The Training Arc Part 2

The class dispersed into the forest, each team heading in its assigned direction to form a formation that resembled a crane wing and trying to walk silently. Others with more agility and maneuverability, like Asui and Ojiro, took to the forest canopy.

While this was happening, Momo Yaoyorozu was just about vibrating in excitement, internally of course. On the outside, she maintained a serious disposition, her expression calm and focused. The chance to play soldier in a controlled, less life-threatening situation than the USJ incident was thrilling. Sure her classmates weren't in any military uniform -she should pressed the issue when the Midoriya and her parent rejected her idea in the planning phase of the camp- but this was still practically her dream.

She and a loyal band of comrades trudging through the forest on a high-risk, high-reward, rescue operation of a VIP. The only thing missing, besides some military/mercenary uniforms, were guns. She didn't create one yet because they were too lethal to use in a training exercise but she longed to have her HK416 in hand again. It was considered old and redundant by many gun specialists, a thing of the past they said, and truth be told it was. But to Momo it would always hold a special place in her heart because it was her first lo-...

"This is Jiro, I think I've got something," Jiro, bless her soul, snapped Momo out of her thoughts and back to reality. "It's faint but I hear humming coming from up ahead. I think it's Izuki but the sound is bouncing too much in this forest to be sure. "

Following the end of the transmission, Momo shook away the growing blush on her cheeks and began to speak up, her voice not indicating that she was embarrassed. "Koda, can you confirm?"

"O-okay," said the boy in question. He currently had a pigeon perched on his shoulder, speaking softly to the bird and telling him to call back his partner, who had been sent scouting earlier. The avian chirped back at him, before letting out a loud call into the forest. A minute later, its partner came back, confirming Jiro's directions. "T-the animals say there are two people in a c-clearing directly ahead of us."

Everyone, especially the offensive team, tensed in preparation for a fight. Muscles coiled, and quirks powered up in preparation to engage the strongest in the class. None had rushed in yet; they still needed the order from their leader—an order that had yet to come as Momo was taking time to review the information.

'Somethings off, why would Midoriya just wait in the open without hiding his sister? Is this a trap or is he this confident that he can take us all on while holding back?' Momo's brows creased in concentration as the class continued to wait for her orders in silence. Eventually, after a bit of deliberation, she concluded that yes, it was a trap. She knew Izuku was confident in his ability and that he had all the power he needed to brute force his way through any strategy they made. But she also knew Izuku would not try simply overpowering them at this stage.

After all, when she and him were planning this part of the camp he had told her he wouldn't brute force the exercise by blast-spamming them or sealing himself/others in those virtually impenetrable barriers. All to make sure it was a proper learning experience for everyone.

"Koda," Momo spoke into coms after finishing her thoughts. "Ask the bird if it saw more than two people in the area. This question was important because she remembered another exercise where she was tricked by rudimentary clones made by their adversary. That defeat still stung -even if she knew how outclassed she was now- she committed it to memory so she wouldn't fall for it again.

So when Koda reported that it was just two people and that the bird said one of them was doing some awful chirping, Momo knew what to do. After all, trap or not, this was still an opportunity to grab Izuki and complete the exercise. "Everyone," Momo began as she stepped forward and over some shrubbery. "You know the plan. Now see it through."

Izuku P.O.V

He had been waiting in the clearing for a while now, waiting for the class to find him. He suspected they would find him soon, probably with Koda, and then the fighting would begin. He hadn't set up any traps despite what Yaorzuru would be thinking. He was going to react to whatever they threw at him for this stage of the test andhe would only make sparing use of his [Light Projection].

Rustle

"Hey little brother," his sister called out to him from her cage, she was lying on the floor casually like a bored kid and not like the hostage she was pretending to be moments ago. "When are you going to get into character? You're being so boring with the serious guy act."

Izku sighed in exasperation at his sister being obvious before turning to face her. "Because I hate playing a villain and there is no real need to act like one because this is a training exercise."

"But everyone in your class did it before when All Might was teaching you guys," She responded as she began kicking up her feet, the childish action reminding Izuku that despite her physical age she was still much younger than him.

"Sis not every..." Izuku's paused as his brows shot up in surprise at a sudden realization. "How do you know that? You were..." He stopped himself before he could finish that sentence but Izuki continued like it was nothing.

"Dead? Yeah but I was also living in your head with... ugh anyways, I got to experience some of the stuff you did." When she said that a wide Chesire smile appeared on his twin's face, making her look an evil version of him. "Even the embarrassing stuff."

Rustle rustle rustle boom

For the first time since USJ and its aftermath, Izuku felt true fear. His mind immediately went to the Zero Pointer incident during the entrance exam. To this day, it's still one of his most mortifying moments even if it was also a treasured memory.

His sister, now on her side, locked eyes with him through the cage, her smile even wider. "Yes baby brother, I know about even that moment."

Izuku's face went red with embarrassment as he hastily turned to face her so he could explain himself but was cut off by a painful and disorienting boom that sent him hurling through the clearing. Fighting instinct he never truly realized he had until USJ kicked in and forced his mind away from the embarrassment his sister used to distract him from his classmates and go into a hyper-focused sort of "battle mode".

The world slowed to a crawl for Izuku as adrenaline surged through his veins, blending seamlessly with the raw power granted by the system. His thoughts sharpened, his senses heightened, and his body obeyed his will with surgical precision. Twisting mid-air, he flipped gracefully, landing on all fours against the side of a massive tree. The bark shattered beneath his impact, splintering outward and sending shockwaves through the trunk as the entire tree groaned in protest.

In what felt like slow motion, Izuku's sharp eyes swept the battlefield. His gaze locked onto Katsuki who most likely flew in from the tree canopy from his position in the air, his explosive friend already extending an arm, preparing to unleash another fiery blast. In the same instant, he noted Todoroki launching a wave of glacial frost in his direction. Their lack of coordination was apparent, a fact Izuku mentally filed away. The icy attack would freeze him if it connected, but Katsuki's inevitable follow-up blast would undoubtedly free him in the process.

Being made of light and floating under Izuku's power, the cage was deceptively weightless despite its size and the fact it carried a person in it. So much so that all Lida had to was grab a bar and run. But not knowing this, Lida was making the mistake of pushing the cage instead of turbo-boosting away like he should have. All this information was taken in and accounted for within a second of glancing at it and his response was instantaneous.

With a coil of muscle and a thunderous spring, Izuku launched himself like a missile. Katsuki's blast roared just overhead, heat searing the air, while Todoroki's ice surged beneath him in a jagged river. Izuku slipped between the attacks. The heat scorched his hair; the frost bit at his feet. But he managed to get through without harm.

Extending his arms and tugging it towards himself, a rather ceremonial gesture than a needed one, he yanked the cage through the air away from Iida's position. His sister inside holding on for dear life while hollering in joy as it hurtled toward him with incredible speed. In the same fluid motion, Izuku corked his hips and unleashed a devastating roundhouse kick aimed at Todoroki. The ice-wielder barely had time to react, raising his arm to block. The impact reverberated like a cannon shot, sending Todoroki careening through the air, shards of ice scattering in his wake.

Katsuki, was fast to react as well, already repositioning above, his hands crackled with raw energy, and with a feral grin, he aimed to unleash another explosive blast directly at Izuku.

But of course, Izuku had anticipated this the moment he sent Todoroki flying outside Bakugo's friendly fire range. The cage, still under his telekinetic control, veered sharply off its trajectory—not toward him, but toward Katsuki. His friend barely had time to register the massive object hurtling toward him before it slammed into his side with bone-rattling force. The impact knocked Katsuki off course, his blast careening harmlessly into the distance.

Insanely enough, Lida still clung to the cage, his grip like iron as he was carried along for the ride. His engines roared to life in a desperate attempt to stabilize himself mid-flight. Still, Izuku halted the momentum of the cage nearly instantly causing Lida's iron grip to falter, sending him spiraling wildly away alongside Katsuki, both of them tumbling out of sight.

Izuku barely had time to recover his footing before three more figures closed in. Kirishima charged straight at him, fists raised and body gleaming with the jagged edge of his Hardening Quirk. To his right, Sato's massive form surged forward, his bulk radiating raw power a sign he was using his quirk, while Ojiro darted in from the left tail coiled and ready to snap.

Kirishima reached him first, throwing a wild, heavy swing. Izuku ducked under it, the wind from the blow ruffling his hair. Before he could counter, Sato was already there, his fist crashing down in a hammer blow that forced Izuku to twist and roll away, narrowly avoiding the ground-shaking impact. Ojiro capitalized on the opening, his tail snapping toward Izuku's midsection like a coiled viper.

Izuku raised his arm to block, but the force of the strike jolted him, driving him back a step. He grimaced as Kirishima and Sato pressed in again, their attacks relentless. He dodged and weaved through their punches and kicks and even managed to land a few of his own but his attacks rebounded off Kirishima's unyielding armor and Sato's brute endurance, leaving him in a stalemate with them. He had tried to go for Ojiro but he couldn't disengage so easily from the two in his face.

'They're covering each other well,' Izuku realized and instantly noted. Kirishima and Sato were the shields, absorbing attacks and closing space, while Ojiro exploited openings with precision strikes. It wasn't perfect—small missteps in timing and positioning—but it was enough to force Izuku onto the defensive.

While Izuku was analyzing them, Ojiro moved like a shadow, slipping between his larger allies to strike at Izuku's blind spots. A quick jab from his tail grazed Izuku's side, and another swiped at his legs, forcing him to leap back into a crouch. With the minor breathing room provided by his leap, Izuku focused his senses outward. He had expected that at least Bakugo, if not the entire class, would join the fray by now but they hadn't so he was quite suspicious of what was going on in the background while he was fighting.

His ears caught something in the tree line, leading his emerald eyes to flick there, catching subtle movements from the shadows. 'The others are getting ready for an ambush. Look like it's time to retreat.' He idle thought while leaping out of the way of the hammer blow from Kirishima.

Needing to end things fast before the class could spring whatever they were planning, Izuku directed his leap towards Sato, making his hulking classmate think he was going for him. He could see Ojiro closing in to exploit any move he made against Sato but unknown to both boys, Sato wasn't Izuku's target, Ojiro was.

Knowing that his little trick against Bakugo was out of their minds, Izuku once again commanded the cage holding his sister to move. It rammed into Ojiro's unsuspecting form sending him flying out of sight. The only signal to Sato that his teammate had been removed from the field was Kirishima shouting Ojiro's name. Izuku dodged and avoided the blow Sato swung at his head, and stepped into his guard to exploit the opening. Before Sato could recover from the missed swing, Izuku seized Sato's arm, using Sata's momentum and his system granted strength to lift the much bigger boy to twist and fling him into Kirishima. The impact was explosive, the two crashing to the ground in a tangled heap.

It was over in seconds, but Izuku didn't let his guard down. Lida, Bakugo, and Todoroki were still out there. Kirishima and Sato were already scrambling to their feet, and Ojiro though knocked away for the moment, was not out of the fight.

The subtle rustling from the treeline grew louder, signaling the others were moments away from springing their ambush and his window for retreat was closing. Something he hadn't expected to do within minutes of his first encounter with the class but they were far more coordinated than he initially anticipated.

Izuku, heart pounding, called the cage with his sister toward him, his power pulling it into the air. He jumped, catching the bottom of the cage with one hand as he lifted it upward, levitating it higher into the sky in the direction of the sun. The wind whipped around him, and his escape was almost within reach if Bakugo continued to remain absent from the fight. But just as freedom seemed imminent, the sharp crack of a gunshot echoed through the air.

Pain exploded in his wrist. His fingers spasmed, instinctively loosening their grip, and the cage jerked violently in his hold. His heart dropped, but he was fast—switching hands in a fluid motion, barely catching the cage in time to stabilize it. He grimaced as he oriented it so that Momo wouldn't get another clean shot. His pulse raced as he repositioned himself, now trying to outpace whatever trap they had set for him.

He was so close. So close to escaping—

And then his sister's voice cut through the tension like a blade.

"Oooh Izuku," she cooed from inside the cage. That sickly sweet tone hit him like a physical blow. His heart sank, his pulse skipping in his chest. He could already feel the cold sweat beginning to bead on his brow. She was pissed, and that never ended well for him. He had no time to react before he saw her face twist into a twisted, feral grin, her disheveled hair clinging to her forehead as veins pulsed with barely contained rage.

She was ready to snap.

Izuku swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice steady. "Sis, I can—"

But before he could finish, her foot came crashing down onto his fingers.

CRUNCH.

"Aah—!!" Izuku's body jerked, pain shooting through his hand and up his arm. Normally, this wouldn't hurt him, but considering his sister's ability to enhance her strength, this was no surprise. The sheer force of her stomp made his entire body tremble as he fought the urge to scream. The pain was blinding, but he gritted his teeth, doing everything he could to hold back.

She leaned in closer, her voice sweet and taunting, the pressure on his fingers intensifying. "Shhh," she whispered, her tone syrupy, like honey and poison. Her eyes gleamed with sadistic satisfaction, watching him struggle beneath her grip.

Izuku tried to shift, tried to hold on, but the pressure was too much. His hand was slipping, his grip failing.

"C'mon, sis, wait—!" His protest was cut off as, with a sickening push, his sister shoved harder. Izuku's fingers were forced off the handhold, and the cage jerked downward. He plummeted, his body flailing in mid-air, the wind rushing past him as he fell.

Izuku hit the dirt hard, pain flaring through his back as he clutched it with a groan. "Ooh, my back!."

He barely had time to blink before a golden laser seared past his face. His head snapped up—Aoyama was hammering shots down at him, forcing him to stay low. Momo followed up with a concussive cannon blast, booming against the ground near him, sending up a cloud of dirt and fire.

He moved on instinct—only to find himself caged in.

Sero's tape wove through the clearing, reinforced with Mineta's sticky orbs, boxing him in. The treetops were tangled up too, sealing off any chance of escape. Izuku breifly wonderd how'd they set up so fast but didnt wonder long. They were rushing him now.

Kirishima, Ojiro, and Sato crashed in from three sides, fists and feet already flying. Izuku ducked, barely avoiding Sato's hammer fist—but Kirishima was right there, his hardened form slamming into Izuku like a runaway train. Ojiro's tail snapped out next, aiming to sweep his legs, but Izuku twisted at the last second, stumbling back—

Right into Todoroki's ice.

A wave of frost roared toward him, aiming to freeze him solid—except Bakugo didn't wait.

"GET THE HELL OUTTA MY WAY!"

BOOM!

An explosion detonated right in the middle of the melee. The shockwave blasted out, sending Kirishima skidding back, rattling Sato's footing, and forcing Ojiro to abort his next strike. Even Todoroki's ice got partially blown apart before it could fully entomb Izuku.

"Damn it, Bakugo—watch it!" Kirishima barked, barely keeping himself from getting tossed into a tree.

"THEN DON'T STAND WHERE I'M FREAKIN' AIMIN'!" Bakugo shot back before launching another massive blast down at Izuku.

Izuku twisted away—only to feel the bite of ice creep up his leg as Todoroki adjusted his aim. He slammed his foot down, breaking the forming frost, but the moment's hesitation cost him—

Iida rocketed in at full speed, knee raised.

At the last second, Izuku ducked—only for Iida's kick to slam into Sato instead.

"Ghk—!?" Sato barely managed to absorb the hit with his enhanced strength, but even he got knocked back a few steps.

"Sato are you okay!?" Iida asked over his engines hissing.

Meanwhile, Todoroki swept his arm out again, sending another layer of ice tearing across the battlefield—except this time, it nearly caught Kirishima and Ojiro too.

"Oi, watch the frost!" Kirishima yelped, jumping back before his feet got frozen solid.

"I'm cutting off his movement," Todoroki stated evenly, already lining up another wave.

"Yeah? Well, cut it off without nearly freezing ME, dammit!" Kirishima shot back.

The battlefield was pure mayhem.

Every time Izuku dodged, someone else got caught in the crossfire. Bakugo's explosions rattled everyone, Todoroki's ice was just as much of a hazard to his own teammates, and Iida's blinding speed made him hard to track—not just for Izuku, but for everyone trying to fight around him.

Izuku made sure to capitalize on it.

He slipped past Kirishima's next charge, letting Bakugo's explosion hit the redhead instead. He baited another shot from Momo's rifle, only to sidestep, making the shot land dangerously close to Sero's tapes—one wrong hit, and their makeshift cage could start unraveling.

For a second, he almost laughed.

They had him surrounded, outnumbered, and cornered—and yet, they were getting in each other's way just as much as they were pressing him.

'Too many big personalities. Too many attacks flying at once. And not enough experience,' This was what Izukuu initially expected would happen but without them coordinating enough to box him in before their teamwork began failing.

Before, it seemed like he would have need to escalate if wanted to keep the test going but he played it right. Maybe he could turn this entire thing on its head without brute forcing it.

"Everyone, pull back!" Momo's voice rang out, clear and decisive over the battlefeild causing his attackers to halt. Izuku also stopped so the fight wouldn't resume and so he could take even a few more second to rest his damaged body. For a split second, he thought that he'd somehow begun forcing them to rethink their attack. But then she said it. "Iida, go all out!"

Izuku heart stopped.

The others moved immediately, peeling away from the assault, even Bakugo hesitating for half a second before launching himself back. Izuku barely had time to register the shift before he saw it—

Iida, standing alone.

Engines roaring.

Steam hissing from his calves.

No.

No, no, no!

Izuku bolted, every muscle screaming at him to move before it was too late. He had to stop Iida before—

"RECIPRO BURST!"

______________________________________________

A/N: Guess who's back? That's right—me! No more month-long waits between updates; we're finally getting some solid plot progress.

Now, for my excuse for disappearing… ahem I got a job. That's it. That's the excuse. Capitalism demanded my soul, and I foolishly handed it over.

Thankfully, my writing skills haven't rusted (too much), so I can still deliver some decent storytelling.

Massive shoutout to Genskot and everyone else who's been tossing stones my way! But especially you, Genskot. Man, I can't even tell you how much it surprised—and honestly, humbled me—to see that despite my disapearing act (not even the first time), you were still dropping stones every single week I was gone. That kind of loyalty is insane, and I seriously appreciate it. If I wasn't already determined to finish this fic no matter how long it takes, knowing that even just one person is still this invested would be enough to keep me writing.

So, yeah. You, my friend, are a legend. 🙌

Next chapter is soon. Fr this time i swear!