"With the connection between the Hero Killer, Stain, and the League of Villains," Nezu addressed the assembled UA staff. "It is possible that criminals everywhere will become much bolder."
"It would be wise to prepare before that happens." Snipe agreed. "As a school it is our responsibility to take every precaution. If fights against villains continue to intensify… then fighting against robots is no longer practical. Just look to the entrance exam scores for evidence. The robots are no longer a challenge for our students to overcome."
"That could get rough." Midnight moaned.
"I understand why you feel we need to adapt the exams." Cementoss added stonily. "But having students face us just doesn't feel right. Even if we do sort them into teams."
"Don't you think it would be a little unfair?" Thirteen added. "They may be training to be heroes, but they are still children."
"And if we beat them too easily," Present Mic beamed. "How are we gonna score them actual grades?"
"We could even the playing field a little." Snipe suggested. "Give the students an advantage."
"Principal Nezu," Aizawa raised his eyes. "What do you think?"
"I agree with Hokori." Nezu nodded at Snipe. "We need to update our standards to reflect the current times. How can we prepare the students to face life threatening situations? The answer is simple. By pushing them to be as strong as possible."
A murmur of assent permeated the staff room.
"If we all agree…" Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "Let's discuss how we'll sort the students."
Izuku slapped the Omnitrix, causing small waves to ripple across its inky black surface. It pulsed blue, settling back on his arm.
"It's still not working?" Tokoyami's voice somehow blanched concern, amusement and nauseousness in perfect fractions. "You realise the practical exam is tomorrow, don't you?"
"Tell me something I don't know." Izuku grumbled. "It's been like this since.. Well, since before the exams started. It's really beginning to stress me out."
"Deku…" Bakugou ground out. "Get your quirk under control, you damn nerd. People are starting to stare."
Izuku looked up. Every passenger in the train car was looking right at the three students.
"Oh, sorry." He bowed, causing the Omnitrix to droop laggardly from his arm in a stretch of pulsating goop. He laughed nervously, wrapping the extended mass over his arm.
A stone faced man went a sickly green at the sight.
Ben… Izuku frowned at the device which was still throbbing, pulsating with blue light. Is this your doing?
Unseen, a woman with horns for eyes snapped a picture with a discreet, grey cellphone.
"I will admit," Tokoyami spoke quietly. "I am relieved the written exams are over."
"Yeah me too." Izuku nodded. "Though I've been having a really easy time remembering what I read, so I spent most of my time training for tomorrow."
"I spent most of my time trying to help hair-for brains." Bakugou grinned. "Trying to drill the work into his thick skull made it much easier to remember."
"You think he'll pass?" Izuku wondered.
"Oh yeah." Bakugou leaned back, crossing his arms behind his neck. "Just had to figure out how to motivate him. Had to get a little physical."
Izuku waved at Tokoyami as he departed the train, jogging to catch up to a speedwalking Bakugou. They walked in silence until they reached the crossroads where their paths departed.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Kacchan." Izuku sighed, still transfixed on the watch.
"Deku," Bakugou's voice was hard. "We'll be getting our own scores on the practical tests."
"Yeah?"
"That means," Bakugo's eyes were burning with intensity. "New individual scores. So we'll all know where we stand in the rankings."
The sun bled red light on the horizon as Izuku fully turned to face the other boy.
"Don't expect to beat me." Bakugou growled. "I won't lose to you ever again, you got me? No matter how many freaky monsters you can turn into."
"Aliens." Izuku corrected with a sigh. "And I can't turn into any aliens at the moment. So I guess you'll win anyway, even with how much I've improved thanks to Todoroki-sama. If we really are fighting robots again, the exam will just be a repeat of the entrance exam."
"That's not good enough."
"Huh?"
"You're a hero course student now." Bakugou narrowed his eyes. "All eyes are on us. If you make us look weak, that's a sign to the public, and idiots like the League of Villains, that our Hero Society is failing. I don't care what your excuse is, you're gonna give it your all tomorrow, got it?"
"Yeah." Izuku clenched his fist. "You got it Kacchan. A hero wins no matter what, right?"
"You're so damn annoying." Bakugou stalked off, hands thrust in his pockets, without another word.
"So…" Rows upon rows of razer sharp teeth glinted white in Tigershark's mouth. "He lives in Shizuoka…"
"That's the station where he got off." Tanaka confirmed, displaying a picture of Izuku walking from the Shizuoka station platform.
"That is good." Tigershark rumbled. "I assume you've made the appropriate arrangements?"
"We'll know his home address and that of his family within the week." Tanaka paused, then bowed formally. "Forgive me, but is there a particular reason for our pursuit of this boy, master?"
"Miyashi was a layabout and an idiot." Tigershark frowned. "But he was talkative. Perhaps if he had not run his mouth about how we were going to have the boy humiliated, we would not be in this situation. But I cannot risk the reputation of our organisation by backing down."
Izuku stared at the dead, grey husk on his wrist. The remains of the Omnitrix flaked and crumbled at the slightest pressure. It looked exactly like the pictures the doctors showed him and his mother after attempting to amputate his arm.
Did it break? He wondered, stomach churning as his finger pressed through the shell. His eyes widened as he felt the familiar, cool texture underneath. With a shaking hand he cleared the rest of the crumbling shell.
His forearm was warped, as if his muscles were twisting over themselves, with the faceplate sunk into the flesh just above his wrist. The skin around the faceplate was dark, like a bruise, while the veins across his arm were clearly more pronounced.
It must have been recalibrating. He thought, activating the dial. His eyes widened as, instead of reforming into the silhouettes he was used to, the green slime in the dial morphed into three dimensional holograms, displaying each of his forms. He frowned, ticking past Upgrade, Big Chill and, to his surprise, Diamondhead. More strange shapes followed after, increasing his anticipation. I don't recognise any of these guys. Some of these shapes seem… incomplete? Maybe they will become available later.
As he deactivated the dial the slime hologram liquified, slithering back into the dial. He could feel the Omnitrix writhe and pulse underneath his skin.
"Izuku!" His mother knocked urgently at his door. "Are you up? You need to hurry, or you'll be late, dear!"
"Crap!" Paling, Izuku leapt up, dashing to the bathroom.
An hour later found him, out of breath, at UA Central Plaza, the location of the Practical Exam.
"Midoriya." Eraserhead folded his arms. "So glad you could join us."
"Sorry, sensei." Midoriya bowed deeply, feeling extremely out of place in his black and white work-out clothes while the rest of 1-A stood assembled in their Hero Uniforms.
Aizawa stood in front of the entrance to Central Plaza, with many of the UA Hero course teachers, Ectoplasm, Vlad King, Snipe, Present Mic, Thirteen and Midnight.
"Now then." Aizawa continued. "Let's begin. Remember, this is the final test and you can still fail this final. If you wanna go to camp you need to focus. Don't make any stupid mistakes."
"Why are all these teachers here?" Jirou whispered.
"Likely to keep an eye on us and make sure no-one gets injured." Toru speculated.
"I'm not so sure." Momo tensed. "There's more to it than that… I'm sure of it…"
"I imagine some of you," Aizawa's eyes landed on the cheerful forms of Mina and Kaminari. "Have an idea of what you'll be facing here today."
"Bring on the giant robots!" Kaminari grinned.
"S'mores and stories here we come!" Mina added.
"I'm happy to say, this year will be completely different!" Nezu popped out of Aizawa's scarf, rappelling to the ground using one end. "For various reasons we have decided that simulating combat between real people would be a better test of your abilities. This way we can test your teamwork and coordination, rather than just your power!"
Horror dawned on the faces of several of the assembled students as realisation seeped in.
"You will be working in pairs to defeat your teachers!" Nezu smiled. "Isn't that exciting!"
"I have already determined your partners and opponents." Aizawa elaborated. "Your groups were determined by various factors apart from physical strength, including fighting style, grades and interpersonal relationships."
"Speaking of which," Nezu giggled. "Let's go over the teams in order, shall we?"
Rikido Sato and Mina Ashido vs Nezu
Fumikage Tokoyami and Denki Kaminari vs Ectoplasm
Tsuyu Asui and Ejiro Kirishima vs Midnight
Shoto Todoroki and Momo Yaoyorozu vs Eraserhead
Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka vs Thirteen
Kyoka Jirou and Koji Koda vs Present Mic
Itsuka Kendo and Mashirao Ojiro vs Vlad King
Toru Hagakure and Meso Shoji vs Snipe
Minoru Mineta and Hanto Sero vs Cementoss
"For our ninth group," Nezu continued. "Katsuki Bakugou and Hitoshi Shinsou will be facing-"
The concrete cracked as All Might dropped from the sky.
"I AM HERE…" He looked up, blue eyes glinting. "TO FIGHT!"
Bakugou and Shinsou were both visibly taken aback.
"And here is our final opponent for the day." Nezu beamed. "Fabulous! Now we can begin."
"You'll have thirty minutes to attempt the exam." Aizawa removed a pair of gold banded handcuffs from his jacket. "In order to win you must put these handcuffs on your opponent. You can also win by at least one member of the team escaping the combat stage."
"We have to capture an objective, or get away." Tokoyami noted.
"Kind of like the combat training exercise in the beginning of term." Kaminari agreed.
Izuku made eye contact with an equally confused Shinsou.
"But we've remixed the track this time." Present Mic called. "After all… You're up against real pros this time, ya dig?"
"Your exams will be accurate to a real battle." Thirteen added. "As strange as it sounds, you'll need to think of us as villains!"
"Think of it like a real scenario." Snipe explained. "If you encounter a criminal on your level, you'd take them down. But if your opponent is beyond you, or not a good match for your skill set, it's better to run and find help."
Aizawa pinned Yaoyorozu with his gaze.
"So we fight or run to win." Izuku pondered. "The rules seem simple enough at least…"
"GIVEN WHAT YOU'RE UP AGAINST…" All Might grinned. "YOU MAY THINK YOUR ONLY OPTION IS TO ESCAPE. BUT THAT'S WHY THE SUPPORT COURSE MADE US THESE COMPRESSED WEIGHTS. THEY MAY NOT LOOK LIKE MUCH, BUT THEY'LL EAT AT OUR STAMINA AND GIVE YOU A FIGHTING CHANCE. YOU CAN THANK MEI HATSUME FROM THE SUPPORT COURSE WHO WON THE CONTEST TO DESIGN THEM!"
Good for Mei! Izuku smiled, thinking about his friend. I'll be extra careful not to hurt her 'babies' in the exam.
"You think we need a handicap to win?" Bakugou scoffed, baring his teeth. "Think again."
"THIS…" All Might laughed. "THIS WILL BE FUN."
"Let's stop wasting time." Aizawa turned, entering the Plaza, followed by the rest of the pros. "You'll be called to attempt your exam in the order you were told We'll have a stage prepared for you. Sato, Ashido, You're up."
"Yes, Sensei!" They answered in unison.
"The rest of you can either watch the exams, or strategise as a team. It's up to you."
Izuku nodded, turning to his classmates who were moving off. He sped up to catch up to Uraraka.
"Hey, Ochako." He called after her. "I think it would be a good idea to strategise together! I'm sure between the two of us we can come up with a way to win!"
The girl paused, turning her head to look at him.
"Then, after we make a plan," Izuku continued. "We can watch the rest of the class's tries together."
"No offence, Midoriya," She closed her eyes tight. "But I- I would like to spend as little time with you as possible. I'll just- I'll see you at the test, ok?"
"Y-yeah." Izuku deflated. "Ok. See you."
She left without another word.
Izuku sighed, then followed her to the monitor room, where he greeted Recovery Girl with a strained smile.
"Looks like I have my work cut out for me today." She said, eyes fixed to the screen, showing Mina and Sato looking underneath cars and inside the windows of faux shops.
"Shouldn't we try to find the exit instead?" Sato wondered, lowering himself to the ground to peek underneath a hot dog stand. "Is it really worth wasting all this time looking for the principal?"
"You're right." Mina pouted. "This place is a maze! He could be anywhere. Besides, he's so tiny I doubt the cuffs would even fit."
A crash sounded from far off in the labyrinthian complex.
"What was that?" Sato wondered, hand going to one of the pouches of sugar on his belt.
A building crumbled to ruins behind them.
"Is that-" Mina squinted.
Another demolition ahead.
Sato gulped as he powered up.
Buildings crashed faster and faster around them. Sato attacked viciously, but soon became overwhelmed by the attack.
"Run!" Mina cried, melting a falling pipe as she leapt into a dead sprint away from the falling debris.
Every time they paused or rested, the buildings around them would fall apart creating an elaborate series of mad scrambles to possible safety.
"How does he do that?!" Mina cried. "It's like he knows every move we'll make!"
"Come on you guys…" Inside the Monitor Room, Uraraka tightened her hands on her bracelets. "You can do this."
"They're not gonna win like this." Izuku realised. "Sato's quirk is limited by how long he can use it. Principal Nezu must be stalling until he's incapacitated."
His eyes widened.
"I don't think it's a coincidence they were paired up like this." He speculated.
"Mr Aizawa is pitting students against teachers they'll have a hard time against." Ochako whispered.
"In that case," Izuku frowned. "We'll have to recognise our weaknesses to pass."
"That's right." Recover Girl added. "So before your test, I suggest you think deeply on the teacher you are paired against, and the teammate you'll be facing them with."
Izuku met Uraraka's eyes, but the girl just tightened her lips and looked back to the screen.
"So… sleepy…" Sato yawned, his words slurring. "Maybe… just… a quick nap."
"Get going, you big gorilla!" Mina pushed desperately against her dozing teammate, as the sound of crashing in the distance came closer. "Come on, Sato! We gotta win this!"
Unseen to the student, miles away in a construction machine, Principal Nezu cackled maniacally as he sipped on his tea.
"I'm gonna melt the roof." Mina affirmed, laying down Sato against the inner wall of a secluded building. "Stay here! I'll try and find a way out!"
Before she could enact her plan, the ceiling crumbled. Mina leapt backwards, standing protectively over Sato and melting any falling debris, but soon became overwhelmed, scrambling out from under the rubble.
"Team Ashido and Sato have failed due to the time expiring!" The announcer sounded.
"Aw, come on!" Mina complained, resting back against a fallen beam.
"And I even left them a way to escape." Far away, hidden comfortably in his hideout, Nezu cackled. "I'm so thoughtful!"
"They…" Izuku gulped. "They lost."
"The teachers really aren't holding back." Uraraka added, eyes wide. "They never even saw their target!"
"Looks like I'm needed already." Recovery Girl sighed. "Stay safe out there."
"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought." Izuku paled.
"Team Tokoyami and Kaminari, practical exam! Ready? Go!" The loudspeaker in the room announced as the screen showed Tokoyami and Kaminari moving in a round building with several stories.
"I'm just saying," Kaminari smirked. "I'm really glad we get to fight Ectoplasm-Sensei!"
"I hate math!" Dark Shadow agreed.
"Can you please take this seriously?" Tokoyami pleaded.
"Nope!" They answered in unison.
They skidded to a halt as a thick, blue-white mist swirled into the corridor. Several clones flowed from the ectoplasm, taking shape all around the group.
"Dark Shadow!"
"On it!"
"Stand back and watch the show!" Kaminari grinned, leaping ahead and sending a burst of electricity out, destroying five clones.
"Ouch!" Dark shadow retreated, cowering behind Tokoyami. "Point that somewhere else!"
"Sorry!" Kaminari paled. "Behind you!"
Dark Shadow cried out, slamming into three more clones and dispatching them.
"Maybe you didn't understand." The clones echoed. "But we teachers are trying to crush you with everything we've got!"
"I think I get it." Izuku puzzled. "Back in the sports festival, I noted how Kaminari's electricity seemed to affect Dark Shadow. Ideally, Kaminari would use his quirk where the light he produces wouldn't negatively affect his ally, but they can't do that here."
"Exactly right." Recovery Girl praised. "And young Tokoyami's quirk isn't well suited to fighting up close, despite how quick and strong it is."
"Meaning Kaminari will need to help defend him if they're going to win." Izuku added.
"Steel your nerves." The clones chorused. "Show me your resolve!"
"There's too many!" Dark Shadow decried, weaving from clone to clone as fast as he could, but unable to keep up.
"Up the stairs!" Kaminari winced as he blasted another set of clones. "That makes 17! My brain is… really starting to fry!"
On the third floor, Tokoyami panted, sending Dark Shadow down to grab Kaminari who was beginning to get overwhelmed.
"Unwise to leave yourself undefended!" Six ectoplasm clones rushed at Tokoyami, who dodged and weaved, flipping through the air to take one of the clones out with a snap kick.
"You're fast!" Another clone fell to a sharp jab.
"Training under Hawks will have that effect!" Tokoyami backed away, avoiding the advancing clones.
Kaminari rolled as Dark Shadow dropped him. As soon as the shadow demon was away, he let loose another blast of electricity, taking the last clones out. He sagged, putting a hand to his head.
"Come on." Fumikage held out a hand to help his classmate up.
Between Dark Shadow's long range and Kaminiri protecting himself and Fumikage up close, they made quick work of a hallway full of clones in their way.
"We made it!" Kaminari cried, relieved. "Look! The goal!"
"Which means that must be his real body." Tokoyami added.
"He doesn't look so tough." Dark Shadow scoffed.
"You did well getting past the others." Ectoplasm hummed. "But tell me… what will you do against this?"
Ectoplasm exhaled a massive plume of mist, generating a gigantic clone, so tall that it towered over them, even though they were many floors above the ground level.
"Just try to escape GIANT BITE DETENTION!"
The clone opened its massive jaws.
"I can't make more clones with this move active…" Ectoplasm intoned. "But that hardly matters if I capture you!"
"Kaminari!" Tokoyami leapt forward.
"Move!" Kaminari shouted, turning.
The massive jaws of the clone bore down on them in a snap.
The giant clone reared back, holding Kaminari captive.
"Plan B!" He shouted, discharging all his electricity to disable the giant clone. The clone disintegrated, causing Kaminari's incapacitated body to plummet to the ground.
"No!" Ectoplasm quickly exploded forward, creating a string of clones that bunched and clambered over one another to catch the falling student. Just as they grabbed him out of the fall, Tokoyami leapt over the edge as well.
"Are you crazy?!" Ectoplasm lowered Kaminari as fast as was safe then generated clones in Tokoyami's direction.
"Now, Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami demanded when he was one floor above the ground. "Dark Fallen Angel!"
Dark Shadow enveloped Tokoyami, extending his arms like wings. With unexpected speed, they swept over Ectoplasm's head and out through the goal.
The horn blared sounding the end of the exam.
"How unexpected." Ectoplasm grinned proudly.
"Team Tokoyami and Kaminari have passed the final!"
"That was wonderfully clever!" Ectoplasm beamed. "I must commend you both."
"I am truly humbled, sir." Tokoyami bowed respectfully while Denki drooled happily next to him, both thumbs in the air.
The next two tests passed quickly as well.
Kirishima and Tsuyu struggled against Midnight, due to neither having high potential at range. Their exam was one of the shortest as they immediately attacked Midnight in a blitz offensive. Midnight had been waiting by the Goal, excreting a constant fog of sleep inducing dust.
Using his hardened body, Kirishima attacked the ground creating a screen of dust to obscure Midnight's vision long enough for Tsuyu to get in position, throwing Kirishima directly into a close range fight against Midnight. Despite knowing they could not defeat Midnight hand to hand, Kirishima held his breath long enough to keep Midnight occupied while Tsuyu escaped through the goal, having higher mobility between the two and resistance against Midnight's quirk due to being female.
In the end, Kirishima fell unconscious with a smile on his face and a thumbs-up.
Shoto and Yaoyorozu had a much more difficult time against Aizawa. They nearly ran out of time, staying away from their homeroom teacher while searching for the goal. Just before running out of time, Yaoyorozu and Shoto enacted a plan using decoys, and a replica of Aizawa's scarf to enact a counterattack, managing to take their teacher captive and pass the test.
Izuku had no such luck. They had used Uraraka's quirk to scout from above, and after spotting Thirteen, quickly devised a plan. He would turn into Bloxx and try to keep Thirteen distracted and her quirk contained if he could, while Uraraka ran to the goal.
Things immediately went wrong.
"Why did 'ou 'ive 'e Upshuck?!" Upchuch spoke around his grasping tongues, barely managing to keep the slippery tendrils gripping the handrail. He barely had time to react to changing into Upchuck of all things before Thirteen activated her quirk. He'd caught the handrail just in time by extending his tongues. "I wanded Blocsh, Ben, Blocsh! Dis isn'd Blocsh, dis is Upshuck! Dis isn'd funny!"
"What are you talking about!" Uraraka cried out, desperately clutching her own handhold. "I thought you said you were going to turn into Block and keep her busy, or Fastcat to run away?!"
"Asdrack!"
"What?!" Uraraka demanded.
"'Orged id." Upchuck moaned. "We 'eed a blan!"
"Really?!" Uraraka's glare would have melted Heatblast. "You don't say?!"
"Chusd," He sighed around his tongues. "Led 'e phink."
"You really are as useless as Bakugou says!" Uraraka shouted.
"Dad was chusd unnefefary." Upchuck groused. Before he could think of a clever comeback, the handrail buckled under the strain. The far section broke free of the concrete with enough force to send Uraraka slipping off.
"Ochako!" Upchuck's eyes widened. Without hesitation, he spun himself around the rail, slingshotting towards the girl. He slung his tongues out, snatching Uraraka by the ankle and throwing her as hard as he could, sending her sailing over Thirteen's head.
He saved me. Ochako negated gravity on herself, floating gently in the air behind Thirteen as she watched the small, green monster fly closer to the pro hero. Even after everything I said, after how I treated him, he didn't hesitate.
Beneath her mask, Thirteen's eyes widened as the student sped towards her. Not wanting to risk his life, she deactivated her quirk.
Upchuck closed his mouth around Thirteen's head, stretching his lips to cover her entire mask.
"Ura'a'ah!" He mumbled. "'Ow!"
"Right!" Ochako narrowed her eyes, kicking off the wall, sending her speeding towards her target like a projectile.
Thirteen tugged at the student on her face with both hands, fingers slipping on the skin of the squirming green monster, but his tongues held fast. She felt the cuffs closing on her wrist.
The horn blared.
"Team Midoriya and Uraraka have passed the final!"
"That was the most disgusting way I have ever been defeated." Thirteen smiled behind her mask. "Great job, you two!"
"Hey, Midoriya." Uraraka ventured, unsure. "I- I just wanted to apologise for how I've been acting."
"No problem. Really." Izuku rubbed his neck nervously. "I- I get it. If something happened to my friends…"
"No." Ochako shook her head, resolute. "After how you acted in the sports festival, showing off and using your abilities to humiliate my classmates, I thought you were some fame-seeking fake."
"Gee thanks."
"But you rescued me today without hesitating." Tears were pricking in the corners of her eyes now. She bowed shakily. "I'm sorry for blaming you for Tenya's death. I shouldn't have assumed you were selfish."
"Did we miss it?" Izuku panted, rushing into the monitor room.
"Indeed." Tokoyami nodded. "It was difficult to tell what happened, but I believe Koda summoned a swarm of insects to attack Yamada-sensei. Jirous seemed completely overpowered however. It only took a few uses of his quirk for Yamada-sensei to- are you seriously writing this all down?"
"What?" Izuku stopped scrabbling notes long enough to look up. "What do you mean? This is good stuff!"
The horn blared.
"Team Kendo and Ojiro, practical exam! You may begin!"
"I think we stand a real chance at capturing him." Ojiro continued. "Don't you think?"
"Don't underestimate Vlad-sensei." She warned, jogging next to the swinging Ojiro. "He's not only got a strong quirk, he's clever too."
"I think we've got a good chance to pass." Ojiro flung himself from a streetlight with his tail. "As far as I know, Blood Control doesn't work well at long range. If we see the goal and split up, we could escape. But we would undoubtedly get a higher grade for capturing."
"I figured that too." Kendo admitted.
"But I trust your judgement." Ojiro smiled. "I'll follow your lead!"
Your new classmates are watching… Kendo thought, gritting her teeth. Can you really afford the safe play?
They spotted Vlad standing with his arms crossed in front of the goal.
"Let's take him down!" Kendo called, dashing toward her old homeroom teacher.
"You got it!" Ojiro spun around a streetlamp, sending himself flying towards the teacher.
Itsuka leapt forward, enlarging her fists, as he remained still, unflinching. He glared at her, his gaze pure resentment. She hesitated for a moment, then narrowed her eyes in determination. She jolted to a stop mid-air feeling a sudden pressure on her ankle.
He hardened his blood to catch me! Her eyes widened. Did I just cause us to fail?
Slow!" Vlad snapped as he easily countered Ojiro's tail attack.
Ojiro fellbackwards, using his tail to pounce forward, spinning.
"Sloppy!" Vlad declared as he ducked underneath a kick and then slammed his own blow into the boy's chest, sending him rolling over the ground.
Kendo slammed an enlarged fist downwards, shattering the blood that held her in place. She threw herself forward, over her teacher's head, coming to a stop next to Ojiro.
Vlad crossed his arms again, still between the students and their goal.
"You weren't kidding." Ojiro flinched, gingerly stepping on his left leg.
"You're hurt!"
"Focus." Ojiro replied firmly. "It's not bad. Do we try to escape?"
They watched as the liquid blood in the area slithered back into Vlad's gloves. Kendo could feel sweat prickling out on her skin. She had loved her homeroom teacher. He had been firm, yet fair, and was quick to reassure and joke. He had pushed the students of 1-B to achieve their best possible results. Even Monoma respected him.
"Why is she hesitating?" Momo asked.
"It must be difficult to face her old homeroom teacher." Izuku speculated. "I know I wouldn't feel right if I had to fight Mr Power Loader."
"Correct again." Recovery Girl smiled. "Sekijiro inspires great loyalty and admiration from his students. He can seem tough and unyielding to the rest of us, but those who are close to him speak of his kindness with great fondness. Sometimes as a hero you will face people you consider companions, or even family as adversaries. This will test if young Itsuka will be able to do the same."
This doesn't feel right. Itsuka ground her teeth together. But we can win this! I know we can!
"Ojiro!" She enlarged her fists, bringing them up to a fighting stance. "Fastball special!"
"Got it!" Ojiro nodded, recognising one of the code phrases they had come up with while strategizing. "I'll get there as fast as I can, keep him busy!"
Vlad changed his stance, exuding the energy of a coiled spring.
Ojiro leapt up as Kendo spun, throwing the boy like a spear towards the goal.
"Oh no you don't!" Vlad extended grasping tendrils of blood surging upwards.
"You should keep your eyes on your opponent!" Kendo shattered the tendrils with her fists, spinning on her hands, then striking again, enlarging her fist at the last second to maximise the impact of her blow.
Vlad countered just in time with a shield of hardened blood that shattered, sending him skidding backwards.
"You taught me that!" Itsuka leapt forward, her fists blurring as she attacked. "And I'm gonna show you how much I've learned!"
"Not bad!" Vlad caught her fists in a barrier of blood, throwing her backwards. "But you should be more aware of your surroundings!"
"You should follow your own advice!" Ojiro said, twisting around Vlad's arm with his tal and snapping the handcuffs in place.
The horn blared.
"Team Kendo and Ojiro have passed the final!"
"Great work." Ojiro grinned, flinching from the pain of his hurt leg.
"You too." Kendo smiled. "Let's get you to Recovery Girl."
"Kendo." Vlad smiled, eyes beaming with pride. "You did amazing out there. I just want you to know how proud I am of you. We miss you in 1-B, kid."
Through the Monitor, Izuku watched Mineta and Sero as Cementoss congratulated them after their exam. It had been one of the longer exams, but surprisingly, Mineta and Sero had pulled off a win.
"That's Mineta for you." Kirishima shook his head. "Ever since the USJ, he became real manly."
"I still can't believe they captured Cementoss." Izuku wondered. "By all accounts their quirks should have been completely ineffective against him."
"It's true that their quirks weren't suited to a direct confrontation against Ishiyama." Recovery Girl agreed. "But they quickly figured out that his mobility is his weakness. They made the right decision to use their quirks to outmanoeuvre him."
The door to the monitor room banged open.
"Did I miss it?!" Kendo gasped. "I ran as fast as I could when I heard the horn!"
"You're just in time." Izuku smiled. "Come on, they just started."
Shinsou tugged the scarf looser. He was still getting used to the way it contracted and stiffened by itself.
Katsuki Bakugou walked, no stalked, ahead of him, head down and shoulders set.
Shinsou sighed. By all accounts, Bakugou was brutal, powerful and, more than anything else, driven to win.
By any means necessary.
He knew there was little chance that Bakugou would pay him any mind, let alone listen what he had to say.
Shinsou was going to try anyway.
"Hey Bakugou." He walked faster to catch up. "I think we should take a moment to discuss a strategy."
Bakugou ignored him, just gritting his teeth.
"We're supposed to be a team, right?" Shinsou tried again. "I think we should at least be on the same page regarding our goals."
Bakugou spun around, causing Shinsou to stumble.
"Listen up." Bakugou growled. "I am only gonna say this once. I don't care how much you complain, or cry or beg. I know damn well how strong All Might is, so don't try it. I don't care what you think. The only way we're passing is taking him down."
"Hm." Shinsou smirked. "I was gonna say something similar."
"What?" Bakugou reeled back.
"I know I'm still new." Shinsou continued. "And you probably don't trust me, but I'm not here to pass. I'm here to win."
Bakugou stared, slack jawed.
"You know what?" Bakugou's face twisted into a feral grin. "You're all right, bag eyes."
Shinsou rolled his eyes, striding off after Bakugou.
"HERE WE GO." All Might pulled his arm back, muscles amassing stockpiled energy. "I AM HERE… TO TEST THEM!"
He punched. The air roared.
"Do you hear that?" Shinsou dropped into a cautious crouch.
"MOVE YOU DAMN IDIOT!" Bakugou blasted forwards, tackling Shinsou into a side alley as a massive blast of air tore through the street, ripping buildings apart and tearing the pavement from the ground, leaving bare earth in a massive streak.
Powerful footsteps reverberated through the silence.
"Always take cover out of line of sight!" Bakugou hissed urgently, then turned peeking around the corner into the street. "Damn rookie."
"WHO EVEN CARES IF I DESTROY THIS CITY?" All Might's voice echoed. A shockwave blasted through the faux city as All Might came to a stop. He looked around, trying to spot the students where he had last seen them. "IF YOU THINK OF THIS AS AN EXAM, AND NOT A REAL FIGHT, YOU'LL BE SORRY. I'M A VILLAIN NOW, HEROES. YOU WOULD BE WISE TO REMEMBER THAT."
All Might cracked his knuckles with the sound of thunder.
"YOU BETTER COME AT ME WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT." His voice carried effortlessly. "BECAUSE I WON'T BE HOLDING BACK."
"Keep out of sight." Bakugou whispered urgently, handing Shinsou the handcuffs. "Try to get behind him. I'll keep him busy."
He exploded from the alley, blazing with heat, and leaving a massive cloud of smoke behind him.
"HOW ABOUT A STUN GRENADE YOU BASTARD!" He shouted, dancing an explosion in his palm. He detonated another explosion, hurtling forward to where All Might stood, covering his eyes with one arm. "HOLD BACK?! I NEVER GIVE LESS THAN 100%, YOU HEAR ME?!"
He raised his hand, only for All Might to snatch him out of the air by his face. He shouted indistinctly, setting off a litany of explosive blasts right in All Might's face.
All Might simply grinned through the barrage, snatching Bakugou's hand away before slamming him into the dirt, head first. Bakugou gasped for breath as All Might released his face.
"THAT WAS YOUR BEST?" All Might jeered. "ARE YOU SURE? I HARDLY EVEN FELT IT!"
All Might snapped around, catching Shinsou by the neck.
"I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT YOU." He grinned. "WHAT'S YOUR NAME AGAIN?"
He slammed a foot down on Bakugou's back, keeping the boy from standing up.
"What are they doing?!" Kaminari yelped. "Are they really gonna try and fight All Might?! That's insane!"
"I thought for sure young Bakugou was creating a diversion for them to escape." Recovery Girl licked her tongue disapprovingly.
"If you think Kacchan would retreat," Izuku smiled sadly. "Then you don't know him at all. I don't think he's capable of backing down. No matter the odds."
"You said it, Midoriya!" Kirishima flexed, a wide grin on his face. "Bakugou's the manliest guy I know! If anyone can get outta this, it's him!"
"YOU MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP, HEROES." All Might rumbled. Bakugou's arms buckled as he struggled.
"Can we give up?" Shinsou asked, hanging from his scarf, held unyielding by All Might's massive fist.
All Might turned his head, regarding the boy with a look that said: Did you really think that would work?
"Worth a shot." Shinsou shrugged as he dangled, then he grinned through his hair. "Then again… I didn't really think it would work. I just wanted to distract you so Bakugou could catch his breath."
All Might's eyes widened.
The ground disintegrated under his feet as explosions tore through the earth. All Might stumbled as the ground beneath him literally vanished.
All this smoke! Still holding Shinsou by the scarf, All Might spun around. He slammed his foot into the ground, sending a shockwave that dissipated the thick black smoke. Where did he-
"BEHIND YOU!" Bakugou shouted, and before All Might could even turn around detonated repeated blasts from his gauntlets.
"A CLEVER TRICK." All Might grinned through the slowly dissipating smoke. Faster than Bakugou could blink, All Might shattered both his gauntlets, lifting him by the shirt. He pulled his arm back ready to send the boy flying with a punch, only to find it caught.
"Butterfingers." Shinsou smirked, pulling his scarf tight around a steel beam.
"YOU REALLY THINK THAT WILL BE ENOUGH?" All Might ripped his arm free, wrenching the scarf right through the steel beam and sending Shinsou to the ground in a sprawl, heaving for breath. In the same motion he lifted Bakugou into the air and plunged a fist into the boy's stomach.
Even with the weights All Might pulled his punch.
Bakugou skipped on the street like a stone before finally crashing to a stop when he impacted a building. He dropped to the ground.
After a glance to make sure the boy wasn't too injured, All Might turned back to Shinsou, who had managed to get enough breath back to get on all fours. All Might pressed him down into the dirt with his heel.
"ANY FINAL WORDS, HERO?"
"Y-yeah." Shinsou grinned, looking down the street through All Might's legs. "W- what's that behind you?"
All Might tilted his head.
"DID YOU THINK I WOULD FALL-" All Might's arms relaxed at his side.
"G-gotcha." Shinsou winced, still smiling. "Step back."
The ground cracked as All Might moved.
Shinsou's arms and legs shook as he scrambled to his feet, then slapped the handcuffs on All Might's right arm.
The horn sounded for the final time.
"Team Bakugou and Shinsou have passed the final!"
The Monitor room sounded with cheering and congratulations.
"All Practical Exams for Class 1-A have now concluded!"
Flinching from the pain where he lay in a pile of debris, Bakugou brought his head up.
"Not bad, baggy eyes." He grinned. "Not bad at all."
AN:
Another LONG chapter.
Man it is good to be back.
I haven't stopped writing since I stopped updating this story, but there's something incomparably fun about this one.
I just spent literally the whole day writing, and it just flew by.
Thanks so much to everyone who kept up with this story, even when all hope of an update seemed lost.
You guys are my heroes.
|| Who Reviews the Reviews? ||
|| It's me. I review them. ||
SonicMax
Even I had to reread the story to figure out what's going on. And I wrote it.
Laitou
Always great to hear from you. Thanks as always for your constant support. :)
TheRealD3lph0xL0v3r
Another one of my regulars! Glad to see you!
Yeah, I teased Ben being part of the Omnitrix earlier, and I've really been looking forward to introducing him properly.
I love the idea of Izuku always choosing the perfect alien, meticulously considering his transformation, only for Ben to turn him into something entirely different just because he thought it would be funny.
From the inception of the story I wanted the Omnitrix and all the Alien DNA on the codon stream to mutate humanity, and having that be the foundation for quirks.
The Omnitrix's main purpose is to change DNA, and here it changes an entire species. I also like the idea of Quirkless humans just being altered by the human DNA in the Omnitrix, making them something like Human2 lol
This is also, as a lot of folks have guessed, why Monoma could copy the Omnitrix.
Because Copy is Osmosian derived.
It also explains his power hungry and manic attitude, especially when copying quirks.
See, I do plan things. ;)