At this moment, the perspective shifts to the big screen displaying the forest area. Since nothing is happening yet, the students are chatting amongst themselves.
"Speaking of which, this test should really show off everything Kyoka's battle suit can do!" Tetsutetsu, dressed in his usual white suit and justice-themed cape, looked at Kaminari with a grin.
"Yeah, compared to those small-scale training exercises we did before, Kyoka's opponent this time—Present Mic—is basically her natural counter. So, it's going to depend on how effective her battle suit is and how well she can utilize it in combat."
Just as Kaminari finished speaking, figures appeared on the big screen. Kyoka and Koda had stepped through the gate and entered the forest, while Present Mic arrived shortly after, standing right in front of the exit.
"No way! Present Mic is blocking the gate!" Uraraka looked bewildered.
They had spent a long time trying to lure out Thirteen in their previous test, and they had even miscalculated the suction range of their teacher's Quirk, nearly resulting in failure.
"Yeah, this means Kyoka and Koda have no choice but to face him head-on," Toru Hagakure, who was invisible, commented.
"It's probably meant to make the exam more difficult," Midoriya observed, watching the screen intently.
"It's obvious they deliberately matched teachers against students who are at a disadvantage," Iida added.
"Exactly," Momo agreed.
"Especially Kyoka's team. It's the most blatant example. All three of them have sound-based Quirks."
"The real challenge is figuring out how to counter Present Mic's overwhelming sound waves," Midoriya said.
Off to the side, Kaminari listened to the discussion while keeping his eyes locked on the screen, his expression serious. Even though Kyoka was equipped with a battle suit he had designed, the outcome was still uncertain.
"Come on, Kyoka..."
—
In the forest testing area, as the exam officially began, both Kyoka and Koda immediately shifted into battle-ready stances.
"Seriously, let's wrap this up quickly! I really don't like being stuck in a dense forest," Present Mic complained casually.
Then, placing his hands on his waist, he leaned back slightly, took a deep breath, and unleashed his Quirk with full force!
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH!!!"
A colossal, earth-shaking sound wave erupted from his mouth. The sheer volume and force of the attack whipped up powerful gusts of wind, forming a massive, bright yellow, tornado-like shockwave. The devastating energy tore through the forest like a tidal wave, surging forward at high speed.
The horizontal range of the sound wave alone stretched at least twenty to thirty meters across, while its linear trajectory exceeded a hundred meters. The actual propagation distance of the sound? Completely unknown!
"…This is…"
Everyone in the monitoring room fell silent.
Kaminari's golden eyes narrowed sharply. Just from the sheer intensity of that one attack, it was clear that Present Mic's power was no less destructive than Todoroki's massive icebergs.
"Maybe I was a little too confident before…"
—
Deep in the forest, Kyoka and Koda were caught in the blast of the deafening sound waves, clutching their ears in agony. Even so, they felt like their heads were about to split open.
Given that Kyoka played electric guitar regularly, she should have had a higher tolerance for loud noise than most people. But this? This was way beyond what she could endure.
"Damn it! I have to counter this!"
Gritting her teeth, Kyoka, clad in her black and purple Batgirl-style battle suit, forced her hands away from her ears. Fighting through the pain, she connected her headphone jacks to the ports on her collar, aimed in the direction of the attack, and activated her Quirk!
"Buzz buzz buzz—!"
In an instant, two concentrated silver-white sound waves burst from her palms. The twin blasts merged midair, forming a powerful counterwave that surged forward.
"Whoosh!!"
The opposing sound waves clashed, neutralizing each other. The moment the sonic pressure eased, both Kyoka and Koda felt immediate relief. Kyoka wasted no time and turned to Koda.
"Now! Use your Quirk to summon animals and attack Present Mic!" she ordered.
But Koda frantically shook his head, gesturing that all the nearby animals had already fled in terror from the overwhelming noise.
"…"
Kyoka was speechless.
Great. That meant she was on her own for this one.
"I guess I'll have to rely on myself… and this battle suit Kaminari made for me…" She ran her fingers over the sleek material of her suit, finding a bit of reassurance in its presence.
Meanwhile, the lingering remnants of Kyoka's silver-white sound waves brushed past Present Mic like a gentle breeze after countering his weaker shockwaves.
"What a soft sound," Present Mic mused, casually stuffing his hands into his pockets. He barely seemed affected at all, as though he was enjoying the sound rather than struggling against it.
Though Kyoka's battle suit had noticeably amplified her Quirk, it still wasn't enough to shake Present Mic.
"Why don't you come out already!!!"
Once again, another blast of bright yellow, tornado-like sound waves tore through the forest, sending leaves and branches flying in all directions.
"Hmph, cancel it out!!"
Kyoka refused to back down. Though her own sound waves couldn't fully match Present Mic's, they at least made the noise more bearable for her and Koda.
"Wait a second… a different approach!"
A thought suddenly struck her. She turned to Koda and called out, "We need to split up!"
"Huh?" Koda blinked in confusion.
"Present Mic's sound waves cover a wide area, but they still have limits!"
"You go left, I'll go right. I'll use my Quirk on the other side to draw his attention and attack him. Meanwhile, you'll take this chance to run deeper into the forest and find birds to command!"
This was the best plan she could come up with. Koda's Quirk was a necessity, if she tried to take down Present Mic alone, the challenge would be nearly impossible.
"Damn it, he really is my natural counter…"
Koda hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. His reluctance stemmed from the fact that Kyoka, a girl, was taking the more dangerous role of distraction while he ran for backup.
It felt wrong to him.
But without this plan, he wouldn't be able to contribute at all. Resolving himself, he turned and sprinted toward the depths of the forest.
"Kyoka, please hang in there!" he prayed silently.
—
"Now, it's time to show Present Mic what this battle suit can do!" Kyoka smirked, a determined glint in her eyes.
"Hurry up… and come out already!!!"
Once again, Present Mic's thunderous voice sent another massive shockwave barreling toward the forest. But this time, Kyoka didn't counterattack with her palms. Instead, she lowered her arms and gazed at the vast, open sky.
"Today's weather is really nice," she murmured.
In the next instant, she activated her Quirk. Concentrated silver sound waves erupted, not from her hands, but from her feet.
With a powerful burst, her entire body was propelled straight into the air.
"Boom!!"
Just as the bright yellow tornado-shaped sound wave slammed into where she had been standing, Kyoka shot past it like a dark blur, soaring right over Present Mic's position.
"We can't let his sound waves keep spreading through the forest…"
****
Bonus chapter. Eid Mubarak ✨️ to my Muslim readers.
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