"YOU ALL LOOK SO COOL!"

The bellowing, excited shout of All Might was enough to snap even the dead into action. The students of Class A much more so. They had made their way towards the ground Beta, just as they had been instructed. It appeared to be a cityscape again. When All Might had said that the students would be going through a combat trial, it could have entailed a lot of things. The word 'Battle' was too broad. For all the students knew, it could be a fight against murder-bots again. However, it was logically impractical at that stage, and All Might, for all his lacklustre experience as a teacher, knew it perfectly.

Even the greatest hero, the symbol of peace, was not immune to challenges and concerns. It was true that he had never been a teacher before. Looking back at his trainings with young Midoriya, they were a treasure cove of experience when it came to being a mentor. However, almost all they had been doing so far were normal physical exercises. So, it did nothing to alleviate the nervousness hidden beneath the shining smile. What did help him, and gave the teacher some confidence, was a look over the future generation of heroes. Clad in their state of the art costumes, they all served as a source of inspiration for him. Not that he would be telling this to them so openly.

Not to say that the hero wasn't biased. In a good-natured sort of way. Of course, while every student was going to get his attention, he was most interested to see his protégé. And upon finding him in the crowd of excited students, the hero could not resist a snort of laughter that he immediately extinguished. To say that the homage to All Might's own costume went unnoticed not just by the hero himself but Midoriya's classmates was to say nothing. All Might still was touched by the green-haired student's choice of attire.

He gave everyone another once-over, counting the heads in case someone was still catching up. His eyes soon landed on the charge of his very close friend. It was his second time seeing the boy in person, the first being when the hero watched how the students were going through Aizawa-san's test. All Might was also surprised with the attire the teen picked that simply screamed flamboyance and pride in his ability. Young Fenton was indeed strong, but it was still a strange pick for a boy who had been found homeless just a month ago. But if that's how he wished to be remembered, it was his choice, just like every other student's.

Each of them was unique, each represented and stood for something. And it was something All Might felt like he should remind the kids of.

"They say the clothes make fine men, young men and ladies! Be fully aware that from now on... you are heroes!" He happily announced, booming as ever. "Now, shall we begin, you zygotes?"

The first among the students who spoke up was the ever-inquisitive Iida, clad in a suit that was an intriguing mix of a medieval armour and a biker outfit.

"Sir!" He immediately raised a hand, wishing to get an answer to the question he had been having for a while. "This is a battle centre from the Entrance exam. Are we going to conduct mock cityscape manoeuvres once more?"

"On the contrary! We are moving to the second step of your training!" Responded All Might, "While it is a common conception that most fights against villains take place outside, in reality, the highest number of most atrocious criminals are lurking indoors. House arrests, abductions, backroom deals — in this society, where heroes are always ready to step in, truly intelligent criminals always hide in the shadows!"

Danny inaudibly snorted. For some reason his adversaries chose to be pretty vocal about where they were. That was quite a change of pace. And something he didn't have much experience of, so said change was quite welcomed.

"This is why we will do this," All Might continued, "For this class you'll be split into teams of heroes and villains, in order to fight 2-on-2 indoor battles!"

"But All Might-san," Tsu called out. "We haven't had the basic training just yet."

"This is a battle as close to reality as we can afford now! These are the basics that you will be learning here! However, you can see the difference now, don't you? This time you won't be fighting robots that you can destroy to pieces."

"But how will wins and losses be determined?" Asked Yaoyorozu.

"Can we beat 'em up anyway?" Bakugo demanded to know

"Will the punishment be expulsion?" The timid Uraraka wanted to know.

"How will the teams be split?" Inquired Iida.

"Isn't my cape amazing?" Asked a blond in a shiny armour whose name Danny couldn't remember.

The torrent of questions obviously caught the hero off-guard, as his "I'll answer all your questions," came a bit too forced. "But no, no expulsions will come, and your cape is cool, young Aoyama! As for the rest, listen up."

To see the hulking giant of a man and a number one hero look into a tiny notepad was something that made Danny snicker quietly.

"The legend for these mock manoeuvres goes like this: the villains have come into possession of nuclear weapon, having hidden it inside the building."

"How easy is it to smuggle a nuke through a city?" Danny quietly mumbled to Kirishima.

"It suddenly got too stuffy here," Kirishima mockingly pulled his nonexistent collar and smirked.

"Hush, you two," Yaoyorozu whispered sternly.

"And it is the heroes' job to retrieve the weapon! Thus, the prerequisites for heroes' victory goes like this: you must either catch the villains or get a hold of the nuclear arm in the alotted time. Consequently, the job of the villains is to protect the weapon until the timer runs out! Or, of course, capture the heroes. We will decide on the composition of the teams like this!"

At that moment the hero pulled out a ballot box, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Are we deciding this in such haphazard manner?" Asked Iida.

"Life tends to do that, man," Danny put in and tilted his stark-haired head lazily. "You don't get a choice most of the time."

"That's right," Midoriya added excitedly, "Pro-heroes often team-up with heroes from other agencies."

"I see," said Iida as the realisation hit him. "This is a very foresighted decision then. Forgive my rudeness!"

"That is quite alright! Now, let us sort the teams quickly!"

The first came team A. Per chance, Midoriya and Uraraka were assigned to it, which seemed quite fortunate. The two had hit it off from the seems, so the knowledgeable students could see the potential of that combination.

Next came team B, comprised of Todoroki, whose costume was largely freezing his entire left half, and one of the more outlandishly looking students of their class — Shoji — a tall, six-armed teen who always wore a mask over the lower half of his face. Considering that he spoke with mouths that appeared on his arms, there could be nothing under it. Nonetheless, they combined a recommendation student and one of the second strongest one physically wise. And after just a couple of drawn lots, being assigned to team C, Danny looked down on his teammate. He was not feeling optimistic about that one.

-Linebreak-

Eventually, Danny found himself in a situation where he watched several screens alongside most of his classmates, with four of them being the subject of observation. Namely, those were Midoriya, Uraraka, Bakugo and Iida. The halfa had many of his suspicions about Bakugo confirmed. He really did have a bone to pick with the green-haired nerd, and once again that anger appeared one-sided. That guy appeared to be hellbent on making some enemies.

It could be read from the way Bakugo went about the competition. The blonde immediately went rogue and after Midoriya alone. It wasn't because of some detailed plan he and Iida had concocted. Even if he was smart enough for complex schemes, Bakugo was not a team player. Far from it, but the half ghost expected nothing less. Bakugo was pushed towards this by his gargantuan pride alone, as he abandoned all sense of reason. His actions led to Uraraka being completely free to go after the target, turning the whole competition into two 1 on 1 fights.

It didn't help that they fought in close quarters. The damages caused by his already powerful Quirk were multiplied by both the environment, and the grenade-looking gauntlets he wore. He kept viciously coming after Midoriya, and the latter was holding far better than Danny had expected from someone he had assumed to be a glass cannon. Well, he largely was, but the current examinee was also being smart about the fighting. Bakugo's arrogance played to his advantage for quite some time.

In two words, Danny was impressed by how the fight was going, for all the flaws his fellow students were showing. Midoriya was unable to properly use his power, yet he managed to overpower Bakugo by simply reading everything the blonde was about to do. The teen with explosives was going in headfirst, severely underestimating his opponent, but in terms of sheer power he was at the top in this fight.

Not to say that the other two had nothing interesting to display, but it was largely a back and forth. Uraraka may have had her gravity-defying power, but when your opponent can run at the speed of a motorcycle, you always would be at a large disadvantage. Especially since Iida purposefully avoided the combat altogether, focused on fulfilling his task above everything. A wise strategy. Uraraka was all about getting close and using her power, keeping distance rendered her effectively helpless. And Iida's clumsy attempts at adopting the villainous mindset were amusing to watch.

However, going back to the fight between Midoriya and Bakugo, very soon it wasn't looking good for the former. The green-haired teen could trick his opponent once, but Bakugo wasn't stupid. He learned and adapted, and Midoriya could no longer rely on the blonde's predictability. And it showed in a very gruesome manner, for Bakugo wasn't holding back in the least. He kept blowing a wall after a wall, and the destruction to the building AND Midoriya caused a lot of stir in the crowd.

"This is not a fight anymore!" Mina exclaimed. "It's a straight up lynching! He could have used the tape and captured him already!"

"Those are actions unbecoming of a hero," added Tokoyami.

"But you have to admit," Danny crossed his hands. "Bakugo sure nailed the villain act. The reckless trigger-happy one. Midoriya couldn't face a better opponent in this regard."

Was he appalled by the scene? Not yet. His first real fight was against two gigantic ectoplasmic octopuses that just kept coming back for more. Even the suckers on their tentacles had teeth. It was a macabre sight indeed. It was painful, he was ripped and bitten more times than he dared to count, but he just barely managed to shove them back into the portal they came from. Before even more ghosts came out that night. So, the metaphorical baptism by fire was bound to happen to everyone present. Midoriya was getting the luxury of the controlled environment at the very least.

"But at this rate, Bakugo is going to kill him!"

"No, he is not. Number two is one giant ball of anger, but he ain't a murderer," Danny made a conclusion. "Think of it as a lesson of method acting, but kinda backwards. He behaves like a proper villain, it will give Midoriya the much needed experience. And our goldilocks as well. He will know how villains behave because he did that very same thing."

"So... you are saying that his act is exaggerated?" Mina asked, causing her friend to guffaw.

"Of course not. He is just being an asshole again," responded Danny. "Wish I could hear what they are saying, though. It must be a delightful and heart-wrenching recollection of their common past," he said sarcastically.

"You still jest in a situation like this," Tokoyami said.

"Someone has to be your little ray of sunshine," Danny shrugged. "It's not like I want him to get a beating, I care about him as much as the next guy. All I am saying is, it will probably hurt them both much more if you stop it right now. They both are dead set to win. And if you don't let them sort some of their shit out there, it's gonna come bite them later."

"What? That how you solved issues in your family?" Asked Kaminari sarcastically.

"Me and my sister nearly killed each other once at my godfather's behest, actually," Danny genuinely seemed to think about it. "We get along splendidly now. Your point, Sparky?"

All Might, shaken by the dilemma of whether or not to allow the continued mutilation of his protégé, spared the halfa a glance, yet did not berate the teen for his naughty words. Yes, in a chorus of outrage and concern the usually friendly and caring teen suddenly displayed what appeared as pure cynicism. And it did stun even his friends. All Might could clearly see that that boy's experience went beyond the boundaries of a school. He was correct to an extent, and All Might didn't want to stop it for the same reasons young Fenton was voicing, but to push it this far still was never the intention.

More and more the fight between them resembled a real fight to the death, everyone could see that. Midoriya's costume was damaged and his mask was gone, as the battle between them persisted. At that situation, it appeared that the green-haired student had decided that the best possible choice in that situation was to run, and everyone could only wonder if he had a plan or it was a simple, most logical attempt to evade further beating. And looking at how he couldn't properly stand and resorted to going on all fours from time to time, was a sorry sight to see.

"Running away is not a manly thing to do," Kirishima said. "But I don't see any other option..."

All Might decided to finally intervene, turning on his earpiece. "Young Bakugo. If you resort to such powerful attack again, your team will be disqualified! Demolishing the hideout is a foolish action for both heroes and villains!"

And Bakugo was visibly displeased with the fact. Still, it wasn't going to be an issue for him. He would beat that upstart nerd still. Deku thought that he could look down on him, and Bakugo hated it. The blonde hated him. His yells of anger were reciprocated by Midoriya. The nerd denied that that's how he felt, his stupid look evoking even more anger within the explosion-wielding Bakugo.

The air grew thick with tension, as he readied his fist that was cracking with power. Midoriya assumed a proper stance for a strike, too. Danny recognised that atmosphere. It came about during times when both sides were mustering the power for a blow that could become final. Midoriya was about to use his Quirk, and for him, it really could be a last-ditch effort. Even those who were unaware, not even hearing what the two students were yelling at each other, could sense that something was coming. Perhaps it was for the best that the conversations between the students were limited to the teacher alone — the one who was fully invested in what was going on in young Midoriya's life.

Bakugo had jumped into his own conclusions, clouded by his own anger, pride, frustration and confusion. He was still to fully accept the fact that the subject of his bullying was now in possession of a powerful Quirk. He felt like he had been lied to for years, and now was venting out in the only way he knew — by lashing out at things or people that made him feel that way. Unfortunately, that person was very much alive and could sustain heavy injuries, and bring about just as much if his power remained unchecked.

"Sensei!" Kirishima exclaimed and snapped All Might of his painful consideration. "This looks bad!"

The two teens lunged at each other, each about to use a devastating attack on their opponent. It had to stop.

"Both of you!" All Might said into his mic, "Sto..."

"Now, Uraraka!" He could hear Midoriya's sudden shout.

The hero's eyes immediately darted towards the screen that showed the second group, and he, and every other student could see the girl grabbing one of the columns. As well as what happened next.

Midoriya's punch came not at Bakugo. Instead, the boy swung his arm, glowing with the power of One for All, upwards. The strength of the punch was so immense that even the wind it created alone was enough to pierce the ceiling. And it did not just stop there, for the force remained unstoppable, the gust of air broke through the roof of the building, having passed several floors, having shattered every single window and having caused a minor earthquake. The students could only watch in shock and awe at the displayed raw power that the seemingly small boy had harnessed. What followed Midoriya's attack happened extremely quickly.

Uraraka leaped into action. The girl used her power to make the column she had been grabbing onto completely weightless, enough to use the stone pillar as a swinging bat. The balls in that improvised attack were pieces of debris flung around by Midoriya's strike. Iida already was not prepared for the ongoing destruction, and with a rain of projectiles forced the surprised boy on the defensive.

Without wasting a second, the auburn-haired girl used her Quirk on herself to jump over the giant hole created by her teammate, floated forward. And just like that, floating over her enemy's head, she held onto a moulage bomb.

"Retrieved!" She exclaimed joyously.

"NO! THE WEAPON!" Iida yelled.

But the students didn't hear him. In fact, it was awfully quiet in the monitor room.

"You go, man!" Danny laughed, before seeing that he was alone in his emotional outburst. "What, not the time?" His shoulders sank.

"Hero team...Hero team wins!" All Might broke everyone's eardrums with his announcement. It was the culmination of the emotional rollercoaster of the last several minutes.

-Linebreak-

After the match, Midoriya was going through the procedure that he would probably have the time to get used to. Being sent to a nurse with probably all bones in his right arm shattered, with arm itself being one big bruise. The teen himself was unconscious, so it fell on All Might to deliver the boy to the Infirmary, as well as to gather the other contestants and hold a small lecture in front of every student at once in the monitor room.

"First and foremost, I must say this!" The hero began. "That was an outstanding match! You all have certainly given it your all! However, even if I say this, the absolute best performance was given by none other than young Iida!"

A lot of people were surprised by that statement. And perhaps the most shocked person around was Iida himself.

"Isn't this one of the hero team?" Tsu asked in confusion. "They are the winners, is it not, kero?"

"Ah, that is indeed unexpected, isn't it?" All Might asked. "Now why indeed? Anyone can guess?"

Two hands were raised: and among those were Fenton and Yaoyorozu. All Might was not surprised at all to see those two.

"Alright, young Yaoyorozu, what's your take on this?"

"That is because Iida adapted the most to the course of the training. Bakugo in the meantime seemed to be acting out of a personal grudge. And as you said, sensei, the attacks Bakugo used were too destructive for given conditions."

All Might nodded slowly. "You look like you wish to add something, young Fenton. What can you say about the hero team?"

The halfa shrugged. "I say that it is because once again Midoriya put all his eggs in one basket and just hoped that the plan would work. If Bakugo was a real villain, he would have finished him right there, and we would have had a dead hero on our hands. I would also add that Midoriya did the same thing Bakugo is being reprimanded for."

At this Danny pointed at the monitor that showed a destroyed building. "This does not look like being considerate about close environments either. If the bomb was a real deal, then we would all be radioactive ash by now."

"But what about Ochaco-chan?" Asked Hagakure. "She got the bomb, didn't she?"

Danny glanced at the anxious gravity-defying girl. She must have been worried about hospitalised Midoriya. "Well, for one, she didn't try to do much. Relying on your teammates is good and all, but you shouldn't just sit and wait until someone conjures a plan. That's what gets both sides injured. I also think that bat strike was too reckless. Same deal as with the guy currently absent. Bombs don't take kindly to being assaulted with fast projectiles, either. Hell, if even a sauce can blow up, I wouldn't put it past them."

He noticed the confused expressions. "Nevermind that one," Danny rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.

All Might sweatdropped. The kid was every bit as experienced as expected. It was way more than he had expected to hear from both of the recommendation student and a former vigilante.

"I would like to add something to Iida's case," said Yaoyorozu. "What I meant was the fact that Iida was ready for his opponents and chose a correct tactic of keeping the weapon safe."

"Yep," Danny gave a thumbs up and smirked. "Nice going out there. I don't mean to insult anyone, but the hero team won because they took advantage of the limits the training gave. In a real engagement, these tricks would not have worked against Iida's meticulousness and Bakugo's destructive potential."

Iida appeared to be on the verge of happy tears.

"Well..." All Might found himself at a loss for words. "I say that Iida could be more relaxed, but... yes, that pretty much sums it up."

"We should always start with the basics to develop depth of learning. We must strive to improve ourselves wholeheartedly. Otherwise, we cannot become top heroes," Yaoyorozu declared.

'Sheesh, loosen up a bit, girl,' Danny thought.

The second match soon rolled about, and the alphabetical order demanded that next game would be between team B and the ones the random poll picked as their opponent. And per chance, the second ball All Might had pulled out of the box had a shining letter 'C' on it. Phantom blinked in realisation that it was the letter of his team. And just like this, the halfa looked down on his teammate.

"Looks like we are in this together, eh, Fenton-san?" Asked Mineta.

"Yeah," Danny gave a small smile. "Let's give it our all."

While he didn't want to say it out loud, nor would he neglect his companion, there was no denying the fact. Midoriya might have been the weakest without his Quirk, but this guy had his and was still second last. An interesting, balanced combination if one were to look at the starting data. Although not when pitied against Shoji and Todoroki. It was obvious to everyone that Phantom would have to give it his all and Mineta would have to play his cards smart. Both Todoroki and Shoji also knew that their prime opponent was far from a pushover.

All Might himself wished to know what all the fuss was about.

Mineta was simply happy to get the number one student as his teammate. That way he had his hopes pretty high up. Although he still would have preferred a girl as a teammate. Yaoyorozu's outfit, with a lot of exposed skin was certainly something to behold...

And Danny could just see that the guy was not focused at all. He hadn't forgotten the entrance exam and seeing Mineta's performance.

Both teams were told to assume their positions in a new building, for the last one remained destroyed. At the top floor of the building, both Danny and Mineta examined the faux bomb, the former's head buzzing with the sound of grinding gears. They needed a plan to work out, and the small kid was more vocal about it.

"So, do you have any idea, Fenton-san?" He asked.

"Hmm... I just realised I don't know much about your Quirk. Is there something to the balls you make? The amount, the size?"

"The size is about the same always," he explained, ripping out one such ball, before another one popped up on his scalp. "I can make a lot of them, but if I make too many too quickly, I'll get a blood loss. They stick to everything but me."

"I see... We will have to use them carefully. I say that you stay behind and guard the bomb."

"No objections here," Mineta responded. "I... am not very good in a fight."

"Everyone has their uses," Danny smiled and shrugged. "The thing is to let them play out their strongest aspects. My sister was a lousy shooter, but I keep the files on villains she so carefully created. So, how will you chip in?"

"I... I can make traps. We are on the defensive now, so it's only right."

"Yes, I'll scout ahead and find some good locations. Take a look around in the meantime. If you do, you will already be one step ahead of 'em. This is a whole new building. Make sure to use this knowledge."

After saying his part, Phantom sunk into the floor.

'Yeah', Mineta remembered. The guy could do that too. Such a marvellous power and he wasn't using its greatest potential. The injustice almost made Mineta shed a tear of mental anguish. But his teammate was right. This was a training. His opponents were not Bakugo, and his companion was a jack of all trades. There was no reason for him to be afraid. He had to do something on his own.

Maybe the ladies would notice that. That would definitely make everything worth it.

The first thing Phantom noted when flying around the building was that the staircases made little sense, architecture-wise. Each staircase only led to the next floor, and to traverse further one had to find another flight of stairs somewhere else. Not very good in case of fire hazards, but then again, nobody even used this fake city as anything but an obstacle course to be demolished over and over again. The design choice also served as an obstacle for heroes, lest they climbed to the top floor in a matter of seconds.

It was a blessing for the defending team. All they had to do was to utilise the advantage.

'That's right, Fenton,' he thought and rubbed his temples with both hands, 'Time to use both of your remaining braincells'.

He still had to keep in mind that super-powered individuals rarely used stairs. Phantom would have to anticipate what his opponents had in store for him. So many factors, it made the halfa visibly excited. This was his villain hideout, so let it be the death trap for unfortunate heroes who happened to come by. At this thought, Phantom smirked. He was going to enjoy this.

Meanwhile, the hero team as well was considering their tactics for the match. Neither of the students had illusions that the match was going to be a cakewalk. Fenton was a top student, with a completely unpredictable Quirk. The description it had was as foggy as it could get, so the two began recollecting what they had seen during Aizawa's test. It could give them a faint idea of what the white-haired pseudo-villain was capable of. Flight and strength that surpassed Shoji's were already a problem. And from what both of them could gather, there was more.

However, the initial steps their opponents were going to take were painfully obvious. Mineta would not be joining the direct confrontation, lest Danny also had to worry about his teammate getting overwhelmed. Phantom was their main problem.

They both could understand this from the way the halfa spoke of the last fight. He thought that Bakugo's relentlessness was a good thing. It was only natural to assume that Phantom was not going to give them an easy time.

He would come at them the second they enter the building. And before that happened, the heroes needed to strike first. Todoroki had just the idea for that. It required Shoji using his very sensitive ears protruding from his arms in order to know where their opponents were.

"Are we allowed to do that now, All Might-sensei?" Asked Shoji over communication.

"Of course!" All Might responded solely to the heroes. "Preparation time is for both teams, after all! It is always essential to scout ahead before conducting any operation!"

Nodding, Shoji raised his multiple hands, before several sets of ears popped up on them.

"Whoa, what's he doing?" Kaminari asked back in the monitor room.

"It's his Quirk — Dupli-arms," Yaoyorozu was quick to explain. "The description said that it allows Shoji-san to replicate parts of his body. It appears that he is trying to eavesdrop on the opponents."

"Oh, that's smart," Said Kirishima.

Shoji dedicated all of his attention to his hearing. The extra ears could seriously improve his chances at hearing the enemy, but they were still just that — normal human ears with their limited capabilities. He couldn't make out the conversation Fenton and Mineta had, but he could pinpoint their exact location and the fact that they WERE in fact conversing.

"They are at the top floor right now," commented the hero in training. "Hm... I can hear Mineta's light steps, but Fenton's are barely audible. Now they are gone."

"He took it into the air," Todoroki concluded.

"I can hear Fenton's steps several floors below now."

That was way too quick. Barely a few seconds had passed. That speed was something to be worried about for sure. The continued observation made the hero team conclude that the halfa was busy laying some traps alongside his teammate. It brought some reassurance to the heroes that they knew the location of said traps — spots where the villains made the most noise. The heroes had to work around this, and in a perfect scenario avoid the traps altogether. It was hard to plan the course of action, for they didn't know the nature of the obstacles Phantom and Mineta were setting up. Naturally, it could be the latter's sticky spheres, but how the villains would go about making them stick to their enemies was another question entirely.

And finally, there was the announcement everyone waited with baited breaths.

"Begin!" All Might exclaimed.

Without wasting a second, Todoroki went ahead and told Shoji to wait outside for a moment. Confused, the tall teen still did as asked. The boy that was half-covered in a thick layer of ice head to toe entered the building, being at the ready. His hand immediately touched the wall, before the ice power of his was about to be released.

To the shock of everyone watching the trial, the ice began to spread, first down the corridor slowly, before bursting out and eating up more and more of the building, covering everything around in a solid, transparent layer. The goal for the attack was to knock at least one of the enemies out of the game by freezing them to a spot. The ice spread was so quick there was almost no time to react.

Even the monitor room felt it.

"No wonder he got a recommendation," Mina mumbled, shaking from the cold, rubbing her hands to warm up.

Todoroki looked back at his own teammate, and saw Shoji already entering. The latter naturally assumed that order to overpower their strong opponent, they would need to act as a team, otherwise Phantom would pick them one by one. Todoroki knew that, too.

Even if he still preferred acting on his own.

And besides, the only one who could approach the white haired teen's physical strength was Shoji. Todoroki knew that he had no strength to break the grip strength machine. With that, the team of heroes went deeper inside the cold prison.

The whole building now looked like an ice installation at that point, or the insides of a refrigerator, whatever they chose to call it. The glacial cover reflected what little light came from the outside, creating if not ominous, then much needed ersatz of lighting. Both heroes knew that Phantom was going to come after them first, and thus the silence was slowly becoming more and more pressing.

And then they saw how ice itself turned green, reflecting the glow that was coming from behind them. Immediately realising what was going on, Shoji spun around and jumped in front of his teammate, shielding them both with his six arms. A scorching hot blast of toxic green energy hit him, but the giant did not budge. The burns inflicted on his skin healed before Shoji even eased his stance.

Todoroki stepped from behind Shoji and saw their opponent himself.

"Well played, heroes," Phantom slowly clapped, his right palm still emitting a light glow that danced around the glacier walls. "You sure aren't wasting your time."

When did he even get behind them? That was the question Todoroki wanted to know the answer to. His attention was also diverted to the fact that Phantom had something to fight with both at a distance and in close quarters. As if sensing the concern, the half-ghost displayed perhaps the most malicious grin both heroes had ever seen. Coupled with the glowing toxic eyes, the sharp canines and the poor lighting, it created most fearsome image.

"I am still attuning the energy output," Phantom said and moved his palm around, leaving traces of ectoplasm in the air. The white glove was riddled with small green arteries through which the otherworldly substance coursed.

That was one of his gloves, responsible for limiting the blast power to the size he wanted. And it appeared to be in working condition. Somewhat. Who knew how long it would be.

"Cannot really tell if that's too much or just not enough. Well then," the halfa opened his arms. "I suppose the lab rats have just come right up to me!"

And then the teen let out the most vile laughter he had the capability to muster. And for a second, his opponents froze in spot. Iida's attempt at mimicking the villain attitude was a kindergartener play compared to this.

Even All Might caught his breath upon hearing it.

However, it was not because of how well the teen had assumed his villainous role, but because that particular laugh was too familiar to the number one hero.

Phantom did not wait long before attacking. Swinging his hand once more, the halfa launched a crescent shaped blast, slower, yet buzzing with power behind it, and Phantom lunged right after it. Todoroki immediately summoned an ice wall between them, and the beam impacted the freshly summoned glacier, turning it into hot, thick steam upon the collision.

And from there, with no obstacles, the half ghost came flying right through, landing a kick at the teen's gut. The force of the kick was just enough to launch Todoroki flying backwards. Without having the time to triumph, Phantom was attacked by Shoji, as Todoroki slid along the ground, covered in a thin layer of ice.

Shoji lunged to attack Phantom with all of his six arms. The hits Shoji had expected to make, however, hit only thin air. Swiftly dodging the flurry of blows, Phantom vanished, flashing his grin before doing so.

A split second later, feeling as if he had been doused in ice cold water, Shoji saw the glimmer of white to his left. After re-emerging, Phantom raised his right palm and fired a blast that impossible to dodge.

Shoji felt the sting of ectoplasm, but Phantom didn't wait a second before coming closer and throwing a punch with his left hand. Even with all of his last-second strength Shoji had mustered, his legs buckled.

From his side, Todoroki saw how lousy the punch was. It could barely count as a swing. For all his intimidation factor, unlike Bakugo, the teen still displayed control and restraint. But that wasn't going to be of any help if that's how Phantom fought with those limitations.

"Wow, Fenton is a beast," Kaminari commented, seeing the halfa force Shoji on the defensive. "He is actually standing his ground against the two!"

"But how long can he keep it up?" Asked Sero.

"You saw this guy's results yesterday," Kirishima smirked. "I think his energy tank ain't gonna dry up in just fifteen minutes."

"And he sure seems to be enjoying this way too much," Kaminari shivered.

It was a different kind of intimidation from Bakugo's. The blonde always jumped into fits of loud, animalistic rage, and each of his actions brought incredible destruction. He had the aura of a person to smash you if you look at him funny.

But seeing Phantom swiftly beat his opponents each time he got close and personal simply felt different. Someone like Kaminari or Mineta had felt the difference between them and the half ghost from their first meeting. But up to that point, the former didn't fully take in the power of the number one hero student, like many others of his classmates.

Fenton's character was to blame. He was simply cheerful most of the time, friendly and approachable, even. He seemed to be just like other teenage boys, with normal interests, even if the concept of personal space was but a mere suggestion for him.

His power showcase, however, created a major dissonance. Phantom was proving right before them why he scored the most during the entrance exam. He easily dodged whatever his opponents threw at him, turned intangible, and counterattacked. A minute passed in the heroes' vain attempts at harming the pretend-villain, but so far they left zero scratches on him.

Furthermore, Phantom stopped any of the heroes' attempts at making it past him, either. Be it a summoned barrier or his high-speed attack.

The persona of a villain he assumed fit him like a glove. That dissonance was the key intimidation factor. His power level only added to the impression, as if he was truly a villain who could pose a terrible threat. He didn't even look to be trying.

All Might was not surprised to see Phantom walk in toe with his enemies from the start. The element of surprise was going to be on Phantom's side as long as his fellow students were unaware about his entire arsenal. It was indeed a lucky twist of fate that the only classmate to see Danny use his power to the fullest was also his teammate. The battle trial was slowly ridding him of that advantage.

It was ultimately a good thing, and very down to earth. Phantom, for all his power of intangibility and invisibility, as well as his ghost persona, was not stealthy at all. That wasn't his approach, these powers were mostly limited to recognisance. And thus, he would definitely make a public hero, someone whose Quirk, at least the power itself and not its nature, like in All Might's case, was very well known. He wasn't going to have that advantage in the future, so better not let him get accustomed to this.

Intangibility was of greatest concern to Todoroki. When he made spikes, far from sharp, and made them emerge from the ground, Phantom easily avoided the attack by simply letting the ice go through him, not diverting the gaze of toxic green eyes from his target. How could they beat someone who didn't let a single attack scratch him? And who could dish out a punch the strength of a truck if he wanted.

He could see it from Shoji's attempts at attacking the ghost hero — Phantom possessed the supernatural reaction his namesake kin was known for. At least by forcing Fenton to shoot blasts there was always a chance to avoid the attacks. His close quarters attacks were much swifter.

For now, Todoroki maintained his distance by sliding on the ice, away from the half-ghost, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Smart choice," Phantom commented. "Not smart enough to turn away, but," he shrugged, "You take what you can get."

He himself could see that his enemies could take the beating just fine. There were established fighters in the Masquerade that were far weaker. Todoroki especially seemed conscious about what was going on. His control over ice was strong, and each of the bursts would have been very painful had it not been for his reaction and intangibility.

The boy was either blessed (or cursed) with field experience or received some hard training.

"We have an assignment, Fenton," said Shoji. "And we know that this is all just an act, give it up."

"Aw, are you not enjoying this? But I guess it's no fun when you are the only one getting beaten. Come now, try something smarter. You should learn by now that you are neither faster, nor stronger than yours truly."

"What are they talking about?" Asked Tsu.

"It appears young Fenton is being awfully impolite, shall I say," All MIght explained.

"That is just mean," Kirishima commented.

"Danny-kun isn't usually like this," added Mina.

"I think I know what he is doing," responded Iida. "Fenton-san seeks to break the concentration of his enemies by mocking them!"

"But he is already faster and stronger, no?" Kaminari scratched his temples.

"There is no limit to how big you want your advantage to be!" Announced All Might. "The bigger it is, the safer people around you are. If the fight is over quickly, there will be less damage. Young Fenton's tactic is not often used, but it seems that that is how he chooses to approach the combat."

"Are you sure this isn't just part of his act?"

All Might sweatdropped. "I...I have a hunch. What I want you to understand, students, is that rage clouds everyone's better judgement! You may even appear calm and unimpressed, but the damage to your concentration is difficult to get rid of."

However, that tactic was not efficient enough against those particular opponents. Both Shoji and Todoroki appeared to be collected individuals, so Phantom's sharp tongue had little effect on them, albeit Phantom's jests, coupled with his invincibility, was slowly getting on their nerves. They hadn't moved forward an inch, each attempt to pass the halfa was met by his resistance.

He was fast enough to observe them both.

Back with the fighters, Phantom decided to dispatch the more annoying opponent - the one launching more and more ice his way.

"Hm, Todoroki, what say you about us becoming closer?"

Todoroki felt the invisible force yank him forward, and initially he could do nothing but yelp. But at the last second, before a fist impacted his face, the teen pointed his hand towards an opponent and released a stream of ice at point blank range. The glacial prison immediately enveloped the half ghost in his entirety, and the heroes finally took a breather.

"Come on, we don't have time to waste!" Todoroki exclaimed, before Phantom's green eyes glowed brighter through the layer of ice. Shoji nodded, and the two students rushed towards the staircase.

And then the ice began to melt. In but a couple of seconds it was reduced to steam, leaving the teen soaking wet, but freed from the glacial clutch.

"Giving me a cold shoulder here," Phantom said dramatically, fixing the collar of his suit. "Not bad, Mr.Freeze."

The next second he turned intangible, and all the water covering him splashed onto the floor. Phantom prepared to dash towards his opponents, but then his communicator beeped.

"Fenton-san! I'm still stuck!" Mineta exclaimed into the mic.

"Just perfect," muttered Danny.

"Looks like Todoroki-san's initial attack worked out in the end!" Iida said with excitement.

Looking at the monitor displaying the inner sanctum of the villain hideout, the students could see the short hero trainee struggling against the ice bindings that had grabbed his legs. Phantom was faced with a choice. He had to come and rescue his teammate in order to assure his continued support. But in doing so he would let the heroes proceed.

All Might wondered what option the teen was going to take.

As they were running, Todoroki tried to come up with a plan. Fenton's reaction was nigh impossible to match, but predicting his moves was fairly simple. Whenever he was attacked, Phantom turned intangible. And he was not going to let go of that power until there were no foreign objects in his body, like Shoji's fists or a part of the wall that he was phasing through.

However, to land a hit, to fire a blast, the halfa always had to become solid. That presented a window of opportunity, a small one, but that was the only time to land a hit. Todoroki had no doubts about this after managing to freeze his opponent. And he made sure to inform his teammate of his discovery.

"Going somewhere?"

The heroes stopped in their tracks, looking around the corridor in hopes of seeing their enemy. But the disembodied voice seemed to be coming from everywhere. As well as the same chilling evil laughter. The temperature, in the meantime, seemed to be slowly decreasing.

"Todoroki-san, what are you doing?" Shoji asked.

"That's not me," responded Shoto before quick realisation hit him.

Finally, Phantom appeared in the opposite end of the corridor, coming around the corner. Of course, with his power of flight and intangibility he could catch up to them in no time at all.

'So you chose this option, huh, young Fenton?' All Might thought.

Going after the enemy instead of freeing your teammate was neither heroic, nor thoughtful. Here came the arrogance all teachers expected of that kid. He thought that he could take both of his opponents with no backup. Granted, Mineta was not in any direct danger, and to be brutally honest, he did all he could for now, but doing everything themselves was not something All Might wanted of his students. And it was not something he would ever encourage.

"Wait, weren't his eyes green?" Asked Sero.

The hero team noticed the blue glow as well, and the smile it shed the light on, too.

"You have some impressive control over ice, Todoroki-saaan," Phantom commented, speaking slowly, and still somewhat condescending. "I'd say that you are a chill guy, but come now. My taste in puns is not that poor."

"What are you doing?" Shoji asked.

"Oh, I merely wondered if I can measure up to our walking AC unit."

Then all of a sudden double blue-coloured beams erupted from his eyes, and the heroes barely managed to avoid it. However, the blast hit the floor behind them, creating an ice wall closing off the entire corridor.

"He has ice, too," Sero sighed, not even sounding surprised anymore.

"And his power is different from Todoroki-san's," Yaoyorozu commented.

"How so?" Asked Kirishima.

"I think I know, too," Iida put in. "So far, Todoroki-san required physical touch to make the ice grow towards his opponent. Fenton's Quirk acts differently."

"His ice spreads from laser beams, kero," Tsu concluded. "Light is faster, and can get anywhere. But it is also easy to predict."

"Jeez, this is just broken," Mumbled Kaminari.

The one who was probably the most offset by the ever-expanding arsenal of the half ghost was Bakugo. The blonde that had been challenged by the white-haired foreigner was now witnessing how the number one student proved his worth. This time, in the field of battle. With each displayed ability, the gap between the two grew, both in reality and especially so in Bakugo's mind — the mind that had already been agitated by his loss to that loser Deku of all the people.

It drove the blonde mad to see how Phantom was holding his ground against two admittedly strong students at once. And he felt like the ever-present smirk of glee that never slipped off the halfa's face was directed at him, too. That foreign extra mocked him, he thought himself to be superior to him. That's what Fenton meant when challenging Bakugo, and at the time the explosion-throwing teen had no idea about the full potential of the halfa. And to be fair, nobody around knew.

Did it matter, however? No, it did not. Bakugo had been training hard, his Quirk was the strongest, no matter how ridiculously versatile and multi-layered Fenton's was. He would be on top, and he would laugh at that stupid bastard all he wanted.

And as for the hero team, they found themselves both shocked and confused at seeing the sudden power as well.

"How is this even related to your energy?" Todoroki asked.

"A smart villain would keep it secret," Danny tapped on his temple. "But my heart was replaced by a hard orb of ice. All the energy I use comes either from or through it. Or at least that's what I've been told."

"Then how are your green blasts scorching hot?"

At this, the halfa laughed. "I don't know!" He exclaimed and fired one such blast with his right hand. "I am not supposed to be alive at all!"

"Isn't this counterproductive?" Tsu asked nobody in particular. "He blocked the path back. The only way the hero team can take is forward, kero."

"I'm sure Fenton-san knows what he is doing!" Responded Kirishima confidently.

'Why the hell did I do that?' Danny thought to himself.

Going back to his ice blast, he probably shouldn't have fired it so frivolously. His ice spread like a plague whenever the rays hit something. His barrage of fire at this point was a mere distraction to give him some time to think. Then, it hit him.

The wall behind them blocked the retreat. He stood in front not surrendering the rest of the floor.

They were essentially in one spot.

After another round of exchanging blows, Todoroki was growing conscious about the amount of ice he and Phantom were producing. He tried to attack several times. But the halfa responded in kind, always, filling the room with rough glacial structures. At that rate, there would be no room for manoeuvre at all.

And then Todoroki realised that someone was always going to have it, and it wasn't the hero team. With his power of intangibility, no obstacles existed for the halfa.

'Is this your plan, Fenton?' Todoroki thought, before dodging another ice blast.

And he wasn't so far from truth. Danny could see that his opponents were tough. Todoroki was quick on his feet, Shoji could get rid of ice easily by just smashing the frozen limb on another surface, before the glacier could spread. This guy's pain tolerance was on a whole new level, Danny realised. But with limited space, his opponents' tactics were going to be limited. They couldn't avoid his blasts forever. How quick could this giant of a man be?

Perhaps his eyes telegraphed just what kind of an attack it was going to be.

Shoji started attacking with double tenacity, as his hands kept vanishing in the flurry of blows.

"That's certainly a handful," Phantom laughed, turning intangible once more. "Get it?"

After another dodge, Danny vanished from sight.

The heroes looked around, hoping to find where the spectre hid himself. Or to prepare for an upcoming attack.

"I hope we have an understanding here," Phantom reappeared, sitting on one of the ice structures, right under the ceiling. "This isn't a fight you heroes can win."

"Why would you say this? So far you are the one losing the ground. We haven't lost yet," Shoji responded firmly.

Danny clicked his tongue, putting his head on his hand. "They always say that. And then their brains are scattered all over the wall. I've seen my share of policemen getting murdered by powers beyond their understanding, pal. Sometimes villains are not in the mood for games like me, you know?"

It was difficult for All Might to measure just how much of what's being said was just evil method acting. Then he noticed the strange pose Phantom was in. One of his hands remained behind his back, reaching for the wall right behind him.

Todoroki also wondered what kind of exposure the carefree teen had in order to say this.

"Do you mean to say that you are playing right now?"

"I am," Danny shrugged. "If I end this now, I won't let out enough energy for the day. Don't wanna explode, y'know? Besides, being boorish is not on my list of priorities. Or..." his eyes gained a bright twinkle. "Would you really rather me take this seriously? Letting it all out at once is good, too."

"This is your choice," Shoji responded, taking an attacking stance. "But such ignorance will make you miss important things."

Was that banter he just heard?

With a corner of his eye Danny saw that Todoroki was not at his previous spot. With the amount of glaciers, coupled with scarce light, Phantom completely lost the sight of the ice-wielder. A split second later the halfa was jumped by Shoto, and he saw the teen readying his close-range ice attack once more.

And then Todoroki felt the invisible force stop him in place. The green light surrounded him, holding him in the air, completely immobile.

"Nice one. I almost was caught off-guard," Danny grinned and tilted his head. "But did you really think this will work on me again?"

Moving his pointing finger towards Shoji, he tossed the hero in training backwards. As expected, the multi-armed student caught his teammate and quickly set him on the ground.

"Alright," Phantom said, "Let's up the challenge now."

Finally his palm touched the wall. The said structure vanished, and the veil of invisibility, as well as intangibility, spread towards the ceiling above them. The next second the heroes found themselves under a rain of ball-shaped objects.

"Woah! So that's the trap they set!" Kirishima gasped. "That was smart. But..." he then noticed something. "They don't stick?"

The red-haired boy was right in his assumption. While setting the traps, as well as setting it in motion, Danny did not account for Todoroki freezing everything within the building that had any contact with the ground. Those were all balls of ice at that point!

In one blow that guy unintentionally disarmed them all. Impressive.

"This is a good lesson, kids!" All Might bellowed. "Initial plans never go 100 percent right! You must learn to adapt and improvise."

"Fudge," Danny muttered.

The gears in his head did not spin fast enough to quickly conjure a tactic. Todoroki put his foot forward, immediately sending more ice Phantom's way. Sighing, the halfa turned intangible again.

"This doesn't. Work," he snapped.

The next second his eyes flashed brighter, and the ground beneath them all became incorporeal, too. Phantom floated in his spot, but the heroes took a plummet downwards. Shoji was quicker, reacting nigh instantaneously and grabbing onto one of the previously created glacial structure.

However, after bursting forward, Phantom came right above him. His foot then went right into Shoji's face, all in one motion. His attack was lighting-fast, and the kick packed enough force - the floor regained tangibility only after Shoji already fell down, holding a broken ice shard that still remained in his hand.

Danny didn't know what happened to things trapped in an object that turned tangible. He wasn't risking it, even if his way of doing so was not so gentle. Now he finally could muster a plan in peace. Said peace did not last for long, because his communicator beeped again.

"Fenton-san, where are you?!" Mineta yelled right into his ear.

There went his answer.

Phantom sighed, "I'm coming, don't go anywhere."

"This isn't funny!"

Danny pressed a button and ended the brief call.

"That's why I work alone," he muttered and took towards his teammate. "It's always easier to just do it yourself."

The ice wall was still blocking the path forward, it was bound to slow down the heroes until he came back.

Back on the first floor, the heroes quickly regrouped, wondering about what they were going to do, and reaching the same conclusion as their opponent. They needed to either get rid of it, or find another way.

In the meantime, Phantom phased through several floors, landing himself on the top floor. There he saw that the situation around the faux bomb was not any different from the rest of the building. Everything was engulfed in a thick layer of ice, even the bomb, even Mineta, who still remained bound knee-deep.

Upon seeing his savior, the short teen started throwing his hands around frantically.

"What took you so long?!" he exclaimed.

"Calm down, calm down, pal," Phantom waved him off and rolled his eyes.

The half-ghost made several steps forward and put his hand on Mineta's shoulder. The next second the shivering boy was released from the trap.

"The traps didn't work," Danny commented, fixing the sleeves of his suit. "Todoroki froze everything over."

"That's really bad," mumbled Mineta. "But you can still beat them, right?"

"They sure are above the usual crowd I met around here," the halfa huffed. "Missed a cheap shot, though."

"Come on, Fenton-san! We can't lose."

"We won't. But we spent a lot on those traps. Can you make more?"

"I'll try. But what should we do?"

Suddenly both of them heard rumble from downstairs.

"The hell are they doing down there?" Phantom mumbled, diving into the ground.

A certain amount of time before the villains heard the crushing sounds below, the hero team was coming up with the strategy to make a break for it. Mostly each of them had something on their minds.

They didn't have much time left on their hands, that much was evident.

Todoroki thought that he could melt the ice wall, but...looking at his right hand, the ice-wielding teen decided against it. He would excel without that wretched part of his Quirk. However, if he was not resorting to that measure, the heroes were left with less options.

And Shoto was starting to feel the repercussions of first freezing the entire house and then proactively using his Quirk. He couldn't keep this up for very long.

"We can make it several floors up, actually."

Todoroki turned to the left and saw Shoji's protruded mouth talking to him.

"How so?"

"I can break through the ceiling and get us higher. But Fenton will undoubtedly hear us."

"We will go with it," Todoroki curtly responded. "We don't have time for anything else."

Nodding, Shoji soon grabbed one of the ice structures that permeated the floor, broke off a large blunt piece of ice, and then swung it upwards. With loud noise, the ceiling above them crumbled into pieces.

A split second later Shoji grabbed his teammate and easily jumped several meters up, landing on the upper floor, just where they had been fighting right before being pushed back down. That course of action appeared to be the quickest and most effective.

Shoji would have used the same improvised mace, if it hadn't shattered after the first hit. Luckily, the ice was just as plentiful on the second floor, and the same action could be repeated here as well.

And very soon the heroes reached the third floor as well. They were right below the bomb storage room. The thrill did not last long, for Shoji suddenly felt like his side was hit by a train.

Launched into the nearest wall, he flew right into the room behind it, but not without letting go of his teammate. Todoroki masterfully slid across the floor and remained on his feet.

"That's far enough," Phantom declared.

"By constantly hiding from blows you will achieve nothing, Fenton."

"I suppose. Ever since coming here I've never met anyone who can counter intangibility. The temptation is just irresistible."

Shoji quickly got up to his feet. He was about to rejoin his teammate, if not for something lightly hitting his back several times. Spinning around, the giant finally came face to face with another member of the villain team.

Shaking a bit, Mineta was holding one of his balls in his palm.

"Y-you...are not getting up there, hero!" he exclaimed.

Realizing what had hit him, Shoji used one of his arms to look at his back, now covered in Mineta's sticky spheres. He knew that if he tried to remove them now it would only make the matters worse.

But if both villains were down here, it meant the bomb was unattended to. And if Shoji managed to get through Mineta while Phantom was busy with Todoroki, the victory would be as good as theirs.

And Mineta seemed to realize his opponent's intention, too.

Phantom casted aside the intangibility, fully intending to put down the hero here and then. Todoroki launched even more ice the halfa's way. The faux villain anticipated the attack, and this time met it upfront. A single kick of his leg was enough to shatter the spreading wave.

Danny lunged forward with speed unmatched, leaving cracks on the ice under his feet.

Todoroki anticipated the move. Phantom didn't use his feet, lest he tripped on the slippery surface. Thus, there was bound to be space beneath the half ghost.

The teen buckled his feet and bent forward, but just did not have the time, before being grabbed by the villain, who snatched him by his shirt, pulled him after himself and used the entire momentum to slam Todoroki into the ground and come to a halt.

The human felt the air being knocked out of his lungs.

Smirking, the halfa turned around, still in the air, and looked at the downed opponent.

"You fare better than most people I've seen, Todoroki. Commendable, but this just won't be enough, I'm afraid."

Without getting up, Todoroki put his hand on the ground, hoping to buy himself more time. Even more ice emerged, but all this was immediately melted by a green beam. Phantom floated closer to the opponent who managed to jump to his feet. Todoroki's boots were specifically made to allow him to stand firmly on ice when he needed.

Phantom immediately met him with a light flick. Shielding himself with an ice-covered arm, Todoroki still felt how his legs gave up, as he was pushed back once more.

Danny saw that by shielding himself Todoroki blocked his line of sight. His eyes turning ice blue, Phantom fired his own ice beam. The ice grip enveloped the hero and pinned him to the wall, completely immobilizing him.

"It was a bad idea to make a suit that exposes skin, don't you agree?" Phantom asked. "We both know what'll happen if you try to break out," he flashed the same malicious grin.

Todoroki threw the halfa a glare, knowing full well that he could get out if he used that part of his Quirk...

No. He sought to improve his ice power. And if he was going to lose while losing, so be it.

Looking at the white-haired American, Todoroki was filled with exasperation he did not show. Not even a scratch was left on him, while he himself was bruised and wounded.

Phantom was quick, strong and untouchable if he felt like it. Such combination of powers could not be accidental. Could it be that the halfa's power was caused by a long-running series of marriages?

No matter how the half-ghost attained his power, the result was evident.

"Fenton-san!" Mineta shouted into the communicator. "He's after me! He's gonna get to the bomb!"

Sighing, Phantom threw one last look at Todoroki, before turning intangible.

If Shoji reached the objective, his victory and prowess would all be for nothing.

The halfa flew to the top floor, landing close to the paper-mache bomb. Looking around the spacious storage room, Phantom saw that nobody was there yet, but it was about to change.

Soon Mineta's screams reached Danny's ears, as the tear-eyed shorty ran into the room. And then Shoji himself emerged from the doorway. And the giant noticed the halfa' presence, quickly coming to the realization of what that entailed.

"So, Todoroki-san is defeated?"

"Indeed. In the real world, he is already dead. You are quite wasteful about your teammates, aren't you?" Phantom laughed, putting hands behind his back.

Shoji assumed his battle stance, and Phantom did not miss how the giant was covered in some of Mineta's balls. This could give the halfa an advantage.

Shoji immediately lunged forward. But, to Danny's surprise, pleasant or not, the hero did not seek direct confrontation. Instead, the teen first lunged towards the halfa, but at the last second, even seeing that halfa did not move an inch, he was not risking it.

At the last second, Shoji used his hands to push himself to the side, making a dash towards the bomb. Danny blinked, but soon raised his palm and made a gripping motion. The green energy enveloped Shoji once more.

"Honestly," Phantom rolled his green eyes and began to approach the captured hero. "At this point you are bound to learn that there is no running away from me."

Shoji tried to use his entire strength to break out, to overpower that telekinetic grip. And just barely he could see Phantom's expression change. He was beginning to struggle to hold the teen in place. Just... a little...

Danny saw the teen's hand move. Figures someone this strong would start to break out. Phantom was really struggling to hold Shoji, even if he wasn't showing it. Danny approached the tall opponent, his left hand still gripping the hero. His right hand, however, was readied for a punch.

And then, at the last second, Shoji's hand was freed from the supernatural grip. Both the half ghost and Shoji threw their punches at the same time, and each managed to land.

Shoji flew into the nearest column, cracking it, yet the balls stuck to it, making him half-bound to it.

Whilst Phantom was forced to take a step back, the left half of his face bruised and bleeding green.

As the halfa moved his fingers to his nostrils, he could see the green liquid slowly trickling down. Phantom's face was crossed by a wide grin.

"That was a good one!" he exclaimed and laughed. "But all this just for a drop of my blood?"

To everyone's shock, the bruised part of his face was getting healed at a rapid speed. Even the broken nose was fixed.

"You...you have a healing factor, too?!" MIneta put hands to his face in shock.

Shoji's eyes widened, too. That guy was unkillable. No matter what layer of defense you went through, there was always another one. The giant was trying to break out of the bindings he found himself in, but then All Might's voice snapped them all out of whatever they were thinking about.

"The time is up!" The hero bellowed. "The villain team wins!"

Mineta was the first to make a happy exclamation.

"YEAH!" He threw a fist into the air. "We did it, Fenton-san!"

Danny chuckled. "Yep. Good job on those balls, still, pal," he commented, turning to Shoji.

Slowly floating to the giant, he put a hand on him, pulling the fellow hero in training out of the trap he himself had launched him in.

"Hey, about what I said while we fought," Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't mean it if it was insulting to ya in any way."

Shoji blinked. He hadn't known Phantom all that well, so he wouldn't know what he was really like. Thus, he was surprised to see the one who overpowered and mocked them to extend an olive branch.

"That's... quite alright. I appreciate the thought."

-Linebreak-

"All right!" Said All Might. "That was positively an exhilarating match!"

The students once again gathered in the monitor room to discuss the performances. Almost everyone was basked in praise from their fellow students. Except maybe the disheartened Mineta, who was largely excluded from the process. And Danny was perhaps the most embarrassed.

Mina just openly laughed at his blushing green face.

"The same way as before. Who can name the most admirable performance?"

Surprisingly, Danny did not shirk from raising his hand after his own match.

"Hmm, Young-Fenton, what do you have to say about this?"

"I'd say that Todoroki is probably on the top in this regard."

"Huh?" Asked Kirishima. "Not the guy that managed to break your nose?"

"Shoji decided to still rush to the bomb without Todoroki. If I were a real villain, I would have killed his teammate. While reaching the objective is the main goal, and saving millions of people from the nuke is more important, one shouldn't just rush in blindly."

"It's not like you cared for your teammate much, either, Fenton-san," Kaminari said.

Danny blinked. "Did I?" He asked in genuine confusion. "I merely weighed my options. Mineta was still out of danger, even if frozen. Besides, we were opposing heroes, who don't go around killing people. And at that time Mineta would have been of little help. No offense."

"That was cold," Mineta moaned.

"After realizing the futility of all the traps we had set, I realized that I should take time to free my unfortunate teammate so he could lay out some new ones."

"Now, young Fenton," All Might interrupted. "I know you were the villains, but I still expect you to act as a team."

Danny sighed. "We did act, sir. But I know what you expect of us, so I did count this action as a mistake. Thus, I say that Todoroki did more than well."

All Might and most others sweatdropped. That was... an odd thing to do. Noticing the reaction, Danny continued.

"Be it for me, I wouldn't have brought anyone else with me. I prefer working alone precisely to avoid having to make this choice in the first place. I... don't like bringing others into what I can do myself."

Of course, All Might realized. The boy's vigilante past had taught him to rely solely on himself, for he couldn't expect that help from other heroes or the police.

"Young Fenton," he said. "There is no denying that you are quite capable, and the practice only proved that. However, you can't always expect to be alone. There are always people who might depend on you, who would call upon you for assistance."

Danny sighed. "I get it, I get it."

"Besides, your exam showed that you ARE capable of teamwork. You must simply let go of reservations you have gathered in the past, if you catch my meaning."

"Huh, what do you mean, All Might-sensei?" Asked Kirishima.

"Eh? He never told you?"

So even his close friends remained oblivious so far. Well, if there was anything All MIght respected, it was the personal information.

"If young Fenton wishes to share this with you one day, then you will know."

Danny nodded in appreciation. "It's not really important," he then smoothly lied. "Nothing you guys should worry about."

And hopefully it would remain this way.