➤ ( CHAPTER 029 ! )
" first finals exams "

AS OF NOW, IT WAS SHOTOS ANS SHOSUKE TURN. The area in which they were to battle in high resembled a live and thriving city.

The bustling, artificial city around them was eerily quiet as Shoto and Shousuke prepared for their physical exam. The buildings stood tall, casting long shadows across the empty streets. Shoto furrowed his brow, glancing around uneasily. Something didn't feel right.

"Shousuke, we should—" Shoto started, but his words were cut off as a metallic screech pierced the air. The ground beneath them shook violently as a wave of debris surged toward them, yanked from the surrounding environment by an unseen force.

Kanzaki Heganeuka stepped out from behind a crumbling structure, his arms outstretched and a twisted smile plastered across his face. "Did you really think you could make a plan without me hearing?"

Shousuke's Byakugan activated immediately, veins bulging around his eyes as his field of vision expanded. "Shoto—move!" he shouted, shoving his friend aside. But the warning came too late. In a flash, Kanzaki pulled the debris directly toward them, the force so strong that Shousuke couldn't completely avoid it.

A jagged piece of concrete slammed into the side of Shousuke's head with brutal force, knocking him to the ground. Blood splattered across the pavement, and his vision blurred instantly. His Byakugan flickered as he tried to process the sudden, blinding pain. His mind became a fog, and he struggled to stay conscious.

"Shousuke!" Shoto yelled, rushing to his side. But before he could reach him, Kanzaki's sinister voice rang out.

"Ah, ah, ah," Kanzaki sneered, raising his hand once more. "No rescuing your little friend just yet."

The air around them distorted again as Kanzaki pulled in more debris—rubble from nearby buildings, shattered glass, twisted metal, even entire sections of the street. The ground trembled under the force of his quirk, and Shoto's heart raced. He's too strong.

Shoto quickly summoned a wall of ice to block the incoming debris, but Kanzaki yanked it toward himself effortlessly, the frozen structure shattering into a million pieces before it could even make contact. Kanzaki's quirk was unlike anything they had faced before—he could control the battlefield with terrifying precision.

"You two are nothing," Kanzaki taunted, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Just a couple of kids playing hero. This is the real world."

Shoto gritted his teeth, trying to think of a way out. He sent a wave of fire toward Kanzaki, but the older man simply laughed as he pulled the flames toward him, extinguishing them in midair. I can't get close, Shoto thought desperately. Every move he made was countered almost immediately.

Kanzaki continued to torment them, sending waves of destruction their way without a hint of mercy. Shousuke, still disoriented and struggling to stay on his feet, could only watch as Shoto was pushed to his limits.

"Look at you," Kanzaki mocked, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure. "You're so out of your depth."

He raised both hands this time, pulling in massive chunks of concrete, vehicles, and anything else he could find. The sheer scale of the attack was overwhelming. Shoto barely had time to dodge as a barrage of cars and metal beams came hurtling toward him. He summoned another wall of ice, but Kanzaki shattered it with a flick of his wrist, the fragments raining down on them like deadly shards.

"Shoto... I can't..." Shousuke tried to speak, but his voice was weak. The blow to his head had done more damage than he initially realized. His quirk flickered off completely, his Byakugan no longer able to sustain itself. He clutched his head, blood dripping from his eyes as he struggled to regain focus.

Kanzaki noticed Shousuke's weakened state and grinned. "Looks like your friend's already out for the count. Maybe I'll finish him off first." He took a step forward, his eyes gleaming with malice.

"No!" Shoto shouted, throwing himself in front of Shousuke. His hands burned with fire as he unleashed a massive wave of flames at Kanzaki, but the older man deflected them effortlessly, pulling the heat and energy away with a flick of his wrist.

Kanzaki's laughter echoed through the empty streets. "You really think you can protect him? You're barely able to protect yourself."

With another wave of his hand, Kanzaki sent more debris flying their way, and Shoto struggled to keep up. His ice and fire attacks were useless against Kanzaki's overwhelming quirk. I have to do something... he thought, his chest tightening with fear. We need a plan, or we're finished.

"Shousuke, we need to get out of here," Shosuke muttered, grabbing as he grabbed Shotos arm and pulling himself up. Shousuke was barely standing, his head pounding from the impact of the earlier attack.

"We... we can't just run," Shoto gasped, his voice weak.

"We don't have a choice," Shousuke replied, his eyes darting around for any place they could take cover. Kanzaki was too strong to fight head-on. They needed time to regroup.

Kanzaki watched them with amusement as Shoto helped Shousuke limp away. "Running away? How pathetic."

But as Kanzaki prepared to pull them back, Shoto summoned a massive wall of ice, taller and thicker than any he had created before. It wouldn't hold for long, but it gave them enough time to slip into a nearby alley.

They stumbled through the narrow alleyway, the sound of their own heavy breathing filling their ears. Shoto glanced over his shoulder, expecting Kanzaki to come crashing through the ice at any moment.

"We can't fight him like this," Shoto said, his voice low. "We need to figure out a way to counter his quirk."

Shousuke winced, leaning against the wall for support. His head throbbed, and his vision was still blurry. "He's too strong... I couldn't even see his attacks coming."

"Don't worry about that right now," Shoto replied, glancing around the alley for any place they could hide. They found a small, abandoned building at the end of the alley and quickly ducked inside, closing the door behind them.

For a moment, there was only silence. The sound of Kanzaki's destructive quirk tearing through the city was faint but growing louder. Shoto peeked through the broken window, watching as Kanzaki's figure loomed in the distance.

"We need a plan," Shoto said quietly, his mind racing. "If we keep fighting him head-on, we won't last much longer."

Shousuke nodded, though his head pounded with every movement. "His quirk... it pulls things toward him. If we can stop him from using it..."

"Right," Shoto agreed. "But how? He's too fast, and we can't get close enough without him pulling everything around us."

As they whispered their plan, Kanzaki's voice echoed through the streets. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" He was getting closer.

Shoto clenched his fists, determination flaring within him. We have to stop him.

They didn't have much time. Kanzaki was hunting them, and the only way to survive was to outsmart him before he found them again.

THE AIR WAS THICK WITH DUST AND TENTIOMN, as Shoto and Shousuke crouched in the abandoned building. The crumbling walls around them barely offered protection from the growing destruction outside. Shoto's mind raced, desperate to think of a plan.

 They were outmatched. Kanzaki's quirk was overwhelming, and Shousuke had already taken a severe hit to the head.

Shousuke, sitting against the wall, was visibly in pain but still sharp-eyed. His quick hand movements and intense gaze showed that he was thinking—planning.

He tapped his fingers against his temple, gesturing toward Shoto and then back to himself, as if trying to communicate an idea.

"What? You have a plan?" Shoto asked, kneeling down beside him. Shousuke nodded, eyes focused, though his body trembled from exhaustion.

But how could they pull it off? They were both struggling under the pressure. Kanzaki's strength seemed limitless, and their quirks had been ineffective against his relentless barrage.

Shoto could feel the weight of the situation crushing down on him. His friend was badly injured, and Kanzaki was getting closer. "We're running out of time," he whispered. His fists tightened in frustration.

Suddenly, Shousuke tapped his fingers again, this time more forcefully. His hand shot up toward the ceiling, and then he pointed to Shoto.

His eyes widened with a spark of realization. He was trying to say something—no, show something. Shousuke used his psychokinesis to gently lift a small piece of rubble, then combined it with a flicker of energy which caused the rubble to quietly explode.

His intention was clear now.

"You want us to combine our powers?"

A slight nod from Shousuke, though his face winced in pain as his Byakugan flickered, straining from overuse.

Shoto clenched his fists, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. This was their only shot. They were both exhausted, injured, and Kanzaki's quirk made it impossible to land a direct hit. But if they could combine their strengths, channel everything they had left into one overwhelming attack... it might be enough.

Outside, Kanzaki's voice taunted them. "Come on! Stop hiding, kids! You can't escape me forever." His footsteps grew louder, closer. "I'll tear this place apart if I have to."

Shousuke gestured again, this time more urgently. They were running out of time. Shoto's hands glowed faintly, one side flickering with flames, the other with ice. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He could feel the pressure building, the fear creeping in. But he looked at Shousuke, battered and bleeding, still determined to fight despite his injuries. There was no turning back now.

"Let's do it," Shoto whispered.

━━━━━━━━━━

IN THE MONETRING ROOM

Meanwhile, Class 1-A watched the unfolding battle on a large screen from the observation room.

"Are they... really going to take Kanzaki down?" Kaminari asked, leaning forward in disbelief, though his hands trembled slightly.

Bakugo scoffed, though his expression was more serious than usual. "Those two better not lose." He glanced down, noticing the faint tingling in his arms, a sudden wave of exhaustion creeping over him. He shook it off.

"They've been fighting him this whole time without backing down," Kirishima added, his fists clenched in solidarity. "That's true spirit." But even Kirishima felt the odd sluggishness spreading through his body. His muscles, usually full of strength, seemed drained, though he tried not to show it.

Momo frowned, noticing her own energy levels dropping. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she looked around at her classmates. Everyone was feeling the same thing. She glanced at the staff members, including All Might and Aizawa, whose normally stoic expressions were tinged with concern. "Do you think they can pull it off?" she asked quietly, hoping for reassurance.

"They're capable," Aizawa said, though his gaze remained fixed on the screen. His body felt heavier, and he narrowed his eyes. "But whether they can handle the pressure is another story... something's off."

As the energy in the room grew heavier, it became clear that Shousuke was tapping into their collective power. The screen showed him in the midst of battle, his eyes glowing faintly as he absorbed the surrounding energy—not just from the environment, but from his classmates themselves. The connection between him and the others grew more apparent, and with each passing moment, they could feel it—weakness settling into their limbs as Shousuke took their strength for himself.

"He's... draining us," Midoriya muttered, holding his head as the realization hit him. "That's why we're feeling like this."

Bakugo gritted his teeth. "Damn it, if that's what it takes to win, then fine."

"But why excaptly?" Uraraka questioned to which no one could answer.

"They look like they're preparing something big," Tsuyu muttered, her eyes fixed on the fight.

"They'd better be careful," Iida added, his voice filled with concern. "They've already taken so much damage..."

Sero, commented as he crossed his arms watching the screen intently. "If they screw this up, it's over."

"Come on, you two," Midoriya whispered under his breath, unable to look away from the screen. His hands gripped the edge of his seat tightly. "You can do this."

━━━━━━━━━━

Back in the battlefield, Shoto and Shousuke prepared their final move. Shousuke's psychokinesis activated, lifting pieces of rubble into the air with trembling fingers.

His head throbbed from the earlier impact, and his eyes were beginning to bleed from the strain of his Byakugan. His mind felt fuzzy, on the verge of collapsing, but he pushed through the pain. This was it.

Shoto, standing beside him, unleashed his power. Flames roared to life from his left hand.

Shoto's hands glowed with a fierce mix of flames and ice, the contrast of elements crackling with raw energy. He poured every ounce of his remaining strength into Shousuke's telekinetic grasp, merging the searing heat of fire with the chilling cold of ice. The swirling debris, once scattered and chaotic, began to coalesce into a formidable storm of destruction. The storm grew larger, more volatile, each second amplifying the power and instability of their combined attack.

Shousuke, despite his exhaustion and pain, was a picture of concentrated focus. His telekinesis whirled with the energy of the storm, guiding the swirling mass of rubble, fire, and ice into a singularity of impending devastation. The ground beneath them trembled as if sensing the cataclysmic force about to be unleashed. Shousuke's eyes, bloodshot from overuse, glowed dimly through the haze of his Byakugan, while sweat mingled with the blood trickling down his face.

Through the thickening smoke and debris, Kanzaki emerged, his smirk unwavering. His posture was casual, almost mocking. "Is that all you've got? Pathetic!" His voice was dripping with disdain and self-assuredness. His quirk was formidable, but the sheer scale of their combined powers made even him hesitate. He raised his hand, preparing to pull the approaching storm towards him with his quirk, but the intensity of the attack made him pause.

Shousuke's hair, now floating as if charged with an unseen energy, whipped around his face. His eyes were resolute despite the blood flowing from them, indicating the immense strain he was under. 

e had barely enough strength left, but he forced himself into action. He reached out with one hand, grasping Shoto's waist for support, while his other hand tightly held Shoto's, directing it toward Kanzaki.

"Hold on!" Shoto urged, his voice strained but determined. His body tensed, feeling the pressure building around them as the ground shook violently. Their feet sank into the earth, anchored by the immense force of the power they were channeling.

A dark maroonish-purple aura enveloped Shousuke's body, crackling with psychic energy.

At the same time, a fierce red and blue aura surrounded Shoto, combining fire and ice into a glowing storm. The two auras merged into a turbulent maelstrom, each contributing to the growing storm's ferocity.

Shousuke's head pounded with each beat of his heart, the pain nearly blinding. Blood dripped steadily from his eyes, his vision blurred and dimming with each passing second.

The strain was immense, but he gritted his teeth, focusing on the task at hand. Just a little longer, he thought desperately. His entire being was consumed by the effort, but he could not afford to falter now.

"NOW!" Shoto shouted, his voice cutting through the cacophony of destruction.

With one final, earth-shattering push, Shousuke directed his power.

The combined energy of fire and ice, along with the swirling debris, erupted with a deafening roar. The blast tore through the battlefield with a force so immense that it seemed to warp reality itself.

The air was filled with a blinding light, and the ground shattered beneath the raw power of the explosion.

The impact was catastrophic. Half the simulated city was obliterated in an instant. Buildings that once stood tall were reduced to dust and rubble, the streets split open as the earth itself was torn asunder. The sheer force of the attack sent shockwaves rippling through the environment, leaving behind a landscape of devastation.

AS THE DUST AND SMOKE BEGAN TO STETTLE, a lone figure emerged from the wreckage. Shousuke stumbled forward, barely able to stand. His clothes were