The walk to Building B was a study in clinical precision. Tsubaki's footsteps were rhythmic, the metallic plates of his armor clinking softly, while Momo walked beside him, her mind a whirlwind of chemical formulas and structural schematics.
Behind them, in the monitoring room, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation. The screens flickered to life, showing the internal layout of the building where Shoji and Tokoyami were already setting up their defense.
"This is going to be a battle of geniuses," Kaminari muttered, leaning forward. "Todoroki and Yaoyorozu... they're the ones who took the top two spots in Aizawa-sensei's Quirk test. They're basically the benchmarks for the rest of us right now."
Kirishima nodded, his eyes darting to Shoto Todoroki. The younger twin stood apart from the rest, his gaze fixed on the screen with an intensity that bordered on predatory. Shoto's expression was a mask of stone, but his eyes followed Tsubaki's every movement. He knew better than anyone that Tsubaki didn't just rely on power; he relied on the absolute mastery of his environment. There was a silent, cold tension between the brothers that made the air in the monitoring room feel thin.
Outside the entrance, Tsubaki came to a halt. He didn't look at the building; he looked at the blueprints displayed that had the layout of the building.
"Shoji Mezou," Tsubaki began, his voice devoid of tremor. "His Dupli-Arms allow him to multiply his ears and eyes. In a closed environment, he will hear our heartbeats before we even reach the second floor. Stealth is a non-factor."
Momo nodded, her fingers tracing the edge of her utility belt. "Which means we must overload his inputs. If he relies on heightened senses, those same senses can be turned into a liability."
"Exactly," Tsubaki said, meeting her eyes. "I want you to prepare high-frequency acoustic emitters. If we drown out the building with chaotic sound, his tracking becomes useless. While he's disoriented, I will drop the internal temperature. Cold air is denser; it slows the transmission of sound and numbs tactile receptors."
Momo's eyes lit up, her respect for Tsubaki's analytical mind growing. "A sensory blackout. I can produce the emitters as we move. But what about Tokoyami-san? Dark Shadow is fast and physically powerful."
Tsubaki adjusted his tactical collar, his breath already beginning to fog. "He is the variable. I will engage him directly. You are to bypass the engagement once the distraction is set and secure the weapon. Shoji will likely stay near the objective to act as the final line of defense. Use your creation to bind him while his senses are haywire."
"And you?" Momo asked. "Fighting Tokoyami in the dark is his home turf."
"The dark doesn't bother me," Tsubaki replied coldly. "I don't need to see my opponent to freeze the space they occupy. We aim for a flawless victory, Yaoyorozu. No wasted movements. We were the top two for a reason."
"Right!" Momo replied, her confidence bolstered by his unwavering certainty.
Inside Ground Beta: The Villains' Nest
Six floors up, the room was shrouded in gloom. Tokoyami stood in the center, his arms crossed, looking like a statue of ancient myth. Beside him, Shoji had grown four extra ears, all swiveling toward the stairwell.
"They've entered," Shoji whispered. "They aren't even trying to be quiet. I hear... clinking? And a strange humming."
"The Todoroki name carries the weight of excellence," Tokoyami murmured. "Dark Shadow, stay alert. The air is changing."
A dark, ethereal shape hissed as it emerged from Tokoyami's cloak. "I don't like it, Fumikage... the air feels heavy. It feels like it's dying."
"Stand firm," Tokoyami commanded. "We will use the pillars for cover. If they come through the door, we strike from the shadows. Efficiency is their strength; chaos shall be ours."
"START!" All Might's voice echoed through the building.
The moment the signal died, the air in the stairwell turned to mist. Momo moved with practiced grace, pulling two small, cylindrical devices from her torso. She clicked them on, and a piercing, high-pitched whine began to reverberate through the concrete walls.
Upstairs, Shoji recoiled, his hands flying to his multiple ears. "Gah! It's high-frequency! It's everywhere!"
"Todoroki-kun, now!" Momo called out.
Tsubaki didn't hesitate. He slammed his palm against the central support pillar of the ground floor.
He didn't create a flash of ice. Instead, the superconductor coils on his chest armor hummed with a violent intensity. He was pulling the heat out of the building's very bones. The temperature dropped twenty degrees in a single breath. The moisture in the air crystallized instantly, turning the hallway into a shimmering, white tunnel of fog.
Six floors up, the hallway was deathly quiet. Below them, a strange, high-pitched resonance began to vibrate through the floorboards.
Shoji, positioned on the sixth floor with the weapon, clutched his multiple ears in pain. "Gah! I can't... I can't pinpoint them! The sound is bouncing everywhere! Tokoyami, my senses are useless!"
Tokoyami, standing near the fifth-floor stairwell, gripped his cloak. He realized immediately that their sensory advantage had been stripped away. "Then we change tactics. Shoji, stay with the objective. I will descend and intercept them here. If we cannot find them with our ears, I will find them with the reach of the abyss."
They moved upward like ghosts. By the time they reached the fifth floor, the air was so cold the floorboards were cracking.
Tsubaki signaled Momo to stop just outside the final chamber. He could hear the low growl of Dark Shadow behind the heavy double doors. The room was large, filled with structural pillars that created deep pockets of shadow—a perfect hunting ground for Tokoyami.
"Stick to the plan," Tsubaki whispered, his eyes glowing with a faint, icy light. "The moment I engage, you move for the weapon. Don't stop for anything."
Momo gripped a flash-rod she had just created. "Understood. Good luck, Tsubaki-kun."
Tsubaki didn't respond. He didn't believe in luck; he believed in the inevitable progression of physics. He kicked the doors open.
The room was a cavern of shadows. Through the thick frost-mist, Tsubaki saw him: Tokoyami, standing silhouetted against the pillar closest to the stairs to the top floor, with the massive, clawed form of Dark Shadow looming over him like a vengeful spirit.
"You entered the abyss willingly, Todoroki," Tokoyami's voice rang out, dark and resonant. "Here, the darkness is absolute."
Tsubaki stepped into the room, the ground beneath his boots freezing into a slick, mirrored surface. He raised his gauntlets, the blue coils pulsing like a heartbeat.
"You're wrong, Tokoyami," Tsubaki said, his voice a calm, chilling blade. "Any space I entre becomes my domain whether in darkness or in light it all becomes irrelevant as my ice is absolute."
The stage was set. The master of frost stood face-to-face with the shadow of the abyss. The battle between the ghost in the mist and the darkness in the room was about to begin.
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Author's note
Hope you enjoyed the chapter I think I made it more theatrical than normal but I wanted to highlight the intellect of Momo and Tsubaki
And do you guys want me to just let them call Tsubaki by his name as the twin thing I know could get confusing
or do you want me to maybe just say Tsubaki if they both in the same place
Or keep writing and you guys will be able to keep track tell which you guys prefer.