A Tarnished Hero

Chapter 26: Surprise Encounter

Izuku breathed in deeply as he reclined on a chair, the rest of the students behind him quietly observing the feeds being broadcasted via the various drones and cameras that littered the area. Kendo and Tokage's squad were going at it, with Kendo in the lead as she slapped one of her classmates into a concrete wall.

Said student growled as he pried himself off from the concrete, his furred body reminding him of the Leonine Misbegotten he fought in the Weeping Peninsula. Shishida – if he recalled his name correctly – roared and rushed Kendo with vengeance, all previous signs of a civilized person tossed to the wayside as he assumed the stance of a rabid beast.

"Woah, I knew Shishida sometimes lost control, but I haven't seen him become straight up feral." A voice from the class piqued his interest. Turning his head, he zeroed in on a brunette boy who was looking at the screens with barely contained awe. His name was Tsuburaba – at least that's what he remembered from the class list. "Damn, he's wailing on her."

Various murmurs of agreement followed his remark. A brief glance at the feed showed why. Kendo no doubt had practice with her Quirk, taking into account the sudden increase in mass as well as surface area of her hands whenever she used it, but against a man who was strong enough to literally not care about the force being smacked against him, it did jack shit.

She tried to apply her knowledge in martial arts, but to no avail, the feral teen proving that martial arts did nothing against overwhelming strength. Kendo was swatted away this time, but before Shishida could follow-up, numerous vines held him in its vice grip, its thorns prickling him in every part of his body.

The feral teen roared and growled as he struggled to get them off, but a quick slap of a capture tape on his wrists signaled him out of the match.

"Woooo!" The class cheered as they saw the end of the sudden altercation. The feed showed that Tokage's team withdrew to fight another day, with Kendo heaving in deep breaths of air as she struggled to her feet.

Smiling, Izuku nodded to himself. The students were shaping up to be fine combatants. Tokage would surely have some problems directing her team after that failed ambush, but it was all part of the exercise.

To see if they have what it takes to lead under pressure. It went great for Kendo this time, but who knows what might happen in the next fight. After all, battles are unpredictable.

Time became a blur as the match continued, with Tokage doing her best to derail Kendo's group with hit and run tactics. It was made infinitely easier because her quirk made it possible to get a bird's eye view of the entire arena, making it harder for Kendo's team to run from sight.

As they neared the extraction point, a new mechanic made itself known. The VIPs that they were escorting suddenly fell to the floor. This caused no small amount of confusion and panic amongst Kendo's group, while Tokage saw this as an opportunity to wrap things up.

The moment the VIPs' knees met the ground, Tokage gave the all clear to rush the panicking group. Not ready for the sudden assault, Kendo's group floundered for a brief moment until they were all captured by a grinning Tokage, who had separated and floated her hands amidst the confusion to tie their wrists with the capture tape.

All in all, the exercise was a success. Now it was time to call in the next group so they could be tested next.

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The whole afternoon was spent with the students all going at one another with wild abandon, all the while Izuku observed and took note of their strengths, weaknesses, tactical ability, and creative thinking. Overall, he had a good grasp on each of the students' physical and mental profile. At least, when it came to fighting and escorts.