Chapter Thirteen — Heroes vs. Villains Begins
The class gathered around the large monitors in the observation room overlooking Ground Beta. The air buzzed with anticipation — and nerves.
Takeshi stood near the front, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the screens. Jiro leaned casually beside him, hands in her pockets, earphone jacks swaying slightly with each movement.
All Might stood at the center of the room, larger than life even without posing.
"TEAM A AND TEAM B, PREPARE FOR COMBAT!"
Midoriya and Uraraka hurried down the hallway toward their starting point. Bakugo and Iida moved in the opposite direction, Bakugo practically vibrating with aggression.
Jiro let out a low whistle. "Man… Midoriya looks like he's about to pass out."
Takeshi nodded. "He's nervous."
"That's an understatement."
"He'll still try his hardest."
Jiro smirked. "You say that like you know him."
Takeshi considered that. "I don't. Not well. But I can tell."
Jiro raised an eyebrow. "You're observant."
"Necessary for combat."
She chuckled. "You're intense, you know that?"
Takeshi blinked. "So, everyone keeps telling me."
All Might's voice boomed through the speakers.
"BEGIN!"
The monitors lit up with multiple camera angles. Midoriya and Uraraka moved cautiously through the building, whispering strategy. Bakugo, meanwhile, was already sprinting through the halls like a missile.
Jiro winced. "He's not even pretending to be stealthy."
"He doesn't need to," Takeshi said. "He's hunting."
Bakugo rounded a corner — and immediately launched an explosion.
Midoriya barely dodged, rolling across the floor.
Jiro hissed. "Whoa! He's actually trying to kill him!"
Takeshi's eyes narrowed. "No. If he wanted to kill him, he'd aim differently."
Jiro stared. "That's… a scary amount of insight."
Takeshi didn't respond. His focus was locked on the screen.
Midoriya scrambled to his feet, breathing hard. Bakugo advanced, explosions crackling in his palms.
"DEKU!" Bakugo roared. "STOP RUNNING AND FIGHT ME!"
Midoriya backed away, trembling — but Takeshi saw something else in his eyes.
Resolve.
"He's analyzing," Takeshi murmured.
Jiro glanced at him. "Huh?"
"He's scared. But he's thinking. Watching Bakugo's movements. Looking for an opening."
Jiro tilted her head. "You can tell all that from his face?"
"Yes."
She stared at him for a moment, then smirked. "You're kinda scary too."
Bakugo's Rage
Bakugo lunged, explosions propelling him forward. Midoriya braced himself, muttering calculations under his breath.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive explosion filled the hallway, smoke billowing across the screen.
Uraraka gasped. "Deku!"
Jiro leaned forward. "Did he get hit?"
Takeshi shook his head. "No. Look."
As the smoke cleared, Midoriya stood his ground — battered, but upright.
Bakugo's eyes widened in fury.
"He's provoking him," Takeshi said quietly.
Jiro blinked. "Midoriya? Provoking Bakugo?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To make him predictable."
Jiro stared at him. "Dude… you're reading this like a pro analyst."
Takeshi shrugged. "I've trained for combat since I was young."
"Yeah, but this is next‑level."
Midoriya's Counterattack
Bakugo charged again, explosions flaring.
Midoriya clenched his fists.
"DETROIT SMASH!!!"
He launched forward with a burst of power — not enough to break himself completely, but enough to lose an arm as he punched upward, just missing Bakugo and tanking the hit from Bakugo.
Jiro's jaw dropped. "He actually countered him!"
Takeshi nodded. "He's learning."
All Might's eyes gleamed with pride.
"YES! THAT'S IT, YOUNG MIDORIYA!"
Bakugo snarled, face twisted with rage and disbelief.
"YOU DAMN NERD!"
Kirishima pumped a fist. "Midoriya's holding his own! That's manly!"
Mineta clung to his leg. "I'm scared just watching!"
Todoroki watched silently, eyes narrowed in thought. Yaoyorozu scribbled notes. Iida adjusted his glasses dramatically.
Jiro nudged Takeshi. "So? Who do you think wins this?"
Takeshi didn't answer immediately.
Finally, he said, "Midoriya has heart. Bakugo has power. But neither has control."
Jiro blinked. "Meaning?"
"Meaning this match won't end cleanly."
The Match Concludes
As predicted, the match ended in chaos — Midoriya had injured himself to do anymore to contribute, Uraraka managed to capture the weapon in the confusion after Midoriya's blow, and Bakugo ended up being restrained by All Might before he could explode again.
The room fell into stunned silence.
All Might cleared his throat as he got back into the room.
"WELL! THAT WAS… CERTAINLY SOMETHING!"
Jiro exhaled. "That was insane."
Takeshi nodded. "Yes."
"You okay?" she asked.
Takeshi blinked. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You're watching your… uh… classmate nearly get blown up."
Takeshi considered that. "He chose to fight. He'll grow from it."
Jiro stared at him, then laughed softly. "You're weird. But in a cool way."
Jiro nudged Takeshi again as she watched Midoriya be carried away on a stretcher. "Seriously though," she said, eyeing him sideways, "how do you know all this? Reading movements, predicting reactions, analyzing their strategies… You talk like someone who's been doing this for years."
Takeshi didn't answer immediately.
He watched Midoriya redirect another explosion, eyes narrowing with focus.
Finally, he said, "I have."
Jiro blinked. "Huh?"
Takeshi kept his gaze on the screen. "My mom is a pro hero. She started training me the day my quirk manifested."
Jiro's eyes widened. "Wait— seriously? Your mom's a pro?"
"Yes."
"Who is she?"
Takeshi hesitated for a moment — not out of secrecy, but because he didn't like drawing attention to it.
"Her hero name is Silver Comet."
Jiro nearly choked. "Silver Comet?! The Silver Comet? The top‑ten U.S. hero? The one who took down that cartel in Miami and outran a helicopter on foot?! That Silver Comet is your mom?"
"Yes."
Jiro stared at him, stunned. "Dude… that's huge. Why didn't you say anything?"
"You didn't ask."
She opened her mouth… then closed it.
"Fair enough."
Takeshi continued, voice steady. "She believes strength without discipline is dangerous. So, she trained me. Hard. Every day."
Jiro looked at him differently now — not intimidated but impressed.
"That explains a lot," she said. "Your whole vibe makes sense now."
Takeshi tilted his head. "My… vibe?"
"Yeah. You're like… calm but intense. Focused. Like you're always thinking three steps ahead. Todoroki gives off that felling too."
Takeshi considered that. "That's how she taught me to fight and I would venture to say Todoroki has had extensive training as well.."
Jiro smirked. "Well it's good you know how to fight. Because we're gonna need that when it's our turn."
All Might raised his clipboard.
"THE NEXT MATCH WILL BE…"
The room held its breath.
"TEAM C — SHOTO TODOROKI AND MOMO YAOYOROZU…"
Todoroki stepped forward, calm and unreadable. Yaoyorozu straightened, confident and composed.
"…VERSUS TEAM J — TAKESHI YAGI AND KYOKA JIRO!"
Jiro blinked. "Wait— us? Against them?"
Takeshi nodded once. "Understood."
Jiro groaned. "Oh man… Todoroki? Seriously? We're gonna die."
Takeshi cracked his knuckles, expression steady.
"No. We'll adapt."
Jiro stared at him.
Then smirked.
"Alright, big guy. Let's see what you've got."
Takeshi nodded.
This was the real test.