Chapter 24: The Exhibition Match
"The situation is simple!" All Might boomed, his massive hands resting on his hips as he looked down at the twenty-one students. "Villains have hidden a nuclear weapon inside a building! The Heroes must go in and secure it! You either capture the villains or touch the weapon before time runs out. The Villains win if they protect the payload or capture the Heroes!"
Zoro rested his hand on the hilt of his Wado Ichimonji. Cops and robbers. A simple game.
"We will decide the teams and opponents by drawing lots!" All Might announced, holding up a yellow box.
"Is that really the best way?" Iida asked, his robotic suit clanking as he raised a hand.
"Pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot!" Midoriya explained nervously, adjusting his green mask. "It tests adaptability!"
All Might nodded quickly. "Exactly! Now, step up and draw!"
The process was fast. The class was divided into ten pairs, labeled from Team A to Team J. Midoriya sighed in relief when he drew Team A alongside Ochaco Uraraka. Bakugo scoffed in annoyance when he was paired with Iida in Team D.
Soon, everyone had a partner. Everyone except one.
Zoro stood alone at the back of the group, his arms crossed over his white shirt. He hadn't drawn a lot.
"Um, All Might-sensei?" Momo Yaoyorozu raised her hand politely. "There are twenty-one of us. Roronoa doesn't have a partner or an opposing team."
The class turned to look at the green-haired swordsman. Zoro just stared back lazily.
"Ah, yes! I was getting to that!" All Might laughed loudly, holding up a single, black ball with a star on it. "Young Roronoa! Since you are student number twenty-one, and the only one registered as completely Quirkless, the teachers decided to give you a special assignment!"
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"You will not participate in the regular bracket!" All Might pointed a massive finger at him. "Instead, you will join me in the observation room. You will watch every single match. You will study your classmates' Quirks, their strategies, and their weaknesses!"
Bakugo narrowed his eyes, listening closely.
"When the ten matches are over," All Might continued, his smile widening. "I will select the absolute best two students of the day—the MVPs. They will form an elite team. And you, Roronoa, will select one partner from the remaining students to fight alongside you against them in a final, all-out Exhibition Match!"
Total silence fell over Ground Beta.
The students looked at Zoro in shock. The teachers were essentially making him the final boss of the day. He had to fight the strongest two students at the end.
A slow, dangerous smirk spread across Zoro's face. His sharp eye gleamed with raw anticipation.
"So I get to sit back, watch them show all their cards, pick a partner, and then crush the two strongest?" Zoro chuckled, resting his hand on his swords. "Sounds like my kind of test. Just don't cry when I break your top students, teach."
A heavy tension settled in the air. The confidence radiating from the swordsman was suffocating. He didn't even care who the best two were going to be. He was just hungry for a real fight.
"Excellent spirit!" All Might roared, breaking the tension. "Now! The first match will be Team A as the Heroes, versus Team D as the Villains!"
Midoriya froze. His eyes slowly shifted toward the explosive blond.
Bakugo was already staring at him. His crimson eyes were filled with a murderous rage. After being outscored by Midoriya and humiliated by Zoro yesterday, Bakugo was a ticking time bomb. And Midoriya was his target.
"The rest of you, head to the monitor room!" All Might ordered.
Ten minutes later, Zoro stood in a dark, highly advanced observation room filled with massive glowing screens. The rest of the class stood around him, watching the monitors closely.
On the main screen, Team D (Bakugo and Iida) was waiting inside the building on the fifth floor. On another screen, Team A (Midoriya and Uraraka) was sneaking through a first-floor window.
"Let the Battle Trial... BEGIN!" All Might announced over the intercom.
The moment the words left All Might's mouth, the screens showed Bakugo abandoning the weapon and sprinting down the dark hallways. He wasn't playing defense. He was hunting.
Midoriya and Uraraka barely walked down the first corridor when a massive explosion suddenly ripped through the wall right next to them.
BOOM!
Smoke and debris filled the screen. Half the class gasped in shock.
"A surprise attack right off the bat?!" Kirishima yelled, leaning closer to the monitors. "That's a dirty move, Bakugo!"
Zoro leaned against the back wall, his single eye locked on the screen. The smoke cleared, revealing Bakugo launching himself at Midoriya with a vicious right hook, his palm sparking with deadly heat.
He's not just angry, Zoro analyzed silently, watching Bakugo's relentless assault. He's fighting to kill. What are you going to do, kid?
Midoriya grabbed Bakugo's arm, using the blond's own momentum to flip him violently over his shoulder and slam him into the concrete floor.
Bakugo coughed up saliva, his eyes widening in pure shock.
Zoro's smirk returned. Interesting.
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