Chapter 31: Disquiet
"Ladies and gentlemen, we may start the meeting!" Nezu proclaimed to all the teachers. The staff conference room was filled, and in sight of the coming exams, the principal called a meeting to discuss his plans. Said plans left more than a few feeling deeply unsettled.
Nezu's plans ended with people in jail or with people wishing they hadn't woken up that day, sometimes both.
All Might raised his hand, "Can I ask a question before we start?" He didn't wait for confirmation, "I know this year hasn't been…"
"Easy."
"Normal."
"Sane."
"As the previous ones." All Might brushed off his colleagues' interruptions. He felt the need to argue in favor of the students because apparently no one else would, "However, is it really necessary to completely remake the exams from the ground up, and to make them so hard at that?" He lifted the dossier with Nezu's ideas to discuss for emphasis. The file was as thick as a book and as heavy as a brick.
"Of course!" Nezu's chirpy tone told the teachers he was having fun at their expense, as usual, "Not only will all the changes I want to implement this end of the semester guarantee all our students are appropriately challenged, it will also lead to the slight alteration of schedule I have planned for this summer!"
They all blinked at that. Aizawa was the one to bite the bullet, "What do you mean? There's nothing about the summer activities being changed here." The man had brought some points of discussion to the principal and got an earlier look at what their staff meeting would cover, and there was no mention of any shift for the summer plans.
"Of course not! I would have run out of paper if I had printed everything." Nezu cackled, seeing his employees sweatdrop. Still, he had serious matters at hand, so the unidentifiable mammal clapped and brought things back on track, "But that is for the future, now, let's discuss what we will do in the subject of our exams."
Snipe snorted, the sound coming out muffled from his gas mask. The cowboy-esque hero waved his hand dismissively, "Lemme guess, ya want to throw da kids in 'ta deep end."
Nezu chuckled, "Not only that, I plan to fill the waters with sharks first!" He pressed one of the hidden buttons on his part of the table to start the slideshow he had prepared earlier that day. In it, the statistics of the class activities were shown, and there was an overall increase in their general score across the board. The reason for it was also tracked and highlighted.
Present Mic slapped the table, "Ha! Pay up, suckers!" He collected the money from the disgruntled Cementos and Midnight passed him. He had bet their resident green menace would be friends with half the school before summer vacation started, and Mic won with time to spare.
"Are you serious?" Eraserhead grumbled at his friends' antics.
Present Mic raised his hands in mock surrender, "Hey, don't look at me like that. I didn't start the pool. Damn, I think Thirteen is still at it?" He looked at the hero in question.
Thirteen shrugged, not seeing a reason to hide her bet, "I still think he can be friends with the whole school before the joint training we have scheduled for the second semester. Speaking of, is that still up?" The astronaut-themed hero directed her question at Nezu.
"Theoretically, yes." The principal nodded at the teachers, "As you can see, the influence of a certain student has caused a bit of a stir in the school. To accommodate that and the next generation's surprising desire to improve, I created a series of reforms to enact."
Vlad King grumbled while reading through the documents, "How can one kid cause that much of a fuzz?"
All Might coughed into his fist, thankfully without blood, "Well, Young Izuku has teaching experience and a very effective, if unusual, way of coaching his peers on their studies."
Eraserhead's helpful input was a weary sigh, "Problem Child."
Midnight jabbed the man with her elbow, earning complaints from her friend, "Don't be like that, you grumpy cat. Izuku is a menace, and we all recognize that fact, but he's a good kid trying to help the other kids you have such a soft spot for." The now verbal jab got the woman more mean words without heat behind them.
"We got a little off-topic here." All Might let his papers fall with a loud slap against the table, gaining the attention of the whole room, "I don't doubt those kids. I don't think I'm underestimating them, either. But I have to ask, is it okay for us to do this to them?"
Nezu interlocked his paw digits and nodded at the man, "I understand your concerns, All Might. Trust me, I do. However, we need to prepare our students for what they will face in life, and recent events lead me to believe life will not wait."
That shut the man up. Not only he but all the heroes in the room grimaced at the sudden grim tone the conversation took. While yes, they had done all they reasonably, and unreasonably in more than one case, could do to protect their charges, the school faculty still felt they didn't do enough.
Nezu took notice of Midnight's frown, the woman probably remembering how he was banking all his countermeasures against Heartless on a single student. The principal could not say he was happy with the mentioned course of action, but he remembered what the Heartless could do, the real danger they posed.
How couldn't he, when proof of it was forever marked on his face?
All Might sighed, conceding to Nezu's logic. "I understand what you mean, and while I hate it, I have to agree." The man ran a hand through his face, the previously smooth age lines seemed to deepen with the stress of his admission. Nezu wondered how his old companion of darker times ended up looking so young nowadays, not like it was hard to guess who was responsible for it.
Maybe he should pay the Midoriyas another visit, and offer Eri an… early scholarship.
Thoughts for later.
"It bothers me as much as you, All Might. Our students are being persecuted by a villain organization, one that already threatened their lives twice. I will dedicate every resource at U.A.'s disposal to ensure they will be ready to defend themselves, still, that should not change the fact their safety is our number one priority." He pulled another file, this one considerably smaller, and skipped it to All Might, "That is why I would like your help with this."
The hero glanced at the new file, then at Nezu, and back, "You planned this." It wasn't a question, so Nezu didn't feel the need to answer. All Might picked and flicked the file open; as his eyes went through lines, his eyebrows steadily approached his hairline.
The man licked his suddenly dry lips. He understood exactly what Nezu was asking of him, and while it would be an absolute pain, All Might knew it would be for the best, which was why he found himself agreeing, "I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you. Back to the main topic, is there any voice of disagreement?" Nezu looked over the room, his beady eyes urging them to speak up, but no one took the bait. They knew him too well for that. "None? Good, then let us start planning the teams for the practical portion."
Aizawa instantly took the cue and passed him a list. Nezu accepted it and started to read it out loud, each pair of students' names were followed by the name of a staff member, and at each match, the principal's smile grew.
All Might, in turn, frowned. Each combination of names made his complexion darken.
The number one hero of Japan sighed heavily, "I hope they are ready."
—
"I'm doomed," Izuku spoke blankly while staring into the distance with glazed eyes.
"Yep, you're doomed." Nana, finally back from her punishment, agreed with her boy.
What was troubling Izuku? Danger Sense. It had started to give a low buzz somewhere along his boot camp, and each day it grew worse. It was like a storm alarm getting louder and louder as disaster approached. Until today, the day of their exams, where it had peaked in a high-pitched shrill that gritted against the edges of his skull.
Izuku knew his track record of jumping from one problem to another would have kicked the difficulty up a notch or three, but whatever U.A. had in store for them would surely hurt, a lot.
"Don't worry, you all can do it!" Eri cheered him while finishing braiding his hair. Today she had a special something to give her Master a little good luck on his test. "Done! What do you think?" She passed him a hand mirror, hopeful red eyes sparkling like rubies.
Izuku checked her work, seeing the new addition to his usual side braid. Instead of ending on a fluffy puff of hair, a tiny blue dream catcher with green beads woven into it adorned the end of his braid. Izuku's eyes squinted, and he stared intently at the handmade trinket.
There was something about it that he couldn't put his finger on but felt… off.
The young Master constantly praised his Unicorn's magical talent, but he would be the first to admit he didn't know how she made her items. Still, all of them had a familiar something to them, something Izuku felt he knew but couldn't quite remember. That feeling was stronger on the dream catcher, but he also felt it shouldn't.
"It's really nice Eri, what did you use to make it?" Maybe a clue would help Izuku identify this sudden mysterious feeling.
"That's a secret."
Her non-answer made Izuku turn to her with a raised eyebrow. They locked eyes for a long second, neither saying a word. Eri then blew him a raspberry, and Izuku, as the mature person in that situation, did the same at double the intensity.
They laughed, but Eri still didn't answer him. Ah, it should probably be nothing.
Izuku finished preparing his stuff and departed from his home after saying goodbye to his mother and Eri. The constant alarm of Danger Sense still made it seem as if Izuku was walking to his doom, but he felt a newfound confidence in his stride.
They were ready. They just had to prove it now.
—
Shigaraki liked his new recruits, even if he would never admit it to them. Not only were they useful troops for his faction, but they were also quite interesting.
Mustard was a psychotic brat with a respectful hate for hero society. Twice was a madman with the worst case of split personality Shigaraki ever saw and a need to keep his head covered at all times. And there was Spinner, the lizard-swordsman wore a Stain cosplay, which put him on Shigaraki's bad side, but he was a cultured gamer, gaining Spinner enough brownie points to even things out.
The newbie kept his distance from the others, always observing but making no effort to integrate himself into the group. However, every time Shigaraki booted up a game, Spinner grabbed the second controller and gave the villain leader a good challenge.
That was how he found himself in the fiercest fighting game match of his life. Spinner knew how to combo like a pro, but Shigaraki was able to parry each of his attacks as if he was a filthy casual. He needed it though because one hit and Shigaraki would be comboed to death.
He was chipping at Spinner character's health bar, a pixel at a time. It was slow, tense, and the most fun Shigaraki had in a while.
"Say, why do you do it?" The swordsman asked suddenly, not stopping his frantic while still extremely precise button mash.
"Do what?" Shigaraki matched his adversary's show of skill.
"All this. Being a villain, fighting heroes, going against the law." Spinner shifted his rhythm at a breakneck turn that almost got Shigaraki off guard. Almost.
The hand-covered man turned his character to block a flying kick when Spinner's fighter jumped over him. Blocking at the last possible frame and negating the damage.
This, this was a level of skill he could respect. Spinner too, if the slightly impressed nod he gave was any indication.
Shigaraki decided to answer, as a sign of goodwill and a reward for not being a damn noob, "I want to destroy the things I hate."
"That's it?"
"What other reason do I need?" Shigaraki ducked under an overhead swing instead of blocking, doing a low kick and interrupting his enemy's animation, saving him from taking damage. "This society makes it seem like you have to bow down to it or get left behind. But getting kicked from that hell isn't the end of the world, and that just shows it isn't all that." He threw a three-attack combo before retreating, avoiding a counterpunch.
Spinned hummed calmly while his thumbs jerked abruptly to make his character dash and smash against Shigaraki's, whose parry was once again performed on the absolute limit. "That may be true. Still, then what?"
"The hell do you mean?" Shigaraki's tone was now tense. He was against the wall and the knockback of the attacks pushing him up against it was throwing his timing off.
"Say you're right about that, and say you can really bring society crumbling down, then what?" He kept mashing attack buttons at a blurring pace, his character having his animations canceled from inputs overriding each other, "You burn the world down, but you and everybody else still live in said world. You're just getting rid of a problem by making another one."
Shigaraki faltered, missing a block and getting knocked up. From there, Spinner kept him airborne until his health bar was drained from its last sliver.
As the winner announcement sounded from the TV, Spinner stood up and left the controller on the sofa's arm. The lizardman looked down at Shigaraki, his pink eyes piercing the seated man from behind the white cloth mask that covered his upper face, "You want to destroy the world, fine, but what world do you want to create?" He didn't wait for an answer, turning back and walking away, Spinner left Shigaraki alone.
The swordsman ran a hand through his pink hair while sighing, it seemed like he was right.
Shigaraki didn't acknowledge the second round of the game starting, or the eyes staring at him from the others in the bar. The only thing filling his mind was that single question which only got louder and louder with each second that passed.
What world did he want to create?
—
"FREEDOM!" Most of 1-A collectively shouted. They had just ended the last written test of the day, and what a gauntlet it was.
Denki slapped his desk and then hopped onto it, "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to say that my dumb ass, for the first time in its existence, probably got a good grade on a test!" He threw his arms up, celebrating his victory over education and its hardships. The electric boy had no doubt he got some questions wrong, and the last one he didn't even bother to try answering when he barely understood what half the words in it meant, but Denki had absolute confidence he got most of it right.
"Don't think you're the only dumbass who got a good grade!" Mina, getting swept by the hype, also got on her desk, "It was the hardest test of my life, but also the only one I can say for sure I did well!"
Katsuki snorted and rolled his eyes, "Yes, your asses are dumb and you didn't completely fail." He threw his legs back and sat backward, staring at Deku, "But that was the easy part, right?"
They all stopped celebrating and turned to Izuku, who was frowning and massaging his temples. The constant bombardment of Danger Sense told him to get ready to have his physical integrity compromised. Or, as Kacchan would say, with much more swearing, he was about to get his butt kicked. "We're doomed."
Katsuki clicked his tongue and growled a curse, "On a scale of it's just another normal Thursday and the world is gonna fucking end, how fucked are we?"
Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to contain his headache, "Hosu wasn't this bad." He noticed the whole class flinching. Izuku didn't want to worry them more than his friends probably already were, but he wasn't going to mince his words either, "Whatever they had planned, it is going to hurt."
A soft hand landed on Izuku's shoulder, pinky finger raised. He glanced at Ochaco's determined face, seeing not a speck of fear in her warm brown eyes.
"I hope they go above and beyond because we sure will." She threw him a smirk, "After everything you put us through, what they have in store is gonna be cake."
Shoto voiced his support, "We survived villains, Heartless, and you." He shot Izuku a small but honest smile, "I doubt anything can put us down now."
Tenya chopped his arm, startling Izuku and gaining his attention, "There is not a doubt in my mind that we will succeed, so don't fear my friend."
"WE ARE HERE!" The class collective warcry made Izuku tear up at the same time his smile got blindingly bright.
"Yeah! Don't matter what, let's all get through this together!"
"For your sake, I sure hope so." Aizawa's gruff voice made them jump. They hadn't even seen the man entering the classroom.
Stopping in front of the class, he sighed, "First, get down you two." He glared at Mina and Denki, who sheepishly apologized and sat back down. "You all did surprisingly well on your written tests, and I will admit to being pleased with the results." Aizawa ignored how they all lit up like kids being told Christmas came early, and the traitorous upturn of his lips, "Now, you will suit up and follow me to get the practical portion explained to you. For those who pass, we have a summer camp with special training and… more enjoyable activities taking place. For those who fail." His eyes locked with each of his students, stopping a second more on his resident Problem Child, "Don't."
The students gulped. That wasn't a logical ruse, nor a threat. That was their teacher being honest and direct, they couldn't fail now, not after coming so far.
Not when their chance to prove they could truly achieve their dreams was right there.
"Don't worry, sensei." Izuku jumped to his feet, "We won't let you down."
Aizawa gave a subtle nod, "See that you don't. Now come, we're burning daylight."
—
Izuku's head was one second away from exploding. He downed a Panacea and a Potion before exiting the lockers, that only took the edge of the pressure inside his skull. Katsuki was walking beside him, ready to grab Izuku and rush to the infirmary at a moment's notice, his friends not far behind.
He checked the wrist protectors of his gauntlets again, more to have something to fidget with than anything. Every step down the hallway felt graver than the last.
"Kid, you're gonna be fine~. It's just a school test, not the end of the world." Nana tried to reassure him, but the effect was greatly diminished by Danger Sense almost drowning her voice.
'It's not that. The teachers know things have been bad, and they'll probably get worse. I'm sure this is a way for them to make sure we'll be ready.' Izuku grabbed his wrist tightly, his eyes hardening. 'And for ourselves to show we can do it.'
"We can do it together!"
I̴͚̅͌̾̚'̵̢̯̗̬̓̋͂̈́m̴̱͓̭̒̾͛̏ ̷̡̈n̴̫̋ő̸̝̼̕̚͝ţ̸̰̲̦̚ ̵̤̣̌̓̋̀a̶̫͖̓l̶͕̑͜o̵̥͝n̸̢͇͗e̶̝͍͑́͌!̸̛̲
Ủ̸̶̸̴̷̶̷̘̭͠ñ̵̴̵̴̸̴̷̛̬͜i̴̸̴̶̶͔͋t̸̷̴̶̷̴̘̬̿e̸̴̷̵̷̻͒d̷̸̶̵̸̸͕́͝ ̸̶̸̶̷̸̸̺̪̀̃a̵̷̴̷̷̵̝͆̌s̵̸̷̶̶͙͐ ̶̴̵̴̵̶̶̩͓̍͆o̴̶̸̶̴̸̳̭̒n̶̷̸̶̸̷̶̥̼̓͂e̴̶̶̵̸̴͖̟̔!̷̷̶̶̶̶̹̉̓
Izuku felt a snap of clarity as if the whole world clicked into place.
They knew what to do, they were ready, they were worthy. Izuku took the lead and brought his class to the courtyard where their teachers awaited, his sure stride and eyes now ablaze with confidence lifting the class's previously somber spirits.
"'Took you all long enough." Aizawa huffed, doubly so when a furry form popped out of his scarf and perched on his shoulder.
"I'm glad you all arrived! Let me start by congratulating you on your written exams' results." Nezu's eyes twinkled with pride and a barely restricted mania, noticing the set shoulders and determined stares of his students, "And without further adieu, let me explain how we will conduct your practical examination!"
Hanta's derisive snicker cut through the silence that the principal's words caused, "Let me guess, no robots?"
Nezu cackled merrily, "Most certainly not! I, along with the rest of the staff, had long since decided to push you all much further beyond than normally; what else could you do for students who embody the meaning of Plus Ultra so well?" The principal clapped, "As you can see, all the combat-ready pro heroes enlisted in the staff are here today. For what? To face you, of course!"
The teachers waited for the children's reactions, only to deadpan when money started to change hands.
"It sucks to suck, huh?" Katsuki's smug grin and low cackle only made his friends more annoyed. The blonde hadn't let the chance slip this time and actually started a betting pool after many heated words with Tenya, who firmly opposed it.
"I will pretend I didn't see that." Aizawa's tone portrayed perfectly how done with life he felt. "Listen up, you gremlins. You will be paired up in pre-selected groups of two to go against one teacher." More money changed hands, this time, surprisingly, to Momo and Shoto. The underground hero continued, "Your objective is simple: detain your opponent any way you can, or don't be put out of commission for twenty-five minutes."
Mina gulped, "You guys are not gonna go easy on us, right?" Her shaky voice and tight grip on her grenades betrayed how the tension got to her.
Midnight giggled, the sound sending chills up the students' spines, "Oh, we thought of using weights to slow us down and giving you all cuffs to restrain us, but…" She winked, grin turning sadistic, "What would be the fun in that~?" Her sing-song voice got each student palling a shade or two.
Nezu cleared his throat loudly, "Your victory condition is to represent a real scenario. In this line of work, success means win, or survive." His beady eyes darkened, "Remember it well, for each day you go out to fight the good fight is a day you will not be certain you can achieve both, or either."
Tenya balled his hand into a shaky fist. He knew too well how failure as a hero could be the end of the line, still, still…
They, he would not give up, "We understand! We will all prove 1-A has what it takes to survive and to win!"
"Finally, we can agree on something, Four Eyes!" Katsuki's smirk betrayed his gritted teeth, "Better get ready, old-timers. We're gonna put you all in the dirt!"
"Who are you calling old!" Midnight and Present Mic snapped, making the kids laugh. Aizawa rolled his eyes and shook his head, feeling like he was surrounded by brats.
The principal grinned, "It gratifies me to see you all so excited. Now, for the matches!" He inwardly cackled as both the students and teachers snapped to attention. Reviewing his mental list, he started listing names and seeing students perking up at their teammates and flinching at their adversaries. His eyes also glanced at his resident Keyblade Wielder and the boy's closest friend.
At each name that was called, they slumped some, until the very end, where their tight posture was a moment away from snapping.
Katsuki let the air of his lungs slowly out from his nose. His sweat built up so much he had to start popping it, the sound of firecrackers from his palm sounding too cheerful for what he felt.
"We're-"
"Doomed." Izuku finished for him.
Katsuki shrugged, "I was gonna say fucked, but that works."
Nezu chuckled at their antics, having delayed the last announcement, even if everyone already knew the composition of the last match. "The last group will be Midoriya Izuku and Bakugo Katsuki against…" Nezu didn't finish, already hearing the wind's whistle.
A towering form landed before them heavily. The man slowly rose and loomed over the blank-staring forms of the boys.
"Me." All Might's usually boisterous voice was grave, making all the other students watching the altercation flinch. His blue eyes bore into green and red ones, "Anything to say?"
Izuku nodded, "One thing. Pay up." He raised his open hand to Katsuki, who slapped the earnings of his earlier bets on it.
All Might's dead serious air evaporated instantly, "You betted on this?" He muttered awkwardly.
Katsuki snorted, "Yeah. Deku said whatever was gonna happen, we would probably get the worst of it." The blonde jerked a thumb to All Might, "And that you would be extra dramatic about it."
Both boys watched as the man deflated (metaphorically) and laughed. It sounded a little bit hysterical, but what was new? Life liked to punch them in the gut, and they liked to punch back harder.
Ochaco traded a glance with Tenya. As the two that knew them the longest, they could see how Izuku and Katsuki were actually a lot more shaken than they showed. Who could judge them? The living legend that single-handedly changed the world was against them, and unlike all the other times the boys faced overwhelming odds, they didn't know if they could win.
—
Inko suddenly looked out the window, a gulf of wind from outside making the shutters flutter.
"Something happened?" The voice of her guest brought Inko back to the here and now. She glanced at the concerned eyes of her fellow mother and sighed.
"It's fine, Rei. I just…" Inko trailed off, fidgeting with her cup of tea, "I'm just worried."
The eldest Todoroki woman put her own cup down and scooted closer to put a comforting hand on Inko's shoulder, "I know what you mean. Today I just had this sudden feeling that Shoto might be in trouble." Rei tried to smile, it coming off weak, "And I just can't seem to-"
Inko cut her, only to say the exact words Rei was about to, "Stop worrying that the kids might get hurt."
"Yes." They sighed in unison before falling into a commiserate silence. Both mothers had forged a good friendship after an occasion where both were put into one of 1-A's various group chats, even if they thought their sons staged it. After some very pleasant conversations and requests for pictures from their insider (Inko had half a mind to start paying Tsuyu for all the amazing pictures), they became close friends quickly.
Now, on this oh-so-tense day, Inko invited Rei to spend the afternoon. The Todoroki matriarch not only agreed but also brought her older children, Fuyumi being on break that day, and Natsu being free for a week thanks to a recess from college. They had spent the morning talking about this and that while silently worrying themselves to death.
"Don't worry, they can do it!" Eri stopped their pity party with her faithful declaration. The girl was sitting by the living room's coffee table with her crafting materials all over it, having already worked on a dozen of projects that no one could make heads or tails of.
Fuyumi, who had tried to offer assistance at first only to be sidelined by Eri's proficiency and the fact the woman didn't understand most of what the little girl was doing, nodded along, "Yes, it isn't healthy for you two to keep stressing over things like that. The boys studied and worked hard. They will be fine."
Natsu, nursing a cup of coffee and lounging on the armchair that Inko almost officially declared Toshi's, started to stand, trying to go to them to offer some physical, moral support, if that was a thing. Only for his leg to bump into the table. The young man panicked when he saw the paints spilling over Eri's projects, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to."
The princess didn't hear his apologies, her gaze firmly on the paints mixing. How they touched and changed color, but the rest remained unchanged, almost like…
Eri's prodigious and childish mind made all the right wrong leaps of logic to reach the result that would make most magic users in the future cry in outrage, while most beings of mystical attunement felt a shiver followed by an intense sense of dread.
"I got an idea!" She exclaimed and hopped up, then vanished in an afterimage of translucent Light and Time.
Natsu blinked, more than a little confused, "What was that?"
Inko's answer was to smile fondly and shake her head, "I have absolutely no idea. Just to be sure, though." She turned aside, "Shiryu, could you please keep an eye on her for me?" The Dream Eater in question popped into existence with a puff of colored smoke, saluted, and vanished much like he appeared, "Thanks, darling."
Fuyumi took out her glasses and cleaned them, making sure she saw what just transpired right, "Is this normal around here?"
Inko and Rei traded a conspiratory glance and laughed, the previous apprehension giving place to more pleasant feelings. But not forgotten.
They just knew, as all mothers did, that their children were in trouble. They just hoped the boys, and all the 1-A students, returned at the end of the day safe and sound.
In the Midoriya kids' room, Eri went from place to place grabbing things to start on her idea when she suddenly stopped and looked out the window. Opening a bright smile, she went back to her preparations. Eri knew they would do it, after all…
Heroes always saved the day in the end.
DO-NE! AAAAAAAAAAAA!
So much stuff happened, a major one being my computer just freaking dying on me! Everything is fine now, and if you're reading this, then we're back on track with things. I got a "new" computer, and to help pay for it, I made that thing that starts with pa and ends with treon. If you want to support me, check for Bola8 and throw a coin to your author, just like these amazing people did!
A heartfelt thanks to Guipa_, SilverZero90, CBN, and Brolly Freeman!
Now, on to the chapter. I know it looks like I'm putting too much weight on the exams, but the reason why will be explained in the next chapter. Also, if it doesn't look like the difficulty was turned up to a hundred, these are professionals with decades of experience going all out against high-school students. With absolutely no restrictions, they are going to put those kids through hell.
Also, remember, our resident green bunny and exploding pomeranian are going against an All Might that was healed, nursed back to full health by Inko with love and care, and that unknowingly got revitalized by the sugar accident, but we don't talk about the last one.
He's as close to his prime as he can reasonably get, so… F for the bois.
That's it, join the discord for more weird things from your favorite weird author! Or me, I don't put much stock on being on top of any list.
discord . gg / stAGY4V