When All Might explained the exercise, at first it seemed simple, maybe even a little fun. Obviously, I was wrong. There's nothing fun about the possibility of getting hurt.
The exercise would take place in a multi-story building and would also have a time limit. The villains would be hiding with a bomb, and their objectives (or ways to win) were either to capture the heroes or wait until time ran out. The heroes' mission was to prevent the bomb from exploding, either by capturing the villains or intercepting the bomb before the time was up.
But there was a bigger problem: the teams. Both your partner and your opponents would be chosen randomly.
—We'll dazzle them, bon ami —he said, winking at me.
—Yeah...
I can't believe I got paired with the laser weirdo. I think I'd prefer the explosion maniac.
—First team, Bakugo and Iida, you will be the villains. Midoriya and Ochaco, you will be the heroes. The rest of you will observe from the surveillance room until it's your turn.
———
I don't think I had ever suffered so much watching a screen. Turns out Bakugo (the explosion guy) was even crazier than I initially thought. It looked like he was trying to kill the super-strength kid. Many of us, uncertain, asked All Might to stop the match, but he ignored us. He only issued a warning through the earpiece transmitter.
To sum it up, the building ended up in ruins, the green-haired boy with a broken arm, and surprisingly, the heroes won. But when they returned to the room with everyone else, the teacher asked a question that caught me off guard.
—Well, the MVP of this exercise was young Iida.
—But didn't Midoriya and Ochaco win? —asked the frog-like girl.
—Let's see, who knows why?
—I do, All Might-sensei —the other girl I had seen in the cafeteria raised her hand—. It's because Iida adapted better to the exercise. From what I saw in the transmission, Bakugo went solo and acted on personal motives, leaving his teammate behind. And as you already told Bakugo, it's foolish to cause large-scale explosions in a confined space. Midoriya caused a lot of damage and ended up seriously injured, while Ochaco let her guard down during the exercise and her final attack was reckless. Iida took care of the bomb and prepared for the enemy's arrival, which is why the heroes' final attack took so long. In conclusion, the heroes only won because it was a training exercise. They practically broke the rules.
We all stayed silent, processing everything the girl (whose name I recalled as Momo) had just said. Even All Might had nothing to add.
What incredible analytical skills. I didn't see that coming.
The next match was much quicker, which only increased my frustration. Not knowing who we'd face prevented us from making plans ahead of time. Shoto Todoroki had just shown a display of power that was hard to believe.
—Let's see who's next —All Might reached into two boxes labeled "heroes" and "villains" respectively and pulled out a ball from each—. Team G as heroes and team J as villains.
That left the shiny guy and me as the villains, and...—I turned my head to spot the other team. They were also looking for us—Jirou and the blond guy.
I sighed to calm myself. It could've been worse.
———
We had just reached the bomb, in a room on the fourth floor. Aoyama wouldn't stop striking weird poses and making comments about his cape. He was starting to irritate me. I grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at me.
—Listen to me, because I need to explain the plan, and we don't have much time —I started, completely serious—. The girl on the other team has a quirk related to sound, so she'll find us quickly, and I don't want her hearing the plan.
—Oui, oui, I'm listening.
—You're going to stay here and protect the bomb while I deal with them. Got it? It's very important that you don't leave this room, or my quirk will affect you, and you won't be able to help me.
—Don't worry, I'll shine for both of us.
I'll take that as him understanding.
...
The villain team was already inside the building, while the heroes waited outside for the signal. The rest watched the cameras, tense with anticipation.
—Who do you think will win? —asked a pink-skinned girl with matching hair.
—I think the villains. Aizawa placed first in the practical exam, so they have better odds —replied a spiky-haired redhead.
—It's hard to predict the outcome —Yaoyorozu chimed in—. We don't know each other well.
Silence filled the surveillance room when All Might announced the start of the exercise. The cameras showed Jirou Kyoka and Kaminari Denki entering the building through the main door. Another camera focused on Aoyama staring directly into it, showing off the cape of his suit.
—Look at that —Ochaco Uraraka said—. That hallway, there.
She pointed at the screen showing a completely empty hallway flooding with thick black smoke.
—It's Aizawa's quirk; it looks like he's spreading it through the building. Look at that other hallway —added the frog-like girl—. It's starting to fill up with that darkness too.
—I wonder what he's planning —Iida commented.
...
They stopped in the middle of a hallway in the first floor, and Jirou plugged her jack (an extension of her ear) into the ceiling. She closed her eyes, focusing on listening while her teammate watched intently.
—Well? —he asked impatiently.
—There's one on the fourth floor; I'm guessing that's where the bomb is —she explained, annoyed by his haste—. But I can't locate the other one.
—What does that mean?
—It could mean many things. Maybe he's staying still and silent.
—In that case, we'll have to proceed cautiously.
They found the stairs and began climbing steadily until they reached the third floor. From the stairs leading to the fourth, a smoky darkness descended, forcing them to stop and observe.
—Isn't this Aizawa's quirk? Creepy. Any way to avoid it?
—I don't think so. We could look for other stairs, but we'd probably face the same situation.
—So, we have no choice but to keep climbing. Anything I should know about him? I'm not too worried about the laser guy.
—His quirk is weird; I don't fully understand how it works —admitted the girl resignedly—. He can control his darkness, but I'm not sure to what extent.
—Alright, let's keep moving. If he shows up, I'll fry him with my electricity —the blond encouraged her.
But Jirou wasn't reassured. They climbed, moving slowly and silently, as their vision worsened with each step. She tried to listen again but couldn't pick up anything new—just the same person in a room on the far side of the floor.
It was a mistake to walk nearly blind when only one of them was located. Because as they turned a corner, Jirou didn't see the blow coming to her legs, knocking her to the ground.
—Jirou? —Kaminari called out, alarmed.
A shadow rose from the smoke and took a few steps forward, revealing itself.
—Hello, heroes —Daiki greeted them in a completely serious tone—. I'm here to take you down.
His jet-black hair was tied in a small ponytail, with some strands too short to stay tied, falling over his forehead. His completely black suit matched the gas mask covering his nose and mouth, giving him a sinister appearance. His bright purple eyes seemed to glow.
Jirou was trying to recover from the blow when Kaminari extended his arms, forming guns with his fingers. Nothing came out of them. Something was wrong, obvious from the look of panic on his face.
—You can manipulate electricity with your quirk, right? —Daiki asked. Without waiting for a response, he continued—. What's wrong? Can't… use your quirk?
Denki Kaminari couldn't find the words as he realized, too late, what Daiki's quirk could do: disable other quirks. That was the part of his quirk that connected him to his father, a piece of irrefutable evidence (if his appearance wasn't enough) that they shared blood.
With a tendril formed from his darkness, Daiki slammed his opponent against the wall, leaving him barely conscious. Jirou, meanwhile, had managed to get to her feet by leaning against a wall. She quickly went to plug one of her jacks into her boots, but no sound came out. The truth hit her harder than her rival's blow, her mistake had been underestimating him.
—I didn't have much trouble taking down the electric guy, but you were going to be trickier —Daiki began speaking calmly—. You see, I can't eliminate mutations like the jacks on your ears, so when I analyzed your suit, your boots stood out to me.
Jirou stared at him, stunned. He had planned everything to the last detail. First, he flooded the floor with his dark smoke, which somehow disabled quirks while also obstructing their vision. Then he waited crouched in a corner so they wouldn't hear or see him, allowing him to strike her legs when she passed and neutralize her primary defense.
They had walked straight into the lion's den, hoping not to get devoured.
—Hands up. Surrender. It's not like you can run away —Daiki said, bringing a hand to his earpiece—. Hey, Aoyama, it's all sorted.
Daiki's expression shifted to a mix of exhaustion and irritation, likely caused by something his teammate had said.
—The heroes win! —All Might's voice boomed through the transmitters.
———
That's it! What do you think about the little combat and the chapter plot?