Todoroki watched as Iida and Ojiro began to plan. "So does anyone actually know anything about Power Loader?" He asked the group. He knew that he was a hero with a high standing in support gear, but other than that nothing came to mind.
"Oh, machine-sense is really nice!" Iruma, of course, was the only one who knew anything. "He gets pretty angry with Mei whenever one of her babies blows up though. Keeps saying he'll kick her out, but Mei just keeps laughing. I'm pretty sure she sleeps in the classroom, I never see her leave it."
"I can't tell if that's another case of parental neglect or genuine insanity." Hagakure muttered. He doubted it was the former, they never just let go of the kid entirely, they wanted them close for liability purposes.
"My parents run a support company, and they've done a few business dealings with Power Loader-sensei before." Momo added. "His quirk gives him metallic-like claws at the tip of his fingers, though he utilizes support to greatly maximise effectiveness."
"So what, he's gonna cut up Iida and Ojiro?" Kirishima asked.
"Can't be worse than getting shot at." Shoji grumbled. "Thanks for that, by the way."
"Can't you see I'm suffering as well?" Aoyama clenched his stomach. "I have to deal with stomach pains for the next three hours due to Snipe-sensei shooting my dazzling belt off."
"You jumped right in the line of sight. You can't say you didn't ask for it." Asui bluntly assessed.
"I was drawing Snipe-sensei's attention while my dazzling partner Shoji made a break for it." A few seconds passed as the logic seeped in. Homing would only be locked onto one target at a time, and the one that could attack at a distance would draw more attention …
"DAMN IT!" Shoji yelled in the air in frustration, slipping into the corner where Sato and Kirishima sat in shame and banged his head on the wall repeatedly.
"Oh, they're starting!" Iruma called out. "Go on Iida, you can do this!"
==
"Something's off here," Ojiro stated. "It's a wide space, we have a lot of freedom to move … aren't these tests supposed to be against us?"
"You have a point." Iida agreed. "Perhaps they plan on testing us in our element … No, that can't be right." His partner muttered, before he stopped and noticed something on, or rather in, the ground. "Do you feel that rumbling?"
"Yeah, it's faint, but.." Ojiro knelt down to get a better feel, and suddenly, explosions of dirt were thrown into the air. Before they could even comprehend what was happening, Power Loader shot out of the ground.
"My name is Power Loader. You have killed my family. Prepare to die." The shirtless man told them bluntly, before diving back into the dirt.
"... Starting to see where the robots get their personalities from." Ojiro deadpanned, before freezing. "We're not in our territory … we're in his!"
"Exactly, he has total control over the terrain, he could literally shift the field of battle at any moment he wants." Iida assessed. "Something like this is more along Suzuki's comfort zone, he could avoid what attacks Power Loader has hidden, but we do not share that luxury."
"Also we need steady terrain." He noticed a pothole form. "Something that he's making impossible by loosening up the dirt. We don't know where to walk or where he'll attack from."
Iida nodded, "We're unpared to deal with this sort of situation, and if this exam is imitating real life as much as we expect it to, then we need the help of another pro to deal with it."
"Which means this is a case where we need to avoid fighting and head straight for the gate." Ojiro finished the line of thought.
"Like I'm letting that happen!" The voice of the support teacher shouted out, a giant chasm opening up. "The more time you give me the harder it gets!" They didn't have many options here. They couldn't fight head on and they needed more power to reach the exit …
"It seems we need a new approach." Iida stated, engines revving. Did he have a good plan? "Climb on my back."
"Alright…" It was a little weird, but he didn't have much time to argue with the guy.
"Now Power Loader Sensei, you will be defeated this day! Fusion…Comence!" Wasn't Iruma supposed to be the childish one … right, Battle Trial, he forgot the guy acted as crazy there as he was here.
==
"Iida, please tell me you don't actually believe we'll fuse like a Manga character."
"Heavens no." That would be impossible, no matter how much of a gain they would be given. "I'm going to become a rocket."
"And I thought Iruma's cooked chicken metaphor was bad…" He heard his partner grumble. What, was he not being clear enough? He was going to launch Ojiro into the air, he assumed that would've been obvious.
"No, like the rockets you see at NASA. We'll create a thrust to send you straight to the goal."
"But those things don't even work continuously, they're layered so …" The fellow student blinked. "You are not launching me."
"It's the only way!"
"I'm certain there.." Power Loarder-sensei was coming their way. "Forget it, whatever you're going to do, do it now!"
"I shall! Receprio Burst!" He activated his secret technique in an instant and thrusted the both forward. "Now, grab my leg!"
"Done!" He felt the tail weight, aiming his left leg backwards, he began to spin mid air, before reaching critical velocity. With a final kick, he placed all his speed into his fellow student. "You better hope this works! We looked super ridiculous like that!" That couldn't be! He brought enough shame to the Iida name with that cretan Hatsumei using him like a living build board…oh, and almost attempting murder on a notortious serial killer, but the former seemed more prevelent to this situation!
"Not this time!" The support teacher came out with claws aimed at his partner, only to be stopped with a tail smack, Ojiro continuing to fly far into the goal. Yes, they were winning!
Crack
And now the ground was caving under his feet. That was a bit of a mood killer in all honesty. "Team Iida and Ojiro have passed." That was a minor comfort, even if the dirt was going to take forever to clean from the exhaust.
==
"They won!" Uraraka cheered. "Heck yeah, good job Iida!"
"Maybe I should work on a propulsion technique, it's worked out well for Bakugo …" Tordoroki turned to the brooding student. Sero knew the guy had a stone cold expression, but to just say you're stealing a technique in front of the guy is pretty ballsy.
"Whatever Half and Half." Bakugo for once didn't immediately starting attempting murder. "Whatever half assed move you come up with is only going to be half as good as the real deal. Just stay out of my way when All Might shows up. I'm the one who's going to take him out."
"You say that but we both know you lost the Battle Trial when it came to an opponent that could punch you, and said opponent didn't even …" He blatantly turned to Suzuki. "Cook the chicken?"
"Cook the chicken, yes." Iruma nodded. "If I used my quirk back then, the whole building could've fallen down on us."
"Last I checked he did the same thing." Hagakure deadpanned. Sero could visibly see the tickmark growing on the boy's face.
"Shouldn't you be busy worrying about Dodger's next challenge?"
"Next challenge … right, Rat-principal!" The man … thing was going to be vindictive if he heard this. "Sero, I need a lot of tape please."
The boy blinked. "Um, sure, what do you need it for?"
"I'm gonna tape me and Ashido together for the next challenge." Hagakure looked like she was about to strangle the girl, but Uraraka held the invisible girl back.
"Iruma, not that I'm not flattered, or curious about whatever, 'plan', you've come up with, but I don't think we can ask for outside help during the exam." Ashido explained.
"Shoot, you're right." He frowned. "I guess I need to find a drawer with a lot of tape then." Somehow that was more idiotic then the 'tapping himself to his partner' strategy.
"We'll make sure to remember you fondly, dude." Kaminari patted the boy's back in sympathy. "Hopefully Nedzu makes it painless for you two."
"What're you talking about? We're going to pass the exam!" That naive confidence was going to be missed.
==
Toshinori sat in his hero costume, watching the screen as Nedzu finished his death trap. A maze of unspeakable nightmares designed to look like a normal city. A single step would cause various things to happen, which would chain more upon more. Navigation was nigh impossible as well.
"So, how long do you expect the little guy to last?" Present Mic asked Aizawa as he and the rest of the teachers were waiting for the carnage to unfold. "I give them five minutes before they're trapped by a sea of spikes covered in fire."
"I've seen him dodge, ten minutes before the pit of disolvants drowns them with the mutant spiders." Midnight placed her own wager. Not literally no, while they would bet on their own failure, loss on this scale was something to not be taken lightly.
The boy had angered Nedzu … few have lived to tell the tale. Sure he managed to live, but that was without intentional insulation. And he only made it worse every passing second. He prayed that Nedzu would save him out of 'logical need' to keep One For All alive. "I say…six minutes before they are bombarded by a wave of explosion leading them to a tank full of eels." Ectoplasm chimed in on the situation.
"Normally I would call you out on being irrational, but Suzuki angered the rat, so Nedzu won't be holding back." Aizawa agreed. "If they last past the first minute, the kid will have my respect." Hope was gone, he was just in denial.