Ice, Fire, Love, Explosion: Season 1 | My Hero Academia

Chapter 32: Practicals Surprise

3rd Person POV

It was a tiring and long week of sparing, training, and studying for the girls... and it was time for the written exams. But just as if it never happened, the three days of written exams were now over.

"All right, put your pencils down. The last person in each row, bring the answer sheets to me." Mr. Aizawa ordered, and every student in the back row stood up and began to collect the papers. "Thanks so much for all your help!" Mina burst up towards Yaoyorozu, followed by Kaminari. "I didn't leave anything blank at least!" Kaminari added, as Yaoyorozu smiled. Now it was time for the practical exams.

~*~*~*~

Class 1-A was now at the Practical Exam Area-Center Plaza in their hero costumes. Their teachers: Aizawa, Midnight, Present Mic, Thirteen, Cementoss, Snipe, Ectoplasm, Power Loader, and Hound Dog stood in front of them. "Now then... Let's begin the last test. Remember, it's possible to fail this final. If you wanna go to camp, then don't make any stupid mistakes." Aizawa stated rather sternly.

"Uh— Why are all the teachers here?" Jiro questioned, and Aizawa was quick to answer. "I expect many of you have gathered information and believe you have some idea of what you'll be faced with today."

Kaminari bent backwards and gave off a rock-star excited grin, "We're fighting those big o'l medal robots!" "Fireworks! S'mores! Here we come, camp!" Mina pumped her fist in the air, eager to pass the practical. "Actually, this year's tests..." a voice said when Principal Nezu popped out of Aizawa's scarf from nowhere. "... will be completely different, for various reasons."

"Principal Nezu!" Sero, Jiro, Miku, and Ojiro gasped. "You're changing things?" Yaoyorozu asked, panic clear in her voice. "The tests now have a new focus." Principal Nezu continued, climbing down Aizawa's scarf and pointing towards the students, "There will be hero work, of course. But also teamwork and combat between actual people. So what does that mean for you? You students will be working together in pairs and your opponents will be one of our esteemed U.A. teachers! Isn't that fabulous?!" Nezu finished, his arms in the air to present the teachers' presence.

The entire class gasped and Uraraka was the first to speak up, "We're... fighting the teachers?" "Additionally, your partners and opponents have already been chosen. They were determined at my discretion based on various factors, including fighting style, grades, and interpersonal relationships. First, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki are a team. Against me." Aizawa stated sternly, not even glancing at the two students.

"Then we have Midoriya paired with Bakugo." Aizawa added, Miku gasped under her breath in a panic at the bad pairing. The two boys instantly locked eyes with each other, shock clear on both their faces. "And their opponent is..."

Out of nowhere, All Might landed to the ground with a punch and stood up, and both boys gasped under their breaths. "I am here... to fight!" "We're up against All Might?!" Bakugo and Midoriya panicked, as if they'd seen a ghost. "You're going to have to work together, boys, if you want to win." All Might stated, and Bakugo growled toward his partner. Midoriya had a look of pure fear on his face, and so did Miku. How is those two gonna pass together?! She internally panicked, afraid to think of the possibility.

"And now, let's announce the teams and the teachers they'll be fighting in order!" Nezu spoke up cheerfully, "First match will be Kirishima and Sato versus Cementoss. Second will be Asui and Tokoyami versus Ectoplasm. Third is Iida and Ojiro against Power Loader. Fourth will be Todoroki and Yaoyorozu against Aizawa. The fifth match will be Uraraka and Aoyama against Thirteen. Sixth is Ashido and Kaminari against me! Seventh will be Jiro and Freitas versus Present Mic. Eighth is Hagakure and Koda versus Hound Dog. Ninth will be Yui and Shoji against Snipe. Tenth is Sero and Mineta against Midnight. And Eleventh will be Midoriya and Bakugo versus All Might. To complete the exam, you'll have thirty minutes. In order to win, your objective is to put these handcuffs on your teacher. Or you can win if one of you manages to escape from the combat stage." The principal concluded, showing the students the yellow handcuffs in his small paws.

The students paired up with their partners before anyone could have the chance to talk. "So we've either got to capture the teacher or run away. It's basically like combat training." Kaminari stated, a finger on his chin. "Yeah, but is it really okay to just jet?" Mina raised her hand low and asked. "Yup." Nezu answered. "It's going to be much different than the combat training you all went through earlier. After all, you're up against people way better than you!" Present Mic bragged, waving his hands around in a cool fashion.

"'Better'? Really? Wait, aren't you just the announcer?" Jiro bluntly asked, causing Vanessa's jaw to drop and her eyes to shoot open. How could she be so brave?! She thought about the girl next to her while Miku was trying to hold back her laughter. "Hey, watch your mouth, girl— Have some respect!" Present Mic fired back at Jiro, and Miku had to hold her hand over her mouth to hide her chuckles.

"This time, your exam will be very similar to a real battle. As strange as it is, please think of us as villains." Thirteen said. "Assuming you come across your enemy. If you think you can win against them, then fight. However..." Snipe stated before passing the mic onto Aizawa. "... In instances where you're outmatched, it would be smarter to run away and find help. Todoroki. Iida. Midoriya. Freitas. Yui. I'm sure the five of you understand."

"I won't make that mistake again. I will pass this test and prove that I'm a hero!" Iida challenged himself, clenching his damaged left hand as a reminder.

"So we fight to win... or run to win." Midoriya said, looking up at All Might. "That's right! It's a test of your decision-making skills. But with these rules, you're probably thinking your only real choice is to flee. That's why the support course made these super-clever accessories for us." All Might exclaimed, pulling out a wrist weight. "Behold! Ultra-compressed weights!" Present Mic announced, as every teacher placed them on either their wrists or ankles. All Might stepped onto the ground, showing off his leg and arm weights.

"These babies will add about half our body weight to our physiques. It's not much, but they will eat up our stamina and make it harder for us to move around." All Might grunted in pain as he clenched his fist, "Oh, shoot... These are heavier than I thought... We had a contest to come up with these designs, and Young Hatsume ended up winning it."

"Wow, good for Hatsume!" Midoriya gasped while Bakugo grunted, "You think we need a handicap to win against you? Well think again." All Might laughed as his left blue eye shined a powerful aqua, "This'll be fun."

"Let's begin. The teams will take the practical exam in the order you were called. We have a stage prepared for you. Sato, Kirishima. You're up." Aizawa told the boys. "Yes, sir!" They sternly replied, ready for the exam. Vanessa gave Kirishima a thumbs up, which he returned with a bright, determined smile. "Those waiting their turn to fight can either watch the exams or try to strategize together as a team. It's your choice. That's it." said Aizawa, turning around and following the rest of the staff.

Iida turned to his right and looked at his teammate, "Ojiro. I'd like to discuss how we might be able to coordinate the use of our Quirks." "Great." Ojiro replied, his arms crossed, and the two walked off.

"Tokoyami? Let's go come up with a plan." Asui said, pointing towards a private spot. "Agreed." Tokoyami replied, and the two made their way over to the spot.

"We've got to figure out a way to destroy Ms. Midnight's costume!" Mineta claimed, marching with his fist pumped in the air. "You are such a little scumbag." Sero sighed, looking at the ground while following his partner. Vanessa chuckled, the tips of her right-hand fingers hovering over her lips. "Good luck with him, Sero!" she waved to her friend with her left hand, who looked over his shoulder and waved back. "Thanks, Freitas! I'll need it."

"Hey, Shoji. Can we discuss our plan for the battle?" Miku asked him, and he nodded with a, "Sure." Before the two walked away to find a private spot, Miku gave Vanessa a light nudge on the shoulder, which meant 'Good luck' in their own language. Vanessa giggled softly and gave her a reassuring smile, which meant, 'You too.'

"So, Freitas. Wanna discuss a plan?" Jiro asked out of the blue and Vanessa grew shy. Jiro was a punk, cool, tomboy and Vanessa didn't know how to connect with her. "Y-Yes please." she managed to let out, holding herself in her arms. Once the two reached an alone space, they heard the buzzer go off. "Sato and Kirishima have been knocked out. Exam over." Vanessa gasped sharply while Jiro let out a grunt. "Eijiro lost?!" "That fast, huh? These exams must be harder than we thought." Jiro stated... making Vanessa begin to panic. Not only did her 'best bro' fail, but the practical exam was harder than they originally thought...

She had already set herself up for failure.