Chapter 21: The Final Exam Begins
Name: Luna
Quirk: Bast – She can assume the abilities of any cat, from regular housecats and lions to hybrids such as ligers and tigons. Her quirk is named after Bast, the Egyptian goddess of cats.
Appearance: Though usually taking on appearances of the cats' abilities, her usual look has been compared as eerily similar to a character of the anime RWBY known as Blake, however she has a tail, and they are complete opposites in terms of personality and choice of dress. She's 14.
Warning: Language and Adult Themes
Specific Warning: Language
"Luna-chan, may I ask you something?" Tsu, Luna's partner for the math test, asked.
"Of course you can." Luna answered, working on the second-to-last problem on the math test.
"It could come across as a bit personal."
"That's all right. I've known you long enough to know you don't mean anything bad with your questions."
"Thank you. But my question is whether you like Todoroki-kun."
Luna paused, merely one step away from the answer. All she had to do was simplify, and yet, she felt like she couldn't move. At the mere mention of her liking Shoto, she felt her heart rate elevate slightly.
"I would say that I consider Shoto a great friend, but I have a feeling that's not what you mean."
"Ribbit."
"I … I believe so, but … it's so confusing. I consider him a great friend, and he's seen things I normally keep hidden from others, and despite it, he's still willing to be my friend."
"Don't you think you should act on your feelings, Luna-chan?"
"I …" Luna sighed. "I think I would like to, but right now isn't a good time. Anyone associated with me could become a target for my – I mean, a target for the Phantom Cloak. Perhaps once everything with that is settled, then maybe … maybe I could act on my feelings, as you said."
"Okay. Did you get 249 meters per second squared?"
"Yes, I did."
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Well, it's almost time for summer vacation, but of course, it wouldn't make sense for you to rest the whole month." Aizawa said.
"Don't tell me …" Kaminari muttered.
"During summer vacation, we'll have a training camp in the woods!"
"I knew it!" "Yes!" Cried the entire class. Luna clasped her hands over her ears and wilted, while Tokoyami began muttering about his class being too loud.
"Let's go test our courage!" Mina cried.
"Baths!" Mineta cheered.
"Fireworks!" said Tsu excitedly.
"Open-air baths!"
"Curry." Iida swung his hand much like an excited robot.
"Hot springs!"
"If we're out in nature, we will have to work under different conditions, right?" mused Yaoyorozu.
"No matter the environment, we must choose wisely … Interesting." hummed Tokoyami.
"Eating and sleeping with everyone!" Hagakure waved her arms happily, only for everyone to see the sleeves of her shirt move up and down. "I'm getting excited!"
"However." Aizawa flashed his Quirk, silencing the class, much to Luna's relief. "Those who do not pass the final exam before that … will be in summer school hell."
"Everyone, let's do our best!" cried Kirishima.
"This is fucking stupid." sighed Bakugo.
"Girls, do your best!" Mineta shouted.
As everyone began to talk excitedly with one another, Luna found their happiness infectious, and smiled as well.
Do your classmates have to be so loud? I was napping. Apophis hissed drowsily.
They've always been like this. Despite me not liking it, I think it suits the class. It wouldn't be Class 1-A without the cheers. Luna answered.
Get ready, shedskin. You haven't seen anything yet. It gets worse. Bast promised.
All that was heard from Apophis was a groan, and Luna laughed a little. True to their promises, the two deities began acting more cordially to one another. No more massive fights broke out within Luna's mind, which was always a plus. She even caught them eating at the same table at one point, though there wasn't much speaking.
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Okay, that's it for class. There's only one week left until the final exams. You all are studying properly, right?" Aizawa shuffled some papers. "I'm sure you already know, but it won't just be a written exam. There's also a practical component. Make sure you train your minds and bodies at the same time. That's all." Aizawa slid the door shut after himself after he left, and then, the chaos began.
"I haven't studied at all!" Kaminari howled and Mina said shamefacedly at the same time. They were the very bottom of the midterm leaderboard, landing twenty-first and twentieth place respectively.
"With the sports festival and internship, I haven't studied at all!" whimpered Kaminari.
"It's true we had one event after another, but …" Tokoyami sighed. He got fifteenth in the overall class, which he was slightly ashamed about.
"For the midterms, we just started school, so they didn't cover much, so I didn't really have a hard time with them, but with the back-to-back events and stuff, the finals will be different." Sato said to Koda, who nodded on agreement. Even after so much time, he still barely spoke. Sato got thirteenth, while Koda got twelfth on the midterm.
"It'll be tough since there's a practical exam, too." Mineta said, probably the first time he didn't say anything perverted or cowardly.
"T-Tenth on the midterms?!" Mina and Kaminari exclaimed in shock.
"And here I thought you were one of us!" Mina accused.
"Guys like you are only likeable if they're dumb … Where's the demand for this?!" Seethed Kaminari.
"The world, I guess." answered Mineta breezily.
"Ashido-san, Kaminari-kun! L-Let's do our best! We all want to go to the training camp together, right?" asked Midoriya. He got fifth, much to the boy's happiness.
"Yes! As class rep, I also have high hopes that you'll all be moved to action!" Iida said loudly, his hand held in the air as if he was taking a pledge. He got second place.
"Iida, are you reciting a pledge so that everyone passes?" asked Luna, amused. She landed a third place, which was perfectly fine in her books.
"Yes!"
"It's pretty hard to fail if you just pay attention in class." Todoroki said, having gotten sixth. He was currently sitting interestingly close to Luna one seat over. Many had noticed the two growing closer and spoke about their thoughts in hushed whispers when both were gone. While they had yet to see Luna snap angrily, they were afraid of Todoroki's temper. Luna, meanwhile, rested her tail on his legs, which he absently stroked. Midoriya had to take a second glance to make sure he was seeing that right.
"Be careful with your words!" gasped Kaminari.
"Luna-chan, if I may ask, when did you get so comfortable with letting others touch your tail?" asked Midoriya.
"Oh, uh, I think it was about a week ago." Luna said, and only now did Midoriya notice that Luna's face was redder than usual, though he didn't question it, considering she told him that it was pretty sensitive to touch.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Luna and Todoroki were sitting at their lunch table by themselves, as Tokoyami had yet to grab his lunch, and Tsu had offered him company, which he accepted.
"Luna, could I ask you something?" Shoto asked.
"Of course." Luna replied, taking a small bite of her sandwich.
"Could I feel your tail?" Luna choked, swallowing before looking at him. "I'm sorry if that's rude."
"No, it's just, it's really sensitive is all." Luna hesitated, before draping the tail onto his legs. "Just … don't pull on it or anything, please."
Todoroki nodded, and softly brushed his fingers along her tail, sending shivers racing up and down her spine and causing her cheeks to be infused with pink. Despite his touch, Luna found it remarkably pleasant. He slowly expanded his soothing strokes, making her to twitch once in a while in pleasure.
After that, Luna began to become more comfortable with him touching her tail, only realizing after a few minutes that she was letting out quiet purrs, which Todoroki wasn't able to hear.
"Is it unpleasant?" asked Todoroki, stopping momentarily. Much to Luna's disappointment.
"N-No." Luna replied.
"Then, why are you twitching, and why is your face red?"
"It's just, I'm not used to people touching my tail, and I'm certainly not used to it feeling … nice. Usually, only small children grab it to see if it's real."
Todoroki hummed in understanding. "Do you want me to continue?"
"Y-Yes please."
And that's how Tsu and Tokoyami found them, with Luna cautiously eating, and Todoroki eating with one hand while stroking Luna's tail with the other.
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Oh! What about your -" began Midoriya but was immediately interrupted.
"No."
"Ah, sorry." Luna forgave him; he was just curious, after all. At least, that's what Luna assumed was that smell coming from him. Smelling feelings were weird.
"You two, I may be able to be of assistance with the class lectures." Yaoyorozu offered, having gotten first place to nobody's surprise.
"Yaomomo!" chanted Kaminari and Mina, relieved for the offered help.
"I can't help at all with the practical, though." Luna glanced worriedly at her, who was now surrounded by a cloud of dismay.
"I'm not one of those two, but can I join, too? I'm having some trouble with quadratic functions." asked Jiro. She had landed an eighth place.
"Huh?"
"Sorry me too! How are you with classical Japanese?" asked Sero, who had placed eighteenth.
"I'd like to join, too." Ojiro walked over sheepishly. He had landed ninth place. "There's a bunch of stuff I don't get …"
"Please!" added the three in chorus. Yaoyorozu's face lit up in wonder at their requests.
"Everyone! Yes, of course!"
"All right!"
"Then, let us hold a study session at my residence this weekend!"
"Seriously? I can't wait to see your house!" Mina chirped.
"Oh, and in that case, I must tell Mother and have her open up the hall! What kind of tea are you partial to? In my family, we always drink Harrod's or Wedgewood, so if you have any preference, let me know! Of course, you can trust me to help you study, too! I will definitely show you I can help!"
Luna smiled as she saw Yaoyorozu get all fired up and ready to help her classmates.
"This is a first. I don't think I've ever seen Yaomomo so excited or like Midoriya." Todoroki noted.
"Yaomomo's aways willing to help, but I think her standing in the tournament and her internship brought her down. To hear that so many of her classmates are seeking help from her despite her own view of herself, it makes her confident again." Luna explained, purring slightly.
"Now that you mention it, Yaomomo doesn't seem as sure of herself after the tournament." Tokoyami nodded. "I hope it's not my fault."
"I doubt it. Yaomomo's the type to plan ahead, but the internship and tournament were a bit of a wakeup call. She needs to learn how to plan in the moment. At least, that's what I think." Tsu tapped a finger on her chin. She landed a seventh. "Also, Luna-chan, you can purr?"
Luna flushed a bit more but nodded. "Apparently so, but it only happens in this kind of situation."
Tokoyami and Tsu exchanged a glance of amusement and knowing but didn't say anything.
"By the way, do you all want to meet up over the weekend at Luna's place as well?" Todoroki asked.
"It can't hurt." Tsu nodded.
"I will need permission from my parents, but I do believe I can benefit greatly from it." Tokoyami stated. "My English needs some work."
And so, the four made plans to come over to their homeroom teacher's place to study for the final exams one last time. Luna smiled a bit when she saw Bakugo grudgingly make his own study group with Kirishima. Kirishima had gotten a sixteenth place on the midterm, while Bakugo had gotten a fourth, much to his chagrin.
That lunch, most of the class decided to sit at one of the larger tables together, so Todoroki ended up sitting to the right of Iida, Tsu in front of Todoroki, Luna to the right of Todoroki, and Tokoyami to the right of Luna. The entire lunch was going pretty well, with nobody really being too loud.
"The practical exam, huh? It's kind of scary since I can't tell what'll be on it." Midoriya mused.
"I don't think it'll be anything crazy." Iida remarked.
"The written exam questions will come from what we study in class, so I should be able to manage somehow, but …"
"You can manage, huh?" Ochaco asked. She managed to snag a fourteenth place, so to hear Midoriya, who landed top five, worry made her very nervous.
"Seriously, what'll we have to do for the practice exam?"
"'It'll be a comprehensive test of everything from first semester.' That's all Aizawa-sensei said…" Tsu stated.
"Everything we did so far … So, combat training and rescue training, and then basic training …"
"In addition to studying, we'll have to keep in good physical condit-" began Midoriya, only to be interrupted by Luna's yelp of shock and a bit of pain.
When she whipped around, she saw Monoma standing smugly in front of her. Todoroki also stood.
"Oh, sorry. Just wanted to make sure it's real, you know? So many kids these days use fake tails … quite inappropriate, don't you agree?" Monoma said mockingly.
"Apologize." Todoroki said, practically growling.
"You're from Class B … Um … Monoma-kun! How dare you!" Midoriya demanded.
"You knew it was real." Luna narrowed her eyes.
Ooh, let me eat him! excitedly demanded Apophis.
Yes, and get arrested too, why don't we? sighed Luna. I've got this.
If you're sure … Bast said hesitantly.
"I heard you guys met the hero killer." Monoma addressed Todoroki, ignoring Luna. "Just like at the sports festival, you guys in Class A just have to have all the attention, huh? But that attention isn't just because people have high hopes for you. It's because you keep attracting trouble, right? Oh, that's scary. Someday, all the rest of us might also be caught up in the trouble you bring and become victims as well … Like getting cursed by the god of pestilence."
"Sekhmet was a she, and I'm pretty sure she'd eat you right up." A voice hissed, and when Monoma turned, he blanched. Standing there was none other than Apophis, in tuxedo and everything. "Now, I suggest you run along, little boy. I would just hate for my host to lose control and let me eat you. You look so appetizing, too …" Apophis narrowed his eyes and bared his fangs, causing most people there to gulp. His flared hood didn't do anyone any favors, either.
"You think I'm sc-" Monoma began but was silenced by a karate chop from an orange haired girl. Kendou, Luna believed her name was.
"Monoma, that's not funny." She asserted. "Don't you know what happened to Iida-kun?"
"Kendou-kun?" Iida asked, surprised.
"Sorry, Class A. This guy's heart's just kinda, you know. Sorry, Luna-kun, about your tail." She sighed, placing a hand on her head. "You guys were talking earlier about how you don't know what's gonna be on the practical exam for the finals, right? Looks like it'll be combat against robots like in the entrance exam."
"What? Really?! How do you know?" Midoriya asked for the entire class.
"An upperclassman friend of mine told me. It's kind of cheating, though."
"No, it's not cheating. That's right, I'm sure gathering information ahead of time is also part of the test. I see, I should've asked some upperclassmen …"
"Are you an idiot, Kendou? We had an information advantage! This was our chance to get ahead of the detestable Class A!" Monoma began but was once again karate chopped and silenced.
"They're not detestable! Shiozaki-chan liked Luna-kun, why'd you have to be mean to her?" Kendou remonstrated, dragging the boy away.
"She's like the big sister of Class B, huh?" Midoriya wondered.
"Luna are you ok?" asked Todoroki, noticing that she was now back in her original human form.
"My tail's fine, just hurts a bit. Just really tired, never really tried to transform into Apophis before …" Luna said, somewhat tiredly.
"Here, let me." He said, taking her tail and began to stroke it gently, causing Luna to blush and sink into her seat a bit at Tsu's and Tokoyami's knowing glances.
"So that was Apophis, Luna-chan?" asked Midoriya eagerly.
"Yeah."
"Interesting, he seems to be taller than Bast, and favors a much more modern style of clothing. I wonder if he's able to spit poison from his mouth, or is his anatomy like a cobra's? I need for more information …" Midoriya began to mutter again, much to the amusement of most of the class.
Thank you. Luna wholeheartedly said to Apophis.
Psh. was his sole reply.
Aww, I think you like Luna! teased Bast.
I do not!
Do too!
Do not!
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Oh, it'll be easy if it's robots!" chirped Kaminari.
"Yeah, yeah!" Mina cried, relieved.
"You guys look like you'd have a hard time controlling your Quirks against people." Shoji noted.
"Yeah, but I can let loose with robots, so it'll be a cinch!" Kaminari waved off Shoji's concern.
"And it'll be a cinch for me to melt them!" Mina agreed.
As the class began to celebrate because of the seemingly easy practical final, Luna frowned.
"What's wrong?" asked Todoroki.
"I have a hard time believing that the information about the practical final would be that easy to come across. Knowing Aizawa-sensei, he'd be more likely to pass on false information, then pull a fast one on us." Luna admitted.
"Hm, I see your point. Should we tell them?"
"I don't think so. I'm sure it will be fine."
"It doesn't matter if they're people or robots. They're the same if you beat 'em up, right? What're you idiots talking about it being a cinch for?" Bakugo snapped.
"Who're you calling an idiot?!" protested Kaminari.
"Shut up! If you need to control your Quirk, then control it! Idiot!" Bakugo then turned to Midoriya. "Hey, Deku! I don't know if you figured out how to use your Quirk a little or what, but you seriously keep rubbing me the wrong way."
Ochaco began explaining what Bakugo meant to Mina and Kaminari quietly, but Bakugo didn't pay attention to her.
"I don't need another half-assed result like at the sports festival. At the upcoming finals, we'll get individual scores, so we'll see who's better whether you like it or not. I'll beat you with an undisputable difference! I'll kill you!" Bakugo then switched targets to Todoroki. "Todoroki, Luna! You, too!" And with that, he left, slamming the door.
"It's been a while since I've seen Bakugo that intense." Kirishima worried.
"Impatience? Or hatred?" wondered Tokoyami.
Luna merely looked in the direction that Bakugo left in, worry etched in her face. It made Todoroki's heart twist in all sorts of unpleasant ways, so he gathered his courage and carefully grabbed her hand. She looked at their connected hands in surprise and smiled slightly when he squeezed it encouragingly before letting go.
Luna had once heard of a rumor that once you held the hand of your soul mate, it will never truly feel whole again until you held it once again. And now, Luna was inclined to believe it was true.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Nadeau sat in his office chair, growling at the bandages that currently hampered his movement. He'd gotten his medic to look at it, but, unfortunately for Nadeau, the medic could only slightly speed up the healing process, and not heal everything in one go.
A knock on the door sounded, forcing a sigh from the man.
"Come in." Nadeau said, fidgeting with some papers on his desk.
"Sorry for bothering you, boss, but I got a new potential recruit you'd probably want to take a look at." Scald apologized.
"What's so special about him?"
"Her, boss."
"Fine, her."
"Her Quirk. She's … awfully persuasive …"
"You're telling me that … she can force people to do whatever she wants?"
"I think it'd be better for her to explain it."
"'Kay. Send her in."
Scald disappeared, letting in a woman, who idly looked around the office.
"So, first-things-first, your name."
"My name is Yua Nakata. A pleasure to meet you." The woman smiled mysteriously, sending an involuntary shiver down his spine.
0-0-0-0-0-0
So, over the weekend, the four friends met up at Aizawa's house. Tokoyami, Todoroki, and Tsu all arrived within five minutes of each other, so they didn't have to wait long before they were shoved into the dining room.
"Oh, I know you, Todoroki, but I'm so happy to meet you two! Luna here has told me a lot about you two, and I can't wait to get to know you two!" Ichika positively squealed in excitement, causing both Tokoyami and Tsu to sweatdrop at her.
"I see what you mean when you said Ichika-sama was completely different from Aizawa-sensei." Tsu noted.
"Indeed, it seems as if the two couldn't be any more different." Tokoyami nodded in agreement.
"All right, who's ready for some Tourtière?" asked Ichika, balancing three pies in her hands.
Tourtière was another classic Canadian dish, easily dated back to the early 17th century, where early settlers would eat it on Christmas and New Year's Eve, though it became mainstream to eat it around the year. Tourtière as a base is usually described as a meat pie, filled from meats ranging from salmon to moose to rabbit. This one that Ichika made was made using beef, which was pretty normal, but seeing as Tsu was vegetarian, she made one specially made from artificial meat.
"It's made out of plants, but tastes just like meat, don't you worry Tsu." Ichika said reassuringly.
"Thank you for taking the time to make this for me." Tsu said bashfully.
"Not a problem, dearie!"
And so, the five ate the Tourtière, which was delicious, to nobody's surprise. As they ate, the four students spoke of their hopes for the final and summer camp.
"I hope we get to make s'mores. I've never had them before, but everyone says they're delicious." Luna said absently.
"You've never had s'mores?" asked Tokoyami.
"No, can't have any sugar or anything." Luna wiggled her cat ears for emphasis. "It's toxic to me."
"That sounds like a crime." Tsu said, which made the students crack up. Aizawa and Ichika watched silently, with small smiles on their faces. They were happy to see Luna surrounded by friends and left them be.
The resulting study session was beneficial for everyone. When one student had a question about a certain question or topic, the other three helped out until the original student understood the topic.
"I still don't understand how the answer is C." sighed Todoroki. Luna, Tsu, and Tokoyami were also having similar trouble, not understanding what they were doing wrong.
"Okay, let's go over this one more time." Luna said. "Step one, isolate the y with the dy, and everything else with the dx."
"Step two is integrating the variables." Tokoyami continued. "Which should get us the natural log of y is equal to three x to the fourth divided by four plus seven x cubed divided by three minus x squared divided by two."
"Step three was isolating the y, making us raise everything to the e to cancel out the natural log on the left side." Tsu wrote out the step, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"The last step was to simplify, leaving y equal to e to three x to the fourth divided by four plus seven x cubed divided by three minus x squared divided by two power." Todoroki finished.
"So, how is the answer supposed to be zero?" asked Luna, scratching the back of her head with the eraser of her mechanical pencil. Her classmates made noises of similar agreement.
Look towards the beginning. Apophis suggested.
Luna frowned, looking earlier on, only to facepalm when she noticed the mistake.
"I've taken it you understood what we did wrong." Tokoyami said amusedly.
"We forgot there was a zero we had to multiply in the numerator in an earlier part. Here." Luna pointed out.
Her three friends looked at the place she pointed to only to sigh in resignation.
"This is why we're at your house, Luna-chan. You're smart." Tsu said.
"Ah, thanks." Luna shifted, both pleased and a bit uncomfortable with the compliment. She had gotten the question wrong …
Stop doubting yourself. scolded Bast
I'm not. I did get it wrong.
But you were the first to recognize the mistake. Apophis countered.
Only thanks to you.
I'm sure you would have found it first. But yes, I am magnificent.
All right, shedskin, that's enough ego inflation for one day. Bast said.
If anyone's with the ego, it's you.
Me?!
You never take the fault for anything, even the times you're wrong.
Well, when was I ever wrong?
Plenty of times.
Alright, please try not to give me a migraine; you two were doing so well, too. Luna interrupted.
She heard the two deities let out indiscernible grumbles before quieting down, much to Luna's relief.
"Anyone else want to take a break?" Luna asked.
Her three friends nodded.
0-0-0-0-0-0
The three days of the written portion of the midterms were decently difficult, to say the least. Being forced to take test after agonizing test left most students exhausted by the time the end of the day rolled around. Many complained about the English midterm, though for Luna it was a cakewalk. What wasn't a cakewalk was the math midterm. Luna struggled a fair bit more than she thought she would, so she felt uncharacteristically overwhelmed when she turned it in, with half a minute to spare.
"Pencils down, everybody! The last person in each row, collect the answer sheets and bring them here." Aizawa commanded, and Luna let out a sigh, her head pounding both from the test and from the newest skirmish within her brain. The two deities took it upon themselves to help her when she got stuck, and that led to many an argument regarding about the letter choice it was. It was safe to say that their bickering hampered more than it helped, so Luna snapped at the two to give her some quiet, thus the quiet sulking of the two in opposite corners of her mind.
"Thanks, Yaomomo!" Mina cried almost immediately, her hands flung in the air in excitement.
"I didn't leave anything blank, at least!" agreed Kirishima.
Todoroki, noticing Luna's drooping ears, walked over. "Everything okay?"
"I feel like I didn't do too well on that one." Luna said. She started when Todoroki grabbed her hand.
"You did fine."
"But-."
"No buts. You always do fantastic."
Luna colored and thanked him quietly, not wanting to let go of his hand. It made her own feel so complete, so warm, so when Todoroki inevitably let it go, she rubbed her hand that was held.
0-0-0-0-0-0
The next day, everyone suited up and arrived at the Center Plaza, where Aizawa was supposed to tell the class about their practical exam. It was much to their surprise to see a mass of teachers and other faculty members waiting for them, looking at the students like they were prey.
"Now, we will begin the practical exam. Of course, it is possible to fail this exam. If you want to go to the training camp, then don't make any stupid mistakes." said Aizawa, looking bored.
"There are a lot of teachers …" Jiro noted.
"I expect that you all have gathered information ahead of time and have some idea of what you'll be doing."
"We're fighting robot warriors like the entrance exam, right?" said Kaminari excitedly, only to have his dreams stomped on momentarily.
"Fireworks, curry, Test of Courage!" Mine cheered.
"Too bad! For various reasons, the exam will be different this time!" announced Nezu, popping out of Aizawa's capture scarf.
Most students sweatdropped at the sight, while Jiro, Sero, and Ojiro cried out "Principle Nezu!"
"Different?" worried Yaoyorozu.
"From now on, we want to focus on person-to-person combat and hero work, and stress teaching that is closer to fighting. So … we'll have you form teams of two, and one team of three, to fight against one teacher!"
"Against … the teachers?" worriedly asked Ochaco.
"In addition, the pairs and trio and who everyone will be fighting has already been decided. These were determined at my discretion based on various factors, including fighting style, grades, and interpersonal relationships, so here they are: first, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki are one team, and they're fighting against me." leered Aizawa. "And Midoriya and Bakugo are a team, and their opponent …"
All Might crashed down from the sky, causing most of the class to flinch at the abrupt entrance. "I … will do it!"
"All Might?!" Midoriya and Bakugo said simultaneously.
"Work together to beat me, you two!"
Luna squirmed in jealousy before stuffing the weird feeling back to where it came from. It wasn't Yaoyorozu's fault, and, guessing by her apologetic glance, she understood the implication. They were just friends, and that was that.
Luna and Shoto, sitting in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes – Bast teased.
You finish that sentence and you're grounded until I graduate U.A. warned Luna.
I don't know. I think it's … cute? Is that the word? Apophis mused.
Not you too!
I think adorable works better. Bast amended.
Yes … adorable. It sounds wrong for me to say that.
"And now, we'll announce the teams and the teachers they'll be up against all at once!" decreed Nezu. "Sato and Kirishima against Cementoss. Tokoyami and Asui against Ectoplasm!"
"Please call me Tsu." corrected Tsu softly.
"Very well. Tokoyami and Tsu against Cementoss. Ojiro and Iida against Power Loader. Ochaco and Aoyama against Thirteen. Kirishima and Ashido against me. Koda, Jiro, and Aizawa against Present Mic. Hagakure and Shoji against Snipe. Sero and Mineta against Midnight." Nezu took a pause before continuing. "The time limit for the exam is thirty minutes! Your objective is to either put these handcuffs on the teacher or have one of you escape from the stage! "
"Capture the teacher or escape … It's kind of like combat training." Kaminari rubbed his chin in thought.
"Is it really okay to run away?" Mina raised her hand.
"Yup!" replied Nezu, giving the girl a thumbs up.
"But it'll be different from combat training! You'll be up against someone waaaaaaay better than you!" explained Present Mic.
"Better … than us? I can't really manage it though …" mused Jiro, to which Present Mic took offense.
"Dummy! Hey, girl, watch your mouth! You hear?"
"This time, your exam will be very similar to a real battle. Please think of us as villains." explained Thirteen.
"Assuming you come across the enemy, if you think you can win a fight against them, then that's fine. However -" began Snipe.
"In cases where there's too big a difference in your abilities, it would be smarter to run away and get help. Todoroki. Iida. Midoriya. I'm sure you three understand this well." Aizawa finished.
Luna saw Todoroki get a faraway look in his eyes, so she drifted close to him and tentatively took his hand, afraid of overstepping her boundaries. Instead, he squeezed her hand, thanking her for the support. His lost glance shifted into a determined one, and Luna pulled away, seeing that he was rearing to go.
"I won't make that mistake again. I will pass this test and prove it!" promised Iida.
"Fight and win or run and win." Midoriya summarized.
"That's right! Your decision-making skills are being tested! But with these rules, you're probably thinking your only choice is to run, right? That's why we had the support course make this for us! Ultra-compressed weights" All Might brandished a metallic bracelet, which Midnight showcased would be worn on the arms and legs. "We'll put on about half our body weight. It's to give you a handicap. It's old-fashioned, but it makes it hard to move and eats stamina! Oh, shoot, they're heavier than I thought … By the way, there was a competition to decide on the design, and we ended up using Young Hatsume's."
"To allow us to consider fighting, huh? You're underestimating us." Bakugo growled, to which All Might merely laughed in reply.
"I wonder."
"All right, each team will take the practical exam in order on the prepared stage. Sato, Kirishima, get ready." Aizawa said, and the two boys nodded seriously.
"Those waiting their turn can watch the exams or think of strategies as a team. Do what you want. That's all."
"Ojiro-kun, I would like to see what we can do with our Quirks." Iida said.
"Of course." Ojiro replied.
"Tokoyami-kun, let's come up with a plan." Tsu said.
"Very well." He replied, and they entered the building.
Luna approached Jiro and Koda, who were standing a bit uncertainly.
"Hello, Jiro-chan. Koda-kun, I look forward to working with you." Luna said, causing the boy to flush and nod vigorously.
"So, let's make a plan, yeah?" Jiro asked, and her two partners nodded, walking inside the building.
"Unfortunately, there's not much overlap in our Quirks." Luna said as they walked. "The maximum is that Koda can speak with animals, so he could talk to me when I'm transformed. It also seems like we were put against Present Mic-sensei because of our shared weakness."
"Weakness?" squeaked Koda.
"All of us cannot tolerate loud sounds well. Because of my advanced hearing, normally tolerable volumes of sound can be incapacitating. Jiro-chan is also impacted by loud sounds, as her ears are much more finely tuned as compared to normal people. And you, Koda-kun, are quiet, making you not like loud sounds. Did I get that right?"
Koda nodded several times, clearly considering what Luna said.
"The problem is how to face Present Mic-sensei. If we get to close, he could likely incapacitate us, but he can also likely perform long ranged attacks. At least, that's what I heard Midoriya say. Say, wanna see the others fight?" Jiro asked.
"It can't hurt." Luna responded, while Koda quietly agreed as well.
"When they arrived, they saw Ochaco and Midoriya already there with Recovery Girl manning the cameras.
"Oh, Luna-chan, Jiro-chan, Koda-kun, you're here too?" asked Midoriya.
"Yeah, might as well. We might learn something about our teachers in case we do something like this in the future." Luna said, speaking for her teammates.
"Yeah, that's what me and Deku are doing." Ochaco nodded. "Bakugo's … Bakugo, and Aoyama is … Aoyama."
"The first match is Sato-kun and Kirishima-kun against Cementoss-sensei, right?" Jiro asked, looking at the screen.
As if an answer to her question, a robotic voice spoke. "Team Sato and Kirishima, practical exam. Ready, go!"
The cameras showed an industrial city, with Sato and Kirishima standing at the entrance. When they heard the go-ahead, the dashed down the main street, intent on getting to the exit. They were clearly speaking about something, but, like the cameras from the very first combat training, they lacked audio, only swiveling to follow their progress. They made it only halfway there, where Cementoss ambushied the two with a concrete wall, forcing them back.
Squatting a decent distance away was Cementoss, looking awfully bored. The only thing of note was that his hand was on the road, which meant that he needed contact with the cement he wanted to manipulate. It seemed like the two were intent on capturing Cementoss, as Kirishima activated his Quirk while Sato pulled out a small can of sugar.
Cementoss realized this, and began sending waves after waves of walls, clearly trying to tire them out before they made it to him. With their combined strength, they made short work of the cement walls. Despite this, Cementoss didn't look worried in the slightest.
"You can do it, Kirishima-kun, Sato-kun!" Ochaco cheered them on.
"At this rate, they'll get overwhelmed." Luna frowned.
"Huh? How come? Surely, they can get to Cementoss-sensei?" Jiro asked.
"Luna-chan's right. They won't win at this rate." Midoriya said worriedly. "Kirishima-kun's and Sato-kun's Quirks are amazing, but there's a limit to how long they can use them. On the other hand, I don't think Cementoss-sensei has that. The more time passes, the more of a disadvantage Kirishima-kun and Sato-kun will beat.
"No way …" Ochaco said, now staring at the screen in worry.
"I think the key will be how they deal with their weaknesses to pass. "
"That's exactly right." Finally spoke Recovery Girl. "Before your own turns come around, you should think carefully about your compatibility with the teacher you fight."
Luna frowned when Sato froze up, merely standing there while the two got surrounded by cement walls. Kirishima too seemed out of it, his Quirk not activating when he punched the wall, causing him to curse and try to shake the pain away from his hand. They were then swamped with the semi-liquid cement, and when it receded, both students lay on the ground, unmoving.
"Team Sato and Kirishima retire due to both members losing consciousness." The robotic voice announced.
"No way … it was that one sided?" said Ochaco, holding her hands to her mouth.
"That was tough. What could they have done differently there?" Jiro asked.
"The only thing they could have done was run." Luna sighed sadly. "They probably could have outran the walls and punched through those that got in their way. There was little chance of Cementoss-sensei tiring."
"If that's how good the teachers are … I'm worried about our own matches." Jiro said, with Koda nodding vigorously.
"Oh dear, it's only the first match, and I already have work?" Recover Girl sighed, exiting the room.
The next exam was Tokoyami and Tsu against Ectoplasm, but instead of staring at one end of the city, they began in the center, in some sort of spiraling building.
"Team Asui and Tokoyami, practical exam. Ready, go!" the exam voice said.
Immediately, Ectoplasm ambushed the two with his Quirk, surrounding them with his clones. Tokoyami reacted instantly, forcing the clones back with Dark Shadow before Tsu leaped up high onto the wall, grabbing him with her tongue and pulling him up with her.
"They're good!" praised Ochaco.
"An escape only they could have pulled off!" beamed Midoriya.
Luna smiled, watching as the two friends worked together a lot better than one would expect.
Quite fortunate they got paired together. They've been friends for a while and know how to work together.
In more ways than one. purred Bast.
Don't you start. Apophis grumbled.
But it's clear as day!
What is?
They're totally going to become a thing. Bast asserted shamelessly.
I don't remember you having such an ungodly fascination with romance. Apophis complained.
Well, considering the only thing we did was fight, I'm not surprised. Besides, it's more of a recent thing.
Luna, save me.
Luna chuckled a bit at his plea but focused on the screen. Recovery Girl reentered the room.
"Communication skills. In this society, it's a simple but important skill for heroes to have. More than being able to pull off the perfect team play with a specific sidekick. It's better to be able to achieve a certain standard with everyone."
On the screen, Tsu and Tokoyami made their way up the spiraling building, not leaving each other behind.
"Um, even though this is an exam, each student is being made to deal with their weakness on purpose, right?" Midoriya asked.
"That's right."
"I wonder what Tokoyami-kun and Asui-chan have in common. I can't imagine Ectoplasm-sensei's Quirk being a bad match up for theirs …"
"Aizawa, you're pretty close with them, right?" asked Recovery Girl.
Luna nodded, though her brows were furrowed. "It's … difficult to say. They're both well practiced in many aspects of combat. They know when they're outmatched, but also when they have a solid chance of winning in a fight. I suppose the one thing is that they prefer the long range."
"Ectoplasm-san's Quirk is bad for Fumikage Tokoyami. You'll see why soon."
More clones appeared in front of Tsu and Tokoyami, which the latter went to clear with Dark Shadow. Once he cleared a few, though, some appeared behind him, and almost hit him, if it wasn't for the intervention of Tsu. Once they were about to be overwhelmed, Tsu once again threw Tokoyami onto a higher floor before following him once again, finally arriving at a hallway leading away from the building. And, once more, clones filled the corridor.
"Fumikage Tokoyami's strength is his quick attack and range that lets him keep his distance. But looking at it another way, he won't hold up if something does get in close." Recovery Girl explained.
"Tokoyami-kun has a weakness like that …?" Ochaco mused.
"So that's why he's up against Ectoplasm with his many clones that can appear unexpectedly …" Midoriya realized.
"On the other hand, Tsuyu Asui … An excellent student with no clear weaknesses. Therefore, she must provide support to her ally, who, as you said, is powerful and has few weaknesses. Her ability to keep calm can provide emotional support to others in a crisis."
"Emotional support … Now that I think about it, having Asui-chan there at USJ really helped a lot. Do your best, Asui-chan, Tokoyami-kun."
The two partners finally got close enough to see the exit, as well as Ectoplasm's real body guarding it. The teacher stood still, not even moving a muscle, waiting for the students to approach him.
It was to everyone's shock, when Ectoplasm shot out one, massive clone, attacking the ledge the two students were on. Every student in the observation room gasped, the dust from the clone's attack obscuring the two students from view.
When the dust cleared, the two students were restrained, and Tokoyami sent our Dark Shadow to attack Ectoplasm, only for the Quirk to be smacked around by Ectoplasm's wooden peg legs. Dark Shadow retreated for a second, appearing next to the two students before going on the offensive once more. Ectoplasm once more smacked Dark Shadow away, only to freeze when he realized that Dark Shadow had put the manacles on his leg.
"He's been handcuffed!" pointed Ochaco.
"Dark Shadow and Frog! They were able to use both Quirks well together!
"Yeah, as expected!"
Ooh, another pair! Bast cheered.
Oh my gods, will you quit it?! demanded Apophis.
Now, now, children. Luna remonstrated, causing the two to quiet down once again.
"Team Asui and Tokoyami have passed!" stated the robotic voice.
The third match, which was Ojiro and Iida against Power Loader was an interesting one. Power Loader had riddled the practical exam center, now a construction site, with many traps, thus forcing the two agile students to be a lot more careful with the usage of their Quirks. Iida ended up using Reciproburst to run faster than the pitfall traps could activate, forcing Power Loader to attack head on, only for Iida to fling Ojiro through escape gate with 'Recipro Extend'.
"Team Iida and Ojiro have passed!" the robotic voice announced.
"They're both amazing!" Ochaco said fervently.
While Luna wholeheartedly agreed, she wasn't in the mood to celebrate, for the next match was Yaoyorozu and Todoroki against Aizawa, and it worried her significantly. Both of them relied heavily on their Quirks, and in the event that they were erased, their chances of victory would drop significantly.
"Team Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, practical exam. Ready, start!" the robotic voice announced.
The two started off at one end of the mock suburban city, and they took off, Yaoyorozu following Todoroki's lead, looking very unsure of herself. They primarily ran through the alleyways, not wanting to be discovered early, which was smart. Yaoyorozu was also popping out Russian nesting dolls once in a while, trying to gauge when Aizawa was close. Again, smart. What worried Luna, however, was that it seemed like Todoroki was taking the lead, with Yaoyorozu not confident enough to push out her own ideas.
Eventually, they paused, seemingly talking about something important, as they weren't paying attention to their surroundings in the slightest. Based on the way Yaoyorozu was looking at the floor, seemingly ashamed, Luna bet it had something to do with her uncertainty. They were thus occupied until they realized that Yaoyorozu wasn't popping out any more nesting dolls, at which point the chaos began.
Todoroki tried to stall their homeroom teacher while Yaoyorozu fled, but it wasn't long before Aizawa tied Todoroki and hung him up like a pinata with his capture scarf before throwing caltrops onto the floor directly beneath Todoroki and applying some eyedrops to his eyes. He gave some words of advice before running off in the direction of Yaoyorozu's escape. Luna felt uncomfortable, watching Todoroki's clear annoyance written on his face. So, she instead turned to watch Yaoyorozu's progress, not liking the fact that a part of her wanted to run outside and help him.
As she ran, Yaoyorozu's face gradually morphed into one of simultaneous panic and confusion, which made everyone in the room uncomfortable. However, they didn't dare stop watching, in case they missed the action.
Aizawa caught up shortly and caught one of Yaoyorozu's arms with his scarf, swinging her away from the road she was currently taking. She created a massive metal brace, letting her slide off the scarf and took off in the opposite direction she had been running in, clearly confusing their homeroom teacher, as he paused instead of pursuing her.
Todoroki, meanwhile, merely hung from the lamppost, clearly still thinking about what his homeroom teacher told him. His face filled with conflict, he swung slightly in the weak breeze, eyes unblinking, body limp. Suddenly, Yaoyorozu arrived with Aizawa hot on her heels, racing along the powerlines. She began to panic once again, before Todoroki began to shout something at her, which snapped the girl out of her daze. She instantly threw her nesting dolls up around Aizawa, who made the mistake of striking one of them, only to reveal flashbang grenades, which promptly exploded, blinding their homeroom teacher.
She quickly lowered Todoroki and the two took off, Yaoyorozu speaking quickly about what Luna assumed was her plan. She let out a silent sigh of thanks to Todoroki for whatever he said. He managed to do something Jiro and Luna weren't able to do over several weeks.
As Aizawa pursued the two students, he evidently blinked, resetting his Quirk, as Todoroki managed to create a small glacier, hiding the two students from Aizawa, who had to pause, not wanting to get impaled upon the massive structure. Yaoyorozu then used the opportunity to make a material that looked similar to his capture scarf while Aizawa stood on a rooftop.
"Why isn't Aizawa-sensei going after them?" asked Ochaco.
"He might of overused his eyes." Midoriya tried to explain.
Yaoyorozu then decided to create a small catapult, putting the newly made capture scarf into the bucket. She then created two small mannequins and hid the cart and themselves underneath two massive blankets, at which point they ran. Aizawa, thinking they just hid themselves underneath the blanket, tried binding their tops, only to realize the fakes. Yaoyorozu threw off her blanket, launching the capture scarf, at which point Todoroki shot his flames at them. They instantly hardened, and wrapped around Aizawa, capturing him. They promptly slapped the handcuffs onto him, thus making them the winners.
Luna positively glowed in pride, her tail swished softly from side to side.
"My, my. When all's said and done, that man's a softie." Recovery Girl remarked.
"Team Todoroki and Yaoyorozu have passed!" announced the robotic voice once more.
The fifth match, Ochaco and Aoyama against Thirteen was pretty chaotic. At the last moment, when it seemed like they would both be caught by Black Hole, Ochaco let go, forcing 13 to stop to not accidently kill her. She then promptly pinned half of 13, while Aoyama flew in and restrained her other side. At that point, Ochaco slapped on the handcuffs, winning the practical exam of their final.
And then, it was Luna's, Jiro's, and Koda's turn to shine. They spent the previous match theorizing what they could possibly do to win. Another weakness that Present Mic would surely exploit was that his Quirk could overpower both Koda's and Jiro's voice Quirks, which further complicated things. The best they could come up with was Luna act like bait, pretending to flee to the exit in cheetah form, thus forcing Present Mic to focus solely her and give the other two an opportunity strike..
And that was how they found themselves in a forest environment, warily looking around themselves.
"Team Aizawa, Jiro, and Koda, practical exam. Ready, start!" the robotic voice announced.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Hello everyone, and welcome back! Sorry there this was the only story I updated this week, AP tests and senior finals are coming in hot, meaning that teachers decided to whip out the homework. Regardless, I wanted to talk about Luna's exam final. There were three main candidates for her opponent. There was Aizawa, Power Loader, and Present Mic. Aizawa is pretty self-explanatory; the fact that he could erase her Quirk could leave her in a pickle, especially considering she has no formal martial arts training previously. It would also force Luna and Todoroki to work together, which might add a little spice to their relationship. However, I decided against this, because there wouldn't be anyone else to snap her out of her funk she got in since the festival. Second, Power Loader. The reason that Ojiro and Iida went against him was because he was able to counter their mobility with his pitfall traps, only losing due to Reciproburst and Iida's ingenuity. With Luna, I felt like it would be pretty overkill, plus she could always just stealth her way past him. I don't think he was very well equipped to deal with tiny cats. And so, that left Present Mic, who could take advantage of Luna's sensitive ears. Just as an FYI, I will change the battle a bit, but will let Koda shine. Poor boy needs more moments where he becomes MVP.
And that wraps up this Author's Note! Stay safe out there! – Bananaman out!