Brains Over Brawn

                "Quirk usage is strictly off limits for this exercise. If I catch one of you cheating, there will be hell to pay. And because this exercise is quirkless, your classmate Anzu will be practicing with you." Aizawa stared at the fully uniformed group. Anzu's suit had come in, and the student's suspicions of their supposed classmate had become dangerous. He needed to fix their questioning, as well as see how Anzu worked with other people. Specifically Bakugou. Initially she had been assigned to be his room mate because they needed to get along. Her quiet but deadly quirk might work well with his in a stealth assignment. Bakugou would bring the brawn, and Anzu would bring the brain, with a little extra flare. Together they might just be able to cause a disruption in the league of villains. Especially considering Anzu's past. Aizawa began to pair up the teams that seemed to work the best together. 

              "Group one: Kaminari and Kirishima. Group two: Mina and Jiro, Group three: Iida and Aoyama, Group four: Bakugou and Anzu." Aizawa continued down the list. Bakugou walked over to her. This would be the first time he saw her dressed in the new costume. He seemed pleased, but didn't say anything. 

           "Did they take the advise on the eye patch?" He asked, taking her aside so they could strategize. Anzu looked at the wall and opened her eye, seconds later the new, diamond shaped eye-patch opened up in the center, with a silent, fluid motion. He wanted to grin but didn't.

        The goal is to locate Aizawa, and fight him fist to fist while the other partner keeps watch. If another team finds him as well, they have a right to steal their prey. The second partner's job is to fend off the other teams. That is, if you are the first team to find him.  

            "I don't think we should fight him first. We'll lose in a head to head battle and you know someone will take advantage of that. I don't wan't us to be that person. I say we wait until the last moment that Aizawa can fight, then we swoop in and take the win. Chances are others will have the same idea. That's why while the fighting is going on, were going to go around and remove the teams lying in wait, so when the time comes to steal the win, we won't have competition." Anzu told Bakugou, but to her utter disappointment, he didn't seem convinced. 

          "No way in hell. I can take that squinty-eyed freak any time of the day! I say we fight and take the win all the way." He demanded, finality in his voice. The way he spoke annoyed her greatly. Did he think she was just going to shy away that quickly? Anzu stood her ground and rocked onto one hip, crossing her arms.

         "That strategy is what he want's us to do. Don't let your obsession with fighting ruin your chances at winning. I'm not fighting him head on." Anzu finished, standing taller, getting on his level even though her height was clearly prohibiting that. 

         "I'm doing it my way. Either you're with me, or I leave you here." He growled, getting close to her face. Anzu simply kept her arms crossed and stared at him judgmentally. He knew exactly what that look was. He got it from his mother all the time. It's the I won't back down if I have to go to hell and back. So get ready, face. Bakugou waited several awkwardly silent minutes. He sighed and took a step backwards. 

        "Fiiine. If this fails, you owe me." He hissed, walking away towards the assigned building. Anzu smiled and shook her head. His glare might cause her to back down but when she knew she was right, it was his turn. She knew this would work. She had read about this tactic in an old Roman history book. It was said that it never failed to bring victory. 

        Anzu heard the whistle in her ear piece. This was it. She would show class 1-A that they had a new competitor and she was ready. Bakugou took the lead and they began advancing through the small city, moving swiftly and silently from building to building. Anzu popped her hood up and latched her cloak shut. In the shadows, she was practically invisible. As they continued, a sound rumbled the ground, and she could hear the fighting. 

        "That was fast..." Anzu whispered, peeking around the corner of the building. Bakugou looked at her, then back at the rumbling, then back at her, then back at the rumbling. He was asking. "No." She practically dragged him by the back of his shirt away from the scene. "Were going to get in close and keep the area clean of anyone in wait. You can fight there." She now led the team, whipping in and out of corners, the soles on the bottom of her boots soundless. She could hear the metal soles behind her. The sound of metal clashing against metal. Everywhere Bakugou walked the silence was completely obliterated. "Your so loud!" She hissed, but stopped his response with a warning glance. Sure enough, Ojiro and Tokoyami were standing in a building, inches from the fight and completely hidden. Anzu practically clothes lined Bakugou against the wall, pressing herself up against it as hard as she could. They didn't see her. Bakugou looked like he wanted to choke her, but refrained. "Tokoyami and Ojiro. They're waiting for the fight to fini-" Anzu lurched back, crashing into her team mate. Kirishima went sprawling across the floor, and hit a brick wall. Clearly Aizawa wasn't holding back when it came to hand to hand combat. Kaminari followed quickly after, hitting Kirishima in the back. Both the boys groaned and couldn't get up right away. They looked pretty beat up, and a little twinge of anger snuck in seeing Kirishima like this. She guessed even the strongest heroes rely on their quirk more often than not. The little paging noise rose in her ear and she could hear the spectator. 

        "Attention! Attention! Team RedBolt has been eliminated! Nine teams remain!!!" The recording stopped and the fighting ceased. Anzu could feel her breath grow thin. She couldn't attack Ojiro and Tokoyami if Aizawa was standing close by. "I need to get a better look. You think you could hoist me up onto that ledge?" Anzu asked referring to the balcony. Even with his help, it might still make noise but she was willing to take the risk. Bakugou nodded and created a sling with his hands. She stepped on, and he thrust her upwards. She barely caught it and was holding up her body weight with one hand. Bakugou braced himself to catch her but she was able to get her other hand up just in time. Anzu clumsily scrambled up the brick wall, slipping several times, but in the end she landed on the metal silently. She had the help of an oddly placed metal bar under the balcony. For some reason she felt it would be important.

        "That was hard to watch." Bakugou whispered, watching her keenly. 

        "Oh shut it! It was a long jump!" Anzu spat, following the metal balcony all the way over to the other side. She stopped before looking over. But he wasn't there. Anzu scanned the fight scene up and down, could see a little bit of blood on the dirt. He really was being aggressive today. She saw no movement, and he was nowhere to be found. Anzu turned around to go back, but was thrown off her balance when something heavy landed in front of her, sending reverberations throughout and shaking the unsteady platform. Aizawa rose to his feet and gave her a glare that she never wanted to see again. 

        "Shit." Anzu took a step back, and prepared. Not quite fast enough. Aizawa grabbed her by the wrist before she could see what was happening. He twisted her around and forced her back into the railing, sending a head splitting pain up her spine. She had to get back to Bakugou. They were a team. She needed him. It was clear she had backed herself into the corner. Think... Be a strategist. When you can't climb up, jump down. In an instant all the pieces of the puzzle clicked. She let out a big confident grin and kicked her knee into his stomach. The second his grip was loose, she twisted and swung off of the top rail, extending her body in a hand stand. Aizawa reached out to grab her, but missed her by inches grasping nothing but air. She could feel the falling sensation and knew the ground was below her. Waiting for the crash. But before it was out of reach she spread her arm out, catching hold of the bar under the balcony. The one she had previously used to hoist herself up. She hung from it with one arm, nearly dislocating her shoulder with the impact. She was hanging from a long drop, one slip of her hand and she could break her legs. But it worked. Aizawa regained his composure and rushed to the side of the balcony. His student just jumped off of a building, and probably broke something. 

        "What are you insane!..." He trailed off. "What the... Where did she..." Aizawa searched the ground and found nothing. Not even a spot of impact. Meanwhile... Anzu had begun her silent trek back around the corner. One burning hand at a time she swung her way over to the spot she had arrived at. Her hands were bright red from holding on so long and her arms hurt from the tension. Bakugou looked at her as if to ask; Is he following you? Anzu shook her head no.  Bakugou held his hands out and she let go of the balcony. He caught her by the waist and set her gently onto her feet. Aizawa was still searching the balcony. He had no idea she escaped. 

        "Let's go." Bakugou ordered, pushing her in front of him and heading away from the scene. If they didn't hurry, he would be hot on their trail. 

        "That was close..." Anzu puffed, releasing the built up breath she had been holding for so long. Bakugou looked up at her. He was clearly angry, but not just that. Concern. 

        "If that was a real villain you could've seriously hurt yourself! And what if that bar didn't reach all the way around!? What then huh!? Were you just going to snap your legs?" Bakugou yelled standing over her. She would defend herself, but he wasn't wrong. It was a mistake. She simply took his glare head on and let him finish. "Say something damn it!"

        "You're right. I'm sorry it was a dumb mistake. But you can yell at me later. Were running out of time. We need to move before Ojiro and Tokoyami reposition." Anzu responded, hoping that could calm his anger. His eyes flared and he got a little too close for comfort. 

        "No. Now we do this my way. Come with me or don't. I'm not going to watch you make more bad choices." He said, turning away and stomping back. It took a few moments for what he said to sink in.Fine. I will do it my way. And you will too. You just don't know it yet. Anzu thought, spitting in the dirt, and breaking into a run. She had to get there before him for her new plan to work. Chances are, Aizawa moved to the most common area for a fight. Even now she could hear the yells coming from a clearing not far from there. She sprinted as quickly as she could, through alley ways, crossing up walls and taking shortcuts. Bakugou wanted to seek out a fight he couldn't win alone. So she would just bring the better fight to him. She lost his patience but one way or another. She was getting it back. 

        Anzu made it into the clearing right on time to see team AlienJack fall. Aizawa was holding Jiro up by her jacket and placed her onto the steps of the building, same for Mina. Both were out cold. Anzu could hear Bakugou now. He was a bad distance away. Not enough time. She had to lure Aizawa away. Anzu took a knife from her pocket and swung it full force into the brick wall in front of her. Like a scene from a horror movie, Aizawa's head jerked around. His eyes grew thin and he slowly began to walk over. Anzu purposefully broke into a messy run, allowing him to catch sight of her. He ran quicker than she expected and was nearly caught, lucky for her, she ran into exactly what she wanted.

        "Wait! My teammates gone! Go Easy!" Anzu yelled, hoping it would be enough bait. Vultures will always come to the sound of wounded prey. Sure enough, Ojiro and Tokoyami decided to make their move. Ojiro jumped out, tripping Aizawa in his sprint. Tokoyami tried to grab Anzu but she knew they were coming. She dodged him easily and continued down her path, not stopping to look back. She pulled up against another wall and caught her breath. All this running was blowing her stamina, she needed a break. However, in her case that was the last thing she was getting. Team Shoppy was parallel to the building she was hiding by. Shoto looked at her, a little too threatening for her taste. So in turn to this, she waited several minutes for the buzzer, keeping Todoroki's glare the entire time. 

                "Attention! Attention! Team Dark-Tail Has been eliminated! Six teams remain!!!" Anzu braced herself, let the sound of Aizawa's cold footsteps soak in. She waited, and counted, five more steps and he would be in the perfect spot. Now. Anzu let Aizawa pass by her by a few steps, she then lurched forward and grabbed Todoroki by his shirt collar. It was messy, and didn't work as well as she wanted. Her timing was off yet none the less, Todoroki was swung directly into Aizawa beginning another fight. Froppy jumped in to help and Anzu began back down the path. Bakugou had to be close now. She had to keep going. Ten minutes later, she heard the signal.

                "Attention! Attention! Team Shoppy has been eliminated! Five teams remain!" That was when Anzu could hear shouting from far away. Second later she felt her ear buzz.

                "Attention! Attention! Team Creavity had been eliminated! Four teams remain!" That meant she had three team left to beat. Anzu stopped at the next corner, her breath hoarse. Way too much running. Her heart lept in her chest and she felt like someone had cut off her air supply. She just hoped she could finish her job before Bakugou got there. Anzu continued to breath, not stopping to look up. It was a big mistake. She couldn't even let out a squeak. Shoji had wrapped his hand firmly around her mouth and attempted to hit her in the back of her neck. She blocked it with her wrist and spun away. Koda got the jump on her. He weighed her down with his body weight and she fell to her knees like a trapped animal. 

                "Sorry about this, but we're too close to winning." Shoji said, walking towards her.

                "Yeah... me too." Anzu turned around in Koda's loose grip and kneed him in his core. He crumpled to the ground like a used wrapper. Anzu didn't have the strength for Shoji and she knew it. So she simply lured him out of the corner. Aizawa walked straight up to their little scuffle, tinted in anger. 

                "Damn it Anzu stop running." He growled, aiming a blow at her. She didn't have the strength to dodge it, and it completely knocked the wind out of her. Luckily for her, Shoji took advantage of it. He wrapped his tentacles around Aizawa, giving Anzu just enough wiggle room to get free. And once again... she ran. Pushed herself harder and faster until her legs buckled from under her. 

                "Attention! Attention! Team Sparklegenium has been eliminated! Three teams remain!!!" 

                "Attention! Attention! Team Tentimal had been eliminated! Two teams remain!!!" Anzu began to feel adrenaline course through her veins. Deku and Cellophane were the only two people left. Team Dekuphane vs Groundbreaker. Anzu took a couple deep breaths. She was going to win this by herself. With or without Bakugou. 

                "Get out here Anzu. I know your around here somewhere." Aizawa called, walking with a menacing pace. And all at once everything was happening. Two sets of footsteps from the left. Metal sounds from her right. Aizawa behind her. 

                "Where the fuck is everyone!?" Bakugou screamed, skidding to a halt and panting with rage. She hadn't quite thought of that. She knew he took down one team... but the rest were Aizawa. He had to be pretty pissed. Aizawa also seemed at the end of his rope, exhausted but mostly furious with Anzu. She had been running from him since the beginning, getting him to do all her dirty work. This was it. She jumped out the second Deku came into view, wrapping her arm around his neck and crashing him against a wall. He slipped his foot behind her and tripped her over, but she used the force to bring him down with her. They tumbled back and forth a bit, messily fighting. This must be the team that was taking everyone else down. They both seemed exhausted. Cellophane and Aizawa were left to fight alone. Needless to say, Sero was beaten in seconds due to his exhaustion. Anzu could hear Bakugou from far away. She was tired and didn't really care anymore. She had faith in him. He would finish this fight for her. Deku was about to land the final blow, but Aizawa grabbed his arm in a death grip.

                "She's. Mine." He spat, forcing Deku off of her. He looked like he had chased her down for murdering his family. A crazed look that wasn't fake. At least now she knew what made him tick. "You can't run anymore." He smiled, letting her get to her shaky feet. Her poker face was perfect. Hurry. Faster or this is really going to hurt. She pleaded silently. And the footsteps got louder and louder. Aizawa turned in time to see Bakugou ram into him at full force. They both crashed to the ground and Aizawa looked broken. She could tell from the look in his eyes. They won.

                "Ugh. Fine, I cave. You were the last standing anyway. Congrats." He said sarcastically, taking Anzu's offer to help him up. 

                "Attention! Attention! Team Groundbreaker has won the exercise! Taking down one team and assisting in five!" Anzu fell to her knees, taking deep breaths. That was arguably the hardest thing she had ever done. She had assisted in taking down five teams in fifty minutes. Ten minutes each team. Her stress level was through the roof and her legs felt like jello. Bakugou stomped over to her.

                "What does assisting in five mean?" He helped her to her feet. 

                "It means my plan worked. I played you like a pawn." She gave a sweet smile, enjoying every moment of his fury. "From now on, we listen to my plans okay?" She added, wiping the sweat from her forehead. If he hadn't made that final blow, she would've been a goner. She needed him, but in the end though her plan didn't have much to do with hand to hand fighting, it got the job done in the least frustrating way possible. Bakugou looked like he was about to pop a vain. She didn't want to aggravate him more. But now they knew. She may not be the strongest, she may not be athletic, but ten years of studying battle strategy wasn't for nothing. And for what she lacked, Bakugou made up for. Even though personality wise the relationship was unstable, they were going to make one hell of a team one day.