Switcheroo \BnHA Various x Reincarnated!OC\

11 - Illusion... Or Not [3]

    In the basement, LCD light illuminates the faces of adolescents and a muscular adult as they stare at the large screens hanging off a wall. The monitors display in real-time footage of the indoor mock battle captured through the numerous surveillance cameras situated throughout the battle site. It's only been several minutes since the start of the battle but Teams A and B are already having their first confrontation.

"RAHHHH!!"

A few of Renka's classmates express their surprise as they watch Izuku evade the crisis and slam Katsuki onto the ground.

"I'm not gonna be your worthless punching bag Deku forever. Kacchan, I'm... the Deku who always does his best!!"

Although Izuku doesn't appear as aggressive as he probably hopes to, because he's trembling so much and half of his mask had disintegrated from Katsuki's previous attack, the courage and feelings he put into his declaration can be felt even across the screen.

The notebook recording heroes was how the once powerless boy maintained his hope. It's no exaggeration to call it the accumulation of his dreams, and yet, it was cruelly thrown out the window by Katsuki. Perhaps more than any of Katsuki's previous bullying, that was the one incident that impacted and spurred Izuku on most. 

"PISSES... ME OFF!!!"

Katsuki, about to attack in blind rage, suddenly pauses. A glance at another screen explains that his teammate, Tenya, is communicating something to him through his micro-transceiver, which the class is unfortunately unable to capture through the sound system.

At this moment, Fiore timely stuffs baby blue bunny earbuds into Renka's ears, and an anxious voice thunders from the listening device.

"HEY, BAKUGOU!! Update me on the situation! What's happening?!"

However, the ash blond isn't in the mood to coordinate with Tenya. He unceremoniously turns off his transceiver and charges at Izuku, using explosions to propel himself forward and raining a series of intensive onslaught upon the other boy. Cries of amazement ring across the monitor room as Izuku dodges Katsuki's strikes by a hair's breadth.

The more discerning spectator would notice that each time, Izuku moves slightly before Katsuki does so it's apparent that he's not eluding his attacker purely through quick reflexes. Instead, it seems as though... he can read Katsuki's movements. However, he's so busy with Katsuki's attacks that he can't get any of his own in. Having realised that too, Izuku makes a swift retreat.

On another screen, Ochako, who had been sneaking up to the 'nuclear weapon' (papier mâché), is informing Izuku through the transceiver that she had been discovered by Tenya. The gravity girl is slowly backing away from the approaching enemy but it's only a matter of time before she's caught. To make things worse, her teammate Izuku is a floor below her and it's unlikely that he'll make it in time to rescue her. Besides, he's also facing imminent danger...

"Bakugou boy, stop it now. You trying to kill him?"

All Might hurriedly warns through the transceiver as Katsuki finds Izuku and points a muscular arm at the boy. Regrettably, the boy was rarely one to heed others' advice, much less when triggered. His glare concentrated on the smaller boy, Katsuki pulls the lever of his grenade-like gauntlet to reveal a safety pin ring, which he yanks off. Renka and several of her classmates suck in their breaths at his action.

"He won't die if it's not a direct hit!"

Just as the ring falls, Katsuki shifts his arm slightly to the left, causing the blast to land on the wall adjacent to Izuku. While the shockwave sent Izuku's small frame flying, he's mostly unharmed by the explosion, though the same cannot be said for the building which was completely destroyed on one side.