Justice Across Space and Time
Chapter 25
I'm back, and this will be the set up for the final exams arc. I'm gonna try to change a few things around, namely some of the teams and match ups. Also, while I won't be including the All Might fight right away, I'm hoping you all will enjoy what comes of it. So on with the show.
(No Pov)
With the prep done and each of the students working their hardest to overcome their shortcomings, semester finals went fairly well. All things considered. "All right! Now we just have to beat some robots and we're all set up for the summer training camp!" Mina shouted happily with Kaminari dancing alongside her. Jotaro just snorted while listening to their cheering. A few of the other students were happy and excited for the practical and the chance to show what they could do with their quirks.
For some though, they had something of a sense of foreboding. Jotaro, Izuku and Saphentite were the leading ones. Others like Todoroki and Mineta also had a feeling something was off. "Guys I wouldn't be so sure its that easy. Did you forget what Jotaro said the day that the 1-B rep told us about the exam? How the teachers went into a soundproof room at lunch?" Mineta says with a nervous look in his eyes.
Todoroki agrees, pointing out that the teachers more than likely want to give them an extreme test. "We survived a villain attack after all. True Jotaro, Midoriya and Anwar were the main ones fighting, but still. After experiencing that, they probably want to test if we are really determined to do this." The bi-color haired boy says with his same monotone voice and expression.
Ones like Mina and Kaminari are quick to brush the thought off, but some like Kirishima and Tokoyami consider some of what they had said. "Well, no matter what, we've still gotta go to the battlegrounds to find out what we are dealing with." Izuku says with a pensive look on his face. Ochaco though is quick to pat him on the back and tell him, "Don't think about it too much Izuku! Just one more test to finish is all!" With her bubbly optimism, Izuku gets a small smile to grace his face.
The next day when they reach the battlegrounds with their costumes on, Izuku and a few others can feel an even deeper sense of foreboding. Of course, Jotaro's severe face doesn't help matters. "You need to take a dump man?" Mineta says when looking up at Jotaro. Who promptly smacks the short pervert over the head.
Aizawa is in front of the battlegrounds to addresses his class. "Now then it is time for the end of semester practical. I'm sure a few of you have already gotten some information regarding the test?"
"Yeah! We just need to beat down some robots and we can go to the summer training camp!" Mina exclaims with her fist raised high. Kaminari does much the same, but their hopes are dashed when they hear someone else's voice. "I'm sorry to say that won't be the case for this semester."
From Aizawa's capture scarf, pops principal Nezu. The rodent like chimera then tells the students what they will instead be doing for the finals. "With all the recent activity from villains, not to mention all of the true meta-awakenings, we felt it necessary to increase the difficulty of the challenges before you students."
"And as such we're going to be fighting the teachers, aren't we?" Jotaro says with a sigh. While Nezu's eye twitches at being interrupted and at Jotaro guessing what was going to happen, he presses on. "You are correct young Svoboda! I'm guessing you put it together from other data in the lead up to the exam, correct?"
Jotaro nods before explaining that going into a soundproof room was just a way to tip him off. "I don't want to be too rude but maybe coming up with a special code would be better. After all anyone with super hearing could put two and two together to guess you were preventing info leaks."
Off to his side though, Jiro is looking down and tapping her jacks together. 'I've got super hearing as well, but I didn't notice that. I can't focus it like he can. Maybe that is more of a perk of his experience. I should ask him later.' She thinks to herself.
"Interesting point young Svoboda. That is definitely something more to consider. Thank you. And as he said you will be fighting the teachers today." When Nezu says that the rest of the teachers come out and line up in front of class 1-A. He then explains that they will be held back for the most part.
"Thanks to a support student we will be wearing compacted weights. The task for you students is to either handcuff the teacher you are pitted against or escape in the battlefield before 30 minutes have gone by. There is one exception though." At that, the students' eyebrows raise.
With a big booming laugh, All Might drops out of the sky. "Indeed! Young Svoboda, young Midoriya. You two will face off against me!" With that statement, the rest of class 1-A look to the two powerhouses with worry. And even though his eyes can't be seen, Jotaro was a shocked look on his face. Izuku on the other hand looks ready to pass out right there.
"What's more, I won't be wearing the weighted bracelets, and young Jotaro you are not allowed to supercharge young Midoriya." All Might says with a severe gleam in his blue eyes. This makes the two students gulp, and the others start praying for them to either rest in peace, or to come away with few injuries. "One last thing. Unlike the rest of the students, you have a longer time limit. We will give you one hour but you must defeat All Might. Not just restrain him." Nezu says.
A few like Mina, Mineta, and Ochaco shout out that the test isn't fair. With a sigh though, Izuku brings them back saying, "remember the start of the year? How Aizawa said that villain attacks, natural disasters and the like aren't fair either? That's the point. They need to push us. With as strong as Jotaro and I am, we need a real challenge. And unless they are willing to bring in a few pro heroes, the impact and challenge won't be the same."
"Astute observation Midoriya-san. It does often seem like you truly understand the weight of the titles and masks we wear." Nezu compliments the green teen. Midnight then comes forward to mention one more point.
"Anwar you also have some special conditions. I know this isn't entirely fair, but your magic gives you an even stranger advantage compared to those two. So, we are asking that you only use some offensive magic, as well as you not flying. That way we can properly assess you and your partner." Saphentite is slightly annoyed that she was singled out, but she can see what they are getting at. Especially when she sees her partner is Ochaco and they will be facing off against 13.
For the other matchups, Kirishima and Sato are up against Cementoss. Tokoyami and Tsuyu have to face the cloning hero Ectoplasm. Aoyama and Mineta have to take on Midnight. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu will have their quirks crippled due to Aizawa. The principal has to trap Mina and Kaminari. Koda and Jiro have to contend with the loud voice of Present Mic. Toru and Shoji have to dodge around the shots of the marksman hero Snipe. And the support hero Power Loader has to stop Ida and Ojiro.
A few of them are seeing this new challenge as a terrifying threat to their chances. Especially Yaoyorozu and Koda. The former had gained some confidence thanks to working on combat skills with Saphentite during their internships. But she still wasn't sure if she could match up to her fellow recommendation's student. The latter was struggling with the fact that his quirk would be limited due to the opponent he was up against.
While they were waiting to begin some of the tests, Izuku helped everyone build up their confidence again. Telling all of them, "this is some of what we were training and preparing for. Jotaro and I didn't know for sure what was going to happen, but we wanted each of you who has trained with us to be ready for what could come." While it doesn't fully restore their hopes of passing, it does help some of them with preparing for the battles to come.
The first match is with Kirishima and Sato against the cement controlling hero, Cementoss. Kirishima is feeling confident and good as they walk into the battlefield. "We've got this! We just need to crash through all of Cementoss-sensei's walls and capture him!" As he says this, he hardens up his arms and smacks them together. Sato though is a bit more contemplative. As the announcement to start the test rings, Kirishima is ready to rush forward. But Sato grabs him. "What the hell, man!? We just need to blast through, and we've won!"
"Think for a second Kirishima. Why would we be up against the teacher with the most range and versatility out of all the teachers?" Sato says pulling Kirishima over to an alleyway. "Because we need to show our grit and manliness to bust through the challenge in front of us!" Kirishima says with a confident look.
Sato just facepalms, before saying, "I meant really think about it. Both of our powers have a serious limit. You may be able to harden for long periods of time, but you'll still run out of juice. And my power runs out after the sugar rush I give myself runs its course. And then I can't operate for long periods of time. This is a test we are meant to fail." Kirishima wants to argue with his partner, but he can see his point. So, he questions what they are supposed to do.
Sato isn't for sure himself, but he points out that they need to get clear of the cement. "We should go for the escape option. For now, at least. If he's got it covered already, you'll have to be the one to break through initially. I'll save both of my new sugar rushes for the end." With a nod the two headed towards the exit.
"Hm. Interesting. I was sure that they would come straight for me. Seems they are trying to think things through. Well. I'll still stop them." Cementoss says to himself, before placing his hands on the road to take control of the roadways.
As the students are running through the mock city, a few cement walls appear in front of them. Like they planned, Kirishima smashes through most of them. But when it seems like the walls are coming closer, Sato pulls out a molasses cookie. "No other choice." He eats the cookie and his muscles shift into a leaner but still dense form.
He takes the sprinters pose, and explosively bursts forward. Grabbing Kirishima and placing him in front of himself. "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! ACK! OWW!" Kirishima shouts as Sato uses his new speed and leaner muscles to crash through the walls with Kirishima as the front to his battering ram state.
This continues for a few minutes, and it ends at the exit sign. But there are even thicker walls compared to the ones they had been smashing through before. Shaking off the hits Kirishima went through before, he tells Sato to superpower up, "and fastball special me."
When Sato looks at him with confusion, Kirishima explains that he'll fully harden to make sure he can bust through the concrete. "But we need the power to put me through it. That's what you need to do. Now launch me!" Kirishima says before hardening his body as best he can.
Sato nods and pulls out some sugar cubes to give himself his standard sugar rush amplification. He then spins a few times before chucking Kirishima through the walls with as much force as he can muster. Kirishima crashes clean through with a hole big enough for Sato to get by. With that done, the alarm horn rings exclaiming that they passed the final.
While both are out of breath, the teacher on the outside (Present Mic) compliments them on coming up with a plan to get around the teacher with the biggest advantage against them. After hearing this, both fist bump. Before falling onto their backs in happy exhaustion. In the observation room, Recovery Girl nodded with approval. "Well, those boys seem to have improved in more ways than one."
"I'll take your word for it ma'am. I can't see it. But I'm guessing they took your lessons to heart, eh Izuku?" Jotaro says with a wry smirk. Izuku though just rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. With a laugh, Jotaro excuses himself to go meditate. Izuku decides to do the same to talk with the previous vestiges of OFA.
(Gonna skip the next few since they mostly play out the same)
After the matches with Tsuyu, Tokoyami, Ida, Ojiro, Momo and Todoroki, a few people had different opinions. Saphentite nodded after the match with Aizawa, saying, "she's learned to make traps within traps. My magic may not quite compare with what she can do, but it seems to have inspired her a bit. And she didn't let Todoroki take the full lead, like I thought she might."
Momo had gone along with the fire and ice user's suggestion of making objects so they would know when Aizawa was using his quirk. But what she did alongside that was to put flash grenades inside the matryoshka dolls she created. Then they could take advantage of Aizawa's reliance on his eyesight. She eventually finished the plan by making a duo of traps, one with a catapult. The other Todoroki had that was quickly launched in case the first missed.
Ida had taken his brother's suggestion of removing his mufflers to enhance his speed and was able to put that to great effect in sending Ojiro into the air. Before smashing parts of the mech Power Loader had brought. Then Ojiro came down out of the sky and knocked the support teacher out of the mech with his tail and putting the handcuffs on him.
Tokoyami meanwhile had put the evasive martial arts training he had been put through to great effect by narrowly avoiding some of the strikes Ectoplasm and his clones had thrown his way. He and his partner were still trapped by the large clone, but he was able to free himself and then dodge more efficiently and buy time for Tsuyu to get a clean shot with her tongue to cuff Ectoplasm.
While Saphentite and Ochaco are getting ready to face off with 13, Izuku and Jotaro are discussing how to deal with All Might. "You can take him, right? I mean you've done that whole causing a windstorm by breathing and earthquakes with your steps a few times. So, you've at least got the same level of strength." Izuku says after meditating and conversing with OFA.
Jotaro sighs before admitting, "even though I can do a lot, my strength isn't at the same as Toshi's power. I can take most anything he dishes out, but I can't hit him back with the same strength. At least in this form." Jotaro goes on to explain that he has a few other tricks to work with and that he may have to use them in this fight.
"If you hadn't healed him, would you two be at the same level?" Izuku asks with his hand under his chin. Jotaro nods and mentions that the restoration that he and Saphentite did not only restored some of his time but made him stronger than before. "If I'd known I'd have to fight the guy maybe I wouldn't have fixed him up." Izuku then gives Jotaro a sideways glance, and the bigger teen admits "okay yeah I'd have fixed him up anyway." The two converse back and forth trying to come up with a plan to knock out the symbol of peace.
After they had talked for a while, they came back into the observation room to see (or listen in Jotaro's case) how Saphentite and Ochaco were doing. Needless to say, they could use some help. They had tried to sneak up on the space themed hero but said hero still noticed them and started to try and suck the two students up.
Saphentite had wrapped herself around a railing to keep from being pulled toward their opponent. "Well, this is just great! I keep firing off magic but it's not working! Any thoughts Ocha!" Saphentite shouts while firing a few spells at 13. But they keep getting sucked up into the black hole. "I don't… wait! They said you couldn't fly right? But did they have anything against you transforming?!" Ochaco shouts, and Saphentite realizes they didn't specify on that part.
With a smile, she tells Ochaco to remove her gravity, and the genie girl transforms into a rocket with handholds for Ochaco to grab onto. With that they rocket out of the way. As they are flying, Ochaco taps things as they are going by to remove more gravity. When she and Saphentite feel they have enough floating objects, the genie rockets around to bring all of the debris together above 13. Ochaco then releases her quirk and drops the debris above 13. Who in turn moves to suck up all of the falling objects.
Saphentite then rockets close to the ground, and while 13 is distracted by the debris she and Ochaco knock the hero on their backside. While they are still reeling, Ochaco moves in and brings their opponents hands behind their back and cuffs the space hero. "We…. WE DID IT! Anwar-chan! We really did it!" Ochaco shouts happily shaking her fists up and down. Saphentite shakes her head and brings the gravity girl in for a hug before saying, "No need to call me Anwar Ocha. Call me Saphee." Ochaco agrees and the girls celebrate their victory.
"Well even though I can't see what happened I'm guessing it all turned out well." Jotaro says with a joking smile. Izuku rolls his eyes before turning to see the match with Aoyama and Mineta against Midnight. Aoyama had fired of a few shot from his laser quirk, but Midnight still got close enough to knock the French boy out.
But Mineta surprised most by using a link of his pop off balls to loop around Aoyama and pull him back. He then ran deeper into the range where they were fighting. What most couldn't see was him slapping his partner to wake him up once they got far enough away. "Come on you goofy French douche! Wake UP!" Aoyama says "Que se passe-t-il!" after he starts to come to.
Mineta rolls his eyes and brings his partner up to speed. He then mentions he has a plan and to be ready to blast himself as fast and hard as he can with his laser. Just as he is finishing explaining, Midnight has shown back up. "I must say Mineta-kun, you did well in saving your friend. But you should have known when you started running, it just got me more aroused," the risqué heroine says with a sadistic smirk on her face.
Mineta then lets out a big laugh before agreeing with her. "But that was what I was counting on. I knew you couldn't resist coming after us. But that also gets you away from the exit!" Mineta shouted while tearing part of his cape and some of Aoyama's off. Midnight though has a look on her face that is somewhere between impressed that he thought this out and pissed at herself because she fell for it.
Mineta then rushes out from behind some rocks with his torn cape covering his mouth and nose as an improvised gas counter. It isn't perfect as he is still slightly breathing it in, but it is enough that he can use his new super move, "Grape Rush". And he starts throwing his pop off balls to stick to Midnight, her whip, and the ground. And just as he is starting to feel the effects Aoyama blasts out from above the gas with his navel laser to catch his partner. Who almost made it to the exit before the gas caught up with him.
"Wow I didn't think shorty had that in him." Saphentite said as she and Ochaco were walking in at the end of the match. Jotaro just smirks and admits he is somewhat impressed too. "I knew he had some potential, given we were in the same entrance exam group. But this shows he at least has earned a spot here."
For the next two matches, there were differing opinions. Kaminari and Mina failed hard against principal Nezu, and most were feeling sorry for both of them. The three quirkless feeling especially bad, since all the training they specifically did was more about combat and martial arts skills. "Remind me to work with Mina on learning how to read how a fight is going." Saphentite says to Jotaro who sighs and says, "back to the dojo for those two."
When it came to the fight between the loudest hero and the student team of Koda and Jiro, they were all impressed at Koda's willingness to face what made him afraid. As well as Jiro who came up with a creative solution to the voice quirk user. Recovery Girl though was annoyed. "Oh, now really! Fainting because of a bunch of bugs! He should be ashamed to call himself a pro hero!" Most everyone else was just chuckling at the sight and reaction.
But now, it was time for the main event. As Jotaro and Izuku were heading out to the battlefield, everyone back at the observation room was wondering if they would be okay. "I mean Jotaro beat Endeavor no problem, right? So, he should be fine here." Momo says with a pensive look on her face.
Ochaco then brings up a problem. "But he still got hurt when Izuku-kun attacked him during the finals of the Sports Festival. All Might probably has the same or greater strength to that. Meaning he could actually hurt Jotaro-kun!" A few others have their own theories, and Recovery Girl herself is wondering if both of those boys can handle the full force of All Might.
"So how screwed would you say we are right now?" Izuku asks as they are walking to the battlefield. Jotaro laughs a bit before speaking his own mind. "Well, that might depend on how hard All Might feels like going at us. I'd like to think he'll hold back a bit since you are his successor, but I doubt it. Besides, he doesn't have to hold back against me the same way."
Once they reach the battleground, Nezu speaks to them, and All Might, over the loudspeakers. "Now then. This is the final test for the day students. Justice. Kibou. You two have one hour to try and defeat All Might. Not arrest or put the handcuffs on. Defeat. So. Do your best. And hopefully you won't have to spend too long in Recovery Girl's infirmary once this is done."
Once the announcement is finished, the two give each other a look that shows how confused they both are. Jotaro then straightens up before turning to his left. He could hear All Might saying something to himself. "Well now. No need to hold back." At that, even though he can't see it, Jotaro can picture All Might winding up and unleashing a powerful punch in their direction.
"Get ready!" he shouts to Izuku, and they both wind up and unleash their own strong punches into the shockwave that All Might sent in their direction. But it isn't enough, and they get blown back. What the observers see is the devastation from that punch being reflected in the abandoned city that is being used as a battleground.
Shattered windows, buildings starting to tilt or crumble, cars thrown every which way, and a huge crack down the middle of the street. While the two hero students are getting up, All Might lands in front of them. His blue eyes gleaming and intimidation factor cranked up to ten. While it is more intimidating for Izuku since he can see the visage in front of him, Jotaro is also nervous at feeling the bloodlust from the number one hero.
"I hope you are ready heroes! Because. I! AM! HERE! To give you the hardest test of your lives," the blond brick wall says cracking his knuckles. Jotaro gulps before quietly asking, "uuummm, this isn't revenge for smacking you around while we were training, is it?"
At that All Might rushes forward again, but both boys get out of the way in time. They then kick toward All Might to knock him away and get themselves some breathing room. But All Might catches their legs and slams them down before tossing them away. As they are in the air, Jotaro says to Izuku, "okay… sooooo….. yeah we're boned."
Good to be back and I hope you like what I'm doing for this arc. I needed a good way to mix in my new characters and replace some of the ones I had removed already. And for those who have favorited or are following my story, could you please leave a review? I'd like to know what more people think of my characters and writing.