"Yes! Battle training!" All Might confirmed loudly, releasing a booming laughter for no apparent reason. "You will be divided randomly into teams of two! Ten teams of heroes, and ten teams of villains! As you might have guessed, you will battle each other, hero VS villain! Before I give you the rules, we must draw the teams first!" He declared, placing a wooden box on a pedestal, so they could draw their pairs.
"Huh? Are we really going to pick our partners this way? Leaving it to chance seems highly unprofessional of U.A, sir! Some of our quirks may not be compatible with some of our other classmates' quirks, and…" Iida began rambling before Izuku suddenly stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.
"It's not like you can pick who to team up with whenever you want in real life. It's all situational, and based on whoever's closest to the crime scene, so an exercise like this makes sense," He explained. Anything to shut the other boy up…
"Ha!" Iida voiced in understanding, nodding frantically. "Of course! This makes sense, Midoriya! I apologize for the interruption, sir! Please, continue," Iida bowed at a 90-degree angle, making All Might sweatdrop. However, before All Might could call the first student to pick a name, Ochaco raised her hand.
"Will we face expulsion if we fail this test?" She questioned, even though All Might didn't even call out to her, which prompted more students to yell out questions.
"Can we punch each other?"
"How will our performance be rated?"
"Can we kill each other?"
"Is my cape beautiful?"
All Might shook his head, overwhelmed by the rapid fire of questions as he raised his hands to stop them.
"One at a time! Otherwise, even I will lose track of them!" All Might began to sweat nervously. "Now…" He looked at them. "No. Yes. I am getting to that. God, no! And yes! Now… Approach in order of your sitting and pick a paper. Whatever letter you pick will be your team, and whoever picks the same letter will be your partner," He explained. Soon enough, they went to pick up their papers and find their teams. Eventually, this was what the team configuration looked like.
Team A: Hagakure Tooru and Midoriya Izuku
Team B: Shoji Mezo and Koji Koda
Team C: Mineta Minoru and Yaoyorozu Momo
Team D: Iida Tenya and Satou Rikido
Team E: Bakugou Katsuki and Todoroki Shouko
Team F: Ashido Mina and Aoyama Yuga
Team G: Mashirao Ojiro and Asui Tsuyu
Team H: Jirou Kyoka and Uraraka Ochaco
Team I: Tokoyami Fumikage and Kirishima Eijiro
Team J: Sero Hanta and Kaminari Denki
Izuku hummed, lowering his gaze to look at his partner, the invisible girl. Her hero costume simply consisted of a pair of shoes and gloves, meaning she was fully naked.
"Uhm… Well, looks like we're on the same team, so… let's do our best!" She pumped up her fists. He didn't miss the faint nervousness that dripped from her tone at the start of her sentence. It was likely because he intimidated her. That was amusing. Perhaps he'd have fun with her. Her being invisible didn't mean he couldn't find her attractive, especially since he had an advantage others didn't when it came to her.
"Don't worry. Since you're my partner, your victory is already guaranteed," He assured, giving her a thumbs up as the girl seemingly rubbed the back of her head.
"Haha, right! You were really impressive on the test yesterday! Still, I'm a bit nervous… The others are strong, too. I mean, all I have is invisibility…" She chuckled nervously, whispering the last part. Izuku arched an eyebrow, interested. Oh? So, the girl was self-conscious about her quirk. He could definitely work with this.
"You shouldn't downplay yourself like that. Invisibility can be quite useful even in direct combat situations," Izuku reassured her. After all, Himiko's quirk didn't exactly help in fights, so she relied on her knife and on her stealth technique, which practically made her invisible to many foes, and that was deadly.
"Y-You really think so?" Hagakure inquired hopefully, surprised. Izuku nodded in response. "T-Thank you, Midoriya. Not a lot of people told me that… You're an alright guy," She smiled, or at least, it sounded like she smiled.
While the two talked, Bakugou watched from nearby, standing by his partner's side, that Todoroki girl. Her name was familiar for some reason, but he frankly didn't care. He could only focus on Midoriya, on his greatest rival and obstacle to glory, to the top. Battle training was the perfect opportunity to finally prove how strong he was and how much progress he had made. Izuku couldn't afford to underestimate him anymore! Even if their teams weren't picked to fight one another, Bakugoy would force All Might to change the lineup and allow them to fight.
"You better not get in my way. That scaly bastard is mine," Bakugou told Todoroki without even glancing back. The girl released a cold breath, but didn't respond, simply turning to look at All Might impassively.
"It's a shame none of us are on the same team!" Mina pouted at Ochaco as she watched Izuku, Kirishima, and Iida with their respective teammates.
Jiro, who was paired with Uraraka, crossed her arms and glanced her way after hearing their conversation.
"Is something wrong with me?" Jiro mumbled to herself since Ochaco didn't seem too happy about the teams either, though she wasn't as bothered as Mina.
"Well, think of it this way: at least, we can make new friends," Ochaco argued hopefully, smiling.
"I guess so…" Mina sighed, shrugging. "It would have been great to be paired with a hottie, though," She grinned, leaning toward Ochaco to nudge her with an elbow. "Bet you wish you were with Midoriya, huh?" She snickered amusedly.
"A-Again, what are you talking about?" Ochaco sputtered with reddened cheeks.
"Yeah, act all innocent, but I see what you're playing at, girl! Taking numbers before the first day even started," The pinkette replied dismissively, which only served to embarrass the other girl even more.
The students all continued to chat as All Might watched them, a nervous sweatdrop rolling down the back of his head. The students familiarized themselves with their partners a little, right? Did that mean he could tell them to pay attention now? Oh… He was such a novice at teaching… Eventually, the blonde man cleared his throat.
"Now!" He shouted, making everyone turn to him. "Now that you're all in teams, I'll explain the rules! This will not simply be a team battle! Each team will have win conditions to fulfill to emerge victorious. Firstly, one team will play the roles of villains, and the other will be heroes! The battle will be held in a building, as, statistically, most organized crimes happen behind closed doors. The flashy battles on the outside and for the camera are only a minority of hero work! The villains will start in the building, protecting a bomb that will, in this simulation, explode after a certain time. To win, the villains will either have to defeat the heroes or protect this bomb until the time runs out," All Might explained, waiting for them to process this information before continuing with his instructions. "As for the heroes, their starting line will be outside the building! To secure victory, they will either have to touch the bomb hidden somewhere inside, knock out the villains, or capture them with this special capture tape," The blonde hero raised the capture tape. It seemed thin but durable. "Now, if you have no questions, zygotes… Time to draw the match-ups!" He plunged his hands into two boxes, rummaging through them until he grabbed a ball. "This will be our first battle!" He pulled out his hands, showing them the balls and the letter written on them.
Bakugou grinned so wide that you would think his cheeks would get torn as his crazy smile reached his ears. The blonde clenched his fists, sparks flying out excitedly, while his blood was pumping with bloodlust.
On the other hand, Midoriya scoffed, but softly grinned nonetheless.
"Fate really does want us to fight, doesn't it?" The horned boy mused, looking determined. "Alright, then. I'll teach you that lesson however many times you want," He clenched his fist. All who opposed and lost to him succumbed to fear and gave up eventually, realizing that no matter what, they would be no match for him. Despite that, Katsuki had never once given up. Oh, sure, perhaps, he stayed back and confronted him more rarely, but the blonde had always watched him from afar, training in the hopes of defeating him. Until Izuku taught him the meaning of despair, he wouldn't give up. Humans were bothersome, like that.
Villain Team: A
VS
Hero Team: E
"Damn! That's one hell of a start! We've got three powerhouses in the same fight!" Kirishima remarked with an excited grin.
"That Bakugou seems really intense… I hope Midoriya will be alright," Ochaco whispered worriedly.
"He'll be fine! That dude is a beast!" Mina waved her hand dismissively.
"Villain team! Go to the building, and I'll communicate the bomb's placement to you through the earpieces you have. Hero team, you'll wait in front of the building and only enter after I signal for the start of the exercise. Everyone else, come with me!" All Might raised a fist in the air enthusiastically as he laughed, guiding the other students to follow him into the nearby control room.
Izuku and Tooru did as they were told, walking to the building and immediately walking up the stairs to reach the room where the bomb was. Unfortunately for Izuku, it was just as he feared. The hallways were cramped, so it'd be hard to move for him, meaning he'd have to fight in a room.
"I'm really sorry, Midoriya… I feel like I'll hold you back…" Tooru admitted as they reached the bomb room. It was large, but seemed to be made of papier maché.
"Why is that?" He asked. Sure, she was weak, much weaker than him, but something so trivial couldn't hold him back. Nothing could hold him back.
"Well, Todoroki and Bakugou had some of the best scores in the test from yesterday. You got first place, but I was second to last… I don't want to be a burden, but we're off to a bad start," She explained.
"As I said, you don't have to fear defeat while I'm here. They can't beat me, even if they gang up on me," Izuku assured her again. He was the strongest, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he could beat anyone in the world. Of course, he was aware that there were people who could push him past his limits for him to beat them, such as All Might.
"You're really confident, Midoriya, I'm almost jealous," Tooru snickered. Many wouldn't call that confidence, but rather arrogance. Izuku couldn't tell whether she meant the former or the latter, but anyone calling him arrogant would be a fool. He was the strongest. That was a fact. It was not something that could be changed, so why should he be humble for the sake of other people's egos?
"I've always succeeded in everything I've started," The horned boy answered, which was explanation enough. "You gotta have the same mentality, and you'll have success, too," He explained. Of course, more than the mentality, she needed power. However, he knew that giving her sweet words now was better.
"It's easier said than done, but… I guess I'll try…" She didn't seem entirely convinced, though she didn't doubt that he was the best partner she could have in such an exercise. "Just be careful when you fight, wouldn't want to hit by accident," She chuckled nervously, likely looking at his large frame.
"Oh, that won't happen. Believe me," He replied, to her confusion.
"Why is that?" She questioned curiously.
"I have enhanced hearing and smell thanks to my quirk, so I can pinpoint where you are with that alone. Also, I can see you. I guess that's thanks to my night vision," He explained casually. Being a dragon sure had its perks.
"Uhm… Is there anything you can't do? Wait… You can… See me?! Kya!" Tooru immediately folded, crouching and hiding her breasts behind her arms and knees while fiercely looking at the horned boy. This must have been the first time she ever had to hide from someone's gaze. She never even had to worry about anyone seeing her naked before! Which was partly why some people believed she was an exhibitionist in the past…
"Don't be so dramatic. I can't see you that clearly, unfortunately. You're just a silhouette to me," He replied. Izuku didn't know what her face was like, or even the color of her hair and eyes, but at least, he could see what her figure was like, and… It wasn't disappointing, especially now that she wasn't wearing anything.
"Oh. I guess that's better than actually seeing—Unfortunately?!" She gasped, and Izuku didn't need to see her to know that she blushed.
"Hn. Now, all we have to do is wait for it to start… And for Bakugou to stupidly charge headfirst," The horned boy crossed his arms.
On the outside, with the Hero team…
Bakugou growled, pacing back and forth as he waited for All Might's cue to start the battle. Even though he had hoped for such an outcome, he didn't believe this would actually happen. What were the chances that they would face each other so early on? He certainly wouldn't complain, though. That bastard had been a thorn in his side ever since they were kids. Katsuki was supposed to be the best! The strongest! And yet, Izuku surpassed him in every way! Defeating him every time the blonde challenged him! That wall… was more like an impossible-to-climb mountain!
Would he ever reach the peak? Of course, he would! That was why he trained harder than he ever did these past few years, ceasing his challenges and his fights, so that he could improve on his side while Izuku grew complacent and arrogant. Now, Katsuki trained until his bones broke while the scaly bastard likely never even lifted weights, or tried to improve… All because he believed himself invincible. Though the blonde couldn't entirely blame him. He had never seen him lose a fight. Never. Whether it was on the playground, in the street, or in PE class… Their classmates feared him, but Katsuki didn't… No matter how much his instinct screamed at him for it, he didn't. He had too much pride for that.
"What's your deal with Midoriya?" A feminine voice suddenly broke him out of his thoughts. Katsuki spun his head to his partner and glared.
"Huh? None of your business!" He snapped at her. The girl was tall, even slightly taller than him, and Ponytail now that he looked at her more closely. She had long hair, split into two colors in the middle, the left side red and the right side white. The left eye blue, and the right one gray. She also had a burn scar on the left side of her face. Her costume was also seemingly split in half since one side was covered in ice. Anyone would have seen her as quite the beauty, and he knew many would have ogled at her generous assets and her curvaceous, but seemingly toned figure. However, that wasn't the case for him. He didn't care about any of that! All he cared about was proving his worth to everyone. All he cared about was proving that everyone was BENEATH him! The girl in front of him had bested him in yesterday's test, but it wouldn't happen again. His only target was the scaly bastard, the only one he needed to overcome to be the greatest hero to have ever lived! "This is between me and that motherfucker, so oncce the battle starts, you stay back and out of my way while I deal with him!" He barked orders that should have made anyone flinch. Yet, Todoroki remained impassive.
"There is no strategic value in charging headfirst. Let me use my quirk first. With it, the battle will likely end as soon as it starts," She explained in an almost monotone voice, if it weren't for the coldness in it.
"The fuck did you say?! Are you looking down me, you bitch?!" Katsuki growled, grabbing her by one of the straps of her suit and pulling her closer to him. "As if your shitass quirk could do something! I'm the only one who can beat him, got it?!"
Shouko's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Let go of me. Now," She ordered coldly, matching the blonde's glare. They stayed like this for a few seconds, then he scoffed, releasing her.
"Just don't get in my way. You're no match for him," He warned before focusing his gaze on the building's entrance.
Todoroki had seen Midoriya's physical abilities during Aizawa's test, but she highly doubted Bakugou's words. He trained her until she couldn't move a muscle, all so that she could be the best, one day. She was going to prove that she didn't need his half of her quirk, and thus, she couldn't give up on the first obstacle.
"I hope both teams are ready because it's time to start! Heroes, you have 15 minutes to complete your objective! Villains, protect the weapon as best as you can!" All Might suddenly announced in their ears via the earpieces.
Without even wasting a single breath, Bakugou dashed inside, running as fast as he could. Of course, he had no idea where the villains or the bombs were. Instead, he blindly charged ahead, screaming for them to come out. It certainly was a strategy…
In the control room, only All Might could hear what the young blonde was yelling, prompting him to sweatdrop at the young man's lack of a plan. While the students couldn't hear anything, they had a pretty good idea of what he was doing, considering his expression, fully visible on the cameras.
"Come out, Scaly Bastard! I'm finally gonna kick your ass!" He shouted angrily.
Outside, Shouko sighed, shaking her head.
"He'll be hit too, but I'd rather finish this quickly," She said coldly before placing her hand on the building's wall. In an instant, ice shot out of her hand, freezing the outer structure, but also the insides. Her plan was simple: to freeze everyone's feet and keep them from moving. Though she'd likely have to go past their feet if she hoped to keep Midoriya in place.
"Where the fuck are the stairs in this shit hole?!" Bakugou screamed while looking around… Then suddenly paused when he breathed out cold air. Huh? What the hell? He couldn't move… He looked down, noticing that his lower body was frozen solid, and so was everything around him! "What the…? Is it that icy bitch?!"
In the control room…
"Damn! Look at Todoroki! She froze the whole building!" Kaminari exclaimed in awe.
"Cold and hot at the same time," Mineta commented lustfully as he watched her on the screen.
"You go, girl!" Mina pumped up her fist encouragingly, even though Shouko was against her friend, Midoriya.
"It was well done, but… It doesn't seem it worked as intended," All Might simply pointed out, looking at the screen showing the villains' room.
Back to Izuku and Tooru, a few seconds earlier…
"I can hear Blondie getting closer, he's as loud as ever," The horned boy grumbled, cleaning his ear with his pinky. The invisible girl clenched her fists, preparing herself to fight, until Izuku suddenly narrowed his eyes. Without warning, he grabbed Tooru in his hand and lifted her above the floor.
"H-Hey!" She exclaimed in surprise, about to ask him what he was doing. However, before she could, a wave of ice reached them, freezing the whole room except for the bomb, which Izuku lifted in his other hand. Hagakure gasped, looking around in awe. "What happened?!" She questioned, lowering her gaze to see that the horned boy's legs were frozen solid. At this moment, she did not even care that he carried her bare body by the waist, focusing on the battle ahead instead. "Your legs, Midoriya!"
"I'll be fine. That girl wanted to take us out at the start," The long-haired man grumbled as the ice around his legs cracked and quickly burst apart. He had freed himself simply by moving his legs! "Now… To do something about this ice…" He muttered, inspecting the room.
"Oh… Is it me, or is this room getting hotter?" Tooru breathed heavily, slowly starting to sweat as the air got heavier. Considering she was naked, she shouldn't be feeling so hot! What was happening now?! It was only when the ice around Izuku began melting that she finally noticed the heatwave was coming from him. In less than a few seconds, all the ice in the room had practically melted, leaving the floor and walls all wet. Once they had better footing, Izuku put the bomb and Tooru back on the ground. "How did you do that?"
"I'm a dragon, so fire is my thing," Izuku answered plainly.
"Oh, right," The invisible hit her palm with the bottom of her fist. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, nearly making her lose her balance, as the sound of explosions was dangerously approaching them. "Oh, what now?! The battle just started!"
"Stay back and protect the bomb. I'll deal with that idiot," Izuku instructed before walking out of the room.
"So… He's just leaving me?" Tooru muttered, her arms hanging by her sides.
Bakugou blasted yet another hole into the ceiling before using smaller explosions to propel himself to the floor above. Landing with a thud, he looked around, his fists clenched.
"Is this a fucking labyrinth? Where the fuck are they?!" He ran around, exploring a couple of hallways before losing patience again and raising his arms toward the ceiling. "Must be up still!" He exclaimed.
"Young Bakugou! I will ask that you don't blast any more of the floors! At this rate, the building's whole integrity will be too damaged to support itself!" All Might suddenly warned in his earpiece, making the boy click his tongue.
"I gotta find them if I wanna win!" He replied in annoyance, but still decided that he should do as ordered if he didn't want to be disqualified.
"I'm right here," Someone said from out of nowhere. The blonde widened his eyes, his heartbeat quickening. Unfortunately, he had been too late to react. An arm suddenly burst out from the wall beside him, grabbing his head in a massive fist before pulling him back.
"Guh!" Katsuki gasped as he was pulled through the wall, breaking into pieces before being thrown to the floor. He quickly stood up, glaring at his attacker as he wiped the blood off his lower lip. "You scaly bastard. There you are!"
"I haven't been hiding," Izuku simply replied.
***
"Bakugou took a nasty hit!" Kirishima commented.
"These two kinda look like rivals, wonder what's the story?" Mina nudged Ochaco curiously, though it wasn't like the brunette knew either.
"Fighting on that ice might be troubling for them, and Todoroki just entered the building, too," Iida pointed out, watching another screen as Todoroki calmly walked in. She was most likely going to avoid the fight between her partner and Izuku and go for the bomb.
***
"What are you waiting for? Come at me," Izuku taunted him, motioning for the blonde to attack.
"Don't mock me, you bastard!" Bakugou jumped up, cocking his fist back as he was in the air.
The horned boy remained impassive. The blonde would start with a right hook. So predictable. He outstretched his arm, ready to grab Katsuki mid-air, only for his opponent to do the unexpected! He suddenly created an explosion right under himself, propelling himself behind Izuku and joining his hands together, palms directed at the greenette's back.
"Gotcha, asshole! Ya didn't expect this, huh?!" Bakugou grinned as he launched an explosion, though he was far from being done. He knew that this wouldn't take the bastard down. He raised his hands in the air to slam them down and produce an even stronger blast, only for an arm to swing out of the smoke.
"Dragon Scythe," Izuku spoke as he swung. The air alone from his attack, the wall behind Bakugou in half as well as the walls and pillars behind it, until it even reached the windows outside and blew them out along the walls and ice they were attached to. He nearly cut the building in half!
***
"W-What the hell?! What was that?!" Mineta screamed, eyes bulging out of his sockets after witnessing the destruction from a single blow.
"That power's crazy, but isn't Midoriya gonna collapse the whole building at this rate?!" Kirishima questioned in awe.
"That is possible… Young Midoriya, avoid dealing too much damage to the battlefield. A collapse isn't beneficial to the villains either," All Might told to the mic, hoping that Bakugou was alright. This had been a strong hit…
"I'm sure Midoriya has taken that into account. He showed multiple times that he is my better strategist. I wouldn't be surprised if he calculated precisely the maximum of damage he could deal without having the building collapse," Iida explained, nodding in approval at his own reasoning. Momo, who had been listening, turned her head to him curiously.
"Did he really think that far ahead?" Ochaco sweatdropped after Iida's conclusion.
***
"Hmpf. You dodged. Well done," Izuku remarked as he looked down, his arm still outstretched. Katsuki was lying on the floor, having managed to blast himself down before the horned boy's hit could connect.
"Heh. I thought you'd be holding back, you bastard. But you didn't. Are you pissed off?" Katsuki smirked pridefully. If the dragon boy's attack was so powerful, then that meant he mustn't have been holding back. Perhaps, the blonde got under his skin.
"Just warming up," Izuku simply replied before raising a hand and bending his fingers in a claw-like shape. "Draconic Claws!" He announced, plunging his hands down toward the blonde's back.
Again, his hit raised a big dust cloud despite the frozen floor. It wasn't surprising since not only did the ice shatter easily, but his attack had punctured a fist-sized hole through all the floors below, too.
Bakugou had moved behind him again, using the ice to slide away and his explosion to increase his speed while doing so.
BLAST
He threw himself up again, spinning in the air to deliver a powerful kick and creating well-timed explosions to pick up more speed. Izuku, who had turned around to face him, just tilted his head right, showing his neck as the perfect target. Was it arrogance or confidence? Whatever it was, Katsuki wouldn't let his enemy underestimate him!
Crack!
The moment his leg hit its mark, Bakugou winced in pain, hearing a faint crack while Izuku remained unmoved. His leg wasn't broken, but his bones had definitely been damaged from that! And he was the one delivering the blow! That just meant physical attacks were useless… despite how much he trained to strengthen his body! He swiftly launched multiple other explosions in his face, blasting himself to a safe distance… Only for Izuku to rush out of the smoke at incredible speed and reach him in an instant.
"Did you already forget I'm faster than you?" Izuku arched an amused eyebrow. Katsuki could only widen his eyes, unable to react in time to the greenette's punch as his fist slammed into his gut. Bakugou was sent flying, spit spurting out of his mouth. "And I can smell your buddy getting closer to the bomb, so I'm finishing this now. As usual… You were disappointing," He muttered, clearly annoyed after he caught the blonde by his leg before he could hit the wall, holding him upside down.
"Fucking… Bastard… Still looking down on me…" Bakugou growled angrily, outstretching his arms forward to blast the dragon boy in the face. Unfortunately, Izuku wouldn't let him. "Gah!" He spat out blood as another fist was lodged into his gut.
Without mercy, Izuku proceeded to punch him again and again, sometimes in the stomach, and sometimes in the face, throwing the other boy's head back with each hit. Katsuki couldn't even counterattack under the relentless assault.
***
"Isn't he a little… violent?" Tsuyu remarked. After all, the villain could just capture him now, and that would only leave one other hero to deal with.
"I guess he really takes the villainous role to heart…" Jirou supposed, slightly unsettled by the display, too.
She wasn't the only one, since All Might also seemed to consider stepping in to tell the young man to simply capture the blonde and move on.
"Young Midoriya, if you…" The veteran hero stopped himself when Bakugou suddenly aimed his gauntlet right into Izuku's face. "Don't tell me…" All Might recognized this weapon since he checked all the students' equipment in their files before the beginning of class, and if Katsuki was serious about what he was saying in Yagi's earpiece, then now was the time to step in! "Young Bakugou, don't!"
***
"I thought you got stronger. What happened to all that bravado?" Izuku questioned, still holding Bakugou upside down by the leg.
"You really think you're invincible, you asshole?" Katsuki clenched his teeth in rage.
"I am invincible," The dragon boy replied plainly.
"Then I'd love to see you tank this at point-blank range!" Bakugou aimed one of his gauntlets at Izuku's intrigued face, a finger already on the pin. "Since you think you're so smart, I'm sure you can guess what this is!" He began to pull the pin while his enemy allowed him to do it, seemingly not doing anything to defend or dodge.
"Young Bakugou, don't!" All Might screamed in the earpiece just as he pulled the pin.
"Go to hell!" The young blonde screamed happily as a massive explosion erupted out of his gauntlet, destroying everything in its path until it blasted out of the building on the other side.
***
"Midori!" Mina shouted worriedly while Ochaco covered her mouth in horror.
"That explosion was gigantic…" Tokoyami whispered as the camera, which had been showing Izuku and Katsuki, only had a thick dust cloud on the screen.
"All Might-sensei! Such a blast at such a close range is fatal! You must disqualify Bakugou immediately and call the police!" Iida ran up to All Might, quickly instructing him on what to do. Of course, more than just the police, they needed an ambulance, too. However, the blonde teacher didn't answer. Instead, he kept his gaze focused on the battle ground.
"Is that…?" All Might uttered, squinting to get a better look at the scene.
***
The floor shook beneath Todoroki's feet as she stumbled forward, nearly slipping on the ice.
"What is Bakugou doing?" She asked out loud, wondering if she should contact him through the earpiece. However, it was probably better to avoid that, considering the young man's temper. She wasn't even sure he was the cause of that explosion. What mattered was that he kept Midoriya occupied while she went to retrieve the bomb and finish this exercise.
Thankfully, it didn't take her too long to find the bomb room since she used Bakugou's shortcuts while avoiding the fighting. However, strangely enough, there was no ice in the room, even though she was certain that she had frozen the entire building. Walking in, she also noted that the floor was wet, with water reaching a little above her soles. What happened to her ice? No matter, the bomb was on the other side of the room. All she needed was to touch it to win.
Shouko casually approached the bomb, only mere feet away from it, when she noticed something else… There, on the floor, were a pair of discarded gloves and shoes, seemingly abandoned. Wait, Midoriya's partner was…!
"Got you!" Tooru shouted from out of nowhere, embracing Shouko from behind by wrapping her arms around her waist. Todoroki grunted in surprise when the invisible girl pulled her away from the bomb, throwing herself to the floor along with the ice user. As they both lay in a puddle of melted ice, Shouko lifted her head to see the other girl grabbing the nearby capture tape. "Midoriya's counting on me!" Tooru exclaimed, attempting to wrap the capture tape around Shouko's wrists. "Huh?" She uttered, feeling the air getting colder. "Kya!" She cried, throwing herself away when ice suddenly surged out of Todoroki's hand. The invisible girl rolled away from the icy girl, as seen by the ripples in the water on the floor. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to use her quirk to her advantage anymore… Considering the fact that one of her arms was frozen solid, looking like a floating ice cylinder.
Shouko could hear Tooru's teeth chattering from where she stood as she lifted herself off the floor.
"Are you willing to give up?" Todoroki asked coldly, noticing the way the other girl shivered thanks to the movement of the ice.
"Uh… No, sorry… I kind of want to win…" Hagakure replied lightheartedly, followed by a faint snicker. Shouko could just see the smile creeping up her face for a moment.
"Alright, then," Todoroki stated, raising an arm. Without further warning, she shot another wave of ice, ready to freeze the invisible girl, who could barely move because of her frozen limb. Instead, all Hagakure could do was raise her arms defensively, hoping it would somehow protect her.
KRASSH!!!
Tooru remained in this pose for several seconds, during which no freezing blow came in contact with her. Why? Did Todoroki change her mind and decide to run for the bomb instead? Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and moved her arms out of the way to check what had happened… Only to discover that Izuku had stopped the ice from reaching her with his own body!
"M-Midoriya!" Tooru gasped worriedly, having taken a blow for her. Thankfully, her worries were wasted on him. Shouko narrowed her eyes nervously when the icicles fell to the floor. Indeed, the ice had shattered against his body as if it were brittle glass meeting a steel wall. Not only that, but the boy… didn't have a single scratch on him, even after his fight against Bakugou!
"I was occupied with the blonde rat, but I came as soon as I was done with him," Izuku explained, rolling his shoulders as if he just finished a warm-up.
***
"Midoriya's really alright!" Sato pointed out, surprised by the turn of events. After the explosion Bakugou caused, they had only seen shadows moving in the dust, and had no idea how the hero and villain looked or the shape they were in.
Now that it was clearer, not only did they see that Izuku was perfectly fine and suffered no damage despite the power of the blast, but Bakugou was different. The blonde lay on a piece of rubble, his face bloody and his eyes white. He was clearly unconscious and out of the fight. The only one who had seen what happened was All Might. After Izuku came out of the point-blank explosion unscathed, he beat Katsuki's ass until he couldn't move anymore. It couldn't even be called a fight, to be honest.
"I guess that means the villains are going to win, Kero," Tsuyu commented. After all, there were only a couple of minutes left before the time limit hit.
"Damn. No wonder Midori ranked first yesterday. When he becomes a pro, anyone he goes to save sure is gonna feel safe," Mina whistled with her arms behind her head. She already felt safe with him now! So she couldn't imagine what it would be like once he became a pro-hero. Honestly, his quirk was overpowered! At least, they were horn buddies…
"Only three minutes are remaining, so not all hope is lost for the hero team!" All Might declared into the mic, hoping to encourage Todoroki. The young woman must have been nervous, faced with two opponents like that, and that stress could cause hesitation. Although… He wasn't actually sure if he just made her even more nervous by reminding her there was nearly no time left.
***
After All Might's announcement reached them, Shouko immediately shot another wave of ice, intending to freeze Izuku's entire body in a single attack, which would prevent him from breaking her ice.
"Dragon Guillotine!" Izuku spread out his arms before charging forward at lightning speed, reducing the little ice Shouko managed to produce in that tiny time frame, and hitting her in the stomach.
"G-Gah!" Todoroki loudly gasped as she skidded across the floor, but remained on her feet. Her hands quickly shot up to her stomach, holding it in pain before she fell to her knees. Before she could stop herself, she threw up her lunch right then and there, painfully. That wasn't the worst part since she was certain that her ribs cracked, too… She raised her head, expecting Izuku to follow up with another attack; however, the massive boy was tending to Tooru instead. He was… what?
"T-Thanks, Midoriya," Tooru said softly as the greenette breathed a gentle flame on her frozen arm, slowly melting the ice away.
"No worries. As if a little ice could handle my flames," He remarked. "These two have some firepower, but they were sloppy with their quirks and uncreative. What a shame,"
Shouko's eyes widened. He could… He could breathe fire? He could use fire? Fire, fire, fire? She clenched her teeth and her fists, nearly growling at him. Was he doing that to mock her?!
Once he was done melting the ice on Tooru's arm, Izuku stood up and walked up to the Todoroki, who was still on her knees. The horned boy casually grabbed her by the collar of her suit and lifted her to his level.
"So, are you going to yield, or do I need to teach you that you can't beat me first?" Izuku questioned, to which Shouko responded with a glare.
Fire. He used fire. He used fire. And she was going to lose to him. To him. No… She refused to. She absolutely refused to admit defeat to him! She grabbed his wrist and used her quirk again. In a mere instant, his arm, along with his chest and head, had been frozen solid.
"Ah! Midoriya!" Tooru yelled worriedly while Shouko simply remained in the giant's frozen grip.
She was ready to accept that she had lost the exercise, but at least, she had defeated the greenette, and she was satisfied with that. Unfortunately, it hadn't happened like that. Steam began pouring out of the ice, growing thicker until the frost covering the giant's body burst apart, freeing him.
"Wrong answer," He grumbled before lifting her higher in the air, only to swiftly bring her down like a hammer, head first.
Shouko widened her eyes. Oh. She lost.
CRASH!
"Villain Team wins!" All Might declared shortly after.
***
"Unfortunately, young Todoroki and Bakugou won't hear the debriefing since they'll be taken to the infirmary," All Might started saying, glancing at Izuku, who stood behind him along with Hagakure. He turned back to the other students. "Now, a lot has happened during this battle… Can anyone tell me who the MVP is?" He inquired as Izuku raised his hand. "I meant the other students," All Might clarified without even turning around to look at the boy, who lowered his hand. After a couple of seconds, someone else raised their hand. It was Yaoyorozu Momo. "Yes?" All Might gestured to her.
"Pointing out an MVP might be difficult, All Might-sensei. Bakugou rushed in without a plan or strategy while screaming like a barbarian. Then he senselessly damaged the building for essentially nothing since those attacks had been ineffective. Unfortunately, Midoriya, despite defeating the hero team, has caused even more damage that could potentially lead to a collapse. Moreover, he could have likely finished the fight earlier to help his partner, but didn't. Todoroki had also been careless in her opening move since she also froze her partner, then didn't even attempt to help him. Sure, going after the bomb while Midoriya was distracted was smart, but since Hagakure stayed behind to protect it, Todoroki could have helped Bakugou fight Midoriya in a 2 versus 1 battle. Moreover, she could have hurried to the bomb faster. Hagakure could have done much better. She mostly stayed back during the whole exercise and failed her ambush. If Midoriya hadn't intervened, she would have lost. However, compared to the others' performance, hers is better, so she would be the MVP," Momo answered all in one breath, making every student sweatdrop and stare in silence.
"A-Ahem… That's… That's good," All Might stammered. She said everything! He panicked, wondering what he could possibly add to that analysis.
"But it's wrong," Izuku suddenly interrupted the blonde's thoughts, attracting everyone's attention to him, but mostly Momo's.
"What is?" Yaoyorozu inquired curiously.
"You said the damage I caused could lead to a collapse. Of course, that would put me in a bad position, too, which is why it would be careless of me. Thankfully, you're wrong. Has the building collapsed? It hasn't," He said, making Momo blink.
"Well, that's because you were luc…" She began to reply, only to be interrupted.
"It's because I calculated it precisely and knew the amount of damage I could deal to the structure without it collapsing. I kept the building's integrity in mind with every blow. I know exactly how hard I can hit and how to gouge my strength for the most optimal attacks in any given situation," Izuku exclaimed while All Might and his classmates listened intently. Some of them looked at each other, only partially convinced.
As for Momo? She widened her eyes, her jaw dropping, as if she had been struck by lightning. She spun her head to look at Iida, who grinned in satisfaction at having been proven right. He… was right? Originally, she would have doubted Midoriya actually calculated precisely the damage he'd cause and the strength he'd use to keep the structural integrity stable, but the way Iida guessed what the horned boy was doing convinced her that Midoriya might have just done that!
"I-I see…" Momo uttered in a breath, trying not to look impressed. "Then, I'll have to say that Midoriya is the MVP in this. He beat both Todoroki and Bakugou, and protected his ally,"
"I see. Well, I hope this was a good learning experience not only for the hero and villain teams, but for all of you as well," All Might finally said after clearing his throat. "I will pick the teams for the next battle, now,"
Izuku and Tooru joined the other students, who quickly crowded them, talking about how they fought and how cool they looked… Well, specifically Izuku, since Hagakure could hardly look cool if she were invisible. Nevertheless, the way she attacked Todoroki by surprise was praised. Naturally, they were quick to praise Izuku's great mind and intellect.
Did he really make calculations to avoid making the whole building crumble? Fuck no! That would be crazy, even for him! Sure, if given enough time, perhaps he could have calculated all the risks. Certainly, even! However, he didn't have that time, especially during an active battle. Anyway, he wasn't the type of guy to care about collateral damage unless it affected him. He still held back, guessing that the structure would hold, and he was right. However, that certainly wouldn't sound as appealing or impressive if he said he simply guessed or hoped it would hold instead of coming up with that lie on the spot. He couldn't let it go. He was the strongest, and thus, it was only natural for him to be the MVP. That girl couldn't just take that away, and in the end, she fell for his lie. The fact that Iida had somehow come to that conclusion already during the battle surely helped him sell that lie.
"Midoriya," Tooru pulled him out of his thoughts, making him look down at her silhouette. She gave him a thumbs-up. "Great work out there! You were amazing!" She complimented him, grinning widely, though he couldn't see it.
Instead of answering verbally, Izuku smirked and responded with a thumbs-up of his own. This was so easy…
***
The sound of buzzing tools and clinking metal filled the support course workshop as Power Loader stood at the front of the room, arms crossed.
"All right, class," He said, his voice gruff. "Principal Nezu just called me for something. I won't be long. Keep working on the assignment, basic utility device, any function, just show me working circuitry when I get back. No fire, no explosions. You know the drill," He repeated the rules he had already set earlier, as well as the assignment in case someone still didn't understand it. Of course, he didn't think any of these first years would actually cause an explosion, but he always made sure to let them know to prioritize safety. Shortly after his announcement, he left the classroom.
Melissa Shield tightened the strap on her protective gloves and glanced at the blueprint open in front of her. It was a compact emergency signal beacon, meant to activate with a squeeze and project a short-range distress call. Nothing flashy, just efficient. She reached for a micro-soldering pen and began connecting the tiny wires to the circuit board. Around her, the rest of the class focused on their own work, though some took this opportunity to chatter with their friends or new classmates. Even if she was a first-year student like them, Melissa still felt awkward. She wasn't an introvert, but… She had an unfair advantage over them. She was three years older and had graduated from I-Island Academy, so she didn't even know how to act with them. She certainly didn't want to appear arrogant or pompous. Everybody already knew about her since they had introduced themselves to each other the day before, after the opening ceremony. Now it was nearly the end of the first day, and she barely talked to any of them.
"Hey, I-Island!" Someone called out to her, nearly forcing a sigh out of Melissa's mouth. She didn't like the nickname since she didn't like reminding everyone of her situation, but she couldn't get mad at it either because the girl who gave it to her meant no ill intent, as hard as it was to believe. "I really need a toggle switch for my baby! Do you have any?" The girl asked with a wide smile.
The girl talking about her "baby" was Hatsume Mei. Another first-year student and Melissa's classmate. She was a pink-haired girl with a quirk that allowed her to zoom in with her eyes. She had a strange relationship with engineering and support items, considering them babies and often ignoring social cues from the little the blonde had seen. Hatsume wasn't a bad person at all, and Melissa also had to say that she was impressed by the girls' abilities so far. She had a few exchanges with her and even stole a few glances at her since this class started, and Mei was doing quite good. Though it wasn't on Melissa's level.
"Uh, sure, it's…" Melissa began saying, only for Mei to swiftly nab the toggle switch on the table.
"Thanks!" She exclaimed before returning to her own device. The blonde sweatdropped but didn't comment, deciding she should just work on her beacon instead.
Even though Mei was a strange girl, she was also the classmate Melissa felt the most comfortable with. It was ironic, yes, but the blonde knew for certain that Hatsume didn't judge her or had any apprehensions about her. Again, they talked a few times about each other's inventions when they had the time, and Mei was glad to have someone with three years of experience to talk with. Of all of her classmates, she was the only one Melissa believed she could consider a friend one day. At least, for now. Unfortunately, she realized yesterday she'd have even more trouble than she believed here… While most of her classmates ignored her, a select few didn't take it as well as their classmates did…
"So, what are you working on, little pet?" A snarky and irritating voice inquired, grating on Melissa's ears. That lovely nickname came to be after Power Loader, their homeroom teacher, praised her for graduating from I-Island Academy. She was the official teacher's pet for that alone.
"Just something," Melissa replied dismissively, wishing to avoid any kind of confrontation.
"What a smartass answer! And didn't anyone teach you to look at someone when you speak to them?" A second voice snickered before grabbing the blonde by the shoulder and forcing her to turn around.
Melissa tried not to glare as she was handled so roughly. She never had those kinds of issues at I-Island Academy, even for being quirkless. People there praised intellect, and she had plenty of it, so she had many peers who thought like she did. It seemed UA was… A little different. Just as she feared, some people didn't like to see someone have such an advantage over them, especially if that someone came from a prestigious place such as I-Island. UA was quite prestigious, too, but mostly for its hero course, so the support course hardly got any recognition as it was. An island full of scientists made that even more difficult. On top of that, she was also quirkless.
The first girl who talked to her was Takahashi Yuna, who was a tall girl with grey eyes with lavender hair that ended in swirls. Her quirk was called Interface, and it allowed her to link her mind to machines with a touch, and act like a super-powered diagnostic tool, perfect for debugging machines or finding what was wrong with them.
The second girl's name was Tanabe Miki, slightly shorter than Takahashi. Her hair was electric blue, shaved on one side, and her eyes were green. Her quirk was called Material Sync, which allowed her to understand the properties of any material she touched.
Finally, they were accompanied by a third person, the shortest of the group. It was an androgynous boy named Nishikawa Yuu with fluffy orange hair and a lot of flyaways. His eyes matched his hair, and his quirk was called Energy Surge, which allowed him to power anything for a certain period, depending on the size of the target and his stamina.
Those three only had a few interactions with her, even fewer than she had with Hatsume, yet they made her understand that they would be her scourge for the next three years.
"See? Isn't talking better when it's eye to eye?" Takahashi inquired amusedly. "So, what's this thing?" She motioned to the beacon Melissa was working on. "Doesn't look all that impressive. You'd think someone who graduated from I-Island wouldn't make something that looks so amateurish," She snorted. "If you're better than us, then we might as well just quit the support course," Yuna added, shaking her head. It seemed she still didn't get over Power Loader praising Melissa in front of the class like that.
"I never said I was better than anyone," Melissa replied softly and quietly. While she wasn't timid, she couldn't say she was especially assertive either. Moreover, Melissa had never been… Well, she didn't know if it was the term she should use, bullied before. She had no idea how she was supposed to react. After all, she was also so far away from home and her father.
"You're thinking it," Tanabe rolled her eyes, scoffing as she crossed her arms. "And that it's coming from a quirkless freak makes it even worse," She grimaced.
Melissa bit her lower lip. Oh, she hadn't heard that one in a long time. The young woman's gaze wandered around the classroom, hoping to find help or support. Unfortunately, most of her classmates were either focused on their assignments or trying to ignore her current situation if they noticed it. The closest person she had to a friend, Mei, didn't even pay attention to her surroundings.
"Is that thing even tough?" Nishikawa asked before grabbing Melissa's beacon unprompted. "Looks fragile," He snorted, throwing up and down in his hand.
"H-Hey! Drop it!" Melissa tried to lunge at him, not to attack him or anything, but rather to take back what was hers. However, Tanabe grabbed her by the shoulders and held her back before she could.
"Careful with your words there, pet," Takahashi grinned amusedly. She motioned to Yuu with her chin, and the boy dropped the beacon to the floor without a second thought. Melissa flinched as she watched it hit the ground. Expectedly, a small piece broke from it and skidded across the floor. "Huh, tougher than I thought. See? It didn't break completely. You should trust us more next time. Let's scram, I've still got to finish my assignment," She told her friends, turning around to leave while they followed. "Let's get along, pet!" Yuna called out to Melissa mockingly a final time before leaving.
As their laughter grew distant, Melissa lowered herself to her knees to pick up her beacon and the pieces that flew out.
"You…" She whispered angrily, her lower lip quivering. No, she wouldn't get angry and insult them. She wouldn't let them get under her skin. The blonde quickly wiped off the tears threatening to spill and stood up. After a few more breaths, she began working on her beacon again, trying to ignore the stares on her back. This was only the first day, and she still had three years. She came here because she hoped to become a hero, to see if it was truly impossible for her, so she couldn't give up so easily after the first setback.
Nevertheless… She missed her father.