The surveillance room hummed with quiet anticipation. The fluorescent lights cast a sterile glow over the console panels, and multiple large monitors displayed angles of the training facility known as Ground Beta.
Kael sat quietly on the bench nearest the central screen, his posture relaxed but his eyes distant—lost in a haze of something even he couldn't explain. A faint ringing had been pulsing at the back of his skull since they walked in, but he pushed it aside. Not now.
Yumi slid onto the bench beside him, the gleam of her form-fitting hero suit catching the monitor's light. She didn't say anything at first—just leaned close, shoulder brushing against his. Her gaze never left him.
Kael blinked slowly, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"You're tense," she said softly, voice just above a whisper.
"I'm fine," he muttered, too quickly.
She bumped her knee against his gently, her hand resting lightly on his forearm. She didn't press. Kael didn't lean away. He appreciated the anchor.
Around them, the room stirred with growing chatter.
"Whoa! This place is insane!" Kaminari leaned toward the screen. "Look at all these camera angles!"
"Feels like we're watching a real movie!" Kirishima added, leaning forward excitedly.
"Look at Midoriya." Sero pointed at one of the monitors. "He looks like he's gonna hurl."
"Hah! Poor guy's probably shaking in his boots," Mina said, grinning. "I mean, going up against Bakugo? That's a death sentence. Dude has major anger issues."
"Don't count him out," Tokoyami said calmly. "Strategy can tip any scale."
Kael's eyes flicked up to the screens. On one, Bakugo paced like a caged beast deep inside the building, steam rising subtly from his gauntlets. Not far off, Iida stood next to the fake bomb in a guarded stance, waiting for the clash to begin.
Outside the building, Midoriya and Uraraka were crouched at the entrance, preparing to breach.
All Might stood tall near the central monitor, arms folded. His usual booming grin was absent, but his aura remained as vast and commanding as ever.
"This trial isn't just about raw strength," he said firmly. "It's about making judgment calls under pressure. It's about teamwork, quick thinking, and adapting in real time."
Yumi's hand lingered on Kael's arm. "Do you think Izuku can win?" she whispered.
Kael's expression remained unreadable. He stared at the screen, watching Midoriya steady his breath. Somewhere deep in his chest, that flicker returned—a twinge in his skull and the ghost of a memory he didn't recognize, drenched in screams and a Quirk being torn away.
"If he trusts himself," Kael said at last, voice low, "he won't need to win. He just has to prove he can fight and stand up for himself."
Yumi smiled faintly and leaned just a bit closer. "Nice answer."
"Heroes," All Might announced, raising a hand. "Begin!"
All eyes locked on the screens as the trial started.
Kael's fists clenched slightly at his sides, and Yumi's gaze never left him.
…
The surveillance room was silent, every eye fixed on the monitors displaying the intense confrontation between Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo.
Bakugo's explosive assaults echoed through the building's corridors, his aggression palpable even through the screens. Izuku, despite the overwhelming force, stood his ground, determination etched across his face.
"I've always looked up to you, Kacchan," Izuku's voice crackled through the speakers. "You were strong, confident… everything I wanted to be."
Bakugo snarled, launching another barrage. "Don't patronize me, Deku!"
Izuku dodged, his movements calculated. "But I couldn't just sit back. I had to try to be a hero in my own way."
The room watched in awe as Izuku utilized his environment, setting traps and using his knowledge of Bakugo's tactics to his advantage. The battle was a dance of strategy versus raw power.
"I'm surprised to see that Midoriya actually has a backbone. I always thought he was just a wimp." Mineta chimed in.
"Yeah, even after Bakugo pulled off that huge explosion, Izuku firmed it like a real man!"
But All Might couldn't sit back and watch his protege continuously harm himself just to prove a point. That's when he made the decision.
Just as he was about to end the match, Izuku and Bakugo went for one final punch just as All Might was on the edge of announcing the End Match speech. But before he could, Izuku yelled out something to Uraraka as Katsukis blow detonated right in Izuku's face.
Izuku's thrown punch however went upwards towards the ceiling, causing it to cave in. The debris in the bomb room went up into thousands of pieces. Uraraka used her Quirk to make a broken pillar weight less to nothing as she hit the rocks back towards Iida who was defending the bomb.
He instinctively put his arms up to defend himself, and Uraraka took advantage of that, floating across the sinkhole and capturing the bomb, ultimately leading her and Izuku to victory.
All Might's voice broke the silence that filled the dumbfounded room. They were all suprised to see the outcome of the battle be in midoriyas favor.
"Victory goes to the heroes!"
Applause erupted in the room, and Kael even nodded in approval. He believed Izuku would stand up for himself, but to win as well?
"Katsukis definitely butthurt. Their rivalry just got even more intense.."
"Their fight really motivated me! Kael, I can't wait to for our go! Can you?!"
"It's definitely gonna be.. Interesting.."
…
Later That Day – Final Match: Kael & Yumi (Villains) vs. Mina & Aoyama (Heroes)
The sun cast long shadows as the final match of the day commenced. Inside the building, Kael adjusted his gloves, the dim light reflecting off his hero costume.
Yumi stood beside him, her constellation-themed outfit shimmering subtly. "Ready?" she asked, her tone playful.
Kael smirked. "Always."
Outside, Mina and Aoyama prepared to breach the building. Mina cracked her knuckles, grinning. "Let's show them what we've got!"
Aoyama struck a pose, his belt gleaming. "Indeed, mademoiselle. Our brilliance shall outshine the stars!"
Back inside, Kael and Yumi took their positions, the mock bomb secured between them.
Yumi glanced at Kael, her eyes narrowing. "Let's make this interesting."
Kael nodded, shadows beginning to swirl around his feet. "Time to give them a show."
…
In a darkened warehouse nestled deep in the outskirts of Nevada, the atmosphere was dense with smoke, tension, and rage. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, illuminating the dozens—no, over a hundred gathered figures below. Criminals, assassins, black-market brokers, and rogue metahumans filled the vast, graffiti-covered space. Some leaned against crates full of contraband; others paced restlessly like caged beasts. Each of them had a reason to be there, but one name unified them all.
At the center of it stood a tall, dark-haired man, clad in a coat draped with faded red number 34 tattoo on his arm, his expression sharp and cold. He was one of the seven remaining lieutenants from the fractured organization Ryken once led.
His name was Maldrak, a strategist known for his brutal clarity and unforgiving tactics. Unlike the chaos-driven zealots who once followed Ryken, Maldrak carried no delusions of grandeur—only purpose.
"Equinox," he spat the name like venom.
The murmurs in the room fell to silence.
"For only a mere few months, he was the grim reaper in our shadows. Stripping our assets, dismantling our cells, taking our power—one Quirk at a time. He might've abandoned the streets, but his presence still haunts our operations."
A woman with cybernetic limbs slammed her fist onto a rusted table. "He's not some 'grim reaper'. He's a boy who was in way over his head. And now, it's time for him to pay."
Maldrak's lip curled. "You're right.. YOU'RE SO RIGHT!."
He turned to the massive monitor behind him. It showed several encrypted surveillance feeds from Japan, one of them highlighting a familiar symbol—U.A. High. The image froze on a blurry silhouette from a rooftop. It was indistinct, but the tendrils that once made their organization go extinct was unmistakable to them,
"Kael Ishiro," Maldrak said coldly. "The boy who's erasing the next generation of villains. Who's already dismantled eleven our supply networks without anyone of us even noticing until it was too late."
"He's Equinox," someone muttered.
"No. He was Equinox," Maldrak corrected. "Now he's hiding behind Heroes and that school."
He faced the crowd, voice rising.
"Under direct order from All For One, our objective is clear—drag Kael Ishiro out from the shadows, expose him for what he is, and erase him before he can steal another Quirk. You want revenge? You want power back? This is how we start."
The room erupted into a mix of anger and resolve. Weapons were drawn. Quirks flickered and sparked like suppressed tempests waiting to be unleashed.
"The operation begins now."