Chapter 33 - Final Exams

All Might sank onto the couch in his home, exhausted from the day's work. Being a teacher was more tiring than he could have imagined. Gran Torino made it look so easy when he was his homeroom teacher. All Might couldn't help but find it a little amusing, considering he was able to bring peace to an entire society but was a complete novice at teaching. He sipped from his freshly-brewed tea and turned on the television set, ready to relax for the night.

The television sprang to life onto a well-dressed anchor on a news program. "Our top story tonight," the anchor said. "The creature that the media has dubbed "the elusive sludge villain", who was responsible for the deaths and disappearances of several people across several cities, has finally been brought to justice."

All Might spit his tea out in surprise, coughing violently.

"The villain had eluded capture for over a year," continued the anchor. "Before finally being apprehended by police due to an anonymous tip received by Police. When the police arrived, the creature was encased in a thick layer of ice, but has refused to cooperate with police, so there is no indication of who took down this villain. The only lead we have is this strange device found at the site." The image on the television cut to a small, broken metal shard, which looked oddly like --

A bat.

He didn't recognize it at first, but after a moment, All Might was sure of it. It was a broken batarang. "They did it," said All Might, laughing. "They really did it!"

"Among various crates of drugs and assorted contraband, the bodies of several missing persons were discovered as well," said the anchor. "No more information has been put forth on the discoveries of the missing persons, and their families were not available for comment. However, we were able to get in touch with Masaru and Mitsuki Bakugou, the first victim of the villain who was killed over a year ago, sparking the start of this manhunt."

The program then began presenting information on the Bakugou family, showing various pictures of the young man who was murdered. All Might remembered that day vividly, and continued to relive it since it happened. It had been a source of great shame to him, representing a failure he had not felt since he had watched his master, Nana Shimura, die at the hands of All For One. Since that day, he vowed he would never fail to save someone in need.

And until that day, he had kept that promise.

The report cut to an interview with the parents. "We are relieved and happy to hear that our son's murderer has finally been brought to justice," Said Mitsuki Bakugou, the boy's mother. She looked to All Might like a strong, powerful woman. Tears began to well in her eyes, something that he was sure was completely foreign to her. She turned away from the reporter and towards the camera. "For the hero who brought down this monster, I understand your desire to remain anonymous. But from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Thank you so much."

All Might turned off the television, leaning back on his couch. "Well done, Young Midoriya," he said quietly. "And wherever you are in this universe, Young Bakugou, I hope you realize what a great friend you have."

Izuku's life had returned to normal (relatively speaking) after the events with the Sludge Villain. He had dreamed about bringing this creature to justice for over a year, and now that it has happened, he felt as if his steps were lighter now, like a heavy weight was removed from his shoulders. He had seen the news report with Kacchan's family, and couldn't express the feeling in his heart when Mrs. Bakugou expressed her thanks. He felt now, his friend could finally rest in peace.

However, Izuku was forced to focus his attention back to his schoolwork. Term finals were rapidly approaching. Not only did they have to be concerned about the written exam, but they had to train extensively to prepare for the practical part of the exam, which was still a mystery to them. Izuku's class had begun to split up into different study groups. Yaoyorozu had scored first in midterm exams, so most of them flocked to her for tutelage for the written material, but to Izuku's surprise, nearly everyone seemed to approach him about training for the practical.

"You want me to train you?" Izuku said, stunned. In truth, he had planned to study alone and spend most of his training at the Warehouse. He had a few new simulations of his own design that he wanted to test, and there was no way that Bruce would let any of them anywhere near there just because they were his friends.

"Yeah, Midoriya!" Said Kirishima. "You're the most prepared out of all of us for this kind of thing."

"I agree," said Tokoyami. "You faced off with the leader of the League of Villains at the USJ, took second place in the Sports Festival, came up with a winning strategy against the Batman during our last training exercise, and of course, your most impressive feat, you brought down the Hero Killer."

Izuku was silent, shooting a quick glance towards Iida and Todoroki. He was still uncomfortable about getting credit for his involvement with the Hero Killer. Todoroki was his usual passive self, but Iida, however, was undeterred.

"He's right, Midoriya!" Said Iida. "I think we could all benefit from your expertise when it comes to the practical exam. As class rep I have high hopes that we'll make UA proud."

Izuku scratched his nose absently. He supposed they made good points, but he still didn't consider himself much of a leader, let alone a teacher. "All right," he said finally. "I'll do my best." Everyone around him cheered happily. He had a feeling however, they wouldn't be cheering once they got started.

The UA teachers all sat around the U-shaped conference table. It was time once again for the UA Hero Course Final Exams, and they were hotly debating about what should be included in the practical exam, in light of recent events.

"With the connection between the Hero Killer Stain and the League of Villains, it's possible criminals everywhere will become much bolder," Said Principal Nezu.

"It'd be best if we could start preparin' for that before it happens," Said Snipe. "As a school we should be takin' every precaution. If fights against villains are going to intensify in the future, then havin' the kids train against robots ain't practical."

"They have done their part with mitigating complaints about people getting injured during the entrance exam," Said Midnight. "But they aren't challenging enough."

"We can ignore the complaints," Said Aizawa.

"I understand why you want to change the exam, but to fight against us?" Said Cementoss. "Even with teams of two, that is that a good idea?"

"It seems a bit unfair," Agreed Thirteen.

"If we went easy on them, we couldn't exactly give them a grade," Said Present Mic.

"We could take that into consideration and give the students an advantage," said Snipe.

"What do you think, Principal?" Said Aizawa.

"I believe I agree," Replied Nezu. "We need to change the exam to reflect the changing times. How do we ensure that students aren't put in life-threatening situations? We must push them so they are as strong as possible."

"That makes sense," Said Midnight. All the other teachers were in agreement. For the next few minutes, they began to divide up the teams for Class 1-A. They all stopped when they reached the odd number out: Izuku Midoriya.

"He's the only one left, but he doesn't have a team member," Said Midnight. "Should we have one of the students go again?"

"It's unlikely they'll have the strength or will to go through another entrance exam, especially since they aren't the ones being graded," said Cementoss. "They might not take it as seriously."

"What if we do teams of three for the last group?" Said Present Mic.

"Other students may see that as an unfair advantage," Said Snipe.

"But he can't just take it alone," Said Midnight.

"Why not?" Said Aizawa.

"You can't be serious, Aizawa," Said All Might.

"I am serious," Said Aizawa, turning to All Might. "And I am assigning him to fight you, All Might."

"What?!" The teachers said in unison.

"One student against the Symbol of Peace?" Said Cementoss. "That's ludicrous, he'd never make it."

"Have you all forgotten all you have seen this student do?" Said Aizawa. "Have you also forgotten that he took down the Hero Killer? Are you all still doubting his ability despite everything he has done because he's quirkless?"

The group went silent. "But still, against All Might," muttered Midnight.

"What do you hope to achieve here, Aizawa?" Said All Might. "Out of all the students, why pit him against me?"

"I have calculated the probability of success against all the teachers and cross-referenced them based on student ability," Said Aizawa. "Out of all of them, Midoriya stands the best chance of winning a battle with you. But there's more to it than that." Aizawa added. "I also factored in relationships. It's fairly obvious that you seem to have a soft spot for Midoriya, even though he seems to want nothing to do with you. In fact, based on what I have observed about him, he seems to absolutely hate you. I'm hoping that by fighting you the boy will have a unique opportunity to grow past this hangup, which ultimately hinders his progression. So try to make sure the boy learns something out of this, All Might."

All Might swallowed. Aizawa had been paying closer attention than he thought. All Might still held shame and disappointment for his actions regarding Midoriya, and devastation over his refusal to inherit One For All, and he hadn't attempted to speak with Midoriya privately since then. Still, that wasn't enough to deter Aizawa's thinking that All Might had singled Midoriya out among the others of Class 1-A. Though he was reluctant to agree to this arrangement by Aizawa, he couldn't help but feel a small twinge of excitement to see just how much stronger Midoriya had become.

"This is pure, unmitigated hell!!" Shouted Mineta. He and the rest of his classmates were running for their lives. Izuku couldn't blame them. He did the same thing when he first trained against The Horde.

Izuku had told Bruce about how his classmates wanted to train with him for the finals, but he wasn't sure exactly what to do to facilitate the training. Bruce had told him that he would take care of it and gave him the address to an empty factory that he had used for his various crime-fighting ventures, and once they had arrived there, Izuku was reminded starkly at how seriously the Batman takes training: they were met by several robotic automatons that Izuku had to fight against during his intense training before enrolling in UA. They weren't that dissimilar from the robots they fought in the Entrance Exam and the Sports Festival, except for one major difference: they had the ability to replicate quirks.

Batman had acquired this kind of technology after the Justice League first took down the android Amazo, a highly-advanced cybernetic android created by the insane Professor Ivo to mimic the abilities of superhumans - powerful superhumans. These creatures were not as strong as the original Amazo, and they weren't activated to their highest setting, but they were powerful nonetheless. Batman had dubbed these robots "The Horde."

"You actually had to fight these things?!" Said Kirishima, struggling against one of the robots that activated it's super strength.

"Every day for a year," said Izuku, taking down several that had come after him.

"Your mentor is crazy, Midoriya!" Said Mineta, trying to escape three that were advancing on him.

One of the robots began to attack Kiminari, who had attempted to shock it into submission. The robot had simply stated "Accessing: Martian Manhunter" and disappeared from sight.

"Holy shit, that one just disappeared!" Shouted Kaminari, frightened. "How are we supposed to beat these guys?!"

"They can mimic a variety of quirks, but only one at a time," Said Izuku. "And they have the same weaknesses as any other human."

"I think I understand," Said Iida. "We need to work together! Kaminari, behind you!" Iida shouted suddenly. The robot who had disappeared had suddenly materialized behind Kaminari, who yelped in fear. Iida ran at full speed towards his friend and leaped into the air, above Kaminari, and connected a reciproburst against the robot's head, knocking it clean off.

"Accessing: Superman" Said a robot, appearing behind Iida. The robot's synthetic eyes began to glow a bright red. A wall of ice erupted between Iida and the robot just as it launched its attack, shielding Iida from the laser blast. Todoroki had protected Iida from the attack, and then used his ice to encase the robot, restricting its movements. While immobilized, Ashido seized her chance and sprayed a large fountain of acid on the robot's head, melting it beyond recognition. The robot quietly hummed as it powered down.

Two robots began to converge on Yaoyorozu, Tsuyu and Uraraka. "Accessing: Black Canary," the robots said in unison. Their mouth-like openings began to open wider, revealing large speakers inside, and they let out an eruption of sound against their quarry. Jiro stepped forward between the robots and her friends, plugging her earphone jacks into her boots and met their sonic blast with her own.

"I can't keep this up for long!" Shouted Jiro. "Someone do something!"

Tsuyu took the opportunity and wrapped her long tongue around the head of the robot, ripping it from its shoulders. Yaoyorozu used her creation quirk to create a large lance and drove it into the heart of the robot. Behind them, several more robots advanced forward. "Accessing: Tenya Iida." One of them said. Suddenly, The robot exploded in a burst of speed and kicked the wall of ice, shattering it.

"It's copying Iida's Reciproburst!" Shouted Sero. "What the hell, Midoriya?!"

This was a surprise to Izuku as well, although in all reality he knew it shouldn't have been. The Amazo was a learning robot, and was known to be able to replicate powers on the spot once it had observed them. Since Izuku didn't have a quirk, it could explain why he had never observed it himself. Even if that wasn't the case, Bruce would have most likely added his classmate's quirks in as an extra layer of challenge. Several more robots began to replicate many of his classmate's quirks as they continued their attack: Ice and fire, hardened armor, intense speed, electricity, and even acid.

"This is a test," said Izuku.

"No kidding!" Shouted Ashido.

"No, think about it," Said Izuku. "We've fought robots plenty of times, but other than the Sports Festival and the villain attacks, we haven't had very much experience with fighting against actual quirks. The robots we've faced don't do much other than blunt-force attacks. The Horde is designed to test our ability to adapt to an unpredictable environment."

"I see," Said Tokoyami, using Dark Shadow against two of the robots. "Then let us not disappoint."

"Everyone! Let's regroup!" Shouted Izuku. The class gathered around to the center of the arena. The remaining robots advanced on their position, but this time, Class 1-A was ready for them.

After another long hour of battle passed, the last robot of the Horde fell to the ground, deactivated.

"Finally!" Shouted Mineta.

"That was the hardest thing I have ever done," Said Kaminari, collapsing to his knees.

"I don't think my tummy will ever stop hurting," said Aoyama, lying in the fetal position. Using his quirk, navel laser, too much hurt his stomach.

"My tail is so bruised up," said Ojiro, wincing as he rubbed his tail gingerly.

"It was indeed a challenge," said Tokoyami.

"Now we know why Midoriya is so strong," said Sato.

"Yeah!" Said Sero. "I don't think I could survive this kind of training every day."

"You'd be surprised what you can survive when you have no other options," Said Izuku.

"I thought UA robots were tough," said Uraraka. "But these robots make them seem like toys."

"I still don't know what Batman is playing at," Said Mineta crossly. "Sending these monster robots after us like that."

"It does seem like overkill," Said Yaoyorozu. "UA robots are bad enough, but this was on a completely different level." Izuku remembered that Yaoyorozu was let in on recommendation, so she didn't have to take the entrance exam. Fighting robots is still foriegn to her.

"You rarely have the luxury of on-level pacing when you're in the field," Said a voice behind them. They all jumped to see the tall, dark form of Batman standing over them. "The USJ attack, your Internships, these were barely a taste of what dangers wait for you out there."

"Batman!" Said Kirishima excitedly.

"Have you been watching us, sir?" Said Tokoyami.

"I have," Said Batman. "And you all performed adequately. You are moving past fighting prowess and quirk power. Now you are ready to think strategically, learning to identify quirks and make split-second decisions on how to counter them."

"But sir," Said Yaoyorozu. "The villains we fight won't have the ability to replicate this many quirks, will they?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Said Batman. "But many times, you only a few seconds to discern an enemy's ability. Preparation has been known to separate you from those who are successful in battle, and those who are dead." Mineta let out a small squeak of fear at this. "Regardless," Batman continued. "It is crucial for you to learn to fight against and adapt your strategy against powerful quirks, especially now that your term finals are upon you."

"What does that mean?" Said Kirishima.

Batman didn't answer, turning and walking away. "I hope you enjoyed yourselves today," he said. "And if you think you can handle it, come back tomorrow."

A few of Izuku's classmates did come back to train with him, but not many. The rest of his classmates decided to focus on their own training methods, not feeling cut out for the "Batman program" as they called it. They had also poured themselves into their studies as they prepared for the written exam. Alfred had organized a study session for Izuku, inviting several of his friends along with him. He had arrived at Izuku's apartment in his signature Rolls Royce, carrying Uraraka, Iida, Kirishima, Tsuyu and Tokoyami with them, all who had chosen to stay and train with Izuku, and taken them back to the factory where they fought the robots, waiting on them and providing them with ample refreshments while they studied.

Izuku had noticed something odd while at school recently. All Might seemed to be avoiding him. Usually, he would go out of his way to try and greet or talk to Izuku, but lately whenever Izuku saw him in the hall or passed him, he would either change course to go down a different hall, or awkwardly shoot him a small hello before continuing on his way. Izuku found it strange, but he wasn't too concerned. After their last conversation, he assumed it was only natural that things would be awkward between them. Refusing One For All must have been the hardest thing that he had done, but Izuku had his reasons for doing it, and tried to push it out of his mind. He had more important things to worry about.

Soon, the exam days were upon them. The written exam took three days to get through. Izuku didn't find it too difficult, all things considered. He placed in the top 5 in his class during midterms. He, like the rest of his class, were more concerned about the practical exams. They were to be taken at an off-site arena and placed in situations where they would be required to use all they learned during the year to achieve a passing grade.

Soon the practical exam was upon them, and Izuku and his classmates stepped off the bus at the UA exam arena center plaza. It was a facility that they hadn't been to before, and didn't know what to expect inside. They were all suited up from head to toe in their hero costumes, ready for whatever awaited them. The UA teachers were all waiting for them as they stepped outside the bus.

"Now then," Said Aizawa unceremoniously. "Let's begin the last test. Remember, it's possible to fail this final. If you want to go to camp, don't make any stupid mistakes."

"Why are all the teachers here?" Jiro whispered.

"I suspect that you all have gathered information on the exam and have some sort of idea about what to expect during this exam," Said Aizawa.

"We're going to be fighting robots!" Said Kaminari excitedly. He and Aishido began an impromptu celebration, their confidence soaring.

"Actually," came a familiar, cheering voice. Popping out of Aizawa's wrappings came the Principle Nezu, surprising the class with his unexpected entrance. "This year's tests will be completely different for various reasons."

"You're changing things?!" Said Yaoyorozu.

"The tests now have a new focus," Said Nezu, dropping down from Aizawa's shoulder. "There will be hero work, of course, but now there will be teamwork and fighting against actual people. So what does that mean for you students? You will be working together in pairs, and your opponents will be one of our esteemed UA teachers. Isn't that fabulous?!" He added cheerfully.

The confident atmosphere around the students plummeted like a stone off a cliff. Now it suddenly made sense to Izuku what Bruce was talking about when he said they had to adapt to fight against powerful quirks. Now they were going to test what they have learned against seasoned Pro Heroes. Even Izuku had to admit this was a daunting task.

"Additionally, your partners and opponents have all been chosen," Said Aizawa. "They were determined at my discretion, based on fighting style, grades, and interpersonal relationships." Aizawa began to read off the list of teams and teachers they were assigned to: first up would be Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, fighting against Aizawa himself; Sato and Kirishima against Cementoss; Tsuyu and Tokoyami against Ectoplasm; Ojiro and Iida against Power Loader; Aoyama and Uraraka against Thirteen; Ashido and Kaminari against Principle Nezu; Koji and Jiro against Present Mic; Hagakure and Shoji against Snipe; Mineta and Sero against Midnight, and lastly -

"But wait," Said Uraraka, suddenly realizing that the group was uneven. "What about Deku?"

"Midoriya is a special exception," Said Aizawa. "Among the previously mentioned factors, I have included his unique training, accomplishments and circumstances during the selection process. Due to these unique circumstances, we have determined that it would be best for Midoriya to take his exam alone."

"What?!" Said the class in unison.

"But Mr. Aizawa, that seems very unfair!" Said Yaoyorozu.

"I agree," Said Iida. "It is true that Midoriya has achieved so much, but how can you expect him to fight against one of the teachers alone?"

"What teacher would he fight anyway?" Said Tsuyu, looking around. All the teachers present seemed to have been assigned a team of students already. The class fell silent as booming laughter rang out above them. A gigantic figure dropped to the ground with a loud "BOOM!", shaking the Earth beneath their feet.

"I am here," Said All Might, his powerful form towering over everyone present. "To fight!"

The class was in an uproar. Izuku felt his heart sink to his feet. So this is why All Might was avoiding him lately. Aizawa had assigned Izuku to fight the Symbol of Peace alone. His thoughts were filled with confusion and fear as stared at All Might. Even though Izuku knew his secret, All Might was still no pushover. He wasn't sure if he could win against him in a one-on-one fight.

"That's not fair!" Said Uraraka. "Deku won't stand a chance alone!"

"I concur," said Iida. "This pairing is entirely mismatched!"

"That's enough," Said Aizawa, his eyes flashing, activating his quirk. The class fell silent. "Your classmates don't seem to have much confidence in your abilities, Midoriya," Aizawa added to Izuku. The class balked at this.

"That's not true!" Said Kirishima. "Midoriya is the most capable out of all of us!"

"But even still, this is All Might!" Said Mineta. "Midoriya doesn't stand a chance."

"I'll do it," Said Izuku. The class all looked at Izuku with shock. Izuku didn't falter, looking from All Might to Aizawa, dead in the eyes.

"Deku, are you sure?" Said Uraraka, worried. "What about camp?"

"I have no intention of losing," Said Izuku. He turned to All Might. "I have trained at the feet of the devil himself, and have survived. I have fought against murderers, villains and all manner of scum, and have survived. I've fought and trained and clawed my way up from the bottom of society's mop-bucket to the top hero school in the nation, and have survived every obstacle, trial and gauntlet that has been thrown at my feet. And. I. Have. Survived." He turned back to his classmates, his eyes flashing fiercely. "There is no way I'm giving up now."

All Might threw back his head in bellowing laughter. This was exactly the response he was hoping for from Young Midoriya. His laughs subsided and he met Midoriya's intense gaze with one of his own.

"This'll be fun."