chapter 11

The green haired Izuku Midoriya bounded forwards, skidding his back foot on the ground momentarily. He skipped his foot onto the ground and flew into the air. His entire body fizzled with green energy as he leapt upwards. He drew his fist back and came down on his target, hard.

Tsuyu Asui, in her green hero costume, casually hopped out of the way of her sparring partner's attack. Midoriya's fist came in straight contact with the cement ground, cracking it all the way through to the bottom. Thankfully, the cement pillar didn't completely fall apart.

Cementoss had risen three cement pillars staggering in height for the students to use to spar on, separating them. After that, he had to leave to teach another class. If they broke any of the cement pillars now, they wouldn't get another one any time soon.

Midoriya wedged his fist out of the ground. He spun on his back foot and charged again at Asui. But he kept missing. Every time he charged, Asui hopped out of the way. He shouldn't have doubted her agility with her frog quirk.

But then again... did he really want to hurt Asui?

Midoriya paused for a second, glancing away from his opponent to the ground below the pillars. The green energy flowing around him quietly dispersed. And Asui, as the sweetheart she is, didn't have the heart to attack him while he was looking away. Obviously, he was focused on something other than attacking her right now.

Midoriya looked down below their pillar. On the ground floor were a few other sparring matches. Such matches included Kirishima and Ashido, Iida and Kaminari, Jirou and Tokoyami, and Bakugou and Sero. The others were scattered somewhere around them on the tall cement pillars or behind them, out of sight. Only the few matches on the pillars were permitted to train with their quirks right now.

However, those matches weren't the only ones existing below. Mr. Aizawa and Tikki Shimamura stood off to the side, observing. Shimamura was dressed in the typical U.A. gym uniform that they wore during the Sports Festival. Hers had funny stitches along the pants and across the stomach of the jacket.

Midoriya figured those stitches were from her injuries. Iida and Uraraka both said Shimamura and Fujimaki's match was 'gruesome' but failed to elaborate much further. Midoriya was just shocked there were no blood stains on the uniform, and that the school didn't just give her a new uniform.

But... she's just standing there?

Aizawa went as far as to tell her to put on a uniform that she didn't even need if she was just going to stand and watch. She looked nervous. Her hand itched at her opposite forearm. However, she seemed pretty content watching everyone spar with each other.

"Whatcha looking at, Midoriya?" Asui asked as she walked over to him.

"Oh, sorry Su. I got distracted."

"No worries."

Midoriya pointed down to Shimamura and Aizawa. "I just noticed Shimamura wasn't sparring with anyone, that's all."

Asui looked down below. She nodded. "That is pretty strange, isn't it? I guess her being here is strange in general, though. What are you planning on doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you usually have some sort of idea of what to do when things don't make sense. If anyone can figure out why she's here, it's you! Ribbit." Asui smiled at him, sticking her tongue out.

Midoriya paused. She had a point.

We don't have any real answers yet from Mr. Aizawa. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask why Shimamura isn't doing anything. There aren't enough people for her to have a sparring partner since the class is an even number, but maybe she wasn't meant to spar anyway. Like Uraraka said, she could be just here to watch to gather information for our gear.

But on the flip side, she's wearing her gym uniform. That's the supplement for a hero costume since Support Course students don't have Hero suits. Why else would she be wearing her gym uniform if not to spar with the class? Something's not connecting here...

"You're mumbling again, Midoriya."

"Right! Sorry! I'll be right back, Su. Is that fine?" Midoriya stepped backwards to the very edge of the cement pillar, letting his heels hang off the edge.

Asui nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "See you in a bit!"

Midoriya smiled and stepped off the platform. Full cowl! The green electric energy swarmed around his body again. He lit up with power and bounced off against the pillar. Summer saulting in the air, Midoriya landed nicely on the ground. He skidded to a stop and straightened up. The green energy dispersed and disappeared as if nothing existed to begin with.

Midoriya jogged over to Aizawa who had an eyebrow raised at his problem child.

"Mr. Aizawa!" Midoriya greeted as he arrived.

Aizawa turned to him. The white haired Shimamura leaned out from around Aizawa to look at Midoriya, curious.

"What is it, Midoriya?" Aizawa questioned.

"I just had a question."

"Make it fast. Get back to your sparring partner."

"Sure—How come Shimamura isn't sparring with us?" Midoriya asked.

Aizawa's answer was short and self-explanatory. "There's not enough people."

"We could switch partners."

Aizawa shrugged. "That's too complicated."

Shimamura looked up at Aizawa then at Midoriya. She blinked at him and waved slightly when they made eye contact. He smiled a bit and waved back. She almost acted like a little kid when standing next to Aizawa.

"Actually!"

Midoriya, Shimamura, and Aizawa turned to see the redheaded Kirishima running up, smiling. Ashido wasn't far behind him as they came over from their sparring match. They pulled the same straw and ended up as partners.

"Ashido and I could split up so she can spar with one of us!" Kirishima grinned.

Shimamura looked up at Aizawa, expectantly. Midoriya watched her expressions carefully. Well, he was right about one thing. Shimamura definitely wanted to spar since she changed into her gym clothes. She's been waiting for this.

Aizawa blinked, thinking it over. Then he shrugged. "Alright. Shimamura, go spar against Kirishima and Ashido."

"Wait what—" Kirishima started.

"Both of them?" Shimamura questioned.

"Yup."

"Oh!" Ashido raised her hands. "So it's like a free for all—!"

"No," Aizawa corrected. "Shimamura against Kirishima and Ashido."

Kirishima and Mina paused. "Oh..." they murmured together.

Shimamura pursed her lips. What Aizawa had said to her only a few hours prior...

You're just here to test the waters.

This was a test. Of course it's a test. More tests. God, how Shimamura hated these tests. She sighed and walked forwards, stretching her arms out. Kirishima and Ashido stood in a daze until they finally turned and stepped back onto their sparring zone where they had been before.

Aizawa followed them so he is standing on the edge of their zone which was drawn out by white tape on the ground. Some of the surrounding sparring matches paused their fight to see what was happening. Much to Aizawa's chagrin, they walked over to watch as well. The crowd was composed of Jirou, Tokoyami, Mineta and Koda, Sero, Kaminari (he wandered away from Iida although Iida was trying to call him back), and Bakugou by default since his sparring partner walked away from him.

Shimamura flexed her fists and brought them up to her face like a boxer might, but her fingers were extended instead of balled up. The only discrepancy to Shimamura's tattered gym uniform were the little black contraptions pasted to her temples, connected to a black choker from the back. Midoriya cocked his head to the side, only just seeing Shimamura's strange contraptions as she prepped herself.

"Quirks are allowed for this sparring match," Aizawa announced. With that, Kirishima immediately hardened his entire body and pounded his fists together, grinning. Ashido slicked up her hands with a thin layer of acid and giggled. Shimamura, on the other hand, didn't change her position in the slightest.

"Go ahead—" Aizawa kicked it off blandly.

Kirishima sprung forwards and drew his elbow back, aiming for a direct hit. Shimamura dipped down in less than a few seconds, leaning her whole body to the side. She raised her leg as she bends in a 90° angle and swung a kick directly into Kirishima's stomach cavity. He didn't feel the impact, but he definitely skidded a few feet to the side.

Shimamura bent back upwards. Her shin throbbed with a prickling pain after kicking his hard body, but the pain didn't matter. Her eyes darted to the side to see Ashido coming at her from the opposite angle at which Kirishima had launched his attack from.

Ashido reached out with her acid caked palm, trying to stick it onto at least Shimamura's clothing. Her hand reached forward, expecting to meet the soft uniform cloth, but is met with nothing but air. Shimamura put her arm out in front of her, connecting her forearm with Ashido's wrist.

Shimamura pushed down on Ashido's wrist and forced the acid away from her. Ashido leaned forward with the push and tripped over her own two feet. Shimamura sidestepped casually and swiped her leg underneath Ashido's, completely tripping her. Ashido rolled to the ground and groaned as she lands on her stomach.

Shimamura is suddenly tossed to the side like a rag doll. A shooting pain emanated from the right side of her ribcage. Shimamura growled in the back of her throat. She leaned down and scratched her hands and fingertips into the cement floor. She slowed to a stop, crouching like a cat.

Her brilliant blue eyes glared up at Kirishima. He stood where she had been, frowning with his hardened fist outstretched. His other hand he used to help Ashido up off the ground. Game on.

Midoriya sorely wished he had his notebook during this match. There was so much to examine. So much to conclude and process!

Shimamura exploded up from the ground like a track star sprinting off the starting line. She darted from her spot and skidded on her back foot, skipping up into the air. She swung her leg back and around and, before Kirishima and Ashido had time to react, barreled a roundhouse kick straight into Kirishima's chest.

He blocked with his hardened arms but skidded back more than he did the first time. Shimamura recovered quicker than he does and she lands a similar kick into Ashido's side. She hopped and nearly fell off the sparring box's perimeter.

Shimamura feels the pain in her foot swelling now after kicking Kirishima. But again, it didn't matter. The pain came second in her mind. She rushed to the side with split second reaction time and narrowly missed being pummeled in the side by Kirishima.

She saw an opening. Kirishima focused his hardening into his arms and chest, trying to predict where she'd hit him. Yet he failed to predict such.

Shimamura dipped down into a lunge on her back leg and swiped her foot underneath Kirishima's. The kick nailed him in the back of the shins with so much force that he collapsed to his knees. He groaned and shifted his hardening to the rest of his body.

He watched Shimamura and Fujimaki's Sports Festival Match... he should've known the attacks she would be making. But she was stronger than she was during the Sports Festival. She was more focused. She was faster. The only constant was how the pain she felt didn't affect her.

Just like how she pulled the metal spike out of her calf, she didn't seem bothered by the pain that might've occurred from kicking Kirishima's hardened body parts.

How could she have gotten so much stronger in only a few weeks?

Midoriya and the other students of Class 1-A watched the fierce 2 v 1 battle. Shimamura was at an obvious disadvantage, but she seemed to be holding herself up. In fact, she was knocking them down like bowling pins at this rate.

"Kirishima and Ashido are targeting Shimamura as separate entities, which is probably why Shimamura is having to use more frequent attacks than they are," Midoriya assessed. "If they used a team strategy they might have higher chances of hitting her. But based on Shimamura's attacks, she's using a defensive strategy. She keeps kicking and dodging but she hasn't used her hands yet. The one time she did, it was as a block."

He hummed, continuing to mutter to himself. "Her quirk must be some sort of speed quirk. She's very light on her feet, agile, quick, and she can see her little openings. Half of that is skill, probably. But the other half—how fast she is—that has to be her quirk."

"I agree with muttering Midoriya," Kaminari smirked.

"She is quite abnormally fast," Momo nodded. "If I had to guess, she has an agility quirk."

"Nothing like my boosters, though," Iida commented. He had finally joined the audience since Kaminari wasn't sparring with him anymore anyway.

The entirety of the class had collected around this singular match, which gave Kirishima the motivation to push harder than he was before. And everyone agreed with Midoriya's muttering. They all speculated that Shimamura's quirk was an agility based quirk. But Aizawa was quick to shoot them down.

"Shimamura hasn't used her quirk yet," he said as if it was obvious.

"Wait... really?" Midoriya's mouth fell open.

The class fell silent. They were shocked. For someone holding her own so well against two Hero Course students there was no way she was wasn't using her quirk. But Aizawa wouldn't lie to them. Which also means he knows what Shimamura's quirk is.

"Dumbasses..." Bakugou grumbled. He had a hunch as to what Shimamura's quirk was. Especially after their first encounter, he had a pretty good feeling he was the only one among his classmates to know.

Kirishima smashed his hardened fist into the ground as Shimamura rolled out of the way, flipping backwards. He groaned. All three were heaving heavily. Ashido even sat on the ground in a criss cross, giving up.

All three were also severely bruised. Shimamura's lower half of her right pant leg had been burned off at some point by Ashido's acid. Now the school really had to give this girl a new uniform. Shimamura could feel the bruises building up along her sides and along her shins. The pain was finally making itself known in her mind.

Kirishima was losing his hardening across his most of his body. In fact, the back of his calves where Shimamura had nailed him before were starting bruise underneath his dark pants. Aizawa put his hand up, leaving the other in his pocket.

"Alright, you lot are done." He walked into the match.

Kirishima immediately fell into a sitting position on the ground. Ashido collapsed on her back and sighed loudly, happy to be done. Shimamura simply knelt on the ground, rubbing her right shin with her hand. The scar where Fujimaki's metal splinter pierced her leg was visible with her pant leg gone.

Kirishima stood up and walked off, then came back. He walked up to Shimamura, holding out a hand for her. She happily accepted his help and he pulled her upright. She groaned, stretching out her lower back. With a pout on his face, as if he were a puppy dog, he offered her a water bottle.

"Sorry for hurting you when you kicked me. I might've gone a bit overboard with my hardening." He rubbed the back of his neck.

Shimamura smiled at him with pearly white teeth. "That's ok. It doesn't hurt so bad. I got used to it after the first few kicks. Anyway, I should be the one apologizing. I kicked you pretty hard when you weren't ready for it."

"That's the goal, isn't it?" Kirishima smiled. "Find the opening and take it! You did really well!"

Shimamura tilted her head to the side, grinning with dimples showing. "Thank you! Thanks for sparring with me!"

Kirishima grinned. Shimamura was strangely happy after sparring but it was cute. Compared to the Sports Festival when she was crushed after her loss, she was now proud of herself even if she didn't win. Kirishima didn't realize she wasn't using her quirk, but he was still impressed with her fighting ability without that knowledge. One could only imagine his shock when he finds out.

"I'm Eijiro Kirishima. Welcome to the class!" Kirishima put his hand out and she gladly shook it.

Ashido ran up and put her arms around Kirishima's shoulders, poking her head out behind him with a massive grin on her face. She winked at Shimamura. "I'm Mina Ashido! You're a superstar!"

Shimamura giggled. "Nice to meet the both of you. I'm Tikki Shimamura. My friends call me Shima."

Kirishima and Ashido were convinced after that sparring match that Shimamura really was joining the class—not just that she was a Support Course student watching them for the day. Shimamura had the skills to be a Hero Course student and she could've fooled anyone if she said she'd been apart of the Hero Course since the beginning.

However, not everyone was so convinced.

"Out of my way!"

The crimson eyed Katsuki Bakugou stormed into the match square. Seemingly fuming. Sero, his old sparring partner, tried to stop him but fails. Bakugou was too bent on his objective. Aizawa walked past him, raising an eyebrow, but he let it happen.

"Alright Shimamura," Aizawa announced. "You have another match ahead of you. I hope you didn't use up all your energy on Kirishima and Ashido."

Shimamura leaned to the side to see around Kirishima and Ashido. Sure enough, Bakugou stomped into the sparring square with his fists balled and a horrific scowl on his face. Shimamura raised her eyebrows at him, frowning.

Kirishima and Ashido got the memo pretty quickly. Ashido skipped out of the square, seemingly fully recovered. Kirishima pat Bakugou on the shoulder, whispering something to his friend. Bakugou responded by shoving Kirishima away and telling him to screw off.

Shimamura flexed her hands again and raised them to her face just like before. Taking the same position. The only discrepancy was her newly burned pant leg. Bakugou stood a few yards in front of her, lunging downwards to the ground.

Shimamura may have held her own against Kirishima and Ashido... but Bakugou would be the real test for her.

Aizawa raised his hand. He glanced between the two, taking a deep breath. Alright, mini-Ori. Show them why you're here.

"Start—"