Chapter 25: Final Exam
"Ralts." said a tiny figure as it shook Tobias awake.
"I'm awake, Ralts." he said to the pokemon as it jumped down from his bed and went back to his mother.
On the way back home, Mirko had texted Tobias asking about Buneary, so Tobias explained what it was. After learning all about the pokemon, Mirko said thanks and that she would take care of the Buneary. Tobias half expected her to be mad for forcing the pokemon on her but it seems she might have been more lonely than even she realized.
After returning back home from the internship, his mother was in a panic from him having been at Hosu, even though she didn't know he participated in stopping the Hero Killer. But after she calmed down for a bit, Tobias gave her a card like the one he gave Mirko, one that would summon a baby pokemon that would have to be raised and cared for, and could enter the tattoo where it would rest ala pokeballs.
He had decided to go with a Ralts because it was small and cute, which his mother would like, it's a Psychic-type that is both strong and versatile, and once she grows and evolves into Gardevoir, she would protect his mother with her life. That was some time away, but for the moment his mom loves the little pokemon so much, Tobias thinks she beats him for his mom's favorite.
Of course, Tobias had to explain both what the card was and what the pokemon was since his mother had never heard of Pokemon, even though it did exist in this world before the quirk era. After the explanation, his mom was silent for a long while because she was in disbelief at how far he had come from a mischievous little kid to a budding young hero able to create something like pokemon.
After that, his father was a little jealous, but Tobias told him he had one for him as well which put his father over the moon. The pokemon he had chosen for his father was an Abra, a Psychic-type just like his mom's. And the calm nature of the Abra line fits well with his father who rarely had emotional outbursts.
Unfortunately, Tobias was only able to create those three for Mirko and his parents because of how stamina-intensive it was, and he hadn't gotten around to making one for him or Kyoka, but he would. He had decided to go for a Noibat for Kyoka since it fits well with her quirk and also Noivern is a powerhouse while also being able to fly, thus giving Kyoka more mobility. While for himself, he hadn't yet decided but was leaning towards the starters or a pseudo-legendary.
After getting up from his bed and washing up, Tobias made his way to the kitchen where he saw his mother feeding Ralts something sweet since apparently Ralts has a bit of a sweet tooth while his father was feeding Abra some fruits.
"Good morning, dear." said his mom.
"Morning, champ." said his dad.
"Ralts." "Abra."
"Morning everyone. Nice to see you guys like them." he said as he began to eat his breakfast.
"Of course we do. You're just the sweetest little thing in the world, aren't you?! Yes, you are!" said his mom as she rubbed Ralts head.
"Ralts." she responded shyly at the praise.
"Oh my god. You're to about to give me a heart attack from that sweetness of yours, Ralts. Hold still." she said as she took out a camera to take pictures.
"Nice to see your mother like that." said his dad.
"Sure is. A whole lot better than when she's mad that's for sure."
"By the way, what do we say if someone sees them?" asked his dad.
"Well, try not to let people see them by putting them in their rooms. But, even if they are taken somehow, you can always unsummon them no matter how far away they are. And no one can clone them, so it should be fine."
"I won't ever let someone take you. I'll fight tooth and nail for you, Ralts. Yes, I will." said his mom.
"Abra." he said, a little jealous of how his mom treated Ralts.
"I'll fight tooth and nail for you too, buddy." said his dad as he patted the floating Abra on the head, making it content.
"Did you put Abra in his room when he slept?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Abra teleport in their sleep and the deeper their sleep, the farther they teleport. They also sleep 18 hours a day, so put him in his room when he sleeps so he won't accidentally teleport somewhere he shouldn't."
"Will do. 18 hours though, less time we can spend together buddy."
"What about Ralts? Does she teleport?"
"She can eventually, but she doesn't teleport in her sleep like Abra. But her red horns do let her read emotions and she likes happy people more. She also becomes more beautiful the more she is around a happy person."
"I'll be the happiest when I'm with you anyway, so it works out my cutie." said his mom as she rubbed Ralts' cheek.
"Ralts."
"Damn, I'm going to be late. I forgot Kyoka wasn't coming today. Bye, guys. See you later." said Tobias as he got up and left running to school.
~
"Just under the wire." said Tobia as he entered the classroom with two minutes to spare.
"Damn, he got here in time." said Denki as he saw Tobias.
"I knew it. Pay up." said Eijiro as Denki handed him some money.
"You guys bet on whether I would make it in time?"
"Jiro said you wouldn't make it in time since she didn't go by your house to walk to school together, so Denki and I made a bet." explained Eijiro.
"She was almost right. I lost track of time. Phew. Anyway, how was your internship?"
"Okay, pretty fun but nothing like your four's." said Eijioro referring to the Hero Killer.
"Yeah, yeah, the Hero Killer!" said Sero, joining the conversation as everyone focused on Tobias and the other three involved.
"I was so worried." said Momo.
"I heard he might be connected to the League of Villains. Imagining that guy at USJ is kinda scary." said Ojiro.
"Hold on. Sure, he's scary but did you watch that video, Ojiro? You can really see his tenacity. His one-track mind. Kind of cool, don't you think?" said Denki.
"Kaminari!" said Midoriya.
"Huh? Ah, I'm sorry, Ida." apologized Denki, remembering that Ida's brother was almost killed by the Hero Killer.
"No, it's fine. He's a man of conviction, so if some people think he's cool, I get that. But his convictions are wrong and so that no others like myself emerge and suffer my fate I will correct my course and walk the path of a true hero!" he said pointing forward.
After their little catch-up, they continued with classes before their Basic Hero Training where they conducted a rescue training race meant to measure how much they had improved over the course of their internship. In Tobia's group of runners, he got first place. At the end of the race, All Might reminded them that the Final Exams were fast approaching. Once they changed, they made their way back to the classroom.
"Uh, summer vacation's close at hand. Of course, it would be completely irrational for all of you to take a whole month off." said Aizawa-sensei.
"Don't tell me..."
"You'll be doing a summer training camp in the woods." he said completely enthusiastically.
"Nice." said Tobias.
"Truth or dare!"
"Fireworks."
"Curry, yes!"
"Since we're out in nature, our training activities'll be probably different too."
"So it's all about making the right decisions regardless of the environment, cool."
"All of us living together! I'm pumped!"
"However, anyone who doesn't pass the upcoming final exams is in for summer school hell, right here."
"Do your best, guys!" yelled Eijiro.
~~
A few weeks later and now there was only one week left till the final exams.
"I didn't study at all! Between the sports festival and the internship, it totally slipped my mind!" said Denki who sat at Rank 20 while Mina who was Rank 19 smiled, clearly not having studied either.
"Midterms weren't that tough, but I think the finals will be much harder." said Sato, Rank 12.
"Sucks that there's gonna be a practical exam too." said Tobias, Rank 1, as he leaned back on his chair, spinning a card on his fingertip.
"Ah, don't mention that!" he replied pulling his hair.
"Ashido, Kamniari! Let's try the best we can! It'd be great if we can all go to the training camp! Right?" said Midoriya, Rank 5.
"Haven't you been attending class? How could you possibly fail?" said Todoroki, Rank 6.
"Words hurt, y'know!" said Denki.
"You two, if it's academics you need help with, I could lend a hand. The practical exam, on the other hand, is a different story." said Momo, Rank 2, before more classmates asked her for help.
"Of course, I'll help! We can all study at my house this weekend. I'll host a study party!" said Momo.
"Awesome, Momo Yao!" said Mina.
"I'll have to ask mother if we can use our lecture hall. Are you guys partial to a particular tea? Doesn't matter we'll get them all." said Momo.
"Are you going to help me study?" asked Kyoka, Rank 8, to Tobias.
"Sure, but why don't we join the study party? It'll be more fun that way." said Tobias.
"Okay, sounds fun."
"Eh, Tobias you're going to my study party?!" asked Momo.
"Sure, if you'll have me."
"Of course! More helping hands is always welcome."
~
After lunch, Midoriya came back with information from a Class B student that the Practical Exam would consist of battling against robots like in the Entrance Exam.
"Robots? Seriously? No sweat!" said Denki and Mina who had relief written all over their faces.
"No, I doubt it'll be robots." said Tobias, as the class turned to look at him.
"Stop, don't jinx it!" said Denki.
"It's not jinxing it if it was never going to be it."
"Why do you think it won't be robots, Tobias?" asked Midoriya.
"Because of the League of Villains."
"So, you think that because of the increase in villain activity, battling robots is too impractical?" asked Momo, understanding what he meant.
"Ding-ding-ding. We're a hero school and that means we'll end up fighting villains in the future. If it was a regular school year, it would probably be robots but because of the increase in villain activity, we'll probably have to fight an actual person, most likely a teacher. Our principal is far too intelligent and cautious to not let us garner battle experience with pro heroes." explained Tobias.
"No!" yelled Denki, seeing his hopes of the summer camp going farther away.
"Humans or robots, I'd just blast them all. What's the big deal morons?" said Bakugo as he was leaving the classroom.
"Who're you calling a moron, moron?!" said Denki.
"Shut up. You're the moron who can't even figure out how to dial back his own quirk." he yelled before turning to Midoriya.
"Hey, Deku. Seems like you're managing to dial back that quirk of yours. Either way, stop pissing me off with all these stunts. When it comes to term grades like it or not, I'm gonna crush you into dust! I'll open the gulf between us so wide, it'll kill you dead! You too, Tobias, Todoroki!" he said before slamming the door shut behind him.
"So edgy." said Tobias with a smile.
~~
The day of the tests had arrived, and those who studied at Momo's study party had more confidence than before. After the academic tests were done, Denki and Mina jumped up and hugged both Tobias and Momo for helping them study. But, there was still the matter of the practical exam.
"Let's begin your practical exam. It is of course possible to fail this exam. If you want to attend the training camp, then don't mess up." said Aizawa-sensei as he stood with the other teachers.
"Looks like you were right." said Kyoka to Tobias.
"Yes, Tobias was correct. Various circumstances have demanded a revision to the exam format!" said the principal as he popped out from Aizawa-sensei's scarf.
"The original exam was much too impractical for the times we are experiencing so from now on, we'll focus on battles against flesh-and-blood opponents. It is critical that our teaching simulates practical experience as closely as possible! As such, you students will be pairing up and fighting one of the teachers you see here!"
"Oh?"
"Your pairings and assigned teacher have already been decided. Your battle moves, your grades, your friendships with one another, all these factors and more were considered, so without further ado, let's begin shall we?"
~
Tobias was teamed up with Sero and the two were to fight against Midnight, which confused Tobias because everyone seems to have been teamed up for specific reasons. For example, Bakugo and Midoriya are obvious while Denki and Mina versus the principal because they're "straightforward" thinkers.
'Interesting. Sero and Midnight are both capture-type specialists while I do have a lot of capture-type cards, and have never fought against a woman. Nor have I fought with someone who may drag me down, sorry Sero. This is my best guess anyway.'
The truth was the principal and the teachers had a tough time with Tobias because the other pairings had greater compatibility than anyone Tobias would be placed with. So the teachers decided to just pair him with Sero against Midnight after thinking long and hard.
"The time limit is 30 minutes! Your objective is to either get these handcuffs on me or have one of you escape from the stage!" said Midnight-sensei.
"Let's do our best, Tobias." said Sero.
"Of course."
"This test is meant to simulate true battle as closely as possible. So please think of us as actual villains. If we do meet in battle if you fight and win, that is fine too. However, if you find yourself overwhelmed by my power, fleeing and calling for help might be your wisest option. I'll also be wearing these ultra-heavy weights, as a handicap." explained Midnight-sensei.
"So, our decision-making is being tested." said Tobias.
"Yes."
~
"Everyone in position? Let's begin the final exam for U.A. High's First-years! Ready, go!" said Recovery Girl over the speakers.
Right as she said go, Tobias took out two cards and created respirators to help deal with Midnight's quirk.
"Here Sero, put this on." said Tobias as he handed one to Sero and removed his mask to put it on.
"Oh, good thinking." said Sero as he took off his helmet and put on the mask.
"I don't know if her quirk also works through contact with the skin so we can't be complacent. If it doesn't she'll try to initiate CQC with us to remove our masks and put us to sleep. The best plan is to try to find her before she finds us and take her down." explained Tobias.
"Sounds good. If you can hold her attention, I can use my tape to wrap her up."
"Too late, boys." said Midnight from behind them as Tobias pushed Sero and rolled away to dodge her whip.
"Good reflexes. But unfortunately, you miscalculated." said Midnight as she pointed to Sero who was now asleep with his mask in Midnight's hand.
"That's mighty impressive, sensei."
"Thank you, but I'm sure you've already come up with a plan."
"Well, what can I say?" said Tobias as he threw out a card that turned into dozens of blunt-edge cards that Midnight used her whip to deflect.
"Oh, come now. Is that it?"
"Not at all." he said before pointing at the ground and activating the cards.
Midnight looked down to see that while she had been blocking the cards, Tobias had thrown others around her in a square. Once activated, they created a red barrier around her that contained her.
"Well done, Tobias-kun. Too bad we couldn't play longer." she said licking her lips.
"Sorry, sensei. I'm spoken for." said Tobias as he picked up Sero and walked out the gates.
"This is an announcement. The first team to pass is Tobias and Sero!"
~
"Everyone, I'm looking forward, hic, to a bunch of awesome stories from the trip!" cried Mina as Denki, Eijiro, and Sato were around her sad at not passing the exam.
"Doubt it. I'm assuming it's like the quirk assessment." said Tobias.
"Jinx!" said Denki.
"That's the bell. Be seated." said Aizawa-sensei as he came into the class.
"Morning. About your final exams, sadly, we had some failures. As such, you're all going to summer training camp." said Aizawa-sensei with that same weird smile from the Quirk Assessment.
"What a twist!"
"Everyone cleared the written tests. But in the practical, Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, Sato, and Sero all failed."
"I knew it. I'm so embarrassed." said Sero.
"As the villains in this test, we teachers came up with assignments perfectly suited for all of you. Ones that would give you chances to devise winning strategies. If we hadn't, none of you would've stood a chance. It was all to push you. We are talking about training camp after all. More than anyone else, those who failed are in dire need of this. This was another rational deception."
"But, now that we've been lied to twice, aren't you worried that our faith in you has been shaken?" asked Ida.
"Perhaps. But consider the facts. It wasn't entirely a lie. Failure is still failure. You five will receive special supplemental lessons. And to be honest, they'll be far worse than summer school. Anyway, I'll be handing out camp manuals. Take one and pass it back." said Aizawa-sensei.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN
Didn't mention it but I haven't said he got the pokemon for him and Kyoka yet, but he did. Noibat for Kyoka and Dratini for Tobias. He can always get another, not that he will anytime soon since taking care of a pokemon is like taking care of a kid. Also haven't mentioned if he would give pokemon to Kyoka's parents and I haven't decided yet, but if he does I'm going with musically inclined pokemon for both, like Chatot or Toxtricity.
I looked up the reasons for the pairings and found a really good Reddit post that talked about them, and I came to the conclusion that Tobias would be best paired with Momo against Eraserhead, but then Todoroki's development wouldn't go through. Anyway, long story short I decided to just put him with Sero for those reasons he thought of, not good ones I know, but oh well. Not like he would've learned anything new anyways, so I decided to take this opportunity to continue Momo and Todoroki's relationship.
Haven't decided yet if I'm doing the movie, I'll have to watch it first since I've never watched it before deciding.
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RubberPeen
RubberPeen Twenty-fifth chapter done and as always let me know what you think.
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