Hero La Kill

by Aduubo

Ryuko and Satsuki's explosive fight stirs up attention from the Public Safety Commission of Japan, as well as UA! In a valient effort to thwart the Kiryuins' plan for world domination, Ryuko Matoi is transferred to UA! But during her stay, she rekindles a forgotten friendship with a student of class 1A.

55. Chapter 55 - The Rising Crimson Fist

Written by Aduubo and PKSpartan.

Aduubo A/N: Before getting into this chapter, I'd like to disclose some things.

While reading this chapter, there's going to be a big, unanimous, question all of you will be wondering; "Why was this skipped over?"

The practical exams in My Hero Academia involve some complex technicalities and quite A LOT of dialogue explaining those technicalities. For the sake of saving readers from having a headache, a good chunk of story elements from the anime/manga are subject to not being recited in its entirety here, or at minimum, briefly summarized instead.

The reason being that Hero la Kill is a fanfiction built on the expectation that the readers are already familiar with both Kill la Kill and My Hero Academia's original stories. This fanfic is meant to immerse everyone into the combined universes through the most engaging way possible! This means we'll mostly skip over the same stuff you're all already familiar with if we deem it necessary.

If –let's say– we were paid to write an official novelization of My Hero Academia, we'd gladly go through EVERY story bit, but with even MORE detail; character reactions, internal thoughts, more descriptions. That's what the novelizations of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films do. They add on top of the already established source material. Hero la Kill is meant to introduce new elements to the source material that people already know.

That being said, those of you that aren't too familiar with My Hero Academia's plot, I recommend watching episodes 21-25 on Season 2 or read Chapters 60 to 67 of the manga in order to understand this chapter better. But, I do also encourage you to check out the entire series because it's great and deserves your attention.

A/N done! Enjoy the chapter!

"I am here… to fight!"

All Might stood tall like a tree, striking intimidation into his students as he towered over them. Next to him, the three–arguably–most strongest fighters in the class looked small. This was evident in how they all shared a single thought.

'We're up against All Might?!'

"Young Midoriya, Young Matoi, It's no secret how well the two of you get along. This exam will test just how well you two – along with your third teammate – can actually work together," All Might instructed the three of them.

Katsuki, bubbling over with fury, spoke between clenched teeth, "A third teammate? What the hell is this? Am I being a third wheel to those two? You guys think I'm so weak" – his voice began to rise in pitch and volume – "that I need their help?!"

Aizawa rolled his eyes and groaned, understanding the contents of Pandora's box that All Might just unleashed, "You just had to open your mouth."

All Might ever so slightly winced once he felt Aizawa's ice cold gaze strike from a whole foot below him. He wasn't wrong though. All Might definitely could've worded what he said much better to avoid the stigma of favoritism. It's just that he was actually rather amped up about this match. Here he got to face off against not one, but – at this point since Matoi was in the loop– two of his proteges? And see how much they've improved firsthand? How could he not be excited? However, he had to be more considerate of everyone else, as young Bakugo was also a fine student.

"Look, you'd have to be living under a rock to deny that Midoriya and Matoi are good friends. You even knew the two of them when you were young – right, Bakugo? All Might meant nothing

by what he said. So I'd suggest you drop whatever insecurities you're trying to project, so we can get on with the exam. Or would you rather I humiliate you in front of your classmates and explain to them in detail why I made this decision?" Aizawa shot what was deemed by his students as the "dreadful glare" straight into Bakugo, who in turn scoffed before refraining from talking back. A deep pounding pulsed in his temples.

A look of amazement crossed All Might's face. Aizawa quickly shut down and rebuked young Bakugo and was back to explaining everything about the exam. 'You're always one step ahead of everything – aren't you, Aizawa?'

Just a week prior to the first day of the written exams, all of the faculty members at UA were back together for another meeting. Everyone was accounted for, including Aikuro Mikisugi, who returned to attend through a video call. This meeting in particular stood out because he had been invited to observe the staff discussing what the practical exam would be. What was originally conferred behind UA's closed doors, an outsider like Aikuro was allowed to be an active participant. It gave a nice feeling of relief deep in his chest, knowing that they still trusted him.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Principal. With that in mind, are we in agreement of being the student's opponents for the practical exam?" asked Aizawa. The answers were a resounding yes from everyone. Initially there were some doubts, but Nezu had made such a well crafted case that those who initially declined walked back on their decision.

"Right. Before we get into the teams, let's hear what updates our informants have for us."

Aizawa then handed the floor off to not just Mikisugi, but also Hawks, who was in the same call. It had been about a month since he last made contact with UA specifically, as he had been doing nothing but recon throughout all of Japan. Not that he minded though, as sightseeing was a nice way to spend the time.

"It's not good, I'm gonna tell you all outright," Hawks started bluntly, stirring variations of worry within everyone. "For the past few months, REVOCS had been moving on the down low. Not much to report on. That was until June 4th, when class 1A were invited to battle Honnoji's Elite Four."

Hawks then projected various photos of REVOCS store grand openings in various locations, "It's exactly what I had Mr. Tsukauchi tell you, All Might. They've been making big moves since then, opening their own stores all over Japan…" –He pulled up an image of someone on a walkway– "and they have their golden boy, Ichiro Tanaka, promoting everything."

"So, they've been using the controversy as a way to push their products out? Since they knew people would be talking about them?" Cementoss nearly stood up in his chair. Had they no shame in the fact that dozens of students were injured in the chaos, including those from Honnouji? He could only remember the fearful look on their faces that day. Midnight shared the same grief, feeling disgusted by it all.

"There is some good news, though," Mikisugi added to put everyone at ease, "Because word has been getting out, people are asking questions about it. Most of the pressure is actually being put on Tanaka himself, especially when it comes to his relation to Nui Harime."

A clip was then shown where the unnamed reporter from the NHA attempted to press Ichiro for any details about the Naturals Election, along with a few others during recent store debuts. "REVOCS is attempting to cover that rumor up, but it's not holding up too well. Tanaka doesn't strike me as the type who can keep his mouth shut for long. If we're lucky, he might just crack and spill everything."

As good as the news sounded, Nezu couldn't help but feel guilt wash over him. There was a need for him to pinch the bridge of his nose the more he watched the persistent reporters and journalists. This was a young man being thrown to the wolves by Ragyo, with UA and Nudist Beach lingering over him like vultures… ready to pick off what's left. "I do hope that soon we don't have to keep using the boy as a means to get an advantage over REVOCS. There's a feeling I can't shake that he might be innocent in all of this," said Nezu.

"I don't like it any more than you do, Principal," Mikisugi consoled him. "But we're going to need every advantage. Despite the press breathing down their neck, it doesn't look like REVOCS is slowing down. Which means that whatever the Kiryuins are planning, it might be well on its way."

"Will you be ready to tell Matoi everything by then?" Aizawa asked him.

Mikisugi heaved a sigh. Just two weeks ago, he considered ending Ryuko's life in order to preserve the human race. Not only that, she nearly ended the life of her closest friend. Before, he wouldn't have told Ryuko the truth solely because she wasn't ready. Now, he struggled because he wasn't ready to face her himself.

"I was, but… after everything, I'm not so sure. Things have been really tough for her lately and… I don't know if Ryuko could take it."

'Look at him going soft,' Mikisugi imagined those words going through Aizawa's head. Initially, he probably saw him as a man of logic through and through. But here, Mikisugi was letting his emotions meddle with what he needed to focus on. There's no way this'd be a good outlook for him.

"I agree."

'Huh?' Aikuro retracted from his slumped state and focused on Shouta.

"Matoi's lost her fighting spirit because she's afraid of losing her temper again. Can't say I blame her since Honnoji wasn't the first instance where she lost control," Aizawa uploaded an image onto the projector to show a headline covering the Sports Festival.

Specifically, the final match.

'HONNOUJI TRANSFER BRUTAL FINISH! U.A. UNDER FIRE!'

Aikuro nodded, recalling Ryuko's match against Bakugo where he broke his arm. He was there to see it happen after all.

"There's a lot of emotional baggage that Matoi's trying to carry on her own. As of now, she's in no condition to get into a serious fight, let alone a war," said Aizawa, "But we can turn that around. Not just for the fight against REVOCs, but also for her as a future hero."

Weeks ago during lunch period, he happened to be standing in the hall while witnessing Monoma chastising Matoi and others for classes being called off. Shouta understood that the subject was a definite sore spot for them since it'd barely been a day since the event. He even overheard when Monoma was about to cross a line mentioning Midoriya's injury. In that moment without hesitation, Matoi shut him up with an iron fist in defense of her friend.

While being a bit extreme, she was able to step up when it was needed most. Aizawa expected her to curl up and try to tune out any mention of the accident, but she proved him wrong. Clearly, hope wasn't completely lost on Matoi.

"Midoriya has been the anchor that kept her from going completely astray, and right now he's being very careful with trying to ease her back into things. I think that we can solve that issue entirely if we give him an extra hand, as well as another problem… which leads me to talk about the teams for this practical."

Knowing that Ryuko continued to trust Midoriya's care lifted a great deal of stress off of Mikisugi. From the beginning he knew there was a special connection between the two. He couldn't be more relieved that that was still the case. All Might, sitting across from Aizawa on the desks, felt proud. Young Midoriya continued to grow into the wonderful young man that he knew he'd be.

Aizawa slid three sheets of paper on the table in front of him. Some of the teachers seated beside him could see that it was files on class 1A's students. "First, I'll be placing Midoriya, Matoi, and Bakugo in a team. They'll be fighting against you, All Might."

Toshinori perked up, jutting his neck forward. He had a look on his face that showed a question was in their air, which Aizawa anticipated.

"I'm pairing them up because –aside from their prior history– both Matoi and Bakugo have deep rooted issues that seem to be directly tied to Midoriya, both for completely different reasons. This will make them have to confront that… one way or the other." Aizawa looked up at All Might. "And since you have a soft spot for Midoriya and Matoi, I trust that you'll be able to ensure that they all learn something from this."

Aizawa had handed him quite the task. Three students to take on, which meant triple the trouble. Not only that, two of them were his proteges. But this was what he signed for, as a teacher and as Young Midoriya and Matoi's mentors. With only one thought in his head, All Might nodded at Aizawa with the utmost sincerity.

"And if we're being real here, you're the only one with enough muscle to handle problem children at three times the capacity," Aizawa added.

There was silence in the air. Sound only broke in once Toshinori stood up from his chair and began padding himself all around his body. A flash of worry clouded his entire face as he asked, "Are you telling me I'm getting fat?"

That was an attempt at dry humor from Aizawa in order to lighten the mood. Everyone has been on edge lately. Logically, he found that a joke being delivered by him would probably break the tension the most. If it didn't land, then making a slight fool of himself would get their minds off track just a little. But as it turns out, a few of his staff members snickered slightly, Nezu even giggled. Present Mic was also stifling some laughter, but that hardly counted as he laughed at even dumber jokes told to him. Hopefully when the practical exam comes, it'll be smooth sailing just like the meeting.

"Now that you've got an idea on what's to come, here's where I throw you the proverbial bone."

Everyone's heads shot up at the sudden sign of reprieve from their stern teacher. A proverbial bone? What could he mean by that? Class 1A could never really get a read on Aizawa and it was driving them up the wall. Ryuko was especially growing tired that the trend of teachers being needlessly vague kept going.

"I'm anything if not fair-"

The entirety of 1A had just rolled their eyes. 'YOU'RE REALLY GONNA LIE TO OUR FACES LIKE THAT?!'

"-so here's what we have in store for you. For only one of your groups, there will be a chance to earn some extra credit. During your match, a "secret boss," so to speak, will appear to ambush you. Same rules apply to this one. You can either capture or run away, nothing is off the table for this," Aizawa explained, earning a few confused looks from his students. He never gave extra credit before. If you failed an exam or a task, you'd face the consequences. There was no rebound or loopholes in between.

"So what you're saying is that one of us will have an even HARDER TIME completing our exam? I don't get it! How's another villain supposed to be extra credit?!" Ashido piped in, only for her to shrink down when met with Aizawa's piercing gaze.

"I was getting to that, Ashido," he nearly hissed at her. "On a real patrol, you never really know whether the villain you face will be the only one. You'll need to be ready for the possibility that they have back up. The hidden villain will have the same parameters as your official exam. The difference will be how it's scored. If you manage to engage with the villain without being incapacitated, you will be rewarded points that could be worth two whole letter grades."

The class found this announcement to be quite the surprise due to it coming from Aizawa of all people. He wasn't the type of teacher to provide any leeway to improve your grade in his class. You complete whatever you're given with what you have.

"Even if you bomb the exam completely–which I hope you don't–you still have the chance to pass. IF you're lucky enough to have the villain show up. So don't get too comfortable." Aizawa concluded. What he saw next actually brought a smile to his face.

Instead of fearing for their academic lives, The class had their game faces on. Looks of hunger and determination could be seen among them. It was as if the previous lecture never happened. Everyone looked ready for what's to come. Everyone except Matoi and…

'Kaminari. I don't know what has gotten into you, but you need to focus up. The last thing you need is to become a liability.' Eraserhead thought, seeing the more sullen look on his student's face.

"Now that the fanfare is all out of the way, let's start the final exams! Best of luck to all of you, students!" Nezu announced with glee.

Now that all of the instructions were out of way, it was time for the final test to begin. Each student and their partner were sent off into separate buses towards their designated arenas. Izuku and Ryuko sat next to each other near the front, while Katsuki was seated by his lonesome in the bus had been airtight with silence. So much so that All Might took a look behind him to spark up some sort of conversation, but he quickly halted as things weren't as they seem.

Instead of losing his marbles over the dysfunctional team, Izuku had been deep in thought; trying to find out how to make it all work – how to make Kacchan work. He had been able to conjure up a variety of ideas, but many of them fell flat the more he thought of it. Despite this, for whatever reason, Izuku still maintained his focus. Maybe it was because of his newfound confidence that continued to grow, or that knowing Ryuko was there beside him?

As much as he wanted to believe it was the latter, he couldn't make a decision due to the fear of his inevitable matchup against All Might. The man looked at him with the same smile that inspired a whole country, but Izuku knew he was also going to be staring at it from the receiving end of his fists. Regardless, he wouldn't give up! Izuku was willing to go the distance for Ryuko and their classmates.

"So, do we have a plan here?" Senketsu asked without lowering his voice, knowing that Katsuki couldn't hear him.

"I'm a little bit stumped. I know for certain that our best chance is to all work together as a team," Izuku replied in a whisper, which made sense to his two friends. "But this is All Might we're going up against here. I can't really get a nail on what strategy to start with here."

Senketsu's eye dilated, followed by him directing its sight on Ryuko. There was a spike in her heart rate. It couldn't have been a coincidence that it happened as Izuku was strategizing. "Ryuko. I know this might be troublesome for you, but you know that this is the only way too, right?"

Curious, Izuku shifted his gaze to her and Senketsu. The effects of the battle at Honnoji had a lasting effect on Ryuko. She wasn't sure if she could handle a confrontation, let alone a fight. Losing control was something that she wanted to avoid at all costs. But given who their opponent is, they only had one option.

"Yeah, I do."

"What is it?" Izuku asked.

With that confirmation, Senketsu found it right to open Izuku's eyes to the hard truth. "The only way I can see us passing is if we fight All Might head on."

"Wait, what?!" Izuku had a hard time comprehending the sensibility of what he was saying. "What are you talking about?" he demanded, albeit as politely as he could, not wanting to seem aggressive.

"We saw All Might in action at the USJ. We know what he's capable of. Do you really believe that we have a chance if all we do is run?" Senketsu pressed. To Izuku's utter shock, Ryuko nodded in full agreement as well. Even using Katsuki as bait for him wouldn't have done any good. As much as she liked to rag on him, All Might wasn't a complete idiot. The second he finds Katsuki on his own, he'd go straight for the others next, probably delivering him to them like a sack of grounded potatoes.

Plus, the idea of leaving Katsuki on his own –despite their bad blood– left a bad taste in her mouth. Ryuko knew she was no stranger to using dirty tactics or exploiting others, but lately she started to outgrow it. This was most likely because of her time spent with all of the wonderful people she knew; the Mankanshoku's, UA, and the Midoriya's. So, Ryuko was willing to try and work with Katsuki, no matter the risks. And as much as Izuku tried to think otherwise, Senketsu did have a point.

"But even with Kacchan's help, I'm still not sure if we can win."

Senketsu reflected on the many battles that he was able to witness, or was a part of with Ryuko. This only bolstered what he would say next, "Maybe you can. If you all work together. I've seen how crafty you guys can get, and you're not exactly slouches either. Just like with Ryuko and I, you two can do amazing things when you're in sync. I know you'll get through to your teammate one way or another."

Izuku had to admit that much was true. There were wider aspects to consider in his plan to run. Even if they got a head start, there was no telling how long it'd take before All Might would catch up to them. Minutes? Seconds? The idea of it made him shudder. He carefully looked to the back of the bus, seeing Kacchan staring out the window with an even more vicious scowl than normal. His former childhood friend was hotheaded, but he wasn't totally stupid. And Izuku knew the potential of Ryuko and Senketsu's dexterity. Maybe, just maybe there was a chance that he and Ryuko could make things work.

Soon everyone departed from the bus and gathered at the entrance of the arena. Before All Might would leave the trio to wait, he had one last thing to say, "Good luck, you three. May you all learn something valuable from this exam."

"We won't need it," Katsuki fired back, to which All Might simply smiled.

"Hmm. We shall see."

With the conversation concluding, All Might disappeared behind the large gate. It wasn't long after until a buzzer would go off and a voice came out of the speakers. It must have meant that the rest of Class 1A had reached their arenas.

"Class 1A! Now that you're all in position, let's begin the exam!"

Senketsu could feel the moment that Ryuko's body grew tense. Her muscles tightened, and her hand fumbled a little as she drew out the scissor blade. She wasn't nearly this nervous when she fought Satsuki. Whether that's because of her current mental state, or it being a product of All Might's immense power, this was going to be quite the uphill battle for everyone.

"Ready…"

Katsuki stared straight ahead, imagining a path through the large doors with only one thing in mind… the finish line. Nothing else mattered. Not Shank, nor Deku. No matter what it was going to take, he intended to win. But deep down, he still remembered that this was All Might here– the number one hero. Katsuki pushed away any hesitance he had, tightening his wrists that made his gauntlets shake.

"GO!"

29:59:59. Within one second, all the students had sprung into action. What should have been a deep dive into chaos, has instead become a long eerie hunt, with the students being the prey. The teachers hid in the shadows, taking their time to let them wander. The path to victory was straight ahead for some; but knowing they could be ambushed any time, the students chose to proceed very carefully. All except one.

Katsuki took a rather hasty stroll, speed walking on the road towards the gate that guaranteed him victory. Ground Beta was a huge city, filled with densely packed buildings, a perfect hunting ground for a villain with All Might's power. There were thousands of alleyways that he could ambush them from, which is why Katsuki wasn't using his quirk to boost himself toward the exit. If he were to expend any energy, it'd be best to save it all for the inevitable confrontation.

The more Izuku gave it some thought, the more he found Senketsu to be correct. After all, trying to order Kacchan around would immediately lead to disaster. Izuku knew that better than anyone. Appealing to his nature seemed to be the best chance of getting him to cooperate. Will it work? Only one way to find out.

"Kacchan!" Izuku went light on his feet, jogging until he was walking next to Katsuki.

"What– you're still following me? Buzz off!"

"Listen to me, Kacchan. Ryuko and I will follow you," Izuku immediately stated, which startled Katsuki. Everything Deku said came so completely out of left field that it caught Katsuki off guard. Just what the hell was happening? Last time they spoke, Deku not only dared to put his hands on him, but also threatened him. Now he wants to work together?

Katsuki shook off the momentary confusion and questioned him, "Why?"

"I talked with the others. While I think that running away is our best option, there's too much at stake for us to argue. We have a better chance at passing if we all work together. So however you want to do this, we'll follow."

For a brief moment, it had gotten quiet with Katsuki refraining to speak. Ryuko watched the two from a distance, a sliver of hope gleaming in her eyes that no conflict would arise. She didn't know if she would be able to handle then walked forward, his fists cocked. He stood up to Deku, but not nose to nose as he practically flaunted his height superiority over him. The fact that the nerd didn't back up– not even an inch– made his teeth clench together. "Just what the hell do you take me for?"

"Huh?"

With an inept motion, Katsuki brought his hand around and struck Izuku with a backhand. He caught him right on the cheek. Izuku stumbled back, barely staying on his feet. Admittedly, he's been hit harder before. Like, way harder. But the anger behind that hit, and the sheer weight of the pure iron material of his grenadir gloves, were enough to do him in. Izuku finally lost balance and fell on the ground, holding his cheek in pain. A drop of blood even ran down his nose.

"Izuku!" Ryuko quickly ran over to his side and held his back. With a rush of pure fury, she whipped her head in Katsuki's direction, with murderous intent in her eyes. "What the hell is your problem?"

Katsuki took one big step to make himself heard to them. "You think you're hot shit, Deku– saying that you're letting me call the shots? All because you got praise from those uptight brats at Honnoji?" –Sparks ignited in his gloves like boiling water– "Or is it because you feel bad about the rescue training?"

"What does that have to do with this?! He's just trying to make sure that we all pass!" Ryuko snapped back at him.

"Like I need the damn nerd's opinion on how to win!"

"Yeah? Just like how your pathetic ass needed Todoroki's help to beat Gamagori? A quirkless guy?" she hissed through her teeth before reigning herself in.

Katsuki's voice dropped a few octaves to a menacing tone. "Don't you fucking dare bring that up. I don't need yours or anyone's help. You AND your Honnoji friends can go drop dead in a ditch for all I care!"

Ryuko didn't have anything to say after that, nor did she know what the damage was with Katsuki. It was always one thing or the other with him and he never seemed to learn. At this point, she was so fed up that she might consider leaving Katsuki to the big bad wolf, taking hers and Izuku's chances to run for the exit.

"You'd better not mean that."

To her utter shock, Izuku had something to say. He hastily forced himself back up, nearly pushing Ryuko over in the process. Pressing forward towards Katsuki, Izuku's hands latched onto his collar with an iron grip before he had a chance to even react. "What the hell are you-"

"Take it back."

On the other side of the city, several miles away from the three students, All Might was doing a few stretches before getting started. The immense, yet fleeting, power of One For All was surging within his muscles. With one hand aimed forward, he reared the other one back, nearly parallel to his shoulder– with it soon turning into a fist.

"Get your hands off me." In unknown desperation, Katsuki wrapped his hands onto Izuku's wrists, searing it with his quirk. Izuku ignored the burning pain, pulling his one hand away without so much as a wince –with his fingers coiling inward, clenching down to the very last knuckle.

"I said take it back NOW-!"

All Might blasted through the entire street with one singular punch, the shockwaves soon making its way towards the three fighting students. Overwhelmed by the force and fury of it, they were all knocked flat on their backs. Shards of glass were reduced to dust, heaps of rubble tore like dough. The gargantuan gust of wind had completely leveled the entire block around them.

Now on full alert, everyone scrambled to get back on their feet. Ryuko stared straight ahead, not able to see the impending danger past the smoke. Next, she heard footsteps heading towards them, getting closer and closer. Ryuko knew right away that it was All Might on the other side, but his feet were impossibly quieter than she expected.

"Who really cares if I destroy this city?"

From the sound of his voice alone, fear had crawled across the student's faces, including Senketsu's one eye. The towering shadow soon revealed itself to be All Might. The pressure they felt from his mere presence was overwhelming.

"If you go on thinking that this is just a test, you're in for a reeeaaal bad time," All Might commanded. "I'm a villain now, Heroes. You'd better bring your A-game and hope it'll be enough."

Rather than waiting for his threatening words to strike fear into their hearts, he came at them immediately to keep the pressure on.

Izuku's adrenaline started to kick in as hearing those words from All Might was enough to spook him. "Shit! W-We need to run! Think of a plan to fight!"

"You're not the boss of me!" Katsuki locked his feet to the ground as he raised his left arm in All Might's direction.

"Try this! STUN GRENADE!"

A light beamed from Bakugo's palm. The power behind it was so impressively bright that it forced All Might to shield his eyes behind his massive forearm. Katsuki took advantage of the stun attack and lept towards him with another one ready in hand.

"All Might! The others might have you fooled…"

With a quick move, All Might caught him by the face with his large palm, holding him up in the air. In retaliation, two hands were raised towards him– one to his abdomen, the other in front of his face back– both open palmed.

"...But Ah saved mah besht jusht fa you." (But I saved my best just for you.)

He then activated his quirk– blasting All Might with the rate of an automatic rifle, and with the firepower of a cannon. The damage was enough to make him cry out in pain, but in a way that sounded like someone was being bitten by mosquitos.

Ryuko couldn't believe it. All Might was actually being held back by Katsuki, even if it was only a little bit. An even bigger surprise came when Izuku jumped into action. He whipped around All Might to where his back was exposed. And with nine percent of Full Cowling, he sent the flat end of his foot right into one of All Might's calves. Thanks to Kacchan dishing out damage from the front, along with the weights wearing him down, All Might was actually forced down onto one knee. With that, Katsuki was able to continue his barrage of explosions and further wear All Might down.

Izuku then immediately refrained from attacking further, grasping the limits of his abilities very clearly. There was no way he had the strength to follow up with a shoulder charge to knock All Might down to the ground. But Izuku knew who could.

"Now Ryuko! Knock him down, quick!"

Ryuko's ears perked up once she was called upon. Izuku's order was clear and she understood what she needed to do. But upon bracing her feet, Ryuko found herself completely freezing. A bead of cold sweat ran down the side of her face. All Might was currently defenseless to any attack. Defenseless to being attacked by her.

"I… I can't…"

Ryuko's arms trembled before becoming limp, the tip of her scissor blade clanking on the concrete as it was lowered to the ground. Her body just wouldn't move.

While being blasted, All Might was impressed by how his students were dishing out damage so quickly. He figured they would have tried to run. Regardless, there was something quite clear that he noticed; Bakugo struck first, but on his own accord, Matoi was frozen in fear. None of this was planned. His blue orbs then shifted back towards Midoriya. "Leveraging an altercation like this so quickly? I'm impressed by how bold you've become, Young Midoriya!" He grabbed Bakugo's gauntlet, guiding it away to offset one of the explosions on him. A goal was made clear, All Might knew what example needed to be set. Now it was his turn for a counter attack.

"Good! A leader needs to be bold when fear strikes the team!"

Quickly All Might swung and hurled Bakugo at Midoriya. It was too fast for him to dodge, which resulted in Izuku being toppled over by the force of the throw and Kacchan's body weight. Now that those two were incapacitated, All Might set his sights on Ryuko next. She got into a defensive stance, clearly intimidated by him. But what could she do? She couldn't fight, and running away was out of the question too.

"Ryuko! C'mon, Kacchan– get up!" Izuku saw the stand off between the two and scrambled to help Kacchan get off of him. "We need to think of a plan!"

"Get your hands off me!" Katsuki shoved Izuku back into the dirt, using the nerd to prop himself back up. Without hesitation, he was already marching towards All Might. Izuku shook off the pain and stood immediately. He knew Kacchan was a focused individual, but getting tunnel vision in a losing fight was ridiculous. He started to wonder if there really was no getting through to him.

"Would you listen to me?! We'll have a better chance at this if we fight togeth-"

His jaw tight, Katsuki said, "Stop talking. I will win this. That's what heroes do."

Suddenly, Izuku recalled a key moment in his and Kacchan's childhood, when they were watching All Might on TV. He remembered everything Kacchan said that day, which made it clear what his goal moving forward would be; No matter how bad the situation was, he would make sure that he came out as the winner. Despite their differences, and how much Izuku disliked Katsuki, he always admired his tenacity. And even when he and Ryuko didn't like entertaining the idea, Kacchan and her were very similar in that regard. She would see her goal to the end. That's why she's here. That's why Izuku needed to help her!

"I get that" –Izuku quickly grabbed Katsuki's arm to prevent him from moving further– "but we still need to figure out how we're going to-"

Katsuki aggressively jerked his shoulder back, shaking off Izuku's grasp. "Get your mitts offa' me!

Overhead, a large shadow loomed over the two boys. They immediately dropped whatever they were arguing about to focus on the impending danger. "Incoming, heroes! I have a special gift!"

All Might dropped down in a flash, slamming a guard rail down on Izuku's back and trapping him with separate spikes that penetrated the ground. Katsuki readied his explosion. All Might already atop of him, slugged at his stomach with a surprising force of his charge. Vomit was expelled from Katsuki as he flew through the air, soon skidding across the ground like a pebble on water. Thank god for the weight restraints. If it weren't for them, Katsuki was certain that punch would have put his autobiography in the history section.

Ryuko's eyes widened in awe at All Might's incredible speed. He took them out like it was nothing! "So fast…!"

"Kacchan! Are you okay?!" Izuku cried out, but fell silent when All Might's foot made a deep 'boom' sound right next to him. He did that with intent. For someone that was usually kind and laid back, All Might knew exactly how to make a room, or even several blocks full of people, quiet. With the silence, he had the opportunity to give some words of wisdom to his students.

"Bakugo. Matoi. I'm sensing some turmoil stirring within you two." All Might maintained his position, seeing that he was standing between both students of the subject. "Bakugo, yours is because of Midoriya's sudden improvement. And Matoi, yours is because you feel responsible for Midoriya's injury at Honnoji academy."

Not a word came out of Ryuko's mouth. She couldn't even stammer. Because deep down, she knew that he was right.

'For so long… for so much time… I've been beating myself up, telling myself that I was a monster that only knew the path of destruction. Not only that, but to drag everyone down with me.'

Ryuko remembered many things from that battle; Senketsu's cries in pain, the fear and terror she inflicted on everyone, and the look on Izuku's face as he nearly succumbed to his injuries. After everything she went through in the past month, Ryuko thought everything was done and finally behind her. But not yet, for there was one final obstacle. This practical wasn't just a test for her as a hero, but for her as a person.

"While your reasons are different, they share the same effect of hindering your performances. Don't let that be your downfall! No amount of mistakes" –All Might gestured towards Ryuko– "or the growth rate between a novice and a pro" –he then gestured towards Katsuki– "can change the fact that you both still have room to grow! Together! And it's not just for your powers, but also the character you will become!" he promptly struck a pose.

And right then, what Katsuki wanted more than anything was to blow All Might's stupid smile right off his face. But he knew that he didn't have the power to. "Shut up, All Might." he said coldly. "I couldn't give a damn about what Shank does. But if there's any point where I gotta rely on his help…" –he looked up to face All Might. What he was about to say next, he wanted to make sure that he– no, everyone– heard it, and that they saw the words come from his mouth. Katsuki didn't even care that there were patches of vomit still on his face– "...then I'd rather lose."

"...Is that so?" said All Might, not understanding.

Nor did Ryuko comprehend. Was Katsuki really seeing the world through a blinding wall of anger that he'd throw everything away? Just like that, because of Izuku? Senketsu's eye rolled and looked up at Ryuko. He could sense something boiling in her. It wasn't anything like when she was sent into a fury. No, it was different. Rather, the same feeling he could see in Izuku while he was actually making a dent in prying the fence off of him. Could it be?

All Might made his way over to Bakugo. Without another word from him, All Might took that as the answer to his question. Bakugo had admitted defeat. "I see." Slowly, All Might raised his arm and cocked a fist, preparing to deliver the final blow that would put Bakugo out of commission.

"Just remember that's what you said, hero."

Finally recapturing the ability to move, Izuku leaped towards Kacchan, preparing a punch of his own to knock some sense into him. A rush of air also passed him, revealing Ryuko right there in front of him. By a bare second ahead of Izuku, she dealt the blow to Kacchan instead. All four knuckles moving clean across his cheek.

"Katsuki, you dumbass!"

She hit him hard enough where he was sent flying away from All Might. Though, she might have overdone it, as she wasn't able to catch him. Ryuko meant to hold back on that punch… mostly. Luckily, Izuku came in with the assist and grabbed Katsuki out of the air. He then bunny hopped towards the alleyway with Ryuko dashing right behind him.

"Damn! I got careless! Matoi was the last person I'd expect to rush in like that, especially ahead of Midoriya," All Might commented as he noticed the steel fence now landing on the ground. Just as its shadow settled, another one was seen flying overhead at a break-neck speed. All Might immediately looked up to see a figure in the sky heading in the direction where the students had run off. "Hmm. Looks like things just got a lot more interesting."

The ground started to look less blurry as Katsuki was regaining consciousness. Once it came to mind that Deku was carrying him, he reverted back to his usual short fused behavior. "Put me down, you."

"Pipe down. We'd better get as far as we can before making a plan." Izuku sharply retorted.

Katsuki raised his arm up until his elbow was parallel with the back of Izuku's head. "I told you to put me down, damn it!" he struck him, knocking Izuku down on the ground and fell in the process. Katsuki was flat on his side, and Ryuko gave him no time to get up. She grabbed him by the neck brace he wore and pinned him against the wall. The moment he tried to struggle, Ryuko used her superior strength to lift him a few inches off of the ground.

"You cooled off yet, Katsuki?" Ryuko raggedly said. "What's the matter, huh? Saying that you'd rather lose? Why?" she jutted her arms forward to forcibly rock his back against the wall. "Because of Izuku? And here I thought –that even with your shitty attitude– you at least had the balls to be a hero."

Not surprisingly, Katsuki swung his arm forward and latched his entire palm on her face. One of her eyes was centimeters away from his finger that she could see the texture of his glove. What she said really made him bubble over in anger. The minimal sensibility he had left presented this act as a warning, rather than him immediately lighting a grenade in her face. Ryuko never relented, as her left eye that wasn't covered stared right at him. It shook Katsuki to his very core, making him struggle to even ignite his palm. There wasn't an ounce of fear or hesitation in her blue orbs that he saw earlier.

"Kacchan…"

Katsuki turned to find Izuku, who was using the wall to pick himself up. "When we were little kids, you've always said the words, "The most amazing hero always wins." And since then, you were one of the people that I've looked up to the most. Because no matter how bad things get, you'll never stop fighting. It's what makes you who you are."

A scattered memory flashed in Katsuki's mind, which stunned him. He remembered exactly when he said that, and how it played out. How he or the nerd remembered remained a mystery, but it played vividly in his head. Katsuki was about five years old when he got into a nasty spat with some random kids. They were fourth graders, which they deliberately attempted to leverage over him as a first grader. Despite that, Katsuki never kneeled to their demands and fought back with his fist up high. Because that's what heroes do.

"That's why you can't say that you're fine with losing!" Izuku cried out. "Because that's not who you are!"

Katsuki clearly wanted to look away…but could not do so. The hand that clutched onto Ryuko's face trembled, losing the furious grip that it had earlier.

Through a muffled voice, she spoke, "You blast me now, but what will you do then?" For the first time ever when it came to Katsuki, her voice was gentle, losing all scratchiness that she usually had. "You can't change a thing by running or giving up."

Ryuko finally understood what All Might was talking about when it came to their problems, and what she needed to do to overcome hers. Katsuki's shoulders sagged as he pulled his arm back, letting the gauntlet bump lightly against the wall.

"Fine," he grated.

"Huh? Ryuko asked, not quite hearing him.

A change passed over on Katsuki's face, whatever anguish or disbelief that was in his expression a second ago was replaced with his usual anger. "I said fine! Now put me down, damn it! Cuz what I'm about to say, I'm only gonna say it once!"

Even if she preferred that he'd simply ask instead of barking an order, Ryuko knew there's no time for them to waste. So, she set Katsuki back down like he demanded. She still kept her guard up in case he tried to pull a fast one on her.

Katsuki let out a light growl, still agitated that Ryuko was able to hold him up like a child. But he got over it quickly and said, "All Might won't be stopped by anything less than a full power attack. I learned that earlier from my mini blasts. So we'll give him everything we've got at point blank range. While he's hurting from it, we'll put some distance between ourselves and him."

The plan was simple enough, especially given how tough All Might was compared to all the other teachers, and thankfully so. It was the only one Katsuki could come up with for a beast like him. All Might was currently jogging down the various roads, searching for his students, or perhaps waiting for when they'd make their next move. Sure enough…

An explosion could be heard from an alley that he had just passed. If it wasn't already clear who could be the perpetrator behind that, a voice also shouted, "You're going the wrong way!"

"Ah, so you're opting for a sneak attack?" All Might asked as he quickly whipped around to find Bakugo preparing a blast for him up close. Not surprising. But what really unsettled All Might was all the tense, scrunched up muscles that had amassed onto Bakugo's deep seeded glare. 'Eugh! Look at that face!'

All Might didn't know that there could be so many wrinkles on a person's chin! Just goes to show how dedicated Bakugo was as he laid a suppressing fire that also moved him in another direction.

"DEKU!" he called out as a signal. Without any delay, Deku emerged from the smoke right behind All Might. Right on time. Thankfully, the nerd wasn't completely useless. It had occurred to Katsuki that All Might was glancing at his left arm, probably noticing that he looked lopsided. Even among the smoke cloud he made around him? There seemed to be no limits to what All Might could do. But that's still good. He wasn't focused on what's about to happen as Katsuki then shouted, "SHOOT NOW!"

Bracing himself with eight percent of full cowling, Izuku pulled the pin on the grenadier bracer. Knowing that he was about to deal some serious damage to All Might, he felt the need to add, "Sorry All Might!"

With his immense level of reflexes, All Might could see the faint drops of sparks from the departing pin. More began to swirl and form from deep inside the barrel of the bracer until it became bright like a roaring fire. But before they had even begun to crawl towards the surface and lay waste to him…

"Yoink!" a voice said as a single feather caught on the back of Izuku's suit, pulling taut and secured. He was then yanked into the air, which guided the projectile of the blast towards the ground, away from All Might. A massive explosion was set upon the concrete, creating a large crater within it and shaking the area around it. The shockwave behind it was enough to even shake All Might just slightly!

A deep and sharp pain struck Izuku. It turned out that his shoulder was knocked out of place from the recoil of the blast. But focusing on the more dire situation, he missed! Izuku tried to fathom this blunder by looking around to see what had caused it. At the same time, Ryuko rushed out of the alley the instant she saw Izuku get snatched away. In the air, flying alongside him, they both found the number three hero…

"Hawks?!/Hawks?!"

Before Midoriya could try reaching behind his head, the feather accelerated in its speed as they crossed over to the other side of the makeshift city. In fact, it was far too fast for Ryuko or Senketsu to really pinpoint where they could have landed.

"Izuku!" she cried out just as he was out of everyone's sight.

Katsuki was also in utter disbelief. A large wrench was catapulted into the works with the arrival of this new opponent. 'What?! Who the hell?! Is that the secret boss that Aizawa was talking about? Why here?! Did the talking mummy not think that All Might was already enough as is?!'

As much as he wanted to believe that maybe he might have been strong enough that All Might needed the extra assist, Katsuki wasn't dumb enough to entertain the idea. There was a reason as to why he was the number one hero.

Once the dust settled, All Might finally had a chance to get a view of his surroundings. Looking around, he was astonished by how the gauntlet had really leveled the place. He even nearly slid on the crater right next to him. 'Holy crap! Just how much power is in those gloves?! And he was planning to use that on me?'

All Might could then see that Hawks had grabbed what he came for and moved elsewhere, which left him with only Bakugo and Matoi. "Despite that minor setback," –All Might pointed towards the sky– "that was beautifully done! You reluctantly cooperated to fight against the enemy. But! For you three…" he then turned so that he could face the two teens, "...THAT was merely a prerequisite for the exam."

Panic welled within Ryuko and Katsuki as they got back into their fighting stances. The muscles in her wrists that held the scissor blade, and his that flexed to cock an explosion ready, both trembled greatly. As much as Katsuki hated to admit it, there couldn't have been more of an unlikely team than them. Without Deku being there as a mediator, the path ahead could only spell disaster.

"Hawks will be taking care of Midoriya from now on," All Might said. "Good. If my lesson for you two wasn't made clear, this gives me more time to properly teach it."

The air horn was blown, its sound reaching all throughout the test area. The sound alone was strong enough to cause the branches of the surrounding tree's to move from the soundwaves alone. One would think that having such powerful speakers can be a bit excessive.

"Class 1A! Now that you're all in position, let's begin the exam! Ready… GO!"

Denki Kaminari and Mina Ashido jumped when the announcer started off the exams. A feeling of dread only swelled ever so more as the reality of their situation as the two slowly made their way into the faux construction site. The opponent for their exam is Principle Nezu. Who is said to be one of, if not, the most intelligent being in the history of…well ever. And in terms of intellectual prowess, Denki and Mina aren't exactly the type that people would call smart.

"So…how do you wanna do this, Kaminari?" Ashido skipped in front of Kaminari to get his full, undivided attention.

"Ah, I figure – why not just run? Even if he finds us, he's tiny!" Kaminari said. "You could probably scare him off with your quirk like a spitting cobra or a short-horned lizard would."

While that idea sounded cool –the animal connection being much better than Bakugo calling her "raccoon eyes" –Ashido's expression really sparked as she came across an even better idea, "Ooh! Or you can use those super awesome lightning powers of yours and blast right through whatever Principle Nezu throws at us! He's probably fast enough to dodge my acid, but your super move? Not a chance!" she cheered, her fist pumping into the air. "We got this win in the bag!"

Kaminari did not show the same amount of enthusiasm. He instead laughed weakly and kept his head down slightly, hoping that his friends' excitement would let up. This did not go unnoticed by Ashido. In fact, part of her was expecting this reaction. Ever since the Honnoji visit, many from 1A involved came back with their fair share of injuries; The most predominant cases being Midoriya and Kaminari, with the former suffering some major bruising and a near-fatal stab wound, and the latter being subdued to something more gruesome.

The attack that he inflicted on Jakuzure's subwoofer blimp left him in a near catatonic state. His body was covered nearly head to toe with burn marks from the sudden surge of high voltage electricity. It was so severe that the doctors operating had to use special equipment so they would be able to examine him safely. Afterwards, they made sure to maintain a twenty four hour surveillance on him for extra precaution.

'Still though, we kinda need that power move he did at the Sports Festival to at least stand a chance! And hey, it's been like a month, so he's got to be good to go, right?' Mina wondered in her thoughts as she was still fishing for any sign of acknowledgement from him. "Kaminari?" she spoke once more.

This strange shift of behavior from Kaminari had left them ignorant to the booming sound of bolts and screws being violently ejected from their sockets. Soon huge pieces of debris were flung at the duo as a wrecking ball made its way towards the nearby structures above them, with each swing destroying everything in its wake.

Like a pin dropping on the floor, Kaminari and Ashido booked it away from the avalanche of construction equipment. All of the rubble and excess from the destroyed buildings piled up; concrete, I-beams, windows, and whatever other items the Uraraka construction business probably had on a daily list of inventory. With each passing step, more and more of it were crawling behind the heel of their feet. It was going to crush them if they slowed down even a little.

"What the hell is even happening?! Where in the world did the principal get a damn wrecking ball?! IT'S COMPLETELY OVERKILL!" Ashido screamed, trying her best to match pace with Kaminari.

"I don't know! This school has an infinite budget, it's not really out there for the principal to take advantage of that fact!" Kaminari shouted, hopping over a piece of steel beam.

As the two students continued running for their lives, the wrecking ball causing the destruction remained stationary as Nezu sat comfortably inside it. "Now, I find the idea of flaunting money around to be rather childish. But…"

Another building met its end from the wrath of the crane, causing a chain reaction as a bounder had breached an electric plant. "...it's been far too long since I got to make use of my quirk on the battlefield!" What followed next was an explosion that nearly blew Denki and Mina away from right in front of them! This forced the duo to turn and retreat in another direction, which Nezu had predicted as his default smile somehow had a sinister vibe to it.

"I do hope that soon they'll realize I'm sealing off all their paths to the exit. Truly the work of an evil genius!" he started to laugh, a maniacal cackle that continued loud and long and out of control. All while the cup he sipped from began splashing tea around his face.

While he was occupied with being immersed in his role, Denki and Mina found a moment to stop and take a breather, figure out where they were, anything that could possibly calm them down, and above all else, PLAN. Mina was especially set on this as she asked, "Kaminari, can't you just use your quirk to zap whatever he's using to do this?"

"Not when I don't know where he even is! Look, we should be looking for the exit instead!" Denki hastily answered.

Mina wasn't totally satisfied with that answer, but maybe he was just frazzled and prioritized their safety first. After all, who wouldn't be scared when the arena you're fighting in suddenly starts falling apart like it's a final destination movie? Maybe another approach would work better. "Sure, but shouldn't we have some sort of back up plan-"

"No time! C'mon, let's head this way!" Denki interrupted her and quickly ran off in the direction he pointed in. Puffs of smoke huffed out of Mina's nose as she was forced to follow his dodgy maneuvers. Today was not the day she wanted to be dealing with any sort of BS, much less the practical exam.

Just like her patience, the two were driven up to a wall as the path Denki chose was blocked off by strayed debris.

"That's not good…" Denki said bleakly.

"It's too high and unstable for us to climb, and there's too much of it for me to melt through," Mina surprisingly ascertained the situation rather quickly, most likely due to her teetering between the emotions of fear and frustration. This was worthy of Nezu's notice, so he would obviously take notes. Once it dawned on her that she had to step up, she would really step it up. "But Kaminari, you could probably obliterate this with your new power no problem!"

"Ashido, I don't think that's such a good idea-"

"WHAT?! What'dya mean it's not?!" She quickly cut him off in a rising fit.

Their conversation would also be cut short as the creak of a giant lumbering pipe made itself known above them. They didn't need to be told at all that dodging was the right call of action as it fell and collided with the ground. Ashido's superior athleticism and agility allowed her to leap a greater distance ahead of Kaminari, as well as tactfully rolling while he landed on his hands and knees. The distance between him and the debris Nezu had dropped were a little bit too close for comfort.

His eyebrows furrowed as he would then vent his frustrations, "Man, he's seriously trying to kill us!"

Trying to broaden the little options they have, Mina burned a hole in a building so that they could get inside. "Over here! This way!" she called out to him. Denki didn't need to be told twice. They both then burrowed in what would be their little safe haven. The entire time, Nezu had been two steps ahead of them, even having the building booby trapped to crumble when he made the call. Instead, he let go of the crane's controls, choosing to wait and see what Ashido would come up with. That inch was at risk of becoming a mile and granting them the win. Nezu was willing to take the gamble as he saw some potential in Ashido.

The 'break' he gave them was an act of grace as it once again let them stop to think for once. Mina looked up towards the ceiling and began theorizing, "Okay, so the bunch of the construction pieces trying to kill us have been dropping from above us."

"Yeah, I'm listening," Denki said in between heavy breaths.

Mina clapped her hands together with enthusiasm. "I got it! That must mean Nezu must be up top dropping them from somewhere!" she exclaimed as she had reached an epiphany. That was the most brain power that she had ever used in her academic career! "Which also means that if we can climb up a building safely, we'll find Nezu, you can zap him with your quirk, and then we'll pass the exam in a cinch!"

Even with Ashido's patience wearing thin, she always believed in the three times the charm rule. Perhaps this last attempt to get Kaminari going on using his quirk will surely work, right?

"Ah… I bet if you melt another hole in this wall," Kaminari pointed and crawled over to the other side of the interior. "It could be a detour towards the finish line!"

That's it. No more Ms. Nice Pinky. She straightened her pointer fingers, locking the joints like steel, and began whirring her arms like she was starting up a jack hammer. Sights were then set on Kaminari. Target locked. Ashido unleashed an unrelenting barrage; poking various spots on Kaminari such as his shoulders, ribs, neck, and funny bone. Smoke puffed out of her mouth like an angry engine, amped up on making him suffer the consequences of his actions.

"Oww! Agh! Eeyagh! Stop! Stop! What the hell, Ashido?!" Denki yelped and shrieked as he tried to form barricades with his hands. It proved futile as her fingers penetrated its defenses, splitting his apart and making way into his eye. He reacted accordingly by screaming.

"YOU SAID YOU WERE LISTENING!" Mina responded angrily. In actuality, more in a cute, pouty, sort of way. "Every time I bring up your quirk, you say no or change the subject! When will you get it through that big head it might just get us the win?!"

"Sorry, but it's not happening!" Kaminari responded, his voice raising in volume and bearing a more serious tone.

"Why not?!"

Finally, he reached a breaking point. Everything had boiled up and burst as he caught both of her hands and shouted, "Because I can't!"

"Huh?" Ashido's arms completely ceased fire. As they went limp, he set them both down.

Kaminari's face twisted in contempt as he spilled, "S-Something's wrong with my quirk! That move I used on the band chick wiped me out more than I was counting on. Matter of fact, I can't use my power at all."

He let go of Ashido's hands, beginning to double over. Already, she didn't like what she was hearing. But something worried her far more, and it came in the form of the roof above them rumbling. 'Oh no.' She quickly grabbed Kaminari's arm and made a break for the hole. Just in the nick of time, they were outside as the building had totally collapsed right behind them. Ashido never stopped running however. It was only a matter of time before Nezu struck again, and this time, really crushed them.

Looking down her shoulder, she could see Kaminari looking defeated. The cat was out of the bag. Whatever confidence he had at the beginning of the exam had completely fizzled out. Mina understood why. He hoped that he'd be able to keep this a secret as it could be detrimental to his enrollment at UA. All of the work he did to get in, just to get siphoned out because of his impairment.

'I'm sorry, Denki,' she thought bleakly, but something needed to be done quickly. Before it all spiraled out of control. Once the barrage of explosions were far enough behind them, Mina stopped once she found a formation of pipes. There were enough of them that could get her up to the roof. She quickly set Denki down and ran as fast as she could before climbing just as fast. The sound of concrete toppling over pounded in her ears, nearly as loud as her heartbeat. It was getting closer and closer.

Nezu was proceeding like normal, finding it rather impressive that the duo were able to escape before the building fell apart… in a non-lethal way, obviously. Suddenly, something caught his eye, "Oh? They're splitting up? Interesting strategy."

He watched as Ashido performed the task of scaling a building, but soon found himself questioning Kaminari's rather peculiar behavior, "That's odd. Why is he sitting off to the side like that? He is aware of the approaching storm, yes?"

"Nezu!" He could hear her screaming at the top of her lungs from the roof she stood on. Ashido also waved her arms to garner his attention, which must have meant that she finally found him. Puzzlingly though, it seemed that she was trying to speak to him.

"Stop! Kaminari can't fight! His quirk-!" she stopped to take a deep breath. "His quirk isn't working! Please stop, Nezu!" Tears started pooling around her eyes, showing the desperation of the situation. Being as intelligent as he is, Nezu quickly picked up on the cries he heard and immediately powered off the crane, and all other charges that he preemptively set to go off.

Once the loud whirs of the machines had shut down, casting the air into silence and gentle winds, Mina dropped down to her knees. This entire ordeal was way too stressful for her young heart to take. It was supposed to be an easy exam…until it wasn't. She remained on the floor, tears now dried from her pleas, face downcasted as she motioned for her partner to reveal himself from the crumbling wreck that was once their hideout. Kaminari made his way toward Nezu, who very well noticed the uncomfortable change in his demeanor. This was not the lovable, scatterbrained, goofball that Aizawa told him about.

This was a child who was in distress.

All Denki could do was kneel in front of the principal, just enough so that he was slightly out of Mina's line of sight. It appeared that Kaminari was showing his hand to Principal Nezu, and what happened next surprised her. Principal Nezu, a being with an IQ dwarfing humans by astonishing leagues, one who's emotions were harder to read than his own actions, did a double take – Sharply inhaling and exhaling to seemingly calm whatever was beginning to quell inside the chimera. All he could do was take Kaminari's hand, and look down at it with very clear concern.

"Oh dear."

"This is an announcement. Team Kaminari and Ashido's exam… has suspended operations," The speakers sounded off, and for the first time in UA's history, it had everyone stopping and turning their heads. The practical exam being dismissed without a pass or fail was something unheard of. Students and teachers alike wondered how or why it happened. Matoi herself was curious and also worried about her friends participating.

'What? Suspended? Oh god, I hope it's not because anyone got hurt.'

Ryuko looked back at All Might to see that he also had some thoughts about the recent announcement, "Suspended, huh? Something serious must have come up. I'll have to ask Nezu about it once we're done here."

Phew. Just what Ryuko was hoping to hear. The lack of worry in his voice showed that, while something urgent did happen, it was most likely under control. All Might trusted Nezu greatly, and so did Ryuko. Now she could focus on the match, and hopefully, focus on winning.

"Now then, where were we?" All Might turned his head to face Bakugou, who readied his palms.

With his eyes off of her, Ryuko leaped in the air with All Might's image reflecting off the blunt hilt of her blade. Fighting dirty was often frowned upon, by Sanageyama, Best Jeanist, and even All Might. But Ryuko didn't really care. A fight was a fight, and she intended to win. Just before she could clock him in the side of the head, he vanished. The weapon had phased through what looked like an afterimage, similar to what she saw in some action anime.

Seeing past it, Ryuko watched as All Might made a beeline straight for Katsuki. He drew his arm forward, only for All Might to destroy his bracer with a swift uppercut, smashing it into little pieces. It was at that moment Ryuko realized All Might never made an afterimage. He was just so blazingly fast. Much, much faster than when she took over the skies with her Shippu form. So much has happened, yet the three of them barely moved from their original spots. The formation remained the same with All Might standing tall in between his disgruntled opponents.

"Uh oh! It appears that Bakugo's plan to hit-and-run with maximum firepower has been shelved, now that there's no use of either gauntlets," he crowed about the impending danger. "It's time for you both to die!"

All Might started with Bakugo, grabbing his arm and holding it high before sending a boot to his back. No matter how solid Katsuki's stance was, he had no leverage against All Might's strength. He couldn't offer more than token resistance as he was sent slamming head first into Ryuko's stomach. She gasped with the blunt pain that shot through her abdomen, added with Katsuki's surprisingly sharp quills. Neither had a chance to reposition themselves as All Might charged them both into a building, shoving them through several layers of brick and drywall. His little renovation of the block stopped once he ran onto an open road, halting his movement as both Matoi and Bakugo rolled across the ground like tumbleweed. To add insult to injury, Ryuko only stopped once her back collided with a metal fence.

"God, that smarts!" she rubbed her back to make sure her spine was still straight. "I know that I'm tough n' all, but did he have to hit us so hard? How ya holdin' up, Senketsu? Been awfully quiet there."

He unconsciously responded with a deep and shaken up growl. The texture on his body started to feel cold, making Ryuko shiver all over and curl up. Something about the sudden change in his temperature felt familiar. It was goosebumps, just like when Mako first pointed it out months ago. When he first sensed Satsuki joining with Junketsu.

"Sorry. I've been trying to think of any kind of strategy we can use against All Might," Senketsu responded. "The only advantage we have is that All Might doesn't use any weapons – so your risk of passing out from blood loss is drastically low. And yet… I fear that may not be enough."

His eye wearily angled itself towards All Might, seeing only a force of nature. And just like a force of nature unknown to any sentient beings, he struck fear into Senketsu by staring right back at him. In a shocking realization, he said, "From what I can sense, the force of his strength alone is more than we can bear. There's so much he could do to us, and he's barely even using a third of his power. I'm truly at a loss, Ryuko. In all our battles, I've never seen something, no… someone… so unstoppable."

Senketsu's newfound worry didn't go unnoticed by Ryuko. All Might was completely clobbering everyone, despite the weights holding back what he was truly capable of. It was unlike anything she had ever faced before, and it got her thinking, 'Mikisugi wasn't kidding when he said I'd get my money's worth coming to UA. All Might's seriously the toughest bastard I've ever fought. If there was anyone that could beat Satsuki, it'd sure be him. Then…what good am I? All Might alone would have been enough to take on Satsuki – hell, he could take on REVOCs. Would… Would Nudist Beach have been better off without me?'

The feeling of inferiority was unique to Ryuko. Granted, there were times where she acknowledged not being strong enough for certain fights. But it served as a driving force for her to get stronger. Never before had she directly questioned if her efforts mattered or not. The closest she felt to that was during her first fight with Satsuki, where she called her nothing. Just a useless lump of flesh inside a dormant Kamui. Looking back, it had only been a few months since then, yet it felt like a lifetime had passed. Every cut, every bruise, even the stinging pain from Satsuki lifting the girl by her hair. Ryuko remembered it all. Painfully. But even back then, she and Senketsu never stopped fighting.

"Katsuki. You still kicking?," she called out. Judging by the annoyed grunt Ryuko heard from him, he was conscious. "I might know a way we can keep your plan going, even without your gauntlets. But we're not leaving without Izuku."

She reaffirmed her stance with an intense gaze to show she wasn't messing around.

"Got it?"

"Fine," Katsuki said immediately.

Ryuko raised her eyebrow, as she expected to subject All Might to a show of her and Katsuki screaming at each other. Yet he was being surprisingly compliant. "Wha - Just like that? No saying no or-or telling me to go die? You're actually gonna be cooperative?"

"Shut up, dumbass!" he shouted before looking away. "And don't count me out of the plan! Those gauntlets were only so I could use maximum firepower with no risk. I hate to admit it, but I know that going all out alone won't be enough to beat him." Katsuki then looked back at Ryuko and said, "So if there's something else that you and the nerd are hiding, bring it out."

What was that? Ryuko and Katsuki were finally coming to an agreement? Senketsu never thought he'd live to see the day. If only Izuku were here to see this. Though by the looks of it, that was part of the plan.

"Ryuko?" asked the Kamui.

"I've been outta action for a while, Senketsu. You and the others've always there to pick me up whenever I was down." Ryuko then stood up and tightened her fists. "It's time I returned the favor."

"Oh?" All Might wondered what young Matoi had in store for him.

A grin split Ryuko's face. "So whaddya say we get reckless? Just like before."

At that moment, any hesitancy or remorse Senketsu felt from Ryuko's emotions instantly dissipated. What he now saw was the young girl with a reignited flame in her heart. It became all the more clear when the vibrant red undertones on his body began to glow a bright pink. He felt stronger too, nearly bursting with power. They were back. "You got it, Ryuko."

His inner threads straightened and reassembled, millions of them working in tangent with one another. Senketsu let out a triumphant yell as steam vented from him. There was a vision Ryuko had. A new one, one that could challenge All Might, and his mechanisms were working to bring it to life. Starting with the wristbands, her gloves began to grow…and grow…until they were both just about wider than her entire torso. To maintain the growth, other parts of Senketsu had to compensate for the ratio; his eye-like wings shrunk, becoming less pronounced. The garter belts and her skirt thinned out slightly. What finally came to form were two giant punching gloves, which Ryuko let drop on the ground as a form of intimidation. The sheer weight of it sank into the concrete, breaking through its top layer like glass.

"Senketsu: Suruken!" Ryuko cried out defiantly. "Katsuki, stay behind me. I'll take All Might on until we find Izuku."

Katsuki then scoffed, "Just because I'm working with you doesn't mean that you can give me orders!"

"Oh just shut up and keep an eye out! And back me up whenever things get hairy," she chuckled before staring All Might down. "You might be the strongest guy around, All Might. But lately you've been doing things that made me mad, in and out of class. So just like back at the beach…"

Ryuko lifted her gloves, bending her elbows at a 90 degree angle, before they hardened like iron. She then slammed the knuckles together, with a loud metallic thud blasting throughout the area.

"...I'm gonna kick your ass proper."

Now she knew the appeal behind Takaharu's augmented gloves.

Remaining cool in the face, All Might replied, "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

Ryuko hurled through the air straight at him, swinging her enlarged fist along the way. Within a split second, All Might brought forth his own to match. Two punches collided, densely packed muscles against hard iron. It sent a concussive blast, but not enough to damage the buildings around them. All Might was quick to take note of this.

'This is nowhere near the attack power young Matoi is capable of. She's holding back. Probably to avoid damaging places I haven't already demolished. Well done.'

Ryuko twisted and swung another punch, which All Might was forced to block. This time she leaned more into it. The pushback was much stronger, actually sending All Might's feed to skid across the ground. Bakugo was then quick to act with another stun grenade to briefly disorient him. Just when his vision couldn't be clouded enough, he was met with a face full of Ryuko's giant fist. The blow was so fierce that it actually sent him crashing into the building he previously carved through with his students' bodies. If it weren't for the weights, All Might would have prevented these attacks no problem. But now it cost him precious time as Matoi and Bakugo quickly made a break for it.

"Ow. They got me." He even felt a drop of blood pooling from the corner of his lip.

Ryuko quickly shrunk her power gloves as the two of them cut a corner tight, entering an alley that couldn't have been more than four feet wide. She continued to be amazed at how much money UA had to throw around. The spaces were so authentically cramped that for a second this might have looked like fever dream and she was still back at the slums. Katsuki even had to revert back to running on the ground behind her instead of propelling through the air. If that were to be a sign to any good news, All Might would have been too big to chase them here.

"You can run, heroes, but you can't hide!" All Might crowed as he barreled through a wall just right behind them. He had thrown away the instinct to avoid causing any destruction. If Matoi and Bakugo continued to retreat into the alleyways, they'd easily slip away from him at that rate. All Might was a villain now, and villains had no regard for the lives around them.

But just before he could grab them, Katsuki grabbed Ryuko by her arm. "Watch it, damnit!" he yanked her entire body as they whipped right around another corner. With all of the pipes, debris, and the immense cramped spaces, All Might literally destroyed everything in his path. The walls rained over him, but he only blew past them like a seven foot human bulldozer.

All Might had just about enough of chasing them through what would soon become an endless maze. He swung his arm back, his elbow cutting the wall like butter, and propelled his fist forward with a New Hampshire smash. The concussive blast caught Matoi and Bakugo before they could enter yet another alleyway. They were blown out onto the street like a backed up faucet, varying sizes of debris flying with them in the air. Seizing the opportunity, Ryuko landed her feet on the side of a nearby building and propelled herself forward, snagging a block of compiled bricks. All Might had wrongly assumed that Ryuko was preventing Katsuki from being struck by any stray objects. Instead she spun the block around and slammed it onto All Might's head as if she were using a battering ram. Unsurprisingly, the two tufts on his head remained untouched as he had blocked the object with his forearms. The bricks crumbled into small little pieces like a dissolving piece of paper. With his arms up and his chest exposed, Ryuko activated Suruken and brought her fist towards the white diamond shaped 'target' on it. He blocked it with his elbow of course, but Ryuko had another one ready for him. They traded blows back to back multiple times. Both matching the force of each other's punches. Ryuko occasionally ducked an overhead swing from him since he was much larger than her. Fighting like this actually felt a little bit refreshing after a long break. It'll be the perfect warm up for when she would start sparring with Izuku again.

The barrage of punches came to a stop once All Might managed to catch both of Ryuko's fists. To his surprise, he could feel her actually pushing back against him. On top of that, she had a rather crazed looking grin on her face. Even when looking at danger dead in the eyes, Matoi seemed to be enjoying herself greatly. 'So, this is young Matoi at her best, huh? I've only seen it once during her matches at the sports festival. Even the worst parts of it. Experiencing it here first hand, I can only see how remarkable she truly is. All of them are. They're doing quite well despite the animosity between the three of them. I know this match won't resolve that immediately, but their cooperation here is a good stepping stone for where their future will go.'

Flexing his muscles, All Might not only began pushing Ryuko back, but also past the limits set by his weights. 'So I better make the most out of it and do my best to school them!' All Might suddenly swung his fist under. He maintained his position of superior strength and speed by catching Ryuko under the chin. She was thrown into the air, her head spinning a bit in the process – and just far enough for Katsuki to swoop in and get close to All Might. Through the sliver of his vision below him, All Might could see a light getting increasingly bright from his student's hand. An explosion was set off, aimed for his chest. It was such a large one that it also went off on his face, legs, everything. All Might was blasted back into the alley he destroyed, with the rest of it piling on top of him like a heap of snow.

Now that she wasn't on the receiving end of it, Ryuko got a good look at the bomb that Katsuki detonated on All Might. No doubt about it, that's the same one that he used against her during their fight. It's shocking just how powerful it was, even stronger than when he used it before. Even then, the blasts hurt like hell and even left a few burn marks on Senketsu before being healed. Ryuko knew for certain that Katsuki's blasts would do a good number on All Might. Was it more or less comparable to her Senketsu Suruken? That was up for debate.

Katsuki grabbed his forearm, the nerve endings in it screaming as if it was on fire. He soon recollected his bearings before blasting off and shouting, "Move it!" Ryuko found no reason to object and followed him immediately. She couldn't believe their luck. They managed to get a few good hits on All Might. It wasn't much, but it was a feat regardless.

More good news soon came in in the form of the loud horn with a voice coming through saying, "This is another announcement. The first team to pass is Yaoyorozu and Todoroki!"

Ryuko was elated that her two friends had passed. Going up against someone like Aizawa sounded like no easy task since he could erase both their quirks. But they managed to find a way to win! Now that the little celebration was over, Ryuko put her focus back on the current subject at hand. She found that there was quite a bit of sweat running down her forehead. Due to her gloves being too big, Ryuko had to flip her hair for the first time ever to wave some of it off. It became clear that she was starting to run low on steam. Her endurance was superhuman, but not infinite. She could tell that Bakugo didn't fare too much better either. Any more of his atomic blasts, he'd be killing himself more than damaging All Might.

'Okay. Don't panic, Ryuko. Focus. Focus only on the good stuff. We may be knee deep in a shit fest right now, but Katsuki's plan is still working. We're still kicking.'

Down further ahead, Ryuko could hear what sounded like a piece of a building exploding. A smile stretched across her lips, knowing that it could only mean one thing.

'Looks like we're not the only ones. If Todoroki and Yaomomo were able to beat the odds, so can we! Hope you're ready, Izuku. Even if it takes either of us dragging each other to the finish line… we'll win this!'

It may not have been intentional, but Todoroki and Yaoyorozu's victory announcement served as a sort of good mojo. Despite the fatigue settling in, Ryuko had never felt more fired up. She used her enlarged thumb to wipe off a bead of sweat that was hanging on the edge of her nose in confidence. She hoped that the rest of her classmates would get the same good feeling from this too.

…

Denki Kaminari sat on Recovery Girl's nursing bed with guilt written all over his face. The practical couldn't have gone any more wrong. All of the work that he and Ashido, specifically, had put into passing the finals and going to camp… it was all wasted. Worst of all, he was useless the entire time. He might have even been the reason they failed. Recovery Girl refrained from speaking to him, as she felt that he needed peace and quiet. Plus, it'd be better to talk once everyone was present.

"Apologies for the delay," Nezu brushed the entrance's curtains back with his arm upon entering the medical tent, his voice causing Kaminari's shoulders to tense up. He had returned from escorting Ashido to the medical room in UA so that she may rest. At least before Nezu would fill her and Kaminari in on where they stood in the practical. Speaking of which – the good news was that the two of them didn't sustain any injuries, only scratches and dirt on their costumes. Nezu was worried that he might have been too late to stop once Ashido called for it. He knew not to get too comfortable however. There was still the matter of digging for why the exam had to be stopped in the first place. He soon approached Kaminari, standing in front of his bed. Recovery girl also turned her office chair around to face the two of them.

Already she could see Kaminari steel himself in a defensive manner. The bed sheets started tucking underneath his fingers while he stared at the floor hard. Whatever was going on in that boy's head, he didn't seem keen on sharing. Shuzenji hoped that Nezu would be able to handle this situation delicately.

"Mr. Kaminari…" –Kaminari visibly winced as soon as Nezu called his name– "Earlier during your exam, Ms. Ashido said that your quirk wasn't working. Could you tell us what happened?"

"Nothing happened," he replied immediately, but also dryly. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. "It's… uh… Y-You just caught me off guard, that's all." Denki desperately tried to crack a smile to make it appear that nothing was wrong. Other than failing at it, it didn't even make a difference since he couldn't muster the courage to properly face him or Recovery girl. But soon, his attention was called from the click of Nezu's heel on the floor. Kaminari looked up slightly and found him standing much closer to the bed frame.

Not a single crack could be found in the straight face Nezu was giving. "The truth."

Denki's lips opened slightly as if planning to say something, only for it to close immediately and also tuck inward. Nezu stared at him straight in the eyes for a little bit longer, hoping to get an answer. But nothing came out.

"Kaminari, how do you intend to make this blow over?" Nezu sighed and went on, "We're not talking about silly pranks like gluing chairs to the side of the building or inciting a hate mob so that you could potentially collect new members for a club here. When this problem involves your quirk and could potentially affect your enrollment at UA, we can't exactly ignore that… No matter how much you try to. Believe me, we have many students who go through exactly the same thing."

"No. Not 'exactly.'" Kaminari said rather brusquely.

Nezu anticipated that Kaminari would put up that kind of tone. So he raised his pointer finger before following up with a response, "The point is that I understand what you may be going through is not easy to open up about, nor will it be resolved immediately. But asking for help is never a bad choice…" he walked closer to the bed and rested his hand on the railing. "And as your principal, I take pride in accommodating all of my students, whether it's quirk related or a personal problem. So please, I humbly request that you tell me so that I and UA can help you."

Denki petulantly considered getting up from the bed and going home. A lot of emotions whirled around inside of him like a tornado –anger, fear, and anxiety– over his quirk, over his parents. But there was no reason to misplace that aggression towards Nezu just because he wanted to help. The last thing he wanted to do was prolong his stay. Denki turned away, seemingly removing something off his person. Nezu then tilted his head, curious on what this could mean.

All of his thoughts came to a screeching halt as he looked at Kaminari's hands – primarily, the new scars that were littered all around. While not violently red like most scars, they were still very visible to the naked eye. Before Recovery girl could make note of anything, Kaminari rolled up his sleeve, revealing more scars running up to his bicep. She could already wager the other arm matched the one he was holding right now. Something that also stuck out to her was the small, yet very prominent trembling on his arms and hands.

"And before either of you ask – yes, there's more all around my body."

Kaminari rolled his sleeves back down, putting on the gloves and wrapping his arms around himself. Almost as if he was hiding something ugly and disturbing. Recovery girl could only watch in horror as the one person she never guessed to look so…ashamed hugged himself for comfort while keeping his gaze on the floor. And all she could get out was, "W-what?"

Kaminari sighed, his eyes not even attempting to look at her. "Back at Honnoji, I remember how much I gave during the fight against Jakuzure. Hell, I could feel it. I felt… everything. Anything that had power, I could feel it. It was like, I don't know, probably how All Might feels, ya know? Being on top of the world, the apex to all the heroes in the world." Denki mused, his face having a somewhat wistful look.

That look then soured as he looked down to his hands, the trembling never ceasing.

"Until it stopped. Once I blasted through that ship, my body went into full shutdown. I couldn't move, couldn't speak, hell – I couldn't even breathe properly! I was a literal prisoner in my own body. But that was the easy part. The pain…" Kaminari clenched his trembling hands, trying his best to hold back the tears welling in his eyes.

"The pain, it was unbearable. It felt like someone poured hot metal on my goddamn nerve endings! All the twitching and seizing just made it all worse. And all I had to do was just stay there and take it. Endure it. For twenty seconds, that was how long I was conscious before I clocked out. Those twenty seconds…felt like a damn eternity."

Kaminari took a breath, trying his best to keep himself calm. "Everything after was a blur. I remember being taken to the hospital, the doctors treating me, the nurses and how…freaked out they sounded when they saw me. And on top of all of that…my quirk stopped working. I tried everything; Batteries, toasters, phones, everything! Nothing worked. For the last month, my powers…were gone. I'm practically quirkless," he turned his attention back to everyone, which gauged their reactions.

"So no, principal…I don't think you can help with this."

Recovery Girl held her gaze downcasted at the poor state of her patient. She's dealt with her fair share of Quirk related accidents in her prime, ranging from minor mishaps to life-threatening cases. But those involved heroes, seasoned veterans of the profession and people who were prepared for the road ahead.

But this was a student, barely through his first year in high school. And he had to endure the type of pain that would put one of your best pro heroes on the fast-track to retirement. This wasn't an issue that can be put down lightly.

Nezu, as well, held similar concerns regarding Kaminari. He was genuinely hoping for his student to be open to the help provided. But after this interaction, he can tell that the road ahead will be a perilous one. That being said, there's definitely more that's going on behind the scenes. Something else that could be playing a part in Denki Kaminari's current physical state.

'There is more that you are not telling us… Is there, young man?'

To Be Continued…

Aduubo A/N: WOW, this chapter is jam packed. It's even larger than chapter 49 when Ryuko turned berserk. Super proud of this because it's perhaps some of our best work yet. It's a true showcase of how far we've come as writers since the first chapter. Its stock full of details so you guys better be paying attention!

And Ryuko is back and better than ever! New form too! One that's perfect to challenge All Might! I felt that it was fitting since she had been on a downward spiral for an entire in-universe month. It's also funny while she's making her comeback, Kaminari… isn't so much.

Quick note. For Senketsu Suruken I ran some words through various translation sites, one of them being Google translate. Suruken apparently translates to "Rising fist." Which I think is cool. But please don't crucify me if it's inaccurate lol

I tried my best to match how the anime named Ryuko's Shippu and Senjin. Though I forgot to archive what the kanji looked like for Suruken unfortunately.

If there's any Japanese readers that know a proper translation, I'm all ears. Now I'll let PK continue with the rest.

PKSprtn A/N: Kept you waiting, huh? In all seriousness, IT FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK! Man, call the last few months a timeskip cause I got myself a motherfucking Zenkai Boost! A lot happened during my time away… . *Brief montage of all the greats who passed away from Toriyama to James Earl Jones, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK 2024?!*

But enough about the doom, gloom, and super shitty bloom. ON TO THE REVIEWS!

(Note: I'm only going to put your name and not the full review, because holy cinnamon toast FUCK can you guys yap)

Guest (Miguel): …no

Inferno Blaze X1: Ahahahaha. Yeah, they hurtin hurtin right about now. Had too much dip on they chip.

Chronofall: My sibling in Christ, you be theorizing your theorizing. Got buck wild, I'd hella appreciate it! It's nice to see we got some of ya'll thinking on what we're gonna do next.

TheEmeraldMage: Thank you for the support and the reviews. Though, I wouldn't call Izuku a loser in the series. Bro had no support system before All Might and even then had to deal with his own self-loathing in order to get his act together. All we did was give him a support system that propelled his character just a slight tad.

Aduubo A/N: That's it for the reviews! I hope you all enjoyed this jam packed chapter! To end things, here's a fun gift for everyone; a scrapped scene from when I was gonna write the practical exams like how the anime portrayed it!

Now that all of the instructions were out of way, it was time for the final test to begin, with Sato and Kirishima being the first to take it. They were escorted to the stage where they would fight Cementoss. Everyone else walked inside the building in front of them, soon splitting up in the halls with their groups to either strategize together, or watch the exams live in the monitor room.

"Yo Matoi, you think we can borrow your scissor blade so that we could slice off Ms. Midnight's costume?" Mineta called out from the side of her. Izuku quickly set his sights on Mineta, just mere seconds away from giving him a serious lecture. But Sero was quick to restrain the little grape with a roll of tape from his elbow.

"You wanna stop clowning? Now's not the time, dude."

Mineta shimmied under the tape so that his mouth was set free. "What? I'm just trying to lighten the mood! Everyone's tense right now!"

Thankfully, Sero had dragged Mineta along to one of the empty break rooms so that they could figure out a plan to win against Midnight. Mineta was right, everyone was a bit on edge right now. The last thing Izuku wanted was to pop a blood vessel before his team's match, as he had something else to worry about; When Mineta made that remark, Ryuko didn't even say a word back to him. There was no insult or threat thrown his way. She completely ignored him. Izuku couldn't help but be worried about that.

His thoughts were cut short once Ryuko caught up to him at the monitor room's entrance, "Guess the plan to strategize with Katsuki is a total bust, huh?

The duo looked to the side as they watched the boy in question venturing off on his own without a word. Typical Kacchan. Izuku was hardly surprised at this point. He was more intrigued about how relatively tame his outburst was earlier. Kacchan didn't hurl a single insult or a demeaning comment about their strength towards them at all. He was simply angry that he had to be paired with them. Could it be that Kacchan was finally understanding how strong he and Ryuko had become?

"Completely shattered," Izuku sighed, "But at least you and I can still come up with something. I actually have a plan that just might work."

"Oh? Sweet. You wanna go talk about it?" Ryuko asked.

Izuku leaned his head to the side to give the idea some thought, "Hmm… Nah. Not right now at least. It's not often we get to watch students in combat against teachers, and since our group is going last, I figured that we have plenty of time to relax beforehand."

"So what you're really saying is that you want to watch everyone get their butts kicked by the teachers before we do," Ryuko teased.

"Izuku, say it isn't so! Surely you wouldn't dare to engage in such unsportsmanlike behavior, would you?!" Senketsu wailed. With Midoriya around, they had Ryuko outnumbered when it came to having a sense of rationale. If she were to corrupt him with her wild and outlandish behavior, it'd be over for Senketsu.

Izuku snickered, which only fueled his suspicions. "Let's just say that there's a lot we can learn from everyone else's battles. And… I'm still not over what Mineta asked you."

Senketsu's eye drooped in a saddened state, followed with a melodramatic sigh. Ryuko then stifled a laugh. Her cheeks began to puff, soon having to hide it behind her palm. Before Ryuko knew it, she broke out into a giggle. Izuku felt that he needed a face shield as seeing such a goofy smile on her face was like shining a light in his.

"Looks like you two are having fun."

Looking over their shoulder, the duo found Uraraka as she was approaching the monitor room's entrance. While Izuku maintained his composure, Ryuko started to get jumpy, "Ah! Hey Uraraka! Sorry, we'll just get out of your way!"

"No, no! Don't mind me. At least you guys are actually communicating. My partner, Aoyama's too busy catcalling himself in front of a mirror," Uraraka said sheepishly.

"Makes sense," both Izuku and Ryuko said with a deadpan stare.

"Anywho, I'll catch you two inside!" Uraraka gleefully walked through as they opened a path for her. At the last moment, just before she completely passed them, Uraraka made sure to flash a quick wink towards Ryuko. There was no way that was only a look of encouragement, the Kamui wielder knew for certain. Uraraka was trying to push her.

Ryuko stared down at her feet, trying to figure out what her next move would be. Her heart urged her to move, but the body wouldn't. These troubling thoughts would soon come to an abrupt pause as the first exam was about to begin. Upon entering through the slide doors, they were met with a relatively dark room with a giant monitor being the only thing illuminating the space, quick and out of rhythm chirps from the mechanism filled in for the quiet ambience. The screen was blank since none of the matches had started. As Izuku and Ryuko stopped at the hand railing, they were surprised to find that Recovery Girl was the one operating in the room.

"Whoa! Recovery girl? They're having you monitor the exams?" Ryuko asked.

"Mhm! Looks like I've got my work cut out for me today,"

"It's good to see you again, Granny. Been a while," Ryuko greeted her.

"Mhm! And it's good to see you two in a place that isn't my nursing room for once,"