Chapter 52 - The Test

It was the day of the Provisional Licensure Exam. Izuku and Class 1-A were all lined up outside the Exam center. His stomach was in knots. This was going to be a culmination of all his training up to this point, where he would finally receive a license to perform hero work. Not that it ever stopped him before.

But things were different. He had a quirk now. He could no longer fly under the technicality of a quirkless vigilante as Bruce did. If he was going to become a Hero, he had to do things right. He had been preparing for this ever since he had gotten back from Gotham. His training regime had increased tenfold, both in class and at the Warehouse. Alfred had stayed behind in Japan to help him with his training. Bruce was back in the States, desperately trying to restabilize Gotham after the Titan attack, all the while attempting to pick up on Jason's trail. So far, though, it remained cold. He had no doubt Jason was alive, but he figured that he wouldn't be found unless he wanted to be.

Izuku tried his best to put what happened in Gotham, what happened with Jason, behind him for now. He had to focus on the exam. Aizawa did not mince words when describing the challenge that lay before them. Class 1-A and 1-B would be separated into different testing areas, where they would face off against Hero students from schools across the country. The difference between them, however, was that all the other students there were at least a year ahead of them. Very few first year students in the country try for a provisional license. The test will be made up of students who have had more time to train and prepare themselves, with powerful quirks that were a mystery to them. And to top it off, the pass rate among the students was extremely low. Needless to say, they would be entering the exam at a severe disadvantage.

But Izuku was no stranger to the odds being stacked against him.

Aizawa gathered the class around outside the Exam Center's front steps. "If you manage to pass this test and get your provisional licenses," he said. "Then you novice eggs will hatch into chicks. You'll be semi-pros. I expect your best." He added gravely.

"I can't wait!" Said Kaminari. "This is going to be so awesome!"

"Let's call it out, guys!" Said Kirishima. "Let's go Plus --"

"ULTRA!!"

Everyone started in shock at the loud shout from behind them. A tall young man wearing a different school uniform had sidled up behind them, shouting their slogan with intense ferocity. Followed close behind him were three other students, all wearing the same uniforms. Izuku immediately recognized them from Shiketsu High School, the western counterpart to UA High. While UA was considered to be the most prestigious school in Japan due to the fact that it was All Might's alma mater, Shiketsu rivaled UA in how frequently its attendees became Pro Heroes.

"You know, it's pretty rude to barge into other people's huddles like that, Inasa," Said a purple-haired Shiketsu student.

"Please forgive me!" Said Inesa, bowing so deeply he hit his head on the ground below him. Izuku was taken aback, for when Inesa stood again, his hat had fallen off and he was bleeding from his forehead, though it didn't seem to bother him.

He's here, thought Aizawa, interested, but not surprised.

"I wanted to say it just once!" Shouted Inesa, his eyes burning with fiery intensity. "I really love UA High! I am extremely honored to be competing with such incredible students!"

"Let's go," said the purple-haired student, rolling his eyes as he passed. One of the students, a tall, blond woman, seemed to shoot Izuku a sideways glance as she walked by. The look she gave him made him slightly uncomfortable, but he shook it off. Inesa bowed once again and followed his classmates.

"What was with that guy?" Said Kaminari, shocked.

"His name is Inasa Yoarashi," Said Aizawa.

"You know him?" Said Hagakure, surprised.

"Indeed. He's strong," Said Aizawa. "He's the same year as you. He received the top scores for recommendations to UA High. For some unknown reason, however, he turned down his acceptance to UA and went to Shiketsu."

Izuku was surprised. If he had the top score for recommended students, that meant he was stronger than even Todoroki.

"Eraser, you're here!"

Aizawa tensed like a cat at the sound of his name. The students turned to see a young woman approaching them, dressed in bright green and orange striped shorts, yellow gloves and an orange bandana. Izuku recognized her as the Pro Ms. Joke, the Smile Hero. Her quirk was known as "Outburst" where she had the ability to force people around her to laugh, restricting their ability to focus and think clearly.

"I'd recognize that scowl anywhere!" She said, smiling brightly as she approached them. "It's been a while since we last met in person." She placed her hand on his shoulder in a friendly-like fashion. "Let's get married."

"No," said Aizawa simply.

The class stared in shock at how candidly she spoke to their teacher. Ms. Joke erupted in laughter. "You're a real laugh-riot, buddy!" she said.

"And you're as impossible as I remember, Joke," Said Aizawa, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Come on, imagine it!" Said Joke, undeterred. "If I was your wife, You'd have a future full of constant laughter."

"That sounds like an actual nightmare," Said Aizawa, causing Ms. Joke to erupt in laughter again.

"You two seem close," said Asui pointedly.

"Our agencies were near each other," Said Ms. Joke dramatically. "As young heroes trying to make a difference in the world, our love bloomed!"

"Lies," Said Aizawa.

"I do miss your quick retorts!" Said Ms. Joke, laughing again. "You're my favorite person to tease, future husband!"

Aizawa rolled his eyes. "So if you're here, Joke," he said. "That must mean your class is here too."

"That's right!" Said Ms. Joke, gesturing to the students behind her. They all gathered around Class 1-A, each one of them looking star-struck and chattering excitedly.

"Meet the second years from Ketsubutsu Academy," Said Ms. Joke proudly. "Class 2, taught by yours truly."

"I'm Shindo!" Said a black-haired student. "Seems like UA has had a lot of trouble this year, must have been tough for ya." He turned and looked at Izuku. "Oh, my god! It's you!" He started wringing Izuku's hand vigorously. "You're UA's first quirkless student, and the guy who took down the hero killer! You're the real deal!" The Ketsubutsu students began to gather around him. Izuku began to sweat uncomfortably, overwhelmed by all the attention.

"I can't believe we get to meet you," Said Shindo. "You must be especially strong, even after that kidnapping business."

Izuku felt his heart sink to his stomach. "I beg your pardon?" He said.

"You must have a strong will to have endured such adversity," Said Sindo cheerfully. "Today I'm going to learn from you."

He said that in his pleasant demeanor, but Izuku noticed something odd, a sort of glint in his eyes that set him on edge. Izuku knew enough to trust his instincts that this man's words did not match well with this look. He looked around as the other Ketsubutsu students fawned over his classmates, even asking for autographs. It felt as if they were buttering them up.

Izuku had to keep a close watch on them.

"I forgot how popular we are since the sports festival," said Jiro as they made their way to orientation.

"Yeah, we're basically celebrities to other schools," Said Kaminari proudly. The students continued to chatter excitedly among themselves as they walked, and Ms. Jokes demeanor suddenly turned somber.

"Didn't you warn your kids, Eraser?" She asked, concerned.

Aizawa ignored her, following the students into the stadium.

Izuku and his classmates quickly changed into their Hero costumes and were escorted to Orientation, which took place in a large auditorium. On the far end of the room was a stage with a podium and a large jumbotron television above it. Every student who arrived to take the exam was pushed into this room. It was standing-room only, and Izuku estimated that there had to be at least a thousand people here. A tired-looking man slumped his way to the podium at the front of the room. He looked dreadfully disheveled, as if he hadn't slept in days and was ready to collapse at any moment. He gave a large, audible sigh once he reached the podium microphone.

"Okay, then," He said. "Let's do this exam thing. I'm from. . ." he gave a large yawn. "I'm from the Heroes Public Safety Commission. Call me Mera. My Circadian Rhythm is so screwed up." He added, though more to himself as he bowed his head slightly. "We're too short-staffed, I'm so tired."

Someone should give this poor guy a break, thought Izuku.

Mera gave another large yawn. "With that confession, let's begin orientation." He said. "So about the content of this license thing, 1,540 examinees compete in a free-for-all 'exercise' or whatever we're calling it this year. See, we've got a lot of pros around, and since Stain was arrested, many people have expressed doubts about the status of heroes in society."

Izuku flashed back to his battle with Stain. His convictions to ending the current hierarchy of heroes in modern society had spread like a virus. More and more people were adhering to his ideals, believing that a hero who accepts payment for their services could no longer call themselves a hero. In many ways, Stain reminded Izuku of Bruce and his convictions, but there were stark differences in their methods. To Bruce, the mission was everything, and he didn't believe in taking payment for his work, but he would never go to the extreme of murder to achieve his goals.

"But, when you really think about it, getting paid makes sense," said Mera. "If you're going to risk your life to save someone, why shouldn't you be rewarded? That's just the way the world works. God, I could use a coffee." He added, rubbing his eyes wearily. "Anyway, whether they're in it for compensation or a sense of duty, we've got too many heroes working together in the streets these days to keep villains at bay."

This was a stark reality of hero work. Because heroes were often so generously compensated, it was a career path that everyone flocked to in the early days, when licensure was easier. However, this caused over-flooding in the market, where there were at least 20 heroes to every villain, sometimes more. It made the streets safer, but it made it far more competitive for new heroes to make it as a career. In most cases, the time when an incident begins and when it's resolved is extremely short, so heroes often had to fight each other for a piece of the pie.

"You are all here to receive your provisional licenses, so you'll be swept up in this tiresome mess yourselves pretty soon," Mera continued. "Those of you who don't have the speed, franky, just won't cut it. Which is why that's what you'll be tested on." The jumbotron above Mera turned on, showing the words "Number to Pass 1st Test: 100 people."

"The first 100 students to fulfill the requirements will pass today," Said Mera. The students all began to chatter among themselves at this news.

"There are over 1,500 people taking this test!" Said Yaoyorozu. "This means less than ten percent of the people here will get a license."

"Oh, man," said Jiro, hugging herself anxiously. "I'm getting way more nervous."

"Well, the world can be pretty crappy," said Mera. "I suppose I should say something about luck. So, anyway, here are the basic rules." He pulled out an orange orb the size of a baseball and a small, plate-like device.

"The examinee will place three of these targets on his or her body," He gestured to the plate-like device. As he spoke, the jumbotron showed an animated example. "They can go anywhere you want so long as it's an exposed area. Each of you will also have six of these orange balls. The targets are programmed to light up whenever they've been touched by the balls. If all three targets are lit up, you're out, and the person who lit up the third target will gain credit for your defeat. You get through this round by taking down two people."

Izuku was already calculating. This exam was similar to the Entrance exam at UA. They were given exactly the right amount of balls to pass, so it didn't leave a lot of room for error. On top of that, they would be going against human beings with quirks, so it would be much harder. Several Mera's assistants began passing out the balls and targets to the students.

"After we pass out the balls and targets, you'll have a few minutes to get situated after we open," Said Mera.

"'Open?'" Repeated Todoroki. As he spoke, the auditorium rumbled loudly, and the roof cracked open at the seams. The gap in the roof began to spread wider until the walls lay flat on the ground around them, revealing that they were standing in a gigantic stadium, even bigger than the one at the UA Sports Festival. The space of the stadium spanned for miles, with four different terrains scattered across it: factory, cityscape, mountain, and rainforest (complete with waterfall).

"I'm sure each of you have different terrains you like or want to avoid," Said Mera. "Use your quirks well and do your best. Or not. Whatever."

"Eraser, your fly is down," Said Ms. Joke playfully.

Aizawa scowled. Why can I never find a moment of peace and quiet in my life? He thought bitterly. He had attempted to find a nice quiet spot to watch Class 1-A in the stadium stands, but Ms. Joke had followed him like a lost puppy.

"I can't believe you still have 19 students," Said Ms. Joke. "It's unusual for you not to have expelled someone. You must actually like your class this time."

"Not really," Said Aizawa shrewdly.

"Don't be embarrassed!" Said Ms. Joke, laughing. "That's so like you! Please date me."

"No," Said Aizawa.

"But really, you know what's about to happen down there," Said Ms. Joke, suddenly serious. "And yet, you didn't mention a thing to your class."

"I don't really see a reason why I should have warned them," Aizawa replied. "I doubt it would have changed anything. They're still going to have to overcome this either way. Real heroes can turn this situation around."

After the walls of the auditorium dropped and everyone received their targets and balls, every student made a mad dash for their chosen terrains. Izuku's mind was going a mile-a-minute. If the first people to finish win, then no one will go after their classmates. That meant their best bet at winning was to stay together.

"Everyone!" Said Izuku. "We need to stick together and fight them as a group."

"I'm sorry, but I need to go on my own," Said Todoroki. "It's difficult to use my quirk safely when there are big groups around."

"Todoroki!" Izuku called after his friend, but it was too late, he was already running towards one of the arena terrains.

"There's no time, Midoriya," Said Mineta. "We need to go!"

Izuku hated leaving his friend, but they had no choice. They started to make their way towards the mountain terrain. "I don't like him going at it alone," said Izuku.

"How come?" Asked Mineta.

"Think about it," Replied Izuku. "Everyone already knows what powers we have."

"The sports festival!" Said Uraraka. "They did research."

"Exactly," Said Izuku. "They were all able to see us during the sports festival. That means we're at a disadvantage. We don't know what we're up against, but they already know our strengths, weaknesses, and fighting styles. This is going to be a battle of the schools."

"So what do we do?" Said Ashido.

"Well, the other schools are most likely going to gang up on us, taking advantage of the quirks they know," Said Izuku. "That's why we have to stick together and watch each other's backs."

They stopped in their tracks at the sound of a horn projected across the stadium. "The first exam will now begin," said a voice from the speakers.

Right on cue, several students from the other schools lunged from their hiding places in the mountain terrain before them. Specifically, students from Ketsubutsu Academy, led by Shindo himself.

"Here they come, get ready!" Shouted Izuku.

"I saw you on TV," Said Shindo. "You're pretty strong, but you also don't have a quirk. I'm not above taking advantage of that!"

Following his lead, the rest of the students from Ketsubutsu threw the orange balls at the UA students, raining down a huge barrage hurtling towards them. Izuku had to act fast. Running ahead of the group, he used his quirk to propel himself into the air.

"Howitzer Impact!" He shouted.

A large explosion emanated from his outstretched hands, causing all the balls thrown at them to be thrown back towards their masters by the sheer force of the explosion. Shindo's smile faded to one of shocked surprise as he lunged out of the way of the incoming balls. Several balls continued past Izuku, but his teammates were ready, using their quirks to dodge, parry and knock back the onslaught.

"We can do this!" Shouted Izuku. "Push them back!"

"I thought this kid was quirkless!" Said Shikkui Makabe from Ketsubutsu as he shielded himself from the barrage of their own orange balls.

"He is!" Said Shindo. "Or, at least, he was."

"Wait, didn't you see the news?" Said Itejiro Toteki, another student from Ketsubutsu. "He's not quirkless anymore, that villain gave him a quirk!"

"Well," Said Shindo, smiling. "Leave it to UA to be full of surprises. Even still, he can't know how to use it very well in such a short time."

"It's a good thing we have a plan," Said Makabe. After a moment, the orange balls in his hands were replaced with stones. His quirk allowed him to harden non-organic materials, increasing their durability and tensile strength exponentially. He tossed them to Toteki, who used his quirk, Boomerang, to throw the hardened orbs into the ground, where they began to travel towards Class 1-A.

"My aim is true," Said Toteki. "And because these projectiles are travelling underground, they won't be able to dodge them in time." Back with Class 1-A, Izuku struggled to think where the balls would appear once they reached them.

"The balls are travelling underground!" Shouted Izuku.

"I've got this!" Shouted Jiro, using her earphone jacks to plug into the speakers on her wrists. Slamming them into the ground, she used her ultimate move, Heartbeat Distortion, to break the ground apart around the Ketsubutsu students. The balls erupted from the broken ground, heading straight for Mineta. In a flash, Ashido used her acid to melt the projectiles before they reached their target. Tokoyami used Dark Shadow in an attempt to tag Tatami Nakagame, one of the Ketsubutsu students, who barely dodged the attack by using her quirk to telescope within herself.

"Interesting," Said Shino. "This isn't the Class A from the Sports Festival. It's obvious their training is making them better fighters."

Izuku continued calculating. They needed to form a strategy, one where they could protect each other's target areas while simultaneously going on the offensive. He didn't have much data on their individual quirks, and now they had lost the element of surprise by revealing their current proficiency with their own quirks.

"Back away," Said Shindo, crouching down to place both hands on the ground. "Their defenses are too strong right now, I'll fix that."

The ground beneath Class 1-A began to shift. After a moment, large eruptions of earth began to separate them as the ground broke and splintered beneath them. Izuku used his quirk to steady himself as the ground gave way beneath him. Shindo's quirk made him like some sort of an earthquake machine. Now he was trying to separate Class 1-A to break their defenses. Izuku would have to take care of him.

The ground shook violently as the students who had gathered in the cityscape area. They watched in horror as they saw the mountain spiral crumble beneath the might of the earthquake.

"Who has that kind of power?!" Said one of the students. "And what school are they from?"

"Hey, stay focused!" Said another student. "There are enemies everywhere."

As she spoke, a sudden violent breeze began to pick up at a rapid pace. As quickly as it came the breeze snatched the orange balls right from the hands of the students, swirling in a massive vortex that carried them high up to the top of one of the buildings. Standing at the center of the vortex stood a laughing Inasa Yoarashi.

"I believe it is very important for heroes to have passion!" He said, almost manically. "And all of you are fighting with it. Thank you! That's one of my favorite things on Earth to see! Please let me join your fight, and show my own passion!" With a great mighty heave, the vortex changed positions, sending the mass of orange balls careening down with intense speeds on the helpless students below. In a matter of seconds, they were all disqualified.

Izuku coughed violently as the dust around him settled. Shindo's quirk was strong, and now he was separated from the rest of his class. He had to find them quickly to reestablish their defenses. But first, he had to take care of Shindo and his friends.

"WHOA!" Izuku heard . "120 students are disqualified?! A single person managed to do that in just one attack?!"

Izuku perked up immediately. 120 people in just one attack? He thought. This was bad. If he or any of his classmates had any chance of passing, he had to end this fast. If he didn't --

Izuku's instincts lit up like fireworks as he sensed something approaching. Something fast. He leapt out of the way of the figure instinctively. Flipping around, Izuku saw that it was the blond girl from Shiketsu High, the same girl that had shot Izuku the strange look before the exam. She wore a black, skin-tight bodysuit and knee-high white boots. He saw that she was holding one of the orange balls in her hand. If he had been a second later in his reaction, she would have tagged him.

"Not smart, staring off into space," She said.

"Nice try," Said Izuku. "But not fast enough."

"You couldn't be cooler," Said the girl, laughing. "In fights where one-on-one combat is expected, most people tend to go after people they've already got a lot of intel on, since it's safest. That's why I tracked you down. I've taken quite an interest in you."

Izuku felt a familiar chill run down his spine. "You sure like to talk," He said. In a split second she threw a rock at Izuku, who dodge deftly, but was put in the way of the oncoming orange ball she had just thrown. Izuku recognized the feint and twisted in mid-air, kicking the ball away. He repositioned himself from the kick, ball in hand, ready to counter-attack.

But she was gone.

How could she disappear like that? Thought Izuku. Could this be her quirk?

Izuku hit the ground hard as he was tackled from behind, his arm with the ball pinned behind his back. "That wasn't my quirk," He heard the girl say, as if reading his mind. "I was just hiding." Izuku felt her press her body against his, feeling her breath on his ear as she spoke. She was toying with him.

"It's something the student of Batman is familiar with, I'm sure," She said. "Disappearing as if in thin air. It's not a very well-known technique." Izuku's mind raced. If she wanted to tag him, she would have done it by now. She was trying to bait him into doing something stupid, but he knew better. He had to keep her talking while he formed a plan.

"So how did you learn it?" Said Izuku.

"I can't tell you all my secrets," She said, giggling. "Now for my question: why exactly do you want to become a hero? For honor? Pride? Or is it for someone else's sake?"

Izuku's mind flashed to Kacchan. How was it this woman knew so much about him? She was trying to rattle him. He had to focus. "Why?" He said. "What business is it of yours?"

"I want to know your secrets," She said. "I want to know your deepest desires, and what scares you."

"Some other time!" Shouted Izuku. He seized his chance, pressing his free hand against the ground and causing an explosion that shot him straight upward. The Shiketsu girl was thrown from his back in surprise. He used his quirk to reposition himself, but before he could attack with the ball, the ground in front of him began to break and splinter. Izuku suddenly found himself surrounded by the Ketsubutsu students. Izuku was outnumbered. He didn't have the luxury to worry about the Shiketsu girl anymore, instead focused mainly on dodging, evading and counter-attacking as the Ketsubutsu students pressed their attack.

"Are you okay?" Came a familiar voice. Izuku turned to see Uraraka standing on a ledge above him, extending her hand. "Quick! Take my hand!"

Before Izuku could reach her, one of the Ketsubutsu students shot an energy attack at her, causing her to lose her balance and fall off the cliff. Izuku reacted instinctively, using his quirk to propel himself towards her, catching her in his arms before she hit the ground, just after he used his quirk to send up a smokescreen between them and Ketsubutsu students. He ran with Uraraka as quickly as he could before finally reaching a safe place to hide.

"Sorry," Said Uraraka. "I really messed up back there."

"What exactly did you think was going to happen?" Said Izuku.

"What?" Said Uraraka, bemused.

"Did you think you could catch me unaware?" Izuku said. "Uraraka has been working hard on her quirk. So hard that she can make herself float now without getting sick. The real Uraraka could have saved herself from that fall without a problem. So tell me, which school are you from? Shiketsu?"

Uraraka giggled. "If you saved me even though you knew I was a fake, did that mean you were trying to use me somehow?" She said. Izuku drew back in shock as the Uraraka before him began to melt into a large, gray mass of goo.

"No," Said Izuku, dropping into a defensive stance. "Because if you're not Uraraka, you wouldn't have been able to float away to safety. Heroes save anyone in danger, even if they are an enemy."

A mouth protruded from the mass of goo, twisting into a smile, before finally reforming into the girl from Shiketsu, but this time, stark naked, as her clothes didn't reform with her. "I see," She said. "So you're just that good of a guy. Please tell me more about yourself. Everything."

"What the hell is your problem?" Said Izuku. "We're in the middle of taking an exam!"

"I'll continue the exam when my mission's complete!" Said the girl, lunging at Izuku. She was very quick, and he barely had time to dodge, but not before her fingernail scratched him across the cheek. As she continued to press the attack, she stopped as three large strands of cellophane stretched between them. Izuku turned to see Sero using his quirk to separate them.

"Hey, Midoriya!" Said Sero. "What's this enviable situation you're in? Uraraka, now!"

Uraraka leapt upwards from behind Sero, using her quirk to lunge at the girl from Shiketsu, who bounded backwards deftly, flipping upwards onto a large boulder. She sat on top of the boulder and began to pout.

"And things were just getting good," She said. "Too bad. I really. . ..really. . . wanted to talk to you some more." Without another word, she leapt off and out of sight.

"Come back, naked girl!" Shouted Sero.

"Wait!" Said Izuku. "Don't go after her!"

"Why not?" Said Sero in a put-off tone.

"She's not wearing clothes, but she's not wearing her targets, either," Said Izuku. "She might try to attack us again, and we can't get any points off her. Plus, we'd only be wasting our time chasing her."

"I guess you're right," Said Sero. "Let's go."

"Not so fast," Said Izuku. He walked up to Uraraka. "What was the first thing I said to you when you sent me that first text?"

"Huh? My name is Izuku Midoriya, you can call me Deku." She recounted, confused.

"And has Sero been with you all along?" Said Izuku.

"Since we were separated," Uraraka confirmed.

"What's going on, Midoriya?" Asked Sero.

"That girl's quirk is transformation," Said Izuku. "Just a few minutes ago she transformed into Uraraka's clone."

"What?!" Said Uraraka and Sero in unison.

"Was she naked then, too, Midoriya?" Said Sero, shaking him by the shoulders.

"What are you, crazy?" Said Izuku, pushing him off. "Of course not, she had a costume on!" Izuku took a moment to recount his encounter with the Shiketsu girl, not sparing any details.

"That's freaky," Said Sero. "There's no telling how much all these other schools know about us."

"So what do we do next?" Said Uraraka.

"We need to find the rest of our class," Said Izuku. "But while we look for them, we have to earn some points. 30 people have already passed, and we need to hurry if we're going to catch up."