(Momo POV – Field Gamma)
The wires surge inward—dozens of them, laced with high-voltage electricity and moving with surgical precision—tightening around Kata like the jaws of a predator around prey.
I hold my breath.
'Please let this work.' My heart pounds in my chest as I grip the detonator tightly, eyes fixed on Kata. The culmination of our combined efforts… my plan and everyone's coordination, all leading to this.
After Kata encouraged me to refine my quirk's versatility, I had thrown myself into research—chemistry, metallurgy, materials science—anything that could elevate what I could create. These wires were my first practical application of that progress. They're made from reinforced alloys with high tensile strength and resistivity precisely calculated for conductivity and heat tolerance.
I believed in them. In us, and our teamwork.
And then… he just took a step forward.
There's no resistance, recoil, or any reaction at all.
The wires didn't break or wrap around him… they just phased through him like he's made of air.
My thoughts stalled.
'Is it an illusion? No. He's definitely there. Or did he disassemble the wires mid-motion and reassemble them?' My mind scrambled for an explanation, anything to rationalize what had just happened.
The others stood frozen, watching in stunned silence from their positions.
Then I blinked—and he was gone.
My eyes widened as my heart skipped a beat.
He's not—
"—Plan B and C! Execute now!" I shout into the earpiece, snapping the team out of their shock.
Even as I yell, I already know…
Before I can fully turn around, I feel it—a familiar chill running up my spine.
I complete the turn and see Kata standing directly behind me.
His head tilted slightly as he observes me curiously.
"There were more plans?" He asks, sounding slightly impressed. "I like that you had a backup."
He nods approvingly, as if we were in a classroom and I just got a high score on a test, not tried to electrocute him. His tone never changed, not even as he added. "But I'll need to get rid of the leader now."
I didn't respond. I couldn't.
'Of course he got past the wires.' A part of me had always known it was a long shot. But I had dared to hope.
That hope didn't vanish. It just sparked even more determination to show him that were capable too.
'It's not over yet.' I think.
Then, without a shred of hesitation, I press the second switch on my belt, shutting my eyes right before the flashbang on my hip goes off with a sudden flash of light and noise.
In the same motion, I form a bo-staff from my palm. It's still half-forged, more metal shooting out from my skin, but I don't wait. I thrust it forward with everything I have, driving the tip directly at his chest.
And… it connects.
But the moment it did, a jolt of pain ran through my arms as the staff vibrates as though having struck an immovable wall. The impact rattles up my shoulder and numbs my arm, while Kata doesn't even stumble or flinch.
"You did well." He says gently, right before snapping his fingers.
My knees buckle as the world around me tilts sideways, and the ground rushes up to meet me.
"Take a nap, Momo." He says casually, almost as if he were tucking me into bed and not knocking me down.
I want to resist. I want to ask how he bypassed the wires, or got to me so quickly. I want to warn the others, or even stall him for just a few more seconds.
But my body isn't listening. I can't even move my lips.
'Please… everyone…' My thoughts dissolve as the darkness creeps into my vision. 'Show him what we can do.'
(Bakugo POV – Field Gamma)
"Tch." I click my tongue as Yaoyorozu goes down. Not 'cause I'm mad the plan failed.
'Hell no!' I think. 'I'm glad.'
"Plan B, huh?" I mutter. "That just means go wild, and don't have to do that stupid jumping around."
From my perch on a twisted metal pipe, sparks crackle along my palms, the bitter tang of smoke in the air fueling my enthusiasm. I crouch low, lips curling into a grin.
I prefer facing things head-on anyway.
"Time to blow that smug bastard to hell!" I hurl my arms back and blast off, propelling myself straight toward that red-eyed snowglobe. Kata stands calmly in the chaos, barely reacting, like none of this has anything to do with him.
'I'll show him who's boss—'
Then his eyes shift, briefly glancing at me.
His eyes—those calm, bored, red eyes—meet mine for just a moment.
And my instincts scream.
Every nerve in my body flares to life as I twist mid-air and fire off a massive blast downward, launching myself up just as something slices through the space I'd been in.
A steel pipe whistles past and slams into the wall beside me like a missile, cracking stone and kicking up a shockwave that destabilizes me mid-flight.
"Are you tryin' to kill me, you piece of shit?!" I shout, fighting to steady myself, explosions flaring to keep me aloft.
Kata turns slightly, looking up at me like an annoying pest, not an enemy.
"If I was trying to kill you…" He says flatly. "You'd already be dead."
That smug, deadpan tone pisses me off more than anything. Not just because of how dismissive and belittling it is, but because I know it's true.
The certainty and confidence in his voice grates on my nerves, and I want nothing more than to blast him to smithereens.
But then he continues. "Besides… look around. It's not just you."
I hesitate.
Eyes sweep the field.
And my stomach tightens.
'Shit.'
The entire zone is a battlefield. Steel beams and chunks of concrete rip through the air like missiles, hunting down everyone. It's chaos… controlled chaos.
Todoroki's dodging slabs of rebar. Ashido's diving for cover. Even Deku—the damn nerd—is zigzagging like a scared rabbit, barely dodging a pipe that slams into the wall behind him, sending shards flying.
"Extras! All of 'em!" I growl while grinding my teeth. "Too busy runnin' to stick to the damn plan!"
Despite everything happening, none of them are able to get close to Midnight. Each attack pushes them further and further from where she's tied up…
'He's playing with them… playing with me!'
Meanwhile, my own personal death swarm starts locking onto me. Metal beams twist mid-air and home in like guided missiles.
"FINE!" I roar, creating an explosion to divert a concrete block, while dodging another. "I'll do it my damn self!"
I weave through the flying junk, timing each explosion to thread the needle—closing the distance to Kata, little by little. My arms burn and my heart hammers relentlessly in my chest… but I never stop.
Finally, I get close. He's still not moving, with that calm, dismissive arrogance.
'Got you.'
My hand slams down on the trigger of my bracer. The grenade pin yanks free with a satisfying click.
My grin stretches wide, looking wild and feral.
"EAT THIS, YOU BASTARD!!"
The air ignites as a massive, focused explosion tears out from my gauntlet from point-blank range at full power. The recoil hurls me backward, but I'm already riding the momentum, eyes locked on the blast.
Only…
He doesn't dodge.
He doesn't block.
He just watches.
The blast nears—and stops. It slams into something invisible inches in front of him, like it hit a glass wall. And then—
BOOM.
My own explosion turns on me, except much bigger, much louder, and way more dangerous.
A bigger shockwave erupts from the point of impact, like it swallowed my blast and spat it back supercharged.
My eyes widen.
"Oh, f—"
It hits.
Pain explodes through my ribs as I'm sent flying, tumbling through the air, ears ringing, body screaming.
But even as my back crashes into a metal pipe, denting it deeply and coughing up smoke…
My fists remain clenched in defiance as I pass out.
'This isn't over, you bastard…'
(Todoroki POV – Field Gamma)
I exhale slowly, my breath misting in the air.
Crack!
Another wall of ice shatters into glittering shards as a steel beam barrels through it at terrifying speed. The fragments barely touch the ground before they're scorched away by the heat radiating from my right side. My flames flicker up instinctively, regulating my core temperature, keeping me warm.
'How long has it been?' I glance around the battlefield, and see bodies scattered everywhere.
My classmates, all down. Tied up, pinned under debris, or just unconscious. Immobilized by terrain that Kata weaponized with ease.
'It's only been five minutes?'
And even then, it feels like I've been here for hours.
It hadn't even been a fight… not after our trap failed.
He broke our formation with ease. Hunted us down one by one, and through it all, he never even broke a sweat.
I press a hand to my knee, forcing myself upright as I freeze three concrete slabs midair before they manage to slam into me.
'He's even holding back.' I realize bitterly.
He has enough leeway to slow each projectile right before it slams into anyone, avoiding causing any serious injuries.
I'm happy no one's seriously hurt, but…
'I'm the last one standing.' The only one between him and a perfect victory.
And this entire time, he hasn't moved.
He hasn't needed to—not since he took down Yaoyorozu.
We thought Plan C would snatch the victory. Everyone attacking at once to draw his attention while Toru slipped past and reached Midnight.
It lasted two seconds.
He turned his head, said he could see her, and then trapped her in concrete before we could even process his words.
'It's all up to me now.'
After the Sports Festival, I thought using my fire would close the gap. I trained hard, but the gap hasn't shrunk… it's only widened.
But giving up isn't an option.
I meet his gaze, determination blazing behind mine. I don't need to beat him to win. My eyes flick to Midnight in the distance, watching everything with interest as she remains bound.
The victory conditions are either taking down Kata... or reaching Midnight.
And only one of those is even remotely possible.
A new wave of debris launch toward me… but this time, I don't block.
I dodge.
I leap sideways, sliding under a steel beam that cuts through the air like a guillotine, landing hard and rolling as it smashed onto the concrete I was standing on top of.
'There's no time to waste.' I decide, as I blast forward, igniting fire at my back and freezing an ice trail beneath my feet.
'All or nothing.'
Both sides of my Quirk flare at once—fire behind me roaring, ice carving a path ahead.
My body immediately feels heavy. Using both abilities at once drains my already depleted stamina, makes me sluggish, and sacrifices control.
But I force it, and will myself forward.
'I just need to stay upright.' I chant internally.
I rocket forward so fast the scenery blurs. Dust and wind whip at my face. Ice forms and breaks beneath me in rapid succession as I close the gap, my fire acting like a rocket and propelling me forward.
Closer. Closer—
My fingers stretch toward Midnight—just a few feet away—
And then I hit something.
My chest slams into solid nothing, and I'm flung backward like a ragdoll, rolling across the ground as the air is ripped from my lungs. I gasp, dazed, staring up blankly at the sky.
Cement tendrils rise from the ground and wrap around me before I can move. Arms, legs, chest. I'm locked in place, breathing heavily from overusing my quirk.
Then footsteps approach.
Kata steps into view, his expression as neutral as always.
"…What was that?" I ask through the breathlessness, dazed and frustrated.
"The moment I went to stop Momo," He says calmly, "I erected a barrier around Midnight. Just in case someone made it through."
I let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "So we never had a chance?"
He doesn't answer immediately.
"Would knowing have stopped you?" He asks curiously.
I stare up at him for a moment, my chest still heaving.
"No." I reply. "We would've just tried something else."
That earns a faint smile from him. Neither smug or pitying, but a sincere one?
'That's new.'
He nods slightly.
"The line between the impossible and the possible," He says, "is determined by one's determination."
"I'm not giving up." I say simply. "We'll catch up to you."
"Good…" He says softly. "I hope that day comes."
Then the final buzzer sounds and the exercise comes to an end as every last one of us is captured. I then close my eyes.
We lost.
But not without a fight.
'One day, we'll stand besides you as equals.'
*************
A/N: Hello Everyone. How are you all doing? If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or powerstones. It really helps the book out.
So, yeah... I'll be honest, it's kinda hard to write an OP MC. Since all he was doing was using base TK, and easily stomped them. I mean, he could do more, but that's overkill🤣.
He crushed everyone, but I actually quite like their determination. Instead of being broken, they want to challange and find ways to match him, which will become possible as he'll eventually enhance the class somewhat (not sure yet if that synergizes with their quirks, increasing their outputs), but the love interests will get a much bigger boost obviously.
The next chapter will be an outro kinda, closing off this, before some slice of life again. Basically Eri telling Kata about her day at school, and that interlude before the final exams, which I'll time skip except for a chapter or 2 where Kata gets some parental love🥰. Ain't that sweet? Eri will be there too. So that'll be awesome.
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
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Anyway, that's all from me. I hope you guys have a good night (or day, depends on where you are).