Test of Heroism (Part 6)

Ms. Joke, who was sitting in the stands with Aizawa, looked over at the UA teacher. "You didn't do a good job teaching your students this year, did you?" Aizawa looked over at her. "Hm?" "That guy down there. Two of the best fighters partaking in the test just lost to Gang Orca, and he's going to try and fight him alone. A smart hero would wait for back up before picking a fight." Aizawa looked back down at the fight. "You're assuming that he's at the same level as everyone else around him." Ms. Joke was a little confused by his statement. "Wait, you're saying he's better than anyone else down there?" Aizawa smirked for the first time in a long time. "Jason is one of the strongest people I've ever met, and that was before he started using his quirk. If I were to be honest, he's the closest person to becoming the next Symbol of Peace. Including the pros." Ms. Joke lost her smile, completely taken off guard by Aizawa's high praise. Then she paid attention to the fight.

Jason jumped backwards to avoid a left swing from Gang Orca. Then he punched the hero in the side, not activating his quirk. He threw three more punches, activating his quirk on the third punch. His goal was to try and throw Gang Orca off guard by not knowing which punches would be lethal. Gang Orca grunted from the impact and swung back. Dodging was simple, since Jason had faster reflexes. He stepped to the left and threw five punches, activating his quirk on the second and fifth punches. Gang Orca's left swing connected with Jason's stomach. Taking the opportunity, Gang Orca threw another punch directly at Jason's face. The impact knocked Jason back. Instead of falling, Jason rolled with it, narrowly dodging a foot stomp that cracked the ground where he just was. Jason was back on his feet, using his sadness to land a powerful punch to Gang Orca's head. Jason spun and landed three consecutive kicks on Gang Orca's side, using his quirk on the last kick. Gang Orca was tossed back, also rolling with the hit to get back to his feet. Jason was already on top of him, blue energy fading from his legs. Gang orca realized what had happened: Jason had used his quirk to propel himself forward. He was both fast and strong. Gang Orca smiled. He upper-cutted Jason, sending him flying into the air. "You're useless in the air!" Gang Orca prepared a powerful screech. Then, while still in midair, Jason's right middle finger became consumed in green energy. Gang Orca cancelled his attack and raised his arms just in time. Jason flicked his finger, sending a powerful shockwave at Gang orca. The hero was once again impressed as he blocked the ranged attack. "He's incredibly creative. No wonder he's held in such high regard." Jason landed on his feet, smiling. "This is way too much fun." He stood up straight. "But I think it's time for me to finish this." Gang Orca smirked. "Bring it on!"

The Number 10 Hero let out a powerful screech. Jason's legs and left arm became consumed by purple energy. He charged forward, punching the air as he went forward. The shockwave completely displaced the incoming screech. Gang Orca jumped backwards, expecting to receive a second punch. However, that wasn't what Jason had planned. He landed directly in front of Gang Orca used his quirk to kick just short of Gang Orca. The result was a massive dust cloud that completely concealed them. Gang Orca closed his eyes. "Trying to blind me, huh?" He heard Jason leave the ground, likely using his quirk to go airborne. The hero smiled. "That won't work." He listened for any sound whatsoever.

Then he heard it: the ground being crushed to his right. "Found you!" Gang Orca swung his fist. The shockwave cleared the dust cloud. Jason wasn't there. The shattered ground was just a distraction. "Ultimate…" Gang Orca's eyes widened as he looked over his left shoulder. Jason was still airborne, his right arm completely consumed by the colors of the rainbow. Gang Orca's mind flashed back to the battle between Jason and All for One. Jason was smiling brightly. Gang Orca might've been fast, but it was far too late now. "...Smash!"

The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the round. In a panic, Jason quickly aimed his punch downwards, sending himself flying into Gang Orca. The two tumbled and rolled several feet before coming to a stop. Jason held his back, wincing in pain. "Ok, how the hell did All Might throw himself into bad guys all the damn time?! That hurt like hell!" Gang Orca stood up and offered a hand to Jason. "That was a good battle. You've certainly grown a lot in such a short amount of time." Jason accepted the hero's help up and smiled again. "Yea. Thanks for the fight. I had a blast." Gang Orca nodded and the two parted ways.

Jason kneeled down and gingerly took Shoto into his arms. "Hey there, sleepy head." She just groaned. Jason stood up, holding her bridal style. "I'm proud of you." "...I got my butt kicked…" "Still, you never gave up. That's what's most important." Shoto just laid her head against her boyfriend's chest as he carried her to the others.

Gang Orca now stood near one of the exits, waiting for his beat up troopers. They stumbled back in. "Those kids hit hard as fuck…" "Tell me about it." Gang Orca chuckled at their gripes as he wiped the sweat off of his face. Then he paused, staring at his hand. His hand was quivering. He clenched his fist. "...That guy was strong as hell…" The pro hero looked across the arena, looking at Chris. "...And that guy apparently has even more potential than Jason…" Gang Orca smiled. "I need to intensify my training, or these guys will surpass me before they even become pro heroes."

The group waited an hour for their results. The announcer finally returned. "Alright, the judges and actors have finished their point counts! We'll be displaying the names and the points! Remember: you only pass if you have 50 or more points left!" The names were displayed alphabetically on a large screen. Chris looked for his name. It was right there, with 87 points left. He jumped up in excitement. Jason smirked. He had 95 points left over. He turned to Chris. "How did I lose points?" "Oh yea. The civilians didn't like the idea of us using Vengeful Cannon so close to them." "Lame." Jason lost his smile. He had found Shoto's name. She had 22 points left. He looked over at her. She was just staring at the ground. "...Shoto…" She forced a smile and looked up at him. "...There's always next year, right?" Inasa approached Shoto. "Excuse me." Shoto turned to face him. The man bowed. "I'm so sorry! I'm the reason you failed! Please forgive me!" Shoto smiled again. "...We both screwed up big time…" Jason could hear Katsuki swearing in the distance. After a quick glance at the board, it was obvious why. He had 49 points left. Kirishima, Momo, and Mina were all cheering. They had all passed with 80 or more points.

The announcer spoke again. "For those of you who passed today, I want to take this time to congratulate you all. You all did very well and we hope you all go on to do amazing things with your Probationary Hero License. Your instructors will explain to you all what you can and can't do with your license. For those of you who failed this time, this isn't the end of the story." Shoto and Inasa both perked up, listening carefully. "Even the failures have shown much potential. In two weeks, you all will be given a second chance. We hope to see you all take advantage of this second chance to show us what you all are really capable of."

The bus ride home was incredibly loud as 1A, now in regular clothes, all cheered at their success. Upon exiting the bus and starting to walk back to the dorms, Chris was staring at his new card. It read: 'Chris Harper. Impact. Official Probationary Hero License'. He teared up a little bit. Jason stopped walking. "You alright, dude?" Chris looked up at his best friend. "...I'll be back later. I'm going to go show my mom." Jason smiled and nodded. Chris ran off.

The two had taken another big step towards their common goal.