The atmosphere in the area was heavy, almost suffocating, as Midoriya faced Mr. Incredible, his heart pounding hard in his chest.
"The 25% punch did nothing…"
His right arm was still tingling, a clear warning from his own body.
"I still have three punches with the right…"
That's what he had before his arm simply gave up.
His safe limit now was 35%. One single blow at that percentage… maybe two, if he pushed himself to the absolute limit. Anything more than that, and his arm would break. He knew it. He could already feel it in his bones.
On the other side, Bob brought a hand to the communicator on his chest.
"Hey, Lucius," he said calmly. "I've got both of them with me now."
"Both?!" Frozone replied, surprised. "Wait a minute, it hasn't even been a minute since you mentioned the other one!"
"Yeah," Bob answered, cracking his neck. "They came straight for me. It's almost like they're underestimating us since All Might left the scene."
On the other end of the line, Lucius let out a low chuckle.
"Heh… that's a big mistake."
Bob gave himself one last stretch, his back popping at the end.
"Guess it's time to teach them a lesson, then," he said. "A lesson about never underestimating the best duo in the United States."
"That's what I'm talkin' about," Frozone replied. "Give 'em an education."
The communication ended.
The next second, Mr. Incredible charged.
Midoriya froze for an instant out of instinct, but he soon moved forward, leaping to the side and dodging the heavy punch that passed where his head had been a second before.
He spun in the air, landed sideways, and, seizing the opening, delivered a Detroit Smash at 25% straight into Bob's flank.
The impact echoed.
But Bob had simply caught the blow.
His enormous hand closed around Midoriya's fist.
"…?!"
Shock ran through the boy's body, and before he could react, Bob's punch came straight for his stomach.
"Ugh—!"
Midoriya was sent flying backward, the air escaping his lungs as he vomited part of his breakfast mid-flight. His body slammed against a building wall with enough force to crack the concrete.
He gritted his teeth.
Before he could fall, he twisted his body, dug his feet into the wall, and propelled himself back, shooting toward Mr. Incredible once more.
Bob was already prepared, stance firm, one arm raised to defend and the other ready to counter-attack.
As he charged, the world seemed to slow down for Midoriya.
"Punches at 25% won't even scratch him…"
Midoriya clenched his fist.
"If I want to cause damage, I'll have to raise the percentage. But that will destroy my arms eventually… and I don't even know how much this guy can take."
Bob raised his defensive arm.
"But… punches aren't the only thing I can use."
At the last second before impact, Midoriya let his body drop forward.
He somersaulted in the air, executing a perfect flip.
His body spun, his right leg reaching high as Bob's eyes widened, realizing the movement too late.
"Unlike my arms… My legs can handle up to 40%. And up to two hits at 35%!"
Midoriya came down with everything he had.
MANCHESTER SMAAASH!
The axe kick struck Bob's head with violent force; the impact was deafening.
Mr. Incredible was smashed into the ground, the asphalt exploding into a massive crater. Fissures spread across the avenue like spiderwebs, cracking the ground and climbing up the walls of the surrounding buildings as a cloud of dust and debris filled the air.
Midoriya emerged from the smoke cloud and landed on the ground, touching down first with his left foot. When he tried to steady his right, a sharp pain shot through his leg like an electric shock.
"Ghn…!" he grunted, almost buckling.
Midoriya forced his body to stay upright, taking a deep breath.
"It hurts like hell… But it's still in one piece, and the bones are still where they should be."
Before he could recover, Bakugo's voice sounded behind him.
"Deku…" Bakugo called out, his voice hoarse as he struggled to his feet. "What the hell are you doing here…?!"
Midoriya turned in time to see Bakugo lifting his gaze, his eyes burning with rage.
"You thought I couldn't handle that guy on my own?!" he snarled, advancing slowly, each step loaded with hostility.
Midoriya tried to answer.
"Kacchan, I just—"
Bakugo grabbed the collar of his costume tightly.
"This pisses me off so goddamn much!" he shouted. "That damn hero look on your face! Tell me… do you think I'm so inferior, huh?! Do you think I'm weak?!"
"That's not it!" Midoriya replied, desperate.
"Liar!" Bakugo yelled, cutting him off. "You always lie! Always! Just like when you lied about not having a Quirk!"
With a violent shove, Bakugo threw him aside. Midoriya hit the ground with a dull thud.
"Go to hell with your bullshit lies!" Bakugo continued, breathing heavily. "You can keep acting like you're better than me, like those other bastards! But in the end, the one who'll be on top is me!"
Midoriya stared at him from the ground, confused, his chest tight from the sudden outburst.
"K-Kacchan…" he murmured, barely audible.
"Stop calling me that!" Bakugo screamed. "Stop calling me by that stupid—"
"Hey."
A deep voice cut through the argument.
A huge shadow formed in the cloud of dust behind Bakugo.
The dust began to settle until Mr. Incredible emerged, perfectly fine.
He ran his hand through his hair, removing a few pieces of concrete stuck there, massaging his head as if feeling a slight, annoying ache—nothing more than that.
"I have no idea what you two are arguing about in Japanese," he said with a half-smile, "but I just wanted to say one thing."
His gaze fell on Midoriya, still on the ground.
"That was one hell of a kick."
Midoriya's eyes widened.
Bob cracked his neck, his muscles tensing up again.
"You're pretty good at fighting, kid."
Midoriya's eyes widened.
"H-how…?" he murmured, almost voiceless.
In his head, the math just didn't add up.
"How is he standing there like nothing happened?!"
What Midoriya didn't know was that, among the very few people in the world truly capable of rivaling All Might—Mr. Incredible was one of them. He might not have the Symbol of Peace's explosive, absurd strength, but in terms of pure physical power… the two were almost evenly matched. So much so that Bob had once beaten All Might in an arm wrestling match.
At the peak of his youth, Bob could lift even aircraft carriers. Now, older, he was no longer in his prime—but still… he was absurdly strong.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble.
"Bob, find cover," Lucius's voice came over the intercom. "I'm bringing a surprise for the boys."
"Got it," Bob replied without hesitation.
Before leaving, he slammed both hands onto the ground.
The impact generated a seismic wave that spread across the asphalt like an invisible tide. When it reached Midoriya and Bakugo, they lost their balance and were thrown to the ground.
Bob seized the moment and ran, diving into an alley.
"What the fu—?!" Bakugo began, getting to his feet.
Then they both looked up toward the avenue.
And froze.
A colossal avalanche was coming toward them.
It wasn't just snow—it was a white sea swallowing everything. Cars, lampposts, signs… all swept away as if they weighed nothing. The volume was so massive it nearly reached the tops of the surrounding buildings.
"K-Kacchan!" Midoriya shouted. "We have to get out of here, now!"
"Shut up!" Bakugo shot back, taking a step forward.
He raised his right gauntlet, bringing his finger to the pin.
"Watch closely, you damn nerd…" he growled. "I'll show you how it's done."
The avalanche drew closer, the ground shaking beneath their feet.
"I'm gonna blow all this shit away with MY power!" Bakugo yelled. "And I'll show you why you're still inferior to me!"
The gigantic shadow of the avalanche fell over them.
Bakugo pulled the pin.
BOOMM!!
A monstrous explosion tore through the air, splitting the avalanche in half with a deafening roar—
But the relief lasted less than a second.
Behind the first mass… came even more snow.
"What the—?!" Bakugo's eyes widened.
He tried to raise his arm for another attack—
But Midoriya landed a sharp punch on him, knocking him aside.
Without wasting a moment, Midoriya grabbed Bakugo by his costume and quickly dragged him into an alley, narrowly escaping the white sea that swallowed the entire avenue.
He threw Bakugo to the ground.
"You bastard…" Bakugo growled, bringing a hand to his jaw.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Midoriya yelled back, his voice finally firm, filled with anger.
Bakugo turned to him, surprised. Midoriya continued, his gaze hard.
"I know you've always been the guy who never gave up until he won…" he said. "Always moving forward, always confident. That's what I admired about you… even when you faced off against those bullies when we were kids!"
Bakugo gritted his teeth.
"But now…" Midoriya continued, "I'm not seeing that same confidence in your actions!"
Bakugo froze instantly.
"Maybe it's my fault," Midoriya admitted. "But blaming others because you can't achieve something… that just shows weakness!"
Bakugo's eyes widened.
"You want to win, don't you?!" Midoriya asked.
Bakugo grunted, slowly getting to his feet.
Midoriya extended his hand toward him.
"Then I need that Kacchan back, the same one that... I'm sure, will help us pass this exam."
----------------------------------------
"It looks like Midoriya and Bakugo have finally sorted things out," commented Kaminari, his eyes glued to the screen showing the two of them running through alleys and narrow streets of the fake city.
"Thank goodness…" Uraraka sighed in relief. "I was starting to get genuinely worried."
Iida adjusted his glasses and nodded.
"It's positive to see them finally working as a team. It was… inevitable, sooner or later."
"But how are they going to handle Mr. Incredible and Frozone?" asked Tsuyu, blinking slowly. "They are very strong, ribbit."
Momo crossed her arms, thoughtful.
"Direct combat should be avoided at all costs," she said. "The best approach is to go around them, use the terrain, and focus solely on reaching the exit gate."
"That's easy to say," Kirishima commented, scratching the back of his neck. "Actually doing it is another story… especially if they figure out the strategy."
"Precisely why," Momo replied, "they're going to need a very high level of coordination."
As the class was discussing, outside the tent, Dash stood apart, staring into space, lost in thought.
That is, until a pair of floating gloves appeared beside him.
"Hey…"
"A-ah!" Dash jumped, snapping out of his trance. "Geez, Toru…"
"Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you," she said quickly. "But… what are you doing out here all alone?"
"Nothing much," he replied, running a hand through his blond hair. "Just… thinking about Takeda."
"About Takeda?" Toru tilted her 'head' slightly. "Why?"
Dash sighed.
"He didn't seem too good after we finished our exam. He didn't want to talk much… even asked for some time alone."
Toru was silent for a moment, reflecting.
"Maybe it has to do with All Might suddenly leaving the exam; that was pretty weird."
Dash looked down at the ground, thoughtful.
"Maybe…" he murmured. "Maybe…"
----------------------------------------
Mr. Incredible and Frozone moved through the fake city, scanning their surroundings between buildings and narrow streets.
"Man, c'mon now…" Lucius complained, sliding a patch of ice under his feet. "I get to the party and *poof*, the kids vanish. Like Dash with that 'voodoo mess' wasn't enough already."
"Relax," Bob answered calmly. "They don't have that many escape routes. Sooner or later, they'll show up."
"I know, I know…" Lucius sighed. "But still, feelin' like I'm gettin' a little outta practice here, y'know?"
Bob let out a short laugh.
"This ain't a party, partner. It's an exam. We ain't here to play around."
"Alright, alright…" Lucius raised his hands in surrender. "Message received."
Just then, a voice came from the alley right behind them.
"Hey! Where you think you're goin'?!"
Bob and Lucius turned at the same time, surprised, and barely had time to react before Bakugo launched an explosion right in front of them. It wasn't a destructive blast—it was a flashbang, bright enough to blind them for a moment.
"DEKU, NOW!" Bakugo yelled.
From the alley up ahead, Midoriya appeared, holding one of Bakugo's gauntlets in one hand, his finger already on the pin.
"Sorry about this!" he said quickly, before pulling it.
BOOMM!!
The explosion swallowed Bob and Lucius along with part of the street, debris flying, facades cracking, and a thick cloud of smoke spreading through the area.
"LET'S GO, NERD!" Bakugo shouted, already blasting off.
"R-Right!" Midoriya agreed, speeding off with him away from the blast zone.
In the middle of the thick smoke, Lucius coughed, waving the icy air away with his hand.
"Man… that was too close," he said, catching his breath. "If I hadn't thrown up that ice wall, I'd be extra crispy right now."
Beside him, Bob rose from the rubble, his suit singed in spots, smoke slowly rising off him.
"Hey, don't exaggerate," Bob remarked. "Wasn't that bad."
Lucius shot him a sideways look.
"Easy for you to say, Mister Steel-Skin. I ain't got that luxury. After a blast like that, I could've been barbecue."
He shook his head, incredulous, before adding:
"But for real though… what the hell is U.A. feeding these kids?"
Bob looked in the direction Midoriya and Bakugo had fled, clenching his fist.
"No idea. But ain't no time for standing around chatting."
Lucius smirked.
"Right. Besides…" he started, creating ice under his feet, "the little surprise I left back there oughta slow 'em down for a good minute."
"Then let's go," Bob said, already charging ahead.
Farther ahead, Bakugo and Midoriya suddenly stopped.
The exit street was completely sealed by ice.
It wasn't just a thin layer—it was a giant, thick wall that took up the entire street and even climbed up the surrounding buildings, as if the city itself had been swallowed by an iceberg.
"You gotta be kidding me…" Midoriya murmured.
He carefully stepped onto the slippery ground and touched the ice wall. It was hard, cold as hell, and clearly wouldn't give way easily.
"How are we supposed to get past th—"
"Move." Bakugo cut him off.
Before Midoriya could say anything else, Bakugo was already blasting the ice, digging with brute force, carving a path like an angry mole.
Midoriya blinked, surprised.
"He… he's really going to dig through it…?" he thought, almost in disbelief.
"It's gonna take more than a little ice to stop me from getting to the g—"
"Going somewhere, fellas?"
The voice came from behind them.
They both turned at the same time.
Frozone was there, gliding calmly on the ice, with a smile that was too relaxed for the situation.
"Dammit—!"
Midoriya tried to move, but the treacherous ground made him lose his balance for a second.
And that was enough for Frozone to take advantage and freeze the boy, encasing Midoriya from the legs up to the neck in an instant.
Bakugo launched himself into the air, hand aimed straight at Frozone, ready to blast—
BAM
Mr. Incredible came out of nowhere and slammed his shoulder into Bakugo mid-air. The boy felt his spine jar with the pain before being thrown away, crashing and sliding across the ice until he stopped at the base of the structure where Midoriya was trapped.
"KACCHAN!" Midoriya screamed, desperate.
Bakugo groaned, forcing himself up.
"I already… told you… to stop calling me… by that stupid name…" he snarled.
He raised his hands toward Bob—
But ice formed on them instantly, freezing his hands in mid-air.
"Whoa," Frozone commented, amused. "Careful with those hands there, young man."
Before Bakugo could react, Bob lunged and punched the frozen gauntlet.
CRACK!
The ice shattered—along with the gauntlet.
"Tch—!" Bakugo grunted, surprised, feeling the pain shoot up his arm.
Even so, he tried to blast Bob in the face with his other hand.
Bob easily caught his arm and redirected the explosion upward.
"It's over, kid," Bob said, seriously, lifting Bakugo off the ground by the arm.
Frozone laughed and whistled.
"That was fun while it lasted. I guess that means the exam is ov—"
THUMP
A dull thud cut through the air.
Bakugo slammed his frozen arm against Bob, who blocked it with his other arm.
"Stop. It's over," Bob said.
THUMP
"I said that—"
THUMP
THUMP
Midoriya watched it all, eyes wide, chest tight. Each of Bakugo's blows seemed to tear something inside him.
"You hear me? I said it's over," Bob asked, holding his frozen arm tightly.
Bakugo looked up, teeth gritted, breathing heavily.
"Go… to hell…" he growled. "I'm not… I'm not losing without at least taking some risks!"
Those words hit Midoriya like a shock.
"That's it…" he murmured.
The ice around his body cracked, Midoriya broke free, the ice splitting into pieces.
"What?" Bob turned his head, confused.
But his Super-Sense buzzed in his head a moment too late.
BOOOOM!!
A massive explosion erupted from Bakugo's frozen arm, destroying the ice that held it. He screamed in pain, his arm clearly couldn't handle that kind of power, but he kept going.
Blasting and blasting Bob without stopping.
"Yo, yo, YO!" Frozone tried to intervene.
Bakugo turned his other arm toward him and bombarded him too.
"Shit," Frozone recoiled, hastily raising a wall of ice.
"DEKU!" Bakugo yelled. "STOP HOLDING BACK AND DEAL WITH THIS DAMN WALL!"
Midoriya didn't hesitate.
"To catch up with Takeda..."
He concentrated One For All into one finger—
No.
Two fingers.
"I need to start taking risks like he always does!"
SMASH!!!
A monstrous blast of air exploded against the ice wall, shattering everything into a shower of shards.
"HOLY SHIT!" Frozone yelled, being thrown back by the wind.
When the dust and ice finally settled, Midoriya was already moving.
He picked Bakugo up over his shoulder without a word and charged forward.
"LET'S GO!" he shouted, running.
But Midoriya's legs were immediately frozen by Frozone.
"You're not going anywhere," he said, advancing with Bob.
Bakugo raised his hand, trembling.
"We… won... dumbasses."
Then he let loose one final, massive explosion behind Midoriya toward them, ultimately propelling both of them with full force in the other direction.
The ice binding Midoriya's legs broke.
The two were launched straight at the gate.
And passed through.
"Team Midoriya and Bakugo… PASSED the exam."
----------------------------------------
Stone Goals:
500 PS – Not Complete
1000 PS – Not Complete
2000 PS – Not Complete