Class 1-A eagerly filed off the bus, the chill of the city air hitting them as their feet reached the crowded sidewalk below.
The provisional license exam was finally here; the day they had worked so hard for was now just within reach. The stadium before them was massive, standing a few stories high and stretching no less than a dozen city blocks in width, not to mention the sharp spiral atop the building that rose far past where their eyes could see, seemingly brushing the puffy white clouds overhead. There were already a number of other schools gathered nearby; one rather eccentric student had just greeted them quite loudly, apparently already familiar with a few among them- likely from the sports festival. Yaoyorozu watched curiously as a teacher from another school rushed up to Aizawa with a friendly grin, instantly chatting away despite his apparent disinterest. All around them were new people hailing from across the country, all gathered here with the same purpose: a bustling crowd of aspiring heroes just like them.
Yaoyorozu smiled, an excited shiver rising through her at the reality of it all. It felt much too surreal. There were so many people to meet, so many quirks to discover, so many heroes to compete with. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins as she imagined leaving in just a few hours with her new hero license in hand.
The students tried not to push as they made their way towards the large glass doors leading into the stadium, Yaoyorozu breathing an optimistic sigh as her heart pounded with anticipation.
"Shut up, damn nerd!"
She glanced over her shoulder at the commotion behind her, partially blocked by the bustling crowd. She saw Midoriya waving his hands back and forth, smiling awkwardly while Bakugo hurled some string of curses at him. The blonde shook an angry fist at the poor boy as Kirishima tried sheepishly to calm him down. If it were an average day, no one would have paid much attention to either of them during their bickering; however, considering recent circumstances, it was quite a welcome sight.
Bakugo had been better lately. Over the past few weeks, he had become less hostile, less withdrawn, and even slowly began speaking to his classmates once again. There was noticeably less tension, less bitterness clouding around him, much to everyone's relief, as bit by bit, he was gradually returning to his confident, brash, distractingly loud self. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this change included his return to old habits of picking fights with Midoriya, but this was something even the victim himself was thankful for. It had been difficult for Midoriya to watch his friend lock himself away, isolating himself in trying to face the festering pain alone. He knew it hurt, but he also knew Bakugo's turmoil went far beyond his own. Midoriya was never as close to… her. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like, and he only wished there was something he could do to make it easier. Midoriya never once expected himself to be glad to be on the receiving end of Bakugo's ever-familiar insults, yet he was more than thrilled to see his friend regaining some sense of normalcy, even if it was minor, even if it was slow. He was sincerely happy for him, regardless of anything else.
Things were getting better. It wasn't just Bakugo either; everyone else had also begun to heal. It wasn't some sudden shift, as much as they wished it would be. The world was cruel like that. Many of them still had days where it was simply too difficult, the weight of their guilt and regret, their painful memories, becoming too much to bear. Moments in which their shells cracked and they could no longer remain strong as they so desperately wished to. And that was ok.
Not everyone was equally affected; in fact. many had all but moved on. It was easy for a fortunate majority who had not been as personally involved, but not everyone was so lucky.
It was funny, all the ways pain could manifest: some chose to let it fuel their training, others channeled it through household chores, and others still would simply let it out: often, for those more affected, in the form of burning, agonizing tears, spilled all too easily in some moment of quiet solitude.
Healing was not simple, it was not perfect. Yaoyorozu had been there for more than a few of her friends on such days. She would listen and comfort them as best she could, despite the reality that she herself was still hurting too. Maybe, in some way, it was a good thing: she could understand their pain through her own, and others were more willing to confide in her because of it. It brought some semblance of peace to know they weren't alone.
Even considering their low points, however, it was clear Class 1-A was recovering little by little, and slowly but surely, the dark cloud hanging over Heights Alliance began to brighten.
"Oh, look! I think we're supposed to stand over there," Uraraka's voice pulled Yaoyorozu from her thoughts, almost surprising her as she returned to reality. She glanced in the direction the bubbly girl was pointing, spotting a small stage ahead of them where a crowd of students had already begun to gather.
The two girls, along with a number of their nearby classmates, eagerly made their way over to the crowd, chatting excitedly as they waited to learn the details of the exam they had worked so hard to prepare for. They could hardly keep still, driven by the hope that the relentless training they endured these past few weeks would finally pay off, and with a bit of luck, they might soon be heroes.
Spirits ran high as a less-than-enthusiastic announcer appeared on the small stage at the head of the room. A hush fell over the mass of students as he welcomed them. He began explaining the unusual parameters of the exam, brought about as a result of the rise in criminal activity and the recent changes in the hero world. The drastically reduced passing rate was startling, but they had little time to consider it before he continued on to detail the rules, introducing the structure of the first round, before swiftly releasing them into the massive arena.
The students dispersed into groups, scattering all across the artificial environments of the soon-to-be battlefield. Class 1-A wasted no time in gathering themselves and deciding on a plan, eventually settling on moving forward in small groups. There was safety in numbers, though a few still chose to go off on their own despite their classmates' persuasion.
The speaker system suddenly crackled to life overhead and an announcement boomed across the stadium, officially marking the beginning of the first round.
It started off rather slowly, quiet as everyone was abundantly cautious and wary of their surroundings, wanting to protect themselves from early elimination. As the minutes ticked by, however, announcements of successful examinees gradually began trickling in, their numbers rising slowly but surely. With each announcement, the students grew a bit more concerned as the number of remaining spots dwindled by the minute.
Yaoyorozu moved quickly alongside a few of her classmates through the simulated city streets, eyes never resting as they searched for both potential targets and attackers. They soon found themselves ambushed, however, only narrowly managing to escape disqualification as they faced off against a group of students from an unfamiliar school. Though it came a bit too close for comfort, the small group was able to meet the attack requirement and emerged from the building victorious, their sensors flicking green as they collectively shared an ecstatic cheer.
By the time they arrived at the designated holding area for those who had completed the first stage, nearly all the spots had already been filled, judging by the considerable number of students moving about the large room. They soon located a group of their classmates who had also managed to finish with time to spare, joining in giddy, idle conversation as they waited anxiously for the next round.
As the time limit neared its end, more students trickled into the holding room a few at a time. The door swung open yet again as a pair of students laughed cheerfully, exchanging high-fives and indistinct words as they happily entered the room. Yaoyorozu glanced their way, and while she didn't recognize either of the two, she noticed a different pair lingering a few feet behind them.
Just outside the room stood two students facing each other, wearing uniforms from one of the schools Yaoyorozu recalled encountering earlier, and they seemed to be having some sort of argument. She noticed their sensors were all bright red- at least the ones she could see- meaning they had most likely been eliminated. She didn't know exactly why they caught her eye, but something turned in her stomach as she eyed their indecipherable exchange.
"Yao-momo, are you listening?" Jiro asked next to her, quickly drawing her attention back to her friends.
"Yea, of course! Oh, I studied the exam stages from the past few years, and I think the next test might involve some sort of rescue operation," she explained thoughtfully, absentmindedly playing with the ends of her hair. "At least I hope it will! I've spent a lot of time training with Thirteen at USJ!"
The remainder of the group eagerly exchanged words of agreement, smiling hopefully as a few more winners streamed into the room.
Suddenly, a deep, thundering crash sounded from someplace unseen, and the ground shook violently beneath their feet.
A chorus of gasps escaped the alarmed students, though it was quickly drowned out by a distant cacophony of ear-piercing shrieks, instantly silencing everyone in the room.
"What was that?!" Uraraka's eyes grew wide in bewilderment.
The group exchanged confused glances, all sharing the same thought before they swiftly moved to follow the others, rushing towards the door.
It came from outside.
They struggled to make it through the small doorway, trying unsuccessfully to avoid the crowd of alarmed students, but soon managed to slip out of the room and back into the open arena.
Their eyes were instantly drawn upwards to the center of the ceiling where an enormous hole had appeared. Its edges were rough and jagged as if someone had torn right through the thick layers of metal. Huge sections of lights swayed haphazardly as they dangled back and forth, barely clinging onto the broken frames above. Steel reinforcement beams that once stretched the length of the building were ripped clean off, leaving two ends of sharp metal jutting into the exposed sky. On the ground directly below lay the twisted remains of the torn-out section of ceiling, most of it remaining in one enormous piece with debris of wood, metal, and glass scattered all around it. It rested in the middle of an empty stretch of the arena, and a cold dread settled in Yaoyorozu's stomach as she wondered if anyone had been standing there when it fell.
However, the thought that someone could have been crushed under the enormous heap wasn't what made her breath hitch, nor was it the massive damage splayed before them. Instead, her eyes fixated just past the hole in the ceiling, on the three figures standing near the edge.
They were much too far away to see clearly, but what little detail she could make out caused a terrible pit to form in her stomach.
One of them had bright red hair, while the others remained indistinct- the one in the middle seemed to be the smallest of the three.
The long black hair swaying behind the central figure struck an uncanny familiarity in the back of her mind.
Hushed whispers broke out all around them, bewilderment and uncertainty spreading through the crowd of students like wildfire. Some questioned if this was part of the exam, perhaps some surprise test they weren't told about, but the confusion quickly gave way to pure shock, however, as a few among them began recognizing the looming figures.
"Who the hell are they?"
"What's happening?"
"Isn't that the League of Villains?!"
"The ones on the news!"
"That's impossible!"
"Where are the teachers?! Someone go get them!"
The voices were overwhelming, invading her every sense and awareness, yet they seemed oddly distant.
"That… that can't be…" Jiro muttered under her breath, eyes wide as she unconsciously took a step back, her knees trembling beneath her.
Yaoyorozu tried to open her mouth, but nothing came out.
Her chest tightened, it felt like she couldn't breathe.
She heard shouting now- out of the corner of her eye, she could see teachers running down from the stands. The announcer was speaking urgently into the mic, but she couldn't hear what he was saying.
All she could see was the three figures simultaneously jumping down through the hole in the ceiling, landing forcefully on top of the twisted metal remains.
And all hell broke loose.