"Man..." Ojiro groaned beneath Asaki, still pinned under her as the announcement signaled the end of the match. "I didn't see that coming."

Asaki's shadows receded, fading into nothingness, leaving only her leg coiled tightly around his tail. With a grunt of satisfaction, she finally released him, standing up and brushing herself off. Looking down at him, she sighed.

"Here." She extended her hand, golden eyes cold and unwavering. The gesture felt foreign to her. Deep down, she reasoned that he deserved it-not because she felt bad, but because it was the right thing to do. Right? It didn't mean she wanted to be friends with him.

"Thanks," Ojiro said, grasping her hand as he pulled himself upright. "You know, I didn't expect someone like you to be such a heavy hitter."

Asaki immediately let go of his hand, his words causing her jaw to tighten. Someone like her?

"You shouldn't have underestimated me," she muttered, turning on her heel and walking away before he could respond.

"What? But I didn't-" Ojiro's protest was cut short as she strode toward the observation room, leaving him behind.

As she walked, Cerberus materialized in his smaller, puppy-like form, his three heads yipping happily. A small smile broke through her stony expression as she crouched down to pet him, her voice soft and gentle. "You did so well, my good boy," she praised, ruffling each of his heads. "You were amazing out there."

The shadowy pup wagged his tail excitedly before fading back into the darkness. Straightening up, Asaki glanced back toward Ojiro, who was now joined by Sato and Aoyama.

"Mon cherie!" Aoyama called out, waving flamboyantly. "Your shadows are magnifique! Très scary!"

Asaki said nothing, merely turning away and continuing toward the observation room.

The moment she stepped inside, Hagakure and Ashido rushed to meet her at the door.

"Tsukoyami! That was incredible!" Hagakure cheered, her gloves bouncing animatedly in the air. Asaki could practically visualize the invisible girl's excitement.

"Yeah, that spinning kick!" Ashido added with a clap.

Asaki shrugged, pulling off her mask and revealing her face. Her golden eyes briefly locked with Todoroki's as he passed her, heading toward the arena for his match.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Kirishima asked as Asaki approached the group.

Ignoring the question, she turned her attention to the screen. Her breath caught in her throat as the image of her last moment in the fight froze on display.

It was her-dust settling, leg wrapped around Ojiro's tail, shadows coiling around her arms and legs, tendrils of dark smoke rising from her body. The image looked more like a villain overpowering a hero than anything else.

Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind raced. I won. That's all that matters, right? No one would dare mess with her now. She was strong. She was going to be a hero.

But even as she tried to convince herself, her eyes remained fixed on the screen. The rest of the class continued to buzz around her, but Asaki didn't join in their conversations.

The other students' matches were impressive. Asaki's breath hitched as she watched Todoroki dominate his opponent with a single, precise move. It was efficient and clean-no collateral damage, no unnecessary risk. A pang of envy stabbed at her. He made it look so effortless. So safe.

Still, she huffed quietly to herself. But his hero suit is dumb, she decided, trying to shake off the feeling. The red eye and the half-covered ice aesthetic? Ridiculous.

As the matches went on, Asaki couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in her chest. The realization of how amazing her classmates were hit her like a ton of bricks. She grew up surrounded by greatness, but this was different.

Her sister Haru was the Number 10 Hero by the age of 19. Her radiant white wings had become a national symbol of beauty and power. Her older brothers, Akio and Aiko-the Zodiac Twins-had climbed the ranks to the Top 100 Japan heroes immediately upon debuting. Her parents had been celebrated heroes since their graduation. They were all incredible.

And then there was her.

Asaki's fingers curled into fists as she thought about the image frozen on the screen. The shadows, the smoke, the sheer ferocity she had unleashed-it was nothing like the others. How would the media portray her? How would the world see her?

Asaki's attention shifted back to the screens as she watched the intense match between Bakugo and Kirishima versus Midoriya and Uraraka. It was a close call, but in the end, Midoriya and Uraraka pulled off a last-second win.

As the students returned to the room, now healed from any injuries sustained during the matches, All Might stood at the front, his signature smile wide as ever. The screen behind him displayed a picture of Asaki and Todoroki.

"Today, these are your MVPs," he said, his voice booming with pride. "Does anyone know why?"

Yaoyorozu raised her hand confidently. "Both Asaki and Todoroki safely detained and disabled the bomb without causing significant physical damage to the surrounding area. They assessed the situation and took advantage of it, immobilizing their opponents. In Tsukoyami's case, she separated the villains from the weapon safely, while her partner secured the weapon."

Asaki nodded in agreement, impressed by the thoroughness of Yaoyorozu's analysis. "Correct! But Young Todoroki has a higher score than Young Tsukoyami here. Any thoughts on why?"

Yaoyorozu continued without hesitation. "While Asaki successfully separated Ojiro and Sato from the bomb, she also risked the lives of others by acting irrationally at the beginning of the match. Such a powerful move could attract unwanted attention, and in real-world situations, it could cause harm to innocent bystanders. There's also the possibility that the villains might flee or trigger the weapon in the chaos."

Asaki lowered her gaze, guilt tugging at her, but she wasn't going to let herself be shut down so easily. "If Sparkles and I were to fight in a building, sure, it'd cause more destruction than we'd like. But Cerberus can be controlled-he wouldn't hurt anyone. I can manage his size and where he appears. As for the flashiness... I'll admit, it might scare the villains off, but that's just a bonus."

All Might chuckled, nodding. "Right again! Both of you! Tsukoyami, you must remember that when performing missions in real-life scenarios, there are civilians around. Large-scale attacks demand heightened awareness of your surroundings. That said, you both performed your missions successfully!"

Asaki gave a small nod of acknowledgment, but a nagging feeling lingered in the pit of her stomach. Despite the praise, she couldn't shake the sense of defeat that crept up on her.

"Now for the last match. The heroes won, but their actions were reckless, resulting in some of the lower scores for the heroes," All Might said.

Yaoyorozu spoke up again, "Their reckless actions directly put everyone in the surrounding area in danger. While they won, at what cost? They didn't safely secure the weapon and even provoked the villains into destructive actions. The surrounding area is now unsafe, especially since they failed to detain the villains."

Asaki couldn't help but admire Yaoyorozu's analysis. She's so smart! she thought. It seemed All Might was thinking the same thing as he took a moment to absorb her words. "Correct again! Young Yaoyorozu."

"Today, we must reflect on our actions and learn from them. Only then can we push forward and apply these lessons in the future. That's the only way to be PLUS ULTRA! CLASS DISMISSED!" All Might announced, and with that, their first practical Hero training class came to a close.

Asaki left the room, heading to the locker room alone, her mind still churning angrily over how she appeared on the screen. All Might had praised her, but that had to be just to make her feel better, right?

Todoroki had done a flawless job. Why couldn't she have done the same? Bakugo, even in the role of the villain, had played his part well.

So why couldn't she...?

Why wasn't she good enough?