Finally, the morning everyone had been dreading—and, in the same breath, secretly waiting for—arrived.
The practical exam.
Vlad-sensei gathered Class 1-B at the front gates of U.A., where even the air felt different. Sharper. Colder. Like the campus itself had decided to stop being a school for the day and remember it was also a battlefield when it wanted to be.
And lined up ahead of them were the teachers.
Too many teachers.
They stood in a row like a wall of authority, calm and composed in that way only adults could manage when they were about to traumatize teenagers for educational purposes.
Whispers immediately rippled through the class.
"Why are all the teachers here…?"
"Isn't this supposed to be like the entrance exam again? Robots, rescues, but in pairs…?"
A few students clung to hope the way people clung to umbrellas in a storm—knowing it probably wouldn't help, but refusing to let go anyway.
"Alright, quiet down!" Vlad barked.
Then his expression softened into a grin, as if he wasn't about to ruin everyone's day in real time.
"I know you guys are… uh… shook," he said, nodding like that was still a normal sentence, "but don't worry. I'll explain everything."Tokage lifted her hand halfway, like she was doing him a favor by not raising it all the way. "Vlad-sensei… no one says 'shook' anymore."Vlad froze so hard it looked painful.A few people in the back exchanged looks like, he did it again. He really did it again."…Really now?" He scratched his cheek, momentarily defeated, then cleared his throat and powered through like nothing happened.Vlad pointed his thumb toward the teacher lineup. "Today's exam won't just test your individual ability. It's going to test how well you work together as teammates.""And we paired you up specifically with your weakness in mind."
That landed in the crowd like a quiet "good luck" from the universe.A couple of students tensed as if they'd just been targeted by an AOE debuff.
Before anyone could ask what that meant, a small figure hopped forward—and the class collectively jolted.
Principal Nezu stood in front of them, perfectly composed and cheerfully terrifying, like he belonged in a cute mascot spinoff and a psychological thriller at the same time.
"Principal Nezu?" several voices blurted at once.
"Yes, that's me," Nezu said cheerfully, hands behind his back, eyes glittering with mischief. "And like with Class A, I've decided to… shake things up this year."
He paused just long enough for the dread to bloom.
"You will be working in teams of two," he continued, voice still cheerful, "and you'll be facing a teacher!"
"EHHHH?!" the entire class shouted in perfect, unified despair.
The sound bounced off the gates and came back worse.
Vlad lifted his hands before panic could turn into chaos. "Hold on. Don't worry. You don't have to defeat the teacher to pass."
He held up two fingers.
"There are two ways to clear the exam."
With the first finger, he explained,
"One: defeat the teacher and restrain them with handcuffs."
A few students visibly lost color. Pony had made a small noise like her soul tried to leave politely.
And with the second finger, he explained,
"Two: if you truly can't win, then one of you has to find the exit and escape the perimeter."
Vlad's tone didn't soften when he explained why. If anything, it got heavier.
"We want you to fight villains with everything you've got," he said, eyes sweeping the class. "But if the difference in ability is too big, prioritize survival. Escape, and call for backup when needed."Nezu nodded along like this was a fun science experiment and not a stress fracture waiting to happen.His grin returned, sharper this time.
"So treat us like real villains. Don't hold back."
The words landed with weight.Tokage's smile thinned into something excited. Tetsutetsu cracked his knuckles like his body had decided this was his favorite kind of day. Shiozaki whispered something that looked suspiciously like a prayer.
Then Vlad-sensei turned toward the list.
"Now—teams."
Monoma tried to keep his face neutral while names were called. Half of his attention stayed on the announcements; the other half ran calculations like a machine in the background. Teachers. Matchups. Quirks. Terrain. Win conditions. Escape routes. The kind of thinking that looked calm from the outside and was pure noise on the inside.
There was a wave of reactions as the pairs were announced. Some relieved. Some horrified. Some already trying to bargain with the universe.
The minutes stretched until Vlad reached the last few matchups.
"Tokage and Rin—Midnight."
A chorus of "good luck" and "you're dead" energy followed it.Tokage's grin turned feral. "Midnight? That's the pretty sensei who fights with perfume, right?"Rin's expression didn't change, but his posture tightened like a blade being drawn. "We'll be able to handle it."Tokage leaned closer to him, voice sweet as poison. "Love that confidence. Don't freeze up during the fight.""Duly noted," Rin said, severe enough to make it sound like a promise."Kendo and Tsunotori—Present Mic."
Kendo's expression sharpened in that "we're fine, we're absolutely fine" way that meant she was already making a plan to not lose.
"Yanagi and Awase—Cementoss."Awase's brows drew together as he immediately started thinking about walls, angles, and how annoying it would be to fight a man whose hobbies included turning the ground into a maze. Yanagi floated just a little closer, calm as always."We'll be fine," Yanagi said softly.Awase nodded, jaw set. "Hm.""Shoda and Kuroiro—Principal Nezu."From a dark corner in the shade, Kuroiro murmured in a low, solemn voice like he was narrating an ominous prophecy. "We face the beast of intellect. A trial worthy of the great me."Tokage snorted. "Stop. You're making it sound cooler than it is."Kuroiro's eyes glinted. "That is the point."Shoda's smile didn't break. If anything, it got more polite, like politeness was his shield. "Let's not underestimate him."Then Vlad's eyes lifted.
"Tetsutetsu and Kodai… you're against me."Tetsutetsu lit up like he'd just been given a main character moment. "LET'S GO!"Kodai nodded once, calm as ever, like she'd accepted a contract and was already thinking about how to execute it cleanly.And with that, that was the last name he read aloud.A tiny silence opened up in the space where Monoma's name should've been called, like the universe was taking a breath.Monoma's stomach dropped.Because everyone had been assigned.Except—He turned his head slightly, meeting Shiozaki's eyes.
Even she looked faintly confused, brows drawn just a little, like she was searching for the correct explanation that would make the world behave.
Monoma had a bad feeling.
And that bad feeling turned real when the light above them shifted—when a shadow passed over the group, followed by a powerful gust and a thunderous landing that kicked up dust in a wide ring.
A man stood before them as the dust settled.
Broad shoulders. Impossible posture. Blonde hair like a bright flame.
The Symbol of Peace.
"All Might…?" Kendo breathed, the words coming out like she didn't trust her own eyes.Tetsutetsu made a sound that was half awe, half panic. Pony's hands flew up to her mouth like she was trying to keep her excitement from escaping.All Might pointed forward, grin blazing like the sun itself."Young Monoma! Young Shiozaki! You'll face against me!"
Monoma's brain stalled.
For a heartbeat, there was nothing in his head but static.
Then, very quietly, reality resumed.
All Might—still smiling—held up a set of heavy-looking weights. "Now, now! Don't worry. To give you young students a fair chance, we will be wearing these weights. They will restrict our movement and reduce our speed and strength—granting you a slight advantage!"
He looked over the class, booming with heroic energy like he was announcing a festival event instead of a death sentence.
"Work together, everyone! Give it your all, and aim to pass!"
The class erupted into frantic murmurs, half-panic and half-adrenaline.Monoma stared at All Might.Then he very slowly exhaled, the way you did when you realized the boss fight wasn't optional and you had forgotten to save beforehand.Because in that moment, he had only one clear thought.They might be screwed.