Monoma didn't waste the opening. The instant All Might's feet were tangled, he lunged for the handcuffs like the world would end if he hesitated.
It didn't matter that it was underhanded.
It didn't matter that he could practically hear Shiozaki praying for forgiveness behind him.
All Might was still All Might.Even pinned at the legs, the Symbol of Peace didn't look cornered.He looked… mildly inconvenienced. Like someone had spilled coffee on his shirt and expected him to apologize for it.A single surge of strength ran through his right arm.
Shiozaki's vines snapped apart like they were thread.
His hand shot out and caught Monoma's wrists mid-motion—firm, absolute—, and for a heartbeat, Monoma forgot there was rain, forgot this was an exam, forgot there was even air to breathe.
Then the world flipped.
Monoma hit the ground hard enough to rattle his teeth.
"Ugh—!"
He forced himself up with shaking arms. Dirt clung to his suit. Rainwater slid into his collar. And there All Might stood—one arm still partially bound, one arm free—towering over him like the Colossal Titan leaning over the wall just to remind you what the word hopeless looked like.
That day, Monoma was given a grim reminder of who the Symbol of Peace really was.
He shook it off. Fear was a luxury he could afford after he failed.
If All Might wasn't going to take this lying down, then Monoma would force him to stay busy.
He snapped forward with a jab and clicked one of the pocket watches.
Five minutes.
Steel.
The change was instant. The weight settled into his limbs like armor locking into place, rain pattering against metal instead of cloth. He rolled his shoulders and let a grin pull at his mouth, the kind of grin that belonged to someone about to announce an ultimate move he absolutely did not deserve.
"The dragon—unleashed."
Then he threw himself in, letting the momentum carry him as he started throwing out his iro— ahem, steel fists!
"Ora! ora ora ora ora ora ora—!"Punch after punch slammed into All Might's arm and torso in a relentless flurry. It wasn't about hurting him. Monoma wasn't that delusional.It was about drowning him in motion—denying him the space to counter, forcing even All Might to spend time blocking instead of advancing.Except—All Might didn't budge.The hits didn't land so much as they got swallowed.Every strike sank into that wall of muscle like the impact itself disappeared the moment it touched him—like Monoma was throwing everything he had into an abyss and the abyss was politely staring back at him.That same sick feeling from the Nomu fight—the same frustration All Might must have felt when he threw everything he had, and it didn't matter.Only now Monoma was the one throwing the barrage...and All Might was the one taking it as if nothing existed on the other side of the impact.Monoma's shoulders burned. His elbows screamed. His knuckles rang with each collision.All Might's expression barely changed.
Three minutes left…
Two…
And then one…
Monoma's breathing turned ragged, steel lungs or not. Rain hammered his face and ran down his jaw like sweat that didn't cool anything. And All Might—still "on the defensive"—looked almost unchanged. Like this was still a warm-up. Like Monoma's best effort was just background noise.
The pocket watch clicked down to zero.
The steel sheen faded from Monoma's body, the weight vanishing, leaving exhaustion behind like someone had ripped off his armor and dumped all the pain directly into his bones.
"How…?" Monoma rasped, staring up at that bright, unwavering smile. This can't be real.
Behind him, Shiozaki's voice cracked through the rain and strain.
"M-Monoma… kun…" she gasped, breath ragged. "I… can't hold him… much longer…"
Her vines trembled. Her shoulders shook. Both of them looked like they'd just run a marathon in a storm.
And All Might stood there like he'd just finished stretching.
Monoma swallowed, throat tight, and forced air back into his lungs. His eyes sharpened.
"Shiozaki—emergency Plan B!"
"How's it looking?!" he called, voice scraping on the way out as rain dripped off his chin.
Shiozaki's eyes widened, then she nodded, breathing hard. "I managed to find it, but—"
There was no time for the rest.
No other option.
Monoma clicked the second pocket watch.
Big Fist.
His hands swelled instantly, massive and heavy. The air around them churned as he spun them like rotors—wind kicking up, rain scattering outward in a rough circle, his feet skidding as he launched himself forward.
He reached Shiozaki in one motion, scooped her up, and shouted over the storm.
"Now!"
Shiozaki released the vines.
Like an undoing of an ancient seal.
All Might was free.
And he moved instantly.
A blur. A shockwave. The kind of speed that made Monoma's brain lag behind his eyes. Like the weight restrictions were a complete joke to him.
His grin tightened, almost stern."Young Shiozaki… Young Monoma…" he rumbled, voice low with warning. "That tactic you used… wasn't very hero-like."
Monoma didn't answer. He couldn't. He didn't have the luxury to waste breath on dignity.
He planted his feet, twisted his hips, and threw Shiozaki toward the location she'd spotted—not gently, not carefully—hurling her past rubble and broken structures toward the perimeter gate.
Shiozaki's body arced through the rain like a thrown spear.
All Might sprang after her immediately, leaping through the storm like a missile.
Monoma glanced at the pocket watch.
Three minutes left.
He clenched his huge hands and jumped too, meeting All Might midair and grabbing him with everything he had left.
The impact nearly ripped Monoma's arms out of their sockets.
"I won't… let you go—!" he snarled through clenched teeth.
They crashed down, sliding through water and debris. Monoma's legs buckled. His bones screamed. His grip threatened to fail with every heartbeat.
But Shiozaki was up.
She saw the exit.
And she ran.
Not looking back—because if she looked back, she'd see All Might. If she stopped, Monoma's sacrifice would become meaningless.
Ten meters, she told herself. Just Ten.
Behind her, the struggle ended with a brutal sound—like something heavy breaking loose.
Monoma was launched into a building, hitting hard and crumpling to the ground.
His pocket watch still had time left.
He didn't.
The Big Hands wore off like a cruel joke, leaving him limp and shaking in the rain.
And then—
A gust.
A presence.
Shiozaki's blood ran cold.
All Might appeared behind her like a jumpscare on the monitors—so fast it felt unreal, like a certain fox pirate, like a body flicker technique stolen straight from Shisui himself.
"Now then," All Might said, reaching out with a villain's tone he was clearly having too much fun with, "it's over, heroes."
In the viewing room, Class 1-B collectively froze.
Tokage pressed closer to the screen, lips parted. "He's still that fast with weights on…?"
Yanagi's voice came out small, like she didn't mean to say it out loud. "This difference in strength is… horrible."
"Damn it!!" Tetsutetsu slammed his fist, teeth gritting. "Even with Steel… he still couldn't stop All Might…!"
Kendo stared at the screen, hands clenched tight, jaw set like she was holding herself back from yelling at the monitor. "Shiozaki… Monoma…"
And then—
"MATCH SET!!" Present Mic's voice blasted through the speakers like a finishing bell.