Building C stands in Ground Beta.
Concrete walls.
Narrow corridors with sharp turns and tight stairwells.
Broken office rooms line each level, doors hanging slightly ajar.
At the very top floor, inside a central room, a dull metallic device rests on a pedestal.
The weapon.
Sato stands directly in front of it, arms folded, posture grounded and steady.
Beside him, Koda lingers close to the wall, shoulders slightly hunched. His large frame makes him seem imposing at a glance, yet his posture carries none of that confidence. His fingers fidget lightly at the edge of his sleeves as he glances nervously toward the doorway.
He avoids looking at the open window nearby.
Outside, faint buzzing drifts through the air.
Far below, at the building entrance—
The speakers crack to life with a burst of static.
All Might's voice booms through the structure, rich with theatrical energy.
[Class 1-A! Steel yourselves!]
A dramatic pause.
"Team F versus Team E!"
His booming laugh echoes through the corridors.
[Villains, protect your weapon with cunning and resolve! Heroes, breach their defences and seize victory!]
Another beat, brimming with enthusiasm.
[Let the battle begin!]
***
At the entrance—
[Let the battle begin!]
Mina moves first.
"Let's go!"
She bounces once on her heels, grinning wide.
A thin sheen of acid coats the soles of her boots, sizzling faintly against the concrete as she pushes off. She shoots down the corridor in a smooth glide, body low and balanced, momentum controlled.
Behind her, Aoyama follows at a far more careful pace, cape fluttering dramatically behind him.
"Ah… do try not to leave me entirely behind, my radiant partner," he calls. "The spotlight is meant to be shared."
Mina laughs over her shoulder. "Keep up, sparkles!"
They take the first corner fast—
And immediately—
A cloud of tiny black shapes pours from a ceiling vent.
Beetles.
Ants.
Winged insects buzzing into the hallway in a sudden swarm.
Aoyama yelps, stumbling back as several land on his sleeve.
"Mon dieu—! What is this horror?!"
Mina skids to a stop, boots hissing softly.
"Seriously?"
Several insects cling briefly to her jacket and shoulders. She casually brushes them off with the back of her hand. A few sizzle away where they touch the thin acid film along her hands.
She steps toward Aoyama and flicks a beetle off his cape.
"Relax! They're just bugs!"
Aoyama shudders, carefully pinching one from his sleeve as if it might explode.
"There are far too many bugs", he mutters, visibly unsettled.
The swarm begins to disperse, crawling along walls and disappearing into cracks and vents.
Mina narrows her eyes slightly.
"Koda," she mutters.
There's no response—only the faint hum of the building.
"Okay," she says, rolling her shoulders. "So, it's that kind of game."
A thin layer of acid spreads across the soles of her boots again.
"Let's move!"
They push forward.
The next room—empty.
Desks overturned.
No villains.
They sweep the following office.
Empty.
They advance down the corridor at speed—
Another vent rattles.
More insects drop in clusters from above.
Aoyama flinches hard this time, nearly colliding with the wall.
"Why do they descend from the heavens?!" he cries, batting frantically at his shoulders.
Mina ducks and weaves smoothly through the densest clusters, avoiding most of them. A few land on her arms, and she simply brushes them away mid-stride.
"Eyes forward!" she calls.
They clear the first floor quickly.
Nothing but insects.
No Sato.
No Koda.
They reach the stairwell.
Mina grabs the railing and charges upward, taking the steps two at a time with pure athletic speed.
Behind her, Aoyama ascends far less gracefully, swatting away a new wave of ants spilling from the seam of the railing.
"This is an ambush of indignity!" he declares, voice strained.
"Less talking, more running!" Mina shoots back.
Second floor.
They move room to room with increasing urgency.
Door open.
Empty office.
Clear.
Next room.
Broken chairs.
Clear.
Vent above the doorway bursts—
A cascade of winged insects rains down.
Aoyama shrieks and ducks.
Mina sighs, grabs him by the back of his cape, and drags him forward through the doorway.
"Advance through adversity!" she says brightly.
"I am attempting to!" he protests as she tows him along.
The insects never truly attack.
They harass.
Distract.
Delay.
Small swarms drop intermittently as they cross each corridor, forcing Aoyama into repeated fits of dramatic recoil.
Mina remains largely unbothered. What she can't dodge, she dusts off. What lingers too long dissolves harmlessly against faint acid residue.
Third floor.
Still nothing.
The rooms are empty.
The hallways silent, save for the faint buzz in the walls.
Aoyama straightens his posture as they pause at another junction, trying to reclaim composure.
"This is psychological warfare," he says, smoothing his hair back into place. "They seek to unnerve us before the true confrontation."
Mina grins. "Then let's not give them the satisfaction."
Another vent shudders.
More insects drop.
Aoyama yelps again.
Mina doesn't even look up this time.
She simply grabs his cape once more and drags him through the next doorway.
They sweep the remaining rooms of the third floor.
Empty.
No villains.
Only the constant, subtle presence of crawling life within the walls.
They reach the base of the next stairwell.
Mina glances upward, eyes sharp now despite her grin.
"Top floor's probably the jackpot."
Aoyama inhales slowly, forcing calm back into his expression.
"Very well," he says, placing one hand near his belt. "Let us ascend—and bring brilliance to this dreary hive."
Above them, faintly—
Another vent creaks.
***
Building C's stairwell echoes with the pounding of boots.
Mina slows just long enough to glance at her watch or something.
"One minute thirty," she mutters. "They're stalling us."
Another vent rattles overhead. A thin drizzle of beetles spills out, scattering across the walls.
"They're avoiding a straight fight," she says, clicking her tongue. "Just running out the clock."
Her mind flicks through the building layout.
'We're on the fifth floor.
Two floors left.'
She turns her head back down the corridor—
And stops.
Aoyama stands frozen halfway down the corridor, pale as a curtain of winged insects buzzes uncertainly around him. He holds his arms tight to his sides as if afraid even his sparkle might attract them.
"M-Mademoiselle Ashido…" he says faintly, voice trembling. "I do not believe they appreciate my radiance."
Mina sighs, strides back, and swats a few beetles off his shoulder. A couple cling stubbornly to his cape.
"You're fine. They're just bugs," she says, brushing them off with brisk efficiency. "C'mon."
She grabs him by the cape and drags him forward as he flails dramatically.
"Ah! Handle the couture with care!"
They duck past another small swarm and cut toward the stairwell instead of checking the remaining rooms.
Mina glances back at him. "We skip the sixth and seventh floors. Straight to the roof. I'm betting they moved the weapon up top."
Aoyama straightens slightly, forcing composure back into his posture despite the lingering insects.
"Yes… yes, of course," he says, one hand to his chest. "A decisive finale beneath the open sky. Très magnifique. If we waste time searching every dusty chamber, we will have no opportunity for a proper battle."
He nods, trying to look resolute. "To the roof. We must shine before time fades."
Mina grins. "That's the spirit."
They bolt up the stairs two at a time.
Strangely, the vents remain quiet now.
No more insects fall.
No more distractions slow them.
The stairwell is clear.
They burst through the final door—
Mina kicks it open with a sharp crack.
Sunlight floods the rooftop.
Wind whips across the concrete expanse.
At the far edge, the large metallic weapon rests in plain sight.
Sato stands in the centre of the roof, feet planted wide, arms folded calmly over his chest.
Behind him, near the weapon, Koda stands partially turned away, shoulders tight, doing his best to look composed.
***
The speakers in the monitoring room hum softly as the camera feeds adjust.
Inside the monitoring room, the rest of the class 1-A stand gathered around the bank of monitors, eyes fixed on the rooftop feed.
"They moved it to the roof." Kaminari says, eyebrow lifting in mild surprise.
"Smart," Yaoyorozu murmurs thoughtfully. "Neither Mina nor Aoyama specialises in mobility or aerial pursuit. Relocating the objective forces them to climb the entire structure."
Izumi nods slightly.
"And the insects were never meant to win fights," he adds. "They were there just to slow them down. Every swarm costs seconds."
Kirishima crosses his arms with an impressed grin.
"Man, that's actually pretty manly teamwork."
"Yeah…" Asui says calmly. "They used Koda's quirk perfectly. Ribbit."
Ayaka tilts her head slightly.
"And Sato stayed completely out of sight the entire time. Creating the illusion that he was hiding somewhere nearby."
Tenya Iida adjusts his glasses sharply.
"A textbook delay strategy! Efficient use of environment and quirk synergy!"
The replay flickers briefly on a side monitor—
***
Earlier.
Koda stands nervously near the weapon on the third floor, voice barely above a whisper.
"M-Maybe… um… the roof… would be harder for them to reach…"
Sato tilts his head.
"The roof?"
Koda nods faintly.
"O-Open space. No cover… but… time advantage…"
There's a pause.
Then Sato smiles. "That's a solid idea."
Koda blinks in surprise.
"You thought it through," Sato says. "Let's do it."
He hoists the heavy weapon onto his shoulder with steady ease, steps out of the room, and begins climbing the stairwell towards the upper floors.
Partway up, Koda hesitates near a vent where insects cluster thickly along the metal grating.
Sato notices the pause and slowly slightly on the stairs, turning his head just enough to glance back.
"Hey," he says calmly. "As I told you when we were planning before the match, just talk to them from here. You said they usually listen even if you can't see them."
Koda swallows.
"…Right."
He nods slowly.
Then he speaks in a soft whisper toward the vent.
The insects respond almost immediately, shifting and dispersing before gathering again in loose formations that begin spreading through the vents and cracks of the building.
Sato watches for a moment, then gives a small approving nod.
"See? You've got this."
He continues climbing the stairs.
Behind him, Koda steadies himself and follows.
The memory fades.
***
Back on the rooftop—
Mina steps through the doorway first.
For half a second, she simply takes it in.
Open sky.
Wind sweeping across the concrete roof.
The weapon sitting at the far edge like a prize on display.
And directly between them and it—
Sato stands solidly in the centre, arms folded, feet planted like anchors.
Behind him, near the weapon, Koda lingers a few steps back. His shoulders are stiff, fingers clenched lightly as he murmurs something under his breath.
Near the vents lining the rooftop edges, faint movement stirs.
Mina's eyes narrow slightly.
Then Aoyama steps fully onto the roof beside her, wind dramatically catching his hair and cape.
He places one hand over his heart.
"So," he declares, though his voice wavers slightly at the sight of the open space. "You have chosen the stage for our final act."
His eyes flick briefly toward Koda… then the weapon.
"And I see you have hidden behind… rustic tactics."
Mina pauses, making a faintly puzzled face as she glances sideways at him.
'He never misses a chance to show off', she thinks.
'A minute ago, he was flailing around because of bugs…'
Her lips curl slightly.
Well… I guess that's not a bad trait for a hero.
Can't show weakness in front of the enemy.
She rolls her shoulders once, turning her full attention back to the villains.
Her neck cracks softly as she loosens up.
A thin layer of acid begins to coat her boots and palms with a faint hiss.
"No more hide-and-seek."
She lowers her centre of gravity.
"Let's finish this."
And she surges forward.
A thin arc of acid flicks from Mina's palm, splashing against Sato's sleeve.
It sizzles on contact, faint smoke curling from the fabric.
Sato barely reacts.
He steps forward and swings an arm—not wildly, not recklessly.
Controlled.
Precise.
Mina ducks under the strike and slides past him, acid trailing beneath her boots as she redirects her momentum.
Behind her—
Aoyama leans dramatically against the doorframe; one hand pressed to his stomach.
"Forgive me, mes amis… brilliance comes at a cost!"
A brilliant blue beam erupts from his belt, cutting across the rooftop in a straight, dazzling line.
Sato twists at the last second.
The laser scorches the concrete behind him.
Heat fractures spiderweb through the rooftop surface as a glowing streak burns across it.
Mina doesn't hesitate.
She pivots sharply and shoots toward the weapon—
—but something swoops down from above.
A sudden storm of wings and feathers.
Birds.
Three—then five—then more, diving straight at her.
"Hey—what the—?!"
They dart and flap around her head, pecking and brushing against her arms and shoulders. One nearly tangles in her horns before veering away.
Through the chaos, Mina catches sight of Koda near the weapon, hands clenched near his chest as he calls out nervously.
"S-Stop them… please!"
More birds answer immediately.
They descend in waves, circling and diving to block her advance.
Mina hisses as acid spreads lightly along her forearms, forming a thin protective sheen—not enough to harm them, just enough to sting.
The nearest birds veer away.
"Okay, okay! I get it!" she snaps. "You've got backup!"
Sato closes the distance in heavy strides.
His hand shoots forward.
He grabs Mina by the back of her vest and shoves her backward with firm, overwhelming force.
She stumbles straight into Aoyama—
who has just fired again and now doubles over slightly, clutching his abdomen with a strained groan.
"My stomach… ah, the burden of magnificence…"
Most of his beams had been narrowly avoided. A few strike Sato's forearms and shoulder, burning through cloth and leaving scorched marks across his costume.
But Sato endures.
Jaw set.
Feet unmoving.
The two attackers stagger as they try to regain their footing.
A small buzzing passes near Sato's ear.
He glances briefly toward Koda.
Koda nods repeatedly, clearly nervous—but determined.
He taps his wrist in a quick gesture, signalling Sato.
Almost time.
Birds circle tighter overhead as Koda continues calling out directions.
Sato reaches into a pouch at his belt and pulls out a small square block wrapped in plastic.
Sugar.
He tears it open and bites down without hesitation.
Crunch.
The effect is immediate.
His muscles tighten, veins rising along his forearms as his physique swells slightly with the sudden surge of strength.
Power floods through him.
He exhales sharply, planting one foot forward.
Then he roars—not in anger, but in focus—
And dashes forward.
The rooftop trembles faintly beneath his accelerating steps.
Seeing him coming, Mina grabs Aoyama by the shoulders and gives him a firm pat on the back.
"Full throttle, sparkles!"