Chapter 81: Time to Fight Hero's

Winds blew as the new season started to set in, currents got hotter, and the world changed to accommodate the incoming summer.

Inside UA, the students were preparing harder than ever, spending rigorous amounts of time studying for the variety of subjects that they could be questioned on over their tests.

They trained their quirks and capabilities to properly digest the information learned during their Hero studies and improve upon them.

Nights that were previously met with copious amounts of energy turned quiet as when they arrived home, they would immediately pass out with too little energy to even indulge in their nightly activities.

Some missed their video games, others couldn't finish a book they were in the middle of, some couldn't attend classes they were previously enrolled in, like a dance class or martial arts class, and others couldn't go to the gym for mindless exercise or find time to play a fun game of shoji.

Studying for their final exams was exhausting, yet surprisingly, everyone within the class went at it with a determined spirit, not giving up even when they so desperately wanted to.

So Class 1A continued to train and study until... it was time. The day of their final exams had arrived.

.

.

"Woah, dude, you got jacked!"

Inside the spacious changing room, boisterous voices could be heard from one end to another as the subconscious filter limiting how loud their voices were, gained from how long they'd been in the library, had finally worn off, no longer necessary.

Hearing praise about his "Manly Body," Kirishima tried not to let his face become ridden with pride as he unconsciously flexed his arms a little harder.

"Yeah, I made extra sure to go to the gym since my quirk's defenses increase the harder and stronger my muscles are."

Nodding as he understood the simple logic, Kaminari looked at the yellow hair that was within his vision and couldn't hold in a sigh, wishing his own quirk was nearly as simple to train.

He required a constant process of using it in its entirety, which would, in turn, make him 'go stupid' as he dubbed it.

And since he was not in the correct mind, he wouldn't be able to continue, leading to him having to take a long break, which made training his quirk a pain.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH."

A loud scream reverberated along the echoey room, though surprisingly, only a few turned their heads to look at the source.

What you'd find, should you have looked, would be a small, screaming Mineta clutching his eyes as he glared aggressively at the now-exposed hole in the wall.

A hole that coincidentally led to the girls' locker room adjacent to the boys'.

"AHHHH, IT HURTS!!! DANG JIRO, WHY'D YOU HAVE TO GO AND POKE MY EYEBALL? I WASN'T EVEN TRYING TO LOOK AT YOUR FLAT—"

"—AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH."

This time, no one turned to look.

Again, his screams rang as his second eye was poked at by the thin earphone jack that quickly retreated back into the hole before it was patched up by a quickly conjured piece of styrofoam.

Ignoring the spectacle, Suijin quickly changed from his uniform into his Hero gear, preparing with the rest of his classmates for their final exams.

"Woah, dude, are those new?"

Sero, just finishing attaching his own elbow attachments, looked to the side of the room to find Suijin donning some new apparel.

The same navy blue and head-colored grey shoes were worn, but on his fingers, something none of them had seen before was there.

Sero's voice attracted the attention of the rest of them, and soon Suijin had all eyes on him as everyone was curious about his new suit design.

Looking at them, Suijin fiddled with the clear tubes that appeared from the end of his suit, going down the outside of his hand, and excluding his thumbs, connected with the opening on each of his other four fingers.

"Yeah, during the Hero training, while I didn't get the experience you all did, I thought about the sports festival and my biggest limitations. Thus, I met with Hatsume, remembering her gadgets, and got a few customizations."

Having finished with their tutoring for the day and everyone has either gone or was about to, Suijin, who had packed up his stuff rather quickly, ran to the support hero's department.

Catching the thick, light orange wisps of hair, the boy quickly called out, hoping she would hear him so he wouldn't go home disappointed.

Luckily, though, the girl stopped, and he could see her dressed in some baggy cargo pants and a sleeveless top, a privilege allotted to the support students.

Stopping from entering the door to their workplace, the girl took off her thick goggles, allowing Suijin to see her unique eyes.

With her eyes holding a t-shaped look slightly covered up by her pupils in the middle, and said pupils being a greenish-yellow on the outer rims and a pure black on the inside, Suijin was encapsulated by the foreign look.

It was that encapsulation that caused him to notice as her pupils started changing, with her pure black inner rims gradually expanding.

'Her quirk.' That was the only thing Suijin could think would do this.

Zoom, an on-the-nose name for a quirk that allowed the user to zoom in on their view, granted a better view of farther-away targets.

As he was recollecting, Mei apparently had finished her quirk usage, as now she titled her head while looking at the boy, "Yes?"

Still a little nervous, Suijin replied, "U-Uh, on the webpage, it said that for general hero outfit changes, to put them in the drop box, but for more complex requests, to come in and talk."

A smile Suijin didn't like at all sported on Mei's face as she changed her demeanor, inviting him into the workshop.

Inside, he spotted a few different workstations, including the center station that he assumed Powerloader, one of the heroes on UA's staff and the teacher of the support department, worked at.

Speaking of, "Where is Powerloader?" He asked in an uncertain voice.

And once again sporting that smile, Mei replied, "He's a busy man with him, not only having to help with the requests from hero department students such as yourself but those heroes that request modifications as well."

A foreboding feeling welled up inside of him, but needing confirmation, Suijin reluctantly asked, "Then how long would a request from him personally take?"

As if this were her master plan, the girl's smile sprouted just a little farther, only a few inches away from appearing inhumane.

"It could be a few weeks, maybe a few months. Or maybe a year or two."

Gulp.

Suijin looked into her eyes, spotting a burning passion that threatened to consume him.

"And the way to get around such a long wait time was..."

"To book with one of his cherished apprentices, of course."

The boy shivered, remembering how when he got out of school it was completely dark, his mom had rung his phone one hundred and twenty-seven times, and when he got home, he nearly went deaf from the earful he received.

Still, he fiddled with the tubes connected to the opening on his fingers to the suit itself, disappearing under the fabric.

He looked up at the expectant gazes and decided to enjoy himself a little.

Thus, with a completely normal voice, he replied, "I added some modifications that enhance my abilities."

He left it there, letting the grumbling boys with unsatisfied curiosity return to donning their own hero costumes as they all prepared.

Once finished, the students met up with the girls, who, surprisingly, were faster than them.

The entirety of Class 1A now changed, made their way to the designated hero zone, where they met up with their professors.

"The test exercise will start shortly." Saying so was their designated work pusher-offer, as Suijin called him, Aizawa.

And looking at a few students in particular, he said, "Along with the written exams, you can fail this test too, so if you want to head to the forest lodge, then I'd better not see any pitiful mistakes from any of you."

A certain lightning-haired boy and pink-haired girl shrunk back, trying to disappear from his view.

"Why are there so many teachers?" Jiro said, seeing as a majority of the UA Hero staff was standing next to their teacher.

Powerloader, Ectoplasm, President Mic, Midnight, Snipe, Principle Nezu, Cementos, and 13 all stood together.

"I've no doubt you've all learned what information you could for the test beforehand, so I think you already hold a vague notion of what you are to do…"

"So we're being tested like the entrance exams."

"We're just going to be dealing with those robots, sweet!!"

"I can already SEE the FIREWORKS! THE CURRY! THE DARE SESSIONS—"

Cutting off the ecstatic Sero, Kaminari, and Mina, Principle Nezu butted in, "Sorry, but I'm afraid not!!!! Due to various reasons, we are changing the contents of the test starting today!"

The shock was not only on the three's faces as they were still stuck in their mini celebration poses but on the more studious of the class as well.

This meant that the questions they asked their upperclassmen and then worked off of during their training were for naught.

"What do you mean?" Momo took the liberty of asking.

"Well…"

"We need to change our test standards."

In the room of UA staff at the table, Principle Nezu, the smallest, spoke with the most authority and power in the room.

"There's been a surge in violence recently, and although cutting off the surge at the head would be the most ideal, as not just a school but as the number one school, I want to make assurance that this incumbent wave of heroes can cope with these changes."

Taking a moment to survey their reactions, of which luckily none were outwardly against it, he continued,

"If we assume that society will see a drastic increase in open battles against villains, then…"

"Battle trials against robots don't hold up close enough to fights in the real world." Snipe caught on and gave his opinion on the matter.

Nezu smiled slightly, though due to those around here knowing the real him they shivered seeing that sending a prayer to those students on the receiving end of that smile.

He spoke more authoritatively, with more finality since no one had expressed their disagreeing.

"With the influx of villainy and surge in crimes we as the leading hero School should reflect our commitment to combat against such. Thus we will shift our focus on our test to Peron v Peron battle activities, and emphasizing a teaching environment closer to that of a real battle."

"Which is why, boys and girls—"

Looking each of them in the eye, he said, "We will have you all in pairs as you engage in Combat with one of these here Senseis!"

Aizawa looked at the group of scared students and grinned darkly, "In other words, It's Time to Fight, Heroes!"