We arrived at Ground Beta, wearing our new hero costumes. Ground Beta was a training course that emulated a standard urban area, with streets and buildings.
"Today's lesson is Battle Training!" his voice booming, "You'll be split into teams of two. However, the important part is that there's no robots you can just beat up. This time, you'll be battling against your classmates!"
All Might explained how the training would work. We'd be split into teams of two, for 2-on-2 matches, with one group given the role of heroes and the other as villains. The villain team would have a nuclear weapon, and the heroes job was to stop them.
He explained the rules: one team would take the role of villains, stationed inside a building with a fake nuclear weapon. The other team would be the heroes, whose job it was to stop the villains. The win condition for the villain team was for time to run out or capturing the heroes. The heroes had to capture the villains or disable the weapon by touching it before time ran out.
All Might told us that he'd already randomized the teams beforehand, and would now announce them for us.
"Team A: Mashirao Ojiro and Katsuki Bakugo!"
Bakugo cracked his neck, while Ojiro looked calm. I could guess how this team would work; Bakugo would rush in alone, leaving Ojiro to deal with damage control.
"Team B: Yuga Aoyama and Hanta Sero! Team C: Eijiro Kirishima and Fumikage Tokoyami! Team D: Toru Hagakure and Minoru Mineta!"
They all looked satisfied with their teammates, none were particularly bad choices. Although Mineta had a conflicted expression, I guess invisible girls don't do it for him.
"Team E: Kyūta Henshin and Kyoka Jiro!"
I glanced across the group to spot her.
Jiro looked mildly surprised but nodded when our eyes met. She didn't seem unhappy with the draw.
"Team F: Tsuyu Asui and Mezo Shoji! Team G: Shoto Todoroki and Rikido Sato! Team H: Momo Yaoyorozu and Ochaco Uraraka! Team I: Tenya Iida and Mina Ashido! And last but certainly not least, Team J: Denki Kaminari and Izuko Midoriya!"
I crossed my arms and considered the pairing. Jiro's probably one of the better picks I could have. Her sound-based Quirk would make her a perfect scout, meanwhile I'd be the one in the spotlight doing all the actual battling.
I wasn't paying much attention, but All Might had drawn two balls deciding on the first match: Team H vs Team I. Everyone else was dismissed to the monitoring room to observe.
As the class started walking, I felt someone fall into step beside me.
"Guess it's us, huh?" Jiro said casually, hands in her pockets.
"Looks that way," I replied.
"Honestly? Not a bad draw." She shrugged. "At least I got paired with you instead of someone like Mineta."
Huh, I didn't realize he'd already gotten a bad reputation on the second day.
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We made it to the monitoring room, where the class had gathered around a large central screen that was divided into multiple surveillance feeds, framed by a glowing green interface. It displayed live footage from Building A where the first battle was being held.
"Yo, Henshin!" Kirishima called out, waving me over. He was standing near the front, with Tokoyami silently looming beside him. "It's Ashido and Yaoyorozu up against each other, who do you think takes it?"
I stepped up beside him, crossing my arms as I studied the feed. Uraraka and Momo were strategizing outside the building, while Iida and Mina were positioned deeper in the building.
"It's hard to say for sure, but I think the odds favor Momo's team."
"Yeah?" He leaned slightly, curious. "Why's that?"
I paused for a moment to think about it. "Momo's Quirk gives her a ton of flexibility; she can create whatever the situation demands. That kind of utility can significantly swing the course of a fight. And she's really smart. She's not the type to make reckless moves."
Kirishima scratched his jaw. "Alright, fair. But what about Ashido's partner? Iida's no slouch either. He did really good in Aizawa-sensei's physical tests yesterday."
"There's no denying that." I agreed. "But he feels a little too rigid, kind of a by-the-book type of guy. That makes him predictable in a real fight."
His brow furrowed slightly as he mulled it over.
"Plus," I added, "while his Quirk is great for speed and mobility, Momo's just has more outright versatility. It's gonna come down to execution, not raw power. None of them have a huge advantage over the other, so I'd say it'll come down to Momo making a split-second decision that'll net her team a win."
"So… close match, but you're betting on Yaoyorozu?"
I nodded with my eyes still on the screen, the match starting. "Yeah. I think she edges it out."
Uraraka and Momo moved through the building with Uraraka a few steps ahead, and Momo hanging back to provide backup. From another camera, Iida and Mina held their position near the objective. Already, I could see traces of melted material on the floor—Mina's acid had been used preemptively to destroy anything Ochaco might be able to use.
As the hero team approached the objective room, Momo quickly assessed the lack of usable debris for Uraraka. Without missing a beat, she generated a trio of slim metal poles and handed them to Uraraka.
Uraraka activated her Quirk, nullifying her own weight, and used the poles to propel herself into the air, right above her opponents.
Kirishima leaned in slightly. "Woah, it looks like she's going for an aerial breach!"
Meanwhile, Iida launched himself into a high-speed charge, angling to intercept Momo. Anticipating his charge, Momo threw down a set of small canister traps at the last second. Iida skidded to a halt just before crashing into a barricade she'd somehow assembled mid-run.
Mina moved to flank Momo, her acid ready. However, Momo's evasive maneuvers led Mina to miscalculate, causing her acid to inadvertently hinder Iida's movement.
While the villain team was focusing on Momo, they left the weapon wide open for Uraraka to claim. She released her Quirk and descended swiftly, hugging the weapon.
The Hero Team won.
Cheers and scattered applause filled the room.
A few minutes later, both teams re-entered the monitor room, slightly out of breath but not worse for wear. Momo looked composed as ever, but I could see the subtle pride in her performance. Uraraka was smiling from ear to ear. Iida was devastated by the loss, but Mina didn't look too bummed out.
Once they were back in position, All Might stepped forward, his hands on his hips.
"Now that we're all gathered once more... who can tell me who the MVP of this battle was?"
Midoriya was the first to raise his hand.
All Might pointed without hesitation. "Young Midoriya! Let's hear it."
Midoriya straightened his posture slightly. "Yaoyorozu was the MVP. Her ability to adapt to the situation, create tools on the fly, and support her partner without putting herself at unnecessary risk was exactly what a hero in command should do."
He glanced at Uraraka. "But Uraraka also did incredibly well. She made herself unpredictable, stayed coordinated, and struck at just the right moment!"
All Might's smile widened. "An excellent analysis! You're absolutely correct—Yaoyorozu's leadership and battlefield awareness earned her the title of MVP. And Uraraka's teamwork helped make the win possible. This was a perfect example of synergy between teammates!"
He reached for the box of lots again, giving it a shake before pulling out the next two teams.
"Team F versus Team G!"
The black ball indicated Asui and Shoji would be the villains, and the white ball meant Todoroki and Sato were the heroes.
Team F headed out first, disappearing into Building B. A minute later, Team G left the room and Todoroki didn't say a word while leaving.
The cameras switched to Building B.
"All right!" All Might announced with a cheesy grin. "Begin!"
What happened next wasn't a battle.
Todoroki touched the wall, and the building was starting to get covered with frost.
In a matter of seconds, ice tore through the halls, sealing windows, doors, and stairwells. Shoji and Asui couldn't even react before they were stuck—Asui to the walls she was crawling on, and Shoji's feet were frozen.
Todoroki simply walked in, and touched the bomb.
That was it.
All Might crossed his arms with a small nod. "He did not cause damage to his teammate or the nuclear weapon. And on top of that, he effectively neutralized the enemy."
Todoroki began thawing the building, the ice turning into steam.
"What's up with that Quirk?" Kaminari muttered.
Mineta groaned. "Some guys have all the luck…"
All Might didn't do a post-battle analysis this time. There wasn't much to say; Todoroki simply overwhelmed his opponents.
He reached for the box again, shaking it a bit before drawing two more balls. He turned the balls around to reveal that it would be Team A vs Team C next.
That meant Bakugo and Ojiro against Kirishima and Tokoyami.
As Kirishima passed by on his way to the exit, he flashed me a grin and held up a fist. "Wish me luck, bro."
"You've got this," I said, returning the gesture. "Go out there and kick some ass."
He gave a quick thumbs-up before jogging after his teammate.
This match might actually be interesting. Kirishima and Tokoyami were both solid fighters with strong quirks—Kirishima could provide a solid defense while Tokoyami pushed the offense with Dark Shadow. Their opponents weren't slouches either. Ojiro wasn't flashy, but he wasn't completely dead weight in a combat situation. And Bakugo? Well, Bakugo was Bakugo. No way you could count him out.
I leaned back slightly, watching as the screen switched to the interior of Building C.
"Your friend looks fired up," Jiro said, stepping up beside me.
"He always is," I replied without looking away from the screen.
She fiddled with her elongated earlobes. "So, it's just us, Hagakure and Mineta, Aoyama and Sero, or Kaminari and Midoriya left. Not a lot of possibilities."
"That's right, three teams."
"We haven't really made a plan for any of them."
"It's hard to make one without knowing what role we'll get," I said. "Hero or villain makes a big difference."
She tilted her head, listening.
"If we're heroes, we stick together and sweep the building. Your quirk helps us locate them, mine handles the fighting."
"And if we're the villains?"
"Then you guard the weapon," I said, "and help me track them through sound. If anyone slips past me, either stop them or call it out and I'll return to intercept."
She raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching just slightly. "So I'm on recon either way," she said dryly.
"I think it's something you'd be good at, there's nothing wrong with it." I said simply.
"Fair," she admitted, then tapped a finger to her arm. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to prep a little more."
I exhaled through my nose. "Sure. If we're facing Aoyama and Sero or Kaminari and Midoriya, I could probably win even if they both came at me at once."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely." I said, watching Kirishima wrap Bakugo with the capture tape while Dark Shadow held him down. "But if it's Mineta and Hagakure…"
"Because of her invisibility?"
"Exactly, I can't hit what I can't see," I said. "If Hagakure slips past, it's on you to catch her. That's the only matchup where we'd have to split our attention."
She smirked slightly. "Guess that means I better not screw it up."
"You won't," I said, tone even. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't think you could handle it."
Her eyes lingered on me for a second longer before turning back to the screen. "Alright, Henshin. Let's hope we don't draw the sneaky ones."
Before I could respond, the match ended.
All Might's voice echoed through the monitor room. "Victory goes to the Hero Team!"
On the screen I could see Tokoyami and Kirishima standing triumphantly with a tied up Ojiro on the ground in the hallway just outside of the room with the bomb.
That made it three straight wins for the heroes.
As the teams filed back in, All Might clasped his hands together with a booming, "Now then! Another great match! Who would like to name our MVP this round?"
Yaoyorozu stepped forward with a hand raised. "If I may."
All Might gestured grandly toward her. "Go right ahead!"
"I'd give the MVP title to Tokoyami. Though Kirishima performed just as well, the deciding moments of the match came from Tokoyami's ability to apply pressure and control the pace of the fight."
She continued confidently, "The villain team's downfall was a lack of coordination. Bakugo acted on his own without coordinating with Ojiro, leaving Ojiro to defend the weapon solo. Ojiro didn't falter, but that situation was unwinnable without backup. Kirishima did an excellent job stalling Bakugo—enduring his assault and keeping him occupied long enough for Tokoyami to move in. Once Dark Shadow restrained Bakugo, they secured the capture. From there, it was a clean 2v1 against Ojiro."
All Might paused for a second, taken aback by her long explanation, but quickly got back into it. "Yes! A perfect analysis, Team C showed real teamwork and capitalized on their opponents' mistakes to claim victory!"
He clapped his hands once. "Now! The moment you've all been waiting for... Time to decide the last two matches!"
He reached into the lottery box and slowly pulled out a ball with theatrical flair, holding it up for the class to see. "Our next Hero Team will be… Team E!"
Jiro stretched her arms out beside me. "Cool. It's our turn now, Henshin."
I scanned the remaining faces. Midoriya, Aoyama, Sero, Mineta, Hagakure, and Kaminari.
Mineta and Kaminari had locked hands in a desperate chant. "Please be Team B. Please be Team B."
Aoyama and Sero were holding back nerves, while Midoriya remained quiet but stiff. Hagakure's expression was, unsurprisingly, unreadable.
All Might reached back into the box and drew again.
"And your villains will be… Team J! Team E and Team J, report to Building D!"
"That means our final match will be Team B versus Team D!"
Kaminari groaned and sagged. Mineta let out a victory cheer as Hagakure clapped politely beside him.
Jiro nudged my shoulder as she turned toward the exit.
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AN: I am once again asking for your power stones and reviews.