Chapter 6: The Battle Trial

Chapter 6: The Battle Trial!

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

- Mike Tyson

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Lee plopped down into the seat next to Pony with a smile on his face. She gave him a wave and a bright smile in return as the class began to be filled with the idle chatter of excited and curious teenagers. Lee could relate to the palpable excitement he felt filling the room. Yesterday had left a strong impression on him, and he couldn't wait for what was in store for class today.

He couldn't contain his excitement, and he turned to Pony and asked, "So, what do you think we're going to do today?"

Pony hummed in thought and squinted in a look of concentration. After a few moments, she answered.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Some physical activity maybe?" She guessed with a slight shrug of her shoulders and an apologetic look on her face. "I am not best at uhm," she trailed off and furrowed her brow in thought.

Lee guessed she was looking for the word, and he felt he knew what she meant. "Guessing. Is that what you were trying to say, Pony?" He asked with a smile.

Pony nodded, brow easing in relief, and answered back, "Yes, I am not the best guess," She finished confidently with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders.

That wasn't exactly right, but it was still progress and any sort of progress was great. So, Lee just smiled back and waved off her apology. "It's no issue, Pony. I'm just excited about what we might end up doing," Lee's expression brightened as an idea hit him. "Maybe it's some sort of training like I do with Guy-sensei! Yosh!" He exclaimed passionately. "If it is training, I cannot wait for it!"

"What kind of training do you think they'd have us do, Lee?" Itsuka asked from in front of him. Itsuka looked into space as she thought. "I'm thinking it might be some sort of scenario training. Y'know, like put us into a situation that we might encounter as heroes," she explained.

Lee hummed in thought and saw the sense in what she said. "That is a sound guess, Itsuka. That would be very exciting!"

Pony nodded in agreement. "Like a rescue," she added.

"What if we did some sparring, eh? That would be exciting!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed from a few rows across from Lee.

The teen with dark, shaggy hair, Sen Kaibara, Lee recalled, sitting next to Tetsutetsu turned his head to regard the fiery, silver-haired teen with a raised eyebrow. "I think sparring would be possible," he agreed with a slight nod of his head. "It would help Vlad-sensei get a better idea of what we can do with our Quirks too."

"Glad you agree with me, Kaibara!" Tetsutetsu cheered. Tetsutetsu crossed his arms across his chest. "So, it is agreed then that it's going to be sparring like I said it was."

Itsuka shook her head and gave the duo a look of disbelief. "I'm not sure that's how this works, Tetsutetsu," she doubted.

Tetsutetsu grew a tic mark on his head and growled. "What are you tryna say, huh?"

"I believe," a soft, feminine voice interjected from the front of the class. "That we will do whatever The Lord has predetermined for us to do today," the girl smiled serenely and clasped her hands together. "One must trust and believe in The Lord for we dare not question His plans for us."

The group looked towards the girl with long green hair. Lee remembered noticing her the first day, the green hair was eye-catching, and how during the tests she used her hair to throw the baseball. Her name was Ibara Shiozaki if he was remembering correctly.

Tetsutetsu scratched his head and squinted in confusion at the serenely smiling girl. "What?"

The girl opened her mouth to answer, but another voice cut her off before any words came out.

"I think Itsuka has the right of it," the voice said.

Lee turned, again, to see a girl with murky green hair, wide eyes, and a smirk on her face leaning forward in her seat. Something Tokage. Lee was blanking on her first name.

"Thank you, Setsuna," Itsuka said. Ah, so it was Setsuna Tokage. "I'm glad to have some support here," she joked.

"Of course! I got your back, Itsuka!" the spunky teen said.

Quickly, the entire classroom was filled with chatter about possible ideas they might be doing today.

To his left across the walkway, Lee heard a light scoff and he, Itsuka and Pony turned to a Monomo who was staring up at the ceiling with that same smirk Lee first noticed on his face.

Itsuka scowled lightly at the seemingly dismissive scoff. "Oh, you got a better idea, Monoma?"

Neito's gaze dropped to them all and he answered. "I think that we're going to do some Quirk training. After the testing we did yesterday, that is the thing that makes the most sense of course," Neito reasoned confidently.

Itsuka rolled her eyes at him. "Your idea does make some sense, I guess, Monoma," she admitted grudgingly and Lee nodded along with it. It did make some sense.

Itsuka crossed her arms and harrumphed, "Regardless, we will have to wait until Vlad-sensei gets here to figure out what we're actually going to do."

Almost as if called by command, the imposing figure of Pro Hero Vlad King strode into the classroom. Quickly, all chatter stopped as he made his way to the front of the classroom.

Vlad stood at the front of the class, clipboard with papers in his hands, and regarded them with an intrigued look. Quiet before he even had to open his mouth? "Hmm, let me take attendance first, and then we can proceed with the agenda for today

Attendance was over quickly, everyone was here because nobody wanted to miss a single day.

Glad set the clipboard down and opened his mouth to speak, the students on the edge of their seats in anticipation for what he had to say.

"I am walking through the door like a normal person!"

Wait, that definitely didn't come from Vlad-sensei.

The doors of their classroom swung open to reveal the hero other heroes aspired to be, the hero that stood at the peak of the mountain top, the one everyone looked up to

"All Might!" The class excitedly screamed in unison.

The mighty, ever-smiling hero stood at the front of their class, red costume donned with his cape billowing majestically in the wind.

"It is I, All Might! How are we doing class 1-B?!" He asked in his loud, booming voice. He smiled and his teeth glinted under the classroom lights.

Lee was pretty sure he was in a dream. He actually didn't wake up today and instead dreamed this all up.

"Pinch me, I must be dreaming," Setsuna muttered under her breath as she gazed wide-eyed at the legendary hero.

"No way, man," Tetsutetsu breathed in disbelief. His hero, his idol, was right there! Like, right there!

"Holy shit," Yosetsu muttered in the same tone. This was unreal.

Across the entire classroom, students were various levels of disbelief and surprise as All Might, the number one hero in all of Japan, was standing right in front of them. Talking to them!

"I think you broke my class, All Might," Vlad noted with a straight face.

All Might threw his head back in laughter. "Haha! So it would seem I have! Since I have your attention," he spoke to the class and everyone seemed to pay even more attention, "I am here to help with today's lesson! But first," from somewhere he whipped out a remote and clicked it.

Sounds of mechanical parts moving rang out from the back of the classroom and everyone turned to see the wall peeling back to reveal numerous slots with openings on the floor. From the floor rose containers that revealed…

"Your costumes!" All Might cheered in his larger-than-life voice.

As if the day couldn't get any better, it did.

"So that's what they did with our designs," Itsuka realized aloud.

Setsuna nodded, a wide smile on her face. "Yeah, but I didn't think we'd get them this early!"

"Ahaha! You are correct, Miss Kendo. This is the Hero Course and an essential part of any hero is their costume!" All Might told the class.

Itsuka was starstruck that the number one hero knew her name. She shook off the excitement and managed a nod.

"Beyond that," Vlad picked up, "a hero's costume is to help them as much as it is to help others. It protects you, your identity and it is how civilians, heroes, and villains recognize you. Your costume is your brand, your symbol, and it is important it reflects who you are as a hero," he finished seriously.

He looked over his class seeing them digest his words and take them to heart. Good, they knew how to listen even in face of all these distractions. Well, most of them at least. Vlad knew he'd be expecting too much in the face of new costumes and All Might. He'd cut them some slack here this one time.

"Go," Vlad said, "change into your costumes and meet us in Battle Arena 4."

That was all the permission they needed. In a whirlwind of movement, some flips were definitely involved and swinging from the roof, the kids had grabbed their costumes and went to go change. In total, the class was cleared in about 30 seconds.

Vlad let a little smile grow on his face. What an energetic bunch.

"You seem to have a good group this year, Vlad. This much energy solely for changing into costumes? Sign of good things I'd say," All Might noted pleasantly.

Vlad allowed his friend a small nod and nothing more.

All Might, used to the usually stoic mannerisms of his fellow hero, laughed heartily. The laugh died and All Might became serious.

"That was him?" All Might asked in a low, serious tone.

"Mhmm," Vlad confirmed. He knew who the number one was referring to. The boy who had done the impossible. Vlad had yet to hear the thoughts of his colleague on him, but obviously, he was briefed on Lee's unique status amongst his peers.

For a long moment, the two heroes stood in an empty, silent classroom. Vlad gazed at All Might from the corner of his eyes. The number one seemed lost in thought watching something only he could see. Vlad didn't know what it was, but it must've been a powerful enough memory to leave the always-smiling-hero bereft his smile. Vlad allowed him this moment of private remembrance. It was the least he could do.

Quickly though, as expected of a Pro, All Might returned to reality and that smile of his bloomed wide and bright once again.

"Aha! I look forward to what he brings to the table!" All Might declared. He didn't mention his trip down memory lane, so neither would Vlad. Call it a courtesy born from understanding that even the greatest among them require their own moments.

"Let us go, Vlad!" All Might turned and with a flourish of his (gaudy) cape, the hero was on his way out of the classroom and moving towards where they were supposed to meet the class. "It is time to see how the heroes of tomorrow deal with what we have in store for them today!"

Vlad grunted in agreement and followed All Might out of the classroom. He'd never tell a soul, but something in him was slightly excited at seeing what his class could do in the scenario, a few in particular.

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Lee stood before one of the several body length mirrors they had in the locker room. He had just finished putting on his costume and wanted to see what it looked like on him. Half-sketches really didn't do it justice.

He stuck with green with a splash of orange around his legs. It was a figure-hugging bodysuit that he made sure had protection in the between layers of it. With how tight it still was, he wasn't sure how they did it but they did! He knocked against the dense, bullet-resistant padding around his abdomen. It kind of fit like a vest, which he wanted. Wow, they really got that from his drawings? He was impressed.

From there he had incorporated a pair of shin guards that were made from the new material they had hitting the heroes market. Going to UA gave them access to the cutting edge support gear Pro-heroes do because UA produced a lot of high profile heroes. One of the perks, he guessed, which is why he made sure to specifically request it. He needed them so he could put his weights and leg warmers over them and not have his weights look out of place. Gai-Sensei told him to have good judgment about them and he believed if it wasn't critical, he wouldn't get rid of them.

Plus, they packed his kicks with an extra 'oomph'.

He teetered back and forth on his toes to become more comfortable with the custom martial arts shoes he had on his feet. Custom because they had all the comfort and maneuverability of martial arts shoes but were durable enough for everyday use.

He tapped at his knees and elbows. He was kind of cool with the fact he didn't pick any elbow or knee guards because he needed his knees and elbows free. They were dangerous enough without anything, so he had chosen speed and freedom over a restricting accessory. But the thing he was immensely happy about was the last-minute addition to his costume.

The green bodysuit was plain green that ended around his neck, but the really cool thing was the stripe of red going around his waist. In the middle where he would normally have a buckle, he had the symbol of Gai-sensei's dojo. There, engraved on a steel gleaming plate, was the leaf-like symbol that indicated his dojo, his home.

It filled Lee with a warm sensation that seemed to wrap around his shoulders and made his skin tingle nicely. He took pride in where he came from, and this was a reminder to stay true to everything he learned there. Everything Gai-sensei had taught him sat around his waist to complete his hero costume and he couldn't be happier with how it came out.

He flexed his fingers to make his hand wraps were on and secured. He wasn't trying to break the skin of his knuckles again. He reached down and picked up the last piece of his costume, a regular domino mask.

He stared at the domino mask in his hands and fiddled a little with it. He'd never really tried one of these on before and only added it cause, y'know, secret identity. His hero identity. When he put on this mask he wouldn't be regular Rock Lee anymore. He'd be a Hero. He'd be something he only dreamed of being; something people swore he could never be. All of the memories he would rather not be remembering right now began to bubble to the surface of his mind.

A loud, rough yell that was packed full of frustration snapped Lee out of his thoughts. What was going on? He turned around, quickly putting the mask on as he did.

"Ora, ora, this isn't what I specified with my costume!"

By his locker surrounded by other costumed classmates was an irate and silver Tetsutetsu pulling at the collar of his costume as several other students tried to calm him down.

"Tetsutetsu, you have it on inside out,"

"Yeah man, you put it on wrong,"

"I did what!?"

Lee couldn't help but smile at the antics. Hmm, Tetsutetsu was so ready he put his costume on he put it on inside out. Or he was a clutz.

Lee was gonna go with the former.

That thought ignited his inner fire! He could do this! He trained for this! He lightly placed his hands on the band around his waist and felt himself become more centered, more focused.

He was ready for whatever they'd throw at him. Believe it.

Huh, that didn't feel right. He'd need to come up with something else that didn't make him feel like some weird anime protagonist.

Scenario training. Hmm, so it seemed like Itsuka was right. Good thing he didn't bet on it.

The way Vlad and All Might - Lee was still blown away by the fact the Symbol of Peace was right there! - had explained, they'd be broken off into pairs of heroes and villains and set off to secure or defend the 'bomb' respectively. The heroes had to either defeat both villains or touch the bomb before the timer ran out while the villains had to defeat both heroes or keep the heroes away from the bomb until the time ran out. There were cameras all within the decent-sized building that would be the testing grounds so the teachers could accurately grade them and intervene should an accident occur.

It was a simple enough exercise that Lee figured started them on the basics of teamwork and combat strategy.

Vlad-sensei had predetermined the pairs already, so Lee didn't have to deal with the pressure of choosing a partner. He just had to work with his partner well enough to succeed. He was not trying to fail at his first real hero exercise.

"If you could focus on the screen for a moment, class. We're about to get started," Vlad told them all with a hand indicating towards the large screen on the upper wall.

Lee focused on it and felt his stomach churn nervously. He didn't know if he wanted to go first or later; he wasn't sure if he wanted to be heroes or villains.

The slots for the names would show spun rapidly like some sort of twisted roulette. Although he knew the pairs were already chosen, the display still made his heart quicken anxiously. The slots slowed down until they revealed the names of who would be the ones to set the bar in their first Battle Trial of the year.

His eyes widened in shock and the world seemed to freeze for a moment as he took in the names on the screen.

Heroes: Rock Lee and Shihai Kuroiro

Villains: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu and Juzo Honenuki

What? He was going first? That was-well it was…

Lee really couldn't determine if it was a good or bad thing going first. Okay, he couldn't start getting all iffy about it. Gai-sensei said that indecision leads to poor performance, so he had to shake off any contradictory thoughts he had.

He was going first, so that means he got to set the bar. All the eyes would be on him and his partner to see what they could do. To see if they had what it took to make it as heroes.

No pressure. Nope. He was going to give it his all no matter what! His inner Flames of Youth world demand no less!

"Ah, sweet! We get to fight each other with our Quirks. How awesome is that?" Tetsutetsu exclaimed excitedly.

There was a murmur of agreement from everyone else. Smiles slowly blossomed and postures grew more confident.

"Ah, that's the kind of energy I like to see!" All Might cheered with a wide, beaming smile on his chiseled face. "Remember, though, this exercise isn't just to see how well you can throw a punch or kick. It's about how well you and your partner can work together to complete your objective," All Might's tone shifted into a more stern and serious one here but the smile remained. "Not a lot of heroes work alone; solo is a privilege granted only to those that have earned it Teamwork is an essential part of hero work, and during this trial, your teamwork will be put to the test."

Vlad nodded with the summation All Might just gave to the class. A bit long-winded, but it got the job done. It was time to get this show on the road, though.

"Villains to your positions. Heroes to yours as well," Vlad instructed. "You both have 5 minutes to devise a plan of attack and defense. Once you hear the horn, the Battle Trial will begin," Vlad nodded to his four students. "Good luck."

All Might's cape swirled around him as he threw out a thumbs up and patented smile.

"And remember to do your best and go Plus Ultra!" He exclaimed, using his patented phrase and smiling with his wide, twinkling grin.

The words that usually inspire helped little to settle his nerves. Doing his best was never the issue. The issue was that he was currently having to contend with the fact that his entire class was probably going to find out he was Quirkless.

Joy.

It wasn't long before Lee found himself right outside the building he and his fellow hero for the trial, Shihai Kuroiro, devising a sort of plan. Introductions to each other went smoothly. Kuroiro, as he insisted he be called, wore a rather plain black jumpsuit that matched the dark tone of his skin almost perfectly that didn't coincide with the fluffy white hair on his head. The only real indication Lee knew the guy wasn't running around nude was the slight flutter of the collar in the wind. In the light, he was very noticeable, but Lee could only imagine how difficult it must be to see him in a darkened area.

With only five minutes to devise some semblance of a plan, they needed to think and they needed to think fast. Lee would freely admit that he was not much for pre-planning; he was more of an in the moment thinker, but he would be remiss to squander these five minutes of planning.

Luckily for him, Kuroiro picked up his slack and took the lead when it came to scraping together a strategy.

"My Quirk allows for me anything that is pitch in color. If you couldn't tell, I am more oriented towards more stealth and ambush-style than face to face combat, Lee," Kuroiro began in a low, neutral voice. "You are more fit for that, I hope? Your colorful costume does not allow you to duck within the shadows like an otherworldly specter of justice and camouflage your spirit from the enemy until it is too late for them to escape," he noted - rather dramatically - with a flat look on his face.

Well, that was definitely not what Lee expected to come out of his mouth. Kuroiro's expression had not changed once the whole time he spoke, and Lee was a little thrown off by it. That and the way he spoke. Lee wasn't sure if he was doing it for secrecy's sake or if his normal voice volume was this low. All of that aside, he wasn't wrong in his observation.

"Ah, you are correct, Kuroiro. I am the most proficient in close quarters combat," Lee explained quickly. They were on a time limit after all. "I do not believe I am capable of being a 'specter of justice'. My Youthful fire cannot be suppressed," he claimed passionately, his youthful flames burning bright inside of him just like Gai-sensei's.

Expression unchanged, Kuroiro nodded and spoke once more.

"Good. Then we shall join forces on the eve of battle today as I traverse into the shadows to secure the villainous weapon while the enemy combats your raging fires of Youth. You will be the fire that burns bright enough to blind our enemies, while I am the shadow that will drag them into the dark abyss," Kuroiro cracked a devious smile, and his voice gained a smooth, sly rumble. "Do you agree with my plan?"

Lee took a moment to go over it. Kuroiro would stick to the shadows while Lee drew all the attention to himself to secure the 'bomb'. Hmm, he would have to really draw their attention, though. Also, fight two of his classmates when he only knew one of their Quirks. He didn't know if he was comfortable with doing all of the fighting, but he reasoned Kuroiro's Quirk was better used stealthily than in Youthful combat. Like Gai-sensei said, one must always play to their strengths. Yes, this was as good a plan as any.

Lee nodded his head affirmatively at the boy and grew a wide smile as the boy's devious grin grew wider. It was just in time too, as the horn that signaled for them to begin sounded off.

The Battle Trial had begun.

Lee turned, ready to make his way into the building with his partner when he disappeared from his field of view. Lee was confused as to where Kuroiro went until he felt something tapping his shoe. Lee looked down and saw Kuroiro's face smirking back at him from within Lee's own shadow.

Well, that was really cool.

Kuroiro's face disappeared but he gave Lee one more thumbs up before he molded back within the shadow completely. Lee couldn't have even guessed he was there if he didn't know any better. These Villains wouldn't know what hit them.

Lee hurried into the building and quickly analyzed it. The building had two levels to it from what he noticed from outside. The bomb could be on either floor, and Lee wasn't sure which floor it would be on. Lee had an idea, though.

"Kuroiro," He spoke down to his shadow. "I am going to do something that my sensei may not approve, but I believe it is the right decision."

Lee didn't wait to see the reaction from his partner. Instead, he cupped his hands around his mouth to bolster the volume of his voice and yelled as loud as he could. He hoped his idea worked.

"Hiding is not very manly Tetsutetsu! Show your face and fight me like a real hero!" he yelled out into the building.

Lee hoped Tetsutetsu was as hot-headed as he believed him to be. Lee did not approve of using such underhanded tactics such as calling out a fellow classmate by insinuating such mean things - he'd apologize afterward -, but a Hero must use his enemies' weakness against them.

For a brief moment, after he yelled, Lee felt his shame and embarrassment rise, but it left as soon as he got what he was looking for.

"What did you just say to me?!" Tetsutetsu's voice rang out furiously from what sounded like the first floor. "I'll show you manly! L-let me go! I don't care if we give away our position! I'm gonna bash that bowl-headed jerk's face in! Let me at him!"

Lee looked down at Kuroiro in his shadow and they shared a smile. Straight ahead it was then.

Lee sprung into action quickly. He used his powerful legs to start running down the corridor. He moved swiftly. There was no telling if Tetsutetsu would calm down soon or not so Lee needed to get there.

His senses screamed and buzzed like static and Lee reflexively dropped into a crouch just a heavy fist swung through.

"Aargh!" Tetsutetsu roared as he just missed his punch. The force of the whiffed punch was enough to toss Lee's hair up. In another quick move, Lee tumbled to the left away from Tetsutetsu. He unfolded from his tumble and slid smoothly into theStrong Fist - open palm in front of him and legs tense.

Tetsutetsu stomped and huffed out a strong breath as he spun to face Lee with his partner showing a few feet behind him. The light from a window reflected off of Tetsutetsue's metal body, and Lee analyzed the situation right away.

Tetsutetsu in the front. He's angry; his fists wished to impose their metallic will upon my face. I can't afford to take a hit from him while he is like that. I will have to be on the attack then. Keep him from retaliating. I'm not even sure I can do any damage with just my fists, but I must try. Maybe I'll use more kicks instead.

Lee's eyes snapped to the partner trailing a few feet behind. Lee couldn't recall his name, but Lee deduced the boy had to be a more ranged fighter. He was too far away to also be a close fighter. What could it be? No matter. He'd hope Kuroiro would take the initiative. He didn't wish to reveal his location as of yet.

Lee breathed in once and blinked. Only a couple seconds was all that passed.

He could do this.

"Heh, guess your partner went upstairs. We were banking on you two splitting up. Now, there's no one to stop me from knocking your teeth out!" Tetsutetsu yelled full of overwhelming rage as he charged at Lee with a snarl.

He could do this?

He had no chance to answer for he was forced to fend away the sharp swipes aimed for his face. His lead hand snapped up and pushed away from the first swipe by the wrist and the follow-up. He stepped back and let the swift rising knee to the gut just miss. The big whiff was just the opening Lee needed to go on the offensive.

He ducked to the floor and extended his leg into a spinning low sweep. Since Tetsutetsu was still only on one foot, he couldn't have hoped to dodge. The sweep connected and Tetsutetsu was suspended in the air for a moment with nothing on the ground. His eyes widened in surprise at the sudden loss of a leg to stand on, and Lee capitalized with a crouching side kick straight to Tetsutetsu's metal chest.

The kick connected with a ringing thud of force and Tetsutetsu was sent a few feet away. Lee would give him no room to breathe, so he charged him.

In a superb display of durability and strength, Tetsutetsu clamped onto the ground with his claw-like fingers and stopped his tumbling with barely a wince. He looked up to see a charging Lee and smiled dangerously before he charged right back.

Tetsutetsu's charge was linear and easy to read, so Lee took ruthless advantage. He shot in the air and spun into a blistering fast hook kick. Tetsutetsu had no choice but to block the kick, so he crossed his arms and braced himself. The kick connected with another loud thud against Tetsutetsu's guard, and he skidded a few inches to the side from the force. Lee did not stop at just the one kick, though, and torqued his hips mid-air to spin even further into a backward hook kick that slammed against Tetsutetsu's guard, which sent him skidding back another few inches.

Lee couldn't let up. Again, he dashed forward but this time he feinted low with a sweep. Tetsutetsu bit on the feint hard and jumped up in the air thinking he had preemptively avoided another leg sweep. Lee moves from the feint into a spin kick that smashed right into Tetsutetsu's gut with a loud clang. The kick was strong enough to knock some of the air out of Tetsutetsu's lungs and send him flying back a few feet.

Lee has to grit his teeth as the reverberations from his foot meeting metal traveled up through his leg. He lowered his leg and slid back into the base Strong Fist form. The surge of pride he felt at executing a textbook Leaf Whirlwind made him smile, but the good feeling didn't last too long.

The kicks weren't enough to break through Tetsutetsu's metal shell, which Lee wasn't too surprised about. The guy was literally made of metal - may be steel - and it would take something a bit more powerful to break through it seemed. Still, though, to take his kicks full on like that and barely even budge was impressive, metal body or not. Lee had blown through solid concrete and tree trunks with less effort.

It didn't matter. He would just have to hit him even harder then.

As he got on the balls of his feet, Lee tensed his legs and prepared to spring forward, but to his surprise, his feet began to slowly sink into the ground.

What?!

Lee quickly glanced down with wide, shocked eyes. What was this? The floor was just solid a minute ago, right?!

The sound of quickly approaching footsteps had him looking back up to see Tetsutetsu charging him.

"Got you now!" Tetsutetsu roared as he cranked his arm back and made a fist. The metal of his arm glinted dangerously in the light, and Lee felt his stomach clench and heard his heart thudding in his ears.

Lee hurriedly tried to pull his feet up from the quicksand-like floor, but it seemed to only cause him to sink more. He had no choice but to just stand in it or risk sinking even further. He had to think of a way out of this. Maybe Kuroiro could - no time! Tetsutetsu was attacking him with ruthless aggression.

Feet stuck in the floor, Lee had no choice but to stand his ground. The heavy overhand swing was just barely dodged as was the follow-up jab. Lee focused and tightened up. He swayed his head to the right and dodged the punch rocketing toward his face. He swayed his head again and felt the brush of air generated by Tetsutetsu's powerful straight slap against his cheek.

Lee countered with an uppercut that connected with Tetsutetsu's chin, but, to Lee's shock, his punch was bulldozed right through. He just pushed through it like it was nothing?! What strength!

Tetsutetsu drove the punch straight down and out of the way with his metal chin and punished a caught off guard Lee with a mean body blow. The punch landed and it felt like getting hit with a brick - no with a cement block right to the gut. No core training Lee had done would have prepared him to tank such a hit. The padding he wore might've saved his organs from being pulverized, but it didn't seem to make it any less painful.

The blow forced all the air out Lee's lungs along with some spittle from his mouth. It was a small mercy he didn't vomit on the spot. That was as far as any mercy was extended toward him though.

From the vicious body shot, Tetsutetsu threw a hook at his head that Lee had no choice but to block. The punch slammed against his forearms and Lee could've sworn he felt something in his arm crack. His forearm flared up in agony as it blocked the punch, and Lee wasn't sure if it was better or worse than being punched in the face.

His left arm limply fell to his side. Things weren't looking so good. With Tetsutetsu still in his face and no way to get his feet unstuck, Lee felt his hopes of winning the fight plummet into the ground. He couldn't even open one of the Gates if he wanted to. No, he just had to survive until Kuroiro got to the bomb or something! Gosh, he was really regretting agreeing to that plan after all. He knew the plan was for Kuroiro to get to the bomb, but he couldn't lend Lee even a little assistance?

Lee was forced out his thoughts as he ducked another heavy swing aimed for his head and swayed backward from the following right cross. That was how things went for a brief period, Tetsutetsu swinging and Lee dodging and redirecting the sloppy yet devastatingly strong swings away from his face.

"Stay still!" Tetsutetsu demanded furiously, huffing heavily as yet another of his punches didn't land.

Sweating from the too many close calls, for a moment, Lee thought he could tire Tetsutetsu out and capitalize on that. How much longer would it take for Kuroiro to get to the objective?

Lee's hopes were dashed as Tetsutetsu did something out of the ordinary.

As Lee swayed his head side to side to let another one of Tetsutetsu's punches barely miss him, Tetsutetsu didn't retract his arms. Instead, he locked them in place around Lee's head cutting off his ability to move his head. Surprised by the move, Lee tried to force the hands off his head, but Tetsutetsu's grip didn't budge.

"Take this!" Tetsutetsu yelled as he swung his head forward in a headbutt.

Locked in the clinch, Lee was defenseless against the incoming headbutt. He closed his eyes and braced himself as best he could.

When it hit, there wasn't any immense pain - not immediately at least. He heard a sickening clack of head meeting steel, he blinked, and then he was suddenly looking at a moving ceiling. Everything was swaying, and he couldn't feel his limbs. He could hear his heart thudding in his ears, but it sounded miles away. There was something else; some type of noises he couldn't make out. It all sounded like gibberish, but it felt familiar. He closed his eyes to get away from the swaying ceiling that was slowly making his stomach feel like it was overseas and almost screamed out at the agonizing pain that appeared in his head.

His head felt like he had taken one of Gai-sensei's spinning heel kicks to the face again. It was a searing, throbbing pain that felt like someone dumped molten lava on his head and left it there. The pain made the swaying sensation even worse and he felt bile rise to the back of his throat. Again, he heard the noises but closer this time. Like they were right in front of his face.

Pushing through the pain, Lee opened his eyes to see a powered down Tetsutetsu waving a hand in front of his face. His mouth was moving but his voice was all muffled like someone had stuck cotton balls in Lee's ears. Lee winced as his ears popped and sound came back to him.

"...it you that hard, Lee. Can you hear me?" Tetsutetsu asked him concernedly.

"I can hear you, Tetsutetsu," Lee mumbled dazedly. Ugh, wait, talking hurt. It was all starting to come back to him now. He had lost consciousness after Tetsutetsu's wild headbutt. Ugh, that explained why his head hurt so much. He probably had a concussion now.

"Oh, whew," Tetsutetsu breathed out a sigh of relief. "I thought I knocked you too hard there. Not a long of things can stand up to one of my headbutts."

Lee winced as his own head seemed to throb as a testament to the claim. Why was Tetsutetsu talking to him, though? Wasn't the trial still going on?

"Gosh, I can't believe you guys won, though," Tetsutetsu complained. "Sneaky Kuroiro going behind our backs to get to the bomb while I and Juzo were occupied with you. I'm going to assume you two planned this, too. Grr, I can't believe we fell for it. I bet you calling me out like that was part of the plan too!"

At the rise in volume, Lee couldn't keep in his groan of pain. The groan caused Tetsutetsu to look a little guilty.

"My bad, man," Tetsutetsu apologized with a sheepish look of guilt on his face.

Tetsutetsu reached down and tossed Lee's arm, luckily the good one, over his shoulder and hoisted him up. The sudden movement made his vision swim even more, but the worst of nausea had passed luckily enough.

"There we go. C'mon, let's get you to the nurse or whatever. The other two are already headed back to the group. Vlad-sensei said I had to take you since it was my fault you were going in the first place," Tetsutetsu explained with a roll of his eyes as if Lee's current condition was anything BUT his fault.

Lee grunted in acknowledgment as they started moving and Tetsutetsu started talking to fill the silence. He appreciated the effort, though. He should thank him when he could speak more than grunts of 'yes' or 'no' whenever he was asked a question. Truthfully, much of what Tetsutetsu was saying was going in one ear and out the other. The pain from his head, arm, and side (in that order) was distracting him enough to where he wasn't really paying attention.

As Tetsutetsu chattered away and Lee's pain became a bit more bearable, they came upon the infirmary in no time. The giant red cross and words saying 'Nurse's Office' a few feet ahead were obvious enough.

"Oh, we're here," Tetsutetsu noted happily as he half-carried half-trudged a not-all-there Lee along with him.

Lee nodded and then groaned in pain. Okay, no nodding, nodding bad.

Tetsutetsu noticed his pain and smiled guiltily. "My bad again, dude. Why didn't you use your Quirk or something instead of all those regular punches and kicks? You kick pretty hard by the way, but your punches could use a little work," Tetsutetsu informed him as they entered.

Half listening to the question, Lee only caught the first half of what he said. In his delirious state, Lee's brain had definitely lost his filter. Sadly, that meant he relied on reflex to answer anything Tetsutetsu asked him, and due to years of being pestered and asked about it, his response to anyone asking him about anything related to him and a Quirk was to deny he had one. It was the truth after all, and Gai-sensei said to always tell the truth.

So, that's what he did.

As they pushed the door of the Nurse's office open - a convenient push door too - and entered, Lee answered honestly.

"Don' have...one," He mumbled out, wincing at the movement opening the door caused to his head.

Tetsutetsu stopped them both dead in the entryway of the Nurse's office.

"What was that, Lee?" Tetsutetsu asked with a confused look on his face.

Before Lee could answer, they were interrupted by the appearance of the nurse, Recovery Girl.

She waddled out with her needle cane and pointed to one of the open beds.

"Place him right there. Your sensei called ahead and told me you were coming," here she scoffed. "You kids just love injuring each other, don't you?"

The Pro Hero's commanding tone was enough to grab Tetsutetsu's attention, and he dutifully followed her directions. He placed Lee as softly as he could in the bed, wincing in guilt at the groan of pain Lee let off from having to be jostled like that.

"Good," the old medic complimented. "Now, if only you weren't the one to put him in here, I'd think about giving you a reward. Unless," she brandished her needle cane, its metal tip glinting ominously. "you don't mind something a little different?"

In the face of an oddly intimidating old lady with a giant, menacing needle that promised only pain and suffering, Tetsutetsu high-tailed it out of there with a frantic 'Hope you get better, Lee.'. By the time Recovery Girl put her needle down, the boy was out the door.

"Hehe," she chuckled and smiled smugly to herself. "Still got it."

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A/N: New chapter and it's kind of longer than normal. I tried to keep true to the original outfit but added a realistic flair to it that I felt made sense with his status as being Quirkless and the advanced technology and engineering capabilities of the My Hero world.

I hope the fight scene was decent. If you've ever been in a fight, you know fights don't last that long and against TetsuX4, it was even shorter due to his Quirk and the fact Juzo caught Lee off guard.

Anywho, read, review, and enjoy! Till next time!