The battle was a tense game of cat and mouse. They could hear the distant sounds of Midoriya and Uraraka working their way up, bypassing Yaoyorozu's clever traps with a combination of Uraraka's zero gravity and Midoriya's sharp analysis.
"They're learning our placements," Yaoyorozu whispered as they hid near the bomb.
"We need to split them up," Kaito whispered back. "I'll draw Midoriya's attack. You focus on Uraraka. Your creations are more versatile than anything I can do."
Before she could argue, the door burst open. Not through the handle, but because Midoriya, his finger already swollen and purple, had flicked the entire door off its hinges with a controlled blast of power.
"There!" Uraraka yelled.
Midoriya's eyes locked onto them.
"Sorry, but we have to win this!" He charged, his body crackling with green energy.
"Now!" Kaito yelled.
He didn't run at Midoriya. Instead, he pointed his palm at the floor between them and unleashed Ashido's Quirk.
A wide spray of slippery, low-viscosity acid coated the tiles. Midoriya, mid-charge, lost all traction, his legs flying out from under him. He slid past Kaito, crashing into a wall.
"Uraraka, now!" Midoriya grunted from the floor.
Uraraka dove for the bomb, but Yaoyorozu was ready. She created a large metal shield, blocking her path.
"I cannot allow that!"
Kaito turned his attention back to Midoriya, who was struggling to stand on the slick surface.
This was his chance. He had to get close, to touch him, to copy that incredible power, even if just for a second.
It was a huge risk, but it might be the only way to win.
He deactivated the acid, the fluid evaporating quickly. He lunged for Midoriya.
But Midoriya was faster. Even off-balance, his analysis was running.
"Your Quirk requires touch, right, Sōma? You used Iida's and Uraraka's!" He wouldn't let Kaito get close, scrambling backward and throwing a wild, Quirk-less punch to keep him at bay.
Suddenly, Uraraka, seeing her partner in trouble, broke away from Yaoyorozu and slapped the metal shield her opponent had created. It floated upward, weightless.
With a grunt of effort, Uraraka pushed the massive, now-weightless slab of metal towards Kaito and Yaoyorozu.
"Look out!" Yaoyorozu cried, creating a pole to try to deflect it.
It was too big. They were going to be pinned.
Kaito made a split-second decision. He abandoned his attempt to touch Midoriya.
He focused on Yaoyorozu's Quirk again, the hollow feeling in his gut intensifying.
He didn't have time for complexity. He needed something simple. Something to stop things.
A flash of inspiration. He slapped his hands on the floor.
A material erupted from his palms, spreading rapidly across the ground in front of them, a thick, sticky, tar-like substance. Pitch.
The floating shield slammed into the sticky goo and stuck fast, quivering but immobilized.
The move cost him. He felt dizzy, his vision swimming. Using Creation twice had drained him severely.
It was the opening Midoriya needed. While Kaito was disoriented, Midoriya scrambled around the trapped shield, and Uraraka, seeing her chance, darted past Yaoyorozu.
"Sorry!" Uraraka said, slapping her hand on the nuclear bomb. "Hero Team… wins!"
The alarm sounded.
***
In the observation room, All Might gave a booming, if slightly flustered, commentary.
"A VICTORY FOR THE HERO TEAM! Excellent work! Young Midoriya and Young Uraraka showed great improvisation! And the Villain Team! Young Yaoyorozu's versatile creations and Young Sōma's… er… adaptive use of his copied Quirks made for a formidable defense!"
Back in the classroom afterward, All Might called Kaito up to the front.
"Young Sōma! A most intriguing performance! Your ability to use multiple Quirks in tandem is remarkable! However!" His voice became a bit more stern. "You pushed yourself to the point of severe energy depletion. A hero must know his limits to avoid becoming a liability! Remember that!"
Kaito nodded, chastised.
"Yes, sir."
"But for a first effort, truly inspired!" All Might beamed, handing him a small whiteboard. "Now then! It is time for the most important step in a hero's journey! Proclaim the name you will have the world know you by! Your Hero Name!"
Kaito took the marker. This was it. He'd been thinking about it since he got his acceptance letter.
He needed a name that wasn't a lie. He wasn't the originator of these powers. He was something else.
He wrote two words on the board and turned it around.
Chimera
A few classmates looked confused. Bakugo snorted.
"The hell's that supposed to mean?"
"It's a creature from mythology," Kaito explained, his voice calm but firm. "Composed of parts from different animals. It's not a cheap copy. It's a new whole, made from different strengths. That's what I do. I don't just copy Quirks. I combine them, I adapt them to survive. I take the strengths of others and use them to become a hero who can face any threat."
He looked at All Might.
"I am the Adaptive Hero, Chimera."
All Might's smile was genuine and bright.
"A fine name! One that speaks of potential and strategy! Excellent!"
As Kaito walked back to his desk, he caught Aizawa's eye from the back of the room.
The teacher gave him a barely perceptible nod.
It was small. It was nothing. But to Kaito, it felt like passing a test far more important than the battle trial.