Seijin 1: "They're not made out of ordinary metal. They're made of tungsten which can take super high temperatures! Didn't I tell you, Todoroki, Kiriu? Even if you are U.A. students, acting with only two… shows you two are overconfident."
Todoroki and Kuuga only stare up at them.
Kuuga: (mentally) "But, they haven't said anything that can work against my quirk… maybe they can't find one…"
Todoroki: "Then-"
Todoroki launches a flame attack towards the Seijin students.
Seijin 1: "Right!"
Seijin 2 and 3 jumped together, both of them launching an earth and water attack to parry Todoroki's flames.
Kuuga: "Todoroki, move. Sovereignty!"
The whole area got engulfed in black mist, pushing the Seijin students back and slightly damaging the area. The mist clears as Kuuga faces Todoroki.
Kuuga: "Let's reposition!"
Todoroki nods as he makes an ice barrier behind them just in time to block the nuts and bolts thrown at them.
Seijin 4: "Keep after them!"
Seijin 5: "Got it!"
Seijin 4 and 5 pried some metal pipes and began throwing it at the two U.A. students.
Todoroki: "From behind, Kiriu!"
Todoroki makes another ice barrier while Kuuga makes mist barriers, barely blocking the pipes.
Kuuga: "They're pretty good for counterattacks, my mist can't handle the weight of the projectiles."
Todoroki: "Water for flames and physical attacks for the ice… weight for his mist... They've worked out a counterattack for everything."
Todoroki launches another fire attack but Seijin 2 and 3 countered them with earth and water attacks.
Seijin 3: "It's useless!"
Todoroki: "Kiriu, can you block their vision?"
Kuuga: "Pretty easy… but the temperatures are a bit hot, so I need some assistance in that."
Todoroki: "Okay."
Kuuga's eyes glowed as he surrounded the whole area with black mist, mixed with sudden steam that he made with his ice and fire, blocking everyone's vision.
Seijin 1: "Where'd they go?"
Todoroki and Kuuga are seen running through the steam on some pipes.
Kuuga: "If you think about it… they want to make simulations as realistic as possible. We're in a factory with dozens of fuel tanks…"
Todoroki: "Then the real thing should be in the tank.."
Kuuga: "Yeah. Let's do it. Let's show our location."
Todoroki nods and lights a fire as they run, showing the Seijin students their location.
Seijin 1: "There they are! Surround them!"
Kuuga and Todoroki stop by a huge green tank.
Kuuga: "This one."
Both Mist and ice began piercing the tank.
Kuuga: "That should do it."
Todoroki lights a nearby sign on fire as they both relocate on top of a nearby pipe, waiting for their opponents. The Seijin students arrive, seeing only the sign on fire.
Seijin 1: "They got us!"
Kuuga: "Light it."
Todoroki launches a flame attack, aiming towards the hole they made at the tank, creating a pink explosion, immobilizing their opponents.
Seijin 1: "Those bastards… They're crazy…"
Seijin 1 finds his neck and below covered in ice. Another Seijin student got up, unharmed but suddenly a black mist box surrounded him. After a few seconds being trapped inside the mist box, it disappeared, revealing the victim in tattered clothing and passed out. From behind a glacier, Kuuga and Todoroki step out, walking towards.
Kuuga: "Ultimate move: Zero. Zero air, Zero sounds, Zero visibility, Zero predictions- complete isolation. Don't worry, I didn't kill him, I just gave him a good scream while struggling for air while being attacked by my mist spikes under complete darkness."
Todoroki: "It looks like the commission kept the force of the explosion down."
Seijin 1: "B-Bastard…!"
Todoroki: "Sorry."
Kuuga: "Not sorry."
Todoroki: "We can't afford to fail."
They both raised their orange balls, preparing to eliminate all of them.
-----
The scene changes to Kuuga and Todoroki walking away from the destruction they made when suddenly their targets flashed blue and made a sound.
Target: "Those who have passed should go to the waiting room. Hurry."
Present Mic: (narrating) "The targets send information about who passes and who fails! They recognize the balls and the wearers and can tell who hit whom based on distance, movement, and various other factors! Also, once mounted, they can only be removed with a special magnetic key! It's super high-tech!"
The scene changes to a number of female examinees wearing Seiai Academy uniforms while one of them sips on a tea cup.
Seiai 1: "Miss Sai, I have confirmed that five U.A. students have entered the building."
Saiko: "Can you show me the video?"
Seiai 1: "Yes, ma'am."
Seiai 1 opens one of her eyes, producing a pink hologram of Shoji, Tsuyu, Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Sayo entering the building.
Saiko: "Arm duplication, the sound wave user, frog, a quirk that makes things… and a former first year student from our school that can turn and summon ghosts… Aisaka."
Saiko closes her eyes before standing up from her chair.
Saiko: "Our prey has been decided. Will you gather everyone?"
Seiai 1: "Yes, Miss Sai."
Saiko: (smirks, mentally) "The formula for my success… is already complete."
-----
The scene changes to the waiting room doors opening, revealing Kuuga and Todoroki entering as they witness tons of fellow examinees inside.
Kuuga: "Seems like a lot has passed in a short amount of time."
The scene changes to Todoroki sitting by a chair as Kuuga went to get a drink as the half-and-half stares at Inasa who is standing by Murasaki, having a conversation with another examinee.
Inasa: "I love Stampman, too! He's a super passionate hero!"
Murasaki: "Stop weirding him out with your mysterious passion!"
Todoroki: (mentally) "If he applied through recommendations, then either me or Kiriu should've seen him at the entrance exam."
Inasa: "But I think-"
Inasa notices Todoroki sitting alone as his face darkens a bit but smiles when he sees Kuuga walking around, holding two cups of water and continuing his conversation with a random student.
Inasa: "Wait, what were we talking about?"
Kuuga approaches Todoroki and hands him a cup.
Kuuga: "Water?"
Todoroki: "Sure. Thanks."
-----
The scene changes to an urban area.
Mera: (speaker) "Currently, 54 people have passed. Don't panic, but please hurry up and do your best."
The scene changes to one of Shoji's tentacle eyes looking around as all of them are gathered around a hallway inside a building while Jiro plugs her earphone jacks into the wall.
Tsuyu: "Shoji, how's it look?"
Shoji: "It's no use. I don't see anyone from our class."
Tsuyu: "Maybe they're in a different area."
Shoji: "Most likely."
Shoji: "Yaoyorozu, Aisaka, you two heard the broadcast, right? The number who've passed is already past the halfway mark."
Tsuyu: "We should probably give up on finding everyone else and start fighting ourselves, don't you think?"
Sayo: "I don't think we have a choice but to do that… it's spooky!"
Yaoyorozu: "Yes, you're right…"
Jiro: "Shh! I hear footsteps from four people on the stairs, about ten floors below. They're coming up!"
Sayo: "Who are they?"
Shoji: "Are they after us?"
Yaoyorozu: "It bothers me that there are only four coming. All the schools should be moving in bigger teams than that."
Sayo turns into a ghost before floating in front of Yaoyorozu.
Sayo: "It's like a horror movie!"
Tsuyu: "Maybe their companions were defeated, and they're running away to hide here."
Jiro: "No, that's not what it sounds like. They're still climbing up."
Yaoyorozu: "There must be more of them. A distraction? Or…"
A loud speaker suddenly blasted from behind the wall where Jiro's earphones are plugged, making her scream in pain.
Sayo, Yaoyorozu, Tsuyu: "Jiro!"
Shoji places his ear on the same wall.
Shoji: "There's music!"
Jiro is seen lying on the floor, pressing on her ears in pain while shaking.
Shoji: "I'm fine, but hearing this suddenly would've been hard on Jiro."
Tsuyu: "So they know Kyoka's quirk and are interfering with it on purpose."
Shoji: "They must be after us, then."
Yaoyorozu: "This is bad. Now we can't tell where our opponents are…"
The scene changes to Saiko entering an elevator along with other Seiai students.
Saiko: "Phase one, complete. Next, begin phase two."
The scene changes back to the U.A. students in the hallway, witnessing the windows being cracked.
Sayo: "The windows!"
Shoji: "What's that?!"
Yaoyorozu: "Hide!"
Jiro hides behind a terminal while Sayo changes to ghost form.
Jiro: "Attacks from outside?"
Tsuyu: "This is…"
Shoji: "Are they trying to keep me from using my eyes, too?"
Sayo: "I can attack them while I'm a ghost!"
Shoji: "Don't! We don't know if they have a counter for you. Yaoyorozu, what is our opponent after?"
Yaoyorozu: "They're probably trying to keep us rooted here."
Tsuyu: "And then they'll surround us, huh?"
Sayo: (mentally) "With smooth attacks and knowledge… could it be…?"
Yaoyorozu: "Yes. We should probably assume that they're already close by
The scene changes to Saiko and her allies exiting the elevator, encountering two more Seiai students standing in front of a door. From the hallway, Jiro plugs her earphone jacks into her amplifiers and runs out of her cover.
Jiro: "Then we need to fight!"
Yaoyorozu: "We can't move carelessly!"
Jiro: "Heartbeat Distorti-"
Jiro gets caught off guard when a glowing blue marble thingy hits her by the arm, destroying one of her amplifiers. The scene changes to a nearby rooftop with another Seiai student with a slingshot stare at their building.
Sniper Seiai: "Phase two, complete.
The scene changes to Jiro sitting up by a wall, holding her arm and her left earphone jack bleeding a bit.
Shoji: "Jiro!"
Yaoyorozu: "Are you hurt?"
Jiro: "They got my amp! And my left ear… he'll probably call me an idiot for what I did..."
-----
Kuuga coughs as he sits beside Todoroki.
Kuuga: "Is someone talking about me?"
Todoroki: "Huh?"
Kuuga: "I suddenly felt a bit cold. Is it your quirk?"
Todoroki: "Maybe."
-----
Yaoyorozu: (mentally) "They predicted her actions?"
Sayo: "I think I know who they are…"
Everyone looked at Sayo.
Sayo: "I think they're my seniors from Seiai…"
They all share a moment of silence before Shoji
Shoji: "Does it feel a little colder to you?"
Yaoyorozu: "Now that you mention it, yes…"
Yaoyorozu's eyes widen as she stares at the vents.
Yaoyorozu: "There's cold air coming from the vents!"
The scene changes to a masked Seiai student freezing the ventilation pipes.
Freezer Seiai: (holding sage sticks) "Begin phase three."
The windows in the hallway suddenly got barricaded by metal barriers.
Shoji: "They've shut us in?!"
Sayo: "It's freezing!"
Sayo switches to her ghost form again and feels the warmth return to her.
Yaoyorozu: "The temperature's also decreasing steadily."
Jiro: "I-It's too cold!"
Tsuyu: (weakly) "K… Kero, kero…"
Shoji: "Asui, what's wrong?!"
Tsuyu collapses to the floor.
Jiro: "Could it be that since the temperature dropped all at once, she's started getting ready for hibernation?!"
Shoji: "Fire! Make a lighter."
Yaoyorozu: "I can't. The sprinklers will turn on, making her body even colder."
Jiro: "Then what about an electric heater?"
Yaoyorozu: "Our opponents have control over the air conditioner. They probably turned off the electricity as well."
Yaoyorozu makes a blanket.
Yaoyorozu: "Here's a blanket for now!"
Shoji: "All right."
Sayo: "I smell… mint…"
Sayo gasps as she struggles, her ghost form flickering to her normal self simultaneously.
Shoji: "Aisaka!"
Sayo completely goes back to normal and is unable to switch forms.
Sayo: "I can't turn into a ghost! They used Sage sticks! Mint! Are they performing a ritual for Sayo Aisaka?!"
Yaoyorozu: "They're cleansing the place with ghosts as well…"
Sayo: "Intelli's got us really cornered! She already knows what we're going to do before we even do it. Because she knows! The more we do something, the more she can drive us into a worse trap! (Raises a finger) I don't know how to counter that, maybe we should act stupid! Hehe!"
Sparks are suddenly seen at the door at the end of the corridor.
Jiro: "What now?!"
Yaoyorozu: "They're welding the door shut!"
Sayo: (screams) "It just got worse!"
Shoji is seen holding Tsuyu like a baby in an attempt to keep her warm.
Shoji: "So they're trying to keep us from escaping?"
Sayo: "The moment we entered the building was when the trap started!"
Yaoyorozu points at a door near them.
Yaoyorozu: "The door over there's the only one left."
Shoji: "Should we force our way through?"
Sayo: (shaking head rapidly) "Muri, muri, muri, muri! They're probably behind there!"
Yaoyorozu: "Aisaka's right, our opponents are definitely waiting for us there. It's dangerous."
Shoji: "They keep being one step ahead of us."
Sayo: (whining) "No one's listening! I just said the obvious already!"
Jiro: "What should we do?"
Sayo: (mentally) "Ignored again!"
Shoji: "If we holed up here, we'd have to do something about the temperature, or else we'd also be done in by the cold."
Jiro: "Yao-momo, what if you made a bomb and blew up the door to the emergency exit?"
Yaoyorozu: "That might cause a phreatic explosion. They probably knew we'd think of it. That's why they sealed off the observation room and lowered the temperature."
Jiro: "No way…"
Sayo: "Again. Because they already know from the very beginning! I've been saying it for a while now! If I can overcome the Sage, we can get out of here easily."
Sayo sits down by a wall and attempts to form into a ghost.
Yaoyorozu: (mentally) "Think, Momo. Think of a way to get out of this situation. With one ear injured, Jiro can't use her sound attacks to the fullest. With the scent of the sage still present, Aisaka can't switch to her ghost form. In that case, should we break the wall to escape...? No, Aisaka said it already, our opponents probably have something prepared for such a simple move. For now, we need to do something about the air conditioning. Can I make clay to seal off vents? From what I can see, there are eight vents… I would end up using a lot of my quirk, but right now, that's all I can do…!"
From outside the corridor, the Seiai students are waiting behind a door.
Seiai 2: "Miss Sai, phase three complete."
Saiko: "Then, let us wait for a while."
Seiai 1: "Yes, ma'am."
Saiko: (mentally) "The current problem facing U.A. High is the air conditioning in the observation room. In order to solve that, they must use the quirk of that student called Yaoyorozu. Her quirk uses the lipids from inside her body. In other words, there is a limit on how much she can make. We'll make her use up her quirk and render all five of their quirks useless. That is my plan… my formula for success. You must've caught up with the situation, Aisaka. You must know what's going on."
Present Mic: (narrating) "Seiai Academy, second year, Saiko Intelli! Quirk: IQ! After she drinks tea, when she closes her eyes, her IQ multiplies. Her IQ is already 150 to start with, so she becomes a super genius! By the way, there's a difference in effect based on the brand of tea she drinks!"
Saiko: (giggles) "Now, use your quirk. That will be the end of you all. Now, use your quirk."
The scene changes to Yaoyorozu using her quirk.
Yaoyorozu: (mentally) "That will be…"
She suddenly stops before she can make something.
Jiro: "What's wrong, Yao-momo?"
Shoji: "Why did you stop your creation?"
Yaoyorozu: "No matter how many times I think and think about Aisaka's warnings, I get the same answer. Our opponents are trying to get me to use up my quirk."
Sayo: "I haven't mentioned about them forcing you to use it. But knowing Intelli, she must have thought about that."
Shoji: "They're trying to make you use up your quirk?"
Yaoyorozu: "Yes. In their plan, the most uncertain factor is my creation. At first, I thought their manipulation of the air conditioning was for Asui's quirk and the mixing of the sage sticks was for Aisaka. But their true goal was to make me use my quirk."
Shoji: "I see. They were planning to march in calmly after making your quirk useless, huh?"
Yaoyorozu: "Yes. That's why I cannot use my quirk right now. I must save it for when the need truly arises."
Jiro: "But if we stay holed up in here, then we'll fail the provisional licensing exam! We should force our way through!"
Sayo: "We'll probably be at a disadvantage if we do that."
Shoji: "I'm sure our opponents have predicted that that's what we will do."
Jiro: "Then what are you suggesting?"
Yaoyorozu: "At times like this, what would Kiriu do? Or Todoroki? Or Iida? Or Midoriya…?"
-----
Todoroki: "Now that you said it, I felt something cold, but not from my quirk."
Kuuga: "Huh, that's unusual."
Todoroki: "Yeah."
-----
Yaoyorozu suddenly remembers something as she clenches her fist.
Yaoyorozu: (mentally) "That's right. I have to save them… Shoji, Jiro, Aisaka, and Asui… Forget about the provisional licensing exam. Just focus on saving them for now. Just that! In order to do that…"
Yaoyorozu brought out her notebook from her back.
Yaoyorozu: "In order to do that, I need… Everyone, please bear with the current conditions for a few minutes."
Jiro: "Yao-momo!"
Shoji: "Please!"
Sayo: "Wait! I think I can-"
Sayo suddenly turns into a ghost and starts to float.
Sayo: "I can be spooky again!"
Yaoyorozu: (smiles) "That's good."
Yaoyorozu suddenly made five noise-reduction headphones.
Jiro: (picking up headphones) "What, headphones?"
Yaoyorozu: "Please put them on."
Sayo: "I have a move in mind!"
Sayo turns into her normal form to pick up one of the headphones. Yaoyorozu kneels down and makes something.
Jiro: "This is…"
-----
Saiko: (mentally) "It's been ten minutes since they holed up in the observation room. It is probably about time." (Licks lips)
Saiko smiles.
Saiko: "Ready yourselves to storm in."
Everyone: "Yes, ma'am!"
Saiko: (mentally) "Now, I wonder what the situation is inside? I'm looking forward to it."
Suddenly a High frequency sound is heard.
Saiko: "Wh...What…?!"
The six Seiai students with her suddenly passed out and dropped to the floor.
Saiko: "Th-This is… a high-frequency sound attack?"
Saiko grits her teeth and presses on both of her ears.
The scene changes inside the observation room with Jiro kneeling by the subwoofer with her earphone jacks plugged into it as the group is surrounded by dozens of ghosts.
Sayo: "I finally made it… Ghost Army! Ready for spooking!"
Jiro: "Even with the headphones on, I can feel it throughout my body…"
Tsuyu: (weakly) "K… Kero…"
Shoji: "Are you all right, Asui?"
Yaoyorozu: "E-Everyone, please bear with it for seven more seconds… Six… Five… Four… Three… Two… One…"
They suddenly opened the door as all the ghosts of dead heroes Sayo summoned burst through it, making a mess before disappearing. She suddenly returned to her normal form.
Sayo: "That must've been a scare!"
They witnessed all of the Seiai students passed out on the floor.
Jiro: "All right! It worked!"
Yaoyorozu: (smiling) "Put your balls in the targets."
Shoji: "Got it. Can you move?"
Tsuyu began standing up.
Tsuyu: "K-Kero… I'm fine…"
Yaoyorozu: "I'm glad."
Suddenly, Saiko emerges from behind the opened door and pulls Yaoyorozu back into the observation room and locks the door from behind.
Saiko: "You used your quirk for attacking rather than defending… I can't believe someone from the elite U.A. would choose a method with such high risk."
Saiko began walking towards Yaoyorozu.
Saiko: "But because of that, you can't move now. Even if I can only get you, I'll have you fail."
Saiko raises her orange ball and goes for Yaoyorozu's targets but she catches her wrist and cuffs themselves together.
Saiko: "You're struggling in vain!"
Ghost Sayo suddenly appeared and held Saiko's other arm. Shoji broke down the door as Jiro and Tsuyu rushed in.
Saiko: "Wha-?! Why did you come back…? Didn't you think she failed already? Right now, we're in the middle of the licensing exam. You should be thinking of yourselves, not your friends."
Jiro: "That might be true for you, but we're different."
Tsuyu: "We won't leave our friend behind."
Shoji: "And we don't give up."
Yaoyorozu shakingly stands up.
Yaoyorozu: "That's how we, Class 1-A are!"
Sayo: "Long time no see, Intelli-senpai! Tehee! Looks like we outsmarted you this time!"
Saiko's face softens.
Saiko: "I guess you did, Aisaka. As expected of U.A…. You've defeated me completely."
Saiko drops her orange ball in defeat.
The scene changes to the mountain area with Sero, Annya, Uraraka, and Izuku having their meeting.
Mera: (speaker) "More people have passed, we are now at 59 people. It'll be over once another 41 have passed."
Sero: "People are passing in groups. This is bad. What should we do?"
Izuku: "Yeah… I could tell after we were attacked, but at least we can probably do something about the group that's nearby."
Sero: "Huh? That's amazing! What do you mean?"
Izuku: "There was someone trying to get a headstart on the others. He was probably panicking. Since if a large group is going for a small number, they would end up fighting over the prey."
Uraraka: "Oh, so if they keep leaving, then their numbers will slowly dwindle, and they'll be at a disadvantage.
Annya: "They may lose coordination…"
Sero: "Then, why were you saying we should all stay together, Midoriya?"
Izuku: "In the first place, we were told to hit targets with balls, so it's easy to think of this as target practice, but without knowing our opponents' quirks are, it's not easy or efficient to go after moving targets that are being protected. That's why I wanted to first restrain enough people for everyone to pass and then use the balls only after they couldn't move anymore. Class A has a lot of people who excel at zone control, so I thought we could do it, but…"
Sero: "I see… it's true that if we were just doing target practice, they'd only be able to tell whether or not we were good at hitting targets, so this might be what they're trying to test."
Annya: "Accuracy?"
Uraraka: "Shh! Wait a sec! Don't they sound like they're getting closer?"
Sero: (whispers) "What should we do?"
Izuku: "I'll go out."
Sero: "What?"
Annya: "That's not ideal."
Izuku: "I'll be the decoy, so you three should find openings to restrain as many enemies as you can. Your quirks are better for keeping people restrained."
Sero: "Decoy… We've got four people, so we'd need… There's no way…"
Annya: "Sure."
Uraraka: "Roger."
Sero: "What?"
Uraraka: "Let's do it, Sero!"
Annya: "Let's not chicken out, Hanta."
Sero: "Fine!"
Izuku: "All right! Let's go!"
Izuku began running in an open area as he dodged multiple balls.
The scene changes to Silhouette, Aizawa, and Ms. Joke sitting at the red seats.
Silhouette: "This is taking too long."
Ms. Joke offers Aizawa some All Might Gum.
Ms. Joke: "Want some gum?"
Aizawa: "It's the kind that traps your fingers, right? No thanks."
Ms. Joke took some gum and began chewing.
Aizawa: "It's frustrating not being able to see who failed and who passed, though."
Ms. Joke: "Our Shindo made it even harder to see by splitting open the ground, too. Hm? What? What? Are you worried?"
Aizawa: "There's something I realized after watching Class A for a while. They may not have realized it, but in Class A, there are two people whose presence has a big effect. They're not leaders, or the most popular, and two of them don't get along well at all. But… before I knew it, their passion spread to the rest of the class, especially affecting possibly my most unmotivated and sleepy student to become more competitive."
As he speaks, Sero and Annya are seen restraining people with Tape and shadows while Uraraka makes the victims float.
Aizawa: "It's strange, but one of them is always at the center of any major event. Joke, I'm not worried. I can't wait to see what they'll do. Even if they're not physically alone, their presence raises the standards for the whole class."
Ms. Joke: "You've fallen for them hard, huh? Gross."
Aizawa: "That is my class… Class 1-A!"
End
4036 Words
This chapter was not fun to write. This was the hardest one to write so far! So please vote, I beg of you.
-CrescentRWBY