On the screen of Mewtwo's watch, a single number glowed in the center: "Points: 4." It confirmed his victory in the latest round, two for each Target. As he landed beside Wendingo, the taller boy said nothing at first, only watching Raiden with a mix of disbelief and quiet calculation. Then he finally spoke. (A/N: Their base two points each doens't count)
"Your abilities are absurd," Wendingo muttered, shaking his head.
Raiden—still catching his breath—let out a short laugh. "It's not just my powers that won it," he replied. "Sure, they helped. But that wasn't the deciding factor."
He turned slightly, eyes scanning the distant beach where the fight had taken place.
"David struggled because he's not used to fighting, at least not a real fight without his powers. He relies on his Quirk too much. He had the strength, the instincts... but not the discipline. He could've countered me more than once. Even Taro gave me more trouble than David."
Raiden paused, then added, "David... he's strong, no doubt, but he fights without finesse. No precision, no planning. That kind of brawling won't work here."
He glanced back at Wendingo, expression calm. "Now it's your turn. Once you're done, we should be ready for what's coming. If everything goes well, we might even get a chance to rest by the lake."
Meanwhile, hidden from their sight, they were being watched.
It wasn't just Hanna and Aoi observing from the shore. The two girls stood frozen, eyes wide as they watched Taro struggle to sit up. David walked slowly back toward him, saying something neither of them could hear.
But farther off—half-concealed by the trees lining the opposite side of the beach—a blonde girl stood quietly, her gaze fixed on the aftermath. She watched with narrowed eyes as Raiden disappeared into the forest.
"Too bad, brother," she murmured. "Looks like you lost this time."
Beside her, another girl floated just above the ground, arms crossed and smiling with satisfaction.
"Told you," Nejire said with a grin. "I told you my classmates were strong. You didn't believe me when I said he had so many abilities."
The blonde didn't respond right away, her mind clearly racing with thoughts of what came next.
"You were right, Nejire-chan," she admitted at last. "We'll need a real strategy if we want to face him. Otherwise, we could lose."
Unaware they were being watched—not just by the teachers but by others as well—Mewtwo and Wendingo soared silently into the night sky, lifted by Raiden's telekinetic Quirk.
His control over it, at least when it came to levitating himself, had advanced so far that he no longer emitted light when he flew.
Even guiding Wendingo through the air didn't require much effort, as long as his passenger didn't resist. With the ease of a practiced motion, Raiden moved them both across the treetops like shadows on the wind.
Their night hunt had ended, and with nothing left to do, the two returned to the lake and sank beneath its calm surface to rest, hidden and undisturbed.
Meanwhile, on the far side of the island, another group was also making use of the darkness—but for very different reasons.
"Hey, hey, are you sure we should just rush the first group we find? That doesn't sound smart," said a girl with a sharp tone as she sprinted through the dense forest.
Her hero costume was designed like a ninja's but with a flair that bordered on provocative. Ribbons and ropes crisscrossed her figure, covering just enough to maintain some things hidden.
The patterns woven into the fabric shimmered faintly under the moonlight. Her black hair whipped behind her, and her deep magenta eyes scanned the trees ahead with practiced focus. She was fast—very fast and beautiful.
Her name was Daki.
Her Quirk: Cloth Creation. From her body, she could produce fabric of various types, styles, and most importantly—durability.
Over time, she had trained to form garments as strong as steel wire, and while some heroes and students could tear through a single layer, few could withstand her multi-layered constructs.
She had once faced Wendingo in the last U.A. festival and had been completely overwhelmed. Since that defeat, she had trained relentlessly and earned her place as one of the top students in Class 1-B.
She now moved through the forest alongside a much more recognizable figure: Mirio Togata, the blonde boy who could phase through anything as if it weren't even there.
Unlike Daki, Mirio wasn't saying much. He didn't need to. He had already shown his effectiveness earlier that night—he had taken down an entire group with a single, decisive strike. So fast and efficient that they didn't even have time to react.
The unlucky pair? Ichiri from 1-A, and Sakura from 1-B. Two capable students were caught off guard and eliminated before they could fight back.
Now, Daki and Mirio were hunting their next targets. They needed just four more points to secure their spot in the next round. Their strategy was simple: eliminate quickly, then hide and wait out the rest of the week.
It was the exact opposite of what Mewtwo and Wendingo were doing, and so far, it seemed to be working.
This year, the U.A.'s exam had a much smaller roster than usual as the number of students was less.
Only eleven groups had been allowed to participate, and barely half of them would pass. That meant time was critical, and hesitation could mean failure.
As they moved forward, a faint glow flickered in the distance.
"There," Daki whispered, skidding to a stop and pointing toward the light.
But Mirio didn't wait.
Without a word, he surged ahead, body fading and slipping through branches and debris with ghostlike precision. He didn't need to see the whole picture—just the right moment to phase and strike.
As soon as he got close enough, someone struck. A spear of electricity ripped through Mirio's body at high speed.
Moments later, several bolts of thunder followed, homing in on him with precision. But Mirio didn't panic. Activating his Quirk in perfect rhythm, he phased through every single one. Not a scratch touched him.
He landed lightly on the forest floor, scanning the shadows. He knew the attack had come from Yuyu—her Quirk was unmistakable. But she was nowhere to be seen.
Before he could regroup, another flurry of attacks came from the side.
Charging toward him was another girl—Aiko, also from Class 1-B. Her attacks were up close and relentless.
Mirio had always found her Quirk odd, mostly because it was hard to understand. She moved with blinding speed, each step cracking the ground beneath her. Her arms swung in quick, ghost-like motions, leaving afterimages behind with every strike. It was like trying to dodge a flurry of fists all attacking at once.
Mirio instinctively phased through her attacks, trying to adapt his movements to her unpredictable rhythm.
At the same time, Yuyu emerged from the treeline, pursued by a long whip of enchanted cloth—Daki's work.
Yuyu countered with her own spears of electricity, clashing against the fabric in bursts of light burning some clothes.
Now, with the entire opposing team revealed, Mirio couldn't help but grin.
Finally—it was time to get serious and secure the final four points.
He shifted into action, allowing Aiko's wild punches to phase harmlessly through him.
Then, with precise timing, he materialized his fist mid-swing, aiming a counterpunch straight at her face.
But just as he was about to land the hit, her head seemed to split into three mirrored versions. Each image flickered in a slightly different way, making it impossible to tell which was real.
He swung at the most vivid one—but his fist passed right through.
Startled, Mirio took a step back. A strange feeling welled up inside him—frustration, maybe even a touch of admiration. Is this what everyone feels when they fight me? he thought. No wonder they get so annoyed.
Luckily, the answer came from his teammate.
"She creates fake versions of herself!" Daki shouted from behind a tree. "You can't tell which one is real until she hits! And she's got super strength—trust me, it hurts!"
That was all Mirio needed.
If any of them could be real, he would hit them all.
Changing tactics, he ditched his fists and used his Quirk for movement instead. With perfect control, he phased into the ground, then deactivated his Quirk just enough for the earth to launch him back up like a spring. It was a technique he'd refined over time—an explosive burst of movement that allowed him to keep up with even the fastest classmates.
This time, he aimed for her whole body.
He shot out of the ground and struck Aiko in the torso with a powerful kick. The afterimages scattered—and Aiko realized her illusion trick wouldn't work anymore.
Seeing no other choice, she dropped the deception and met him head-on in close combat. It was where she shined.
Both fighters collided with force. Their feet dug deep into the dirt, the shock of each hit vibrating through the ground.
Mirio continued weaving through attacks with seamless use of his Quirk, phasing in and out to dodge Aiko's strikes while looking for openings of his own. He focused on her core, targeting her body with sharp, calculated blows. But her strength made it hard to deal real damage—each hit barely slowed her down.
So he adjusted his strategy: rather than landing one solid strike, he began aiming multiple hits at the same spot, over and over, gradually wearing her down.
With each pass, he phased just enough to slip past her defenses, then reappeared at the right moment to land a punch. Eventually, he zeroed in on her solar plexus. Phasing through her guard, Mirio materialized only his knuckles and drove them straight into her midsection with pinpoint force. The blow connected cleanly.
Aiko's breath escaped her in a gasp as she was launched backward, crashing into a tree with such force that the trunk cracked and splintered apart.
At the same time, a different kind of battle raged nearby.
Daki was locked in a relentless fight against Yuyu. Using her Quirk like a network of living whips, she countered every thunder arrow Yuyu sent her way. The cloth under Daki's control twisted and extended into long, flowing fists.
More and more fabric arms sprouted from her body, moving like a coordinated swarm. The strikes came faster and faster, overwhelming Yuyu's ability to keep up.
Yuyu tried to retaliate, switching from arrows to spears of electricity, using them to deflect or parry the incoming barrage. But Daki's attacks were relentless, coming from multiple angles at once—like battling several opponents at the same time.
The clash reached a stalemate, neither one able to land a clean hit—until one of Daki's fabric fists slipped through Yuyu's guard and struck her across the face, dragging her sideways and breaking her rhythm.
Seeing the opportunity, Daki pressed forward. Her cloth fists struck in rapid succession, forcing Yuyu to stop launching ranged attacks.
She now relied entirely on her spears for defense, deflecting the incoming blows as best she could. But it was clear she was being pushed back—one person couldn't hold out against that many simultaneous strikes forever.
Eventually, one of Daki's fists slammed into Yuyu's lower back. She stumbled, losing her balance for just a second. But that was enough.
Daki channeled all her remaining energy and launched a final, decisive attack—nine fists surged forward from every direction.
They struck in unison, hitting Yuyu from all sides. In the last instant, Daki pulled back on her strength, ensuring the blow only knocked her unconscious. She wanted to win the match—not cause real harm.
At that exact moment, Mirio delivered the final hit on Aiko, who was still reeling from the earlier blow.
Both Yuyu and Aiko collapsed, defeated.
Mirio and Daki stood victorious, earning another four points—two for each opponent.
They were the first pair to pass the test.
End of the chapter.