Something Different

26: Battling Fears and All Might

The incident with Stain seemingly passed without further issues. Izuku knew better than to assume that his friends hadn't somehow still found their way to the League, but he held onto hope that maybe they wouldn't be involved in the Camp Attack this time around. His foot tapped impatiently as he waited for the practical segment of the final examinations to begin.

He wasn't the only one, too. Everyone was anxious. Izuku hadn't gone through this procedure previously because... well, he wasn't a hero-in-training. He wondered what UA would make 1-A do... Compete against robots like the entrance exams? Or perhaps they would be practising battling against real-life humans? The possibilities were endless. Who knew what went on in Principal Nezu's head? Izuku was certain that he, personally, preferred not to know.

"Sorry for the wait," Eraserhead finally arrived. They were at Ground Beta for their exams, so it obviously had to do with taking down faux villains or saving dummies. Izuku's eyes snapped to Eraserhead's scarf as he noticed a slight movement. Nobody else noticed, of course—their eyes weren't as trained as his.

"Mr Aizawa, we're fighting robots, aren't we?" Kaminari grinned. Everyone around him, the self-proclaimed Bakusquad, facepalmed at his blunt statement. Nevertheless, many in the class seemed to nod their heads in agreement. Where had they gotten this information?

"I'm aware that 1-B has informed you that their exam was battling robots," really? Their exam was battling robots? Izuku was confused. When had this happened? "But your exam won't be the same."

A simple statement crushed all of 1-A's morale as the colour drained from their faces. "Due to unpredicted circumstances, Principal Nezu decided to change your exam syllabus to get you ahead of your peers."

By unpredicted circumstances, Eraserhead probably meant the attack on the USJ. The incident had definitely given class 1-A at least some trauma, but the teachers of UA had yet to address that issue. Weren't they all supposed to go for therapy or something? Well, it wasn't like Izuku was complaining, since he really hated talking about his emotions and experiences.

It was then that almost the entirety of the UA staff members dropped into the frame. Where they had dropped from? Izuku had no idea. Why were they even there? Were they facilitating the examination? Even All Might was there. Something was up, and the pit in Izuku's stomach seemed to agree with that sentiment. Class 1-A gaped and squealed at the arrival of All Might, but were simultaneously expressing their confusion regarding the attendance of almost every UA teacher.

Izuku's eyes flicked to Eraserhead's scarf once more, his eyes meeting the hero's instead. Izuku glanced at the scarf again, and Eraserhead's eyes widened slightly before settling back into their bored state. The hero knew how to keep his cool. But why had he looked surprised for a moment?

"As you all may have already deduced," a new voice resounded in everybody's ears. Principal Nezu jumped out from Eraserhead's capture weapon, the latter sighing in exasperation. The students let out gasps of shock and slight fright at the sight of their principal. How had Nezu fit in Eraserhead's scarf? "Class 1-A's final exams this year will be different!"

"A teacher will be assigned to a pair of students, who will then attempt to subdue them!" The students of class 1-A paled at the revelation. How did the school suppose that mere first-year students would stand even an inkling of a chance against pro heroes? "Don't you worry, though! As a handicap, every teacher will have weights on their arms and legs. That way, students have a better chance at victory!"

Izuku gulped. Out of all the things that he had considered, this was... well, he had considered the possibility of a teacher vs student matchup. But he had discarded the idea, thinking that UA wouldn't be so reckless. It seemed that he had underestimated Nezu's tenacity. No matter... As long as Izuku didn't get paired against All Might, everything would be alright.