The first team to enter the battlefield was Ashido and Kaminari, and their opponent was the principal.
"I believe you both understand the objective for passing the assessment?"
Principal Nezu spoke with a gentle smile, looking at the two troublemakers in front of him.
"It's similar to combat training," he continued. "Can you escape with everything you have?"
"Yes!" Kaminari shouted immediately. "But professional Heroes won't hold back either! Your judgment and adaptability will be put to the test!"
No matter how one looked at him, the small, white principal still resembled a harmless mascot. He raised his round, fluffy paw.
"However, this can easily make students feel that escape is the only viable option," Nezu said. "So the school, together with the Support Department, has developed this piece of equipment."
From his trouser pockets, he took out four small metal bracelets and fastened them to his limbs.
"These weights are equivalent to half my body weight," he explained cheerfully. "You may consider this a form of concession. The method is rather old-fashioned, but it significantly restricts movement and rapidly consumes stamina."
Looking at the four heavy, ring-like weights, Kaminari's expression became extremely complicated.
At the same time, the other students also arrived at their respective examination areas.
Masata's earlier doubts were answered soon after.
"Am I… not in a team?"
Noticing that there were no teammates beside him, Masata turned to Aizawa-sensei and asked directly.
"Yes," Aizawa replied. "Given your current strength, you'll be facing me alone."
The usually lethargic homeroom teacher was serious now. He loosened the capture scarf around his neck, his posture clearly ready for combat.
"This exam is designed to be as close to real combat as possible. Treat us as villains."
"If you encounter villains in the real world, overwhelming them with strength is ideal. But when the power gap is too large, retreating and calling for reinforcements is the correct decision."
Aizawa looked straight at Masata. "You should understand that better than anyone."
"..."
Masata's expression shifted slightly as memories surfaced—his encounter with a Hero assassin flashing through his mind.
Once everyone was in position, Recovery Girl, who was seated in the monitoring room with Masata, spoke to Present Mic.
"All students have reached their assigned locations, correct? Then the first-year final exams of U.A. officially begin~!"
Watching Recovery Girl sit back and observe the screens with a relaxed expression, Masata couldn't help but ask:
"Recovery Girl… do you know what my special assessment is?"
She squinted, turned her head toward him, and nodded.
"I know. But I'm not telling you."
"…Looks like today's going to be busy," Masata muttered.
Since she clearly had no intention of answering, Masata stopped pressing the issue and turned his attention to the screens, which displayed the battles unfolding across the exam areas.
"Let me see… where are Momo-chan and Chacha?"
At that moment, Yaoyorozu Momo and Jiro Kyoka were inside a dense forest. Their opponent was Present Mic.
"YEAH—!!!"
Mic stood casually near the exit point, looking completely unconcerned about being ambushed.
As usual, he shouted—but this time, when he activated his Quirk, the sheer volume nearly tore through the sky.
Birds throughout the forest burst into flight, fleeing the area in panic. Momo and Jiro, who had just entered the woods, immediately covered their ears in discomfort.
"Even with my ears blocked, it feels like my eardrums are about to rupture!"
Momo grimaced.
She had already created earplugs to block her ears, yet her head still felt dizzy.
"This isn't just stronger—it's total suppression!"
Jiro was faring even worse. Her Quirk made her hearing far more sensitive than normal, and in front of Present Mic's overwhelming sound-based ability, she was completely restrained.
"Jiro!" Momo shouted over the noise. "If I make you a sound amplifier, can you temporarily counter this?"
"I'm not sure!" Jiro yelled back while crouching on the ground. "But it's worth trying! The equipment built into my combat suit isn't enough at all!"
Jiro could greatly amplify her heartbeat through her suit, and the principles behind sound amplification weren't especially complex. Momo had created similar devices before.
A burst of colorful light flashed, and a handheld speaker appeared in Momo's hands.
"Here!"
Jiro immediately took it, plugged her earlobe jack into the port, aimed the speaker toward the source of the sound waves, and activated her Quirk.
Although it was still far weaker than Present Mic's voice, the counter-sound successfully neutralized a large portion of the noise.
"Hah… it finally feels bearable."
Momo handed Jiro a pair of earplugs and earmuffs, gesturing for her to put them on to further reduce the pressure. Then, she quickly created two helmets, fully equipping them both.
"Let's move forward like this!"
With their hearing largely isolated, Jiro signaled with hand gestures and took the lead.
The closer they got to the sound source, the louder it became. Even with three layers of protection, Present Mic's voice still pierced through.
"Where are you—come out already—the time's almost up—!"
Mic had not stopped shouting since the start of the match. He had been roaring continuously for nearly ten minutes. It was hard to imagine how his throat was built—yet he showed no sign of hoarseness.
Through the trees, they could finally see Present Mic's figure. The distance between them was now less than a hundred meters.
Watching Mic open his mouth again, Momo's eyes narrowed.
She picked up a branch and quickly drew something on the ground.
"Don't stop using your Quirk," she signaled. "We can win immediately."
Jiro stared at her in shock, completely unable to see how this situation could possibly turn in their favor. They were already at their limit—any closer, and their Quirks would be nearly useless.
Momo only smiled mysteriously and focused on creating.
About half a minute later, a simple gunpowder cannon was placed on the ground. She quickly created several cannonballs and loaded them into the barrel.
After calculating distance and wind speed, Momo adjusted the angle and aimed directly at Present Mic.
"BOOM!"
Mic heard the explosion and saw several black shells shoot out of the forest.
"It's useless!" he laughed. "With such an obvious trajectory, only small-time villains would get hit by that!"
The cannonballs flew over his head without touching him.
Then—
They exploded midair.
"BOOM!!!"'
...
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