What Friends Are For

by Constipated Genius

Amidst an era of villainy that threatens to upturn hero society, sometimes, the most enduring force against terror can be something as simple as the friendship shared between the aspiring forces for good. An AU in which two more students are thrown into Class 1-A and face an entirely original set of circumstances that follows only the outline of canon. (Rated M for safety purposes)

47. Big Brain Battles

Since arriving at the battlefield of their practical exam, Yaoyorozu Momo found herself thinking. Granted, her thoughtfulness was a trait as intrinsically part of her character as were her mild mannerisms, but there was something to be said about the importance of habitual engagement with one's more intellectual side – especially in situations like this. Yaoyorozu understood this predilection for constantly thinking had helped her come far in life. Even if it might've seemed counterproductive for her sociability, she'd always found much more comfort in studying and self-reflection than anything her peers could provide.

Since her team's combat stage was close to where the teachers had first introduced themselves, she assumed her classmates' would be too. But she remembered that the practical examinations were being conducted simultaneously and, whether it felt inefficient to have students waste time waiting until their practical exams started or not, the exams being conducted simultaneously was something understandable. If the exams were taken sequentially with the previously-mentioned thirty-minute time limit, Class 1-A could've easily wound up being stuck at U.A. well into the evening. Everything made sense.

Despite this, the anticipation of waiting around for her final examination to start was rather disconcerting. Yaoyorozu wouldn't pretend she wasn't excited by the prospect of a summer camp excursion. Contrary to popular belief, she was interested in spending more time with her peers in a strictly social setting.

'Perhaps it'll be an opportunity to spend additional time with the others? After the study session, everyone seemed so excited about adventuring around that one arcade… I wonder if they might express similar excitement when we're at that summer camp?'

Shaking her head, she clamped down on that line of thinking. There wasn't an infinite amount of time left before the practicals started, and she should take advantage of every moment she had left analyzing variables that pertained to the practical itself. Aizawa would have approved of that decision, certainly.

Which meant it was about time she focused on what mattered the most.

From her position near Todoroki at the center of their assigned battleground, her grey eyes scanned through the residential district before her, inspecting every detail that could become relevant to their success or failure. Their surroundings consisted entirely of an unusually-dense condensation of mid-sized neighborhood houses. It was about as simplistic a location possible that they could've conducted combat, considering that though heroes oftentimes tried to avoid combat near neighborhoods, there were times that violent struggles invariably occurred in quiet, unassuming places like these.

Yaoyorozu understood that their environment wouldn't inhibit their combat skills, but for their 'villain' opponent…? This place must've seemed like paradise. Aizawa's amazing mastery over his scarves endowed him with superb mobility in urban environments like this, and even with his movement-inhibiting weights, the long sightlines this mock neighborhood's narrow streets provided meant his Erasure Quirk could be used easily.

Tension tightened Yaoyorozu's shoulders. 'No, no! There's so much that can go wrong, here!'

Hopefully beneath her teammate's notice, Yaoyorozu stared nervously toward Todoroki, her brow furrowed. 'Envious' hardly described how she felt when she considered the innumerable advantages Todoroki's stoicism always provided. Considering his familial lineage, as another recommendation student herself, Yaoyorozu had always felt it necessary to match him, but… never once had she felt justified in considering herself his equal.

Whereas she'd played right into her (admittedly clever) opponent's trap during All Might's initial battle trials, Todoroki had conquered his adversaries without effort.

Whereas her combat training always boiled down to testing her mental processing speed before she committed to any decisive action, Todoroki always performed correctly so quickly that it seemed his heroic instinct was unrivaled among their class.

Whereas she followed his lead throughout the Sports Festival and floundered during her first tournament fight, Todoroki always overcame every obstacle and opponent until his peculiarly lackluster final fight versus Bakugo. Succinctly summarized…

Todoroki was their class frontrunner, its paragon of talent and almost insurmountable strength.

Yaoyorozu had continually fallen beneath Todoroki's shadow, making her weakness into something that everyone had probably become acutely aware of these days.

Whether justified in this self-perception or not, Yaoyorozu figured it'd perhaps be wiser to defer the planning for this practical examination to Todoroki. Granted, she could've spent this initial period forming a plan with him, but Todoroki had long since appeared focused enough already. Anything she 'contributed' to his thought processes would probably come across as a needless reminder at best and an unnecessary annoyance at worst.

'Better that one stays their tongue than earn their ally's contempt…'

An official, monotone voice echoed throughout the battleground from seemingly all angles.

"Team Todoroki and Yaoyorozu. Practical exam. Ready? Go!"

"There's our signal, then," Todoroki observed, suddenly stiffening and sinking into an action-ready pose. "Yaoyorozu, we should probably get moving right away."

"R-right," Yaoyorozu agreed.

Wasting not another moment, Todoroki turned and led them into a nearby narrow alleyway that'd offer them shelter from prying eyes. They entered the lengthy stretch of shadow-obscured urban sprawl at a brisk jog, and Yaoyorozu could tell that Todoroki wasn't even slightly on-edge. Yet another reason he was better-qualified, she supposed.

"Yaoyorozu, listen, I want you to keep making small objects. When you're no longer able, that means Aizawa-sensei's probably nearby," Todoroki explained. Slowing down to a stop when they reached the alleyway's end, he cautiously poked his head outside their refuge to make sure their adversary hadn't discovered them. "Our success depends on who finds each other first. Once we spot him, I'll lure him towards me. Then you can run through the escape gate and win this thing for us. Just stay near me until then. I'll watch your back."

Hidden beneath the shadows, Yaoyorozu's brow furrowed.

"Yaoyorozu?" Todoroki glanced over his shoulder. "Come on, hurry up and start making things."

"Sure," Yaoyorozu responded automatically, even as her gaze drifted downwards. "No problem."

The pair then emerged from their alleyway and stepped into broad daylight. From this point forward, even though their second jog proceeded along with equal alacrity as the one prior, they would be exposed and easily sighted by their 'villain' opponent. Yaoyorozu attempted to distract herself from that unsettling notion by focusing on carefully, continuously creating the simplest thing her Quirk ever created.

Another second later, Yaoyorozu's shoulders started glowing bright pink as the object started being mass-produced. Alongside each step, a small assortment of oddly-shaped dolls modeled after her family members and various classmates emitted from her lipids, each falling to the ground with a wooden clatter.

They were the first thing she'd ever perfectly produced, but she carefully considered and executed upon a minor alternation of their internal contents. Todoroki's plan would probably succeed, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared.

"Um, I guess those work alright, but what are they?" Todoroki asked. His attention quickly returned to the narrow street ahead of them.

"Oh, these things?" Yaoyorozu caught several copies and tucked them into her oversized belt. "They're just Russian matryoshka dolls. Nothing special."

"Right…" Todoroki's right hand frosted over. "Well, let me know if you notice your Quirk acting strangely."

Another moment passed between them in silence. Yaoyorozu spent that time suppressing yet another uncomfortable sensation that threatened her stomach at her teammate's dismissal. He hadn't stopped to question why exactly she was storing some of her mass-produced dolls in her belt; then again, he hadn't been provided any reason to assume anything was amiss, quite yet.

Not that she figured it'd matter that much, if she told him what modifications she'd made.

"I'd expect nothing less from you, Todoroki…!"

"What do you mean?" Todoroki responded.

"You were able to come up with a plan against Aizawa-sensei so quickly," Yaoyorozu said. "You knew exactly what'd be best right when we started…"

"This is nothing," Todoroki said.

"No. You're wrong."

Despite his previously-dismissive attitude, when she suddenly stopped, Todoroki followed her example. His expression betrayed neither confusion nor frustration, just simple curiosity.

"As students who were admitted into U.A. through recommendations, we started around the same place, but in terms of practical skills that a hero needs…" Yaoyorozu's hands clasped together over her heart. "I haven't managed to do anything that stands out. During the cavalry battle, I just followed your orders, and-"

Todoroki inhaled sharply. "Yaoyorozu. You aren't making those dolls! He's coming!"

"I'm sorry!"

"If you're aware that your opponent's here, then you should be acting," an intimidating voice said from above.

Responding to the blurry movement falling from the electrical wires overhead, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu whirled to face their opponent. Aizawa's scarves billowed around him, his goggles hiding his eyes from view. Another breath later, Todoroki thrust his right hand forward to freeze Aizawa in his tracks – but nothing resulted from that action.

"I would recommend you prioritize evasion," Aizawa suggested. "Since I've taken your power from you, and all."

"Yaoyorozu!" Todoroki transitioned his momentum into a fearsome kick that forced their opponent to temporarily retreat backwards. "You know what we talked about! Go!"

The nerves that had frozen her in place shattered upon Todoroki's command. She twisted on her heel and sprinted immediately in the opposite direction.

"Is that what your plan is?" Aizawa asked.

There was a muffled burst of movement that sounded behind her, but Yaoyorozu didn't dare investigate; instead, she renewed her attempts to escape.

"I should be more than enough to stall you, Aizawa-sensei," Todoroki countered.

"Unlikely," Aizawa retorted. "Oh, and to make things abundantly clear…"

Although the sounds of their battle had almost faded, Yaoyorozu almost flinched at the sound of Aizawa's scarves tightening around their target. Once she rounded a corner, there would be only one thing she heard before the battle became obscured by distance.

"Right now, I'm Eraserhead," the villain warned. "Your supposed sensei has nothing to do with this practical examination."

Unable to overcome the fear that gripped her heart, Yaoyorozu's sprint towards safety devolved into an aimless, pathetically panicked endeavor. Distinct houses blended into an incoherent swirl of meaningless colors, and the various landmarks she would have utilized in her escape rapidly became obscured by the mental miasma that had suddenly plagued her. Various questions with increasingly unsettling implications rapidly assailed her psyche.

Was there a shorter route she could take?

Would Todoroki be alright against their opponent?

Was there enough time to create something that'd make her move faster?

But beneath these several panic-stricken thoughts, another, much more forceful one screamed out from somewhere deep beneath her consciousness.

'STOP, Yaoyorozu!'

Compromising between her reflexive response to ignore that thought and the desire to obey the command, Yaoyorozu blinked.

'Come on! Don't panic again, now! Don't lose your cool!' she beseeched herself. 'If you don't keep yourself calm now, that panic will cascade into yet another failure! This time, though, that failure would reflect upon you and your teammate! Think. Think!'

That unpleasantly painful sensation around her heart vanished, and she didn't waste another second.

Her heart raced like an engine.

Her mind proceeded to exceed that particular pace tenfold.

'What is Aizawa-sen- no, what's the villain that calls himself Eraserhead planning?'

The answer to that was easy. Todoroki was their team's greatest burst-offensive threat, so it only stood to reason that their villainous opponent would capture him first. Eraserhead might've been handicapped, but he still exceeded his pupils with years' worth of real-life experience in combat. And that wasn't even mentioning the unmatched, inhuman proficiency he possessed with his scarves.

'Eraserhead's probably planning a divide-and-conquer strategy, now that we're separated; still, how can he assure that Todoroki's permanently removed from combat?'

Provided that Eraserhead's distinctly human limitations meant that he'd have to blink eventually, that meant Todoroki would inevitably reacquire his Quirk – and therefore his ability to escape – unless Eraserhead took some precautionary measures. Optimistic about Todoroki's capabilities though she might've been, Yaoyorozu knew Aizawa would invariably have prepared several semi-permanent countermeasures to Todoroki's powers.

'Principal Nezu and Aizawa-sensei definitely weren't lying about the villains being assigned to the teams they could most efficiently defeat. Eraserhead's mentality and distinctly unique combat style essentially turns him into the quintessential nightmare for students that pride themselves upon their powerful Quirks,' she thought. 'Despite all that, Eraserhead's still human. What are his weaknesses?'

Yaoyorozu struggled to answer this vitally-important question. Those ultra-compressed weights he'd been outfitted with should inhibit his movement and drain his stamina, but that restriction certainly hadn't inhibited Eraserhead much. His physique and inhuman ability with his scarves brought that drawback close to complete and utter negligibility, but…

"There's definitely some fundamental vulnerability there!" Yaoyorozu shouted. "Some hidden, exploitable weakness that could turn the tide of this examination in our favor! Come on… you made it into U.A. High School's hero program! Make that mean something!"

"You should probably understand that talking to yourself is an extremely simple way to reveal your position, hero!"

Yaoyorozu practically gave herself whiplash with how quickly she looked over her shoulder, finding Eraserhead running and leaping across the residential district's rooftops and bearing down on her position.

'Eraserhead! This must mean Todoroki's already been defeated. So fast!'

Eraserhead didn't waste a single second once he came within striking distance, leaping into the air and lashing out with his scarves simultaneously. Much to her dismay, Yaoyorozu's arm was ensnared by the restrictive attack, rendering her immobile. Any attempts to call upon her Quirk fell flat, leaving her helpless to do anything other than desperately struggle against Eraserhead's superior strength as he started pulling her toward him.

'No! This can't be when everything falls apart!'

Just when Yaoyorozu's desperate attempts to delay her capture seemed destined to fail, a memory flickered from somewhere deep within the recesses of her mind.

"Don't sell yourself short, Yaoyorozu. You aren't invincible, but then again… nobody is. One stumble versus Bakugo doesn't mean that you'll fail whenever we finally become Pro Heroes ourselves, someday."

That recollection being classified as miraculously well-timed would be the understatement of the century. Yaoyorozu felt something indescribable reignite incredible confidence inside her heart as Takara's encouragement echoed through her ears easily dozens of times over.

Now more than ever before, Yaoyorozu understood the truths hidden behind those simple words. She couldn't delude herself into thinking that because she had faltered once, she always would.

U.A. had recognized her potential, which meant that it was officially and even exclusively her responsibility to recover the trust in her abilities that she'd forfeited after suffering through her disastrous defeat during the Sports Festival. Her lifetime of dedication and training couldn't and wouldn't go to waste now! Not when their team's success or failure relied upon her actions here and now!

"I'm gonna hit you where it hurts!" Eraserhead threatened. "Let's find out which of us is really stronger, here!"

'Remain calm!' she instructed herself. 'Okay, I don't stand any chance whatsoever against my own teacher, but…! Wait, my power isn't erased! Eraserhead must've blinked! Creation!'

Without warning, a steel wheel emerged from precisely where the villain's scarves had ensnared her. Yaoyorozu slipped her arm out through the built-in hole before the wheel could disturb her balance, and promptly darted around a corner before her Quirk could be sealed away again. She stealthily slinked into the shadows, courtesy of a nearby network of narrow alleyways.

It had taken her some time, but she understood exactly what would become pivotal to their team's success.

---

Once his target unexpectedly escaped around another corner, Aizawa immediately leaped atop another rooftop. Nobody would've been remiss to think that the feat was performed with rather minimal effort, considering how little exertion showed itself on his face, but this wasn't the case. Hatsume might've been passionate about anything that involved her innate inventiveness, but the ultra-compressed weights she'd made fulfilled their function perfectly.

Whereas leaping around this much would've normally posed no issue to his stamina, Hatsume's weights turned that task into an annoyingly arduous task. Though he was reluctant to admit it, Yaoyorozu's escape might have been the best outcome for him.

His chest quietly heaved for breath and his eyes were stinging and dry after only a few minutes of using Erasure. Aizawa was forced to conclude that this was true. Yaoyorozu's Quirk wasn't as instantaneously devastating as Todoroki's, but a single mistimed blink in close-quarters combat could still prove disastrous.

"Damn…" Aizawa lifted his goggles, administering his eye drops. "It looks like that Nomu smashing my orbital floor did a really heavy number on my eyes after all. Blinking more often during combat doesn't exactly translate into increased combat effectiveness when your power relies on keeping your eyes open."

Exacerbation of his innately human weakness aside, Aizawa slipped his golden goggles back into place and refocused. If he wanted to take another nap sometime soon, he'd have to start scanning the immediate area for signs of Yaoyorozu's current whereabouts.

Unfortunately, his search yielded no immediate results. Todoroki might not have actually been the strategic mastermind most of his peers potentially believed he was, Aizawa thought, but his plan to sacrifice himself to ensure his teammate's escape placed most of the burden exclusively on his shoulders; and, considerate though that gesture might've been, it would've benefited his team far more if this plan had been devised between both of their minds, rather than through his alone. Potential pros needed to understand when to distinguish between when situations required independent or team-based actions. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu might've still been children, but Aizawa understood that kind consideration and overburdening oneself in the hopes of finding success were things that had no place when dealing with potentially life-or-death scenarios.

And ever since the Sports Festival concluded, the dichotomy between the two teens had become ever more apparent. Todoroki, for whatever reason, never hesitated whenever he was thrown into action, while Yaoyorozu had seemingly lost the ability to trust her own instincts and reactions.

'It'd certainly be nice if I could help Yaoyorozu recover that lost confidence, but… that isn't anywhere near my job, right now.'

Movement instantly attracted Aizawa's attention, and he recognized the distinct swirly ponytail that belonged to Yaoyorozu rushing back in Todoroki's direction. Aizawa inwardly smiled.

"So, you didn't take that opportunity to escape, huh?" Aizawa asked. "Perhaps you've already recovered some of that confidence… or perhaps you've become even more foolish than I'd imagined. How about we find out?"

His stamina renewed, Aizawa launched toward his targets. Their success or failure hinged entirely on their actions once this next encounter occurred. And personally?

Aizawa almost felt excited to see what they had planned this time around.

---

Upon her return to where she'd abandoned Todoroki, Yaoyorozu noticed that her inference about Eraserhead's incapacitation of him wasn't wrong. Cleverly designed to assure Todoroki couldn't escape his binds without incurring severe injuries, Eraserhead had secured him midair with some lengthy scarves above a field of dangerous caltrops. By himself, Todoroki had no means of escaping his prison; fortunately, he wasn't alone. Not anymore.

Once she started her advance through the caltrop minefield, swiftly approaching the pole that served as the cornerstone that kept Todoroki suspended, he noticed his teammate's return, eyes widening.

"Yaoyorozu! You came back?"

"Absolutely!" Yaoyorozu responded confidently. "We both know that neither of us stand the slightest chance of outrunning or outmatching Eraserhead one-on-one. We need each other's help if we wish to pass this practical!"

If the definition were somewhat modified, the look that appeared on Todoroki's face could've been accurately classified as mild surprise. Yaoyorozu didn't spare another second of thought to think about what this might've meant for what was running through his head, and slowly started carefully lowering him onto the ground.

Yet that peculiar expression persisted.

"Todoroki," Yaoyorozu began, unraveling another length of carbon fiber cloth from around the concrete pole. "I believe that I should interpret your silence as there being something on your mind? What're you thinking?"

"It's nothing, it's just that…" Todoroki's features softened. "It looks like you aren't anywhere near as nervous as you were before for some reason."

"Oh, right… It might sound somewhat odd, but during the study sessions? The ones at my place during the weekend? Takara offered me some words of wisdom. I believe that encouragement might've managed to steady my nerves, here."

"Takara?" Todoroki's brow furrowed slightly. "That means she's helped us both at some point, then."

Surprised, Yaoyorozu blinked but didn't question that comment further. Whatever Takara had done to assist Todoroki, she had no idea, but that particular story was one she possessed little interest in investigating at the moment.

"Yaoyorozu, I know this might seem like it's coming out of nowhere, but from this point forward, I'll be listening to your plans," Todoroki said. "It's not like mine were particularly effective when Eraserhead finally found us."

"You don't know how much that means to me," Yaoyorozu confessed, her grip around his suspension's anchor tightening. "Then from this point forward, let's not disappoint Takara by emerging from our practical exam as anything other than victors!"

"Again, this hesitation will cost you two tremendously!" Eraserhead shouted.

Whipping her head in the direction she'd come from, Yaoyorozu barely suppressed a horrified gasp. Eraserhead was running along a length of electrical wire with practiced ease, and would be upon them in moments.

'Damn it! I didn't release Todoroki in time, and now-'

"Drop me, now!"

"What?" she asked. "But what about the caltrops? You'll-"

"Don't worry about them!" Todoroki shouted. "From this height you've lowered me, I can land without getting hurt! Drop me, then run away!"

"That didn't work well last time," Eraserhead reminded, now directly overhead. "Giving up?"

"No, not again!" Yaoyorozu released the remainder of her teammate's anchor, fierce, dangerous determination sharpening her soft features. "This time, I know exactly what should be done when you attack us!"

Blurred by immediate motion, Yaoyorozu's hands snatched the complete assortment of modified matryoshka dolls she'd stored within her belt. Hastily throwing them upwards, she didn't spare the impromptu projectiles another look – she knew that they'd intercept their target without fail. Eraserhead accepted the bait, sweeping his arms across some of the dolls and breaking them in half.

"What're these?" he asked.

"Flashbangs!" Yaoyorozu proclaimed. "Todoroki, avert your eyes!"

Yaoyorozu barely heeded her own advice before their detonation though. But aside from the immense momentary shadow the flashbangs created before herself and their accompanying sound-based effects, all she heard from their villainous opponent was a growl of discomfort. Simultaneously, Todoroki landed beside her, and Eraserhead landed before them despite the successful attack.

"Nishimura's performance against Bakugo provided me with this idea," Yaoyorozu explained. "What's more, I have some other ideas, too! Todoroki, I have a plan that'll help us win! This practical exam isn't over. Together, we can defeat this villain!"

Eraserhead lifted his goggles. Idly rubbing the discomfort from his terrifically-bloodshot eyes, he provided them with what Yaoyorozu interpreted as what could've only been his stilted attempt at an approving smile; meanwhile, Todoroki unbound himself from his remaining scarves.

"So you have a strategy in mind, after all," Todoroki commented.

"Yes. In fact, I've been thinking about this from the outset. His fundamental weakness."

"Alright. Just tell me whatever needs doing," Todoroki said.

Eraserhead chuckled. "Like I'll give you the opportunity?"

Before either trainee could throw themselves into motion, Eraserhead leaped onto another house far outside their melee range. A scarf hurdled from his assorted bunch, and his goggles slid back into place.

"Yaoyorozu!" Todoroki exclaimed.

With hardly an instant left, they heeded his unspoken warning and leaped backward, avoiding the binding cloth before it could ensnare them. Todoroki threw his left arm in Eraserhead's direction, his sudden plan to take advantage of his flames to drive Eraserhead away abundantly apparent.

Nothing emerged from his extended hand.

"Crap!" Todoroki shouted. "He must've erased it again!"

"Todoroki, we have to hide!" Yaoyorozu advised. "Together!"

Eraserhead had almost retrieved his latest extended scarf when Todoroki lowered his arm again. Yaoyorozu interpreted the gesture as acceptance of her suggestion, and they dashed away from the encounter with the speed of prey animals fleeing for their lives. She didn't stop to consider anything other than preventing herself from tripping over asphalt at the worst possible moment.

"Since his injury, his Quirk's become unstable!" Yaoyorozu started.

"Because of what happened with that monster during the USJ incident?" Todoroki recalled. "So we'll exploit that, right?"

"Not yet," Yaoyorozu said. "For the time being, all that's necessary is that we escape his effective field of vision. It's all simply a matter of timing. We will pass this final!"

"Timing," Todoroki echoed. "How's escaping his line of sight gonna help us with that? He'll still just take our Quirks away whenever he sees us!"

Sprinting past another corner, Yaoyorozu practically felt Eraserhead's intimidating gaze squarely upon their shoulders. His breathing was muffled by distance, but she didn't need to look over her shoulder to discern he was still running along power lines in pursuit of them. Their split-second decision to run away had bought them time, but Eraserhead would inevitably catch up.

"Just follow my instructions," Yaoyorozu finally responded. "And keep checking to see if you can use your ice abilities, alright?"

"Okay," Todoroki said. "I'll trust your judgment, here."

"Thank you," Yaoyorozu replied with a smile. "We haven't lost this battle yet. Eraserhead's wrong to think he'll be capable of keeping our powers erased this whole time. There will definitely be a single moment, a brief interval when Eraserhead blinks before he can use his Quirk again. I'll be counting on you at that moment to attack as you did during the Sports Festival! That giant ice wall you used against Tokoyami. Use it again, here!"

And almost right on cue, their villain caught up.

"Even with these weights, you aren't fast enough to escape me, kids!" Eraserhead threatened.

They crushed their forward momentum immediately upon hearing his voice, skidding to a halt and twisting around to regard their opponent. Eraserhead thrust forth another ranged scarf-based attack, and Yaoyorozu's heartbeat pounded in her throat. If the villain didn't blink now…

"Yaoyorozu! It looks like now's that moment!" Todoroki shouted.

"What?" Yaoyorozu glanced at his arm.

"Eraserhead blinked!" Todoroki's hand frothed with barely-withheld frozen potential, and he wasted little time before lashing out. His fierce expression barely registered beyond the sheer intensity of his movement. "Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall!"

It almost made the attack he'd utilized against Tokoyami seem insignificant.

Whereas Tokoyami's prison had encompassed one-fifth of the famous Sports Festival Stadium's enormous interior space, this time, Todoroki's attack would've encompassed half the arena without the slightest difficulty. Without question, the attack was comparable in size to an Antarctic glacial shelf, and its mere presence cooled the surrounding air. There wouldn't be the slightest possibility that Eraserhead could navigate the obstruction in any timely manner.

Yaoyorozu created a pencil from her forearm and smirked. With her Quirk still active alongside Todoroki's, real preparations for victory could start being made.

"I've blocked him off with that wall the moment my Quirk returned, just like you instructed. That means we can use our powers again, now." Todoroki's body erupted with steam as flames licked across his face from his left side, effectively thawing him out from the painful-looking patches of ice that'd formed across his right. "Why isn't he pursuing us?"

"Because he was afflicted with chronic dry eye before the USJ incident, remember?" Yaoyorozu said. "That monster crushing his skull probably exacerbated that issue considerably."

"Alright," Todoroki said. "Can you tell me about the rest of your plan, now?"

"Sure." Yaoyorozu turned around and unceremoniously opened the front portion of her costume, enabling the spontaneous generation of what could only be adequately described as a waterfall of scarves from her exposed chest. "I'll inform you while preparations are being made."

"Is that Aizawa's scarf you're making?" Todoroki asked.

"It is," Yaoyorozu answered, ignoring the unexpectedly nervous undertone that she could've sworn worked its way into her teammate's voice. "I don't know its molecular composition or the method behind its manufacturing, so it's not exactly the same, but I created my own version with a special material woven into it. Since this is a residential area, we must keep collateral damage to a minimum, and Eraserhead moves with his own restraining bonds so quickly that it's difficult to catch him."

Insofar as creating materials were concerned, Yaoyorozu had completed her duty admirably. Closing her costume's front portion again, she sighed contentedly and beheld the fruits of her labor. "So… here's my plan."

When she wasn't provided a response, Yaoyorozu swiftly spun on her heel, finding her teammate facing the opposite direction. It was hard to believe, but nerves were painted upon his face, and sweat beaded around his brow. Yaoyorozu spent five full seconds figuring out what had caused such an unexpected reaction out of the characteristically-stoic recommendation student.

'Oh, right… not everyone's as liberal about displaying their bodies as me. Who would've figured? Todoroki has something of a weakness for that, just like most other boys. Huh.'

"You can turn around now," she instructed.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am."

Painfully slowly, Todoroki mechanically turned toward her again, breathing an utterly amusing sigh of relief upon confirming that Yaoyorozu had covered up again. A blush that she didn't notice on his cheeks before faded from view, soon after.

"You alright?" Yaoyorozu asked amusedly.

"Yeah. Sorry. What was your plan, then?" Todoroki asked. "Okay, wait, why did you create a catapult?"

Nodding, Yaoyorozu turned around and faced the impromptu arsenal of a miniaturized catapult and some scarves she'd recently brought into existence. "Believe it or not, it'll become rather useful once I explain everything. First, activate your flames across the scarves."

"Wait, what?" Todoroki's brow furrowed. "Why?"

Yaoyorozu crouched down and began rearranging the scarves into a rectangular formation, carefully turning the jumbled mess of material into something that could've quite effectively functioned as a cocoon, had a body been placed inside it. "There isn't much time left before Eraserhead catches up again, but I'll explain while we finish our preparations, okay?"

"Alright…" Todoroki knelt beside her, carefully keeping his right arm extended to assure she wouldn't be caught by any windswept flames that called his left arm their home. Drawing the flaming appendage across the scarves, the fabric seemingly hardened once directly exposed to the intense heat. "Now, you said that all this would wind up making sense once you explained things?"

"It will," Yaoyorozu answered. "You might've inferred this, given that the scarves didn't catch fire, but that special material I was referring to earlier prevents the fabric from being burned in the least. Furthermore, the special metal alloy incorporated into them behaves rather uniquely from a scientific standpoint. When exposed to severe heat levels, and then cooled down…"

Todoroki didn't need further instruction. His flames deactivated, and his right arm produced a thin sheet of sleet before being swept across the still-rigid scarves; which, in response, rapidly lost their mysterious rigidity. Curiosity narrowed his eyes, but he remained silent.

"It'll return to the prior formation when that heat was first implemented," Yaoyorozu finished. "In essence, it's an instant binding trap. No matter what happens to its configuration now, once it's exposed to your flames again, it'll spontaneously return to this cocoon formation here."

"That's why you created the catapult, then," Todoroki inferred. "If Eraserhead's always airborne, then launching it and activating my flames would be our best method for capturing him."

"Precisely!"

"There's only one problem with this plan, though," Todoroki reminded. "Eraserhead's Quirk isn't going anywhere. Unless my flames remain accessible, we won't have any way to trigger our trap, even if everything else goes alright."

"Which is exactly why I've thought about another tool we should be using, here," Yaoyorozu replied.

From within the slit that exposed her stomach at all times, two identical, flame-retardant objects emerged. Vaguely humanoid, the plastic implements consisted of featureless faces with fittingly simplistic torsos, and were affixed to utterly normal handles where their bodies cut off abruptly at the waist. Attached to their heads were oversized black cloaks that didn't allow the slightest modicum of sunlight through. When provided one himself while Yaoyorozu held onto the first, Todoroki gave her a mildly quizzical look.

"Mannequins?" Todoroki uttered.

"Yeah, that's what they are," Yaoyorozu confirmed. "Compared to the main plan itself, the solution to circumventing Eraserhead's Quirk is simple. Disguise ourselves. If the villain can't make direct eye contact with our bodies, then there's no possible way that he can erase our Quirks with his."

"That means we'll be using the mannequins as decoys while dragging the catapult alongside us until Eraserhead attacks again…" Todoroki paused, his expression softening as he looked at his classmate. "Your Quirk's amazing, Yaoyorozu. Without it, there isn't any way we could've come up with anything nearly as air-tight as this plan, here."

Yaoyorozu thanked him with her warmest smile. "Given adequate prep time, I'm sure Creation could solve many problems… not that every villain encounter that happens within actual crises will provide me enough time to take complete advantage of its capabilities. With that established, though, I know that from this day forward, I must improve my faith in my instinctive reactions! That faith will be what transforms Creati from an average pro into one that future generations will remember fought with unbreakable confidence!"

"Well, you've improved since even the beginning of this test," Todoroki said. "Give yourself some time, and I'm sure that dream you have will become a reality."

"True," Yaoyorozu agreed. Unceremoniously wadding up the scarves from their meticulously crafted cocoon into a loosely-bound ball, she loaded their ammunition into the catapult and primed the weapon for action. "Alright, time for final thoughts, Todoroki. I believe this plan has the optimal chance of success. We'll only have one opportunity to make this work, so… is this alright with you?"

Following her lead, Todoroki stood upright. "Yeah. No complaints here."

Yaoyorozu swiftly shrouded herself and the catapult underneath her mannequin. "Then let's head out! It's time this practical exam comes to its conclusion!"

Todoroki and Yaoyorozu became completely obscured beneath their shrouds and set out once again. Their planned route would bring them out and around Todoroki's melting glacial attack, into the open where Eraserhead would have an obvious view of where they were headed next. With their catapult being kept close-by through the simple action of dragging it behind them via a rope, he would have no conceivable way of knowing that he was walking right into their hands before it was too late. Yaoyorozu almost allowed herself to smirk at the genius of it all, but that particular joyful sensation would have to wait until their victory was confirmed.

'Okay, Eraserhead will be lured into thinking we can't fight back because these cloaks obscure our vision as well,' Yaoyorozu thought as they emerged from behind the glacial wall. 'As such, he'll think that he can assail us with his scarves without consequence! Any moment now…'

Her ears twitched, toward the sound of power lines being disturbed by something far heavier than any possible bird dashing across its length.

"You know, this strategy of yours wasn't without merit," Eraserhead shouted, and his scarves audibly thrust toward his targets. "But these cloaks place you heroes at a distinct disadvantage too, you know!"

'Yes! Hook, line, and sinker!'

Before either student knew it, Eraserhead's scarves wrapped around their mannequins' heads. In the single second that followed, the mannequins' heads were bashed together as their new binds tightened, and Yaoyorozu revealed herself without warning. Now that Eraserhead found himself extremely exposed in midair, she threw him the fiercest look she could muster. Her mannequin's shroud fluttered from around her up and into the air.

With her catapult revealed, everything was officially on the table. Yaoyorozu threw her hand toward the primed lever that'd send their team's payload skyward-

Only to fumble, missing the lever entirely.

'What?! No!'

Panic didn't have another opportunity to set in. Eraserhead withdrew his scarves, and Yaoyorozu witnessed him yanking himself further into the air, hoping to escape the siege engine's effective range… instead of exploiting her critical mistake.

'Don't question it!' she ordered herself.

Thankfully, she didn't make the same mistake twice; this time, she slammed her hand down across the lever with all the urgency she could muster. Their bundled payload flew forward dozens of meters before exploding into an all-encompassing web that loosely surrounded Eraserhead from all sides. Only one step remained.

"Todoroki!" Yaoyorozu shouted. "Flames, now!"

Not an instant after the order was uttered, Todoroki responded, hurling his shroud away whilst throwing his left arm forward. Flames geysered from his outstretched palm, surging forward to intercept the scarves, forcing Eraserhead to shield himself from the quite literal firepower with his own arms. Even with his goggles on, his head's movements indicated he was eying both the scarves and flames warily.

"What're you planning, here…?" Eraserhead wondered.

Those first flames spewed forth licked the custom-made scarves, and those lengths touched by the immense heat regained their former rigidity almost immediately; oblivious, Eraserhead didn't perform any evasive maneuvers.

"I'm certain we wouldn't have had any chance of beating you in full-blown combat, villain, but that's okay," Yaoyorozu began. Additional flames accelerated the time remaining until their trap achieved its full effectiveness, and her confidence swelled. "Tell me something… have you ever heard of nitinol alloy? When heated, it returns to its original shape in an instant! It's a metal with shape memory!"

Almost as though the universe had collaborated to reinforce her timing, their trap sprung itself, ensnaring Eraserhead without warning into the exact same cocoon-like binding formation that Yaoyorozu had meticulously arranged mere minutes prior. Todoroki's flames flickered away, and she could've sworn that Eraserhead almost smiled, his defeat having been well-earned.

"Well, wasn't that impressive…" Eraserhead whispered.

Comedically crashing down onto the concrete with a somewhat-pained 'oof,' Yaoyorozu wasted no time in rushing forward to confirm his capture. Retrieving the specialized handcuffs provided to them, Yaoyorozou maneuvered Eraserhead's hands outside the scarves and locked his arms behind his back. Even with their victory confirmed, it still took some conscious effort to ignore some rather… unpleasant observations concerning the circumstances of their success.

But before she could waste substantial energy on that task, Todoroki approached. It seemed he might've possessed similar withdrawals.

"This all went exactly according to your plan, then," Todoroki commented. "It was almost a little too smooth, if that makes sense."

"Honestly, it shouldn't have worked out…" Yaoyorozu grasped the loose scarf length they'd use to lead their captured villain outside the battleground. "When I was about to trigger the catapult, I missed the lever completely. Aizawa-sensei must've noticed, but retreated anyway… even though he could've stopped me easily. I think he might've let himself be captured by my plan on purpose."

"Since this practical examination's all but officially finished, I won't correct you about calling me Eraserhead, again," Aizawa started. His goggles had been raised above his eyes by his fall, although his head remained tilted toward the ground. "What I will correct you on, however, is your interpretation of the situation. When your trap was being sprung, I thought it necessary to understand what Todoroki was about to do, since my falling for your mannequin trick left me vulnerable. Todoroki could've frozen me, so I decided it'd be better if I backed off… which played right into your hands. You triumphed over your villain through the strength of your strategy, kids. Well done."

Todoroki sighed, relieved. "I guess it really was a matter of timing, like you said. Huh. Thanks for the assistance, teammate."

'Overjoyed' would be the mildest applicable term that could adequately describe the sensation that welled inside Yaoyorozu's chest. Against all odds and despite her critical mistake… they'd won. It was a combined effort between her and her teammate's Quirks, being used to their fullest potential, but their victory was assured – at least in part – all thanks to her instincts.

'Thank you, Takara! You provided me with all the encouragement that mattered before these finals, but now… now that encouragement meant something, after all! Thank you…!'

Unbridled happiness forced tears behind her eyes, and Yaoyorozu trembled, her hand clenching into a tight fist.

"What's wrong, do you feel sick?" Todoroki asked.

"No, it's nothing, really!"

"If you feel nauseous, there's a pressure point you can press-"

"No, I told you I'm fine!" Yaoyorozu insisted, her breaking voice nullifying any attempts she could've made at successful deflection.

"Team Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, congratulations!" the same monotone voice from before announced. "You have passed your practical examination!"

Now she couldn't suppress a tear escaping from behind her eyes.

"Alright, now I'm sure that there's something troubling you," Todoroki deadpanned.

---

Amidst the buildup before his team's practical examination began, Denki reflected that he wasn't quite as tone-deaf as most people presumably thought he was. While he would indeed flounder sometimes, failing when it came to his exact word choice or not picking up on various subtextual cues in conversation… this same intellectual helplessness didn't extend to himself. Perhaps he wasn't the greatest scholar insofar as his own Quirk was concerned, but it couldn't be said that anyone understood the content of his character better than himself. After all, there wasn't anyone else besides himself that lived and breathed within the body of Japan's very own Kaminari Denki nonstop.

Endowed with the insight only his status as a sentient being living within his own flesh could provide, he understood several things about himself. Denki knew he was a habitual goofball, an instinctive slacker, previously self-styled ladies man, and an all-around awesome person almost anyone could hang around. It also happened that he'd become painfully aware he was bordering on a panic attack right now.

'We're freaking up against Principal Nezuuu…! Why!? Whyyyyyyy?!'

Without the slightest shadow of a doubt, there was an absolute, undeniable reason that the sentient bear-mouse-dog thing, or whatever Nezu was, happened to be chosen as U.A.'s figure of absolute authority. There was a common misconception that surrounded the psyche of everyone outside U.A. High School that Nezu possessed virtually no hero experience whatsoever. This was categorically false, because it just so happened that his IQ was so insanely high that he'd almost immediately become qualified for his current position before any details concerning his exploits had the opportunity to become mainstream. Despite only possessing around ten percent the field experience as his colleagues, Principal Nezu was a threat to even those who were touted as intellectual prodigies of their current generation.

Would those simple weights slow him down? Yes.

Would that mobility impairment mean anything? NO!

Why!? Because Principal Nezu's brain doesn't need muscles to fight effectively!

This was the predicament Denki currently found himself in for reasons entirely outside his ability to control. In the history books, today would become known as the time that Kaminari Denki and Ashido Mina, the partnered dunderheads whose faces would be displayed in their high school's personal textbook for the visual definition of 'stupidity,' were matched against the sentient mouse with an IQ bigger than his height, tripled.

Considering their innumerable disadvantages and the consequences they would face when they failed, Denki didn't think his near-panic was unwarranted. He must've been breathing harder and louder than usual, though, since his teammate's hand daintily draped itself onto him, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Come on, Kaminari, chillax!" Ashido encouraged. "Everything's gonna be alright!"

Despite some inward relief, his outward expression didn't change. "Yeah, that's great advice and all, but how am I supposed to chill, right now? This is Principal Nezu we're talking about, here!"

"Yeah?" Ashido smiled. "But you're overthinking things! Principal Nezu's just a little teeny tiny mouse man-person, you know? We can beat him, easy!"

"You really believe that, huh?" Denki nervously uttered. "I seriously dunno how you're constantly this upbeat when you're being placed into super-crazy situations like this."

"I'll tell you my secret…" Ashido leaned forward, an equal-parts mischievous and conspiratorial look upon her bubblegum-colored face. "It's an innate talent of the Ahsido family lineage. Mega super-secret stuff. Even talking about it's breaking a generations-old family law!"

Denki sighed painfully. "You can't be serious about anything, can you?"

Ashido laughed. "Nah, I totally can!"

"It's just that you never wanna?"

"Yeppo!"

"Team Ashido and Kaminari. Practical exam. Ready? Go!"

"Ohh, crap!" Denki flinched, scrambling his arms and a leg into position, as if hiding himself from an incoming, unstoppable abomination.

"What're you panicking for?" Ashido questioned, hands casually upon her hips. "Principal Nezu isn't even here yet!"

"Right…" Denki relaxed, lowering his limbs. "Thought he was gonna burst outta nowhere."

"Whatcha wanna do for now, then?" Ashido asked.

"Move right the hell outta here!"

"Gotcha!" Ashido dramatically posed on one foot. "This exam's gonna be a super-simple cinch!"

"You think so?" Denki asked sarcastically.

"Uhuh!" Ashido chirped.

"Ashido, that was a rhetorical…" Denki trailed off.

In perfect synchronicity, their eyes widened. From behind them came the sound of shattering glass, crackling concrete, and violently collapsing steel as an unknown terror wrought havoc across the industrial district that served as their battleground. Where the sun once shone brightly overhead, some of its radiance was blotted out by a growing shadow.

His teammate turned first, and he daringly followed her example… and was greeted by a solid steel sphere several times his size hurtling straight toward them.

"Is that…?" Ashido uttered.

"That's a freaking wrecking ball!" Denki practically squealed. "Alright, let's get straight the hell outta here, now!"

There wasn't another moment to think. Only an instant after they whirled around and their feet slammed into the pavement, bringing them bursting into motion, the inanimate assailant came crashing down upon their previous position. It decimated the bridge between two factories as though it were made from paper mache rather than galvanized steel, sending an ominous cloud of dust and debris flying into Denki and Ashido's backs as they ran.

Behind them, the steel ball slammed into the sides of several more factories and machines as it careened down the narrow industrial street. Denki was thankful for the buildings that slowed its advance as they shattered in its advance, but with no alleyways or branching streets that he could see, he fully understood it'd only be a matter of time before the wrecking ball caught up with them.

'Alright, Principal Nezu, you're absolutely insane using a wrecking ball against us, but… I'm not going down without making you work at it!'

Desperately scanning his surroundings, Denki discovered another turn ahead. "Ashido! Around this corner!"

"Alright!" Ashido returned, and with moments to spare, they dipped into a cross street while their inanimate pursuer flew harmlessly by behind them. Hands braced against her knees, she gulped for breath. "Do you have some kinda plan?"

"Right now?" Denki asked, trying to catch his own breath. "Not really. Maybe soon, but right now our plan is to not get crushed by Principal Nezu's crazy wrecking ball attacks! Okay?"

"Sounds good to me!" Ashido readily agreed.

Only being influenced by minor deviations forced upon them by the industrial district's layout, this pattern held true for their examination's initial stretch. Denki and Ashido would run alongside one another through numerous streets, steadily working their way toward the escape gate, only stopping or turning around when Principal Nezu and his wrecking ball outmaneuvered them. Aside from dust accumulating across his costume and some minor debris checking him on the shoulder once or twice, Denki remained unharmed, though this rudimentary plan wasn't all that was running through his mind.

Perhaps even beneath Ashido's notice, what with how she seemed to just be following his lead, Denki was carefully making sure to track his surroundings so they didn't lose themselves within the maze of this industrial district. He didn't know if it was coincidental, but their battleground remained eerily similar to Field Gamma, where All Might's rescue race had taken place. There was all manner of machinery throughout the immediate area, which might've explained where precisely Nezu had acquired a wrecking ball as his long-range weapon of choice, though the streets were considerably clearer than the labyrinthine terror that All Might had brought Class 1-A to previously.

'Damn it! If only I weren't an absolute idiot and had commissioned some ranged stuff from the support department earlier!'

Denki swiftly shook his head in frustration. Only around a few days after the end of Class 1-A's internships did Denki approach Power Loader, Hatsume, and the rest of the first-year support course students to formally request their aid in making his inborn electrification abilities much more accurate. Regrettably, Power Loader had informed him that the complexity behind turning his inaccurate Emitter-type Quirk into something effective at medium distances would wind up a long-term project even for the brightest young mind at his disposal, otherwise known as Hatsume Mei.

Whenever the support course finished developing his costume upgrades would be the time his combat capabilities soared straight through the roof, but now wasn't then. Right now, Denki had zero ways he could counterattack Principal Nezu from wherever he was controlling the wrecking ball – and that was if they could figure out his position. Even with his newfound melee skills, his transforming tonfa were completely useless here, and Denki's mind was left racing in search of the barest hint of hope for finding some success in their practical exam.

Against his better judgment, Denki glanced back over his shoulder for what must've been the first time in several minutes. The pursuing wrecking ball was nearly upon them once again, which meant that they'd be forced to turn around onto the next street pretty soon.

But it wasn't meant to be, as their ceaseless sprinting came to its sudden, crashing conclusion in the form of collapsed factories and dozens of metric tons of crushed machinery blocking their path.

'When did this crap get here?!'

"Uh… Kaminari!?" Ashido nervously began, turning around and staring at the fast-approaching wrecking ball. "What're we doing, here? We're kinda cornered right now…!"

"What're you asking me for!? Our midterm rankings pretty much said that I'm the biggest idiot in Class 1-A, flat-out!" Denki exclaimed, his heart leaping into his chest as the wrecking ball's looming shadow grew ever larger. "Uh… okay! Ashido! I have an idea!"

"Well, I'm totally not gonna argue with whatever you come up with!" Ashido returned. "What's the plan?"

"Your Quirk!" Denki immediately pointed at the intact factory wall beside them. "Melt through this wall and get us straight the heck outta this street!"

"Sounds good!" Ashido proclaimed. Diving toward the wall, her acid almost fountained from her outstretched palms and consumed enough concrete that a considerable, circular hole was created in record time. "Okay! Let's head inside!"

Denki leaped in headfirst after his teammate. "Trust me, you don't gotta tell me twice!"

In an almost indescribable contrast with the increasingly-ruined industrial district just outside their temporary refuge, the factory interior was about as well-stocked, organized, and maintained as anything Denki could've ever imagined seeing in a realistic combat stage like this. It wouldn't provide them cover forever, but this place would most assuredly obscure their position just long enough for them to think up a more comprehensive plan.

"Okay… it looks like the wrecking ball's moving away, now?" Ashido observed with slight confusion, crouching down and glancing outside their self-made entryway. "That's weird, but maybe Principal Nezu really did lose us. That's good, right?"

"Maybe?" Denki answered unconvincingly. "Something tells me that Principal Nezu isn't gonna give up with that whole wrecking ball thing because he hasn't actually hit us, yet. We're the ones with the time limit here, remember?"

"Oh, right…" Ashido observed. "Whatcha thinking we should do next, then?"

"Still dunno…" Denki admitted. "Maybe we should-"

Denki didn't have the opportunity to finish his sentence, as several dozen steel bolts came flying down from the rafters overhead. Despite its relative harmlessness, Denki and Ashido shielded themselves from the onslaught and found that several dozen more isolated steel showers were starting to occur elsewhere throughout the factory.

"Sooo, Kaminari…" Ashido paused, leaning closer to him. "Is this normal?"

"Something tells me probably not!" Denki shouted, his heartbeat surging yet again as their refuge started coming apart around them. "Keep moving, and burn another hole in the opposite wall! We gotta get outta this place, now!"

"Right!" Ashido started sprinting toward the other wall first. "Don't worry, Pinky's here and ready to bring that concrete wall crashing down!"

Adding insult to injury, right when the factory's rafters started falling and its vertical support columns started teetering dangerously, Principal Nezu's wrecking ball came crashing through the factory. Ashido barely finished burning their escape route into a relatively-untouched street when Nezu's additional interference caused the factory to collapse. Denki's sweat chilled him with nerves, then.

Something about this practical exam just wasn't adding up.

"Whatever you do Ashido, don't stop moving!" Denki commanded. "Keep following me just like you have been, because I think I'm starting to figure out what Principal Nezu might be doing!"

"Really?" Ashido asked. "What're you thinking he's planning?"

"Don't know yet!" Denki confessed, turning around another corner and shouting to make his voice audible over the carnage occurring behind them. "Just gimme one sec, and I'll hopefully maybe figure it out!"

"That didn't sound very confident…"

"Just focus on running, right now!" Denki said. "Trust me!"

"Okie dokie!" Ashido chirped.

Positively terrified by the prospect of their failure, Denki momentarily risked everything by focusing his attention inward rather than outward. Everyone in Class 1-A understood he wasn't the brightest battlefield tactician on the planet, but only he knew that Shinobi's mentorship had sparked something inside him. Quantum Shinobi taught him that technique, skill, and therefore even the slightest modicum of sound strategy could mean the difference between success and failure; as such, Denki opted to analyze their situation as best as his less-than-intellectual brain could manage. There wasn't a single conclusion that he arrived at though that indicated their situation was something they could easily emerge from while boldly announcing their success.

More importantly, there was a single, immutable observation that consistently wormed its way into every reading of their examination. Even after what was probably around ten minutes into their action-packed practical exam, Nezu remained what felt like ten-thousand steps ahead of his trainee targets at every conceivable moment.

While they ran through the streets, they couldn't elude him.

While they were inside the factory, he still assailed them by making the place somehow come apart.

Denki and Ashido were effectively his lab rats, and Nezu was their intellectual tormentor. If they could simply reach the escape gate, this would all-

'Wait! Escape…' Denki's eyes widened. 'Principal Nezu's been knocking buildings down almost everywhere we've gone. Even though I've been keeping track of this battleground, there was still that pileup of debris that almost gave Nezu the opening he needed to crush us like some bugs! That means…'

"Oh, shit!"

"What?!" Ashido yelped. "What's the matter?"

"Principal Nezu's breaking this entire place apart!" Denki exclaimed. "Think about it, and it actually makes tons of sense. This entire time he's been ahead of us, and taking apart every escape route little by little… he's trapping us inside!"

"Then shouldn't we, I dunno, run even faster or something?!" Ashido worriedly shouted.

"That won't work!" Denki countered. "That wouldn't be any different from what we've been doing this entire time!"

"Then what's your idea, smarty-pants?" Ashido pressed.

"I don't know right this second!" Denki said. Even without looking behind himself again, he could already hear the carnage coming closer, which meant the wrecking ball wasn't that much further behind. "Uh, uh…"

'Come on, damnit, think! What would someone badass like Quantum Shinobi do right now?'

"Kaminari! Incoming!" Ashido announced.

"Right!"

Just in time, the pair dodged toward either side of the narrow road. Sailing harmlessly past them, the wrecking ball smashed another bridge between factories, blocking another escape route. If there would be any guarantees that Denki's suspicions were correct, that action alone sealed the deal completely.

Then inspiration struck him.

'What would Quantum Shinobi do, huh…?' His attention slowly swapped the exact opposite direction the wrecking ball had come, following the chain from which it was attached until the factories overhead obscured it. 'Fight smarter, not harder, Chargebolt…'

Denki turned to face his teammate. "Alright, Ashido! Are you ready for what's probably the coolest, dumbest, but kinda smartest plan I've ever come up with?"

Ashido tensed, but smiled nervously. "Yes…?"

"Okay! From this point forward, we don't run away anymore!" Denki commanded. "Not yet, anyway. Right now, we've gotta find out exactly where Nezu's hiding from us!"

"What!?" Ashido's eyes widened. "Isn't that super dangerous?"

"Well, yeah, but he's expecting us to keep running, right?" Denki explained. "If we turn around on him now and fight back, he can't possibly see that coming! That's my thinking, anyway."

"You sure about that, Kaminari?" Ashido asked. "Remember, you literally just said that he's always been ahead of us!"

"Yeah, that's true…" Denki's expression became determined; turning around, he faced an impressive ladder affixed to the factory nearest him. "But it's still probably our best shot! I don't know about you, but I'm not losing because of a stupid time limit!"

Ashido growled in frustration, but quickly relented. She turned around and utilized her Quirk all across her fingers, melting handholds and footholds before starting to climb. "Okay! I seriously don't know if this plan will work out, but it's definitely better than losing by default! Let's make sure Principal Nezu can't say we didn't make him work before this practical exam ended!"

Denki hastened up his ladder. "That's the spirit!"

'Come on, Chargebolt… don't lose your confidence now! From this point forward, you're the hero-in-training who's gonna go down in history and beat Principal Nezu at his own crazy games! Hopefully.'

Upon scaling their respective buildings, the dynamic duo were given only minimal time to take in their surroundings before Nezu's wrecking ball came back into view. This time they saw something new though. That destructive sphere was attached to none other than…

An enormous crane only a short distance from where they were standing previously.

"So… you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ashido asked.

"That we're both complete idiots for not realizing we coulda attacked the obvious crane way earlier than now?" Denki paused, pretending to consider his own question. "Yeah. Yeah, that sounds about right, honestly."

"Well, I was kinda just thinking about how my Quirk could probably make that crane collapse, but…" Ashido grinned. "What you just said probably wasn't wrong, that's for sure."

"Wanna just focus on taking down that crane, now that we know what the hell we're doing?"

"Took the words right outta my mouth!" Ashido jubilantly jumped across the gap between the factory and another, and started toward the nearby crane, leaving him to pursue her.

Not that Denki was entirely against a little friendly competition. With his confidence higher than it'd ever been, he felt that nothing could stop him from accomplishing his goal and making it into Class 1-A's summer training camp. But exactly as their principal had done before, his crane whirred, and the wrecking ball came flying toward them. On account of their being on separate paths though, Principal Nezu had to pick and choose his targets more conservatively than ever.

When he attacked Ashido, her slimiest acid expulsions escorted her away from harm and accelerated her progress.

When he attacked Denki, his reflexes had him jumping, dodging, and power-sliding his way through the sluggish wrecking ball's attacks with minimal effort.

As expected of someone with such intellect, however, Principal Nezu diversified his strategy at the last moment. His piloted crane swung its payload in a wide arc, one that forced Denki and Ashido to stop dead in their tracks. Unfortunately for the hyperintelligent principal, and very fortunately for the dummy duo, though… their brief journey reached its conclusion just in time that the attack didn't matter.

In unison, Denki and Ashido jumped from their respective routes and latched onto stray chains to lower themselves onto the ground in moments. Ashido threw her teammate an approving look, and Denki returned the gesture.

'Almost there… almost there!'

"Kaminari!" Ashido called out, pointing at an inconspicuous metallic box positioned near one of the crane's supports. "It looks like there's actually some kinda weird electronic stuff all around the crane's supports! Maybe shocking it would keep Principal Nezu from messing with us while we're down here?"

Denki didn't need another invitation. "You destroy this thing's supports! I'll take down the electronic stuff!"

In accordance with what must've been divine providence itself, everything that occurred over the ensuing thirty seconds happened without Principal Nezu's additional interference.

Denki's reaction times were pushed to their limits when the collapse of rebar, screws, and wooden planks fell from overhead, yet it didn't stop him. His extreme electrocution of the rectangular metal box Ashido had pointed out effectively removed Nezu's access to whatever nefarious tools he'd been using.

Ashido's exertion brought her teammate's attention back to her. Denki blinked in mild surprise as he witnessed Ashido's Quirk make shockingly short work of her second support strut.

Thousands of metric tons of industrial steel slowly tipped backward, leaving Denki's heart pounding. They hadn't won yet, but they'd eliminated their greatest threat in Principal Nezu's chosen tool of absolute mayhem and destruction with ease.

"See!?" Denki shouted at his ally. "Told you this would probably be the best thing to do!"

"It wouldn't have been possible without my acid!" Ashido returned. "Don't forget that!"

"Trust me, I definitely won't!" Denki said.

"And don't forget to thank whoever came up with this plan!" Nezu announced from somewhere overhead. "Even as this construction crane steadily topples over, I find myself marveling at the ingenuity you two have put on display! Indeed, it was rather unfortunate that this chain of events unfolded! What a marvelously well-executed assault you performed, students!"

"Okay…" Ashido chuckled. "That didn't sound like he was super nervous…"

"I'd be more worried if Principal Nezu ever did sound nervous, someday," Denki stated. "Now before this thing crashes down and he somehow manages to chase after us or something, let's get moving! We haven't won this yet, and this thing's falling the opposite way to the escape gate!"

"Then lead the way!" Ashido encouraged, jogging closer to him. "I'm right behind you!"

Denki grinned, mentally mapped out their route toward the gate, and practically burst into motion alongside his teammate the moment she arrived beside him.

Victory was almost theirs.

---

It might not have been the wisest decision he'd ever made, what with the stakes this practical exam possessed if he slipped up or otherwise lost focus, but Denki had allowed his nigh-constant analysis of their situation to take a backseat temporarily. Soon, he embraced the almost heavenly high brought on by the fact that his master plan resulted in Principal Nezu crashing down as far away from them as possible without landing outside their arena entirely. With their school's most intimidatingly intellectual educator effectively removed from their practical exam, Denki became convinced that draining himself by reading into everything occurring around him wasn't quite necessary any longer. If nothing else, this practical exam had made him mildly more envious of his friends' seeming ease of coming up with complex strategies.

But that was something he could think about later. As of right now, there were more important things that demanded his attention; namely, leading his team through the escape gate before their allotted thirty minutes were over.

Several streets and an equal amount of circumvented corners later, and the admittedly comical sight of Principal Nezu's face plastered upon an enormous arching gate came into their sights.

"There it is!" Denki declared. "That's the escape gate! Just a little bit further and we'll have passed the practicals! And we were up against freakin' Principal Nezu!"

"And right before this practical started, I totally told you this would be easy!" Ashido reminded him. "Which means you owe me something awesome, alright?"

"When we make it through that gate, we'll basically be guaranteed to go on that summer camp trip Aizawa-sensei was talking about earlier!" Denki recalled. "How about that for some awesome payment, eh?"

"That works for me!" Ashido cheered. "Just thinking about that summer camp makes me all excited! Fireworks, smores, super scary campfire stories-"

"It's gonna be the most awesome thing since the Sports Festival happened!" Denki finished.

Their voices belted out the same words in unison and the finish line had never felt closer.

"Then let's finish this practical and prepare for some summer camp fun!"

Only a sparse several dozen meters away from where the industrial district's factories faded into a simple concrete courtyard, the unthinkable happened. Explosions occurred around their only remaining escape route, causing the collapse of the final twin factories that'd once linked the courtyard beyond with the industrial battleground. Ashido's acid or simple climbing would've probably circumvented the obstruction in short order, had it not been for something else that followed the explosions.

Swinging around on an honest-to-goodness videogame hookshot, Principal Nezu darted onto the scene, his expression pleasantly calm, limbs adorned with Hatsume's weights, and an oversized backpack overflowing with mysterious gizmos and gadgets. Denki and Ashido stopped only a short distance from the rubble pile Nezu where presently stood.

"Principal Nezu?!" Ashido exclaimed.

"What the hell?!" Denki gripped his transforming tonfa, sinking into a combat-ready stance. "I thought the teachers were just walking into these practicals with what they normally have on them, but you brought all that gear with you? That's total garbage!"

"Oh, quite the contrary, young Kaminari!" Nezu pleasantly responded. "Given my brief time as an actual Pro Hero in the field, it doesn't surprise me that you weren't ever made aware that my efficiency almost entirely relied upon my intellect and vast assortment of support items! What you see me carrying around now is simply my old combat backpack, repurposed for use during this practical examination, isn't that clever?"

"Damn…" Denki whispered.

'Come on, brain, time to turn back on! If he has all those gadgets, what's the best way we could take him down or escape before time runs out…?'

"Now you're thinking intelligently!" Nezu praised. "Given time, I believe you would've figured out the finer details of what occurred during this practical examination, but know that this most recent collapse I stand upon now was yet another contingency plan of mine! Timed explosives are extremely useful, after all, especially since they don't rely on a remote-control relay box's commands to activate."

"Remote control relay box…?" Denki echoed, memories of his electrical discharge on the random object Ashido had pointed out coming to mind. "So that's how you were controlling that factory that fell apart on us?"

"Precisely," Nezu confirmed. "It was a clever method of making sure my complete control over the battlefield couldn't repel you from your plan to dismantle my primary weapon against your team, I will admit. That having been said, I believe my failure in that particular instance might've been brought into being due to some negligence on my part. Given my history with inhumane experimentation, I do sometimes get mildly carried away exacting my vengeance in situations like these, you see."

'I'm not sure if he's lecturing us, stalling us, or trying to intimidate us…' Denki thought to himself. 'Maybe he's doing all three? Still don't have any ideas about winning this, yet…'

"Now that I've had ample time to reconsider my previous actions, I believe that what I should have been doing is obvious!" Nezu smiled unnervingly, his beady eyes holding onto the trainees' respective gazes. "I should've simply crushed your bones immediately with rubble rather than slowly sealing you inside the battleground! Silly, silly me…"

"Please tell me you're actually kidding…" Ashido commented nervously.

Nezu tilted his head from side to side, his smile unmoving. "...perhaps."

"Even if he isn't kidding, that doesn't matter!" Denki shouted over his shoulder, a determined fire reigniting itself within his stomach. "That crane's already crashed down, so there's no point in talking about what could've happened if Nezu was taking us more seriously, before."

"Yeah, you're right!" Ashido agreed. "What does matter is that Principal Nezu's still ten steps ahead of us! Unfair!"

"Eleven, if you count the ever-increasing number of ways I still foresee my victory, here," Nezu corrected, drawing their attention toward his hookshot by raising it just before himself. In what seemed like a spontaneous stroke of misfortune, the support item shattered into pieces instantly, and Nezu's smile shrank only slightly. "Alright, make that number of initial options ten, instead. It looks like Ashido's estimate turned out correct, after all! It seems that luck was on your side, this time… even if your defeat's still an inevitability."

Denki's actions and words tumbled forth faster than his conscious mind could comprehend.

"Not if I have anything to say about that!" he yelled.

Right when his body burst into motion and his transforming tonfa were gripped for whatever combat would ensue, Denki's thoughts caught up with him. On account of it being far too late for him to turn back now and attempt some sort of subtle attack, his efforts in darting forward and sealing the space between himself and Nezu redoubled. Nezu could think faster and smarter than anyone at U.A. High School, which meant his opposition had to physically move even faster than that to triumph over him.

"What're you doing, Kaminari!?" Ashido called out.

"Planning on winning us this practical exam!" Denki fiercely answered.

"Oh, this should be exciting!" Discarding his broken hookshot, Nezu happily raised his arms, turning his paws into fists. "It's been quite some time since I've fought anyone in close-quarters, let alone strictly fist-to-fist!"

"How about fist-to-weapon?" Denki taunted, electricity crackling along his tonfa. "Time to move fast and kick some ass! That's Chargebolt's way of getting things done, and I've been practicing with tonfa like these almost nonstop back at home!"

"Quite an admirable adherence to discipline, Kaminari! Unfortunately…" Nezu whipped out another gadget from his pack faster than his opponent could throw his first attack. "I never had any intention of committing to close-quarters combat with you!"

His eyes widening, Denki only recognized the gadget as some sort of weighted net-thrower moments too late for even his reaction-times to make the observation matter. In what felt like no time, Denki found himself incapacitated and fallen flat upon his back, laying prone right before his principal's feet.

"Although your commitment to your training regimen is extremely respectable, Kaminari, do understand that there are some battles you mustn't pick," Nezu kindly explained. "I did go through the effort of making it abundantly clear that my backpack was filled with various support items that assisted me throughout my brief tenure as an active pro, did I not?"

"You did…" Denki glared determinedly up at his opponent and prepared his last-ditch effort. "But we aren't finished yet, though! There's still one last trick you haven't remembered I have!"

Nezu stepped backward, holding onto his backpack's straps. "Is that correct?"

"Well, Kaminari caught you off-guard before!" Ashido said. "Now, come on! Go for it!"

"Now, that's what I wanna hear! Make sure we both make it through that gate after this, Ashido!" Denki commanded. "Okay, Principal Nezu… Indiscriminate Shock 1,300,000 Volts!"

Supplied with the same tingling sensation that followed whenever his Quirk was unleashed without any restraint, Denki's body practically exploded with an unstoppable tide of sheer electricity. Seeing events unfold in slow motion, Denki's confidence soared as his final attack stretched with frightening efficiency toward his adversary.

That confidence faded into terror when Nezu's backpack turned into a jetpack, escorting him to safety somewhere high above Denki before the first arcs of electricity could so much as disturb his immaculately-maintained fur coat.

Absolute shock and an increasing resistance to his own last-ditch attack born through training was what kept Denki clinging to consciousness. 'What!?'

"Yet another valiant effort, Kaminari, but there's something it appears you haven't remembered about your own attack!" Nezu shouted downwards.

"Hey, Kaminari…? Isn't that attack getting a little clo-"

In the same moment Ashido's screams reached his ears and it became clear Nezu wouldn't be impacted by the attack, Denki cut his Indiscriminate Shock short and twisted his head back around. There he found his teammate, standing in the same place he'd left her… albeit smoking, with her messy hair frizzed up into completely-electrified disarray.

"Wait, you didn't move!?" Denki seethed.

"Sorry… didn't realize it was that big…" Ashido weakly excused, falling over face-first onto the pavement and into unconsciousness.

Which left their team completely incapacitated.

Nezu retrieved what looked like a tranquilizer rifle from his backpack-turned-jetpack, and shouted loudly to assure his opponent could hear him. "Would you prefer that this exam end the harsh way, or admit defeat now? For the record, I hold little preference in either direction!"

Denki groaned, hiding his face into the netting beneath him. 'Talk about fumbling at the finish line, huh…?'

"Team Ashido and Kaminari!" an authoritative voice announced. "Your team has failed its practical examination!"

Responding to the winds whipped up by Principal Nezu's landing, a veritable cloud of dust flowed past Denki's face. He disregarded it and whatever mildly irritating words of advice his opponent spoke down at him afterward, disheartened and frustrated at himself for his critical oversights when their victory had almost been guaranteed.

'Well… so much for summer camp,' Denki thought. 'Jomei, Akiko, Kyoka… hope you guys are having some better luck than me with your practical exams, right now. We can't have everyone failing these things like I did, huh?'

---

Authors Note: What with how I'm absolutely ignoring unnecessary pretense this time, let's begin my habitual random chapter notes much more immediately than usual, eh?

Obviously, Yaoyorozu's absolutely our first topic of conversation since her practical exam was given the most canon-adherence outta the two featured this chapter – and there's a reason for that. Since her canon exam's conceptualization was completely fine (imo), I figured early on in my Season 2 planning that it'd be somewhat nice if WFAF gave the fight some new context; namely, Akiko's influence and Yaoyorozu being slightly less of panickey than her canon counterpart. Perhaps another element that led into her exam being longer than the other this chapter was to provide her some extra characterization for some future events way further down the line, too, but… them's some top-secret plans, there. Her POV was mostly just fun to write, too, given her personality! So… there's that!

Now we discuss the bumbling idiots of Class 1-A… their canon fight was not fine. It portrays their characters just fine for the mostly-throwaways Horokoshi treats them as, but for WFAF? Having them lose via a time-out was absolutely not something that I was willing to accurately adhere to in this story; instead, I wanted to give them at least some semblance of talent before Principal Nezu's big ol' brain (and a big oversight on both Denki and Ashido's parts, towards the end of the fight) stomped them anyway. They were always planned to lose, but… know that Denki's probably getting an absolutely excellent spotlight sometime in the near(ish) future. You could maybe guess when that'll happen, but I'm certainly not revealing anything right here!

Next time, American Cowboy McGee fights a questionably-outfitted teenager and her allies abomination, and a legit middle-aged Hipster fights Class 1-A's resident punk princess and the most inconsequential side-character in MHA. Woooohooooo!

PS: Since this chapter is the chonkiest thing I've written since the latter portion of Dawnbreaker's backstory, I'll say one thing. Could I have made this shorter? Yes. Did I want this chapter to only cover one exam, which was mostly a retread of canon with new context? Nope. Will future chapters be shorter…? Maybe. It depends on how the wind blows, from this point forward. Cheers!