One week flew by really quickly.
The written exams had come and gone, filled with basic multiple choice sections, problem solving essays and situational analysis that tested more than just hero knowledge, they challenged judgement, logic and emotional intelligence. Anyways, Dante expected that he did very well, though the results hadn't been announced yet.
And today, it was the day of the practical exam.
Everyone was standing in their hero gear—well obviously not Dante, he refused to wear that fuckass pink outfit. Even after he'd told U.A. that that outfit was NOT what he wanted, they kept giving it to him. So he was wearing the sports outfit as usual, arms folded, eyes a bit sleepy but alert. Infront of the class was a huge metal building, lookout towers and reinforced paths for simulated combat. Everyone was rambling on about how excited they were to take down as many robots as possible.
Then the teachers appeared.
Aizawa, Cementoss, Midnight, Snipe, Present Mic… even thirteen was there, standing there. Dante hadn't seen her since… that day.
And then, Nezu popped out from Aizawa's scarf with a bright grin.
"Good day, students!" He squeaked, paws raised in a welcoming gesture. "I hope you're well rested and ready for today's exam! But before you start preparing yourselves… allow me to introduce this years DIFFERENT practical exam!!"
Mina and Kaminari froze in place.
Whispers rippled through the class.
Nezu's eyes gleamed. "This year, you will not be fighting robots. Instead, you will face us… your teachers!"
Everyone gasped and even Dante looked a little surprised.
"You'll be paired into teams of two and assigned one teacher. Your goal? Capture them, defeat them or escape. Victory is achieved through either subduing your assigned teacher or fleeing the area within the time limit. This is a test of cooperation, adaptability and judgement.
"Your teams were selected based on compatibility, recent performance and personal relationships."
Everyone started checking the board as their matchups were displayed.
As Dante read the names, his expression only grew more confused, aswell as a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Team 1: Dante Graves & Shoto Todoroki vs. Shota Aizawa
Todoroki stood a few feet away, staring at the same result, eyes narrowed.
Dante scoffed slightly. "Of course."
He glanced toward Aizawa, who stood quietly on the sideline, arms crossed, face oddly expressive, he had a grin that said "shouldn't have cheated."
Dante muttered to himself, "it's probably because we both have fire. Both entered on special recommendation. We fought in the festival and me and Aizawa are pretty close."
Todoroki approached Dante silently. "Me, you, Momo Yaoyorozu and another student all got in on special recommendation. I thought I would be with her but I was wrong."
Dante shrugged. "Makes sense to me, and it makes sense that they'd put us against someone who knows our tricks well."
Todoroki gave a faint nod. "Then we just need to strategize."
Dante's lips curled into a smirk. "Alright."
The two of them moved to the open corner of their fighting zone, away from everyone else. Dante rolled his shoulders before reaching down to stretch his legs. His expression was calm, but his eyes were mapping his surroundings.
Todoroki stood nearby, copying Dante's stretched, also mapping the surroundings. Neither of them spoke for a moment.
Then Dante exhaled and said. "Okay I've come up with a couple plans, pretty basic but good enough. You can choose between them."
Todoroki nodded. "Let's hear it."
"Plan A." Dante started, still stretching. "We both go at Aizawa together, full force. He press him from both sides, overwhelm him and use the fact he can only erase one quirk at a time. Coordinated pressure, constant movement. If my quirk is cancelled, freeze him and if yours is cancelled I'll wrap him up. It's risky but if it works, we will walk out with both the win and a bit of pride."
Todoroki didn't interrupt, but his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Plan B," Dante continued, standing up and dusting his hands. "I can hold him off alone while you escape. Aizawa's biggest strength is his neutralisation. He can cancel one quirk, but not two simultaneously unless he switches. So I take the brunt, distraction, bait him into using erasure on me. Meanwhile, you make a break for the exit while I hold him off."
Todoroki looked down, considering the odds, then met Dante's gaze.
"You will be the bait?"
Dante shrugged. "It's fine, I've been wanting a rematch anyways. He knows me very well. He'll probably come at me harder than you."
"And you're sure about this?" Todoroki asked, tone skeptical.
A slow smirk tugged at the corner of Dante's mouth. "I'm sure, and im also sure that Mirko is a better fighter than him and I was putting pressure on her during my internship."
They both stood in silence for a moment, Todoroki was weighing the possibilities.
Todoroki finally spoke. "Plan B is going to give us the win more likely."
"Yeah."
Todoroki mulled that over. "And you trust me to escape?"
"I trust Aizawa to chase me harder than you," Dante replied with a sigh. "He sure is sentimental."
They both looked across the simulated city, Aizawa was somewhere out there, expecting them.
Dante rolled his neck, cracked his knuckles and said, "So? What'll it be, Todoroki? Two blades to a throat? Or one on the line for a clean getaway."
Todoroki's reply came calmly, his answer surprising Dante.
"…Let's go with Plan A. We are special recommendation students. We should at least be able to handle one pro."
Dante nodded once, approving. "Sure sure. I'm okay with that, surprising coming from you though."
The alarm blared across the training field, signalling that their exam was starting.
"Team Dante Graves and Shoto Todoroki, Go!"