Chapter 43
[Play KH3 Re Mind OST Cavern Of Remembrance]
In the Monetary Room, most of the students from both classes had left to discuss plans, however a select few stayed. These select few students were Izuku Midoriya, Ochako Uraraka, Neito Monoma, Itsuka Kendo, Juzo Honenuki, Nirengeki Shoda, and Sora. They weren't the only ones in the room however as Recovery Girl, Principal Nezu, Aizawa, and Vlad King were there to watch each test unfold. Moogle was of course monitoring the terminal and Power Loader stayed if he needed to assist the chibi merchant at any time during these tests. Lastly, Present Mic was there because of his own reasons.
"Well. Looks like I have my work cut out for me today." Recovery Girl said to herself.
"You're watching too, Deku?" Ochako realized.
"Yeah." Izuku answered. "It's not like we get many chances to watch students in combat with people like these guys. And besides...I don't think Kacchan wants to talk strategy with me."
"I can see that." Uraraka replied. "And uh my partner...is a little preoccupied with himself."
Midoriya had his equivalent of a deadpan expression. "You don't say..." He commented, before remembering that someone else was here too. He turned to Sora and saw his friend's not so happy expression. "Hey, Sora..."
"Hm? Yeah?" The Keyblade wielder responded.
"Well...I uh...it's just that, you've...well..." The One For All user couldn't really figure out what to say.
"You're wondering how I feel about seeing these guys again, and watching them fight the other students, right?" Sora guessed. He then let out a small sigh before continuing to talk. "I voiced my concerns with Nezu when he first proposed the idea to me, but he didn't budge. He went on about how every precaution would be taken and that since I was testing them before you guys would fight them, any sort of life threatening attacks or abilities would be altered so it wouldn't damage the students too much."
"Right. Nezu did say that you fought them before this." Izuku remembered.
Then Ochako also remembered something. "Wait. Are these the guys that...?"
"Yes. They're the same Organization that I told you guys about." Sora confirmed.
"But then wouldn't seeing them bring up some bad memories?" Uraraka asked, concerned for her friend.
"While I don't like seeing these guys again, at least most of them," Sora began. "I don't think about what they did to me and my friends back then. I only think about how they need to be defeated right now."
The 1-B students present in the room also heard what Sora had just said and while most had their concerns, they remained quiet. Even Neito didn't speak, but that was because he was in Kendo chopping range right now.
Nezu then spoke up. "Your contributions to this academy have not gone unnoticed Sora. On behalf of all U.A. High, I thank you for making this practical assessment possible."
"Don't mention it." Sora replied, more focused on the screen as the datascape had finished loading the location, with Ejiro Kirishima and Rikido Sato shortly being projected inside the city center.
[Silence]
"Team Sato and Kirishima." a computerized voice announced inside the datascape "Practical Exam. Ready?" Just then in a random spot of the city, a data Lexaeus was physically compiled. "Go!"
The two boys began running straight ahead in the middle of the road. "Ok. So we're up against some bulky guy." Ejiro remembered. "Chances are he's got a physical quirk like we do."
"I can see that." Rikido agreed with his partner. "But bigger usually means slower."
"That's also true." Kirishima understood that reasoning. "So what do you think? We'll definitely get a higher score for capturing instead of running. You agree?"
"Yeah, that makes sense." Sato replied. "If we run into him, then we'll take him down."
"Our best bet is that he'll probably make for the exit." Ejiro guessed.
"So we head there and if he shows up, beat him with all we got!" Rikido exclaimed.
Both guys got hyped up with their plan and dashed forward going towards their destination.
[Play KH Re:Chain of Memories OST Thirteenth Discretion]
Lexaeus was standing in front of the exit, with the blade end of Skysplitter resting on the ground and the hilt in his hand. His eyes were closed and he was simply waiting. As minutes passed by, the Taciturn Stalwart seemed to be able to sense the coming conflict, but was unphased with what was coming to confront him.
It wasn't very well known by many but Lexaeus was more than some of Organization XIII's muscle. Similar to a few other members, he had an ability that allowed him to identify people based on a sense. Unlike the others though, his was not based on a preexisting sense like smell, but a type of sixth sense that displayed one's emotions to him subconsciously. He could feel both people having a sense of uncertainty and anxiety. It only grew as they came closer.
Footsteps were heard and the two boys were fastly approaching the area, but then they ceased when the large man was within their sight. He remained silent and unmoving. But one of the boys spoke up. "Ok. Big guy with a big sword...axe...thing."
"Probably a strength based Quirk." The other boy said as the two seemed to get ready for a fight.
Lexaeus opened his eyes and spoke to them. "You've come to face me."
"Yeah! We did!" The red haired boy confirmed.
"..." The Nobody closed his eyes, disappointed. "What a foolish mistake."
"It's what Heroes do!" The big lipped boy yelled out. "It's our job to take out Villains like you!"
Lexaeus shook his head before speaking once more. "Your false confidence is foolhardy at best."
"Who are you calling foolhardy?!" The red head responded.
"...Talking to you is a waste of breath." The Taciturn Stalwart realized.
[Play KH2.5 Remix OST The 13th Reflection]
Suddenly a huge burst of energy erupted from the Nobody, creating a gust of wind that both students had to brace for to stop themselves from getting blasted. "I...Lexaeus, will not yield to the weak wills of children pretenders."
Back in the real world, Mic decided to make an announcement. "The Taciturn Stalwart, Lexaeus! His Quirk, Willpower! He can boost his physical strength with sheer determination! He can get so strong that even the earth around him will crumble to his will!" Most of the students looked at Mic, confused. "What? I figured it'd be a cool bit of commentary."
Back in the datascape, Kirishima hardened his body and stated the plan. "Let's break through from the front and shoot for a high score!"
"Aw yeah!" Sato agreed with that plan as he doped himself up with sugar to give himself his strength boost. Once the two were ready, they charged straight towards their opponent.
"A bold strategy...however..." Lexaeus lifted Skysplitter up above his head, before slamming it into the ground, causing the earth between himself and the students to erupt into multiple rock pillars.
"This is it Sato!" Ejiro called to his teammate.
"Let's go!" Rikido yelled out.
The two reared their fists back together and then with their combined force they were able to shatter one of the pillars. Then they continued to do that exact same tactic, bulldozing their way forward through the earth in front of them. Letting out manly war cries as they continued their forward assault.
"Hmph." Lexaeus responded to the display in front of him with a second wave of pillars.
Back in the real world Ochako cheered her classmates on. "Come on you guys. You've totally got him."
"They're not gonna win it like this." Izuku pointed out, which confused the 1-A girl, prompting him to explain. "Their Quirks are amazing, but there's a limit to how long they can use them. They won't last forever. This Lexaeus person however is only limited by his drive, and the expression on his face shows that he's taking this seriously which means he'll only get stronger." Sora was surprised that Midoriya deduced all that from just one attack, Mic's commentary, and the facial expression made by the Organization member. "The more time that passes by, the more of a disadvantage they're at."
"That's not good." Uraraka said.
"If the rest of the Organization members are similarly chosen in the same way he was," Izuku began. "...then the teachers are pitting students against Members they'll have a hard time against. To pass, we'll have to recognize our weaknesses, and overcome them."
"Almost exactly right." Recovery Girl confirmed. "While you will undoubtedly have a hard time fighting these people, there are still some factors that will be in the students' favor, though they will vary from match to match. So before it's time for your own final, you should think carefully about your potential compatibility with the enemy you're fighting as well as your partner." The students then looked back at the screen and watched the practical unfold in front of them.
Kirishima and Sato continued forward but they then all of a sudden, the giant Axe Sword that Lexaeus wields had destroyed the rock pillar in front of them, before hitting Ejiro and launching him back a very good distance.
"KIRISHIMA!" Rikido called out, but then he saw the giant weapon coming back and he barely avoided it with a quick sidestep. However, when he turned to see where it was going, he saw its wielder right in front of him, and attempted to attack.
Lexaeus grabbed the sugar doped student by the throat and threw him to the side of a nearby building. Then he dragged Skysplitter on the ground before slashing it upwards and making the earth in front of him rise and hit Sato head on, throwing him into the air for a moment. He was about to continue, but he heard another battle cry coming from beside him.
Ejiro was right next to the big man and attempted to land a punch in his abdomen, but the boy's effort was in vain as Lexaeus leaned back to dodge the attack and then counter with a strong chop with his weapon that Kirishima couldn't avoid, only block and hopefully endure. The red haired boy was slammed on his back to the ground from the force and was lucky to have been hardened when it hit. Unlucky for him however, Lexaeus had used the momentum from that first attack to leap into the air and come slamming down on him with a second, more powerful chop, pushing Ejiro deeper into the ground.
Before The Taciturn Stalwart could continue burying the boy, a roughed up Rikido landed a punch to his back that caused him to slightly stagger. The Sweets themed Hero in training went for another punch but it was blocked by Lexaeus' hand. The Nobody gripped hard, causing Sato to yell out in pain before Lexaeus pulled the boy towards him and kneed the student in the gut. The force almost made Rikido regurgitate his sugar, but he managed to keep his sweets down for now.
Lexaeus then saw the other boy get up and threw Sato at him, launching them both back to where they were when this fight started. The two boys got up and Kirishima pointed out the situation to his teammate. "UUUUGHHHH! We're back to square one again! No matter how many times we rush him, he keeps pushing us back!"
"Uhhh...I'm tired...so sleepy..." Sato said. The side effect of his Quirk kicked in.
"Now's not the time!" Ejiro called out to his teammate as he went forward to attack by himself only to be blasted away by Lexaeus powering himself up a bit more to finish the fight. The red head hit the ground hard and when he got himself back up, he tried hardening again, only to realize that he's unable to. "Ghhh. I'm running out of steam."
"JUST GIVE UP!" Lexaeus screamed before he jumped high into the air and then descended rapidly towards the two worn out students. Kirishima realized what was about to happen, but it was too late as the Taciturn Stalwart slammed Skybreaker on the ground right in front of the two boys and all the earth in the area had risen and shattered, throwing both boys in the air with enough force to knock them out cold.
[Silence]
"No matter how strong your body is, no matter how hard you train your physical strength, it means nothing without a drive to match it." Lexaeus said as he powered down and stuck the tip of his weapon into the ground. "A weak will cripples even the strongest of bodies."
[Play KH Re:Chain of Memories OST Castle Oblivion]
With that the test was over, and the announcer called out "Sato and Kirishima have been knocked out. Exam over."
Over at a vending machine, Mina and Denki heard that announcement. "Seriously?!" The blonde boy replied.
In one of the planning rooms, Tenya and Mashirao heard the announcement. "That fast?" The boy with a tail pointed out.
As Fumikage and Tsuyu had finished planning team related tactics and were heading back to the monetary room, they heard the announcement. "Kirishima went down?" The Frog girl realized.
The two boys then were transmitted out of the datascape and brought back to the real world, both still battered and unconscious as Recovery Girl got out of her seat. "It's only the first match and I'm already needed." There were robots with stretchers on standby and they got the two boys off the platform and into the nearby temporary nurse's office where the Medical Hero soon entered.
"No way..." Ochako uttered out. "It was that one sided?"
"Their quirks were too ineffective against his." Midoriya stated.
"I was afraid of this." Sora commented, knowing full well just how strong these people are, even with handicaps.
With that Juzo and Nirengeki took their leave to plan. They were fighting this guy too and if that was what they were dealing with, they need to seriously plan something if they want any hope of winning against that.
Asui and Tokoyami came through the door, since it was their turn next. They see the concerned looks from their fellow 1-A classmates, and they were admittedly a little nervous. They barely had enough time to plan, and if the first match ended that fast with a defeat, then they might have to pull out all the stops if they want to win.
The two were taken into the datascape and transported into their designated test location. Fumikage, who had the cuffs under his cloak, immediately realized something. "I see. They're starting us in the middle of the stage."
"In order to escape, we have to pass through the designated gate, right?" Tsuyu pointed out. "Which means when the Villain gets brought in, they'll probably head straight there and wait for us."
A horn sounded off and the two stopped talking. "Team Asui and Tokoyami. Practical Exam. Ready? Go!"
The two just blitzed forward when they were allowed to, heading for the path that would take then to the exit the quickest.
[Play KH3 OST Dawn Of Hope]
The two were almost at the hallway, but then they stopped when they saw something off. There seemed to be pitch black aura oozing out of the hallway and then they could barely make out a man stepping his way through the hall. The two of them were unlucky enough to have their Villain get generated close enough to intercept them at the start of the match.
Terranort smirked. "You're afraid." He then summoned the No Name Keyblade in his hand. "Good. You should be." pitch black aura then emanated from him as he got into his battle stance.
In the real world, the students present were surprised to see that this man had a Keyblade as well, but before they could ask Sora anything, Nezu and Moogle told them that the weapon was actually a support item inspired by the design and function of a Keyblade and that wasn't actually his quirk.
Back in the datascape however, the two students did not know that, and they assumed that this possessed Terra had Sora's summon quirk, so they immediately chose to prioritize escape. "Get her, DARK SHADOW!" Fumikage ordered as he summoned his quirk and let it grab and throw her into the air. "Asui! Your turn!"
"Got you Tokoyami!" Tsu replied as she stuck her tongue out to grab her partner, latch onto a wall and pull him up to the second level where she was at. "Glad we made a plan beforehand."
"Yes." Fumikage agreed.
Back in the real world, The 1-A students were impressed to see that happen, and Sora was relieved. "Nice!" Uraraka cheered.
"An escape that only the two of them could pull off." Izuku stated.
"That's good communication." Recovery Girl pointed out as she returned from treating the boys. "They're talking to each other. It may not seem like much, but it's important." She continued to explain as the two students were making their escape, avoiding multiple dark energy blasts being shot out of Terranort's blade. "I don't just mean having a sidekick or teammate that you know you match well with. Real Heroes need to be able to communicate with anyone."
While Midoriya and Ochako were trying to pinpoint how this matchup was supposed to help the two face their weaknesses, Recovery Girl explained to the two how it was mainly going to be a challenge for Tokoyami and that the students should watch and see how.
Back in the Datascape the dark energy blast had stopped coming, but when the two kept running ahead, they were surprised to see Terranort land a few feet in front of Fumikage. Asui jumped up and began making her way to the next level up, and before the dark Keyblade Master could pursue her, Dark Shadow attempted to attack the possessed Hero, only to get swatted away by the blade.
Terranort then dashed forward, but Tokoyami was barely able to sidestep out of the way. He wasn't out of the danger zone yet, because the possessed Hero managed to stop himself a few feet away from the bird boy and his Keyblade began to glow with a red aura as he got ready to swing.
Just as Terranort began swinging his blade, Tsuyu had returned from her very brief scouting to pull her partner out of the dark Keyblade Master's range, making Terranort use Ars Solem on nothing but air. "Thanks." Fumikage told her as she launched him up. "Dark Shadow!"
"On it!" The Quirk complied as it grabbed Asui and pulled her up to the third level with Tokoyami. They landed in front of a hallway and they began going through it, but then they heard something crash behind them and they saw that Terranort had literally plowed through the ground of the ledge and landed at the edge of the hallway. "I think he's following us."
"Not the time for jokes, Dark Shadow!" Fumikage berated.
"He just doesn't let up." Tsuyu realized.
"We need to keep moving." Tokoyami instructed.
"Hmm. Hmhmhm." Terranort let out a bemused laugh as he watched their attempt to flee, then pointed No Name towards the two students and let out another volley of dark energy blasts. He watched as the bird boy used his ability to shield himself from some of the blasts, while the frog girl had leapt from wall to wall in order to outmaneuver the blasts until they had reached the end of the hallway. "Creative."
The two students reached the end of the hallway and then something immediately Asui's eyes. "Tokoyami look! That's the exit!" she told him.
As the two saw where they needed to go, Dark Shadow then looked behind them. "INCOMING!" The two students didn't have enough time to react as they both felt a body slam in between them, pushing them off the third level and sending them falling down to the ground. "I got you!" Dark Shadow assured it's partner as it grabbed the guard rails of the second floor to slow down Fumikage's fall just enough to have a soft landing. Tsuyu managed to latch onto the same guard rail with her tongue and slow her fall that way.
[Silence]
The two looked at eachother, then to where they were knocked down from. The two of them then watched as Terranort had leapt from the third level and easily landed on the ground in between them and the exit. "The exit's right behind him." Asui stated.
"Just one final push." Tokoyami said.
"Hmhmhmhmhmhmhm. HAA HA HA!" The possessed Hero laughed at their assumption, before unsummoning his Keyblade and crossing his arms. "I will guide you to the depths of Darkness."
Instead of attempting any kind of attack, Dark Shadow grabbed Tsuyu and threw her towards the exit, but then suddenly, the frog girl had stopped mid air above Terranort and felt something grip her. She looked back and saw something entirely unexpected. "Ribbit?!"
[Play KH3 Re Mind OST Dismiss]
A very large and muscular arm was sticking out of the dark Keyblade master's chest and quickly after that, the rest of what grabbed her had come out of his chest. Terra's Guardian Heartless had been called out to finish this fight.
Back in the real world, the students were more than shocked to see what just happened, then Present Mic did another announcement. "The Possessed Hero, Terra! His Quirk, Familiar! He can summon and command a familiar he calls the Guardian to do his bidding, and thanks to Terra's Possessed status, it, just like him, gets access to dark powers!"
Back in the datascape, the Guardian threw the girl back to her ally. "Asui!" Fumikage called out as Dark Shadow managed to catch her before she hit the wall. "Damn it! That blade wasn't his quirk. This is!"
"It's almost like your Dark Shadow." Tsuyu realized.
Terranort decided that it was time to let loose and pitch black aura began to erupt from his body. "Dark times ahead!" He announced to the students and the entire area around them was swallowed in black, but before Dark Shadow could grow in size many bright red pillars of energy had lit up the area and spiraled around the perimeter. "Don't let them escape." He commanded the guardian as it seemed to become empowered.
"Asui! MOVE!" Tokoyami ordered her. She did so and did her best to avoid being grabbed again by the Guardian. It attempted to pursue her, but Dark Shadow grabbed it by the shoulders and distracted it for a brief moment.
"Break him!" Terranort commanded, and the Guardian did it's bidding, grabbing Dark Shadow and yanking it towards the Heartless, flinging Fumikage to it, making him lose the cuffs as well. The Guardian grabbed the bird and then with a bit of effort squeezed the boy's body hard enough to hear some cracks. He let out a scream from the pain before the Guardian threw the boy to Terranort, then continuing to go after Tsuyu.
"H...H-How is it...that you can control such dark powers?" Tokoyami questioned his opponent.
The possessed Hero held the Bird boy by his neck as he spoke to him. "Child of the Dark. It isn't about controlling the Darkness. It is about becoming one with it, opening your heart and allowing the Darkness to grow inside it."
"Gah!...what?!" Fumikage couldn't understand that concept.
"Purge the light that holds you back. Surrender your heart to the Darkness inside you." Terranort instructed as the Guardian just grabbed Asui. "Give your heart over to Darkness!"
"Tokoyami!" Tsuyu called out. "Don't listen to AAAAGHHHH!" The Guardian stopped her from speaking by squeezing hard around her ribs.
"Asui!" Fumikage watched as she was getting crushed and the emotional turmoil inside him suddenly took physical form in Dark Shadow, becoming larger and it's glowing yellow eyes turning red. "You...you hurt her!...I won't let you hurt her...or ANYONE!" He broke out of the possessed Hero's grip and made his way to his ally.
Terranort smiled at this and exclaimed "Join the shadows!" making the Guardian drop the girl and charge at the Dark boy.
"PREY!" Dark Shadow roared out as it went straight for the guardian, clashing with the creature in a power struggle. It wasn't in Tokoyami's favor however, as the Guardian steadily pushed Dark Shadow back.
"I...I...I will...not yield!" Fumikage roared out, letting his emotions take over to give him strength, and scarily enough, it was working as Dark Shadow got a bit bigger and managed to stop being pushed back.
On the ground, Tsuyu saw what was happening and attempted to speak out, but whenever she tried, she felt her chest hurt. She wanted to help out her ally, but she didn't know how. It was then that she saw the cuffs close to her and she had an idea. "Hold on Tokoyami." She said to herself. "I'll help you through this."
Back with the power struggle, Terranort simply laughed at this turn of events. "That's it. You have potential. I can sense much destructive power in you. The only thing stopping you is yourself. Stop fighting it!"
The Guardian began to push forward again, and Fumikage ended up against a wall while Dark Shadow kept trying to overpower it's similar opponent. He was beginning to struggle and he was starting to wonder, should he just give in to defeat him? He can't do this alone with his power. It was then that he saw Asui, slowly crawling towards Terra, and he remembered why he decided to become a Hero. "No...no!...I fight...for the sake of others...!" The Hero in training proclaimed. "I...am not a tool of destruction!"
Terranort looked a bit angered with that response, keeping his full attention on the boy. "You don't get to decide your fate! A child with such strong ties to the Darkness, is destined to become one with the Darkness!" The Guardian pushed Dark Shadow against Fumikage. "Accept the Darkness."
[Silence]
Suddenly, a tongue wrapped itself around the Possessed Hero's throat. "What?!"
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST Predecessor's Sworn Friend]
Tsuyu was close enough to grab him with her tongue and she used the chance she was given by her ally to pull herself towards her opponent, with the cuffs in her hands. "Thank you Tokoyami." She said out loud. "You kept him distracted."
"You?!" Terranort spoke up, before signaling with his hands to call back the Guardian. It let go of Dark Shadow and turned around to go back to it's master.
"I won't let you!" Dark Shadow exclaimed as it swiftly circled around a stone pillar and grabbed the Guardian. Fumikage grabbed the Heartless as well and together, they managed to stop it from moving.
"What? How?!" The possessed Hero questioned as he couldn't see how the boy was able to do this without giving in. But as he was busy comprehending that, the frog girl managed to close the distance and cuff him by his foot. He froze completely and the Guardian disappeared shortly after.
"It's simple." Asui exclaimed out loud, even though it hurt. "It's because Tokoyami and Dark Shadow...are Heroes!"
[Silence]
Back in the real world, everyone who watched that fight were both relieved that it was over and elated to see that they passed. For some, it was because that it proved that these tests were passable, but for others, it was because they didn't want to see this continue until both students were too hurt to continue.
"They leg cuffed him!" Uraraka pointed out.
"Then they passed!" Izuku also pointed out. "They figured out a way to do it!"
"And without losing control in the process." Sora added, as he saw that the Xehanort inside of Terra was trying to make Fumikage lose control, only to fail because of Tsu's support.
[Play KH BBS OST Destiny's Union]
The two students inside the datascape looked at eachother, then the datascape began to slowly dissolve around them as the announcer said "Team Asui and Tokoyami have passed the final!"
Terranort however managed to utter out one last thing before disappearing with the data world. "You've proven...your resolve..." Then the two just saw numbers, then eventually they saw the Monetary room and the people inside it.
Midoriya and Sora ran over to help each classmate up, making sure to be careful when they did so. The One For All user got Fumikage on his stretcher, while the Keyblade wielder got Tsuyu onto hers. Then, after a brief congratulations from the two boys, they watched as they were taken to the nurse's office to get patched up.
Sora then ended up sitting on the ground and leaning his back to the wall, before letting out another sigh. "Jeez. Only two matches in and I'm already this stressed."
Izuku and Ochako heard their friend say that and knew that they should talk to him. "Yeah." Midoriya agreed. "These guys are tough. I can see why you'd be stressed. You had to fight all of them and see it firsthand. You must have really struggled."
"And I guess seeing us take one of them on would make you worry, since you're friends with almost everyone in class." Uraraka added.
"And that's not even including his...well...you know." Izuku reminded her.
"Yeah. That too." Ochako agreed.
"Yeah." Sora replied to them. "It's just...ahhh...It's hard watching my friend's get hurt by the Organization, and I can't do anything to help them. It happened so many times before, and..." He sighed again. "Even now. These guys aren't even real, and yet I'm watching more of my friends get hurt by them."
Midoriya sat next to Sora, putting a hand on his shoulder and then remembered something. "Hey, Sora. Remember what you told me before the internships?"
"Huh?" The Keyblade wielder responded, unsure of what his friend was referring to.
"It's fine to worry." Izuku quoted his friend.
"Just don't keep it to yourself." Sora finished, before letting out a weak chuckle. "Using my own advice against me, huh?"
"It worked for me. I can work for you." Midoriya remarked.
"I know it's not good to keep them bottled up, but I don't want them to see me have any doubts about their chances." Sora pointed out.
"Then do what you always do." Izuku suggested. "Look at all the positive stuff. You know these guys inside and out. Don't look at this as who's fighting who. Look at it like, here's how my friends can win against this guy."
"These guys are tough, sure, but look at what just happened a minute ago." Uraraka reminded Sora. "Asui and Tokoyami beat that Terra guy, and they actually cuffed him to win."
Sora looked at the two, still seeming unsure, but then Itsuka came over to them, crouched down and placed her hand on Sora's other shoulder. "I may not be as close to you as your classmates are, but I think we're close enough to be friends." She said. "Remember during my internships, when Yaoyorozu and I texted you while we were there?" Sora nodded before she continued. "Well, she and I both had a hard time there, not physically though. Our self confidence dropped pretty low when we did the stuff we told you about." Sora remembered the messages as Kendo continued. "But every time we got a text from you, those words of encouragement, they really helped us out. I know I felt like I was gonna show the world what I can really do, and Yaoyorozu always perked up after reading your messages."
"Really?" Sora asked.
"Yeah." Itsuka replied. "You think all those 'thank yous' were just common courtesy? We genuinely felt more confident because you cheered us on, even when we felt like we were sidelined. Do the same thing here. Tell your friends 'you got this! You're gonna crush it! I believe in you!' and watch them feel like they can do anything."
[Play KH3 OST Link To All (San Fransokyo Ver.) -cutscene-]
The two 1-A students were surprised to hear that from the 1-B class rep. "Kendo." Midoriya uttered.
Sora thought about it for a few seconds, then started to nod in agreement. "Yeah...yeah yeah! You're right!" He stood up and pumped his fists. "It's natural to worry, but as long as I have faith and my friends know it, then I know they'll make it through!"
As if it was on que, Tenya Iida and Mashirao Ojiro came through the door, ready to begin their part of the exam. "We've arrived for our practical."
"Just step on the platform and then you're golden, Kupo." Moogle instructed.
"Hey, Tenya! Mashirao!" Sora called out before heading over to them.
"What is it, Sora?" Iida wondered.
"I'll be watching you guys." The Keyblade wielder told them. "Kick Xehanort's butt again for me."
That cheer came as a surprise to both of them, but they both smiled and Ojiro said. "I'll give him a couple tail smacks for you."
"I'll be sure to pass and make this class proud as it's representative!" Tenya exclaimed before he put his helmet on and walked with Ojiro to the platform.
Sora smiled and waved the two off before they got transported into the datascape, ready to watch them pass the test.
[Silence]
The two boys were fully brought into the datascape, and the location they were brought into seemed to mimic a large dirt lot that was about to undergo construction, as seen by the single, unmanned excavator in the middle of the area. Then the two boys saw in the distance, their foe being brought into the area, directly in front of the exit. Then came the announcement. "Team Iida and Ojiro. Practical Exam. Ready? Go!"
[Play KH DDD OST Master Xehanort The Early Years]
Young Xehanort looked around the area. He saw some things that intrigued him. This specific place was the only 'real' thing around him, easily seeing that there was an invisible barrier that made up what can only be described as a fake horizon. He saw that there were no traces of darkness at all in this world. But what really caught his eye, were the two teenagers heading in his direction.
Tenya and Mashirao were steadily running towards their objective and the class rep instructed his partner. "Remember. We don't have any idea what he can do. Should we be forced to engage, be prepared for anything."
"Understood." Ojiro responded, before he noticed something. "Where'd he go?"
Iida looked at where he last saw the Organization member, only to see that there was nobody there, then he suddenly hit something that came out of nowhere, causing him to fall back and land on his rear. The class rep then looked up to see what hit him and he was surprised. "What the?!"
"Intriguing." Young Xehanort said, as he was now standing a few feet away from Tenya. Mashirao attempted to attack, but when he went for a tail strike, he hit nothing as Xehanort seemed to just vanish, only to reappear a few feet behind the tail boy. "...Clearly this is a datascape, but of where, I do not know."
"Huh?" Iida and Ojiro said in unison, realizing that this villain was analyzing where he was and easily deducing the place as a datascape.
"I've never seen the two of you before either..." Young Xehanort added. "...Meaning one of two things. Either you two are constructs, based off of someone else's memories of this place...or you two are real, and entered this datascape to do something that involved me."
Tenya got himself to his feet and was able to back away from the young leader, before speaking up. "I'm assuming that you're the Organization's strategists."
"Ahhh. Thank you for the answer." Young Xehanort almost immediately deduced what his situation was just from that sentence. The Organization was only known by the guardians of light, some of the guardians' allies, and very few offworlders. Not only that, but he knew enough about each guardian of light to figure out who's memories this datascape is based off of a certain member being unable to keep his mouth shut. "So you are real...I can only assume that I am not. And my purpose for being here seems to be to oppose you, based on when you said 'should we be forced to engage'."
[Play KH DDD OST L'Impeto Oscuro]
Young Xehanort then held his hand and summoned his weapon, however none of the students actually recognized it as a Keyblade. Everyone who saw it seemed to see it as more of a clock themed sword with a chain on the hilt. "If it is my destiny to prevent your success, then I will embrace it for the short time I have."
Iida went for a kick but Young Xehanort seemed to vanish and reappear in an instant to the right of the armored student, then quickly slash at him twice with his blade. Mashirao was about to move in to assist his partner, but Young Xehanort appeared right in front of him and then slashed him twice as well. Young Xehanort then warped back to Tenya and knocked the boy down by thrusting his blade into the shoulder of the student.
As he watched Iida fall back, he noticed Ojiro attempting to do a back attack. The young master turned around and then clashed with Mashirao's tail. Ojiro swirled his body around for another attack, while Young Xehanort twirled his body to do the same. They both clashed again, and the Organization member saw that an up close brawl was pointless. Mashirao attempted one more time to attack with his tail, but when he twirled his body around again and swung the large appendage, Young Xehanort backstepped the attack and countered by transforming his blade into a whip and lash the boy in the chest to knock him down.
He could hear the sound of engines behind him and when he looked to see what it was, Tenya was right next to him and managed to land a solid kick on his face that knocked him back, but he warped to the right side of the class rep and went for a swing. Iida saw it coming and managed to swing his leg around to counter the Organization member, only to get faked out as Young Xehanort warped to his left side and then landed two more slashes, before backing up and once again turning his blade into a whip, lashing Tenya's armor a few times, cracking the chest piece.
Young Xehanort then saw Ojiro getting up and warped over to him, slashing the boy a few times with his sword, and when Mashirao attempted to counter, Xehanort backstepped again and went for his whip attack. Ojiro blocked with his tail but was unprepared for the Organization member warping behind him and slashing his back hard enough to knock him forward and land flat on his face.
Iida once again was up and went for a kick, but Young Xehanort warped away from the attack and stood in between the students and the exit. "He seems to have some sort of instantaneous movement quirk."
Mashirao got up and then asked "What now class rep?"
"The topography gives our opponent the advantage, as he can easily see us no matter what we do, allowing him to warp to our blind spots and attack us." Tenya pointed out. "In order to keep injuries to a minimum and defeat him...I think our best choice right now is to go and find a Hero who is better suited to take him on."
"So in other words we should run." Ojiro simplified what the class rep said. "There's still the issue of him warping in the way to cut us off from the exit, not to mention that since he's faked us out before, he could easily alternate from attack to fake out to keep us on a set track."
"We can still make it." Iida assured his partner. "As long as we work together."
Mashirao nodded his head, determined to win. "Allright."
Tenya then executed his plan. "...FUSION!"
Young Xehanort had decided not to attack, but rather observe. When he heard the engine legged boy scream 'fusion', he was curious as to what would happen with those two. Then he just saw the boy with a tail climb on top of the armored boy, piggyback style.
[Silence]
Ojiro then commented "I can only imagine how stupid we look right now."
"Even though I've seen goofy things like this before...I still did not expect it." Young Xehanort added his two cents to the 'fusion'.
[Play KH BBS OST Dark Impetus]
"Here we go Ojiro! RECIPRO BURST!" Iida stated as he blitzed forward at top speed while Mashirao held on tight.
Young Xehanort was genuinely surprised to see the engine legged boy blitz past him, but he quickly went back on the attack. "Let's go!" he exclaimed as he warped a good distance in front of the two and the tip of his weapon glowed white as he circled his weapon in a clockwise motion (looking counterclockwise to the boys viewing it in front of him.) and multiple ice shards were created. He then sent the shards towards the boys.
Ojiro saw the projectiles and said. "Iida! We've got incoming!"
"I see them!" Tenya responded to his teammate and then swerved them to the side to narrowly dodge the ice barrage. Young Xehanort in front of the two and attempted to swing. "Ojiro!"
"On it!" Mashirao said as he used his tail to block the Organization member's attack. When Young Xehanort warped to the other side, Iida called it out and then Ojiro quickly stopped the second attempted attack with his tail. "Thanks class rep."
"And thank you as well." Tenya replied, still running towards the exit, with about five seconds on his Recipro Burst to go.
"Not so fast!" Young Xehanort called out to them as he seemed to charge up for a moment, before warping a few yards in front of them, now completely surrounded in a torrent of fire.
"Gah! Hold on tight, Ojiro!" Iida ordered as he barely managed to swerve away from the charge. Then he saw Young Xehanort warp in front of him again to do the same thing. Tenya continued his swerve and avoided the attack again, then again and again, but now they were off course. "Need to correct our course. I've got two seconds before I need to extend!"
Mashirao saw the trouble they were in and said "Leave it to me." before he moved his tail to the opposite side they had swerved from before, giving Iida the extra weight needed to quickly correct his course. "It's straight ahead now!"
"Thank you once again Ojiro." The class rep said, before yelling out "RECIPRO EXTEND!" allowing him to make a straight shot for the exit.
Young Xehanort then teleported to the center of the dirt lot and suddenly a huge clock glyph appeared inside the area. Both students saw the glyph cover the floor they were standing on and they both looked back to hear him yell out "Time is a cruel prison!" Then everything went white for them.
[Silence]
In the real world, the students were at first hyped up at seeing the 1-A class rep manage to outrun Xehanort, but then they all froze when they saw both students stop moving and the colors on the screen suddenly shifted to negative on everything except for the Organization member. "Wha...what did he just do?" Izuku asked.
"Wasn't that warping his quirk?" Ochako questioned.
"No." Sora answered. "That 'warp' is just him briefly using his quirk to make it look like he's warping."
Before Sora could explain any further, Present Mic decided that now was the time to announce the Organization member. "The Young Leader of this Villain Organization, Xehanort! His Quirk, Time Glyphs. He can briefly create glyphs that allow him to stop and rewind time within their diameter! However, he needs time to charge up these glyphs if he wants to affect a huge area, or to rewind multiple people at once!"
"What?!" All the students except Sora exclaimed.
"How is that fair?!" Uraraka asked.
"You forgot to mention that if you're inside the inner area of the huge glyph, then you can move freely and break the stopped time if you're fast enough." Sora pointed out.
"Huh?" The students said in unison.
"That's how I beat him." Sora explained. "Remember, I had to win against these guys in order for you guys to face them."
[Play KH3 OST Young Xehanort's Demise -cutscene- (Also add a clock sound effect)] A.N. Try to find one with an echo if you can.
Young Xehanort just looked at the two students, completely frozen in time. Then he spoke up, even though nobody could hear him. "My real self didn't survive as long as he did without being prepared for everything." He walked towards them as he continued speaking. "In his quest to become all knowing, he studied many different techniques, practiced them to perfection, and looked at every possible way to use these skills, should he ever need to get violent." He was in front of the two boys now. "I am no different. Even as a data construct merely based on him, I am still Xehanort. And just like Xehanort, I studied and learned a great many things, trained my powers to their absolute limit, and then practiced every possible way to use them." The clock was halfway done with its charge. "All so I could achieve my goal and fulfill my destiny. For him, it was to become all knowing, even if it meant inciting a war to find out the answers. For me, it is to stop you from escaping this realm. I do not know how far my real counterpart got, but there is one thing I know for certain. Sora seemed to pay the price for his abuse of power by coming to the real version of this place. And even though I will not survive beyond my intended purpose, I am glad to now know what would happen, should one abuse the power of waking." The clock had just hit twelve. "Let's start over."
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST Spread Anxiety]
Tenya and Mashirao were now standing in the center of the area again, while Young Xehanort was a couple yards in front of them. "Eh?...What?" Ojiro was confused. They were just about to reach the exit.
"I see now." Iida managed to deduce. "I should have figured it with all those signs during the fight."
"What are you talking about?" Mashirao asked.
The class rep went into further explanation. "His weapon's design, the way his attacks were generated, and then the glyph. His quirk isn't warping. It's actually time based. Most likely reversing or resetting what recently happens around him."
"A time reset?" Ojiro repeated.
Young Xehanort heard that and said. "Impressive. You figured out my ability after only experiencing it once." He got himself back into a battle stance. "But now that you know what it is, how do you plan to win I wonder?"
The two boys were back to square one again, but this time with less time on their hands. "So now we know his quirk, but if he can just do that, then how are we going to win?" Mashirao questioned.
"Remember, Sora had to face off against this person before and win against him in order for us to face him now." Tenya pointed out. "That means that there is a weakness to the quirk that can be exploited. We just need to figure it out."
Ojiro understood the logic, but was still unsure. "Do you think we'll be able to find it before he gives us another beating?"
"I don't know." Iida answered honestly. "But Sora said he had faith in our success. I won't disappoint him by failing this exam."
Young Xehanort rolled his eyes. "Of course they're friends of his." He quietly said to himself.
[Play KH3 Re Mind OST L'Impeto Oscuro]
Tenya ran forward and attempted to kick Young Xehanort but then he saw himself under the edge of a glyph. "Don't blink." the Villain said as he transformed his blade into a whip and lashed in Iida's direction, only to just barely miss the boy as he backed out of the glyph.
Young Xehanort then teleported back and casted another ice barrage, before warping in front of Mashirao, who attempted to attack him, but missed when he warped over to Tenya, who then lifted his leg up like he was going to do a roundhouse kick. As the organization member warped away to attack Ojiro, Iida lowered his leg and then jumped to the side, dodging the ice projectiles that were heading his way.
The class rep looked to see his partner, just barely managing to keep up with Young Xehanort's fake outs and attacks. Since the Organization member wasn't focused on him anymore, he decided to check his legs and rev them up to see that the time quirk had also reset his Recipro, which means that his engines still work. Then he saw Young Xehanort get behind Mashirao.
Ojiro had turned around and got ready to defend, but then Young Xehanort backed up and began using his whip attacks in conjunction with his warp, lashing him from a safe range and at multiple angles. "Ghh!" His tail was starting to hurt from all the punishment.
"That's checkmate!" Young Xehanort called out as a glyph appeared under him and Mashirao, but before he could attack, he felt a hard kick to his back and it knocked him away for a moment. The Organization member was surprised to see the class rep still kicking. He was sure that the roundhouse kick would have left him open to the incoming ice, but it seemed that he was mistaken. He made another ice barrage and then sent it towards the boy.
Tenya watched the ice and then saw Young Xehanort warp to his right side. He looked at the man then Young Xehanort warped to his left side, to which Iida responded by just looking and not attacking, figuring out the fake out pattern. Then when Young Xehanort warped to the right again, Tenya jumped and dropkicked him away. The class rep landed on the ground and rolled back to avoid the ice reaching his location.
Mashirao got himself back up but then Iida ran over to him and yelled "Fusion!"
"Again?" The tailed boy asked.
"Just do it! Hurry!" The class rep ordered.
As Young Xehanort got back up, he saw the two boys do that 'fusion' again. "This again?" He said as he warped to the exit and casted another ice barrage.
The two boys saw the ice coming and did the exact same thing that they did before. They then saw Young Xehanort enveloped in flames and the two once again avoided it the same way. "Uh...hey! Aren't we doing the same thing that didn't work before?"
"Trust me on this Ojiro! I have a plan!" Tenya said as he and Mashirao corrected their course again.
This time however, Young Xehanort warped back to the entrance and had another glyph under him, ready to attack with his whip. "You'll never prevail you know!"
"Wrap your tail around my leg!" Iida ordered as he jumped into the air. Once they reached the peak of his jump height, Tenya put full force into his engines again, spinning in the air and yelling out "RECIPRO EXTEND!" before catapulting Mashirao over Young Xehanort.
The Organization member warped back to the center and the massive clock glyph came back. Iida landed back on the ground and then kept his Recipro going as long as he could, blitzing to the inner area of the glyph as Young Xehanort announced "Time is a cruel prison!"
[Play KH3 Re Mind OST L'Impeto Oscuro -Young Xehanort DM-]
Tenya was frozen for one second, but he could see Young Xehanort standing in the middle of the glyph as a clock glyph rose from the middle, then he could suddenly move and the Organization member noticed. "What?!"
Iida went to attack Young Xehanort, but the attack went through him. The Organization member attempted to latch onto the boy with his whip, only to miss due to the class rep's Recipro still being active, making him too fast to hit while in place. Tenya then decided to go for the clock glyph and managed to hit it, causing a crack. "Got you!"
"Not yet you don't!" Young Xehanort retorted as he began rapidly warping and attacking Iida from multiple directions. However it was in vain, as Tenya was still too fast to hit right now. The class rep got another hit on the glyph and it cracked even more. One more solid strike should do it.
Iida circled around for one more pass, but his engines were just about to blow out as he could feel them heating up to a dangerously high temperature. The only way he could get the last hit in was a straight shot, but Young Xehanort was in the way, casting an ice barrage that would cut him off if he did so. "I...will not falter!" Tenya roared out as he decided to go for the straight shot and leave his fate to chance.
"Got you." Young Xehanort said as he sent the ice barrage forward, now almost certain of his victory. But then just as the ice managed to get to Iida, each piece of ice freezing parts of his body, he still didn't stop. "You're still...?!"
[Silence]
And with one final kick, the clock glyph was broken and time had resumed to normal. Mashirao passed through the gate, turning into numbers as he was taken out of the datascape the moment he passed through the gate and the announcer called out. "Team Iida and Ojiro have passed the finals."
Before the rest of the datascape was turned into numbers, Young Xehanort said one last thing. "So this is where my role ends..." Then the data battle was finished.
Back in the real world, Sora watched as Mashirao materialized back into reality, skidding to a halt when he landed on the floor. "Huh?" The tail boy wondered how he got back here so fast.
"I guess that's what happens if you get through the gate." Sora noted. "Aside from that. Congrats on passing. I knew you two could do it."
Ojiro then noticed the other students and then scratched the back of his head. "Well, I couldn't do it alone. I have Iida to thank for getting me through."
Tenya, who came through shortly after his teammate, had heard that sentiment and said. "I appreciate the sentiment. Thank you." The other students then looked at Iida and then noticed...something else. "Also, I am mostly frozen, and cannot move very well."
Three matches down, 18 more to go. Hopefully you guys understand what's gonna happen involving the rest of the tests now. I'm not gonna have any altercations on who pass and fail, so who passed in the OG MHA story will still pass here. However, none of them are getting out unscathed. The matched where one wins easily will still have their struggles, and the matches where it was a hard fought victory will be even victories that came by the skin of the students teeth. And before anyone gets angry or upset about how some of the abilities of certain people get left out, I specifically said that the Organization members would be modified so that the students would have a chance to beat them in an actual fight. So Young Xehanort does not get clones, invisibility, a meteor attack, the doom attack he had in BBS, or the healing time glyph he has in Re Mind. Lexaeus only get's to power up to a third of his full strength, so he doesn't get so strong that he just kills his opponents. Terranort's DM doesn't last long and he can't use the guardianand his Keyblade at the same time. I'll tell you the other things that get nerfed from each Org member in the chapters that they are fought in, so don't ask in the reviews. Aside from that, I think you get the gist of the fights. For 1-A it'll be reminiscentof their teacher battle, but still different, and 1-B will be original fights, since we don't see their battles in the anime or manga. Present Mic does a Quirk Announcement for each member of the Organization when their 'quirk' is prominently revealed. Then lastly, the fight concludes. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and until I decide to upload again. ;)