The third morning of the Joint Training was greeted with a completely different atmosphere. The excitement and scorn from the previous day had been replaced by a newfound respect and tense anticipation. In the U.A. cafeteria, a sight unimaginable two days ago was now a reality: students from U.A. and Shiketsu sat intermingled at several tables, enthusiastically dissecting the strategies from yesterday's "King of the Hill" battle. The center of almost every conversation was a single name: Tatsumi.
He had become a sort of legend overnight. The Shiketsu students, who had previously looked at him with skepticism, now regarded him with admiration. The U.A. students, who thought they already knew his strength, now realized their friend was a hidden strategic genius. Tatsumi himself tried to enjoy his breakfast in peace, but he was constantly interrupted by Izuku Midoriya approaching with his notebook and a barrage of highly detailed tactical questions, or by Inasa Yoarashi bowing deeply and shouting about "A BLAZING MILITARY GENIUS!"
In another corner of the cafeteria, a strange alliance had formed. Katsuki Bakugo and Mine sat at the same table, not speaking much, but there was a tense understanding between them. On the table between them, a tablet replayed the footage of their fight against Inasa. Bakugo would occasionally point at the screen with a growl, and Mine would retort with a sharp critique. They weren't becoming friends; they were learning from their defeat, united by a newfound common goal to surpass the young man who had outplayed them both.
Momo approached Tatsumi's table with a gentle smile. "Good morning, Tatsumi-san. I'm still thinking about your strategy from yesterday. How did you predict I would use the sonic net trap in the west corridor?"
Tatsumi swallowed his food. "I didn't predict it specifically," he answered honestly, an analytical glint in his eyes. "But I know you're the most efficient commander. That trap was the most resource-effective solution to disable a target without causing excessive property damage. It was the move you would make."
Their conversation was an exchange between two strategists. An intellectual connection that made Momo feel understood in a way she had never felt before. This was the foundation of the respect that continued to grow between them.
The Third Scenario: Blackout
In the briefing room, Aizawa stood before the now quieter and more attentive students. "Yesterday, we saw how strategy and centralized command can win a battle," he said. "Today, we will see how you function when both of those things are taken away from you."
On the main screen, a layout of a new training facility appeared. Ground Epsilon. A vast and winding underground research bunker. "Today's scenario is 'Blackout'," Aizawa continued, and a curious murmur spread among the students.
"A simulated reactor 'accident' will cause a total power outage and radio communication failure throughout the facility. You will enter the facility one by one from different and separate entry points. Inside, it will be total darkness."
He let that information sink in. "You will not know who your teammates are. Teams will be determined randomly by a computer, but their identities will be kept secret from you. Your task is to navigate the dark and unstable facility, find an injured 'researcher'—a weighted mannequin—and bring it to one of three evacuation points."
"How will we know who is friend or foe?" Iida asked, his hand raised.
"Each of you will be equipped with a single chemical identification flare," Aizawa replied. "When you meet someone in the darkness, you can choose to activate your flare. The flare will glow for ten seconds—green if that person is your teammate, red if they are an opponent. But you only have one flare. Use it wisely. Once you find your teammates, you must work together. The first team to successfully evacuate the researcher is the winner. Time limit: one hour, before the facility 'collapses'."
This was a completely different test. A test of trust, initiative, and courage amidst total uncertainty.
Entering the Darkness
One by one, the students entered Ground Epsilon from different airlocks, each alone. The facility was brightly lit as they entered, long, sterile metal corridors stretching before them. Then, without warning...
CLANG!
With a heavy metallic sound, all the doors slammed shut. And a second later, all the lights went out. A thick, suffocating darkness enveloped them, so total that they couldn't even see their own hands. The only sound was the low hum of the emergency ventilation system and their own pounding hearts.
For Mine, this was a nightmare. Her Quirk, Pumpkin, was heavily dependent on line of sight and visual targets. In total darkness, she was essentially blind and helpless. She pressed her back against the wall, her large, now-useless rifle feeling cold and heavy. A cold panic began to creep into her heart, mixed with her frustration. She hated feeling helpless.
For Tatsumi, the darkness was an old friend. He activated the thermal vision mode in his Incursio visor. His vision wasn't perfect—it only showed the blurry heat signatures of pipes and machinery around him—but it was more than enough. He didn't panic. His analytical mind went straight to work. First priority: map orientation. Second priority: move silently and find teammates. Third priority: find the objective. He began to move down the corridor like a ghost, every step calculated.
He moved for nearly ten minutes, navigating the confusing intersections. He passed several other students, identifying them from their unique heat signatures—Todoroki who radiated both heat and cold, Bakugo whose hands were slightly warmer. He didn't activate his flare. He was hunting, looking for an advantageous position.
Then, his thermal sensor picked up something else. A stationary heat signature, unmoving. Someone was hiding, their posture indicating tension and fear. As he approached silently, he recognized the familiar silhouette of the large rifle on the person's back. Mine.
Mine held her breath. She heard something. The sound of very soft, almost inaudible footsteps. Someone was approaching. Her instinct told her to shoot, to fire a warning shot to scare off whoever it was. It was a foolish move that would give away her position, but her fear was making her reckless.
Just as her finger pressed the trigger, a strong, armored hand suddenly covered her mouth from behind, while another hand firmly held her rifle. Her heart felt like it leaped into her throat.
"Ssssh," a calm and very familiar voice whispered right in her ear. "Do you want to tell everyone in the entire facility where we are?"
Tatsumi.
He released Mine slowly. Mine immediately spun around, aiming her rifle at the vague figure in front of her, even though she couldn't see a thing.
"What are you doing?! You scared me!" she hissed angrily, trying to cover her fear.
"I just saved you from making a stupid mistake," Tatsumi replied calmly. "Now listen. I don't know who my teammates are. You don't know who your teammates are. But right now, we're both here, in the same corridor. For now, we're a team."
The idea was repulsive to Mine. Work with him? With the person who had humiliated her? "I don't need your help!"
"Really?" Tatsumi asked, his tone not mocking but filled with cold logic. "You're a sniper. You need light and line of sight. In this darkness, you're an easy target. I have limited thermal vision and close-quarters combat skills. I need someone to watch my back for threats I can't see. Tactically, we complement each other."
Thud!
A piece of the ceiling fell nearby, making Mine jump in surprise. The facility was starting to feel unstable.
"Listen," Tatsumi said again, his voice softer now. "This isn't about our rivalry from yesterday. This is about completing the mission and winning this exercise. We are stronger together than alone in this darkness. Let me be your eyes, and you be my gun. We find our other teammates, then we can go back to being rivals. Deal?"
Mine was silent. His logic was irrefutable. And deep down, a small part of her felt... safer with his presence. It was a feeling she hated.
"Fine," she finally said reluctantly, trying to sound like she was the one in control. "But we do it my way. And you follow my orders."
Tatsumi, hidden in the darkness of his helmet, smiled faintly. "Of course," he replied.
He held out his hand. "Follow me. Stay close. And don't make a sound."
Hesitantly, Mine placed her hand on Tatsumi's armored shoulder. She felt the cold of the metal, but also the steady strength beneath it. The two most unlikely rivals, who were sworn enemies yesterday, now stepped together into the unknown darkness, becoming a team born of necessity.
Dammit, Mine thought as they began to move. Why, of all the people in the world, did it have to be him?