"𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎.
𝙸 𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗."
- 𝚗.𝚖.
30.
I was up at 5AM sharp, showered, dressed, and ready to go by 6. I was in the living room stretching when Bakugou walked in.
"You ready?" He asked
"As I'll ever be. For both the exam and the waffles."
"Christ." He groaned "I forgot about that part. Lets go."
When we arrived at the venue, after I got my waffles, it was already flooded with people. I have to admit, at this point, my anxiety kicked into high gear. There were students all over the place from different high schools, U.A. included, of course. It suddenly felt like I had no chance in hell. Everyone around me had been studying and and training to be a hero for years. Not a couple of months.
I also started to get a bit worried that, even though I'm only 21, I was going to be the oldest examinee. However, I was quickly comforted after Bakugou explained that people of all different ages are allowed to attempt to get their provisional license, as long as they have a recommendation from a registered hero.
We made a beeline for Aizawa and his class as soon as we saw them.
"Ah, Reiko-chan, Baku—"
"WHO THE HELL ARE THESE BUNCHA LOSERS?!" Bakugou interjected "Did U.A. loosen the criteria to get into the school or what? These kids look like they wouldn't bust a grape in a damn fruit fight."
Aizawa let out a groan in a true "disappointed but not surprised" fashion. Most of the class looked at Bakugou in admiration and awe, a few of the girls shared hushed whispers about how cute he was.
He is cute, huh?
A short, blonde boy with big green eyes stepped forward from the group and approached him.
"B-Bakugou-sama! I-I'm such a fan...I..." His timid voice trailed off, and he looked down sheepishly.
"WELL IF YOU'RE A FAN OF MINE, SPEAK UP! DON'T WHISPER ABOUT IT! USE YOUR DAMN VOICE!"
"H-Hi... Bakugou-san!"
"THATS MORE LIKE IT, KID!"
I shook my head.
When it came time for Bakugou and I to separate, I couldn't seem to calm myself down. I was just about ready to jump out of my fucking skin and get the exam over with.
"You're gonna do amazing, you got that?" He said
"I know I am."
"Tch. You're starting to sound like me."
"Thats kinda the idea." I giggled
"You've got this. Remember everything we've gone over, stay alert. You never know what the hell these bastards will throw in. I'll be in the stands screaming my goddamn head off cheering you on, okay?"
I nodded.
"Love you, jerk."
"Love you too, dumbass."
Me, and all the other participants gathered in a large area as we awaited the announcer's arrival. After a few moments, a thin, blonde, rather tired looking man, dragged himself up to the podium. Bakugou had mentioned this guy. He said he's been the host for the provisional license exam for the last 6 or 7 years, then referred to him as being "a pain in the ass", but that's how he refers to pretty much everyone.
"Ehem... Is this thing on?... oh, it is." He began "Ahh... Good morning. I'm Mera from the Heroes Public Safety Commission. Today you are here to take your hero license exam. There are 1,627 examinees this year, and as you know, you will have to win through a free-for-all exercise."
There were several murmurs throughout the crowd.
I'm nervous as hell—I can't imagine being under this kind of pressure at 15 or 16.
I started to think about why I wanted to become a hero in the first place—I thought about my mom... how proud she'd be to see me here, and how she'd gone through this herself.
You've got this, Reiko, come on...
"The age of the hero is prosperous in society right now. Of course, there are still pockets of villainy and crime, but that is to be expected. You are all doing a very brave thing today, don't forget that. What you'll be tested on today is your timing! Only the first 200 to fulfill the requirements will pass—that means less than 2% of you will walk out with your provisional hero licenses today."
Fuck.
We were all given a number and strange metal armband with a number etched into it.
I'm number 42.
The entire exam is a mock rescue mission. The objective is to complete the rescue mission and keep your armband on for the duration of the exam. There are constant obstacles, 'villains', and other examinees trying to steal your armband from you. If you have any extra armbands at the end, it means bonus points will be added to your final score. Lose your armband, and you not only have to focus on getting it back, but you must also keep your mind on the rescue mission and complete it. If you don't have an armband when the timer runs out, its an automatic fail.
It was absolute fucking chaos when we got released into the arena. I immediately took off, blasting myself forward with the noise from the commotion.
Bakugou's Point of View
"HELL YEAH! KILL THOSE BASTARDS!"
"You know she can't hear you, right?" Aizawa asked
"OF COURSE I KNOW THAT!"
Kirishima joined us a few minutes later. We were thinking we'd be right in the arena to watch, but it turns out the arena itself is enclosed now. So, everyone who was watching, was watching from these huge monitors mounted on the walls in the exam completion area.
I watched Rei closely, anxiously, as she blew past the other examinees during "the crushing of U.A.". Of course, I required her to watch and review this years' sports festival, so she knows the students quirks like the back of her hand. She's talented. I don't say it often enough, but to be able to move the way she does with the way her quirk works is damn near unbelievable.
She made quick maneuvers to keep the other examinees away from her, not letting a single one of them lay a finger on her armband. Also, she was nailing the rescue mission—following each step exactly as I taught her.
Not to mention, her years as a villain made her damn good at intimidation. She talks to her opponents when she's in combat, gets inside their heads and fucks with them.
She wasn't wasting any time focusing on stealing anyone else's armband—no. She was focusing on keeping her own for now.
"14 examinees have now passed." Mera announced
"I hope she finishes soon!" Kirishima said "I've got my fingers and my toes crossed."
"SHUTUP KIRI! ...but I hope so too."
Rei's still doing great, but I can tell some of the other examinees are getting under her skin. I told her that would probably happen, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating—thats for goddamn sure.
"She's got to stay calm." I heard All Might's voice remark
I glanced behind me, noticing his thin frame not too far away.
"Huh? Oh, All Might. What are you doing here, old man?"
"I came to see her. Hows she doing?"
"Great, so far. I'm just... I wonder whats going on in her head. She's close to finishing, but she's letting these 2 dumbasses get under her skin..."
Dammit, Rei. Come on... just finish and let me kill these fuckers afterwards.
Reiko's Point of View
These 2 are really fucking irritating.
I've let everything they've said roll off my shoulders for the majority of the exam—ignoring them as best I could, but now I'm pissed off.
"Whats a villain doing here?" The first guy taunted
"Haven't you heard about her? She's a damn villain turned hero." The second one sneered "Makes me sick that they'd even let her participate."
"We're supposed to give her a pass because of her dead mom, and 'cause she's fucking Bakugou."
"You'd think a number 2 hero would be smart enough to not get involved in shit like that."
"Guess not."
The two of them started cackling like a couple of hyenas.
Okay, thats it. This ends right the fuck now.
If I retaliate, I'll lose points, and possibly even fail. I hate to make the villain in me come out, but, eh. I'll just scare them a little. I still need to finish up the last bit of the mock rescue mission, and I can't have them distracting me.
They're causing me to make stupid mistakes that I can't afford—careless ones. I'm not about to lose this over some high school boys.
Hell no.
I stopped dead in my tracks and pivoted to face them, surprising them both, considering this was the first time since the exam began that I even acknowledged them.
"Let me ask you two something." I said "If you know I used to be a villain—why are you fucking with me? Especially when I know each of you so well."
"The fuck did you just say to me, trash?"
Oh god. They have no idea.
"Your name is Fujiwara Hideo. You barely got into Shiketsu High with your shamefully low test scores. Lucky for you, daddy's got money. U.A. was your first choice, but—" I paused to let out a giggle "I guess he doesn't have that much money, huh? You're 16 and this is your second attempt at getting your provisional license, right? How sad!"
I could physically see the anger taking over him. His eyes widened, and he balled up his fists.
Aaand just like that, I'm in his head. But I'm not done yet—I've only just begun.
His quirk is something speed related or other, but unfortunately for him, he's not very quiet. And since I have such spectacular hearing thanks to my quirk, I was able to quickly blast myself backwards to avoid his attack.
"How bold!" I exclaimed "But, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Especially if you want to actually pass this time."
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU—?!"
"And your friend here," I pointed to the second boy, who was standing nearby with this sheepish, terrified look on his face "Akagi Kiyoshi—well, I don't know if 'friend' is really the appropriate word."
I put my hand on my chin, feigning that I was deep in thought. I used the other hand to create a few small explosions in my palms.
"SHUTUP, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE—!"
"C-Come on, man..." Kiyoshi urged "Lets just forget about her and finish the exam..."
Nope, still not done with you two yet.
"Oh, but, Kiyoshi-kun... You didn't even let me get to the best part!" I explained "Hideo-kun. That girl that you're dating, she finished 12th. What is her name... Damn, I just had it. Its on the tip of my tongue... Yui! Right? You don't like the way he looks at her, do you? Theres a reason he does, though—"
"DON'T!" Kiyoshi yelled, interrupting me.
"Don't what? What were you going to say?!" Hideo asked, the terror in his voice, all too obvious.
"Don't...? Hm. I guess I won't then." I shrugged "Oh, and, a word of advice: A very important part of being a hero—don't let the opponent get into your head."
I held up Hideo's armband, which I'd snatched when his stupid ass was distracted.
"Kiyoshi-kun, I'm gonna let you keep yours. I think explaining to your friend what happened between you and Yui-chan will be punishment enough." I giggled "Good luck, boys."
