When the class arrived at the Central Plaza, they found Aizawa waiting for them in front of the entrance. "Good, you're all here. Now, we will begin the practical exam. Of course, this is no different than your written exam. It is possible to fail. So if you want to go the training camp this summer, then don't make any stupid mistakes here."
Aizawa looked at his students and saw that they were taking the situation seriously. Nodding in approval, he moved on. "I expect that you all gathered some information ahead of time and have some idea of what you will be doing."
There was something in Aizawa's voice that the students picked up on. Something that made them uneasy. Momo raised her hand. "Were we not supposed to inquire as to what our test might be?"
"It would be the exact opposite in fact," Aizawa stated. "If you hadn't taken any initiative to figure anything out, I would have to fail you on principle." Some of the students laughed nervously. Aizawa clarified, "Gathering information is just as important as anything else you'll do as a hero. Don't forget that."
Denki, thinking everyone was in the clear, smirked confidently. "It's robots, right? Like the entrance exam. Compared to last time, I can't wait for a chance to wreck the things."
Mina cheered happily. "That camping trip is in the bag!"
"Oh, I'm afraid that for various reasons, the exam will be quite different now," a new voice shot down Denki and Mina, while Himiko groaned, recognizing the voice instantly. Nezu popped out from Aizawa's binding cloth and waved at the students.
"Oh, this won't be good," Himiko stated with certainty.
Izuku frowned. Why does different sound bad for us?
Climbing off Aizawa's shoulder and touching down on ground, Nezu continued, "Given recent events, we've decided to focus on person-to-person combat and hero work. This is to stress teachings that are closer to actual fighting. So, we'll have you form teams of two and fight."
"Wait, like we did during All Might's first lesson?"
"Does that mean we're fighting each other?"
"So half of us are going to fail?!"
Nezu shook a paw. "No no no. You won't be fighting each other. We want each team to have a chance at passing. Having half of you fail would look pretty sketchy to education boards."
Himiko frowned, then looked over at Aizawa. "Wait… against him, then?"
A few recalled how Aizawa fought during the USJ attack, seeing him wrap up villains and slamming them into each other or the ground. No one was really looking forward to that.
Katsuki, hearing the nervous murmur, rolled his eyes and growled, "You're all fucking cowards. Just go for his eyes and you win."
Ochako turned and stared at Katsuki blankly. "…seriously, do you realize you don't sound like a hero at all?"
Nezu just laughed. "Oh no, not against just Aizawa." That got him a few looks. Nezu then clapped his paws and the doors to the Plaza opened up. "Our teaching staff is here to help. So you see, it'll be a two on one fight against us." As Nezu talked, several U.A. teachers came out to stand besides Aizawa, but they weren't alone. "But with classes all the way up to third years taking this same exam, we realized we needed some extra help, so we got some volunteers to join us."
Midnight, Ectoplasm, Cementoss and Snipe stood on one side, while the volunteers stood on the other. Mt Lady, Gang Orca, Ryukyu, and Gunhead.
Minoru had his hands on his head, looking absolutely crushed. "We're doomed!"
Ochako, startled to see her old teacher, smiled brightly and waved. "Gunhead-sensei!"
Gunhead waved back happily.
Aizawa continued on with the explanation, "Who you will be teamed up with and who you will be facing has already been decided. Everything was determined at my discretion based on various factors. Things like fighting styles, grades, and your personal relationships. The teams are as follows."
Aizawa had a device similar to one back at the start of school. A holographic display was projected with the teams and who they would be facing.
Aizawa sighed, rubbing his brow as he sat down. "Tell me again why we're having this important meeting here?"
Midnight rolled her eyes as she took her seat and immediately started looking over the drink menu. "Because if I'm going to have to listen to you drone on in a meeting, I want a drink in my hand."
Some of the other teachers all chuckled at that as they were joined by the rest of the hero volunteers that would help with the practical tests for class 1-A. Ryukyu smiled happily as she was handed a menu. "I've heard of Stan's Place, but have never had a chance to go. They're supposed to be the best hero bar in the country."
Gunhead winced. "Maybe, but did you see the price for water?"
Mt. Lady winced. "Seven hundred yens for a glass of water?"
All Might laughed. "An old joke from back when the bar was first founded in the states. Back then, heroes weren't known to drink publicly. So when Stan opened the bar, and found out that most of his patrons weren't drinking, he had to find a way to make some money. Hence, the water price."
"Well thank goodness I don't plan on skipping on the booze. Waiter." Mt. Lady waved over a server. She squinted at the nametag. "Lance, a mug of Asahi Super Dry. Make it a big one."
The blond waiter, who looked like he belonged at a beach in California, wrote down the order. "Cool."
More orders were taken, though Aizawa seemed less than thrilled when Nezu opened a tab and told everyone to drink what they wanted. "It would help if everyone is sober for this."
"Then perhaps we should get started before the first drinks arrive," Ectoplasm offered.
"Not a bad idea," Snipe agreed, even though he had ordered some top shelf whiskey for himself.
Nezu turned to address the table. "Then let me start by offering my thanks to the volunteers who have agreed to help us with these term finals. Mt. Lady, Gunhead, Gang Orca, Ryukyu. You all answered the call and for that I am grateful."
The heroes waved him off or respectfully nodded their heads as they accepted the gratitude.
Gunhead rubbed his chin. "I admit I'm curious exactly what you plan on using us for. Your request for help with the students was on the vague side."
Nezu nodded. "The issue is that we wanted to keep our plans… close to the chest, you could say. Give our PR team some breathing room."
"That's ominous," Mt. Lady observed.
"This is an issue I've given a lot of thought to. But certain events have forced our hand, so to speak. With the connection between Hero Killer: Stain and the League of Villains, there was the fear that the villains in the country would be reinvigorated. I'm sure you all have received similar reports from the Hero Public Safety Commission."
The heroes all nodded.
Gang Orca spoke up. "We've been encouraged to try and nip the issue in the bud before it actually becomes an issue."
Nezu agreed. "That makes perfect sense, but there is the possibility it will happen regardless. As a school we think it best to prepare the students for this situation. If we consider how fights against villains will continue to intensify, using the recent incidents as examples, then U.A.'s previous exam style of fighting robots is no longer going to cut it."
"We used the robots as stand-ins because we wanted to avoid the issue of students getting hurt in the entrance exam," Midnight explained. "Parents and welfare groups were adamant that there was never to be a real danger to the students."
"But mock battles against machines are not reflective of the threat now, so we've decided that the students, starting now, will face living opponents in their term finals. Us. This is why we asked for so many volunteers. Testing six different classes is a tall order for just the teachers."
Mt. Lady whistled. "Oh those welfare people are going to love this."
"At this point, we should ignore those people. Let them cry if they want," Aizawa stated simply. Which got a few frowns from the heroes and staff.
Midnight rubbed her brow. "Just so we're clear, while we want to get our students ready for the future, we are well aware they are still minors. We aren't just going to ignore their wellbeing and the concerns of their parents."
"We're just going to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. After we have the kids take these new exams," Snipe chuckled.
Gunhead tapped his fingers together. "I can understand the logic, but at the same time, there's expecting greatness and then there's punishing normality. You're putting these kids, especially these first years, in a hell of a situation."
"We've thought about that. The children will be in teams of two and of course we will all have handicaps. This should ensure they have a fighting chance," Nezu explained.
Present Mic nodded. "I'd hate to have to figure out a grade if we trounced them too quickly."
All Might chuckled. "Or deal with an angry parent."
Midnight smirked but All Might ignored her.
Nezu looked at everyone. "This plan is to help make sure the students avoid greater danger down the line. This first obstacle may be unfair in many ways, but it'll help them in the long run. This will make them stronger. Even if they fail, this will help them grow because they will have the chance to learn from their mistakes."
The explanation seemed to settle the worries everyone had. With that settled, Aizawa pulled out a number of files, ready to get to work.
"So I'm going to have Satou and Aoyama? I think I can see what you want here." Cementoss folded his hands together as he looked at the file he had been handed. "These two, more than anyone else in the class, have very hard limits on how long and how often they can use their Quirks."
Aizawa nodded. "Correct. Satou depends on the amount of sugar he ingests, and there is the drawback that if he eats too much, he'll suffer from hypoglycemia. He'll become too impaired to continue his fight. But if he eats too little, his time will run out, and he'll lose his enhanced strength."
All Might rubbed his chin. "Ah, and then there is Young Aoyama. There have been some, ahem, close calls in some lessons when he uses his Quirk too much."
Cemetoss nodded. "Then I suppose the plan for me is simple."
"You are to draw out the match, force them to use their Quirks. In order to win, these two must retreat when it becomes apparent they can not overpower you."
Aizawa frowned when he glanced over at Mt. Lady and Midnight glaring daggers at each other. "Could you two not?"
Midnight huffed and raised her hand, ordering another drink. "Why is she here again?"
Mt. Lady eyed Midnight from over the frothy rim of her mug as she chugged down some beer. "Apparently because you're not able to teach your own students."
"The hell did you just say?!"
"I mean, it makes sense. Someone your age, they need all the help they can get."
Before the two could rip the place apart, the beer mug was taken out of Mt. lady's hand and replaced with a folder.
"If you would please pay attention before you get plastered," Aizawa groaned. "These will be the students you'll face."
Distracted away from Midnight, Mt. Lady lazily flipped through the folder. "Hagakure and Ojiro… Don't recognize the names, really. Who are they?"
Midnight grumbled. "Read the damned file."
"Yeah, yeah." Mt. Lady flipped through everything without a care, more concerned about her next drink. "Let's see… Invisibility and…Tail? Tail as in…?"
"Ojiro has a tail. Pretty big one in fact. And he's a very decent martial artist for his age," Snipe filled in.
"…That's it?" Mt. Lady didn't seem all that impressed. "No offense but, um… shouldn't these two be paired up with someone more…" she waved her hands in a non descriptive manner, "…higher on the food chain? Put together, they don't really have much punch. Especially when you have kids that can make icebergs, or are walking nukes."
There was a twitch in Aizawa's eye. "If you want to call them average, you wouldn't be wrong. Neither have the gifts some of their classmates have. Which is why I'm having them face you."
Mt. Lady shrugged. "Two average kids vs my giant self, huh… Well, I guess the girl will be able to make a quick escape. I can just go all kaiju and wreck the area away from the exit."
"You're to make sure they can't escape."
Mt. Lady let her head fall to the side. "I'm sorry, what? Do you… want them to beat me?"
"Correct. Instead of the normal cuffs, both will be given magnetic plates that they have to attach to the weights you'll be wearing on your wrists."
Present Mic chimed in, "We got the crane to lift them, right?"
Nezu gave a paw thumbs up.
Mt. Lady held up her hands. "Hold on. I'm sixty-seven feet tall when I'm using my Quirk. You expect them to win when I'm a freaking giant?"
"You'll find instructions on how you'll be fighting and acting in the file—" Aiawa started but Mt. Lady cut him off.
"I'm a giant. How do you expect two kids to beat me in any conceivable way? I'm going to have to let them win. Which kinda defeats the point of this whole exam right? Little kids with basic Quirks like this can't be someone like me."
Aizawa leaned forward. "I did, when I was still a student."
Present Mic winced. "Garvey…"
"Toga goes to me," Midnight cut in as Aizawa was about to hand out another file. "And I'll handle her exam my own way."
Aizawa kept the folder in his hand. "I can accept that, as long as I approve who you intend to pair her up with. I have a list for you to choose from that you can—"
"Asui," Midnight stated.
Aizawa blinked before nodding. "She was on the list. So it's fine."
Midnight poured herself another glass from her bottle. "Good. Principal, how are the modifications to the USJ zone?"
Nezu smiled. "Proceeding in record time. Everything will be ready."
"Iida and Shinsou. These two…" Aizawa paused when he noticed that all the other teachers had stopped drinking and were looking at him. The sudden undivided attention made him raise an eyebrow. "What?"
Present Mic waved him on, "No no, continue."
"…"
Present Mic just smiled. Which just made the whole thing seem even more suspicious.
"…Why are you even here? You're with the group working with 1-B."
Present Mic just waved him off. "They're meeting later. And do you think I would miss a chance to see you pass out after one sip of your drink?"
Aizawa glanced down at his untouched drink. "You're exaggerating."
"Uh huh."
"Back to the subjects at hand. Iida and Shinsou. I'll be the one they'll face in the test."
Midnight and Present Mic cheered. "Pay up suckers!"
The other teachers all grumbled and began fishing out their wallets.
"Iida, huh," Ryukyu said as she watched money change hands. "I've worked with his brother before. Everything I've heard says he's living up to the family name. So why did you pick him as the partner?" She smirked. "The way I hear it, having you for the test could be seen as a harsh punishment."
All Might paused as he was about to hand off his money to Midnight, who was also giving Aizawa a sideways look. Aizawa, however, cut off any potential ideas on the subject. "Iida is an exemplary student. Any mistakes he's made in the past have been quickly dealt with. I picked him because I intend to expose a flaw in the way he fights."
"Oh?"
"He overly relies on his Quirk. Everything he does, how he views situations, how he reacts, and his fighting style, all center around it. I intend to erase his Quirk and see how he responds. Nothing more, nothing less."
"I'd like for you to take Uraraka. Given that you spent some time with her, I think you'd be able to determine how she's improved," Aizawa paused for a second as he handed Gunhead a file to look over, Ochako's student file, "and if there are any bad habits she may have picked up."
"Miruko?"
"Miruko."
Gunhead nodded. "I appreciate the opportunity then. When she was with me, Uraraka soaked up everything I taught her like a sponge. I do want to see what else she's absorbed since she left. Good and ill alike." Gunhead then flipped over to the next student. "As for this young man. Any reason in particular you've teamed him up with her?"
"In regards to yourself, there is not a strong connection. There is with Uraraka, however. Though I admit any of my female students would have worked."
"Oh?"
"There is some friction between him and the rest of the female body."
"Friction?"
Midnight poured herself another drink. "He's a horn dog."
"Ah. Has he done anything—?"
Nezu shook his head. "Not directly and apparently the issue has been settled internally between himself, the young ladies in his class and the class as a whole. He still has antics they find annoying, and he has a wandering eye, but aside from that he hasn't done anything egregious."
"So, you're making Uraraka work with someone she isn't on great terms with then," Gunhead confirmed.
"Correct, but this is also to test if Mineta can act in a reasonable manner while under duress, with someone of the opposite sex."
Aizawa shuffled through some more papers. "Ectoplasm," the other teacher looked over at him while he nursed a small whiskey, "I would like you to take Yaoyorozu and Jirou." Handing him the file, Ectoplasm looked over the contents.
Even wearing his mask, the others could see him raise an eyebrow as he looked everything over. "You want me to take them to the Mountain Zone at the USJ?"
"Correct."
A few of the teachers frowned, as they tried to follow where Aizawa was leading, before Present Mic hissed. "Oh hold on. That's cruel."
Mt. Lady tilted her head to the side. "Wait? What am I missing here?"
Ectoplasm put the folder down. "During the villain attack, Jirou and Yaoyorozu had to defend themselves against multiple villains in the Mountain Zone. It seems he wants to repeat that incident for their exam."
Mt. Lady popped a fist into her palm. "Oh. Gotcha… damn, that is cruel. Does U.A. make it a point to force kids to relive traumatic events or is it just a 'you' thing, Eraser Head?"
Gang Orca grunted, "If these children are going to get stronger, they can't let something like—"
Midnight cut in, "Hold on. These are children, and you want to make them relive that attack?"
Snipe swirled his glass. "If I recall, weren't you one of the first ones that gave her blessing to have the class watch the security footage of the attack?"
"There's a difference between watching footage to study, and getting thrown into the same situation," Midnight countered
Nezu raised his paws. "Now, now. I'm sure Aizawa has his reasons. He's had them for everyone else."
Aizawa nodded. "After the class's internships, I was given reports from all the heroes that my students trained under… Well, almost all of them," All Might laughed nervously, "and the one from Fat Gum, who oversaw Yaoyorozu's training, had some interesting notes. She saw her previous actions during the attack as flawed and unnecessarily dangerous. He summed up by saying she is brilliant but inexperienced."
"So you want to give her a chance at a do-over, now that she has experience, to see if she handles herself better?"
"Correct."
"And Jirou?"
"When their recording was shown, she herself stated she wished she had been able to do more. This is a unique chance for the two to show that they've improved since that day."
"Anything in particular I should know about these two than what's in here?" Ryukyu asked as she was handed her file.
"Ashido and Kirishima went to the same school before coming to U.A. They have a familiarity with each other. I'm putting them together since they should work well together."
"Should?"
"They are both outgoing students, but I think they'll come up with two separate paths to pass."
"Escaping or defeating me."
"Correct. They should come to an agreement and stick to the plan."
Present Mic scoffed with a smirk. "Riiight, because good friends don't argue any more than acquaintances."
"Exactly," Aizawa said.
"Tokoyami has the potential to have one of the highest combat potential Quirks in the class. Dark Shadow has untapped power that Tokoyami hasn't had a chance to bring to the forefront."
Gang Orca nodded as Aizawa spoke. "Had a chance to, or is he holding himself back?"
"Potentially both. He needs a chance to cut loose, and I need to see how he handles himself when he's up against someone that can take it."
"Trial by fire then." Some of the heroes didn't like the almost wicked look on Gang Orca's face. "Should be easy enough. Though," his eyes then moved to the other student listed, and his picture, "this boy here. Doesn't seem like he has the same problem."
"He does not," Aizawa stated. "Kouda is a different situation entirely."
Midnight lifted her head off the table and pointed at Aizawa. "Don't you go trying to turn that sweet boy into some hardened fighter. We have enough battle-hardened heroes, thank you very much. World could use some kind heroes, someone that little kids won't be scared of."
Gang Orca pulled at his collar. As the third ranked 'hero to pass as a villain', he had caused more than a few problems in the past when he was out in public.
"Plus," Snipe added while he finished off his whiskey, "the boy isn't a fighter to begin with. Search and rescue, and perhaps covert ops with his animals. That's where he shines."
Gang Orca looked back at Kouji's file. "Ah. So he can communicate with and order animals he talks to. You're right, Snipe. There are many fields this boy could excel in outside of combat."
"I don't disagree, however," Aizawa scratched at the scars under his eyes, "during the USJ attack, Thirteen was left in critical condition. While she made a name for herself as an excellent rescue hero, her lack of experience in combat almost got herself killed."
"Hmm, that's a good point," Gang Orca agreed.
"If a bit hypocritical," Mt. Lady added as she got another refill. "A hero that jumps into a situation they aren't properly trained for or experienced with could cause more issues."
"Correct," Aizawa agreed. "But you're looking at it from the end point. Right now the students are still learning. It's true Kouda's field may be outside combat, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be getting experience now."
"Soooo," Mt. Lady mumbled out past her mug. "You haven't mentioned Endeavor's kid yet." She glanced over at All Might and winked at him. "Maybe you're giving him to All Might. I'm sure his father would just loooove that."
All Might laughed nervously. He was sure Aizawa didn't hate him enough to do that.
Right?
"Todoroki will be dealing with me this time," Snipe cut in. "Aizawa briefed me early on with some of his ideas. So I've had some time to get ready for the kid."
Mt. Lady snickered into her beer, adding more foam to the head. "A guy with a gun against someone that can make giant glaciers… Yeah, okay."
"The kid is strong, ain't no arguing that, but all that power won't do much if he can't hit me."
Ryukyu sipped on her sake. "If I remember it right, you gave an interview where you bragged about how you could hit targets almost six hundred meters away. I'd imagine even with all the power that young man has, he doesn't have that kind of range."
"So what? You're gonna play hide and seek with the kid?"
"Exactly."
"Eh?"
"Todoroki does not have a Quirk that lends itself to searching for a hidden opponent. But, his partner does," Aizawa explained. "Todoroki will be teamed up with Shouji, who ultimately will be the key in the two of them passing this test."
Nezu poured himself a cup of tea. "There's almost an unwritten rule that when heroes team up on the fly, the stronger of the two takes command of the situation. Generally, this makes sense as the stronger one usually has more experience given his strength."
He sipped his freshly poured tea. "But this is only generally. Sometimes, situations require the opposite to be true. And those powerful heroes that are used to being the one giving orders find themselves with a choice."
Aizawa nodded. "How often do you think they make the right one?"
"Principal, sir." Aizawa handed Nezu a file, which the mousey bear took with glee.
"Oh boy, lets see who I get to torture."
The glee in Nezu's voice made all the non-teacher heroes at the bar turn to look at him.
"Um, don't you mean teach?" Ryukyu asked, not at all liking how all the teachers seemed to let the words go by without blinking an eye.
"Oh, I know what I said," Nezu said with a smile. "Would you look at that? Kaminari and Sero. Hmm, yes. I can have a lot of fun with these two."
Midnight chuckled, shaking her head. "Don't be too mean."
"Me? Never."
"…" Was the collective response from the teachers while the other heroes just looked around, feeling like they were missing something.
Gang Orca leaned over to look at the pair. "I think I recall these two from the sports festival. One has some kind of electrical Quirk and the other… he could shoot tape from his hands?"
"Elbows in fact," Nezu corrected.
"Hmm," Gang Orca rubbed his chin.
"The two work well in different fields. Sero with his tape has the advantage of high mobility and capture. Kaminari's Quirk gives him good area-of-effect coverage. However, his electricity can't distinguish between friend or foe. In fact, if he's not careful he can overload himself and leave himself in a… dazed state."
Gunhead thought about that. "So their Quirks could hinder themselves if they try to work together. Sero can't get close to Kaminari in a fight, either to assist or rescue, if things get dicey."
"They also both have the habit of acting as hotheads and show a great deal of immaturity," Aizawa added. "They'll both have to act against their type against the Principal."
Nezu cackled. "My genius is their natural enemy."
Present Mic sighed. "…So we're totally getting sued by their parents after this."
Aizawa brought out the last folder, though before he said anything, All Might beat him to it. "Hold on a moment Eraser." All Might was frowning. "I think we have a problem."
"No, we don't." Aizawa handed All Might the folder. "We may have agreed that you would be allowed to give Midoriya his final test to gauge his progress and to make sure his habits had been nipped in the bud, but everything else is still left to my discretion. And there are other issues that need to be addressed."
All Might opened the folder and confirmed what he already knew. "Young Midoriya and Young Bakugou…"
"If I recall, I've heard you say a few times that their rivalry is something positive. A sign of growth."
"I have, and I do believe that. But, it's still young."
"Which is exactly why I'm going to have it stress tested. I'm not blind All Might, there is a deep and long history between these two. A troubled history."
Aizawa tapped his fingers on the table. "Officially, there are no reported incidents between the two. School records paint Bakugou as a model student." The teachers all chuckled darkly at that.
"But you only had to watch those two for a day to pick up on the issues between them. I will grant that after the sports festival, the two of them have come to a tentative truce. It shows maturity on both sides that they were able to do this, I won't disregard that. In fact, by teaming them up, I'm acknowledging their growth, while also acknowledging that the two still have issues that need to be addressed."
All Might sighed, knowing that Aizawa had a good point.
"All Might, because of what happened in Hosu City, you decided to personally take responsibility for Midoriya's growth since then, to make sure he would be able to continue his studies past this term final. However, don't let that personal work make you forget that you have many students you are responsible for.
"This term final isn't just for Midoriya. Bakugou must also be tested. And being forced to pair up with someone he doesn't get along with to see if he is able to work together with him to achieve victory is an important lesson. Just as important as what you've been doing for Midoirya."
All Might knew Aizawa was right. Because he had so many responsibilities towards Izuku, and had had the chance to work with him personally again, it had been easy to forget that there were others here that needed his attention.
He had seen the rivalry as good for Izuku, a chance to move on from old wounds and grow in new ways. But looking back, All Might never truly stopped to think about how this rivalry would work from Katsuki's perspective.
The boy had already challenged Izuku once when he assumed the other had been slacking, which the two of them seemed fine with. Butting heads made them both work harder. But while Izuku had the lead, Katsuki was working tirelessly to not just close the gap but to surpass it.
Could Katsuki swallow his pride and work with the person he was trying to surpass? It was a fair question, and this term final was the perfect opportunity to check that.
Aizawa was right, he was Katsuki's teacher too. And he had a responsibility to have the question answered. A rival was all well and good, but only so long as it didn't get in the way of getting their job done as a hero. Because that, above all else, was the most important thing.
1. Satou Rikidou & Aoyama Yuuga vs Cementoss
2. Hagakure Tooru & Ojiro Mashirao vs Mt. Lady
3. Toga Himiko & Asui Tsuyu vs Midnight
4. Shinsou Hitoshi & Iida Tenya vs Eraserhead
5. Uraraka Ochako & Mineta Minoru vs Gunhead
6. Jirou Kyouka & Yaoyorozu Momo vs Ectoplasm
7. Kirishima Eijirou & Ashido Mina vs Ryukyu
8. Kouda Kouji & Tokoyami Fumikage vs Gang Orca
9. Todoroki Shouto & Shouji Mezou vs Snipe
10. Kaminari Denki & Sero Hanta vs Principal Nezu
11. Midoriya Izuku & Bakugou Katsuki vs All Might
Kouji looked like he was ready to faint. Kyouka was trying to comfort him, but when she glanced over at Gang Orca, she almost let slip a 'you're doomed.'
More and more students seemed to become uneasy as they looked over who they were going to have to fight. Even some of the more brash students had a slight quake in their voices as they tried to reassure and pump everyone up.
Izuku wasn't really sure what he was more nervous about. Facing All Might in a match or teaming up with his partner. A shiver ran up his spine, making Izuku look to the side, only to find Katsuki glaring at him. Okay it's the latter.
Ochako was dealing with several emotions. Dread and excitement to get to face her old sensei. She had come a long way since that month of training. Annoyance and disappointment that she wasn't teamed up with Izuku this time but with Minoru. And finally, an unhealthy hatred, because Izuku was teamed up with the worst possible person he could be with. If Bakugou fucks this up for Deku I'm killing him.
Himiko was humming a little song. "I'm gonna stab Midnight. I'm gonna stab Midnight today. I'm gonna stab Midnight today, and totally get an A."
Midnight felt her eyebrow twitch.
While the class was still absorbing everything Momo raised her hand. "Aizawa-sensei. Is this even a test we can pass? It seems like at best, we can only hope to not fail too quickly."
Katsuki growled. "Don't lump me in with the rest of you losers!"
"Dude, you're up against All Might. You're screwed."
"I'll strangle you with your own tape!"
Nezu raised his paws, getting the class's attention. "Now now. A test where you can only fail wouldn't be much of a test. You'll each have a chance to succeed. Now, I think it's time to go over the rules for your test."
Aizawa held out a pair of handcuffs. "To win, you either put these handcuffs on your opponent, or have one of you escape from the arena before the thirty-minute timer runs out."
Mina frowned. "Wait? Is it really okay, to just run away? That doesn't seem very heroic."
Aizawa nodded. "Yes, sometimes a tactical retreat is the best option."
Fumikage turned to Mina. "Recall how we chose to escape during the villain attack."
"Oh… good point."
Denki laughed nervously. "Come on. It's not like they're going to go all out on us. It'll be fine."
Gang Orca huffed. "Don't think this is just regular combat training. We dwarf you in every considerable way. This will be more like a life-or-death battle." That got a few 'eeps' from the class. "Today we are not heroes or teachers, we are villains. The monsters that want to kill you."
Any bravado the class might have had instantly evaporated because of the harsh words and harsher glare from Gang Orca. Kouji was visibly shaking, with other students joining Kyouka to help soothe the poor boy.
"If you think you can win, then try and win, but if the difference in power is too great, run," Aizawa continued. "Run and get help. Sometimes that is the best thing you can do."
Aizawa made a point to look Izuku, Ochako, Tenya, Shouto and Himiko in the eye when he said that. The message was clear; this is what they should have done back in Hosu City. Ochako and Shouto traded glances, both thinking they should have told Endeavor what they were running into back when they got Izuku's text.
All Might stepped forward. "You're being tested over more than just your combat ability. Your decision making skills will also be tested today. Run or fight, you'll have to decide what you want to do, and how you want to do it, as a team." All Might made sure to look at both Izuku and Katsuki. "Because either way, you won't pass if you don't work together."
Izuku gulped while Katsuki grumbled under his breath.
"Now, given the two choices and such a small time limit, I'm sure most of you are thinking that escape might be your only option."
"If you think we'd let you escape," Mt. Lady smiled sweetly.
Tooru clutched Mashirao's arm as they both felt a shiver of fear run up their spines. It was almost enough to make Mashirao not notice that he effectively had a naked girl hanging onto him.
…Soft…
"Well don't worry," All Might continued. "We had the support students make us something special." All Might held up what looked like wrist or ankle weights. "These are special weights that will slow us down by adding almost half our body weight. So as you can see, we're giving you all a handicap." He started to put on his weights. "It's an old school method, but effective. These things make it hard to move and it just eats up our stamina."
All Might put the last of the weights on, and grunted while trying not to show the rest of the class. Oh shit, they're heavier than I thought…
Katsuki crossed his arms, a growl rumbling past his lips. "You're going to regret underestimating me by going to such lengths to hold back."
All Might laughed. "That's the spirit."
Ochako on the other hand looked ready to whack him upside the head. I swear, if his ego gets in Deku's way…
"Satou, Aoyama." Aizawa stepped in, ready to get the tests underway. "You'll go with Cementoss now to your stage. The rest of you can watch the exams from the plaza control room, or you can meet up with your teammates to discuss strategies. Just be ready when it's your time."
As the heroes and teachers turned to leave, the rest of the students began to disperse too. Izuku turned to find Katsuki, but the other boy was already gone. Izuku sighed and scratched his head. Great. This is off to a spectacular start.
"So what did the doctor say?" Izuku had his phone up to his ear as he walked the halls. He hummed as he heard the answer. "Well I'm glad he doesn't think it's serious and that she's feeling fine now. Okay mom, I have to get going now. Bye."
Hanging up, Izuku breathed out a sigh of relief as he put his phone away into one of his pouches.
"Everything alright, Deku?"
Ochako had walked up beside him when he had gotten the phone call, since neither of them had teammates they could plan with at the moment. Minoru was still a little freaked out over everything so Ochako was giving him some time to calm down, and Katsuki was being Katsuki, so no point there. So they decided to watch some of the matches together.
"Yeah. That was mom, she and Eri just got done with their doctor visit."
"Is she alright?" Ochako had been worried when she had gotten the update that morning.
Izuku nodded. "Yeah, the doctor says it's just growing pains so he'll prescribe something when the soreness flares up again. She was feeling fine this morning, and when the doctor checked her, she didn't feel anything."
"That's good. I guess Eri's just a growing girl."
Izuku agreed. "Yeah…"
Izuku looked at Ochako for a second, making her fidget. "Deku?"
"Thinking about it, your bracers are bigger now too, aren't they?"
Ochako smirked as she stuck her hand and arm through the gear. The new bracers were bigger than her old ones. Fortunately, the added girth and length didn't affect things too much. She could still bend her arm easily enough.
Power Loader sighed as he picked up the other bracer to hand it to her. "As you can see, the weight of the things is a bit crazy. On top of the four firing mechanisms and the loaded up ammo you had before, the new additions for the other four holes ended up weighing more than what was taken out. They had to make the darn things bigger to accommodate everything. All together, it makes the bracers unwieldy. We'll need to—"
Crack!
Ochako had put the second bracer on and swung her arm out into the nearest dummy, smashing its head in. She then proceeded to punch the dummy repeatedly, cracking the impact plastic of the body.
Flexing her arms as she tested the weight, she smiled. It was like having a couple of sledgehammers attached to her arms. "Sorry, you were saying something, sensei?"
Power Loader blinked. "Um, weight?"
Ochako tilted her head to the side. "What about weight?"
It dawned on Power Loader that Ochako wasn't dealing with the added weight on her arms; she hardly noticed it.
Mei snickered from her workbench. "Told you she was going to be fine with them."
Power Loader shook his head, turning to Mei. "Your generation is something else. It's a little—"
SNAP!
By the time Power Loader turned back around, Ochako was putting away the tool that had ripped the dummy in half. Mei had a big smile on her face. "They used a chunk of solid titanium for that. You like?"
The smile on Ochako's face made it pretty clear she did.
Ochako laughed before she took a step closer to Izuku, leaning over so she could give him a bit of a mischievous side-eye. "Deku, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you pay a lot of attention to me."
Izuku gulped, turning a little red. Seeing that blush, and the way Izuku's eyes were struggling to look anywhere but at her, Ochako suddenly understood why Himiko had so much fun flirting.
Oh, I could get used to this.
Izuku stammered out, "I mean. I have to keep my notebook updated."
"Oh?" Ochako winked. "Gotcha."
Izuku pulled at his collar before pulling out his notebook, and started writing down notes. "They're pretty much the size of Kacchan's now… but I don't think yours are hollow."
"Nope. Only had my rubber bullets before. Now, we'll," Ochako gave her eyebrows a little wiggle, "I got some new secrets to show off. The rest of the stuff I wanted is still getting worked on, but these bad boys are ready to go."
Izuku gulped, the playful look Ochako had was so damned cute. Still, he soldiered on. "So are they… heavier? Does it bother you?"
Ochako's mischievous smile turned just a tad cocky. Standing up straight, Ochako moved her helmet from under one arm to the other, so she could use that arm to flex, letting the bicep bulge and stretch the skin-tight material of her costume. "What do you think?"
Something between a squeak and a moan slipped past Izuku's lips when he answered. "N-no."
Izuku started muttering. Thinking up just what Ochako could be hiding inside those things. Did she lose some of her ammo to make room? Did it have anything to do with those lessons she had been getting from Nejire? What did that bicep feel like? Would she let him touch it? How hard are her muscles? Like her abs, or her thighs—
"Deku."
"Eh?" Izuku blinked, suddenly brought back to the real world. He scratched the back of his head with a laugh. "Sorry. I went off on one of my fits again, didn't I?"
Then Izuku noticed something. Ochako wasn't flexing her arm anymore. Izuku almost let out a disappointed sigh. Her hands were behind her back, and her shoulders were swaying. Her cheeks were much pinker, and she had a cute nervous smile as she looked off to the side.
She looked so bashful.
Cute!
"You know Deku," Ochako was still swaying her shoulders, but was now looking at him. Not directly, but her eyes were on him. "When all this is over… I wouldn't mind letting you find out. What's hard… and what's still soft."
There was a moment of silence before Izuku's head tilted to the side and he let out a confused, "Huh?"
Ochako blinked. Not exactly the reaction she had been expecting. Then it dawned on her that Izuku hadn't realized what he had muttered out. So he didn't realize that she had just invited Izuku to feel her up after they—
Shaking her head, Ochako pivoted. "Nevermind! Just ignore that. Hey! The first match is about to start. Let's go find the control room and watch!"
Ochako rushed up, grabbed Izuku's wrist, and started pulling him along. Izuku laughed, happy that despite everything, they could still act like this, talk so openly.
"I'll have my answer for you, Uraraka," Izuku whispered. He wasn't really saying that to Ochako. Or to himself. More, just airing out a promise.
Ochako paused briefly before she nodded. She didn't trust herself to turn around and look at him, too worried that if she did, well, either she or him would become the bread of a make out sandwich against the wall.
Or the ceiling.
Or the floor.
Honestly any flat surface would do.
…Did this place have a broom closet?
And that's enough of that. Ochako put a stop to those thoughts. This was not the time or place to let herself get swept away.
"Hey, Uraraka?"
Ochako almost screamed. Izuku had no idea how close she was to snapping and just—
"Do all the new toys you have have anything to do with all those black eyes and busted noses you kept getting the past few weeks?"
Ochako tripped, "Gah!" before she whirled around. "We don't talk about that!"
Izuku just smugly smiled at her. "It'd be super embarrassing if that happened and everyone saw it." Izuku then ducked as Ochako took a swing at him, scurrying away with a laugh while Ochako chased after him, fists raised to punish him.
Skidding to a stop, Izuku fended off a few more swings from Ochako as he tried to reach for the control room's door. Before he could press it, the door slid open, making both him and Ochako jump back and separate. Recovery Girl eyed the two of them before shaking her head and muttering something about kids.
"Hello Recovery Girl. We're, um, here to watch some of the matches."
Recovery Girl pointed her thumb into the room. "Go ahead. You enjoy it. I get the feeling I'm going to be extremely busy today."
Ochako laughed. "Oh, I'm sure it won't be that busy."
"Hmph." Recovery Girl walked by them. "Tell that to the poor souls I'm going to go treat now."
Izuku and Ochako both blinked and glanced at each other.
"What do you mea—"
The intercom crackled to life as Nezu's voice came through. "Team Satou and Aoyama retires due to both members no longer being able to fight."
Izuku's eyes went wide while Ochako gasped, "Wait, already?!"
Rushing inside, they stared dumbfounded at a large screen that showed both Rikidou and Yuuga lying on a street, with mountains of broken concrete all around them. Rikidou had passed out while Yuuga was on his knees clutching his stomach.
It was at the moment that the two were hit with just how hard this test was going to be.