Bring Down The BEAST - A collab between
@follycle@ShwiggityShwah@ERode@Delta44 | 33,022 Characters (more or less)
Kūki, the Gas Converter
What was the alternative, running? Letting him slip away to hurt others? It was better that someone atleast tough and quick kept him busy.
The croc came in just as quick as before, but this time he didn’t have his back to him. Hiroki was quicker, atleast in the short term, and frankly his brain wasn’t on fighting. Shouting all he could, it was more like he needed to get attention. Hiroki resigned himself that while he might eventually beat this guy, another trap or using the terrain, he didn’t have anything right now save only three marbles he had left from before, which he put in his pocket for later, knowing they weren't effective on this guy either. His only advantage was that that he was closer to the bus. It was going to take too long doing this himself. He wasn't stupid, he remembered the last time he tried to fight against unbeatable odds. He needed help.
Other examinees were probably close by and group or not, they needed the points. And a couple more hands would make this easier, and more importantly faster.
This was just a bad day. Bad luck.
He’d have to make the points up in dummies while the others dragged the defeated villain back to score.
But first he had to get that far. He boosted over the hit, flipping over the mass to land on the beasts back, maybe getting a useless hit with a wind enhanced fist at the cruck of his neck. It was just enough to keep the Beast on him specifically. He was going to fumble with the Beast, keep him in the open, make as loud a ruckus as he could and give anyone else time to assess and plan and ambush. He would ditch his spot as soon as he saw arms or if the tail was flexible enough to thwap him. Defense and dodging. And Yelling.
”I GOT A VILLAIN HERE!” he shouted. Its all he could do.
It was okay if he got hurt. So long as someone else takes him down.
[Hiroki Action= Action: Dodge, Warn, no direction movement from open street position.]
As Hiroki grasped onto the scales of the Beast’s back, he could certainly feel an incredible grittiness from each individual scale, despite their polished appearance. It was like riding on a mount made of sandpaper, and every movement would have rubbed his skin raw if it wasn’t for how much coverage his outfit gave him to begin with. But, like any rough mount, the Beast bucked and tossed, slamming its heavy back against Hiroki whenever there was a gap between rider and beast, yet still remaining away from any walls or obstacles that a less inhibited villain may opt to smash the youth against.
Following alongside Black-N'-White, Kūki made for finding Hiroki. This act in itself meant sacrificing precious time for points, and Hiroki's obvious struggling would probably come off as the perfect opportunity to get a lead on the fastest amongst their peers to some others, but Kūki and Azukina? They were different. Who could claim themselves a hero if they left someone to what would undoubtedly be a horrid fate. Sure, this was all a controlled test, and the staff likely wouldn't let things get too out of hand, but that was all the more reason to believe that this, too, was a test of their resolve. If he was being attacked by a villain, they'd just have to make up the points by
absolutely taking them down.
A grin crossed the redhead's face as acknowledgement of Azukina's resolve, signified by the air growing noticeably colder around the girl. An act that, while filling Kūki with confidence, also made her wished she'd worn extra layers had she known she'd be working alongside someone with a quirk like this. She'd only have to bear with it for so long before adrenaline kicked in to warm her body, eyes meeting their target. The thrashing sounds of their bout made it all the easier to find Hiroki, mounted on the back of what Kūki could only refer to as Crocman.
Against someone (or something) like that, there'd be little Kūki could do to aid those endowed with quirks more appropriate for combat. All she could do was try to put something together that would, at the very least, make him easier to fight.
"Azu, I'm going to try to create something to wear him down. I'll have to be close to him for it to have any sort of effect though, so I'll have to rely on you to freeze him in place when I'm ready. Can you do that?"[Kūki's Action: Prepare to generate sleeping gas.]
As it would so happen, Azukina wasn't alone in her idea to follow after Hiroki's ruckus and help him out, which she was incredibly glad for. The civilians they had found were clearly low-priority, and while it would be nice to escort those they found, as well as the ones inside the buildings to safety, it could wait. But a rampaging villain destroying property, potentially causing harm to civialians and, inadvertedly, making it harder for all three to score points? It wouldn't do any of them any good to let him roam freely, and it'd likely take no less than the three of them to deal with him. Monochrome already had an idea in mind of how to make that happen.
The byproduct of her quirk began to chill the air around the duo, and Kūki may have been able to spot the fog stirring around her left arm, as though generating some kind of minor wind effect. In truth it was just something which happened that Yomodachi couldn't control, not completely unlike the particle effects breaking off of the green-haired shota. However, unlike his passive effect, hers came from a different kind of emotion: determination.
Turbines had the Lizard focused on him, which was perfect given her own quirk's ability. She could keep him still as he suffered from the cold and confusion, though she antipated it wouldn't keep him down. Still, if her limited knowledge on reptilians served her right, his quirk probably gave him the downsides of being cold-blooded, though if he could keep active then Lizard may still generate heat. All it came down to was how far she could go before feeling the effects herself.
Kūki's plan, or rather intentions, earned a nod of understanding from her peer. Though, she couldn't say with confidence she'd be able to freeze the Lizard, she could most definitely slow him down. "If we use the fog, I can probably freeze that onto him to keep him still. I'll need either you or Turbines to direct it at him, but even then, this weather gives me an advantage."
And a disadvantage, she knew too well. But now wasn't appropriate for wasting time, she had to act before the Lizard noticed her. With only a simple "Show us what you've got, Red", Azukina rushed forwards, though she didn't have to go far to reach a good range. Muscles tense, mind sharp, her pride and confidence welled within her, as did her quirk's. No point in wasting any time, she was coming at that Lizard full force to show him the true meaning of 'cold blooded'. In a voice she had not used in a very long time, she shouted:
"Turbines, get the Hell out of the way!"
Her body haulted in its tracks, and as she finished her order, the surrounding area was lit up with light and snow. It may have been hard to see with the fog, but a miniture blizzard was heading straight for Hiroki and the Lizard, carrying the full strength of Azukina's quirk behind it. It almost looked like she had thrown the wind at them, though in a more linear, continuous fashion. It was time for her to show all of them why she thought she would be number one.
[Azukina's Action: Move forward a few meters and send her quirk at Hiroki and Crocman]
Relinguishing his position on the monster's back was something he was prepared to do quickly so when he thrashed, bucking like a bull, Hiroki felt the jolt through his body and found no purchase on the creatures back. A hard roll of the creatures shoulder and Hiroki was off, taking to the air again, naturally a place that he showed his element. A quick jet to get himself upright and land just outside of the creatures reach.
From here he prepped for what to do next. Probably another word of warning... When he got a call in response.
A female voice, he knew not nor really cared whom the voice was. The conviction showed that there was atleast a plan in place to get this thing down. And then he felt it. A chill in the air, a chill that felt like it was sucking the heat out of everything. There was a soft blue, a hard white that was quickly approaching. His mind put it together in an instant. An Ice User. And the air itself was freezing. He hoped it was enough to get this guy down. Cold blooded? Right, that effected reptiles, he thought... or atleast heat did. Whatever. Slowing him down would be a start
In typical fashion, Hiroki wasn't going to be following orders, instead he position himself to the croc was silhouetted by the growing cloud of white. His engines turned on and wind and mist behind him was being sucked in.
"STRAIGHT AT ME!" he shouted back and aimed his turbines. They roared to life and the cyclone winds pushed back, enough to blow a full blown man away. It looked as if tornados were being directed at him.
It was a combo, Hiroki set it so that while she pushed forward with ice, he pushed back with wind, making the croc be right in the center of an embroiling blizzard. The center of ice and water and wind, ripping all the heat out of singular area and applying two opposing forces to direct it right into an epicenter. More mist would be added to the growing thick icy cloud and completely enwrap the monster in white. Hiroki watched, if his wind was too much, or too little, he needed only back off or get closer, knowing full well how to direct its power. His element.
[Hiroki's Action: Move off croc, position him between himself and Azukina. Hiroki used Air Blast!]
A thundering wall of white rushed through the ten meter distance and drowned the Beast in pure cold almost instantly as Hiroki repositioned himself on the opposing end, braving the full force of the storm as his own turbines roared, jetting the frost blast of Azukina's White back again. For a moment, everything seemed to be working, the scaled figure of the crocodile monster only a non-descript lump within the blankness. Frost climbed up Azukina's body, while Hiroki's own turbines began to stall from condensation forming and freezing within.
But they could mak-
Over the roaring of jets and ice, the distinct crack of asphalt could be heard, before a large piece of pavement burst out from the linear white cannon. It sailed overhead, vespers of cold trailing off it as it travelled up a lazy arc. Then, in that same lazy motion, it fell down, an expansive 30 kilogram block of asphalt falling right towards Azukina.
It had Yomodachi quick to think, and as much as she didn't wish to do so, her blizzard wasn't meant to last. With a giant block of solid tar headed her direction, she had little room for hesitation, much less choose a direction to move in. The snow and frost had piled onto her body given she had stayed static while using her quirk, meaning just trying to move out of the way would be difficult in and of itself. There was always the option of diving out of the way, but that would leave her prone and sluggish, something Azuki would rather avoid.
And she couldn't use her quirk, either.
Getting any closer wouldn't be possible with Hiroki's wind and Kuki right behind her, whereas moving back could lead to more injury if the asphalt cracked or slid. The only real options were left or right, and either way she was taking a shot in the dark. But her body knew before she did that rotation could take far too long; instinct naturally made the most logical choice.
The light from Azukina's palm remained, and the wind pushed a constant breath of winter towards the Lizard. She was quick to move her body to the right, using all the strength she had in her legs to move, be it to run or get dive. Thankfully she hadn't been caught using her quirk all that long, lest her feet be covered in snow rather than her upper body.
Azukina's light shone like a beacon, however this time the blizzard was directed to her side, the monochrome teenager using it as a deterent against Lizardman to help her move out of the way. Mobility helped get the excess material off her body, ironically giving her reason to use her quirk in ways a close quarters fighter would, at least when it came to keeping on her feet. It wasn't precise, but there was no need for it to be, just powerful enough to limit the Lizard from closing the gap, even if she had to tumble and roll to get back on her feet. Anything was better than being unable to do anything, even if it cost her a bit more frost along her hand.
Yet in trying to both dodge and suppress her target, one of those actions had to compensate so she could be successful with the other...
[Azukina's Action: Use quirk to slow Lizard and avoid the asphalt, dodging right, potentially removing excess debris by doing so]
As Azukina broke off her side of the blinding blast, Hiroki's own funneled tornado turned into a headwind instead, the Beast emerging from the winter cage with only a thin layer of ice over its scales. Bounding after the tumbling monochromatic girl, the lizard monster closed the ten meter distance in the breadth of a single second, and swung its massive tail at her. With a heavy 'thwap', the scaled tail pressed beneath her ribs and tossed her in the direction of Kuuki, before the Beast's talons cracked against the asphalt and it charged at the two girls once more.
There was no need to go after the turbine lad, after all, not when it could bait him into coming at it.
Though she'd taken the time the beast was trapped as a chance to form the gas she'd planned on using to knock it out, none of them would be so lucky that he'd simply succumb to an icy prison. The creature's speed was hard to keep up with through sight alone, let alone physically. While Hiroki was the only one that could possibly stand to outspeed the beast, their opponent had clearly shown them that he viewed Black-N'-White more of a threat right now. That, or it was a lure for the one person among them that could keep up.
In an instant, Kūki found herself faced with a hurtled Azukina heading right in her direction. Catch her and lose precious seconds, or dodge and focus on her own attempts at taming the beast — there wasn't even a choice between the two. Bracing herself, legs planted firmly on the ground, Kūki outstretched her arms, acting as a much preferable cushion to the various rubble that littered the field, alongside the buildings. Unfortunately, Kūki leaned more towards being agile than physically strong, and found herself tumbling backwards upon embracing her teammate.
He's definitely going to reach us. The thought crossed her mind, and she knew with every inch of her body that it was the truth. A localized snowstorm did nothing to so much as slow it down, despite being faced with what should be an obvious weakness. Kūki'd question whether that meant the state of him ended before it came to his blood type, but that wouldn't help them any in this instance. Stuck in a situation like this, there was only one option Kūki could see that didn't involve Hiroki rushing to their rescue and no doubt being put out of commission immediately afterwards.
"Hold your breath, Azukina!" Taking in a noticeably deep breath, as though trying to make it apparent, the redhead let out the sleeping gas she'd formulated earlier in as long an exhale as she could manage. It was a gamble that wagered the villain already had knowledge of all their quirks, and that he'd back off if threatened to be downed by such a simple trick. As ferocious as he looked, Kūki knew there was still a "human" under all the scales — a human that, hopefully, lacked the immunity she had.
If she was wrong, or if he chose to attack regardless of the fact, well, she was certain she could take one hit from who she assumed was a faculty member.
[Kūki's Action: Catch Azukina, Exhale Sleeping Gas in attempt to ward off Crocman.]
The problem with a gas-based quirk though, especially one as insidious as Kuuki’s own, was that it didn’t matter how much of a threat it produced if the enemy wasn’t aware of it to begin with. Even as she exhaled plumes of the incapacitating agent stored within her lungs, the Beast plowed through, spending barely an instant within that hazardous area before bodyslamming the two girls away once more. Kuuki barreled onto the ground, bouncing off a fractured incline within the pavement. Azukina slid and struck a stop sign’s pole, and was immediately beset by the scaled monstrosity once more, its foot pressing down on her back. Not enough pressure to hurt, but definitely enough pressure to keep her down as yet another obnoxious roar resounded.
It wasn’t a matter of the effectiveness of Kuuki’s quirk. No, it was the fact that she lacked the ability to meaningful direct it in any particular manner, that they had no method of immobilizing the Beast within her gases for a long enough time to have any of her chemicals take effect.
Getting slammed in the ribs the first time by the Lizard's tail was probably one of the worst tumbles Azuki had ever experienced. The bodyslam which came soon after easily replaced everything before it.
All things considered, Yomodachi had probably the lighter of the two tumbles, Kūki being sent along the pavement and undoubtedly littering her body with bruises, if not worse. Even then, it wasn't like sliding across the street into a stop sign was a nice experience, either. She had to thank herself for the foresight to bring along clothes that covered most of her body. At first it was to keep warm while using her quirk in the fog, but it had its perks, getting ripped up in the place of flesh, sparing her from most of the more bloody injuries she may have suffered otherwise. The wind was knocked right out of her before with Lizard's tail hit, and she couldn't catch her breath right up until she collided with the signpost, leaving the teen in a coughing fit. Even despite all she had gone through, Yomodachi instrinctively tried to pry herself to her feet, though immediately a foot pressed her face to the floor.
Tears were beginning to well in her eyes, though for more reasons than just being frustrated; the pain, for one, was intense.
'This is such a sack of-' She tried to push with her arms and legs, but the Lizard just pressed down with his foot once more, pinning her. Frustration was quickly turning to anger, at her futility and uselessness. How her lack of ability wasn't just costing her potential for passing the exam, but also Kūki and Hiroki, too. It was one thing to let yourself down of your own merit, and another thing entirely to be letting others down of that same merit.
And Azukina hated that.
She hated it so, so much. In fact there was only one thing that she hated more, and that one thing was lying face down against a stop sign with a giant reptilian creature on her back. Her breathing was erratic, her body felt like it wanted to vomit, and her mind couldn't think straight if she tried. What could someone do in that position? What would any wannabe hero do when faced with a situation they couldn't handle?
"Y-you think... you've got me beaten... huh?" Seethed a voice below the beast, filled with some kind of withheld venom and anger. She was still pressing upwards all she could, even if the beast had her firmly rooted.
"Who do you... think I am you scalebound, lowlife freak?!"It was hard to tell if she was directing that at the Lizard personally or as part of some kind of roleplay, but she fully expected it would touch a nerve, and braced herself for getting her body belly-flopped onto the tar beneath her. By now it was obvious he had an interest in making sure Azukina wasn't freezing him, she had picked up on that much. He seemed awfully intent on getting her out of the fight as soon as possible, and she surmised that likely had to do with the fact her cold was doing more than she first thought. Azukina's quirk required extended exposure for noticeable effects to surface. Perhaps the real wounds lay beneath the beast's scales?
Either way, he probably didn't want to let her go soon. Most villains would be forced to stain their hands at this point so they could deal with the others effectively, though this being an exam meant she had some leeway. So long as she wasn't going to get knocked unconscious, then Lizard still had somebody else to worry about. And if she could get free, then maybe they still had a chance?
She kept her head to the side so she could watch him with one eye, fueling her gaze with a fiery determination, despite how utterly crap she felt. In spite of her position, she still tried to maintain her pride - two could play the game of pissing the enemy off, after all.
"I'm... nowehere near d-done... H-hey... Hey! Look me in the eye when I'm s-speaking to you!"Maybe if she could get him to look her way, she could do something. Her arm wasn't pinned, and she did all she could to make it look like she was trying to get free. If she could just get his face close enough, then she could at least do
something.
[Azukina Action: Feigning trying to get up and serve as a distraction so she can use her quirk when he least expects it.]
The Lizard barreled through that again too...
"Son of a..."Hiroki's engines slowed as he needed to give them a break, and the lizard ran off to deal with the new threat. He wasn't even considered the worst among the opponents. That pissed him off too. He ran forward, losing some distance as the beast came at the bicolor girl and that first annoying chick. He saw what they intended, an ice user, some kind of gas, but as per usual, he just powered through it. They had to stop the freak. They had to pin it down.
Hiroki had the same idea as before but he knew the creature must have been too heavy for the trap. He maybe broke the mechanism. But Hiroki wasn't. He fired up his engines again. Enough of a break for another sprinting go. The asphalt was frosted over but his boots found purchase as he went through the fray. The monster had Azukina pinned under its foot, so that was another little complication. This was going to be hard but maybe he'd be quick enough. The girl wasn't getting squished... so maybe the strength behind it was loose.
Hiroki took a marble in his left hand balling it into a fist and leaped, kicking his legs forward and back to the ground. He Punched his engines full blast. He'd need a hell of a timing. Azukina was trying to get his attention, he hoped it would be enough to distract the monster while he pulled this manuver. He was sliding, skating on the asphalt, the frosted layer helping out some with the friction, his jets angled just enough to keep him from grinding against it. He needed to stay low for this to work, between the monsters raised leg and standing one. He was a big boy...
With one hand, he reached out to grab Azukina, unlike catching bits of small debris, his reflex should be able to grab a shoulder, a piece of cloth, enough to use momentum to pull his peer out of harms way.
With his other hand he slammed the marble into the ground, no where near as strong as this stomping fool, but it was enough to lead his hand red from the force of it.
His plan, move fast enough by momentum to get Azukina safely, and maybe now the damn marbles would work and cast this jerk into a hole where he belongs.
[Hiroki Action: Movement to seize Azukina to free her, Action trigger marble trap under the Beast.]
Though the Beast didn’t respond to Azukina’s words with any physical retaliation, it did turn its head down towards her with a low growl, menacing enough to rattled her organs as one of its heavy talons lifted up, tapping very gently at the back of her neck. It wasn’t razor sharp or anything, but the threat was certainly there, no matter how fake it was. But that movement was enough for Azukina to unleash another burst, a torrential blast of cold air bursting from her upturned palm.
Not enough to do anything to stop the monstrosity, but certainly enough to blind it as Hiroki’s jet engines roared with finality. His workboots grinded through the slick frost on the pavement and he very much almost lost control, but through guts and luck, he pushed through, almost tearing Azukina’s shoulder out of its socket as they burst away. The Beast responded in fury, setting its foot down with a vicious crunch, but before it could take a step forward…
It paused, then pitched backwards, as if slipping on a banana peel. A marble wouldn’t have been able to displace it so greatly, but Azukina’s White had caused frost to build up in the area as well, mist forming frost once more.
Had they done it?
Perhaps they had.
But in this situation, not even the Beast could see it.
The fact that Kuuki had thought to approach from behind as well, and who now had a mass of scale and flesh bearing down towards her.
Fortunately, Kūki didn't rush her adversary without caution. Putting someone to sleep came with all sorts of risks, not the least of which is the possibility that they might fall over on top of you. Kūki'd planned on slowing herself to allow herself enough time to back step, in case she either had to dodge a falling body or try to avoid the brunt of an impact.
Unfortunately, Azukina's last ditch contribution to the cause and the marbles scattered would make it impossible for her to stop from slamming into the beast, scales digging unwelcomingly into flesh. No doubt her rush, as well intentioned as it was, would leave her with more than a few bruises and a sore back.
The light acted like a beacon, guiding the hot-headed wind user to her arm, prying her from the beast's grip like a kid stealing a toy from another kid. It felt almost like she'd pop her shoulder, but it managed to keep in place, though the pain and discomfort was more than enough to get a groan out of the teen. Though through her winced expression, Azukina could still make out the red of a familiar face: Kūki.
"Umeru!" She reached out with her free hand, but the distance between them was akin to touching the sky from the ground. Unfortunately for her, Turbines had snatched her by her left arm, so even if she wanted to help there wasn't much that could be done. Even a light layer of snow along the ground was better than the solid pavement, but maneuvering her wrist alone was hardly enough to provide aid. "Damn it, Turbines, slow down! Umeru will be crushed!"
Like Hell was Azuki going to let that happen. Umeru took the brunt of her fall twice now, and she wasn't about to let that sentiment go unpaid in return.
It was just enough to get Azukina out of the Beast's foot, he released and planted his foot already trying to double back and press the advantage. Maybe now it would work. And while the Beast didn't fall into a pit, he lost his footing falling back. The yells of the checkers girl wrung in his ears. He was focused on the task at hand, not so much trying to save Kuki from her fate but trying to finish this once and for all.
"Freeze it down!" He shouted before making his gambit.
It was a clumsy attempt, trying to get purchase release the girl and double back, hoping boots found purchase and engines would allow him to get the two or so meters to the creatures face. He was aiming for the creatures head, and would throw all of his weight into it. He was aiming to reach for his maw, closing his hands around it to keep his mouth closed and use the weight of his body to help pin him down, he'd try use some leverage once they were on the ground, but right now, that girl with her gas, surely it would have some kind of effect as she tried to do it. Even if she was going to get squished, she was close to him, she could breath it on him while he was down.
With any luck, the force of using his body to go for his head would be enough to knock it off of his fall onto Kuki if just enough to keep her from getting pinned. If he managed to get it down, he'd should, putting everything into keeping his mouth shut.
"GAS IT!" It was all he would have time to shout before the creature would be able to recover. The end of its nose, if she could just breath on them before he realizes whats going on.
It didnt even matter if he was so close, that gas was their best shot. It would be worth taking the villain down.
[Hiroki Action]:Body check the Beast's Head whilst falling, and attempt a pin of its mouth.
Kūki'd already resigned to her fate with eyes closed when a sudden shot of pain under her right rib sent her flying to the side. After a bit of tumbling, Kūki's body soon found ground that hadn't been frozen over. The beating she'd taken up to this point was finally starting to settle in. With one hand holding her bruised stomach, and another holding her steady on the ground. Hiroki was launching a last effort offensive against the beast now. All that work, merely to get their enemy to fall over. The fact that even with three of them, this was the most they could manage with the injuries they'd incurred. Feelings of dejection threatened to overwhelm the girl.
No. Not while the others are still trying. If nothing else, this would be their one and only chance to finish this fight. There was no turning back, no running away now. There would be plenty of time for regret once they'd officially failed, but if for nothing but the school that offered them a chance, they had to keep pushing with all they had until they were told it was over. After all, what is a hero's most defining trait, if not their stubbornness in the face of insurmountable odds.
As strong as he was, because of his build, there was no doubt that the beast would find it troublesome to get up, especially with Hiroki doing all he could to keep him down. If he used his jets to propel himself towards the ground once he was on top of the villain...
"Use your jets!" One more time. A deep breath, and a painful dash forward, through the stinging feeling in her ribs and the aching of her muscles. Her bet was that the beast's collision with the ground would get rid of the frost that had accumulated around him. As fast as her legs would let her, Kūki made her way to their adversary, where Hiroki and Azukina had afforded her one more chance to prove herself.
If everything went well, the fight would be all over in but one labored breath.
[Kūki's Action: Make her way towards Hiroki and the croc, then breath directly onto his face.]
An air-headed attempt at landing from an airhead wasn't quite the cushioned landing Azukina needed right now, but it got her on the ground and allowed him to leap back into the fray, at the expense of her poor back. Even so, she wouldn't allow herself a proper rest until this exam was over, and as they were only getting started, complaining was out of the question.
In spite of how her shoulder felt, it obeyed her command to face the beast, although blasting him outright was completely idiotic. Sure, she would hit him, but it wasn't as though she failed to understand that she would hit her classmates in the process, either. Aim wasn't exactly Yomodachi's forte, but it wasn't out of the question at this range, either. The real question was where.
"Watch where you step!" Ordered Azukina, mainly to Umeru but also to Hiroki, in case he needed to get up and away.
The entire upper half of the body would be out, if she guessed what they were trying to do. His legs, on the other hand...
With a slight grunt of pain, Azuki let loose from her position, having not even bothered to stand up so not to waste time. Freezing the Lizard's legs was the only safe option to prevent her fellow examinees from getting hurt, and she imagined that could result in a loss of points, a risk she didn't want to take. It also helped that the Lizard would find it harder to move with frosted legs, not to mention the ground freezing over, making movement harder for him than it would for all three of them.
Also giving her would-be classmates hypothermia didn't sound like a good idea, either.
Unwilling to stay prone and get covered in snow, Azuki did her best to get to her feet again, however wouldn't sacrifice her quirk's continued assault just to stand up quicker.
'Come on!' She thought with determination.
'We'll show him just how serious we really are!'[Azukina Action: Simultaneous with her classmates, Azuki uses her quirk to freeze the croc's legs. While doing so she will try to get up, but will put priority on her attack first, and getting to her feet second.]