Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Ruby Pov.
"We're running out of space, Penny! Can you find the teacher?!" I asked urgently as I looked around. The battlefield was entirely covered in dirt. Dirt that hid trap after trap.
At first, they were just holes the teacher dug for us to fall into. However, slowly, more traps began to appear, including some entrance exam robots that we had to eliminate.
The ground was even more unstable and uneven than I thought. I looked down and saw the ground crumbling with every step I took. My feet sank every time I tried to gain momentum, preventing me from accelerating fast enough to run. Penny had it worse; her weight was causing her to sink into the ground, slowing her down even more.
"Sorry, my friend Ruby! Something's interfering with my sensors and radars. I can't locate Professor Power Loader!" Penny apologized, and I frowned.
"I'll try to use my quirk one more time! Get ready!" I said to Penny, I didn't wait for her to answer, as I turned into a storm of petals. I absorbed Penny into my quirk and launched myself towards the exit. The Power Loader's hand came out in front of me, just as it had before. But this time I was prepared; I separated into two and dodged the hand. I rejoined behind Power Loader, only for a second metallic hand to suddenly come out in front of me.
I slammed my hand down, stopping dead in my tracks. I snapped out of my quirk along with Penny, and we fell to the ground. The ground beneath us collapsed, and we fell into a hole. I clicked my tongue, grabbed Penny once more in my quirk, and pulled us out of the hole before we hit the ground. But instead of moving forward, I backed up slightly.
"Any plans?" I asked Penny.
"Actually! I have an idea, Ruby! Just t- " Penny stopped when we heard a metallic noise behind us. We turned around and saw the crane, which had been completely still, begin to move. I grabbed Crescent Rose and braced myself. To my surprise, there wasn't a wrecking ball on top of the crane; instead, there was... there was a giant magnet?!
"Penny!" I tried to warn her, but the magnet had already drawn close enough, and Penny was pulled into it, stuck with her limbs splayed out. I could feel Crescent Rose also being snatched from my grasp and sticking to Penny's side.
"Friend Ruby? I think I have a little problem," Penny said, unable to free herself from the magnet.
"Give me a minute!" I said quickly as I looked around. There was nothing I could use as a weapon. I clicked my tongue and saw Crescent Rose standing next to Penny. I launched myself toward the magnet, landing next to Penny. My fingers closed around Crescent Rose's hilt, and I activated my Quirk partially, just enough to wrap my scythe in my Quirk to free it from its prison.
Once I was able to separate Crescent Rose, she rematerialized, and before she could reattach herself, I used the force of the attraction and completely severed the magnet. Luckily, it was an electromagnet, which meant that once destroyed, Penny was freed.
"Thanks, Ruby! Leave it to me, now!" Penny said with a smile. She grabbed my arm and activated her foot rockets. She began to rise into the air, when suddenly a net covered the sky. My eyes opened wide.
"Wait, Penny!!" I panicked. Penny didn't hear me and went straight for the net. I twisted my hand into petals, freeing myself from Penny's grip. Just in time to see Penny touch the net. A powerful electric current surged from the net, electrocuting Penny. "Penny, no!!" I screamed in anguish as I watched Penny fall, slightly burned, smoke rising from her body as she fell. I hated these traps!
…
…
After several more attempts, we were finally able to escape mostly unscathed, the fact that our clothes were tattered and we had bruises on our bruises didn't prove anything.
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Taylor Pov.
Aizawa was clever. Too clever. I couldn't find him with my bugs. He wasn't in my range. Aizawa was fully aware of my full range, so it would be a piece of cake for him to stay on the edge without getting too close. And in fact, he'd already captured Todoroki once. I was only able to free him because they were within my range, and I was able to hide inside my swarm to prevent him from activating his Quirk.
But now Aizawa had wandered off again, out of sight. Suddenly, I felt like all connection with my insects had disappeared, and I felt like throwing up. Truly, the loss of all my shared senses with my insects was almost overwhelming, but there wasn't time for that.
"Here it comes again!" I said to Todoroki. She became alert. My hand went to Shusui's hilt. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and unsheathed Shusui just in time to be hit by a black dagger. My eyes widened slightly.
That's right, Aizawa used daggers!! He had used them in the USJ incident, besides, it shouldn't surprise me, I mean, UA is a school of heroism and hunters, yes, it specialized in heroism, but there were also classes dedicated to hunters, and that involved ways to defeat monsters, and Aizawa didn't have the firepower to achieve it with his fists or his capture weapon.
And daggers… I guess it was fitting for Aizawa. I went to Todoroki to position herself out of Aizawa's line of sight and try to generate a wave of ice, only for Aizawa to turn his head and glare at her, nullifying her Quirk. The connection with my bugs returned, and I pulled as many insects as I could towards me before it cut off again. I clicked my tongue.
I guess I'll have to rely on my sword. I slashed at Aizawa with Shusui, trying to get his attention. Todoroki seemed to understand the plan almost immediately and kept trying to get into Aizawa's blind spot to recover her Quirk.
Still, Aizawa had the overwhelming advantage. He wasn't as strong, fast, or as graceful as Izumi when it came to using his daggers, but Aizawa was a monster in his own right. He had tons of experience and an almost extreme efficiency, barely having any wasted moves. Every attack he made was to render mine useless.
The worst part was that Aizawa kept nullifying our quirks even when we were in opposite positions. Instead of a direct fight, Aizawa was fighting while turning so his head could face Todoroki at the same time. He spent more time nullifying Todoroki's quirk than mine.
He knew it, he knew that even if I got my quirk back, I couldn't do anything without bringing a swarm with me, and the bugs weren't fast enough, the ones that came were barely a minor nuisance and once I got a swarm big enough to do something, Aizawa would snatch control from me again. The noise of our fight drove the bugs in the opposite direction, sending me back to the starting point again and again.
"Is that all you have, heroes?" Aizawa asked, almost bored. I couldn't help but smile with excitement. Izumi was really rubbing off on me.
I lunged once more. We traded blows again. To my surprise, halfway through the fight, Todoroki finally lunged at Aizawa, catching him off guard. I tackled him around the waist. I took advantage of Aizawa's moment of surprise and struck Aizawa's daggers hard, knocking them out of his hand.
Aizawa fell to the ground with Todoroki on top of him. Todoroki looked like she was about to throw a punch, and I was pointing my sword at Aizawa on the ground when Aizawa raised his hands in surrender.
"I give up." He said simply in the same bored tone as always. I sighed in relief.
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Azula Pov.
"Do you have anything to finish her from a distance?" I asked Yuuki as I looked at Midnight in front of the exit door.
"No, as you know, my quirk is support, and I only use a rapier." Yuuki said with a frown, also looking at Midnight. "Can you reach her with your fire at that distance?" Yuuki asked, and I grimaced.
"I'd have to be dozens of meters away for her quirk not to knock me out, far enough away for her to react in time and dodge easily." I said honestly. "Can you hold your breath?" I asked once more.
"Not so much for a prolonged fight. Kirigaya has been teaching me a breathing method, but I haven't been able to master it yet." She said honestly, my eyes widening slightly.
"Breathing method? Total Concentration Breathing?" I asked simply, Yuuki's eyes were the ones that opened this time.
"Wait, you know?" she asked, confused. I snorted.
"Izumi invented it; he showed it to us. And I remember him saying that he taught it to one of his friends as well. I guess it's that Kirigaya guy." I said simply,
"Oh… so it's real?" Yuuki asked curiously. I snorted in amusement.
"Yes, it is. It's terribly useful, learn it." I said Yuuki nodded. "That said, I can hold my breath for several minutes, so I'll go first and distract her, try to cross her, and get past the exit." I said simply, Yuuki nodded.
Before I could stand up, Yuuki extended her hand in my direction, and I quickly felt a surge of power. My eyes looked at her in surprise.
"These drugs are the good ones." I said mockingly, Yuuki blushed slightly.
"Don't say it like that," she snorted. And I shook my head. I didn't answer again, but simply left my hiding place.
"Ah, so you finally decided to face me?" Midnight asked with a sadistic smile. "Why don't you join me, my dear student? I'm sure we'll enjoy our time together." Midnight flicked her whip, causing it to resonate throughout the room. I didn't get close enough, so I simply moved my hands in a circular motion, lightning bolts shooting out of my fingers before I pointed them at Midnight.
To my terrible surprise, Midnight's whip turned slightly black. She waved it almost lazily, and the whip struck and intercepted the beam, dissolving it immediately. My eyes widened slightly.
Truly, UA teachers are no joke. My smile grew before taking a deep breath and lunging at Midnight. I unsheathed Izumi's Nichirin sword… no, my Nichirin sword, and my fire engulfed the sword as easily as breathing. Flame Breathing: First Form: Unknowing Fire. I appeared in front of Midnight and swung my sword against her neck without any mercy.
Midnight just raised her whip, holding the handle with one hand and the whip with the other. She pulled it tight; the whip, infused with haki, turned black and easily blocked my attack. Midnight was still smiling before raising her foot and trying to kick my stomach with her heels.
I dodged slightly and tried to use my free hand to strike at her chi points. Midnight spun around and swung her whip rapidly, even at such short range, the whip struck my hand with tremendous force. Midnight took advantage of the moment to continue attacking.
Her whip moved so quickly that it seemed to attack from all sides, keeping me on the defensive the whole time. I clicked my tongue, Flame Breathing: Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation. I made a circular motion and parried Midnight's whip, enough to stop her attacks momentarily, and raised my sword, Sun Breathing: Dance.
My sword exploded in a massive column of fire as it swung down swiftly. Midnight dove to the side as my attack hit the ground. The fire was so intense that it was starting to melt the concrete beneath. Midnight quickly recovered as she swung her whip. I tried to defend myself, but her whip pierced through my defenses and struck my stomach hard.
I lost my breath momentarily. I was surrounded by Midnight's Quirk, so I gritted my teeth, but it was too late. I could feel my vision blurring slightly.
"Just let yourself go, my dear student. Midnight will take care of you," Midnight said with a huge, sadistic smile as she approached me. I bit my lip hard to stay awake. Still, the effect of the quirk was too strong, and I fell to my knees.
"I've got you!" Yuuki shouted from behind Midnight. Midnight immediately turned around and intercepted the blow. I took advantage of the moment when Midnight turned her back on me, and with what little strength I had left, I launched myself at her and hit the chi points I could reach, which were only those on her legs.
Midnight stumbled as her legs lost all strength. Yuuki seized the moment, not to defeat Midnight, but I felt her begin to charge at me and drag me along as she finally lost consciousness.
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Nezu Pov.
"That damn rat will pay for this!" I heard young Bakugou scream as she ran for her life and dodged the building falling on top of her, along with young Ashido. I drank some tea and moved the crane once more to hit the next building.
"Y-you shouldn't say that about Principal Nezu! What if he's listening?! What if he forbids us from going to the cabin in the woods?!" Ashido exclaimed in terror before jumping to avoid a pipe.
"First, do something useful to get out of here, Pinky!" Bakugou shouted angrily.
"And why don't you do it?!" Ashido retorted, and Bakugou growled as she raised her hands. Both hands were covered in a completely hardened substance.
"What do you think I've been trying to do?! I don't know what the hell that stupid rat sprayed me with, but I can't make explosions!! I can't use my quirk!! That rat had it all planned!! There's a reason he took off my grenade gauntlets!!" Bakugou growled, realizing it. She was really smart; it wasn't just her quirk.
Her Quirk, Explosion, was very strong, but relatively simple. It was almost trivial to create a substance that would nullify the nitroglycerin in her sweat and prevent her from creating "dry" explosions by solidifying on her hands. Spraying the substance on her at the start of the test was child's play.
"I know!! I'll use my acid to melt the substance in your hands! Then you can get us out of here!" Ashido said happily. Bakugo stopped momentarily and looked at her in disbelief.
"And you couldn't have thought of that 5 minutes ago?!" Bakugou snapped, annoyed.
"Excuse me!? I was too busy running for my life from the multiple buildings falling on us!" Ashido retorted. Bakugou just gritted her teeth.
"Just do it already so I can catch that rat!" Bakugo growled.
" Yes, yes, yes!" Ashido growled as she approached Bakugo. I smiled widely and cleared my throat.
"ahem, Miss Ashido, if you remove the substance from Miss Bakugou's hands, you'll be eliminated and fail the exam." I chirped through the microphone. I watched as both students froze. Ashido paled and jumped back. My smile grew wider.
"That wasn't part of the test, you damn rat!!" Bakugo growled, looking at the ceiling. "Come here, Pinky, and free me already!!" Bakugo exclaimed as she approached Ashido. Ashido backed away in the opposite direction.
"NO!! I want to go to the cabin! I want curry! The hot springs! The ghost stories! The dares!" Ashido said in a panic as she ran away from Bakugou.
"Don't fucking run away!" Bakugo growled as she chased after Ashido. I laughed lightly. Now for the next part. I tapped a button. Ashido was the first to stop. "Got you!" Bakugo said as she tried to grab Ashido.
"Wait, do you hear that?" Ashido asked as she looked around. Bakugou groaned.
"I don't have time for-"
"Help." This time, both students stopped and looked in a specific direction. Bakugou was the first to run in that direction, Ashido quickly following her. Once they arrived, they froze in place. "Help." I laughed out loud.
Bakugou and Ashido were staring at a perfectly made scale dummy of Shota inside a yellow sleeping bag. The voice crying for help was coming from a recorder inside. The voice was Shota's, so flat and emotionless, it was perfect! She was the best rescue dummy in the world!
"What the hell is this!?" Bakugo growled as she lifted the mannequin.
"Help." The mannequin repeated in Aizawa's voice. I cleared my throat once more.
"New rule, to pass the exam, you have to take out the victim, Shota-quin." I said happily. I moved the crane and hit the building, causing it to collapse onto the students.
"You have to be kidding me, you damn rat! I'll kill you! You can't make more rules in the middle of the exam!!" Bakugou shouted, but she and Ashido still grabbed the dummy and walked away with it.
"Of course I can, I'm the principal." I laughed madly through the microphone. Both students continued running and jumping over obstacles, trying not to get crushed.
"Damn it! Pinky! You have to free me already!" Bakugou shouted after another 5 minutes of running in circles.
"But I'll fail the exam!" Ashido replied.
"If we continue like this, that rat is going to win, and no one will pass the exam!" She shouted again.
"And why do you have to be the one who approves? I want to pass too!"
"It's not about me! Damn it! It's the hostage, the victim, whatever the dummy is!" Bakugo growled in embarrassment. My smile slowly began to grow.
"Is that just a poorly made mannequin of Aizawa-sensei? What do you mean it's him!?" Ashido asked incredulously. Bakugou grunted and looked away.
"Look, if you tell anyone I'll kill you, damn it. But… Izuku would want me to take the damn hostage first. And that's what I'm doing, damn it!" Bakugo growled, her cheeks slightly flushed. Ashido looked at her in surprise.
"You're sooo whipped." Ashido finally said, and I laughed lightly.
"Shut up, damn it!" Bakugou yelled, embarrassed. Ashido looked hesitant as she bit her lip. "Please, Pinky!" Bakugo said through gritted teeth as if all her teeth were being pulled.
" aaahhh!! Fine! I'll do it! I'll do it! Fuck! For the mannequin!" Ashido said as she approached Bakugo, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Fuck! You better send me everything you do in the cabin, do you understand?! If I can't go, damn it, I'll live it through you!! I want pictures, videos, and stories, everything!! I want to be able to live it even if I'm not there!! "Ashido said through tears as she undid the substance from Bakugo's hands.
"I'm free, dammit!!" Bakugou exclaimed happily while generating some explosions. "Grab that damn dummy! I'm getting us out of here!" Bakugo exclaimed. Ashido quickly did as she was asked. Bakugo grabbed Ashido's waist with one hand and began to accelerate.
I smirked. Now that young Bakugou was free, it was only a matter of time before they escaped. The entire exam was a success.
Young Bakugou is obsessed with being the number one hero, and there is a worry that she will do it at the expense of her classmates and the civilians. If she had forced or threatened young Ashido to release her, she would have failed the exam immediately. Instead, she said 'please,' and even thought about the 'hostage.' You could really see young Midoriya's influence on her.
Ashido, on the other hand, was living the college fantasy. She wanted parties, fun, and more. Oh, there was no doubt she'd make a good heroine. However, she wanted to make the most of her college life. Putting her in a position where she'd lose that fun, where there would be "consequences" for doing what was "good" and still doing it, spoke even more about her nature.
I was proud of both of them.
Now... should I tell you that you passed? I sipped some tea while looking at the screens. Nah, you can suffer a little longer; Shota will give you the passing grade tomorrow. I started laughing madly.