Yo! Here's Sora Sentry with the first part of the Final Exams! Did you like that plot twist last chapter? I bet you did, many of you were taken by surprise. Well, good news, Cloud Strife is here to stay as a recurring character!
Now for some details about Cloud. This is the same exact Cloud that we saw in KH2, but his apparence is that of the FF7 Remake, this incluses the Remake's version of the Buster Sword as his weapon of choice. In context of the story is to symbolize a methephorical rebirth of him as a character, going back to square one, it also represents him being closer to the light as oppose to his KH1 apparence. However, do expect to see him in his Cloudy Wolf attire every now and then. His SOLDIER uniform is mostly his hero costume. All questions about him in this world will be answer in this chapter.
I intended for this chapter to come out two days ago, as a gift for Valentine's Day, but it got delayed. Still this is a gift for the single and those in a relationship!Lastly I want to give a special shoutout to a new friends of my called Big Diesel and his girlfriend GOTA. They made some of my favorite MHA and RWBY fanfics, mostly about ships in OOC situations and smut, lots of smut, but of the good kind! They pretty much have something for each particular taste that mostly has something to do either Deku or Jaune. They made me a sucker for thirsty yandere stories and MHAxRWBY crossover, they also made me a huge sucker for Greenshade (Their favorite MHAxRWBY ship, with is DekuxBlake), as well as simp real hard for Blake, I always had a thing for Nekos XD. Anyway, please check of DB's stories and I bet that you'll find something that you'll enjoy a lot!
And without further to do, please enjoy! May your hearts be your guiding keys.
The Final Exams, Part 1: The Biggest Wall.
"You're… Cloud!" Sora was shocked, he couldn't believe his eyes. Yet there he stood in front of him and Riku, the swordsman known as Cloud Strife. He looked a little different than last time he saw him, but it was definitely him. "What are you doing-?!" He took a step forward with a million questions running through his head. But he was cut off by Cloud giving Sora a chop on the head. "Ow!" He cried as he held his head.
"Be more respectful, kid. You call me Sensei now." He said to him in an authoritative manner.
"Eh?! Sensei?! Are you a teacher?!" Sora flinched in shock.
"Looks like you didn't hear what Nezu said." Cloud replied as he crossed his arms.
"Nezu-sensei, did you hire him to be a teacher?!" Sora quickly turned to the small principal.
"Yes, I did!" Nezu replied, raising his paw up. Sora just stood there with widened eyes still processing what he just heard.
The other teens were utterly confused with this, even Riku and Izuku. The two did hear of Cloud from Sora, but never they would have expected to meet him in person in this world from all places.
"You know him, Sora?" Shouto asked him. The spiky brunette turned to face him and when he did he saw most classmates looking at him with curiosity.
"Um… Well… Uh..." He realized that he just got himself into trouble due to his knee-jerk reaction. He sweated a bit nervously trying to come up with a convincing lie.
Everyone then heard how Nezu cleared his throat to call the attention of the students. "Everyone, allow me to introduce the newest member of our staff here at U.A. Say hello to Cloud Strife, the SOLDIER Hero: Omnimerc!" He introduced the newest teacher to the students as Cloud just stood there with his arms crossed and a cool and collected expression.
"Hey." The blond swordsman plainly greeted the students.
Sora was in awe to hear this straight from Nezu. "Cloud? A pro hero and teacher? And more importantly, how is he even here?" Sora's questions only increased as he glanced at the swordsman. Deku also has a huge ton of questions running through his head. Riku remained calm, but also wondered what was going on.
"Before accepting the job here at U.A, Cloud-san has been operating as a freelancer pro hero. He traveled around the whole world while taking jobs from any agency for any needed job, for the right price of course." Nezu explained.
"Basically he worked as a mercenary." Shouta bluntly added to that statement.
"I have to make a living of something." Cloud commented as he shrugged. "It was either this or being courier." He added.
"As you all know by now, the threat of the Heartless is something that represents a grave danger not just to the country but to the world at large despite the lack of awareness of the general public. One of the reasons I offered Cloud-san the opportunity to join our staff is to have an extra measure of security in case an attack of not only Heartless, but villains in general were to occur again." The principal elaborated.
Cloud nodded in gratitude for the introduction. "Excuse me!" Tenya raised his right hand up to call for attention. "First off, as Class 1-A's representative, Tenya Iida, I welcome you to U.A, Strife-sensei! I hope you can take care of all of us!" He bowed down his head in respect for the newcomer teacher. He stood straight again. "Secondly, I speak for my classmates when I say that there we have questions about the apparent relationship between yourself and our classmate and friend Sora. Why is that?" He asked him. Sora, Riku and Deku got a little tense, obviously the others would question how Sora knows Cloud.
"Of course I know him, I'm the one that taught him how to use a sword." Cloud replied with a serene face. Most hero students seemed confused while Sora flinched in surprise, part of him was tempted to say something against it but the boy knew better than to open his mouth.
"You trained Sora in swordplay?" Eijiro asked, confused.
"But didn't he and Riku-kun trained together when they were little?" Ochako also asked, confused.
"At first, yeah." Cloud replied not a single bit less calm. "However, when both chose to take up swords as their weapon of choice, Riku quickly became adept with his swords skills, but Sora was far behind. It came to the point that they hired me as his personal instructor due to my advanced swordsmanship. You know one of his signature techniques, the Sonic Blade. I was the one that taught him that." He created a convincing lie, although the part of Cloud teaching Sora the Sonic Blade wasn't completely false.
Sora pouted upset as he growled lowly. Riku grabbed him from his shoulder and shook his head, silently telling him to just go along with it.
"Is that true, Sora?" Shouto asked him.
Sora looked at him, he glanced at the ground briefly before he looked back at him. "Yeah, it's true." He nodded. "I learned a lot from Cloud." He added trying to sound as natural as possible. Everyone accepted this answer, but Shouto and Katsuki weren't completely convinced, but didn't do anything but just narrowed their eyes at Sora and Cloud with suspicions.
"Hey! Now that I notice, the way you wear your hair is similar to Strife-sensei's" Denki pointed out the striking similarity between Sora's hair and Cloud's.
"Oh, that's right." Mina commented in agreement.
Cloud softly chuckled. "Sora looked up to me a lot when I taught him and it seems that he still does." He commented with a notable smirk.
"Huh? No way! I mean- Sure, you're awesome and all but-" Sora tried to reply but Cloud cut him off as he patted his head.
"No shame in admitting that you prefer me over Toshinori." Cloud said to him, still wearing that smirk that can only be considered as a mocking one.
"You're having fun with this, aren't you?" Sora deadpanned at him.
Cloud chuckled a bit as he let go of the boy. "Maybe." He said as he glanced at the side still wearing a smile.
Sora's expression suddenly changed when he noticed something. "Wait a minute. There's something… different with Cloud." He noticed that there was an evident change with his attitude, he seemed less broody than before and even the fact that he's even here in U.A seemingly working as a teacher says something.
"Cloud Strife… Is this the guy that Sora talked to me about? He said that he was struggling with his own darkness, but from him I can only sense… light." Riku thought as he took a good look at the blond swordsman.
Some of the classmates commented among themselves their current thoughts about Cloud. Many agreed that he must be really powerful to be the one that trained Sora. Eijiro said that the way he made that entrance was epic. Kyouka commented to Momo that Cloud looked a little too young to be a teacher, he seemed not that older than a senior student, most likely in his early 20's.
"Ahem!" Nezu called the attention of the students. "Now then, Sora and Riku will face Cloud-san." He announced.
"It might not be a fair and square fight, but it's the second best thing." Cloud commented as he looked at Sora. The boy smiled, he remembered when he asked Cloud for a fair and square fight back at their own universe.
"With all fights announced, I'll explain the rules." Nezu said to the students. "The time limit is 30 minutes. Your objective is to put on these handcuffs to your teacher or allow one of you to escape the area." He explained the rules as he showed a pair of handcuffs.
"Capture the teacher or escape.. That's like the battle training." Denki said as he cupped his chin.
"Can we really escape?" Mina asked as she raised her hand.
"Yes." The principal replied, giving a thumbs up.
"But it will be different from training. This time you'll be up against someone way stronger!" Present Mic explained as he made Dj moves.
"Stronger? I don't imagine it…" Kyouka commented, she did not believe that Present Mic was that strong. Koji tried to prevent her from making this comment, but it was too late.
"Idiot, shut your mouth, you hear?!" The voice hero comically shouted at her feeling very insulted. Only Koda recoiled from this.
"This time, your exam will be similar to a real battle. Think of us as the villains." Thirteen explained.
"Supposing that you find someone, if you believe that you can defeat them, that's fine." Snipe explained. "But…"
"If the abilities are too different, it's best to flee and ask for help." Aizawa continued the statement. "Todoroki, Iida, Midoriya. I'm sure you understand it." He told the three of them. They remembered the fight against Stain and how Native told them to flee.
"I won't fail. I'll pass the exam and I'll prove it." Tenya thought as he looked at his right hand before closing it into a fist.
"Fight and win or flee and win." Izuku muttered to himself.
"Yes! We'll test your decision making!" All Might said energetically. "With these rules, you must be thinking that it's best to just flee, right?" He said as he waved his finger. "That's why we asked those from Support to make us this." He brought out something from his pocket and showed it to the class.
"Ultra-compressed weights!" Present Mic shouted loudly as usual as All Might showed the bangle-shaped weights.
"Does he have to be that loud all the time?" Cloud asked Shouta.
"You'll get used to it, trust me…" He replied triedly.
Most teachers put the weights on their wrists and ankles.
"We'll carry half of our own weight. It's an advantage. It'll be old fashioned, but hinders movement and spends energy." All Might explained as he finished putting on his weights. "How heavy…" When he did his left arm almost dropped. "Ah, the design was chosen by competition and we used the one from Hatsume-shojo." He revealed who made the weights.
"Hatsume-san!" Deku flinched in surprised.
"Huh. I bet she got really excited about it. Good for her." Sora commented smiling.
"For what we consider facing you? You underestimate us." Katsuki said to his idol with a grave tone.
All Might laughed for a bit. "Are you sure?" He asked back at the shounen with a more serious tone, one of his blue pupils became visible.
"Sora, Riku." Cloud said to both Keyblade Wielders. "Unlike the other matches, ours will have special rules." He informed them.
"Special rules?" Riku repeated.
"That's right. Unlike the rest of us, Cloud-san won't be using the weights and as such he won't be handicapped." Nezu said to them.
"Huh?" Both heroes of the Keyblade blinked in surprise to hear this.
"Also, for your match you won't be allowed to escape. You can't only capture your teacher. Of course it would be too much asking for you two do it in just 30 minutes, so to compensate for the added difficulty you won't have a time limit. It's either you defeat him and win or you give up and lose." Aiziwa explained to them.
"Wait a minute!" Momo said. "Why does their match have to be like that? How is that even fair?" She asked, upset. In fact most were upset to hear this.
"That's simple." Nezu said to the class. "One of the main reasons for me to bring in Cloud-san is because of the need to test Sora and Riku the hardest due to the gap between them and the rest of you, they need a real competition that sadly none of you can offer at the moment. That sword on his back isn't just for show, you know? Cloud-san is indeed a very powerful warrior with plenty of experience despite his apparent youth. The only one that can give them a proper challenge as of right now." He explained. "Think of this as a video game, while all of you play in Standard difficulty, Sora and Riku will play in Critical difficulty." He added. The rest of the students couldn't argue back at that logic.
"You both had it easy for too long. I'm here to change that." Cloud said to Sora and Riku. "Don't fear coming at me with all you got, I'll do the same." His expression was calm and collected, but his eyes reflected challenge.
Most of the hero students looked at Sora and Riku with concern, especially a certain pair of girls. "We'll be ready, Cloud." Sora replied with a competitive smirk. Riku nodded in agreement.
"Good." Cloud nodded in approval.
"Alright, each team will take the exam at the prepared stage." Aizawa informed his class. "Sato, Kirishima, get ready." He instructed the first pair.
"Hai!" Both of them replied in understanding.
"Those who wait for their turn can watch or think strategies as a team. However you want." Aizawa informed his class as the other teacher walked toward the building. "That's all." He concluded and turned around and walked towards the building.
Cloud stopped in his tracks. "Sora." He said to him as he turned his head back slightly. "I know you must have a lot of questions for me. We can talk right now if you want, just the two of us. It'll be awhile before your turn." He informed him.
"Sure, sounds good." Sora nodded in reply.
"Then come with me." The SOLDIER Hero instructed him and resumed his walk.
"Okay." Sora replied in understanding. "I'll see you guys in a bit." He smiled at his friends and then rushed after Cloud.
Riku watched Sora leave with Cloud. He knew that Cloud intends to explain everything to him.
"Hey, Riku." He heard Deku calling him. He turned to face him. "Are you sure you're fine with the rules for your exam? I know that you and Sora are very strong, but…" He expressed concern for his best friends who will be tested harder than the rest of his classmates and himself.
"I agree with Midoriya. Even if the principal's right, I still think it's unfair." Kyouka approached.
Riku smiled. "Thanks, but don't worry. Sora and I will be fine and we can't help but accept the teachers' reasoning, Sora and I need this and you all know it." He said to his classmates using a serene tone.
No one immediately replied as the teens were forced to accept this decision even if a good amount didn't agree. "If this is what you want, then we won't interfere." Shouto said to his best friend. Riku nodded in gratitude.
"Ojiro-kun, I would like to see what we can do with our quirks." Tenya said to his tailed companion.
"Sure." He replied.
"Tokoyami-chan, let's think up a plan." Tsuyu said to the bird-headed teen as she pointed forward.
"Yes." He replied and then they walked towards the building.
"The problem is how to strip Midnight-sensei." Minoru commented as he walked towards the building with Sero following him. Needless to say that the midget was super happy about his upcoming exam.
"No. You're gross. No wonder why Sora and Riku have to keep you in check constantly." Hanta replied negatively.
Riku just shook his head in disapproval at the midget. He would have done something, but he just knew that the grape headed pervert won't be happy for too long if Midnight is in the equation. The boy then walked towards the inside of the building.
Sora followed Cloud into the building and towards a room so they could talk privately. Once the door was closed, Sora knew it was now the time to make questions.
"Cloud, how are you-?" He tried to ask, but the spiky blond cut him off.
"You wonder how I got to this world in the first place, right?" He guessed exactly what the younger hero wanted to ask. He had his arms crossed.
Sora blinked in surprise before nodding in response. "Last time I saw you, back at Radiant Garden, you and Sephiroth fought and then vanished in a bright light." He recalled the last time he ever saw Cloud.
The SOLDIER nodded. "When that happened, we both entered into an extreme and violent battle, seemingly in the space between worlds. Our fight was so intense that for some reason the fabric of our dimension was ripped, next thing I knew is that I ended up in a different universe entirely." He explained what happened to him. "I've been here for months, way before you and Riku came in." Sora's eyes widened in surprise and awe.
"For real?" Sora asked and Cloud nodded in reply. "Then where have you been all this time? I mean in this world." He asked him again.
"Have you heard of I-Island?" Cloud asked back at him.
"Hm? Oh! You mean that moving island full of super high tech and scientists." Sora remembered reading and being told of that place by Deku. "Is there where you've been?" He asked him.
"When I crossed over to this world, I ended up there. I was gravely wounded by Sephiroth, rather I was dying and my old Fusion Sword snapped in half." Cloud explained to him, Sora gasped in surprise. "I would have died if I wasn't found by a girl named Mellisa and her father David Shield. They took me in and nursed me back to life, they saved me." He elaborated.
"David Shield?" Sora repeated, that name sounded familiar.
"I think you've heard of him. He's a well-known scientist and gadget creator around the world." Cloud said to him.
"Oh right! Deku told me of him." Sora replied with a smile.
"Dave and Melissa took care of me, they said I was out cold for days before I woke up." Cloud resumed his explanation. "It was around that time that he and other scientists figured out that I was not from this world. I appeared right after the dimensional rift manifested, along with results on my medical condition. They saw I didn't have a quirk, but a superhuman condition. Dave insisted on having me under his watch while I recovered. When I woke up, he and Melissa helped me get back to full health, they welcomed me to their home and treated me like family and I was just a stranger from another world that fell into their doorstep." He continued.
Sora smiled. "They sound like great people."
Cloud nodded. "They are. I owe them everything." A sincere smile was drawn on his face.
"Heh. You know, Cloud? You've changed. You're more… lively." Sora commented to him.
"If I am, it's because I surrounded myself with people that have light. I think they made me a better man, the way that I am now." Cloud replied, still smiling.
"I can see that. I'm happy for you." Sora said happily as he put his hands behind his head. "So, you've been at I-Island this whole time?" He asked him.
"Not all the time." He replied. "After I was back at full health, Dave told me everything I needed to know about this world and then he made me this new Buster Sword. With my abilities he believed that I could be of great help for the people so he asked me to become a pro hero, I complied and became Omnimerc and I traveled around the world to see it with my own eyes along with Dave, sometimes on business trips and I acted as his bodyguard, others I took jobs from several agencies as a freelancer. Honestly I needed the money, I couldn't solely rely on Dave to sustain myself." He explained.
"So that part was true, eh?" Sora replied. "But what gives? How come you're a pro now when Riku and I have to go to school?" He pouted.
"I'm almost 24, Sora. And you both aren't legally adults yet." The blond swordsman replied bluntly.
"Dumb technicality." Sora crossed his arms with an upset frown.
Cloud shrugged. "Anyway, while I journeyed around the planet I trained and grew stronger, I even learned a few tricks during that time. But, the real reason wasn't just because of wanting to see the world or work reasons. I was looking for someone, I don't think I need to tell you who." He revealed.
Sora gasped in surprise. "Wait, you think that… he's also here?" He asked the SOLDIER, a little fearful at the prospect.
"I know he is." Cloud replied with certainty. Sora's eyes widened in shock. "I can feel it, he's around in this world somewhere." He added.
"Oh no… This is bad." Sora lowered his head as the information sunk in. "And you've been looking for him all this time, right?" He guessed.
Cloud nodded. "So far I found nothing, not a single clue. No cities burned to the ground nor people butchered. I don't know what he's planning, but I know that whatever it is, it'll put this world in danger unless I put an end to him, but this time not just for myself, but for others as well." He said with determination in his eyes. "I'm different now, but I won't be able to truly move on and leave the past behind for long if he's still out there." He glanced at his right hand before closing it into a fist.
Sora nodded in reply. "You know you can count on me to help you out, Cloud." He said to him with a determined frown.
"Thanks, Sora. I appreciate it." Cloud nodded in gratitude. "For a long time I refused to accept the help of others, because I feared of what would happen to them, but after seeing this world and the kindness of Dave and Melissa, I came to understand that I can't do everything on my own that it's alright if I ask for help from time to time." He smiled at him.
Sora smiled. "You're sure different now." He commented. "Hey, and how is it that now you came here to work as a teacher?" He asked him. "I don't think it was just for the paycheck, right?" Sora grinned at him as he put his hands behind his head.
"Well, the pay here is good, not gonna lie there." Cloud replied shrugging. Sora chuckled a bit. "Sometime before the start of the school year, Toshinori came to I-Island to visit Dave and Melissa, turns out that those two go back for many years." He began his explanation.
"Wow… For real?" Sora asked with his eyes glittering with awe and wonder. "Sensei and Dave are friends?" He asked again with a big grin.
Cloud nodded. "Yep." He replied. "That's when I met him, the so-called All Might, the Symbol of Peace that I heard from Dave, Melissa and many places around the world. He's a nice big guy, although I was creeped out a little when he turned into a skeleton. And he's super corny and goofy, but nice to be around with. At least after getting used to his cringe laugh." He commented with a smirk recalling the first time he met All Might.
"Of course you'd say that." Sora replied sweat-dropping. "It's good to know that not everything in you is different." He wasn't surprised at all that Cloud would make that sort of comments about All Might, it would be weird if he didn't.
"Dave told Toshinori everything about me under the condition to not tell anything to anyone. He was impressed with my skills and power, he said that I rival the top heroes around here." Cloud continued with his story.
"Well, If All Might-sensei said it, then it must be true. But then again you've always been amazing, Cloud." Sora replied smiling at him.
"Heh. Of course you would idolize him, he reminded me a lot of you." Cloud said to him with a smile as he crossed his arms. "You're as much of a conry goofball as Toshii." He added.
"Hey!" Sora played along with a smirk. Cloud chuckled a bit.
"Anyway, after spending some time here I was starting to believe I'll never return home, it wouldn't have been bad though, it's nice here. That's when I saw the news about the USJ incident and to my surprise you were there." He resumed his explanation. "I didn't know how or why you got here, but I knew that if there was a chance to return home it would have been with you. You're a very lucky kid after all. Toshinori told Nezu about me, thinking that with the Heartless threat in this world that would only get worse, U.A might need extra help. Nezu called Dave to reach out to me and gave this job offer, I accepted without a doubt. Although I asked for him a bit of time for me to keep looking for Sephiroth before officially starting here, he gave me until the end of the term." He concluded his story.
"And that is how you're here now." Sora said with a smile.
"You know? I'm actually glad to see you again, Sora." Cloud said to him with a sincere smile. "You became even stronger than last time and look how far you've come. Champion of the Sports Festival and the one that stopped the Hero Killer, Stain. Gotta say, I'm impressed." He added as he crossed his arms.
"Heh. I'm glad to see you again too, Cloud." Sora smiled brightly at him.
"...How is everything back at Radiant Garden?" The blond swordsman asked as he briefly glanced down.
"Better than ever, the whole place has been restored to its former glory." Sora replied with pride.
"That's good to know." Cloud replied. "And, um… How are Aerith and the others?" He asked again.
"They're pretty great, still working hard to improve the town." Sora replied. "You miss them, do you?" He smiled at him.
"Maybe a bit." Cloud replied as he glanced to the side.
Sora chuckled at this. "I know they miss you too." He said to him.
Cloud remained silent for a moment. "...And Tifa?" He asked him as he looked back at him.
"I don't know, last time I saw her she left to look for you. She said that light is easy to find. No one has seen her again ever since." Sora explained to him.
"Of course." Cloud replied, he wasn't surprised to hear this. "I would not be surprised if she tracks me down here, as impossible as it sounds." He commented.
"You want to see her again?" Sora asked him.
Cloud nodded. "Not just her. When we go back, I would like to spend some time with the others as well. If I stick around with you, I know that will happen." He wore a notable smile.
"Yeah, I know that will happen, It's a promise." Sora said to him with a warm smile. He put his hand on his chest. Cloud nodded in response. "Now that I think about, if you know a scientist does that mean you know something about the efforts of returning us home?" Sora asked him.
"Dave is collaborating in those efforts, but so far there are no results. Those only recently began after all." He replied.
Sora sighed in disappointment. "Was worth the shot." He said as he crossed his arms. His mood changed when he realized something "Hey, if you know All Might and his true form then do you know about-?" He tried to ask him only for Cloud to beat him to the punch again.
"About One for All? Yeah, when I arrived a few days back he and Nezu told me everything and how you and Riku are involved." He explained to him. Sora's eyes widened in surprise. "You and that kid, Deku is how you call him, right? I was told you're both close, you never stop making connections with others, I see." He commented to him. Sora nodded in reply with a smile. "Then keep it that way. Toshi told me that even if for him, Deku is like a son, he's admittedly a weeper and I can see why." He commented.
"Yeah… Heh. He is, isn't he?" Sora rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin.
"He could use your influence, especially the way you smile. As silly as it is." Cloud said to him with a smirk.
"Aw yeah? At least I smile often." Sora rebutted with a smirk of his own.
"You got me there. But I'm smiling more these days." Cloud replied, keeping his smile as he crossed his arms.
"Hmm. Yeah, I can see it." Sora replied with his arms behind his head. "But did you really have to pull that lie out there?" Sora complained.
"You were the one that slipped. And I didn't see you coming up with something believable." Cloud said bluntly. Sora opened his mouth to argue back, but he closed it when he realized that he was right. "Besides, that wasn't a complete lie. A year ago your sword skills were very barebone and you did learn the Sonic Blade from me." He elaborated.
"Yeah, you're right there. You sure wiped the floor with me, Donald and Goofy back at the coliseum." Sora recalled the first time they met, Cloud beat him, Donald and Goofy single handedly. "But in my defense I was new at being a Keyblade Wielder, so yeah!" He excused himself, it was true that back then he was still learning to control his new powers (For those who don't know, in KH1 you can actually lose against Cloud. For the sake of the story, we'll go with that here). "And you didn't teach me anything, you just gave me that move. I had to perfect it on my own." Sora said back at him with a frown, pointing at himself with his thumb.
"You're welcome." Cloud replied bluntly. Sora just glared at him with a frown as he growled lowly. "Is there anything else you want to ask me?" He asked the boy.
"Yeah." Sora nodded. "I get why Nezu-sensei had to bring you here to the U.A. But why as a teacher?" He asked, tilting his head in confusion. "Not to be mean, but well… You don't exactly seem to be fit to be a teacher." He commented scratching the back of his head.
"You can actually say that about most teachers here." Cloud replied. "Nezu has really strange criteria when it comes to hiring teachers." He added.
"Well-" Sora wanted to argue back. "Actually, you have a point." He ended up agreeing with him. Not be disrespectful, but he sometimes doubts why some of the pro heroes here are teachers, especially a certain seductive woman.
"Yep. I guess I'll just figure out how to do this, just like all others before me." Cloud commented as he shrugged. "I don't think I can be as bad as Toshinori." He added.
"Hey, All Might-sensei is not that bad." Sora argued. Cloud just glared at him with a judging arched eyebrow. "Okay, okay. He still has things to learn when it comes to teaching." He conceded.
"If that's everything, then I'd you should go back now. You can prepare a strategy with Riku or just watch the other exams while waiting." Cloud said to him.
"Okay. Thanks, Cloud. Again, I'm glad to see you, real glad." Sora thanked him with a cheerful smile. Cloud nodded in response. Sora turned and walked towards the door.
"And Sora." Cloud called him again. Sora looked at him from over his shoulder. "Don't forget what I told, about your light. Don't lose sight of it." He reminded him in a calm tone.
"Right." Sora nodded. "And maybe we can finally have that fair and square rematch, just you and me." He added with a competitive smirk.
Cloud smirked as he titled his head to the side with his eyes closed. He fixed up some of his spiky strands. "I'll think about it." He replied. (If you're wondering, I consider the colosseum fights against FF characters as non-canon, which most likely are. No where in the story are any of these acknowledged as such. In fact we can even mark Sephiroth's super boss in KH1 as non-canon due to contradictions in KH2.)
Sora's grin widened and walked off out of the room. Cloud watched him leave as his expression turned serious. "Sora… I don't know what happened to you, but you're not the same kid as before. There's something brewing inside of you… Something dark." Cloud could tell that there was something different with Sora, he could sense it. And it actually concerns him quite a bit. "All the more reason to keep an eye on you. I won't let him get a hold of that, turn you to the dark."
At the same time in the observation room.
"It seems I'll have a lot of work today." Recovery Girl commented to Midoriya from her seat. Both were looking at the big screen in front of them.
The door opened and the boy glanced behind him. "What? You came to see it too, Deku-kun?" Ochako asked as she entered the room.
"Yeah. There's not many chances to see students and teachers fight." Izuku replied with a smile. He then gave his back to her. "Besides, even if I asked him to think on a strategy…" He elaborated.
"I see." The round-faced girl didn't need more to understand. It was obvious that Bakugou would refuse to do such a thing with Deku-kun. "In my case… It's pointless to try to talk to him." She referred to how Aoyama just stood in front of a triple mirror and struck poses.
"Aoyama-kun…" Izuku thought uncomfortably. It wasn't that surprising coming from the french blond, but still...
"That's why I thought of watching the matches as references." Uraraka concluded as she glanced at the screen.
"Right." Deku did the same. "No matter what happens, I must pass the exam." He thought to himself. "Cloud Strife… Never would I have imagined I would get to see him in person. Sora said he's a powerful swordsman who wields a huge broadsword like nothing. He and Riku are up against him and with specific rules to make it even harder for them." He thought back at the newcomer teacher and what Sora said about was worry in his expression "I can get why, but still… No, this is the 'Heroes of 1-A' for crying out loud! Why am I worrying? They faced world-ending threats and came out fine! I know they will succeed with flying colors!" He shook his head off those silly thoughts. When they are together, Sora and Riku can take on anything!
The big screen showed live footage of the city replica.
"Team Sato and Kirishima. Practical Exam. Ready, go!" A mechanical voice announced the start of the first match.
Eijiro and Rikido dash forward in search of their opponent. "We'll have better grades if we capture them instead of fleeing, right?" The redhead asked his larger companion.
"I think so." He replied.
Both suddenly had to jump backwards as a wall suddenly sprung out from the concrete. They looked forward and saw Cementoss, he was crouching on the ground with his right hand on the ground, obviously to use his Cement quirk.
"Cementoss-sensei moves slow." Kirishima noted as Sato reached for something on his utility belt. "We'll get through upfront for that good grade!" The redhead then hardened both of his arms.
"Yeah!" Rikido agreed as he consumed a bag of sugar to activate his quirk Dose of Sugar. His body then bulked up significantly.
Both then rushed forward as fast as they could.
"So they're coming upfront." Cementoss said with both hands on the concrete. He then erected many walls between him and the students.
"Let's go, Sato!" Eijiro shouted at him.
"Yeah!" Then both teens punched the first wall at the same time, leaving a big impression on it. They both punched it again at the same time, breaking it down.
Both went on a rampage, tearing down any wall on their path with fast hard-hitting punches. (There's a Jojo reference in here.)
"Not yet." Cementoss remained calm as he kept forming more walls between him and the students.
Back at the observation room.
"Go, Kirishima-kun, Sato-kun!" Ochako cheered happily.
"They won't win like that." Izuku declared with a concerned face. The girl looked at him in confusion. "Kirishima-kun and Sato-kun's quirks are amazing, but they have a limit. I don't think it's like that with Cementoss-sensei. The more time that passes, the more they'll be at a disadvantage." He explained as he watched on the screen how Kirishima and Sato broke down every wall in their way.
"No…" Ochako was distraught.
"The practical exam puts students against teachers that they'll have troubles with. The key will be how to deal with their own weakness." Izuku elaborated as Ochako looked back at the screen.
"That's right." Recovery Girl confirmed. "Before your turn, think carefully in your compatibility with the teacher that you'll face." She said to both teens.
Izuku and Ochako looked back at the screen. "I knew it." Izuku thought.
Back at the match.
Eijiro cried in frustration. "There's no end to this!" He jumped forward again. "Doesn't matter how many we break, they keep coming!" He shouted as he broke yet another wall.
"Sleepy… I'm tired…" Sato tiredly muttered. The effect of his quirk wore off and now is suffering a sugar drop.
"Hey, hold on!" Eijiro shouted at him as he punched another wall.
"I'm sleepy…" Rikido muttered. Both didn't notice that several walls were forming up around them and closing in on them.
Eijiro kept punching the wall in front of him until the last one ended up hurting him. "I'm running out of breath…" He said as he looked at his scraped hand as he winced in pain. He then noticed that it went dark and when he looked up he saw tons of malleable concrete surrounding both of them. It then trapped both of them!
"You're very weak in a war of attrition. In a fight, you must see how much you can push what you're good at." From the outside, Cementoss lectured both students as he removed all liquid concrete to reveal both of them lying unconscious.
A horn played. "Team Sato and Kirishima retire due to being out of combat." The match was over and Eijiro and Rikido failed their exam…
"Seriously?!" Denki said in shock after he and Mina got cans of soda. Mina also looked up in shock.
"No way…" Mashirao said in disbelief. Tenya was pretty much the same. Both were planning out a strategy for their turn.
"Kirishima-chan…?" Tsuyu said, there was a noticeable enough look of distraught on her face. Tokoyami was also the same. Both were on their way to the stage for their match.
Back at the observation room.
Recovery Girl got off her chair. "My, the first match and I already have work." She said as she walked towards her temporary work station, leaving the two teens watching the screen.
"But… They didn't do anything." Ochako said as she covered her mouth in distraught.
"Their quirks were weak against him." Izuku said to her with a serious frown. "The exam will be harder than I thought. Besides, Kacchan and I are up against…" He now felt even more pressure than before…
At the second stage for the practical exam.
"We'll start at the center of the stage, eh?" Fumikage commented as he and Tsuyu stood in the center of a multi-layered stage.
"To escape, we must go through the designated gate, right?" Tsuyu replied as she crouched like a frog. "That means that the teacher will be waiting nearby." She added.
The horn then played, making both of them get on guard.
In the observation room, Izuku and Ochako observed.
"Team Asui and Tokoyami. Practical exam. Ready, go!" The match started. As soon as it did several copies of Ectoplasm manifested in front of them.
"I forgot to tell you… We teachers will also try to defeat you." One of the copies said to the students. Tsuyu and Fumikage took a step back, however both turned around when they noticed that more copies of Ectoplasm manifested behind them. They were surrounded. "Prepare… your determination and courage." And with that the clones rushed at them!
"Go, Dark Shadow!" Fumikage called forth his sentient quirk. The shadowy beast came out of his body and went to grab Tsuyu. "Asui, I'll launch you!" He then threw the frog girl upwards! This took the clones by surprise.
"Tokoyami-chan!" While in mid air Tsuyu shot her tongue at him, wrapping it around his body. She stuck herself to a wall and pulled her companion up, bringing him to the next floor before she jumped into it as well. "Good thing that we thought about it beforehand." She commented as she looked at the ground floor.
"Yes." The bird-headed teen replied.
Back at the observation room.
"They're good!" Ochako cheered happily.
"An exit only they can make!" Deku did the same. Both heard the door open and saw Riku entering the room.
"It's Tsu and Fumikage's turn, right?" He said as he approached the two of them.
"Riku." Izuku greeted him.
"Where's Sora-kun?" Ochako asked him as Riku stood beside the greenette. "Is he still with Strife-sensei?" She asked again.
"No, I've just seen him a bit ago. He wanted to look for Momo and wish her luck." He replied before he looked at the screen.
"Okay." Deku replied in understanding.
"How are they doing?" Riku asked the two of them as he crossed his arms. He watched on the screen how Tsuyu and Fumikage were rushing forward.
"They're doing great. Right now they seem to try and escape." The emerald teen replied with a smile. Riku smiled back at him in response.
The three of them turned to the right when they heard a door open. "Communication skills." Recovery Girl said as she walked back into the room. "It's a simple skill, but useful for heroes in this society. More than make a good team with a specific partner, it's best to maintain a certain level with anyone." The tiny old lady said as she walked towards her chair.
"Um. Even if this is an exam, each must deal with their own weakness, right?" Izuku asked for clarification.
"Yes." She replied as she looked at the screen.
"In what must Tokoyami-kun and Asui-san-?" He tried to ask but Riku interrupted him.
"She told you to call her Tsu." He reminded him.
"Err… *Ahem* In what must Tokoyami-kun and Tsu-chan work on?" He tried again with a slightly flustered face. "I don't imagine that Ectoplasm-sensei's quirk is bad against them…" He rationalized. Ochako nodded in agreement.
"No, it is for Fumikage Tokoyami." Recovery Girl replied. Izuku and Ochako looked at her in surprise.
"She's right. The problem here is not with Tsu, but with Fumikage." Riku agreed. The other two teens looked at him in confusion.
"That's right." Recovery Girl nodded at him.
"Why?" Ochako asked.
"You'll see." The nurse informed the teens and they just looked back at the screen.
Back at the match.
"So they'll avoid fighting." Ectoplasm's Clones watched as the students ran towards the upper floors. "But…"
In front of the escape gate stood the real Ectoplasm. He produced ectoplasm from out of his mouth and sent it to where the students were.
Fumikage and Tsuyu stopped in their tracks as a group of at least 8 clones appeared before them.
"Go!" The broody teen commanded his shadowy familiar. Dark Shadow went to attack two clones, dispersing it immediately. Three clones dashed forward to attack and the sentient quirk dash at them, dispersing one. However, two clones manifested behind him.
When he looked behind him, he almost received a kick were it not for Tsuyu stopping the clone with her tongue, sending it away.
"Thanks!" Tokoyami quickly thanked her as he sent his Dark Shadow to slam down the other clone, dispersing it. The duo turned around to see the remaining clones coming at them. "Dark Shadow!" He sent him to attack, but the clones dodged him and rushed towards Fumikage. The teen jumped backwards and then Tsuyu's tongue was warped around him.
The frog girl launched him to the upper floor before she jumped towards it as well. Both landed in front of the corridor towards the escape gate.
"They keep coming." Tsuyu said to her companion.
"Yes." He replied. Both looked forward as a large group of clones manifested in the corridor.
Back at the observation room.
"Fumikage's Dark Shadow is very strong, fast and has a great reach. Not to mention that Fumikage can draw him out immediately." Riku explained to his friends. "The issue is that he relies too much on Dark Shadows mid to long range to fight, in other words he wouldn't resist close quarters combat. In a one on one there won't be an issue, but against a large number of opponents he would be at serious disadvantage. Dark Shadow can only focus on so much at a time, which might leave Fumikage wide open." He elaborated calmly.
"Correct. No wonder why they call you a smart kid." Recovery Girl praised him.
"He had that weakness?" Ochako asked.
"That's why he's up against Ectoplasm, who can use clones…" Izuku said in understanding as he glanced back at the screen.
"On the other, Tsuyu Asui… An excellent student without clear weaknesses. That's why she can provide support to an ally that, as you can see, is powerful and with few weaknesses." Recovery Girl explained to the teens.
"In this sort of situation there's not much in the way of a detriment for Tsu. She has great mobility and a versatile fighting style that serves as a good compliment and balance with Fumikage's Dark Shadow." Riku explained as he watched how Tsuyu and Fumikage faced off against Ectoplasm's clones. "A good way to deal with your own weakness is to know how your partner or partners can compensate for it. If Fumikage can't deal with all of the clones, Tsu will be there to back him up and protect him." He elaborated as he cupped his chin. Izuku and Ochako looked at him in wonder.
"Correct again." Recovery Girl praised him again. "Not only that, but her way to keep calm will give emotional support in times of a crisis." She added.
"Emotional support…" Deku muttered as he looked back to the screen. "Now that I think about it, she helped a lot at the USJ." He looked back at said incident and how Tsuyu's way to keep calm actually helped him. "You can do it, Tsu-chan, Tokoyami-kun." He silently cheered for them as he, Riku and Ochako looked at the screen.
Back at the match.
Tsuyu used her tongue to throw a clone out of balance before Dark Shadow tackled him, dispersing it. That was the last clone in the corridor.
"With that there's 28 down." Fumikage said to his partner as she jumped off the ceiling and landed right at the other end of the corridor.
"Tokoyami-chan, I see the goal…" Tsuyu announced as the bird-headed teen rushed to her side. "And who must be the real one." She and Fumikage looked down and saw the goal and who must be the real Ectoplasm right in front of it.
"Good work getting through them." The teacher congratulated them. "But, what will you do against this?" He then spewed huge amounts of ectoplasm that then took the shape of a huge clone of himself! "Giant bite punishment!" The giant clone opened its huge jaw in front of the pair. They reacted in shock. "I can't make more clones, but as long as I see you, this one will do." Ectoplasm said as his giant clone moved towards the duo to attack.
"Dodge it, Asui!" Fumikage shouted at her. She didn't move, only made a quick move of her tongue. When the giant jaw was about to hit them, he tried to move to push her out of the way, but it was too late. The impact created a large cloud of dust and rubble.
At the observation room. Izuku and Ochako reacted in shock, even Riku's eyes widened in shock.
When the dust settled, it was revealed that both Fumikage and Tsuyu were both trapped in the back of the giant clone. Their limbs were rendered imbolie, as if they were trapped in concrete.
"Only I can undo my clones. What will you do now?" Ectoplasm said as Tokoyami struggled for a bit, but it was futile, he couldn't move at all.
"What a powerful quirk." The bird headed teen commented. He understood that he and Asui were in a big pinch. Literally.
Dark Shadow came out of him. "Me too!" He said to his wielder as he pointed at himself.
"Dark Shadow, at least you can get through the gate!" Fumikage commanded him.
"Roger!" The shadowy being flew towards the teacher. He readied his claw-shaped fist to strike. However, Ectoplasm dodged him and then kicked him away. "Idiot!" The dark familiar came to a stop with claws before dashing at the teacher again. He swiped at him twice, but Ectoplasm dodged him and landed a kick and then kicked him away again.
"He can't pass a pro, eh?" Tokoyami commented as he saw how Dark Shadow tried and failed to pass through the teacher.
"But if he can reach him, there's a chance." Tsuyu said to him. The bird-headed teen looked at her in confusion. "Make Dark Shadow-chan take this." She told him as she closed her eyes and lowered her head.
"What thing?" He asked her.
"Don't look too much… Sensei will find out… Besides, it's a bit gross..." The frog girl said with a bit of difficulty before she puffed her cheeks.
Fumikage's eyes widened in shock.
"Can you continue until time runs out? I want the radiance of heroes who can win against adversities." Ectoplasm said as he kept kicking Dark Shadow away.
"Dark Shadow!" Fumikage called his familiar and he flew back towards his summoner and Tsuyu. The shadowy beast grabbed something from Tsuyu's hand on his right hand.
"Calm down. It's alright." The frog girl assured them. Dark Shadow then dashed towards the teacher once more. Fumikage still looked at the girl in shock. "Both Tokoyami-chan and Dark Shadow-chan… are strong." Tsuyu said with a tired look on her face.
The shadowy beast brought his fist to strike and Ectoplasm jumped to strike back at him. Their attacks connected and once more Dark Shadow was sent back by the teacher, but Ectoplasm noticed something as he landed back on the ground while Dark Shadow dropped on it.
"If there came a situation where we wouldn't be able to move, this was the only way, so I swallowed them immediately. I can put stuff in and out of my stomach." Tsuyu explained to the still shocked Fumikage.
"I see." Ectoplasm said as he glanced at his still risen right leg. He was cuffed right on the wooden leg.
At the observation room.
"They cuffed him!" Ochako cheered.
"They passed! Dark Shadow and Frog could use their quirks together!" Deku also cheered.
"Yeah, as we thought!" Ochako nodded happily and she and Izuku looked back to the screen.
"Clever move, a little gross, but still clever." Riku smiled with his arms crossed. It was indeed a good move by the duo even if it was a little icky that Tsu had to puke out the cuffs.
Back at the match.
The sign of Nezu at the escape gate that read 'Do your best!' changed to 'Good job!'.
"Team Asui and Tokoyami passed." The match was over and the duo passed their exam.
Ectoplasm had released them and he approached the duo. "It was very clever. I congratulate you." He praised the teens.
"It's an honor." Fumikage bowed his head down in respect.
Tsuyu croaked twice with a noticeable happy smile.
Dark Shadow came out of Fumikage. "It was thanks to me, right?" He said cockily with a thumbs up as he leaned onto his master's shoulder. Fumikage didn't reply and Tsuyu just smiled.
At one of the waiting rooms, Momo stood up from her seat. "Tokoyami-san and Asui-san passed… Of course." She said to herself, not surprised at all. She remembered her loss at the Sports Festival. She looked down for a bit before walking out of the room with Todoroki in tow.
"Hey, Shouto! Momo-chan!" When both came out of the room they both heard someone calling them, they turned around and saw Sora quickly approaching them.
"Sora-kun." Momo greeted him. She was surprised to see him, but nonetheless it gladdened her.
"There you were. I've been looking for you." Sora said to both of them with a grin as he got in front of them. "It'll be your turn soon and you're going to your stage, right?" He assumed. The third match would begin soon and thus Momo and Shouto would be on their way for their own match as they would be next.
Shouto nodded in reply. "Did everything go well with Strife-sensei?" Momo asked him with curiosity.
"Hm? Oh yeah. We were just catching up, talking about what we did 'and stuff." Sora replied with a casual smile as he put his hands behind his head. "It's been ages since the last time I saw him." He added.
Shouto narrowed his eyes a bit. "I see, Good for you. It must have been a surprise to see an old teacher of yours." Momo commented to him. Sora nodded in reply.
"Speaking of him. How strong is this Cloud Strife exactly?" Shouto asked him.
"A lot, it's just like Nezu-sensei said. Cloud wields that huge Buster Sword of his with extreme ease and precision, not only that it doesn't weight him down a single bit. He's extremely fast too." The Keyblade wielder described. "When I say he could rival the top pros, I'm not exaggerating. You could ask All Might-sensei and he would tell you the same" He added.
"That strong, huh?" Shouto replied with his usual expressionless tone. "And you and Riku will face him unrestrained." He added as he put his hands inside his pockets.
"Yeah. It'll be a tough match for me and Riku, but that's exactly why it's exciting." Sora replied with an excited smirk as he pumped his fists.
"Of course you'd say that. You never back down from a challenge." Shouto replied with a tiny smile.
"I can't help but be concerned for you and Riku-kun." Momo said to him with a worried face as she put her hand on her chest. "But at this point I should know better than to worry. You and Riku-kun always come out on top, more if you work together. Silly me for being a worrywart." She added with a slight flustered face. She rubbed her arm and looked to the side feeling a bit embarrassed.
Sora grinned widely at her. "Nah, it's actually nice you and the others worry about us, so don't sweat it." He said to her cheerfully. "You just watch, me and Riku will pass with flying colors!" He declared with a determined smile as he pointed to himself with his thumb.
Momo looked back at him with a warm smile and a more pronounced red blush on her face. She nodded at him. "I know you will. When you both work together, there's nothing that you can't do." She said to him as she put her hand on her chest. Shouto nodded in agreement.
"Right." Sora replied with a smile. "Welp, I guess you guys should get going now, right?" He assumed. The duo nodded in response. "Then good luck guys! I know you can do it! I'll be watching you both!" He cheered for them with a warm grin. "And Momo-chan." He looked at her in her onyx eyes. "I know this last term has been a little rough for you, but I know today is the day that's gonna change. I can feel it in right here." He gave Momo some heartfelt words of encouragement as he put his hand on his chest. "Just don't forget that you're smart and talented. I know you'll become a great heroine, don't ever doubt that, okay? If you believe in it with all your heart , your dream will come true. So don't stop, keep moving forward and always believe." He took a few steps closer and grabbed her gently by both her shoulders.
The raven-haired girl felt her cheeks grow warmer. Her heart pounding harder in her chest. Her eyes fixated on his beautiful blue sky eyes, the eyes she grew to adore to stare at, so bright and calming, she could lose herself in them. "Sora-kun…" Again she felt him pull her heartstrings. Again here he was to give her another beautiful, warm word of encouragement. He was here for her, he's always here for her...
The boy let go of her, still wearing that lovely smile of his. "Now you and Shouto go out there and wipe that creep smirk of Aizawa-sensei's face!" He said to her in a more upbeat tone. "I believe in you, Momo-chan!" He gave her a thumbs up with a wink.
Momo stared at him, her eyes glittering at how moved from the bottom of her heart she felt. Slowly a warm smile was drawn on her face. "Thank you, Sora-kun." She wholeheartedly thanked him. "I promise, I won't fail again. Today is the day." She nodded with a determined fire in her eyes.
"Yeah." Sora grinned even wider.
Even Shouto couldn't help but wear a noticeable smile at this.
"Well, see ya later." Sora waved at them cheerfully.
"Right. And good luck for you on your exam. Same goes for Riku." Shouto said to him with a nod.
"Thanks." Sora nodded in gratitude and turned and walked away.
Momo just stared at him as he walked away with a dreamy expression and a red blush on her face. Her hands were joined. When the boy turned the corner and left, Shouto snapped her back to reality by grabbing her by the shoulder. "Let's go, Yaoyorozu." He said to her. She nodded in response and resumed their way towards their designated stage.
"I won't fail him this time…" She wore a determined glint in her eyes as he held her right fist where her heart resided. She must pass and prove that she can be there for him…
Third match. Team Iida and Ojiro vs Power Loader.
The stage was a barren area for construction. In many spots, dust and dirt was shot upwards, an obvious sign of many pits being created underneath the soil.
"We're running out of space." Tenya said to his partner right beside him. "Power Loader-sensei did this?" He questioned. It was indeed said teacher that was carving the pits underground. Power Loader was using a digging machine to dig underground at a fast rate.
"What do we, Rep?" Mashirao asked him.
"The topography gives him the advantage. To minimize the damage and defeat him, finding a hero with an advantageous quirk against the opponent would be the best." Tenya replied.
"So, we have to flee, right?" The tailed teen understood what the class rep meant. "But…" He then used his tail to throw a rock forward and when it landed, many pits were revealed. "There are pits all the way. And we don't know from where Power Loader-sensei will attack us." He concluded.
"Even so, we can do it. If we work together... " Tenya replied.
"Alright!" Ojiro said back at him with determination.
"Fusion!" Tenya declared. A few moments later he was carrying the martial artist on his back.
"This is very embarrassing…" The teen commented with an awkward smile.
"Here we go, Ojiro-kun!" Tenya activated his Engines. "Reciproburst!" He used his technique to dash at high speeds, enough for them to outrun the collapsing holes.
"He's faster than the speed in which the holes crumble. If we keep up like this-" Ojiro thought as he held onto Iida as hard as he could. They were fast approaching the escape gate. However, more pits were revealed up ahead.
"Think you can make it?" Power Loader snickered.
At the observation room.
"No!" Izuku shouted as Ochako reacted in shock. Riku's eyes widened in surprise.
Back at the match.
The path ahead crumbled.
"We'll fall!" Mashirao shouted in panic.
"Find the best solution, Tenya." The engine teen maintained his cool. He jumped high in the air. "Wrap your tail on my leg!" He ordered Mashirao. He quickly did as he was told. He let go of Tenya's shoulder and wrapped his tail around his right leg. Tenya activated his Recipro again and whirled in mid air at high speeds. "Recipro Extend!" Using the force of his technique, Tenya sent Mashirao flying forwards at high speeds towards the escape gate.
"What?" Power Loader tried to grab the teen with his mech suit, but the tailed teen reached fast and deflected the attack with his tail without losing momentum. He successfully passed through the escape gate.
"Team Iida and Ojiro approved!" The match was over and Tenya and Mashirao passed their exam.
"Rep!" The tailed teen cheered with a wide smile.
Power Loader snickered. "That was very vigorous, but it didn't take much time and you know how to make your friend pass without getting hurt… Not bad. You pass." He praised the class rep.
"Thank you very much!" Tenya bowed down his head in gratitude.
At the observation room.
"The two of them are great!" Ochako beamed as Izuku and Riku also smiled.
"You're great, Iida-kun!" Izuku recalled when Tenya made the declaration of walking again the path to become a hero.
"By the way… I can't get out!" On the screen it was seen how Tenya was buried up to the neck.
"But that's not it." Izuku thought when looking at that.
Riku held back his chuckles. "Man, How can Tenya be both cool and hilarious at the same time?" He thought to himself, still wearing a smile with his hands inside his pockets.
The door opened and the teens saw Sora coming in. "Sora." Izuku greeted him with a smile. Ochako also smiled at this.
"Hey guys." He greeted them with his usual also as he approached them. "I heard that Tenya and Mashirao passed. Too bad I missed it, didn't think it would end so fast." He explained to his friends as he rubbed the back of his head.
"It's alright, dude." Riku replied smiling as he gave him a pat on the back.
"What did you and Strife-sensei talk about?" Ochako asked him cocking his head to the side.
"Oh you know. Just catching after a long time." He replied with both arms behind his head.
"Good to know." Riku replied smiling. He knew that Cloud explained everything to him, Sora said that he would tell him and Deku later all the details. "Did you find Momo?" He asked him.
Sora nodded. "I wished her and Shouto good luck." He him. He glanced at the screen. "It's their turn next. " He said with a bit of anxiousness in her voice.
"Yeah." Riku replied as he glanced at the screen as well. "They'll be up against Aizawa-sensei, who can erase quirk. It'll be tough for them." He added. "Especially for Shouto, he relies too much on his Half hot/Half cold quirk, without it he's admittedly nearly helpless." He analysed.
"I know that, but Momo-chan is the smartest of the class, pretty much a genius. Shouto is also one of the smartest in the class." Sora replied. "I know that together they both can make a plan to win or avoid Sensei and flee." He added, trying to remain optimistic. However, he was anxious for both of them, especially Momo. He knows how bad she needs a win right now.
"Well… You're right there, I'd say that's the safest way for them to pass the exam." Deku agreed with him as he and Ochako glanced at the screen.
"She can do this. I know she can." Sora thought to himself as he had his eyes glued to the screen. He took a deep breath to calm himself.
Riku glanced at him, he could tell he was worried about the raven-haired girl. "I hope her self-confidence isn't as bad as I thought. Hopefully Shouto noticed it too and helps her out." He too was worried for her, but he hoped that things would turn out well for her.
Fourth match, practical exam area.
The stage was a suburban area.
"It's our turn. Let's go." Shouto said to his partner, but she didn't reply. Yaoyozoru was looking down, she seemed distracted in her own thoughts. "Yaoyorozu." Shouto called her again, this time gaining her attention. "You're nervous?" He asked her.
"N-no…" She lied. She was very nervous and felt great apprehension. The motivation she had, after hearing Sora's ever warm and sweet words for her, faded as the time drew closer and closer. Her mind is full of insecurities and doubts as well as a huge pressure. Sora must be watching and that only makes her feel all the more pressured to not screw up in front of him this time.
"Well, considering the opponent…" Shouto replied as he glanced forward, he could tell she was lying. He understood why she would be nervous about it. "But I have an idea." He said to her in his ever calm manner.
Before the raven-haired teen could ask what it was, the horn played. The girl looked up in surprise as the boy simply turned more serious.
"Team Todoroki and Yaoyorozu. Practical exam. Ready, go!" The match started.
The duo were running within an alleyway with Shouto in the lead. "Yaoyorozu! Doesn't matter what it is, but create small objects continuously." He asked her to do so. "When you can't make them, it'll mean Aizawa-sensei will be nearby." He explained.
Shouta was perched atop an electricity pole, waiting for the students to come into view.
"The exam will depend on who finds the other first. When we see him, I'll attract him to me. Then, take the chance to flee to the gate. Stay with me until then." Shouto explained his plan as they got to the other side of the alleyway. The half teen was looking to the sides to make sure the opponent wasn't nearby. Momo looked at the ground with doubts clouding her mind. Shouto glanced at her from over his shoulder. "What's wrong? Create something, quick." He told her with a sense of rush in his tone.
"Yes, alright." She replied, still with doubts clear in her expression.
The duo ran through the streets. Momo wore a focused look on her face as matryoshka dolls, designed in the girl's image, came out her body.
"Yaoyorozu. I said anything, but what's that?" Shouto asked as he came to a stop to look at his companion.
"Matryoshka dolls." The girl replied as she put some of her newly created dolls around her belt. (Who else wishes those to be actually merch of the show? I would at least buy one.)
"I see." Shouto replied. "Tell me if you notice something weird with your quirk." He glanced forward again, his right hand was covered in frost as he checked if his quirk was still working. The teen ran to the right, Momo ran after him as she kept creating dolls.
"You're good, Todoroki-san." She praised him.
"Why?" He asked her.
"You thought quickly of a plan to use against Aizawa-sensei and you immediately determined what would be the best" Momo explained.
"It's nothing weird." Shouto replied bluntly.
Momo came to a stop after hearing this. "Nothing weird?" She repeated. Shouto noticed that she stopped and looked back at her. "Since we both entered via recommendation, we started at the same place, but in terms of practical abilities, I have nothing special." She said with sadness in her voice. "At the cavalry battle I just did what you said. In my own match against Tokoyami-san, I lost before I could do anything." She recounted her past shortcomings. "Unlike you, I nearly didn't progress at all. And it's especially evident how far behind I am by looking at Sora-kun and Riku-kun's leaps in progress. Sora-kun specially…" Her thoughts now focused on Sora and how far he had come. "From the start he only proved over and over again how strong and efficient as a hero he is. He and Riku-kun entered like us, via recommendation, but they are far stronger than you and way more competent than me. At our first battle training, it was thanks to Sora-kun that we won. At the USJ, he got into a hostage situation that got himself out because of my fault. He kept coming to my house to train and yet I feel like I haven't improved at all. Moreover, Sora-kun only kept growing stronger by the day. He faced hundreds, maybe thousands of Heartless and emerged unshached. He defeated Riku-kun, his equal. He defeated the Hero Killer while protecting you, Iida-san and Midoriya-san. And now he and Riku-kun will be tested the hardest out of everyone else by a pro hero that rivals those at the very top." She recounted the feats that the boy has made, every great strive he had achieved so far and how in comparison remained stagnant. "Ever since I learned that Sora-kun and Riku-kun must fight against such a huge threat that could even put the whole world at stake, I felt that I should do something, anything, to at least help them carry that burden. I didn't want to leave them on their own while they fight for all of us and their deeds go unseen and unknown by the larger world. I wanted to be at least strong enough to be able to fight beside them. But as more time passed and the more Sora-kun became even stronger, the more it made me feel that… maybe that he might not need me... maybe I would just get in his way... " She clenched her right fist over her chest tighter. "Sora-kun has always been nice and considerate with me, always trying to reassure me and cheer me up when I felt down. And I want to pay back all of his kindness so much... I want to prove that I can be a great heroine like he says I can be… But everytime that I tried as hard as I could… I only end up failing one way or another, to him and myself… I don't want to fail again, I want to pass this exam, I want to become as strong and amazing as Sora-kun… But I… I'm not sure if I can…" Her insecurities and self-doubt were eating her away, and they only got worse when being constantly reminded of the abysmal gap between her and Sora. Of course it's not his intention, he would never do something bad to her. The young hero is just trying to become strong enough to achieve his dreams like all others.
Shouto listened to her attentively. However, before he could reply he noticed something. "Yaoyorozu, your matryoshkas…" He noticed that she stopped creating her dolls. The girl now noticed it too. "Here he comes!" He shouted as he looked towards the left.
"I'm sorry!" Momo apologized as she looked at the right. Aizawa-sensei was nearby!
"If you notice, act immediately. Shouta hung right above them, using his bandages on electricity cables. Todoroki immediately tried to swing his right arm to attack, but in a swift succession, the teacher let go and landed on the ground, crouching to avoid the attempt. "In this case, you should have avoided me since I got ahead." Aizawa lectured the teen. His eyes glowing red underneath his goggles as his hair floated upwards, sings of him using his Erase quirk.
"Yaoyorozu, go!" Shouto hastily ordered her as he tried to kick the sensei, but Aizawa dodged it by jumping out of reach.
The girl gasped before she turned and ran away. Shouta noticed it.
"That was your plan?" The eraser hero brought out one of his bandages and, in a quick move, he bound Todoroki's arms behind his back as he hanged him from the electricity cables overhead. "Then, it's perfect. I thought of trapping you first because you would be on the offensive." He continued as he deactivated his quirk.
"You think you trapped me? I can burn or freeze the bindings." Shouto talked back as the teacher tied the other end of the teen's binds to a nearby post.
"Do what you want, but be careful when falling." Aizawa grabbed something from his belt and threw it right below Todoroki.
"Crowfoots?" The ground below the red-white haired teen was covered with those tiny and spiked metallic objects. Obviously to prevent him from trying to free himself. "Are you a Ninja? What an unpleasant method." He complained, finding the tactic distasteful.
"It's different from the Hero Killer. I know the quirks and the quantity of the heroes. I'm ready to intercept them." Aizawa said as he applied eye drops on his eyes. "Your plan depends much on yourself. It seems fine with me that you're concerned with the girl, but maybe you should have talked it out more." He lectured his student as he stored his eye drops on his belt, he then took off after Yaoyorozu.
Shouto was left alone hanging. "Talked it out?" He thought to himself.
Momo was running as fast as her legs could. "How much left to get to the gate? Is there a shorter route? Todoroki-san is alright? Is this the right thing? Should I create something to go faster even if I waste time? Is this right? Can I make it out? Where am I running? No, why? Is this plan alright?" In her mind there was only one question after another, she didn't know what she was doing anymore and felt like she was running aimlessly as her doubts took over her.
Aizawa used his bandages to leap high into the air. He spotted Yaoyorozu running up ahead. "She lost a lot of confidence during the Sports Festival." He analysed to himself.
Momo looked back as she kept running. "Aizawa-sensei! Then Todoroki-san has been...?" She was taken aback by this. The teacher shot one of his bandages at her, wrapping it around her left arm. "Oh no!" She yelped in panic.
"I'll hit you where it hurts." Shouta landed on the roof of a house. "Let's see who lasts more." He then started to pull from the bandage.
Momo was being dragged backwards. "I have no chance against a teacher…" She then noticed something. "He didn't erase my quirk?" Realizing that she could still use her quirk, she acted fast. "Creation!" She created a big bracelet around her wrapped wrist, since it was created over the bandage, she could break free. "I'm sorry, Todoroki-san!" The raven-haired girl then started to run back from where she came from.
"She's going the other way?" Shouta looked at this in confusion. "She left him with the decision making. Comparing herself with him, she decided that he was better than her. Looking at Todoroki, who doesn't doubt too much in any case, she lost confidence in her own reasoning. On top of feeling very inadequate when comparing herself to Sora, who's prowess and skills are exceptional." He analyzed based on who he got to her from Yaoyorozu herself earlier. "Emotionally, she's still a 15-year old girl. I would like to help her recover her confidence, but that's not my job right now." His paternal instinct as a teacher told him that he should help the girl, but he has a duty at hand right now. He jumped off the roof after her.
Back with Shouto, he was reflecting on what Aizawa-sensei said. "Now that I think about it, she looked like she wanted to say something." He looked back at Yaoyorozu's expression earlier. "Also, I knew she held Sora in very high esteem, but I didn't know she wanted to prove something to him and herself that badly. I understand why she wants to help him and Riku, but still why does it mean that much to her?" He then looked back at what she told him earlier. He had no idea she wanted to help Sora and Riku on their quest against the Heartless. He can see why she wants to, he even agrees with her reasoning of not leaving them alone on such a huge undertaking. But he couldn't help but wonder why she wants to help that badly, it's obviously something that means a lot to her. His thoughts then went to her exact wording. "She mostly focused on Sora, is she that attached to him? Does she value his opinion of her? They're very close so it makes sense." He thought back of the interactions between them and the bond they share. It was obvious for him how much she enjoys his company.
"Todoroki-san!" His line of thought was cut off when he heard her calling him. "Todoroki-san!" He looked up and saw running to where he was.
"Yaoyorozu!" He was surprised to see her.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't-" She apologized, but Shouto interrupted when he saw something.
"Oi, Aizawa-sensei is coming!" He warned her. The girl looked back and saw him rushing at them over a cable.
"Should I save Todoroki-san or should I flee? What do I do? What do I do?" She felt overwhelmed and confused, unable to decide what to do as she glanced between the fast approaching teacher and her bound companion.
"Yaoyorozu! You have a plan, right?" Shouto shouted at her. This made her snap out of it and looked back at the boy. "Sorry, I should have asked if it was right with you. You have an idea, right?" He added.
"But your plan didn't work. How could mine...?" Momo said in an insecure tone as she looked down.
"It's alright, just say it. You're the most fit for this." Shouto said back at her. "When we were picking a representative, you got three votes, right? One was mine. Because I thought that you were good for that." He revealed to her. The girl looked at him, her eyes glittering. "Don't forget what Sora said, he believes in you. I believe in you too. You can get us out of this, I'm sure of it. I know you won't fail this time." He reminded her what Sora said to her prior in an attempt to motivate her.
"...!" Momo's eyes widened in surprise.
"I believe in you, Momo-chan!" She remembered what Sora said to her.
"Sora-kun believes in me… And Todoroki-san believes in me…" She thought as she glanced down, fighting back the need to let out some tears. "Embarrassing… How embarrassing…"
"Are you done?" Aizawa leaped right above the girl.
"But… I won't fail them!" She grabbed the dolls from her belt. "Todoroki-san, close your eyes!" She warned him as she threw them to the teacher.
"What's this?" Shouta swung his arm and opened a few of the dolls, revealing flashbang inside with their triggers pulled. A blinding flash of light appeared! "Blinding grenades?" He shielded his eyes from the blast as Todoroki did the same.
"I have an idea." Momo took the chance to undo the tie of the pole and slowly bring Shouto back down. "A plan." She and Shouto then glanced forward to where their teacher landed. "A special operation to defeat Aizawa-sensei." She said with determination as Shouto undid the binds in his arms.
Aizawa rubbed his eyes before opening the right one and smirking at the girl, he was impressed.
"A special operation?" Todoroki asked as he got on guard.
"Yes. I thought about that from the beginning." Momo replied. Her eyes glittering with determination.
"Say it already." Shouto said with a sense of rush. The duo saw how Aizawa jumped to a nearby rooftop.
"The result of what happened at USJ… I can use my quirk in less time and wider intervals. It's good if she attacks because she noticed." The teacher muttered at himself as he put on his goggles again. He then shot one of his bandages at the students.
"Yaoyorozu!" Shouto jumped back along with his partner as he shielded her with his left arm. "Fire…" He tried to cast fire, but nothing happened. "He erased it, eh?" He could tell as Aizawa was looking right at him.
"Todoroki-san, let's hide! Together!" Momo told him and both ran off. "Sensei's eyes are not fine." She explained as they both ran.
"From his wounds of the USJ? We'll take advantage of that?" Todoroki asked as he followed her. The eraser hero was chasing after them, running over the electricity cables.
"No, for now, we must get out of his field of vision." Momo replied. "It's a matter of time. We can win." She added with a secure glare in her eyes.
"Time… Get out his field of vision? Can we do it? We don't have our quirks." Shouto asked her as he looked back to see their teacher chasing after them.
"Do as I say!" She replied sternly as they turned to the right. "Check if you can use your ice!" She ordered him.
"I'll reach you!" Shouta leaped from a rooftop and shot one of his bandages at the students.
"It's wrong to think that we can't use our quirks. There definitely will be a moment. The interval between Aizawa-sensei blinks and looks at us again." Momo analyzed. Time slowed down, the bandage was approaching fast to Todoroki. However in that same moment the teacher closed his eyes to blink.
When that happened ice manifested in Shouto's right hand. "Here it is!" The boy acted quickly and shot a barrage of ice from her right foot.
"You can do that at that moment, right? The wall from the Sports Festival. Your best move!" Momo continued her line of thought as Shouto created one of his Heaven Piercing Ice Walls. The massive wall forced Aizawa to back away from it.
"They waited for this moment." The teacher thought. A smirk was drawn on his face. "Yes, you must hit your opponent where it hurts." He then landed on a nearby rooftop.
At the other side of the ice wall.
"I blocked him with the wall as soon as my quirk was back. Now we can use them." Shouto said to his partner as he glanced at the ice wall. "Tell me the rest of the plan while-" He ignited his left side to evaporate the frost on his right side. He turned to look at Yaoyorozu only to see her giving him her back. She had opened up her vest and from her torso came out a large amount of bandages. Shouto immediately looked the other way. (Good decision, Shouto) "Aizawa-sensei's weapon?" He asked her as he recognized what she was creating.
"Yes." She replied. "I don't know the material or how it's made, so it won't be the same, but I made my version with another material." She explained. "Since this is a residential area, we must reduce the damages. And he moves fast with those binds, so he's hard to catch." She elaborated. "This is my plan" She then began to explain her plan to Todoroki.
Back at the observation room.
"Why isn't he chasing them?" Ochako asked Izuku.
"Maybe he used his eyes too much." The emerald teen replied.
Sora looked at the screen with a focused glare. "Momo-chan has a plan to win. They can pull it off." He said with total security as he put his fist on his chest.
"Yeah, I agree. It's obvious that she planned that last move." Riku said in the same manner as he put his hands inside his pockets. "For a moment she seemed at total loss, whatever Shouto said to her must have put her mind right back on track." He noticed how the girl was struggling until the icy hot teen told her off. Although no one in the room heard what it was, nonetheless he smiled in relief.
Back at the match.
"What do you say, Todoroki-san?" Momo asked him after concluding her explanation. "I think it has a greater probability of success than try to escape." She added as she and her companion as both looked at the bandages now being put on a catapult. The girl took a deep breath. "It'll be decided in an instant. Is it alright?" She turned to look at him with a smile.
"Yeah. I won't complain." Shouto accepted as he glanced back.
Aizawa was perched at the edge of a rooftop. He was looking at the ice wall."The escape route is behind me. It's better to watch them come close carefully than try to chase them." He thought to himself. He recalled what Yaoyorozu said earlier. "Damn…" He smirked. He then saw something. From another side of the wall he saw the two of them fleeing, although their forms were concealed with cloth covering them completely. "Cloth, eh? If I don't see them, I can't erase their quirks." He stood straight before and jumped off after them. "But they also have their disadvantages." He shot one of his binders at them and he ended up wrapping them both. However, when he landed right in front of them… "The upper part were mannequins?" It was revealed that under the cloth covering Momo, she was actually crotched while she held up a mannequin.
"There's only one thing to do!" Momo thought as she looked at her opponent with determination, she moved her left hand to push the lever of the catapult. However, she missed, much to her shock.
"A catapult!" The teacher jumped back in reaction. The girl triggered the catapult and launched the binders at him. "A distraction?" He asked as they flew all around him.
"Todoroki-san! Use your flames!" She ordered him and Shouto launched a barrage of fire from under the cloth. The burst of flames missed the teacher.
"He didn't aim at me? What's this…?" Aizawa then noticed how the binders around him hardened.
"I don't know if we can defeat you in a battle of quirks… That's why… " Momo said as more of the binders around him hardened. "You know of the nitinol alloy? By heating up, it goes back to its original form in an instant." The intense heat of Todoroki's flames cause the binders to immediately wrap around Aizawa's upper body, restraining him! "It's a shape memory alloy!" The girl declared. She and Shouto looked at how their teacher has been successfully restrained.
"Impressive." Aizawa praised them.
Later, he was kneeled, his hands had been cuffed and thus signalling that the duo had approved their exam.
"It was just as you planned, but wasn't it too good?" Shouto questioned her with his arms crossed.
"I can't explain it." She replied as she glanced at the restrained sensei. "When I was about to shoot the catapult, I made a mistake… Sensei noticed, but he jumped, despite that he could have stopped me in that moment" She recalled what happened at that last moment. "It seemed that he let himself get caught." She concluded, there was a tinge of uncertainty in her tone.
"I was just being careful of Todoroki. I could see you, but the cloth covered him. I thought he would freeze me, so I retreated thinking it would be the best and I fell into your hands." The teacher replied as he looked at the girl.
"Just as you said, it was a matter of time…" Shouto said to the raven-haired teen. "Thanks." He thanked her. "Sora had been watching, he must be smiling right now." He knew this was the case. There was a tiny smile on his face.
The rush of the emotion nearly was too much for Momo. "Sora-kun… I did it, this time I finally did it…" She covered her mouth as her eyes watered up. This time she succeeded, for him and most importantly herself.
"What's wrong? You're feeling bad?" Shouto noticed the look on her face.
"I-it's nothing!" She turned her back from him.
"If you're sick, there's a preparation poi-" Shouto tried to say to her, but she cut him off.
"It's nothing!" She insisted.
Shouta closed his eyes with a tiny smirk.
"Team Todoroki and Yaoyorozu approved." And so the match ended and from it a girl rose up stronger than ever, her self-confidence restored.
At the observation room.
"She did it!" Sora cheered with a big happy grin. "See guys? I knew she and Shouto would pass with flying colors! This is just so awesome!" He added happily as he surrounded Riku with his arm. Ochako and Izuku also smiled happily as they nodded in agreement.
Riku smiled. "Yeah." He nodded.
"My… That man is so sentimental." Recovery Girl muttered under her breath with a knowing smile.
"Time to go, I guess." Ochako announced to her friends.
"Oh right, it's your and Yuga's turn next." Sora realized this. "I kinda forgot, sorry." He apologized, with all his focus on Momo and Shouto's match he forgot about Ochako and Yuga's.
The round-faced girl shook her head in denial. "It's okay." She waved it off. "I'm a little nervous, but I know I can do this." She said to the boys with a determined smile.
"That's the spirit, Ochako-chan." Sora said to her with a wide grin. Riku nodded at the girl in approval.
"Good luck, Uraraka-san. I'll see you later when you approve." Izuku wished her with a bright smile.
"Same here." Riku said to her with a smile and Sora nodded in agreement.
"Thanks guys." She thanked them with a radiant smile. "Well, here goes nothing!" She said with determination. The girl walked off the room towards the designated stage for the fifth match.
"Hey guys, I'll be back in a bit." Sora said to his friends. "I wanna congratulate Momo-chan, so I'll wait outside for her to come back." He explained as he pointed backwards with his thumb. "If I'm not back in time, tell me how Ochako-chan's match went." He added.
"Um, okay." Deku nodded in understanding.
Sora turned around and was about to walk off the room. "Wait, Sora." However, Riku grabbed him by the shoulder. "Before you do that, there's something I've been wondering for a while now." He let go of him as his shorter friend turned back to look at him. "I get that you care about Momo, I do as well. But why did you want to help her so much?" He asked him. "Don't get me wrong, I was concerned about her too, but you tried to help her out this whole time. The way you were so insistent about it was as if it was something... personal for you." He clarified. Deku looked at his spiky best friend with wonder as he realized that what Riku said was true.
Sora lowered his head as he sighed. "Of course you'd notice." He looked back at his best friend in the eyes. "Part of the reason why I wanted to help her out so much was because…" He tilted his face to the side as he expression turned sad. "...Because a lot of her reminds me of Kairi." He admitted.
Riku's eyes widened in surprise. His expression then turned a little sad. "Of course, from her personality, the way she wishes to help us against the Heartless, and her failures. All sounds a lot like Kairi." He understood where Sora was coming from, looking back those features reminded him as well of the red haired girl back home. "No wonder why you wanted to help Momo more than you normally would." He said to him with a compressive tone.
"It's not just that." Sora shook his head. "When I looked at her lowest, when she was there doubting and berating herself so harshly… It made me think of me." He revealed as he glanced at his hands. "When I failed the Mark of Mastery exam, I had lost most of my strength and the Power of Waking. I knew how it felt to be so insecure on yourself, to be so frustrated…" He clenched his hands into fists. "... And of course how it felt to fail so horribly when it matters most…" He said this last part with a dejected tone as he lowered his head even more. He was referring to the time he failed his friends and when he failed her…
The other boys looked at their friend with sadness and concern. "Sora…" Riku said to him. "I knew that it bugged you a lot not being able to help because you didn't unlock your Power of Waking. I knew that it must have been very frustrating for you." The Silver Keyblade Master said to him with a compassionate tone. "But you didn't let that stop you, you became stronger than ever and even when you failed, you didn't give up, you persisted. You pushed on and saved us all again, no matter the cost." He put his hands on his shoulders, he knew that it was a very sensitive topic for him.
Sora nodded. "It was hard carrying all that pressure and anxiety, but I could take it. I didn't let my issues consume me and I overcame them." He glanced back at him. "Even if you guys were a little mean about it at times. But sometimes one must laugh at oneself, right?" He smirked as he crossed his arms.
"You could take it, but you knew Momo couldn't, right?" Riku said and Sora's smile then vanished as his face turned more serious.
"She never went through anything we've been through, she's a mostly normal teenager like we once were. I couldn't- I didn't want to leave her like that, it pained me to see her like that. I had to be there for her, to support her when she felt down and out. That's what my heart told me to do." Sora put his right fist on his chest. His eyes reflected compassion.
Riku smiled. "That's so you, Sora." He commented, satisfied with Sora's answer. Deku also wore a smile.
Sora chuckled in response. "I'll be back." He said to his best friends. Both nodded and with that Sora turned around and walked out of the room.
By now the fifth match had already started. Sora waited for Momo to come back. He stood right outside of the building. He killed time playing with his phone as he waited until he saw her and Shouto approaching.
He quickly pocketed his phone and waved at them with a big smile. "Hey, guys! Congrats for passing!" He shouted at them happily.
"Sora-kun!" Momo smiled brightly when she saw him. She then rushed at him. Sora did the same. The two of them met each other with a warm embrace. "I did it, Sora-kun! I really did it!" She snuggled closer to Sora. Some tears of joy escaped her eyes.
"I always knew you could." He replied to her with a warm smile as he held her in her. "You and Shouto were amazing out there."
The two of them then let go of each other. The girl wiped the tears off her eyes. "Thank you, Sora-kun, for everything." She thanked him from the bottom of her heart. She smiled in gratitude at him.
The hero of light shook his head in denial. "Don't thank me" He said to her, smiling warmly at her. "You were the one that pulled through. I told you that you just have to believe and that's exactly what you did. You believed in yourself just like I believe in you." He held her by the shoulders. "That's why you made it, and that's why you'll become a great heroine. You earned this victory, be proud of it." He praised her as he let go of her. His smile was as beautiful and radiant as always in Momo's eyes.
Momo's face blushed brighter. She briefly glanced at the side with a shy smile before looking back at him. She nodded at him. "You're right. But still, I can't thank you enough for being there for me this whole time when I felt down. I couldn't have asked for a better friend. I'm happy, so happy that I met you." She said to him with a warm smile as a few tears of joy fell off again. She felt blessed that she got the chance to meet this wonderful boy.
Sora grinned at her. "I'm happy that I met you too, Momo-chan." He replied cheerfully. "If I ever need you, I know you'll be there, right?" He added as he put his hands behind his head.
The girl wiped her tears and looked at him with fiery determination in her eyes. "Yes!" She nodded.
"Also. That move you and Shouto pulled at the end was awesome! I can't believe you trapped Aizawa-sensei with similar binders, that was so cool! I knew that you would come up with an amazing strategy to win!" The Keyblader praised her with an excited glint in his eyes.
"You think?" Momo asked him happily as her blush grew redder.
"Yeah! No way I could ever pull that off! As expected from the genius of the class!" Sora grinned at her. Momo's smile widened as she felt pride in herself. There was this sense of pride and joy that washed over her as Sora, one of the people she admires the most, praised her. "Oh and those dolls you made, matryoshkas were they called? They were pretty cute and a clever way to set up a trap too." He commented cheerfully.
Momo blinked at this. "Really?" She asked him. "I thought those were a little silly." She commented rubbing her cheek with her finger.
"Not at all. The fact that they looked like you made them even cuter." The spiky brunette replied cheerfully as he waved off his hand in denial.
Then an idea came to the raven-haired girl. "Give me a second." She turned her back on him. The boy arched an eyebrow in wonder. He managed to see a brief light coming from the front of the mature-looking girl, meaning she just created something.
The girl turned around a smile with a smile on her face. She hid what she made behind her back. "Close your eyes and open your hand." She told him to do.
"Huh?" He titled his head in confusion.
"I wanna give you a gift. A little token of appreciation for being the best friend I could ask for." She said to him with a happy smile.
"Oh, uuh. Thanks, but you don't have to." Sora smiled as he waved his hands in denial.
"But I want to. Please?" She tilted her head cutely. Sora chuckled before he closed his eyes and extended his open right palm. He felt something being placed on it. "Okay, open them." She told him and Sora did as such.
"A matryoshka doll. And hey, it looks like me!" Sora said happily as he watched the doll in his hand. It was designed after him in his outfit. The face was smiling with blue dots for eyes with a silver crown under it.
"Do you like it?" Momo asked him.
"Yeah. It's pretty cute and I can also put stuff in it." Sora smiled at her as he opened up the doll before closing it again. "Thanks." He thanked her.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it." She replied smiling warmly at him with a cute blush on her face.
"You know what? I also wanna give you something." Sora said to her as looked for something in his pocket. The girl blinked in surprise as her blush turned redder. "Here." He extended his open left hand at her.
"A seashell?" She saw that he had a white spiral-shaped seashell on his hand.
"Yeah. I always liked collecting seashells. I often did it when I was little with my friends at the beach." Sora said to her with a smile. "I found this one a few days ago. Did you know that if you put it on your ear you can hear the sea? That's why I liked carrying one of two seashells like this so I can always hear the sea. I always like the sound of it." He added. There was a sense of longing and nostalgia in his voice. At least the waves here are the same…
The girl took it in her right hand and said, "It's pretty." She smiled at him. "I did hear of that, but I never tried it myself." She commented.
"Then try it now. Put it on your ear." Sora said to her with a grin. She nodded and did just that. She closed her eyes and focused her hearing. "Can you hear it?" He asked her.
"Yes. I hear the waves." She replied with a serene smile. She removed the seashell from her ears and opened up her eyes. "Thank you, Sora-kun." She thanked him as she held the seashell close to her chest like a precious treasure, for her it was.
"You're welcome." Sora replied cheerfully. The two of them then hugged each other once more.
Shouto stood there watching this whole interaction. "Sora… You're lucky, lucky to have her by your side. Take care of her." A serene smile was drawn on his face.
Meanwhile at the USJ, the Fifth match of team Uraraka and Aoyama versus Thirteen was in its final phase.
The duo held on for dear life to a rail. They were like this because of the overwhelming vacuuming force of Thirteen's Black Hole.
"We were so close!" Ochako shouted trying as hard as she could to not let go.
"No, you won't escape!" The Space Hero declared as they approached. Their right index finger opened up to use their quirk.
"Thirteen is fast approaching while theyr suck us up!" The round faced girl knew she and her vain partner were in serious trouble right now.
"I'm not in combat, but it's different when it comes to capturing." Thirteen said as they kept approaching.
Back at the observation room.
Riku, Deku and Tsuyu observed this. The frog girl came back a bit ago and received congratulations from the boys. Sora didn't return yet.
"Escape from Thirteen-sensei's Black Hole is almost impossible." Tsuyu commented with her usual gesture. There was slight concern noticeable in her.
"Yeah." Izuku nodded with concern in his face. "They'll need a plan…" He added.
Riku had a calm and collected face as his hands were pocketed. He was concerned for Ochako, but didn't see a way out for her and Yuga.
Back at the match.
Thirteen kept approaching the students as their Black Hole kept trying to vacuum them up.
Yuga chuckled. "Their quirk never stops sucking up, eh?" He commented with his ever present smile.
"Don't you have anything else to say?! We're in a pinch!" Ochako shouted at him in panic.
"My costume…" The french blond said to her. Ochako glanced confused. "Transmits from my navel… So…" The kneecaps of his costume started to glow and then they shot a laser beam from each. "We don't have any issue!" He declared confidently.
"I also absorb light." The teacher declared as their Black Hole absorbed the laser beams like a real black hole. Yuga was dumbfounded as his red visor slipped off his face. "I undo at the molecular level." Thirteen added as the visor turned into dust as it was absorbed into their finger.
Aoyama looked at this freaked out even if his face didn't change that much. "This is bad!" He said to his partner.
"What are you doing, Aoyama-kun?!" Uraraka shouted at him eye-widened.
"I'm just me." Yuga replied.
"This is bad. They'll trap us. Think. Think of something. Think!" Ochako tried as hard as she could to think of a way out of this mess. "What would Deku-kun do now?" Her mind quickly went to Deku. He might be able to sort this out.
"Hey." Yuga called her attention.
"Wait! Now I'm-!" She tried to reply. However the french teen interrupted her.
"You were thinking about Izuku Midoriya, right?" He said to her knowing that this was the case. The girl looked at him eye-widened. "You do… like him?" He asked her. (I'll answer for her: It's a huge and total yes. We all know it.)
His words echoed in her head as a furious blush appeared on her face. Without thinking she held her cheeks and it was too late when she realized that she let go of the rail. She cried in panic as she went flying towards Thirteen. However they deactivated their quirk in reaction.
Ochako got to the teacher in seconds and something came to her mind. "Don't fight on the enemy's field, if not yours, alright?" She remembered what Gunhead taught her. She went 'awakened' mode and threw a punch at Thirteen, forcing them to dodge. Ochako then grabbed their left wrist and pushed them to the ground with her being on top.
"What?" Thirteen raised their free arm in an attempt to get her off of them.
Yuga used his Navel Laser to rush at them. "Aaand... caught you!" He then grabbed Thirteen right arm, restraining it.
Ochako brought out the cuffs and put them on the teacher's left wrist. "What I learned from Gunhead-san was very useful right now!" The girl thought to herself.
The horn played. "Team Aoyama and Uraraka approved!" The match was over and Ochako and Yuga approved their exam!
At the observation room.
"Well thought, Uraraka-san!" Izuku beamed. "She used her opponent's power to get close." He geeked out excitedly.
Tsuyu croaked as she made her typical gesture in a pensive manner. Riku also looked like he was thinking something. "It looked to me that she just let go…" She said as the three of them looked on the screen how Thirteen was praising the students. Ochako was paying attention as Yuga was looking directly at the camera and winking at it.
"I agree with Tsu. It seemed like a fortunate accident. A punch of luck." Riku agreed with her as he crossed his arms.
"Really?" Izuku asked his friend. Riku nodded in response.
"Yeah. I wonder what she spoke with Aoyama-chan before letting go." Tsuyu wondered out loud.
"No way to know from here. We can just see what happens." Riku commented. They only received the video feed but not the audio. However, Recovery Girl could hear what was happening thanks to a device within her visor. This however was without the knowledge of the students. "Whatever it was must have startled her or something." He added.
"Maybe." Deku said to him as he looked back at the screen.
The door then opened up and Tenya walked in.
"Uraraka-kun passed, eh? Didn't expect any less." He said as he approached his friends.
"Iida-kun, congratulations!" Izuku said to him with a smile. Tsuyu croaked, most likely in happiness.
"Thanks, Midoriya-kun." He thanked his friend.
"But you might want to work on your landings." Riku commented with a sly smirk.
"Hmm. Perhaps I should-'' The robot-like teen cupped his chin until he realized something. "Oh. You were joking." He chuckled a bit.
"Man, you really are too serious sometimes." Riku shook his head, still smirking.
Tenya looked around and noticed that Sora was absent. "And Sora-kun?" He asked him.
"He's-" He was about to reply when the door opened and Sora and Momo came in.
"Hey guys." The spiky brunette greeted them with a friendly grin. "Hey, Tenya. Congratulations for passing." He said to him happily. Momo nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, Sora-kun." Tenya nodded in gratitude. "Yaoyorozu-san. Congratulations for passing." He said to the vice rep.
"Same here. You did really well, Momo." Riku praised her with a smile. Deku and Tsuyu nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, guys." The girl smiled happily as she and Sora approached them.
"Bummer that I missed Ochako and Yuga's match." Sora commented as he put his arms behind his head. "What happened?" He asked his friends.
"I'll explain later." Riku replied.
"Who will take the exam now?" Tsuyu asked as she looked at the screen.
"The sixth match will be Team Ashido-san and Kaminari-san. They're up against Principal Nezu." Momo replied as everyone looked at the screen as well.
"Nezu-sensei, huh?" Sora commented.
"I wonder how he will fight…" Deku commented as well.
"Only one way to find out." Riku replied.
"We must pay attention." Tenya said to the others.
"Yeah." Everyone agreed.
The horn played. "Team Ashido and Kaminari. Practical Exam. Ready, go." And thus the sixth match began. The stage was Gamma Field.
"Kaminari, what do we do?" Mina asked as she and Denki were running.
"Just run." He replied. "Even if he finds us, he's tiny, and I'll be able to use my electricity." He explained. "You shouldn't use your quirk. We can melt the principal." He added with a confident smile.
"That's true." She replied smiling back at him. Both then heard loud metallic sounds and both slowed down until they stopped. "What's that?" She asked as more clanks sounded.
"It's not the principal… Right?" Denku asked as he and Ashido looked around. Then the bolts of a large pipe burst out and the pipe fell towards Kaminari. The electric boy looked up, he paled in horror. "Run!" He shouted as he ran to avoid it. The duo ran as fast as they could to avoid the comically huge barrage of debris and metal raining down on them!
"Kaminari, what's happening?!" Mina shouted.
"Dunno, but the principal must be behind this!" Denki shouted back. Both kept up running as fast as they could.
That was indeed the case. The anthropomorphic animal sat inside a crane. One of his paws holding a lever and the other a cup of tea. "That's right." He said with his usual smile.
At the observation room.
"Is the principal in the crane?" Tenya asked, surprised.
"Why is he in there?" Sora asked, confused.
"But, how is he attacking them?" Deku asked, he was confused as well.
"He's very far from them." Tsuyu commented.
"It must be his predictions." Momo replied.
"Predictions?" Tsuyu asked her as she and the others looked at her.
"Yes. Probably he's making them with very sophisticated calculations." The vice rep explained.
"I heard Nezu-sensei was way smarter than humans. That must be his quirk. He can make really complex calculations to accurately guess what his opponents will do and how to stop them simply by causing a chain reaction. He just needs to use that crane to strike the right place to unleash it. A well-calculated domino effect." Riku commented in an analytical manner as he glanced back at the screen.
Back at the match.
"What chain reaction will be if I break this…?" Nezu pulled the lever and the wrecking ball struck a wall. Thus starting a chain reaction that involved crazy amounts of destruction. "Those calculations are as easy as serving tea." He commented as he watched the destructive domino effect he caused. The students ran as fast as they could to avoid the raining rubble and metal. "And without noticing it… the paths to the espace route ended up sealed one after the other." Each chain reaction not only left crazy amounts of destruction, but also the debris ended up totally blocking the ways to the escape gate. "Intellectual villains just must remain seated!" The tiny principal laughed maniacally. He got too much into the role of the villain…
Back at the observation room.
Recovery Girl heard Nezu's crazy laugh. "Humans experimented a lot with Nezu in the past, so sometimes his true self comes out." She commented to the students. Who looked at the screen very creeped out.
"I knew there was something really off about Nezu-sensei…" Riku commented as creeped out as the others.
"Yeah…" Sora nodded in agreement. Now they know how lucky they are that Nezu likes them.
Back to the match.
"Kaminari, can't you use your electricity?" Mina asked him as both looked around for any sign of rubble coming at them.
"I don't know where he is and I can attack unnecessarily. You want me to be dead weight?" He replied. "We can only flee." He added. That was the only thing they could do.
"Where's the gate?" The pink girl asked him.
"It must be over here." Denki pointed forward. Both rushed forward to said direction. They turned around the corner only for them to suddenly come to a halt. "Can't be…" The electric teen and Ashido just stared forward in disbelief as the way forward was sealed off by debris and metal. A shadow was casted over them and they looked up. They dashed forward to avoid the enormous chunk of metal that fell from above. It blocked the way they came from, leaving them trapped. The duo landed On the ground, Denki got on his hands and knees and looked back. "He wants to bury us alive?" He asked out loud.
"There's still an exit. Come on, use your head! Think! Use those brains!" Nezu said in a demental manner as he pushed and pulled both levers erratically.
"Kaminari, over here!" Mina called him. She used her Acid to carve a hole in the wall.
"Yeah!" He replied. Both then entered a warehouse through the hole. "We took a detour, but if we go out through the door-" He tried to say to the girl, however both of them looked up to see the ceiling cracking before collapsing over them!
Back at the observation room.
"He's a step ahead of everything they do." Deku said with a frown.
"And they can't attack him without knowing where he is." Tsuyu added.
"His plan is perfect…" Momo commented. Both she and Iida had serious faces.
"Unfortunately for them, the match is already decided." Riku said with certainty. Sora's face turned sadder.
Due to Nezu and his High Standard quirk, Denki and Mina weren't able to reach the escape gate in time…
The duo rose up from a pile of rubble. Denki rested over a big chunk of metal as Mina pushed off a piece of concrete off her.
The horn played. "Team Ashido and Kaminari retire due to time up." The match was over and Denki and Mina failed their exam…
"Dammit!"
"No!" Both students groaned in defeat. The girl slumped in the ground as Denki slammed down his fist in frustration.
Nezu took a sip of his cup of tea. "And that I left them an escape route. It's a shame." He said to no one in particular before starting to laugh.
"Denki, Mina-chan…" Sora said with a sad look on his face. He felt bad for them.
"They couldn't do anything. They must be very frustrated." Tenya commented as everyone looked on the screen the two of them being sad and frustrated of their loss.
"Yeah. And they really wanted to come to the training camp." Riku said feeling bad for them as well.
The door opened and there stood Ochako. "What? Mina-chan's team lost?" She asked as she quickly approached the others with a concerned look on her face.
"Yes. The principal's strategy was perfect." Momo replied looking saddened.
"Really? Can't be!" The round-faced girl replied feeling bad for her pink friend.
"It's hard to honestly think of someone that can deal with Nezu-sensei if he can correctly guess what you'll do." Sora commented as he crossed his arms.
"Actually, I think you could Sora." Riku said to him with a hand on his hip.
"Me?" Sora asked him as he tilted his head in confusion.
"Yep. Nezu-sensei might not be able to guess what you'll do. You're as unpredictable as it gets with plenty of options in combat." He replied smiling.
"I agree. You and Riku have the means to get out of many situations." Deku agreed smile.
"Huh. Guess you're right." Sora smiled at his friends.
"And even if you were to be cornered, things just turn out in your favor one way or another. That is one of your greatest strengths." Riku said to him with a slight teasing tone.
Sora smirked at him, knowing full well what he meant there. "Maybe." He said as he put his hands behind his head.
"Riku-chan made it sound like an accident." Tsuyu commented with her typical gesture.
"Hmm. Maybe not an accident, rather good luck is on his side." Tenya disagreed with her.
"Welp, people say I'm lucky." Sora grinned at this. Everyone then laughed for a bit.
Tenya then approached Ochako. "Uraraka-kun, congratulations for approving." He praised her.
"Yeah, you too, Iida-kun." She nodded at him with a smile.
"Ochako-chan, when you were fighting against Thirteen-sensei, what were you talking about with Aoyama-chan?" Tsuyu asked her.
"Huh? That's…" She began.
"Do you like him?" Aoyama's words echoed in her mind.
Ochako's face turned hot and fully red. "Nothing! It's not about that! It's not that, it's not!" She wore a panicked face as she backed away, wailing her arms around frenetically.
"What's wrong, Uraraka-kun? You're red, you caught a cold?" Tenya asked her as she backed away. Izuku just looked at this in confusion.
"Something happened, right, Ochako-chan?" Tsuyu knew this was the case as she put her finger on her chin.
The Keyblade Wielders, however, had a pretty good idea of what Yuga said to her. "Thinking what I'm thinking?" Riku whispered to Sora.
"Mm-hm" He nodded. "Poor Ochako-chan." He him.
"Yup." Riku agreed. Both knew that she either must still be unable to accept her feelings or work out her courage. Hopefully she'll come around soon, because Deku most likely won't.
The horn played once more and everyone looked at the screen.
"Team Koda and Jirou. Practical exam. Ready, go." The seventh match started. The stage was a huge forest.
Kyouka and Koji walked deep in the forest.
"Let's avoid fighting against Present Mic if possible and let's pass through the gate. Alright?" She told her companion. Koji nodded in response. "Okay, let's go." She took off running with the shy boy right behind her.
At the observation room.
"The practical exam puts students with the teachers that they have trouble with." Tenya commented to his classmates as everyone looked at the screen.
"Yes." Momo replied.
"It's easy to understand that Jirou-san and Koda-kun teamed up." Deku commented.
Tsuyu nodded in agreement. "And they're up against Present Mic-sensei." She commented.
"The two of them have sound quirks. What will they do against a quirk that drowns out sound?" Izuku asked with seriousness.
"It's not only that. This will be a hard fight for Kyouka." Riku commented as he crossed his arms. "Due to her Earphone Jacks, she might be more sensible to really loud noises than most people. And what's more loud than Present Mic?" He glanced at his friends.
"So her ears might get hurt…" Sora said to him understanding this. Everyone else got worried at this prospect. "But, if she and Koji work together they might find out, right?" He tried to be optimistic.
"Hopefully." Riku replied as everyone glanced back at the screen.
Back at the match.
Present Mic stood right in front of the escape gate.
"C'mon, hurry up." He was already bored and annoyed. "I don't like to work with so much en-tree-siasm." He complained with a bad pun. "YEAHHHHHHH!" Using his Voice quirk, he let out a huge sound explosion that spread through the forest in seconds!
It reached both students. "How loud!" Kyouka winced in pain as she and Koda covered their ears from the insanely loud sound explosion. It lasted for a few seconds before it let up. "Koda, you can control animals with your quirk, right?" She asked for confirmation. The rock-shaped headed teen nodded in reply. "Can't you make some birds attack him?" She asked him again.
Koji waved his hands quickly in denial. "Even if I order them that, Present Mic's voice will make the animals flee!" He said to her through gestures.
"Even if I cover my ears, my eardrums burst." Kyouka's ears rang hard. "It's not just better… It's like an upgraded version. I can't get close." She now realizes the pinch she and Koda were in. "And if we were, to escape or catch him, he must be in front of the gate so we won't avoid him." She continued as she and Koda ran forward.
Present Mic whistled cheerfully. "Hurry up…" He smirked. "AND COMEEEEEEE OOOOOONNNNNNNNNN!" He let out another sonic blast that reached the students.
"My ears…!" Kyouka winced in pain as she tried as best as she could to block off the sound from her ears.
"NO YETTTTT?!" Present Mic let out yet an deafening sound blast.
"I can't anymore! I can't…!" Kyouka once again suffered from the insanely high volume of Present Mic's Voice.
"HURRY UPPPPPP!" The Voice hero once again shouted from the other end of the forest. The students took cover behind some rocks as they endured until the blast let up.
The duo looked up from their cover.
"If he keeps up like this, he'll deafen us. What do we do?" The rocker girl asked. She then looked down and saw an ant. "An ant?" Then an idea came to her. "Koda, can you control insects? There's one. An ant." She asked him with a smile, she showed him the ant that rested on his left fist. The shy boy paled before letting out a shrill scream. Jirou looked surprised and she moved her fist closer. Koji screamed again and ran away from her and hid behind a tree. "He's not good with insects." She thought to herself.
"THERE YOU AREEEEE!" Present Mic shouted at the students again.
Kyouka stood up as she kept her hands blocking her ears. "This is bad. For now…" She plugged her left jack at one of her speakers in her boots. "Cancel it!" Through the speakers she immensely amplified her heartbeat to pierce through Present Mic's sound blast and nullified it.
The sound waves reached the teacher. "What a boring sound." He commented with a smirk.
Kyouka shook her head off the sharp ringing in her head. She glanced at Koda "You have a plan?" She asked him. Koji shook his head in denial. The rocker girl looked down. "What do I do?" She had no time to ponder as both of them were hit with another sound explosion courtesy of Present Mic.
"NOT YETTTT?!" The voice hero shouted from very far away from the teens.
"We have to escape! At this rate, we won't get close! Don't screw around!" Kyouka was overwhelmed and didn't think she could last long like this. She opened her eyes and looked at her companion. "Koda! Just tell me if it's possible to control insects." She told him.
"It's possible…" Koji replied through a thumbs up. He was shaken.
"Then…" The purple haired shot her right jack at the rock and used vibrations to shatter it. Koji looked up and saw a pile of bugs where the rock used to be. He cried in fear. "I know you're scared, but-" She tried to calm him down.
"OIIIIIIIIIIII!" Present Mic shot another sound explosion at the two of them.
"He's very strong! I can't think of anything else!" Kyouka shouted at him. The blast lasted for a few seconds before it let up. "If you would do it, we could win! You can do it. You want to be a hero, right? Then, let's pass." She encouraged him with a smile.
Koji looked at her with small tears in his eyes. He then gasped as he noticed something. "Jirou-san, your ears…" He noticed that her ears were bleeding. "As I only fled, Jirou-san…" He was in shock and felt very guilty. He looked down at the pile of bugs. He sat down in the ground and closed his eyes. He then remembered the day he told his mother when he entered U.A., she was overwhelmed with joy and pride. "Yes, I entered my dream school. U.A. High School, where you only move forward. Yes, my heart must always be Plus Ultra!" He removed his hands from his ears and forced himself to move towards the insects. "C'mon little ones. It's time to finish off the one responsible for all the noise. Listen up…" Using his quirk he fearfully commanded the insects.
"You do talk!" Kyouka shouted angrily. He wasn't mute, just really shy to even speak.
Present Mic still stood in front of the gate, he whistled while waiting. "What? Are they waiting until time's up?" He asked out loud as he was feeling impatient. He then looked down and saw a tiny crack in the soil right beside him and from it a large bunch of insects crawled up his right leg. He yelped in horror. "They came underground, where there's almost no sound! That's why I hate forests!" He thought before letting out a comically intense scream that was heard through the whole forest!
Back in the observation room.
Everyone, except Tsuyu, looked grossed out.
"Eww…" Sora uttered.
"Whatever it works, I guess…" Riku commented.
"That's harsh even for a pro…" Tenya commented as well.
"Koda-kun, how extreme…" Deku commented with a fearful smile.
Recovery Girl looked angry. The horn played. "He lost against some bugs. Pathetic." The tiny nurse said upset as everyone watched how Koda, carrying Jirou in his arms, passed by an unconscious Present Mic.
"Team Koda and Jirou passed." The match ended and Koji and Kyouka passed their exam!
Eighth match. Team Hagakure and Shoji versus Snipe.
The stage was a room full of columns.
Tooru and Mezou hid behind one of the columns. Bullets repeatedly hit from the other side.
"Shoji-kun, we can't move like this." The invisible girl said as she moved around her hands worriedly.
"Calm down, it's a distraction." The multi-armed teen replied. He used his tentacles to create an extra eye, ear and mouth. "Even so, escaping will be complicated. At least his moves are slow due to the weight." He added through his extra mouth. Through his extra eye he saw that Snipe was behind one of the columns nearby the escape gate.
Snipe reared his head from his hiding spot. "Let's see who hides better." He then threw a smoke bomb, creating a thick smokescreen.
"A smoke bomb? He wants to blind us?" Mezou asked as he saw this. "But it'll affect him too." He added though his extra mouth.
"But I feel your presence." Snipe said to the teens as he approached. He shot a round of bullets from his gun. Thanks to his Track quirk, he could know where his opponents are without having to see them.
Mezou took cover again as the bullets hit the column where he and Hagakure hid. The pilar started to collapse from the amount of bullets cracking it from the other side. The multi-armed teen ran away before it would fall apart. He took cover behind another column.
"You okay, Hagakure?" He asked his companion. However there wasn't a reply from her. "Hagakure?" He looked back from where he left, some bullets hit the ground. Among the debris he saw the girl's discarded gloves and shoes. "So that's what she's doing." He realized what her plan was. He left his hiding spot and ran forward.
"You precipitate!" Snipe felt his presence and aimed his gun forward and shot. Mezou came to a stop right a few centimeters off the straight line of bullets. He saw Snipe approaching him from within the cloud of smoke, his gun aimed at him. The teen raised his arms up. "You give up so easily?" The teacher asked as he came to a stop.
Suddenly out of nowhere a floating pair of handcuffs flew at him. Cuffing on the right wrist! "Got him!" Tooru cheered.
"When-?" Snipe tried to ask, however his elbow bounced off of something. "Something bounced?" He asked.
"Snipe-sensei!" The girl shouted angrily at him as she pulled his right arm.
The teacher quickly understood where he screwed up. "It was a misunderstanding! It wasn't on purpose!" He explained quickly to try and calm her down. (How awkward… XD)
The smokescreen dispersed and the horn played. "Team Hagakure and Shoji passed!" The match ended and Tooru and Mezou passed.
At the observation room.
"Hagakure-san is the best when it comes to hiding!" Momo cheered happily. Tenya smiled as well.
"Shoji-kun also did a great job by attracting his attention." Deku said with a smile.
"Yeah!" Tsuyu and Ochako nodded in agreement. Sora and Riku also smiled.
The group looked back at the scream. The horn played. "Team Mineta and Sero. Practical Exam. Ready, go." They watched as the ninth match started.
Ochako realized something. "Deku-kun, you're next, right? Won't you go to the area of the exam?" She asked him.
"Ah. Yeah, but I want to watch until the last moment." He nodded at her in reply. "It's useful to see how they use their quirks, and I feel like I'm gaining strength by looking at them. Everyone is amazing. Even if they don't pass, they fight until the end. They're U.A.'s great students that never give up." He said with a certain glint in his eyes and an excited smile.
Ochako smiled at this and her eyes glittered as well. "Yeah!" She nodded in agreement.
"Well…" Tenya began.
"There is one…" Momo continued with a plain face.
"...That already gave up." Tsuyu pointed at the screen. Everyone saw how Minoru just ran like a coward while crying.
"Mineta-kun?!" Deku flinched as he was eye-widened in shock.
"Is it that surprising?" Riku commented with a blunt expression with his hands pocketed.
"Not for me." Sora said with his arms crossed. He also wore a deadpan expression.
During the ninth match Mineta mostly ran away cowardly from Midnight while crying. Right at the start he and Sero were on guard and then Midnight approached, the tape teen acted quickly and warped his tape around the midget and threw him upwards to protect him from the R-rated heroine. However, she got behind Hanta and pulled off his helmet before he got affected by her Somnambulism quirk and put him to sleep and when he did his head dropped right into one of her breasts and now he sleeps blissfully in the woman's lap, much to the little perverts chagrin, he even cried blood out of deep jealousy.
As the others watched, Sora and Riku wore noticeable smiles. They were clearly enjoying some of that good old karma biting Minoru's ass off and not this time by their hand for a change.
At some point Minoru stopped running to reflect on his reasons to become a hero, he was so caught up on his thoughts that he reacted too late and received a hit from Midnight's whip, who came due to not resisting her sadistic impulses. The grape-headed midget ran as fast as he could as he held his breath due to Midnight airing out her sedative fragrance out of her body. He ran while also avoiding a hit from the woman's whip.
When he hid behind a rock he revealed that he actually purposefully attacked her there away from the door. He put Sero's tape on his mouth to not breathe and he used the Grape Rush move, he threw several of his sticky balls at her to leave her stuck.
The group was impressed with the smart move he pulled, even Recovery Girl.
At the end Minoru came back for the sleeping Hanta. "Damn. If you didn't try to save me, I wouldn't have to work so much." He said as he picked him up and dragged him to the escape the gate and walked passed it. "Just for today, we'll leave the boobs for later!" He wore a proud smile, he knew when to leave lewd stuff aside and focus on what's important.
The horn played. "Team Mineta and Sero passed!" The ninth match was over and Minoru and Hanta passed! (I was almost tempted to not gloss over this one because of Midnight, but then again… Fuck Mineta, right?)
At the observation room.
"Yes, they passed!" Tenya cheered.
"Mineta-san's plan worked!" Momo smiled. Tsuyu croaked happily.
"Hmph. Gotta admit that was a pretty good one. Minoru can be good when he wants to, which is admittedly almost never." Riku commented as he crossed his arms. "Looks like he does know when to set his priorities straight." He added.
"Yeah, good for him and Hanta." Sora nodded with a smile. "But, does it make me a bad person if I say I was half-expecting that this would end up horribly for Minoru?" He asked with a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head.
"C'mon Sora… This is Minoru we're talking about here, of course no one would judge you if you did." Riku smirked at him.
The girls nodded in agreement.
"I would say that's being mean towards a fellow classmate, but… giving Mineta-kun's track record, it's actually understandable." Tenya sweat-dropped at this.
"Deku-kun, it's your-" Ochako turned to look at the greenette, but he was nowhere to be found. At some point he left without being noticed.
Deku was running towards the designated stage for his exam. "Mineta-kun, congratulations!" He silently congratulated the midget with a smile. "I'll try to be a great hero to not lose against-" His train of thought was cut off when he approached the gates to the stage and right outside stood Kacchan. The emerald teen slowed down as he approached the explosive blond.
Katsuki noticed his presence and looked at him over his shoulder. He scowled at the shitty nerd's worried face before looking back forward.
The childhood friends entered the reclipca city through the huge gates. They glanced forward as the gates closed behind them and the wind blew.
At the observation room.
The group looked at the screen, most teens display concern and worry in their eyes. The door opened and everyone looked and to their surprise they found none other than Cloud walking in.
"Cloud." Sora greeted him, everyone else was surprised to see the newbie teacher here.
"What are you doing here?" Riku asked as Cloud grabbed his Buster Sword before leaving it against the wall.
"I heard what those two kids, Deku and Katsuki, can do." Cloud began as he leaned in on the wall with his arms crossed. "I want to see what they can do myself." He continued as he glanced at the screen. "Also how rough will Toshinori be with them. He can be pretty intimidating and brutal when he wants to. You both could learn a lot watching this match." He glanced at the Keybladers with a cool look on his eyes.
"You sure are setting yourself as the 'bad boy' of the staff, eh?" Recovery Girl said to him with a smirk. Cloud didn't bother to reply.
Everyone set their eyes back on the screen. The other four teens felt a little uneasy with the SOLDIER in the room, he had an imposing presence with the no-nonsense, hardened warrior aura about himself.
"Deku… Good-luck man, you'll need it. May your Heart be your guiding key." Sora silently wished his friend good luck. Riku's expression also told the same.
Back at the match.
Katsuki remembered how shitty Deku got ahead of him with his ability to control his quirk and him imitating his moves. His thoughts went to those shitty key-freaks and how they are always ahead of him all the goddamn time, so much so they even have to bring a brooding mercenary to test them in a no-holds-bar match. He clenched his left fist in frustration. He remembered his declaration at the green nerd and how much it pisses him off that he's now stuck with him to take this exam. He glanced at Deku with a fierce look in his eyes.
Izuku looked back at him, he looked away slightly scared and then glanced down before he looked at him again.
Bakugou took the first step forward and Midoriya followed after him. The explosive boy wore an enraged grimace as he walked.
The horn played. "Team Midoriya and Bakugou. Practical exam. Ready, go." The tenth match began.
"I must tell him… Since Kacchan and I are a team, we must talk normally…" Deku thought as he followed Kacchan before he sped up the pace and got beside him. "Ka-Kacchan, in the exam the teacher is the villain and us the heroes, so we must remember their combat skill and choose either to fight or flee. But in our case, the villain is All Might and fighting would be dangerous… I think it's a bad idea, so-" He tried to explain but Kacchan walked faster. "Wait, Kacchan!" He tried to keep up his pace with him.
"Stop following me!" He shouted at him and the greenette stopped out of surprise.
Izuku then resumed his pace. "I-if we continue upfront, All Might will be waiting for us. We should turn around-" He tried to change his mind, but the explosive blond interrupted him.
"Why should we flee? It's definitely better to beat him." Katsuki counter-argued with an aggressive tone.
"We should avoid combat at all costs!" Izuku insisted.
"We'll play with him until the end, and when he's tired, I'll defeat him!" Katsuki refused to budge with his plan.
Izuku stopped walking with a concerned face. "It's hard to deal with Kacchan… But I can't think that now." He steeled his will and rushed at him. "Who do you think All Might is?!" He shouted at his childhood friend. "Even with an advantage, you won't defeat All Might!" He tried as hard as he could dissuade him as he approached him fast. Kacchan then turned around and knocked him away with his right fist. The boy landed on the ground as he held his face due to being punched right in there.
"Say no more…" Katsuki said to Deku with a dark look on his face. "You can't talk just because you're doing a bit better. Don't fuck with me." He continued as the nerd looked back at him.
Back at the observation room.
Recovery Girl sighed as the teens looked on worried. Cloud just watched silently without changing his expression. "They can't work as a team… Don't they know who they're up against?" The tiny nurse asked out loud worriedly.
Riku narrowed his eyes with clear anger at the explosive blond, but kept his feelings to himself. He understood why Kacchan was acting like this.
Sora does understand this too, but he had a rather concerned look on his face.
Back at the match.
All Might stood at the other end of the stage, behind him was the escape gate. "Very Well…" He brought his left fist back as he redied his attack. "Here I come!"
With the students. "Wait up, Kacchan!" Izuku shouted at him. "I'm telling you so we can pass the exam! Listen up!" He shouted as he sat up. Katsuki was walking away from him.
"I told you that I don't need your power to approve-!" Katsuki furiously yelled back at him.
"Don't yell! That's why we can never talk!" Izuku yelled back at him with the same intensity, he was getting sick of this.
All Might then threw a Delaware Smash forward, the resulting burst of wind was so strong that not only caused heavy damages to the whole area in a straight line, but also reached the duo from across the stage! The two of them were blown away along with the debris.
Katsuki was the first to stand up, the two of them heard steps approaching them.
"What does it matter to damage the city?" Both of them heard All Might, he was coming close to them.
"What…? What's this…?" Izuku thought with a frightened look on his face.
"What's this…?" Katsuki thought with a maniac grin which masked the inner fear he had.
"...Intimidation?" Both saw All Might come out of the cloud of dust. With a powerful stomp, wind was raised to blow away all of the dust, the boys shielded their faces with their arms until the burst of wind let up.
"If you consider this as an exam, you'll regret it." The man of legend warned the two students, both looked at him. "I'm a villain, heroes. Come at me with all your might!" He declared as one of his blue pupils became clear. Certainly a means of intimidation.
Izuku definitely felt it as he was terrified whereas Katsuki only smirked. "We can't fight him. Let's flee." The greenette told his companion as he quickly stood up and tried to run away.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Katsuki yelled at him.
All Might dashed at the shounens.
"Kacchan!" Deku shouted at him.
"Stun Grenade!" Kacchan raised his left hand forward and used his flashbang technique. The bright light forced All Might to stop and shield his face with his left arm.
"Go with all our might, All Might? Even if you didn't say it, that's what-!" Katsuki jumped at him with the intent of attacking him, but the no.1 hero grabbed him from the face, his hand almost fully covered his head. Despite this, Bakugou shot multiple tiny blasts at the Symbol of Peace.
"If you grab someone by the face, you try to take out the hand by reflection. You're really thinking of defeating me, eh?" All Might thought as he tanked the explosions like nothing. He then pushed away Bakugou's right hand before he slammed him hard on the ground! He removed his hand from the shounen's face. "With such weak consecutive hits you won't achieve anything." He told the fallen teen. "And…" He then looked over his shoulder at his protege. In a blink of an eye he stood right behind him. "You won't escape either, Midoriya-shounen. Will you flee leaving your companion behind?" He asked the boy with an intimidating look on his face, his right pupil visible again.
The boy was terrified, it even made him think of Stain. "Why does he remind me of the Hero Killer?" He questioned himself as he activated his Full Cowling. He jumped backwards into the air.
"Hey. That's not right." All Might said to the shounen as he watched how he got away. Little that he knew was that Katsuki was flying in the same direction that he was jumping backwards.
"Move aside!" Katsuki shouted at Deku as he was flying using his explosions.
The emerald teen looked over his shoulder. "Kaccha-!" Both boys collided against each other in mid air.
At the observation room.
"One wants to defeat All Might. The other wants to flee. The latter must admire him too much. For Izuku Midoriya, All Might is like a god." Recovery Girl thought as she saw how the boys fell to the ground. "On the other hand, I don't know much about that boy, but going off the festival and his notes, he must have a great combat skill. Why is he in such a hurry…?" She then glanced at Bakugou, who sat on the ground to recover his breath before he stood up and walked at All Might.
"Katsuki Bakugou… He's just as I was told: Arrogant, prideful, competitive, with a fierce disposition and always tries to demonstrate his supposed superiority at any given chance even if it's against better judgment. He's smart and a genius in combat with nigh-perfect proficiency with his quirk, but his personality and unwillingness to cooperate hold him back. It's clear as day that his envy for those that are better than him, especially Sora and Riku who are so far ahead of him. Not only that, he and Deku don't get along at all. They seemed to be at odds with each other since they were children, more so now that he has progressed significantly while it seems Katsuki didn't. All the more reason why he is in so much hurry to become the best. He's walking on a slippery slope, and at any moment he might slip." Cloud analyzed Bakugou's character based on the information given to him by the staff and what he had seen with his own eyes during the Sports Festival, other previous instances and right now. As of now he wasn't confident with the path that kid is taking so far. "Izuku Midoriya. In many regards he's a lot like Sora: A good kid with a heart of gold and a strong will, always seeking to help anyone in need. His heart never stirs him wrong. No wonder why he and Sora are basically best friends despite the clear distinctions between them. However, just like Sora, he has a tendency of being reckless with detrimental results for himself. Not to mention that despite his willpower, he's personality is meek and timid and suffers for social deficiency issues due to his upbringing. Those are being corrected, but it's a long process before his confidence improves to the desired results. And lastly is his almost borderline concerning admiration for Toshinori, since as a child he always idolized him. There's nothing wrong with that, but it might limit his potential to grow if he keeps up trying to imitate him, it's definitely an issue for him right now if he refuses to fight Toshinori. Then again it makes sense from a logical perspective that he prefers to flee. Deku is a pretty smart kid with good analytical skills and thankfully got a better hand on his One for All, it's just 5% of his full power, but it's a good start. As long as he keeps up walking this path and working hard, he'll be ready when the time comes, Sora will make sure that happens. Deku not only can learn a lot from him, but Sora too can gain a lot from him as well, both can grow a lot with each other's help." The blond swordsman then analyzed Midoriya's character by what Toshinori himself has told him as well as the rest of the staff, and what he has seen with his own eyes during the Sports Festival, previous instances and right now. As of now, unlike the explosive teen, he feels more confident with the path the greenette was walking on so far.
Back at the match.
Izuku was on all fours on the ground, he was staggering briefly before he looked up at Kacchan walking towards All Might. "Kacchan!" He quickly stood up again.
"Move out." He told him with a deep voice. His head was looking down.
"I told you that we can't beat him up front." Deku tried to change his mind again as Kacchan walked past him.
"Shut up. I'll win. That's what it means to be a hero!" Bakugou answered back at the nerd with a fierce look on his face.
Izuku remembered one time when he and Kacchan were kids. The spiky blond was super excited about All Might back then. Izuku quickly approached his childhood friend. "Then, all the more reason to avoid-" He tried to reason with him again as he grabbed him from his left shoulder.
"Let go! Don't touch me!" Katsuki angrily shook him off.
"For now, I'm giving a present to the one that wants to flee!" All Might then dived from the sky with a street railing at his feet. He dropped this on top of Izuku, the railing was nailed to the ground on top of him, restraining the boy's movement!
Katsuki reacted quickly and aimed his right hand forward. However, All Might landed a severely heavy punch on his abdomen that sent him flying! The force of the attack even forced Bakugou to puke before he landed harshly on the ground.
"Kacchan!" Izuku yelled in utter shock. The dust settled and Kacchan layed on the ground wincing in agonizing pain. The greenette clenched his right fist as he watched his fallen friend. The memory from before flashed in his mind once more. Little Kacchan and his friends watched with excitement on TV how All Might defeated four villains on his own, Kacchan was the one that was excited the most at that moment. He deeply admired that no matter how many troubles their idol had, All Might always won. "He's an idiot… But, yes… It doesn't matter the situation, you always try to win. That's why I admire you." Izuku thought as he tried to break free of his restriction. Meanwhile, Katsuki forced himself to slowly and surely get up once more.
All Might walked up to Katsuki as he slowly got back on his feet. "I know why you're upset. It's because of Midoriya-shounen's progress as well as the Keyblade Wielders'." The man said as he stood right beside him. "But even so, a level 1 power and a level 50 one don't improve at the same time. You're wasting your potential. You understand? You know it, right? You can still grow a lot! But I'm not talking about power-" He turned to look at him. The teacher tried to give him a word of advice.
"Shut up, All Might…" However, Bakugou interrupted him in a soft, weakened voice. The no.1 hero looked at him confused. "If I must help that idiot… I prefer losing…" He declared with a dejected expression. His will to fight was gone and there was only resignation in his eyes.
Izuku looked at this in disbelief and All Might didn't immediately reply. Deku activated his Full Cowling.
"I see… Don't regret it." It was all that the legendary hero said as he backed his right fist, ready to strike him.
"Dammit…!" Katsuki only stood there waiting for the final blow. However, instead of All Might, it was Deku that punched him right in the face, sending him forward to avoid All Might's attack. The emerald teen had broken free of his restraint and dashed at his friend.
"Don't say you prefer losing!" Deku shouted at him. Kacchan rolled on the ground before stopping. Izuku carried him over his shoulder and dashed into an alleyway.
"I didn't think that Midoriya-shounen would come… I lowered my guard." All Might commented, he was taken by surprise. He rubbed the back of his neck before looking at the weights in his arms. "This sure is heavy…" He muttered to himself.
Deku kept running within the alley as he was carrying Kacchan. "Put me down, you moron!" The explosive teen demanded angrily.
"It's alright." Deku replied.
"I said put me down!" Katsuki then elbowed the back of the nerd's head. Both of them fell to the ground.
Izuku and Kacchan leaned on the walls as they panted in exhaustion. "Kacchan, I really can't think of how to defeat him or how to escape." The greenette admitted as he stood up while still leaning against the wall.
"Huh?!" Katsuki looked at him in bewilderment.
"Before giving up, try using me! Don't say that it's alright losing!" Deku said to his childhood friend with an upset frown. "You're you because you always try to win, right?" He continued as he looked down with a sad look on his face. The emerald teen looked back at Kacchan, while he was in first year of elementary school, he defeated two bullies of 4th year that bumped into him on his own. Little Izuku was amazed at such a feat from his friend back then. "Always wins at the end… You said that since we were kids. How can you give up?" Deku kept up talking and Kacchan only got more and more angry at him until he yelled and threw an explosive punch. He had punched the wall right beside Deku's head, leaving an impression on it. "Kacchan…?" Izuku muttered, briefly paralyzed from the scare.
"I won't say it again, shitty nerd." Katsuki said to him in a raspy voice. His eyes looking to the ground. Deku looked at him. "Against that absurd speed, it doesn't matter if you flee, you won't avoid fighting." He continued.
"But we have no chance. Not against All Might-" Izuku tried to argue back.
"Shut up, asshole! I'll kill you!" Katsuki shut him up immediately. "He doesn't even feel a simple hit. I got it with those blows. So…" He then began to explain his strategy.
All Might was jogging as he was trying to find the students. "Where's Midoriya-shounen? Since he hid, does that mean he's going to the gate?" He asked himself as he looked around for any sign of his protege and his friend.
Then Katsuki jumped out from an alley behind All Might. "Where are you looking at?!" He yelled as he aimed his right hand at All Might. He was missing his left gauntlet.
"Behind, eh?" All Might at the shounen from over his shoulder.
"You annoy me!" Katsuki's face was twisted in an upset expression, tears came out of his eyes. All Might turned around and got on guard before Bakugou shot an explosion at him right in the face. "Who would work with somebody like you?!" Katsuki shot another blast before landing on the ground, he shot another one while crouching and rushed at his opponent as he shot yet another one. "DEKU!" He yelled and then from behind All Might came out Deku, in his right arm he wore Katsuki's missing gauntlet.
"So we'll hit him with everything from up close. Our only chance is to cause damage and put some distance." Izuku followed his end of Katsuki's plan. He aimed the gauntlet at All Might.
"I see!" All Might looked behind him as he realized the shounens' plan. Bakugou used an explosion to jump high into the air.
"SHOOT!" Katsuki ordered him.
"Sorry, All Might!" Deku then pulled off the gauntlet's trigger and from it a massive explosive barrage came out! The force of the blast strained his shoulder and pushed him back significantly. "My shoulder…!" The boy held his right shoulder as the explosion let up. "Kacchan, you used something like this?" He was amazed how Kacchan could tolare the force of that sort of blast like nothing.
"Run, you idiot!" Katsuki shouted at him as he flew overhead.
"Right!" Deku activated his Full Cowling and dashed after him.
"Don't say that you prefer losing!" Deku's words resounded in Katsuki's head. The explosive teen scowled deeply at this.
As the dust settled, it was revealed that All Might was sat on the ground with no injuries at all. "They got me… A middle option between fighting and fleeing. It's a good improvised plan." He commented to himself. "They also limited the damages by aiming at places already destroyed. I taught them that in the first battle training." He glanced at the surrounding buildings and saw that they were intact. He stood up and coughed a bit. "I see. "The two of them are very smart. But they crumble down when it comes to being together. Envy, hate, persecution. Admiration, rejection, pride. From what I heard, they have so many mixed up feelings, that they don't know how to interact anymore." All Might watched them dash as fast as they could to the escape gate. He coughed in his fist and saw that he spewed out a bit of blood. "It's not something that can be resolved so soon, but cooperating here surely will be a big step for the future." He then leaned on his knees. "Then… Your Sensei will do his best!" He declared, his right pupil glowing.
Deku and Kacchan were dashing as fast as they could, the escape gate was insight!
"Almost there… We almost made it to the escape gate." Deku said to his friend as both were fast approaching. "It's more cuter than necessary, but as long as one of us gets through, we'll approve." He added.
"Dammit. He sent that shockwave from here to where we were? Goddammit." Katsuki cursed under his breath. It was crazy that the damages extended from that far.
"It doesn't seem like All Might is after us. Did he go unconscious?" Deku wondered out loud.
"Idiot, you didn't stop saying that we couldn't beat him! That wouldn't have been enough!" Kacchan shouted at him. "When he reaches us, I'll crush him with my gauntlet!" He declared with a frown.
"Right. And then?" It was then that All Might appeared right between them. Katsuki tried to attack him, but All Might destroyed his gauntlet from a single punch. "What are you surprised about?" In a swift motion he destroyed the gauntlet that Izuku wore.
"How fast…" Izuku was shocked at All Might's insane speed.
"Due to these weights, this isn't even my max speed." All Might declared. "Now, die, heroes!" He then hit Bakugou with his knee right below the chin with enough force to send him flying to the top floor of a building!
"Kacchan!" Deku hurried to go to him, but All Might grabbed him by the right arm.
Katsuki jumped off the building. "Don't fuck with me!" He tried to attack All Might with an explosion, but All Might used Izuku's body to attack him first. The result was him slamming both of them harshly into the ground!
At the observation room.
The teens looked at this in total shock. Ochako even looked on the verge of tears.
Sora and Riku looked out right horrified. "Deku… Kacchan…" The Hero of light muttered.
"See? I told you, didn't I?" The boy looked beside him to find Cloud standing right beside him. He wore an aloof expression as he crossed his arms, his Buster Sword on his back. "The craziest part is that's not even everything he's got. But you both knew that already, you fought right beside him after all." He turned to look at Sora and Riku..
Back at the match.
"Amazing, shonens. You cooperate even if reluctantly just to face me." As the dust faded, All Might said as he rose up Deku's limp body from his arm. He also had his right foot on Kacchan's back and forced him against the ground. "But that… was a prerequisite for the exam." He concluded as he had both teens in a pinch.
"An overwhelming speed… His resistance and power are too… It's simple… It's true power." Katsuki thought as he looked at his idol. "I remember by facing him. Yes. This man is the biggest wall in the world. The greatest hero!" He knew this without a doubt. All Might was truly the greatest.
"Damn…" Deku had activated his Full Cowling and tried to break free of All Might's ironclad grip on him.
"Why that face, Midoriya-shounen?" All Might asked him as he saw the look of utter desperation on the boy's face. He then threw him away. Izuku landed on the ground. "Escape from me with your full power and run to the escape gate. It seems to be your answer, but now that I destroyed Bakugou-shounen's gauntlets, you lost your full power. It's over." He declared with absoluteness.
"Shut up…!" Katsuki opened his right palm, it glowed orange as a few sparks flew. Then he unleashed a powerful explosion! The blast was strong enough to send All Might flying! Within the cloud of smoke, Kacchan got up, his right arm hurts like hell. Izuku looked up to see what happened and then Kacchan grabbed and pulled him up from his mouth protector. "I'll send you flying!" He said to him angrily. Izuku looked at him eye-widened in shock. "I don't like it, but with what we got, it's the only way of winning!" He declared as he prepared to throw the damn nerd away.
"Wait! Don't tell me-!" Izuku tried to argue, but it was too late.
"DIE!"
"Die?!"
Katsuki then used the force of an explosion to send him flying towards the escape gate!
"Seriously, Kacchan?!" Izuku thought at the ridiculousness of this move. Katsuki's right arm winced due to the explosion he just made. "But now, while All Might is in the air, the goal…" The greenette took advantage of the momentum to reach the escape gate.
"New Hampshire Smash!" All Might used this variant of his smash to push himself backwards at high speeds. He collided right into Izuku's back! Katsuki saw this and used his explosions to get to the air. The force of the impact was so much that it could even be heard how Deku's back snapped! The boy cried in agony. "Don't be naive, heroes!" All Might said to the students. Due to the collision, Deku was sent flying towards a bus, he bounced off it before landing on the ground with a loud thud.
"The gauntlets were to use my full power without risks!" Katsuki used his explosions to dash at All Might while in mid air. All Might glanced at him from over his shoulder. "It was stupid. I couldn't beat you without taking risks!" He declared with a maniac smirk as he aimed his arms forward. The veins in his arms became pronounced as he charged up his next attack. He then unleashed another huge blast upon All Might!
Izuku shielded his eyes with his left arm. "The big explosion that he used in the festival. Twice…" He recognized this kind of great blast that he used. Twice in a row… It's dangerous for him.
Katsuki's arms pained him horribly as he descended to the ground. "Go, Deku! Quickly!" He shouted at him.
Izuku tried to get up. "My back…" However, the pain in his back made it difficult for him. He recoiled from it.
"I can still move better than you with your mimicry power!" Katsuki landed back on the ground safely. He then changed forward. All Might came out of the cloud of smoke, he dived at him. "Be useful, scum!" He then unleashed another huge barrage of explosions at All Might. But the strain in his arms got worse and worse.
"I'll advance even if it hurts…" Izuku moved weakly and slowly towards the door, his vision was getting blurry. "If I go to the gate, All Might will try to block me… Kacchan should be able to take the chance…" He then activated his Full Cowling as he slowly took one step after the other. All Might jumped after him with the intent to stop him. Katsuki, however, got between them and threw another explosion at him, but All Might dodged it. He grabbed the boy by the skull and dragged him harshly into the ground! Izuku turned to look at this in utter shock.
"Sleep, Bakugou-shounen. I'm sorry, but as a teacher, it's traumatic to watch you destroy your own bodies." All Might said to his pinned student.
Katsuki then grabbed All Might's wrist, he created a powerless blast. All Might was surprised to see him still conscious. "Hurry up, you stupid…" He muttered weakly. "I'll… break…" He let out two puffs of smoke from his right arm. All Might looked at him with a pained expression. "Even,if I have to shred myself apart, I'll win as I want to… I won't accept that not even like this I can't beat you…" He muttered to All Might and then bit his hand. "I won't!"
Deku activated his Full Cowling once more. "Kacchan!" He refused to leave him behind, not after he saved him!
All Might quickly turned to look at his successor. "Don't!" However, the shounen already dashed at him.
"Saving people with a smile, no matter the problem…" Those were the words of his idol.
"Please, move aside, All Might!" Izuku wore a wavering, and yet determined grin. He charged more power on his right fist. "Smash…!" He landed a heavy punch in All Might's face, strong enough to move him away from his friend. He quickly grabbed Kacchan and dashed to the escape gate as All Might coughed for a bit.
"No-" He tried to go after then, but he fell to his knees as he coughed more. Vapor was coming out of him, he was hitting his limit.
"He's unconscious... " Izuku noticed that his friend was knocked out. "Sorry, Kacchan. That's how I am…" He silently apologized to his friend as he kept up running to the gate.
"Dang it. He could have gone through the gate alone." All Might muttered to himself before he coughed some more, he had spewed some blood on his fist. "He punched me with all his might." He then looked at his successor as he ran to the gate with his friend in tow. The teens in the observation room looked at this in awe."Yes. You were like that from the beginning. You can't help but to save those in need. And in those cases, there's no wall that can stop you." He thought as he looked how his protege successfully crossed through the gate! "Yes. That's the kind of person you've always been."
"Team Midoriya and Bakugou approved!" The match was over and Izuku and Katsuki approved their exam!
At the observation room.
The teens cheered. Ochako and Tsuyu joined hands as the former skipped out of joy.
"He did it!" Riku cheered as he and Sora surrounded each other with one arm each.
"Way to go, Deku!" Sora wore a big happy grin.
Recovery Girl smiled.
Cloud wore a tiny smile. "Not bad at all, Deku. You're a lucky kid too." He was impressed with the emerald teen. The Keyblade Wielders' celebration was cut short when Sora felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw that it was Cloud, who was turned around. "Sora, Riku. It's time." He told them with a serious tone. Sora gasped. His face turned serious and he nodded in reply. "I'll be waiting." And with that he let go of him and walked towards the door. Sora's mind flashed back to the first time he ever saw Cloud.
Cloud walked out of the room and everyone was briefly speechless.
"Guess it's our turn now." Sora turned to look at his best friend.
"Yup." Riku nodded.
"Sora-kun, Riku-kun. I wish you good luck." Tenya said to them. "You have a difficult challenge up ahead, but I know you will pass." He added with a smile.
"You'll come with us to the training camp, right?" Ochako said to them with a bright smile. Tsuyu nodded in agreement.
"But of course! No way we'll be missing that! Summer isn't meant to be spent studying." Sora replied with a grin as he put his hand behind his head.
"Besides, you'll be bored without us." Riku joked as he pocketed his hands. The group then shared a brief laugh.
"Sora-kun." Momo approached him. She had her hand on her chest. "I'll be watching how you and Riku-kun win. I know you'll do your best." She told him with a warm smile and a blush on her face. She was certain that the boys could win this.
Sora smiled at her. "Thanks, Momo-chan." He thanked her with a nod. "You all just watch. Riku and I will pass this exam with flying colors!" Sora said with a confident grin.
"Great. Now you jinxed it." Riku joked with a teasing smirk.
"Hey." Sora played along. The boys laughed for a bit. "Ready, Riku?" He asked him with a smile.
"You know it." Riku replied nodding. "Let's see what Cloud's made off." He added with a determined smile.
"Yeah!" Sora nodded with determination.
And so the two of them walked out towards their designated stage for their match.
The stage for the eleventh and final match of Class 1-A's practical exam was yet another city replica. It was in a circular shape with a huge tower right in the middle. The stage was called Ground Midgar. (Yes, this stage is a replica of Midgar from FF7. Just way smaller than the real deal and of course without the slums. But it has a nigh-exact replica of the Shinra Building.)
At the observation room. The teens watched anxiously as Sora and Riku entered Ground Midgar.
Kyouka, who came back from her match, Eijio and even Shouto came into the room to watch as well.
Sora and Riku had entered the stage, the gates behind them closed.
The horn played. "Team Nomura and Yasue. Practical Exam. Ready, Go!" And so their match began. Wind blew and both Keyblade Heroes saw a figure approaching them. It was obvious Cloud, who was walking calmly towards them. He came to a stop at a considerable distance from them.
"You came." He said to them.
Sora smirked. "No way we wouldn't." He replied.
"Hope we didn't keep you waiting." Riku said with serious determination.
"Nope." He bluntly replied.
Sora and Riku called forth their Keyblades and went into their fighting stances. "Ready to do this, Sora?" Riku asked him.
"You bet!" The hero of light replied with determination.
"Now…" Cloud reached out for his Buster Sword, unhooking it from his back and getting into a fighting stance. "...Come at me, heroes." He wore a cold expression.
Sora and Riku then dashed at him at full speed, leaving impressions on the concrete.
Keyblades in hand ready to battle. A Clash between otherworldly warriors has just begun…
To be Continued...
