Izuku was the last off the coach, yawning and stretching with a little noise of contentment when his back clicked. He sleepily trudged over to Aizawa, who stared down at him vacantly.

"I take it you slept on the ride here?" The man inquired, although with his bland tone it sounded more like a statement.

"Not going to get much sleep while we're here," he said tiredly in response, offering a drawn smile.

"Almost forgot you were omniscient," Aizawa huffed, glancing down at the boy's tie. "Are you ever going to fix that thing?"

Izuku looked at his chest, lifting up the crumpled red fabric with a curious blink. "I never... I never really got a chance to learn."

"Hm." The teacher surveyed the horizon, shifting his stance and putting his weight on one leg. "When we get a moment, remind me."

"Remind you what?"

Aizawa turned his head with a faintly amused expression. "I thought you were smart, kid. Remind me to teach you how to tie a tie. I think it's a waste of time, but some idiots will take you more seriously if you don't have that mess wrapped around your throat."

"It's not that bad," Izuku muttered with a subtle pout, smoothing down the rumpled folds of his tie.

"Yes, it is," he deadpanned. "Go chat with your classmates. And no using too much of your power."

The boy mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'okay, dad,' before obeying, offering a friendly wave to Kouta, who just sneered and turned his face away. It wasn't long before they were thrown over the cliff in a wave of dirt, and only he was prepared, lighting up his Quirk and leaping up before he could get dragged over. He beamed over his shoulder at his teacher and the Pussycats, then dropped out of sight, landing lightly next to his friends, who stared at him with something akin to confusion.

When the first beast arose from the soil, it caused a panic, but was quickly dealt with. Many more creatures in the image of the supernatural were formed from earth and stone, feeling no pain and focusing only on attacking the students. Somewhere near the midway point, when everyone was starting to show signs of exhaustion, Izuku had an epiphany that made him grin with mischief. He hopped over to Tenya, helping him take down a monster to give them an interlude to interact.

"I have an idea that might make this easier for everyone," he said excitedly. "Do you think the class can deal with this without me for a little while?"

Tenya glanced around, surveying the situation before nodding. "Do what you need to, Izuku-kun. We can handle ourselves."

Izuku gave a cheerful thumbs-up, smiling through the dirt and grazes on his face, before firing up his Quirk and launching off a tree. He knew that Ragdoll would likely notice him breaking off from the group at a rapid pace and tell her teammate, and sure enough, moments later the earth writhed beneath him and another beast sprung forth, but he just jumped into the air and leapt on its head, using it to gain height. It didn't take long for him to see the building he was aiming for, and he kept up the pace with 5% of his power, completing some impressive feats of athleticism as he rocketed through the forest with the finesse of a gymnast.

He burst into the clearing, stumbling a few paces as he slowed down on the even terrain. Izuku raised his head, seeing his teacher and the two Pussycats waiting for him on the front steps, staring with mingled amazement and confusion. As much as he wanted to put his plan into action straight away, using so little of his power and doing so much sprinting had worn him out, so he spent a few moments just wheezing for breath, trudging around in messy circles to stop his legs from seizing up.

"You have impressive speed, little one, but teamwork is important. You shouldn't have just left your classmates to fight alone," Mandalay scolded him lightly.

"Unless," he gasped out, standing up straighter with a sly smile. "You have a better plan." He swiped a glove across his forehead to clear some sweat, turning his burning gaze on his teacher. "Sometimes, heroes need to retreat and fetch back-up if the situation calls for it. Aizawa-sensei, can you use your Quirk on Pixie-Bob-san?"

Aizawa suddenly tucked his head lower into his capture gear until the bottom half of his face was concealed, but the corners of his eyes crinkled and gave away the fact that he was actually smiling. Izuku almost passed out from shock – or maybe it was the exhaustion – and found himself grinning dazedly back at him.

"Is... is that allowed?" Mandalay glanced between the other adults, who seemed just as perplexed.

"He made a valid point, and his plan is effective," Aizawa pointed out with a shrug, tugging a strip of his weapon loose as he activated his Quirk on the young woman, loosely wrapping up her torso in a gentle imitation of an actual fight.

Pixie-Bob blinked in confusion for a moment before breaking into a tiny, astounded smile. "Okay, you win. You're smart for such a little one. Do you want to come inside while we wait for your friends to arrive?"

He shook his head. "No, thank you. I'll go back and help them get here if they're too tired to walk."

Izuku turned around and flung himself back into the forest, swinging off branches to propel himself forwards until he found his classmates once more. Most of them were standing around piles of unmoving dirt, staring at it suspiciously, as if they were expecting it to leap back up at them at any moment. Tenya and a few others joined the group, and the class rep looked curiously at his friend.

"I take it your plan worked, Izuku-kun?" He commented, causing several heads to turn to stare at their classmate. "Might I ask what it was you did?"

"I went to Aizawa-sensei and got him to use his Quirk on Pixie-Bob," he said with short laugh. "They agreed that it was allowed, even if it was a unique way of tackling the problem."

"I'd never have even thought of that!" Uraraka exclaimed with a bubbly laugh, looking in awe at her friend.

"Does that mean we can go and have lunch now?" Ashido said hopefully, rubbing at one of her pale yellow horns to wipe off some dirt.

Izuku nodded with a grin. "Yeah, we're free to go. Does anyone need – or, um, want – to be carried back?"

Jirou rapped her knuckles against the side of Kaminari's head. "This idiot fried his brain. Mind taking him?"

The boy withheld a snicker at his classmate's vacantly content face, walking over and easily picking him up, bridal style. "I can probably take one more person if they're okay with a piggyback."

Shouto glanced sideways at Yaoyorozu, who had her arm wrapped around her abdomen. "I think Yaoyorozu should."

"No, no - I'm alright!" She insisted weakly, but her stomach grumbled loudly, completely contradicting her.

"Shouto-kun is correct," Tenya stated with an authoritative chop. "You've used up the most energy due to fighting and utilising your Quirk. It would be bad for you to collapse from exhaustion on the way back."

"Well... If you're sure it's okay, Midoriya-kun," she said uncertainly, stepping over to him.

"It's fine!" He insisted. "You'll have to hold on yourself, though, since, uh... Yeah. Sorry."

She hesitated for a moment before settling herself on his back, legs wrapped tightly around his torso and arms loosely around his neck. He didn't even falter under the added weight, merely flaring up green and starting to hop over gnarled roots as if he didn't have two extra people burdening him. It wasn't long before the rest of the class were following in his footsteps, energy renewed at the thought of food.

Izuku greeted Kouta pleasantly, even though he knew of the pain it would bring to his crotch when the kid punched him right where it hurt. Tenya was as great a friend as ever, rushing over to catch him when he collapsed and verbally attempting to defend his honour.

Everyone was overjoyed by the bountiful food, wolfing it down like they'd never eaten anything before in their lives. It was a miracle that Kirishima and Kaminari didn't choke and die with the rate they shovelled rice into their mouths, not even taking a second to breathe.

Since it was only mid afternoon, they sparred after their meal. A few students complained but were quickly shut down by Aizawa's death glare. Izuku was content to fight against anyone, usually winning rapidly due to his understanding of their Quirks and techniques, even if the battle seemed entirely against him.

"Midoriya, how are you so good at this? It's not fair!" Ashida whined after being immobilised for the third time in a row.

"Aren't you even tired?" Kaminari added, sitting slumped over in the grass as he observed his friend get beaten into the ground.

"I've just had lots of practice, I guess." Izuku shrugged sheepishly, folding his arms behind his head to loosen up the muscles a little more.

"Oh, how about you go against Bakugou or Todoroki? I bet they could hold their own against you!" Kirishima butted in, turning his hardened head away from an explosion from his friend.

Shouto glanced over from where he was thawing out Hagakure. "I couldn't beat Izuku."

"Why, you too scared?" Kacchan taunted with a rough laugh, punching a fist into his palm as he glared over at his rival. "I could beat you any day, Deku."

Aizawa raised his head from where he was dozing against a tree trunk. "No using Quirks. If you cause any extreme damage, you'll be the ones to clear it away."

Izuku squinted suspiciously over at his teacher, internally questioning why he added that sudden rule when Kacchan had been blasting away at anything he could reach for the past few hours. The man stared right back at him blankly, his arms crossed as if he dared the kid to say something.

"Fine," Kacchan snarled, stepping in front of his rival as everyone else paused to gather around. "Let's do this, Deku."

He rushed forwards, reaching out with a right arm that was clearly going to be a feint due to the way he'd angled his body. Izuku stayed still, green eyes observant as he scanned over his friend, seeking out all the possible weaknesses and running through the moves he'd likely pull. Kacchan twisted his torso and withdrew his hand at the last second, bringing up a sweeping palm with the intention of hitting the other boy in the face.

Izuku suddenly dropped into a crouch, stretching up one arm to grab his opponent's wrist before looping his other hand around Kacchan's ankle, sweeping him off the ground and letting go so he collapsed into the dust on his back. He darted to the other side of their small arena, fueled by the cheers and comments of his friends as they all gushed over his awesome moves. Kacchan wasn't deterred, getting back to his feet with a growl and running once more, hands raised to deliver a volley of quick hits that Izuku was even swifter at countering, catching fists, dodging blows and returning punches whenever there was a window of opportunity.

The two of them moved almost too fast to see clearly, a blur of limbs and bared teeth as the fight devolved into something more desperate and archaic, with foul hits below the belt and violent jabs to the throat. Izuku let his guard slip and gained a bloody nose for his mistake, but he just grinned through it and whipped around with a kick to Kacchan's cheek that was sure to leave a bruise. He followed it up with a fist to his opponent's ribs that knocked him further off balance, before swiping out a leg and tripping him up. Izuku shifted his stance to drive an elbow into his rival's back, forcing him into the grass, then pressed a knee against his spine and wrapped a palm around the back of Kacchan's neck, holding his head in the dirt. The boy squirmed and snapped angrily, almost successfully dislodging the weight, but Aizawa called for the end of the fight.

Izuku sat back on the ground and his friend scrambled into a kneeling position the moment he was free, scowling with mud smeared across his face. They were both silent as they regained their breath and assessed their injuries, none of which were much worse than bruises and scrapes that ached uncomfortably.

"You got me good, Kacchan. I didn't expect that hit at all," Izuku said thickly as he gingerly poked at his nose, spitting out some blood that had trickled into his mouth.

"That was such a manly fight," Kirishima whispered with wide, red eyes.

"It was kind of scary," Sero admitted in a low tone, his smile nervous. "But so impressive, too."

"That fight reminded me of how much I need to improve before I can become a Pro Hero," Tenya stated seriously, hand on his chin as he stared down with a thoughtful expression. "Izuku-kun, would you be willing to tutor me so I can advance my own combat skills?"

"Izuku occasionally teaches Shinsou and myself. You could join us," Shouto offered calmly, glancing at his friend.

"Yes, that would be very helpful." He nodded contemplatively.

"Sparring time is over. Take a bath and then go to bed. It'll be another long day tomorrow," Aizawa said, briefly examining his class before turning to leave. "If any of you are badly injured, go to the Pussycats."

"Night, sensei!" Izuku called lightly, offering a wave at the man's back. "Sleep well!"

He got a faint snort in response.