"You're progressing well." Ectoplasm said. The praise barely registered as I twirled the hammer and slammed it into the ground, cracking it deeply and shaking the cement column we stood on.

Ectoplasm lost his balance because of it and I rushed forward, slamming it into his abdomen and flinging him high into the sky.

"I know." I stated as the clone dispersed in the air and another formed by me.

"It's a bit harder for you and others like you whose Quirks aren't flashy, but what most people don't know is that even the slightest change from the normalcy is enough to turn the tides. The hammer has great potential for splitting the battleground and gives you a bigger chance to go against those physically stronger than you."

I nodded, twirling the heavier weapon in my hands. The weight of it is inconvenient, but I'm a lot stronger than men twice my size.

If I wasn't so abnormally strong, than I wouldn't be able to wield it.

I can count this as one special move. For my second . . . I have a vague idea of it, but I haven't quite put it all together yet. It needs work.

I sighed, rubbing my head. I still think skill is much better then these ridiculous moves. But all I have to do is create them. I don't really need to use them.

But it is good use of training. I like training. But I like my own training. Not someone else's version of it.

I would much rather work on my sword strikes and my physical endurance.

"That's enough, Class A!" Huh? Glancing down by the exit, I see Class B's teacher, Itsuka, and that damn Monoma.

"Oh great." I grumbled in annoyance. "Today, Class B is scheduled to use this place in the afternoon."

Someone's got a stick up their ass. "Eraser, hurry up and get out of the way."

I hopped down and landed between Kaminari and Kirishima who stood by Izu. "We still have almost ten minutes.You're not good at using time wisely, Vlad." Aizawa-Sensei spoke, not losing any composure or letting the words get to him.

Which is best since behavior like that is far beneath him.

What is with all of Class B and their inferiority complexes anyway?

"Hey did you know? The provisional licensing extra has 50% fail rate. All of you should just fail." Monoma said, his arrogant smile on his face.

Still as obnoxious as ever, that's for sure.

The idiot began to laugh. Itsuka walked over to us, patting my shoulder, knowing he annoys me.

"Wait, is that Monoma's costume?" Kaminari asked her, pointing at the laughing buffoon.

I tilted my head to the side. "He looks like a host. A very cliche one." I noted, making her laugh nervously.

"'Since my Quirk's Copy, there's no need for anything especially eccentric' he said." She explained. I raised an eyebrow. That's him not being eccentric?

So lame. "Still, his opinion is reasonable."

Tokoyami began, exiting his cave. "As long as we are taking the same exam, it is our fate to crush each other." Always the warrior talk that one. "That's why Class A and Class B applied to different locations." Aizawa-Sensei inputted.

Monoma's laughter stopped immediately. What a child.

"The hero licensing exam takes place each June and September in three different locations across the country at the same time. In order to avoid students from the same school fighting each other, all schools subscribe to the theory of splitting up their students by time or location." Class B's teacher said.

Very quietly, but not too quietly, he let out a sigh of relief before running off his mouth like a big shot.

Tetsutetsu walked over towards Itsuka, staring at his classmate oddly. "Same old Monoma, sorry." He apologized, looking over to me.

I shrugged. "Not your fault he's got some mental issues." He smiled nervously, unable to defend his deranged classmate.

"All schools huh? That's right, I didn't really think about it that much, but we'll be fighting against other schools to pass." Sero spoke up, not that far from us.

"And in our case, we're accelerating the process of getting them." Izu said, getting serious.

Ugh. What a pain. "In addition, there are very few first years in the country trying to get their provisional licenses. In other words; the test will have those who've trained longer than you with Quirks you don't know about that they've polished up until now. The actual contents of the exam are unclear, but what is clear is that you all will have a hard time. It's not good to get too hung up about it. But keep that in mind. That goes especially for you Nozomi." He turned his tired eyes to me.

I looked away uncaring. "Hmm."

"Don't 'hmm' me!"

~

Mineta is bouncing around as a permanent ball of purple anxiety. We're all out in front, staring at the building ahead.

Today's the day of the provisional licensing. Mineta is just voicing the others concern.

Aizawa-Sensei bent down to his level. "Mineta, it's not about whether or not you can. Go and get it." Hm? That's . . . oddly very caring of him. We sure have chipped away at his dark heart, that's for sure.

He stood up."If you can pass this test and get your provisional licenses, then you novice eggs will become chicks. You'll hatch into semi-pros. Do your best."

"Alright, I'll become a chick!" Kaminari spoke excitedly.

I turned my head and let out a small laugh. "A Chick, huh?"

He immediately turned bright right. "Hey! Kiri! Why do you have to say that?!" He cried. Well if you say that outloud of course someone is going to take it that way. Moron.

Kirishima, like always, tried to change the mood. "Let's all call out the usual! Ready, set. Plus-"

Hm? A strange guy wearing a different uniform made his way into our classes group. "Ultra!" He shouted, extremely, extremely loud.

Man that kid has a pair of lungs on him. "You shouldn't just barge in on other people's huddles, Inasa." A couple others from his school walked over to reign in their classmate. "Oh, no! I am very, extremely sorry!"

He pressed his arms tight to his side and moved his head down so fast and far it slammed into the ground.

The hell?

Kaminari shouted loudly, baffled by his behavior. "Wait, that uniform . . !" Jiro said, recognition flashing in her eyes.

What about it? "It's from that famous school in western Japan. U.A in the East, Shiketsu in the west." Kacchan spoke. Oh. So that's Shiketsu's uniform.

I've heard of it, of course. I've just never really given it much thought, much like everything else.

Well, it's just a school. Just like any others. "I wanted to try saying it just once! Plus Ultra! I love U.A. High School! I am extremely honored to be able to compete against U.A. students! I'm looking forward to it!" He shouted.

Ochako, Tooru, and Mina both hid behind me as the weirdo screamed.

Blood dripped from his head from slamming it to the ground. "Oh, blood." I spoke monotonously at the same time as the girl from his school.

They began to walk away. Good riddance. "Yoarashi Inasa." Aizawa-Sensei mulled.

Huh? "Sensei, you know him?" Tooru questioned. Their curiosity is pipped.

"He's . . . strong. Last year, the same as you guys, Yoarashi got the top scores of those admitted through recommendations, but for some reason he turned down his acceptance."

A first year. Huh? I glanced over at Todoroki.

Top of those with recommendations . . . even above the great Todoroki. He must be incredibly strong.

Well, not that it's any of my business. "Eraser?"A female voice asked.

Aizawa-Sensei immediately tensed and then slouched, defeated. A look of displeasure on his face."It's you, isn't it Eraser?!"

A woman with green hair and an odd costume walked over towards us. "I've seen you on TV and at the sports festival, but it's been a while since I've seen you in person!" A cloud of doom surrounded him and his eye twitched.

Oh? It's rare for him to show such reactions. She walked over. "Let's get married." She said with ease. "No." He rejected immediately. Mm. My eye twitched. The hell?

The lady laughed. "No? Good one!" She laughed loudly. "You're hard to talk to as usual, Joke."

Joke? Ah. The Hero. The weirdo hero.

Izu sparkled. "Smile Hero: Ms. Joke! Her Quirk's Outburst! She forces those near her to laugh, dulling their thinking and their movements! Her fights against Villains are full of craziness!" Fanboy mode is a hell of a thing.

She gave Aizawa-Sensei thumbs up. "If you marry me, then we can make a happy family with never ending laughter!"

Irritation bubbled within me at her words. "A family like that can't be happy." Aizawa-Sensei responded without hesitation.

"You two seem close." Asui noted. Joke looked over, a big smile on her face.

"Our agencies used to be close to each other! In our cycle of helping and being helped, our mutual love for each other bloomed-"

"No it didn't."

"Oh I love your quick retorts! You're so worth teasing, Eraser!" I don't like her.

Not one bit.

"You sure moved on." I grumbled. Not that it really matters anyhow. It's actually fairly normal of a reaction.

I shouldn't be this upset over it. But it feels like I have to for her. Aizawa glanced over at me, hearing my mumbling. "That's right! Come here, everyone! It's U.A." Joke motioned for her students to come over.

"Oh, it's the real thing." The one with black hair said.

He's not bad looking. "Wow, that's amazing! I've seen them all on TV!" The girl with blonde spiky pigtails added on.

Joke turned back to us. "Ketsubutsu Academy, second years, Class 2! They're my class. Please be kind."

But aren't we competing against them? The guy with black hair grabbed Izu's hands in his own. "I'm Shindo! U.A. this year's had trouble after trouble, so it must've been tough!"

He went on to hold some of the others. "But even so, you all are still aiming to be Heroes like this, huh? That's wonderful!"

He clenched his fist and winked. "A heart of fortitude is what I believe all Heroes should have from now on!" He sparkled.

I narrowed my eyes on him. He's so plastic. "From among you, there's Bakugo, who experienced being the center of the Camino incident. You have especially strong heart. Today I'll do my best while learning from you!"

This brat.

Kacchan smacked his hand away. "Stop pretending. What you're saying doesn't match the look on your face!"

Of course he'd notice. Shindo's smile didn't falter, but his face darkened. "Hey! Stop being so rude!" Kirishima scolded him.

"There's no need to be polite to those kinds of people. If you are you let them manipulate you any way they want." I defended, looking at Shindo with a blank expression.

"Huh? Kiri! Sorry about that." He apologized for us. Well, whatever.

Not that it matters. The others began to excitedly chat with some of us. But not me.

I'm not talking to these youths. I turned, heading towards the building. "I'm going to change." I stated, walking past Aizawa-Sensei.

"The rest of you change as well. Don't waste time."

"Yes Sir!"

~

There are a lot of people.I frowned in distaste at the close proximity. I know lots of people want to be Heroes but this is ridiculous.

"There are so many . . ." Izu mumbled from next to me. Ochako nodded, repeating his words.

There are so many. And we're all crammed together in a large room. I can't possibly see how anything could go wrong. I internally scoffed.

A large stage is facing us, and a tired looking blonde man walked up to the mic. "Well then, let's do that provisional license thing. I'm Mera from the Heroes Public Safety Commission.The kind of sleep I like is non-REM sleep. Nice to meet you."

His head droops down and the sound of sleepiness enhances in his voice. "I've been so busy that I haven't gotten much sleep. We're too short staffed. I'm so sleepy! With that conviction, I will give you the orientation."

My eye twitched. He's not hiding his exhaustion at all. He's been up late finishing this? Are we going to be okay?

"About the content of the provisional license thing . . . Frankly, all 1,540 examinees here will have to win through a free-for-all exercise."

Free-for-all huh? Well I can work with that. Should be simple enough. I do better alone than in groups.

Mera kept on nodding off a bit. "Our society is currently said to be saturated with Heroes, and ever since Stain was arrested, many have shown doubts about the current state of Heroes."

I felt eyes on me. Not just by some of my class. Others around us. Man, speak your opinion and you're a social pariah.

But I still stand by it. Heroes should not see compensation. It must be a title given to those who have sacrificed all of themselves. And because we're all humans, the title belongs to no one.

Because a Hero is a being that doesn't exist in our world.

The roles are filled by superficial people who care only for money and fame.

My opinion isn't going to change simply because people don't like me for it.

"Well, as a private citizen, no matter what the motivation, to tell someone risking their lives to save others not to seek any reward is, it's the ruthless story of these modern times."

"But anyway, whether its for compensation or for loyalty and courage, the result of many Heroes working hard together to help people and defeat Villains is right now the time from when an incident begins to when it is resolved, is so short that it'd make you sick."

"You all are about to receive your provisional licenses and finally throw yourselves into those rapids. Those who can't keep up with that speed will frankly have it tough. Accordingly, what you'll be tested on is speed."

The large screen on the wall behind him turned on and words popped up. Number to pass 1st test. 100 people.

I see. It is going to be about speed.

"The first hundred to fulfill the requirements will pass." He told us. Everyone began to murmur in worry. 100 people from 1,540. Less than 10% will pass.

Well, they can't really give this license to just anyone. It kind of seems like it, but it's not. And it's for the first part of the test.

How many parts are there? And how many will actually get their licenses.

Well, I don't particularly care. I just want to get this over with so I can go home. "Well, a lot's happened out there in the world, and you know, about luck and everything. So anyway, here are the requirements."

Mera pulled out a ball and a disc of sorts from the podium. The screen changed to show an outline of the person and this disc.

"The examinee will put three of these targets on his or her body. They can go anywhere as long as it's an exposed area. You can't put them on the soles of your feet or in your armpits. You will also have six of these balls. The targets are made only to light up if they're hit by these balls, and if all three of your targets light up, then you're out."

"The person who lights up your third target will have it count as their defeat. You get through this round by defeating two people. That's all for the rules."

Well it seems simple enough. But we'll be targeted a lot because we are U.A. Everyone here will think we're conceited.

They'll all probably attack with their classes too. Being with the class is a safe way to go. But I'm good at hiding my presence and moving in silence.

I could do this in twenty minutes top.

A bunch of men in suits went around with the equipment, passing them out. "After we open, we'll pass out the targets and balls, and then we'll start one minute after we've gotten to everyone."

Huh? Open?

The room shook a bit and the ceiling began to open. I squinted as light hit my eyes.

The walls bean to fold down as well and we were now in an arena with different sectors. Like USJ. Cities, factory, forest with a waterfall and lake, earthy terrain, and a large highway of sorts. Could be more, I can't see it all.

But we're in the middle of it all. Let's see, for me, I'd prefer either the forest of the factory with all those pipelines and what not.

"I believe you all have terrain that you like and dislike. Use your Quirks well and do your best." That may be true, but . . . my eye twitched. It's all unnecessarily big.

"Anyway, we arranged for the terrain to be announced like that. But yeah, it's unnecessary It's because of this that my sleep was . . ." He trailed off, leaning his head on hand.

This guy is not going to make it. "I hope the developments are speedy so that I can rest as soon as possible." I rolled my eyes at that.

However when I did that, I noticed Aizawa-Sensei up in the bleachers, far from us, but I noticed him right away.

A familiar woman sat not that far from him and I narrowed my eyes on them.

"Tch." I turned my eyes back to Mera.

Once we got our things, I looked over at Izu and the rest of my class. "Do your best." I waved, before turning and headed for the forest area. "Huh?!" They shouted after.

The way to win is to team up, yes. But I have absolute confidence in my stealth and ability. I'm better off on my own.

Besides, I'd probably end up becoming Izu's guard dog and he hates it when I do that. And when I do that, I prevent him from growing.

Besides, everyone will be targeting U.A. And I'm not the most liked because of the festival and for going alone, so splitting up is a good thing.

Some will split apart to get to me. I can hide in the trees and pick them off. They may know what my Quirk is, but I didn't use it in the festival. Just that once to show Itsuka.

They shouldn't know the extent of it. Which gives me an advantage.

As soon as I made it to the field, I jumped into the trees and concealed my presence.

Quick and efficient. Accept. Adapt. Succeed. This is merely another training exercise.

Let's get started.