Chapter 38 - Battle Trail II

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Once the teams were decided, the battle trials began. The first group to battle were teams A and D. Team A consisted of Izuku and Ochaco. Team D consisted of Bakugo and Ida. Bakugo and Ida entered the building where the trial would take place, while Izuku and Ochaco used the one minute they were given to plan. The rest of the class, along with All Might, were in the watching room, observing them. On All Might's signal, the test began. While Ida stayed by the fake bomb, Bakugo went down to the first floor of the building to set a trap for the opposing team. Meanwhile, Izuku and Ochaca made their way into the building. Shortly after they entered the building, Bakugo attacked.

"Setting a trap seems like a good idea, Bakugo is so manly!" said Kirishima. "Isn't he! But Izuku's reflexes are very strong, he was able to react instantly and save the situation" said Mina. Most of the people in the watching room agreed with the duo. Izuku and Ochaco, who had escaped the first attack, were trying to pull themselves together and stick to their plan. Meanwhile, Bakugo was not pleased that Izuku had dodged his attack. He was seething with anger. He immediately intended to attack again, but Izuku anticipated his attack pattern, grabbed his attacking arm and threw him to the ground. Of course, while this was happening, they did not forget to argue among themselves.

After Izuku threw Bakugo to the ground, he started shouting something at Bakugo. His facial expression showed that he was about to cry. Meanwhile, Ochaco was standing on the sidelines. Ida was still standing guard over the fake bomb. "Momo, I'm not seeing wrong, am I? Or am I misinterpreting what I see? Are these two idiots arguing among themselves and expressing their feelings to each other?" Ikiru asked, sounding like he couldn't accept reality. "No, Ikki, you are not mistaken. Indeed, these two seem to forget to do the trial and fight. Maybe there's a relationship gone wrong between them?" said Momo, unsure at the end of her words.

By this time, everyone in the watching room had heard them. The class was staring at the screen in shock. All Might was having a hard time keeping a straight face. Meanwhile, Bakugo got up from the floor and attacked Izuku again. Ochaco, following Izuku's lead, didn't interfere in their fight and started running towards the location of the fake bomb. She quickly climbed the floors of the building and came to the room where the bomb was. Meanwhile, Bakugo and Izuku were still fighting. Bakugo was using his Quirk to create explosions, while Izuku was trying to dodge the attacks. No matter how hard he tried to dodge, he took many blows. His body was badly burned.

Some of the students in the watch room began to ask All Might if he should stop the trial. Because as far as they could see, the two sides were more focused on harming each other than trying to battle. Just then, Bakugo pointed a grenade at Izuku in his left hand, about to pull the pin. Izuku shouted and signalled to Ochaco. And Bakugo exploded his bomb. Izuku punched back. In the watch room, almost everyone was holding their breath, watching the scene unfold. Except for Ikiru, Momo, and All Might, everyone's expressions were tense.

After the mutual attacks, the balance of the trial changed. While Bakugo was attacking Izuku, Izuku's punch was aimed at the roof of the room they were in. With the force of his punch, the ceiling collapsed all the way to the room with the fake bomb. At Izuku's signal, Ochaco entered the room where the bomb was located, activated his Quirk at the same time as the floor and ceiling of the room collapsed, and used it to weightless the piles of rubble and attack Ida. As Ida dodged the incoming attacks, Ochaco made contact with the fake bomb. So it was the A team that won the battle trial.

The students in the watch room had different expressions on their faces. Because Izuku was severely injured and could barely stand, Bakugo, who had realised the direction of Izuku's attack, stood frozen in place on the ground floor. The right side of Izuku's body was badly burned. The building where the experiment had taken place was on the verge of collapse. Everyone was questioning why All Might had allowed this to happen, everyone except Momo and Ikiru. All Might immediately took action. He picked up Izuku before he fell to the ground, and took him to the recovery girl. Meanwhile, he consoled Bakugo, but Bakugo was still in shock. Ida, Ochaco, and Bakugo returned to the watch room.

All Might soon return with Izuku. Izuku was in bandages. "Well, now it's time to analyse the trial! Do any of you know what they did wrong?" asked All Might. Momo was eager to answer, but Ikiru beat her to it. "Almost everything, except for Bakugo's first attack, all of his moves were wrong. He could have neutralised Ochaco when he was arguing with Izuku over his love. Teaming up with Ida, he could have neutralised the opposing team before they reached the building. Ida was foolish not to move five metres away from the bomb. Ochaco following Izuku as a leader was like a turtle taking orders from an ant. Izuku is not even worth considering, proving once again that imbecility knows no bounds," Ikiru said, insulting everyone he mentioned.

All Might frowned at Ikiru's words. "You should be kinder in your words, young Ikiru. Your friends are beginners, as are you, so it is normal for them to make mistakes," All Might was going to continue, but Ikiru interrupted him. "Don't lump me in with these morons, All Might. I was very kind in my words, even if it was an experiment, it doesn't mean that they should act without thinking. And I haven't even started talking about your incompetence," Ikiru said, looking All Might in the eye. Meanwhile, Momo took Ikiru's hand. "Don't tire yourself for nothing. You shouldn't judge people by your standards. Ochaco and Ida are inexperienced, so their mistakes can be tolerated. Izuku's self-harm by not protecting himself shows that he has a psychological disorder. Bakugo, on the other hand, has shown by his actions that he is not fit to be a hero. Although the purpose of the trial was to neutralise the opponent, he specifically prioritised inflicting pain on his opponents. Whatever All Might's motives for not stopping the trial are none of our business. I didn't trust his teaching in the first place," Momo said, looking All Might in the eye.

The other students in the class had wide-open eyes in their astonishment. Some of them almost touched their chins to the floor. Ikiru's words were harsh and insulting. Momo's words, on the other hand, were full of contempt, maintaining her politeness. The most striking thing was that they were right. It was very quiet inside the watch room. All the students were waiting for All Might's reaction. Bakugo was gritting his teeth, head down, choking with shame and humiliation. Ochaco was on the verge of tears. Ida was shocked to hear such words spoken about him for the first time in his life. Izuku was filled with anguish and questioning.

All Might was experiencing such humiliation for the first time. Even though he knew Ikiru was right, he was angry with the boy for his behaviour. But Momo's words had left him speechless. He knew he had made a mistake by not stopping the trial. He was surprised that this decision had led to his trustworthiness and competence being questioned. He was impressed by the courage and self-confidence of both children. "I know I made a mistake, I will be more careful from now on, let's keep trialling," All Might said seriously. The others in the class were even more shocked as if they had seen a miracle. The symbol of peace, whom they considered infallible, had just admitted that he had made a mistake. In the face of so much humiliation.

All Might quickly started the next trial, trying to distract from the subject. But what had just happened was seared into the students' minds. Ochaco couldn't hold back his emotions any longer and went to the bathroom to cry. Izuku found a chair and sat down, staring at the floor, lost in thought. Bakugo stared blankly at the screen. The trials continued. Finally, it was Momo and Ikiru's turn. Denki and Jiro, who would compete with them, looked at each other nervously. Ikiru's outstanding performance in the entrance exam had been learnt by the whole class the other day. Momo was one of the recommended students. The fact that they were first and second in the Quirk anxiety test made Denki and Jiro even more nervous.

Since they were cast as the villains, Momo and Ikiru were in the building where the test was to take place, next to the fake bomb. "There's nothing you need to do, I'll neutralise them in a moment. But make a copy of the bomb anyway. Then we'll replace it with this one here. By setting up a defence here, we'll set a trap," Ikiru said. "My love, there's no need to be polite. I don't feel useless. Just take me with you when you neutralise them. So that we can show off a little to our classmates," Momo said as she hugged Ikiru. Meanwhile, All Might said through the earpiece he gave them, "Children, please refrain from getting close during the test."

Momo left the hug, and Ikiru went to the window of the room. Momo followed him. At All Might's signal, the trial began. Ikiru used his telekinesis to rip out the glass and place Momo on top of it. Then he floated out. He saw Denki and Jiro looking up at him from the sky. Ikiru raised his right hand towards them. Denki and Jiro had just moved to enter the building. Denki immediately raised his hand and tried to use his Quirk to send an electrical pulse towards Ikiru. But Ikiru was faster. With his hand raised, Denki fell face-first to the ground, and the electric current he tried to ignite was absorbed by the ground.

Turning to Jiro, Ikiru saw her attacking him with the jacks in her ears. " My love, please make two handcuffs for me," Ikiru said, pointing his hand in the air at Jiro. As Ikiru pointed at her, Jiro's entire body went rigid. She couldn't move a single muscle. "As you wish, although it is not necessary," Momo said, smiling, and created the handcuffs Ikiru asked her to create. As Momo created the handcuffs, Ikiru controlled them with telekinesis. He laid Jiro face down on the ground like Denki, hands clasped behind their backs. He put the handcuffs Momo had created on them. Thus, All Might announced the winner of the trial.