~*~

Before we start this chapter, I would like to point some things out!

The photo up above is a reference to what your hero outfit would look like. I can't draw for crap, so this is the closest thing I could show you guys. Writing details is my strong suit, but for the people who are better off at looking at it, then here it is. Of course, there will be some differences like a hood and the clock pendant. (The clock pendant is very similar to the cover of this book.)

Yes, there was a reason why the book's cover is.

I mean, if you guys want me to draw the outfit, comment in this chapter to see it. If I get over ten comments saying so, I will put in the work to do so.

But for now, you get a picture that Epic Soldier created.

Now that that's out of the way enjoy the chapter!

~*~

Both All Might and I were standing at the entrance of the locker rooms in Ground Beta- talking casually amongst each other in general conversation. Everyone just entered the locker room, meaning that almost everyone would be out in ten minutes. I was excited yet anxious about the upcoming training. Now that there was an even number of students participating, it was easier to place them into groups.

Knowing that it was best to discuss it now, I changed the subject.

"Not to dampen the mood, but do you think that you can handle staying in that form for the whole class period?" He rose an eyebrow at me before sighing.

"Honestly, I'm not sure."

"I'm glad that you are honest with me," I smiled, patting his arm in an attempt to cheer him up, "How about this- I'll let you know when time is running out. Then, if you are a minute away to detransform, I'll stop time around us so you can safely do that."

"Really? You would do that?"

"Of course, I would!" I retreated my hand, dropping it on my side, "It is obvious that you aren't comfortable having people see that side of you. Until you are ready for that, I'll help you keep up the secret. This goes for the future as well, and I'll jump in whenever you need it."

"You are a true hero, Young (L/N)." All Might laughed, seeing him look a little bit more confident than before, "It puts my mind at ease that someone else is looking out for me."

"Nah," I shook my head, now looking at the large entrance, "I'm not a hero at all, just an ordinary school girl that wants to believe that she can be. Besides, you have Zuku that looks up to you and cares about you. I trust his instincts, and I know that he would be grateful if I helped you out as well."

"Sounds like you close to Young Midoryia," He hums, crossing his arms around his chest, "He talks very fondly about you, ya know?"

"I hope so," I laugh dryly, "Zuku means so much to me that I wouldn't know what to do without him- including Katsu. They are the only ones that have willingly wanted to be my friend and not leave me. It was like something clicked, and I could never put a finger on it."

"You will figure it out in due time," Just as All Might finished, some of the students walked out, all wearing their unique hero outfits. We both turned our attention to them, looking at how different they looked from earlier. It brought a smile to my face, already picturing them as professional heroes in three years.

"They say the clothes make the man, young men, and ladies. So be fully aware because from now on, you are heroes!"

"Man, they look so cool!" I mumbled out loud, trying to hold my shock.

"Indeed they do!" Feeling a large hand on top of my head, I closed one eye- almost having my eye poked out by my hood, "Well, it looks like not everyone is out just yet. I'll get everything set up while Young (L/N) waits here for the rest. Once everyone is here, she will show you where to go!"

He showed me the monitor room before we waited at the Ground Beta entrance. Giving me an earpiece so we could talk back and forth when I was not present around him. We both agreed that we should start in that room, so the other students wouldn't be confused about where to go after they were done.

I would also show them which building we were assessing to assist both teams before the combat training began. For the villain team, I would show them where the fake bomb was and help out with the layout of the building. And for the hero team, I would give each group a map of the place to help them out; the only thing that will aid them.

However, it wasn't part of his plan to leave me so soon. But I nodded, understanding his reasonings before he quickly left- leaving me in charge.

"We will wait five more minutes for the rest of the class to join! If they are not out by then, they are going to have to figure out their way to the monitor room!" I shouted out, gaining the attention of my classmates, "Until then, talk amongst each other! Time starts now!" Looking down at my watch, I switch the setting for a countdown- putting in five minutes before lowering my arm down at my side.

"Where were you?!" I jumped, letting out a tiny squeak. It took me a second to realize who it was as red eyes stared down at me. My heart sped up, primarily due to my minor heart attack not too long ago.

"I've been around, just not in class,"

"No shit, Sherlock. I know that much," His hands went to grip both of my wrists, yanking me closer to him, "Were you skipping class because of our argument earlier?" I was taken aback, my mind going blank for a second.

"Um, no?" Shaking my head, my eyes looked away- trying not to look directly into Katsu's eyes, "I was in Principal Nezu's office before spending the rest of the day in the Development Studio." With that, his grip tightened as if to say to look back at him. He was probably trying to see if I was lying to him once more. However, I didn't budge, still looking away from him.

"Oi, look at me..." This time around, his voice was soft- no roughness to it whatsoever. He was begging me to keep eye contact with him. I faltered, my eyes shifting over to his. A greenish glow lit up his face, casting shadows, making him look more mature than he is.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"No," Katsu shook his head, "I should be the one saying that. It was because of me that we got into an argument earlier. You did nothing wrong, and I took it out on you. So when I didn't see you sitting at your desk and not at lunch, I thought you went home or tried to avoid me. Then when I saw you walk in the classroom earlier, I was relieved that you didn't."

"Are you apologizing?" I raised my eyebrow, trying to soak in all the information coming from his mouth, "Or are you confessing something?"

"Shut up!" He snapped but then forced himself to hold back, "Don't say things like that. All I was trying to say is that you were right."

"So both?" Feeling the force absent from my wrist, Katsu took a step back, "Sorry! Continue what you were saying." I couldn't help but giggle at his reaction.

"Nope, the moment was ruined." He looked at me irritated before turning around and walking away from me.

"That was a moment?!" Katsu didn't reply; instead, he held up his middle finger, "Fuck you too then!" I laughed again, shaking my head before looking at the rest of my classmates.

Doing a mental count of the students, it looks like we are all here. I sighed, knowing that it would be a long day ahead of me. The rest of my classmates don't know it yet, but they will soon find out in the next couple of minutes. I hope that everything will go smoothly, so I don't interfere with their training.

Several beeping noises pulled me away from my thoughts as I looked down at my watch. Then, finally, the number 00:00 flashed at me, telling me that time was up. I pressed the button before looking up at everyone.

"Alright, everyone!" Heads turned in my direction, giving me their full attention, "Five minutes is up, so follow me to the monitor room!" Then, turning my heel, I started walking away.

I didn't have to turn around to know that everyone was following me- hearing their feet hitting the concrete below. Then, however, I heard one that was faster than the others, so I just assumed that they were catching up. But it got louder and louder until it came up behind me.

"(Y/N)!" I knew that voice from anywhere, but I didn't stop walking, "Seriously, slow down!" Complying with the said person, my pace slowed down, making it easier to catch up.

"You know, you didn't have to run from the back of the group," The green-haired boy chucked at my comment, now walking beside me.

"I haven't seen you all day, so I wanted to talk to you," Zuku nudged me with his elbow before continuing, "So, what did you do today?"

"Do you want it from the beginning or from when I arrived at school?"

"Whichever you want!" I could tell he was smiling as I kept my eyes forward, "Everyone thought that you went home sick or something. But obviously, you didn't."

"Nah, but a part of me wish I did," I sighed before telling Zuku what I just said to Katsu.

"Is it because of the retake test?"

"Yeah. I can't go to any academic classes until then."

"That sucks," He pondered for a second, trying to think of something, "Well, if you need to, I can give you my notes to copy?"

"Really?!" I turned my head in his direction, finally seeing Zuku in his hero costume, "That would be great! Thank you so much, Zuku!" Giving him a quick side hug, we kept walking.

The walk to the monitor room from where the entrance was only a five-minute walk- passing by the area where we had our entrance exam. But that isn't what I was looking at. Instead, my attention was entirely on Izuku, who looked weird in his hero suit.

Maybe it was because I couldn't see his green-curly hair or the freckles that covered his cheeks. Instead, a greenish mask covered everything, showing something inspired by All Might- seeing his bunny-like ears. Not to mention the mask that covered his mouth for decoration.

Despite that, he looked very good with the fabric clinging onto him. It showed off his hard work for the past year of training, showing off every curve of his muscles in the material. It was more apparent in the arms and legs since the fabric clung to him.

Okay, that is enough gawking (Y/N). Get your shit together!

Not too soon after that, we all arrived at the monitor room- the room only being lit up by the screens. All Might was in the center of everything, whose back was towards us. I motioned everyone to stop while I walked over towards him.

"We are all here!"

"Thank you," He turned around, a binder laying open in his hands, "Alright, why don't you grab what is needed for the training while I tell the rest of the students what is going to go on?" I nodded and did just that.

While I got all the maps and capture tape altogether, I could hear what All Might was saying through my earpiece.

There will be ten groups, two students in each one to go against each other. One team would be assigned as either a villain or a hero for each match. Five matches will be held to see which group would win. You will either have to capture the opposing team with capture tape or recover the fake bomb to win. The Battle Trial will be helping out us students in the future when the villains are hiding inside the building since, statistically speaking, most run-ins happen.

All Might said the same thing to me to the rest of the class about explaining the exercise.

The groups go like this:

Team A: Izuku Midoriya and Ochaco Uraraka

Team B: Shoto Todoroki and Mezo Shoji

Team C: Momo Yaoyorozu and Minoru Mineta

Team D: Katsuki Bakugo and Tenya Ida

Team E: Yuga Aoyama and Mina Ashido

Team F: Rikido Sato and Kohi Koda

Team G: Denki Kaminari and Kyoka Jiro

Team H: Fumikago Tokoyami and Tsuyu Asui

Team I: Mashirao Ohiro and Toru Kagakure

Team J: Eijiro Kirishima and Hanta Sero

As I was about to walk back to the group, I heard paper shuffling. Knowing All Might, he draws them to see which group is going against who.

This will be interesting.

"The first teams to fight will be these guys! Team A will be the heroes, and Team D will be the villains. After that, everyone else will stay in the monitor room while Young (L/N) leads the teams to their designated area!"

I glitched, probably due to the shock of who would be battling each other, making me drop all the supplies in my hands. A loud thud of papers dropping on the ground made everyone look towards me. I cursed under my breath as I kneeled to pick up everything.

Zuku and Katsu are battling against each other? This will only end in disaster, and for sure, someone will be getting hurt.

As my thoughts kept circling, I didn't see that two other people were helping me. Their hands were put out, holding out the rest of the papers and tape. After that, it wasn't hard to figure out who was helping me. One hand was covered in green with the map paper in hand, indicating it was Zuku. The other was wearing gloves with black and orange in the palms, holding massive gauntlets up his arms holding out the capture tape.

"T-Thank you, guys," Looking up, I smiled, confirming that it was my two best friends helping me out. After that, I took the items into my free hand before we stood up.

"Whatever, Glitchy." Katsu looked away, trying to seem like it wasn't a big deal.

"No problem, (Y/N)!" Of course, Zuku smiled when he said it, seeming like he wasn't bothered with it.

"Alright, let's get this started," I dropped my smile before continuing, "Time Barricade." Everything turned black and white as I tapped Katsu and then Zuku to unfreeze them. They were at least used to my quirk, so they didn't seem confused. However, with the other two students, reactions were different when I did the same with Uraraka and Ida.

"Woah!"

"What happened?"

"It's her quirk, dumbasses!" Katsu automatically responded to them, not giving me time to answer.

"Kacchan, no need to be rude. It's their first time experiencing this."

"Shut it, Deku!"

"Will you guys just shut up?" I sighed before turning around, "Follow me."

And with that, everyone did just that, following me to the battle building. Of course, I was asked questions about how my quirk worked, how it was fantastic having, now, one of my eyes turning red- or downright asking me my weakness.

Zuku nor Katsu said anything, knowing how sensitive I am with that topic. Thus, both of them promise not to tell anyone the non-obvious stuff. Especially Katsu, who agreed right away when I told him about my shortened life expectancy. He did, however, tell them to shut up about the topic.

"We are here!" I turned my back from the building to face my four classmates, "Both sets of teams will be getting an earpiece to talk back and forth amongst your team member and a set of capture tape. First, however, the heroes will be handed a building map to help them. While the villains will already be in the building." I handed each item to the designated team before continuing.

"Each team will get five minutes to discuss strategy. Make sure you act your part as either a villain or hero. If things go too far, I will interfere and warn you. You will only get one, so if you decide to do it again, the training will stop, and your team will lose. I will first show the villain team around the building before getting them to the fake bomb." Focusing on my quirk, I paused Zuku and Uraraka as my eyes looked at them.

"Woah! Just with a look, they turned gray!" I ignored Ida's comment as I set up my countdown on my watch to five minutes once more.

"As soon as we head into the building, the time starts. So let us get this done and over with," Opening the door, I walked in, not waiting for the two male students.

In this building, there are five floors- each one being a maze to get to each staircase. On the highest floor, the fifth is where the fake bomb was located. It only took two minutes to get there, so that leaves three more minutes for them to discuss a plan.

Surprisingly, no one said anything until we got into the room.

"Are there any questions?"

"No! Thank you for showing us around!"

"Tch! Whatever," Katsu turned his head to the side, not glancing at me, "Just leave already so we can talk strategy."

"Okay, okay," I turned around to walk out of the room, but before I did, I stopped short for a second, "Hey, pretty boy?"

"WHAT?!"

"Just be careful, okay?" Our eyes met, red orbs meeting my (e/c) eyes. At this point, I finally had enough time to look over his hero costume.

Katsu wore a tight black, sleeveless v-neck tank top formed by the orange 'X' across his chest. Around his neck was a rectangular shape metallic neck brace that sat neatly in place. Of course, he wore his regular baggy pants held up by his belt. On his knees were knee guards that sat perfectly above his black and orange knee-high combat boots.

However, that wasn't what caught my eye in the slightest. Instead, it was his substantial grenade-like gauntlets that must have weighed at least 15 pounds. Not to mention, the black mask that covered his eyes had hefty, orange-rimmed flares that stuck out from both sides of his head. That alone showed what his quirk was overall- it looked explosive.

"You don't have to worry about me, Glitchy! I can handle myself and don't need a babysitter!"

"Right~ Anyways, I'm heading downstairs!" I grinned before leaving the room.

After what felt like forever, I finally got out of the building. Of course, it took a little bit longer to get out due to the maze-like structure inside, but I finally escaped! Hopefully, I don't have to go in anytime soon because it would be torture to go through that again.

Looking down at my watch, there were a few more seconds left.

Huh? I guess it didn't take me as long as I thought it would.

After resetting the countdown, I froze everything and tapped Zuku and Uraraka. They both looked around, now noticing the other two boys were gone. It didn't matter to explain since their timer had started going down.

"Here," I gave Zuku the piece of paper from earlier, "Look over the map carefully while discussing the plan. Going into a situation like this one, you will need it."

"Is Bakugo and Ida in the building?" Uraraka asked, still processing what just occurred.

"It means that their five minutes are finished, so it's your turn to get all set up."

"You're right!" The both of them start studying over the map, "Hey, you think that they expect us to memorize this building's floor plan? It's so big!"

"Not really," Turning my head to the side, I looked at the building, "Just remember the bigger parts, and you will do fine."

"If you think it's so simple, why don't you do it? It's not fair that you don't have to participate..."

"Life isn't fair. Get used to it." My eyes land on the brunette, "Besides, it wouldn't be fair for the rest of you guys. By being part of this training, people will presume that they can rely on me. But, unfortunately, you can't depend on someone to save your ass every time you get into a sticky situation. At that point, you will only be able to be a sidekick and nothing else."

"(Y/N)..."

"Show some respect for your classmates! Thinking that all of us are just some sidekicks makes me think you are a spoiled brat. Don't let mommy and daddy's words get to your head that your quirk makes you superior over the rest of us!"

"Uraraka!"

"You don't know jack shit about me." I growl, trying not to roll my eyes, "Not like that is going to happen since I don't associate with people who don't try to understand my circumstances. I'll start showing respect to you guys when you give me some. So from now on, keep your dirty little nose and ears away from my business. Inform the others that too for all I care." Before anything else was said, I began to walk away to where I would be chilling out.

The spot was settled in the building directly across the street, inside of an artificial building. It resembled a clothing shop, but with no clothes present. Instead, there were racks, creepy manikins enclosing the checkout desk where I placed my tablet. The tablet accessed the cameras from inside and outside of the training buildings.

Sitting down in the chair, I stared at the screen. But, of course, nothing showed up on the cameras. It was still in its frozen state, showing no one was in the building nor around it- just a black and white image showing in the frames.

My brain was buzzing with thoughts as I stared at the tablet- thinking how I could have handled the situation with Uraraka. The what-ifs of my actions made me feel better about it, knowing that if I said anything else could have made it worse.

Loud beeping noises filled the air, making me come short in my thoughts. I'll think of it later when I don't have anything else to deal with.

"Clockwork Resume..." Just saying those words made the color around me rush back in, showing me that time started once more for everybody.

"Is their five minutes up, Young (L/N)?" All Might's words echoed in my ears as I still stared down at the screen.

Now, the cameras were operating as they should be. They were showing off Katsu and Ida in the bomb room in the building while Zuku and Uraraka were outside. Both were gazing around, seeing that the color around them converted back to normal.

"Yes."

"Alright!" All Might's voice ejected around the area from the outdoor speakers, "Let's begin the indoor combat training! Team A and Team D, your time starts now!"

Some time has passed, and it has started to get a little dull- having to remain here to watch the fight between Zuku and Katsu. They have just started fighting against one another, talking more than actual fighting. Though, Zuku catching Katsu's right hook and slamming him onto the ground was impressive.

I couldn't help but smile at this. Zuku was holding up against Katsu even without his borrowed quirk. I guess all those years of analyzing pro heroes and the ones around him did help him after all. But time is running out for the both of them, so they better figure out what to do next.

I looked at the other screen, seeing Ida for the last 10ish minutes. Even though I couldn't see his face, I knew that he was talking to himself due to his mask. It was all in his body language as he made exaggerated hand movements.

"Pff- HAHAHAHA!" I couldn't help but laugh at him when he turned towards the room entrance. Yep, I was right. He was trying to impersonate a villain, and it was going horribly right. It was like he was trying to force out a villainy aura around him.

It looks like I wasn't the only one who laughed as well, though.

Uraraka did as well, giving herself away from being in the same room as him. Careless mistake, but I guess that can't help it either- laughing at his acting skills. One point for Ida, zero points to Uraraka and myself.

"Is everything alright there?"

"Oh yeah!" I giggled in response to All Might, "Just watching Ida's horrible acting skills."

My eyes turned back towards the screen of Zuku, who looked like he was hiding from Katsu. But from the looks of it, Katsu wasn't too far away from him- just around the corner. One wrong move and he will indeed find Zuku.

I kept looking back and forth between the two screens, now realizing that Uraraka and Zuku were communicating through their earpiece. They were probably talking about how Ida found her out.

At this point, Zuku is a couple of floors underneath them with about five minutes remaining. If they don't hurry up soon, the hero team will lose, and the villain team will win.

A flash of red from the screen catches my attention, making me look closer.

Katsu found him.

My stomach drops looking at them, a bad feeling rising into my throat. I drop the tablet onto the table before getting out of my seat- running out the door.

"Young (L/N)! What happened?!"

"Keep an eye out on the screen of Katsu and Zuku!" I yelled, now crossing the street, "I just have a bad feeling about this!"

Those aren't ordinary gauntlets for show; they must help store some of Katsu's sweat in them so he doesn't run out. If they hold some of his nitroglycerin, releasing it would make a massive explosion due to how much was in it. That red flash must have meant that it was loaded and was ready to fire.

That much of that could bring the entire building down if he hits the right pillar.

Glitching through the door, I kept running through the maze. Unfortunately, they were located on the second floor of the building, meaning that I didn't have enough time to run up the stairs. So instead, I must find where the center of the building is and phase through the ceiling.

"Young Bakugo! Don't do it!" I could hear All Might yelling through my earpiece, "You'll kill him!"

"He'll be fine as long as he dodges!" Then, from above me, I could hear Katsu's muffled outcry. That's it! He is right above me!

My feet leave the ground, jumping up against the walls before phasing through the ceiling. I reached my hand up, hoping that I could at least lift his arm upwards so that it wouldn't hit Zuku directly if he fell backward.

I felt my hand touch something hot before most of my body went through.

"Wha?! Why isn't it doing anything?!" Katsu shouted, sounding pissed, "This thing is fucking useless." 

My body was shaking, glitching in and out of focus. One of my legs was still hanging through the floor as I kept my focus entirely on the one on the solid ground. I would surely slip back down on the first level if I didn't.

Green and red streaks of light erupted through the area around me, making me realize that my quirk activated on its own. However, I ignored it as I used my foot on the ground to stand up completely- lifting their arm higher in the air.

"It's because I froze it, dumbass," my voice was loud and clear, puncturing through the now silent room, "This is your first and only warning. Do that again, and this training will be over."

"(Y-Y/N)?" His red eyes were wide, staring at me with utter shock. Of course, I wouldn't blame him since I popped out of nowhere. Man, I wish I could take a picture now, but time is still running out. Also, I left my phone in my backpack, so there were no pictures.

"Come in! (L/N)?!" Sighing, I dropped my hand that was holding Katsu's arm. 

"Everything is under control, All Might." I turned my body away to glance back at Zuku, "I made sure that there were no major injuries amongst the students. Thankfully, I got here in time, or a part of the building would have a gaping hole on the side."

"Well, I guess let the training continue."

"Will do." Looking over to Katsu's other gauntlet, the item turned grey, "So we don't have a repeat of this again, I froze your other one. I'll unfreeze them after your battle is done."

"You can't be serious, Glitchy!"

"Stop your bitching, Bakugo!" I snapped, pointing my finger in his face, "I don't want to hear another word out of you. We are going to have a serious talk after this is done." And with that, I walked out of the building.

Sitting back down at the chair, I sighed. My body was getting over the adrenaline, so now I could feel how much it ached. But, of course, something like that shouldn't have made me feel like this.

Why do I do this to myself? 

I didn't pay much attention to the tablet until I felt the building tremble. The sound of shattered glass and concrete still filled the air, but it didn't bother me. I was so tired that I didn't give two shits anymore than I already did.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me..."

However, I still have a job to do.

"Clockwork Enabled." I got up from my seat with my tablet in hand and walked out the door again, "Time Barricade" As I did, I saw the destruction of what had just happened.

Glass shards from the broken windows glittered the gray sky, creating a pretty-looking design. However, the building structure of concrete walls was cracked with everything else around it getting pushed out of the way, probably due to the strong wind of that attack.

Before I could process everything, I was already in the building- walking up the steps onto the second floor. 

There was no maze when I walked onto the floor. Just an empty floor with Zuku and Katsu standing under a massive hole in the ceiling. One arm pointed upwards while the other person stretched their hand towards the other person.

Shaking my head, I went up to the bomb floor to see whether or not the hero team made it on time or not. Of course, it would be imposing if they ended up winning. However, I was sure that they would lose due to the countdown running down for some time now.

Thankfully, the stairs to the fifth level were still intact, making it very easy for me to get to the correct floor. No added jumping against walls to get to the floor above me anymore. That is all in the past, and I hope I don't have to do that anymore. 

"Holy shit!" I whispered under my breath as I saw the ending results.

Uraraka was hugging the bomb?! Like it was a big teddy bear that she won at the festival! I can't believe it?! The hero team really did win!

"T-Time Discourse," I couldn't help but gawk at the scene before me as I resumed time again.