After lunch, everyone entered the classroom to find their homeroom teacher sitting at his desk, feet on it and hands behind his head, a big smile on his face. They also found their own desks to be occupied, not by people, but by big iron suitcases with their student number on them.

Everyone shuffled to their desk and inspected the suitcases or talked to their neighbours, speculating what the suitcases contained. Once everyone stood next to their desk, Sero got up and addressed the class.

"Good news, everyone!" He cheerfully announced, "Your Hero costumes have arrived and just in time, because today we're going to hold a heroics assessment test!"

The class erupted in cheers at the announcement. They'd been eager to see both their costumes realized and to finally use their Quirks again. They'd been allowed to use them in assessment tests, but only to see how far they could push them. Now they could use them in the way they were here to learn: combat.

"Alright, alright, settle down everyone. Grab your case, get changed and meet me at arena three. There we'll give you your exercise."

1-A grabbed their suitcases and made their way to the dressing rooms.

"Man, these things are heavy!" Bakujikou was less carrying his case, more dragging it behind him. "What do they make these of? Cast iron?"

"They seem heavily fortified, probably in case someone's costume contains something fragile." Kumodoku reasoned, "I know I prefer my masks to remain intact."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Bakujikou. These suitcases are a breeze to lift." Cheikatsu showed a rare smile. He had spread some of his blood on the handle of his suitcase and was using his Quirk to levitate it next to him.

"Showoff..." Bakujikou muttered under his breath.

"Oooh, I can't wait to see what everyone's costumes look like!" Tsuchioru was basically jumping alongside everyone in excitement. "I bet they look fantastic!"


Tora exited the changing rooms. He was the first one out, which made sense. His costume was simplicity itself, a loose-fitting blue jumpsuit with white lines running along the arms and legs that came together on his chest forming a rectangular-like shape. He wore combat boots and on his head stood a helmet that protected his head and jaw. Lastly, underneath the helmet, a pair of skiing-goggles was wrapped around his head and around his hip was a belt stocked with all kinds of practical knick-knacks and, of course, his music player. He could literally jump into his suit, pull his helmet over his head and he was good to go.

"Hey Tora! How d'I look" Teiden left the changing rooms next, threw him finger guns and spread his arms, so Tora could get a proper look.

Teiden looked like he was going to a party. He wore a white shirt, over that a white jacket with gold trimmings; black, torn jeans and black sneakers on his legs and feet and to complete the outfit, he had angular sunglasses on his nose.

"Pretty rad, right?"

"You look like you're going to a nightclub…"

"Exactly! Because when I arrive on the scene, it's bound to be a partay!"

Tora tried to hold his laughter in, but a snort still escaped his nose. Teiden took the snicker as encouragement and struck several poses until more members of class poured into the hallway. Soon, everyone was making comments about everyone else's costume, asking where they got their ideas from and if their costumes had any specific properties.

Tora, for a change, was not talking to anyone. His costume was incredibly plain compared to most, so he didn't stand out.

Cheikatsu was wearing a three-piece suit and a black cloak with red felt on the inside. Mienairu commented he looked like a classical, western vampire, which Cheikatsu confirmed was the point.

Yamabushi's costume looked like samurai armour, carrying several weapons on his belt and back. He only forewent the traditional mask in favour of a scarf that covered his mouth and nose.

Standing next to suits like those, Tora might as well be invisible. He didn't mind, though. He preferred function over form and he wasn't that creative a designer. Maybe he could ask someone to help him with a more personal design at some point.

"Tora…?"

The messy teen looked next to him to see Yui poking her eyes out of the changing rooms, carefully looking around to make sure no one else was watching. After she was sure everyone else was preoccupied, she slowly stepped into the hallway.

"Does it look good?"

Tora's mouth hit the floor. His brain short-circuiting as he took in Yui's attire.

Where usually her moth fluff only covered her neck, and parts of her arms and legs, it now also covered her torso, making it seem like she was wearing a short, fluffy dress that hugged her body tight. Apart from a few specks of brown in her wings, her entire appearance was monochrome. Whites and greys covered her body, accentuating her black eyes and making them stand out.

Tora never realized how much her eyes shone, now that he looked at them. Even in the fluorescent lighting of the hallway, they sparkled with life. A black ocean filled with stars in which he could drown.

Wait, what was he thinking? He quickly pushed those thoughts back. That damn talk with Teiden at lunch was putting ideas in his head. Still, words escaped him to describe how Yui looked.

"You look breathtaking."

He mentally slapped himself the moment the words left his mouth.

Yui's monochrome palette was broken up by a red glow spreading over her face.

"I-I-I was just asking if I put m-my costume o-on straight," Yui turned away from Tora, covering her face with her hands in an attempt to hide the blush, "but t-t-thanks."

"Oh my god, Tobuga! You look soooo cute!"

Now that Yui had fully entered the hallway Suramu had spotted her and was all over the moth girl, gushing over the outfit. Not long after several other of her friends were clustered around her, flooding her with so many questions she was starting to drown.

Tora quickly stepped in.

"Alright, everyone is here. Let's not keep the teacher waiting!"

Pointing forward and a foot on a box that was lying around, Denkyuu struck a dramatic pose, like an explorer standing on the bow of a ship. "To arena three!" And he jogged off. Teiden was unusually energetic. Was he looking forward to using his Quirk or was there something else? Did he have a plan to get closer to Kikai or did his hero costume just boost his confidence? Tora was kind of worried, for both Denkyuu and Kikai.


None of the heroes-in-training had seen Arena Three before, but they had a good view from the observation room and the many cameras installed gave them a more close-up look of the areas that weren't immediately visible. It was built to look like an abandoned industrial park. Many of the buildings, old factories and some administrative buildings, were partially or completely collapsed. Debris and pieces of pipe, steel and bricks were scattered all over the place. Danger could easily hide wherever it wanted.

Once everyone had shuffled into the observation room, Sero let his class take in the environment for a minute before he asked for everyone's attention.

"Today, as promised, you will be allowed to use your Quirk to your full potential in our last assessment test, where we will test your ability to cooperate with others and the use of your Quirk in times of stress. I have split you all up in pairs. Among the ruins are roaming several robots and hidden turrets. You will each take turns rooting them all out. You will be scored on how well you work together, how fast you take care of the robots and how little you were injured. Any questions?"

Mienairu hesitantly raised his hand. "Are the turrets and robots dangerous, sir?"

Sero gave him and the class a wide grin. They weren't sure if that was meant as a comfort or because he was enjoying the thought of seeing them suffer. Throughout the first week, it had become clear that while their homeroom teacher was friendly and cared for his students, he wasn't averse to putting them through the wringer and squeezing every last ounce of energy they had out of them.

"None of them will kill you, but if you're not careful, they will give you a hurtin'"

A groan swept through the class. It was about par for the course, but having it affirmed made it all the more real.

"Can we completely destroy the machines?" This time it was Itsuki who raised a question.

"Absolutely! We have enough spares ready to replace whatever you destroy. You can use your Quirks to your leisure as long as you don't hurt your partner."

Itsuki pumped his fist and whispered a 'yes' under his breath. He was eager to finally use his Quirk to its full, and sometimes lethal, extent. So were many others, approving murmurs swept through the class.

"No more questions? Good, then let us begin! Here are your teams." With the press of a button, another holographic table materialized in front of the students, showing them with who they would be performing the exercise.

Yamabushi Meiyo – Kumodoku Gatsu

Tsuchioru Yukai – Gekitai Hiki

Kemono Dobu – Tobuga Yui

Kirishima Itsuki – Denkyuu Teiden

Kikai Rika – Tsume Kuzuri

Saotama Tora – Netsuka Kaira

Mienairu Reo – Shiryoku Senken

Sakura Kagaku – Monouki Raito

Taoshima Fumiko – Bakujikou Usesa

Cheikatsu Chihiro – Suramu Kana

Most paired students gave each other a simple nod, Itsuki and Teiden grinned and gave each other a thumbs up, Kikai tried to not look at Tsume, preferring to look at the ground and Saotama and Netsuka looked at each other with looks that let the other know that they didn't know what to expect.

They both had physical enhancement Quirks, so they knew what to expect of the other, but despite having talked a lot in the last week, there was still tension between the two. Netsuka still didn't fully trust Tora and he knew. Did she trust him enough for them to work together or would they just split up and do their own thing to take on the machines? They would have to see, but Tora was afraid of what would happen in this exercise. Would it bridge that final hurdle and could he and Netsuka finally begin on a true friendship or would everything come crashing down and would they refuse to speak after this? Only time would tell.

"Now, take some time to talk with your partner and come up with a strategy. We will begin with the first group in ten minutes."

All students began to talk with their other half, making plans on how to approach the exercise. All except Kikai, Kagaku and Denkyuu.

Kikai scurried off to Kagaku's side, grabbed her arm and, still looking the ground, whispered something to her. Kagaku turned to the shy girl put a hand on her shoulder and spoke something to her, probably to reassure her.

The two girls had grown incredibly close over the last week. Kikai clung unto Kagaku like a duckling that had imprinted on her. They were seldom found apart on school grounds. Kagaku wasn't the most social, but she did regularly talk to other people in class. When she did, Kikai usually stood behind her, listening in, but never participating. Initially, the students found it disconcerting, but everyone was starting to accept that was just how she was.

Teiden walked up to the two girls, hoping to start a conversation.

"Hey Kikai, is everything okay?"

The girl with Iron Skin jumped up in surprise and looked at Teiden as if he just told her he had come to kill her. Her eyes filled with pure dread, she tried to hide behind Kagaku.

"This doesn't concern you, Denkyuu. Go to Kirishima and talk tactics."

Kagaku didn't look up at Teiden, her eyes still trained on Kikai. Her voice contained no emotion, a simple statement that held no malice or disgust, but it still felt incredibly cold.

Teiden grimaced for a moment, but admitted defeat. With slumped shoulders he walked back to Itsuki.

"No luck?" He looked at Teiden with a sympathetic look.

"Kagaku shot me down immediately. If she keeps doing that, I'm never gonna get to talk to Kikai." Teiden grabbed his head in frustration while Itsuki gave him a comforting pat on the back. Neither saw Kikai look at Teiden with a hint of remorse.

"So what are we going to do?" Netsuka and Tora had huddled up and were discussing plans.

"Well… I don't see a lot of options for us, apart from just tearing them apart with our bare hands."

Netsuka's face twisted into a wicked grin. "That's fine by me, but are you gonna be able to keep up?"

"W-we have to work together. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, just watch my back while I tear those robots to bits. If it's anything like the entrance exam I got this in the bag."

Tora sighed. He didn't think this exercise was going to be as 'easy' as the practical. This was an assessment test. Like every other test this week, this test was probably made to push their limits and see where they broke.

He still remembered the absolute agony the stamina test had been. Running until you fell, getting back up and continue running until you couldn't get up anymore.

"Can you see properly, by the way? I don't see you wearing glasses. Or are the glasses a fashion statement?" Netsuka looked at Tora with a distrusting look, trying to discern if his glasses were another lie of his.

"Oh, no no," Tora ticked on his goggles with one of his knuckles, "my goggles have corrective lenses. I can see perfectly fine. These are secured more safely than my glasses, so they won't fall off if something happens."

"Hmmph, alright. Let's hope they don't break."

After a few more minutes of planning, Sero decided their ten minutes had passed.

"Alright class, time for the first group to go to the starting area. Yamabushi, Kumodoku, wait for the starting signal and then you're free to wreak havoc."

The two stoic students got up from their huddle, nodded at their teacher and made their way to the starting point. Everyone else turned their attention to the many screens. Intent on taking in as much information as possible so they could adjust their plan for their own test.

Once the horn sounded, both students shot forward. Yamabushi pulled a sword out of its sheath and Kumodoku prepared to take off his mask if the situation demanded it. Soon, several robots emerged from the rubble and hatches opened to reveal stationary turrets that took aim at the two heroes.

The duo was prepared. Kumodoku immediately removed his mask and let a smokescreen escape his mouth, obscuring them both.

The turrets could no longer find their targets and refused to shoot. The robots, however were mobile and moved into the smoke to try and find them.

It was quiet for a moment. Everyone in the observation room waited with bated breath. Then, suddenly, the sound of steel clashing against metal could be heard. A short bout erupted from inside the smoke, but there was nothing to be seen. Then it was silent again.

"Are they okay?" Yui sounded worried.

"I think I see something moving. There!" Monouki pointed at one of the screens and sure enough, a shade could be seen moving in the smoke. The turrets had picked the shade out as well and aimed their barrels at it, but they did not fire yet.

Out of the smoke screen, originating from the shade, came another cloud of gas. This one, however, was not grey but transparent and dark purple. The gas slowly floated towards the turrets and once it reached them, the turrets melted away. A sizzling sound spread as the metal melted away like butter under a heat lamp.

"Match over!" a robotic announcer voice yelled. Kumodoku and Yamabushi emerged from the smoke screen and returned to the observation room. Once the smoke dissipated, it was revealed that the robots that had entered the smoke were cut up into several pieces, sparks flying out of severed 'limbs'.

Sero had a big smile on his face and looked impressed. "I couldn't have asked for a better starting duo. An impressive display of your Quirks and fantastic synergy. I have to say, I am most impressed."

Kumodoku averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his head while Yamabushi gave the teacher a stiff, formal bow.

"You honour me with your praise, sir."

The rest of the students stared at the first duo, awestruck. How were they going to top that? They hadn't seen much, but their plan had worked flawlessly. Neither student had a scratch and the enemies had been taken care of with blazing speed. The fight took maybe five minutes.

"Of course," Sero continued, "it wasn't perfect. Does anyone have any remarks for our two victors?"

The class went silent for a moment. That wasn't perfect? How was that not perfect? U.A.'s standards were unbelievable sometimes…

"Um… Sir?" Kikai hesitantly raised her hand. "T-They waited for the r-robots to enter the smoke. This would've g-given a Villain time to formulate their o-own plan and the t-turrets could've j-just fired into the s-smoke and hit them with s-spread fire."

"Very good, Kikai. The turrets wanted a sure target this time, but human are not that meticulous. Firing into the smoke in hopes of hitting someone is something a Villain would easily consider doing. Despite that, don't let it get you down. You performed well above expectations."

"Now onto our next pair: Tsuchioru and Gekitai."

As expected, Tsuchioru and Gekitai's performance was less impressive as the last one, but they managed to complete the exercise without major mishaps nonetheless. Tsuchioru dug under the turrets and destroyed their underground wiring without even being a possible target. Meanwhile Gekitai used his Quirk to smash robots into each other or repel pieces of debris away from him as improvised projectiles. Gekitai clearly had a rougher time of it, dodging the robots' fists and focusing to activate his Quirk at the right times to get the desired effects.

They passed, but Sero commented that they were less working together and more working next to each other. Still, they passed and trusted each other enough to rely on the other.

Itsuki and Teiden's test was over in even less time than the first. The moment the robots appeared, Teiden unleashed his Quirk, making all robots and nearby turrets shut down. The last few were taken out by some well-aimed shards of Itsuki.

Kikai showed herself capable during her and Tsume's test. While she still wasn't eager to fight herself, she covered her partner as much as she could, taking bullets and blows with her Iron Skin, so Tsume could go to town with her claws.

Kemono and Tobuga were the first group to fail the test. They came up with the plan to fly Kemono around so he could take up advantageous positions to fire his quills from, but Tobuga was not as fast or agile while carrying him and they were shot out of the sky. Both students were knocked unconscious and the test was declared failed. Luckily, they both walked away from the exercise with only a few scrapes and bruises, their biggest wound being their confidence.


Saotama and Netsuka were next. Waiting for the horn to sound, Tora was stretching his limbs while Netsuka was warming up, literally. Now that there were no distractions, Tora took a good look at Netsuka's outfit.

It was simple and functional, much like his, but with even less decorative pieces. She wore a tight black leotard with some reinforcement around her chest and shoulders, high combat boots that protected her shins as well as her feet and fingerless gloves with studs on the knuckles.

Despite its simplicity, Tora found that the outfit suited her. Its straightforward design fit with her no-bullshit attitude, the studs on her gloves gave her punch that little extra oomph and her suit was very formfitting and–

No… no! Why did these thoughts keep entering his head? Why did Teiden's suggestions have so much influence on his thinking?

He could not continue his train of thought, however. The start signal was given.

Netsuka didn't wait for Tora to rise from his musings. She shot forward, wrecking the first robot before Tora had even realized their exercise had started. Tora fumbled with his music player, turning on his 'Strength' playlist and followed in Netuska's wake.

Once Tora had caught up, the test went relatively smooth. Netsuka destroyed most robots with one well-aimed punch. Tora was slower, but also less reckless. Netsuka took several shots of the turrets in her spree while Tora jumped from cover to cover whenever he noticed the machines taking aim at him. Kaira yelped as the bullets collided with her, but bit through the pain and kept going. The fire in her body was roaring and demanded a way out.

Despite all their speed and power, they encountered an obstacle in the last turret. It was positioned on top of a building they had trouble reaching. Both students had taken cover behind remnants of a wall while they were looking for a way to their last target.

Netsuka was starting to overheat and her body was protesting. Her glow was fading and now that she was sitting still, the pain from the bullets was coming back with a vengeance. Her Quirk was still diminishing her ability to think straight, so right now she was relying on Saotama coming up with an idea.

He was pushed against the wall they were taking cover behind, occasionally sneaking glances past the wall to look for a way up, pulling his head back before the turret could hit him with its occasional fire.

There was something different about him, Netsuka noticed, but in her hazy state she had difficulty figuring out what exactly. Of course he looked different. He was wearing his hero costume instead of the school uniform and his helm was hiding his signature messy hairdo, but there was something else.

His eyes! His big, kind eyes and the glimmer that could always be seen in them. Even if his mouth was covered, you could see through his eyes that he was always smiling. Even while he was fighting Kirishima on the first day, he was smiling. When he collapsed on the ground after an exhausting physical test, his grin never left his face.

All that was gone. His eyes stood sharp, the glimmer was gone. In its stead, a fire now burned in them. Fully focused on his goal, all his ticks were gone as well. His legs didn't twitch and his hands, usually fiddling with something, were balled into fists, ready to strike.

It felt like a completely different person stood next to Kaira. She found this new man… captivating. Every day she discovered something new about him. First she thought him a liar, then he was something of a caretaker and now he was… this.

"I may have an idea on how to take out that last turret."

Kaira resurfaced from her thoughts when Saotama spoke and his fiery eyes turned to her. She felt something stir, deep in her core. It became difficult to swallow as a lump got stuck in her throat and she felt her face heat up. With his focused eyes on her, she felt like he could look right through her and read her thoughts. Whether he could see what she was thinking or not, she'd never know, because Saotama continued without acknowledging what went through Kaira's head.

"It's risky, but I don't see any other way. Do you trust me?"

Kaira swallowed with difficulty, but nodded.


"What are they doing?"

The rest of the class had been looking at Netsuka and Saotama taking cover behind the same wall for several minutes now. At first it looked logical, taking cover from a turret that was firing at them and they couldn't reach. But by now, it looked like they were pinned down.

The students were discussing among themselves what the participants should do, coming up with elaborate plans on what they would do in their situation. One girl did not talk to anyone. Her eyes were still glued to the screen, looking at the helmed boy.

Yui was worried. It wasn't like Tora to hang back this much. They must really be in dire straits if he was hesitating.

"Come on, Tora. I believe in you." She whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

"Something's happening!" Everyone fell quiet and turned back to the screens.

Saotama had grabbed his phone and was ticking on some buttons. After a few seconds a surge of energy ran through his body. He stood up and stretched out his hand for Netsuka to take.

Once they had a firm grip on one another, Saotama started to run, dragging Netsuka behind him. The moment they ran from behind their cover the turret opened fire again.

"They're gonna get shot!"

"No, look! He's faster than the turret can lock on!"

Tora had put on his 'Speed' playlist, giving him the extra boost he needed. Now he just needed to get close enough. He was fast, but the turret's lock-on system was gaining on him.

"Now!" Tora swung his arm forward and at just the right moment he let go, sending Netsuka on a collision course with the machine.

"She's gonna shot out of the air!"

"What's that she's holding?"

"She's got a sheet of metal!"

Kaira had picked up a sturdy piece of metal while she was being dragged along by Saotama. The turret fired at her, but she held the piece in front of her like a shield, deflecting the bullets. She felt the wind and the adrenaline rush through her body as she soared through the air. Then she heard what she was waiting for. The turret stopped firing for a moment, giving Kaira her window. She pulled the metal aside and readied herself. Scrounging the last bits of energy together with a yell, her fists collided with the piece of machinery, sending bolts, springs and bullets everywhere.

"Match over!"


I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, especially the last scene. It was something I've had in my head in some form or another even before I started writing this story down.

There will be less combat and more character/plot development over the next few chapters, so if reading about fighting is not your thing, rejoice.