Guild Master here again, again.
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The day of the Practical Exams had finally arrived. Just the day before were the written exams that still commanded a larger proportion of their grades; now it was time to get into the real meat of the exams.
A few days earlier from the actual exam day, there was a student from the class just one unit over that was nice enough to alert them to the nature of the practical exam. Apparently there was an alumni that was informing those close to them that the practical exam was usually an exercise that would entail a battle with robotic substitutions for villains. This thought wasn't as comforting to the class of 1-A since their latest interactions with robotic opponents. A hellish nightmare of a battle with upgraded mechs that barely reacted to multiple attacks from multiple opponents wasn't a comforting thought.
Many students were just trying to steel themselves for the impending battle where eliminating such impossible opponent's was a requirement for their continued success in UA Academy. It was just odd for the most part to see the whole of the most successful UA teaching staff stand before them in a lineup of their own.
Their own Dean of Education popped out of Eraser Head's scarf to inform them that the curriculum had been altered to fit the classes unique circumstances. It was a massive relief for a majority of the student's dreading the upcoming bloodbath; though the chaos replaced was one that wasn't far off from the previously anticipated one before.
Some Time Earlier
"So you wish to do what, again?"
The principal of UA Academy was overlooking the documentation provided by the man that had called for the sudden meeting in the educator's office out of nowhere. Nothing else could have warranted as much importance as this one person's presence in the eyes of those working under him.
"I believe that the educators of UA Academy should see to themselves that their students are competent and capable enough to face the dangers of the real world after graduation. This is just a simple readjustment to see to that need of better equipped students."
The white haired man in the expensive suit turned towards the chimera of a principal and revealed a very familiar face that the educator was well familiar with.
"I'm not doing this to make the lives of your staff more difficult, Nezu. I didn't assign you to this post to think like the commonwealth; you and I are well aware that this class is not one to be neglected or treated as the others."
It was difficult to deny the importance of Nakamura Haru in the life of Nezu; the current head of Education at UA Academy. Rescued from the test facility and given his life as a well respected citizen of Japan was mostly due to the effort's of this one man who fished him out of that god forsaken laboratory.
"... Very well. It will be as you wish, sir."
A bit of frustration escaped Haru as he sat down and poured himself a cup of tea with the leaves he brought for the principal. It was likely due to Haru and his penchant for tea around the educator that caused Nezu to be just as enamored by the selection of beverage.
"Nezu; think for yourself when I'm here, dammit. I don't want another peon like those when I'm trying to educate these children."
Haru's thumb was lazily pointed to the ESD officer's standing patrol next to the doorways inside the office space. Hinting at the extraneous measures he went through to save the hybrid creature with how little he wanted the similar behavior he received from others in his organization; it was clearly not just an act of charity.
One would think that such brash and inconsiderate behavior was just another means for one to be as angry as they could towards the individual spouting such vile nonsense. For Nezu; it was Haru being considerate and demanding that he be nothing but honest with him as they go over curriculum for the student's they both care very much for.
"Okay. If you wish; I have recommendations over what could be done to better further the value of the exams. Would I have your permission to proceed?"
Sipping his tea and placing the cup back down; Haru gave Nezu his attention and instructed the educator over what he desired to be done.
"You do. Get it done and know you have my jurisdiction to do so. Besides that; do you have the reports I asked for?"
Such trust wasn't given lightly. Even Nezu knew better to take such commands lightly and proceeded to complete the meeting with the spreadsheets and data that was the one person that was equivalent to god; in comparison to the man-made creature in charge of the greatest educational institution in the country.
Present Time
Apprehension hung in the air over the shift of difficulty from effort to technical thinking. Not only was the previous info over the practical exam rendered completely useless; now there was no way for the student's to expect what to do against the staff they were to be selectively paired against. The first announced pair was Todoroki and Yaoyorozu against Eraser Head. There was a bit of a discrepancy from multiple angles of observation with the matchup. What was even more startling was the next pair announced for the practical exams.
Not one seen as unexpected, it was more like a mismatched pair that seemingly had their sordid history that kept them at arm's length of one another. That didn't change the fact that they both had the least amount of apparent success with one another in such an intensive exercise such as this. Their instructor that they were matched up with was as much of a terrible matchup for the boys who were at obligation to face off against him.
"I'm here to offer my assistance! So do your best to oblige me, young heroes to be!"
Expectations of even managing to live past today were at an all time low.
UA Urban Arena
It was only Katsuki and Izuku that was left to their devices as All Might moved to the area that was approved for him to start at. Their atmosphere was awkward and stiff; though it wasn't hostile nor uninviting by any means.
"..."
"..."
Both boys had the foresight to not move just yet before they were to engage their target inside the busy and cluttered arena. A disclaimer given to the students was that they had an opportunity to think and plan as long as they kept their feet planted on the designated spots that were marked at their starting positions. It was a tremendous advantage for student's like Izuku and Bakugou; though the communication part was rather critical.
"..."
"..."
At this point the exercise was going absolutely nowhere. Neither side knew what to say to the other as the time was yet to start for their planning phase.
"... Ka-"
"... Izu-"
By this point it was painful how awkward it was for either boy to figure out what it was they wanted to say to the other. One side's inability to communicate in combination to the other side's lack of desire to do so had added up to the perfect disaster of miscommunication. Neither side could spit out their plans of attack nor their intentions of trying for some sort of plan.
A rather serious impasse for the student's seeking to reach the set goals of their educational institute.
UA Rural Arena
Todoroki and Momo were already set on a plan of attack that had both parties plan before entering their personalized scenario. It was to be expected that Todoroki was the worst matchup against their homeroom teacher. His quirk was an active power while Momo had a quirk that had an inherently passive angle to its ability. The few moments they had to discuss their groundwork was invaluable to develop their ability to act as heroes.
Both were out and about in the simulated rural neighborhood while Aizawa was out and about hunting his students. Eventually he found the pair shuffling around corner to corner while openly communicating their visuals and possible signs that Aizawa was around. His enhanced mobility paired with his unique scarf gave him vertical movement like a monkey deep inside of a dense jungle. His usual style of combat was more than enough to combat the young heroes in training.
They were so busy looking left and right for their teacher that they neglected to look above them. Dropping down from above while hanging upside down by a single strip of his scarf, Aizawa was stealthy in his approach enough that it wasn't until they caught sight of the man from the edge of their vision. There was no time to react as Shoto told Yaoyorozu to book it while he held off the instructor. Eraser Head easily suppressed Todoroki's quirk and bound up the boy and hung him up under the powerlines.
"Seriously? I just need to freeze or burn these and I'm right back into the fight."
The response he got from Aizawa was not one he was prepared for.
"Go ahead and try. That fiber can withstand all sorts of abuse; including negative temperatures and heat up to twenty-five hundred degrees for a good amount of time. You might be able to manage, though I doubt you would want to take me on after I'm done with Ms. Yaoyorozu."
It was true that the only true advantage Todoroki had against his teacher was the numbers advantage with Momo. One on one was entirely Eraser Head's game, and Shoto being strung up like dried mackerel was testament to that reality. He quickly attempted to freeze the thin fabric and it didn't give or shatter as expected. Using heat to burn through the material revealed that Aizawa was right about the scarf being resistant to temperatures. He was up to the temperature to melt copper and it still was as sturdy as ever.
Somewhere out there; Shoto was certain that there was some sort of company that was developed with his quirk in mind that built all sorts of weapons and tech to just piss him off. He really couldn't catch a break at this point. Meanwhile, as Shoto was left to hang, Momo was struggling with her own predicament.
Aizawa was closing the distance and she could hear his footsteps along the rooftops. Her head start was beginning to look less advantageous as more time went on. The last bit of distance between her and the teacher was just a house and the alley where she was tucked away in. There was no point in hesitating to go in for the final capture of Momo.
Leaping over the alley and taking air as he aimed to launch another scarf, what he was met with wasn't the sight of his student hiding from him. A weird canister suddenly came out of nowhere and flew right at him, so his natural reaction was to get rid of the item immediately and safely. One of the scarfs was launched towards the offending object; before he could toss the object away, it suddenly peeled open from the middle and bloomed out with metallic petals spread out at both ends of the cylindrical object.
Without any time to react; there wasn't just a singular flash, but a rapid chain of absurdly bright flashes with concussive blasts of sounds that made Aizawa's head feel like it was used like a drum set after a three hour concert. By no means was the hero unfamiliar with the concept of a flashbang. This particular one was like if a bundle of twenty of them or so were all packed into one and going off one after another. Had it not been for the goggles he was synonymous with; he was certain that his retinas would have burned out for certain.
There was enough powerful light and deafening noise to throw off Eraser Head and send him tumbling towards the next roof over and down into the yard section of the empty home. When she heard her teacher hit the ground with one solid slam, Momo came out of hiding and produced four gas grenades and threw them all into the enclosed space.
The walls were the perfect prison for the gas to pool inside of due to its higher density than the air around it. Aizawa took one accidental breath in and coughed involuntarily. That cough made him start to inhale unintentionally and cause a cycle of breathing in and coughing to try and expel the irritant from out of his lungs. Momo didn't want to seriously injure her homeroom teacher; so rather than using a full on tear gas, she reduced the amount of capsaicin and other gaseous compounds.
He wasn't going to die, but every sensation in his body was causing him a significant amount of discomfort. The gas he was trapped in as he picked himself up off the ground was a thick fog that he was unable to even see his own arms through. Picking himself off the ground should have taken a second at most; but he felt what he first thought was rain begin to coat him and soak him through and through.
There was something very off with the rain that was coming down on him. Rather than just beading and soaking into his clothes like normal rain did; the fluid started to cake up and coat everything it landed upon. He was up onto his feet and immediately slipped and fell on his ass once again. The ground all around him was nothing but hard concrete and was not soaking up the mysterious liquid like his clothes already had done.
Outside of the gas fog was Momo standing up on a ladder and using a paint sprayer filled with a viscous liquid while spraying the area she was certain that Aizawa was still inside of. Hearing a fully grown man eat shit and groan in pain was enough for her to feel confident that she did manage to trap the teacher.
Her assault was unrelenting as Eraser Head was trying to use his scarf without success. Whatever she was using to cover him and the area was some sort of industrial lubricant meant for heavy and intricate machinery. He couldn't even stand up nor see out of his now very foggy goggles. Everything became an incoherent dark amber blur as he kept trying to wipe at his eye protection. With no other choice; Aizawa tossed the goggles and struggled to readjust his eyes after being hit with that stun grenade that somehow had a rapid fire function. Lubricant was getting in his eyes and made it harder to breathe as its metallic stench just made him gag with irritated lungs. He was unable to find purchase for his boots or hands and kept struggling to even stand up.
Enough was enough. Momo had felt there was enough of a film covering everything and soaking her teacher through enough to buy her and Todoroki enough time to head for the gate. Her last act of aggression was to produce several balloons of the industrial lubricant she studied up on and threw them directly at and around Aizawa's immediate surroundings. They did exactly as what they were meant for and coated every inch of the teacher in the greasy liquid.
One last precaution for Momo was to produce a rivet gun and seal the doorways leading to and from the backyard area Aizawa was trapped inside of. It was more of a precaution than anything for her to secure a victory for herself and her partner. She booked it back towards Todoroki and saw him trying to flash freeze and burn the material keeping him bound up without avail. Shoto caught sight of Momo alone and without a tail following her.
"Yaoyorozu! Where's Aizawa? He should be-"
"I caught him in the trap I set! We should have enough time to get through the gate unimpeded now. If I can just…"
The knot came undone and released the entrapped boy from his prison of fabric. After they got their bearings; they found the exit gate and finished the exercise in record time.
A massive ringing noise coming out of the overhead arch alerted the students to their completion of the practical exams. Though it was a bit of a humbling experience; Shoto was rather impressed and pleased that his confidence in the class vice representative was not misplaced at all. He was slightly unsure as to let Momo take the lead as she explained what it was she wanted him to do.
Shoto was the one at the disadvantage versus Eraser Head and his neutralization ability. His hand to hand combat experience was just another layer of difficulty for the boy who was more accustomed to fighting with his power. Momo suggested something he thought was rather bold and risky for someone like her.
Beginning of the Exercise
"... You want me to do what?"
Both teens still had their feet on the starting points and had time to discuss their plan of attack. UA curriculum didn't want their heroes to go into every situation, guns blazing; so the available time they had as long as they didn't move was a way for the students to get their bearings. Momo took one look around the environment and hatched a plan that had quite a bit of risk attached to it.
"I know it's crazy, but I need you to play the part. If Aizawa sensei were to attack either one of us out the gate, you're the only logical option for him to secure before going after me."
The gist of the plan was for Todoroki to allow himself to get captured for Momo to draw Aizawa towards a favorable position where she could ambush him. Almost the entire environment consisted of hard concrete boxes and narrow walkways in between the simulated homes. Their teacher wouldn't risk giving up the advantage of the higher ground. It was this sort of sensible judgment that Momo was going to exploit and retaliate against.
Once she managed to get the jump on him; if she managed to find an ideal space to work with, then the next part was going to be nothing short of clockwork. Stunning him would likely cause him to fall into one of the enclosures and box him in something similar to a killbox. From there she would keep up the assault and guarantee their victory. What she needed from Todoroki was for him to trust her.
"... Okay. I'll be the bait. I just hope that he doesn't catch on."
What followed was them patrolling to find the ideal spot to draw in Eraser Head for the planned ambush. Them wandering around looked innocent enough while in actuality they were working towards their victory. Finding it and circling around aimlessly was all part of their plan to trap the homeroom teacher. From start to finish; the game was already theirs before it even started.
ESD Medical Station
There were a multitude of different tents set up and bustling with medical staff from the ESD prepping a cot for the recently decommissioned Aizawa. A few officers flew out of the tent and into one of the transport four by fours towards the location of the teacher inside the rural simulation area. Recovery Girl was sitting comfy and enjoying the show on her monitor setup. Her security detail stood next to her work station in their usual manner of stoic silence while she mused over the actions that Momo took to secure victory for herself and Todoroki.
What was clear was that the girl was destined for greater things if she was capable of such one sided victories against heroes like Eraser Head. An elderly chuckle escaped her throat as she began to scroll through the other available feeds. The next one that caught her attention was something that made her sigh and shake her head a bit. That All Might really didn't know what the word restraint meant.
UA Urban Arena
Both Katsuki and Izuku were taking shelter behind a wall with Bakugou acting as the point man closest to the corner that led to the open street area. A significant amount of damage to the road itself and the surrounding buildings was raining down shards of broken glass and rubble from far above. Nothing about the current scenario was ideal for the two boys after their botched start.
One thing led to another; and now it was them trying to remain hidden while trying to locate All Might through all the destruction he wrought upon the practice arena. Who would have thought it was quite difficult to locate a mountain of a man in what was essentially an empty city.
Earlier
Neither boy knew where to go from here with their current situation requiring precise coordination and communication. Years of not speaking and not knowing someone were two wholly different things; one was open to possibility and had infinite potential, the other was awkward and detrimental to two childhood friends.
"... Ka-chan. Do you have anything to go off of? Maybe an idea?"
What met Izuku's polite and open demeanor was another reluctant sigh and dismissive attitude. Katsuki didn't know what to do, but his behavior was just adding to the already building pile of grievances Midoriya had against Bakugou.
"I don't fucking know! Do you honestly expect me to just know this shit?"
It was starting to get on Izuku's nerves with all the shit he's had to deal with while he was the only one who even put up an effort to preserve their friendship.
"... Ka-chan; I think we need to be on the same page here. All Might may be restrained by those weights, but it isn't something that-"
"Then say something! Goddamn, would you let a guy think for a moment?!"
Things were difficult enough with their practical exam grade being on the line. Hearing Katsuki throw nothing but disrespectful demands and short tempered behavior was just about enough for Izuku to stomach.
"... No."
"What did you say?"
He was close to the brink of blowing up, but his last visage of his common sense managed to keep his feet planted on the two starting points that kept the clock from starting.
"I've done nothing but treat you with kindness and respect all these years. Would it kill you to stop acting like such an asshole?"
It wasn't meant to come out as an insult, but Izuku was beyond done with the constant coldness and disrespectfulness. He knew that he deserved better from someone he worked nonstop to maintain some sort of familiarity with. This was enough. Surprisingly; it wasn't Bakugou that was acting out of anger, but Midoriya.
"I never asked you to keep talking to me. If anything, you were irritating and annoying for all those-"
"Shut the fuck up! Just shut your fucking mouth!"
Tempers were starting to fly with things starting to come to head. Izuku was close to erupting and Katsuki's temper was on the rise with every passing moment.
"Me?! Why don't you learn to take a hint; you dumb mother-"
"Screw you, asshole! What gives you the right to treat me like shit?!"
"What fucking law says I needed to act like a pussy while you just kept annoying me?!"
That was the last bit of emotional fuse between the spark and the inevitable confrontation went out with Katsuki speaking his mind on the matter. Although he never meant to act out and say it like he did; the words already escaped his lips and kicked off Midoriya's building anger and frustration with the blonde.
Words weren't enough for the two childhood friends to resolve their differences. Midoriya activated One for All and flew into a right hook that connected with Katsuki's face. Thankfully for the boy; he knew how to take a hit. The following blow came from Katsuki as he used his quirk to close the distance and jam the tip of his boot into Izuku's side. He didn't hit the bone, though it didn't detract from the jarring pain that shot up Izuku's spine.
Even with the quirk active; Katsuki's well trained reflexes retaliated a blow that Izuku stumbled back from. The timer had started when Izuku took the first blow against Bakugou and was currently unaware of the real threat making its way down the street towards the two boys. This didn't stop Izuku from snapping back at Bakugou with another punch at Bakugou's head that was just barely deflected by a raised guard. What collided with Midoriya's torso was a normal explosive attack that sent the boy back a bit without causing too much discomfort.
Izuku didn't give Katsuki any space to recover by leaping back into action and landing a knee against the side of the blonde's head. The score was pretty much tied up between them with the most recent retaliation of physical damage.
Neither side was willing to concede the ground that they had against the other boy, though that didn't matter much when a destructive gale of power came down the main road leading to the exit gate. So much of the surrounding buildings were totaled by the shockwave alone. Having the roads and concrete part of the structures crack and crumble was just a bit of a somber reminder for the two teenagers where they were and who it was they were facing off against.
"Now, is that any way for childhood friends to speak and act towards one another?"
From the dust clouds rose the symbol of heroism and world peace himself. Commanding all their attention was All Might and his presence in the practical exam.
"I do hope you two can find it within yourselves to at least act maturely enough to survive me."
His right arm went up in a pose that hinted at another attack coming right their way. It was either their current squabble or their spines.
"Now, here I come!"
Despite the weight restrictors All Might had on his ankles and wrists; his movement and power looked to have been unaffected by such a mild handicap. He bull rushed the teens with arms spread out and created an air barrier as he charged the teenagers through the clouds of floating dust.
Both teens were well trained enough to know that taking on such a deadly charge wasn't the course of action to take. They split and ran straight for the left and right of All Might's charging figure. An action they knew All Might wasn't accustomed to as they closed the gap in a well coordinated attack that would have taken anybody else off guard with how sharp their actions were in comparison to a little earlier.
When they were about to close in on the hero; the juggernaut of a human being suddenly disappeared out of sight and left the teenagers to stare at one another in confusion as to where their original quarry had run off to. That question was answered with both boys being flattened against the asphalt with a shockwave from another one of All Might's attacks.
"Good effort, boys! I do hope that isn't everything you have available for me."
The entire encounter was a bit one sided with how little Izuku and Bakugou could do against the veteran hero in his restricted state. Eventually they had no choice but to run and seek shelter from their mutual enemy.
Present Time
Hiding was the best they could do as of right now. If only one of them made it through the gate without the other; the grade was null and would be equivalent to failing immediately. Katsuki and Izuku were huffing and heaving to catch their breath while All Might was remaining out of sight while searching for the teenagers.
It still hung heavy in the air for the both of them. It was just a few moments ago that they began to swing at one another after forgetting that a midterm exercise was where they were in the first place. Both felt awkward, though not as much as they felt angry with the other person. Nobody wanted to speak a word over what had just happened just before things went to hell.
All Might was patrolling the destroyed streets as he recalled the conversation he had with his fellow mentor just a few days ago. A request that he didn't think he would have to be obliged to fulfill before witnessing what he saw transpired between the young Midoriya and Bakugou.
A Few Days Ago
He couldn't believe what it was he was hearing Haru ask of him with the up and coming midterms for their mutual charge. It almost felt like a bad joke with how ridiculous of a favor it sounded like.
"... Why?"
Inside Haru's eyes was a clear and distraught spirit. What was being asked of All Might wasn't easy for the man who had watched over these children for almost their entire lives to ask. The response to All Might's question felt like a one time deal to the confused hero.
"Neither Izuku or Katsuki are ready to continue as they are. Letting them go about their business isn't something that would benefit them as of right now…"
It was almost daybreak as the early hours of the day was when they agreed to meet for whatever it was that Haru wanted to ask for the symbol of world peace. For the first time in their strange relationship; Haru was the weaker of the two as he bowed in humility while asking what he needed from the hero sent to test the two boys he felt responsible for.
"Please. Do not allow them to pass their midterm practical exam. If they pass; all that would do is communicate to them that they are not at obligation to what it is that plagues them. Please…"
All Might understood the value that losing offered to those who needed to understand what it is they lacked as individuals. Seeing Haru act with so much vulnerable humility just reinforced the importance that the man saw in the loss of the two boys during this exercise. He was the odd man out as he accepted the request from the man who had in a way helped him become a better mentor. It still surprised him how vulnerable the man was in asking such a thing from him.
There wasn't even a guarantee that he would be matched up with one or the other boy until the exam date. It seemed as though Haru had different thoughts on the matter for some reason.
Present Time
The coast was seemingly clear for the teenagers to take their leave of the arena. Being professional; Bakugou directed Izuku forward with hand signals while keeping a sharp eye on the surrounding area. They were focused on the task at hand while the animosity they felt for one another was set on the backburner. Clearly what they thought was something of some value wasn't such as long as they were able to pass the exam without incident. It was almost a single block to the exit gate before a sudden impact in front of the archway stopped them cold in their tracks.
"Nebraska Smash!"
A massive cyclone of wind and dust eviscerated the space that All Might landed in. Midoriya and Bakugou were even sent back double the space they were at from the exit. Now was the time to get back into the ugly side of hero work and fight for their right as heroes. It was Midoriya who suffered the first counter from All Might as the attack sent the boy further back into the arena and away from the exit goal.
Katsuki was not much better off with another straight that he was certain he countered with 'breaching charge'. Like Izuku; Bakugou was not thrown, but launched with a simple punch back into the arena. It was dawning on the boys that All Might had no intentions of holding back against either examinee.
"Come! We haven't all day; do you not wish to prove yourselves worthy?"
Another provocation from the hero that was standing in the way of their progress. Their journey cost them so much blood, tears, and sweat for them to simply give up now. They got up and charged up their abilities to return to the fray. As much disdain they realized they held for one another; this was something that they knew was important to pass in their journeys towards becoming the heroes they wish to become. After this, they could go their separate ways and just leave it at that.
Later
Recovery girl could only sigh in sympathy of the two boys who were rendered unconscious by All Might. It was a valiant fight; but the two students failed in the exercise and were knocked out cold through the efforts of All Might himself. He looked rather haggard with how much effort the two boys made him put up to prevent their success in the exercise.
The ESD medical staff brought the two boys into the tent that Recovery Girl sat in at the request of the ex heroine. It was Izuku who came to first as Katsuki was still being attended to before being transferred to the main medical facility. Reality set in for the teenage boy as he was somewhat speechless to what had just happened.
"... We lost?"
Even the best of the best knew what loss meant in the grand scheme of things. The pain of losing didn't feel any less painful for Midoriya as he began to fight the tears that he fought to contain. No matter how many times she saw it happen; watching kids learn from their losses was something she couldn't take any joy in witnessing. At least there was the consolation that Izuku was going to learn from this experience along with Bakugou.
ESD assessed Izuku as able enough to remain at the tent to watch the remaining examinations from the command center. He wanted to see how his fellow classmates were doing after the fact he had failed the exercise.
Seeing Tokoyami and Tsuyu work in tandem to succeed in their exercise made Izuku feel that much worse about how his short sighted temperament cost him the victory. There was a significant amount of improvement with Tokoyami as he managed to split his shadow into three different branches while commanding all of them enough to utilize the cuffs Tsuyu had inside her throat.
A bit of nervousness swapping to Mina's exam was quickly quelled as the giant mech the principal had been operating was being hit with a lethal dose of electricity from Kaminari. The entire industrial arena was covered in an acidic mist that ate away at the internal and external shielding of the machine that Nezu was using. Once the mech began to stall and seize up; Mina snapped her fingers and got Kaminari to launch his quirk through the air and disable the machine.
Conductivity with the acidic mist she released was enough for the amps to connect with the giant robot and fry the internals. She and Kaminari managed to exit the course with little difficulty.
It didn't worry Midoriya much to see Kyoka face off against Present Mic along with Kouda's quirk and her analytical abilities. The teacher's ability to use his own voice as a sonar weapon was thankfully counteracted with Kyoka's headset that her earphone jacks would loop through.
As lame as it sounded; it was Haru's gripes of her risking her hearing that caused Kyoka to include the shielded headphones that would allow the full mobility of her earphone while protecting the girl's eardrums. Each jack was looped into the headgear and kept Kyoka's hearing safe with a system of sensors that blocked certain auditory waves deemed too harmful for the human ear. She wasn't even sure that UA was able to make such a piece of equipment when she submitted the request for her costume. Seeing the headgear was as much of a surprise to her as anybody else.
"You still not here yet?!"
Not only did the equipment protect her ears from damaging decibels of noise; there was a readout that informed Kyoka of the volume of sound that would have otherwise caused her harm. The feminine robotic voice alerted her that the sound level was enough to have damaged her ears to the point of bleeding. It took some time; eventually, Kouda was able to call upon an unnatural amount of insects from deep inside the soil to traumatize Present Mic. They passed; though the hero was in sincere need of long term therapy from the event.
Mineta managed to use his quirk to pin the hero Midnight to her whip and a boulder. He was just able to drag Sero with him to the exit and pass the exercise. Her quirk to emit a gas to render people unconscious on a single breath was something he struggled and succeeded against by the skin of his teeth.
Uraraka was squeaking by with her partner Aoyoma holding onto the handrail that Thirteen was trying to pry them off of with her quirk. There was a bit of a panic going on as Ochaco was trying to weigh her current options. A person she regarded with high regard came to mind as she asked herself what it was he would do in her situation. Something that her partner for the midterm was able to pick up on and utilize.
"Uraraka, if you don't mind-"
"Not now, Aoyama!"
His navel lazer was a dud against the vortex of Thirteen's quirk. Aoyama was now acting out of sensibility rather than weighing the morality of certain actions. He was rather perceptive in comparison to the eccentric and narcissistic character he played.
"Just now; you thought about what Midoriya would have done in your position. Do you perhaps like him?"
Thinking through her emotions only served to confuse Uraraka further into the emotional whirlpool she was finding herself in. Her face lit up into a bright red blush as she let go of the handrail that was keeping her from being turned into a slurry of random particles. The momentum of her flying towards the instructor was a rather significant amount of speed.
Thirteen was obviously not going to actually commit murder during an exam exercise; cancelling her quirk and allowing the duo who was up against the ropes just a few moment's before cuff her was a bit of an inevitability.
Elsewhere
Inside the privacy of his personal living space was Nakamura; watching the midterm practical exam's and seeing what it was the students were doing during their own exercises. Watching Izuku and Katsuki act as predictably as he guessed filled him with no shortage of disdain for their relationship. They knew better, yet didn't do so. By now, it was up to them to resolve things.
Many of the student's were significantly improved from their initial performances from the beginning of the year. Tokoyami took the mysterious advice he passed through All Might and actually mastered his shadow to produce more than one figure from his shadow quirk. Mina realized the support potential of her quirk that allowed her teammates to ride off of and use their own ability tenfold in comparison had she not been there. The stealth that Toru demonstrated was even something he admired until her examiner accidentally pressed up against her left breast with his right forearm. Not an easy situation to get out of as a grown-ass adult with a teenage girl.
While Snipe was struggling with the circumstance of accidentally inappropriately touching a student; Haru was mulling the data of seeing Aoyama influence Ochaco as he did. The boy was sharp and educated disproportionally to what his behavior would have indicated otherwise. Blatantly manipulating Ochaco into a scenario where a villain would have killed her for a simple opening against a teacher worried him further.
These exercises were to be analyzed by the students as genuine encounters with villains. It was concerning that Aoyama didn't have such reservations when he caused Ochaco to release her grip. Had she not been in a school exercise; she would have been considered well beyond dead.
Elsewhere
Shigaraki was brooding over the many photographs of the UA students that helped in foiling his plans of killing the symbol of justice. Each picture was disintegrated with his quirk and rendered to dust with his frustrations mounting against the students of his hated figurehead.
"Shigaraki-san, you've got some fans seeking you out from when-"
"Who the fuck are they?"
He didn't want to hear the name Stain anymore than he already did. Since that serial killer became a martyr; all Shigaraki could hear is that nutcase's name no matter where he went. The broker who worked as the middleman for the League of Villains and the general public was eager to show the de facto leader the most recent recruits showing interest in joining the organization.
The sight of a burn victim and a teenage girl wasn't instilling a lot of confidence for Shigaraki. It was a very real possibility that he was going to send the broker into an early retirement with a very permanent nature to the ejection of career choices.
"Jesus, you're creepy to look at."
One of the recruits was sporting some skin grafts that a twelve year old had installed by the look of things. So much crimson and rough skin was haphazardly sown on with clear skin being separated with a clear line where the damaged and undamaged skin sat.
"Heya! Let me join!"
The other was a blonde girl with the look of a last year highschooler. Her double buns and cheery disposition made her seem rather mentally unstable for the functions that Shigaraki had in mind for the league. Her desire to join was the only redeeming factor for all her other faults.