Third person pov

"I-It's official. I'm going to die. I'm dead. D-Done for. I may as w-well give up now." It was lunch time, and Lillian was officially panicking again. Hitoshi waited patiently, sipping his drink loudly and lounging back in his seat. They'd managed to snag one of the smaller tables in the corner of the cafeteria. Hitoshi had put his blazer on the other seat to ensure nobody tried to sit down. Not that they would, but precautions were precautions.

"What w-will my parents s-say? M-My quirk r-runs out so fast. I-I can only hold s-so many people at o-once. A-And my classmates a-are so much more powerful th-than the villains at the USJ." Lillian's voice dropped, as did her gaze as she stared at her hands. Hitoshi tensed a little. He hadn't heard Lillian mention the USJ at all since it happened. She'd had a few panic attacks, and mentioned how scared she'd been, but never did she go into detail.

"It's just a Sports Festival. Just a glimpse of your quirk will no doubt get you noticed. It's not for another month anyway." Hitoshi assured. Secretly, he was quite anxious himself, but not on Lillian's level. The girl looked just about ready to lose it. Her pupils had dilated in her panic, and she seemed near hyperventilating.

"I-I'm just scared." Lillian shook her head a little. "I'm... I'm not ready. I-I'm not even in sh-shape, and-" 

"Hey, calm down." Hitoshi said in a steady and reassuring tone. Lillian took a deep breath, bringing up a hand to massage her temples. Hitoshi sat up a little straighter. "We can work together, alright? My quirk is really suited for one-on-one encounters, and everyone knows everyone is put against each other in the beginning."

Lillian lit up at his words. "R-Really? You'd w-work with me?" Lillian pointed at herself, as though he'd meant someone else. Hitoshi felt his lips twitch into a small smile. Playfully, he rolled his eyes at her.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, would I? There's nothing against us teaming up. Besides, it would show any heroes scouting that you're good teaming up with others." Hitoshi pointed out as smartly as he could manage. Lillian thought about it for a moment. He expected her to apologize profusely and fall into a bout of panicked muttering, but instead any anxiety she had was wiped off her face completely. She looked at him with a bright smile, perking up.

"A-And it's a ch-chance for you t-to show everyone you're meant to be in the hero course!" Lillian gasped out. "This is a great idea! If they see that you're willing to team up with someone from the hero course, and they see how useful you and your quirk are, they're bound to accept your transfer request!"

Hitoshi felt his cheeks go a little red with embarrassment. Lillian was the only one he'd told about his request to transfer, and she'd been exuberant ever since. "Yeah, you're right..." He mumbled, clearing his throat a little to try and keep the fluster from his tone. Lillian gazed at him brightly, seemingly reinvigorated by the realization that this could help her friend.

"I need to get into shape." Lillian's cheeks puffed out.

"I do too. I've been... lazy." Hitoshi winced a little. Lillian immediately whipped out her phone, and he leaned forward, already suggesting a site with a good diet plan. Lillian immediately suggested they ask Aizawa-sensei, to which Hitoshi turned into a red-faced mess. As fate would have it, he hadn't realized Shota Aizawa was Eraserhead until getting a better look at the man and seeing him on TV. To say he was excited was an understatement. He'd all but fallen through Lillian's window, jabbering about the man and asking questions with reckless abandon.

Monoma stood a ways off, his tray of food clutched tightly as he gazed at the pair. He'd brushed his classmates off and settled for staring. He couldn't hear exactly what they were talking about, but he definitely caught the dark haired girl, Lillian he'd found out, saying something about them having the power of 'God and anime on their side.' It made his heart race with something akin to excitement.

The boy had responded with a "fuck yah chicken strips" that sent Monoma's adrenaline pumping, and his legs, moving.

They both looked up at him curiously as he approached, surprise clear in their eyes. He'd learned the purple-haired one was a supposed creep from General Studies named Hitoshi Shinso, while Lillian Faust was quite famous from the USJ incident. He thought he'd recognized her from somewhere. The ponytail she wore should have been a dead give away, but she looked quite different when not vomiting blood, so you had to give the blonde that.

"Y-You're the boy from this morning." Lillian whispered, face going pale with horror. Hitoshi looked like he was trying not to laugh as his freckled friend reeled back. Monoma kept a straight face. He couldn't afford to look like fools in front of them. They were the only ones he'd discovered who were... like this.

Monoma took in a deep yet quiet breath, rolling his shoulders back. He clutched his tray a little tighter. His palms felt incredibly sweaty, but he wasn't about to let anyone know that. He refused to let anyone see just how nervous he truly was. He was in the hero course, and he didn't show weakness. Not like those fools in class 1-A. Save for Lillian it seemed, but then again, not all parts of a mess were bad.

He looked each of them in the eye.

"...They did surgery on a grape."

The phrase was simple. He watched their faces go blank, Shinso's amused grin dropping, and Lillian's anxiousness falling. A sort of tension appeared as they gazed up at him, as though sizing him up. Monoma stood strong and tall throughout this mental evaluation. Did he usually sweat this much? That, and he was pretty sure his heart rate was beginning to reach dangerous levels.

"They did surgery on a grape." Lillian finally echoed, looking to Hitoshi. He nodded, pulling his blazer off the extra chair.

"They did surgery on a grape." The purple-haired teen agreed. Monoma released a breath of air he hadn't even realized he was holding, taking a seat quickly. Lillian and Hitoshi immediately scooted closer, glancing at one another wearily. Who was this mysterious blonde individual, and could they trust him?

The test began.

"Miss Keisha?" Lillian asked.

"Oh my god, she fuckin' dead." Monoma responded immediately.

"Two dudes, chilling in a hot tub." Hitoshi challenged.

"Five feet apart 'cause they're not gay." Neito tried to shake some of his nerves. He could do this. He could prove himself.

"What are those?!" Lillian's eyes narrowed. Monoma narrowed his back, lips stretching into a smirk.

"Those are my crocs!" He retaliated as heatedly as he could, his heart racing. He'd never been so open about... about this.

Hitoshi crossed his arms over his chest, sharing a look with Lillian. The purple haired teen spoke carefully. "I thought you were bae..." He trailed off.

Monoma responded immediately. "Turns out you're just fam." The blue haired boy shook his hands out a little to try and get them to stop shaking. Because of course he didn't care if they accepted him! I mean, they liked memes. That wasn't... that impressive....

"I'm Lillian." Lillian held out a hand. "That's Hitoshi." 

"Neito Monoma." He said smoothly, taking her hand and shaking it. "Were you two talking about the Sports Festival before?"

Hitoshi seemed hesitant, but seeing Lillian's acceptance of the new boy made him relax a little. The girl wasn't comfortable around many people, but she had pretty good judgement when it came to one's character. Monoma seemed tense and nervous if nothing else. Hitoshi could understand that.

"Yeah, we were planning on working together. It's a month away." Hitoshi nodded.

"W-We don't have much time." Lillian nodded, twiddling her thumbs. Monoma took a deep breath, letting the tension seep out of his shoulders. Were they all friends now? Was this fine? Had he really found other people like him?

"Working together?" Monoma cleared his throat a little, blinking when he realized he'd been staring. Lillian gave him a bright smile and a nod. 

"Y-Yeah! I-If the pros s-see someone from the hero course working w-with someone from general s-studies, it'll look good for me. I-If the staff sees Hitoshi working with m-me, it'll also look good for him! S-So he can transfer!" She said. She hesitated. "Wh...What class a-are you in?"

"1-B." Monoma tried not to sound sour about it. "My quirk allows me to copy others quirks and use them however I so choose. The duplication only lasts five minutes, but..."

Lillian lit up. "That's amazing! I-I had no idea a qu-quirk like that existed!" 

Even Hitoshi was impressed. "No wonder you're in the hero course. With a quirk like that, the possibilities are endless." He seemed to agree. Monoma felt his cheeks flush at the praise, though he wasn't sure why. His pride swelled.

"I'd be willing to work with you." Monoma said quickly, before he could stop himself. The pair looked startled and surprised. "During the exams, I mean."

"Really?!" Lillian all but shrieked, startling Monoma. The girl whipped out her phone. "L-Look, we found a diet plan!"

"You should have picked Mercy." Hitoshi sighed, though he was smiling a little. He really didn't know what to think of Monoma. The guy had been here all of ten minutes and Lillian had already decided to induct him into their small group. Their pair had just become a trio, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He wasn't about to tell a fellow memester to fuck off, however.

"I wanna be Winston." Monoma peered at the plan. Why was he agreeing to this so fast? He actually... sort of wanted to work with them. He felt undeniably excited due to his discovery. It wasn't often he ran into someone into the same things he was into. Finding Hitoshi and Lillian was nothing short of a social miracle for a guy like him. One who hid himself behind a superiority complex and crushing ego.

"I guess I'll be Genji." Lillian responded readily. Monoma felt a smile cross his face, the thudding of his heart returning as he peered at the different plans Hitoshi and Lillian had been scouting. Some were for people doing more cardio-based workouts, while others were for weight-lifters. If the past tournaments were anything to go off of, they were going to need a lot of stamina. 

"So." Monoma took a deep breath, trying not to seem too cocky. It was still too early. There was a good chance of him scaring them off. "Let's talk quirks."