Seeing the painful expression on his childhood friend's face, Midoriya Izuku gritted his teeth and braced himself against the fence, forcing his arm free as he tried to break through and help him.
"Shut up, All Might!"
Wiping the liquid from the corner of his mouth, Bakugo Katsuki staggered upright and raised his head with difficulty.
"Rather than relying on the power of that useless trash, I'd rather lose like this!!"
The moment Bakugo said something so self-destructive, Midoriya's emotions finally reached their breaking point. The green lightning of Full Cowling surged once again, instantly snapping the restraints of the fence as he rushed forward.
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!"
But the punch didn't go toward All Might.
It slammed squarely into Bakugo's face.
The impact twisted Bakugo's features as his head snapped sideways.
"I will never allow you to say something like 'I'd rather lose'!!"
In Midoriya's heart, Bakugo had always been the genius who never admitted defeat and never stopped moving forward. That image was exactly what Midoriya had admired—and envied—since childhood.
All Might froze for a moment, stunned by Midoriya's sudden interference, as he watched the two disappear together into a narrow alley.
Unable to locate them immediately, All Might instead turned and headed toward the exit. After all, there were only two ways to pass the exam—defeat the teacher, or escape through the designated gate.
"Where do you think you're looking?!"
As All Might rounded a street corner, Bakugo's furious roar suddenly erupted from behind him, mixed with complicated emotions.
"BOOM!"
An explosion detonated directly at All Might's back, flames and smoke engulfing the area.
"Enough wasting time—FIRE!!"
Through the smoke, Bakugo shouted Midoriya's name.
"…!"
Sensing danger behind him, All Might turned.
Midoriya was there—wearing Bakugo's arm guard. His eyes were firm as he yanked the safety latch free without hesitation.
"BOOOOM!!!"
The arm guard, packed with Bakugo's explosive liquid and designed for maximum output, detonated at point-blank range. The explosion shook the entire street, cracking the ground beneath them. Dust billowed upward, swallowing nearby buildings as flames engulfed All Might in an instant.
Midoriya was launched in the opposite direction by the blast's recoil. Bakugo followed midair, propelling himself forward with his Quirk as they fled together.
This was the best tactic they could come up with while hiding earlier.
Against All Might's overwhelming speed, pure escape was impossible. A frontal clash was inevitable.
But their earlier attacks had proven one thing—their power barely even scratched him.
So they chose the only method left: one person creates an opening, the other delivers their strongest attack at zero distance to cause damage and gain space.
"Ahem… that actually landed."
Even All Might felt discomfort from a direct, full-power explosion at point-blank range.
"Impressive," he admitted. "To come up with tactics like that in real combat…"
"This cooperation will be a crucial step for their future."
"What cooperation?" Masata muttered in the monitoring room, watching the two flee across the screen. "If they'd done this earlier, they might've passed already."
Still, Masata couldn't deny it.
Bakugo had truly changed.
Not only could he fight alongside others now—he was even willing to cooperate with Midoriya.
Villains really do attract other villains, Masata thought dryly.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, the gap was absolute.
All Might caught up almost instantly.
"What are you two discussing?!"
His massive figure suddenly dropped between the fleeing students, smiling calmly.
Bakugo reacted on instinct, raising his remaining arm guard and preparing another explosion.
But All Might was ready.
With a swift movement, the steel arm guard shattered before Bakugo even realized what had happened.
Midoriya was seized just as easily, his body crushed in All Might's grip as pain surged through him.
Stepping on both of them, All Might fully embraced his role as a villain.
"The game is over, heroes!"
"…So noisy."
"?!"
Even pinned to the ground, Bakugo refused to give up. He twisted his palm upward and detonated another explosion directly at All Might's leg, blasting him skyward.
"BLOW UP!!!"
The moment the pressure vanished, Bakugo leapt up and grabbed Midoriya by the collar.
"Wait—Katsuki, you're not seriously—"
Hearing Bakugo's familiar tone, a realization flashed through Midoriya's mind.
"…You're insane."
"DIE!!!"
Just like during the entrance exam, Bakugo treated Midoriya like a projectile—using an explosive boost to hurl him straight toward the exit gate.
It was a perfect opportunity.
All Might was still airborne. Even for him, landing would take at least a second or two.
This is it! Midoriya thought, heart racing. We're going to pass!
But All Might was All Might.
Even in midair, he could still act.
"SMASH!"
A punch launched forward, the shockwave slamming into Midoriya's waist like a charging tank.
Pain exploded through his body. His vision spun as he crashed across the ground, rolling several times before barely stopping.
Bakugo's attacks followed immediately.
Without arm guards, he detonated explosions directly from his palms, the recoil tearing at his arms and wrists.
"If you're too scared to take risks, you'll never win!!"
Veins bulged as Bakugo unleashed another massive blast, desperately trying to hold All Might back.
"Running around like this is pointless!! Compared to your half-baked Quirk, I can last longer!!"
Seeing Bakugo holding All Might off, Midoriya forced himself toward the exit.
But All Might ignored Bakugo and leapt toward him.
"BOOM!!!"
At the critical moment, Bakugo jumped in front of Midoriya, taking the full force of the blow.
"Rest now, Bakugo boy."
All Might struck decisively, knocking Bakugo unconscious.
"And you—don't think you're getting away, Midoriya boy!"
As All Might turned to pursue him, a fist suddenly filled his vision.
"BOOM!"
Tears streamed down Midoriya's face—but he was smiling.
"Please… get out of the way, All Might!!"
Green lightning surged as Midoriya drove his punch straight into All Might's head without holding back. Then he grabbed Bakugo's unconscious body and sprinted toward the exit.
This time, All Might didn't stop him.
Because in Midoriya, he once again saw the spirit of saving others.
And because the combat ability the two had shown was enough.
Midoriya Izuku and Bakugo Katsuki — Qualified.