Team A stood outside the mock office building that would serve as their battlefield.
The heavy metal doors loomed ahead, sealed shut until the exercise officially began.
Izumi adjusted her gloves and glanced toward her partner.
Ochaco was stretching her shoulders, seemingly relaxed despite the fact that they were about to face Katsumi Bakugo.
Her costume looked incredible.
Not just good.
Professional.
Izumi's eyes narrowed slightly.
How long did it take Aoyama to make that suit?
The more she looked at it, the stranger it felt.
The proportions were perfect.
The fit was perfect.
The support gear blended seamlessly into the design.
Meanwhile...
My mom secretly made my costume, and it's oversized in three different places.
Izumi glanced down at her own outfit.
The sleeves were slightly loose.
The shoulders weren't quite right.
Nothing terrible.
Just...
Uninspiring.
Her eyes drifted back to Ochaco.
A horrifying realization struck her.
The only way to have such a great suit was—
Her eyebrows twitched.
"If he took your measurements...?"
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
A second later, her imagination betrayed her.
Aoyama standing behind Ochaco.
A measuring tape wrapped around her waist.
Ochaco smiling.
Aoyama smiling.
The two staring lovingly into each other's eyes while he carefully took her measurements.
Izumi immediately felt her soul trying to leave her body.
Ochaco blinked.
"...What?"
"N-Nothing!"
Izumi nearly jumped.
Her face warmed beneath her mask.
"I was just admiring your suit."
Ochaco looked down at herself.
"Oh."
"And... your name's Ochaco, right?"
Izumi extended a hand.
"My name's Izumi Midoriya."
Ochaco accepted it.
"Uh... thanks for the compliment?"
She still looked slightly confused.
Then she tilted her head.
"Oh! You're friends with Aoyama too, right?"
Izumi blinked.
"Friends?"
"Yeah."
Ochaco smiled.
"I saw you waving him over this morning."
A small smile appeared on Izumi's face.
"I saved him a seat."
She rubbed the back of her neck.
"We didn't get much time to talk yesterday."
"That makes sense."
Ochaco nodded.
Then her smile brightened.
"Well, if you're Aoyama's friend, then you're my friend too."
The statement came so naturally that Izumi froze for a moment.
Ochaco extended her fist.
"So let's pass this battle test."
Izumi smiled and bumped her fist.
"Right."
Then Ochaco glanced down at Izumi's costume.
"Aoyama didn't make your suit too, did he?"
Izumi immediately straightened.
"No."
The answer came out much faster than intended.
"My mom made it."
For some reason, she felt oddly defensive.
Ochaco quickly waved her hands.
"Ah! I wasn't trying to be mean!"
"You weren't?"
"No!"
Ochaco shook her head.
"I was wondering if he'd made support gear for you too."
She tapped one of her web-shooters.
"Since he helped me with these."
"Oh."
That actually made sense.
Before Izumi could respond, a loud buzzer echoed through the building.
Both girls looked up.
A nearby monitor flickered to life.
"Hero Team A, proceed inside."
All Might's voice boomed through the speakers.
"The exercise is about to begin!"
The doors slowly slid open.
A dark hallway waited beyond them.
Izumi and Ochaco exchanged one final look.
Then, together, they stepped inside.
—
Meanwhile, inside the building, the villain team stood in front of the mock bomb.
Tenya Iida paced before it with his arms crossed.
"I must admit," he said seriously, "training exercise or not, it pains me to assume the role of a villain."
Katsumi barely looked at him.
Iida continued.
"However, if this exercise is to have value, then I must commit myself fully."
He adjusted his glasses.
"I shall perform my role with the utmost sincerity."
"Yeah, yeah."
Katsumi waved him off.
"Do whatever you want."
Her attention was elsewhere.
Specifically, on Izumi Midoriya.
The memory of yesterday's Quirk Assessment flashed through her mind.
Izumi had hidden a Quirk.
A powerful one.
That overturned everything Katsumi thought she knew about her.
She had always assumed Izumi got lucky during the entrance exam.
That she'd ridden on the coattails of a stronger examinee to earn enough points to pass.
And Katsumi had been convinced that examinee was Aoyama.
She'd become even more certain when he stepped in to stop their fight yesterday.
That was all the proof she needed.
Aoyama was obviously the type who couldn't stand seeing someone helpless.
The kind of hero who would lift up a Quirkless girl even if it made her dependent on him.
Katsumi bit her fingernail.
I'm sure she was Quirkless.
So how does she suddenly have a Quirk now?
A grin spread across her face.
"That damn nerd. I've figured it out."
Her eyes narrowed.
"She's cheating."
"That Aoyama guy is helping her. Just like he helped that round-faced girl."
Images of Aoyama flashed through her mind.
He always seemed to have something prepared.
Something hidden.
A solution for every situation.
I don't know what his Quirk is...
But I'm sure little Deku is benefiting from it somehow.
"I'm going to expose your little secret and get you expelled when this is over."
Without another thought, Katsumi left to intercept the hero team.
Her grenade gauntlets swayed at her sides as she stalked through the silent building.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Murmur...
Murmur...
After descending four floors, she finally heard voices.
Her palm sparked.
A savage grin spread across her face.
There.
She kicked off a wall and launched herself around the corner.
Her eyes locked onto a green-clad heroine and her partner.
"WAAAH!"
Izumi shouted.
She tackled both herself and Ochaco aside.
BOOOOM!
An explosion tore through the hallway.
Smoke filled the air.
Katsumi emerged from the dust with a grin.
"Nice dodge, Deku."
Izumi pushed herself up.
Aside from the scorched edge of her mask, she was unharmed.
"I knew it!"
She glared at Katsumi.
"Kacchan was definitely going to come straight for me."
Katsumi's right hand crackled with explosions.
"Don't get full of yourself."
She raised her arm.
"I'll make sure you don't walk away unscathed this time."
Izumi suddenly lowered her stance and rushed forward.
She grabbed Katsumi's arm.
Before Katsumi could react, Izumi twisted.
"RAAAAH!"
With all her strength, she pulled.
SLAM!
Katsumi hit the floor hard.
Her head struck the concrete before she even understood what had happened.
"Urgh!"
Pain shot through her spine.
"Kacchan, you always lead with your right hand."
Izumi tightened her fists.
"I've watched you enough to know that."
She took a shaky breath.
"I spent years analyzing heroes in notebooks you burned and threw out the window."
Katsumi's eyes widened.
"Kacchan, I'm not going to be your worthless punching-bag Deku forever."
Izumi squared her shoulders.
Raised her head.
And met Katsumi's gaze.
"I'm going to be the Deku who always does her best!"
Katsumi clenched her teeth.
Her vision practically turned red.
"You're starting to piss me off, you Quirkless, cheating bitch!"
Izumi froze.
"Do you think I haven't figured it out yet?"
Katsumi rose to her feet.
"How does a Quirkless nobody suddenly become some overconfident freak with more guts than anyone else I've met?!"
Izumi's confidence wavered.
Her heart pounded.
Had Katsumi somehow discovered One For All?
Katsumi pointed at her.
"It's simple."
A cruel grin spread across her face.
"You found someone willing to put you on a leash."
She lifted her gauntlet.
"And in return, they gave you a way to pretend you're special."
Izumi's expression darkened.
Then she saw Katsumi reach for the pin on her gauntlet.
A terrible premonition washed over her.
The motion reminded her far too much of the attacker from the night before.
She immediately turned toward Ochaco.
"Get away from here!"
Katsumi sneered.
"There you go again, acting special."
Her finger tightened on the trigger.
"I hate it."
"Miss Bakugo!"
All Might's voice exploded through their earpieces.
"Stop this at once! You're putting your classmates in danger!"
Katsumi ignored him.
"Let's see if whatever power Aoyama gave you can stop this!"
Izumi's body reacted on instinct.
CLICK.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The explosion nearly collided with Izumi's body.
A compressed shockwave erupted through the hallway.
The floor cracked.
Windows shattered.
An entire section of wall vanished.
The blast tore through multiple floors above them before ripping out into the sky.
Dust poured through the ruined corridor.
"Hah."
Katsumi lowered her smoking arm.
A wild grin spread across her face.
"Not bad."
Chunks of concrete slid from the ceiling around her.
"You're still standing."
Her eyes locked onto Izumi.
"But let's see how long that lasts."