World Tree MUSH

    Exchange programs are a thing! Especially for developed worlds, worlds that are well-integrated into the Tree. This day sees a field trip that includes worlds willing to send their students out to it, and one particular class made up entirely of cross-world exchange students. This makes it a large trip, with three entire buses. At least they are nice buses, fancy and with mid-21st century tech. Still on wheels, no hoverlift or the like, but quiet and efficient. The city is nice and clean, and is part of a Branch that has integrated so fully that it includes magical transports as well as mundane ones, seamlessly... or nearly so.

    Whether with the trip to see the monument that they are headed to, or perhaps in this peaceful city on other errands or via mis-landed Vine travel, today's quiet trip is going to prove a little different. Sirens are going off abruptly, and the city-wide PA has already announced that civilians should stay inside while security deals with the disturbance. Unfortunately the explosion that follows is obviously more than casual security can handle, and the three school buses are in the midst of turning the corner when it happens.

    The disturbance is at an intersection, cars screeching to a halt and lights turning all-red with the appearance(where did it come from?) of a car-sized suit of power armor, at least it seems power armor from the fact that there is a figure inside it, blurry and indistinct, looking through the rippled glass of what looks like a patched together, hodgepodge suit stomping through the intersection and smashing the hood of a car, then turning to head directly toward the nearest bus full of teenagers.

    An explosion rattles the windows on the bus, and unlike most of the students around her, Yumi Tachibana is... well, alarmed, but not nearly in a panic. Without skipping a beat, before even the chaperones can get on the task, the orange-haired girl is on her feet in her bus, calling out. "Alright, everyone, don't panic, stay calm! We're gonna be alright, but only if you keep a cool head, so stay with me, okay?" Inwardly, however, a part of her wants to quietly slam her forehead into the nearest wall. Even when she's *not* trying to get in trouble, just going off-world invites it anyway.

    By now, the chaperones should be asserting discipline; so without further delay, she turns and moves swiftly to the front of the bus, calling as she passes, "Gonna see what's going on outside! Not the first crisis I've been in, I'll be alright!" This is probably exactly what they don't want her to do. Oh well.

>> SUMMARY[Yumi Tachibana] >> Yumi tries to calm students into listening to teachers. Then promptly does not listen to teachers.

    He's not in a schoolbus! He is in a different bus. This bus is a double-decker tour bus meant to ship tourists around the city to see the sights. The man and the wanderer known as Merlin is currently seated towards the front of one of the buses, "Oh my. What a commotion. Fortuitous timing to be in the city for such an event." He smiles softly and stands up a bit. 

    He steps up onto the railing of the bus and then hops off it, robes rustling around him as he lands on top of a lamp post and calmly sits down, cradling his staff across his lap, "Let us see how this event plays out. Hopefully, I will get to see some heroes come. That would be very interesting."

>> SUMMARY[Merlin] >> Doing 'Not a whole lot'. Watching, because it seems interesting to watch.

    Why was she here?

    Xion has been asking herself this question a lot, lately. Sometimes it had a... somewhat different meaning, but this time she really was genuinely confused why she was in this city. Did she sleepwalk again? She does always seem to find herself in these large modern cities with their skycrapers... They were so familiar, for some reason. Almost like... home?

    Xion is currently standing up somewhere high, as she likes to do - on the observation deck of one of the taller buildings lining a certain intersection. In fact, standing on the safety rail of the observation deck, balanced surprisingly well for someone wearing high heels. Her hood is up, concealing her face like it usually does.

    And then there's an explosion down below. She snaps her gaze down just in time to witness a... mechanical beast of some sort attacking a car and then menacing a... larger car. With lots of people inside. What were those called again...?

    Without a moment's hesitation, Xion leans forward, bends her legs, and leaps from the railing. Her right arm swings back, summoning a Mirage Blade just before swinging forward and throwing the blade end-over-end towards the mechanical contraption, trying to catch its attention before it does any more damage. "STRIKE RAID!"

    Xion lands on the pavement in a three-point stance, both feet and right hand planted, with her left hand occupied by another Mirage Blade.

>> SUMMARY[Xion] >> Xion attacks. Immediately. Because she has impulse control issues.

    Athena didn't expect trouble in the middle of the city, and she was riding along just for curiosity's sake, plus because Tsuyu is a girl who has apparently attached to her for training. Truth is Athena is a horrible example for a hero, but she is trying to only show Tsuyu the more selfless parts.

    She's not very selfless, but she can fake it.

    "Okay, nobody-" Oh, there goes people leaping to action. Athena sighs, because she doesn't have her weapons to fight with, and is limited to what she can find. Kicking out a window - an emergency exit, that is - she tumbles out of the bus and grabs a long metal pole, snapping it off from the street nearby. It's crude, but it'll have to do.

    "What do you want?" she calls out to the figure. She's silently keeping track of Yumi, and Xion, and the others. Got to formulate a strategy here.

>> SUMMARY[Athena] >> Athena grabs an improvised polearm and tries to figure out a plan of attack.

    This is when a hand sets on Yumi's shoulder. When she says she's going to go check it out. It's a pretty big hand but still very human. At least big for the teenage girl it's attached to.
    "You realize the adults and chaperones are going to want us to stay in our seats and not cause a stir up." The flat, toneless voice of Tsuyu Asui points out, dark eyes staring rather intently at the cream-haired girl. "Security's on the way and we'd probably just get in their way if we did anything."
    Notice how she said 'we'. This is probably relevant to her other classmates present, from the small UA detachment of students that had elected to join for the outing.
    It is very pointed. We should not get in the way. We should not be rash. We should not get in over our heads, as usual, AGAIN. Tsuyu says all this in a simple few deadpan words that she knows will likely get brushed aside any moment now by more headstrong sorts who want to help without knowing what they are getting into.
    Like her whole class. Herself only partially included.
    She likes to think she calmly takes stock of a situation before getting dragged into it before she even has her hero license.
    But then she pauses.
    "That was a pretty big explosion though and--"
    And then there's a suit of power armor charging one of the busses.
    "I guess we're doing this." She says, still absolutely tonelessly as Athena kicks out the nearest window. Tsuyu could go through that.
    Instead she lifts the emergency hatch, and calmly pushes the window open, because she knows at least one other person other than Yumi who will want to have at it.
    Also the hero she's interning under leaped into action, this totally means she can act without having her hands tied. It's cool.

>> SUMMARY[Tsuyu Asui] >> If my Hero Internship Mentor is going to kick out a window, I will calmly open another.

    "Is that a villain!?" Izuku breathes like he's about to have a panic attack, when the crisis originally started. He had his face pressed to the glass the whole time, at least until he heard a window get kicked out. He lifted his head to look back to what the other students were doing... and realized Tsuyu was going out to help deal with this, spotting her opening a window. He waits for his opening, first.
    Then he takes a running leap out of the window, doing an ACTION ROLL and landing on his feet outside the bus. "Thanks, Tsu!" he calls to her as he passes. His red shoes thump against the pavement, and then he starts dashing off toward the other vehicles to make sure people can get out and flee to safety! Technically, he's interning for Athena as well! But he isn't going to make a mad dash for the guy in the armor, because he would only get in the way of the more experienced people with his inexperience!

>> SUMMARY[Izuku Midoriya] >> Deku almost has a panic attack... until he realizes he can do something when their chaperone leaps into the action, and he decides to help evacuate the innocents in the area.

    Not being attached to anyone makes things a bit tricky, right?! Regardless, the scene unfolds quickly and violently enough that Ochako lets loose a soft 'whoah' at the sight of the robot smashing in the front of a car and charging at the busses!?

    People are moving fast to get out of the bus or at least take some action against whoever's in the robot- Even Tsuyu and her current mentor. "No way, she kicked the window out!" Not taking time to stare, though, she turns to the others.

    "You guys, it's gonna be fine! There's lots of really strong people that can handle this stuff! You got it? Say it with me!"

    Partway through her attempt at calming the students, though, her own tension might manifest, leaving her acting a bit too rough and intense. "C'mon! Now listen to the teachers-" She spares a glance. Is the thing gonna hit the bus? Should she be in a seat if she's not going to brave the window? Calling it an emergency exit without Iida just isn't the same anymore.

    Then Deku does the big hero thing too. "Aaaa! Wait- I'll be right back!" Then it's out the window! Except she doesn't land gracefully like her classmates. She tumbles once, twice, then lands on her seat. Plus. Ultra. "Ow ow ow!"

    Several people watch. Some watch but prepared to do more. The ones leaping into action aren't attacking yet though, except Xion, so there's time for the weird 'mecha' to hurl a tire at the bus in front, high speed, and cause it to swerve and screech and nearly tip over. The tire caves in the front, causing a hiss of escaping fluids and a following car to slam into the side, rocking it onto a precarious point. Those things are big, and tough, so it isn't toppling and nobody inside is likely to be seriously injured yet... but they are now in the field of battle, and THAT bus has some emergency exits popping, several young boys and girls starting to struggle to get out. Then another car rear-ends the first, and the whole mess starts to groan and buckle. What a pileup is starting! At least the other two buses managed to pull aside for now, letting the students evacuate more calmly.

    Xion actually attacked! The blade shears into the arm that tossed the tire, making the armored thing stumble back and reveal more of itself. It DOES look like someone tore apart a car, then shoved it together again in a vaguely man-shaped form, but the figure inside the chest area is still hard to make out. The glass has been tinted too heavily. Tailpipes show on the shoulders, and no tires make up the construction, but the cherry red look and the curvature of the 'arms' make it appear to have been made from a much older car.

    A red '57 Cadillac, for anyone curious who knows this stuff.

    Xion has presented a target, and the robotic thing's head - which somehow lacks eyes - splits open to spray... cotton? Huge masses of sticky cotton, coating the road and attempting to cover Xion as well.

    Yumi shakes her head. "I'm not going out there to fight. I would just get in the way. You and Deku might be able to get away with it, but I don't have powers or gadgets or..." For a second there's a hint of tension in her voice, but she seems to push it away. "...But I can keep a clear head in a crisis. I want to see what's going on out there, figure out how we're going to get out of here, and how soon we need to. That much I-"

    Aaaand Athena just kicked out the emergency exit.

    "Yeah, I guess we are."

    Deku goes zooming out, but Yumi's exit is a little more careful - though no less hasty. "Everyone sit tight, I'll be right back!" As soon as her feet hit the street, she's looking around, left, right - assessing the way the cars are stopped, the path through them, the way the battle seems to be flowing, what they might use for cover if it comes that way... maybe entirely too much careful thought for a perfectly normal girl to be putting in. But she thinks she has the best route in mind, or at least for now. "Everyone off the bus, there's a path out of here! Nice and steady, no pushing!"

>> SUMMARY[Yumi Tachibana] >> Plotting a safe escape route with cover, urging people to start getting off the bus.

    Xion doesn't recognise anyone here. Well, that's okay. She hasn't worked together with other heroes for a while anyway, and none of them seem to be jumping into the fray. She can take this on solo if she has to!

    Hey wait is that Izuku over there..?

    Xion is distracted enough by the greenish-haired boy's appearance to be caught off-guard as the mech-suit car-thing fires off a... barrage of sticky cotton balls at her. ... Well, no, the attack on its own would have been pretty distracting honestly. In any case, she doesn't react in time to actually avoid the attack - but she's got a trick up her sleeve. She really hopes these things are flammable!

    As she stands, she cocks her left arm back, still holding her second Mirage Blade. She snaps her fingers with her right hand, which somehow causes the weapon to erupt into flames. "FIRE RAID!" she shouts, as she... well, she repeats the exact same attack she just used, except it's on fire, her weapon sent soaring through the barrage of sticky globs at the car-mech.

    Merlin lets out a slight sigh as he sits up on top of the lamp post and rests his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands to stare down below, "My, my. What a show. Let us see if anyone is particularly interesting." 

    Merlin snaps his fingers and then calmly speaks into his hand. When he opens it again, a jackdaw has appeared. He holds his hand up and lets it fly off. It circles a few times and then dives, coming to land on... 

    Izuku Midoriya's shoulder. 

    It hops a few times, and then Izuku can hear the soft, melodious sound of Merlin speaking in his ear as if he were standing right behind him, "Chaos fills your kingdom. The people need direction. Tell me, young one. What are the the steps you must take to save this situation? What would a leader do to rally the people?

>> SUMMARY[Merlin] >> Merlin conjures a jackdaw that lands on Izuku's shoulder so that Merlin can talk to him.

    "Midoriya is at just as much risk of hurting himself as he is helping." Tsuyu says to Yumi with what might be a surprising level of weight for her toneless voice.
    But it's already time to get going. Once Midoriya is out the window and Ochako with him, Tsuyu can start forming a plan on how to work with the two to make the best of the situation. "We're better off not directly fighting." She states the obvious, dark eyes surveying the scene as the other bus is struck in the chaos and students begin to panic and try to flee. Yumi has that handled.
    "Midoriya, Ochako-chan, can you two keep the bus from toppling?" She calls out before she opens her mouth.
    Her tongue lances out like a whip, wrapping around a street light and letting her swing like Spider-man. She's already nabbing one or two studens that made it out the windows to start hopping and swinging them out of the combat zone.

>> SUMMARY[Tsuyu Asui] >> Hashing out a Basic Plan.

    This is where Athena isn't a hero at all. The bus driver should take care of the bus evacuation, that's his job. No, Athena might be goddess of wisdom, but viewing things through her war domain means she also has the thought that there is a clear cause to all these problems: the monstrosity in front of her.

    Problem is, she only has a pole, and she isn't sure how effective that is. But... it's unique, so it won't be as effective, but something might help. Something she can do.

    Athena looks at the students piling out, then nods, "You be careful! I'll see if I can find a weak spot!" Xion is already fighting it, so she dashes closer to the girl. "Need a hand?"

    Closer to Xion means closer to the armor, where she can analyze it with her Technology Sense.

    "Wah!?"

    There's a bird on his shoulder! And Izuku's getting questioned by it! He looks at it for a second. He looks briefly confused by the wording that he's given, and then his wavy-mouthed nervous expression shows. "... who are you?" he wonders, because this is just absolutely bizarre to come out of the blue like this! Even in an emergency. He listens to Tsuyu more openly, though, because her calm behavior is a godsend and her plan is fairly good. He points to Uraraka, "I'll move the bus if you use your Quirk!" and then red lines shine over his body, and he runs over to seek a good handhold to ensure that he can help brace against the bus and move it up and out of the way of danger. Slowly, in fact, so that no one gets hit by it in the process. Lack of gravity does not mean lack of mass!!

>> SUMMARY[Izuku Midoriya] >> Deku responds to the bird: "Nani???" He fixates on Tsuyu's plan because it's sound and he can immediately think of how to apply his Quirk.

    Inside the bus was chaotic enough. Outside, the whole situation is much more daunting. Still, she scrambles to her feet and looks to Tsuyu. "Right!"

    Then it's back to the bus and while she can't brace it like Deku can, when she touches it the bus' weight seems to melt away. She wills for the weight to come off from the top to make the wreck more stable but her power doesn't really work like that. Instead, she's immediately sweaty and pale and her eyes water as a wave of nausea breaks over her.

    Nonono, don't barf in front of everyone! Not in front of strangers! Don't be the first person from UA to barf on another world! "G-g-gottitogoshthis is soheavy-rrrgh!"

    The cotton spray was meant to distract and hinder, but it is just cotten. Moist, sticky cotton, but cotton nonetheless. A fire attack causes it to go up in cloying black smoke, thankfully dispersing quickly since it's outside, and the stream of cotton sputters as it burns. In the meantime, the mechanical construct has lifted up a car, whose owner is scrambling off in a panic. The sword embeds hard into a shoulder, making the construct shriek from metal shearing and twisting. But... it has a car, which it swings in a wide arc and hurls to send toward both Xion and Athena. That's probably going to hurt.

    Athena does get a read... ish? The technology reading she gets is THOROUGHLY pointing to this thing being made of standard 20th century car parts and tech, most of it inoperative. Nothing in the tech reading gives any hint that this thing is running off a battery or engine. It's very obviously magically-animated or something, because tech doesn't come into play... but it seems largely intact except for where it was rearranged and the damage Xion has done. It also relies on the axles to move the joints, and they weren't designed to move this way.

    Teamwork is happening in the background! Merlin pesters an upcoming hero, but it's a good question isn't it? And this is a perfect opportunity to scout out possible hero-types for... well... everyone. Merlin and anyone else on the lookout for such. Tsuyu's plan goes into action, and the bus creaks as the supercharged boy uses his newfound Quirk to steady the bus enough to make it easier for kids to escape. The lightened bus makes it easier as well. It steadies and lands on all the wheels, bringing a ragged cheer from within!

    This makes it a lot easier for Yumi to help out the various boys and girls, starting the evacuation. One blonde girl tumbles out and looks at Yumi. "Aren't you going to help against the monster?"

    The blonde gets a surprised look from Yumi - who then breaks into a faint smile, and shakes her head. "I'd just be in the way out there. Might get myself killed, definitely make it harder on the people who can win that fight. C'mon, this way, we gotta get out of here." The sooner they can evacuate, the sooner Xion, Athena, and anyone else who decides to take a swing at the armor can do so without worrying about covering them. "Tsuyu! Can you keep an eye out from up high?"

>> SUMMARY[Yumi Tachibana] >> Averting 'Hotheaded Shonen Protagonist Syndrome', also calling for help from the frog girl.

    "I am the Kingmaker. The legend forger. I take those who aspire and turn them into those who become. Not all are fit for such a path, young man." The jackdaw chirps in Izuku's ear. It seems unperturbed by any rough treatment it gets as a result of full cowl or the movement of the bus. 

    "Are you one who will lead or one who will follow? Are you one who lifts from below or are you one who pulls from above, dragging others up into his light?" The bird hops back and forth as the soft voice of Merlin whispers these questions to Izuku Midoriya. 

    Up above, the Magus himself sighs a bit and rests his cheek on his hand as he looks down to the battle below.

    Xion finds herself bereft of weapons after hurling her second Mirage Blade at the car-beast. Well, she could just... summon more, to be honest, but instead she simply keeps up the offensive, not wanting to waste a single moment! Shaping her right hand into a 'finger gun' just after she throws her Fire Raid, she gathers ambient light around her into a single point just in front of her index and middle fingers. She brings her hand down to aim at the power armour's cockpit. "I'm fine!" she declares to Athena, then flicks her thumb up like her finger-gun is being cocked. "Photon Bullet!"

    There's actually a sound very much like a gun or firework going off as the shining point of light streaks towards the mecha, Xion actually staggering backwards from her recoil, her arm forcing up like she actually fired a real gun.

    And... unfortunately, before she gets her footing again, she gets hit by a car. Being swung by another car.

    Xion hits a wall a moment later, and slumps down. "Uuugh... okay maybe I could use a hand..." It's amazing she's still alive after that! What is this girl made of?

>> SUMMARY[Xion] >> Keep attacking! Don't let up-CAR!

    Deku looks absolutely baffled by this bird. He doesn't have time to be thinking about philosophy during an emergency, and his eyes flick to it as it speaks and almost completely distracts him while he's moving the bus. "Can't you wait until after all of this!?" he complains to the bird! "I'm a little busy here!" And he is! He switches priorities to trying to help the evacuation efforts, meeting up with Yumi and helping people off by physically picking them up and moving them if he has to, taking exactly as much effort as he needs to. "Here you go!" he says, among other encouraging lines as he tries to maintain a brave face for the scared students, practicing his best heroic smile. It looks a little weird, because he keeps glancing over to the fight in progress over there in distraction to make sure that the villain(?) doesn't turn his attention on the innocents here.
    Oh god it just swung a car like a bat-- NO, NO PANIC, SMILE, MIDORIYA. And it looks even more forced. This is terrifying!!

>> SUMMARY[Izuku Midoriya] >> Deku switches priorities once the bus is stable to helping the evacuation efforts! Also, this bird is weird and distracting!

    Immediately Athena realizes that this is something REALLY weird. "This isn't a robot! It's some sort of... animated golem or construct!" She yells that to Xion, readying her pole and... er... this isn't good.

    Car.

    The impact slams into Athena and causes her to be flung back, much like Xion. Her instincts let her twist quickly, minimizing the damage... but she STILL just got hit by a car. If she were a normal human, she'd be heavily injured. She's still pretty bad off when she slams into another car, denting it, and slumps with a groan. "Ugh... I really should have brought my armor..."

    Spitting some blood, the goddess staggers to her feet and looks for another weapon... because in a moment she flings her pole, trying to impact at a joint and trip up the strange animated car.

    Shouting back to the others, "How are you all holding up?"

    Then, Athena nods to Xion with a pained grimace. "Nice to meet you, except I wish it were not mid-battle. I guess we aren't getting any answers, but at least it seems to be getting damaged."

    Uraraka, for her part, is about spent doing what she did with the bus. She went well beyond her capacity, afterall, so it's about all she can do to keep her last meal down while keeping on her feet by hanging onto the bus.

    Hey, she's making a show of looking all heroic like she did something really useful! She's even smiling very fiercely! A glance is spared to Deku as he darts past after the bus settles and she blinks away tears. Was that a bird? Oh gosh her quirk really is taking it out of her. "Is-" It WAS a bird. A talking bird. Uuuuugh, these worlds are too much!

    Eventually, she musters up the will to release her power's grip on the bus, likely causing a bit of a wobble as it settles onto its suspension. "H-here! If you need a hand out just reach out and take my hand!" She still looks green and she's completely oblivious of what's going on with the car-bot but things are getting done, dammit!

    Midoriya and Ochako... Perform just as expected.
    Tsuyu isn't surprised. These are her classmates. UA students are the best of the best, and they do not disappoint.
    She leaves the bus to those two and pauses to re-orient herself and re-assess, setting down a pair of bewildered students somewhere safe. At least before she hears Yumi. She can also trust Yumi won't do anything rash so she has no reason to not take her request into consideration. A higher vantage point WOULD be better for her.
    "Right. I'll see what I can think of." She calls back, before crouching.
    The leap that carries her up onto a nearby wall ends with her sticking right to it, flipping onto her back where she hangs onto the wall, dark eyes once again take in the scene. Athena and... ... Someone else are fighting the machine directly, and it would be best to not intervene directly. That's not her forte. Briefly, she considers, before climbing a little higher. Deku is working on the evacuation, so how can she continue to help?
    Her answer comes in the form of looking up. A heavy neon sign blinks above her head, riveted to the building.
    Tsuyu considers.
    Tsuyu eyes the fact that this thing just swung a car.
    Tsuyu pulls out her phone as she braces her back against the wall, plants her feet against the sign and starts using those powerful legs to PUSH while her fingers fly across the keys.
    TXT TO PALLAS ATHENA: Gonna drop a [SIGN EMOJI] this is your [WARNING SIGN EMOJI]. Try to not get [FALLING ROCKS EMOJI], want an A in my [BOOK EMOJI] this smstr. Warn other [FACELESS PERSON EMOJI] too.
    She ends it with a [SMILING FROG] as metal groans. Sweat beads on her brow as a rivet pops audibly. She strains, grunting as she uses every ounce of her lower body strength to--...
    Detach the sign and give it a good aiming kick.

    The blonde seems less out of breath than the others, and when she brushes her bangs out of her eyes, she does it with a gleaming coppery clockwork hand, some kind of prosthetic that operates with all the smoothness of a natural hand. She stares at Yumi, "That seems very dangerous, it's the job of heroes to be doing that."

    She isn't helping the other students out of the bus, but she isn't hindering the efforts either, she only hurries to the side and... turns to stare at the jackdaw yammering at Izuku. A stare that turns to eyes narrowing, a few seconds of glaring and obvious anger that she quickly shakes away and begins to look around to see who else is about.

    The rest of the bus is moving along quickly. Kids clambering out, and the chaperones have started to calm down and are helping from inside the bus. One of them looks a little green from all the motion, but they're still trying to help. Most of the kids are stumbling off, but a handful are limping, the rocking and tumbling injuring them lightly. Nobody looks to be seriously injured, the worst being a cut across the brow that is bleeding a bit, but they don't seem to have a concussion. One mumbles thanks to Ochako and Izuku, needing a hand up from shock setting in. The bus is rapidly emptying though, and a little more time will see it complete.

    The battle is going... well enough? The thrown 'lance' embeds in a knee, making a stumble, and the photon bullet smashes into the chest area, shattering glass and making the side shear apart. It begins to stand... and a sign crashes into it from above, crumpling the car-thing to its knees. But... lifting the sign up gives it a weapon, and also reveals the driver.

    It's a teddy bear. A ragged, fuzzy bear with an ear that's inexpertly stitched in a hasty repair job, and mismatched button eyes. The bear is making motions as if pulling levers and hitting buttons, despite no such things being there. And from one of the kids evacuating, a whisper of disbelief: "Miss Snuglee?"

    Sirens are approaching faster, but the pack of civilians is making it hard for them to approach. Especially when the panic starts when the teddy bear directs its car-mecha to hurl the sign toward some of the civilians - not the kids, the adults that are abandoning their cars - down the street.

    A hand settles on Deku's shoulder as he passes by. It's Yumi's. She gives him a light squeeze. "Deep breath. Focus on the evacuation. Don't force a smile you're not feeling, it'll just make them nervous. Just keep your eyes on the here and now, alright? We've got this."

    Uravity is on the scene too, now, and the evac is proceeding much faster. With them helping people out, Yumi can put more focus on /directing/ people - making sure they take the quickest-and-safest path out of the immediate danger zone. "Thanks, Ochako!" she adds with a yell over her shoulder, shooting the girl a quick thumbs-up.

    The blonde, though, has much more of Yumi's attention now - she glances at the prosthetic, then replies simply, "I'm not a hero. I'm just a girl who can keep her head in a crisis." She goes back to making sure the students are evacuating, but now the blonde is being watched warily. 'I don't think she's one of the students...' But now's not the time to press that issue.

>> SUMMARY[Yumi Tachibana] >> Continuing to evac students, giving DEKU a brief pep talk, giving OCHAKO the thumbs-up ^.^b and being quietly suspicious of RANDOM BLONDE CLOCKWORK CYBORG.

    Merlin calmly puts his fingers to his lips and blows into them again, then whispers softly. The words carry back down to the jackdaw on Izuku. The bird hops around a bit and then tilts its head at Izuku. No matter how much he jostles it around with his own actions, unless he swipes it off with a hand, it seems pretty securely affixed to the shoulder. 

    "Can I wait? Yes, of course I can. I have all the time in this world and all of them," The bird admits to Izuku as it stares at him with those beady eyes, "That is not the question you SHOULD be asking." The bird pecks at his shirt gently. 

    "'If I need to tell opportunity to wait now, what will I do in the future, when it will not wait?' 'Can I truly wait until later?'" The voice coming from the bird is somehow... gentle and smooth. It feels like the auditory version of a field of flowers, even despite the things it is actually saying, "A moment is just that. A moment. An instant. You will have many choices, many encounters, that last but a moment. It will be up to you to decide how to handle them. Because inaction is a form of action as well, young one." 

    "I am sure we will meet again. Talk again. Consider this first lesson a free one, because I find you interesting. And I believe you may be more entertaining than most." 

    And with that, the jackdaw lifts off Izuku's shoulder, taking flight again to leave him his solace. It spins in a few flutters and then comes up to land on Merlin's outstretched fingertips on his free hand as he watches it, "These new worlds are so interesting. I should have brought Cath along. He will be upset I did not."

>> SUMMARY[Merlin] >> Some final words to talk to Izuku with. A few bits of parting wisdom. And then the jackdaw DOES leave him alone.

    Deku listens to the bird's enigmatic jabbering, and it really starts to get to him. The bird gets him to look a little burdened by what's being said. He knows that! He's trying to be a hero here! But it speaks to his flaws: He thinks too much, reacts too little. Opportunity will not wait and danger will not stop politely. And so, when the danger shows that it's about to kill people, his head turns, and time seems to slow down. Then, he grits his teeth and thinks something really ominous.

    'I hope Recovery Girl doesn't get mad at me.'

    In a flash of green lightning, he launches toward the sign, moving much faster than most people can in these circumstances. He doesn't have time to think, so he pulls his fist back and sparks form around his arm, a bright red glow pulsing through his muscles, and his eyes shining with that determined look. And he screams something as he protects the civilians here, swinging a punch that sends a shockwave of air around him and a pillar of air upwards to try to VAPORIZE the entire sign in a great big slug of power so he doesn't have to try to catch it with his face.

    "SMAAAAASH!!!"

    BOOM!

>> SUMMARY[Izuku Midoriya] >> Deku punches the errant sign really hard.

    Xion staggers to her feet. Thank goodness that car mecha isn't attacking her right now, she's not sure she can take many more of those super-powered hits. Her hood somehow got knocked down during the fracass - it's a little difficult to really tell when it happened, for some reason. She seems to exude anonymity, at least a little, so... did she even really have the hood up in the first place?

    Xion focuses on her enemy again just in time to see it hurl a neon sign at a crowd of innocent people. She glances at the civilians. ... No, no way she can get to them in time. Unless someone else does something, they're going to die.

    She's somewhat disappointed in herself that she can't seem to bring herself to care.

    Instead, she summons two Mirage Blades and dashes towards the enemy, ducking down before leaping up at the revealed cockpit and... pilot.

    A teddy bear??

    No don't think about it, just...! "SONIC BLADE!" She lunges forward, sword outstretched in an attempt to pierce the... teddy bear.

>> SUMMARY[Xion] >> Xion contemplates the fact that she doesn't care if civilians die when there's nothing she can do. And then she pretends to be angry and attacks.

    Injured ribs make mobility hard, but Athena also notices the opening that Tsuyu's sign dropping got her. Too bad about the civilians that are-

    A massive, loud explosion whips her hair about, making Athena flinch.

    Well, the kid is pretty strong, what do you know? A quick text is sent back to Tsuyu: 'thx'

    Then Athena moves. Struggling to her feet she tumbles over the hood of the car she smashed into, and then she calls out to Xion, "Get baack!" She saw how Xion attacked, and yells at the girl to retreat after the attack, just before bracing against the curb and groaning. With a supreme and superhuman effort, she forces the car to nudge toward the immobile mecha... and then SHOVES to send it rolling. She is far stronger than a human, but not strong enough to hurl cars around. She CAN set one moving hard enough to do something if it hits, she hopes.

>> SUMMARY[Athena] >> Classic TV in the future: WHEN CARS ATTACK!

    Now it's using the sign as a weapon.
    "... Oops."
    But at least it did the damage Tsuyu wanted. The rest is on Athena and Xion.
    And Midoriya leaping in, shattering the sign with all that force that he can muster.
    Tsuyu sighs.
    "He did it again. ... Recovery Girl is going to be so mad." She murmurs.
    The others have this, though, so she remains glued to her perch.

>> SUMMARY[Tsuyu Asui] >> I call it like I see it, Deku.

    Everything is a blur- the students filing out of the vehicle, the combat raging just out of reach, the weird bird and even Yumi cheering her on. Ochako presses on, though, until there's a new startling crash!

    "Huh?" Then there's a projectile threatening innocents that nobody else can reach. She looks right at Deku- Then he's gone. She does her best to keep up with that trajectory and even breaks into a run. Oh no he's doing that again!

    Yumi's suspicions are not really worrying for Justine. The blonde scrambles to get back, and gives a funny look toward Xion at her pretend outrage. By far her greatest attention turns to the motion of that jackdaw, and where it flutters up to. The man that has been just sitting there.

    Now Merlin is getting a cold stare, something that seems very angry. Strange, isn't it? The girl snaps to attention when the bus shudders, as the blast explodes the sign into pieces and brings a few screams from inside. One of the chaperones shouts, "MISS LAWSON! MOVE!" This jolts the blonde into action, getting her to scamper off behind a different bus.

    The evacuation goes MUCH faster and smoother now, the buses emptying rapidly and the kids getting to safety.

    Xion's sonic blade whips inward, bypassing the armor and slashing a tiny stuffed arm off with a puff of cotton and stuffing. The bear retaliates, opening mouth and vomiting out a heavy, dense cotton ball that hurtles toward Xion-

    Then a car smashes into the struggling mecha, the car crumpling and the mecha-thing crunching, then shrieking as the 'legs' are torn off and it topples over, leaving the one-armed teddy bear struggling to wriggle out from the collapsing construct.

    The tattered bear, one button eye now loose and dangling, flails its remaining arm and looks upward, lifting the arm while its leg is pinned in the wreckage that is starting to flicker with the start of a car fire...

    Xion lops off the plush bear's arm rather than slicing its head in half. Oh, well, that attack is always pretty hard to precisely aim. She'll take what she can get.

    Athena's command to get back is followed immediately, however, the black coated girl springing off the mecha and sailing through the air - backflipping right over the car that hurtles into the car-mech and landing almost daintily behind it, just before it hits the bear-piloted suit.

    Xion charges forward to make sure the battle is fully over - got to get eyes on the target after all - and quickly stops as she spots the flailing cloth bear.

    With a completely blank expression, she holds out her right palm. "Fire." Fwoosh!

>> SUMMARY[Xion] >> BURN IT TO THE GROUND- I mean, uh, coup de grace

    Everyone seems just about out - and the strange armor thing seems just about dealt with. Yumi's more than a little concerned about Deku after that stunt, but if she goes charging in headlong right now, she'll be the world's biggest hypocrite. So it's with a bit of a grimace that she turns to run, bringing up the rear on the train of students getting out of there.

    Deku is standing there, one of his eyes shut, his arm horribly bruised and battered and hanging limp at his side. He turns to look at the armor as one last attack is placed on it, and his eyes widen at the heartless approach that the girl takes to the villain. He can't move to get in the way, and he doesn't know the policies here, and so he ends up overthinking it again. For all he knows, that animated teddy bear isn't sapient at all.

    So he steps to the side of the road and flops onto his bottom, holding his broken arm and making a wavy-mouthed frown, sweatdrops dripping down his face. With a break like that he should be screaming for his mother, or passing out--

    Oh, he's passing out. Thump.

>> SUMMARY[Izuku Midoriya] >> Danger gone? Danger gone. Deku entering shutdown mode.

    Staggering upright, Athena makes her way painfully toward the wreck... just in time to see Xion set the bear aflame. "A teddy bear? Piloting a fake power armor? Just what is going on here, anyway?" She winces, rubbing her side and slumping against a car wreck while the sirens approach.

    "Thanks for the help," she mutters to Xion. No complaints about finishing it off, just a heavy sigh and a slow slide toward the kids. "Guess I'd better see if everyone is okay." Izuku isn't, but she can help move him.

    Arriving hopefully not too late, Ochako, gently of course, reaches out to steady Deku and though she doesn't exactly expect to have to catch him as he loses consciousness her Quirk may make it fairly doable regardless. "Ah! You overdid it again." Deku, as always, is far too amazing for his own good. Not much more to do but just wait for the paramedics to triage their way on over.

    "We can move him if we have to but..." She notices the fire and frowns, concerned but hopefully the professionals can deal with a vehicle fire, right? Then all at once she remembers her own nausea and wilts once again.

    The ambulances have arrived, as well as the security forces like police. A bit late, now, but no deaths occurred and only light injuries, aside from Athena and Xion, which makes things much more relaxed.

    Justine shuffles away with the others, watching the result with a thoughtful expression before moving to join the rest of the busloads. "I hope every field trip isn't this exciting," she says aloud.

    "I don't get it," says another kid. "That bear looked exactly like the one I lost a few years back. What was she doing there...?"

    Xion turns her head to look at Athena as she walks away from the car fire. She may be wearing protective leather from head to toe but she still doesn't particularly like the idea of getting set on fire... For a moment, Athena can see that completely blank expression on Xion's face, more befitting a doll than a person.

    Put your face back on, Xion.

    Xion's face suddenly lights up, just a tad. "Oh, uh, you're welcome! Um... I'm Xion. I'm always happy to help out when people are in trouble!" Smiiile. Oh no she's -cute-.

    Xion then turns toward the greenish hero-in-training. The boy, that is, not Tsu. "Izuku, that was amaze- oh you're unconscious. Um." Blink. She points one of her swords in Izuku's general direction. "Cure?"

    A flower suddenly materialises over Izuku's prone form, then bursts into a shower of tiny green particles. Izuku is revitalised! ... A bit, anyway.

    How weird. Athena nods, "Athena..." But she doesn't say anything about the weird expression. That's just a mental footnote for now. "I'd better see if everyone is safe, get a head count, and all that. Glad you were around, that would have been... maybe impossible for me, without my weapons. Thanks."