[U.A. - Class 1A Homeroom - Metal's POV]
"I AM..."
The classroom door slid open.
"COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
"Woah!" The majority of the students gasped in awe as the Hero walked to the front of the classrom.
"It's All Might!"
"He really is a teacher!"
"That's his Silver Age costume, right?"
[Scanning...
Data Found: ???/All Might — User Designation: Symbol Of Peace
Gender: Male
Estimated Age: 35–42
Quirk Threat Level: Unknown]
"I'm your teacher for basic hero training," All Might put both of his fists on the sides his waist. "I'll be showing you all the basics for becoming great Heroes, so I hope you pay close attention to this class!"
All Might got down on one knee before flexing his arms while facing away from the students.
"Now, we're going to start with..."
The number 1 Hero quickly stood back up before showing the card in his hand to the class.
The word: BATTLE was printed on it in red letters.
"COMBAT TRAINING!"
...
"Combat...!" The student in front of Metal said in an excited voice.
"T-Training?..." A nervous voice coming from a few seats away finished the sentence.
"But before that I have a little surprise for all of you!"
All Might pointed towards the wall as rows of shelves holding metallic suitcases emerged.
"Costumes made with your Quirks and personal requests in mind!"
"Awesome!"
"I can't wait to try my costume!"
"I'll have the privilege of seeing future Heroines in their costumes for the first time... hehehe..."
...
"Make sure to head to Ground Beta once you've changed! I'll be waiting there!"
With that the Symbol Of Peace disappeared from his spot leaving behind an All Might-shaped cloud.
Metal hopped down from his chair and made his way towards the classroom door. Though before the robot could leave, Ashido's voice called out to him.
"Metal! You're forgetting your suitcase!" The mutant girl said as she pointed to a suitcase with the number 18.
---
[Ground Beta - All Might POV]
'Okay, I have a bit of time to review everything again...' All Might thought as he flipped through the small notebook labeled: Teaching Guide For Dummies.
'I just have to make sure to explain everything correctly and get the points across, easy... right?'
The Pro Hero was about to chew on his fingernails when suddenly—
Clang, clang, clang.
The sound startled All Might, who quickly hid the notebook on his belt before facing the tunnel.
'Someone put on their costume so fast? I still struggle with mine.'
After a few seconds All Might finally saw three red dots in the darkness of the tunnel.
'Oh, that is...'
The small figure emerged from the tunnel.
Sunrays reflected on its silver frame making it glow brightly. Its Core Ring spun quickly as the red glow inside its chest pulsated steadily. The only new addition was a spiked black belt around its waist with two small pieces of black cloth fluttering behind.
"Hello there, Young Hatsume!" All Might greeted the small robot with his signature smile on his face.
'That's the whole costume?...'
"Of course!"
...
...
'This is so awkward!'
All Might sweatdropped as the robot kept its lens fixed on his face.
'How am I supposed to interact with it?... him?... Ahhh!'
The Pro Hero shook his head to clear his thoughts.
'Focus, Toshinori. Follow Aizawa's advice and treat him like any other student. Just start by thinking about him as if he were a normal human.'
The ominous voice pulled All Might out of his thoughts, making the giant man focus back on reality.
"Yes, young Metal?"
---
[Metal's POV]
"Okay, okay! I'll answer all of your questions!"
All Might pulled a script from his belt.
"I will only explain this once so listen carefully!"
The Symbol of Peace cleared his throat before beginning with the explanation.
"This is the situation: The villains have a nuclear weapon which they have hidden in some part of the building. The heroes can win by either securing the weapon or capturing the villains before the time runs out. In contrast, the villains can win by either defeating the heroes or protecting the weapon until the time runs out."
All Might took a deep breath.
"Is that clear for everyone?"
"Yes, All Might!" The majority of the class said at the same time.
"Alright then! We'll be drawing lots to decide the teams!" All Might said as he picked up the yellow box that was beside his right foot.
"The teams will be random?" asked a voice that Metal recognized as Iida's.
The taller male's Hero costume looked like a white knight armor with exhaust pipes.
"I see, being able to improvise is a vital skill for a Hero. Please forgive my interruption!" Iida did a textbook bow before straightening his posture.
"Don't sweat it! Now let's get started!"
---
[Ground Beta - Battle Building B - Metal's POV]
"Do you think Midoriya is okay?" asked a pair of floating blue gloves. "That Bakugo guy went completely nuts in that fight."
Metal replied as he looked around the room. The walls were completely gray and metal pipes ran across the ceiling. After a few moments of scanning the room, Metal's lens focused on the fake bomb in the center.
[Recalling Data...
Current Data Of Mezo Shoji:
Enhanced Strength...
Extra Limbs...
Enhanced Stamina...
Enhanced Speed...
Quirk Specifications:
Mutant Type...
Full Capabilities Unknown...
---
Current Data Of Shoto Todoroki:
Above Average Physical Condition...
Possible Combat Training Due To Recommendation...
Above Average Quirk Mastery...
Above Average Sense of Balance...
Quirk Specifications:
Emitter Type...
User Is Able To Produce Ice With Great Efficiency And Speed...
Full Capabilities Unknown...
---
Calculating Win-Rate Against Each Individual...
Mezo Shoji: 80%
Shoto Todoroki: 90%
Finding Best Course Of Action...
Multiple Options Available...
Best Course Of Ac-]
"Heeey! Stop ignoring meee!"
Toru whined as she grabbed Metal by his two metallic ears before shaking the small robot's head back and forth.
Metal's voice emerged from his internal speakers as the robot remained completely unfazed by the shaking.
"I was asking you about your costume!"
Toru released Metal before taking a small step back and pointing at the small spiked belt on the machine's waist.
"Is that really all you submitted?"
Toru's right glove went upwards to scratch what Metal assumed was her cheek, based on the data he had on her frame.
"I'm also wondering if you have a plan because I can't think of anything!"
<...You seem to be taking the reality of my situation extremely well, considering you fainted on the spot.>
"I fainted because the head of my friend was rolling across the ground, smartass!"
Toru's right hand clenched into a fist in front of her as the girl considered smacking Metal, but after a moment the invisible girl let out a sigh before putting her hand down.
"Does it matter to you that I'm invisible?"
Metal shook his head slightly before answering.
"Then it doesn't matter to me that you're a machine!"
Metal looked straight at the spot where Toru's eyes are supposed to be.
"Well you did save me at the entrance exam plus," Toru leaned down and carefully booped the tip of Metal's nose, "it's nice having someone that actually looks at me in the eyes."
Toru held her hand out for a high-five.
"Let's keep being friends, okay?"
Metal stared at the blue glove in front of him for a moment before slowly raising his hand and meeting Toru's palm with his.
"Battle Start!"
All Might's voice came from within Toru's earpiece alongside Metal's internal system.
"Ah! I forgot about the battle, please tell me you have a plan!"
The invisible girl's gloves moved up and down as she leaned back to stand straight again.
"Wait, really?" Toru bounced slightly on her toes. "That's a relief! I didn't want to fight that Todoroki guy. He seems sca-"
SSSSHK!
The temperature dropped almost instantly as ice traveled quickly through every surface. The floor, walls, ceiling, and even the fake bomb became coated in a hard layer of ice.
...
"B-B-brrrrr-rrr..." Toru wrapped her arms around herself as the girl's boots remained frozen on the spot. "H-He froze the w-whole b-building?!"
C-c-crrk!
Metal's legs broke the ice coating them as the robot took a firm step forward.
The ice on the ground gave out under the weight of the small machine, leaving a big sneaker-shaped footprint as the robot got closer to the currently frozen girl.
Fwoosh...
Metal's palm faced upwards as a gentle stream of fire emerged from it.
"T-Thanks!"
[Recalculating Win-Rate Against Shoto Todoroki...
Current Win-Rate: 50%
Finding New Path Of Action...
Analyzing New Development...
New Path Of Action Found]
"Tell me about it!"
---
[Ground Beta - Battle Building B Entrance - Todoroki's POV]
Clink, clink, clink.
The sound of Todoroki's white boots echoed through the frozen third floor as he made his way towards the stairs.
'Where is that guy...'
Todoroki thought as he carefully checked a corner before continuing his path.
'With the strength he displayed yesterday there's no way he wasn't able to break free.'
The heterochromic student let out a sigh which created a small puff of cold mist.
'I could have turned the entire building into a block of ice if that girl wasn't present... how annoying.'
Todoroki finally saw the stairs leading to the fourth floor a few meters from his position.
'Are they waiting for me on the fifth floor?'
Crrk!
'That came from abov-'
CRACK!
CRASH!
Todoroki quickly jumped backwards as the ceiling gave way. Pieces of concrete alongside cracked ice rained down for a moment, though the student's eyes were fixed on the shiny form currently standing in a crater on the spot Todoroki was standing just a second ago.
'I'll end this quickly.'
TSSHK!
Ice shot forward from Todoroki's right foot.
It quickly turned into solid spikes meant to engulf Metal's small frame alongside the rest of the hallway.
'That should be enou-'
KRRRAK!
Todoroki's right eye widened slightly as his ice cracked before turning into small shards that fell uselessly against the floor.
"Tsk," Todoroki pressed a finger against his earpiece. "Shoji, where is the girl?"
"I lost track of her after that loud sound coming from your floor. Do you need backup?"
"No, you'll get in the way. Just tell me if you find he-"
Vrrrt!
Todoroki made an ice shield in front of him by pure instinct which proved to be the right choice as Metal's spinning body slammed into it not even a second later.
GRRRKSH!
Sparks and shards flew across the hallway as Metal's body drilled through the ice shield.
'Shit!'
Todoroki quickly sidestepped to the left but just as Metal's form passed by him the smaller student returned to his usual form before grabbing Todoroki's right hand.
'Now!'
Ice quickly started creeping all the way up Metal's arm, unfortunately Todoroki's classmate didn't stand still to freeze on the spot.
"Wha-!?"
Metal's torso started rotating in place for a few seconds before he let go of Todoroki, sending the student flying towards another room.
THUD!
"ACK!"
Todoroki let out a sound of protest as his back impacted the wall just below a window.
'Doesn't matter.'
The half-and-half boy slowly raised to his feet as Metal entered the room with his right arm turned into a solid block of ice.
'He's one arm down, that means I have the advantag-'
Metal held his left palm towards Todoroki's direction. Slowly a small hole opened in the middle of it before a small tube emerged.
'What is that?'
As if answering Todoroki's question Metal turned his left hand in the direction of his frozen limb as the tip of the tube slowly turned a bright red until—
FWOOSH!
The wild roar of flames echoed through the building as a stream of fire emerged from Metal's hand.
Todoroki stared in shock as the solid ice gave way after about five seconds.
Hisss... drip... drip...
The stream of fire cut off the moment Metal's right arm was free, leaving the limb glowing faintly red for a moment.
'Just my luck.'
---
[Ground Beta - Monitor Room - All Might's POV]
"A head-on fight! That's so sniff manly!"
"Are we going to ignore the fact that he turned into a beyblade for a second?"
"That was a sick throw! He sent Todoroki flying like a ragdoll!"
"Show that pretty boy that size doesn't matter!"
All Might kept his eyes fixed on the multiple windows scattered across the big monitor as they showed most of the angles of the battle.
Meanwhile the class behind him kept talking excitedly about the ongoing fight.
'So he does have actual combat skills,' Toshinori thought as he watched Metal leap away from one corner to another as Todoroki tried to freeze him against the wall.
"But why doesn't he just smash right through the ice or just keep blasting flames until Todoroki is out?" Kaminari asked from behind All Might.
'A chance!'
All Might quickly turned around to face the class before striking his signature heroic pose.
"Tha-"
"Just because he has the strength to punch the ice away doesn't mean he has the strength to break free from it if he gets completely encased,"
Yaoyorozu answered in her usual soft proper tone as she put a hand on her chest.
"And it's possible that the fire consumes his stamina or something similar. If that's the case then it would make more sense to reserve it in case he needs to unfreeze his body."
'I can't teach anything with this girl around!'
"Does anyone know what Metal's Quirk is? Ribbit."
"No idea but it looks pretty cool!" Sero said as he pumped his fist.
"I mean it's clearly a mutant type!" Ashido tapped her cheek with a finger. "Though I've never seen anyone with a mutation like that..."
"It could be a transformation and he just keeps it on all the time to look manly!" Kirishima smashed his fist against his palm. "I would do the same if I could!"
"You're all wrong,"
Jiro's voice cut through the noise as the girl crossed her arms against her chest.
"That thing doesn't have a Quirk."
'How does she know that?'
All Might thought as the whole class turned to look at the petite girl.
"Jiro! Referring to anyone as a 'thing' is extremely rude!" Iida said as he started doing stiff handchops. "Especially a fellow classmate!"
"I'm not saying it to be rude," Jiro let out a sigh before focusing back on the monitor. "I mean that literally."
"Could you please elaborate?" Yaoyorozu asked as she looked at Jiro with a curious tilt of her head.
'I guess now is a good time to provide that help young Metal requested.'
"Ahem!" All Might cleared his throat catching the attention of the class. "What young Jiro is trying to say is that Metal is not a human but a robot!"
...
"EEEEHH?!!!"
'Maybe I should have revealed it slowly.'
---
[Todoroki's POV]
TSSHK!
Todoroki watched as Metal jumped to the side as another spike tried to engulf him completely.
The room was filled with a thin layer of cold fog. Cracked shards and blocks of ice were scattered all across the floor while every surface was coated in a light blue that reflected the sunlight coming from the window behind Todoroki.
'I could keep going like this until there isn't enough room for him to dodge but the time is running out...'
"Shoji," Todoroki said as he pressed a finger against his earpiece while clenching his other hand into a fist to stop it from shaking. "This guy is just stalling until the time runs out. Search for the bomb, I already cleared the first three floors."
At the same time that Todoroki gave his orders Metal took the chance to hold his palm in front of his body.
FWOOSH!
A burst of flames quickly enveloped Metal's form making the ice that was starting to grow on his joints disappear.
P-Puff...
'I knew it.'
"Can't keep doing that?"
Todoroki asked as he stared down at Metal.
"You haven't used that fire directly against me so I'm assuming it comes at a cost which is making you use it only to prolong the fight instead of ending it..."
Todoroki's gaze fixed on the black smoke as it dispersed.
"Seems like I was right, now I don't have to worry about a possible long-range atta-"
Todoroki quickly tilted his head to the left as a chunk of ice flew past him before smashing against the window.
Crashk!
'Is this guy for real right now?'
"...Did you run out of tricks or are you just desperate?"
C-C-Creak.
'What is that sou-'
Todoroki's thoughts were interrupted as Metal's body was quickly launched in his direction.
'NO!'
KRRRSH!
...
...
"Ahhh... Huff..."
Todoroki's body trembled while he took deep breaths making the cold air of the room form a small fog around his mouth.
'I didn't mean to go overkill but that caught me off guard...'
Todoroki thought as his eyes took in the aftermath.
The whole room in front of him had been turned into a solid block of ice while just a few inches in front of his face were Metal's small hands sticking out from the ice structure.
'I'll just capture him so I can get rid of the i-'
Krrzzt.
The small glowing sphere of electricity slammed against the heterochromic student's left ice-coated forearm before dispersing harmlessly.
"You do know ice is an insulator, right?"
Todoroki's right eye widened in shock as Metal's voice came from within his earpiece.
'Shoji didn't respond earli-'
Thud.
'The window!'
Todoroki tried to turn around at the last second, but the frostbite had already taken its toll, slowing him down.
'Fuc-'
The last thing the recommended student saw was a floating piece of his own ice approaching his head.
---
[Shoji's POV]
"Todoroki?"
Shoji let out a sigh after a few seconds of silence.
'I haven't heard anything since that last tremor...'
Shoji looked at the dark entrance of the building for a moment before taking a step forward.
'We're almost out of time anyway. I'll just try to reach the bomb as fast as I ca-'
"HEEYY!"
Shoji quickly raised his head to look at the direction of the voice.
"CATCH!"
Todoroki's unconscious body was thrown out of one of the many windows on the third floor by an invisible force.
"TODOROKI!"
Shoji rushed forward while extending his six arms to grab his falling teammate.
THUD!
'Is she crazy?!'
Shoji looked at his unconscious classmate for a moment before raising his head towards the window.
"Are you nuts?! You could have killed him!"
A mouth that formed at the edge of one of Shoji's arms exclaimed in indignation.
"Hehe... sorry about that, but Metal knew you would catch him!"
"That doesn't matt-"
'Wait where is Metal?'
VRRRRRRT!
Hearing the sound coming from the hallway Shoji wasted no time in turning around to protect Todoroki with his back before creating more arms behind him to brace for the impact.
...
'Huh?'
The pain Shoji was expecting never came. Instead, he only felt a small hot hand pressing against one of the arms he had created.
'...I know what's going to happen.'
KRRRZZT!
---
Writing a fight was waay harder than i expected, even more considering the small space, Todoroki's fighting style (which at this point in the story is just him spamming shit) and other things that i'll leave for Momo to explain in the next chapter.
I tried to not fall into the typical: X did this and Y did that before bam! over, but i'm not really sure if i managed to or not, in any case if someone has any advice for writing fights i'll appreaciate it.
also here's an image of Metal's """""COSTUME"""""""