Hyde and Shinobu stood together at the start of their testing field. Their setting was a city filled with tall buildings. From the looks of it, it was a straight shot down the road they were on to the exit gate. But the problem was the opponent they had that would be doing everything in their power to stop the two of them. The Number 1 Hero. All Might.
All Might wasn't the only problem the two students faced. Both Hyde and Shinobu were two of the best students Class C had to offer in terms of combat ability. But they both had large egos, making it difficult to accept help from the other.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the signal to start came. "Team Gekido and Reikon, practical exam. Ready, go!"
Hyde and Shinobu began walking down the road silently. Normally, the smart move when going up against a powerful opponent like All Might would be to avoid combat at all costs. But both of them knew it wouldn't be that easy. There was no avoiding a fight. So rather than sneaking around in futility, they would face their challenge head on.
As they walked, Hyde finally decided to at least attempt cooperating as he let out a sigh. "Look, I know neither of us like each other, but our opponent is All Might. We're gonna have to work together if we want to win."
"Fine. Just do exactly as I tell you, and don't screw things up." Shinobu responded. "You should be capable of at least following simple directions, right?"
Shinobu's words struck a nerve with his partner. "Hey, I'm not about to play the role of lackey! You're not the superior one in this team, got that?!"
"Simple-minded fool." Shinobu sighed. "If you think I'd follow a plan made up by someone like you, you're even dumber than I thought. I can win this with or without your assistance. I was simply hoping to make it at least a little easier on myself."
"You know, you really have an ego too big for that thick skull of yours!"
"Look who's talking!"
From the monitoring room, those watching the fight could only wonder just what it was Hyde and Shinobu were discussing. But from the looks of them yelling angrily at each other, it wasn't too hard to guess.
"Do those two even have any idea who they're up against?" Dan questioned. "All they're doing is arguing. Without a solid plan, they don't have a chance."
"Well this is Hyde and Shinobu we're talking about." Alicia commented. "Both of them have massive egos, but Shinobu in particular doesn't like teaming up with others to begin with. Combine that with the fact that Hyde hates people acting like they're above him, and it's no wonder they can't work together."
"So this is why Ms. Yamagori chose the two of them for this matchup." Kenji realized. "The two students with the worst possible teamwork against an opponent where they'll need teamwork the most."
Looking at the monitor, everyone could see All Might standing by the exit gate. Not waiting any longer, he reeled his fist back and prepared to make the first move.
As Hyde and Shinobu continued to argue, they felt a sudden burst of pressure from out of nowhere. The two students dug their feet into the ground and braced themselves. It took everything they had to not be blown away. But the environment around them was not so lucky. Windows shattered. Lampposts detached from the ground and were sent flying. In an instant, the entire main road they were on was turned into a disaster site. And once the gust of wind died down, both Hyde and Shinobu could feel the imminent danger near them.
"I should warn you, if you think of this as simply an exam, you have no chance at passing." All Might said as his figure finally became visible through the cloud of debris. "I am a villain. Now come at me, heroes."
Hyde and Shinobu finally managed to snap out of their daze. Even if they were scared, standing around doing nothing wasn't going to help. Hyde slammed his hand on the ground, creating his territory. He then sent several pillars curving up from the ground and shooting straight for All Might. However, the Number 1 Hero had little difficulty smashing each of them as they came his way, one after another. Attempting to take advantage of All Might seemingly having his hands full, Shinobu came at him from the side and fired off several psychic bullets from his palm. However, the barrage barely managed to tickle All Might. He moved away from Hyde's attack and appeared right next to Shinobu in the blink of an eye. Shinobu barely had time to move his arms to block as All Might attacked him with a vicious punch that sent him flying back into Hyde.
"Damnit. He's even stronger than I thought." Hyde groaned as he and Shinobu slowly got to their feet.
"Just stay out of my way. I'll handle this alone." Shinobu said, moving in and firing off more compressed blasts of psychic energy with his Quirk.
All Might blocked the blasts simply by holding out his open hand. He then closed in on Shinobu and threw a downwards punch at him that cracked the road. "Don't think you can defeat me with simple attacks like that, hero." All Might said before turning to see Hyde trying to get away while he was busy dealing with Shinobu. "Running away and abandoning your comrade?" he asked as he moved with terrifying speed and blocked Hyde's path before punching him right into a building. "It seems the sense of comradery between you two is nonexistent."
"Hey I tried talking teamwork, but mister high and mighty over there wouldn't listen." Hyde argued.
"Ah, so you "tried" you say?" All Might said, walking up to Hyde and lifting him up by the arm. "Unfortunately, if all it took was simply trying, then passing this exam would be a cakewalk!" With a forceful throw, All Might sent Hyde right over to his partner. Both Hyde and Shinobu laid on the road, badly beaten.
Shinobu slowly got to his feet and saw All Might slowly walking their way. Looking up, he saw a sign for the building directly over him. Not wasting this chance, he fired off a psychic blast at the hinges of the sign. It broke off and crashed down onto All Might. While the teacher took barely any damage from the large metal sign that came from above, the few seconds he took to knock it off of himself were enough for Hyde and Shinobu to disappear.
'Managing to act upon an enemy's momentary distraction. And he made sure the sign he broke was from a building that I had already damaged.' All Might thought. 'You truly are good at using your head in the spur of the moment, Young Reikon. But I'm afraid that alone will not be enough to defeat me.'
Hyde and Shinobu ran through the back alleys, desperate to hide from All Might. Once they felt they had gotten a safe enough distance away, they sat down against a building to catch their breath.
"Well that sucked." Hyde said. "So… which part of that was your brilliant plan to take him down solo?"
"Just shut up." Shinobu argued. "I never expected to defeat All Might. That first encounter was simply to get a grasp on his physical prowess with the handicap."
"Sure it was." Hyde scoffed. "Look, we both know after that initial fight that neither of us has a chance in hell of beating All Might or escaping if we don't work together."
"Forget it. I refuse to play friends, especially with someone like you." Shinobu told him.
"It's not playing friends you idiot!" Hyde shouted as he slammed his fist against the building , right near Shinobu's head. He glared at his violet haired partner. "I'm going to make this perfectly clear. I really don't like you. And I'm willing to bet you feel the same way about me. But whether we like it or not, we're partners for this exam. I'm not asking to be your friend. All I'm asking is that we work together so we actually have a chance in hell of passing this exam."
Shinobu stared into Hyde's eyes as he listened to his words. He hated to admit it, but Hyde was right. They had no chance of winning this if they weren't working as a team. Shinobu let out a reluctant sigh. "Fine. Any plan on how to tackle All Might?"
"Not at all." Hyde smirked. "I think I'll leave that to you."
"What?"
"Between the two of us, you excel at strategy the most." Hyde told him. "So use me. Do whatever you think is necessary in order for both of us to pass this exam. If you can promise to do that, then I'll put my trust in you."
"You're seriously saying you trust me?" Shinobu asked.
"Heh, well you are claiming to become the perfect hero. In that case, getting both of us to pass should be a cakewalk for you."
Shinobu let out an amused chuckle. "Fair enough." he said. "Alright, let's do this."
On the main street of the city, All Might looked around for Hyde and Shinobu. After thirty seconds passed with neither of them attacking, the teacher decided to head back towards the exit gate, figuring that's where the two students were likely headed. It mattered little though if they had a head start on him. All Might knew neither of them could match his speed. And if they kept staying at odds with each other, they had no chance at victory.
'It's like Young Bakugo and Midoriya all over again. Though I suppose in this case it's like a pair of Young Bakugos.'
As All Might ran, his path was suddenly blocked as a wall rose up from the road. He turned around to see Hyde with an eager grin on his face. "Coming to face me all alone? Where's your partner?"
"Don't need him. As if I could ever work with a guy as annoying as him." Hyde said. "Now let's see you break out of this, All Might."
In an instant, a dome of gravel came up from the ground, swallowing All Might. Hyde then added on more domes around it, creating a series of layers for his prison. It did little to hold All Might however as the hero smashed the domes to dust in an instant.
"Come now, Young Gekido. Did you really expect that to hold me?" All Might asked.
In response, Hyde showed a smirk. "Not really. But it did keep you in place for a few seconds and keep your attention on me."
All Might suddenly sensed danger from above. Looking upwards, he saw Shinobu a few feet above him with an incredibly dense concentration of energy stored up in his hands.
"Let's see you shrug off this attack, All Might." Shinobu said
All Might found himself hit with what felt like the force of a point blank explosion. The ground beneath him cracked and he was forced to one knee due to the force of the impact. Shinobu wasn't spared from the close range blast either, being blown into the air by the recoil. Both of his arms hurt, a sign to him that his Quirk wouldn't work as well for the rest of the exam. He had angled himself slightly when he attacked just now, allowing him to be blasted toward the direction of the escape gate. A large curved slab rose up from the ground in the direction he was falling, the work of Hyde's Quirk. Shinobu landed on it and slid down towards the ground, allowing him to safely land rather than crash into the road.
A slight moan escaped All Might as he got back on his feet. 'So Young Gekido came out as a distraction, making me believe they were still at odds with each other, in order to give Young Reikon an opening to hit me with a full force attack. Not bad at all.' he thought to himself. He looked over in Hyde's direction and found the teen lying down on the road. 'But it seems Young Gekido wasn't able to withstand the shockwave with all the damage he had taken already.'
With Hyde down for the count, that only left Shinobu. All Might kicked off the ground and zoomed towards the direction Shinobu had gone with a powerful jump. He smashed right through the curved stone wall Hyde had made for Shinobu to land and saw the teen just starting to run after reaching the bottom of the slope.
"Tch, of course that wouldn't be enough." Shinobu complained as he continued to run. The exit gate was too far away however and All Might came down at him. Acting quickly, Shinobu jumped up and fired off psychic blasts from the soles of his feet to propel him sideways and evade All Might's attack. Running was no longer an option. He wouldn't be able to evade the attacks of the Number 1 Hero if he had his back to him.
"Your plan wasn't half bad, I'll give you two that." All Might told him. "But you'll have to do a lot better than that."
Shinobu could still feel his arms throbbing in pain. He could use his Quirk, but any large concentrated blasts were out of the question. That left his chances of victory slimmer than ever. But giving up wasn't an option either.
Kicking off the ground, Shinobu charged at All Might. He fired off blasts from his feet to increase his speed and shoot himself towards his opponent. Shinobu ducked under the fist All Might swung at him and threw a kick at the man's gut. All Might barely felt it however and swung his arm down in an attempt to smash Shinobu into the ground. Shinobu quickly dodged, once again shooting off his Quirk from his feet to move faster.
"You'll have to do more than just dodge you know?!" All Might said as he chased after Shinobu. The violet haired teen put all of his effort into evading All Might's attacks. If he took even one clean hit, it was all over.
Whenever an opening presented itself, Shinobu went in for an attack. But even then, he lacked the offensive power to do much damage. Whether he attacked from the front or the back, All Might barely moved from the impact. Feeling his stamina reaching its limits, Shinobu put some distance between himself and All Might. However, All Might had no intention of letting Shinobu catch his breath. He quickly closed the distance between them, reeling his fist back.
"Detroit Smash!"
With no time to evade, Shinobu brought his arms up to block. He was hit with the full force of the punch and crashed right into the side of a building. Shinobu moaned as All Might walked up to him.
"You put up a good effort, Young Reikon. But in the end, it wasn't enough."
To All Might's surprise, Shinobu let out a weak chuckle. "I wouldn't say that. We're about to win in a few seconds after all."
All Might looked at Shinobu with a questioning gaze, wondering what he meant. When the realization hit him, All Might widened his eyes and jerked his head towards the escape gate. Hyde was running straight towards it, and would pass through it in only a few seconds.
'So he was playing dead earlier in order to get me to believe I only needed to focus on Shinobu. Damnit.' All Might thought as he prepared to chase after Hyde. 'I'll have to use New Hampshire Smash to reach him. I need to move quickly!'
"Where are you looking, All Might?"
The sound of Shinobu's voice caused All Might to bring his attention back to Shinobu, who had his arms out, ready to blast him once again.
'Making me use my arms again in my condition. I wish that guy wasn't such a damn slowpoke.'
"Eat this, All Might!" Shinobu shouted.
The violet haired teen fired off a powerful blast from his palms, forcing All Might to block. The few seconds that bought were enough for Hyde to make his way through the gate. A buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the exam.
"Team Gekido and Reikon have passed. All matches for Class 1-C's practical exams have been completed!"
By the escape gate, Hyde panted as he caught his breath. He would have preferred to fight All Might himself, but he couldn't deny it when Shinobu claimed to be the faster one between the two of them in battle. So his role was to distract All Might, get hit by Shinobu's first attack, then play dead until All Might left to chase Shinobu and sneak past the escape gate while All Might's focus was off of him. It wasn't the most glorious role, but it had allowed them to win.
"Heh… that jerk came up with a pretty decent plan." Hyde said to himself.
-The next day-
With final exams over, everyone was now waiting to see if they had passed or failed. Classes for the semester were done, so today was just for everyone to hear the results of their exam. Most of them were confident in their scores for the written exam. As for the practical exam, while most of the class was fairly certain as to whether they had passed or not, there were a few that were on the border. Most notably was Merci. While his team had won, he himself hadn't done much of anything to contribute to said win.
Of course, there was one team that knew without a doubt they had failed.
"Man, this sucks." Shiro said. "Summer school hell. Will we even be able to do any of the camping activities?"
"Don't say that. It's gonna make me depressed all over again." Jill said.
Finally, the bell rang and Yamagori entered the room. "Alright everyone, I have the results of your exams." she said as she walked up to her desk. "Unfortunately, some of you didn't pass the exam. Cryki, Suzuki, Boqu, each of you failed the practical exam."
"Moi?!" Merci exclaimed before bowing his head down in disappointment.
"On the bright side, none of you managed to royally screw up and fail the written test." Yamagori added. "So everyone will still be going to the training camp. That said, to the three that did fail, time will be set aside for extra classes for you. Don't expect to have an easy time with them."
"Yes Ms. Yamagori…" the three failures sulked.
"Now then, that should be everything." Yamagori told her class. "You all know the day we're leaving. Make sure to meet up at the school early. We won't wait around for any stragglers." Yamagori turned to the door and walked out of the room. "Oh and Hatsu? Meet me at the training gym in thirty minutes."
Once Yamagori closed the door behind her, Class C began discussing about the upcoming training camp and the fun stuff they would be able to do.
"Oh man, this is gonna be awesome!" Fiona said. "I can't wait!"
"We should all go shopping this afternoon!" Hikari suggested. "We all probably need things for the training camp!"
"That's true." Marcus agreed. "Sounds like a fun idea."
"Oh Fujino, you'll probably need stuff too, won't you?" Sakura said. "Do you own a bathing suit?"
Fujino shook her head. "Well no, but… I kinda don't have any money."
"It's fine. We can chip in for it. It shouldn't be that expensive." Nene told her.
"This is going to be so much fun! Just what I need to get my mind off the finals!" Jill said. "Oh but wait, didn't Ms. Yamagori want to meet with you soon?"
"It's probably just another training session. I'll text you guys if it looks like it's going to be long." Fujino told them.
"Alright then. Class C, this afternoon is our shopping spree!" Jill said with a cheerful tone.
Fujino walked up to the training gym, where she could see Yamagori and Aizawa waiting for her. Her training had been going well as of recently. The mental keyword training had taken root and Fujino now found the instances of her Quirk control slipping to be much less frequent. She hadn't thought it possible a few weeks ago, but she actually had a pretty decent hold on her Quirk now.
As she walked up to the two teachers however, she couldn't help but notice they seemed different than usual. Both of their expressions seemed grim. "Is something wrong?" Fujino asked.
Yamagori let out a sigh and motioned for Fujino to follow her inside. "Come in. We have something to tell you."
Now Fujino knew something was wrong. She silently walked into the gym with Yamagori and Aizawa. Once they were inside, Aizawa looked at her with the same gaze he did usually to turn off her Quirk. The teen was becoming increasingly anxious. "What's going on?"
"We received word from the German authorities. They finished their investigation and raid of Paradise's European branch headquarters." Yamagori explained.
Fujino widened her eyes. "Then my mom knows I'm ok?! Is she coming back to Japan?!" she asked.
Yamagori and Aizawa looked at each other, not eager to share the result with Fujino. "Just like with the other branches, most of the data on Paradise's underground activities were wiped clean. And all of the employees left were ones that knew nothing of what had actually been going on behind the scenes."
Fujino couldn't help but notice that the woman wasn't answering her question. "Ms. Yamagori… what about my mom?"
Yamagori finally looked Fujino in the eyes. "She's missing. We have no idea where she is. It's possible that she was taken by the members that went into hiding."
Upon hearing this, all of the blood drained from Fujino's face. The strength in her legs began to fade. "What… What did you say?"
"I'm sorry Hatsu." Yamagori said. "They're looking for her, but we haven't heard anything back yet."
Fujino fell to her knees as tears welled up in her eyes. "No… No…"
"I'm sure your emotions are far from in check right now." Yamagori told her. "I'll have Aizawa turn your Quirk back on in a second. We set up the hall for you to unleash as much as you need right now."
The words barely registered in Fujino's brain, but she gave a small nod. The two teachers stepped out of the way and Aizawa blinked his eyes, returning Fujino's Quirk to her.
With her Quirk back, Fujino looked forward. She could feel her head starting to ache, the feeling she always got when her Quirk wanted to unleash itself. So she uttered the word she had engraved into her mind as the key to unlocking it.
What had she done to deserve this? All she had wanted was to live a normal life.
"Burst..."
Paradise was supposed to help her get control of her Quirk and allow her to live normally without fear of her losing control. But instead they had stolen away three years of her life.
"Burst."
When she had finally gotten free from Paradise's grasp, she thought things would finally start returning to normal. That she could see her mother again. But even that had now been stolen away from her.
"Burst!"
How much did Paradise have to take from her before they were satisfied?
"BURST!"
With each time she uttered her keyword, the explosions grew in intensity. Yamagori and Aizawa silently stood by the doorway, letting Fujino let out all her anger and frustration on the empty space around them. Several minutes passed by and the tone of Fujino's voice gradually progressed into a mix of both sadness and anger.
Finally, Fujino looked down at the ground with tears still dripping from her eyes. The repeated use of Fujino's Quirk had worn her down.
Yamagori walked up to the girl and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard. But I promise you we'll find them. Paradise isn't getting away with what they've done."
Time passed as Fujino continued to cry. Yamagori didn't move from the girl's side, staying as long as Fujino needed her to. There were multiple ways to deal with anger and grief. Some of them were healthy and some of them weren't.
Letting out one's anger through destroying stuff was one of the less healthy options if Yamagori was being honest, but right now she knew it was the best she could offer.
A/N: Well that's it for the final exam arc. Hope you all enjoyed it. Next chapter will be the start of the summer training camp arc. Until then, readers.
