Not powerless

Chapter 21: Battle Trial

“Of course, one of the most important parts of being a hero is looking good!”

Toshinori clicked a button and from the wall, four panels containing cases emerged. The cases were numbered, one for each student.

“Change into your costumes and meet me at Ground Beta!”

Toshinori vanished in a puff of wind and the class hurried to get their cases. Izuku hung back, knowing there was no rush. He picked up the case for number 10 and followed at the back of the boys as they headed to the changing rooms.

The air was charged with excitement as everyone got to see their costumes for the first time. Izuku shared the sentiment. Hero costumes were awesome, especially when they were practical and helped enhance the hero’s quirk. His own was quite simple. Magic didn’t need support gear so he went with something he knew he could fight comfortably in. His costume was a variation of the training gi he wore with Tataka, except instead of white, it was black. His arms were wrapped up to his elbows in fabric that faded from pale to dark grey, leaving his upper arms bare. The trousers were black like the gi, tucked into grey socks and his usual zori sandals. There was padding to help support his arms and legs, and he also wore a red sash tied around his waist.

The part he was most excited for was the hood. It didn’t look like much, but before Izuku put it on, he wove into it enchantments he’d prepared earlier. Now when the hood was up, no matter what the lighting was like, his face would always be obscured as though in shadows. The only noticeable detail would be his eyes, which tended to glow when using his magic.

Given how simple it was, he was one of the first boys finished, so he left to head to Ground Beta. He didn’t get far before a voice called out to him.

“Mikumo! Wait up!”

Kirishima and Kaminari were running up to him, with Tokoyami and Todoroki trailing behind them. His eyes were immediately drawn to Kirishima, who was completely topless. It served to show off his impressive muscles, but Izuku didn’t know if it was strictly necessary. It looked good though, as did Kaminari’s simple black jacket and white t-shirt.

They followed the directions to a control room, where Toshinori was waiting for them. He gushed over everyone’s costumes as they arrived, saying they all looked the part. Izuku had to agree, though there were some aspects that could be made better.

“Listen here! This is the scenario. Two villains have a nuclear device hidden somewhere in the building. Heroes must enter and either neutralise the weapon or apprehend the villains,” Toshinori explained once everyone was there, “heroes win if they achieve either of the objectives. Villains win if they can capture the heroes or the time runs out! Any questions?”

“Sir, how will teams be determined?”

“How much can we hurt the other team?”

“Isn’t my cape dazzling?”

More questions poured in, and Toshinori quickly grew overwhelmed. He managed to rally himself.

“Teams will be decided based on random lots. This is only a training exercise, and your first one at that. If anyone goes too far, I’ll stop them,” he said, “and young Aoyama, your cape looks magnificent. Now onto drawing lots!”

Izuku drew team D. Looking around, his teammate was the girl with the ear jacks, Jiro.

“Looks like we’re a team,” he said.

“Yeah.”

Once everyone was in a team, Toshinori reached two hands into the box again.

“The first ones up will be … these guys! Team A will be the heroes, and team D will be the villains!”