Third person pov

Chad had easily taken out the man on the passenger's side of the truck and tossed them out the door and onto the open road with very little care. Toshinori cringed as the criminal cracked hard against the asphalt, their body rolling harshly as the truck continued to speed along and leave them in the dust. It was a gory sight, but Toshinori couldn't find it in himself to object at the moment. They were sort of out of options. It was entirely impressive that Chad could still fight with how messed up his ankle was. It was like the pain simply exist to him. Toshinori wondered if this young man let anything stop him. So far, it didn't seem that way. 

Chad was clearly doing his best to work fast. Toshinori felt a sense of urgency to get off the back of truck. This wasn't helped by the fact that they were most definitely still being followed. Gazing off into the traffic, he could pick out a couple of black SUVs trying, and luckily enough failing, to overcome traffic and catch up to them. Their presence still made him incredibly nervous. He felt stuck out in the open and powerless standing here, injured, ill, and without any sort of quirk to help him. He supposed that was all he was anymore. All he would be. He'd been All Might for so long that he wasn't sure Toshinori Yagi had anything left to him anymore. 

One for all was still in the air, he knew. He could feel it even now was Chad wrestled for the wheel, shouting something that was muffled by the wind rushing past Toshinori's ears. It felt so odd to feel the power exist outside of his own being, so potent and present. It hadn't been like this with Young Midoriya, he knew. Though he'd felt it and it had been strong within the freckled boy, it hadn't been nearly this thick. This electric and excited! The quirk quite clearly felt at home with Chad. Toshinori was glad it had found a place to rest in him.

The situation, despite its absurdity, was somehow relaxing at the same time. They were driving over a massive body of water, a few small ships passing under the long bridge they were stuck on. It stretched high over the waves, the crash of the water blending in with the sound of tires on the road. The air smelt like salt and exhaust, but the temperature outside was perfect. He couldn't help but close his eyes and soak it in for a moment. It was one of those times that wasn't necessarily good, but that he also knew he'd never forget it. A few people in other cars had noticed him standing there and starting to recognize him, but he didn't quite care. He was far too captured in this moment to even think about anything else.

Chad finally managed to drive his elbow into the face of the man he was wrangling, using his good foot to pull at the driver's door handle and kick it open when it popped open. He unbuckled the Yakuza member and painstakingly shoved them out, his jacked up foot flopping a bit. Fuck, that was ass. It was definitely going to take a hot minute to fix that little mess. Ramen and super glue wasn't going to do the trick either, Chad feared. Maybe that midget lady with the cane could smooch his leg or something. Did that make her a cougar? Because the whole kissing thing was low-key kinda fucked. Like, was that not illegal? The school was literally full of minors.

Besides the point right now, he guessed. He'd worry about what there was to worry about at a later date. He had the depressed shell of the number one hero about to fly away on the back of this truck. Seriously, the guy kinda looked like he could be blown over by a small gust of wind. It was a miracle he hadn't like, flown off yet. Guess that just proved how badass All Might was, even in retirement. Still really fucking sad though. Chad got that for sure though. What kind of homebody would he be if he didn't? Exactly. He'd make sure to cheer that blonde stick back there right the fuck up though. He just needed a little protein was all! Maybe some iron or some shit. They'd fix him right up. 

"Ay, my crippled amigo!" Chad called back at Toshinori, poking his head out the open door and looking back. The man was still standing precisely where he'd been left. At least he was good at following instructions. It was honestly a miracle he hadn't been shot or some shit yet. They needed to get off this bridge and lose these guys. Switch over to a different vehicle, hopefully. This one definitely had to have a tracker in it. Not ideal, but at least they weren't trapped in a metal box anymore. That was some real shit right there. He was quite lucky his eyes did the glowy thing when they were supposed to. Truly, props to him and this quirk thing. Kinda baller. Definitely groovy. Thanks, Izuku, you traitorous piece of literal shit that deserved to be chewed up by a rabid dog with a horrible disease that would transfer to Izuku, but then the dog would be cured because does were the absolute fucking shit, and then Izuku would slowly die a horrible death in a pit full of like, rats or something gross. 

Toshinori blinked out of his slight trance, turning around to face Chad. The man gave him a bright grin. It was so cheerful and carefree that the ex-pro couldn't help but return it, his eyes tired and his heart feeling lighter than it had since that day at Kamino Ward. They were in what could be easily considered a dire circumstance. They'd been horribly injured and kidnapped. They were passing over a massive bridge that Toshinori really didn't recognize! There was no telling where in Japan they were or how far they'd gotten from UA. But Chad looked so happy and upbeat, with glimmering eyes and a smile that Toshinori couldn't help but be reassured by. 

Chad pulled the driver's door shut, keeping the truck steady by steering lightly with his knee. He twisted around and pulled the window that looked out the back of the vehicle open. It wasn't massive, but it was big enough for Yagi to squeeze through. Maybe his skinniness wasn't a curse for once. Toshinori didn't know. All he knew was that the cab of the truck was warm and smelt like old pine air freshener. The seats were fabric instead of leather, making it feel oddly more comfortable. He inhaled through his teeth sharply as he lowered himself shakily into the passengers seat. A gunshot fired somewhere down the road-- presumably at them. Toshinori jumped a bit, but Chad's lack of a reaction calmed him. The younger blonde clearly knew his guns. If they were to be concerned, Chad would let him know.

"We're cooking with gas now, homie!" Chad laughed, tossing him a small first aid kit that he barely caught. Toshinori blinked as Chad fished some sunglasses out of a small compartment above them, sliding them on. They were a little too big for his face and looked like they'd been bought for a dollar at a crummy gas station in the middle of nowhere. The man didn't seem to care, clicking on the radio and flipping a few channels over before cranking it up. It was a poppy English song Toshinori didn't recognize. Chad's grin was blinding as the man looked at him over the tops of his gasses. "You ready for a road trip, bro?" 

Toshinori blinked a bit, his mouth feeling oddly dry as he smiled. He felt almost like crying. It felt surreal, this situation. They'd gone from kidnapped to cruising over the ocean, the view scenic and the music making this feel more like a drive towards a beach vacation and not some great escape. Maybe that was Chad's secret. He could smile in the face of anything, but not because he was putting on a mask for the people. He was genuinely having fun. He could flip bad situations into good ones-- turn the tables, so to say. Toshinori took a deep breath, his shoulders slouching. How long had it been since he'd relaxed? Since he'd been able to let go a little and stop worrying? 

"...Yes. I believe I am, young man." Toshinori chuckled. Chad let out a laugh. It was the full-bellied type. The kind someone who was truly happy let out. Toshinori felt tired. Happy and... tired. 

Chad stepped on the gas, screaming along to a song Toshinori didn't know. Something about watermelon and sugar. It was bouncy and full of life. Energetic and fast paced. Repetitive, but not bad in the least. He could see Chad's eyes glowing behind his shades, his entire body moving along to the music. Bopping up and down, his fist pounding on the steering wheel to the beat. The ex-pro felt something light rise up in his chest. It bubbled out of his mouth in a laugh. One that was lively just like Chad's was. It wasn't heavy or hysterical, but it was still a sound Toshinori hadn't heard from himself in a while.

Toshinori decided he liked this song too.

~~~~~~~~

The first stage came and went rather fast all things considered. Some asshole caused an earthquake which kind of sucked. There was also a literal tornado somewhere else in the arena which Lillian found kind of fun. A little extra, but who was she to judge? Maybe natural disasters were a part of the aesthetic and she'd just missed the memo. It's not as though she could talk when it came to dramatics. Kaminari was making bolts of controlled electricity and then letting her freeze them so that they could both chuck them off in the direction of their enemies. It's not as though the electric blond could set off a huge charge whilst surrounded by his classmates, after all.

Aizawa watched from the bleachers as his class worked together. Though some of them had broken away from the crowd, he still couldn't stop himself from feeling pride for them all. They'd come so far in the past few months. Through all the terror and danger, they'd managed to flourish. They pushed back against the pressure and fought to become the best versions of themselves as heroes. It was amazing. He couldn't stop a grin from stretching across his face. He felt almost like he could cry. He wouldn't, of course, but the feeling was certainly there.

Hitoshi was obviously taking pictures and videos on the DL. You weren't technically supposed to take any sort of footage, but he needed these memories, okay? A blurry, zoomed in photo of Lillian and Kaminari throwing literal bolts of fucking lightning? It was fucking hilarious and definitely his new wallpaper. Shoto falling into the splits in a panic to avoid one of his targets getting hit? Hysterical. He was sending all of these off to Hawks and Neito. He would send them to Chad too, but he knew the man's phone had no doubt been lost in whatever struggle he was in. He'd turn back up soon enough. Hitoshi was confident about this. You couldn't keep Chad down for long.

Things were going smoothly so far, but Hitoshi had to wonder what the other stages of this test would be. He was sure they would pass this one with flying colors. But what about the others? What were they centered around? This one was obviously more combat based. One was going to have to be rescue, which probably wouldn't be an issue. Lillian had a quirk well suited for that, though the purple-haired boy feared Bakugo, Shoto, and Kaminari may struggle with that aspect. Their quirks were more combat equipped.

Lillian did as expected, freezing the competition and allowing her classmates to pass. Bakugo circled her like a feral cat, his explosions defending her. It was foolish of him to get this worked up over a test, but there was something about this situation that made his panic swell and his heartrate pick up. The rubble around them reminded him too much of that day. He had to do a double take when glancing at Lillian a few times, swearing she was crying or covered in soot. His second look would assure him he'd seen wrong-- she was just fine, focused on the task at hand and alert. This was a structured exercise. Not Kamino. They were okay.

He wondered how different things would be had Deku not done what he'd done. Shoto wouldn't be as sluggish as he was now. You couldn't tell unless you looked, but the guy was fucking exhausted. The bags under his eyes were subtle, but they were there. He and Deku used to work really fucking well together. He couldn't lie about their dynamic. They had some sort of mutual understanding and the creepy ability to read one another. They were... fuck, they'd been a good team. It wasn't something even Bakugo could deny. He'd never admit that it sort of hurt to see his classmate so down. Guy was really fucking strong. It was ass that he'd been put down this way.

To say the competition was fierce would be an understatement. These other schools came at them with a ferocity that made it seem like they all had a personal vendetta against UA High, anger and passion all targeted at them. Lillian especially was sought after, attacks flying her way with much higher frequency. They knew she was the end all to this. If she froze them, it was over for them. Simple as that. It would leave them immobilized. Her quirk wasn't something you could fight or break out of. It wasn't paralysis. It stopped time in a certain area. That was sort of hard to combat: impossible if she caught you in it. 

It didn't take them long to win. Katsuki and Shoto were the last of their little platoon to win, making sure Lillian got her two people first. Once she had passed, she couldn't help them anymore. That was fine. They didn't need it. She walked with Kaminari to the edge of the arena whilst the rest of the class went ahead to the building they were meant to go to once they passed. They dawdled for a moment, Lillian pretending to tie her boots and Kaminari faking an allergy attack that had him dramatically falling on the ground. And then Lillian dramatically had to help him up, only to also "trip" and fall. Slippery floor. Lots of loose gravel against the bottoms of their shoes.

Shoto didn't have to do much or get close to anyone. With scarily accurate aim, he simply chucked the orange spheres at his opponent's targets and took them out that way. It took him about two minutes to spot the person he wanted to go after. He spent practically no time aiming, throwing each one with terrifying precision. He'd already gotten his first person earlier, meaning taking out this one teen was the last thing he needed to do. The boy had looked rather stunned to have been caught so fast and so easily. Shoto simply gave them a nod before he tromped off towards where Lillian and Denki were waiting.

Bakugo had to get a bit closer to his opponents, and he still had to get two people as well. Easy enough. He simply set off an explosion in their faces and punched the balls onto the necessary targets. Fucking easiest shit he'd ever had to do in his life. He blasted his way over to Lillian after that, landing right in front of her with a grin. She smiled brightly back, holding up her hand for a high five that he willingly gave. They'd done well on the first round. It was a weight off all their shoulders. A step closer to their goal. The yakuza was dangerous shit. 

Katsuki began telling Lillian how she carried the entire class on her 'fucking back' and how they should be praising the ground she walked on. Told her how badass she was and basically everything else he could think of, all whilst she hurriedly shook her head and told him that she hadn't done too much, really. A lot of her classmates had been able to hit targets without her help. Katsuki wasn't buying it, grabbing her shoulder and shaking her lightly as they walked. Todoroki and Kaminari fell back a bit, watching with varying degrees of amusement. Denki cleared his throat lightly.

"You were pretty cool out there, bro." The blonde told the half-and-half boy, nudging him lightly with his elbow. Shoto blinked a bit, turning to him and seeming a bit surprised by the sudden compliment. Denki cleared his throat a little, backtracking just a tad. He didn't wan to freak him out or anything. "I mean-- sorry. I'm just saying that you did a good job, you know? Your quirk's amazing." 

Shoto stared at him in a way that made Kaminari flush with embarrassment. The blonde glanced away slightly. Was that like, bad to say? Probably shouldn't have gone there. Didn't he have a small amount of hatred for his fire side, even now? Denki didn't know! He was just trying to be nice. You know, break the awkward silence and exhibit neighborly tendencies towards his new friends. What if they didn't want to hang out with him anymore because of this? Because he was weird and-- well, actually, maybe not. Lillian quoted vines when she was nervous, Monoma was dead, and just look at Shinso. 

Truth be told, Kaminari was worried about Todoroki just a bit. Or maybe more than a bit. He'd been there at Kamino Ward and had seen the absolute betrayal break its way onto his face. Shoto had lived such a hard life, growing up in the home he did. And then someone he loved with everything in him and that he trusted just... just did that? Just like that? Izuku had hurt them all, but what he'd done to Shoto was simply unforgivable. Kaminari had seen the tears he shed-- was still shedding-- over the freckled boy.

"You too." Shoto nodded, giving a small smile. Kaminari felt his heart stop, relief filling him. He grinned, bumping his shoulder against Shoto's again. Shoto gave him a small bump back. It wasn't much, but it told Kaminari that the half-and-half teen was okay right now. And maybe that was enough.