MHA: Hands on, Quirks Up!

[Momo Yaoyorozu]

They emerged from the dome-shaped building in a broken line. 

She led the charge, as the rest of Class 1-A followed closely behind. Every step they took away from that building was a step towards safety.

She spotted the bus just ahead, parked in the same spot it had dropped them off less than half an hour ago. It looked comically normal after the chaos they'd just escaped.

For a second, it almost didn't feel real.

"Driver!" she called out as she approached the vehicle, already waving a hand.

The man inside blinked as he opened the door, clearly confused. "Hey, what's going on? One of your classmates ran off just a few minutes ago. The glasses kid, I think? He was in a hurry, and didn't even stop to say anything to me. Where's your teacher?"

His eyes widened just as Shoji and Sato appeared behind her, each supporting one half of their unconscious teacher's limp body. Aizawa's face was bloodied and bruised, his goggles cracked, scarf dragging against the ground.

"Oh my god. He's—he's bleeding a lot, what happened?!" 

She didn't let herself flinch. "Listen," she had to keep her voice firm and measured. "There has been a coordinated villain attack inside the USJ. Aizawa-sensei and Thirteen-sensei are critically injured, and we need immediate evacuation to the main building. Now."

The driver blinked, stunned by how calmly she said it. "Right—yes, yes. Of course. Everyone get in, quickly!"

Her hands clenched slightly at her sides as she turned back to the class. Her voice had stayed steady, but inside, her stomach felt like it was twisting into knots. The words "immediate evacuation" stung at her tongue. 

She hated leaving him behind.

Hated the idea of sitting safely in a bus while he stayed to face whatever monster had caused all that destruction.

No. She couldn't think like that. It was what Henshin wanted—what he had ordered, through Tsu's tight, urgent voice as she relayed the command between panting breaths.

"Everyone, on the bus. Take a seat and stay calm," she said, projecting her voice without raising it. "We don't have time to waste."

They all listened. Some were still shaken. Ashido climbed aboard without a word, faint tear tracks still visible on her cheeks despite the quick swipe of her sleeve. Mineta was trembling the entire way in. Kaminari stumbled forward with a dopey grin, giggling at nothing in particular. Sero guided him along gently, offering a sympathetic sigh. "He's completely fried. A side effect of overusing his Quirk."

She was the last to enter, offering the driver one final nod. "Thank you."

Then she moved down the aisle, her own legs suddenly feeling heavier with each step. 

She slid into a seat beside Tokoyami, who was quiet, and had fine gray dust from the ruins zone clinging to his dark cloak. Across from them sat Bakugo and Todoroki, each staring straight ahead, silent in their own worlds.

The silence in the bus was thick, save for the hum of the engine and the subtle breathing of nineteen shaken students.

Bakugo's eyes were narrowed. His hands clenched slightly against his knees. A vein twitched near his temple as he inhaled sharply through his nose, then exhaled.

"Fuck."

He muttered it, low and bitter, like it burned his throat on the way out.

Then he looked across the aisle, straight at her.

"I still think we should've stayed," Bakugo snapped, louder now. "You saw how we handled those other bastards. They came at us in waves, and we were fine. They weren't even that strong!"

His voice tightened, rough with frustration. "We came to this school to fight, didn't we? To face danger. You think running away makes us heroes? What are we supposed to do—sit on this bus and hope someone else solves it?!"

Todoroki nodded from beside him, his voice calm but cold. "Bakugo has a point. Most of the villains we encountered weren't threats. If anything, they were sloppy. Disorganized. They talked a big game, but they weren't all that." 

He glanced directly at Momo, his eyes focused as he continued. "There are people in this class who wouldn't have hindered him. Some of us could've contributed. Including you. Retreating now feels... excessive. Even if Henshin insisted, it doesn't make sense to leave him alone. He's strong, but he'll be facing dozens of villains by himself. Even someone like him has a limit."

Across the aisle, Momo sat upright, shoulders squared as she faced both of them. She took a breath before answering. "I don't disagree with either of you."

Before she could continue, Tsuyu spoke up from a few rows behind.

"Kero… I think you're underestimating the situation," she said gently, but seriously. "That big villain that attacked Aizawa-sensei? I think he was different from the others."

She looked around, catching the eyes of her classmates. "The hand villain called him Nomu. He was fast. Way faster than any of the others we fought. And he didn't look like he lacked brute strength either. Midoriya-kun tried to hit him and barely slowed him down. Nomu isn't a pushover like the other villains."

Momo swallowed once, her throat dry. Her mind spun through everything she knew about Kyūta Henshin.

She'd never gotten the impression that he was reckless. Not even once. During every exercise, every training match, he was composed. Measured. He planned ahead. Even when he pushed hard, it wasn't out of ego, but rather a calculated action.

He wasn't arrogant either. If he believed the situation was beyond him, he wouldn't have told them to run. He would've asked for help.

"I wanted to fight beside him," she admitted. "I was ready to. But Kyūta Henshin was elected class representative. That means something. We chose him to lead us, and he made the call for us to leave. Our duty—my duty—was to honor that."

She let her words hang for a moment, then added, firmer, "We don't have the full picture. Yes, the villain defeated Aizawa-sensei… but we need to remember the context. He had already fought a large number of enemies by that point. He was likely exhausted."

She glanced toward Shoji and Sato, who sat near Aizawa's unconscious form, watching over him.

"On top of that, sensei's Erasure Quirk likely didn't affect Nomu. We know it's ineffective against Mutant-Quirk types. That alone changes the dynamics of the battle. Sensei excels at precision and surprise, this wasn't a fight suited to his strengths."

She paused, letting her classmates take that in before finishing.

"We may not agree with Henshin's decision, but we put our faith in him. Right now, we have to stand by that."

"But what if he was wrong?" Bakugo asked. His voice wasn't shouting anymore. Just low. Frustrated.

Before anyone could answer, Mina suddenly chimed in from near the middle of the bus.

"Don't worry," she said, her voice bright. Too bright. "Iida already left earlier. Considering his speed, the pros will be there any second now."

She smiled, pink cheeks puffed with fake confidence. "Besides… Kyūta will never lose to those guys."

The words tried to sound reassuring. Momo's eyes flicked toward her, and her heart sank.

Ashido's knuckles tightened against the edge of the seat. Her legs had been bouncing ever so slightly since they left the USJ, and her smile didn't reach her eyes

She was scared.