Fallen Hero (Discontinued)

Practical Exams: Part 3

(Using power-saving mode while it's at 100% battery has gained me another 6 hours of writing time. Using power saving when you don't need to can save your battery, people. That goes for any other device as well. Give it a try!)

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(Izuku POV)

I walk into the arena with Bakugou, following behind him. I was half-tempted to walk off, but that would only convey the message that I was scared when I wasn't. "Bakugou, I know you hate me for whatever reason, but you need to listen. We are going up against All Might here. We don't know the full power of his quirk. More importantly-" I was cut off by a gauntlet to the face. I lay on the ground in pain for a few seconds before realizing what he had just done. Disregarding the action, I got back up and tried again. "STOP FOLLOWING ME!" he yelled. "We need a plan! He's going to win if you try to take him head-on!" I reasoned. "SHUT UP, DEKU! I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" he screamed, attempting to attack me once more. I took a step to the side before raising my shield to protect me from both oncoming blasts.

The first blast came from Bakugou, which only increased the air temperature. The second one was a wind tunnel that came from All Might, blowing Bakugou and quite a bit of the nearby buildings away. I stabbed my knife into the ground to keep myself from flying away and jumped out of the area as soon as the air settled. Scaling the walls of a nearby alleyway, I reached the rooftops and watched the scene below. Bakugou shakily stood up and glared harshly at All Might. I couldn't hear what they were saying from up here, but it looked like All Might was lecturing him.

I watched as Bakugou received the gut punch of the century. I am decently sure that hit broke a few ribs. He wasn't coughing blood, though, so there weren't any ruptured organs to worry about. "And for the one that wants to run away..." All Might boomed from above. I dodged the attack with ease and gracefully landed on the ledge of the roof. "Whoever said I was running, All Might?" I asked, faking confidence. "Abandoning your teammate, then? How curious." I smiled and shook my head. "I'm not abandoning him, just waiting for him to get off his high horse and rely on me. I'll heal him when you're done showing him the difference in your power, or if you happen to go a bit too far. Don't hold back on me, though. I can take more of a hit than you think," I replied. With a nod, he jumped off to fight Bakugou who had just started to walk off the pain.

I took a look at the watch I had equipped the other day. I thought it would come in handy, and it did. The countdown was now at twenty-seven minutes. 'Looks like I have plenty of time. Let's hope he doesn't take too long to give in,' I thought to myself, returning my attention to the fight. All Might was practically tossing him around like a ragdoll. Bakugou attempted to attack All Might from behind, but the tables turned before he even knew what hit him. He tried to dodge the incoming punch, but the fist turned into a hand and grabbed his ankle. I winced when All Might harshly slammed the child on the ground and raised him into the air to do it again. Left, right, left, left, right, right, left, and a final left. Picking him up by the face, All Might shoved Bakugou's head into the pavement before pinning him to the ground by stepping on him. This was brutal and I was left wondering whether this was a good idea anymore. I figured this was a good time to step in before All Might miscalculated the damage he was causing.

Dropping down to Bakugou's side, I shot a blast of fire, causing him to back away from the smaller blonde in an attempt to dodge the attack. Bakugou was barely conscious and was bleeding heavily. The bones in one of his arms were shattered and his other was burned from overusing his quirk- he had attempted to blast All Might off of him. His spine was damaged, but not broken, and his left leg had been crushed from how hard All Might was grabbing him. "Was that too much?" All Might asked cautiously, trying to hide his anxiety. "Just a bit. He seems out of it, but he's capable of glaring at me so he's not too hurt," I told him jokingly, causing him to release the tension in his shoulders. I laid my jacket on top of him and summoned KINDNESS to mend all the broken bones. A green glow enveloped the jacket, indicating its activation. A green pan materialized in my hand and poured glistening green 'eggs' and 'bacon' on Bakugou, his body easily absorbing the magic and healing what little damage remained.

I gave Bakugou a few slaps to the face to wake him up and he blearily looked up, visibly angry at me. "Ready to cooperate yet, Baka-gou?" I asked dryly. He gritted his teeth but said nothing. "Good, because I have a plan, and you play a big role in it. First, let's find some actual cover and discuss our options. Hold on," I said, holding out my hand. He grumbled but took it and let me pull him up. I picked him up and proceeded to drag us as far away from All Might as I could, making sure to give myself a speed boost to increase our chances of escape. All Might seemed to hesitate, though, which was good for us.

Bakugou was going to play the distraction and create a bunch of debris for me to hide in. While All Might was busy blocking and dodging all the rubble, I would swoop in a deal a few punches to weaken him. When he no longer can focus, Bakugou would send a flash and I would cuff him in his blinded state. "Does that sound good? Or do you have anything to add to the plan?" He was silent for a moment before muttering a 'whatever', which would have to count as a form of agreement. "Thank you for listening. Let's win this thing," I said, trying to hype him up. He nodded and marched out onto the street that had been torn up by All Might's first attack.

The plan went smoothly for the first half, but the second part was tricky. All Might might not be very good at thinking things through, but he has a good sense of spatial awareness. Bakugou had caused a good amount of chaos, and All Might had merely suspected that he was acting on his own again and easily took the bait. Bakugou had dodged multiple air blasts but was getting pretty tired of doing so, which is when I came into play. He didn't notice my presence until the last second, though I'm surprised he even noticed me at all. I guess that should have been expected of the number one pro hero, but I would still play my part. My gloves blazed a crimson red with the brilliant flames that burned around them. The flame itself was warm, but it could be hot if I wanted it to be, which I did. I landed a magic-enhanced punch right in his stomach, right next to a strange deformity that felt like a large amount of air. It felt like I had just missed punching a bubble. He was knocked back into a large piece of rubble, and he even looked scared for just a moment, though that might just be my imagination. I'll ask about that later when no one is around.

My attack appeared to catch his attention because my next swing was blocked with a lot more haste than before. My hand was held mere inches away from his face as he struggled to push me back. "Told you I could take a hit," I joked and he sighed (of relief?) in return, erasing the small hint of fear on his face. "OI PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!" Bakugou loudly demanded, alerting All Might of Bakugou pulling the pin on one of his gauntlets. I jumped back a few paces and raised a shield seconds before a massive blast knocked All Might back. And just by sheer luck, he landed right in front of me, with his back facing me. I took this moment to pull out the cuffs and prepare for the flash that came directly after. A blinding white light lit up the area as the signal to move. Blinded and delirious, All Might was incapable of resisting when I slapped the cuff around his left leg. And with that, we won.

"Team Izuku and Bakugou have passed! All matches for Class 1-A's practical exams have been completed," 

All Might stood still for a moment before looking down to see the cuff on his ankle and laughing. While All Might was praising us for our win, I walked over to Bakugou and nudged his arm. "Hey there, pomeranian! Hate me a little bit less now?" I asked jokingly. He scoffed at me, "Nope. Still an annoying, Deku." I laughed at him and offered a fist bump. "Great job out there, Katsuki," I complimented. His eyes widened for a moment before he looked away from me... and flipped me off. 'Close enough!' I gave All Might a quick thumbs up as thanks for his help, and he gave one back with his signature smile. Bakugou didn't realize the plan I made with All Might to get him to listen, so he probably thought we were just being a good sport about the whole thing.

'Let's hope it stays that way.'

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(And that's it for this chapter. It's gonna take a while for Bakugou to learn what he did was wrong since nobody taught him otherwise, but he'll get there eventually. Nobody can stay mad forever, and he is no exception. Kirishima will be good for him and will help him develop as a character. His Bakusquad will make him a better person and he and Izuku will reconcile some day...

Just not today.

So thanks for reading and I'll see you soon.)