-Well, can anyone say why the villains won? - All Might asked with a smile to the group of students. The Terumi siblings, Mina, and Aoyama had already returned to the room with the others.
As usual, Momo Yaoyorozu was the first to present her thoughts.
-In this case, it was because of the information, or the lack thereof, regarding Mei-san's Quirk.
-Just Mei- the Mizukage's incarnation interjected.
-Yes, sorry. Ahem, due to the concentration everyone had on Mei's display, no one took into account that Tetsumaru-san could fly with the help of his sand. In fact, I myself was taken by surprise, as I didn't pay attention to Tetsumaru-san's location on the screens- the black-haired girl continued.
-Just Tetsumaru- it was the boy in the robe's turn to comment. Both of them were annoyed by those Japanese honorifics.
-Honestly, the villains' plan wasn't even a plan. Just a distraction, they took advantage of the element of surprise and took down the heroes from behind. Simple, direct, and effective - she concluded.
They weren't even sure if it was tactical ingenuity.
But among everyone, there was one student whose teeth were grinding with frustration. Bakugo's angry scowl was directed at the elder of the Terumi siblings.
Suddenly, not only this pair, with whom he never got along in kindergarten and who scared him, but even Deku had quirks.
Tetsumaru had that strange and versatile sand, Mei wasn't just pure strength and speed, but also that water, and Deku who even beat him without hitting him once with his quirk.
Bakugo wanted to take his frustration out on someone. He wanted to blow something up. Deku was nowhere to be found, and his mind returned to ignoring Terumi Mei's existence.
So his only outlet was Tetsumaru.
While Bakugo sulked even more than in the original work, Aizawa and All Might had more concerning thoughts in their minds.
For Aizawa it was the siblings' reluctance to show their capabilities. They won with a simple strategy, but barely used their Quirks. He could simply order them to give him a demonstration, but he suspected that even then, they would hide things from him.
To All Might, the way Terumi Mei handled the situation was worrying. Her words, her actions. Taking a hostage and forcing her classmate to choose between her friend's life and an entire city.
Of course, it was just a practice, a simulated environment. But those kinds of thoughts were dangerous in a young mind that is supposedly training to be a hero.
He decided to address that topic right now, as it would be as good a time as any.
-Ahem! Young students - All Might called out, capturing the group's attention.
-During this practice, young Terumi put her classmate in a difficult situation. In the future, you might find yourselves in the same situation you saw today, one where your actions, or lack thereof, will have consequences for other people- explained the number 1 hero. His words made everyone tense up.
Some, like Momo and Todoroki, had taken Mei's performance seriously, seeing themselves at such a crossroads. But All Might interrupted their thoughts again.
-Young Mei. How would you handle that situation if you were in Young Mina's place? - he asked the reddish-brown haired girl in the blue dress. Mei shrugged and answered casually.
-It depends. If the opponent is stronger, or as capable as I am, I would take care of the bomb. If they are weaker, I would save my partner and together we would address the bomb.
-Would you abandon your partner? - Aizawa asked coldly. Silence fell after his question. The others awkwardly looked between Aizawa and Mei, whose flirtatious smile never left her face.
It was not something these kids were willing to answer so lightly.
But for Mei? There wasn't even anything to consider.
-Yes - she said with the same certainty.
-Why? - Aizawa interrogated again.
-Because we are heroes- Mei explained. Aizawa's gaze suggested he wanted something more substantial. Mei continued to elaborate on her thoughts.
-We are heroes. Our duty is to the people, the people who cannot defend themselves. I would abandon my partner, who is also a hero, someone who is willing to risk their life for others. How can I just let people die, just because the life of someone I know is at stake?
Aizawa studied the girl. He saw neither doubt nor bravado in her expression. It was pure honesty. She truly meant what she said.
-And what if you fail? What if you abandon your partner and can't stop the bomb?
-I wouldn't fail. And if I did, I would die knowing that I did the right thing. Because I am a Hero- the kunoichi replied, surprising everyone who heard her.
All Might's heart stirred. His eyes lit up at the girl's determination, but he felt that something didn't quite fit.
As if that determination was driven more by fear than anything else. But what would be more terrifying than death?
Aizawa reserved his thoughts. He needed to analyze this more deeply.
For their part, Mei's classmates looked at her in a different way. Was this the right answer? Was there even a right answer?
After that exchange, All Might congratulated the students and the session ended. Everyone involved left with deep reflections in their heads.
For their part, both Mei and Tetsumaru truly believed what the girl said. Although their motivations were a little different from what the others imagined.
Frankly, neither of them feared death. They had already died once, after all. Once you experience it, that uncertainty is somewhat lessened.
No, what they feared was dying without doing something worthy of the forgiveness of the Deity who brought them here. If their death were while saving lives, while sacrificing themselves for others, wouldn't that count as a commendable action, worthy of entering heaven?
-I think if you sacrifice yourself expecting something in return it doesn't count- Tetsumaru said through their bond.
-Then we must start believing like Superman. Help because we want to, not for fear of an eternity of large dicks going in and out of our asses- the girl replied.
At this point, they had analyzed their situation for years. They knew what they had to do, but the difficult part was believing in what they were doing.
Neither of them particularly enjoyed their stay at this school. They just wanted to start being real heroes, helping people, and perhaps, developing a liking for the job.
They didn't know if acting out of fear of the consequences would prevent them from saving their astral asses in the afterlife, so they committed themselves to believing in the vision of the ideal, selfless hero.
That was very difficult.
How do you force yourself to change your perspective, to change who you are? How do you force yourself to believe in something with all your heart?
The answer is simple: You can't.
They could only live this new life and hope that the work of a hero would truly bring them satisfaction and one day, wholeheartedly accept working for good.