Chapter 23: Bakugo vs. Midoriya
The other students all went to the monitoring room, leaving only the four of them standing on the training ground.
"The villain team will go in first to prepare. In five minutes, the hero team will infiltrate, and the battle will officially begin!"
Kira and the others gathered in the monitoring room. Cameras were installed in key locations and at hallway corners, allowing them to see every move of the participants.
At the moment, the villain team was making no moves. The hero team was discussing their attack strategy, looking at a floor plan of the building. Bakugo's impatience and Midoriya's nervousness were clear for all to see.
"Now then, the indoor anti-personnel combat training, Team A versus Team D, begins now!"
All Might stood in front of the large screen and, without turning around, said, "You all should observe and think as well. What would you do in this situation? Perhaps that will be your key to victory."
"Hey, Kira. I didn't know you were so into games," Denki Kaminari said, sidling up to Kira and nudging him with his elbow in a friendly manner. "I feel like this test is more and more like Rainbow Six Siege. Shouldn't the monitors be given to the villain team to be fair? They've already taken control of the building, haven't they?"
"If that were the case, it would be overwhelmingly disadvantageous for the hero team," Kira said, glancing at Kaminari before turning his attention back to the large screen, where Midoriya's team had just climbed in through a window and were cautiously exploring. "Don't forget, in the game, to make things as fair as possible, the defenders can't use high-performance attachments. Sometimes, a single well-timed shot can lead to a headshot. But here, all they can use are their individual Quirks. There are no external factors."
Besides... the Quirk strength of these two teams is completely mismatched. Midoriya basically had one shot, and without anything to use, Uraraka had to get close to use her Quirk. Their opponents, on the other hand, were the highly mobile Tenya Iida and the extremely aggressive Katsuki Bakugo, who had a masterful grasp of his own Quirk.
Kira considered how he would handle this combination... The conclusion was, he couldn't let them wait for an attack in the room with the "nuclear weapon." He would have to separate them and take them down one by one in a two-on-one situation. But... given Bakugo's personality, he would probably do just that.
"Ah, Bakugo is charging out of the stronghold!"
Just as the screen showed, the villain team's Tenya Iida stayed behind while Katsuki Bakugo quickly left the fifth-floor stronghold and rushed down the stairs toward Midoriya's team on the second floor. And Midoriya's team was still completely unaware!
Perhaps hearing their voices, Bakugo quickly locked onto his target. Seizing an opportunity, he suddenly appeared from around a corner, his charged-up right hand swinging directly at the two of them.
But the attack missed its mark. Midoriya, as if he had anticipated it, pushed the stunned Uraraka out of the way, dodging Bakugo's attack. He only suffered a scrape to his head, and half of his face was now exposed from under his mask.
"A sneak attack? What kind of man is Bakugo?!" Eijiro Kirishima, his muscles bulging, looked on with disdain, his eyes fixed angrily on the scene.
All Might showed no emotion. "A sneak attack is also a strategy," he said calmly. "They are in the middle of a real battle."
Kira had no argument with that. Why face an enemy head-on when you could take them down with a sneak attack? He was, however, a little surprised by Midoriya's impressive performance. In his opinion, Midoriya's own physical abilities weren't that strong; he shouldn't have been able to beat Bakugo in a direct confrontation. But what happened next completely shattered his perception.
After his first attack missed, Bakugo quickly readjusted. The two grenades on his arms weren't just for show; they were also blunt weapons! He swung his right arm with a powerful, heavy blow. In his mind, this attack would surely finish Midoriya off.
"What?! Midoriya actually blocked Bakugo's attack!"
Bakugo hadn't expected it. Midoriya, instead of retreating, moved forward, got in close, and clamped down on his arm. Then... he spun his body and threw Bakugo to the ground with a powerful shoulder throw!
Midoriya completely predicted Bakugo's movements! Kira was slightly surprised, watching Bakugo stand up and start yelling at the air.
"Sensei, what is Bakugo saying? The cameras can't transmit sound."
All Might pointed to the earpiece in his ear. "He's communicating with his partner using a walkie-talkie. Besides that, they also have a floor plan of the building and capture tape. If they wrap the tape around their opponent, it counts as a successful capture. By the way, my earpiece can hear both of their conversations."
Momo Yaoyorozu noticed something and spoke up. "All Might-sensei, the time limit for the battle is 15 minutes, and the location of the nuclear weapon isn't revealed to the heroes beforehand, right?"
After getting a confirmation from All Might, Mina Ashido said worriedly, "This situation is overwhelmingly disadvantageous for the hero side."
All Might turned his head to the side. "A hero's job is to turn the tide of a crisis!"
Perhaps feeling his own words lacked conviction, he quickly changed the subject. "Do you all remember the school motto Aizawa-sensei told you? One, two..."
"PLUS ULTRA!"
Suddenly, someone cried out, "Everyone, look!"
On the screen, Bakugo's attack was blocked by Midoriya again. Ochaco Uraraka took the opportunity to escape and search for the nuclear weapon.
Seeing Uraraka get away, Midoriya ducked under a side kick from Bakugo and tried to wrap his capture tape around Bakugo's leg. Bakugo, with his sharp instincts, used an explosion from one hand against the wall to forcibly twist his body and dodge the tape.
"These two are amazing!"
"Especially Midoriya! He's holding his own against the top-ranked practical exam student without even using his Quirk!"
Seeing his attack fail, Midoriya decisively ran to another part of the floor, and Bakugo chased after him without hesitation.
Soon, because of the numerous hallways, Bakugo lost track of Midoriya and started to get agitated, launching pointless attacks everywhere.
Meanwhile, Uraraka had already found the stronghold. But her quiet snickering soon gave her away, and she decided to launch a frontal attack. Using her "Zero Gravity" Quirk, she flew up, intending to recover the nuclear weapon directly and win by fulfilling the hero team's objective.
Although Kira thought Iida could have just attacked Uraraka directly, perhaps his sense of chivalry was at play. He simply used his mobility to move the nuclear weapon around, preventing her from touching it.
"Time is running out. Bakugo has found Midoriya now. It looks like the victory will go to Bakugo's team," Kaminari analyzed, looking like he knew what he was talking about.
Bakugo had found Midoriya. He gave him a savage grin, slowly raising his right hand in an aiming posture. The grenade-like design on his gauntlet began to steam, as if storing a considerable amount of energy.
All Might's expression suddenly changed. He shouted into the microphone, "Young Bakugo, stop! Are you trying to kill him?!"
However, Bakugo's movements didn't stop. A torrent of flames roared from the launch port at the top of the gauntlet, destroying everything in its path!
"This is just a class! Is Bakugo trying to kill someone?!"
The intense energy even caused the monitoring room to shake. The ceiling swayed, and All Might anxiously called out to Midoriya.
The smoke gradually cleared. The outer wall of the second floor was completely destroyed, exposing the street below. Midoriya was lying on the ground, struggling to sit up. It seemed Bakugo had deliberately aimed his attack off to the side, not injuring him too severely.
Like a true villain, Bakugo walked toward Midoriya with a victorious smile, as if contemplating how to torture him.
"Sensei, stop it! Bakugo is completely insane right now! Someone could get killed!" Kirishima pleaded urgently.
"No." Although All Might was also anxious, he refused his request. "Young Bakugo may seem crazy, but he's still calm."
Nevertheless... All Might still spoke into the microphone. "If you use that move again, I will forcibly end the battle and declare you the losers."
Perhaps Bakugo also knew he had gone too far. Next, he fully demonstrated his skills, using his "Explosion" Quirk to batter Midoriya, leaving him covered in injuries.
"Even if you're allowed to injure your opponent, this is just a one-sided slaughter! He could have just captured Midoriya with the tape!"
"This is not the act of a hero," the crow-headed boy said, crossing his arms, his voice low.
Is it still too much for him... Kira watched the now-fleeing Midoriya and glanced at the little time remaining.
Midoriya, I don't know why you're not using your Quirk right now, but... if there's a miracle, show it to me now! The moment a hero turns the tide of battle!