Freeze Frame

Chapter 24

Third person pov

The villains weren't attacking, and it dawned on Lillian why.

"Th-They don't know our quirks." She realized aloud. "They sent Tsu to the shipwreck zone."

Izuku's eyes widened. "That's right. I think... I think they're afraid to attack us! With such careful planning, it really sticks out that... well, they sent you here, Asui--" He froze, his cheeks going red, and his eyes going wide with panic. "Oh, uh- whoops, I meant Tsu! Yeah, they warped you to the shipwreck zone."

"That kind of fell apart on you, didn't it?" Tsu blinked at the shaking boy, and Lillian deadpanned. She really wished she didn't relate as much as she did right now.

"I-It's easier to pick us off one by one, right?" Lillian bit her lip nervously.

"That must be why they separated us. They have absolutely no idea what we're capable of. That must be why none of them are trying to climb in the boat. But... that also means they won't underestimate us, either." Izuku agreed thoughtfully. He turned to the two girls, one of which was nervously shifting her weight from foot from foot, while the other seemed completely collected. "They're playing it safe. For now."

"Right, so let's talk quirks." Tsuyu said, and that's just what they did. The girl's quirk was pretty self explanatory. She was essentially a human frog, with a long, flexible tongue, the ability to jump several feet in the air, and she could cling to the sides of things. Not to mention her saliva contained a mild toxin. She was a good swimmer and could move fast in the water, and stay under pretty long without needing air.

Izuku went next. He explained his strength-enhancement quirk. The price was a steep one to pay, but Lillian knew his power would be coming in useful, even if he would be pretty much out of commission if he tried to do a full punch. 

Lillian went last, explaining her quirk with as much detail as she could manage. She explained that it could freeze people, but that you could still move anything that was still. She'd learned this when she froze her pillow mid-air. She could still pull it down, but she could also place it various places in the air and it would just... sit. She included the drawbacks, including the most recent ones she'd learned of.

And with that, a giant water claw rose up and sliced the ship in half.

Fun.

"I'm starting to get bored! Let's get this show on the road!" The villain boomed impatiently as the ship began to go down. Lillian felt herself begin to panic as the villains all swarmed to the side they were on, preparing for attack. Wow, just, fuck. Really, that word was all to fitting for this situation. They-

She paused.

They were all swarming. To one side of the boat. She had a height advantage...

Lillian threw herself against the railing, ignoring the calls of Izuku and Tsu behind her. She processed the image before her before activating her quirk, and with a simple blink, they were all frozen. Lillian immediately felt the action wind her and begin to chip away at her energy reserves, and at the adrenaline she had flowing in her veins. Honestly, she was pretty sure the stuff had taken the place of her blood at this point.

"You froze them all?!" Izuku all but shrieked.

"No time! Let's just go!" Tsu exclaimed, and Izuku immediately went and... jumped off the side of the boat. While screaming 'Die' of all things, which made Lillian and Tsu both pause as he leapt into the air. Lillian thought vaguely back to Izuku's fight with Bakugo. Was the green-haired boy mimicking his friend?

Lillian felt her control nearly falter as Izuku screamed 'Delaware Smash' and created a giant whirlpool. The water had been frozen, but Lillian supposed this meant it could still be disturbed afterwards, but only by an outside force? Or had she lost control over the liquid and retained the ability to hold the bodies? It was completely possible Izuku's blow had been why she felt a falter in her concentration... had he disrupted a part of her quirk?