Hagakure felt her heart leap into her throat when she saw the rolling tidal wave of cement.

She was getting close to the escape gate that would've ended the exam when she saw it. Cementoss, the pro hero that decimated Sato and Kirishima the previous year, was the Villain team's enforcer, and he was probably the worst possible scenario. He stood in front of the gate, creating a wall in front of the opening. Once Cementoss sealed it, the faux enforcer smiled and pressed his hands onto the ground.

The QICD 'hostages' all froze as the wave approached them. Hagakure dove to President mech and knocked it away, causing the others to follow suit. As the wave passed them by, the Stealth Hero breathed a sigh of relief.

A relief that was short-lived when Cementoss rose to his feet. Besides his standard hero outfit, he also wore the bracers that Hatsume designed to slow him down the previous year. An accessory seemed pointless against a hero who didn't do much movement when his Quirk could be activated by touching the ground.

"You are a capable hero, my invisible friend. But I'm afraid that I'll be reclaiming the President and Prime Minister," he announced. He approached the group with his fists clenched and a focused look in his eyes.

Hagakure needed to move fast. She pressed a hand on the shoulder of the President QICD. "Get to cover! I'll handle him!"

He is mighty. Will you be okay? The mech asked her.

"I know you probably can't see it, but I'm giving you a thumbs up and winking. Don't worry about me, ok?"

The mech nodded and motioned for the other mechs to run. Thank you, hero. And yes, I can see you.

Hagakure sighed as President QICD ran off. "Right...thermal sensors," she muttered.

Cementoss watched them all run away and knelt to the ground. "You can't save them, hero." His Quirk activated, sending a wave of concrete at the mechs.

Hagakure didn't respond to his comment as she ran toward the faux enforcer and punched him in the face, breaking his concentration on his Quirk. A few punches were enough to knock him back, disconnecting him from his source of power. He raised his arms, blocking a few more strikes from the Stealth Hero.

While the two fought, Jiro burst through the rear door of the hideout and saw Cementoss blocking invisible blows. She smiled as she rushed onto the scene with her bat and her earlobes ready to subdue her.

The faux enforcer backed away from Hagakure just in time for a pair of Jiro's earphone jacks to appear suddenly. The Stealth Hero dodged them as she moved back, allowing her more space to disappear. The faux villain retracted her jacks and rushed into where she thought Hagakure was, and started swinging her bat. Thankfully, Hagakure gained enough ground to where she wasn't in immediate danger...

But her maneuver came at a cost. Without Hagakure's invisible attacks to stop him, Cementoss eyed the building the QICDs were hiding in and pressed his hands on the ground. She nearly shrieked before she ran back in to stop him. She slipped by Jiro, who had now jammed her jack into the ground to find her, and ran another punch across the enforcer's face. Only this time, however, he toughed out the strike and focused on the task at hand.

Desperate, Hagakure continued to fire more punches at the enforcer, but he was unmovable now. He hardly flinched as the wave of cement inched closer to the building where the QICDs were. Jiro finally perked up and turned on her heel, ready to end the fight by stopping Hagakure.

But before she could act and before he could destroy the building, Sato came rushing in from the air. With the Wire Arrows jammed into the ground beside Cementoss, he let out a war cry as he came in and slammed into the enforcer, adding his whole bodyweight and his heightened power into the crash. Unlike before, the enforcer couldn't brush off this attack. The force sent dust and pieces of the street into the air, knocking back Jiro and Hagakure in the process.

When the dust settled, Jiro was the first on her feet. With her bat in hand, she watched the smoke, waiting for someone to come out. Before she could jam her jacks into the ground, she saw a large shadow charge at her. With a second to spare, Jiro fired her jacks at the shadow and stunned the charging shadow. It turned out to be Sato as he tried to subdue her as well.

The jacks jammed into his collar and sent a shockwave throughout his body. He fell forward limp, skidding to the ground right in front of her. Jiro's eyes were wide, and her heart was racing as Sato laid there, groaning from the sudden attack. She was about to congratulate herself when she remembered that there was still an invisible hero to take care of.

Raising her bat into a defensive position, she circled the area. She would jam her jacks into the ground to look for a sound; however, she would only hear two heartbeats: Cementoss and Sato. She would remove the jack occasionally before replacing it. The number of heartbeats would remain the same.

While she searched, Sato slowly started to pick himself off the ground. He shook his head and looked up to see Jiro circling the area. He smiled and reached for his pocket. Grasping his phone, he set the volume at its highest and pressed it onto the ground.

Jiro jammed her jack into the ground once more. Her eyes widened as she heard three heartbeats, and one of them was growing stronger than the others. Her eyes widened as Sato's phone sounded its annoyingly loud alarm. Being the classic sound of a blaring alarm, the sound was what he used to let him know when his cakes and other pastries were done if he was distracted.

Jiro's Quirk heightened the sound she was receiving, nearly sending her back. Hagakure charged in and landed a solid punch into Jiro's core with a window open, knocking the air from her lungs. She doubled over and fell to the ground, groaning at her friend's strength. Sato smiled as he strained to pick himself up, only to be assisted by an invisible crutch that was his partner.

Hagakure slapped Sato's back. "Thanks for the opening!" She said.

He chuckled. "How come she didn't hear you?"

"Cementoss. I was as close to him as I could, so it sounded like there were only two heartbeats instead of three," she said. "A little trick I nabbed from Midoriya's notebook a few weeks ago."

Sato started laughing as he stood up. "You took his notebook?"

"I just skimmed through it. Honestly, he needs a better hiding spot for it. A shoebox in his closet isn't good security," she said.

Meanwhile, in the Hero Lounge, Midoriya was talking to Kirishima and Yaoyorozu when he suddenly leaped off of the cushion as a sneeze erupted, startling the two young heroes. The Everything Hero created a small package of tissues and offered them to him. "You alright?"

Midoriya groaned. "Yeah...that was weird."

"Allergies, man?" Kirishima wondered.

The young inheritor shrugged. "Maybe I'm coming down with something. Sucks that it's summer, though," he said.

Yaoyorozu smiled as Midoriya took some tissues and blew his nose. "You're not skipping Sugar Time tonight, and I know that. Tea would be good for you instead of training outside again," she said.

"When have I ever skipped Sugar Time?" He wondered.

Yaoyorozu smiled and created a notebook. "Let's see here..."

"YOU'VE BEEN KEEPING COUNT?!"

Once the subject was dropped, Sato grabbed some capture tape and tore some off. Giving it to Hagakure, she walked over to Cementoss to bind him. When she approached him, however, he was looking up at her and smiled. "You two did some great work here," he complimented.

"Y-You're okay?"

Cementoss chuckled. "I'm a sturdy man, young one. While young Sato did catch me by surprise by coming from the air, the attack wasn't enough to fully knock me out. Still, the attack was a great way to progress the battle," he said. He brought his hands to his lower back, and he crossed his legs. "I surrender."

With an invisible smile on her face, she tied up the faux enforcer. Sato sighed in relief as he grabbed Hagakure's gloves and boots and passed them to her. "Come and get 'em!"

Hagakure chuckled as she took the gloves and boots. "I saw the hostages run into that building. I'll go grab them," she said as she ran off to find them.

Sato sighed heavily as he walked over to tape up Jiro. Picking her up and sitting her upright, he placed her hands behind her back and taped them together. The Hearing Hero groaned as she shook off the feeling of being overloaded with the ringtone trap earlier. "T-That was pretty good..." she complimented his surprise. "Got me good."

Sato chuckled. "I honestly thought that wasn't going to work. I thought you would've noticed me getting up and kept me down."

"You were stunned, so I didn't think I needed to be sure. But now I really should consider body mass into how much power I put into those attacks..."

The Sweets Hero smiled as he lifted Jiro onto her feet. He walked over to Cementoss and helped him up as well. When the faux enforcer was on his feet, Sato noticed Hagakure returning with...

His jaw dropped as he saw them. "A-Are those QICDs?"

Jiro laughed. "Yep! It caught Shoji and me by surprise when we saw them," she said. "I thought Winters destroyed them all as part of her probation or something."

Cementoss shook his head. "She was ordered to destroy Project OP. The Quirk Identification and Combat Directive is an excellent training tool and a massive leap from the mannequins we would've had you use," he said. "I think young Winters is controlling them directly with their combat drives disabled."

Jiro smiled as President QICD walked up to Sato and bowed. You both saved us! Happy day!

"Well...we need to get out of here. Come on, let's go. The police will be here to take the both of you to custody," Hagakure said.

Sato nodded, and the duo ran off. Hagakure grabbed three police cutouts and placed them within sight of the two faux villains to simulate their arrest on her way over. With the targets secured, Sato ran ahead to the obstructed escape gate and leaped into the air with a fist raised. Shouting his war cry, his fist smashed through the concrete obstruction, opening the path for Hagakure and the QICDs.

Deku had Shoji over his shoulder on the top of a nearby building as he leaped down to the ground and released Jiro and Cementoss. He set the multi-armed hero-in-training down, allowing him to balance on his own two feet. He tussled Jiro's hair and stepped to the side to watch the heroes go.

Once they passed through the gate, an alarm sounded off, alerting the hero and villain sides that the first test was complete. Deku fished a small microphone from his belt and turned it on. The first test is complete! The hero team successfully neutralized all enemies and rescued the hostages via an escape gate. Hero team wins! He called out.

Inside the Heroes Lounge, the group in there cheered.

Once Deku escorted the first team of heroes and villains to the main viewing area, Abigail Winters went to heal Shoji's injuries and relieve Cementoss of some soreness. Her Quirk training allowed her to strengthen the healing energy as she transfused it into her patients, effectively speeding up the regeneration process while also enhancing the power in herself. She didn't feel the combined amount of pain as much when she was finished.

Once they were done, the Symbol of Peace led them to the monitoring room. Mr. Aizawa stood in front of the monitors along with Recovery Girl and Principal Nezu. Behind them was a table of food and drinks for the heroes to enjoy, along with several plush chairs like those seen in the separate waiting rooms. Nezu patted the chairs, motioning them to sit.

When they did, he beamed. "Congratulations to the four of you! You all worked tremendously on this exam and handled it like professionals...save for some colorful language on young Jiro's part," the cute principal said, eyeing the Hearing Hero.

Jiro chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head. "The true nature of this exercise is simply what Deku told you all before: be prepared for anything. In our line of work, having every single moment and knowing every single detail would make our jobs so much easier, but being a hero is never about being easy. Being a true hero required a lot of hard work and an ability to remain cool under pressure."

He turned to Sato and Hagakure. "The two of you improved greatly from last year. Utilizing your strengths and treating this as if it were the real deal is very important. Contacting the police and requesting a situation report was not in the requirements for a victory; however, doing so anyway demonstrated just how close we have to work with police and other law enforcement agencies."

He turned then to Jiro and Shoji. "You two are remarkable heroes, and while your combined powers would've made it difficult for anyone to sneak up on you, you still lost the hostages in the end due to being spread thin. The heroes exploited your division and escaped with the hostages."

The two nodded. "However...you still managed to give it your best shot. Shoji, you held your own against young Sato here and pinned him against the wall multiple times. Allowing yourself to get distracted, however, was just the window he needed to defeat you. When you're out there on the field and facing villains or criminals, look for the smallest crack in their armor. A precise shot can take down any foe. Precise...not saying it has to be strong," he said.

"And Jiro, you still charged into battle regardless of the forces against you. You did subdue Sato for a moment; however, you let your guard down once more. True villains will try not to make it noticeable in front of heroes; however, they have been known to make some mistakes."

"And you...Hagakure. Not only did you manage to find the villain hideout, but you also concocted a plan to rescue the hostages while they were distracted. Your invisibility gave you the tactical advantage needed to overcome the villains."

"Sato, you overcame the shortfalls you experienced during your finals last year. You went against the same enemy as before; however, learning from your mistakes is how we learn. Taking the indirect approach, while it may feel dirty, produced results. Your training has paid off." Principal Nezu smiled up at them. "Chins up, everyone! You all completed the first portion of your second year!"

Jiro eyed Shoji. He nodded and motioned for her to speak. "S-Sir? We lost the match," she said.

Principal Nezu nodded. "We never said this was part of your final grade, did we?"

At that moment, Deku came walking into the room. "I don't think we did, but maybe I let it slip. Not sure," he said.

Sato smiled. "Hey Deku! Great simulation!" He complimented with a thumbs up.

"Definitely!" Hagakure exclaimed.

"It helped us learn a lot," Shoji said.

"And the unknowns here made it a refreshing experience," Jiro said. "This happened, huh?"

Deku nodded. "One of the first assignments I did with my team. Of course, the simulation pales to the real thing in regards to the villain size and the people in the city panicking and such," he said.

The four shared a smile. "Congratulations, all of you. Take these lessons with you and build yourself and your friends stronger. I'll let Snipe go further in-depth with you all privately. I should get the next groups ready," Deku said as he walked off to the Villains lounge.

It took some time. Fifteen minutes to explain to the villains and choose the next team, and another 30 minutes to answer questions from the heroes team. Unsurprisingly, Yaoyorozu and Midoriya voiced their opinions on the deception. Knowing that the villains could summon reinforcements made the heroes' job much harder and opened them up to failure while the opposition didn't have to do much. Iida was louder than some of his classmates, while Kirishima wondered if they had been set up to fail.

That's when Deku thoroughly explained the severity of their future. "Villains don't play fair. They don't listen to the laws that have kept society relatively safe for two centuries. They don't care that civilians should be protected. They won't hesitate to use their Quirks to make your lives difficult and put others in the crossfire. They can easily grab any random civilians and use them as human shields. You will be placed in situations where they will have a real advantage," he explained. "You take away the prospects of fame and fortune, and you get a life-or-death job. Heroism isn't a 9-to-5 job in case you're not entirely aware."

"So we are to go into these simulations with no idea who our enemies are, where they are, who their enforcer is, and we're supposed to pass?" Iida wondered.

Deku nodded. "Because you are heroes, I expect you all to win. I expect you to rescue the hostages, beat the villains, and bring them to custody just in time for tea and a rousing game of 'Guess Who?'. As professional heroes, you must surpass those expectations and rise beyond the chaos of the world around you. If you can do exactly that and go beyond, then you are heroes," he said.

The remaining heroes in the room all muttered amongst themselves. "Look, times have changed for the modern hero. There are still those who do work on the side of heroics, like product endorsements, community service, fashion lines, and workout videos so you can have 'Red Riot Ripped Abs,'" Deku looked at Kirishima with an unamused look in his eyes. "I'll just tell you this now because when it comes out, my younger self will be nice and say it's a funny line: it's not. It's a stupid gimmick that made me slam my head into a brick wall."

Some laughter filled the room as Kirishima felt his face burn up. "But heroism is now more focused on the deeds that are performed. The acts of kindness are so small that they never make the news. It is being there for those less fortunate, accompanying a kid or a group of kids to school through rough areas, going after abusive parents, and opening doors for those at risk of being the next Tomura Shigaraki. It's exhausting work, and there are more situations where you cannot pose for the camera before rushing into the battle. You understand me?"

Multiple heads nodded, earning a relieved sigh from Deku. "Good. Now, speaking of Red Riot: you and Ojiro are going next. Your villains must've had ample time to prepare, so I'll ask them to wait before I start the match. Go up the stairs, and Hatsume will give you your support items, ok?"

The two heroes rose and nodded simultaneously. "Yes, sir!"

Deku smiled. "Good. Just know that your colleagues are now your audience. Previous teams will spectate and offer their criticism as the battle commences. Best of luck to the both of you," he said.

Deku turned to walk out of the room with a smile on his face. He passed Hatsume and tussled her hair before blasting off into the air. He floated in the air for a moment before he found his vantage point: a somewhat tall building with a great view of the villain base. He landed on the roof and smiled as he focused on the building and the open window. Thanks to Enhanced Senses, he could see the two 'villains' pacing and hear them talking amongst themselves.

He raised the mini microphone to his lips. "The second round will commence in 5 minutes!"

I want to know: do you guys want to see the remaining battles before I get to the one that Midoriya and Yaoyorozu will partake in, or should I go to the main course? I personally wouldn't mind either, but I must warn you that the next update may take a while, with school and work still taking a lot of time.

I hope you enjoy it. I want to know: who do you think Kirishima and Ojiro will face off against? The people on the hero team right now are Koda, Tokoyami, Iida, Aoyama, Midoriya, and Yaoyorozu. Removing Shoji and Jiro, you should have a rough idea of who is left. Also, no Mineta here since he didn't quite make it to year two due to some...complaints.

Anyway, have a great morning/afternoon/night, and I hope to update you soon. Ciao!

-Newage