"I knew I shouldn't have gotten out of bed today..." I said, to myself.
"We have to fight the teachers?!" Kirishima screamed, shocked.
"I didn't study for this! I didn't plan for this! I never could plan for this! My head is still crammed full with all the crap for the written exams! How am I supposed to have room for strategy?!" Kaminari ranted, hilariously. A similar uncertainty was found among the rest of the class. Although, some hid it better than others. Nezu looked like he was about to speak again.
"The pairings and the teachers you will be up against have been carefully selected, to push you to your limits. Now, the pairings are as follows: Thirteen versus Aoyama and Uraraka,
Eraser Head versus Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, Present Mic versus Shoji and Jiro, Ectoplasm versus Tokoyami and Asui, Midnight versus Sero and Mineta, Snipe versus L/N and Hagakure, Cementoss versus Sato and Kirishima, Power Loader versus Iida and Ojiro, and myself versus Kaminari and Ashido." Nezu stated.
'Hang on...' I thought, realizing. Izuku must've noticed what I had.
"Um. That still leaves one pair, Sir." Izuku said. A familiar laughter echoed from the roof of the testing building. A large figure blocked the sun, as he leaped down from the roof and landed just behind Izuku and Bakugo.
"That's right, Young Midoriya. For the last pairing, you two will be fighting me." All Might said.
Bakugo made one of his usual cocky expressions, while Izuku was in a concerned shock and awe. I couldn't help but feel fearful at the idea of having to fight All Might.
"Goddamn. I never thought I'd be glad to fight one of the greatest marksman alive..." I said, quietly. My comment managed to make Bakugo fully grasp the situation and his usual rage set in.
"Hang on! You can't seriously be grouping me with this reject Deku!" Bakugo screamed. Aizawa wasted no time and instantly wrapped up Bakugo with his capture scarf. He continued unintelligible angrily muttering, beneath the material.
"Each pairing will have thirty minutes to either handcuff their teacher or escape the facility. Your efforts to escape will teach you that it's okay to run and get help when there's a large difference in strength." Nezu elaborated.
"L/N, Midoriya and Iida likely know this well, from their encounter with the Hero Killer." Aizawa added. The three of us exchanged uncomfortable glances, as we recalled that traumatic night.
"With all that said, don't feel that escaping is your only option. All of us teachers will be wearing ultra compressed weights. They were designed and developed by Mei Hatsume, as a handicap." All Might said.
'Thank you, Mei! Something tells me that I'll owe her a visit today, whether I win or lose.' I thought. Meanwhile, Bakugo aggressively scoffed at the group of teachers.
"You're underestimating us by giving us an opportunity to fight back. Don't place yourselves on pedestals just cause you're our teachers!" Bakugo demanded, threateningly.
"Hey, Ground Zero. You get who you're up against, right? The Number One. You really think today is just another day to be your cocky self?" I asked, seriously. My question seemed to get people thinking. Specifically, my classmates were now asking big questions to themselves about who they were up against and how they would have a chance at beating them. Bakugo didn't even respond to me. He just gave a scowl not unlike the usual.
The exams began with Sato and Kirishima versus Cementoss. Apparently, the exams would be happening one at a time. Meanwhile everyone else would remain in this sort of monitoring room. I'm assuming the exams were one at a time to give each pairing some time to discuss their strategies. In fact, almost everyone had split up to talk strategy. Hagakure ran up to me for just that. "Y/N." she said. I jumped in surprise, not sensing her presence or expecting her voice.
"Geez. I'd say not to sneak up on me, but I don't know how you could avoid it." I stated, chuckling.
"Since we're paired together, maybe we should try to think up a strategy to use against Snipe!" she said, eagerly.
"I don't blame you. But I've never been much for strategic planning. I'm more of the 'think-on-my-feet' type." I replied.
"Uraraka always talks about how Midoriya makes plans for stuff. You two sure are different, huh?" Hagakure said, curiously. I somewhat chuckled at her comment.
"That's what makes friendships interesting, right? All the ways that people can be different or similar. It's a great feeling to be a part of this class." I said, thinking aloud.
"Hey. Why are you talking like you aren't going to pass this?" Hagakure asked.
"Look. I don't mean to freak you out here. It's just that, I've never fought against somewhat like Snipe before. Even with all my current tricks and toys, I don't know how I can beat him." I admitted.
"Isn't Snipe's quirk Homing? Like, he can control the bullets he fires?" Hagakure asked, confused. Izuku overheard part of our discussion and his massive interest in quirks took over.
"Are you talking about Snipe's quirk?" Izuku asked, intrigued.
"What are you doing back here? No luck with Bakugo?" I assumed. Izuku scratched the back of his head.
"He refuses to strategize with me... About Snipe's quirk; there's more to it than that. Homing allows him to lock on to any target he can see, within six hundred meters! He can even make any projectile he releases chase after said target! But the limit is that he can't choose what part of the target's body his projectile hits." Izuku explained. A lightbulb suddenly went off in my head.
"And I'll bet that his attacks don't pack too big of a punch either." I said, thinking. Izuku and Hagakure turned back to me. "Logically, he'd have to be extremely careful, in any battle. He probably uses a low caliber round for his guns." I continued.
"Y/N, you aren't considering that strategy again, are you...?" Izuku asked, horrified. I knew exactly what he was talking about. He was referring to my past battle with Stain. The time when I allowed myself to repeatedly sustain serious injuries, all for the sake of landing a solid blow.
"For the record, it worked before..." I began. Izuku moved forward and gripped my overcoat.
"He almost killed you!" he reminded.
"Are you seriously giving me crap about this? You're the one who is ALWAYS injuring himself! I'm trying to find a way to win, here!" I retorted. Hagakure remained quiet, not knowing the context enough to say anything.
"This isn't about me. What are you going to do, Y/N? Run through Snipe's line of fire? See how far you can make it before one of the bullets finally kills you...?" Izuku asked.
"Oh, come on! It's an exam! He's not going to kill me." I defended.
"If you attempt something as stupid as that, he could accidentally. Y/N, I found a way to use my quirk, without leaving myself injured... And I think you should do the same." Izuku said, seriously. I didn't even know why we were arguing like this.
"Your quirk..." I simply said. Then it made sense. I wasn't mad at Izuku. I was mad at myself... The wrong decisions I had made since joining UA. Decisions where I could have done something different. Done something better. I rubbed my forehead in irritation. "Hagakure." I said.
"Uh! Yes?" she said.
"Escape should be the priority. Not defeat. Your quirk is better for that, than mine. I can distract Snipe. I'll keep him occupied, so you can locate the exit and escape the testing area. Neither of us have to get hurt today." I stated, exhaling.
"Okay... But are you alright for this?" Hagakure asked, concerned.
"I agree." Izuku seconded.
"Oh, yeah. I'm done making the wrong decisions. It's about time I think before I act." I said, smiling.
"Glad to hear it!" Izuku shouted.
A few matches later, it was mine and Hagakure's turn. Much of the class was now back in the monitoring room.
"Y/N... Y/N!" a female voice shouted. I jolted awake from where I sat on the hard floor.
"Ugh... Is it our time?" I asked, remembering. With that, I began to stand.
"How could you sleep like that? Sitting up, on the cold metal floor? It looked like you were meditating." Hagakure commented.
"A little thing I learned online, to fall asleep quickly. It's basically forcing yourself to sleep by first lowering your heart rate through meditation." I explained.
"Wow. I wouldn't expect something like that from you." Jiro said, walking up.
"That's what I was gonna say." Hagakure agreed.
"(laughs) Nah, I'm just screwing with you. I don't meditate. I just have fallen asleep in a lot of different places and positions over the years. Now I can sleep almost anywhere." I confessed.
"Y/N, you impress me most of the time. But sometimes, you make me sad..." Izuku said, disappointed.
"With my quirk's downside, you learn to either love or hate sleep. Guess which I chose." I replied, sarcastically.
"Quit talking and get out there!" Recovery Girl ordered. Hagakure and I took off for our designated testing area. It was a massive indoor environment, filled with giant stone pillars.
"BEGIN!" an intercom said.
"Not exactly The Taj Mahal, is it?" I said, jokingly.
"So what now? We split up?" Hagakure asked.
"Might be a good idea to get an idea where the exit is, first." I suggested. As we took a step forward, we were met with a barrage of gunfire in front of us. I reacted and swung my arms wide, managing to grab my invisible teammate.
"Eek! What are you doing?!" Hagakure screamed. I rushed us both behind the nearest stone pillar and set her down.
"Sorry!" I quickly said. I immediately drew my two pistols.
"Pervert!" Hagakure replied. She didn't sound directly mad so much as embarrassed. I just ignored her. The gunfire continued into the back of the pillar hid behind.
"I can't tell where that was coming from. So I can't fire back!" I complained. Hagakure removed her gloves and boots, leaving her completely uncovered and invisible. "Good call! Just get moving and try to find the exit!" I said, anxiously. I took off running from the pillar, jumped, and propelled myself forward. While midair, I fired my guns into the direction I presumed Snipe was. A bullet scraped the back of my right leg just before reaching cover behind a new pillar.
"Ah! (pained grunt) Damn Homing quirk. No way I can outmaneuver that..." I admitted. I heard the sound of something hitting the ground and then smoke began to fill the area. "Shit! I forgot Snipe's got smoke grenades... Hagakure won't be able to find the way out of here like this..." I spoke quietly. As I did, I peered around the corner of the pillar.
A bullet scraped by me, forcing me to move. I boosted myself into the air and swung around the other side. I engaged a smoke covered Snipe, in an aerial attack. He took maybe three shots to his chest before he quickly defended with his arm, which took about four shots.
"Ugh! Hey, those things pack a punch, huh? Here I thought you were walking around with a couple of peashooters." Snipe said, cockily. Then he fired back. I changed direction midair. I kept moving away, but constantly behind more pillars. Tons of rounds pummeled into each of them before I eventually disappeared into Snipe's own smoke screen. Somehow, the guy had managed to keep a track on me. In the quiet, I could hear his footsteps growing nearer, already. I remembered my leg wound and looked down. Despite not hitting anything important, it was bleeding a trail wherever I went.
'Bastard intentionally gave me a flesh wound, so he could track me! He's really going all out!' I thought, almost panicked. A sound of girlish grunting and impact broke my concentration. "Hagakure!" I realized. On impulse, I ran to where I heard the noise. The scene looked as though Hagakure had snuck up on Snipe and landed a kick or something on him. He was peering all around him and aiming too. I took the opportunity to aim at his back and started firing.
"Ow! FUCK!" Snipe screamed, in pain. He reacted and turned around to face me. An invisible force tackled me out of his line of fire. When I saw a floating smoke grenade, I realized it had to be Hagakure. She threw the grenade at Snipe and covered our tracks. Some distance away, we sat behind a pillar to take a breath.
"You still haven't found the exit?" I asked.
"This place is like a maze! And it's even worse with all the smoke and gunfire. I'm sorry, but I can't make out where to go at all." Hagakure stated. I released an overwhelmed exhale.
"It's not your fault. That's probably why they chose this area for our exam. They couldn't make it too easy for us..." I said, understandingly.
"So we try to beat Snipe, then?" Hagakure said. I thought for a moment what Izuku would do.
"You got the jump on him before. Maybe that's the key. We keep him on his toes with back and forth attacks, from varying angles." I suggested.
"Between my invisibility and your air boosting around, he can't predict and react to both of us, at once!" Hagakure added.
I took a stroll through the exam area, being sure to minimize conceal of myself. Sure enough, bullets were fired in front of me and smoke bombs were thrown. I put my hands up, as Snipe walked up to me, aiming his gun. "What? Are you giving up?" he asked, surprised.
"No. Just giving your smoke some time to spread." I replied, calmly. Right then, Hagakure came up behind Snipe with her set of handcuffs. She went to catch Snipe's gun hand in them but he narrowly reacted in time. He shot at the floating handcuffs, while being extremely cautious. He was clearly afraid to actually hit Hagakure. As the handcuffs hit the ground, he realized his mistake. I had taken off. I came down from direct above Snipe, my speed actually dispersing the smoke a fair amount. I swung a kick at him. He took a direct hit and staggered. He was then met with a punch to the face from Hagakure. It continued like this for a short while. Hagakure and I took turns attacking from high and low as well as left and right. It was impossible for almost anyone except Sir Nighteye to predict us.
"I'm impressed. You two are really thinking smart! But you're running out of time. Do you really think you can land a deciding hit, before the match ends?" Snipe called out, on guard. As I went in for another attack, he actually dodged and then moved for a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall. He took it and sprayed the foam all around. Hagakure, who had been within range, was now covered in the foam and visible! "This won't kill you, but it won't tickle, either." Snipe said. He fired a shot into Hagakure's left leg, immobilizing her! "Recovery Girl can easily heal that in a bit. I'm sorry. But right now I'm a villain." Snipe apologized, walking away. With no other options, I rushed him from a nearby pillar. I went straight for his gun hand. He got a shot off that missed me. I twisted the gun in his hand and pulled it right from his grip. Snipe instantly drew his other gun, which was identical. He fired as I maneuvered behind a pillar at ground level. Then I emerged high enough to sidekick his other gun from his hand.
"Maximum Effort!" I exhaled, stressed. I swung a punch at Snipe and we ended up exchanging a few blows. He backed off and drew a combat knife from his hero costume.
"Oh, come on!" I screamed.
"Three minutes left in the exam." the intercom said. Snipe and ran toward each other and I started defending myself from his knife slashes.
"(still attacking) Not bad!" Snipe said, impressed.
"(still defending) I've got experience against knives!" I replied, freaking out. I managed to grip Snipe's wrist and controlled him to the ground. Then I went to handcuff him, but he elbowed me in the face. We each did a kip up, putting us back on our feet. Snipe kicked me back against a nearby pillar. He swung a kick at me, but I was ready. I refilled my adrenaline to its maximum. Something I hadn't done since fighting Bakugo. Snipe's movement now looked slower to me. I caught his kick at the hip and swept his other leg from below. As he was going down, I swung my strongest possible punch down after him. The impacts of him hitting the floor and me hitting him combined. Snipe was now unconscious. I bent down and handcuffed him, just in case I still needed to, for the win. A horn sound blared through the place.
"TIME! Snipe has been defeated! Y/N L/N and Toru Hagakure have passed!" the intercom said. Out of sheer curiosity, I picked up the knife Snipe had, off the ground. Upon close examination, I quickly realized that it was a fake knife. The blade retracted into the handle, upon impact.
"It's fake? Why the hell would he carry it then?" I wondered. Then I began to feel woozy and faint. I instinctively refilled my blood, and that fixed whatever was happening. "Ohhh... It's a fake knife, but the tip is laced with a fast-acting knockout poison. Clever, Snipe! I'm liking you more and more." I said, astonished. I remembered the injured Hagakure and walked to where she was. I removed my black overcoat and wrapped it around her, with her direction. Then I carried her out of our exam area. Recovery Girl met me halfway, with a stretcher. After I set Hagakure down on it, Recovery Girl used her quirk on both of us.
"I still can't believe he shot you. I didn't think he would. Not that I planned for this..." I said.
"Snipe is a professional. He was sure to hit her leg where she wouldn't lose much blood but also wouldn't be able to move. Besides, having you around gave him some more leeway." Recovery Girl pointed out.
"Leeway? Why? Because I can just refill people's blood?" I asked.
"Of course. Your power practically makes you the ultimate support hero." Recovery Girl praised.
"Well, I am the Support Hero: Maverick." I stated, confidently.
"Please try to refrain from being cringey." Recovery Girl said. She began to walk away, pushing Hagakure with her on the stretcher.
"Hey, I think I'm already healed!" Hagakure said, excitedly. I looked down to see my flesh-wounded leg was also perfectly fine again.
"Next: Izuku Midoriya & Katsuki Bakugo VS All Might! Please enter your designated examination area!" the intercom said.
"Oh, god. Things are about to get very bad..." I said, grimly.
(I want your opinions. Should I do the Izuku and Bakugo VS All Might fight for the next chapter? Or move on from the final exams?)