The city simulator was nothing new, but the silence always set you on edge. A "villain" could show up from behind any of these tall buildings. Knowing who you were facing made you even more anxious. Todoroki and Bakugo? Was that even fair?

You and Midoriya planned on locating Jiro as soon as possible, knowing she would be fantastic at locating the villains. Together, you and Midoriya were hurrying through the streets, keeping to the shadows as much as possible, to avoid alerting anyone.

"Who do you think the pairs are?" you asked, "As far as villains go?"

"No idea, but it's not going to be easy that's for sure..."

Quirk-wise, you were both tanks. Interesting that Aizawa put the two of you together. There had to be a reason, you wondered. You were about to leave the alley you two were hiding in when something spooked Midoriya.

"Wait," he said.

"Already?" you asked. How had you run into someone so soon? "Are they on our side?"

Midoriya stuck his head out just the tiniest bit when gigantic ice spears shot towards him, "NOPE!" he squeaked.

"Todoroki?!" you grimaced.

An ice wall formed right in front of you, blocking the two of you into the alley and away from the street. Not the move that you were expecting. You prepared to knock it down with a powered-up punch, but Midoriya hadn't moved.

"What is it?" you asked.

"He missed us on purpose, only blocking us..." he muttered, "Is that part of their objective? He seems like the type to fight head-on... Who is his partner? What's their strategy? Where is their hideout? Why would he be on the streets out in the open?"

"Izuku!" you shook him by the shoulders.

"Sorry!" he said frantically.

"Hey, cutie!"

Another voice came from behind you. A boy in all black and thick yellow hair was sporting a wicked grin.

Denki!

"You should really watch your step - it's about to get lit!" he declared.

Your heart dropped. Beneath you and Midoriya, a large puddle had formed, flooding the alley and creating an electrifying death trap. It must've been Todoroki. He could melt his ice faster than the sun could. The wall was still present behind you, forcing you to face Denki, or test your speed in escaping.

You might survive it, but Midoriya...

"Get out of here, Izuku!" you said, "I've got this. Get Todoroki."

"Yeah, Izuku, we want some alone time!" Denki waved at them with sparks filling his palm.

"We're teammates, (Y/N)! Let's stick together," Midoriya insisted.

You groaned. If you argued you would both get fried and lose! You gave him a quick nod, before charging at Denki. Midoriya was able to leap upwards, using incredible strength in his legs, just in time to avoid the shocking blast.

You, on the other hand, kept moving forward. The sparks stung your skin, like a million needles jabbing you, but they quickly turned into storable energy.

"What the!" Denki panicked.

With a loud cry, you drove your fist into the ground, creating a fissure that sent Denki flying. He landed hard on the concrete with a dazed look on his face. You beamed, feeling positive about the test, now.

That is until your legs froze in place. Luckily, the frost covered your boots more than your skin, but it was still devastatingly cold. You shivered instantly. A new ice wall began to form in front of you, and then behind you.

"(Y/N)!"

You heard Midoriya from behind your new prison. It sounded like he had engaged Todoroki on the street. Todoroki probably assumed that you were captured and done for. This was a great opportunity to demonstrate your strength, you thought. Your fingers itched to punch a hole through the ice.

Admittedly, Todoroki was one opponent who made you the most nervous. Elements were NOT your strong suit. You couldn't suck essence out of ice. He had fire abilities as well, which you could absorb... if you didn't mind getting burnt to a crisp. It wasn't like he used that power much, anyway.

You looked down at your glowing hands. You had to help your partner. You would both pass this test, even if it killed you!

First, you freed your feet from their ice shackles. Once you were mobile again, you attacked the wall separating you from Midoriya. Your fist connected with the cold structure, creating a spiderweb of jagged cracks. The next punch you threw made the wall come tumbling down.

Midoriya looked terrible. He was out of breath, and one of his hands was discolored. Todoroki looked scuffed-up but still moved quickly. You sprinted towards your friend and brought your leg around to deliver a harsh kick straight into Todoroki's gut.

The boy with red and white hair flew back, but he caught himself with more ice, which flung him around like a slide. He was coming for you next, preparing a fortress of crystals. Together, you and Midoriya reeled your arms back and shattered the oncoming wall.

Todoroki always kept a calm demeanor, but even his brow was slightly raised.

"I didn't think you had it in you, (Y/N)," he said.

"No time to chat, villain," you attempted to be funny while also winded, "Unless you want to tell us what you're hiding and where we can find it."

"Not a chance," he smirked. He was preparing another attack when you all heard something - or someone, rather.

"Help. Help." The voice was oddly robotic, "I am a hostage. Help."

Midoriya quickly turned to you, and both shouted, "Iida?!"

"You have Iida hostage? Where is he!" you challenged.

All he did was give you both an icy stare. You were in for it now. Sparing a second, you glanced at your friend to see how he was holding up. He looked tired. His green hair was all over the place, but his eyes were burning with the desire to fight.

"(Y/N)," he said, his tone serious, "How else can you expend your energy?"

"Uh..." He was asking this now?! Todoroki looked ready to kill! "I'm not sure, actually. I've only ever used it to enhance my strength and speed."

Guilt settled in your chest. For years, you fought against yourself; stunting your quirk's potential and growth. All because you were afraid. Sure, you looked nice and flashy at the start of this test. You could hold your own and punch the crap out of stuff.

But you knew you could do more.

Something in Midoriya's eyes told you he understood. He didn't press you any further, "Then we'll hit him with all we've got!"

You were practically wheezing. Of course, you just had to face Todoroki first. How could you guys earn points against this beast?

Midoriya came up with a plan to locate Iida, and you were stalling for him. But your time was running out. Neither you nor Todoroki was landing any hits. It was just him throwing ice at you and you demolishing it over and over.

"Had enough? Hero?" Todoroki's cold voice echoed in your ears.

You wiped the sweat from your forehead, "Nope. Just fine..." Except that it feels like I'm being repeatedly hit by an ice cream trunk!

Truthfully, you were low on steam. The last punch actually hurt and made you stagger. If he had enough strength left for one more giant ice attack, you were screwed. Your skin wasn't even radiating anymore.

Hurry, Midoriya!

Todoroki hadn't seen you use your quirk like this before, but it looked like he could sense your struggle. You were deflating, like a balloon, and he was going to take advantage of it. You watched as more ice sprung from his very being and held your arms up, ready to block.

Preparing for the pain.

Suddenly, you were flying sideways. Green hair was in your eyes and tickling your nose. Midoriya's arms were tightly around your waist, and the two of you avoided Todoroki's attack. As Midoriya's dive descended, you tumbled and rolled until he landed on top of you.

He looked down at you in terror, unable to hide his blush, "A-Are you okay?!"

"Perfect," you winced, "He's a tough bastard, isn't he..."

"He is. But we did it! I found Iida!"

Todoroki was looking at the two of you with a stunned expression. A tall man in a robot costume came charging onto the scene.

"You have saved the hostage! I can now participate as a hero and help our team succeed!" Iida stated, "You, villains, are neutralized!"

You beamed up at Midoriya, "How? Where?"

"They had him tied up in that department store over there. We were actually really close, which is why they attacked us. Luckily, Iida's voice travels... and he's very articulate."

You could've cried. You were so proud of him - of both of you! You were exhausted, but it felt amazing to come out on top, especially against a team like Todoroki and Denki. Speaking of the devil, Denki finally came crawling out of the alley.

"Awwwwwww," he frowned, "We lost already?"

Todoroki's expression fell, but he still looked cool, even in defeat, "So it would seem."

He sent a peculiar glare your way, before shaking his hair and walking away. Denki chased after him, leaving you three heroes to cherish your victory. For now.

"Friends," Iida helped the two of you off the ground, "Rescuing me has granted our team points! I also come with a map to one more villain location."

"That's awesome!" Midoriya tried showing his excitement. His injuries were weighing on him, though.

It was nice that you had Iida on your team now, but that didn't erase the damage Todoroki inflicted. The energy Shinso gave you, along with what you stole from Denki's quirk, was almost out. Gravity felt heavier and your muscles were screaming.

"We did it, (Y/N)," Midoriya said, "But you were incredible! I can't believe you were able to fend him off as long as you did."

"Indeed," Iida said, "I don't mean to be rude, but I wasn't aware you possessed such power, (Y/N). Quite like Midoriya, you were a surprise. I think you shocked Todoroki as well."

"Thanks, guys..." You held your face, "Don't make me blush. I'm sure if it was a battle to the death, he would've killed me, though."

"He is strong. I'm kind of glad we only had to rescue Iida to win," Midoriya gave a nervous smile, "Where to next?"

Iida revealed the map in his hand, "All I know is the location. What we have to face is still a mystery. We must be on our guard!"

"Right!" you nodded. Right...