MHATG Chapter 274/275

Chapter 274: The Failure of Kyoka’s Group?

Monitoring Room

"She's so close!" Ashido cheered excitedly.

"Yeah… but this next moment is crucial," Kaminari muttered, his brows furrowing.

At this point, Kyoka was hovering just thirty meters above Present Mic. At such a short distance, dodging his attacks would be incredibly difficult.

After all, sound-based Quirks naturally have a huge effective range. And when it comes to sound-based Quirks, no one in Japan surpasses Present Mic.

For both Kyoka and him, this range might as well be close-quarters combat.

"No matter what, she's definitely in range for the 'Single Beam Sound Cannon' now. The real question is, how will Present Mic react?"

Just as Kaminari predicted, the screen showed Kyoka darting around in midair, her black-and-purple battle suit resembling a massive bat. She moved at high speeds above Present Mic's head, periodically aiming her palms downward and firing silver-white sound beams.

Watching her maneuver, Kaminari was suddenly reminded of Iron Man from the old Marvel movies.

It was like someone had combined Batwoman's aesthetics with Iron Man's attack style.

But soon, everyone's attention shifted from Kyoka. Instead, their eyes widened in shock as they focused on Present Mic.

"As expected… taking down Mic won't be that easy," Recovery Girl remarked with a knowing smile, as if she had anticipated this outcome.

—

Exam Area

Despite Kyoka's relentless barrage of sound cannons, Present Mic didn't counterattack with his usual deafening, tornado-like sonic booms.

Instead—he dodged.

Effortlessly.

With minimal movement, he shifted, sidestepped, and leaned just enough to let the sound beams whiz past him.

"Your battle suit's pretty cool, gotta admit," he called up to her with a smirk. "But your attack pattern? Way too predictable!"

As he dodged yet another blast, his mustache curled slightly, his grin widening with amusement.

"Wh—what?! How?!"

Kyoka, still hovering in the air, stared in disbelief.

Present Mic. who always seemed so loud and over-the-top was actually this skilled?!

And that was while wearing two high-compression handcuffs!

Kyoka wasn't the only one stunned. Everyone in the monitoring room watched in shock, including Kaminari.

But something about Present Mic's movements felt familiar…

Kaminari's mind raced until suddenly, a name slipped from his lips.

"Aizawa-sensei!"

Midoriya and the others turned toward him in confusion.

"Our homeroom teacher?" Midoriya asked, blinking.

Recovery Girl, amused by Kaminari's observation, turned and nodded approvingly.

"Sharp eye, young man."

"That's right—Mic and Aizawa were classmates back in their U.A. days. They both graduated from this school!"

"And if I remember correctly, those two were practically inseparable back then. They went to class together, ate lunch together, walked home together… though, to be honest, it was mostly Mic dragging Aizawa along. Not that Aizawa ever really stopped him."

Momo chuckled. "I never would have guessed they were that close. Their personalities are completely different."

"Sometimes opposites attract," Recovery Girl mused. "And it seems that, over time, Mic picked up a few of Aizawa's combat techniques."

They all turned back to the screen, where Present Mic continued dodging Kyoka's attacks with eerily familiar movements, a style that undeniably resembled Aizawa's own.

"So… you're saying Aizawa-sensei taught Present Mic how to fight?" Iida asked.

"No, not exactly."

Recovery Girl shook her head.

"Their physical combat training came from U.A.'s instructors at the time, same as Aizawa's. But Aizawa had a natural talent for it. Mic? Not so much."

"But since they were so close, Mic probably picked up some of Aizawa's techniques over the years."

Kaminari and the others nodded slowly.

That made sense. Their first-year curriculum didn't even include hand-to-hand combat training.

If they wanted to learn fighting techniques, they had to seek outside instructors, like Uraraka with Gunhead, Tetsutetsu with Daimon or Ojiro with a judo master.

"You'll get that training next year, when you're second-years," Recovery Girl added.

"Ahh, so that's why!" Everyone nodded in understanding.

—

Back in the fight, Kyoka was growing frustrated.

Present Mic had dodged every single 'Single Beam Sound Cannon' she had fired at him.

And so—she changed tactics.

Spreading both palms forward, she unleashed her widest area-of-effect move.

"Shock Sound Wave!"

"If he's too fast to hit directly… then I'll just cover the entire area!"

If Present Mic's mobility was his advantage, then a wide-range attack would force him to take a hit!

—

Kaminari's eyes widened.

"She's trying to use an AOE attack to pin him down!"

But—

Present Mic didn't even look concerned.

In fact, he looked amused.

"Finally lost your patience, huh?"

The moment Kyoka's silver-white shockwave blasted toward him.

He countered.

Opening his mouth, he unleashed a devastating sonic boom.

BOOOOOOM!!!

His bright yellow, tornado-shaped sound wave tore through Kyoka's attack instantly, shattering it like glass. The remaining shockwave ripped through the air and slammed into Kyoka full force.

"Kyoka!!"

Everyone gasped as Kyoka lost control midair, her black-and-purple form spiraling downward.

"She's falling!!"

Kaminari jumped to his feet, his face pale with panic.

But Recovery Girl, calm as ever, simply smiled.

"Relax, Mic's got this."

Sure enough, Present Mic acted immediately.

He sprinted to her landing point, positioned himself beneath her, and caught her.

With perfect precision, he redirected her momentum, flipping her over his shoulder before dropping her onto the soft earth.

The impact was rough, but controlled.

It was a save.

It was also a clear defeat.

Even though it looked rough, everyone knew what Mic had done.

"He saved her," Midoriya muttered.

"That's just how this test works," Iida added solemnly. "It's still a battle."

Kyoka groaned, lying on the ground, her body aching. She barely managed to lift her head, looking up at Present Mic as he casually whistled.

"Yo, you alright?" he asked, grinning.

"Looks like this might be the end for you."

Then, he frowned.

"Wait… where's the other guy? Koda, right?"

Kyoka blinked.

"Who knows…" she muttered, letting out a weak chuckle.

Maybe… maybe she had been wrong to place her hopes on Koda.


"Looks like their test is over," someone sighed.

Kaminari clenched his fists, his expression conflicted.

Present Mic sighed, shaking his head.

"So? You gonna call it quits, or wait for the timer to run out?"

Kyoka gritted her teeth.

"I… I won't give up!"

"That's the spirit!" Mic smirked, about to launch another attack.

But suddenly—

RUMBLE.

The ground beneath him cracked.

Present Mic froze.

"Wait… what the—?"

And then—

A monstrous, deafening roar erupted from below, Koda had arrived.

Chapter 275: Who Is Watching Them?

At present, Present Mic looked in horror as black ants burst out from the cracks in the ground and quickly swarmed up his legs in dense clusters. In that moment, he felt like he was already dead.

"No… no way!!"

"They're coming from underground, where sound propagation is weak… That's why I hate forests!!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!"

Overcome with extreme fear, he rolled his eyes, tilted his head back, and collapsed. This scene left Kyoka Jiro, who was lying not far away, stunned for a moment.

"What… just happened?"

Ding!

"Kyoka Jiro, Koji Koda's group – condition fulfilled."

"Eh?"

"Eh!?"

It wasn't until the exam announcement echoed through the speakers that the teachers in the monitoring room snapped out of their stunned silence.

Everything had happened so unexpectedly, one moment, it seemed like Kyoka's team was on the verge of failure, and the next, there was an unbelievable turn of events.

"…Where did those ants come from?"

Unlike the original battle, where everyone saw Koda command various insects, the camera angle didn't reveal his involvement this time. As a result, no one knew exactly what had happened.

Still, these were all students who had been accepted into U.A. High School, and their intelligence was certainly above average. It didn't take long for them to realize they had overlooked a certain classmate.

"That guy Koda can control ants too?" Tetsutetsu scratched his silver hair and laughed.

"That's right. I always thought his Quirk only worked on birds and mammals, but it looks like he can command insects too… That's a really powerful ability." Tsuyu Asui tilted her head slightly, her expression curious.

"Well… shouldn't we be more concerned about Present Mic rather than discussing Koda-san's Quirk?" Momo interjected softly, covering her mouth in discomfort.

"Uh, true… Even a Pro Hero couldn't withstand that kind of attack," Class Rep Tenya Iida said as he looked at the screen. Seeing Present Mic foaming at the mouth, he adjusted his glasses, his expression filled with concern.

Toru Hagakure shook her invisible gloves, her voice trembling slightly. "That was seriously terrifying… From now on, Koda-san is definitely the last person you want to mess with. Otherwise, you might wake up surrounded by bugs. Honestly, at that point, you might as well just drop out of school!"

Meanwhile, Recovery Girl seemed unimpressed. She let out a small huff, her expression exasperated. "It's just a few bugs. What a useless guy."

At the same time, Kaminari had already left the monitoring room and was heading toward the entrance of the simulated forest area. As he walked, he spotted Present Mic being carried out on a stretcher by two support robots. The sight left him speechless.

"Humans are such fragile creatures," one of the support robots commented. "Just a few bugs, and he completely shut down."

"That's right…" the other robot responded.

Kaminari stopped in his tracks, his expression blank. Wait, what did I just hear…?

Before he could dwell on it, a familiar voice called out to him.

"What are you staring at so intently?" Kyoka smiled as she approached.

Kaminari snapped out of his daze and turned to see Kyoka, Koda, and the others.

But something about Koda seemed… different. It wasn't his appearance, but rather his overall presence. The usual self-doubt in his eyes had been replaced with confidence and determination.

Still, Kaminari didn't dwell on it for long. He simply gave Koda a friendly nod before turning his attention to his girlfriend.

"Man, you guys really gave Present Mic a hard time. When he teaches English class in a few days, he might not even dare to step into our room," Kaminari teased.

"Hey, don't blame me! I was just as shocked as everyone else!" Kyoka protested.

The three of them continued chatting as they walked. Every time Koda overheard them praising him, he would rub the back of his head in embarrassment, though the happiness in his eyes was undeniable.

When they reached the control room building, Kaminari stopped and let Koda head upstairs alone. As soon as Koda disappeared from sight, Kaminari gently took Kyoka's hand, stopping her in her tracks.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Kyoka asked, her cheeks turning slightly red. Their relationship was still new, and casual hand-holding like this was enough to make her feel flustered.

"Well… the battle against All Might is getting closer. I want to find a quiet place to think. Will you come with me?"

"Of course."

Kyoka didn't hesitate to agree. Even though Toru Hagakure's exam was still ongoing, between watching the test and being with her boyfriend, she decisively chose the latter.

Soon, the two of them arrived at a small open space surrounded by lush greenery. There were a few clean benches lined up next to the control room building, and more importantly, there was no one else around.

Kaminari and Kyoka sat down on one of the benches.

Neither of them spoke. They simply sat side by side, quietly enjoying the warm afternoon breeze. Their fingers remained tightly intertwined.

At that moment, Kaminari felt a rare sense of calm. The weight of facing All Might, the doubts planted by Momo's words, everything seemed to fade away in the presence of Kyoka's subtle, comforting scent.

So this is what peace feels like…

Only now did Kaminari understand why Todoroki often chose solitude over watching other people's matches. To some, just sitting in silence might seem like a waste of time but for him, it was the best way to relieve stress.

Maybe they were both too caught up in enjoying the tranquility, because neither of them noticed how quickly time passed.

Ding!

"Mezo Shoji, Toru Hagakure's team – condition fulfilled."

The announcement made Kyoka instinctively turn to Kaminari, her voice laced with nervousness. "That means… the only ones left are Mineta's team right?"

"Yeah." Kaminari exhaled slowly. "But I'm not as worried anymore. I've thought through everything I need to do, and thanks to you, I feel ready to face whatever comes next."

"Me?" Kyoka blinked in surprise. With her free hand, she tugged at her long, thin earlobe. "How did I help?"

"You just did." Kaminari tightened his grip on her hand, then reached up to gently brush her cheek. His voice was soft but sincere. "Just having you by my side helps me more than anything else."

Kyoka's heart skipped a beat. As her pulse quickened, the only thing left in her world was Kaminari's tender golden eyes and the warmth of his breath as he slowly leaned closer.

"…Mmm."

"Pika?"

A short distance away, "Pikachu" tilted its head as it observed them. Then, as if making an executive decision, it activated its camera function, capturing the moment in perfect stillness.

The next second, their lips parted. The blond boy gazed into the purple-haired girl's eyes. The purple-haired girl gazed back at the blond boy.