Hey hey everybody! Chapter 8 is here! We got some dirty hand to hand combat today, also known as the Battle Trials! Tho it's only the first part of it! But before that, the reviews!
Colossus Bridger: I won't say anything to avoid spoiling my story! But you have a good idea ;)!
Chapter 8: Battle Trials
/
"Honestly, I can't lie, it's complicated with you... Sometimes I wonder how I'm holding on...", sighed Lock, placing a hand on his forehead... Momo could be compared to a hyperventilating hyena, laughing so hard she was leaning against the wall, repeatedly hitting it with her fist in a desperate attempt to stop laughing...
Right in front of the entrance door, standing in a perfect line, was the entire company, eagerly waiting to know who would go with Lock and Momo for their second day of school...
"Oh, to hell with it...", sighed the captain, making Momo laugh even harder...
/
"Yaoyorozu Lock and Yaoyorozu Momo, I have only two questions...", asked Aizawa, rubbing his eyes. As tired as he was, he already felt he would suffer all year long, "First... Why are you late? Secondly, since when has UA become a military base...?"
The two teenagers stood in the doorway, looking a bit sheepish... The raven-haired girl spoke first...
"We are absolutely sorry for being late, but fitting everyone into one vehicle wasn't possible, so we had to wait for a bus to come..."
Then Lock finished...
"Secondly... You can't imagine what a bunch of kids my br- clones are...", then he turned towards the real sea of white armor camped right behind them, outside the classroom, "Yes, I'm talking about you, bunch of immature kids!"
There were a few protests that could be heard. Aizawa blinked a couple of times, before rubbing his eyes again...
"Damn... I'm not paid enough for this kind of crap...", he sighed into his scarf before looking Lock in the eyes, "And how do you expect me to fit all your clones? Nine were already cramped, so how do you expect me to fit 62?"
The brother and sister shrugged. Aizawa sighed...
"Go take your seats... I'll call Nezu...", said the tired man, taking out his phone... The phone beeped for a while before hanging up... The teacher looked at the device with a raised eyebrow, before a white figure dropped from a vent directly onto the desk.
"AAAHHHHH!", screamed most of the class... Nezu got up, dusting off his suit, and calmly said.
"I am already aware of the problem, Mr. Aizawa, don't worry. I will resolve it very quickly at the end of the day with Yaoyorozu Lock, that's actually why I came."
As if to add to the already present chaos, the door was brutally opened with a resounding slam, making more students jump.
"I AM... COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
The surprise vanished in an instant... Only to be replaced by stupefaction... Then...
"ALL MIGHT!", the class exclaimed in unison. The symbol of peace let out a thunderous laugh at the class's reaction. Before his gaze shifted to Aizawa and Nezu...
"Principal? But... I just left you in your office?", began the blond.
"Don't try to understand All Might, you'll get used to it after a while...", replied Aizawa, eliciting a small laugh from the white chimera, who seemed to manifest a cup of tea out of nowhere.
"I have a knack for being where I'm needed...", said the rat, sipping the contents of the cup... All Might then turned to Aizawa to ask.
"And why is the space in front of your classroom so crowded?"
Aizawa sighed... "Don't try to understand that either, it'll save you a headache..."
/
"Wow! His costume is so cool!"
"It's so retro!"
The students began to murmur among themselves... Until Midoriya started spouting his knowledge...
"It's his Silver Age costume! It's the costume he wore when he started establishing himself as the Symbol of Peace in Japan and... mumblemumblemumble..."
Everyone's eyes drifted to the green-haired boy who began to mumble incomprehensibly… Lock wondered how the green-haired boy could keep talking without needing to take a breath…
"Hey! Deku! Shut up! You're hurting my ears with your babbling!", said Bakugo aggressively, but the green-haired boy didn't seem to notice…
"HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU, DEK-"
"Oh, shut up, blondie…" growled Momo, "We already know you always wake up on the wrong side of the bed."
As soon as Bakugo's head turned and his face twisted into an expression of anger, the explosive blond locked eyes with Lock, who dissuaded him from doing anything towards his sister, or else he would get very violent...
"Tsk… Bunch of idiots…", Bakugo growled through gritted teeth… It was Uraraka who got up and approached the green-haired boy who was still mumbling to himself. She bent down to his face level and patted his shoulder… Midoriya immediately snapped out of his thoughts…
"Oh! I-...!"
He realized that his face was only twenty centimeters away from that of a girl he found very cute…
'Too close!'
His mind screamed, sounding the alarm… He turned tomato red in less than a second. Noting his discomfort, Uraraka stepped back slightly…
"Oh! I… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to embarrass you!" the brunette apologized, realizing she was the cause… A small embarrassed blush also appearing on her cheeks.
/
From the open door, two clones in particular watched the scene unfolding between the two teenagers. Warden turned his head towards Focus, and Focus turned his head towards Warden.
"I have a plan.", said the first.
"I think we both had the same idea, vod.", replied the second. A rare smile appeared on Focus's face behind his helmet, and a small laugh escaped Warden's throat.
"Keldabe kiss." The two clones agreed in unison. Then they stepped aside to let Nezu pass, who walked away with his hands behind his back…
/
Once Nezu left, All Might turned back to the class.
"RIGHT! LET'S GET BACK TO THE REASON I'M HERE! UA HAS HIRED ME AS A HEROIC TEACHER!"
There were cheers of joy, which All Might quickly calmed down.
"THAT'S WHY, TODAY, WE'RE GETTING STRAIGHT TO THE POINT! CONTRARY TO WHAT PEOPLE BELIEVE, MOST FIGHTS AGAINST VILLAINS HAPPEN INDOORS! HOSTAGE SITUATIONS! BANK ROBBERIES, AND MANY OTHERS! WE'RE GOING TO GROUND B! BUT FIRST, WHAT IS A GOOD HERO…"
Aizawa took a remote control out of his pocket and pressed a button. Doors opened in the wall, and suitcases, placed on racks, numbered from 1 to 21, appeared. Momo was suddenly excited... Lock understood her; for the surprise, his vods hadn't revealed the complete results of the costume… All Might finished his sentence…
"… WITHOUT A COSTUME? EXCEPT FOR MIDORIYA'S COSTUME AND THE TWO YAOYOROZUS, YOU CAN THANK THE SUPPORT COURSE FOR WORKING ON YOUR COSTUMES! TAKE YOUR SUITCASES AND GO CHANGE, THEN JOIN ME ON THE GROUND!"
As soon as All Might finished his sentence, the students got up with the sound of chairs and rushed to get their suitcases. Lock took his time and was among the last to leave; Momo, as excited as she was, had already taken off and disappeared around a corner of the hallway… Lock let out an amused sigh as he walked out.
"Captain?" asked Torda.
"Follow All Might to the field. Don't let yourself fall behind. Otherwise, you'll get lost."
The lieutenant nodded and relayed the orders… Lock walked away, following his classmates while weighing his suitcase to see if everything was there… Yeah, it seemed good… He arrived in the locker room…
Just in time to intercept Mineta, who was about to try peeking into the girls' locker room… Again, he banged his head against the wall, pretending it was an accident…
"Ouch!"
Lock walked into a corner and opened his suitcase… He smiled when his hand touched his armor… It had been a long time since he had worn it…
It felt strange… He took off his uniform, swapping it for his suit, before putting the armor pieces on it…
Each student seemed to ignore the others, eager and excited to see if their costumes fit well… But Lock already knew what he looked like, so he paid some attention to the others' costumes. However, when he put on his helmet, he noticed Midoriya's costume…
He said nothing, but had a slight amused smile behind his helmet… Warden and Focus… He would have guessed it…
He was one of the first to head out to the field, his trusty carabine in hand, checking the weapon's safety. He hadn't yet received the results of his test, but for the exercise, he judged he would need his weapon, so hewould use it… As soon as his vods saw him approaching, they cheered, happy to see him wearing his armor again.
Then… a few minutes later, Momo arrived…
She was wearing a black suit that covered her entire body, and the engineers had made sure to ask her adoptive parents to buy a suit entirely made with her DNA so she could use her quirk without exposing her skin. Over that, she wore an ARF armor specially modified for her. Thus, the plate protecting the belly had been removed to allow her to create objects, the chest armor had also been modified to allow the ravenette to wear it without worrying about her breasts being compressed, the groin protection had been removed to avoid discomfort, the armor on her right forearm was equipped with an integrated comlink. A dark gray kama was attached to the belt, and two empty holsters for now were also attached to it, a pouch had also been attached at the level of the left breast, containing energy bars so she could refuel during combat. The entire armor was decorated with burgundy and dark yellow patterns.
She walked forward, smiling, proud and very happy, helmet tucked under her arm. The helmet was a classic ARF helmet, a lamp had been attached to the left side of the helmet, which was also decorated with other burgundy and yellow patterns, particularly the symbol that the men of the Horn Company wore on their chest plates, but this time on the front of the helmet. As soon as she was close enough, she took her helmet in one hand and jumped into Lock's arms for a hug, who stepped back under her 200kg, before being held back by the rest of his men to keep him from falling…
"Thank you… It's a wonderful gift…"
Lock returned her hug in a brotherly way, and several students nearby, especially the girls, couldn't help but let out a little 'aww…' because it was so cute to see…
This was reinforced when the 62 other clones came to hug her too, a symbol of their unity…
"It's nothing, vod. We are part of your family, and you are part of ours. It's only natural…"
Lock replied softly… Someone took the helmet from Momo's hands, and Lock stepped back, followed by the rest of the company, who suddenly stood in formation and at attention. The ravenette looked at them confused, not understanding what was happening… The trooper, Arrow, carried the helmet to the three lieutenants of the unit, Xyomm taking it with extreme gentleness and care…
Almost reverently…
The entire company put a hand to their helmets, turning off their helmet mics…
"Lock?"
Momo asked, her gaze passing uncertainly over all her vods…
The captain himself stood there, straight and suddenly serious, professional. He nodded, and Torda, Xyomm, and Dengloy approached slowly, ceremonially. Xyomm handed the helmet to Lock, who accepted it, taking it the same way the lieutenant had earlier. He looked at the visor for a long time, and the ravenette noticed how his shoulders rose, then fell, betraying the breath the captain had taken. Momo began to worry… This behavior was abnormal for him and her vods.
Then, the captain raised his head, and even through the opaque visor, Momo felt his gaze fix on hers… He took a step forward, raised the helmet, and gently placed it on his vod's head…
At first, it was only darkness inside the helmet… Then, there was a slight hum, and a sort of blue laser scanned her face… Then, the visor lit up, slowly, surely, the helmet's systems booting up… A message appeared right before her eyes.
++ SCAN COMPLETE++
She then looked at the other messages appearing to the right and left with awe… HUD, scanners, radio, and finally, vital signs.
In one corner, several heart lines appeared, with a series of numbers above them, the helmet was scanning the armor IDs of her vods, their registration numbers to be exact, and providing her with information on their health.
Everything was perfect if the blue color meant what she thought. Then she felt two hands grab the sides of her helmet and turn her head. Her gaze met Lock's… This time… She could slightly see Lock's face behind the visor. He was smiling.
He pressed a button on the side, and Lock finally spoke.
"There, I've connected you to the company's radio. Now you should be able to hear us. I also disabled the mic so those outside can't hear us, we're completely private here."
His smile was replaced by a serious expression, and Momo felt a knot of worry form in her stomach again… She glanced at the others… They were all serious and watching her.
"Yaoyorozu Momo. Vod.", Lock began, and Momo looked him in the eyes again, "A clone trooper's armor is his most sacred possession, just like his brothers-in-arms are his family. It has now been almost three years since you and your family took us in, three years since you showed us something other than the war we were created for. You showed us love as if we were your entire family and not outsiders, not just… Clones... And this armor is our way of showing our gratitude to you. Cherish it, for it is the symbol of our eternal unity."
Momo felt tears well up in her eyes… and a solitary one ran down her cheek… a tear of joy.
"Th-Thank you…" repeated Momo, "Thank you vods, thank you so much, thank you infinitely…"
Following the first solitary one, other followed, and soon more tears began to flow down her cheeks. Momo raised a hand to wipe them away, but remembered she was wearing the helmet when her glove brushed against the smooth surface of the helmet… Thus, the tears flowed down the bottom of her helmet. She held back from jumping into her brother's arms a second time and quickly dried her tears when All Might's voice rang out… Instantly, everyone's attention turned to the hero standing on his platform…
"WELL! I SEE THAT EVERYONE IS HERE! WAIT, WHERE IS MIDORIYA?"
"Here!", called out the greenette's voice…
Filtered.
A filter that Lock knew all too well.
"Warden… Focus…", Xyomm growled…
"Ah, so that's why there was a set of armor missing last time!", exclaimed Atlas, "And here I thought Screwball had messed up again…"
"Hey! Stop thinking it's always me who causes trouble!", protested the one in question.
"Maybe because it is?", remarked Incident with a sigh, "Crackpot, Cannonball, and you are the problem group of the company…", finished the corporal. The three in question began to protest…
Lock cut the radio, exasperated, as did Momo and two other clones.
Then, he turned to see Midoriya's costume, which the whole class was comparing to his armor, Momo's, and his vods' armor…
/
Honestly, Izuku was as happy as a clam with this costume…
The boy was wearing a dark green suit with some black touches around the neck and sides. His head was partially masked by a dark green and black Phase 1 helmet to which an iron mask was attached at the bottom of the helmet, equipped with a sound insulator to prevent his muttering from being heard. The upper part of his body was protected by the chest plate of the clone armor, which had been modified to be attached with straps and for the sides to stop above the lower torso. He wasn't wearing shoulder pads but had black-painted elbow pads and gloves equipped with an armor plate from the clone armor. A red belt cinched his waist, equipped with two pouches. His legs were only protected from the knees down by greaves, which had been slightly shortened so the boy could wear thick black and red shoes reinforced with armor plates from the armor.
"HEY! DEKU! WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOUR COSTUME? I THOUGHT YOU ALREADY HAD A PLAN FOR IT?", shouted Bakugo, while the other students admired the armor with a certain fascination…
"I… decided to change it a bit… on the advice of some people…", replied Izuku, grimacing slightly because of the anger directed at him…
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Warden giving two thumbs up with encouragement, Focus leaning against him nodding when Izuku looked at him…
Once close enough to the group, Uraraka came to see him and looked him up and down.
"I like it!", commented the brunette with a small smile, which made Izuku blush behind his helmet.
"Th-Thank you… Y-Yours looks good too…", Izuku complimented, rubbing the back of his head… He noticed Focus and Warden looking at each other out of the corner of their eyes… The brunette looked at herself and responded with a shy little laugh…
"I find it a bit tight to be honest…"
"You can always change the costume design later you know?", said a new voice. Izuku spun around suddenly, surprised. Behind him stood a boy also wearing white armor, but more aerodynamic and more… medieval…
"Iida Tenya! Pleased to meet you!", exclaimed the boy, making a grand bow. Izuku and Ochako took a moment to match a face to the name, given that it was only the second day and putting names to faces wasn't simple… Izuku, after a moment, managed to place the name on someone, a tall boy with blue hair and glasses, with a runner's physique, quite rigid in his expressions and way of speaking…
"Nice to meet you, Midoriya Izuku and Uraraka Ochako.", Izuku introduced himself, also taking the opportunity to introduce his friend, "I really like the style of your armor, Iida."
The blue-haired boy nodded, apparent pride despite his helmet.
"Thank you, yours is also well thought out, it seems to provide good protection. Protection necessary for a hero's job! However, it seems largely copied from the armor of Yaoyorozu Lock and Momo, as well as the clones of the former."
Ochako had a smile.
"He knows two of those clones… Wa-We-Warden and Focus?", the brunette stammered over the names, not remembering them very well due to their peculiarity…
"Warden and Focus.", corrected Izuku, "I do indeed know two of them, and we managed to scrounge up a set of armor to tinker with…", the boy admitted.
"That's what I've noticed, despite some… imperfections, like here.", pointed out Iida while studying the armor, indicating a visible weld on the mask attached to the helmet. Izuku supposed that due to his quirk, Iida might be somewhat interested in mechanics to understand himself, and was therefore more attentive to such things.
"The armor seems otherwise well-crafted…", the boy concluded. Ochako suddenly asked.
"Say, why so much armor Iida? If I remember correctly, your quirk allows you to go fast, isn't all this armor cumbersome? Same question for you Midoriya-san, you seem more close combat and speed… Isn't a simple suit enough?"
The two boys looked at each other before starting to answer the question…
And thus the Dekusquad was formed…
/
"Yup, we're definitely going towards a Keldabe kiss…", laughed Warden, to which Focus nodded slowly.
"Just need to figure out how to make it happen…", noted the second clone. To which the first immediately replied.
"Oh, but it's simple. We tell them that a sign of good luck is to bump their heads together, they do it for a while thinking that's it, then we tell them what it really is after a while… unless someone jinxes it."
Focus put a hand on his chin…
"That could work… But are you sure about this-?"
"Of course. You saw how embarrassed they were in class, I'm telling you it's definitely happening between those two. Our little green bean is growing up… It moves me…", said Warden, lifting his helmet to wipe a tear forming at the corner of his eye… Focus sighed and rolled his eyes…
"You're almost like his mother… Force, the greatest dramatist would have a hard time outdoing you and her…"
…
Flashback, a few weeks earlier…
"Izuku! My little boy has finally made some new friends!", exclaimed Inko, standing behind the door, as Izuku opened it. She immediately jumped into her son's arms, crying streams… literally. Izuku joined her in this flood of tears, and soon the level began to rise in the apartment, the water starting to flow down the stairs…
Then a third person joined them…
Focus took a step back, a grimace on his face, noticing that the water was already up to his thighs.
"Kriffin- Warden!"
The second trooper also had streams of tears flowing.
"I can't help it! Seeing tears that moves me…", replied the other.
End of Flashback …
"I don't even know how it's possible for you three to contain that much water in your body and how you didn't dry out…"
Grumbled the trooper before turning around… Making a big sweeping motion with his hand… Which struck something soft…
"Ow!" said someone…
Focus remained confused for a second, staring at a pair of gloves and boots seemingly floating in the air… The trooper blinked twice…
"Huh?"
"Hey! Watch where you put your hands!", said the voice, and the gloves waggled in the air. The trooper still didn't understand… and Warden sighed…
"That's Hagakure Toru, apparently a quirk of permanent invisibility… Thermals allow you to see her…", his brother pointed out. Focus nodded slowly… and made the mistake of activating the thermals as told…
'CRRRK!' was the only sound that escaped from Focus's microphone, before a bit of blood began to trickle from the bottom of the helmet and the trooper pressed his forearm against the visor…
"Put some kriffin' clothes on!", exclaimed Focus. Warden looked at his brother in complete bewilderment. The gloves were raised to cover… something Warden couldn't see due to the invisibility…
"Focus?"
"YOU CAN SEE ME?!" cried the invisible girl, embarrassment audible in her voice.
"Warden! I'm going to strangle you!", Focus yelled at the same time.
"What?", asked Warden, still not understanding what was going on.
"PERVERT!", the girl shouted, and the gloves began to hit the trooper's helmet. Focus spun around and jumped at Warden's throat, who didn't have time to react…
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SHE WASN'T WEARING CLOTHES?!", screamed the clone.
"What?" responded Warden, dumbfounded…
"PERVERT!"
"SHE'S NOT WEARING ANY CLOTHES!"
"But…?" "What's going on here?", asked Dengloy's voice as he approached the group, having noticed the commotion… only to bump into Hagakure, who was in the way and whom he hadn't seen. Warden and Focus turned simultaneously toward the lieutenant…
"Ouch!" cried the invisible girl again, "Why is everyone bumping into me today?", she whined. Dengloy, not understanding where the voice was coming from, but noticing the floating gloves and boots, brought a hand to the side of his helmet to switch to thermal vision…
"NO!", shouted Focus and Warden in unison…
Too late.
"I… Oh," said Dengloy, taking a step back in surprise…
"YOU CAN SEE ME TOO?!", cried Hagakure again, raising her arms to cover her body, "COME HERE, YOU PERVERTS!"
"RUN!" hissed Focus, his eyes widening like saucers, before letting go of Warden and running away at full speed, soon followed by the lieutenant, knowing that a very angry girl was right behind him…
/
"Why are they running?" asked Lock, looking perplexed at Focus and Dengloy being chased by a pair of floating gloves and boots… probably Hagakure…
"No idea…", replied Momo, shrugging, just as All Might's voice boomed, the hero now holding two bags, one red and one blue.
"WE WILL PROCEED AS FOLLOWS! EACH OF YOU WILL DRAW A LETTER FROM THIS BLUE BAG CORRESPONDING TO A TEAM, WHICH WILL CONSIST OF TWO PEOPLE, THEN FROM THIS RED BAG YOU WILL DRAW YOUR ROLE, HERO OR VILLAIN."
The teacher then looked at each student… and began calling them. Each student drew their team number, even Hagakure after she stopped chasing Dengloy and Focus…
Team A: Midoriya Izuku and Uraraka Ochako.
Team B: Todoroki Shoto and Shoji Mezo.
Team C: Yaoyorozu Momo and Mineta Minoru.
Team D: Katsuki Bakugo and Iida Tenya.
Team E: Aoyama Yuga and Ashido Mina.
Team F: Koda Koji and Sato Rikido.
Team G: Jiro Kyoka and Kaminari Denki.
Team H: Asui Tsuyu and Tokoyami Fumikage.
Team I: Hagakure Toru and Ojiro Mashirao.
Team J: Sero Hanta and Kirishima Eijiro.
Slowly… but very slowly… sixty-three pairs of eyes fell on the short boy with purple hair with such intensity that he might have cooked on the spot…
"Try anything with our vod, and we'll make barbecue out of you for the rest of your days…", said Torda in a threatening voice, "And I'll give Uco free rein."
There was a hiss of gas, and a small flame was lit. All eyes turned to the pyromaniac trooper, who stared at the flame with fascination before letting out a mad laugh…
"Believe me, I know more than fifty-six ways to set your body on fire without you passing out or burning completely in a few seconds… With me, your pain will only be prolonged to the point where you will wish and beg for me to finish you off… The hell spoken of in ancient religious writings will be but a tender punishment compared to this…"
Uco stated, the reflection of the flame gleaming in his visor in a malevolent way, while an aura began to form around the clone…
An aura so dark that the ambient light seemed to dim, giving the flametrooper a demonic and almost infernal appearance…
Mineta gulped… Yeah… No… He wouldn't test his luck…
Even though the threat wasn't directed at them, everyone felt a shiver down their spine… especially since everything in the tone of the clone's voice betrayed a threat not to be taken lightly… and held a certain madness…
"Remind me never to pick a fight with them.", remarked Kaminari, causing several nervous laughs... All Might was among them… Despite being the symbol of peace, the menacing aura emanating from the kid was terrifying… An aura of exceptional madness and pyromania… The man couldn't help but wonder where this kid could get that...
"Um… PERFECT! EVERYONE HAS A TEAM!", noted All Might, but his gaze settled on Lock, "EXCEPT YOU, YOUNG LOCK… THE REASON IS THIS… WE WILL USE YOUR PRESENCE TO ADD SOMETHING TO THE EXERCISE...", Lock's eyes squinted, what kind of something? All of his classmates' eyes were on him…
"Were you informed about this?", asked Momo through her helmet radio, to which Lock shook his head.
"No, I wasn't warned.", Lock replied through gritted teeth.
"SEE…", began All Might, drawing everyone's attention back to him, "IT IS COMMON THAT DURING AN INCIDENT, A VIGILANTE OR ANOTHER VILLAIN MAY INTERVENE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAOS. YOUNG LOCK AND HIS CLONES WILL BE THIS TEAM. TEAM K, YAOYOROZU LOCK AND HIS CLONES.", announced All Might. Through the radio, he heard several grunts and clenched teeth.
"This is not going to be easy…", muttered Xanks.
"Why couldn't they have asked us beforehand?", swore Jak, anger simmering in his voice.
"Calm down, Jak, getting worked up won't help; it's already announced anyway.", ordered Xyomm sternly, and Lock saw the lieutenant approach the Zeta squad corporal to make sure he kept quiet.
The captain remained silent, and with a click of his tongue, he silenced everyone as All Might gave further instructions.
"BEFORE YOU DRAW YOUR ASSIGNMENTS, I WILL EXPLAIN THE RULES. THE EXERCISE WILL LAST FIFTEEN MINUTES, AND EACH TEAM WILL HAVE A SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE. THE VILLAINS MUST DEFEND A FAKE BOMB THEY WILL HIDE SOMEWHERE IN ONE OF THE THREE BUILDINGS ASSIGNED TO YOU, OR NEUTRALIZE THE HEROES AND VIGILANTES. THE HEROES, ON THE OTHER HAND, MUST NEUTRALIZE THE VILLAINS AND VIGILANTES, OR CAPTURE THE BOMB. THE VIGILANTES, IN TURN, CAN PENETRATE ANYWHERE IN THE BUILDING, AND THEIR OBJECTIVE WILL BE TO NEUTRALIZE THE VILLAINS AND CAPTURE THE BOMB… YOU WILL HAVE THE RIGHT FIGHT BACK WITH HEROES, SINCE THEY WILL NOT HESITATE TO ATTACK YOU. BE THE LAST ONE STANDING. ALSO, IMAGINE THE FAKE BOMB AS A REAL ATOMIC BOMB; ANY MAJOR DAMAGE WILL 'EXPLODE' IT. NOW, COME AND DRAW YOUR ROLE."
Lock thought for a moment… Now that he had the objectives in mind, he could better plan...
"Xyomm, Torda, Dengloy, emergency meeting.", suddenly ordered the captain, stepping aside, the three lieutenants soon standing beside him…
"I don't need to spell it out. We're in trouble.", began Lock, "Any ideas, gentlemen?"
"Firstly, we won't be able to deploy as freely. We'll be in confined spaces, direct assault won't be an option; we'll have to be cautious.", said Torda.
"We also need to give others a chance.", suggested Xyomm.
"So we shouldn't send many men—probably groups of two, three, or even solo teams in the worst-case scenario."
"That sounds like a good plan.", Lock replied before looking at Dengloy.
"Any objections, Dengloy?" The lieutenant shook his head.
"It looks like we have our plan, gentlemen.", the captain said then.
"Now, we'll have to choose our teams…"
The lieutenants each went their way to select men and form teams of two… Meanwhile, Lock listened to his classmates' team roles…
Team A: Heroes
Team B: Heroes
Team C: Villains
Team D: Villains
Team E: Heroes
Team F: Villains
Team G: Heroes
Team H: Heroes
Team I: Villains
Team J: Villains
Well… Roles were assigned… Just then, his communicator beeped, troopers' choices made for the teams…
"PERFECT! ALL TEAMS HAVE A ROLE! WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO THE FIRST MATCH! TEAM G AGAINST TEAM C AGAINST THE VIGILANTES!"
/
It was her turn, realized Momo… She took a deep breath, then exhaled… Here we go… It was time to shine… She glanced quickly at her vods, wondering whom she would face, before stepping forward toward the building in front of her, soon followed by her perverted teammate…
From the corner of her eye, she saw a white leg armor disappear around the corner of the building but couldn't make out who it was... She entered inside, and her helmet immediately adjusted visual filters for better clarity...
All Might's voice then boomed in the silent space...
"TEAMS HAVE TEN MINUTES TO PREPARE!"
And for ten minutes, she would use them well.
But first...
She turned sharply to face her teammate, causing him to jump... He seemed quite nervous... Good.
"Listen to me carefully, my brothers have promised to flame you, but I guarantee that will be nothing compared to what I'm going to make you endure, understood?" she spat, disgust and hatred clear in her voice.
The purple-haired dwarf frantically nodded, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple...
"Good.", Momo finished, before scanning the surroundings...
Okay, how to trap this corridor... She pondered for a few moments...
Ah... Like that…
/
"YOUR PREPARATION TIME IS OVER! THE EXERCISE BEGINS IN 3! 2! 1! GO!"
All Might shouted into a microphone in the control room. The entire class was there, minus the majority of the clones who preferred to stay near the field... Though a few were in the control room, observing the battle...
"I already sense they're going to have a tough time," Lock remarked, watching the hero team cautiously advance towards the building's entrance.
The rest of the class turned to him...
"Why?" asked Sato, raising an eyebrow.
"I know my sister, she's very intelligent, so she must have already thought... of this.", Lock replied, suddenly pointing at a screen.
As the hero team entered, Jiro collapsed and suddenly curled up, screaming and clutching her ears as an absolutely horrifying sound filled the speakers... A sound that made more than one person cringe, and even Lock winced despite wearing his helmet...
The sound of chalk scraping on a chalkboard...
On the bomb room's screen, Momo could be seen standing near a board, chalk in hand, scraping it in front of a microphone, creating these unbearable sounds. Mineta also seemed to be gritting his teeth, but Lock was pleased to see he seemed focused on the room's lone door rather than Momo's physical form.
"I understand, Jiro's hearing must be highly developed, and her ears extremely sensitive because of her Quirk. This can be very useful for detecting opponents' locations, however, it seems loud sounds can incapacitate her. It's extremely clever; Jiro is technically 'eliminated' as she's out of action."
The class looked at him wide-eyed, and the greenette shrank in on himself, a little intimidated by all the attention. Bakugo grunted before looking away...
Lock quickly averted his gaze too, then observed the screen... There, on one screen, a camera outside the building captured the image of two white armors scaling the building's side... One of them suddenly propelled backward, the grappling hook holding firm, firmly anchored, and his vod struck the legs first at a window on the fourth floor, passing through... He was quickly followed by the second...
/
CT-6995 'Bug' from Eta squad got up with a grimace; smashing a window wasn't a pleasant experience for his legs... A sound just behind him signaled that Cliffjumper had also entered. The second clone aimed his weapon left and right, checking the surroundings...
"Clear," reported the trooper before unhooking his carabiner, which Bug did two seconds later...
"Copy. Alright, let's move," Bug replied, moving to lean against a wall. Their helmet filters allowed them to see better in the darkness, immediately enabling the clone to spot a box wedged against the wall with a sensor and transmitter...
"We'll have to be careful; vod probably placed motion sensors everywhere... We should move forward, but slowly, without rushing," Bug remarked... Cliffjumper nodded, and the two began to progress cautiously, ensuring to avoid the motion sensors...
/
"Vigilantes on the fourth floor. Approaching cautiously but quickly, I'm able to track them.", informed Momo to her perverted teammate, who began laying down sticky hairballs as traps...
Another indicator beeped inside, another sensor beep, this time on the ground floor. Connecting it with a camera she had set up, she could see Jiro seemed to have gotten up, aided by Kaminari, and was able to move again. However, the way she staggered betrayed that she was still unsettled by the piercing sound that had pierced her eardrums, and the grimace she kept showed her pain... But hell was only just beginning. She pressed a button, and a concealed water cannon deployed from the ceiling, dousing her two comrades with water.
The tall teen then turned her attention back to her two vods just as a sound sensor, disguised as a small rock, detected her the two about ten meters from the staircase.
She pressed another button.
/
Bug heard a 'PSCHIT!' under his boot, and a large smoke screen was deployed in their faces. Stumbling backward in surprise, he couldn't react in time as a net fell on him from the ceiling. Electric currents began to pass through his limbs, acting like a taser, and Bug cried out as he fell to the ground. Cliffjumper tried to approach him, but Bug shouted.
"DON'T TOUCH!"
Cliffjumper immediately refrained and after a moment's hesitation, looked around for something to free his brother from the net.
"Don't worry about me, continue the mission!", Bug insisted through gritted teeth.
Cliffjumper nodded, and after glancing at his fallen brother, disappeared into the smoke screen... He continued his solo progression... He should be extra cautious... Like right there, a sensor. And to hell with cautious progression, vod already knew where they were... So, he aimed for the nearest sensor and fired a training round, frying all the circuits of the device... Suddenly... He got an idea...
/
Kaminari Denki had never felt so useless in his life.
Even when his neurons overloaded because of his electricity, he could at least do something. Here, soaked and in the middle of a puddle, drenched to the bone, his electricity coursing through his body and sending regular electric shocks that immobilized him and his teammate, he cursed himself.
He was seized by another muscle spasm, causing him to fall to the ground. Beside him, he heard Jiro scream as another shock passed through her...
He wanted to stop his quirk, but he couldn't...
Suddenly, a hand grabbed the collar of his costume and pulled him out of the puddle. The electric boy rolled on the dry ground this time before coming to a stop... He heard Jiro grunt next to him, having received the same treatment, along with a groan of pain.
"Damn, vod really trapped you both well..." he murmured.
He lifted his head with difficulty... Nerves overloaded by the electric signals, his gaze fell on one of the two vigilante clones... The clone was shaking his hand while swearing...
"Why... did you help us?" Denki articulated with difficulty...
The clone raised his head to look at him... The black T-shaped visor fixed straight on him... The boy felt a shiver down his spine...
"For teamwork," the clone replied neutrally, "Vod is very intelligent, and likely trapped several locations. We need to work together. Our expertise, with your abilities."
"What's to stop you from stabbing us in the back as soon as we accomplish our objective? You want victory just as much as we do," Jiro's voice rose as the bluenette forced herself to stand.
"A common goal. Whether it's you or us, we simulate a real event, if we intervene, it's also to stop evil," the clone replied, extending his hand, "Do we have an agreement?"
/
Jiro hesitated for a moment, staring at the outstretched hand... Could she trust this clone? For a second, what her classmate Lock had said came back to her...
"Do we have an agreement, yes or no," the clone repeated with a voice that betrayed the clone's growing impatience...
Jiro hesitated for an additional second... Before firmly grasping the clone's hand.
"We have an agreement," she replied...
"Uh... Can someone help me up?" Denki called out, still sprawled on the ground...
The bluenette wanted to facepalm... What an idiot...
Jiro and the clone exchanged a glance before approaching Denki, each grabbing his arm and helping him up...
/
Momo gritted her teeth... Everything had taken a completely different turn from what she had expected... Now, she was almost blind... Her sensors, traps, and cameras were getting fried one after another... Moreover, Cliffjumper had decided to team up with the Hero team...
"They're approaching fast, they're at the last flight of stairs leading to our floor," the ravenette reported just as she lost contact with the sensor to Mineta, who was finishing placing the balls all over the room... If Momo used her knowledge of her teammate's quirk and established a pattern, she could notice that the balls were arranged in a complex layout... She hadn't specifically trapped the top floor, so they would be here soon... She checked the time... 5 minutes... 5 minutes of combat...
She manifested a bo-staff from her abdomen and took a defensive stance. The audio systems in her helmet picked up voices and footsteps approaching. She ensured her grip on the staff was secure...
3... 2... 1... Now!
-BOOM!-
A section of the wall on the right suddenly deformed, bending inward before collapsing, raising a cloud of dust that temporarily blinded the ARF helmet's sensors. Two yellow blasts streaked towards her, and the ravenette had to roll aside as Cliffjumper appeared, relentlessly tracking her with the rifle's barrel, keeping his finger on the trigger and forcing Momo to dodge the shots. Meanwhile, Kaminari and Jiro rushed through the breach... But the bluenette was sent backward, air knocked out of her lungs, when a blurry purple figure with a yellow cape impacted her chest, throwing her backwards onto Denki who caught her.
Cliffjumper paid no attention to the situation behind him as he continued firing at Momo...
She was somewhat trapped but improvised suddenly. Using the debris created by the collapsed wall, she used her bo-staff like a golf club to send smaller debris towards her vod. One of them struck the helmet hard in the middle, surprising Cliffjumper who momentarily stopped firing.
Momo seized the opportunity. She charged forward, spinning her bo-staff. The clone realized his mistake and aimed his weapon again, his finger dangerously close to the trigger...
The ravenette struck, the staff hitting the gun barrel and deflecting it just as the trigger was pulled. The shot grazed Momo's helmet, and the weapon was torn from Cliffjumper's hands. She then delivered a formidable kick to her brother's side, the shin hitting forcefully and causing the clone to stagger and groan. Despite this, he grabbed her leg with both hands and abruptly pulled, sending the ravenette crashing down in a clatter of armor and forcing her to release the bo-staff. Once done, the clone pounced on her to immobilize her arms.
Momo didn't yield and sent her elbow into her vod's chin, violently jerking his head backward before pushing him away with a kick that sent him tumbling to the ground.
Meanwhile, Jiro had recovered, and Denki had taken her place, running his electricity through himself to become a human taser, forcing Mineta to bounce around him while avoiding getting hit. Jiro, on the other hand, tried to strike the pervert with sound waves, to no avail.
"BOMB!" the bluenette shouted, knowing Denki could go for it without worrying about the violet-haired dwarf touching him. Denki headed towards the fake bomb to touch it and thus complete the exercise...
-PSCHIIT!-
A smoke screen rose in front of him, surprising the boy who took a step back... Only to be hit headfirst by Mineta, now a cannonball. The blond was knocked out instantly, and the dwarf was tazed. His erratic course led him to strike Cliffjumper who was just recovering from his impact on the jaw, thus incapacitating the clone...
Now, only two people capable of completing the mission remained...
Momo Yaoyorozu versus Kyoka Jiro. The two girls stared at each other motionless... Then Jiro sprinted towards the bomb. Momo hurriedly got up and sprinted towards Jiro, creating the first thing that came to her mind...
A plastic shovel.
Jiro sent a sound wave through which Momo charged like a bull thanks to her two hundred kilograms.
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Momo's voice thundered, amplified by her helmet's microphones as she swung the shovel at her teammate.
Jiro raised her arms and crossed them, the shovel hitting the cross formed by her arms, thus blocking the blow. The bluenette then kicked Momo's knee, forcing her to kneel before a fist crashed against the side of her helmet.
The helmet took it all, but slightly stunned the tall teen... Jiro shook her sore hand and was distracted for a fraction of a second... Enough to take a thrusting blow from the plastic shovel in the stomach...
The bluenette's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth in a silent scream, falling to her knees, doubled over... Momo immediately tied her hands with the capture tape provided...
She checked the time... There was about a minute and thirty seconds left... She had managed to defend until the end...
The ravenette sighed, and a smile appeared on her lips... The announcement of the end of the exercise was expected any moment...
...
Seconds ticked away...
...
1 minute 26 seconds...
1 minute 25 seconds...
1 minute 24 seconds...
"Always pay attention to your surroundings even at the end of the battle, vod. It cost you the victory...", exclaimed a voice, and a finger pressed a trigger...
Momo dropped like a rock as the training shot hit her helmet...
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!