"Congratulations everyone! You've just completed the written examination!" The blonde hero known as Present Mic shouted. "The practical portion of your exam will commence in twenty minutes. Follow me so we can get this shown on the road!"
Present Mic's enthusiasm was met with little to no response. It was only to be expected. The original group consisted of fifty-six candidates in total. The current group, in the aftermath of the written examination, consisted of only fifteen.
"Principal Nezu wasn't wrong when he said not even half would pass." Momo thought. "The exam's not even over yet..."
Momo and the remaining candidates took a small bus towards what Present Mic referred to as Ground Beta. It was a massive training area that was still within the bounds of U.A. High School. Unfortunately, due to the venue's massive gates, none of the candidates could see anything, and could only wait until the venue was ready for them.
They still had about ten minutes before the start of the practical examination, and some of the candidates had loosened up enough to talk to each other. Momo had found herself beside a very tall candidate with a buzzed haircut. The large smile he gave her was both strange and disturbing, so the Yaoyorozu heiress felt a little unnerved by it, at least until he opened his mouth.
"Excuse me, miss! I just wanted to compliment you on being the first one to complete the written examination!" The young man replied energetically.
"O-Oh? Why thank you." Momo replied still unnerved, but flattered by his comment.
"It seems like he's not trying to intentionally disturb me. This is just how he is."
"My name is Yoarashi Inasa! I wish you luck in the next section of the exam!" The teen said, before speeding off to another person he wanted to talk to next.
"Ahhhh! He has too much energy!"
Momo looked back to see the green haired girl who was almost late to the written examination walk up to her. If she remembered correctly, her companion called her Setsuna.
"The written exam took a lot out of me! I don't know how someone like him can jump around like it's nothing!"
"Really? I thought it was quite alright."
Momo bit her tongue and internally flinched as Setsuna gave her a curious look. She kicked herself for saying something that could easily be interpreted as arrogance or presumptuousness.
However, all her worries eased as soon as Setsuna started chuckling and gave her a low whistle.
"Well. Maybe written examinations just aren't my strongest suit." Setsuna said before reaching a hand out towards Momo. "I'm Setsuna Tokage. What's your name?"
"M-Momo Yaoyorozu." Momo cursed at herself for sounding so nervous, but was excited at finally talking to her fellow candidate. She gave Setsuna a small smile.
"It looks like you're feeling better. You looked very tired a while ago."
"W-Well that is kind of my fault. I was supposed to come here early with a friend, but I ended up waking up late." Setsuna explained with a wry smile. "We had to rush here and as you can see...we barely made it."
"I see." Momo chuckled as she gave Setsuna a pat on the back, as the teen was currently sadly hunched over.
"Well at least you both made it on time."
"Barely made it on time." Setsuna corrected her. The green haired girl then paused and started eyeing Momo up and down. She leaned against Momo, put an arm around her neck, and gave her a sly grin.
"Out of curiosity….why are you suddenly wearing such revealing clothes?" Setsuna asked nonchalantly, pointing at Momo's exposed stomach and legs. "I didn't take you for an exibitionist from what I saw earlier."
"I-I am not an exhibitionist!" Momo puffed with annoyance. She felt her face heat up as she glanced at the sports bra she was wearing, as well as the shorts she changed into. "My quirk needs me to expose myself so it can work efficiently."
"Mmmhmm"
Unfortunately, Setsuna didn't sound convinced at all.
"I-I'm not lying!"
"Hey, I'm not doubting you." Setsuna said, raising her hands up. "If anything, you look good with less clothing on and-OW!"
A hand reached out to pinch Setsuna's ear, causing the girl to shout out in pain.
"Stop saying lecherous things to random people. They'll think you're some sort of pervert or something."
The person who had just pinched Setsuna and spoke was Senzo, the friend that had accompanied Setsuna to the examination site. He glanced curiously at Momo, whose face was still flushed from Setsuna's teasing.
Momo, who had recovered from her flustered state, watched curiously as Senzo let go of his companion's reddening ear. On the other hand, Setsuna was obviously irritated at being harmed so suddenly, and wasn't going to take this sitting down.
"Asshole." She cursed at him.
"Prick." He replied.
"Freak." She said right back.
"Skank" He countered.
"W-What vulgar language!" Momo exclaimed, interrupting their tirade against each other. She flushed as the two looked at her with curious glances. Her face only reddened further when Tokage started laughing at her.
"Vulgar language, she says!" Setsuna quoted with matching air quotes. She poked Momo's cheek and spoke in a teasing tone. "You've lived a sheltered life, haven't you, Yaoyorozu?"
"W-Well. I guess I have." Momo replied "Is it that obvious?"
"It's very obvious." Setsuna said matter-of-factly. She then glanced at Senzo, who seemed unsure on whether or not to interrupt the banter between the two.
"Oi. It's rude to stare. Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"
"Shut up. I wasn't…! My name is Senzo Saihara. Nice to meet you." Senzo cut himself off and held back from tearing into his emerald haired companion, and chose to finally introduce himself to Momo.
"Momo Yaoyorozu. Likewise." She replied.
"Wait a minute. Yaoyorozu? As in from the Yaoyorozu Conglomerate?" Senzo asked.
When she nodded, Setsuna let out a loud whistle.
"I knew that name sounded familiar." Setsuna said. "It feels weird taking an exam with someone who's basically a princess."
Momo gave a wry smile at that title. The word "princess" was definitely the appropriate one to use. Being a daughter of the Yaoyorozu family meant entitlement to one of the largest companies in the country, a massive amount of wealth, as well as hundreds of connections to politicians, celebrities, as well as numerous figures in the hero world.
This all being said, the word definitely did rub her the wrong way. When Momo thought of princesses, she always envisioned someone who was spoiled, self-centered, and pretentious, which were all attributes that she detested.
"How about you two?" Momo said, attempting to change the subject. "What are your stories?"
"Well, my uncle's a pro and he took me under his wing." Tokage replied, puffing her chest out. "He submitted my recommendation."
"My uncle used to be in the military." Senzo replied, when Momo's eyes turned to him. "I've been with him for as long as I can remember."
The way Senzo said that last part sounded very...cryptic. However, Momo didn't want to pry nor intrude. However, before the three could talk more, the familiar sound of Present Mic's booming voice echoed throughout the venue.
"EVERYBODY SAY HEY!"
"HEY!" A voice that sounded a lot like Inasa's shouted.
"The final part of the recommendation exams is about to commence!" Present Mic shouted out, albeit not as loud as earlier. "I hope you're all ready, because we're doing things a bit differently this year!"
Once again murmurs of confusion were heard throughout the candidates. Any sense of unease that disappeared within the ten minute break, instantly returned.
"What the fuck does that even mean?"
"Aren't we just supposed to race?!"
"This is bullshit! We're recommended candidates goddammit!"
"Yeah! This isn't fair!"
"If this keeps up, then I'm going to-"
"Quit?" A lazy drawled out voice said. The person in question was dressed in black clothes, save for a long scarf that was wrapped around his neck.
Momo recognised the voice and the person it belonged to as Shota Aizawa, better known as Eraserhead, the pro-hero who proctored their exam earlier along with Present Mic and Midnight.
"If you're going to leave, then by all means go." Eraserhead said, staring down at the candidates who were complaining. "It is extremely irrational to keep potential pro-heroes who are unable to adapt to circumstances that aren't constant."
None of the candidates that had voiced their concerns earlier dared to go against Eraserhead. The pro-hero leered at the teenagers in front of him, giving a glare that put any other rebellious thoughts to a screeching halt.
"We'd rather that you give up here, than end up dying on the job" Eraserhead continued coldly. Not a hint of warmth was present in his voice, as he spoke. "The death rate amongst heroes and interns in Japan is at an all time high. If all you spoiled brats are going to do is add to that body count, then you're better off quitting right now."
The silence that consumed the practical examination venue was deafening. Momo was pretty sure that even Inasa had mellowed out, seeing as his expression had darkened considerably.
"Now that that's settled with..." Eraserhead paused before talking once more. "...as you all know, for the longest time, the recommendation examinations at U.A., consisted of a standard written examination and a practical exam which took the form of a race. This is finally changing this year, since the steady increase in casualties amongst heroes and interns has finally caught the board's attention, and allowed Principal Nezu's proposed method of examination to push through.
"Inside these walls is a training area in the form of an urban area. You'll see buildings, houses, streets, and cameras that'll allow examination proctors back at the main building to watch your progress." Eraserhead continued. "You will be split up into five groups of three and will be given two primary objectives and one optional bonus objective that will help you rack up points within the time limit of one hour"
"The first objective is to eliminate any villains inside the area. These may come in the form of robots courtesy of the U.A. 's support department or heroes in training hired by U.A." Aizawa said with a grin. "This objective should get you one to five points maximum."
"The second objective is to rescue any hostages that you may encounter and bring them to the designated safe zones that will be in the map we're about to give you." Present Mic continued. "This will get you seven points maximum"
"The bonus objective is a lot...trickier. Each candidate will be given a designated target that they have the option of capturing and bringing to a specified capture zone. These targets may either come in the form of candidates from opposing teams..." Eraserhead let out a devious grin, before continuing once more. "...or someone in your own team."
"What the fuck!"
"How does that…!"
"As implied by the name...the bonus objective is optional." Eraserhead continued, glaring at those who were brave enough to interrupt him. "With these tough objectives, your strength is already cut down short with these small groups...whether or not you decide to cut your abilities further and if your decision affects how you deal with the other objectives will all be taken into consideration."
"If you do decide to capture these targets, then you will be allotted thirty points that can be used to fill in for any objectives that you may have failed in!" Present Mic cut in, much to Eraserhead's chagrin.
"However, it should also be noted that any candidate that is captured automatically fails the examination." Eraserhead smiled darkly. "The teams will flash on the large screen you see on the gate. You will also each be given a card of your designated targets."
"After all this information is given to you, you will have twelve minutes to go to your designated starting zones!" Present Mic continued. "Within this time, it is suggested that you consult with your teammates. It is up to you whether or not you want to share your targets with your team and if you plan on double crossing them if they are in your own team."
"That is all. If you don't have any questions then all we can say is do your best." Eraserhead said nonchalantly. "Go Beyond. Plus Ultra."
"That phrase is starting to sound a lot like a curse rather than a slogan" Momo thought. She took the time to close her eyes and steel herself, before opening them and looking at the screen. After scanning it, she finally spotted her name.
"Team 3. Senzo Saihara and Hitoshi Shinso." She said aloud. "I met Saihara earlier...but the name Shinso isn't ringing any bells."
Before she could dwell deeper on the subject, Eraserhead approached her and dropped a small paper in her hands. "This must be my bonus target..."
Taking in a deep breath, she opened the paper and braced herself for the result.
Candidate
Momo Yaoyorozu
Target
Setsuna Tokage
Author's Note:
As you can see, a lot of things are gonna play a whole lot differently in this story than they did in canon.
The introduction of certain students as well as the use of particular elements in the story have been changed. This is a pattern you're going to see a whole lot of in the future.
That's all for today. Goodbye!