"did you see that move?" kirishima leaned forward, practically bouncing. "dude opened a gate and just—bam!"
"he teleported," denki mumbled, still rubbing his temples. "that's what it felt like."
jiro sighed, arms crossed. "we almost had it. i messed up."
"nah," sato said, "you two held the room longer than i expected."
todoroki remained quiet, watching the replay on the screen. jura's final burst was playing back in slow motion.
"it was clean," he finally said.
⸻
momo and jura walked into the viewing room a moment later. jura looked calm. a towel was draped around his neck.
ochaco looked at them. "nice teamwork!"
"thank you," momo said, brushing her bangs back.
jura just nodded.
"yo," kaminari called. "how many gates do you even have, man?"
"enough," jura said.
———
izuku tightened his gloves. he looked toward the building. ochaco bounced lightly on her heels beside him.
"you ready?" he asked.
"as i'll ever be," she smiled.
"this one's gonna be rough."
⸻
As soon as the buzzer started the match, they broke formation.
"Find the weapon," Izuku had whispered. "I'll handle Kacchan."
Now he was ducking between walls, broken furniture, and industrial pillars—trying to keep one step ahead of Bakugo's rage.
they stepped into the entrance corridor. narrow, echoey. soft alarms buzzed in the background.
then—
BOOM.
a sudden explosion rocked the wall next to them. flame and debris burst out. ochaco yelped.
"get back!" izuku shouted, pulling her away.
out of the smoke came katsuki bakugo, hand glowing.
"tch. figured you'd dodge."
his attack missed—barely. but half of izuku's mask cracked, sparks flying off.
"you didn't even hesitate," bakugo said, eyes burning.
"neither did you," izuku replied.
bakugo charged again. right hook.
but izuku stepped forward, caught it at the elbow, twisted his hips—
slam.
he shoulder-threw bakugo into the ground, dust rising on impact.
the observation room erupted.
"yo, midoriya just flipped his kacchan!" kirishima shouted while laughing.
"he read him like a book," jiro muttered, impressed.
Ochaco peeked around the corner, hand over her mouth.
Tenya Iida stood guard in front of a reinforced vault door. His back was straight. His arms were folded like a security robot.
But what threw her off was the… acting.
"I will not let you pass, intruder!" he shouted, striking a dramatic pose. "As the villain, I shall defend this core with honor and enthusiasm!"
Ochaco bit her lip. Tried not to laugh.
A snort escaped.
Tenya's head snapped around.
"…you're here."
"Whoops," she grinned, stepping into view. "Guess I'm not that sneaky."
———
bakugo rolled to his feet, wiping blood from his lip.
"you've been practicing?"
izuku's hands were steady. "i've been taking notes."
bakugo's eyes narrowed.
izuku reached into his belt. pulled a folded, half-burned notebook from a pouch. held it up once—then dropped it to the floor.
"you remember this?"
bakugo's face twisted.
"you always open with a right hook," izuku said calmly. "always."
"shut up."
"i'm not the same weak, defenseless deku anymore."
green lightning sparked over izuku's arms.
"full cowl… four percent."
"DEKU," bakugo growled, fists clenching. "i hate that look on your face!"
he exploded forward.
izuku didn't move—he met him head-on.
Bakugo exploded forward with a roar, sparks crackling off his palms. Izuku didn't flinch—he pivoted left, letting the blast pass his side, then planted a foot and fired a counterpunch.
Bakugo ducked under it, rolled across the concrete, and fired another grenade-like burst off his left palm, scattering debris and smoke through the hall.
Izuku jumped back, shielding his eyes. Bakugo was already in the air again, twisting like a bullet. He fired a blast off his right hand mid-spin—aiming not at Izuku, but at the floor under him.
Boom.
The floor cracked and buckled. Izuku lost his footing, stumbling sideways.
Bakugo landed low and lunged in, grabbing Izuku by the collar and yanking him down into a rising knee.
"Still slow, Deku!"
But Izuku twisted at the last second, the knee glancing off his ribs. He dropped to one hand, kicked Bakugo's supporting leg out from under him, then flipped up and over, green lightning flaring off his shoulder.
Bakugo hit the ground and used the bounce to roll into another palm blast—straight up.
Izuku deflected it with both forearms, his boots sliding from the force. Sparks danced between them, green and orange. Heat radiated in pulses.
⸻
Control Room
"they're fighting like they've trained together for years," kirishima said, wide-eyed.
"they kinda have," jiro muttered. "in a really messed-up way."
"that counter just now," momo noted, "midoriya predicted his feint before the lift."
todoroki watched, silent.
⸻
Ochaco stepped inside, eyes scanning.
The room was empty.
No pipes. No crates. No debris…
Tenya saw the confusion. "I removed every object that could be weaponized against me."
Ochaco clicked her tongue. "Smart."
She floated a few inches off the floor, light on her toes.
But with nothing to throw or launch from, her advantage was gone.
Tenya revved his engines.
"Come, Uraraka! Let's see how you handle pure speed!"
———
Back in the Hallway – Minute Two
Izuku breathed through his nose. Focused. 4 percent Full Cowl buzzed through his muscles, just enough to reinforce joints and sharpen reactions.
Bakugo blitzed again—this time a high arc, bouncing off the walls using quick palm detonations.
Izuku followed with his eyes.
He stepped right once—baiting.
Bakugo took it.
Midair, Bakugo twisted into a corkscrew dive, both hands cocked back.
Izuku bent low, arms ready.
"Got you, Deku!"
"Not this time—Kacchan!"
Izuku exploded forward under the dive. As Bakugo descended, Izuku delivered a shoulder jab into his ribs mid-air, just enough to knock off his angle.
Bakugo over-rotated.
Izuku grabbed his wrist mid-spin, planted his foot—and slammed him against the wall.
Concrete cracked.
⸻
Bakugo gritted his teeth, coughing. "You've been waiting for this, huh?"
Izuku didn't let go. "You made me wait."
Bakugo roared and blasted the wall behind him, forcing a separation. The smoke was instant.
Izuku backpedaled, coughing from the soot. Sparks flashed.
Bakugo came charging through the smoke like a wild animal—no plan, just fury.
He threw a left. Izuku ducked.
Threw a right. Izuku caught it.
Bakugo grinned. "Wrong hand."
Boom!
The tiny flashbang from his other palm hit Izuku at point-blank.
⸻
Control Room
"I can't believe he just pulled a stun shot in a sparring match," Kaminari muttered.
"He's fighting like it's the last round of a tournament," Tokoyami said quietly.
All Might narrowed his eyes. "He's fighting like he's got something to prove."
⸻
Izuku stumbled back, eyes watering.
Bakugo didn't waste it. He charged in, aiming to land a full-body blow.
But Izuku felt it.
Through the blur, through the ache—he read Bakugo's body weight. The same way he always did.
Left foot forward too far. Right shoulder tight. Exploding from the elbow.
Another right hook.
Izuku snapped into motion.
"4 percent!"
He ducked, stepped inside—and shoulder-tossed Bakugo again, this time slamming him down flat.
Thud.
Izuku stood over him, breathing hard.
"I told you… I've been studying you for years."
But before Izuku could put the capture tape on him, Bakugo, with a sudden roar, exploded the ground beneath them. Concrete cracked, smoke filled the hallway, and debris flew in every direction.
BOOM.
The blast forced Izuku back. By the time he caught his balance, Bakugo was already gone—vanished into the smoke trail he'd left behind.
Izuku gritted his teeth. Coward, he thought—then stopped himself.
No. Not cowardly.
Tactical.
His earpiece crackled to life.
Ochaco: fifth floor. found the bomb. tenya's guarding it.
Izuku's eyes widened.
He left Iida alone?
Only one reason for that.
"Kacchan's off the leash…" he muttered, slipping behind a broken wall.
He crouched low, adjusted the capture tape still hanging off his belt.
I need distance… time… if he's out for blood, I can't fight him head-on.
He turned down a side corridor, trying to loop around the second stairwell.
Two corners down—
He stopped.
Bakugo was waiting.
Leaning casually against the frame, one gauntlet pointed forward. A low hum came from inside the chamber.
His mouth curled into a grin.
"You thought you'd buy time, huh?"
Izuku stepped into the hallway fully, hands raised, stance wide.
"I'm not running anymore."
Bakugo tilted his head. "Don't act like we're equals, Deku."
He pointed to the huge, grenade gauntlets on his forearms. "These store my nitro-sweat. When enough builds up—"
"KATSUKI BAKUGO!" All Might's voice boomed over the comms. "DO NOT FIRE THAT ATTACK INSIDE—"
Too late.
BOOM.
The explosion ripped through the corridor. The wall behind Izuku disintegrated. Concrete peeled, and fire trailed through the hallway. Wind howled up every stairwell in the building.
⸻
Fifth Floor – bomb Room
Ochaco and Tenya both staggered as the ground shook.
The windows rattled.
Ochaco looked up. Izuku…
Tenya squinted. "That came from below…"
Ochaco grinned.
"Good."
She kicked off the ground and floated toward the weapon—fast.
Tenya responded immediately, jets flaring from his calves.
They collided mid-air, spinning off each other.
⸻
Three Floors Down – After the Blast
Smoke and dust cleared.
Izuku lay on the ground, bleeding from the shoulder, arms scraped raw.
Bakugo stood above him, chest heaving.
"That was a warning shot," he growled. "The next one ends it."
Izuku coughed. Pulled himself up.
"You're strong, Kacchan. I know that."
"Don't patronize me."
Izuku smiled.
"I'm just buying time."
Bakugo lunged again. Izuku blocked the first strike, then the second—but he was too slow now.
Bakugo used an explosion mid-punch to rotate in the air and blast behind Izuku, slamming him into the floor.
Izuku groaned. His body was giving out.
⸻
Control Room
"He's losing ground," Kirishima muttered.
All Might frowned. "He's waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Tokoyami asked.
⸻
Fifth Floor – Vault Room
Tenya dodged every advance with precision. His steps were controlled, bursts perfectly spaced.
Ochaco tried to flank.
He's too fast… too clean…
Then—CRACK.
Above them, the ceiling exploded.
Dust and chunks of flooring dropped down.
Tenya's eyes darted up. "What—"
Ochaco smiled wide.
Floating above the floor, she reached out her hand—palm facing the debris.
Zero Gravity.
The rubble hovered mid-air.
"Catch."
She launched a storm of concrete and steel at Tenya, who leapt sideways—
But missed the vault.
Ochaco shot forward. Touched the glowing core.
"Team A—wins!"
⸻
Moments Later – Ground Floor
Izuku leaned against the wall, barely upright. Blood stained his sleeve.
Bakugo stood across from him, panting. Confused. Furious.
"You left yourself open," he muttered. "You were wide open…"
Izuku nodded weakly.
"It was the only way…"
Bakugo stared at him.
"…you knew you'd lose the fight."
"but not the match."