Hello, it's been brought to my attention about his quirk being named Ten Shadows, and I'll be honest that was just a mistake. In my head, all I'm thinking about when writing is TenShadows. So I've edited the chapter now. His quirk is now called Shadow Shikigami.
...
All Might clapped his hands together so hard the sound bounced around the concrete.
"It's time for Battle Training!!" His voice filled Ground Beta.
The chatter died off in a wave.
Megumi stood near the back, hands tucked in his coat pockets. Kirishima and Kaminari were almost vibrating in place. Iida had gone perfectly straight. Bakugo already looked like he wanted to blow something up.
Right away, the first one to raise their hand was Ida, "Sensei! This appears to be the same field used in the Entrance Exam. Will we once again be performing cityscape maneuvers?"
"NOPE! You'll be moving onto step two!" All Might said, pacing in front of the mock city, "Indoor Anti-Personnel Battle Training. Villain battles are most commonly seen outdoors, but... Statistically, the most heinous villains.. Are more likely to appear indoors."
"Between confinement, house arrest, and black market deals... In this hero-filled society of ours...AHEM."
"The cleverest villains out there lurk indoors!!."
"You'll now be split into VILLAIN teams and HERO teams..." He turned, cape swishing. "And face off in TWO-ON-TWO Indoor Battles!!"
He held up one gloved hand, fingers spread.
"So no basic training?" Tsuyu asked.
"Practical experience teaches you the basics!"
"The distinction here is that you won't be fighting disposable robots."
A low buzz moved through the class asking questions about the exercise.
Pulling out a notebook All Might started reading from it, "Listen up!! Here's the deal. The Villains will be hiding a nuclear weapon in the hideout and the Heroes have to go in and take care of it!"
"The Heroes have a limited amount of time to either capture the Villains or secure the weapon," All Might added. "The Villains must either capture the Heroes or protect the weapon until time is up."
Bakugo cracked his neck with a grin on his face. Midoriya swallowed hard.
Megumi shifted his weight while flexing his hands getting ready.
All Might pulled out a box covered in tape that read "Lots."
"Your battle partners will be decided by... Drawing Lots!" His grin widened.
He set the box on a table.
"Is that really the best way?!" Ida asked.
"Makes sense, because pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot during emergencies..." Midoriya said answering Ida's question.
"I see..! I apologize for getting ahead of myself... My Mistake!" Ida said bowing up and down to All Might
"It's fine!! Let's just get to it!!"
Students lined up quickly. Ashido hummed under her breath. Kaminari whispered predictions at whoever would listen. Mineta was already scheming about "team ups with cute girls" and getting ignored.
Megumi reached the front, dipped a hand in, and pulled out a ball.
"F," it read in black marker.
He stepped aside, listening as the others called out their letters.
Megumi glanced at the ball still in his hand. When the last student stepped away from the box, All Might clapped once.
"Good! To confirm, our pairings are as follows."
"Team A: Midoriya and Uraraka."
"Team B: Todoroki and Shoji."
"Team C: Yaoyorozu and Mineta."
"Team D: Bakugo and Iida."
"Team E: Ashido and Aoyama."
"Team F: Sato and Fushiguro."
"Team G: Jiro and Kaminari."
"Team H: Tokoyami and Asui."
"Team I: Ojiro and Hagakure."
"Team J: Kirishima and Sero."
Kirishima threw an arm around Sero's shoulders. "Nice. Let's make it manly, partner."
Ashido bumped her hip into Aoyama. "Team sparkle and slime, baby."
Sato ran over to Megumi. "Fushiguro, we're partners. I'm Rikido Sato, Nice to meet you!"
Megumi nodded towards him. "Likewise."
'He's a strength type. Should be a good combination with my Shikigami.'
All Might raised the box again.
"Moving on, First up are... These!!"
"The Heroes are Team A!!"
"The Villains are Team D!!"
Midoriya and Bakugo flinched at the result.
Megumi watched Midoriya quietly. He looked as if he was about throw up.
"Villain team goes in first! The timer starts in five minutes, when the Hero team sneaks in. The rest of us will watch VIA CCTV!"
"Ida. Bakugo. You boys need to adopt a villain mind-set! This is practical experience so go all out, don't hold back! Though I will stop you if you take things too far."
"Hero team, Team A, stay here and study the building layout." All Might held up a printed map. "You have five minutes to plan."
Midoriya and Uraraka huddled around the blueprint. From this distance, Megumi could only make out Midoriya's frantic hand gestures and head nods.
All Might turned to the rest of them.
"Everyone else, to the monitoring room. You will watch and learn."
The observation room looked like something out of a movie control center. Rows of seats, a wall of screens showing different camera angles, and a large main feed All Might could switch between with a remote.
Megumi took a seat slightly off to the side with Sato. Kirishima dropped into the one next to him. Ashido, Kaminari, Jiro, and Yaoyorozu clustered nearby.
All Might stood at the front, finger on the mic that linked him to the teams.
"Villains ready?"
A small indicator on the screen blinked green.
"Heroes ready?"
Another green light.
"Then begin."
A siren flashed across the monitors and the timer in the corner started counting down from 15:00.
On one feed, Midoriya and Uraraka slipped into the building at ground level, moving cautiously. On another, Bakugo lurked at a corner of some interior hallway, body coiled, while Ida paced in a room that contained the bomb.
"Look at Ida," Ashido laughed. "He really is taking this villain thing seriously."
On the screen, he seemed to be lecturing the empty room, sweeping his arms in big motions.
Megumi watched Bakugo instead. The blonde's shoulders were tight, eyes fixed ahead. He did not look like he was thinking about the objective at all.
'Bakugo and Midoriya clearly have a complicated relationship. So this is bad matchup for Midoriya if he can't get his quirk under control. But if Midoriya can take advantage of Bakugo's anger... He'll win.'
Midoriya and Uraraka crept up a stairwell, Midoriya glancing at every junction.
At the next turn, Bakugo sprang out from the side, palm already igniting. The explosion that hit the wall made the entire observation room flinch, even without sound. The camera shook and Midoriya's mask shattered on one side.
"That's low, Bakugo!! Sneak attack are so unmanly!!" Kirishima yelled out.
On the main screen, smoke cleared just enough to show Midoriya still standing, body between Bakugo and where Uraraka crouched behind a pillar.
"As a villain, ambushing the heroes is part of the role." Megumi responded to Kirishima's outburst. "Manly or not."
Bakugo lunged. Midoriya grabbed his arm and used the momentum to slam him onto his back. The whole row of students leaned forward.
Kaminari pointed. "Wait, did he just judo-throw Bakugo?"
"Nice," Kirishima breathed. "That was manly as hell."
Megumi stared at the replay on the smaller feed.
'He anticipated the swing. He has fought Bakugo enough times to read that.'
The fight turned into a chase. On the screen, Midoriya seemed to yell a command to Uraraka. She nodded and broke away, heading for the stairs while Midoriya stayed to hold off Bakugo.
Bakugo ignored her completely, his eyes locked solely on Midoriya.
In the bomb room on the top floor, the camera showed Iida pacing. He stopped, looking at the fake bomb. Then, he started gesturing wildly, striking a pose with his hands in the air, laughing maniacally at the empty room.
"What is he doing?" Kaminari asked, squinting at the screen.
Back on the lower floors, Bakugo was hunting.
He found Midoriya hiding around a corner. The two clashed again, Bakugo using his explosions to charge directly at Midoriya again and attempting to kick him.
Midoriya quickly lunging forward, redirecting Bakugo's kick with the capture tape.
The chase continued with Midoriya leading Bakugo away from Uraraka.
On the screen, Bakugo suddenly stopped. He raised his arm, pointing the large grenade-shaped gauntlet directly at Midoriya. His finger hovered over the pin.
All Might's eyes widened. He grabbed the microphone.
"Bakugo, stop it now!" All Might yelled. "Kid. Your trying to kill him?"
On the screen, Bakugo shouted something back, a look of manic desperation on his face. He pulled the pin.
BOOM.
A massive beam of fire ripped through the hallway, blowing out the wall of the building. The camera feed went white for a second. The building shook.
"I thought this was just practice!" Kirishima shouted.
When the smoke cleared, half the hallway was gone. Midoriya was on the ground, uniform scorched.
Midoriya stood up, legs shaking. He put a hand to his earpiece, lips moving.
All Might's hand slammed down on the console.
"Bakugo." he said into the mic. "Use that move again... And I will forcibly end the match. You will lose."
The class went still.
Bakugo didn't respond. On-screen, he adjusted his stance, smoke curling around him, eyes locked on Midoriya as if daring him to stand.
And Midoriya did.
The fight shifted after that.
Bakugo rushed him, fists and blasts combined, overwhelming Midoriya in pure close-quarters combat. Every time Midoriya tried to counter, Bakugo read him, adapted, and punished the opening.
"He's figured him out," Megumi said quietly. "Bakugo's adjusting faster."
Bakugo slammed Midoriya into the floor, then the wall, then drove him backward again, never letting up.
"His instincts are insane," Kaminari whispered.
"Why hasn't he captured Midoriya yet? They could've won by now."
"Arrogance." Megumi replied
"He believes himself to be better than Midoriya."
Above Midoriya and Bakugo, Uraraka finally reached the bomb room.
She floated herself up, stretching for the bomb.
And Iida moved.
He snatched the bomb and dashed across the room in a blur, engines screaming as he vaulted over debris, keeping it away from her grasp.
Uraraka grit her teeth, spinning midair to try again.
Back on the lower floors, after having what looks like a conversation. Bakugo and Midoriya charged at each other down a long hallway.
At the last second, Midoriya shouted into his comm.
Uraraka listening to what Midoriya said wrapped herself around a concrete pillar.
She didn't hesitate.
Midoriya raised one arm to block Bakugo's explosion head-on.
And with his other arm, activating his quirk he punched upward.
The force broke through five floors of concrete.
The entire class shouted at once.
"WHAT?!"
"No way…!"
"That's insane!"
The bomb room ceiling exploded inward.
Rubble and concrete flying towards the sky from Midoriya's punch.
Uraraka swung the pillar, hitting the rubble in the air launching it towards Ida's direction. Forcing Ida to dodge, leaving the bomb unguarded.
Uraraka released the pillar, dropped her gravity, launched herself through the opening and slapped both hands onto the bomb.
The timer froze at 0:49.
"Hero Team wins!" All Might announced.
A large "Hero Win" marker flashed across the monitor.
The room burst into noise.
"They did it!"
"The losing team is nearly unscathed… While the winners are down for the count… They lost the battle… But they won the war, so to speak."
All Might stepped back from the console as medical bots on the feed went in to collect Midoriya and headed towards the building where fight took place.
A few minutes later, he came into the observation room with Bakugo, Ida, and Uraraka in tow. Bakugo's jaw was clenched, eyes glued to the floor. Uraraka fidgeted, glancing between her hands and the screens. Iida stood disappointed. Midoriya was notably absent.
"Good work, everyone," All Might said, his tone more measured now. "Before we move to the next battle, we will review the fight and what we should improve on."
The class buzzed. Everyone looked toward Midoriya's empty seat, then toward Uraraka.
All Might lifted one finger.
"The MVP of this match was… Ida."
A few jaws dropped.
"Seriously?" Kaminari said.
Even Iida blinked. "M… me?"
"But weren't the ones who won Midoriya and Uraraka?" Tsuyu asked
"I wonder why? Anyone know?!"
Yaoyorozu nodded. "I do, All Might. It's because Ida was most able to adapt to the scenario."
"From what I saw, Bakugo's every action was motivated by an obvious personal grudge. Midoriya suffered from the same results."
Bakugo's hands balled into fists. He did not argue, but the line of his shoulders tightened.
"Uraraka lost focus halfway through, and her final attack was way too haphazard. Such an attack would be unthinkable if the bomb was real."
She faced Ida.
"But Ida formed an actual counter-strategy and he envisioned what the actual struggle would be like. He was only too late in reacting at the very end. The hero team only won because this was a training exercise with exploitable constraints."
All Might gave a thumbs up.
"Yes... You're Correct. Alright. Next match."
He turned back to the console.
"Team B versus Team I. Heroes: Todoroki and Shoji. Villains: Ojiro and Hagakure."
Todoroki and Shoji left without much comment. Hagakure called, "We'll do our best!" from somewhere near the doorway. Ojiro just nodded, tail swaying behind him.
On the monitors, Shoji waited outside while Todoroki walked into the building alone.
He raised one hand.
A cold white wave rushed down the corridors. Ice spread through the entire structure in seconds, crawling up walls and floors, encasing doors and windows. The villains, somewhere on the fourth floor, were suddenly frozen in place, bomb and all.
Even in the observation room, a faint chill seemed to seep into the air.
"Whoa," Kirishima whispered. "That's… insane."
Kaminari shivered dramatically. "Remind me to never piss him off."
'Recommended student. As of now, my only chance against him would be to use Nue.'
"Without harming his ally or the bomb," All Might said. "He immobilized the enemy!"
On screen, Todoroki walked calmly through the doorway, passed the frozen Ojiro and the invisible outline holding onto the air, and touched the payload.
"Hero Win" flashed again.
Todoroki melted the ice afterward with his left side, steam rising in sheets from the building.
Ashido wiped sweat from her forehead. "Scary."
Bakugo scowled at the screen. Megumi did not miss the way his jaw clenched when he looked at Todoroki's calm back.
The next teams lined up.
"Third battle. Team H versus Team J."
Tokoyami and Tsuyu took the hero role. Kirishima and Sero headed in as villains.
Kirishima punched a fist into his palm. "We will make this the most manly villain performance."
From the cameras, Megumi watched Kirishima and Sero take over one of the central rooms on one of the mid floors, tape blocking any path to the bomb. Dark Shadow's silhouette flickered in another corridor as Tokoyami used him to scout around corners, while Tsuyu moved quickly through stairwells, hopping railings with her long legs.
One monitor showed Kirishima charging straight down a hall toward Dark Shadow, hardening mid-run. The impact lit up the feed, blow meeting blow. Sero wrapped tape around support pillars and tried to pin Dark Shadow's movements.
At the same time, another angle showed Tsuyu quietly slipping up behind them from a different corridor, using the ceilings and walls to stay off the ground, tongue snapping out now and then to tug herself along.
Kirishima eventually got tangled in his own ally's tape, stuck against a wall and still struggling. Tsuyu dropped down from above and used capture tape to bind Sero while Dark Shadow pinned Kirishima in place.
The win marker flashed.
Kirishima dropped back into his seat with a breathy laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Man… we totally got outplayed," he said easily. "But, seriously... Tokoyami, that fight was the best one I've had so far."
Tokoyami turned his head slightly, crimson eyes flicking toward him. Dark Shadow stirred at his shoulder, preening faintly.
"You charged forward without hesitation," Tokoyami replied. "Your resolve was… admirable. Even when it led you into disadvantage."
Kirishima grinned wider at that, teeth flashing. "Heck yeah! Coming from you, that means a lot. Your shadow's no joke, felt like I was punching the night itself."
Dark Shadow puffed up proudly. "He acknowledges our might!"
Tokoyami cleared his throat. "Do not let it inflate your ego."
The fourth match came next.
"Team G versus Team C. Heroes: Jiro and Kaminari. Villains: Yaoyorozu and Mineta."
On screen, Yaoyorozu fortified the bomb room immediately. Insulation boards lined the inside of the door. Barriers were layered, deliberate and dense. Mineta coated the floor in adhesive spheres, creating a trap zone around the bomb.
"They're preparing for Kaminari," Megumi said quietly.
Jiro quickly found the bomb room, earphone jacks pressed to the walls. She signaled Kaminari.
He didn't hesitate.
Lightning detonated down the hallway at full output.
The surge hit the insulated door and flooded the room with power.
Then Kaminari collapsed.
Two thumbs up. Vacant smile.
The room erupted with laughter.
"He fried himself," Ashido wheezed.
Covering his face with his hands, "Idiot." Megumi said cringing at Kaminari.
Yaoyorozu moved instantly.
She burst through the door with a staff, capture tape snapping out in practiced arcs. Mineta fired his spheres low, pinning Kaminari's feet and catching Jiro mid-step.
Jiro fought, but she was alone.
Within seconds, both heroes were bound.
Villain victory.
Yaoyorozu exhaled. Mineta pumped his fist, stuck to the floor and grinning anyway.
"The Last Match is upon us!" His smile returned. "Team E versus Team F."
Ashido shot her hands into the air. "That's us!"
Aoyama stepped forward like he was on a stage, one hand on his hip, cape catching the light. "Naturally. The spotlight was bound to find me."
All Might glanced at his tablet. "Heroes for this round will be Ashido and Aoyama. Villains will be Sato and Fushiguro."
A few people turned in their seats.
Kirishima leaned over and gave Megumi a solid pat on the shoulder. "Nice. Last match of the day. That's a good place to be."
"Just don't level the building like some people," Jiro added dryly.
Mina walked over to Megumi and Sato. "Hey, you guys better not hold back on us."
Megumi looked at her, serious. "Don't worry about that."
Megumi glanced back at the monitors. The screens still looped fragments of earlier fights: ice crawling over walls, explosions going off in the building, a punch that went through five layers of concrete.
'Everyone's shown something,' he thought as he stretched out his arms. 'Guess it's my turn. Time to get fired up.'
Megumi adjusted the collar of his coat, then looked at his partner. His expression wasn't tense. If anything, it was focused.
"Alright," he said. "Let's go."