All Might lunged toward the two boys at blinding speed, his colossal fist cocked back, ready to deliver a punch that could level mountains. The air itself seemed to crackle with the force of his charge.
Bakugo and Todoroki's bodies reacted instantly, instincts drilled into them from countless brutal sessions with Tsutsumi. The moment they saw a fist clench, their muscles moved before their minds caught up.
Bakugo blasted himself away in a burst of smoke and fire, the recoil sending him spiraling out of reach. Todoroki creates ice beneath his feet, freezing the ground into a slide before igniting flames at his back, launching himself away in a blur of steam and frost.
The ground where they once stood was obliterated. All Might's punch ripped through multiple city blocks of the mock arena, concrete and steel torn apart as if they were paper. The shockwave alone howled like a hurricane, tearing banners free and shattering glass windows across the zone.
Without hesitation, both boys struck back. Bakugo hurled a massive explosion into All Might's face, fire and shrapnel blooming in every direction. At the same time, Todoroki froze the towering hero's legs in place and unleashed a roaring wave of fire at his chest.
All Might grinned, twisting on his heel. With a single spin, he shattered the ice binding his legs and whipped up a cyclone of wind so powerful it scattered both flame and explosion like sparks in a storm.
"Oklahoma Smash!"
The gale roared outward, forcing Bakugo and Todoroki to retreat, skidding back across the cracked ground.
"Where?" Bakugo barked.
"Solar plexus," Todoroki answered instantly, already knowing what his teammate was thinking.
They both charged again, their movements sharp, disciplined, two blurs converging.
"Show me what you've got, heroes!" All Might thundered, surging forward to meet them.
"Detroit Smash!"
His fist carved through the air, the shockwave demolishing another city block. But the boys slipped low, ducking under the massive arm that passed inches above their heads. The gust of wind that followed was still crushing, but not enough to stop them.
Bakugo twisted mid-step, palm exploding behind him like a jet engine, rocketing his body forward. His elbow drove into All Might's solar plexus with brutal precision.
Todoroki mirrored him a heartbeat later, flame bursting from behind his elbow to accelerate his strike, his fist slamming into the same exact point.
The combined force sent All Might stumbling back, boots grinding against the ground as cracks spiderwebbed beneath him.
It was their strategy, a lesson forged while sparring with Tsutsumi: find a weak point, hammer it again and again, until even the strongest defenses crumble.
All Might straightened in an instant, eyes blazing, and charged once more.
Todoroki raised his arm and unleashed a wall of ice so massive it towered over the battlefield. All Might sidestepped the first wave, then shattered the second with a swing of his fist, shards exploding like glass across the field.
But then he noticed the boys were gone.
Explosions rattled above. Bakugo rocketed into the sky with Todoroki clinging to him, carrying his teammate high above the arena. All Might's eyes narrowed as he launched after them, closing the distance in seconds.
At the last moment, Bakugo twisted, hurling Todoroki upward, away from All Might's path.
"Gotcha!" Bakugo shouted with a smirk, gauntlet already primed. He yanked the pin and unleashed a point-blank blast that erupted like a cannon, the explosion slamming into All Might's face and sending the hero crashing backward through the rubble.
All Might emerged from the smoke, wiping a thin line of blood from his lip, only for his eyes to widen. From above, a massive glacier was plummeting straight toward him.
"Detroit Smash!"
He swung, his fist generating a gale that shattered the glacier into a thousand glittering shards before it could hit. But as the ice rained down, a blazing figure descended through the storm.
Todoroki, with flames roared from his back, propelling him faster and faster, his right leg extended, encased in ice that gleamed like a blade.
"Shi-!" All Might didn't even have time to finish the curse before Todoroki's boot crashed into his solar plexus again. The impact drove the air from his lungs and sent his massive frame hurtling back into a wall with a thunderous crash.
Todoroki landed hard, skidding across the ground. Before the dust could settle, Bakugo shot past him, explosions flaring behind him as his foot drove into All Might's solar plexus once more. The second strike sent the Symbol of Peace tearing through the wall in a rain of rubble.
Without hesitation, ice spread from Todoroki's feet. A sweeping wave of ice surged forward, freezing All Might where he lay, locking his hulking frame in place.
The alarm blared.
Team Todoroki & Bakugo have passed!
The announcement echoed across the arena.
The two boys grinned. As they approached each other, it looked like they would simply walk past, until, at the last moment, their hands shot out, colliding in a sharp, victorious high five.
The sound cracked like a gunshot, echoing through the arena.
...
After the test, the students gathered back inside the classroom. The air felt heavier than usual, the kind of silence that carried exhaustion, frustration, and bruised pride.
"How did everyone go?" Yaoyorozu finally asked, her voice soft but carrying a faint trace of disappointment.
"My teammate just ditched me!" Ashido burst out, flailing her arms in the air. Her tone was playful on the surface, but the tightness in her voice betrayed how she really felt. "But… our team did pass. Still, I'm afraid I failed because all I did was run around while Tsutsumi captured Nezu."
Her confession hung in the room. Sympathy welled in the eyes of the other girls, the weight of Ashido's words pulling them into her shame.
"That's okay, Mina-chan. I also failed." Asui spoke up first, her low, steady voice carrying comfort. She placed her large, frog-like hand gently on her friend's shoulder.
"Thanks, Tsu." Ashido whispered, swallowing hard as she fought against the urge to cry.
Not far away, the mood shifted.
"The teacher is too harsh on us!" Mineta whined, his voice breaking as he pounded his tiny fists against the desk.
"Yeah, but I think there's a reason it's like that," Sero said, though his gaze drifted toward Tsutsumi, the unspoken thought clear.
"It can't be helped," Tokoyami muttered, his tone steady but edged with respect. "Tsutsumi helped us grow stronger. So of course the teachers would have higher expectations of us."
"Easy for you to say! You actually gained something from those pointless training sessions!" Mineta snapped back, tears spilling down his cheeks.
Ida lowered his head, glasses glinting as he muttered, "Everything is his fault…"
Mineta's ears perked, and his expression twisted into outrage. "Yes! That's right! This is all his fault!" His voice cracked as he stood, finger stabbing toward Tsutsumi. "If you hadn't agreed to those pointless training sessions, the teachers might have gone easy on us, and we would've passed. Everything is your fault!"
The classroom fell silent for a heartbeat. All eyes turned toward Tsutsumi.
He looked up slowly, his expression unreadable, bored even. Finally, he said only: "And?"
The single word landed like a spark in dry grass. Instantly, the classroom erupted. Those who had failed and never got along with him shouted in outrage, voices layering over each other, blaming him for pushing them too hard, for their defeat.
But not everyone agreed. Those who had sweated with him, learn from him, and grown through his harsh training rose in his defense. Some shouted back, others stood silently but firmly at his side.
The class split, a jagged crack running straight down the middle. A few students stood frozen in between, unwilling to choose, caught in the uncomfortable heat of the conflict.
"Shut up already, you extras!" Bakugo's roar cut through the chaos like a thunderclap. He slammed his foot on the desk, glaring daggers at the ones who complained. "Blaming your failure on others? With that attitude, you won't even be lucky enough to make it out as sidekicks!"
"Why don't you ask yourself what you did wrong today and what you can do better next time?" Todoroki added, his voice calm but carrying an icy weight that stilled the air. His mismatched eyes pierced the crowd, unflinching.
Everyone knew the truth. Each of them had sparred with Tsutsumi. Some had crumbled, some had endured. Only a handful had managed to push themselves to keep fighting, to learn through pain and exhaustion. Those who did knew better than to blame him now.
"Yeah," Kirishima spoke firmly, standing tall on Tsutsumi. "Even if it was because of him that the test got harder… that's no excuse to blame him."
"Kirishima, whose side are you on right now?" Ashido shot back, her voice rising as she pointed at him, her emotions bubbling over. She stood beside Uraraka and Ida, her posture tense, caught between pride and guilt.
"I should be the one asking you," Jiro cut in sharply, glaring at Ashido. "Weren't you his teammate for this exam?"
Ashido's face faltered, but Uraraka touched her arm, silently backing her.
"Yeah, even if you fail, this doesn't mean expulsion or anything that serious." Hagakure's voice came hesitantly from the sidelines, her invisible figure shifting awkwardly. She stood with the few who hadn't picked a side, trying to calm the storm.
But the class was already divided, the tension thick in the air, a reminder that failure, pride, and fear weighed heavier than any physical wound.
Meanwhile, Tsutsumi dragged his hand through his long bangs, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. With a sharp exhale, he stood up. The sudden motion made the entire class freeze, eyes following him, tension hanging in the air.
Before anyone could ask what he was doing, Tsutsumi summoned Agito's Flame Saber.
Gasps rippled through the room. The students who had just been blaming him instinctively stepped back in fear. The blade ignited as orange fire raced along the metal.
Reactions split in an instant; some of his classmates couldn't help but whisper how cool it looked, while others, especially the ones who had accused him moments ago, retreated further, unease written across their faces.
With his free hand, Tsutsumi calmly brushed his hair back. Then, without hesitation, he twisted the flaming blade backward and sliced cleanly through his long hair. The severed locks fell, only to vanish in a hiss of flame as the sword's fire consumed them. Embers floated for a moment before fading into nothing.
"You missed the side bangs," Jiro sighed, relief slipping into her tone as she realized her friend didn't do something extreme.
"I'll cut it later," Tsutsumi replied, letting the sword dissolve into thin air.
His eyes swept back to the group that had just accused him.
"Why so quiet all of a sudden?" His voice was calm, but mocking. "Weren't you all busy blaming me for your failure just now?" He spread his arms wide, smirking. "Go on. Blame me for your own incompetence. Whatever makes your fragile egos feel better."
The classroom fell silent again. Those who had spoken against him shifted uncomfortably, faces uneasy and guilty under his gaze.
"Ryo…" Jiro began softly, but Tsutsumi turned his head toward her, cutting her off.
"It's fine, Kyo." His tone was sharp, bitter. "Everything is Decade's fault. Let the weak and insecure point their fingers and call names if that's all it takes to soothe them." He touched a finger to his chin, eyes narrowing in thought before he continued.
"You know, this reminds me of a story… about a girl named Jeanne d'Arc."
The room grew still. His voice, though even, carried the weight of something colder than anger, sounding somewhat hollow.
"Her country was invaded. She couldn't just sit back, so she stood up and fought, becoming a symbol of hope. Back then, it was heresy for a girl to dress as a man and enter the war, but she did it anyway. She knew she would be hated by both enemy and ally, yet she chose that path… because someone had to."
His gaze swept over the class, lingering on the ones who had blamed him, letting silence stretch just enough to sting before continuing.
"When her secret was revealed, her own people turned on her. They tied her to a cross and burned her alive. Everything she had done, every sacrifice, meant nothing the moment her people decided she was a villain who deserved to die."
The weight of his words pressed on the room, the atmosphere suffocating.
"Yet in her final moment, she didn't curse them. She didn't spit back her hatred. Instead, she prayed, for them, for her country, for the ones she loved. She prayed for a world of Love and Peace, even as the flames devoured her."
Tsutsumi walked toward the window, each step slow, deliberate. He stopped and stared out at the open blue sky.
"Years later, the world discovered her story. They called her a saint, a hero. But by then, that nineteen-year-old girl was already ash, consumed by the very people she fought to protect."
He pushed the window open, the wind rushing in, ruffling his shorter hair. His eyes flicked back to his classmates one last time.
"So go ahead. Blame me. Place all your curses, your failures, your insecurities on me if it makes you feel stronger. I don't care. I'm not afraid of becoming All the Evil of the World."
And without another word, Tsutsumi vaulted out the window. The room fell silent, then Aizawa suddenly burst through the front door, like he had been waiting outside for some time now. But by then, Tsutsumi was already gone.