Chapter 9- The Manliest Duo

"We might as well move on to the next fight while Midoriya and Ojiro are with Recovery Girl." All Might smiles, putting his hands into the boxes once more.

"You don't think we should wait for them, All Might?" Uraraka asks, nervous to find out which team will go next.

"I don't know about you, but if I broke all of my limbs or got knocked out by a fruit cake, I wouldn't want to come back for a while." All Might chuckles, trying to hide his worry for the boys behind his everlasting smile.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Mera speaks up, scratching her head apprehensively as the class stares at her.

"It's not your fault, Mera! I thought your attack was well thought out! And Todoroki, you handled yourself very well in there! You both have amazing potential!"

"Really?" Mera questions, unsure of herself.

"Of course! Would I lie?"

"No, sir!" She smiles, bowing her upper body happily.

"And now…" All Might pulls his hands out of the boxes, revealing the next teams to face off. "Team E will be the heroes, and team H the villains! Now go get ready!"

The two teams leave, one swarming with nerves, the other overflowing with excitement.

"So, do you have a plan? That bird guy looks pretty intense!"

"Nope! But I'm sure we'll do great!"

"Should we maybe devise a plan?"

"Nah, I'll just pump you up and we'll beat those guys!"

"Yeah, okay," Kirishima mutters, his uncertainty shining through. Hairo punches the boy's shoulder, laughing reassuringly. His quirk swarms around Kirishima, giving him intense, almost unnatural confidence. "YEAH! LET'S GO!"

"That's better!" Hairo laughs, breathing in his power as well. "Let's do this!"

"So… how should we do this?" Uraraka asks her partner, worried about the fight but glad to have such an intimidating partner.

"I was thinking you could patrol the hallways, warn me if you spot the other team. I can keep an eye on the weapon since Dark Shadow is good for defense and offense."

"Dark Shadow?"

"Oh, right, you don't know of him," Tokoyami speaks, leaning against a nearby pillar and crossing his arms. "Meet Dark Shadow." He mutters, waving his hand for his partner to reveal himself.

"Hello!" The creature beams, floating near Uraraka. She jumps back, surprised, then hides her face behind her hands in embarrassment. "It's okay! I won't bite!" The creature communicates, twisting around Uraraka to find her face. She slowly brings her hands down, still embarrassed.

"Hi! You're so cool! What an awesome quirk!" Dark Shadow gushes at the compliment, though it was meant for Tokoyami. He nods, showing his appreciation.

"Anyway, this is Dark Shadow. He listens to all I say and is quite strong- though light can harm him. He's stronger in darkness but also harder to control." Uraraka nods, soaking the information her partner is giving her. "And your quirk is Zero Gravity, correct?��

"Yup! I can make anything I touch weightless! Though sometimes it makes me nauseous." Tokoyami nods, glancing at the doorway.

"You should begin your patrol- as long as you're still okay with my original plan."

"Yeah, of course! I'll get going!" The girl smiles, waving at Tokoyami as she leaves him to guard the bomb.

"How do you know the weapon is this way?"

"It's just a gut feeling."

"A 'gut feeling' won't get us the win..."

"Not with that attitude!" The redhead beams, powering up his quirk again. Kirishima smirks, enjoying the motivation flowing through him.

"You're right! Let's win this thing!"

"Yeah! Let's go!" The two high-five, jogging side-by-side into the dark abyss.

"Any sign of them yet?" Uraraka jumps at the sound of a voice nearby, quickly realizing it's from her earpiece.

"Nope! I don't see anyone! I hope they didn't somehow pass me."

"I doubt that would happen, they have to go through you to get here, right?"

"I think so…"

"Hmm… just keep looking."

"Right."

Tokoyami leans against a pillar facing the weapon, trying hard not to dose off as boredom overtakes him. He sighs, stretching his arms over his head to get the blood flowing again.

'I wonder where they are?'

Soon after the thought escapes his mind the whole building seems to shake, making him lose his balance for a moment.

'What the-'

The wall behind him comes crashing down, two boys standing proudly behind the debris.

"You did it, man!" One grins, lifting his hand up for a high-five.

"Only because of you!" The other beams, accepting the other's offer of a high-five.

"Let's do this!" They say in unison, diving at the bomb, and the win.

'Ow! What the heck?' Uraraka grabs her earpiece, quickly pulling it out of her ear to examine why it shocked her. She stares at the technology, baffled, before shrugging and shoving it back into her ear. 'This is so boring. Where are they, anyway?' Uraraka wanders through the halls, kicking loose pebbles as she walks further and further away from her partner, unaware of any trouble he's in.

"DARK SHADOW!"

"Got it!" The small creature dives at the bomb, quickly enlarging to shield the weapon. His body blankets the hero team's target, shattering their chance of an easy win.

"Uraraka? Come in! The enemy is attacking!"

Uraraka hums to herself as she strays further into the dark hallways, drifting through them like a dandelion seed lost in the gentle whispers of the forest.

"I CAN'T KEEP THIS UP FOREVER, TOKOYAMI!" Dark Shadow yells, wincing in pain as Kirishima and Hairo rip into his being.

"I KNOW, I KNOW! I'M THINKING!" The two heroes continue to punch their way through Dark Shadow, screaming with tenacity as they chip away at the villain's defenses.

"I can't keep this hardening up forever, man." Kirishima whispers, careful not to alert the enemy of his potential weakness but wanting to inform his partner at the same time.

"I bet you could get harder if you tried!" Hairo beams, straining to send more motivation to Kirishima.

"You think so?" Kirishima steps back, allowing Hairo to take over the punching as he breaths deeply. His whole being begins to crystallize, more so than before, giving him a monstrous appearance. Hairo glances over his shoulder at his partner, his eyes lighting up at this sight.

"You did it!"

"It worked!" Kirishima yells, pumping his fist in the air. "SUPER MOVE: UNBREAKABLE!" He cheers, diving once more at the whimpering Dark Shadow.

Uraraka continues to meander through the abyss, lost in her own thoughts as the future marches slowly closer.

"DARK SHADOW, ATTACK! TRY TO DRIVE THEM BACK, AWAY FROM THE WEAPON!"

"OKAY!" Dark Shadow rushes Kirishima, the two meeting head-on. They clash like any cliché anime characters would, pushing against each other in a vain attempt to overtake the other. Kirishima begins to slip, his body already tired thanks to his inexperience with his new move. He grits his teeth, digging his feet into the ground and pushing hard, but he gains no ground.

"Come on, you can do it, Kirishima!" Hairo yells, distracted by the pair. Kirishima glances at the fellow redhead, a smile forming on his lips. He pushes back against Dark Shadow, advancing this time. Dark Shadow begins to panic, which only allows Kirishima more chance to gain ground.

"THIS ISN'T WORKING, TOKOYAMI!" Dark Shadow screams, panicking. Hairo joins Kirishima in pushing Dark Shadow back, the pair easily forging a path through the obscurity. With a sudden burst of energy, they thrust through Dark Shadow, each landing with a palm on the weapon.

"THE HEROES WIN!" The pair of boys turn to each other, their smiles never-ending.

"You did it!"

"No, you did it! You were so manly!"

"Are you kidding me? You were awesome!"

"I couldn't have done it without you!"

"Wait… what just happened?"