—Damn... we're up against Taiko,— Denki groaned, looking around. His voice trembled more than he wanted to admit. Taiko didn't seem particularly strong. Maybe on Bakugou's level, but his quiet, cat-like gait, scars, and eye red from some kind of injury were awe-inspiring.
The darkness of the underground corridors was oppressive, as if the building itself were thickening the gloom around them, draining all rational thought.
—No need to despair...— Kyouka breathed out.
«Looks like she had a serious trump card up her sleeve since she wasn't so desperate,» Denki thought, turning his attention to the girl. He wasn't the smartest, but he was observant enough to notice.
Uncertainty crept into her voice, but she hid it behind her usual stoicism. The earplug clicked, piercing the concrete wall.
—We must show our full capabilities.
The sound flowed into her, as if someone had opened a door to an alien world. She heard the movement of both "villains"... metal bolts closing one after the other... a barely audible whisper.
A couple of minutes later, she heard the faint, rather rhythmic humming of a dubious song. Kyoka, a creative girl, loved all genres of music, especially rock, but she'd definitely never heard the lyrics. «The Hornet King?» Kyoko thought, trying to discern what the voice behind the walls was saying. But something massive began to be dragged across the floor...
And suddenly—an explosive impact. Something struck metal. The ringing sound shattered the walls like a whip. A powerful vibration struck her inner ear. Pain seared her scalp, and the world degenerated into a high-pitched squeal.
Kyoka doubled over, letting out a strangled cry.
—Hey! What happened?!— Denki grabbed her by the arms, blushing slightly. Her voice was already hoarse with panic. The corridors seemed to grow narrower, the sound of footsteps leaving no echo, as if the walls were swallowing everything. Somewhere ahead, Taiko's voice echoed. Not loud, but sharp. Eerily confident, with a hint of mockery.
—Ouch! Eavesdropping is bad!— The sound appeared from within the corridors, like an unmistakable command. As if the very concrete core of the complex spoke it with their voices.
—Is that... is that Taiko?—Denki choked out, shifting from foot to foot.
—He struck the metal hard. With some kind of... staff...— Kyouka struggled to find the words, hissing in pain. — He deafened me in one ear...
The horror was what she heard now. One ear was deaf. But the other... the other could still hear what happened next. Footsteps somewhere deeper. And no echo. As if he moved too quietly for a human.
—Kyouka... what's he doing?— Denki whispered, bracing himself for an attack from all sides. He knew he had to do something, and that made him press himself against the wall, nervously turning from side to side. They were in a long corridor, and next to it was the door they'd emerged from as the hero team. The onlookers were horrified. The hero team was being terrorized right at the starting point! The girl listened. And regretted it.
There was a soft, barely audible scraping of metal. It sounded like a staff slowly swiping along the wall next to them, even though it was far ahead. And it didn't sound like a threat. It sounded like a warning. The damn echoes of the corridors were playing tricks on them, and Taiko knew how to use that to intimidate inexperienced students.
—Damn, those sounds. If I were a little younger, I'd have shit myself with fear.— he whispered, unsure of where to expect the attack, trying to hide the trembling in his knees.
The corridor ahead remained empty, but the feeling of being watched was tangible, like someone's gaze boring into their back, even if they couldn't turn around. And both understood: it wasn't that Taiko was somewhere in the darkness that was scary. What was scary was that he was acting as if he knew exactly where they were, though they doubted Taiko could pinpoint their location. It was only a matter of time before he reached them through this narrow labyrinth. And he was only hesitating because he wanted to crush their morale before the fight even began, but analyzing the situation in such conditions was truly difficult. They had to choose one of two routes and start moving, otherwise someone would get to them very soon!
***
All Might, along with the others, watched the oppressive atmosphere as if it were the calm before a storm. The suit and the Taikou himself looked exactly like real, rather brutal villains, which added to the authenticity of the situation. Top One's eye was drawn to Aizawa's style suit. Toshinori understood what this guy was up to. He had caught his attention ever since the entrance exam, even partially adopting it from Izuku. Generally, Toshinori understood how Taikou's Quirk worked, but the random mass of the staff was quite problematic. In a real fight, you can't rely on chance.
From and to what number of kilograms would the mass increase be? There were numerous gaps in the information sheet about this student and his Quirk. Principal Nezu wasn't trying to learn everything about everyone. After all, the school was quite liberal in nature, but Toshinori understood perfectly well that people whose Quirks were so sparsely detailed were either poorly understood, which was impossible, as too much time had passed since their Quirk first manifested for them to not understand it. Since age four, after all.
Or maybe Taikou had only recently acquired it... that brought back unpleasant thoughts. The bitter aftertaste of his recent defeat against an old enemy who had killed Nana Shimura, Toshinori's mentor. Top One made a note to find out more about Taikou Garaki, likely assigning it to Detective Tsukauchi again. Taikou didn't seem particularly like someone who might be connected to AFO, but he still experienced certain similar feelings in his presence.
«Even the most carefree and harmless people can sometimes hide behind a mask a treacherous and cruel person. It's worth taking a closer look at him,» — All Might thought.
The camera showed Taiko striking a metal rod protruding from the wall with his enhanced staff, creating a deafening shockwave for Kyouka's perception.
All Might was amazed by the depth of Taiko's knowledge. «Did he really know about Kyouka's ability to use her Quirk to enhance perception, and was able to predict its use? Perhaps Shoji showed him last round how to analyze the battlefield with enhanced perception. Taiko is one step ahead, constantly analyzing his surroundings, but I constantly feel like he's not in the right place with his Quirk. His situation seems like a young Izuku. Absolutely. A very competent approach, inflicting psychological damage before even entering combat. His approach is completely unlike that of an inexperienced and immature hero student. One might have assumed such skills if he'd interned with someone, but no! Taiko's only been here for his first week. He clearly has something under his belt. Even a genius like Shoto Todoroki, groomed by his father for heroism his entire life, couldn't act so subtly.»
—Hey, guys, he's right behind you!
—They can't hear you,Ώ — Aoyama stated in his unique manner.
Everyone held their breath at what they saw; they couldn't even imagine the colossal difference between Taiko and everyone else. Perhaps they hadn't noticed it in the heat of battle, but as outside observers, they could witness firsthand all the subtleties of psychological pressure.
— Fighting under psychological pressure is too important a factor to ignore. You're young and inexperienced now, but with time, perhaps during your internship, you'll have the opportunity to overcome your fears and develop your ability to act in various circumstances and scenarios. That's why we're here. These lessons will cover various heroic scenarios. One today, another the next, and so on, until you learn to act based on your reflexes and knowledge. — All Might continued to lecture in parallel.
***
Denki and Kyouka backed away, as if the darkness itself had stepped forward. They shouldn't have turned here... Because Kyouka's enhanced hearing had malfunctioned, they misjudged the direction of the noise. Taiko didn't appear immediately. He knew that anticipation breaks people more than a blow, and fear paralyzes their movements. He moved silently, and only Kyouka could barely detect the waves of movement with one ear, as if he weren't a man, but a predator gliding along wires.
But Denki still noticed something. A barely perceptible flicker above Taiko's head, repeating over and over again, like a beacon in a storm. That's how he'd spotted his approach. The effect of his quirk had inadvertently given Taiko away.
—He's... charging the staff,— Denki managed to squeeze out. —The mass is changing; I've seen that before. That glow is much more visible in the dark.—That's why he's waiting...
Kyoka realized: the staff only grew heavier at certain moments, and this faint flash was the only sign. The Taiko appeared from the shadows without warning, as if he'd breathed out of the darkness.
And then Denki did the only thing he could: he rushed forward. Not heroically, but desperately.
—Run, I'll hold him off! D-don't come any closer, or I'll hit you!— he shouted, his hair already standing on end with the tension. The Taiko approached without a word or pause, like a shadow devoid of emotion or hesitation. Denki rushed forward, surprisingly grasping the completely light staff to discharge electricity into it. For a moment, he even felt euphoria: the staff was incredibly light, the current passed right through him, as if without resistance. It worked. Yes, it worked. He could already see victory in his mind over the man half the academy called nothing less than a monster, though few had seen Taiko in action. Denki himself believed his skills were exaggerated. He was truly terrifying, but he was no stronger than Bakugou.
«I... I can do this!!!» — Fueled by excitement, Denki pushed himself to the limit, burning the line between courage and suicide, losing consciousness from his own strength.
«A million volts!»
The current had passed, but only partially. To his horror, he realized this too late. The current was dampened by his gloves, and only half had reached its target. The charge pierced metal and skin with the snap of a whip. It took him a split second to realize he'd done something stupid. Taiko jerked from the impact, as if he'd been punched in the ribs from the inside. He lost his breath, and a step back turned into a near-fall.
Denki fell to his knees, his eyes rolling back, his teeth chattering. His own electricity was slamming into him. But both remained conscious.
—He electrocuted himself... — Taiko exhaled, struggling to even out his breathing. —A desperate step.
The air trembled and grew heavier. The "inner switch" flicked again, and the mass shifted to an unknown value. Taiko intercepted it and struck, hoping the blow wouldn't tear Denki apart. Denki, dying from nervous system overload, suddenly began to move differently: jerky, jerky, as if his body was tearing its own muscle fibers to accelerate. He moved reflexively. Taiko missed for the first time all day. The blow cut through the air so close to Denki's body that the vibration scratched his skin. It was clear that the mass concentrated in the staff was enormous.
And then something stupid happened, something out of physics textbooks and car accidents. Denki jumped. Clumsily. Reflexively. And landed right on the staff, to Taiko's surprise. The switch flicked again. The mass vanished at that exact moment, and again there was that barely noticeable flash overhead. The staff became as light as a bamboo stick. It simply flew out of Taiko's hands. *_*
«That's why I hate gloves,» — flashed through his mind. The grip of bare palms would never let the weapon escape. This situation unsettled him.
Denki tried to flinch, but his legs wouldn't obey him. He only managed a pointless elbow strike, which Taiko blocked automatically. Taiko was better at close combat than he was with a staff—that was a fact. Even hours of training with a staff couldn't compensate for fighting with his fists. A measly three months of training with a staff master won't make you a master of the staff. When there were no weapons left, all that was left were fists.
Denki smiled: the hysterical smile of someone who had already lost, but would fight to the bitter end. A spark of pride appeared in his gaze: for once, he had done something worthwhile. This moment seemed worth everything in the world. The adrenaline didn't just dull the pain and keep him moving; it made Denki derive pleasure from this moment.
Suddenly, something clicked softly behind him. It wasn't the imaginary switch on her staff, Kyouka. She'd used her new technique. A sonic boom from her own heartbeat, made possible by the suit and its built-in amplifiers. The sound wave struck where Taiko had been, barely grazing his leg, which ached unpleasantly. Taiko felt the blood in his leg throb and rush to leave his veins. The blow missed, but even so, his leg went numb for a few seconds. Denki, barely keeping himself conscious, threw his entire body at Taiko, trying to restrain him. His stupid body had indeed slowed him down, and coupled with the numbness in his limb, it angered Taiko.
A few hard, painful blows landed on Denki, and he lost consciousness completely. Taiko's technique was too refined, too practical compared to a schoolboy whose lips were barely dry. As a former Grimm, he'd often fought and done things like that. He launched a short combination, shattered his already fragile defense, and delivered a finishing blow to the face, leaving numerous cuts and bruises.
Denki collapsed. But at that very moment, Taiko felt something alien. At the moment of impact, he felt a familiar resonance. He'd first felt it back in "Jaku Night," and then after waking up while stealing that child with leukemia's Quirk.
The resonance this time wasn't the same as the previous ones. The first time, it was more akin to a seed blossoming, the second time, it took root, and the third occurred spontaneously due to the electrical shock Denki received—petals unfurling, slowly and steadily. It was as if a bell had been struck by a booming baritone. A wave of soundless sound rolled throughout his body, coursing through his ribs, spine, and muscles. She focused on her heart. It twitched as if it belonged to someone else. And Denki was already unconscious. And not just from the blow. He collapsed, as if the resonance had burned away part of his strength, as if energy had met energy.
From somewhere in the darkness, Kyouka tried to take a step forward, hissing in pain and fear.
—Ta-i...ko,— a broken half-whisper came from Kyouka. For a few seconds, she hesitated to approach Denki and Taiko, but then remembered that this was a battle, albeit not a real one, but they were opponents now. The girl ran away before Taiko could react outwardly.
But Taiko stood there, slightly unsteady, his hand on his chest, his heart pounding wildly. He could have sworn that a part of something inexplicable had left him and struck like lightning straight into Denki's soul. Or at least, what he felt could be called soul. And for the first time in the entire fight, something resembling fear appeared in him. He wasn't as bitter, even though he'd clumsily dropped his staff and taken a couple of blows—not at all. Feeling something unknown was far more frightening. Some force within him had been hidden since "Night in Jaku," hinting at its existence only at rare moments. At first glance, it was unclear what the hell was going on, but Taiko understood perfectly well where it was coming from.
Oneself is his second Quirk, and it somehow interacts with his other Quirks. Just like his Quirk, All For One. Coincidence? Not if you explain it with "Night in Jaku."
...
Running quickly through the corridors, Kyoka's knees began to ache, and she rushed deeper into the complex, repeating to herself: just don't run into him again, just don't run into him again. Around the next turn, she was met by a door sealed with metal inserts and a huge dent and cracks in the wall—the very blow with which Taiko had stunned her earlier.
She imagined the power the staff could wield; even if it randomly chose its mass, it was still a powerful weapon, capable of breaking limbs with ease. Taiko didn't seem like someone who would pity her for her fragility; she only had to remember how mercilessly Taiko had beaten Denki, leaving a multitude of bruises on his face for a long time.
—I'm finished...— she breathed out, but still connected the connector to her boot and launched a sonic wave. All she could do was keep moving. Taiko was behind her. The barrier shook, but remained in place. She struck again, again, and again... trying to force a way through, ignoring the tension that was wracking her face and aching her eye sockets. And it was the sound that gave her away. The corridor fell silent, then whistled. Drawn out, calm, almost mocking.
—Kyoka~...
—Holy shit...— she shuddered, realizing she'd attracted unwanted attention. It was worse than the footsteps. Worse than the approach. It was a reminder that the hunt wasn't over yet. The barrier finally collapsed, and she rushed inside, hoping to quickly grab the bomb and complete the test, even if it meant getting hurt. Her mind was completely reeling under these conditions, and for a moment she hopefully thought she'd finally reached the room with the bomb, completely forgetting about Momo.
But the room was empty. So empty that it seemed empty from the start. Kyoka sank to her knees, unable even to be afraid. This was a dead end.
—I give up...
Somewhere far away, Momo, with a satisfied weariness, decided that sealing the additional false passage had been an excellent idea.
—The test is complete,the villain team wins.— It echoed like a bolt from the blue. Relaxing calmly, not doubting the outcome for a second, Momo began to open the real passage.