REVIEW

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Gumi said as she caught up to her new friend. He had been silently protesting from the time he regained consciousness. It really hadn't been planned or anything. Her body had just moved before she could even think it through. It worked out somehow and they had won. Anyone with eyes could tell from a mile away just how hungry her teammate had been for the win. Almost like nothing else mattered as long as they didn't take the L. She didn't like it, she didn't hate it either. Just something about how his focus was centered solely on the win had rubbed her the wrong way. It was also the reason she had introduced herself to him so aggressively. Well, all that was already in the past. He turned out to be different from her first impression and they had formed a bond of sorts. But why was he so difficult to coax.

Dean sighed at his frie… teammate's inability to comprehend just how utterly ridiculous their victory had been. What sort of hero rams into a missile, then blacks out? A grand slam win for sure. Well, it was a school test, hopefully their sensei wouldn't hold it against them too much. Team B was right behind them. None of the damage caused to each other was bad enough to warrant an afternoon off apparently. He felt like his internal organs had been rearranged after Buli sent them flying out a window but that was just him. Apparently, the fact that he could get up and still fight proved otherwise. It had been the same for the rest of them. He had definitely sought to return the favor to Buli and definitely didn't pull his punches with Kiyoshi but a quick kiss was enough to deal with everything. Regardless, he was definitely getting some armor to cushion his back and torso on his costume.

Team B was a bit behind them on the way to the observation room. Buli had somehow managed to wave away a bit of the doom and gloom hovering around his teammate but he wondered how long it would last. He could see Dean take a deep breath before opening the door to rejoin the rest of the class. They were met with a round of applause that left them all bug-eyed. Kiyoshi was probably the most startled after receiving a mix of cheers and pats on the back from his classmates. Buli smiled. They had lost but at least their effort was recognized.

It was a short but uplifting welcome. Dean could feel the warmth in his chest as he held back any particularly excessive reaction from showing on his face. Gumi had been smiling his way now for a bit and he fought the heat that had been trying to rise up his neck. He wasn't sure how good he was doing though; his torso was exposed on his costume. He couldn't even frown properly. He'd need to add a mask too. They all had settled to see what was next. He looked up to face his teacher and somehow felt every bit of excitement leak right out of him. Thankfully, he was able to keep a straight face, even with Gumi cackling right next to him.

"Alright, the first team battle is over,"

Dean flinched a little at the slight emphasis on the word team.

"You've been watching everything the same as I have, the only difference being I can hear them. So, who do you think was the MVP for this match?" Abe asked his little grasshoppers who immediately started giving their opinions.

"The hero team won, so, maybe Gumi? She did kinda save them from turning into meat paste,"

"Yeah, but Dean was the one to touch the missile,"

"After getting kicked by Gumi,"

"But he was the only one that had to fight both villains, and almost win,"

"Silence," he sighed. He should have expected this. "One at time. Lift your hand if you have something to say."

Everyone's hands immediately went up. Abe pointed to the boy dressed like a character from assassin's creed if not for its color scheme.

"Gumi was the MVP," he said briefly. The entire class was watching him but he remained calm and quiet. Abe realized that he was done.

"OK, raise your hand if you have something of value to say," he quickly corrected.

Maru bit his lip to stop the snort of laughter from escaping his mouth. Others weren't as concerned though. Even with his hood on, he could see his classmate turn red and try to pull his hood on lower on his face. The fact that it was neon green with an orange border made him think traffic lights. There were fewer hands up which made Abe-sensei emphasize that they were not here to vote for the MVP but analyze their classmates' battle before determining who had fulfilled their role best. He looked around before stopping on a blonde girl with round glasses framing her green eyes. Himami, if he remembered correctly.

"I'd say the MVP was Kiyoshi."

Her statement made a few gasps, including the boy mentioned. Thankfully, she didn't leave out an explanation.

"The hero team was impressive. Their plan was simple but somewhat effective for their matchup. They were able to get close to the missile's location quickly and manage to draw out Buli. Not how they expected him but he did appear quick. They had settled on a target early and went for it from the start. It was good but the villain team did better. Kiyoshi embraced the role and played what I think would be a nightmare of a villain to face and Buli worked well with him. They both settled on their roles well and decided on their target; to delay time, and I'd say it worked perfectly."

"But they didn't win," one of the students pointed out.

"Correct," Abe-sensei said, "But that's not the point of this part of the exercise. What did Team D do right to get the win and what did Team B do right to stop them? That's what I want you to think about."

He paused as he let the class stew a bit on the question, intentionally stopping Himami from continuing her explanation. She had the right idea but he needed the rest of the class to pick up on it. He pointed to a black-haired boy with blonde highlights next. Noya.

"Well, I thought it was really cool how the heroes managed to deal with everything the villains did. I really thought it was over when they were thrown out the window but they got back in. And they just kept getting back up. The villains were, like, super villainy but I thought I'd be happy to have such a hero come to save me."

His answer had both Gumi and Dean blushing. Noya had it right too, Maru thought. Though his answer ultimately showed how good the villains were. Abe-sensei selected another student.

"It was pretty cool how Kiyoshi set-up a ton of traps in such a short time. He was really serious about winning too. I get that the heroes were impressive and deserved the win but I still kinda feel cheated for Team B."

"You've got the right idea so far," Abe-sensei said, "None of you are wrong on your thoughts so far. To summarize, the hero team kept rising above their circumstance and so inspired you to root for them. That in itself is not a skill we can teach. They pretty much embodied to some degree our school's motto and rose above. However, they were not fully prepared or cautious in their actions. Their overconfidence in their abilities nearly cost them the win throughout the battle. They underestimated their opponents and honestly, won out of luck."

Dean looked down as he chewed on his sensei's words. He was right, but it didn't feel good to hear it. Abe-sensei's following words had him lifting his head up in shock.

"I take luck to be a skill though. If, for a split second, Team D hesitated or stopped gunning for the win, they definitely wouldn't have won the battle. Both of them showed impressive perseverance. I was particularly impressed with their trust in each other. Leaving Gumi to fight Buli was a show of faith in his teammate that, to some degree, pushed both of them to strive for better. The results speak for themselves. The win was well deserved. Good job, both of you."

For once, Dean openly smiled. Gumi nudged him from his side with a smile of her own. She wouldn't say it but Abe-sensei had spotted it perfectly. When she had told him to go, she had expected a bit of blame or maybe disappointment from Dean before he would leave. First impressions weren't easy to break. His absolute faith in her had startled her a bit. He hadn't even looked her way but she could tell. It wasn't some desperate escape or abandonment. Dean had fully trusted her to finish the battle successfully and join him later. As a girl, she was used to being underestimated. Being questioned before being trusted. It was a first for her, to have someone so readily trust in her and her abilities.

"Team B, on the other hand, showed tact beyond expectations. They set up layer after layer of traps and the hero team fell for most of them. They set a goal that worked to both their strengths and communicated effectively. Something that could have been better in the hero team. Those communicators you were both given weren't accessories," Abe said while eying the smiling duo

"From hiding Buli to showing the wrong time on the clock to give a false sense of comfort to the hero team, Kiyoshi did an impressive job in delaying the hero team. Even moving the missile to a more shaded area was a good team decision. Buli fought tooth and nail to delay Gumi, discovering pats of his quirk that even he didn't expect. Even in the final moments, Kiyoshi still managed to trip Dean. Both of you fought just as hard for the win. You pushed yourselves constantly and managed to do more than anybody expected shocking both your entire class and myself. Keep your head up and be proud of what you did."

Kiyoshi felt his back straighten as he held his head high. He could see and hear pride in his sensei's voice, it made his heart warm. It felt good to be acknowledged, especially by someone as strict as their sensei. Loosing the battle had had him beyond distraught. Especially when they had been so close to taking the win. His heart had definitely soured. He really didn't want to be seen as the tail end in a class full of hero hopefuls just because he was physically weaker and couldn't toss a ball into space. The reception him and Buli received despite the loss proved otherwise. They had managed to both shock an impress the entire class. Not to mention his sensei. This probably rivalled his birthday.

"As for the MVP, it goes to Kiyoshi. At the core of the majority of their successful traps was him. Not to disparage Buli's contribution, the exercise simply showed off a lot more of Kiyoshi's versatility."

Better than his birthday for sure.

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