The afternoon sun slanted through the training dome windows of U.A.'s Gamma Gym, casting long shadows across the wreckage-strewn halls of the mock industrial battlefield. The room still buzzed from the last match—Ashido and Daichi's synergy against Yaoyorozu and Iida had left the spectators and teachers impressed. Now, the class of 1-A stood along the sidelines with excitement and anticipation as All Might, larger than life even in his teaching uniform, announced the next combat teams.
"Next group! Team Heroes: Shoto Todoroki and Tsuyu Asui. Team Villains: Minoru Mineta and Tenya Iida!"
Daichi blinked in surprise and leaned toward Kaminari, whispering, "That's an odd pair. But Todoroki and Tsuyu together... that's cold and calculated."
Kaminari grinned. "Yeah, poor Mineta's gonna get iced before he can say 'hello.'"
From the sidelines, Bakugo scoffed. "Asui's just a frog. And that half-and-half bastard always holds back."
Daichi frowned at that. He'd been observing Todoroki all week, and he could feel something buried in the boy's quiet stares and unshakable calm—some kind of internal storm not yet unleashed. That made him dangerous.
Aizawa stepped forward and activated the countdown. "You have fifteen minutes. Objective remains the same. Begin."
As soon as the timer ticked down, the screen split into four quadrants, each showing a different perspective of the mock building.
Inside, Iida sprinted down the staircase, his arms pumping in mechanical precision. Mineta tried to keep up but was already wheezing. "I told you—I told you this was a bad idea! I should've been with someone less… fast!"
"You are the villain," Iida said crisply, adjusting his glasses. "Your goal is to stay in the designated area and guard the 'nuclear weapon.' Remain vigilant."
"But what if Todoroki freezes the whole building?!"
Iida paused at the base of the stairs and looked at the miniature hero. "Then we adapt."
Elsewhere, Todoroki and Tsuyu entered through the first floor, scanning their surroundings. Steam rose from Todoroki's left side, a faint trail of frost on his right.
"We'll split up," he said calmly. "I'll flush them toward you."
"Ribbit. Alright, I'll circle from above," Tsuyu replied. She extended her tongue to a ceiling pipe and vanished upward like a ghost.
From the observation room, Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "Todoroki isn't even using his fire yet. He's testing the waters."
All Might grinned beside him. "He's still got it sealed away. Like young Midoriya, he has his own mountain to climb."
Back in the field, a soft rumble echoed as ice exploded through the second floor. Iida barely leaped clear, sliding down the staircase railing in a controlled descent. Mineta yelped, sticky balls flying from his head in panic.
"They're here!"
"I noticed!" Iida barked.
The camera caught a moment of brilliance—Todoroki stood at the entrance of the stairwell, eyes like glacial steel. He didn't move, didn't blink. He just swept his arm sideways, coating the wall with ice that surged like a tidal wave, sealing off every escape route.
"Shit—he's freezing everything!" Mineta squealed, already stuck in his own adhesive balls.
Todoroki stepped forward.
"Target immobilized. Objective complete."
Aizawa clicked his pen. "Efficient. Cold. Tactical."
All Might chuckled. "He's Endeavor's son, alright."
Down on the sidelines, Kaminari leaned toward Daichi. "Remind me never to play tag with that guy."
"You'd just fry the ground and call it a day," Daichi smirked.
"Damn right."
One match after another rolled by.
Team Heroes: Denki Kaminari and Yuga Aoyama.
Team Villains: Mina Ashido and Koji Koda.
Daichi arched an eyebrow. "That's… not going to be easy."
"Yeah, Ashido's no pushover. And Koda, that guy's a sleeper," Jiro added, arms crossed.
The battle began. Mina and Koji had barricaded themselves in a control room high up in the simulated factory. With her acid and his animal communication, they'd fortified the place with pigeons and rats who chirped alerts every time someone came near.
Kaminari charged in, overconfident as always.
"I got this!" he yelled and blasted 1.3 million volts across the stairwell.
It melted part of the metal. It also short-circuited the lights, giving Mina an advantage.
She dropped from the ceiling, rolling into view with a sassy smile. "You call that stealth?"
Denki grinned, brain already beginning to short. "Surprise—!" he slurred, before collapsing in his "stupid mode."
Aoyama stepped forward dramatically. "For the honor of France—!"
Jiro slapped her forehead. "Please stop."
Mina, laughing, slid underneath his laser line and kicked him squarely in the shin. He shrieked. Koji's birds took flight, creating a flurry of feathers that blinded their opponents long enough for Mina to claim the win.
Daichi noted the creative use of environment. "Not bad. They're adapting."
More matches followed.
Tokoyami and Hagakure versus Sato and Ojiro.
Dark Shadow proved its worth, acting like a sentient storm through the darkened corridors. Hagakure, unseen but ever-present, coordinated with Tokoyami's darkness, flanking from blind spots while Ojiro tried to counter with his tail-based martial arts. Sato roared, punching through walls, but his sugar-enhanced strength didn't last long enough under the onslaught of shadows.
Daichi watched closely, noting the synergy. "Tokoyami treats Dark Shadow like a partner more than a tool."
Jiro nodded, expression thoughtful. "He's got a good rhythm. That's hard to develop."
Finally, it was Daichi's turn again—this time as a Villain.
Team Heroes: Momo Yaoyorozu and Kyoka Jiro.
Team Villains: Daichi Ishigami and Hanta Sero.
"Oh boy," Kaminari grinned. "You're about to have your girlfriend chasing you down."
"She's not my—!" Daichi started, but Jiro's blush from across the room betrayed enough to earn them teasing looks from Ashido and Hagakure.
"Focus," Daichi muttered, stepping into the simulated structure with Sero.
Sero offered a fist. "Let's have fun."
They stationed themselves on the second floor, with Daichi creating sound traps—high-frequency emitters that he placed at entrances and corridors. He amplified the frequencies with his quirk, creating disorienting echoes that rebounded like sonar mines.
Sero rigged escape lines across the ceiling beams, spiderwebbing tape around corners.
"You realize they'll hear this from a mile away," he commented.
"That's the point," Daichi grinned. "Let them think they have us."
Down below, Momo and Jiro moved like seasoned veterans. Momo's creation skills were already top-tier; she fashioned an echolocation disruptor based on what she saw Daichi build during class. Jiro plugged her jacks into the ground, listening through vibrations.
"They're baiting us," she said.
"Let's not play into it, then."
The two split up. Jiro went above, crawling through a tight vent system, while Momo approached head-on.
What followed was a chess match of anticipation and counters. Sero dropped from the ceiling with a surprise ambush—only to be ensnared by a trap Momo laid with a stun baton.
Meanwhile, Jiro slipped behind Daichi as he tuned the final emitter.
"Boo."
He blinked and turned. "How—?"
She jabbed her jack into the wall, sending a disruptive pulse through the floor. His emitter shorted.
Daichi whistled. "Impressive."
Then he duplicated. Two copies split from him—one running, one staying.
Jiro pursued the runner while Daichi leaped to flank her.
It was a close call, but in the end, Jiro found him, tapping her boot to his back before he could counter. "Bang."
He raised his hands in surrender. "I yield."
Aizawa noted the time. "Closest match yet. Good adaptation. Creative use of audio disruption."
All Might stepped forward. "That concludes today's training!"
Cheers erupted. Daichi let out a breath, wiping sweat from his brow.
Jiro joined him. "Good job out there."
"You too. That echolocation trick was clever."
She shrugged with a small smile. "Well, I learn from the best."
He didn't miss the teasing glint in her eye.
As the class returned to the changing rooms, a sense of camaraderie buzzed in the air. There had been rivalries, but also respect. Bonds were forming, steady and subtle.
Daichi glanced back at his classmates—Bakugo grumbling to Kirishima, Todoroki lost in thought, Yaoyorozu giving advice to Mineta (who was not listening), and Jiro beside him, wiping her face with a towel.
This was only the beginning.
And he was ready for everything to come.