What an exam, folks! We've never seen anything like this before! These three are actually holding their own against two of the top heroes in all of Japan! If they can last another minute and a half, they'll be borderline legendary among heroes in training!

Eijiro Kirishima, a senior at Kusabi High School, leaned forward slightly as he sat upon the leather couch in his living room. He was a wiry boy with toned muscles and a long mane of jet-black hair that hung down into his eyes and all the way down his neck. His black imported t-shirt had the insignia of an American metal band on the front, and he wore several wristbands upon his right arm, some featuring spikes. The silver wallet chain on the back of his cargo pants jingled pleasantly as he shifted about on the couch, and the various flapped pockets along his legs rustled in accompaniment. A shallow, triangular scar above the corner of the boy's right eye accentuated Eijiro's 'edgy' look, though his boyish expression of excitement in the moment would give any onlooker exactly the opposite impression of him.

"Holy crap…" Eijiro said to no one in particular as he clenched a hand around his knee and squeezed it in a fit of nervous energy as his leg began to jitter. "Those three are so friggin' cool…"

Nejire Hado struck a heroic pose, both hands thrown out in front of her as spiraling rings of bright yellow energy flew from her fingertips. Her mouth was open in a scream rendered inaudible by the noise of the crowd in the stands, though the hard lines on her usually cheerful face were a telltale sign of the tension of the moment. Paper-thin ribbons of black and red weaved in and out through the pulsating rings before Edgeshot himself snapped forward along the trail, appearing just before Nejire with his fist pulled back and aimed at the girl's face. As the pro hero threw his arm forward for a knockout punch, a tentacle reached up from ground level and wrapped itself around the man's limb before dragging him down and out of the air.

"Tamaki Amajiki with the last-second save! One more minute to go!"

"Sweetie, I'm home!"

"Mom, you've gotta see this!" Eijiro said as he briefly looked over his shoulder and beckoned his mother toward himself. "These three U.A. students are holding out against Edgeshot and Mirko in the Provisional License Exam! They're the last ones standing!"

Megumi Kirishima, a relatively young bespectacled woman in her mid-30's, set her briefcase down in the kitchen before hurriedly walking into the living room where her son sat. She wore her long black hair in a high and tight bun and was dressed in an ashen skirt and suit jacket atop a wine-red dress shirt.

"…Mirko? Isn't that the rabbit-woman? The up and comer?" the woman asked as she tilted her head at the screen.

"Yeah! There she is!" Eijiro pointed out as the broadcast swapped to another camera lens.

Mirio Togata emerged from the ground little by little, his hands bladed as he sprinted forward across the clearing to meet his opponent. Mirko crouched low in mid-run, her dark, muscular legs flexing with incredible strength before she bounded forward and spun in midair. The woman's wild, waist-length white hair splayed around her like an explosion as she threw a hard midair spinning sidekick, aimed at Mirio's head. The U.A. student threw a punch to meet her, and Mirko's meaty leg passed straight through his hand and arm before he gripped her just below the knee and threw her past himself.

"Wow! That's Lemillion's Quirk, Permeation, at work, folks! What a calculated move! Thirty seconds!"

Mirko soared through the air, glaring back at Mirio before she reversed her momentum and threw out a spinning kick with the other leg for Tamaki, who was locked in grounded combat with Edgeshot. Tamaki noticed the woman-turned-projectile just in time, and his left hand began to swell and harden immediately. Mirko's powerful kick connected dead center with the clam shell that had manifested on Tamaki's arm, and the force of the blow shattered the implement into countless shards as she pushed off of it with both feet and flew backwards into an elegant flip. Edgeshot took the opportunity to launch himself into the air once again to pursue Nejire, who began to flit around the outside of the arena in an attempt to lose him.

"Oh! Oh no! Tamaki is vulnerable! Fifteen seconds!"

"No way! Come on, dude!" Kirishima encouraged as he clenched a fist and moved his rear to the edge of the couch. "You can do it!"

Megumi pulled a hand back up to cover her mouth in shock.

"Is… is he alright? He looks really hurt!"

Tamaki gritted his teeth as his hand and forearm reformed to their usual human features. Two of his fingers were jutting out at odd angles, his wrist hung limply, and his entire left arm was streaked with blood and pocked with impaled shell fragments. Tamaki's eyes appeared on the giant monitors all around the stadium, which only increased the frenzied din of the cheering audience. Very suddenly, the boy sprouted two long, curved black horns from either side of his head, and he grew taller as his legs extended and bulged out to take the form of a bull's. He let out a feral yell as he charged at Mirko, pressing his forehead to her stomach while trying to push her back.

The pro hero resisted for all of a moment before giant, feathery wings erupted from Tamaki's back and he began beating them wildly to push her backward. Mirko's feet carved trails through the dirt as she was forced back at growing speed, her muscles bulging as she kept a desperate grip on Tamaki's horns. Suddenly, Mirio Togata's hands emerged from beneath the ground and grabbed her ankles, holding her in place as Tamaki bowled her over. The boy slammed a triumphant hoof down into her abs just as Edgeshot managed to get a hand on Nejire's ankle in midair, and the announcer yelled out in a booming voice.

"Time! Nejire Hado, Mirio Togata, and Tamaki Amajiki from U.A. University lasted through the entire trial!"

Eijiro leapt up from his seat and pumped a fist as he smiled, his triangular, razorlike teeth gleaming in the light of the room.

"That's crazy! They even managed to get a pro down on the ground!"

"Does that mean they're the only three that passed…?" Megumi asked.

"Nah, they've got some whole scoring system," Eijiro explained as he stood up from the couch into an overhead stretch. "But those three? They're being called The Big Three of U.A., now. They're practically overnight celebrities! Everyone at school was talking about it today, so I'm glad they rebroadcast it."

Megumi smirked, and accepted a quick hug from her son. She watched over his shoulder as Mirko slapped Tamaki hard upon the back and gave the boy an encouraging grin and thumbs up gesture. Meanwhile, Mirio and Nejire were in a conversation with Edgeshot, who had his arms folded while Nejire laughed with a hand over her mouth.

"I wonder if they'll end up on merchandise, while still being in school. That would be a little wild…"

"Yeah, it would," Eijiro agreed as he broke the hug. "I could see them doing ads and stuff, though. How was work?"

"Oh, the usual," Megumi answered with a sigh as she walked into the kitchen. "Endless meetings, endless stress. And school? Did you talk to her yet?"

Eijiro's cheeks went red as he reached a hand up into his shaggy mass of hair and scratched awkwardly.

"It was… yeah, the usual. Just like work, I guess," the boy answered with a noncommittal shrug and attempt at a disarming smile.

"…Eiji," the older woman said as she folded her arms across her chest. "What's stopping you? I know you've had it rough the past few months, but you deserve to be happy. Even if you just make a friend again, why not reach out? What's the worst that could happen? You only have a few more months left of school, after all."

Eijiro rubbed at his nose, and then stepped in place a few times as he searched the room for something other than his mother to focus on. He eventually settled for looking at the coffee machine, though he didn't even like coffee.

"…I don't really wanna talk about it. I'm gonna go out for a ride, before dinner. See you soon?"

Megumi blew an errant strand of hair from her face and shook her head, before giving her son a sad smile.

"Alright, Eiji. I just don't want you to feel so isolated anymore. You did the right thing, but you're being punished for it, and it breaks my heart to see. You deserve better friends, and you deserve to be happy. A girlfriend might help with that."

Eijiro finally mustered up the courage to look at his mother once again and gave her a slow nod as his cheeks grew hotter.

"Mom, I don't… it's not… I'll think about it. Seeya!"

Megumi watched her son make his way out the door before picking up her briefcase once again and heading off deeper into the house.

Eijiro leaned into the last turn before his destination, his bicycle tipping at a nearly 45 degree angle as he took the corner at high speed. As he leaned back up and rebalanced himself, he touched a foot down to the ground on the other side of the bike and slipped off the seat to a standing position. The boy walked up to the curbside bicycle rack and chained his bright red vehicle to the metal bars before making his way toward the rather large convenience store before him. Several people filed into the building in front of Eijiro, and he waited politely before following them in and keeping his head down as he began to walk through the aisles.

A vaguely familiar song played softly over the loudspeakers overhead, though Eijiro found that he couldn't quite identify the name or the artist. Though he knew he had heard it somewhere before, the kind of music typically played on public radio wasn't suited to his style. The notion of trying to remember the artist nagged at the back of his mind as he ambled slowly through the racks, looking at all sorts of decorations and appliances on display. As he neared the candy aisle, the song almost seemed to get louder, until he realized that someone around the corner was humming it quite loudly to herself. Upon seeing just who was responsible, Eijiro froze up, his heart skipping a beat in the process.

There in the aisle, bent over and inspecting a bag of colorful candy, was a girl that Eijiro had seen in passing at school and only really started to notice recently. Her skin was an odd, soft pink that seemed to glow under the fluorescent lights, and her matching hair was almost as wild as his own. Atop her head were two angular yellow horns, prominently jutting from her fluffy pink locks. She was still in her school uniform, and her compromising position allowed for her deep blue skirt to just barely cover the curve of her rather large rear. Eijiro's eyes lingered upon her backside for a moment before he tore his eyes from her body and began to turn away, only to freeze up as the girl abruptly stopped her humming.

"…hey! I know you!"

Eijiro turned, fearing the worst sort of accusation. He opened his mouth and tried to choke out words to explain himself, but he was too slow in his efforts.

"Hiya!" the shorter girl said with a cheery smile. "You're the kid who was drawing Crimson Riot at lunch the other day, right? You're really good!"

Eijiro sputtered as he tried to find words while simultaneously getting lost in her unusual eyes. The 'whites' of her eyes were anything but, and were instead jet black. Her irises glimmered as bright yellow rings that shone with natural curiosity and mirth, and altogether, her eyes reminded him of a raccoon's. More than even that, though, they struck him as adorable.

"I… um… thanks!" Eijiro nearly shouted as he hurriedly stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I, uh… I don't think we… uh, what's your name?"

"It's Mina. Mina Ashido," the girl offered with a wink. "But just call me 'Mina'. Don't make it all awkward and formal."

"Sure! I'm… Eijiro. Eijiro Kirishima," the boy replied with a friendly nod. He smiled nervously and cleared his throat. "Call me Eijiro, I guess?"

Eijiro felt his entire body run cold as Mina gasped dramatically and held a hand to her mouth. He instinctively thought that he had somehow offended her, though he realized as she mashed her hands into her cheeks that he had managed something else entirely.

"…your teeth are so cool!" Mina nearly squealed. "Is that your Quirk? Can you eat anything? Or do your teeth turn into different shapes? Are you part shark!?"

"No, I…" Eijiro tried, having trouble keeping up with the girl's enthusiastic questions. "I'm not… my Quirk is called Hardening! I can… make my skin hard. Really hard," he finished, feeling incredibly stupid.

Eijiro's blush returned as he watched Mina raise a brow into a perfect arch. Slowly, she offered him a wicked grin, before turning back toward the candy and beginning to inspect the bags on display once again.

"Yeah, I bet you can," Mina teased. "Really, though, that's cool! So you can take hits, and barely feel it?"

"…yeah, it's like that," Eijiro agreed as he moved to stand at her side. "Uh, what's yours?"

"Acid!" Mina replied as she thrust a hand into Eijiro's chest and pressed it up against his pecs. "I can create powerful acid, and fire it from my fingertips. Watch out, Eijiro- just one touch, and I could melt your heart."

Eijiro laughed nervously as Mina poked him in the chest before withdrawing her hand.

"…yeah, I bet you could…"

"Mm-hmm," Mina lilted as she pulled a bag off the rack. "Do you have a sweet tooth, too?"

"Kinda?" Eijiro considered as he took a bag of colorful candy for himself. "I actually came here to grab these for… well, for my mom. She had a rough day at work, and I feel bad. She loves these…"

"Aw…" Mina offered, causing Eijiro's blush to intensify. "You're so sweet!"

"…sometimes?" Eijiro replied in an unsure tone. "I mean, I try to be. She's my mom, you know?"

"I know. Well, I kinda know," Mina pointed out. "She's your mom, not mine. Anything else on your shopping list today, or are you headed to checkout?"

Eijiro paused, the question somehow carrying quite a bit of weight in his mind. Despite all of the awkwardness and tension he felt around her, he didn't exactly want Mina to leave.

"Uh… I think I might grab a soda, or something?" the boy tried as he hiked his thumb toward the cold drinks in the shelves at the back of the store. "How about you?"

"Oh, I'm good!" Mina replied, causing Eijiro's face to fall. "But I'll tag along, so we can talk more. You're interesting, you know."

Eijiro breathed a sigh of relief and allowed his shoulders to relax ever so slightly.

"Cool! Uh… what makes you think I'm interesting, though? This is the first time we've ever really talked."

"A couple things," Mina offered cryptically as the pair made their way up to the glass doors in front of the drink selection. "But an easy one is that you know your classic heroes. A lot of people seem to forget and stop caring the second some new hotness comes along. The oldies are so cool, and totally underappreciated compared to the newer, flashier heroes."

"Not me," Eijiro said confidently as he kept his eyes locked upon the bottles. "Crimson Riot was awesome. I want to make a name for myself and take on jobs that others won't, just like he did. Hopefully things work out with U.A. this summer. Getting in would be huge…"

"You applied to U.A.?" Mina asked, her enthusiasm somehow reaching new heights. "Me too! Oh man, we're gonna have to train so hard! Why don't we train together, and keep each other working hard? The qualifying exam's only a few months away, you know!"

"…you want to?" Eijiro asked, looking shocked. "That would be great! I don't really have…"

Mina waited patiently as Eijiro trailed off, only to take his attention away from her and back to the drinks. He spent an awkward amount of time silently mulling over the options before he reached into the cooler and pulled out a soda.

"Did… something happen, Eijiro?" Mina asked cautiously. "You kinda stand out, sitting all alone at lunch. It hasn't been that way all year, has it?"

Eijiro pulled a face at Mina, before giving the girl a sigh and whipping his hanging bangs out of his eyes.

"Uh… something did happen, yeah, and I'm better off without my usual table. Can we leave it there? Fresh wounds, and all that."

"Oh," Mina said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Yeah, we can. Friend drama sucks, man."

"Friend drama does suck," Eijiro confirmed before running a hand through his bangs.

"…but you'll be alright, right?" Mina asked, while tilting her head. "Eventually?"

Eijiro found himself nodding before he even really considered the question. Somehow, looking down at Mina, the answer seemed obvious.

"Yeah. Yeah, I will be."

Eijiro bristled slightly as Mina threw her arms around him in a quick, tight squeeze before he really knew what was happening.

"'course ya will! You're a hero-in-training! Keep your chin up, and let's start hanging out! That should help keep your mind off of whatever's going on. You can come sit with my crew tomorrow! They'll love you!"

Eijiro raised an eyebrow as Mina finally pulled back.

"…really? You think so?"

"I know so," Mina countered. "So, whaddaya say?"

Eijiro's expression quickly turned into a grin, and he gave Mina an enthusiastic nod.

"…yeah! Alright, sure!"

"Awesome!" Mina squeaked as she lightly punched the boy's shoulder. "C'mon, let's head to checkout, and I'll give you my number so we can hang out soon."

"Yeah, cool! Sounds like a plan!" Eijiro offered as he began to follow the girl toward the front of the store with a smile on his face.

Author's Note:

And now, the two biggest players pre-U.A. are both on track in their initial arcs. As a quick side note- in the last chapter, Mitsuki Bakugo said 'finals are this week'. It was supposed to say mid-term exams are this week, and I went back and changed her dialogue to reflect that. Bakugo and Kirishima are halfway through their senior year, and their auditions for U.A. will come afterward. We'll be doing a lot of ambiguous time skips between here and there, but things will keep rolling at a good pace from here on.

-RD