The next morning, I awake early, sick beyond belief. I run to my bathroom and heave up everything in my stomach. Damn nerves, I think as I shakily wipe my mouth with toilet paper. I stand and flush the toilet, too anxious to remain sitting. There's something comforting about the bathroom whenever I'm sick from anxiety. I don't know whether it's the cool tile on the floor against my bare feet or the smell of my soap. It just makes me feel marginally okay.

I pace back and forth while filling the room with music. I need something to take the edge off. I need to concentrate on something else. I put my focus into the music and after about an hour, I stop shaking and start getting ready for my day.

Showered, clothed, and beginning to tremble again, I make my way to the kitchen where Uncle Mic has prepared breakfast. My stomach turns over at the smell of food, so I refuse his offer and pour myself a glass of orange juice. I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, trying to think about anything but the uneasiness in my stomach.

"HEY KID ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Mic asks me, much too loudly for the morning, but I'm used to it by now. I nod. "YOU SURE? YOU'RE LOOKING A LITTLE GREEN!"

"Just nerves," I sign, then down the rest of my juice and head back to my room for a few minutes. Mic has to go in early, so I sign to him "see you later!"

"GOOD LUCK!!!!" I hear as I close the door behind me. I smile to myself, knowing at least he believes in me. After about 30 minutes of meditating, I head out and start my walk to UA High.

At 8:30, I get to the school and walk inside, making my way to the hall for orientation. I find my assigned seat and plop down, waiting on Ochaco who said she's running a little late.

She bustles in 10 minutes later. "Hey Koto!! I was just walking in when I saw this poor kid trip on his own feet. I stopped him from falling, but he looked scared to death! How are you holding up this morning?" She inquires as she sets her back down and sits down next to me.

"Extremely nervous," I sign. She gives me a warm smile and takes my hand in her small one, holding it between us as Present Mic takes the stage.

"WHAT'S UP, UA CANDIDATES?!? THANKS FOR TUNING INTO ME, YOUR SCHOOOOOOOOL DJ! C'MON AND LEMME HEAR YA!!!!" He puts his hand to his ear, waiting for a response, but none comes.

I smile to myself as he continues. That's pretty much how the rest of the orientation presentation goes. He explains to us our practical exam. Ochaco and I compare our battle centers. She's in Battle Center B while I'm in Battle Center A. Our shoulders sag as we realize that we won't be able to work together.

"Meet up after?" She signs to me.

"Right outside," I sign back, smiling proudly at her. "We both got this," I sign with more confidence than I have felt all day. Maybe this won't be too bad, I think as Mic shows us what we're up against.

Robots!! I can take those down! I will be able to damage them with my quirk. If I can figure out where their main circuits are, I can smash them to pieces without even getting close.

I sigh and start to feel better about my chances.

A blue haired boy stands up with a question, though it sounds more like an accusation. "On the printout, you've listed four types of villains, not three. With all respect, if this is an error on official UA materials, it is shameful. We are exemplary students. We expect the best from Japan's most notable school. A mistake such as this won't do." I was confused about the fourth robot, too, though he probably could have phrased it more respectfully. Then, he turned around and pointed at some kid in the back. "Additionally, you with the unkempt hair! You've been muttering this entire time. Stop that. If you can't bother to take this seriously, leave. You're distracting the rest of us."

Wow, that was harsh, I think as the boy in reference shrinks down in his seat. He slaps his hands over his mouth and mutters a quiet "sorry!" Some people laugh, but I'm embarrassed for the poor kid. If someone turned on me like that in front of everyone, I might have inverted in shame.

Ochaco nudges me and signs, "that's the boy I saved earlier!"

Huh interesting. He's not having the best day, then. I nod at her statement, then turn back to Present Mic as he continues with orientation.

We move from the orientation hall to a large room with desks lined up for us to take the written exam. I sigh and find my seat, I get ready for the next hour or so of boredom.

Before I know it, we're outside, in front of the battle centers. My group is all crowding around. Most of them look ready, hopping up and down, anxious to get in. Some are stretching and a couple look nervous. A few stand on their own, appearing calm and put together. I know we all share at least one thing in common. We can't wait to do this task and get it over with.

The doors to the massive mock city open and our 10 minutes begin. Mic tells from his stand that "REAL BATTLES DON'T HAVE COUNTDOWNS!!" so I steel my nerves and run into the city.

Most people will stick to this main road because it's wider, but if I head a few blocks away, I should be able to get a few robots to myself.

The mock villains smash out from buildings and are immediately targeted by the other students. I turn left and sprint down a few blocks before coming to an empty street with four robots, standing at 2 stories, already milling about near me. They are painted green and have red lenses from which I would assume they can shoot lasers, but they never get that chance. I make two balls of high frequency and send them out to the two closest robots. The one to my left is worth one point. I assume the main circuitry is in the center for all of these. As the ball of sound travels into it, I trust in my guess and focus on the 3 point robot to my right. The 1 point robot creaks and falls over, smoking, as the second ball of sound enters its own target.

Good thing I practiced with circuit boards otherwise I wouldn't know the right frequency to break them.

The way that most things work is that if you hit them, they will emit some tone. If you use that same tone to vibrate it, it will break much easier and require less energy than increasing the amplitude of the sound waves. It's just like opening a candy bar. If you work methodically and tear where it is indicated, it is more effective and takes less effort than punching the thing until it breaks open.

With this technique in mind, I take down the other robot to my left and am about to take down the last one to my right when a blonde kid flies out from nowhere and explodes the thing.

I'm not too upset about it. I couldn't have expected to be by myself this whole time. I'm just taken aback by the contemptuous look on his face. He sends explosions out of his hands and blasts closer to me, landing a few feet away.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STARING AT?!?" he shouts, his red eyes bloodthirsty and his pale blonde hair sticking up at all angles. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!"

Just then, another 3 pointer rounds the corner and is about to knock him to the side. I instantly focus onto it and shatter the circuits. It crashes to the ground before the boy can even turn around. I run off behind it to look for more targets as he screams at me.

If he doesn't want me here, fine. I'll just go find somewhere else where I can work by myself.

"DON'T IGNORE ME!!" The hothead yells from behind me.

I turn the corner to see more robots on the next street. I tune the kid out and focus on getting rid of these villains.

I take down a bunch more robots when all of a sudden, blasts shake the city and a large cloud of dust rises over the main street. A giant robot, towering over the buildings appears through the smoke and begins bashing the city apart.

I run closer to get a better look, but a lot of people are running away. I remember what Mic said about these being like hurtles we should just try to avoid, but I felt the need to make sure everyone was okay. Those blasts might've hurt someone. It begins punching the ground in front of it, stirring up more smoke and causing screams from the others.

So I run towards the stretch of road to see the tank-like treads of the robot running down the street. A boy with a tail runs right in front of them, unable to use the side streets where rubble and robot parts have built up. The robot is moving faster than him and will soon crush him if I don't do anything. I race into motion and focus on the front of both treads, willing my voice to travel far. My brain begins to ache as though it is being dug out with a rusty carving knife. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out when suddenly, the front gears of the treads smash to pieces. I breathe out a sigh of relief and slump down, holding my throbbing head, as the pieces get stuck in the other gears, not allowing them to turn, and immobilizing the robot. The boy runs to my side and lifts me, putting my arm around his neck as he helps me to an alley. I breathe heavily as he sets me down.

"Are you alright?" He asks, quietly, crouching down in front of me and looking me over. His tail curls around him and I smile to myself, though it probably looks more like a grimace. That's such an interesting quirk.

I nod at him. He stands to probably look for more robots when two enter the alley, one from either side. He looks back and forth in panic, trying to decide which one to go for. I lightly kick his foot, then point to him, then the furthest robot when he turns his attention to me. He gives me a confused look, but runs after the villain I pointed at. I glance at the 2 pointer that approaches me and focus just enough energy to cause it to collapse.

I return my attention to the boy who saved me. He battles the 3 pointer at the entrance of the alley, bouncing off the walls and beating it with sheer strength. He utilises his tail in his martial arts as if it is an extra limb, which I suppose it is. It is as thick as his leg with visible muscles. A tuft of sandy blonde fur sits at the tip, matching the hair on his head. Interesting, I think to myself. The light glints off the blonde hair on his head as he lands from his final attack, the robot crumpled on the ground.

"TIME'S UUUUUP!!!!!!!" Present Mic's voice blares out over the city, signaling the end of our test. I close my eyes and rest my head on the wall behind me as it pounds incessantly.

"Hey, are you sure you're alright?" I hear footsteps as he runs back over to me. "Let's get you to the nurse." He picks me up as if I weigh nothing and we make our way back to the main road. I don't remember ever leaving the arena. My vision blacks out and I feel my head loll forward as I lose consciousness.