The costume request form sat on my desk for two days before I touched it.
"Design your hero costume. Be creative. Be practical. Be yourself."
The instructions mocked me.
Be yourself.
I stared at the blank form.
What would a hero with overwhelming strength wear? Something armored? Tactical? Flashy?
Everything felt wrong.
Too much armor looked paranoid. Too little looked reckless. Flashy designs drew attention. Plain designs looked lazy.
I crumpled the fifth draft and threw it across the room.
Hana knocked. "Nii-san? You okay?"
"Fine. Just homework."
She didn't buy it but left anyway.
I pulled out my phone and opened the class group chat Kaminari had started.
Me: "Need costume design advice. Anyone have tips?"
Responses came fast.
Kirishima: "Make it manly! Bold colors! Strong materials!"
Ashido: "Ooh! What's your theme? Your Quirk stores kinetic energy, right? Maybe something with motion lines?"
Kaminari: "Go for the cool factor! Capes are always awesome!"
Sero: "Whatever you do, make sure you can move in it. Function over fashion."
I scrolled through their suggestions. Motion lines. Bold colors. Capes.
Capes.
An image surfaced. Not from Kaito's memories. From mine.
Yellow suit. Red gloves and boots. White cape.
Saitama's costume.
It was simple, practical.
The outfit of someone so powerful they didn't need to prove anything.
Perfect.
I filled out the form.
Base: Yellow bodysuit. Durable but flexible.
Gloves: Red. Reinforced knuckles.
Boots: Red. Ankle support.
Cape: White. Short length. Detachable.
Belt: Black. Utility pouches.
No helmet. No armor. No flashy designs.
I submitted it before I could second-guess.
Two Days Later – Night
My phone buzzed while I was washing dishes.
Unknown number.
I dried my hands. Opened the message.
"Playing hero now? Cute. But you can't keep your powers hidden forever. We're watching. Waiting. One mistake, Yamamoto. That's all we need."
Ice crawled down my spine.
I deleted the message. Blocked the number.
But it didn't help much since they'd just use another.
At this point, who are they? What do they want with my absurd powers? It'd be one thing if this was All for One, but he clearly doesn't use this threatening bullshit gimmick.
It was three months of threats. No follow-through and no demands. Just various warnings.
Like they were testing me. Seeing how I'd react.
I looked at Hana sleeping on the futon.
They mentioned her once.
If they touch her—
I stopped the thought.
Violence wouldn't solve this. Not until I knew who they were.
I needed information and evidence.
A face to connect to the threats, and maybe consult principal Nezu about it.
But for now?
I'd keep playing their game.
Battle Trial Day – Afternoon
"I AM HERE!"
All Might burst through the door like a hurricane of charisma. His smile could've powered a city.
"COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A HERO!"
The class erupted. Cheers. Shouts. Midoriya looked ready to cry.
"Today, young heroes, we begin BATTLE TRAINING!"
He explained the exercise. Heroes versus villains. Indoor combat. Teamwork. Strategy.
Teams of two. Villains guard a fake nuclear weapon on the top floor. Heroes have fifteen minutes to either capture both villains or touch the weapon.
"You'll wear the costumes you designed!"
Excitement rippled through the room.
"Prepare yourselves! This is what heroism looks like!"
Locker Room – Twenty Minutes Later
The costumes had arrived in numbered cases.
I found mine. Case 11.
So they numbered it base on our QAT rankings.
I opened it.
Yellow fabric gleamed under fluorescent lights. Simple and clean. Exactly as I'd designed.
I changed quickly. The suit fit perfectly—snug but flexible. The cape settled across my shoulders, lightweight.
I looked in the mirror.
A hero in yellow.
Good.
Around me, others emerged in their costumes.
Bakugo looked like a walking grenade.
Midoriya wore green with a hood and mask.
Personally, this first suit of his felt kind of lame. But since his mom gave it to him, great.
Iida's armor gleamed silver. Uraraka's suit was sleek and pink.
Kirishima grinned, showing off his gear. "Dude! You look like a classic hero! Very retro!"
"Thanks."
We filed out to the training grounds.
Training Ground Beta – Exterior
Twenty-one students stood in costume. All Might surveyed us with pride.
"MAGNIFICENT! You all look like true heroes!"
He explained the rules one more time, then pulled out a box.
"I'll draw lots for teams!"
He started calling names.
"Team A: Midoriya and Uraraka!"
"Team B: Todoroki and Shouji!"
"Team C: Bakugo and Iida!"
"Team D: Yaoyorozu and Mineta!"
The list continued. My name still hadn't been called.
"Team I: Kaminari and Ashido!"
"Team J: Koda and Jiro!"
All Might reached the bottom of the box and counted. Then, he frowned.
"Ah! We have twenty-one students! That's an odd number!" He scratched his head.
"One student will need to participate twice—once as a hero, once as a villain!"
He pulled out another slip.
"The lucky student is... YAMAMOTO!"
Every eye turned to me.
Of course. I've got godly luck after all.
"You'll be a hero in Team J first! Then you'll join Team C as a third villain for their match! Double the training!"
I nodded. "Understood."
Whispers spread through the class. Some were jealous. While, some were sympathetic.
Kirishima clapped my shoulder. "Twice the action! That's so manly!"
All Might shuffled the team lots and drew the matchups.
"First match! Team D as heroes versus Team B as villains!"
Yaoyorozu and Mineta against Todoroki and Shouji.
That's going to be rough for them, I thought.
By them, I mean Yaoyorozu and Mineta, obviously.
"Second match! Team J as heroes versus Team I as villains!"
My first battle. Jirou, Koda and me against Kaminari and Ashido. But something felt wrong.
The teams weren't the same as in the canon. Butterfly effect. However, it showed up too late. It probably came into effect because I joined 1-A.
"And for the fifth match!" All Might pulled the final pairing. "Team A as heroes versus Team C as villains! But Team C will have three members—Bakugo, Iida, AND Yamamoto!"
Murmurs rippled through the class.
Midoriya's face paled slightly as facing Bakugo was already intimidating. Adding two more opponents?
This won't end well.
Match 1 – Observation Room
We watched Yaoyorozu and Mineta attempt to infiltrate the building. Todoroki and Shouji waited inside.
The match lasted exactly ninety seconds.
Todoroki froze the entire building. Every floor. Every hallway. A glacier of ice that sparkled under the lights.
Yaoyorozu created insulated blankets. Mineta stuck himself to walls to avoid the ice.
But it wasn't enough.
Todoroki's power was overwhelming.
"Villains win!" All Might announced.
The class fell silent. Even Bakugo looked impressed—and irritated.
Match 2 – My Turn – Heroes
Jiro, Koda and I stood at the entrance to Building B.
She pressed her earphone jacks together nervously. "So, uh, what's the plan?"
"You and Koda handle reconnaissance," I said. "Find them. I'll handle combat if needed."
She nodded. "Simple. I like it. Are you ready Koda?"
Koda nodded shyly and started to call for birds.
We soon entered. The building was dim, lit only by emergency lighting. Five floors. Multiple rooms.
Jiro pressed her jacks into the wall and listened. Her eyes narrowed.
"Fourth floor. Northwest corner. Two heartbeats. They're waiting near the weapon."
"Ambush?"
"Probably."
We moved carefully. Up the stairwell. Down the corridor.
The fourth floor was eerily quiet.
Then—
BZZT!
Electricity arced across the hallway. Kaminari's Quirk.
I grabbed Jiro and jumped backward. The lightning scorched the floor where we'd been standing.
Koda was already watching our backs, so he was safe.
"Whoa! Nice reflexes!" Kaminari leaned out from around the corner, grinning. "But can you dodge this?"
He fired again. I pulled Jiro behind cover—a concrete pillar.
Ashido slid out on a trail of acid. "Let's see how you handle both of us!"
They attacked in tandem. Electricity from one side. Acid from the other. Coordinated and effective.
Jiro countered with sound waves, disorienting them.
Koda had a few mice planted in certain hot spots.
I waited for an opening.
Don't overdo it. Just enough to win.
Kaminari discharged another burst. I dodged left, moving fast—but not too fast.
Reached him in three steps.
He tried to zap me point-blank.
I grabbed his wrist. Gently. Just enough pressure to immobilize without hurting.
"Sorry," I said, tapping his shoulder with the capture tape. "You're out."
Ashido tried to escape, sliding toward the weapon room.
Jiro fired a sound blast. Ashido stumbled, slipping on her own acid.
Then, the mice ran upto her and she fell into a shock.
I reached her before she could recover and applied the capture tape.
"Heroes win!" All Might's voice echoed through the building.
Eight minutes. Clean victory.
Match 5 – My Turn – Villains
The final match of the day.
Team C—Bakugo, Iida, and me—as villains.
Team A—Midoriya and Uraraka—as heroes.
I stood on the fifth floor with my temporary teammates. The fake weapon sat in the center of the room. Bakugo paced like a caged animal.
"Listen up," he snarled. "Deku's mine. Don't get in my way."
Iida adjusted his helmet. "Bakugo, we should coordinate—"
"I don't need coordination! I'll blast that nerd!"
I stayed quiet. Still observing.
This feels wrong. In canon, this was their rivalry match. Just the two of them.
But now I'm here. Disrupting it.
Iida turned to me. "Yamamoto-kun, you should guard the weapon. Bakugo and I will intercept them."
I nodded. "Understood."
Alright, I'll stay out of the way.
The timer started.
Silence settled over the building.
Then—BOOM.
An explosion. Not from outside. From below.
Bakugo's eyes widened. "That bastard—"
He launched himself through the floor, leaving a crater.
Iida sighed. "So much for coordination." He activated his engines. "I'll support him. Please guard the weapon!"
He disappeared down the stairwell.
And I was all alone.
Two minutes passed.
Sounds of combat echoed from below. Explosions. Shouts. The whir of Iida's engines.
They sure are having fun down there.
Then, I heard footsteps.
Fast but light.
The door burst open.
It was Uraraka.
She managed to escape despite there being two villains? Impressive.
"Sorry!" she said, rushing toward the weapon. "But I'm taking this!"
I stepped between her and the weapon.
She skidded to a stop. "Yamamoto-kun! Please let me through!"
I shook my head. "Can't do that."
She bit her lip. Looked torn between combat and strategy.
Then committed.
She touched the floor. Made it weightless. Chunks of debris floated.
I forgot to take care of those unlike Iida. Crap.
She kicked them toward me.
I dodged and blocked some while letting some hit me—not enough to hurt her feelings, but enough to seem challenged.
She closed the distance. Reached for the weapon.
I grabbed her wrist. Gently.
"Nice try."
Below us, another massive explosion rocked the building.
All Might's voice crackled over the speakers. "Midoriya is incapacitated! Bakugo used excessive force! Iida has captured him!"
Wait.
Midoriya was down?
I glanced at Uraraka. Her face had gone pale.
"Deku..." she whispered.
"Time's up! Villains win!"
The match ended.
I released Uraraka's wrist. She ran immediately, heading downstairs to check on Midoriya.
I stood alone in the weapon room.
I barely did anything.
Just stood there and stalled.
Observation Room – After
All Might reviewed each match. His usual boisterous energy was tempered when he reached our match.
"Young Bakugo," he said seriously. "That explosion was far too powerful. You could have killed Young Midoriya."
Bakugo scowled but said nothing.
"Young Iida showed excellent strategy! And Young Yamamoto—" All Might turned to me. "You adapted well to a surprise attack while still protecting the objective!"
I nodded but said nothing.
The class dispersed. Midoriya was being taken to Recovery Girl.
I sat in the back corner, processing.
Two matches. One win as a hero. One win as a villain.
Solid performance. Not exceptional and nothing memorable.
Perfect.
But something gnawed at me.
Midoriya's broken arm. Bakugo's rage. The way Uraraka's face had crumbled when she heard Midoriya was hurt.
I could've helped, a small voice said. I could've stopped Bakugo. Protected Midoriya.
But I didn't.
Because interfering with canon could butterfly into something worse.
I stood. Left the observation room.
Behind me, conversations continued. Kirishima praised my cape. Kaminari complained about losing.
Normal and natural. Exactly how it should be.
And I walked away alone.
TO BE CONTINUED...