"Okay, Uraraka san. Ready?"
Melissa Shield's voice was calm over the communicator. They were crouched behind a concrete pillar a hundred meters from the target building.
Uraraka tightened the straps on her hero suit. "I think so," she replied. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Your Plan A sounds... sounds good. Lure Bakugo kun, sneak upstairs."
"He'll come for me, I know it," Melissa said. "It's personal for him. I saw how he looked at me after the entrance exam. He sees me as a direct threat to his position. He's predictable."
"Predictable?" Ochako blinked. "He seems... terrifying to me."
"Those two things aren't mutually exclusive," Melissa said with a half smile. "He'll come for me, and he'll come with everything he has. He doesn't care about the bomb, he doesn't care about his partner. He just wants to beat me."
She paused, looking at Ochako. "And that's why it will work. While he's focused on crushing me, you have to move. You can't hesitate. Did you see the blueprints?"
"Yes. Fifth floor. The elevator shaft is in the center, but the west wing emergency stairs are closer to our entry point."
"Exactly. Use your Quirk on yourself. Go up the emergency stairs. Iida kun is fast, incredibly fast in a straight line, but he can't cover every floor at once. He won't expect you to come up from below that quickly. Go straight for the bomb."
"Got it. Trust me, Shield san. I'll get to that bomb." Ochako clenched her fists.
"Good." Melissa's gaze softened for a second. "But, Uraraka san... be careful. This isn't a game. Bakugo doesn't hold back. If something goes wrong, if you find yourself in trouble, or if Iida spots you too soon, I want you to let me know."
"I..."
"Let me know," Melissa insisted, her tone firm. "If Plan A fails, we move to Plan B. Regroup, wait for Bakugo to run out of energy, and attack together. Don't take unnecessary risks for a test. Understood?"
Ochako nodded, the seriousness of the warning settling over her. "Understood. Same to you, Shield san."
*****
Inside the building, on the fifth floor, the atmosphere was anything but cooperative.
"Bakugo kun! We must solidify our defensive strategy!"
Iida moved with rigid precision, placing small, improvised surveillance cameras in the hallways leading to the bomb room.
"I have secured the objective's immediate perimeter!" he declared, more to himself than to his partner. "Now we must patrol the main access points! My Recipro Burst allows me to cover the lobby and the main stairs, but you must watch the elevator shaft and the east facade! We must anticipate all infiltration routes and act like truly cunning villains!"
Bakugo didn't answer.
He was leaning against the back wall, staring out a dark window at the simulated city. His arms were crossed. Small sparks jumped from his palms, briefly illuminating his tense face and his grimace.
"Shut up, Four Eyes."
Iida stopped mid motion. He turned slowly. "Bakugo kun, I must remind you that this is a team exercise! Communication and coordination are essential for any successful operation! We must coordinate our defenses to maximize...!"
"I told you to shut up!" Bakugo snapped, his voice a low growl. He finally turned to glare at him. "I have my own plan."
"Your 'own plan'?" Iida repeated, visibly offended. "And what is that, exactly? To ignore the objective we've been entrusted to protect?"
"You stay here and hug your stupid bomb if you like it so much!" Bakugo pushed off the wall and started walking toward the stairs, stretching his fingers. "I'll take care of the trash. I know exactly who's coming."
"Two opponents are coming! Shield san and Uraraka san!"
"There's only one opponent," Bakugo said, not stopping. "The other one is a sidekick."
"That 'extra with the glasses' is Melissa Shield! She placed second in the practical exam! Her analysis and power are considerable! And Uraraka san has a gravity Quirk that completely nullifies my mobility if she touches me! We cannot underestimate them!"
Bakugo stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder. A wild, nasty smile spread across his face. "I deserved first place. And I'm going to prove why. I know exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to find the blonde and blast her to pieces. You... do whatever you want. Just don't let the round face touch your bomb."
"It's not 'my' bomb! It's 'our' objective! And you shouldn't refer to Uraraka san that way!"
But Bakugo was already gone, his heavy footsteps echoing in the hall as he descended, leaving a furious and frustrated Tenya Iida alone in the objective room.
"Unacceptable! This lack of teamwork is... is...! Villainous! ...Well," Iida corrected himself, adjusting his helmet. "I suppose that is appropriate for the role. Very well! I shall defend this objective by myself, like a true archvillain!"
******
In the observation room, the tension was palpable. Multiple screens showed different angles of Ground Beta and the building's interior.
All Might leaned forward, his huge hands gripping the armrests of his chair. His hero smile was fixed in place, but his blue eyes betrayed his concern.
"Hmm! The villain team appears to have a... strategic disconnect!" he boomed, his voice filling the dark room. "Communication is key, young Iida! But young Bakugo seems to have his own plan! Bold! Albeit risky!"
Izuku, standing beside him instead of sitting, watched the monitors. His eyes darted quickly from Bakugo's screen to the one showing Melissa and Ochako.
"It was predictable," Izuku muttered, almost to himself.
"What's that, Izuku?" asked Yu Takeyama, sitting nearby. She had taken off her sunglasses and was leaning back in her chair, yawning delicately. "Oh? Finally something interesting? I was about to fall asleep."
"Bakugo's behavior," Izuku clarified, not looking away from the screens. "It's predictable. He sees Shield san as a direct rival after the exam. His pattern is always total aggression against the main perceived threat. He'll ignore the objective. He'll ignore his teammate. It's a duel for him, not a mission."
"Hmm." Yu raised an eyebrow, now more interested. She leaned slightly toward Izuku, her shoulder brushing his. "And the Shield girl? Is she predictable too?"
"Less so," Izuku admitted. "She's smart. But I don't know how willing she is to... adapt."
"And the other one? The gravity girl?"
"Uraraka san. She has a powerful Quirk but with an endurance limit. Her biggest advantage is Iida. He relies on ground speed. She's his perfect counter."
"Wow, now I get the strategy." Yu smiled.
Izuku didn't answer. In the room, All Might's voice rang out, this time over the area's speaker system.
"LET THE INDOOR BATTLE EXERCISE... BEGIN!"
******
On the screen, Melissa and Ochako shared one last look and dashed into the building.
They split up instantly.
"Starting my ascent," Ochako whispered into the communicator, her voice trembling slightly from the strain of using her Quirk on herself.
"Received," Melissa replied. She advanced down a main hallway on the first floor, her boots making a deliberate, rhythmic noise on the tile floor.
"She's announcing herself," Yu murmured, resting her chin on her hand. "It's a bait."
Melissa didn't have to wait long.
Halfway down the hall, a side door to her left exploded.
Wood and metal flew outward, sending splinters and a cloud of plaster dust into the hall. Bakugo shot out of the cloud, an absolutely savage smile on his face, his eyes locked on her.
"I FOUND YOU, GLASSES EXTRA!"
There was no warning. No strategy. Just pure aggression. He unleashed a massive explosion with his right palm, the blast echoing loudly in the enclosed space.
"Uraraka, watch out! He found me on the first floor! He's on the first floor!" Melissa yelled into the communicator.
She dodged just in time, diving to the right.
"Received! Received!" came Ochako's tense voice. "Still climbing! Third floor!"
"You thought you could hide from me?!" Bakugo roared, using a smaller blast from his left hand to correct his trajectory and launch himself at her. "I'm going to crush you right here and now! I won't even break a sweat!"
He set off another explosion that blew up a row of metal lockers, sending dented doors flying through the air.
Melissa activated one percent of One For All in her legs. The power was minimal but it was enough. She pushed off the wall, running horizontally for three steps to dodge the flying doors, and landed nimbly at the end of the hall, already turning to face him.
"Your objective is the bomb, Uraraka," she whispered to herself, keeping her voice off the communicator. "I just have to keep him here. Keep climbing."
"YOUNG BAKUGO IS COMPLETELY IGNORING THE OBJECTIVE!" All Might exclaimed in the observation room. "HE IS BLINDED BY PERSONAL RIVALRY! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR A HERO!"
"He's a fool," Izuku muttered. "But his combat instinct is incredible. He's using the walls to bounce his explosions and cut off her space."
"And her?" Yu asked, watching Melissa barely leap back to avoid another detonation.
"Melissa is handling him well. She's buying time. She's retreating toward the main lobby, an open area. That gives her room to dodge, but it also gives him more freedom of movement. She's playing him."
"Handling him well?" Yu raised an eyebrow, seeing another explosion nearly clip Melissa. "It looks like he's cornering her. He's relentless."
"He is," Izuku agreed. "But she's not counterattacking. She's conserving energy. Watch."
The chase intensified. It became a blur of motion and explosions. Bakugo, with his explosive aerial mobility, was relentless. He flew down hallways, ricocheted off walls, using his power to propel himself at speeds that rivaled Iida's.
Melissa, on the other hand, focused on evasion. She used controlled bursts, barely one or two percent, to push off, jump up walls, and slide under explosions. She deployed her built in grappling hook, firing it at the second floor ceiling and using it to swing over a detonation that destroyed the floor.
"STOP RUNNING, YOU DAMN COWARD!" Bakugo screamed, his fury growing with every successful dodge. Sweat was starting to bead on his forehead. "FIGHT LIKE A REAL HERO! OR IS RUNNING ALL YOU CAN DO!"
"Keep talking!" Melissa panted, landing in a roll. "The more you yell, the less oxygen you have."
"I'LL...! " He readied another blast.
I need to keep him busy, Melissa thought, her own breathing starting to get heavy. Almost three minutes had passed. One more minute. Just one more minute for Uraraka.
She saw Bakugo preparing another large blast, cupping his hands together. Instead of retreating, she pushed forward.
"What?" Bakugo growled, surprised by the aggressive move.
She fired a "finger flick," with barely one percent. It was a small, compressed air projectile.
The small projectile of air hit Bakugo's shoulder. It wasn't enough to hurt him, or even knock him back. But it was an unexpected blow. The impact was just enough to throw him off balance for a fraction of a second.
The explosion he had been preparing went wide, impacting harmlessly against the ceiling and raining down pieces of plaster.
"You bitch...!"
"I'm on the fifth floor!" Ochako's voice suddenly came over the communicator, breathless. "I see him! He's... oh no!"
******
Meanwhile, on the fifth floor, Ochako had arrived. She burst out of the emergency stairwell and into the bomb room. It was a cavernous space, filled with fake machinery and pipes. In the center, gleaming under the emergency lights, was the fake bomb.
And next to it, Iida.
He was in a perfect defensive stance, knees bent, arms wide. He saw her the instant she entered.
"Hero! You've finally arrived!" His voice, distorted by the helmet, boomed in the room. "You've fallen right into my trap! I must applaud your stealth, but your mission ends here!"
Iida activated his Recipro Burst. The engines in his calves roared to life with a deafening sound. He shot toward her.
"You shall not pass!" he yelled, his voice distorted by the speed. "Justice will prevail... I mean, evil!"
Ochako let out a high pitched shriek and threw herself to the side, narrowly dodging Iida's grasp. The rush of wind he left in his wake made her stumble.
Iida's speed was terrifying. A frantic chase began around the bomb and between the machinery. He was too fast for her to even think about touching him.
"Surrender, hero! You cannot escape my speed!"
"I have to get to the bomb!" Ochako panted, feeling nausea rise in her throat. She had been using her Quirk on herself for too long. She was close to her weight limit.
She dodged again, and her back hit a trembling wall. The entire building was vibrating from Bakugo's explosions on the floors below. Broken pieces of the wall and debris were falling from the ceiling.
Debris.
Ochako had an idea. As she ran, she reached out and tapped several large chunks of concrete that were on the floor.
"Take this!"
She made the debris float and, with a backhand motion, flung it at Iida.
"A dirty trick!" Iida yelled. He dodged most of it, but there was too much. One of the larger pieces struck him in the leg, cracking part of his armor and making him stumble.
In that instant of imbalance, as his speed dropped to zero, Ochako lunged, managing to tap one of his armored boots.
"Zero Gravity!"
"What?! No!"
Iida let out a cry of genuine surprise and panic as he felt his right foot lift uncontrollably. His center of gravity vanished. He lost his balance completely and fell awkwardly to the floor, his leg floating uncontrollably toward the ceiling.
"Now, Melissa!" Ochako yelled into the comm, seeing her window of opportunity for the bomb. "He's down! But it won't last long! I need an opening! Bakugo can't come up! Do something!"
*****
Down in the first floor lobby, Melissa heard the call.
She looked at Bakugo. He had recovered from the "finger flick" and was staring at her with a cold, murderous fury. He wasn't yelling anymore. He was focused. And that was worse.
"Playtime's over, extra."
She knew she couldn't stop him for long. She couldn't beat him in a direct fight. And now, he would try to go up. She had to create a distraction. A big one.
She remembered All Might's words: "If an obstacle gets in your way, then destroy it with a Detroit Smash!" No, those weren't helpful.
I can't stop him. But I can stop the floor.
Just as Bakugo launched himself at her, preparing his biggest explosion yet, his palms glowing brightly, Melissa made her decision.
She let the edge of the blast graze her. The impact sent her flying back, but she used the momentum to get close to the main support column of the lobby. And instead of trying a direct blow against Bakugo, she channeled One For All.
A number that would hurt. A number that would break something. But a number she could control.
Her right arm lit up with the familiar red veins.
She ignored Bakugo, who was already turning for a second attack. She ignored the pain from the burn on her side.
She slammed her open palm into the concrete floor, right at the base of the column.
"Wyoming Smash...!"
A dull, heavy, concentrated shockwave sank into the building's foundations.
The floor under Bakugo's feet fractured instantly. The support columns around him groaned under pressure they weren't meant to withstand.
And then, the ceiling above him gave way.
Not the whole building. Just that section.
A large amount of debris – chunks of concrete, twisted metal beams, broken pipes, and a blinding cloud of dust – came crashing down, completely blocking the hallway, burying Bakugo under a pile of rubble. It wasn't lethal, the building was designed for controlled collapses, but it would pin him.
The recoil from the blow shot up Melissa's arm like burning pain. She felt the sharp, familiar pain intensify a thousand times. She heard the unmistakable and sickening CRACK.
She fell to her knees, gasping, the air forced from her lungs. She clutched her right arm, which hung uselessly and was already starting to bruise an ugly purple and black. The pain was blinding, stealing her breath.
But through it, a look of fierce determination shone in her eyes.
Above, on the fifth floor, the entire building trembled from the impact. The floor shook violently.
Iida, who was still on the ground trying to stand up with one floating foot, was knocked flat again by the tremor.
Ochako didn't waste time.
Taking advantage of the distraction, she lunged forward, dodged the fallen Iida, and stretched out her hand, grabbing the cold surface of the fake nuclear bomb.
"Bomb...!" she panted, almost breathless. "Bomb captured!"
*****
In the observation room, there was a second of stunned silence.
And then, an explosion of reactions.
All Might was on his feet, his hands clenched into fists, his face torn between immense pride and absolute panic for Melissa's arm.
"She did it! The spirit of a true hero!"
Izuku nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the screen showing Melissa, kneeling and in pain. He was impressed. Deeply impressed.
"Wow," Yu murmured, genuinely astonished. She leaned forward, her eyes locked on Melissa's screen. "The girl has guts. Breaking her own arm on purpose... that's dedication."
She turned to look at Izuku. "You knew she'd do something like that, didn't you, Izuku?"
"I knew she was capable of making hard decisions," Izuku answered quietly. "But no. Not like this. I underestimated her capacity for... self sacrifice."
All Might's voice boomed over the Ground Beta speakers, drowning out all other conversation.
"THE HERO TEAM... WINS!"
*******
Recovery Girl's medics rushed into the simulated building to attend to Melissa. Ochako ran to her side, coming down the stairs as fast as her trembling legs would allow.
"Shield san! Your arm! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine," Melissa gasped, gritting her teeth against the pain as the medics assessed the damage. "We won. You did a great job, Uraraka san."
Iida approached, having already deactivated his Quirk. He gave a perfect ninety degree bow.
"My sincerest apologies for my failure as a villain! My performance was inadequate!" he shouted, his voice full of remorse. "And my deepest admiration for your strategy and courage, heroines! Using the environment against me and creating a structural distraction was...!"
A sound interrupted Iida's apology.
A sound of shifting rubble.
Slowly, a hand emerged from the pile of ruins. Then, the dust covered and furious figure of Bakugo pulled himself to his feet. He was bruised, his suit torn in several places.
His gaze locked onto Melissa as the medics carefully placed her on a stretcher.
"You..." he growled.
As the stretcher passed by him, Bakugo spoke, his voice a low, dangerous growl.
"This isn't over, glasses extra."
Melissa, despite the pain that was making her see stars, turned her head. She gave him a small smile, a tired, pained, but undeniably defiant smile.
"I know," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "We're just getting started."