Satoshi

"They wouldn't have been able to escape if you hadn't turned to such desperate measures! And now there's this big hole in the wall," the idiot yelled at me, pointing out the obvious in an offended manner. I smirked.

"That explosion is what will guarantee our win...idiot," I added for good measure.

The idiot opened his mouth to speak, probably preparing to retort, but was soon cut short by a loud cackle. Spinning around, there stood Ponytail, grinning triumphantly at the bomb that had begun to count down. The red numbers blinked in my face and were soon brought out of reach as an ice pillar lifted it off the ground.

"Good job, Yumi!" Ponytail congratulated, giving the smaller girl a pat on the back. "I didn't know you had such quick reflexes. I was certain we were going to die. That was one large explosion."

Yumi winced, struggling to nod her head in acknowledgement. "Yeah, thanks, though I was really only guessing..." she murmured. Ponytail raised her eyebrows, curious as to what her friend's words meant. As if she knew what Ponytail was thinking, Yumi carried on.

"When I was training, I used Dad's hero analysis notebooks for reference. I assumed that the fighting styles would be similar from parent to child. And after I saw Satoshi's costume, I figured that since his grenades look identical to his dad's, they should serve the same purpose" Yumi elucidated. "But now I feel kind of stiff..."

"What?" the idiot raised his eyebrows, thoroughly confused by the situation. "I thought you said your explosion would guarantee our win" he jeered, turning sharply to face me, Yumi's whole monologue flying right over his head.

"Did you not hear her-"

"I did. But regardless of what she said, your explosion didn't work. So I guess it's obvious that you overestimated yourself...idiot" the idiot told me.

I looked at him, my face scrunched up with anger as I wondered if his peanut-sized brain could get any smaller.

"My Quirk was supposed to slow down their movements. That's what my explosions do - they slow down a person. Usually it's over a period of time, but since these explosions" - I gestured towards another grenade attached to my belt - "are a lot more powerful, it was supposed to be able to slow them down almost completely" I whispered to him, careful to not allow the two girls to eavesdrop on our conversation.

"...You should've told me earlier..." he grumbled under his breath. I was about to retort by saying he hadn't told me anything about his quirk either, when Ponytail butted into our conversation, although her words clearly suggested that she had little idea of what we were conversing about.

"Let's just agree that Yumi was able to see you grab at your little grenade, and was quick enough to use her quirk to get us further away...but you didn't have to kick my back you know..." Ponytail mumbled, giving her friend an elongated glance, accompanied by an unflattering pout.

"I'm sorry, but I had to get you as far away as possible from the explosion. You're the one with the bomb after all. And thank goodness I did, otherwise Satoshi's quirk might've hurt you, and then we both would've been out of commission."

"Sorry to spoil the moment, kiddos, but there's still time left. The bomb's countdown may have started, but that's not to say the heroes don't have time to disable it." Lemillion's voice suddenly echoed through the building.

"Saika!" Yumi's voice rang out as if a thought suddenly occurred to her, tone laced with frustration as an infuriated expression overtook her soft features. Ponytail flinched, clearly not used to her friend having sudden outbursts. "If you hadn't given away our position in the first place, then we could've had a better chance of winning!"

Ponytail grew panicked, but brushed it off with a nervous laugh. "That's not to say we won't win, Yumi. We can still fight!"

"Well, I can't!" Yumi huffed, emitting a soft grunt as she attempted to lift her arm, but my Quirk rendered her useless. "See?! It's like my body's perception of time has changed!"

I smirked, eyeing the two girls triumphantly. I was only brought back to reality when I felt an impact against the back of my head.

The idiot lowered his hand. Eyebrows furrowed, he sneered, glancing upwards at the two girls before redirecting his vexation onto me. "Instead of bragging about your Quirk, why don't you actually do something about the bomb? Like, I don't know, disable it, perhaps?"

My body grew stiff, peach-coloured brows twitching irritably as the idiot continued to glower at me condescendingly. "I'm sorry my Quirk outshines yours in every possible way, but don't you think you could make yourself useful by assisting with defusing the bomb too? I don't recall you being the one that hit them with his Quirk. No, that was all me!"

The idiot seethed, trying his best to uphold his mysterious aura. Fists clenching, the idiot sucked in a deep breath, on the brink of exploding. "What? Scared people will find out your Quirk is nowhere near as flashy as mine? What can your water do? Ruin someone's clothing?"

"You are the most facetious person I have ever met." The idiot huffed, green hues narrowing with disgust. "Can't you go one minute of your life without insulting every person you meet? You somehow find a way to make a huge deal out of the most trivial things! For once can you just take something seriously and actually help your teammate?"

In a flash the idiot's apathetic expression changed to one of pure anger. Brown bangs curtained his orbs that glinted with fury. I didn't think he had it in him to raise his voice or make a remark that was anything but a sarcastic one. But seeing his anger-ridden expression only ignited a flame inside myself that would be difficult to extinguish.

"I insult you because you're a burden! It would have been an easy victory if I came in here on my own rather than have you waltzing in behind me. You're a pathetic excuse for a teammate, that's why I insult you. If you had done something, I would've held my tongue. But you didn't. You've proven yourself to be nothing more than a liability!"

Once again, our argument was suddenly brought to an end by a loud bang. We craned our necks to spot the cause and saw Ponytail pulling Yumi along with her, the smaller girl's body being recklessly dragged across the cold stone floor, much to her unmistakable indignation.

Without so much as a second glance, explosions formed in my palms, launching me into the air and leaving that irritable idiot with a face-full of smoke.

"You idiot! You just blasted me!" He hollered, his irksome voice rebounding off the stone walls on either side.

I gave him a brief answer, not bothering to waste anymore time engaging in a pointless argument. "It'll take more than that to affect you," I yelled back, turning around a corner. The idiot cursed under his breath as he followed me.

Two smaller figures became visible down the hall as I began to catch up to them, the idiot following close behind, still cursing.

***

Yumi

Saika was beginning to get breathless, lugging me behind her, continuously yanking on my arm.

"Just a couple more minutes left..." she mumbled. We heard an explosion behind us as the last few words left her lips, and Saika snapped her head back to see what the commotion was. Satoshi was approaching us at a rapid speed, Kousuke not far behind as he glided on the water beneath his feet.

"Yumi," Saika began nervously, the pitch of her voice rising as she stretched out each syllable in my name. Her grip grew tighter, heterochromatic hues darting from one male to the other. "Now would be a great time for you to get up and run! Please?" Her voice grew desperate as the boys' figures grew nearer. The panic rising within Saika caused her confident smirk to falter and grip on my arm to loosen.

"I'm trying! I can't move! Well, I can, but..." I trailed off, watching as my attempt to raise my arm resulted in it looking as though I was mimicking a sloth. With the limited knowledge of Satoshi's Quirk I had, I could only assume that it involved time manipulation, or something along the lines of altering a person's movements.

Saika parted her lips to urge me to move, but she was cut off by a jet of water hitting her square in the face. Saika coughed violently, furiously wiping at her drenched face as she tried to wrap her head around what just happened. "That's it?" Saika laughed, wiping away the excess droplets dripping from her forehead. "That's all you've got? You're basically a human water gun."

I watched Saika nervously as she taunted Kousuke, who was clearly growing more agitated with each snide remark Saika made. "Saika, maybe you shouldn't–" I tried to warn, but was immediately cut off with a jet of water to the face. I coughed as water filled my lungs, attempting to wipe at my face like Saika did, but found such a feat impossible as my arms, once again, rose at an impeccably slow speed. I groaned in frustration, shooting a glare in Kousuke's direction. "I was defending you! Why'd you do that?"

"Because we're not on the same team," was his curt reply, his aquamarine hues focused on the floor as he reverted back to his usual bored self, his face no longer displaying any trace of anger or irritation. I huffed, trying and failing to cross my arms.

Turning my attention back towards Saika, I yelled at her to create an ice-wall between us and our pursuers. Without a moment's hesitation, she spun around, almost making me collide with the wall as her foot stomped down on the floor below.

Saika clapped her hands together, a smirk signifying her satisfaction with her creation. She walked towards me, planning on once again hauling me behind her so we could reach the exit in one piece. But the triumphant moment soon came to an end when a loud explosion sounded, blasting a hole in the ice wall and sending ice shards flying across the corridor.

Satoshi leapt through the hole, lips curling into a devilish grin as he scoffed at Saika. "If you think that a wall of ice can stop my explosions, then you're sadly mistaken," he said, clenching his fist. "It's just frozen water. How strong can it be?"

"Don't underestimate the power of ice!" Saika hissed, taking offense to Satoshi's claim of ice being weak

Satoshi rolled his eyes, paying little heed to Saika's frustration as he continued his pursuit.

"Tch, guess we got no other choice!" Saika mumbled, spinning 'round on her heel as she dashed down the corridor with me in tow. I watched as the two boys were getting closer, the gap between the two teams decreasing with every second that ticked by.

Panicked, I peered upwards at Saika. Beads of sweat were trickling down her forehead, and although her speech was inaudible, her mouth was ever-moving. Then, I realised what she was mouthing.

As if Kousuke had come to the same realisation that I had a few moments ago, he stopped dead in his tracks. He was frozen, face contorting into a face of desperation as he began running back towards the ice-pillar. Satoshi slowed down his pace, sharply turning around, straining his vision to look out as far as possible in an attempt to descry where his teammate had gone.

"Kousuke!" He hollered, seething. "You idiot, where are you going?!"

Without so much as a glance back, Kousuke ran, ignoring the angry shouts of his teammate behind him, the words echoing off the walls until they evaporated into nothingness.

Satoshi cursed loudly, shattering the tranquil silence as the boy, fuming with rage, redirected his intense gaze back and forth between us and Kousuke, who was all but a small dot of colour against the dull, grey walls of the building.

Saika's lips curled into a smile at Satoshi's exasperation, as if an invisible force was pulling them upwards. "Aren't you forgetting something?" she smirked, arching an eyebrow up in pure condescension.

Satoshi's eyes widened, Saika's words registering and suddenly bringing forth a thought that even I had forgotten. Saluting with a look of smugness, Saika grabbed my arm and began dragging me towards the door, both of us watching as Satoshi sprinted down into the darkness of the hallway. One, two, three - he was gone.

Saika laughed, throwing her head back as she cackled wickedly. Give her a long, hooked nose, green skin, plus the proper attire and boom! You've got a stereotypical witch right there.

"Congrats, you played the role of the villain very well...maybe a little too well," I added, rolling my eyes as the brightness of daylight lit up our faces.

"Thank you, thank you," Saika beamed, the meaning of my comment flying right over her head. I gave out an elongated sigh as I flopped to the floor, glancing back at the tall building we had just come out of, pondering over what was transpiring inside its walls.

***

Satoshi

I wiped away the sweat that was forming on my forehead, mentally scolding myself for being so caught up in the conflict that I had left the bomb unattended. At the ice-pillar, there was the idiot, running around its base in circles like a headless chicken.

I groaned in annoyance as I grabbed his shoulders roughly, shaking him before smacking him hard down on his head. Finally, he snapped out of his little tantrum and raised his index finger, pointing at the top of the ice-pillar, mouth agape.

I rolled my eyes, shoving him to the side as I blasted my way to the top of Ponytail's stupid ice-pillar.

"Oi! What was that for?!" Kousuke chided, trying to propel himself upwards with his water, but always ending up short. Sighing, I grasped his arm on his next attempt and heaved him onto the pillar with me. I snatched the bomb and turned it around, trying to find a button that could deactivate it, the red numbers of the timer blazing in our faces. A mere ten seconds remained.

"Deactivate it!" The idiot roared, as if that wasn't already obvious. I noticed the angry twitches forming around the corners of his eyes, becoming more and more evident. Whatever.

"I know!" I screeched, fingers furiously brushing up against the surface of the bomb. I scrutinised the object in my hand, the last second on the timer disappearing from the screen.

The bomb exploded, showering us with confetti. We were anything but happy.

"Nice job," Kousuke sneered, chucking the empty shell of what was once the bomb down to the ground beneath us. It hit the floor with a loud thud, the noise resounding throughout the silent building. "Why didn't you use your quirk and destroy the pillar? Or before ogling at Saika and the other girl, maybe come and help your teammate instead of wasting your time!" The idiot hissed.

"First of all, destroying the pillar would've taken more time, and the bomb might've been blown further away from us, you dimwitted imbecile. And secondly, I wasted more time helping your sorry ass onto the pillar than anything else I've done today. Besides, maybe instead of acting stupid, you could've tried to get the bomb!"

"You don't think I tried?"

I raised my eyebrows, giving him a look that clearly stated, 'no'. The thought that this simpleton could be capable of forming a coherent thought was so amusing to me that I might've burst out laughing, if it hadn't been for my rising anger.

"Of course I did you fool!" Kousuke hollered. "I was the only one who had the brains to remember the bomb and its importance to this training exercise! You were so caught up in proving you're stronger than everyone else that you forgot the most important detail, you insolent brat!"

"Please. You know, you could've told me why you were running, then maybe your weakling ass would've been the slightest bit useful, you absolute idiot."

The idiot scoffed, and at long last he shut his mouth. Forcefully, I pushed past him, the fury in the pit of my stomach churning.

I could hear shuffling behind me as the idiot trailed after, muttering garbled words under his breath. Perhaps he was contrite over his injudicious actions. No, the thought was ridiculous. The idiot's ego was too large for him to admit his mistakes.

Grumbling in annoyance, I swung the door open and stormed out, red in the face from rage. My palms were sweaty as I clenched them tightly, tiny rocks beneath my feet vibrating from the force I was using as I stomped around on the gravel, the bright sunlight doing nothing to lift my spirits.

A little further down the path, Ponytail was clapping, smiling in a nauseating way. "Good game, you guys did amazing," she said, her voice laced with a sickly sweet tone. Oh great, another wretch added to my list of people I wanted to punch (the idiot currently sitting at the top, good for him). Lovely.

I groaned, dragging out my miserable sigh as I brushed past her and her irritating, stupid face. God, why was everyone so damn annoying?

"Hey...Satoshi," a meek voice croaked out, softly speaking. I whipped my head around to see Yumi, lying flat on the floor, arms spread out as if she were making a snow angel.

"Umm...got a cure for this? I don't wanna be a statue forever..." she murmured, attempting (and failing) to turn her head to look directly at me.

"There isn't a cure. My Quirk's effects should wear off soon. You'll be in this state for a couple more minutes." I eyed her visage, watching with slight amusement as her nose scrunched up in disappointment. "Relax, it's not like I've placed a hex on you. It's my Quirk, not a curse."

"Well it might as well be. I'm practically paralysed! Look at me!" Her finger rose at an incredibly slow pace. It looked as though she was trying to point an accusatory digit towards me, but at this rate I could walk home and back and she'd still be here, trying to raise her finger.

"I see your point. Doesn't mean I can do anything about it." Shrugging, I smiled sympathetically at her.

Sighing, Yumi closed her eyes, sounds I could only describe as suffering noises emitting from her throat through gritted teeth.

"Great," Saika muttered, heaving Yumi up from her position. She mumbled something along the lines of 'thanks a lot for the extra baggage,' to which Yumi replied with a click of her tongue in vexation.

Off to the side, there was the idiot, absently kicking the gravel beneath his feet with his brows drawn. I scoffed, turning on my heel and walking away from the three of them. I wasn't going to wallow in my own self-pity, and would instead focus on Mirio's feedback.

***

Yumi

Luckily for me Satoshi's Quirk's effects had finally worn off, and I was able to trail behind the boys and Saika (much to her relief...how rude). After entering a large room, seventeen heads, most of whom had their eyes glued to a wide screen displaying the events of what had just occurred, swivelled to stare at us in unison, some with amused smiles on their faces, others lacking emotion (I could only assume they were bored of waiting for their turn). Lemillion had the brightest beam of all, stepping forward with one long stride and swinging his arms in a manner similar to Teijo's chopping.

"Amazing! Impeccable! Superb!" He spouted many compliments which Saika seemed to smugly enjoy. Satoshi had his arms crossed, bottom lip puckered out in a pout while Kousuke remained silent, choosing to hide his indignation. He gave Lemillion a wary look, as if he were scared of the words Lemillion may utter, shrouding him in shame.

"Excuse me, sir?" I raised a hand, silencing him before he could continue uttering compliments. Lemillion stood still, nodding his head, beckoning me to continue. "Aren't you going to offer us feedback on our performance?"

"Oh! Right! Yes, your feedback–"

"Sir." Lemillion cut himself off when Fuyune raised her hand, stepping forward with a sharp gaze. "I would like to point out that it would be most effective if you give feedback after everyone has gone through their turn. It's only fair. Don't you believe it would give other teams an advantage if they hear what you believe would have been the best move?" A ghost of a smile was present on her lips when she finished speaking as though she was proud of her argument. Lemillion seemed to wholeheartedly agree with her as he responded with a vigorous nod.

"I was just getting to that, kiddo!" Fuyune immediately took a step back, listening patiently. "I was going to say that your feedback will be presented to you once the class is over, but thank you for noticing the fault in giving advice beforehand."

Fuyune seemed slightly mortified at her sudden suggestion and nodded sheepishly. "I see. I apologise, sir."

Lemillion gave a bright smile in return, Fuyune's embarrassment being completely unnoticed by our teacher. His attention was instead drawn back to the class, eyes seemingly searching for a few people in particular.

"It's your turn kiddos! Just a reminder, but Kimika and Eitaro are the heroes, and Teijo and Anzu are the villains!" Lemillion announced flamboyantly, his gloved finger directed at each person as he called their name out. As Teijo and Anzu were pulled away from the group, Kimika huffed loudly in annoyance, startling the peaceful crowd with her angry emission. She roughly pushed past the classmates in front of her, and made a point to exit in a dramatic fashion. Eitaro shot me and Satoshi a wary look as he followed after her, the pair being shrouded in an awkward silence as they left our sight.

"Well...this match should be fun," a blue-skinned boy smirked as he leaned on the wall, bringing his arms around the back of his head, the screen in front of us flickering as the next match began.

- 

Sorry for the late update everyone! I've been preoccupied with other things and haven't had the time to publish this chapter. Chapter 8 is almost completed though, so expect to see it soon! :D

If you come across any writing errors, let me know so I can correct them, and as always, thank you for reading this chapter, and hope you read the next one! :3