A/N: Got another small special coming up after this, to answer a question some may have. Review Time!

To Murtaito: Akio and Kyoka would have been my main story pairing if I never came up with Perfected so I thought I squeeze their story into the main one. More of Akio's story will be revealed in the future though, happy you enjoyed ;)

Enjoy.

Chapter 28 - Perfected Pandemonium

"-I dunno, I like em but some of their songs are hit-and-miss for me," Jiro made a valid point, one Yuki couldn't dispute so she put her hands up jokingly, shaking her head until it sat against Izuku's shoulder, almost making him trip over his own feet

'I kinda like a bit of everything, though dubstep doesn't really work for me at all' She replied, earning an eye roll from the rocker

"S-Same here, I-I don't really have a preference," Izuku added

"I see, you're both one of those people." That felt like an insult, but the trio laughed it off, joining with Kirishima, Kaminari, and Mina just ahead of them. "Yo, guys."

"Heeey!" Mina greeted them, Yuki and Kirishima exchanging a fist-bump between them while she adjusted the mask strapped to the right side of her head. She wasn't sure if displaying her face would be a positive change for her, but after a few days it felt refreshing, and even established her confidence in her scars more, given one ran right down the right side of her face

Another day in Class 1-A started off with quite a surprise for the students that arrived early. "Sup, guys!" A kind smile and wave from the back of the class drew their eyes to how the room was surprisingly longer than before, a new row of seats behind what would have been Todoroki, Yaomomo, Ochaco, and Sato's seats

"Akio!?" The class blurted out, no more than Jiro who felt her earjacks curl up from being easily tricked by the optimistic boy. Soon they flooded his desk behind Todoroki's, the icy-hot student raising a brow at the boy's appearance in their class

Rubbing his nape he sat upright. "Okay first, sorry Kyoka, hehehe, surprise~" That earned an earjack to the forehead. "Ack, yep, deserved that!"

"Still, whadda doing here, man? And what's with the extra space?" Kirishima kept the question going, Yuki nodding vigorously with her finger poking at the boy's cheek to ensure this wasn't some kind of illusion

Why would he be an illusion? | This doesn't make much sense | Given your standards that is

"You never know," Was her weak rebuttal. 'Speak apparition...' While initially confused by her question, Akio did, in fact, realize that no announcement was made so it would come off as just some random intrusion on UA, not that it was hard to break-in when you can morph into shadows

"Probably should wait 'till Eraser's here..." He murmured then stood up, shrugging with his hands in his pockets since he lacked a uniform and stuck with his casual clothes. "Eh, screw him, I'm gonna be in this class now, that's what the exam was yesterday - Thanks again, buddy!"

"Oh! I-It didn't mind, you were a great teammate too," Izuku smiled bashfully, Akio slipping back to give himself some breathing room. "Was this another prerequisite to accepting other students into the hero course?" The teachers hadn't given Izuku the specifics but judging from the examinations it seemed likely, which did beg the question if people like Jura or Shinso could apply outside of just winning the Sports Festival?

Again Akio shrugged, he wasn't clear on the program outside of the regulations involved. "No clue, all I know is that once I got my results back and another, really boring meeting about... something, I dunno, wasn't paying attention - Here I am!" His outstretched arms were very expressive of that point. "Still, sorry I didn't tell you, Kyoka, hehe."

The rocker kept up her aloof attitude, though Izuku and Yuki knew better about the relationship between the two, though it wasn't hard to keep their word about the rocker and her love-life between the rather upbeat boy a secret, after all, both Izuku and Yuki have to do their best to keep One For All under wraps too.

"It's fine, honestly caught me by surprise last week but I'm over it," She didn't let up the sharp look in her dark purple gaze, however. "Although, maybe spilling on when you magically make some appearance out of nowhere would be great next time." Not even her classmates could ignore the dark tone in her voice

"Ehehehe, got it, buddy." He winced, trying to keep the sweat from visibly showing on his face

"Alright, say hello to your new classmate, Akio, I expect you all to give him the same level of respect you would your fellow classmates," Mr. Aizawa drawled, eyeing the boy constantly who stood before the class with a bright smile

"Hello again! Bet I made quite the impression during that fight Midoriya helped me with, huh?" His comment brought a few murmurs, Mina chirping above the rest

"I know someone who was impressed!" A sudden jolt from an earjack shut her down with a painful fluctuation of sound, however, Jiro doing her best to keep her cheeks under a normal temperature

Iida's hand shot straight up, eyes hidden behind his glasses. "Sir! If he is to be our newest classmate then why is he not in uniform!?"

"Delivery services are a pain, that's why?" Akio answered for the teacher, a level of snarkiness in his voice. "But I should have it after lunch so it's no biggy."

"While this and the expansion of the classroom is sudden this was a collaboration between school staff, the board of directors, and pro heroes," Mr. Aizawa rubbing his eyes. "Akio is the first of this program given his unique background that under the request of a certain hero was allowed to take the same form of exams as the rest of you, as you can obviously see, he passed."

"Gee, you make it sound like you wanted me to fail..." Akio slumped, Mr. Aizawa turning his gaze to the class. "You did!?"

While the somewhat one-sided rant continued, the class murmured about their new classmate. Sero leaned forward. "So, you two know him, what's he like?" Jiro and Yuki both turned, with the mute leaning back on her chair with an innocent expression

'He's a little oblivious and his knowledge on everyday norms can be a bit forced' Yuki replied, a few others listening in. 'He's got a good heart, and his partner, Viral isn't half-bad either'

Jiro smirked, looking over her shoulder to find Akio trying to undo the scarf now wrapped around his mouth, only for it to tighten, turning his face blue. "He's an idiot at times, but he's got the same kind of energy as Yuyu or Mina, he'll try to be your friend even when you don't expect it."

"Hmm, I dunno, you two seem awfully close," Mina's hum and sly smile didn't phase the rocker who poked a finger back at Midoriya who was scribbling down notes on Akio as he ranted to their Homeroom teacher

"Yuki and Midoriya are stuck together like glue and you don't bother them?" Yuki didn't try to make it obvious how Jiro just threw her under the bus

"Yeah, but they've been like that since the start of the year," She waved off, leaning closer with wide eyes. "Come on, spill, you both are totally going out, right?"

Jiro slapped a hand to her face. "Honestly, Mina... focus on your own love life instead of ones that don't exist."

"Tch, I can do both." She crossed her arms

"Settle down, now." A red glare from their teacher put them back in their seats, the second before Akio passed out he undid the binding, letting him flop to the floor

"You are... just the worst." Akio coughed. "Just because I can't die doesn't mean I like being used like a crash-test-dummy. How does Kyoka put up with this guy as their teacher?" A question even Viral couldn't answer

The day went by as any other day, preparation and revision of topics for the upcoming exams, it was a run-of-the-mill situation turned interesting with the newest addition to Class 1-A, Akio. He had an odd way of turning the classes into a more pleasant experience with his unique way of interpreting information, and despite his lack of cultural and media exposure like the rest of the teens, he knew how to approach everyone's situations, those that needed the extra hand in weaker topics.

Yuki was a bank of information but he voiced it all, so to most of the class the two were a God-send next to people like Todoroki, Yaomomo, and Midoriya. Aside from the classes, Yuki knew what was to come next, standing before her fellow girls in the changing rooms as her clothing was slowly replaced with her hero costume, the nanomachines reconstructing the MrK II costume.

"That's so unfair, you can just mix-and-match your clothing with ease!" Hagakure huffed, though Yuki didn't quite understand how she had any issues given she just had to strip down

"This coming from the invisible girl," Jiro remarked, slipping on her modified boots. "She's got a point though, one click of your fingers and 'poof' badass-mode engaged."

Yuki smiled smugly, rubbing her nose. 'Pays to be perfected' She giggled silently at the collective grunts and several objects thrown her way. "How's the MrK III coming along by-the-by?"

Progress is slow | Missing a few key components | Once we harness Fifty Percent completely

It was a slow crawl but Yuki knows they'd make it, one step toward complete control, to saving Nana. All of it was worth it.

"Welcome to a new kind of training, students!" All Might declared before the large building ahead of them. The grounds were unknown territory for the class as they had never set foot inside it grey walls before, nor has any teacher declared what lies within. "Today you will be randomly paired to enter and navigate The Gauntlet, an ever-evolving maze full of dangers!"

"First real day and I'm being thrown into a death maze..." Akio blinked, then held out his gloved thumb with a buzz of excitement. "I like it, if I knew this would be everyday life for me I'd have signed up sooner!"

"I like the vote of confidence Young Akio, now!" All Might held out an electronic remote, the large screen above the doorway coming to life at the push of a button, the board coming to life with their names lit up with their hero names. "This exercise is to enforce the kind of unpredictable nature of combat in the real world, we cannot always be paired with those that complement our abilities or ideologies. So here is the roster!"

[Team One]

[A] Azuru Yuki and Kirishima Eijiro

[B] Midoriya Izuku and Jiro Kyoka

[C] Bakugo Katsuki and Iida Tenya

[D] Tokoyami Fumikage and Akio

[E] Ashido Mina and Sato Rikidou

"Now, with this line-up, I shall explain the scenario," He pressed the button again with style that had a few eye rolls, displaying the maze. "The five pairs will start at random intervals of the maze, every five minutes the pattern will change so move quickly and with care as the walls are rigged with many traps and obstacles,"

"One person in the team will enter the maze, their partner will navigate from the start line, once they locate their marked checkpoint it will be up to the runner to direct their partner to their position, communication and a level head is key to success in this challenge," All Might then broadened his grin. "However, not all challenges are so cut-clean, and at the end of the drill the next team, while having a greater understanding than those that went in first, will not only have one less team, but a random pair will be instructed to activating a second checkpoint."

"Team One has such an advantage..." Sero grimaced

"Yeah, no faaaair!" Hagakure whined but then she froze as All Might chuckled grimly

"Thus, the pros and cons of heroism, not all situations will favor you, for that, you must overcome on your own terms. Now, Team One, enter the building and head to your doors, those not chosen follow me, you have ten minutes to prepare heroes!"

"Yes Sir!" 'You got it, teach'

In Team A's hallway lit with only two red strips of light leading down a dark hall, Kirishima tapped the back of his hand with Yuki's. "Awesome, been ages since we worked together, this will be sweet!"

'Ditto, my hardening friend' While hard to make out in the light he grinned toothily before they arrived at a green arrow sign

Down at Team B's arrow, Jiro crossed her arms while fixing an even stare to the deep look on Izuku's face. "Hey, Midoriya?"

"Yeah, Jiro?" He blinked in the dark to spot her gaze and a small smile

"You know, given the fact both of us, Akio and Yuki are trying to hide secrets and all, we've known each other long enough to be friends," She bumped his shoulder. "Just call me, Kyoka, don't always need to be formal."

"O-oh, right, sorry it's just force of habit," She nodded to his nervous attitude. "W-well, call me I-Izuku from now on."

"Tch, yep, still a nervous wreck," Jiro put her hands behind her head with a smug grin. "But Yuki likes ya for it, Izuku."

He hid his face as she chuckled to herself, finding his nervous nature to be quite amusing to tease.

Over on Team C's side not much occurred, while Iida remained as formal and by-the-book as he always was, Bakugo didn't say much besides hurdling an insult or two, he just kept his thoughts on beating Deku and the Mute, and coming out on top, that's all that mattered to him.

For Team D the two bathed in darkness struck a good chord, with Tokoyami raising a brow. "So you too have a shadow beyond a mere umbral visage?"

"Yep! He's called Viral, he'll help us navigate the traps with ease, plus he likes your Dark Shadow." At the compliment, said shadow squawked with two wide eyes

"I want to meet him!" It leaned closer to Akio who put his hands up

"Sorry, but you'll have to wait, my shadowy friend." Tokoyami smiled, putting his hand out to the newcomer

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Akio, to know another understands the mystical powers of darkness." While most would find his vocabulary strange, Akio only found it to be fascinating, especially the sentient shadow connected to Tokoyami

"Always an honor to meet another who is willing to learn and embrace the night," He gave a bow and shook his hand

Lastly, Team E pumped themselves up for the trial ahead. "Let's do our best, Sato, I wanna see the finish line first!"

"I'll take the lead then and bust through whatever comes our way." He encouraged, the two throwing a fist to the air

~Heroes, the villains have hidden their grand weapon inside this maze, the only way to find and disable it is to activate all the checkpoints, you have thirty minutes. Let The Gauntlet begin!~

Yuki elected herself to run the maze, drawing up to twenty percent, augmenting herself into her Winter's Rush mode, her body slicing across the tall walls, a few thundering echoes of gunfire told her that hopping over the walls was out of the question so she stuck to Kirishima's instructions.

~Alright, take a left, third right then another right! Watch it, traps dead ahead!~ Recording his map onto her HUD Yuki sped to her left, sliding across the wall as the floor fell away, revealing a taser pit as her fingers sliced stone, rolling back onto the ground to evade two blocks of the wall jutting out to try and pin her

She passed the second right then bent backward with her elbows on the ground, the entire wall having cut her off to the point she scraped her chin off the underbelly, only a narrow passage left for her to slid through. Bending her claws she dived through the third right, flipping up and over a few turrets, releasing a number of energy blasts to leave them smoldering while she hopped around the corner, taking a bow.

~Watch your back, Izuku, targets closing in!~ Jiro's instruction as he bent around the corner drew him back, swinging his right fist the second one of the small robots from the practical exam zipped out from the hallway, its head coming off immediately. Another drew a gun forward, firing pellets toward the green-haired body as his body kicked into a higher gear, sliding under its arm and drawing a high-kick through the shoulder, disarming the machine for Izuku to ricochet off the nearby wall and flatten its head into the ground with a Detroit Smash

"All clear, where to - Wah!" He fell to his knees, feeling the earth let out a bittering rumble as the walls fell and realigned, drawing his fingers to press to his comms. "The map's changing!"

~Yep, so's mine, erm... take your right, then follow the pathway until you hit another wall~ At the relay of instructions he darted down the long hallway, hearing a series of explosions as he caught a faint glimpse of Iida zip past before a wall cut them off. He then heard Jiro curse, ~Dammit, more targets!~

"I got this, just focus on finding a way to the checkpoint!" Izuku declared, driving his left cross through the appearance of another, two-headed robot, its arms missing him as he performed a hand-stand and kicked forward with his feet, snapping the neck of the machine ahead as its spasmed, the arm decapitating its companion for Izuku to dash right on by

"I got to reach the checkpoint before the maze throws us off again!" Three robots crawled out from behind the T-junction. They kept coming but Izuku wasn't going to stop, clenching his teeth and twisting his body so that his right arm was close to his hip. "I can't stop, if I'm going to get stronger I have to keep moving forward! Ten Percent-" "Maine Smash!"

The uppercut tore up the ground, the debris and impact with the first robot's chassis tearing it apart while flinging the two behind it into the end of the hallway, clearing the path forward. ~'Maine Smash', heh, you really are an All-Might fanboy~ Izuku nearly tripped with a crimson face, having not realized he said it out loud. ~Take a right, Little Might~

"Yuki's bad enough..." He sighed, running a hand down his face

"It's like a freakin' house of horrors..." Akio gulped, claws sunk into the edge of the wall as the ground beneath him vanished into the abyss, leaving him to shuffle across due to their being no shadows to travel by. With a slight swing, he skipped up to the dead end, putting his hand in the corner before melting away into the shade

"Hello, Iida!" The sudden appearance of Akio through the wall next to the white knight startled the studious student

"Oh, it's just you, Akio, how did you get here?" He inquired, then Akio put his hand on the shadow split across the crossroad's right wall, his hand slipping into the shady spot. "Fascinating, your Quirk has many applications."

He smiled bashfully. "You think so? Thanks, Tokoyami's just telling me where to go and I just make the shortcuts, I nearly fell into a hallway of tasers, youch." Akio shivered, flicking his arms down to relieve his bleak clothing of the dozens of pellets lodged in the fabric before poking at his earpiece. "Oh, you got it, buddy! Welp, seeya... um?"

"I am Tenya Iida, the class representative, I look forward to working alongside you in the future." He stood proud before given a wave

"Cool, seeya~" He slowly vanished into the shadow a moment later

~Oi, Four-Eyes, get moving before the damn maze changes again!~ Bakugo's obnoxiously loud voice ringed in Iida's ear. ~Take your right then pass all other points till your third left~

Iida didn't move, having found his feet locked in some strange, sticky substance, to his right down one of the aforementioned halls, Sato was also stuck, though he gradually yanked his boots from the strange glue.

~What's the hold-up!?~ Bakugo sneered, Iida struggling himself in the gunk as robots slowly shambled into the hallway from behind

"The ground was layered with a glue of some description, it caught me and Sato, why didn't you warn me of this, Bakugo?" Iida demanded as he and Sato struggled to pry themselves free

~Huh!? Guess not all traps show up...~ Bakugo went quiet a moment, adding to the increasing panic

"Bakugo!" He yelled; Sato, yelling with his partner about something too

~Shut up!~ Bakugo's growl entered the mic before grunting. ~Use your dumb boosters to heat up the glue idiot, it'll weaken the bond~ It came as a surprise to Iida to hear something like that from Bakugo, but again, while his temper was poor he had a keen intellect

"Alright, Sato, get ready to jump!" Iida relayed, overclocking his engines to the point their hummed, the heat traveling across his muscles to his thighs, building and pressurizing the energy within, the heat expelled from the radiators in his costume. "Recipro Burst!"

The sudden release of heat and flame from his engines caused the glue to ripple and bubble, his legs slowly pulled free of the goo as the heat traveled across the floor, thereby weakening the bonds for Sato to pull himself free, Iida jetting past him to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick to the first two robots, shattering their arms as he skidded to a halt. Sato, now sugared up, brought them down with a few powerful punches to their chests, tearing out their wires.

~You made it!~ Kirishima cheered as Yuki flopped onto the plate, the circle lighting up green with a loud 'Ding' the second the maze decided to change again, cutting off the route she just narrowly avoided being turned into a well-done steak

"Seriously? Flamethrowers and a crocodile pit, why does UA have the budget for crocs?" Another exasperated question she may never receive an answer for

Four more chimes rang through the air, indicating the last of the checkpoints had been cleared, that meant it was Yuki's turn to act as a navigator, to which she realized meant she had to pray SIVA's Russian accent in Japanese didn't throw Kirishima off.

~The Heroes have completed the first test! Now begins the true meaning of the word, 'Challenge'!~

"That doesn't sound good," The walls trembled all at once. In seconds the training grounds retracted all the grey walls around the arena, revealing the positions of her classmates, all of which looked among one another with confusion. All of a sudden, a green cord snaked across Yuki's body, pulling her to the ground as it tightened and locked her to the checkpoint. "Oh, you lying mother fucker!"

She wasn't alone, Iida, Izuku, Akio, and Sato were all bound to their checkpoints, completely helpless to aid their partners as the center of the grand arena split in a circle, a lift rising from the shadows, the walls parting for the large, metal construct knelt on the platform.

~The heroes are down by half, and the villains have unleashed their weapon upon them, let the final battle commence!~

It was a large, black-metal golem. A red core disguised under a Viking helmet. The red joints covered by thick plates of metal, the chassis, and limbs were bulky, hunched over slightly as it held its arms close to the ground, red fingers balled up while toes locked to the ground while the red joints brightened with a whirl of machinery within, several green spots breaking through the metal hide like yellow-heads.

"You're kidding, we have to beat that!?" Mina gawked, the chain of explosives traveling toward the lumbering giant with murderous intent

"Die!" Bakugo's hand extended for the face of the golem, the left hand reached out in that time, swatting the blond away as it brought the fist down on the ground, sending a powerful line of walls to crash into Bakugo, tossing him to the ground as the walls retracted, its right fist slammed before it, dividing Tokoyami and Mina for a second until the walls vanished in a wave-like pattern

"Hey, Jiro, Mina, try to get the others free!" Kirishima took the lead, hardening his arms into jagged clubs. "Leave the heavy lifting to me, Bakugo, and Tokoyami!"

"You got it!" Jiro nodded, Mina rushing to Sato

"Be careful you guys!" The trio took their places, Quirks ready as the left fist collided with the ground again, creating a curved wave of walls in an attempt to keep the students at bay. Bakugo was far too mobile though, propelling himself over the walls and above its reach for a downpour of explosive bursts, obscuring the creature for Kirishima to rush for the calves, bringing both arms down in two spinning cross-chops, but it barely made a dent before the heel crashed into his chest, forcing the redhead to slide back

"Dark Shadow, grab Kirishima!" On command it swept between the legs as it tried to crush the umbral mass now wrapped around Kirishima's waist, tossing him up toward the shoulders of the golem. "Now attack the backs of the knees!" With a swipe of his hand, the shadow looped back around, slicing with a large wing through the left joint

The golem buckled slightly, missing its wall attack as the slabs narrowly missed Tokoyami. Above, Kirishima and Bakugo brought their hands down, a powerful cross slash of an arm and the explosive slap of sweat igniting in the face of the golem, causing it to stumble back, arms raised before the boys.

With breakneck speeds the arms collided with the ground, a ring of walls erupting from the feet of the golem, slamming into the duo with surprise, Bakugo spat some blood while Kirishima rubbed his cheek of a cut. "Man he's tough!"

Behind them, Jiro did her best to try and disable the bindings around Izuku, himself trying to use One For All to break the connection but to no avail. She plugged her jacks into the pad, attempting to overload the circuitry with concussive soundwaves, her efforts coming up short, but she did disable the green light so it made it easier to see.

"This is - Wah!" Jiro almost fell flat on her face but Izuku caught her, the binding suddenly disabled. "Okay, what just happened?"

"I-I'm not sure..." Izuku rubbed his arm, helping her stand up straight while picking up the material. A form of inhibitor cuff used to imprison people with strength enhancement Quirks like Izuku, but the power source was external. His emerald eyes quickly grew, spotting the golem as it swept the area in front of it, charging at Bakugo who spun through the air to dodge, Kirishima taking the punches painfully to keep it from advancing closer to the still bound Iida. "The golem's the key!"

"Okay, how?" Jiro didn't catch on so he pointed to the nape were green sparks hissed from the joint

"The spots on its body are the transmitters, if we can break the connection the cords will disable," His hand clenched around the cord. "Atleast, that's the best I can come up with right now."

"Best plan we got," She ushered him forward with a pat to the back, he was a fanboy but he was sharp. "Come on, otherwise Kirishima's gonna need some serious R&R later."

"Go tell Mina, I'll tell Kacchan and Kirishima!" She gave a nod to his order before kicking it back up to eight percent, reaching the battlegrounds in seconds, avoiding a ring of walls that rumbled through the air itself. "If we don't take care of our trapped team we'll be taken out one-by-one, maybe that's it's weakness, with each trap undone it might weaken the armor?" He shook his head, "It's too early to tell..."

"Kacchan! We need to destroy the green marks on its body!" Izuku yelled to his childhood friend, evading a fist, propelling off the arm as it tore across the open air, almost swatting the blond who landed next to Izuku. "That's what's binding the others-"

"Like I care about some deadweight, I can take this thing on my own, Deku!" He jabbed his finger into Izuku's chest to emphasize, jumping back into the fray. "And don't order me around!"

"Kacchan - dammit!" Actually infuriated he too joined the hot-tempered student in the frontal assault, both weaving away from a fist to the ground, followed by a low-bearing swipe with the right, the fist connecting to Kirishima's crossed arms as he took the hit, stunning the golem for the two to launch their counterattack

Izuku brought his right hook wide, while Bakugo drew both his palms forward after gaining the right amount of distance. Both were immediately struck by both arms guarding the chest, a green spot out of Izuku's reach as the two boys struck each other, the arms coming down in a V-shaped separation of walls, Tokoyami caught them both with Dark Shadow, setting them down quickly and far enough from the arms' reach.

"Its reactions are almost too fast, I didn't get the spot." Izuku winced while he took a stand. "Thanks, Tokoyami."

He nodded. "I cannot help in direct confrontation but I can atleast provide support." In return, Dark Shadow held out a thumb

Soon enough, Bakugo yanked Izuku forward, frightening him under his glowering red eyes. "I told you to stay out of my way, Deku!" With a combination of emotions in the heat of battle, Izuku stopped trembling, clenching his fists. "What got something to say?"

"I'm not asking you to work with me I'm asking you to consider an alternative to blindly headbutting the problem!" Izuku snapped back in his bully's face

"We're all trying to complete this exercise, but we can't do that without the others being free!" He pulled himself free of his hand, even as a vein bulged on the blond's forehead. "Attacking it head-on isn't working, and those glowing pads we were stuck on must be what's keeping its systems operational!"

"I don't need help from somebody weaker than me, I don't need your damn power!" Bakugo roared in his face, and the sight of Deku standing his ground instead of backing down just made the features on his face crease with more fury than he thought possible

"Guys!" Kirishima yelped, the fist finally breaking through his hardening as he slid before them, wincing at the shock. "I don't think this guy's getting any weaker!"

"Midoriya may have a point, outright attacks aren't affecting its ability to crush us, we need to try and strategize." Tokoyami hummed, then another voice pitched in

"Deku is right, you should aim for the spots, the other four traps increase its power and durability," All eyes shot down to the shadow on the ground, a single, magenta eye glowering up at them. "Best you start popping or start dying, FYI, he's right above you." The shadow vanished and the group quickly scattered before the fists could crush them

"I can't believe I have to work with some weak nerd!" "Tch, fine! Just stay out of my way!" Bakugo took off without another word, content to let his fury out on the golem. Izuku joined him while Kirishima and Tokoyami kept the beast distracted and away from the still trapped students

Taking on the golem suddenly became easier, if they aimed for its vital spots it would react as if on command to defend, leaving plenty of time for attacks to be made to its blindspots were the spots appeared. With a few well-placed explosions or punches, the golem howled and the final binding around Akio shattered.

"Nice work, now we should focus all our attention on dismantling this machine!" Iida yelled, the group keeping their distance for now as the golem slammed its fists into the ground, creating many concrete waves, the ground growing unsteady with each vibration

"Let me get in close and I'll melt its legs down!" Mina offered, wanting a little peace and quiet what with all the noise the golem created

"You're all free to do what you want," Bakugo's smaller eruptions danced in his palms. "This win is mine."

'Once a Dumb-Dumb always a Dumb-Dumb' Was the note slapped in his face by Yuki's bland stare and crossed arms

~Team One! Five Minutes Remain!~

"We don't need some complicated strategy!" Izuku relayed, the golem picking him as its next target as it stomped toward him yet the freckled boy remained as sturdy since the beginning of the round. "Sometimes heroes can't take the time to form a plan in the heat of battle, that's what this golem is, an opponent that won't give us time to breathe! We need to make time ourselves!"

"All of us are aware of our Quirks, that should be enough to go off what the other is doing in the heat of battle, if not, we may all fail today." Tokoyami agreed.

"We should focus on slowing it down for the heavy hitters to land the final blow." Sato punched his fists together

"'Slow it down'? I can do that!" Akio appeared next to Izuku, startling him with a clap. With a calm stroll toward the towering giant, he cracked his knuckles, his hands turning pitch black with sharpened, white claws, both eyes suddenly crackling purple instead of green. "My time to shine!"

"Hey, wait, man, what are you doing!?" It was too late for Kirishima's panic as the fist hurdled into Akio's body, the crash of metal releasing a powerful shockwave of walls behind him, yet, the metal servos groaned and hissed from a strain within, Akio hadn't budged, in fact, he barely flinched at all with his arm firmly embedded into the palm

"Compared to the monsters I've fought-" He twisted the arm in his, pulling back. "-you not even worth the effort!" He shoved the arm down, leaping for the face with a semi-translucent blast of gas to the helmet, smothering the torso in the strange gas before bouncing back off the neck. "Blow it to cinders, blondie!"

"DIE!" The words were meant for Akio and the golem as Bakugo fired a concussive blast, igniting the flammable gas around its body, the very force knocking the onyx golem backward and almost onto his ass, where Tokoyami and Dark Shadow loomed

"Go, bind the left arm!" With a scream the shadow ensnared the arm, locking the joints from buckling despite the obvious strain on the pair as they tried to pull the arm back. "Hurry!"

"Recipro Extend!" Rings of wind kicked out from under Iida, the spiral that was his body drawing a tremendous snap-kick through the elbow, pulverizing the burnt and bound arm to pieces, the loss of force causing whiplash for the golem as its body fell forward, fist crashing into the ground

"Here goes!" Mina lunged with both hands spouting a fountain of acid into the metal plating in the ankle, exposing the wiring within for Jiro's amps to split and disrupt, small bursts of sparks causing the golem to buckle under the loss of weight distribution. "Haha, nice!" The girls high-fived

The walls came hurdling toward Kirishima and Sato, the vanguard was theirs to shatter with brute force, bringing their arms down on the concrete, tearing apart the slabs without the fear of turrets upon them. With the way clear to the damaged skull, a whirlwind of emerald green and ruby red sped through the gap, drawing back a left and right hook respectively.

"Detriot..." Izuku's power trickled into his fist, gathering at the knuckle with a toothy smile

"Perfected..." Yuki did the same, the crimson eyes of her mask narrowed into slits

"SMASH!" Connecting by the thumbs their fists bent through the steel plating, breaking the large skull like a pane of glass, the red face shattered while the fragments and shrapnel pierced the crown, smoke spurting from the wounds as the large, lumbering machine slowly slumped onto its backside, crashing to the ground before the students in a matter of seconds

~TEAM ONE WIIIIINS!~

With probably only a minute to spare, the students completed their match against The Gauntlet. Many cheered and happily displayed their triumph. Bakugo crossed his arms, chuffing like the victory was obvious from the start, Akio and Tokoyami bumped a fist, with a high-five between Dark Shadow and the black arm seeping from Akio's own shadow.

Yuki immediately wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck, hugging him tightly with her smile and pink cheeks hidden under her mask, Izuku blushed but didn't hesitate to embrace her with a small laugh. It was certainly a training battle neither would forget, but at UA, stuff like this was expected.

To Be Continued...

I never intended on this being so long but it worked out in the end, I sure enjoyed writing the golem fight, this is totally something UA could afford. In this chapter, I wanted to give both Akio and the class a little more bonding before tossing them to the final exam chapter coming very soon, the shadow on the ground was Viral since he isn't bound to the trap.

Also, gave Izuku a new move, a powerful uppercut following All Might's trend, Maine Smash, and yes while it says Izuku's Detriot smash is an uppercut I've seen it used more times as just a generic punch anyway. I hope you enjoyed this crazy confrontation, appreciate the support, and seeya in the next chapter, Plus Ultra!

Next Chapter: On This Perfect Night

Yuki: It's kinda strange how I can talk in these previews...

Izuku: Yeah, I was wondering that too *Starts Muttering*

Yuki: Hmm, tonight's going to be so much fun! I can't wait!

Izuku: O-oh, right, d-d-do you have any p-preferences?

Yuki: *Lowers voice* If I'm with you I'll do anything

Izuku: *Blushing* N-n-next t-time! On This Perfect Night!

Both: Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!