A Dragon's Heart // Shoto Todoroki x Reader

Chapter 16: Teamwork

My black hero costume hugged my figure nicely, bringing attention to each curve my body held. While it brought me a sense of comfort, I knew nothing would destroy its fabric. I stood beside my peers, the nervous tension so thick in the air I could cut it with a knife. The three days of written exam bullshit were finally over, and it was time for our final practical exam. Before us stood an array of pro heroes, my Uncle being one of them.

"I'm sure most of you already know, but if you do not pass this practical exam, you will not be going on the training camp," my Uncle uttered. Everyone stiffened around me, they almost reminded me of statues. I felt myself mentally transport momentarily to a graveyard, standing around the ceramic, white angels guarding over the dead.

What?

I snapped my attention back to my Uncle. "I believe most of you have gathered information about what you will be fighting today."

"Those giant robots!" Kaminari exclaimed, his voice carrying a sense of achievement.

"Wrong. You will be fighting us." I saw the insidious glimmer within my Uncle's dark eyes. "You will be put into pairs and will work together to fight against us teachers. Your partners have already been chosen – by me. I organized the pairings based on what I thought would be more challenging."

Whispers erupted from the group around me. I glanced up at Shoto, who wore his stoic expression like a mask. I decided to do the same. I wasn't exactly worried about failing; I knew I could easily overcome any difficulty. Shoto must've had confidence built into him after years of training with his dad.

I wonder what that was like, having a dad. Shoto's dad isn't the best example. But I guess Shouta is like my dad, except he isn't.

"Quiet. I'm not done talking." My Uncle's voice sliced through the veil of whispers, silencing them. "First up, since we have an uneven number of students here and Amara has been cleared to be able to work in a team, So," Shouta's eyes grazed harshly over me. I stifled a laugh as I observed his awful attempt at a smile. "Amara, I've paired you up with Yaoyorozu and Todoroki." I sent him a glare, only amusing him further. "You'll be fighting against me," he sneered.

"But sir! Amara isn't allowed to work in teams," Yaoyorozu's voice carried with it disbelief. My eyes rolled as irritation seeped through me.

"As I said, she has been cleared by the school to work in teams. That was what her extra week of training was about. When the rest of you did your internships, Amara was training," Shouta said.

I vaguely listened to him drone on about the rules and the other teams. I began chewing on my bottom lip subconsciously. I understood why I was paired with Shoto and Yaoyorozu; we all relied on our quirks way too much. Our match was fourth on the list, so we had time to make a plan amongst the three of us. It was my Uncle, after all. I knew his weakness, but he knew mine. I doubted he was going to bring Jirou in with her speakers.

"You will have 30 minutes to either secure these handcuffs around your teacher or if you manage to escape from the combat stage," the Principal chimed. It made perfect sense.

"Those of you who are waiting for your turn can either watch the other teams or strategize. Either way, I don't care," my Uncle said as he and the other pro heroes walked into the massive building. I glanced at Shoto, who was already staring at me, much to my surprise.

"Hey, did you want to talk about a plan?" I asked.

"No need, I already have a plan."

I raised a dark eyebrow at the tall guy in front of me.

"Hey Todoroki," Yaoyorozu strolled over to us, smiling at Shoto. "Amara." Her voice was thick with venom and hatred when she said my name. I narrowed my eyes at the giant bitch. My eyes flickered between the two tall people, it only made me realize how short I really was.