Bakugo's eyelid flickered for a moment. His face darkened and his fingers tensed. He felt an overwhelming urge to blow up the entire stadium.
He glanced sideways at Kirishima, who kept his mouth open like a fool in disbelief. Many of the dozens of participants surrounding them in a vain attempt to inspire fear showed the same expression.
Him, afraid? He had seen monsters that would turn him into paste just by running past him. He wasn't afraid of a group of nameless idiots.
—Kirishima!— he hissed in a low voice, surprising even himself. Restraint was not his strong suit in these situations.
The hard-headed redhead snapped out of his trance and studied the surrounding opponents. Bakugo didn't need to say another word.
Both of them lunged forward at full speed, seizing the opportunity the announcement had given them. They weren't the only ones with that idea.
In another location, Mineta was grabbed by Shōji and swung in a whirlwind of purple spheres that trapped many of the opponents surrounding them.
Midoriya used his One For All enhanced high-speed movement style to take out the students he needed.
Uraraka slid with skill, having been recently taught by Mei to move with stealth and precision to disable more than one participant.
Supported by Tokoyami and Dark Shadow, the future hero Uravity made the poor souls float and let Shadow drag them away like balloons, pulling them toward her own Class 1-A classmates so they could advance as well.
Those with quick minds and solid resolve had the same idea as Bakugo.
The members of the most prestigious academies demonstrated why they were considered elites compared to other lesser schools.
From his observation and monitoring point, Mera Yokumiru sighed with a mixture of relief and disbelief. Not just because of the Terumi sibling's performance, but because of what they triggered.
The count of disqualified participants skyrocketed in a matter of seconds once his announcement about the first ones to move on concluded. Likewise, the first 40 passing candidates emerged victorious from the chaotic field in less than two minutes of fighting.
The clever ones took the opportunity; those easily surprised stalled and lost.
It might seem cruel, but in Mera's opinion, these kids' feelings are useless if they freeze up when facing difficulties or witnessing crazy events.
Recently, a girl lost her life due to that very same problem: Pony Tsunotori.
A reconstruction of the scene along with the killer's interrogation revealed to the HPSC and the police that the young hero hopeful didn't even defend herself.
Whether it was her fault or not is a debate Mera wasn't going to get involved in. The fact remains that, indirectly, the Terumi siblings prevented similar individuals from passing this stage of the exams en masse.
Back on the field, Asui grabbed Aoyama with her tongue and threw him into the air.
The blond youth took advantage of the powerful momentum to fire all his spheres, while simultaneously unleashing his flashy beam to catch his opponents' attention with his shining figure.
With the second distraction, Asui, Mina, and Jiro acted in flashing bursts of speed, learned the hard way by being forced to react to assaults from Midoriya and Mei herself during their physical conditioning.
Their reflexes had improved immensely, and their coordination was flawless.
The three girls managed to eliminate the necessary participants to move on to the next stage just in time; only seconds later, a bafflingly powerful gale swept through the area near their position.
Still in the air, Aoyama was caught in the gusts and sent flying in another direction.
The trio from Class 1-A looked up and witnessed the massive figure of the Shiketsu High student, Inasa Yoarashi.
—Woa, look at that tough guy!— Toru cheered with more enthusiasm than necessary.
—Toru-chan!— Mina scolded.
Posing victoriously from his elevated position, Yoarashi heard the girls and blushed furiously, becoming so embarrassed that he turned around with an expression that looked terrifying to the others.
The young man walked with a stiff gait toward the waiting area, crossing paths with Todoroki Shoto, who seemed to have passed as well.
—Of course he would...— he thought with annoyance, deliberately ignoring the insufferable boy.
Shoto looked at him coldly, unaware of the reasons why Yoarashi treated him with such disdain. He didn't care much, but since the Shiketsu student had treated Mei that way, he had earned a spot on the bad side of Endeavor's son.
Upon entering the waiting room, they found a decent number of participants, at least a dozen of them.
Yoarashi snorted audibly before going to lean against a wall in a cool manner, while Shoto headed to the table where his classmate Mei ate distractedly in her usual uncomfortable silence. Uncomfortable for others, at least.
He was not aware of the link between Tetsumaru and Mei. No one aside from Aizawa, Nezu, Midnight, and the Wild Wild Pussycats knew of this ability.
—You two really shook up the exam— Shoto commented casually, taking a seat across from the girl.
—And you were too slow. Didn't you trap Sero in a glacier once? That technique is useful when facing many opponents, Todoroki!— Mei scolded, pointing her spoon at him accusingly.
—...Yes, well, where is Tetsumaru?— the young man asked, evading the previous subject.
—Shitting. He drank too much coffee before coming and now he's paying the price— Mei shrugged.
Minutes passed and the room filled with more participants. From Class 1-A, the next ones to enter were Yaoyorozu and Kaminari.
The curious duo enthusiastically shared how they used a basic strategy of hidden wires and electricity to paralyze a group of opponents. Mei gave a thumbs up in approval.
For his part, Yoarashi remained in stoic silence, sulking over the unfortunate encounter with Todoroki Shoto.
The Shiketsu student looked back and forth across the waiting room, searching for something to distract himself and move past the bitter moment, when a door near his position opened and a particular figure entered the room.
Inasa Yoarashi glanced at him and immediately recognized him from the news.
Robes of a blue similar to his own school uniform, spiky black hair that slid down his back, and slanted, pale yellow eyes with dark sclera, giving his gaze an intimidating air.
Yoarashi moved on instinct, slightly excited to meet a first-year student like himself who had worked with Professionals in a real operation.
—Hello!— he greeted with a friendly smile, towering several inches over the boy. That threw him off a bit, as he would have sworn the boy was taller based on the images on TV. —You're Terumi Tetsumaru-san, right?! I haven't had the chance to meet you, but it's quite a pleasure!— he said in a rather loud tone, extending a hand toward Tetsumaru.
The shinobi looked at him for a moment before shaking his hand. —A pleasure...— he said in a flat tone, though not unpleasant to Yoarashi's ears. The Shiketsu student understood the reason for the pause and felt a bit embarrassed.
—Ah, I'm sorry! I'm Inasa Yoarashi, first year in the Hero Course at Shiketsu— he said while awkwardly scratching his head.
—Hm, such formalities aren't necessary. And just call me Tetsumaru— the shinobi nodded calmly.
Yoarashi felt like he had at least won one out of three when interacting with the UA students. That reminded him that the Sports Festival champion shared the same last name as Tetsumaru, and that both were responsible for that spectacle in the center of the arena.
—Uh... Oh, s-sorry, Tetsumaru-san?— he stumbled over his words, slightly uncomfortable. Tetsumaru maintained his bored, imperturbable expression. —Just Tetsumaru— he said robotically, as if it were a daily occurrence.
—Yes, of course! Ahem, you see, Tetsumaru... Are you and that girl in the blue dress stuffing her face with food family or something?— Yoarashi finally asked.
—Hm— Tetsumaru nodded.
—Great! Great— Yoarashi commented, quickly running out of anything else to add. Within seconds, the entire interaction became awkward for the taller boy.
Fortunately for him, Tetsumaru had seen his performance on his way to the restroom and was genuinely interested in exchanging information with other Wind users.
He had already meddled more than once in Class 1-B's practices, interested in Tsuburaba Kōsei and his Quirk: Solid Air.
Chakra or not, the shinobi was looking for interesting applications to emulate with his nascent Wind Element. Kosei's Solid Air was on that list, and Inasa's fine control was frankly incredible.
In Tetsumaru's eyes, it was like unleashing a Daitoppa, but instead of wounding or violently blowing his rivals away, Inasa was able to control his winds with absurd precision.
—For now, we must focus on the next part of the test, Inasa. However, I would like for us to talk at a later time. There are some things you could teach me, if you are willing— Tetsumaru said, taking out his phone and offering his contact info to the Shiketsu youth.
Inasa Yoarashi's face lit up, and he gladly accepted.