If you didn't know by now: RottedKarma is the demigod who makes my chapters human-readable.

Match 1: Midoriya Izuku and Tokoyami Fumikage as the villains vs. Todoroki Shoto and Hagakure Tooru as the heroes

Everyone watched in anticipation as Midoriya and Tokoyami entered the building.

"Five minutes until the heroes set foot in the base!"

Izuku was tense, not only because his partner seemed to be on an even keel and he didn't want to blow the exercise, but also because of the look in Todoroki's eyes – devoid of any emotion, like a hawk fixing its gaze on a rabbit. It was the epitome of superiority, the eyes of someone who was absolutely certain of victory.

"Well then." Surprised, Izuku glanced at his partner. Tokoyami didn't look at him as he spoke. "We shall brace ourselves for the upcoming storm. What do you propose?"

Izuku blinked. He'd never encountered someone who spoke like this. Not even Iida came close.

"Er," he began eloquently, "well, so… your Quirk? What is it? Some sort of strength enhancement, probably, but I didn't really see that much of it. Your skin changed color and…"

"I regret to inform you that you were afflicted with a misunderstanding," Tokoyami interrupted as courteously as possible. "My Quirk is a sentient beast of shadows, dwelling in my innermost part. If released, it is forsooth a force to be reckoned with."

"You bet I am!"

Midoriya yelped (He yelped! In front of a classmate! Damnit!) and looked at the creature that'd suddenly manifested between them.

"Name's Dark Shadow! I'm your third man in this!"

"Thou art worlds apart from being a man, for thou art not even human."

"Blah, blah! Spoilsport!"

Those two were the strangest duo Izuku had ever encountered, and he'd known Katsuki for pretty much his whole life. Be that as it may – now he had a starting point. And he'd literally spent years discussing strategies and situations with his explosive friend exactly for moments like this. So his mind started developing a policy, suddenly devoid of any embarrassment or anxiety.

My notes on indoor fighting… Hero strategies for the future, Nr. 4!

"Alright! How strong is your Quirk at maximum? Does it have any weak points? Can you two communicate telepathically? How fast is it? Can it change size or shape?"

Tokoyami probably had the best poker face in the world, but somehow his expression delivered the spirit of a raised eyebrow.

Then, he began answering his questions in his quite roundabout way, with Dark Shadow breaking in on him to add something from time to time.

Together, they devised a strategy.

And after that, the match began.

"Start!"

Shoto didn't waste any time in acting. He simply told Hagakure to step back before touching the wall.

Instantaneously, ice spread from his hand, rapidly starting to cover the building and everything in it. It barely took ten seconds before each and every room was coated… except for one.

Shoto frowned. That hadn't been part of the plan. It seemed like their opponents had managed to prevent the bomb from getting frozen, which meant they'd expected his attack to some degree.

Hagakure looked at him (probably). "Now?" Her voice betrayed her dissatisfaction over his solo action, but also awe. Of course.

Since Shoto was sour from both of their adversaries somehow avoiding his attack, he regarded her with a chilling look. "They escaped."

"Ah." Now the invisible girl seemed really annoyed. "Perfect." Shoto was on the brink on losing his temper when he asked, "What do you mean?" through gritted teeth.

"What I mean," she answered snippily, "is that either you unfreeze the floor, or I'll have to go inside with shoes on, which would pretty much negate the advantage I have when it comes to getting to the bomb."

Shoto clenched his fists.

She was right.

That girl, who – judging by her efforts in class so far – was most likely less intelligent than him by a considerable margin, was right. He hadn't shown enough foresight.

Shoto unfroze the floor.

As they stepped in, he explained which room had been the one he'd been unable to freeze while she doffed gloves and shoes. "I'll get their attention. While I engage them, your job is it to get up and secure the bomb."

Hagakure nodded (and said "yes" after Shoto got impatient).

"Good. Then all that's lef -"

At that moment, a dark blur shot towards them from a side corridor, crashing into him and hurling him to the other side of the room.

Midoriya?

But how? He should've been frozen if he'd been so near!

Then Shoto saw the hole in the ceiling.

So they made arrangements?

Shoto got up, ready to attack, when he saw the dark-clad boy exchanging quick blows with Hagakure who seemed unable to damage him even with her invisibility. This meant using ice on him wasn't an option – too risky with a naked comrade nearby. So Shoto did the logical thing and jumped at the chance to get up to the third floor, where the bomb was.

After all, he had a special advantage against that particular student.

Target Building, the Basement Monitor Room

"Whoa, that was quick!"

"Definitely unexpected. How did he pull that off?"

"So now it's down to two one-on-one fights? But Todoroki-kun is a monster! I mean, no offense, but do any of you actually think Tokoyami-kun stands a chance?"

"He does." Everyone turned around to Bakugo, who'd answered on Uraraka's question.

"How do you know?" Kirishima asked in surprise. Bakugo didn't seem to be the type of man who said things like that just because his friend was fighting.

"'cause Icyhot and Invisi… Hagakure are suckers for his plan." Katsuki smirked. "If Deku has the initiative, you're fucked. And that fight's the damn paragon of initiative. Just look – he's already fighting the more dangerous one."

"What? Hagakure-chan is more dangerous than Todoroki-kun?" Kaminari asked, flummoxed.

"Of course she is!" Katsuki barked content when the idiot shut his mouth. "She's fucking invisible – if they'd let her get away she'd get to the bomb for sure, imbecile!" He looked back at the monitor, where Deku was still in that ridiculous fistfight. "He'll end it any second now that Icyhot's too far away."

"You mean he's toying with her?" Sero asked quizzically. "Doesn't look like it…"

"Please," Katsuki groaned, starting to seriously question this class' intelligence. "I've known Deku since we were old enough for our mothers to arrange it! He spent years collecting all that nerd knowledge in that big brain of his! And we both spent the same years beating the shit out of each other so we could get stronger! No way in hell he'd fight that pathetically unless it's for a plan!"

That shut up the other idiots, and they looked back at the screen.

At the third floor…

The hallway quickly became bone-chilling cold as a now thoroughly annoyed Shoto stopped in front of the second door. Those two actually managed to irritate him. Well, mostly Midoriya – though if Hagakure still managed to detain him, he obviously proved to be less of an obstacle than he'd initially thought.

Anyway, their plan was bound to fail.

Shoto opened the door and stepped in. That was his first mistake, he realized, as soon as he took in his surroundings in the pitch-black room. Their opponents had blanketed the windows.

Shoto got a glimpse at Tokoyami, who stood in the center of the room, before the door slammed shut.

"My regards to thee, hero. Behold, for this shall be thy remembrance ceremony."

At the main floor…

Izuku smiled when he heard Tokoyami say the keyword.

Now he had to be fast.

"Hydrolysis!"

Tooru in the meantime was getting frustrated. She was invisible, so Izuku at least had a hard time actually hitting her. But that didn't really matter, as he'd somehow not only transformed his body, but also his clothing into some kind of foam which rendered all her punches useless. And Izuku himself had only used his normal fists – he held back so obviously that she was on the verge of tears.

Then he smiled, and everything went downhill from there.

For starters? Her next punch went into liquid. Liquid. She yelped and yanked her hand back, only to have it surrounded by something heavy.

Appalled, she looked at her hand that was suddenly encased in metal – and very visible.

Then Izuku's punch hit her – he'd still not transformed his fists, damn it! – and hurled her against the wall. In a daze, she only noticed the capture tape around her arm peripherally.

Izuku sighed and clutched his side while running up the stairs.

"Hero Team, Hagakure: Captured!" All Might proudly announced in the background. Izuku paid him no mind. He hadn't heard anything from Tokoyami, and that meant something had gone wrong.

At the third floor…

Shoto reacted quickly. One mental command and ice surrounded him, mere moments before an incredible force slammed into it. He crashed into the door and leapt aside as the same force hit it with an audible bang, then got up and adopted a fighting stance, breathing rapidly. He didn't know what Tokoyami was capable of; he only knew that if he wanted to act, he had to do it now.

"I know your face."

That made an impact. Shoto could sense the moment of hesitation before a giant something tried to grab him, making him stagger back.

"I shall be honored, for someone with a name as fabled as yours to acknowledge someone as caddish as myse-"

"None of that. I know your face. The Shizuoka Seven."

The attacks stopped.

"You'd have been number eight, if not for my old man. I'm somewhat grateful for that incident, actually. I can hardly remember an event that infuriated him as much as that one."

"I must ask you to refrain from pursuing further." Tokoyami's voice sounded somewhat strained. Shoto all but smiled. So he was right. He had actually enrolled at U.A. He would've felt sympathy with him – their circumstances were awfully similar – but right now, it was an opportunity too good to not be seized.

So he continued conversationally, "I wonder how it must feel for you. So many efforts to conceal everything, and then you meet me at school, of all people."

"So far and no further," Tokoyami's voice resonated in the room, somewhat distorted. "I… cannot guarantee… for thy…"

"What do you think they'll say as soon as they find it out?"

"Cease…"

"Give up."

"Hero Team, Hagakure: Captured!"

What? Damn. If Midoriya came up here, and paired up with Tokoyami's mysterious strength… he had to end this as quickly as possible.

So he crossed the boundary.

"No one will ever acknowledge you again. You will be alone. I'm not even sure if they'd let you continue at U.A. if they find out about this."

"Stop!" Panic. Mild, but panic nonetheless. He had him.

Suddenly, the door crashed open.

Three things happened at once.

First, Midoriya came rushing in, body and clothing transformed into solid diamond.

Second, Shoto created an ice wall to protect himself.

Third, Shoto caught a glimpse of Tokoyami – and ossified.

Behind the bird-headed teen, the shadows danced.

It was as if the darkness itself had consolidated and was lashing out with dozens of jet-black tendrils, twirling around and seeping through the gloom. Neither liquid nor solid, just a minatory accumulation of tenebrous appendages, watching them with two threatening, orange eyes.

That was Tokoyami's Quirk?

Slowly, the beast shriveled to a more docile form, while Tokoyami gave him the most menacing, stone-cold glare he'd ever received. Even if taking his father into account.

"Well? Are you still keen to bewray my secret?" he said, his voice making his skin crawl. "Now that you have born witness to my burden?"

Shoto was thunderstruck. He hadn't anticipated anything even remotely close to this.

Tokoyami's eyes went from downright disturbing to a mere unsettling. "Then, shall we proceed?"

Before Shoto could react, a diamond fist crushed through the ice wall and grazed his side. The force behind it was enough to send him back staggering, right in the arms of the shadow beast. Only a quick ice pillar prevented the fight from being over.

Midoriya jumped up to him, faster than he could comprehend. Todoroki was forced to leap down again, where he had to avoid Tokoyami's Quirk.

This was their plan, he realized, aghast. They created a situation in which I was separated from Hagakure. Then Midoriya waited with defeating her until I was within Tokoyami's clasp, to make sure I wouldn't try and fight Midoriya first. They arranged it so that they hold all the aces. And now I'm fighting them simultaneously.

But he was also inside of the room now. And that meant… It isn't over yet.

Shoto froze the room as fast as possible. Floor, Walls and Ceiling were almost instantly covered in ice, which made them slippery… and turned the tide in his favor.

While neither of his opponents had been directly hit, their mobility was clearly impaired. Now for the difficult part – Tokoyami's Quirk was wrapped around the bomb. The form was grotesque under shadowy beast, but it was most definitely the bomb, and truly bothersome.

He had to get Tokoyami out of the way.

Shoto slid over the ice with years of practice to back him up, though Midoriya followed him with surprising agility. The shadow beast formed a shield around Tokoyami, making Shoto tsk in annoyance. From the floor arose an ice wall that separated the room and would hopefully ensure that Midoriya didn't get in the way.

Then Shoto started his attack.

He soon found out that however this Quirk worked, it didn't tire. He attacked it again and again, freezing larger and larger parts of the room, but without any apparent effect. It just lashed out, completely unfazed by his skill and strength, while he lost more and more precious time.

I should be superior.

Why wasn't he? He'd nearly had him beforehand. But that monstrosity was something he didn't want to risk invoking again.

And at the same time, he had to constantly renew his ice barrier to make sure Midoriya didn't get to them. If that happened, the fight was pretty much over.

Then, finally, a slip-up. For a short moment, Tokoyami's defense had budged in the course of a counter-attack. It was now or never. Shoto vaulted over the bird-headed teen with an ice pillar, touched his back and froze him. Before the shadow beast could destroy the ice, he'd wrapped the capture tape around his arm.

"Villain Team, Tokoyami: Captured!"

Tokoyami looked at him in surprise.

Then he sighed and started hauling his Quirk in. Shoto doubled his efforts to make sure the ice barrier wouldn't budge, not now, while Tokoyami unveiled the bomb…

It wasn't there.

Unbelieving, he stared at the cavity in the shadows that by all means should have contained the bomb – except it didn't.

Tokoyami smiled.

"If thy superior opponent decides to yield, thou shalt question yourself – otherwise, thou might reduce yourself to a mere pawn on his chessboard. And which strategist would trade the Queen for a pawn?"

Shoto looked at him with barely sustained fury. They foresaw it. They planned all of this in advance, and I took the bait like an idiot.

"Time's up! The villain team… wiiiiins!"

Shoto fell down on his knees, panting, while Tokoyami's Quirk broke up the ice cocoon. "You are upon conscience a devastating opponent. I shall try and bear you no ill will, for you merely did what you considered necessary in order to achieve victory. But be cognizant of me pardoning you this time does neither mean I will forget it nor that I will forgive you if you decide to retry this ever again."

Target building, the Basement Monitor Room

All Might would've lied if he'd claimed to not have been a little biased, but as it had turned out, he'd been right.

"Wow… okay, that was just… wow…" Sero seemed to have lost his ability to speak coherently.

Bakugo looked like the cat that ate the canary; his whole posture just screamed "I fucking said you so" (and that way of talking was something they'd need to address eventually).

"Kinda annoying that it was too dark to see that part before Midoriya-kun arrived though…" Kaminari said disappointedly.

"Okay, but how did they manage to get the bomb away?" a confused Mineta asked.

"Maybe Tokoyami-kun gave it to Midoriya-kun while he fought Todoroki-kun?" Uraraka opined. "It was just so fast…"

"Speaking of Midoriya-kun, his performance was sorta weird, right?" Kaminari stated. "I mean, after Tokoyami-kun had Todoroki-san cornered, Hagakure-chan didn't stand a chance – how did he pull that manacle off, anyway? – and then after Todoroki-san made that ice wall, he just punched it a few times."

"How about we wait to hear it from them personally?"

Suddenly, everyone agreed. Being All Might had its advantages.

Todoroki was the first one who entered the room. He didn't speak, didn't react to anyone, didn't acknowledge the presence of his classmates in any way, shape or form. He just came in, stopped dead exactly four meters away from everyone else, and looked at the wall. His expression was perfectly smooth and stoic, not moving a muscle while his classmates barraged him with questions.

The second one entering was Hagakure, who seemed disappointed about her defeat but conveyed it to everyone by gesticulating in the most expressive way possible for someone of whom only the gloves and shoes were visible to others. She abundantly came forth about Midoriya being "a total kick-ass" who she "didn't stand a ghost of a ghost of a chance against".

This lead to a quite flustered Deku keeping after her and trying to convince her to cease her lavish praising. Katsuki smirked upon seeing him now being the one surrounded by gushing classmates, leading to him accidentally adapting copper in his eyebrows.

So the costume really was as great as he'd requested. He just knew Deku would want to discuss this as soon as the fights were over.

Speaking of which, number four entered the room. Somehow that guy who had a fucking bird's head still managed to look mysterious and graceful… even if he was like, shorter than him by at least ten centimeters.

Katsuki wasn't sure if he liked that one.

However, he did respect strength. And if his display against Todoroki was anything to go by, he had a good deal of that. Suddenly, Birdboy returned his gaze with piercing red, and an overwhelming sense of doom flushed over him, making him cringe slightly. In that moment, Katsuki came to a realization.

Firstly, that guy was neither calm nor sedate. He was angry and frightened, and he only managed to hide that by overwhelming self-composure.

Katsuki had a bad temper. He knew that, and while he strictly refused anger management crap, Deku still impressed as much shit as possible on him, and he probably drew one or two lessons out of that. At least enough to deduce something out of his demeanor.

That bird was in a turmoil of emotions, and Katsuki didn't know why. Togokami or something like that. What the fuck is up with you?

Katsuki was sure he had been… serene? Much less agitated for sure. Before the fight, during the first half of the fight… and then that episode no one had gotten to see, in the blackened room.

There is something about this one. Something that doesn't feel right.

It suddenly seemed as if Katsuki had found the most dangerous of his new classmates.

A/N: And that's it for the first match! Hello foreshadowing, my old friend!

Next time we're gonna have the other four matches! What, did you think I'd just leave them out? Hell no.

As always, I'll respond to all reviews that aren't from guests or flames, so if you want to discuss something (or just flatter me, which feels great, too :-), feel free to leave one!

The mandatory: Constructive criticism is welcome, flames aren't!

Remember to go beyond…

PLUS ULTRA!

Ramses, over and out.