PUPPET // KATSUKI BAKUGO [1]

Chapter 22 // Practical Exam

You stood with your arms crossed as you observed the scene before you, which was sure as hell not a good sight on the day of practical exams.

The class had finally reached Ground Beta to find the entire staff of the school's pro heroes waiting at the entrance.

"What's going on?" Uraraka asked curiously.

"For your practical exams, you'll be fighting in pairs," Aizawa explained, "and you'll be fighting against us pros."

"We have to fight our teachers?"

"We have to fight pros?"

"I'm gonna die!"

"Are we seriously expected to win?"

"There's been a last minute change," Aizawa added. "Since there's twenty-one students now, there will be one student alone," he turned toward you, and you let out a small sigh.

"[L/N]," he continued. "You'll be fighting alone, but, to make it fair, you'll be fighting a pro who isn't a teacher here. That way, they'll have no advantages over you like having knowledge of your quirk and your fighting techniques."

You simply nodded, knowing that, if you were to speak, he would sense your annoyance and dissatisfaction in your tone. You weren't pleased about having to work alone when everyone else had the advantage of working with a partner. However, you were glad to some extent that they took the time to find a pro who wasn't a teacher to fight you.

Aizawa proceeded to announce the duos and who'd they'd be up against.

Uraraka and Aoyama verse Thirteen

Asui and Tokoyami verse Ectoplasm

Midoriya and Bakugo verse All Might

Jirou and Koda verse Present Mic

Kaminari and Mina verse Nezu

Sero and Mineta verse Midnight

Shoji and Hagakure verse Snipe

Kirishima and Sato verse Cementoss

Iida and Ojiro verse Power Loader

Todoroki and Yaoyorozu vs Eraserhead

"We'll be wearing weights equivalent to our body weight to handicap ourselves to make the fight more fair," Aizawa explained, his facing morphing into a slightly annoyed expression as Nezu popped out of his scarf. "There are two ways to win. You can handcuff your opponent or escape the battlefield. Either of those must be done within thirty minutes. Asui and Tokoyami will be up first against Ectoplasm. Everyone else will watch from the monitor room."

You followed the class and the rest of the heroes up to the monitor room as Ectoplasm, Asui, and Tokoyami made their way into the training grounds, which resembled an uninhabited city.

'I wonder who I'm fighting,' you thought, looking around the room. The heroes that were there were all accounted for and already assigned to a pair, which meant your opponent hadn't arrived yet.

The battles went by fairly quickly, most pairs winning against their teachers. It wasn't long before you were ordered to head down to the battlefield.

"Good luck, [L/N]!" Mina exclaimed from where she stood. You flashed her a small smile.

Aizawa caught you by your arm before you could leave the room. His grasp was gentle but urgent. You lifted your head to look at him.

"Watch your neck," he said quietly. "You shouldn't further damage it. You could ruin your voice."

"You got it, Teach," you said jokingly with a wink, but Aizawa's serious expression remained.

"I'll be careful, Sensei," you added, adjusting your tone to sound reassuring.