Ch. 8 Battle Trials

"No time for dilly-dallying! Today's training is this: BATTLE TRAINING!" All Might switches to a much louder voice, grabbing everyone's attention, even though he already had.

"And for that, you'll need these." He presses a button on his remote, and the walls start to grind and sputter as parts of the wall burst out, revealing 20 numbered boxes. "In accordance with the Quirk Registry and the request forms you submitted-

"Costumes!" Even All Might is cut off by a bunch of kids.

He sighs before continuing, "Put these on and gather at Battleground B in class order!"

...

Standing alongside my classmates, I really feel like a proper hero. All decked out in our own costumes, some more... shiny than the rest. It hasn't even been 2 days, and Aoyama's already on my nerves. His shiny armor doesn't do much to help that.

Meanwhile, I'm out here looking like a less edgy version of Overhaul. I got the black clothes, the bomber jacket with grey fur instead of purple, dark grey armored gloves instead of surgical gloves, the whole kit and caboodle. Minus the plague doctor mask, of course.

"Alright, let's start the training!"

One of the class raises their hand.

"Will we be fighting the robots like in the entrance exam?" asks Iida.

"No, today we'll be doing INDOOR ANTI-PERSONNEL BATTLE SIMULATIONS!" Switching back to his loud voice, All Might announces the activities. "Statistically, Villain encounters are mostly indoors. You'll be paired up in teams of two for this!"

Team D, huh? So I'm with the tail guy. Okay.

"So, we'll be working together, eh?" Extending my hand in greeting, I open a conversation.

"Yeah. Let's do our best." He takes my hand and we shake on it, real businessman-like.

Mashirao's a straightforward guy, probably the most normal out of anyone in Class 1-A. Deku's notes apparently say he's "Hero Department's King Of Normal". Martial arts are his thing, so he won't be a burden, at least.

"The first match is Team A VS. Team D!"

Isn't that Deku and Ochaco VS. Iida and Katsuki? Is it just... destined to happen, unless I directly tamper with canon events? Or is it just because Deku is the protagonist, and he needs to fight Katsuki? Both?

The fight begins, and it's exactly like how it is in the story. Katsuki pulls the pin, Deku uses Smash, and so on. The only real difference is that I can't see what any of them are thinking, so it goes much faster. Like, half of any match in Haikyuu is just monologues, flashbacks and slow-mo. A real volleyball match has none of that, although the players might be having said monologues.

And now the fight reaches it's climax. Deku blasts a hole through the ceiling, and Ochaco reaches the objective. I can still hear You Say Run in the back of my head, though...

"Next up, Team D VS. Team E!"

Team E is Shoto and Mineta? That's a weird pairing.

But hey, my wish was fulfilled. I get to fight Shoto.

...

"So, Mashirao. Where's the objective again?"

"At the top of this building. We'll have to take the stairs."

"Start!" All Might's voice rings out through our earpieces.

Suddenly, ice cracks across the building, freezing it solid.

"Well then, shall we take a shortcut?" I ready a [Spring Shield] under our feet.

"What do you mea-" Before he could finish his sentence, the two of us are launched into the air. Mashirao was too stunned to even respond.

Soon, we've made it to the top floor. The windows had been frozen over. Shoto doesn't play around, huh?

With another [Spring Shield], we bust through the ice, landing right in front of Shoto and Mineta.

"This'll be fun."

As the "Villains" stand there, surprised by our sudden entrance, I take the opportunity to pose. Why pose? Because I'm supposed to be a hero, that's why.

"Ore... Sanjou!" Stealing Den-O's catchphrase, I pose dramatically. All Might always says 'I am here.", so why not?

Now everybody's just standing still, trying their best to comprehend the sheer chuuni of my actions. Time to move.

"Mashirao, keep your distance! Mineta's range is limited by how far he can throw. Use your mobility to reach the objective. I'll handle Todoroki."

Shoto's the first one to respond. Pillars of ice shoot out from the ground, all aimed at me.

Still too slow, though.

Instantly, I close distance to him, and I jump out a meter away from him. He doesn't back down however, and he tries to grab me. His arms stretch out, and I get even closer, past his hands. I clench my fist and drive it straight into his stomach. The impact sends him flying into the wall.

The other two can only watch in awe, as one of the strongest students in 1-A is blown away by a single punch.

But Shoto's not done yet.

A veritable wall of ice appears, and it surges towards me. Doesn't he know he'll hit Mineta too? Or is he so blinded with pride that he just wants to get back at me?

Either way, it doesn't matter. I raise my hand and a shield appears in front of me, stopping the ice in it's tracks. I move my fingers, and it starts to shake.

"[Shield's Impact]."

With just a flick of my wrist, the green disc releases kinetic force tenfold into the ice. Cracks start to spread across the ice, and soon, the ice shatters completely.

"What?!" Shoto yelps in surprise. His eyes go wide in shock.

"Time to finish this."

I jump up into the air, somersaulting high above the ice. Multiple shields fly out between me and Shoto, each one vibrating violently.

"RIDER... KIIIICK!"

Instantly, I lunge forward with a flying kick, stacking the shields onto my foot. My kick slams into Shoto's chest, and the sight of multiple [Shield's Impact] releasing all at once into his ribs and sending him flying out of the building from the top floor was apparently enough to make Mineta faint.

Poor Mineta. he was lucky enough paired with a strong partner, only for said partner to be Rider Kicked out of the top story's window.

"Uh... TEAM HEROES WINS!" Even All Might is a bit taken aback.

I... might have overdone that a little bit.

...

(Class POV)

"Before we analyse that match, I want to ask young Mineta, why did you faint?" After tending to Shoto's injuries, All Might gathers the students.

With a nervous nod, Mineta answers, "Because Saisei was able to overpower Todoroki, so I didn't think I would be able to win against him and Mashirao"

"Fair enough. There is nothing wrong with being scared by overwhelming might, but a Hero should never back down when anybody else is in danger."

Changing subjects, All Might turns to Mashirao, "And what about you, young Ojiro? What did you think about that match?"

Dejected, Mashirao opens his mouth. "Saisei-kun... was too strong. I didn't even need to do anything. Even with his advice."

Hearing Mashirao, All Might nods solemnly. "Then the MVP of this match... is Saisei."

"Aside from his strength, can anyone explain why?"

As expected for the top student, Momo gives her analysis. "Saisei was able to immediately counter-act any plans Shoto and Mineta had by skipping floors. Even then, he was able to deduct Mineta's weakness and relay it to Mashirao. He nullified the enviroment's disadvantages, created a plan of action for his team, and stopped Todoroki from getting in the way of his partner."

All Might nods in agreement, and so do the other classmates. Seeing this, Momo continues.

"Todoroki on the other hand, ended up endangering his partner. Although his intial plan of freezing the building was good, and he was quick to respond to Saisei and Mashirao's surprise attack, he was ultimately unable to react to the situation."

"Very good. In battle, situational judgement is vital. But a hero can learn from their mistakes and become stronger! PLUS ULTRA!"

"PLUS ULTRA!'' Obviously, the class joined in with All Might's shout, and the tension disappears from the room.

But even so, Shoto's quiet frustruation at being overpowered and beaten so easily had yet to fade. Saisei came out unharmed and unbothered, as if he hadn't even broken a sweat. In fact, he looked like he enjoyed it.

Silently, he cursed at himself. "Damn it..." Little did he know, he was also being joined by a certain exploding brat, who also had his peg taken down a few notches.