Chapter 06: [Crimson Combat Experience]

The examination with Aizawa ended up taking the entire day, so when the results got out and the students were released, Izuku himself not even waiting and using [Flash Step] to reach home. The next day when the vampire entered the class, tensions were up and high, considering the results of the previous day. No one wanted to get on the bad side of the homeroom teacher, so class proceeded without much of the cacophony from the first day.

The morning part went about as normal as normal could be. U.A might be a heroics school, but it also was an institution with much influence, the other courses also being highly valued. Be it the General Studies, Management Course or the Support Course, every class in U.A was an one-way to success.

Izuku made a mental note to visit Mei, hoping that she managed to keep herself in check. He had seen the roster for other classes, his nerves calming somewhat as Pro-hero Power Loader would be the homeroom teacher. His expertise in support items and engineering guaranteed the vampire that the pro would not allow Mei to set the school's workshop on fire on her first week.

The vampire finished noting down what Present Mic had written on the board, English class being just about done. Just in time for lunch too.

The hemomancer was one of the first inside the cafeteria, quickly acquiring his meal along with some bloodpacks, the life liquid being inside a thermos flask. He had already informed U.A of his [True Ancestor] quirk, to avoid trouble or questioning as to why he would be snacking on blood alongside his meals. The cafeteria quickly filled up with students, many gathering by their cliches and sitting down with friends.

Izuku found it better to get a table at the corner, enjoying some solitude. He pulled his notebook from inside his school blazer and scribbled some notes and some ideas about his new training regime (having access to top-grade equipment being a sure plus), but his ears quickly picked the sound of footsteps coming his way. His eyes moved up and Izuku found out who the steps belonged to.

Short, bob-cut purple hair and jacks extending from her earlobes, Kyouka Jirou was walking towards his table. She stopped right in front of it, her follower right behind her in the form of Yaoyozoru Momo.

"Yo, mind if we sit here?" The punk-themed girl asked the vampire, her tone calm and somewhat melodious. Izuku nodded and the girl head motioned for her companion to follow suit. The two girls sat on the chairs in front of the hemomancer and began digging into their meals. Izuku did the same, once in a while sipping from the thermos beside his food tray.

"I have been trying to find a right way to say this, but nothing really came to mind so I'm just going to wing it." After a few moments of silence, Kyouka spoke and gathered the vampire's attention to herself. "Thanks for that warning yesterday. If you hadn't, I'd be still hearing ringing thanks to that explosion asshat." Blunt remarks left the punk girl, making Yaoyozoru frown a bit at the use of the brash language, but otherwise she expressed no major reaction.

Izuku took another sip from his thermos, letting the somewhat dull taste of the packaged blood ease slightly his [Thirst] before he spoke.

"No need to thank me. I also have somewhat sensitive ears so I figured it would be better if I warned someone with the same condition about Katsuki's blasts." Izuku said, making sure to never open his mouth too much. His fangs could scare off people much easily; he was trying to make some friends, something that was much too hard back in middle school.

During the examination from yesterday, Izuku had been observing his classmates rather closely, filling his mind with ideas which he would later put to paper. As the test went on, he more or less got an average idea of what all his classmates could and could not do. Kyouka had been rather protective of her ears and her jacks, always being careful to never be too close to those she deemed to be noisemakers.

He guessed that had been the reason the girl had clicked so easily with the ever so serious Yayozoru. They easily connected and began talking akin to childhood friends who recently met again. Moments before Bakugou performed his blast throw with the softball pitch, Izuku decided it would be in her interest to not be deaf when performing the other tests, so he (somewhat awkwardly) approached her and touched her shoulder – making sure his claws were short and rounded – and warned her about the [Explosion] quirk user and his rather loud tendencies.

"Well, it was a nice gesture so I'm thanking you anyways. So, I don't know if I got it right, but your name was Midoriya, right?" She continued talking, her earjacks dangling softly. It would be rude of him to stare at their rather hypnotic movement, so Izuku focused himself into eye contact. He nodded at her statement, eyes shifting from the punk girl to the friend beside her.

"Yeah, Midoriya Izuku. I think I remember your names. Kyouka Jirou-san and Yaoyozoru Momo-san, right?" The vampire slowly said their names to avoid messing up the pronunciation or offend the girls. The duo nodded, Yaoyozoru being the one to speak this time.

"Indeed, Midoriya-san. Rather remarkable of you to remember our names when Aizawa-sensei only spoke them once." Speech prim and proper, akin to a high-born lady, that was how Yaoyozoru spoke. The vampire guessed that she was one of the recommendation students, along with the Todoroki fellow in his class. The two belonged to well-known families, one being the son of the Second-rank hero [Endeavor] and the other the sole daughter of the world famous [Yaoyozoru Enterprise].

The girl was nothing short of a princess, from behavior to speech tone, everything about the tall girl seemed to gleam this aura of proper-ness, for a lack of a better word in the vampire's vocabulary.

Izuku nodded to her, sipping once more from his thermos. "As I mentioned to Kyouka-san previously, my hearing is also quite powerful, Yaoyozoru-san. It comes with my [Quirk]." The vampire said, his mood somewhat somber. Not enough to creep the girls, but just enough to assure them that he was not willing to speak much more. They group once more began eating their meals, the girls chatting among themselves while Izuku kept to him own, offering some simple commentaries when the duo asked for his opinion. It was a new experience for him to speak so freely with anyone else, Mei being too eccentric to be a proper example.

Izuku also felt some stares directed towards his back, [Hunter Instincts] acting up to tell him the direction of those stares. He tilted his head slightly, the movement akin to someone trying to work out a kink on their neck, and his eyes quickly tracked down who was so fixedly eyeing him. His sight caught a table filled with 1-A classmates: Iida, Uraraka, Kaminari, Tsuyu, Kirishima and Mina.

Out of those, his gaze caught the glances both Uraraka and Iida were giving him. Inquisitive looks along the lines of "When had he made friends with those girls?", or that's what he could read from their facial expressions. One day he was going to find a way to drink some of Detective Tsukaichi's blood to acquire his [Lie Detection] quirk and perfect the art of reading people. For now he could make due.

His lunch was fulfilling, the blood being the major fact on it. He could eat normal food alright, but drinking blood did so much more in satiating the [Thirst] that came with [True Ancestor]. The vampire made sure that his flask was empty before he rose from his seat. The duo of girls were still finishing theirs, so Izuku bid them good lunch and farewell. He was getting somewhat nervous being so close to them and being included in their conversations, he needed a breather for now.

The bell signaling the end of lunch rang loudly, students slowly making their way back into their classes. The hemomancer had been in his for a while already, his hands busy as he scribbled some notes and looked at his phone at the same time. His stocks in the [Shield Company] had just increased in value again, so the teen was doing some calculations to make sure of what his revenue state was.

By the time he was done, the last students had entered the classroom and the second bell rang, initiating afternoon classes. The entirety of the class was in an excited state, since Heroics was about to begin. According to his syllabus, the teacher for heroics would be All–…

His ears, and most likely Kyouka's (if her sudden little jump on her chair was anything to go by), picked the booming sound of mighty footsteps running on the hallway. The sliding door of the class opened with a surprisingly gentle movement as the American-themed Symbol of Peace of Japan made himself known with his ever-present smile and boisterous attitude.

"I'M HERE! Coming through the door like a normal person!" AllMight exclaimed, a surge of excitement exuding from just about every student inside class 1-A. For The AllMight, Japan's top ranker hero, to be teaching a class, no sane person wouldn't feel excited for what was to come. The hero walked inside the classroom, standing in front of the board and striking a pose while revealing a small card hidden inside his massive hands. "Foundational Hero Studies, the course which shall build the very foundations of your future behavior as a hero as well as your potential for which area you shall decide. It also grants massive points for your curriculum, so it is a must for any potential would-be hero!"

Needless to say, the entirety of the classroom expressed their excited states at the chance of displaying their abilities to the hero. From the happy expressions on Uraraka and Mina, the cool air around Todoroki, the robotic movement from Iida, the savage grim carved across Katsuki's face and the glimmering eyes of Izuku, all of 1-A could not wait for the chance at displaying their skills in their first hero-like activity, the quirk examination test on the first day non-withstanding.

"A hero has also to look the part, hence why you all will need these!" AllMight fished a controller from his suit and pressed on a button. The back of the board hissed and lifted up, revealing a hidden compartment with many cases numbered from 01 to 19. If the level of excitement from before was big, now it could be considered sky-high; the students much too happy that their design costumes had been produced so quickly. "Get to the locker rooms, suit up and move to training ground Beta! I shall wait there for you all! HAHAHAHA!" And with that said, AllMight disappeared in a cloud of dust, his booming laughter echoing inside the hallway.

"FUCK YEAH! Now this is the shit! I'll see you extras learn your place beneath me!" Bakugou, being his usual abrasive self, exclaimed to the entire class before grabbing his case and making his way to the sliding door. He paused right by it, the students waiting for some berating words coming from the bomber. "And Leech, you fucking bloodsucker! Get ready to be pounded into dust, piece of shit!" Katsuki's final declaration rose many questions as to who the ash-blonde was directing the berating speech, however, Izuku knew the ash-blonde's intent.

Bakugou wanted to fight and prove to all he was great. His declaration was both an intimidation tactic to weed out weaker opponents and a way to challenge himself, seeing as those who disliked his behavior and fell to the bait would rise to challenge him. It reeked of superiority and inferiority complex (both mish-mashed together), but damn it was an ever-effective tactic that the bomber deployed effortlessly.

The vampire merely watched the [Explosion] Quirk user march down the hallway. Izuku wasn't here to beat his head against the blonde, his plate was already full with dealing with his own issues. That did not meant that he would not dish out some pain if he were to face Bakugou in battle, yet the green haired teen was not actively looking for fights against the blonde.

Following his classmates until the locker room, Izuku quickly shed his uniform and opened the case containing his own costume. The vampire released a rather pleased sigh when he looked at the folded clothes inside the metal case. The amalgamation of many a night awake, wondering what would be the best for hero work. Something that would not intimidate the civilians he would interact with, but could also intimidate villains into giving up without fighting. Recognizable if one were to pay attention, yet also capable of allowing him to blend into his environment to allow for proper investigation.

What the teen had come up with was the design which he was currently putting on. He changed his usual red sneakers for a more practical set of brown combat boots which matched well with the military-grade pants styled after black slacks. His upper torso was dressed in a long-sleeved button-up white shirt and a dark grey suit which had thin Kevlar plates protecting his organs as well as a green tie neatly tied around his neck. Finally, covering him was an overall coat matching in color with his suit, the trims near his upper torso reversed and colored in a tasteful shade of crimson.

The overall theme of colors was dull, but the bright areas stood out enough for him. Besides, Izuku focused on practicality, hence the many inside pockets and Kevlar plating; protective enough against knives and small-caliber firearms, with enough space for him to carry first-aid supplies and other trinkets he could deem necessary out in the field. It was somewhat heavy, put the weight was worth if he did not want to be healing out every single cut or bruise that was inflicted upon him. Should he ever need greater speed, shedding the overall coat would be enough (since it was the clothing item with the greatest number of the hardened plates). The coat had some reinforced and padded areas such as the shoulders and elbows, a precaution for shoulder-rams or elbow strikes.

No mask or helmet was needed, considering Izuku's focus would be on ambushing villains. Besides, anything getting in the way of his senses was a no-go. If there was the need for a full-out fight, he could do well with [Advanced Hemomancy] and his Blood Gauntlets. Gloves would also get in the way, so Izuku opted to go without them.

(A.N:If you are having difficulties picturing it, It is basically Jonathan Reid's default clothes with swapped colors to match Izuku, or another comparison would be a mafia don. Whatever suits your tastes!)

He had other designs in hand, some which were made with specific intentions behind them, but for now this costume was what Izuku wished for.

He exited the locker room last, his eyes glancing stealthily at his classmates' costumes. He would get a better look outside, but an earlier look out help him brainstorm for ideas as to the why's behind their costumes and if any neat tricks were waiting. So far only Katsuki's costume looked to have an extra gadget, the thick and bulky grenade-themed gauntlets not really matching the bomber's style of fight except for their aesthetics. Would he bash enemies with brute force when he could attack with a literal explosive bitch-slap? If his many "fights" with the bomber were recorded properly, it was unlikely and out of the blonde's usual approach of "blast and blast again for good measure!".

[XXX]

[XXX]

Beta ground was just like the mock city in which the entry exams had happened. Izuku wondered as to why they had been brought here, a few possibilities springing to mind, but he waited for the explanations of the pro-hero. Meanwhile, his eyes gazed over the frames of his classmates, taking in their costumes.

Katsuki's costume looked to be very aggressive, the idea behind it to be a true bomberman. Intimidating face mask, kneepads to aid in unorthodox combat kicks and the bulky gauntlets that Izuku was curious over their functionality. Bakugou would never add anything useless to his costume after all.

Todoroki's costume was just one of his sides frozen solid. Izuku was truly left puzzled as to the teen's idea but left it in favor of moving along the line.

Yaoyozoru's clothes were really exposing. Little was left to the imagination as the red corset clung tighly to her frame, yet showed a good bit of cleavage. The vampire imagined that the high degree of exposition had more to do with the effects of her quirk and less with her behavior or confidence in her body's image. Maybe she was following the kunoichi method of enemy distraction by using her body appeal? Better he not dwell on it much, less he stare and make the girl feel uncomfortable.

Iida seemed to go by the extremely other opposite, covering himself from head to toe in protective armor. It made him resemble a knight, if said knight was fully revised to be made viable with modern touches. The exhaust pipes and the overall aerodynamic build of the costume all but confirmed Izuku's theory that Iida had the Tenya family's famous [Engine] quirk and most likely was [Turbo Hero]: Ingenium's brother.

Invisible girl, Hagakure Tooru, was only sporting a pair of gloves and her sneakers, which made the vampire gulp somewhat loud. It seemed he was the only aware that she was basically naked, if his ideas on how her [Invisibility] quirk worked were correct. Never had he hoped to be wrong as much as he did right now. He loudly gulped again.

Kaminari had a simple set of a black jacket with lightning marks and a headset. The rest was pretty much non-descriptive, as it was simple. Much too simple, which made the vampire worry somewhat for the safety of the blonde.

Tokoyami was covered by a black cloak, which he did not open as he continued to whisper words to the inside of his clothing. Izuku could only catch glimpses of yellow eyes inside the darkness of the cloak, but it seemed that the raven-headed teen did not mind the vampire's inquisitive eyes. Once or twice had Tokoyami respectfully nodded to Izuku, which the hemomancer retributed.

Izuku would observe more, but AllMight turned around and began speaking with the students.

"How very cool, all of you! I can see you truly did put your heart into your costumes! I hope you also did put as much thought into how practical they would be as today's exercise will be an indoors battle!" The hero with the perpetual smile began explaining the reasons for the exercise before anyone could question it.

"You might not know it, but the majority of villainous activities are conducted indoors. A truly smart villain would not peruse around the streets, neither would they commit their misdeeds where there could be witnesses or patrolling heroes. Normally, you might be led to think that outdoor crimes are larger in number, but that only seems so due to media coverage. Now, with all this information in hand, we shall begin the exercise! The class will be divided in two groups of Villains and Heroes, all of which will have to either defend a nuclear device or capture either the weapon or the villains!" AllMight spoke in quick succession, any questions dying before they could sprout out among the students.

Iida was the first to point out something many in class wished to forget.

"Excuse me, AllMight-sensei! Our numbers are odd, which means someone will be without their pair during the exercise!" The taller teen was chopping his hands up and down, no doubt trying to be helpful. Such good will behind his actions, he did not notice the mood somewhat dropped as the class remembered the reason why their number was odd. Someone was expelled.

"Do you think we will be expelled if we fail?" The whispering voice on his ear belonged to Uraraka. The girl had tried approaching him earlier, but it seemed she was somewhat ashamed of her costume. It clung tightly to her skin, the contrast between the soft pink and white matching well with her soft brown hair and her slightly chubby physique. "By the way, your costume looks super cool! The whole mysterious gentleman vibe is really nice!"

Izuku shook his head sideways, turning to meet the girl face to face, yet maintaining a proper distance from her, specially from her neck. "I don't think AllMight would be the type to expel someone for failing something. Eraser– Errhh...I mean Aizawa-sensei might be the no-nonsense guy, but AllMight seems to be more of an easy-going guy. Your costume also looks good, Uraraka-san." The vampire answered the girl's question. From all the body language signs Izuku could pick up coming from the hero, none indicated that he would drop out an expulsion threat out of nowhere as the Erasure Hero had done. It paid to be prepared though. "While that might be the case, we should try to do our best in this test, Uraraka-san!"

The girl nodded energetically, her face visor almost falling off. She quickly grabbed ahold of it and secured it in place. "Yeah! We should!"

Their conversation done, Izuku focused on the remaining explanation from the hero.

The debacle about the odd number was left aside for a while, the pro proceeding with all his explanations and bringing out two boxes, one colored white for the heroes while the red one was for the villains. The results went about like this:

...

...

...

Team A: Uraraka Ochaco and Mashirao Ojiro

Team B: Todoroki Shoto and Mezo Shoji

Team C: Yaoyozoru Momo and Kyouka Jirou

Team D: Bakugou Katsuki and Tenya Iida

Team E: Mina Ashido and Aoyama Yuuga

Team F: Rikida Sato and Koji Koda

Team G: Kaminari Denki and Hagakure Tooru

Team H: Tokoyami Fumikage and Asui Tsuyu

Team I: Midoriya Izuku and ...

Team J: Kirishima Eijirou and Sero Hanta

...

...

...

Izuku smiled bitterly, being lucky to be in the one-man team. He tried to look on the bright side, having one less member in his team meant that he could plan around to the maximum of his abilities without having to rely on random factors outside his control. The less something was unpredictable, there were less chances of something going wrong. That being his current line of thought, Izuku rose his head and tightened his fist. He was going to win this exercise!

"Ohh! Midoriya is looking forward taking the challenge alone! How manly!" Kirishima pointed out to his fellow team member, unknowingly rubbing salt in the vampire's old wounds. Lucky him and his [High Speed Regeneration] to heal him quick. Pity it did not work on mental health, but he could make it due. He had always done so.

"Well Young Midoriya, seeing as you are the only one left out, I figured it would only be fair if–…" The hero was interrupted by the vampire, who rose his hand and called attention to himself.

"AllMight, sir! Aizawa-sensei said on the first day that it was a hero's job to correct the unfairness of the world. I suppose that he was talking about situations like these, so there's no need to make things overly fair. This is just fine." Izuku said, staring straight into the eyes of the Top Hero. AllMight then laughed with gusto, his chest heaving and following the tempo of his laughs.

"HA HA HA HA! Young Midoriya, what a brazen statement! Truly befitting of a future hero! Very well, I will keep the test the way it was originally meant to be. Although I did not expect Aizawa-kun to truly expel someone..." The last part was said on a short and silent breath, although Izuku's ears picked it just fine.

Izuku nodded to the hero, the class around him eyeing the vampire. Some of the boys gave him a thumbs up, Kirishima being the friendliest of the bunch, coming over and patting Izuku over the shoulder in the way only those extroverted people could.

"It seems this solitary watcher has finally found a companion to which share some solitary nights. Shall we seal a pact of friendly relations as fellow Abyss Watchers?" Tokoyami, having waited until Kirishima left, approached Izuku and offered one handshake as one of his limbs exited the darkness of his cloak. Izuku appreciated the pompous speech, it was somewhat refreshing considering that everyone so far had been rather casual. It was different from the formal and proper speech from overly serious people like Yaoyozoru and Iida, and more of a poetic serious or goofy serious.

He grasped the hand of the raven-headed teen and gladly shook it. A double head nod from the teens and Izuku was pretty sure he had made another friend. Not a fleeting conversation partner, but a full fletched friend.

"Well then, young heroes, let's get going! Plus Ultra!" AllMight's booming voice made the class perk Up and get ready.

The matches were being randomly selected; the trainees being moved to another room where they had multiple screens that captured various angles from the building in which the first teams would do their exercise. When all the teens stopped behind the biggest screen, AllMight finally announced which teams would face the other:

Villains: Team J (Kirishima Eijirou and Sero Hanta) VS Heros: Team I (Midoriya Izuku and …)

The duo clasped their hands together in an excited manner. Izuku pumped his own spirits, taking a deep breath before going to the designated waiting area. The Villain Team would have ten minutes to make all their plans while the Hero Team would wait. After the allotted time, the Hero Team would have fifteen minutes to complete their objective: Either touch the bomb or capture the villains.

...

Back at the watching/waiting room

...

"This is fucking bullshit! I should be the one pummeling that fucking bloodsucker's face in, not fucking Office Tape and Weird Hair! Fucking lamprey-looking ass bitch would be dead in the first five minutes of the goddammed match!" Bakugou angry ranted at nobody in particular, mini explosions popping on his hands as he waited and watched the Villain duo.

"What kind of rabies has he got? Dude looks like he is about to foam and bite whatever is in front of him!" Kyouka's dull statement made her partner shake her head in disappointment of such childish behavior coming from the bomber.

Iida tried calming down the explosive ash-blonde. Task he failed miserably as his hushed whispers to the blonde were returned with loud "You Wanna FUCKING GO?!" from Katsuki.

"Dude, take a chill pill or something! Why are you so hung up on beating that Midoriya dude? I mean, his red powers are cool and flashy, but I think that he overheats while using them. I mean, kinda like mine when I go over my limit and, like, sort of fry my brain." Kaminari tried to be the olive branch and settle down the fellow blonde, but Bakugou brushed his hand aside with a slap of his bulky gauntlets.

"You extras don't really get that shitty Leech's quirk right even by the faintest margin! Unless you have enough firepower to completely overwhelm that fucker, he will keep coming back like the fucking zombie he is! Office tape and Weird Hair are fucked and they don't know it the least bit!" Bakugou huffed, mad that he could not smash the green haired bug.

"Wait! Are you saying that even that even in a 2v1, Midoriya will still win?" Iida asked, the doubt written in his face being hidden by the full-face helmet he wore. The other students perked up and curiosity was clear on the faces of all the trainees.

"Even five of you losers still would not be enough to defeat that shitty creep! Watch and learn, extras! After he wipes the floor with those two, I'll trounce his results!" Bakugou's refusal to speak more only spurred the class further into deeper curiosity as to what could Midoriya do and why the bomber so confident that the green-haired teen could do so well even when in disadvantage. You maybe be able to impress these extras you shitty nerd, but I know the truth of what you can do. Not even a wolf, you are a fucking monster in sheep's clothing. Let's see if you really think you can do something worthy of being here since you fucking destroyed my perfect record when you came here to U–fucking–A together with me, you sack of shit!

If one could read minds, they would find that while overly aggressive and ravenous, it seemed as if the ash-blonde was rooting for the vampire. Of course, that would only be before reading further and discovering what lay inside the depths of Katsuki's mind.

I'll destroy you and prove to anyone, even AllMight, that I'll be the best. Nothing else matters, you will fall down, Shitty nerd!

[XXX]

[XXX]

Izuku waited at the front of the building which AllMight had instructed to him. The buzzer that announced his time began had just sounded, spurring the vampire into action. Instead of entering the building, Izuku ignored the front door and circled around the place. He circled until he found a couple of windows which he could use to enter.

Claws growing and sharpening akin to knives, Izuku slowly sank his nails in the wall and climbed up. He stopped once in a while to put his head against the wall and listen for movement inside. Kirishima was loud and boisterous, being the one who allowed Izuku to somewhat ascertain the location of the villain team. The vampire could also hear the sound of tape being stuck into one of the hallways, no doubt it being the work of Sero Hanta-san and his [Tape] quirk.

The hemomancer nodded to himself and finish rising to the third floor. Still clinging onto the wall, the vampire let blood seep through his arms, shaping the crimson liquid into his usual gauntlets before he slowly entered through the open window. He ended up inside one of the office rooms of the building, which he left calmly and with soft steps. To avoid being heard and seen, Izuku made sure to use maximum stealth, clinging to the walls and listening for any noises before he advanced to the next location. It looked a great deal like advanced covert maneuvers deployed by the military, but only AllMight was the one to notice such detail.

Some minutes went by like this, eventually allowing the vampire to find one hallway where tape was placed everywhere, almost like fly-trappers. Right in the middle of the corridor, Both Kirishima and Sero were guarding the middle door, which most likely had the bomb. The two teens were talking among themselves; the duo in a defensive stance, yet rather relaxed considering that there was only one way for the sole villlain to attack.

"Hey man, you think that Midoriya guy will be able to fight us?" Sero asked his partner, voice somewhat muffled due to his helmet.

"I'm not sure, but he sure as hell was pumped up about it! Really manly if you ask me! But we will win, we have the perfect spot! Although I don"t feel it to be really manly just waiting here for him to come to us!" Kirishima said while moving his arms in wide, pratice swings. His arms had a stony appearance, managing to cut through some of the tape around him, annoying Hanta who had to once more set a couple of new strands.

"Well, he can try! Nothing is getting through this hallway! Even if he manages to avoid the tapes, we still have advantage! We got this in the bag." Sero joked, showing his elbows while Kirishima grinned and patted his own right byceps.

Izuku would prove them wrong.

From his corner, the vampire allowed one of his gauntlets to soften and shifted it into a [Blood Spear]. He peeked the corner with the aid of the reflective screen of his phone, seeing that Kirishima's skin still looked tougher, almost looking like stone. Izuku smiled and put his plan into action. Almost like a phantom, the green haired teen sprung into the hallway and chucked his bloody javelin into the redhead's direction, the projectile hitting the other teen on the shoulder before throwing him on the ground due to the unexpected impact, the surprise attack being much successful.

Without wasting time, Izuku tensed and jumped high up, easily reaching the ceiling, and used his other gauntlet-equipped hand to cling to the celling and allow him to check over his efforts.

His [Blood Spear] had easily cut through many of sticky tapes before it downed the redhead teen, the crimson javelin dispersing and splattering the boy with the vampire's blood. Hanta was quick to shoot two lines of tape from his elbows to Izuku's previous location.

It was a pity when the strands hit nothing but empty air, Izuku long gone. The vampire felt his blood react, appearently some had managed to get into the redhead's mouth. The vampire wasted no time in pulling the power of his [Advanced Hemomancy] to deploy [Coagulation], locking Kirishima in position as the teen's body refused to move.

"Hey man, a little help here would be appreciated!" Hanta asked, but ended up receiving only garbled noises as answers, Kirishima's sudden incapacity to move never being accounted into the duo's plans. A fact that the hemomancer would take full advantage off.

The teen once more let blood seep from his arm, covering the arm without a gauntlet in crimson blood. His armaments done, Izuku dropped from the celling like a ghost, his previously green eyes shimmering like two red rubies. Hanta tried once more to subdue the incoming threat, shooting thick strands of tape to wrap Izuku. The vampire made short work of the tapes, his gauntlet claws sharp enough to easily turn the strands of tape into tiny wisps of harmless tape.

"Turn thyselves in and I guarantee that the police will at least shorten thy sentences, otherwise I might have to resort to more extreme methods in order to subdue thy and thy partner!" Izuku tried pulling the deepest voice he could muster, surprisingly sounding good as he tried to sound baritone. The poumpous speech was to keep the [Tape] quirk user focused on him, allowing Izuku to prod his mind for any weaknesses which [Mesmerize] could work on. Even if the other teen had a helmet with a visor protecting his face, mere layers of plastic would not stop Izuku. Their eyes locked into contact, eye-sightbeing fully established. Right away did Izuku began pulling the strings inside Hanta's head, fully focusing on on his mind powers.

Hanta felt as if someone had knocked onto a door inside his head, politely asked to enter his mind and talk to him. It felt stunning, the teen ended being left with no reaction as Izuku slowly approached him. Eyes glimmered red and demmanded that Hanta focus his attention on them, the hero trainee unknowingly felt compelled to follow the spoken commands that were directed to him.

First he relaxed his stance, dropping his elbows.

"Excelent! Your cooperation is truly appreciated! Now, secure your partner so that he may not struggle." Izuku felt the effects of [Coagulation] about to end, Kirishima almost being able to stand on his own, so he tried pulling on another trick of his mind control. Commanding people to do his bidding was much harder than simple orders such as go, follow or stop.

Hanta slowly lifted his elbows towards Kirishima, but Izuku felt the mental control slipping up. The vampire rushed the taller teen and grabbed the capture tape that AllMight had handed to him. How ironic! was the line of thought in his mind as he bound up Hanta, together with the aid of his [Advanced Hemomancy], the gauntlets turning into tendrils of blood which easily subdued the taller teen. The vampire finished just in time, but could not dodge the punch that came from Kirishima, the redhead shouting as he hit a straight punch on the vampire's chest, sending him skidding off a few meters on the hallway, lifting tiny strips of the earlier cut tape in the air.

"Sero Hanta-kun has been subdued by the Hero Team!" AllMight's voice blared in the intercom speakers, confirming that Izuku truly had to use the capture tape, or touch the bomb.

Izuku was hale enough, the layered defenses of his suit managing to easily absorb the impact of the blow delivered by Kirishima. Besides, he looked pretty cool, not tooting his own horn, dusting the area where the fist had hit him as if all the attack had done was dirty his suit.

"Guess that we should have been paying more attention, huh? That attack right now wasn't really manly, you know!" Kirishima said, his guard raised akin to a boxer's. Izuku merely controlled his blood back into their gauntlet form. "Finally! I was beginning to think that you were not going face me like a real man should, Midoriya! Guess I should not have doubted you!" Kirishima then came to attack the vampire, trusting his hardening to handle anything that the vampire might be able to throw at him.

Izuku stood his ground, seemingly ready for their fight to turn into a slug-fest. However, before the first of Kirishima's blows could hit the vampire's face, the teen dove under the defenses of the redhead before side-stepping left and using [Flash step] to appear behind Kirishima, Izuku's crimson orbs shinning with unearthly light as the hemomancer jumped unto the [Hardening] quirk user's back and executing a perfect chokehold. Legs clamping around Eijirou's waist to deprive the teen of proper breathing and gauntleted arms into an unmovable chokehold, Izuku fully let his body weigth onto the redhead, making the duo fall on the ground.

Kirishima focused even more in his [Hardening], cursing himself for falling for such a trick! He could outlast Midoriya and break out of the chokehold, he merely needed a bit of time. He tried using elbow strikes to hurt Izuku's ribs, yet the teen's suit seemed to have that covered, allowing the vampire to continue his hold onto the redhead with no problems whatsoever.

Grating sounds were being emmited from Kirishima's neck, the hardened skin grating against the hardened blood as the two teens pushed their endurances and their willpower. Eijirou could feel the pressure on his neck increasing, the hemomancer slowly gaining ground as he increased the force of the chokehold. The redhead betted everything into a surprise blow as he first leaned forward before giving his all into a strange headbut, the hardened back of his skull meeting Izuku's nose with a soft "crunch".

Izuku's head reeled back, his face having a snarl as it returned into camera sight. The moment the green-haired teen came back, his hands released the chokehold, allowing Kirishima a brief rest, which was instantly interrupted the moment he felt his defenses being broken as two small fangs pierced the hardened skin of his right trapezium muscle, blood seeping from the wound as Izuku drank a few pints before resuming his chokehold, this time putting much more pressure as his strenght seemed to double.

Kirishima felt black spots appear on his vision, only for his to be suddenly released from his punishing chokehold, the redhead coughing and gasping for air. He tried to spot Izuku, but all he managed to catch was red; Izuku was holding him by his face with only one gauntleted hand, the following having the redhead being slammed into the ground a few times. After the fifth time, the other hand quickly wrapped capture tape around Kirishima's hands, the teen coughing and trying to bring the maximum amount of air inside his oxygen-deprived lungs.

"Kirishima-kun has been successfully captured! Hero Team WINS!"

[XXX]

[XXX]

"Man, we got our asses kicked!" Kirishima exclaimed to Hanta, the duo awkwardly standing among their classmates as footage of their battle ensued. The two villains were proud of their efforts, their plan executed rather perfectly. A defensive front, taking in consideration both long-range and short-range combat. Were the teens facing other teams, their efforts might have bore fruit and won them the exercise.

Against Midoriya's near assassin-like behavior and expert use of stealth tactics, their defensive front was all but useless. The Vampire never played to their expectations, ignoring easily accessible points in favor of unexpected entry points and guerrila tactics.

"Nobody is perfect, Young Kirishima! That is why we are training in first place, so that you can work out any flaws you might have." AllMight patted the teen on the back. He turned to the class, the video of the combat playing on the screen behind the behemoth of a man, and asked: "Now, young heroes, may someone explain to me who is the MVP and why?" As the hero questioned, the students began talking among each other. When it seemed no one would reach a conclusion, one girl rose her hand, Yaoyozoru Momo being the proud one.

"Sensei! If I may?" The girl asked, the other students stoppping their discussions to listen to the girl's words. "While it is clear that Midoriya-san is the winner, we cannot discourage the strategy of the villain team. They played to their strengths and set a perfectly reasonable trap to spring upon the Hero Team, never mind their defeat. While their relaxed behavior may have lead them to their loss, their plans were solid and would prove to be a challenge to any other less prepared team. Midoriya-san and his unique set of skills just so happenned to be the perfect counter against the current plans and it seemed he took in the personality of his classmates when planning his attack, hence why his counterattacks were so perfectly capable of bringing down both Kirishima-san and Sero-san!" Even AllMight recoiled from the girl, never expecting the girl to have a full on rant in such a short amount of time after the battle.

"V-very good, Young Yaoyozoru-kun! Take this as a lesson, kids; sometimes a hero must be capable of switching tactics on the fly. Never approach the situation without first taking into account all the other posssibilities, they might just win you an otherwise unwinnable battle! Should we first defeat the villains or capture the objetive? These are the questions one must ask themselves before they enter a situation!" AllMight gave another bit of advice, although Izuku could spot they way the blue eyes of the hero glanced at his massive hands as if reading a...cheat sheet.

Izuku received his congratulations and moved to join his classmates, Jirou giving him a thumbs up for winning his battle. The vampire nodded in gratitude and settled in within the students, aware that some eyes were glued to his back. Some of the teens came and offered him congratulations; Ojiro coming over and talking with the vampire for a while, even offering some advice in martial arts and asking for a spar. Izuku promised the trainee dressed in a white karate Gi that they would have a chance later.

As Ojiro left, Izuku began his usual breathing exercise. Slowly filling his lungs with air and then emptying them. When Kirishima had hit him, [Hunter Instincts] triggered viciously, revenge for being hit immediately filling the vampire with the urge to saciate his sudden [Thirst] by draining the redhead. Izuku managed to reign himself, cage of cold steel locking tightly over the [Beast Within] and restraining his violent urges, allowing the hemomancer to control himself. He still felt angry, a broken nose being a literal pain to deal with, and had a exercise to win, hence why he chose the shorter route of simply bitting and drinking a few pints of the [Hardening] quirk user's blood.

Izuku had discovered, after his incident with Mei, that his saliva could work a few ways. First and foremost, it worked as an anti-clothing agent, meaning that bitten wounds would continue bleeding, allowing him to both track "prey" and continue feeding. Second, it could have the contrary effect, turning into a most effective blood clothing remedy. Other effects included being a numbing agent and a mild aphrodisiac, all effects reliant on the mood of the vampire teen and how he would drink blood. It was somewhat troubling to drink blood from a squirming bloodbag, so his body produces substances that allow a wide deck to aid in his feeding endeavors.

Uraraka made her way closer to him, wishing to talk about his battle and maybe ask for a few pointers, but before she had the chance, her team was called and matched up. She pouted, but followed her teammate. The girl and her partner were matched against Team D, Katsuki vicious grin promising pain while Iida got rather enthusiastic about his roleplay as a villain.

Izuku watched the match carefully, sometimes muttering about his suspected outcomes and how it would play out. The other teens merely heard muttering, but Tokoyami managed to catch some of the explanations and decided to stick closer to his newly made ally of darkness.

"...Katsuki will end up rushing them and catching them off-guard, his blitzkrieg approach surely stunning Uraraka-san. Mashirao-kun may be able to react, but if Tenya-kun follows up, the hero team will be trully blind-sided. [Explosion] and [Engine] compliment each other in the way that one grants overwhelming speed and the other provides overwhelming firepower and versatility. Truly a blitzkrieg." Izuku muttered, Tokoyami managing to hear the final thoughts of the vampire.

He patted Izuku on the shoulder, the vampire glancing with friendly eyes over. "Midoriya, my friend, thoest thou believe truly that the bomber and the speedster shall win over the allies of justice? Surely infinity-girl and the martial artist have talents and perks that they may deploy to approach a victorious outcome." Izuku rose one hand close to his mouth, his brow scrunching in effort as he accellerated bloodflow to his brain, various outcomes rapidly popping over his mind, eyes glimmering with his power.

Finally, Izuku shook his head, the buzzer signalling the start of the battle loudly blaring over.

"Mashirao-kun may have his martial knowledge to back him up, but against the brutality that Bakugou brings and the blinding speed that Iida can deploy, there is no way for them to win. Stalling for time might be possible if Uraraka-san were more knowledgeable in the fighting department, but right now I can only see one outcome to this fight. Eight minutes and forty-five seconds, that's the time when Bakugou will finish dealing with Mashirao-kun and the battle will be over." When Izuku finished his piece, he glanced up and noticed that there was a little crowd hearing him speak, some throwing conflicted glances at him. Yaoyozoru, Kyouka, Tokoyami, Kaminari, Kirishima and Ashido were staring at him.

"Come on, there is no way! I think it might go both ways!" The pink girl exclaimed, putting her first up and saying something about girl power.

"Dude, that's some crazy muttering theory talk you got going there! My bet is on the bomber!" Kaminari joked, putting two fingers up as the proposition of betting came up. He was soon groaning as Jirou's jacks hit his sides, the girl rolling her eyes.

"Midoriya-kun, your line of thought is rather well crafted. You truly believe your outcome will hold true?" Yaoyozoru asked, rather interested in how he had come up with the conclusion to the find in such a short amount of time. The fact that she wanted Uraraka to win and prove the green-haired teen's outcome wrong having nothing to do with it.

Tokoyami merely nodded his head. "A true ally of darkness will already have the answers to such simple matters. Very well explained, fellow abyss watcher!" Izuku swore he heard a faint "Aye, boss!" from somewhere inside the raven-headed teen's cloak.

"I think that if Ojiro believes in his guts and shows his manly side, he can win this! Although Bakugou is also really manly!" Krishima added in his two cents. Izuku turned and mouthed an apology to him as there was still blood caking the teen's torso. The redhead waved it off, since he wasn't hurt(the blood being from Izuku's [Blood Spear]) and AllMight had also said nothing about it. Still didn't make the vampire happy, considering that now he was cultivating the redhead's blood inside him and would probably awaken another ability due to it, but he yielded to the good-natured teen.

Needless to say, those who heard the vampire had their mouths glued to the ground (Tokoyami being the sole exception), the battle ensuing exactly like Izuku had described. Bakugou rushing in and blasting Uraraka away as he engaged Mashirao, Iida coming in later and spinning circles around the [Zero Gravity] girl, the climax being Katsuki's use of a move he called [Stun Grenade] to blind the [Tail] quirk user and defeat him.

Izuku grimaced, noticing that from the returning group, Bakugou was the one with his red eyes glued to Izuku's frame. The vampire hoped that the bomber would not do anything stupid, putting in some faint on the ash-blonde as he had not seriously hurt his classmates. Some soot marks and small bruises were much better than burns and broken bones, since they did not have [High-speed Regeneration] like Izuku did.

"Get ready to be killed you Alucard-looking ass bitch! Next time I catch you, your ass is grass!" Bakugou bumped shoulders with Izuku, the vampire merely scoffing. He heard a growl from the blonde, but nothing else insued. They would have their fight later, Izuku was sure of it. He closed his right fist tighter, his sharpened nails digging into his flesh, yet not drawing blood as he held himself in check.

Cultivate your next ability, prepare for the next fight.

Stalk.

Hunt.

Drink.

Izuku shook his head, focusing his eyes on the next team. He hoped that Mei had had eaten properly, cause he was sure to be drinking from her this week. Maybe even today. He would help her with her next project, she would sure offer some skin for him to bite on.

"I battle everyday with my [Thirst]. This eternal battle won't end, it is part of who I am. Accepting my desires was the first step into controling and managing them. Thanks to this, I have forged a resolve, which I'll carry until the end. I'll be a hero, I'll save people. With this blessing/curse, I strive for a better tomorrow."

-Midoriya Izuku's inner thoughts into being a hero.