Chapter 44: Momo Leads The Team

Author's Note: Hey, everyone. It's been a while, huh? I feel like I've been saying this for a while now but I wanna briefly explain my absence. For one, I've been very busy with College lately. I'm in my second year and it's been taking up quite a lot of my time. I just haven't had as much free time to dedicate to this story.

However, that isn't all of it. I had lost interest in this story for a while, in no small part thanks to the fact that this arc simply isn't too fun to write. I know there were a couple of opportunities for more original fights, but for the sake of the story, this here is going to be the final original fight of this arc. It doesn't mean we won't have anything that isn't just in the main canon in the future, but it does mean that the next chapter will return to the main canon.

That being said, while I did lose interest in this story for a while, I didn't lose interest in the two things that inspired it. While I haven't seen the new movie, I have been keeping up with the My Hero Academia Manga weekly and I've played both Shining Pearl and Legends Arceus. I'm actually working to 100% Legends and I've already thought of some cool ways to incorporate some of the Pokemon in that game to this story.

I can't guarantee that chapters will come out any faster, but I'll be constantly working on them! To make it up to you guys though, I'll be releasing the next chapter tomorrow! I have both this chapter and the next ready and the next will conclude the first part of the exam. I hope you all enjoy!


"That's 66 people now! It looks like our first UA student has passed as well!" Mera said into the speakers. Momo's eyes widened in shock as she heard the announcement. "66 already?!" She asked out loud.

Behind her were Momo, Kyouka, Mina, Fumikage, Tsuyu, and Mashirao. They had found each other after the class was separated by Shindo and Golurk. Currently, the group was hiding behind some trees at the edge of the forest area. Their Pokemon weren't exactly in the best state right now, so they needed some time to rest. Unfortunately, their time was running out.

"Only 44 left to go," Kyouka said, sweat forming on her head. Mina nodded. "And they're passing fast too. We need to do something soon."

Momo peeked around the corner and saw three students resting by the beachside. They had a Mamoswine, Breloom, and Grimmsnarl with them. Initially, they were hesitant to fight them since at most, only one of them could pass and it could potentially bring more attention to themselves than they would have wanted, but it didn't look like they could afford to pass up any more opportunities.

"We'll move in on those three. Try to tag them if you can." Momo said as she turned to the rest of the group. They all nodded in response. "I'll send in Hydreigon to create a distraction for you. Use that chance to try and take them out." Fumikage said. The rest of them readied their Pokemon as the boy stepped forward and stretched out his arm.

"Hydreigon, use Dragon Rush!" The Pokemon rushed forward with a burst of Dragon Energy, only to suddenly get caught by an incoming Electroweb from the side. "No! Hydreigon!" The boy ran forward out of the forest to rush to his Pokemon's aid, only for himself to get caught by a web.

The three students from the front stood up and laughed as they approached the boy and his Hydreigon. An entire class of students joined them, including one with a Galvantula. There had to be at least a little over a dozen of them there. Were they waiting for a trap?

"Looks like we got one!" One of the boys shouted with a country accent, causing the rest of them to cheer as Fumikage and Hydreigon struggled to escape the web. Getting a good look at them, they all wore some kind of cowboy-inspired outfit. "You UA kids think you're all tough." The boy continued. "Well, you're mine!" He reached out and his Bouffalant stepped forward.

He pulled one of the balls out of Boufallant's head and reached out to tag Fumikage, but he was interrupted when a blast of Dragon Energy forced him and the rest of the students to take a step back. The blast came from within the forest beside them and before they could even do anything, Momo's Gallade and Tsuyu's Sceptile jumped forward.

"Psycho Cut!"

"Go for Lead Blade!"

The group of students barely avoided the attacks as Gallade and Sceptile launched their attacks, but they managed to create some space between themselves and the enemy group. "Nice work!" Momo said as she and Tsuyu ran out of the forest and joined their Pokemon.

"More of you? Damn, looks like this won't be as easy as I thought." The boy smiled and his Bouffalant stepped forward. "Alright! Listen here, boys! We take UA down here!" The group of students all cheered as their Pokemon got ready to battle. "My name's Austin Rei, and I'm the leader of this here group. We're gonna prove right now that we're stronger!"

"I'd like to see you try," Momo said. Austin's smile grew even wider and he laughed. "Bouffalant! Show them your Head Charge!" Bouffalant let out a loud roar before charging towards the group of UA students, only for Obstagoon to step in and block the attack with an Obstruct.

Kyoka's Obstagoon was clearly struggling to hold him back, but Gallade quickly stepped in and got a powerful Psycho Cut in, pushing the Bash Buffalo Pokemon back. Suddenly, Mashirao's Mienshao and Mina's Goodra stepped in, using a combination of Rock Slide and Dragon Pulse to separate the group of students.

"Keep them separated! Don't take them all at once!" Momo said as she and Gallade got rid of the Electrowebs restraining Fumikage and Hydreigon. The boy got back up and dusted off his outfit before turning to their enemies. "Apologies. I should have been more careful." He said as Hydreigon let out an angry roar.

"Don't worry about it. Let's focus on what we have to do now." Kyoka said as Obstagoon let out a laugh. The attacks from Goodra and Mienshao managed to separate the enemy team into two groups, with both groups separated by a wall of rocks. Momo knew she needed to make some decisions right now. "Asui, Tokoyami, you're with me. We'll take on the group here. Ashido, Jiro, Ojiro. You three handle the other group."

They all nodded and headed off to face their assigned group of enemies. The group that Momo and her team were faced with was composed of Austin's Bouffalant, as well as a Breloom, Grimmsnarl, Seviper, Druddigon, and Watchog.

Meanwhile, Kyoka's group consisted of Mamoswine, Crobat, Ninetales, Galvantula, Pangoro, and Golduck.

These fights weren't going to be easy, but this is what UA trained them for. "Alright! Asui! Tokoyami! Move!" Momo shouted. Gallade stood his ground and charged up psychic energy into his arms as both Sceptile and Hydreigon dashed to the sides.

"Use Poison Tail, Seviper!"

"Watchog, use Hyper Fang!"

The two Pokemon charged at Gallade, but he quickly moved down to dodge the attacks and countered with a powerful Psycho Cut, pushing the two Pokemon back. The two Pokemon were stunned long enough for Sceptile to jump up behind them and strike them with a powerful Leaf Blade, dealing a lot of damage, giving an opening to Hydreigon.

"Draco Meteor!" Fumikage shouted. Austin's eyes widened with shock as he looked behind them and saw the Pseudo Legendary launch a barrage of draconic meteors down on him and his group.

Meanwhile, Kyoka's group was having a bit of trouble handling their opponents. Pangoro had gone straight for her Obstagoon and while they were able to avoid and block attacks with Obstruct, they were in a lot of danger. One single Fighting Type move from Pangoro would deal a lot of damage and they couldn't afford to handle that right now.

Goodra and Mienshao were both trying to help, but the other five Pokemon were keeping them occupied. Crobat was using its swift attacks to quickly strike Goodra before it could move, and while Mienshao tried to hit back, it was also having to constantly avoid Galvantula's Electrowebs.

"Damn… hang in there, Obstagoon." She said. She was just waiting for some kind of opening, but they could only handle this for so long. Mienshao and Goodra weren't doing too hot either, with Mamoswine and Crobat's attacks being super effective.

"What's our next move, Jiro?!" Mashirao shouted. Mina took a step back as she watched in horror as her Goodra endured attack after attack. "We need help!"

That's when she saw something. Pangoro's attack was a little slower just now. It wasn't by much, but she knew she could capitalize on this. "Obstagoon! On my mark!" She shouted. The Pokemon wasn't entirely aware of what his trainer was thinking, but he knew he had to trust her. He was also exhausted from the constant strikes, but he still had some fight in him.

"Finish the job, Pangoro!" The Pokemon's trainer shouted. Pangoro let out a roar and raised his fist before slamming down a Hammer Fist on Obstagoon, though the Pokemon managed to block it once again with Obstruct.

"Move!"

Obstagoon's eyes widened with shock before he smiled. He saw what she was going for. He quickly moved to the side, causing the lumbering bear to struggle, giving them an opening. Obstagoon quickly moved forward and struck with a Night Slash, stunning Pangoro for a brief moment.

"Mina! Ojiro! We're gonna go for it!"

"Got it!" Mashirao shouted, he and Mina, along with their Pokemon, covering their ears.

Obstagoon let out a loud roar, releasing a powerful Hyper Voice. This caused all the enemy Pokemon around them to shield their ears in pain as Obstagoon's scream grew even louder.

Once Obstagoon finally stopped the brief period where the Pokemon were stunned allowed Mienshao to get a powerful High Jump Kick on Pangoro, instantly knocking it out. Its constant attacks on Obstagoon's Obstruct had lowered its defense to the point where a single super effective move was enough to finish the job.

"One down. Five to go." Mashirao said as he, Mina, as well as their Pokemon joined Kyoka and Obstagoon. They looked at the other five Pokemon and their trainers getting back up as they recovered from the attack.

Back with Momo's group, Fumikage's Hydreigon had managed to successfully release a powerful Draco Meteor, but when the smoke cleared, they were disappointed at what they saw. Grimmsnarl had stepped forward and created a Light Screen, protecting the entire group from the attack.

"Gotta say, you UA kids are really somethin' else." Austin smiled and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, Breloom stretched its arms out and grabbed Hydreigon, slamming it into the ground while Druddigon released a powerful Dragon Claw right into Sceptile. "But you're way in over yer' own heads. Someone oughta teach you a lesson, and that someone's gonna be us."

Austin reached out his hands and the Pokemon let out a menacing roar, but Momo only smiled. "You're the one who's in over your head, Rei." She said. "Don't underestimate us. You can't even begin to imagine what we're capable of."

That's when the knocked-out body of Mamoswine fell onto the ground behind them. Atop it was Mienshao and Mashirao, and behind them were the rest of the group. "Once we took out that Pangoro, it was just a matter of taking them out one by one," Kyoka said as Obstagoon let out a mischievous laugh.

"Let's show them what we can do, 1-A!" Momo shouted. The other five students nodded as they took a stance. Hydreigon let out a Flamethrower, forcing Breloom to let him go while Sceptile countered Druddigon's Dragon Claw with his own, allowing both Pokemon to rejoin the group.

"Sceptile, show them our ultimate move! Leaf Storm Guard!" Sceptile got down on all fours and began shooting out a powerful leaf storm from his tail into the sky. He then began spinning, creating a massive barrier of grass around all of them.

"Hydreigon! Go for Draco Meteor!"

"You too, Goodra! Show them what you're made of!"

Mina's Goodra and Fumilkage's Hydreigon joined in as well, with the meteors from their attack getting swept up by the Leaf Barrier.

"Obstagoon! Hyper Voice!" Kyoka shouted. Obstagoon let out a grin before yelling, temporarily stunning the enemy team as they recoiled in pain. This gave the rest of the group an opening to finally finish the job.

"Use High Jump Kick, Mienshao!"

"Gallade, use Psycho Cut!"

The two Pokemon rushed in and began knocking the enemy Pokemon into the barrier, taking them out. Because of the powerful gust brewing inside the barrier, it was incredibly difficult to break out of, essentially ensuring that any Pokemon caught inside would be knocked out.

Eventually, there was only one left. Austin and his Bouffalant were the last two standing, and Momo was determined to end this now. Gallade raised his arm to strike with a Psycho Cut, but Bouffalant quickly avoided the attack and charged right at Gallade.

The Psychic Pokemon was caught off-guard and took a moment before slamming his feet into the ground to stop the charge. Fortunately, they stopped right before Bouffalant pushed him right into the barrier, but it wasn't looking great.

"S-Sceptile! Stop the-"

"No, Asui! Don't worry! Gallade can handle this!" Momo shouted. She turned to Gallade and smiled. Understanding the message, the Pokemon planted his feet into the ground and pushed back as hard as he could.

In terms of pure strength, Bouffalant was stronger than Gallade, and as the Charing Bull Pokemon pushed Gallade ever so slightly more towards the barrier, the entire 1-A group grew more worried, but Momo had a plan.

They were just waiting for an opportunity… then she spotted it. Right as they were about to hit the barrier, Momo put her plan into action. "Now!" Gallade let go and bent down, causing Bouffalant to stumble. Its face was right in front of the barrier, and before it could even do anything, Gallade hit it with a Psycho Cut, sending it into the barrier and knocking it out.

When Sceptile finally stopped his attack, the six enemy Pokemon fell to the ground, knocked out. They had just been subjected to a barrage of Grass and Dragon energy and it looked like it was too much for any of them to take.

Austin wasn't having any of this though. He clenched his fist and charged at Momo, ball in hand. He tried to tag her, but she simply stepped to the side, causing the boy to crash right into Gallade. The Pokemon picked the boy up by the shirt, allowing Momo to tag his targets. "Remember us next time you try to mess with UA." She said, getting cheers out of her fellow teammates.

They had just passed the provisional license exam.