Hey everyone! Just as a quick note, this chapter ended up being much, MUCH longer than I anticipated, so I've split it up into three parts. I doubt future chapters will be as long though
('‐ω‐)

Hope you enjoy! ♡＾▽＾♡

-

Yumi

---

I stood to the side, fidgeting nervously as a flood of people passed me. The U.A. Entrance Exam was supposed to be commencing soon, but there was no sign of Saika or Teijo anywhere. I thought about the events that took place this morning. The terrible memory caused me to shiver.

"Are you shaking because you're scared or cold?"

I spun around on my heel to face Saika, who was waving gleefully.

"Saika! Why are you acting so casual on an important day!" I stressed, flailing my arms about.

"Geez, you're sounding like Teijo, chill," she paused, "speaking of Teijo, where is he? Isn't he usually the first person to arrive? Also hey, is that your phone that's ringing or mine?"

I pulled out my phone to see Teijo calling me. I answered it, holding my phone up close to my ear, a decision I regretted as a loud voice shouted into it, deafening my poor eardrums.

---

"I thought we were supposed to wait outside Teijo," Saika hissed in annoyance, plopping herself down next to me.

"I humbly apologise. I'm ashamed to admit I grew impatient waiting outside for you both, so I went inside." Teijo replied from my right.

"When did you even get here?"

"Two hours ago."

Saika smacked her forehead with her palm.

I, meanwhile, was fiddling with the card in my hands, sinking down further into my seat as my other classmates took their places besides Saika, giving me dirty looks. I tried to pay no attention to them. I reminded myself that I had a quirk now, and I deserved to be here as much as the next person. But what if I stuffed up in the exam? What if I injured myself severely? What if Dad lied about the quirk?!  What if I was sitting here with no quirk at all?! What if being here really was a mistake?! What if-

"Welcome students to the U.A. Entrance Exam!" The previously dark stage lit up as a spotlight shone down on someone in the center.

"Oh my gosh, it's the Barrier Hero: Shield! This is too cool!" I beamed, speaking a bit too loudly, earning shushes from both Teijo and Saika.

"As you all know, I'm the most amazing Toshiaki Seki, otherwise known as the spectacular hero, Shield!" he spun around and bowed. Complete silence followed.

"...Please clap."

Everyone started applauding him as he stood up, waving proudly.

"Thank you, thank you! Welcome to the U.A. Entrance Exam! Now, you all are probably not bothered to listen to me, so let's get straight into it shall we? The rules are very simple. Everyone will be required to wear a target somewhere on themselves, and it must be visible and easily accessible to others. Using your quirks you will have to hit the target and-"

"But what if the target breaks?"

"Is there a limit to how many times we get hit?"

"How do we know when we get hit?"

"Please simmer down everyone! We must remain respectful and listen before asking questions!" Teijo stressed as he rose from his seat.

"You're disrupting him too you know..." Saika murmured flatly.

I didn't hear Teijo's reply. I was in deep thought. The entrance exam was different from the one Dad partook in. It sounded more similar to what he and his Class 1-A performed for their provisional license. I began trying to recall any strategies that would help for hitting targets.

Shield laughed at the barrage of questions.

"To answer all your questions, the target won't break, as it is made from some very special materials that are able to withstand a lot of damage. I'd say, it can withstand the full force of Deku's punches at least three times! Yes, I know, it's very impressive. Secondly, yes, there is a limit to how many times you can get hit. The answer is five! Afterwards, the target will detach itself and you'll have to leave the battle center. You will be able to keep your points however. The target will change colour if hit, and you cannot hit it again for another three minutes. You won't gain any points if you do. Also, please know that you are not allowed to intentionally hurt a student. Only aim for their target. Otherwise, a teacher will come and apprehend you."

Mumbling echoed throughout the room.

"While the majority of the targets are all on you and your fellow examinees, there is one special target located somewhere in the center of each battle arena. Why try to go for this target you ask? Well, it's worth one hundred points."

Excited whispers erupted through the crowd, everyone excited at the prospect of winning a hundred points right off the bat.

"This target will not appear until the latter half of the exam. And it can only be hit once. I expect it to be utter chaos when the target appears, so consider your actions carefully. Now, before we begin, are there any questions?"

A student raised his hand.

"What was that paper we had to fill out with our submission to attend this entrance exam all about?" he asked.

"Ah yes! Let me explain what that was. As you all know, in order to be here today, you all had to submit a piece of paper asking about what your quirk does and how it generally works, and what it is best used for. So that included attack, defence, agility, speed, stealth, things like that. It was also required that you submit your preferred terrain and your strengths and weaknesses. That was so we could make it balanced and fair for all of you. Any other questions?"

No one said anything and the room remained silent.

"Okay then! It's time for the exam!"

---

The doors loomed greatly above my head, doors firmly shut. I wished I could hear comforting words to calm down the anxiety inside me. At least, have something happen to make this feeling from within disappear. I was fully aware that now wasn't the time to be nervous. In a few minutes, those gates would open. Once we were inside, we had five minutes to set ourselves into place. Whether that was hiding or right out in the open was entirely up to the examinee. When those five minutes were up, the exam would start. I told myself I would be fine. But would things really work out for me? There were so many things that could go wrong, and despite what I was always told not to do, I found myself panicking. Again.

"Hey, you okay? You look like you're shaking in your boots..."

I turned around rigidly, coming face to face with someone who had a look of concern on their features.

"Yup...I'm fine...just a little nervous is all..." I admitted.

The boy chuckled, smiled, then extended his hand to me as a greeting. "I'm Eitaro Kirishima. Nice to-"

"You're the son of Red Riot, right? I knew you reminded me of someone!" I stated with bubbling excitement, smiling at the boy who was almost the spitting image of his father. The only notable difference was his hair, raspberry red in colour and bangs roughly swept to the side, with a black undercut. Eitaro laughed, his boyish grin giving me the comfort I needed.

"That's me!" he smiled, eyes gleaming for a moment, before the once jovial face before me melted into a small frown.

"Hey um...what's wrong?"

Eitaro rubbed the back of his head, turning the direction of his gaze elsewhere. "Ah, it's nothing. I'm just a little sad..."

"Sad about what?" I interrogated, not even realising what words had just escaped from my lips. "Ah I'm sorry! I don't mean to pry."

"No no, it's fine. I just...saw a friend I haven't seen for a long time, and I think he may or may not despise me..." Eitaro sighed, his head drooping downwards. He smiled painfully at me. I tried to think of something to say, and was startled when he lifted his head up and basically shouted to the sky.

"Satoshi, you're not acting manly right now!" he yelled in frustration, earning him a few glances. That was pretty impressive to get others to notice him, especially considering how noisy it was here. But the voice on the loudspeaker was even louder.

"You'll all have five minutes before the exam starts to position yourself. Anyone who disobeys this rule by hitting another examinee's target will be disqualified. Please remember, you are only to hit the targets of your fellow examinees. Any unnecessary violence will also get you disqualified. Ready...Set...GO!"

The doors opened, and I rushed in along with everyone else. Alright, this was it. Time to show the world that I can be a hero!

---

Saika

---

I stood at the entrance gate that towered before me, the heavy-looking doors securely in place. It took me a while to realise, but the tall figure that had stuck beside me this whole time was no longer there. I looked over my shoulder and made out the silhouette of Teijo and his chopping arms over by a group of people who looked scared out of their minds.

"Of course..." I sighed, unsurprised by my friend's strange actions.

I took the opportunity to analyse my opponents, allowing a small smile to creep onto my lips at the thought of Yumi performing a similar tactic.

"Let's see..." I mumbled, scanning the large crowd. "There's no one here I recognise, so I'm guessing Teijo and I are the only children of pro heroes."

"You should stop talking out loud like that."

I whipped my head around to see a brown-haired boy staring at me. He looked bored, even giving off hints that he didn't want to be here. Or maybe he was just dead inside.

"Ah...sorry if I weirded you out...haha..." I laughed nervously and rubbed the back of my neck. I must have picked that up from Yumi.

He shook his head politely. "It's fine."

We both stood there in awkward silence for a few moments. I expected him to walk off, or maybe go see his friends. That is, if he even had any.

I coughed into my hand and looked away, signalling for him to take leave. He didn't seem to get the hint and continued to stand there.

I sighed and decided it would be best not to bother him. But, to my luck, Teijo ran towards us and broke the tension with his chopping.

"Saika! Why are you just standing there? It would prove to be useful if you go and interact with our opponents. Then we can discover their weakness and crush them one by one!"

I used the palm of my hand to shove his face away and pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. "Oh my God, Teijo. That's not how a hero should act."

He seemed to pause as realisation hit him. "You are right, my comrade! Please forgive me!" He bowed so low that I feared his head would hit the concrete.

"It's okay! No need to be so dramatic..."

"...Your friend's weird." I turned around to look at the boy from earlier who was still situated next to me. He still wore the same blank expression.

Teijo wore a look of hurt as he placed a hand over his heart. "Excuse me...!"

"Um, yeah... Not gonna lie, you have a point." I looked between the two boys with a hint of amusement.

The brunette continued to shoot Teijo blank stares as my dark indigo-haired friend was lecturing him on manners. I came to the realisation that I had yet to introduce myself properly to the boy. I pushed Teijo out of the way, ignoring his cries, and held out my hand.

"Excuse my manners, but I completely forgot to introduce myself." Then again, he didn't seem to be the best with manners either. "My name is Saika Todoroki."

He stared back at my hand, giving me only a curt nod in response.

I withdrew my hand and coughed awkwardly. "Oh, uh, right. Sorry..." I waited for a moment, still hoping to have at least something of a conversation with him. "Then...would you mind telling me your name?"

The boy seemed to stare into my soul as I awaited an answer. He sighed in what I could only assume was frustration as he turned away, mumbling his answer so I could barely make it out.

"Kousuke. Kousuke Fujikawa."

My expectant look changed to a happy one as my lips curled up into a smile. I couldn't believe I had convinced that statue to actually tell me his name!

"Well then, Kousuke. I hope we get to know each other better." It was strange of me to suddenly change my opinion on the boy since just moments ago, I expressed an odd distaste towards him. But maybe he wasn't so bad. Maybe he just needed friends?

"This is a lost cause. Clearly you have no intentions of listening to me! Saika," Teijo turned to me after addressing Kousuke. "I'm off to stretch- HEY! You there! We aren't here to pick fights!" And just like that, Teijo had run off to invade other people's lives instead of doing what he had originally planned to do.

"I stand by what I said before," Kousuke watched Teijo carefully.

I sighed and shook my head, "So do I. He's a...unique person, to say the least. But nonetheless, he's a great friend."

Everyone's attention was suddenly drawn to the gates where a set of speakers were located as a voice came from them announcing the start of the exam.

Everyone around us braced themselves, waiting for the time to finally come. I turned to Kousuke with a fond smile, clenching my fists with determination.

"Just in case we don't cross paths again, I'd just like to wish you good luck."

"Ready..." The voice through the speakers said.

Kousuke looked at me, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards into what was a hint of a smile. His eyes had a certain light to them that I hadn't seen earlier. "Thanks..."

"Set..."

I nodded at him as we both got into a running stance. The last words I heard escape from his lips were so soft, but I was glad that I heard them. "Good luck to you too... Let's hope we meet again."

"GO!"

---

Yumi

---

To say utter chaos was unfolding would've been an understatement. Left and right, Quirks were being fired off in all directions, and wherever my gaze darted over to, a target would light up and a disappointed and angry grunt would ensue. The worst thing about this however, was having to dodge the sudden attacks that would end as quickly as they had begun. No one had a specific person they were trying to hit, and everyone was just rushing past, attempting to hit someone and if they failed, they would just move on. As I narrowly avoided a stream of slime that had flown passed me, just barely missing my target, I suddenly coming into contact with someone behind.

Long, indigo hair brushed up against my face as I turned around to see who I had bumped into. The mysterious girl was tall, seeming to only be slightly shorter than Saika in height. Her indigo eyes widened slightly from the sudden impact, but her expression quickly changed in order to have me believe the incident hadn't fazed her.

To my surprise, she apologised for the sudden collision that occurred between her and I. I opened my mouth to reply, about to say something along the lines of 'it's fine', but hesitated. Based on her appearance, I assumed that her father was Hitoshi Shinso. I kept my lips sealed just in case her quirk was the same and took a step backward, attempting to catch her off-guard before lunging forwards. I reached out to hit her target, taking on a position that would assist me in springing backwards if I needed to.

The girl narrowly dodged my sudden attack, alarm on her face as sweat appeared on her forehead. She gritted her teeth as more people gathered around in the area, and she hurriedly retreated into the shadows just as fast as she had appeared.

Cautiously, I peered behind me. I had company, and a lot of it. I pushed away my negative thoughts and took a deep breath, concentrating hard.

Dad had instructed me to let One For All spread throughout myself as it saved me from any serious injuries and would boost my overall abilities. He promised me he would teach me more techniques later on, so this was all I had to go with for now.

I clenched my fists as One For All took over, the air crackling with the energy it emitted. Some examinees had noticed my presence and had begun to charge forward, ready to strike. This was it.

I would've liked to say I hit all of their targets with my increased speed and power, but that wasn't the case. I stayed firmly on the ground and found that I was unable to move. Everyone was getting closer.

Come on Yumi! Move! In one movement, I sprung upwards. However, One For All was so difficult to control that I face-planted into the wall opposite me. I winced as blood seeped out of my nose, eyes scrunched from the pain. Some who had witnessed everything stared in confusion as I slid down the building, my hands desperately trying to grab onto something. My hands gripped a window frame as I scrambled to climb inside the building through the open gap. As I wiped away the blood from my nose, my eyes scanned the room, searching for signs of life. When I concluded that there was no one, I moved slowly to the exit, thinking of what my strategy was going to be. One good thing about hiding was that there would be more chances to strike. As I inched closer to the door, a deafening sound rang through my earbuds. Covering my ears, I stuck my head out the window to see what all the commotion was about. Something seemed to be going on in the distance. I practically flew downstairs, passing by a few people as I ran outside.

Not everyone seemed to be drawn to the unexpected burst of power, but I noticed a wave of people frantically running away from the mayhem. A few stragglers had separated from the large group and were heading in the direction of the problem. Without even realising it, I had joined them.