"I AM... COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
All Might's entrance was about as subtle as a car crash, but the class loved it. I, on the other hand, was more interested in the suitcases sliding out of the wall.
"Hero costumes," I whispered, a small grin finally breaking through my sleepy exterior. "Finally. No more gym sweats."
When I stepped out of the changing room, I felt... comfortable. My costume wasn't flashy. I wore a high-collared, obsidian-black tactical jacket over a flexible gray bodysuit. The jacket had weighted hemline stabilizers so it wouldn't fly up when I negated my own gravity, and I sported a pair of sleek, reinforced boots for heavy landings. No cape—Ochaco had won that argument—but I did have a pair of fingerless gloves with the Uraraka construction logo subtly stitched on the back.
"Kanata! You look so cool!" Ochaco chirped, bouncing over in her pink and black suit. "Look at me! I look like an astronaut!"
"You look like you're ready to float into a giant marshmallow, sis," I teased, though I gave her a thumbs-up. "Very heroic."
All Might cleared his throat, drawing our attention to the lots. "Now, for the pairings! Since we have an odd number of students, one team will be decided by merit! Team A! Midoriya and Ochaco! You will be the Heroes! Team D! Bakugo and Iida! You are the Villains!"
As the others were paired up, I found myself standing next to the tall girl with the ponytail.
"Team K," All Might announced. "Yaoyorozu Momo and Uraraka Kanata! You will be the Heroes for the final round!"
Momo turned to me, offering a polite, elegant bow. "It is a pleasure to work with you, Uraraka-san. Your performance in the apprehension test was quite remarkable."
"Call me Kanata," I said, giving her a lazy wave. "The 'Uraraka' name is currently being monopolized by my sister's enthusiasm. And likewise—creating a cannon out of your own lipids? That's some high-level chemistry."
She flushed slightly at the compliment but quickly regained her composure as we walked toward the observation room to watch the first match. "Since we have time before our round, perhaps we should discuss strategy? My Creation Quirk can provide any tool, but it requires time and understanding of the object's molecular structure."
"And my Anti-Gravity System can make sure those tools don't weigh anything," I added, leaning against the wall. "Think about it, Momo. You could create a massive wrecking ball, and I could swing it around like a tennis racket. Or you could make a titanium capture net, and I could launch it at the speed of sound by negating its drag."
Momo's eyes lit up, her analytical mind clearly spinning. "An excellent synergy. By removing the burden of weight, you allow for the deployment of heavy-duty equipment that would normally be impractical in a stealth or high-speed environment."
"Exactly," I grinned. "But hey, don't overthink it too much. We're the top scorers, right? Let's just have a bit of fun with it. If we get too serious, we'll end up like Bakugo, and I don't think my vocal cords can handle that much screaming."
Momo let out a soft, surprised laugh. "You are very... relaxed, Kanata-san. Most students here are quite tense."
"Stress is bad for the skin," I said, looking at the screen as Midoriya and Bakugo began their literal demolition derby. "And besides, if the world starts falling down, I'm the guy who can tell it to stay up. Hard to stay stressed when you've got that kind of job security."
We watched in silence as the building on the screen began to explode. I saw Ochaco clinging to a pillar while Bakugo went absolutely feral on Midoriya. The humor in my gut soured a little. This wasn't a school exercise for those two; it was a grudge match.
"They're going too far," Momo whispered, her hands clenched at her sides.
"Yeah," I agreed, my eyes narrowing as Bakugo prepared his gauntlet blast. "Bakugo's got a lot of anger, and Midoriya's got a lot of 'I have to prove something.' It's a bad combo."
When the match ended with Midoriya's arm shattered and the building half-destroyed, the room was silent. All Might was shaking. Ochaco looked exhausted.
"Well," I said, pushing off the wall as our names were called. "Looks like they left us a bit of a mess to clean up. Ready to show them how the 'rational' team does it?"
Momo took a deep breath, her expression hardening into one of a true strategist. "Yes. Let us proceed."
"Cool. By the way," I added as we walked toward the tunnel. "If you can make a chair at some point during the match, that'd be great. My legs are still killing me from this morning."
Momo blinked, then smiled. "I will see what I can do."