The morning of the practical exams arrived with clear skies and mounting tension.

  Class 1-A gathered at the designated testing area—a specially constructed urban environment with buildings, streets, and various obstacles designed to simulate real hero work conditions.

  "LISTEN UP!" Present Mic's voice boomed across the assembly area. "Today's practical exam will test your combat skills, strategic thinking, and ability to work as a team! Each pair will enter their designated zone and face one faculty member! You have thirty minutes to either capture your opponent with these special restraints—" he held up weighted cuffs "—or escape through the exit gate! Failing to do either results in automatic failure! YEAH!"

  Boa stood with Ashido, both of them in their hero costumes. Ashido was bouncing on her toes nervously while Boa maintained her calm, regal composure—though internally, her mind was racing through scenarios.

  Nearby, Katsuki and Midoriya stood as far apart as possible while still technically being a team. The tension between them was palpable.

  "Young Bakugo! Young Midoriya!" All Might approached them in his muscular form, his smile slightly strained. "I expect you two to work together today! Put aside your differences and show me what teamwork truly means!"

  Katsuki's jaw was clenched so tight Boa thought his teeth might crack. Midoriya looked equally uncomfortable.

  This is going to be a disaster, she thought.

  "FIRST MATCH!" Present Mic announced. "TODOROKI AND YAOYOROZU VS. AIZAWA! HEAD TO ZONE A!"

  The class watched on monitors as Todoroki and Yaoyorozu entered their testing area. Aizawa was waiting, capture weapon ready, his expression as tired and unimpressed as ever.

  The match started poorly for the students. Aizawa's Erasure Quirk negated Todoroki's ice and fire, forcing them into close combat where his capture weapon gave him a devastating advantage. Yaoyorozu tried to create items, but every time she did, Aizawa's eyes would glow and her Quirk would shut down.

  "They're struggling," Boa observed quietly.

  "Aizawa-sensei is a bad matchup for them," Katsuki said, watching intently. "Both of them rely heavily on their Quirks. Without them, they're lost."

  But Yaoyorozu was thinking. She created a Russian nesting doll when Aizawa's attention was on Todoroki, then another when he blinked. Slowly, methodically, she built a plan.

  The turning point came when she created a massive insulated sheet that blocked Aizawa's line of sight. Todoroki immediately unleashed his ice and fire simultaneously, creating a massive explosion of steam and temperature differentials.

  When the steam cleared, both students were running for the exit gate. Aizawa tried to pursue, but Yaoyorozu had created caltrops across his path.

  They made it through the gate with seconds to spare.

  "TODOROKI AND YAOYOROZU PASS!" Present Mic announced.

  The class erupted in cheers.

  "Next up," Recovery Girl's voice came through the speakers, "Hancock and Ashido vs. Principal Nezu! Head to Zone D!"

  Boa felt Katsuki's hand briefly touch her shoulder. "Remember—out-think him. Don't try to overpower, try to out-maneuver."

  "I will."

  "And Boa?" His voice dropped lower. "Don't hold back. Use everything."

  She nodded and followed Ashido to their testing zone.

  Zone D was a maze of narrow streets and multi-story buildings. Perfect for ambushes and traps.

  "Okay, okay," Ashido said, her usual cheer dampened by nerves. "What's the plan?"

  "Nezu will have prepared this entire area," Boa said, scanning their surroundings carefully. "Traps, observation points, escape routes. He knew we were coming and has had time to set up."

  "So what do we do?"

  "We don't play his game. We change the rules entirely."

  Before Ashido could ask what that meant, Nezu's voice echoed from hidden speakers.

  "Good morning, young Hancock, young Ashido! I'm so pleased to be your examiner today! Shall we begin?"

  A trapdoor opened beneath Ashido's feet. She yelped and dissolved it with her acid just in time, the metal hissing and melting away.

  "Whoa! That was close!"

  "He's testing our reflexes," Boa said. "Stay alert. Every step could be trapped."

  They moved forward cautiously. Ashido's acid proved invaluable—she could test surfaces by dripping small amounts, revealing pressure plates and weakened flooring before they triggered.

  But Boa knew this was exactly what Nezu wanted. He was slowing them down, burning time, studying their patterns.

  "Ashido, can you create an acid cloud? Something that obscures vision?"

  "Yeah! Like a smokescreen but with acid mist!" Ashido's hands glowed pink as she generated a fine spray of weak acid that filled the air like fog.

  "Perfect. Do it now. Fill this entire street."

  As the acid mist spread, blocking visibility completely, Boa whispered her actual plan. "He can't see us anymore, which means he has to rely on sensors or predictions. We're going up."

  "Up?"

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  "The buildings. He'll expect us to stay on the ground level where the exit gate is. We go to the rooftops, move across them, and approach from above."

  They scaled the nearest building using Ashido's acid to create handholds in the wall. Once on the roof, they could see the testing area laid out below—and in the distance, Principal Nezu standing calmly near the exit gate, sipping tea.

  "He's just... waiting there?" Ashido whispered.

  "He knows we'll have to come to him eventually. The question is how." Boa studied the layout, her analytical mind working through possibilities.

  The rooftops offered a direct path almost to the exit gate. But it couldn't be that simple.

  "Those rooftops are probably trapped too," she said. "He knew we might think of this."

  "So what's the play?"

  Boa smiled slightly. "We give him what he expects, then change it at the last second."

  She explained quickly: they'd approach along the rooftops, making just enough noise to be noticed. Nezu would spring whatever rooftop traps he'd prepared. But instead of falling into them, they'd use the traps themselves as cover for their real approach.

  "When the traps activate," Boa said, "I'll use Slave Arrow to petrify as much of the area as possible—including any escape routes Nezu has prepared. You use your acid to create a direct slide path from our rooftop position straight to the ground near the gate."

  "That's... actually kind of brilliant!" Ashido's confidence was returning.

  They moved into position. Boa deliberately stepped on a loose tile, creating noise.

  Immediately, mechanisms activated. The rooftop beneath them began to collapse, sections falling away to reveal empty air.

  "NOW!" Boa shouted.

  She kissed her fingertip and formed the bow. "Slave Arrow!"

  The massive heart materialized, and hundreds of petrifying arrows burst forth. They rained down on the testing area below, striking buildings, streets, and—critically—the secondary exit routes Nezu had surely prepared as backups.

  Everywhere the arrows landed, stone spread. Doors petrified shut. Windows became solid gray masses. Entire sections of the urban environment turned to immobile stone.

  Simultaneously, Ashido created a slide of acid-resistant material coated with lubricating acid—a gleaming pink pathway from their rooftop directly to the ground twenty meters from the exit gate.

  They slid down together, moving too fast for Nezu to intercept.

  But the superintelligent principal wasn't caught completely off-guard. As they landed, a net launched from a hidden mechanism, trying to entangle them.

  Ashido dissolved it with a spray of acid. Boa was already running, her enhanced legs carrying her toward the gate at incredible speed.

  Nezu stepped into their path, smiling pleasantly. "Very creative, young ladies! But—"

  Boa didn't let him finish. She delivered a Perfume Femur kick toward the ground directly in front of him—not at him, but at the concrete at his feet.

  The petrification spread rapidly from the impact point, turning the ground to stone in a circle around Nezu. It didn't trap him—he could still move—but it eliminated any trapdoors or mechanisms he had in the ground.

  "Ashido! The gate!"

  While Boa kept Nezu's attention, Ashido sprinted for the exit. Nezu tried to intercept, but Boa blocked his path, her hands glowing pink.

  "I don't want to petrify you, Principal," she said calmly. "But I will if necessary."

  Nezu's eyes sparkled with what might have been amusement. "Would you now? How fascinating!"

  "ASHIDO MINA HAS PASSED THROUGH THE EXIT GATE!" Present Mic's voice boomed. "HANCOCK AND ASHIDO PASS!"

  Boa felt relief flood through her. They'd done it.

  "Excellent work," Nezu said, his smile genuine. "You identified my strengths—preparation and intelligence—and neutralized them by changing the battlefield itself. The petrification to seal off my prepared routes was particularly clever."

  "Thank you, sir."

  "Though I should note," Nezu added thoughtfully, "if this had been a real villain encounter, leaving your partner alone at the exit might have been dangerous."

  "Ashido can handle herself. And I trusted her to complete the objective while I created the opportunity."

  "Trust in your partner. Yes, that's very important." Nezu's expression turned more serious. "You've grown considerably since the USJ incident, Hancock. Both in power and in your willingness to rely on others. Continue that growth."

  Back at the observation area, Ashido tackled Boa in an enthusiastic hug the moment she arrived.

  "WE DID IT! We actually beat Principal Nezu!"

  "You did it," Boa corrected, but she didn't push Ashido away. "I created an opening. You executed."

  "We both did great!" Ashido was practically vibrating with excitement.

  The class congratulated them—Kirishima giving enthusiastic thumbs up, Yaoyorozu offering a pleased smile, even Todoroki nodding approvingly.

  Katsuki pulled Boa aside briefly. "Good job. That petrification strategy was smart."

  "Thank you. Your match is next, isn't it?"

  His expression darkened. "Yeah. Me and Deku against All Might."

  "You'll pass."

  "Tch. Of course I will. I always win." But there was uncertainty in his eyes.

  "Katsuki." She touched his arm. "You and Midoriya have something in common that you don't want to admit—you both push yourselves beyond your limits. Use that. Combined, you're stronger than either of you alone."

  "I don't need Deku to be strong."

  "No. But you might need him to win." She met his gaze steadily. "Put your pride aside for thirty minutes. You can always pick it back up afterward."

  He scowled but didn't argue. "...Fine. But only because you asked."

  "I didn't ask. I advised."

  "Same thing." He turned to where Midoriya was nervously adjusting his costume. "OI! DEKU! Get over here!"

  Midoriya jumped but hurried over.

  "Listen up," Katsuki said gruffly. "We're facing All Might. He's the strongest hero in the world. Our normal tactics won't work."

  "I-I know," Midoriya stammered.

  "So here's what we're gonna do. You're the analysis nerd, right? You've probably studied All Might's fighting style obsessively."

  "Um, yes?"

  "Good. You figure out his patterns and tell me where to attack. I'll provide the actual power. We coordinate, we might have a chance." Katsuki looked like saying this was physically painful. "Got it?"

  Midoriya's eyes were wide. "You... you want to work together?"

  "Don't make me repeat myself! Yes or no?!"

  "Yes! Absolutely yes!"

  "YOUNG BAKUGO! YOUNG MIDORIYA!" All Might's voice boomed. "TO ZONE B!"

  As they walked away, Boa heard Katsuki mutter, "I can't believe I'm doing this."

  But he was doing it. That was growth.

  The class gathered around the monitors to watch what everyone knew would be the most intense match of the day.

  All Might stood in the center of Zone B, his massive form relaxed but radiating power. "NOW THEN, YOUNG ONES! COME AT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"

  What followed was thirty minutes of pure chaos.

  Katsuki and Midoriya's teamwork was rough, filled with shouting and disagreements, but it was there. Midoriya would call out All Might's movement patterns, and Katsuki would blast accordingly. When Katsuki charged in recklessly, Midoriya would pull him back with analysis.

  All Might, meanwhile, was holding back significantly but still overwhelming. Every punch created shockwaves. Every movement was calculated to teach while testing.

  The turning point came when Katsuki actually listened to Midoriya's plan—a desperate gambit involving Katsuki's gauntlet explosion as a distraction while Midoriya used One For All to carry both of them through the exit gate.

  It was messy, painful, and they both took damage that would require Recovery Girl's attention.

  But it worked.

  "MIDORIYA AND BAKUGO PASS!"

  The observation area erupted in cheers. Even Boa found herself applauding, pride swelling in her chest.

  When Katsuki returned, battered and clearly exhausted, he collapsed into the seat next to her.

  "Don't say it," he grumbled.

  "Say what?"

  "That you were right. That working with Deku helped. That I should do it more often."

  Boa smiled slightly. "I wasn't going to say any of that."

  "...Really?"

  "Really. I was just going to say that I'm proud of you."

  Katsuki looked at her, something soft in his expression despite the exhaustion. "Yeah. Thanks."

  His hand found hers, hidden between their seats, and they sat together watching the remaining matches—Iida and Ojiro's desperate teamwork against Power Loader, Tokoyami and Asui's clever use of darkness against Ectoplasm.

  One by one, the teams faced their challenges.

  One by one, they grew.

  And when the practical exams finally ended, Class 1-A stood together, exhausted but successful.

  They'd all passed.

  But as Boa looked around at her classmates—at their tired smiles, their pride, their growing bonds—she couldn't shake a feeling of foreboding.

  The League of Villains was still out there.

  And this calm wouldn't last forever.