Hello and welcome back to A Hero's Creed! Who's ready to start the second test? The sooner we finish this exam, the sooner we can get back into the sneaky sneaky stabby stabby AC stuff... buuuut we're not there yet. Let's get into the Review responses:
Gamelover41592: Hopefully, here's another good one.
kashriramji: I recognized the name from the lore as well, so I had a feeling that was where it would go. They do try to avoid retcons and Cleopatra's death is well documented, so I was sure we would see it in the game. I don't think it really took away from the game, though.
LEGOBRICK13: Honestly, even I was surprised with what Pony pulled, but it hit me as I wrote and I thought "yeah, that's exactly what someone of her position would do." Also BONK! No horny!
Money D. Conan: Hearing about killing the Shie Hassaikai and rescuing Eri was one thing since they were Villains, but Heroes who are Templars? That's a whole different game. Believe you me, Aoyama will be intrical for the plot I have planned.
stevenpiskunov2: We will, but not any time soon.
ZonZus: There is a cycle we see throughout all of the games; the same cycle you mentioned between men and time. I will say no more, lest I [REDACTED].
Chapter 49:
Rest and Rescue
Izuku was incredibly comfortable on one of the provided couches in the antechamber, a cup of water in one hand as he quietly studied the other students who passed. There were very few he recognized and a few he could guess at tentative connections to known figures, but for once he could be just another Hero student without all the secrecy and hidden history and death. He reveled in that normalcy.
The loudest and most obvious familiar face was Inasa Yoarashi, the same boy Aizawa told them about after he interrupted their cheer before the exam. He was talking to a boy in enough armor to rival Iida and seemed overwhelmed by Yoarashi's enthusiasm. Across the large room were other students that had proven themselves, some of their looks and/or costumes reminding Izuku of pro Heroes he suspected may be their parents or relatives.
"You know," Tsuyu commented from the back of the couch where she was perched so her back leaned against the wall and her feet on the armrest. She sipped from her glass of water. "This is almost boring, ribbit."
"You're more than welcome to step outside," Shoto said, attempting to form snowballs with one hand and then melting them with the other. Every attempt that resulted in ice rather than snow made his eyes narrow, so he was only half paying attention to the conversation. "Of course, that would put you at risk, but it would give you that excitement you seem to be looking for."
"No thank you," the frog-girl waved off. "I get enough excitement at home caring for my siblings, ribbit. I just didn't think we would finish so early."
"As students of the prestigious UA, finishing so quickly should be no less than expected," Iida nodded. "Rather, more of our classmates should be arriving forthwith. The reputation of UA should demand no less."
"Did you forget what Aizawa-sensei told us before we started?" Izuku blinked. "There's every chance they didn't get out of the crowd fast enough and got ganged up on. We might be the only ones from UA that passed."
"Certainly not!" the legacy student argued, chopping his hand as he usually did. "Midoriya, as the Vice-Representative of Class 1-A, I expected you to have more faith in our classmates!"
Izuku raised his hand —the one that wasn't holding his water— in surrender. "I'm just saying there are plenty of things out there that we don't have training for yet. There's every chance they got unlucky."
"Falling victim to the unknown," Iida summarized, his voice losing some of his zeal. "Yes, I can see how that may be a… concern."
"Iida, are you okay, ribbit?" Tsuyu blinked.
"Hm?" the boy blinked. "Oh, yes. There is no need to worry. I was simply recalling a lesson I learned from my internship."
"What kind of lesson, ribbit?"
"One about the world. That not everyone is who they say they are. And that not all who claim to be good truly are."
"That's… heavy," Izuku muttered.
"You do not seem surprised, Midoriya," Iida commented. "Rather, none of you do."
"I thought I was Quirkless up through middle school," the verdet reminded him. "I've experienced my fair share of discrimination from the 'innocent'." Izuku included air quotes with his free hand.
"I'm a heteromorph, ribbit," Tsuyu said, letting the implication do the explaining.
"I would rather not explain, thank you," Shoto added.
"Maybe you can explain why that Yoarashi guy is giving you the death glare, ribbit."
"I cannot say that I know why," the dual-haired boy replied, his heterochromatic eyes meeting Yoarashi's black from across the room. The Shiketsu student's glare took on a new level of emotional frost before he turned away. "My own internship opened my eyes to former flaws in my logic. I cannot recall meeting him before, but that does not say much considering my mental state up to that point. I suppose it is possible I did something and cannot remember."
Tsuyu tilted her head, one hand coming to her chin. "Didn't Aizawa-sensei say he scored high in the Recommendation Exam, ribbit? Could you have interacted with him there?"
"It's possible," Shoto admitted. He frowned at the ball of ice in his hand before shifting it to the other, heat warping the air above as the ice began to turn to steam. "I don't remember the exams, but that's the most likely location for an interaction between us."
"We could simply ask him," Iida suggested. "The best way to confront such small issues is a direct approach."
"That sounds just like you, Iida, ribbit," Tsuyu chuckled.
"You seem to imply there are other ways to go about such situations."
"That's not what I said."
Most of those who entered the antechamber did so alone or in groups of two or three. This was important to note because it meant the group of six that stepped in next turned heads. Standing tall, Momo led Ochako, Shoji, Kaminari, Jiro, and Tokoyami into the antechamber with little fanfare but plenty of attention.
"I guess I was wrong," Izuku commented as they entered. "We aren't the only ones that passed. That's good. Aizawa-sensei will be happy."
"He'd only be happy if everyone passed, ribbit."
Momo noticed their small group, quickly leading her own through the room toward them. Her shoulders relaxed as they moved deeper into the saferoom, that sense of safety from the chaos of the test finally settling in.
"We are delighted to see that you all passed the first portion of the exam," Iida said.
"Yeah, no thanks to you all," Jiro grumbled, pulling the targets from her outfit.
"I did tell you all to run," Izuku shrugged.
"Not all of us are as fast as you, literally and figuratively," Kaminari replied. "And then that earthquake trapped us in one place."
"It was only the dark machinations of Yaoyorozu's inner mind that turned their battlefield into a shadowy haven for an umbral revelry of our own," Tokoyami nodded. Dark Shadow popped out of his stomach.
"What he means," the sentient Quirk said, "is that Yaoyorozu used us to turn the battlefield around. It was a lot of fun!"
"Not exactly easy, though," Shoji muttered, rubbing the bruise on his solar plexus.
"Our class now has at least a pass rate of 50%, ribbit," Tsuyu hummed. "Speaking of, does anyone have a clue to the nature of the second half?"
The class shared several looks, Izuku's shoulders slumping a little at the scene.
"I was afraid of that," he commented. "We don't even know if the exam is divided into halves. It could have three or four parts for all we know."
"I'm having flashbacks to Aizawa's test on our first day," Ochako grumbled, one hand holding her stomach where it tried to revolt at the memories.
"We have come this far," Momo announced, being sure that her voice reached everyone in their group. "Though the odds may be against us, we shall prevail. Are we not students of UA? Are we not a class that has overcome obstacles before? Each one of us passed the Entrance Exam —recommended or otherwise— earned Aizawa-sensei's respect on the first day, survived an attack on the USJ, and then survived our training camp. This exam will be no different; it is simply another hurdle on the way to our goals of being pro Heroes that will lead Japan into a time of peace and prosperity."
Students stood taller at Momo's uplifting words, Izuku going so far as to grace her with a smile despite how his gut twisted. This girl had the making of a true leader, one he feared was ready to turn her skills against the Brotherhood. Fighting against her in such deadly competition would be difficult on so many levels; strategical and personal.
"Wow," a familiar voice groused, the group parting as another trio of their classmates joined them, a certain blond in the lead. "What a rousing speech, Rich Bitch. Did you practice that in the mirror?"
"Bakugo!" Iida yelled, hand chopping. "You cannot disparage our classmates in such a manner! Much less in public of all places! It is unbecoming of—"
"Shut your face, Glasses. I don't care."
"He's right, though," Mina said, grabbing the blond's shoulder. It was a simple gesture, but everyone with knowledge of her Quirk picked up on the threat. "Look, you're a tough bastard and we all know that, Bakugo, but you can't just insult everyone for no reason."
Izuku blinked, having to fight to keep his jaw from dropping.
"I have—" Bakugo tried to protest.
"Oh yeah?" Mina cut him off. "Then what was the reasoning behind that?"
"It…" Bakugo balled his hands into fists, searching for an answer. "Whatever. This is a waste of my time. You're all still just extras until you prove you're actually worth something. No amount of pretty words will change that."
"I would like to humbly disagree," Momo replied. "Attitude is half the battle and 90% of your effort. It is why they say the pen is mightier than the sword. Conviction in anything only lasts until the will to maintain it dies, and words are the fuel that keeps such will and conviction alive. Tell me, Bakugo, how far would you have gone without the people telling you that you could?"
The blond didn't seem to have an answer, Bakugo just snarling in response. He turned, shaking Mina's hand off.
"Those who need others to pick them up," he finally said, "are the ones who never amount to anything."
"Maybe those who need picked up," Izuku whispered into the silence, "are those who have stood strong for too long."
"Then they are the ones who fall when they are needed most and can't afford to," Bakugo shot back before stomping away. The other UA students blinked at his back as he made his way to the provided buffet.
"We all knew he could be a douche," Kaminari summarized, "but damn."
Izuku sighed as the tension from the encounter drained from his shoulders. He shook the lingering thoughts away and scanned the room, his eyes widening slightly as he noted Intelli and Sogeki by the door where they must have slipped in when no one was watching, the pair being approached by a group of girls in similar uniform. The blunette of the pair raised an eyebrow as they made eye contact, glancing at the retreating blond. Izuku blinked once, very slowly.
No, not a threat. Not to the Brotherhood, at least.
"Izuku," Shoto said, tapping on his friend's leg. The Apprentice turned his attention from his fellow spy to the other boy, only for his hand to gesture to another pair that had just entered the room. "Asui. Iida. It's them. The other Seijin students."
Izuku's eyes followed the gesture as Mure Subako and Sasori Koya walked in, the latter with his upper hands laced behind his head and unconcerned with the way his ripped mask revealed his heteromorphic mouth and too-wide smirk. Mure pulled her hood off as they entered, revealing her bald head. Her 'hair' regrew quickly, her scalp oozing honey as she shook it free.
"Huh, they actually made it, ribbit," Tsuyu said, feigning disinterest. Logically, however, Izuku know she had to be happy for them since she had a rather special bond with the other heteromorphs of their Assassin 'class'. "Good for them."
"I imagine there is some context we are missing?" Momo questioned.
"They and their eight other classmates attacked us," Izuku offered. "Those two got away while the other eight… allowed us to pass, so to say."
"Oh man, they must hate you guys," Kirishima laughed.
"I mean, we let them get away, so I hope there aren't too many hard feelings."
"I have arrived!" Pony announced, stepping into the room with all the bombastic energy of your stereotypical American, one finger pointed into the air. "Everything from Texas is bigger! Even victory!"
"I like your energy!" Inasa Yoarashi yelled, stomping with a single step and pointing a finger at Pony. "You practically embody the motto of PLUS ULTRA!"
She responded in kind, pointing at him. "Of course! In America, there is no kill like overkill!"
"What's gotten into her all of a sudden?" Jiro questioned.
"The spirit of competition," Izuku sighed. "She did something similar during our Physical Final. Wanted to play out this whole Hero-vs-Villain scenario."
The students watched as Pony and Yoarashi practically charged each other only to meet with an epic fist-bump that made Izuku's knuckles hurt just watching. He leaned over to Shoto. "If you want to try to figure out why he doesn't seem to like you, now might be a good time while Pony's putting him in a good mood. She might even play mediator."
"That's…" Shoto considered the idea. "Well, I don't think it can really hurt my chance of passing the rest of the exam. Very well."
He stood —Iida sending him a relieved look— and parted the crowd of 1-A students as he made his way toward the pair of boisterous students. Pony noticed him first.
"Ah, Shoto," she grinned. "Here to congratulate me on my victory?"
"Yes, something like that," the dual-haired boy responded. Yoarashi's expression instantly soured at his presence. "Congratulations, Tsunotor—"
"I have told all of you to call me Pony, Shoto," the American interrupted him, hands on her hips. "Honestly, you Japanese and your formalities."
"Ah… Pony," Shoto amended. "Congratulations on passing."
"Are you friends with this guy?" Yoarashi asked, gesturing to Shoto.
"Previously, the answer would have been no," the boy answered for her, considering she didn't really know what he was like before the Sports Festival and their subsequent internships. "There are bridges I failed to even attempt to build, and I wish to rectify that mistake. So, Tsuno… Pony. Will you consider being a… maybe not friend, but at least a companion and amicable classmate?"
"What a stupid question," Pony laughed. "Of course we can be friends." She glanced at Yoarashi, easily picking up on his clear dislike of the Todoroki. "What's up?"
"You're… different," the Shiketsu student muttered.
"Did we, perhaps, meet during UA's Recommendation Exam?" Shoto asked.
"We did," Yoarashi confirmed, his face carefully neutral. "You acted just like your father. It's why I turned down my offer to go to UA in the first place. I wouldn't be able to stand being in the same class as you."
"I am sorry to hear that," Shoto admitted, unable to look the taller teen in the eye. "I was… misguided… for most of my life until our internships opened my eyes to how foolish I had been. It would be unbecoming of an aspiring Hero to have fellow potential Heroes against them and I would like to clear the air, so to speak. It was apparent you had some grudge against me from your earlier looks. I am sorry for how I acted."
"Damn, Shoto," Pony muttered. "The other girls told me you were something of a frozen dreamboat, but I did not know you went through a whole character arc."
"That is not—"
"So, you're saying you've changed?" Yoarashi questioned, his expression still missing his previous excitement.
"Yes. Pony would not be aware of it, but I previously refused to use half of my Quirk in an attempt to ruin my father's ambitions," —Yoarashi's eyes widened at his words— "but my mother's cousin gave me new options shortly after the Sports Festival. It was only then that Pony joined our class. I have since tried to… open up more."
"He really is different now."
Shoto jumped, a chuck of ice forming in one hand and a ball of fire in the other as he spun toward the voice directly to his left. The visible gloves of Toru Hagakure gave him a victory sign and he imagined the girl sticking her tongue out at him as Pony laughed.
"Hagakure," he breathed. "How often must we ask you not to do that?"
"As often as it takes for your reactions to not be funny," the invisible girl said. "Your enhanced hearing has really made my stealth training more effective."
"Toru!" Pony grinned, wrapping her arm around the unseen girl's shoulders. "Good to see you made it!"
"Sero didn't," she commented. "And I saw Sato, Aoyama, and Ojiro heading toward the other exit."
"Man, bad luck," Pony replied. "I'm sure you won't mind picking up Ojiro's mood, though."
"Pony!" Toru's gloves waved through the air in front of what Shoto suspected was her face. "Stop!"
Shoto counted on his fingers. "If Sato, Aoyama, Ojiro, and Sero were eliminated, then it seems the rest of us passed. That gives us a rate of 80%."
"That's really good for a first-year UA class!" Yoarashi exclaimed. "Speaking of, I wonder where my classmates are!"
"Noooo clue," Pony said, refusing to look at the taller student. Rather, she focused on the rest of the spacious room. It was almost full now, the amount of space available to move between others thinning and all the furniture already taken. "Based on everyone here, they probably did not make it."
DING DONG!
The speakers rang with a short round of feedback, those with sensitive hearing covering their ears. They clicked, fixing whatever problem they apparently had.
"Too all the remaining examinees," Mira's voice announced. "Congratulations. You passed the first test. If you decided to stick it out and are still in the field, please make your way to the antechamber. The next test will begin once you have arrived. To the rest of you, better luck next time. Please make your way to the exit."
"Unfortunate, ribbit," Tsuyu commented. "I almost feel bad."
"I would also have preferred a test that did not require us to steal chances from our peers," Iida nodded. "It is a shame, but I am mollified that all those who failed will have more chances in the future."
"What do you think the next part will cover?" Ochako wondered aloud, twiddling her fingers. "Oh, I'm getting nervous just standing here."
"You can have my seat if you want it," Izuku offered.
"But Izuku—"
"I need to get up and stretch anyway," the verdet waved off, vacating his seat. "I've been sitting too long and I might pull something when the next test starts."
"Tell us about the guys you fought," Kirishima demanded. "One of our guys turned me into a pile of flesh. It was totally weird. I could still feel and see and think, but I didn't have my arms or legs anymore. Bakugo and Mina had to save me."
"You're welcome, by the way~" the pink-skinned girl sing-songed. "Although, you were a pretty cute lump of flesh, in a cute-like-an-ugly-pug sort of way."
"Uh… thanks?"
"It sounds like we had an easier fight," Izuku commented. "Tsu, Iida, Shoto, and I were ambushed by students from Seijin who thought the information they got from the Sports Festival would be enough to beat us. Honestly, Shoto probably could have beaten them all by himself."
"We split into two pairs that each took down four students," Tsuyu summarized. "We let two of them get away since we already had enough points to pass, ribbit. Izuku wanted to be a softy."
"They were already running away," Izuku pointed out. "It would have been rude to eliminate them needlessly. Plus, they already knew we outclassed them and they couldn't do anything to us here. It would have felt villainous."
"Sounds like you were just looking for an excuse to be a softy," Kaminari grinned. "Maybe that's the juice that's getting you all the ladies, huh?"
Jiro jabbed him in the ear.
"Alright, it seems everyone's reached the antechamber," Mira said over the intercom. "For the next test, we'll be—"
CRASH! Mira was interrupted by the sound of something shattering. A window, if Izuku had to guess. Everyone sitting down jumped to their feet, the students all falling into battle-ready stances.
"V-Villains!" Mira called into the mic as an earthshaking BOOM echoed through the stadium. "Villains have broken into the testing grounds! They—!"
"That's enough of that, pencil pusher," a new voice grunted. "You little brats want to be Heroes? Let's see what the Hell you've got."
A hum filled the air, its vibration digging into Izuku's soul. Something in the immediate area wasn't right; he could feel it even if he couldn't put a name to it, and that sense of wrongness only increased.
"GET DOWN!" he roared, grabbing Tsuyu's shoulder with one hand and Kirishima's with the other since they were the closest people. He dropped, his weight dragging them to the floor as other who heard his call and were quick enough to understand did the same.
A moment later, the antechamber's walls exploded. The supports cracked and shattered, the roof tumbling down without its foundations.
["Rising Higher!"] a student yelled in English. Based on the voice and the Quirk, it was Inasa Yoarashi who reacted first, his hands rising as he manipulated the winds to catch the roof and throw it away from the students below. This had the adverse effect of whipping the dust into a frenzy, students coughing as they tried to clear their lungs.
"Is everyone ok?" Izuku yelled to his classmates.
"Forget us!" Kaminari gasped. "What about the others that didn't pass‽"
The dust settled, Izuku quickly finding his classmates in the room's remains. Finding each with only scrapes and bruises from the initial test and nothing new, his launched himself off the couch and into the remains of the wall so he could get a better view of the situation.
In a word, it looked like a warzone.
Admittedly, he couldn't see that far from his low vantage point —only being about nine feet up with his own height taken into the calculation— but it was enough that he could see what looked like bodies scattered across the testing site. Even in the antechamber, some of the Hero-hopefuls had gotten unlucky or were not reacting to this turn well. Some had gotten sick, the pressure making them throw up what they'd gorged at the buffet, while others seemed on the verge of or in the middle of panic attacks.
Izuku activated his Eagle Vision, a series of golden spots appearing in the rubble.
"It looks like we have casualties," he announced. "There are people in the wreckage of the testing site; other students if I had to guess. They're still alive but need our help."
"What about the teachers?" Jiro questioned. Izuku turned his eye there only to see individuals in the stands slumped over.
"It looks like whomever did this came prepared. Our teachers are in no position to help." He blinked, a series of red spots now interspersing the edge of his range. "We've got incoming, too."
"We'll do what we can," Momo insisted, her arm glowing with the multicolored light of Creation. "Everyone, take a communicator. Move in groups of two or three, preferably with a balance of reconnaissance and brute strength. Move together and prioritize rescue over—"
BOOM! They watched Bakugo shoot off toward the invading Villains and the crumbling announcer booth, a bloodthirsty grin on his face. A number of other students with mobility Quirks, Inasa Yoarashi included, took off after him.
"As I was saying, prioritize rescue over combat," Momo continued. "I'll set up a medical tent here and try to help the students breaking down. Every extra pair of hands we can get will be helpful. Only fight if you aren't given another option."
"Let's move out!" Mina called as the group split without a word, Izuku only getting a flash of Momo creating a canopy with the simple, medical red cross (not to be confused with the Mark of Cain, thank goodness) with Creation. He found Tsuyu on one side and Iida on the other, surmising that he would be the eyes of their trio.
"Other students are focusing on the closer victims first," he said as they passed the first student carrying another the opposite way. He sniffed the air, but something didn't smell right, even if he couldn't put his finger on it. "Come on, there's group that needs us this way!"
Izuku led them to the edge of the City Zone where a building had collapsed in against one of its neighbors, the latter groaning as it supported the extra weight. He could see three or four people huddled in one of the second-floor rooms, a blink turning off his not-Quirk revealing that there was only a wall between them an a serious fall to the ground. Izuku pointed, Tsuyu and Iida nodding as the former used her powerful legs to rocket herself upward.
She stuck to the side of the wall, one of her hands landing on the glass of a window in an attempt to open it. When the latch failed to release, she frowned to herself and punched, shattering the glass so she could reach inside and undo the latch herself.
"Heroes are here," she announced, poking her head into the now-open window. The inside looked like a simple apartment building, a kitchenette with an island merging into a living room. "Please come out, ribbit. I'm Froppy. Eagle Eye and Tenya are waiting below."
A face poked around the side of the island, wide, reptilian eyes staring at the girl from under red hair.
"Ts-Tsu? Is that you?"
"Habuko?"
"Tsu! Thank god! He's hurt!"
Tsuyu climbed the rest of the way into the building, her Quirk helping her stay balanced in the cockeyed mock apartment. Habuko Mongoose, a heteromorph with the head of a snake and a bodysuit that accentuated her noticeable curves with a blue scale design, poked her head out a little more. She looked a bit rough, a bruise clearly standing out on her cheek and her suit torn in a couple places, but that was nothing compared to the boy she showed Tsu leaning against the backside of the island.
He was on the shorter side with a head shaped like a frying pan, blood dripping from his shoulders and side. His eyes might have been closed or might have just been lines —Tsuyu couldn't tell and you never knew with heteromorphs— but the other student —a rather plain boy with charcoal-colored hair— was fretting over him.
"What happened, Habuko?"
"We were in the exit," the snake-headed girl admitted. "It led to this big area for all those who failed. Suddenly, we couldn't move and this big guy game out of nowhere with a couple others. While we couldn't move, they started attacking people and, when they got bored, the big guy would touch the students and they'd get warped somewhere. That's how we ended up here."
"So they've got some sort of touch-based warper, ribbit. Good to know. Is it safe to move him?"
"I-I think so?" the other boy muttered. "W-We just have to keep his neck straight."
"Straighten him out, ribbit," Tsuyu ordered. "Cross his arms over his chest and make sure his legs are straight. Habuko, ribbit, open his eyes and use your Quirk. That will make getting him out of the window easier and keep his neck from twisting. My classmates outside can catch him, ribbit. We'll get all of you to the medical tent."
"I-I guess UA really is the best," Habuko whispered under her breath as the pair did as Tsuyu commanded. The injured boy's body locked up as Habuko's eye-based Paralysis Quirk took effect.
"We'll get him out first," Tsuyu said. "Then Habuko, then you, ribbit. Follow me." Tsuyu picked up the paralyzed boy with her tongue and skid down the slanted floor to the window where she fed the boy through and lowered him as far as she could.
"We've got Him!" Izuku called. Tsuyu let go, trusting the boys to catch him, and retracted her tongue only to offer it to her old friend from middle school.
"You next, Habuko."
"Thank you, Tsu— Sorry, Froppy." The girl gave the closest thing to a smile she could with her reptilian mouth and climbed through, using Tsu's tongue like a (rather gross) repel rope. The third student was next, not quite as graceful as Habuko but making it down to the ground all the same. Tsuyu nodded, satisfied, and followed after a final glance of the mock apartment to ensure she didn't miss anything.
"Something's not right," Izuku muttered as she landed on the ground with them. The paralyzed boy was laid out on the asphalt, Tsu suspected she should be the one to carry him since her tongue would be the best way. "I just can't put my finger on it."
"You can consider what it may be while we move," Iida suggested. "You two, are you able to run?"
"I-I can't," the charcoal-haired boy said. "I sprained my ankle during the test."
"Very well, I shall carry you."
"Well, well," a voice drawled, the students spinning around to see a man standing at the entrance of the street. He was tall, about six feet or so, wearing camo-patterned grieves and a bulletproof vest. A pair of knives were strapped to his waist, one on each side, and there was a scar running from one of his cheeks up to the side of his hairline over an ear. Fingerless gloves hovered by the handles of his weapons, ready to draw them at a moment's notice.
"That's—" Izuku blinked.
"You kids think you can run around and play Hero like that? You don't even know the meaning of the word."
"Run!" Izuku ordered. "I'll cover you!"
The group took off, a smirk coming to the man's face as he started to give chase, first at a leisurely jog but speeding up as he gaged the students' pace.
"Iz— Eagle Eye?" Tsuyu said, the leaning building coming down behind them with a powerful CRASH, blasting them with a wave of pressurized air and dust. "You were saying something, ribbit?"
"I don't think these are actually Villains," he admitted. "This isn't an attack, it's our second test. It's just a hunch but seeing that guy cemented it. He's a small-time Pro Hero called [Length]. A member of North Squad Go, he can extend the length of any item he can touch, his most common being his knives. Not only that, but something doesn't smell right. It's the blood. It's fake. This is all a test to see how we react under sudden pressure."
"Habuko," Tsu said. "Is that true?"
Her lack of an answer was answer enough. Clearly, the failed exaninees were roped into helping with the next part through some offer.
"If that is the case, we should still react as if this is an actual attack," Iida recommended, filing away the fact that Izuku was familiar enough with blood to notice a difference of smell from the fake. That fact, though somewhat worrying, was not an issue to be broached this moment. "I believe our actions to this point are satisfactory, but we can still consider this a live exercise."
"Ii— Tenya's right," Izuku agreed. "I imagine this second phase has two aspects that we could choose from, rescuing the students or trying to rescue Mr. Mira in the booth."
"Test or no, we cannot lead this guy back to the medical tent. Ms. Habuko, are you in a condition to carry this student?"
"I can," she nodded, though she didn't sound confident.
"Loathe as I am to ask one playing the part of a civilian to assist us, we must stop him and we cannot leave someone to fight alone. Froppy, please lead them back. Eagle Eye and I will delay or defeat him and reconvene with you."
"Will you two be ok, ribbit?"
"No need to worry yourself. If this is a test like we suspect, we are not in any real danger except failure."
Izuku moved while Iida was still speaking, whipping out his bo. It gave a harsh scree as its metal ground against the extending blade, his force redirecting it into the dirt in the center of their group. Iida passed the boy with the twisted ankle to Habuko as the blade shrunk back to its original length.
"Go!" Izuku ordered. "We'll handle him!"
"How very brave," the villainous-acting Hero commented. "Or very foolish. Do you kids really think you have what it takes to beat me?"
"Why not?" Izuku questioned, the grin in his voice clear to hear. "It's two on one, we have formal training from UA, and you're more use to working in a group, [Length]."
"So you know who I am," the man said.
"Then this is the second test."
The man popped his neck, studying the pair with tired, black eyes. They were waiting for an answer but not idle, the two circling around to either side.
Length pulled out his other knife, both blades glowing orange for a moment before they shot out, one toward Izuku in front of him and the other for Iida behind. Again, Izuku deflected it with his bo before charging forward, trying to outpace its retraction.
Iida had to do something similar. He had no weapon, so it was the armor on his forearm that parried the extended knife, the metal of his suit crumpling slightly. His engines roared as he shot forward.
Length's eyes widened slightly at the sound, the man taking a step back so he could see Iida's approach in his peripheral. As if he were fighting a charging bull, the pro Hero removed himself from boy's path, a metal guard ripping through the legs of his pants to stab into the asphalt.
Realizing he was not going to stop in time with his speed, Iida committed. Easily outpacing Izuku, Iida shot his arm out just before reaching Length, clotheslining the Hero even as he tripped. He tucked and rolled, dragging the man down into the street.
"Son of a—!" the man swore. Izuku jumped, flipping over Iida's prone form before swinging his weapon down with the extra momentum.
"Diving Bolt!" he yelled, naming the move on the fly as his weapon connected. Length gasped as the electric function in the weapon went off, sending several hundred watts into his system. A portion syphoned into Iida from their metallic connection, but only enough to make the other student's muscles seize for a moment.
"Get off!" the Hero yelled, flailing upward. It was a change to his previous fluid movements, but working against such uncontrolled flailing was something the Assassins had trained Izuku for. Plenty of their targets, if they discovered they were targets before their final moment, were want to such gestures and working around them was child's play.
Izuku grabbed the arm by the wrist and rolled, twisting it and forcing Length to move lest it snap. The motion ended with Izuku behind the Hero, his arms pinning the man's wrist to the small of his back and his arm twisted at what could quickly become a painful angle.
"Our apologies for the painful conclusion," Izuku said.
"Don't consider the Villain caught until he's wearing the cuffs."
Izuku's eyes widened as the pro flexed, the back of his outfit rippling before a dozen small poles shot out the back like a blunt porcupine. They caught Izuku in the chest, flinging him backward.
The roar of his engines was the only warning Length had before Iida's leg slammed into one of his, sweeping away his balance as the Hero fell on his own poles. He gasped as they, in their lengthened states, dug into his back. Iida spun to his feet in a move that would not be out of place at a breakdancing showcase before flipping him over and stomping on the man's back.
"My sincerest apologies, [Length]," he said. "In the field, knocking Villains unconscious is both legal and standard practice when Quirk-suppressing devices are unavailable."
His fist swung downward, Length's head bouncing off the asphalt. Iida really hoped the injury didn't result in docked points.
"Mi— Eagle Eye! Are you alright?"
"I'm good," Izuku sighed, rubbing his chest where it was sure to bruise. Thanks to his Isu ancestry, he was sure it would be healed by the next day. "Did you get him?"
"He is unresponsive but breathing, so no medical assistance is required. In an active situation, he would be handed off to the police."
"Great. Let's hurry back to the tent and meet up with Froppy. I'm sure there are still students hiding in the rubble."
The two took off the way Tsuyu and Habuko had taken the others, Izuku activating his Eagle Vision to follow their trail and look out for other dangers. Length waited a moment after they rounded a corner before getting up with a groan and rubbing his head. His hand came away bloody, but it was nothing a quick application of a healing Quirk couldn't fix.
"Point deduction for not double-checking that I was properly unconscious," he commented to himself. "Still, I didn't expect those kids to get me on the ground so quickly. Maybe UA really does live up to its reputation. Nice going, kids."
-AHC-
Bakugo led the charge toward the announcer's box, the blond barking orders at those behind whenever he saw a victim below. Whether his intended recipient listened or not varied, bit someone always broke away from the charge to help. Bakugo himself didn't deviate until he had almost reached the edge of the arena, a man standing below the smoking remains of the box with Mira in his hand, a knife held to the man's throat. Unwilling to risk the Hero Public Safety Commissioner, Bakugo slammed into the ground with an explosion to ease the impact on his knees.
The man holding him was dressed as stereotypically as a Villain could be. Dark clothing? Check. Black baklava to cover the mouth and nose? Check. Bonus points for the hood pulled up for extra hidden-ness. The only defining traits Bakugo could pick up are the man's 5' 7" height and his cobalt blue eyes. Unconscious —hopefully unconscious— HPSC workers and guards laid scattered around the area.
"Alright, you villainous fuckwad," the UA student began as other examinees started to land behind him. "You just made the shittiest choice of your life. You have to be really damn arrogant or really fuckin' stupid to attack a Provisional Hero Licensing Exam."
"Or," the man shot back, "I have the desire to strike the Heroes where it would hurt them the most."
Several of the man's lackies exited the tunnels behind him, carrying baseball bats, knives, cleavers, or other weapons. Those who did not either readjusted brass knuckles or readied Quirk mutations.
"Hey!" Bakugo yelled backward. "Shiketsu Wind Bastard!"
"Are you referring to me?" Wind Bastard asked, pointing to himself.
"Yeah, you. Take care of the extras. I'm more of a one-on-one fighter, but of you can shoot me forward, do it."
"Your tone is—"
"Do we have fuckin' time to argue? Do it or don't!"
Bakugo shot himself forward, a tailwind almost doubling his speed a moment later. The Villain's eyes widened slightly at the audacity of this kid, his hand pushing Mira between them as a human shield. The announcer tried to raise his arms, but it was clear he wouldn't make it in time.
And then Bakugo shot an explosion directly downward. Ash coated Mira's suit, but the recoil lifted Bakugo up and over the pair. His smirk widened as his palm grabbed the Villain's covered face, his momentum dragging him backward. Something —another extra wannabe, probably— yanked Mira from the man's grip as Bakugo plowed him into the dirt with another explosion.
"Die!"
BOOM!
It wasn't the strongest explosion he could make. About half power, really, but he'd gotten a sense of the man's constitution and was sure that this much wouldn't affect him permanently. Despite his order, Bakugo wasn't a murderer and refused to be one. Still, the force drove the back of the man's head into the earth as the UA student crouched on his chest.
"Oh, this is a treat."
"That the fu—?"
Something punched the blond, the force breaking his nose instantly and flinging him backward. Bakugo hit the dirt hard, rolling into a recovery position before spitting out a wad of blood-filled spit. He turned his red eyes back on the man as he remained on his back, laughing. His anger flaring, Bakugo forced himself to his feet, ignoring the drops of red dripping from his nose. Rather, he reached up and, with a crack, straightened the cartilage back to where it was supposed to be.
"I was wondering if someone would have the balls to go right for me," the man said, a red glow overtaking him. He swung upward as if the heels of his feet were connected to the ground by hinges. His baklava was singed, spots of glowing ember smoldering within the red glow.
'Glow' may not have been the best word for it, Bakugo reconsidered. It was more like a miasma undulating around his form, bubbling slightly as it grew opaquer. The man spread his arms and the miasma expanded, forming a sort of avatar around him the lifted him off the ground a couple inches, a pair of long tails whipping the air.
"Why are you here, brat?" the man questioned. "Do you not care about the victims scattered around the arena or are you so blinded by your own glory that—?"
"Shut up, Glowstick," Bakugo growled. "I don't need to worry about the extras. The rest of my class may never compare to me, but they're more than enough to handle a stupid situation like this. And the rest of the fuckin' small fry will follow their lead if they want to make it in this business. That means I'm free to cut off the head of this moronic snake so the idiots that followed you in here will be easy pickings. Heh, those that Wind Bastard and the other fast extras leave for the rest of them, anyway."
"You've got a lot of spunk for a brat. Arrogance, too. I should kill you right now for your lip."
"You're welcome to damn-well try! I'm gonna be the Number One Hero this world has ever seen, surpassing even All Might! A guy like you isn't gonna stop me!" He shot forward, undaunted. "Let's fuckin' go, Glowstick!"
End of Chapter 49
The second test starts off with a bang! And it's different than the one in Canon! Most of 1-A jumps into rescue, but the angry Pomeranian goes for the head of the snake! I don't have any questions of this chapter, either, but all the same:
Read and Review!
-SwordOfTheGods