CHAOTIC

by Reige

Some roads lead to the same results, but sometimes those results have different answers which we never intended. AU-Canon Divergence! SI OC! Warning: Major Character Death & Dark Themes! This story isn't for children under 18!

12. Chapter II: The Outsider

A/N: Here comes a new chapter and the start of something everyone's been waiting for! Roll out the red carpet and bring your cameras because U.A. has officially arrived! No pictures please *poses for the cameras anyway*! Sorry I took long with this chapter guys! I wanted to do some research and explore a few things (aka world build some more shit because anime logic isn't sometimes cutting it for me) before I posted the chapter. I hope it's to your liking and will give everyone an insight to some stuff.

I also want to inform you guys that I drew pictures on Deviantart in case you lot want to get a good look at Kuzan up close rather than squinting at the cover art from the page's summary. I drew him in uniform and hero costume! My username is Mutt99, so you guys don't get lost or whatever. Tell me what you guys think about the pics! There's another topic I want to go over so I won't get heckled about it later in the reviews but that'll wait for the next chapter.

To the reviews that you all so graciously left for me to read and reply with!

Prince, I'm all about the angst, bruh. ( •_•)⌐■-■ (⌐■_■)

errydaymPurple, Excuse you and your entire race...?! Who's the one reading late at night when the pupper is trying to sleep? I'm not making you read this story! You don't get to point fingers, you late night gremlin! ｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡

redskin122004, One day when "Rubber Band Theory" comes out, I'm going to dedicate a chapter for you about what Kuzan smells regarding his classmates (and maybe his teachers). And don't worry, Mineta will get his just dues, maybe not immediately but I promise you he will be taken care of, so bear with his presence a little while longer!

Phantom Aficionado, Take your time in coming up with a new chapter. Writer's block is a bitch but something you'll get around once you're motivated enough. I'd personally recommend you watch the anime again, it might help a lot into dragging your interests and kicking your muse into gear. Or maybe go looking through other fanfics of the similar genre. That sometimes helps me when I'm out of fuel.

Satoru Ryoma, I don't think I explained Chaos Theory correctly because it's more numerical and mathematical (a subject of which I fail in epic proportions), so I did as best I could with what little I understood of it and tried to paint it like it's effect could be more or less. The Butterfly Effect thing has been used over and over, so I wanted to try Chaos Theory and make it sound a little like statistics rather than something magical and/or supernatural.

Guest5555, I'm honestly stumped with the romance gig. Like, I need to write down the story first and then look back to see how his interactions with the students of 1-A effect them personally before I could pair him up with someone. It's too early to tell because there needs to be connections and moments before anything can go further, you know what I mean? So only time can tell.

Rinto, I like this Toshinori, too. I'm glad other people like him as well.

Guest, Yeah. Like what Horikoshi did with Izuku's mom, Inko, I don't want to throw aside his family like that. They've been through a lot of shit together, so it'd be mean of me to do that anime thing where they're forgotten and nobody cares and they don't have opinions. Sure, I don't feature them a lot now but hopefully this change Kuzan's going through will bring them closer. It's too soon but it will get there.

TROLLGuest, I absolutely agree. There's just something about All Might that gives me troll vibes as well. I should stay away from tumblr, that place is a bad influence on me.

Ferna52, I can't find any reliable sources on where to find accurate words from the Nordic regions, so thanks for telling me. I went back and rewrote some of the words, hopefully they're a better improvement.

TRASHKIING, Here's more of Kuzan and his shitty attitude for you buddy! :D

Klutzybear, I totally agree with you there! That part always bothered me so much because there could have been so many ways how the heroes could have taken care of the issue but instead they appeared to have lost control of the situation and went into a tizzy. And those spectators that were watching, oh my God...! *angry pterodactyl screeching*

Disclaimer: Boku no/My Hero Academia belongs to Kohei Horikoshi, my only claim is my own original character(s)!

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Chapter II: Part II

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Well, I thought as I surveyed the building and its surroundings, it was certainly something.

The building was cube shaped and completely covered in reflective glass windowpanes (plexiglass perhaps?). The four columns were erected in each corner but were connected by elevated glass walkways for easier passage between the gaps of the buildings, it seemed a lot more simpler than having to go down all the way to the ground floor only to go back up when arriving to a different section. Or maybe there was a reason why the four columns stood separated from one another.

Since there was the Department of Heroics, the Department of Support, the Business Department, and General Education to consider, it meant that each course had their own building which focused solely on whatever studies the students ended up in. The design of the building appeared hideous rather than majestic (All Might looked at me like I was speaking blasphemy), but it did its job in being effective on where to place the students. It was easier to track departments that way, too. Yet this was based on my own assumptions about the entire school, for all I know the classes were mixed up and everyone treated the hallways like highways to travel between their classes.

Jeez, all this analyzing was starting to make me sound a lot like Izuku.

Observing the cheesy archways of the building's great entrance, I couldn't help but shake my head at the sight of it all. This was overkill, plain and simple. It was like I walked into a fast food restaurant and ordered myself a simple meal but instead got the super-sized deluxe. U.A. was ridiculously huge!

bump

"Move, Bastard."

Right, even though I was standing a little off from the sides so I wouldn't get in anyone's way, people still "accidentally" bumped into me then proceeded to chastise me for blocking the entrance. Broken out of my stupor, I followed the directions to where everyone was gathering for the written exams. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that people were being split up. It most likely had to do with which department people wanted to go for, with a majority aiming to go for heroics.

If memory served right, the kids that were about to take the practical exams ended up in some huge ass auditorium.

Alright then, I thought to myself, it was simple enough; my biggest concern was the first part of the exams because those pursuing heroics had to know the basic laws and accords regarding the superhuman society, and since I pretty much treated the majority of society as another otherworldly existence that didn't operate around my own solar system, I was way behind. Subjects like this at least took more than a year to understand because there was so much to go over, but those nine months studying and researching with Kawaki-sensei were going to have to do.

After that, the rest was up to me.

Before we went our separate ways, All Might warned me not to dally around when taking on the practical test because the judges would be observing the whole thing. He couldn't share too much details but I understood the gist of what he was trying to say.

The second half of the exams was what worried All Might the most, and for good reason.

While my performance in the mock battle trial was important, the biggest challenge ultimately fell on trying to convince the audience, the Pro heroes serving as faculty members of U.A.'s staff, that I, the Gunnarsen Bastard, was worth keeping around.

The thought of having to play around in their hands like a puppet to its puppet master made me feel sick. More than that, it made me feel angry and used. However, I knew I had to suck it up and play along because a certain someone had done so much for me and asked nothing in return. For their sake, I would swallow my pride and head straight into the exams, prepared to put Star Spangled Man with the Plan to shame.

"You've got to be joking."

"What is he doing here?"

"They're seriously letting the Bastard in after what he did to his own school?"

"Don't worry, they'll send his sorry ass out the front door."

"He must be a bigger moron than his folks if he thinks he can simply waltz in after what his family did."

"The absolute gall."

"Bastard."

Right, of course. Looked like it was time to stop dawdling and power walk towards the entrance so I didn't have to stick around with these jackasses to hear their little woes on why their life sucks because I happened to be within the same vicinity as them. That was fine, no skin off my back. I didn't come here to prove myself to them in particular. All I had to do was do good in the eyes of the judges and that was that, no more pretending to be a submissive sycophant.

Every one of these fuckers were competition, and the more they kept talking shit, the more invigorated I felt. Oh yes, I thought insidiously to myself with an internal sneer, I was going to enjoy grinding these cannon fodder into fine dust.

... Great.

Now I was starting to sound a lot like Bakugō.

...

An hour later after I finished writing an essay inside the test packet, I gathered my things and dropped the thin packet off on the desk the proctor sat quietly behind, eyes never leaving the students for in case someone tried to cheat.

To my surprise, the written exam wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be. Maybe they were going easy on us, maybe people were spreading false rumors to hype up the fear factor to make future students work their asses off, or maybe I was okay because I had Kawaki-sensei to drill this stuff into my head, whatever the reason, I finished earlier than intended and walked out the room.

Following the signs and directions given by staff, lo and behold I was walking inside the large auditorium. People shuffled around in the dark, avoiding bumping into each other as they looked for the row of seats they were assigned to. Ignoring the several looks I got, and easily side-stepping the legs that tried to trip me on my way up, I found my row and walked down the aisle.

This whole thing really took me back. It was like I was sitting in a classroom with the professor using a giant light projection to lecture us about whatever topic we were going over. If I had to pick one class I actually enjoyed learning from, it was my philosophy one. There was just something fascinating about learning how people came up with these ideas, their interpretations on the meaning of life, if religion was an existence man created rather than the other way around, and what traditions became part of a culture.

It was the only class I shared with my dorm mate, and it was one I likely never going to forget. My dorm mate struggled with keeping his grades up so he wouldn't have his scholarship taken from him, and I did my best to tutor and explain what little I knew of the subject he had difficulties with because I wasn't keen on the idea of losing him to a complete stranger. I didn't want to go through another beginning where we tried to pretend the other didn't exist (anime was what really got me and my dorm mate to talk to each other after the first few days of awkward tension).

Whenever the professor started a lecture about whatever we were taking notes on to later study from our rented text books, my dorm mate was always raising his hand to ask a question pertaining to the subject matter. At first it'd be silly things like a movie or a book he had come across, but once my dorm mate got going, he would note the similarities of what he saw and what the professor was teaching us. From there, everyone would pitch in with their own thoughts and opinions, and the professor encouraged the whole discussion by adding his two cents now and then to keep it going.

And this was the same guy who pronounced AP Chemistry class as "App Chemistry".

"Oi, Sengaki, move over."

I came close to swallowing my own tongue when I saw who was coming down the aisle towards me.

"Kamitsuku...?"

The name that rolled out of my tongue sounded hesitant because I almost didn't recognize the guy if not for his unique smell (he always smelled like that nauseating cologne brand from the drug stores). His most recognizable feature was his pompadour, always spearheading the teen's confident stride when crossing the hallways, but now his hair was flat and tied back in a messy man-bun with only a few free strands falling over his face.

"Who else, you dumb shit?" Kamitsuku glared as he made his way closer to my spot.

The other boy reached the empty space next to me and sat himself down, his belongings settled next to his feet just like everyone else. It was stupid of me to do so, but I couldn't stop staring at him like he was Jim Kirk beamed down from his starship. Tangerine and sea-foam green caught one another and Kamitsuku narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"What? Got something to say about me being here?" Kamitsuku snarled, fingers twitching like he was waiting for me to make a move.

The other kids surrounding us began to lean away, the air clustered and mixed with all sorts of aroma, fragrance, and odor melted into uneasiness. Everyone knew what school I came from, and since Kamitsuku wasn't afraid to imply that he came from the same school as me, people became distressed at the possibility of a fight breaking out in the middle of a crowded auditorium. You had to have been living under a rock to not have seen the news coverage over what happened in Jakku, watching the feed as hundreds of people ran each over trying to get away from the danger.

They were all thinking about a second coming of an explosion, of facing another herd of panicking students, of being tripped over and stomped on, of being burned alive, and whatever else sort of lies the unreliable news sources were spewing. Even after my name was cleared and the reports of what truly transpired was made public, people still looked at me like I was the maniac behind it all.

Back to the question the other surly kid threw at me, my answer was yes: I actually wanted to say several things about Kamitsuku being here. How was even allowed through the front gate? Was the school's background check on every student's record a bogus lie? Or did the staff at Jakku lose their students' records? Or maybe they didn't care about important stuff like that? Whatever it was, the other teen shouldn't be here.

But he was here, and it looked like he was going to stick around. Besides, the school would just look at me as if I was a pot calling the kettle black should I try to confront them of the issue. Kamitsuku got the benefit of having a clean slate during that sweep through Jakku, and I was willing to bet that it was the same for other students that had fallen through the cracks because there was simply too many of us for the school to keep an accurate head count on.

Meanwhile, I was the one stuck under the magnifying glass.

Like a bitter pill I had to force myself to swallow, I turned away from the other boy and pointedly stared ahead of me.

The auditorium's light went dim, signaling the beginning of the presentation for the second half of the exams. With everyone sitting in the dark, the only light was the front stage and the giant holographic projection screen that displayed the school's logo. The murmuring from all around quickly died down when a lonesome figure stepped up on the stage.

"HELLO~, my listeners!"

I froze.

"I hope you've come prepared for the mock battle exams because it's a go-go PLUS ULTRA from here, ya dig?"

The person standing behind the podium on the stage had blond hair done up like a cockatoo bird's fluffed up crown, wearing a black leather attire like he was someone belonging of that from a heavy metal rock band. There was a device wrapped around his neck, but—

I didn't care to look.

Suddenly I wasn't sitting the the middle of a dark auditorium.

"Everybody say HEY~!"

I was screaming.

I was screaming at the top of my lungs.

I was screaming for someone to hear.

It hurt, my throat felt hot and my chest burned like I had been running for too long or coughing so hard from something clogging my wind pipe, yet I didn't stop. Even if it hurt me, even if it made it seem like I was going to start coughing up blood if I kept at it, it was a better alternative than what was going to happen if I didn't.

The trees from above seemed to crouch down towards the earth, their branches like fingers and claws reaching to snatch me and keep me still. The wind whistled sharply against my ears, my skin tingling from the air that caressed against it, leaving behind chills.

I screamed out loud.

But all anyone could hear was the concert.

Beats and tandems, hands clapping and voices following the lyrics of a song playing. The high pitch coming from the distance deafened everything else, the chanting rising in volume as the rhythm grew faster and stronger. All the noises overlapping while I was left to cry out helplessly in the bloody darkness threatening to swallow what little light was left.

I was screaming so much that I felt my throat constricted itself from the pain against my inner vocal chords.

But I had to.

Someone had to hear me and—

slap!

I jerked wildly, knees knocking against the underside of the table I was sitting behind. There was no longer dark trees reaching their branches towards me, no longer sharp winds rushing by him, no longer thumping music and songs filling the night with noise that drowned out my screaming. I was sitting inside a large, spacious room with hundreds of other kids. I was in U.A. to enroll for the heroics courses.

I was here.

Nowhere else but here.

Kamitsuku stared at me like I was a bat out of hell, his usually aloof demeanor replaced with a look of uncertainty as we both sat there in the tense atmosphere surrounding us.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" the teen quietly demanded while eyeing me up and down. "You look like you're gonna throw up. You gonna crap your pants or something?"

For a delusional second, the vague idea of Kamitsuku being concerned for my well being entered into my brain. But then I quickly realized how ridiculous the notion sounded in my head and immediately ejected the thought out through the other ear.

It took a few seconds to realize I was trembling, fingers twitching and my breathing coming off as heavy. There was sweat gathering on my brow, feeling suddenly hot under the collar despite the neutral temperature of the room. I felt somewhat stifled by the crowds surrounding me.

A couple of kids nearby looked at me with a flicker of alarm in their eyes, their scent becoming tainted with fear from watching my behavior seemingly become out of control. It didn't take much to figure out that they believed I was going to pull another stunt that resulted in destruction and complete pandemonium. Some of them even looked ready to bolt for the doors like I was going to spontaneously combust.

"I—"

The lights came on and the doors to the auditorium opened back up.

Presentation was over.

"Shit." I muttered.

I didn't even get to hear the rules of the presentation at all! Before I could think about internally screaming like all those gifs I had seen when exploring the internet of my computer back then, the other boy noticed my dilemma and gave a patronizing snort.

"Fucking dumbass. You got your exam ticket, right?" he pointed at the small note that was tucked away in the pocket of my backpack.

There was my picture stamped on the side, my number, and some other notes printed out. It was something everyone had to get before entering the school grounds to avoid people trespassing their property.

"Whatever letter is stamped in your paper, that's the block you go to." Kamitsuku stood up, bag already strapped over his shoulder. He dropped a small pamphlet in front of me. "So much for being a smartass, huh Sengaki?"

I watched him go as he roughly brushed by everyone to leave the aisle. I looked down at my desk and stared at the pamphlet with confusion before reaching to unfold it.

Inside the paper pamphlet were four images of bulky-looking silhouettes. Making quick work of reading the instructions and pulling up the memories of the story about the upcoming mock battle, my foggy memories started to clear the path in front of me that my unease gradually settled. I definitely remembered a part where there was robots running amok around a city.

Resources were scarce in this country, but there were no stopping a bunch of robotic engineering genius's from moving forward the future, creating things that put the robots of my past life to shame. Sure, they were recycled and had to get updates, but there was something to marvel about the advancement in AI technology. I had seen a couple of bots on the streets a few times, working as little helpers to those with disabilities or of advanced age. And sometimes they swept through the city to keep the public clean of any littering trash not properly disposed of.

"Um, h-hey there!"

A familiar-looking stranger stood in front of me.

Brown doe-like eyes, face soft and round, and their hair cut to a chin length with only the front bangs extending a few inches longer. I could smell green tea coming off them like a perfume, along with the smell of asphalt and oil that came from heavy machinery.

There was an awkward pause between the two of us, staring at each other like a pair of gaping idiots.

"I was," the person fumbled a little, their already rosy cheeks turning even more red and their pulse quickening. "I was coming over to tell you everyone's already leaving the auditorium, a-and it looked like you were kind of lost, so I... thought you needed help...?"

Another pause, the silence growing strained as the seconds ticked by.

"Guess we better go." I finally muttered.

"Yeah! We should totally do that!" the person exclaimed loudly, causing me to lean a little backwards. "I just thought to help because, you know, it'd be kind of bad luck to be left behind before the exams even started!"

After an awkward wave goodbye, I watched the person scarper down the aisle to follow the rest of the lingering people exiting the auditorium.

I remembered her.

Those bright eyes and her bubbly personality.

She was suppose to be the first person Izuku came across as an ally.

The first person he met in the exams, the first person who reached out to him with welcome arms, the first person who offered her friendship and support as easily as offering napkins, and the first person outside his mother to genuinely care about him despite his odd habits. Since the beginning, she was there to push him in becoming a somewhat confident person who could turn to others when he was in a bind of some sort.

But now...

Inhale.

She was only being polite, giving me a small heads up that I was lagging behind while everyone else was leaving to head towards the locker rooms. Grabbing my backpack, I followed the crowd, all of them removing their uniforms for attire better suited for action and combat.

Exhale.

It was time for the second half of the exams to begin.

.

.

.

The weather was cold but a lot of people dressed lightly because they knew things were about to get heated.

Dressed in a long-sleeved black compression shirt, sleeveless hoodie, Nike shoes, and basketball shorts, I was ready to release everything that's been building up to this point. I hadn't felt this jumpy since back when I was still attending the gym with Izuku and Bakugō. There was so much pent up energy and negative emotions that I wanted to let loose, slamming my fists against the leather surface of the heavy bags like a man possessed by wrath.

And after years of keeping away, that energy that I locked up for so long was starting to claw its way through the bars while teething the shackles wrapped around it, begging to be let out.

Not wanting to cause another little scene like the one in the auditorium, I started on my work out routine while ignoring the chatter coming from the group not too far from me. Like always, I felt their eyes boring holes on the back of my head and their hushed tones voicing their judgement.

"Seriously, what the hell is he doing here?"

"Why hasn't the school done something?"

"The Gunnarsen Bastard thinks he can go wherever he pleases, huh?"

"The moment the door opens, I'm gonna make damn sure he doesn't get a single point."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea."

"I'm down for it."

"Bastard doesn't deserve scrappy seconds."

One of the few rules the mock battle insisted on was no pulling dirty tricks against other participants of the exams. They couldn't attack me, they couldn't hinder my quirk, they couldn't do absolute shit to me... but somehow they found a loophole in where they could hog all the points for themselves while keeping me from getting any. It stood between the line of following instructions while also making sure that I couldn't gain a single villain point so I could become one of the few people selected to join the Department of Heroes.

"That is no way for a would-be hero to conduct him or herself!" someone shouted in the background, sounding harried.

Pausing from the leg stretching exercise I was in the middle of, there was another familiar face who stood out from the crowd. He was dressed in a tight-fitted. short-sleeved blue compression shirt with matching shorts, and strapped to his feet were enforced-looking armor. The guy was waving his arms around like he was karate chopping the air.

"You do know who that is, don't you?" a jackass blatantly pointed towards my direction. "That's the Gunnarsen Bastard, you moron."

"Even so, I find intentional sabotage during an exam to be the sort of thing only a villain would do! If we are to become U.A.'s future students, we all must represent the school with pride and honor!" the bespectacled boy continued, including his odd arm motioning.

"Ugh, who is this robot?"

"Buzz off, four eyes!"

Finishing the last of bit of my exercise with a quick rotation of the waist, I turned to face the rest of the gathered crowd. The whole thing made me feel like a lone guy facing an entire army full of angry assholes. The glaring increased tenfold and their posture spoke of resentment which was tightly contained since no one wanted to risk disqualification for starting a fight. And right before an exams, too. Besides, I was dealing with a bunch of idiotic juveniles brainwashed into believing I was the big bad their parents exaggerated about during bedtime.

Some of them arrived with equipment that probably helped enhanced their quirk, but probably not by much given how every one of them would check their things over and over while murmuring high hopes it wouldn't break down in the middle of their mock trial.

"Got something to say, Bastard?" a guy with a drill on his head snapped at me.

Not bothering to answer, I simply crossed my arms and started to roll lazily on the soles of my feet. My devil-may-care attitude got the reaction I expected, and if anyone had a quirk that could shoot lasers from their eyes, I'd be a pile of ashes by now.

"What's with that look? You lookin' down on us?"

"Cocky little shit!"

"Wipe that smug look off your face!"

It was so easy to make people react. I didn't have to say anything, didn't have to go swinging around my dick for some attention, and I sure as hell didn't have to throw any shade at them to make them believe I got some beef against everyone because me making little gestures and expressions was warrant enough to get all of them to come after my blood. The whole thing made me shake my head, eyes rolling heavenward in exasperation at their pitiful behavior.

'And these guys are suppose to be the future heroes protecting our fine city?'

U.A. needed to check the quality of the students rather than the quantity of their impressive quirks.

"Why don't you actually say something instead of looking all high and mighty, Bastard!" another spat, practically frothing at the mouth from anger.

My eyes flicked over everyone's heads for a second then dropped back to their glowering faces.

"Run."

"Ah?" a goggle-wearing doofus gave a sarcastic laugh. "You threatening us?"

A feral-looking smile was all the idiot got in return.

"START~!"

Present Mic's sudden announcement caught everyone off guard, leaving them to falter and freeze in their spots. Nobody noticed the tiny figure coming from the high observation tower that overlooked the city blocks, and the brats were too busy ganging up on me to notice the gates behind them swinging open. So the moment Present Mic released a loud bellow from the tower, I was already vaulting over the stunned faces of the crowd then speeding through the gates.

"What the fuc—"

Then the stillness broke and everyone was suddenly running after me, shoving and pushing one another that I was reminded of the kids back in Jakku after the cafeteria broke out into mass panic. This was a different sort of desperate, all of them crowding around the entrance way, footsteps thundering, but their shouts faded as I left them in the dust.

The smell of oil and the steady thrum of electrical circuits caught my attention. There had to be more of them because the smell and noise was strong, and it seemed that they were coming just around the corner, too. Spotting a tall street lamp on the sidewalk's turn, I ran towards it. With a leap, I caught the lamp and swung my legs to whip it around just in time to slam them into the incoming bots.

To my delight, there was three of them; two one pointers and a three pointer.

'Five points!'

The hard alloy dented from the powerful blow, the circuits and machinery from within exposed and crackling before the thing fell into a messy heap on the street. The two others followed the same fate, one of them crashing into a nearby fake car.

I winced at the sight, remembering somewhere in my studies and several talks with dad that heroes had to keep damage of public property to a minimum. It was why most fights had to be done quickly because drawing it out any further caused more damage and more civilian casualty.

Back to the exams, I spotted a couple more bots ahead of me and hurried on over before someone tried to take the points for themselves. I heard enough people from behind starting to catch up while looking frantically for a robot victim to claim. The bots themselves put a little show of resistance by shooting a couple of non-lethal tasers to both intimidate the examinees while protecting itself.

"Gotcha!"

"I'm gonna totally bag this!"

"In your dreams—"

The four kids running after the bountiful little squad of bots came to a screeching halt, yelping out loud in shock of my sudden appearance.

I literally crashed into the scene, my two feet slamming harshly into one of the bot's sides, causing it to violently throw itself backwards where it ended up colliding with the rest of the other bots. The small group watched the whole thing with their jaws unhinged, their prey swept right from under their claws by another scavenger. Immediately, I was beset with angry faces.

"We saw them first, you jerk!" the sole girl of the group fumed at me.

"Didn't see your name on it." I deadpanned.

Leaving the indignant brats to sputter, I bolted towards the direction of where I could smell more oil and hear the thrumming of circuitry boards not far from where I was. My tally came to eleven points from over a minute, leaving less than nine minutes to gather more points for myself. There was already a few crashes coming from elsewhere, others desperate to get those forty-five points in order to pass. I had to hurry because something of a feeling (or was it a memory?) told me that these bots weren't an endless supply but rather a limited number to weed out the examinees.

It was time to up my game.

'Alright,' I glanced at my legs as I ran. 'Time to stop messing around.'

And with a burst—I flew.

.

.

.

---

. Toshinori .

---

The observation room was packed.

Multiple hidden cameras watching and live streaming everything for all to see displayed on the massive holographic screen that took up the entire section of the wall and ceiling. The room was also soundproofed but everyone was still able to make out Present Mic's announcements, reminding everyone below how much time they had left in the mock battle to gather their points. While it was mean, it did produce the results everyone wanted to see. The teachers would pipe up every few seconds to take note of a particular student that caught their eyes.

As amazing as it was to watch these incredible children utilize their impressive quirks to aid them in their mock battle against the "villains", there was a certain someone Toshinori couldn't help thinking about the entire time since he woke up that morning.

Wondering how they were fairing, the blond pulled up a tablet connected to the chair he was occupying and quickly typed the examiner's entire name into the search bar. Principal Nedzu, who he was seated next to, gave him a knowing look but thankfully said nothing, the mammal's attention drawn by another teacher who was bringing up a surveillance video of an examiner with explosive powers (Bakugō, if Toshinori recalled correctly).

Ducking his head, Toshinori watched the tablet's screen intently as it searched for the specific examiner until one of the many cameras scattered across the urban city finally spotted him.

"Holy shit...!"

His blue orbs flickered over towards the scoreboard keeping track of the teen's villain points. The double digit number made Toshinori choke, causing him to cover his mouth and cough. Some of the people around him started, thinking he was having another one of his bloody coughing fits.

"Sorry, sorry!" he felt his face flush in embarrassment. "Wrong tube."

"Oh?" Kayama, the scantily clad heroine, leaned in close to spy on the screen he was holding in his hands. "See something you like?"

Ignoring the double innuendo she threw at him (something that was starting to become a constant occurrence for whenever she was in the mood for some small talk), the older man felt his insides shrivel up at the idea of another backlash waiting to repeat itself like it did in the aftermath of the sludge villain incident.

Toshinori could never forget how everyone ganged up on the boy who risked his life to save a familiar acquaintance of his.

The boy turned his angry eyes on the mob, confronting them of their own mistakes. He called out the heroes for their ridiculous plan that almost resulted in a child dying under their watch, all of them having become frantic and hoping for the right hero to come along and save the day. The boy also turned towards the civilians and furiously demanded why such a terrifying event excited them. How could they stand there and cheer when people got hurt? How could they risk their own lives for some stupid pictures they wanted to show off later to friends and family? Better question yet, why would they hinder the heroes by standing in the way?

Instead of self-reflection and acknowledgement, Sengoku-kun's words were dismissed and ignored. All everyone seemed to care about was reprimanding the Gunnarsen Bastard and praising the quiet hostage of his amazing quirk.

That day left behind a bitter taste in Toshinori's mouth, and for once it wasn't from the blood clinging at the back of his throat nor the horrendous odor emitting from the captured villain. It was the first time in years that Toshinori didn't feel so victorious when he watched the downtrodden child walk away, disappearing under the swarms of adoring fans and reporters and cameramen.

As much as it pained him to do so, he needed to address the elephant in the room. Taking a note from Recovery Girl's book, Toshinori decided to quickly rip the band-aid off.

"This kid here is pretty good." Toshinori pointed at the screen of his tablet, allowing Kayama—Midnight—to see. "It's been only four minutes and he's already got over thirty points on his belt."

"What? Really?" she perked up, intrigue glittering behind her ringed eyes. "Which examinee? I want to see this."

"In four minutes?!" someone perked up from the row behind his and Midnight's seats. "Put 'em up on screen, Midnight!"

Midnight's finger tapped twice on the tablet's screen, sending it up to the holograph so everyone could see for themselves. Suddenly his lung ceased functioning and Toshinori forgot how to breathe.

Sengoku-kun was speeding down the street like a sports car, avoiding others that were chasing after what was obviously a small group of bots. And then the dark-haired boy leaped, legs spread open before closing around an arm (or was that a tail?) belonging to a three pointer that was about to discharge its beam. Sengoku-kun then began to spin rapidly from his upper torso as if he was a corkscrew until he could no longer do so. He slammed his hands into the concrete below, and Toshinori could barely make out the cracked and disfigured asphalt street where the boy's fingers were digging into it.

Hefting the captured robot the boy still clutched between his legs, Sengoku-kun allowed his lower half to unwind itself. The rapid spinning made the innards of the bot fall apart from the momentum, sending the pieces scattering to random directions. And that wasn't even the best part.

While the robot was still spinning, Sengoku-kun stretched his lower half and swung himself in a wide arc where he crashed into other bots nearby. The kid was really going above and beyond in the battle trial, killing two birds with dozens of stones.

A soft whistle filled the air, the owner obviously expressing how impressed they felt about the display.

"Damn. This kid seems to know what he's doing."

"What's his quirk? Can he make his whole body bendable?"

"Looks like elasticity to me."

'Rubber more like.' Toshinori mentally corrected them.

Sengoku-kun ducked through an alleyway entrance, hoping to find more targets on the other side of the buildings but found his path to be riddled with fence links, turned over garbage dumpsters, and tight fitting fire escapes. Not deterred by the sight, Toshinori felt his heart skip a beat while watching the dark-haired boy on the screen vaulting, climbing, running, and flipping through the obstacles in his way. The movements were too smooth and fluid to be labeled as amateur running, and there was not a single trace of hesitance when he easily dodged and flipped through the alley in such a speed the camera barely caught it all.

The boy was very well trained in the art of free running.

"Who is this kid?"

"He's on a roll here!"

Young Sengoku reached the other side of the alley in time to attack a bot that was moments away from striking a distracted examinee. It's mainframe was a complete mess under the power of the boy's quick fist, and Sengoku-kun was gone from the scene before anyone realized what had happened.

"Notice how he's always bringing the targets towards himself rather than throwing them around at random? I'm surprise he knows how to restrain himself to keep damage to a minimum."

"Yeah," another agreed. "We tell them to go all out on villains, but we don't tell them to consider their surrounding areas."

Indeed, Toshinori agreed, it would have appeared that the young man was going all out but most of them could see how controlled and contained it all was. Young Sengoku took care not to break buildings and parked cars, keeping an eye out for both the environment and the other examinees running around to avoid things turning messy. Sure, there was plenty of people with quirks that enabled their society to rebuild itself to its former glory, but every hero knew time and time again that they needed to keep their quirks and battles within a perimeter, and it was for this reason why All Might was always zooming into the scene to nip the bud before hero/villain clashes escalated.

Sadly, not a lot of heroes carried this caution (e.g. Mount Lady).

"Wait a second..." a harsh and muzzled voice interrupted the praising. "I feel like I've seen this boy from somewhere."

Whatever small bit of comfort Toshinori felt from hearing the teachers praising Sengoku-kun immediately went up in smoke. The glowering tone of the speaker echoing from somewhere in the darkness of the observation room—it had to be Inui Ryō—sent unwelcome chills down the blond's spine. There was no delight, no hint of amazement, instead all he could hear was suspicion and reservation.

Something soft touched his hand (he was clutching his seat, his knuckles pale from the holographic screen's glow) and he found Nedzu staring up at him.

Toshinori felt helpless when the screen in front of them began to zoom its lenses on Sengoku-kun who moved, jumped, danced around the urban setting, his face too blurred from his speed and constant motion. The camera screens changed their angles, determined to capture the boy's face so everyone could see and discover who exactly they were watching.

As if hearing the blond summoning him by thought alone, the boy halted from his run after taking down another bot.

The boy's tangerine orbs danced across the screen, darting all around for another villain to claim. He looked absolutely feral on the big screen, like a beast hunting and devouring anything that he could sink his claws into, ever hungry and utterly insatiable.

And as quickly as he appeared on the camera's locked frame, eyes glowing ominously, him and his tangerine orbs blurred out of the screen like wind on the run.

It was quiet. No one said anything.

He no longer had his stomach, but there was a phantom feeling of it twisting itself from inside him.

"... The Gunnarsen boy is here?" came a quiet demand, a tone that was on the edge of bleeding into angry accusation.

Feeling enraged on behalf of the boy, Toshinori wanted to throw caution out the window and face the spectators. He felt like exploding into his larger form, like an animal raising its fur to appear larger than it actually was. Principal Nedzu's hold didn't let up, forcing the older man to remain seated. From the calm look on the mammal's expression, it seemed that Toshinori didn't need to lift a finger to take care of it.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Nedzu calmly spoke up, drowning out the hushed murmuring going all around the dark room. "I hope you all are not insinuating that you believe in such ridiculous rumors over the truth of what happened at the incident in Jakku Junior High."

Toshinori could see several of the teachers exchanging wary looks from the corner of his eye.

"It'd be quite the embarrassment for everyone involved if people within the halls of this school caused a misunderstanding over something that's been already dealt with." Nedzu went on before adding, "And it would be quite a bothersome issue if such troublesome news reached my office."

Nedzu's tone was light, airy, and cheerful on the surface, but everyone could hear something ominous brewing beneath the innocuous-looking mammal's appearance.

"But I don't need to worry about that, now do I?" Principal Nedzu exclaimed, clapping his paws together. "Because I believe my wonderful teachers here will know better than to cause such inconveniences inside the classroom! Because I know everyone here will put aside their personal issues in order to teach the next batch of future heroes, no matter who they are!"

'Damn.' Toshinori thought with a secretive smile.

Always trust the principal to simultaneous break up the trouble festering inside, politely tell it to behave itself, and then grind it into submission just to be thorough. All this while the mammal was drinking out of his finest tea cup, not giving any fucks about the the cheerful mood turning threatening then back to its former which left a lot of people flabbergasted by the sudden whiplash of emotions.

Forget All Might being the number one hero, Principal Nedzu would always stand above everyone from atop the highest peek of the mountain.

"Now then," Principal Nedzu turned back to the screen. "I think it's about time we give these children something more challenging, yes?"

"Yes sir."

The blond leaned back in chair in time to feel a small quake sending vibrations all throughout the building. If memory served him well, Toshinori knew that the examinees below were going to be in for one hell of a surprise.

---

.

.

.

"What the hell?"

Everyone paused in their point snatching frenzy, confusion and concern painted across their faces as they looked for the source that made the world tremble.

Hanging off the side of a building with my fingers digging into the red brick wall, I focused all my senses into my hearing and scenting, trying to make out exactly what was coming across the city block.

It was obviously big, the mechanical insides jumbo size, the steam exhaust filtering out with every movement, and the thrumming electrical network it was programmed with growing louder as it came alive. There was another tremor and I saw the glass panels shimmer slightly on the window's frame, the cars below jolting slight from the ground. The decimated bots shifted slightly, and the thunderous steps grew louder and powerful until something started to peek over top the buildings.

For a moment, I couldn't help but stare at the thing like an idiot.

A giant peeking over the edge of a concrete barrier with its bulky hands grabbing onto it? The whole scene was hilariously making a call back to another show I used to watch with my dorm mate and his fellow baseball players. One time, we all stolen away inside an unlocked classroom and used the class projection box to play a Netflix stream on the huge board's white background. While half of us gathered some snacks to munch on, the other half spent the next five minutes plating rounds of rock-paper-scissors to determine who got to pick what everyone would watch. One of the guys won and selected "Attack on Titan".

It was the most brilliantly epic thing I've ever watched, and it was violent as fuck. The show reminded me of an anime version of Game of Thrones, but without the gratuitous sex scenes and dragons.

I was brought back to earth when everyone below the street started to run at the sight of the giant robot coming around the corner. People screeched in terror like they believed they were going to be eaten by a butt naked titan or something.

Oh right, I jumped down the street to join the rest, I'm in the middle of a test. Given that there was a giant spray paint of the number zero on the robot's hulk, it was safe to assume that this was the one everyone was warned not to engage with since there was nothing of its worth in defeating the thing, therefore it was best to leave it be.

This also proved to be a perfect opportunity to take more points while everyone was busying themselves in fleeing. Ignoring the commotion and the colossal zero pointer coming from behind, I examined the area to find what little villain were left.

BOoOM!

A shockwave sent many people stumbling to the floor, and those who weren't brought down by the quake and strong gusts of wind rushing over their heads were tripping over their feet due to the uneven ground the colossal robot created upon impact. The surrounding area became smothered by clouds of dust, and people began to cough from accidentally inhaling it.

Waving away the dust that left me half blind, I almost tripped over a fallen body nearly hidden amongst the surroundings. Tempted as I was to leave them there, they started coughing like crazy and I knew I had to help them or else they'd panic and choke on the dust particles.

"Here," I grabbed their arms. "Take slow breaths."

They stumbled to their feet.

"No, don't hold your breath like that, it won't work." I grabbed the collar of their shirt and pulled it over their mouth to keep any dust to being inhaled again. "Take deep breaths."

Another tremor and thunderous footsteps alerted us that the approaching footsteps of the colossal robot was still coming for us.

"Jesus fuck!" I hissed and pushed the other towards the opposite direction of the robot.

I was all for making the practical exams difficult and scaring the shit out of the examinees because U.A. was all about going big or going home (quite literally in this case), but endangering the lives of these people with the colossal robot breaking streets and collapsing buildings? That was way too excessive! People could have been seriously injured from that hit! Maybe even killed!

We were lucky the robot struck from far behind us rather than on top. Then again, with the way its shadow seemed to loom over everyone, it looked like we were about to find out how damaging it could be once we came into its range. I could hear a few more people somewhere within the dusty smog, still struggling to compose themselves.

"Get up!" I shouted at the people hidden inside the dust cloud. "Get your asses moving! It's coming this way!"

A few seconds later, people started jogging past me, taking care to watch their steps from the crumpled road that threatened to trip their feet. A few finally got the hint to cover their mouths while running for safety. The dust began to settle and more people were running towards the direction everyone else was heading towards without their sight being hindered.

The kid with the karate chopping arms ran by, glances exchanged briefly before he went on while I stuck around to make sure no one was left behind. Once the last straggler went past me, I turned to join the rest of the herd. Eyes still looking around, I pondered if maybe I should go off on another run to search for more leftover bots.

However, a pained whimper halted me from following through with that idea. The almost quiet noise nearly caused me to trip over my own feet because of the abrupt halt in motion, especially when standing on uneven grounds.

Whirling myself around, I searched the wreckage and looked for any signs of the individual while listening to their racing pulse. I was able to locate them towards the furthest part, almost a block away from where the giant bot attacked from behind.

Green tea and machinery.

The doe-eyed girl was buried under heavy debris that were keeping her from wiggling out and joining everyone on the run. Her lungs were still okay, no painful wheezing which meant she didn't suffer any internal damage. However, outwardly I could smell copper and see the red flowing from her forearms and the temple of her head and I could guess she had an unfortunate hard tumble from the bot's blow, but at least that saved her from further damage with the stuff falling on top of her.

Tears were gathering at the rim of her round eyes as her scent became overwhelmed with fear. The machinery overtook the green tea, her distress more evident than that of her facial expression.

The colossal robot was closing in.

"Damn it!" I bolted towards her.

"O-ow..." the brunette softly cried. "Ow...!"

"I got you!" I slid to a halt that kicked up some dust.

The girl coughed but I paid it no mind, too busy grabbing the edge of the debris piled over her and putting all my strength in lifting it off her. The ground was rumbling and I could see the colossal robot coming dangerously close to where the girl and I were. Did that thing have any sensors to signal that they were approaching an examinee unable to flee from its path? Would it know when to stop? Was causing so much destruction from above which led for debris to collapse on top of unsuspecting victims necessary?

The practical exams as a whole had so many flaws that it went past my finger count. There was a scared girl bleeding at my feet and this was suppose to be an environment for testing everyone's abilities.

"What a load of bullshit!" I gritted angrily while pushing the heavy concrete plates off the girl, and I winced when some smaller pieces of concrete crumbled onto the floor with a few landing on the girl. "Sorry, I almost got you."

Not trusting to keep the weight up with my arms alone, I started to duck my head and use the rest of my body to lift more of the weight while preventing any more pieces of debris to fall on the poor kid. With a wet sniff, the girl lifted her bloody face but I ignored her in favor of concentrating on adding more weight by pushing higher so whatever else was keeping her pinned would lift off of her. I could still hear the approaching robot edging closer to our position, its giant tires rolling up.

"Can you move?" I asked, voice strained from the weight on my back, shoulders, and head.

"Y-yeah, but my legs are—" I looked down and winced at the sight. There wasn't much blood but they looked pretty mangled.

And before I could think of the next course of action to avoid getting squashed like pancakes while simultaneously preventing further injury on the girl's busted legs, the sound of engine exhaust cut through my scrambling mind. It didn't come from the giant robot behind us because it was too sharp and small in pitch and tone to belong to the colossal, and there was the fact that it was coming from ahead of us.

Snapping my attention forward, I was astonished to spot the approaching figure of the karate kid. It looked more like he was leaping rather than running, and defined arms were pulled back to create a smoothness in his speed. My eyes tracked his fast pace easily, spotting a few protruding cylinders coming from his bulky calves.

Once he was close enough, he cut off his engine quirk and started to run normally until he too skidded to a halt.

"Pull her on your back," I immediately ordered. "Don't yank her out, wrap your arms around her middle and pull her out as carefully as you can."

"Of course! Such valuable knowledge on how one should properly conduct themselves in an emergency situation is vital!" the other boy crouched low while following my instructions to a T, something of a surprise on my part. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm really banged up."

My nose picked up the scent of green tea again, no longer stifled by the fear; I could understand how terrified she must have felt to find herself alone and trapped with people leaving her behind to fend for herself. The sight of complete strangers coming to her rescue must have felt like a breath of fresh air after nearly drowning in the dark.

She wasn't left behind to die, somebody came back for her.

She looped her arms around the other boy's neck so he could easily pull her out from beneath my spread legs. The heavy concrete plates made my muscles twitch a little from the strain, but it didn't affect my performance. I would have helped the girl myself after I had thrown off the concrete debris, but that needed time because sudden movements would have send pieces of the plates falling back on the girl and I didn't want that. And time was not on our side no thanks to the damn robot that was now on top of us if the humongous shadow that darkened the area all around was anything to go by!

"Go!" I ordered frantically, seeing the two freeze with their heads looking up where the robot was. "What the hell are you idiots still standing there for?! GO!"

"But—"

Not moving fast enough to my liking, especially when there was a goddamn robot about to squash us all because the idiots judging us weren't doing a damn thing to stop it, I kicked the other teen hard enough to make him stumble back a few feet. Once he was far enough, I hastily lifted the heavy debris off my back, letting it fall backwards. There was a look of alarm coming over the girl and boy's faces, mouths open to shout which was unnecessary because my body could feel the rumbling machine about to run me over.

This was going to get messy.

splat

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.

.

---

. Toshinori .

---

Blood splattered all around, the shock of the image sending him into a violent coughing fit. There was hands on his shoulders and back but he couldn't stop because there was nothing but aghast horror written on his face from watching his successor become road kill.

"Oh calm down, All Might," Principal Nedzu's light tone cuts through his panicked mind. "Those tires are for show."

"WHAT?!"

"The zero pointer is actually supported by the outer frame of its wheels," Toshinori looked back to find Power Loader sitting a couple of seats away from his and Nedzu's row. He was no longer wearing his giant metal mask, instead using it as a footstool while watching the live stream freely. "The rest of it, like the principal said, is just for show. They're actually a lot like inflatable balloons; anyone who's caught on the underside of the zero pointer, the fake tires will create a shape around the person, virtually leaving them unharmed."

'Virtually?!'

"But the experience will scare the crap out of them." Snipe cackled from somewhere in the room. "Better hope the kid brought extra underwear with him."

"We need to make the practical exams seem like a stimulation akin to real life," Aizawa—Eraserhead—cuts off any sharp retort Toshinori wanted to give to the gun-totting hero. The black-haired man wasn't sitting amongst the teachers, rather he was leaning near the entrance of the observation room. "And we can't afford to make the zero pointers stop every time some kid falls down and can't get back up. It destroys the illusion of danger and the purpose of these exams."

Toshinori turned away from the underground hero and sank down in his seat, quietly exhaling in relief that Sengoku-kun was simply temporarily pinned down rather than getting squashed to death.

"Besides, Sengoku-san's quirk would have deflected any harm had the tires been real." Nedzu stated as he was reading into his personal tablet the blond was able to make out as young Sengoku's personal files. "He didn't only inherit his mother's quirk, he also inherited that of his father's. Elasticity, is it?"

"Rubber." Toshinori quietly corrected the mammal.

"It's fascinating, coming across someone who holds dual quirks rather than a synthesized version of it. I can only think of one other person who is of similar kind."

"Endeavor's son," the large and cube-shaped face of Cementoss helpfully added for the sake of the other teachers left in the dark. "Todoroki Shōto."

The boy's abilities surprised him too. The quirks of Sengoku-kun's mother and father created a child who was sharply aware of his surroundings while utilizing his rubber powers with incredibly effective techniques that guaranteed the boy a win when it came to some good old-fashioned brawling. Toshinori could only imagine how big of a powerhouse the boy will grow to become once he learned how to wield the power of One for All.

He'd be the triple threat no one saw coming.

"Oh, look." Midnight nodded towards the screen.

Back to the holographic display where Toshinori saw his successor disappear under the zero pointer's fake tires, the dark-haired boy sat up. There was a bewildered look painted on the boy's features, undoubtedly feeling like someone who's been had.

---

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.

.

"What the fuck?" I rasped out.

One minute I thought I was going to endure the horrors of becoming a human pancake, yes I know I'm a rubber boy but it's still an experience I could go on living without thank you very much, but then the next thing I know I'm just lying there with air filled material going over me like nothing. I stared after the zero pointer's retreating back, utterly gobsmacked because the appearance made me believe I was going to be crushed by heavy tons of killer robot.

"FOUR MINUTES LEFT, KIDDIES~!" Present Mic's voice bellowed from the high tower outside the city block.

"Oh my Gosh! You're still alive!"

"What relief!"

Still shocked by the whole being run over by fake tires fiasco, I barely noticed two other bodies joining me on the crumpled street. A pair of hands grabbed me by the cheeks, squishing my face in the process while forcefully twisting my head so that I was face-to-face with the bespectacled boy. The other boy's neon coral eyes were running all over my body, loudly asking whether or not I was falling into shock or experiencing internal damage. I snapped out of my stupefied daze and shook the teen's hands off me.

The doe-eyed girl remained close by, wringing her wrists like she wanted to reach out and do something rather than simply sit there and watch. Her legs were still messed up but she seemed okay for now.

"I'm fine!" I snapped, feeling exasperated by the other boy's incessant need to ask every question in the book regarding my health. "Just a bunch of fucking sadists enjoying scaring the crap out of kids."

"Sadists?" the girl echoed, confused.

I gestured back towards the zero pointer. "Those tires won't crush you. They're inflatables."

"Oh! That's good to know!"

"I see! That explains a lot of the concerns I felt about its presence." I stared at the boy as he stood straight from the ground he was kneeling on, his full height coming next to my own tall stature. "We must treat this exam as if it was real, therefore the danger of death is necessary to motivate many into action and decision making. I'm glad U.A. is considerate enough to put these safety measures to mind when concerning the people risking injury."

"Oh yeah," I bit out scathingly while giving the girl's legs a pointed look. "Totally safe."

"No, he's right," the girl looked at herself. "To be a hero one needs to be prepared for the risks that come with it."

The words died behind my mouth with my anger being splashed away by a bucket full of ice cold logic. The girl being hurt was a clear message: are you willing to sacrifice yourself in the pursuit of protecting others from disasters and villainy? Everyone talked about fame, glory, attention, and money, and they all were arrogant enough to believe that they would one day reach for the stars.

Much as I wanted to fall back to my usual self where I offered unwanted snide commentary about how flawed this system was, I forcefully clamped my teeth shut and swallowed back the vile words.

They were right.

This test was suppose to open our eyes to the truth. Anyone could beat up a bunch of villains, but that was only because the hero had the power, the mind, and the strength to pull it off. There was no room for messing around in the businesses of heroes, so just because it looked cool when someone did it on television didn't mean you go around doing it, too. It was like that Jackass show but without the warning signs to prevent idiots from copying their idols who had years of training to get away from the jaws of danger.

"We should go." I spoke after a moment of silence.

The girl wilted where she sat.

"I didn't get enough points to pass."

Words of comfort wasn't something I spared freely to people, especially to strangers; thankfully I didn't have to force myself to offer any false sense of sympathy for the downtrodden girl because the bespectacled boy took over without hesitation.

"There's nothing more you can do after sustaining an injury to your legs," the other teen informed her, formal but not unkindly. He lowered himself to the ground again so he could help pull her on his back. "You did your best."

BOOooOOM!

The ground gave another rumbling tremor, causing a few things in the area to fall over. The few remaining cars that miraculously avoided becoming steel flavored pancakes bounced from their spots. It wasn't as bad as the first impact but I suspected it was only because me and the others were far out of the robot's range. Still, the tremors were powerful enough to make us wobble where we stood.

Regaining my footing, I looked towards the direction where the robot was wreaking havoc and could easily make out the screams of the people. Most of them sounded terrified, and I could imagine they were losing themselves in the grips of fear rather than trying to calm down and think of how to avoid the zero pointer. I couldn't call them cowards or idiots for feeling the way they did, feeling frantic enough to forget that this was a test and running to preserve their own lives.

The robot was beginning to pull its arm back, preparing to unleash another blow on one of the buildings so more debris would fall on the fleeing examinees. I knew this was a test weeding out the strong, cunning, and courageous from the masses, but that didn't mean they deserved to be treated like cannon fodder!

I wasn't going to stand there gawking like an idiot.

"TWO MINUTES~!"

Crouching low with only my fingertips and toes touching the solid ground, I felt a surge of power racing down my legs. It filled the muscles of my thighs, calves, and the balls of my feet. It was so strange and foreign—like it was something alive.

It was a force that didn't want to bend to my will, an animal wary of the stranger coming inside its territory and refusing to cooperate no matter how many times I tried to gently coax it. Even after having a whole month to myself since the conclusion of my training at Dagobah Beach, I didn't get the chance to use One for All. Living within a city full of heroes was enough to deter me from trying it out, and One for All wasn't exactly subtle.

But I was not going to let that train of thought stop me. It was now or never.

Ignoring the twin cries of surprise, I shot off like a bullet towards the robot as it was swinging its arm forward.

"One for All: Gomu Gomu no...!"

Sailing through the air, I twisted my body while raising a single leg to deliver a sweep towards the robot demolishing the rooftops of the buildings overhead. Once I was within range, I flung my leg out and watched it stretch itself across the street until it collided against the lower frame of the zero pointer, in the area where it connected its upper torso to the its wheels of transportation.

"ANACONDA!"

My leg whip cut through the thing like a hot knife on butter. I flew past the zero pointer as I had aimed my leap towards the underside of its raised arm, and I saw larger amounts of the building collapsing towards the fleeing masses. Some were smart enough to duck and cover the side of a few buildings, few went ahead and tried to destroy the falling debris with the use of their quirks, but everyone else was too busy running away for their lives to care about the concrete about to fall on their heads.

Once my feet touch the ground, I skidded across it like I was water skiing on concrete but didn't stop it as I twisted myself again with another blow surging in the right side of my arm. The long sleeve of my black compression shirt started to tear up, fabric torn off to reveal my skin lighting up like Christmas lights.

There was a cackling of orange tinted energy encircling my arm, and it sent static-like tingles down my arm's veins, but I ignored it in favor of concentrating my aim towards the falling concrete. It would be bad if I accidentally sent the other kids flying like a bunch of rag dolls, and the last thing I wanted to do was send everyone to the hospital because my aiming was shit (and let's not forget the multiple law suits I could be facing).

"TEXAS..." I forced myself into a halt while releasing the swing of my own arm. "SMASH!"

And like a floodgate that's been forced opened, I felt the wind around me turn into a category four hurricane. Rapid flow of air current swirling like a funnel while blowing towards the concrete, disturbing its gravity and then aiming it to the far side of the street where there was no one. My arm trembled from the release of the powerful blow, eyes having to squint because of the dust storm it kicked up from all the air rolling through everyone.

The screaming voices got lost inside the howling winds, hair and clothes thrashing against nature's turbulence.

The debris flew farther and farther away until the air could no longer carry it, letting it fall where there was no longer any examinees standing beneath them. The whirlwind finally calmed itself down, the howling falling quiet, and everyone else left unharmed standing unharmed.

I flopped down on my legs while exhaling a sigh of relief.

"W-what just happened?"

"He punched the air and escalated the wind pressure."

"That's not...! No way!"

"The Bastard did that?!"

creeeeaaak...

All the chatter died at the ominous sound coming from the zero pointer that was still looming over everyone. I forced myself to look over my shoulder and stare up at the thing. Its flaring red eyes that signaled its life was out, and the middle part where I cut through with my leg whip attack guaranteed a cut off from the core where it received its orders to pursue the targets yet the dread I felt continued to grow.

And that's when I noticed the colossal robot beginning to tilt forward, metal gears groaning loudly as it fell towards us in seemingly slow motion.

"Mon Dieu~!" I vaguely heard someone cry in French.

"Oh shit!" another yelped.

"IT'S COMING DOWN!"

"GET AWAY!"

Intending to follow that brilliant suggestion, I moved to scramble up and run after everyone else—only to fall flat on my face.

"Agh!" I cried, pulling myself up by a single elbow to look down at my arm and legs that gave sharp jolts of pain.

It felt like an intense attack of the cramps, forcing my muscles to lock up and endure the painful waves that washed over my body. The zero pointer was coming down on me and I couldn't escape it path. I wanted to so badly get up and run for cover, but I just couldn't get my legs to work with me.

"Shit...!" I cursed.

Guess my rubber body was going to have to save the day. I scrunched my eyes close, preparing for the inevitable impact of heavy tons of robot pinning my body beneath its large bulky frame.

Until a voice called out to me.

Eyes snapping open, I whipped my head back to the direction of the source to find the bespectacled boy literally flying towards me after appearing from around the zero pointer's frame with the brunette clinging onto his back. Treating his protruding engines like propellers, the boy went straight towards my direction while the girl leaned herself to the side so her arm was stretched out.

She was going to grab me.

Eyes flicking up to the zero pointer coming dangerously close, I wanted to curse at them for recklessly endangering their lives when I ultimately could have gotten away with only a minor trauma of being buried alive. But seeing as there was no time for lecturing, I held out my arm and allowed myself to be snatched from the ground.

"GOTCHA!" the girl loudly cheered, not at all worried about the impending zero pointer about to come down on us.

"You're fucking nuts!" I shouted at her then turned to the boy. "Both of you!"

"I must point out that you are the pot calling the kettle black!" the other boy easily quipped in return before focusing his attention ahead. "Damn it!"

We weren't going to make it, I thought as I watched the shadows grow darker the closer the robot came to crushing everyone. My legs and arms flapped uselessly in the flight leaving my only functioning arm in the hold of the girl.

"Switch my arms!" I ordered the brunette who blinked dumbly at me. "Switch my arms! I'm gonna give us a boost outta here!"

Carefully, she grabbed my flailing limb while releasing the other, and I had to hold back from releasing a pained whimper because my arm still throbbed painfully from the drawback of the One for All's power.

I pulled my arm back and then release it quickly, striking the air before the momentum swung it right back into my main body so it would give the engine boy the kick he needed when the kinetic energy caused us to lurch forward.

Like a boost to the other guy's engine quirk, we shot off faster than before. All three of us gave a simultaneous cry just as the zero pointer was about to fall on our heads, only to barely take us with it while we went off down the street.

"Too fast!" the girl shrieked, crocodile tears flowing out the corner of her eyes (and sprinkling me with her salty tears). "We're going too fast!"

The boy cut off his engines yet we still went like a racing car without breaks to halt the whole thing.

"I can't stop!"

"If I release my zero gravity then we'll get seriously hurt!" the girl shouted, face turning pale. "I DON'T WANNA DIE~!"

"Aw shit..." I mumbled under my breath.

The two fell into a fit of panic, both of them screaming for help while heading straight towards the masses. Everyone leapt out of the way, swiftly avoiding the deadly body-slam had they hesitated a moment longer. I just hung there like a decoration, wincing all the while because the girl had a death grip that could have impressed All Might himself.

And then suddenly I was the only one left flying down the street.

Confused, I looked back to find the boy and girl held out by some huge guy with tentacle arms. My arm was stretching itself out because the girl was still holding me, and it helped slow down my speed and calm my frazzled nerves—until a flashback from years ago where I accidentally broke Bakugō's nose reminded me what would happen if I went hurtling back towards the crowd (and at such a distance, too).

Still feeling the girl's hold, I gave her hand a painful squeeze and felt her immediately let go.

And just like that, I tumble to the ground in catastrophic manner. I rolled, I skidded, I rolled some more, I knocked into a few things along the way, skidded some more before finally coming to a stop where it ended with me flopping face down.

"... ow..."

An air siren went off.

"TIMES UUUUP~!"

The exams were officially over. The whole thing was like a roller coaster ride: exciting at first but disastrous in the end. Running around like a maniac on a killing spree, nearly dying of a heart attack, discovering the scare was just a stupid hoax, getting my arm and legs busted up from using One for All for the first time, and then being tossed away to land harshly against the unforgiving road, it was safe to say my journey towards becoming a hero wasn't starting out so great for me.

Normally, I would have shaken the whole thing off no problem, but with One for All's drawback, it left my limbs vulnerable enough to feel the pain of falling like any other person sent flying down the street with nothing to cushion them. The muscles and tendons from my arms flared up, sending intense waves of cramps to keep me from getting back up again.

Groaning, I forced myself to raise my head up.

Seeing the towering gates gaping wide open, I instantly recognized it as the city block's entrance. I for one was glad it was over, but I feel somewhat disappointed for not having the chance to run around some more to earn a few points while everyone was too busy freaking out and running from the zero pointer. Ah well, there was no use crying over spilled milk. At least nobody ended up getting hurt.

The sound of approaching vehicles caught my attention. Looking over my shoulder towards the long stretched roadway of U.A.'s massive territory, I could spot a couple of Isuzu Elf trucks driving around the other city blocks. Most likely a bunch of highly trained medic teams going in to help the participants who sustained injuries from the exams. I guess we weren't the only ones who got a nasty surprise in midst of the mock battle.

Using my one functional limb to lift my upper torso from the ground, all the while hissing from the painful cramps, I didn't notice the approaching figure until their shadow fell over my fallen form.

It was the guy with the drill on his head. Joining him was the kid with the goggles and a bald-headed guy favoring the jungle commando attire.

"Well, well, well," the drill guy's eyes squinted down at me from where he stood, a nasty smile making its way across his unpleasant features. "This is just sad."

He crouched low enough that we were almost at the same level. It wasn't eye-to-eye since he seemed to favor towering over me, giving him a sense of power and dominance from the simple action, but the gesture gave me an uncomfortable memory of vultures circling from above.

The moving tires heading our way spoke of the medic team's approach towards the entrance where it would be bombarded with activity, but I couldn't pull my glaring eyes from the motherfucker who kept up with the taunting smile. There was something about his smug look that gave me a feeling that something was amiss.

"All that power you showed off earlier, all those points you got yourself? Wasted." the drill guy snorted, cracking up like it was a big joke to him. "You totally fucked yourself up for nothing. I mean everybody and their grandma's were pissed off that you were here to begin with, but then you go out of bounds without anyone having to lift a damn finger—"

Wait a sec, what did THAT mean?

"What the hell are you talking about?" I snapped at him.

My demand was met with laughter. Loud, exaggerated laughter.

"He doesn't even know!" the commando wheezed out.

"Tell him, man!"

"It means, you poor stupid son of a bitch," the drill guy jeered at me, his smile spreading almost as wide as Sakasagami's. "That you've been disqualified!"

... What?

The goggle-wearing idiot who was still giggling gleefully pointed his finger towards the mark that was spread across the gate's entrance. I stared blankly at the red line, unable to comprehend what was going on because it had to be a lie... right? Surely this wasn't true? Surely these guys were only spewing bullshit to mess with me?

But their pulses read clear, no lie was given, and they acted like a pack of cats rewarded with a bowl of cream.

"Were you even paying any attention to the rules, you fucking retard?" the commando laughed. "Anyone who crosses this line while the mock battle is still ongoing is automatically disqualified."

"And you," the drill guy cheerfully chimed in, finger digging harshly into my forehead. "You crossed this line before Present Mic had the chance to call this exams over."

A foot swung forward to sweep my arm out from under me, sending me crumpling back to the ground. I accidentally inhaled the dust that kicked up from falling down, and it forced a small coughing fit.

stomp!

"Aurgh!" I jerked in pain when my injured arm was crushed under the weight of the bald commando who stepped over me to follow the drill guy and the goggle idiot. They were heading towards where the buses were lined up to take everyone back to the school.

"Whoops."

People started to filter out of the entrance, half of them avoiding me and pretending I didn't exist while the other half took the chance to knock their extra appendages and boots against me. Biting back the pain, I forced myself on my hands and knees so I could make myself as small as possible to avoid getting stomped on. They laughed and cursed at me from underneath their breath, feeling just as pleased as the three guys who happily informed me of my failure.

"Sengoku? Sonny, are you alright?"

Recovery Girl was making her way from the truck that barely arrived on the scene, her face scrunched with worry.

I finally managed to stagger to my feet, biting my tongue from the burning lava running through every vein centered at my arm and legs. My nostrils flared nosily, forcing myself to inhale and exhale as much to prevent the sick feeling brewing in the bottom of my stomach that threatened to rise at the back of my throat; slowly, I emptied my sense of touch, rendering my body to a dull numbness to beat back the pain (while amplifying my eyes, ears, taste, and smell in the process).

"Are you—?"

"I'm fine." I seethed quietly.

Only cowards would ever raise their venomous tongues towards innocent bystanders who done no wrong to earn a stranger's ire; yet after everything I went through, after all I've done, I still ended up being forced to watch my efforts go down the drain like it meant absolutely nothing.

So I was pretty much all out of fucks to give about showing respect to others.

Why was I surprised? I should have known this was going to happen, but I suppose the All Might Express I had been riding along had such great scenery that I never saw the crash coming towards me. The only reason I was here was because I owed everything to All Might; rescuing me from the sludge monster, getting a healer to fix my arms, and righting the wrongs of my school while clearing my name, I couldn't think of any way to repay him—except to agree in becoming his successor.

Now I was left standing there like a piece of trash. Trampled, dirty, and thrown aside.

Sparing no words, I hobbled towards the bus.

All I wanted now was to get changed, grab my stuff, head on home, and lock myself in my room. The plan was short and straight to the point, nothing complicated to make my day even more trying than it was.

But of course when did my simple plans ever come to fruition?

Clothes were scattered across the courtyard near the school's entrance. A uniform to be exact. A dress shirt with a growing print of shoe tracks from where people stepped on it like it was a welcoming mat, a black blazer and pants hanging off the high branches of a tree, and familiar-looking sneakers used as additional decoration for one of the hero statues lined up on the school's archway paths. Judging from the snorts and giggles, and the not-so-subtle glances aimed my way, it was easy to conclude that the uniform was mine. It also didn't take me long to find my absent backpack as well.

It was drifting beneath the freezing water fountain.

So many eyes watched me like I was a spectacle to behold when I got busy in picking up my clothes. Ignoring the japes and amused guffaws from behind my back, I had to struggle to keep myself balanced due to my loss of sensation. Numbing myself from the pain was a great idea in theory, but forcing myself to walk around while my body felt like it was asleep? That was like a train wreck waiting to crash.

With no other choice but to take it slow, I endured the mockery and carefully went to collect my uniform from the tree branches. Returning a sliver of sense to my touch, I bit my bottom lip from the cramps while aiming my one good arm towards the high branches. Thankfully, the uniforms were clinging the branches close by, so one easy swipe would send the pair down where I waited below.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

My blazer fell over my head, momentarily offering me small reprieve from having to face the one person I didn't want to see so soon. Pulling the black blazer uniform from my head, I started to limp towards the water fountain.

"Hey! Don't ignore me, you fucking crybaby!"

Too quickly, I felt his hand harshly grab a hold of my languid arm. You know, the one that was still suffering from One for All's painful side effects.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I roared at the blond, jerking away from him.

Which turned out to be the worst mistake I've ever done since agreeing to be the next bearer of One for All. Me yanking myself away from the ash blond's hold was so sudden that I ended up losing my balance, and because I had been heading towards the fountain—

splash!

It ended with me falling over.

The water felt like trillions of itty bitty knives stabbing into my skin. The shock of the sensation brought back my normal level of touch sense, amplifying the whole thing that I accidentally inhaled the ice, cold water. Forcing myself to surge up, I broke the surface violently and threw myself out of the fountain. The freezing air bit into my wet skin and heavy clothes.

Spitting out the murky fountain water from my mouth, I started to hack like crazy to clear my respiratory system. A hard thump on the spot between my shoulder blades nearly sent me sprawling messily to the ground, and I looked to find Bakugō slapping my back to help clear my airway.

"What the fuck, Kuzan?!" Bakugō gave another harsh slap. He was standing over me with an uncharacteristic wide-eyed look on his usually angry face. "The hell is up with you?"

Over his angry tirade and my coughing fit, my ears picked up a dreadful sound: a cacophony of laughter. People were outright busting a got, arms crossed over their stomachs as they wheezed while expelling a cackle and giggle.

With a snarl, I ripped myself away from Bakugō.

"Fuck you!" I exploded angrily while grabbing my uniform and yanking my backpack out of the water's depths. "You all can go fuck yourselves!"

I stumbled away from him, furiously clenching my teeth down so it wouldn't start chattering noisily again. Every step was like sending another flare, an ache, a throb of pain climbing up and down my body, but I soldiered on. I could feel so many people watching me, nobody hiding their immense delight to my unfortunate tumble in the cold fountain. My body tensed when I heard the familiar snap of photos being taken.

Every fiber of my being screamed for me to find someplace to lie down so I could soothe my aches, but I bit down on my discomfort and continued onward. It was agonizing, but sticking around to be viewed as the biggest laughing stock of all time was torture.

Besides, there was a big, dark room waiting for me back home.