without facing Matsuda. "A man. In a trench coat. Search for him in the reflection across from us. Is he still there?"
At first, Yuzuki was confused. Her expression went stiff briefly before she turned her face away from him and rested her back on the sofa as well. Legs crossed and expression lightening, she turned her eyes to the tinted window in front of them. Her eyes briefly tinted purple as she watched it. "Yes. Sitting on a bench." Yuzuki responded in a serious tone. She wasn't sure what was going on, but given his sudden change she had to assume it was serious.
With her iris on the corner of her eyes, now aimed at Ozaki in a glance, she continued. "What about him? Trouble?" She asked, her tone now just as if she was wearing her mask on.
"Haha. I wouldn't go that far. But… it's strange. He was there when I arrived, over an hour ago. He hasn't moved since it looks like. Don't you find that odd?"
"Maybe. He might be just waiting for someone to arrive, though, or skipping time to wait for an appointment? What makes him so suspicious?" Yuzuki asked as her eyes went back to the man across the reflection. While she could say that he was right in his suspicions, she couldn't be sure about it. After all, the man was apparently reading some kind of… Fashion magazine?
"Who waits an hour to see someone? And don't people usually plan meet ups at stores or lobbies? … I could say a lot about his choice of trenchcoat and that fashion magazine, but I'll just say this. He's not alone. … There are a few more. … Statues among the crowd."
As Yuzuki's eyes once more went back to their natural color, she sighed, looking away from the tinted window for now. "You're telling me that there's a bunch of "lookouts" around the mall, watching out for something?" Yuzuki faced him, wearing a weighty expression and wondering just where he was going with this.
"Why?" She added as she crossed her arms.
"I- … don't know… but I can't help from wondering. You know? Haha. It's a real brain teaser."
Rubbing the back of his head and dropping the act an upset stomach. Hoshi's disguise vanished as he came clean with his intent. Turning back toward the storefront, he began rattling off possible theories that revolved from coincidence to premeditated robbery. Taking a good deal of enjoyment from speculating about strangers and their actions. By the casualness in his voice it appeared as if something he did quite often if not regularly.
Hearing the boy go on endlessly about the possibilities of the lookouts being an infinite number of different things, she just sighed once more and heard him out despite her appearing almost displeased with how it went. Given all the seriousness he acted with a few minutes ago, she was sure he had seen something drastic, but a mixed feeling of gladness and disappointment filled her mind when she discovered otherwise.
As the two eventually prepared to exit the store, however, everything changed. They only took a couple of steps before the first scream was heard. Tilting her head in the direction of the source, the lobby, Yuzuki's face was once more left awestruck. What she saw were people running away. "Seems like you were correct, Ozaki-san… Something is going on."
Filled with determination, Yuzuki was ready to spring forward at any moment to see what was going on, had Hoshi not intervened.
"Hold it. We don't know who or what we're dealing with..."
At the sound of a gun and the yelling of men to get everyone inside the stores, the disjointed but fairly slow crowd of people became a swift sea of panic. With people running to and fro, ducking, crouching, and seeking any form of cover or safety. The surroundings quickly became saturated with disord.
"And there's all these people. What if we're outnumbered? … This is no time to be a Hero Matsuda-san. Let's call the police first."
Looking at the crowd now suddenly in a panic, Yuzuki gritted her teeth… Most especially since she didn't expect this reaction from Ozaki-san. After all, wasn't he claiming a few minutes ago that he'd be the next All Might? A Symbol of Heroism? Was it really correct for a Hero to just fall back and watch as civilians get mowed down?
Regardless, Yuzuki closed her eyes and fists in a momentary fury. Even if she wanted to act, she knew the regulations regarding Quirk use for students. Unless the teacher said so, she couldn't use her Quirk to neutralize them. Spacing her feet and turning to Ozaki she gave him no response other than a curt nod, before dragging him along with her to a nearby larger store.
"Do you have a phone with you?" She questioned as she ran.
"No! … I left mine at home."
Planting her hands onto her own pockets, Yuzuki pulled her own to initiate the call but was surprised to see that the battery was completely dead. "My phone's dead… We'll need to find a booth." Remarked the white-haired girl as the two continued on. "I remember seeing one on the balconies above… But I don't know if we can get there with all this panic…" Yuzuki watched as various panicked innocents attempted to run for it in an escape. Things were far too hectic. While she couldn't use her quirk to attack others, running away with it was always an option.
"Only one way to find out. Call the police if you get there first!" Jumping into a dash, Hoshi didn't linger for farewells and dived among the swarm of passing shoppers. Bustled along with it much like a fish caught in the current of a river, he lost sight of the stairs leading to the second floor. Doing all that he could just to maintain his balance and not topplings over, the prospect of being under a stampede frightened him more than the criminals.
On that thought, he turned to look behind him only to notice Matusda had disappeared. In her place though were two faces. One he'd recognized as the man in the trenchcoat and another he hadn't seen, but seemed unbearably focused on catching up to him. Shoving people to the floors and cutting their way through the crowd, it'd only be a matter of minutes before they were onto him.
As soon as Hoshi said those words, he quickly disappeared from sight, Yuzuki bearing her eyes back to the lobby for a moment before the trampling of the large mob escaping the villains became a full-blown wave of bodies crashing against them and eventually separating the two. As Hoshi had managed to escape to the stairwell leading to the balconies above, the white-haired girl was pushed towards the other side, the middle of the mall, in a forceful shove from left and right.
In just a few seconds, she had lost sight of where she was completely, and had to stomp down on her feet firmly to manage the incoming pushes and pulls. As soon as she did, however, she activated her quirk to see what was going on. Time slowed down to a near crawl as she eyed through the multiple rushing people to see behind them a group of villains, herding them into the stores with their quirks and some even with guns. Clicking her tongue as she now nimbly escaped every push and shove in her direction, she turned and followed the wave of people, sometimes swerving towards the side of the mall along with them.
That's when she finally managed to get her eyes on Hoshi at last. What surprised her, however, was that he wasn't running alone. Two other people appeared to be tailing him at high speed, with one of them being the man in a trench coat from before. Chasing after them, Yuzuki used her quirk in a short burst, she quickly caught onto them. By now she couldn't spend any time guessing or imagining what or who they were, taking too many chances wasn't her style and she had been holding back the need to get into action. Springing right behind them, she pulled the man's trench coat to reveal his face before pummeling it with a straight punch, causing him to fall on his back, standing on the path to the now growing stampede. As the people on Hoshi's left side quick fall down, toppling and dragging onto the man's fallen body and falling themselves, Yuzuki tugged at the second chasing man to see that he was some form of spider-morph. Now already accustomed to the pain of using her quirk, she quickly delivered a crushing strike on it's head. The force was enough to create a great gust of wind, showering everyone around her, even Hoshi, in the bright blue energy of her quirk. The spider-man went flying across the group, tumbling everyone in his way before hitting one of the storefronts and diving inside.
As Yuzuki had finished, she quickly turned around to see the incoming group of villains from the lobby. Everyone in the rush seemed to have stopped on their tracks, either out of fear or desperation, and ran into any nearby stores they could find. Turning her face briefly towards the mob Hoshi was a part of, it seemed like he too was being dragged away towards the staircase that made it to the balconies above. Now she could only hope he'd reach the phone booth quickly enough. She'd make time for him.
Quickly turning to the grunts, she clenched her fists… It was time to make a stand for her classmate. This wasn't the time to be second-guessing herself, it was the time to be a Hero.
Fuchizaki Suzu
U.A. Student
Devilman Quirk Suzu was heading towards the small group of Maria and others before being stopped by a familiar voice. Ayesha. She had Katsumi in tow with several bags in his hands and arms. She was using him like a pack mule and Suzu just gave a light shake of his head in disappointment. He was certain that he knew why Katsumi was willing to be a mule for Ayesha but kept his lips shut before being asked about the street performance by Maria. "Maybe she was bored and trying to pass time." He didn't know Maria well enough to know if she just put on puppet shows or if she was being nice to someone.
"Teachers should be here soon, best we get to the lobby so it doesn't look like we are slacking off." Suzu wasn't looking to get reprimanded.
That was when the first scream happened that he could hear before more followed after. In just an instant everything was thrown into chaos as people shoved by him running in all directions with no clear way to go. Villains were attacking the mall? During the day when pro heroes could show up at any moment...but there was a lot of them. He could see the panic setting off across the entire store from where he stood and only imagined that the floors and areas he couldn't see were also having issues.
Katsumi had gone off in one direction as Suzu had his eyes in the other seeing some villains pushing around a Mother and child to get inside the store or they were going to die.
They weren't suppose to fight. He was just a U.A. student not a hero. He could get in trouble and could get others in trouble because of his actions but he couldn't just follow the rules and let someone get hurt or die? He was aiming to become a hero to stop the very thing happening before him.
He was moving before even making up his mind, fists and arms already turning into the demonic appearance as he sprinted the short distance and delivered a punch into the back of one of the Villains. They all had their backs to him so it was a surprise attack and rendered one out of commission immediately before the other three had time to react. He didn't stop after knocking one out but kept moving forward and grabbed the child in one hand and the mother in the other and shoved them a few feet back as they landed on their asses. It was probably painful but at least they were safe now.
"You fucking punk!" One of the villains yelled. He had a lead pipe in his hand and raised it up before bringing it down towards Suzu's head who reacted by raising up his arms and felt the lead pipe connect with them. The pipe hurt a tad bit but Suzu pushed forward and knocked the man down on his ass but didn't have time to counter as another villain was on top of him. This one had some sort of hardening skin quirk as he delivered a punch into Suzu's unguarded stomach.
Suzu bent forward coughing up some spit from the force of the punch but grabbed the mans arm with both of his hands and embraced the punch as he gripped tightly before turning on his heel and using his strength to throw the man into the mall wall with such force the wall cracked and left a small crater as the villain impacted it and fell unconscious. The man who was knocked on his ass was getting back up with pipe back in hand but Suzu didn't waste any time before delivering a punch to the man's face and knocking him out as well. The fourth villain was running away from the fight and headed straight for the lobby towards Maria's group?
What Suzu failed to notice was the two people sitting in the lobby on one of the benches, unaffected or bothered by the chaos and villains about. Interactions: @Reanimator Spuds
Mentions: @BlueFlameNikku , @RedArmyShogun
It was almost instantaneous when all hell broke loose. Renji was unable to meet up with anyone when it happened, but all the commotion before the screams he'd hear gave him a small inkling something had just happened with all the vibrations running amok. Crowds running past him, shoving him even, the boy looked towards the direction they were all running from - there were villains, and many of them. Moving to try and get out of the fleeing crowds, Renji got behind a bench post as he laid there, collecting his thoughts, "What the hell?!..."
~Why are villains attacking? And in the open? Our teachers are supposed to be here any minute-- But... Crap, where is everyone? Are we here by ourselves? Should we run?... Agh... Alright, first thing I should do is find out what's going on. I need to know if anyone else is here and making their way out -- Or... Fighting.. Crap, I know we're not supposed to but-... Damnit.~
Thoughts rushed through, but while he thought, Renji placed a hand on the floor as he laid low, letting the noise around him be used to his advantage. Amplifying it for his use, he shut his eyes and focused, ~Echolocation... Come on.. Where are you guys?... Yuzuki-san, Momoko-san.. Shouya, Suzu.. Everybody..~ He could clearly see it all where most of the commotion was coming from. There were several villains rounding people up and the worst-case scenario was found - His classmates were fighting. Cursing under his breath, his own free time would be cut short when someone barked right at him, "Hey! Brat! Too scared to run? Well unlucky for you, you better come with us if you don't want to get hurt!"
Shit-. There were three people coming up on him, one of them with a gun even. Sizing him up with sneers all around, they were expecting to round up a kid shaken by fear. Renji was afraid of the situation, but he wasn't helpless. Between the group of three, there two metal lamp posts within a good distance. "Wait-- Wait please, don't hurt me."Shit- shit- shit-. One hand was still on the floor as the other was raised in a half 'Don't shoot' kind of gesture, shifting his position to face them for a false sense of compliance, ~I should be running--..~ A small pulse shuddered through the floors, one that made no difference to all the clamoring around the place.
"Now come on kid, get moving or we'll get pissed. We hadn't had a good beating all day."
~I need to run~
The lamp posts started to vibrate each at different speeds, the bulbs within them showing clear signs of it.
~I need to run but--.. These people~
Renji slowly moved to get up on his feet, raising both hands up now, "O-Okay, okay-.." He gritted his teeth, feeling the adrenaline go crazy inside him right now. They were still unaware what was about to happen.
~These innocents~
"Don't try runnin' ya stinkin' brat. Follow or we'll really give ya' something to be scared of."
"I-I am scared.. But it's-.." He swallowed hard.
~My friends are in danger...~
"Time for good night."
"What-?"
Around them, even with all the screaming, hums started to shiver through the air, reaching their ears. From the right, a sharp pressure, from the left, a dull buzz. With the sudden shift the three found themselves facing an oddity of results. The sudden change in pressure made one of them look instantaneously nauseous before falling over, pale as can be. Another buckled under a splitting headache before going out cold. The final one, it looked like they were least affected, but their vision blurred,
"Hey what the-- You f**king bra-"
He was cut off, Renji had rushed him seeing he didn't fall as fast as the other two, a blow to the jaw sent the man to the floor and out for the count with Renji panting sporadically as adrenaline still courses through him. He knew it wouldn't be long for them to wake up but maybe long enough for them to wake up in custody if the law could act fast enough. His mind was racing and what came to mind for him the most was that he needed to find his classmates. Running off out of the open, he started to climb some stairs to the second floor, focusing in on where he felt everyone.
"Come on, come on.. We're in so much trouble.. Why is this happening?"
It wasn't long before he felt a familiar change, one that was too fast to be ordinary closest to him.
"Y-Yuzu-san!"
Renji had started to bolt for Yuzuki's position, a hand to his headphone-covered ear, watching his surroundings to duck away from any villains that'd spot him if he could, trying to use any remaining crowds that got away from them to move. He knew a hero couldn't just leave them be, but with this many numbers it was best he tried to stay anonymous aside the three he already had taken out. For all he knew, it was a fluke of luck that it worked out. Everyone was spread out, so it would be reckless to fight them head on and alone if they were to continue to do so.
Among all this however, something else was making Renji panic. Why would a large group of villains suddenly attack the mall out in the open? Rally up innocents when a pro hero could have been right around the corner or even among the public crowd. Someone once said the smart villains always hide in the shadows. So what could be going on here, was there something part of a bigger picture going on? Were there people orchestrating this with a solid plan? And what of their teachers? When would they show up, were they delayed? Would they be seen as doing the right thing with how everyone acted? Will everyone be okay?
The last one scared Renji the most. Shaking it out of his head nearly immediately, he tried to steel himself from the fear, ~No.. If we work together, we can get out of here-.. We can get everyone out safely, even the people if we--...~
One could only be so hopeful.
Soon the little play ended and Momoko couldn't help but clap her hands out of glee. Maria's story telling was so good! And the dolls were just amazing! She continued on clapping until the small crowd dispersed before realizing that she was left alone with Maria and someone else she haven't met before.
"O-oh, um.." Blushing hard and tucking a stray strand of pink hair behind her ears, Momoko looked down at her feet as Maria approached her and told her about ending the fight between Maria and Takagi short. "Um, no worries. I.. um..I don't mind losing.. I mean, w-we all have our ups and downs right?"
She was thankful that the doll like girl turned her attention away from her or else Momoko will feel like she's making a complete and utter fool of herself! She didn't mean to lie about losing! B-But I'm sure Maria doesn't really care. After all, she said we're on the side..
The pinkette then looked at who Maria was talking to and frowned a little bit. Tachibana Sakura? Hmm, I don't remember her from our class. Ah! Maybe I just didn't notice her. I'm always busy talking to myselfvin my own thoughts so..um.. yeah
At the mention of tea, Momoko immediately perked up. She worships tea! After all, its the perfect drink for reading books and making friends! The pink haire girl was about to nod her head yes when suddenly, a series of scream filled her ears. At first she was confused. Why would someone scream at a mall?But upon witnessing civilians running past them with terror etched on their face, Momoko didn't have to know what's going on. Someone is causing trouble..
Quickly, her first instinct was to look for who's causing it but she's having a hard time doing so. Everything was in chaos! People were screaming, panicking, tripping, and pushing each other. I.. I must try harder! I.. I can't give up! I need to find the culprit
Minutes passed and as people started clearing out, she saw it. "There!" She whispered, focusing at the villains who were herding people as hostages. Seeing and having a rough idea on how many hostages and villains were out there, she knew she had little time to waste. She needs to think and act quickly.
The pink haired girl then stole a glance at Maria and Tachibana-san. She had no time to talk to them but at the same time, she can't mess things up. Not after her loss.I can't just scream! she thought to herself while feeling anxious if not panicked I might knock everyone out and harm the civilians!
B-But what can I do?! I'm not that great at combat but I do have speed..
Should I just run away?
NO! I'm.. I'm supposed to be a hero, right? I.. I'm supposed to prove myself to father.. I can't run..
But I can't face them either! At least not alone
Taking yet another glance at her acquaintances, Momoko decided. She's going to fight the villains. I'm going to use my newfound skill and target one of the villains. I-I'm sure Maria will try to protect and cover me. If not.. then so be it
Taking a huge deep breath, Momoko mustered all her courage and quickly ran away from her acquaintances, heading straight towards the villain beore letting out a loud yet focused scream towards him when she was about four feet away from him. After screaming, she quickly took a right turn and dove behind a bench, hoping its enough to cover her from any attacks.
"Please let that scream hurt the villain.. and please let Maria and Tachibana-san know what I'm thinking and trying to do"
Maria started the conversation first. "Haha, Sara is fine. I'm not really one for all the formalities. Tea sounds fine, I hope they have more the the fruity tea." Leaf water was far more palatable if it was sweet. She hated that she ate meat more often than not, but it really wasn't by choice. Tigers were carnivores, after all.
Just as Sara turned to look at Suzu walking towards the group, all hell broke loose. People were herded into sores to become hostages and Sara barely had time to process this fact before Suzu was throwing children and women at the group. Then the scareaming girl let loose as well. "That idiot! Maria, please get them to safety. I'll fend off the worse villains and start funneling hostages towards you for evacuation. Oh man... we are all going to get into so much trouble..."
The villain stunned by Momoko never saw her coming. Sara covered the ground quickly, taking advantage of Momoko's bravery, and knocked the guy down to the floor, grabbing his face in her clawed hands and throwing him headfirst into the ground. She didn't stop though, there was another in front of that store that was herding that group of civilians that Sara couldn't let be pushed into a corner like that. His quirk activated, but Sara was already sliding forward towards his shins. Momentarily distracted by Sara kicking his leg, she jumped up with a flat palm aimed at his chin. With a kick to the chest, he was slammed into the wall and slumped over, unconscious.
When he was down, Sara started waving people over. "The doll-girl will take you all out if she can. Come on, come on. Anyone who needs help lean on me and we'll all get out with minimal bullet holes! And Suzu, I swear to god you'd better start helping me or your face will end up the next one I punch!"
She needed his speed. He could move faster than her with his legs transformed, but she was by no means slow, plus that would take time for him to do. As she pondered what to do next, a child pulled on her hand.
"M-mommy i-is..."
"Oh, kiddo. Okay, we'll do a piggyback ride and once we're outside, we'll find your mom, okay?" Sara smiled, and the kid started to cry.
"Y-you're gonna eat me!"
"No, my teeth are just like that, but I can promise the best piggyback ride ever, okay? Just hop on, okay?" She squatted down so the kid could hop on.
It took a long amount precious time for him to hesitatingly wrap his arms around her neck, but soon the kid was aboard and Sara launched her way up and over the crowd. She looked for other villains, and landed on the face of a goon running towards the hostage crowd and knocked him down. Soon, Sara was back by where Maria had put on her puppet show. She put down the kid, but they weren't out of the woods yet, it seemed. She used the goon she had just leaped on as a springboard again to try and locate the other students and hostages. I'm so gonna end up getting shot at if I keep jumping...
"Yeah, you may be right. Maybe there is an ulterior motive behind this. Who knows what else Tada-sensei has in mind." His hands pocketed, Shouya was merely following her lead through the mall. Going past a few stores here and there, nothing was of interest to him.
Though he could see how carefree the people inside the mall were. How families had gathered together. To spend time or to buy something. A short smile was plastered on his face. "I guess we should continue being social until the time to meet the others come to pass. I believe sensei also said that he'll be meeting us there."
"How about we get ourselves something to eat?" It couldn't be helped. Shouya hadn't had much of a meal this entire day, and just about now, his stomach was slightly growling. Placing his hand on it, he stopped in his tracks. "What would you prefer?" He looked around in the mall, wondering what Takagi would want.
However, it seemed like the meal had to way. There was a form of commotion inside the mall. Shouya squinted his eyes, his expression curious. People were running away from something, constantly looking over their shoulders. The panic intensified, and had made its way to their location. There were people laughing, screaming. Some where holding a bat, others a knife, or a steel pipe.
From the first impression he got, they all seemed like thugs that were there to terrorize the people. "What is going on?" Shouya was confused, wondering what on earth was happening. How the air around them changed for the worse, and how people were taking cover, or seeking help in one of the many stores.
But one of the thugs holding a bat, smashed it through the glass windows with displays. Laughing, the bat became a lot bigger. They had Quirks. "Looks like we've come across some thugs.. Villains.." The sudden cry from others behind him caught Shouya's attention. Turning around, the very same thing was happening behind them.
Were they surrounded? Approaching Takagi, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "They're getting closer.. What do you want to do?" Shouya felt that the best course of action was to help others. Save them, but at the same time, get away from the danger. Surely by now, the pro heroes would have been alerted about this.
"We should ge--" Interrupted, it seemed like some of these villains had caught up to them. Three behind him, and three standing right before Takagi. Unfortunately, they were surrounded.
"Oy, look at this, we've hit the jackpot already. They've got those U.A. uniforms on them. We'll get a bonus if we beat the crap out of them eh. These.. future heroes." Their timing was really bad. At the mall, Shouya could not use black smoke. It would literally make them blind, but also the others who are trying to get away from danger.
Even so, Shouya was ready if push came to shove, At least he could use lightning. The question was. How would he go about doing it? 'Are they after us?'
"Bonus, what do you mean... Bonus?!" Shouya had a serious expression plastered on his face. He wanted answers.
"Punk you better shut up. You dont need to know anything more." Another villain with a pipe pointed at Shouya spoke up. In that very moment, the steel pipe increased in length. It became longer, and at a increased speed. It caught him almost by a surprise. Able to move to his right with a quick reaction, it was able to graze his cheek.
Falling on the ground, the villain with the steel pipe spoke up. "Ohoohoo.. I am surprised you were able to dodge that shit.. As expected from a U.A. student. Hahah.. But you know what they call me? SPAN!!"
"I can increase the length of any object I've got in my hand boy. There is no where you can run where my pipe can't reach ya, hahahaha."
"We'll take care of that sweet girl over there too."
"Tch!" Shouya was pissed, but he felt that they were at a disadvantage here. Six of them against them, and five with unknown quirks. Did all of them even have quirks?
"Oooo.. Soo scary.. That look.. What are you going to do..? I mean.. Where are you looking?"
"Huh?" Shouya was confused, and was a little too late to notice that one of the six villains had disappeared. That villain showed up right below him, with a punch aimed for his gut. "When did h--" It connected, and the force sent Shouya flying into one of the stores.
"Invisieeeeeeeeeeeeeeble!" That was his villain name.
"Tehehehehe... I guess you're the only one left huh?" Now, it was only Takagi who was surrounded by these despicable villains.
"Yes... or so I presume," Takagi agreed, averting her gaze to glance at their surroundings once more. They were supposed to be social, but what about? What do you talk about with someone when alone? Even with Maria the two were relatively reserved and having tea, which meant large gaps of silence, not necessarily awkward silence, but silence nonetheless.
"Huh? Oh, food... Um..." Pondering that question, Takagi glanced around once more, but this time more to look for options rather than for something to speak on. There was practically only fast food here, wasn't there? Pizza, baked goods, ice creme, sandwiches would probably be the least greasy thing...
Before she could reply with an answer, the calm, positive atmosphere the mall held was broken. Screams, noise, scattering pedestrians and cackling filled the building. It was just as Shouya had presumed; villains.
A scowl appeared on Takagi's face at the sight. Really, she couldn't even speak with someone without something going on. Honestly, it wasn't as if she disliked combat but she would care to gain a few friends, or erase the scary image she held according to some. Regardless, this was likely the time where scary was better.
"Too late for that..." Takagi murmured to Shouya. They had already been spotted and surrounded by the thugs. Arms crossed, they appeared to be going for an intimidation tactic. How poor a pairing this would be.
The next moments occurred in a flash. Shouya was engaged, or more accurately, skirted around before being hit into a nearby store. A cloaked enemy? How cowardly.
Already beginning to harden her skin, it would be better for her to have some defense prepared for when they decided to go against her. For whatever reason, they targeted Shouya first. Possibly they thought he was a larger threat? Oh how regret will come...
"A bonus? Well that's simply not fair, I'd love earning praise for slapping around a few D-listers. Unfortunately I'm likely to get chastised for it, how skewed," Takagi remarked. They were pretty cocky, which was annoying. Did they really think one hit was enough? They were kids, but they were kids who attended UA, they weren't weaklings.
"What was that?" One of them inquired at her jabs.
"Hm? Oh come now, one of you can grow things in his hand as if you're not trying to compensate for some cruel handicap given to you, and then you have another spastic fool that's only saving grace is that he cannot be seen. There's a reason you're sent in groups to attack children, or did you think that was happenstance?"
"You little bitch..." Stepping forward, the grow things man encroached on her position. "I wasn't gonna hurt you nearly as bad as your boyfri-"
Cut off, Takagi's hair lashed forward, coiling around various areas of the man's body to incapacitate him. Strands coiled harshly around both wrists, impairing grip and forcing the bat to drop to the ground. Others coiled around his waist, legs and his head, blocking his mouth.
"Firstly, he isn't my boyfriend," A smirk coming to her face, the guise of amusement was replacing the inconvenienced scowl. "And secondly, there is no way in hell you pieces of trash could ever hurt me."
The other villains tensed at the sudden detainment of one of their allies, seemingly preparing their quirks. The cloaking one vanished from sight once again, the others waiting on account of their little friend's safety.
"I'm going to get in trouble for this, but if you think I'm going to give my life for yours simply to avoid getting scold-"
This time, it was Takagi who was cut off, earning a hit to the face by the very same villain from before, however it did not earn the same results as with Shouya. It definitely made contact and her body recoiled, but she didn't fall, nor fly off.
"Invisieeeeeeeeeeee-OW! What the hell?!"
As the villain growled at the unexpected pain, Takagi took advantage of the situation and grasped his wrist, twisting it so it extended elbow facing her, and slammed the palm of her opposite arm into the joint. The result was an disgustingly audible snap, unnatural inversion and screech of shock and pain from the victim. Knowing that the rest would not sit by as this went on, Takagi's hair slung around and chucked the man it held at some of them with the intention of creating an opening in their formation, or at least narrowing who she had to focus on. To her surprise though, a large, inflated hand grasped her, swinging her around and slamming her into one of the walls where it held her pinned.
"Hmm very well Sara, oh don't worry about that test w-"
Smiling lightly in response to Momoko things quickly escalated from confusing, to chaotic, to ultra violence. cutting the doll girl off. People were being corralled about, screams, hits, clearly this was some sort of criminal action. Considering her options, Maria was observing the crowd and started to open her book, when Momoko went ballistic. Blasting what she assumed was a goon with her voice and then leaping behind a bench.. Then Sara joined in the fray, though she also had something of a plan, it was just not the one Maria had in mind..
Between all of the goons, the sheer number of hostages and the wide open and tall glass windows common to malls, Maria felt leading them out would be a bad idea, a perimeter would need forming, and the threats neutralized, otherwise she was leaving them open to gunfire, or worse it would allow some goons to escape with them, thus turning one hostage situation into several dozen across the city... Plus there was those two... sitting calmly in the back in the midst of the gathering storm.. No, that wasn't right was it?
They were the eye of the storm, the storm it's self.. Chances of victory would be slim and they were a serious threat to the civilians.
"..." Glancing around, there was one alternative.. it would not be pleasant but it would work and save them all, or so she hoped. Opening her book and summoning two dolls, one was unarmed, and another was armed with a shield and a lance, the book glows briefly as wires forms from the dolls hands, speaking commonly and with a loud voice, Maria calls out to the group of people, having her dolls fly up high, getting their attention.
"Please follow me, for your Safety and security." Taking note of the little boy that Sara had brought to her, while the exit was an enticing offer, it was too good of one, meanwhile there was another option.. While rare for the West, Japanese malls were centers of commerce, eateries, cat cafe's and most importantly, a bank...
"Grandma what's she doing?"
"I don't know Aiko..but I think for now we should listen to her."
"haha.. We are too slow to run away anyways." Adds in an older balding man. While all scared and a few did make for the doors and beyond, escaping with their lives thanks to the on going assaults of others, marching to the bank, it seemed word of what was going on was still getting out slowly. While it wasn't exactly wise to put all of one's eggs into a single basket, it would be an equal foolish farmer that tried protecting a large group of hens from a large group of foxes.
While she had no idea why zero of the mall's many alarms had yet to trip off, or how spread out the mall rent-a-cops were, she wasn't about to attempt some foolish rush for the doors so one of the two sycophants watching could chuckle about how this was all sort of some master plan and force them to choose.. While some of the goons elsewhere were being beaten up or attacked, many people were being locked up in the stores, likely for the best.
"Aiko, wasn't it? You are a good girl yes."
"Uh huh Doll Lady."
"I want you to follow my little doll here to the bank, bring all the others who were with us..but those two..see them, the calm men on that bench..I want all of you to go there and tell the security I asked you to let you all into the vault, then close it till the security comes, try and leave in small groups with them.. Okay?"
Looking up at her grand mother all confused, the old lady nods, patting her grand daughter on the shoulder as the single doll stretches out the wire, leading them off to where the old woman and man explains things as the smiling doll posses and dances, showcasing the performance of the young woman they had seen before, clearing the floor in quick order, when suddenly the unarmed doll would appear before the two men, transforming it's mouth into a wide smile and cheerily waving at the two, the doll suddenly took on a more sinister look as the stink of gunpowder filled the air, exploding into a shower of sparks, shrapnel and light.
Jumping back and away from the suspicious pair, there was still the issue of the other goons, and where ever in the hell Momoko and the others went...or what the rest would think of her setting off an explosive in a mall lobby in a preemptive strike.. Well it wasn't THAT powerful and served more as a flashbang... Either way she was now between the bank, the goons and the would be hostages within...if they were innocent and just some sort of creeps, they all could just laugh this off, right? And it was the doll from today, the blast was unlikely to seriously harm them, if at all, but it would buy her time to flee from them, if not at least causing them to move.
Dismissing her smaller doll and panting slightly from the running, the little girl from before looks on a bit confused as the vault door opens and cashiers start to usher them into it and the bank saferoom.
"What...are you doing Doll Lady?"
Keeping up her prim and proper face, the girl flips open her book as the blue glow appeared once more, summoning two full sized dolls that looked eerily just like the girl, one with a poleaxe and the other with a sword and shield.
"I'm giving you an encore performance." She says flatly, as a number of goods try and rectify this situation, her hand snaps forward as does the poleaxe doll, impact at least three men in the chest with a swing of it's might weapon, or the stick portion, luckily for them, smashing them aside and into the wall, as if to be as strong as a professional fighter or blacksmith, watching with some surprise, three more, a man and two women this time, were blind sided by the shield and collapsed into a pillar of the outer wall, as both dolls hurry back the three of them had taken up positions at the entry way as if to declare none shall pass.
She would have much rather not thought anyone and have fled, to let the professionals handle this, but she could not let the Citizens be harmed, she could by time, till an official response could be organized, or until those who had seen her show could be escorted out or sealed temporarily within the safety of the bank vault.
No, she could not just Could. She was duty bound to Do. Though she did hope those two would come back to help her, if only for a time..as to the rest of the class, she had no idea where they were.
Interactions:@Akashi @Artorias (preemptive IED, for justice.) Mention/acknowledgement: @DANAsaur@Karyra[/fieldbox]
Explosions! Lightening! Stolen bats! Old people! Invisieeeeeeeeeeeeeeble! "What the hell is happening!"
Ayesha let out a confused scream as she grabbed a baseball from her bag, slid off her shoes and slipped into some newly purchased cleats (with no time to tie them). She bounded away from the food court just as Suzu hulked out. Ayesha was first concerned with getting people out of there. She ran around trying to calm people down. Someone had grabbed hold of a young girl bo older than 6 and was abducting them. Ayesha let the baseball fly as she leapt forward and swept the child off their feet, as the villain was still recovering from the high powered fastball that had just pegged him in the face.
"Hey kid, where's your parents?"
The kid was so scared though. Everything that she let out was an incoherent babble. Ayesha sighed. Looks like she would have to find them. But first get the kid to safety. She saw that Katsumi had opened the door. It was difficult to maneuver. People were in a panic, and with the door finally open, they were all rushing out as fast as they could. Ayesha hurried to Katsumi's side, still holding the child.
"You better not have dented that bat. In any case, I need you to keep out for everyone. I'm looking for her parents."
With that she dropped the kid off next to her pack mule and ran back into the mall. People were running toward the exits now caught up in a frenzy. Ayesha just then realized the scope of what she had promised the child.
"Oh boy"
She took one step, and tripped on the laces of her untied cleats. It was a miracle that it only now happened. But in the end, people were running to the threshold, and she was on the floor. Ayesha couldn't get up, as people were kicking her and stepping on her left and right. She tried her best to keep her head untouched. But she was doing her best. From the floor she managed to see another body lying on the ground a few feet away from her. She swear she saw blood dripping from their head. Not good.
She can't stay on the floor. That would kill her. She can't stand up, they won't let her. Think. Think! Was there really no other way to do this without harming anyone? If she used her quirk, someone else would trip and that would mean they would be in the same situation as her. Frustrated and in pain, Ayesha called out to for help.
Despite their being victorious in the end, Mezame couldn't help but feel her efforts were a bit lackluster. Normally, she wouldn't care, and would simply go back to her video games, but for some reason, how little she felt she actually did in the two versus two match irked her. Sure, she took someone out and ultimately clinched the victory, but it was Shouya that did 90% of the work. She just couldn't feel good knowing she'd relied so much on somebody else. Such was as it goes though. Team exercises are just that...team exercises.
