Chapter 11: Battle Trial (2)
(Kata POV – Ground Beta Monitor Room)
We had moved to the monitor room, located in the joint basement of the buildings where each battle was taking place. Predictably, Izuku and Uraraka were up against Ida and Bakugo.
After giving Bakugo and Ida a few minutes to set up, All Might signaled for the match to begin. I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and watched as Deku and Uraraka sneaked in through a window.
'Even if I already know what's going to happen, watching it unfold in real-time is always better.'
Then, right on cue, Bakugo launched himself from around the corner, an explosion blasting toward Izuku. It was a cool scene to watch—though I wouldn't say I enjoyed seeing Izuku get hurt.
'Oh well. It comes with job, and I'm not the one hurting him.'
The class watched in rapt attention. Kirishima was the first to react. "That's low, Bakugo! Sneak attacks are so unmanly!"
"Yet they are a valid strategy." All Might said, seizing the opportunity to teach. "This is what practical experience is all about!"
Mina praised Deku's dodging, only for everyone to recoil in shock when Izuku suddenly body-slammed Bakugo.
'How obsessed was he with Bakugo to predict his moves like that? When I read the manga, I thought it was just some shounen protagonist bullshit pulling him through. But... is he really that good at analyzing people?'
Without audio, we couldn't hear the argument that erupted between the two, much to the frustration of everyone watching.
Soon, it became clear how much of a disadvantage the hero team was at. The clock ticked down, and Deku's team still hadn't found the bomb. Given only 15 minutes to locate it while fending off the villains—it was a lot to ask for.
Eventually, Uraraka split off, leaving Deku to handle Bakugo alone.
'I know they had a plan to win, but it also looks like she isn't able to contribute much in this fight. Maybe it's both. But it bothers me... Did Izuku's really plan take all this into account from the start?'
Doubt began to creep through my mind.
'He might be more dangerous than I thought. Although he's a hero through and through, so I don't need to be too cautious of him, I'm not a real hero and we might clash one day. I'll need to make sure he doesn't analyse me enough to pull anything like that.'
The rest of the battle played out just as it did in the manga. The class was excited—finally getting to see some real action.
That excitement dimmed, however, when Bakugo used his gauntlet, blowing open a massive section of the building—almost taking Izuku with it.
In the end, Izuku used his Quirk, destroying more of the poor building, to give Uraraka the opening she needed to reach the bomb and claim victory.
'Seeing the fight was much more intense than just reading it... but I realised just how dangerous it was. It's our first combat exercise against other people, with All Might as the safety net... but All Might not stepping in sooner is concerning. Makes me understand Aizawa's concerns about his favoritism going too far.' I let out a tired sigh as my thoughts conclude.
After the match, Momo stepped up to explain how we'd be scored—not just on winning, but on how well we performed our assigned roles, whether hero or villain, much to All Night's shock.
'It seems obvious in hindsight, but figuring that out through deduction alone would be difficult.' I nodded in silent approval of Momo's intellect and waited for the next match to begin.
Then, something unexpected.
Another deviation from the manga.
Toru and Ojiro were paired against Sato and Koda.
That means there's a chance Mina and I will end up against Todoroki and Shoji.
'If that happened, it wouldn't be an easy win.'
But the thought excited me.
A small smirk tugged at my lips as I glanced at Todoroki. Our eyes met. His expression remained unreadable, but his gaze held a quiet confidence—like he already knew he'd win. Yet beneath it, I could see it. The need to prove himself. A challenge.
I met his stare with equal intensity before turning back to the screen.
'I'll definitely win.'
The match was kind of boring. Toru managed to sneak behind Koda and capture him, while Ojiro simply held Sato back long enough for his Sugar Rush to wear off, leaving him too exhausted to fight.
'And that's why you shouldn't let anyone know your quirk's limitations.'
Then, the next match confirmed my suspicions.
Tsuyu and Tokoyami faced off against Kirishima and Sero.
As their battle unfolded, I turned to Mina and pulled her aside.
"I have a feeling we'll be up against Todoroki and Shoji," I said bluntly.
She blinked before letting out a confident laugh, shrugging. "Doesn't matter. I'm sure the two of us can beat them."
'I know we'll win. I'm confident enough in myself to guarantee that, but she doesn't that. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.' I sighed.
"Would you still think that if you knew he could freeze the entire building in seconds?" I asked neutrally.
Mina stiffened. "N-no way... right?" She hesitated, her bravado slipping. "It's only been a day. There can't be that big of a gap."
"He got in through the recommendation exam, so obviously, he'd have to be quite strong."
I said nothing else, watching as realization settled in.
The match would be hard, and there was a chance we wouldn't even face Todoroki—which would suck—but I really hoped we would.
'Even if we lose, that just means I'm too weak and should train harder.'
I shifted my attention back to the match in progress, anticipation building for my own.
Once Mina calmed down—which didn't take long—she looked at me with renewed determination. "Alllriiighttt! Since you're telling me all this, you've got a plan, right?" she asked cheering herself up while raising her fists in front of her.
I nodded. "I've got a few. You can choose, but it depends on how much you want to contribute."
She blinked at me, puzzled. "Of course, I want to contribute as much as possible!"
"Then..." I met her gaze seriously, but she didn't seem as intimidated as before.
"Looking is fine, but staring is rude!" she chided, making me blink in confusion.
"I'm just messing with you." She waved a hand dismissively before leaning in, whispering, "But hurry up and tell me the plan."
Caught off guard by the sudden proximity, I froze for a second. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and the way she wrapped her arm around my neck and pulled me down to her level made it feel almost conspiratorial.
Despite the room being loud enough to mask normal conversation, I found myself whispering back, "...I can handle Todoroki and stop his ice while leaving Shoji to you..."
"Sweet. Easy peasy then," she said, sounding much more confident now that she had a guarantee.
"Although... I'll need your help to set up some insurance, in case something goes wrong—assuming we're the villain team." I spoke slowly, knowing she might not like my idea.
"What do you need me to do?" she asked with determination.
As I explained the rest of the plan, she immediately looked conflicted and doubtful.
'I don't think we'll need the backup plan, but it never hurts to be prepared.' I sighed internally.
"All Might will step in before anything bad happens, and we're being graded on how well we play our roles, and I'm sure we'd get a lot of poins for doing this," I reassured her.
"Anyway, it won't matter if we don't end up fighting Todoroki and Shoji or if we're on the hero team. Just think it over."
She hesitated before nodding, still deep in thought as I turned back to watch the current match.
Tsuyu and Tokoyami won when Tsuyu reached the bomb while Tokoyami held off Kirishima with dark shadow. Sero, unable to match Tsuyu's agility indoors, didn't contribute much beyond taping off the area.
Then came the second-to-last match.
Jiro and Kaminari as the hero team, versus Momo and Aoyama as the villains.
Momo and Aoyama secured victory—Kaminari's endurance wasn't great, and Jiro lacked the agility or offense to match either of her opponents.
Finally...
'As expected...'
The final matchup.
Kata Okada and Mina Ashido as the villains against Shoto Todoroki and Mezo Shoji as the heroes.
'The most difficult circumstances for victory. How fun.'
I would be able to test my power against someone I know is strong, a grin tugging at my lips as All Might sent us ahead to prepare.
We decided to place the bomb in a room on the fifth floor. Meanwhile, Mina, having agreed to my plan, stands next to me with a grin.
"Are you ready?" I asked, my voice as calm as ever.
"Yep! Let's do this!" she responded, slamming her fist into her palm.
I nodded, pulling up my hood and securing my mask, the dark red cracks glowing menacingly.
Then, through the earpiece, All Might's voice boomed: "BEGIN!!"
'Loud.' I groaned internally.
'Anyway, Todoroki should be about to flash-freeze the building any second now. I need to be ready...'
Not a second later—
The air temperature plummeted. Frost spread rapidly outside the room, creeping along the walls and floor like a living entity.
I tensed. Here it comes.
A second later, ice burst into the hallway, a tidal wave of frozen energy aiming to trap us in place.
I activated my quirk, breaking apart the ice with precise, effortless movements as Mina and I stepped out. Without hesitation, she nodded and began flinging acid at the walls and floor, the sizzling sound of corroding concrete filling the air.
As we descended the stairs, I glanced back. With a sharp motion, I pulled. My quirk latched onto the weakened structure, dragging the walls and ceiling inward. A deafening crash echoed through the building as debris collapsed, sealing the only path upstairs and to the bomb.
I smirked. Even with Shoji's strength, it'll take them more than fifteen minutes to clear a path. Game over.
Mina shifted uncomfortably beside me.
"I know playing dirty isn't very heroic, but we're the villains right now," I said evenly.
"Yeah, I know..." She sighed, but her unease lingered as we continued downward.
(3rd Person POV – Ground Beta Monitor Room)
"You can do that?!" Several students exclaimed at once, leaning forward in shock.
"That's... low..." Sero muttered, frowning.
Mina's hesitation hadn't gone unnoticed. Tsuyu tilted her head, her voice as calm as ever. "Yeah. Mina doesn't seem quite happy with it, ribbit. So it's probably Okada's idea."
"All Might, isn't that unfair?" Iida questioned, adjusting his glasses. Around him, several students murmured in agreement.
All Might, his ever-present grin unwavering, responded with a booming voice. "Listen well! Life isn't fair, and it's this unfairness that we as heroes must learn to overcome! What Okada and Mina have done is perfectly logical… brilliant, even, from a villain's perspective!"
Despite his confident tone, he hadn't expected anyone to deliberately seal off the objective by collapsing the building.
Momo spoke up next, her analytical nature kicking in. "It's a logical decision. They have time on their side, and by blocking the only path, they've essentially guaranteed victory—unless they're captured first."
"Which they could have avoided by hiding in the room with the bomb," Tsuyu added. "I get it now. They're still giving Todoroki and Shoji a chance to prove themselves, ribbit."
Kirishima grinned, eyes alight with excitement. "We'll get to see Okada and Todoroki fight!"
(Kata POV – Ground Beta Building, 3rd Floor)
We stepped onto the third floor—and came face-to-face with Todoroki and Shoji.
Shoji's extra arms had transformed into ears, his heightened senses likely leading them here.
I met Mina's gaze and nodded. Without hesitation, I tore a chunk of wall free with my quirk and hurled it toward them at blinding speed.
The moment they caught sight of the incoming projectile, Shoji reacted first. His reflexes outpaced Todoroki's as he shoved him aside and dodged in the opposite direction. The concrete smashed into the wall behind them, shattering it with a loud crash. The ground trembled, dust scattering through the hallway.
Mina wasted no time. Already in motion, she sprinted toward Shoji, her focus locked on him.
Meanwhile, I kept up my barrage, launching debris at Todoroki to keep him from interfering. He responded by raising an ice wall to block the attacks.
"Hello, Todoroki." I stepped forward, voice low and menacing. "You'd best surrender before you get hurt."
I knew All Might was listening. Might as well play the part.
Besides, taunting one of my favorite characters? Surprisingly fun.
I laughed internally, but my expression remained cold, blood-red eyes locking onto his sky-blue ones.