A/N: Ah, the midterms. So, this chapter is going to be only the first half of Izuku and Kyouka's test. Next chapter is when we see the other tests. School is starting back up for me soon, so temper expectations on updates. But, I shall do my best.
...~AIV~...
(Two Days Later: UA Support Studio)
The day of the practical exam had finally arrived. They breezed past the written exams over the last few days. It was the first time in forever that Kyouka felt fully confident about her tests. It was actually kind of satisfying to not second-guess every single answer she put down. It almost made the torturous amounts of studying worth it.
Almost.
In just over an hour, Izuku and Kyouka would have to report to the front gate with the rest of their class. They would take the bus to the different testing grounds, which made most of the class further support the theory of the test being more robots. Unless the entire class would take turns fighting Mr. Aizawa, it had to be bots.
The operative word was most of the class. Izuku and Kyouka had reason to believe otherwise. All Might had been acting rather smug the last few days, cackling under his breath every time he saw them.
So, in short, they were terrified.
But, at the very least they had a crazy-eyed inventor on their side to supply some support.
"My favorite clients!"
Kyouka smiled at the appearance of their friend as they walked through the Support Studio door. "Hatsume, we're your only personal clients. And that's only because you pestered Power Loader until he said so."
"Something I'm very proud of. Now, we don't have a lot of time. On to the baby!" Mei rushed over to her worktable, grabbing the corner of a red tarp that was covering said "baby" underneath it. Mei yanked on the tarp, throwing her arms out excitedly, "Ta-da!"
Underneath the tarp sat a boombox ripped straight out of the 80s...
Kyouka looked over to Izuku with concern, "We wrote 'hammer' on the paper, right?"
Hearing this, Mei feigned a gasp, "How dare?! The best inventor in Musutafu not living up to expectations? Well, that's true. Because I surpassed them! What you're looking at is the M.H.A BoomBox! The third creation in the 'Supersonic' Series of M.H.A support gear. Already patented, by the way. Don't ask how I managed that."
Kyouka quirked her brow, "MHA?"
"Mei Hatsume & Associates," Mei said, standing proudly. "Always be selling."
"Who're your associates?" Izuku asked.
"All the other inventors who'll be breaking down the door just to work for me."
"Fair enough," Kyouka grunted as she picked up the BoomBox, "Okay, definitely heavier than expected. Good thing I've been working out. Thank you, Izuku. Okay, Hatsume, run me through it."
"Gladly!" Mei pulled out her schematics, pointing at individual parts with a wild look in her eyes. "We headphone inputs on both sides of the box, conducting your quirk straight into the speakers. This baby is made out of carbotanium and insulated with sorbothane. Perfect for packing punches and absorbing vibrations. In its base boombox form, that's when the soundwaves will be the most powerful. But, if you wanna pack a physical punch..."
Mei reached down to the box, setting it down on the ground and pressing the blue button next to the play button. The side speakers extended out from the center panel, folding back until facing outwards. The leather strap coiled into the box, and the handle on the top split, allowing a long metal pole with a leather grip at the end to extend out from the top, reaching to just under Kyouka's shoulder. The handle connected to the grip for support, finishing its transformation.
"Whoa..." Kyouka lifted up the hammer, admiring Hatsume's craftsmanship as Izuku fully geeked out to the side. "How do you not get paid for this?"
"I'm paid in pride, but I accept any and all charitable donations...Oh, and you're both more or less already contractually locked-in to being my clients once we graduate."
Izuku and Kyouka both looked at her with wide eyes, "What?"/ "What?"
"Moving on! The record button records your quirk, so there's no need to be plugged in all the time."
"Woah, seriously?" Kyouka asked, shocked. "We didn't even think of that."
"Future Queen of the Industry, remember?"
Izuku pointed at the weapon, "What's the tape player do?"
Mei looked at him confused, "...It plays cassette tapes."
"Wh-? That's it?"
Mei shrugged, "Every hero needs background music."
"I definitely don't own any of those," Kyouka admitted. "Those are from like three-hundred years ago."
"It also has bluetooth," Mei added.
"That I can work with," Kyouka said, smiling. "What's the compartment on the side for?"
Mei clicked the button on the side of the BoomBox, pulling out the compartment to reveal three rows of earplugs. "These are mainly for Midoriyama. I figured since he's your partner, he could use these. I doubt he wants to go deaf by the time he's twenty."
Izuku took a pair of plugs out and pocketed them, just in case. Mei had a point.
Kyouka's eyes went wide, "First, congrats on almost getting his name right this time. Second, how do you know we're partners?"
"Your support forms. You share a support account now, so both of your files are placed together."
"Good to know," Izuku replied. "I get the feeling we should have asked about stuff like this when we signed the contract."
Kyouka smirked, shrugging her shoulders, "We like to live dangerously, Izuku."
"I think 'like' is a strong word."
"Speaking of living dangerously," Kyouka continued, "You sure I can't test this out anywhere before I break something? Something being either Izuku or me."
Mei shook her head, "Nah, they already closed off all the testing areas for the semester. Your submissions were pretty last minute. You guys are just lucky the studio is still open. But, I'm sure the exams will be pretty sufficient for field testing."
"Riding by the seat of our pants is our specialty," Kyouka laughed, turning her hammer back into a boombox. "Although, speaking of last minute requests, we do have some design ideas. But, we'll just wait until after summer."
"Are you kidding me?! I would love more summer projects! Besides, they can't stop me from sneaking in here. Trust me, they've tried."
Izuku looked at Kyouka concerned, "I feel like we shouldn't condone this."
"Well, she's gonna do it whether we give her our designs or not. Might as well get something out of it."
Mei nodded, her crazy smile on full display, "She's right."
Izuku sighed, pulling the papers out of his bag and handing them to Mei, "I guess that's fair enough."
Yanking the papers into her hands excitedly, Mei examined every centimeter of the paper, her quirk zooming in and out on different portions. "Aw, you guys are matching. That's cute."
"Yeah, yeah, what do you think?" Kyouka brushed off the comment with a blush.
"You guys sure love your costume changes. But, you're in luck. So do I! I'll get these done by the time schools back up again. I'll have to get them officially approved by Power Loader first, so it might be a few days after the first day back. Gotta make sure they don't explode and all that."
Kyouka peered at her with confusion, "How would they explod-?"
Izuku raised his hand, cutting Kyouka off, "Trust me, she can find a way. Thanks, Hatsume."
"Not a problem. I love working for you guys. Besides, you always give the best references. You ever think of joining the Support Course?" Mei asked Izuku. "I could always use a business partner. That Hero Duo grant money will surely come in handy with building a workshop."
"A-Ah, I'm just the artist. I don't know anything about engineering."
"That's what you got me for!"
Kyouka sat back and pondered as the other two began a back and forth. Izuku and Mei working together? That would be kinda terrifying, and an absolute safety hazard on so many levels. But, she couldn't lie, they'd make a good pai-And there was a spike of jealousy that had absolutely zero reason to exist. Welp, no more thoughts of that.
"Hatsume," Kyouka intervened, "did you really just ask to take our grant money?"
"Take? No, no, not at all...But, if you're offerin-?"
"Alright, we better head out," Kyouka cut her off. "We gotta go get suited up and meet our class."
Izuku, pulling out his phone to check the time, nodded his head, "Ah, she's right. Time to...probably get our asses kicked."
Mei snickered to herself, "Yeah, no kidding."
Kyouka perked up at this, "The hell does that mean."
Mei shrugged, walking back to her worktable, "Nothing at all."
"...What do you know?"
Mei pulled her goggles down over her eyes, and began sorting through the desk drawers, "Nothing you won't find out in an hour. Have a good time! Back to baby-making."
Izuku sighed as he turned around and walked out the door, "She really n-needs to find a better name for her process."
...~AIV~...
(Forty-Five Minutes Later: UA Bus Parking Lot)
"Ooooh, this can't be good," was Kyouka's first response to seeing all of their teachers standing in front of their class. Well, all of them except All Might.
...Which somehow made things even more suspicious.
"It's time to begin your practical exam," Aizawa announced, "Keep in mind that if you want to avoid summer school, you'll do your very best to pass."
"Easier said than done," Denki grumbled.
"Now, I know many of you have been talking around and trying to figure out what to expect for your practical exam. If you're expecting more robots..."
Mina and Denki both clenched their fists in anticipation, chanting simultaneously, "Robots. Robots. Robots. Robots."
From the billows of Aizawa's scarf, Principle Nezu suddenly popped out, "You'd be dead wrong!"
"NOOO!!!"/"NOOO!!!" Denki and Mina fell to their knees, filled with despair.
Nezu hopped down from Aizawa's shoulder, addressing the students, "It is true that robots were the practical exam in the previous years. However, various circumstances have convinced us to change things around."
"Robots just aren't a very realistic opponent," Aizawa continued for Nezu. "You've already all fought different thugs and such at the USJ crisis. Not to mention the group of you that fought a legitimate villain already, that being The Hero Killer."
Denki glared over at said four students and cried out, "Thanks a lot, guys!"
"Hey, we didn't choose to fight the guy!" Kyouka replied, trying to defend herself and her friends.
Next to her, Shoto looked at Kyouka and whispered, "I mean, Iida kinda did."
"Anyway!" Aizawa interrupted them, "We realized that fighting real, flesh and blood opponents with experience is a better scale to go off of. So, you'll be fighting us. You'll be partnered up with another classmate, and then you'll be sent with the teacher you'll be facing to your designated training ground. Everyone ready?"
"No," the entire class said in unison.
"Perfect! First pair is Yaoyorozu and Todoroki against me. Uraraka and Aoyama against Thirteen. Sero and Mineta are against Midnight. Asui and Tokoyami versus Ectoplasm. Hagakure and Shoji are against Snipe. Iida and Ojiro will fight Power Loader. Sato and Kirishima will face Cementoss. Kaminari and Ashido will be up against Principle Nezu."
"Hey!" Kaminari shouted, "You put us against Nezu because he's super smart and you think we're stupid!"
"I contractually can't say that."
"Oh what the fu-?!"
"Moving on," Aizawa cut him off, "Bakugou will be with...and I apologize beforehand to his partner, Koda." Everyone else in 1-A immediately seethed in a mixture of sympathy, confusion, and relief that they weren't the one chosen.
"Who the hell is Koda?" Katsuki immediately asked.
Kyouka facepalmed, "I'd ask why am I not surprised, but we all know why."
"This," Aizawa scowled at Katsuki, "This is exactly why I'm doing this. Koda is right there."
Katsuki turned to see Koda, looking incredibly intimated by Bakugou's gaze.
"The hell's your quirk, anyway?" Koda quickly began giving panicked signs with his hands, trying to communicate what his quirk was. "...What are you doing?"
Kirishima quickly nudged Katsuki's shoulder, whispering, "Dude's really shy. He doesn't talk, as far as I know. Don't be hard on the guy, we all go-"
"He can't talk?" Katsuki blurted out, causing Kirishima to groan and pinch the bridge of his nose. Turning to Aizawa, Katsuki asked, baffled, "You gave me a partner that can't even talk?!"
Shouta hummed curiously, "Honestly, I figured you'd be more than happy to have a partner that doesn't talk to you. Not the reason I paired you up, but still."
"You gave me a partner that can't even speak. You're practically setting me up to fail."
"Who said he can't speak?" Aizawa sighed, remaining as patient as possible. He was just counting himself lucky that Katsuki wasn't screaming his head off.
Katsuki scoffed, looking over to Koda, "Be my guest." Koda looked around at all the eyes on him, and merely looked down at the ground as he rubbed his hands together. "Yeah, that's what I thought. If I'm going to be forced to have a partner, can I please have one that's not useless."
"Leave him alone." Everyone followed the sound of the voice, and were shocked to see Izuku standing across from Katsuki. "He's not useless. Someone that refuses to be a partner is useless as a partner."
Ochako leaned over to Kyouka, "You wanna intervene?"
Ochako received her answer once she saw the wide smile on Kyouka's face. "Absolutely not."
Katsuki glared at Izuku, both in anger and in pure shock. Did Deku, Deku, just indirectly call him useless? "What did you just say to m-?"
"Enough!" Aizawa shouted, "Problem Child 1, I appreciate you defending your classmate. But, leave the confrontation to me. I think the last thing you want is to risk getting into trouble before exams, right?"
Izuku seemed to suddenly realize what he had done, stepping back at his teacher's stern tone. "Y-Yes, sir. I'm sorry..."
"Hey," Kyouka exclaimed, "Why am I Problem Child 2?"
Shouta raised a brow, "Do you want the title of Problem Child 1?"
"...Good point. Continue."
Turning back to Katsuki, Aizawa spoke firmly. "If you're going to behave this way, get back on the bus and take your failing grade. I'm perfectly fine with that." Katsuki merely growled in response, clearly holding back his immense frustration. "These tests aren't just to see your progress. They're to further examine your potential. You want to be the best? That's just fine. If you're not sociable that's just fine too. I'm all about keeping to yourself. But, if you really want to be the best, you need to stop treating people like trash. These are your classmates whether you like it or not. Odds are one day one of them will save your life, and you their's. The make-up of a hero isn't just numbers, their stats. It's who they are. So, cooperate or get back on the bus. You choose."
Katsuki was clearly still not happy, but he kept his mouth shut and his feet unmoved.
Kyouka smirked and whispered, "Damn, I really need to learn how to shut him up like that."
Izuku chuckled, "If anyone can learn it's you."
Aizawa then moved over to Koda, "Unfortunately, the same applies to you, Koda. Though, obviously not in the same way." The quiet teen blushed, fiddling with his hands as he looked down at his feet" "Don't misunderstand. It's okay to be shy and quiet. There's nothing wrong with that. Just look at Midoriya."
Izuku then perked up, a slight blush on his cheeks, "I-I've gotten better!"
"Point being," Aizawa continued, ignoring Izuku, "But, one thing a hero can't be is meek. You're going to be out on your own as a hero. Villains will see you and take full advantage of how gentle you are. You won't just need to work with others, but you'll need to take charge, make decisions, and speak for yourself in a crisis situation. Even when paired up with people like Bakugou. It's bound to happen, and if you can finish this with him, then you can handle just about anybody. I'm sorry to say we heroes don't get the choice of a completely docile nature."
Koda, still clearly uncomfortable with the entire situation, nodded his head in understanding.
Katsuki looked at the line-up of teachers and grunted, "Present Mic then?"
Aizawa nodded, "Correct. I'm sure he'll give a good example as to why I chose him as your opponent. Alright, that's everyone assigned but the problem children."
Kyouka furrowed her brow, looking at the group of teachers. "Uh, Mr. Aizawa, who do Izuku and I fight? There's no more teachers."
"Yes, there are."
Kyouka furrowed her brow in confusion, but then her eyes widened in realization. She turned to Izuku for confirmation, only to find her boyfriend in a pure silent panic having already figured it out.
"No...No, no, no, no, n-...I can hear you over there!" Kyouka pointed down the sidewalk at one of the buses, much to everyone's confusion.
They suddenly saw two blonde streaks of hair poked out from behind the vehicle. "No you can't!"
Sighing, Aizawa yelled down the sidewalk, "C'mon! Don't get us off schedule."
"She's gonna be mean to me the entire time!"
Izuku and Kyouka both turned back to Aizawa, "He's not wrong."/"He's not wrong."
Aizawa rolled his eyes, "And you outmatch her in every other conceivable way, so I'd say it's a fair trade. Just get over here!"
"Ugh..." Toshinori leaped over the buses, landing directly in front of the two teenagers. Standing tall, All Might loomed over them with an air of menace about him. "I hope you two are ready for the fight of your lives, because I feel like having some fun today. Now...TO THE BUSES!!!"
All Might zipped away, taking his seat happily at the front of one of the buses.
Kyouka turned to her friends, "Any words of encouragement?"
Shoto bowed his head, "I'll say something nice at your funeral."
Kyouka frowned, "Not funny."
"It wasn't a joke."
Kyouka deadpanned at Shoto as Ochako stepped in between them, "C'mon, I'm sure you guys will...I mean you coul-...Maybe All Might will...I got nothing."
"Why did I even bother?" Kyouka turned back to Izuku, her shoulders drooping. "Ready to die?"
"With you? Of course."
Everyone boarded their designated buses, taking the drive to the different testing grounds. Izuku and Kyouka trudged their way on to their bus, moving closer towards the back so All Might couldn't hear any planning they did.
Not that it would do them much good.
Once the bus took off with an UA automated bot driver, All Might stood up and turned towards his students, "Alright, the rules are simple. You two shall enter the testing ground at the front, while I enter at an exit gate placed on the opposite end. You have two options. Either you find a way to handcuff me with these," Toshinori tossed a pair of collapsible handcuffs at the pair, with Izuku catching them. "Or, you sneak or run past me, and exit the testing ground from my end. Only one of you has to exit to pass the test. You have thirty minutes to complete one of those tasks."
Izuku attached the handcuffs to his utility belt, looking back at All Might curiously, "What's to stop you from just standing in front of the exit gate?"
"Nothing. But, where's the fun in that?" Toshinori chuckled deviously, "I've been waiting to face-off against Young Midoriya for so long already, but both of my protégés? When Aizawa brought this idea up, I didn't hesitate to agree."
"Yeah, about that," Kyouka started, "did nobody think about the fact that, between Izuku and I, I'm completely screwed here?!"
"Hey, you asked for this."
Kyouka was taken aback. Confused, she asked, "Me? How did I ask for this?"
"Aizawa said he asked you both how you wanted certain assignments handled since your quirks and difference in power. You insisted on leaning in Young Midoriya's favor. So, here we are."
Kyouka crossed her arms, frowning at the floor, "...Shit."
"Ha!"
"Well, I didn't exactly expect I'd be fighting you again any time soon!"
"Fight? Yeah, sure. That's what we'll call what's about to happen."
"Okay!" Izuku interrupted them, "Let's not antagonize each other before the fight even starts. Especially when our opponent could probably punch us to the moon."
"To the moon? You flatter me, Young Midoriya. Hm, although, perhaps in my prime. Ah, anyway, I think it's safe to say you're both completely outmatched. All of your classmates are, but this is different. We've taken precautions for that." Toshinori opened a bag that had been in the seat next to him, and pulled out four metal cuffs. "Ultra Compressed Weights! These puppies will weigh me down with a whole extra fifty percent of my body weight. Oh! It looks like we're here." Izuku and Kyouka looked outside of the window to see Ground Beta standing tall before them. All Might attached his weights, punching the palm of his hand, "Hahaha! You have ten minutes to prepare yourselves! I'll see you then!"
Kyouka peered at All Might, "Those weights aren't actually slowing you down, are they?"
"Haha! They are a bit. But, I'll still hold myself back. I'm supposed to give you at least somewhat of a chance. Good luck, my students! I believe in you! All Might! AWAY!!!"
Toshinori zipped out of the bus and out of sight, leaving the couple alone on the bus.
Izuku took a deep breath, "So, we're-?"
"Running," Kyouka answered instantly, "Running like hell."
Izuku stood up, making his way off the bus, "You say that as if he'll even give us that option."
"And fighting him is?" Kyouka asked as she followed him. They entered the front gate, entering a small waiting area as they waited for the metal entrance door to open.
Izuku shrugged, "Outrunning him is impossible, even with weights on. In his prime, just his sprinting caused winds comparable to that of the hurricanes."
"So we run and he beats the crap out of us, or we just get the crap beaten out of us."
"...Yes."
Kyouka dropped her head into her hands, a muffled groan escaping her lips. "Okay, what about sneaking past him?"
"Hm, it's probably our best bet. They gave us an entire concrete jungle to maneuver through. The rooftops won't do us much good right now. He'll be expecting it, and he can get up there much easier than we can."
"Through buildings then? It'll take longer, but searching through every building will keep him occupied."
Izuku nodded in agreement, "We'll be as random as possible. Exiting at different floors through windows, fire escapes, et cetera. We only have thirty minutes, so we'll have to be quick. If he finds us, let me handle it. I can distract him if I need to, and give you the best chance of disappearing and making your way to the gate."
"I would say 'no man left behind', but having to fight All Might really doesn't give us much choice in the matter."
*BZZZT*
The buzzer above the door sounded off, opening the gate and revealing the cityscape to the couple. They took off immediately, running down the street at full speed.
Kyouka scoffed as she looked all around at the skyscrapers, "This is absolutely insane. Like, what the hell is UA's budget?"
"I'm pretty sure Nezu gets a check in the mail that just says 'tax dollars'," Izuku joked.
"What, all of them?"
"Don't underestimate a hero-based economy. Okay, now get on my back," Izuku instructed, trying to keep his voice low as he ran, "I'll get us down this road until it turns, and then we'll go slowly through the buildin-"
~*CRAAASH!!!*~
Izuku and Kyouka stopped, raising their hands up to shield themselves from the sudden explosion of debris. A massive gust of wind blew straight through one of the buildings on the right, destroying it in its entirety.
The thud of heavy footsteps began slowly approaching them. The silhouette of All Might slowly came through the thick clouds of dust, his smile no longer bringing hope to them.
It brought nothing but dread.
"I said I have to give you a chance. A one-percent chance..." Toshinori widened his stance, his arms out wide as his muscles flexed, "...is still a chance."
*ZOOOM!!!*
Kyouka was suddenly grabbed by Izuku, and rushed in a flash of light under All Might's legs as the Pro Hero launched at them. All Might's fist connected near the front gate, his fist creating a crater of cracked concrete.
"I was wrong! I was dead wrong! We've gotta run!" Izuku yelled as he picked up Kyouka and discharged energy at his back, firing the teens down the street.
Toshinori grunted as the energy Izuku dispelled hit him, but all he did was chuckle. "I'll give 'em a ten second head start."
Back with Izuku and Kyouka, the former was in a 10% sprint. Buildings rushed past them in a blur. "He's still extremely fast, but so am I. With those weights, I might just be able to-"
"You've gotten faster, Young Midoriya!" The teen's hearts dropped as the voice that should've been a mile behind them by now was directly behind them. "But not fast enough!"
*CRACK*
The backhand, combined with the speed Izuku was going at, sent both teens flying. Izuku was hit in the side, so he took most of the brunt force. He was sent directly into a car, denting the side as he slammed into it. Kyouka was sent careening into the nearby guard rail, a painful ringing noise of her body hitting the metal rang throughout the city street.
Izuku got up, reaching 10% of One For All. After the months of training since the Sports Festival, it seemed to be his new baseline to work from. It still stung, but nowhere near enough to hinder his combat abilities.
"Kyouka! Go!" Izuku rushed forward, but All Might simply grabbed Izuku's face and threw him at Kyouka before she could even regain her bearings. The teens crashed into each other, tumbling to the ground.
"Go where?" Toshinori grabbed Kyouka's jacks and tied them around the guard rail. "All the fun is right here."
Kyouka growled as she tried untangling her jacks, "Not cool, dude!"
Izuku got back on his feet, a burst of power shooting out of his back. The increase in speed caught All Might slightly off guard. It gave Izuku the chance to wrap his arms around All Might's leg and lift. Using his shoulder to support All Might's weight, Izuku charged down the road in an attempt to get them as far from Kyouka as possible.
It proved fruitless, as All Might laughed and slammed both of his fists down on Izuku's back, causing him to fall at his attacker's feet. "Care to try again?"
Izuku groaned as he got back up, "Not really. But, you know me."
Izuku threw a wide haymaker into All Might's face, followed by two more jabs, and another to his abdomen. Izuku's next hit was blocked, but he kept pushing. He slid All Might back until he was against the wall of another building. The permanent smile on All Might's face was proof that Izuku's attacks weren't doing much, if anything.
"Your growing strength continues to impress, Young Mid-Uh...Foolish Hero. But, if this is truly all you've got..." Izuku threw another punch, but All Might caught his fist and sent a punch of his own straight into Izuku's diaphragm, sending the teen tumbling back to the center of the street. "Then this is gonna be a fast exam."
Izuku gasped for air, begging it to enter his lungs again. All Might walked over and lifted him up off the ground, chuckling at his handiwork. "C'mon, one hit to the stomach. Surely you can handle tha-"
*THWACK!*
...All Might took one hit to the stomach.
Kyouka had gotten up, grabbed the Equalizer off her back, and charged All Might while he was distracted.
Toshinori clutched his side, coughing up blood and dropping Izuku immediately. "Ohohoho, God-damn it! Why?! Out of all places! Why there?!"
Kyouka gasped, finally realizing she had hit All Might's old wounds, "Oh, crap! I am so sorry! I didn-!"
"No!" All Might raised a hand out to stop her while his other still clutched his wound, "Nope, you're fighting a villain right now. Exploit all of their weaknesses...no matter how utterly painful they are. Ooowww..."
"SMASH!!!" Izuku hit Toshinori straight in the nose with a 10% punch, sending the "villain" sliding down the road.
"Those...*cough* Those weights," Izuku coughed out, still recovering from the hit to the stomach. "Don't. Do. Anything!"
"Oh contraire, foul heroes." All Might quickly recovered, zipping back at his students and hitting both directly in the chest, throwing them backwards. "You really wouldn't want to fight me without them. You should be proud of them! Your friend Young Hatsume made them!"
"Bah, of course she did!" Kyouka growled as she got back up. "Why do we ever trust that crazy smile?!"
"Why do you trust mine?"
"I'm starting not to. I'm also starting to struggle to see how any of this is fair."
Toshinori rolled his shoulders back as he chuckled, "Well, to be honest with you, I probably should be holding back more than I am."
"What?" Izuku asked, confused. "Are you rigging this test?"
"Rigging it? Absolutely not. I told you. I want to see exactly what you're capable of." Toshinori cracked his knuckles as he walked forward, his smile suddenly turning into a steely gaze. "This may be a test for UA, but remember our mission. This is a test for Aizawa, but a progress report for me. I made a promise that I would take a far more active role in your development. Our days of peace are numbered, my pupils. We can't afford wasted time. The League will grow. All For One will come back. I'll defend you. Give my life if I must to keep you safe for just a second longer. But, someday, you won't be able to run. Sometimes all you can do is stand your ground. So, for today, to hell with running. I'm here for a fight!"
Izuku and Kyouka looked at each other, and an entire silent conversation happened between their expressions alone. They nodded at one another, and then looked back to All Might.
Izuku took a deep breath as One For All sparked to life, "Then so are we."
"Hmhmhm..." All Might lowered himself, ready to attack again, "Then I suppose sensei's gotta do his best."
Izuku and All Might raced towards one another while Kyouka placed the BoomBox on the ground. Izuku was backhanded to the side almost instantly, allowing All Might passage.
"Field testing, here we g-!" Kyouka tried plugging in her jacks to the BoomBox, but froze as a large hand suddenly grasped the end before it could enter the jack port.
"I don't think so." All Might yanked down on them, causing Kyouka's forehead to hit the ground. He then kicked her down the street, watching her slide across the pavement.
Izuku got back up and saw Kyouka down the road. Her head was bleeding, and she was barely able to stand up. She was incredibly strong, but she didn't have any sort of enhanced durability like he did...
Wait, did she? Everyone in class seemed to be able to take pretty strong beatings. It really wasn't that farfetched to believe that quirks enhanced something in their body that naturally made them stronger. She already said her jacks were really durabl-
'Ah, focus! Keep him away from Kyouka!'
"Somebody isn't paying attention!" Izuku looked back towards All Might, his attackers eyes switching from him to Kyouka. "That's when others get hurt!"
Toshinori rushed towards a barely recovering Kyouka again, but Izuku refused to let that happen.
"This is gonna...probably hurt me way more than you!" Izuku fired excess power out from the back of his body, rushing after All Might as he charged up. "Full Cowl: 15%!!!"
In a flash of light, Izuku stopped All Might's rush, shoulder-charging All Might's side, sending them both into the replica shop nearby.
Kyouka sat with wide-eyes and dust and debris flew out of the store. Her gaze turned back down the road, finding the BoomBox still sitting there. She held her ribs as she sprinted down the street, ignoring the pain as much as she could.
Behind her, Izuku and All Might burst out of the building again. Turns out, 15% was a horrible idea, because Izuku could already feel his muscles threatening to give out on him. He had to lower himself down to 10% if he had any chance of keeping up for an extended period of time.
"Don't touch her!" Izuku threw a punch, but it was caught in All Might's hand. He threw another punch, but only to be met with the same results. All Izuku could think of to distract him longer was to push against him as hard as he could.
His lightning flared, sparking everywhere as he and All Might sat deadlocked in a grapple. "Yes, give in to your anger, Young Midoriya! Strike me down!"
"Ar-...Are you doing a Star Wars thing?"
"What can I say? I love American cinema and I'm playing the villain. I couldn't pass up the opportunity. But..." All Might used the grapple they were in to easily lift Izuku off of the ground and slam him into the concrete. "I know Aizawa told you that a romantically involved hero duo can get complicated."
Izuku rolled over, trying to escape. But, All Might placed his foot on top of Izuku's chest, pinning him without trouble. "I really don't think now is the time for another speech about Kyouka and I entering a relationship with questionable life circumstances surrounding us."
"Oh, Young Midoriya, you have no idea how many of those you're going to get. I'd suggest you listen."
~*sccccrreeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!*~
The sudden ringing grew louder and louder. Izuku smirked, quickly opening a pouch on his belt and pulling out earplugs (courtesy of Mei Hatsume). Toshinori looked down the street to see Kyouka with her foot on top of the BoomBox, her jacks plugged in to both sides and the volume set to max.
"I'd rather listen to this!"
Toshinori was about to move, but felt Izuku grab onto the leg that was pinning him with all of his might. Izuku discharged all of the excess energy he could out of his hands, shocking All Might into place. Pushing All Might's leg away, Izuku bolted out of the way. Kyouka vibrated her jacks as fast as she could, her already quickly beating heart aiding her as the ground shook.
"TESLA ORCHESTRA!!!"
Concrete ripped from the ground and windows shattered as the sound and shockwaves reached All Might, hitting him like an oil tanker. He covered his ears and stumbled backwards, falling on his back as everything shook. Pieces of buildings crumbled away, street signs shook and fell.
Kyouka turned to Izuku, "Run! I'll hold him off! Just go!" Izuku looked at her confused, pointing towards his ears as he shook his head. "Oh my-! That way!"
Izuku followed Kyouka's finger that pointed down the street, understanding the message. But, he wouldn't get the chance.
"Grragh!!!" All Might raised his leg up from his position on the ground, kicking hard towards his students. A massive gust of wind headed straight for them.
Kyouka's eyes went wide, "Oh shit."
Izuku dove for Kyouka, grabbing her and launching them out of the way of the air strike. With Kyouka's jacks still plugged into the BoomBox, it was dragged with them. But, in the tackle, it was disconnected and tumbled off to the side.
Toshinori groggily stood back up, the ringing in his ears persisting. "Yeah, I think I'm done with that thing."
Izuku saw All Might run for the BoomBox. If it was really that powerful, there was no way they could lose it. He ran to intercept Toshinori.
All Might was ready to easily counter Izuku, but his protégé suddenly exploded with energy. It momentarily stunned Toshinori and allowed Izuku to land his intended blow. With Izuku and All Might tumbling down the street, Kyouka ran back to her weapon. She couldn't repeat her last move again without Izuku getting caught in the crossfire. They got lucky last time. All Might wouldn't make the same mistake again.
She quickly hit the blue button, transforming the BoomBox. Kyouka picked up the BoomBox by its grip, kissing the hammer's head. "Mei Hatsume, you mad genius."
All Might recovered from his roll, turning back to attack Kyouka. He couldn't let her turn that weapon back on. But, Izuku recovered as well, throwing a punch at All Might's back.
It did jack-shit.
Plan B, then. Izuku reached up, throwing his arms around All Might's torso, lifting him off the ground.
"Seriously?"
With him being held by Izuku, Kyouka took the chance and charged forward.
"Gotcha!" Kyouka swung her hammer as hard as she could, vibrations pulsing from the speakers and shaking the ground.
...Only for All Might to free himself from Izuku's hold and zip out of sight, allowing her hammer to collide directly into Izuku's face.
*SLAM!!!*
Kyouka's eyes went wide as she watched Izuku crash into the building behind him, slamming through the tables and countertops inside. "Holy shit! Izuku, I'm so sorr-WAH!"
Kyouka was lifted off the ground by her foot and thrown into the exact same building, crashing into Izuku as he was trying to stand back up.
"Now, what was I saying before getting rudely interrupted? Ah, yes." Toshinori chuckled as he walked towards them, "Getting angry at the slightest injury your partner sustains makes you vulnerable. Not only does it remove your rational thinking, it gives the enemy something to take full advantage of." Izuku groaned, fruitlessly wiping the blood away from his nose. He grabbed the hilt of the Equalizer, still on Kyouka's back, and swung back as hard as he could.
Only for All Might to grab it, yank it out of his hands, and pin Izuku to the ground with the prongs on either side of his neck.
"Yeah, no. Nice try." Toshinori simply placed a foot on Kyouka's back to keep her pinned alongside Izuku. "You're both trying to be heroes. Your feelings for each other are cute and all, but one of you getting hurt in a fight is inevitable. Anger can be a useful tool as long as you have control of yourself. Keep that in mind as you go forward, my pupils. Uh, I mean, do-gooder scum."
Face down on the ground, Kyouka spit out a small piece of rubble. "Izuku?"
"Yeah?" Izuku groaned out, spitting out blood that had flowed down from his nose.
"This is the worst."
"Yeah, I know."
"Smash Rhapsody?"
"Yeah, I'm on it." Izuku looked back up at All Might, wiping more blood away from his nose. "Hey, All Might, remember about ten years ago when you fought PowerLine?"
"Hm? Yes, I believe so."
Izuku raised his hand up, directed at All Might's chest. "It was a pretty bad idea to not get your suit insulated after that."
*ZAAAP!!!*
Toshinori was pushed back, releasing his pin on Kyouka. "Argh! Why do I keep falling for that?!"
Kyouka jumped up, yanking the Equalizer from the ground and tossing the BoomBox up into the air towards Izuku. She then hit the stunned All Might in the gut as hard as she could, causing him to hunch down. Free from the sword's prongs, Izuku caught the hammer, swinging it back with an extremely painful 10% of his power. Kyouka swung overhead first, with Izuku's underhand swing just a split second after. Kyouka hit All Might in the back of the head, causing him to lurch forward right into Izuku's attack.
Izuku yelled, "SONIC SMASH!!!" He hit All Might square in the chin, following his swing upwards. All Might was rocketed into the ceiling of the building, crashing through the floors above him. "Go!"
Izuku and Kyouka ran out of the building, using the dust and debris they made as a cover. In the upper floors of the building, the dust settled. All Might sat on his back with his legs dangling through the hole in the floor his body had made.
He wiped the back of his hand over the corner of his mouth, looking at the small smear of blood. "God-damn, I'm so proud. But, more ass-kicking awaits."
*CRASH*
Toshinori jumped through the wall of the fifth floor, landing back down on the street below.
"He's got a good swing." Just as expected, once he looked back at the building they were just in, the couple was gone. Toshinori looked around, his smile growing wider once he saw a manhole cover slightly ajar. "Bingo."
Toshinori ripped the manhole cover away with ease, jumping down into the faux sewer system, and began racing down the tunnels.
Back up on the surface, Izuku and Kyouka hid in a back alley, not too far from the road.
Izuku flinched as Kyouka dabbed his bloody nose with her sleeve, "You've got a good swing."
Kyouka shook her head, checking Izuku's head for any other injuries, "I'm so, so sorry."
"It's not your fault. He dodged, what could you have done?"
Kyouka sighed, applying pressure to Izuku's nose. "Good idea with the manhole cover. That should keep him busy for a bit. But, it won't be long until he realizes there's no one down there."
"I know, so we'll have to figure out our next move fast."
"The real question is: Why aren't we running for the exit right now?"
Izuku sighed, knowing she was probably right, but still shook his head, "Honesetly, we really should. But...I'm done running. You and I are going to have to get used to not just fighting together, but fighting things way out of our league. We can't run from All For One. We shouldn't run from this either. Or, I at least want to try. All Might said he wants to see us fight, and so do I."
Kyouka grumbled, knowing she was staying with him, "God-damn it, why did you have to gain pride in yourself?"
Izuku laughed, knowing she was joking, "I like showing off for my cranky girlfriend."
"Well, said cranky girlfriend is all ears. You got a plan?"
"Not at all."
"Course not. Shit, well we've got probably about twenty or so minutes left, and our window to choose running is closing. So we better think of something."
Izuku began rubbing his chin, his telltale sign of being in deep thought. His eyes flickered up to notice Kyouka chewing on her tongue, which was her sign. Brute force absolutely wasn't going to cut it. All Might was heavily slowed down, but even 8% Full Cowl still wasn't enough. Izuku could probably reach a bit higher after training so hard for finals. Maybe he could even go past his limits to gain an edge. It would hurt like all Hell though, and likely leave him injured or even incapacitated for the rest of the fight.
All Might had no direct counter to Kyouka's quirk. Even covering his ears wouldn't do much, and even then that would just leave him open. He also had no counter to Izuku's One For All discharges. But, Izuku had already overused that move. His body couldn't take much more, his muscles were screaming at him to stop.
Even if he hadn't been overusing it, he wasn't sure he would have enough juice in him to really make a difference.
Worst case scenario: He ends up hurting his body so much he's basically fried the rest of the test. Kind of like Kaminari.
Izuku then froze, the memory of him absorbing Kaminari's electricity during the Sports Festival rushing to the front of his mind.
"...How much energy do you think I can stockpile without blowing myself up?"
Kyouka glared at him, "I really don't want you asking that, nor do I want to find the answer out."
"Just hear me out. UA testing grounds are extremely intricate, right?
Kyouka nodded, "We're sitting in a five mile long replica of a city. Intricate is putting it lightly."
"Exactly. Most of the buildings in Ground Beta even have working lights and appliances in them, all for the purpose of giving the students every opportunity and tool to use at their disposal. So, I'm thinking...there has to be generators around here somewhere, right?"
"Why did I have a feeling that's where you were going with it?" Kyouka sighed. "Are we certain that's a good idea?"
"Are we ever?"
"Fair point. But, are you really willing to risk blowing yourself up over a test? Because I'm certainly not. If you haven't noticed, I like you, so I think keeping you safe should be a top priority."
"Tell that to my nose."
"It was an accident!" Kyouka cried out.
"I know. I know," Izuku laughed. "But, I'm sure One For All is more than capable of taking on that power. Besides, do you have a better idea to handcuff All Might of all people? Seriously, do you? I'll take anything else, I'm already scrambling here."
Kyouka blew a raspberry, shrugging her shoulders. "Not really. But, even with that energy, could you take All Might head on? Even if you distract him, which one of us is going to handcuff him? How are we going to handcuff him?"
"Hmm..." Izuku rubbed his chin, trying to sort through his thoughts. It was true that facing All Might head on no matter what the circumstances wasn't ideal. But, rushing into issues head on and solving it as he went along was kind of his M-O. Izuku was just lucky he was typically smart enough to actually make that work. "Weirdly enough, you have more experience fighting All Might than I do. What do you think?"
"Eh, that was only because we were fighting indoors and I was able to shut out all the lights. And, I was only supposed to land one hit. I would have been screwed if I needed any more than that."
"Well, all we really need is to cuff him. Out in the open, there's no way we can catch him. But, if we're able to contain him and remove his senses like before..."
"We need to get him inside a building," Kyouka said, following where Izuku was going. "Then, you can EMP the whole building, zapping out all the lights and All Might himself. I can blast the BoomBox, messing with his hearing. He'll be deaf and blind. Although, your blast will probably turn off my BoomBox. Turning it back on will waste the precious seconds we have."
Izuku nodded, understanding the issue, "I'll keep All Might distracted as best as I can in the dark."
"I'll be your guide. We'll go after him together. And, unfortunately the best chance we have at cuffing him..."
Izuku sighed, "Is when he inevitably punches one of us. No doubt he'll be flailing and hurling punches everywhere."
"More or less," Kyouka replied, turning the BoomBox back into base form and throwing the strap over her shoulder, along with the Equalizer on her back. "But, we'll work out the details as we go. First, we actually have to find a good source of electricity."
Izuku nodded, "Come here. We'll stick to the rooftops for now." Hoisting up Kyouka bridal style, Izuku jumped up high and bounced back and forth between the buildings until they reached the top. He set Kyouka down and began looking across the city. "We'll need somewhere that likely has a good amount of power running through it. It's all connected to the UA power grid, but having more in one spot is ideal. We also could use somewhere with plenty of open space to work with, and lower window amounts."
Kyouka peered across the cityscape in front of them. Her eyes searched until they landed on one specific building. "I'd say a school-building fits our criteria."
Izuku followed her line of sight, finding a replica of what looked like a middle school among the smaller buildings. "Plenty of power..."
"The hallways are open, barely any windows," Kyouka continued for him.
"And, odds are they have a gymnasium there. It's perfect."
*PWANG*
They jolted in surprise as manhole covers across the city began flying into the air at an alarming rate.
"We've got less time than I thought. C'mon." Kyouka said as she hopped on Izuku's back, taking a deep breath. "You ready?"
"Nope."
"Me neither. Let's go."
...~AIV~...
A/N: Writing All Might as this impending doom is honestly super fun. He's like Vader at the end of Jedi Fallen Order.