AN: Alright, time to get started on the final exams arc! I kinda had to rush to finish this so it's a little short compared to the last few chapters, and might have a few mistakes, but it was worth it given today. Oh, right, today is kinda of special for High School DxD fans.
See, on this day, September 20, 15 years ago, High School DxD was first published. Ishibumi-sensei has tweeted that he thanks for all the support and he is working on the volumes while monitoring his health. Let's all hope his health will improve. Oh, and also, please don't bother him by asking when season 5 of DxD will be.
A few days after the Peace Conference, on Saturday after school, July 4th…
"Thanks to the joint project between our schools, for the foreseeable future, I'll be the advisor of the Occult Research Club. You can call me Azazel-sensei or Governor. Looking forward to working with you from now on, kids!" Azazel, wearing a worn-out suit, said with a grin as he leaned back on Rias' chair.
"You cannot be serious," Rias grumbled while rubbing her temples, looking like she was on the verge of a migraine. The rest of the Gremory Peerage, along with Ravel, Fuyuko, Hyde, and Ingvild, all gawked at seeing the Governor General sitting at Rias' desk. Itsuka, who was also present, sat at the back, her head down, her bangs concealing her eyes.
"Oh, but I am, I got permission from your big bro and Nezu," Azazel retorted with a smirk. "If you got a problem, take it up with Serafall's little sister."
"Kaichou?" Izuku looked to Sona, who was also present.
Sona closed her eyes and looked away with a light flush. "Look, I didn't have much of a choice; if I didn't agree with it my sister threatened the worst."
"Like what?"
Sona smiled nervously. "She…uh said she'd come instead."
"…I see."
Rias glared at her friend. "So basically, what you mean is you sold us out."
"Would you want your brother to be here instead, Rias?" Kudelia asked.
"No, of course not!"
"Then there you go," Kudelia winked.
"Besides, Azazel is quite knowledgeable about Sacred Gears. He will be a tremendous asset," Sona adjusted her glasses. "Anyway, we'll leave you to it," she said in a hurry and left the room with Tsubaki. Kudelia and Tye soon followed.
"Hey!" Rias cried out in vain.
"Now, understand that Nezu and Sirzechs had one condition for me," Azazel stood up. "The reason they asked for my help was to assist the immature Sacred Gear possessors at this school with their growth. I'm an expert in this department after all. I'll help train you to go up against the Khaos Brigade."
"Are you saying that we'll have to fight the Khaos Brigade again in the future?" Izuku asked.
"With any luck, no," Azazel responded. "All of you are talented young people, so we'll be counting on you as a future deterrent against the terrorists. But if you're asking me whether you'll be sent out in the immediate future, then the answer is no. Nezu was very adamant that you only get involved with his permission. Besides, both sides are in their preparatory period, so it's unlikely there'll be anything more than minor skirmishes for now."
"That's a dangerous assumption to make," Xenovia said. "The enemy doesn't always move the way you expect them to. I mean, you didn't foresee Vali Lucifer's betrayal, did you, Governor?"
"Wow, way to hit where it hurts, girl," Azazel made an exaggerated gesture. "You have a point, and we'll do our best to be ready if they make their move early. Either way, we'll refrain from sending you young people out if we can avoid it."
"Did you learn anything about those guys?" Hyde asked.
"Apparently, aside from Vali's team, the rouge magicians of Nilrem, and the Old Satan Faction, there are a number of groups and teams. We're still determining who they are." Azazel answered.
"…Is one of them the League of Villains?" Ravel asked with venom in her voice.
"As far as we know, no," Azazel shook his head. "Though that doesn't mean they're not a threat. They did turn at least two supernatural creatures into Nomu, a process that both disturbs and intrigues me."
Ravel gave a soft growl, more than willing to burn the League for what they did to her brother. Izuku, having taken notice, gently placed his hand on her shoulder. The Phenex girl gently grasped it with her own in response.
"So, until such a time comes, you should enjoy your school life as best you can," Azazel added. "It's no use worrying when there's nothing you can do about it.
Everyone but Itsuka slowly nodded their head in acceptance of Azazel's words, which the Governor noticed. "Hey, Kendo Itsuka? How long are you gonna sit there?" Azazel asked and waited for a response. But none came. "Hey, are you listening?"
"Kendo?" Izuku and the others looked to the redhead.
"What?" Itsuka looked up, revealing dark circles beginning to form under her eyes. "Sorry, I spaced out for a second."
"Kendo, are you okay?" Momo asked.
"I'm fine, really," Itsuka waved off.
"You don't look fine. You've been like this all day," Ibara pointed out.
"This about your mother, kid?" Azazel asked.
"…Yeah," Itsuka admitted with some hesitation. "I just got word from the hospital they sent her to. Her life's no longer in any immediate jeopardy, but they're not sure when she'll recover. If at all…"
The clubroom grew silent at that, most of those present unsure of what to say. Azazel, though, sighed. "I'm probably the last guy who should say something like this but don't get too hung up about this. Life's full of problems, and sometimes the best way to handle them is to let them sort themselves out. I don't find any point in worrying about every little thing that lies ahead."
"But-"
"I get you're worried about your mom, but I don't think she would be happy seeing you in this state," Azazel quickly shut down whatever argument Itsuka was going to make. "But hey, I got some news from Sirzechs that should make you feel better. In fact, it's for all the young ladies here," Azazel gave a mischievous smile.
"What news?" Rias asked worryingly.
"After careful consideration and discussion with Principal Nezu, all current female members of the Occult Research Club and the first-year heroics classes will be given the option to move into Midoriya Izuku's residence. There you go," Azazel said.
"Move in?!" Izuku and Rias repeated.
"Yep," Azazel nodded. "Apparently, Nezu has been planning to implement a dorm system for U.A. for a while and said that this would be the perfect time to test it, especially since the Midoriya residence is near U.A."
"But we're so close to the final exams!" Momo pointed out.
"Which is why it's optional," Azazel repeated. "Though I think some of them have already taken up the offer."
"…Who?" Izuku couldn't help but ask, though he already had some idea.
Izuku got his answer not long after.
"Izuku, I decided to m-m-move in with you," Milia blushed, several bags behind her as she stood in front of the Midoriya residence. And she wasn't alone. Tsubasa, Mina, Toru, Setsuna, and Yui were also present.
"You all accepted the offer?" Rias asked.
"Yep!" Mina cheered. "It sounded like fun!"
"Besides, we get to spend more time with Green, so we couldn't resist," Tsubasa added.
"It would be nice to have some extra company here," Fuyuko smiled.
"Yeah," Ochako nodded. "You guys need any help picking a room and unpacking?"
"Wait for us!" Xenovia called out, dragging along a couple of bags with Koneko, Ravel, and Itsuka.
"You guys, too?" Rias asked.
"Nezu 'persuaded' me to accept," Itsuka revealed. "He said it would be good for my mental health."
Izuku sighed. 'I don't know why I'm surprised at this point. I'm half expecting a pro heroine to move in sometime soon.' Izuku made sure those were his inner thoughts.
[Careful, partner. That may just come true soon enough, given Ryukyu.]
Izuku blushed at being reminded of Tiamat's daughter, and how much he liked spending time with her. "Let's help them get settled in…"
"It seems Izuku's home life will be even more exciting now," Momo giggled as she and Kyoka returned home. "I wonder if we should move in."
"Might be hard to convince my dad, though," Kyoka joked.
"True. Though your mother might approve," Momo added.
"She probably would," Kyoka laughed as the two entered the Jiro home. Once Kyoka opened the door, she noticed something odd. "Huh?"
"Is something wrong?" Momo asked.
"I think we have some guests," Kyoka pointed downward. Right there near the entrance, were four pairs of shoes. They recognized two of the pairs as belonging to Kyoka's parents, but not the other two. "Mom, Dad, we're back!" Kyoka called out.
"We're here, Kyoka!" Mika, Kyoka's mother, called out from the living room. "We have some guests who want to talk with Momo!"
"With me?" Momo questioned. When they entered the living room, they saw Mika and Kyotoku sitting on one couch. Across from them were three people.
One was a young man with short black hair and pale grey eyes who looked a few years older than them. He was dressed in a black combat uniform and wore a black coat on top of it. A large black dog sat down in front of him. Next to him was a young woman with a slim and voluptuous figure, had long, flowing black hair, and red eyes, and wore formal attire.
"Uh, hi?" Kyoka greeted, unsure of what to make of all this.
The young man was the first to return a greeting. "Hello. I'm Ikuse Tobio," he said, his gaze lingering on Momo for a while before turning to his dog. "This fellow is Jin. Say hello, Jin."
The dog barked once before falling silent.
"And I think one of you already knows her," Tobio pointed at the black-haired woman.
Momo narrowed her eyes. Something about this woman was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.
"Hello, Momo," she greeted.
"Wait…" Momo's eyes widened in surprise, finally realizing who this was. "Akane-san?"
The woman nodded. "These days I go by Suzaku, but yes. It's me."
"I didn't even recognize you."
"It has been seven years since we last saw each other," Suzaku admitted.
Kyoka glanced over to Momo. "Uh, Momo, who is she?"
"She… she's my cousin," Momo answered.
"Ah, I see- HUH?!"
"Yes, I was shocked too," Mika said. "I wasn't expecting anyone from Momo's family to come visit us, given… certain circumstances."
"We can't stay for too long, I'm afraid," Suzaku said. "This is mealy a quick visit."
"That's fine," Mika waved off. "We can't stay either."
"You guys got a gig tonight?" Kyoka asked.
"Hmhm, what tipped it off?" Mika chuckled. "But yes, we'll be out until midnight tonight, so you and Momo will be alone for a while."
"Just try not to get into anything unsavory!" Kyotoku half-threatened.
"We'll be fine! Geez, old man," Kyoka muttered, causing the two guests to laugh a little.
"Dear, we better get going," Mika said.
"Right. Catch you girls later!" Kyotoku waved as the two left.
"…So, what brings you here?" Momo asked, glaring at Suzaku slightly.
Suzaku flinched a little at Momo's glare.
"Hey, there's no need for that," Tobio quickly got between the two. "I know you probably have a low opinion of our family, even hatred, but Suzaku here has been doing her best to change the rigid traditions of the Himejima family regardless of the personal cost."
"Hold on…our family?" Momo narrowed her eyes. "Then, Tobio-san, you're…"
"Yes, I'm a member of the Himejima family as well," Tobio said. "My grandmother, Ageha, used to be a member before she was exiled for practicing Buddhist Magic, an act which went against the teachings of our family. Since our grandmothers were sisters, I guess that makes us second cousins."
Both Kyoka and Momo were shocked by this unexpected connection.
"It's as Tobio said," Suzaku spoke up. "I'm doing what I can to change the rigid traditions of our clan, bringing every exiled or shunned member of the Himejima family back into the fold. Momo, I've always regretted not being there for you or your mother. At the very least, I want the two of us to talk to each other again."
"I…will think about it," Momo said after being silent for a few seconds. "That's all I can say for now. Sorry, but all this is too overwhelming at the moment…"
"Thank you," Suzaku sounded relieved.
"Suzaku, I think we better get going," Toby said. "Lavinia and the others are probably wilting for us."
"Right," Suzaku nodded. "Take care, Momo. And don't worry. We'll see each other again real soon!" Suzaku waved as she and Tobio left.
"…What did she mean by that?" Kyouka asked.
"I'm… not sure," Momo shrugged.
Elsewhere, at Ryukyu's agency, the Dragoon Hero sat in a chair, looking over her schedule to see if she could appear in an upcoming talk show tomorrow night. It wasn't her favorite part of the job, not by a long shot. But she knew since she was so high on the rankings, appearances like these were necessary.
Talk shows these days always fight tooth and nail to try and get the biggest guests they can onto their segments for ratings. The higher the hero on the board, the more people tuned it. It was just a fact of life now.
"You're seriously gonna do that show?" Mirko, sitting lazily on a couch, wearing a gray hoodie and black sweatpants, asked.
"The segment will be about hero branding, so maybe," Ryukyu replied.
"They couldn't get Best Jeanist?"
"He's unavailable, due to a team-up request in Hokkaido."
"Tch, of course," Mirko muttered. "That talk show is just a waste of time, Ryuko."
Ryukyu actually nodded a little. Though it wasn't an aspect of the job she enjoyed as much as some other celebrity-posed heroes, Ryukyu rolled with the punches whenever she was asked to come onto segments like these. "You're not wrong, Rumi. But it'll be a nice distraction, and at the very least it'll be informative. Though it's probably gonna be a big advertisement for my brand."
"Wait, distract? Distract you from what?" Mirko asked, her ears twitching upward. "Don't tell me it's that Midoriya kid again."
The faint blush on Ryukyu's face at the mention of Izuku's name was all the answer Mirko needed.
"Oh my god, it is!" Mirko got up with a smirk. "That's so cute! The big, bad dragon girl has a crush on a student!"
A still blushing Ryukyu got up and glared at the Rabbit Hero. "You're one to talk, Rumi. I swear, you've been fixated on him ever since the Sports Festival. I recall you saying you were even planning to send him an offer."
Mirko got up and matched Ryukyu's glare with her own. "So what if I was? The kid looks fun to fight, and I would have had your mom not been there. It's not like I have a crush on him like you do."
Eyes narrowing, Ryukyu spotted something sticking out of Mirko's bag. Swiftly she grabbed it before Mirko could react. It was a picture of Izuku from the Sports Festival, specifically of when he was fighting Todoroki.
"I assume that's why you have a picture of him in your bag?"
"Give me that!" Mirko grabbed the picture, her face having a light blush. "Okay, I admit that he's cute, but I'm not sure yet."
"No, I think your crush is very real, Rumi," Ryukyu smirked. "You don't keep it under control as well as you think."
"Oh really?" Mirko smirked. "When I stayed the night the other day, I heard you 'relieving stress', and Midoriya's name came up more than once."
Ryukyu blushed, but she maintained her glare. "Oh, like you have room to talk. You're not subtle in your stress relief, either. And no, I'm not talking about when you destroy my gym equipment. How often did you yell out Midoriya's name last night alone?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mirko quickly denied before pressing her forehead onto her best friend, who pressed right back, the two sending glares, yet grinning viciously at each other. "But it's funny, given your animal instincts I'm surprised you didn't take Midoriya the first chance you got while he was here."
"It wasn't until near the end of internships that they started acting up," Ryukyu countered with equal challenge in her eyes and tone.
"Oh really? Then why didn't you do anything, Scaley!?" Mirko mockingly asked.
"Because it wasn't appropriate to act on them, Chocolate Bunny!" Ryukyu fired back.
"Dragon Whore!"
"Thunder Thighs!"
"Scale Tits!"
"Pervy Rabbit!"
"Horny Dragon!"
Nearby, Ryukyu's sidekicks either continued their work or just shook their heads, wondering how long this name-calling spree of theirs would last until they kiss and make up, some hoping they would literally kiss. "And they wonder why there are fanfics of them doing all kinds of kinky shit." One of them muttered.
"Yeah," another nodded.
One of the office phones began ringing, which a sidekick answered. "Ryukyu Hero Agency, how may we assist?" She said naturally. "Yes, she's here. … Yes, Mirko is here as well. … Okay, I'll tell them right away. Ryukyu!" She called out, getting the attention of two Pro Heroes. "Principal Nezu of U.A. High wishes to speak with you and Mirko!"
Mirko and Ryukyu blinked. "He's asking for us?"
Mittelt surpassed a groan, helping organize some paperwork in Principal Nezu's office. The official story was that Mittelt was a second-year college student taking a break from her studies and, under a recommendation from Azazel, would work as an assistant to Nezu for however long the rodent principal saw fit.
"Mittelt, please deliver these files to the staff room," Nezu gestured to a small box full of files.
"Yeah, got it," Mittelt grabbed hold of the box. Taking the files out, Mittelt was about to head to the staff room when she bumped into someone. "Hey!" The bump caused her to spill the fils on the floor. "Watch where you're going, you- Oh, it's you." Mittelt groaned.
"You gotta be shitting me. You're here?" Bakugo groaned.
"You know her, Bakugo?" Kirishima asked, the two being on their way to study for final exams.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Bakugo asked Mittelt, ignoring Kirishima.
"If you must know, I'm working as Principal Nezu's assistant now," Mittelt answered as she began picking up the dropped files. "How the hell I got reduced to this is beyond me…" she grumbled.
"Stop complaining, Midget," Bakugo said.
"How many times have I told you? DON'T call me midget!" Mittelt growled. "And since you're the reason I dropped these, you're going to help pick them up!"
"Huh? Why the hell should I?" Bakugo asked.
"Because you're the reason I dropped them! Remember!?" Mittelt yelled in annoyance.
"How the hell is that my fault? You're the one who didn't see where they were going!" Bakugo countered.
"Don't try to pin this on me!" Mittelt growled.
"Hey, Bakugo! Calm down," Kirishima tried to plead. "Let's just help her with these and be on our way, okay? It won't take that long, a minute tops."
"Tch. Whatever," Bakugo grumbled as he began picking up the fils.
Mittelt gawked at the sight. "How the hell did you get him to listen to you?"
"Don't know," Kirishima shrugged. "Just that it sometimes works. Sometimes it doesn't work."
"Of course…" Mittelt sighed as she picked up the remaining files.
"So how do you two know each other, anyway?" Kirishima asked. "You a couple or something?"
A record scratch could be heard in Bakugo and Mittelt's heads at that moment. "WHAT!? HELL NO! WE'RE NOT A COUPLE, DAMNIT!" Bakugo and Mittelt yelled.
"You're not helping your case," Kirishima snickered.
"Shut it, Weird Hair! Or I'll kill you!"
"Must you always say things like 'die' or 'I'll kill you'?" Mittelt grumbled. "Don't you have any other threats or insults?"
"Shut up, Midget!"
"Stop calling me that, Kacchan!"
'Bakugo has a girlfriend, huh?' Kirishima thought to himself as the two blonds kept arguing. 'I gotta tell the others.'
"Bakugo! Why didn't you tell us you had a girlfriend?!" Mina asked the explosive blond.
"For the last time, SHE'S NOT MY FREAKING GIRLFRIEND!" Bakugo very much wanted to explode at the pink-skinned girl but had to restrain himself due to being in class.
"There's no need to be shy, Bakugo," Kaminari grinned. "Is she hot, though?"
"What are her sizes?" Mineta demanded.
"WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP ALREADY!?" Bakugo demanded.
Nearby, Izuku watched with a smile. 'I probably shouldn't be enjoying this, but seeing Bakugo get teased like this is oddly therapeutic.'
"Midoriya, are we still doing a study hall at your home later?" Hyde asked.
"My parents will be out for a 'date night' before my dad has to go back to work, so we'll be free for a few hours," Izuku replied.
"Damn, man! Your place is rocking!" Kaminari exclaimed. He, Sero, Liana, Pony, Reiko, Tsuyu, Todoroki, Celica, and Iida were invited to a group study at Izuku's home, with Hyde and the other residents of the home already present.
"Yeah, it's a little big," Izuku said sheepishly.
Everyone quickly settled in, most of them occupying the dining table, and began studying. "Now, how many forces are required for an interaction?" Momo asked Kaminari.
Kaminari knocked on his head, trying to recall details. "Uh…forces, an action, and a reaction?"
Momo nodded. "You're doing better! You've almost mastered chapter 5!"
"Yeah, of 15…" Kaminari looked away.
"Doing better than me at least. Why can't I just remember any of this?" Mina asked, mentally panicking.
"Memory lapses are a totally natural aspect of life for all of us," Tsu said, comforting her. "Don't feel too bad, Mina. I'm still struggling to remember some stuff."
"Yeah, but you're at least up to Chapter 10. Doing soooooo much better than me."
"…well, sometimes stuff also comes easier to some people," Tsu defended herself.
"Ugh, every time I hear the name Matthew Perry, I keep thinking of that guy from Friends," Toru groaned.
"Matthew C. Perry was an American naval officer who pushed Japan to engage in trade with the US and requested a treaty allowing trade and the opening of Japanese ports to US merchant ships," Rias said flawlessly.
"I'll try to remember that C in his name," Toru muttered.
Xenovia groaned as she leaned back in her seat. "Ugh, even after all this time, kanji and katakana are still so confusing."
"Don't worry, Xenovia," Ibara comforted, patting Xenovia's shoulder.
"Yeah," Pony nodded. "You're doing a lot better than I did, so there's that."
"I suppose that is true," Xenovia admitted. "Still, I don't know which language is worse: Japanese or English."
"They're both real pains in the butt," Pony nodded.
"Just be glad you guys in Gen Ed don't have to do a practical like us," Yui said.
"Oh, right," Ochako groaned. "After everything that happened, I forgot about the practical exam."
"Yeah," Itsuka nodded.
"What do you think the practical will be like?" Milia asked.
"I have heard from our forebears that our evaluations will be determined through trial by combat with our institution's army of automatons," Reiko offered.
"Huh?" Mina tilted her head.
"She said that an upperclassman told her that we may have to fight robots," Setsuna translated.
"Like the entrance exam?" Kaminari asked hopefully.
"I'm not sure it will be like that," Todoroki spoke up. "I overheard my father speaking with Nezu the other day. I'm not sure what it was about, but it might involve the final exam."
"I heard my parents speaking with Nezu, also," Liana added.
"…We're not gonna fight pros, are we?" Sero asked in fear.
"Is that even allowed?" Ravel asked.
"The rat is friends with Azazel, now," Koneko whispered to her.
"…I worry for Izuku and the others now," Ravel muttered.
"I guess we'll find out Friday," Celica said. "Who knows, it might not be so bad."
'Damnit, why is she so innocent?' Kaminari asked himself.
Tuesday came, and it, along with the next few days, consisted of nothing but exams. There were struggles for all involved, some more than others, but they managed to persevere. Before long it was Friday, the day the hero course students' Practical Exams would begin.
Classes 1-A and 1-B were dressed in their hero costumes, ready to take on the practical exam that would determine whether or not they passed this semester.
Aizawa and Vlad were waiting for them at the entrance. "Alright, let's go down to the test site," Vlad said, gesturing towards the bus that was parked nearby. The students got onto the bus, chatting excitedly about what the practical exam might entail. Some were nervous, while others were confident in their abilities.
Before long they arrived at the test site. Before both classes stood the teachers who had taught them throughout the year. Aizawa and Vlad walked over to join the row of Snipe, Cementoss, Midnight, Thirteen, Ectoplasm, Mizu, Power Loader, and Present Mic. Above them was a giant electronic billboard of sorts as well with U.A.'s logo on it.
"Why are all the teachers here?" Celica asked.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Ochako muttered.
"Welcome to Battle Center Beta, everyone," Mizu called out. "I bet everyone's eager to finish the Practical Exam as soon as possible, right? I'm sure some of you asked around to get an idea of what the exam will be, right?"
"It's gonna be a Robot Rumble! Like facing an army of Zero Pointers!" Kaminari declared confidently.
"Fireworks! Curry! Test of Courage!" Mina cheered, getting ahead of herself.
"YEA!" Manga agreed, using his Quirk to create happy sound effects words.
"Don't forget bonfires!" Setsuna added.
"A free-for-all fight to the finish?" Tokoyami inquired.
"Not quite my dear students!" Principal Nezu suddenly popped out of Aizawa's scarf. "You see, a new colleague of mine has expressed his opinion on how the Exam is carried out, stating it is not currently applicable to the real world, which I agree with! In other words, something completely different!"
Kaminari and Mina froze while Manga had the words pop up above him that said 'Wa Waa Wa Waaaaa.', similar to the trumpet fail sound effect.
The hero course students who had some connection to the supernatural all quickly realized who Nezu's new colleague was. 'Azazel…'
"So how will the exams be different?" Liana asked.
"Normally what we would've done is put you up against the combat robots from the entrance exams, along with maybe one of the teachers, but as Nezu said that's not gonna cut it anymore," Aizawa said. "Due to the growth you all have had here in U.A. and at your internships, combined with external factors, we felt it appropriate to change the exam's formatting completely." He tapped his watch, and the billboard flashed, displaying eight lines with text in them.
Villain Capture
Hostage Situation
Natural Disaster
Crime Scene Investigation
Infiltration of a Villain Lair
Bomb Retrieval and Disarming
Cargo Protection
Armed Robbery
"As you can see the Practical today will be eight separate simulations, all of which will be emulating events you all will encounter in your careers as Pros," Vlad stated as the classes buzzed with questions.
"Hostages? Disaster?" Tsubasa said aloud.
"Bring on the villains! I can take 'em!" Kirishima declared.
"Protecting cargo?" Ibara questioned.
"B-bombs?" Pony muttered nervously.
"Of course, some of the teachers you see before you will be taking part in these simulations," Mizu added. "Some of us will be playing certain roles. They may aid you, or may fight against you, or something else entirely different. Of course, they won't be the only ones taking part in this, and they won't be students either," she smirked.
"Hang on," Izuku spoke aloud. "People taking part in this that are not the teachers or students? Not robots?"
"Who will they be?" Ochako asked.
Aizawa let off a soft, almost sadistic chuckle. "That's for us to know and you to find out. Vlad, Ryūtō, and I won't be taking part in these exams, as we will be acting as your Proctors. How you pass will be up to us. I trust I don't need to elaborate further?" No questions were asked. "Good."
"Now then, here are your groups!" Nezu declared as the names were now on display besides the exam criteria.
Villain Capture: Yura Tsubasa, Shoji Mezo, Kirishima Eijiro, Monoma Neito, and Rin Hiryu.
Hostage Situation: Midoriya Izuku, Hagakure Toru, Kendo Itsuka, Jiro Kyoka, and Kodai Yui.
Natural Disaster: Mineta Minoru, Liana Kozuki, Tokage Setsuna, Jurota Shishida, and Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu.
Crime Scene Investigation: Kaminari Denki, Ashido Mina, Kuroiro Shihai, Kido Hyde, and Pony Tsunotori.
Infiltration of a Villain Lair: Bakugo Katsuki, Honenuki Juzo, Sero Santa, Kamakiri Togaru, and Iida Tenya.
Bomb Retrieval and Disarming: Milia Takamaki, Tsuburaba Kosei, Awase Yosetsu, Uraraka Ochako, and Aoyama Yuga.
Cargo Protection: Yaoyorozu Momo, Celica A. Mercury, Shiozaki Ibara, Yanagi Reiko, and Asui Tsuyu.
Armed Robbery: Fukidashi Manga, Kaibara Sen, Todoroki Shoko, Tokoyami Fumikage, and Komori Kinoko.
The students talked amongst themselves over the matchups before Aizawa continued. "Now, 8 stages have been prepared. All teams will begin simultaneously. The test guidelines will be explained once you reach the staging area." Aizawa said. "All the stages are on school grounds, please report to your respective vans."
Aizawa motioned over to some vans that had the digits 1-8 on their backs. Izuku took a deep breath as he and the others walked towards their buses. The students shouted words of encouragement to one another, but all of their stress levels had honestly skyrocketed.
Izuku, followed by Toru, Itsuka, Kyoka, and Yui, boarded their van, with Mizu taking the driver's seat. The ride was quiet as they made their way to their assigned stage.
"So…any plans for the summer?" Mizu asked, attempting to keep some camaraderie up by making odd bits of conversation.
"I don't know," Itsuka muttered. "Haven't really thought of it."
"Uh…I guess training?" Izuku shrugged.
"Dude, is there anything you do that doesn't involve training?" Kyoka asked.
"Uh… study heroes?" Izuku weakly offered.
"Dork," Yui smirked.
Toru giggled. "I mean, the summer training isn't until August, so we have a few weeks to do whatever."
"Ah, yes. I remember my first time at the summer training regimen," Mizu sighed, thinking back to her school days.
"What was it like?" Yui asked, invested.
"The camps usually emphasize honing your Quirks, so I had to generate and control my plasma nearly constantly!" Mizu groaned at the memory. "Ugh, I honestly thought I was gonna die the first couple of days."
Izuku and the girls all shared a look.
"Believe it or not, I actually got lucky," Mizu continued. "One of my classmates had to- Oh, we're here." Mizu drove up to the testing ground.
Once Mizu parked the van, the six of them left it and stood before the gates of the testing ground. "Woah, Cementoss went all out on this testing ground," Toru laughed. "Where's his Pritzker Prize?"
"It looks like downtown Tokyo," Izuku said.
"So, Mizu-sensei. How does this test work?" Itsuka asked
"The rules are simple," Mizu held up a couple of pairs of handcuffs. "The time limit for your exam is 30 minutes. Your objective is to either rescue the hostage from the villains, capture the villains with these handcuffs, or stall them while at least two of you escape the staging area to 'get help'. This is meant to emulate a real-world scenario as much as possible, so be careful." Mizu answered before she smirked. "As for who you will be fighting…"
The opponents landed before the students before Mizu could finish, one of them sporting a wicked grin.
"Long time, no see Midoriya!" Mirko grinned, she and Ryukyu in dragon from standing before them.
"…We're fighting pros?!" Toru and Kyoka exclaimed in shock while the others gawked.
"Yep," Mizu nodded.
"This doesn't seem very fair," Itsuka noted.
"As I'm sure you heard from Eraserhead, life's very rarely fair," Mizu countered. "But to make sure you kids stand a fighting chance, the support course created these," Mizu pulled out something that looked like an ankle weight of some sort. "Ultra Compressed Weights."
"They're designed to weigh us down by fifty percent of our own body weight, simulating slower movements and stamina drains," Ryukyu said as she shifted to human form.
"Not a big fan of these things, but the rat said to do it so…" Mirko put on some of the weights. "Crap, they're heavier than I thought. But…" she grinned at Izuku. "If it means fighting you, I'm not gonna complain. We got interrupted last time, so…"
"Odd. I seem to remember that you challenged my mother instead," Ryukyu pointed out.
"Shut up!"
Mizu laughed before turning to the students. "Now then, report to the center of the city. When everyone else is in place…the exam will begin."
It didn't take long for Izuku, Toru, Itsuka, Kyoka, and Yui to reach the center. It was eerily quiet as they waited for the exam to start. "Okay, this is kinda intense," Toru muttered.
"Yeah," Kyoka nodded before looking Toru over. "By the way, I see you finally got a proper costume, huh?"
"Yup!" Toru gave a thumbs up. Her new costume still had the original shoes and gloves, but now there was a two-piece suit made from a combination of special tech and her hair, being comprised of a sleeveless top and shorts. There was also a hooded cloak that split into ribbons.
"It looks nice," Izuku nodded.
"It sure does. And check this out!" Toru reached down to her pants and pressed a button, causing the suit, minus the gloves and shoes, to disappear from sight. "Cool, huh?"
"Mh!" Yui nodded. "So what's the plan?"
"Well, first we need to find the hostage before anything else," Izuku looked out across the faux city. "And that won't be very easy."
"I can use my Quirk to try and find them," Kyoka spoke up. "But how the hell are we gonna get past Ryukyu and Mirko?"
"I'm… still working on that part. It's about… Twelve percent of a plan," Izuku admitted. All the girls looked at him with odd looks.
"I sure hope your big, beautiful brain doesn't fail us today, Izi," Toru muttered. Yui nodded.
"Do you think you guys can use your Sacred Gears for this?" Kyoka asked. "I mean, Ryukyu already knows, so odds are Mirko might know too. And given Azazel is part of the staff now…"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Yui suddenly beamed, stars in her eyes as she got up into Izuku's face, to the green-haired boy's shock. "I wanna see you go Tokusatsu on them!"
Itsuka calmly pulled Yuri back. "Yui, control your fangirl side, please."
Kyoka was about to say something when her Earphone Jacks twitched. "Incoming!"
Kyoka quickly pushed them all into a nearby alleyway before a shockwave hit where they stood, the force of which main road and a few nearby buildings to crumble under the pressure.
"Holy shit!" Itsuka muttered with wide eyes as Mirko landed in front of them.
"Just because this is a test, doesn't mean I'm gonna hold back on ya!" Mirko licked her lips.
AN: And done! The final exams have finally started, but instead of fighting the teachers, the students have to fight the top pros while also doing a separate task. Gotta admit, I might've bitten off more than I could chew with that part. Oh, and unlike the anime, ALL of these exams will be taking place at the same time as in the manga.
We also got to meet Tobio and Suzaku, who revealed her original name to be Akane. In canon, whenever someone from the Five Principal Clans inherits their Sacred Beast, they usually change their name to match it. Currently, we don't know what Suzaku's original name was, so I decided to go with Akane (朱音) since it's the Japanese word for 'deep red', which ties into how members of the Himejima Clan (except for Ikuse Tobio) have the kanji 朱(meaning 'Vermilion') in their name, a reference to their Sacred Beast.
Toru's new costume is based on a design done by freshnightcrawler on Tumblr (freshnightcrawler . Tumblr post / 180211307226 / a-hagakure-redesign-i-came-up-with-a-while-ago).
Anyway, next time we'll continue the final exams, as well as see how everyone else will be doing. Might take a while, though. Sorry.
Until then, stay safe, stay healthy, and don't be racist! Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!