The rest of the week progresses normally. There's a lot of knowledge to absorb and a lot of ground to cover, so we aren't given much rest. I get home and have to force myself to do the homework before passing out. We don't see anyone outside of our classmates and maybe our parents. We learn each others names, at least, but even class B are a bunch of enigmas. Physical training is grueling as well, so by the time Friday comes around we're completely exhausted and thankful for the weekend. Which is when Monomyth drops the big surprise on us.

"I've been lecturing you all week, but it's the last class of the day and the last class before the weekend. So if you get banged up now you have the whole weekend to recover." His smile looks malicious for a second. "It would be a waste not to take advantage of that, right? So, it's time to put some of the things you've been learning to the test."

"Finally!" Bakugo shouts, slamming on his desk with a fist. He's one of the few people who still has enthusiasm. "A live-fire exercise!"

Monomyth nods. "That's exactly right! Today we're going to have a special exercise. I have a pretty good handle on your Quirks now." He pats a ream of paper on his desk. "So, I've organized you into teams which complement each other and set you against teams that would give you trouble. Each round will be a two-on-two game, with the 'villain' team defending an objective, a dangerous bomb, within a building and the 'hero' team attempting to secure the objective before time runs out. Try not to think too hard about whether I placed you in the hero or villain team, I plan on revisiting this exercise with the roles switched at a later date."

"Huh!" Kirishima says. "So it's basically like a game? I'm cool with that!"

"I suppose you can think of it as a game, but during the exercise I want you treat it as real. Points will be deducted by attacking or damaging the objective for either team, as blowing it up would lead to your own and possibly many innocent deaths in reality. Excessive collateral damage will also be worth negative points. At the same time, as far as your fellow students are concerned this is an exercise. I don't mind if you get rough, but if you risk permanent damage or death to your classmates I'm stopping the exercise immediately." I swear he looks directly at me when he says that, but his mask covers his eyes so I can't be sure. "Also, though you should think of this as a chance to demonstrate your skills bear in mind you are still novices. You are going to make mistakes, and a lot of them. This will give me a good baseline for your abilities so we'll be able to track your progress over the course of the semester. So be sure to give it your all." He pauses as he realizes something. "You know, plus ultra." He sounds uncharacteristically awkward, the phrase tacked on with painful artificiality.

Kaminari asks, "So what's to stop us from holding back? You know, leave ourselves some room to 'grow' so we can wreck the curve?"

Monomyth gives us a tiny smirk. "I'll know if you do." His voice has the toll of a funeral bell. Not one of us doubts him. "The location of an exercise is an empty building at Ground Beta. Each group will get their own identical building. The villain team gets 5 minutes to prepare whatever defenses and strategies they can. Afterwards, the hero team will have 15 minutes to secure the objective. If the hero team is able to put their hand on the objective and keep it there for five consecutive seconds, they win. If time runs out, the villains win. Each student will have a roll of capture tape; wrap up an opponent so that they cannot move and they're out. Capture both of your opponents and it's a victory for your side." Sounds pretty simple. Basically the villains are on defense and the heroes on offense. "Yaoyorozu and Tomura, you two are up first as villains. Their opponents will be the hero team of Asui and Tokoyami."

Four heads snap around the room to take in their partner and their opponents. Wait, sorry, three heads: Tokoyami has his eyes closed and his head down, his fingers folded as if he's deep in thought. I look over to Yaoyorozu and lock eyes with her. She's one of the two students who got in on recommendations; to be honest, I'm intimidated. Being paired up with a capable partner means it would only be too clear who the blame would fall on if we lost. Lastly I take in Asui. She doesn't look like much if I'm being honest; with her slouch and her vacant expression it would be easy to dismiss her. But underestimating her could be deadly; no one gets into UA unless they have a pretty solid build to begin with.

We are given time to change into our hero outfits, created for us by the Support classes based on the specifications we submitted earlier. My costume is gray on off-white. I have a respirator over my nose and mouth as well as a clear visor over my eyes. Both of them form a seal against my skin, protecting my mucous membranes from foreign particles. The gloves are the real magic, though. I asked for something I could remove and replace quickly and they delivered in spades. They stretch over my fingers but have a solid component over the meat of my fingertips. If I flick my fingers the cover flips open and allow me to use my Quirk. If I close my hand like a cat scratch they slip back on. In this way I can go from "safe" to "dangerous" and back again in a fraction of a second. I practice doing this a few times; it will take a while before I can do it as a reflex, but already I like them a lot more than the finger condoms. I make a note to wear them all the time so I can get used to them.

I report to the training ground and meet Asui and Tokoyami, their costumes in green and black respectively. We nod to each other in mutual respect. Yaoyorozu is already waiting at the entrance of the building. I have to make an effort not to look at anything I'm not supposed to, though she does not seem bothered by how skimpy her costume is. The building is a maze of corridors on each of its five floors, with several side rooms and dead ends and only two staircases up for each floor. It's laid out a bit like a dungeon, and I'm already looking forward to when I get to play on the hero side. Our "bomb" is waiting for us in the main room; it's a person-sized cylinder that looks more like a missile than a bomb, and made out of paper so it can be easily transported. The countdown timer for our head start begins as soon as we enter together, a metal shutter slamming down behind us both to keep us in and to keep Asui and Tokoyami from either jumping the gun or listening in while we talk.

I break the ice, all business: "Alright, strategy time. Your Quirk is something like matter creation, right?"

Momo nods. "I can recreate anything, as long as I understand its molecular structure. And you can make things crumble?"

"Decay," I confirm. "So you can make things, and I can destroy them. Pretty easy to see how we complement each other. But how are those two supposed to be our counters?"

"I am… unsure. Tokoyami has Dark Shadow, he can make his shadow longer and corporeal. Tsu's is even stranger."

"Yeah, it was… Frog, right? So she can do anything a frog can do. Big jumps, a long-range tongue, can swim well." I can't imagine how Quirks like those is supposed to be particularly problematic for us, but I don't think Monomyth could make mistakes or oversights like that. It makes me nervous. "Anyway, we should move the bomb to a more defensible location. If Tokoyami's shadow can float, he can use it to fly up and scout through the windows. We'd better put this thing in one of the interior rooms to hide it from them." I bend down to pick up the bomb.

"Wait, isn't that too obvious of a tactic?"

I stop. "What do you mean?"

Momo has one hand in a loose fist and is pressing it to her lips, deep in thought. "You just said a room with windows is vulnerable to spying. Isn't that precisely what they will think? They'll start by searching the interior rooms first, assuming we'll have moved the bomb there to hide it. Worse, we would have to defend against a potential attack on all four sides. On the other hand, if they can't attack from outside the building, putting the bomb along an edge room will give us one less attack angle to worry about."

Ah, I see her point. As expected of a recommendation student. "Then we can force the enemy to come at us from only two angles if we put the bomb in a corner. By reducing their options, we can more easily intercept their attack."

"Yes. My Quirk will allow me to set up defenses anywhere, but it will be more efficient if we can put ourselves in a corner."

I eye the door. "On the other hand, if we board up the windows of a particular room we can set a trap for them. They'll see the window blocked off and think, 'Aha, there must be something they don't want us to see there. That must be where the bomb is.' See if you can make something to cover the windows. It doesn't have to be hard or thick, just something that will block line of sight and be visible from ground level. Meanwhile I'll set a trap in the same room. We'll set it all up on the top floor." Yaoyorozu nods. A few moments later she ejects what looks like a bed sheet out of her back. She also creates a hammer and nails, and we hammer a bedsheet over one of the windows on the top floor. I carefully set up a trap for anyone who tries to barge in; it takes most of our setup time to create this one trap, but if it works it will take out one of our opponents immediately. I also take the time to weaken a few support structures on the stairwells. Momo and I know to tread carefully, but heroes working under a time limit might not. Even if they do, making them waste time can only help us.

"Communication will be the key," Momo tells me. "We have to split up to make sure they do not slip past us, but they can stay together or go separately depending on their strategy. We're on defense, so we must react to their moves. You stay on the top floor and be ready to head off any sneak attacks, I will descend to a lower floor to harass the heroes."

"Sounds good," I say. "We are given five floors to play with, no sense in letting them have the first four for free. If I see one of them coming I'll let you know. You do the same; if they combine their strength against one of us I'm not sure how long we'll be able to hold out, so don't hesitate to call for backup or respond to the same call." She gives me a thumbs-up and turns on her communicator. I do the same. We part ways, her going downstairs while I patrol the topmost level. We receive the signal. Our time to prepare has ended. Now we had to weather the assault.

I go down the hall a ways past our trap room and peek out the window. I am reasonably certain neither Asui nor Tokoyami can attack me from this high but I hide behind the window frame anyway. I can see both of them from here. As soon as they get the signal to move Tokoyami calmly walks through the door and into our spider nest. Asui, though… jumps. She splays out her limbs and belly flops onto the wall, then… starts climbing straight up, toward the trap room. Oh you've got to be kidding me.

"Yaoyorozu, we've got a problem," I hiss into the communicator. "Turns out when Tsu said she can do anything a frog can do, she meant she can do anything any frog can do!"

There is a beat as she considers that statement. "She's climbing up the wall?!"

"She's heading for the decoy room, I'll stop her from getting there!" I did not bother to trap the windowframe because I didn't think they would be able to enter from there; if she looks from outside she'll be able to tell it's a decoy and escape safely. All our planning would go to waste. I have to protect her from that room like it's the real thing!

I run down a flight of stairs and make it to where I believe Tsu will be. I put my ear to the wall to make sure. She's moving at a good clip, about walking speed, but it's making a bunch of noise because she has to hold herself with all four limbs. I flick my fingers, wait for her to be on the exact opposite side, and slap my palms against the wall. The cement turns pale and flakes apart in a couple seconds, so when I kick the wall it crumbles to dust and leaves Tsu grasping at nothing. I smirk as she begins to fall. I expect her to look scared, or at least concerned. Instead I don't even have the chance to taunt her before her tongue shoots out and wraps around my leg. I get dragged off my feet in one tug and her body weight pulls me out through the hole I just made. I grab hold of the ledge, barely keeping my grip as Tsu swings back onto the wall, a bit lower than where she started but perfectly stable.

It's her turn to smirk. "Don't worry Shigaraki! I'll rescue you, ribbit!" She balances herself on the wall and begins unspooling the capture tape. "Hold still…"

"Yaoyorozu," I speak into the communicator. "I could use some help here."

"I was about to ask you for backup!" she whines. "This opponent is… I'm being pushed back!" Great. No cavalry was coming to save me.

… Anything any frog can do, huh? Frogs have to keep their skin moist in order to breathe through it. If they get dried out they could die. I don't think Tsu is like that precisely, but it gives me an idea. I flick my fingers to remove the covers, then dig into the floor like I'm scooping up sand because in a way I am; the floor disintegrates under my hand and I end up with a fistful of fine dust. Asui is almost to me, so I hurl the result in her face. Her large eyes get the brunt of it and squeeze shut. She does not stick around for my follow-up attack; she drops several meters instantly, grabbing onto a windowsill and swinging inside the building. Most people would forget the situation and try to rub it out right in front of the enemy, but Asui is unnaturally calm and moved immediately to protect herself. She knows I can't follow her easily, so she put distance between us. She'll be back once she clears her eyes out. That suits me fine: she's out of the fight for the moment, and hopefully that will be enough to bail Momo out.

I pull myself back into the room and exhale. There's a huge amount of dust in the air from when I destroyed the wall, so much that without the respirator I would be hacking and choking. Even with my visor I'm having trouble seeing through the thick cloud. "Tsu's down but not out," I say into the communicator. "I'm coming by to assist, but it's going to take me a moment. Where are you?"

"Third floor, heading to the fourth, south stairs!" She grunts and finishes, "Hurry!"

I try to remember what the map of this floor looks like. She isn't far in an absolute sense, but I would have to take a sizable detour to get to where she is. Or… I blow a hole in the wall and slither through. It might make things easier for the heroes to get through, but I judge it's more important to get to Yaoyorozu quickly. Monomyth's voice rings in my ear, "That could have been a load-bearing wall, Tomura. Minus points. Watch yourself." I grit my teeth. I can't even see the cameras or anything, how is he watching this? And why would I lose points just for that? I can argue about it later; I hear Yaoyorozu's panting breaths as she runs up the stairs from the third floor. She has a small metal shield strapped around her left wrist that looks dented and worn.

I run over to her. "Yaoyorozu!"

"Shigaraki-san!" she shouts. "Get down!"

I duck just in time as a black tendril snakes out behind her and whips through the space my head recently occupied. Yaoyorozu runs past me and I backpedal. Tokoyami comes up the stairs, walking calmly. Hovering above him is a black shadow with massive arms and a bird-like beak. The shadow roars and lunges for us, and we leap in opposite directions. Perhaps if we approach him from opposite sides… but Tokoyami has already considered that. He quickly steps to the right, toward another hallway and keeping himself closer to Yaoyorozu. His Dark Shadow flies out again and takes another swing with its meaty fists; Yaoyorozu blocks the attack with her shield but ends up skidding backward from the force of the blow. Tokoyami must realize that if she is given enough time to create a weapon he will have a much harder time, so he's doing his best to keep her off-balance. Dark Shadow's power and speed is more than capable of keeping her on the defensive. What a frightful counter.

I realize what his gameplan is. Tokoyami does not look like much but his Quirk is strong enough to keep both of us at bay. While he's keeping us busy Tsu has all the time she needs to search for the bomb. If either of us were stuck dealing with Tokoyami alone he would overwhelm us, and with Tsu's agility it would be no simple task for either of us to lock her down quickly enough to assist the other with Tokoyami. I should not have doubted Monomyth. He really did craft a good team to counter us.

Tokoyami backs himself into the hall and slowly walks backwards, daring us to chase after him. I consider a plan of attack. Both of us are faster than Tokoyami; I do not know how fast Dark Shadow is but I guess its range is no more than three meters. No, he can probably push it further but he can send it out faster than he can reel it back in. If we can get around the shadow he will be helpless. But outmaneuvering him will take time we might not have. Or, I could go for the direct approach. We were supposed to be counters for them as well, right? Perhaps my Quirk can affect Tokoyami's but it's a dangerous gamble. I don't know how his Quirk works. Is this an extension of his body? If I Decay part of it, will it kill or cripple him? Is it formless energy he's emitting, so my Quirk won't work on it at all? Or is it what it appears to be, an entirely separate creature made of shadow? I can't afford to test it beforehand; the shadow is clearly strong enough that if it gets its hands on me and my Quirk doesn't work I'm done for. It's a high risk, high reward strategy. But if you're going to lose anyway that's the time to make a risky play.

I flick my hands and the covers come off my fingers. I charge forward and Dark Shadow comes out to intercept me. Yaoyorozu shouts my name and reaches out to stop me but I'm too fast. Dark Shadow throws a punch with its oversized fist. I catch the fist on my palm and my hand explodes in pain, but I got all five fingers on it. Dark Shadow's arm dissipates like a mist and howls in terror, retreating back to Tokoyami. He's gritting his teeth, but it's the look of a boy pushed into a corner and not of one who just lost a limb.

"Watch yourself, Shigaraki," Monomyth's voice comes in over our communicators. "Dark Shadow can take it, but if your Quirk so much as gives one of your fellow students dandruff I'm stopping the exercise right then and there."

"It's fine," I say. "I'll be careful." I step forward and Tokoyami steps back. He's not willing to throw Dark Shadow back in my face. Perfect; if I tried to block another punch like that I really might break my hand. Tokoyami suddenly turns and breaks into a run, fleeing down the hall. I give chase. He uses Dark Shadow to grab onto the banisters and pull himself up the stairwell, while I'm stuck climbing them the slow way. He beats me to the top floor, making a beeline for the room with the covered windows. "No!" I shout convincingly. He bashes the door straight off its hinges, runs in, and falls straight into the trap.

The floor of the room is heavily 'treated' by my Quirk, held together by surface tension and prayer. It collapses into silt the moment Tokoyami's foot touches it, and without warning he is in freefall. Underneath the floor we set up a net of capture tape; it wraps around him and snaps off the walls to envelop him completely, sticking to his costume and feathers. He hits the floor below with a thud, coughing as debris settles around him. I address Monomyth, "Does this qualify as a capture?"

"Indeed," comes the reply, suitably impressed. "Tokoyami is captured and is eliminated from the exercise."

Tokoyami lays his head down on the floor and tsks at himself. One down, one to go. I turn back and run down the corridors, trying to get back to the true bomb room. I have not seen Asui lately, so the best thing to do would be to secure the room and make sure she hasn't-

"The exercise is over!" Monomyth announces. "The Hero team has secured the objective! Everyone, come back to the command room. Don't forget to cut Tokoyami free on your way back."

I stop. All my adrenaline leaves me. I double over with my hands on my knees and suck down air. It took us too long to subdue Tokoyami. I let Asui move as she pleased without any supervision or interference. She must have found the bomb and gotten it while we were both dealing with Tokoyami. We had won the battle but lost the war.

Yaoyorozu beats me back to the observation room. When I arrive she has her head down and her eyes closed. "I'm sorry. She was too fast. It seems the traps weren't enough to stop her."

I pull my respirator off my face and take big gulps of air. My throat is dry and raspy, the skin around my knuckles is cracked and bleeding. I've been overusing my Quirk. Ashido offers me a water bottle but pulls it back when I reach for it. "That was a real dirty trick you pulled!" she scolds me. "Throwing sand in a girl's face, what kind of hero fights so cheap!"

"I… was roleplaying… a villain," I rasp out. "Villains… won't fight fair." Ashido still looks upset but she hands the water over. I drain the whole thing in one long gulp, leaving a spot of blood along the lip. Ah geez, my lips got so dry they split open again.

"That is true," Monomyth acknowledges my defense. "Villains will often not follow the rules you are bound by, and you have to be ready for underhanded tactics. Still, that doesn't give you the right to use them back. Remember that you're here to be heroes, and that means you should act like heroes until it becomes second nature. Minus points, Tomura." Guh, I can't catch a break…

Monomyth continued, "As far as detailed analysis, I see a lot of potential and some room for improvement for both teams. Though this time the hero team won, it very easily could have gone the other way. Both teams executed their plans well and stayed in good communication with each other. That's important! The key to doing well in this exercise is teamwork; you have to be able to work with your partners and complement them in order to be a good hero. Fame and glory is all well and good, but never forget success is what matters out in the field. Never betray your teammates in order to boost yourself. Remember that above all else."

He sings such a different tune from a lot of the other instructors… they're always going on about how we have to present a good public image, how to respond to reporters, how to walk the line between humble-bragging and self-aggrandizement. But Monomyth only cares about results. Saving people. Preventing harm. Honestly, he's what all true heroes should aspire to; leaving behind the race for ratings and public opinion, and just doing what he can to make the world better. This is the sort of thing that's easy for him to say because his position at the top is secured. It's a world different from the one we'll be living in, where we will only have the prestige we earn for ourselves.

Monomyth continues with his analysis: "As far as group effort goes, both teams did extremely well. You supported each other, you kept in communication, and developed and executed your plans together. That's a harder thing than it sounds in the middle of a tense situation! You will have to find what works for yourselves, obviously, but I personally would have preferred it if you kept your teammates up to date on your exact struggle. Some of you only said, 'I'm in trouble', which did not give your teammate enough data to determine how badly you were off and what kind of assistance would be needed. Keeping a cool head even in the midst of a dangerous situation needs to be second nature to heroes. As far as personal comments go…

"Yaoyorozu, I can tell your Quirk would be nothing if you did not understand the structure of everything you create. In the hands of almost anyone else it would not be half as useful as it is. I'm sensing some hesitation, though. It doesn't feel like fear, more like… indecision. It takes you too much time to decide on a course of action and you get caught up in your opponent's flow too easily. I believe with proper application of your Quirk you could have easily bested Tokoyami, but your Quirk gives you so many options for how to proceed it's difficult for you to pick one. It's called 'analysis paralysis', and it comes from not understanding the relative costs and benefits of different strategies. Ah, don't despair. As you get more experience you'll develop a sense for this sort of thing. Just keep it in mind and you will overcome this. After all, that's why you're here, yes? I suggest taking the time to craft a short list of objects you can make on short notice. Rather than expanding your repertoire to make the perfect counter, try to use only these objects to their best effect. Master them before adding new things to make. It will improve your reaction time and make you more adaptable."

Momo bows deeply. "Your advice is welcome, and sound. Thank you for your instruction."

"Asui. I was very impressed with you. I believe you did the best out of anyone in this exercise. You're a quick thinker and operate well under pressure. You can calmly assess the situation even in the worst circumstances and can adapt to changing environments. If I had to make a criticism… hm. After getting dust thrown in your eyes you broke off to recover your sight. It would have been nice if you were confident enough in your close-combat skill to complete the capture even in that situation. That being said it was probably the correct move given your current abilities, so don't get discouraged." Tsu makes a little ribbit sound in appreciation for being named MVP.

"Tokoyami, I was impressed you managed to hold off both villains at once as long as you did. Ultimately that's what allowed Asui to complete the objective. I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but you got a little reckless at the end; when invading a villain's lair you have to keep your wits about you. Danger can come from any place and any angle. It's important to know when to push your luck and when to hang back. You have a good handle not just on your Quirk's strengths but also its weaknesses. To improve as a hero you'll need to keep both of those in mind.

"Finally, Tomura. I admit, I had my doubts about you. Your Quirk is a bit on the dangerous side. I thought you might have slacked off or have been afraid of your Quirk. But you showed a remarkable amount of ingenuity, using it in and out of direct combat to shift the battle in your favor. Not all of my fears were assuaged; your reflexes show you're too used to having your finger coverings. It's going to take a lot of work to retrain your body so you don't reflexively grab things with all five fingers. Practice with those gloves. The sooner they become second nature the better it will be for everyone.

"Thank you for going first," he says. "You'll receive a grade bump to keep you competitive with the teams that get to go after you. The rest of you have a better idea what to do and what I'm looking for, so I'll be even harsher on you. Let's see, for our second groups… I have Todoroki and Uraraka as heroes versus Ashido and Kirishima. Get to your building and hustle!"

Watching the other teams is a different experience than being there myself. The observation room has an array of monitors so we can see every angle of every floor of the building and catch all of the action. It's not perfect; there's no sound, so we can't tell what anyone is saying and it takes a bit of the impact out of watching.

At the very start Todoroki activates his flames and Uraraka jumps directly above them. She spreads out her arms and legs like a skydiver, but instead of falling into the flames she goes up, up, up! In only a moment she reaches the top floor and slips in through a window. She gets into trouble up there almost immediately; Ashido stole my idea and used her acid to riddle the floor in traps and weak spots a careless person could fall straight through. Meanwhile Kirishima goes to attack Todoroki directly. As soon as they spot each other Todoroki simply waves his right hand. In the blink of an eye the entire hallway is a solid block of ice from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. There's no sound coming through the video feeds, so there's nothing to block the amazed and horrified gasps as we watch how Todoroki 'fights'. On the screen Todoroki exhales, a small white puff coming out of his mouth.

"What the hell." Bakugo steps backward from the screen, his face pale. I've never seen this before. It was only there for a moment, but I saw it as clear as day. His sneer was completely gone, replaced by a nervous bite of his lower lip. He's afraid. I had always thought Bakugo was incapable of fear, but here it is. He saw Todoroki's Quirk and thought, 'I can't beat that'. The big fish in the small pond has entered the ocean and does not like what it sees.

"Teacher!" Iida shouts, waving his arms wildly. "You must end the exercise! Kirishima can't breathe in there, he'll-"

Monomyth held up a hand. "This is ideal, actually. I've been wondering how Todoroki acts when things don't go his way."

As we're watching the ice starts to crack and splinter. Todoroki's eyes go wide as Kirishima, his skin turned jagged and rock hard, punches out through the ice. Todoroki thrusts his left hand forward and hurls a gout of fire; Kirishima holds out his arms and tanks the blow, slamming into Todoroki and knocking him to the ground. Kirishima lands and runs forward, eager to finish Todoroki off before the red-and-white haired boy can recover. From his spot on the ground Todoroki shoots fire again, but this time the raging flames narrow into a thin line. The laser melts through the ceiling on contact. He swings down his hand and the laser slices into Kirishima's shoulder-

"Stop!" Monomyth calls out. "Todoroki, what do you think you're doing?!"

The two combatants stop. Kirishima is holding his shoulder and wincing; tears are in his eyes but he's somehow keeping himself from screaming. Todoroki is breathing heavily and looks horrified by what he's done, by what he was a fraction of a second away from doing. "I… I…" he stammers over the communicators.

Monomyth doesn't wait for him. "Todoroki is disqualified and must return to the briefing room immediately. Kirishima is wounded and will be taken to the nurse immediately. Ashido, Uraraka, I leave the question to you. Are you able to continue with the exercise? Saying 'no' will not be held against you."

The two girls think for a moment, the worry clear on their faces. They have not started fighting yet, but Ashido is lying in wait to ambush Uraraka as soon as she turns the corner. Things were right about to start for them. At the same time, would they be able to give it their all knowing one of their classmates had been injured? Uraraka gets a determined scowl, looks directly at a camera, and nods. Ashido slaps her cheeks twice then gives a thumbs up.

"Very well," Monomyth says. "Continue!"

A moment later the two girls are battling it out, Uraraka desperately trying to keep away from Ashido while avoiding the weakened spots on the floor. Meanwhile Ashido was chasing her down, hoping to use her superior athleticism to get her in a grapple and keep her there. We try to be excited for the match but none of us are feeling it. Todoroki enters the observation room and makes a beeline for the seats, sitting down with a heavy thump. He's grinding his teeth together and won't lift up his head.

When I look back to the fight between the girls it's taken a turn; Ashido had finally grabbed Uraraka but not before the bubbly girl clapped a hand on her. Both of them are spinning wildly in a tight ball, bouncing off the walls in zero-gravity while they wrestled for control. The twirling, the accelerating speed at which they are careening around the room, and the limits of her own Quirk are finally too much for Uraraka. Her eyes widen, her cheeks bulge, and Ashido's mouth opens in a scream before Monomyth mercifully turns the camera feed off.

"Uraraka is no longer able to fight," he murmurs. "The villain team is the winner. Both of you, er, get cleaned up and return to the observation room."

We get a better look at Kirishima when the robots haul him away on a stretcher and pass by. His forearms are red and peeling where the flames struck them, but honestly it doesn't look much worse than a sunburn. The real problem is his shoulder. Kirishima's armored skin has a deep, blackened gash in it where his shoulder was hit. The cut looks deep but is not bleeding, the heat causing the wound to cauterize instantly. He seems more embarrassed than hurt, but part of that is trying to look tough. In just a moment he's out of sight. We have a very talented nurse on hand so I'm sure he'll be okay.

Monomyth steps in front of Todoroki. "Todoroki, we might as well get your evaluation out of the way. You're very clever with your Quirk; letting Uraraka ride the air currents would not have been possible if you did not have an innate understanding of how heat and cold operate. A lot of people with your Quirk would stop at the direct applications, but you've thought a little further ahead. But…" He sighs. "It's clear what happened back there; your opponent did something you did not expect and you panicked. There's no shame in it, but it's something you're going to have to get a handle on. A good hero can't maim or kill every villain he fights. When you have a dangerous Quirk knowing how to hold back is just as important as knowing how to use it to its full potential. Perhaps it was too soon for an exercise like this… well. Don't worry about it; I'll assume full responsibility for what happened this time. Learn from this experience so you don't repeat it."

Todoroki sits with his head down and his hands clasped, slouched over with a towel over his head. It is not clear whether he heard a word of what Monomyth said. The Eternal Hero sighs and walks away, preparing his remarks for when Ashido and Uraraka arrive.

I think I might be the only person here who understands how Todoroki feels. I want to put an arm around him but I'm not sure that would be appreciated. Instead I say, "Quirks are dangerous, some more than others. Kirishima will be okay, he's young and he's tough. That's why we're here, right? To get all our mistakes out of our system." I stop. I sound too much like a platitude. I'm not some generic NPC, damn it. "Hey," I start again. "I won't lie, you're gonna feel like shit for a while. You might feel like you're a scumbag, an awful person, that your Quirk shouldn't be allowed to exist. And that feeling… it's not ever going to go away, not completely. But there's a lot of good left for you to do, if you can recover from this. And if you ever need to talk to anyone let me know. I'm better at listening than talking, anyway."

Todoroki glares at me. "What made you think I wanted to hear your babbling?" he snarls. "I'm a recommendation student, the son of Endeavor. We live in completely different worlds. I came here to be taught by Monomyth, there's nothing someone like you can offer me. Stay out of my way." He jumps to his feet with a huff and leaves the observation booth.

I stand up to chase after him but a hand with a giant green grenade on the back of it claps onto my shoulder. "Leave him alone," Bakugo says. He's frowning but at least he doesn't have that contemptuous sneer on his face. "You ain't a comforting shoulder to cry on no matter how much you wanna be. If that half-'n'-half bastard wants to wallow on his own, let 'im." I want to argue with him, I'm seriously pissed after getting brushed off like that, but I know Bakugo's right. If anyone can understand an asshole it's another asshole. Todoroki's pride took a major hit, and me taking pity on him probably pissed him off even worse. I nod and sit back down. Normally Bakugo would gloat about putting someone in their place but he seems distant, pensive. I wonder if he's just used to me doing what he says or…

Whatever. If I think too hard about it right now I'm going to start getting that itchy feeling in my skin and that's the last thing I need right now. I flip the covers on my glove open and closed, open and closed, over and over again as a calming ritual. It doesn't really work, but at least I'm burning the motions into my body. That can only help in the long run.

—

Not much later it was time for the last team. Monomyth announced, "I've got a hero team of… Katsuki and Hagakure, versus a villain team of Jiro and Shinso. You know the drill by now, make your way to the marked building and we'll start the prep timer once all of you are in position. Let's finish this off with a strong display!"

Jiro winces and buries her face in her hands. Shinso grimaces and a shadow falls over his face; did he want to get put on a hero team? Toru… it's hard to see what she's doing, but she's wringing her hands nervously. Or maybe excitedly? It's Bakugo that acts most strangely. Instead of enthusiastic, he seems almost pensive. "Hey, teacher," he asks. "I wanna bring something else in, not a part of my standard costume. Is that allowed?"

Monomyth cups his chin in his hand. "Hmmm, I guess it would depend on what it was. I'm not about to let you acquisition new support gear, if that's what you're asking. But if it's something like an ordinary pen, business cards, or something else you might conceivably be carrying normally I don't see the harm." The Eternal Hero bends down so Bakugo can whisper something in his ear; what Monomyth hears causes his grin to break out. "I'll allow it! If only so I can see what you have planned. Just remember, the rules against destruction of property still apply. If you have one of those on you, Katsuki, feel free to bring it. If not you can have Momo make one for you." Bakugo nods and quietly speaks to Momo. She seems confused, but dutifully creates something and hands it over. I don't see what it is; it's small enough to hide in their hands without any part of it being seen.

The four students then file out one after another in silence. The mood in the observation chamber seems weird as well. I had to admit, I thought if anyone was going to go overboard and injure someone it was going to be Bakugo. Todoroki went and did it for him, so now everyone must be wondering whether Bakugo is going to chill out or if he's going to go for a repeat performance. I sidle over to Yaoyorozu. "Hey," I ask. "What was it he asked you to make for him?"

She answers, "A book of matches."

I blink. "Matches? The kind to light fires?"

She nods, but it's clear from her expression she does not have any more idea what he's going to do with those than I do. Matches, huh? Why did he need those so desperately…?

Whatever his plan is, it does not involve Hagakure at all. The hero team does not discuss anything so far as I can tell. Bakugo simply waits for the timer to elapse with his arms crossed. Toru waves her hands a bit like she's trying to speak with him but he's a brick wall and does not respond. Eventually Toru gives up. Ah, Bakugo is just as good at teamwork as he ever was. Are those two going to be okay? The other villain teams put the bomb on the top floor; Jiro and Shinso elect to put it on the fourth floor, maybe reasoning their opponents would make a beeline there and waste time searching. With Hagakure on the Hero team someone's going to have to babysit the bomb the whole time, as it's far too simple for her to slip past a defender and secure the bomb before anyone knows it's in danger. So Jiro stays with it, while Shinso parks himself on the second floor, apparently as the vanguard. They seem to have a plan, but whether it will survive contact with the enemy is an open question.

The exercise begins and the gate opens. Toru immediately pulls off her gloves and slips out of her boots. I can't see her at all, which sort of limits how exciting this will be to watch. Bakugo, however, not only takes off his left glove but also the grenade-shaped device on his left wrist. Even I can't imagine why, but he's acting with deliberate purpose so I assume he's up to something. The moment he walks in the door Bakugo wordlessly puts his left hand up into the air and starts firing off explosions. Is he trying to draw attention away from Hagakure? No, I realize as my attention whips back to the fourth floor. Jiro had stuck her earphone jacks into the floor, but recoiled when Bakugo started setting off explosions. She winces and covers her ears. Ah, I have a bit of an idea how the teams counter each other now. Hagakure is a counter to just about anyone; as a Hero she can slip past any defenses and avoid confrontation with any opponent. No matter how strong you are you can't win if your enemy doesn't let you fight. Jiro is her counter; by using her earphone jacks to plug into the wall,she can track Hagakure's movement by the sound of her footsteps. In that case, Bakugo is Jiro's counter; by making loud sounds he's able to prevent Jiro from listening in. Hagakure becomes invisible once more. There's a chorus of "oh"s and "ah"s as the rest of my classmates lag behind me by a few seconds in the same realization.

"Damn," Kaminari says. "Bakugo and Hagakure make a pretty good team! I'm amazed they came up with that idea!"

"Not that amazing," I mumble. "Back in middle school Bakugo's grades were at the top of the class. I know he doesn't look or act like it, but he's smart. Underestimate him and you'll suffer for it."

Ojiro pipes up, "So, if Jiro is Hagakure's nemesis, and Bakugo is Jiro's… wouldn't that make Shinso the counter for Bakugo?"

"Kinda hard to see how," Sato says, scratching his head. "There's no way Shinso could win a fight againt Bakugo… ah! But that's if they even get to fight at all!"

"Exactly," I murmur as I watch Shinso follow the sound of explosions to where Bakugo is. "The only question is whether Bakugo has figured out how Shinso Brainwash Quirk works." Shinso's physical aptitudes are some of the worst in the class, even most of the girls are more athletic than he is. Between him and Bakugo there's no contest; even without his Quirk Bakugo would mangle him. But the control Shinso has over those he has with his Quirk is absolute; Bakugo would lose without getting a chance to fight. If Shinso can nab Bakugo with his Quirk he wins. If he can't Bakugo wins. It's a contest that will be decided in seconds.

While we're discussing it, Bakugo and Shinso find each other. The two combatants stare each other down. The fingers on Bakugo's left hand twitch nervously. He takes a few steps forward, his right hand crackling with small explosions in preparation for something big. Shinso has his neck craned upward, looking down his nose at Bakugo. For his part Bakugo steps forward at a measured pace. That's odd: the way I know him, Bakugo would rush forward and attempt to clobber him right away. If he doesn't know how Shinso's Quirk works his best strategy is to defeat him before he has a chance to use it. But it's too late: Bakugo screams something, then his face goes slack. He slows to a stop and stares straight ahead. Damn! Even Bakugo can't fight against that Quirk. Shinso appears very smug. He begins lazily unspooling his roll of capture tape while the rest of the students groan. They knew it was going to be an anti-climax either way, but even they're disappointed that Bakugo didn't put up a fight.

Just as Shinso is in front of Bakugo, a massive explosion rocks the building. Bakugo's left hand, the one without the grenade wristband, ignites and blows them both away. Shinso gets flung into the far wall and slumps against it, clearly shocked. Bakugo, however, recovers quickly and goes for the kill. He's rushes in, free of the brainwashing and screaming in triumph. Shinso puts up his hands to defend himself but it's no use; Bakugo's attack is relentless, a two-fisted assault that sends Shinso's smoking body flying. Bakugo winds up for the finishing blow… then stops. Again his face loses all expression. Shinso is panting on the ground, possibly he doesn't even have the energy to stand, but he maintains his hold on Bakugo's mind. He does not dare approach him; if Bakugo does another explosion like that he knows it's over for him.

"Aha, I see now why he wanted that item," Monomyth says finally. "Bakugo produces a nitroglycerine-like substance from the sweat on his palms. So he held a lit match in between his fingertips; if he fell victim to Shinso's Quirk the match would burn down and ignite his sweat, and the shock from the explosion would allow him to break free. Most ingenious." The rest of the class is shocked at how clever Bakugo is and how quickly Monomyth figured out the trick he used. I can tell Monomyth's estimation of him has improved. Damn! I was sorta hoping Bakugo would learn a little humility, but it's not just his Quirk that's good; Bakugo knows how to use it to the fullest.

Shinso apparently is able to tell Jiro that Bakugo has been neutralized; she plugs her jacks into the floor and listens. She stays absolutely still for several seconds and everyone in the room holds their breath. Nobody moves. Nothing moves.

Suddenly Jiro whips around and sends her ear wires flying toward the bomb! They wrap around something invisible near the bomb, Hagakure's wrist, but she's a fraction of a second too late. The sound of the buzzer startles all of us. Monomyth announces, "The Hero Team has captured the objective and has won!"

Oh, of course. While Bakugo was making such a racket there was no need for Hagakure to be quiet. She must have run all around to find the bomb then sneaked into the room while Jiro was still deafened. As expected of a stealth heroine, her goal is to get into position before the enemy even knows they're in danger. Her combat ability is sub-par so I originally dismissed her, but that may have been a big mistake. I'll have to keep an eye on her.

—

I pat Bakugo on the back after Monomyth dismisses us all. "Nice play, Bakugo." He quietly "hmpf"s but doesn't verbally respond. Even his face looks sour even though he won. What's eating him?

I am unable to think further about this when Monomyth calls out, "Actually, can I ask you to stay behind for a moment, Tomura?"

Oh man, again? I was looking forward to going home after checking on Kirishima with the others. Maybe this meeting with Monomyth will be just as fast as the last one. I'm not nervous about being expelled anymore, but the fear is still there at the back of my mind. Maybe this will be just as fast. Everyone else is quick to leave, so within only moments the two of us are alone. "Why do you need to talk to me?" I ask.

"Because I told you not to worry about your career and you think I'm full of shit."

My mouth thins into a line. He saw right through me. Now I'm definitely toast. "Uh… I…"

He slaps me on the back and chuckles. "It's all right. I know my advice seems naive at best. But I still earnestly believe in it. And if you think about it, I may be the only teacher here you can fully trust throughout your schooling. Why do you think that is?"

I think for a moment. I'm not sure this is the best way to put it but I give my answer anyway: "Because you're the best, the strongest. Someday even the teachers at this school may be our rivals; we may not be able to come to them with everything, knowing what we say could be used against us later. But you're the only one with nothing to fear, so you have no ulterior motives."

Monomyth smiles. "Yes. To put it another way, I can only talk the way I do because I'm the number one hero. There's no cost for me to give up the chance for fame, glory, or exposure. I know the ideals I uphold aren't realistic. They're something to aspire to, but in this cruel and unforgiving world it's impossible to live up to them all the time. There are many people who, given ultimate power, would abuse it to the greatest extent they can. I won't say I'm perfect, or that I haven't done bad things, or never abused my powers. But I have… well, it's too informal to be called a 'code', but I suppose you can call it a 'motto'. It's something that guides my path, something that makes sure I never lose sight of what my Quirk is for." He stands tall and intones, "'The most important thing you can do with power is give it away.'"

I blink. "I… think I understand. That's the dream of being a hero, right? More than the fame, more than the adventure. It's being strong enough to give, without having to take."

He chuckles softly. "That's exactly right. Plus points, Tomura."

I stare at him. "Why tell me this in private, after class is over? Why not tell this to all the students?"

"… If I said I like you better than your classmates, would you believe it?"

My heart swells. My face is on fire. I was a teacher's favorite? And not just any teacher, but the Eternal Hero himself? Part of me doesn't believe it. It's too good to be true. My expectations come crashing down as I remember how he's been acting. "You've been riding my ass all day. If you like me so much, what's that about?"

"I hold the people I respect to higher standards," he says with a grin. "It's too late to back out now, Tomura. Do your best to live up to my expectations."

Yeah, sure, no pressure. I let out a sigh. And I thought three years at UA was going to be stressful before…

—

Midoriya walks down the street, an old hoodie in Monomyth's colors of white, blue, and gold over his head. His hands are in his pockets and he stares at a place about two feet in front of him as he walks. Nobody takes any notice of him, the crowd parting around him unconsciously. His sneakers scuffle along the sidewalk in a steady unchanging rhythm. At a certain point he turns towards a dilapidated building, the site of a dive bar at night but nothing at all during the day. He pushes open the unlocked door and steps inside.

The scent of desperation and cheap booze fills the air here. There are a number of tables and chairs along the left side, cleaned and ready for the limited clientele expected that evening. The bar itself is clean as well, save for the glass of the man sitting at it. He is a thin, emaciated man with blond hair. His t-shirt hangs off his bones and his cheeks are sunken in. He does not look at Midoriya as he comes in but the momentary rise of his shoulders reveals he knew of his presence. Midoriya takes the seat next to the man and folds his arms on the countertop. "It went just as you said," Midoriya says into the bar. "I couldn't get into UA."

"It's not your fault," the man says. His voice is heavy and exhausted, like it is an effort to force out each syllable. "The game was rigged against you from the start. Even if you had found the off switches on those robots, you would have found they would not work for you. Even if you had destroyed one or two of them it would have made no difference. You would never have been considered for Rescue Points, which only exist to begin with to push those with useful Quirks over the finish line. Hero Society… no, Monomyth himself, has no use for heroes with no powers."

"That's not all," Midoriya adds. "I looked into a few things on my own. It's more than just Monomyth; most of society looks down on the Quirkless."

"Is that so?" The man is curious but unsurprised. "He has had a very long time to alter the world to suit his wishes. He's done a lot openly, becoming a symbol of heroism and an ideal to strive for, and so making his own qualities desirable. But he's done just as much quietly, invisibly, through back room deals, education, press releases, tax rates. There is not a single aspect of society he does not have a hand in, and so any defect of society is part of his grand plan."

"B-but, there must be something we can do. If more people knew about this, if we were able to get our message out, then-"

"There is not," the man sighs. "Monomyth stifles all innovation, strangles all change. No matter how loud you shout he will make sure you are drowned out. As long as he exists there is no hope for the future."

"Then we have to get rid of him!" Midoriya himself is surprised by his outburst and begins waving his hands defensively, stammering, "Ah, no, that's, not actually…"

The man holds up a hand to cut him off. "No, you were right the first time. Defeating Monomyth will change nothing. He is not an opponent you can fight if there is any doubt in your heart. If you hold back against him you will die. Your goal can't be to merely defeat him." He holds up one finger and the barman brings him a new glass. The barman appears to be humanoid but with a dark, hazy shape which makes it difficult to pinpoint what he actually looks like. He has no mouth but sharp yellow eyes, and wears a snappy outfit even though he looks only vaguely human. The barman tosses a few ice cubes in the glass and fills it with water. Then he gives the thin man a needle and walks away to the other end of the bar so they can continue their conversation in peace. The thin man sticks his finger with the needle and allows a single drop of his blood to fall in the glass, mixing invisibly into the water. Then he pushes the glass toward Midoriya. "Drink this. Ingesting part of my DNA will allow me to pass my Quirk on to you. You'll gain a Quirk of your own, an incredible power that might be the strongest Quirk on earth. It's a power passed down from generation to generation in the hope that the future can be changed. But you will become an enemy of the entire world. There is not a single hero that will not wish to destroy you, least of all Monomyth himself. Young Midoriya, I am asking this because I believe you will be the one to make our dreams come true. You will be the one to overthrow the tyrant and return peace and equality to Japan. No… to the world."

Midoriya regards the glass suspiciously. "Wha-What is it?"

"My predecessor referred to it with some fancy name Monomyth picked out. I never bothered remembering it. As far as I'm concerned, there's only one name for it." The man smiles widely. "It's the Quirk that's going to let you kill Monomyth."

Midoriya stares into the glass. He takes a deep breath, screws up his courage, and downs the water in the glass in a single gulp.