Saika

---

"Hey!"

The villain's bloodshot eyes darted over to me. I waved my arms and jumped up and down, knowing I had caught his attention.

"Do you really think you can come here and expect to get away with it? The pros will stop you!"

A smirk crossed his lips. "But they haven't, have they?"

Clenching my fists, I kept my gaze on him at all times. If I looked to the side for even the slightest moment, he was bound to spot them. Then everything would be ruined.

I activated my Quirk, sending a wave of ice straight at him. Just as planned, the villain used his dust to soften the structure of my ice, turning it into a useless slush of water.

"Ha! Pathetic! As the daughter of pro heroes, I would've thought you would've had some ability to think. But I guess I was wrong."

The water formed a pool around his feet, soaking the soles of his shoes. This was perfect. Everything was going according to plan.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a figure shift, darting behind rocks and debris. I smiled, knowing that my plan had started to take action.

I kept a safe distance, not bothering to inch closer. If I could distract him for just a little longer...

"Really? I thought I was smart...but who am I to judge? After all, a villain's words matter much more than mine, right?"

He raised a finger and pointed it at me with a demeaning gaze. "Don't patronise me!"

I crossed my arms. "I wasn't. I was...praising you? Yeah, it's a compliment."

The villain looked unamused.

"So, um... how's life treating you?" I chuckled nervously, not sure how I was supposed to keep up the act of having a casual conversation with a villain.

He quirked a brow. His features were laced with confusion. I guess it wasn't every day that a teenager starts chatting with a villain like they had known each other for years.

"What?"

Another nervous laugh rippled in my throat. Why was Kousuke so slow!?

"Um, I'm not the best at starting conversations. So, uh...you have a wife or something?"

"My life is none of your business!"

My breath hitched when he raised his fist. I needed to make sure I wasn't going to provoke him. He needed to stay docile for just a few more seconds...

That was when I saw a tuft of brown hair move behind him, and as if on cue, the water around his feet started to swirl around. It formed some sort of rope-like structure as it wrapped around his legs, arms and torso.

"W-what?! What is this?!" The villain struggled against the tight bonds that Kousuke had created, thrashing about wildly.

Just as I thought — he couldn't manipulate water. His dust wasn't able to change the state of liquid forms, only solids.

Kousuke stepped out from his hiding spot, smirking at the defeated villain. "That was easier than I thought. I honestly expected more."

My eyes widened partly in shock and confusion. Kousuke had a point. The villain had shown to possess so much power, yet it seemed like he had given up so easily. And most villains wouldn't bother to initiate a conversation with me, but would rather straight up attack me.

That was when the ground around us started to shake. It was moving around, some parts sinking, some parts cracking, some parts rising. That was when I realised that even though he was tied up, he was still able to manipulate dust, which meant...

"Look out!"

I dived toward Kousuke, pushing him out of the way as the ground formed a wave-like structure, crashing down on the spot Kousuke had been only moments before.

During the few moments of attack, the villain had managed to break out of the water ropes. Kousuke's Quirk must have deactivated while the villain attacked us.

The villain wiped his sweaty palms on his already damp clothes, cackling. "You seriously thought I would go down that easily? Ha, you young people are so- ack!"

"BEGONE, YOU DISGRACEFUL VILLAIN!" Teijo yelled as his foot came into contact with the villain's face.

My eyes followed the blurry figure that flew past us and crashed through the wall of a half-destroyed building. Teijo marched up to us jubilantly, a single tear falling down his cheek.

"My friends, I am so glad you are safe!"

"Yeah..." I rubbed my arm tenderly as I stood up. "Thanks, Teijo."

Kousuke stood up beside me and stared off at where the villain landed. That reminded me that it was possible he was still standing. We couldn't risk just leaving him there.

I took off in a sprint towards the building that was eerily quiet. The only light available was the light seeping in through the shattered windows. I walked straight towards the area that Teijo had kicked him, hoping to find him unconscious.

"Hello...?" My voice echoed against the concrete walls. It wasn't smart to reveal myself, but I figured if he was aware of my presence, he'd make some form of sound.

After a few seconds of silence, I assumed that I was good to go. I snuck through the building which seemed like a maze and eventually found his body limp on the floor.

"Geez, Teijo... You really did a number on him, huh?" I reached out to grab his wrist, my ice slowly spreading across his body to render him defenseless and unable to move.

The ice started to cover his right arm and torso when I felt my eyes start to water. A soft breeze blew my hair and I felt an itching sensation in my throat. I tore my gaze from the villain to look around for the source of my discomfort. But the moment I looked away, a cold hand gripped at my wrist.

I gasped at the sudden contact and looked back at the smirking villain. Was he faking his unconscious state?

"I already told you, you have to try harder if you want to beat me."

A small dust storm formed around my crouched form, and I felt my heart stop. Was I really going to die? Was his gross face the last thing I'd get to see?

"No way am I letting you take this world away from me!" I screamed, kicking him in the face.

He yelped out in pain and the dust storm ceased. I continued to kick at his face more, even with the blood dripping from his nose.

"Oh God. Saika, stop before you kill him!"

I felt a pair of hands firmly grasp my wrist before roughly pulling me away from the villain. I looked up to see a concerned looking Teijo.

I heard Kousuke sigh as he emerged from the shadows. "It's no use. He's probably already dead."

"Hey! I didn't kill him. I just...brought justice, that's all."

"Right, because repeatedly kicking someone in the face isn't abuse."

"It's not abuse! He's a villain, so I had a right-"

"Enough! We should really focus on restraining him until the pros arrive. Unnecessary violence is uneccessary" Teijo interrupted, chopping his hand in between us as if to break some invisible line that was making us bicker.

Without needing any instructions, Kousuke created some water that acted as ropes, securing the villain's arms and legs. It wasn't like that was going to stop him, but it was all we could do for now.

Teijo grabbed his collar and dragged him across the dirt-covered floor while Kousuke and I trailed behind. All the examinees had already left the area, so it was silent when we brought the villain into the open.

"Great," I kicked at some stones with my now destroyed shoes. "Damn it, I really liked these shoes..."

Teijo whipped his head around at my words and started to chop his hand at an insanely fast pace. "Saika! How can you be so calm about this?! You just abused a man even after he was knocked unconscious and all you're worried about is your shoes?! Shame on you!"

Kousuke and I ignored him. Kousuke stared at my shoes and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's sad. You should go buy a new pair."

Teijo started to jump up and down, still waving his arms in the air. "Hey! I am talking to you! Don't you think your shoes are the least of our problems?!"

I placed a finger on my chin, thinking about what Kousuke had suggested. "That's true... but these are supposed to be limited editions. I don't know if I can find them again."

"Oh," He furrowed his brows. "Now that sucks. Next time you shouldn't wear such nice shoes."

"OI! HEED MY WORDS!"

"Yeah. I should've known it was a bad idea to wear these...!"

"...I give up." Teijo sobbed, plonking down onto the floor next to the villain. "You understand me, right?" He turned to look at the unconscious villain.

"Hey, kiddos! Time's up! Return to the main hall for one final message! If you have any injuries, please wait outside your allocated battle centre" The pro hero Shield's voice echoed across the arena.

I clapped my hands together, grinning at Kousuke. "You know what? I think we've proved ourselves to be true heroes!"

And then I suddenly remembered something. Something I had been wanting to do, but had gotten pushed into the back of my mind, what with the mayhem that had just occurred.

I hadn't been able to hit the special target.

---

Yumi

---

"Are you sure this a good idea?"

"Yes..." I muttered with uncertainty, pacing the now uninhabited streets of the battle center. "Did you see where he went?"

Eitaro paused to think, gnawing at his lip in frustration. "I'm pretty sure he went that way," he answered, gesturing down one of the paths.

We continued walking in the shadows, eyes scanning the area. That was when I saw a tattered cloak disappear inside a building. I nudged Eitaro.

"Let's follow him," Eitaro whispered to me as the two of us tip-toed inside.

We crept up the stairs, the occasional window that let light stream through being the only source of light in this dark, cold place.

"I feel like we're in a horror movie..." Eitaro laughed quietly, trying to break the tension.

I snapped my head around. "Really?!" I hissed. "Now isn't the time to..." I paused when I heard faint voices coming from somewhere down the hallway. I raised a finger to my lips while gazing at Eitaro out of the corner of my eye. With a wave of my hand, Eitaro followed me as we cautiously poked our heads around the wall.

There, the villain stood, head held high as he looked down his long, pointed nose at the boy sprawled on the ground below him.

Eitaro and I exchanged some worried and frightful glances as we edged slightly closer.

"Well, isn't that disappointing? Not one person has come to save you," he snickered loudly as the trembling boy slowly rose to his feet. The boy was around our age, and it appeared as though he was an examinee, who the villain had captured for one reason or another. Whatever the case was, we had to rescue him. The only problem was the villain and the looming sense of danger that came with him.

If I used One For All, I'd be able to reach the boy in seconds. But I couldn't control my power; it wasn't worth the risk. The place we were in also didn't house anything that we could've used to our advantage. It was just a barren, empty building, with bleak walls and an uninviting stench that caused Eitaro and me to wrinkle our noses.

Eitaro shook my shoulder as he pointed towards the villain and the boy. "Is your quirk like Deku's or Uravity's, or do you have a combination?" he asked.

"Deku's."

"Well, if I distract the villain and fend him off, do you think you'd be able to save the boy?"

"I-"

"Don't you dare come any closer!" the boy yelled as his enemy calmly walked towards him, the glass from the window shattering and circling the villain as a twisted grin formed.

There was someone in need of help. This wasn't a time to be scared.

"I can do it, Eitaro," I replied, positioning myself in a running stance.

He nodded, brushing his hair out of his determined red eyes as he grinned in my direction.

"Then, let's do this...in three, two, one!"

Eitaro burst into the room, lurching himself forwards and hurtling straight towards the villain, who had laughed maniacally while creating a barricade of glass. He himself sent out sharp glass shards from above the defensive wall, and they spiralled downwards towards Eitaro. I began to run over to my friend, but he shouted at me for doing so.

"Don't worry about me Yumi! Just stick to our plan and save the boy!"

I nodded as I began to activate One For All again. The villain wasn't having any of this. In one swift motion, he sent the glass from the window nearest to him straight at Eitaro. Caught off-guard, Eitaro stumbled as he dodged the attacks. The glass soon encircled him, and even though his hardening quirk allowed him to remain unarmed, there was too much for him to break.

The villain cackled as he ran up to the boy, throwing his head back in laughter like some sort of deranged psycho, pushing the boy right out of the broken window.

In one mere second, I pushed my feet off the ground and leapt upwards, practically flying right out the window. Tightly, I grabbed onto the boy's arm as my feet reached the wall of another building. I rebounded off it, jumping straight up to one of the rooftops, still clutching onto the shock-stricken boy.

We landed with a thud on the rooftop, and my sweaty hand finally let go of his jumper as I deactivated One For All. And then I saw it. Gleaming in the light, the large target staring upwards towards the sky. The only thing that prevented me from hitting it was the villain that stood in front.

"Impressive. You haven't died yet, congrats. But now what's your plan?" the villain asked, amused by the situation.

In truth, I had no idea what to do next. I started to think of the possible solutions to my ever-growing problem: the villain. I peered back at the boy when I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. He held his right arm as he panted, acting as if he just ran a marathon.

I could barely hear the almost inaudible short sentence that had escaped his lips, but when he saw my confused expression, he repeated himself, a little louder this time.

"Get away idiot...just leave me and continue your exam, far away from here."

"Hey! I'm trying to save you here! And if you think I'm just going to leave you behind then you are sorely mistaken" I huffed, turning my attention back to the villain in front of me. My mind began racing as I realised my options were narrowed down, since I was still a complete novice with One For All.

As I contemplated what to do, the villain began walking forwards, tiny fragments of broken glass hovering beside him. I bit my quivering lip. To my luck however, Eitaro had just climbed onto the rooftop, raising a finger to his lips. He pointed at me before making a punching gesture. I inhaled as I readied myself, jerking my head to the side so as to indicate that he should move away.

Dad had warned me to try and avoid just using the power in some parts of my body as it could destroy my bones, but I was beginning to think I had no other choice. At least he said a flick of the fingers would be enough. I balled my fist up and held it out, the villain raising his eyebrows as he seemed to grasp what was happening. He began to look back. It was now or never.

With one flick of my fingers, a strong, powerful gust of wind pushed the villain backwards. A sharp pain overtook two of my fingers and I held my hand tightly, tears of pain growing and threatening to drop. The villain desperately grasped at the air trying to hold onto anything; a failed plan. Eitaro had run behind him, punching him as hard as he could. As the wind evaporated, the villain collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

"We should let the pro heroes know about this. They'll deal with him. And hey...look, it's the target!" Eitaro asked, pointing like an enthusiastic child.

"Yeah. You should hit it." I replied, still cradling my fingers.

His brow creased with concern. "You okay?" he asked, to which I replied with a nod. And so he continued.

"Nah. You saved the boy after all" Eitaro gave a toothy grin, which earned an eye roll from the boy.

"But you were the one who took down the villain!" 

Eitaro shook his head, smiling warmly.

"Both of us took him down" he stated.

"But I'll feel bad if I hit it. You did so much more than I did" I muttered, standing next to Eitaro as we both looked down at the target, the colourless circle still untouched.

"I wasn't going to come in the first place until you convinced me! Come on, you deserve it!"

"You sure?" I bent down, still guilty as my uninjured hand hovered a few centimetres above.

"Of course! It's the manly thing to do anyway!" he grinned.

"Then...!"

I smacked my hand down. The target glowed brightly as Shield's voice echoed throughout the arena.

"Hey, kiddos! Time's up! Return to the main hall for one final message! If you have any injuries, please wait outside your allocated battle centre" his loud and booming voice rang in my ears as Eitaro and I parted ways.

---

"Saika!" I called out, running towards her and waving with my now bandaged hand. "You won't believe what happened!"

"I have some pretty crazy news too" she laughed sulkily. "Also what happened to you?!"

"Well-"

"Well done everyone!" Shield said, clapping his hands as everyone took a seat back in the main hall. "You all were extraordinary! And now, I have some important news to tell you all!"

The many voices all quietened down as hushed whispers rippled throughout the hall.

"Now, I'm sure you all figured out that there were villains attacking the arena, and a lot of you were properly wondering why we didn't intervene! The answer is, because they're not actually villains!"

The room was dead silent.

"Haha yes well, you see, they were hired by the school to play the role of fake villain, with a few of them even having fake hostages. If any of you were confused as to why they didn't seem to be harming anyone, that's your answer! I must say though, the brutality of some of you was..."

Saika groaned as she buried her face in her hands.

I was puzzled with her actions, but my mind was dwelling on what Shield had just said. Everything made sense now. Why the villain didn't injure anyone, why he tried to get everyone away. Was the school using the villains as ways to see who were truly heroic? And that boy...now that I thought about it, he wasn't really hurt or anything of the sort, and perhaps his quirk had to do with flying, so when he was thrown out the window, he could save himself. Everything had been planned.

"Now, before you leave, I just have one more thing I hope you will all remember. This was an exam, so those of you who took down the villain or saved someone got points. However, remember that being a hero is about doing good things, even if you gain nothing in return. And with that, this concludes the exam! See ya next time!" Shield bowed as he walked off, the stage lights going out as the hall lights flickered back on.

---

I stared at the white envelope on my table, my hands shaking as I opened it with trembling hands. After a few minutes, a smile took over my face as happiness washed over me, and even Goru's stupid pranks wouldn't be able to dampen my mood.

I rushed out of my bedroom and to my family, beaming with happiness as I approached them.

"I got accepted into U.A.!"

-

And that's the end of Chapter 4! Oh gosh, this was so long, I'm glad it's finally finished (─‿─) Sorry the ending is a bit rushed though...If you find any errors, notify me and I'll fix them! ^3^

The next chapter introduces the new Class 1-A, and I hope you look forward to it! 

Keep reading! (ﾉ≧ڡ≦)