Chapter 4: First Day Tribulations
"Sit still!"
"We just need…"
"Tilt your head just a little…"
"The skirt's a little short, don't you think?"
"Is it? I've seen shorter—"
"ENOUGH!"
The two Grimmsteeds found themselves repelled by a wave of golden light. Syrro was sent over the couch, while Syrra landed sprawled over the floor. The goddess they were tending to?
"I am going to a place of learning, not a royal court!" Their proclaimed "auntie" was livid. The Radiance was wearing the girl's U.A. uniform; a white shirt with a red tie covered by a gray blazer, and a lower-thigh length green skirt. Further down she had calf-high black socks and black shoes. That was the uniform. Bland by the tastes of Hallownest, but it was acceptable to her. To the two disguised bugs?
"No! You have to look perfect!" Syrro protested, pulling herself up from behind the couch.
"You're a Higher Being! A goddess of light! You need to be resplendent!" Syrra added, sitting up from her spot on the ground.
"The point is to blend in! Not oust myself on the first day!" The goddess growled. And when she looked in the mirror it was clear as to why she was more than a little agitated. A gaudy headdress resembling a moth covered much of the top of her head; the antennae fluttering freely and sparkling in the light. Around her shoulders was a cape-cloak hybrid embroidered with gold-leaf in the pattern of dream catchers, and to top all of it off the two were in the process of trying to give her makeup. All golden, of course. "I am going to wear the bare minimum that is required, and nothing else." She tore the extra bits off, not hard enough to damage them, but enough to show her agitation.
Two pairs of wine and blood red eyes stared at her in something resembling a pout. The fallen goddess could feelher blood pressure rise and power momentarily gathered in her hands. But at the same time… "Maybe, and that is a very stretched maybe, I will incorporate the cape into my Hero Attire." She didn't feel better about the identical grins the two gave her, not in the slightest… "Now, you've taken much of my morning and I'd rather not risk using my powers to travel, so I'll be off now."
As the goddess shut the door behind her Syrra and Syrro grabbed each others' hands and jumped in a circle. "We have the coolest aunt! Even when she's mad at us!~"
The Radiance's… Myla's antennae twitched as a new group of passengers entered the train. Faceless names that weren't of any consequence to her, while being centers of hopes and dreams at the same time. From wanting a cup of 'coffee' to hoping they'd get to work on time, every single human on the train had a small surface level dream. The dominant race in this world may look wildly different from the bugs she was used to, but it seemed that on the inside; the inside that she could see, they weren't all that different. If that was the case then it would be so easy… All she had to do was delve into the minds of these people and feed on their hopes and desires. As far as she was aware, she and Grimm were the only Higher Beings on the entire planet. Nobody would be able to stop her, not really…
And didn't that show just how far she had fallen back then… She was the goddess of Light, and though that meaning may be skewed to some, it meant that she was the goddess of dreams, desires, comfort, prosperity. Her tribe would dream to her, and they were cared for… When exactly had that meaning changed to a blinding light of dominance? Before the Pale Light? Or after? Now that she had the entirety of her mind back she found herself… reminiscing, so to speak. And when she looked back all she got was a blinding wave of hatred. But she was back to her original self, so… why was she consistently having these intrusive thoughts? She didn't want the plague to spring anew, did she?
The train rumbled, knocking the goddess out of her musings. This was another thing that… somewhat interested her? Vaguely she remembered that the Pale Light had devised a method of transportation powered by Soul and without the use of any living being. At the time it was just an annoyance; she could corrupt Stags, she couldn't reliably corrupt a machine… But thinking back on it, and now being on one herself, it was honestly quite fascinating. Humanity wasn't able to use Soul in any meaningful capacity, so how was it powered? By a similar method to the stagless carriages? The train began slowing to a stop and she stood up, but unfortunately she didn't predict the sudden jolt that sent her stumbling forward with an undignified yelp. She barely caught herself before tripping, face burning and head down. There wasn't any laughter that she could hear, but when the doors opened she didn't wait to find out.
She didn't have time to dwell on her… mishap… Because after a short walk she found herself approaching the four towered buildings that made up U.A. High. She passed through the gate and the arches that she had when taking the Entrance Exam, and she noted that there were significantly less people than that day. Then again humans didn't exactly get up very early so maybe that was it? Myla wouldn't dwell on it, understanding humans wasn't her priority here.
The goddess wandered the halls, doing her best to commit them to memory while looking for the "Class 1-A" room. After an embarrassingly long time she found it, stopping momentarily to admire the towering door. Was she going to be sharing a room with a Mantis or a Moth? Those were the only creatures she knew of that reached anything resembling that height. Nothing in her observations of humans denoted they grew this large! Taking a breath Myla slid the door to the side. Instantly she was bombarded by a wave of annoyance and hostility, so much so that it almost activated her fight or flight! It took her less than a second to find the source. It was easy, there was only one other person in here besides her.
Myla found herself in a staring contest with a boy roughly her age. He had ashy blonde hair and bright red eyes that bored into her own. He was wearing the boy's uniform with the first few buttons undone. For a solid half minute cold tangerine met hateful red until the spell over the two of them was broken.
"What the hell are you staring at? Got something to say, extra?" He spat out, glaring at her with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Ah…" She blinked, "Good morning, it's a lovely day outside, isn't it?" The goddess placed a hand over her chest, "My name is Myla Grimm, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" She put on her best interpretation of a smile and took a few steps into the room. Greetings, conversation opener, her name, and a polite finisher. Everything she needed to make a new friend! Or so the guide to human interactions said…
"Who the hell cares— wait, Myla Grimm?" The blonde lost the scowl for a moment and his thoughts shifted… For just a moment before it was replaced by a look of pure rage. "You're the bastard that stole first place from me!" His hands sparked and crackled as he formed small explosions.
Her instincts flared and her eyes took on a hard edge, flashing bright orange. She was being challenged, and her blood demanded she respond. "If you didn't claim the position for yourself, then it's clear that you simply weren't strong enough."
She could almost hear the boy's teeth grinding together as a tick mark formed on his forehead. "The hell did you just say to me?"
The goddess tilted her head up and looked down at the cretin in front of her. "I thought I was being rather clear, do I need to dumb it down even more, you simpleton?" She could feel her power welling within her.
The boy shot to his feet, hands slamming on his desk. "That's it! You—"
"Greetings!" Another voice interrupted. And just like that her anger dissolved, leaving behind shock and disappointment. She had been ready to fight over a petty grievance? She was better than that… Turning to face the newcomer and ignoring that angered "hey!" from behind her, she let a wave of calm wash over herself. The new presence was familiar, had they met before?
The newcomer marched up to her and offered a hand. He was an inch or so taller than her with a wide frame. He had neatly parted dark blue hair and a pointed face. His dark eyes were covered by a pair of square glasses, and he wore a serious yet polite expression on his face. Almost hesitantly she took his hand and found her arm being shaken against her will. Was this how humans greeted each other?
"It's a pleasure to meet you, My name is Tenya Iida from Somei Private Academy!" The boy gave her a polite smile before releasing her arm. Her eyes widened briefly; when he spoke she remembered. He was the one who was sitting next to her at the Practical Exam briefing.
The sudden change from relentless killing intent and hate to calm politeness sent her reeling and it took her a moment to figure out how to respond. Her antennae twitched as she tried out smiling again. "My name is Myla Grimm, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. The weather is lovely today, isn't it?" She decided to try the greeting again, even if the order was skewed slightly.
Iida nodded, humming. "Yes, it is a lovely day today! A good omen for an excellent school year." He nodded at her before walking to the large desk at the front of the room, looking at something before nodding and moving to a desk further back.
The goddess blinked before replicating his actions. There was a piece of paper with squares. Each of them held names and it didn't take her long to find hers. She was right at the front of the room, right in front of… Her antennae drooped and she turned around to find the boy from before; Katsuki Bakugo, glaring right back at her. She double, triple, and quadruple checked the seating arrangements but no matter how much she wished for it, there wasn't a Japanese Wishing god to change the seating arrangement.
She took a look around the room again, finding that more people were trickling in. Notably, there was a girl with dark hair done up in a ponytail and dark gray eyes who was having a polite conversation with Iida. A boy with spiky red hair and oddly sharp teeth was chatting with a girl who had pink skin and horns. Their surface thoughts were all very similar; anxious excitement, all except for one… Well, two, but the walking reincarnation of an angry mantis didn't count. A boy was seated alone in the back of the room, was he already aware of his seat? Or had he found out without her realizing? The boy had two-toned red and white hair and heterochromatic gray and blue eyes. His blue eye, however, was covered by a scar that looked like it had come from a burn of some kind. His surface thoughts were almost entirely indifferent, and if she wanted anything else she would have to delve further. She couldn't do that, not without permission or unless there wasn't another choice. Their eyes met briefly, and it felt like he was almost sizing her up before he looked away. More strange and unique people slowly filled up the classroom, all chatting or finding their own desks. Myla sighed, because she knew she had to face the music sooner or later.
The goddess walked back over to the hateful mantis, causing him to glare even harder. "The hell you want?"
Myla suppressed her instincts, forcing herself to take a calming breath. "To start over would be nice. I believe we," how did the saying go? "Got off on the wrong shoe?"
"Are you crazy? Not a chance in hell! And how do you get that saying wrong?!" Was it wrong?
"Then this will be a very difficult year…" She sighed dejectedly.
"Huh?" He scoffed before his eyes widened when she didn't move. "You can't be serious," he growled.
"I'm afraid I am." She said simply, smoothly sitting down in the seat in front of him. The goddess sighed at the tidal wave of contempt and annoyance rolling off of him. The boy tsk'd as he kicked his feet up on his desk.
Hopefully that was the extent of what she'd deal with today…
It turned out that she was not the only person that Bakugo got into fights with…
"Take your feet off of that desk now!" Bakugo gave a mocking huh and smirked at Iida.
"It's the first day and you're already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property!" the bespeckled boy lectured.
"You're kidding, right? Your old school shove a stick up your ass? Or were you born with it?" Bakugo mocked, dark amusement rolling off of him.
Iida was about to respond but he caught himself. He took a breath and put his hand on his chest. "Let's start over, I'm Tenya Iida from the Somei Private Academy." The attempt was admirable, but if her desire to start over was shot down, then…
"Somei, huh? So you must think you're better than me!" Bakugo leaned forward and gave Iida a dark grin. "I'm gonna have fun tearin' you a new one, ya damn extra!"
Iida recoiled in shock, gasping. "You would threaten me?! Your own classmate? Are you positive that you're in the right place?" Bakugo gave an indignant huff, showing that he was done with the conversation. But at that moment The Radiance's head shot up, distracting the two boys. That presence…
Myla looked towards the door and saw Izuku Midoriya staring nervously at the three of them, or rather nervously at the two boys who were arguing. Said boys followed her gaze until their eyes landed on the green haired boy. Actually, nearly the entire class looked at him. Iida stormed towards him and the two of them got into an animated conversation about the Entrance Exam. But her focus wasn't on that, it was on Bakugo. If she thought that he held anger for her, it didn't even compare to the pure hatred being sent towards Midoriya. The look on his face was downright malicious. It… almost reminded her of herself. And apparently she had stared for too long…
"Why the hell do you keep staring at me?" He growled out.
"You hold a lot of hatred for him, don't you?"
"What's it to you? Ya like sticking your nose in other peoples' business, huh?"
"Just an observation," she neutrally responded before turning towards the trio at the door. No… The quartet? There was a joyful girl that hadn't been there a minute ago, Iida, Midoriya, and… A yellow Fluke?! Because on the ground next to the three students was a yellow round thing.
"If you're just here to make friends then you can pack up and leave now." said the Fluke?! "Welcome to U.A's hero course…" The fluke then proceeded to shed… whatever the yellow thing was before turning into a man. "It took eight seconds before you all shut up, that won't work. Time is precious, rational students would understand that."
Myla narrowed her eyes briefly. The man looked worn out and unassuming, but in the short few seconds that he looked across the room he had sized every single one of them up. But most impressive of all, she couldn't get a single read of him, not even his surface level thoughts. He betrayed nothing.
"Hello, I'm your teacher; Shota Aizawa." His words caused the entire room to collectively gasp, excluding her. He reached inside of the yellow thing and brought out a blue tracksuit with the U.A. logo in red and white. "Change into these and head outside."
"Heya! I'm Mina Ashido!" A cheery voice called out from right next to her. It was the pink skinned, horned girl from earlier.
Myla blinked before a small smile graced her lips. "Myla Grimm, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." With that she went back to changing into the odd blue tracksuit. She had made the decision that the greeting she had been promised would always work was getting… mixed results, so she'd wing it for now.
Ashido tilted her head at the small dismissal but she wasn't about to give up just yet. "Hey I just realized, we have something in common already!"
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, we both got something sticking out of our heads," the girl laughed, tapping her horns.
The Radiance narrowed her eyes slightly before she realized and gave her antennae a small twitch. "Ah, an astute observation… Our eyes are also somewhat similar, if off by a few shades." She added, closing her locker and giving the tracksuit's sleeve an experimental tug. It was an odd material, somewhat similar to the clothes she was used to wearing but also… not. It felt thicker, and was made of something different. A membrane perhaps?
"Don't like the gym clothes?" Ashido asked, tilting her head the other way.
"It's not that… It's just that the material isn't what I'm used to. I'm not quite sure what to make of it…" The goddess narrowed her eyes as she kept tugging it, getting a funny look from the horned girl.
'Ooooh, she's definitely an odd one. But nothing I can't work with! We'll be besties before you know it! Mina grabbed the taller girl and tugged her along. "I'm sure you'll get used to it, Grimm! Now come on! Most of the class is already outside."
This again… "Call me Myla, Grimm doesn't suit me."
"Okie dokie, then you can call me Mina!" The two were walking next to each other now, one happy while the other was somewhat confused as to how she had been brought into this conversation. "What do you think Mr. Aizawa wants us outside for? Won't we miss Orientation?"
Orientation? Was she supposed to know what that was? Oh dear… "If our teacher desires us outside then outside we shall go. I'm sure he has a good reason."
As it turns out, he did have a reason. The goddess just didn't wholly understand it.
"A Quirk Assessment Test?" They all collectively asked.
"But," a girl with auburn hair and large eyes protested, "what about Orientation? Won't we miss it?"
"If you wanna make the big leagues you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies." The class let out a collective, somewhat confused gasp. "Here at U.A. we're not bound by traditions, which means I get to run my class however I see fit." Myla could feel the apprehension grow among her fellow students. Aizawa held up a tablet with a lift of activities. "You've been taking standardized tests all your lives… But you never got to use your quirks in physical exams. The country's still trying to pretend that we're all created equal by not letting those with power excel. It isn't rational. One day the Ministry of Education will learn."
Aizawa then turned his gaze to her. "Grimm," The goddess suppressed a grimace, "you got the most points on the Entrance Exam. On your application it says that you were homeschooled. If you did it, what was your farthest distance throw with a softball?"
She blinked, "Ah, I think it was around sixty meters?" A complete fabrication. Was that average? Was it too high? Too low?
"Right, stand in that circle and try doing it with your Quirk." Myla caught the softball as her teacher tossed it to her. Giving the ball, and him a look she made her way to the circle. "Anything goes, just stay in the circle."
She gave the ball an experimental squeeze before frowning slightly. This was… problematic. The ball, while made to be thrown at high speeds, probably wasn't designed with her… destructiveness in mind. And even then, how much power did she want to put into this? How long would all of the tests take? Rationing her ability might be required or it might not be.
"Come on, stop wasting time." Aizawa called out from the side.
Alright then… She'd give it some force then. She closed her eyes and when they opened they were glowing golden. She tossed the ball into her left hand and essence built in her right, making its telltale whine/hissing noise. A moment later she drew her right arm back, tossing the softball into the air and with a small shout she released the beam she had been holding. The softball was engulfed in light as it was launched away from her. After about three seconds she released the beam, her keen eyes watching as the softball vanished in the distance. Her power settled and she took a step back, eyes returning to their normal tangerine orange. When she looked back at her classmates nearly all of them were in shock, jaws almost hitting the floor. Bakugo the angry mantis looked like he was ready to kill her, and Midoriya looked like stars were in his eyes.
Aizawa turned back to the rest of the class, "all of you need to know your maximum capabilities. It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a Pro Hero." He held up the tablet as she walked back to the class, the number reading 702.6 meters. The class was broken out of their stupor, and a wave of excitement hit the goddess in disguise.
"Woah, over seven hundred meters, are you kidding?" Exclaimed a blonde boy with yellow eyes.
Ashido clapped her hands, grinning widely, "I wanna go next! This looks like fun!"
Other students let out similar exclamations, grinning and practically radiating excitement. If she wasn't the Goddess of Light it would've probably hurt her eyes. But a sudden presence made itself known, for the first time since she had seen him. Aizawa's surface level thoughts clashed against her unknowingly, giving her her first look into her teacher. DETERMINATION. FUTURE. CARE. EXPECTATIONS. REGRET. And just as his thoughts retreated back into the void of his mind she caught a brief, blurry flash. All she was was goggles and blue hair, surrounded by overwhelming regret. The shock was so sudden that she rubbed her temple, wincing and letting out a small grunt of pain.
The tall girl with the ponytail from earlier gave her a look of concern, "are you alright?"
"It's nothing, just a… small drawback. It'll pass." Those memories weren't important, and they were old. They didn't apply right now. And I seriously need to stop doing that!
"So this looks like fun to you?" Their teacher's words cut through the air like a nail. "You have three years here to become a hero, do you think that's gonna be all fun and games?" The man adopted a dark grin. "Idiots. Today you'll compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential, and whoever comes in last has none and will be immediately expelled."
"HUH?!" A wave of panic hit her so hard that she was nearly knocked over. Were they really so naïve?
"Like I said, I get to decide how this class runs. Understand? If that's a problem then feel free to pack up and head home now." The grin he gave all of them was menacing, but… The grin that found its way to her face was an inch away from being feral. The humans she had met so far were passing curiosities, one actual curiosities, and an annoyance. They were all needed to blend in, and she'd play the part. If they amused her or they got along then all the better. Her teacher though? The man held himself like a Higher Being; in complete control and overflowing with earned confidence. He was the god here, and they his playthings. She liked this human. The goddess in her came to the forefront; Higher Beings never backed down from competitions or challenges. Even if it got her into trouble, her instincts were very hard to ignore.
The girl with the rosy cheeks and large eyes took a step forward, "you can't send us home, we just got here! Even if it wasn't the first day, that isn't fair!"
Aizawa lost his smile. "Oh and natural disasters are?" Her teacher shot back. "Or power hungry villains? Or catastrophic accidents that wipe out whole cities? No. The world. Isn't. Fair. It's a hero's job to combat that unfairness. If you're gonna be a pro then you'll have to push yourself to the brink. For the next three years U.A. will throw one hardship after another at you. So go beyond, Plus-Ultra style." The man crooked a finger towards himself, "show me that it isn't a mistake that you're here."
There wasn't anything else to it. She'd give it her all and go through anyone that stood in her way. She wanted to shine, didn't she? Why not start right now?
The first test was a 50 meter dash. It was largely unremarkable, with Iida being the fastest so far. But even if it was unremarkable, she gained valuable information about her classmates. The girl with the rosy cheeks could nullify gravity. Ashido… Mina, she corrected herself, excreted acid from her hands and feet which she used to slide across the ground. The blonde, shiny boy she was paired with propelled himself using a blue imitation of her beam that shot from his stomach. Then there was Bakugo and Midoriya. Bakugo launched himself across the line using his explosions, and Midoriya… Just ran. The Radiance frowned, narrowing her eyes. Out of everybody here, that boy shined the brightest besides her. There was an enormous power lingering just beneath what they all saw, so why wasn't he using it?
The mantis blonde looked at his smoking hands, "my power has more uses than anyone else in the whole damn school."
The small silence was broken by Myla's gentle chuckle. "If it wasn't so amusing then you'd be making me yawn." The look that Bakugo sent her was downright savage as she walked past him. Next up was her and a boy with strange elbows. As she passed she looked at Midoriya, who narrowed his eyes at her. Then they widened with recognition, and she sent him a small, genuine smile and a nod.
The boy next to her stretched and shot a grin at her, "let's do our best, no hard feelings, yeah?"
She hid a smirk as she stood lazily, "of course."
"Runners, on your marks! Ready?" There was a small bang and a strange web shot out of his elbows. If it was anything like the Weavers, he would use it to pull himself to victory. It was a shame then that she was his opponent. Her eyes flashed and with an unnecessary twirl she vanished into a flurry of glyphs, appearing at the finish line. "1.1 seconds!" The small machine called out. And a moment or so later the boy landed next to her, gobsmacked.
"No hard feelings, right?" she parroted with a small smile.
"Of course not! I'll just have to find a way to get faster than even that!" The boy held out his hand, "Hanta Sero," he introduced.
She took his hand, "Myla Grimm, and please call me Myla. Grimm doesn't suit me."
The two of them parted ways, with her intentionally walking close to the downright furious Bakugo. "If you manage to stick around long enough you'll see what true power looks like. Hopefully you'll be able to recognize it~" She gave the human mantis a patronizing pat on the shoulder before walking away, smirking at the crackling explosions left in her wake.
The tests flew by with her making sure to crush every single one of them to the best of her abilities. There were some though, that it was apparent that even she wouldn't be the best at. If she wasn't stuck with this feeble form then there wouldn't be a challenge. But the sidesteps had her almost overdoing it. She got carried away, deciding on performing multiple rapid teleports as fast as she possibly could. When she finished she nearly collapsed from hitting her limit. Her entire body throbbed and glyphs tumbled off of her in waves. It was a lesson in humility. She should have enough left in her to complete the tests, and she'd have a chance to rest since she already went on the softball throw.
"Hey! Are you ok?!" Mina asked, steadying the goddess as she wobbled slightly.
"I'm fine, just overdid it slightly. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure? Do you need me to get Aizawa?"
"No, I'll be fine." She looked at the concerned face of her… Friend? Maybe, but it was touching nonetheless now that the ragefull goddess inside of her was backing down. "Thank you, though."
And that was that, because now they were back to the softball throw, and Mina was called up first. That wasn't the end of her talking for the day though.
"H-Hey, uh, Myla right?" The goddess looked to her right and saw Midoriya looking at her with a smile on his face. Though it was contaminated by nervousness, and it was clear as to why.
"Indeed. I'm surprised that you remember it." She responded, her face turning back towards their classmates.
"Of course I remember it!" It was probably the longest conversation he'd held with a girl before, after all. She made a humming noise in response.
"You followed your dream." She said after a few moments.
"Huh?"
"You told me that you've always wanted to be a hero like All Might. And now here you are, at U.A."
"Y-Yeah… Though it may not be for long." He mumbled anxiously.
Myla sighed, "don't underestimate the power of a Dream. They can propel you to phenomenal lengths, fill you with the strength to overcome any challenge, and give you hope in the darkest of times. Though I am curious… Why… aren't you using your Quirk?"
The boy tensed, causing her to narrow her eyes. "W-Well, u-um, you see… I-It has some pretty serious blowback and I don't really have control over it yet. I-If I use it right now I'll injure myself."
"So control is your issue… I have a similar problem to yours… My ability is powered by a substance called Essence. But the more I use it, the more it produces a… byproduct. That byproduct isn't compatible with the human body and I could get really sick." She did surprisingly well using the excuse Grimm had given her… In reality her power just wasn't compatible with her body. The Radiance's full power would utterly destroy "Myla Grimm" is used to its full potential. That's why Grimm shackled her, or at least that's the reason he gave her.
"INFINITY?!"
Both of their attention was drawn to the rosy cheeked girl who was giving a sheepish smile. Midoriya looked like he was on the way to the gallows, and even the goddess next to him was impressed. But now it was Midoriya's turn.
As he began walking, Myla called out to him, "Midoriya." He turned to look at her, face ashen. She gave him a determined look. "Let your Dream give you power." The boy nodded at her and walked to the pitch. He wouldn't get expelled. She wouldn't let it happen, the boy was a mystery that she wanted to unravel. Somehow, his presence was nearly as bright as hers, as if there were multiple of him. His presence was almost to the point of a Higher Being. So no, he wasn't allowed to get expelled, even if that meant that she had to… mentally persuade their teacher into letting him stay. Even if she liked him, her curiosity trumped that.
"If Midoriya doesn't get into gear then he's the one going home. Iida said to nobody, crossing his arms in concern.
"Huh?" Bakugo asked. "Of course he is, he's a Quirkless loser!"
Seconds later and the two boys were in another argument. Myla really hoped this wasn't a sign of things to come, but fate had shown her that she wasn't that lucky. Regardless, her focus was entirely on Midoriya. Power suddenly burst from the boy, making her eyes widen. It… It was close to her caliber!? How was that possible?! Her curiosity reached an all time high, she had to unravel the mystery that was this boy! But then her shock and awe turned to utter confusion as the ball flew for a short time before falling towards the ground. The little machine called out "46 meters!" to compound this. But that was only half of her confusion, because the other half came from the fact that his power just… stopped… Midoriya was just as confused, muttering in disbelief.
"I erased your Quirk." Aizawa said, hair floating and odd wrapping floating around his head. "The judges for this exam weren't rational enough. Someone like you should never be allowed to enroll at this school." There was an odd power emanating from their teacher. It almost felt… The power was like a whisper, encompassing the area entirely in front of the man with no visible 'tell' other than his red eyes and floating hair.
"You what… Wait… Those goggles! I know you, you can look at someone and cancel out their powers! The Erasure Hero, Eraserhead!" The students started muttering to themselves about their teacher but her focus was drawn away. Were they being watched?
She looked at the corner of the building as something dashed out of view. The presence… It felt like… "Midoriya? But…" She looked back and sure enough, the kid hadn't moved an inch from the throwing circle. She looked back to the corner with narrowed eyes. The presence was muted still, but it was there. "Two…" She looked back to Midoriya again. She'd figure it out later.
Aizawa narrowed his eyes, "you're not ready. You have no control over your power." Midoriya let out a gasp. "Were you planning on breaking your bones again? Counting on someone else to save your useless body?" In the middle of Midoriya's protest their teacher reached out with his vine… thing, and drew the boy closer. "You would be a liability in battle. Nothing more. You have the same reckless passion as another overzealous hero I know, one who saved a thousand people by himself and became a legend. But even with that drive you're worthless if all you can do is throw a single punch before breaking down. Sorry Midoriya, with your power there's no way you can become a hero…" That caused her to frown… even if their teacher wasn't exactly wrong. Still though, the presence of a potential Higher Being within her grasp wasn't something she was willing to let slip away. She had promised that she wouldn't interfere with someone's mind against their will, but… She wanted this kid for herself before Grimm got wind of him…
"I returned your impractical Quirk. Hurry and take your final throw, just get it over with…"
The students began muttering again, some of them, like the annoying Mantis, said that he might as well pack his bags. She clenched her fist. "Don't underestimate the power of a Dream." She said aloud, causing some nearby heads to turn to her.
"Well, Dreams are nice but they don't achieve themselves, isn't it kind of pointless to have one if you're unable to do anything about it?"
She shot a scathing look towards the person who said that. It was the girl with the ponytail, who flinched a little at the severity of her look. "What a disappointing thing to say… Is it wrong for somebody to dream? Dreams can deliver hope to impossible situations, give someone the energy and courage needed to keep going. They're not a simple goal, something that you can forget about or just give up on…" She turned her eyes back towards Midoriya, sensing that massive well of power explode out from him. The ball rested at the very tip of his finger before exploding with a massive wave of force that sent her hair flying back. She counted one, two three, maybe four individual sonic booms as it just disappeared. She smiled, closing her eyes and relishing in the utter disbelief she felt from her classmates. "Dreams can be a source of unlimited power. Remember that, and even the impossible will be within your grasp."
When the tablet read 705.3 meters the class erupted.
"He threw it over 700 meters too!?"
"He's finally showing his true power!"
"But his finger appears to be broken now, just like at the exam. This Quirk is very odd…"
And then…
"WHAT THE HELL?! Deku you better tell me how you did that or you're dead!" Bakugo charged forward towards Midoriya, explosions left in his wake. Just as the boy began to panic, a shimmering wall of light erupted in front of him and Aizawa's scarf wrapped around Bakugo, stopping his charge in its tracks. "Why the hell… is your scarf so strong?!" He bit out, fighting with all he had to get free.
"Because it's a capture weapon made of carbon fiber and a special metal alloy. Stand down! It'd be good to avoid making me use my Quirk too much. It gives me serious dry eye." He released his scarf and blinked, making his hair fall back down. "Grimm, drop the shield otherwise you'll sink your chances in the remaining tests." The class finally noticed the goddess holding her arm up with a furrowed brow and glowing eyes.
Myla gave a somewhat shaky sigh and dropped her arm, making the shield shatter like glass and disappear. "Understood," she said simply.
The remaining tests were forgettable compared to recent events, with the only notable thing being the last, or the distance run. She teleported over halfway, getting second being Iida and finishing a moment before Bakugo, much to his displeasure. When the final rankings came in she had placed… Second… Though even if it made sense to her it was still a blow to her pride as a goddess, and it made her curse her feeble human body for the umpteenth time. She had scored first in the fifty meter dash, second in the distance run, third in the sidesteps, third in the ball throw, and first again in the standing long jump. For the rest of the exams her abilities weren't made to shine and she fell to the middle of the pack. Her core felt like it was on fire after the sit-ups. So it made sense. Momo Yaororozu's quirk let her make whatever was necessary to get a high placement on the majority of the exams. She had made an industrial press for the grip strength test! But the most disappointing thing…
20: Izuku Midoriya…
She sighed, muttering "unfortunate." She loathed falling back into this old habit, but once again, she wasn't letting this curiosity fade into the wind… There was no visual indication that she was doing anything other than the shift of tangerine to golden. And cautiously she began reaching out for their teacher's mind.
"And I was lying. No one's going home." Aizawa said with a blank expression.
The Radiance stopped what she was doing in utter bafflement. "Huh?" She breathed out, eyes still golden.
Their teacher gave them all a very amused, shit-eating grin. "That was just a rational deception to make sure you gave it your all on the tests!"
Her eyes turned back to Tangerine as she canceled her power, jaw still dropping. "Hey I'm surprised you can make a face like that!" Mina laughed, bouncing to her side.
"He just…" She tried lamely. "I…"
"Ah, don't sweat it, he fooled everybody except for Momo! Besides, you didn't have to worry about a thing, ya got Second!"
"Just…"
"Um, you ok? Does your brain need to restart? Hello~"
Aizawa spoke up again, turning to leave. "That's it, we're done for the day. Pick up a syllabus in the classroom, read it over before tomorrow morning." He handed Midoriya a signed note, "take this to the old lady and get that fixed up."
"Hey is that steam coming out of your ears?!"
"He lied to us and I wasn't able to pick up on it…" Myla said dumbly.
"Ugh! Quit worrying about it, now come on!" The pinkette began dragging the disguised goddess back towards the changing room.
Midoriya clenched the note in his hand. 'I made it through the first day. But there was so much I completely failed at! I'm starting out at the bottom, and I've got a whole lot to learn. Myla's right, Dreams do give you power, but I need to work a whole lot harder if I actually want to achieve my Dream!"
Later, the new trio of friends were walking to the train station when they noticed another student walking alone. Midoriya started jogging, "Myla!" He called out, waving. The girl stopped and turned towards them. "Are you heading to the train station?"
"I am," she responded, eying the three neutrally.
The girl with the rosy cheeks smiled, "hey, we are too! Wanna join us?"
She really didn't have any reason to… But… She nodded, forcing a small smile onto her face. She was getting better at those. "Sure, and I'm not sure I got your name?
"Oh! I'm Ochako Uraraka, nice to meet you! Myla Grimm, right?"
"Correct, but please call me Myla." She pointed at each of them, "Ochako Uraraka, Izuku Midoriya, and Tenya Iida, right?" They all gave their affirmatives, smiling, and began talking with her about the first day as they all began walking to the train station. She'd call them friends, and she'd treat them like it just like she was doing with Kendo. It was honest in its own way, and that'd be enough for now.
The crowd was roaring, thundering like a stampede as the massive tent suddenly went pitch black. Then all of a sudden red lights flashed from above, illuminating small spots one at a time, roving over the crowd and the stage.
"Wonderful, Wonderful!" A voice like silk called out. "Ladies! And Gentlemen!" The sound of accordions and pipe organs filled the air as the lights multiplied. "This is the moment you have all been waiting for!" "I am pleased to welcome you!" The lights suddenly converged onto a single point and a man in a three-piece suit appeared in a flash of red smoke, his blazing red eyes and devilish smile sending the crowd into an uproar. "To the Grimm Troupe!"
And the braziers lit, and the show began. And in the center was a massive torch engulfed in crimson flames.
Chapter 5: Trial By Combat (Part 1)
(Important Note bullet-pointed at the end.)
"Wow, last night was a huge success!"
"I know! And did you see the video that Divine made? It looked like a movie!"
Syrra and Syrro gushed about their first performance since coming to this world. Their master had somehow gotten a plot of land and in the months leading up to their aunt's school year the Troupe had been launching a massive advertising campaign. Divine had made videos online and her latest one had over a million views already. Everyone in the Troupe was doing their part, including the two Grimmsteeds. They didn't do anything big behind the scenes other than moving things around, but their cute looks and getups were good for another thing; Giving out flyers. Internet advertisement was good for circulation, but having people on the ground made it seem more personable… or at least that's what Divine told them.
Syrra skipped along while her sister followed at a more subdued pace. That was their dynamic, as it always had been. Syrra was upbeat and open. Syrro was more serious and closed off. Other than their personalities there were only two ways to tell them apart. Syrra has eyes the color of rich wine and her combed hair was parted on the right. Syrro had eyes the color of fresh blood and her combed hair was parted on the left. Other than that they were identical in every way.
The two spent their morning handing out flyers, and it had been going really well! Nobody had outright refused them, or more accurately nobody had outright refused Syrra…
"Would you like to take a flyer?" Syrro asked a pedestrian that walked past them, face neutral.
"Hm?" The man turned to face them.
"We're envoys of the Grimm Troupe, your attendance would be very welcome and appreciated." She pushed the flyer towards him, causing the man to take a step back.
"Hey, if this is some kind of cult I'm not interested." The man said nervously. Syrro tilted her head, face not changing in the slightest. Syrra, seeing the man's nervousness, came to the rescue.
"It's not a cult, silly~ it's a performance! We're handing out flyers, our group's called the Grimm Troupe and we're doing performances all week at eight o'clock! You don't have to go, but we'd really appreciate it if you did." The peppy Grimmsteed folded her hands together with a friendly smile, wine eyes twinkling. "If you can't make it, could you at least spread the word?"
The man smiled and took her flyer. "I can't say no to that face now can I? Hell, why not! The Grimm Troupe you said? I'll tell my coworkers about it, maybe we'll go as a group!" The man gave them a wave as he continued on his way.
Syrro pouted, "why doesn't anybody ever say no to you? Every other person runs in fear when I ask…"
"Hm? Oh that's easy! You just gotta smile like this." To prove her point Syrra put her fingers on the corners of her mouth and smiled. Syrro blinked and tilted her head. After a few more seconds of the demonstration Syrra's gaze moved past her twin. "Hello sir, may we borrow a moment of your time?" Syrro turned around. Wearing the boy's version of their auntie's uniform was a well-built boy with spiky red hair and sharp teeth.
"Huh? Sure! What's goin' on?" He replied with a friendly smile.
"We're part of a band of traveling entertainers and we're handing out flyers for our performance! We'd love it if you stopped by." Syrra said, holding out a flyer.
The boy took it and looked it over. "What, like a circus?" He asked, an excited grin appearing on his face.
"In a way, yes. Though we don't have animals." Syrro added, narrowing her eyes. "Do you go to UA?" She asked after a moment.
"Yeah, how'd you tell?" The boy responded, somewhat confused.
"Our aunt goes there, the uniform's almost identical." The serious twin pointed out.
"It is?" Syrra tilted her head.
Syrro deadpanned at her sister. "Don't tell me you forgot already… you saw the uniform yesterday!" Syrra gave an embarrassed laugh.
"Your aunt's a UA student? That's awesome, is she part of the hero course? Maybe I know her!"
"She is!" Syrra bounced. "Her name is Myla, she has long white hair and—"
"Oh yeah!" The boy exclaimed, "she has long white hair and orange eyes, yeah? We're in the same class!" Syrra's sudden grin, ironically, could light up the sun. Even Syrro had a twinkle in her eyes at the new information.
"So you're becoming a hero too? That's so cool!"
"I know right? I'm actually on my way to class right now, I'll tell her that her nieces said hi!"
"Thank you so much! And we hope to see you sometime this week!" The two Grimmsteeds waved at him as he resumed his walk to UA. Eventually Syrra's grin subsided. "How about him?"
Syrro put her hands on her hips and frowned. "… No… He's not the one."
"I know, too nice. He has a good heart…" Syrra sighed.
"We have all the time in the world now, but… The Ritual will happen. It's just a matter of time before we find the right one."
"We chose the wrong spot to perform, the area's too nice. Too many heroes… Maybe we can tell Grimm to move the Troupe to a high crime area?"
"In Japan? Thanks to All Might those places are almost nonexistent. Villains still attack, but…" Syrro shook her head.
"That cute knight looked like he might've. But then he went and tried to kill Auntie… Grimm was furious, and well." The peppy Grimmsteed gestured all around them. "Here we are."
"So we need someone with single minded determination, someone who doesn't shrink away at the prospect of killing…" Syrro huffed. "Good luck finding someone like that around here."
"Can we just ask Auntie to find someone? All she'd have to do is look for the right Dream!"
"She'd never do it, she hates the Master. If she knew what we were doing… The fallout of their fight would probably be the end of Japan… If not the whole world…"
Syrra tilted her head as they walked. "But… didn't the Master put a shackle on her?"
"Yes, he did, and that only alienated her even more. Besides… She'll find a way around it, you know she will. If her plan to be a hero works then her power's gonna skyrocket."
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't figure it out?" Syrro scoffed. "Auntie's power is directly linked to worship. Without it she's far more powerful than a human, but Grimm has one up on her. People… believe in heroes. If she becomes a popular hero and people give her hero worship…"
"Then she'll be restored to her full power. Man," Syrra complained. "What a mess!"
"Don't get me wrong, I love Auntie… We're family, and I know that she cares about us too… But despite our master's nonchalance both of them know exactly what their place is… The Dark will flee the Light, and the Light will give chase. It's been their dynamic for eons. They're siblings but it's in their nature to be rivals…"
"I just wish we could be a family. I don't like it when our family fights…"
Syrro gave her sister a small smile. "Don't get too down, remember, you have a big part in tonight's performance."
"Oh yeah! Oh I'm so excited!" Syrro's soft smile didn't disappear as her energetic sister began rambling. The two sisters didn't have a large part to play in the Grimm Troupe as a whole. They were Grimmsteeds, all they really did was get the Troupe to where it needed to go. But they were together, and they had a semblance of a family. For them, that was enough.
The fallen goddess of dreams sneezed, drawing the attention of her new pink friend. "Hey you're not getting sick, are you?"
"Of course not! I would never fall prey to such a thing." Myla scoffed, opening the door to their home room. Most everybody was there minus a few stragglers still eating in the cafeteria, but the class still had a few minutes before it was supposed to start so they probably had enough time to get back.
"Just looking out for ya, plus I don't wanna catch anything on the second day, who knows what's gonna happen! Yesterday was horrible!" Mina lamented.
Myla sighed, "honestly… As Mr. Aizawa said, it was a rational deception." She grumbled, still annoyed that she wasn't able to detect his lie. "I highly doubt we'll have any major surprises going forwards."
"Hey Myla! Why didn't you tell me you had nieces in a circus?" A spiky redhead yelled, jogging up to them.
The goddess blinked. "Because outside of introducing ourselves as a class yesterday I've never talked to you?"
"Harsh! But true. Regardless, that's totally awesome! You knew they were performing right?"
"I assumed they would be…" She muttered, trying to keep her temper in check.
"What's this about a circus?" Mina asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
"Myla's nieces are in a circus, they're performing all week!" Kirishima
"What?! That's totally awesome!" Mina cheered, hopping up and down.
"I know right!" The goddess just sighed.
"What's this about a circus?" The blonde boy from yesterday asked. His name was… Kamin…iri? Kaminari!
"There's a circus in town, Myla's nieces are a part of it, they were handing out flyers near the school!"
"Hey, that's totally rad!"
Mina pumped her fist. "I know, let's all go together! It'll be a class bonding exercise!" Kaminari, Kirishima, and a few nearby students all gave their own excited replies. A singular glyph escaped the corner of Myla's eye.
Finally, the cord snapped. "Feel free to waste your time, but I'd rather do anything else…"
"What, why?" Mina asked, shock all over her face, and maybe a tiny bit of hurt. Internally the goddess cringed at herself.
Sighing, she looked at the pink girl. She didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of The Radiance's feelings towards the Nightmare King. "Your idea is sound, my anger isn't for you… The Grimm Troupe is headed by my brother." The shocked faces turned to surprise.
"Are you…" Kirishima started. "Are you not on good terms with your family?"
Myla crossed her arms under her chest, blatantly ignoring the perverted dreams of the purple… thing nearby. "Grimm is an egotistical narcissist who cares only for himself. The Troupe exists only to further his own goals."
Kaminari laughed slightly, "yeah no offense but have you ever heard of the phrase "pot meet kettle?"" The goddess shot the boy a withering glare, causing him to hide behind a girl with headphone jacks coming from her ears. "Please don't hurt me!"
Once again Myla sighed. "I may not be the most pleasant person but I will never lie about who I am. Grimm hides behind a charming smile and false promises." Just talking about her bastard brother made her blood boil. Especially considering the red blight of a glyph resting within her. Taking a breath she calmed herself. "My nieces hold none of my ire. They are pleasant and kind girls who do anything they can for their family."
The goddess gave a small, rare, genuine smile to Mina and the others. "If you do decide to go to the show, none of you will hold my ire either. I just refuse to be anywhere near that bastard unless absolutely necessary… The sole good thing I can say about him is that his shows are apparently spectacular." With her parting words she left to find her seat, exchanging glares with the blond boy who sat behind her.
Before she could even grab a pencil she was hit by an overwhelming wave of power. She gasped as the door to the room slammed open, revealing a mountain dressed in red with a blue cape. "I AM HERE! Coming through the door like a normal person!" A Higher Being?!His presence was suffocating to the point that she gave a pulse of her own power so she could breathe. Every instinct she had was screaming at her to attack, two Higher Beings in one place would lead to a fight. But… The man didn't even react. Was… Was he not able to sense the presence of her Dream? No… Her human body utterly concealed her presence. She was fine, as long as she didn't do anything to reveal herself the man wouldn't be able to oust her!
The rest of the class did not share her anxiousness though.
"I can't believe it's really All Might!"
"So he really is a teacher! This year's gonna be totally awesome!"
"Hey look! Is he wearing his Silver Age costume?"
"All Might?" She whispered, listening intently to her classmates. Any and all information would be crucial to her survival. Knowledge was Power, after all. Right now she didn't know if this Higher Being was going to be hostile or neutral, so she'd keep playing the role of a student!
All Might, the Number 1 Hero placed his fists on his hips and addressed the class. "Welcome to the most important class at U.A. High! Think of it as "Heroing 101." Here you will learn the basics of being a Pro, and what it means to fight in the name of good!" The man flexed before showing them all a card with the word "Battle!" on it. "Let's get into it, today's lesson will pull no punches!"
The reaction across the class was varied, but mostly positive. The mantis in human form behind her was absolutely ecstatic. The Radiance was more curious than anything. She was more than confident in her abilities and her experience, but she had also learned the hard way what happens when you underestimate an opponent. It was a lesson she would not repeat.
"But one of the key points of being a hero is looking good!" At his prompt a wall opened up with cases numbered 1 to 20. "These were designed for you based on your Quirk Registration Forms and the requests you sent in before the school year started!" Now the entire class was ecstatic, with cheers erupting across the entire room. "Get yourselves suited up! And meet me at Training Ground Beta!"
Myla looked at herself in the mirror. The rest of the girls were busy chatting and praising each other over their costume designs. And honestly it was understandable, or at the very least she could see how it would be understandable. Humans didn't have an exoskeleton, so they needed exterior clothing to protect themselves against the elements. For some reason or another this resulted in monetization and trends known as "fashion." Even the bugs of Hallownest had something similar; with colored cloaks made of Weaver Silk or polish to make themselves shinier. She never understood the purpose. She still didn't. But nevertheless it was a requirement, and if she was to stand out she had to design something worthy of the Goddess of Light and Dreams. In her opinion, she did rather well.
Her entire body was covered by a form fitting satin body-glove colored matte silver and embroidered with her glyphs scattered about. The material was soft, but it was reinforced with carbon fiber and spider silk; a mixture that she had designed herself. It was inspired by their teacher's scarf, only it was thinner, lighter, and had much higher durability. Around her shoulders and covering the majority of her body was a gray and white cloak designed to resemble moth wings. It was made of the same material as her body-glove and had special inserts that could turn it into a sort of haori connected to her arms. In fact the entire cloak could be separated into four sections if needed. When connected she could use her Quirk without giving away what she was actually doing. In testing she managed to fling out a wave of spikes, completely concealed until they left the 'sleeve.'
She looked at her arms. She trusted the strength of her costume, but she didn't take any chances. Around her wrists were two lightweight metal gauntlets, and resembling her Actual Form her legs were covered in a layer of the same metal, all the way down to her boots. To finish it all off she had a ring of white fur around the 'neck' of her cloak, and a familiar three-pointed tiara sat on her head.
"Wow, you really doubled down on the moth aesthetic you got going!" Mina said from her left. Her pink friend was dressed in a skin-tight turquoise and purple camouflage bodysuit with a sleeveless tan vest. She also had fur around her collar, making the goddess smile a bit. A white mask covered her eyes. Their outfits were actually somewhat similar, though Mina's was cut a bit lower than her own. Her eyes were drawn to the calf-high purple boots, which must've had her quirk in mind, though Myla wasn't exactly an expert in fashion.
"Believe it or not it wasn't entirely intentional… The cloak was going to be a bit different but my nieces wanted to give their input. I'm finding that my aesthetic is a cruel joke, but the final result is acceptable enough," she sighed, toying with the soft cloak.
"Are you kidding? You look awesome! It's like you're some moth princess from a fairytale!" Mina shouted, circling around the goddess.
"If you say so, Mina. You look good as well, your outfit suits you." She didn't understand the design choice in the slightest, but the girl was certainly happy about it. As a group the girls left their changing room, meeting up with the boys minus one and walking the short trek to where their teacher told them to meet. As they stepped through the gates she heard his booming voice.
"They say the clothes make the Pro's, young ladies and gentlemen, and lo and behold you are the proof! Take this to heart! From now on you are all HEROES IN TRAINING!" The costumes were incredibly varied. Myla saw a suit of knight's armor, a martial arts uniform, massive explosive looking gauntlets, no one costume was the same. All Might gave a proud smirk, "This is getting me all revved up! You all look so cool! Now. Shall we get started, ya buncha newbies?" The goddess heard running footsteps behind them. She turned around in curiosity and barely kept her jaw from dropping. Midoriya was covered head to toe in a green suit with an artificial grin and long ears. It looked… Turning back to their teacher she sweat dropped. Unknowingly to both of them, the Symbol of Peace and the Goddess of Light had simultaneous thoughts. "Can you be any more obvious?!"
"Now that you're all ready and looking good, it's time for combat training—"
"Sir!" Iida interrupted, holding a hand up. This looked familiar… "This is the fake city from our entrance exam. Does that mean we'll be conducting urban battles again?" In his defense it was a valid question, though their teacher was probably going to explain everything.
"Not quite, young Iida. I'm going to be moving you guys two steps ahead!" He told them, holding up two fingers. "Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside and in the streets. However, statistically speaking run-ins with the most dastardly evil-doers take place indoors. Think about it! Backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows." Ever so slightly The Radiance bowed her head in shame. That last part was most certainly true. After she had been defeated by the Pale Light she undermined him without showing herself. They pieced together that she was behind the Infection, and she didn't have a physical form, but she definitely worked in secret back then… "For this training exercise you'll be split into teams of Heroes and Villains and fight two-on-two indoor battles!"
A girl in a green outfit put a finger on her chin and spoke up, "isn't this a little advanced?"
"The best training is what you get on the battlefield! Remember though, this time you can't just punch a robot, you'll be dealing with actual people!" All Might opened his mouth to continue to speak but it wasn't to be.
"Sir, will you be deciding the ones who win?"
"How much can we hurt the other team?"
"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?"
"Will you be splitting up based on chance or comparative skill?"
"SILENCE!" But this time the voice wasn't All Might's. All eyes turned to her in shock, amazed that she could yell that loud. Outwardly she was frowning lightly, inwardly she was fuming! This man was this world's version of a Higher Being! Did they not understand that?! He would tell them everything they needed to know, he had chosen to impart his wisdom onto them specifically! It was shameful!" If you stop blabbering, our teacher will tell us exactly what is going to happen."
"Y-Yes, thank you Miss Grimm!" The goddess grit her teeth, making the few who knew her naming preference snicker to themselves. Regardless, the class could continue as it was supposed to! And then their teacher took out a small booklet and began reading from it, and Myla's hopes were cast to the wind. He was reading a script. A Higher Being was reading a script…In her own well of disappointment she vaguely heard the man tell them about the scenario. The villains would be hiding and protecting a 'nooklyer' missile in their hideout. In order for the Heroes to win they had to recover it or capture the villains. The villains just had to play keep away until the timer ran out. All Might pulled out a box from somewhere. "Time's limited, and we'll choose teams by drawing lots!"
"Isn't there a better way?" Iida asked.
Midoriya looked to his new friend, "Think about it! Pros often have to team up with heroes from different Agencies on the spot, so maybe that's the reason we're seeing that here!"
"Yes, I see." Iida bowed at the waist. "Forgive my rudeness."
"No sweat. Let's draw! Come one at a time!"
Myla blinked. That actually made a lot of sense. She was somewhat surprised that humans were good enough to work together like that. This species continued to surprise her every day she lived among them. And so the students all reached into the box one by one until it was her turn. She plucked a piece of paper out at random, unfolding it to see a bold I. She held it aloft, but nobody called out for her to join so her partner had not been assigned yet. Eventually the last person drew his card, a blond boy with a very large tail wearing white martial arts robes. He pulled his card and held it up, looking around until she waved him over. He smiled and jogged over.
"Hey! I'm Mashirao Ojiro, call me Ojiro. You're Grimm, right? Nice to meet ya." He held out a hand.
She took it after a second, remembering that shaking an appendage was a form of greeting. "Please call me Myla, I'm not exactly fond of my last name. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Likewise!"
All Might called their attention when everyone found their teammates. "The first two teams to fight are," he paused for unnecessary dramatic effect before pulling out two spheres. "These guys!" Teams D and A." Team A will be the heroes, Team D will be the villains! Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch."
A class responded with a unified "Yes Sir!"
"Team A and Team D! Your time starts now! Let's begin the indoor combat training!"
In the observation room the rest of the students gathered in front of an array of screens. They were mostly talking with each other, strategizing and planning, but there were a number staring at the screen in anticipation. Myla was doing a mix of the two. Midoriya was probably the human she was the most invested in, even more so now. His presence was almost identical to All Might's and she couldn't figure out why. Were they related? They didn't feel like family to her, and they looked nothing alike. She wanted to sit the two of them down and go through their minds, find out exactly what was going on, but she couldn't… All Might was a Higher Being, or at least this world's version of one. As she was now; shackled and stuck in this human body, she might not be able to overpower him. And Midoriya? She was invested in him and his dream. Out of everybody she had met so far his dream burned the brightest, and that led her to her last reason.
She wasn't The Radiance that destroyed Hallownest anymore…
She wasn't consumed by rage. Midoriya dreamed of being a Hero, and she absolutely refused to rip that Dream away from him. Everybody here in fact. Everybody dreamed of being a Hero. It painted a picture of swirling colors and brightness that only she could see. It was beautiful. Myla Grimm was curious about Midoriya, but she was patient enough for the secret to reveal itself to her. Now and again it might need some coaxing, but meddling with humans wasn't something she was above doing if it helped her achieve her goals.
"So how do you think we should go about this?" Ojiro asked her, looking at the screens as Midoriya and Uraraka crept through the halls of the lair.
"I excel at ranged combat, though this may limit that… And it really depends on if we're heroes or villains. What are your strengths?" She turned away from the screens. Nothing interesting was happening yet.
"Well I'm a close range fighter. I'm experienced in a variety of martial arts and my tail is really strong. I'm awful when it comes to ranged combat though, I got nothin'."
"Hm." She brought a hand to her chin. "Depending on the opponent I can be dangerous in close quarters as well. At the very least I can change the flow of battle to suit you. I can hopefully allow you to engage the opponent more suited to you while engaging the other. If the battle allows for it I may even be able to assist you." Realistically she'd probably be able to take both of her opponents on at once, but again, while she was confident in her abilities she wasn't going to underestimate anyone. "If we can stay flexible enough to control the flow of battle we should be fine regardless of who we face."
"Sounds like you're going for an elastic defense, I like it!" Ojiro said, nodding in approval.
All of a sudden Bakugo burst from around the corner, throwing an explosion at the heroes. Multiple students let out gasps of surprise and even she had to wince at the sudden wave of killing intent radiating off of the boy.
"He almost got the jump on them!"
"A sneak attack, Bakugo? What kind of man pulls a cheap trick like that?!" Kirishima yelled in anger.
"It's a viable strategy! He's playing the part and acting like any true villain would." All Might defended, taking notes for their performance.
Bakugo threw out another explosion, but before it could ignite Midoriya caught him by the arm and threw him over his shoulder. The class let out excited and surprised murmurs and a small smile came to her own face. Midoriya was doing well so far, and the mantis got put in his place. But that wasn't the only reason she was smiling. Midoriya was radiating fear, but it was being held back by a surprising amount of determination. He wasn't going to back down, he was standing his ground and making his Dream a reality. Bakugo though? Bakugo was overflowing with hatred. In that moment, Midoriya must have said something that set off the exploding blonde, because the goddess was hit by one of the strongest waves of hatred she had ever felt.
The Radiance gasped, eyes wide.
"I DO NOT FEAR YOU, ANCIENT ENEMY!"
Bakugo's face reflected what hers would've been if she had been human back then. Midoriya and Uraraka split up with Bakugo chasing after the former. The class made comments about him and the battle but she ignored it. All she paid attention to were the two boys chasing each other around the lair. His hatred was so familiar to her, it was almost exactly the same. That drive to utterly destroy your enemy, to remove the affront to your existence… Why was that hatred in somebody so young?
She ignored the developing battle between Iida and Uraraka, as Bakugo had just found Midoriya. The two exchanged words before Bakugo suddenly raised his arm at Midoriya, grabbing a small pin protruding from his gauntlet. His look was downright murderous. All Might said something into a microphone but it was drowned out by the ringing in her own ears.
"THE LIGHT CANNOT BE CONSUMED!"
Bakugo pulled the pin and shot a concentrated explosion from his gauntlet, mirroring her own attacks in a way. When the smoke cleared he approached Midoriya, a crazed and sickening glee radiating from his mind. She was close to shaking. Was this how she appeared to Hallownest? Was this the way everyone viewed her back then? She had been so consumed by rage and a desire for revenge that… How had she let herself pervert her Being that much? And this boy was walking the same path as her! Didn't he realize what it would cost him?!
"Bakugo, use that stored up power again and I'll stop the fight! Your team will lose. To employ such a strong attack indoors is inviting the destruction of the lair you're supposed to be protecting! That's a poor strategy, whether you're a hero or a villain. The penalty would be a massive loss of points." All Might's voice ripped her from her memories and a sudden bout of clarity entered her mind. She steadied herself, all of that was in the past. She had set out to better herself, to be the goddess that people could worship again. Even if his hatred was familiar to her, she wouldn't let it distract her again.
Even so, what followed next was hard to watch. Bakugo systematically toyed with Midoriya, the boy didn't even have a chance to fight back. "Bakugo has an impressive level of battle-instinct," she said aloud, "to be able to attack and strategize at the same time shows an extreme level of control over his ability." Bakugo grabbed Midoriya by the arm and spun around, throwing him over his shoulder and slamming him into the ground.
"This is hard to watch," Mina whined, "All he has to do is wrap tape around him, not kill him!"
"Bakugo's certainly acting like a villain," a boy with the head of a bird said.
Kaminari scratched behind his ear nervously, "I thought Midoriya was pretty amazing at the start of the fight, but he's completely outmatched when it comes to raw combat power. Not to mention Bakugo seems like a natural." Midoriya crawled away before standing up and running.
"He's running away."
"Not very manly, but he doesn't have a choice. Unless he's got some kind of plan, I mean it's possible, but…"
"In a battle of strength versus strength, the stronger opponent will win every single time," she said aloud, drawing eyes to herself. "Midoriya knows he's outmatched, Bakugo knows it as well. That's why he's taking his time instead of ending this, he wants to show he's superior. But he's missing a crucial aspect of fighting. When victory is assured, that is when you're most likely to make a mistake."
"You really think he can win?" She looked at the boy who spoke to her and blinked in surprise. Half of his body was completely covered in ice.
She shook off the surprise and responded. "I believe so. He just has to as well." She nodded at the screen, Midoriya was cornered at the edge of the wall with Bakugo advancing. At the same time both of them charged each other, Bakugo readying an explosion and Midoriya radiating that same power as yesterday. He was finally using his power! She watched in excitement, this was the source of her curiosity.
Nobody else though shared her excitement. "They're gonna kill each other! Sir!" She sensed All Might's hesitance. He better not stop this! Not at the climax! But just as he gave the order to stop Midoriya enacted some kind of plan and it caused him to stop.
"Uraraka now!" Just as Bakugo hit him with an explosion Midoriya changed the direction of his explosion… to directly above him! In that brief moment he had a flashback.
"You followed your dream." The moth-like girl said after a few moments.
"Huh?" He asked, causing the girl to smile at him.
"You told me that you've always wanted to be a hero like All Might. And now here you are, at U.A."
"Y-Yeah… Though it may not be for long." He mumbled anxiously.
Myla sighed, "don't underestimate the power of a Dream. They can propel you to phenomenal lengths, fill you with the strength to overcome any challenge, and give you hope in the darkest of times.
He had seen her power and the level of control she exerted over it. From their short few conversations he could tell that she was smart and incredibly insightful. She may be somewhat cold, but he could tell that she was a good person. He just knew it! If someone that amazing believed in him, if All Might believed in him, then he had to do this!
Every floor of the building above him was demolished as a hole opened straight to the sky. Even through the pain of the massive explosion Bakugo hit him with coupled with his now broken arm he still heard Uraraka yell in joy as she touched the weapon. They had won!
"This was your plan from the very beginning, wasn't it?!" Bakugo seethed. "You were playing me this entire time you bastard!"
"I wasn't… going to use it…" He managed to say, whimpering from the pain. "I just can't control it… My body can't handle the backlash of my power yet… Mr. Aizawa said I'd be useless, but this was all that I could think of…"
"So control is your issue…" She said, lost in thought. "I have a similar problem to yours… My ability is powered by a substance called Essence. But the more I use it, the more it produces a… byproduct. That byproduct isn't compatible with the human body and I could get really sick."
As he began walking, Myla called out to him, "Midoriya." He turned to look at her, face ashen. She gave him a determined look. "Let your Dream give you power."
He stared at Bakugo, "This was the only chance I had at winning. The only chance of making my Dream a reality!"
As Midoriya began to fall to the ground he heard All Might speak over the radio. "The Hero Team WINS!" He managed to smile before darkness took him.
Back in the observation room the class was gathered with the exception of Midoriya. "Despite the results of this exercise, the MVP of this match is young Iida!" The whole class let out a collective gasp, Iida more than anyone.
"Shouldn't it be one of the heroes instead? Since they were the winners?" The girl in green asked.
"Hm? A valid question! Why didn't I choose one of those two? Who has a guess?!"
"Sir! I can tell you why." The girl with the long ponytail and a revealing costume raised her hand. "Iida embraces this challenge. He was the only one who truly adapted to his assigned role. I'll explain; Baku's judgment was clouded by a personal grudge against Midoriya. As you pointed out earlier, launching a large-scale attack indoors was a very foolish move. It could've been disastrous. Similarly, Midoriya's plan was also poorly thought out, considering the amount of damage he received. He rendered himself helpless, not smart if his gambit didn't work. As for Uraraka? She let her guard down mid-battle and was far too reckless given the hypothetical stakes. If she treated the weapon as if it were real, she never would've risked using such an imprecise move." The entire class as well as the two Higher Beings were completely gobsmacked. "Iida was the only one fully prepared for his opponent's arrival. He had a strategy and never lost sight of his mission to protect the dummy weapon, even if he was foiled in the end." Iida held a hand over his heart as if he had been given everything he ever wanted. "Technically the hero team won, yes, but they took advantage of the fact that this was training. THey didn't respect the spirit of the trial.
All Might struggled to come up with a response, Yes… Well… You may have overlooked a few things, Iida could've relaxed a little, but otherwise… You nailed it!"
"One should always start with the basics and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning. That's the only true way to become a Top Hero." The girl finished off.
All Might stood in front of the two podiums again labeled with Villains and Heroes. "Now then! Let's blow this joint, time to move on to the next match! Think about everything we saw and discussed as you tackle this training for yourself! The next teams are… Team B and Team I!" The Radiance smiled.
"Match Two! Team B will be our heroes! And Team I will be our villains!"
The Radiance let a wave of calm wash over her in preparation for the battle. Ojiro was stretching his arms and readying his body. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the guy with the ice on his body has a power involving ice. I'm not sure what the other guy's deal is. What do you think?"
She hummed. "Control over ice perhaps? It may be best to leave him to me. I say we let them make the first move and react from there. If they both go in we take the fight to them, if only one does we hit them one at a time."
"Ok, but how will you know when they enter the building?" Ojiro asked, curious.
"Hm? Oh, I can sense their smells." She gestured to her head and wiggled her antennae.
"A-Ah, actually that makes a lot of sense!" Ojiro laughed. She gave a small smile in return. In truth she could sense their Dreams, she'd know exactly where they were at all times.
Suddenly All Might yelled through the speakers. "Look alive kids! Show us you're the embodiment of good! Or evil!"
Her antennae twitched and her eyes widened in shock. "Don't move!"
"What?!" Ojiro shouted in alarm. His feet and ankles were suddenly encased in a warm golden barrier.
"I need you to trust me!" Myla shouted, erecting a similar barrier around herself. Moments later the entire room was covered in a layer of ice. The ice tickled his shins but the barrier stopped the worst of it. The barrier disappeared and he kicked the ice off.
He looked at the small dome of ice. "Myla! Ya good?" The room was silent for a moment before the small dome of ice glowed orange and exploded. Myla stood holding an arm out. She lowered it and chuckled.
"You're that confident, huh? This is gonna be fun!"