Here it is, the sixty-second full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released at the set time I promised each week. Alas the real world has hit me a bit and along with a planned weekend away that I had to prepare both this and my other active story (the third is almost over and fully edited and ready for uploads) meant that I could not get as much done as I would have liked so all I have been able to do is the weekly one. Anyway, the provisional hero license exam is now in full swing as we near the end of the first and prepare for the second test. That is all the administrative stuff I have for now and as there are no review questions to answer or guest reviews to respond to I will end this note here. Do keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from y'all. Now, though, it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 62nd full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.

Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction

Chapter 62: End of First into Last

"70 people have passed." Mera's voice said over the announcement as Adrien, Marinette and Todoroki all milled around in the antechamber having been the only ones to pass so far and now the numbers were not looking good for the rest of their class. "30 more and we'll be finished with this part of the exam."

"Where are the others?" Todoroki asked as both Marinette and Adrien continued to eat stocking up on energy that was lost or overloading just in case it might be needed in the next phase, Marinette having gotten herself a plate since last they spoke. "Has the info the other schools had done them in?"

"Have some faith Todoroki." Marinette said as she looked around and smiled at what she saw. "See, 4 more have passed."

Todoroki turned to see Asui, Shoji, Yaoyorozu and Jiro all walking towards them. It was clear that they'd only recently passed as they still had their now blue targets on, but they seemed pleased, and Momo smiled as she saw them.

"I'm glad to see that you three passed." Momo said as their classmates reached them. "I was expecting as much."

"I didn't doubt Todoroki on his own." Tsu said. "Or Marinette and Agreste when we got separated by that Shindo guy."

"Yeah we had a plan in case it happened, a fallback for if we had to go out on our own so to speak." Marinette said. "We'd hoped some of you would be able to come with us though."

"I saw you leave, only Midoriya and Bakugo could have matched your agility through those rocks, maybe Sero and Uraraka if she used her Quirk on herself but that was basically it." Shoji said. "You two were ready for such an eventuality and showed your training. It helped us solidify the need to focus on passing and trust that our classmates can do so as well."

"Which we still do." Jiro said. "But have you seen any of the others?"

"No, it's just us." Todoroki said. "We passed at about the same time it seems and arrived a few minutes ago though I got here first as I was closer."

"We can't count them out." Shoji said. "Midoriya, Bakugo and Ida are all still out there, they'll lead the others. We know that Bakugo has Kirishima and Kaminari and when it comes to Midoriya one can never guess who's with him. If he's not with Ida he'll have some classmates at least and Ida will rally the rest."

"I had thought that it was all sorted but Ladybug and Agreste explained it to me." Todoroki said using Dupain-Cheng's hero name as she seemed rather insistent on it when in costume, or battle as he recalled her making the same request in the forest during the training camp. "It might actually be easier in smaller groups to pass as they can secure enough from the other classes out there."

"If we'd thought of it we could have planned better but that Ketsubutsu guy split us up before I could try to make suggestions and goes to show how we need to be able to plan around not knowing what other Quirks might be out there." Marinette said. "There are only 30 spots left but I am sure that they will pass. Class 1-A always finds a way to come out on top."

"We did, they can." Momo said. "And it was thanks in part to you Ladybug that I managed it."

"Really?" Marinette asked. "How? I wasn't there."

"We got outmaneuvered by a class of second years from Seiai Academy that had set up an ambush in one of the building in the cityscape, likely from the start given how prepared they were." Momo said surprising Marinette that she'd gone there but it might have been after her and Adrien had already passed. "They had set up a trap there that we walked into and one of them, their leader I believe, was either naturally intelligent, had an intelligence Quirk, or both. Whatever it was she had her class trap us in a room and took out Shoji's ability to see outside, Jiro's hearing and Tsu in general with cold but that was a side effect as the cold was to get me to use up my Quirk to block the vents."

"I see, that is clever and does take into account your versatility Momo." Marinette said. "And I take it they had it set up to lead you to them."

"Yup, they welded the door we'd gone through on that level shut." Momo said as Shoji chatted a bit with Adrien and Todoroki while Kyoka and Tsu went to find the magnetic key to remove the targets and get some food for all of them, letting Momo tell Marinette their story. "And left the main one forcing us to go to that, but they were clearly waiting there for us. The cold also prevented me from creating a bomb to destroy the other door. We didn't have a Quirk like Agreste's to destroy things or a pure power one like Midoriya's, so we were stuck. I had to think of a way out and in the end it was something Midoriya said before we went to Kamino that hit me."

"It did." Marinette said racking her brain to try and remember it but failing as that adventure was a bit of a blur to her. "What was it?"

"That he'd keep trying to save his friend so long as he could move." Momo said. "That's when I realized that the exam didn't matter to me, that I had to focus on getting the others out of the situation without failing, that my own targets didn't matter in that moment. As such I had an idea how to use Jiro's Quirk to our advantage and created some noise dampening headphones for us before making a large speaker that was how we'd beat them."

"Ah that explains the torn costume you haven't fixed yet." Marinette said having seen the torn edges on Momo's back and wondering just how the front stayed on. "You're low on lipids. There's food here for that."

"I'll get some soon." Momo said wanting to finish her story to her friend as she was very proud of what she'd done and while she wouldn't admit it she did want to impress the girl that was the unofficial leader of the Class A girls. "Thank you for telling me though, it will be helpful to replenish before whatever is next."

"Alright make sure that you do." Marinette said as she took a bite of her current dumpling and offered the plate to Momo. "But please, eat some of mine right now so you can start recovering though do continue your story, it's getting good, I can tell."

"Alright, I will." Momo said touched by Marinette's thoughtfulness and taking the other dumpling on the plate to eat as she continued her tale of how she and her group passed. "I did keep enough lipids to move while making the speaker as big as I could. Then, as Jiro was launching the planned sonic attack that knocked out all but their leader, I ate the cookies you gave me to replenish my Quirk a bit. It saved me as their leader hid behind the door after the attack ended but before we burst out and then pushed me back into the original room so as to take me out with her. I was able to cuff her to me and had enough to create a stun weapon but that wasn't needed."

"Because the others came back." Marinette said with a smile knowing exactly what had happened. "She underestimated Class 1-A and how we do things."

"Yup she didn't expect me to attack them with my Quirk, nor did she expect the others to come back for me." Momo said with a smile. "They restrained her while I hit her triggers and helped me get another as I had the least mobility so was the most vulnerable before they got 6 of the remaining girls out. We actually had to go back through the room and take out the girl who'd welded the original door as there were only 7 in total that we got in the ambush spot. Based on the attack, there was a 9th girl in the building who made it cold and a 10th who was on the building opposite as she was the one who blinded us to the outside and took out Jiro's speakers while injuring one of her jacks. They weren't eliminated."

"Yeah shame we couldn't get that one but she's on her own now with at most one ally who must have been taken out by that speaker as well so was a sitting duck for any student that found her." Jiro said returning and handing Momo a plate piled high with high fat dumplings. "Here, you need this Yao-Momo. We'll need you at your best for whatever is next."

"Thanks." Momo said with a smile as she took the plate that she would have gotten herself and began eating while Tsu removed her targets for her and took them to a box in the back where the students who had passed had been instructed to put them. "I do need this. This isn't the end, I'm sure of it so I need some more lipids."

"Yeah Adrien and I have been eating a lot to restock." Marinette said holding up her now empty plate. "I'm actually eating more than I'd usually eat because, well, I have a bad feeling that the next test will be harder, and I need to be prepared."

"Really?" Jiro asked. "That first one was bad enough."

"It's how I would expect it to be done what with the low pass rate." Marinette said with a shrug. "And I want to be able to use my ultimate move just in case. It requires a lot more energy to keep it active than a normal charm I'd make so I can hold it for at most 5 minutes. Therefore, the more I eat the more I can probably push past my limits and keep it going for longer if need be. Always best to be careful."

"Yes that is a good plan." Momo said as she finished the dumpling Marinette had given her and moved onto the next one from the plate Jiro had gotten her. "Which is why I will be eating as much as possible as well. This is one of the times where I don't want to run out of lipids."

"76 people have now passed." Mera's voice said cutting them off. "We're almost at capacity."

"I hope they can do it." Tsu said returning to the group, a worried croak in her voice. "It's getting close, ribbit."

"That's 79 people now." Mera's voice suddenly said. "Chop chop."

"I hope those were our class." Jiro said.

"I think some were." Marinette said. "At this point they'll be in their own little groups and should be able to make it. I mean Bakugo and his lot aren't here yet, they won't fail if he's leading them, so I bet those three were in one of the recent updates."

The others nodded as Momo finished her plate and they went to get more, Momo loading up on 3 more dumplings while Marinette got two just to be safe and the others got drinks and snacks though not as much as they didn't actually need food to directly help their Quirks. Things weren't looking good but until the last person passed Marinette wouldn't stop having faith in her class.

Adrien was still with Todoroki and Shoji having gotten more food for himself as they chatted about their own experiences in the test and each boy told his story either again or for the first time depending on who it was who was hearing it. It was getting nerve wracking but then they saw the latest batch to enter, and their fears were alleviated somewhat as the boys rejoined the girls to chat with the newly passed students, 6 of which were from their class.

"Oh hey, what a relief." Momo said and they all smiled as Kaminari, along with Bakugo, Kirishima, Midoriya, Sero, and Uraraka showed up showing that they were the 6 of the class who had passed. "I was starting to get worried."

"I wasn't." Marinette said with a smile at them. "I had faith that you would all pass, as will the rest of the class."

"Yeah, just like Dupain-Cheng said, there was no need to worry about us Yao-Momo." Kaminari said with a smile as he reached them. "When did you lot pass, been here long?"

"We just finished." Shoji said. "Ladybug, Agreste and Todoroki all beat us."

"It was to be expected with those 3." Jiro said. "I was kinda shocked Bakugo wasn't here right now, I was expecting him to challenge them for the first to pass, but I get it, it's because you were with him."

"Oh, come on, why is everyone dragging me today." Kaminari said as Bakugo reached them. "Tell them Bakugo, I was the reason why we passed."

"You took your sweet time dealing with that extra, Princess." Bakugo barked as he looked at the class, not surprised that the only ones he considered actually worth his notice had passed, he'd have been pissed if they hadn't, but he didn't really care at the moment as he was still thinking on what he had to talk to Deku about after the exam as it would confirm a lot of things. "It was obvious how his Quirk worked."

"So how did you pass?" Marinette asked while Tsu explained to Ochaco how to remove the targets and Midoriya noted to Todoroki and Adrien that he was surprised only 13 of the class had passed so far. "If it was all you that is?"

"Well, it wasn't all me, but I was the only one left standing after that Shiketsu guy with he purple hair took out Kirishima and Bakugo." Kaminari said as Bakugo just growled at him, but this was his moment of triumph, so he was going to have it. "Kirishima sacrificed himself for Bakugo and then, when Bakugo was taken down by that guy's Quirk, he can need both his and other people's flesh by the way and it's really creepy but only his own is versatile the others are just gross balls."

"Get to the point." Marinette said as she didn't want to try and picture that. "How'd you win?"

"Well Bakugo missed some of the guy's flesh that he sent under the overpass and took Bakugo from behind, which I did as well but I wasn't the threat to him." Kaminari said as Bakugo growled at him for reminding the others of that mistake but at least Meat understood that he was the real threat not Princess, so he just let the blond continue talking. "But Bakugo tossed me a grenade that stores his sweat which I used to defend myself and send him to the side to where I'd sent two disks from my support item and blasted him with some focused electricity. Hatsume and Power Loader made it for me to allow me to aim so now I can use my Quirk without hurting my friends."

"That's pretty clever." Jiro said. "I'm surprised you thought of that."

"And useful as the people affected by that dude's Quirk could still feel pain so only he was fried." Kaminari said ignoring the banter from Jiro. "Plus, it helped even more than I expected because it broke his concentration which was key as the more who were effected by his Quirk, the harder he had to concentrate and as such Bakugo and Kirishima were freed. The guy only knew bits and pieces about us, so he underestimated us because of it and as they were last to be grossed Bakugo and Kirishima were freed. They then each attacked him out and knocked him out. Bakugo took the Shiketsu guy out personally and then another while we got our targets as well."

"82 students have now passed." Mera's voice cut in ending Kaminari's story and causing them to look to the screen in the room to try and see if they could see anything on it. "Only 18 spots left."

"There are still 9 more in our class." Todoroki said now sounding worried as Sero finished telling Adrien how he, Midoriya and Uraraka had passed thanks to a mix of Midoriya drawing their attention and luring them into a trap he and Uraraka had set up using his tape and levitated boulders to capture enough for all 3 to pass. "This doesn't look good."

"No there are only 18 spots left." Momo said as she focused on the screen while Izuku got worried and hoped they would pass.

To call the next few minutes tense for the members of Class 1-A who had already passed would have been an understatement. It didn't help that shortly after the announcement 8 students passed at once, all from Ketsubutsu it turned out as Shindo's backup planned ended up working, and then it was a race for the last 10 spots. That was when all the passed students on the screen saw the blast of blue into the air and knew that it was Aoyama. There was not one else they knew with a Quirk like that and no one else who loved to stand out that much, so it had to be him.

Why he did it none of the U.A. students who had passed knew but he had, and it turned out to be the deciding moment in the final free-for-all. They watched as suddenly a massive flock of pigeons showed up and U.A.'s remaining students, 7 as Ida was with Aoyama at that moment it turned out, descended upon the chaos that Aoyama's Navel Laser had caused because it gave them a point to converge on and take out the students who'd also done that because of the laser.

Over the next minute or so chaos reigned as the 7 U.A. students who showed up laid waste to the other examinees using a mix of Mineta's Quirk to capture as many as possible and their own abilities to start hitting targets and passing one by one. Mera kept a running count going down from 10 to 2, with the last of those being a Shiketsu pass thus meaning that they had to get the last spots, as the U.A. students advanced in the last few spots. All of this was thanks to Yuga Aoyama's Navel Laser.

"The last students pass!" Mera's excited voice as the final two targets were hit as Aoyama and Ida became the 99th and 100th students to advance and a claxon-like sound went off. "Every spot is now filled. 100 students will advance! The end of the first test is finally here, wahoo!"

This led to all the U.A. students who had passed celebrating and breathing sighs of relief as they commented on their entire class passing the exam's first stage, which made for a little over a 1/5th of the passing students. It had been tense and close, but they had managed it in the end. As they were doing this they waited for the remaining 9 to join them in the antechamber as Mera gave instructions to those who had failed to clear the examination area.

As this was happening the de facto leader of the Shiketsu class, their rep Nagamasa Mora was telling the first year with them, Inasa Yoarashi, of how Shishikura failed and scolding him and his classmate Camie Utsushimi for going off on their own during the test which had been why Shishikura had failed. Yoarashi made sense as he was a first year so technically not in their class, but Camie didn't. She just brushed it off and looked away which was odd for her but before Mora could figure out why Mera's voice came back on over the speaker system getting everyone's attention.

"For those who passed the first test, please turn your attention to the screen." Mora said and they all did just that looking at the screen.

"Huh it's the test arena." Izuku said as he saw the test arena was now on the screen.

"What's going to happen next?" Ochaco asked.

"Nothing good." Marinette said as the building currently being shown om screen suddenly exploded most of the way up showing pre planted charges which really wasn't a good idea she thought given the fighting that had occurred during the first round but that wasn't important right now. "Yup, this is going to get a lot harder than the last test."

After that basically everything on the screen blew up, more buildings, one of the mountains, the factory area, and the camera panned out to show the full area from above as the students gaped at it. there was only one real explanation for what had just happened.

"There's only one more round to the exam." Mera's voice said over the speaker as the students who had passed processed what they were seeing. "Your goal is simple, undertake rescue exercises and save the bystanders who are trapped in these disaster sights."

"A rescue mission." Izuku said as he summed up what they were all thinking regarding the next and final part of the test. "It would be that seeing as we haven't been tested on it yet, so this makes sense."

"Save the what now?" Kaminari and Mineta asked, the latter having since joined with the other 8 who'd been in the last batch to pass and replaced his bloody scarf with a clean one.

"Bystanders." Hagakure said to them, her floating gloves showing where she was due to her costume or, well, lack there off. "We learned about them in class. They're people at a disaster scene."

"It can also refer to innocent citizens on a street." Momo said. "They are who we as heroes will have to watch out for and protect from villains, rescue from disasters and the likes."

"Use this time to show us how you would carry out successful rescue procedures once you receive your provisional licenses." Mera's voice cut in again. "Treat this as though it was the real thing."

"Rescuing." Izuku said to himself as he recalled the video of All Might that had inspired him so much growing up. "The core of being a hero."

"On the screen." Shoji said to get their attention. "Look."

"Little kids and old people?" Sato asked shocked and confused by what was going on.

"That's so dangerous, why are they here?" Mineta asked.

"These specialists have been trained as people in need of rescue." Mera's voice said as the camera zoomed in on a pair of men who looked at it to show just how realistic the situation was going to be and holding up a bottle of what had to be fake blood for emphasis. "They're very popular. Introducing the Help. Us. Company or H.U.C for short."

"So, they're basically actors I guess." Sero said trying to understand it.

"That's the kind of job you don't think about, ribbit." Tsu said.

"But a necessary one in our world since they support our hero training." Ojiro said.

"Gotta love capitalism." Adrien said with a grin. "The person who created that company saw the niche and filled it with what was needed. In this hero society that's worth a pretty penny and there are many more uses than just hero practice. Clever to create something like this."

"The H.U.C bystanders have dressed up like injured victims and have been located throughout the disaster sight." Mera's voice said ending any conversation as they all listened to his instructions for the second test. "We'll be judging how well you keep them safe as you go about your mission. Oh, by the way, we'll be scoring you on a points system. If you have more points then the benchmark by the time the exercise comes to an end you pass the exam. We'll start in 10 minutes. Take care of any necessary preparations now."

As Mera had been talking the various students who had passed be they from U.A., Shiketsu, Ketsubutsu, or any other hero school looked at the screen and mentally prepared themselves for what was to come. Many had had the necessary training for this, so they were already formulating plans and getting ready to group up for the coming test.

"This looks familiar." Ida said as the smoke cleared and they saw how the destruction of the arena looked.

"It's like Kamino Ward." Izuku said. "I wonder if they based it off that."

"Probably." Marinette said coming up to the boys as they looked at it and made the same conclusion as she recalled what she'd seen there having been at the epicenter for the early stages of the clash between All Might and One for All. "Or at least inspired by it. They probably do it every test, take a disaster from the past year or so and put it to the students to see how they'd react in a situation that the pros handled. Gives a good baseline for how to score us on the test."

"It's true that the situations are similar." Ida said. "But our only goal then was to rescue Bakugo from the villains without engaging them, we let the pros handle search and recovery. As you recall there were many casualties."

"Not this time." Izuku said seriously as the time limit to begin planning began.

Almost instantly Sero went over to tell the resident perves what he'd seen during the exam knowing that at least Mineta would love it for the juiciness of the info and Kaminari because of his failed attempts at womanizing. It was just what they needed to hear to lighten the mood before the second test.

Meanwhile the others were actually in groups planning or thinking about what to do. They'd had a little rescue training but not as much as the older students present.

Still, Adrien at least was deep in thought about all this. He'd been focused on the rescue side since the start of the training for the exam when Mr. Aizawa had said that it would be tested. Given the nature of Cataclysm and its uses in rescue Adrien wanted to be well versed in how to do rescue ops so as to show it off. As such he had made sure that he understood it as well as possible. He could do combat but that was only part of being a hero, he had to do rescue as well and soon he'd show what he'd learned.

There had been one class focused on rescue training and Adrien had been in Group B for it while Marinette was in the much more exciting Group A that actually had an unintentional disaster to deal with and Adrien had done well in it. However, that was just a baseline for what he had to learn, what he had planned based on the whole class, and what he could do at the time. This was the real deal and he fully intended to prove himself. His classmates, well...

"Midoriya!" Kaminari and Mineta yelled getting the attention of a few of the class, mainly Marinette and Ochaco who were chatting about the upcoming exercise as the latter had gone to the former to see if she had any advice.

"What were you doing while the rest of us were trying to stay alive you bastard." Mineta wailed as he and Kaminari were on Midoriya shaking him relentlessly.

"Was this entire test nothing but a joke for you." Kaminari added clearly pissed off for some reason.

"Guys cool it, what's going on?" Izuku asked confused and panicking as the girls were now watching intently, Ochaco because she had a feeling she knew what it was about and Marinette mainly because she saw Ochaco's demeanor change and was instantly there for her as she could tell what emotion her friend was feeling. "What did I do?"

"Don't play stupid with us." Mineta said as he suddenly pointed to the Shiketsu girl confirming it for Ochaco and causing Marinette to notice that she'd passed the test and again get a strange vibe, along with a flicker of pain across her left ribs, from her, but right now she was focused on Midoriya and how Ochaco was going to react to this. "What kind of things were you doing with that uber hottie?"

Now that she realized they were looking she suddenly waved at Midoriya and gave him a smile. That did nothing to help the situation, it only made things worse. Naturally the class pervert and womanizer went straight to the lewdest answer, that Midoriya had been doing it with the Shiketsu girl, and continued to interrogate him. Izuku finally seemed to understand what was going on and tried to defend himself, but they weren't listening. It didn't help that the girl was still waving at him as they were shaking the green clad boy.

All the while Ochaco was off to the side now silent her fist to her chest as her heart started to beat and buzz with a feeling that she now knew was jealousy due to her romantic love for Deku. Marinette was right, it was hard to keep these feelings locked away, she'd been fine while fighting alongside Deku because they were a great team but now in the antechamber and faced with an apparent rival she was getting flustered. Thankfully Marinette was with her to help out.

"It's happening again, isn't it." Marinette whispered quietly to Ochaco as she put a hand on her friend's shoulder and Ochaco nodded. "Ok one sec."

Marinette needed something to help Ochaco out right now, but she also needed something that would allow her to talk freely without worry of giving away the girl's secret. Thankfully she had her Quirk to help her with that and thought of that as her goal. A flash of pink later and a ladybug print, clearly electronic, earbud was in her hand. She wasn't sure what it was other than that she had to turn it on and give it to Ochaco who put it in one of her ears without question, but Marinette had a good idea what it would do.

"Can you understand me Ochaco?" Marinette asked quietly however she said it in French and not Japanese with the exception of Ochaco's name as there wasn't really a translation for it.

Ochaco heard her friend speak her own native tongue, a language she new only a few words of at best, before the earbud Marinette had made crackled in her ear and translated it into Japanese so that she could understand what Marinette had said. It was a bit of a shock to her but a relief as well as now Marinette could give her advice and with Agreste and Aoyama not in earshot no one would learn of her feelings for Deku. Ochaco was, like all but Adrien and Marinette, still unaware that Momo was now extremely proficient in French, but she too was out of earshot.

"What happened?" Marinette asked sticking to French as it was clear that the earbud was translating for her by Ochaco's nod a second or so after her question. "When you were out there during the test that is. I know you passed with Midoriya, you two came in together and we know the group that went off with Bakugo didn't include you, so you had to be with him, which means that you know what's going on."

"Sort of." Ochaco said quietly in Japanese a few seconds later as the receiver in her ear translated Marinette's French for her which caused a delay in her response. "Once that Ketsubutsu guy broke through your defense of us I was separated but I knew I needed to find Deku because, well, he is the one I want to be beside, and we do make a great team. It took a while, but I managed to regroup with Sero as we rushed towards a fight that turned out to be Deku's. It was a good thing too as he clearly needed our help."

"Yeah we figured that once the group was broken up Momo, Midoriya and Ida were the best trio to help the smaller groups that would have been formed." Marinette said. "So, you found Midoriya in battle then?"

"Yeah he was fighting with that Shiketsu girl." Ochaco said as she recalled what she'd seen and clenched her fist. "Only, for some reason, she was completely naked."

"Come again." Marinette said blinking and almost forgetting to speak French for a moment as she was now in a comfortable default of Japanese with her Japanese friends, but she needed clarification on what she'd heard. "She was naked?"

"Yup and I won't lie, she's got a great figure even if parts were covered in some strange goo or slime, though I am sure that I have her beat in one department." Ochaco said. "We aren't sure why she was naked; it must have been her Quirk, but we stopped her fighting with Deku. Her reflexes are top notch though, clearly a talented student so no wonder she's at Shiketsu. Still, she seemed to want to chat to Deku alone and wouldn't fight all 3 of us at once, but she had some parting words for me."

"And they were?" Marinette asked.

"She called me by my full name, likely remembered it from the Sports Festival though it was still odd, and said that Deku really trusted me." Ochaco said letting that fact fill her up a little as it did give her warmth and strength to know that Deku did just that and she felt the same way about him. "Deku had seen through her disguise, that's why she said it to me. It turned out that she had turned into my clone earlier, likely she has some body transformation or illusion-based Quirk and used that, but Deku knew me too well and saw through her attempt. Thankfully she wasn't naked when she was impersonating me, that was a relief to hear."

"He would see through that; he knows you better than anyone probably so impersonating you was the least likely to succeed." Marinette said causing Ochaco to blush before Marinette added as the setup had been too good. "And at least he didn't get a peek at the goods from a fake, the real thing will be so much better when you finally unlock those feelings and get to the point where you're ready to show them to him."

"P, please don't be like Mina." Ochaco said going brighter red and Marinette grinned, Alya would have been proud of her for that. "I can barely handle her, and she doesn't know what you know."

"Sorry couldn't resist." Marinette said apologetically though it was good to see that Ochaco was at least comfortable enough to engage in a bit of banter over her feelings. "Anyway, after that you three must have planned and passed then."

"Pretty much." Ochaco said. "Sero wanted to go after her, but Deku stopped him by pointing out that she didn't have her targets on, so it wasn't worth it. After that we had a brief planning session and decided we had to go our own way and focus on passing while trusting the rest of the class to pass on their own. From there it was just a matter of Deku causing a distraction and us to trap them with a mix of mine and Sero's Quirks as they worked really well for capturing enough people to let us pass. We knew that the rest of the class would pass."

"A wise choice." Marinette said. "And I understand what you're going through, I do as I've seen girls flirt with Adrien in front of me before we got together and it's not comfortable to witness. Now you know a few things though. Firstly, that what you are feeling is jealousy because of what Midoriya saw and the fact that the Shiketsu girl seems to be interested in him in a similar way to how you truly feel for him. Secondly that he is not interested in her. Thirdly that he trusts you more and knows you so well that he can see through her disguise. Remember that and you'll be fine. This will pass and is a good first test for your attempts to lock away your feelings, for now."

"Right, I'll remember that." Ochaco said still watching the exchange. "And keep that in mind."

"Good now before I go and grab some more food and then go and talk to someone I think I should have a word with." Marinette said as she saw an opening to approach someone for a talk. "Anything else you can tell me about the Shiketsu girl?"

"The only thing that I noticed that was odd was that she favored her left arm when she did a backflip and sprung off a boulder." Ochaco said thinking back on the encounter. "As if she was recovering from an injury to the right one. Probably some training accident."

"Probably." Marinette said though her gut feeling wasn't helping her in the slightest and the strange phantom pain along her ribs flared up again. "Anyway, we don't have much time, get your head on straight Ochaco, we'll need you out there. Rescue is important and you have a great Quirk for it."

"Right." Ochaco said with a nod as Marinette headed off, dismissing her Quirk in the process, and she continued to watch the exchange going on between Deku, Mineta and Kaminari with a clearer head.


As Marinette had been talking to Ochaco, and Midoriya was being accosted, some of the other Shiketsu lot, led by the hairy dude who was clearly their leader, were approaching Bakugo and Kirishima who were nearby. The girl was with them now as they grouped up as a class.

"Oh hey, it's Shiketsu." Kirishima said as he ate some bread as they approached clearly looking to chat with them, likely about their classmate who'd been eliminated by Bakugo.

"Bakugo." The hairy guy, Nagamasa Mora, said as he reached the two U.A. students.

"What." Bakugo said bluntly to him.

"I think you met Shishikura during the test." Mora said. "My classmate with the flesh molding power."

"Yeah, I took him out." Bakugo said calmly and without emotion while Kirishima just stared at all the hair before him. "He had it coming, it was his own fault he failed."

"I thought so." Mora said confirming what he'd heard about Shishikura's failure and knowing that he'd have to make up for whatever his classmate did to Bakugo to incur the U.A. student's wrath. "I'm guessing that he may have acted rudely or perhaps offended you. He has a tendency to try and push his own beliefs onto other others. He probably couldn't help it in your case since you're pretty famous and have a rather different personality to his own. I apologize for him. I would like to build a good relationship between our schools."

"I guess he wants to be friends." Mineta said as he and Kaminari had stopped harassing Midoriya about his rendezvous with a blonde bombshell while they were in the first test to watch the exchange near them.

"Seems so." Izuku said nervously but the tone of the guy's voice and the look in his one visible eye showed that he was serious and sincere despite both Izuku and Kacchan having negative run-ins with Shiketsu students during the exam. "But with the way some of us have been fighting it didn't seem that way."

They weren't the only one who heard Mora's words. Todoroki, who was to the side with Agreste next to him though they hadn't been speaking had heard them as well. That got him thinking on them as the hairy dude wanted a good relationship, but it was clear that the Yoarashi guy didn't want that with him at least. Agreste had said to address it so now was his time.

"Anyway, that's all I wanted to say." Mora said before turning to leave with his class though the girl stuck around for a few parting words to Midoriya that reignited Mineta and Kaminari's interrogation of him.

"Hey, you with the collar." Todoroki called out to Yoarashi to get his attention causing him to stop and allow Todoroki to approach. "Did I offend you somehow? If so I am sorry, but I want to know what I did."

Yoarashi turned and looked down at Todoroki given their height differences. Unlike before where he was always passionate and upbeat, he had a look of pure hate in his eyes as he glared at Todoroki. Adrien saw this from behind his friend and knew that he'd have to get involved.

"Oh no, I'm sorry did I hurt your feelings." Yoarashi said the venom clear as day in his voice and not sounding sorry at all. "Well, the thing is, son of Endeavor, I can't help but hate both of you. You've changed a little bit since the first time our paths have crossed but you definitely still have your father's eyes."

"Woah dude." Adrien said putting himself between the boys as the words hit Todoroki hard, it was something he thought he'd dealt with thanks to the Sports Festival and Hosu but clearly it had a reaction to this guy that he couldn't remember ever meeting but knew that they had to have crossed paths before. "Don't lay the sins of the father on the son. We're all aspiring to be heroes and I know that Todoroki here has the passion for it just like you. Don't let your own issues with his father, which I am sure are justified, turn you into him or take it out on Todoroki. If he wronged you in the past then so be it, I'm sure he did, tell him what he did so that you two can sort this out like mature adults."

"You wouldn't understand." Yoarashi said softening as he looked at the French guy recognizing the boy and recalling his performance in the Sports Festival. "I saw you in the Sports Festival, you've got passion unlike Todoroki and a power that allowed you to stand up to Bakugo for a bit. I look forward to seeing you as a pro but stay out of this."

"A hero's job is to meddle where it isn't wanted." Adrien said seriously not moving. "And to do what is right. I know that very well and bear a few scars from doing just that when I really shouldn't have. Don't you forget that if you want to be a great and passionate hero."

"Something the matter Yoarashi?" Mora called out interrupting the conversation.

"Not at all senpai." Yoarashi said passionately turned and leaving not really listening to the French boy's words.

"Don't let what he said affect you." Adrien said turning to Todoroki who was still looking stunned while Momo scolded Kaminari and Mineta behind them for how they were acting towards Midoriya and for not preparing for the coming rescue test. "You aren't your father Shoto, remember that. People like us, we aren't the same as the scumbags who sired us. We must remember that so that we can't become them"

"Right, I'll remember." Todoroki said snapping out of it at his friends words as he recalled the chat they'd had in that hospital room in Hosu, and all that Adrien had said to him. "Thank you, Adrien."

"Good now let's get back to planning." Adrien said leading Todoroki away. "I think I know how we can really use your Quirk. It's got some good rescue applications."

With that Adrien led Todoroki away hoping that he'd helped. All that would be revealed in the test when it came and right now they really needed to plan for it.


"Hey, do you have a moment?" Marinette called out as she approached the hairy Shiketsu dude from the side eating another dumpling to recharge, a second in her other hand for when needed as she'd passed the food table on the way to intercept him so had grabbed them along the way. "You're clearly the one in charge so you're the one I need to talk with."

Mora turned in surprise at the French accented Japanese to see a short, lithe, attractive, girl with black hair in pigtails, blue eyes, and a full body suit in a ladybug print and matching mask approaching him eating a dumpling as she did. He instantly recognized here as Marinette Dupain-Cheng, one of the top U.A. first years here and a bronze medalist at the Sports Festival.

He remembered her fight with Todoroki in the semifinal well, it was impressive and if what he'd heard of her power in the test before, well she might be the strongest of the U.A. students present which was saying something given that class. She also had a natural leader vibe to her so she was clearly worth talking to and might help him with his goal of fostering better relations between their schools.

"Good eye, I am Nagamasa Mora, the class rep for my second-year class." Mora said breaking away from his classmates to talk to her, they had their orders and would follow them. "The teachers chose the reps when we reach our second year at Shiketsu, and leadership is one of the reasons for it. It is an honor I bear and wish to use to foster better relations between our schools."

"Same, we will be heroes together one day." Marinette said. "So, we had better not fight each other but learn to work together because we will have to in the field. That's not what I actually want to talk to you about though."

"Oh, what then, Dupain-Cheng." Mora said surprising Marinette by knowing who she was. "I did my research on U.A. so I know all the hero candidates there and I know of your abilities and accomplishments at the Sports Festival. I also know that that is not the whole picture of how good you truly are."

"No, it's not and please call me Ladybug." Marinette said. "It is my hero name and as I used it for two years in Paris whenever I was in this costume, so it's become habit. I'm still adjusting to the whole family name thing in Japan, and mine can be a bit unusual here. I know it would be rude to ask you to call me Marinette right away even if it is normal in my culture but I am in yours right now so I will respect that. As such just use my hero name as it is easier."

"If that is what you wish then allow me to extend the same respect to you and ask that you call me Chewyee if I am to call you Ladybug." Mora said respecting the girl's stance. "That is my hero name."

"Chewyee?" Marinette asked surprised looking the boy up and down, it was a bit on the nose, but she could definitely see it. "Fitting with your look and costume."

"I see you know the reference." Mora said. "But we aren't talking about a true classic from the pre-Quirk era that actually survived, you have something else to say."

"True we aren't." Marinette agreed and didn't add that the part of that franchise that shall not be named didn't actual survive, only the originals did it seemed. "I actually wanted to ask you about one of your classmates, the blonde girl."

"Camie Utsushimi?" Mora asked finally giving Marinette a name for the girl. "What do you want to know about her?"

"Is she acting normally?" Marinette asked bluntly surprising Mora. "I am sorry for intruding it's just, I don't know, my experience is telling me that something is off with her. She also singled out one of my classmates and impersonated another during the earlier test. The latter was likely due to her Quirk, but the former was odd even with how my class was targeted."

"So that is where she went." Mora said deciding he'd have words with Camie when this was over to find out what was up with her as that was odd for her to do. "I told the others to not go after U.A., it was going to be too much of a hassle as you'd be ready, and we should foster good ties so best for both our classes to pass and use this test to begin building that bridge between our schools. The impersonating doesn't surprise me though, her Glamor Quirk allows her to create illusions, even change how she looks into another person, so she'd use a classmate ruse to get close. It's a sensible tactic and as much of an airhead as she can be she's not an idiot, she knows how to use her Quirk well."

"Ah that does explain that." Marinette said relieved a bit that it was just some illusion that she was using. "But, out of curiosity, can you tell me what her personality is like Chewyee?"

"She's a social butterfly and a bit of an airhead who uses a fair bit of slang that I don't get." Mora admitted. "It's a bit different to how Shiketsu is, we are much more traditional which doesn't mesh 100% with Camie's personality, but when needed she gets her job done. She did go off alone and has been a bit different to usual today, but this is an important exam, so I think she's just taking it seriously which is good and shows her mental growth this year."

"I see, that makes sense." Marinette said still not fully satisfied as she did sound different to the person Mora knew but his reasoning did give a possible explanation to it. "Sorry to bother you."

"No, I should thank you Ladybug for bringing this to my attention, it is my duty as class rep to look out for my classmates and now that I know this I'll have some words with Camie after the test to make sure that she is all right." Mora said with a dip of his head. "This is the kind of thing we need between our schools."

"Agreed." Marinette said with a nod. "We…"

Suddenly there was a bell sound ending any conversation as all 100 examinees who had advanced looked up. It seemed that the time limit was over, and the second part of the exam was about to begin.

"Villains have performed a large-scale terrorist attack spanning all of insert city name here." Mera's voice said showing that he was literally reading a script and didn't even bother to come up with a city name for the scenario which in fairness he didn't need. "Since most buildings have collapsed there are many injured."

"Guess that's the background story." Tsu said looking around as Marinette shoved the remaining dumpling in her mouth and ate it as fast as possible in a very undignified manner.

"So then." Jiro said turning to Tsu.

"We're starting." Tsu replied saying what everyone was now realizing.

"Due to heavily damage roads the first responders have unfortunately been delayed for the time being." Mera's voice continued as the antechamber opened up just like the original room had only the seam on the top was the length and not width of the room.

"What is with these rooms?" Kaminari asked rhetorically.

"Until emergency services arrive, the heroes in the area will lead the rescue efforts." Mera's voice said. "Your task is to save as many people as you can while helping the injured. With that. Begin."

There was a claxon sound and instantly the second test of the provisional license exam began. All the examinees charged out as they hurried to aid the bystanders in need and show what they could do. Little did any of them know that it wasn't going to be as simple as it seemed.

I feel like that is a good place to leave off, keep the interlude between the tests separate and allow for all of the second one to be in the next chapter and trust me it will be. Otherwise, this was a pretty straightforward chapter all things considered though we got to see a bit of how Marinette and Adrien interacted in it and some fun or interesting chats along the way. I know that I have referenced the rescue training OVAs that came out after season 4 but didn't include them mainly because they weren't there originally. I do intend to one day do a kind of supplemental piece that would include them, including an original rescue scenario for Group B while showing Marinette in Group A, along with other things I missed or couldn't fit in the main story kind of like how the School Briefs books do it but that is far in the future, just something to one day look forward to. For any wondering, yes, Chewyee is Mora's canon hero name just as Grand is Shindo's that I mentioned last chapter I think. All the named Ketsubutsu and Shiketsu students have confirmed hero names so when possible I will be using them. I think it is obvious but yes Mora's name is a direct reference to the character he is clearly based off appearance wise though he is of course stockier, younger, hairier, and can control his hair. He is one of the few characters, along with Gran Torino, who are based or inspired by characters from that classic franchise just as many of the city and location names are based off planets (or in one case a planetary system) from all 3 eras of that franchise with some being very obvious and others being much more subtle. This was extended to the Vigilantes spinoff as well. Anyway, that is enough ranting from me, I'll end this chapter here for y'all. If you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Do keep the reviews coming as I like hearing from y'all as you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep producing the best work I can for y'all to enjoy. Until next time.

Stringdog