"Impressive, let's see how tongue you three really are!" Gang Orca said, not daring to take them lightly, especially the pink one in the center.
As a Pro Hero, he, of course, knew about the Stain's incident, along with the Sports Festival. Tsutsumi Ryoko has rejected his request for an internship and instead chose to intern with Miruko, and later he interned with Miyabi.
Gang Orca knew the strength of both of them, compare in strength, he is no match for either of them. Miruko is more popular and is stronger than him, while Miyabi is an Underground Hero, and he is a bit afraid of her.
And rumors said that he was able to keep up and even matched those two, which made Gang Orca not dare to take him as lightly as the other examinees.
Gang Orca stepped forward again, a low hum building in the air as he released another wave of ultrasonic energy toward the three of them.
Although his attention was clearly on Tsutsumi, he didn't make it obvious. This was still an exam, and openly singling out one student would look unprofessional.
The attack spread outward.
Todoroki reacted first, sliding back across the ground using a mix of ice and flame to create distance. Bakugo blasted himself sideways with a controlled explosion, avoiding the main force of the wave.
Tsutsumi didn't move.
The ultrasonic waves slammed into him head-on. They had weakened over the distance, but they were still strong enough to whip his coat and bandana violently as the air trembled around him.
He calmly reached for a card.
Attack Ride: Erasure!
His eyes flashed crimson.
In an instant, Gang Orca felt it, his Quirk cutting out completely. The familiar pressure of his ultrasonic waves vanished, leaving only his own physical strength behind.
The sudden loss made him falter for half a second.
…So that's it.
He remembered now. During the Sports Festival finals, Tsutsumi had used abilities that clearly didn't belong to him. Quirks he shouldn't have had access to.
Still, Gang Orca didn't panic. Relying on his natural strength and combat experience, he jumped back, narrowly avoiding the follow-up ice and explosions sent his way by the other two.
Seeing their "boss" pushed back, several fake villains immediately rushed in to support him. They raised mass-produced launchers and fired a special cement compound, thick, sticky projectiles that hardened after a short delay.
Todoroki spread ice in front of them, blocking part of the barrage.
Bakugo darted through the gaps, explosions sending him weaving between incoming shots.
Tsutsumi shifted his attention to the projectiles coming straight at him.
Form Ride: Tentacole!
His form changed instantly.
He transformed into Shoji, one arm expanding and flattening into a wide shield. The restraining compound splattered against it, spreading across the surface before quickly hardening, growing heavier by the second.
Gang Orca took advantage of the opening.
With his Quirk restored, he unleashed another ultrasonic burst, shattering the ice around him and freeing the fake villains caught within it. As the debris settled, something felt… off.
Earlier, Tsutsumi had shown an ability to phase through attacks entirely. During the first test, objects had passed through him like he wasn't fully there.
So why block now?
That question didn't last long.
An explosion slammed into Gang Orca's side, sending him skidding backward. Ice crept up immediately after, locking his legs in place.
He looked up.
Bakugo hovered briefly before landing, explosions popping from his palms.
Todoroki stood nearby, one hand lowered as frost spread outward, his expression calm and focused.
Only then did he realize... Tsutsumi was holding back so the other can shine.
Unlike Bakugo and Todoroki, Tsutsumi never wanted to be a hero.
He didn't dream about rankings, fame, or standing at the top. He didn't imagine crowds cheering his name or villains falling at his feet. All he ever wanted was something far simpler. To be normal, with familiar faces, and a place he could honestly call home.
That was the problem. His power made "normal" impossible.
Holding onto it meant he could never truly settle anywhere. No matter the world, no matter the people, he would always be something temporary, someone passing through. A wanderer who couldn't stay, because staying would eventually break everything around him.
And yet, letting go of that power wasn't an option either.
Without it, he wouldn't have the strength to protect anything at all, not himself, not the people he cared about, not even the fragile peace he kept stumbling into.
It was a choice with no good outcome, only different kinds of loss. So he didn't chase the spotlight or push himself to be seen.
Instead, Tsutsumi stepped back.
He let Bakugo and Todoroki move forward, let them take the hits, make the noise, and draw attention. They wanted to be heroes. They believed in that path, in standing at the front and carrying that weight.
If someone had to shine, it should be them.
"I see… so that's your decision," Gang Orca muttered.
He had already figured out what Tsutsumi was doing and didn't bother complaining about it. Honestly, he was grateful.
That single kick earlier had already fractured his left shoulder. Tsutsumi choosing not to join in meant he wouldn't get beaten half to death, and the others would still have their chance to prove themselves. From an examiner's perspective, it was almost ideal.
Gang Orca released another ultrasonic wave, breaking free of the ice binding his legs. The shockwave shattered the remaining frost and forced Bakugo back, boots scraping against the ground as he stabilized himself.
Todoroki raised his hand, flame gathering in his palm, and launched it toward Gang Orca.
The fire never reached him.
A powerful wind slammed down from above, tearing the flames apart and scattering them harmlessly across the field.
"Why did you use your flame!?" Yoarashi Inasa shouted from behind Todoroki. "The heat makes the wind rise!"
"If you're going to join in late," Todoroki shot back without turning, "then at least pay attention to your ally's attacks!"
The response was fast, sharp, and practiced.
Both he and Bakugo had learned this the hard way during training with Tsutsumi. Timing mattered. Positioning mattered. One poorly placed move could ruin a combo, or worse.
In a real fight, a mistake like that could get someone killed.
Even Bakugo and Todoroki, egos and all, understood that much.
Hearing Todoroki's cold tone only made Yoarashi angrier. It dredged up old resentment, the time Endeavor had brushed him off as a kid, the way Todoroki had barely acknowledged him during U.A.'s entrance exam.
"You're doing this on purpose!" Yoarashi snapped. "You're trying to keep all the glory for yourself!"
Todoroki: "..."
He was clearly taken aback, but after a brief pause, he chose not to respond. There were more important things happening. He turned his attention back to the fight.
During training, every time he and Bakugo started arguing mid-combat against Tsutsumi, their class rep never hesitated to drop-kick both of them and remind them that this was a fight, not a clown show.
"HEY! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!?" Yoarashi shouted, voice rising when he realized he was being ignored. "You're just like him! Just like Endeavor! Figures, coming from his son!"
Todoroki's eyelid twitched.
He bit down on his tongue, the sharp pain grounding him before he could do something reckless.
At that moment, the fake henchmen opened fire, aiming straight at Todoroki while his focus wavered.
"Cast off!"
Bakugo's armor shed its heavier components in a burst of noise as the booster engines roared to life. He shot forward, grabbed Todoroki by the back of the neck, and yanked him out of the line of fire.
"Idiot!" Bakugo shouted, dropping him a safe distance away. "Focus! If you fail this test, don't you dare call me a friend!"
Todoroki hit the ground, caught himself, and pushed back to his feet.
"…Sorry," he muttered.
He shoved his anger down, steadied his breathing, and turned his attention back to the fight, eyes sharp and focused once more.
One of the henchmen tracked their movement, raising his gun and lining up a shot.
The weapon shattered before he could even pull the trigger.
Gang Orca's eyes widened as he spotted the purple-and-magenta round embedded in the ruined gun. The color, the shape, too familiar. He immediately shifted his gaze, scanning the area.
Another gun was shot down. Then another.
More bullets flew in rapid succession, each one precise, each one destroying a henchman's gun cleanly and efficiently. With no wasted movement or missed shots.
Gang Orca finally found the source.
Tsutsumi was standing far back from the fight, posture relaxed. His right arm bent upward, hand near his shoulder, and a mechanical cavity opened at his elbow. A rifle extended from within, locking into place with a soft mechanical click.
Aizawa couldn't sit still anymore.
He stood up abruptly in his seat, eyes wide, tension instantly spiking.
Tsutsumi's left hand reached up, tugged a single strand of hair from his head, and twisted it. A small opening formed in his right palm as he placed the hair inside.
Load. Aim. And fire.
Another gun was destroyed, the henchman stumbling backward in shock and fear, losing the will to even stay upright.
Faced with a silent, long-range sniper, Gang Orca and the remaining henchmen immediately adjusted. They couldn't ignore him, but their weapons couldn't reach him either.
A few of them chose the only option left. They rushed him.
Bakugo and Todoroki moved at the same time, intercepting the charging henchmen and dropping them quickly before they could get close.
Both of them understood the situation instantly.
An ADC like Tsutsumi couldn't be left exposed.
So they did what any decent Jungler and Mid-laner would do: rotate, gank, and protect their main AD Carry.
Todoroki gathered flame on his left side, preparing another attack. Then he paused.
Instead of launching the fire, he redirected it, using the heat to raise Bakugo's body temperature, forcing sweat to build faster.
"Katsuki," Todoroki said calmly, "I'll support you. My ice won't work on him, and my flame might just get scattered by that guy's wind."
Bakugo nodded once. Their hands linked.
Ice spread from Todoroki's right foot, forming a smooth path. Flames erupted behind them as Bakugo detonated controlled explosions, pushing both of them forward.
Todoroki skated along the ice, the fire boosting their speed even further.
Together, they circled Gang Orca.
Behind them, the remaining henchmen were handled, either disabled by Tsutsumi's fire or taken down by other examinees who had already finished escorting the bystanders to safety.
As they closed in, momentum building, Todoroki threw Bakugo forward.
Explosions erupted from Bakugo's arms and boosters, propelling him faster and faster. He extended his leg, body twisting into position, lining up his Rider Kick.
"Explosive Finish!"
Before the kick could land, another powerful wind blast slammed into him, throwing his trajectory off just enough for Gang Orca to sidestep.
Bakugo missed by only a few centimeters.
"THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Bakugo roared midair as his foot crashed into the ground, skidding to a halt.
Now it was his turn to be furious.
Whose side was this idiot even on!?
Gang Orca didn't waste the opening.
He unleashed an ultrasonic blast, slamming straight into Yoarashi and knocking him out of the air. Tsutsumi was still the biggest threat, but he was too far away. Bakugo was too fast to pin down. Todoroki could block or mitigate the waves.
Yoarashi was the easiest target. And he had no one covering him.
Yoarashi went down hard.
Ice snapped up around Gang Orca's feet, freezing him in place.
Bakugo launched forward again. Explosions detonated around him as he spun, turning into a black, spiraling drill of smoke and force.
"Howitzer Impact!"
Gang Orca crossed his arms and took the hit head-on. The explosion blasted him backward, his body skidding and bouncing across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
Before anyone could move again, the bell rang. And the exam was over.
...
With the exam coming to an end, all the examinees gathered to check their scores.
The atmosphere was noisy, filled with chatter, sighs of relief, and the occasional groan. When Class 1-A found their results, the mood instantly lifted.
Everyone passed.
Cheers broke out almost immediately, some louder than others. A few students laughed in disbelief, others high-fived, and more than one person nearly collapsed from relief. They could now officially call themselves heroes in training.
"Ryo ha-" Jiro started, turning to look for Tsutsumi.
She stopped mid-sentence.
Tsutsumi was standing a short distance away, staring down at the paper in his hands. His expression wasn't shocked or angry, just… blank. Like he was rereading the same line to make sure it hadn't changed.
Jiro walked closer, peering over his shoulder. "…Huh?"
Printed clearly at the top of the page:
Tsutsumi Ryoko - 0 points.