CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:
THE PRACTICAL EXAM.

     "WOW... I KNEW SHE was rich, but I didn't think she was this rich." Denki breathes in awe as him and his classmates stood in front of the Yaoyorozu's mansion gate.

     Jiro, once more, decided to click on the doorbell. The familiar voice of their classmate resonating the speaker, "everyone, I have been waiting for you! Please, come in."

     As if on cue, the gate automatically opened by itself to let them enter.

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     Ojiro and Mina sat beside each other while facing Denki and Sero, as well as Jiro who sat on Denki's left, a long table separating the group between them.

     "I feel so out of place, it's making me nervous..." Ojiro admitted, a bullet of sweat sliding down on his cheek. "Me, too..." Sero said.

     The sound of glasses and plates lightly clashing with each other can be heard as Yaoyorozu suddenly enters the hall while pushing forward a cart with desserts, plates and cups of teas placed on top.

     She gave them a smile. "What is it?"

     Charmed by her, the group also gave her the same smile and responded in unison, "oh, nothing..."

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     Y/N grunted to herself as a scowl settled itself on her face while having an intense stare-off Henshin who has the same expression on his face.

     Hizashi and Aizawa sweatdropped as they watched their adoptive children who sat on the ground while staring at each other as if they were to watch one another's move.

     "Are you gonna..." Hizashi spoke up. As if on cue, Henshin and Y/N both slammed ther hands on the book that sat between them.

     "I totally got that first!" Henshin claimed, causing the girl to look at him as if he had grown two heads. "What? No! I got that first!" She argued.

     Hizashi chuckled. "All right, all right, don't fight now, kids. Hate to break it to ya, N/N, but Henshin got that first." He said, Y/N instantly frowning at this.

     Henshin chuckled to himself and looks at Aizawa as he gave the answer. The ravenette adult hummed, "mhm, correct."

     "Aww, but I know the answer, too!" Y/N whined, slumping her shoulders in defeat as she sent a Henshin a playful glare, the latter only giving her an innocent smile in return.

     Aizawa sighed as he placed the notebook on the table and gave them a look, "okay, that's enough studying for now. I know I said to make sure you study, but I didn't say to overdo it." He said and watched as the pair stood up.

     "Whoo! That definitely hurt my brain!" Y/N complained with a smile on her face, before dropping them as she sees Henshin about to wrap his arms around her to start cuddling - which they usually do whenever they finish studying together.

     But even before the boy could pull her for a hug, Henshin tilted his head in puzzlement when Y/N suddenly ran away. "What..."

     "That was strange." Hizashi commented before smiling in amusement as his adoptive son ran after the girl down to the stairs.

     Aizawa and Hizashi silently waited for the pair in the study room, and it didn't take them long to start hearing playful whines from the girl. "No! I don't want to cuddle! You stole away my chance to answer the question for the review!"

     Henshin only patted her on the back of her thigh in return. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." The boy cooed as they walked past the study room towards the girl's own while carrying Y/N on his shoulder like a sack of potato, ignoring her light slaps on his ass.

     "Huh. That was... interesting." Hizashi commented once more.

     Aizawa hummed, "mhm, amusing even. It's almost unbelievable to see Henshin being a.... goof in here with Y/N while he's just a quiet kid who follows behind her in class."

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     "Pencils down, everybody. The last person in each row, collect the answer sheets and bring them here." Aizawa announced as soon as the students were done answering their test.

     "Thanks, Yao-momo!" Mina exclaimed to her, followed by Denki's, "I didn't leave anything blank, at least!"

     Henshin was about to stand up and excuse himself to go to the restroom, but he stops when someone suddenly jumped on him and wrapped their arms around his neck.

     They boy didn't have to move his head to see who it was, already recognizing them by how their body is pressed against him.

     "Shin! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for helping me with studying!" Y/N excitedly exclaimed to him before pressing her lips against his cheek, unaware at the heat on Henshin's cheeks as soon as he felt her lips on his skin when she suddenly pulled away with a giggle and skipped towards Midoriya.

     Oh. That... that was lovely.

     And so, their three days of written exams were over, the next day being their most awaited day, the day of the practical exam.

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     "Now, we will begin the practical exam." Aizawa announces as he stood amongst the UA teachers.

     Y/N and Henshin knitted their eyebrows and exchanged looks upon seeing their second most hated person, Endeavor, standing among the teachers. Of course, Miss Momma being the person they hate much more than him.

     Though, they wondered, what the hell is he doing here?

     Just at the sight of him made Y/N's blood to boil in anger, especially Henshin, who still hasn't, and will never forgive him for disrespecting the girl right in his face.

     Aizawa continued, "of course, it is possible to fail this exam. If you want to go to the training cap, then don't make any stupid mistakes."

     "There are a lot of teachers..." Jiro muttered.

     "I expect that you all have gathered information ahead of time and have some idea of what you will be doing." Aizawa added and Denki cheered almost immediately, "we're fighting robot warriors like at the entrance exam, right?"

     "Fireworks! Curry! Test of courage!" Mina chimed. All of a sudden, Aizawa's capture weapon started moving and popped out the principal of UA, Nezu. "For various reasons, the exam will different starting this time!"

     "Principal Nezu!"

     "Different?"

     "From now on, we want to focus on person-to-person combat and hero work, and stress teaching that is closer to actual fighting. So... We'll have you form teams of two to two fight against one teacher!" Nezu informed.

     "Against... the teachers!"

     Y/N instantly perked up, an excited smile settling on her lips while Aizawa spoke up, "in addition, will be up against have already been decided. These were determined at my discretion based on various factors, including fighting style, grades, and interpersonal relationships, so here they are:"

     "First, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu are one team, and they're fighting against me."

     "Midoriya and Bakugo are a team, and their opponent is..." Aizawa stated, causing the said pair to look at each other in surprise while Y/N gasped to herself, concerned for the greenette.

     As if on cue, All Might suddenly appeared after jumping down from the sky. "I... I will do it!"

     "All Might?!"

     Y/N's E/C widened in surprise just as how their classmates did. "Him?! Lucky them!" She said towards Henshin.

     The boy gave her a look, "I honestly wouldn't think they're lucky, N/N. It's All Might and... I wonder how will they team up? Bakugo hates Midoriya." Henshin sighed.

     "Work together to beat me, you two!"

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A FEW DAYS AGO.

     On a silent and chilly night, the UA teachers, and Endeavor, who's not actually a part of the staff, gathered in the conference room to discuss an important topic for the Class A's practical exam.

     "With the connection between Hero Killer: Stain and the League of Villains, there is a possibility that the villains will be reinvigorated, huh?" Nezu stated.

     "Of course, it would be better to prevent that before it begins, but as a school, it would be best to be completely certain." Snipe spoke up after the principal.

     He continued while the others listened to him intently, "If we consider how fights against villains will continue to intensify in today's society, then combat training against robots is not practical. Originally, robots were used to avoid complaints about people being injured in the entrance exam."

     "We can just ignore those. Let them say what they want." Aizawa chimed with his deep and usual tired voice, crossing his arms against his chest and leaning his back onto his seat as he sat beside the principal.

     "We can't exactly do that now, can we?" Asked Midnight.

     "I understand why you want to change the exam, but having the students fight us in teams of two..." Cementoss trailed, earning a nod from Thirteen. "Yes, I think that is unfair."

     "If we win so easily, we won't be able to give them grades." Present Mic commented.

     "Of course, we would take that into consideration and give the students a handicap." Snipe stated.

     Aizawa turned his head towards the principal. "Principal Nezu, what do you think?' He asked, the principal smiling and crossing his arms in return. "Of course, I also agree with changing the practical exam. What should we do to keep the students from being in even more danger?"

     "The answer is simple. We must have the students themselves become stronger."

     "That's true. I have no objections." Thirteen chimed. "Then, to determine the teams..." Aizawa spoke up.

     "First, Todoroki. In general, he's doing well, but overall, he has a tendency to use brute force. And Yaoyorozu is an all-rounder but lacks the ability to make spur-of-the-moment decisions and apply to them. Therefore, I will erase their quirks and take advantage of their weaknesses inclose combat."

     "No objections!"

     "Next, for Midoriya and Bakugo, I'm leaving them to you, All Might." Aizawa stated, causing the number one hero to jolt in his seat.

     Aizawa added, "for these two, I didn't pair them up based on ability or grades. Just on how badly they get along. You like Midoriya, right? Please instruct them well."

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PRESENT.

     Aizawa, you're paying attention. All Might thought to himself as a bullet of sweat slid down from his temple.

     "And now, we'll announce the teams and the teachers they'll be up against all at once!" Nezu announced to the students.

FIRST MATCH:

Cementoss versus Kirishima and Sato.

SECOND MATCH:
Ectoplasm versus Tusyu and Fumikage.

THIRD MATCH:
Power Loader versus Iida and Ojiro.

FOURTH MATCH:
Aizawa versus Yaoyorozu and Todoroki.

FIFTH MATCH:
Thirteen versus Aoyama and Uraraka.

SIXTH MATCH:
Nezu versus Mina and Kaminari.

SEVENTH MATCH:
Present Mic verus Jiro and Koda.

EIGHTH MATCH:
Snipe versus Shoji and Hagakure.

NINTH MATCH:
Midnight versus Sero and Mineta.

TENTH MATCH:
All Might versus Izuku and Bakugo.

Lastly, the ELEVENTH MATCH:
Endeavor versus Henshin and Y/N.

     After the announcement of the pairings, Y/N and Henshin exchanged looks once more, not fond at the thought of fighting the number two hero.

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A FEW DAYS AGO.

     "Okay, but... what about Y/N and Henshin?" Midnight asks right after Aizawa explained to pairings. Aizawa then looked towards Nezu and gave him a nod to speak up.

     "Ah, that's where Mr. Endeavor comes in. Y/N and Henshin will fight against him." Nezu stated, gaining confused looks from the pro-heroes.

     "May I ask why? No offence, but he's not a school staff." All Might commented.

     "Well, as we all know and remember, we saved Y/N and Henshin from years back, and ever since then, Aizawa and Present Mic adopted them. They would report to me about the children's progress, but of course, I've been observing them, too."

     Aizawa spoke up, "Y/N and Henshin's skills are not just like their classmates. Teaming up or individually, they're strong. I'm not saying this just because they're our children, but it's because we all know why their, especially Y/N's combats skills are more advance and... violent unlike the other students."

     "Wait, where are you going with this?" Asked Midnight once more.

     "It has come to our attention that they are being targeted. Do you all recall the creature that was reported to us that Y/N... eliminated? The Knight hero, Yukinori Shinohara, has informed us that it specifically attacked Y/N at their third day of internship." Nezu spoke once again.

     He continued, "we decided that we will pair Y/N and Henshin with someone... who's at the same level with All Might. Yes, we've said that they are advanced in their combat skills, but this will help them to strengthen their selves even more."

     "But isn't that... favoritism?"

     Nezu shook his head. "No, no, it's not. But we figured that it also may inspire the other students to go beyond their skills just like them. And that way, it can help the students to be kept from danger, which is our goal as well." He reasoned.

     Then Aizawa suddenly looks at Endeavor who was just silently listening to them with knitted eyebrows. "What do you say, Mr. Endeavor?"

     Endeavor grunted. "Mhm. No objections."

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PRESENT.

     "The time limit for the exam is thirty minutes! Your objective is either to put these handcuffs on the teacher, or to have one of you escape from the stage!" Nezu explained.

     "Capture the teacher or escape... It's kind of like the combat training."

     "Is it really okay to run away?" Asked Mina, earning a thumbs up from the principal. "Yup!"

     "But it'll be different from the combat training! You'll be up against someone way better than you!" Present Mic chimed. "Better than us...? I can't really imagine it, though." Jiro retorts while Koda was mildly panicking beside her.

     "Dummy! Hey girl, watch your mouth! You hear?" Present Mic irked.

     "This time, your exam will be very similar to a real battle. Please think of us as villains." Thirteen stated.

     Y/N and Endeavor made eye contact, glaring at each other that didn't go unnoticed by Henshin and instantly stepped forward as if to to cover his line of sight from the girl, his tail stiff and ears perked up cautiously.

     Endeavor huffed, how ironic for a hero like me to act as a villain against of the real one.

     "Assuming you come across the enemy, if you think can win a fight against them, then that's fine. However,"

     "In cases where there's too big a difference in your abilities, it would be smarter to run and get help." Said Aizawa, then he turns to five specific students.

     "Todoroki, Iida, Midoriya, Y/N, Henshin. I'm sure you five understand this well." He sternly said. Y/N and Henshin only exchanged glances before nodding at Aizawa.

     "Fight and win, or run and win." Midoriya muttered.

     "That's right! Your decision-making skills are being tested! But with these rules, you're probably thinking the only choice is to run, right? That's why we had the support course make these for us!" Said All Might.

     The number one hero then brought out a bracelet-looking object. "Ultra compressed weights! We'll put on about half of our body weight. It's too give you handicap." The students watched as their teachers wore the weights on their wrists and ankles.

     "It's old fashioned, but it makes it hard to move and eats up stamina - oh shoot, they're heavier than I thought." All Might huffed. "By the way, there was a competition to decide on the design, and we ended up using Young Hatsume's." He added.

     "To allow us to consider fighting you, huh? YOu're underestimating us." Bakugo commented.

     All Might only huffed a laugh. "I wonder."

     "All right, each team will take the practical exam in order on the prepared stage. Sato, Kirishima, get ready." Said Aizawa. "Those waiting their turn can watch the exams or think of strategies as a team. Do what you want. That's all." He added, giving Henshin and Y/N a nod before walking off.

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     Henshin sighed as he leaned his back against the wall. "Not gonna lie, I was excited for this exam, but not anymore ever since I saw him." He said, referring to the number two hero.

     Y/N nodded in agreement. "Me, too. I was kinda hoping to fight Dad instead when they announced we're fighting against teachers."

     "So, what's the plan?" The boy asked while fixing his batons and dagger holsters. The girl smirked, "the usual, Shin. Be a team in the battlefield." She answered, earning a light chuckle from him. "Sure, that's a perfect plan."

     Y/N hummed, "though, I'd like to trick him, too. It'd be fun to see the number two hero being fooled by mere teens like us, don't you think?"

     Henshin nodded. "Yeah, but can we really do that? I mean, as much as I hate to admit it... He's still the number two hero, he's stronger." He said.

     Y/N heaved a sigh, her shoulders slumping as a frown settled on her face. "You're right. But like always, we're going to give everything we've got! We're a team, after all." She huffed, the frown on her face being replaced by a grin.

     She added, "though, he's still a douchebag."

     Henshin could only chuckle at her. The pair then eventually decided to come to the monitoring room to watch their classmate and saw Midoriya inside.

     "Oh, Deku! You're here, too!"

     The greenette turned around and gave them a smile. "Yeah. We don't have may chances to see other students and the teachers fight. Besides, even if I wanted to talk about strategies..."

     Henshin sighed, "guess we can't really blame you. Your partner is Bakugo, after all, and we all know how he is when it comes to you."

     Y/N patted Midoriya's shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll do great! I'm sure you'll be able to formulate a strategy to beat All Might!" She cheered, giving him a closed eyed grin.

     Midoriya gave her a bashful smile in return. "T-Thanks, Y/N."

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     After turn after turn for their classmates' exams, Y/N was greatly entertained by watching their fights and was glad that most of them passed the exams.

     Though, there are also a few that didn't.

     After Uraraka's fight, they wondered why the brunette couldn't look properly at Y/N and couldn't talk to her without stuttering. When they asked Aoyama for answers, the blonde only giggled and told Y/N that it was a private thing for only him and Uraraka.

     During Jiro and Koda's match with Present Mic, Henshin couldn't help but sigh at his guardian. See, that's what I have to endure everyday.

     Though, he also couldn't help but to slap a hand to his mouth to cover up his laughter when he saw how scared he got from the bugs that also made him pass out.

     But the fight that they mostly enjoyed watching was Midoriya and Bakugo's fight against All Might. They admired how the greenette was able to team up with Bakugo, despite the blonde's hatred to him.

     Though, they felt bad and worried due to the injuries they gained from the fight. But after a while of watching their classmates, it was finally their turn.

"Henshin and Y/N, practical exam. Ready, go!"

     When the pair entered the arena, Y/N slightly halted as she roamed her eyes at their surrounding.

     The place suddenly made her felt like she was back at the underground arena. The fact that she knows Miss Momma is still out on the run and is probably formulating her own plan to get them back didn't help, causing fear to bubble up inside her.

     Henshin knitted his eyebrows in confusion as he turned to face her. "Y/N, what's wrong?"

     The girl gulped down the nervous lump in her throat, momentarily closing her eyes while taking a deep breath and slightly shaking her breath.

     It's all right. You and Henshin are safe here. You won't let her take Henshin, will you?

     Of course. Never. May Kami-sama forgive me for what I might do if that happens...

      With a last heave of breath, Y/N opened her eyes and gave Henshin a smile. "Yep. Let's go." And with that, their practical exam begins.

     The pair decided to split up as they look around the area for Endeavor. Y/N teleported herself at a top of a building, cautiously looking at the streets for any sign of the target.

     Y/N then summoned a spirit, "search for Endeavor." She ordered in a hushed tone without sparing it a glance.

     While Y/N searched from the top, Henshin went to the dark alleyways, mentally patting his shoulder for knowing how to silence his steps.

     One of the advantages I learned.

     Henshin also made sure to use his heightened senses to their advantage, using his nose for to smell the surrounding if ever the strong fiery smell of Endeavor is nearby and his ears to be in alert for incoming footsteps.

     All of a sudden, his body tensed upon seeing a dark figure on his side, sighing in relief upon realizing that it was just a spirit. He figured that Y/N must've summoned it.

     Y/N was still on top of a building, cautiously looking at the streets or every corner until she suddenly notices an incoming figure from her peripheral vision.

     The girl smirked to herself and jumped down the building, summoning her scythe to use th sharp end as a hook to slow down the fall.

     Endeavor huffed as he followed after the girl, quickly moving to the side when Y/N sent a blast of magic towards him, using her scythe as if it was a wand.

     Y/N then ran towards him and swung her scythe which Endeavor to back away to avoid the blade. Grunting, Endeavor sends a blast of fire towards her, Y/N immediately teleporting out of the way to dodge.

     All of a sudden, Endeavor stumbled forward when someone sent a kick to him from the back. Y/N used this chance to slam the handle of her scythe on his face that once again made the number two hero to stumble backwards.

     Endeavor groaned as blasted a fire to the whole surrounding, Y/N immediately held onto Henshin and teleported them away.

     "Are you alright?" The girl asked, running her eyes over Henshin to search for any injuries. The boy shook his head, "no, I'm fine."

     "All right, I have a plan."

     "Do enlighten me."

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     Y/N stood up and coated her scythe with magic then swung them harshly, sending a huge blast of wind that made the fire disappear. Endeavor huffed as he glared at the girl who was running towards him once again, jumping back when he thought she was going to swing her scythe again.

     But all of a sudden, Endeavor felt a sting from his shoulder, immediately realizing that Y/N used her scythe as a distraction before throwing her daggers.

     Y/N glanced back at Henshin's place and nodded, the boy instantly getting the signal as he transformed in his wolf form and ran towards the number two hero. Endeavor furrowed his eyebrows upon seeing the wolf boy, leaping away when the pair was about to attack him at the same time.

     However, his eyes widened when Y/N was suddenly in front of him and sent a kick on his cheek. Endeavor grunted from the pain and ducked when Y/N swung her scythe before grabbing the weapon by the handle and harshly threw it away along with the girl who crashed against a building.

     Henshin growled as he ran towards Endeavor, the latter yelling in pain when Henshin scratch him with his claws, momentarily forgetting the girl as he began to clash with the wolf.

     Y/N groaned as she stood up, hissing at the ache from the back of her head, coughing upon accidentally inhaling the dust from the broken rocks.

     "5 minutes remaining!", came from the speaker.

     Henshin groaned at the hot feeling on his skin from Endeavor's fire. By now, he decided to revert himself as human and fought the number two with his batons. The boy immediately rolled to the side when Endeavor sent a blast of fire to his way.

     "2 minutes remaining!"

     Henshin grunted as he jumped back when Endeavor sent a kick on his stomach, spluttering blood on the ground as he coughed. "Y/N, now!" The boy suddenly shouted.

     And with that, Endeavor's eyes dilated as he furrowed his eyebrows when the surrounding suddenly changed.

     He was in an oddly familiar underground arena, people cheered from the sidelines as he stood at the center.

     Endeavor furrowed his eyebrows as he looked down on the ground, seeing fresh blood splatters and a... headless body. Specifically, his body while his head was placed on a golden plate with worms and bugs crawling in and out from his eyes and mouth. The number two hero steps backwards at the sight. Then suddenly, he gasped upon realizing where he is.

     It was the underground arena where Y/N and Henshin used to fight at.

     Y/N immediately summoned spirits and made them held Endeavor when he suddenly started attacking once more despite that he can't see them from Y/N's illusion.

     Endeavor groaned loudly as he struggled against multiple grasps while Henshin quickly took out the handcuffs.

     "6...

     5...

     4...

     3..."

     Y/N huffed while helping the spirits in holding down Endeavor as Henshin struggled to put the handcuffs on.

     "2..."

     "Got it!" Henshin exclaimed as he finally locked the handcuffs around Endeavor's wrist. Y/N sighed in relief as she stood up and deactivated her quirk, the spirits disappearing and disappearing in the process.

     Endeavor's eyes dilated once more when he saw the illusion dropped and saw the handcuffs on his wrist.

     "Team Y/N and Henshin have passed! All matches for Class 1-A's practical exams have been completed!"

     A smile appeared on Henshin's face as he limply walked towards Y/N who immediately looked at him in worry. "Shin! What happened?"

     Henshin shook his head and wrapped his arms around her body. "I got distracted during the fight, is all. But it doesn't matter, we passed."

     Y/N smiled, "We did."

END OF CHAPTER.