The Bad Batch (Star Wars X My Hero Academia)

Chapter Nineteen - The Pit

On the next day, Jiro had recovered from her injuries and made her way back to the Bad Batch's headquarters. Jiro wasted no time in making her way to the Pit. As she looked at the extensive obstacle course before her, Jiro was nervous beyond all belief. 

Hunter: Relax, kid. You'll do fine. 

Jiro: But I....

Hunter: The Pit is more than just an obstacle course. It's a testing ground to see what you can do in a combat situation. Think on your feet. Use whatever you can to move forward. Don't think on what can stop you. Think on what can move you forward. 

Jiro took a few minutes to catch her breath. After doing so, Jiro begins her attempt at the Pit. She begins by climbing up a cargo net that let to a tower. She then uses the zipline to move into the next phase of the pit. 

Jiro: (So far so good!) 

As Jiro entered the building, she was ambushed by a group of training robots. Jiro used her Quirk to take them down. Meanwhile, the Bad Batch watched Jiro's progress on the Pit. 

Tech: She's got a good start. 

Crosshair: A good start doesn't mean anything. She still has a long way to go. 

Hunter watched as Jiro cleared the second phase of the Pit. She soon moved into the third phase which took her into a command post which was heavily guarded by training robots. Jiro was quickly pinned down. 

Jiro: (I'm running out of time!) 

Jiro then took a moment to calm down. She looked around for anything she could use to take down the robots. She soon looked at the ceiling above them. Seeing an opportunity, Jiro attached her Earphone Jacks to the stereos on her boots and channels her heartbeat into a concussive blast. She directed to the blast to the ceiling, causing it to collapse on the robots. Hunter smirks at this display. 

Hunter: Not bad, kid. Looks like she's taking my advice. 

Tech: It was a clever move. She managed to take out the majority of the robots in one move. This should do good for her time. 

Back in the pit, Jiro made her way to the command post's terminal and activates it. As the lights in the command post turns green, Jiro makes her way to the final phase. To her confusion, the final phase was an empty space. This was the farthest she's even reached. 

Jiro: This...this can't be right....

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Before she could react, she was ambushed by a spider droid. The spider droid began to fire on her, forcing Jiro to take cover. Jiro quickly found herself pinned down by the spider droid. The Bad Batch watched Jiro's progress with interest. 

Wrecker: C'MON KID! TEAR THAT THING APART!

Tech: I don't think that's a good idea. She doesn't exactly have your...enhanced strength. 

Hunter: Though something like this should be familiar to her. Tech, what her score on the Entrance Exams?

Tech: She was 15th place with 35 attack points and 40 rescue points. 

Hunter took note of the information Tech had given him. Meanwhile, Jiro was pinned down by the spider droid. Jiro grew frustrated as she was unable to move. 

Jiro: (Damn it! I can't get through! I'll never pass at this rate!)

As Jiro began to feel hopeless, she recalled the words Hunter said to her before she began her attempt on the Pit. 

Hunter(Past): The Pit is more than just an obstacle course. It's a testing ground to see what you can do in a combat situation. Think on your feet. Use whatever you can to move forward. Don't think on what can stop you. Think on what can move you forward.

As she recalled Hunter's words, Jiro began to calm herself down. She looked around the area to find something she could use against the spider droid. Her attention soon fell on the ground beneath it. 

Jiro: (Think on what can move you forward!)

Jiro then plugs her Earphone Jacks into the amplifiers on her wrists. She then slams them onto the floor, channeling a powerful heartbeat that causes the ground to shatter due to the enhanced vibrations. At first, this does little to no damage on the spider droid. Jiro then intensifies the blast which begins to break down the ground enough for it to damage the spider droid. Soon enough, the ground caves in around the droid and crushes it. After that, Jiro rushes to the exit which leads her to where the Bad Batch was observing her. Jiro soon fell on her knees in exhaustion. 

Jiro: How....how did I do?

Hunter: Final time was 1 minute and 15 seconds. Congratulations. Welcome to the 99. Welcome to the Bad Batch. 

Upon hearing this, Jiro was overjoyed and nearly overwhelmed with emotion. She never thought she'd make it this far. The Bad Batch soon led Jiro to the main room where Jiro was given a 99 tattoo on her forearm with her consent. As the tattoo was finished, Jiro looked on it with pride. 

Hunter: That tattoo shows that you're a proud member of the 99. Even if you were to leave the Bad Batch, that tattoo shows that you'll always have a place here. 

In that moment, Jiro had taken her final steps in her Hero evolution. No longer would she be the Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack. She would simply be Echo of the Bad Batch.