Hero Lesson: Setting up Teams

They entered the battle map: one of the model cities, which had already gone through many repairs over the past year.

By this time, Momo and Tsuyu had been separated, sending blistering looks at each other from either edge of the crowd. Mineta was being comfortably protected, sandwiched between Kaminari and Jiro.

"I see you're all here, at last," Aizawa muttered. He began talking about... something or another. Momo would have typically paid attention but she was too absorbed with Mineta, that she stole glances every other moment.

Aizawa continued on: "... To put it simply, this will basically be a re-tred of your very first field lesson. You'll be placed in teams of two again and will be in the role of either heroes or villains.

"Instead of simply safeguarding a prepared explosive weapon for fifteen minutes, however, the students taking the villain role will have to set one themselves in one of five possible locations in the building, considering both stealth and technical effectiveness, while the heroes' objective is to find the weapon, as well as disarm and arrest the villains."

"Ah, I see," Iida chimed in, "So this is another exercise that will allow us to think like a villain, so we may more easily predict their moves and reasoning in a real-world setting."

"Exactly," Aizawa confirmed, "Of course, your teams will be assigned thusly..:"

Momo felt a hopeful chill run up her spine. She remembered their first Hero Lesson. The memories of which felt worlds away now, despite only being less than a year ago.

If she and Mineta got to be a pair together, it could be just like their first lesson...

-FLASHBACK-

TEAM C VS TEAM G :

Momo Yaoyorozu & Minoru Mineta - VILLAINS

vs

Kyouka Jiro & Denki Kaminari - HEROES

It was early days in their new school year and they were finally underway with hero training.

They were the fourth match to go, so there wasn't as much pressure to perform but that didn't stop Momo from worrying herself, which was often her habit.

The weight of expectations put upon her was heavy, being here by recommendations and skipping the trails entirely. Momo had to make sure she met that standard.

However, after seeing those first two matches: Bakugou's battle prowess and Midoriya's powerful quirk, which took out Building A; then Todoroki's quick and effective ice, which took out Building B; Momo felt that her creation quirk wasn't a lot to stand out.

Still, she had to try her best.

She thought about her parents. They had always encouraged her to strive for excellence, in everything she could. Being a hero was no exception. Her private tutoring and training had all been building her up for U.A. and the esteem that came with it. She couldn't afford to slack off.

The same sentiment wasn't considered by her partner, however, who was seemingly just standing idly while she was the one creating metal barricades on the rooms entrances and exits. He wasn't doing anything that Momo deemed productive to their current task. He was just... watching her work.

Minoru Mineta: she recalled his name being. A boy of miniature stature and hair that came in strange purple balls, which were likely part of a mutation quirk. She should have asked for some information on his quirk and abilities beforehand, but she had been so concerned with herself and what she was able to do, it had actually slipped her mind.

Regardless, the fact that she was the one doing all the strategizing and heavy-lifting was becoming bothersome to her and his eyes were making her feel... she didn't fully understand what. Whatever it was, she was uncomfortable with it getting in the way of her mission.

Out of the blue, he smiled and gave a thumbs up.

What was with this person? She thought, oblivious to his strange behaviour.

Turning from her current task, leaving the door only half barricaded, she gave Mineta a firm glance, placing her hands on her hips like a disciplinarian.

"Mineta, I don't know what you think you're doing but, if you're just going to stand there and let me do everything myself, I could talk to All Might about your lack of participation and see that your marks be docked."

Mineta stiffened at the threat, but also gave a bewildered reaction.

"Oh he he," He stammered, almost confused, "I was just checking you out in your hero costume. A lot of leg; I approve."

Her hero costume? Why was he wasting time evaluating her costume when Team G could be closing in on them at any moment? Did he even care about that?

"I don't care what you think of my hero costume, Mineta," Momo snapped, the tension of the lesson beginning to get to her.

Again, Mineta appeared genuinely taken aback by this response. Confused, as well as slightly hurt. After a second, though, he had seemingly swallowed those emotions up and his face returned to its default.

"Okay. I'm sorry, Yaoyorozu. If you want me to help out, I will. I'll just use my quirk to reinforce your barriers, shall I?"

Momo huffed, face flushed, "Sure. If it'll help."

Mineta finally left her side and went to work across the room, letting Momo breathe for a moment. At first, she felt relieved. She could pay attention on her current task; defending the room and their superweapon from the hero team.

After a minute or so, she found herself missing the feeling of his presence. For some reason, having him there, watching her, had been an unknown comfort, in hindsight.

Why, though?

Despite herself, she had glanced back to the boy, who was rending the balls from his head and sticking them onto the fortified door on the other side of the room. The balls must be adhesive; Momo gathered.

Then she looked down at her hero costume. It did show a lot of leg, she realised.

Had he been looking at my legs? Momo inquired to herself, a dawning realisation hit her.

He wasn't being lazy. He had been... checking her out.

Momo felt a blush wash over her cheeks, in embarrassment. Mineta was probably just being nice to her and she was too blind to see it and even went so far as to chew the poor boy out.

She was about to go to Mineta and apologize, but then halted. The words of her father echoed in her mind:

"While you are at school, you are to focus on your academia and career as a hero. That means no distractions. You aren't to even think about boys."

Momo had no experience with boys and, taking her father's advice to heart, had promised not to involve herself in any relationships until she had finished school. Therefore, she turned away from Mineta and finished barricading the door, dutifully.

At least he's helping out now. Just ignore him. He's a distraction.

BACK TO THE PRESENT

Fresh, second-hand embarrassment flooded Momo's face, which was now being hidden in her dainty, pale hands, thinking about her past self.

Ugh, she was so stupid.

That had been long before she had realised her crush for Mineta, back when she had no experience with love, except those from fictional books read to her long ago.

What could have been, if I hadn't scolded him like an idiot? she thought.

Now, she had a chance to make it right again. She and Mineta. All by themselves. No one around. She could tell him that she -

"TEAM A - Momo Yaoyorozu & Shoto Todoroki"

Aizawa's announcement shook Momo to her core.

NOT TODOROKI!!!

"TEAM D - Minoru Mineta & Tsuyu Asui"

OH COME ON!!!!

The other teams were a non issue to Momo, who was now staring mortifyingly at her young love and her greatest rival, the latter of whom threw her a devilishly smug grin before turning her attention downward.

"Oh. Isn't this going to be fun, Mineta? We haven't been in a group together in so long~" Tsuyu said, excitedly hopping next to him.

"Heh. Yeah," Mineta commented back, looking her over again.

Momo, on the other hand, had carted herself away from the rest of the class, lowered to her hands and knees, underneath a dramatic spotlight of utter misery, defeatedly.

"It's not fair," she moaned, staring into the dirt.

Todoroki appeared next to her, seemingly unperturbed by her situation.

"I look forward to working with you again, Yaoyorozu."