Overload - Denki

MONDAY

10:30 am

It was just another ordinary day at U.A. With final exams approaching, the hallways were split between students who seemed calm—confident they had already secured a passing grade—and those on the verge of collapse, studying as if their lives depended on it. Class 1-A was no different. The pressure weighed on each student in a different way, but they all shared the same goal: becoming heroes. And to do that, they had to keep improving, pushing themselves more and more.

Class 1-A had gathered for a practical lesson meant to evaluate how their quirks and decision-making had progressed throughout the year. Aizawa divided the class into several teams and selected which ones would face each other in that specific exercise.

The exercise worked like this:
The teams had to defend an electronic panel storing "classified information" inside a highly protected base. At the same time, they had to invade the enemy base, steal the opposing panel, and bring it back to their own. They had twenty minutes to complete the mission. Outside the arena, Aizawa monitored every movement closely, ready to intervene at the first sign of trouble, while the rest of the class watched, buzzing with excitement for the next match.

The lineup for the first round was:
Group A: Shoto, Momo, Uraraka, Iida, and Midoriya
Group B: Denki, Bakugou, Jirou, Kirishima, and Sero

The students headed to their respective bases and were given five minutes to come up with a plan.
Denki sat at the table with his team, listening as his friends began forming strategies. At some point—he wasn't even sure when—his mind drifted to the final exams. God, he was so screwed. So, so screwed. His thoughts didn't last long, though, because a voice cut right through them.

— Try doing something for once, Denki. At least pay attention to the plan — Bakugou snapped, irritation dripping from his voice as always.

— Right, sorry, I just got distracted — Denki said with an awkward smile. He hadn't expected to get called out mid-spiral.

The others simply shrugged and went back to strategizing. Denki tried to follow at first, but again—at some point—his mind drifted. Grades... family... pressure. He felt cornered. He was terrified of failing. His family had never believed in his ADHD diagnosis; instead, they made fun of him for it, calling him stupid and dramatic. The more he thought, the deeper he sank—memories, humiliation, and—

— Right, Denki? — Jirou asked.

Denki jolted upright, eyes wide for a second as he snapped out of it.

— Huh?

He definitely hadn't been paying attention. The timer showed they had only twenty seconds left before the match began. Oh god—how long had he spaced out?

Jirou narrowed her eyes, silently asking: You didn't hear a thing, did you?

— I was saying you can use your electrification to temporarily shut down their cameras — she repeated, crossing her arms. — Just for ten seconds. Enough for Bakugou to get inside without triggering the alarms. But you have to do it the way we planned, low voltage, no overcharging anything. Just a controlled pulse, got it?

— Yeah, sure, no problem — he said with a small smile, relieved. That was the kind of thing he could do easily. He knew he could shut off the cameras—simple. Thank God, he thought.

— You'll also need to short-circuit their generator — Kirishima added, breaking the silence.

...What? Kirishima had to be kidding.

— That'll overload it and shut down their alarms, lasers, and all their security systems — Kirishima explained, glancing at the blond. — You good with that?