Finally the day had come, the practical exam was upon them. The students stood at the front of the Practical Exam Arena, waiting for instructions. There was a buzz of electricity around them, a combination of nervousness and excitement. Ayumu tugged at the helm of her shirt and fiddled nervously with the support items in her pockets. Mr. Aizawa had told them that there would be a few others joining the class to help facilitate the exam. What the students hadn't expected was that the majority of the teachers would find their way to the exam site. Soon Mr. Aizawa was joined by Midnight, Present Mic, Thirteen, Mr. Cementoss, Mr. Ectoplasm, and Mr. Power Loader.
"Now then," Mr. Aizawa's voice carried over the expectant class, "Let's begin the last test. Remember it's possible to fail this final. If you want to go to camp, then don't make any stupid mistakes."
Finally, Jiro asked what seemed to be on everyone's mind, "Uh, why are all the teachers here?"
"I expect many of you have gathered information and believe you have some idea of what you'll be faced with today." Mr. Aizawa started only to be interrupted by Kaminari's excited outburst.
"We're fighting those big 'ol metal robots!"
"Fireworks! S'mores! Here we come, camp!" Mina joined in.
"Actually," A muffled voice came from inside of Mr. Aizawa's scarf, "this year's test," The principal popped out of the scarf, "will be completely different for various reasons!"
"Principal Nezu?" The shock of the principal's odd appearance caused a ripple throughout the group.
"You're changing things?" Yaoyorozu questioned.
Principal Nezu climbed down Mr. Aizawa's side, using his scarf to propel him downward, "The tests now have a new focus. There will be hero work, of course, but also teamwork and combat between actual people. So what does that mean for you? You students will be working together in pairs and your opponents will be one of your esteemed U.A. teachers! Isn't that fabulous?"
Ayumu grabbed the sharp weights in her pocket as shocked gasps filled their air from her classmates. Her power wasn't suited for combat with robots. Having to fight against actual people definitely made her chances of passing better, but fighting against the teachers? She wasn't sure she was up for that. She glanced at Bakugo, but his expression was unreadable. He didn't seem worried. She wondered for a moment if she should ask him to team up with her. They had trained together for a while now, they should be able to work easily together.
Mr. Aizawa's voice brought her out of her thoughts, ""Additionally, your partners and your opponents have already been chosen."
Ayumu's heart skipped a beat as she looked around at her possible opponents, she didn't feel optimistic about having to fight any of them.
"They were determined at my discretion," Mr. Aizawa continued, "based on various factors including fighting style, grades, and interpersonal relationships. First Yaoyorozu and Todoroki are a team. Against me. Then we have Midoriya, paired with Bakugo and their opponent is…" Mr. Aizawa was cut off by All Might crashing in from the sky in front of both boys.
"I am here," All Might said as he stood up, "to fight. You're going to have to work together, boys. If you want to win."
Ayumu caught a glance at Bakugo's face as he sent a look at Midoriya. For the first time since they had gotten to the arena, he looked unsure of himself. Obviously annoyed with his partner, but not sure of how to deal with it.
"And now, let's announce the teams and teachers they'll be fighting in order!" Principal Nezu bringing all eyes back to him and away from All Might's grand entrance.
Each pair was announced, Krishima and Sato against Mr. Cementoss, Tokoyami and Tsuy against Mr. Ectoplasm, Iida and Ojiro against Mr. Powerloader, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki against Mr. Aizawa, Uraraka and Aoyama against Thirteen, Mina, Ayumu, and Kamiari against Principal Nezu, Jiro and Koda against Present Mic, Shoji and Hagakure against Snipe, Mineta and Sero against Midnight, and finally Midoriya and Bakugo against All Might.
The students moved into their groups as Principal Nezu began to explain the objective of the exam, "To complete the exam, you'll have 30 minutes. In order to win, your objective is to put these handcuffs on your teacher. Or you can win if one of you manages to escape from the combat stage."
"So we either got to capture the teacher or run away," Kaminari said, thinking aloud, "It's basically like the combat training."
"Yeah, but is it really okay to just jet?" Mina questioned, raising her hand.
Principal Nezu gave her a thumbs up, "Yep."
"It's going to be much different than the combat training y'all went through earlier." Present Mic warned, contradicting Kaminari's thinking. "After all, you're up against people way better than you."
"Better? Really? Wait, aren't you just the announcer?" Jiro questioned from behind where Ayumu stood with her team.
"Hey! Watch your mouth girl–Have some respect!" Present Mic scolded.
"This time," Thirteen went on as if the outburst hadn't occurred, "your exam will be very similar to a real battle. As strange as it is, please think of us as villains."
Snipe picked up where Thirteen left off, "Assumin' you come across your enemy. If you think you can win against them, then fight. However,"
"In instances where you're outmatched," Mr. Aizawa interrupted, "It would be smarter to run away and find help. Todoroki, Iida, Midoriya, I'm sure the three of you understand."
Eyes went to the three who had been called out and the memories of the Hero Killer flooded everyone's thoughts. They had come face to face with him, if hero's hadn't arrived, Ayumu wasn't sure any of them would have lived to tell the tale. Not that any of the class had been brave enough to ask any real questions.
"That's right!" All Might's voice thundered, reacting to something Midoriya had said from across the plaza, "It's a test of your decision making skills. But with these rules, you're probably thinking your only real choice is to flee. That's why the support course made these super-clever accessories for us."
All Might pulled what looked to be a large, chunky bracelet off of his belt.
"Behold! Ultra-compressed weights!" Present Mic announced.
All Might stepped forward to show that he was already wearing them around his ankles, "These babies will add about half our body weight to our physiques. It's not much, but they will eat up our stamina and make it harder for us to move around."
As each teacher snapped on their bracelets and anklets, the students watched them sink a little. The bracelets were obviously heavier than anticipated. It gave the students a little hope, but it still wasn't ideal. Fighting the teachers would be difficult no matter what advantage the students were given.
"Let's begin," Mr. Aizawa called pulling the class back to attention. "The teams will take the practical exam in the order you were called. We have a stage prepared for you. Sato, Kirishima, you're up. Those waiting for their turn to fight can either watch the exams or try to strategies together as a team. It's your choice. That's all."
With that, the teachers turned on their heels and walked into the Practical Exam arena. The students stood for a moment before turning to their partners. Ayumu turned to Kaminari and Mina, frowning. They were the only group of three.
"Let's go figure out a plan." Ayumu started walking toward a secluded area of the plaza with the other two in tow. This was going to be more difficult than she thought.
A/N: Sorry for how long these chapters are taking to get out! I have been super busy with life stuff! I am hoping this summer I'm able to get chapters out more regularly like I used to. Thank you to everyone who has stayed this long :)