"Hmm? Hmm? Hmm?"
"So, you're not that strong after all, huh? Beaten by an upperclassman in seconds! What a nuisance," Monoma taunted as he watched Bakugo get pinned down, showing no intention to help.
"You idiot... I'll kill you!!"
Bakugo growled, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't escape Tamaki's hold. Tamaki, with all his experience from hero work outside of school, had no trouble holding him down.
"Sorry..."
Tamaki didn't say much but felt a little bad for his fellow student. But this was the final test, and he couldn't hold back.
"Well, since you're useless, I guess I'll take matters into my own hands!"
Monoma raised his right hand toward Tamaki and fired with full force!
*BOOM!*
An explosion burst from Monoma's hand, shattering the stone pillar into rubble and covering the area with thick black smoke. Monoma's Quirk, "Copy," lets him duplicate another person's Quirk by touching them, though it only lasts for five minutes. Before the fight, Monoma had copied Bakugo's "Explosion."
Through the shattered rubble, a figure rolled out of the smoke—Bakugo, looking rough. As he steadied himself, he shouted,
"Damn it, you trying to kill me?!"
Bakugo had been within Monoma's attack range, but thanks to Tamaki shielding most of the blast, he'd managed to escape the hold.
"Huh? You're fine, aren't you?!"
"You damn jerk, I'll kill you!!"
Monoma brushed it off, but Bakugo's anger flared. That jerk from Class B had practically blown him up along with Tamaki. There was no way he'd let that slide.
Just as things were about to get out of hand, the smoke cleared to reveal Tamaki standing unharmed in front of them, his body protected by a shell on his back. Monoma's sneak attack had been blocked, though the force had sent Tamaki flying.
"What's with that shell? Hiding like a turtle, huh? Get blasted already!"
Bakugo charged forward, determined to turn things around this time and not fall for the same tricks as before.
Tamaki Amajiki stayed silent, barely reacting to Bakugo's taunts. He focused all his attention on preparing to counter his junior's attack. As Bakugo got close, Tamaki transformed his right hand into an octopus tentacle and aimed it straight at him.
"This time, I won't fall for it!"
Bakugo released explosions from both hands, propelling himself into the air to dodge the tentacle. While airborne, he spun 180 degrees and came down with a two-handed blast aimed directly at Tamaki.
"Take this!!"
But the explosion missed. Tamaki's tentacle wrapped around a distant rock pillar, pulling him out of Bakugo's range just in time. Before Tamaki could land, Monoma Neito dashed in front of him.
"Don't forget, I'm here too!"
Monoma had copied Bakugo's "Explosion" Quirk, and while he wasn't as skilled with it, his timing was impressive. He seized the chance to attack just as Tamaki was dodging.
Tamaki wasn't particularly surprised, though. Monoma's judgment was solid, but he was still a first-year and just a bit too predictable. Even as he was moving forward with no time to dodge, Tamaki remained calm and focused.
As Monoma thought he had him cornered, wings suddenly spread out from Tamaki's back, lifting him high into the air. While dodging Monoma's explosion, Tamaki's tentacle wrapped around Monoma, capturing him.
"Damn it!"
Monoma struggled, hanging helplessly in mid-air like a crow trapped in Tamaki's grasp, unable to break free from the tentacle. Just then, Bakugo smirked.
"Ha! Now you look like a total idiot!"
Bakugo, enjoying the payback, laughed at Monoma. After being mocked by him earlier, it was finally his turn to throw some insults back. Monoma, frustrated by Bakugo's mocking, snapped back immediately:
"You arrogant explosion maniac!"
"What did you just say, you sneaky little fool?!"
Bakugo's hands sparked with explosions as the two launched into a heated shouting match, forgetting all about the ongoing test and Tamaki Amajiki.
"…"
Tamaki, silently observing, stayed focused on his task for the internship exam. He landed on a tall rock pillar, with Monoma still dangling from his octopus tentacle.
"You bastard, I'm going to make you pay!!"
"Come on! Come up here, I'm waiting for you~!"
The two were hurling insults at each other, their anger escalating. Bakugo Katsuki looked ready to kill, while Monoma Neito hung in mid-air, taunting Bakugo with a mocking grin, almost daring him to come at him.
"These two guys…"
Vlad King, the supervising teacher, was feeling a headache coming on. Monoma Neito was already a troublemaker in his class, and now with Bakugo Katsuki from Class A, these two problem students had been teamed up. Of course, this was the kind of situation that was bound to happen.
The two, who couldn't stand each other, had gone from exchanging insults to wanting to fight. Brad King was feeling the pressure... but Tamaki Amajiki was even more stressed. He was naturally introverted and didn't handle situations like this well. The bickering between the two was getting on his nerves.
"I'll kill you, you bastard!!"
It seemed Bakugo's temper had finally hit its limit. He leapt at Monoma Neito, using an explosion to propel himself into the air, aiming directly at Monoma.
Feeling that his underclassman was going too far, Tamaki Amajiki couldn't just let Bakugo's actions slide. His other hand turned into an octopus tentacle and swiped at Bakugo, who was in mid-air.
Bakugo dodged the tentacle with a powerful blast, charging straight toward Monoma Neito. Tamaki, unable to stop him in time, could only let them fight—it was, after all, his role as their opponent in the practical exam.
Bakugo reached Monoma in the blink of an eye, but instead of delivering a punch, Bakugo stepped onto Monoma's hands, which were positioned in a cupping gesture.
"!!?"
Tamaki Amajiki realized too late what was happening. Monoma, hanging from the octopus tentacle, was five meters below Tamaki. As Bakugo stepped on Monoma's hands, he detonated his explosion.
Monoma Neito copied Bakugo's "Explosion" and Bakugo shot forward like a rocket, hurtling toward Tamaki. He swung both fists in a powerful attack, aiming straight at Tamaki.
"Sorry, senpai, I won't let my anger cloud my judgment!"
Though Bakugo was hot-tempered and arrogant, the more furious he got, the clearer his mind became. He may have been stuck with that sneaky jerk from Class B, but failing the final exam would be even more embarrassing.
A planned, unexpected attack with a perfect team-up, Bakugo's almost certain finishing blow—yet...
Bakugo's finishing blow, aimed at Tamaki, was blocked. Instead, he was knocked back and fell awkwardly to the ground, using an explosion to cushion his fall just in time to avoid a harsher landing.
"Sorry... after all, I'm a senior..."
Tamaki Amajiki's left hand, now an octopus tentacle, instantly morphed into a turtle shell shield, blocking Bakugo's attack. With a quick shield counter, Tamaki knocked him down.
The third-year students weren't just two years older. At U.A. High, the third-years were on the verge of becoming professional heroes. In fact, the "Big Three" from U.A. would easily be top-tier heroes as soon as they graduated.
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