Chapter 22: Yaoyorozu: Rising
The Ectoplasm clones charged in at Tsuyu and Tokoyami, but Tokoyami shouted to Dark Shadow, "Get her! Dark Shadow!"
Dark Shadow grabbed Tsuyu and threw her into the air. Tokoyami shouted, "Asui! Your turn!"
Tsuyu readied her tongue, "Got you, Tokoyami!" She got her tongue around Tokoyami and threw him to another floor and got there herself. "I'm glad we made a plan beforehand." Tokoyami nodded in agreement.
"Nice," Ochaco shouted from the watch room.
Izuku added, "An escape only the two of them could pull off!"
Phantom smirked, "Very smart of them. Planning ahead is good."
Recovery Girl said, "That's good communication. They're talking to each other. It may not seem like much, but it's important. I don't just mean having a sidekick or teammate that you know you match well with. Real heroes need to be able to communicate with anyone. You didn't give any advice while I was gone, did you Fenton?"
Phantom shook his head, "No, m'am."
Izuku said, "Um, we were talking about these finals and how each student is supposed to face their weaknesses."
"That's right," Recovery Girl agreed.
Izuku continued, "Ok, so, what do Tokoyami and Asui have to work on? I'm having trouble seeing how Mr. Ectoplasm's Quirk is a bad matchup against theirs."
Recovery Girl said, "Well, it's not good, for Tokoyami at least."
"Why do you say that?" Ochaco asked.
Phantom said, "Just keep watching and you'll see what she means."
Back at the fight, Ectoplasm said, "So you've chosen to avoid a fight. Good luck."
As Tokoyami and Asui were running towards the escape gate, more clones appeared in front of them. Tokoyami sent out Dark Shadow, who said, "Now!" and he attacked all the clones.
But then more appeared behind Tokoyami, but Tsuyu fought them back. "Thanks," Tokoyami said to Tsuyu.
More clones appeared so Tsuyu grabbed Tokoyami with her tongue and they escaped to another floor.
"There's no end to them!" Tsuyu noted.
"Let's keep moving," Tokoyami said, but then more clones appeared in front of them.
Back in the watch room, Phantom said, "Tokoyami is quick and can attack from afar, allowing him to keep his distance. Those are all strengths. But, if you look at it another way, it means he's weak at close range."
Recovery Girl nodded in agreement, "Just what I observed, too."
Ochaco said, "Wow, I never thought of his powers like that."
Izuku added, "And Mr. Ectoplasm's clones can appear anywhere unexpectedly."
Phantom continued, "On the other hand, there's Tsuyu. She's very good with no clear weaknesses. She can provide support to Tokoyami, even though Tokoyami is powerful in his own right. But she has another importance. Her level headedness and ability to provide emotional support."
Recovery Girl added, "Those are the key to them passing. You are definitely very observant, Mr. Fenton."
Izuku remembered how Tsuyu's calming presence helped him focus during the USJ attack.
Back at the fight, Tsuyu and Tokoyami took out another clone. "That was clone number 28," Tokoyami noted.
They ran ahead and Tsuyu said, "Look, Tokoyami. It's the goal. Which means that's probably his real body down there."
Ectoplasm saw them, "Excellent job getting past the others. But tell me. What will you do against this?" He opened his mouth and created a giant clone. "Just try to escape. Giant Bite Dentention! I can't put out more clones now. But as long as I have you captured, this one is all I need."
The giant clone's mouth opened and grabbed both Tokoyami and Tsuyu. Ectoplasm chuckled, "Only I can get rid of this behemoth. So what is your plan?"
Tokoyami and Tsuyu appeared near the bottom of the giant clone trapped in it. Tokoyami said, "This Quirk is way too powerful."
Dark Shadow was offended, "Hey, so am I."
Tokoyami said to Dark Shadow, "You just have to get through that gate."
"I'm on it!" Dark Shadow charged at Ectoplasm, who dodged and kicked Dark Shadow, The two started to fight.
Tokoyami sighed, "I don't think he has a chance against a real pro."
Tsuyu said, "Well, if he can reach him, we have a chance. Call Dark Shadow back. I have something for you to give him."
Tokoyami was confused, "Asui, what do you mean?"
Tsuyu sighed, "Please, don't watch me. Mr. Ectoplasm will notice. And besides, it's really gross to see me do this."
Ectoplasm asked, "Will you keep this up until time runs out, little bird? What I want to see is a student who can do away with an adversary, no matter what."
Tokoyami called Dark Shadow back and Dark Shadow grabbed the item in Tsuyu's hand. "Calm down. We've got this. Because Tokoyami and Dark Shadow are heroes."
Dark Shadow charged in at Ectoplasm, who kicked him away.
Tsuyu said, "I figured this was the only way we could win if he managed to capture us somehow. So I swallowed the cuffs. My Quirk lets me take things in and out of my stomach."
Ectoplasm saw that the cuffs were now on one of his legs. "How unexpected."
Ochaco was shocked, "Whoa, they legcuffed him!"
"Then they passed!" Izuku realized. "They figured out a way to do it! Dark Shadow and Frog together, what a great team!"
Phantom nodded, "That's the power of teamwork."
The announcer said, "Team Asui and Tokoyami have passed the final!"
Ectoplasm released the two students and walked up to them, "That was wonderfully clever. I must commend both of you."
Tokoyami bowed his head, "I'm truly humbled, sir."
"Ribbit, ribbit," Tsuyu mumbled.
Dark Shadow popped out, "It was all thanks to me."
Over in one of the preparation rooms, Momo said, "So Tokoyami and Asui passed their exam. I'm not surprised."
Tenya and Oijiro's fight was next against Power Loader. The pro hero was using his Quirk to destroy the battlefield while digging under the ground. Tenya noted, "We're running out of places to stand. Mr. Power Loader can do this?"
Oijiro looked over at Tenya, "What now?"
Tenya noted, "The topography gives our opponent the advantage. In order to keep injuries to a minimum and defeat him, I think our best choice right now is to go and find a hero who is better suited to take him on."
"So in other words we should run," Oijiro replied. "One thing." He swiped his tail against a rock, which flew out and landed on the field, causing mines to blow up. "There are traps between us and the gate. Not to mention we have no idea where Mr. Power Loader will attack next."
"We can still make it," Tenya said. "As long as we work together."
Oijiro nodded, "All right."
"Fusion," Tenya said as Oijiro jumped onto Tenya's back.
Ojiro muttered, "I can only imagine how stupid we look right now."
Tenya activated his Quirk, "Here we go, Oijiro! Reciproburst!" Tenya took off, running through the field, the traps going off just after Tenya ran over them.
"Uh, uh," Power Loader said. "Not so fast." He burst out from underground.
"Not good," Oijiro noted.
Tenya jumped into the air, "Quick, wrap your tail around my leg!" Oijiro did so and Tenya quickly spun as fast as he could. "Recipro…Extend!" He then threw Oijiro towards the escape gate.
Power Loader said, "I've got you!" But Oijiro swatted Power Loader with his tail and made it through the gate.
The announcer said, "Team Iida and Oijiro have passed the final."
Oijiro said, "Nice one, man."
Power Loader walked over to Tenya, "It was kind of a risky move, but it put a quick end to the match. And you managed to get your friend out of the ring without getting yourself injured. All and all, not bad. You pass. Congrats."
Tenya bowed his head, "Thank you very much. Also, I'm completely stuck."
Izuku, Ochaco, and Phantom chuckled at Tenya's predicament in the watch room.
Next was Shoto and Momo's fight against Aizawa in a mock suburban area. Shoto noticed Momo was looking down. "Yaoyorozu. What's wrong? Are you nervous?"
Momo replied, "Oh, no."
Shoto could tell she was lying, "It's OK. With our opponent, I don't blame you. Don't worry, I have a plan in mind for us."
The buzzer sounded and the announcer said, "Team Todoroki and Yaoyorozu. Practical Exam. Ready? Go!"
Shoto and Momo started running and Shoto said, "Listen, I want you to keep making small objects. When you stop being able to, it means Mr. Aizawa's close by. Our success will depend on which one of us finds the other first. Once we spot him, I'll draw him to me. Then you can run to the escape gate and win this thing for us. Just stay close to me until then." He looked behind him and noticed a worried look on Momo's face. "Come on. Hurry up and start making things."
Momo mumbled, "Sure. No problem."
They kept running and Momo kept creating nesting dolls. Shoto asked, "I guess those work OK, but what are they?"
Momo answered, "Oh, these things? They're just Russian nesting dolls." She put some of them in her belt.
"Right,' Shoto replied. "Let me know if you notice your Quirk acting strangely at all."
Momo said, "I'd expect nothing less from you, Todoroki."
"What do you mean?" Shoto asked.
Momo answered, "You were able to come up with a plan to use Mr. Aizawa so quickly. You knew exactly what was best as soon as we started."
"This is nothing," Shoto replied.
Momo stopped running, "No. You're wrong. As students who got into UA through recommendations, we started from the same place. But in terms of the practical skills that a hero needs, I haven't really managed to do anything that stands out. During the cavalry battle, I just followed your orders. And then it was my turn to fight, I failed before I could do anything."
In the watch room, Phantom saw that Momo and Shoto had stopped running and he saw the sad look on Momo's face. He had a feeling that she was worrying about herself again. He knew that she's felt off since the sports festival. "I hoped that my words to her would have helped, but they haven't. I wish I could be there to give her words of encouragement. She's being too hard on herself."
Back at the fight, Shoto noticed, "Yaoyorozu. You're not making those dolls! He's coming."
"I'm sorry," Momo apologized.
Aizawa was right above them, "If you know I'm here, then you should be acting. I would suggest that you prioritize evasion since I've taken your power from you."
Shoto tried to attack, but Aizawa kept dodging. Shoto couldn't use his Quirk, so he shouted, "Yaoyorozu, go!"
Momo started running away while Aizawa asked, "Is that what your plan is? Then this will be simple." He got Shoto with his scarf and quickly tied him up. "I was always going to catch you first since you're the team's offense."
"You think you've caught me?" Shoto asked. "This is nothing. I can burn or freeze restraints in an instant."
"Do whatever you want," Aizawa replied. "Just be careful where you land." He threw some spikes on the ground right below Shoto, as Aizawa tied Shoto in the air.
"Caltrops?" Shoto asked. "This is your strategy. Are you pretending to be some kind of ninja?"
Aizawa answered, "This is very different from when you faced the Hero Killer. I know about your Quirks and what you can do. I'm perfectly prepared to defeat you both. Your plan places most of the burden on yourself. It's nice you tried to be considerate to the girl, but maybe you should have actually talked this over with her. Something I feel Fenton would have done." He then dashed after Momo.
Phantom growled from his spot in the watch room. Izuku noticed but didn't say anything. He knew that Phantom was struggling to not dash and help his classmates.
Momo kept running, "How much farther until I'm at the gate? Is there a shorter route I should take? Is Todoroki OK? Is this right? Should I take the time and make something to help me go faster? Can I make it? Will I be able to pass this way? What would Danny do? Can I do this? Or am I going to fail us?"
Suddenly her arm was caught by Aizawa's scarf, "I'm gonna hit you where it hurts! Let's see which of us is stronger!"
Momo started to be dragged towards Aizawa and she was freaking out, but then realized her Quirk wasn't erased and created a large metal band that loosened her wrist from the scarf. She suddenly changed the direction she was running in. Aizawa was confused and knew that Momo's confidence shattered during the sports festival. Even though he wanted to help her, that wasn't his role right now. He chased after her.
Phantom noticed Momo changing her direction. He realized, "She's going back to Shoto."
Meanwhile, Shoto was contemplating what Aizawa told him, "Now that I think about it, she looked like she had something to say. And he was also right that Fenton would have noticed and encouraged her."
"Todoroki!" Shoto looked over and saw Momo running towards him. "I'm sorry I came back. I couldn't…"
"Hey!" Shoto interrupted. "Watch it! Mr. Aizawa's coming!"
Momo turned to see Aizawa rushing towards them. She started to freak out.
Phantom saw this in the watch room and Izuku put his hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
Shoto realized he needed to say something, "Yaoyorozu, you've got a plan, don't you. Sorry, I should have asked you before, and not told you what to do. But you have an idea, right?"
Momo sighed, "Your plan didn't work, so there's no way mine will be any good. We're both gonna fail."
"Spit it out already!" Shoto shouted. "I'm saying you're the one who's better at this kinda stuff, not me! When we were voting for class rep, you had two votes, remember? One of those votes was mine! Because I thought you would be best at leading our class! And I know Fenton is in your corner as well. You two are great class reps, along with Iida. Fenton knows that you have what it takes."
Momo started to tear up a little, and blushed at the mention of Danny. She realized that she had to act.
Aizawa appeared above her, "Giving up?"
"Not yet," Momo shouted as she reached for the nesting dolls in her belt. "Todoroki, close your eyes!" She threw them up towards Aizawa.
He swatted at them, "What are these?" Inside each doll was a flash grenade. All of them went off.
Momo used the distraction to get Shoto down, "You're right. I have an idea. A plan for us to win! This final exam isn't over. We can still beat Mr. Aizawa!"
Phantom cheered from the watch room, "Way to go, Momo. You can do this!"
Shoto told Momo, "So, you've got a strategy."
"Yes," Momo replied. "I've been thinking about it from the beginning. His weakness."
"All right," Shoto said. "Just tell me what to do."
Aizawa realized she remembered when he explained that because of his injuries during the USJ incident, how he can't use his Quirk for as long anymore. "If she chose her attack because she noticed that, she's pretty smart."
He sent his scarf towards the students, but they jumped out of the way. Shoto tried using his fire, but Aizawa erased it.
Momo said, "Todoroki, we have to hide. Together." They started to run away from Aizawa. "Since he was injured, his Quirk has become unstable."
"Because of what happened at the USJ?" Shoto asked. "So, we're going to exploit that."
"Not yet," Momo replied. "For now, we just need to get out of his field of vision. It's all a matter of timing. We're going to pass this final."
"Timing?" Shoto asked. "How is getting out of his sight gonna help us with that? He can still take our Quirks whenever he sees us."
"Just do as I tell you," Momo replied. "Keep checking to see if you can use your ice power, OK?"
Aizawa was catching up to them, "Not so fast, kids." He sent his scarf at them, but Shoto then noticed his ice Quirk was back, meaning Aizawa blinked. Shoto quickly created a huge ice wall like he did at the sports festival.
Aizawa stopped in his tracks, "Todoroki's biggest move. They were waiting for this. They took advantage of their opponent. Hit me where it hurts."
Shoto said to Momo, "I blocked him with the wall the moment my Quirk came back. We can use our powers again. So can you tell me the rest of your plan now?" He turned to Momo, but quickly turned back when he saw that she had the front of her costume open and was making a scarf that matched Aizawa's. "Is that Aizawa's scarf you're making?"
"It is," Momo confirmed. "I don't know the material it's made of or precisely how it's constructed, so it's not exactly the same. But I created my own version with a special material woven into it. Since this is a residential area, we must keep collateral damage to a minimum. And he moves his own restraining bonds so quickly. It makes it difficult to catch him. So, you see, here is my plan."
Back in the watch room, Ochaco asked, "Huh, why isn't Mr. Aizawa going after them?"
"He might have overused his eyes," Izuku suggested.
Phantom added, "That may be true, but he may also be coming up with a plan himself."
Back at the fight, Momo asked, "What do you think, Todoroki? I believe this has the highest chance of success. Or, at least, it's better than trying to run. We'll only get one chance. So is this all right with you?" She had also created a catapult that she put the fake scarf on.
Shoto nodded, "Yeah. No complaints here."
Aizawa said, "The escape gate is behind me. It'll be better to watch the approach from here than to try and chase them." He then noticed two figures in dark cloaks run away. "Disguises. I can't use my Quirk if I can't see them. But they're at a disadvantage too."
He jumped after them and used his scarf to grab them, but as he lifted the cloaks, Momo had the catapult with her and the upper halves were just mannequins. Momo quickly launched the catapult, after accidentally missing the first time, sending the fake scarf right at Aizawa, causing a diversion.
"Todoroki!" Momo shouted. "Blast your flames now!"
Shoto sent his flames at Aizawa, but the teacher noticed the flames weren't aimed at him. He then noticed the fake scarf changed with the heat.
Momo said, "I'm not sure we have a chance at beating you in a full battle, Mr. Aizawa, but that's OK. Tell me something, have you heard of nitinol alloy? When heated, it returns to its original shape in an instant. It's a metal with shape memory." The scarf then warped around Aizawa, capturing him.
"Well," Aizawa said. "Isn't that impressive?" Momo and Shoto then threw the cuffs on him.
Phantom cheered in the watch room, along with Izuku and Ochaco. "They did it! I knew they could do it!"
Shoto turned to Momo, "It went exactly according to your plan. It was almost a little too smooth."
Momo sighed, "Honestly, it shouldn't have worked out. When I was about to trigger the catapult, I made a big mistake. Mr. Aizawa noticed, but still jumped away. Even though he could have stopped me easily. I think he allowed himself to be captured by my plan on purpose."
Aizawa then said, "I was just trying to see what Todoroki would do. You were in my sights, but he still had a cloth over him, remember? I thought he'd try to freeze me. So I decided it would be best for me to back off. In doing so, it looks like I ended up playing right into your hands."
Shoto sighed, "It really was just a matter of timing, like you said, huh? Thanks, teammate."
Momo started to whimper and cry as she put her hand over her mouth. Shoto got concerned, "What's wrong? Do you feel sick?"
Momo answered, "No, it's nothing, really."
Shoto said, "If you feel nauseous, there's a pressure point you can press on…"
"No," Momo interrupted. "I told you, I'm fine."
Recovery Girl chuckled, "My, my, Turns out that man's a big softie after all." Izuku turned to say something to Phantom, but he was gone.
The buzzer sounded and the announcer said, "Team Todoroki and Yaoyorozu have passed the final exam!"
Momo and Shoto walked out of the residential area and Phantom was waiting for them. Momo said, "Danny, what are you…."
But Phantom surprised her by pulling her into a hug. "You did great. Both of you. You overcame your fears and won. You have the makings of a hero."
Momo started to tear up and returned the hug. Phantom then let go and both were blushing. Shoto asked, "Are you two OK?" Phantom and Momo just nodded.
The fifth match got underway, and it was Ochaco and Aoyama versus Thirteen. Ochaco and Aoyama almost had it, but then the pro hero immediately used her Quirk: Black Hole and Ochaco and Aoyama were holding on for dear life on a railing.
Ochaco shouted, "Ah! Oh, man, but we were so close!"
Thirteen said, "There's no way I'll let you get away that easily!"
Ochaco shouted, "It's getting even stronger the closer Thirteen gets!"
Thirteen said, "I'm not good at combat, but I am excellent at capturing."
Phantom had returned to the watch room, and Momo came with him. Tsuyu had joined as well. She stood next to Izuku, "It looks like escaping from Thirteen's Black Hole Quirk is next to impossible."
"They need to plan to break free," Phantom explained.
Momo added, "But Tsu is right that escaping Thirteen's Quirk will be challenging."
Back at the fight Aoyama said, "Ah! I guess you can say this Quirk really sucks, doesn't it?"
"Are you serious right now?" Ochaco asked. "We're in big trouble here!"
Aoyama replied, "My costume's not just chic. It channels blasts from my belly button which means you've got nothing to worry about, mademoiselle."
He fired his laser from buttons on his boots, but Thirteen said, "I'll suck up your laser, too. And break it down to a molecular level."
Aoyama said, "This is no joke."
"What is your problem?" Ochaco asked, annoyed at him.
"I have no flaws," Aoyama answered.
Ochaco tried to think of a plan, wondering what Deku would do. Aoyama said, "Hey!"
"Not right now!" Ochaco shouted. "I'm thinking!"
"About Izuku Midoriya?" Aoyama asked. "Ah, how sweet. Is it because you like him?"
Chapter 23: Stripping the Varnish
Ochaco was shocked by what Aoyama just said to her. She was so shocked that she accidentally let go of the railing as she put her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment. Ochaco went right to Thirteen, as Black Hole was still active.
But Thirteen stopped her Quirk as Ochaco got closer to her, nearly face to face with the hero.
Ochaco remembered what Gunhead told her, "You shouldn't fight on your opponent's field. Instead, make sure you have the advantage." Ochaco suddenly got into serious mode and did one of the moves Gunhead taught her.
Thirteen was shocked, "Where did that come from?" Ochaco pinned Thirteen to the ground. Aoyama used his Naval Laser to get next to Ochaco and held down Thirteen's other arm. Ochaco quickly got out the cuffs and put them on Thirteen.
The buzzer sounded and the announcer said, "Team Aoyama and Uraraka have passed the final."
In the watch room, Izuku said, "Uraraka's judgment was great. I can't believe she thought to use her opponent's power to get closer."
Tsuyu added, "Ribbit. I don't know. It looked to me that Ochaco lost focus and let go for a second."
"Agreed," both Phantom and Momo said at the same time.
"Oh, how so?" Izuku asked.
Phantom answered, "The two of them were talking while they held onto the railing. Aoyama said something to her that shocked her enough to let go."
"I wonder what that was," Momo wondered.
"Who knows?" Izuku replied. "It's too bad we can't hear their conversations."
Tenya then walked in, "Uraraka won. Not surprising. Congrats to her."
Phantom said, "Same goes to you. Congrats on passing your exam."
Tsuyu then asked, "Now that this match is over, which team is taking the field next?"
Momo looked at the screen, "It looks like it's the team of three, Ashido, Kaminari, and Sero. They're going to have to fight against Principal Nezu."
Izuku commented, "The principal of our school. It's rare that we get to see someone like him in action."
Tenya added, "We'll have to watch this round carefully."
"Yeah," Phantom agreed. "I don't know what the principal is capable of, and this is the only team of three, so this should be an interesting fight."
The fight was going to take place in the industrial battlefield. The announcer said, "Team Ashido, Sero, and Kaminari. Practical Exam. Ready? Go!"
The trio started to run. Mina asked, "Ok, so, what do you two wanna do?"
"Let's just run," Kaminari said.
Sero added, "I can get up high to see where either Principal Nezu or the escape gate are." He quickly used his tape to swing up higher to get a better view.
Kaminari continued, "Even if he does find us, he's tiny. I can take care of him with my electricity. Maybe you shouldn't even use your power, Mina. It might look bad if you melt the principal."
"I know, right?" Mina replied.
Suddenly they heard banging noises. Mina and Kaminari looked around, trying to figure out where the banging noise came from. Sero then shouted, "Start running! The whole area is coming down!"
And Sero was right. Everything was coming down around them. Mina and Kaminari started running for their lives. Sero tried to swing with his tape as fast as he could, but he quickly ran out of parts of buildings to swing off of and he got hit by a huge piece of debris, sending him right to the ground.
"Sero!" Kaminari shouted, but he and Mina kept running.
Mina asked, "What the crap is going on?"
"I dunno," Kaminari answered. "But it's bad for us! Sero is already done for! And I'm guessing our opponent is behind it!"
Nezu heard this from where he was hiding, in a crane that had a wrecking ball on the end of it. "Why, yes I am."
Back in the watch room, Tenya commented, "The principal looks so comfortable in that crane."
"But how is he causing all of this?" Izuku asked.
"I don't know," Tsuyu said. "He's too far away."
"He must have predicted their moves," Momo realized. "I bet he planned his attacks through sophisticated calculations."
"He's that smart?" Phantom asked. "Damn, who would have known?"
Nezu said, "I can cause chain reactions depending on what I destroy. Such calculations are easy for me to make as a simple cup of tea. Unfortunately, those three don't realize that one by one, I'm sealing off every direct path to the escape gate! And Sero wasn't fast enough to swing through my destruction. A genius villain can always win from afar." He then laughed maniacally.
Recovery Girl said, "In the past, humans conducted horrible experiments on Nezu. So, in times like this, he gets his vengeance."
Phantom sighed, "That's horrible. No one should have to go through that." Momo looked over at Phantom and noticed a somber look on his face. She figured this reminded him of something from his past that he won't talk about. She put her hand on Phantom's shoulder to comfort him.
Mina asked, "Can't you just zap him or something? Plus, can we find Sero in this mess?"
Kaminari answered, "I have no idea where he's hiding, and I don't wanna waste all my shots yet. Do you want me to end up braindead? Plus, Sero got trapped by the debris. I saw it. And I shouted it! Let's just make for the exit."
"But where is it?" Mina asked.
They tried running in a direction, but everything was blocked off. Suddenly debris fell right behind them.
Kaminari shouted, "Man! He's seriously trying to kill us!"
Nezu said, "There's still a way out, dear students. Come on, use your heads! Think carefully! Rack those hero brains!
Mina used her acid to burn a hole through one of the walls. "Over here, this way!"
They entered a building and tried to run for the exit, but the building collapsed on top of them.
Back in the watch room, Izuku said, "Incredible. He's two steps ahead!"
Tsuyu added, "And they can't attack him if they don't know where to find him. What an impressive brain."
"Not to mention that Sero was probably their best bet at finding him," Phantom said. "Nezu took him out first."
Momo added, "The principal's strategy is nearly perfect."
Time ran out and the buzzer sounded. The announcer said, "Team Ashido, Sero, and Kaminari have failed due to time expiring. Mina and Kaminari crawled out of the debris and moaned with disappointment. Robots had collected an unconscious Sero from the debris.
Nezu said, "And here I went and left one escape route open for them because I'm so nice!"
Izuku sighed, "So, it's over. They lost."
Tenya added, "They never saw their opponent. I can't imagine how frustrated they must be. And poor Sero. He got knocked out early."
Ochaco then walked into the room, "What? Mina's team lost their battle?"
Momo nodded, "The principal's game plan was flawless, they just couldn't beat him."
"That's terrible," Ochaco replied. "Oh, man, they must be so crushed!"
Phantom said, "But you passed."
"Congratulations," Tenya added.
Ochaco replied, "Thanks, same goes for you, Iida."
Tsuyu asked, "What were you talking to Aoyama about right before the end of the match with Thirteen?"
Ochaco suddenly blushed and mumbled lots of stuff that Phantom didn't buy. By the look on her face, he knew it had something to do with Izuku, as he knew they had crushes on each other.
The buzzer sounded and the announcer said, "Team Jiro and Koda. Practical Exam. Ready? Go!"
Jiro and Koda were in a forest zone and they were running. Jiro said, "Let's avoid combat with Present Mic if possible and head straight for the exit gate. Sound good?" Koda just nodded. "Then let's hit it."
In the watch room, Tenya commented, "The practical exams match students up with teachers they're supposed to have a hard time against. That's the whole point, right? Minus Fenton, of course."
Momo nodded, "Yes. Though Danny does have to fight them all."
Phantom sighed, "Yeah, and they won't go easy on me. I kinda feel bad about it. Doesn't seem fair to the rest of you."
Momo countered, "They were correct when they said that you are on a higher level than the rest of us. They want to test you."
Izuku nodded in agreement, then looked up at the screen, "Continuing on what Iida said, it's easy to see what the team's weaknesses are."
Tsuyu said, "I agree. What are they gonna do against Present Mic?"
Izuku answered, "Both of them have sound related Quirks. But their opponent will be able to drown out everything around them."
Present Mic was standing in front of the escape gate, "Come on, let's hurry up and finish this set. Some people have arbor ardor, but I'm much more of a city kitty, ya dig?" He unleashed his Quirk, sending a loud sound wave into the forest.
Jiro and Koda stopped running to cover their ears. Jiro shouted, "It's so loud!" The sound wave stopped and Jiro looked over at Koda, "Koda, you can control animals with your Quirk, right?" Koda nodded. "OK, get some birds to attack him or something."
Koda then signed, "Even if I wanted to do that, Present Mic's voice will make the animals run away."
Jiro sighed, "His shouts make me feel like my eardrums are gonna burst. He's not just better than I thought he'd be. He's like a super powered death amp. A speaker of doom! There's no way we can get close to him. And even if we could, he'd probably see us coming. I bet he's just standing at the gate waiting for us!"
Present Mic said, "Hurry up and come out." He unleashed his Quirk again. "I'm getting bored! Hurry up already!"
Jiro and Koda were hiding behind a rock. Jiro said, "Any more of this and we might go deaf. So, what now?" She looked down and saw an ant crawling on the rock. She got an idea, "Hey, Koda, you control bugs and stuff, right? Look at this, an ally."
Koda went pale then screamed, running behind a tree. Jiro realized that Koda didn't like bugs."
Present Mic unleashed his Quirk again, right at Jiro. She used one of her earphone jacks and plugged it into her leg to send a soundwave back to cancel Present Mic's.
The teacher sighed, "Sounds like someone needs better subwoofers."
Jiro looked over at Koda, who was still hiding behind a tree. "Do you have a plan, Koda?" Koda shook his head.
Present Mic unleashed his Quirk again, and Jiro realized they were running out of time. She said to Koda, "Just tell me if it's possible for you to control bugs or not, OK?" He nodded. "Good." She used her earphone jack to break the rock she was hiding behind, revealing a ton of bugs.
Koda screamed again, but Jiro said, "Sorry, I know it's scary, but our opponent is way too strong. This is the only thing I can think of! If you can pull this off, then we still have a chance. You can do it. You wanna be a hero, don't you? If so, then we gotta pass!"
Koda then noticed that Jiro's ears were bleeding. "She had to fight because I ran away. It's my fault! Wait a minute, I got into UA, didn't I? Where all the best pros are trained. My heart should be without fear. I have to be Plus Ultra!"
He then shoved his fear down, ran over, and said to the bugs, "Go on, tiny ones, hear my call, now is the time to take out the man who's responsible for all this terrible noise!"
Jiro was shocked, "You can talk?!"
Present Mic was still bored, "What's the deal? Are they gonna run down the clock and hide out the whole time?" Suddenly the ground next to him broke open and hundreds of bugs came out and crawled all over Present Mic, who screamed in terror as this is why he hates the outdoors."
Everyone in the watch room was grossed out. Tenya said, "That's tough, even for a pro."
Izuku muttered, "Wow, Koda. Harsh move." They watched Koda carry Jiro through the escape gate.
Recovery Girl was pissed, but at Present Mic, "He let a few bugs beat him?"
Phantom thought, "Present Mic's Quirk is similar to my Ghostly Wail, but way less destructive. Interesting."
The announcer said, "Team Jiro and Koda have passed the exam!"
The next fight was Toru and Shoji against Snipe. The pro already had the two students on the ropes. He kept shooting towards the pair, keeping them behind a pillar.
Toru was panicking, "Shoji, at this rate, we'll be trapped here forever!"
Shoji replied, "Don't worry. He's only one man. Still, escaping this will be a Herculean task. The only advantage is that our opponent's movements are slowed by those weights."
Snipe said from his hiding spot, "Now, why don't we see who's better at hide and seek?" He then threw out a smoke bomb.
Shoji said, "He's trying to blind us. But at least it's going to affect his vision at the same time."
Snipe walked through the smoke, "I can still sense your presence here." He fired more shots, destroying the pillar, and Shoji ran behind another one.
Shoji asked, "You all right, Hagakure?" But she wasn't next to him. He looked around and saw her gloves and shoes on the ground. He realized, "So that's what she's doing." He then charged at Snipe.
The pro chuckled, "Don't be rash, kid." He fired shots at Shoji, who stopped, then put his hands up.
Snipe asked, "Aren't you giving up a little too easy for a hero?"
Suddenly he was cuffed and Toru shouted, "There, I got him!"
Snipe was confused, and then his elbow accidentally hit Toru's breast. Toru shouted, "Mr. Snipe, you pervert!"
Snipe stuttered, "It was an accident! I couldn't see ya! I didn't do it on purpose! I promise! Forgive me! I would never!"
The buzzer sounded and the announcer said, "Team Hagakure and Shoji have passed the exam."
In the watch room, Momo said, "It's just as I expected. Hagakure is the best there is at stealth ops."
Phantom was turned away from the screen, "Yep, too good. Still can't look at her out of respect. Damn ghost eyes. She really needs to get a costume that becomes invisible like herself.
Izuku said, "Shoji had the guts to face Mr. Snipe head on, and be the distraction."
Ochaco realized, "Hey, Deku, isn't your match up next? Shouldn't you be going to the exam area?"
Izuku nodded, "Yeah, I should go. Wish me luck!"
Phantom gave Izuku a thumbs up, "Good luck, dude. You'll do great!" Everyone else nodded in agreement.
Izuku ran to the area he would be fighting in. He saw that Bakugo was already there. Bakugo grunted at Izuku, then turned away from him.
The announcer said, "Team Midoriya and Bakugo. Practical exam. Ready? Go!"
Chapter 24: Katsuki Bakugo: Rising
Izuku and Bakugo were put in a city battlefield. Bakugo just walked forward, ignoring Izuku. Izuku struggled to keep up, waiting to talk to him, "Kacchan, listen. For this exam, the teacher's the villain, and we're the heroes, so we need a solid plan. Normally, I'd suggest that we analyze the villain's combat ability and choose to fight them or run away based on that. But in this case, the villain is All Might, so we don't need to think about it because combat is out of the question. It'd be impossible to beat him in a fight. It's a really bad idea, Kacchan."
"Stop following me!" Bakugo shouted.
Izuku stopped for a second, but continued to run after Bakugo, "All Might is probably waiting for us on this main road. We should take another route."
Bakugo shouted, "I'm not gonna run away from this fight. If Fenton doesn't have the option to escape for his fight, then neither will I. I'm better than him. Besides, it'll look better if we blast that smile off his face."
Izuku sighed, "No. We should avoid fighting him no matter what it takes."
Bakugo shouted, "I'm gonna toy with him until the time is almost up, and then knock him unconscious for real."
Izuku said, "Think about this! You know what All Might can do! Even with those handicap weights, it's impossible for you to win in a fight against him."
Bakugo then swiped his hand and hit Izuku in the face, knocking him down. He glared down at Izuku, "I don't wanna hear another word. Just because you think you're getting stronger doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do."
In the watch room, Recovery Girl said, "Oh, dear. There's absolutely no teamwork between those two. Don't they realize the trial ahead of them?"
Phantom growled, "I know Izuku does. Bakugo is probably being cocky again and wanting to fight All Might instead of running, like I imagine Izuku is trying to suggest. Bakugo can't beat All Might head on. Even with the handicap. I'd like to punch him in the face."
Momo put her hand on Phantom's shoulder, "Calm down, Danny. This won't help."
Tenya added, "I'm sure they will pass."
Ochaco and Tsuyu nodded.
All Might was standing near the escape gate and said, "Here we go. I am here to test them."
Bakugo walked away from Izuku, who shouted, "Wait, Kacchan! All I'm trying to do is get us to pass the final! This is for both of us!"
Bakugo shouted back, "I told you, we don't need your dumb power to pass! I can win it all by myself!"
"Will you stop yelling?" Izuku shouted. "This is why we never have any real conversations!"
Suddenly All Might punched the air, creating a huge wind storm right at Bakugo and Izuku. The two students were blown away several feet.
As they both stood up, All Might walked through the dust that had gathered in the air, "Who really cares if I destroy the city?" Both Izuku and Bakugo were shocked by how intimidating All Might was. "If you think of this as an exam and not a real fight, you'll be sorry. I'm a villain now, heroes. Remember that. You'd better come at me with everything you've got. I won't pull my punches!"
Izuku said to Bakugo, "It's over if we fight him head on. Let's run!"
Izuku started to run, while Bakugo shouted, "Don't tell me what to do!"
All Might launched himself at Bakugo, who shouted, "How about a stun grenade?" He launched it, blinding All Might. Izuku stopped in his tracks. Bakugo jumped into the air towards All Might. "You want everything I've got, All Might? Like that wasn't my plan. I never…."
But All Might grabbed Bakugo's head and slammed him into the ground, realizing that Bakugo really wants to fight him head on. "Your rapid fire blasts were weak, hardly more than a sting." He looked back at Izuku. "Where are you going?" He sped right up to Izuku, "Don't think I've forgotten about you already, Young Midoriya. Are you really going to leave your teammate here and run away?"
Izuku activated One For All and jumped away, but All Might laughed, "Uh-uh. Do you really think that's going to work?"
Bakugo had launched himself towards All Might but Izuku had accidently jumped right into his path, the two colliding with each other in the air.
Bakugo got up and started to walk towards All Might, Izuku getting him to try and stop him. Bakugo growled, "Get out of my way!"
Izuku shouted back, "Haven't you been listening to me? It'd be insane to fight him head on."
Bakugo shoved past Izuku, "Shut up, scum. I will win this. That's what it means to be a hero, Deku!"
Izuku ran after him, "At the very least, we should be trying to avoid him!"
He put his hands on Bakugo's shoulder, but Bakugo just shoved Izuku off.
"Incoming, heroes!" All Might charged in towards the two boys. "I have a special gift for the one who wants to run!" He jumped in the air holding a part of a railing and slammed it down into Izuku, trapping him. Bakugo jumped out of the way. But All Might charged in and punched Bakugo right in the stomach, making the boy retch and fly backwards.
"Kacchan!" Izuku shouted. "Are you OK?"
Bakugo grunted as he struggled to stand. All Might walked over to him, "Ha! I know why you're so angry, Young Bakugo. Because of Young Midoriya's sudden improvement and because Young Fenton is better than you, right? But you have to remember that each of your rankings when the year first began. For Young Midoriya, it's much easier to level up when you're a novice. As for Young Fenton, he's always been at a different level than you. He's experienced things that you never could have imagined. He could actually take me on and be a good match for me. You're wasting your full potential. Do you see that? Do you understand me? You still have so much room to get stronger, boy. And I don't just mean your Quirk."
Bakugo growled, "Shut up, All Might. If I'm so bad that I have to get help from a weakling like him, then I'd rather lose this. And I am better than that stupid American. Do you hear me?"
"I see," All Might replied. "Just remember that's what you said, hero."
Suddenly Izuku activated One For All, broke free, and charged in, punching Bakugo in the face, "Don't you dare say you'd rather lose! And it doesn't matter that Danny is at a different level than us. We can reach that level. Let's win this, Kacchan!" He grabbed Bakugo and sped away.
All Might said, "I didn't expect Young Midoriya to swoop in like that. I let my guard down. Man, do these weights have to be so heavy?"
Izuku kept running with Bakugo in his arms, but Bakugo growled, "Drop me, you bastard."
"I got you." Izuku ignored Bakugo and kept running.
Bakugo shouted, "I told you to put me down, dammit!" He punched Izuku, who dropped Bakugo and both boys panted hard, trying to catch their breath.
Izuku said, "Kacchan, I can't really think of a way for us to beat All Might. Or to make a clean getaway without him swooping in and stopping us. But before you give up, we can at least try using my power! You can't say you're OK with losing. You're you because you never give in. You're always fighting. Don't you remember those words you've always said since we were kids. The most amazing hero always wins. How can you give up now? I know you're still upset at Danny beating you in the sports festival. But you're someone who never gives up. No matter if someone is better or not!"
Bakugo punched the wall right next to Izuku's head, "I won't say it again, so listen, you useless nerd. All Might's speed is insane. No matter where you try to run and hide, there's no way you'll avoid fighting him."
Izuku argued, "Yeah, but we don't stand a chance in combat. I mean, you saw him back there!"
"Shut the hell up before I kill you!" Bakugo shouted. "He won't be stopped by anything less than a full blown attack. I learned that earlier from my mini blasts. So I may not be at Fenton's level, but I still have to try and beat him."
Phantom couldn't hear what was being said during the fight, but he had a sense that he came up in the conversation. He knew that Bakugo didn't like him, especially after losing to him in the sports festival. He just wished Bakugo would swallow his pride and work with Izuku.
All Might was running around looking for Izuku and Bakugo, when Bakugo suddenly jumped out from hiding in an alley, "You're going the wrong way!"
"That's supposed to be a sneak attack?" All Might asked.
Bakugo, although pissed that he had to work with Izuku, fired a blast right in All Might's face. Then Izuku appeared behind All Might wearing one of Bakugo's gauntlets, "I'm sorry, All Might." He released the pin, unleashing a powerful blast, causing Izuku to be blown backwards due to the force of the blast.
Izuku's shoulder started to hurt, "Jeez. He really uses this thing?"
Bakugo blasted past him, "Run, you idiot." Izuku quickly sped after him.
All Might coughed, "Ow. They got me. A compromise between running and fighting. That's pretty decent for an impromptu strategy. They also limited the damage to the city. By aiming towards places I've already damaged when the exam started. I think I taught them to do that in their very first combat training. I see, now. Both those boys are actually pretty darn clever. The problem is that they lose all sense when it comes to each other. Envy. Hate. Competition. Awe. Rejection. Pride. From what I can tell, they have so many complicated feelings about each other piled up that they don't even know how to interact anymore. It's not the kind of thing that can be resolved in a single test. But I'm sure their cooperation here will mean big things for them in the future. This is just the first step. A starting point. Now then, students. As your teacher, it's time for me to school you."
Izuku and Bakugo kept fleeing and Izuku said, "We're almost there. We just have to make it to the gate. A little further! It looks kinda ridiculous, but if we can get through, we pass the final exam!"
"Damn!" Bakugo commented. "All Might's first attack was from the middle of the fake city, but it reached all the way to the gate? What the hell is that power?"
Izuku said, "It doesn't look like All Might is chasing us. Don't tell me we actually knocked him out back there."
"Of course not," Bakugo shouted. "You're the one who keeps crying about how it's impossible to actually beat him. There's no way that attack KO'd him. When he catches up to us, it'll be my turn to blast him to hell with a gauntlet."
"Interesting." All Might suddenly appeared next to Bakugo and Izuku. "And then what will you do?" Bakugo tried to blast him, but All Might destroyed Bakugo's gauntlet with a single punch. "Don't tell me you're surprised." He then destroyed the other gauntlet that Izuku was still carrying. "Unfortunately, I've got these weights on, no I'm nowhere near my top speed. All right, heroes. It's time for both of you to die."
He punched Bakugo into a building. Izuku tried to go after him, but All Might grabbed him and pulled him away.
Bakugo blasted himself towards All Might, "That's my line!"
All Might just punched Bakugo to the ground with one hand, while holding Izuku with his other hand. He held Bakugo down with his foot.
Phantom was shaking as his ghostly nature to save people was starting to try and take control. Momo and Tenya had to hold Phantom back as they noticed. Ochaco and Tsuyu were wincing at the screen.
All Might chuckled, "Ah. Well, isn't that wonderful, boys. You cooperated, however, reluctantly, and faced me together. Sadly, that's not enough. Cooperation wasn't an option: it was a prerequisite for this exam."
Bakugo was freaking out internally, "He's got overwhelming speed with strength and stamina I can't hope to match. He's not just power. He is power. I realize that even more now that I've faced him myself. This man is the most unstoppable force in the world. He's the greatest hero on Earth. And he implied that Fenton might be able to take him on."
Izuku struggled in All Might's grasp, "Damn it!"
All Might chuckled, "What kind of face is that to make, Young Midoriya?" He then tossed Izuku off to the side. "You planned to get away from me using maximum firepower and then make a run for the escape gate. It wasn't a terrible strategy, all things considered. But now that I've destroyed Young Bakugo's gauntlets, you've lost your heavy attack. You're helpless. This is over."
Bakugo was now super pissed, "Shut up!" He then sent a powerful blast right at All Might, sending him flying. He then walked over and grabbed Izuku. "Get ready to fly. I don't like the idea of running, but with the crapfest we're in right now, this is the only way to pass the practical. Now, die!" He sent Izuku flying towards the escape gate.
But All Might shouted, "New Hampshire Smash!" He punched backwards, launching himself right at Izuku before he could reach the escape gate.
"Damn it!" Bakugo shouted as he blasted towards Izuku and All Might.
Izuku screamed in pain as All Might collided with his back. All Might said, "Come now, you're being too naive, heroes." Izuku slammed into a bus, then fell to the ground.
Bakugo kept flying towards All Might, "Those gauntlets were only so I could use maximum firepower with no risk. But now I see that was stupid. If I don't take risks, there's no way I can beat you. Right, All Might?" He sent a powerful blast at All Might. Bakugo held his arm in pain. "Deku, go! Hurry up! I can still move better than you. Even if you are still learning to use your pathetic power. At least try to make yourself useful, you moron!" He sent more powerful blasts at All Might, despite the pain in his arms.
Izuku struggled to get up and walk towards the escape gate, as his back was messed up. Bakugo tried to block All Might from getting to Izuku, but All Might grabbed Bakugo and slammed him into the ground.
All Might said, "It's time to sleep. Goodnight, Young Bakugo. I'm sorry. I may be the villain, but I'm still your teacher, and it pains me to see you sacrifice your own body in a fight."
Bakugo mumbled, "Hurry up. Go, you damn nerd. I'll keep fighting. I'll break myself. Even if there's nothing left of me, I will win the way I want to. I'll destroy myself before I accept defeat at your hands. If I want to be at the same level as Fenton, then this is what I will do. You got that?"
Izuku heard all of that, "Kacchan!" He activated One For All and charged at All Might, who was surprised by Izuku's actions. He was further surprised by the fact that Izuku was smiling.
"Please get out of the way," Izuku said to All Might. "Move, All Might! Smash!" He punched All Might right in the face. He used the distraction to grab Bakugo and ran towards the escape gate.
All Might tried to get up and follow them, but he coughed up some blood.
Izuku noticed Bakugo was unconscious, "I'm sorry, Kacchan. But this is just who I am."
All Might coughed, "Jeez. He easily could have shot through the gate himself and passed the gate for them both. You hit me with everything you've got, huh kid? I shouldn't be surprised. This is how you've been since the beginning. You can't help but save those who need rescuing. Even if they aren't asking you for any help. And at times like that, there isn't an obstacle hard enough to stop you. That's right, Young Midoriya. That's the kind of hero you always have been. Just like Young Fenton. Speaking of which, I need to save the rest of my energy for the fight against him."
Izuku ran both himself and Bakugo through the escape gate. The announcer said, "Team Midoriya and Bakugo have passed the exam."
Everyone in the watch room was cheering for Izuku and Bakugo. Phantom said, "They did it. Way to go, Izuku."
Recovery Girl went and healed Izuku and Bakugo. She then turned to All Might, "All Might, you really don't know how to hold back. If you'd hit these boys any harder, they'd have permanent damage! Midoriya's back was horrible. I was barely able to heal it. Bakugo probably won't wake up for a while. For now, the two of you should stay here and rest."
Izuku nodded, "Yes, m'am. Thank you. But can you please put a TV in here? I want to watch Danny's fight."
Recovery Girl nodded, then left. All Might thought, "You're so much stronger than when we first met that sometimes I hardly recognize you, Young Midoriya. And the same goes for you, Young Bakugo. Do you realize that you were able to smile in the face of defeat? I can't wait to see how much stronger you both get."
He then left to gather with the rest of the teachers to get ready for their fight against Phantom.
All of the Class 1-A students, minus Izuku and Bakugo as they were in the nurse's office recovering, although Recovery Girl did come back with a TV, were in the watch room, waiting with anticipation at the fight that was about to happen.
Phantom walked into a massive arena that had different areas, similar to the USJ. Nezu's voice came over the intercom, "All of us teachers are spread out over this giant arena. You need to find all of us and either defeat or capture us. Whether we are alone or together will be a mystery."
Phantom then took a deep breath, "Time for my final exam. I'm ready!"
The announcer said, "Fenton's practical exam. Ready? Go!"
Chapter 25: Fenton Vs UA Teachers
Phantom immediately turned invisible and flew upwards so he got a full view of the fighting arena. "Now, they said some would be on their own and some would be in teams. I know All Might will be on his own, knowing him. Mr. Aizawa will probably be with Present Mic, since they're friends, plus one is good at long range while the other is good at close combat. I think I can take out some of them easily, others might be a bit more of a challenge. Now, let's see where everyone is hiding."
He used his ghostly vision to locate where the teachers were. He found Cementoss on the ground already using his Cement Quirk to create walls and Snipe was hiding behind one of them. Phantom formed a plan and he flew as fast as he could towards his targets. He phased through the cement walls and grabbed Cementoss and flew him into the air, far away from any cement.
Cementoss said, "Very clever, getting me away from my element."
Phantom made himself visible, "I know you can't control cement from a distance, you have to be touching it. So I'm just going to let you chill up here." He created a giant sticky web of ecto goo and put Cementoss in it, effectively capturing the teacher.
Suddenly Phantom heard gunshots and turned intangible before a bullet could hit him. "That would be Snipe. Let's have him join us." He flew down fast, staying intangible to avoid the bullets, grabbed Snipe from his hiding place, and flew him up to the ecto web, yxputting Snipe right next to Cementoss, putting extra goo around Snipe's hands so that he couldn't fire his guns anymore.
"You're fast, kid," Snipe commented. "I'll give you that."
"And you've got great eyesight," Phantom commented back. "Now, you two just stay nice and cozy in there."
Phantom heard something from below. He looked down and saw that the cement walls Cementoss built were tumbling down. Phantom noticed the ground was moving in a weird way and realized that Power Loader was moving underground.
Phantom smirked, "I think I'll bring you guys a friend." He then turned intangible and flew straight down into the ground, grabbed Power Loader, and flew him up to the ecto web, throwing him into it. "Now, you three stay here and have a great time with each other. I'll see you all later." He then flew off to find the other teachers.
Class 1-A was shocked that Phantom caught three of the teachers with such ease. Kirishima said, "He is so manly."
Tokoyami added, "He quickly formulated a plan and apprehended them without violence. Very astute."
"I wonder how he's going to deal with the rest of the teachers," Tsuyu commented.
Tenya said, "However he does it, I know he will succeed. He is our class rep after all."
Momo added, "I know he's going to pass."
Shoto then said, "I wonder if he'll use his powers that he hasn't used yet."
Ochaco turned to Shoto, "What do you mean, Todoroki?"
Shoto explained, "He's told me that he doesn't use some of his powers for various reasons. One of them is possession. I saw him use it on that Nomu during the USJ incident. I think he doesn't use it because he doesn't like taking away someone's free will. And then there's another one. He hasn't said what it is. But he might have told Bakugo, and whatever he told him scared Bakugo into silence. It must be that powerful."
Class 1-A wondered what power Phantom has that he's never told anyone or shown it off.
In the nurse's office, Izuku was watching the TV, cheering Phantom on. He suddenly heard Bakugo groan, "Quiet down, nerd."
Izuku looked over and saw that Bakugo woke up. "Hey, Kacchan. We passed our final. But we have to stay here for a while. But Recovery Girl brought in this TV so we could watch Danny's exam."
Bakugo grunted, "Good. I want to see what Fenton is up to."
Back in the fight, Phantom flew around looking for the other teachers. Suddenly a whip grabbed onto his arm. Phantom looked around and saw Midnight was behind it. She smirked, "Looks like I caught you. Now, it's time to sleep." She unleashed her Quirk, trying to use it to knock Phantom out.
But Phantom just turned intangible, releasing himself from the whip and so that he wouldn't breathe in the gas. He suddenly felt a strong pull from behind. Thirteen had activated Black Hole, trying to drag Phantom to her. "We've got you, Mr. Fenton."
Phantom smirked, "Oh, have you?" He grabbed onto Midnight's whip and threw Midnight towards Thirteen, who quickly deactivated her Quirk, but Midnight still collided with her. Phantom quickly put ecto goo on their hands and feet, capturing them. "Five down, five more to go." He then flew off to find more teachers.
"Wow," Ochaco commented. "He used what happened in my fight with Thirteen and used that against her. And I'm surprised he wasn't knocked out by Midnight's Quirk."
Sero added, "Turning intangible probably makes him unable to breathe. Smart."
Jiro said, "He's already taken half of the teachers out. But these last five will be tougher."
In the nurse's office, Izuku commented, "He's thinking ahead and not trying to use violence unless absolutely necessary."
Bakugo grunted, "But will he use his ultimate move?"
Izuku looked over at Bakugo, "But isn't it a dangerous power?"
Bakugo answered, "I assume he didn't tell you what it is either. But I remember his words at the sports festival. If he used it on me, the entire stadium could have been destroyed and people could have gotten hurt, maybe even killed. However, I want to see this power in action. See what I'm up against."
Phantom flew around looking for the last five teachers. "OK, the one who is probably hiding is the principal. He's very smart for whatever he is. Maybe I can split my search a bit." He secretly made a duplicate who turned invisible and flew off to find Principal Nezu.
Suddenly Ectoplasm charged at Phantom, who blasted him back with an ecto blast, but it was actually a clone as it disappeared once attacked. More clones charged in at Phantom, and Phantom replied by shooting more ecto blasts at the clones.
"OK," Phantom said. "I need to figure out who the real Ectoplasm is. If I remember correctly, he can only make a certain amount of clones at a time. So let's make him run out of clones."
Phantom kept destroying all the clones that came towards him. Soon he came across the real Ectoplasm. Phantom destroyed the last clone and now it was just Ectoplasm and himself. Ectoplasm charged it and swung his leg at Phantom, who dodged and punched Ectoplasm right in the head, knocking him out. Phantom tied him up in ecto goo.
"Very good, Mr. Fenton." Phantom turned to see Nezu being held by his vest by the duplicate Phantom. "You are going through this final exam rather well."
Phantom asked his duplicate, "Where did you find him?"
"Hiding in one of the buildings," the duplicate answered. "He tried to trap me several times as the place had several pieces of machinery, but I got through it. He gave up pretty quickly once I found him."
"I am not one for confrontation," Nezu answered. "And I am not a good fighter. But I was able to get out some of my inner violence at least." The duplicate tied Nezu up with ecto goo and then merged back with Phantom.
"You two, get comfy," Phantom said. "I'll be back later to free you when I'm done with the exam." He then flew off.
"Oh, man!" Kaminari exclaimed. "He captured the principal like it was nothing. Mina and I couldn't even beat him!"
"Not fair!" Mina exclaimed.
"Just shows you how outclassed you are compared to him," Shoto commented.
Phantom flew above the buildings looking for Aizawa, Present Mic, and All Might. Suddenly he heard a loud shout and saw that Present Mic was trying to attack him with his Quirk. Phantom quickly turned invisible and dodged the attack. He looked around and saw Present Mic standing next to Aizawa. "Figures that those two are together. Present Mic is good at long range attacks while Aizawa is better at close combat. Just like I thought. So I'm going to have a problem either way. Plus, I don't know if Aizawa's Quirk will work on me or not. I'd rather not find out. If it doesn't, that could be bad for him to find out and have someone else get suspicious of me. I already have All Might and Gran Torino on my back. I need a plan." He thought for a moment, then came up with something. "Not that I like doing this, but it's the only thing I can think of. Sorry in advance, dude."
"I almost got him!" Present Mic shouted. "Man, this kid is good!"
Aizawa sighed, "You attacked too early. Now he's seen us and is on alert. I'm sure he'll keep himself invisible so that I can't see him, thus erasing his Quirk. Saves my eyes, at least."
Present Mic then said, "You know, I figured we would have all had to fight him since I saw his performance at the sports festival. This kid is going to make it all the way, I'm sure of it. Of course, he'll have to beat All Might out of his number one spot first. Can this kid even beat All Might? I mean, he was able to stand toe to toe against that gross Nomu a while back and even possessed that monster and let All Might just whale on him. And there's a power that's even more powerful than possession that he's never used in front of anyone else. I wonder what it could be?"
Suddenly Present Mic got wrapped up with Aizawa's scarf. Present Mic looked over and asked, "Hey, what gives?"
But Aizawa just smirked and Present Mic noticed that Aizawa's eyes were glowing green instead of red as Aizawa's Quirk was activated. And Aizawa spoke in Phantom's voice, "Dude, you talk way too much." Present Mic was then thrown into the wall, knocking him out. Phantom then had Aizawa wrap himself with the scarf, capturing him. Phantom then left Aizawa's body.
Aizawa shook his head, clearing his mind, and looked up at Phantom, "Possessing me so that I couldn't use my Quirk on you. Smart."
Phantom replied, "Yeah, sorry about that. It's the only thing I could think of. I hate using possession, so I'm sorry I had to do that to you."
Aizawa shook his head, "No worries. Now I assume All Might is the only teacher left that you have to beat. Go on."
Phantom nodded, then flew off to find All Might. He found the pro hero standing in a barren area, waiting for the ghost hero.
Phantom landed and All Might said, "I assume that you have defeated or captured all of the other teachers." Phantom nodded. "Now it's just you and me, Young Fenton. I don't accept defeat easily. I want you to go all out on me. Defeat me fair and square, no holding back. I won't either."
Class 1-A held their breaths, waiting in anticipation at the fight between All Might and Phantom. Izuku and Bakugo were doing the same in the nurse's office.
Phantom charged in at All Might, but the pro hero just grabbed Phantom's arm and tossed him to the side. Phantom recovered quickly as All Might charged in to attack the ghost hero, but Phantom turned intangible and All Might missed the punch. Phantom then grabbed All Might and threw him several yards away. Phantom then charged in and got a punch in on All Might.
All Might staggered a little, "Very good. Now it's my turn." He sped in quickly and got several punches in on Phantom, who turned intangible after All Might punched him about 5 times. "Turning invisible and intangible is useful, but you should fight me head on, not hide. No holding back, remember?"
Phantom sighed, then turned visible. "If that's what you want, then fine." Both heroes charged in at each other and punched away. Both got several blows in, but due to Phantom fighting all the other teachers beforehand, and having to possess Aizawa earlier, he wasn't at full strength. To be fair, neither was All Might as his time was running out. But All Might got a massive punch in, causing Phantom to stagger.
"Detriot Smash!" All Might shouted and punched Phantom several yards away. Phantom tumbled on the ground before stopping. He got up, shaking his head, trying to clear it.
All Might walked towards him, "What's the matter, Young Fenton? Too much for you? Losing strength too quickly? Why don't you use that ultimate move on me? Since I won't go down so easily."
Phantom looked at All Might, "I only use that move as a last resort. And it might hurt you way more than I want it to."
All Might laughed, "A last resort, huh? Well, I may have done something that makes this a last resort." The other teachers appeared behind him. "I freed them while you went off to fight others. Now you have to fight all of us at once."
Midnight cracked her whip, "This is going to be so much fun. It turns me on so much!"
Class 1-A was shocked that Phantom was now against all ten teachers. Shoto mumbled, "Will he use his ultimate move?"
Izuku stared at the TV with worry. Bakugo muttered, "Use it, Fenton. Show us your ultimate move."
Phantom muttered, "Great. I don't have enough energy to fight all of them at once. But I have enough to use the move All Might wants me to use. I just hope I don't hurt them too much." He then glared at all of the teachers, All Might in particular, and shouted, "You asked for it!" He then took a deep breath and unleashed his ultimate move, the Ghostly Wail. The wail sent a powerful and destructive wave right at the teachers, who were blown backwards due to the power of the wail. Several were knocked out right away, some tried to cover their ears, but to no avail. All Might tried to walk towards Phantom, but he was the main focus of the attack and was blown away and thrown far away, tumbling to the ground and he couldn't get back up. He coughed up some blood and saw steam rising from his body, indicating that his time was about up. The wail went beyond the teachers to some buildings nearby and destroyed them one by one.
Phantom stopped the wail as he saw all the teachers were down. He knelt to the ground as the wail took a lot out of him. The announcer said, "Fenton has passed the exam."
Class 1-A stood in the watch room in shock. Kirishima said, "His ultimate move took out all the teachers at once. And took out those buildings like an earthquake. So manly!"
"Now I see why he had never used that power before," Tsuyu noted. "It's quite destructive."
"And look at the teachers," Tenya commented. "They're all knocked out. Possibly even hurt.
Shoto then said, "I see now why he didn't use it at the sports festival. The entire stadium could have been destroyed and the people in the audience could have been hurt."
In the nurse's office, Izuku and Bakugo were in shock. Bakugo now realized what Phantom meant when he told him about his ultimate move during their fight in the sports festival. Izuku quickly took out his notebook and wrote notes in it.
Later, all of Class 1-A reflected on their final exams. Those who failed were sad and pissed off. Those who passed celebrated. Everyone gathered around Phantom, who had transformed back to normal, and congratulated him and gushed over his ultimate move.
Elsewhere in Tokyo, at Shigaraki's hideout, Kurogiri asked, "Are you curious, Tomura Shigarkai? About those two boys? Izuku Midoriya and Danny Fenton."
Suddenly the door opened and a man named Giran entered, "Shigaraki. Your League of Villains has been the talk of the town for the last several days. Word on the street is you're about to start something big."
Shigaraki decayed the photos of Izuku and Danny that were in his hand, "And? Who did you bring?"
Giran stepped aside and a man named Dabi entered first, "So it's really you, huh? I've seen you in pictures. But I gotta say, you're way grosser in person."
A girl named Himiko stood next to Dabi, "Wow, it's the weird hand guy! You're friends with my hero, Stain, right? Cool! Let me join the league! I wanna be in your group!"