Chapter 29: The Battle Training Begins
The air was charged with anticipation as Class 1-A stood before All Might at Ground Beta. The urban training ground stretched behind him, a cluster of buildings, alleyways, and rooftops designed to simulate real-life hero situations.
Each student stood in their newly crafted hero costumes, adjusting to the feel of them. Some were still fidgeting—like Kaminari, who was tugging at his collar, while others, like Bakugo and Todoroki, stood with silent confidence.
Izuku rolled his shoulders, feeling the weight of his combat sticks strapped securely to his back. His suit, sleek and battle-ready, made him feel more prepared than ever.
And he'd need to be.
Because today was about battle training.
All Might clapped his hands, his massive frame radiating energy. "Alright, young heroes! It's time for your first combat exercise!"
The class perked up immediately.
"As pro heroes, you will often face villain threats in unpredictable environments! In today's exercise, we will be simulating one such scenario!"
He gestured to the cityscape behind him.
"This training will be done in teams of two! Each team will be assigned either the Hero role or the Villain role! The Villains will be stationed inside a building, guarding a replica bomb. Their goal is to protect the bomb until time runs out or until the hero team is defeated."
He turned sharply.
"Meanwhile, the Hero team must infiltrate the building, defeat the villains, and secure the bomb! Victory is achieved by either capturing both villains or reaching the bomb and touching it."
The class murmured among themselves, excitement buzzing through the ranks.
Izuku already knew how this would play out.
But the question was… who would he be paired with?
All Might suddenly reached behind him and pulled out a box.
"Now! As per U.A. tradition, teams will be decided by drawing lots!"
Izuku internally smirked. Right, the random selection method.
One by one, students stepped forward, reaching into the box and drawing their partners.
When his name was called, Izuku stepped up, reaching into the box and pulling out a slip. He unfolded it, eyes scanning the name.
Kyoka Jiro.
…Wait.
That's different.
In the original timeline, he had been paired with Uraraka. But now, by pure chance, he was working with Jiro.
He turned his head slightly, spotting Jiro just a few feet away. The purple-haired girl raised an eyebrow at him, clearly just as surprised by the pairing.
"Guess we're working together," she muttered, crossing her arms.
Izuku smirked. "Looks like it."
Meanwhile, Ochako was paired with Sero. That was another shift from what he remembered.
Izuku's eyes flickered to the board where All Might was listing the teams.
The Battle Training Teams Team
A - Izuku Midoriya & Kyoka Jiro Team
B - Katsuki Bakugo & Minoru Mineta Team
C - Tenya Iida & Mashirao Ojiro Team
D - Shoto Todoroki & Momo Yaoyorozu Team
E - Denki Kaminari & Mina Ashido Team
F - Ochako Uraraka & Hanta Sero Team
G - Rikido Sato & Yuga Aoyama Team
H - Mezo Shoji & Toru Hagakure Team
I - Koji Koda & Tsuyu Asui
All Might beamed at the class. "Now! To determine the first match!"
He pulled out two more boxes, one labeled 'Villain Team' and the other 'Hero Team.'
From the Hero Team box, he drew a name.
"The first Hero team will be…" He lifted the slip. "Team B!"
Bakugo's grin widened, his fingers twitching in excitement.
Mineta, however, went pale. "Oh no."
All Might then reached into the Villain Team box.
"And their opponents will be… Team E!"
Kaminari blinked. "Wait, what? Already?"
Mina cracked her knuckles, grinning. "Alright, let's do this!"
All Might clapped his hands together. "Villains! Head into the designated building! You have five minutes to prepare! Heroes, remain outside!"
With that, the first match officially began.
Izuku's Thoughts
As Kaminari and Ashido rushed toward the battlefield, Izuku remained deep in thought.
His pairing with Jiro changed everything.
In the anime, his fight against Bakugo in this exercise had been a pivotal moment—the moment where he had proved he could fight back against his childhood rival.
But now?
That wasn't happening.
Instead, he would be going up against someone else.
Would it still be as intense?
He glanced at Jiro, who was tapping her fingers against her thigh, deep in thought.
"You good?" he asked.
She looked up, shrugging. "Yeah, just thinking about strategies."
Izuku smirked. "Well, you've got sound-based abilities, and I've got mobility and combat. Could be a solid combo."
Jiro nodded. "Yeah. Just gotta figure out what we're up against first."
Izuku turned his eyes back to the viewing screen, where the match was about to begin.
The control room of Ground Beta was filled with the students of Class 1-A, all watching the live camera feeds displayed on multiple monitors. The screens showed the interior of the training facility, where the first battle of the exercise was about to begin.
At the front of the room, All Might stood with his arms crossed, his usual grin in place, but his eyes were focused on the screens with a sharp intensity.
Izuku sat near the back, arms crossed as he observed the setup. He already knew how this was going to end, but that didn't make it any less interesting to watch.
His gaze flickered to the Hero Team Bakugo and Mineta.
On the opposite side, Mina and Kaminari were inside the building, preparing their defense.
The match had just started.
And Bakugo was already moving.
Bakugo didn't waste a single second.
The moment All Might's voice rang through the speakers "BEGIN!" he blasted off the ground, propelling himself forward with a fierce explosion.
Mineta, stumbling behind, waved his arms frantically. "W-Wait, Bakugo! We're supposed to plan first!"
Bakugo ignored him completely.
"Tch. Plan? That's for losers," he growled. His eyes were locked on the building ahead where Kaminari and Mina were holed up. "I don't need a damn plan. I just need to win."
Mineta gulped. "But...!"
"Shut up and stay out of my way!" Bakugo barked, launching himself through a second-floor window, sending shards of glass flying as he crashed into the building.
Kaminari and Mina had barely positioned themselves when they heard the unmistakable sound of an explosion.
Mina's eyes widened. "Oh crap, he's already here?!"
Kaminari groaned. "Of course he didn't wait. It's Bakugo, what did we expect?!"
The two had chosen the third floor as their defensive position, placing the replica bomb inside an empty office. The plan was simple Mina would cover the floors with acid, making it harder to approach, while Kaminari would zap anyone who got too close.
Unfortunately, their plan didn't account for Bakugo completely ignoring defenses.
A loud BOOM shook the building as Bakugo blasted through the hallway.
He skidded to a stop, his sharp eyes immediately locking onto Kaminari and Mina at the end of the hall.
A wicked grin spread across his face. "There you are."
Mina swallowed hard. "Uh… Kaminari?"
Kaminari raised his hands, sparks crackling. "Okay, okay, let's talk about this for a sec..."
"TOO LATE!" Bakugo roared, launching forward at full speed.
Mina reacted instantly, throwing a glob of acid onto the floor.
Bakugo barely slowed down. He jumped over the acid puddle, flipping midair before landing right in front of Kaminari.
Kaminari barely had time to react.
"THUNDER SHOCK!" Kaminari fired a burst of electricity but Bakugo saw it coming.
He twisted his body, barely dodging the worst of it, though a few sparks grazed his arm.
Bakugo grinned. "Not bad. Too bad it's useless!"
Before Kaminari could fire again, Bakugo's gauntlet swung forward a controlled explosion blasted Kaminari backward, sending him crashing into the wall.
Mina yelled. "Kaminari!"
Bakugo turned to her next.
Mina gritted her teeth. Screw it.
"ACID RUSH!"
She lunged forward, her hands glowing as she unleashed a fast-moving spray of acid.
Bakugo dodged left, narrowly avoiding the attack. He retaliated with a point-blank explosion, blasting the floor beneath Mina's feet.
The shockwave sent her flying backward, slamming into the floor with a hard thud.
She groaned, trying to push herself up. "Damn it… that hurt…"
Bakugo stalked toward the bomb, flexing his fingers.
"Pathetic," he muttered.
Mina's eyes widened. "Wait, Bakugo...!"
But it was already over.
Bakugo slammed his palm onto the bomb, his grin wide.
"BOOM. I win."
A loud buzzer sounded through the speakers.
"TEAM B's VICTORY!"
Back in the control room, the students stared at the screens, some in awe, others in shock.
"Dude…" Kirishima shook his head. "That was brutal."
"He just went in alone and wrecked them," Sero muttered.
Todoroki crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "It was reckless. But it worked."
Yaoyorozu sighed. "A true hero shouldn't act so aggressively, though…"
Kaminari's groan echoed through the speakers. "Ohhh man, that sucked."
Mina sat up, rubbing her head. "We totally got steamrolled."
All Might, still watching the screens, hummed in thought. "Young Bakugo certainly has power, but his methods lack… teamwork."
Izuku smirked slightly. Yep. Just as expected.
He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.
Bakugo was strong. Unquestionably. But he had zero patience for teamwork.
That would cost him in the future.
But for now?
It was his victory.
All Might turned to the class. "What did we learn from this match?"
Kirishima scratched his head. "Uh… don't let Bakugo do whatever he wants?"
"That," All Might nodded, "and teamwork is essential. Young Kaminari and Ashido had a strong plan but they underestimated their opponent's direct approach."
He pointed to Bakugo, who was still grinning like a maniac in the building.
"And Young Bakugo though powerful chose to act alone. Against a more coordinated villain team, such a strategy could fail."
Izuku watched Bakugo through the monitors.
The blonde wiped some dust from his face, muttering something under his breath before storming out of the building.
Izuku already knew.
Bakugo didn't care about teamwork.
He only cared about winning.
As Team B and Team E returned to the control room, Bakugo walked in first, smug as ever.
"Too easy," he scoffed.
Mina groaned. "Dude, did you have to go so hard?"
Kaminari pouted. "You could've at least let me get one hit in!"
Bakugo snorted. "Not my fault you're weak."
Mineta, who had been completely useless in the fight simply sighed in relief. "At least I didn't have to fight…"
All Might clapped his hands together. "Excellent work, everyone! Now, let's move on to the next match!"
Izuku straightened.
My turn is coming up soon.
And when it did?
He'd make sure to stand out.