Hero Team B and Villain Team I split apart as the exercise begins— the heroes remaining outside by the street railing, the villains turning inward toward the building.
Izumi and Toru move deeper into the facility, footsteps echoing softly against concrete. The hallway opens into their assigned base—wide, dimly lit, and unmistakably familiar.
The room mirrors the previous battle between Midoriya, Ochako, Bakugo, and Iida.
The dummy nuclear weapon sits in the corner.
Same position.
Same setup.
Just like before.
Toru lets out a quiet hum. "Huh. Déjà vu."
Izumi slows beside her, eyes scanning the space out of habit before settling briefly on the bomb. "Looks like they didn't bother changing the layout."
"Works for us, right?" she says lightly, already circling the room. "Means we know what to expect."
She stops near the weapon, then straightens—as if remembering something important.
"…Okay," Toru says, clapping her hands together once. "I think I'll get serious."
Izumi turns his head to her.
"I'm taking off my gloves and boots," she adds, voice still bright—but there's a firmness underneath it now. "They just get in the way."
She bends down, fingers working at the fastenings.
Izumi looks away.
There's a brief pause.
"H-Hey," Toru says, suddenly quieter, "You can't stare."
Izumi shakes his head.
"Mhm." He nods, facing the opposite wall until he senses her straighten again.
"All done," Toru says, stepping closer than she had been before—clearly trying to sneak up on him.
Izumi turns to his right.
Directly toward her.
She startles. "Huh—"
She stares, eyes wide, as his gaze settles where hers would be—uncannily precise, as if he can see her.
"Can you see me?" she says, reaching toward his face.
Izumi tilts his head, dodging her hand easily.
"Wait—can you actually see me?" Toru presses. "How did you know I was right here?"
A small smile touches his lips. "I can sense electrical signatures," he explains. "Living ones, especially. It gives me a general position—and movement."
Her eyes practically sparkle. "That's so cool!"
She squeals softly, bouncing once on her heels. "What else can you do?"
"Well," Izumi says, "Quite a lot. But—" He clears his throat. "Toru."
"Hm?"
"Have you ever thought about wearing a suit?"
The pause that follows is so complete it almost feels loud.
"…A suit?" Toru tilts her head—an unconscious habit.
"Yeah," Izumi says evenly. "You know… for protection."
He gestures vaguely in her direction. "Right now, you're basically walking around naked in hero mode. Not exactly ideal if something hits you. Or if the weather decides to be… unpleasant."
"I figured you might want to survive training without frostbite, burns, or spontaneous bruising."
Toru lets out a small laugh—light, almost amused. "You think I care about modesty?"
Izumi waves a hand, dismissively. "No. Not modesty in particular. Though it can help, yes."
He glances in her direction, expression thoughtful. "I just mean… you've never had another option, So you got used to it."
Silence.
Toru's invisible form shifted slightly. Then, in a quieter voice, "I've thought about it," Toru admits. "But… It's hard. As you can tell, I'm invisible."
"I know," Izumi says. "That's why it matters."
He nods seriously. "You can't be seen—but you can be hurt. Practicality comes first."
A faint smile touches his lips. "And since Momo, Ayaka, and I will basically inherit a… considerable amount of resources—our families have an entire R&D department devoted to us for things like this."
Toru goes still.
"We can make a suit tailored to your quirk," he continues, "Your movement. Your fighting style. Everything. And in the future—when you gain better control over your invisibility, we can refine it even further."
A pause lingers.
Slowly, a small smile broke across Toru's unseen face. "Wait— you mean… you'd actually make one for me?"
"Exactly," Izumi replied almost casually: "And when you gain more control—if you ever learn to toggle your invisibility—we can upgrade it."
A pause.
Slowly, a smile spreads across Toru's unseen face.
"Wait," she says, warmth bubbling into her voice. "You're serious."
"I am."
"Izumi…" She exhales a small, delighted laugh. "That's actually amazing. Alright… I'm in. Let's see what you guys can cook up."
"I'll speak to Momo as well," he continues. "She's designing a suit that lets her create objects through the material instead of over it. Maybe we can do something similar for you. And—" a brief hesitation "—you will be more comfortable discussing some of this with her."
"I appreciate that," Toru says softly.
Izumi gives a satisfied nod. "Perfect. I'll start the plans. I'm sure you'll love what we turn up with."
He reaches up, gathering his hair and tying it back into a neat half-knot.
Toru pauses, staring for a moment, clearly impressed.
Once he finishes, she tilts her invisible head slightly in his direction. "You know," she says, voice bright with unfiltered admiration, "You'reridiculously handsome," she said, her voice light but sincere.
Izumi smiles faintly, "Thank you," he says. "And while I haven't seen you either… I'm fairly certain you're beautiful as well."
Toru laughs, warmth returning easily. "Smooth."
He gestures toward the room. "Shall we discuss our battle plan?"
Her posture shifts—playfulness giving way to focus. "Yeah."
Toru's footsteps draw closer behind him—light, nearly soundless.
Izumi speaks before she can say anything.
"I'm sorry to say this, Toru," he says calmly, "but you're not suited for this battle."
There's a beat.
"…Huh?"
She leans slightly to one side, arms crossing instinctively.
"Izumi," she says slowly, "are you seriously benching me already?"
He turns just enough to acknowledge her presence. "Listen first."
She huffs, but doesn't interrupt.
"From what I saw during the entrance exam," Izumi continues, "Todoroki is a heavy hitter. Large-scale output. Excellent control. Overwhelming range." His voice remains even. "He's not someone you counter directly."
Toru tilts her head. "…And Shoji?"
"He's a recon hybrid," Izumi replies. "Enhanced strength. Multi-angle perception. Adaptable limbs. Against stealth, he's actually well-suited."
"So…" she says, piecing it together, "…you're taking Todoroki."
"Yes."
"And you want me to—what?" Toru asks. "Focus on Shoji? Or guard the weapon?"
Izumi exhales softly.
"What I'm trying to say," he explains, "is that this battle won't last long."
She pauses.
"…Because?"
"Because I intend to end it quickly."
Silence stretches between them.
"So," Izumi finishes, his tone gentler now, "all I want you to do is stay here. Sit tight. Protect the objective."
Toru doesn't respond immediately.
She shifts her weight, confusion clear even without sight. "…That's it?"
Before Izumi can respond—
BWOOOOM.
The speakers crackle to life, and All Might's unmistakable voice fills the building.
[LET US BEGIN! COMBAT TRAINING—BATTLE TWO!
HERO TEAM B VERSUS VILLAIN TEAM I—START!]
The announcement snaps both of their attention outward.
Izumi turns toward the far wall—the direction of the building's entrance.
Toru mirrors him a half-second later.
"This should be over in a minute," Izumi says quietly as he turns back toward her.
She faces him—
—and freezes.
Faint traces of blue-white lightning coil around his body, threading through the air like living veins of light. Subtle. Controlled. Dangerous.
Izumi doesn't notice.
But Toru does.
Static crawls her skin. Her invisible hair begins to rise.
"Izumi—" she starts.
He vanishes.
Not a blur.
Not a leap.
One instant he's there—
—the next, the air collapses inward where he stood.
***
Shoji and Todoroki stand at the entrance as the same announcement echoes through the structure.
[LET US BEGIN! COMBAT TRAINING—BATTLE TWO!
HERO TEAM B VERSUS VILLAIN TEAM I—START!]
Shoji enters first, multiple arms branching outward as he activates his quirk. Ears bloom along the ends of his duplicated limbs, fanning out to cover every angle—wide, sensitive, twitching slightly as they listen.
The building is quiet.
Too quiet.
"…Both of them are on the top floor," Shoji says after a moment. His tone is low, measured. "They're not moving much. Just… standing there."
A pause.
"It feels strange," he adds. "Like they're waiting."
Todoroki enters behind him, boots crunching softly against the floor. The left side of his body coated in frost, cold rolling off him in faint waves.
"You should fall back," he says. "This is going to be dangerous. Our opponents won't fight defensively."
Shoji turns his head slightly toward him. "How d—"
He stops.
Something changes.
The sound hits him all at once.
Not footsteps.
Not movement.
Pressure.
A sudden, rising distortion in the air—like the building itself is cut through. His ears twich, straining to isolate it, but the noise isn't localised. It's everywhere at once, vibrating through walls, floors, metal supports—
Shoji snaps his gaze forward.
His ears flare—
—and then—
FLASH.
Blue-white.
For a fraction of a second, something streaks down the hallway.
It stretches.
Collapses.
Stops.
Right in front of him.
Shoji instinctively shuts his eyes as a burst of compressed wind slams into him, rattling the surroundings.
The pressure vanishes as quickly as it came.
Shoji opens his eyes.
Izumi Adachi stands less than a foot away.
Calm.
Unrushed.
Shoji doesn't even have time to react before Izumi raises one hand, palm flat—held perpendicular to his body. The tips of his fingers stop just short of Shoji's abdomen.
Shoji looks down at it.
"I apologise for this," Izumi says quietly.
The hand clenches.
Blue-white lightning flickers into existence.
Shoji doesn't see the strike—but he feels it.
A sharp, concussive impact blooms at his core, the force ripping the air from his lungs as his body folds inward. He's launched backward, crashing into the far wall hard enough to spiderweb the concrete.
The structure groans.
Shoji slumps to the ground, strength leaving him all at once, consciousness slipping away as the dust settles.
***
In the monitoring Room—
Silence.
Then—
"WHAT—?!" Kaminari shouts.
"Did anyone even see that?" Mina's hands fly to her mouth. "That was—he just—!"
"He was just—gone—! Ribbit!"
Uraraka stares, pale. "Shoji… didn't even get a chance…"
Iida tightens his fists. "That speed—no warning at all!"
Midoriya's eyes locked on the screens with frightening intensity.
His fingers curl into his palms so tightly they begin to tremble.
'No wind-up. No telegraph. No wasted motion…'
Bakugo clicks his tongue sharply.
"…Tch."
His eyes narrow.
'What kind of control is that?!
That wasn't just speed.'
The screen cuts back to the battlefield—
Shoji lies several meters away, unconscious, one of his replicated arms fading back into its original form.
Todoroki stands frozen.
Izumi hasn't moved.
He's still standing in the same position—arm lowered now, posture unchanged, calm as if nothing happened.
Todoroki's eyes flinch.
'What happened?
I only saw a flash of lightning.'
Izumi turns to face him, expression calm.
A single second passes.
Instinct takes over.
Todoroki slides his right foot forward.
Ice erupts from the ground, racing toward Izumi in a sharp, jagged trail with grinding force.
Izumi smiles faintly.
Lightning coils around him as he clenches his right fist, blue-white arcs snapping softly against the air, and steps forward—meeting the attack head-on.
The punch lands.
The impact detonates.
BOOM.