16.10.2023
It is I, the Absolute Madman and I'm back with your weekly dose of Evil Within!
Enjoy!:
The weeks leading up to the Final Exams were filled with training exercises, smaller exams and studying. Lots of studying. Most of it was done in their classes of course, but the really intensive sessions after school were practically on par with regular classes when it came to effectiveness. Their teachers were awesome and could convey their knowledge fairly easily - for the most part - but there was something about being schooled by someone their age that actually thought more like them that allowed the less studious students to catch up to the others.
Just as they'd declared a while back, Sero and Kaminari joined Yaoyorozu's study sessions from the very start and didn't miss a single one, absorbing knowledge like sponges and easily upping their grades. This was a great advertisement and motivated the more conflicted members of their class to join midway and also work on their grades. Everyone was improving and it almost brought a tear to Izuku's eye.
But, even with everyone doing their best, there were still two notable mentions that Izuku couldn't omit - Ashido and Kirishima. Those two started off strong and kept working hard, resulting in big improvements that allowed them to get ahead of both Kaminari and Sero even more, only adding fuel to the fire that continued spreading throughout the class, sparking ambition and forcing people to work harder. It was an excellent domino effect, one that Izuku had not predicted when deciding to help Kendo with their study sessions, but was grateful for it nonetheless.
As great as the fires of rivalry were however, they weren't doing any of that just for the fun of it. Well, maybe Yaoyorozu as she seemed to take immense pride and pleasure in tutoring her fellow classmates. Izuku heard many reports about the motherly aura that the raven-haired heiress emanated during the study sessions, complimenting their efforts and successes not unlike a parent would.
With nothing but great news all around, Izuku was confident that they'd all pass the written part of their Finals with flying colors. The situation looked pretty clear in class B as well, though there were some complications along the way.
Izuku really enjoyed the casual, carefree and enjoyable atmosphere of their first few joint study sessions. Their group remained unchanged for the most part with only a few episodical appearances and absences here and there, nothing major. As the time of their Finals neared however, more and more characters flocked to the study sessions, eager to go over the material one last time before jumping headfirst into the proper exam.
Kendo already warned him about the major troublemakers of their class, but there was little Izuku could do to prepare himself for the confrontations to come. Thankfully he managed to befriend the regular members of the study group already and he was sure they'd have his back in case someone started causing a ruckus. Well, at least Kendo and Shiozaki would, that's for sure. And it's not like he was all alone in there - Ashido and Kirishima would surely stand side by side with him and most likely become targets themselves as well.
Monoma - whom Izuku heard a lot about already, not a lot of good things unfortunately - and Kamakiri were the two names that both Kendo and Shiozaki had mentioned a lot in the past and Izuku had to give it to the girls, they were spot on with their descriptions.
Monoma - for the most part - was even louder than Bakugo, though that was mostly because he talked a lot more than Bakugo ever did and had a tendency to monologue like a stereotypical action movie villain. Thankfully, just as Kendo mentioned already, he was mostly all bark and rarely had a bite to follow up on his promises. The redhead herself was more than enough to keep Monoma in check, though Izuku wished she didn't have to threaten her classmates with violence.
Kamakiri on the other hand was even more like Bakugo - more calm and collected when it came to using words, but just as hot-tempered as the blonde bomb. He wasn't easily reigned in like Monoma and was pretty verbal when addressing Izuku and his two friends. Although it was clear that he wasn't hostile to them because they were from different classes. Rather it was general distrust due to them being strangers.
Izuku could somewhat understand that, and even though it didn't excuse his rude behavior, it did shine a light on the whole situation. Apparently he was just as grumpy with all of his classmates during the first few weeks, but eventually started warming up to them and was quite tolerable already. This gave Izuku hope that - with copious amounts of time - they could eventually get acquainted with each other and bury that hatchet. For now though he was more than eager to give the guy all the space he wanted, as pressuring Kamakiri would surely backfire.
Both classes dedicated their last Saturday afternoon and most of the evening to hold one last study session, diving into more detail about the few subjects that people still had trouble with and briefly going over all the material that the written exams could cover. Both study sessions lasted way longer than people expected them to, with the very last members eventually parting ways well into the night.
At least they could sleep in on Sunday and generally kick back and relax before diving into the Finals. With all the preparations that they'd already done over the last few weeks, most students were pretty confident in their ability to pass the written portion without any risk of failing. Funnily enough, now they were wondering if they were prepared enough for the practical part.
Many first years had questioned their upperclassmen about both the written and practical portions of the Final Exams, but only a few received an answer. And even then the answers didn't really make sense as the responses liked to contradict each other. Apparently it was kind of a tradition at this point and their upperclassmen had to deal with the exact same treatment last year. It was safe to assume then that even the few believable pieces of information they received should not be taken at face value or taken into consideration at all for that matter as there was no way of knowing whether they were telling the truth or not.
The most common response was a scenario where they'd end up fighting the robots from the entrance exam. It was apparently designed to test just how much they'd grown and developed during their stay at UA, but Izuku wasn't buying that explanation. Something didn't sit right with it. In the end, all they could do was train, train and train, hoping that their abilities would be enough for them to pass.
"Man, I'm exhausted!" Ashido exclaimed as they finally finished all the written exams.
"Yeah, no kidding!" Kirishima agreed right away, a few droplets of sweat present on his forehead.
"We would've been toast without the study sessions! Yaomomo is a saint!" Kaminari proclaimed with tears in his eyes.
"It wasn't that hard." Ever the humble Yaoyorozu responded. "I'm sure you could've handled it on your own!" She stated giddily, her motherly aura leaking out once again.
"Y'know in my day, we took the word 'saint' really seriously. That sounds like some heresy to me." The daemon offered some senseless - as usual - input.
"All hail Saint Yaomomo!" Sero declared.
As the students cheered, embarrassing Yaoyorozu beyond her wildest dreams, Izuku smiled to himself, happy to see the joyous atmosphere.
He was pretty satisfied with how he dealt with the written portion. There were some questions that gave him grief, but he managed to remember their last few study sessions and give answers to everything. Whether or not the answers were sufficient however remains to be seen. At this point he was just glad that his classmates seemed pretty optimistic about their own performance.
After being cooped up in a classroom for a couple of hours for three days straight, the students were all ecstatic about finally moving on to the practical part of the Finals, even though they still had absolutely no idea what they were going to face. It was a physical exam, so they'd for sure get to fight something, but what would be their enemy?
Thankfully they'd have to wait an extra day to find out since Nezu understood that they were all pretty drained from the written portion and he wanted them to be at full strength for the next part.
Heading to lunch was like a reward for surviving the constant exams and everyone was eager to dig in and replenish their vitality. Some people were making a really big deal out of this whole arrangement.
Izuku, as per usual, was not left to his own devices, Kirishima and Ashido joining him right away and Tokoyami taking his time to eventually meander his way over to their table. Minutes passed and with the arrival of class B, the group quickly expanded.
Shiozaki and Kendo joined them right after grabbing their meals, the former looking forward to engaging in some small talk with her friend while the latter was eager to compare their results. Tokage arrived shortly after with Yanagi in tow, the girls taking up the last two spots available.
Just as Izuku was used to, Kirishima and Ashido immediately started chatting with Tokage while Tokoyami and Yanagi seemed pretty content to keep to themselves and talk in hushed voices. Last but not least, Izuku was left with both Kendo and Shiozaki.
"We did pretty well, I'd say." Kendo said once they got to comparing their classes.
"My guys also seemed optimistic about their performances." Izuku responded. "Though now they've deemed Yaoyorozu a deity for helping them pass." He added and the trio chuckled.
"She's gotta be thrilled about that." Kendo teased.
"When she's not busy dying of embarrassment, maybe." Izuku said with a smile.
"At least we all did well on our exams, so we can sleep well tonight and that's what matters most." Shiozaki summed up.
"If only they didn't exaggerate this…" Kendo whined with a groan.
"I assume that everyone is overly tired on your end as well?" Izuku guessed, having a pretty good idea as to how that could've gone.
"That's correct, yes." Shiozaki responded in her friend's stead, as Kendo was currently busy having an existential crisis. "I do understand that being confined in our classrooms for extended periods of time several days straight is not exactly pleasant, but it's not really as exhausting as they paint it to be."
"I imagine that the physical part will leave us even worse for wear, so they shouldn't be yelling wolf so early on." Izuku added.
As long as their friends didn't start to slack off after their successful written exams, they'd most likely be able to pass the practical part without too many problems, so Izuku wasn't exactly worried about that. He knew that both Ashido and Kirishima liked to exaggerate, but that was simply how they rolled. Speaking of the pair, they decided to join Izuku, Shiozaki and Kendo to widen the forum.
"It's kinda sad that we won't be having the study sessions anymore." Ashido stated. "They were a lot of fun!" She added with a grin.
"Yeah!" Kirishima agreed right away. "You guys are manly as heck!"
"You really are like a carbon copy of Tetsutetsu." Tokage pointed out. "You sure the two of you ain't related?"
"It pains me to bare my soul, but I'll also miss our studious get-togethers." Tokoyami chimed in.
"Well… it's not like we have to stop completely, right?" Izuku said after a few moments.
"But we've passed our Finals already!" Ashido exclaimed. "What's the point in keeping the study sessions?"
"For starters, it's way easier to keep up with the curriculum rather than try to catch up to it in a handful of days." Kendo pointed out thoughtfully. "The reason why we needed the study sessions in the first place is because some people didn't pay enough attention in class and missed some topics."
"That's right." Izuku seconded her opinion. "It'll be easier to meet up and review our notes once a week or two and make sure that we're not falling behind or anything like that. We might've passed our first written Finals, but there is surely more to come." Izuku stated seriously as the clouds parted in the sky. "We've got a good arrangement already, let's not cast it away even if it's not needed right now, for we can definitely capitalize on this in the future!" He finished his impromptu speech, a stray beam of sunlight illuminating his impressive form.
"I thought only Shiozaki could do that…" Tokage whispered.
"Y-Yeah, those are all excellent points." Kendo agreed, her voice cracking slightly due to sheer awe and a feeling that she couldn't hope to explain. "We don't have to meet as frequently as before, but once in a while surely won't hurt, right?" She added once she got her composure back in check.
The details could be left for a later date as there were more pressing matters to focus on at the moment, like the looming physical portion of their Final Exam.
It was scheduled for tomorrow and a single day was barely enough time to do much of anything - especially when compared to all the progress they could make over the past month - but taking this opportunity lightly would do them no favors. Some opted to take an extended break, recharging their batteries so that they could face the future challenge with a clear head. Some decided to cram in as much training as they reasonably could, polishing their moves as much as possible without risking injuries or excessive exhaustion. Many were content with simply hanging out and chatting, unwinding from the stress of the written tests before taking the physical one.
Izuku was somewhere in the middle of this arrangement, taking the time out of his day to accompany Ashido and Kirishima to the gym, spending some time in the common room with the others and retiring to his bedroom early to try something he previously thought impossible.
Monk'ai explained it in detail during his internship, but all their efforts at that time were for naught. Izuku was simply unable to shift his focus inwards like his mentor instructed and so meditation seemed outside of his reach. Or so he thought.
During the Bakugo incident, Izuku was able to reach deep within, really really deep, to the point of transcending his own being and scratching towards a higher plane. Could he replicate something similar in the safety of a controlled environment? He really hoped so, facing another life-threatening explosion wasn't currently on his agenda and he had no plans of putting it there.
Locking the door behind him and closing the blinds completely, Izuku sat down on the ground, the bed being a very tantalizing place to choose, but this wasn't about comfort. The floor wasn't excessively hard, but it lacked that softness which could pose a distraction to his focus. Monk'ai told him his version of meditation - blocking out all outside stimulus and shifting his focus inward. There was a guy that could only meditate to the sound of rock music, but Izuku wasn't sure if that could work on him, so he decided to try out his mentor's way first.
Ever since the encounter with Bakugo, Izuku felt his connection to the source of his powers - which he now knew to be the Warp itself - grow in strength and intensity, slowly becoming a thread that he could easily identify with enough focus. It was this thread that Izuku sought out this time, grasping it as soon as he found it and following it to the source. Once he sensed goosebumps crawl across his skin he knew he's made progress, but it was the daemon that announced Izuku's success.
"Huh, that's new." Izuku heard the daemon say, but it wasn't the usual mental link message that he was used to. This sounded like an actual voice.
Opening his eyes Izuku was astonished to see what he quickly recognized to be his mental plane, the daemon itself standing right at the edge of the light and darkness, the shadowplay hiding its features.
"What are you doing here?" The daemon demanded, imposing and curious at the same time.
"Research." Izuku simply responded as he stood up from the ground.
Locating the object of his focus was a child's play, there was no way he could simply miss the gaping wound inside his mind. The tear was stitched up and mostly closed yes, but visible tendrils of chaotic energies still managed to penetrate the barrier and invade a fraction of his mental plane. He had no way of knowing how many invisible to him things were happening on top of that.
"You're not going crazy on me, right?" The daemon questioned further, moving along the thin line between the light and dark to follow Izuku as he approached the tear. "I know you have the name and image of a Grey Knight, but you're nowhere near their level." It warned him.
"I'm not going to open it, relax." Izuku placated the daemon's worries.
"I am relaxed." The daemon corrected casually. "Just don't fancy beating off Lesser Daemons with a stick. You're mine to possess, so don't even think about summoning daemons here!"
"I thought you're friends." Izuku responded sarcastically, his focus shifted towards the tear.
"That's complicated and explaining it to you would be a waste of effort." The daemon simply stated.
"Shut up then." Izuku summed up and ignored the daemon's presence going forward.
"You're lucky you're not worth fighting yet…" The daemon stated threateningly before fully vanishing into the darkness.
Without the distraction to disturb his focus, Izuku was ready to test a few of his theories.
The reason why he was able to project that giant shield and stop Bakugo's explosion nearly effortlessly was thanks to the direct connection to the Warp that enhanced his powers tenfold, at least. The gaping tear was mostly sealed at the moment, so even if his connection was stronger than before, it was still far from the peak he managed to experience back then. Today, he was going to try and raise his limits.
He knew that the daemon was currently controlling the tear and it was mostly thanks to its influence that Izuku hadn't yet gone mad. This couldn't stand in the long run however and so Izuku would have to learn how to stave off the chaotic energies by himself, so that he could resist their influence while at the same time drawing more and more power from the Warp itself.
And so he sat down in front of the rift, cutting off even more senses up to the point where the Warp was the only thing around him. It took him a while and it lasted for mere moments, but Izuku was able to pick up on the currents of chaotic energies emerging from the Warp, swirling and snaking around his form like a river.
He allowed himself to be partially submerged in the currents, familiarizing himself with the feeling, but pulling back at the first sign of trouble. The process was slow and there was no guarantee he'd be able to make any progress at all, but he had to try. He had to free himself from the daemon's influence and become strong enough to never again have to rely on its powers.
Reaching that level of strength however would most likely take a long, long time so he wasn't counting on reaching another breakthrough anytime soon. What he was aiming for was an inkling of progress. If this could work, then no matter how much time he'd need to dedicate to this, Izuku was ready to do it. All he needed was a sign that his efforts weren't wasted.
Just as he expected, no sudden breakthroughs were made overnight and even though he felt his connection grow in strength slightly, it was still not enough to warrant an extensive investment of effort. Just one try wasn't enough however and so Izuku vowed to give it a chance or five in the coming days.
Today however, he had more important things to focus on - the practical portion of the Finals Exam.
I'm sure nothing bad will happen with Midoriya probing the Warp in the safety of his own room, right guys?
Anyhow that's all for today, so have a great day and I'll catch y'all in the next update!