Life is Simple, Love is Not (Izuku x Miruko)

Chapter 22: Tools of the Trade

Rumi could not help but overhear the conversation between the remaining two students as she watched the observation room video screens.

"Do you really think she is going to be okay?" Said the brown-haired girl nervously. "I mean, not that I don't believe in her, but this guy has taken down both Iida and Ashido without breaking a sweat. Not to mention he probably has some kind of dirty trick for every situation..."

The red-haired boy put on a confident smile and waved away his classmate's concern as he spoke. "Uraraka, I think out of all of us Yaoyorozu has the best chance to beat Agent Midoriya. She is one of the smartest students in the whole school for cryin out loud. Plus with her quirk she can pretty much counter anything thrown at her...At least I think she can."

On screen, Izuku and Yaoyorozu faced off in the empty street. Adjusting his grip on his shotgun, Izuku nodded respectfully to his opponent.

"Same rules from before." He stated. "Start whenever you are ready."

As Izuku watched her like a hawk, Yaoyorozu took a steadying breath and adopted a fighting stance. The seconds ticked by slowly, neither combatant making a move. Until suddenly Yaoyorozu burst into action.

Immediately, the teenage girl jumped behind the nearest hard cover of a concrete road barrier as Izuku slam-fired three quick shots from his shotgun. The beanbag rounds narrowly missed their target and impacted against a nearby wall, leaving small craters behind as Izuku slowly advanced. With his shotgun pointed at Yaoyorozu's location, Izuku got within a few feet of his opponent before something was thrown at him. Ducking behind an overturned table in one smooth movement, Izuku watched as the flying adhesive grenade detonated, spewing forth foam that instantly began hardening on contact with the ground. In the moment that Izuku moved to take cover, Yaoyorozu had jumped out from her hiding spot and began sprinting towards a nearby storefront.

However, she was now dressed in a variety of tactical gear that was very similar to what her opponent was wearing.

Showcasing her phenomenal control of her abilities, Yaoyorozu wore several pieces of protective clothing that had been created in mere seconds. She was now outfitted with a bulletproof vest, rubber gas mask, and a tactical belt holding a variety of gadgets. In her hands she carried a collapsible metal bo staff as well as a pair of brass knuckles.

Immediately giving chase, Izuku leaped over the adhesive foam and chased his target into a cluttered department store. Just as he was about to burst through the front doors, Izuku changed direction and crashed through one of the large display windows instead. Less than a second later, some kind of landmine that Yaoyorozu had hidden behind the doors detonated, blasting rubber sting pellets in a wide radius.

Rumi smirked, the girl was crafty, she would give her that. However, Izuku was a combat-hardened veteran with years of real-world experience. If Yaoyorozu wanted to catch him off guard she would have to pull out all the stops.

"How did he know that was there?!" The brown-haired girl exclaimed in disbelief.

Her red-haired friend shrugged. "I dunno, I honestly thought that trap would get him."

On screen the chase continued, Yaoyorozu barely managing to dodge blasts from Izuku's shotgun as she ducked and weaved between aisles.

So far Rumi was unimpressed, the girl certainly had talent, but so far all she was doing was running away. Rumi knew from first-hand experience that Izuku had freakish levels of stamina, and running away from him was only delaying the inevitable. If the girl wanted any chance of winning, she would need to make a stand and fight.

Finally one of the shotgun blasts struck home, the non-lethal round catching Yaoyorozu in the shoulder and sending her sprawling just as she had been about to duck down the gardening aisle.

As Izuku rounded the corner with his shotgun at the ready, Yaoyorozu frantically pulled the pin of a smoke grenade and dropped it on the ground. Immediately, thick purple smoke filled the aisle as Izuku fired a blast at Yaoyorozu's location. However, the determined girl had already rolled out of the way, and had immediately armed herself with her brass knuckles and bo staff while also replenishing her supply of gadgets.

Rumi watched with interest as the teenage girl continued to hide in her smokescreen as Izuku came to a stop. It seemed that the girl's plan was to use Izuku's cautiousness against him and force him to pause his assault, giving her a moment to collect herself and counter-attack.

Putting his shotgun into its holder on his back, Izuku pulled out three odd-looking grenades from one of his pouches and pulled the pins. Stepping into the thick purple smoke, Izuku dropped the grenades at his feet just as Yaoyorozu emerged from her hiding place behind him with her bo staff raised.

With a blinding flash and deafening bang the three stun grenades detonated, causing several of the video feeds to momentarily short out. A few seconds later the nearby camera's reactivated just in time to watch Izuku lock onto his reeling target as the smoke began to clear.

Not giving his opponent a chance to recover, Izuku delivered a vicious punch straight into Yaoyorozu's jaw, knocking her gas mask askew and sending her stumbling backwards. Slowly advancing on his prey, Izuku easily dodged several frantic attacks from the blinded and deafened Yaoyorozu. He then pulled out a razor sharp combat knife out from its sheath on his shoulder.

Rumi wanted to be shocked and appalled, but frankly this was exactly the kind of behavior she had come to expect from her partner.

Turning to run away, Yaoyorozu cried out in pain as Izuku surgically slashed the back of her leg. With a steady trickle of blood dripping from her injured leg, Yaoyorozu ripped off her gas mask and whirled around to face her opponent. It was clear to Rumi that the teenage girl's mental fortitude was crumbling under Izuku's relentless assault.

Like a wounded animal that was backed into a corner, Yaoyorozu let out a feral battle cry and charged at her remorseless opponent.

Like a matador baiting an enraged bull, Izuku easily sidestepped the desperate attack and slashed one of Yaoyorozu's arms.

Heaving with pained exertion, Yaoyorozu fell to the ground as her injured leg folded under her. With her blood slowly spreading around her, Yaoyorozu cradled her bleeding arm and glared at her expressionless tormentor. Clearly defeated, she simply continued to glare silently as Izuku slowly walked towards her.

For a second, Rumi hoped that Izuku would mercifully end the battle and let the injured girl at least leave with her pride intact.

That hope vanished as Izuku knocked Yaoyorozu out cold with a brutal knee strike to the head.

Sighing heavily, Rumi followed the small crowd out of the observation bunker as Izuku easily slung the bloodied teenage girl over his shoulder.

Out in the fake city street, Rumi watched as Izuku emerged from the department store and gently placed Yaoyorozu down on the waiting stretcher. As the medical robots swiftly carried their patient away, Izuku wiped the blood off his knife and put it back in it's sheath.

Stepping forward with her arms crossed angrily, Midnight spoke to Izuku with barely concealed disdain. "I don't care what excuses you give us, I think the way you are treating our students is borderline sadistic."

"Noted." Izuku said flatly. "Now if you have nothing to contribute let me continue my training."

As Midnight huffed indignantly, Izuku pointed at the red-haired boy standing nearby.

"Your turn Kirishima."