It was a cold day despite the sun's presence in the sky. Cold fog appeared every time the boy breathed and the air around him was bone-chilling. He wouldn't have been that comfortable if he hadn't worn a blue scarf and blue gloves. The weather report had said there would be a chill in the air. Something about a villain attack with cryogenic powers and the side effects from this.
Mitsuji was on his way from school. After a tiring day of classes, he wanted to crash on his bed and let himself drift off to dreamland. However, something stood in the way of that.
"Yo Mitsuji!", a voice greeted.
It came from a boy who was the same age as him and had green hair and blue eyes. He was tall and had a lean build. The boy's name was Mitsuo Takahashi, Mitsuji's friend. They had met in elementary school, and had hit it off due to sharing a similar name. "Come to think of it, he was really impressed with what I could with a sandbox…of all the bizarre things" Mitsuji reminisced fondly.
"Hey Mitsuo…", Mitsuji greeted back. He smiled for the first time in the whole day.
"I heard you're actually trying for UA. I thought you didn't want to be a hero?", he asked inquisitively. There was no malicious intent there; it was a genuine question.
"That was in the past. The world needs more heroes now", Mitsuji said with renewed determination.
"I get what you mean. But are you sure you can handle it? I mean… you and your Quirk…" Mitsuo replied apprehensively.
"I'll find a way", Mitsuji said as he looked at his hand.
"Also, I won't be around. Are you sure you can survive? Remember last time? It was a miracle you weren't banned from becoming a hero from that incident. You gotta control your emotions man. The world of heroes is tough and tons of people will watch you. With your personality, I think you'll have a hard time there.", Mitsuo told him worriedly.
"I can handle a bit of pressure". Mitsuji said curtly.
"…Does it really have to be UA?" Mitsuo replied equally fast.
Mitsuji stopped in his tracks. He almost got a bit angry, but then sighed and calmed down.
"I mean… there are other schools out there. And you've heard what happened to UA last year. With the League of Villains out there, they'll target UA again. We can go to another school. I'll take a General Course while you become a hero" Mitsuo said haughtily.
"Sorry man. I'm not stopping. If I'm going to run away from those, I might as well quit being a hero. I know about my personality. I know about my Quirk. I know about the incidents in UA last year. And I'll face them all" Mitsuji said in a mature, deliberate tone.
Mitsuo smiled. He looked at his black-haired friend and saw the determination in his eyes. He thought that maybe… just maybe… his friend will become a great hero. That was why it was time for him to stop worrying. He was happy that Mitsuji, his nervous, shy, and clumsy friend, was becoming independent.
"Alright then. I can't stop you. But if you need anything, I'm here to help!", Mitsuo said.
"Thanks man…really. I appreciate how supportive you've been. And you're one of the reasons I'm gonna do this!" Mitsuji said, returning to a sense of cheer. They both headed back home.
###
Mitsuji looked out of his window and saw stars shining like diamonds in the sky. He was nervous of course. After all, tomorrow was the examination for UA. He acted all cool in front of his friend earlier but if he failed, he would look totally lame.
"Mitsuji! Time to eat!", his mother called.
He went downstairs to the dining room and found a meal prepared for two people. A woman with long red hair and brown eyes was wearing a red apron over a white shirt and black shorts. She was Mirai Saiga, the mother of Mitsuji Saiga.
"Where's Dad?", he asked.
"He'll be working overtime", she answered.
"And Sis?"
"Also overtime" she said without looking away from her food.
Mitsuji sat down and began to eat.
"Tomorrow is your big day so I made you extra servings", Mirai said warmly.
"Thanks Mum" he said gratefully and piled a bunch of katsu curry and rice onto his plate.
The food was delicious. After finishing the meal, Mitsuji went off to take a bath. The warm water soothed his body and he felt himself relaxing. The stress and tension were being dispelled from his body as he remained in the bathtub.
UA huh? Let's hope I can actually pass. I've been training for a while and I think I'm ready. I hope the other examinees aren't that competent, he thought.
He got to his bed after taking a bath and crashed into it. He fell asleep immediately. Mitsuji had a dream, and in it he was being hailed as a great hero by all the peers and fans around him. However, at the back of a crowd he noticed a small girl. She didn't look happy. She looked sad and nervous. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked up and gave him a haunting look. Mitsuji awoke with a cold sweat. Somehow, this dream or nightmare had chilled him to his very core but also made him steadfast.
Morning came and he was prepared. UA was a popular school so the competition would be rough. He was bound to face strong people and amazing Quirks. Mitsuji hoped that he wouldn't be facing off against strong individuals. He needed a chance, some sort of chance. Anything.
He arrived at UA's gates and looked around. Students from different schools were walking towards the main building. This was it… It was his first step towards becoming a hero.
The black-haired boy lifted his foot, leaned his body forward, and safely landed his foot. That was all. No special effects or anything. But that was enough for him. He was going to be a hero.
He entered a classroom where the written exams were supposed to be held. When the time hit 8, the written exams started. Mitsuji had little to no problem answering since he studied a lot. He felt that he wouldn't fail in the written portion... or at least that was what he hoped. After the written exams was the practical exam. The orientation for it was held in the auditorium.
Inside the auditorium, different students were sitting restlessly. Even though it wasn't time yet, they felt nervous. This was the top hero school after all and all of them were aiming to get in it. The fact that most of them wouldn't make the cut placed fear and nervousness in their body.
The same went for Mitsuji. He was shaking even though it was warm. A tall and slender man with long spiky blonde hair entered the auditorium. He had sunglasses on and a pair of headphones. His outfit consisted of a black jacket that had an upturned collar, black pants, black boots, and black fingerless gloves. The man was the pro hero, Present Mic.
"HELLO LISTENERS!", he greeted with a loud voice.
Everyone was silent.
Calm down. I can do this! Look at the people around you!
He looked to his left and saw a familiar white-haired boy. The boy slumped on the table and listened quietly.
See? He's relaxed… Maybe too relaxed. He must be strong. Oh no. He's definitely going to pass if he's that confident. I wish I had the same confidence as him.
Mitsuji looked to his right and saw a boy with long shaggy brown hair. His eyes were of different colour where one is light blue and the other is flame orange. He was lazily sitting on a chair with his back slouched and his chin resting on his right hand.
That's the ideal level of relaxation. Not too relaxed but not too nervous. I wish I was like him.
The brown-haired boy looked at Mitsuji back and smiled. He waved his hand at him and returned to listening. Mitsuji wondered how the boy noticed that he was looking at him.
Present Mic explained the rules of the practical exam. It was a robot smashing test. There would be four types of robots in the exam and as their strength increases, so do their corresponding points when they are destroyed. However, there was one giant robot per testing area that was powerful but worth 0 points.
So, all I need is to avoid it huh? T-That's okay. I'm not into fighting giant robots anyway, Mitsuji thought.
After the explanation, they changed into their preferred combat outfit. Mitsuji wore a dark blue tracksuit and white rubber shoes. He took deep breaths to calm himself down and after that, he boarded the bus.
The bus arrived at the testing area and the examinees entered the area. The testing site was huge and had many tall buildings. It was like a small city instead of a testing site which showed how well-funded and how well-equipped UA was.
Calm down! C-Calm down! Everything's going to be a-alright. Just think of them as vegetables. Yep, vegetables. That way… it won't be that nerve-wrecking. Just relax and take deep brea-
"START!", Present Mic's voice echoed and everyone started running. Mitsuji ran too, however, something in him had changed. He had prepared for this. He needed to act. It was now or never.
Robots appeared and one blocked Mitsuji's path.
1… 2…, he thought and red flames emerged out of his arms.
Mitsuji shot flames at the robot and it overheated and exploded.
That's one.
Another robot charged at him.
1… 2…
He touched the ground and cracks formed. A crater appeared where the robot was and it fell. The ground repaired itself and crushed the poor robot.
That's two.
Two robots went towards his way and Mitsuji jumped up and counted to two. Electricity shot out of his arms and short-circuited the robots. Smoke came out of the robots as their systems were fried.
"Four already. That's nice", he muttered and ran, trying to find robots.
Mitsuji destroyed robots one after another using his Quirk. Lightning, earth, and fire destroyed his targets one by one as he gained points. He also helped people who were surrounded by robots or were in a tight spot. "Thank you!" a girl with all black clothes and messy black hair beamed enthusiastically. "My Quirk is pretty bad against these things" she said wistfully. That's nice and all, but I don't have time for this thought Mitsuji. He was in a different zone in the heat of combat. If he performed well, he could usually keep his nervousness at bay. If he performed well.
His Quirk was called Primal Split. He can use fire, lightning, and earth. However, he can only use one element at a time. Also, it would take 2 seconds for him to switch to an element. And if that wasn't enough, he could only use an element for 30 seconds until he has to switch or wait for another 2 seconds to use the same element.
"That's already 20 of them. How many points did I already get?", Mitsuji wondered aloud.
The ground started to shake and a giant robot appeared. He immediately realized it was the robot that was worth 0 point. All he had to do was run away. He couldn't defeat it at his current level. It was too big to be burned or short-circuited and making a hole big enough to trap it would take too much energy.
He was about to run but something even stranger happened. A giant mantis shrimp appeared out of nowhere. Everyone watched the mantis shrimp deliver a punch to the robot and blow it away. The robot attacked with a chop but the insect blocked it and countered with a strong punch. The punch was strong enough to bend the robot's frame. The insect unleashed a barrage of punches and the robot exploded from the damage.
"Amazing…", Mitsuji muttered.
When the robot was defeated, the giant mantis shrimp disappeared. Mitsuji was about to go to the location of the fight hoping that he would meet the holder of the insect Quirk but…
"TIME'S UP!", Present Mic announced.
All of the adrenaline in his body disappeared as his knees fell down. He ran out of breath and felt like puking. His nervousness returned since the exams were over and all he could do was wait for the results.
What if I didn't do well? Maybe I should have destroyed more robots. Ahhh! I should've studied more in Science! What if I fail in the written part? Or maybe I didn't do good enough in the practical? Or what if both? Mitsuji panicked. He scratched at his arm instinctively.
His heartbeat became faster than a ferocious carnivore and his vision was getting blurry. Pain came from his chest and his breathing became irregular.
"No... way...", he muttered and then passed out.