Chapter 162: The Other Groups' Performance
Although Thirteen had never publicly stated that he was being monitored by the government, Kira had come to a conclusion based on some discussions on the dark web and various unconfirmed rumors online. Certain Pro Heroes with excessively powerful Quirks would be "interviewed" by the government, made to install limiters or monitoring devices on their hero costumes, and forced to report their status to relevant agencies on a regular basis...
Kira had visited Thirteen in the hospital after the USJ incident. At the time, he had been in a wheelchair, and despite his severe injuries, he had still refused to take off his suit. Kira had learned from Aizawa that Thirteen was afraid that if his students saw his true face, they would no longer admire him.
Based on Thirteen's posture at the time, Kira had deduced that his bulky spacesuit concealed a rather small and slender body. Logically speaking, that kind of suit was a complete mismatch for his Quirk. While it offered some protection, it also made it impossible for him to turn his body, robbing him of his mobility to track an enemy or dodge an attack.
Kira had made a bold guess: Thirteen's suit was not just to support his Quirk, but also to restrict it. It looked like a hero costume, but in reality, it was a kind of prison uniform.
However, since the person in question was willing to wear it, he had no room to say anything.
Kira sighed and turned his attention back to the monitors.
Momo and Todoroki were up against Aizawa. Both of their Quirks were a huge part of their fighting styles. Momo's "Creation" and Todoroki's "Half-Cold Half-Hot" were both strategic-level abilities. But against Aizawa, who could erase their Quirks, it was like two mages running into an assassin with a silence ability. He was their natural enemy.
On the screen, the two of them were being relentlessly pursued by Aizawa. He was leaping through the residential area like a ninja, occasionally scattering caltrops. And Momo...
Kira's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had a set of Russian nesting dolls tucked into her utility belt. Although the two of them looked like they were being run ragged, Kira could see that their expressions were calm. It seemed they already had a counter-strategy.
Aizawa had overused his eyes during the USJ incident, causing his eye sockets to fracture. As a result, his Quirk activation time was now shorter, but the cooldown was longer. Momo had also been there when Kira had visited the two teachers in the hospital. She must have known about this weakness. It looked like she was planning to use his post-injury condition against him.
The next moment, as soon as Momo felt her Quirk return, she shouted to Todoroki. A wall of ice, several meters high, instantly shot up, blocking Aizawa's line of sight and buying her a little time. This must have been Todoroki's maximum output; even his own body was covered in a thick layer of frost.
Momo used this opportunity to create a catapult and a large bundle of capture tape, the same color as the one around Aizawa's neck. She also created two black cloaks, one for herself and one for the catapult. She had Todoroki hide to the side, creating the illusion that both of them were hiding under the cloaks.
A moment later, when Aizawa saw two cloaked figures, he assumed they were trying to hide from his line of sight. He decisively leaped toward them, throwing his own capture weapon.
But the instant the cloaks were ripped away, the Russian nesting dolls that Momo had made were flung at Aizawa. They burst open in mid-air, releasing an intense flash of light.
Aizawa, unable to see, instinctively leaped backward. Momo cut the rope on the catapult, launching the bundle of fake capture tape. It unfurled in the air and, just as planned, enveloped Aizawa. Then, a burst of fire shot from Todoroki's hand, slamming into the ground beneath Aizawa and instantly raising the temperature. The tape, which was made with a memory alloy, immediately contracted, binding him tightly.
Momo, wearing a pair of black sunglasses like a true professional, reached behind her back, pulled out the handcuffs, and snapped them onto the cocooned Aizawa.
"Victory condition met for Team Yaoyorozu and Team Todoroki!"
Tokoyami and Ojiro were up against Power Loader, the teacher who drove the mech that looked like WarGreymon. He was constantly drilling underground, forcing them to dodge and gradually reducing their foothold.
By the time the field was mostly destroyed, Power Loader could roughly predict where they were. But by the same token, his own position could also be analyzed.
The next time he burst from the ground, Tokoyami and Ojiro landed on his mech at the same time. Their pincer attack instantly broke through the mech's canopy, and they took control of his console.
Power Loader wasn't a frontline combat-type hero; he was a researcher who specialized in support gear. The moment his machine was compromised, he surrendered with a wry smile and held out his hands.
"Victory condition met for Team Tokoyami and Team Ojiro!"
Ashido and Kaminari were up against Principal Nezu. His Quirk was "High Spec," which allowed his hyper-intelligent brain to accomplish anything. Even things he didn't understand, he could master with just a little practice. He was, quite literally, the world's greatest mind, and the only known case of his Quirk.
The Principal's test site was the simulated factory area, the same place All Might had used to test his speed days ago. At this moment, Nezu was operating a crane, swinging a massive wrecking ball and destroying everything in sight. It seemed random, but in reality, each of his attacks was herding Ashido and Kaminari away from the gate, constantly blocking their path to the exit.
Surprisingly, the Principal, who was sitting in the crane, had abandoned his usual refined and gentle appearance. A crazed smile was on his face, and he was laughing as if he were high. He seemed to be getting a lot of joy from this, like an unhinged doctor toying with a new test subject.
A madman... The word appeared in Kira's mind. The Principal's madness was similar to, but different from, the Rabbit Director's. The Director's was a free-spirited lunacy, while the Principal's... it was more like a frenzy that had been held in check for years, a desire to destroy everything.
Recovery Girl was also watching this match. "Nezu was... mistreated by humans in the past," she muttered, as if to herself. "Although he was rescued, that resentment for humanity is still buried deep in his heart. When a trigger appears, his true nature comes out..."
Kira asked, surprised, "Recovery Girl, if the Principal hates humans, why is he the principal of U.A.?"
"Oh no, you've misunderstood, Kira. Nezu doesn't hate humans. On the contrary, he loves them. But it's precisely because the ones he loved did such cruel things to him that he developed such a contradictory personality," Recovery Girl said with a cough. "But that's not important. You should focus on the other matches."
It seemed Recovery Girl didn't want to answer, so Kira didn't press the issue. He briefly glanced at the other groups' performances. By his estimation, most of the battles were already nearing their end...
Yoshikage Kira pulled his gaze away from the screen and turned his head, only to see Uraraka standing there, her hands clasped tightly, watching the monitor with a worried expression.
The match she was watching was Midoriya and Bakugo's. And the person they had to fight... was the Symbol of Peace, All Might.
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