From a monitoring and waiting room, individuals in suits and helmets prepared non-lethal combat tools, waiting for the signal to emerge onto the testing grounds and surprise the participants of the Provisional License Exam.
Leading the group of Professionals, the imposing and somewhat terrifying Top 10 Hero, Gang Orca, crossed his arms and thought to himself about the files he had access to before coming here.
Contrary to what the Hero expected, he was not asked to restrict his capabilities at all. Of course, he wouldn't abuse the kids out there, but the measure wasn't aimed at them; it was directed at two particular specimens.
The HPSC gave him a detailed report on Terumi Tetsumaru and Terumi Mei, including all the conflict-ridden events in which they both participated.
High-level combat skill, superhuman strength, speed, and agility, emitter-type Quirks in vast quantities and with fine control, as well as experience in high-risk situations.
Mild compared to many weaker professionals in physical terms, but experience was still experience. Gang Orca was ordered not to underestimate them.
His unexpected partner was notified as well.
—Will we be entering soon?— asked a woman with short golden hair, her body wrapped in a fine, dark red traditional Qipao and her expression serene.
Gang Orca nodded sternly, adjusting his suit to look sharp and intimidating to the children he would soon face. —I'm glad you accepted the invitation, Ryūkyū. I would hate to be embarrassed in front of the new generation.
—I've seen the reports. That boy knows how to exploit aerial superiority, and so far he hasn't faced anyone who can keep up with him in the air. You probably would have ended up just like the Nomu that attacked them at the USJ, hitting the air with no results— Ryūkyū analyzed in a monotone voice, not noticing her colleague's slight cringe.
Gang Orca had also reached the same conclusion, with one very important detail: he could be suffocated by a large volume of Iron Sand like that unfortunate Villain who attacked the young Terumis' home, and he didn't possess shock absorption or super-regeneration like the Nomu.
If he truly ended up in a similar situation, the outcome would be very different from that confrontation.
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Mera Yokumiru's announcement echoed across the entire battlefield, halting the movements of every single participant who had failed to move on to the next round.
Sighs of defeat and tears of frustration were shed by the more than 1,400 students who had failed.
In contrast to the discouragement outside, inside the waiting room, expectation simmered among the hundred successful candidates.
Amidst the noise and the smiles—both nervous and joyful—Mei remained calm with a sweet, innocent expression, putting to use her years of discrete practice in front of her bedroom mirror.
She didn't know exactly what would follow that first phase, but it didn't worry her too much. She trusted in her abilities and the support of her other half.
—Alright, alright, please pay attention to the battlefield now— Yokumiru's half-dead voice resonated in the room, capturing everyone's attention.
Without warning, a series of detonations shook the vast terrain, destroying the different environments in clouds of dust and a rain of concrete, rock, and metal fragments.
Mei raised an eyebrow, both at whatever the organizers were planning and at the girls' shrieks. Was screaming even useful in such situations?
—This will be the next and final stage of this exam... Here we will test your rescue skills and response to high-risk situations involving civilians— Yokumiru spoke again, giving a very brief summary of what was coming their way.
Unlike her classmates, Mei wasn't surprised by the existence of a company dedicated to training rescue "victims." Tetsumaru had learned about those crazy workers during his week with Thirteen.
Remembering that her other half had been alone with that woman for several days made her frown, sending a wordless reproach to Tetsumaru through their link.
—And why was that!?— he grumbled.
—Nothing. You're the expert here, Tetsumaru. What should we expect from this test?— Mei asked, curious to hear his point of view.
At that moment, an alarm assaulted the ears of those present, startling them where they stood. Preceded by the signal, the announcement arrived, providing a more realistic context and focus for the test.
—Wait for orders— Tetsumaru said, drawing out a massive amount of Iron Sand just before the announcement concluded and the doors rattled wide open.
Bewildering both the examinees and the examiners, the shinobi blocked the entrance with a dense wall of Iron Sand and rose into the air on a platform.
—What the hell are you doing, ugly eyes!?— Bakugo barked with fury. Immediately after, a rain of curses and cold glares fell upon Tetsumaru.
There were even those who prepared to attack, thinking this was part of the exam or that Tetsumaru had become a selfish bastard who wanted to make them all fail.
—Shut up!— Mei ordered with a calculated release of chakra, which brought an inexplicable pressure down upon the participants' shoulders.
—Now pay attention. This is what is going to happen...— Tetsumaru began with a calm tone and expression.
From the observation area, Gang Orca and Ryūkyū watched with skepticism what was happening outside: absolutely nothing.
—Did the door system break or something?— Gang Orca asked, awkwardly scratching his head.
They didn't have a view of what was happening inside the waiting room. Neither did Aizawa and Emi, who briefly exchanged glances before the man shrugged and the woman became exasperated.
—That wall is your student's doing!— she bellowed. —Is he planning to trip up my kids!? I swear to you, Eraser, this is going to cost you a lot if you don't fix this problem immediately!
—...Me? What about me?— Aizawa asked, bewildered and cursing Tetsumaru in his heart. Was the cheeky brat going to get him into another mess?
The only ones who weren't worried were Yokumiru and the rest of the examiners, who were watching and listening to what was happening with the participants.
After an uncomfortable fifteen seconds—in which someone could have lost their life in a real-world situation—the Iron Sand deformed and burst outward into multiple floating platforms, upon which groups of five or more examinees were moving.
The examiner monitoring Tetsumaru frowned. Unaware of what had happened behind the wall of Sand, he decided to wait a moment before deducting points.
Quickly, the Sand platforms soared over the affected zone while the shinobi himself stayed in the air, his posture upright with his hands joined in a hand seal for concentration.
Although it was by no means perfect, the hundred students worked with a rough coordination that greatly impressed the agents deployed on the ground as civilian victims.
It wasn't common for something like this to happen.
—Don't move!— Mei's gaze was fixed on the old man, who had somehow gotten himself trapped under a pile of rubble and a cracked concrete pillar.
—H-help, help please!— the old man shrieked, playing his role professionally.
—Look at me, look at me carefully, sir— Mei slipped flexibly into the narrow space, using her superior strength to slightly lift the pile of junk with her back. —Don't worry, we'll be out of here in a moment.
The old man evaluated the kunoichi, noting with an internal nod how she used her strength to reduce the load on the only support separating him from a horrible death, but without forcing the delicate balance of the rubble.
However, empty words of encouragement don't count if she isn't even capable of checking his signs properly. Just because a person in the middle of a disaster can speak doesn't mean they are okay.
—Breathe calmly— Mei said, placing a hand on the old man's cheek. The older man didn't understand the purpose of the action, but then the kunoichi's palm began to hiss and glow with a warm, bluish energy.
She gave a sweet smile, pressing her fingers in swift movements along the old man's neck and shoulder, which almost made him groan in relief as the tension in that area vanished.
—Now we can go, Grandpa!— Mei whispered with excitement, her honeyed tone captivating the old man.
Suddenly, she waved a hand toward the ceiling of rubble and released a fine stream of water that sliced through everything in its path in a semi-circle.
With a single push, Mei cleared a section of the obstacles and scooped up the old man, carrying him bridal-style and deliberately burying his face against her growing chest.
Needless to say, the old man gave her a very high score.